New Amsterdam Surf Association AW22
There’s nothing we love more than popping out the studio, taking a trip down the road, seeing some familiar faces and getting to delve into a brand-spanking-new collection. At the start of the summer, Glamcult had just that opportunity – and before you knew it, bikes were unlocked and we were pedalling down Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal to New Amsterdam Surf Association. The (fairly) new streetwear brand has been popping up everywhere we go and seeing their previous collections thrive with such actuality in ‘real’ life, we couldn’t wait to see what the streets of Dam’ (and our office) will be rocking next season.
Taking on the concept of Amsterdam’s external (and pre-conceived) judgements, the collection, titled Bad Habits, did not disappoint. It is this kind of outward thinking that within a city of cliques and cliches a true homage to the space is envisioned. And as yet another RyanAir plane lands on the weary concrete of Schipol Airport, it is the attitudes of your predictable lads and lasses ready to party, smoke and *cough cough*, which became unlikely motivators for the project.
New Amsterdam surf Association and its kind-faced founder Paul Zeper have taken on this cultural phenomenon surrounding the city they inhabit and made a collection inspired by exactly that: the ‘Bad Habits’ (aka. the aftermath) of a day and night in Amsterdam.
As with any good collection, references are taken both from the past, present and future, and with that being said it is New Amsterdam’s take on the original human sin of the forbidden apple that really caught our eye. From a mesh waist jacket with a zip detail that depicts the world’s forbidden fruits’, to a popping cherry tee and my personal fave… the condom T-shirt. Balancing satire and seriousness there is a campness (a consciously failed seriousness) to every piece: asymmetrical, oversized windbreaker ponchos and Neon orange thermal trousers, it’s all there… all practical… and all ready to be worn.
The showstoppers however go to a 70’s-esque below-the-knee coat, which replicates the era’s marbling obsession, alongside using the colourways of the ocean. This piece is classic, inevitably wearable and a moment that belongs (permanently) in your closet. And (of course) the unforgettable and returning poncho. This is an end-of-the-show moment that, alongside its practicalities, exemplifies the epitome of the brand: surfwear made with a global audience in mind. Whether you are as keen as Zeper himself or can barely swim, there’s a fit here for everyone to enjoy.
