One need only look at Ernest W. Baker’s Instagram feed to realize that this fledgling brand has acquired an appeal that many brands, regardless New brands or otherwise, envy: Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Angus Cloud, and Nick and Joe Jonas all posted pictures of themselves wearing clothes by Reid Baker and Ines Amorim — On and off stage.
In the fall, the duo continued to hone the “Ernest aesthetic” for a confident collection dubbed “Grandma Chic” (for a menswear inspired by a beloved grandfather Brand-wise, it’s charming). Images that might come to mind—bouclé cardigan jackets influenced by classics in fashion history, faux leopard-print coats and matching earflaps, hand-knitted and crochet pieces handcrafted in Portugal—are present and incorporated In men’s clothing, but not in women.
“We wanted to blur the two: female and male, male and female, so we’re looking at how the two interact and how they flow,” Baker said during a tour of the showroom. At this point, it’s fair to say that their proponents probably don’t care to analyze the distinction: they’ve covered “classic menswear that only seeks a fitted suit,” such as a double-breasted suit in checked wool or bouclé pinstripes. Soft flared trousers. Meanwhile, a more K-Pop clientele can find gold leather pants paired with a lamé top and balaclava, black quilted leather with gold studs, or a pink suit. On last year’s Ssense pieces, they also folded some womenswear, as well as accessories like pompom scarves, quilted purses and jewelry.
In this boundary-pushing season, Baker and Amorim’s case stands out as much as any other. Looking forward to seeing which of their famous fans join in.
