Hasta La Ideas

African-inspired prints, retro style and geometric designs in SS13 men’s lines

Our present summer is more than halfway over, but NYC’s recent Capsule show had us skipping all the way to next year with the 2013 menswear offerings. In keeping with the season’s pattern-dominated styles is swimwear, whose strongest pieces feature bright, bold prints of all kinds. Here, a selection of standouts.

ÒKUN

As the most original collection that caught our eye, the African-inspired swimwear by ÒKUN is ripe with saturated hues and lively patterns drawn from traditional Congolese Kuba and Ghanaian Adinkra motifs, as well as more contemporary Nigerian prints. The ’60s and ’70s retro-feel shorts are constructed of quick-drying Italian polyamide, and are available in two distinct styles. The Ali is a boxer-style trunk hanging a skimpy 13″ from the waist, while the Patrice is a longer 16″ short with a bit less attitude. Either way you lean, keep an eye out for ÒKUN. At just under a year old, the exuberant brand seems to be gaining ground fast.

Franks

Swimwear brand Franks hails from Australia. Good vibes, fun colorways and playful patterns make up this spirited line of trunks. Falling at 16.1″ in length with a 6.5″ inseam, they hit just above the knee for a casual but refined fit that won’t have you looking like a teenaged tourist. The wide variety of geometric inspired designs keeps things fresh without jumping into the obvious. Look to Franks online for their current collection.

Mitchumm

Americana through foreign eyes, the once defunct Southern California-based brand Mitchumm has recently been revitalized in Italy with superior Italian fabrics and expert manufacturing. Featuring everything from national flags, nautical themes and classic oxfords to unexpected cartoon-covered prints and even camo, each short design is finely printed on lightweight, quick-drying fabric. The incredible detail to which each material is mimicked in print—the weave of oxford, ripple of seersucker—is really quite impressive, with a trompe-l’œil effect you’ll only catch upon close inspection. See Mitchumm directly for for more informaiton.

For a closer look at a selection of shorts from the three previously mentioned SS13 collections see the slideshow.