First of all, the name of the Westbrook XO Barneys New York x Want Les Essentiels de la Vie Kastrup Backpack is absurdly long. It has a lot to tell us, for sure, but it’s choosing to convey all that information in a really convoluted way, and it’s making this very simple, modern backpack seem complicated. It’s not! But in case this is the first you’re hearing about Barneys’ latest menswear collaboration, allow me to explain.
You may or may not have heard of Russell Westbrook, but he’s a extremely talented NBA player who has a knack for dressing like a crazy person in extremely expensive clothes. He has an enormous enthusiasm for fashion, though, and his choices are noted by entire swaths of male pop culture that might not otherwise be exposed to that type of style. With that in mind, Barneys brought him in to collaborate on a capsule collection with a bunch of the store’s favorite menswear brands.
This Want Les Essentiels de la Vie backpack is part of that collaboration, and it manages to combine Westbrook’s flare for the dramatic with the brand’s penchant for elevated basics. The bag does have dark leopard calf hair straps and gussets, though, so it’s not entirely lacking in the basketball star’s more daring sensibilities.
