If if you haven’t yet heard of New York Dynamic Design Duo Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, that will definitely soon change. One of the up-and-coming conspirators in the new wave of young irreverent American menswear designers, their brand Public School, blends high and low references from fashion, music, and art to create a point of view that is both unique and precisely detailed. Represent the convergence and restless energy of New York city in which they live and work. So much so last year they were appointment Creative Directors of the eponymous New York Super brand DKNY.
Growing up, both Chow and Osborne attended public school in New York City, which had a huge influence on their lives and individual take of style. This season they have collaborated with TUMI to create a six piece collection encompassing both brand philosophies of high-quality design that brings its customers functional superiority and technical innovation. Each travel piece will prominently feature the PUBLIC SCHOOL design aesthetic, including the monochromatic color scheme of which the label is known for.
The range includes a 21” carry-on and 24” check-in wheeled bag, travel satchel, backpack, day tote and dopp kit. The wheeled pieces are crafted from TUMI’s own Tegris material in Black Graphite with a laser-cut netting overlay, creating a weave pattern effect on the exterior of the cases. The overlay of materials is based on an architectural idea of mimicking the weave of a garment and applying it to manmade material. This pattern, featured throughout the collection, is infused into the hardware and luggage tags of the day bags and accessories, as well as the 2-D effect on the bottom of the travel satchel. Nylon and leather are incorporated into the day bags and dopp kit, while the tote, described by the PUBLIC SCHOOL duo as the ‘quintessential bag’ was designed in leather and suede. PUBLIC SCHOOL drew inspiration and energy from their hometown of New York City, and have injected it into the collaborative collection.
Each piece in the collection bears a “PUBLIC SCHOOL x TUMI” embossed story patch on the interior lining as well as a rubber tassel inspired by the key chains and “strings” that hung from the designers’ backpacks in high school.
