Cottweiler designers Matthew Dainty and Ben Cottrell feel sorry for today’s urban youth, who are surrounded by shopping malls and sprawling suburbs, with tragically few opportunities to commune with nature. Inspired by that pity, the pair’s fall collection was based around the notion of going camping in a shopping mall.
Their signature suits were made for fashion-conscious grown-up Boy Scouts, and came in nylon or fleece in shades of violet, blue, green or black. Always prepared, they were festooned with harnesses decked out with everything from sleeping bags to water canteens, even a blow-up mattress.
There were playful quilted coats that looked like rolled-out sleeping bags, and nice silk shirts that added a level of luxe. The collection’s showpieces, which drove the point home, were knit pants and jackets covered in strips of raw-edged linen strips that gave the impression of serious hunter’s camouflage kit.