Celebrating tradition, design and unexpected collaborations, this month’s news roundup has it all.
The Spirit of Gifting
Bateel has released six new Ramadan Collections, offering a refined selection of gift sets that celebrate the tradition of sharing during the Holy Month. The collections combine handpicked organic dates from Bateel’s farms in Saudi Arabia, including the beloved Ajwa dates, alongside artisanal chocolates, handmade biscuits and other gourmet treats. For the first time, three premium wooden box designs, Lucina, Mila and Floryn, are introduced, each hand-painted by contemporary artisans. These are complemented by three additional collections, Samaa, Sadaf and Hiba, featuring a variety of colours, patterns and intricate motifs. Each set comes in multiple sizes, allowing for versatile gifting options. “Ramadan is a deeply special time for families and communities to come together, share and celebrate through gifting,” said Nurtac Afridi, CEO of Bateel. “This spirit of giving inspires us to continually elevate our offerings, ensuring that all of our customers can find something meaningful and beautiful to share during the Holy Month.”
A Sweet Treat
Weekend Max Mara is marking 10 years of the Pasticcino Bag with a year-long celebration that unfolds across 2026. Rather than reinventing the design, the brand is looking back at what made the bag a favourite in the first place, revisiting some of its most recognisable versions from the archive, including the original Vichy check style introduced in 2016. Alongside the reissued bags, the anniversary will also see the Pasticcino woven into the wider wardrobe through the Pasticcino-à-Porter collection, as well as a dedicated stop on the brand’s travelling World Tour project in May. The Re-Edition capsule brings together five archive styles, refreshed with small graphic updates that reference their original character. Materials range from brown shearling and Vichy checks to earthy faux croc and textured bouclé in black, green and yellow. Each version reflects a different season, balancing nostalgia with novelty.
Still Going Strong
The ANDY bag marks 20 years at CH Carolina Herrera this year, and the anniversary is being used to spotlight how the design has evolved through real use rather than seasonal updates. The focus is firmly on the original bag and the marks of time that define it. A visual project showcases ANDY through a series of photographs that highlight wear, restoration and daily life over the past two decades. From the bag’s softened leather and visible stitching to its relaxed structure and discreet branding, the images draw attention to features that become more distinctive with age. Crafted in Nogal leather at the brand’s Leather Atelier in Spain, ANDY is known for its suppleness, durability and developing patina. By documenting these details, the anniversary frames the bag as an object shaped by both craftsmanship and lived experience, positioning longevity and personal history as central to its design.
In-Game Styling
Coach has launched an open-access designer collection for players of the game The Sims 4, allowing them to dress their Sims in pieces from the brand’s ready-to-wear line and iconic Tabby and Brooklyn bags. The collection also includes a ‘Coach Trunk’ object that unlocks pre-styled outfits designed to influence Sims’ moods, as well as decorative versions of signature bags for Build Mode interiors. Nine items are available in 65 colours and print variations, giving players hundreds of ways to mix and match looks. The drop continues the brand’s exploration of gaming as a space for self-expression, following earlier activations in NBA 2K26, Roblox and ZEPETO. By bringing the ethos of “The Courage to Be Real” into T he Sims 4, Coach combines fashion and creativity in a community already grounded in storytelling, offering players a way to express personality, style and identity through both clothing and design.
Awakening The Senses
French fragrance house INITIO Parfums Privés has partnered with Marseille-based musician Kid Francescoli on a new creative project that brings together two senses. Titled The INITIO Mixtape, the collaboration reinterprets five of the brand’s fragrance collections as original music tracks, exploring how perfume and music can trigger emotion in similar ways. The project is built around the connection between sound and scent and their shared link to memory and emotion. Each track reflects the mood and energy of a collection, translating olfactory ideas into rhythm, melody and atmosphere. Known for his cinematic electropop sound, Kid Francescoli brings his signature layered compositions to the project, focussing on themes such as desire and memory. Rather than centring on a single product launch, The INITIO Mixtape presents fragrance as a wider sensory experience, using music as another way to engage with scent.