November 2, 2020 |
With lockdown 2.0 a mere three days away, you’ve probably already pushed all your best clobber to the back of the wardrobe to make room for sweatpants, cosy jumpers and even more sweats. But who’s to say your working-from-home uniform automatically means dressing down?
SMR Days is the brand new menswear label built upon providing a sense of relaxed, quiet luxury to those laid-back sorts of days. Founded by industry veterans Adam Shapiro, Gautam Rajani and 10 family member, Dan May – SMR Days provides an effortless wardrobe for men that embodies a sense of summer.
“It’s always summer somewhere… Which is both literal in that we wanted to create a brand for warm-weather dressing but also speaks to the positivity of the clothes – something we could all probably use a bit of,” explain the trio. Set to launch when it was peak tinnies-in-the-park weather, the logistics of producing clothes during lockdown caused the brand to hold back its global launch. “We had more time to really build our brand, engage our community, and we think we’re now launching with a better understanding of who the SMR Days family is,” reflect the trio.
SMR Days’ debut collection launched today on the brand’s dedicated e-store, and across Mr Porter and Matches Fashion. Designed with long summer days in mind, the collection is made using both tactile natural fabrics and artisanal techniques the founders discovered on a trip to India, where the three came to the decision to launch their own label. The majority of the collection was actually produced in the country, with Rajani intertwining his deep knowledge of Indian craft within each of the pieces.
“We have a strong relationship with our factories and the artisans whose craft we are hoping to support for many years to come,” say the founders. Key pieces include everything from silk shirt and trouser twinsets, tunic shirts made from the softest of cottons and light jackets with jacquard detailing. Select pieces are created using intricate Indian techniques, including bandhani tie-dying and Kantha embroidery, as well as traditional block printing. Made using entirely neutral tones – ivory, navy, olive green – there is plenty of room to mix and match the pieces with ease.
The brand plans to release new collections every November and May, with capsule collections, collaborations and new category introductions dotted in between. “The person looking for a year-round warm-weather wardrobe will always be able to come to SMR Days,” say the founders. Here’s to endless summer nights, a glowing tan and a cracking wardrobe to go along with it.
Photography by Tom Craig. You can shop the debut SMR Days collection here.
