Tan France Announces New Outerwear Brand WAS HIM

Best known for his transformational wardrobe and confidence makeovers on Netflix's hit show Queer Eye, and guiding young designers as a judge on Next In Fashion, fashion guru Tan France is venturing back into the design realm with the launch of his genderless outerwear brand WAS HIM.

Created in partnership with brand incubator and retail platform thmbl, France wanted to address one of the problems of outerwear in a practical and beautiful way. In the cold winter months, and especially on those really cold days, your entire outfit is reduced down to a single element: your coat. It must be warm and functional of course, but why settle for less than satisfactory on the aesthetic end? With WAS HIM, Tan France proposes this solution to this age old question with seven beautiful coats nodding to his Pakistani and English heritage, while also sprinkling in references to his adopted home in Utah.

France tells T&C that the design inspiration for the silhouettes came from his life in Britain. "Being British, I’ve always loved structured tailoring, especially when it comes to outerwear." But when it came to the designs on the coats, he looked to his Pakistani heritage, and was inspired by the traditional, artisanal embroidery still produced across the country. He explains further to T&C about the impact of this craft in his collections: "Embroidery is a very important component of Was Him... my Pakistani/Indian people specialize in this beautiful craft, and I couldn’t create a brand that represents me without infusing that part of my heritage."

Aside from Tan France's personal heritage, he wanted to nod to the life he and his husband created on their ranch in Utah. The embroidered artwork on the coats represents this element of his life, specifically the embroidered horses (they were created by his artist husband), ombre patch pockets (which France says "represents the changing of grass to hay on my in-laws ranch"), and a plaid whose color palette was inspired by the colors of the ranch. By blending silhouette, craftsmanship, and western motifs, France seamlessly connects all three elements of his heritage and memories, while still hinting at a vision of the future.

The coats are beautiful, and the embroidery is impressive, but perhaps one of the most striking elements of the collection is its duality. The designs are straddling the lines between tailored Savile Row classics, Americana cowboys, and the ornamental embroidery of Pakistan. As Tan France is a dual citizen himself, this debut collection inspired by duality, crossroads, and memory hits close to home. We can't wait to suit up in a WAS HIM coat and explore the unknown.

Below, WAS HIM's debut collection.

All outerwear from the collection ranges from $375-$475 and is available exclusively at thmbl.com in November.