Black can conceal a great deal, but in Emraan Rajput’s After Dark, it made differences in cut and proportion impossible to ignore. Presented at LAAM Fashion Week, the menswear collection brought together contrasting approaches to dressing, from the precision of formal suits to the exaggerated volume of contemporary streetwear.

The range extended across Korean-inspired and Renaissance-influenced jackets, long winter coats and dinner suits, alongside baggy, oversized silhouettes. Rather than maintaining a single aesthetic, Rajput moved between the formality of traditional menswear and the looser attitude of modern urban dressing. The consistent black palette allowed these differences in shape to become the collection’s defining feature.

Wool provided the substance of the winter wardrobe, its rich texture lending weight to layered garments and distinctive cuts. Surface decoration introduced another dimension. Sequins, diamond-like stones and intricate threadwork interrupted the darkness with concentrated flashes of light, giving otherwise restrained colours a more elaborate visual character.

There was an interesting relationship between the collection’s decorative elements and its changing proportions. The embellishments suggested the ceremony of eveningwear, while the oversized garments resisted its conventional restrictions.

After Dark ultimately treated black not as a uniform but as a means of exploring the possibilities of contemporary menswear. Within one colour, Rajput found room for tailoring, ornament, streetwear and the theatrical character of historical references.