When JW Anderson revealed its collaboration with artist Christiane Kubrick – widow of film director Stanley – last autumn, one piece stood out: an oversized hooded fleece covered with a cat’s face. The image was lifted from a painting that the couple’s daughter had made of Stanley’s favourite feline, Polly, for his 60th birthday; the auteur was a cat obsessive, and the canvas made a fleeting cameo in Eyes Wide Shut. Such details are obviously catnip for fashion and film lovers, but the appeal of the jacket can be more easily summed up: it’s fun!
Loewe modal fleece jacket, £2,300. BUY
Louis Vuitton polyester wool fleece jacket, £1,510. BUY
Dior x Lewis Hamilton cotton-polyester zipped jacket with removable sleeves, £2,900. BUY
Acne Studios polyester-blend zip-up fleece jacket, £750. BUY
The fleece is extra-fun this season. Jonathan Anderson has led the way, not only with Polly’s cameo for his own-name label (£308) but with jackets covered in octopus and whales (£2,150), or dainty, kitschy roses (£2,300) at Loewe, where he is creative director. (Film director Luca Guadagnino, a regular collaborator of Anderson’s, was photographed on the set of his film Challengers wearing a fluffy strawberry print.)
Pharrell is another fleece champion, having created many chequered and multicoloured blousons for Louis Vuitton; it was an emerald green, super-logoed version in his capsule collection with Tyler, the Creator. Fellow musicians A$AP Rocky and Drake have gone for Martine Rose’s collaboration with outdoor brand Napapijri, plastered in big blue blooms. Elsewhere, Acne Studios serves up blue and black graffiti (£750), Dior provides an elevated snowboarder style (£2,900) in its collaboration with Lewis Hamilton, Isabel Marant is more Navajo (£495), and Wacko Maria continues the kitty theme with all-out leopard print (£215, mrporter.com).
Wacko Maria fleece jacket, £575. BUY
Isabel Marant polyester acrylic Marner coat, £495. BUY
Kapital Drizzler printed fleece jacket, £800. BUY
Moncler Grenoble padded Teddy cardigan, £925. BUY
At Mr Porter, “vibrant” styles by Japanese brand Kapital have been especially in demand, says buying manager George Archer. These include a damask print (£385), and a cartoonish print of a ribcage (£895). “Searches for ‘Kapital fleeces’ surged by 429 per cent in the past three months, highlighting a growing appetite for bold styles,” says Archer. “Brands like Celine, Cherry Los Angeles and The North Face are also offering their own colourful, patterned fleeces that are perfect for layering.”
British brand Wax London started creating fleeces in 2022, and soon found a market for vibrant motifs inspired by Mediterranean and Indian influences: one jacket is covered in graphic foliage prints (£82.50), while another opts for multicoloured diamonds and squares. “Each winter, we push the boundaries with fresh signs and even bolder offerings,” says Jessica Pooley, menswear design lead at the brand. The jackets are now “one of our true signature pieces… consistently delivering standout performance”.
The appeal of the fun fleece isn’t hard to fathom. Most men’s winter clothing tends to the dark and serious – sober, simple coats in black, grey or brown. These designs provide a vivid counterpoint: call it polyester serotonin. Thanks to Palm Angels, you can even nab a teddy-bear shaped fleece backpack. Is it mature? No. Is it chic? Not always. But, in these unforgiving times, we get our hugs where we can.