Fabletics continues to expand its footprint in menswear. This week, at the Show & Tell trade show in Chicago, the California-based brand will debut Research & Development, a streetwear-inspired collection built in collaboration with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
The line is being billed as a performance collection created from cutting-edge materials and sporting fashion-forward silhouettes.
According to Cedric Hudson, vice president of men’s design for Fabletics, Research & Development takes existing styles and elevates them through design, color and pattern development. Among the key pieces are the full-zip hooded Don Jacket in a water-repellent, four-way stretch material, updated with iridescent chest pockets, and a baggy sweatpant with the same pocket treatment that wraps around the leg and includes a bungee closure on the hem. “This is an idea that came directly from Ja’Marr Chase,” Hudson said.
The oversize pockets were also used to update the brand’s One Short along with draw cords featuring a blue tip, a signature of the Research and Development capsule.
There’s a crewneck sweatshirt in a washed fleece with a contrast collar, chest pocket and a flange on the back as well as an oversize hoodie in a similar fabric with a snap added to the opening of the hood, a utility side pocket and an iridescent back flange. A compression T-shirt is offered with performance features and updated with reflective detailing and paneling across the shoulders. There’s also an iridescent puffer.
Fabletics was founded in 2013 as a women’s-only brand and expanded into men’s in 2020. The category now accounts for some one-third of its business.
