Junaux 02 “Foreground” started where I start every collection - in the process of material. Shapes feel like they are starting to become more concrete. Each season I feel is on more solid ground than the previous, with this one being no exception. It is like a picture slowly coming into focus.

I loved this old army bag that looked like it was beat to hell. The wear on the bag felt like it had a story. Working closely with a dye house, we reinterpreted that story on the short-sleeve and long-sleeve button-downs. Paint was splattered in a subtle red, and grey/black pigment was used to create a worn-in look. Foreground is a pivot into something that feels more manmade and less natural. Constantly trying to balance the two is difficult, as my affinity for both is deep. Steel is just as lovely to me as the trees when it comes to material.

The other distressing I focused on was at the seams in the knits, achieving more of a highlight on the seams around the neck and armholes - just barely there to give it a feeling of wear.

Serge was a fabric I focused on this season, offering it in both cotton and wool constructions. An 8s x 8s cotton serge is used on the work pant and vest. I loved the sturdiness of this fabric. I felt like you could wear this fabric for years, and it would still look new. The wool serge was paper-finished by a small mill in Japan. It has this strange stiffness to it I fell in love with as soon as I felt it. I used this wool for the tailored jacket and pant.

Wax sailcloth is a fabric I have been wanting to use for quite some time. The wax/oily finish has a unique crackling effect as it bends and breaks. Over time, these little crackles show the story of the garment. I can imagine this jacket in 10 years and how beautifully it will have worn in, creating this sense of a second skin. I used deerskin and calf for the center-back details on the wax jackets.

While I could never pick a favorite in terms of fabric this season, the wool waffle knit makes me feel most proud. The fabric is knit on a special loom by one man in Japan. It has unique inconsistencies that create a texture of fullness. I used this cloud like fabric with the new thermal set - another new entry into the system, classed under extreme weather.

Modular was an important theme this season. I admire when a garment can be worn multiple ways. Removable collars were used on the shirt jackets and tailored shirt. The collar can be worn in two ways on the body or taken completely off, transforming the garment each way you choose to wear it.

Deeply personal and resolved, Foreground feels like a new chapter in Junaux.