How Outdoor Fashion Is Ruling the Runway

The Great Outdoors is proving to be great for fashion, too.

Practical, functional and utility are fashion buzzwords this fall as brands unfold collections that tap into millennial and Gen Z vices for travel and adventure. Polar fleece pull-overs, cargo pants, nylon jackets and jumpsuits are among the traditional outdoor garments getting a designer makeover by influential names like Heron Preston, Off-White and Christopher Raeburn.

Both Heron Preston and Off-White have helped make reflective tape, cargo pockets and industrial belts ‘It’ items. Heron Preston’s collaboration with Carhartt WIP encapsulated the trend with welt pocket jean jackets and vests trimmed with bright orange zipper tape.

Outdoor-inspired fashion is also creating a platform for designers to experiment with sustainable materials in elevated ways. Raeburn, for one, is known for upcycling old military parachutes into anoraks and rain coats.

“It’s these young [designers] that come up with very progressive ideas that eventually become mainstream,” said Roseanne Morrison, fashion director for The Doneger Group, a New York City-based fashion trend and strategy firm.

Here’s a look at how the outdoors is ruling the runway.