Welcome to the Overdye Closet Collection, where members of the community share some of their most treasured items. Today's feature is done by myself, Graeme Styles, a co-owner of Overdye. From my closet I have chosen five of my favorite pieces:
SS22 Mechanics JKT G.Cords
This jacket is the one I gravitate towards most out of my entire collection. G.cords is one of the first materials Visvim produced that I fell in love with. The name refers to German Corduroy, and it is some of the lightest, yet durable fabric I have encountered. Many repro companies produce their iterations of pique or grosgrain fabrics; however, none create this specific material. I think the Mechanics along with the Rodney and Purser G.cords iterations are some of the best outerwear made by Visvim. Their damage processing, with meticulous fading and paint splatters, makes them inconspicuous to the average consumer, which is exactly what I love about the brand. They are entirely mundane. Many times, I have even been asked if I thrifted my jacket. The silhouette is perfectly weighted to wear a sweatshirt underneath and be toasty in the winter. The internal RIRI zip breast pocket is great for a phone and some earbuds. With all the distressing already added, I can feel peace of mind in wearing the jacket for years to come in whatever circumstance.
FW19 SPOT Black Elk Flannel N.D.
The rarest item I own is this seemingly ordinary flannel. This piece is incredibly sentimental to me, as it is the first time I ever bought something from Matt, the other co-owner of Overdye. The flannel is made of a Gara-Bou hand-spun yarn, an incredibly rare fabrication technique that can only be made by the few machines left in existence today at one factory. Roughly one large stole worth of fabric can be produced each day. I own the pink (Cochineal) variant of this flannel, which is a reddish hue created from grounded beetles. The powdered insects are then boiled in water and have chemicals added to increase or decrease the shade of red desired. Females and their eggs produce a chemical, carminic acid, which is what achieves the reddish color. As the shirt is so unique in both its dyeing and manufacturing techniques, it is one of the few items I possess that I feel could be displayed in a museum. To me, it serves as a testament to why I choose to pursue Overdye and preserve the history and stories of brands such as Visvim. For that reason, it is also one of the lesser-worn items in my closet and reserved for mostly special occasions.
FW21 Fluxus 01 Slim G.Cords
These Fluxus pants were one of the first items I ever paid full retail for from Visvim. Sometimes you come across a piece and know you must obtain it, no matter what. When Visvim founded its Contrary Dept. it quickly became my favorite sub-label of the brand. They combine some of their strongest materials and processing with iconic military silhouettes. Like the Mechanics, they use G.cords which have been damage processed and drip painted, resulting in a vintage character. While it might be surprising, G.cords are easily the lightest material any pants of mine are made from, even more than a thin herringbone twill fabric. For this pair, I have found that the material stretches to give it more of a 01 cut, and the 03 pair of mainline Fluxus G.cords I own have stretched to be a 01 slim cut. They are the only Visvim pants I have come across with this malleability. I also love them for their niche references. As someone who studied art history in university, I love Hiroki’s constant references to the art historical canon. In this case, we see the term Fluxus being used, referring to the avant-garde anti-art collective of the 1960s famously including Yoko Ono and Joseph Beuys (Another artist referenced by Visvim). I also enjoy the derivation of Contrary Dept. from the Contrary in some Plains Native American cultures, who commit to do the opposite of what others typically do in everyday life. This can even be accompanied by inverse speech. You can see the clear connection between the two in the Contrary Dept. logo here, which pictures a Contrary riding backwards. Overall, the pants combine some of my favorite elements of Visvim so it was a quick decision to add them to the list.
FW21 ICT Amplus Crew LS
The FW21 ICT Amplus Crew LS is my favorite knit Visvim has ever created. It’s a crew neck knitted from indigo skein-dyed yarn, the same technique used to make a plethora of ICT items. I own the Dk. Indigo colorway, but there is also a lighter Indigo model. In the light, the sweater varies from hues of purple to light blue, and even some white where the dye has cracked entirely. Visvim’s Amplus cut is the perfect cropped, cozy, boxy fit; it leaves the sweater feeling more draped onto your body than the tighter, trim cut of the Jumbo silhouette. As a fan of Visvim’s crash processing, this is a perfect example of it at its best. Among the loose gauge knit, there are areas of distressing that Visvim mended with bits of fabric that feel somewhere between a chambray and denim texture. With this sweater seldom appearing online for sale, when it was listed in my size I knew I had to grab it.
SS21 T.W.O. Boots-Folk
The T.W.O. Boot is without a doubt one of Visvim’s most popular silhouettes. The name stems from The Wild Ones, starring Marlon Brando, a film that famously popularized motorcycle fashion. While there have been many versions over the years, the SS21 is easily tied as my favorite along with the FW20. This pair in particular was somewhat serendipitous. I was relatively early in my collecting career, at the time I owned a few clothing items. Browsing the StyleForum Visvim thread I came across a member selling a pair he bought in Japan that had maybe been worn once or twice. The issue was they were a 12 and I was an 11. If you have ever been remotely interested in purchasing T.W.O. Boots you have probably read it’s best to go in person and try on a pair, as they are extremely unforgiving boots. As I have a wider foot, I assumed the 11 would be too small and 12 would be perfect, luckily on this occasion, I was right. The boots combine Italian vegetable-tanned horse leather and Horween vegetable-tanned cow leather. I appreciate the unique texture that comes with each pair. They are stunning to look at, and I would even argue they’re Visvim’s best footwear silhouette. I hope to have them for many years to come, and eventually get the FW20 pair too if I can ever find a 12.
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