Fashionable gear: How outdoor clothing became so popular in the city
With the advent of the trend of "tourist chic"in mass fashion, not only Hawaiian shirts, but also the real tourist clothes for outdoor activity lovers — autdor — have firmly established themselves. Today, technological things created for climbers and lovers of other kinds of outdoor activities and travel can be seen not only on the mountain slopes, but also in the city (in Japan, the love for outdoor life gave rise to even a separate subculture - “Outdoors style”), and noticeable collaborations with outdoor shopping Luxury brands such as Junya Watanabe, Sacai, Vetements, Off-White, Martine Rose and other fashion companies. We decided to ask the experts how the clothes for the skiers became appropriate in the urban environment and for which the fans appreciate it.
Text: Anna Aristova
Sasha Krymova
co-founder of Dear Progress
The trend towards the aesthetics of outdoor brands began in the early 1980s in Japan, where magazines like the Men's club and Popeye Magazine for City Boys talked about fashion, culture and lifestyle. After the redesign in 2012, Popeye became the flagship of streetwear culture - this is one of the first magazines that, in addition to fashion, introduced readers to other aspects of life in the city. In Japan, life is built on finding a balance between man and nature: hiking, hiking, a vegetable garden - the tools to achieve Zen. In 2007, there was even a specialized magazine for outdoor issues Go Out.
One of the first collaborations of the outdoor brand came out in Japan: The North Face and Nanamica - Purple Label. But the true friendship of the outdoor and fashion spheres began in 2007 with the collaboration of The North Face and Supreme. Now, many years later, brands like Penfield, Patagonia, Columbia, Canada Goose, Arc'teryx are already working not only on equipment, but also on things at the intersection of outdoor and street fashion. Today, outdoor giants are well aware of the need to introduce their product into the wardrobe of ordinary city dwellers, because the initial audience is very limited and does not provide the desired coverage. In addition, the cycle of using a product from a loyal well-established audience is much longer. A young audience, on the contrary, comes from current trends - therefore, the wardrobe is updated more frequently.
Today, The North Face collaborates with Junya Watanabe, Sacai, Vans, and Columbia with Kith and Opening Ceremony, and in stores like Barneys, Harvey Nichols, outdor is adjacent to Off-White, Palm Angels and Undercover. In addition, in magazines like 032c, Monocle, i-D, Inventory, GQ, we increasingly see materials telling about outdoor brands along with luxury ones. Speaking about the same Moncler brand that has existed since 1952, few people today know that the brand initially produced tents, sleeping bags, anoraks and mining equipment and only later became fully part of the luxury segment.
The interest of luxury brands to outdoor shopping is fueled primarily by the desire to introduce new technologies into their collections. You can take the example of Gore-Tex - a company that manufactures clothing and footwear from its 1960s, a membrane fabric with water-repellent and breathable properties. Initially, the material was used by the outdoor brands: Patagonia, Oakley, Arc'teryx, The North Face, as well as Strivir-brand Visvim, Palace, Stussy, Supreme and Converse. But recently, the company also began working with luxury brands on an equal footing and releasing full-fledged collaborations - for example, the capsule with Off-White was sold out before it went on sale.
Speaking of my favorite collaborations, I can mention Moncler x Pierpaolo Piccioli, simply because it is beautiful and theatrical. I also advise you to pay attention to the The North Face and Hyke collaboration, where you can see flowing pleated skirts, translucent chiffon, cropped parks - very elegant silhouettes in stiff fabrics. I would wear that myself. It is a pity that the collection is available only in Japan.
Kirill Astrakhantsev
editor of the online journal SLOWW
In the past, outdoor brands were aimed more at a niche audience, not a lifestyle, but later the membrane jackets were also appreciated by city dwellers due to their bright design and practicality. Realizing this trend, outdoor brands began to work intentionally with representatives of street cultures - for example, Helly Hansen published an ad in the music magazine Vibe, using the Mobb Deep rap duet as “models”. And the same ubiquitous jackets of The North Faсe are now firmly associated by everyone with the 90s, the hip-hop scene and New York, and not with the climbers.
As for the luxury brands, you should pay attention to the Prada Linea Rossa line, which recently returned to service - the Italian brand uses, in particular, Gore-Tex tech material. Another significant collaboration is the Junya Watanabe collaboration with The North Face. Despite the fact that Junya Watanabe's own collections also have products with Gore-Tex, the brand is suitable for works with the outdoor brand, one might say, avant-garde. Take the same hybrid of a backpack and jacket - the designer did not do this outside of collaborations. A similar symbiosis of classic things and progressive technologies spawned the style of "techwear". Other illustrative examples of this trend are Arc'teryx Veilance and Acronym.
As for the popularity of outdoor brands, they are growing and they need a new audience. Avid travelers, climbers are not so much compared to those who prefer functional urban clothing. To some outdoor brands, the lifestyle market brings the most profit.
Anzor Kankulov
Head of Fashion, School of Design, HSE
It seems to me that active attention to outdoor brands can be explained by the buyer's interest in the idea of “authenticity”: today everything is “real” more than ever in price. Of course, outdoor brands have existed on the market for many years, but they gained new significance only thanks to a new global trend in the fashion industry, built on the opposition of high fashion, consciously neglecting functionality. But it is also interesting that today buyers are attracted not so much by the opportunity to spend the night in the outdoor jacket at the North Pole, as design in its Bauhaus sense - as a form and function.
For the same reason, outdoor brands are also rated luxury brands. Indeed, in fact, functional design, which still remains a powerful idea in the industry, can be found only among specialized brands, and with the help of collaborations, both parties not only expand the audience of loyal fans, but also strengthen their image. In addition, these lines always look fresh and interesting - personally, I always follow the new collections of The North Face. And if we talk about specific things, I advise you to pay attention to gloves and parks - they will be quite appropriate in the city.
Vladimir Ivshin
member of the MHAK mountaineering team
Representatives of the American underground, who in the 1980s began to wear membrane - mostly ski - The North Face jackets in the city, had a hand in shaping the trend on the city-outdoor. They became their "uniform" - it is possible that this was due not only to stylistic, but also utilitarian reasons.
As for fashion brands, in my opinion, they cooperate with outdoor brands, because today it is already impossible to ignore this segment, and joint collections invariably cause consumer interest. Collaborations look fresh - after all, you can find a bunch of interesting solutions and silhouettes in the outdore.
Speaking of specific brands, with all due respect to The North Face, I would advise the Russian buyer to pay attention to alternative brands, the classics are already beginning to bother. However, in terms of collaborations, The North Face has no equal. It seems to me that now this brand is doing everything to capture a segment - and this is great for them. I also advise you to pay attention to such brands as Patagonia, Fjällräven and Arc'teryx - each of them creates functional things with a cool design and at the same time pays great attention to ecology. I like the British brands Rab and Mountain Equipment - although, for the time being, they are mostly people involved in mountain sports.
If we talk about specific things - today you can borrow everything from an outdor. The assortment of outdoor brands is such that you can get dressed in the city from head to toe, fasten a comfortable backpack with a laptop - and you can safely enjoy the convenience and your own appearance.
Ildar Iksanov
stylist
Outdoor brands have gained popularity due to their functionality and practicality. Such things remain in service for a very long time, while their appearance becomes more interesting. So, for example, trail sneakers like Hoka One One, Salomon successfully entered our daily life - although two or three years ago it would have been impossible to imagine these silhouettes in the wardrobe of a city dweller. The same thing happens with clothes - for example, in a winter jacket like Patagonia, The North Face, Arc'teryx you can feel comfortable not only in difficult extreme conditions, but also in the city.
Now we see that people are increasingly embarking on the path of conscious consumption, so the environment plays no less a role in choosing a buyer. As an example, you can take the brand Patagonia, which has its own program for recycling old jackets. The slogan "Don't buy this jacket" makes it clear that environmental protection is an important task in the development of the company.
As for luxury brands, as long as they do not have sufficient technologies that would allow them to create such practical things. So at the heart of collaborations with outdor lies, one can say, mutually beneficial cooperation - it allows designers to gain access to modern technologies, while outdoor brands have the opportunity to move into a market that they could not reach on their own. At the same time, brands of the middle-market and the luxury segment themselves begin to use the Gore-Tex membrane (thanks to which the thing becomes durable and waterproof), primarily mainly involved in the creation of outdoor clothing.
Outdoor brands also do not stand still - and develop their own lifestyle-segment. For example, the brand Arc'teryx has a separate line of Veilance, which is located at the junction of minimalist design and advanced technology. Also, many outdoor brands have sold their licenses and now create things exclusively for the Japanese market. One of the best examples is The North Face Purple Label.
If we talk about collaborations, I am very impressed by the joint line of Acne Studios and Fjällräven: two strong Swedish brands, both in their own way glorifying Scandinavian fashion, did something very organic and interesting. But in general, for living in the city, I advise you to pay attention to such brands as Patagonia, The North Face, Arc'teryx, Fjällräven, Helly Hansen, Salomon, Klättermusen, Snow Peak, La Sportiva and Montbell.
Photo: Prada, Acne Studios, HYKE, Moncler 1 x Pierpaolo Piccioli