Men’s Outerwear Brands at Milan Fashion Week Embrace Utility References, Textile Research

MILAN — Utility and workwear references were all over Milan Fashion Week, from street style looks to runway displays, signaling that menswear is still heavily riding that wave. Outerwear specialists upped the ante on fabric research, coming up with never-before-seen textiles and coatings that juggled between performance and style.

A walk-through of Stone Island’s showroom is like taking a crash course in fabric engineering. The development and exploration of textiles at the Italian brand are quite remarkable. Examples include the three-layer “Raso Gommato,” where light cotton satin is bonded to a performance membrane and protected by a super light polyester white mesh. Layers of resin are applied to a garment-dyed cotton base and then laser-corroded, which creates a camouflage by destroying areas of the resin to reveal the original garment-dyed color. The jacket is cut with three-dimensional pockets with a curved shape, inspired by archival Stone Island pieces. 

Another standout innovation was the creation of a new fabric, a super thin layer of sheepskin leather bonded to a very light polyester organza, making it more resistant and resulting in a crunchy finish. This was employed on a parka inspired by vintage military pieces and motorcycling jackets, with internal seam-taping and covered zips.

The brainchild of Massio Osti, C.P. Company continues to define its fashion codes through fabric innovation and material research. Several of the season’s outerwear designs were the result of new textiles being plied into the brand’s signature silhouettes, including the Millemiglia and Goggle jackets. A nylon yarn flattened and laminated with a special coating and then over-dyed to achieve a patina effect was worked into a utilitarian anorak with a Pium see-through hoodie in the Rafia range, while the Lino Wax linen fabric coated with a semi-transparent polyurethane compound transformed the Millemiglia field jacket into protective gear.

Over at Massimo Osti Studio, the recently introduced spin-off brand hinged on Osti’s maverick expertise in sportswear and textile manipulation spotlighted some of the drops in its lineup from its launch at Paris Fashion Week last January, including collaborations with Leatherman and Alcantara.

In the same vein, Ten C’s spring collection marked the debut of new textiles including resin-coated linen plied into cargo pants and a pocketed utility jacket inspired by a U.S. military overall, which creative director Alessandro Pungetti said he sliced in two for a workwear suit, so to speak. To be sure the designer is expanding the company’s offering beyond its core outerwear category “building a total look stemming from a new way to see at clothing,” he said. Waxed designs including anoraks and fly jackets inspired by pre-loved outerwear that the company has repaired for its clients featured a distressed and vintage patina that enhanced the overall utilitarian mood of the collection. The garment-dyed nylon gabardine with a metallic effect hit a small but ubiquitous trend among outerwear specialists.  

With a different output, enhanced fabric sourcing is taking Add to newer territories. The spring men’s collection featured mixed media, cupro and cotton, bomber jackets and the so-called “foil windbreaker,” crafted from a metal yarn fabric that guarantees extra protection. Also in the high-performance space, a three-layer rain jacket and lightly padded overshirt stuffed with Primaloft hinged on the gorpcore brand. The brand is also expanding toward different product categories, including for example knits and pants.

Moorer showcased short jackets with hoods made of super light fabric padded with goose down and small boudin-quilted, semi-lined blouse made of hand-buffed vegetable napa, with pockets on the chest and with horn buttons. The color palette went from white to ecru, from beige to butter and tones of blue. Range of grays mixed with shades of sage green, leather and orange. Materials included silks, suede and ultra-fine wools. 

At Blauer, five different lines were presented: essential, urban police, department, rider and B. project. The last two were thought specifically for men with influences from the racing world with jackets made of two-layered nylon and leather, sweatshirts and T-shirts in classic black and white cotton. The B.Project line features a pocket with an LED flash. The Essential includes shell and bomber jackets in rubber-coated nylon, and natural fiber blends, hinging on a color palette of green and plum, yellow. Urban Police is dedicated to cargo pants, crewneck sweaters in waterproof and resistant stretch fabrics, enriched with graphics from the world of military protection with touches of navy blue and sand. There also were sartorial blazers and dresses in shades of blue and optical white for women.  The focus is on the outerwear in the Department line: the color palette embraced neutral shades such as brown and army green. High-density nylon and garment-dyed cotton were used to guarantee outdoor performance. Inspired by the world of workwear,  the jackets and suits for women, in cotton with nylon or with linen or garment dyed, were enriched with large pockets and zips.