Marking the sixth installment in the brand’s IDEAS series, the collection looks to airplanes, vacation destinations and sea life for inspiration.
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After unearthing an otherworldly collection for stylish extraterrestrials last season, Outlier has returned with the sixth installment in its incubative IDEAS series for Spring/Summer 2024. Governed by design director Willie Norris, this line abides by the laws of gravity and brawls New York’s tough winters with one simple motive: “ESCAPE.”
“The idea here is simple: the story of an ‘escape’ is far more compelling than the final form we associate with it: a vacation photo in an outfit that signals that we are ‘elsewhere,’” Norris writes in her collection notes. “What we wear and shed in the process of traveling away from our predictable routines is visually and emotionally worthy of reflection.”
The collection’s opening looks include insulative outerwear and the same cozy down pieces that appeared as prototypes in Outlier’s IDEAS 5 line. Styled with plaid-covered suitcases, garment bags, sleep masks and neck pillows, each model appears ready to forego their heavy layers and board a flight to a warmer climate.
The following looks nod to the “in-flight experience,” with plush fleece and base-layer polyester textiles molded into shapes that appear to resemble airplane seats and belts. Both fabrics adopt prints referencing the process of weaving paracord, a Norris-favorite material that fuels the collection with utilitarianism via belts, straps and drawcords.
The silhouettes then become light and full of color, marking the collection’s arrival to its destination. Several ensembles boast hand-dyed, DNA-inspired graphics in blue, purple and green, while others claim what Norris calls a “reptilian peacock” design with a shibori dye treatment. Outlier partnered with artist Kyle Meyer, who dyed yardage at his home in Fire Island; the result was a kaleidoscopic finish that can take credit for some of the collection’s most double-take-worthy pieces.
One more shift sees the line turn to the water for inspiration. Trout-skin rashguards and swan-printed speedos partner with hand-knotted tank tops and scaley ponchos, offering an amphibious conclusion to the all-encompassing range. Overall, it’s evident that Norris’ curiosity for escape is bountiful, but at Outlier, she’s building herself a home that she’ll hardly want to leave.
See the Willie Norris for Outlier SS24 collection in the gallery above.