THE SABUKARU GUIDE TO BAGGY WIDE PANTS
Fashion is an ever-changing vortex, spewing out new trends by the month. Some trends for better, some for worse. In recent years we’ve seen the rise of Y2K fashion, kicking it back to the good old days and seen bizarre shoe models that live in a space between futuristic and amphibious. That’s just to name a few trends as of late, but there is one craze from the last few years that we feel has not only stood the test of time but also gained mass amounts of popularity; creating a cultural shift to the point of becoming a lifestyle rather than a fashion trend. We’re talking about oversized pants.
Now, we’re not talking about the ‘straight’ fit or even fast fashion iterations of their so-called ‘balloon fits’ – we are talking about the pants that enable you to fit 3 sets of legs in them let alone 1. The true baggy trousers that only the brave can sport, and when pulled off can turn a good fit into a great one. Believe it or not, the super wide model has genuine functionality that goes hand in hand with almost all genres of clothing, be it technical, skating, high fashion, etc.
Over the years, having seen the rise in the trend of these ultra-wide trousers, more and more brands are pumping out boxy-shaped silhouettes. As genres such as gorpcore and the Japanese-inspired wide and short fitted hakama-like pants gain traction, skinny pants are being dropped in favour of their wider iterations. Even fast-fashion giants Jaded London, Boohoo and Urban Outfitters are hopping on the bandwagon, releasing cheaper alternatives to the oversized military overpants. With tastemakers like Bella Hadid being spotted rocking the gorpcore style, it's no surprise that these fast fashion giants are also wanting to get a piece of the pie.
Amongst the boggling amount of wider fits that have been popping up in new collections and on insta influencers, there are always people and brands who hit the bullseye in terms of quality or styling. Join us as Sabukaru shows you the people and brands who do it best, with a complete guide to the baggy, wide pants phenomenon. We'll give you a 360 scope into the beauty of the baggies. And finally, to round things off, we’ll also list some of our favourite items on the market, so you too can drop the skinnies.
The History – The Birth of Cargo’s
As are most garments when invented, the multi-pocket cargo trousers were created due to a need. That need was to be tough, durable, and long-lasting trousers used as the military's uniform for greater access to resources. The military is probably one of the biggest influences on fashion without many people being aware of it, from bomber jackets to aviators, and cargo trousers are the most notable addition to our own daily arsenal of threads that it has provided. Modern technical apparel and vintage militia-type uniforms share many similarities as they both seamlessly work to fulfil the same goal - function first.
Cargo trousers are characterised by their earthy tones and large square pockets on either leg, usually folding shut and secured with snaps or Velcro, as well as being pleated to expand to accommodate for more items to be held. But let’s face it, 99% of you already know what cargos are, but their design was not meant to be a fashion statement as we all know it, but instead was for genuine functionality within their field.
Stemming back to 1938, cargos were first seen worn by the British Military and would form their Battle Dress Uniform [Or BDU]. The original design would consist of a pocket on the side thigh and one on the front hip. Although seen to be strange at first due to the vastly different look from the traditional uniform, soon the US military adopted a similar BDU in 1940, albeit with slight alterations. Cargo pants on paratroopers were utilised mainly for easy access to ammunition and radios.
“American paratroopers — devils in baggy pants — are less than 100 metres from my outpost line” – A sentence taken from a German troops diary.
Stepping into the World of Fashion
First functional, then later fashion forward, the humble cargo transcended its military purpose and stepped into the fashion world. After World War 2 soldiers would come home, and with them, their uniforms. A steady stream of cargo-wearers would don the now novelty multi-pocket trousers, but other categories of people would pick up on their functionality such as hikers and climbers.
Speaking of the more outdoor side of fashion, being the overindulgent beings we are, we then thought about creating trousers for our trousers. In comes the overpants. Trousers which were worn by fishers, climbers, and hikers – anywhere where you could get wet and it was crucial to stay dry. These trousers were the evolution of trousers, like a suit of armour to keep the weather even further away from your legs. These, again initially used for functionality, would become fashionable due to their baggy nature and also link to the aforementioned gorpcore society.
The greatest thing that cargos provided was universal wearability to almost all genres. Were you a skater who needed a tough pair of slacks to tear it up in? Cargos. Were you a builder who needed a few extra pockets to stash your tools in? Cargos. Were you a hippy who needed to stash your bag of devil’s lettuce in an easy-to-reach compartment? Cargos. They fell off at one point as people were looming into the dark days of spray-on skinnies and chinos, but now as we enter a new era of outdoor-inspired functional fashion people are taking the technical capabilities of these trousers to the next level.
Like many fashion trends, the music industry had a huge part to play too on style. In the ’90s the incredibly wide, laid-back fits would start to emerge. Saggy denim emerged to the masses worldwide and had every kid wearing baggy pants, with nothing in their oversized pockets but a mobile phone, a pack of cigarettes, and the very culture that drew them in to wear them. Icons such as Tupac, Eazy E, Biggie, and dare we say it, Soujia Boy [laugh all you want, he really was the baggiest of them all] rocked incredibly wide trousers to project an anti-establishment, ‘we don't care’ attitude. This trickled down to the youths and began the casual, comfort-first looks we still see today, albeit a little toned down from the days of pants halfway down our legs.
The New Generation
Now in the present day, the military and outdoor functional apparel is bigger than ever before on Instagram mood boards and runways. Gorpcore, which stems from the saying ‘Good Ol' Raisins and Peanuts’ [Gorp], an old hiking saying for snacks, is a genre of clothing which emphasizes outdoor apparel and footwear. With technology taking over almost every aspect of our lives, our clothing is no exception to this, and functionality is becoming fashionable.
The more technical style of apparel is becoming king when it comes to walking the streets of the big cities, as well as the rural areas of the countryside, and as more young creatives that are pushing through the ranks such as the likes of Jean-Luc Ambridge, we see no ceiling when it comes to the capability of technical apparel and its link with the fashion world.
Brands such as Arc’teryx, And Wander, and Salomon have seen an exponential increase in popularity throughout the years, proving they are staples amongst the scene. Even brands such as Oakley, once known mainly for their sunglasses have seen a resurgence becoming a collector's dream as people try to hunt down rare and forgotten apparel. People are taking greater care to curate their items and making conscious decisions about the actual functionality of their day-to-day apparel. The threads of yesterday’s geography teachers are now the brands of today’s fashionista kids, and we are here for it.
People are sporting their hurricane-proof attire even at the first sight of a drizzle. Gore-Tex membranes are at the ready to ward off the showers, some Vibram soles to tackle even the most dangerous of pavements, and 16 pockets making sure you bring all your essentials with you [which usually just consist of a vape pen, portable phone charger, and bus ticket].
We’ve all seen the jokes and memes, although this is the reality of the immensely trendy functional genre which is only continuing to rise in popularity. But this article is not about Gorpcore. Instead, it’s about one thing that many of these new trends, gorpcore especially, all have in common. And that’s a nice pair of baggy wide pants. What we are seeing now is the fusion of the 90’s ‘fuck you’ attitude with technical functionalities of today, breeding a new age of style.
Flooding the streets
We are seeing the next generation of stylists and Instagram influencers now push this style of pants out like never before. Whether you’re the likes of vintage second-hand resale store 194 Local who effectively unleashed this trend of ultra-baggy cargos to the streets of London or Megan Trong who has gained a massive following over the last year with her outdoor style of fashion, almost everyone in the world of fashion is being touched and influenced by the silhouette; a brave option that is bridging the gap between outdoor apparel and fashion with oversized silhouettes usually seen in avant-garde fashion.
This is even more apparent in Tokyo, arguably the birthplace of the wide silhouette. With a larger emphasis on baggier and wider fits in Japanese fashion, it is only natural that the kids of the centre of this trend are all sporting it. We spoke to Ozzy, stylist, DJ, and a big advocate of the wide overpants to ask him why he thought the Japanese fashion scene is adopting these oversized cargos and he explained “the wide silhouette pants are similar to the traditional clothes of Asia, like Hakama or something like that. It just feels normal for me because I am used to doing martial arts.”
With functionality being so important, more so than ever in a place like Japan where it can switch from 30 degrees sunshine to torrential rainfall in an instant, it’s no wonder why the Tokyo streets are flooded with brands such as And Wander, Arcteryx and The North Face. The baggy cargos are no different. When you need multiple pockets to carry things like an umbrella in one rain, and then a water bottle in the other for the heat, this diversity and utility these garments provide really push them above the rest.
It's because this reason not only just the ultra-trendy people are sporting them, but also everyday people. Ozzy states when asked about what kind of people are wearing them in Tokyo - “I think both, the youth and the fashion heads. But they have a different culture. The youth in Japan are influenced by influencers on Instagram. Other guys like my friends are influenced by the early 2000 music scene or the UK scene.”
With Japanese fashion already often being a heavily wide and exaggerated style, it’s almost effortless for people such as Ozzy to style and rock these. One might find it hard to start with, but once you go wide you don’t go back. Pants can transform an outfit more than you may think, and although people are dropping thousands on Vintage Stone Island or CP’s jackets, Ozzy explains how pants are king when it comes to styling. We asked what was more important, pants or jackets when picking an outfit – “The pants obviously. Plus, trainers. I don’t actually care about tops. The pants and trainers decide how you look.”
Reaching a wider audience
The more and more these influential leaders, trendsetters and stylists push this look, it’s only natural that high street fashion brands will start to produce them. As mentioned, brand giants such as Urban Outfitters and Jaded London are now hopping on the bandwagon to regurgitate more original brand's ideas. And although we think it's great that people now have much easier access to these kinds of fits and genres of clothing, instead of having to drop a few hundred on some ultra-functional pants, we still can’t help feeling like fashions ecosystem is once again diluting a once-hidden gem.
Urban Outfitters Baggy Wide Pants
Jaded London Baggy Wide Pants
What we think is more interesting than the high street brands making these cargos is seeing how other brands who aren’t necessarily inside the gorpcore or utility universe, but still orbit it in some way also produce these wider models. Ethical and future-forward brand, Story MFG release their signature pants all ultra-baggy and casual way before the trend emerged. When speaking to Saeed, founder of Story he explains “Sometimes we do things for very deep, meaningful and thoughtful reasons but in the case of making big pants its purely aesthetic and comfort. Our style is ‘anti fit’ but we also often talk about if something feels ‘easy or ‘easy-wear’’ - is it roomy? Is it soft? Is it comfortable? Big pants are all three. The worst feeling on your legs is a wet shower curtain touching you - the second is skinny jeans.”
Although not making clothes for the mountains, Story still manages to orbit the outdoor universe, acting as an ingredient into the more functional looks. And Saeed believes this is due to their natural connection with nature – “our references are nature and other archive outdoor brands like Patagonia that encouraged people not only to spend time outdoors but also respect it. Clothing and how they’re made is a question of environmentalism for us.”
The symbiotic relationship Story has with the outdoors naturally synergises with the wider fits and it’s interesting to see how organically both came together at some point. Although, at some point this genre can go too far, and it's clear people lose sight of what the clothing is really meant for.
“At some point, I think it took a nasty turn and people started obsessing over how waterproof your socks are for a 20 min hike when you have people literally climbing mountains in old cotton rugby shirts.” – Saeed, Founder of Story MFG
Brands such as Story harnessed this model way before the main trend emerged, and it's these reasons why the success of their trousers is so prevalent. Finding good pants is hard, and finding ones that both have good quality and a good fit is even harder, so Story MFG stood out from the crowd and knew that good pants were key to a brand. “I also think trousers and footwear are where most brands differentiate themselves. There’s a lot of styles out there that work with big tops/big jackets but pair them with body-hugging bottoms.”
The Sabakuru Selection
To round things off, we thought we would provide a comprehensive list of some of our favourite baggy pants. These are the big boys. The ones who do it right, and the ones we personally rock daily ourselves. Let’s go.
Needles HD BDU Pants
The Needles HD BDU pants are the shogun of baggy pants. These have been around for as long as we can remember and were far before the time of the trend. The BDUs consist of heavy cotton, making them incredibly sturdy and heavyweight. Robust, with incredible patterning on the construction of the garment ensuring a wide, balloon fit that doesn’t drape over the legs to lose shape.
The BDUs come in many different colours and variations, such as the Cargo versions with a lighter material, or the Fatigue pants with no extra cargo pockets for a less military look. The best thing about these pants though is the availability. As a staple of the Nepenthes and needles look, these are restocked every season with slight variations to them such as colour, meaning you don't need to be scouring the internet for these to buy from a reseller. The BDU fit also gets dished out to other Needles favourites such as the track pants too, so you can rock the baggy look regardless if you aren't a utilitarian trooper.
Arguably the most hyped trousers in the world of fashion right now, but for good reason. The vintage military overpants that are popping up on every brand's mood boards are ultra baggy, fairly lightweight and versatile when styling. The oversized silhouettes alongside vintage material adds a level of rustic sophistication to any fit and is sure to level up your wardrobe if bought. Coming in various colours, even more vibrant hues such as purple or blue, these no-pocket pants can be seen in every major city in the world, sported by gorpcore hikers to all the way supermodels.
Finding these are a little harder due to their niche origin, but the main place to go is @194Local in Shoreditch. Frequently stocking the pants in various colours and sizes, these were the guys that opened the flood gates.
Next up on our list also stems from London, coming from up and coming designer Louis Holsgrove. As an archivist and stylist, Louis has deep knowledge in the realm of technical apparel and it’s clear that all this is being distilled down into his latest venture with Point Blank. With it just being the start for the brand, we are already keeping a close eye on Point Blank to see which direction it heads to next.
The 8PKT cargo pant is the first release of the brand that aims to blend functionality with comfort. With the feeling of tracksuit bottoms but the capabilities of technical cargo’s, this is a versatile yet laid back piece that can be worn every day. Featuring more pockets then you’ll ever need, large back pockets to hold bigger objects without the feeling of discomfort, and adjustable waist and legs hems these pants boast plenty of features to coincide with todays functional-first mindset. Adding on top that they are both water and wind resistance, for the price these pants are a no brainer.
Previously mentioned brand, Story MFG, offers our next addition to the list with their forager pants. The forager pants harness the essence of the baggy, casual and drapey fit, but with the addition of the tactile material used and natural dyes takes it to a new level entirely and fits in its own universe. Coming in a wide selection of colours, these heavy pants utilise multiple pockets to allow all your essentials to have a home when you're out hiking or heading downtown for a pint.
Story MFG continues to stock these pants each season, so finding them won't be difficult and knowing that everything is sourced from a sustainable supplier, using natural dyes and is incredibly conscious of responsible decision-making means buying these can be your good deed for the day. Combining the eco-warrior look with a vintage-esque feel ensures a standout pair of pants that will also last you a lifetime.
The OG kings of the baggy pants world, UK brand, Maharishi with its natural synergic connection with military garments means it's a no-brainer that they supply some of the best on the market. Offering a giant list of pants to choose from in their store, we think there is no better than the embroidered snopants range.
Offering incredibly detailed and versatile embroidery, Maharishi has an endless supply to choose from whether you buy new or old. With a mix of different materials and fits to choose from too, these are a winner and a real stand-out piece. Although at one point these were hyped up much the same as the overpants, we still had to pay homage to the uncle of baggy wide pants and add them to our list.
Taiwanese Brand, GOOPiMADE offers a wide range of techy and utilitarian looks. From boxy t-shirts and Kimonos to their p-3S Hyperbola Utility Track Pants. An ultra-wide and drapey fit, with interesting panelling creating a very unique looking trouser. Sitting in the space somewhere between gorpcore and techwear, these pants add an ultra-modern look to any fit whilst also adding an exaggerated look to stand out.
Coming in an array of muted hues, the Hyperbola’s are a great everyday pair of pants easily fitting with most looks and fits. Getting these may be a little harder to acquire, but it seems as if they are becoming a staple in the GOOPiMADE production so keep an eye out on places such as thisthingofours or the GOOPi website to cop the next drop.
A Korean heavy hitter on the list comes from Anglan. Focusing on exaggerated fits throughout, their balloon pants line offers ultra wide looks similar to Needles HD BDU, although a margin of the price. Coming in an array of colours, materials and cuts, our favourite for these are the Vintage Denim for the saggy hip-hop esque look.
Finding a stockist outside of the Anglan official store may be a struggle, so the nice price tag may come with some import charges depending on when you are based, but if you can get your hands on these with no custom fees and expensive shipping costs these are a great entry level pants to ease you into the style without needing to drop a stack of money on.
Next up on our list comes from Sillage, Japanese based brand offering up an artisan collection of incredibly made garments all featuring the signature oversized and relaxed look. Although not fitting within the gorpcore universe, undeniably everyobody needs a pair of great grey cotton sweats. Sillage offers up possibly one of the best we’ve seen to date.
Sillage’s Circular Loop Pants are Hakama-style pants that are a staple in their range. Fused with baggy cotton pants creates an interesting combination of contemporary yet relaxed. Featuring an exaggerated oversized silhouette, these pants offer ultimate comfrt and are heavy weight cotton so are durable at the same time. Cotton tracksuit bottoms are extremely hard to find in this shape, so look no further than these powerhouses.
Our next addition comes in the form of young and upcoming designer, Benjamin Huston. Inspired by the street of New York and its casual Americana fashion, these pants are extremely heavy, robust, and littered with small details for a minimal and understated look, but still one that gets a nod of appreciation from any fashion connoisseur.
From the oversized silhouette to the red contrasting stitches and a layered chequered pocket, these pants are a workwear lover's dream. Found in the Tokyo store, Lantiki, these may be hard to find outside of Japan without paying a hefty shipping and customs charge, although guaranteed to last you if copped.
Our penultimate pick is Wisdom’s rendition of the wide-leg cargo pants. Coming in a more utilitarian, dystopian city walker mood, these pants feature 2 large pockets situated lower than your average placement for a unique look and cut.
Alongside the dystopian look, a muted navy colour helps set these apart from the usual black or khaki colours ways we are used to seeing in these styles and allows it to fit both as an outdoor piece, or a neo-city cyberpunk aesthetic. With them being waterproof, and featuring a total of 6 zipped pockets, these are perfect for rainy city days.
For our last pick, we show a more wild card but fan favourite all the same. Issey Miyake Homme Plissé pants utilising the origami style pleats are far from having outdoor functionality like cargos, and you’d be wise to not wear these out on a hike or climb, but they seamlessly seem to fit within the outdoor universe as a fashionable ingredient.
Many of the trousers highlighted are great for winter and the rainy seasons, but these add summer functionality that the others do not. Being incredibly lightweight and floaty, these on a hot day will be your best friend. Issey Pleats come in many shapes and sizes, so are a great introduction to someone wanting to go baggier but at their own pace. Our favourite model though currently on the online store is the new addition, titled CARGO. These express the design aesthetic of cargos using the pleats technology. For these, to acquire an even baggier, wide fit, size up. The pleats feature a waist band, so more often than not the waste will always fit within reason, so when sized up can create an even more exaggerated silhouette.
About the author:
Joe Goodwin is a Tokyo based creative and writer. Born in the UK, but now living in Japan, he explores his dialect with fashion and subculture as he dives deep into the neon streets and back alleys of Tokyo.
