Forget that Vetements hoodie – fashion has a new normcore cult jacket that’s so anti-fashion it’s set to send folks crazy. Rather than a giant non-descript sweat top inspired by giant ballers, today’s new must-have channels fisherman working in harsh conditions in the North Sea. Granted, that reads like a Zoolander “Derelicte” storyline, but bear with us, this is for reals.

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One of these men in the Balmain AW16 FROW has created a normcore jacket range set to give Vetements a run for its money. (Note: Virgil Abloh’s on Yeezy’s left)
Credit: NOWFASHION

Fashion’s new favourite anti-establishment superstar (and Kanye West’s design BFF) Virgil Abloh, has teamed up with French-Italian brand Moncler to create an Autumn/Winter 2016 capsule collection of T-shirts, jackets and hoodies. They’re designed for guys, but unisex enough (just like those Vetements tops) to be hot property for girls too. (With exception of the oversized fisherman pants with a drawstring waist  see far below. Those, the boys can keep.)

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Moving right along from Demna Gvasalia’s normcore cult Vetements AW16 hoodie already. Fashion is a fickle beast…
Credit: NOWFASHION

So far, so normal-sounding, right? But what’s really got people’s attention already is the road-worker orange and school raincoat yellow colour scheme. Ridiculous, kind of. Cult X-factor? Absolutely. If they don’t catch a street style photographer’s attention, there’s nothing that will.

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Heaven if you love emergency bouy orange: the Moncler store in Soho, Manhattan where the range was unveiled last night
Credit: Instagram @moncler

The capsule range, called Moncler O, was unveiled at a party in the brand’s enormous Soho Manhattan boutique yesterday, with just four pieces available to buy. The rest will be on sale in stores globally and online at the end of August, although we the likes of Rihanna, Beyonce and Jay Z, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Rita Ora, Kim Kardashian and of course Kanye et al – all regular fans of Abloh’s Off-White designs – will have access to anything they want far sooner. 

“My inspiration comes from storytelling,” the designer said of the range, which also includes a snug-looking shearling pullover that’s on our lust-have list too. “The chance to tell a story via individual pieces of clothing is a powerful tool I believe in.” 

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Beyonce, wearing an Off-White jacket, counts the number of Abloh fans in this picture
Credit: courtesy Beyonce.com

The collaboration is further proof the pricey practical jacket brand is gunning for a new set of cool crowd fans. Last year, sales rocketed after Drake sported a red Moncler puffer in his Hotline Bling music video. That, plus this new range, along with Demna Gvasalia’s red quilted number for Balenciaga AW16 is all the proof needed: the puffer jacket is officially back.

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The star of the Hotline Bling music video. And musician Drake
Credit: via YouTube

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Moving on from his Vetements hoodie, Demna Gasvalia helped cement the puffer as the normcore jacket of the new season at his Balenciaga AW16 show
Credit: NOWFASHION

Prices of the Monclur O range start at a mere US$420 ($550 Australian for a tee) and around US$3000 ($3950 Australian) for a parka, which is about double the typical price of a guy’s puffer on the Moncler website. Race you to that full-length yellow hooded raincoat – Winnie the Pooh was way ahead of his time.

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That unisex shearling jacket right is on our lust-list. The rubber gloves, not quite.
Credit: courtesy Moncler

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Driving home the ‘northern sea fisherman’ theme in the most subtle of ways
Credit: courtesy Moncler