To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Michael Kors, the American fashion brand has teamed with Ashya, an emerging accessories brand founded by American/Jamaican pair Ashley Cimone & Moya Annece to launch their capsule collection.
It was the 40th-anniversary milestone that had Kors thinking back to his own beginnings and how he could support the future of the fashion industry when he decided to provide an opportunity to an emerging brand by offering them the distribution and platform of the Michael Kors brand to reach a larger audience, as well as mentorship.
Michael Kors released a statement about the collaboration. He said: “Anniversaries force you to think about the past as well as the future. My business was founded in New York City in 1981. Now, I find it exciting to shine a spotlight on the next generation designers here in New York City.”
“When I first came across the work of Ashley & Moya at Ashya my eyes were immediately struck by their unique perspective and thoughtfulness. I reached out to them about a collaboration that would combine our sensibilities. I was thrilled by how it turned out.”
Ashya x Michael Kors has two limited-edition bags. ‘The Multi Bag’ and ‘The Bolo Bag’ are available now. They’re both designed in Ashya’s pared-down, luxurious silhouettes. The custom print incorporates the MK Signature logo in a new pattern inspired from West African weaving techniques.
Ashya cofounders Cimone, Annece, said that the collection was a nod towards their continued explorations and global’stepping out’ moments for the brand. They wanted to reference West African weaving in designing the Ashya and Michael Kors styles. This created something that had historical references to our identity and spoke to the uniqueness of this partnership.
“African textiles are a way to communicate with one another and pass on stories from generation to generation. The use of colours, patterns, and decorative elements has a historical and spiritual significance. You can see the aesthetic value of West African textile designs in the lines and motifs that were created for this collaboration.”
Kors said that Ashya’s collaboration was a natural choice, as Ashya is a brand based in New York and helmed “two talented, thoughtful, and entrepreneurial designers,” who were inspired by travel.
The multi-functional Multi Bag is priced at 495 US Dollars / 485 Pounds. It can be used as a crossbody bag or a belt bag. There are two lined pockets and each one has a leather card sleeves.
The Bolo Bag is smaller and can be worn around your neck, waist, or crossbody. It costs 295 US Dollars / 290 Pounds. The styles are available in either brown or black.
