Griffin 2010 Spring/Summer Collection

With a strong penchant for functional and technical products, Britain’s Griffin offers us a glimpse into their 2010 spring/summer collection. With a history spanning almost 20 years, the brand’s aesthetics represent an infusion of sportswear and fashion as they provide the necessary approach for the urban dweller. A few different iconic silhouettes are on hand for this capsule, which features a nice mixture of subtlety thanks to traditional monotone colors. For those looking for something a little more progressive, the brand has created some interesting patterns as well. The collection is available now directly through Griffin.

Griffin 2010 Spring/Summer Collection

Inspiration & Colour Range
The Griffin mix becomes ever more imminent in the spring/summer 10 collection, 19 years ago we began mixing fashion and sportswear for a new consumer, the street connoisseur. Today this is still at the core of our philosophy using this mix, we merge it with influences from our travels and lifestyle to inspire the collection. Griffin’s core style is the mix, from mountain climbing with Berghaus, to traditional rainwear with Mackintosh, from the street to Parkour to the Country and the mountain biking festival where riders became the season’s models. In the time of a recession we looked at the positives, opting for a summer of many local holidays including the summer Solstice at Stonehenge where 30,000 people gathered at the stones, then there was Glastonbury festival, followed by a trip to channel 4 eco guru Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage, along with a course on how to keep rare breeds and a giant three week camping holiday along the Jurassic and North Devon coasts of England. With work taking the team to Shanghai, Japan, NYC and Portland we took the opportunity to enjoy what we had locally and create an Eco retreat.

The collection results in an interesting mix of military and sportswear from our annual visit to the war and peace exhibition to an athletic summer of cycling and camping. We create a collection to suit this dynamic lifestyle opting for natural traditional fibres, Dry Wax Canvas Cottons, summer lightweight corduroys, to classic Italian camouflage linens. We have selected core iconic Griffin styles from past collections, including Bladecut garments, USMC pants and reversible jackets. Still holding tight to the Griffin mix of tradition vs. technology, function vs. fashion, high tech nylons are printed in complex camouflages accentuated with fluorescent orange trims. The result is the ultimate Griffin urban vs. country mix.

Core Items

Jackets
As the world reflects, we have taken the time to look back at our heritage, spending many hours rooting through our extensive archive to produce a collection that represents our original style whilst continuing to push the Griffin mix. Developed in the mid 90’s the Griffin Bladecut is one of our most identifiable signature techniques. Often applied to trousers and last summer, a pair of shorts, this season sees us use the technique on the Field Jacket. Made from British Millerain dry wax cotton with a perforated nylon lining, the jacket is fitted with an adjustable draw cord to give a relaxed, cinched waist fit.

The Eden jacket returns this season a short cropped jacket, the Eden is fitted with popper-fastened front pockets that sit into the seam giving the jacket a sleek, fitted finish.

With a strong camping influence this season, the Dartmouth jacket was a great block to rework and update. We added the large bellow pockets and offered the style in two reversible options, both featuring the hardwearing British Millerain dry wax and nylon making the jacket both hardwearing and waterproof.

For the summer season we have styled the Minehead in a mix of linens and dry waxes, taking a long traditionally heavy coat into a lighter weight summer style. Available in two reversible styles the jacket is a fitted with a two way reversible zip and large buttons.

The Bratton jacket epitomizes the ultimate Griffin mix of urban and country. We have moulded a semi-tailored shape and fabricated in a dry wax cotton. The collar is styled with a military tab fastening and trimmed with desert camo. The finish is sleek with a pair of front pockets finishing into the front seam with a second set of patch pockets pressed neatly flat.

The Padstow is made from a medium weight cotton, woven with fine steel threads to hold the relaxed creases, this has then been overdyed and washed adding depth to the colour and overall finish. Fitted with an adjustable draw cord at the waist and elbow pads, this jacket is full of character and can only get better with age.

Trousers
The USMC trouser is a style we have developed for a number and after a series of requests from customers and buyers we are reintroducing the pant. After a 250% increase in trouser sales over the past two seasons and a demand from the market for higher quality goods, we are offering the most extensive selection of styles and colourways than ever before. First developed from a 1945 boiler suit the USMC trouser is wide leg pant with a low slung crotch. Fitted with large combat pockets and adjustable tabs at the hem these trousers offer a really comfortable fit. This season the USMC is available in an extensive range of bright coloured corduroy in both trousers and shorts.

A distinctive Griffin style, the Archback was originally developed from a vintage climbing trouser. With ergonomically designed legs and darted knees the fit is wide yet fitted with a low slung crotch. The zipped archback panel is of course it’s most distinctive detail and a feature we can only achieve due to the flexibility of our great Italian factory. Traditionally a coat manufacturer, our factory has the ability to be more creative in it’s make than a traditional trouser manufacturer, using the finishes and detailing found in outerwear. The Archback style this season is available in a selection of colourways and fabric options including two different corduroys and a lightweight cotton/linen mix.
The Kingston pant has been a very popular style over the past few seasons and returns again this season in a great mix of coloured denims. The slim fitting pant has been proportionately mastered with a low slung crotch and flap pockets on the hips. All trousers are available and are all Limited Edition products.

Collaborations
This season we have teamed up with outerwear specialised Mill, British Millerain. Based in Lancashire the mill has been providing waxed cottons and canvases for workwear to the military for 130 years. Having worked with the company a number of seasons ago making a canvas cover for my Land Rover and printing a tree camouflage we return to the company for their reputation for traditional tent fabrics and fisherman clothing for the highest quality dry wax cottons. These fabrics are hard wearing yet lightweight, they are waterproof without carrying a heavy wax coating and this season can be found featured in a Bladecut style jacket as well as a pair of Archback trousers.

Our collaboration with Manchester outerwear revolutionaries, Baracuta continues this season. The brand who recently collaborated with Comme Des Garcons were established in the 1930’s and were recognised for the distinctive Fraser tartan check. Taking this into consideration we have modernised the jacket by bringing the heritage check from the inside of the garment and onto the sleeves, enlarging the check and using a colourway that compliments the summer season, producing two G9 Harrington jackets an exclusive khaki check fabric from Italian shirting fabric mill, Albini as well as a heritage black cotton poplin. We have added a sportswear element to the jacket and lined it with a breathable nylon mesh, making it the perfect summer-weight blouson in a signature Harrington cut made famous by the likes of Steve McQueen and Oasis. The Griffin X Baracuta range continues to be manufactured in England and is a Limited Edition product.

The Griffin X Charge fixed gear bike features this season’s cyan blue and white colour pallet and is the first collaborative project we have completed with the bicycle company. Based just a few miles from the Griffin Studio, Charge have surged to the forefront of the urban cycling world, renowned for their domestic named frames such as the duster and juicer, Griffin approached the company to pursue a collaborative project. Cycling is a passion that Jeff and the team in the studio are very much involved in, from borrowing friends bikes when out in Tokyo through to daily commute. Identifying a gap in the market, we wanted to create a cool looking frame for the urban world. The result; Charge’s signature minimalist frame, the Plug, merged with Griffin distinctive design detailing, we even managed to work in a new Griffin camouflage. The bike has had an excellent reception and all 500 Limited Edition bikes were sold to worldwide bike stockists including Wiggle, Evans and the Cycle Surgery before manufacturing began. Due to the great response we are now working on the new range for launch at the end of August.

Following the launch of our fixed gear bike we have teamed up with Woolistic sportswear to design a collaborative cycling jersey. Swiss based knitwear company woolistic have been designing high quality merino cycling jerseys for just 10 years but in this short time have gained an international reputation for the quality and performance of their jerseys. We have mixed the heritage swiss jersey colours into a unique piece crossing over the worlds of both fashion and sport.

This season we have succeeded in finding a well established English shirtmaker. Based in Kent, England, Rayner and Sturges have been manufacturing shirts for almost a hundred years and currently supply a number of Saville Row tailors and high end designers. We have combined the great quality of the English manufacturing with some of Italy’s finest shirting fabrics from the famous Albini mill to bring the ultimate quality shirt in an array of contrasting and exciting designs.

Manufacturing
Since the label began over 15 years ago we have been manufacturing the collection in the best Italian factories. Having trained in Italy, Jeff continues to support Italian manufacturing; this is because of the quality and skills of the factories and fabric mills. Based in the valleys of the Alps, the factory and it’s employees carry a passion that is very Italian they are great at what they do and proud of the garments they produce. As well as the Griffin brand the factory also manufactures many luxury brands including Prada, Dries Van Notten, Dior and Armani. Where possible we maximise the skills available within the UK, working with factories such as original sportswear brand Gymphlex for our 100% cotton interlock jerseys, and Baracuta for our G9 collaboration jackets, all part of our Made in England range. Although price is important our ethical morals and beliefs come first, which is why we are asking our customers to invest in quality clothing, disposable clothing doesn’t help anyone.

The Lifestyle & New for 2010
Sourcing local has not only become important from a fashion perspective but also for the lifestyles ourselves and our customers lead. Heavily influenced by the trips to Japan and the passion Japanese people have for eating well and fresh has influenced the Griffin family who have embraced a new kind of luxury and have begun growing their own fruit and vegetables, as well as keeping chickens and rearing pigs. The Griffin family meals are created with ingredients sourced within a 5 mile radius of the Griffin Studio.

In 2009 we began planting trees to produce our own forest and help preserve the land around us for the future. We support charities such as friends of the earth and our environmental impact on the world around us is at the forefront of every decision we make. In 2010 Griffin’s conceptual retreat will begin to take shape, at the moment we are in the process of purchasing a farm and land for many reasons. As retail goes through a transitional period we are also considering opening a griffin store with a difference featuring bikes and climbing walls and conceptual camping holidays. Of course with great showers!