This article was published on October 26, 2022 and updated on March 15, 2023.
mfpen's entire ethos, like I've said before, is to purely pave its own path irrespective of the greater fashion industry. mfpen does what it wants to do and if that's agreeable for other folks, great. If not, that's fine too.
Take mfpen's collaborations. An emerging designer of mfpen's scale, craving crossover success, may be tempted to seek a hyped sneaker collaboration or big partnership with some heavyweight retailer to score some crossover visibility.
Instead, mfpen eschews big-name team-ups, modestly styling its lookbooks with vintage running shoes rather than the new hotness. Its only footwear collab to date is with equally indie Parisian footwear label Adieu, with whom mfpen created semi-inconspicuous chunky leather shoes.
If it sounds like I'm pleading the case for mfpen, well, maybe so.
I appreciate any brand humbly blazing its own trail through the crowded, attention-hungry industry that so often places mundane repetition above individuality its arbitrary hierarchy.
Hardly a groundbreaking perspective, I know, but I especially respect the way that mfpen's entire brand vision is neatly represented through intentionally understated uniform dressing, something we can all aspire to.
Back to collaborations.
For maybe its third or fourth-ever collaboration, mfpen partnered with Korean company BLANKOF on a line of special bags for Fall/Winter 2022. The collaboration continues for Spring/Summer 2023 with more exquisitely understated accessories whose plain façade belies thoughtful fabrication.
But why BLANKOF?
"We've been getting a lot of interest from the Korean market, and our following there has been growing over the years," founder Sigurd Bank explained. "When BLANKOF reached out through a common partner, it felt natural to work with them."
Indeed, mfpen's classically cool clothing has found a loyal following in South Korea, a country obsessed with effortless dressing. See: local favorites like Youth, Document, and even Thisisneverthat, the incredibly popular streetwear label sometimes described as the Korean Supreme.
BLANKOF is mostly known within its native South Korea for making minimalist accessories under the mantra of "NEAT AND PROPER," which sounds fitting for mfpen itself, really.
The label been around for a good long while, dishing yearly collections comprising goods as disparate as bucket hats, camera straps, totes, and, as of 2022, bespoke Mizuno sneakers.
mfpen's spin on BLANKOF's utilitarian bags are muted, wrinkly, and designed to be worn every day. The differences between the standard BLANKOF products are subtle but will be more noticeable when scoped IRL, so get yourself to mfpen's website to secure the bag (literally).
"We tend to have a commute theme in our collections, so these three options of bags fit well into this theme," Bank continued. "It's three classic options of bags, but with an insane amount of detailing, and which we chose to make in this crinkled nylon that gives a lot of depth in the fabric."
As handsome as they are in the imagery, the collaborative bags sound like something that makes even more sense in-person, something that must be seen to be believed. That makes them a perfect match to mfpen's clothing.
