Oct 15th, 2020
Despite their longstanding history in outdoors gear, Mountain Research has gradually begun to draw inspiration from sources far outside their own comfort zone. Kobayashi Setsumasa, the Japanese label’s designer, has begun to work in themes of anarchy and dichotomy — the latter channeled time and time again through his own mainline collections as well as his on-going collaboration with Reebok. Exhibited first through the saddle shoe influenced Classic Leather, these themes are set to take further shape as the DMX Trail Shadow returns to celebrate ’80s collegiate style.
Popularized in Japan during the aforementioned era, this taste for Ivy League is effectively expressed through color alone as the frame it sits on is technical and replete with the aggressive design language the imprint doused in yellow prior. A light grey tone is completely hued atop many of the upper’s fixtures as an overt reference to the sweatshirts and pants that would often see tackle twill lettering. But instead of the bold-faced applique, the pair opts for perforated vector logos along its side profile, white Mountain Research stamps atop the tongue, and a string of text at the heel that reads “HOLIDAY IN THE MOUNTAIN.”