Category: artist

  • Moynat Taps Kasing Lung for a Playful Twist on French Luxury

    Moynat Taps Kasing Lung for a Playful Twist on French Luxury

    Luxury heritage meets cult favorite art toys. Parisian trunk maker Moynat has teamed up with Hong Kong born illustrator Kasing Lung for a capsule that flips the codes of classic French craftsmanship with the mischievous world of The Monsters.

    The Collision of Craft and Culture

    For over 175 years, Moynat has been synonymous with understated elegance trunks, leather goods, and travel pieces rooted in tradition. But in this new drop, the maison hands the keys to Kasing Lung, the mind behind the globally adored characters Labubu, Zimomo, and King Mon. His creations, once confined to art books and collectible figures, now crash headfirst into Moynat’s iconic M Canvas.

    The result? Bags and accessories that feel like they walked out of a gallery and onto the streets part Paris atelier, part toy convention heat.

    What’s in the Capsule

    Expect reimagined staples like the Moynat Tote in PM, MM, and GM sizes, a revamped Mini 48h, the everyday Hobo, plus ultra rare Mignon bags. Smaller lifestyle pieces cardholders, passport covers, charms round out the drop, all stamped with Lung’s irreverent Monsters.

    This isn’t just merch. Each piece feels like a collectible one foot in high fashion, one foot in street culture, and both planted firmly in the now.

    Why Now

    The collab marks the 10th anniversary of The Monsters, with the first wave launching in October 2025. Availability is tight the pieces will be sold exclusively in Moynat boutiques where the exhibition lands. Translation: blink, and you’ll miss it.

    Kasing Lung’s Moment

    Since debuting The Monsters in 2015, Lung’s universe has exploded, turning his characters into icons of the collectible scene, from Asia to the global stage. He’s not just drawing creatures; he’s building worlds. And with Moynat, those worlds get stitched into leather, making luxury a little less serious and a lot more fun.

  • Pearls in Motion : Redefining Sneaker Culture with the Pearl Vans

    Pearls in Motion : Redefining Sneaker Culture with the Pearl Vans

    In an industry where sneakers often chase hype through collaborations and colorways, the Pearl Vans arrived as something else entirely, a disruption with elegance. What began as an experiment quickly spiraled into a cultural artifact. Pearls, long a symbol of luxury, purity, and eternity, were suddenly reimagined not in jewelry boxes or runways, but on the canvas of everyday footwear.

    Italian designer Mattias Gollin who has cultivated a visual narrative through his Instagram describes the spark as a question that wouldn’t let go: “How can I take something timeless, precious, almost sacred and place it into a cultural icon?” That tension the sacred versus the everyday, the eternal versus the street gave birth to one of the most talked-about sneaker drops in recent memory.

    For Gollin, pearls aren’t just decoration. They’re personal mythology. “An oyster turns an intruder into something precious,” he explains. “I connect with that. I use emotional factors as fuel, transforming them into creativity. Pearls feel like amulets, symbols of eternity and protection.” By embedding them into sneakers, he wasn’t just redesigning footwear; he was fusing two worlds that rarely meet.

    The first drop of the Pearl Vans was less a collection than a ripple in the culture. It wasn’t designed to fit the fashion system’s seasonal rhythms. “I don’t really make collections,” Gollin admits. “My creativity moves with my own flow. When the energy feels right, that’s when I create.” That refusal to play by industry rules became part of the story, fueling both the mystique and the demand.

    Still, there’s always a balance between the personal and the cultural. “I start with something deeply personal symbols, memories, vibrations and then I project it outward, imagining how culture will absorb it and remix it,” he says. “If it’s only personal, it risks being self-indulgent. If it’s only cultural, it feels hollow. The magic happens when my story becomes a mirror for someone else’s.”

    As the Pearl Vans move into their second chapter, Gollin is clear but reserved. “The story has just begun. No spoilers.” What’s clear is that this isn’t just about sneakers anymore. It’s about rewriting how objects can carry memory, symbolism, and story, one pearl at a time.

    At Studio by Pines, stories like the Pearl Vans remind us that culture isn’t just built through trends it’s shaped by symbols that carry weight, history, and emotion. What began as an experiment has become a movement, a reimagining of how personal mythology can slip into the everyday. And like the pearls themselves, this story will only grow more luminous with time.

  • J BALVIN BRINGS MEDELLÍN HEAT TO TOKYO: SUMMER SONIC 2025 | A Pines Studio Feature

    J BALVIN BRINGS MEDELLÍN HEAT TO TOKYO: SUMMER SONIC 2025 | A Pines Studio Feature

    Tokyo, Japan. Summer Sonic 2025.

    The air was thick with heat and anticipation as J Balvin turned Tokyo’s Marine Stage into a reggaeton takeover. From the first drop, the Colombian superstar pushed the festival into overdrive, folding Latin rhythm into the city’s summer chaos.

    photo by @gabydeimeke

    The crowd was a collision of cultures, Colombian and Japanese flags waved shoulder to shoulder, fans shouting “Latinos en Japón” as Balvin delivered hit after hit. Midway through the set, he welcomed fellow paisa and global rising force Feid onto the stage, sending the arena into a frenzy. Together, they delivered a performance that felt less like a guest appearance and more like a cultural statement, Medellín energy transported directly into Tokyo’s heart.

    photo by @gabydeimeke

    J BALVIN, SUMMER SONIC 2025, FEID, JBALVIN

    The official press team captured the spectacle in full color with fireworks, LED explosions, and Balvin commanding the stage in larger-than-life form. PINES STUDIOS documented a different side. Our black and white lens moved backstage, where Balvin was stripped of spotlight and pyrotechnics. Here, the energy shifted with calm focus before the storm, tattoos speaking their own stories, laughter exchanged with friends. Among them was Bajowoo of 99%IS-, the cult Tokyo designer whose presence underscored the creative bridge between reggaeton’s global rise and Japan’s underground fashion world.

    photo by badboi

    Together, these dual perspectives tell the full story. The press captured the chaos and color while PINES STUDIOS revealed the grit and intimacy. What emerged at Summer Sonic 2025 was not just a set but J Balvin continuing to redefine how Latin culture moves across borders, sweating it out in Tokyo and taking everyone with him.

    Words by PINES STUDIOS