The 75th Anniversary of GANT

With their beginnings in post-war Connecticut focusing exclusively on button-down shirts, GANT are a mainstay of the menswear world and particularly the American Sportswear niche. The brand are also credited with spearheading the development of the "Ivy League" look in the 1950s; partly due to an experimental use of colour and materials that was inimitable at the time combined with a marketing strategy that targeted the young metropolitan audience in the vicinity of their New Haven home near Yale University, GANT quickly began to thrive and their style became a core part of the collegiate appearance.

Following the appointment of creative director Christopher Bastin in 2019, an archive was quickly established to house vintage pieces he would begin to source from all over the world celebrating the heritage and history of GANT, and the development of a perfect point of reference for an anniversary collection was underway. For their 75th anniversary, the brief was simple: a physical manifestation of the history of preppy, "Ivy League" styles over the decades, recognising the very best of an aesthetic that has remained as popular today as it was during its initial peak in the 1980s.

Primarily consisting of replica vintage items that have been reimagined through a contemporary lens for a modern audience, the collection represents the sartorial evolution undergone by both the brand and its core demographic in the decades since the first release of the items within it. A 1980s era varsity jacket has been modified to feature a textile collar and an embroidered collegiate-style "G" to the left of the chest. Other items needed less work; one example is an iconic "rugger" shirt from the 1990s has been used to return a heritage colourway to the collection.

A large focus of the items within this release was on the subtle details and aging of their vintage counterparts; which features needed to be retained and which improved upon to create an indulgent, almost post-modern aesthetic throughout the collection that pairs perfectly with existing collegiate styles and can be seen as a tribute to previous eras.

Retaining their position of relevance and influence on the sportswear sector for 75 years is testament to the reverance held for GANT in fashion circles and the indelible marks it has left upon the industry through the years and there could be no more appropriate celebration than this collection.