Its ubiquitous shark logo has cemented Paul&Shark’s status as the go-to luxury outfit for sailing and adventure, but the Italian lifestyle brand is poised to have its place in fashion too. Following collaborations with style maven Nick Wooster and print design atelier LQQK studio, Paul&Shark roped in American designer Greg Lauren for its latest capsule collection.
Other than sharing the same last name as his relatively more famous uncle, Ralph Lauren, Lauren has come into his own with his unique take on a style that can be described as a utilitarian-bohemian hybrid.
Do not be too quick to disregard the Paul&Shark by Greg Lauren capsule collection as an attempt to feed the insatiable appetite of the fashion consumer market. In fact, it could be said to be a natural fit. Other than a striking aesthetic, Lauren’s point of view includes an obsession with fabrics and how they could be handled to create his collections.
This gives rise to the limited quantity in each of his collection, which is crafted from his studio in Los Angeles.
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Look deep into Paul&Shark’s history, and one will discover that the brand started as a mill factory in 1921, producing high-quality yarn and fabrics for various fashion houses. Armed with this rich history, production expertise, and factory capabilities, it has devoted many resources to innovative technologies.
One such example is the Typhoon 20000, a completely waterproof and windproof fabric. Not to be confused with the terminologies, water-resistant and wind-resistant (where water and wind are still able to penetrate through the fabric), every single square centimetre of the Typhoon 20000 has been created with revolutionary manufacturing processes to withstand a 20m column of water and gale force gusts of wind.
Put a designer who loves his fabrics in a room full of innovative fabrics, and one has the Paul&Shark by Greg Lauren capsule collection. The collection sees masculine looks deconstructed and reconstructed, which are segmented into six distinctive styles.
The first is Lauren’s signature bohemian aesthetic interpreted with Paul&Shark’s fabrics to birth knit ponchos and knit joggers, while the yachting style had Lauren translate Paul&Shark’s signature lifestyle with long nautical striped shirts. The third style sees Lauren assimilate Paul&Shark’s polo-tees into an athleisure range. The submarine cabin and beach styles are Lauren’s deeper interpretation of the yachting lifestyle, which utilises waterproof Typhoon 20000 fabrics to create causal lounging looks.
Lastly, the definitive dandy style focuses on the fusing of wool knits to denim for another of Lauren’s signature aesthetics. These culminate in desirable, high-quality styles that are utilitarian and contemporary.
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The Paul&Shark by Greg Lauren capsule collection will be released in three drops. The first featured seven unique designs handmade in Greg Lauren’s workshop in Los Angeles and can be found at selected retailers, while the second drop was shown during June’s Paris Men’s Fashion Week. The final drop will be released in January and June next year.
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Taiwanese celebrity Sunny Wang was in attendance during the second drop, and Men’s Folio caught a chance to explore the Paul&Shark by Greg Lauren capsule collection with him.
What are the qualities that you admire about Paul&Shark?
I think it’s the outdoors, the ocean, nature, the vibe. I know everyone thinks it’s all yachting, but within that, there’s a lot of different positive energy. You think of Paul&Shark, and you know it has to do with the ocean. But with the ocean, you can help the ocean as well. Not just by selling stuff or creating stuff, but through recycling the plastics, which is what they have been doing.
How do you think Paul&Shark fits into your daily wardrobe?
I think more so after [the capsule collections by] Nick Wooster. It gives you more of an edge, and after Nick Wooster, they started collaborating with Greg Lauren, and you can see the direction that it is heading towards. You can see the mixing of materials, and that already is more outdoors, hobo, and American. It’s functional, but once you wear it, it’s a lifestyle.
What are your favourite pieces from the Paul&Shark by Greg Lauren capsule collection?
I know a lot of other people would say the ponchos, but I personally like his flannels. His flannel button-downs – it’s got no collar, kind of like a kimono style.
Which of your friends could you see sporting this capsule collection?
Chen Bolin; he’s got that hobo vibe.
Do you consider technological performance when choosing clothes to wear?
That’s not the main priority for me, but I think it would be important to have if you’re outdoors a lot. Because when I’m outdoors, I’m probably in the ocean or free-diving. So, it depends on your lifestyle, but for me, I don’t have much of those [technology-driven clothes].
So comfort is important to you?
Yes, and if you actually use it or not. When I’m working or filming, I wear clothes that I don’t want to be in. So when I’m not acting, I can finally be in my normal clothing. We dress up not by choice. When I was filming as a lawyer for four months, I was in three-piece suits. Even the three-piece suits that I personally liked, I wasn’t able to wear them because of budget or they [production] need the right colours and patterns to work on-screen, or it doesn’t match the female lead. So for me, I would just choose to be comfortable.
What does fashion mean to you given today’s social media-focused environment?
It’s just an expression of yourself through creativity because fashion is a form of art. For me, acting is a form of art. I think it’s something that through fashion, you can find yourself – I think you have to try, you have to be bold, you have to be brave, and for you to know yourself. If you don’t try, you’ll never know.
How does social media fuel this self-expression for you then?
I think social media, there’s good and bad. There’s no right or wrong – it’s just both. Are you doing it for other people or yourself? I have gotten people in the industry who went, “why don’t you dress up more in your downtime? You look really good in a suit” or “you were doing street before, why don’t you keep doing that?” I just don’t want to do it for other people anymore; I don’t care if people think whether I’m fashionable or not. I think it’s just like I said, you find yourself – you know the things that fit you, and the things that don’t. There are a lot of jobs that I turned down because I don’t feel comfortable doing them; it’s not about the money. I think it’s about the brand image, the ideals behind it, and what they represent – if it fits me, got to have that synergy. If you’re happy with yourself, just post what you want to post. What do you have to lose?
In view of what you just shared, how do you feel about your Paul&Shark by Greg Lauren partnership?
My wife and I really like Greg Lauren’s stuff and like Paul&Shark, we are very much into conservation. We have our own conservation work for sea turtles, so we make sure that when we have free time, we do these things because we want to make a difference. So obviously, Paul&Shark went on my radar. There are some cosmetic brands that do it, but not every clothing brand will want to do ocean conservation, because it’s hard to connect. Paul&Shark has an authenticity to it, and they were showing me how they were collecting the plastics and garbage from the ocean and turning them into recycled materials. That’s why I said they had positive energy, and I like working with brands like that.
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