Three skater friends without fashion backgrounds have teamed up to create new New Zealand menswear label GUS, launching with ‘At Home’, a capsule collection for AW12 featuring familiar silhouettes reinvented in surprising fabrics…
Three skater friends without fashion backgrounds have teamed up to create new New Zealand menswear label GUS, launching with ‘At Home’, a capsule collection for AW12.
Joe Dowling, Angus Dobson, and Hamish McRae have been planning the label for three years, applying their skills in photography, marketing and business to design, produce within New Zealand, and finally launch themselves directly to fashion media.
Their srengths lie in where they venture beyond the ubiquitous printed thin cotton tee and into familiar silhouettes reinvented in surprising fabrics: crushed velvets usually seen in women’s cocktail wear, and jumbo cord and needle cord.
Thread likes the GUS (www.gus.co.nz) Velvet Back Finesse top below, seen here with the raspberry red Vanilla Jean featuring a velvet pocket.
The velvet back is also seen in this hooded Raglan-sleeved zip up jacket which is our top pick.
Unusual fabrics play a key part, such as in corduroy used in a sweater. Below: the Cord Jersey and Cord Pant.
Below: Their signature graphic print ‘US’ illustrated by artist and designer, Ken Griffen.
GUS is available from winter 2012. We’re sure men looking for something fresh will be following it with gusto.
Megan Robinson 22 January 2012
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