Post by CM

When you’re the son of two famous actors, it’s often expected for you to either A. Go off the rails and live a life of decadence and decline or B. Follow in their footsteps along the gilded path of Hollywood. Not for Micheál Neeson, son of Liam and the late Natasha Richardson. The siren calls of fashion reached out to him, and at only 19 years of age he has launced an innovatiove fashion gallery in London’s Soho – Maison Mais Non.

At the launch party on Monday with daddy Liam and Ralph Fiennes

Okay, he did go off the rails there for a while, but it was largely a reaction to his mother’s untimely death (when he was 13) and he has picked himself up and patted himself off since then, following a woodland retreat. He learned how to stitch leather at the retreat(/rehab), which piqued his interest in fashion craftsmanship, and went on to do internships at Joe Morgan at Chittleborough & Morgan (tailers to The Beatles) and then on to Céline. Inspired, he then set off to create:

“London’s first fashion gallery,

showcasing a pioneering hybrid

of avant-garde design and

exquisite Savile Row craftsmanship.”

What a cool idea, and what a great way to get men turned on by fashion! The first exhibtion, Artist: Artisan currently on show, brought together four Saville Row tailers – Anderson & Sheppard, Chittleborough & Morgan, Catherine Sargeant and Richard Anderson – and paired them with young Central St. Martin’s fashion students, to create three pieces each.

A piece from Charles Jeffrey’s LFW show. He teamed up with the tailers Chittleborough and Morgan for the exhibtion

Neeson started the project in conjunction with his good friend and flat-mate Topes Callant, Nell Campbell and photographer Toby Knott. It seems like such a great idea; it’s website says “it will provide a platform for the best in emerging talent, with profits being reinvested into continued support of this talent.”

Topes Callant and Neeson

The Artist: Artisan aspect is interesting in that it’s the first time in Saville Row’s 200 year history that a collaboration of this type – between classic and conceptual – has happened. It will be well worth keeping an eye on the gallery for upcoming projects; I for one am keen to see what they do next (and what other well-dressed guests turn up to the openings!)

Rufus Strangelove and Percy Parker at the launch

India Rose James and co-director Nell Campbell

Artist: Artisan is at Maison Mais Non, 14 Greek Street, W1, Wednesday 3 June-14 July (maisonmaisnon.com)