Phillip Lim Relaunches Men’s Using Streetwear’s ‘Drop’ Model

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em — but do it in your own distinct way.

That’s how Phillip Lim described the relaunch of his men’s collection.

Over the past year or so as the pandemic raged, the designer took a pause from producing his 3.1 men’s collection and used the time to reset his thinking and future direction.

Like many others, Lim was impacted by the shutdown of life as we knew it and the social unrest that emerged at the same time. “What are we doing to each other?” he asked himself. And where does fashion fit in? He said creating collections to “get a click” just didn’t seem right or address what is important today.

“If I’m to be of service, I need to make things to improve life,” he said, adding that his past collections just seemed “redundant. I need to understand where we are in this moment in time.”

Although it’s hard to navigate this new world, Lim was able to find the silver lining. “The pandemic has given me a place to start again,” he said. “It’s given us time to reflect and pause and think about what we still need.”

So on Wednesday, Phillip Lim 3.1 men’s will return with a focus on a no-fluff essential wardrobe for the modern man and a new business model, one that replicates the successful drops of the sneaker and streetwear communities. He’s calling the collections “kits” and he’ll introduce four a year at the start of the season in which they’ll be worn.

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