Pretty much every clothing or footwear release is said to be influenced by something or other, and let’s have it right- often these things can be pretty drab and repetitive.
We’re all too used to seeing the same copy-and-paste words about the outdoors being cited as the main influence for a clothing release – ‘natural’ ‘organic’ ‘wilderness’ – don’t get us wrong we’re into all that, but there’s only so much we can take.
Every now and then though, we come across an oasis of truly intriguing influence among the smorgasbord of bland outdoorsy buzzwords.
See what we like is when brands nail down a hyper-specific area of influence – none of that wishy-washy Mickey Mouse business – and the announcement of a recent collaboration has done just that.
The collaboration in question is between New York-based brand 18 East & our friends at GoodHood.
So, you’re probably wondering what the inspiration is now since we’ve bigged it up so much…
Domes.
That’s right domes. Geodesic ones in particular.
The reason for this dome-spiration originates from a book titled, Charas: The Improbable Dome Builders…
The book recounts a meeting that took place in1970 between a revolutionary architect called R. Buckminster Fuller and six ex-gang members who called themselves “CHARAS.”
After a while of chatting in a vacant Manhattan loft, the architect and the lads concocted a plan to regenerate an area of their community by constructing a geodesic dome on a vacant lot under the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge.
The book and story sounds wildly interesting, and we’re probably going to buy a copy after this, but last time we checked book reviews aren’t our area of expertise, so back to the collab…
The 8-piece collection titled ‘The Improbably Builders’ Co-Op’ consists of a range of silhouettes from vests and cardigans to shirts and jackets – all indexing GoodHood’s expert stylistic taste and 18 East’s revered handcrafted production techniques.
Reimagined urban spaces have been directly referenced by the garbs muted but playful colour palette as well as the campaign imagery which we’re pretty sure has been shot in New York, definitely looks like it…
Not only have the two brands provided us with a fantastic selection of gear and a very intriguing new book recommendation , but it’s also the first time it’s collection will be available physically outside of the United States and Japan.
Exciting stuff indeed.
The Improbable Builders’ Co-Op is set to launch on Thursday, January 9th via both brands’ online and physical retail locations. (GoodHood, 18 East)
