New York Fashion Week: Rochambeau Focuses on the Men in the Menswear [PHOTOS]

While many collections at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for the Fall 2012 season in New York were inspired by something or someone else, designers Joshua Cooper and Laurence Chandler of Rochambeau, French for the popular game rock-paper-scissors, focused on the men in the menswear for their inspiration.

The Rochambeau man has a laissez attitude of nonchalance in what he wears, effortless wearing clothing and making it a part of their own being.

"In everything we do, we try to have something different and distinct, very directional in showing that progressive menswear can exist in New York," Cooper told the International Business Times.

Rochambeau achieved this air of casual manner in the casting of their models, which the duo believes is the utmost importance to portray a collection.

"We like choosing guys that have their own sense of style their own sense of swag so it's important that they're manly men and carry themselves," Chandler said. "When we're doing hair and makeup, we don't want to make them into someone different, we like the way they carry themselves how they are."

And this man, according to Cooper, should be a man who is rugged and could have starred in a film like Fight Club.

"We're designing menswear so we want men to be wearing the clothing," Cooper said. "It's tough at the castings but if a skinny guy walks in, we're like 'No.' We want real guys. We want guys that look like they can get in a fight to wear the clothing. Real men."

The presentation took place in the box at the tents at Lincoln Center, a space the designer duo loves for the freedom involved. Transforming the space into a dark forest-like place, the Box gave them the ability to make one feel a part of their design process.

"We wanted to create the experience for everybody so they could kind of see the collection how we were seeing it in our minds the whole time," Chandler said. "We've basically created a forest environment that's a bit twisted. We feel like it fit well just because people are out in the wilderness, camouflage, darker colors kind of melting into your environment."

Using colors like what the designers called "ox blood" mixed with darker hues like black and gray, Rochambeau took a feeling of nostalgia from the holidays and turned it into a darker Pagan-like experience to reflect the attitude of the wearer who is urban by nature, according to Cooper.

As the presentation was displayed in the Box in the tents at Lincoln Center, the International Business Times also caught up with rapper Theophilus London, who has been a prominent fixture in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this season, even performing at the opening of Rebecca Minkoff's show on Friday.

"I think it's one of the bravest shows I've seen," London said of Rochambeau. "Just taking it there. It's like by itself right now. No other designer is coming with something this fresh. It's very impressive to see somebody challenge themselves and gear themselves to do the impossible."

London said he is even snagging a few Rochambeau items for himself, like the hats he couldn't stop talking about.

"The hat is going to be delivered to my house tomorrow," London said. "The hat is already on the way and one of the jackets."

View the slideshow to see photos of the Fall 2012 Rochambeau collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.