The phrases ‘wardrobe essentials’ and ‘style staples’ are more worn out than our favourite jeans, but they exist for a reason. We all need enduring pieces that you can effortlessly build outfits around – especially at this time of year when the weather makes you rethink what you’re wearing 50 times a day.
To level up these easy-going pieces, it’s all in the details. Take Bottega Veneta: having scrubbed itself from social media, the Italian brand has embraced real-life style in its Wardrobe 02 collection, adding a flash of Bottega green to the buttons on its utilitarian indigo-denim overshirt – a handy layer to have on those days when the sun can’t make up its mind.
Several of our emerging Black-owned menswear brands also favour the fashion fundamentals, such as Nicholas Daley’s reference-rich riffs on martial arts uniforms, NEWGEN-backed label Saul Nash’s take on technical wear, and London-based Cold Laundry’s low-key hoodies and joggers – all coming soon to Selfridges this season. And, if you want casualwear that’s earth-conscious, look to Ivan Clothing, who uses only deadstock or organic fabrics to create its laid-back designs entirely from their studio in Tottenham, North London.