Engineered Garments' mainline collections are, typically, a diverse assemblage of founder Daiki Suzuki's far-flung inspirations, serving explosive patterns in summer and texture-rich utility in winter.
Engineered Garments Workaday collections, however, are pure workwear. There's no fuss, no fanfare, just hearty garments made to peerless standard and designed for function.
Engineered Garments Workaday Spring/Summer 2024 hearkens a sea change.
Shot in underexposed black and white photography — very Paul Harnden — and modeled by the Nepenthes New York staff, EG Workaday's SS24 collection is more involved than your average Workaday line.
"Workaday is our basic everyday wear, a uniform that serves as the foundation for daily styling," Suzuki told Highsnobiety.
"The collection features functional designs and details extracted from vintage US Army and US Navy clothing, ensuring versatility and relevance in contemporary settings. The fabrics used are authentically robust and versatile, suitable for year-round wear, with a focus on originality."
Nearly all Workaday products, from sateen chore coats and fatigue pants to 9oz fleece hoodies inspired by vintage Champion Reverse Weave, are available all the time, thus rendering seasonal lookbooks or campaigns redundant.
I like how the line is described by Nepenthes, the parent company of Engineered Garments: "Specializing in true workwear, EG Workaday exists beyond season, trend, or theme." SS24 isn't a departure from that ideal, it's an evolution.
The classic medium-weight T-shirts and work pants remain in EG Workaday SS24, for instance, it's just that they're now joined by pullover smocks, cropped work jackets, shirting anoraks, T-shirt sweaters, and camouflage-patterned fatigues.
The campaign imagery even reveals the return of the fan favorite "N" logo cap, a treat for longtime fans.
EG Workaday has dabbled in more expressive offerings in the past, issuing the occasional collaboration or one-off capsule if Suzuki was so inclined, but SS24 is the introduction of a new Workaday.
Don't expect anything too drastic — sneaker collabs, for instance, are likely to remain exclusive to mainline EG — but this ain't your daddy's Workaday, even though it's still inspired by the clothes he might've worn to get shit done.
