CASABLANCA’S NEW SNEAKER & A LEE® X BE@RBRICK MASCOT: YOUR MONDAY BRIEFING

Yes, it’s Monday again, and yes, the weekend flew by way too quick, yet again. To kickstart your week on the right foot, we’ve compiled up a list of news all in one place, so you can keep up with what the fashion industry has been up to. This week the obsession is our childhood, with toys becoming a key theme on a Lee® x BE@RBRICK collaboration that centres around the mascot, while Guess takes on a nostalgic favourite, Hot Wheels, for its new collection. So here goes your Monday Briefing.

LEE® X BE@RBRICK GO FULL ON MASCOT MODE

Buddy Lee makes its appearance in the Lee® x BE@RBRICK collaboration that turns the emblematic mascot into the bear-style Medicom Toy figurine in a “perfect mesh of two global icons”, says the VP of Global Collaborations at Lee, Joe Broyles. The figurine comes in 3 sizes, including one over 2 feet tall. Accompanying Buddy Lee, the two have also created tees and a denim jacket featuring the denim overalls-wearing mascot, now available for purchase online and in select stores.

CASABLANCA GETS WAVY WITH ITS NEW SNEAKER COLOURWAYS

Having debuted the sneaker during Paris Fashion Week last year and released several colourways already at the beginning of this year, Casablanca revisits its Atlantis sneaker in a series of new appearances. Now available in a “Haute Red”, “Midnight Navy” and “Powder Blue” iteration, the wavy-soled sneaker will drop tomorrow online and in stockists around the world. One top of the new colours, the sneaker also receives new materials, including a patent leather panelling while keeping the signature perforated look.

LORO PIANA WANTS YOU TO SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOUR MEAL IN LUXURY

Loro Piana has always tapped into the Italian lifestyle to inform its collections, whether it be ready-to-wear or its furniture. Now, the brand is equipping us with homeware to enjoy the peak of Italian culture – the food. In Loro Piana’s L’Art de la Table – the Art of the Table – collection, a blend of functionality and creativity can be found in the refined tableware, which includes porcelain glasses, striped plates found in the brand’s emblematic kummel colours, as well as fabric accessories like placemats and napkins made out of cotton, linen and polypropylene. Made for indoor and outdoor dining, Loro Piana’s l’Art de la Table collection is now available on the brand’s website and in boutiques across Paris, New York and Milan.

VALENTINO GOES REGAL FOR ITS UPCOMING HAUTE COUTURE SHOW

Haute Couture is the highest echelon of fashion and Valentino is treating it as such. The Italian Maison has just announced the location of the Haute Couture FW23/24 show which will take place on July 5, and the site itself is already setting the tone. Around a 30 minute drive away from Paris, Valentino will be taking over the decadent Château de Chantilly, home to perfectly trimmed gardens with pools of water outdoors, and indoors, jewels and painted portraits of Renaissance royalty.

HUNTER GETS READY FOR PRIDE CELEBRATIONS

Pride month may still be a couple of weeks away and Hunter is already honouring the LGBTQIA+ community with its latest product announcement. The British footwear brand is launching the unisex BLOOMTM Pride Clog with its marble print that reimagines the Progress Pride Flag that is laid onto each shoe in a one-of-a-kind manner. Priced at £45 and launching on June 1, all proceeds will be donated to Hunter’s long-time charity partner Outright International, a human rights organisation that specialises in documenting rights violations against members of the LGBQTIA+ community.

GUESS ORIGINALS TAKES A RIDE ON HOT WHEELS

Fashion has always been obsessed with both youth and cars, and Guess Originals is combining both of these fixations into one. Collaborating with Hot Wheels for a limited edition capsule collection that gives off both nostalgia and racing aesthetics, Guess has released 14 pieces for the occasion online. Shorts, baby tees and loose-fit tees are found with racing graphics, while a racing jacket with Hot Wheel’s logo spread across its front features patchwork detailing and a baseball hat receives the co-branded treatment.

K-WAY X UNIVERSAL WORKS IS READY FOR FESTIVAL SEASON

Titled “Festival Kit: Come Rain or Shine”, the collaboration between K-Way and Universal Works is prepping everyone for the muddy festival grounds this summer. Combining K-Way’s utility with Universal Works’ English heritage, the collection features 2 jackets – the Watergate Bay and the Porthmeor jacket – made out of recycled materials pulled from K-Way’s own house fabrics. Universal Works co-founder David Keyte explains that the jackets will both “keep you dry” and can be stored away easily when dry, being “a godsend for those seemingly endless hours spent waiting for the next band to come on the Pyramid Stage”.

HERON PRESTON IS LAUNCHING A CREATIVE STUDIO FOR EVERYONE

L.E.D. Studio is artist and designer Heron Preston’s latest venture, a creative studio open to all. Wanting to promote creativity freedom, both through expression and accessibility, and environmentally-friendly processes, L.E.D. operates on a well-rounded system comprising a social community (which Preston calls WORLD), a scholarship program (HP L.E.D.), a recycling and donation scheme (EXCESS), a client-focused creative agency (SERVICE CENTER), as well as a retail store and a YouTube channel. Speaking on his new initiative, Preston stated “L.E.D. Studio is my private art & design practice open to everyone equally, set to enrich our understanding and meaning of how Less Environmentally Destructive concepts can take shape in culturally relevant and relatable ways. It’s my brain’s playground.”

PATTA RELEASES ITS SECOND FEMME CAPSULE COLLECTION

For SS23, the Netherlands-based Patta focuses on accessibility for all in its latest womenswear release, with an inclusive incline on sizing and fit. Drawing inspiration from its first drop, this collection blends functionality with streetwear aesthetics as seen on its hoodie dresses and biker shorts. The capsule also includes a range of tees, cropped sweaters, sweatpants and leggings and will drop online on May 26, as well as in Patta’s Amsterdam, London and Milan stores.