Band of Outsiders creative director chats menswear SS20

For spring/summer 2020 menswear, Band of Outsiders is taking us to the swimming pool, a “vibrant and fun pool party” filled with preppy, playful pieces in hues of coral, washed yellow and blue as it looks to bring a “feeling of a never-ending summer full of joy”.

The London Fashion Week Men’s presentation was a chilled affair, with models relaxing in their slouchy deconstructed tailoring, with boxy shorts, short sleeved shirts shown in summery fabrics such as linen and cotton, with standout pieces including a two-piece tan suit featuring a doodled blazer, zingy orange and blue stripe knitwear, and square quilted gilets in white and blue styled with knee-length shorts.

This season also sees Band of Outsiders collaborating with New York-based artist and designer, Amit Greenberg, aka ‘This is Amit’ to add his “vibrant and playful approach” to rework a number of pieces in the collection. His pop, surrealistic, playful print, inspired by the risograph technique features humorous scenes and elements you would see at a summer gathering poolside, and features on shirting and shorts.

In addition, the contemporary fashion label has also teamed up with Korean brand, Age Official on a range of shoes for spring/summer 2020. Age Official are known for their unique sculpted soles and they have customised its Age On and Age Cut sneakers with Band of Outsiders’ signature colour block design.

Five Minutes With…Band of Outsiders creative director Angelo Van Mol

Following the LFWM presentation, FashionUnited chatted with Band of Outsiders creative director, Angelo Van Mol over e-mail to find out a little more about the inspiration behind the spring/summer 2020 collection, how the collaborations with Amit Greenberg and Age Official came about, and why he loves to show in London.

What inspired the SS20 collection?

I wanted to make it all about the vibe of the perfect pool party. The feeling of a never-ending summer.

The SS20 collection features a number of collaborations - with artist Amit Greenberg who designed the prints and footwear brand Age Official - how did they come about?

Amit’s work has a quirky and uplifting feel to it, something that reflects exactly what I thought about when I started with this season’s concept.

I discovered Age in a store and fell in love with it so we contacted them for a collaboration. They have an innovative and unique product that adds something special to the collection.

How is the implementation of womenswear going? It was front and centre last season but not so much for SS20?

The womenswear we presented last season was still more of a capsule which is why we decided to present it together with men’s.

The SS20 women’s collection will be bigger and we, therefore, decided to present it during main which is also when we will be selling it to wholesale clients.”

You've been at the heart of relaunching the label - have there been any challenges?

As with any relaunch there is an unlimited amount of challenges. But rather than thinking of challenges, I focused on the opportunities by working with such an amazing brand. As a creative, it’s not about tackling challenges but about doing what you believe in.

What's next for Band of Outsiders?

Once we finished and presented the women’s collection we will already be working on FW20.

Why do you love showing in London?

I like presenting in London because it’s diverse, free-spirited, inclusive and has a buzz to it that is hard to find anywhere else.

Images: courtesy of Band of Outsiders