If you don’t know Hidden Mangroves by name, you may have already noticed one of their stickers hidden amongst the graffiti that decorates your local pub. Or perhaps you’ve spotted one of their brightly coloured scarves on your favourite Southbank skater via Instagram.
Over the past couple of years, Creative Director and Founder Luca Brown’s witty and thoughtful clothing has built up a loyal fanbase of musicians, artists and, of course, skaters across London. Now, with their spiral logo adorned with a flower arriving at London’s Dover Street Market, the brand is slipping into something a little more elevated, with a new collection including bespoke, hand constructed short sleeve shirts, made from repurposed silk sourced from fabric factories and markets worldwide. Fans of the classic graphic T-shirts are not left wanting, with a new range of designs featuring Brown’s signature wordplay are also available, plus a handy embroidered sweatband allowing to you remind fellow joggers to “Seize the Day”.
Intrigued? Well read on then, as Luca spills five things you need to know.
1. Hidden Mangroves was inspired by a lack of brands with substance
“With the growth of social media, a lot of shit with no substance has been given a platform to exist. I wanted to create something my friends and I actually wanted to wear. I made a T-shirt and everyone backed it, it kind of just grew from there.”
2. The name isn’t just for show, it stands for something
“Mangroves are trees that exist on tropical coastlines with roots that go beneath the sea. On the surface they appear as just trees but below there is a whole ecosystem. It’s metaphorical, representing a world that you enter when you explore our brand. We want to take you on a journey that isn’t surface level. Everything is considered.”
3. Their design process is emotionally-driven and they don’t shy away from it. Or tequila!
“All our clothes are inspired by a feeling first, if the design doesn’t move me then why would anyone else feel it? I had a strong feeling this would be our first recognised collection and to mark that achievement I wanted to make a T-shirt in celebration of that, with the words ‘Come through with taste’ on the back. A few of my friends think they’re classy so this one is for them. One of them got me into drinking tequila and soda with fresh lime… now I feel like Barry White.”
4. The devil is in the details
“For this current collection, I was away in Kerala, India and knew the region produced amazingly coloured multi-toned silks. On the last day I found this shop selling silk sarees and asked the owner if he had any fabrics that hadn’t been tailored. He took me to his small warehouse full of bags containing different coloured silks; each one had unique tones that changed colour in the light. The process for our shirting will always be to deliver the most interesting fabrics, to the highest possible standard. Each roll of fabric has its own detail. Some have been marked, but this simply adds to their story.”
5. They wouldn’t instruct you to “Seize the Day” without knowing what they meant by it
“Alright picture this… you wake up in the morning after having eight hours of sleep, you’ve been in a deep sleep but you woke up naturally so you’re not too groggy. To your surprise you realise you’re actually on holiday but it was dark as the blinds were closed so you forgot. Breakfast is whatever you want it to be because you have that microwave, like in Spy Kids, where they can eat whatever they want. It definitely contains fresh orange juice and pancakes, the rest it up to you. You clap and the blinds open to a sea of opportunity. Your juul is fully charged, the sand is white and the speakers are Sonos. Standing on the balcony like Rose in Titanic, your silk Hidden Mangroves shirt flutters in the wind to the sound of The Isley Brothers Summer Breeze…
Nah I’m playing! ‘Seize the Day’ is just one of the brands mottos. I guess my mindset shifted when someone close to me passed away. Their sudden death revealed the shortness and preciousness of life. Now I make sure every day counts.”
Hidden Mangroves latest collection is available through their online store and exclusively arrives in store soon at Dover Street Market London.