Evan Scott Monroe SS27: Finding Freedom After Work

For Spring Summer 2027, Evan Scott Monroe continues to build a vocabulary that has become increasingly rare in contemporary fashion. While many designers reference workwear as an aesthetic, Monroe remains interested in workwear as a cultural document. His collections are less concerned with reproducing vintage garments than with understanding why they existed in the first place. SS27, titled Pastimes, shifts the conversation from labour itself to the hours that followed it, exploring the emergence of leisure as industrial progress gradually gave people something they had never truly possessed before: free time.

The collection also marks an important chapter for the designer personally. Having recently relocated from the United States to Paris, Monroe now approaches American history from a greater physical and emotional distance. Rather than abandoning his roots, the move appears to have sharpened his perspective on them. Living in Europe has reinforced his desire to preserve certain aspects of American industrial history, even while acknowledging the complexities of the country's identity today. The result is a collection that feels simultaneously nostalgic and analytical.

The Birth of Leisure

The starting point for Pastimes lies in a simple historical observation. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century, technological innovations dramatically reduced the time required for everyday tasks. Washing machines, electricity and modern transportation created hours that previous generations simply did not have. As labour became more efficient, societies began inventing new ways to spend that newly available time.

Monroe traces this shift through activities that became deeply embedded in American culture. Baseball emerged from union workers building railroads, who organised games during their hours off. Hunting, fishing and organised sports evolved from practical necessities into recreational pursuits. Skiing travelled from Europe to America as an activity designed specifically for people with leisure to spare.

Rather than depicting workers on the factory floor, Monroe examines the moment they left it.

This transition from labour to recreation forms the conceptual backbone of the collection. Clothing moves naturally between work and pastime, questioning where one identity ends and another begins.

Familiar Garments, Reimagined

One of Monroe's greatest strengths remains his ability to transform everyday American garments into objects that feel artisanal without becoming theatrical.

Coach jackets, cargo trousers, hunting shirts, baseball caps and chore coats are immediately recognisable silhouettes. Their familiarity creates accessibility, but their execution reveals an extraordinary level of craftsmanship.

 

A standout example is the oversized white chore coat opening the collection. The piece references jackets worn by Princeton University students between the 1930s and 1950s, who protected their formal suits while drinking or socialising after class. Historically these jackets featured painted graphics celebrating graduating classes. Monroe updates the tradition through a collaboration with an American traditional tattoo artist, creating four original flash designs that buyers can individually select.

Each graphic references a specific moment in American history.

The drunken clown commemorates the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.

The baseball dog celebrates the formation of Major League Baseball.

A flying pig references the outbreak of the Second World War.

Another illustration nods to the founding of the United States in 1776.

Rather than printing these motifs, every artwork is hand painted in sumi ink after purchase, making each jacket a uniquely commissioned piece. The process intentionally mirrors the ritual of choosing a tattoo from a flash sheet, allowing personal selection to become part of the garment itself.

Artisanship Without Nostalgia

Many designers operating within contemporary artisanal fashion rely heavily on historical costume, visible deconstruction or exaggerated textile treatments. Monroe consciously avoids those visual clichés.

Instead, his craftsmanship emerges through construction, dye processes and textile experimentation rather than overt theatricality.

His garments remain wearable.

This philosophy distinguishes Pastimes from much of today's artisanal landscape. The collection never feels like historical reenactment. Instead, Monroe modernises familiar clothing through technical innovation while preserving their functional integrity.

The result is clothing that invites daily use rather than museum admiration.

Natural Dyeing as Material Research

Perhaps the collection's most impressive achievement lies in its ongoing exploration of natural dyeing.

Monroe works extensively with garment dyeing, piece dyeing and hand applied surface treatments, carefully distinguishing each process. While garment dyeing colours completed garments after construction, piece dyeing colours the fabric before assembly. The distinction may appear subtle, but it significantly influences the final appearance, ageing characteristics and production possibilities.

SS27 introduces several newly developed fabrics that expand beyond previous collections.

Among the highlights is a linen and washi paper blend dyed with kakishibu, the traditional Japanese persimmon tannin process. The resulting surface possesses remarkable texture while remaining unexpectedly lightweight.

Equally impressive are garments featuring hand painted stripes created entirely with sumi ink.

Unable to justify the minimum production quantities required for custom woven striped fabrics, Monroe instead developed a manual process. Every stripe is painted directly onto the finished garment. As the ink naturally softens through washing, the pattern develops subtle irregularities impossible to reproduce industrially.

The process transforms sportswear references into something deeply personal.

No two garments will ever age in exactly the same way.

Designing Through Experimentation

Monroe repeatedly describes his design process as stream of consciousness.

Rather than beginning with detailed sketches, he often starts directly on pattern paper, allowing ideas to emerge through construction itself.

The same philosophy governs his textile research.

A particularly fascinating example involves fabrics containing silk neps woven into cotton. Because iron mordants damage silk fibres, Monroe had to carefully balance mulberry leaf dyeing with minimal iron treatments before introducing an extremely light sumi over dye.

The result demonstrates how different fibres interact with natural dyes in dramatically different ways.

The cotton absorbs colour softly while the exposed silk neps attract the sumi ink more intensely, creating naturally occurring speckles across the fabric's surface.

These discoveries were not predetermined.

They emerged through experimentation, observation and countless trials.

Comfort as Design Philosophy

Although rooted in workwear, Pastimes consistently challenges another longstanding fashion convention: discomfort.

Monroe argues that tailoring has gradually drifted away from its original purpose. Historically, suits were garments designed for movement and labour. Modern tailoring, however, often prioritises appearance over physical experience.

His oversized blazers reflect a deliberate rejection of that evolution.

Lower lapel placement references early twentieth century tailoring, while generous armholes, softened shoulders and convertible closures encourage unrestricted movement.

One blazer transforms entirely through two buttons, shifting from a kimono inspired wrap silhouette into a more conventional tailored jacket.

Another incorporates an adjustable buckle back, allowing the wearer to decide how structured or relaxed the silhouette should become.

The garments adapt to the individual rather than forcing the individual to adapt to the garment.

It is tailoring intended for living, not posing.

Between Work and Life

Ultimately, Pastimes succeeds because it never romanticises either work or leisure.

Instead, it explores the fragile space connecting them.

Every garment carries traces of uniforms, workshops, sports fields and weekends without belonging exclusively to any of them.

That balance mirrors Monroe's broader philosophy.

His clothing is designed to move through life rather than separate its different moments.

A blazer should be suitable for a wedding, dinner or creative studio.

Cargo trousers should feel equally appropriate walking through the city or spending an afternoon outdoors.

Nothing feels overly precious despite the immense labour behind each piece.

Final Thoughts

With Pastimes, Evan Scott Monroe continues to define one of the rather compelling independent voices in artisanal menswear.

The collection demonstrates that innovation does not require abandoning tradition. Instead, Monroe uses history as a framework for asking contemporary questions about labour, identity, comfort and craftsmanship.

It reminds us that clothing is ultimately designed for the hours between occasions. The moments after work, before dinner, during travel, while watching a baseball game, going fishing, celebrating with friends or simply passing time.

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Photography by @tgoodwin.nef