TIM COPPENS UNVEILS NEW MERINO-FOCUSED COLLECTION AT COMPLEXCON
Belgian designer Tim Coppens launched his new collection Coppens_Merino at the third-annual ComplexCon festival in Long Beach, California this weekend. The six-piece outerwear collection uses Australian Merino wool as the core ingredient and was developed in collaboration with The Woolmark Company.
As one of today’s most exciting and relevant designers, Coppens’ latest collection was right at home at ComplexCon – a congregation of cool kids that brings together pop culture, music, art, food, style, sports, fashion, innovation, activism and education. The collection marks the first time Coppens has used a significant amount of the Merino wool in his collections and is the first luxe streetwear brand’s use of technical fabrication and innovation in the USA. The fiber provides the most versatile fabric for modern menswear, offering natural performance and luxury at the same time.
The collection blends the highest degree of craftsmanship and tailoring with athletic-inspired innovation. Each piece is meticulously crafted utilizing Merino wool material innovations and the most advanced garment construction techniques.
The inspiration of the Merino Wool outerwear series are six archive armor pieces – Wool Great Coat, Technical Offshore Windbreaker, MA-1 Shell Bomber, NYPD Fire-coat, M-48 Parka and Letterman Jacket – which have been reinterpreted with Coppens’s signature material mixes and technical detailing.
With a resume boasting Adidas and Under Armour, Coppens has been redefining the way we consume luxury sports-inspired apparel. For the brand, tailoring is just as important as the item’s function, and so the designer continues to blend the two worlds, highlighted through the use of innovative, luxe, tech fibers and fabrics, such as Merino wool.
Coppens said working with the “diversity and luxe appeal of Merino wool” had been productive for him as a designer.
“The innovation and richness of Merino fitted perfectly with the DNA of my brand, and this project has been a way to combine my aesthetics with a selection of Merino wool innovations,” he said. “For the series we use super dense traditional cavalry twill (worn by military cavalry man throughout history), for the very structured pieces; two and three Layer 120’s Merino wool for the windproof and water repellent styles, and Merino wool padding for all removable padded elements.”
“He has gained consistent recognition from the fashion industry since he established his label in 2011 and we are very pleased that he has chosen to work with Merino wool, a fiber that is being recognized for its versatility and naturally inherent style by the leading lights of the industry,” said Stuart McCullough, managing director of The Woolmark Company. “While it’s clear that Coppens is inspired by the dynamic natural properties of Merino wool, it’s also impressive to see that he has utilized the latest textile technology and innovations to further enhance the fiber’s inherent style.”
