A new collection showcases the synergies between the youth of the ’90s and today. German denim brand Closed announced its latest collaboration, this time with Vogue men’s wear editor Michael Philouze, consisting of 17 timeless pieces that underscore gender neutrality and sustainability. This marks the editor’s first apparel collection.
Named “Style Beyond Gender,” the range includes ’90s-inspired relaxed fit jeans and chinos, hoodies, jackets, tanks, a denim shirt and a slip dress. Dark-wash denim and neutral chinos serve as a foundation to the rest of the collection, which is punctuated by vibrant green and blue, and logos with the phrase “Youth Wisdom.” Each piece was designed using a unique sizing system that accounts for different body shapes and genders. Garments come in unisex sizes 1-7, with bottoms in waist sizes 23-36.
Designed to outlast short-lived trends, garments are made with more responsible fibers such as organic cotton and recycled nylon. Most of the collection was produced by Closed’s long-standing supply chain partners in Europe, including Italian mill Candiani Denim.
In 2020, Candiani tapped Closed to present a limited-edition capsule collection called Indigo Icon in celebration of the mill’s online store debut. The collection was the mill’s modern take on Closed’s popular women’s pedal-pusher style created in the 1980s by denim veteran Francois Girbaud. The range featured Candiani’s biodegradable Coreva Stretch technology, a plant-based yarn that replaces synthetic, petrol-based yarns with natural rubber. A year later, the brand featured the technology in a line of completely degradable garments made of stretch denim.
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Philouze collaborated with Closed on photo shoots in the past—including a 2018 campaign with now Wrangler model Georgia May Jagger—but his connection to the brand stretches back even farther. He and Closed’s women’s wear designer Sophia Lewis met in 1998 when they were working backstage on the Jil Sander fashion shows in Milan. Philouze, who was then the assistant to stylist Joe McKenna, and Lewis, who was then a design assistant at Jil Sander, developed a decades-long friendship that comes full-circle in this collection.
Closed’s work with Philouze reflects the brand’s penchant for collaborating with influential creatives. In 2020, it worked with British fashion designer Nigel Cabourn on a men’s and women’s capsule collection featuring oversized fits, structured silhouettes and heritage denim pieces with vintage military design references.
It later worked with writer and influencer Leandra Medine Cohen—formerly the founder of style blog Man Repeller—on a Fall 2021 collection that included a boxy wool jacket, baggy khakis, high-rise straight fit jeans, a button-down denim shirt and a burgundy wool cardigan with a removable balaclava to match.
The Style Beyond Gender collection will be available starting April 22 exclusively on the Closed website. Pieces will retail from 80-500 euros ($115-$710).