Beautifully Hand-Stitched Biker Leathers From... A Sri Lankan Restaurant?
In Kolam’s Paris-based restaurant, every plate served offers a contemporary take on Sri Lankan culture. And its Schott NYC collaboration is the same, although expressed through a different form.
Together with American leather jacket specialists Schott NYC, the Parisian restaurant has created a series of hand-crocheted jackets.
Each jacket is a labor of love, taking a total of 38 hours to create. The Kolam team produces a hand-made crocheted panel layered above each jacket and adorned with jewelry inspired by Kolam masks, often used for mythological dance performances in Sri Lanka.
On the final product, there's a stark contrast at play: The hard-wearing leather of a motorcycle-infused, all-American leather jacket meets rustic, multi-colored, patterned crochet. It’s a rugged jacket with an artisanal, Sri Lankan-infused touch.
Produced in very limited quantities, these jackets are available from The Archivist Store, a Parisian vintage boutique located in the same neighborhood as Kolam.
While it’s not a uniquely Parisian proposition, the French capital has a healthy roster of small, fashionable eateries of a similar ilk to Kolam. There is the sandwich store Paperboy, for instance, which Kolam previously collaborated with and has become popular for its sportswear releases, as well as Jamaican restaurant Jah Jah, with its brand boasting collaborations with everyone from Salomon to COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT.
The best independent restaurants in Paris are sometimes also the best places for shopping.
