January 2017’s edition of Jacket Required went down in London’s fashion district of Shoreditch last week and SOURCE went down to see which brands find relevance in this market for FW17/18. Words & images by Harry Mitchell Thompson.
It’s always interesting to see the juxtaposition of London gentlemen with tweaked moustaches and waistcoats next to the more relaxed vibe of our endemic action sports brands. Notable additions to this January’s show were Quiksilver and DC, who with their street-inspired aesthetics sat comfortably at the back of the regular action sports hall opposite Dickies and WeSC. Nixon took up the same spot again and showed typically classic styling next to their innovative Mission smartwatch.
Hectic’s brands – Stance, Poler Stuff and Deus – upped sticks and moved round the corner and into the main hall, changing from their usual position in the action sports hall and opening them up to more of a diverse crowd. Poler Stuff’s collection of luggage in interesting collabs/finishings will without doubt do well next autumn, while Stance leave no stone unturned with a plethora of functionality features in their socks and underwear.
Globe and Element set up shop directly in front of the entrance to the action sports segment and both showed interesting collections with Globe making a big push on pro surfer, Dion Agius’ +/+ collection. Element have an interesting collab with their Griffin collection – a Devon- (SW England) based high end military style designer who has lent his name for this collection.
Finally, it was refreshing to see small start-up Surf Perimeters, the brain child of Jim Storey taking up situ at the back of the action sports hall. Jim, a surfer who now does the London city thing, has started the brand to cater for more like-minded men who are landlocked surfers that require a more mature aesthetic for their apparel.
1 Jacket Required, located at the Old Truman's brewery on Brick Lane in the middle of Shoreditch, one of the world's leading fashion districtsQueues were a healthy size on the first morning of the show Jacket Required's iconic oversized coat hanger sits atop the lower floor The lower coffee spot bustling with activity on opening morningIt's an eclectic mix of people at the show ranging from moustached fellows with top hats and waistcoats to the more mellow vibes we are accustomed to in the world of action sports The main hall upstairs has higher ceilings than the rest of the location, and during the winter edition of the show is much more bearable than during the summer event, where it transforms into a sweaty greenhouse.A new "networking" hub has been set up in the middle of the main hall upstairs and it saw plenty of action throughout day oneMain hall from up highGetting down to action, here's DC's Core Skate Sales Rep & Marketing Coordinator (UK), Dave Snaddon showing DC's 94 Collection with their iconic old school Shoe Co branding on their Zimpel jacketAnd here's Dave with a heavy duty jacket at an afforadble pricepoint, the CanongateDC's Dave showed us parent company Quiksilver's Modern Originals line, and first up is the Tendencies tee And next up is the Quiksilver Crypt Scallop boardshort with a new design for FW1718SPIV Agency's Carl Burnham showing Dickies' one-off 875 in brown duck to celebrate the company's 50 year anniversaryAnd here's Carl with Dickies' Bernville fleeceGlobe's Josh Barrow sporting the low rise cap from Dion Agius' +/+ range and the LA II, also from the plusplus collectionAnd here's josh with the Sherpa trenchcoat from Dion Agius' +/+ collectionElement's Tony Wood (S.East England Sales) with their Griffin collection. Griffin is a Devon- (SW England) based high end military style designer and has lent his name for this collection. Here's the Tech Layer & Poncho from the line. And here's Element's Tony with the Herard zipNixon's impressive Regulus watch made for and with input from the US Navy Seals. Buttons work under water, special functionality for when Seals are in attack mode - the Swiss Army Knife of watchesAnd here's Nixon's Mission watch. Their smart watch that's built to deal with the ruggid conditions action sports throw at it.Comes with a tidy POS feature, the Nixon Mission is one of only 8 brands to have the Google android system (smart phone compatiable), but it's the only one that's 100m water resistant. Nixon's Joe Pilkington and new recruit, Izzy KeaneStance's John John Florence sock is sure to see great traction after the Hawaiian's world title last yearSo hot right now - Gonz has penned a line of socks in Stance's Performance category for the Deathless Thread sock. It's really impressive to see this company's commitment to all things socks (and underwear) Launched brand new last week is their Adventure line, which caters for those who like the outdoors, whether they're into weekend strolls round a field or expeditions up Everest, they've got a sock for you with all sorts of functional features to keep your feet warm, dry, aerated and to stop arch fatigue. Poler Stuff's Crater Lake Pendleton collab for FW1718Poler Stuff's Wax Cotton collection looks tidyDeus' Joel Fairweather showing their LWH Ronald jacket and Sunbleeched Milan crewTeam Hectic coming in hotShooting the S*#t with DC/Quik/Roxy's Ed Martin Jim at Jacket Required earlier this year
