<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"FacebookPinterest96676517312ef7f2a4a0z.jpeg\n\n A few years ago, if you had told anyone that Dockers was going to become one of the most exciting menswear brands, most people would have balked. For years, Dockers was the business casual punchline of a man's wardrobe, associated with pleats that went down to your ankles and colors that were somewhere between \"milquetoast\" and \"bleh.\" That all changed when the Alpha Khaki debuted in 2011. Focusing on fit and hardy materials, the pants spoke to style nerds who were sticklers about cuffed hems and breaks to average dudes who simply wanted a pair of affordable, stylish chinos. Building on that success, Dockers took the pants into bolder territory with camo khakis that were, well--anything but khaki. Appealing to sneakerheads who wanted to wear them over covetable kicks or #menswear guys who paired them with blazers and double monkstrap shoes, Dockers is riding that wave into a full lifestyle collection.\n\nThe Alpha Collection draws from the same pool of military references and men's wardrobe staples for clothes like paisley-printed shirts, camo corduroys, blackwatch plaid chinos, and fall-appropriate outerwear like MA-1 bomber jackets and rust-colored blazers. In addition, Dockers is opening up a 4-week long pop-up shop in New York City, featuring a custom khaki bar where you can select from 10 colors and two Alpha fits (Slim and Standard). We caught up with Doug Conklyn, head of global design, to talk about the new collection and why guys should wear more than just the pants.\n\nGQ: The term \"game-changer\" gets abused a lot, but it's apropos when referring to the Alpha Khaki don't you think?\n\n Conklyn:Dockers has been known for a lot of great pants over the years, but we hadn't attracted a younger consumer for a really long time. Alpha was a game-changer because all of a sudden, khakis had attitude. For so long, they'd been associated for \"in-between\" occasions where you didn't need a suit but couldn't wear jeans, and they suffered from a lack of a cool factor.\n\nThrough fit, finish, and color, Alpha really changed the whole landscape.\n\n\n\nGQ: Fit is so paramount in menswear, but pattern is what really got the Alpha Khaki noticed. It seems like every other guy rushed out to buy the camo versions.\n\n Conklyn: It's so funny because I took a lot of heat for that. It wasn't a popular pant inside the company--people felt it wasn't on brand. I thought that authenticity should always be the core of what we do. We're known for tan pants. Tan pants came from the military, camouflage is also from the military. That was my logic.\n\nIn the end, it might've been the most important pant we've ever done, because it was such an immediate signal. If you see tan Alpha khakis folded on a table, you don't really see anything different about them. That camouflage gets your attention. That pattern, combined with the fit, it just brought an entirely new audience, and it's sold out time and time again.\n\nGQ: Did that signal prove that guys were looking for clothes that were a bit bolder? Is that why there's so many patterns in the Alpha Collection?\n\n Conklyn:Camo proved that there's an appetite for more than just tan, and more than just color. For the guy that loves our camo, there's a tonal brown corduroy. We did plaids like blackwatch tartan, pinstripes, paisleys--we went nuts and people love us for that.\n\nGQ: What the trick to pulling off the pattern-on-pattern look?\n\n Conklyn: Usually the camo is enough of a statement piece that everything else needs to be a supporting member. But we have a guy in a blazer, camo khakis, and a patterned shirt and tie. It's sort of like breaking the rules to make the uniform. You have to know the rules first, it's not for everybody, but it's a twisted take on the sportcoat and khaki uniform.\n\nGQ: Speaking of military influences, the quilted MA-1 and camo Harrington jacket definitely channel that surplus vibe. Is that a natural progression?\n\n Conklyn: Military and authenticity will always be really important to Dockers. No one sells more khakis than we do in the world. I know for me, I first fell in love with khakis as a teenager. I found my dad's old army uniform in the basement, washed the starch out of them, and started wearing them around. I've always loved the military uniform, so this is a way for us to weave in authentically-inspired pieces, but they're updated. The fit is slimmer, we've run them through the filters. In the same way that Alpha started with a khaki, but we've updated the fit, color, and all that. My design team is obsessed with details and love anything with a military heritage to it, and updating it in a way that feels relevant and fresh.\n\nGQ: It's hard to imagine khakis ever going out of style because of their uniform roots. Do you have a personal uniform?\n\n Conklyn: In many ways, I dress the same way I did when I was a kid. I wore my dad's button-fly army pants rolled up with penny loafers or a white oord shirt. I just wore that the other day! Despite the fact that in the past, khakis kind of came to represent this sort of everyday, \"business casual\" kind of look, to me khakis will always be the epitome of this masculine, romantic sensibility. For us, we're trying to bring that back. You could argue that besides the jean, the khaki is a very rugged, iconic garment.\n\n_The Dockers Pop Up Shop\n\n 25 Howard St.\n\n Tuesday - Saturday 11-8, Sun 12-7, Closed on Mondays\n\n _\n\n See images of the Dockers Alpha Collection below:\n\nFacebookPinterest96695322634b2cb7d3b3z.jpeg\n\nFacebookPinterest9672757916b44980d038z.jpeg\n\nFacebookPinterest9669531377a462370e49z.jpeg\n\nFacebookPinterest9669531507182d1ed9caz.jpeg\n\nFacebookPinterest9672758044e1f99275d8z.jpeg\n\nFacebookPinterest96695316153e1941ebd5z.jpeg"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/dockers-alpha-collection-doug-conklyn-interviews>