From Simone Rocha’s highly anticipated H&M collaboration to rare photography books from Climax Books
Spring is here and with it, new hope for the months ahead, as lockdown measures look likely to soon lift for good following almost a year spent indoors. With a change in the air, no time is better than now to treat yourself – here, we present an edit of the best shopping March has to offer, from Simone Rocha’s highly anticipated H&M collaboration, to some sugar-sweet bedding by the Swedish brand Magniberg, and rare photography books from Climax Books.
SIMONE ROCHA X H&M
Simone Rocha’s H&M collaboration arrives in stores this month. Marking the Irish designer’s first foray into mens- and childrens wear, in addition to her much-loved womenswear designs, the March 12 release was teased with a Tyler Mitchell-shot campaign this week starring, among others, former AnOther Magazine cover star Kelsey Lu.
MAGNIBERG
Brighten up your bedroom with some luxurious bedding by the Swedish brand Magniberg, who have just released a colourful new collection of sheets inspired by the experience of walking into a sweet shop. “The variation of colours simply makes you happy,” say founders Bengt Thornefors and Nina Norgren.
SUNG JU AT APOC STORE
Fashion and art marketplace APOC store stocks a near-unrivalled selection of creations by emerging talents. New to the online store is South Korean menswear designer Sung Ju, whose beautifully draped and deconstructed pieces are made to order. This particular T-shirt is inspired by the silhouette of Korean melon.
HEAVEN BY MARC JACOBS
Marc Jacobs’ youth culture-led line Heaven just got a much-anticipated restock this week. Riffing on teenage tropes and a grungy 90s aesthetic, the latest drop was launched with a star-studded, Harley Weir-shot campaign featuring Brian Molko, Georgia Palmer, Lily McMenamy, Rex Orange County, and Kate Moss.
AESOP X CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN
Aesop have teamed up with British designer Christopher Raeburn on a new collection of sustainable roll-up travel pouches, which house a trio of the skincare brand’s hand products. A reflection of Raeburn’s responsible ethos and upcycling prowess, the pouches are crafted from reclaimed 1960s aeronautical navigation maps of areas affected by environmental degradation.
HILLIER BARTLEY
London-based label Hillier Bartley is known for its playful jewellery, which is often the result of taking everyday objects and subverting them with a punky twist. Its latest offering is no different – a fun yet elegant unisex collection inspired by the humble paperclip. “Much like a paperclip itself, the collection is made for everyone, irregardless of gender or personal style,” says the label.
CLIMAX BOOKS
In 2020, Isabella Burley launched Climax Books after years of a “slow-burning, long-term addiction” to collecting photography books. Stocking not only hard-to-find publications, but rare ephemera, periodicals, erotica, and VHS tapes, the book shop has just celebrated its six month anniversary with a restock, which includes titles on Sofia Coppola, Nan Goldin, Nobuyoshi Araki, and more.
MACKINTOSH X CECILIE BAHNSEN
Mackintosh has collaborated with Scandinavian designer Cecilie Bahnsen on a delicate trio of outerwear pieces, which fuse Mackintosh’s signature fabrics with Bahsen’s eye for beautifully constructed, feminine silhouettes. The three new styles emerged during lockdown, and were crafted from upcycled fabrics.
GIVENCHY ACCESSORIES
Accessories are a strength of Givenchy’s new creative director Matthew Williams, whose covetable utilitarian designs catapulted his own label 1017-ALYX-9SM to success. His debut line of accessories at the helm of Givenchy sees Williams take a similarly future-facing approach, blending clean modern lines, Givenchy hallmarks, and industrial hardware finishings.
MIKIMOTO X COMME DES GARÇONS
First established in 1893, Japanese jeweller Mikimoto is a global authority in pearl jewellery – its founder, Kokichi Mikimoto, was in fact the first in the world to successfully culture a pearl. This March sees the arrival of Mikimoto’s second collaboration with Comme des Garçons at Dover Street Market, bringing together the traditional beauty of Mikimoto’s pearls with rebellious silver safety pins, studs and fangs.
DIOR MAXI SADDLE
As they say, sometimes bigger is better – a sentiment Kim Jones has adopted for his latest accessories release, which sees Dior’s seminal saddle bag playfully enlarged to create the men’s ‘Maxi Saddle.’ The new XL cross body bag is crafted with functionality in mind, and features a logo shoulder strap and removable phone case.
LOEWE PERFUMES, BOTANICAL RAINBOW
Last year, Loewe’s elegant release of perfumes and home scents inspired by the simple vegetable garden were an instant success. Jonathan Anderson’s latest olfactory venture is similarly intuitive, reimagining the house’s repertoire of fragrances in a series of minimal yet colourful bottles, which together form a rainbow “system based on colour, touch and smell.”
STRANGE FLOWERS PRINT SALE
Last month saw the launch of The Earth Issue’s new anti-racism photography show, Strange Flowers. The show’s accompanying charitable print sale continues for the month of March, offering prints by some 50 image-makers – including Kay Ibrahim, Alex Bateman, and Laura McCluskey – which see a portion of proceeds go towards the “BIPOC community through cultural, artistic and social empowerment causes”.
ANISSA KERMICHE
To mark International Women’s Day, jewellery designer Anissa Kermiche has launched two new creations which celebrate femininity – a sensual ceramic bust jug created with Net-a-Porter, and a gold bra earring available to shop via Matches Fashion, which sees a portion of proceeds go to Solace Women’s Aid.
ALEX EAGLE SPORTING CLUB
Social restrictions permitting, London-based designer Alex Eagle is set to open a sporting club on Lexington street, inspired by the venues of “Britain’s past, where the community spirit was as important as exercise itself.” Alongside this venture, this month the label is releasing a third collection of luxury leisure wear, titled The Portland, which is crafted in-house at Alex Eagle studio from quality Japanese cotton jersey.