Technical Meets Traditional

Griffin blows me away with their devotion to building a brand not only focused on heritage, but intently interested in how traditional clothing can be combined with technical innovation.  This idea was firmly on display in their F/W 2010 collection and was the fist time I had been exposed to the brand.  Everything Griffin does is ambitious in a good way, which is impressive because when you fail at something like this, you fail hard.  They pull off the whole "technical meets traditional" aesthetic as good, if not better, than anyone trying to pull off similar synergy in menswear today.  For a closer look at Griffin's signature skill set I direct you to the video below, which features narration from designer Jeff Griffin.



-L.A.S

Griffin F/W 2010

Drawing inspiration from American military uniforms of the 50's and 60's (check it), Griffin's F/W 2010 collection is a mix of classic military styling and current outerwear technology.  The thing I dig most about Griffin is the combination of heritage that is at work throughout the entire process of their collection - from inception to the finished product.  The collection, itself, is designed in Britain, fabrics are sourced in the U.S.A. from Woolrich (their signature red and black buffalo check can be seen below) and, finally, the clothes are constructed in Italy.  Griffin is a brand devoted to the finer points of garmenture and that definitely comes through in the collection.  I think the lookbook is pretty choice as well, showcasing the gear not just in front of some butcher paper or anything like that, but in environments where the actual functionality of each item plays a big role.  And a side note: I'm loving this camo resurgence we are seeing all over the place not just because I personally dig it, but because it's such a polarizing sartorial choice.  It seems that everyone either loves it or hates it, which is quite interesting - there appears to be no middle ground on that stuff (like we see with chambray).  Not everyone can get down with inherently "difficult" style, but, at the very least, I can appreciate it. Griffin seems to be another great brand who is getting me real pumped for Fall (pre-order the gear here).  I'm sick of ice cream cones at this point anyway.

-L.A.S