SMITH-WYKES Spring/Summer 2016 Lookbook
by Luca Imbimbo
With Spring/Summer 2016, SMITH-WYKES dreams of the mountains, big country, and even bigger skies. Looking to a less connected time, we drew inspiration from the great western American landscape, and the dirtbag counterculture of Yosemite in the 70s. A group of young nonconformists, they broke away from mainstream society and dedicated their lives to climbing, camaraderie and freedom. Repurposing what was available, the dirtbags used a mixture of sports, military and collegiate equipment and garments for their own practical effect and stylistic codes. Pioneers of a new era of climbing and free climbing, they are credited for much that we take for granted in the evolution of outdoor active gear today.
As a starting point for the STRATA collection, we took reference from the amazing striped strata found through Western canyon rock formations, a color palette grounded in color layers of stone, clay and ash. These dry and neutral tones serve as the backdrop to shimmering tones of beetle blue blacks and dark khaki greens. Fabrics are simple, practical and elegant: dry wax cottons and featherweight waterproof paper poplins make up the outer layers. Compact military-style twills are used for lightweight popover jackets and shorts. A signature loose open weave cotton twill adds a dry texture and character to drawstring trousers, shorts, and shirt style jackets. Shirts in poplins and ultralight poplins nod to their western heritage, and no 70’s reference would be complete without an element of suede, seen here in a button-less gilet.
While playing with a reference of a noncomformist counterculture, you cannot then conform to those rules either. We wanted to push STRATA to its own modern day relevance, “ON VERRA BIEN”. Statement T-shirts, hand embroidered jeweled beetles and embroidered graphics play against practical needs, enriching and surprising in their twists on the humble T-shirt or the basic short sleeve shirt. Plays on sleeve length, looser fits and drawstring fastenings are inspired by the practicality and understatement of climbing.
For many of us, we can only dream of truly disconnecting. We can take a lesson from the dirtbags. Question the mainstream, seek a real experience, surround yourself with friends and as often as possible be sure to stop, breathe in and take in the view.
Q&A: Ryan Wilton
STAY GOLD
actual
SMITH-WYKES Spring/Summer 2016 Lookbook
previous
Q&A: Ryan Wilton
next
STAY GOLD
Jason Fejiro photographed by Johanna Stroud and styled by Jay Taglè, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
For the first time, the work of more than 60 artists who have lived and created at the TOM House will come together in FXLK PLAY: Mythmaking, Devotion, and Mischief, an exhibition opening September 12, 2025, at Long Hall in West Hollywood’s Plummer Park.
Oakley is taking its expertise from extreme sports to outer space.
There’s something raw and electric in Last Exit on Bethnal, the new collaborative project between London producer/DJ Hannah Holland and filmmaker/photographer Lydia Garnett.
JIL SANDER backed the production of a seven-track EP and the Hamburg-shot music video for the song “Wanderlust”.
Balenciaga’s Winter 2025 campaign strips away polish in favor of something more intriguing: real moments in real spaces.
Marine Serre unveiled the first chapter of its “Heads or Tails” campaign, captured by the lens of Julia et Vincent.
Thirty students from fashion schools across Europe will gather in Barcelona this November to tackle one of the industry’s biggest challenges: waste.
The Phantom of the Opera has chosen his designer. Nicola Formichetti has been appointed Director of Masks for Masquerade, the new immersive Phantom experience coming to New York.
MM6 Maison Margiela and Dr. Martens are teaming up again, this time with a capsule that twists classic Docs into something fresh.
Kwir Nou Éxist project, a photo installation conceived by model, actress and activist Raya Martigny and her partner Edouard Richard, is now on view until July 25 in the iconic Tuileries Garden in Paris.
The legacy of Virgil Abloh will soon be celebrated at the Grand Palais in Paris with an exhibition developed in collaboration with Nike.
MODUS VIVENDI’s latest swimwear collection is made for days in the sun, with pieces that catch the eye without costing the earth.
Liam Goofy at Two Managment photographed by Martina Moreno and styled by Marta Ros, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
BIMBA Y LOLA has introduced its new DOG LOVERS COLLECTION, a capsule line celebrating dogs and their owners.
Nanushka’s Pre-Spring 2026 collection, Reflections, takes cues from Austrian thinker Rudolf Steiner’s belief that spirit and material are inseparable.
The wait and speculation are over. Almost a month after Francesco Risso’s departure, Marni now has a new Creative Director: Belgian designer Meryll Rogge.
Spanish-Nigerian designer Wekaforé Jibril has made history with the opening of his first standalone boutique in Barcelona, becoming the first Black designer to establish a flagship store in Spain.
“It’s an honour to work with Burberry,” Wu said. “The brand’s dedication to its heritage and innovation results in pieces that never fail to amaze. I look forward to discovering what we’ll create together.”
ICECREAM EU has teamed up with END. to launch a special capsule collection celebrating END.’s 20th anniversary.
Harrison Sheehan photographed and styled by Carlos Venegas, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
The Studio Archive is a new series releasing original Polaroids taken by the founder of Dominic Albano Collection.
C2H4® is slowing down. Instead of chasing seasons, their R011 Collection is built to last: one carefully crafted lineup per year, designed to stay relevant long after the trends fade.
We had the opportunity to chat with Martin about the great skincare reset and what we can learn from Danish clean beauty.
HAIKURE’s SS26 collection, Come As You Are, is for people who want to feel good without the effort, who wear clothes that fit their lives, not the other way around.
Daniel Solano captured by the lens of Arthur Coelho and styled by Dana Fracalossi, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
For his second couture show closing Haute Couture Week, Kevin Germanier chose to have fun.
Glass Cypress’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, The Ones Who Flee, is a meditation on movement, not just physical escape, but the deeper act of resisting what binds us.
For Oakley, it’s been five decades of innovation, turning science into design, and refusing to blend in.
