Lapstone & Hammer and Najeeb Sheikh, two Philadelphia brands, have joined forces to pay tribute to a Philadelphia landmark with The Divine Lorraine Hotel Collection.  Incorporating apparel, footwear, and accessories from Converse, Levi’s, The Decades, Blind Barber, Crep Protect, and U-Bee-Well; this collection will honor the legacy of the Divine Lorraine Hotel, which has travelled a culturally significant path from a luxury apartment building, to one of the first racially integrated hotels in the country, to its current state as the instantly recognizable yet somewhat mysterious, broken down building on Broad and Fairmount.

Drawing inspiration from the Divine Lorraine’s history, the capsule revolves around the theme of items found in a luxury hotel. There are towels, robes, candles, and grooming kits that would typically to be found in a suite; tees, crews, hats, and denim jackets that would be sold in the gift shop; and even a sneaker cleaning kit, which functions as a modern take on the shoeshine station. The collection also includes luxury models of Converse’s Chuck Taylor All Star ‘70 sneakers, in lieu of hotel slippers.  

All items carry custom Divine Lorraine Hotel branding designed by Najeeb Sheikh.

The Blind Barber has contributed a scented candle filled with key notes of honey, smoke, leather and lavender, each chosen because of their special connection to the hotel barber shop. Light up the midnight blue candle, housed in the iconic, stainless steel and molded glass jars used by barbers everywhere, and imagine getting a shave and a cut for a buck... tip included!

Where most luxury hotels provide slippers for their guests, we're going the extra step and swapping the slippers for luxury models of the most iconic sneaker of all time! The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star '70 adds modern features like a cushioned footbed, heavier-grade canvas, and a more substantial rubber toe cap to the original design of 1970's-era Chucks. All pairs feature our exclusive Divine Lorraine Hotel embroidered tongue.

No hotel stay would be complete without a visit to the gift shop. Our gift shop includes a Levi's denim jacket and a crew neck sweatshirt with an oversized Divine Lorraine Hotel patch on the back and a small brand patch on the chest, and a premium 100% cotton tee shirt with a screen printed oversized logo on the back and small brand print on the chest. 

The Decades hat company adds another piece to our gift shop with these 100% cotton, Divine Lorraine Hotel embroidered strapback hats, in gold on white and white on black.

People are, for the most part, good and honest. But there is something about a hotel room that turns even the most morally upstanding individuals into cold-blooded thieves. With that in mind, our collection just wouldn't be complete without plush, terry cloth, embroidered towels and bathrobes, the kind that no one would be able to resist stuffing into the bottom of their suitcases. Not to mention this porcelain tray featuring Najeeb's amazing drawing of the Divine Lorraine Hotel.

Whether you stay for a night or a week or the rest of your life, all are welcome to the Divine Lorraine Hotel Collection. Enjoy the comforts of a luxurious suite without ever having to leave your home, and pay homage to a true beacon of peace and equality in the process. But unlike Father Divine, we don't require you to follow any crazy rules to get a room here...

...just try not to jump on the bed so much, okay?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mixed Media Art Show in Pauline's Bridal Shoppe Gallery

As part of our July 31 Divine Lorraine Hotel Collection opening event, Lapstone & Hammer's in store gallery space, Pauline's Bridal Shoppe, will be hosting a mixed media art show featuring works inspired by the Divine Lorraine Hotel. The following artists will be represented:

1. Lustre - Musicians

Lustre is a Philadelphia-based surrealist R&B project from producer Jeff Fry and songwriter Leah Kauffman. 

 

Artists' Statement 

The Divine Lorraine Hotel is a symbol of peace, ambition, freedom, ruination and waste. She’s the ghost of North Broad Street; her glory long gone but not forgotten. 

While writing “Heart Divine”, we tried to imagine ourselves as guests of the charismatic Father Divine in the Divine Lorraine Hotel, returning years later only to find the building boarded up and abandoned, memories emblazoned in our dreams.  

2. Drew Leshko - Sculpter

We live in a society that is constantly upgrading and disposing of the past, something Philadelphia based artist Drew Leshko aims to preserve. With a skilled attention to detail, Leshko miniaturizes the places, vehicles, and machines he encounters into paper sculptures. Recent subjects have included a local strip bar, his grandfather's 80s camper, iceboxes, and even dumpsters, all replicated to 1:12 standard dollhouse scale with accuracy in cut archival paper and wood. He highlights these symbols of urban life in hopes others can begin to appreciate their every day surroundings. Buildings that are in a state of decay or on the cusp of redevelopment are the ones that catch his eye the most, which he describes as architectural "relics".

For the Divine Lorraine Hotel Collection, Drew applies his keen sense of detail and amazing artistic skill to the iconic sign on the hotel's roof. Using paper, basswood, enamel, and dry pigment to create a note perfect rendition of the red, rusted remains of the once vibrant structure. 

See more of Drew's work at: drewleshko.com, and @drewleshko on all social media

3. Eric Ashleigh - Photographer

Eric Ashleigh is a Philadelphia native and avid traveler. It is through travel on foreign soil, he solidifies his deep-rooted connection with this great city, realizing he will forever call it home - no matter where he goes.

As an artist, his primary focus is the composition of concept. His work can be seen anywhere from textbooks to billboards all over the world.

The images featured in this show were captured in 2011 on a non sanctioned visit, and he is thrilled to be part of this rejuvenating collaboration of old and new.

See more of his work at: leftofe.com

4. Eric Kenny - Printmaker

Eric Kenny is a printmaker artist/designer from Philadelphia. He started off primarily as a gig poster artist for several Philly venues. His work now is used by a variety of diverse clients, and he continues to experiment with screen printing.

"I'm attracted to imagery that has energy to it. I made this 5 color screen print of the Divine Lorraine back in the Fall of 2014, because, let's face it, it's the sexiest building in Philadelphia."

See more of Eric's work at his upcoming solo show at Art in the Age, September 4th, or at erickennydesign.com

5. Joshua Gittelman - Photographer

"Having grown up in Philly, I've grown very accustomed to dilapidated parts of the city, forgotten structures that were once quite significant, graffiti, street art, and beauty in decay. It's no wonder that exploring abandoned buildings was my first leap into the world of photography.

"By the time I was fortunate enough to visit the Divine Lorraine, she was not much more than a shell on the inside. As much as she has changed over the years, her stature and presence in the community has not. The view I have portrayed is similar to one many guests would have seen during their stay with her in Philly."

See more of Josh's work at: joshuagittelmanphotography.com

6. Justin Wolfe - Photographer

Justin Wolfe is a 24 year old photographer based out of downtown Philadelphia. Through both digital and analog means, he creates visuals that get one thinking about the past, present, and future. For this project, Justin sought to represent the Divine Lorraine Hotel as a building that has stood the test of time to be a symbol, icon, and legend for the city of Philadelphia. He feels lucky to have had the pleasure of experiencing this building first hand.

For more of Justin's work visit: Justin-Wolfe.com and @_JustinWolfe_ on all social media

7. Monica O - Designer, Illustrator, Woodburner

Monica O is a designer/illustrator/woodburner living in South Philly. Currently a senior designer at 1 Trick Pony, she's into all things Philly - archtecture, dives, street art, etc. She starts a lot of side projects and refuses to call anything "art".

See more of her work at: @o_monica on instagram