OUTERWEAR FOR SPRING WITH OOMPH
The social media age has made it easy to look intrepid, but there are ways to do it, says Stephen Doig
How #adventurous are you? If you’ve taken a gander at Instagram lately, you’ll be astounded at how many people’s travels involve #adventure. There was a time when that sentiment applied to writings of Conan Doyle and Rider Haggard. Not so now; all you need is a Coachella ticket, a floral crown, the right filter and a shot of taking someone’s hand up a dusty path.
When I was a boy (and yes, I’m aware how ageing that very sentence makes me), growing up paying homage to local town hero
Robinson Crusoe’s statue in nearby Lower Largo, Fife, the idea of adventure was very different to the sanitised ideal that social media sells us. But then, my closest brush with heroics was a mix up over ski poles in Zermatt, so who am I to judge?
Real action heroes are lending their clout to a variety of men’s clothing brands. Levison Wood, explorer, author and poster boy for all things swashbuckling, has collaborated with British outerwear specialist Belstaff, a union that’s particularly fitting given their credentials as English explorers (Mr Wood will tell you a tale of plunging off a gorge in Nepal in as matter-of-fact manner as if he had put too many items in his bag at the express checkout). And the results are in keeping with that low-key sensibility; a sleek iteration of the iconic Fieldmaster jacket in a water repellent cotton twill, with extra utility pockets and adjustable collars.
Bally might be known as a genteel Swiss leather goods label, but they kitted out the first ascent of Everest in 1953; when Sherpa Tenzing Norgay took the first steps on the summit alongside Edmund Hillary, he did so in Bally boots. The brand is sponsoring another climb, with its forthcoming winter collection inspired by those vertiginous adventures. Similarly, British watchmaker Bremont – inspired by aviation in their handsome timepieces – has teamed up with record-breaking swimmer Ross Edgley, who survived a 157-day swim around Britain and 37 jellyfish stings. He’ll be testing their aquatic timepiece, the S2000.
Or course, such ventures might scream of marketing opportunities, but there’s a certain push towards a more outdoors, explorer type of man that’s rather appealing right now. The Instagram generation of explorers would likely lose their cool at a lack of Wi-fi, but there’s something solidifying about the new crop of brands catering for actual eventualities. It’s also a substantial style that’s appealing in inclement weather, even if the closest you get to heroics is grabbing the best spot in the beer garden. Not all heroes wear capes; some wear natty jackets.