Band of Outsiders AW20 — The Rakish Gent

“The Band of Outsiders AW20 collection is all about the great outdoors,” declare the notes for designer Angelo Van Mol’s LFWM presentation. And with models in waterproof walking trousers and drawstring fishing hats lounging nonchalantly in and around two VW camper vans, this statement was very quickly made redundant.

The operative word here, however, is ‘inspired’, suggesting that while some of these items look like they could be worn in the wilderness for hiking, camping and scaling rock faces, they will most likely be worn in cityscapes for vaping, brunching and scaling multi-storey department stores. And with little urbane touches such as silk scarves elegantly tied around the neck (like a luxury Boy Scout), or the leather lining in the Mackinaw jackets, Van Mol makes it clear that this suits him just fine.

Denoting the intersection between streetwear and outdoors gear (let’s be honest, in 2020, how often are Patagonia and The North Face worn outside of metropolitan centres?), this collection is immensely wearable.

In Pop Art-bright shades of blue, red and yellow, t-shirts sit over hoodies and under bomber jackets, while similarly luminescent shirts and tailored trousers feature charming sketches of woodland creatures by artist Egle Zviblyte.

Contrastingly, walking trousers with drawstring cuffs come in more traditional neutral shades of khaki and grey, making sure that the focus is on the footwear - a playful take on the Lennon Boot that comes in yellow, white and black. And in a collection inspired by childhood camping trips, it’s fitting that the shoes are a result of a collaboration with Kickers, a brand many will remember from their school days.

Explore further at Band of Outsiders.