If you’re Australian, and have been wearing the same summer chinos and shirts for the last five years, why not hunt yourself down a safari suit?
Confused? Allow us to un-cock our rifles for just a second. With fashion, it can only take one person or one magazine feature, to set a trend for the upcoming season. David Beckham is a prime example of the power one person can have, being spotted in previous years wearing wide-leg trousers or Hawaiian shirts, which have since become popular among the wider population.
In 2020, we saw a whole host of celebrities rocking what we considered to be the year’s comfiest fashion trend: matching short-sleeve shirt and shorts combinations. LeBron James and Kevin Hart helped to catapult this one into the limelight.
Now it’s the turn of Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan to confirm the latest men’s fashion trend really is here to stay. Having previously rocked the new comfiest trend of summer 2021 in the US; a knitted cardigan, Michael has now turned his attention to remaining sharp as the mercury (mildly) drops in the United States.
We’re talking about safari suits, or ‘leisure suits’, as they are also known. We’ve previously seen Australian band Lime Cordiale rocking the leisure suit, shortly after Australian-founded South-African tailor Button Brothers, and our homegrown Patrick Johnson, reviving the 1930s style.
Now, however, the leisure suit has the seal of approval from Mr Jordan, we can confidently say it’s an outfit you simply need to get behind.
The Black Panther and Creed star was recently spotted on 14 November at the Milwaukee Bucks vs Atlanta Hawks NBA game rocking a grey leisure suit, comprising a long-sleeve jacket and matching pants. Sartorial yet casual, it’s a winning combination.
Leisure suits were first introduced in the 1930s on the West Coast of America, but it was until the 60s and 70s they really started gaining traction. Their ‘safari’ nomenclature indicates where they can expect to be worn: in exceptionally hot climates. They lend themselves to allowing the wearer to remain cool during the hotter months, yet look sleek as hell. It’s no surprise, then, that they’ve found particular favour in countries such as Africa and South Asia. They have also now found an audience down under in Australia.
Always one to make sure he looks fine as hell, Michael paired his grey leisure suit with a gold Rolex Day-Date and a pair of Jordan 1 Retro High x Union Los Angeles sneakers. The Rolex Day-Date has proven popular with celebrities as of late, with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Canadian pop star Justin Bieber both being fans of the classic timepiece.
It’s Michael’s sneakers we’re particularly enamoured with. Jordan 1 sneaker collaborations are nothing new, and it’s not uncommon to find hypebeasts snapping up a pair to resell on sneaker trading markets such as StockX.
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Michael’s pair features a collaboration with cult Los Angeles streetwear label Union Los Angeles, which are currently high in demand. Right now on StockX, you can expect to pay close to AU$3,000/US$2,200 for your own pair.
Paired with his grey safari suit, Michael looks the king of casual cool.