Spring has sprung, with summer well on the way, which means it’s time for a wardrobe refresh. For the sartorially inclined who also believe in knowing more about the brands they buy from, representatives of Alex Mill, Rails, Lafaurie, Bonobos and Corridor reflected on their respective journeys and guiding philosophies—while also offering a preview of their latest exciting offerings.
Somsack Sikhounmuong, creative director of Alex Mill, has a mantra that sums up the brand’s style and spirit. “Not more clothes but the right clothes!” he told me. “The right clothes being pieces that you’ll wear and keep forever. Special pieces that are always designed with a focus on quality and style. Looking great and cool shouldn’t be complicated.”
Alex Mill started in 2012 with the essential goal of finding and making the perfect shirt—something timeless, well made and not boring. “Today that filter has extended to every piece we design,” said Sikhounmuong. Lately, he’s been recommending the new men’s work jacket, in a lightweight basket weave cotton linen and classic boxy shape, to anyone in the market for a day-to-night/weekday-to-weekend piece. “The beautiful wash and color makes any outfit instantly cool without ever looking like you tried too hard.”
Cashmere is Alex Mill’s kind of thing; Every spring, the design team dreams up new cashmere styles. Their new features a lighter “super soft” cashmere, ideal for spring temperatures, and stylish main points, such as a slight bell sleeve and an open neckline. “We are huge enthusiasts of taking a vintage and making a cool spin and the ISA is a wonderful example. The classic Mariner t-shirt is needed and up to date with cool compatibility and an of-the-moment polo collar. “
When Rails art director Jeff Abrams introduced the logo 15 years ago, the idea emerged to elevate wardrobe essentials, like the vintage button-down shirt, with a tactile experience more sumptuous than anything on the market. . market.
Today, Rails has become a complete line of basic lifestyle products and a global sales network of more than 1000 stores in 30 countries, adding 15 independent Rails stores.
“Our collections are concentrated in versatility, quality and comfort, allowing our consumers to spend their day in style, whatever the occasion,” Abrams said. “Our goal is to combine our undeniable California roots with maximum European sensitivity and create portions for fashionable man. “
“We’re looking for unique, premium fabrics with an unheard-of feel,” added Cody James, the brand’s vice president of men’s design. “From our classic shirts and vintage, faded T-shirts to our vintage outerwear and all-season pants, we “We concentrate on the main points and craftsmanship that make a garment special. “
For some time now, James admitted, he had been living in the brand’s cotton-blend linen fabric; Callum Across the Rails pants are flexible, travel-ready pants that can be styled from casual to refined. Think of it as the ultimate combination between your favorite pants and maximum lounge pants. As James said: “It can take you from the beach in Venice to the Mediterranean coast. ” She added: “We also offer the same fabric in a short, lightweight Ambrose coat with a vintage elastic waist, to create a timeless and intricate ensemble. “
Rails callm pants
Rails’ summer collection also draws inspiration from 1940s French workwear. Collarless and made from Rails’ signature linen-cotton blend, the Antoine is “our modern take on the classic button down,” said Abrams. “It’s lightweight, easy, and comfortable, perfect for dressing up or down.” Meanwhile, the Silas shirt has a 50s California inspiration, with lightweight sweater-knit cotton fabrication—the hand-feel is dreamy—and contrast striping. It’s a lively update on the classic camp shirt silhouette that speaks to the brand’s commitment to comfort and versatility.
Pierre Lafaurie grew up in a rooftop apartment in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris. Pierre grew up surrounded by fine fabrics and glue cans, because the apartment was also a workshop for the manufacture of lamppost shrews.
After a stint selling textile logos, Pierre launches his own menswear logo, Lafaurie, encouraged by the taste of artists and intellectuals on the Left Bank. One of the launch elements was a cotton canvas painter’s jacket, a piece that will be emblematic of the logo.
When Pierre passed away in 2018, his sons, Théo and Pablo, took over the reins of the brand. “We have revamped and always continued reinventing and developing our brand while staying true to our heritage,” Théo told me.
Nowadays, Lafaurie is still inspired by the artistic and artistic scene, not only in Saint-Germain-Des-De-Prés in Paris but also internationally. Pragmatism, minimalism and high quality luxury fabrics at a price are priorities, like what Theo describes as “a playful feeling of fun. “
Lafauria jacket of the painter of gentle canvases
Appreciators of Lafaurie’s blend of casual chic and rigorous tailoring can still pick up the painter’s jacket in cotton canvas—including in a palette of summer colors: sage, dalai lama, carnelian. The Frank architect jacket and Figaro cotton voile shirt are also must-have pieces, Théo said.
At Bonobos, fit is essential. More fits and sizes than other brands, up to five changes on many pants and 3 changes on their shirts and costumes, with an incredibly wide diversity of sizes, means consumers can be guaranteed a fit they love. “
“We know that not everyone is built the same way,” said Hazel Morley, Bonobos’ vice president of design, who has been designing men’s pants for more than 16 years, and with Bonobos for 12 of those years. “We spend a ton of time here at our New York headquarters showing up our products, wearing tests and listening to visitor feedback on our products to confront the logo of giving men the confidence and convenience they deserve. “
Indeed, Bonobos was founded to solve the pervasive problem of ill-fitting pants. Founders Andy Dunn and Brian Spaly had seen way too many men rocking that saggy ‘diaper butt’ look. “They found that adjusting the pattern and changing the waistband to be contoured, or curved, minimized a lot of the excess fabric they saw out there,” said Morley. “Have you ever noticed how a well-loved leather belt doesn’t lay flat when you take it off? The contour waistband shape mimics this idea and helps with the overall fit.”
Over the years Bonobos expanded its offering beyond pants. They now offer a full range of items including beautifully tailored suits and performance-ready golf apparel, as well as a range of shirting options from easy care work shirts to printed vacation shirts.
“For summer 2024, we designed a collection of versatile vacation-ready pieces that can take you from the cabana to dinner, while still looking polished enough to work in your wardrobe for the M-F grind. We are seeing a huge trend in linen fabrications, which works perfectly for our customer. It’s a natural fiber with great breathability and a soft luxurious hand feel.”
The team also loves the innate informal enamel of clothing, which they get from an Italian famous spinning factory; The linen is provided in shirts, t -shirts and sweaters, with the bonobos settings made of mechanically elastic linen. “Our linen pants are made of a mixture of linen, cotton and elastane, which is quite in the market and we are helping we fulfill our promise of comfort,” said Morley.
The highlight of Bonobos’ latest offerings: its fun, lively take on old-fashioned knit polos, with designs ranging from brown cotton stripes to black dandelion cotton, coral chevrons and military bowling stripes . “They are very flexible and can be worn as a replacement for a dress shirt or casually with jeans or shorts. ” There are also a variety of subtly sun-bleached garments, such as lightweight chinos and short sun-bleached swimsuits, pieces that have undergone a special wash to give them a worn-in look.
Hudson Cabana Sweater Polo Blouse via Bonobos
But Morley is proud of his new 180 grams premium biological cotton t -shirt that one year and a part in creation, which is in the neck of the crew, V neck, with pocket or out.
Beyond the correct adjustments, Bonobos strives to find the balance between fashion and what consumers really want. “In addition to applicable seasonal items, we also seek to offer our consumers certain coherence in the global search for trends. Many brands are replaced so temporarily that you cannot return the following year to buy a new color at anything you enjoyed last year. We mark some of our most appreciated articles as “icons” and we will be offering them throughout the year, so that he can obtain our most productive articles.
Corredor is an independent logo based in Brooklyn with a difficult project statement: “Art as clothing” is something we will say sometimes, “said Corridor sales director, Brandon Capps. ” We believe that it is about what we believe That our goal is in this world.
It’s an apparel brand but also, said Capps, a “community of artists” who find inspiration in color, nature, music, spirituality and New York life. “Our goal is to create transcendent, lovingly made clothing as spiritual expressions with universal meanings.” Corridor’s artists design their textiles and garments in-house and partner with ethical and environmentally sustainable workshops that specialize in the best quality weaving, knitting and sewing.
Corridor’s spring/summer 2024 collection features a new knitwear silhouette. They call it their plated SS shirt: a mid-weight, short-sleeved shirt with a slouchy fit and a ‘plated’ knit technique that uses a warp and weft that can utilize different color and texture.
SS runner t-shirt
But the brand’s greatest proportion is its striped woven shirt. With its soft, textured viscose/cotton blend and Simple shape, it’s the brand’s best-performing item for 3 years, with no slowing symptoms. “We think it encapsulates a lot of the brand. It is a vintage flavor that can paint in Almaximum every cohort of visitors around the world. In fact, it lends itself to hunting well placed in combination and an admission in Almaximum any situation. »
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