New Brands – Staff Picks

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New Brands – Staff Picks

25 August 2014

From old-school Edward Green to New York’s Public School, here are our favourite newcomers.

There’s that “eureka” moment when you turn a corner in a foreign city to discover a new favourite shop. It often bears the stamp of one or two like-minded individuals, and there are a handful of items that you viscerally want and suspect will be impossible to find elsewhere. That’s the sort of thing we’re going for here at MR PORTER: a “eureka” moment. At launch, we offered a selection of just under 100 brands. Three and a half years and seven fashion seasons later, that total now stands at well over 200. The process of more than doubling our roll call has been a slow one, done in increments, with each new season seeing only a few select names added to the roster.

Among the ranks this season, you’ll find the makers of the world’s most beautiful shoes alongside the latest in wearable tech. You’ll see established global fashion brands standing shoulder-to-shoulder with little-known Japanese denim producers. Big or small, new or old, it doesn’t matter. There is only one thing governing selection for inclusion within MR PORTER’s hallowed walls: desire. If we want it, and we think that you’ll want it, it’s in. The “we” in this situation – the crack team of buyers and editors that is collectively responsible for hand-picking this season’s new arrivals – have weighed in with their own personal favourites. These are the brands that we want.

Why are you so excited to see this brand arriving on MR PORTER?

“Berluti is the one name that our customers have been requesting for years, and it has come at an exciting time – just as the brand makes its first forays into ready-to-wear. The results are every bit as special as we expected they would be. Anyone who has had the chance to see a pair of Berluti shoes up close understands that this is a brand that just doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘compromise’.

Along with a top-notch tailoring and casualwear offering, we’ve also managed to procure a beautiful range of bags and briefcases that really shows off the leather craftsmanship and that signature ‘patina’ for which the brand is known.”

Which piece have you got your eye on?

“At MR PORTER we have every confidence that Berluti will, in time, become just as well-known for its clothes and accessories as it is for its shoes, and this stunning shearling jacket is clear evidence of a step in the right direction. It’s a pretty serious investment – but just <i>look</i> at it.”

Berluti

Edward Green

Why are you so excited to see this brand arriving on MR PORTER?

“Mr Italo Zucchelli has really carved out his own identity as the men’s creative director of Calvin Klein Collection, and he’s done so in a way that manages to stay true to the brand’s history. You could see this at the runway show, where models walked the catwalk in oversized sweaters featuring the logos of Calvin Klein’s iconic perfumes of the 1990s – Obsession, Eternity and Escape. We’ve assembled a collection that harks back to that minimal, luxurious early 1990s look. The shapes are clean and simple, and the emphasis is on interesting and beautiful fabrication. As an idea, it feels both fresh and relevant.”

Which piece have you got your eye on?

“I love the double-face cashmere blazer, but then the grey textured overcoat is pretty special, too. Both are relatively classic items in themselves, but reinterpreted to give them a fashion edge – something that encapsulates what we tried to do with the buy as a whole.”

Calvin Klein Collection

Polo Ralph Lauren

Public School

Haider Ackermann

Alex Mill

Why are you so excited to see this brand arriving on MR PORTER?

“For those who haven’t heard of it, Tomorrowland is a clothing label and a line of high-end stores that was founded in Tokyo in 1978 by Mr Hiroyuki Sasaki. It’s huge in Japan – the company has more than 100 stores now – but this is the first time that the label has ever been available outside of its home country. It’s a big moment for that reason alone, but on a personal level it’s exciting too, because these are exactly the kind of clothes that I love. The craftsmanship is flawless, there’s a near-obsessive attention to detail and the aesthetic feels truly authentic."

Which piece have you got your eye on?

“The brand’s signature knit jacket in a bright oversized plaid check, which I’ll wear with a lightweight indigo-dyed cotton shirt.”

Tomorrowland

Illustrations by Joe McKendry