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Todd Snyder and L.L. Bean's New Collection Is Now Available to Buy

Photo credit: Courtesy
Photo credit: Courtesy


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Update: The collection is now available for purchase at Todd Snyder. If you're in the market for anything—and, honestly, how could you not be with so much great stuff on offer?—now's the time to get it. Judging from the speed with which folks snapped up all the stuff in the debut collection, these new offerings don't stand much chance of gathering dust on the shelf. Take a look at a few of our favorites right here, or browse the entire assortment and pick your own greatest hits. Just don't hesitate. Fortune favors the bold—and, in this case, the swift.

Read our original Q&A with Todd Snyder about the collection below.

It's been nearly a year since Todd Snyder and L.L.Bean dropped their "From Away" collaboration, signaling to all the world that for all its ebbs and flows, heritage-inspired menswear isn't just back in the mix—it's as relevant as ever. Provided, of course, that the minds reinterpreting the archives are the right ones. And the TS and LLB crews have proven themselves up to the task, reinvigorating classics like the chamois shirt and Bean Boot for guys who appreciate provenance but don't want to dress like a caricature of an old-timey outdoorsman. It's a delicate balance, and the collab's first outing nailed it.

Of course, we here at Esquire weren't the only ones to notice. On drop day, the items flew off the shelves, doubtless leaving more than a few folks disappointed. Well, today brings good news for them, and for the rest of us, too. L.L.Bean x Todd Snyder is back, this time with a collection called "Upta Camp" that brings back some greatest hits and introduces a new slew of items equally inspired by Leon Leonwood Bean's hunting-and-fishing excursions from way back when and the thrift-store-treasure, gorp-y gear that Bean offered up in the '80s.

Photo credit: Courtesy
Photo credit: Courtesy

If that sounds like a strange combo, rest assured it works. The classic Fishing Jacket, complete with a rod holder on the left shoulder, looks just as good with technical, self-belted-and-cargo-pocketed pants (also, as it happens, initially designed for fishing) as it does with crisp selvage jeans or even critter-embroidered chinos. Ditto that remixed Norwegian sweaters, turtleneck sweatshirts featuring vintage L.L.Bean catalog cover imagery, and chamois shirts emblazoned with a new camo created by abstracting maps of Maine.

To get the full rundown on the collection—including a little more insight on what the hell "Upta Camp" means—we asked Snyder himself. He filled us in on the lingo, why the '80s vibes work so well with classic Bean, and the best way to shop the collection when it launches on September 24. (Want to stay on top of the release? You should, if you want to get your hands on anything. Just sign up here.)

Why did you go with the "Upta Camp" theme, and why did it feel like the right move right now?

As I was traveling to Maine on inspiration trips, I just fell in love with the local lingo. "From Away" was the perfect name for the first collection, since I'm from Iowa and now live in New York and this was my outsider's ode to this great American outfitter. This time around I really wanted to celebrate the deep love and respect for the great outdoors that you feel up in Maine. When I heard the term "Upta Camp," which is basically Maine lingo for escaping to a cabin in the woods to hunt, fish, explore, and make memories, it felt perfect. I even embroidered the term on a pair of chinos, along with other Maine-isms.

There’s a much more modern outdoorsy vibe in pieces like the self-belt pants and shorts, at least versus the last collection (and especially considering that '80s outdoor gear seems to be having a moment in 2021). How do you see that vibe fitting with some of the more classic items in the collection, and how do you see it mixing with, for instance, genuinely modern stuff from the Todd Snyder main line?

I grew up in the '80s, and have great memories of wearing L.L.Bean back then. It's really when modern technical design started taking off, and I loved that mix of technical detail with timeless L.L.Bean design, and wanted to lean into that with this collection. I've always loved the mix of modern and traditional, or city and country, and these pieces are definitely made to tie back to my main collection. These clothes are inspired by Maine, but they're made to be worn in the city, and I can imagine a guy layering a chamois over a Todd Snyder pocket sweatshirt, or wearing one of our soft-shouldered blazers over a Bean Boot sweater as the weather turns chilly.

Photo credit: Courtesy
Photo credit: Courtesy

On a different note, there are a few pieces in the collection that feel really distinctly preppy (the critter trousers being perhaps the most obvious example). There's been a lot of talk recently about how prep is evolving and what it means right now. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the subject, both as it pertains to the L.L.Bean collection and as it pertains to the world of style and even society more generally.

Prep is an era I come back to a lot. People often associate prep with a love of tradition, but if you look at a book like "Take Ivy" and see how those guys were wearing the clothes, you realize it's about breaking the rules too—mixing dress and casual, turning your standard-issue chinos into cutoffs, making these slightly stodgy school uniforms feel young and cool. There's a bit of that youthful energy in this collection, but with an outdoorsy twist.

Photo credit: Courtesy
Photo credit: Courtesy

Have you tested the fishing jacket yet, and what are you actually stashing in the rod holder?

I’ve only been able to try on the sample; I can’t wait to get my hands on one! If you’re not an urban fisherman, you could latch your keys on there or maybe use it to hold your mask when you're outside.

How did you decide which elements to carry over from the last collection?

There were some crowd favorites that sold out so quickly, like the novelty sweaters, scenic sweatshirts, and Bean Boots, which we're excited to bring back in new iterations. And it wouldn't be an L.L.Bean collection without chamois shirts, so we had a lot of fun expanding that assortment. We really explored outerwear a bit more with this collection and I'm excited at all the layering pieces.

Photo credit: Courtesy
Photo credit: Courtesy

Any personal favorites? And anything you expect to just fly off the shelves?

It's like asking me to pick a favorite kid! I think the outerwear is going to go fast. We have some fun patterns in the mix—we actually turned the state of Maine into a camo print—and you can never go wrong with a Baxter State Parka. The fishing pants and shorts will go, too—they’re perfect for the city as well as the woods. My advice is, if you see something you like, grab it, because there's a good chance it won't be there when you come back.

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