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Hush Puppies will launch a new collection for Autumn Winter 2012 that is inspired by the brand’s iconic heritage. Out On A Limb editor Nicola Hyde speaks to Jack Hemingway – the designer who says he’s out to invigorate the brand.
Jack tasked with making brand cooler THE Hush Puppies brand was founded in 1958 and has been at the forefront of 50 years worth of fashion and subculture. Although now mainly seen as a mainstream lifestyle brand, at one time Hush Puppies were the symbol of a generation – the footwear of choice for the mod movement were Hush Puppies. And now, it’s returning to its roots with a heritage inspired collection created by design agency Hemingway. Designer Jack Hemingway – the son of Red or Dead founders Wayne and Geraldine – was tasked with making a range that appealed to a different clientele. He said: “Hush Puppies have a great business – their womenswear is good but the men’s had really grown old with the customer base. They wanted to get into a few cooler shops and get a younger customer and they thought we would be best placed to give it a crack.” It is Jack’s first ever footwear collection and, although he used to play in the Red or Dead warehouses as a child, he admits the hardest part of creating footwear was getting to grips with the unfamiliar spec sheets for shoe parts. He added: “Hush Puppies has heritage – it’s been through every youth culture we’ve ever had in this country from teddy boys to rockabilly to 80s casual. “They have been there and done it. “With this collection, we picked three key moments in time – we wanted that teddy boy look to be like a creeper but not as daunting, a bit more wearable and the desert boot, the Chelsea boot well, there’s not much you can change in the design but we’ve been working with colours and making sure we got some interesting new elements in there like the bespoke print on the sole unit which was the 1960s Hush Puppies logo that we cut up and Product showcase
recreated. “Their archive is great – I can’t wait to dig deep in there because I bet there’s loads of amazing stuff. Although these are new designs, they are influenced by the original.” Hemingway Designs has also looked after the concept for photography, promotion and point of sale for the brand – even sourcing 1950s record players to use as point of sale in shops. Jack added: “Hush Puppies as a brand is in a really good position – people are familiar with the brand. “This collection is quite far removed from the mainstream line but is adding some street style and, once we get in these cooler shops, it will entirely change the perception of Hush Puppies.” Jack is now working on a collection for Spring Summer and he hopes to add women's footwear in there.
June/July 2012
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