These images are from Quit Mad Stop’s (x!.) SS11 and FW11 collections and although they’ve been knocking around a while I’ve not seen them do the rounds too much so I thought they were still worth a post. With a few surf specific themed brands emerging in the last few years (Saturdays, Batten Sportwear) it seems Quit Mad Stop seem to have the most mature approach of the crop.
The brand was started by Eric Scott and May Redding as a response to a lack of high end quality in the leisure clothing sector. They went to town creating super basic, beautifully crafted pieces all hand sewn in NYC’s garment district. Produced in small runs on a seemingly as and when basis, the brand doesn’t seem too seasonally focused – which I really like. A great board short is a great board short all year round I guess.
Above all, the thing I’ve enjoyed most about this brand is its excellent look book imagery – fantastic styling with a great model, and eccentric and humorous set ups without being too hipster.
The stand out pieces for me are the retro feeling board shorts with the tie up front adding a nice twist. The tailoring on these looks spot on. The bags also catch the eye and both the leather and duck canvas versions look as tough as old boots. There’s not a lot of stockists around, but Park and Bond carry a few pieces.
Oh, and the name; it’s from the last three lines of Jack Kerouac’s Bowery Blues apparently reflecting how both Eric and May felt at the point of the brand’s creation.