Hey fellas,
I am gonna address a few questions and some comments to help clear up
some stuff.  Since we did not make a video from the factory this year
talking about this collection I am guessing some of you may find an
explination of themes, pieces, and direction helpful.  Also, there is a
lookbook video coming out similar to the type of video we did last Fall
with Mike Clarke (the one that was featured on Hypebeast) and that
should showcase some of the looks in a wearable environment.
As I always say when I try to contribute to these threads, I am not a
regular poster on NS and never really have been.  I am a long time
member though and as a skier myself I check in regularly.  You guys are
great and we appreciate the passion you have for our brand, both for and
 against.
To the clothing.....
The preview we put up does not include all pieces.  It is some of the
stuff that will be avialable in drop 1 and drop 2.  As we mentioned
there will be additional pieces, collaborations, and accessories
throughout the Fall.  But directionally we went a lot darker this season
 and with more wearable looks.  That is not us catering to anyone or
anything.  That is just our personal taste and the brand's maturation
that takes place from one year to the next.  What we wore in 2008 is
just of less interest to us from a personal level.  Every season we come
 up with new designs and new inspiration and that is a reflection on our
 personal taste.  And every year we have had folks chime in that we
"fell off" or that we "don't care about skiers" or that "last years
stuff was better".  It is the nature of being in a creative field and
trying to constantly push the proverbial envelope.  In the Fall of 2008
after reading everyone slam our stuff I remember thinking...  what if no
 one buys anything?
We have never pandered or catered to anyone.  That is the truest
definition of a sell-out in my opinion and we don't want to be a company
 that makes stuff because they think it what others want.  We make what
we like and we are very happy that over the years our customer base has
liked it too.
There were 4 themes or buckets in the Fall/Winter range this year.  The
first was the "Sons of St. Jiberish" and those pieces were inspired by
1830s-1860s New York.  There is a book called "Rogues Lexicon" which
was a basis for most of the language and imagery we created.  It is a
vocabulary dictionary of sorts of the era (really cool stuff for those
who like to dork out on shit like this).  And the
Movie "Gangs of New York" played a big part in this line too.  I toured
the
Lower East Side's famous Tenement Museum and we read as much as we could
 to understand this era which is one of the darkest and most violent in
US history.  The gangs we created were fictional and all fit under the
moniker "When the Hellhound Banner flies, lock your doors and cover your
 eyes".  That Hellhound was a representative of the devil and for one of
 the gangs we studied, when shit was about to go down the Irish
immigrants would fly that flag of the dog warning people in the town.
Typography and design elements here are the strongest we have ever had
 as a brand, bar none.  Our designers executed on a level we've never
had before.  Those who are in art school or studying design will
recognize this.
The second bucket is the "Vote Early, Vote Often" collection which is
modeled after fictional shady political elections of the 1950s.  The
imagery and language here was inspired by the fact that 2012 is an
election year and this Fall we will be voting in the next President of
the US.  The typography and design here is specific of the era and the
 language is intentionally playful.
The third bucket was more of our grown-man looks.  Sometimes you need
clothing to wear on a daily basis.  These are pieces you can mix and
match with multiple outfits and they are staples you can always go to.
Quality craftsmanship and thoughtful detail were the focus.  We wear
this type of stuff more than the bolder items personally and we like the
 versatility.  We re-appropriated zip hoodies into jackets here and took
 the Pusher and Choppin Wood and introduced newer, more update versions
of those pieces with different colors, fabrics, and notions.
The fourth bucket was a branded items and pattern exploration.  These
are only defined by the season's color palate and logos.  As any artist
 or designer will tell you, it is much harder to design something that
is clean, crisp, and complete than it is to toss a bunch of random stuff
 together.  Very few do the former as well as our guys.  I'd put them up
 against anyone.
Anyways, that is a little briefing on the thoughts behind the stuff.
The fit is slimmer than last year and we took the back of the
sweatshirts up slightly so that they are flat on the bottom (they used
to hang a few inches longer in previous years).  The button down shirts
are amazing quality and the down jackets are the nicest pieces we have
made.
Putting a collection together is a process that few will ever truly
understand.  You have to love it because it is an insane amount of
work.  Most of these items won't be fully appreciated until they are
seen and touched though.  There is only so much a picture can convey.
Hope to see you at LoHi, Vault, or Armory this Fall.
Thx,
Pete
PS - Nyles, all of our store logos are surrounded by a circle, the new Armory one you will see soon is too.  Other than the circle, they have nothing in common with one another.  The type is 100% custom on each.