In Focus

Outdoor Adventurer

In a year that has seen more people taking time to enjoy the great outdoors, two opposing worlds have collided. Performance wear has increasingly crossed paths with the runway over the past few seasons, resulting in a number of exciting collaborations and bringing an element of functional practicality into our designer wardrobe.

Riding off the back of the ‘normcore’ trend that reintroduced us to dad sneakers and ‘90s denim, comes the new ‘gorpcore’ style for the urban ramblers amongst us. Whether you are an keen skier, mountaineer or simply enjoy exploring your urban habitat, the new wave of weather wise brands is prepped and ready for all avid adventurers.

Face the elements in the latest performance technology with the Browns pick of outerwear brands to see you through the cold season ahead.

The North Face Black Series

Taking its name from the challenging side of a mountain yet, ironically, founded in a beach neighbourhood in San Francisco, The North Face started its journey as a manufacturer of mountaineering apparel and has since expanded into a comprehensive collection of ski apparel, athleisure and accessories. Now venturing into the high fashion universe, The North Face Black Series utilises its most technically advanced outerwear materials and repurposes them for the city dweller across a collection of coats and separates. Reflecting the winter season, the limited collection takes inspiration from extreme skier Scott Schmidt, using Steep Tech. First released in 1991, Steep Tech was one of the first athlete designed capsules from The North Face, now revived as part of the newest Black Series line. Whether you are trekking to base camp or your local park, each piece delivers ultimate innovation and timeless design.

Klättermusen

Hailing from the ski resort of Åre in Sweden, Klättermusen was designed and tested to endure unpredictable weather conditions (something us Brits can appreciate). Founded in 1975 by a local band of climbers, their technically advanced outerwear can withstand sub-zero temperatures, humid forests and everything in between. Famed for its unmistakable aesthetic, Scandinavian design is already a dominant feature across our home and wardrobe and, with the addition of Klättermusen’s functional fabrications, our style will know no bounds. With a name that translates as ‘climbing mouse’, it encapsulates just how small we may appear against the expanse of the vast nature we will be exploring in our durable Klättermusen gear this winter season.

KJUS

Taking its name from the alpine ski champion who founded the brand, KJUS has professional performance running through the foundation of its designs. Originally crafted with function at the heart, Lasse Kjus crafted his concept whilst working alongside the Norweigian ski team in the mid ‘90s, sparking a creative vision of technically advanced mountainside apparel. A master of layering, KJUS provides the key elements of our winter wardrobe with its heat-boosting midlayer tops and slim fit jackets. An engineer of modern sportswear, each KJUS piece uses a mix of advanced fabrics and revolutionary materials to ensure you can perform to the best of your ability whether you are tackling a slalom or a 5K run.

Helly Hansen

Another Scandi outerwear superstar, Helly Hansen is somewhat of an OG icon and a recognisable logo that dominated our ‘90s jacket collection. Founded over 140 years ago by Norwegian sea captain Helly Juell Hansen and his wife Magrethe, who started their business producing waterproof oilskin jackets to protect against the harsh elements of the Arctic basin. Worn across oceans, mountains and building sites, Helly Hansen is a hybrid of sports and workwear, combining performance and protection with everlasting design. During the ‘90s Helly Hansen became a firm favourite with the hip hop scene on the East Coast and the double ‘H’ jackets graced the shoulders of rap icons including Funkmaster Flex and Mobb Deep, bridging the gap between fashion and function. With ‘90s nostalgia holding fort season after season, our Helly Hansen jackets will be accompanying us everywhere from the slopes to the shops.

Words by Alexandra Oliver