There is hardly any time of year in which Rier's $3,925 knickerbockers feel quite right. These little bonded leather pants are cut short and narrow, neither protecting against winter frost nor breathing in muggy summer as they hit the leg at or below the knee. They seemingly have no fastening, lacking belt loops or an obvious drawstring. They only have two pockets. And they are perfect.

Rier's little leather pants are arguably peak pants, unbeholden to any notion of timeliness besides the wearer's own. These are some of the purest trousers on the market, a true garment of and for the self.

Informed by founder Andreas Steiner's Tyrolean heritage, Rier is one of the rare understated luxury labels that sells a POV, rather than mere "elevated basics." Instead of the same faceless coats, jackets, jeans, and shoes that define most so-called "minimalist" labels, Rier proposes a singular style that steers traditional mountaineer dress towards modern elegance.

Its embroidered gilets, wrap skirts, knee-high Salomon boots, and fan-favorite organic wool fleece pullovers exist in a deliriously aspirational space that separates sportswear and artisanal fashion, each handmade item built from ethically sourced materials in the shape of a recognizable piece of toss-on-and-go clothing. It's like if the term" athleisure" referred to athletically inclined leisurewear of the highest caliber, instead of disposable workout gear.

Rier's knickerbockers, a hero item among hero items, distil the Rier ethos into set of sumptuous separates.

Because, although the matching $5,935 leather jacket is more approachable, these little leather pants are the idealized representation of what makes Rier so darn good.

They're recognizable, if odd, too modernized to be costume-y but not quite like any other pants (or short pants) you've ever seen. They're almost absurdly indulgent but subtly so: cut from a nappa leather tanned without chemicals, the pants are unlined so that the wearer feels their soft skin against their own. (nappa is a top-tier leather more often used for luxury car seats.) This is a pleasure exclusively for one's own satisfaction. That the pants don't fit neatly into a seasonal or stylistic box only enhances their beauty.

That's what personal style is all about. It's the diametric opposite of one-size-fits-all, something that can only be defined by the individuals that practice it. These pants are not for everyone and that is very much the point. Such a singular object is the very epitome of personal. Quite literally, in fact, as Rier only produces this style to order, meaning that each pair is intended exclusively for their owner. As all good clothes ought to be.

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