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Let's talk about hike-ready inspired brands and items of clothing - people who are making and wearing outdoor-inspired garments that explore function in a more adventure-led way.

I know there's a hiking thread, which kind of crosses over, as does tacti-cool type stuff but I think we're in a place now where this is a style in and of itself.

My feeling on this is that is kind of an offshoot of athleisure more than a trend that evolved out of aesthetic. Where some designers/brands have chosen to explore how the urban jungle (and all that comes with it - commute, cycling, office-ready techblazers) can be better designed for there are brands that seem to be catering to those who want to be outside.

Brand examples:

Snow Peak
Manatash
Meanswhile
and Wander
Slow Tek (upcoming brand I've heard is doing great things)

Of course, there are the purist outdoor brands, and others that I feel sit lower on the scale (Poler, for example) I reckon theres some cool stuff brewing out there.

There are lots of things I like about this; smarter more tech-led fabric choices mean potential for better sustainability; more opportunity to take flintstone from other cultures of outdoor exploration without as much chance of being called out for appropriation; and an all round fresher approach to menswear.

Sure, its not NEW, but its so much fresher than a lot of things going on and the more I get bored with the menswear scene the more this scene seems to be growing.

if you can decipher japanese, there's a retailer, , that sells a lot of jp (and non-jp) outdoor/outdoors inspired stuff

i think if you dig through the japanese designers thread too you can find some of the more well known mountaineering/outdoors jp labels like (already mentioned) and

I don't really subscribe to the magazine, but magazine seems to chase after that look. maybe if someone else has more experience with this periodical they can chime in. probably is a very good source of info

Some more hippie/hiking brands, closer to Manastash than the others above - all of whom, more or less, make things like bush & climbing pants, 'outdoor' hats, fleece everything, and the like.


See also: THC (Tokyo Hemp Connection), Joint, Chums, Go Slow Caravan, Twopeace, shantii, leh, anokha, ojaga design leather items... there's a lot of good stuff out there.

I don't know if it's just my analysis but I think there's a clear divide within this and I'm much more into one than the other. There seems to be an almost 'festival' type trend (mismatched fabrics, brigher colours, prints) and a more serious utility jizz (more what I'm thinking about).

I think that makes sense - with some brands like Manastash, you can draw a pretty straight line from their being an actual outdoor brand to being a 'festival' brand (a good term!), while most of the others I posted are trying to recapture that in a over-the-top way. Wild Things probably straddles that line better than the rest, since they've got different roots and are pretty damn technical - If I needed some more tech-y winter stuff, I'd be looking at them.

Perhaps I should start a retro outdoors thread.

There probably are some Visvim pieces that fit but I think they're more craft-based than tech-led

German outdoor/camping brand "Heimplanet"



Their tent designs are pretty amazing and very techy. Heimplanet does collabs with german car manufacturers like Audi so they're very "german engineering". The tents are built to survive extreme weather.



Their collaboration with with Afew (german streetwear shop) is a more wearable outside of the camping context. Usally Heimplanet apparel is very toned down, mostly just graphic t-shirts and that kinda stuff.

I mean, for me personally, this is where my wardrobe has been heading just because I want to be putting more of my disposable income towards items that fit multiple purposes. And honestly, I think I've said this before somewhere else (random jorts?), but Flagstaff as a town has a very outdoor/tech-centered style in that almost everyone looks like they are constantly returning from a trek or headed out to one.

Good films to watch for some inspo: Valley Uprising and 180* South.

Patagonia, Battenwear, Topo designs, North Face, Hippy Tree, osprey, chacos, tevas,

Worn Wear:



patches








TNF purple label


The big trend with all of these brands on campus and around Flagstaff is definitely wearing the shit out of your clothes, patching them up etc. The trend with most of these end up being a lot of bright colors and mismatched patterns either because people are mismatching brands or because they're just buying varying fabrics. Patagonia especially has a lot of flashy patterns, especially on their fleece zip that is incredibly popular to say the least.

I love this cross over area. A bit less ninja than "techwear" and a bit less plaid shirt and zip off legs pants than the farmers market. I think Snow Peak has been producing some really interesting pieces in this area. Not sure the name of this genre. In Japan there is (or was) the "Yama girl" look, not sure if there is a male version of this, but there is a newish magazine out of the same publisher as Go Out called, " The Day" that's a bit less outdoorsy than "GO Out" but seems to sit in this more everyday technical outdoorsy aesthetic place.

Allot of outdoorsy brands in North America, in my opinion, are held back style wise by the Outdoor retail world that has been obsessed with the "hardcore" and a fairly odd combo of bright colors and technical features while at the same time being a bit dull and conservative. Snow peak may have side stepped this by having their own shops.

I'll share some images from magazines when I have a bit more time...

I'm not someone who saves tons of pictures but I've had this one sitting on my computer for ages. Wish vis steered a little more in this direction with their present output

Creep by Hiroshi awai is a strong brand that doesn't get a lot of love

Mainline deadbird product has also really come around in the last few years. If you look at shop pics from Japan it shows it pretty well.

First thing I thought of when I read through the thread was Mostly pictures of Japanese music festivals. Lots of keen sandals.

This is still a bit more 'festival' style, as it were, but here are a few tumblrs that are kind of adjacent to this:

There's something really really wholesome about this trend. It's not quite 'buy it for life' clothing but it's very much 'invest with your money and activity' (I'm sure I could put that better. It's outdoorsy without the hunter-vibe too which is nice.

I also like that Klean Kanteens are becoming an accessory (myself included)

A few scans from Go-out and The Day.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned White Mountaineering yet.

Their newer collections definitely lack the 'outdoorsy' jizz that their older collections had. But their recent collab with Barbour definitely don't lack that jizz.

*edited because i never found this thread*
(searching for "hike" or "outdoor" didn't quite lead me to this)

might as well talk about it at this point:
hiking/outdoor gear's shift from go-out niche to the general fashion consciousness (i guess) feels like it's pretty much here, what with pocketing and salomons and technical but somehow down-to-earth being the overall jizz
bonus points if it sits within actual outdoor intention and functionality, even if all you're going to do is run to the grocery in your gramiccis

speaking of gramiccis:
got these beams x gramicci shorts when i went to japan, touted as an "all condition" short in a quick-drying stretch poly, complete with mesh-vented pocketbags to facilitate water drainage


can confirm that they are indeed all condition suitable; water beads on them when it drizzles, they're comfy to swim in, and they do indeed dry quickly. the generous pocket layout helps. good shorts.

also waiting on these jeans to arrive, been trying to find a pair for a while (i mean, levis red + gramicci p much)



will update if they're really HIKING JEANS or what have you, the crotch gusset will definitely make some difference + the fabric's some type of cotton cordura blend, so we'll see

between these two things and my keen uneeks and jaspers i'm pretty much set for a short backpacking trip in december, just need to stock up on some lighter weight tees and thrift a few hiking/trekking type shirts from columbia and what have you

https://instagram.com/organiclab.zip

most of u probably already follow

first place i ever really saw this kind of styling was via

image dump below

hopefully this also brings a return to vibrant AF colors a la 90s ACG & patagonia

Where does white mountaineering fit into all this? Did they really miss the wave by moving into a more streamlined high tech vision of outdoorsy clothing right as everybody else was going the opposite way? Or has it always been too far removed from the source material, filtered through other lenses etc

i still dig some of the older visvim stuff that was more of a heritage mountaineering style before the yeehaw stuff

^v nice

Someone visionary back in 2016 started a thread on this called The Wanderset.

merged into the rakuten thread because it's important we respect our heritage

would still like a pair

Yes it is a Maha shirt.

random adidas listing (sold) i stumbled across earlier


some nike considered flavor with the x stitching on the split toe and sorta moc seam

and here's some acg photos i had saved