Manolo Blahnik has launched men’s accessories. This comes hot on the heels of a dedicated men’s store this summer in London’s Burlington Arcade.
The mini line features gloves, scarves and pocket squares (handkerchiefs). Gloves, both regular, and fingerless versions for driving, include a red / yellow color block and a jaunty cowhide while long cashmere scarves come in red and blue colorways and silk squares with circular prints and sunburst motifs. The squares each bear the designer’s initials, MB, printed signature style, at the bottom right corner.
The legend goes that Blahnik felt that something was missing from his embryo men’s line. The eureka moment had him yelling the word “accessories” across his studio one afternoon, followed by “scarves, gloves, pocket squares.” And the rest is history.
“It’s a small selection, and very specific,” CEO Kristina Blahnik told FN, noting of the strategy, that the Blahnik man wants “more micro moments, to feel the production and to believe in the brand.” The idea, she says, is organic growth as opposed to a strategic commercial plan. “It’s about creating solid foundations and building layers on top – a sprinkling of newness underpinning the classics.”
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The new line, says the brand, both complements the men’s collection and emulates the eccentric style of Manolo Blahnik himself. “Men’s fashion is getting much more explorative, colorful and expressive,” said Kristina. Time then, for everyone else to catch up with its eclectic founder.
As with the men’s footwear collection which bowed in 2016, the line will retail exclusively at the store and, as of tomorrow, on the brand’s e-commerce site.
