The coast is a deceptively unforgiving type of terrain. Don’t be fooled by its sparkling sea, soft sand and idyllic sunsets – if you catch the coast on a bad day, you’ll know about it. Suddenly that sea has transformed into crashing waves, the sand has been whipped into a cloud of airborne abrasion, and the sunset? Well that’s shifted into torrential rain – turning the once beautiful features of the coastline into a wet hellscape.
Ask the people who spend 365 days by the coast each year, and they’ll say the same thing. Creating a wardrobe for the coast isn’t an easy task – but yet that’s what Estudio Niksen have set out to do in their latest FW26 collection.
The brand have looked to the people who have made the coast their home, and the wardrobes that naturally develop from living there. A coastal wardrobe is rarely chosen for the sake of fashion, but pieces picked up over time and returned to out of habit and dependability – a sentiment Estudio Niksen have tapped into flawlessly here.
Fabric sits at the heart of the collection. The Tweed bomber is a case in point – a boxy, easy-to-wear shape made from a fabric particularly well suited to life by the sea. Traditionally valued for its warmth, durability and ability to withstand wind and damp, tweed has long been a practical choice for those living in harsher climates.
Then there’s the long-sleeve striped tee, perhaps one of the most recognisable pieces in any coastal ensemble. Stripes have long been associated with sailors and maritime uniforms, eventually becoming shorthand for life by the sea. Alongside it, hardwearing denim jeans bring a similar sense of practicality – built to withstand the trials and tribulations of coastal life, while becoming better with every sand particle that brushes up against them.
Across the rest of the collection other coastal staples make an appearance – ranging from knitwear, shirting, quilted mid-layers and even collared pullovers.
What really impresses us about this release is just how authentic everything feels. You can’t quite shake the eclectic feel of the collection – each piece feels as though it could have been modelled on the favourite garment of someone who actually lives by the coast.
And that’s exactly what we love about coastal wardrobes. Estudio Niksen haven’t tried to create a perfect version of coastal dressing, but have picked up on the small details that make garments earn their place.
There’s an ease to the way people dress by the sea, born partly from necessity and partly from being more chilled than the rest of us landlubbers – a feeling that Estudio Niksen have tapped into perfectly.
Estudio Niksen’s first drop of FW26 is available to purchase from estudioniksen.com
