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Arket
>—> London-based label ARKET aims to be a modern marketplace for urbanites, where you can pick up everything from a Norwegian cheese knife to artsy ceramics, but its apparel range is it’s strongest offering. For AW21, it explores the spirit of the great outdoors, with a rugged yet erudite line of mohair and cashmere knits and functional, weatherresistant outerwear that delivers seamlessly on style and practicality. As an added bonus, everything is produced sustainably via a traceability model, with garments made from Circulose – a planet-first fibre formed from recycled denim and responsibly sourced wool – all of which help preserve the natural beauty of the landscape that inspired it. arket.com
Edited by SHANE C. KURUP
Norwegian Rain
>—> Anyone who has set foot in Scandinavia will know that its inhabitants endure even more inclement meteorological spells than we Brits. Combining the experience of fickle Nordic weather fronts with premium Japanese materials, Norwegian Rain crafts weatherproof coveralls that are a considerable step above your standard beige mac. This season’s extension of it’s Mottainai concept – the art of not being wasteful – chimes with the very current conversation around our impact on the planet, but also offers its clientele the ability to customise their favourite pieces to minimise wasted material and create a piece that fits to a tee. So, it’s a win-win for the your style individuality and Mother Nature too. If only she would get it to stop raining.
norwegianrain.com
Peak performance
Blending high style with high function, this season’s best outdoor-worthy apparel will see you through anything, from an intrepid expedition across the frozen tundra, to negotiating the frostriddled asphalt when the next Beast from the East hits town
Eye/LOEWE/Nature
>—> Anyone who said that outdoorsy gear needed to be purely functional, not fashionable, has obviously never met LOEWE’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson. His Eye/LOEWE/ Nature line takes the template of rough and tumble adventure wear and turns it 360, giving dressing for outdoor pursuits a distinctly bold, contemporary flavour. For AW21, it’s patchwork cords, upcycled tweed jackets and colour-block backpacks are a must for the urban man who has a penchant for exploration, but is more at home sipping a flat white on a heated pavement than scaling Ben Nevis. Sound like anyone familiar?
loewe.com
Shackleton
>—> As the name suggests, British label Shackleton is made for men who aren’t reticent about heading out into the wilderness. Performance down jackets, fine merino base layers and rugged yet refined cashmere accessories draw their inspiration from the vintage-inspired kit of the arctic explorers of yesteryear, but are given a 21st-century overhaul. This season’s hero Hercules jacket is tailored, featherweight and packable, but with a 750-fill 90/10-ratio goose down wadding, offers insulation that punches well above its weight. Additionally, Shackleton’s new 3-in-1 Adaptive Layering System allows you to attach and separate coordinating lighter down garments with heavier outerwear to tackle temperatures ranging from +10°C to -30°C for year-round adaptability. The brand is so confident of its cold-weather kit, that you can join the team on their seasonal arctic expeditions to Norway and Iceland devised by ex-Marine commando and polar explorer Louis Rudd, to truly test its mettle – alongside your own, of course.
shackleton.com
Nobis
>—> With winters that see the mercury plummet to -40c and below, our Maple Leaf cousins across The Pond know a thing or two about dressing for the cold. Nobis’s highly engineered bombers, parkas and performance rainwear are all made in Ontario, using ethically-sound materials and production methods, including the exclusive use of certified Canadian white duck down. Head designer Michael Kerr’s rich experience garnered from spells at Nike, Canada Goose and The North Face is evident in the brand’s contemporary camo prints, colour-block palettes and clever collaborations with leading athletes. Founder, Robin Yates – the quintessential Canadian outdoorsman – has a singular approach for road-testing the brand’s products, lying for hours on frozen lakes to ensure they deliver on substance as well as style. nobis.com
Connolly
>—> Having started out in the trade in 1878 as a saddle maker and later, car-interior upholsterer, it’s fair to say that London-based label Connolly has a deep-seated understanding of what it takes to turn out premium leather goods and a road-worthy spirit in spades. This butter-soft Spanish-leather bag in racing green is typical of the brand’s acute attention to detail in the field of fine leather craft, sporting a handy concealed passport pocket, a laptop compartment and hardy palladium hardware. It’s a winning tribute to the golden age of British motorsport that will see you through many a road trip to come.
