Palace brings its collaborative prowess – already this year the cult London-based skate brand has united with Oakley, Evisu and Champion, among others – to a new capsule collection created alongside Baracuta. The British heritage brand, which hails from Manchester, is best known for its G9 Harrington jacket, first created in the 1930s.
‘North and south unite,’ say Baracuta of the collection, which is revealed today (2 August 2023) before going on sale this Friday (4 August 2023) and marks the first time the brands have collaborated. Reworking two of Baracuta’s classic styles – the G4, a ‘sibling’ of the G9 with a slightly more relaxed fit, and the elongated G12 overcoat, introduced for A/W 2022 – Palace say the idea was to fuse the ‘great outdoors and city life’ through use of Gore-Tex.
Palace Baracuta: the debut collaboration
Gore-Tex, first created in the late 1960s, is waterproof, windproof and breathable, used here for its ‘unrivalled functionality’ and a nod to Baracuta’s roots on the golf courses of northern Britain. Having built a successful fabric company in Manchester – producing raincoats for brands like Burberry and Aquascutum – brothers John and Isaac Miller were introduced to the then-exclusive world of golfing in the city. The G9 Harrington jacket was born from necessity in 1937, a protection against the elements on the windy, rainy greens of the city’s golf course.
As such, the G4 jacket – recognisable for its boxy fit and ‘dog ear’ collar – is here reimagined as an oversized Gore-Tex shell jacket complete with thermal taped sleeves and slanted pockets. Palace says its bold stylings are inspired by late-1980s sportswear while the design is ‘made to resist the inevitable elements of old Blighty and last the test of time’. The G12, meanwhile – a single-breasted trench which draws from the brand’s original G10 style worn by the England football team during its World Cup win in 1966 – is ’refreshed’ in vivid orange microporous Gore-Tex.
Each of the jackets is completed with an embroidered co-branded Palace Baracuta logo. ‘Palace Baracuta celebrates [the two brands’] undeniable imprint on British youth culture throughout the ages transcending subcultures past and present,’ says Baracuta.
Palace Baracuta is available from 4 August 2023 at 12pm BST on palaceskateboards.com. The collaboration will also be available in Baracuta stores from September 2023.
