Made Some Souvenirs created the kind of keepsakes you’ve always wanted to score while abroad.
Wish You Were Here: These Wearable Keepsakes Celebrate the Joys of Tourism
Whether they’re cozying up to the off-brand characters in Times Square, goofing off to get a rise out of the Queen’s Guards at Buckingham Palace, or posing as if propping up the Tower of Pisa, tourists tend to get a bad rap. Even so, Madelyn Somers is proud to count herself among them. Though she’s been lucky enough to travel the world—both for pleasure and for her work as an art director—she makes a point of visiting the very monuments that many seasoned travelers avoid, camera in tow. For Somers, tourism is much more than the beauty of these architectural marvels alone. She’s equally eager to soak up the electricity of the crowd around her. “It’s culture, it’s humor, it’s economy-building, it’s art,” she says.
Considering her unbridled enthusiasm for travel, it’s no surprise that Somers’s latest project pays homage to the simple joys of tourism. With Made Some Souvenirs, a line of punchy tees, sweatshirts, accessories, and home goods, Somers has created the kind of keepsakes you’ve always wanted to score while abroad. During a time when many of us are hesitant to give in to our wanderlust and jet off to far-flung locales, each piece feels like an ode to the memories of past trips and a prelude to ones still to come.
Inspired by her own photography, archival imagery, and some of the souvenirs she’s acquired over the years, Somers set out to create her tourist version of the perfect baby tee. Featuring a shrunken fit, cap sleeves, and contrasting overlock stitching, each one is made from colorful surplus fabric and has an original embroidered logo commemorating cities like Copenhagen and Pisa, as well as monuments like Chichén Itzá, Tokyo Tower, La Sagrada Familia, and the Taj Mahal. Somers sourced richly hued deadstock sweatshirts to sport her designs as well, while ’70s beach towels were repurposed to create scrunchies. “The colors were just spot-on,” she says. It took extra time to find the right material for her candy-colored bucket hats, but vintage terry cloth holds its unique fluted shape while remaining easily packable.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Roxanne Fequiere
