Saturdays NYC Is the Latest Label to Perfect High-End Running Gear

The surf-fashion brand recently launched its All Terrain Collection

A man wearing the new All Terrain Tank from Saturdays NYC.
Fashion label or not, this performance wear is legit.
Saturdays

Saturdays NYC has long been a surf brand that doesn’t have too much to do with surfing.

Its co-founders surf, there’s a rack of boards at the label’s SoHo coffee shop, and many of its tees have a “coastal” theme, but at the end of the day, the label’s link to the sport is more conceptual than functional. Saturdays is similar to Banks Journal, Katin, Mollusk, Pilgrim and a half-dozen other labels, in that it’s selling a fast-pass to surf vibes, zero skills actually necessary.

Which makes the brand’s latest drop, a highly-technical offering of running gear, somewhat surprising. Named the All Terrain Collection, it includes a polyester-wool tee and tank, four-way stretch shorts and a nylon-shell anorak that packs down into itself. They’re hardy pieces, all, and after a couple weeks of running around town in them — some of the miles rainy, others a tad toasty — we can confirm that Saturdays knows how to get into the nitty-gritty of performance wear.

This stuff can handle far more than the usual Instagram ad activewear pitch — grocery shopping, lounging, whatever. It keeps pace with other players in the running space, from old hats (Nike) to crowd favorites (Tracksmith), to other off-beat newcomers (CDLP, District Vision, Satisfy), the last of which have a similar design-forward DNA to Saturdays, and seem intent on making running look as cool as possible.

Saturdays certainly accomplishes that here, on top of using materials and cuts that will keep you dry and comfortable during long runs. We’re big fans of how the label repurposed its iconic slash, which lends the collection a multi-colored through line, in addition to tiny flourishes like reflective rivets on the All Terrain Short Sleeve Shirt, or the bungee cord pull at the back of the All Terrain Anorak. (There are also multiple style options for every piece except the anorak.)

If there’s a criticism to be lobbed here, it’s that bringing home the entire collection is prohibitively expensive for the average adult runner. The All Terrain shorts are a definite eyebrow-raiser at $125, too, signifying a trend over the last few years in which running shorts are starting at $80. But this is where it’s important to remember Saturdays NYC’s high-concept roots. If you’re buying from a fashion label that’s decided to use top-notch materials, your wallet’s going to have to take one on the chin.

In order to save a little room in your budget for a new pair of shoes this marathon season, we recommend locking in on one piece from the collection. Our personal favorite is the All Terrain Short Sleeve in Sea Green. It won’t disappoint out on the roads, trust us.

Huckberry

All Terrain Lightweight Short Sleeve Shirt

Huckberry

All Terrain Tank

Huckberry

All Terrain Active Short

Huckberry

All Terrain Anorak

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