The new Women's Nova Crop™ is constructed in our Stamina™ performance fabric with ribbed piecing and is complete with four gel and two phone pockets. As far as we know, this is the most pocketing ever built into a women’s performance run top.
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If you've been with us for a minute, you already know that every new Bandit collection begins a full calendar year out with a trademark Ardith Singh mood board (see Spring). Ardith dives deep into runway (vintage and present day), architecture, and art for imagery that inspires everything from new silhouettes and necklines to the collection's colors and patterns. Interpreting these images through a uniquely "Bandit" / "for runners by runners" lens enables Ardith and the design team to develop new products that seamlessly marry fashion with function.
The straight-across neckline was initially inspired by 1993 vintage Prada (below). "I love the sharp, square shape juxtaposed with the curved undercuts," says Ardith.
One rabbit hole leads to another and down she went to find more inspiration...
Even baby Giselle was rocking the high square neck...
We knew the silhouette of the Nova Crop™ needed straps on the thinner side for the garment to make sense aesthetically. This reference image nailed how it would look (down to the model's collarbone).
As the initial sketching begins, one of the first questions we always ask as runners is: How will the pocketing work? Runners need a place for their fuel, phones, keys, etc. and the goal is always to have the design and construction of our pocketing system to be so elegant, you forget it's all there. We looked to two unsuspecting places for the answer...
The first was a fitted cycling vest; the second, a corset. While these two items are very different, they helped inspire a piece that checked every one of our design boxes. On top of that, the dual-texture ribbed piecing (against the Stamina compression™) speaks back to the rest of the collection and enables seamless mixing and matching with different ribbed compression bottoms.
As for the trim, we developed something that matched the elevated aesthetic of the crop: a smooth patch with subtle dimension that allows it to pop without yelling. Always a fine balance.
And similar to the rest of our Women's Compression lineup, the Nova Crop™ has a built-in bra for support.
Something unique to Bandit — all new items we develop are fit and wear-tested across our full size run (currently XS to XL), so we can confidently say that the Nova Crop™ is supportive, the gels are all easily accessible, and the product does not chafe over long distances.
We can't wait to hear what you think!
