Jane Wade’s “The Summit” Reimagines the Corporate Uniform For a Generation That Moves
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By PAGE Editor
Jane Wade has built her brand on decoding the corporate archetype—sharpened tailoring, familiar office tropes, and the psychological architecture of ambition. With The Summit, she pushes that vocabulary beyond glass towers and fluorescent-lit boardrooms into a new terrain: the outdoors.
If previous collections examined the corporate climb as metaphor, The Summit makes the ascent literal.
At its core, the collection retools Wade’s signature uniform through the lens of expedition wear. Structured silhouettes remain, but they are now engineered for motion and unpredictability. Modular construction—zip-off elements, convertible layers, adaptable closures—replaces static suiting conventions. It’s a pragmatic evolution that feels in step with a generation that no longer separates work, travel, and self-expression into neat compartments.
The transformation is most visible in Wade’s collaboration with Sorel. Known for performance footwear rooted in utility, Sorel becomes a natural extension of the brand’s workwear codes. Together, they introduce zip-off boots and convertible silhouettes that blur the line between technical gear and everyday styling. The footwear doesn’t merely accessorize the collection—it anchors it. The message is clear: elevation requires equipment.
Fueling this high-performance shift is Red Bull, whose ethos of pushing beyond perceived limits integrates seamlessly into the collection’s DNA. Rather than functioning as surface-level branding, the partnership reinforces Wade’s thematic pivot. Energy, endurance, and adaptability become design principles. The office is no longer a static environment; it is a launchpad.
Hydration, too, becomes part of the uniform. HydroJug reimagines the water bottle as a fashion-forward accessory—where “function meets fashion” is not a tagline but a styling directive. In Wade’s world, preparedness is aesthetic. Accessories are tools, and tools are statements.
The sensory landscape expands further through Gotham and its lifestyle extension, Gotham Goods, which introduce “My Sweet Jane,” a fragrance grounded in smoked birch and oak moss. The scent is rebellious yet refined—an olfactory nod to New York’s layered cultural grit. It anchors the collection in the city that shaped Wade’s corporate lexicon, even as the garments themselves venture beyond its skyline.
Visually, The Summit is realized through a tightly orchestrated creative ecosystem. Photography by Hatnim Lee captures the tension between structure and spontaneity, while creative direction by Jane Wade and Joe Van O frames the narrative as both aspirational and grounded. Visual direction by Tre Crews amplifies the kinetic energy of the collection, supported by a multidisciplinary team spanning film (Chems Studio), sound design (Adam Hadari), and production by TBHNN. Every detail—from Oribe-led hair direction under Mandee Hernandez to makeup led by Karla Hirkaler—reinforces the thesis: preparedness is power.
What makes The Summit compelling is not simply its technical pivot, but its strategic one. Wade understands that today’s professional identity is fluid. The “office” is increasingly portable, the climb nonlinear. By collaborating across footwear, energy, hydration, fragrance, and tech wearables—including Intake Breathing—she constructs a toolkit rather than a seasonal drop.
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