We, like most of Denmark, it seems, have been on our vacations the past few weeks – Graham in France and Robin having a well-deserved holiday at home – but things have still been happening out there for us to tell you about. With a lot of brands launching their main collections in the summer months, collaborations are a bit fewer on the ground, but that hasn’t stopped creativity in other ways: from pop-ups and capsule collections to innovative marketing strategies and new product groups, the luxury market is doing its best to buck the downward sales trend. Here are some things that piqued our interest as we sat by the pool.
Hermès and art
Hermès has always been next level when it comes to events and customer activations – as anyone who witnessed their travelling craftsmanship exhibition a few years ago will attest. The most recent issue of their bi-annual magazine Le Monde d’Hermès is dedicated to drawing, and to tie in with this, they held a creative art workshop where the lucky few could experience and try out different techniques in a beautifully conceived event. Hermès is also putting their money where their mouth is and commissioning fifty different artists to create pieces that reflect the essence of the brand: reassuring news in an AI world that regularly steals work rather than pays for it.
Lyst List – Miu Miu’s top spot
The quarterly Lyst index – a ranking of clothing/accessory brands based on internet searches, media presence and general buzz – is always greeted with much interest in the fashion industry as an alternative indication of success to simple sales figures. Last week it was revealed that Miu Miu had regained top spot – mainly due to the runaway success of their suede loafers – whilst Loewe dropped a place, whilst the world waits to see what the new creative directors do with the brand. Cos remain the only high street brand in the top ten, with the rest being luxury price labels such as The Row, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta. Good news too for Burberry who have had a sticky time over the past year or so but made it back into the top twenty – probably on the back of a hugely creative social media campaign.
Le Café Lacoste
Hospitality seems to be the new black for many luxury brands with logo-ed ice cream stores, bars and coffee shops popping up at well-heeled resorts across the globe this summer. Latest to join in is Lacoste with their cafe that just opened in Monte Carlo. Despite the slight location mis-step – it might have a jet-set image but Monte Carlo is one of the tackiest places on earth – the enterprise looks quite funky. Needless to say, it’s awash with tennis paraphernalia, and there are crocodiles on EVERYTHING, but it looks like a fun place to sip a coffee and eat a (crocodile-shaped) cake before going back over the border into France.
Nigo and Pharrell in Japa Valley Tokyo
Whilst on the subject of designer forays into the hospitality world, it comes as no surprise that creative duo Pharrell and Nigo want part of it, but in the biggest, most extravagant way possible. Not content with a mere cafe or hot dog stand, they have teamed up with Japanese group Not A Hotel with plans to create a whole entertainment area in Tokyo called Japa Valley (a Japanese version of the Napa Valley, apparently). Conceived as a ‘visionary art, retail and hospitality precinct’, the hectare-sized site features tall wooden structures (to house pop-up cafes and stores) set in gardens and surrounding a giant reclining statue by KAWS. It will either be fabulously eccentric or absolutely hideous, but you can’t help but be impressed by the ‘think big’ attitude.
Hansen Denim collection
There’s slow fashion, and then there’s very slow fashion. Copenhagen-based menswear brand Hansen have wanted to do a denim collection since they started, but it’s taken them a mighty fourteen years to find the correct partner. Finally, their dream has landed with a small but beautifully made capsule entirely made in Japan. Using neppy denim woven in the Okayama prefecture, there is a boxy take on a western jacket plus two styles of jean – a more classic one and a standout baggy version with twisted outer seam. All come with the nerdy details we would expect – hidden rivets, chain stitch, minimal detailing – whilst a henley and two indigo bandanas complete the set. Sometimes good things are worth waiting for.
Rains first ‘homeware’
Waterproof capes and coats by Danish label Rains are a mainstay of any Scandinavian summer, but – in a rather unexpected move – the brand is expanding their offering into homewear. Leaning into a vision of dining outside – either full-scale camping or just outside on the balcony – the collection offers beakers, plates, bowls and a lunchbox all crafted from brushed steel. Despite the high-concept source of inspiration – the book Biophilia by Edward O Wilson that explored the idea of sociobiology – the pieces are attractive enough in a very minimalist way and show Rains’ aspiration of becoming a full lifestyle brand.
Comme des Garçons x Max Richter
We adore Comme des Garçons and always applaud their uncompromisingly avant-garde approach to pretty much everything, but even we had to raise an eyebrow when we heard they were collaborating with internationally acclaimed composer Max Richter on… a fragrance. But what could have been the height of pretension actually turns out to be quite a cool idea. Instead of aiming to capture the essence of his music, it actually uses perfume notes related to its production – cedar-wood from a piano, resin from a violin bow, dust on a transistor and the aroma of magnetic audio tapes etc etc – to create something that will no doubt be unusual and maybe a little challenging but totally on brand. We haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but will report back as soon as we have.
