Band of Outsiders to Relaunch Women’s Wear
LONDON — Band of Outsiders is looking outward and embracing women’s wear once again. The brand’s women’s collection will relaunch during London Fashion Week Men’s in January under a new design team helmed by creative director Angelo Van Mol and brand director Daniel Hettmann.
“People always say they miss the women’s wear aspect and we do have a large women’s following on social media. They were already very interested in the men’s pieces and we had buyers asking for smaller sizes to fit this demand,” said Hettmann in an interview.
While the debut collection will be small with only 27 stockkeeping units, the pieces, according to Van Mol, are statement-making and embody the brand’s workwear aesthetic and the “Outsiders mind-set.”
Van Mol said his inspiration came from the cultural and scientific shift in the late Sixties and from the moon landing. “We wanted to embody that spirit of all these shifts happening in that era, specifically capturing the feeling of those who were watching the moon landing in front of their TVs must have felt,” he said.
Save for the introduction of dresses and skirts, the materials and tailoring methods mirror the men’s pieces. “It’s not formal wear nor is it as fluid as what you would see at a fancy women’s wear brand. It has slightly more structure to it, which is actually very suitable for an autumn collection,” he said.
Van Mol predicted that a skirt set made from shaved pony skin with a retro-inspired check print will be among the bestsellers, along with overcoats. There will be basic pieces as well, which he described as “clothes that your girlfriend wants to steal, but tailored to fit a woman’s body.”
To create this specific fit, Van Mol has split his design team and made some new hires, with the women’s wear team made up of female designers.
“While we may like something aesthetically, if the girls won’t wear it at the end of the day, there’s no point. We’re really trying to cater to a whole range of people out there and it’s very important that our customer can relate directly to the product,” he added, emphasizing that feedback is extremely important to the brand.
Related stories
Band of Outsiders to Open Pop-up Shop at Fred Segal in Los Angeles
Band of Outsiders Stages Spring Show as a Comedy
London Fashion Week Men's Spring 2018: Designer Inspirations
Get more from WWD: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
