After revealing in late December 2020 that he was leaving Versace, Salehe Bembury started 2021 with another major announcement.
The FN 2020 Designer of the Year shared an image on Instagram announcing his new brand, Spunge. “@beaspunge is my brand. It will also be the hub for all of my collaborations and work. Stay tuned,” Bembury captioned the Instagram post.
Although Bembury revealed the name of his brand, he has not yet stated what fans can expect to see. And the information about Spunge on the @beaspunge Instagram account is minimal, with the bio only stating “est. 2020.”
In an email sent to FN in late December, Bembury stated he will be leaving Versace at the end of his contract period — which was the end of 2020 — “to pursue new opportunity.” Also, he said he will continue with his namesake collaborations, such as the ones he did in 2020 with New Balance and Anta, and was ready to launch his own brand.
Bembury joined Versace in 2017, and most recently served as its VP of sneakers and men’s footwear. Under his direction, the Italian fashion house became a serious player in sneakers, most notably with its acclaimed Chain Reaction that debuted in 2018, and more recently the Squalo and the Trigreca styles.
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In 2020, Bembury delivered a new-look New Balance 2002R bearing his name that released — and quickly sold out — on Oct. 23. The beloved designer also revealed a pair of new silhouettes with Anta — dubbed the SB-01 and the SB-02 — that he confirmed with FN would release in January 2021.
