Having been shown around the Orlebar Brown collection by head designer Wayne Sorensen and head of marketing Clint Garnier who was full of such verve and enthusiasm for the A/W ’13 offering, it is hard to be damning on the brands A/W offering but for me this was neither fashion nor cutting edge.
Orlebar Brown is for the man who doesn’t want to think too much about his wardrobe. He likes well-made garments and is willing to pay for them but he is never going to be breaking any boundaries and more importantly, he doesn’t want to.
Yes, there was lots of colour – a signature of any O.B collection, yes there were the shorts, yes there were polo shirts and a well-constructed concept behind the A/W range but there was nothing new for me. Nothing the brand hadn’t done before, nothing groundbreaking. One might argue it was all very safe.
Thus O.B is doing something right, for safe is what their customer wants. Its idea of an extrovert is wearing a bright polo shirt and shorts that sit at least two inches above the knee (please note: all shorts should unless you are playing sport), groundbreaking fashion is not part of its repertoire and it never will be.
So maybe it is me who has it all wrong; O.B know its customer, they know its trade and cut and fabrics they are slowly becoming more daring with each new collection. Its place at the LC:M table is safe because that is exactly what the brand is.
Image Credits: Maria Scard
