admin Peter Do’s first memory of the iconic American brand Banana Republic goes way back to when the designer was just 14, shopping at the mall with his mom. “I just remember she walked into the store, and she was like, ‘These are beautiful clothes.’ But I remember her telling me that we couldn’t really afford any of it,” he says. “BR was still pretty expensive for the time when we were middle working class. But when I called her, when I knew this project was finalized, I thought this is the first sort of brand that she’d recognized. I remember when I told my mom, I was going to Celine to work. She’s like, who’s that? She knows what Banana Republic is for sure,” he says, with a laugh.
Enter: Peter Do’s Banana Republic capsule collection which has manifested itself as the ultimate edgy minimalist’s fantasy dream wardrobe at an approachable price point. Available today in select Banana Republic stores and online, there are 28 pieces in total, ranging from $100 for knit tanks and silk scarves up to $1,200 for outerwear. Think: a detachable pleated trench, an expertly tailored leather utility shirt, the tuxedo utility blazer, and a stunning convertible sweater vest. “It feels like the team was talking about how one of the points about Peter Do is that we make clothes for the 1% of the world,” mused Do. “It felt like the right time to open up the conversation to offer Peter Do at a more democratic price point.”
True to the preppy, classically tailored aesthetic of Banana Republic, Peter Do worked in his own new takes on tunics, sweater vests, and button-ups, all with the element of surprise Do’s fans crave. Think: convertible elements, splices of fabrics here, a contrasting panel or two there. There’s a print of a map of Brooklyn dispersed throughout some of the pieces. “This Banana Republic map has been in the archive and that keeps coming back,” says Brooklyn-based Do. “So I sort of wanted to bring a piece of home into the conversation.”
The capsule collection made a surprise debut on the runway at Paris Fashion Week during Do’s show last month, too. But perhaps the biggest thing that Do is bringing to Banana Republic with this collaboration is the inherent sense of gender-neutral dressing. “It has all the BR qualities and sensibility, but filtered through a New York urban lens,” he says. “Everything’s made so there’s no gender in mind. We fit the pieces on both genders. I feel like it feels really modern too. There’s freedom in these clothes. I never want to alienate or impose some sort of ideas on people.”
Looking through the campaign imagery–or even the pieces seen on the runway–you might recognize that they were styled with the signature Do look in mind. It’s an undeniably recognizable kind of approach to styling; lightweight layers of scoop neck sweaters and henley shirts piled one over top of each other, subtly peeking through, or collared sleeves rolled up with the cuffs perched out like architectural wonders, big and baggy button-down shirts worn open like loose jackets. And, of course, skirts over pants, dresses over pants, things worn inside out, even “I think styling is an important part of the creative process at Peter Do, and we approach the collection the same way,” he says. “The rule is that there’s no rule. I love when people post photos of themselves in Peter Do pieces that they wear in different ways. I think the most exciting part about being a designer is walking down the street and seeing your clothes being worn by complete strangers.”
With all the effortless utilitarian shirt dresses and tuxedo pants, there’s surely something for everyone to integrate into their wardrobes–even if they aren’t a minimalist dresser. Shop the capsule collection before it’s gone!
