It’s a cliche to point out, but it sure has gotten cold recently right? If your autumnal wardrobe isn’t quite cutting it though, brand new label Shoreditch Ski Club – designed by AllSaints’ Wil Beedle – is here to help you combat the fast-approaching winter.
While the label has only just launched, the concept first came to Beedle all the way back in the 90s when he acid bleached a puffa jacket that he had owned for years. “Taking the language of obvious subversion, like bleached denim, and transforming it into something so blatantly destined for the arena of commerce and practicality appealed to me,” he tells us. “From there on we kept exploring the idea of how to execute ideas beautifully, but articulate it with some sharp visual juxtapositions.” Even the name itself is a juxtaposition – you obviously can’t ski in Shoreditch.
The label’s debut collection features plenty of on-trend, oversized outerwear but with a twist. Puffa coats can be worn traditionally, or hanging off the body thanks to eco nylon harnesses created out of recycled plastic bottles. A shearling jacket is reversed so you only see hints of denim, with the shearling facing outwards. “Once we understood the silhouette: we layered on the hardware and started toying with the juxtapositions,” the designer explains on creating the collection.
Elsewhere a reimagining of Beedle’s own bleached denim puffa appears. Not just limited to outerwear, the collection also features knitwear, to create a perfectly versatile wardrobe. “The person wearing it defines the aesthetic,” Beedle explains. “I might be thinking ‘Derek Ridgers’, but someone else might be thinking ‘Verbier’ – they both make sense.”
In line with the debut collection dropping, there is also a campaign shot by filmmaker Eddie Whelan. “I wanted to create a scenario where anything could happen,” Beedle says of the 90s-esque images that feature a gymnast contorted in different positions wearing looks from the collection.
For now, the designer is content with seeing where the label takes him after the debut collection – available now exclusively at Selfridges. “This is just about what we’re feeling now,” Beedle concludes. “Shoreditch Ski Club makes no sense, it just is.”
@shoreditchskiclub
