Banks Just Made Summer Garb A Little More Interesting

Aaron, Stab’s US ad man, flicked this one on under the subject line ‘ADVERTISING’, which as well as being his job, I think was sarcasm. 

Under it he wrote, “I think it’s pretty cool, but that could be because I’m 32 years old with three kids… fuck.” I replied, “I’m 29 and the most valuable thing I own is a rusted-out 2006 Subaru Forester: grass is always greener, but I actually back Banks, their shit’s always nice.” Then, crowd favourite Morgan ‘Man Flu’ Williamson chimed in, simply: “I back Banks.” Just to give all you cynics who seem so adverse to a little money changing hands a peek under the hood at what a non-sinister operation keeping the lights on at Stab Mag dot com is. At times. 

A tasteful facelift for the print that refuses to die.

Menswear’s a difficult space to differentiate yourself in. Short of the inner-city kids at the pointy end of street culture, we’re a pretty conservative bunch: tees, jumpers, pans, jackets, modest prints and neutral colours. The fodder from the more tasteful surf brands is pretty monotonous; not unpleasant or unwearable by any means, but it’s pretty monotonal. Banks, however, under the meticulous eye of (among others) Rama McCabe, a man who’s had no shortage of Stab airplay over the years, still manage to come out with threads that capture our attention. Surprising how infrequently that happens.

There are forty shades of green, and this is one of the nicer ones.

The most recent Banks output is a collab with beach accessories co Business and Pleasure. I’m not much one for beach tents and brollies (idling in the sand stirs the time-wasting anxiety) but appreciate nice things made well. The camo that runs throughout the collection and features heavily on the accessories is a lovely take on the print that refuses to die, and the fold out chair is a neat design that’d come in handy time after time if you had a spare corner for it in the car. The real point of interest in this collab, however, is the clothing range. 

First off, that shade of green. A quick flick through the Pantone chart reveals it’s around a 2456 C, which doesn’t mean much but sometimes colours defy description. What it is though, is a cool summer change from grey, white and black. Particularly in the linen pants. Linen is the textile god’s gift to sun and salt-beaten skin, and thankfully the linen doesn’t stop there: the olive woven shirt’s the perfect solution to those who like the feel of soft, breezy fabric on the torso, but don’t want to look like Rod Stewart holidaying on the Amalfi. The printed tees are subtle, the trunks perfect for those who like to stand out in the surf without looking like a total peacock, and there’s even a blazer. Wear it on the plane for a 35% increased chance of an upgrade.

Just rock up, spear the thing in the sand, fire off a few frames and you’re done, right?

Finally, we couldn’t leave without tipping the hat to Banks for going to the extra effort of shooting their release in such a tasteful manner. Anyone who thinks you can show up at the beach with a box of clothes, a couple of handsome models, fire off a few frames and be home in time for tea has clearly never been involved in a photoshoot. 

Flick through the range and update that tired summer wardrobe.