Bit of a weird one this, but definitely in a good sort of way.
K-Way, the French connoisseurs of lightweight and colourful jackets, has partnered up with Diemme, the Italian connoisseurs of handcrafted boots to produce a powerful collection of both clothing and footwear.
Unsurprisingly, this is their first-ever collaboration, but after having a look at it, maybe it makes more sense than you’d initially think. The joint European forces have produced a capsule designed for hiking and city life that mixes the strengths of both brands – outerwear and footwear.
The thing that we’re most excited for about this collaboration is the colour palette, consisting mainly of a deep purple, bright orange and sandy beige. If wearing the full tracksuit, we wouldn’t be surprised if you got mistaken from afar for a massive rhubarb and custard. We probably would actually – you’d have to have extremely poor sighted to do that, or just be incredibly dense.
The collection itself consists of a rain jacket, padded vest and parachute pants, as well as the (in our eyes) main attraction, Diemme’s iconic Grappa Hiker shoe. The jacket selected for the collaboration is K-Way’s Mile 2.1, constructed entirely of recycled nylon, this thing looks like it could probably stand up to a good shower or two. That same rule also applies to the parachute pants, which share the composition.
The quilted vest opts for a pattern of zig-zaggy baffles that run across its entirety, no doubt filled with some kind of lovely lightweight synthetic insulation, coming in solid brown and purple colours.
As for the main event, the Grappa Hiker. This shoe looks like you could throw it through a window and it would come out relatively unharmed. The solid rubber rand that runs around the entire bottom of the shoe is in a subtle aubergine hue which is then set against off-white Cordura fabric, this has been paired with suede panelling in orange and purples as well as a pair of flecked black and orange laces.
The campaign imagery for the collection is about on par with the brightness of the items themselves – very. The campaign has been captured by Danish photographer Betty Krag who has opted for bright flash photography, with shots outlining a day in her life alongside friend Konrad Eilenberger. The duo must’ve been really into the gear, as the campaign details them dyeing their hair slim shady coloured for it.
We’re a big fan of collaborations that catch you a bit off-guard, and this one certainly does that, especially when you see the items themselves. But that’s what we like about it – it’s bold, bright, and in yer face.
To purchase any of the garb you can do so through K-Way’s website as well as Diemme’s.
