Ahhh With under a WEEK to go, until the epic eighth and final season of Game of Thrones begins, HBO, the American cable network behind this Global phenomenon and others including VEEP, Sex and the City, Silicon Valley, The Sopranos, Big Little Lies and True Blood have been working flat out for us not to miss our weekly dose from the realms of Westeros and Essos once it is over in essentially, just a couple of weeks time. Literally , whatever your budget we have something to beguile you with, here with a collection of fantastic collaborations.

 Raise a glass and sing of the praise of whatever clan you align yourself to with this Limited Edition White Walker Single Malt Whisky from Johnnie Walker,

As we said everyone wants in on the final act and here we find Adidas staking their claim to the Iron Throne.

No need to send a raven when you have this commemorative Set of stamps from the Royal Mail, the royal Seel has been given.

As we said whatever your budget we have something to entice you, here we see the retailer Primark showing off their wares and yes the rumours are true their first store in the seven Kingdoms will open shortly in Dorne.

Want to radiate the ethereal beauty of Daenerys Targaryen or maybe someone, you’d give your life for then Urban Decay have just the thing.

Ever acclaimed Fashion Designer John Varvatos is a fan of Game of Thrones and has collaborated on a range inspired by the tales.

After Legend and Emblem, Montblanc launches a new fragrance in 2018 that pays tribute to a theme to which it is closely linked: exploration. Explorers know it well: adventure has no limits. Once you have climbed a new summit, you start thinking of the next challenge, kinda like cleaning out the boot of your car, what do you move onto next ? 

The name Montblanc EXPLORER was, some night day, an obvious choice: the Luxury House has been a favourite among keen travellers for the past century, thanks to its fountain pens whose ink never leaks, whatever happens in life or travel. These forward- thinking canny craftspeople have cultivated a quality that is essential in the eyes of every pioneer: reliability.

Montblanc shares the same values as explorers, such as the relentless quest for excellence. Climbing summits, challenging conventions and exploring the four corners of the globe. From South Africa to Haiti, Italy, Germany or the Peak Distinct;

Montblanc EXPLORER invites explorers on a fantastic journey, giving them the opportunity to discover the rarest ingredients and manufacturing methods that combine craftsmanship with the latest technology.

To create Montblanc EXPLORER, three outstanding talents from Givaudan have combined their expertise: Jordi Fernandez, Antoine Maisondieu and Olivier Pescheux, who’s past work have included scents for fragrance houses including Christian Dior, Bottega Veneta and Acqua Di Parma. Each of them brought their own knowledge of a specific ingredient and their emotional experience, both as a nose and a traveller, to this unique collaborative project. Together they have created an innovative olfactory experience. 

They developed their own travel diary to create this extraordinary new fragrance: Bergamot from Italy, Vetiver from Haiti and Patchouli from Indonesia, turning Montblanc EXPLORER into an invitation to travel the world. 

The top note bursts with effusive Bergamot from Italy, revealing the bright, energetic and optimistic side of the fragrance’s heart, called OrPur. This bergamot is paired with the masculine notes of French OrPur, Clary Sage and spicy OrPur Pink Pepper.

The heart note of this journey takes us to the most remote part of Haiti: in the extreme south-west of the island, in the region of Les Cayes, where the most refined vetiver is organically and ethically produced. Celebrated by perfumers all over the world, Haiti’s vetiver oil is comparable to no other, thanks to its smoky hues and its slight overtone evoking hazelnut. OrPur Vetiver, exclusive to this specific region of the island also proudly affirms its masculinity, while keeping its natural character thanks to a unique steam distillation process. Pure charisma needs no artifice.

A final stopover takes us to Indonesia, more specifically on the island of Sulawesi to discover a new type of patchouli of unparalleled quality. This patchouli has been developed exclusively for Montblanc fragrances. Sharp, modern and naturally elegant, Montblanc EXPLORER is created around this new and bewitching woody structure. 

Montblanc EXPLORER thus takes pride of place as a new exceptional accessory alongside the Maison’s iconic pens.

This latest interpretation of the classic Pasha de Cartier from the iconic French Luxury house offers a Masculine and contemporary reinterpretation of the legendary Pasha de Cartier launched in 1992. 

This charismatic scent combines green citrus freshness with the depth of amber and cedarwood.

Cartier expresses the radiance of the fragrance’s powerfully seductive scent through the limited- edition black bottle, gadroons, and three bands. The element bottle is inspired by the Cartier pencil design.

The talented nose behind creating this unique scent is Nathalie Feisthauer, who’s past successes have included fragrances for such illustrious houses as Comme des Garçon, Hermes, Hugo Boss and Paul Smith to name a few.

When I first received the information regarding today’s blog post I did have to check whether it was an April Fool’s prank, as it did seem a little too good to be true. 

But no no Billy Tannery is a British leather brand founded by two entrepreneurs and childhood friends,  Jack Millington and Rory Harker, who discovered that, due to the growth in demand for goat meat in the UK and the decline of the British leather industry, there were thousands of hides going to waste. Now, having partnered with award wining,  ethical goat meat supplier Cabrito, Billy Tannery use the leftover hides to produce premium vegetable tanned kid leather that is tanned in a small-batch tannery or ‘microtannery’.

This dynamic duo launched their range of leather bags and accessories that are designed and handmade in Britain. Billy Tannery is the first leather brand of its kind in the UK, with a vertically integrated supply chain from hide to final product. Jack and Rory’s goal is to put an end to the waste of British goat hides by tapping into the rich leather heritage of the UK’s Midlands area.

Founder Jack Millington said, “Despite the clear link between meat and leather, the topic is often uncomfortable and rarely discussed. In a time of increasing interest in provenance, our partnership with Cabrito allows us to trace our leather all the way back to the farm.”

Curated from our very own in the UK, MKI MIYUKI ZOKU was founded in 2010 by creative director Vik Tailor. His vision was to bring a concept store never seen before in the heart of Leeds, bringing a new style and ethos to the city, targeting the knowledgeable fashion consumer.

Since opening its doors 9 years ago, MKI have grown quickly in the UK, becoming the go to brand for affordable streetwear that remains of a high quality, whilst also establishing a reputation as a go-to fashion store when in the north of England.

The whole focus of the brand is to offer quality, designer garments at a much more accessible price point for their target market. A strong design focus lays on ready to wear garments with bold, innovative graphics, whilst also offering a simple, clean and aesthetic look. Most noticeably, their range of Sherpa hoodies and ¼ zips have been a huge hit across their fan base.

The meaning behind the name MKI MIYUKI ZOKU only adds to the authentic culture that the brand has curated. The MKI MIYUKI ZOKU were a Japanese Youth Tribe who were the first to adopt elements of the US IVY league look way back in 1964. To add, the word ‘ZOKU’ means subculture or social group which reflects the very essence of the streetwear community. The group consisted of both guys and girls, mostly in their late teen, who are labelled as being the pioneers of bringing American style over to Japan.  MKI themselves are very much creating and continuing to grow their own ‘ZOKU, which has amassed to over 40,000 people on Instagram.

MKI have developed a strong organic growth in the last 5 years, both on and off line. Most noticeably, the brand is stocked in Selfridges, End, Harvey Nicholls and Seven Store. This wholesale approach has been key for the brands continued growth, bringing invaluable exposure and the recognition they deserve.

In my opinion, what MKI are doing for the streetwear industry is fantastic. In recent years, the streetwear industry has become too much about the ‘Hype’, where monetization sits at the forefront. So, by offering on trend high quality items that reflect an authentic story at an affordable price point, MKI are making the community more accessible, which in my thoughts is their strongest USP

Go check them out gang!