You could say that SEVENLAYER is taking the world of outerwear by storm, but then you’d have to forgive the dubious word play. The truth is, this newly thought-out military-inspired brand hailing from Manchester is on the rise. Despite the complications deriving from the pandemic, it’s going from strength to strength.
At the helm is CEO and Creative Director Jamie Lundy, an entrepreneur and former award-winning design engineer, who appreciates the need for balance in the brand’s design ethos: “Our motto is to combine fashion with functionality – and style with performance,” says Lundy. “We don’t believe in overcomplicating our designs, everything is there for a reason – where the beauty of clean lines and a considered approach come together.”
As we enter 2021, SEVENLAYER is now preparing – after some Covid-induced delay – to launch its flagship store in Alderley Edge, Cheshire – an open and welcoming space on the High Street of the affluent Cheshire town.
The space, which has been designed by both Lundy and award-winning London-based design agency BusbyWebb, maintains that clean, yet industrial feel with leanings towards Lundy’s Scandinavian heritage. It’s a philosophy that runs as a constant theme throughout the brand, where needless complications and embellishments are eschewed in preference to minimalism.
“It’s important to maintain a consistency in everything we do. The aesthetic of the store has to mirror our values and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the quality of our products,” says Lundy. “The open, interactive element to the store combined with warmer woods and lighting set against those colder materials such as rendering and steel captures the brand perfectly.”
“The environment was designed to make it feel warm and natural but also technical to mirror the jackets,” says head of interiors at BusbyWebb, James Coates.
“The materials we chose were the essence of the outdoors on the floor and the technical panels on the back and how that’s all married with a natural, ethical render. We also wanted a hanging system that could really show off the garments, how they’re lit from above and keeping it nice and minimal, not stacked high and cheap but sophisticated, so that people can touch and feel the product.
“Then a large warm communal table with a tree feature takes centre stage to encourage engagement and enhance the environment. It’s a central unit to bring people together to showcase the detail and intricacies of the jackets.
The product detailing is echoed in the detailing of the store. Beautiful sight lines and lovely shadow gaps as well as the tactical materials still feel natural and honest but technical as well, right down to the army gun clips that hold the jackets in place, a nod back to the military inspiration the underpins the brand, but premium and elegant at the same time.”
Having worked tirelessly for the past four years reworking the previous 7L Systems brand, which involved a more visibly technical garment, Lundy and designer Chris Vandrill, unveiled the ORIGIN collection for AW20 last year – a tight-knit offer comprising of military-inspired but modern outerwear encompassing that clean design aesthetic that is now synonymous with the brand.
This first offer also showcased collaborations with English Fine Cottons and ArkAir, leaning on the brand’s support of both British and Manchester-based manufacturing and innovative fabric technology that saw SEVENLAYER working with experts from not only the UK but also Switzerland and China.
“Our product is hard-working and honest. We appeal to the real authorities on outerwear all the way through to the man going out to walk his dog. The attention to detail within our fabrics and their performance, mixed with an easy-to-wear style is proving to be a very attractive combination,” adds Lundy.
Now preparing to unveil the new MTP collection, SEVENLAYER shows an organic evolution that embraces the core values and offering of last year’s ORIGIN collection, and extends that offer. Military-inspired jackets in khaki greens, beige and camo prints are complemented by workwear pants, field shirts and jungle boonie hats.
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For further information visit sevenlayer.com and also busbywebb.co.uk
