It’s Pride month, so we’re kicking things off with a collaboration that’s all about celebrating the queer community, but without the rainbow-washing. Diesel is back with their fourth annual Pride capsule — this time in partnership with the Tom of Finland Foundation. The collection incorporates Finnish artist Tom of Finland’s legendary homoerotic illustrations (think sailors, construction workers and leather-clad bar scenes) across tees, underwear and jockstraps. It also taps into the foundation’s party archives, featuring snaps from fundraising events between 1990 and 2005 across other garms like hoodies, and sweatpants. The bit we’re obsessed with, though, is how Diesel got Bruce LaBruce to shoot the campaign using models cast on Grindr. Brilliant.
For this next drop, think Gabriette meets Sabrina Carpenter. NAMED COLLECTIVE has just released their Whisper collection — a cute, girly spin on their usual gothic style. First off, they have a pointelle tracksuit, which has lace detailing and may be the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. It’s also a lot more lightweight than a normal trackie set, which is ideal now we’re getting into the summer months. The fourteen-piece drop also includes an oversized grey marl tracksuit, which takes on a grown-up spin on bedazzling with its cute little patch details. And the best part is that it comes in a skirt variety to switch things up. Aside from the tracksuits, NAMED has also included an intimates set in this drop, comprising a babydoll (see, I said it was giving Sabrina), vest and thongs.
If there’s one thing you can’t go wrong with in life, it’s KFC gravy. And while this collaboration might not be able to cure your hangover in the same way, it makes up for it in vibes. KFC has teamed up with cult label Aries to drop the Gravy Drip collection and, yes, it’s as unhinged as it sounds. A ten-piece love letter to the “liquid gold”, it ranges from twelve-quid sticker packs to a £1,400 distressed leather jacket featuring Renaissance angels chowing down on chicken drumsticks. There’s also jeans printed with classical motifs (featuring a chicken drumstick chain), a chicken pendant necklace and a ceramic gravy boat that you’ll probably talk about at every roast dinner for the rest of time. As for the campaign imagery, it’s a brilliant fusion of classical artistry à la ancient Roman banquets and modern-day consumerism à la finger lickin’ good. Rest in peace, Caravaggio, you would have loved this.
We already knew that Salomon has become the king of gorpcore. Ramping up their cultural relevance even further, the trainer brand has launched the Salomon XT-6 with rising UK rapper Joe James. As ever, the crossover between outerwear and fashion is front of mind with this one. The style was originally made for ultra-distance trail running. Now it’s being worn by yutes in east London. And that’s okay. Everyone needs a comfy shoe, whether you’re running ultras, cutting about town — or making rap tunes for that matter. The fashionistas among you will be pleased to know that the XT-6 comes in two colourways (featuring smatterings of blue and orange) and you can get your hands on them at JD Sports.
Last up, we have some accessories to put on your radar. Florence-based jewellery brand Liase has a new collection called Celestial Drums. It’s all about the ‘cosmic punk’ aesthetic — which essentially means that it draws on astrological references, but in a cool, punky way, rather than a hippy-dippy one. The result is a divine blend of bold, spiky earrings, celestial, swirling chokers and rugged-textured bracelets (an ode to punk’s gritty origins). What’s really nice about the collection, though, is the way you can see multi-cultural references from founder Elisa Ciolli, who used to be the visual merchandiser at Gucci, and who’s travelled from Berlin and London through to Peru and Mexico for her work. Check out Celestial Drums here.
- WriterScarlett Coughlan
