September is fashion’s busiest month, overflowing with product launches, lavish parties and “cooler-than” collaborations; not to mention the bread and butter of it all, Fashion Month. One such undertaking is a collaboration between the beloved London editor Ben Cobb and Stolkholm-based heritage house Tiger of Sweden, which launched exclusively at MatchesFashion. It’s a groovy edit, revering in refined 1970s-style tailoring – fitted, flared and fabulous.
Known for his mid-century style and prestigious positions on magazine mastheads, Cobb – who’s the editor of Evening Standard – has long loved the elegant menswear Tiger has to offer. So, when its head of PR & Marketing (and friend to Cobb), Per Håkans, approached him with the proposal, he didn’t need to think twice about it. Cobb’s only condition was that they collaborate with other companions of his: MatchesFashion and its head of menswear, Damien Paul. “The whole project feels like a family affair,” Cobb says.
It would be remiss not to mention as a side note, how back in 2021 for 10 Men Issue 53, Cobb was one of the faces featured in our inaugural Inside 10, where we step into the homes of the industry’s most adored gentlemen on a quest to discover their lives behind closed doors. There, Cobb donned velvet SS21 Gucci garms and his signature ‘70s chevron ‘stache.
Other than the “Me Decade”, Cobb was inspired by a slew of men who he describes as his “style Gods” for this collection; Pier Paolo Pasolini, Helmut Berger, Alain Delon and Yves Saint Laurent. Like these gents, Cobb possesses a comprehensive understanding of menswear and its inner workings, which works its way into this joint capsule.
Combining Tiger’s rich 119-year heritage and the modern expertise of its creative director, Bryan Conway, the collab arose from a mutual admiration and a shared love of beautifully cut, tailored clothes. So, eight everyday pieces contrived from leftover and deadstock materials found at British and Italian fabric mills were born: think, a single-breasted and wide-legged suits; notch lapel flared suits; stripped and colour blocked shirts; cropped v-neck patterned knitwear; a belted overcoat and a dress coat. “The collection is very personal,” Cobb says. “It’s inspired by my favourite pieces from my own wardrobe. It’s about elegant tailoring and beautifully made pieces but not as occasion wear – it’s designed for everyday use.”
With responsibility at the forefront of both party’s reciprocal thinking, stock is limited as the amount of available material determines the number of each garment made. But the thing is, they’ve already got another Tiger of Sweden collaboration in the works so if you’re too slow to get your hands on this one, don’t fret because more MatchesFashion magic is on the way.
Shop the collection here. Photography courtesy of Ben Cobb x Tiger of Sweden for MatchesFashion.
