Bizarre hats made out of wooden planks, models with ‘blacked out’ faces, and some ankle swinging sportswear were among some of the truly outlandish designs which kicked off Men’s fashion week. As models dressed in outlandish outfits stalked the catwalk, British Fashion Council member David Gandy said he wants to make London the menswear capital of the world.

The ambassador for Men’s Fashion Week said the event would be ‘bigger than ever’ this year. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch, rapper Tinie Tempah, and Oliver Cheshire all took their place on the front row, while Gandy said that he believed London was ‘number one in the world’ in the fashion stakes adding that fashion was a nine ‘billion dollar’ industry in the UK. The lesser-known men’s fashion week, sponsored by Topman, sees 60 menswear designers showcase their wares for autumn/winter 2013 over three days in the city in front of assembled press and buyers from over 45 countries.

While the day started sensibly enough, with Royal College Of Art graduate Lou Dalton’s collection featuring boiled wool and tartan trousers, things took a slightly odd turn when models dressed in dark workhouse greys paraded down the catwalk wearing hats and bizarre facial contraptions made of splintered planks of wood. This being fashion week, however, everyone towed the line and applauded politely. Later this week we will see collections from Hardie Amies, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford and Belstaff, while big London Fashion Week womens wear names Jonathan Saunders and Christopher Kane will be showing their menswear this week. – Dailymail