BY: XEONIQ [ Instagram | Tumblr ] and Dylan Pritchard [ Store Website | Instagram ]
In 2022, Dylan Pritchard launched his first release: ENTREM, which was his own take on futuristic fashion with a Made to Order (MTO) brand based out of the United States. You can see the concept, background and designs of that collection in the first SHELLZINE article here, which also features a brief interview and an ideological discussion regarding the MTO model: [Article Link].
Two years on from the initial ENTREM release, he’s put out a second collection called ALLOY 24. A brief preview and impression of this will follow. Dylan’s continued interactions in the technical clothing community online and his novel re-direction of the style to a more neo-industrial Americana aesthetic with the ALLOY 24 release should be of interest to those who would like to see more grassroots, non-corporate evolutions within the scene.
ENTREM: ALLOY24
In October, 2024, Dylan launched a complete redirection of his MTO brand ENTREM with a release he has titled: ALLOY 24. This new release features seven MTO garments, a technical belt and a modular earring-neck-chain accessory with a visual aesthetic that Dylan describes as a “futurist conception of workwear inspired by my father’s career in welding and metalworking”.
I personally feel that the “flat” textures of polyester and nylon that have defined brands like Veilance, have become even more over-used within the streetwear-ification of outdoors gear that has pervaded TNF and its ilk. A more textured approach to fabrics in technical and futuristic gear I think has been a long time coming, and Dylan’s application of industrial workwear design details is one interesting way for this to manifest.
Further, as the USA’s political landscape coming into 2025 appears to prioritise “Made in America” products and manufacturing, Dylan’s ALLOY-24 release aligns intriguingly with this shift, suggesting a timely reimagining of Americana. While Americana often evokes a vintage aesthetic, its evolution, much like techwear’s roots in post-Vietnam War military surplus, could signal the rise of a neo-industrial Americana as a visual core for futurism in fashion. As an avid reader, while viewing the ALLOY 24 collection I was reminded of Samuel R. Delany’s science fiction novel Dhalgren, with its setting in a post-industrial, decaying Midwestern city called Bellona, where characters are seemingly trapped in a circular timeline. The book’s imagery of rusted iron, deconstruction, and pervasive darkness feels strikingly resonant with the aesthetic themes of the ALLOY 24 collection.
ALLOY 24 Items of Interest
Two of the handmade items that I think could be of interest to those looking for a new take on futurist fashion, are the Tungsten Cobra Belt and the ANVIL DK1 pants.
The belt includes satin finished rivets, as a nod to workwear and a two layer webbing design that I think is well-executed and would be an interesting accessory for people who want a something different from the typical AustriAlpin Cobra webbing belt.
The ANVIL DK1 pants are a 392GSM heavy weight cotton twill asymmetrical cargo pant with a currently on-trend bootcut fit, and carpenter loop. A USA-made, workwear-inspired pant for 2025 and beyond that will last for many years due to the significant weight of the denim used is a very interesting evolution of neo-industrial Americana. For those who want to buy fewer garments and wear them until they fall apart, the patina of denim and metal hardware is an attractive point of difference over the typical nylon or polyester and plastic hardware technical pants that have defined the aesthetic for the last decade or so.
Dylan is also selling a 40 page physical print book of shots taken for ALLOY 24’s release by photographer Kyle Lang [Instagram]. In an age where social media shared images are viewed within a fraction of a second, the print medium is having a resurgence led by creators who want to support a more tactile engagement with narrative-imbued photography. As someone who collects and appreciates photo books, I enjoyed seeing this done for ALLOY 24. As the collectables market continues to boom, including media like games, print books, and physical music copies such as cassettes, I think that an independent creative work like ALLOY 24’s editorial could be an interesting item to own as a record of a novel industrial Americana application on techwear.
If you’d like to support Dylan so that he may continue creating more futuristic garments, his web store can be visited here: [Web Store LINK]
If you’d like to follow his brand on Instagram please click here: [ENTREM Instagram]