Written by Craig Landale in Essentials on the 25th March 2021

I hope you’re all doing well and looking forward to things going back to normal (a little) over the coming weeks. We can hopefully get out and enjoy the spring weather with a buddy and finally get a haircut at the barbershop. I’ve had plenty of time to keep up with my scouting of cool wares as usual and I’ve got some great new releases to draw your attention to. So, following on from my February roundup, I’ve compiled a list of my favourite drops from March 2021 – enjoy.

Quiksilver Outdoor Collection 

Quiksilver's latest drop of the popular Outdoor collection is a sustainable line designed for every outdoor adventurer. Perfect for surf trips, hiking weekends or more active pursuits, the versatile outdoor apparel line is filled with jackets, fleeces, shorts and tees featuring colours and patterns inspired by the brand’s heritage. Quiksilver has always been deeply committed to environmental preservation, 100% of the products use sustainable practices such as Repreve’s recycled materials, organic cotton or PFC free water-repellent treatment. The collection also uses the very best fabric technology such as GoreTex and Primaloft, so the wearer stays warm and dry on every adventure. The Outdoor collection is Quiksilver’s most versatile yet, with ‘packable’ products designed to be easy to carry, with individual cases to pack and fold whilst on the go. Since 1969, Quiksilver has been a leader in equipment and clothing dedicated to outdoor sports in all its forms, from the mountains to the waves. Fifty years after its inception, the brand continues to innovate following the success of the inaugural Outdoor collection last year. This new line features the perfect outdoor edit - all showcasing Quiksilver’s sustainable credentials. 

quiksliver.co.uk

New & Lingwood Spring/Summer 2021 

New & Lingwood’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection draws inspiration from enchanting escapism and fantastical travels, embracing the power that clothing has to enrich our lives through the simple choice of what we wear. This season sees New & Lingwood refine its product offering, responding to their customer’s preference for more relaxed styles that marry contemporary with classic. Lighter weight cloths, softer tailoring, and an extended loungewear collection cements New & Lingwood as the go-to destination for distinctive relaxed tailoring and luxurious loungewear. New & Lingwood’s iconic loungewear offering has been revived this season. In partnership with Ardmore artists, New & Lingwood has developed a Dressing Gown and Slippers capsule, with striking prints inspired by the artists’ travels to Kruger National Park in South Africa - celebrating the magical fauna and flora of Africa’s varied landscape. For a touch of the East, opulent oriental prints are inspired by Japanese and Chinese patterns, new fan designs are modern interpretations of patterns found on antique Chinese vases. Each piece transports the wearer to places they love, the books they read, dreaming up a future so close they can almost touch it. 

newandlingwood.com

Marloe Watch Company x Campbell family 

Honouring Sir Malcolm and Donald Campbell’s dogged pursuit of speed and adventure, Marloe Watch Company has launched two new timepieces inspired by their record-breaking land speed runs. Released on Donald Campbell’s centenary day, March 23rd, the Bonneville and Eyre hand-wound mechanical watches mark an official partnership between the British watch brand and the Campbell Family Heritage Estate. Both the Bonneville and Eyre watch models are named after and inspired by their respective land speed stories. Bonneville: Between 1924 and 1935, Sir Malcolm broke nine land speed records. In 1935, behind the wheel of the Campbell-Railton Blue Bird, he became the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph, doing so across the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. Inspiration for the Bonneville was taken from the speedometer on the Blue Bird that captured the land speed record in 1935. The dial featured a segment of yellow to clearly indicate the target speed - from 280mph to well past 300mph. Echoing this aesthetic, the watch’s matte black dial features a yellow section applied to either side of the 30-minute marking. The running seconds hand, again inspired by the speedometer, is bright red with a black counterweight. Celebrating Sir Malcolm’s land speed record, “301 MPH” adorns the face at the 6 o’clock in racing yellow. 

marloewatchcompany.com

Vans x Penn Collaboration 

Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand is an icon in its own right, but the brand always seeks to collaborate with like-minded innovators—and leading tennis ball manufacturer Penn perfectly fits the bill. Like Vans, Penn is a classic brand with a history of innovation, beloved by generations of athletes. Both brands began as rubber companies, and both took the untraditional sports path to become the undisputed leaders of their respective industries. Founded in 1899 by Herbert DuPay in Erie, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Rubber Company (Penn) began as a manufacturer of all sorts of rubber goods, from hoses to valves and tires. The company soon became a trailblazer of tennis ball manufacturing, eventually pivoting to focus entirely on the racquet sports industry. Among Penn’s achievements are creating the first pressurised ball can to give tennis balls a longer shelf life, inventing a more durable felt tennis ball cover, and even originating the now-standard fluorescent yellow colour seen on nearly every tennis ball today. These and other innovations earned Penn its designation as America’s #1 Selling tennis ball and the official ball of top tennis industry organisations and prestigious professional tennis events. 

vans.eu

Cut & Pin Spring/Summer 2021 

Of the many things that occurred in 2020, the opportunity for reflection and a burning desire to do better was one of the more positive. An example of this is Cut & Pin, a new Yorkshire based menswear brand launched by Al Baker and Martin Parker, two friends sharing one vision; to create a wardrobe of everyday pieces, using recycled cashmere, jersey and organic cottons - designed and made with integrity at the core. Having been a part of the industry and witnessing first-hand the impact it was having on the planet, the pair felt the time was right to launch a dedicated menswear brand that married style with responsible sourcing, creating pieces that will stand the test of time. Cut & Pin uses a three-pillared approach in the creation of its collection, which is produced from either deadstock piles (the pieces big manufacturers throw away), recycled materials and organic fabric. This low-waste philosophy is coupled with a particular attitude towards the design process, in which consideration is given to the shape, detail and fabric, ensuring a fad-free wardrobe is created that can be worn time and time again. All supply partners are low-scale, family run businesses that share the ethical mindset and can make small, exclusive runs. Nothing is ever mass produced. 

cutandpin.com

Simba Orbit Weighted Blanket 

The Orbit relaxes you, using the comforting weight of nano-beads to help guide away restlessness. For a better, deeper sleep all round. When you're up all night worrying your mind races and you toss and turn. Falling asleep is a waking nightmare. The Orbit helps change all that. Feeling like a gentle, full-body hug, it helps stimulate a calming process known as 'deep pressure therapy'. Anchoring your body so your mind can float away. Deep pressure therapy counters stress by helping your nervous system switch from 'fight or flight' to 'rest and relax'. Helping to regulate your heartbeat, relax your muscles and set your mind at ease. DPT can be activated via a number of different objects. Most commonplace are weighted blankets and clothing such as therapeutic vests. It has been widely used in therapeutic contexts for individuals who suffer from worry, stress, restlessness, anxiety or numerous other factors. But the end result is almost always the same: an inability to switch off and fall asleep. 

simbasleep.com

KAPPA #keepPerforming Campaign 

Kappa has been synonymous with elite performance since its origins, even becoming the first brand in Italy to sponsor a soccer team in 1979. The brand has blurred the lines between sports- and streetwear, embodying the culture, community and team spirit of the game, while synonymously emerging as a coveted name within the global street style scene, representing the love of life, people and loyalty. Kappa truly is a brand for everyone. To celebrate Kappa’s rich sporting history, the brand is launching #keepPerforming, a social campaign that celebrates and supports athletes of all backgrounds. With this campaign, Kappa aims to share positivity and inspire people, showcasing a multiple of possibilities through a diverse group of talented individuals, all athletes in their respective fields. #keepPerforming invites people to explore new horizons and perform at their best throughout their everyday life. It affirms Kappa’s belief that you can achieve any goal you set for yourself if you continue to work at it and that this endurance is what will make us all stronger together, even while apart. 

kappastore.co.uk

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX 

Bang & Olufsen this month launched the Beoplay HX, a powerful and authentic sound experience with digital ANC, up to 35 hours of play time and elevated comfort, exemplifying Bang & Olufsen’s expertise in sound, design, and craftsmanship. Beoplay HX offers a powerful listening experience through two custom designed 40mm speaker drivers with neodymium magnets and bass ports which ensures optimal bass performance. Four dedicated microphones create an impressive call quality by utilising advanced beamforming technology, while the battery optimisation ensures up to 35 hours of play time – the equivalent of five working days of listening experience without having to recharge the battery. Bang & Olufsen’s signature sound is further enhanced due to improved speech delivery and the listening experience is even finer and more immersive thanks to the introduction of the next generation of Digital Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation technology which cancels unwanted noise without compromising on sound quality. 

bang-olufsen.com

We feature Quicksilver Outdoor Collection, New & Lingwood SS21, Marloe Watch Company x Campbell family, and Vans x Penn Collaboration in March 2021’s Coolest Stuff.