The brand behind the blanket of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's son

On a beach in Malibu, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky present their firstborn to the world, either through an spontaneous clip posted by Rihanna herself on her TikTok profile or through a photo shoot: the couple embrace as the sun sets in the background. Among the all-black outfits of the new parents, only one detail stands out: the faded orange blanket in which the baby is wrapped. A detail that has not escaped even the most attentive observer and that bears the signature of one of the most sought-after independent designers by the stars of LA, witness to a love affair for vintage, bespoke and the fever for upcycling, which in this case takes on a meaning that goes beyond sustainability. But it's not just that, it's also about the passion for refined blankets that led A$AP Rocky to wear a huge multicoloured quilt by ERL at the 2021 Met Gala, reissued thanks to the impeccable tailoring skills of Russell Linnetz.

The Japanese designer behind PROLETA RE ART and the distressed charm quilt that wraps the son of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky goes by the name Prot. The production, made to order by Prot himself, consists of an almost insane reworking of the same vintage garment: bandanas, jeans, work jackets, basketball caps are sewn over and over again, using scraps of fabric and a very old technique called boro, which consists of repairing garments that have been damaged over the years, originally due to the economic impossibility of buying new ones, which had become synonymous with shame and poverty in rural Japan. «The name goes back to 'Working Proletariat in the non-productive class'. I started with the intention of redesigning and individualizing old clothes and pieces that had served their purpose, that had been retired, so to speak. By harnessing the power of design, craftsmanship and vintage processing and exploiting the material they had, we can transform them into art» he says in an inteview to Archive. The goal is to look at things not by their cultural balance or perfection, but by how they reflect the true humanity of their owner or creator.

Prots craftsmanship, combined with an appreciation and deep knowledge of vintage pieces, but also an ambition to push the boundaries of design to create something truly new, has ensured that Travis Scott, Odell Beckham Jr, Lil Baby, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, DJ Mustard and fashion collector Justin Reed are miles long on the waiting list of mere mortals and the limited edition is distributed in selected shops such as MR PORTER, NUBIAN, H LORENZO and Mannahatta NY. Base price? 4.000 euros. Well, quality is priceless, as are ideas.