If you cannot explain it,
You will always find a song that can.

Which was one of the sole concepts driving the New York Fashion Week Mens (NYFWM) presentation of Matiere, labelled ‘The Vandals”.

Derived from the French word for ‘material’, the brand prides itself in developing innovative fabrics to showcase contemporary designs. This season, it brought a different vibe from their last season’s Californian coastal adventure. Designers Scot Shandalove, Henry Choi and Jake Zeitlin’s collection was inspired by their love for music, bringing the late 70s punk explosion movement to the forefront.

London, a former homeland and one that I occasionally visit, is the birthplace of punk, and was the core inspiration for the fabrics, which elevated the inspiration into a more refined tone. All of which definitively took second fiddle to the pulsating punk music that gave energy to both the models and onlookers! Overall, it was a rebellious concept, but offered refinement by the choice of fabrics like Japanese camel knit, high waisted cropped pants, and edgy bomber jackets. Signature activewear was paired with over dyed and acid washed denim, contrasting with velour trousers and often paired with funnel neck hoodies, zipper jackets and plaid shirts.

There was an abundance of checks and tartan seen, from a windowpane check plaid button down with Japanese cotton corduroys, to two guys sporting Portuguese seersucker plaid pullover henley shirts in my favorite color red. One rocked it with suspenders, bringing a French macho look to the frame, while another upped the refinement with a Japanese deconstructed wool blazer.

My favorite though were two other plaid pieces: a Japanese yarn dye plaid wool blend double breasted long coat with a fur collar, which begged to be worn all winter season! And a pair of Japanese dye plaid wool blend slim fit utility pants which resurrected my hope in slim fit pants, and had a dramatic focus when paired with a flannel shirt, windproof jacket and v-neck tee in monochromatic tones.

Other highlights included a corduroy jacket, a Schoeller waterproof merino wool hooded parka jacket, an Italian mohair merino wool striped sweater, bringing back the era of stripes, and a Japanese waffle knit oversized tee. The last two were more on the athletic side of the brand’s origins, adding variety to the spunky, funky and trendy collection.

With everyone’s hips swaying and feet tapping to punk music, the future looked like it could very well blend street style and nighttime refinement into one pulsating beat.