Smythson and Leělu: A collaboration in wit
Smythson x Thomas Leělu Credits: Smythson Smythson, the British purveyor of luxury stationery and leather goods, is the latest heritage brand to embrace the art world, with a new capsule collection in collaboration with Parisian artist Thomas Leělu. The partnership, which sees Leělu's characteristically pithy and playful sentences emblazoned across Smythson's signature items, underscores the brand's ongoing commitment to artistic collaborations. Leělu, known for his wry observations on the everyday, expressed admiration for Smythson's "absolute authority" in its field. The collaboration is described as a meeting of minds, born from a shared appreciation for the analogue world of writing and a desire to inject a sense of humour into the mundane. Together, Smythson and Leělu have curated a selection of the artist's most celebrated aphorisms, aligning them with Smythson's core brand tenets: writing, travel, and gifting. Leělu's fascination with language, he explains, stems from his upbringing, as the son of a literature professor and a psychoanalyst. This linguistic preoccupation is evident in his concise and often ironic turns of phrase. The collection, launching in May, features three notebooks in varying sizes, rendered in Smythson's classic cerulean, black, and Nile Blue hues, alongside a limited-edition luggage tag and passport cover, the latter bearing a travel-inspired quote. The collaboration represents a subtle, yet sophisticated, merging of Smythson's timeless elegance with Leělu's contemporary wit.
Smythson, the British purveyor of luxury stationery and leather goods, is the latest heritage brand to embrace the art world, with a new capsule collection in collaboration with Parisian artist Thomas Leělu. The partnership, which sees Leělu's characteristically pithy and playful sentences emblazoned across Smythson's signature items, underscores the brand's ongoing commitment to artistic collaborations.
Leělu, known for his wry observations on the everyday, expressed admiration for Smythson's "absolute authority" in its field. The collaboration is described as a meeting of minds, born from a shared appreciation for the analogue world of writing and a desire to inject a sense of humour into the mundane. Together, Smythson and Leělu have curated a selection of the artist's most celebrated aphorisms, aligning them with Smythson's core brand tenets: writing, travel, and gifting.
Leělu's fascination with language, he explains, stems from his upbringing, as the son of a literature professor and a psychoanalyst. This linguistic preoccupation is evident in his concise and often ironic turns of phrase.
The collection, launching in May, features three notebooks in varying sizes, rendered in Smythson's classic cerulean, black, and Nile Blue hues, alongside a limited-edition luggage tag and passport cover, the latter bearing a travel-inspired quote. The collaboration represents a subtle, yet sophisticated, merging of Smythson's timeless elegance with Leělu's contemporary wit.
