ALYX’s chest rig is your hands-free answer to bags

Designers want to keep you safe. Items that were once solely practical are now are being mimicked as wearable accessories, and it's a shift that feels at home for fashion brand ALYX. The line, known for its clean silhouettes with weird, practical design elements, pulls inspiration from the mechanics of the real world — to ALYX, a vehicle's seatbelt is the ultimate belt, so why would you only wear it while seated?

Helmed by creative director Matthew Williams, ALYX is bringing the same mentality to its latest utilitarian hatch: the chest rig. The piece counts Kanye West as a fan, and features technical fabric, multi-sized pockets, and a mesh back panel. The chest rig slips overhead and buckles around as a full-body pocket, which effectively nixes the bulk-and-strap related annoyances that come with fanny packs and other carry-alls, all while keeping your hands free.

At a glance, the chest rig looks like some sort of bizarro, toy-sized military vest and its colorways — army green, navy blue, white, and black — have a clean, camouflage-ready feel to them. The future is ultimately unknowable, but what we do know right now is downright frightening. Perhaps going forward, good style will reflect whatever keeps us at our most agile.

Thumbnail via ALYX Studio's Instagram.