Since 2015, Willie Norris given shape to Outlier's uncategorizable worldview. Finally, nearly a decade after her tenure at the Brooklyn-based clothing label began proper, the pair have lifted the curtain on the first "co-branded commercial WILLIE NORRIS FOR OUTLIER collection," as it's called in a press release.
Norris and Outlier's debut dual offering, the "first of six collaboration capsules" set to launch "bi-annually through 2025," comprises eight "fluid wardrobe essentials" designed to be mixed and matched throughout summer's heat.
This collection is extremely personal for Norris: the designer was both the brains and fit model for the WILLIE NORRIS FOR OUTLIER collection, literally creating the clothes in her own image.
“This first installment of this collaboration, for SUMMER 2023, is meant to capture the fluidity, modularity and particularity that lay as core tenets of my personal wardrobe and dressing style,” Willie Norris said in a statement.
“This isn’t menswear, this isn’t womenswear. This is what Willie wears.”
Therein, classic Outlier fabrics are reinterpreted into fresh shapes indicative of Norris' far-reaching stylistic cues. Core to capsule is INJEX, a breathable poly/linen blend that's a personal favorite of Norris' and SUPERMARINE, a decade-old nearly weatherproof Outlier textile.
As textile experimentation is core to the Outlier experience, Norris has also tapped some new fabrics to bring her vison to life, including HEMPMARINE VENTILE, a Swiss-woven cotton/hemp that's dense enough to repel water, and ACRISPCOTTON, a surprisingly light cotton poplin woven by Alibini, a generational Italian fabric mill.
These fabrics inform neutral-toned daily drivers like a thigh-length lab coat, cropped work shirt, and high-rise trousers inspired by Japanese workwear slacks.
The WILLIE NORRIS FOR OUTLIER capsule is already available on Outlier's website and foretells the silhouettes coming as part of the Winter 2023 capsule set to land in late 2023. With all future WILLIE NORRIS FOR OUTLIER collections, expect eight items intended for either summer or winter.
“The culmination of eight years of building in the Outlier universe of materials and focus on details comes to an apex as Willie presents a precise, studied offering of what Outlier is and how she sees it,” continued Tyler Clemens, Outlier co-founder. Clemens' fellow co-founder, Abe Burmeister, finished:
“In a world entranced by novelty, we are always looking for the truly material, the differences that actually make a difference, and that’s the Willie touch.”
