Umit Benan and Jacques Marie Mage have announced the release of a unique capsule collection inspired by the mythos of the American West and the French avant-garde. The collaboration reflects both luxury brands’ mutual insistence on artistic integrity, impeccable construction, and inimitable style.
The partnership began as a provocative rhetorical question between JMM founder Jerome Mage and Mr. Benan: “What if the French poet, designer, and artist Jean Cocteau traveled to the American West to meet Native American rodeo rider and folk-hero Jackson Sundown?” The answer is a series of distinctive, limited-edition menswear, spectacles, and accoutrements. Artful and expertly constructed reinterpretations of classic Western attire—like the fringed cowboy tuxedo, refined cashmere blanket, and handcrafted sterling silver and turquoise bolo— are accompanied by a curated selection of new and classic JMM eyewear styles in a variety of unique color stories.
Here, the meticulousness of Japanese craftsmanship evident in all the fine details of JMM’s eyewear are matched with the time-honored expertise of Neapolitan tailoring. Throughout the collection, these two formidable heritages blend together in resounding displays of skill and sophistication, resulting in rare, collectible sartorial expressions of the highest order.
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While the clothing of the UB x JMM collaboration is entirely designed and handmade in Italy using the finest materials the country has to offer, the eyewear is designed in Los Angeles and handcrafted in Japan using exceptional plant-based acetate, incorporating responsibly sourced precious metals and real, undyed turquoise. Glasses come in a monograph-style box set in blue linen that includes a letterpress authenticity card and custom Umit Benan microfiber cleaning cloth.