Design is at the heart of what AlphaTauri is all about. For the Austrian brand’s namesake Formula 1 programme, it is integral to the success of the team, with its hundreds of engineers and aerodynamicists all working to find that extra bit of performance. It’s the same with the brand’s fashion business. Design-led and inspired by a range of disciplines, AlphaTauri clothing has built a following for its clean, minimalist design and innovative use of different fabric technologies.

While best known for its involvement in F1, AlphaTauri is a fashion brand in its own right, having first launched in 2016, four years before it took over the Scuderia Toro Rosso team. Looking at its collections today, you wouldn’t know the brand is only seven years old. Its defined aesthetic includes a neutral colour palette, functional detailing including large pockets and zipped compartments, and lightweight construction.

Unlike with its parent company, and F1 as a whole, the branding is muted and usually blends into the designs. This more understated approach lets the silhouettes, details and fabrics do all the talking. Look at the brand’s parkas, unstructured blazers or knitted T-shirts out of context, and there’s no way of telling it’s involved in motorsport at all.

For its A/W23 collection, AlphaTauri has turned to architecture for inspiration, rather than the automotive world. The Austrian home of the brand is well known for its blend of old and new. The lavish Baroque buildings of Vienna have long drawn people to the capital city, with their intricate domes and decorative townhouses. The country’s second-largest city, Graz, however, is renowned for its contemporary structures, such as the futuristic Murinsel floating platform and the alien-like Kunsthaus Graz, showing that the nation isn’t afraid of pushing boundaries. The same is true of AlphaTauri’s latest range, made up of largely classic pieces with subtle modern twists from altered cuts and performance fabrics.

The outerwear is particularly impressive. Field jackets, pea coats and parkas have been refreshed with boxy cuts, oversized patch-pockets and cinched waists. A recurring favourite, the Koov jacket, returns – this time in a shade of white recalling this year’s AT04 F1 car. The jacket is made from the brand’s patented Taurobran fabric, a three-layer waterproof membrane that remains breathable and lightweight. Perfect for travelling, its innovative design allows it to be folded and zipped up into a bag, with loop handles that attach to a suitcase. Elsewhere, the trousers are sleek, with tapered legs, pleated fronts and cropped hems for an updated feel. Knitwear is suitably refined and luxurious, with a marble-printed turtleneck referencing Austria’s many palatial buildings, while tailoring is unstructured and knitted from soft merino wool.

All in all, it’s a polished collection that is almost the antithesis of the sport in which it lives. If F1 is big, brash and competitive, AlphaTauri’s style is understated luxury that doesn’t need to shout. In a world of ever bolder, more eccentric, statement fashion, it’s a welcome reprieve.

alphatauri.com