Rewrite
The New York-born brand may have made its name with hyper-realistic cookie bags and experimental silhouettes, but with their LFW debut, founder Carly Mark strips things back. Here, we talk to her all about it…
Puppets has landed in London! When Mark made the announcement last season, confirming her impending move across the pond and firm step into an accessories-first approach, New York had no choice but to grieve. Founded in 2018, Puppets & Puppets quickly became a hometown hero to NYFW — a star who brought tongue-in-cheek humour and wonderfully weird designs back to the heart of the city, whose shows became coveted events on the calendar, and whose pieces became ultimate It Girl status symbols. (If your It Girl is a playful, self-assured icon like Rosalia, Ella Emhoff, and Julia Fox.) Now, based between Paris and London, Mark has — physically and metaphorically — taken apart everything she’s known her brand to be, and reassembled the pieces to create a new chapter.
Solely focusing on handbags, her SS25 presentation feels like a grown-up version of the brand we know and love — a natural evolution that holds the same off-kilter identity but through a fresh lens. “I keep calling it a style show not a fashion show,” she tells Wonderland. “The clothes are minimal and strange. They tell a story and also create a context for the handbags. The clothes won’t be put into production, they exist as creative expression only.”
Models walk around the ICA space in sleek, commanding, yet tonally simplistic looks that, as the designer mentioned, provide the narrative surrounding the new bag — the “pillow.” Bras, underwear, gloves, white tees, and everyday trousers were sourced instead of created, styled as a means to build out the world of the new Puppets. That universe comes with a new logo designed by SPECIAL OFFER, Inc (the creatives behind Brat branding) featuring an upside-down lion that, just as the brand has continued to do, defies industry norms in its artistic and stylistic nature.
“The point wasn’t to make clothes but rather use things that already exist,” she continues. “Everything we need is already here.” She’s referring to the industry’s over-production issue, but it feels like a mission statement for Mark’s own future as well. As she embarks on the unknown, thrilling chapter ahead, it is clear that everything she needs is already here, within her.
Read the full interview…
Hello! How are you doing? Can you tell us a bit about how things have changed for you since last fashion week? When did you officially make the move to London?
Hello! It’s been a whirlwind. It took me a few months to officially move out of New York. I had a lot of unwinding to do— take apart my office, dismantle a team, physically move out of my apartment. I’ve babystepped my way through it. I landed in Paris on August 22nd and since then i’ve been bouncing between Paris and London. I have work to do in both cities, so for now i’m moving around.
What was the decision behind the move? What differences have you found between the industry there and here?
I had lived in New York for 18 years and I was ready for a change. It makes more sense to be here at the moment and build my community. So far London has felt calmer, which is something I was really looking for. Ask me in a year the real difference between the industry there and here and i’ll have data for you. It does feel like there’s more room here for young creatives, there’s space to breath.
When you began the label, did you know this is the direction you wanted to take it (creatively, geographically, etc) — or has it been an ever-evolving process?
Ever-evolving. Everything about my trajectory and this industry has been a surprise to me. I feel like I blinked and woke up 6 years later with a fully operating brand. I never expected this life, but I love being part of this industry.
How did you approach the SS25 season differently?
I keep calling it a style show not a fashion show. The clothes are minimal and strange. They tell a story and also create a context for the handbags. The clothes won’t be put into production, they exist as creative expression only.
Can you speak a bit about the collection? What was the design process like — materials, silhouettes, colour ways, etc? What do you hope to say with it?
The clothes are sourced and then altered and sometimes embellished. The point wasn’t to make clothes but rather use things that already exist. Everything we need is already here. There’s a production issue in this industry. We’re told to keep making lots of things when there’s already so much. The collection is mostly black and white. It’s minimalist and yet somehow talking about maximalism.
Looking at this next chapter, what are you most excited to share with the world?
I love a thing that feels like it’s already existing in the future. I hope this presentation does that. I hope what I continue to do feels that way as well.
in HTML format, including tags, to make it appealing and easy to read for Japanese-speaking readers aged 20 to 40 interested in fashion. Organize the content with appropriate headings and subheadings (h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6), translating all text, including headings, into Japanese. Retain any existing
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The New York-born brand may have made its name with hyper-realistic cookie bags and experimental silhouettes, but with their LFW debut, founder Carly Mark strips things back. Here, we talk to her all about it…
Puppets has landed in London! When Mark made the announcement last season, confirming her impending move across the pond and firm step into an accessories-first approach, New York had no choice but to grieve. Founded in 2018, Puppets & Puppets quickly became a hometown hero to NYFW — a star who brought tongue-in-cheek humour and wonderfully weird designs back to the heart of the city, whose shows became coveted events on the calendar, and whose pieces became ultimate It Girl status symbols. (If your It Girl is a playful, self-assured icon like Rosalia, Ella Emhoff, and Julia Fox.) Now, based between Paris and London, Mark has — physically and metaphorically — taken apart everything she’s known her brand to be, and reassembled the pieces to create a new chapter.
Solely focusing on handbags, her SS25 presentation feels like a grown-up version of the brand we know and love — a natural evolution that holds the same off-kilter identity but through a fresh lens. “I keep calling it a style show not a fashion show,” she tells Wonderland. “The clothes are minimal and strange. They tell a story and also create a context for the handbags. The clothes won’t be put into production, they exist as creative expression only.”
Models walk around the ICA space in sleek, commanding, yet tonally simplistic looks that, as the designer mentioned, provide the narrative surrounding the new bag — the “pillow.” Bras, underwear, gloves, white tees, and everyday trousers were sourced instead of created, styled as a means to build out the world of the new Puppets. That universe comes with a new logo designed by SPECIAL OFFER, Inc (the creatives behind Brat branding) featuring an upside-down lion that, just as the brand has continued to do, defies industry norms in its artistic and stylistic nature.
“The point wasn’t to make clothes but rather use things that already exist,” she continues. “Everything we need is already here.” She’s referring to the industry’s over-production issue, but it feels like a mission statement for Mark’s own future as well. As she embarks on the unknown, thrilling chapter ahead, it is clear that everything she needs is already here, within her.
Read the full interview…
Hello! How are you doing? Can you tell us a bit about how things have changed for you since last fashion week? When did you officially make the move to London?
Hello! It’s been a whirlwind. It took me a few months to officially move out of New York. I had a lot of unwinding to do— take apart my office, dismantle a team, physically move out of my apartment. I’ve babystepped my way through it. I landed in Paris on August 22nd and since then i’ve been bouncing between Paris and London. I have work to do in both cities, so for now i’m moving around.
What was the decision behind the move? What differences have you found between the industry there and here?
I had lived in New York for 18 years and I was ready for a change. It makes more sense to be here at the moment and build my community. So far London has felt calmer, which is something I was really looking for. Ask me in a year the real difference between the industry there and here and i’ll have data for you. It does feel like there’s more room here for young creatives, there’s space to breath.
When you began the label, did you know this is the direction you wanted to take it (creatively, geographically, etc) — or has it been an ever-evolving process?
Ever-evolving. Everything about my trajectory and this industry has been a surprise to me. I feel like I blinked and woke up 6 years later with a fully operating brand. I never expected this life, but I love being part of this industry.
How did you approach the SS25 season differently?
I keep calling it a style show not a fashion show. The clothes are minimal and strange. They tell a story and also create a context for the handbags. The clothes won’t be put into production, they exist as creative expression only.
Can you speak a bit about the collection? What was the design process like — materials, silhouettes, colour ways, etc? What do you hope to say with it?
The clothes are sourced and then altered and sometimes embellished. The point wasn’t to make clothes but rather use things that already exist. Everything we need is already here. There’s a production issue in this industry. We’re told to keep making lots of things when there’s already so much. The collection is mostly black and white. It’s minimalist and yet somehow talking about maximalism.
Looking at this next chapter, what are you most excited to share with the world?
I love a thing that feels like it’s already existing in the future. I hope this presentation does that. I hope what I continue to do feels that way as well.
and integrate them seamlessly into the new content without adding new tags. Ensure the new content is fashion-related, written entirely in Japanese, and approximately 1500 words. Conclude with a “結論” section and a well-formatted “よくある質問” section. Avoid including an introduction or a note explaining the process.
