Dockers Latest Collab Gives Khakis A Stylish New Spin

This month, Dockers launched a new collection that puts a fresh spin on the popular pleated khaki, their signature look, with an increased awareness on sustainable fibers, and a love for vintage.

Dockers has been inherently sustainable in their approach: they’re long-lasting, durable, and can withstand years of use, says Nick Rendic, Global Head of Design at Dockers.

But this spring, Dockers are going one step further with a special collaboration with Maurizio Donadi, founder of vintage workwear and fashion archive Transnomadica.

“It wasn’t supposed to be street wear, or a fashion pant,” says Donadi, referring to the original Dockers khakis. “It was just a comfortable casual pant for every day. Affordable, well made, built to last. Just a democratic pair of pants, no distinction.”

But this new collection of khakis, which features a comfy stretch waist band, color variations, and slightly different silhouette that’s suitable for both men and women gives them a refresh, in line with today’s style and what’s to come, says Donadi.

“My approach to design is never on the present,” he says, “but on what stuff could be once it’s lived in and used, hopefully for a very long time.”

The collection includes a modern interpretation of the original 1980s pleated Dockers pant in khaki, un-dyed twill, a patchwork mix of the two, plus an elastic waist version. This unisex collection has a few staple additions too: a woven shirt, a mock neck fleece, an unconstructed cotton twill blazer, a khaki twill fishtail parka, and a khaki cotton T-shirt.

This is just half of Donadi’s work. In addition, he’s been carefully curating a collection of vintage Dockers, bringing back used, but high-quality pieces from over two decades ago. These restored pieces date back to Dockers founding years in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and are available for sale on the Dockers website as final sale items. They’re in the best condition possible, Donadi assures, and have been repaired, if needed.

“The approach I have is intelligent capitalism, if you will,” says Donadi. “There is so much that has already been produced of good quality. It’s worth refurbishing and restoring these pieces and putting them back out into the market. And with Dockers Vintage, it’s a basic that can be worn with a million different things.”

Repurposing durable clothes has long been Dockers strength in sustainability. But the brand is also paying attention to fibers and a move towards circularity, says Rendic.

“From the Transnomadica collection, our original and pull-on khakis, button-up shirts, and blazers are all made from our cottonized hemp that decreases water and pesticide usage — it’s a ‘rain-fed’ fabric.” Hemp is also noted to be beneficial for soil health, a crop that grows abundantly with little water, and replenishes nutrients in the ground it occupies. In addition, the mock neck fleece sweatshirt is made from recycled polyester, which, he explains, takes less energy to produce than virgin fibers.

But finding easy answers to what is truly sustainable for a global brand like Dockers is not a straightforward path, Rendic says.

“To me, the hardest part of the journey is the complexity inherent in building sustainable products. There is a tremendous amount of follow up and rigor needed to ensure what we are producing is actually ‘sustainable.’ It’s also very difficult to gauge what is ‘better’ for the environment.”

An example, he notes, is organic fibers versus recycled fibers. “There can be competing information and points of view across many ‘experts’ who all are trying to do what’s best. We look at everything from different fibers, dye techniques, sundry types, shipping materials, packaging, factories, etc. Disseminating all that information and doing what’s ‘best’ can be really difficult and time consuming.”

So perhaps, the answer then is just buying a pair of Dockers and wearing them for years — which many dads and moms did in the ‘90s.

That has been Donadi’s passion. In fact, in 2105, he started Atelier & Repairs, which specializes in upcycling clothing and giving it a new life with customization, repairs, and creative additions — including some Dockers.

For the next generation who didn’t grow up with the famous pleated Dockers, the Transnomidica collection offers a new, stylish way to opt into the world of Dockers, and hopefully use it for decades to come.

All of the items in this unique collection are on display at Ron Herman in Los Angeles, or available online at Dockers or Ron Herman’s websites.