Hikerdelic Journal

To Plant a Flag

In preparation for the moon landing in 1969, NASA sent a team of astronauts to the lunar landscapes of Iceland. Their hi-tech training mission was designed to help them acclimatise to the barren planet that would greet them.To Plant a Flag is a 2018 short film which follows two hapless astronauts as they rehearse the symbolic planting of a U.S flag, something which later became iconic.Fortunately there are no disgruntled Icelandic farmers on the moon.The practice of planting a flag is largely a 20th century practice, adopted by competitive teams of climbers aiming to stake their claims to have conquered famous peaks first. This same practice was adopted by the Apollo mission for largely the same symbolic reasons.In our research for our SS22 collection, we found quite a lot of synergies between the exploration of mountaineers and space exploration. As we dug deeper we even found inspiration in the gear worn by both groups. Stay tuned for more insight into what we've got planned for this coming season.

Radio Hikerdelic #05

We're back with a fresh instalment of our playlist series, this time it's something a little different. A heady mixture of club sounds, past and present. Happy listening.

The Boys of Summer

As we continue preparing to launch our SS22 range, here's another little insight into what was floating our boat when we began to conceive it.Back in the summer of '69, NASA managed to put men on the moon. Prior to that, its astronauts trained extensively in Alaska, Hawaii and Arizona, before a prolonged period in the barren landscape of Iceland's Central Highlands region. All later agreed this was the best possible preparation for their trip to the moon.While the story of this iconic moment in human history is interesting enough on its own, there's even more to admire when you begin to examine the outfits.With the theme of our SS22 range being Evolve and Explore, it's natural that our space-inspired theme should be influenced by the strong primary colours of the Apollo mission astronauts.We'll reveal more in due course. In the meantime check those jackets out. 😎

Ready for launch?

Right back at the start of our journey to bring this range together we felt drawn to outer space. Maybe it was the fact we were in the midst of a lockdown and we found ourselves stargazing, dreaming of being anywhere else but earth. Maybe it was just an extension of our AW21 range which implored you to Get Out More. The next step, Get Far Out More.A flurry of research ensued and we found ourselves devouring nuggets of information around the moon, space travel and of course NASA.Happening upon this shot one of us remarked these horizontal stripes might be just as fitting on 'Bummed' era Shaun Ryder, in his Reebok Workout Hi's, suitably bowl headed and looking for his next psychedelic experience. It was settled then. This patriotic triumvirate of red, white and navy blue would feature in our Spring collection, with a dash of pique added to the mix for the first time.We will share more of this in due course, but we can assure you, this clothes thing we do isn't just thrown together. We do a lot more thinking than we do doing.

The Dark Peak

When you set out to create a brand that plays on the word psychedelic, the colour black isn't at the forefront of your mind. That said, not everyone is into bright colours and it was always a matter of time before we embraced our dark side. We headed to the appropriate location of the Dark Peak in Derbyshire to put our black-themed capsule collection to the test. Comprising of a stealthy Conway Smock, Hiking Pants to match, plus warmth provided by optional Black Puffer and Gilet, we've got you covered for those times when you want to go unnoticed. Shop the collection here.

New socks have landed

Based in NYC, Druthers crafts men's basics using only premium low-environmental-impact materials so you can feel comfortable and responsible at the same time. These elements together with us just thinking they're a great bunch of fellas means we demanded they make us some exclusive colours, and here they are. Yes, they're limited. Yes, they're made from recycled cotton tie-dye yarn melange socks. Made in Japan? Of course they are. Keep your eyes peeled for a more in-depth feature with Druthers founder Adam Gianotti in the forthcoming issue of Proper Magazine. For now, feast your eyes on these new socks.

New Whillans Cords - The Man, The Myth

Back in a previous life I was fortunate to work at influential Mancunian clothing institution Oi Polloi. As they transitioned from small shop to big shop, I joined them to help cement a tone of voice they'd already begun to talk in via one of the founders, Steve Sanderson. My role wasn't limited to humble wordsmith however. btw, that's the title of my autobiography. Word Smith. Or maybe Mark: My Words. With a picture of me on the front with my hands clasped together, laughing. Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, Oi Polloi. When I wasn't writing product descriptions for exceptional outerwear, I found myself researching subjects for their blog. Content is king these days, but back then an online shop rarely focused itself on anything other than product. Oi Polloi were an early adopter in that sense. I'd write a couple of blog posts a week on brands, people, places and generally anything of interest around their cultural sphere. Around this time, the four pocket parka was ubiquitous and everyone seemed to want to look like a mountaineer. Oi Polloi were in the thick of it. With this in mind, I found myself reading about Chris Bonington and his ground breaking escapades. The aforementioned Steve happened to mention around this time the names Joe Brown and Don Whillans. While London-born Bonington was better known, the relative obscurity of this unlikely duo appealed, especially as they were from the humble background of nearby Salford. While Bonington's early life was far from easy, his beginnings were in contrast to those of his climbing counterparts. Bonington's father was a founding member of L Detachment, Special Air Service and he mixed in very different circles to the Lowry-esque Salford and Ardwick of Brown and Whillans. Anyway, in discussion with Oi Polloi founder Nigel Lawson I suggested he call their take on the aforementioned parka the Whillans parka after Salford's surly son. Known for his no-nonsense and plain speaking approach, Whillans was respected and liked by many, once they'd got over his demeanour. In truth, having used Whillans' name before I wasn't convinced about using it again, but calling our corduroy trousers after his climbing partner would have been a little confusing. The Brown Corduroy Pant in Olive Green wouldn't have worked would it? Instead, the man after whom a hut in Staffordshire is named also lends his name to our trousers. To find out more about Don Whillans, give this a watch.

New Buxton Jacket - The Origins

The Hikerdelic Buxton Full Zip Jacket takes our popular Conway Smock and remodels it into something completely different. Sure, it boasts a hood, a similar fit, shape etc, but the full zip and two front pockets make it altogether more utilitarian. And as for Buxton, well, we admire the Derbyshire town of spring water fame, it's the only water we'll drink if given the option. It takes of something close to home. But alas, this is not named after said place. It's merely coincidental.No, it takes its name from a native of the small corner of the world in which our HQ is rooted. We aren't always proud of our last minute approach to naming garments. We spend so much time debating the merits of pocket positioning and where the branding should go, we forget to add meat on the bones of our overall seasonal message. Luckily, without much serious research, we found a man whose name lends itself perfectly to our theme for AW21. We're encouraging people to get out more after a prolonged spell of isolation and lockdown. In a certain Mr Buxton, we have someone who worked long hours yet found time to indulge enthusiastically in an unlikely yet popular working class pastime - Botanism. Jut in case you're not sure (we weren't) that means looking at flowers and plants, mainly. Richard Buxton taught himself to read at 16 and worked as an apprentice shoemaker on Port Street, Manchester. We could walk there in about 4 minutes. Most of his life was lived in relative poverty in the Ancoats area of the city. He lived close to what is now home to Escape to Freight Island on a largely obsolete road called Bond Street. Later, he lodged with his sister on the fantastically titled Gun Street, here in the heart of Manchester's industrial district. When not working his fingers to the bone, he found pleasure in studying and documenting nature, in particular the plants in the region.Through this, he eventually authored of a book called '𝘈 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘍𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴, 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘨æ, 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳'.Which really, is quite brilliant as book names go, isn't it?The information about Buxton isn't thick on the ground, but what exists paints a picture of someone we're proud to honour with the naming of our latest jacket release. That is, an honest, hard-working self-starter who has a thirst for knowledge, a love of nature and a yearning for new experiences.In a season where our message is to connect with nature and Get Out More, here's a guy who was doing it nearly 200 years before us. And he lived and died 100 yards from where we work today. See more of the Buxton Jacket here Image via Herbology Manchester

New Season, New Graphics

With the new season upon us, we'll be releasing several new graphics as part of our t-shirt range, and even a nice repeat pattern on the inside of our Calland Puffer. Ahead of this we thought it was high time we gave you a little taste of them. The overarching theme of AW21 is Get Out More. Having spent much of 2020 restricted, it felt only right to encourage people to catch up with the nature which surrounds them. That's what we've all been doing anyway. With that brief, Daren Newman picked up his trusty pencil and set to work trying to translate it into stuff that'd work on a t-shirt. Here's a couple of examples of what was submitted. Versions of these will appear on tees, sweats, mugs and stickers, starting from early September, aka next week.

Well Plaid - The Continuation of Corduroy

Following on from our obsession with the luxury scruff aesthetic, we've once again returned to corduroy this coming season, and in a big way. Not only will our Conway smock get the cord treatment, plus accompanying trousers, we've also taken last season's track top, added pants to it and done it in plaid corduroy. Yes, you read that right, plaid corduroy. This will come in a rich shade of navy and another which is so chocolatey you'll struggle not to eat yourself while wearing it. Even better is the footwear we've scheduled to accompany this. We'll not say loads yet but it's very exciting. The Hikerdelic Plaid Cord Story starts in October. More news on exactly when closer to the time. For now, feast your glims on these pics.

Hikerdelic x Novesta Plaid Cord Pack

We warned you didn't we? In yesterday's blog post we shared some shots of the forthcoming plaid cord drop, and now we're happy to share a preview of the shoes which fit perfectly with said top and trousers. Coming in the exact same fabric as the matching track jacket and climb pants, it's been a long and arduous journey to get to this point but with a delivery date in the calendar and everything looking rather good, we decided we'd give you advance warning. The iconic Star Master gets the plaid cord treatment and for the first time is joined by its big brother, the Star Dribble. As ever, there isn't a limitless supply of these, so keep your eyes peeled for a more detailed update as we edge towards the end of September. Nice, aren't they?

The Continuation of Conway - Corduroy

For Autumn/Winter '21 we decided to give our strongest performer a little sit down and a break. The Conway jacket has become a mainstay in each collection, and while we do have some earlier releases available, nothing new is in the main AW21 range. Well, not quite. We've taken the silhouette and given it the luxurious vagabond treatment and we're beyond happy with the results. Coming in an eyecatching shade of tan and a more muted olive, this is exactly the kind of thing we imagined making when we began to take Hikerdelic seriously a few years ago. Not only that, it also comes with some comfortable and hardwearing trousers, meaning if you really want to wear a Manchester Tuxedo, you can now do so. Keep your eyes peeled in September and we'll reveal when you can get your filthy mitts on these.