Olly Shinder’s New Collection Puts a Softer, More Sensual Spin on Performance Wear

Still, Shinder’s alchemical eye for blending classic silhouettes with unexpected fabrics demonstrates a resourcefulness all of its own. A standout print this season picks up the thread of his off-kilter takes on forest and desert camouflage last season (distorted digitally print designer Nusra Nijimbere to something resembling snakeskin), this time around, Shinder played with a snow camouflage. Lifted from a German army print briefly trialed in the ’90s, its spidery black blotches are overlaid with white gauzy ripstop fabric to create something delicate and spectral. Particularly gorgeous was another speckled pattern recalling the hazy forms of a thermal camera crafted from devoré velvet, peeked at only through cut-outs and the shapes formed by his signature three- and four-way zippers, which come together to create curvilinear, lozenge-like vents along the sides of jackets and trousers. 

That these more baroque details came in measured doses was an intentional choice. “I was also trying to take the step of not designing pieces that felt too intricate or overdone,” says Shinder. “I wanted it to feel a bit more mature.” It’s only after paring things back, after all, that you’re able to notice the flaws: if you’re doubling down on simplicity, the finish has to be impeccable. One of Shinder’s signature techniques—a stegosaurus-like backbone of triangles that can be buttoned to cinch the jacket in, running up a spine-like central panel that extends to the top of the hood—has been further refined this season, also cropping up as two strips in parallel along the side of trousers, lending the collection a savvy, pick ‘n’ mix capsule feel.