Performative, Not Performance, Skatewear
The surf and skatewear label SSZ has an extra air of sophistication around it for Fall/Winter 2025. This season, it has nicknamed itself SSZ .HOMME. You know, like Dior Homme.
Except this isn’t a French time-honored luxury brand, it’s one of the many diffusion lines produced by Japanese mega-retailer BEAMS and designed by influential scenester Kato Tadayuki.
Under its new moniker, SSZ has changed tack. Look to its previous seasonal collection, and you find oversized sweaters, workweary trousers, and patchworked flannel shirts. It’s pretty consistent with the archetypes of classic skatewear, though they were always by subtle touches.
FW25, available August 22 at BEAMS, is decidedly more suave.
Look to the shirting for proof.
Loose-cut wool shirts are merely classic at first glance but hide clever internal pockets while boxier “With Attention” shirts wear two large patch pockets on the front. The latter also includes bandanas in matching fabrics, styled like a cravat by creative director Kato.
Crinkled leather zip-up jackets and loose-fitting beige or black slacks uphold the newly urbame SSZ .HOMME look.
So far, so traditional. And then there's the well-named “Damage Sweaters,” which are slashed, bleached, and sun-faded.
Even when cosplaying a luxury maison, SSZ grounds its skater wares with grungy flair. Even at a time when new clothes look older than ever, these sweaters are pretty extreme. But they're part of a remarkably cohesive picture, one that's perhaps less functional than your average skatewear but a great deal more suave.
“SSZ thrives on subtlety," Kato said recently. "Designs that may seem simple at first glance, but reveal thoughtful details and a unique sensibility the more you look.”
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