STARRY SAIL JACKET: Outerwear brand K-Way, known for its waterproof, foldable jackets and contemporary French fashion brand Agnès b. are debuting a capsule collection.
The collection includes the K-Way Elysee parka design with a front patch combining both brands’ logos and the shorter windbreaker style K-Way Claude, a model first introduced in 1965 and among K-Way’s most iconic pieces.
The latter has been revisited in different versions incorporating key Agnès b.’s motifs, such as stripes, stars and polka dots. The former pattern harks back to the seminal sailor T-shirts the French designer introduced in 1977, turning them into a blueprint of her French style.
“Collaborating with Agnés and her team has been an incredible experience. Her energy and creativity are contagious, and her ability to make everything more dynamic and livelier is evident in every form of expression she chooses to adopt,” said Lorenzo Boglione, vice president of sales at K-Way’s parent company BasicNet. “She has a totally different approach to this industry that really opened my eyes. Her memories about our brand make this collaboration as true as it gets,” he added.
A starry windbreaker part of the K-Way and Agnès b. capsule collection.
Courtesy of K-Way
Agnès b., a climate activist and champion of sustainability and responsible fashion, said “who hasn’t had a K-Way as a child or later? That’s why we decided to say yes to this cobranding,” touting the capsule for best combining both brands’ ethos. “The famous exclusive zip is still there.…It’s the historic K-Way brand,” she added in reference to the multicolor zipper appearing on all K-Way designs.
Intended for men, women and kids, the collection hit all K-Way and Agnès b. flagship stores and online shops Tuesday, retailing between $260 and $280 for the adult versions.
Founded by Leon Claude Duhamel in 1965 Paris, K-Way is not new to collaborations, having recently linked with New York designer Ulla Johnson on outerwear designs unveiled on her catwalk display earlier this month. It followed tie-ins with the likes of No. 21, Comme Des Garçons, Dsquared2, Lacoste and Marco Jacobs, among others.
In addition to K-Way, the publicly listed, Italy-based BasicNet group is parent company to the Kappa, Robe di Kappa, Jesus Jeans, Superga, Sabelt, Briko and Sebago brands.