5 Outdoor Brands to Take Your Gorp Global
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It always takes me a while—longer than I expect, and perhaps longer than it should—to fully wrap my head around what I saw at Pitti Uomo. There’s simply so much. So many people, so many brands, so many booths crowding the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, Italy, where the biannual men’s fashion fair is held. And that’s not to mention the stuff happening outside of the central hub. The fashion shows held in grand Medici-era palazzos or, as was the case with Fendi this year, out in the countryside at gleaming new production facilities. The parties, the aperitivos, the chance encounters with up-and-coming companies outside haunts favored by menswear types swilling negronis.
There’s a lot to take in, is what I’m saying. And though the fashion world is still working its way back from the depths of its pandemic slump—and we have, thankfully, mostly moved on from feverishly fawning over the preening peacocks who once defined its popular conception—parsing Pitti can still be a little overwhelming. No less valuable, though. Because the thing about Pitti Uomo is, it’s a treasure trove. And this year, the real gems were the outdoorsy brands from around the globe that should be on everyone’s radar might not be—at least not yet. These are the brands pushing performance, sure, but also shifting the line between what we wear in the wilderness and what we wear, well, everywhere else. Here are five of our favorites.
Isaora
Established in New York in 2009, Isaora quickly became a favorite of menswear insiders who were looking something that blended technical know-how and sleek, urbane aesthetics. The brand has gone through a few iterations since then, shifting the business from a wholesale-supported model with distribution in spots like Barneys (RIP) to direct-to-consumer before eventually getting pretty quiet for a while there. You would have been forgiven for thinking it had shuttered. The good news? It hasn't, and it's still churning out tech-y, good-looking pieces that perform how they need to–now from its hub in Turkey.
True Tribe
Depending on who you ask, France may be best known for high-fashion powerhouses or old-school staples like Breton-stripe shirts and classic blue worker jackets. Most folks, though, wouldn't name-check the country as a hotbed of outdoorsy performance-wear. True Tribe is hoping to change that. The brand offers a lineup of minimal essentials that are made to order, meaning the brand holds no excess stock and therefore reduces potential production waste. True Tribe calls the mantra "bare minimum." Turns out, that translates to some very capable swimwear, activewear, and loungewear that delivers more than you'd expect.
Elliker
British brand Elliker offers a tight lineup of bags and caps that are best described as "no-nonsense." The whole idea, according to the company, is to give you exactly what you need to get out in nature and explore and nothing more. That means that the details you see—like daisy-chain webbing for carrying more gear—are actually functional, not just for show. Pair that design sensibility with a commitment to using sustainable materials like recycled polyester (not to mention some pretty friendly prices) and you might just have your next everyday bag on your hands.
Snow Peak
One of the OGs of the Japanese outdoors scene, 60-year-old Snow Peak started out creating gear for serious climbers before moving onto the burgeoning world of car camping with equipment like packable grills and tents. By the mid-2010s, apparel joined the lineup, spearheaded by founder Yukio Yamai's granddaughter Lisa. Though the offering tends to have a design-forward edge, everything is rooted in real utility. The Takibi canvas jacket you see here, for instance, is made of a high-density, fire-resistant fabric. All the better for sitting next to the bonfire—or one of Snow Peak's iconic Takibi grills, for which the jacket is named.
Goldwin
Goldwin is another major, established player in the Japanese outdoors scene. Instead of climbing or camping, though, Goldwin ties the majority of its products to its long history in the world of skiing. The 70-year-old brand still makes jackets and pants that'll stand up to a full day on the slopes and then some. But for fashion fans, the lifestyle collection—introduced in 2016—will be of particular interest. It takes Goldwin's ski heritage and pares it down for the rest of life, keeping all the functionality but offering an aesthetic that's one part Japanese refinement, one part classic GORP. (Trust me: It works.)
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