IN TERMS of clothes for the “contemporary man”, you can’t get much more contemporary than the “Cars and Robot Machines” autumn-winter collection from British brand Blackbarrett.

The crowd that gathered at the firm’s boutique at the EmQuartier for a recent fashion walk was suitably impressed seeing heartthrob actors Puttichai Kasetsin, Tanathob Leerattanakajorn and Jutawut Pattarakampol model the apparel.

Automobiles and robots lend their sharp angles and fluid curves to the graphic designs adorning slacks, shirts and jackets. Rungnapa Kittiaram, senior brand manager at Club 21 Thailand, which sells the line, pointed out the “hard metal surfaces, futuristic and robotic prints and the use of sophisticated techniques”.

Blackbarrett togs have been selling well in Thailand for three years, an extension of Neil Barrett’s central design concept, which involves mainline fits in a complete wardrobe at accessible prices.

“Cars and Robot Machines” takes its industrial-artistic cues from the Robo and Tron robotic creations seen in the futuristic feature films “Transformers” and “Tron”. The sharp, angled lines and metallic surfaces are strikingly abstract and, as can be glimpsed in the pictures on this page, flash photography triggers a startling iridescent effect.

Neat cutting and bold, minimalist black-and-white graphics offer a balance to the jazzier patterns. The Supercar and Hyperspace 3D Mesh graphics are inspired by the panelling lines, bodywork angles and interior design of futuristic autos. Shapes and textures are merged in to produce strong monochrome graphics.

Pushing the envelope further are prints of undulating concentric lines created from topographic maps, setting out fictional landscapes in contours.

One other trend that’s apparently here to stay in military-run Thailand is camouflage, and Blackbarrett has taken on that look too.

“We created a monochrome graphic using halftone pixels like you see in comics for the Cosmic Camou design,” Rungnapa said. “It’s a blending and reworking of the shapes found in camouflage and is layered and appliqued alongside vivid prints. The jacket is very lightweight and the suit is easily matched.”

While black and white dominate fashion this season, metallic grey makes frequent appearances in graphic applications, along with flashes of brilliant red and cobalt blue.