Kris Van Assche for Eastpak

Eastpak get their classics reinvented

When Eastpak dropped their Kris Van Assche collaboration awhile back, we didn’t really pay it much attention. These fashion collabs are often done by Eastpak for marketing reasons, and can be over-priced and under-resolved.

However when Matthijs from UNDSCVRD urged us to have a closer look, we figured we should share some of his thoughts…

Matthijs: Kris Van Assche has taken on the Eastpak Classics. Quite often, these kinds of collaborations end up in “not that special but overpriced” products. But this collab is different.

At first glance, the collection is appealing in a clean and simple way. The tonal color palette is bang on , and there are loads of formats to choose from – black for the stylish minimalists, subdued earth tones for the denim types, and a rust brown/ terracotta/ orange option for the more eccentric among us.

Each items plays with a combination of materials. The main fabric used is a very fine cotton weft that reminds me of parachute fabric. That is contrasted with cotton canvas panels which give it a more rugged look, and then completed by leather trims and accents.

The shapes are essentially the Eastpak basics (which is a good thing). So you get a backpack, a bowling bag, garment bag, messenger and a small goods. Most of these formats are super well tested, so they promise a practical everyday carry solution (but not that sort of EDC). Many of the items also come with a removable 15” laptop sleeve, which help the bags kick goals in a work setting.

For me, the personal favorite is the Garment bag. This is where you really see the input of the fashion designer. Stylish garment bags are hard to come by, and not many brands take this challenge, but Kris Van Assche has nailed it. It looks awesome and is practical too (the fact that you can zip it up and use it as a regular bowling bag makes it the one to go for).