Outerwear famed for being durable – K-Way foresees to spearhead the arena of sportswear. A conversation with Lorenzo Boglione, BasicNet vice president of Sales
When rain poured in Paris one day in 1965, clothes retailer Léon-Claude Duhamel scrutinized the velocity in people’s steps as they darted towards their destination. The presented visuals of their drenched clothes and inability to wield the umbrella in their hands snarled on Duhamel, binding his wrists onto a journey that would catapult his idea on a pedestal. His insight, a waterproof jacket that weathered the soak of water, deflected the gust of the wind, and fitted in the pocket of a bag. Today we resonate the brand as an outerwear line that has strolled onto streets.
«Functionality is always the key. This mission has always been in our dictionary» says Lorenzo Boglione, K-Way’s Vice President of Sales. «We are a sportswear company. We do everything we can to walk with the trends, but we don’t extremely follow them. We keep our style and image at a constant pace in every design we create. We adapt to the emerging trends, but select those that complement well to what we have always done».
Although K-Way appreciates the enthusiasm of those who hop on the bandwagon in fashion, it underscores the voyage of growing as a household name that leaves its imprint for decades to come rather than a piece of clothing bought for a day and thrown out after a month. It harnesses awareness on the global rules of production, ticking off boxes that give green light to the reduction of harm towards the environment and maximization of its materials, manpower, and machinery. It works its way towards adopting recycled nylon to lead its upcoming product lines, an endeavor that maintains a stance in hauling nature from disintegrating. Earnest to its vocation in curing and restoring the planet’s health, K-Way makes a beeline for the promise of durability embedded into its products. «Buying a few jackets per month, for instance, destroys the essence of these missions. To refrain such cases from recurring, we produce products that withstand time and possess resistance to erosion of quality» says Boglione.
No compromise takes place when K-Way seals deals with external partnerships since designers and brands will emulate the tradition of a windproof, waterproof, and durable wear while infusing the subtlety of their touches, commanding a product line that dangles over a maelstrom of trademarks. K-Way paves a way for the artists and designers to toy with what they can make the most out of – the packable rain jacket that has portrayed the outerwear house.
What crawls out of its nook unravels outfits that anyone can put on. The sprawl of homogeneity in designs and palettes urge the wearer to dismiss gender and affords the customers a glimpse of the inclusivity K-Way indulges into. With Lampoon Magazine, K-Way products demonstrate the reverie of the house’s oath to encompass everyone. Milan-based photographer Emma Scarafiotti bursts forward as the vessel to capture the jackets and tops that douse in pale and neutral shades, allow the air to trespass into the fitting, and showcase grit in fabrics and styles. «We are an inclusive company by definition and nature. In our outfits, mission, and company, such a subject is already granted» says Boglione.
While the aftermath the pandemic has induced continues to storm into everyday life, K-Way foresees to strengthen and spearhead its domination in the clothing sphere as a global outerwear brand. It gravitates towards investing further in its house and utilizing its production values well to supply outfits at the right price and availability. No longer does it nod to the mobility of its products alone, but it also elevates the way the label communicates to people, offering them a deliverance of their clothing needs. Visualized by the series of unisex apparel that sways towards recognition from afar, the outerwear line navigates its way to be recognized as memorable. With a flagship that leans in distinctiveness, functionality, inclusivity, sustainability, and service, K-Way marches forward to ordination as a household name.
IMAGE GALLERYK-Way
Photographer: Emma Scarafiotti
Stylist: Marco Drammis
Makeup + Hair: Giuseppe Tamburini
Stylist assistant: Filippo Marino Bottaioli
Makeup + Hair assistant: Federico Terni
Model: Bernard Samuel Frenzel, Leyla Degan, Issah Suleiman, Giulia Renzi @streetpeoplecasting
