‘Fashion has lost some of its true essence.’ Veilance’s creative director talks timelessness, technical-wear and tailoring
Technical-wear seems to be on an unstoppable rise in the world of fashion. But for Veilance creative director Ben Stubbington, clothes are about more than just trends.
Los Angeles-based British designer Ben Stubbington is the creative director of Veilance, a premium line of technical-wear by Canadian brand Arc’teryx. Since taking over the role last year, Stubbington has focused on creating high-performance clothes for everyday urban life. The label showcased its new autumn/winter 2026 collection in Paris, which featured feather-light jackets, crisp shirts made from a Japanese washi paper blend and impeccably cut trousers. Here we speak to Stubbington about his vision for the label’s future.
What is your inspiration as creative director?
Cities are part of our lives, so we focus on making products that are intuitive to the wearer. We want to create clothes that enhance people’s personality. Our pieces are minimal, stripped back to the point of true simplicity. But getting there is a complicated process. The team works meticulously on building patterns and engineering garments. We think about how customers are going to wear them. When you live in a city, you don’t always know what you’re going to do that evening. We want to create products that accompany you through different situations across your day. This is built around a layering system, with products that can be rolled up and function in different climates.
Why do you think that this approach resonates with customers?
There’s so much chaos in the world, so people want to have a sense of peace in their lives. The next phase for Veilance is to create a connection between the product and community. How we exist in people’s lives is going to become more and more important. We’re not chasing trends – our timelines are so long that we can’t feed into the normal fashion cycle. What felt modern 10 years ago, dressing like a storm trooper in sleek outfits, is now too dystopian. It’s important for us to create clothes that feel chic and not like you’re about to hike up a mountain.
This is ironic because the brand feels very much on trend. Technical-wear in fashion seems to be on an unstoppable rise.
Fashion is in a confused state. It lost focus on what it was really about: the precision of tailoring and the beauty of clothing. As logos became more prominent and cuts became oversized to the point of engulfing people’s bodies, fashion lost some of its true essence. Veilance is technical-wear but it is also a luxury brand because of the precision and purpose that goes into what we create. Our products work just as well on a 25 year old as a 65 year old. We’re focused on a mindset. We don’t design to amuse – we design for a person who is always on the move in a city environment.
Grace Charlton is Monocle’s associate editor of design and fashion. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.
