The idea is to die young as late as possible. — Ashley Montagu — Friday February 26th — —

I love listening. It is one of the only spaces where you can be still and moved at the same time. — Nayyirah Waheed — Friday February 26th — —

“What art does — maybe what it does most completely — is tell us, make us feel that what we think we know, we don’t. There are whole worlds around us that we’ve never glimpsed.” Greil Marcus — Friday February 26th — —

Sempach

In 2005, two years after the members of the Swiss Cycle Regiment – riding the longest-serving bicycle in civil and military history; the Ordonnanzfahrrad MO 05 – went on parade for the very last time in a town named Sempach, a young guy from Basel; Christian Wernle found the inspiration for what ten years later became a fascinating brand. He spotted a Swiss army sleeping bag while browsing in a flea market, and realized it would make the perfect basis for a range of original, contemporary outerwear. After the minimal yet technical line was introduced last year, Sempach has found a new source of inspiration in another mainstay from the same tradition: the field tent. For their second collection, Sempach has developed a very elegant collection of men’s and women’s waterproof jackets using the same design specifics as the Swiss Army field tent, which form the perfect hybrid of military technical elements and a minimally designed aesthetic. We love it!

Swiss Army supplies as source material, great design as a starting point, painstaking attention to detail from start to finish, and function as a style manifesto.

All of the 7 jacket designs – 3 for men, 3 for women and a unisex poncho – are produced from the same lightweight cotton canvas, which is laminated with a rubberized finish for an absolute waterproof layer. The jackets feature subtle nods to the iconic camping apparatus in the shape of herringbone zip pulls, metal ventilation eyelets and most of all the highly recognizable khaki green coloring, next to a less military feel in off-white and navy. These traditional elements are combined with modern additions like dual side zips, drawstring cuffs, boxy fits and even a hood that zips all the way shut with a twin triangular zip closure. The result are elegant pieces with a clean military surplus aesthetic, yet given just enough design touches which lift the potential of the brand to highly promising.

Keep an eye out for what’s more to come from Sempach!

For more information and the first stockists of Sempach see here