Men’s Streetwear FW16/17 Trend Report

Matix

For Fall/Winter 16/17 men’s streetwear collections, endemic boardsports brands are blending street-savvy looks with weatherized performance to brave the elements in style. Trend Report by Dirk Vogel.

Globe

A quick survey of today’s fashion landscape leaves no doubt: “Streetwear” can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people right now. When Kanye West sends ensembles of anorexic models down the runway in bulging, khaki-on-khaki rags reminiscent of the post-apocalyptic Hunger Gamesmovies, it’s called “streetwear.” Rich kids in $1,200 distressed biker jeans and designer hoodies are wearing “streetwear,” and so are urban skate rats hitting the streets in high-water Dickies worn with tucked-in, plain white T-shirts.

Streetwear has become a broad church. So where do boardsports apparel companies fit into the mix? The answer is actually quite simple because for surf, skate, and snow enthusiasts, it’s always been about more than just a “street” look – but about garments that can actually handle their share of abuse. As Guillaume Dartenuc, Volcom’s European Surf Marketing Manager sums up the FW16/17 ethos: “The idea is to have a garment that fits the lifestyle of those who travel and might endure the toughness of the diverse climates they might come across, as well as the toughness of the streets, just as skateboarders would as they skate out on the streets.”  

At Burton, product manager Andrew Burke is on the same page: “It’s all about lifestyle wear. Clothes that help you staying out, staying dry and staying warm. A sports and mountain lifestyle for all seasons.” And it’s not just snowboarders who rely on their clothes for the extra mile. Skateboarders are getting extra support from brands such as Element, one of the first in boardsports streetwear, as Rey Gautier, VP Global Design explains: “The brand is almost 25 years old, therefore we have established an identity we wish to progress and organically evolve with. It was always about skateboarding, creativity and being as much in the outdoors as possible – albeit urban or nature.”  

PRICE POINTS: GRACE UNDER PRESSURE
Whether it’s hardgoods or softgoods, supply chains are under immense pressure from increasing labour costs and currency fluctuations right now. Ultimately, it was only a matter of time before price points would feel the sting. “Prices have definitely come up, and we knew it was coming,” said Patrick Hill, Creative Director at The Hundreds, while pointing out: “A couple years ago we decided we were not going to play a price game and focused on making the best product we could, we have really strong relationships with our suppliers and were able to keep it under control, but we are priced a little higher than competitors. We believe our quality, fabrication, design and construction will make the higher pricing justified.”

This sentiment – premium quality at justified price points – is echoed by most brands in this report. “There are two races going on right now in terms of pricing – a race to the bottom and a race to the top. Our focus is really on building a premium brand,” says Andrew at Burton, quoting €100–150 lifestyle rainwear as a hot category, together with Gore-Tex above €200 and premium technical outerwear above €300. Some product categories feel price pressures more than others, notes Mathieu Guillaume at Volcom: “The most impacted category is the jackets line. Prices are higher than other categories, so the currency fluctuation is more highlighted at the end of the day.”

Meanwhile, selling branded apparel with a value proposition is not getting easier in our business.  Robert Wright, owner of urban brand Lifted Research Group (LRG) confirms: “The proliferation of factory-direct brands continues to put a huge amount of pressure on the pricing of branded products and those retailers who carry branded products. LRG focuses on doing highly detailed and branded product at a great value to the end consumer, which is less prone to the pricing pressures than the basic commodity type products. That all being said, the modern customer is extremely value oriented and price conscious when it comes to apparel in our market.”

Burton

THE 5 MAJOR FALL/WINTER 16/17 THEMES
Looking at the market, the good news is that boardsports customers are not only getting great value for this upcoming season but also on-trend, fashion-forward designs that crystalize around the following five major themes:
1. Athletic and sporty. The “athleisure” trend of seasons past has evolved into straight-up “athletics” territory, buoyed by micro-trends such as the UK-phenomenon of “terrace wear” – the elevated comfort wear of football stadiums – presented by style leaders Palace Skateboards in their collab with Adidas. Athletic tracksuit tops, jerseys, jogger pants with reflective detailing and technical functionality usher in the new sporty look in streetwear. Andrew Burke at Burton calls it, “the merging of technical function into lifestyle. We see technical performance in terms of materials such as running tech in casual gear. People have less time so they want more adaptable, hybridized clothing.” Robert Wright at LRG says: “We have multiple outerwear pieces that are performance-based in synthetic fabrics that touch on athletic and technical styling. These are highly detailed pieces utilizing a mix of performance fabrics in anorak and windbreaker type silhouettes.”

2. Classic and classy. The active sports aesthetic finds its polar opposite in classic, elaborate-looking garments such as pea coats and anoraks, together with the big jacket trend of the season: “Coach’s jackets in updated materials and fits! We offer a few different styles for Fall/Winter 2016, from short sleeves for early fall to luxe Melton wool for when the weather goes cold,” said Patrick Hill at The Hundreds. Globe will release a cool outer shell that can handle the elements in style, Matt Wong tells us: “Our Hikari Legacy Jacket is a performance shell combined with an on-trend fish tail silhouette. It’s functional and can act as a true all-weather layer, yet stylish enough to wear on a daily basis throughout the winter months.” And since elevated style is not just for coats, Rhythm has just the right layering piece with the Studio Oxford long-sleeve shirt: “Our shirting has always been a strong part of our collection focusing on premium fabrics and attention to detail. This shirt is no different, the cotton oxford fabrication offers a great texture and look.”

3. Sustainability and transparency. For a sure-fire way to feel tremendously bad and guilty about the winter apparel industry, read some reports about the animal cruelty involved in down production. Yikes! And as a few more clicks will reveal, industrial wool and suede are no better. But an increasing number of boardsports brands are taking a stand, including Burton: “We push the needle a lot with bluesign-approved garments and sustainable down in our Evergreen series. We have done a lot to make our line more transparent and sustainable,” said Andrew Burke. At Ragwear, sustainability pushes into men’s apparel, said Julia Schmökel, Production Assistant: “Since our organic women’s collection was quite successful last season, we decided that this season we need to also develop a men’s organic collection. It is a small range, adding to the regular collection and completing the overall picture.”

4. Grunge and flannels. Cold weather season is when flannel shirts are in their natural element, and they’re coming out to play in FW16/17. At Zimtstern, Senior Designer Marianne Schoch is stoked on, “a 1990s Grunge-inspired padded shirt in a checked flannel fabric, called REZZ. Stay tuned!” For California brand Matix, flannels run deep in their DNA, as Mark Shin Director of Marketing informs: “We are known for our flannels, so for Fall we are introducing lightweight short sleeve flannels. They look and feel great and are good to have while we have slightly warm weather during Fall.” At The Hundreds, flannels are getting the tough treatment with, “heavy-heavy flannel fabrics, 2-3 times heavier than what’s in the market. Not only do they feel amazing they will last forever, and only get better as they age.”

The Hundreds

5. Weatherized performance. Much like in the skateboard footwear segment (see Trend Report in this issue), “weatherized” versions of proven designs are running the show next season. As Luciano Mor, Global Merchandising and Design Director for Men’s Apparel & Accessories at Vans explains: “Weatherised product is definitely trending with the Vans ‘All Weather’ apparel product in Fall 2016 being a range of streetwear styles made for the elements, with weatherized features to provide better functionality in cold or wet conditions. These styles have a minimum of 1K durable water repellent coating applied, with varying degrees of insulation and select features such as zip-out liners.” Across the board, brands are adding waxes, coatings, and surface treatments to keep out the wet and cold, including Matix: “We have water resistant fabrics in most of our jackets and we are focused on using natural materials that are breathable and light, We have also continued our partnership with 686 to include their weather technologies (infiDRY) into Matix Jackets.”

FABRICS: READY FOR COLD WEATHER
Following the weatherized trend, materials and fabric stories will revolve around innovation next season. The Hundreds are enhancing the “Wales” Anorak with, “a hydrophobic nano-coated corduroy and waterproof nylon,” while the Vans Junipero MTE is a “straight rainslicker jacket, made with a polyurethane face and longer length with the sole purpose of keeping you completely dry in any rain.” At Dickies, Kevin Penney points out that the workwear brand’s anoraks, “have used a twill performance fabric this year which is very interesting and fits well along side our twill pants.”

At Color Wear, it’s all about offering technical protection with a street-savvy look says Johan Ullbro, Co-Founder / Design & Production Manager: “We are working with denim like polyester twill and a cotton/polyester blend to enhance our streetwear inspiration and to give the garment a wider range of usage.” At Burton, the fleece product line receives an update with, “hollow core yarn in the fleece, which is fashionable but also has the technical property of storing the heat inside the yarn. We’ve always been big on fleece but really want to light a fire this season,” said Andrew Burke.

CUTS & SILHOUETTES: BAGGY VS STRETCH
The trouser segment is seeing major movement in terms of fits this season. According to Rhythm, “the skinny jean is on its way out. The vintage blue Levi’s jean is becoming a popular trend in our market and it’s a great look if done right – it has a real classic surf feel.” Robert Wright, LRG owner, also said: “Pants have definitely moved away from skinny cuts. We are seeing a return to more comfortable relaxed fits. Incorporating stretch and technical fabrics continues to be important.” Across the board, brands are incorporating stretch and flex technology into their jeans and chinos. And while straight and relaxed cuts are trending on one side of the spectrum, “the skinny pant is evolving to a more modern tapered pant where more room and comfort is added at the waist and thigh, while keeping the leg skinny at the ankle,” said Guillaume at Volcom. This evolution is summed up by Marianne at Zimtstern as “cropped pants with slim fitted legs, as well as peg trousers.” Meanwhile, Patrick at The Hundreds points out that “high-water cuts continue to trend in the market.”

COLOURS & PRINTS: SUBTLE, MILITARY, CRAZY
This season’s colour palettes are neutral, classic and understated, as summed up by Globe’s Matt Wong: “Monochromatic looks still play a big part with a lot of black, grey and white, but we’ve begun to incorporate more classic Army, Navy and stone items into the palette through wovens, jersey and fleece.” Julia at Ragwear also adds: “In terms of colours we stick with the timeless classics such as navy or black and complete the colour range with some dark red, green and blue shades.” Further standouts include earth tones and military green, also in prints such as geometric patterns and camouflage. According to almost all brands, prints will take the backseat to textures and “fabrication” stories in FW16/17. But there will always be exceptions, including Neff, where prints run deep: “Neff is known for bright, colourful and wild apparel. This season, the brand is focused on mixing both subtle and bright colours. We aim to keep it interesting, but make sure it is wearable,” said Ken Olson, Creative Director.

SLEEPER TREND: DROPPING BOMBS
Classic-looking pea coats and anoraks are all very well, but one jacket style is poised to score big in FW16/17, says Marianne at Zimtstern: “Bomber jackets with a voluminous fit! In the Zimtstern FW16/17 streetwear collection, the bomber jacket ZENAS comes in an oxford material with a rough surface and a DWR-Finish out of 48% Polyester and 52% recycled Polyester.” The Volcom design team agrees: “Bombers jackets are still a big trend this season, in different versions, without rib at the bottom, in long versions and quilted.”  And Colour Wear’s Johan Ullbro is hyped on the BOOM jacket, “a classic bomber inspired rider jacket in cotton/polyester that works equally well on the mountains as on the streets.” And there you have it: Keeping it stylish from the slopes to the streets – and braving the elements in style – is exactly what streetwear is all about in FW16/17.

Vans