Namesake Men’s Fall 2024
Many of Namesake creative director Steve Hsieh’s collections have explored the idea of time passing by — see last season’s tick-tock clock soundtrack (and this season’s 45-minute-late start time certainly felt aging). He revisited that theme for fall, exploring the melancholy of moving on.
“Once you grow up, it’s harder for you to move and to leave all your baggage behind and have a new confidence. There’s more things that you want to protect and you want to hold onto those while trying to find comfort in a new place,” he said. Taipei-based Hsieh said he is contemplating a move, at least part-time, to the U.S. or Shanghai.
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He pulled from a grab bag of inspirations: sculptor Robert Morris, designer Ross Lovegrove, the furniture of Dieter Rams, as well as David Beckham, former NBA player Kevin Garnett and “a friendly competition” with Shanghai-based brand Pet-Tree-Kor.
What emerged was a sporty and strong collection as Hsieh continues to distill its style from his basketball roots. It included wrap trousers that only hinted at a tracksuit origin, with others slit above an elasticized ankle, adding extra air and volume; fuzzy faux fur hoodies, and gently rounded puffers whose curved seams recalled basketball grips.
There were plenty of jerseys and sports references, but where Hsieh is breaking new ground is his work with textiles, such as reweaving strips of stiff canvas to create a giant, shredded waffle weave; hand embroidery on cotton for a faux-padded look, or sport uniform nylon coated to look like suede.
These treatments worked well, especially on a structural trenchcoat, as well as a shorts and cargo vest combo layered over a soft knit. The play with texture upped his game.
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Launch Gallery: Namesake Men's Fall 2024
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