Lorenzo Martone on Nycked Swimwear, Vans Collaboration
Nycked, the swimwear line created by advertising and PR exec (and former Marc Jacobs flame) Lorenzo Martone and jewelry designer Jules Kim, tried out a very unexpected collaboration this season: Vans shoes.
And even though the flip-flop—or stiletto, for those Miami types—may be a bikini's best friend, when Martone and Kim were approached by the classic skater brand, they were totally on board.
“[Vans] had heard of our line and approached us,” Martone told FashionEtc. “Jules and I were so excited—we’re so blessed to have been able to do this in our first year in business. A collaboration can give you experience in new product categories, and Jules and I then decided that we’d love to use the shoes for our show. We were able to have a presentation where the suits looked amazing and we had our own shoes.”
The styles, which debuted at the recent Miami Swim Week, are far from the classic slip-ons, though. “We mimicked two of our [swimwear] designs from the first season,” Martone said. “One of our best sellers was a monokini with a corset, so one of the shoes is a gladiator sandal that had the corset style for the shoelaces. We’re a brand where our bottom line message is to bring the city look into swimwear. … We’re really happy with the results.”
Martone says that while there aren’t any other collaborations in the immediate future, they wouldn’t rule them out—just don’t count on Nycked to come out with a full line of apparel.
“I do want to expand, but I don’t think it’s ready to wear,” he said. “We’d do categories that would be more out of the box, more unexpected. Everything has to have a little wink.”
We’re keeping our eyes peeled.
In related news, check out more suits from Miami Swim Week.
