Tim Coppens Fuses Forged on Field Function With a Fashionable Eye for UAS’ Fall/Winter Collection
Under Armour Sportswear—known as UAS—isn’t just an athleisure diffusion line, it’s a full-on fashion movement. Understanding the need for truly technologically advanced gear to help wearers get through the rigors of daily life, fashion designer and UAS Executive Creative Director Tim Coppens has tapped his award-winning eye for aesthetics and fused it with the athletically-attuned minds at Under Armour.
The result has been a collection of clothing that’s altogether different from anything on the market. With this season’s crop of functional outerwear, Coppens and company have jumped to the task, fusing forged-on-field details without sacrificing the fashion sense that the modern man and woman demand from their wardrobe.
The collection is host to the Sideline Jacket, a football inspired jacket that takes cues from sport, but is sure to blend right in on any modern city street. While the namesake of the jacket harkens back to the oversiszed greatcoats that pro football players may wear on...well, the sidelines, UAS’ rendition is trained to tackle winter’s worst. A heavyweight water-resistant shell operates as the defensive line, giving way to a woven fleece lining.
But UAS isn’t simply providing a run-of-the-mill cold weather parka; with details including snap envelope pockets, drawcord closure at the waist, detachable hood, and subtle reflective graphic, it’s clear that UAS letting the contemporary man benefit from sport design, without making it feel as though the clothing belongs in a gym locker. “The sideline jacket I like because of its simplicity, but it’s very close to what that original ‘sideline’ idea is about,” admits Coppens. “With the detailing that we put into the other pieces, it’s just nicely worked out and nicely balanced. The inside-outside, when you look at the lining, it’s just all there.”
The Pivot Collection is a prime embodiment the multi-use nature of UAS products—it’s even in the name. Naturally, UAS turned classic items—like sweatshirts, hoodies, and sweatpant-like bottoms—into multi-scenario essentials, making the Pivot items as practical as they are stylish. But the Pivot collection within UAS is not just a smart looking subset of modern sportswear; it’s also the canvas for UAS and Tim Coppens’ unique take on French terry. “We developed the French terry...so it’s based on the French terry as we know it, but the outside is like a merino wool, ” Coppens explained to Highsnobiety. “It’s a knit fabric that has that blend in it, which gives it a little bit of a sheen, but also makes it just a little bit more luxurious. We combine that with woven fabrics that help you with water-repellency when you need it.”
With camo-printed or contrast accent panels that double as a water-repellant barriers, the garments look and feel top-class, but aren’t as susceptible to damage when the weather shifts. “With the hoodie for example, we use [technical materials] at the top so you’re protected when you wear it as a hoodie underneath something like the trench coat. But, you can totally wear the hoodie separately on it’s own,” notes Coppens. “We used certain fabrics that are then used in the rest of the line as well, but in a very casual way. It’s casual pieces with little details that appear in the rest of the collection.”
Overall, that’s what helps UAS stand out from the sportswear crowd. It’s the label’s ability to take Under Armour’s wealth of sport tech and know-how, but pepper it with the contemporary design aesthetics that Coppens and his team bring to the project. Talking on UAS, Coppens remarked, “I want to bring that out: that you can look at these pieces and be like, ‘Wow, it’s not just another athletic brand that designs outerwear, but there’s fit, there’s function, there’s all these details, and then there’s great material choice.’ It’s all wrapped into one piece. It’s very important that outerwear works.”
To get your hands on the pieces in UAS’ first collection—including its winter-ready outerwear and layering essentials—head over to UASportswear.com. If you’re in the NYC area, UAS will be hosting an exclusive pop-up with a selection of items from the first collection (plus a full look at the Tim Coppens curated TC Select capsule) at 27 Mercer Street in SoHo on December 2.