If you feel slightly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of fashion on offer at the moment, then Julio Colón III is here to assuage those fears. Especially during fashion season, collections can feel as if their only value is how much attention they can grab on your Instagram feed – but Colón’s latest drop strips all of that back. Founded by the designer and creative director in 2022, iA is the essentials brand that’s far from basic, and this week has unveiled its first ever capsule collection, a monochromatic set of wardrobe staples called Pillars.

As the name suggests, the new collection introduces the foundation of the brand, designed to be a framework for the modern NY wardrobe. “The inspiration for the collection is New York,” Colón tells us. “What it used to be and what it is now – my Life. This is basically a love letter to my city and those in it.”

Featuring gender fluid pieces utilising Italian cottons, Korean meshes and Japanese technical fabrics, key pieces include a structured bomber jacket with leather piping, club-ready mesh tops with subtle cut-out detailing, a pair of wide-leg shell pants with a contrasting crimson drawstring to adjust the waist, a dress pant and dress short, both in jet black, and the hero piece, the Everyday dress – a figure-hugging, floor-length gown with a high split in it side. The collection is accompanied by a campaign shot by photographer Isaiah Suko and creative directed by Colón himself, starring models Donis, Xavier, Liem, Malik, Ciera and Maya. A classic New York affair, the shoot is dotted around various locations, including outside skyscrapers, brownstones and in the Subway.

When we caught up with Colón briefly just before the launch, the designer revealed that iA of the brand name is an acronym for ‘Intellectual Athleticism’, which “just means thought” the designer said. “The same way you may physically exert, you mentally do.” And though the name may bear some resemblance to a certain Artificial Intelligence, Colón did assure us that it was never intended to be a play on AI, but did acknowledge that the first Pillars drops and the rise of AI happening concurrently is “interesting timing”.

Before founding iA, Colón got his start in fashion at a young age, while still in school. “In high school I picked up a sewing needle, taught myself sewing and photography. By college I got introduced to the Garment District in NY, started making pieces and sharing them on Instagram,” says the designer. “Nike later offered me a design job in my first year of college – I never looked back to school after.” After working in creative and consultant roles at brands like Calvin Klein and Vans up until 2024, Colón confirmed that “now it’s big iA” full-time.

Scroll through the gallery at the top of the page to see the entire campaign, and head to intellectual-athleticism.com to shop the collection