Bobby Abley x Primark

Primark unveiled its first-ever London Fashion Week collaboration this season with London-based designer Bobby Abley, who featured a collection of streetwear inspired by the animated characters, Minions.

Abley, known for his love of including childhood cartoon characters in his collections, has previous been inspired by the Wizard of Oz, Mickey Mouse, Pokemon, and Looney Tunes for his collections, and as part of his autumn/winter 2020 show he featured a collaboration with Minions in anticipation for this summer’s ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ movie.

Following the catwalk launch, the diffusion line Bobby Abley x Primark debut exclusively at the fast-fashion retailer with an “inspired by” collection featuring a vibrant black and yellow colour palette, filled with bold patterns and heavy appliques across hoodies, T-shirts, crew neck sweaters, shorts, long-sleeve tops, crop tops, and cycling shorts for men and women.

Bobby Abley launches diffusion Minions line in Primark

In a statement, Universal Brand Development, which manages the intellectual property of the Minion movie characters, said that the range displayed in Primark stores is the result of a “creative execution curated and directed by Bobby Abley himself” that will be backed up with a window display and online and social media campaigns.

The affordable diffusion line launched a day after the catwalk show and Universal Brand Development adding that the “speed to retail is a direct reaction to the ‘see now, buy now’ movement that is reshaping the traditional lag time between the runway and the retail shelves, and reflects Primark’s dedication to delivering on-trend fashion at affordable prices”.

The collection is available in select Primark stores, including Oxford Street East and West, and White City in London, Birmingham, Bluewater, and Manchester in the UK, as well as Dublin, Madrid, Berlin and Cologne in Germany, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Paris, and Florence and Milan in Italy.

Prices for the Bobby Abley x Primark collaboration range from 5 pounds for a women’s Minions crop top to 14 pounds for a hoodie.

Bobby Abley collaborates with Minions for London Fashion Week show

Minions also featured in Abley’s mainline collection, with the menswear designer incorporating bespoke Minions prints including an Argyle silk design, denim printed with an op-art Minions graphics and a neoprene Minions camouflage.

Key shapes in the collection included kimono-inspired robes, oversized sweatshirts and shirts that played with the proportions of Minions versus humans, and workwear-inspired dungarees and boiler suits, which are famously worn by the Minions animated characters.

Abley ended his fun-filled catwalk show with the animated Minions character walking the runway.

Images: courtesy of Primark