Moleskine – The Fashion Editor’s Favourite Notebook Brand Lands in Edinburgh
Moleskine, the Fashionistas ‘notebook of choice’, has a current aesthetically pleasing collab with Issey Miyake
Whenever I see a Moleskine notebook, I’m instantly transported back to fashion weeks of the noughties — New York, London, Milan, Paris — and for those of us who worked the full global circuit, Sydney, Lisbon and even Edinburgh. Back then, the front row was a sea of grey wool coats, black polo-necks, pointy shoe-boots and fastidious note-taking. Some of the great and the good sketched in their Smythsons (usually gifted), while others, myself included, swore by the sleek black covers of a Moleskine.
My catwalk notes were always chaotic — arrows, half-formed thoughts, hurried sketches of hems and hemlines — but encased within a Moleskine they somehow felt anchored, important, safe. One former colleague was so dedicated to her stack of notebooks that she had an entire shelf of them, each season neatly filed and easily referenced. She could tell you exactly which one contained McQueen’s Hitchcock-inspired collection or Tom Ford’s gothic phase of crosses and black satin.
It’s no coincidence that Anne Hathaway’s Andrea Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada scribbles her frantic notes in a Moleskine. Or that designer Jason Wu once told Harper’s Bazaar he never heads to fashion week without his: “vitamins, iPhone, music and my Moleskine sketchbook.” The humble black book has long been the fashion insider’s essential — a quiet constant in a world of chaos and couture.
Over the years, Moleskine has also cemented its place in the design world through a series of collaborations with creative visionaries — from artists and illustrators to fashion houses. Its current partnership with Issey Miyake brings the brand’s timeless functionality together with the designer’s signature sculptural minimalism, a meeting of minds that feels perfectly in step with Moleskine’s philosophy of creativity and craft.
And now, this most stylish of stationery staples is coming to Edinburgh. Moleskine opens its first Scottish store — and its only location outside of London — at St James Quarter this December, just in time to treat the stationery lover (or fashion nostalgist) in your life.
Occupying a minimalist space of just under 1,000 square feet on Level 3, the new store will showcase the brand’s premium notebooks, planners and writing accessories alongside its latest monochrome concept design. Expect personalisation, calligraphy events and crafting workshops — the kind of slow, analogue pleasures that feel more appealing than ever in our digital age.
“Moleskine is thrilled to be opening its first store in Scotland at St James Quarter,” says CEO Christophe Archaimbault. “Edinburgh is such a culturally vibrant and rich city and a perfect fit for our brand values. A city of ideas and creativity, where we look forward to welcoming aficionados of the brand as well as those who have yet to discover the unique world of Moleskine where we invite you to put pen to paper and unleash your genius.”
Anne Ledgerwood, Estate Director for St James Quarter, adds: “Moleskine brings with it a fresh design that aligns with our commitment to constant evolution, ensuring our loyal consumers continue to have their needs met by our leading tenant mix.”
So whether you’re jotting down resolutions for 2026 or sketching your next big idea, Edinburgh’s newest addition gives us all an excuse to slow down, pick up a pen, and make something worth remembering — one beautiful page at a time.