The Lady Is For Turning

Usually known for kitting out the Sloaney-pony set with their wellies (whether for treading the paddock or stomping around Glastonbury), Hunter Original riffed on their muddy festival credentials in a fresh way this season with a tech-meets-sportswear focus. The line included an abundance of that festival stalwart, the anorak: it was presented in the translucent white plastic we know so well, but this time it appeared scrawled on with bold, marker pen motifs. Elsewhere, drawstrings cascaded down from waterproofs with bunched shoulders (as if those strings had been pulled tight).

Festival Riffs 

Sticking, rather staunchly, with the festival concept, there was no shortage of military themed outerwear refracted through a hippie lens, including silvery MA-1 bombers with stitched on DIY peace patches and smiley yellow raver faces on them. A range of dresses and jackets made of a rubberized fabric that was somewhere between fragmented camouflage and a painter’s brushstrokes also appeared. Things plunged further into the 90s when models in oversized bombers rendered in shockingly bright colours (blue, silver and gold) walked down the runway. There were more fabric strips dangling off these but here Hunter were playing not with drawstrings, but with the very literal idea of guy ropes – the venue itself was, after all, a giant camping-tent.

A Montage of Homage

In fact, it’s testament to Hunter’s know-how that they managed to combine various very current design motifs to make one commercially viable collection: you can see Raf Simon’s iconic Parachute Bomber (now an archival piece adored by the Hip-Hop cognoscenti) echoed in those multi-pocketed bombers festooned with hanging fabric. Those dense, architecturally structured parkas, meanwhile, feel like the kind of thing that Alexander Wang cooks up in shadowy neoprene. As for those tall, beige suede sneakers on a white technical sole? They can’t help but remind you of Kanye’s recent Yeezy Boosts for Adidas. It was a luridly coloured – and kind of winning– homage to all that is current in the world of fashion-meets-streetwear mixed with a dose of British festival-style. And boy, was it unexpected.

Words: Benji Walters

The post LFW: Hunter Original SS16 appeared first on Wonderland.

The post LFW: Hunter Original AW15 appeared first on Wonderland.

Hyper bizarre and pleasurably playful, the film is bright and excessively fun. Models are superimposed on top of artificial seaside scenes, ice cream cones and fun fair gold fish mix swimmingly to create this surreal world. Mat Maitland is an English art director and king of the collage, the campaign follows on from the first time Hunter and Maitland collaborated for their SS15 show, in which a huge digital installation played an eclectic animation based on the seaside. Think Bedknobs and Broomsticks, a magical underwater journey with outdoor wear. Key pieces from the SS15 collection are featured from the iconic Hunter Boots, Hunter Slides, ponchos and translucent rain coats. A cast of new faces skip merrily through Alice in Wonderland-esque weirdness, with oversized graphic ponchos, bright red visors and see-through wellingtons. The Hunter Original models could be the most fashionable Duke of Edinburgh crew going, after exploring Maitland’s wonder world they are ready for anything.

Words: Elli Weir

The post Seaside Surrealism: Hunter Original SS15 appeared first on Wonderland.

Hunter SS15 at LFW

Heritage brand Hunter Original – the first (and possibly last) brand to make wellies a fashion statement (thanks to a little help from Kate Moss and a very muddy Glastonbury) have released a new campaign video for their AW14 collection.

A collaboration with visual artist Mat Maitland, the video draws on inspiration from the brand’s DNA, featuring iconic animals from the British countryside (one model carries a particularly cute fox!) as well as introducing a host of new establishment faces, such as Charlotte Wiggins and Neelam Johal.

The clip sees the models walking through a hyper-immersive technicolor and surreal environment, protected from the elements by Hunter’s trusty garments: fluorescent heeled wellies and a stunning patent trench feature amongst the stylish items, proving you don’t need to water down your look to stay weather-proof.

The post Hunter Original AW14 × Mat Maitland appeared first on Wonderland.

Hunter Original have launched their first campaign since the project launched at London Fashion Week earlier this year.

Paying homage to the brands rich countryside heritage, the campaign includes a selection of animals alongside a group of up-and-coming models and a backdrop shot by two specialist landscape photographers on location in the Isle of Sky, Scotland. The backdrop was edited to the iconic red used in the brands logo.

Viviane Sassen shot the cast of models in a London studio where she had the group running through purpose-built water-logged terrain while carrying animals including a fox, a duck and a lamb. These shots perfectly express the brands key practice which is to create footwear that is durable against adverse weather.

Creative Director Alasdhair Willis said he wanted to “deliver a campaign that expresses the energy of the new Hunter Originals category while simultaneously remaining true to all the touch points of the brand: the great British landscape, the challenges of extreme weather and journeys of discovery”.

 The autumn/winter 2014 Hunter Original collection is available online and from global retailers commencing August 2014.

Words: Ryan Cahill

The post Hunter Original AW14 appeared first on Wonderland.