Since the beginning of his tenure as creative director of British house Dunhill, which began with a show at London’s National Portrait Gallery in February 2024, Simon Holloway has stated an intention to establish an expansive wardrobe equipped for ‘a plethora of gentlemanly pursuits, from motoring, sporting and cultural events, through to classic black-tie moments’, as the Newcastle-born designer previously described.
‘These are not basic clothes for going into the office. These are clothes for enjoyment, for a life well-lived,’ he said after his sophomore show this June, presented in a lush courtyard garden in Milan (complete with parasols, white tablecloths and glasses of Pimm’s).
Sporting prowess: Dunhill’s ‘Athluxury’ collection
This week, arriving amid a summer of sport – from the green lawns of Wimbledon to the Euros, and now the Olympics in Paris – Holloway broadens his Dunhill wardrobe once again with a collection of activewear crafted in the house’s meticulous style. As such, Holloway calls it the ‘Athluxury‘ collection, a ‘considered capsule of exquisite activewear pieces’.
Spanning both riffs on traditional sportswear and pieces designed for relaxation and leisure, the collection is designed with innovation in mind, inspired by house founder Alfred Dunhill, who was responsible for evolving his father’s traditional saddlery. Under his leadership, the family business would pivot to create accessories for the burgeoning automobile industry, from horns and goggles to picnic sets (its early tagline was ‘everything but the motor’).
So there is technical merino jersey, gently perforated for breathability – though merino wool is also naturally thermo-regulating, as well as resistant to UV and naturally stretchy – alongside soft cotton cashmere and ‘packable’ wool which is water resistant. Garments span lightweight, sporty T-shirts and shorts – made for running or the gym – and enveloping hoodies, overshirts, track pants and bomber jackets.
A suitably luxurious line-up of accessories completes Holloway’s vision, including a skipping rope and a set of weights. Each crafted using the house’s expertise in leather, they are as much desirable objets for the home as they are for lugging to the gym. ‘Appropriately sporty, yet undeniably louche,’ says Holloway.
Dunhill’s ‘Athluxury’ collection is available now from the brand’s website.
