The average temperature in London is 12 degrees – In the North East of England? It’s only 10. That two-degree difference might not sound like a lot, but the contrast in how Northerners and Southerners dress proves it is. Outerwear matters up North – and Café Mountain’s latest Autumn/Winter collection is the perfect case study.
AW26 sees the North-East-based brand return to the kind of silhouettes that made us fall in love with it in the first place. Textured wool blends, heavy cloth, and cosy layering. To say Café Mountain feels right at home when the temperature dips and the days draw short would be an understatement.
At the heart of the collection sits the Ideal Jacket, constructed of a mud-washed Japanese 70/30 cotton-nylon blend, a two-way zipper and a whopping six pockets. It’s the kind of outerwear that makes us feel giddy just looking at it.
Coming alongside the Ideal Jacket is a slew of outerwear designed to be layered in, thrown amongst, and nestled inside the rest of the collection. The Reversible Mountain Fleece Vest and Mountain Fleece Jacket return in a crisp, textured wool-blend fleece complete with oak bark-tanned leather pullers. And the cult Telemark Mountain Jacket also makes a reintroduction – this time appearing in a militant shade of green.
Patchwork, a style of fabric Café Mountain has a deep and complicated love affair with, also returns. This time, on the Workers Jacket, which has been hand-cut from an Indian cotton patchwork – meaning no two jackets are quite the same.
Then 6371km to the Northeast of India is where Café Mountain have decided to produce its knitwear. Both the Johnson Crew Knit and Knitted Polo have been crafted from 100% British wool and brushed for extra warmth to compensate for that aforementioned two-degree temperature difference.
Tees, accessories, hoods, and sweats round out one of our favourite AW26 collections that we’ve seen this year thus far. Café Mountain are consistent right across the board – their Spring Summer collections and capsule drops are always great. But this is a brand that truly excels when it starts to get cold.
Find out more about Cafe Mountain’s AW26 collection at cafe-mountain.com
