It's been a long, cold, lonely winter – and so the arrival of summer and the sunshine it brings offers a well-appreciated respite to all.

As the London sky clears its clouds and summons the sun, ready to welcome the spring/summer 2017 season, Jacket Required looks to welcome the best of menswear in just a couple of weeks’ time, uniting buyers and selected members of the press with a considered composition of international brands.


Iron & Resin



In a small, Southern Californian, blue-collar beach town, Iron & Resin was forged. The brainchild of several friends who, after decades of collective experience, decided to turn back the clock and start anew. In a mass produced, disposable world, Iron & Resin is a product of “one off” culture, where men still build, by their own hands, the craft they ride, be it on water or land. The result is a small, hand-built collection of goods, carefully designed one at a time, drawing heavily on the founders’ own lifestyles and experiences.

Created for those with a need for authentic, durable goods that are built to last, for those who seek wild places and open roads. Classic, timeless and functional design is ever present, with high-quality fabrics that ensure products are built to stand the test of time and endure each and every journey. Travel for travel’s sake. Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air. Let your memory be your travel bag, and the road your guide. You don’t have to know where you’re going because, well, that’s the point. The road is home. 


Lee



Salina, Kansas, 1889 – Henry David Lee established his wholesale grocery distribution firm, H.D. Lee Mercantile Company, a business that soon expanded into shipping perishable goods, offering cold storage and, later, H.D. Lee Flour Mills. Unhappy with the quality and inconsistent delivery of workwear from suppliers, Lee decided his company could do it better and opened a factory to sew overalls and jackets. In 1913, the Union-All work jumpsuit quickly made Lee a household name, followed by the first-ever Overall in 1920 and many new innovations to manufactured denim, most notably the zip fasten fly and the first ever tailored denim jacket – all laying the foundation for Lee’s early growth, and paving the way for all to come.

Today’s Lee is about bringing more fits, styles, finishes, features and choices than ever before to the market, while striking the perfect balance between heritage and modernity. For spring/summer 2017, Lee looks back at the legendary 70s West Coast – a golden age of sun-faded denim, all-night pool parties and slick skate culture. Taking notes from the decade’s timeless, yet nostalgic style, summer-ready fabrics and unexpected textures in fresh, upbeat colours and soft marl fabrics and plaids give Lee a holiday feel, while strong monochrome pieces lend the collection a modern, urban edge. Focusing on hand-picked authentic denims, washes and finishes come in three major themes – Retro Blues, Urban Blacks and Powder Blues – exemplified by a new take on its iconic, perfect slim-fit Rider jean and its oversized Rider jacket. Full of considered, well put-together looks powered by colour, retro shapes and perfect fits in lightweight, hand-worked denim.


M.W for Reef



In addition to its core offering, Reef presents Japanese designer Masafumi Watanabe’s collaborative capsule collection – M.W for Reef – at Jacket Required for spring/summer 2017. Continuing its partnership with the designer, best known as founder of Bedwin and the Heartbreakers, this next collection is once again inspired by the spirit of adventure in Reef’s roster of global ambassadors and of course the brand’s Just Passing Through mind-set, juxtaposing an authentic beach culture with high-end Japanese design.

Using elevated materials and a design for a fashion aesthetic through a surf lens – comfort, versatility and Reef’s California surf styling are at the core of the collection. Finding inspiration in the nomadic lifestyle, rebellious subcultures and durable workwear, the designer looks to surf culture’s preppy past and laid-back approach to dressing, with the aim to connect the city and the ocean and give a casual look a superior level of style, with Watanabe’s exceptional attention to detail apparent in every aspect.


Dickies



American workwear icon Dickies selects and reinterprets some of its most classic workwear staples, to expand the brand’s fashion offering for the new season. Creating a mixture of the familiar and the new, plaid button-downs, coach jackets, camo trousers, hoodies and casual shirting focus the collection on high-quality streetwear, for a take on classic workwear attire with a more contemporary appeal. Simple, relaxed and rugged – garments remain stylish but never fancy.

The new collection draws from the brand's hardwearing history, to bring Dickies style to the summer. Embracing classic styles, Hawaiian-style shirts, iconic rich authentic American jacket silhouettes and vintage-inspired prints feature through the range. Having refined its footwear offer gradually over the previous few seasons, for spring/summer 2017 the line has taken a decisive jump, with staples such as the Fort Worth and the Kansas now complemented by a bevvy of new styles. The brand continues to extend its reach and appease its dedicated aficionados, utilising traditional fabrics that Dickies is known for. This ethos remains, at its heart, fit for purpose.


Satta



Translated as Existence or Spirit from Sanskrit, Satta tells a story of livity – a lifestyle that embodies connectedness and balance with the natural world. The brand places focus on small-scale production, using sustainable fibres such as hemp, organic cotton and locally sourced timber for hard goods, creating items influenced by the nature of “things” with the look and feel of the earthiest, most rustic places.

Inspired by the rawness and simplicity of skateboarding’s roots in the late 60s, where surfing made its transition onto land, the back to basics nature of Satta goods, coupled with the muted, earthy tones used throughout, give the collection an easy to live in feel. Having recently collaborated with renowned British label Universal Works, their joint PEACE.LOVE.SOUL collection explores a mutual love of workwear and an appreciation of craft, elevating Satta further in the premium, contemporary menswear market. A multidisciplinary new age brand – for spring/summer 2017 the collection continues to represent everything from handmade skateboards, clothing and even a range of sustainably sourced, premium plant-based incenses, which all uphold the core elements that make up the worldview that is Satta.


Kings of Indigo



Three denim heads with a passion for the product started the Kings of Indigo adventure in an Amsterdam attic in 2010. With its name inspired by hearing Kings Of Convenience play, the product is inspired by American character with a Japanese eye for detail – a combination of east meets west. All items are designed to last long, providing classics to wear season after season.

Offering an alternative to the more established denim brands, each K.O.I garment is made with a conscience, using innovative and sustainable production techniques wherever possible. Crafting exceptionally fine denims, jackets, jersey and shirting, organic cottons from Italy and Japan are used to create modern interpretations of classic cuts, with an attention to detail that can only be realised on closer inspection. Vintage looms are used to construct its top of the line Selvedge jeans, with denim dyed with indigo to achieve a deeper colour, which will fade with wear and use – quality wear for the next era.