Brixtol’s AW17 collection “The Lost Explorer” takes inspiration from a real life tale of mystery, tragedy & adventure.

In May 1845 Sir John Franklin left London with 24 Royal Navy officers and 110 men aboard two ships in search of the infamous Northwest Passage and the riches that would come from opening a trade route through the Arctic from Europe to Asia. Less than 2 months later both ships and their crews had vanished.

Wave after wave of rescue missions was sent to find the men but to no avail. Despite sightings and stories of their movements from the native Inuit population no trace of the men or their ships were found until, in 1857, Captain F.L. Mc’Clintock, sailing on a mission funded by Sir Franklin’s wife, discovered the remains of a camp along with a note detailing the last movements of Sir Franklin and his crew. The note, which had originally been written saying everything was going well, was penned over with a message revealing how everything had gone wrong.

According to the note, Sir Franklin had died in June 1847 with the command passing to Francis Crozier who in 1848 led 105 survivors in an attempt to head for the mainland. Nothing more is known about Francis Crozier or what became of the men though it is thought that several may have returned to the ships and lived there until 1850 before the vessels sank to the bottom of the sea.

In the years since, many expeditions tracing the Lost Explorers’ steps have amassed a fascinating archive of their long years lost in the arctic wilderness, exposed to the elements and desperate to survive one of the most hostile and isolated environments on the planet. More than 160 years later their story still unfolds as in 2014 & 2016 their boats HMS Terror & HMS Erebus were finally discovered on the ocean floor.

In studying the photo archive & the artefacts of this lost expedition, including garments worn by the native Inuit population the explorers came into contact with and who helped guide the many search & rescue attempts, Brixtol have created a collection in their own style that reflects and combines elements of both military & indigenous tradition, investigating ideas & methods of dealing with harsh environment in protecting the body as well as what these different cultures’ fashions show of their contrasting social & cultural understanding.

Key items in the collection include a Unisex Parka called Francis that comes with a fully removable and separately wearable woollen inner lining, two rear ‘map’ pockets, and drawstrings around the waist and lower hem. In addition, the Francis parka comes with removable patches which echo the military marking of name, rank & regiment which in turn was an inspiration for the British Mod (a longstanding influence on Brixtol’s visual identity) in the Mod trend of personalising and branding one’s own Parka with patches identifying one’s own group or gang affiliation within the wider subculture.

The menswear side of the collection includes the Brixtol signature Ian coat in a new finish – a synthetic short fur that could be likened to seal skin – giving this classic model an Arctic twist. In the same material on the womenswear side comes the long, black E.M. bomber. There are even two new women’s jackets that come in a longer synthetic fur; the short bomber AJ Fur and the sashay model Trish in wide Bordeaux, rust & pink stripes topped with a grand collar.

The men’s puffer Keith & the women’s puffer Cora are modelled after outerwear that the Inuits wore specifically during the long cold Arctic winter night. Both models come in standard colours as well as a dappled colour tone that reflects the nuance and variation of ice which comes in a choice of powder pink or olive green.

The longer puffer Buster is a new reversible style in contrasting colourways. The women’s version comes in sunrise pink camouflage backed with rich aubergine. The men’s version in grime olive camo backed with standard military green. Both men’s & women’s styles also come in marine blue/black.

Also featuring in “The Lost Explorer” is Brixtol’s best-selling Deb coat in fine Shetland Wool. This season Deb comes in a choice of plain olive, rust, pink & denim blue as well as an oversized plaid firmly in the British country tradition.