Week 44.
Collaborations are clearly big news these days, often to bring together the expertise of different specialists or design aesthetics but also as a way of giving a fresh twist to an old classic. This week sees that approach applied to both cognac and heritage shoes with mixed results. Elsewhere we see that not everything Porsche designs is good… This is what caught our attention this week, for good or bad.
Hennessy x Lebron James
The world of celebrity and alcohol seems to be inextricably linked these days with A-listers turning up as producers (take a bow Brad and Kylie) or designing bottles and labels (posthumous work by Basquiat for Dom Perignon for example). Away from Hollywood, art or music though and the relationship becomes a little more awkward – especially when a sports star is involved (after all, alcohol isn’t exactly a healthy drink). The latest to try to make it work though is cognac producer Hennessy who have teamed up with NBA star Lebron James to create a special edition of both their VSOP and VS blends. In reality, it boils down to a colourful label featuring a painting of the man himself and a logo that incorporates his tattoos. A photoshoot of the basketball star in a French garden spinning the bottle on his finger as his homies look on is maybe one step too far though.
Tekla x Auralee
Despite (we think) the lack of any ancient physical contact, Japan and Scandinavia have a lot in common when it comes to aesthetics – a love of simplicity, appreciation of natural materials, functionality etc etc. This is highlighted in a new collaboration between local heroes Tekla and Tokyo-based fashion company Auralee which celebrates the rituals associated with bathing in Japanese natural springs – or onsen. The former’s signature striped towels are reworked in gentle shades of sage green and pale blue and come in a special long shape and sit alongside pyjamas and sleepwear. Most interesting however is Tekla’s foray into outerwear in the form of a white down parka and a long, robe-like coat, both perfect for the walk through an autumn forest to get to the heated rock pools.
Aimé Leon Dore x Timberland
We have to hand it to Timberland, they are becoming the bona fide kings of collaboration: we can hardly keep track of who they are working with these days. Alongside Louis Vuitton and last month’s JJJJound mash-ups, they have just released a fourth mini-collection with Aimé Leon Dore. This one riffs on the classic Heritage Moc Toe with the chunky shoe offered in two colourways – brown and black. Neither of them reinvent the wheel (which for sure is right for the brand), playing instead with subtle colours and textures but we like the addition of soft pink laces on the brown pair.
La Marzocco x Porsche
Regular readers of this column may remember the espresso machine maker La Marzocco recently collaborated with Rimowa in a special edition that was actually pretty chic, bringing together both brands’ slick design motifs. A new project with Porsche unfortunately is not quite as elegant. The slate grey monochrome model is pretty inoffensive in a rather dull way (it’s basically slate grey…) but the Martini Racing design, featuring the go-faster stripes of the 911 Carrera RSR which won an endurance race in Sicily in 1973, is a lurid misstep that would be an eyesore in any kitchen. Snaps to having a retro vibe but the colours are horrible and look so cheap (which for sure it is not). Mercifully it is restricted to just 911 machines so hopefully, you will never see one in real life.
Prada spacesuit designs for NASA
Being an astronaut was top of many boys’ and girls’ career wish lists but the news that the latest NASA space suit has been designed with the help of Prada pushes the desirability of such a position literally sky high. The space agency used Prada’s expertise in fabrication and construction to create something that includes all the hi-tech requirements for such a uniform but with their trademark red logo trims (shame they didn’t go full-on Prada print or embellishment but hey, it’s baby steps). The suits will be worn on the Artemis III mission planned for 2026 which will actually put humans on the moon’s surface for the first time since 1972. Now THAT will be a spectacular runway!
