Guermo out of New York, featured at Board of Directors last month, was the first time specialty streetwear buyers and press could take a look at the evolution of where urban jacket/hoodie trends are headed for Fall/Winter ’08. Guermo, the brand, is designed by a guy named William who used to make T-shirts for various large labels and got sick of it and so went into the direction of his passion, which is men’s urban jackets. William creates aspirational pieces—we’re talking about jackets that are super custom and costing around $1,000, which is upper urbanwear, and the next step to the Urban Surplus style coming out of New York (see also “Urban Surplus in Uptown NYC: Streetwear Takes Cues from Midwest as Outdoor + Hunting Staples Take Root,” February).
Using a combination of concepts, time periods, and textiles such as suede, leather, silk, tailored suit jackets, wool deer hunter prints, organic plaids, with bright-colored new plaids and old-school camo, and pinstriped suit patterns, customers can pick the pieces for their jacket or vest, which Guermo then makes at a pace that fits a craftsman’s schedule. For example, Fat Joe, the East Coast rapper, recently ordered a Guermo jacket for his new video playing the Cocaine Cowboys.
As seen on the streets of New York, the mash-up evolution of the Fall/Winter jacket usually includes a hoodie, or retro-style vest in bold stripes. Guermo’s collection includes masterpieces such as the green and white plaid jacket with black fur color, and the camo jacket complimented with tailored pinstripe wrist sleeves, leather, blue hunter plaids, and a grey hood. Most pieces in wool reflect a varsity jacket aesthetic, which is definitely a new trend on the rise, with wide elastic cuffs on the bottom of the jackets, vests, and sleeves for a retro feel, but with a contemporary nod to the future with the mixture of textures, patterns, and time-frames across cultures. Topped with a Russian Cossack hat, for example, in grey fur, another Guermo piece, the Fall/Winter ’08 ensemble represents where things are headed in the urban underground for jackets, East Coast-style.
Rama Mayo, co-founder of United Trade Show and Board of Directors, takes us through what Guermo is all about.
