You Have to Look Closer at Olivier Rogers

By Sebastian Jean, as told to Jake Silbert.

If there's one major take-away from the past year's menswear chatter, it's that independent brands are where it's at. For this exact reason, Olivier Rogers’ Spring/Summer 2027 collection, "Leaving Marigot," is very exciting.  This wasn’t his first collection, but it felt like a truly meaningful next step.

Rogers came into fashion through styling, and he’s continuing to establish himself through the clothes he makes. With this collection, you get a clearer sense of what he has to say. Its like the painter who's not only mastering his own style but producing his own paint. 

"Leaving Marigot" takes its name from the town on the French side of Saint Martin where Rogers was born. Though he grew up in Brooklyn, the time he spent on the island as a child stayed with him: the colors, the people, and the way the men around him dressed. Together with Rogers' Haitian heritage and his upbringing in Flatbush, those memories form the foundation of the collection, color, silhouette, comfort, and style.

Shirting, trousers, and outerwear felt considered, elevated, and impressively wearable. Rogers' even designed a dress shoe of his own, bringing his idea of getting dressed into fuller form.

What I liked most was how naturally all of this came together. Smaller details rewarded a closer look, with colorful buttonholes that interrupt dark tailoring. These are clothes with personality, built around an understanding of how someone who lives in them wants to express themselves without having to say a word.