Finally, summer has arrived and we can seriously start thinking about annual vacations, beach time and taking things a little easier for a month or so. Great then that this week we discovered new ways to carry sandals on the beach (who knew that was even a problem?), new places to buy luxury ice-cream and new ways to sit on our luggage. Throw in a classic artist collab, a classic brand being more sustainable and a fashion show using classic models, and we have all the makings of a great June.
Birkenstock x Maharishi
Recognising that maybe everyone in the world now owns a pair of Birkenstock Arizonas, the brand is doing a sterling job reinventing its sandals to make us buy even more. This month sees the launch of a very covetable collab with London streetwear brand Maharishi, which features military-inspired nylon/suede upper and – a new innovation here which might actually be useful – a detachable cross-body strap to carry them for when you get to the beach and want sand between your toes. If you need to bring more than just your shoes, there is also a dual-branded nylon backpack as part of the collection.
Louis Vuitton ice cream shop
Despite the inherent calories, even the fashion pack falls prey to the temptation of an ice-cream when the temperatures rise. But any old Magnum won’t do for the seriously rich in the Italian resort of Forte dei Marmi, so this summer they are in luck as none other than Louis Vuitton have opened a gelateria just opposite their store. In a whirl of monogrammed cups, napkins and spoons, the 1% crowd can spend their euros on flavours such as ‘Vivienne’ (mandarin and Portuguese milk) or ‘Gaston’ (sponge cake, praline and dark chocolate chips). Just be careful not to spill it on your LV sandals.
Zegna SS26 show in Dubai
Resort shows in exotic venues tend to be confined to the women’s luxury sector, but an exception was recently the off-schedule SS26 Zegna presentation, which took place in Dubai. Experts in no-logo, understated but super-high quality clothes, the brand played to their strengths, which centre around fabrication. Ultra-light suits (apparently weighing a mere 300 grams), washable leather and wrinkled linens had a breezy, sophisticated attitude, especially in some beautiful combinations of rich colours. Top marks too to a superb casting that featured many a silver fox mixed in amongst the ethnically diverse younger guys.
Rimowa x Vitra
A Rimowa suitcase is a thing of beauty, so it seems a shame that for most of us, they stay packed away for most of the year. Help is at hand though – you can now integrate that iconic ridged aluminium into your home with the launch of a new collab with German furniture makers Vitra. The two brands have come up with a mobile footstool that can open up to reveal upholstered compartments to store… well, we don’t really know what, but there is always something you want to hide away. And, if the metal ridged surface is a little too uncomfortable to sit on, the stool comes with a cushion to put on top. However, at a spicy €2200, maybe most of us will have to do with sitting on our suitcase instead.
Chanel’s new recycling platform
We tend to think of high street fashion retailers being the real villains when it comes to unsustainability and waste, but the luxury market has played there own destructive part too, with notorious practices such as destroying unsold clothing rather than having sales. Whilst not falling prey to that deplorable practice, Chanel have realised that they need to up their game when it comes to circularity and so have announced a recycling sector to their business. Called, rather clumsily, Nevold (a mix of never and old, geddit?), it aims to recycle leftover materials, off-cuts and unused clothing into entirely new fabrics and pieces. With that headset and the appointment of Matthew Blazy at the helm, perhaps Chanel is becoming a beacon of modernity again?
Bape x Van Gogh Museum
With a few notable exceptions (take a bow, Louisiana and MOMA), museum stores are very often the direct opposite of the elevated aesthetics they are attached to: lowest common-denominator shops full of fridge-magnets, tea-towels and mugs. So it is good to see the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam partner with legendary Japanese streetwear brand BAPE to create clothes that reference the work of the artist but stand up in their own right. Making the gorilla logo from the painter’s most famous works – Blooming Almonds, Sunflowers, Self Portrait in a Felt Hat – is a witty move as is the reworking of a classic camo design using Van Gogh’s paint strokes.
