Whether your summer plans call for an extraordinary destination to a foreign land or to the golden sand beaches and nightly entertainment of a Hamptons getaway, conveying an image of self-confidence will help you enjoy every expectation the season has to offer. Today, in menswear, the relaxed and refreshed look is proving to generate a lot of enthusiasm amongst consumers.
This season, capsule collections are changing up the menswear landscape by breaking the traditional fashion life cycle. It’s surprising to see how many menswear brands have included these hybrids into their DNA or company’s core values in marketing as an overall brand collaboration strategy. In my opinion, a capsule collection is a condensed version of a designer’s vision. More importantly, it often transcends seasons and delivers key merchandised looks for the consumer. In short, it is functional without fuss. More to the point, capsule collections can make great additions to any wardrobe by providing additional styling choices without contributing to decision fatigue. Aside from the fact that most men will refrain from using the term capsule collection as part of their vocabulary, the competitive advantage is that it is an innovative strategy aimed at facilitating the shopping experience.
In my opinion, the composition of interchangeable items allows the wearer to maximize the number of outfits without owning excessive amounts of clothing. In short, you can travel light and look suitable for almost any occasion.
This season, Dior Men has released a new beachwear capsule collection. Kim Jones Artistic Director of Dior men’s collections has teamed up with Parley for the Oceans, an environmental organization and collaboration network taking action against major ocean threats with a strategy called Parley AIR (Avoid, Intercept, Redesign). Together they have conceived some of the items of this capsule that reflects the House’s desire to move towards a more eco-innovative, sustainable future for fashion. The debut collaboration introduces a well-thought-out selection of environmentally conscious pieces that conveys the luxury French company’s desire to move towards a more eco-innovative, sustainable future for the fashion business. Jones sought to use responsible materials for this collection.
The joint project is driven by a desire for eco-innovation by using new yarns and fabrics, designed from Parley Ocean Plastic – created from upcycled marine plastic debris and fishing gear that has been recovered from coastlines around the world and engineered into high-performance materials by Parley.
Once the material was presented to Dior’s ateliers, the challenges began. And with the summer season in mind, it was up to Dior to fashion this newly alternative material into jacquards, mesh knits, and technical canvas. By intermixing sustainability with desirability, the collection is right on the money. Kim Jones is known by the fashion cognoscenti for his world-traveling expeditions. In addition, more times than often he weaves a piece of that culture into his own collections. And the result is a combination of comfort and elegance, technicality and refinement, and a functional spirit evoking the world of travel.
The key pieces of the collection range from adventure-ready, mix-and-match pieces, including poplin pants, a thick t-shirt, a polo shirt, and a sweater. Two jackets come in a packable format, allowing them to be folded up to fit in a pouch that borrows its curves from the elemental Saddlebag. Completing the silhouettes, the B23 sneakers incorporate an Adriatic heather fabric, along with biobased plastic soles. Uniting the promise of a contemporary look and a brighter tomorrow, the Beachwear Capsule represents the start of a new alliance that looks to redesign the materials, methods, and mindsets of the industry to achieve a sustainable future for fashion.
Words by Joseph DeAcetis
