Colmar

Colmar x White Mountaineering

| Design & Culture by Ed

The wait is over… White Mountaineering’s Yosuke Aizawa x Colmar A.G.E AW20 collection, as first glimpsed earlier in the year during Paris Fashion Week, is out. Founder and creative director of the Tokyo-based brand, Aizawa, known for his uncompromising rebellious yet elevated utilitarian menswear, has served up an eye- catching collaboration for the Italian Alpine brand Colmar A.G.E project. Colmar, known globally as the leading technical ski apparel and style pioneers sees its cutting- edge expertise and industrial fabric innovation prowess channeled into a 6-piece unisex collection. Finding common ground between Aizawa’s love of winter sports and Colmar’s almost 100 years of ski apparel expertise, the White Mountaineering x Colmar A.G.E AW20 collaboration serves up looks that feature a sense of two sides of the same coin. The result is a collection which reveals homogeny and full intersection between high performing, technically aligned fabrics and elevated streetwear.

Reimagined from the extensive Colmar archive this utilitarian collection does not wallow in the past instead it meets the needs of the modern style landscape with a nod to heritage. Consisting of a longer length parka plus a thigh length jacket, both water repellant and waterproof, with metal hardware vents, a patchwork of panel pockets, and an impressive warmth-to-weight ration. It’s only fitting that the spirit of invention that defines this collaboration sees both styles come in either padded filling or insulated with down so you choose the best weight outerwear that your lifestyle demands. Each style comes in either a muted black and grey hue combo or a bold biscuit colour with shots of pink and blue inserts. Buttons and zips are personalised with both labels’ emblems and the silicon logo of both brands runs discreetly along the storm flap, with the journey of the two houses joining forces found on a Tyvek label inside each piece. Additionally, the collection contains a brushed cotton pant, wool cotton mix sweatshirt and tee, as well as a boldly branded soft-shell under-jacket equipped with design features to suit a variety of conditions.This is a collection that is uncompromisingly functional in design and performance which collides harmoniously with utilitarian streetwear fashion making each piece an essential part of any wardrobe.

Colmar A.G.E. x Shayne Oliver

| Design & Culture by Ed

The adventure of the designer Shayne Oliver as the guest designer of Colmar A.G.E. ends with the New York based designer and founder of Hood by Air, creating a very personal interpretation of the archives with an inspired collection, that is decidedly less extreme than the previous two. Consisting of a colour palette of black, flame red and electric blue paired with a hi-vis fabric, which is applied both as detailing and as the actual fabrication of the garments. The rubber patches which have been a signature of the designer’s A.G.E. collections are placed on sleeves and the back of pieces, ranging from jackets to trousers, sweatshirts and T-shirts in an underground mood. The a-gender collection references the needs of a style conscious public, with a nod to urban lifestyles.
Within the collection, jackets come in different cuts and lengths. An oversized parka is quilted with a hood, press studs and front zip. A bomber jacket comes with a stretch knit collar, waistband and sleeves, with a light down jacket appearing classic only to reveal that the piece is actually turned inside out, with the seams exposed. Salopette pants are lightweight with a small pocket on the front. A variety of soft fleece sweatshirts, in different silhouettes come with statement hi-vis pockets, with the T-shirts reimagined with the statement applied patch telling the story of the unique collaboration between the two worlds of history (Colmar) and visionary (Oliver). The 14 piece collection will be available from September 2019 through 11 leading stores globally, including Ssense, Luisaviaroma, jofre, Block 60.
For the campaign, Oliver enlisted photographer Jordan Hemingway, who has been responsible for capturing the previous two collections. London based artist Hemingway, has previously collaborated with Emporio Armani, Grace Wales Bonner, Gucci and Roberto Cavalli. For the campaign the designer and photographer street cast models, who they felt embodied the spirit of the collection.