Fashion Brands Going Out On A Limb In Style, Spirit And Materials

Why on earth would you want to be—or look, or feel—like everybody else? This week, take a look at the offerings from three extremely different fashion brands that, in their own individual ways, embraced audacity.

If there’s one thing that classical music is not known for, it’s cool and appealing T-shirts. Enter Archival Apparel, makers of vintage-inspired shirts for people with unique tastes.

“We launched with a classical music collection to bring some much-needed edge to the genre’s apparel options,” Michael King, one of Archival Apparel’s resident “design nerds” told me. The range includes a tee for Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen—featuring appropriately hypnotic Swiss-inspired interlocking geometry—and a Prokofiev ‘Skull’ tee. The latter, in particular, “captures our mission to create designs that are unexpected and unembarrassingly cool,” said King. “By blending a touch of punk rock with classical music iconography, we’re hoping to bring something with a nice edge to lovers of Prokofiev.” Other tees celebrating composers such as Shostakovich, Béla Bartók and Stravinsky finally convey them as the badasrock stars they are.

Archival Apparel began as a group of friends passionate about classical graphic design, music, film, books and the arts. “Bummed out by the selection of t-shirts out there, we challenged ourselves to design and print a shirt featuring one of our favorite artists for another member of the group every week. People loved the tees so much that we decided to print them on a larger scale.”

The brand is working on expanding its offerings to include more styles of music—jazz and soul are next—as well as art, literature, and film collections in the coming months.

Future Monsters’ fashion line blends elements of alternative, horror and rock ‘n’ roll. “We’ve been affectionately dubbed as ‘creepy couture’ or ‘rock ‘n’ roll with a Halloween twist,’ which perfectly captures our essence,” said the founder Zachary Dial. At the heart of the brand is a reverence for vintage punk and street fashion.

Future Monsters eschews mass production in favor of small-batch manufacturing, utilizing high-quality fabrics. “Our aim is not only to compete but to excel,” said Dial, with “premium statement pieces” that stand out in an industry of rampant disposability. “They’re investments in personal expression.”

As a fervent music aficionado, Dial had always admired the effortless coolness of rock icons. “I noticed a glaring gap in the market for affordable interpretations of these revered looks,” Dial told me. “Often, I found myself thrifting or browsing through pricey vintage boutiques—which only fueled my determination to fill this void.” Dial was also driven by a love of horror movies, instilled in him by his “true aficionado” uncle. “I embarked on a mission to create a brand that seamlessly melds the worlds of rock, horror, and punk.”

The Pugsley Raw Neck nicely encapsulates the style and spirit of the brand. “It’s timeless, it’s easy, and it goes with everything,” said Dial. The Lurker Cap, inspired by vintage fisherman caps, and featuring “lurker” buttons reminiscent of the classic Universal monsters, is Future Monsters’ twist on a traditional accessory. For a true statement piece, however, it’s hard to go past the silk chiffon Harlequin Button Up. “This button-up, to me, is a real statement piece,” said Dial, “perfect for elevating any ensemble.”

Alex Crane admits that the tagline behind his eponymous apparel brand—“feel breezy”—is a “bit abstract.” “In plain words it means that we choose materials, colors and fits that make us feel lighthearted,” said Crane. “If running shorts make us feel athletic and sport coats make us feel proper, Alex Crane clothes make us feel breezy.”

For Crane, feeling breezy begins with a commitment to making clothes that are 100% plastic free. “The vast majority of clothes are made from synthetic, plastic-based fibers, like polyester and nylon that leach microplastics everywhere. Ours are made from beautiful natural materials, like flax and coconut and organic cotton and banana leaves. They’re not just better for the environment, they also make better clothes. Natural materials are more breathable, more luxurious, more dynamic. And that’s the world we want to create with our clothes.”

Crane has always loved making clothes—it’s his “natural impulse,” he said. “I could probably come up with an explanation like, ‘It’s the perfect marriage of form and function’ but all I can say for sure I’m always crystal clear about what I want to make.”

By his own admission, Crane is not a natural entrepreneur. He worked in the corporate apparel world for a few years before realizing “everyone was just pretending to have the answers.” In 2017, he decided to start a clothing brand himself, designing the first collection in his apartment. “I was mostly alone for the first couple years and it was pretty brutal. I thought about quitting all the time. But now I’m fully hooked.”

Alex Crane just launched the Alta Suit, the brand’s very first blazer and trousers, boasting full-bodied, super-soft and beautifully draped 100% French linen. “The buttons are corozo,” Crane points out, “a subtropical palm nut known as ‘plant ivory.’” Plus, the suit is unstructured and unlined, so it looks natural from first wear. “We let the natural materials do the talking and a common piece turns into something fresh and new. The industry is so flooded with synthetic materials that it’s surprising how much better it feels to wear something completely natural.”