In an age when many heritage brands struggle to find a foothold, Moncler has done something short of miraculous. The French outerwear brand—known for outfitting the glitterati hitting the slopes of St. Moritz and Sun Valley in its now-iconic puffer jackets—made what some would consider a hard break from its snow-chic roots a few years ago, spotting the rise of streetwear’s sporty aesthetic far before its luxury counterparts and choosing to get in on the ground floor. And since dialing up its edge factor, the brand’s punchy, practical jackets and knitwear have proved to be a hit with those both all-in on the trend (aka hypebeasts) and men looking to just test the waters.
Earlier this year, the brand took it one step further, rolling out Moncler Genius, a series of eight seasonless product drops, a launch model pioneered by the likes of Supreme. And while past releases have included coats done in collaboration with streetwear heavy hitters like Craig Green and Fragment’s Hiroshi Fujiwara (which subsequently flew off the shelves), for its fourth release, which hits stores and Moncler.com today, the brand has taken a different approach. The Moncler 1952 capsule collection was instead designed completely in-house, drawing inspiration from the look the company established when it set up shop in the Haute-Savoie mountains 66 years ago.
The collection modernizes Moncler’s most iconic visuals by blowing up its logo, splashing it across the front of sweaters, and abstracting it into patches or all-over patterns on jackets. The puffer has, of course, also been played with. Most feature exaggerated snap-front hoods and collars, and all are done in colors and patterns that range from subtly subversive to full-on flashy. And while it admittedly may be hard for most of us to get away with throwing on a shiny red puffer like the one on the left for our day-to-day, something like the two-tone black-and-khaki style in the middle is a stylish way to keep warm once winter fully sets in. The quilted, Navajo-inspired style on the right would also slot neatly into more conservative-leaning wardrobes, adding a bit of visual interest when peeking out under an overcoat or making a statement when worn on its own (though we’d suggest keeping the rest of the outfit pretty basic).
And while there is no big, buzzy name attached to this iteration of Genius, we’re expecting the limited-edition styles to still be snapped up in a flash. After all, a heavy dose of nostalgia tends to do a brand—and a body—good.
