Jack Spade was built on the basis of creating appealing looks with an utilitarian feel; but, continuously delivering functional items that are both useful and stylish can be a not-so-easy task to compel. For design director Todd Magill, experimenting with new fabrics is a big part of his success. 

Jack Spade’s spring/summer collection started on the streets, watching men mix their sports gear with their work clothes. The collection entitled “urban utility” is the combination of sports' fabrics with traditional menswear, deeming it into a modern, forward direction. While the utilisation of nylon and fleece may appear to be a rather literal take on sportswear, it's the way Magill manipulates the fabric towards a versatile and functional feel that truly evokes the Jack Spade identity. The convergence of the fabrics eases the concern of wrinkling, damaging, drenching, folding and packing without affecting the overall design, pushing the subject of utilitarianism much further in terms of practicality and usefulness.

While searching for the collection's print of résistance, Todd Magill gazed over the trend of flowers but turned it over with a masculine approach of a camo in olive, forrest green and camel foliage. Yet the brilliantness of the print does not lie in the clever and harmonious use of two different aesthetics -the utterly masculine found in camouflage and the femininity found in flowers- but in the transitional tones utilised -inspired by artist Josef Albers- that make it combinable and matchable with virtually any item.

With bags being a very strong point for the brand, it only makes sense they have the same inputed effort as any ready-to-wear item. Introducing waxed-leather pieces and what the brand is calling ‘commuter nylon’, the spring 2015 bags were made to endure and perdure. Holding boxy and modern silhouettes that were designed to keep their form, Magill mentions that “all the function happens inside”.

Jack Spade was built on the basis of creating appealing looks with an utilitarian feel; and that’s exactly what they do, bravo.

Review & Photos by  Alex Margary
Retouched images by J.C. Parra