Clothing collaborations are like meals. Good ones follow a recipe that has been passed down for generations, use high-quality ingredients, and are presented flawlessly. Bad ones are slapped up in seconds, and attempt to mask negligible flavour profiles with bucketloads of salt (or branding).
By that logic, the new Nigel Cabourn + Mammut capsule is a steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen. Comforting and hearty, but deceptively complex. A dish that demands time, patience, and absolute dedication to get right.
It’s no coincidence that our analogy has culminated in one of the finest culinary exports of Japan, as the collaboration centres around the 1969 Japanese ascent of the Eiger. An expedition that demanded a similar level of absolute dedication.
During the summer of 1969, six Japanese climbers flew to Switzerland and found themselves standing at the bottom of the country’s most intimidating mountain – the Eiger – aptly nicknamed the murder wall. Their goal was to summit the mountain via the Direttissima, the most uncompromising and technical line to the summit. Successfully doing so would put their names in the history books, but one stood to be more prominent than the others – Michiko Imai, a 27-year-old climber. Who also happened to be female. No woman had ever completed the Direttissima.
While Switzerland still denied women the right to vote, Michiko tied in alongside her teammates and embarked on a month-long siege of the face. The group carried around a ton of gear between them, consisting of hundreds of bolts and pitons, quilted down jackets, sleeping bags, heavy wool sweaters and nearly a kilometre and a half of rope. Slowly, but surely, Michiko and her team quietly dismantled both the physical challenge of one of Europe’s harshest climbs and the cultural limitations of her era. Her ascent was a feat of endurance, defiance and dedication – the kind of story Nigel Cabourn has built a career on retelling through clothing.
For the collaboration with Mammut, Cabourn was tasked with reimagining the garments that Michiko and her team used to tackle the Direttissima, so naturally, he immersed himself in the gear used during the ascent. He studied every inch of button, pleat, and zipper found on the 1969 ascent equipment to produce a standout 12-piece collection, reviving the garments with absolute precision. In typical fashion, Cabourn has selected an abundance of fabrics, including Ventile® cotton, Scottish wool, and authentic Swiss Army blanket cloth – each selected for its durability and heritage significance. Modern technologies like Pertex® Quantum lining and DRY DOWN have also been worked into the collection, elevating the gear to modern performance standards.
The result of Cabourn’s attention to detail, the fabrics used and the astonishing tale at the heart of the collection has produced some of the finest heritage-inspired product we’ve seen in recent times. Massive down-filled parka jackets in striking shades of red, white and blue. Blanket coats cut from Swiss Army blankets. Jacquard-patterned wool sweaters. Corduroy climbing pants. Even full body base layers that look like something your Grandad would wear to turn the lights out (in a cool way).
To match Cabourn’s attention to detail, the campaign itself was shot right back on the Eiger. Climbers Tatsuya “Timmy” Aoki and Yuka Kobayashi headed to Switzerland earlier this year to climb alongside Nigel Cabourn and Michiko Imai, bridging generations on the very same face that inspired the collection.
And just as the perfect bowl of tonkotsu is topped with finely sliced spring onions before serving, the Mammut + Cabourn collection was beautifully presented alongside information about the 1969 Direttissima ascent, as well as an LED-lit tent display, and a screening of the collections promotional film during a London pop-up.
It’s a mammoth of a collaboration – dare we say the best we’ve seen this year – and just like a well-prepared meal, it’ll linger long after the first taste. It’s layered and deeply considered. Cabourn and Mammut haven’t fallen into the trap of producing parody pieces just for the sake of nostalgia; instead, they’ve served up a story of endurance, heritage, and respect, plated with the same care as the finest bowl of ramen.
The Nigel Cabourn + Mammut collection will be available online from Mammut and
selected stores from 1 October 2025.
