Outlier and Willie Norris Deliver Inaugural Co-Branded Capsule for Summer 2023
The first of six that will release bi-annually through 2025.
Outlier and its design director Willie Norris have pulled back the curtain on their first co-branded WILLIE NORRIS FOR OUTLIER collection: an eight-piece capsule of Summer 2023 staples putting textile innovation and androgynous tailoring at the fore. Marking the first of six collaborative collections that will release bi-annually through 2025, this debut range begins to articulate Norris’ vision of the Brooklyn-based brand’s material-driven, experimental fashions — hand-in-hand.
“This first installment of this collaboration, for SUMMER 2023, is meant to capture the fluidity, modularity and particularity that lay as core tenets of my personal wardrobe and dressing style,” said Norris. “This isn’t menswear, this isn’t womenswear. This is what Willie wears.”
The collection enlists Outlier’s signature textiles, including Norris’ personal favorite: INJEX, a lightweight Japanese polyester linen that the label launched in 2015. Forming the collection’s Longline Blazer, the fabrication underscores the silhouette’s sharp-shouldered shape, rear welt pockets and 20 stainless steel shanks with a highly-breathable construction. Similarly, the line’s Skyscrapers Pant, a high-waisted workwear-inspired trouser, utilizes INJEX to adapt to warmer climates.
Down the line, the collaboration puts forth a new textile, titled ACRISPCOTTON, from Italian shirting purveyors Albini. The cotton poplin fabric appears in the Longline Short-Sleeve Button-Up Shirt, which boasts a single-side vent. Additionally, the HEMPMARINE VENTILE, a Swiss-woven and water-resistant organic cotton and hemp blend, makes its debut in the Hempmarine Longline Over Coat.
“Willie Specials,” or key design details true to the director’s own style codes, appear in abundance. Among them, self-covered buttons, shoulder pads, red detail stitching and subtle seam finishings nod to Norris’ influence over the brand, which first began in 2015, when she began her design tenure.
“The culmination of eight years of building in the Outlier universe of materials and focus on details comes to an apex as Willie presents a precise, studied offering of what Outlier is and how she sees it,” said Tyler Clemens, co-founder of Outlier.
The debut WILLIE NORRIS FOR OUTLIER collection will be available to shop on Outlier’s webstore on July 18 at 1 p.m. ET. Prices range between $125 USD and $1,200 USD. Take a look at the range in the gallery above.
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