Leather Meet Denim
You know me, I love a good "x" mash-up. I think it's my years of reading Japanese and Hong Kong magazines where ever "x" collaboration, fusing fashion, streetwear, art and music gets a product-driven write-up, with about a bazillion still life shots alongside just to emphasise the fact that "You.Can.Buy.This.Now." One of the most notable "x" to have come out of last season at the womenswear shows in Paris was the debut of Loewe's collaboration with Junya Watanabe at the "wiggy-grunge" Junya A/W 13-4 show. At that bleary-eyed moment when my eyes still hadn't quite woken up yet, I did have a bit of a pleasantly-surprised "Huh? How did that happen?" moment.
As it turns out the coming together of a Spanish luxury leather goods house and one of the elite Comme des Garcons clan, was a result of marking the 400th annivesary of Spain and Japan's working cultural relationship. Loewe's leather expertise mashes up with the Japanese denim know-how in a hash tag moment that shouldn't work but does as #LeatherMeetsDenim. Watanabe's penchant for utilitarian plaid and polka dot fabrics in patchwork formation combine with the lushness of Loewe's premium leather skins in mash-up harmony. Having been to Loewe's HQ and factory in Spain, I can attest that everyone is obsessed with the "touch" of everything so on pieces such as the half denim, half leather-back jeans, you can't help but want to glide your hands over your own tush, as wrong as that sounds. The collection comprises of patchworked Amazona bags and jeans with simpler pure leather patchwork pieces such as a pencil skirt that has a an intriguing diagonal zipper at the waistband - a simple detail that ups the Watanabe factor.
The collection has recently launched at Dover Street Market in London and in lieu of that, I couldn't help but have a go at joining up the dots and squares of this East meets West crafty collaboration with my own checks and dots.
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