A love declaration by Thomas Lélu x AUTRY The iconic Medalist transformed into a work of art
AUTRY presents the new limited-edition collaboration with French writer, artist and photographer Thomas Lélu to celebrate Valentine’s Day. “Do Small Things with Great Love” is Autry’s message to celebrate the smallest gestures that hold the greatest feelings.
To mark the launch of the capsule, AUTRY will host an in-store event with the artist at the Le Marais boutique in Paris on Valentine’s Day, an opportunity to discover Thomas Lélu’s universe and celebrate contemporary romanticism.
The capsule reinterprets AUTRY’s iconic Medalist through Thomas Lélu’s distinctive graphic language, signing the sneakers with the message “Do small things with great love”. Defined by its minimalist and linear silhouette and inspired by vintage American aesthetics, the Medalist model becomes a blank canvas to host the artist’s handwritten message, reproduced along the leather upper and the midsole.
«Do small things with great love’ perfectly sums up my collaboration with Autry. Writing has always been central to my work. I mostly write with a ballpoint pen, sometimes with a marker. I write small affectionate notes, witty observations, mantras, reminders to remember, to laugh or to heal. The first word I ever spoke as a child was ‘shoe’, and now I place my words on a shoe – and not just any shoe, but the Medalist, the one and only. It was destiny that the Medalist and I, Autry and I, would meet; we were meant to create something with great love,» says Thomas Lélu.
The message of optimism, circled and underlined in Thomas Lélu’s unmistakable style, turns the Medalist into a collector’s item and, at the same time, into a true work of art. The sneakers are completed with a custom shoebox and dust bag featuring the capsule’s graphic message, transforming the unboxing into a moment to be shared.
A meeting between modern art and the brand’s heritage that narrates contemporary romanticism, infused with the artist’s irony and humour. The collaboration between Thomas Lélu and AUTRY thus takes on a deeper meaning: not only a celebration of Valentine’s Day, but a universal message of peace and an invitation to kindness that becomes a collective gesture.
