Mr Porter Sends a Love Letter to the U.S. With a New American-centric Collection of Exclusive Capsules

Mr Porter, the men’s luxury online retailer based in London, is launching a collection of exclusively designed menswear, which is very American.

The “Mr Porter in America” campaign, debuting on Wednesday, is made up of 40 U.S. brands that have created 600 pieces of ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories and jewelry from well-known favorites including Tom Ford, Rick Owens, Thom Browne, Rhude, Sid Mashburn, Santangelo, The Elder Statesman, Bode, Timex and Luis Morais.

Mr Porter is also introducing to its online shop 12 new U.S. brands, which include Cherry LA, Greg Yuna, Jeff Hamilton and Collina Strada.  

“This is sort of a love letter to America,” said Sam Kershaw, buying director for Mr Porter. “We have a long history of developing these sorts of expansive, multi-brand capsules and campaigns. The U.S. is a very important market for us. Not just from a product level, but on other levels such as music, food and culture.”

Since its inception in 2011 as part of Yoox Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter’s capsule collections have celebrated different aspects of fashion. Two years ago, Mr Porter created the “Gone Surfin” campaign, an exclusive assortment of 171 items by 15 brands that embraced the history of surf culture.

Three years ago, Mr Porter launched “Japan Edit,” with 15 brands based in Japan coming up with 122 pieces. Four years ago, Mr Porter did an exclusive collection called “Vive la France.”  It was launched in Paris to celebrate 14 French casualwear brands creating 147 looks.   

Most of those campaigns only lasted about a week, but the “Mr Porter in America,” will be for three weeks, starting with its launch on Oct. 19. “This is the first time we’ve ever done something like this on this level,” Kershaw said.

Each week will feature a different campaign that draws from three distinct American tableaux. The first week is called “Coast to Coast” and will pay homage to America’s coastal culture.  

“The second week is ‘Downtown Culture,’ which is around downtown culture and spotlights nightlife and streetwear movements,” Kershaw explained.

The third week is called the “Pioneer Spirit,” which captures the essence of the great outdoors.

Most of the products featured in the America campaign will launch during the first week, but there are some items that will be released during different times over the three-week period.

Standout pieces from the campaign include a camp-collar printed silk satin shirt by Bode; a slim-fitted suede jacket by Tom Ford; a rainbow tie-dyed cashmere sweater by The Elder Statesman; and a pit crew puffer from Cherry LA. Prices range from $30 to $33,000.  

Kershaw said his team started working on this project a little more than one year ago, and they have been steadily perfecting it. “This is really a sort of labor of love for us,” the buying director said. “This is just the fruits of all the great teams we have.”