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Effortlessly cool men’s winter warmers from brothers, Sam and Jono Cottee
View recent Vanguard collections on Australian Fashion Review Blog

Vanguard is and Australian premium street wear label, founded in 2005 by Brisbane-born bothers Sam and Jono Cottee. Since inception the brand has become well known for its free-spirited collection, fusing the surf, skate, fashion, rock, new wave, grunge and hip hop subcultures. Evolving and growing, the menswear brand is stocked in selected boutiques throughout Australia, New Zealand, USA, Japan and Indonesia, as well as the recent launch of their own online store.

The label continues with their signature aesthetic with their Autumn/Winter 2012 collection, entitled ‘The Escape’, which according to the brand ‘sums up all things awesome about Winter – rugging up, drinking scotch and kickin it by a fire in a
barrel.’ The collection features plenty of warming fleece sweaters, denim duffle coats, and long sleeved raglans, as well as plenty of cosy knitwear, including cardigans, zip throughs and the brand’s trademark sweaters with aztec motifs. The rest of the collection is made up of Chino’s and denim in earthy tones; and shirting that ranges from preppy stripes to oversize patchwork motifs.

Once again this season, Vanguard have teamed up with talented homegrown artists to create a new line of printed tees in a variety of cuts and colour-ways, with basics and stripes being key themes for the Winter line. The seasonal offering is completed with a wide range of accessories, including duffle bags, caps, and a selection of scarves and beanies.

Recently we were lucky enough to chat to Vanguard boys to find out all about their design process, their recent collection and what is next for the brand…

What is the signature Vanguard aesthetic and design philosophy you follow when creating your seasonal collections?

The signature Vanguard aesthetic has a strong emphasis on casual comfort mixed with an irreverent sense of humour, attention to detail and a love of texture and colour. When creating a seasonal collection, we like to build a fictional character of who the Vanguard lad would be that season and then work back from there to create a strong, identifiable idea of who that guy is and what his interests are. It really helps give you a clear direction when building the pieces around the collection.

What was the inspiration behind the Autumn/Winter 2012 collection?

The AW12 Vanguard man is a rugged character with a refined style. He moves away from the beach and enjoys the outdoors, filling his weekends with adventure… exploring country swimming holes, farms and forests on camping trips with friends which end around a toasty night time fire soiree. A strong focus of the collection revolves around knitwear, chinos and a workwear aesthetic. Colours are stripped back to earthy tones to match the cooler weather and winter hues and texture is king!

What are your favourite pieces from the collection?

Personal favourites from the collection is the knit category and in particular the Geronimo Slouch sweater as well as the Khaki post wave pants and Village Idiot raglan tees.  If you are after jackets, then the Indigo Denim Bottlegger Duffle Coat has you covered for those late nights and frosty mornings.

What is next for Vanguard in the coming seasons?

As we move into Spring and High summer we will see colour bought back to life as the vanguard man moves back toward the beach. We will take you back to the golden era of early 90’s surf scene with tongue in cheek references to backyard barbie party shirts and neon throw back prints.

Visit the official Vanguard website, or check out Vanguard clothing collections on Australian Fashion Review Blog.

If you like the look of the Autumn/Winter 2012 collection from Vanguard, why not check out the seasonal collections from fellow Australian labels Mr Carter, Orri Henrisson and Three Over One.

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