Back-To-School Essentials From Palm Angels, We11done, And Thom Browne

August 14, 2020 author By Ann Loynd Burton Fashion Writer
Back-To-School Essentials From Palm Angels, We11done, And Thom Browne
Back-To-School Essentials From Palm Angels, We11done, And Thom Browne

Back-to-school season is upon us, and whether you’re looking at distance learning, in-person classes, or you graduated years ago, late August always calls for a wardrobe refresh. This season, we’re focusing on statement shirts and bucket hats to flex from the waist up on Zoom along with school-day favorites like tracksuits and backpacks.

Below, we’ve rounded up our favorites from designers including Palm Angels, We11done, and Thom Browne.

Patterned Button-Downs

Last season was all about bowling shirts. Short-sleeve button-downs are back for fall, but the latest editions feature all-over, tongue-in-cheek patterns to retro color blocking. Since Zoom meetings don’t appear to be going anywhere, stand out from the grid in one of these eye-catching prints.

 
Brain Dead Caricatures Hawaiian shirt.

Graphic Hoodies

Early fall calls for layering, and nothing is more versatile than a comfy hoodie. This season, styles leave normcore behind and take it up a notch with ironic graphics. Pair with crisp jeans or rock with track pants or joggers on casual Friday.

Palm Angels Black Bear Cotton Hoodie.

Bucket Hats

Aside from maybe your face mask, bucket hats are the accessory of fall 2020. This throwback from the early aughts makes any look more stylish, and it’s perfect for covering up your long overdue haircut.

We11done bucket hat.

Tracksuit Style

Tracksuits were the champ of quarantine style, but this fall they are ready to leave the house. The latest looks favor a tailored silhouette that can be dressed up or down. For a transitional look, pair comfy track shorts with classic crew socks and your favorite graphic tee.

Thom Browne track pants.

Backpacks and Shoulder Bags

No back-to-school roundup is complete without a pack to carry all your stuff. With more to haul than ever these days (sanitizer, masks, a bagged lunch), we prefer utilitarian styles that can get the job done. Think military influences like hunter green and sturdy canvas in pared-down silhouettes.

Bellwoodmade Green Large Shoulder Bag
Shop the collection here.

Read these next

Bloomfield.Works Celebrates the Joys of Fatherhood With Its Exclusive Drop for Complex SHOP

Becoming a parent changes you. It’s a sentiment you have surely heard someone say before. Warren Cochrane, a father of 2-year old twins, couldn’t agree more. He goes as far as to say that Bloomfield.Works, his graphics-based brand that he launched a little over a year ago, might not even exist if he wasn’t inspired by his children.  “Having two, they’re two completely different fireballs. Whether it’s me peeking over their shoulders while they are playing with their markers and crayons or just stuff that they say, or just in a general sense making the world a better place. Some of the philanthropic stuff we do with each drop, that’s for them,” says Cochrane, who’s also the Art Director at Complex. “I could very easily just release some stuff and pocket everything, and that’s fine, but at the same time I want them to see there are ways that if you have the ability to help, you should. And that’s not to say you can’t do that without having children, but things punctuate a bit more when you have the future in your house. It’s interesting.” With each capsule collection it drops, Bloomfield.Works delves deeper into aspects of Black culture. For its first-ever release in April 2020, the brand produced a “Mack Mittens” T-shirt mimicking the one worn by Beanie Sigel in 2002’s “1 for Peedi” video. Cochrane cites State Property and other 2000s hip-hop acts, like the Ruff Ryders and LOX, as major influences in his formative teenage years that continue to peek through in his work to this day. Most recently, he honed in on the many subgenres of reggae and some of its most influential figures, like Barrington Levy. The four-piece drop included grey Lovers Rock crewnecks with collegiate-style lettering and T-shirts emblazoned with some of Levy’s lyrics. He says a lot of the time a song’s lyrics can inspire the direction he wants to go in for the theme of his next capsule. But, for Cochrane, Bloomfield.Works is about more than just selling clothing. Along with most of his drops, he donates partial proceeds to a specific cause or nonprofit of his choosing. For his last reggae-inspired release, he donated part of the proceeds to St. Ann’s Primary School in St. Ann, Jamaica. This past February, he released a capsule inspired by the Black Arts Movement that aided the Black Art Futures Fund. It’s his way to give back to the pieces of the Black community he’s honoring. “It was like, what are ways I can help besides just throwing a little bit of money at something?” he says. “I have this access. I have these resources. I have some ability. Let’s turn that into something helpful for people. So that was kind of the running theme for a lot of the releases I’ve been doing. It was like, what are ways that we can make our work a bit more serving to the community?” For its latest collection, releasing exclusively on Complex SHOP on Father’s Day, Bloomfield.Works decided to focus its lens on fatherhood. More specifically, Cochrane says he wants to draw the parallel between parenting and gardening. “Sometimes the approach for one flower doesn’t work how it does for another flower, but we always have to be persistent with our kids to make sure they bloom into what they want to be,” he says. Two graphic T-shirts, one cream and one chocolate brown, are available alongside a pair of cream fleece shorts. Each features “Bloom” printed across the chest in purple with a large back print that reads, “I’ll be with you when the roses bloom.” Of course, the tees are also offered in toddler sizing so parents can match with their kids. Adults sizes run $48 for T-shirts and $55 for shorts, while toddler shirts will be $25 each. 'I’ll Be With You When the Roses Bloom’ speaks to the ever-changing nature of parenthood. Many of the things I worry about with my young children probably won’t be things that will worry me when they’re 10, 15, 21, 30 etc. But the love is ceaseless. And through the years, I’ll always be there for them. Whether they blossom at 25 or 50, if I’m breathing I’ll have their back and maybe even beyond that,” Cochrane says. “If I were to directly dedicate this capsule to someone, it would definitely be [my two kids]. Cochrane has been into fashion since he was growing up in the ‘90s rocking Grant Hill Filas and Bugle Boy. His mother, father, and older sister always made sure he was well dressed. Eventually, that led him to dabbling in Photoshop and making beats in FL Studio to flex his creative muscles. By high school, he was the “Photoshop guy” in his class and even designed the class T-shirts. He won “best dressed” rocking clothes from some of the most popular brands in New York’s streetwear scene at the time, like PegLeg and Orchard Street, when nobody else in his school was doing it. After graduating high school in Connecticut, he would move back to New Jersey and begin interning in showrooms that stocked brands of the moment, like Play Cloths and LRG, in the early 2010s. The name Bloomfield. Works is actually a nod to the two towns he grew up in, Bloomfield, New Jersey and Bloomfield, Connecticut. Cochrane continued to gain more expertise and experience in the streetwear world until eventually he decided it was time to translate his ideas and folders full of T-shirt mockups he was using to assist other designers into a brand of his own during the pandemic. “At a certain point you’re like, ‘Oh, I really should be doing this for myself.’ You go from this pay-for-hire designer to at some point realizing your sensibilities should be represented,” he says. While Bloomfield.Works is still young, Cochrane has a clear vision for the future. He eventually wants to make cut and sew pieces so he can provide a larger array of items to customers outside of T-shirts and hoodies. He also hopes to continue to honor and tell the story of legendary musicians and eventually work with some of their estates on official collaborative releases. He hints that other future capsules will nod to iconic sports moments, similar to his Black Friday 2020 drop that remembered the storied rivalry between the New York Knicks and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the ‘90s, and says he would love to even work with the Brooklyn Nets (his favorite team). But above all, Cochrane says he wants to just keep finding ways to honor historic Black artists. “There’s such a huge appetite for a lot of these artists now. A lot of younger creatives have this appetite for jazz and mid-century music. I would just love to be able to partner with those estates and build up that appetite for their storytelling and music through the medium of apparel,” he says. “I'm really down for anything as long as it makes sense and doesn't feel compromised.” Read more

A Detailed Look at “Objects,” SHOP’s Collection of Home Goods Available Exclusively at ComplexLand 2.0

It’s been over a year since the COVID-19 lockdown started and while many of us are ready to do literally anything that involves leaving our homes, we’ve also had plenty of time to realize just what our places were missing, and what we value as essential in our lives. For some, it’s the perfect coffee table book to flip through when their eyes can’t take another second of screen time. For others, it may be a unique side table that serves two purposes: looking good on Instagram and keeping your cold brew within arms reach. We, at Complex SHOP, were inspired by that and have teamed up with some of our favorite brands and designers for a special home goods program, “Objects,” available exclusively at ComplexLand 2.0 (June 16-18). “Objects” features the works of Aries, Camp High, The Hundreds, Total Luxury Spa, and All Gone. Each brand created special, limited edition pieces that interpret what’s essential to them as a brand and their respective designers. The collection of furnishings will make you excited to come home for the first time in a while. We caught up with the brands to talk more about the limited edition items each has contributed to the event and why it’s essential.   ALL GONE The Finest of Street Culture Book with Limited Edition Cover by Eric Yahnker - $98 Visit COMPLEXLAND 2.0. Michael Dupouy has been documenting streetwear culture and its most popular items in the form of a coffee table book, ALL GONE The Finest of Street Culture, since 2006. So even a pandemic couldn’t stop him from releasing a 2020 hardcover. "It's easy to say that today, when vaccination is progressing everywhere and the situation has improved, but no, I never considered not producing this edition,” he says. “In spite of everything that happened, our world continued to function as well as it could, and I remained convinced and confident that we would get through this together, and that as an individual, I would too, even though everything was going to be different and inevitably more complicated. I was mostly in Paris, stuck at home, when I wrote the book. It was a unique, never-before-seen time to be dealing with. It was necessary to remain resolutely optimistic, to believe in the capacity of humans to get out of all the crisis situations, in order to serenely approach the completion of this book.” While many predicted there would be fewer products and drops for people like Dupouy to cover, the opposite turned out to be true. “The paradox of 2020 was so crazy that there were more beautiful subjects to deal with in this book than ever before, even though we had just lived through the saddest and most stressful year since ALL GONE existed.” The 2020 version of the book was originally released with two cover options by Eric Yahnker, limited to 1,000 copies each. One featured LeBron James and Yoda of Star Wars, both cultural phenoms who served as welcome distractions during the pandemic, while the other featured Michael Jordan soaring above demons just as his ten-part documentary, The Last Dance, soared in the ratings last spring. While both versions have long sold out, Dupouy has created an even more limited edition exclusively for ComplexLand 2.0, limited to just 500 copies. The special edition features a cover by Yahnker of the late NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant on a black cover with a single red rose superimposed over him. Despite having written 14 other ALL GONE The Finest of Street Culture books, this one holds a special place in Dupouy’s heart. “The 2020 edition is essential because this year will be remembered by humanity for eternity, and not only because of the pandemic,” he says. Pandemic or not, Dupouy considers himself lucky to have made it 15 years in the business with this project. “On a personal note, if someone had told me in 2005 when ALL GONE was first being considered that I was going to write, produce, and distribute this book and make it a successful saga for 15 years, I would have probably laughed and kindly replied that it would have been a miracle to last 5 years. That's why this edition is very important, because it has a very strong symbolic value for me, as an independent author and producer, but also and above all as a human being, who has always believed in his ability to move forward, no matter what challenges he faces.” “I consider ALL GONE as the major project of my career,” Dupouy adds. “This series of books was conceived to last and to settle in time like a true encyclopedia of which one collects the new volume every year.” Camp High Rug by Noreen Seabrook - $420 Visit COMPLEXLAND 2.0. Founded in Santa Monica, California in 2018, Camp High’s original focus was to produce locally sourced, high-quality soft clothing. “When you are comfortable, it takes out a major barrier to being happy and successful, whatever that means to you,” Greg Dacyshyn, the brand’s founder, says. For Complex SHOP’s “Objects” project, Dacyshyn and co. have taken this ideology and expanded it from clothing to homegoods with the help of Brooklyn-based rug company Noreen Seabrook, who Dacyshyn calls “the masters of these new graphic-based rugs.” Together, they’ve created a bright green/yellow rug with the phrase “Camp High Family.” “I think rugs are a key to cozy living, as they really do warm up a room and can really bring it together. Even more than furniture or art,” Dacyshyn says. True to the spirit of Camp High, the inspiration for the rug’s design comes from an old parking lot bootleg Grateful Dead T-shirt. “It was from Be Good Family, who were tour kids on the lot that did what they did to make it to the next venue. Truly living the life of ‘one show at a time,’' says Dacyshyn. The green/yellow colorway, a suggestion from Marko Nichols-Marcy of Noreen Seabrook, which was founded by his father in Red Hook, New York in 1995, is based on the ice dyes that Camp High was working on at the time. “I feel the green and yellow combo feels super happy and healthy. Just the way we want our life to be,” Dacyshyn adds. “A rug that makes you smile everytime you see it.” Like all Noreen Seabrook creations, the Camp High rug was hand-knotted in Nepal using 100 percent pure Tibetan wool. The brand only works with weavers and factories that are environmentally safe and respect workers rights and an equal amount of thought and consideration is put into the rugs themselves. The entire process of rug making, from yarn dyeing to shearing, is done with the utmost care. “I’m very much a traditionalist when it comes to technique and constructions,” says Nichols-Marcy. “I don't use shortcuts or artificial fibers, but at the same time I try to offer a fresh approach when it comes to actual design.” “They not only look incredible, but the quality is truly next level.” Dacyshyn adds. “The fact that they are completely made by hand is mind blowing. They are pieces of art meant to last many lifetimes.” The Hundreds “Adam Bomb” Modernica® Side Table - $375 Visit COMPLEXLAND 2.0. Even for those who aren’t fully initiated, certain iconography comes to mind when you think of streetwear, and The Hundreds’ Adam Bomb logo is among the most famous of all time. The Los Angeles brand has spent nearly two decades putting the Adam Bomb on every item it could and with the help of Modernica, it has made its way to a side table, which will be re-released exclusively through Complex SHOP’s “Objects” project at ComplexLand 2.0. “We wanted to show our iconic logo Adam Bomb highlighted it in a different way other than apparel,” The Hundreds special projects manager David Rivera says. “So we thought this Modernica side table would be perfect. We’ve never done wooden furniture before.” While the prospect of making a wooden table may seem daunting to most streetwear brands, the folks at The Hundreds weren’t worried. “Modernica is family. We’ve done a few chairs in the past and we wanted to do another item that we can use,” says Rivera. “They’ve been very easy to work with, showing us each step of development and the process of what it takes to design a custom side table.” Most people typically go for rectangular or oval coffee tables, which leaves room for the side table to be less traditional. The “Adam Bomb” Modernica Side Table serves as both a piece of art and, obviously, a functional table, making this a great deal for those looking to bring some streetwear history into their living rooms. Total Luxury Spa Silkscreen Poster - $50 Visit COMPLEXLAND 2.0. Total Luxury Spa is a Los Angeles based zine publisher turned streetwear brand by Daniel Desure and Hassan Rahim. While many brands publicly pontificate on ideas of community building, TLS serves its community of South Los Angeles directly, by sharing profits with the community and creating safe spaces for local youth. For “Objects,” the brand created a limited edition poster, titled “The World Within.” “It’s a standalone item that can create its own inherent context rather than rely on a larger one,” Daniel Desure says. “Its permanence serves as a mantra rather than a fleeting moment relegated to being worn, as a piece of clothing does.” The World Within poster was designed in-house at the brand’s Los Angeles HQ and features green, God-like hands around trees and spiraling white text. Whether the text translates to a mantra or a riddle is up to the beholder. “We’ve got a consistent and overarching ideology, which comments on the human condition, society at large, and suggests a means of harmonious living,” Desure says. “The poster is an output of that thinking. Any object that comes from TLS carries our message, and that message is our essential means of communicating with our family, community, and planet. Aries Coffee Mugs - $35 each Visit COMPLEXLAND 2.0. Upon first glance, it’s hard to believe these mugs came from a brand whose founders are best known for their work with streetwear brands Palace and Silas. However, that’s just the type of confusion Aries founders Sofia Prantera and Fergus Purcell want to inspire. Since 2012, Aries has blended high fashion, streetwear, and unpretentious humor to create an aesthetic that is unique to the brand. For ComplexLand 2.0, Aries has created mugs that put that humor on display. “They work in the same way a tshirt does; an easy way to communicate your taste to your guests,” Prantera says about the inspiration behind the pieces. “The mugs are covered in our original graphics, they are symbols of luxury, classicism, magic, decay. As humans we are perpetually in love with symbols; brand logos harness the same power. It's the idea of encapsulating a potentially complex thought in a very simple and direct image to convey your leanings, your beliefs, your intentions, the lines along which you conduct your business.” The mugs feature certain iconography, including McDonald’s golden “M” with the brands’ signature “No Problemo” phrase, a Nintendo Gameboy and nod to surviving Y2K, and a nipple with a capital A around it, things Aries fans have come to expect. Of course, the mugs themselves are of high quality. “Only bone china mugs, these are made by hand in the UK and they are actually quite delicate and precious, very good for drinking tea,” says Prantera.   Visit COMPLEXLAND 2.0.  Read more

Sad Girls Club Founder Elyse Talks Mental Health, Upcoming Projects, and Finding Peace During the Pandemic

There’s no doubt that stigma around mental health, especially in Black and brown communities, still exists today. But over the past decade, there has been increased willingness to recognize mental health as an essential part of one’s well-being. More conversations are being had, more resources are being made available. Elyse Fox, for example, launched her platform, Sad Girls Club, as a community and resource that places the mental health wellness of Black and brown women at the forefront. “I wanted to create something for girls to connect in real life and in-person to get rid of the stigma around mental illness,” said Fox in 2017. “I put out a film in December removing my mask and saying, 'Hey, I'm not as happy as I seem, I'm depressed, and here's my story.' That’s when I received a wave of girls saying, 'I feel the same way.' From there, I made it my mission to create something.” Fox was inspired to start Sad Girls Club in 2016 after the launch of her film, Conversations With Friends, which gave viewers a close look at her own depression. “The film deals specifically with dark and destructive thoughts that most people experience when dealing with depression and anxiety,” she says. “Although the documentary received great traction, I still found myself with deep sadness inside. I decided to counteract my positive external images to show my true internal feelings. The film exposed honest, vulnerable conversations about mental illness with friends that eventually inspired me to start Sad Girls Club.” Since its inception, Fox has hosted monthly Sad Girls Club group events, running clubs, and art-related activities. She quickly pivoted to digital programming once the pandemic struck last year, launching biweekly group counseling sessions called “Soul Sessions” while also adding breathwork and yoga during weekly schedules as well. With a following of over 280K on Instagram, Fox continues to champion for Black and brown women’s mental wellness, all while raising her 2-year-old son. For Mental Health Awareness Month, we wanted to highlight Fox and the vital work she does. Here, we talked to her about Sad Girls Club, what she’s learned throughout helping other Black and brown women with their own mental health, and her upcoming projects. Check out the interview below. Fox has also been dropping some gems about how to manage your mental health, career, and more on our Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Elyse Fox (@elyse.fox)   As you know, May is Mental Health Awareness month. How important is this month for you and your work? For us, it’s just another month. We practice the same care and intention year-round. For others, this month is a big deal because mental health becomes the next topic of interest to evoke positive dialogue around our mental wellness. We lean into May to partner with like-minded brands to create events, virtual talks, and content that assists in fundraising for the organization and educating a larger audience. The pandemic has been a tough time for many. What rituals or habits have gotten you through this period? I really got lost in my hobbies and gained a couple of new ones this past year and a half. I’ve picked up knitting and focused on filming for my brand ProducedByGirls. I’ve been a lot more intentional with how my time is spent, and like many others, I’ve learned to set boundaries that have helped me create a more balanced lifestyle during a time of uncertainty. I’ve begun writing more and spend less time on my phone in the evening. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Elyse Fox (@elyse.fox)   The subject of mental health has gained traction over the past couple of years, and to some, it seems like brands are jumping on the bandwagon just because. Has this affected your approach to what brands you partner with? If so, how? Yup! I had to learn to set boundaries. Our community is very engaged, and they love the events we’re able to curate when partnering with brands. When seeking brand partners, we strive for long-term partnership commitments because mental health/mental health awareness should not be prioritized for just one month. I look for authenticity and long-term support. What has been your favorite part about creating a platform that caters to the mental wellness of Black and brown women? The community, for sure. We recently held an event at Billionaire Boys Club’s SoHo store and spoke candidly about fears and insecurities when entering the world post-Covid-19. Everyone was really open and vulnerable. It’s wonderful to see how our members thrive and heal when given the safe space to do so. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Elyse Fox (@elyse.fox)   What do you envision for SGC in the future? Are there any exciting upcoming collaborations/partnerships that you can speak to? Just keep watching. I don’t want to spoil anything, but we’re developing new programming, creating hybrid events (IRL and virtual), and will be partnering with a few brands and faces you may know. What do you have to say in regards to misconceptions about mental health? Do you have any positive sentiments about mental health awareness? I believe misconceptions will always exist but I find comfort knowing that we have the power to shift the narrative. Be kind to everyone, there’s already enough against us and you never know what someone is experiencing internally. Read more