This season was my first at Project and it was comforting to meet the designers of Mottainai, a new line created by fellow F.I.T. graduates. Creative director, Luke McCann explained it was Mottainai’s first season and third day to ever be exposed to the public. Mottainai, which is Japanese for “what a waste,” is a collection that focuses on sustainable fashion. It was an impressive first collection designed for the man in transition to the professional world. The first season gives a grown up twist on its streetwear roots. Suggested retail for t-shirts is $88, denim ranges from $120-$180 and jackets from $300-$350.

Mottainai.

Aside from how beautiful the view was at 7 World Trade, I kept hearing talk about the same two things: retailers were on the hunt for great outerwear and exclusive, limited edition pieces. Spiewak killed two birds with one stone with the introduction of its Golden Fleece collection. Golden Fleece is an exclusive, outerwear line for 2008 and is shown in six styles for men (four for women). Spiewak has an exciting way of combining functional aspects from its heritage with a focus on modern fashion. (Check out other notable heritage brands in the February issue.) A must have is the Wilson Field Jacket pictured below:

Spiewak.

Other cool lines at Project included: fashionable workwear from Operations, varsity themed pieces from Canterbury of New Zealand and the new Black Collection by Hawke.

Operations.

Hawke.