Ahead of the curve, and just before men’s fashion week began, Linder held an exclusive presentation to debut their new collection in the trendy space that makes up Overthrow Boxing Club on Bleecker Street in New York. Upon walking into the space, one was greeted by a wall of red boxing gloves, mannequins dressed in the latest collection, and to the immediate right, the club’s long-standing boxing ring. Inside said ring were Linder men, decked out in fall/winter 2016 threads, transitioning to different sides of the ring with every boxing bell’s alarm sounding.
“For fall/winter 2016, we found ourselves working naturally with a color palette that was a bit off-key and decided to be very disciplined in sticking to it: poppy red, goldenrod yellow, chartreuse green, framed with black and white,” said the label’s founders, Kirk Millar and Sam Linder. “We used traditional suiting fabrics in strong graphic sportswear, with inspiration ranging from Golden-age Hollywood women’s costume construction to New York 80s No Wave attitude—examples of our disparate influences. Each piece resulted form puzzling together geometric graphics, attached vests, subtly exaggerated shoulders, and pleating.”
Courtesy of Linder
Interesting shapes, materials, and accents were no exception either. There were many looks that took us by surprise: the Apron Trouser, which showed a relaxed, slim trouser pant with a folded over, apron-like waistband; the Collage Jacket, which had a double-zip front closure, and a low fishtail back; the Sleeveless Overcoat, which showed off long side slits, a red trim on the outsides of the arm openings, and a yellow interior; the Cape Vest that closed just around the neck; a black and white track suits with a yellow interior; the Chase Shopper and Chase Duffel—both of which were large bags with either a cutout handle or an extension handle in addition to a shoulder strap; the Helmet Knit, which was a winter cap with a small lip above the forehead, and a small closure for around the chin; and two candles—appropriately named Sam and Kirk.
As the models made their way around the boxing ring, light caught the tops of their heads. “That was Kirk’s brainchild right there,” said Sam. “Yeah, I kinda wanted to do a helmet of the backstage hair clips,” confirmed Kirk. Fit against the five colors of the collection, the designing duo didn’t hold back a punch.
Courtesy of Linder
