When a venerated luxury brand like Montblanc decides to collaborate with a celebrated streetwear brand like Public School New York, the fusion of the two worlds is bound to make wonderful things happen. (A 2019 Montblanc collaboration with BAPE sold out within hours, and pieces are still making the rounds of collector sites like Grailed, StockX, and even eBay.) Maybe even more importantly, the recently debuted collection of bags and accessories is crafted from planet-respecting regenerated fabrics and other environmentally responsible materials.
The Montblanc X Public School New York (PSNY) collection features five key pieces that are designed to become instant classics. A duffle, envelope, envelope mini, and belt bag are made from a nylon yarn called Econyl, created from waste like fishing nets, carpets, and fabric straps. The yarn not only looks sharp, clean, and elegant, it can also be recycled over and over again without losing quality. Stainless steel details are 100% recyclable and are durable and corrosion-resistant. Every plastic element is made from recycled products, including straps made from recycled polyester. A business card holder is made from “leftover” leather and features the slogan “The pen(cil) is mightier than the sword,” PSNY’s play on the famous quote from English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and a cheeky reference to Montblanc’s heritage as a maker of treasured writing instruments. A leather tag stitched inside of the bags also features the manifesto, “Those who dare, those who will, those who care make the difference,” as an homage to those who are committed to saving our planet.
“With this unique collaboration, our goal is to give the environmentally conscious an opportunity to experience the disruptive streetwear style of Public School New York, while also reaffirming their commitment to reducing their footprint on the planet. It is proof that a luxury leather collection can not only be stylish and truly functional, but it can also be conscientious and environmentally responsible, ” says Sylvain Costof, President Montblanc North America.
The collaboration is an impressive marriage of European culture on Montblanc’s part and NYC attitude from PSNY. The American menswear and womenswear brand was founded by Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne in 2008 and represents a decidedly citified sense of form meets function meets street smarts. The duo are both members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), participating in the organization’s Fashion Incubator program in 2010. They were also awarded a $100,000 grant from luxury carmaker Lexus in 2019 for their Version Tomorrow concept, a B2B fabric, and garment supplier focused on making recycled cotton standard in the streetwear category.
”We have been very focused on having our goods be more environmentally responsible in recent years, creating style essentials made from repurposed materials but also supplying lower impact basics via our Version Tomorrow platform to other brands and creators who don’t have access to them. We are thrilled to be able to partner with Montblanc in its own efforts to make luxury more conscious of the world around us,” explained Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne.
Of course, Montblanc lends a certain gravitas to PSNY’s city savvy: The 115-year-old company, based in Hamburg, Germany, has been making its signature pens from the start and began creating luxurious accessories and watches when it was acquired by Alfred Dunhill in 1977. The brand’s signature white stylized six-pointed snowcap logo (a sure way to spot a real Montblanc pen) represents the Mont Blanc (the highest mountain in the Alps) snowcap from above. The brand now partners with celebrities like filmmaker Spike Lee, actor Taron Egerton, and singer, actor, and writer Chen Kun.
The limited-edition collection is available on both Montblanc’s and Public School New York’s websites, but get there fast! These beauties won’t last long.
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