The Critical Slide Society S/S 2022 Men’s Surf Apparel Preview
Retail Buyers Guide: Men’s Surf Apparel S/S 2022 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: The Critical Slide Society
Interviewee: Sam Coombes, Co-Founder
In the aftermath of the pandemic, what are the early results of SS21?
It’s been a juggle to get product out of factories and a further juggle getting it shipped. But we got there and all our retailers have been very supportive through the on-going challenges. SS21 has been a good result, all things considered and the feedback from stores has been incredible with regards to sell through.
What is the business mantra for SS22: keep calm and carryover, or, flat-out innovation?
SS22 the mantra is to focus on what we do well. Woven shirts, Tees and Boardshorts. In the past we’ve possibly made things a little too complicated for ourselves, we’re actually trying to make the lines a little more simple to buy from and reduce the retailer risk, there’s still some solid forward product in there for stores that want to chase that.
What are your collection stories for SS22?
The overall collection is called Down to Earth, which for us is a return to our roots and a simplified approach. Highlights for the range are our Club Critical capsule, which plays on the Sporty aesthetic that you may have seen happening in streetwear, we’ve added our coastal twist. We’ve bolstered our basics program, fleshing out our Band Tees into more colours and our Ernie Linen shirts (which have been wildly popular)
We’ve worked up capsules with a number of local Australian artists including Kane Lehanneur, El Oso Negro Luke Day and Shaun Gonzales.
Nature, heritage self-reference, street vibe… What prints & colors will drive the summer 22 collection?
Key colours for us are earthy tones, Sun bleached yellow, Seagrass mint & Tobacco are the highlights. Some more homewares’y prints feature through the line. Which are very wearable. We also have some beautiful worked up story yardages that are themed around ‘Down to Earth’
Which fabrics and (durable) materials are you relying on for SS22?
Linen, linen, linen… Woven shits we have a linen / rayon blend that’s been hugely popular. It washes very nicely and has a little more texture than a straight Rayon. We have a linen walkshort called The Cruiser Linen Walkshort that people are loving. In Boardshorts, we have a Cotton / Polyester Spandex that we’re loving and some 100% Nylon styles as well as straight Cotton Spandex. So a little bit of stretch, but nothing too tech.
Beyond the sustainability efforts in the production chain, are you implementing special projects regarding environment and trade ethos?
We have a campaign about to launch called ‘No Surf on Mars’ this is in partnership with our good friend Stefan Hunt (Who coincidentally just won a Bafta) and the group Greenfleet. This campaign will launch in 3 weeks time. It’s a timely reminder that we need to look after our planet, as there’s No Surf on Mars. 10% of profits from the sale of the collection is donated to Greenfleet who plant forests across the globe.
Key Products
The Mainstream Shirt – Vertical stripe print on cotton linen blend fabric. The perfect shirt for beach / poolside attire and easily dressed up for night time wear.
TCSS S/S 2022 Mainstream shirt
The Sacred Trunk: Art by Kane Lehanneur printed on a Nylon fabric, elastic waist and side pockets. One of our feature Trunks from the season.
TCSS S/S 2022 Boardshorts
The Seeker Boardshort: the same boardshort fit that won us the Stab Magazines Best Boardshort of 2017, as determined by Kyle Ng, Luke Stedman and Jake Burghart. Did we mention we’ve won Best Boardshort 3 years running?
Brand Previews
