Many collaborations between ‘traditional’ fashion and outdoor fashion brands have surfaced over the last couple of years, with collaborations such as Timberland x Supreme generating hype in the community. However, the practicality of hiking in the latest drops has seldom been explored – but Jack Wolfskin and GmbH are here to change that with its collaborative capsule collection to celebrate the former’s 40th anniversary.
Blending functional and fashionable in what may initially appear as a non-obvious collaboration, both brands share some fundamental values at their core: sustainability and heritage. Set to be an expedition into the future of fashion, the capsule collection amplifies each other’s strongest qualities. As well as crossing over into runway fashion, for the primarily-outdoor based brand Jack Wolfskin, the collection represents “an intercultural collaboration that takes a stand for the representation of brown people in hiking and the outdoors”.
Sustainability is the thread that ties the collection together – running through the design process and manufacturing, with both brands having championed environmental responsibility from their origins. GmbH’s first collection was made entirely from up-cycled materials – going some way to explain their collaboration with Jack Wolfskin, a brand that has been preoccupied with sustainable practices from their beginnings in the 90s.
In the garments themselves, the collection prominently features an abstract pattern that appears in quilted embroideries and prints. The garments are discreetly co-branded with Jack Wolfskin’s paw and GmbH’s guild logo. These feature on a parka, bomber jacket, knit sweater and wolf-emblem T-Shirt. They’re not in your face, though – colour palettes are muted, and logomania is not a concern.
As avid hikers and foragers themselves, the duo behind GmbH (Serhat Isik and Benjamin Huseby) approached the collection with the aim to readdress archaic, and incorrect, assumptions. Speaking on their inspiration, the brand explains that the collection’s starting point “was a break with the misconception that BIPOC and immigrants do not enjoy the outdoors. Involving patented Jack Wolfskin technology, this capsule collection of performance wear emphasises on the best of both worlds and fuses them into one in a strong statement both for representation and for exploring nature”.
Other standout pieces include a sherpa set in two colourways, just in time for cozy season, as well as an embroidered shirt and trousers two-piece. You can even customise your fit, with this set featuring detachable elements to switch up the look. Accessories tap into both fashion and the outdoors, with the collection including a back-pack, scarves and even a tent.
In a vast plain of crossover collections that seem to miss the mark, this outdoor fashion collaboration proves that the two can merge successfully and stylishly. Going beyond merely a co-branding experiment, both brands’ DNA seem to be worked into the collection’s pieces to highlight the benefits of meaningful and considered collaborative design – regardless of what area of fashion the brand originated in.
Grab your hiking equipment and shop the collection online from today.
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