[STYLE] K-WAY X UNIVERSAL WORKS SUMMER COLLECTION

Universal Works are pleased to announce a new collection with K-Way, the brand that created the innovative packable windbreaker jacket. In a cross-Channel collaboration, we’ve combined the iconic French brand’s sense of playful utility with our own UW sensibilities. The result is the “Festival Kit”, a capsule of pieces designed to be indispensable for the (notoriously unpredictable) British festival season. Of course, with jackets and accessories that look this good and perform this well, you don’t need to be in a muddy field somewhere in England to enjoy them – they’ll do the trick wherever you are.

The collection features two jackets and a bag, each available in Dark Blue and an earthy shade of Sand – French navy and British khaki, if you’re feeling fancy. Every item in the collection is constructed from a recycled version of K-Way’s house fabric, the recycled element being an important factor as we worked together with K-WAY to create products that mirror a shared responsible vision. The result is a lightweight and highly waterproof recycled ripstop, it’s a performance material with a pleasing retro quality too. Throughout, K-Way’s instantly recognisable logo – in all its tricolor glory, with that unbeatable sense of movement and dynamism – sits alongside our own ‘UW’ insignia, and we couldn’t be more proud.

The collection’s Watergate Bay jacket is a feature-packed update on the classic windbreaker style. Heat-taped seams, two-way zip, adjustable hem, three outer pockets, rear vent, and – of course – it’s fully packable. The Porthmeor jacket is a reimagining of UW’s own Photographers Jacket, made this time from that recycled and certified wonder fabric. All of the details you expect from our well-loved Photographers Jacket are in place, but K-Way have worked their magic inside and out, adding in heat-taped seams, their signature colour zip, a tab-and-snap detail on the chest, and even a tab inside the lower pocket to attach you tent pegs/bottle opener or whatever else from your festival check list. And then there’s the Festival Bag, which sums up the spirit of the collection: free of unnecessary detail, ultra-reliable, and endlessly useful, it’s bound to become your best friend this festival season and has space enough to stash either of the jackets in the capsule plus some extra room for a pair of shades and a glow stick or two.

While we might have had wash-out days at Glastonbury in mind when we designed the collection, perhaps its best quality is its versatility. Light, packable and weatherproof items will always be useful, no matter the time or the place. “A raincoat that will keep you dry when you need it, but that you can take off and stow away when you don’t is a godsend for those seemingly endless hours spent waiting for the next band to come on the Pyramid Stage,” says UW co-founder David Keyte. “It might be sunny with clear skies, but a sudden downpour is practically guaranteed, so it’s pieces like this that really make the whole festival experience that much more pleasant. But they’re also perfect for a city dweller like myself. When you’re rushing around, getting on and off public transport, it’s exactly what you need.”