See as I have literally just seen White Mountaineering’s A/W 2012-13 go on display in Isetan Shinjuku I thought it was high time that we had a good look at it here on Tokyo Telephone. To accompany the collection in store there is a separate (and rather toned down) lookbook which you will be able to see on their website shortly, but I think that this runway show is an infinitely more exciting way to experience the collection, especially given that it is by its very nature, a touch conservative and casual by our standards.
The collection is themed around a bordeaux colour palette inspired by vintage corporate airline branding, which in itself provides the backdrop for the collection. The idea of presenting what is fundamentally an indoor space (i.e. an airport) as the setting for a brand that is know for its outdoors wear seems rather odd, that is until the designer explained that it is one of the few places where people were outdoors clothing inside. The mix of people going on their travels certainly recalls some kind of romance and this mix of people also allows the brand to introduce some smarter pieces into the collection through pilot uniforms as well as some casual sweatpants courtesy of rockstar types on their travels.
It was also probably the broadest mix of models you are ever likely to see at a Tokyo Fashion Week show, and no bad thing too. It is worth bearing in mind that this is one brand on the rise in America (they exhibit at New York Fashion Week), and this could be seen as an attempt to court international attention. Personally I prefer to think that this is White Mountaineering pushing a view of slightly smarter outdoors wear as a new global uniform for the modern man – practical, comfortable, and with form and function combined.
If you want to see more then they do have a bilingual website which will walk you through the technical background for some of their textiles (if that kind of thing excites you) here. You might also be pleased to know that they have a wealth of stockists in America and online courtesy of Oki-ni (link in the sidebar above) where they are having a very reasonable sale as I type.
