With 2019 firmly in the rear view mirror, now seems like as good a time as any to cast our minds back over the last 12 months, and try to natter about some things we thought were decent.
So without further ado, here’s our run-down of the stuff we were into this year…
10 – Reebok Collabs
At ten we’re saluting Reebok and their many fine collaborations this year.
They’ve brought back old classics with the help of Adsum, they’ve elevated the humble Workout to staggeringly sleek heights with Nepenthes, and yep, we even made a pair of gum-soled beauties with ‘em.
All of them were very, very good.
9 – Progressive cord
Any self-respecting Oi Polloi list isn’t complete without the mention of cord.
2019 has seen ridged velveteen being employed in a variety of inventive and ingenious ways, and has proven once and for all waled cotton isn’t just for crusty geography teachers who smell like moth balls.
Stone Island, Séfr and A Kind of Guise knew the progressive cord score this year.
8 – Corridor
New York shirt-smiths Corridor really tickled our proverbial fancy in 2019 with their high-class, ultra-casual, Ivy-scented collared garments.
Flavoursome fabrics… low-profile designs… shiny buttons… yeah, it’s fair to say we’re proper jazzed for their SS20 schmutter.
7 – Those tropical Engineered Garments bags
Clocking in at number seven we’ve got these highly-tropical bags from Engineered Garments.
Just looking at these things is enough to conjure potent images of Ting-supping on sun-kissed Caribbean archipelagos, so you can probably imagine how we felt when we actually first got our hands on ‘em.
A real blast of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy English winter.
6 – adidas Barcelona
There’s been plenty of standout Trefoil trabs this year, but we think those adidas Barcelona trainers really took the proverbial cake.
In fact, we liked them so much we did a massive photo shoot and even threw a little soiree in their honour.
To all those that came down and sunk some suds, we salute you.
5 – Sebago
Taking the halfway spot on this list is boat-shoe extraordinaries Sebago, who’ve really been firing on all cylinders this year.
They’ve made classy deck shoes, they’ve made robust boots, they’ve made fully-fledged country stompers… they’ve even had the pleasure of making some Paninaro-flavoured shoes with yours truly.
4 - Paninaro flavour
Speaking of the Paninari, our taste buds have never hankered for Paninaro flavour as much as they have this year.
From Stone Island's big puffers, to Timberland's rugged lug-soled chuggers, all the way over to Best Company's embroidered ducks, we've really been spoilt for choice.
Will 2020 finally be the year when loitering outside butty bars, wheeling dirt bikes up and down the street and wearing massive cowboy belts becomes socially acceptable once more? Probably not, but it's good to dream...
3 – Future garb
On the opposite end of the spectrum, 2019 has been a banner year for proper-futuristic outdoor garb, and in our eyes, few have done it better than Japan’s And Wander.
Considering we’re hurtling toward a brave new world filled with self-service tills in McDonald’s, talking robot dogs and commercial space travel, it’s nice to know our clobber can keep up to speed with it… even if our feeble humanoid minds can’t.
Nanamica and Nanga also took us back to the future with their wonder-wares as well.
2 – Oi Polloi x Universal Works
Just missing out on the number one position is those shackets we made in cahoots with good pals Universal Works.
To celebrate a decade of friendship with Nottingham’s finest, we collaborated with them on some luxurious velvet trucker jacket/shirt things, and we’re pretty pleased on how they turned out.
Here’s to another ten years fellas!
1 – That truly bonkers nylon metal Stone Island cap
And finally, taking the top spot is that mind-melting Nylon Metal riot cap from Stone Island.
It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but this kind of unadulterated, balls-to-the-wall audacity is something of rarity these days, and should be applauded and championed whenever it appears.
Sort-of looks like something Sub Zero might wear on his weekend getaways as well. Make of that what you will.