In case you haven’t heard, Banana Republic is having another moment. Its staples, those slacks, safari shirts, and sweaters you (or your parents) once bought at the mall, are a little more considered these days and shot in dreamy ad campaigns. Squint and you’re looking at a luxury brand. But the crowning jewel of what seems like Banana Republic’s rebrand is a new collaboration with Peter Do, a New York-based designer who’s currently the toast of the high-fashion crowd, which drops on October 10 will most definitely sell out.
The 28-piece collection debuted at Do’s Paris Fashion Week show last month, where it was slipped in among his label’s garments. (It was hard to tell which was which.) Each piece puts a clever, Do-ified spin on the Banana Republic archive: Utility shirts, for example, become gender-neutral dresses, while skirts are outfitted with trench-inspired buttons. Most excitingly, the drop includes Peter Do staples like nipped-waist blazers and pleated trench coats, and everything is rendered in the designer’s signature muted color palette.
“It has always been one of my goals to make Peter Do [the label] more affordable and accessible to a wider audience,” Do tells Glamour. Prices range from $100 for a top to $1,200 for select outerwear, a little higher than Banana Republic’s usual fare. But it’s the most accessible price point for Do’s work yet; his eponymous label’s white T-shirts start at nearly $300. “This felt like the perfect opportunity to do so without sacrificing both brands’ commitment to high quality,
timeless design, tailoring, and craftsmanship.”
To fully understand the phenomenon of Peter Do, it helps most to consider what the designer isn’t: a showboater. He’s usually photographed from behind or in a face mask. His atelier is based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, eschewing the glitz of Manhattan. After being revealed as the new creative director at minimalist label Helmut Lang, he showed a collection that largely bowed to its namesake designer’s legacy.
“I wasn’t sure [about the collaboration] at first because we have always been very careful not to add more stuff into the world, but to create pieces that can be reworn for years to come,” says Do, who worked under Phoebe Philo at Celine and has been worn by the likes of Zendaya and Kylie Jenner. “We visited the BR stores in New York City, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the collections, so it felt right to have the conversation with them right now.”
