by MILAN – The outdoorsy aesthetic is having quite a moment in fashion, spilling over into collections on and off the runway. Outerwear brands were clearly an element for fall, catering to many aspects of the trend, from gorpcore and utility-inspired to quiet and sophisticated or mountain-ready.
As competition with the marquee fashion group heats up, many are banking on adjacent categories and the overall look, further telegraphing its DNA.
More from WWD
CP Companywhich is doubling down by unveiling a new brand, Massimo Osti Studio, continued during Paris Fashion Week, expanding its outdoor protection offer for the fall, hosting guests at its recently unveiled showroom during Milan Fashion Week.
Rooted in research and fabric innovation, the brand used Microkei water-repellent nylon for garment-dyed parkas and parka jackets recreating the signature 500 Miglia design with 3D pockets, watch watch viewer and integrated goggles. Bringing Shetland wool to a more conservative fashion clientele, the brand combined it with nylon linings on parkas and the 1000 Miglia reporter jacket. Cloth-dyed feathers made of Bitonal Membrane fabric, high-density nylon finished with water-repellent polyurethane-based treatment, featuring pockets crafted from tapered materials.
Like many of its outerwear peers, CP Company has pushed its footprint in adjacent categories, such as knitwear, with oversized roster shirts and Fair Isle jacquard sweaters, sometimes with nylon detailing, as in the reasserting Chrome anorak the technical ethos of the brand.
Similarly, the FGF Industry owns it Ten C’s — famous for its patented OJJ fabric, or Original Japanese Jersey, — his material research this season “to give renewed impetus to our icons,” as designer Alessandro Pungetti said.
For fall he introduced Ultrasuede, a nylon and polyester blend that mimics the tactical surface of suede. It was worked into a parka, peacoat and anorak characterized by a distressed and worn look, courtesy of Dust, a new-gen powder coating. Cloth-dyed bomber jackets with a military undercurrent also hid innovation, treated with a corrosive patina for a color fading effect that enhances depth and shadows.
The brand, which is distributed worldwide and counts around 200 stockists, has teamed up with Milan-based luxury boutique Antonia, unveiling an all-white capsule collection featuring its coordinating Tempest and Anorak designs store geographies on them.
Over by a brother brand Blauer United States of America, also owned by Enzo Fusco’s FGF Industry, standouts were a range of mixed media and short jackets or peacotats crafted from signature taslan fabric and enriched with details and reflective patches. Among the outerwear pieces was an LED flash pocket with a clear window to accommodate a torch or smartphone.
Military-inspired feathers with a swirling camouflage pattern and an expanded range of T-shirts, knits and sweats complete the lifestyle offering, a vital move as the brand seeks to promote its international footprint, according to Fusco. He said the brand generated 30 to 35 percent of its revenue outside Italy last year and an upcoming deal with a distributor in South Korea should help grow that figure.
Major further raising the luxury level of its range of fabrics, using precious vicuna, Yanghir and baby cashmere. The Italian outerwear specialist, which is expanding into full looks, has introduced jackets and over-shirts with crocodile panels at its showroom in Milan. New pieces included a quilted coat in a technical fabric that feels and looks like flannel and an overshirt in wool and cashmere with large pockets and raw edges, while a selection of denim-blend medium jackets and down jackets were essential.
In the US, the brand is already available at department stores including Neiman Marcus and Saks and founder and creative director Moreno Faccincani said he plans to open the first Moorer store in New York in September.
Add, recently reimagined with high-quality contemporary outerwear, including children’s clothing for fall for the first time, served as a teaser for the renewed lifestyle ethos ahead for the brand. The well-orchestrated three-piece line-up relied on the distinct pillars of modern outerwear, from the sober and refined, quiet luxury trend to gorpcore and mountaintop holidaywear.
In the latter, cable-knit jumpers and knitted puffers in a subtle color palette are mixed with light, wax-like short jackets. Parkas and parka jackets with detachable sleeves were paired with same fabric pants as well as puffer jackets with curved quilting and complemented by the eco-minded Primaloft matching nylon skirts balancing performance wear and urban gear.
The best of WWD
