July 29 - NY SS24 Market Week Coverage 2

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NY Market Week SS 2024 Part 2: Wythe, Momotaro, Dehen, and More

If you haven’t seen the first part of our brand coverage including Red Wing, Stan Ray, Heimat and more, check that out here.

Todd Cooke

W’menswear

What’s their vibe: Nigel Cabourn 2.0; unisex cuts; ethically-minded Thai-based manufacturing; Boro-chic and upcycled styles

What caught my eye: one-of-a-kind Boro Hav-a-Hank bandana pants; wide fisherman’s pants with heavy patchwork; traditional Thai-based indigo dyeing techniques

Brand Notes: W’menswear, as the name suggests, is a vaguely androgynous upstart brand from the Thai-Australian Lauren Yates, who first cut her teeth and honed her craft at Nigel Cabourn. She founded her studio in 2015 in Bangkok, where all of the brand’s production also takes place.

Like Emily Bode, who also straddled the border between menswear and womenswear, Yates likes to gender-bend historically male fashions (think sportswear, military garb, etc.) to be inclusive of women’s bodies and proportions. “I’ve always taken inspiration from […] garments that have traditionally been designed for men,” Yates explains, “[but] I rework them to speak to women.”

Their conceptual collections revolve around female contributions in the domains of science, technology, design, and engineering. The upcoming SS25 season explores how the introduction of the bicycle dovetailed with newfound freedoms for women beginning as early as the nineteenth century.

For her part, Yates has a deep commitment to protecting and honoring the craft-based knowledge that has been handed down through generations of female artisans from all across Thailand; indigo dyeing takes place in the northeast, sewing in the south, and weaving in the north.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, W’menswear launched a subline called Good ‘Ol What’s Her Face (truly the most perplexing name for a fashion line I have ever encountered). It was initially intended to support Thai artisans who were laid off or experienced order cancellations as a result of the pandemic, but has since grown into freestanding product line.

Using cast-off materials, end-rolls, and dead stock materials sourced from larger fashion brands, Yates and her artisans allow these material itself to dictate the design process. Their popular Freedom Flight Pant, which is unisex, is one such product that was born from this initiative. Another design of note was the bandana pant, made from deadstock Hav-a-Hanks that have been reworked into boro-style trousers that flatter both men and women.

As queer and trans influence continues to reinterpret the need for the menswear/womenswear continuum, I hope to see more brands, like W’menswear, that question the gendered demarkations we make through clothing.

Sunray

What’s their vibe: Sun-faded, 60s and 70s California vibes brought to you by way of Japan; a proprietary, in-house Japanese synthetic dyeing technique perfected by a master dye-maker

What caught my eye: beautiful desaturated tees that nail that hard-to-describe, sun-kissed aesthetic; perfect for our resident fade freaks

Brand Notes: If there is one brand I saw that my gut told me had the potential to take off among the Heddels crowd, it would have to be Sunray. This Cornwall-Japanese brand makes something deceptively simple, a t-shirt, at the highest possible standard.

As with my favorite Los Angeles t-shirt brand Lady White Co., you have all the normal tells of a heritage-quality t-shirt. Their shirts come in two different weights: a heavier 300gsm (sold as the Makaha) and their more popular, lighter weight 260gsm (sold under the name Haleiwa).

It takes over one-and-half hours to make a single shirt using their salvaged antique Japanese circular knitting machines that spin at just 24 revolutions per minute. Their dying technique is wholly proprietary, developed and perfected by a skilled Japanese dye-maker; their cotton yarn is surface dyed, resulting in a less deeply saturated pigment that proves less adherent overtime, yielding that perfect, sun-kissed fade you associate with your favorite vintage tee.

For their printed tees, the brand has brought back an embossing technique that results in raised lettering and the most wonderful hand-feel. Each seasons’ colorways are organized around a different theme, with this latest collection taking cues from Japanese nature.

Sunray also takes its commitment to sustainably as seriously as one can; they re-spin 1cm – 2cm castoff cotton fibers into a recycled yarn, called Ochiwata, they use for their cotton jersey; their packaging is entirely compostable, a noteworthy feat in an industry whose supply chain has remained obstinately committed to plastic packaging (NOTE: I say this as someone who tried, unsuccessfully, to get factory vendors I’ve worked with to question, let alone abandon their reliance on plastic packaging); their neck labels are spun for 100% recycled polyester; their recycled card stock is made using vegetable ink and printed by a carbon neutral printer.

They say to pick one thing and do it well. Sunray has chosen t-shirts, and they’ve raised the bar.

D_b_

What’s their vibe: new entrant into the specialized, luxury luggage segment; customizable suitcases for jet-setting photographers or creative directors

What caught my eye: their new line of EDC bags made Aluula fabric

Brand Notes: I had never heard of D_b before Welcome Edition, despite the fact that the brand has been around since 2009. By way of a brief introduction, D_b makes specialized luggage for creative types who have very specific needs while traveling (think camera gear, etc.). Their core product line is priced at about half of the Classic Flight Carry-On from Rimowa. But I’m actually not here to talk about their luggage; I’m here to talk about their new line of Aluula bags.

D_b is one two technical performance companies in the world (the other being Arc’teryx) currently experimenting with Aluula, a relatively new synthetic fabric that is basically like Dyneema but way stronger. The fabric is heat bondable, which functionally means you can repair any abrasions (in the unlikely event that they occur) with just a little heat; it also has eight times the strength-to-weight ratio of steel, and is, itself, six times stronger than steel.

D_b has used Aluum to create a series of EDC bags (fanny pack, totebag, backpack, and trek pack) that are light as a feather, totally waterproof, and semi-transparent. I’ll leave it to the gear heads at Carryology to put out a full review when the time comes, but for me this is one to watch.

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Wythe

What you know them for: lux western-wear for aesthetes who enjoy Ralph Lauren Americana cosplay and cowboy boots

What’s coming: the most beautiful, supple leather chaps and pants; streamlined Western shirts without leather fringes and frills; very heavy twill chore jackets; half-zip pullovers; peace patch embroidered shirts for the desk-bound leftists; naturalistic tie-dye; thick-gauge, pastel-hued camp socks; hippy-dippy t-shirts for those who never experienced Woodstock or Monterey Pop

Brand Notes: To me, Wythe is RRL meets Ralph Lauren Purple Label. $2000 leather chaps – why not? $600 Alpaca cardigan – sure.

Even for the pieces that don’t reach that upper echelon of pricing, the brand’s fastidious commitment to luxury detailing applied to classic western-wear is the ultimate in high-low mash-ups, like adding caviar on fries. Wythe is for persons who conflate Marfa with West Texas. It’s not that Marfa isn’t in West Texas, it’s just that’s it’s not really West Texas, either.

Wythe is the progressive next step for someone who loves Bode, but wants something a little more rugged; less quilts and lace, more rivets and gussets. There’s a lot of je ne sais quoi detailing to gush over: the cowhide patch belt loop, the custom carved wooden buttons, and sumptuous leather which all pay collective homage to a lost Americana.

Somehow, the only thing that left me wanting was the lack of music. I wanted to hear New Riders of the Purple Sage’s Lonesome L.A. Cowboy blaring as I browsed the collection of roper boots, snap-button pearl shirts, and gabardine textiles.

One of their subtler pieces – which could be incorporated into any wardrobe, regardless of one’s nostalgia for middle America aesthetics – is their half-zip popover, which would look equally at home at a backyard cookout, a trip to the beach, or your favorite neighborhood bar.

Some will swoon and others balk, but Wythe knows its niche. We need more brands, like Wythe, that fully commit to the bit. In addition to knowing their stuff, the folks behind Wythe are kind and welcoming; they’ll take you under their fringed wing to explain all the thought that went into replicating the forgotten details of the American vernacular from the south. You’ll feel right at home, even if you’ve never stepped foot on a ranch.

Corridor

What you know them for: trippy, multi-colored knits that would look great under the influence of LSD; scores of camp shirts in beautiful fabrics

What’s coming: more fun knitwear, stitched chore jackets and short-sleeve button-ups; aloha shirts; lots of cardigans

Brand Notes: Corridor had one of the most stacked collections of anyone at Man/Woman, over eight racks of clothing. Dan Synder, the brand’s creative director, says they explore connections between clothing and spirituality. I’m not really sure what this means, but I can tell you that a lot of their multi-colored knits would look great under the influence of psychedelics.

Corridor feels like the brand for a grown-up dead head who loved to frequent head shops as a teenager and felt most comfortable in tie-dyed shirts bought in the Haight Ashbury. Perhaps I’m being a little reductive, but that’s the vibe of the more out-there pieces.

Speaking for myself, I was a big fan of their stitched short-sleeve button-ups. I also fell for their crocheted knits, which hit just right without feeling too grandma, and their more modern reinterpretation of the Aloha shirt.

Japan Blue Group | Momotaro & Japan Blue

What you know them for: Momotaro: the iconic Samurai stripe-branded Japanese purveyor of slubby, Zimbabwe cotton denim; Japan Blue: affordable, raw denim without the bells and whistles

What’s coming: Momotaro: a totally revamped branding and logo that aims to modernize iconic pieces from the days of the Raw Denim craze; Japan Blue: sakura and washed indigo t-shirts

Brand Notes: I’m choosing to cover Momotaro and Japan Blue together, since they both form part of the Japan Blue Group umbrella.

Hot on the heels of a new rebrand, Momotaro is relaunching their core line with new all the new fixings for a broader international audience. Gone are the battle stripes that were once the label’s trademark (don’t worry, you can still request the battle stripes if you’re so inclined); so is the iconic image of the boy being born from a peach, which has been simplified to a rounded star design.

Instead, you’ll now find an abstracted mark that is intentionally reminiscent of a mon (紋), the Japanese emblem used “to decorate and identify an individual, a family, or (more recently) an institution.” This appears to be part of a play to widen the appeal of their legendary 15.7 oz middle-weight denim to non-denim heads.

For longtime fans of the brand, you won’t notice too much that’s new, just different. Having said that, they are releasing a Sakura-dyed Canadian tuxedo that feels appropriately celebratory of the new look and feel of a brand entering a new stage in its lifecycle.

Meanwhile their sister brand, Japan Blue has debuted two new t-shirts in sakura-dye and washed indigo.

Livid

What you know them for: washed, Stockholm-style denim

What’s coming: more jeans; a new Transparency Initiative

Brand Notes: Sourcing textiles from premium mills in Japan and Europe, Livid cuts silhouettes fit for the more melancholy among us who enjoy indulging in the pathetic fallacy of an overcast day. There’s a distinct Stockholm-edge that recalls early Acne for a brand based in Trondheim, Norway.

While my forecast may be cloudy with a chance of rain, the brand’s Transparency Initiative is anything but opaque. The initiative is the first of its kind in the region to offer a full, unvarnished look at their value chain. (They’re currently working on an online portal that will this experience more user-friendly; but, in the interim, questions can be directed to their help line [email protected].)

As far as their denim goes, their mid-weight 13oz. jeans have a lovely stonewashed feel, reminiscent of vintage Levi’s. They offer slim, straight, wide, and blousy fits suitable for all silhouettes. Most of their textiles are sourced from Kuroki mills and finished in Portugal.

I was a fan of their Japan black, which is so dark it recalled the deep rich hue of Kyoto black kimonos. They also offer a free first repair on all of their jeans.

Easy Moc

What you know them for: made-in-the-USA New England boat shoes and camp mocs

What’s coming: cowhide boat shoes; a sneaker-boatshoe cross-over, backless slip-on Mocs; Native American-influenced textile colorways

Brand Notes: Boat shoes are having a moment. Everyone from Vogue to GQ seems to be hawking their timeless appeal. That perspective is wasted on Gregory Cordeiro, whose team of New England craftsman have been making small-batch handsewn mocs for over a decade out of a small factory in Lewiston, Maine.

If you like Sperry Topsiders and Bass Weejuns, you’re a natural fit for Easy Moc, who injects a much needed dose of newness into Camp Moc’s storied silhouette.

If you’re more likely to find yourself at a desk than at the docks, they have a new shoe that combines that feel of a sneaker with the look of a boat shoe.

Alternatively, if you enjoyed my coverage of Wythe, with whom they distribute, don’t miss their new cowhide colorways, which are sure to get compliments whether you’re North, South, East, or West. They’ve also got some great beach towel/Native American-influenced woven styles in the queue that will look great on sandy shores.

Bather

What you know them for: well-made Canadian surfer trunks

What’s coming: pool-appropriate striped shirts; new funky patterned trunks and three iridescent colorways

Brand Notes: This Made in Canada swimwear brand is reviving the old-school loose trunks long-favored by surfers. The bathing suit’s shell is made of a quick-dry recycled polyester, while the lining is a proprietary mesh designed to keep your jewels chafe-free.

With a 5.5” inseam, they’re neither James Bond short, nor Quicksilver long. They’ve got a lot of fun colorways and playful patterns to chose from, including a new line of iridescent colors that seem ripped from an abalone’s shell.

Bather has also been slowly expanding into beachwear adjacent categories. I particularly loved their new line of textured-stripe shirts, which will work well as beach-to-cabana transitional attire.

Monostereo

What’s their vibe: California mushroom forager meets Tolkein enthusiast; fashion-forward fits for people who don’t like wearing shoes

What caught my eye: Berkley-inspired boro; flower power army green chore coats; outerwear with intricate beaded trim

Brand Notes: Monostereo is a very young brand that only has four seasons (read two years) under their belt. However, I’d say that they’re punching well above their weight-class. I saw several brands that were leaning a neo-hippy-revival direction, which tracks given the state of national and international politics these days, but rather than dip their toe in the water, Monostereo seems to have committed full tilt.

The brainchild of Alex Seastrom (co-founder of Mowgli Surf) and Colby Black (a former Urban Outfitters executive), there is a pronounced strain of weird utopianism circa 1960s that runs through the core of the brand’s DNA. I was half expecting the rep to start talking my ear off about Paul Stamets or the geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller instead geeking out with me over thread counts.

Like Wythe, this brand’s target audience is quite specific; that one friend who has a seemingly baffling array of skills and interests not limited to: pickling, composting, cooking, mushroom foraging, grass-roots activism, painting, thrifting, tattooing, barefoot running, gardening, sewing, Dungeons & Dragons, and fashion (at this point I think I’m just describing my friend Bryson, who I think would go crazy for Monostereo).

Despite the specificity of their vibe, the craftsmanship on display can be appreciated by all. Their boro denim adds a Berkley-twist to the Japanese tradition, while custom-made, heavy-metal flower buttons spruce up an army green chore jacket. They also have some really nice beaded-lace work along the trim of their outerwear pieces that I could not stop admiring.

Dehen 1920

What’s their vibe: Filson before there was Filson, hundred-year-old heritage Oregonian menswear

What caught my eye: heavy duty t-shirts and crewnecks, crissman overshirts, quality knits, rust camo vests

Brand Notes: We’ve covered this before, but it bears repeating:  Dehen 1920 makes really good clothes; specifically, heritage-inspired, Made-In-America basics. Stumbling across their booth, I felt a little like Agent Cooper from Twin Peaks when he first walked into the RR diner, ordered a black coffee and cherry pie, before exclaiming, “This is, excuse me, a damn fine cup of coffee!”

Dehen 1920, which has remained a family business throughout the entirety of their 100 year history, focuses their attention on doing the deceptively “simple” stuff really well. They’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, just make subtle, sensible improvements.

Known for their heavy knits sweaters and 5.6oz cotton t-shirts, the imprint of the Pacific Northwest is noticeable without being exaggerated. This is a brand that doesn’t have to do anything to get your attention because it’s sure of itself.

In terms of what’s on the docket, a rust-colored camo vest made strong impression on me, as well as their new line of chore jackets.

This caps off our Market Week coverage this season. Thank you for joining us, what was your favorite new collection?