The W'menswear X Randolph Engineering Trunk Show

W'MENSWEAR BY LAUREN YATES

Lauren Yates, aka Ponytail Journal / @ponytailjournal, has built her brand "W'menswear" from her base in Thailand. Like all of the best brands, W'menswear has grown from her lived experience and point-of-view, rather than being a simple attempt to fill a whitespace in the market. The tag-line "Hard hitting garments for hard hitting women" says it all. She makes uncompromising clothing for women with a focus on quality and craft, all made in Thailand and Vietnam at small artisan workshops. We've been stocking her line at our Santa Fe store for a few seasons now, and carry her sub-brand Good Ol' Whats-Her-Face at all three stores plus online. The full W'menswear collection will be rolling out across our shops and online over the next season, starting with this trunk show.

RANDOLPH ENGINEERING X W'MENSWEAR

The latest collaboration from W'Menswear, the Randolph Engineering collection is inspired by the women of the Mercury 13 program who pioneered female advancement in spaceflight. The collaboration speaks to women that push through barriers and pave the way for the next generation by exploring the various meaning of femininity. Leveraging Lauren's experience re-working vintage military garments and apparel, the RANDOLPH ENGINEERING x W’menswear collection partnered with small-scale female artisan producers to rework vintage military C-9 parachutes, used in military and civilian jumps, to create one-of-a-kind pieces.

“We’ve always been inspired by the stories of women throughout history who have persevered to break boundaries,” said Lauren Yates, W’menswear Founder. “When Randolph Engineering approached me for a collaboration, the opportunity to explore this idea set fireworks off in my mind. Not only had Randolph Engineering’s military spec Aviator come up in countless W’menswear research boards, but their authentic product and unique standpoint as a family-owned business spoke true to our core values.”

THE C-9 4 Color Parachute.

The soft goods in this collection are all sewn from the aforementioned C-9 parachutes. The basic design dates back to the 1940s, with the only major change being the introduction of nylon fabrics and lines in the 1960s. The MIL-C-7020 fabric introduced at that time comes in at 1.1 ounces a yard, which seems lightweight until you consider the vast bulk of a 28 foot diameter canopy.

Cutting and sewing super-light ripstop weave nylon from these vintage and military surplus parachute is not at all easy. The complex geometries of the parachute canopies makes it challenging to extract panels the right shape to fit the pattern pieces for each item in the collection. Once cut, the fabric has a tendency to fray easily on the raw edge, adding to the complexity of this project.

Lauren partnered with small-scale artisan sewers, all women, to make this project come to life. Without these craft producers, all masters of their trade, these garments and accessories simply would not be possible.

The specifications and a close-up view of the colors used - International Orange, Olive Green, White, and Sand.

The Details

Lauren will be in the our NYC shop at 238 Mulberry Street in Nolita all day Friday the 20th through Sunday the 22nd to talk about her collaboration with Randolph Engineering and W'menswear in general.

For reference our NYC store hours are:

  • Friday: 12pm-7pm
  • Saturday: 12pm-7pm
  • Sunday: 12pm-6pm