Trend-less and naturalist: Four brands' takes on Spring/Summer 2024

Spring/Summer 2024 is nearly here, and the trend cycle is turning toward nature.

As brands approach the upcoming season, a myriad of textural weaving, playful prints, and loose silhouettes are abundantly present throughout various collections; often equipped with individualised perspectives that signify an impact-focused future in fashion.

In late July, fashion trade fair Man/Woman took to Lower Manhattan to showcase collections from new and returning designers for the Spring/Summer 2024 season. With a focus on contemporary, stripped-down designs, several brands eschewed the typical trend cycle for essentialist pieces that reflect core values.

Open knits, nature-inspired pieces, and all kinds of denim from patchwork jackets to jumpsuits suggest an open, playful shift in menswear among four standout brands from the show.

Sage de Cret

Helmed by designer Kimitoshi Chida, Sage de Cret’s approach to fashion is driven by a tradition of elevated craftsmanship. Sticking to a capsule approach, each season varies through the exploration of new methods instead of overt concepts with an average price range of 500 dollars. “We do not have a theme for each season's collection, but we always think about this when we create our collections,” Ayako Yamada, sales director at Sage de Cret, told FashionUnited. “We make ordinary designs with different tastes, and we make new designs with classic tastes—putting rough things together into a beautiful thing”.

For SS24, Sage de Cret plays with natural fibres, crinkled textures, and crisp tailoring that emphasise lightweight materiality which buyers are keen on year after year.

Merz b. Schwanen

Berlin-based Merz b. Schwanen is all about the basics. Slowly produced, each garment is created by hand on century-old looms and carries on the rich history of clothing manufacturing into the modern era.

Next season, the brand continues to expand its offerings while also continuing its core pieces with the presentation of two new colour themes: green and pink, as well as tan and blue.

Specialising in quality everyday wear, the brand creates men’s and women’s basics from henley shirts to casual dresses, with a general price range of 70 to 350 dollars. Merz b. Schwanen exclusively uses organic materials—all the way down to the label. “Everything we do is very thoughtful. We don’t just skip from one product to the other; we think about all the details,” said Gitta Plotnicki, co-founder of Merz b. Schwanen.

With demand at an all time high after the brand’s 215 T-shirt was featured in Hulu’s The Bear, Merz b. Schwanen is steadfastly delivering function-forward pieces based on values.

Umber and Ochre

Handcrafted in India, Umber and Ochre also utilises centuries-old techniques to produce each collection from fibre to finish.

Priced between 50 to 450 dollars, the brand brings slow fashion methods to the utmost fundamentals; from harvesting its own materials to closely working with artisan crafters. This upcoming season, Umber and Ochre pulled inspiration from rural life, which manifests in block prints, woven shirts, upcycled jackets, and delicate threadwork.

“The Spring/Summer 2024 collection is based on the essence of simple living,” said Michele Janezic, Umber and Ochre’s Brand Director. “It was inspired by traditional art found on walls, floors and clothes and an overall way of life that promotes a sustainable and harmonious existence.”

De Bonne Facture

French menswear label De Bonne Facture brought new interpretations of quintessential styles that embody classics and modernity at mid-tier prices.

“De Bonne Facture is thought of as a wardrobe with subtle variations season after season,” said Déborah Sitbon Neuberg, the founder and creative director. “This edition is a French take on soft tailoring with our essentials in new colours, fabrics and details for next spring,” she continued, which includes embroidered shirts, utilitarian silhouettes, and airy knits.

From the brand’s take on hunting jackets to sportswear-inspired pleated trousers, De Bonne Facture’s collection encapsulates the menswear world’s growing interest in wearable elegance fit for the elements.