Mark Adams, like all things hailing from Fogo Island, has amazing style.

Mark Adams

His background in visual arts convinced local talent Kym Greeley, who then managed Living Planet Studios, to take him on as a screen printer. When the owner Dave Hopley decided to sell, Adams and his partner Allen Walbourne took the plunge and became business owners.

It’s been difficult at times but ultimately rewarding, Adams feels, and it hasn’t stopped him from continuing to produce art, or DJ at local clubs while learning the business end of the print shop.

You’d think maybe he’d be busy enough, but he had other visions. Menswear options are lacking in the city of St. John’s, and Adams may well be the hero we need to make that change.

“I design stuff I would like to be able to buy locally, things I wish I could see on the streets here,” Adams says of Future Freek, the new menswear line he recently dropped, starting with very affordable  t-shirts ($25) with the brand’s logo in gold. The shirts are a soft, loose “powerwash” variety, in several unique colours ranging from soft lilac to a teal based forest green.

Grey jersey is the foundation of the collection to follow, which will be sewn by local garment crafter Barry Buckle into a deconstructed athleisure line of colour blocked hoodies, relaxed shirts, and casual pants. Clearly confident in the efficiency with which they can produce, the items will be affordable.

Adams has given serious thought to the fabrics for the colour blocking,  which defines Future Freek’s look. Fabricville, vacation shopping, and thrift stores have all contributed to the array of colour and texture. Panels of colour layered over the neutral grey make the clothes pop.

Describing his goal, he says it’s all about “treating clothing as form, playing with fabrics and colour. Looking at it like art.” Designed as menswear, the line is totally approachable for women as well. The loose fitting aesthetic allows he and Buckle to do locally made clothing without the detailed and expensive labour of a more form fitting piece.

With plans for a multi media fashion show in the works, Future Freek is a brand to watch out for. The chance to buy cool locally produced items at reasonable prices may prove to be a gamechanger in the mens (and ladies) fashion scene.