Form Meets Function in This Cutting-Edge Collaboration
Italian luxury group Slowear is no stranger to blending form with function. It has spent more than 60 years refining wardrobe staples across its five in-house brands—quietly making a name for itself with cult-favorite pieces like Incotex’s supremely comfortable, want-to-wear-them-everywhere trousers and travel-friendly Montedoro blazers. But now, the designers are kicking their best-made basics up a notch by partnering with Japanese brand Nanamíca on a capsule collection that melds cutting-edge, technology-driven fashion with the Italian penchant for casually refined workwear.
Like many of the best performance-minded pieces that the industry’s newfound obsession with technical fabrics has produced, on first glance the Slowear x Nanamíca range looks simple. Its understated silhouettes lean Japanese—think a three-button blazer ($950) with a high lapel or a Mac coat ($1,400) with a slightly exaggerated, trapeze shape—and the palette is muted, centered around brushed navy and olive green. But on closer inspection, a subtle ingenuity starts to reveal itself.
That Mac coat? It’s made of Gore-Tex—a seriously waterproof, windproof, and stain-proof technical fabric used by the top outerwear brands in their most heavy-duty winter coats. Here, the high-performance material has been blended with sustainably farmed cotton (an exclusive mix developed by Nanamíca) to keep things feeling lightweight, making it perfect for blustery fall days. The wide-cut sleeves and roomy front pockets ensure you’ll be able to wear it layered over your chunkiest sweaters and thick gloves long into winter, as well. And that blazer, which can be turned into an easygoing take on a suit when paired with the matching trousers, is made out of a perfectly stretchy, wrinkle-free technical Alphadry fabric. Like the raincoat, it is surprisingly lightweight, though, thanks to the fabric’s thermoregulating properties, and is something you’ll be able to wear year-round—keeping you cool in the summer and snuggly in the winter.
The capsule is rounded out by off-duty essentials like a Gore-Tex baseball cap and backpack to keep both you and your essentials dry on the rainiest days. There is also a slim puffer jacket and vest engineered with ceramic particles to maximize the down filling’s ability to keep you warm. Both feature a bomber-inspired shape and are reversible, with soft jersey on one side and sporty nylon on the other.
And, as with all of the pieces across Slowear’s brands, everything here is carefully made to pair easily together. Dress down the blazer by layering a vest over the top, or pad out the coat with a down jacket and hat on miserable fall days—functional dressing never looked so good.
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