Dress it up with a designer pocket square
The new range from Australian-based Eight Eight adds a touch of individuality to any outfit.
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Stylish women know accessories make the outfit. A simple frock can be jazzed up with a key piece of jewellery or a gorgeous silk scarf.
Men don’t necessarily have the same freedom to accessorise but one area the fashion-forward gent can express himself is with a well-chosen pocket square.
Eight Eight, a new Australian label created by GQ Men’s Journal writer Jack Phillips, offers exclusive, traditional accessories with an unashamedly masculine aesthetic.
The company’s first product is a line of limited-edition silk and bamboo pocket squares, all created in partnership with an array of cutting-edge Australian and overseas artists, illustrators and muralists.
Phillips (above) was inspired by the less-rigid dress code that Australian men are embracing, encouraging them to add more flourishes when dressing up for spring racing events and even at work.
“I knew I didn’t want to go down the streetwear line, but I wanted to update a more traditional, every day look,” he told Robb Report Australia.
The style is a bit more contemporary than other accessories on the market: “Who needs another polka dot pocket square?” Phillips jokes.
With designs by Sydney-based muralist Mulga, Brit Jon Leigh, Spanish pop-art maestro Tiago Majuelos and Brisbane’s Annabelle Lambie, the pocket squares look just as good stuffed into the pocket of a denim jacket as they would folded into a suit jacket for an evening out.
Each pocket square is created in tight-run, exclusive quantities and are designed to stand the test of time.
“Men value craftsmanship and pieces that last,” Phillips says.
Another aspect of Eight Eight that makes it unique is its social conscience. The label manufactures as much as possible in Australia and offsets all its carbon emissions. In addition, 10 per cent of its profits are split between charities Beyond Blue, Greenfleet and The Movember Foundation.
According to Phillips: “If everyone does something, it makes a huge difference.”
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