Men's suiting label M.J. Bale has capitalised on the wardrobe casualisation trend, launching its first ever athleisurewear collection, Made-To-Move.
The luxury label is the latest in a string of brands including Hugo Boss and Ginger & Smart, who has introduced more casual styles to its range.
Launching the collection at Melbourne Fashion Festival, M.J. Bale called on Australian Parkour athlete Dominic di Tommaso and champion sprinter Conor Loughnan to demonstrate the flexibility of the range on the runway.
Doing flips, tumbles, aerials and climbing steel columns on the runway to demonstrate the stretch and functionality of the range, Tommaso said that the pieces can handle extreme performance.
"I went full-out on the backflips and really felt the full-extension of stretch.
"I felt no resistance when climbing the pole.
"I usually worry about the tension in my hips and legs when doing my stunts and I didn’t have to think about them at all," he said.
Included in the Made-To-Move range are thermo-regulating base layer tees made from 100% Merino wool, cotton jersey tops, organic cotton hoodies, sweatpants and light quilted gilets.
To celebrate the launch, M.J. Bale has created a short film starring Tommaso, Loughnan and local free-runner Michael Khedoori (AKA ‘The Kid’ from Ultimate Tag Australia) to further test the range in extreme conditions.
The film takes place across iconic CBD Sydney locations including Hyde Park, St Mary’s Cathedral, Martin Place, Pyrmont Bridge and Barangaroo, with the three athletes vaulting down flights of stairs and forward somersaulting off ledges.
"The woollen fabrics were super flexible and I didn’t have to worry about them getting in the way of my tricks," Tommaso said of the stunts in the film.
"I had my full range of movability," he said.
The Made-To-Move range follows the launch of M.J. Bale’s wool-linen-elastane ‘Flow’ suits in 2020.
The Made-To-Move collection is available now and retails for between $59.95 to $199.
Watch the Made-To-Move short film below: