It is almost cold to see, in the image that opens this article, Prince Charles facing freezing temperatures with a material as simple and prodigious as wool. However, neither he nor David Niven (see him flamboyant in the snow in a ribbed sweater at the end of this article) were that far off. In the age of synthetic fibers and hypertotechnical fabrics it is comforting to know that natural materials can be understood wonderfully with the latest advances in insulation. And that sustainability, the mantra of men’s fashion for the outdoors in 2021, does not exclude one or the other. Now that the cold is raging and the snow opens the first days of the year, we propose some ideas to face the harsh winter with warm clothes without fear of the past or the future.
Wool, for example, is the base on which Franco Loro Piana, a descendant of the imperial family of cashmere, has built his signature Sease. In it he produces warm clothes designed for both skiing and the city. The Rima jacket consists of a three-layer structure based on a technologically improved wool and cashmere flannel.
In turn, the Spanish firm Curated By, Specializing in producing limited runs of designer objects, this winter it unveiled its Rib Knit Vest, a unisex organic wool vest perfect for adding an extra layer of warmth to everyday attire. Paired with a waterproof outer jacket or coat, it’s foolproof (and a more than commendable reason to return to the knitted vest we thought we banished from our closets).
That same philosophy articulates the vest Pedro Gomez x Neutrals, a collaboration between the most legendary down jacket house of the nineties and this sustainable firm from Madrid, sensitive to the telluric magic of the streetwear. They are filled with Pyrenex, a material made from eco-friendly feathers.
In Sportivo Store (Madrid), one of the men’s fashion temples in the capital, the news this season is the arrival of the Japanese brand Beams Plus, which claims the calorific power and beauty of corduroy in a multicolored poncho whose ‘patchwork’ motif is inspired by work trousers from the sixties.
At the other extreme, the Berlin brand Arys plays its cards to sustainability, technical sophistication and avant-garde: its Paramount Parka –asymmetric, light– is the trench coat of a future in which it will have to coexist with the same old trench coats. Luckily, there is room for everyone in fashion.
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