Beautiful Hiking Gear Worth Beating up
and wander and ROA have almost identical mission statements. However, these two relatively niche labels prefer not to be competitors, instead choosing to be newly acquainted collaborators.
Both of these brands exist in that uncanny valley where clothing is both precision-engineered to perform in the mountains and intentionally designed for a fashion-forward appearance.
and wander recognized this niche early, its founders quitting jobs at Issey Miyake in 2011 to create the kind of stylish hiking gear the market was lacking in. ROA followed in 2015, launching its first collection of ruggedly refined hiking boots.
Now, these two kindred spirits are joining forces. After all, the only thing better than one forward-thinking outdoor label is two.
A ten-piece collection ensues, effortlessly combining the signature items of both labels.
The clothing, ranging from generously cut softshell jackets to ROA’s signature carabiner-wielding thermal tops, is almost entirely garment-dyed, providing depth of color to each functional design. Look along the seams of the oversized water-repellent pants, for instance, and you can see variations in how the dye has taken to the fabric.
A similar effect can be found in the footwear, where ROA’s lightweight hybrid hiking sneaker wears stone-washed suede with a naturally worn-in, faded look.
This brings to mind another of ROA's recent collaborations. ROA x Wrangler, released only one month prior to ROA x and wander, similarly renders sturdy mountain clothing in washed-out fabric, although in this case, that fabric was denim.
Still, the fact that such strong collaborations were released less than 30 days apart is testimony to ROA's impressive output. The Italian label's varied collaborations have seen designers as disparate as indie Vancouver-based technical fashion designer Colin Meredith and the foremost maker of high-end fabrics, Loro Piana, each enter into ROA's outdoorsy universe.
Add to the equation Our Legacy's ever-stylish WORKSHOP line, the longstanding tactical clothing label Tilak, and the neo-hippy craft obsessives over at Story mfg. and you start to see the fuller picture. ROA is on a tear with its collaborations.
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