Reese Cooper has always wanted to do this.
“I never really had the access to do it in the beginning of my career, just in terms of manufacturing and economies of scale,” says Cooper. “I think it’s a nice vessel to be able to be a little more playful than the mainline. This is more so clothes for day-to-day activities than capital ‘F’ fashion.”
Cooper is referring to Reese Cooper Outdoor Supply (RCOS), his new sub-label that makes its retail debut today. PacSun, who he partnered with to produce the collection, will be stocking it in various stores across the country and online. Cooper will also host a pop-up in LA’s Arts District from Aug. 10-11 for anyone who wants to experience the collection in person and roll out a new web store specifically for RCOS. The pieces are relatively affordable. T-shirts can be had for $45. Compare that to Reese Cooper’s mainline that includes pieces like $200 tees and $600 trousers, and it’s hard not to consider RCOS a great deal. Even outerwear pieces are sub-$450.
These relatively accessible prices don’t mean a lack of attention to detail. Snap buttons and zipper hardware on sherpa pullovers and jackets are shaped like rocks. Bungee cord stoppers feature engraved RCOS logos. Double-sided logo patches are sewn to the sleeves of anoraks. Cooper’s trademark hook is applied to shorts and jackets.
“I was just trying to make this as fun as possible,” says Cooper. “You will always be able to discover something, even on the fourth time you’re wearing it.”
The Los Angeles-based designer has been working on the line for the past three years. Partnering with a large entity like PacSun finally gave him the infrastructure that he needed to realize his vision. He says seeing what Jerry Lorenzo has been able to do with Essentials—Fear of God’s more accessible counterpart that also debuted through PacSun back in 2018—was the most encouraging.
“[Essentials] definitely opened my eyes to the opportunity of what working with a partner is like. I have done everything myself to date and that’s always been incredibly rewarding but also incredibly challenging,” says Cooper. “Straight up, I do not have the supply chain that can make this. I tried doing it and it was really tough.”
RCOS features a lot of the same elements as Cooper’s mainline, which references classic outdoor gear and workwear, but presents them in more traditional ways. His mainline collection may use waterproof fabric to create unconventional items like tailored trousers and blazers. For RCOS, the same textile is used to make a tape seam shell jacket. And the pieces aren’t just meant to be lifestyle riffs on technical garments. They’re actually functional, if you choose to wear them that way.
“If you find yourself in the environment in which these types of pieces are normally associated with, they need to fucking work,” says Cooper. “And you can’t look like a tourist. It has to hold its own weight in that environment, but also not feel out of place in a city environment. My favorite bit to joke about is 90% of the Arc’teryx shells in the world only see the walk to Whole Foods. It’s finding that middle ground that balances both of those things.”
Cooper also wanted to make sure his core fans were not alienated by the new line, but embraced it as an extension of his brand.
“I wanted to make sure people familiar with my stuff didn’t get left with a bad taste in their mouth like, ‘Oh, it’s cheap shit now.’ This is a separate design language, separate entity, with just as much attention to detail,” he says. “No matter if it’s a $2,000 jacket or a $100 hoodie, it’s coming from the same place with the same intentions. It’s just two different initiatives.”
Learn more about Cooper’s favorite items from the inaugural RCOS collection below, and see the full collection here.
Nylon Packable Anorak
Price: $95
Reese Says: “This is something that I’ll have on every day. It’s fully packable, has hidden zipper pockets throughout, and multiple cargo pockets. There are drawstrings in the waist and cording in the hood. We were trying to pack as much as we can into each piece, treating ’em as they’re the only thing that we’re making every single time.”
Two-in-One Running Shorts
Price: $75
Reese Says: “I really love that it’s an actual performance product, something that I haven’t been able to do in the past. I can make oversized nylon shit in LA, but when it comes to actual performance gear and athletic gear, that’s something that I can’t do here. I’m really, really excited about these.”
Nylon Snowboarding Pants and Shell Jacket
Price: $350-$450
Reese Says: “I probably will never wear them together, but it’s my favorite set in this whole thing. The camo one specifically, that’s inspired from a camo off a vintage jacket that I found on a trip to Alaska. I redid it in watercolors and then turned it into a fabric print.”
Cotton Cargo Pants
Price: $125
Reese Says: “I’m super particular about silhouette. The mainline stuff, you can get a little out there because you’re not trying to talk to as many people. You have a very focused audience that are all in agreement that they want the widest cargo pant they’ve ever seen. With this, it’s trying to get people to wear them every single day. Let’s make it a bit more reasonable—They’re pretty straight-leg, adjustable in a couple places. It’s eight-ounce cotton canvas, so it’s not too heavy. It’s not too light. It’s not going to drape in a weird way. I tried to design them in a more democratic way. When we do our fittings, I have eight people try them on. We all put our heads together and vote on what needs to change. This isn’t coming from a singular point of view where my word is final say. Because it’s not for me. It’s supposed to be for everyone.”
T-shirts
Price: $45
Reese Says: “Honestly, I love them. I know every fucking guy with a brand is like, ‘We did the perfect T-shirt,’ but in my opinion we kind of did. Picture your favorite sportswear tee from the ‘90s, whether it was the way Nike or Champion used to make them—that type of fit, just with some updates. And they’re not 30 inches long anymore. The T-shirts are lightweight. I think they’re like 160 GSM, as opposed to my mainline T-shirts that are up in the 500 range. Basically, just wanting to make it fit in a modern context, but feel like a vintage thing that you love.”
Read the full article here
