The nights are drawing in. The temperature’s dropping. And, if we’re being realistic, there’s a fairly good chance it’s raining outside.
AW/26 has arrived.
This season we’ve gone back to what we think Longsands does best: ridiculously comfortable clothes, relaxed fits, proper layers and pieces that you’ll actually want to live in through autumn and winter.
There’s a definite change in direction too. The designs are cleaner, the fits are bigger and the whole collection feels a little more grown up — without taking itself too seriously.
Big fits. Good layers.
Comfort has always been a massive part of Longsands, but this season we’ve leaned right into it.
Expect boxy tees, relaxed hoodies, oversized sweats and easy layers that are deliberately designed to be worn loose.
And as always, most of AW/26 is unisex.
Because, if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s that the lasses love a boyfriend fit. And quite often the actual boyfriend doesn't get it back.
The idea is to layer everything up. Tee under a sweatshirt. Hoodie under a jacket. Oversized pieces that work on their own but get even better when the weather turns.
This is clothing for those days when you look outside, see the fog rolling in off the coast and decide your plans now involve a hot chocolate, the sofa and listening to the rain batter the window.
That’s AW/26 weather.
Simpler. But not boring.
We’ve modernised the artwork this season too.
There’s more influence from streetwear, more restraint in the graphics and a bigger focus on the garment itself — the cut, colour, wash and feel doing as much of the work as the print.
You’ll see that running through pieces like Wave, Retreat and Rust, with relaxed silhouettes, vintage influences and a much cleaner approach to Longsands graphics.
It means pieces are easier to wear, easier to layer and easier to mix together.
But obviously we couldn't behave ourselves for the entire collection.
Meet Sharky.
Our personal favourite might also be the least sensible thing we've made this season.
Sharky is the exception to the AW/26 rule.
Bright. Slightly ridiculous. And exactly why we love it.
We wanted one design where we could just go for it, so Sharky gets the full treatment on our vintage dye-wash boxy T-shirt and relaxed hoodie. The print is screen printed here in Newcastle, with the ink deliberately left slightly uncured so that it changes and distresses as you wear and wash it.
In other words, we don't really want yours to look pristine forever.
We want it to become yours.
The more battered it gets, the better it should look.
The Sharky Vintage Tee and Relaxed Vintage Eco-Hood are both part of the new drop.
Proper outerwear has entered the chat.
This is probably one of the biggest developments for us this season.
We love hoodies. We will always make hoodies. But North East autumn and winter occasionally requires something with slightly more technical ability than being really comfy.
So AW/26 sees us putting much more focus into outerwear.
The new Storm Jacket is built for the days when the weather properly turns, including waterproof seams and the sort of practical details you actually appreciate when you're caught out in it.
Then there's the Repel Hoodie.
This one's a bit clever.
It looks and feels like a normal Longsands hoodie, but the fabric has a water-resistant coating designed to help when the rain arrives. We've packed it with little functional details without turning it into something that looks like you're about to climb Everest.
Because sometimes you just want your favourite hoodie to be slightly better at dealing with Tyneside.
The Double Zip
Then there's the Double Zip Hoodie, which seems to have found its fans rather quickly.
It's already becoming one of the favourites from the collection and has been selling fast.
The double-ended zip gives you more options for how you wear it, but fundamentally it's still what we wanted AW/26 to be about: simple, oversized, comfortable clothing that feels good the second you put it on.
No massive explanation required.
It's just a really good hoodie.
Winter colour doesn't have to mean black.
We haven't abandoned colour either.
The new collection mixes the more muted stone, washed black, mocha and earthy shades you'd expect from Longsands with brighter hits running through the graphics and accessories. The current drop includes everything from the washed Rust hoodies through to Wave beanies in combinations like Pink/Peach, Grey/Rust and Black/Stone, alongside vintage caps in Sand, Olive, Peach and Blue. Long Sands Clothing
Which brings us nicely onto Christmas...
The Sporty Hood — basically begging to be wrapped up
We know. It's still early.
But we're rapidly approaching that point in the year where buying something for yourself can conveniently be described as Christmas shopping.
So we designed the new Sporty Hood with gifting in mind.
Rather than playing it safe, we've gone for individual, bright colour combinations that can be matched up with our beanies and bobble hats.
Hood + hat. Done.
And judging by how many of you come back for a new Longsands beanie or bobble hat every winter, some of you must have a fairly serious collection by now.
We fully support this behaviour.
AW/26 is about feeling good in your clothes.
That's probably the simplest way we can put it.
We didn't want to make a collection full of things that look great on a rail but are awkward to actually wear.
We wanted the opposite.
Throw-it-on clothing.
Big hoodies. Boxy tees. Long sleeves. Proper outerwear. Vintage washes. Good hats. Easy layers.
Clothes for cold walks along the coast, Sunday mornings, pub afternoons, wet school runs, freezing football sidelines, lazy days and those evenings when absolutely nobody is convincing you to leave the house.
Some pieces are understated.
Some are technical.
And one has a massive colourful shark on it.
Sounds about right.
AW/26 is out now.
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