NOBIS Heats Up in the Daylight
As one of the sponsors of this season’s New York Men’s Day along with Sperry, there was already a bit of buzz around NOBIS and what they might be presenting at Daylight Studios on September 9th. The day before as I interviewed the designers, I witnessed the assemblage of an icy set that would serve as the backdrop for NOBIS’s latest menswear collection. It was miraculous to see how these latest looks served as the ultimate unfolding for the co-founders’ intentions for furthering the premium performance outerwear space with technical innovation, bold and rich tonalities, and an overall breath of fresh air. According to the brand’s senior design director Michael Kerr, “This collection is the foundation where everything else starts. Next year’s stuff is super commercial, but we did a little spin on outdoor.” For Michael, the designers are already looking five years ahead into the future for their customers, aiming to build an all-encompassing lifestyle that surrounds the wearer, instead of the other way around.
A Mix of Models wear NOBIS at Daylight Studios in New York City
On the topic of his intentions for the collection, Kerr states that “We build all these pieces so that it just gives you a nice variety of how to dress.” He and NOBIS co-founder and vice president Robin Yates are setting themselves apart by ensuring the customer is incorporated into each step of their production process to cut down on the need to keep re-buying season after season. “It is commercial, and we must sell to a certain subset of retail, but I want to make sure that if you come into the brand and you start wearing the brand, you don’t want to feel that you must conform to it. It conforms to you.”
NOBIS at Daylight Studios in NYC
One may ask the question, “What sets these clothes apart from all the rest?” The answer is all in the power of details. That is the beauty of the industry of fashion. It is all about change. Technology, creativity, art, intention, inspiration, and innovation all intersect in a single moment once those hasty six months have ended. What immediately caught my eye were the fantastical colors of auburn orange, ivory, and pistachio greens.
Models in NOBIS’ genius MidLayer Piece
Yet, the most outstanding was a scarf that can be worn as outerwear. Michael Kerr explains that “It comes with a belt, and we paired it with our mid-layer. We have everything modular. The mid-layer comes by itself but when you combine it with the scarf and when you pair it together it almost makes a jacket. The scarf protects you with wind protection. Then, if you don’t want to wear the mid-layer you just buy the scarf and that’s it.” This scarf/jacket hybrid has pockets as well.
In fact, this entire ensemble is chock-full of pockets throughout every piece, whether it be cargo pants, their usual parka jacket, or a cropped mid-layer vest. There are endless opportunities to look and feel prepared and the most sophisticated while skiing on the slopes or trekking through the icy city streets around late January and beyond. What is most impressive is their connection to the future of shopping and their genuine genderless approach to offering clothes. To Kerr, “Some brands will state how they are genderless, but it’s just marketed that way!” For Kerr and Yates, they initially started fitting everything as men’s and women’s and just made sure it looks good on different body types which is the way it all comes out. Kerr is happy that it’s very inclusive. Michael Kerr and Robin Yates have proved with this collection that their words hold a ton of weight with the work itself. These truths of technical innovation and being smartly dressed no matter the place is self-evident whenever one lays their eyes or hands touched on the clothes. For whoever decides to embark upon the journey of dressing in NOBIS, the fitting room is the beginning of a beautiful friendship indeed.