The North Face collaborates with New York illustrator Naomi Otsu

 The North Face has announced the latest collection celebrating and elevating women in the outdoors in collaboration with graphic designer and illustrator Naomi Otsu*.

The Naomi Otsu exclusive print incorporates the effervescence of the wilderness intertwined with some of The North Face’s most signature pieces such as the 1996 Retro Nuptse Jacket, to empower individuals to discover what Mother Nature has to offer.  The printed range includes a jacket and trouser, shorts, an anorak, a backpack, hat and tote bag.

Naomi's work is inspired by the cultural crossroads in her life and her signature touch of vibrantly coloured and meticulous work. Plants and objects have been playfully and discretely personified, whilst the maximalist approach to design fills every space with meaningful detail. 

The Otsu collection is available on thenorthface.co.uk and in select The North Face stores.

*Naomi Otsu is a graphic designer and illustrator based in New York. Her work often features a colourful array of elements inspired by the cities and cultures she grew up in.

Born in New York and raised in Tokyo, Naomi returned to New York to attend Parsons School of Design and graduated in 2010 with a BFA.  Throughout the years she has honed her creativity and skills, eventually making it into a full-time career. Her work is mostly digital with the occasional painting and experimentation with mediums like clay and acrylic.

adidas and Arsenal launch women’s collection in collaboration with Stella McCartney

Sportswear brand adidas and Arsenal footclub have launched a women’s collection in collaboration with Stella McCartney, designed to support Arsenal Women both on and off the pitch. 

This is the first time adidas by Stella McCartney has collaborated with a women’s football team. The limited-edition range offer 10 pieces including a full zip hoody, as well as a gender-neutral pre-match jersey which will be worn by both the women and men’s team.

The range be available across adidas.com, in store as well as Arsenal official club stores.

British online store The Edit LDN transforms prized sneaker industry as sales soar

The UK’s leading online store for limited edition sneakers and high end streetwear The Edit Man London has changed its name to The Edit LDN to reflect the rapidly growing female appeal for new and pre-loved sneakers and streetwear as sales grow 60% month-on-month in the last 12 months. 

The Edit LDN is popular with celebrities and footballers and has reported that for the first time more women than men are making premium purchases which has prompted the company to rebrand from The Edit Man London to The Edit LDN. 

They are often referred to as the Farfetch equivalent of the exclusive sneaker world, who get over 120,000 unique visitors every month (up 5x since Jan 2020 when they launched). Sales are soaring 60% month on month and the company is set to be worth £10m by the end of the year and £30m by 2022.

“At the heart of The Edit LDN proposition is a focus on social and economic issues. These are matters that are important to us and our community, so we recognise that we’re in a super hot market right now so we want to use our platform to make a long lasting impact where possible” said CEO  Moses Rashid. 

Moses Rashid, founder and CEO of The Edit LDN

Founded in 2020, The Edit LDN is an online consignment store, a leading destination that sells new and pre-loved limited edition sneakers and high end streetwear from a variety of brands including Yeezy, Jordan, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Off-White, Supreme, Fear of God among others, to a wide community of fashionistas, collectors and investors. Through partnerships with styling services such as Thread.com and various concierge companies, the company has expanded its community of buyers from TV and film celebrities to professional footballers and royal families around the world.

Moses Rashid, founder and CEO of The Edit LDN commented: “As a brand we want to remain current and relevant to our community, our new name now fairly represents and embraces our diverse community but is true to its origins. We dropped the ‘Man’ from the name simply because the number of women buying had been steadily increasing since launch in January 2020 and passed 50% in March this year. It was the right thing to do.”

“We set out to create a destination that opens up and levels up the opportunity for anyone wishing to own extremely limited edition goods. Essentially we make Inaccessible, accessible. Previous means to buy these goods have been riddled with issues such as sending payments to random resellers found on social media, authenticity issues when buying online and long delivery times on purchases from global marketplaces. The Edit LDN addresses all these concerns and is transforming the customer experience and industry simultaneously, added Moses”. 

In 2021 (to April), The Edit LDN attracted more traffic, transactions and revenue than in their first year of trading (2020).  With 60% month-on-month growth and mounting interest, the business is set to take-off. 

“We’re regularly selling sneakers and streetwear worth £1,500 each. Recently, we sold a Gucci TNF jacket for £9,200. It’s not only the variety of goods we offer but the speed at which we send purchases. Just last year we managed to source and sell 44 Playstation 5 games consoles to the England U21 football team within 24 hours, literally dispatching them in Ubers to their homes” said Moses.

Looking ahead, Moses added: “This is a marketplace worth $6b a year globally and will grow 5x by 2030. By the end of this year, The Edit LDN will be worth £10m and given the hyper growth rate of our sales and revenues, we will 3x our valuation by the end of 2022 for sure. In meeting the needs of this rapid scaling, we will seek to raise funds this year to propel us as we launch in new markets”. 

The Edit LDN has its community and social conscious front of mind. They have raised funds and awareness against gun crime, mental health and sustainability issues. In 2020, the company collaborated with the artist McCrow as part of the One Less Gun campaign to create a sneaker with bullet shells from an AK-47 rifle. Working with Gary James McQueen in aid of MIND mental health charity, they raised funds with an exclusive T-shirt drop featuring the famous McQueen Vanitas skull. 

In owning their sustainability agenda, they turned their focus to the circular economy by selling pre-owned (or pre-loved) goods through the platform. In addition to this, they are a paperless company and only ship products using recycled packaging. 

UNIQLO X JW ANDERSON - SS2018 collection inspired by the English Beach culture

The English Channel - Photo © Lucia Carpio

The English summer may be unpredictable but to many of us in the UK it is a glorious time of the year when we will find any excuse to head out to the beach.   And one of our favourite beaches very accessible from London is in the southern coast on the English Channel. 

Brighton Beach is inspirational for many creative souls including London-based fashion brand JW ANDERSON which is launching a new Spring Summer 2018 men and women’s collection at UNIQLO, the Japanese global apparel retailer that has a strong following in the UK market and around the world.

Uniqlo announced that the new UNIQLO X JW ANDERSON collection will launch at UNIQLO stores* and UNIQLO.com in 19 countries and regions from Friday, April 20**.

Uniqlo photos.

The line highlights designer JW Anderson’s unique take on the Brighton culture. Complementing the unisex designs that are basic to the range are items enabling casual mixing and layering for an array of styling alternatives. The collection highlights the enjoyment of LifeWear fashions for everyone, regardless of age or gender, according to Uniqlo.

Commenting on the launch of the 2018 Spring/Summer line, Jonathan Anderson, founder of JW ANDERSON, said  celebrates the 1950s heydays of Brighton.

“In the 2nd collection of the collaboration, I’m looking for this idea of ‘British Summer,’ the idea of being on the Brighton beach. Something which is very lightweight, very airy, with a lot of linen, and cotton that has a 1950’s sub-cultural movement. With a little bit of ease and something which is quintessential.” He added, “As a UNIQLO customer, I know exactly the quality that the brand gives to its products. I am very proud of the level of execution and the attention to details that we delivered on this new Spring/Summer collection.”

Commented Yuki Katsuta, Group Senior Vice President of Fast Retailing and Head of UNIQLO Global Research and Design, “As befitting its dedication to ‘Simple made better’, UNIQLO’s mission with LifeWear is to create apparel that embodies simplicity, quality and longevity and is always stylish.

Uniqlo is known for its wide range of functional designs and designer collaborations, fusing quality fabrics with fabulous fit.  This week, Japan’s Fast Retailing Co, owner of clothing chain Uniqlo, posted a 35 percent rise in second-quarter operating profit and upgraded its full year forecast by 13 percent as its international sales continue to drive growth.

*Availability for collection items may vary. **Launch dates will differ in some markets.

Collaboration between two UK brands for satchels and bikes launched this month.

Two of UK's best known lifestyle brands for leather bags and bicycles have launched this month their first collaboration.

The bags from Cambridge Satchel Company are available online and in stores in Cambridge and Covent Garden in London.  The bike from Brompton is sold exclusively in its dedicated Brompton Junction stores, and in selected American stores.  

The collaboration between Cambridge Satchel Company and Brompton Bikes is viewed as a natural fit as a bicycle is already part of the Cambridge Satchel Company’s own logo, plus both companies are manufactured in the UK.

Brompton's in-house design team have worked closely with The Cambridge Satchel Company to develop the leather satchels which integrate with the Brompton’s front carrier system, fitting neatly onto the front of all Brompton bikes.

The Satchels, able to hold up to 2.5 kg of your must-have items, come in three colours: a Lagoon Blue, Turkish Green and Oxblood as shown in above and left pictures, taken at Cambridge's Covent Garden shop in London.   Brompton has also created a special edition bike in Gloss Oxblood and Ivory which showcases the Oxblood satchel.   The sophisticated colour combination should appeal to both men and ladies.

The Satchels handmade in Cambridge's own factory in Leicester, UK, are retailing at £195, and the foldable bike handmade in Brompton's factory in west London costs £1,400 and comes with the bag.

The bags are available online and in Cambridge's stores in Cambridge and Covent Garden in London.  The Brompton bike is sold exclusively in its dedicated Brompton Junction stores, and in selected American stores.

All photos © Lucia Carpio 2017.

Po-Zu executives talk of sustainable footwear and collaboration with STAR WARS™

They speak of pineapple leaf and coconut fibres, cork and other sustainable materials.  Sounds like an exotic cocktail of tropical delights? Not quite, but the ingredients for these ethical footwear are indeed enticing.

Sven Segal, the founder of the Po-Zu brand of eco-footwear hand-made in Portugal and its managing director Safia Minney (founder of sustainable fashion brand People Tree) were introducing their new footwear collection for men, women and children at a press event this March in their new north London office.

When you have two great minds joining up to push with passion for products that are kind to the environment and to our well-being, their enthusiasm rubs off and appeals to our desire for design aesthetic and values.
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The name Po-Zu stems from the Japanese verb ポーズ that means to pause, bringing with it a notion of stopping to think about the impact of modern footwear and look at ways to halt the damage caused to us and the planet by the exploitive working conditions in the leather industry.

Sven and Safia trumpeted their resourcefulness in producing an ethical shoe brand made of an impressive variety of sustainable materials for the different styles for everyday wear.

They also took the opportunity to preview the co‐branded STAR WARS™ / PO‐ZU collection, which includes high quality replicas of footwear worn in the films by some of the key characters, under licence with Lucasfilm/Disney.

To read in full, click HERE.

All photos © Lucia Carpio 2017.