It’s a knockout.
Saint Laurent and Everlast are ready to rumble. The two brands – heavyweights in their respective fields – have joined forces to create a new capsule collection of luxury boxing gear and apparel.
The monochrome line, available exclusively at Saint Laurent’s Rive Droite space in Paris, features a total of six separate pieces. There’s a heavy-duty Punching Bag finished in high-grade leather for long-lasting durability (£880 / S$1,576); Headgear that’s complete with cheek protectors and padded ear holes (£465 / S$833); and Boxing Gloves that have been made from full-grain leather (£395 / S$707).
But the knockout piece has to be the classic Everlast Boxing Shorts. Made in the United States from high-quality satin, the trunks feature a four-inch elastic waistband which Saint Laurent redesigned in order to sure a snug fit around cup and waist. The shorts, along with the other pieces of the collection, are emblazoned with both distinctive logos to make you feel like a reigning champ.
And if the one-two punch of Saint Laurent’s effortlessly cool creative touch and Everlast’s historic boxing legacy wasn’t enough to hook you, the collection’s backstory surely will. Saint Laurent’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello was inspired by the iconic black and white portraits of artists Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat decked out in Everlast boxing garb. This prompted him to not only design the new collection but to also use Michael Halsband’s original snaps from 1985 when marketing it, making Warhol and Basquiat impromptu Saint Laurent models in the process.
The new Everlast collaboration seems right at home in Saint Laurent’s conceptual Rive Droite collection which is curated by Vaccarello. Here, the French fashion house has taken a decidedly experimental approach, working with more eclectic brands and segueing into realms beyond ready-to-wear. So far we’ve seen Saint Laurent snow globes, skateboards, skis and even condoms. Now we can add boxing gear to that list.
