DUKE + DEXTER has collaborated with Playboy for a third time, revamping the former’s Wilde Penny loafer. To celebrate 70 years of the magazine, which was first published in 1953, some of its most memorable cover shoots feature across the vamp of the loafer.
DUKE + DEXTER has brought back the Sketch design for a fourth time, incorporating it into the Wilde Sketch IV, where alternating prints feature on each shoe. For the Wilde 1975 Cover, the London shoemakers have delved deep into the Playboy archive, looking back to 1975, reviving Eva Maria’s first of three shoots that year.
In 1988, Laurie Carr was featured on the cover of the original lad’s mag, but not as you’d expect. The image featured little beyond the model’s eyes and mouth, serving as the perfect muted contrast to a cream leather upper on the Wilde 1988 Cover.
The collection doesn’t just focus on moments from the last millennium. The Wilde 2015 Cover features eight Bunnies from the August 2015 issue across both feet for a colourful contrast to the black leather used on the rest of the shoe. Likewise, DUKE + DEXTER didn’t just focus on the cover girls, choosing to honour the Femlins found in the Party Jokes section of the magazine from 1955-2012. The Femlin drawings soon became as recognisable as the Bunnies themselves, and their presence in the publication is honoured on the Wilde Femlin Loafer.
Founded in 2015, DUKE + DEXTER prioritises the finer details of production to exceed the quality of any brand seen on the shop floor. This seems to have paid off, with the recognisable shoes worn worldwide. Here in London, the unofficial Soho slipper can be spotted on the cobbles of Berwick Street on any day of the week.
Collaborations with artists such as Soldier Boyfriend and emerging streetwear label Soho Yacht Club have cemented the brand as a favourite of fashionistas. Unbound by its London roots, its collaboration with Playboy, a magazine that has won worldwide attention in its long history (going digital-only in 2020), exemplifies the global influences that inform the brand, with a 2019 partnership with Snoop Dogg serving as a further example of the label’s cross-continent appeal.
For DUKE + DEXTER, each collaboration bears a purpose. For its latest collection, this is clear to see: fusing the aesthetic appeal and cultural capital of Playboy with the timeless penny loafer silhouette, and we’re here for it.
The DUKE + DEXTER x Playboy collection will be available to shop from September 1 from midday.
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