For the autumn/winter 2013 season, Primark is offering a collection of affordable menswear pieces whose design draws inspiration from the great outdoors while celebrating the importance of heritage. As expected of Primark, indigo jeans, checked flannel shirts, denim jackets and tweed blazers play a central part in the collection, with knitwear coming in a wide variety of options, including jumpers with twisted stitches or ribbed wool, and fisherman and Fairisle knits.
The Irish clothing retailer has opted to redefine the concept of sartorial heritage for young male consumers by updating its tailoring offer for the upcoming autumn and winter: overall, silhouettes are slimmer than in previous collections and details such as leather elbow patches and velvet collars have been incorporated into blazers and coats. However, the main inspirations for the menswear range come from nature and open-air living. This creative concept is applied throughout the collection, and can be particularly noticed in the waxed shooting jackets, padded gillets, oil-slicked denim, brogue boots, tweed caps and checked scarves.
Playful and youthful touches can be identified in the Mickey Mouse sweatshirts, colourful bobble hats, relaxed cotton chinos in vivid cobalt and forest green, and in successful pieces such as acid-wash denim shirts and T-shirts and a shirt with a tattoo print. Overall, the colour palette is conventionally autumnal, with a predominance of greys highlighted by petrol teals, marshy greens, vivid rusts and scarlet reds, as well as by animal prints, florals and paisley designs. In footwear, it’s worth noting the nylon trainers with applications of suede and the brogues with contrasting panels and textured inserts. Watches, leather belts, printed silk pocket squares, satchel bags, backpacks and new iPad cases in tweed, canvas and fake leather complement the collection’s looks.
Since it opened its first store in Dublin in June 1969, Primark has grown to become a clothing brand popular with young shoppers worldwide. In spite of a negative reputation for using low-quality fabrics produced in factories where employees work in poor conditions, it has consistently managed to outperform its rivals and offer the lowest retail prices in its market segment. In addition to having 38 shops in its native Ireland (trading under the name Penneys), Primark’s 2013 trading report lists 257 stores in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands and the UK, with plans afoot for further expansion.
