The 28-year-old British wunderkind Luke Edward Hall is an aesthete of all trades, lending his signature sunny, surreal touch to everything from side tables to slippers. His jaunty illustrations and riffs on neoclassical designs—think Jean Cocteau meets Wes Anderson—have taken Instagram by storm, with over 47,000-plus followers tuning in to see what he’ll dream up next. His latest covetable endeavor is a collaboration with iconic Positano hotel Le Sirenuse—and Hall’s whimsical take on the cult-favorite property’s dolce vita DNA has resulted in a collection of clothing and homeware that are the essence of Italian seaside chic.
Founded in 1951, Le Sirenuse has a cliffside perch and sweeping views of the Amalfi Coast, making it a favorite of the fashion crowd and jet set for over six decades. But even more than its enviable (and endlessly photogenic) location, the hotel’s real draw is the intimate, homey atmosphere cultivated by Antonio and Carla Sersale, the husband-and-wife duo at Le Sirenuse’s helm.
“I met Luke in Positano when he came to stay with [his partner] Duncan Campbell. We became friends, and they returned to visit us several times,” recalls Carla Sersale. “Luke creates such breezily romantic interpretations of Greek, Roman, and early modern art [that] I thought he would be the best person to design our postcard. We began with a small postcard, and the collection grew from there.”
Ceramic mug and plates Photo: Courtesy Emporio Sirenuse
The property, with its airy terraces—dotted, of course, with lemon trees and tangles of bougainvillea—and classically Italian decor, has proved a perfect backdrop for Hall’s dreamy style. Inspired by the work of Cocteau and Picasso (both of whom were known to summer on the Mediterranean), he created playful illustrations that have been printed on a range of men’s swim trunks ($200), tees ($90), and Hawaiian-style shirts ($290) as well as ceramic tableware (from $53). Several feature brushstroke sketches of a man’s face that nods to the aesthetics of ancient Roman sculpture, done in summery shades of turquoise, tangerine, pale pink, and sea green. Others are emblazoned with an illustration of the view from Le Sirenuse, a painterly twist on vintage postcard imagery. Regardless of where you’re escaping to this summer, this collection will bring a bit of the Amalfi’s allure wherever you go—just add water.
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