Two powerhouses of contemporary menswear, Solid Homme and Stefan Cooke, have joined forces to release a capsule collection centring around the impact of mellow American style on 2000s dress.
Designed by Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt – the founders of the London-based brand – the pair looked to adolescent memories of playing in local bands and to the American Apparel-labelled fits that kitted our their favourite musicians for inspiration. Using these musical pastimes as a portal to discover new places, such as the US, that they wouldn’t travel to until they became adults, studs are placed on loose-fitting jeans, shorts, shirts and jackets as a reference point to the relaxed, subcultural uniforms found in New York and Maine. Throughout, pieces nod to spaces where streetwear and industrial workwear reign supreme.
When quizzed on their intentions with the collection, the pair said they set out to create “a mix of clothes we would wear every day,” adding: “[we wanted to] experiment with garment treatments we haven’t been able to do before.” This desire to push themselves in new direction manifests in faded finishes, T-shirts that sport hand-cut and photocopied graphics (a Cooke signature), and washed-out colourways. A standout leather jacket comes in a boxy finish; a piece the designers describe as ‘perfect’ and one of their favourite from the offering.
Having access to Solid Homme’s extensive archive was a key part of the process for Cooke and Burt, who used it to inform their work but not dominate it. “In a way, we wanted to create a new project that wasn’t too close to what we or Solid Homme had done before,” the designers say. “So our DNA became less important. Although, I think we always design with our own handwriting.” Admiring the South Korean brand’s “understanding of their customer, their attention to detail and their long history,” the project is a subtle ode to the synergy between old and new design.
Photography by Theo Sion.
