When famed architecture firm Snarkitecture (you know them from their work with Kith, COS, and Beats by Dre) and New York City-based outerwear brand The Arrivals decided to collaborate on apparel, they had one big question: “How can we reduce outerwear to its most essential components?”
By drawing upon their shared background in architecture, staying true to the tenets of the craft, and letting themselves be inspired by Cabin Porn—more on that later—The Arrivals’ Jeff Johnson and Snarkitecture’s Daniel Arsham and Alex Mustonen created something that is truly unique and serves as the answer to the question posed above.
Before forming The Arrivals, Johnson worked at a premiere architecture firm in the Netherlands called UNStudio. He wanted to collaborate with someone who shared the same background. “We were identifying interesting individuals who are pushing the envelope in design, as well as bridging architecture and art to create impactful emotional experiences,” Johnson tells Complex.
“Of course, we came to find Snarkitecture and the work that they were doing… This blend of the architecture as the attention-to-detail craft, combined with the art component, which is really focused on experience, emotion, and that nostalgia that you tie into the product—it felt like the perfect match.”
Johnson says they approached the creation of the poncho similar to how they would attack a building design. “It was the same conceptual approach: What is the design challenge and what are the materials and construction methods we’re using to solve these problems?”
The result is a poncho stripped of all its extraneous details on the exterior and an interior lined with pockets built to hold items like Metro cards, lighters, and phones. The poncho uses a Swiss waterproof micro-mesh that gives the garment a bit of give while also making it waterproof and breathable. The pockets inside are laser-cut and heat-welded so as to avoid any visible stitching that would get in the way of the minimal design.
Johnson says that working with someone outside the fashion industry supplied him with a refreshed perspective. “In fashion, it’s much more about the current trends and much more referential to various designers and what’s happening in the fashion landscape,” he explains. With Snarkitecture, Johnson says that the design was much more occupied with the user.
The unique collab partner also allowed for different sources of inspiration to take hold. A main one is Cabin Porn, which won’t be a disappointing Google if you’re really turned on by sleek minimal cabin design. “It’s these various cabins from all around the world and they’re designed in a super contemporary way,” Johnson says. “Almost completely devoid of ornament. They are these white cubes in the middle of nowhere, but inside, it had every element you needed to survive in that environment.” It’s the exact same concept Johnson and Snarkitecture drew upon while designing the poncho.
Noah Kalina, who was tapped to shoot the lookbook for this collection, also photographed the Cabin Porn book.
The Arrivals and Snarkitecture are also launching a pop-up shop to celebrate the release of the poncho. The space was co-designed by the two companies and sticks to the same principles as the poncho. “Really keeping things as direct and pure as possible is part of what Snarkitecture brings as part of its design,” Johnson says. The pop-up will open on May 5 at 2 Rivington St. in New York.
The poncho is available in both black and white at The Arrivals’ website now.
