2(X)IST Spring 2016

 When a fashion brand has become closely identified with one very specific product or signature look is it possible for that brand to expand its signature aesthetic to include other elements that expands the brand’s consumer base? Depending on the fashion brand, hard question to answer. The repositioning or recalculating of a fashion brand’s design aesthetic in an already saturated market can sometimes be to its benefit to the brand or other times to its demise.

2(X)IST is not  only positioning itself to ask this answer, but also to answer the question in its own unique way. Once identified only a men’s underwear brand, 2(X)IST is attempting to position itself in the ever-growing athletic wear market. Consumers say evidence of this in collections from the last couple of seasons.

That said; the continuing trend of ‘athleisure’ wear—athletic clothing re-conceptualized as daywear that can transition to workout gear or with a few added accessories, even a night-out-on-the-town wear—serves 2(X)IST creative director Jason Scarlatti. And the trend of ‘athleisure’ actually comes to fore almost as much as the brand’s underwear in their spring 2016 collection.

In this 25^th Anniversary collection, Scarlatti included quite a few women’s look, totaling the runway looks to 58. While some fashion pundits might contend that the women’s looks for a distraction for the beefy male models, the women’s looks could be described as a visual rest from all the athletic hunkiness that usually parades up and down 2(X)IST’s runway shows. (Trust, there was lots of muscle and sinew to go around.)

From Oraine Barrett, Andrea Denver, and Parker Gregory to Andre Ziehe, Nyle DiMarco, Kevin and Jonathan Sampaio, 2(X)IST always have some the top male models in the fashion industry. And now with the addition of female models, the circle is now complete.

Still, the bigger question to be proffered is if the brand’s expansion into ‘athleisure’ wear is going to prove commercially viable for 2(X)IST? Though the only the fashion gods know the answer, if the response from the exiting audience is any indication, Scarlatti is on the right track.

Standout looks in the collection were the brand’s full-zip white jacket, micro cross-back sport bra in pink glow, short sleeve V-neck sweatshirt in light grey heather, cotton no-show trunk in fractal Chevron dazzling blue, embossed muscle sweatshirt in Limoges, tipped polo in Limoges, and tapered sweatshirt in chambray heather.

—William S. Gooch