Welcome to our coverage of 2024 New York Market Week. This year, we hit two different shows: Welcome Edition and Man/Woman. This represents our Day 1 coverage of Welcome Edition, the newer trade show.

If you’re new to our Market Week coverage, allow me quickly set the scene. Scores of brands, ranging from two-year-old upstarts to hundred-year-old stalwarts curate booths in a large, open-concept showroom. Everyone is selling products for two seasons (i.e. one year) in the future. It sort of feels like a loose office party where everyone comes eager to make an impression despite the total lack of a dress code.

Squint for the full brand list.

The dearth of guidance results in a chaotic technicolored dream coat of stylistic influence, where the streetwear aficionados don Supreme, the fashion people wear Prada, the workwear enthusiasts stomp around in Red Wings, and the independents rep their own creations. Everyone is collectively competing for eyeballs, impressions, and (hopefully) orders without outwardly appearing to do so. You run into old friends (I ran into my buddy Clynton), and meet new ones, all while liquor, food, and coffee brand activations draft off the chaos.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Todd & Clynton

Me and Clynton.

With that, let’s dive into our coverage.

What we know them for: classic haberdashery staples; Indian- and British-inspired neckwear, pocket-squares, and scarfs; wide, 8”-lapeled suits that nod toward the tried-and-true aesthetic philosophy of Saville Row.

NY Market Week SS24 | Drake's Madras

Indian Madras Button-Up Shirt by Drake’s

What’s coming: modern madras; 3/4 raglan sleeve baseball; cotton-linen jackets and suited separates; branded, crested, and monogramed ball caps; 1980s variegated stripes; light chambray western-wear; off-duty smocks

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Drake's

Brand Notes: Drake’s is a brand that has always puzzled me in that it somehow succeeds in being both and neither fashion-forward, yet fashion-averse; raffish, but refined; stuffy, but street-smart.

When I think of Drakes’ I can’t help but think of that scene in The Holdovers, when Paul Giamatti’s character takes a student under his care to a regional art museum to show him that ancient greeks were drawing what basically amounts to porn all over the vases that we’re now celebrating as exemplary of cultural achievement.

This might seem like a stretch, but I find similarity in the air of erudite and wry didacticism: the purpose, in either case, is to show us that whatever we might register to us as new in the world has always come before.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Drake's Summer-Ready Separates

Drake’s Summer-Ready Separates

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Raglan Baseball Shirt by Drake's

Raglan Baseball Shirt by Drake’s

This season, we’re seeing a mix of summer ready staples ripped from the pages of Take Ivy, when the line between structured and unstructured dressing began to dissolve on college campuses. We’ve got some western wear, baseball-inspired color-blocked raglans and dugout caps, suited separates in easy-breezy linens, and a lot of beautiful Indian Madras that look like they belong in the sun-faded pages of a 1970s magazine.

What you know them for: Your go-to painters’ pants/carpenters’ pants; Made-in-America durable stalwarts of workwear

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Stan Ray

What’s coming: More painters’ pants in classic silhouettes with a smattering of printed tees riffing on 50s through 90s Americana, think Olive Garden and Big Boy-inspired graphics.

Brand Notes: In the era of rampant capitalization on the surging popularity of American workwear, there’s something quietly respectable about a brand like Stan Ray that has continued to present a relatively unmodified assortment of product throughout the fickle ebbs and flows of the fashion cycle.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Stan Ray Painter's Pant

Stan Ray Painter’s Pant

The brand’s bread-and-butter is without a doubt their painters pant, which comes in the three colorways (indigo, natural canvas, and hickory stripe) and two silhouettes (Original and the slightly less billowy, high-waisted 80s cut). I don’t remember when it became in-the-know consensus among the urbanite fashion crowd that Stan Ray’s were the painter pant to own, but once you come to that realization, it’s more likely than not you’ll find yourself to be a convert for life.

And yet, Stan Ray never really made much of a push to capitalize on the newfound popularity of their core product, and that’s part of the appeal. You can contrast Stan Ray’s philosophy of quiet humility with Carhartt WIP, the Swiss-owned streetwear iteration of Carhartt which uses the clout of its namesake but spins its heritage Americana pedigree into something that often times feels like it borders on cosplay, especially by indulging in way too many collaborations with the likes of Commes des Garcons and Vetements etc.

It’s not that I’m opposed to a legacy brand adapting to the times in order to appeal to new markets but I do have a sensitivity to that problematic word “authenticity.” And while arguing about what is “authentic” — whether you’re discussing Mexican tacos or San Marzano tomatoes — is rarely a productive use of anyone’s time, it does matter. And to quote Justice Stewart Potter’s famous non-definition of obscenity, “I know it when I see it.”

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Stan Ray Americana Shirt

Stan Ray Americana Shirt

All that’s to say is that: what I love about Stan Ray’s is their broad, democratic appeal. There’s something great about going to a trade show where, generally speaking, everyone is focused on showing off what’s new, and a brand like Stan Ray defiantly showing you what’s enduring. (However, they do have some new post-modern Americana-inflected t-shirts if that’s your jam.)

Whether you’re a metropolitan hipster, a new dad or mom, or someone actually painting houses, these pants will serve you well for decades to come.

What you know them for: mid-weight, quality denim that doesn’t require a break-in period made in Portugal from Japanese-sourced textiles

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | COF

COF Jeans Line-Up

What’s coming: new colorways and stone-washed finishes; seersucker dress shirts and suited separates; vintage-inspired chore jackets; worn, pre-loved tees.

Brand Notes: Circle of Friends (COF) is such a great name for a denim brand, especially since the denim community has always felt like the island of misfit toys. The founder, Per Fredriksson, appears to understand that as a veteran of the denim industry with more than four decades of experience.

COF’s point of view represents something of a departure from other denim brands we often write about here; a zig from where others have zagged. When many began to lean heavily (I mean really heavily) into the notion that well-loved jeans take work, Fredriksson appears to have issued a simple, respectable reply, “But they don’t have to…”

The brand’s proposition is crafting unfussy, everyday jeans that feel great right off the shelf; in other words, jeans you don’t have to wait to fall in love with. It’s the opposite approach to a brand like Samurai, with its assortment of 16oz and 21oz heavy-weight denim. All of C.O.F.’s jeans come it at around 13oz and are cut in six silhouettes (M1, M2, M3, M5, M7, M8) ranging from slim to roomy.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | COF

COF Pre-Faded Indigo Jeans

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think it was possible to love a pair of pre-fatigued, non-vintage denim, but Fredriksson has somehow mastered fades that feel natural, as opposed to forced. It helps that the brand starts with good ingredients: rope-dyed Kuroki selvedge denim from Okayama, Japan, before manufacturing and finishing the pieces in Portugal.

On deck, C.O.F. has expanded their core collection to include new stonewashed jeans, chore jackets, unstructured blazers, t-shirts, and casual shirts in a lightweight seersucker that are tailor-made for the next summer heatwave.

What you know them for: Japanese-designed minimalist camping gear; GORP-core without stuffiness

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Snow Peak

What’s coming: mid-weight rain gear; light-quilted down jackets; urban vests with (too-)many pockets to misplace your everyday carry

Brand Notes: I’ve always loved Snow Peak despite never owning any of their product. It’s the kind of brand that makes me want to drop thousands of dollars in order to live out a fantasy of living off-grid in the snowy reaches of Hokkaido or Niigata in a vintage Jeep or Land Rover, with a YETI cooler, Stanley mug, and requisite Snow Peak camping tent.

For those that are living that fantasy, or some version of it, Snow Peak is the brand for you. For the rest of us, a well-crafted article from Snow Peak provides either a temporary feeling of escape from the gridlock of city life, or an incipient inspiration to pick up that fishing pole gathering dust in your garage and head to your nearest creek (because you’ll just look so good doing it).

I like to describe Snow Peak as representing a Japanese point-of-view on Patagonia, combing Muji-inflected minimalism with a vaguely Shinto-ist philosophy. It’s thanks to Japanese brands, like Snow Peak, that naturalistic concepts like shinrinroku (i.e. forest bathing) have entered into the sportswear vernacular.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Snow Peak

Their upcoming collection doesn’t veer too far from their tried-and-true product line. They have a good assortment of mid-weight rain gear and light-quilted jackets, which honestly didn’t wow me, but represent a welcome foil to the seemingly unstoppable cult of Arc’Teryx.

They do have some great vests in the line-up that look great over a t-shirt and Stan Rays (which is how I saw them styled by the Snow Peak brand rep) that will serve you well as a more organized alternative to the all-to-ubiquitous canvas tote you can’t seem to find anything in.

What you know them for: six-inch Moc-Toe boots; heritage American workwear; 8111 Iron Rangers; 100-year old OG workwear

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Red Wing

What’s coming: fashion-forward dusty blue and lavender suede colorways; an entirely redesigned weekender chukka built around a new last

Brand Notes: You know Red Wing, you love Red Wing. You probably own a pair of Moc-Toes or Iron Rangers. For a brand founded on timeless durability, the question of how to continue to innovate is always a challenge. As colleague Reed Nelson observed in last year’s market week round-up, what makes Red Wing great is that they remain steadfast in their commitment to doing what they do best.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Red Wing

That said, lately, Red Wing has been leaning into some more trendy suede colorways—dusty lavender and dusty blue—that inject a dose of newness to the brand, that will make you look and maybe think twice. While the new colors would look out of context on any factory floor, they’d have no problem getting the job done. These seem tailor-made for an influencer ceramicist or DIY’er who still wants to look chic while getting their hands dirty for an audience.

They’ve also totally redesigned their weekend chukka boot around a new last, for greater comfort and laidback, put-your-feet up applications. This seems smart because, let’s face it, Red Wing boots aren’t (really) made for walking in the 90-plus-degree heat waves we’ve been experiencing, not to mention the premium being put on comfort after the pandemic.

I think it’s fair to say some of us haven’t been lacing up our Moc-Toes with quite the same frequency as we used to. But whenever you’re ready to reach for them, it’s good to know that they’ll still be there.

What you know them for: Pacific Northwest GORP-core; ripstop pants with specialized pockets for mushroom foragers and other outdoorsy applications; versatile, multifunctional pieces equally suitable for walking under the urban canopy or along the forest floor

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Earth/Studies

What’s coming: staples of their relatively limited collection in beautiful contemporary colorways, such as washed chartreuse and sunfaded sherbert

Brand Notes: Earth/Studies was, without a doubt, one of my favorite booths at Welcome Edition. The founder, Rob Darmour, and his co-partner Brandon Scott Herrell were both incredibly gracious and welcoming, which is quite laudable when you’ve been tirelessly promoting your brand to strangers for eight hours straight. After bonding over our shared love of Upstate New York – not to mention my favorite retailer, Meridian, who first introduced me to Earth/Studies – we dove into discussing their upcoming seasonal release.

As a relatively new brand, initially founded in 2018 as an outdoorsman’s club, the assortment on offer is pretty tight; but every single piece is so just well-considered to complement the others in the collection, you’ll want to kit yourself out head-to-toe.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Earth/Studies

The brand’s creative director, Rob Darmour, grew up in the Pacific Northwest, a stones throw from Mount Hood, before getting involved in the apparel industry. It shows. Growing up, he experienced little separation between the city and nature. “The culture I grew up with was really focused on being outside in a way that’s not like the magazine covers. It was about a trip to the local hiking spot,” Darmour explains. “You didn’t think of it as ‘outdoor,’ like an ‘outdoor trip.’ It was just Saturday.”

Eschewing the isolationist, back-to-nature philosophy, Earth/Studies designs its pieces around a more accessible, quotidian notion of the outdoors: less Ansel Adams, more concrete jungle. Earth/Studies endeavors to broaden our notion of the natural environment to include overlooked features of our daily commute, whether it be a public park or an urban hiking trail. This recontextualization is subtle, but important; it’s a reminder that it’s generally a short drive to your local nature preserve and that you don’t have to pack it in and buy pick-up in order to enjoy nature.

The majority of the brand’s textiles are made 100% natural fibers, another differentiator from other outdoor brands which rely heavily on petrochemical-derived synthetics. Furthermore, Earth/Studies’ Not_Waste line includes pieces that are made from 100% recycled materials as well as unused dead stock previously earmarked for the landfill.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Earth/Studies

The collection’s colorways are modern, without being loud. Washed chartreuses and dandelion yellows complement a wide range of earth tones on display, from mossy green to dusty beige.

Thoughtful and intentional accessory-based details keep the collection from feeling familiar or staid; I was a particularly big fan of the utility loop on shirt and t-shirts. The loop, which doubles as something of a brand tell for the initiated, can alternatively secure your sunglasses, a pencil, or a portable trek light, whatever your fancy.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Earth/Studies

Where other outdoors brands adopt a more is more philosophy, Earth/Studies strives for less, but better. This is especially true as far as pockets are especially concerned. Earth/Studies tailors those choices down in order to focus, with intention, on versatility.

Their trademark oversized pant pocket is perfect for urban foragers, especially if you’re on the hunt for chanterelles. Meanwhile, their collared shirts have one large pocket capacious enough for a trail map or trail mix and a smaller pocket for your phone or wallet. Most of the pants have an interior pocket as well, designed to keep your belongings snug and secure on the trail.

So whether you’re tired of pounding the concrete or a committed urbanite, I encourage you to broaden your definition of the great outdoors just wide enough to consider reaching for something from Earth/Studies.

What you know them for: quality, hefty five-gauge German wool products; fisherman’s beanies

NY Market Week SS24 | Weekend Edition | Heimat

What’s coming: popovers; Ralph Lauren-esque playful pastels and prep staples; modified Western shirts; easy-breezy linen chambray; updated, contemporary wardrobe staples; summer-ready beanies in a cotton-linen blends; shawl-collar pullover sweaters; well-constructed fleecy raglan tees and sweats

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Heimat

Heimat Popover

Brand Notes: Heimat is one of those brands that you might associate with one product and one product only, wool beanies and sweaters, without realizing that they’ve been quietly perfecting every other garment they’ve endeavored to create.

I first encountered Heimat as the brand making thick-gauged, vintage-inspired, high-quality wool fisherman’s beanies, the kind your grandfather might have worn. Like American Trench, for whom the popularity of their socks allowed them to progressively branch out into other categories of apparel, Heimat quickly cornered the market on beanies and used the positive cash-flow as a springboard to dive into cardigans, turtlenecks, workshirts, belts, chore jackets, and t-shirts.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Heimat

Heimat’s Christian Hofmann

Founded by German-native Christian Hofmann after an eleven-year career at Polo and RRL, Heimat is, in essence, an extension of founder’s personal wardrobe, built up around German heritage, craftmanship, and engineering.

The brand’s name comes from an untranslatable German word that describes a state of belonging not limited to a geographical place, wherever one feels the most comfortable. Heimat aspires to make garments that cultivate that same feeling of acceptance and comfort.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Heimat Three-Row Stitch Wool Sweater

Heimat Three-Row Stitch Wool Sweater

“I love things that are simple and made for a purpose and are stripped of any unnecessary design features,” says Hofmann. As we know, when it comes to simplicity, the devil is in the details. With no recognizable logos, Heimat prefers to quietly tip its hat as to the quality of German manufacturing with a subtle markers mark, which consists of a three-row knit pattern visible along garments’ sleeves and hem.

Of course, knitwear remains brand’s forte, with each piece made from over a kilogram of the best wool available and manufactured entirely in Germany. (NOTE: Jackets, trousers, shirts, and caps are all made in Portugal. Everything else is manufactured in Hofmann’s native Germany.)

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Heimat Accessories

Heimat Accessories

Having worked at Ralph Lauren, Hofmann knows how to have a little bit of fun here and there. For instance, his prep-inflected work shirts are made up of mismatched fabrics that might run afoul of your type-A friend. He’s also got some new accessories in the works, including an O-ring belt with a carefully stitched H, that I read as subtle, wry dig at that garish Hermes belt buckle you see everyone in FiDi wearing.

Hofmann has also created great some soft cotton baseball raglans that almost feel almost fleecy that will be perfect for dads coaching at their kids’ minor league games; we’ve got some great modified western shirts in a lightweight chambray with considered embellishments along the snap pearl buttons and pocket flaps.

(On the topic of hardware, it’s really commendable to see a new brand commit to making its own custom buttons when it’s so easy to buy quality, off-the-shelf parts. Of particular note, are those on their shawl-collar cardigans).

Honestly, I liked pretty much everything Hoffmann showed me, and I’m headed to Berlin in a few days, so you can go ahead and call me biased.

What you know them for: postmodern motorcycle and biker gear; oil-soaked mechanic shop aesthetics; clothes for your inner Rebel Without a Cause who aspires to own a vintage Yamaha, BMW, or Moto Guzzi bike

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina F1-esque Attire

What’s coming: F1- and Nascar-inspired jerseys, Japanese silk Sukajan (or ‘souvenir’) bomber jackets, old-school garage and auto repair button-ups; funky, maximalist beach and track suits with trippy, fashionably garish 1980s patterns

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Deus Ex Machina

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Deus Ex Machina Jump Suit

Brand Notes: If you prefer your denim with a splash of motor oil, the folks at Deus Ex Machina continue to have you covered. The Australian-owned brand has been perfecting 70s nostalgia for the open road and open ocean for the past eighteen years and shows no sign of stopping.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina Jacket

Capitalizing on the growing popularity of Nascar and F1, the brand has ventured into logo-saturated jerseys that will complement a weekend binge watch of Formula 1: Drive to Survive. If your off-duty pastimes skew more “stay in your lane,” their irreverent 80s-inspired bowling shirts will be the perfect way to standout as you try for that turkey.

Of course, for those of us that actually have a garage, not to mention a vintage car or a bike, I urge you to take a gander at their faithful recreation of 1950s auto mechanic shirts and jackets, cropped at the waist, that are just begging to be sullied over a weekend’s worth of restoration work.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Deus Ex Machina Sukajan

Deus Ex Machina Sukajan

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Deus Ex Machina’s latest revival of the Japanese Sukajan, or souvenir jackets made of silk and rayon. It’s unclear how many different designs they have slated for release, but the one on display had all the right details. (I know we all got really into Sukajans back when Nicholas Winding Refn released Drive in 2011, but I think we’re overdue for a revival.)

Dubbleware

What you know them for: classic American workwear; coveralls and old-school dungarees

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Dubbleware

Dubbleware Dungarees

What’s coming: rainbow weft denim; more madras plaids; striped rugby’s; select seersucker; detail-oriented Westernwear; railway denim; army olive chinos

Brand Notes: Dubbleware is one of those American heritage brands saved from extinction by a contemporary fashion conglomerate. Currently repped by Options Distribution, who also distributes Pendleton, United States Rubber Co., and Reyn Spooner among others, Dubbleware made its name as union-made garment manufacturer in the Northeast corridor.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Dubbleware

Dubbleware Rainbow Weft Denim

Founded in 1918 by famed manufacturer M Hoffman in Boston Massachusetts, Dubbleware’s products were prized by farmers and factory workers for their durability. They were also among the first of the American garment brands to design cuts to accommodate female workers who had entered the labor-force in the wake of WWII.

Long coveted by Japanese collectors, most of the vintage pairs were scooped up long ago.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Dubbleware

Dubbleware Back Yoke Detailing

Today, the current iteration of the brand continues to focus on vintage Americana styles but an eye toward a slightly more fashion-minded subsection of consumer. Worthy of note is their new rainbow weft selvedge denim, which recently went viral on TikTok. In addition, the brand has brought back Jacquard-loomed Madras sourced from the Indian subcontinent.

(NOTE: If it doesn’t bear the made in America stamp, their garments are coming from Italy or Portugal.)

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Dubbleware Madras

Dubbleware Madras

What’s their vibe: fashion-forward label that showcases Japan’s enduring fascination with France

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Sage De Cret

What caught my eye: light, billowy silhouettes that will serve you well whether you’re in Tokyo or Toulouse; luxurious, unbranded basics cut for a variety of contemporary contexts

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Sage De Cret Shorts

Sage De Cret Shorts

Brand Notes: Sage De Cret is the sister brand of Pas de Calais. Chances are if you like one, you’ll like the other. I happen to like Pas de Calais, so, perhaps unsurprisingly I fell for Sage De Cret.

The bent of the brand is Japan looking towards France (or, more accurately, Tokyo looking toward Paris). Below the belt, you’ll find light breezy trousers — white chinos, white cargo pants, etc. — in crunchy, crinkly cottons that would look great on along the Riviera or in the streets of Roppongi.

Up top, there are M65-inspired jackets, some chic, roomy button-downs in wide striped broadcloth and solid oxford fabrics, not to mention a variety of seersucker offerings. This isn’t really a brand to technically geek out on, the way you would with a pair of Momotaro jeans, but if you’re looking for an alternative to Brooks Brothers or Ralph, then they warrant your attention.

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

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | W'menswear

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

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | W'menswear

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | W’menswear

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.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | W'menswear

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.

What’s New to Us

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

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Sunray

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Sunray

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

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Sunray

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.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | Sunray

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.

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

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | D_b Core Product Line

D_b Core Product Line

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.

NY Market Week SS24 | Welcome Edition | D_b

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.


That’s all for now folks, be sure to stay tuned for the second half of our coverage that includes familiar favorites like Momotaro, Corridor, and Dehen 1920. What was your favorite new collection?



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *