M.Hulot SS13- Strapped Howe and Cona Bowling bag

It has occurred to me that despite my love of all colours tonal, earthy and subtle, I have a huge obssession with the most bold and subversive of them all- RED! Collecting inspiration I cannot help being drawn to this hue; whether it's tomato, coral, pillar box or burgundy it is just so joyful and life affirming.

Whatever the shade it becomes all the more special when it's just a flash or a stripe, that shot of colour to lift a neutral and sobering base. Look out for tomato brights in our SS13 range.

Red Umbrella- 1951 Saul Leiter.

Red Umbrella- 1958 Saul Leiter.

Red Umbrella- 1960 Saul Leiter.

M.Hulot AW12- Two tone Prussia satchel and Howe clutch.

A few weeks ago as I was pondering my red obsession, I went to a screening of a new documentary 'In No Great Hurry' about the photographer Saul Leiter. Directed by Tomas Leach the film is a personal portrait of the photographer acclaimed for the way in which he captures street life in New York. It's beautifully shot and Tom has done a wonderful job portraying a man for whom life and work are deeply entwined.

Unbeknownst to me, I had already bookmarked one of Leiter's images 'Red Umbrella' in my quest for colour. Seeing the documentary opened me up to more of his work and it seems he too went through a red phase, photographing red umbrellas seen from dark cafes, taxi windows and against graffitied walls. Just beautiful!

For all you red lovers out there, check out the two tone Prussia and two tone Howe available now from M.Hulot AW12. 

M.Hulot Prussia Satchel on Minna May blog.

Minna May's hand drawn type.

Minna So Tumbr

I just discovered the M.Hulot Prussia satchel was featured on illustrator Minna May's blog at the end of September. Not only is it great seeing our product as part of a selection, and how an individual perceives and curates the style, but it also opens us up to whole new world of beautiful and unique content!

I love the way Minna May blog is so minimal, but still retains a playful and relaxed edge. Her hand drawn types remind me of M.Hulot's loopy scrawl and the whole site has that 'feel good' factor that makes me want to scroll through and devour past posts.

Minna also has a personal tumblr of black and white images and words of wisdom.

Thanks Minna!

A

The Red Balloon (Film Still)

At the SS13 M.Hulot stand Capsule, Paris

The brand new Cona bowling bags

Nova flap Shoppers and Strapped Howe bags

Exhibiting at a trade show can be a daunting prospect; so much love and attention has gone into each range that exposing yourself to fashion buyers and press is as nerve racking as it is exciting. But emotions aside, one of the things us designers have to do is eat humble pie and listen and learn from the buyers.

One of the brand new M.Hulot styles is a very simple oversized shopper named the Sas Tote. It got a lot of attention, but one Japanese buyer mentioned something very interesting: the petite shape of the average Japanese woman could mean that this particular style is too large, making it unsuitable for the Japanese market. This kind of feedback is invaluable.

The Strapped Howe bags came about as last season buyers repeatedly asked for detachable cross body straps on their clutch bags. Et voila SS13 and the Strapped Howe is turning out to be one of our best sellers!

One of the most exciting parts of buyer feedback that really got me thinking creatively was 'they're unisex right?'. Now, M.Hulot is a ladieswear brand, but I've always personally admired casual and heritage menswear brands so I guess some of this has rubbed off, and worked some of it's magic. Maybe the time is now...