Fashion

Hermès En Contrepoint

Become a visual musician, with shapes appearing in mind: Circles, squares, diamonds… Colorful friezes then take on the tempo, chanting their pulse. A small kitchen and a great orchestral conductor, assembling the pieces in counterpoint so that no two days are ever the same. An endless flow of chromatic choirs, from which potential reconciliations emerge. Play solo, perform a recital. The audience delights in a programme of exquisite moments.

Hermès recently launched HERMÈS EN CONTREPOINT, at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris. With lightness and Finesse, the new table service punctuates the everyday, as well as special occasions.

Artistic Directors of Hermès Maison, Charlotte Macaux and Alexis Fabry, spun this new 33-piece Kaolin White Porcelain Table Service in their creative minds, lined with friezes in soft or bright colors: Pinks, violets, blues, greens, oranges… Thirty different shades. The vibrant geometric motifs are hand-drawn and painted in watercolor by artist Nigel Peake and catapult us into the graphic universe of musical metre and its repeated fractions. Plates and cups with varying friezes, a minimalist teapot and platters, create a multitude of combinations.

With HERMÈS EN CONTREPOINT, the Maison crafted a collection where each piece has its own décor, its own rhythm; once again, showcasing that simplicity and freshness always ring true.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

MFW – Church's Unveiled AW25 Collection in Milan’s Biblioteca Braidense

Milan’s Biblioteca Braidense evocative setting served as the backdrop for Church’s presentation of their new Autumn-Winter 2025 collection, as the perfect set to fuse tradition and innovation.

The event was held in the captivating Reading room of the Library, a space marked by a rich history. Celebrating true elegance and craftsmanship – values that have always distinguished Church’s – the brand presented their new line of footwear, the result of years and years of expertise and refined design. Selected attendees, including Church’s ambassador Harry Latey, the British Actor James Norton, the French Actor William Abadie and the Italian actress Lucrezia Guidone had the opportunity to take a first look at the latest men’s collection, a reinterpretation of Church’s timeless style.
Reaching back to 1617, Church’s historical timeline started with master shoemaker Anthony Church, a master-shoemaker, who was handcrafting shoes in Northampton, England, a town known for the production of the finest footwear since medieval times. His descendants followed in his footsteps, establishing Church & Co in 1873. Until this day, the brand still manufactures in Northampton, selling their products in stores all around the world, their collections standing as testaments of unparalleled craftsmanship and luxury. Church’s new model Chetwynd Contour dress shoe marks an update of their beloved signature Chetwynd style. The reinterpretation of the iconic design features a thicker upper, giving both resistance and undeniable character.

www.church-footwear.com

Fashion

MFW - ZEGNA FW25 - VELLUS AUREUM: A Transgenerational Family Thread

Zegna presented their Winter 2025 collection at Milan Fashion Week.

In 1963, Ermenegildo Zegna established the Wool Trophy Awards in Australia to support woolgrowers in their pursuit of the finest wool in the world. Since then, each year an extraordinary thread is spun from the extra fine fleece, out of which the lightest, softest and most exquisite fabrics are woven. The name of this jewel in Zegna’s crown of wool textiles is Vellus Aureum, which stands for the ongoing pursuit of the extraordinary.
Both a creative and a behavioral matter, fashion, for Artistic Director Alessandro hosts a singular mix of ways of doing and ways of wearing. Within this mix lies an endless quest for betterment, a responsible gaze, the continuity between innovation and tradition. With this in mind, each collection is not only an addition to the path that had already been laid out before, but also a means to give new meaning to what has already been done, to explore a moment of the story, and evolve the whole of it. For this season, the founder Ermenengildo’s wardrobe is also bestowing for the shapes he chose to favor, directly inspiring items and constructions. The silhouette is deconstructed, volumes envelope, and proportions are rethought. Macro patterns and macro donegal motifs drawn from the library of tradition underlie the play of proportions. Details entice gestures, with deep v-necks exposing shirts neatly layered one on top of the other. The iconic II Conte jacket continues to evolve, presented in shearling, as a gilet, in a chore Oasi Cashmere jersey version.

Within this narrative, style and substance spin a fine transgenerational family thread, with Vellus Aureum as a crest.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

MFW - Paul & Shark FW25 - Deauville: A Portrait of the Sea

During Milan Men’s Fashion Week, Paul & Shark presented the Deauville Fall/Winter 2025 Capsule collection, as a new chapter in the Riviera story that brings with it the emotions of this small Norman town and its beloved sea; a place where time seems to have come to a halt in the Belle Époche.

For this special occasion, Paul & Shark introduced the ‘Paul & Shark Boulangerie’ in the heart of the Brera district in Milan. Conjuring up the arrival in Deauville: your eyes close, the still image in your mind. Ocean breeze is in the air; in the city centre one colorful building follows another; art, history and the culture of this charming port town intertwine; the cries of seagulls along the streets; creating a most serene scene. In the refined French-style bakery, the scent of baguettes, pain au chocolat and fresh bread intermingle with the timeless taste of the place. Find yourself in this relaxed corner of Deauville where time passes slowly, to indulge in a sweet break. The magical location is inhabited by models wearing the iconic pieces of the Deauville FW25 collection, with all designs distinctly inspired by the sea. Refined fabrics, such as cashmere, finest wool and soft cotton steal the show, and cable-knit pullovers and knit polo-shirts make for timeless aesthetics. Featured are also the iconic stripes and Paul & Shark’s blue.

Paul & Shark’s Boulangerie can be found in Piazza San Simpliciano 7 and will remain open to the public for the entire duration of Milan Men’s Fashion Week.

www.paulandshark.com

Fashion

Harriet Herbig-Matten for Christian Dior Parfums

Dior proudly announces Harriet Herbig-Matten as the German Makeup and Scent ambassador for Christian Dior Parfums.

Harriet Herbig-Matten’s journey as an actress began at the age of 12, when she starred as the main cast in the German production Das Pubertier, alongside established actors Heike Makatsch and Jan Josef Liefers. Then, in 2012, she took on the role of Tina in the all-time-favorite series Bibi & Tina, based on the all-time-favorite audio books and animated series. In 2024 Harriet achieved her big breakthrough, starring in the acclaimed Amazon Prime adult series Maxton Hall, as Ruby Bell. Next to her acting career the 21 year old passionately engages in the discussion around social topics such as strengthening the Woman’s role in society and our world at large, setting a hopeful example for how we can help shape what is yet to come.

With a background like hers, Harriet Herbig-Matten seemingly blends into a long line of other iconic ambassadors. Dior feels honored to greet her as one of the many strong and fearless women representing the household name, emphasizing the sheer endlessness of their beauty.

www.dior.com

Fashion

DITA’s INOVATI™: A Groundbreaking Leap in Luxury Eyewear Customization

Iconic Eyewear Brand DITA launches a truly Bespoke experience, with the ability to fully customize and personalize frames with diamonds and precious stones.

As a global leader in luxury eyewear, INOVATI™, the announced collection, is accompanied by an innovative platform, marking a transformative milestone for the eyewear industry, where the design power is put into the hands of customers. The 3D customization technology empowers customers to personalize their frames with diamonds and other precious gemstones, placed from the temples to the brow bar, opening up the doors to a bespoke luxury experience unlike anything seen before on the market.
With this collection, DITA steps into the future, evolving beyond eyewear, to become a leader in the consumer 3D customization experience, setting a new benchmark for what luxury can be. The exclusive launch begins in DITA’s flagship stores, providing early access to this cutting-edge customization process, seemingly integrating artistry and advanced technology.

DITA invites customers to join on a journey of self-expression, where every detail, down to the frame color, lens color, and hand-placed gemstones is meticulously crafted to reflect the customers unique vision. The experience will be available at DITA flagship stores globally, starting January 20th.

www.dita.com

Fashion

Prada Re-Nylon

Prada presents the third installment of the unique storytelling collaboration with National Geographic Creativeworks.

Regenerated from plastic waste sourced from the ocean and landfills, Prada Re-Nylon stands as a testament to the Group’s commitment to create products without employing new resources. Since 2019 Prada Group conducts the SEA BEYOND educational program in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, based on a deep belief in the connection of fashion to culture and society, with the aim to raise awareness on ocean preservation. They also collaborate with National Geographic CreativeWorks to highlight the complexity of the Prada Re-Nylon collection in a series of four documentary films features Benedict Cumberbatch and Sadie Sink, along with SEA BEYONDers and Goodwill Ambassadors of the project Valentina Gottlieb and Giovanni Chimienti, as well as local National Geographic experts. Each film invites onlookers to engage in an immersive experience, taking them behind the scenes, under the surface of the sea, and beyond. While revealing the majesty of this fantastic, complex and deeply fascinating ecosystem, the new episodes also make more tangible the dangers these marine environments face and provide guidance for how we can evolve our approaches to create positive impact.

1% of earnings from the Prada Re-Nylon for SEA BEYOND collection benefit SEA BEYOND, with the goal to inspire new generations; to spread awareness and promote ocean literacy, to ultimately understanding the importance of ocean preservation and championing change.

www.prada.com

Fashion

The Ralph Bag

Drawing inspiration from the fine details to be discovered in automotive design, Ralph Lauren presents the Ralph Bag, as a new collection of artisanal bags debuted on the Spring 2025 runway.

For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren has stayed committed to inspiring the dream of a better life through conveying authenticity and timeless style. Now, the new namesake bag is a loving tribute to the unparalleled artistry found within the designer’s personal car collection. In automotive design lies inherent a timeless spirit; there is beauty to be found in the way cars are crafted with purposeful details, says Ralph Lauren. A seamless conversion of aesthetics and function. Thus, the Ralph bag pays homage to this process, with this character celebrating form and function, as well as commitment to only the highest quality.

Mark the date, as Ralph Bag will be launched on March 4th.

www.ralphlauren.com

Fashion

GUESS – Winter Ski Capsule 2024/25 Collection

With a most impressive fashion show at an altitude of 3,000 meters, GUESS presented the new Winter Ski Capsule collection.

With the aim to give us some much needed warmth in this cold season, the pieces featured in the collection – a selection of fresh and glamorous looks for the slopes and après ski – will ensure a head-turning appearance, both on as well as off the slopes. Included are highest quality ski suits, pants, jackets, sweaters and accessories, all designed in mind with a certain hint of nordic glamorous flair and the characteristic, most contemporary GUESS style.
Womenswear pieces come along in a winter-wonderland color palette, made up of delicate pastels, blue, mint, classic nuances and exciting neon, providing a large variety of layering options, for day as well as night ski plans; where form-fitting bodysuits with sporty zippers and waist belts are embellished with glittering rhinestones, and iconic GUESS motifs and clever cuts crafted from heavenly fabrics, with fluorescent accents and color blocking details lend jackets and pants made to endure all weather conditions a modern and elegant attitude.
At the heart of the Menswear selection lies a cozy Nordic Jacquard-Knitwear collection, celebrating tradition with its detailed and playful patterns, while exuding contemporary flair. The winter color palette is composed of classic, nature-inspired hues and saturated color accents.
Crafted from only the highest quality materials, the durable pieces of GUESS’s new Winter Ski Capsule collection are excellent companions for all weather conditions the cold season can bring along; lending warmth, while ever-so ensuring comfort and style.

GUESS’s Winter Ski Capsule 2024/25 is now available online as well as in GUESS flagship stores and other selected retailers worldwide.

www.guess.eu

Fashion

CHANEL 2024/25 Métiers d'Art Show

On third of December, CHANEL’s 2024/25 Métiers d’art show took place on the mythical West Lake, in Hangzhou, China. This renowned location is featured in the study of Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment at 31 rue Cambon in Paris, on a 19th century Coromandel lacquered screen, a most intricate piece of art.

The iconic screen has meaningfully nourished the couturière’s imagination, as a seemingly everlasting source of dreams inspiration. Now, it has ignited a spark of creativity in director Wim Wenders, which led him to create a most poetic short film, shot between Paris and Hangzhou. As an invitation to a magical journey, both real and dreamt, the film starring CHANEL ambassador Tilda Swinton can now be discovered in all its entirety. Above all, Wim Wender’s work in film has always been greatly inspired by places. The short film accompanying the collection is an homage to Gabrielle Chanel’s fascination and passion for Chinese artistry, harmoniously intermingling with the poetical allure of Hangzhou.

Since 2002 CHANEL has celebrated the savoir-faire of the Maison’s d’art tradition, with a carefully curated selection. The Métiers d’art show, held annually, stands as a perfect testament to the Maison's ongoing celebration of artisanal craftsmanship and skill, fueling their inspiring collections.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Gucci Gift Campaign

Envisioned by the Creative Director Sabato De Sarno’s endlessly creative mind, the House unveils the new Gucci Gift campaign, unfolding across four chapters throughout this holiday season.

The campaign tells an evocative story, centered around the idea that joyful moments shared with our loved ones – whether these are the family we were born into or the one we choose – become meaningful memories that resonate long after the celebrations end. Here, genuine connection becomes a focal point, as gifting is reimagined as an exchange of truly heartfelt gestures shared between those who give and those who receive, forging a sentimental bond that transcends beyond the material. Brought to life by an unparalleled cast of Gucci’s Global Brand Ambassadors and friends of the House, within the distinctive chapters, playing out in a jubilant crescendo, each telling their own unique story, thematically as well as aesthetically, while ever so seamlessly interconnected to the next chapter, bound by the overarching narrative of togetherness and love. Expressive vignettes frame scenes of warmth and joy against diverse backdrops evoking pivotal moments leading up the holidays.

The campaign perfectly captures the essence of festive celebrations, while showcasing ready-to-wear looks from the latest collections alongside emblematic accessories, in this carefully curated selection ideal for gifting, winter getaways and year-end soirées. From the storied grandeur of The Savoy, to serene mountain landscapes, to the warmth of family gatherings, and the magical nights in Florence, each chapter offers an immersive experience that seamlessly blends imagery with product’s discovery, in the theme of meaningful bonds and shared moments.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Bijou Brigitte Autumn/Winter 2024/2025 Collection

With their Autumn/Winter 2024/2025 collection, Bijou Birgitte presents us with colorful trend pieces and other eye-catching designs.

Joy, Passion and utmost diversity.
Since 1963, the Hamburg based brand Bijou Brigitte has been displaying their passion project, devotedly providing a versatile selection of fashion jewelry and accessories.
Their newest collection was made to accompany owners from sweltering summer nights all the way through the colder season, in elegance and style. Bright reds, natural shades of green are featured, among a wide palette of blue hues. Large Silver-coloured pieces come along in all their opulence, as wide bangles in flowing shapes, necklaces embellished with oversize charms and delicate hair accessories. A modern take on 1990 Grunge style becomes office-ready in a variety of green and amber shades, with a matching gold-colored choker with strass details seamlessly balancing between edgy and elegant.
On the accessory side, checked tweed-look bags or a fine velvet clutch steal the show and cuddly objects celebrate the colorfulnes of life.
All in all, this collection includes a range of stylish pieces, guaranteeing to effortlessly elevate each and every look.

www.bijou-brigitte.com

Fashion

Miu Miu Upcycled Holiday 2024

As part of the Holiday collection, Miu Miu unveils their Upcycled 2024 collection. In its fifth edition, Miu Miu Upcycled introduces their debut creation of a fully realized wardrobe, with a campaign featuring the marvelous Emma Corrin capturing the essence of postcard portrait photography.

Miu Miu is known and adored by many for their relentless combining of cutting-edge design with industrial excellence, leading to the development and production of highest quality garments and accessories. Having launched their first edition in 2020, Miu Miu Upcycled reflects the brand’s unwavering commitment to circular design practice and overall sustainability in the industry, through breathing new and fresh life into much beloved pieces of garments from the past. Through preserving the rich cultural history of these pieces, Miu Miu Upcycled equally takes part in enhancing future wearers’ sartorial experience with a sense of style and sustainability.

Four singular narratives unfold through the 2024 collection: globally sourced Upcycled leather; Upcycled kilts from the Fifties to the Seventies; brand archival Upcycled yarn with an emphasis on color; and Upcycled embroidery displaying archival samples.

A verification from the Aura Blockchain Consortium accompanies every piece in the 2024 Miu Miu Upcycled collection. As a non-profit association they promote transparency and customer-focused business practices throughout the whole lifecycle of luxury products.

The collection designed for seasons to come is now available in selected Miu Miu stores worldwide and on miumiu.com.

Fashion

The Unpredictable Everyday – Dior X Kaws

In 2019, Kim Jones presented his very first show as the Creative Director of Dior Men, embarking the House on a new chapter by reinterpreting its legacy. Passionate about art and collaborating with creative minds from all horizons, Kim Jones is this time working alongside the New Yorker, Kaws. Street artist, painter, illustrator, Kaws became one of the most influential names of the international artistic scene, creating art that questions, that discusses with its environment in an audacious way. For Dior, the creative minds of Kaws and Kim Jones united, designing a joyous capsule collection, bringing together their inspirations, similarities and differences.

Key element in the capsule, the “Dior” logo is revisited with a snake wrapped around its letters, symbolizing the fusion of modernity and legacy that characterizes the collection. This motif is declined on cotton faille bermudas, knitwear and quilted shirts. A line of sports ensembles, jackets and accessories completes the capsule comprising leather goods, the Rider 2.0 bag and the B33 and B35 NXXT sneakers. Under the banner of vibrancy, the Dior and Kaws capsule collection celebrates the art of dressing, brightening the everyday with boldness.

www.dior.com

Travel

Mandarina Duck is going Rome at the Tennis&Friends Event

During the Tennis&Friends event 2024, Mandarina Duck took over the city of Rome, with its “Yellow Wave”. A perfect fusion of health, wellness, and sports.

The vibrant color yellow acts as a unifying theme. It is both – leitmotif of Tennis & Friends and Mandarina Duck’s iconic color. Yellow stands strong, as a symbol for positivity and energy, but also for the dynamic spirit of health and eco-friendly innovation. What connects Mandarina Duck and Tennis & Friends, is a shared focus on sustainability – in terms of environmental consciousness, but also in terms of personal health. The heart of the event took place on October 11th, with Mandarina Duck’s presentation of their visually stunning installation featuring tennis balls at Circolo Foro Italico. Guests had been warmly invited for drinks in the courtyard, with a live DJ set by Dorian. Tennis & Friends offered free medical check-ups to all participants during the event – emphasizing their passion for reinforcing the importance of health prevention and well-being. A mission which Mandarina Duck proudly supports.

Mandarina Duck’s eco-coated line started from the FW24 season onwards. Sustainable backpacks from this 100% green collection had been given to players during the event, as a symbol of the brand’s commitment to promoting an active and healthy lifestyle, but also towards protecting our environment.

www.mandarinaduck.com
www.tennisandfriends.it

Fashion

Trashy Clothing’s ’Arsenal of Democracy’

Trashy clothing – the emerging Palestinian “anti-luxury luxury fashion label” based in East Jerusalem has recently presented their SS25 collection – featuring a collaboration with Barragán – in Milan, after their successful collaboration with Salvatore Vignola in the past year.

Mixing elements of satire and kitsch, with an ever-present element of wit, Trashy Clothing’s vision is one to engage into the context of contemporary political circumstances – through their sharp design statements. Trashy Clothing is a narrative-driven brand, telling stories against the backdrop of history. The label successfully weaponizes joy through fashionable humor, with the aim of actively inducing a rupture in the thread woven through established beliefs and ideas about the world we inhabit. Under the leading hands of Omar Braika and Shukri Lawrence’s co-creative direction, the label scrutinizes power dynamics and Western geographies, as well as the aesthetic norms that have been ruling the fashion industry for far too long.

The label’s collections with a focus on the Middle East, often inspired by Arab popular culture and music icons, seamlessly blend references to workwear, clubwear and eveningwear. They address matters of gender, sexuality, ethnicity and race through the medium of fashion – transcending national borders. Staple items as the “Tourist Wrap Skirt”, expose issues like artwashing and cultural appropriation, with the collections lookbooks and campaigns acting as an aesthetic anchor for consumers and viewers alike, to deepen the understanding of the political consciousness as the brand’s driving force – to open their eyes to the historical, political and social relevance of their work.

The pieces from the collection and collaboration with Barragán will be available for pre-order in October.

trashyclothing.shop

Fashion

Louis Vuitton X Frank Gehry at Art Basel Paris 2024 – Scaling Up

The long running collaboration between Louis Vuitton and architect, artist and designer Frank Gehry has reached new heights at Art Basel Paris.
A monumental hanging white fish floating at the top of the grand staircase of the Grand Palais serves as a testament and continuation of the artist's awe inspiring work. Both simplistic and deeply ornamental the sculpture combines strength and suppleness and stands in line with Gehry’s aerodynamic works of design and architecture. In addition to the large display, which is on view from October 18th to 20th the Maison has also unveiled a collection of bags revisiting Louis Vuitton’s iconic models while also reflecting the aesthetic principles of the architect’s work.

Louis Vuitton’s devotion to arts has a long history, beginning with window display designs, moving on to advertisements and objects and signature capsule collections. Additionally, this is the third consecutive year Louis Vuitton is an associate partner of Art Basel Paris. The Maison has also shown its wish to continue this dialogue within a set physical space through the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Designed by Frank Gehry it demonstrates a complex understanding of transparency and light as materials to sculpt and to shift perspectives, both functioning as a work of art in itself but also as a perfect environment for the pieces exhibited.

This play of transparency and botanical shapes that can be seen throughout Gehry’s designs is also found in the Louis Vuitton by Frank Gehry Collection. His catalog of work is transformed into wearable miniature sculptures that frequently feature elements such as scales, or delicate fish embroidery nodding at the exhibition’s key display and equally breath-taking hanging atop the grand staircase as they are as tiny technical marvels.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Reimagining the Gucci Horsebit Loafer 1953

Gucci has recently launched a campaign with Italian actor and screenwriter Pietro Castellitto as the new brand ambassador, shining new light on their, seemingly everlastingly so, iconic design, the 1953 Horsebit Loafer. A piece in Gucci’s collection, emblematic of the brand’s heritage like barely any other, invincible, transcending time and trends, since its first debut in 1953, the year Gucci started launching footwear.

Gucci’s classic, the Horsebit Loafer exudes the house’s exemplary vision of contemporary masculinity, centering around personality, originality and elegance. A perfect fusion of sporty, casual and sensual.The double ring and bar, inspired by the equestrian world, eliciting ideas of timeless style and refined class in our collective mind, meticulously crafted through Gucci’s ongoing creative endeavor, has been a constant motif in the house’s inspiring collection’s for over seven decades already, since the house’s founding in Florence, Italy, in 1921.

The campaign emphasizes the special place the Horsebit Loafer 1953 is given in creative director Sabato De Sarno’s menswear wardrobe. In line with Pietro Castellito’s relaxed character, captured through a series of striking portraits of different looks, ranging from the casual to the refined, balanced through the grounding presence of Gucci Horsebit Loafer 1953’s transformative, but simultaneously, ever so adapting, design.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Stella McCartney x Adidas PFW – Fashionably fast

After multiple successful collaborations over the past two decades, Stella McCartney and adidas come together again for launching what seems to be the next wardrobe essential: the Rasant. While rushing through the short days of Paris Fashion Week and trying to see every show, the new style is the ideal trainer to ensure a comfortable and relaxing watch of the runways.

Translating from German to “rapid”, the new sneaker features a high-top silhouette, vegan leather, and layered lace, bringing fashion into the sports world. A tribute to the old Monza sneaker – worn on the Spring Summer 2002 Stella McCartney runway – the Rasant mirrors McCartney’s desire for playfulness, the excitement that unexpected pairings bring. In a world full of elegance and couture, the female designer dives deep into sports culture and embraces the functionality part of it, while bringing the savoir faire of high fashion to the athletic realm. Striving to support all athletes, Stella McCartney and adidas design an unisex shoe, made to push the limits of innovation and modernize the catwalk. With Monza’s legendary past – worn by race drivers in the 80s and 90s, models, and athletes – that stretches over the past 50 years, the Rasant is designed to live up to the expectations of its predecessor.

Constructed from vegan leather that imitates nubuck leather, the silhouette comes in a natural color palette, with shades of white, black, and gray that wrap the shoe’s slim shape, giving it a light, soft look. The Rasant trainer will be available for pre-order in October 2024 and will arrive in stores in January 2025.

www.stellamccartney.com
www.adidas.com

Fashion

Rabanne Spring Summer 2025 PFW – Relative Radicality

The Rabanne Spring Summer 2025 collection blurs the lines between exquisite and every day in a way that is quintessentially Rabanne.

Couture techniques applied to casual garments, classic pieces of preppy wear transformed into industrial inspired futuristic looks, and the iconic 1969 assemblage bags reimagined as three dresses giving the whole show an essence of a transformative fairytale. The twisted fairytale vision is equally present in the makeup of the show, all from Rabanne Make-Up. Simplistic but still strong and fierce while using traditionally soft colors is not an easy feat, but one that Beauty Creative Director Diane Kendal managed expertly. Not only are the looks ready to wear but ready to inspire as well.

The show begins with short, layered looks that resemble industrial packaging as well as futuristic ideas, but in candy-ish colors. Later looks transition into plays with silhouettes, garments made from intricate geometric piecing create intriguing shapes as well as reveal parts of the body beneath. The 1969 assemblage bag is not just reimagined as a dress but also is rereleased as Artisan Editions. three different collaborations with masters in medal making, ceramics and glass blowing.

Creative Director Julien Dossena makes use of the history and heritage of Rabanne to continue the existing story, but instead of falling into the traps of simply returning to past standards that were groundbreaking at the time, he questions the notion of radicality itself. Radicality is relative – it depends on the circumstances it exists in and rebels against. This is why this collection is exciting, it is unique to our time as well as exists in conversation with Rabanne's heritage.

www.fashion.rabanne.com

Fashion

The Gucci Blondie – Tantalizingly Timeless

The Gucci Blondie bag took center stage at the Gucci Cruise 2025 show in London. The perfect staple for the modern woman who values both elegance and practicality is rightfully so in everyone’s field of view. The origin of the name Gucci Blondie is not in the bag but in the logo. In the early 1970s Gucci introduced a new design with two interlocking Gs inverted and facing each other to form a circle. This tribute to the house's founder Guccio Gucci is the Gucci Blondie. It was a perfect representation of the liberated spirit of the 70s.

In 2023 during the contemporary rise of 70s fashion and ideals the Gucci Blondie had a return beyond the logo as it was used for a handbag collection that combines the retro with the modern like two Gs interlocking. In its new front and center position the Gucci Blondie bag is available in a multitude of refined materials, with the leather options spotlighting the artistry of Tuscan leather craftsmanship. In addition it is also available in canvas which gives the bag a very contemporary and légere feel, as well as the suede option paying homage to the first bag carrying the logo.

The Blondie is available in mini, small, medium and maxi sizes and comes in a variety of materials and colors, including the signature Gucci Rosso Ancora shade. It comes with a detachable shoulder strap for maximum styling options for any occasion.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Dior Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2025 – On Arrows and Amazons

In the Dior Paris Fashion Week Spring Summer 2025 ready-to-wear collection, Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri is reconsidering the relationship between the garments and those who wear them. The collection is pushing back the boundaries between model and designs to create an artistic process full of intention, functionality and mutual respect of body and dress. This is an exciting return to a time before the industrial complex of fashion week, to rekindle a stronger relationship with the models and treat them with power and agency.

The notion is further affirmed through the recentering of the Amazone dress from the Dior archives designed by Christian Dior himself. The figure of the Amazon is a symbol for autonomous and courageous femininity which perfectly describes this collection. The power of the Amazon is taken on through the inclusion of sport into the show and its looks. Utilitarian cuts in black and white with athletics inspired cuts are blended with entrancing fringe bodysuits in neutral tones – demonstrating the power in feminine strength.

A highlight of the show is SAGG Napoli, an artist who uses archery in her work, who is the emblem of a modern Amazone and high fashion warrior. She opens the runway with her bow and shoots an arrow down into the bullseye at the end of a long glass corridor.
The runway show immediately entrances you and is an exciting spectacle of a positive future for fashion and femininity as a true powerhouse.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Ferrari MFW Spring Summer 2025 – An Ode to Power and Sensuality

The Spring Summer 2025 Ferrari collection at Milan Fashion week is quintessentially Ferrari in its playful elegance and embrace of the brand’s origin in the automobile industry.
Padded leather with hand painted brush strokes evoke 1970s steering wheels and workwear denim is enriched in exciting ways that elevate this tried-and-true staple. A highlight of the collection is the handbag inspired by toolboxes of factory workers of the past and outfitted with fringes made from repurposed leather offcuts. It was shown in seven different colors and materials to celebrate the brand’s seventh collection.

The color palette is defined by a love for red – yet again a nod to Ferrari’s signature passionate hue – with which the collection begins but the beautiful cascade of shades is not ending there. Vibrant red transitions into burgundy, ivory and icy blues then into electric sparks of lemony yellow, which then again become more muted with terracotta, tobacco and olive green. This gradient creates a beautiful story of tradition and innovation and through its consistent silhouettes of bomber jackets, blazers and pencil skirts all the pieces and looks gain a sense of interconnection. However, due to their difference in materials and shade, their meaning to the audience changes drastically.

This collection embodies power and sensuality and is demonstrating a commitment to Ferrari’s heritage without fear of evolving from it.

www.ferrari.com

Fashion

Ferragamo Spring-Summer 2025 MFW – Silk Ribbons and Raw Denim

The Ferragamo Spring Summer 2025 collection at Milan Fashion Week is a masterful blend of personal story and brand heritage. Creative Director Maximilian Davis combines Ferragamo’s history with ballet with his own Caribbean heritage to create a contemporary fusion with lots of subtle nods to its roots.

Ferragamo has a long history with ballet, including Rudolf Nureyev – one of the greatest ballet dancers to ever exist – wearing custom-made Ferragamo ballet shoes in the 1980s. And Davis has long been using historic eras as a source of inspiration in his works, and in this collection the ballet spirit of disparate decades is united into one narrative using the language of Ferragamo. Classic ballet uniforms are seen alongside mid-century glamor as well as oversized tailoring. All of these are equally representative of the spirit of ballet and the reality of dancers in different times and places, which makes this take on the ballet fashion aesthetic more than a one-dimensional portrayal. Due to the longstanding relationship between the house and ballet the respect and connection can be felt in every stitch.
The Caribbean spirit can be found in stonewashed denim and raw finishes that provide an invigorating contrast to the pristine look commonly associated with a ballet aesthetic. The shoes are an equally eclectic mix of jelly moccasins and pointed heels as well as a blend between the two inspirations in the form of a graphic heeled sandal with ankle ribbons.

What could have seemed random is turned into a heartfelt tribute to two cultures with long history, that is also quintessentially Ferragamo, showing fashion as a gorgeous narrative device across time and space.

www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

Prada Womenswear MFW Spring Summer 2025 – To Infinity and Beyond

We exist in the age of constant content on a globalized scale. Additionally, predictive algorithms and artificial intelligence use logic to calculate what might happen, but still the future feels as uncertain as ever, maybe more so. In a time of infinite possibilities that all coexist at our fingertips we have heightened awareness of all we do not know and all the paths we could take.

Where do all these somewhat bleak ideas land us?

At the Prada Spring Summer 2025 MFW show entitled “Infinite Present.”

It is a simultaneous celebration of human creativity throughout time and space but also distinctly centered in the present. The looks span eras of Prada and coexist in a way to question the chronology of time. Some of them are reminiscent of the past with knee length skirts and muted florals while others are futuristic in their nature walking the line between utopia and dystopia. But regardless, all of them are uniquely contemporary.

The fact that there is no clear obvious throughline is the connection in itself – while physically present together we are also infinitely present through the global network of connections that exist concurrently.

We are more connected than ever but also much lonelier in our day-to-day lives, many of the models are wearing coverings over their eyes shutting them off from the world around them.

Additionally, the lack of one clear theme reflects the contemporary trend cycle that has sped up to the point of self-destruction. And while this is somewhat frightening, it is also an opportunity to highlight freedom and personal style, which the collection expertly explores through their MFW runway.

Every look, every model feels like a study of an individual. With a rich backstory full of plot twists, failures and successes, creativity and an innate humanity, the presentation leaves a lasting impression for current and future times.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Diesel Denim Cave

Hiding under four walls and a ceiling made out of denim there is a collection that concentrates Creative Director Glenn Martens’ vision of Diesel. Denim Cave, the pop up installation in San Babila, Milan, is on display for customers from September to November. Reflecting the brand’s core principles of freedom, self-expression, and democracy, the store blends the traditional retail experience with an immersive concept that allows visitors to see beyond the Fall 2024 pieces that are exposed in the room.

Walking through the official flagship, the guests stumble across a 52-square meter cube-shaped room, covered in distressed and destroyed Diesel jeans. Diving into the world of Diesel means understanding its heritage – the denim mastery rooted in almost 50 years of being a leading brand in premium fashion – which is exactly what Denim Cave strives to do. Through it, the creative team of the Italian label builds the ideal environment for exploring ready-to-wear Fall 2024 items, while proposing a fun initiative that demonstrates Diesel’s commitment to authenticity and craftsmanship.

Central to the Fall 2024 collection is the Charm-D bag, showcased in light blue, perfectly complementing the room’s all-denim aesthetic. On top of its quilted denim lies a detachable, rhinestone Diesel letter chain which also doubles as a bracelet. The bag is available in small and medium sizes, and also comes in a backpack version.

Instagrammable and ready to be posted on all social networks, the Denim Cave is a means of making most of the flagship store, proving that having fun can go hand-in-hand with elevated fashion.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

Stone Island Autumn Winter 24

Founded in Italy in 1982, Stone Island is a leading luxury fashion house specialized in product design and garment innovation. As such, the new release of the Autumn Winter 24-25 collection lives up to the standards of unparalleled originality and creativity, featuring advanced fabric treatments, dyeing techniques, and designs that push the boundaries of contemporary fashion.

For its Ghost collection, the avant-garde brand places wool in the center. Made with Melton wool, the peacoat and single-breasted jacket become staples of the season. Stone Island captures an authentic theme that makes the pieces stand out: camouflage. As one would think, the pieces are completely monochromatic, blending the softness of the textile into neutral, characteristic colors for the Fall Winter time. Shifting the focus from aesthetic appeal to functionality, the creative team designed a special mono-color version of the Stone Island badge. To achieve the smooth look of the garments, innovative techniques are introduced. For the first piece – the 002F9 HOODED SUEDE JACKET SHEEPSKIN – the suede sheepskin is treated with a PFC free anti-drop agent that offers a flowing feel to the textile. Similarly, the cashmere of the 455F5 HEAVY MELTON jacket balances the rough touch of the Melton wool. The ivory and khaki shades of the outerwear pieces provide versatility, while the construction featuring pockets and buttons enhances functionality and style. The thoughtful design ensures that it not only complements a variety of outfits but also offers practicality for everyday use.

An ode to the artistic direction of Ferdinando Verderi, the Fall Winter campaign features actor and curator Russell Tovey, captured by David Sims with behind-the-scenes shots by Heikki Kaski.

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

Mediterranean Romance

“For a designer, the greatest thing is to find partners who can bring your ideas to life, which is what Italy’s artisans have done for us for 35 years,” says designer Michael Kors. Even though summer is over, in New York it has just begun. On September 10th, the afternoon brought familiar faces to The Shed for an exclusive runway show presenting the Spring/Summer 2025 collection for Michael Kors.

This collection brings “Mediterranean romance”: a blend of the 1950s romance and the sleek simplicity of the 1990s. Whether it was lace or satin, the defined-waist silhouettes set the collection apart, giving it a vintage feel. Adding to it were the soft details – floral fabric embroideries, texture play and bare tailoring – complemented by the timeless shapes of the garments – slim, long-line dresses, relaxed trousers, and dramatic necklines. Unexpected for a summer collection, shades of black, brown, and earthy tones paraded down the catwalk.

As they walked to a custom-made soundtrack, models like Anok Yai, Paloma Elsesser, and Irina Shayk, along with others, showcased the trends set to define next summer's fashion. Paired with hand-woven leather market and bucket bags with braided handles, the sculptural heels completed every outfit, defining exquisite craftsmanship and creativity.

The star-studded front row included Olivia Wilde, Mary J. Blige, Lindsay Lohan, Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling, Nina Dobrev, Shailene Woodley, and JC-T, making the event a spectacle not just on the runway but also off it. The live show experience reached global audiences through the brand’s social and digital platforms, with MichaelKors-Collection.com serving as the central hub for all exclusive content. Fashion lovers worldwide tuned in via YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and Threads, while the brand also catered to its international fanbase through WeChat, Weibo, LINE, and Kakao.

www.michaelkors.com

Fashion

Stone Wash: Reinventing Denim with Air

First previewed at Pitti Immagine Uomo 105 in January 2024, GUESS Jeans has introduced a groundbreaking innovation in stone washing technology, created through a sustainable lens. Originally shown at Pitti, their exhibition The Next 40 Years of Denim has relocated to Amsterdam, where it is showcasing the revolutionary GUESS AIRWASH™ technology that largely replaces the water used in traditional stone washing with air and bubbles. This state-of-the-art sustainable alternative eliminates the use of pumice stones, leading to less consumption of both water and energy.

Above all, the hero behind the GUESS AIRWASH™ technology is creative director Nicolai Marciano, along with the brand’s long-time partner, Jeanologia. Their ambitious, daring, and uncompromising approach to sustainable denim production has led to the creation of a laser and nebulization process, resulting in an entirely digital method. The process achieves the same effect while saving 80% of water as well as a significant amount of time compared to previous techniques. Moreover, the AIRWASH™ technique preserves the fabric's resistance and protects it from possible damage.

The future of denim, as envisioned by GUESS, is not just about the look and feel of the fabric, but also about how it is produced with less resources, and waste, ensuring that fashion can be both fashionable and eco-friendly. The first GUESS AIRWASH™ collection debuted in the Pre-Fall 2024 lineup.

www.guess.com

Fashion

New Face of Dior J'Adore - Rihanna

 Amidst the golden hues of Versailles, she stands as a queen exuding remarkable femininity.

The new muse for Dior J'Adore is - Rihanna, without any explanation needed. As a fusion of a pop idol and a legendary perfume, J’adore and Rihanna have entered a new era of golden dreams in Dior. The timeless golden appeal of J’adore has been offered to women for 25 years, and now, it takes on a new level of Diorness.

The new Dior J'Adore campaign envisions a dream perfume, enhanced by stunning visuals of Rihanna. The sublime beauty in the iconic reinvented necklace is radiant, while the embroidered golden gown with pale sequins is ethereal, all completes the gracious golden dream, both created by Dior Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri. Being truly herself, the celebration of the Dior dream is an expression of her original celebration of life. The new commercial of J'Adore will be displayed from September 1st.
www.dior.com

Travel

Postcards from Hawaii – NIO Cocktails New Drinkable Destination

NIO Cocktails’ new collection created by mixologist Patrick Pistolesi pays tribute to the beauty of Hawaii and provides a tropical flavor journey shipped right to your home.

This collection of four cocktails features new takes on classic drinks such as a tropical Negroni, a hot Mai Tai, and a spicy Mango Margarita, as well as a brand-new exotic signature cocktail inspired by the Celestial Ocean.

Carefully handcrafted in Italy using only high-quality spirits this tasting set is the perfect summer getaway in a glass.

www.niococktails.com

Art

DIESEL X TOM OF FINLAND FOUNDATION

The celebration of Pride unites people across the globe, transcending boundaries in art, social norms, and culture. This provocative, inclusive mission is the core of the collaborative exhibition project of Diesel and the Tom of Finland Foundation.

Denim brand Diesel is partnering with the Tom of Finland Foundation to exhibit a special collaborative display in Tokyo in honor of the Foundation's 40th anniversary. Titled "Forty Years Of Pride," the exhibition will be hosted at the Diesel Art Gallery in the Diesel store in Shibuya from July 12 to Wednesday, August 14, 2024. This multi-faceted project is a highlight of their commitment to LGBTQ+ art advocacy, speaking to diversity and unity. This event not only celebrates four decades of preserving and promoting the iconic legacy of Tom of Finland but also offers a unique opportunity to reflect on Tom of Finland's impact on contemporary art, social consciousness, and its resonance with diverse audiences. Notably, the exhibition will feature "TOM House: The VR Experience," a groundbreaking virtual reality installation that provides an immersive, aural journey into Tom’s world.

With this global project, Diesel aims to support the artist community by providing a unique venue for openness, freedom, and love, underscoring the tremendous social and cultural impact of Tom of Finland’s work.
www.diesel.com
www.tomoffinland.org

Fashion

Doucal's MAN SS24

Luxury Italian shoe brand Doucal's reaffirms the classic Italian aesthetic in the men’s loafer for its Spring Summer 2024 collection. The collection features two iconic styles, the Mario Loafer and the Full Penny Loafer, both highlighting lightness and enhanced comfort with exceptional elasticity and flexibility. The Mario Loafer is a signature item dedicated to the brand's founder, while the Full Penny Loafer offers an alluring take on a timeless classic. Both models are versatile, embodying hand-crafted excellence with traditional references in Italian shoes. Doucal's long-standing footwear craftsmanship is at the core of the brand, producing vibrant and one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Each shoe boasts its own color, shading, and luster. Even small imperfections contribute to their unique character.

The SS24 collection is designed to suit various customer lifestyles, distinguished by three lines: Gentlemen, Sporty Leisure, and Academy. The Gentlemen line, dreamed up by Creative Director Gianni Giannin, features versatile leather-sole styles that cover the entire spectrum of menswear, from everyday to formal wear. These loafers, when paired with any outfit, epitomize timeless elegance. Each pair features a memory foam insole, adding a layer of comfort and innovation that ensures a soft feel and constant breathability. On the other hand, the Sporty Leisure line features a rubber sole, designed for more casual, leisure occasions, yet they remain strictly hand-crafted with unmistakable style. In the Academy line, the Roger sneaker features a lace-up Strobel construction that guarantees lightness and torsion.
www.doucals.com

Fashion

Fendi FW 24/25 Campaign

In Fendi’s latest collection, Artistic Director Kim Jones explores the ease of dressing, revolving around subtle contrasting conceptions. The gowns are relaxed, utilitarian yet extravagant. The simple yet theatrical ideas infinitely expand to salon and street, town and country. This uncommon blend is a fusion of tradition and subversion, combining blasé British style with Roman elegance in Fall Winter 2024-2025.

In his creative narrative, London nonchalance meets Roman freedom. Luxury exudes sumptuous comfort, while the magical confidence the clothing and accessories bestow allows the wearer to express themselves with boundless freedom. Above all, a very Fendi quality grounds the collection with hints of practicality and playfulness, while highlighting a sense of duality.

Meanwhile, the bags by Silvia Venturini Fendi, Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear, showcase a more refined style, deconstructed from past designs. Featuring soft and reconfigured shapes, the bags boast the sumptuous appeal of luxurious leathers. The rich, natural hues slip into the new versions of signature bags: Peekaboo, Baguette, and By The Way. The standout piece is the new Simply FENDI, inspired by an archival style from the late 1990s. It can be worn in multiple ways, symbolizing a sumptuously utilitarian aesthetic.
www.fendi.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Escale Watch

The latest emblematic Louis Vuitton watch collection, Escale, unveils three watchpieces crafted with watchmaking expertise by La Fabrique du Temps. Continuing Maison’s quest for artisanal craftsmanship with iconic heritage, La Fabrique du Temps draws on creative audacity and an innovative approach to create the new Escale timepieces.

Above all, these three choices are the first new models in a decade for the Louis Vuitton Escale line. They offer an array of color and material variations infused with historic trunk-making design codes. Originally, the Escale line was known as “The Escale Cabinet of Wonders,” a trilogy of métiers d’art timepieces inspired by the iconic collections of Gaston-Louis Vuitton, third-generation patriarch of the Maison’s founding family. Now, for the 2024 collection, the Escale embarks on a new journey of savoir-faire, exploring the panorama of timekeeping while celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Escale at Louis Vuitton.

The latest Escale is characterized by distinctively textured and tactile surfaces, an elevated approach to case design, and sophisticated finishes. Its movement comes from the rich terrain of traditional Swiss horlogerie, La Fabrique du Temps.
www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

LONGCHAMP Commits to Longevity

The epitome of French elegance, LONGCHAMP’s take on longevity is uncompromising. Committing to responsible practices in all phases of production, the sustainable approach includes careful selection of raw materials and repairing service, reflecting the brand's desire to reduce environmental impact. Most of all, the exceptional quality of leather is the DNA of the brand, sourced from tanneries certified by the Leather Working Group. In particular, in 2023, 79% of leather items in LONGCHAMP received the “Gold” award, the highest level of certification, guaranteeing environmental and social standards.

Moreover, the brand focuses on using recycled materials. Since 2019, the brand has introduced diverse product ranges made from recycled materials. The iconic Le Pliage bag was redesigned with a canvas woven from recycled fibers, reducing everyone’s CO2 footprint by almost 20%. Additionally, its environmentally conscious approach is evident in the latest FW24 collection, which features recycled Ready-to-wear items like a recycled polyester kimono jacket and a set of sneakers made entirely from recycled materials.

Beyond production, the brand continues its commitment to sustainability through its repair service, ensuring that every product can be repaired to extend its lifespan. This service includes almost 60,000 products annually and embodies LONGCHAMP's dedication to durability and responsible take on fashion.
www.longchamp.com

Fashion

GUCCI INTERLOCKING WATCH COLLECTION

A global luxury brand, Gucci unveiled a new interlocking watch collection that fuses its iconic signature and timeless design in modern watches. The eye-catching Interlocking G motif slips into the watch collection, encapsulating the essence of modern elegance and sophistication crafted by the Maison’s expertise in design and watchmaking.

The new line consists of two distinguished models. One has a sporty yet refined look, while the other is an exquisite statement piece, blending strength and grace with a contemporary spirit.

The sporty line includes two 41-mm automatic versions and three 41-mm chronograph variants. The 41-mm automatic timepieces feature the iconic Interlocking G motif at 6 o'clock, serving as the seconds hand, staying faithful to the Maison’s refined design. Meanwhile, the chronograph timepieces come in black, blue, or green and enhance precise time measurement with three sub-dials and two pushers. In short, both automatic and chronograph designs combine a sporty yet sophisticated appeal, crafted for those who value precision and personality.

Another line, focused on elegant, exquisite details, comes with two 29-mm versions, embodying graceful femininity. The watch pieces are embellished with diamonds, exuding a sumptuous aura. The eight diamond markers and sleek G motif accents harmonize every detail, creating a balanced and refined look, while the stainless-steel bracelet sums up the contemporary aesthetic of the brand.

Whether sporty and sophisticated or elegant and feminine, the new Gucci interlocking watch collection offers diverse charms and unceasing allure on your wrist.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

CHANEL Couture FW25

At the place of creative freedom for Chanel, Palais Garnier is the inspiration and the venue for the CHANEL Couture FW25 Show. The collection unfolded Maison’s discipline of beauty, patience, and excellence, fused with theatrical elements from the historic opera house, Palais Garnier in Paris.

The show opened with an opera-inspired, long, elegant cape featuring a distinctive ruffled collar, paired with an embellished bride top and matching knickers, elevated with a romantic hair bow. The dramatic, romantic look set the tone for the entire couture show. Following this, Chanel's signature tweed suits made their way down the runway with glittery and glitzy accents: Some pieces were adorned with feather trimming and tassels on collars or sleeves, while others featured embroidered flowers, sequins, braids, and precious gems across the garments. Overall, matte, glossy, and lacquered textures showcased how light reigns supreme.

Along with the splendid and sumptuous tweed pieces, costume-inspired outfits stood out, including corsets, tutus, puffed sleeves, and evening dresses, which appeared toward the end of the show. Moreover, the gleaming palette exuded elegance and grace in the splendid couture mood featuring black, gold, silver, ivory, fuchsia, and pale pink.

Dreamed up by the French director Christophe Honoré, the show transformed the Palais Garnier into a gilded theatre catwalk where performance and elegance mingle at every glance, gaze, and artful display, creating a true stage for dance. The collection imbued the House codes with a romantic twist through voluminous capes and luxurious gowns, evoking a modernized stage tradition and taking us to a glorious era in the opera house. In short, romantic dreams intertwined with elegance and exuberance on the theater stage.
www.chanel.com

Fashion

Men’s Paris Fashion Week – Louis Vuitton

After his beloved debut collection for SS24, Creative Director and producer Pharrell Wiliams returns to the runway with a vision that focuses on humanity, culture, and celebrates the core values of Louis Vuitton. The campaign represents a collaboration with Air Afrique – a cultural platform dedicated to Afro-diasporic art, conversations, and knowledge – inspired by the legacy of the airline with the same name.

From cropped tailored jackets to camionneur-collared knitwear, the SS25 collection features silhouettes that invite the audience to indulge in the fantasy of details. It is dominated by the Snake-o-Flage motif, the embossed Branded Monogram, and other patterns and textiles that evoke the central theme: the unifying spirit of the global mentality of Louis Vuitton. With a total of 81 looks, Pharrell introduces a line of Soft Leather Goods that brings back iconic pieces of the brand like the Alma, the Christopher, and the Neverfull reinterpreted for travel in graceful, highly luxurious leather. The highlight of the new line is the fully covered rhinestones Keepall.

In association with Air Afrique, the French luxury brand displays a series of travel-inspired logos with elements like Damier chequers and blueish-green tartan that contribute to the series of hand-crafted bags. Similar to the purse collection, shoes are adapted to a traveler’s style and explore exotic combinations of leather, colors, and patchwork. Accessories such as aviator caps, cowboy hats, velvet gloves, silk ties, and opera scarves complement the chunky coloured wedding rings, tennis necklaces, and pearl stud earrings, paying tribute to the travel concept of the runway.

Hosted in Paris’ La Maison de l’UNESCO, the show reflects another success for Pharrell Williams and welcomes guests to act like the world is theirs - “Le Monde est à vous”, translated from French.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Bottega Veneta MFW – “Portraits of fatherhood” with A$AP Rocky

In time for Father’s Day, Bottega Veneta pays tribute to all fathers out there by taking a closer look at what it means to be a dad through the eyes of A$AP Rocky. In a set of black and white portraits, photographer Carrie Mae Weems captures the love and protection that we seem to rarely find in lyrics of rap songs. This shoot illustrates the duality of A$AP and expresses the balance that becoming a parent requires.

“When you think about A$AP Rocky, you think about a playboy, pretty boy, bras being thrown on stage. This is about me as a one-woman man, as a family man. It is about what completes my life now: being present as a partner and a parent.”, said Rocky about his self growth and the important role he has taken on in recent years.

Yet, this collection of photos does not only celebrate fathers, it also plays a significant part in changing the distorted view formed around the African American family and especially against Black men. The six pictures shared by Bottega Veneta share the touching story of intimacy between a father and his children. This is what Creative Director Matthieu Blazy hoped for when he asked Carrie Mae Weems to collaborate on this project.

Different from the usual campaigns of the luxury Italian brand, with “Portrait of fatherhood” we see a picture of vulnerability – Rocky surrounded by his two sources of happiness, RZA (2 y.o) and Riot Rose (10 mo.), blinded by true love and devotion to them.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Men’s Milan Fashion Week – Fendi

For the Spring Summer 2025 collection, the iconic Italian fashion house FENDI epitomized luxury timeless menswear for gentlemen heading to summertime. Through the lens of modern luxury, the show infused soft expressions of contemporary masculinity in Italian essence. Overall, Italian craftsmanship grounded the collection, exuding classic Italian charm while paying homage to the Maison’s signature codes, revisiting the first menswear collection in 1990.

Taking the menswear code from an international elite, the concept of work uniforms was ultimately transformed and jazzed up with soft powdery hues: a mineral palette of sherbet, mist, ivory, caramel, and buttermilk seamlessly blended with soft blues, natural indigo, black, and forest green. The outfits, blending elements of sports and office wear, invited the audience into Fendi Club – a luxurious gathering of well-dressed gentlemen.

Meanwhile, the venue was special for this season. Set against the minimalist open studio known as the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) event venue in the EU, models showcased stunning elegant outfits under natural daylight, framed by a series of mirrored columns and mobile monoliths that created infinite corridors and reflections in the show. Alongside the sophisticated setting, a customized electronic soundtrack by Vascellari in collaboration with Rocco Rampino featured an oscillating, romantic beat that echoed the airy, modern atmosphere.
www.fendi.com

Fashion

Gucci F/W 2024 Men's Collection

Inspired by the beauty of human expression, Gucci's Creative Director Sabato De Sarno celebrates his first men's campaign for the House by shifting the focus from fashion to a captivating set of models that combine familiarity with modernity. Iconic faces like Clément Chabernaud and George Barnett embody the new creations of De Sarno, bridging the gap between the early 2000s and the Creative Director’s modern vision.

Simple, yet fabulous, the collection is an ode to life, to humanity, and introduces some wardrobe staples, while redefining luxury. The emphasis is on the art of living, the ability that each of us has – to give a unique story and a personal touch to the looks. In this campaign, shot by David Sims, Sabato De Sarno blurs the lines between past, present, and future and redefines the purpose of couture: to tell stories through passion, happiness, and originality.

With his first runway show for Maison in September 2023, in Milan, De Sarno’s focus is on making Gucci feel more contemporary, chic, and Italian. In the Fall Winter 2024 collection, central to him is to enrich everyday life through his pieces and to share each of their stories, which can only be done by sharing the story of life. The Creative Director invites everyone to embrace freedom and authenticity while sharing the joy of being united by human thoughts of memories, fears, and friendship.

Starting July, the Italian brand will make its Fall Winter 2024 Men’s collection available in stores all around the world.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Once Upon a Time...

In a faraway kingdom filled with forests, castles, and rivers, lived a Queen: Mary Stuart. This emblematic figure of Scottish heritage steps out from the pages of a tale and into the real world. The next chapter in Dior's never-ending tale, the cruise 2025 collection, features an imaginative journey through Scotland and its Highlands. Dreamed up by Maria Grazia Chiuri, this story unfolds through the gardens of Drummond Castle, echoing the motifs of this land and paying homage to Mary Stuart — also known as Mary, Queen of Scots. "Divergent" is the word to characterize this show, which ranges from historic to punk vibes, embracing a multitude of styles.

The main character of the show is the emblematic tartan, which adorns kilts in numerous colors. This prominent motif embodies different personalities—from tradition to reinterpretation to transgression—the tartan is a single word with several meanings. Battles for power and contrasting textures stand their ground gloriously. For instance, velvet and lace engage in a sharp dialogue, reflecting the leitmotif of power dynamics that the show explores.

Different forms of needlework weave their swords, all the while maintaining a chic look, effortlessly on the mood. Wool dresses come in various lengths, side by side with jackets and coats in iconic fabrics and rigorous cuts, evoking the men's tailoring aesthetic.

A passionate tale of times long gone is brought to the present-day fields and gardens of Scotland. The Dior Cruise 2025 collection stands as a book of time, from a preface alluding to the past and an epilogue of the future, and the middle: a fascinating odyssey of present times and glories.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Duck Voyageur

The prestigious Italian fashion house Mandarina Duck, renowned for its high-quality leather goods and travel accessories, proudly unveils its new travel collection. Mandarina Duck is characterized by a deep interest in the future world, a spirit that permeates this new collection. It embodies a fresh, contemporary approach to the brand.

Each product and style evolves individually while maintaining a strong, recognizable brand identity, combining dynamism and functionality. Whether leisure or work bags, suitcases, wallets, or leather goods, Mandarina Duck products are everyday objects reinterpreted and redesigned through ingenious, original and functional aesthetic solutions.
www.mandarinaduck.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton - Resort 2025

Sculptural cuts and thoughtful drapery were the motto of the Louis Vuitton Resort 2025 show, imagined by Nicolas Ghesquière.
The collection featured elegant, tailored outfits with equestrian touches and 1980s influences, transitioning to flowing silk pieces inspired by Spanish masters. Innovative elements, like boiled silk and wool dresses, were once again proof of the creativity and craftsmanship of Louis Vuitton’s ateliers artisans.
For the past decade, Louis Vuitton has showcased Nicolas Ghesquière’s collections in stunning architectural marvels. This year, the designer selected the Hypostyle Room in Antoni Gaudi’s Park Güell, a hall renowned for its mosaic ceilings—a hallmark of Gaudi’s style. The show was then beautifully enhanced by its set-up, internationally renowned for the genius of its architect.
Along the same spirit, the designer said to have been inspired by the Spanish greatest artists, from Velazquez to Goya and Zurburan, as well as by the work of the talented filmmakers Luis Bunuel and Rodrigo Sorogoyen.

The collection and the show were then thought of as an homage, paying tribute to those who have contributed to the renown of Spanish art. The garments were adorned with interesting, modern cuts, questioning Louis Vuitton's identity by bringing a touch of fun elegance to more classic colors. Grays, blacks, and beiges followed one another, sometimes brightened up with a polka-dot motif, a nod to flamenco fashion. Then more diversified patterns appear, with mixtures of textures and colors providing the offbeat touch that we were waiting for. Finally, strict cuts are loosened, giving way to puffy, almost dramatic skirts and dresses, bringing an eye-catching finale to this architectural and well-exectuted Resort 2025 collection.
www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Gucci Cruise 2025

London is the backdrop of the new Gucci Cruise Collection 2025. Framed through the eyes of Gucci Creative Director Sabato De Sarno, the collection reflects his own experiences, as well as the profound ties to the city he inherited from Gucci's family. The Tate Modern - a unique location synonymous with unexpected juxtapositions and unanticipated rendezvous - opens the doors and hosts a singular event. This distinctive and diverse arena echoed in the collection itself. Rigor and extravagance, strength in delicacy, and Englishness with an Italian accent are the key points of the Gucci Cruise 2025. Short coats tailored in technical gabardine have a sharp precision juxtaposed with wild chamomile flora motifs, a softness against the body. To continue, chiffons, frills, and lace contrast with a feeling of protection and preciousness in outerwear, presenting an evening meeting every day. It is a game of contradictions and opposites. But it is already known that opposites attract. In this case, the sartorial fuses with workwear, street with salon, the fragile can become tough. Meanwhile, symbols of British style - tartans, tailoring - and emblems of Gucci are reconsidered, and re-energized for a new generation. Here, craft, and fashion can unify, crossing culture, time, and places.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

Prada X RedBull - Ryoyu Kobayashi

Prada Linea Rossa, Prada’s sportwear-inspired line supports the Japanese Olympic champion ski jumper Ryoyu Kobayashi.

As a Red Bull athlete, Japanese ski jumper Ryoyu Kobayashi is the Olympic and World Cup champion and three-time Four Hills winner who achieved a remarkable result. Kobayashi set a new ski jumping world record, breaking the previous record by 37.5 meters and setting a considerable new world record.

To support Kobayashi’s extreme challenge, Prada Linea Rossa offered its functional clothing and accessories for him and his core team members to achieve his goal. Prada Linea Rossa line features advanced technical fabric that combines comfort and high-performance function, suitable for professional athletes and outdoor sports. This support is the latest event in the partnership between Prada Linea Rossa and Red Bull which aims to promote unique sporting initiatives and the talent of athletes by helping them to reach their outstanding goals. Prada Linea Rossa brings together Prada’s modern luxury with functional items, elevating the outdoor look with design excellence and technical prowess. Tied intrinsically to the core identity of Prada, each item is hyper-functional, devised with cutting-edge methodology.
www.prada.com

Art

AAS:object:project by Marsèll X Gonzalez Haase – Milan Design Week 2024

AAS:object:project by Marsèll X Gonzalez Haase – Milan Design Week 2024 Marsèll, a Luxury footwear brand presented an exhibition in Milano by Gonzalez Haase – AAS, a Berlin-based studio with principal practices in architecture, scenography, and lighting. Renowned for the unique interplay between light and architecture at the forefront of their designs, AAS has gained a noted reputation for their spatial concepts. Their work includes major artwork installations, luxury retail interiors, residential extensions as well as conversions for industrial and art-related spaces. For the Design Week 2024 installation, AAS made an exceptional collaboration with Marsèll, which was entitled AAS:object:project. Within the project, the design action becomes performative, involving visitors to the point of transforming them into artists themselves. The key to the project is a reaction to multiple elements - a given space, light, proportion, or movement. All the objects were beautifully designed while each is critical in the unique settings where scenography and architecture made a perfect fusion; Benches that extend to the extreme in modular sequences, urbanized plants sprouting from a series of aluminum towers, a special re-edition of the emblematic LOLA light and an infinity of light paper confetti kept in motion by large fans. The exhibition will be held from 14 April 2024 to 10 May 2024 at Marsèll, Via Paullo 12/A, Milano.
www.marsell.com
www.gonzalezhaase.com

Art

GRAU - Milan Design Week 2024

Not only does the lamp boast a unique appearance, but its name is also one of a kind: Fire. Designed by GRAU, a lighting design project, the Fire features both an iconic soft visual and great functionality with fast charging. “Fire is the biggest milestone of our work so far. We are launching a new kind of lighting experience and are convinced that Fire marks the start of a new era of lighting - the era of living light.” Timon and Melchior Grau, GRAU’s Creative Directors. Fire was designed to offer an uncompromising lighting experience that reinvents the design and user experience of a classic ambient table lamp. Beyond its design, what sets it apart is its special feature of healthy light, free from blue light. The designers ensured that Fire offers warm light free from blue light, which enhances the production of the relaxation hormone melatonin and has a health-promoting effect. Moreover, the lamp features fast charging, fully charging in 2 hours via USB-C Power Delivery. A smart LED indicates the remaining battery life and can provide up to 50 hours of portable light. Obviously, the Fire is a unique piece that you can find during Milan Design Week. The Fire was presented by GRAU during Milan Design Week from April 14th to 17th in an exhibition alongside Bonfire at Via Meravigli 4.
www.grau.art

Fashion

TOD’S – VENICE LIMITED EDITION

Tod’s recently has launched a limited-edition collection dedicated to Venice, consisting of the iconic Gommino driving shoes and the T Timeless shopping bag, which was introduced during the pre-opening days of the Biennale Arte 2024. This exceptional collection is an example of handcrafted excellence, made from the finest calf leather as well as finished with a special treatment that preserves its natural appearance, enhancing its transparency. The limited edition includes hand-stitched Gommino in both Men's and Women's versions and the T Timeless shopping bag, constructed with overlapping panels of plush leather, lined in suede calf, and closed with double handles. These epitomized luxury handcrafted masterpieces, boasting a strong, refined, and modern style in aligned with the brand’s elegant and classic Italian style. As a tribute to the city of Venice, two new colors have been selected for both models: Tiziano red and deep blue which evoke the colors of the lagoon.

The limited collection will be available for sale from April 19, 2024, exclusively at the new Venice boutique on Calle XXII Marzo and online store.
www.tods.com

Fashion

Stone Island Prototype Research 8

An innovative global brand, Stone Island unveiled a new limited edition, Stone Island Prototype Research Series, including specially designed t-shirts and tote bags. In celebration of Prototype Series 08, the exhibition will be held during Milan Design Week 2024. The exhibition features a wide range of garments in fabrics and treatments born from research and experimentation processes that have not yet been industrialized.

Due to the advanced industrial techniques, the Series 08 fabric, especially, aims to create rigid shells for the automotive, boating, and sports sectors, starting from flexible and multiaxial components. This innovative fabric is born from a collaboration between Stone Island and three industrial partners that has allowed the modification of some technical treatments to obtain a flexible, translucent, and water-resistant experimental material, usable in the field of clothing. The process involves the creation of a multiaxial linen textile base as a natural reinforcement material, subsequent needle-cohesion to a non-woven fabric veil, state-of-the-art inkjet printing with pigments, and double lamination of aliphatic polyurethane film. Encompassing 100 print artworks, each created for the garment was recomposed into a large fresco, a dreamlike organic landscape reminiscent of a primordial world. Notably, the cape style is inspired by the very first Stone Island collection in 1982 – a functional reference to a military garment that could evolve into a tent.

Afterward, they will be on sale at selected Stone Island stores on May 28th, including Milan, London, Paris, Munich, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai AIPM.
www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

Dior and the City That Never Sleeps

The Dior Fall Ready-to-Wear 2024 collection, unveiled on April 15, 2024, in New York, pays tribute to New York and its influence on the life and work of Christian Dior.
From Christian Dior's beginnings in Paris in 1947 to this day, New York has always held an irresistible fascination for the designer. The House's history with the American fashion capital began with the creation of the New York ensemble by Christian Dior, with its sleek, infinitely modern style.
In Christian Dior's autobiography, the chapter dedicated to his Paris-New York trip opens a dialogue between the fashion capitals, highlighted by Maria Grazia Chiuri through two key prints: the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower.
The show took place at the Brooklyn Museum, which had previously hosted the "Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams" exhibition in 2021, and here perpetuates its history with the house.

For this collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri chose German-American actress Marlene Dietrich as her muse, a Dior icon both in life and on screen. The Dior Fall 2024 silhouette is inspired by the actress and her phantasmagorical charisma.
Printed dresses, straight but light silhouettes, and loose bar suits are all elements of Dior's Fall 2024 wardrobe, celebrating Christian Dior's love of the two emblematic fashion cities.
www.dior.com

Fashion

GANT Archive in Berlin- A Shirt with History

GANT, the iconic American sportswear brand, presents its digital archive, the GANT Archive, in partnership with Highsnobiety, a global fashion and lifestyle media brand. Under the name of "A Shirt With History," this innovative project delves into GANT's mesmerizing 75-year journey. The archive will be unveiled on April 11, 2024, opening at 7 PM at the Highsnobiety Store in Berlin.

In celebration of this milestone, the brand has curated an interactive space within the Highsnobiety Store, offering visitors a comprehensive look at GANT's evolution over the past seven decades. In the opening day of the event in the Highsnobiety store, numerous distinguished panels will feature the insightful discussion including, Creative Director Christopher Bastin, VP Creative & Buying at Highsnobiety Herbert Hofmann as well as Model Sadiq Desh, and the session will be hosted by Founder and Editor-in-Chief of INDIE magazine Kira Aurelie. Along with the discussion, the guest can enjoy the drinks and music with Temry.

For the last seven decades, GANT’s shirts have been synonymous with timeless elegance and comfort, grounding the concept of preppy fashion. From the iconic Oxford Button Down shirt to innovative pieces like the Woolster and the Popover, the garments reflect the brand’s longstanding commitment to craftsmanship as well as exceptional style evolution. The GANT archive vividly illustrates the brand's deep-rooted collegiate connections.
www.gant.com
www.highsnobiety.com

Fashion

Dior Men’s B57 low sneakers

First introduced in the Dior Spring 2024 collection, the B57 sneakers revealed its new fresh look in the Fall 2024 collection featuring the low-top silhouette. As a must-have piece of the Dior Fall 2024 collection, the B57 low sneakers grounded Dior’s runway completing the various stylish ensembles with accented bold lines and signature logo play.

Designed by Creative Director Kim Jones, the B57 low sneakers boast their retro charm and combine incomparable elegance with sportiness and fresh lightness. The captivating retro allure symbolized the objects of desire that fused elegance with sportswear, reflecting the virtuoso Savoir-faire of the French house. Crafted in luxurious smooth calfskin, this sneaker boasts several design elements that imbue it with a retro athletic style - including a perforated toe box, a rubber insert, intricate topstitching details as well as the brand's logo jacquard embellishment, featuring the iconic CD emblem that symbolizes the house’s rich heritage. Alongside the striking design, these luxe sneakers embraced suppleness and comfort in their materials. The breathable mesh lining and a cushioned ankle not only enhance comfort but also ensure essential qualities as well as prove itself to be a versatile and stylish choice for everyday wear. Available in several soft color variations– gray, black, beige, pale blue, and midnight blue, the color added a light charming contrast on both its laces and body.

The Dior men’s B57 low sneakers are available in the boutiques and online stores of Dior from March 28, 2024.
www.dior.com

Fashion

Gucci Horsebit 1953 Loafer Campaign

One of Gucci's iconic shoes, the Horsebit 1953 loafer, introduces a new chapter, launching the campaign featuring British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir. The brand’s new story unfolds through a minimalist setting, with relaxed portraits narrating the enduring legacy of the timeless style of shoes. Captured by talented fashion photographer Heji Shin, the campaign is infused with stylish fashion portraits that delve into the loafer's evolution, encompassing symbolic values of sporty, casual, and sensual elegance, while weaving together the past and present of the brand’s story.

The Horsebit loafer, since its inception in 1953, has aptly embodied the essence of sophistication, while the double ring and bar, a signature detail of the loafer, was first introduced in the late 1940s. Till today, this beloved equestrian-inspired design remains emblematic of Gucci’s DNA.The latest rendition of the Horsebit loafer was created under the vision of Sabato De Sarno, Creative Director of Gucci, and designed to breathe fresh vitality into the classic design. Embodying its ongoing influence in redefining everyday style, the Horsebit 1953 loafer emerges as a testament to Gucci's commitment to reimagining elegance for the modern era. Its casual yet seductive and iconic design appeals to individuals looking to interpret everyday life through a lens of sophistication. Epitomizing classic elegance, Gucci’s Horsebit 1953 loafer serves as both an anchor to the brand’s heritage and a source of inspiration through its endless and inspiring variations, remaining a timeless piece across generations.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

MILAN 2024/FW – Ferragamo

MILAN 2024/FW – Ferragamo Since taking on the role of Creative Director at Ferragamo in early 2022, Maximilian Davis has been at the forefront of leading the brand, infusing each collection with anticipation and fresh energy, through his youthful vision that revitalizes the luxury house.

For the Fall/Winter 2024 collection, Davis returned with a captivating show delving into the 1920s theme, emerging as a liberating era that symbolizes self-expression and freedom, bridging a century-old gap with modern flair. From his interpretation, the 1920s represent a celebration of freedom, and his focused exploration of this theme has led him to reimagine Ferragamo's heritage and icons. Revisiting the visual code of the era, he reworked raised hems, fluid fabrics, dropped waists, and relaxed cuts, and transformed the elements into the latest Ferragamo runway that reflects the self-expression of the twenties – on both sides of the century.

Embracing the spirit of androgyny, he has crafted a new wardrobe for women who boldly embrace masculine silhouettes. This reflection is seen in broad shoulders, heavy wool, and supple leathers that add depth to the collection. Sharp, sculptural lapels connote a surrealist spirit, while the distorted proportions further enhance the artistic narrative.

Drawing inspiration from the period of uniforms and utilitarian workwear, such as fishermen's gear like thigh-high waders and leather outerwear, he creates a counterpoint to fluid drapery, softening their forms through fabrications like wool mixed with cashmere for luxurious ease and unlined leathers for a relaxed finesse, ultimately imbuing the collection with fetishistic desirability.
www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

The first Loro Piana boutique in Berlin

Loro Piana unveiled its inaugural Berlin boutique on March 5th. Located in Kurfürstendamm Strasse 188-189, in the heart of the city's main luxury district. Embodying the essence of the Maison with a timeless and contemporary design, the store pays homage to Sergio Loro Piana's legacy.
Drawing inspiration from natural elements, the boutique exudes warmth with its signature oak wood and Carabottino details, fostering a harmonious blend of sophistication and comfort reminiscent of a 'home away from home'. Textured finishes and sumptuous fabrics evoke the sensory allure of Loro Piana, while earthy tones and soft lighting enhance the inviting ambiance.

The boutique, spanning a single floor, showcases the latest Women’s and Men’s collections. An exclusive area offering personalized attention similar to a private wardrobe, with a display of exclusive products inspired by the Wunderkammer, has also been created to perfect the experience. Custom-designed displays showcase each product category, meticulously crafted from natural materials such as oak wood and adorned with Loro Piana Interiors fabrics, including cashmere, renowned for its luxurious texture and softness.
Beyond offering timeless elegance and unparalleled craftsmanship, the Berlin boutique encapsulates the Maison's dedication to delivering an extraordinary shopping journey, narrating the story of Italian luxury par excellence.
www.loropiana.com

Fashion

PARIS 2024/FW – CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

Christian Louboutin presented his Fall-Winter collection during “The Loubi Show”, an artistic and glamour event. Among the friends of the house present were Barbara Sprouse, Tayce, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Samuel Arnold.

After unveiling the Fall-Winter 2024/25 collection, Christian Louboutin presented the new Our Angels capsule, leather-heeled Santiags boots inspired by the aesthetics of the Far West. Available in three colors, they are the result of a sophisticated patchwork of top-quality leather. They feature the company's unique savoir-faire in an exclusive design. The Our Angels collection is scheduled for release in September 2024.
Louboutin also unveiled a collection of accessories such as the Loubi54 bag among leather belts and corsets.

Christian Louboutin is expanding its offering for men this year with a series of new launches starting in May, and extending throughout the summer. As well as revisions to some established styles, the new line includes an innovative sneaker due in July and a selection of shoes, boots, and accessories inspired by the American Wild West, such as the Rocknrun sneaker line, featuring the iconic red sole. From MJ Moc loafers and Our Pabelito derbies to Cheliviss Chelsea boots, the Menswear collection suits every style and occasion. Accessories such as the Rocknride trucker cap complete a collection both iconic and modern.
The Menswear and Womenswear Fall-Winter 2024/25 collections will be available in all Christian Louboutin stores and online from May 2024.
www.christianlouboutin.com

Fashion

PARIS 2024/FW – HERMES

Hermès has revealed its Fall-Winter Womenswear collection on a dark, slick, and rainy runway, introducing the silhouette of the equestrian-biker lady.
Fusing the worlds of biking and equestrianism, Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, Creative Director of Womenswear for Hermès, delivers a collection made of slick leather, cowboy boots, and outdoor garments, stamped with the high-quality materials for which the House is renowned.

The silhouette is fitted, tailored pants inspired by riding gear are paired with pointed-toe cowboy boots while flowing, slit skirts and dresses are worn with motorcycle boots. An audacious and interesting mix, blending lighter fabrics with the rightness of leather boots. As always with Hermès, the fabrics are very well chosen and the leather is soft and luxurious.
The details are well thought-out, with studded jackets reminiscent of both the equestrian and biker worlds. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski unveils a truly wintry collection. With thick jackets, high collars, and shaved shearling, the Hermès woman is active and faces the cold with the chic that characterizes the House.
www.hermes.com

Fashion

MILAN 2024/FW – GUCCI

With the Gucci Fall/Winter 2024-25 Collection, Sabato de Sarno honored legs in a collection of skirts, dresses, and coats. Not a pair of pants in sight, it was time for over-the-knee boots, in an aesthetic inspired by the world of equestrianism, so dear to Gucci. Miniskirts, heels, and short coats, the line features modern cuts, reinventing the color shades emblematic of Gucci's heritage.

Olive greens and deep blues mingle with sensual blacks, while Gucci's iconic Ancora red was also in evidence, sublimating short, slim-fitting coats and elevating silhouettes with high-platform heels. Lingerie is silkily apparent, sublimated by dresses so seamless they could merge with the models' skin. Prints and embroidered details in shiny plastics added a touch of fantasy and modernity to the collection, as did the collars of the shirts, forming an open tie over the décolleté, captivatingly feminine.
Both sensual and vintage-inspired, the Gucci Fall/Winter 2024-25 collection celebrates femininity with timeless cuts enhanced by fresh details.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

MILAN 2024/FW - TOD’S

Matteo Tamburini has presented his first collection Tod’s since taking the creative direction of the brand last December. The show took place at Milan’s largest tram depot, an urban and unusual decor that sets the tone for the collection’s inspirations.
The creative director has taken over Tod’s Italian luxury heritage with vintage accessories inspired by Alfa Romeo as well as driving shoes made from gommino soles and inherent to the brand’s codes.
This collection, both stylish and comfortable to suit all lifestyles, featured yokes and bangs crafted in Italian leather to sublimate shoes and scarves, while more conventional garments were reinterpreted. Thus, bags were worn large and tote, pants were hyper-breasted, while double-collared shirts drew attention for looks that were both fun and qualitative. By creating twinsets in layered wool and silk, coats with distinctive cuts and original materials, notably embodied by an uncommon overcoat in patched goatskin, Matteo Tamburini brought a touch of extravagance to his first collection for Tod's.

Tod’s new credo calls for a fashion that can be worn both at the top offices and on public transportation, showing that fashion can be addressed to a wider audience without neglecting quality and style. For Tod’s Fall-Winter 2024/25, Matteo Tamburini has affirmed its style and position with a collection that brilliantly reinterprets the brand's emblematic codes with flair and a personal touch.
www.tods.com

Fashion

MILAN 2024/FW - ARMANI

Giorgio Armani has presented the show of his eponymous brand in an ode to the cycles of nature and the cycles of life.
The catwalk was opened by Gina di Bernardo, the timeless face of the brand during the 80s and the 90s, giving a powerful message about the ageless beauty of women.
The show was constructed in a way that represented the blooming of flowers during winter in an elegant and timeless collection, imbued with the designer's signature codes. Thus the collection displayed a palette of blues, blacks, and dark greens matched with brighter, joyful colors representing the blooming of the Winter Flowers in a harmonious and poetic ensemble.

Loyal to his codes, for his Fall/Winter collection, Giorgio Armani worked with shiny, delicate materials such as velvet and silk, bringing light to dark seasons. The use of sumptuous embroidery and bouclé wool finish off this collection's light, timeless look, sublimating women at every stage of their lives.
The daytime silhouette is composed of flared sleeves jackets and long coats to face the cold with elegance, while in the evening, the Giorgio Armani woman is attired in long dresses that poetically sweep over her ankles. The Giorgio Armani woman is a flower that blossoms, even in the middle of winter, regardless of the time that goes by.
www.armani.com

Fashion

“Etro Act”: an ode to adventure and skin couture

Etro presents "Etro Act" its first co-created fashion show, under the artistic direction of Marco De Vincenzo. Presenting menswear and womenswear FW24/25 collections simultaneously, the show was set among a backdrop of oversized masks, like an invitation to travel and adventure.

Inspired by ancient theater and Homer's Odyssey, the show featured a collection that favored the use of antique fabrics and playful jewelry, conceived by Marco De Vincenzo in a quest for diversity and renewal.
Fluid, wave-like silhouettes contrasted with straight, confident coats. Many models were adorned with colorful prints such as the emblematic Persian-inspired paisley motif, magnifying fabrics such as felt and leather.
The show also featured pieces resulting from Etro's collaboration with Wolford, a union between Etro's heritage and Wolford's skin couture expertise. The collaboration is incarnated in three unique pattern designs exclusively created by Etro, featuring Paisley motifs on Wolford's iconic fabrics in a collection of bas jacquards, bodysuits, dresses, and more.

The capsule collection, debuting during the Etro Fall/Winter 2024 Fashion Show, will be available in Etro and Wolford boutiques, online, and at selected retailers worldwide from September 2024.
www.etro.com

Art

La Grande Dame 2015 Rosé through the eyes of Paola Paronetto

Veuve Clicquot unveils La Grande Dame Rosé 2015 as an homage to Madame Clicquot's pioneering spirit.

In 1818, she redefined the norm by blending the red wine of "Clos Colin" with white, thus innovating the first blended rosé champagne. This blend harmoniously combines the sunny essence of the 2015 vintage with the depth of pinot noir. Spicy notes of pepper, nutmeg and clove mingle with delicate aromas of red fruit and flowers. To enhance this exceptional product, Veuve Clicquot has entrusted the design of the La Grande Dame Rosé box to a renowned italian artist, Paola Paronetto, for the first time.

As part of the collection of boxes she created for La Grande Dame 2015 en 2023, the artist chose the color "Pesca Chiaro" to sublimate this exceptional rosé champagne. Paola Paronetto's signature color, from her palette of 97 tones, was chosen to express both the depth and vitality of the cuvée.
La Grande Dame 2015 Rosé x Paola Paronetto is available from Clos19.com and in the usual retail stores.
www.veuveclicquot.com

Fashion

SECONDSKIN by ZEGNA: A unique shoe that fits like a glove

ZEGNA, the global luxury menswear brand is launching its new Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN shoe.
Once again a demonstration of ZEGNA's technique and contemporary style, this new model fits like a glove.

Centrepiece of ZEGNA’s modern and technical identity, the Triple Stitch technique combines softness and lightweight. Its outstandingly flexible sole combines comfort and technology.

As well as the other Triple Stitch pieces, this new SECONDSKIN shoe is a reflection of ZEGNA’s expertise. Initially intended for gloves, the use of the SECONDSKIN technique in footwear is imbued with the brand's unparalleled heritage of craftsmanship. Using the daring technique of working with glove leather to craft a shoe, the Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN indeed fits like a glove to offer a luxurious walking experience to the feet. Each pair of Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN is made in Parma, Italy by expert artisans using the finest New Zealand calf leather. Combined with a unique ovine tanning technique, the shape-retaining 'memory' in the sole of the shoe provides a resistant and incredibly comfortable shoe.

By presenting its new shoe ZEGNA remains true to its roots, bringing together innovation and tradition. The Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN results from a harmonious compromise between expertise and style. ZEGNA's expertise is at the heart of this new model, creating a real second skin sensation in a shoe that is both durable and delicate.
Exclusive to ZEGNA for the next three years, SECONDSKIN is a unique luxury footwear experience made to last.
www.zegna.com

Fashion

Take a Seat at the Desk

Montblanc invited guests to a luxurious breakfast at La Galerie Bourbon on a frosty morning of Paris Fashion Week Men’s. Greeted first by a coffee cart and grand installation celebrating 100 years of Meisterstück in the courtyard, guests were then welcomed into the historical gallery where Montblanc’s latest leather creations were showcased. The event introduced and centred around Montblanc’s inspiration for the year ahead, “The Desk”. The theme infuses the Maison’s rich heritage and Artistic Director Marco Tomasetta’s remarkable, bold designs with delightful intimacy. As the place where pen first touches paper and thoughts are brought to life, the theme reminds us where creative magic and self-expression begin. www.montblanc.com

Fashion

Hèrmes Men's Winter 2024 Collection

Hèrmes presents a Men’s Winter 2024 Collection centered all around versatility. The classic equestrian roots of the brand see an evolution to an all-new contemporary elegance for the modern man. As an elegant take on dandy-chic, the collection features tweeds and wool mixed together, almost echoing English country-chique, as well as reworked classics such as the trench coat or raincoats with subtle accents, mostly through leather additions. Both classy and edgy, the looks on the runway combine cool leather jackets, belted trenchcoats or bombers with argyle patterns. Sweaters and cardigans of this collection are adorned with picturesque prints on fuzzy wools. As seen in various other shows of this season, the suit silhouettes feature slim, form-fitting tailoring. The color palette remains reserved and elegant with dusty greys, classic brown and black, which are accentuated by earthy greens and pale purples. As a highlight, leather belts and boots shine in a daring crocodile leather. Accessories, such as cashmere beanies and canvas bucket hats reiterate the focus on versatility in style, while iconic Haut à courroies bags reemphasize it practically, truly emblematic of Hèrmes enduring savior-faire in fashion, as well as in craftsmanship of leather goods.
www.hermes.com

Fashion

Paul&Shark: CLUB RIVIERA

During Milan Fashion Week, Paul & Shark unveiled the FW 2024 Club Riviera collection, which transformed Casa Cipriani's elite private members club into its own Club Riviera. A one-of-a-kind site that dates back to the 1930s with the inauguration of Harry's Bar in Venice and exudes Italian elegance to its full potential. The collection transitions from summer to fall, with a color range of beiges and foliage tones paired with traditional white and iconic Paul & Shark blue. Silk coats, hefty linen shirts, and polished cotton T-shirts take the spotlight. The brand's tale revolves around an elite club with fall sea feels, an emotional journey, and a sweater at sunset, all of which evoke memorable memories. The occasion was meticulously planned to provide the international press with access to the FW24 looks worn by models, who are highly recognized club members. Then, the evening proceeded with a cocktail party and DJ set that welcomed worldwide talents and influencers. The result is a private club-like relaxing environment, where, among the timeless board games, guests may stop and observe the autumn sun setting through the window as winter gently knocks on the door. www.paulandshark.com

Fashion

GUESS JEANS new AIRWASH technology

With a presentation at this year's Pitti Immagine Uomo, GUESS JEANS is unveiling their brand-new denim wash technology, “GUESS AIRWASH”, which will pave the way for a more sustainable future of denim. Following in the footsteps of his father, GUESS co-founder Paul Marciano, who popularized denim stone-washing in 1981, the brand’s current Creative Director Nicolai Marciano, is paying tribute to the brand’s legacy of pioneering denim styles and washing processes through a lens of contemporary values. The all-new AIRWASH technique swaps the water used in stone washing for air and bubbles. Through this technique the use of pumice stones becomes obsolete, resulting in a significant decrease in water and energy consumption. The AIRWASH technology was developed by GUESS’ long-time partner Jeanologia and is manifested on eight airwashes across denim shirts, denim jackets, and denim trousers that appear in three fits for women, ranging from skinny to mom to midrise straight, and four for men, ranging from skinny, slim, straight, to relaxed. All pieces are fabricated from organic and recycled materials, putting an sustainability at the forefront of GUESS’ philosophy. But not just the dedication to (re-)inventing denim culture stands as a tribute to the brand's DNA, but also the designs of the new collection draw inspiration from GUESS archive pieces spanning from the 80s to 90s, presenting us with a reinterpretation of innovation and iconic denim styles at the same time. GUESS JEANS, as a new brand, opens the doors for the rollout of a number of new denim-focused boutiques. The GUESS JEANS collection will be available in June 2024, at selected wholesale stores and retailers worldwide and online.
www.guess.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent New Store In Champs-Élysées

Paris, the fashion capital of the world, welcomes a new Saint Laurent flagship store on the illustrious Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Inspired by the visionary Yves Saint Laurent himself, Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello brings to life a long-cherished dream of seeing the iconic brand's name illuminated in fiery letters along this legendary boulevard. Housed in a meticulously restored Haussmannian building, the boutique is a harmonious blend of historical charm and avant-garde design. Vaccarello's novel concept invites patrons to embark on a journey of discovery, exploring the carefully curated spaces that seamlessly intertwine rough textures with precise details. Marble displays elevate the brand's collection to the status of precious artefacts, enticing clients to immerse themselves in the world of Saint Laurent. The double-height foyer, adorned with a mesmerizing neon light sculpture by renowned artist Cerith Wyn Evans, captures the essence of modern luxury. Sensuous surfaces, curving staircases in black-lacquered wood, and a tranquil private garden add layers to the shopping experience. Saint Laurent's complete repertoire, spanning men's and women's ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, accessories, and fine jewellery, awaits discerning clients at this opulent destination. The boutique, located at 123 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, officially opens its doors on December 9th.
www.saintlaurent.com 

Art

RH Opens in Munich

The doors have swung open to welcome true luxury and sophistication as RH, the renowned high-end interior brand, makes its mark in Munich. With a legacy spanning over 30 years, RH has consistently stood as one of the most successful retailers in the realm of interior and furniture within the US market. Following its successful ventures in the UK, RH has chosen Düsseldorf and Munich as the latest European cities to host its exquisite stores. The Munich "Gallery," as RH eloquently names its stores, is a testament to the brand's commitment to offering not just furniture but an immersive experience of elegance and refinement. Adorned with stunning interiors they transform spaces into works of art. RH Munich, originally designed in 1905 by German architect Max Littmann, graces the heart of the Old Town on Sendlinger Strasse, within walking distance from Sendlinger Tor, a surviving city gate dating back to the 14th century. For those who appreciate the finer things in life, the arrival of RH in Munich is a momentous occasion. It not only signifies the expansion of a prestigious brand but also offers a unique opportunity for enthusiasts of luxury living to immerse themselves in the world of RH's curated elegance.
www.rh.com

Fashion

Levi’s and New Balance Footwear Collaboration

San Francisco, December 1, 2023 – Levi’s® and New Balance pay homage to the birthplace of mountain biking with their latest collaboration, channelling the spirit of 1970s Marin County, California. Originating from the unforgiving trails of Marin's mountains, Levi’s denim became the uniform of choice for pioneering mountain bikers due to its durability, protection, and timeless style. The new footwear collection merges Levi’s durable fabrics with the iconic New Balance MT580 silhouette, reissued with a modern twist. The MT580 features a RollBar-equipped trail design, combining a slimmed-down toe, reduced collar height, and faithful recreation of original materials. The midsole incorporates C-CAP and PU for durable support and flexibility, enhanced by a RollBar stability post system. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Levi’s 501 jeans, each shoe integrates Levi’s signature Shrink-To-Fit™ denim. The collaboration offers two distinct colourways—a Grey Blue version with nubuck uppers and overdyed denim, and a Beige Black version with hairy suede uppers and washed black denim. Launching on December 6th, 2023, the collection tells the story of mountain biking's birth through special packaging. Each shoe, adorned with a classic Levi’s Red Tab, comes with three sets of laces.
www.levis.com

Art

Art Rotterdam 2024 Anniversary

Art Rotterdam, the acclaimed fair for contemporary art in the Netherlands, is set to bid farewell to its iconic venue, the Van Nelle Factory, with a spectacular 25th-anniversary edition from February 1 to February 4, 2024. The milestone event promises a culmination of innovation, talent, and outdoor art installations, marking the end of an era at the historical location. The 12th edition of Prospects, a showcase for 86 budding artists supported by the Mondriaan Fonds, headlines the celebration. This exhibition spans diverse mediums, from traditional paintings to cutting-edge sculptures and videos. Curated by Johan Gustavsson and Louise Bjeldbak Henriksen, it offers a captivating snapshot of contemporary Dutch art, exploring themes of identity, relationships, and our connection with nature. The outdoor exhibition complements the farewell festivities, featuring monumental works such as Tentendorp-Herzien by Studio Dré Wapenaar, RADIATE ||&||| (EVIAN CHRIST) by Joeri Woudstra, and the colossal Vulture by Atelier Van Lieshout. These installations redefine the art experience, engaging viewers in a dynamic and immersive manner. As Art Rotterdam bids adieu to the Van Nelle Factory, the stage is set for a grand finale, a celebration of art, innovation, and the vibrant spirit that has defined the event over its illustrious 25-year journey. The upcoming edition marks not just an end but a transition to new horizons, with Art Rotterdam poised to make Rotterdam Ahoy its home from 2025 onwards.
www.artrotterdam.com 

Fashion

Mary Komasa Wears Chanel FW23/24

On the eventful night of November 15th, in Berlin, Polish singer Mary Komasa graced the stage of her ‘SISTER’ release performance wearing nothing but Chanel. Capturing the spotlight not only for her musical talents but also for her impeccable sense of style. The singer adorned herself in a breathtaking creation from Chanel's FW23/24 ready-to-wear collection, showcasing the perfect blend of sophistication and glamour. The black iridescent fantasy silk crepe dress, featuring chiffon flounces, delicate camellias in organza and tulle, and intricate beadwork, stood out as a true masterpiece. The ensemble, marked as Look 59 from Chanel's latest collection, epitomized the brand's commitment to timeless elegance and innovation. Adding a touch of luxury to her ensemble, Mary Komasa complemented her attire with 18k white gold Coco Crush fine jewelry, adorned with diamonds, accentuating her radiant presence on stage. Chanel, truly emblematic for female elegance and empowerment, ties perfectly into the story told in Mary's new album SISTER as it explores the theme of sisterhood - both as a commitment to be made consciously and as a social construct, ought to be challenged. The performance's beautiful soundscape was augmented visually, not just by her choice of dress, but also by the simulation of a journey between sunset and sunrise, ending the show and releasing the audience in the warm embrace of a sunset's glow. Mary Komasa's choice to don Chanel at the SISTER release performance not only showcased her affinity for high fashion but also celebrated the harmonious marriage of music and style.
www.chanel.com

Travel

Taiko Cuisine 9th Anniversary

Taiko Cuisine, the culinary gem nestled within the Amsterdam Conservatorium Hotel and crowned 'Best Asian Restaurant 2023' by Gault&Millau, is ringing in its ninth anniversary with an ode to the kitchen's heartbeat: RICE, RICE, RICE. Chef Schilo van Coevorden, known for his masterful fusion of East and West, unveiled the chosen ingredient on October 30, ushering in a year-long celebration of this culinary staple. Taiko Cuisine annually hosts a grand 'Taiko New Year' celebration, inviting guests on a gastronomic adventure. This year, the spotlight is on rice, a grain deeply rooted in East Asian culture and now a global culinary sensation. Chef Schilo's inventive menu for the upcoming year will feature rice in all its glory, following the footsteps of previously celebrated ingredients like Red King Crab, Hida Wagyu beef, and Wasabi. The rice-infused journey promises explosive flavours and a unique dining experience for every guest. Not stopping at the plate, Taiko Bar, an offspring of the kitchen's flirtation with the bar, has evolved into a nightlife phenomenon. Offering unbeatable bites, a curated drink menu reminiscent of Roppongi's speakeasies, and the expertise of Amsterdam's finest bartenders, Taiko Bar transports the high-end nightlife of Asian metropolises to the cosy corners of an Amsterdam pub. In celebrating nine years of culinary excellence, Taiko Cuisine invites you to savour the essence of rice and embark on a journey that transcends cultural boundaries, promising an unforgettable dining experience.
www.conservatoriumhotel.com

Fashion

Gucci & Billie Eilish Collaboration

In a groundbreaking collaboration between fashion powerhouse Gucci and iconic singer Billie Eilish, the luxury brand unveils a revolutionary iteration of its heritage Horsebit 1955 bag. The bag, known for its timeless design, takes on a futuristic and asymmetrical aesthetic, representing a bold step towards ethical and sustainable fashion. The key innovation lies in the material—Demetra—an animal-free alternative that seamlessly blends quality, softness, and durability. This marks a significant shift in Gucci's traditional craftsmanship, showcasing the brand's commitment to a more ethical fashion future. Notably, the Horsebit 1955 in Demetra is the first Gucci bag ever to be crafted in this innovative material. Demetra is a result of two years of meticulous research and development by Gucci's technicians and artisans. Comprising 75% plant-derived raw materials, the material is a testament to Gucci's dedication to reducing its environmental impact. Produced in Italy since 2021 at a Gucci factory, Demetra aligns with the brand's ongoing efforts to create a sustainable and responsible supply chain. Billie Eilish, renowned for her bold advocacy and authentic voice, becomes the face of this collaboration. Set to her song "What Was I Made For?" the videos showcase the bag in various cinematic scenes, celebrating the harmonious blend of music, fashion, and ethical innovation. The Horsebit 1955 in Demetra is not just a bag; it's a symbol of a forward-looking approach to fashion that values ethics, creativity, and the planet.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

The New Montblanc Only Watch 2023

On the occasion of its fourth participation in the Only Watch Auction, Montblanc has created the Montblanc Only Watch 2023, a unique 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen model. What makes this watch stand out is the unique way in which it was created, as it features for the first time an innovative middle housing material with captured CO2. Great technological details and environmental care are put into this element, whose CO2 comes from biogas production and mineral waste, and is then combined with ultra-light and durable mixed carbon fibers. Ice is at the center of the watch’s aesthetic concept, exalted by the oxygen-free capsule made of breakable safety glass in which the watch is enclosed, which is reminiscent of a block of ice and needs to be first broken with an ice pick in order to remove the watch. This also allows the owner not to break the safety glass, thus preserving the watch as if in a time capsule, emphasizing once again the great attention and detail that Montblanc puts into its customer journey. The case features a reproduction of Mount Everest, which can be admired by the wearer and changes according to different types of light. The Montblanc Only Watch 2023 is the latest addition to the brand’s Zero Oxygen line, and is a perfect example of technology and beauty.
www.montblanc.com

Fashion

Dior Men Launches the B57 Sneakers

In their mission to elegantly dress every man combining style with practicality and performance, Dior launches the B57 Sneakers. This new piece of footwear represents the most important push in Dior’s sneakers history, as it presents something innovative and high-end at the same time. The sneakers are a natural addition to the Spring 2024 collection, perfectly pairing with and complementing every outfit with their bold lines. The retro allure that distinguishes these shoes makes them an object of desire that seamlessly combines elegance with sportswear, blending materials that offer both flexibility and comfort. The sneakers are embellished by the Maison’s iconic logo: the “CD” initials are revealed in Dior Oblique Jacquard, emphasizing once again Dior’s commitment to details and high quality, unique pieces. The sneakers are available in several color variations in bewitching tones such as blue, red, beige, and cream. The Dior B57 sneakers bring an air of both elegance and casualness to every look, effortlessly matching different styles. Innovation and artisanship are brought together in this sneaker model. The sneakers will be available from October 19th, 2023 in boutiques and on the Dior website.
www.dior.com

Fashion

CLEO’S MIDNIGHT TALES

"Cleo's Midnight Tales," a collaboration between Breitling and Princess Cleopatra zu Oettingen-Spielberg, took place in Berlin for its second edition. Departing from its inaugural event at Oettingen-Spielberg Castle near Munich, this soirée hosted around 100 distinguished guests at Berlin's Telegraphenamt. The event embodied Breitling's #SquadOnAMission philosophy, uniting creative individuals committed to effecting change and aiming to inspire the brand's growing female clientele. The guest list included notable figures like actresses Janina Uhse and Gizem Emre, musician Elif, models Veronika Heilbrunner and Ronja Furrer, jewelry designer Begüm Khan, and TV presenter Stephanie Brungs. DJ Kungs provided the musical backdrop, and attendees had the opportunity to admire the Breitling "Navitimer 32" from the latest collection. The night continued in the stylish bar within the Telegraphenamt, well-regarded for its award-winning design and its proximity to Museum Island in Berlin-Mitte. DJs Alyssa Cordes and Giannina Haupt ensured the party's energetic atmosphere extended into the late hours. "Cleo's Midnight Tales" underscored Breitling's dedication to celebrating influential female figures and proved to be a resounding success. www.breitling.com

Art

Maison Valentino | Triennale Milano – Italian Painting Today

Maison Valentino extends its commitment to the arts through a strategic partnership with Triennale Milano. Set to coincide with Triennale Milano’s centennial anniversary exhibition, "Pittura Italiana Oggi” (Italian Painting Today), curated by Damiano Gullì opens on October 25th, 2023. It will showcase the works of 120 influential Italian artists from the 1960s to 2000, creating a cultural panorama that reflects the diversity of Italian painting. Notably, five of the featured artists—Benni Bosetto, Guglielmo Castelli, Francis Offman, Andrea Respino, and Sofia Silvia—have previously collaborated with Maison Valentino as part of the Valentino Des Ateliers collection. This haute couture experiment serves as a unique intersection where fashion and art intertwine, expressing unity and community spirit. Valentino's history of collaboration with the arts is extensive, Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli emphasizes the symbiotic relationship rather than merging the two disciplines, he envisions them as separate entities that can engage in a meaningful dialogue. This philosophy is evident in Valentino Des Ateliers, where fine art is translated into exquisite fashion creations. "Pittura Italiana Oggi" will be offering the public an immersive experience in contemporary Italian painting until February 11th, 2024. Maison Valentino's collaboration with Triennale Milano generates a sense of belonging that goes beyond the realm of fashion.
triennale.org/eventi/pittura-italiana
www.valentino.com

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week - Hermès

In the world of luxury fashion, Hermès has always been known for its leather elegance and unparalleled craftsmanship. Nadège Vanhee, the maison’s creative director, showcased the essence of "quiet luxury" in the Spring Collection, where every detail whispered sophistication and exclusivity. The monochrome color palette of burgundy transitioning through putty, black, red, and brown, revealed a subtle secret— in fact, these hues were inspired by the iconic leather goods of Hermès. Each shade, such as Rouge H and Étoupe grey, carry a distinct link to the brand, adding a layer of exclusivity to the collection. The runway was set amidst wild flowers and sand dunes, setting the scene of a fresh meadow turning spring into summer, reflecting the theme of connection between women and their clothes. Vanhee's trademark precision in design was evident in the tailored coats achieving mobility through fluid, saddle-shaped pattern cutting. The initially apparent simple clothes contain excellent product workmanship making it possible for the leather designs to adapt to movement like a second skin. Even the seemingly delicate zig-zag lace-like details on cotton summery dresses were revealed to be leather. The contemporary silhouettes slip through tall grasses, revealing transparencies, backs and décolletés, the knitwear featuring asymmetric cropped tops, bras and pencil skirts that accentuate the contours of the body. The show's highlight was not only the dialogue between fabric and shades, but the signature attention to accessories. Half-moon bags, oversized buckets, greek-style sandals crafted in ribbon and woven calfskin, and even the soles had Hermès treads showcasing their commitment to detail and brand identity. In essence, the collection aimed to present a wardrobe for a play with perceptions between bodies and clothes with a testament to Hermès' enduring legacy and its consistent pursuit of timeless style.
www.hermes.com

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week - Gucci

At Milan Fashion Week, Gucci presented its SS24 collection titled Ancora, which also marked the debut of the Maison’s new creative director Sabato De Sarno. To celebrate the collection, the brand created and placed installations in major cities all around the world. In Milan, the Ancora collection can be seen on billboards, posters, and even on trams around the Italian city. As the name Ancora, meaning again, suggests, this collection marks Gucci’s return to its origins; the brand, its character, and its history have come full circle, and this collection celebrates Gucci’s origins and its commitment to the future, always maintaining its visionary and distinctive spirit. As a whole, the show, the garments, and the concept behind the collection were an ode to the city of Milan as a place of beauty and carnality. As Creative Director Sabato De Sarno has said, the colors in the collection represent the passion that has always driven the brand, but more than that, they represent the history and the people who have contributed to making Gucci what it is today. It is a history of inclusivity, freedom, euphoria, and fascination with beauty. Gucci’s Ancora collection embodies all these characteristics, and it pays homage to the brand’s past and to its future.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week - Loro Piana

For its SS24 collection, Loro Piana celebrates its affinity with Japan with a clothing line that profoundly reflects the brand’s founding values. The affinity with Japanese culture is celebrated as a powerful force in its richness of high-quality craftsmanship and closeness to Loro Piana’s values. The collection reflects a balance with nature and an idea of harmony with the world we inhabit. The non-ostentatious and powerful humbleness that distinguish the brand become the main forces driving this season’s collection. The vibrant simplicity and flowing harmony of Japanese clothing pervade the collection, and it is evident in the cashmere or silk coats with petite stand-up collars, in the kimono-style jackets, and in the rounded pants. The tailoring is elongated, reflecting the slender lines and simple garments typical of Japanese traditional clothing. The knitwear defines the silhouette, while delicate shirts privilege the use of light and airy materials. The collection’s journey moves from the muted hues of bamboo to the beauty of handwork and the new texture of outerwear reinterpreted in shades of earthy tones. The colors move along with the textures, in this collection that is an ode to delicacy and elegance, and yet manages to be striking in its simplicity.
www.loropiana.com

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week - Prada

Behind the inspiration for Prada’s SS24 collection presented on September 21st at Milan Fashion Week is a reinterpretation of a handbag design originally conceived by Mario Prada, Miuccia Prada’s grandfather and co-founder of the brand. The whole collection exudes the spirit of Mario Prada, a traveler at heart with a deep intellectual curiosity. Indeed, the brand was developed based on inspiration that he collected while traveling around the world and learning about different cultures; Prada’s garments and accessories are precious items meant to enrich everyday life. In Milan, Mario Prada worked with skilled artisans and craftsmen to develop the products and the designs that would make the Maison famous for years to come. For the September 2023 fashion show, Mario Prada’s handbag design is reinterpreted and reimagined in a collection that reflects the contemporary enthusiasm for Eastern artistic aesthetics. The bag to which the collection owes its inspiration is an evening bag featuring a hand-carved fastening depicting a mythological figure. In the SS24 collection, this style is replicated in nappa leather and re-nylon. Overall, the collection embodies and reflects Prada’s 110-year long history, and is a testament to the Maison’s commitment to high-quality craftsmanship and design.
www.prada.com

Fashion

Gucci Inaugurates a New Boutique in Munich

Gucci expands its presence in Germany by inaugurating a new boutique in Munich’s Maximilianstrasse 11-15. The space covers over 590 square meters and is built on two floors. The store carries a large selection of men's and women's ready-to-wear collections, including handbags, luggage, shoes, jewelry, beauty and watches. The facade of the store maintains its original heritage looks, while the interior of the store is kept simple and refined. The use of clean linens and a color palette that reflects both the iconic colors of the brand and fits in with the existing environment enhances a subtle charm. The wooden floors in antique oak feature decorative details with a motif that references details from Gucci collections, while the lighter wood boiserie inserts offer a delicate accent to the walls. The store is designed to make customers feel at home, framed with built-in displays reminiscent of a walk-in closet; velvet armchairs and sofas adorn the store, ensuring a comfortable customer experience. Newly designed racks enriched by classic designs accommodate diverse product categories, rendering the store conceptually unique and able to cater to the diverse needs of multiple customers. Overall, Gucci’s new Munich boutique perfectly adapts to the surrounding city, while maintaining the brand’s iconic style.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

G-Star RAW x Sven Marquardt Opens Berlin Art Week

The Dutch denim brand G-Star RAW opens the Berlin Art Week by partnering with photographer and Berlin nightlife icon Sven Marquardt. The exhibition, named “11+1” is composed of 12 portraits representative of Berlin’s iconic nightlife scene. They represent the city’s vibrant club culture, which is perfectly captured thanks to G-Star RAW’s denim, specially leveraged for this project to capture the essence of Berlin’s character. Sven Marquardt’s unique view of Berlin’s zeitgeist is evident in every portrait of the exhibition. The photographer has carefully selected 12 talents that embody the essence of the city through different personalities and fashion styles, really capturing one of the characteristics that make Berlin unique: its endless possibilities for self-expression. To make this project come to life, G-Star RAW has taken inspiration from the individual outfits of each personality that participated in the shooting. Each piece in the collection, which comprises 26 different styles, embodies the brand’s expertise in working with denim and showcases the skills of the G-Star team in crafting denim pieces. The looks in the photo collection have different styles, from avant-garde leather looks to casual ensembles. Overall, Sven Marquardt’s partnership in creating a photo collection with G-Star RAW perfectly captures the unicity of the city of Berlin, establishing itself as an iconic collaboration.
www.g-star.com

Fashion

Zegna x The Elder Statesman Collection

After an exclusive event held in February in Paris, Zegna unveils their new collection in collaboration with the LA-founded luxury lifestyle brand The Elder Statesman, with Spanish-German actor Daniel Brühl as the face of the collection. The launch of the collection was celebrated on September 6th at Maxfield in Los Angeles. The partnership between the two high-end brands is centered around Zegna’s Oasi Cashmere, inaugurating a platform to encounter progressive and responsible cultures and visions, which reiterates Zegna’s commitment to sustainably sourcing Oasi Cashmere fibers, certifying them as 100% traceable by 2024. The two brands share a devotion to craft and material excellence, resulting in a collection that aims to expand horizons to take a new stylistic path forward. Zegna's designs are reimagined in the vibrant colors and patterns that characterize The Elder Statesman. The campaign featuring Daniel Brühl has been filmed at Zegna’s historic Wool Mill, located at the heart of the Oasi Zegna natural territory in the Italian Alps, which fully embodies the brand’s values and commitment to impeccable craftsmanship. This unique partnership enhances the essence of Zegna’s Oasi Cashmere, catering to a new audience and representing an evolution of the Maison’s founding philosophies, centered around sophisticated craftsmanship and uncompromising luxury. The collection is available September 2023 in key Zegna stores globally, in The Elder Statesman’s retail channels, and in selected wholesale partners.
www.zegna.com
www.elder-statesman.com

Fashion

Sacai X CARHARTT WIP

Marking a creative joint offering between Sacai and Carhartt WIP, the extraordinary pieces from Sacai men’s 2023 Fall Winter Collection and Sacai 2023 Fall Collection will be launched on on September 8th. By embracing the essence of utilitarian wear, Sacai has teamed up with Carhartt WIP and crafted an array of men's and women's silhouettes that fused with the resilient, functional attributes and hardware associated with both brands, at the same time, incorporating Sacai's distinct design language. The collaborated collection displays delicately intertwined design elements of Carhart WIP's iconic duck fabric jackets and Sacai's distinctive nylon twill, which elevate the typical workwear into stylish daily ensembles. Emphasizing a deconstructive aesthetic, the unique items were unveiled in a unified manner, reimaging the traditional chore jacket with Sacai's distinctive signature. Moreover, displaying Carhartt WIP’s iconic colors, the collection presents an intricate color match ranging from khaki and light blue to warm brown and black. Meanwhile, the accompanying campaign features a cast drawn from Carhartt WIP’s skate team, including Pepe Tirelli, and Tolia Titaev, as well as Dede Lovelace and Kasper Kacia. Captured through the lens of filmmaker Joaquim Bayle, the visuals spotlight rituals, and peculiarities that define skateboarding. Elsewhere, a series of special pop-ups will exhibit the collaborated pieces at multiple locations worldwide. While Saci has been defining technical deftness and elegant style with an avant-garde touch through comprehensive and innovative silhouettes, the exclusive collaboration with Carhartt WIP, brings a unique aesthetic to the brand. Sacai x Carhartt WIP collection is available at both Sacai’s online and offline stores as well as Carhartt WIP’s online store. www.sacai.jp www.carhartt-wip.com

Fashion

H&M Studio Collection AW23

Dark glamour and sculptural silhouettes are what characterize H&M’s AW23 Studio Collection. H&M Studio is the most progressive and trend-setting collection of the brand, designed to represent the fashion and the personality of our times. The theme of this year’s collection, “back to black”, conveys a simple, feminine, and elegant attitude. The collection is inspired by the somber elegance of the heroines of noir and horror films, featuring angular cuts, precisely formed silhouettes and linear accessories. The AW23 H&M Studio Collection pieces are both pragmatic and poetic, allowing the owner to wear them in the years to come because of their high-quality design and materials. Sleek tailoring on every item makes each garment extremely versatile and striking at the same time: each piece is a statement designed to be noticed thanks to its simple details and design. Some of the most iconic pieces in the collection are a floor-length black coat and a black A-line mini dress with a white collar. The accessories are also a vital part of the collection, thanks to the glamour feeling of pieces such as Nappa leather boots and eye-catching jewelry. The materials are sustainable, thanks to the high-quality fabrics employed in making the garments. The collection will be available starting from September 28th, 2023.
www.hm.com

Fashion

100 Years of Colmar

Colmar, the Italian outerwear brand from Monza, celebrates its 100th anniversary with the FW23/24 Colmar Originals collection. Colmar, which has kept true to its brand identity throughout its history, for this collection, showcases an evolution in fabrics and colors, experimenting with new textures and palettes. The brand has always been a pioneer in the employment of high-tech materials and, since 1950, has been collaborating with professional athletes to enhance its research. The new fabrics offer the possibility to meet the functional needs of every customer, always ensuring the best quality of the garment. Because the concept of seasonality plays such an essential role within Colmar, the FW23/24 collection is structured into three main themes: Entry Season, Cold Season and Frozen Season. The color chart is modern and adapted to the current fashion with brighter hues like red and yellow without disregarding the more classic, basic shades such as cream, white and beige. The color palette has an important place in this collection, as each seasonal concept is expressed in a specific color that distinguishes it from the others, thus adding an extra layer of meaning to the collection. The brand has evolved with the times, and sustainability has come to play a central role in Colmar’s ethics. The brand crafts its garments with sustainable materials that are recycled and biodegradable, thus reducing the impact on the environment.
www.colmar.com

Fashion

Skincare brand MUTI celebrates National Simplicity Day

Embracing the beauty of simplicity, the German minimalistic skincare brand MUTI celebrates the day of simplicity with great joy, which falls on July 12. National Simplicity Day serves as a gentle reminder to take a step back from the muddled world of contemporary life and adopt a minimalistic attitude. As the brand says, the day is also MUTI’s birthday because it reflects its core philosophy, skincare minimalism, suggesting minimal beauty essential for those who love simplicity. MUTI was founded in 2014 in Munich based on its simplicity philosophy. Modern. Unique. True. Intelligent. Those are what MUTI stands for and aims to achieve. The brand focuses its products on the essentials, simplifying the day-to-day skincare routine without making any compromises. The brand pursues the skincare minimalism that differentiates itself through its products, ingredients, application, and design. The brand provides a few essential products that are so well thought out, and perfectly complementary to each other. Its beauty essentials are available regardless of gender, skin type, and skin need. Its Ingredients are few yet effective and high-quality, while its design is sophisticatedly timeless. All these elements are designed to simplify your skincare routine that reflects its philosophy "True Beauty. Made Simple." In particular, MUTI’s products are clean, vegan, and fragrance-free and do not contain harmful ingredients such as silicones, mineral oils, parabens, paraffin, PEGs, microplastics, essential oils, and drying alcohols. The minimalist product range includes the CLEAN, FACE, and ADD lines, with a range of highly effective serums as well as a Line of sun protection products, SUN.
www.muti.de

Fashion

A New Diesel Store Opens its Doors in Paris

Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, one of the most famous shopping destinations in the world, is the location of the new Diesel store, which opened its doors at number 223 on July 13th, 2023. The store has been conceptually designed to fit into the context of the French fashion capital, integrating it with the ethos that distinguishes Diesel as a brand based on boldness, individualism, and freedom. The space was designed under the audacious supervision of Glenn Martens, Diesel’s Creative Director. Red and industrial metal billboards aesthetically define the store, representing a powerful interpretation of Diesel’s recently launched retail design concept. The billboards placed all around the store recall the brand’s vintage advertisements through an aesthetic that reminds of the iconic Route 66. The road concept is also present in the walls covered in riveted raw steel panels. The store offers the visitor an immersive experience by dedicating an entire room to the exposition of the 1DR bags and capsules, where peel-off billboards create an atmosphere of nostalgia. Diesel’s Denim Collection, the signature feature of the brand, also has a room dedicated to it, with red-lacquered walls and a staircase that leads to a second floor with an exposed ceiling designed to evoke the atmosphere of a studio exposing men and women ready-to-wear collections. The new Diesel Paris store is the ultimate frontier in the brand’s conceptual design, made to capture the visitor through powerful visual language.
www.diesel.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Resort Store x Kampen

Louis Vuitton Resort Store x Kampen Maison Louis Vuitton opens a resort pop-up on the North Sea island of Sylt, Kampen in Germany. Launched on July 1st, the pop-up store showcases the Maison Louis Vuitton women’s Summer Capsule collection, “LV By The Pool”, which consists of ready-to-wear, accessories, bags, and shoes, inspired by the beauty of the island known for long beaches, the old Frisian architecture with its thatched roof houses in Sylt. Enhanced with North German serenity, this collection offers summer vacation essentials that are both casual and luxurious, featuring a wide range of accessories such as silk scarves, sunglasses, and jewelry as well as summer dresses, beachwear, and swimwear. The color palette mainly adopts ocean blue, white, and beige which invites you to dive into the summer vibe and travel to the peaceful island of Kampen. Visitors not only can experience a unique ambiance at the store but also see the exclusive Neverfull handbag specially designed for the collection, featuring the signature Monogram of the brand in various colors as well as the imprint of Sylt in the center of the bag. In addition to the ready-to-wear, the collection provides towels and cushions that feature multiple patterns and graphic designs that embody the brand's aesthetics. The new Louis Vuitton Resort Store on Sylt will be available until September 2, 2023.
www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Aquatic Architecture and Bionic Innovations in Iris van Herpen’s FW23/24 Collection

“ARCHITECTONICS,” the new collection by Iris van Herpen presented on July 3rd at Paris Haute Couture, draws inspiration from futuristic architecture featuring floating elements and bionic designs. In the future portrayed through this collection, the land becomes one with water, creating an environment where humans harmoniously coexist with the ocean. Inspiring van Herpen in this collection is the aquatic urbanism movement, specifically the work of the French architect and oceanographer Jaques Rougerie and Bjarke Ingels’ “Oceanix,” a floating city currently being built in South Korea, which also has a strong focus on recycling and sustainability. The designer has successfully merged fashion and floating architecture through clothing created using high-tech techniques such as “Sensorama,” which creates different layers. The harmonious silhouettes of the clothing are interspersed with geometric cutouts, which imbue the pieces with a sense of movement. The color palette contrasts whites and blacks with gold, silver, and metal detailing. The looks are finished with the “Bionic” boots, digitally designed and 3D-printed, once again highlighting the high-tech aspect of this collection. ARCHITECTONICS imagines humanity’s next frontier, harmonizing waterborne urbanism and aquatic ecosystems. The collection raises awareness about growing environmental issues and draws attention to Oceanix, the world’s first floating city.
www.irisvanherpen.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles’ Partnership with the Prism Prize for Music Videomaking

The Prism Prize, awarded yearly to videomakers, has partnered with the Canadian clothing brand Moose Knuckles. The Prism Prize yearly awards videomakers with the Heatmakers Grant. One of Moose Knuckles’ priorities is to support emerging creatives, and the brand is excited to uplift promising Canadian artists that can have a positive impact on the future of the hip-hop scene through their videos. This vision pairs perfectly with that of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, which aims to promote and encourage local artists. The award, which can be worth up to $35,000, is intended to promote the production of high-quality videos in the Canadian hip-hop scene. The winners of this edition, announced by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, are Sean Leon, iaamSam, and Skiifall. The three artists are a diverse representation of the Canadian hip-hop music industry. Sean Leon, who was awarded the title of “Ambassador,” has been present on the Canadian music scene for over a decade. iaamSam is a self-taught multidisciplinary audio-visual artist, while Skiifall is a music creator quickly building visibility. The commission awarding the Heatmakers Grant is composed of music and fashion professionals, such as Canadian all-round musician Kardinal Offishall and Moose Knuckles’ Global Artistic Director Carlos Nazario. With more than 170 applications from all around the country, the committee had to shortlist 25 artists to determine the three recipients. The winning artists will work alongside a creative team to bring to life the music videos financed by the Heatmakers Grant.
www.mooseknuckles.com

Fashion

The New Maserati Tridente Membership Programme

On June 28, 2023, in its hometown of Modena, Maserati presents Tridente, its new exclusive membership program, which takes inspiration from the brand’s signature style based on Italian luxury. The program will be launched first in Italy and the rest of the world in the second half of 2023. Tridente is the first membership program by Maserati, and it aims to provide all brand fans with a tailored experience focused on exclusive content; indeed, the only condition to access the program is to be a loyal fan of the sportscar brand. The Tridente app is at the core of the membership program, combining five main elements: editorial storytelling, Maserati exclusives, cultural encounters, curated driving experiences, and international events. There are three tiers to the program. Blue, Platinum, and Diamond. The Blu tier is for all fans of the brand and grants access to previews of new collections. The Platinum tier is for those owning a Maserati car, and it comes with perks such as exclusive cultural experiences and personalized gadgets. Finally, the exclusive Diamond tier is accessible only to those possessing the Supercar Project24 or a GT2 race car; Diamond members gain access to an array of luxury experiences, for instance, a private consultation to customize their sportscar. Maserati’s aim through Tridente is to continue its legacy of luxury and exclusivity, as well as offer its customers an immersive experience in the history and personality of the brand.
www.maserati.com

Fashion

Chase The Thrill

The mysterious creative Pharrell Williams’s first campaign for the luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton elegantly debuted with a collaboration with the beloved singer and actress Rihanna. Williams combines his contemporary vision for the future of the Maison with the new Speedy: an adaptation of the emblematic Speedy bag. The campaign represents the union of two everyday icons: a luxury bag founded in codes of reality, embodied by an artist of universal human appeal.

The Speedy Bag, the first bag Williams owned, is met with the cosmopolitan nucleus that inspired Pharrell Williams’ early education in luxury: New York City and everything that saturates every borough of the lively city with a particular essence and aura that permeates the luxury fashion world. the new Speedy conjures through the inimitable savoir-faire of the Maison a visual language evocative of the codes and stylistic attitude of Canal Street. It is an everyday icon conceived for every walk of life.

Williams’s construction of the campaign, including the imagery that accompanies it was planned to the tiniest details. Shining the spotlight on a pregnant Rihanna, the campaign comments on the passing of time, creation, and re-imagination. The temporal cycle of birth, life, and death finds solid footing in the transformed silhouette of the new Speedy– imbued with the singular energy of the old Speedy that drew Williams in the first place.

Created by Gaston-Louis Vuitton in 1930, the classic Speedy leather travel bag – originally known as the Express – was borne out of the era’s infatuation with speed and cars. The design catapulted it into icon status. For nearly a century, the Speedy has been the subject of numerous artistic interpretations and remains an emblem of Louis Vuitton, now with a baby sister that is even more ambitious.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Drawing a New Circle

A circle of sustainable solutions, a circle of imagination, a circle of cross-cultural influences, and a circle for an inclusive, ongoing dialogue of creative minds in the contemporary style scene. Corneliani’s Circle project sees an expansion this SS24 season as it opens up from a style-focused space to a creative platform for collaborations that bring together the domains of the Arts.

In its first act, the narrative features Paris-based design and architecture duo Gaëlle Gabillet and Stéphane Villard, who conceived a circular pavilion to be donated to the city of Milan after the end of the sales campaign to welcome a wider community. In the days before its presentation at Milan Fashion Week, the duo hand-built a majestic mosaic dome from giant tiles of marbled paper produced in Italy by Riccardo Cavaciocchi and tinted individually by French painter Matthieu Lemariè.

The circular arena became the immersive stage for the SS24 Corneliani looks, displayed both in and out of its perimeter. For the SS24 collection, Corneliani highlights their commitment to sustainability through organic and certified materials in a natural, minimalistic yet elegant color palette evoked also by the dome. Timeless, refined menswear archetypes, and relaxed and lightweight silhouettes are conceptualized through a language of elegance and savoir-faire. Sleek, luxurious finishes add depth and distinction to each piece, from co-ords to layering staples. Bold twists of green and red, and textures such as Prince of Wales plaid, elaborate stitching, and seams with painstaking details add an invigorating twist conferring depth and distinction without complication.

www.corneliani.com 

Fashion

New Jewelry by Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton presents its newest and most extensive high jewelry collection, Deep Time, which intends to celebrate our planet’s natural features and the fragility of life. The Maison’s classical jewelry themes and designs revolve around playing with the logo, and in this collection, this takes a step further. The timelessness of gemstones inspires the title and the feel of the collection, and each piece captures the interconnectedness between past and present. Deep Time has been designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof, Louis Vuitton’s artistic director for Watches and Jewelry. The pieces are grouped into 16 themes spanning two acts: Geology and Life. In Geology, the jewelry captures our planet’s evolution through Maison's signature style and logo, and the items aim to embody a natural feature through the evocative colors of the gemstones and the design of the piece. Geology features precious gemstones such as the Colombian emerald, which represents the Earth’s formation. Life focuses on the life force driving creation. The jewelry belonging to this act captures the history of evolution, with themes ranging from Fossils to Flowers. The themes of Life all bring forward a juxtaposition of different textures, making each piece unique. Life’s pieces are incredibly versatile and are meant to be worn in multiple ways; this aspect is at the core of Amfitheatrof’s creative directory, which strives toward transformability.
www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Tod’s SS24 Men’s Collection

Giardino Italiano, Tod’s SS24 men’s collection, zeros in on the passion of handmade that affords Italy its unique position in the world. Not surprising then, Italian craftsmanship and excellent quality form the very essence of this season’s collection. For its all-round Italian homage, the historic Milanese location linked to the Tod’s brand, Villa Necchi, sets the scenery for the presentation with a traditional Italian garden. To go with Tod’s Italian lifestyle, casual tailoring is even more relaxed, made from high quality materials in warm tones of brown and ecru. A triangular leather pattern becomes a recognizable symbol on the jackets, which ensure a simultaneously timeless, refined, and relaxed style. Key garments of the Italian wardrobe are indispensable, such as the short and light cabans which never compromise a man’s elegance and taste for quality. Further undisputed protagonists are the Bubble Gommino and the iconic Gommino, combining the classic tradition of the driving shoe with a modern twist. Typical of Italian craftsmanship, the leather handmade construction process is clearly visible in the moccasin. Tod’s Riviera Slip-on with tassels marks another symbol of the Italian lifestyle, while bags and belts become the foundation of the contemporary man’s looks. Italian know-how meets continuous experimentation with Tod’s.

www.tods.com

Fashion

Men’s Milan Fashion Week – Gucci

On the occasion of its SS24 men’s collection during Milan Fashion Week, Gucci took the opportunity to celebrate 70 years of the iconic Gucci Horsebit loafer with a multi-faceted, expansive showcase at Spazio Maiocchi. First conceived by Aldo Gucci in 1953, the Horsebit – a miniature of the metal clamp of a horse’s bridle – has become a signifier of the community embodied by Gucci. The casual but elegant Horsebit loafer came to signalize a transitional period on the way to a more liberal mentality toward conventional dress codes, as the loafer was adopted by a great variety of individuals over time.

Titled Gucci Horsebeat Society, the celebratory exhibition was shaped by Spazio Maiocchi’s Creative Director and curator Alessio Ascari into a multi-disciplinary experience: enabling a full immersion into the iconography of the Horsebit Loafer through transformative reinterpretations that featured ten international artists, designers, and creatives. Inspired by the equestrian roots of the Horsebit, the Gucci Horsebeat Society re-imagines the tradition of the country club in a contemporary space fused with the spirit of artistic counterculture – a concept which materializes in a multi-dimensional ‘house’.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

L'Art de la Table

Mealtime is about more than just the food. It is complete with memories with friends and family around the table, an appreciation for the love and time devoted during preparation, and time to relax and reenergize from the day’s activities. All of this centered around the table setting. This is the focus of Loro Piana’s latest décor collection. The “L'Art de la Table” collection celebrates the every day, quintessentially Italian table. In the perfect balance between elegance and functionality, tradition and creativity, the collection achieves simultaneous tastefulness and timelessness.

Cups, plates, and bowls of varying sizes are handmade in Italy in the prized bone porcelain – each piece takes three days to make. The finest and sturdiest materials, like cotton, linen, and polypropylene make the fabric accessories such as placemats, napkins, and runners suitable for outdoor locations. All the products creatively complement each other, sharing the distinctive Loro Piana multicolored stripe in caraway and blue on a white or beige background inspired by Maison’s “The Suitcase Stripe” from the 1970s to 1990s.

The vases and glasses for water, wine, and cocktails are an exemplary display of handcraftsmanship guaranteed by six generations of artisanal know-how. Crafted from hand-blown and beveled Murano glass, their simple, impossibly fine parallel lines and opaline reflections have the appearance and feel of velvety needlecord fabric.

With a touch of Loro Piana’s refined style and savoir-faire and the Italian traditions of exquisite artistry and craftsmanship, L’Art de la Table complements the art of conviviality. The exclusive tableware collection is available in select Loro Piana boutiques, pop-ups, and the Loro Piana e-commerce website.

www.loropiana.com

Fashion

Sailing into Summer

Inspired by the wide and endless world of seafaring, Etro’s Vela Bag is an elegant and refined handbag. The first bag designed by Etro’s new Creative Director Marco De Vincenzo, it is crafted from luxurious and smooth calfskin leather. Taking the sharp silhouette of a sail its dynamic contours mould into a strong, rounded body as if by the winds of the sea themselves. The bag now sees a line extension with the Mini Vela Bag. The new, smaller version launched on the 7th of June, just in time for the turn of the season.

The Mini Vela’s bold, minimalist design follows the success of the original Vela. The innovative flexible V-shaped closure is finished with the iconic intricate chain detail and a medallion engraved with the Etro logo and Pegaso. The new bag is launched with a maximalist twist, released in an array of candy pop colors such as playful shades of pink, orange, sky blue, and lime green for an energizing, the 90s, and Kidcore culture-inspired addition sure to brighten up the summer wardrobe. An adaptable strap makes the bag perfect to be worn as a shoulder or crossbody bag.

The Mini Vela Bag is available on the Etro website, in Etro stores, and selected retailers worldwide.

www.etro.com

Fashion

The Perfect Companions for your Adventures

Inspired by a fearless creature, the Canadian luxury outerwear brand Moose Knuckles manifests an irreverent spirit and energy, alongside an unabating commitment to product design and technical expertise. Within the brand lies the story of its Canadians founders, whose family heritage traces back 100 years in the tailored and parka manufacturing business. For its SS23 collection, Moose Knuckles introduces new Bunny styles and the Air Down category: new pieces that are destined to become our essential companions during the transitional weather periods. Moose Knuckles’ bestseller hoodie, as well as the combination of a water-resistant jacket and a silky-soft faux fur hoodie guarantee coziness and protection with style. The new Bunny styles are some of the most versatile products ever created by the Canadian luxury brand, apparent in the fully reversible styles and the eye-catching color palette made of bold metallics and natural hues. The brand keeps up with its goal to craft resilient garments for the most unforgiving conditions with the new Air Down products, engineered to feel weightless for ultimate comfort. Crafted with the latest technology in lightweight layering, a recycled shell that repeals wind and moisture, and a RDS-certified 800 fill power for warmth and comfort. Tested to express their highest potential during every outdoor adventure, the new Bunny and Air Down garments are available in new colorways and with the brand’s signature monogram pattern for women, men, and kids.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

For the Young Ones

C.P. Company and Atlanta Group have come together to collaborate and create a high-fashion collection exclusive to youth under 16. The C.P. Company Undersixteen line reimagines what fashion means to a younger generation, and allows for young individuals to express themselves as freely as their older counterparts in the world around them. The product will be the result of Altana Group's experience in managing kids and baby lines, combined with the know-how of the original Italian sportswear brand which since 1971 has perfectly combined tradition, innovation, and performance. The garments are imbued with a youthful energy that is observed through the funky detailing such as the zip-ups with a full zipper connecting the body and the hood to create a playful silhouette and the accompanying built-in goggles, integrating a futuristic essence to the swag of the young ones.

Lorenzo Osti, President of C.P. Company relays appreciation and satisfaction in the press release announcing the collection: “It is a real honor and privilege to start this journey with the Altana Group, of which I was able to admire the exceptional product quality, production capacity, and ethical and responsible corporate footprint. I'm sure they will be excellent partners for spreading the brand to our younger customers".

Pioneering the role of youth in the dynamic world of fashion, this collaboration subjects a generally forgotten demographic and does it with exquisite care, style, and eternal funk.

www.cpcompany.com
www.atlantagroup.com

Fashion

Finché c’è Fiato, c’è Vita

The soft wind blew heads of hair to the rhythm of the flowing water of Lake Maggiore. The island of Isola Bella has harbored the legends of the Borromeo family for centuries– a story adorned with the gift of time and life. The Louis Vuitton 2024 Cruise Collection visits and reimagines the scenery of the island adorned with a glamorous palace covered by mysterious gardens imbued with omnipresent infinity.

Resembling an artistic botanical Cruise, the garments allude to several different elements present in their surroundings. Interpretations of tight tops made from wetsuit material paired with flowy capes with adornments that resemble the fins of an extraterrestrial fish. Elegance and glamour are threaded into the collection with a celebrated notion of play. Uncommon garment pairings and surprising silhouettes come together as a grand eclectic botanical garden.

The end of the Cruise is marked by the key looks of the collection. Dresses that transform their wearer into a mermaid, a swan– the contrast between the light and heavy materials used to construct the dresses provide the juxtaposed balance of facticity and transcendence that marks life but specifically the natural life. A sage green dress, resembling the motion and attitude of algae moves as though it speaks its own language with the world around it. The details embellishing the thin and elegant silhouette transform it from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Air flows and moves within the garment, whispering along to the rhythmic lullabies of the Isola Bella.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

The Feminine Wears the Pants

Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Creative Director of Dior, found inspiration in the beautiful landscape and culture of Mexico whilst designing the Dior Cruise 2024 collection. This “Place of the soul”, will forever be haunted by the iconic energy and essence of Frida Kahlo, the legendary and figuratively forever immortal Mexican artist. Now remembered, Kahlo is a woman who transcended her form and physicality through her clothes, which became representation, proclamation, protest, and affirmation.

The garments showcased in the collection reflect the androgynous energy of Kahlo and pay homage to her clothing choices, all imbued with deep meaning regarding to the place of women in the patriarchal societal power regime. Suits thus pay tribute to her style while, in counterpoint, echoing the Tehuana custom, full skirts are worn with a traditional tunic: the huipil. A pink dress reminiscent of the one worn by Frida Kahlo in one of her self-portraits is featured. However, through heavy use of the binary colors black and white, the details of the garments shine, and the looks become a personality that the models embody and pay their respects to. The craftsmanship pays respect to the local artisans, their expertise shines with original embroideries, and co-creations crafted with their ateliers, notably adorning dresses, and shirts.

Chiuri completely immersed herself and her mind in the culture and beauty of Mexico and dedicated her talents to creating a collection that purely reflects a vital feminine experience in history closely intertwined with the oscillations of nature.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Color Me Bright

Revolutionizing leather craftsmanship since 1927– the high-fashion Italian brand Furla unveils a new multi-media advertising campaign exhibiting the elusive and highly awaited Pre-Fall 23 collection. “Furla Colors”, starring the sophisticated and elegant world-famous supermodel Irina Shayk, encapsulates the entire essence and heart of Furla. Shayk is seen situated between the transcendent shots of Koto Bolofo and Paolo Zambaldi strengthened by the liveliness of the colors compromising the collection and the minimalist and almost-surreal set decorated with blocks and plain surroundings to reflect Furla’s timeless dedication to design and architecture.

Color and its full essence are at the forefront of this collection. Iconic and widely-loved signature Furla bags have been reimagined- featuring new hues, new shapes, and new materials. Now, Furla’s Opportunity, Metropolis, and Unica are available with changes that bring a different breath of air to the classic and timeless silhouettes of the bags. Most importantly, the collection is deeply imbued with the brand’s DNA– the use of monogram canvas and precious leathers, an oscillation between squared profiles, and rounded lines. Furla, women’s most loyal companion, and confidante, continues to reinvent and reimagine the role and character of luxury leather goods in the lives of women for every and any occasion.

www.furla.com

Fashion

Florence Pugh is Valentino’s Latest DI.VA.

Florence Pugh is “known for her authenticity, vulnerability and fearless self-expression, both on-camera and off”, making her the perfect new Valentino DI.VA.

Florence is a talented actress and activist with an eclectic personality. She carries the value of authenticity into all her work, including Valentino's latest advertising campaign directed by Steven Meisel.

She is unafraid of being unapologetically herself, embracing non-conformity and revealing herself in a fierce and carefree fashion. Florence enters the Valentino world and brings their one-of-a-kind creations to life with the full range of emotions. She fully embodies the DI.fferent VA.lues code, having already worn Valentino on the red carpet numerous times.

She expresses the uniquely Florence Pugh "encyclopedia of feelings", with an exciting, and unexpected facial expression for each shot paired with the Rockstud handbag, heels and ballerinas. The campaign celebrates the creation of its latest edition, the Rockstud23, adorned with pyramid-shaped studs in vibrant pink and mirror silver.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

C.P. Company SEED

Intense fabric research and innovation are not new to C.P. Company, which has pioneered garment dyeing techniques and the hybridization of functionality with connoisseur textile production. In SS23, the Italian brand takes this one step further with SEED, an ongoing program with a focus on reducing the environmental impact of garment making. A laboratory of trials focuses on how new clothes can be produced and designed with the goal of shortening the production chain, eliminating waste and circular manufacturing. The project's goals are embodied in its crossed man symbol, a reminder that progress can only be achieved through trial and error.

C.P. Company is proud to introduce the two SEED capsule collections, offering a selection of iconic designs such as the Eco-Chrome Goggle Jacket and the Tela Ortica Overshirt reimagined and crafted out of their latest experimentations.

SEED 1 explores the use of local natural fibers coming from plants that grow almost uncontrollably, making them a renewable and reliable resource. Nettle, hemp, and other ancient natural fibers are spun into yarn and woven into a strong and stiff fabric reminiscent of linen. The yarns blend smoothly with other fibers such as premium cotton, softening and increasing longevity as desired.

SEED 2 gives a new life to wasteful and polluting materials. In experimentation with Eco-Chrome, an improved version of the fabric that uses Econyl regenerated nylon, C.P. Company offers a capsule created by upcycling fishing nets and mixing recycled fleece with organic cotton.

www.cpcompany.com

Fashion

Summer Months with Moncler

At the heart of Moncler is the dedication to sharing warmth through combined style and constant technological research. For the brand's SS23 collection, the brand's unique yet timeless DNA is effortlessly reimagined for warmer days. Their global summer campaign celebrates the brand's exceptional craftsmanship of year-round protection and performance.

Thierry Le Goués shot the latest campaign, taking an unexpected aesthetic direction that casts a refined yet dramatic statement true to the essence of the brand. His stylized shots feature the SS23 collection with stark angles in a mostly monochrome chiaroscuro. He captures the dynamic actuality of the summer, exemplifying Moncler’s exceptional performance even in the unexpected twists of weather.

Not every summer is easy breezy, but Moncler’s lightweight puffers and transitional layers are the antidote to even the most extreme demands of nature and city life alike. The designs offer a play between silken and matt textures, in jackets and tactile knitwear alongside warm-weather must-haves like swimwear and accessories. Offering an elegant solution for every day, the collection spans a selection of sleek black jackets as well as styles in brighter and lighter colors to welcome the sunnier days. Moncler’s latest collection is available in select boutiques and on the brand’s website.

www.moncler.com

Fashion

Prada Frames 2023: Materials in Flux

Following the success of On Forest for Prada Frames 2022, this year’s multidisciplinary symposium returns to Milan with a new theme, Materials in Flux. The event took place at Teatro Filodrammatici, one of Milan’s oldest theaters. The set-up was complemented by a selection of furnishings and lamps by the Italian brand Azucena – designed by architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni starting from the late 1940s. Prada seeks to stimulate a reflection that has nourished the brand’s practice for some time now: how the use of innovative recycled materials bestows opportunities for low-impact production and original creativity. Curated by Formafantasma, Materials in Flux explores the concept of waste, and analyzes as well as breaks down the intricate relationship between materials and ecosystems. The symposium departs from British anthropologist Tim Ingold’s research, who initiated the first session of the event, transpiring on April 17th from 11am to 12:30pm. Ingold introduces the notion of waste as matter in constant transformation: he views materials as interconnected, as having a relational process through which they become engaged with a perpetually changing web of life. His introduction is followed up by speakers Anna Anguissola, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and Eduardo Kohn. On the same day, from 15:00pm to 16:30pm, speakers Justin McGuirk, Patrick O’Hare, Josh Lepawsky, Elizabeth Povinelli, and Elvira Dyangani Ose investigate the dynamics that regulate waste infrastructure and their value systems during the second session. Together, they create a new, multidisciplinary reality. On April 18th, 2023, the complete recordings of both sessions will be available on Prada’s website.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Bottega Veneta and Gaetano Pesce’s "Vieni a Vedere"

"Vieni a Vedere", meaning Come and See, is an invitation into the design world of the future, commissioned and presented by Bottega Veneta. The brand’s Montenapoleone store was transformed by Humanist architect-designer-artist Gaetano Pesce into ‘a grotto’, an extension of his artwork that constituted the show space for Bottega Veneta’s SS23 fashion show. Upon entering, visitors are immersed in a resin and fabric installation, and are set on a unique path of discovery. Within the installation await the exclusive artist editions of two Bottega Veneta handbags – "My Dear Mountains" and "My Dear Prairies".

Pesce is a true multidisciplinarian with numerous public and private works realized globally spanning the fields of architecture, town-planning, interior design, industrial design, and exhibition design. At the core of all his works is an unapologetic commitment to experimentation and refusal of repetition. He designed his first bag with an optimistic, figurative, and personal approach, telling the story of his upbringing near the mountains of Este, Italy, and his life now in the prairies of America.

The expert handcrafting of Bottega Veneta’s leather workers and artisans breathed life into Pesce's vision. The brand’s signature Intrecciato is redefined according to his vibrant and joyful sketches. To resemble Pesce’s watercolor renderings of the mountains, the Nappa leather of each "My Dear Mountains" bag is individually painted with an airbrush technique. A meticulous crochet technique combining seven shades of the green calf and lamb leathers fabricates thick, whirling grass on the "My Dear Prairies" bag.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Art

Fondazione Prada's Tribute to Dara Birnbaum

Fondazione Prada honors the work of American artist Dara Birnbaum with its new, extensive survey exhibition, curated by Barbara London with Valentino Catricalà and Eva Fabbris. The exhibition will be on display at the Osservatorio, Fondazione Prada’s center of artistic experimentation and research that strongly resonates with the artist, who constantly challenges the percepts of art and mass media. The exhibition offers multiple angles from which to understand Birnbaum’s career: an insight into the artist’s wide range of media languages and her artistic exploration of diverse themes, which shape the exposition into a space of deep reflection. In Milan, one of Birnbaum’s best-known works, Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman (1978-79), provides a first glance into her examination of gender biases across different media platforms. This video work highlights how, in an industry dominated by men, women’s representations alternate between being heroic or trivializing. Also included is Quiet Disaster (1999), three enlarged anime images portraying characters’ diverse facial expressions as a reaction to danger, staged on circular Plexiglas discs using Duratrans prints. Single-channel videos, such as Chaired Anxieties: Abandoned (1975), Pop-Pop Video (Kojak/Wang) (1980) and Fire! Hendrix (1982), are coupled together and comprised within the exhibition, as well as sound works, photographs and multichannel installations, such as Operations: December 16-17-18 (1998) and Journey: Shadow of the American Dream (2022).

Resulting from a partnership with the School of Digital Arts in Manchester, Dara Birnbaum will be on display from April 13th to September 25th, 2023 at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.

www.fondazioneprada.org

Fashion

Louis Vuitton’s Fashion Eye: Seoul and Texas

At the heart and soul of Louis Vuitton is a passion for travel, exemplified in the Maison’s series of photography books titled “Fashion Eye”. Each book represents an exploration of a country, region, city, or place through the unique lens of an emerging or a legendary fashion photographer. This spring, Louis Vuitton sets off on a new adventure, exploring Seoul and Texas in two new titles added to the series.

Dutch photographer Sarah van Rij captures the intimacy and mystery in even the most mundane scenes of everyday life in Seoul. The delicacies of every moment, from reflections to shadows, faces, silhouettes, and gestures, are all transformed by her sensitive gaze. Her visual language accentuates depth and perspective, with a signature poetic use of chiaroscuro and saturated hues that capture the vitality of life in the city.

Sean Thomas, an American Photographer, brings together the iconic, the legendary, and the less familiar scenes of life in Texas. His pages are filled with vibrant scenes and stories from across the state. With his glimpse into the way of life on the American frontier, you can almost hear the country music and the march of cowboy boots.

“Fashion Eye” is a tailor-made series, with the editorial process behind each book uniquely suited to the work of the photographer so the images are shared in their optimal form. The large format photographs are paired with written works that are personal to the photographer, such as biographical information, an interview, or a critical essay.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Palm Angels Sets Foot in Seoul

The Italian brand Palm Angels accelerates its global expansion with the opening of the brand’s first boutique in Seoul, opened in partnership with Forward Global Fashion Co., Ltd. a leading company in the fashion industry.

The classic taste of Milan touches down on the lively streets of Seoul adorned with the brutalist aesthetic of various buildings in Los Angeles, where the soul of Palm Angels resides. The new store, located at 18-2, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, a well-known luxury shopping destination of the Korean capital, celebrates Palm Angel’s essence– characterized by a bold and youthful desire to express and surprise. A full-height window playfully displays the store’s pink concrete walls, light-whitened cedar wood central counter, and grid ceiling beams– an outside glance, quick and sly, is enough to be entranced by the aesthetic dance between the industrial and the chic.

The boutique design is characterized by geometric lines set in a warm atmosphere where the displays are outlined to highlight the brand collections. The minimal and powerful essence of the shop, narrated by the quiet harmonies of metal and marble, is disrupted by the animated liveliness of baby pink color. Francesco Ragazzi, the brand Founder and Creative Director, affirms that the “store tells the whole Palm Angels story as it perfectly embodies the emotions, inspirations, and values of the brand”. Developed by the Palm Angels internal architects’ team in close collaboration with Ragazzi, the new Palm Angels store is a penultimate representation of the high-fashion streetwear brand.

www.palmangels.com

Fashion

W&W: Celebrating Montblanc's Heritage

This year, as every year, Montblanc celebrates its 165 years of watch-making heritage at the Watches & Wonders fair. Upholding its connection to mountains, Montblanc presented its 2023 novelties in an enchanting booth inspired by the Swiss Alps’ great glaciers – a booth that combines the Maison’s rich expertise and Marie De La Ville Baugé’s artworks.

Montblanc’s new 8000 Capsule collection places the world’s 14 highest peaks in the spotlight alongside the brave individuals who challenged themselves to climb them. Four models join Montblanc’s Zero Oxygen timepieces. The 1858 Geosphere Chronograph 0 oxygen The 8000 Limited Edition 290 is perfect for harsh conditions as the zero oxygen inside the 44 mm titanium case prevents fogging and oxidization. The 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date editions are not mere watches but diving instruments that present a new gray glacier pattern dial, interchangeable and adjustable straps, and a water resistance of 300m. The 1858 Iced Sea Limited Edition Coffret collection includes last year’s green and blue watch editions and this year’s gray edition presented in a curated chest that resembles the rock of the Mont Blanc mountain. The limited-edition Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph, with a white gold fluted bezel, comes in a distressed steel finish achieved by treating the 43 mm stainless steel case with a black coating. Lastly, the Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva puzzles us with its bezel-activated chronograph function that celebrates Montblanc’s 100th anniversary since its first wristwatch chronograph movement.

Since April 1st, 2023, the novelties are available in Montblanc boutiques and online.

www.montblanc.com

Fashion

Tommy Hilfiger x Shawn Mendes

Tommy Hilfiger and Grammy nominated multi-platinum singer songwriter Shawn Mendes launched a joint Spring 2023 collection of menswear and womenswear. Tommy x Shawn Mendes Classics Reborn prioritizes comfort, inclusivity, and sustainable materials while breathing a fresh, contemporary life into Tommy’s timeless and iconic take on American prep.

Uniting in their shared vision to create a more responsible future for fashion, Hilfiger and Mendes pillared the collection on four innovative principles. Color Reborn utilizes the Recycrom™ technique, reprocessing factory fiber scraps into vivid dyes. Materials Reborn ensures a more circular life cycle for the fibers that are used in the collection, with recycled and regenerated industry-certified materials used throughout. Self Reborn reflects a modern approach to fashion highlighting diversity in ideas, passions, and perspectives. Community Reborn emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with people who support and inspire you to be your best self. The collection therefore marks the brand’s development towards “fashion that wastes nothing and welcomes all,” as said by Tommy Hilfiger.

Creative directed by Team Laird and shot by Cass Bird, the designs were revealed in a campaign featuring the pop-stars friends and family, from his sister to other multidisciplinary talents. The launch was celebrated with a tour of presentations at key Tommy Hilfiger stores in Amsterdam, London, Berlin, and Milan with new channels for engagement such as AR mirrors to digitally try on the collection and embroidery workshops to inspire upcycling practices. Parties welcoming Hilfiger, Mendes, and many other VIP and press guests ensued.

www.tommy.com

Fashion

The New Horsebit Story

Gucci’s new The Horsebit 1955 campaign, shot by Mert&Marcus, features Halle Bailey, Hanni, and Julia Garner – three exceptional women who expertly create meaningful spaces within the realms of their respective crafts.

The campaign, characterized by a dashing use of primary colors and simple angles, is formed around the essence of the three powerful women featured. The artists, singer-songwriter actress Halle Bailey, NewJeans member and Global Brand Ambassador Hanni, and critically-acclaimed award-winning actress Julia Garner, exude a powerful adjacent to the one The Horsebit 1955 is imbued with. The Horsebit 1955 shines next to the strong and distinctive silhouettes of the artists who make the bag their own. Through smooth clips and meticulous attention to detail, the campaign masterfully highlights the archival-inspired bag.

Gucci’s Horsebit 1955 Bag pays homage to an archival design- recreating the lines and forms introduced over six decades ago. The accessory is adorned with iconic details reconceived with a modern perspective and especially highlights a part of Gucci’s genetic code: the Horsebit. The double ring and bar design- borrowed from the elusive equestrian world is considered to be one of the most distinctive elements among the House symbols. The classic silhouette of the flap shoulder bag is elevated by the ephemeral feeling of textured black leather and the support of a fashionably adjustable shoulder strap. The Horsebit 1955 gives each person the agency to exude the House’s unique spirit in any way they desire.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

W&W Hublot: Taking Risks and Pushing Boundaries

One thing is certain with Hublot’s latest creations: the brand knows exactly what it is doing and who it is doing it for. Described as a continuation of Hublot’s 2022 creative vision, the new releases call attention to the fact that taking risks and pushing boundaries will never cease to be a part of the brand’s DNA. Hublot’s newest collection of masterpieces signifies a turning point in the history of MP. The MP-13, with a 4-day-long power reserve and a 44 mm case, presents, for the first time, a rare combination in a single watch: the double-axis tourbillion is paired with the double retrograde display. Showing off its expertise in using state-of-the-art technology, Hublot’s new Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Full Carbon watch is seemingly both lightweight and robust at once. Following last year’s success of its new square design, Hublot debuted three new variations, in sapphire and ceramic, of the Square Bang Unico watch at Watches & Wonders 2023. Continuing to celebrate the unique square design, eight new models are now also available in white gold, titanium and king gold, with diamond settings in four variants. Mixing Richard Orlinski’s sculpturing and Hublot’s watchmaking skills, the Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski Titanium is one for the art and extreme precision lovers. In collaboration with Takashi Murakami, 12 unique watches, arranged in a perfect color gradient, can be purchased alongside their corresponding NFTs. This combination of digital art and haute horlogerie is just one more example of Hublot’s capacity to innovate.

www.hublot.com

Fashion

W&W Cartier: Unlimited Time, Infinite Creativity

Cartier’s unconventional chronoception: time is cyclical, rather than linear. Cartier’s new watch collections, presented at Watches & Wonders 2023, continue to uphold the Maison’s paradigmatic trademark: its engagement in an endless process of transformation and reinvention. This time, transformation materializes through the prism of creativity, as the watches – full of form and character – are revisited for the new collections.

This year, like every year, a new watch enters the Cartier Privé collection. The Tank Normale is revealed in honor of one of Cartier’s most remarkable creations, the very first Tank watch created in 1917. The new Tank Américaine watch – with a finer, more acrobatic line and an adjustable strap – borrows its purity and curved case from the Tank Cintrée watch. The iconic Santos-Dumont watch is elevated to carry on the legacy of Cartier, maintaining the elegance of the original model while featuring a gold or steel case, visible screws, a beaded crown and blue cabochon. Following a pattern of continuity, a rather exceptional capacity to only resemble itself characterizes the new Baignoire watch. This version is not merely a watch but also a piece of jewelry. A feature also found in the Clash [Un]limited watch, whose geometry is constant and true to the Maison’s style. Cartier’s iconic panther magnetizes the company’s latest jewelry watch. Equipped with an ingenious system and no visible hinges, the model perfectly hugs the wearer’s wrist. Cartier’s today looks to tomorrow: watches that make their mark in the present and in the perpetually evolving future.

www.cartier.com 

Fashion

Plaster Parkas and Pants

Ten C presents a collection SS23 inspired by plaster. From its opaque, dusty colors and cracking prints with a blurred pixelated effect, this range exemplifies the brand's values for well-crafted clothing that can last a lifetime.

The SS23 collection takes various shades of gray as a starting point, using a unique dyeing technique that infuses color while allowing the garments to maintain a dusty, light patina. This way, grayish-teal blends with all its lighter nuances and deep burgundy fades into chalky mauve, and dusty or peachy pinks. The fabrics are printed to imitate cracks on plaster walls, reimagined with a modern graphic twist with a blurred pixel effect. The unique color effects are broken up by details in total black.

Ten C continues its tradition of hybridization of materials, highlighting the textures of different fabrics such as its staple Original Japanese Jersey. Classic pieces meet new styles, such as the Freezer, the Marine Anorak, and the Rider Parka in a 9oz range of OJJ. The Ten C philosophy of crafting high-performance, hard-wearing clothing is taken to new heights, updating materials such as the Crinkle Rip-Stop Nylon and introducing the new remarkable shine of Silver Laminated Nylon and peach skin Cotton/Nylon in bottoms that span the range of lengths.

Within the collection is a mini capsule that teases the FW23 collection: two transformable down jackets with detachable sleeves with a selection of colors.

www.tenc.com

Fashion

W&W Bulgari: A Night to Remember

On March 27th 2023, during the Watches & Wonders 2023 week, the shores of Lake Geneva set the scene for a thrilling celebration of Bulgari’s latest collection, Octo Roma. The event transported over 150 guests, friends, celebrities and journalists into a world of watchmaking excellence: an exciting peek into Bulgari’s aspirations to enrich this world. The Italian Maison’s CEO, Jean-Christophe Babin, and the Managing Director, Antoine Pin, unveiled the new models at the heart of the location, altered to direct all focus to Bulgari’s iconic octagonal design. “First presented in 2012, the Octo symbolically opened a new decade last night, a new chapter in its history,” said the CEO. The collection’s celebration engendered a sense of marking time with style, partially on account of the presence of actors Alessandro Gassmann and Lucien Laviscount, “both proud to be among the first to wear the Octo Roma watch”. The event concluded with a performance – exclusively organized by Béjart Ballet Lausanne’s Artistic Director Gil Roman – to convey the versatility and status of the Octo Roma as a classic yet non-classic timepiece. Leaving the spectators in awe, three dancers moved with intensity during the eight-minute choreography, which included the watches themselves and showcased their eight-faceted case. Marking a radical breakthrough in the watch making community, the Octo has the ability to renew and strengthen its aesthetic signature, and includes a wide range of expressions. In a short period of time, this versatile and sophisticated status piece has become an epitome of a profoundly innovative and powerful Italian design.

www.bulgari.com 

Fashion

Woolrich Takes the Next Step for Environmentally Conscious Outwear with Brewed Protein™ Fiber

Woolrich is the oldest American outdoor clothing company, committed to creating products for any weather that last a lifetime, since its founding in 1830. In FW23, they take this oath to global environmental conservation to the next level with the latest innovations in material creation and technology. Woolrich has announced the new Woolrich Arctic Parka in collaboration with Japanese sport apparel manufacturer GOLDWIN will be made with Brewed Protein™ fibers.

Brewed Protein™ fiber is a structural protein material with an inspiring potential for alternative fabrics that are free from petroleum and animal products. The material gets its name from the way it is produced, a microbial fermentation that uses plant-derived sugars that is similar to the brewing of alcohol. Spiber Inc., the Japanese biotechnology venture company that jointly-developed Brewed Protein™ fibers with GOLDWIN thus provide a solution to reduce the microplastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fashion industry.

In line with their shared goals of reducing the environmental burden of fashion and developing a more sustainable society, Woolrich and GOLDWIN offer the new Woolrich Arctic Parka. The garment has become an iconic staple winter jacket around the world since it was first created to serve the Alaskan Pipeline workers in 1972. In FW23, it will be available in physical and online stores in the US, EU, and Japan.

www.woolrich.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent's New Kate Chain Bag

The Kate bag was first introduced by Saint Laurent in 2010 and has since become one of their most iconic accessories. Equally elegant and it is easy-to-wear, the bag is a practical and distinguished addition to any day or evening look. Its timeless rectangular form is finished with a flap structure that closes securely by means of a magnetic snap. One of its most distinctive elements is the jewel chain that allows for a crossbody style, a short shoulder porté, or can be tucked away to transform the bag into a glamorous clutch. Front and center, the bag is embellished with the signature YSL logo designed in 1961 by graphic designer Adolphe Mouron Cassandre’s.

Saint Laurent’s SS23 Collection welcomes a new edition of the Small Kate Chain Bag.

In its latest interpretation, the bag is given a two tone, two material treatment. A glossy spazzolato leather makes up the outer frame in a luxurious “black veau brilliant”. The center of the bag is crafted from a contrasting lambskin in “off white nappa”. The design is adorned with the Cassandre logo in a light bronze-toned metal finish that matches its chain strap. The new edition of the Small Kate Chain Bag embodies Saint Laurent’s commitment to bringing together quality and practicality with a timeless and sensual aesthetic.

www.saintlaurent.com

Fashion

A Bold Step Forward

Inspired by climbing and the demands of nature that thread into expeditions in nature, HUGO’s new sneaker HU-GO1ST demands attention. Since the incorporation of footwear into the HUGO BOSS Group productions in 2004, HUGO has continually pushed the boundaries of modern footwear.

The HU-GO1ST, the brand’s freshest shoe silhouette to date, is designed for individuals who strive to take bold steps forward. The curved and chunky but sleek sneaker creatively embellish the feet and provide practicality and support. A lacing system inspired by hiking gear with reflective accents and triangular eyelets for easy adjustment allows for the sneaker to slip on and off of feet in a simple breath. The essence of hiking is further observed in the outsoles of the HU-GO1ST, the incorporation of a pattern of raised triangular shapes in different sizes significantly increase the grip of each step taken. Elements inspired by hiking and the breathable materials elevate the HU-GO1ST – this sneaker doesn’t only look good, it’s a dependable shoe made to be worn anytime from a morning stroll to an evening boogie.

The essence of HUGO and the brand’s continuous advocacy of self-expression pierces through the sneaker’s expert craftsmanship and design, as well as the bold and fun colorways. The launch of the HU-GO1ST will be accompanied by an online sneaker hunt, encouraging fans to integrate the sneaker into the digital sphere. A Snapchat filter will allow for people to virtually try on the shoe and feel its undeniable swag.

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

Bulgari’s Serpent Morphs through the Kaleidoscope of FW2023

Bulgari’s FW23 Leather Goods and Accessories collection is an invitation into an entrancing world of color and light. Layers of richness and shining reflections are ready to be uncovered in KALEIDOSCOPIA. Iconic designs and exciting details epitomize the Maison’s eclectic spirit and joyful creativity.

Adorned with the exalting force of Bulgari’s vibrant gemstones, Serpenti is unleashed with three deliveries of Leather Goods. "Joyful Spring" comes in March of 2023, with the optimism and power of bright colors and new material treatments. The legendary icon features proudly in the new Serpenti Forever Bay and the 75th Anniversary edition of the Serpenti Forever Top Handle bag. A wider array of Bulgari’s snake family is awakened in May 2023 with "Vibrant Summer". From the Serpentine Vertical Tote to the Serpentine Pouch and the Serpentine Forever East-West, shimmering silver reflects an illuminating modern gleam on the Roman Jeweler’s DNA. Coiled Torchon and Patch Denim come into play, elevating causal textures to an effortless and joyful elegance. In August 2023, the second delivery will be available. "Eclectic Fall" unleashes the snake in ultraluxe Python and Karung Skins and a crystal cascade.

The “little jewels” of the collection are Bulgari’s textiles, uniting gem-colors and a modern aesthetic to the integral themes of the Maison’s philosophy. Bulgari’s eclectic and future-oriented spirit is seen in the new styles of FW23 Eyewear. Details inspired by the aesthetic codes of jewelry bring a captivating and contemporary charm to the shapes of familiar and brand-new frames.

www.bulgari.com

Art

Rwandan Daughters – A call for hope by Olaf Heine

According to photographer Olaf Heine: "Our future should not be dictated by our past." Nevertheless, he felt compelled to shed light on a historical tragedy whose repercussions continue to reverberate: the Rwandan Genocide.

In the harrowing span of 100 days in 1994, approximately one million lives were lost, with around 250,000 women enduring the horrors of rape, trauma, and subsequent marginalization.

As it is so difficult to stand out after a trauma, their daughters strive each day to aid in their recovery and amplify their voices. With remarkable courage and optimism, they endeavor to dismantle the stigma surrounding their mothers, aunts, and sisters.

Rwandan Daughters stands as a poignant tribute to these resilient women and the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters united in the fight against injustice. Many of these daughters are reminders of their mothers' trauma, yet they stand together in pursuit of peace and remembrance. Their bravery is a beacon of inspiration, and their struggle demands acknowledgment.

 

Between 2017 and 2019, Olaf Heine captured the essence of these women and their ongoing battle, crafting a tribute that honors Rwandan mothers and daughters—a poignant narrative of a tragedy that has scarred a nation and its subsequent generations.

This project encapsulates themes of memory, respect, love, and sorrow, but above all, it serves as a testament to hope. By showcasing the magnitude of the tragedy and the resilience of those who strive for peace and the restoration of their lives, Olaf Heine sends a powerful message of hope: that even in the darkest of times, those who champion a just cause will be heard and will effect change.

After the publication of his book, "Rwandan Daughters," Olaf Heine unveils an exhibition of his project at the Kunsthalle Rostock Museum, running from March 17th to May 20th, 2024.

www.olaheine.com & www.kunsthallerostock.de

Fashion

Inspiring Future Generations of Women

A reflexive perspective, an attention to history, a rebellious femininity and powerful icons – all this can be found in Maria Grazia Chiuri’s reinterpretation of the 1950s for Dior’s FW 23/24 ready-to-wear-line. This Creative Director treats each and every collection as a site of opportunity and further reflection – the meaning and possibilities of clothing, in its relationship to fashion and the body, are not assumed.

An intricate awareness of the brand’s history and a homage to three extraordinary women directs the creation of deeply emotional pieces. The three icons in question – Catherine Dior, Edith Piaf and Juliette Gréco – contradicted the dominant mindset during the post-war. They shared an unconventional spirit to resist feminine stereotypes – a spirit that heavily influenced their choices and lifestyle. Following the path of these nonconforming figures, this Dior collection is the very signature of noncomplying femininity. Primary colors, such as ruby, emerald, topaz yellow and blue, are in the spotlight. Detailing the pieces is a touch of light introduced through embroidery. The floral motifs chosen by Monsieur Dior have been re-examined: an abstract effect is obtained as mottled fabric is interwoven with a metallic thread – the fabric seems to come to life, contours disappear. Delicately nuanced tartan fabrics set apart coats, jackets and straight skirts. Poplin also shimmers with metallic thread. This collection is not only an inspiration for future generations of women but also an embodiment of ways of being, living, and approaching this world. A symbol of change and growth. A combination of past, present and future.

www.dior.com 

Fashion

PFW - CHANEL FW23/24

CHANEL’s camellias brought love and adoration to Paris Fashion Week. Virginie Viard - Karl Lagerfeld’s former first assistant and successor - stayed true to the femininity and decorativeness at the core of CHANEL’s aesthetic whilst adding her creative charm to the garments. The camellia is historically significant for the luxury brand. In 1923, Coco Chanel pinned one of the winter flowers to a dress for the first time. As desired by Viard, the collection is tastefully elegant and dynamic. The camellia motif is the central thread that ties in this creative dance between the traditional elegance of CHANEL and Viard’s eccentric touches. The brand’s FW23/24 collection highlights the artist in women and breaks convention whilst doing so. Floral coats, peak lapels, and jackets traditionally tailored for men - the CHANEL artist is a woman who does not conform. The brand’s rebellion against conventions of traditional tailoring is embedded into the collection. CHANEL’s subtle rebellion is accompanied by authentic materials, comfortable silhouettes, and an indisputable English essence. The showcase, constructed around two grandiose camellia sculptures, is as dynamic as the winter flower. With slight touches from the ‘60s and ‘70s - asymmetrical cuts, light materials, and open backs pervade the collection with an essence of movement observed in nature. Motifs of the winter flower are seen in almost every garment- prints, sculptural elements, and accessories. The repeated display of the motif fabricates an elegant cohesivity that only strengthens the impact of individual garments.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

PFW - Paul Smith FW23 - Abstract Prints, Tactile Fabrics and Elegant Silhouettes

Presenting its FW23 women’s collection in Paris, Paul Smith is once again recognized for its creativity, curiosity and playful touch. Inspired by modernist architecture and design, an interplay between prints and fabrics as well as a reinvention of traditional tailoring and eveningwear become the blueprint for this collection. Black, gray and white serve as a base on which glimpses of cobalt blue and powder pink along with warmer burgundy and mauve tones can stand out. The center of attention, however, is on abstract prints, textile fabrics and an elegant silhouette. Antique interior and upholstery textiles guide the composition of the design’s prints. The ‘Big Flower’ is superimposed on traditional overcoats and suiting, whereas a floor-length dress carries the ‘Botanical Collage’. Denim, satin, shearling and suede – among others – showcase the use of new and richer fabrics. Other unexpected elements, button detailing and an extra-long scarf, and a revision of gender dressing standards also enter the stage. Traditional menswear codes, as for instance shirting stripes and classic tailoring, are subverted and juxtaposed with a feminine sensibility and silhouette. The tuxedo, a garment commonly associated with masculinity, is taken apart into a cropped tuxedo jacket and skirt. Nipped waists, high-waisted asymmetric trousers and a new hourglass-shaped jacket with strong shoulders embrace the female form. The FW23 Mulberry x Paul Smith bag collection is also included. Mulberry’s classic messenger bag, the Anthony, is reworked using Paul Smith’s Signature Stripe webbing straps. This collection clearly follows Paul Smith’s guiding principle: “you can find inspiration in everything”.

www.paulsmith.com

Art

EX POST FACTO

The new exhibition ALICE SPRINGS. RETROSPECTIVE will open on June 2nd 2023 at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin. In celebration of June Newton’s, aka Alice Springs, 100th Birthday, over 200 photographs will be displayed. This is hardly the first time we encounter her work. However, for the first time, this exhibition will introduce her never-before-seen work as vintage or exhibition prints, resulting from in-depth research into the foundation’s archives and following the acquisition of new holdings from Newton’s apartment in Monaco.

In 1970, due to her husband’s illness, June Newton found impromptu success after taking over an advertisement shoot for the French cigarette brand Gitanes. Known for her all-embracing portraiture, June’s talent to depict idiosyncrasy adds a multidimensional element to her subjects – including fellow photographers and celebrities, such as Nicole Kidman, Richard Avedon, and Vivienne Westwood. Blending curiosity and compassion, she produces intimate, cliché free portraits which reveal her subject’s essence, as they look into her 35 mm lens with proud poses, natural self-confidence and shy glances. Shots were usually carried out in public spaces or at the protagonists’ houses, making natural light a dominant feature of her work. In addition, this rare exhibition incorporates some of Helmut Newton’s pictures of his wife and select self-portraits, as well as a curated excerpt from the couple’s legendary collaborative project.

The exhibition highlights the continuous intersection of the couple’s work, as they now meet again in Berlin. ALICE SPRINGS. RETROSPECTIVE will be on display from June 3rd until November 19th of 2023.

helmut-newton-foundation.org

Fashion

MFW - Dolce & Gabbana’s Sensuale - FW23

Sensuality, a concept far removed from sex appeal- is intimately connected to a woman’s ephemeral nature and feminine charisma. Dolce & Gabbana’s FW23 collection titled Sensuale explores the depths of feminine sensuality and aims to aesthetically display a new dimension of it. The collection highlights the ever-changing and dynamic nature of women through the extensive use of tulle, lace, and chiffon. From garments that are tailored and cut to display lace, garments that are entirely made of tulle, to garments that entirely hide the model’s physique- Dolce & Gabbana marries Italian glamor and meticulous craftsmanship to highlight the natural, inherent feminine charisma. The cohesive and bold color schema grants attention to the tailoring of garments, and accessories. The contrasts between the use of fluid and structured material, and form-fitting and oversized silhouettes signify the diversity of the sensuality. Dolce & Gabbana’s FW23 Sensuale collection explores the corners of feminine sensuality to tell the world that “beauty is not enough to be sensual, but charisma is essential”.

www.dolcegabbana.com

Fashion

MFW - PRADA FW23 - The Beauty of the Forgotten Everyday

Debuting during Milan Fashion Week, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons presented their ready-to-wear-line, Taking Care, for Prada’s women’s FW23 collection. This season, the Italian luxury house celebrates the ceaseless yet remarkable everyday life. The collection is a reflection on fashion’s role within a broader cultural sense – an elicitation to rediscover and reconceptualize reality and the ideas of beauty within it. Considering the state of affairs over the past few years, including the devastating war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic, the chosen theme points to the world’s necessity for care and kindness. Individuals who exercise care on a daily basis are at the heart of the collection. Garments with representational power become symbols of that care: nurse-inspired uniforms honor the hard work and determination needed for healing practices. An emphasis on protection materializes on different levels. Skirts with down padding protect and keep the body warm, and leather is transformed into protective armor. An interplay between the ordinary and extraordinary showcases Prada’s mastery to design pieces for any and every occasion. Wedding dresses, strong romantic symbols, become the new quotidian dress as they are taken apart into skirts and sweaters. The notion of transformation further expands into the space of the Deposito of the Fondazione Prada. The moving ceiling amplifies the room – as darkness gradually disappears, it unveils pillars decorated with aromatic flowers. It is rather exceptional how care is simultaneously the underlying ingredient of the pieces’ composition as well as what they inspire to give rise to.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Burberry FW23

The British fashion designer Daniel Lee presented his first collection for Burberry in London. Prior to the showcase of the charismatic collection, the brand presented a redesign and introduced the 120-year-old Equestrian Knight Design motif completed with the Latin phrase “Prorsum” - translated as forwards. This redesign was disclosed as Lee’s first creative expression under the brand - efficiently establishing his position as Creative Director and stepping away from the previous direction of Lee’s predecessor Riccardo Tisci.

The collection reinforces the brand’s historical connection with outdoor exploration through garments that hide the models - but accentuates their form and aura through deep elementary colors features in monochromatic sets and experimental silhouettes.

Several elements such as the argyle and Aran patterns, Equestrian Knight Design, and the English Rose were highlighted through the garments. As seen in the 51st look - deep colors that are sewn into the narrative of the colder months such as dark purple, supplemented by its complementary partner yellow, are utilized to create a medium for the respective pattern of the garment to produce a high-fashion camouflage adjacent visuality. The use of purple continues through the silhouette - an extravagantly large lavender ushanka, plum rubber rain boots, and a violet satchel that balances the optics of the silhouette with a cross-body handle.

Burberry once again successfully blends practicality with elegant aesthetics producing an eye-catching collection schematized using color in a space designed by Lee that fosters the protective nature of the brand’s garments against the harsh elements of the cold.

www.burberry.com

Fashion

Insight into the Future

When historic Florentine house Ferragamo tapped Maximilian Davis as its new Creative Director and successor of Paul Andrews in March 2022, the house’s CEO Marco Gobetti said, “[Davis] will write a new, exciting chapter for this house built on a heritage of creativity, craftsmanship, sophistication, and outstanding human values.” Despite his young age, Davis is by no means unknown having risen to fame as part of the renowned fashion incubator Fashion East. It became evident that one could expect a new Ferragamo with the most exciting, new talents taking over the creative reigns. Having made his highly-anticipated debut with the SS23 collection, Ferragamo has now released its first campaign under Davis shot by Rafael Pavarotti. It is a boldly sensual reflection of Davis’ vision featuring a diverse cast of personalities, each with its own distinct confidence. In their diversity, they become the perfect reflection of the Ferragamo attitude and independence. Against a dramatic backdrop in the vibrant signature Ferragamo red, the collection with all its details stands in sharp focus. Its elegant and contemporary character is perfectly mirrored in the imagery visually standing out against the monochrome background. The imagery is a crystallization of the new dawn for the house, rooted in its rich Italian history, yet with a direct vision for the future.

www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

Positive Changemaker

Over the past years, we were able to observe a big shift in consumer behavior, especially when it comes to how consumers are engaging and buying fashion products. It’s no longer just about the product, consumers are looking for more depth, they are showing an increased awareness about all the different aspects of the brand. Of course, brands have recognized this trend and have started to take responsibility in regard to their environmental and social impact, becoming positive changemakers. In this regard, Ralph Lauren has always been a pioneer, having been a leader for over two decades in the fight against cancer most notably through their Pink Pony Initiative, a global and year-long philanthropic program which was founded in 2000. A cornerstone program of the company, it is deeply rooted in Ralph Lauren’s DNA, raising awareness and generating attention whilst also aiming to reduce disparities in cancer care and prevention. Through this initiative, Ralph Lauren has partnered up with some of the leading research institutions such as the German Cancer Research Center. Within this context, Ralph Lauren is therefore launching a new special edition of its Wellington Bag. With the bag being a modern reflection of Ralph Lauren’s equestrian heritage, this special edition is completely crafted in pink suede in reference to the Pink Pony Initiative. With each sale of this new special edition pink suede Wellington Bag Ralph Lauren is donating parts of the proceeds in order to support research, screening, early diagnosis, treatment, education and patient navigation.

www.ralphlauren.com

Fashion

HUBLOT Ambassador Novak Djokovic wins Record-Breaking 10th Australian Open

What similarities do Swiss watchmaking company Hublot and living tennis legend Novak Djokovic share? Not only is the Serbian professional a Hublot brand ambassador, but both also share many values such as their relentless pursuit of excellence and performance. Whether it is on the tennis pitch or within Hublot’s fine watchmaking ateliers, each step needs to be perfect with each movement having been refined over and over again. During the past weekend, Djokovic confirmed his status as the most successful player in men’s tennis history with a record 10th Australian open and a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam win. To congratulate its ambassador Novak Djokovic, also known as Nole, Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO, stated, “There’s no one like Nole! First, unique, different – and the most successful tennis player in men’s tennis history. What a player! On behalf of all your friends at Hublot, I want to congratulate Djokovic on an incredible tournament, on extending your record and on your 22nd Grand Slam. Wow! You are truly a unique athlete and we admire your dedication, generosity and will to win so much. You are an inspiration, and we are proud to call you not just a Hublot ambassador, but a friend. Good luck with the rest of the season!”

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Hublot BIG BANG ZERMATT

A shared sense of “Swissness” is something that has united the watchmaker Hublot with the Alpine resort Zermatt since their first collaboration in 2017. Located just at the foot of the Matterhorn, a behemoth of nature, the village of Zermatt has drawn in visitors since the mid 19th century, for its proximity to the iconic Swiss site, as well as its uniquely Alpine charm – winding alleys and old-fashioned brown chalets.

A Swiss brand at heart, Hublot has long cherished its connection to the region and its unique ability to draw ties with the culture and landscape. Setting up one of its most traditional boutiques at the center of the resort, Hublot took care to design its flagship such that it complemented the surrounding traditional architecture of the town.

The new BIG BANG ZERMATT is another ode to the bond between the brand and the resort town, combining integral elements of Swiss tradition with modern watchmaking. The timepiece also derives inspiration from the Matterhorn itself, playing with materials and light in order to mimic the changing faces of the vast mountain. The watch comes in two editions: the men’s model and the women’s model, both supplied in a steel case and with unique detailing. Both are powered by a self-winding chronograph. The colors, slate gray and snow white, imitate the surrounding environment of the namesake village of Zermatt. HZ

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Josephine Baker Lives On

Since her emergence on the stages of Paris in the early 1920s, Josephine Baker has been a cultural icon – a symbol concurrently of the glitz and glam, as well as the struggles that defined her time. Born in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri, Baker eventually renounced her American citizenship after reaching instant success in a France that did not have the same degree of racial segregation as her home country at the time.

Baker was a showgirl, a siren; lauded for her sexuality, style and magnetism (one needs only see a photo of her in the iconic banana skirt to find this claim justified). At the same time and more importantly however, Baker was also an activist, a proud African-American woman and member of the NAACP, and even a part of the French Resistance during WWII, helping to smuggle information on the locations of Nazi soldiers via her music sheets.

For all her courage and style, and her fascinating story, it is no wonder that Maria Grazia Chiuri took Josephine Baker as the muse for her latest collection for the Dior Maison. Conflating fashion and politics is a feat the Creative Director has received much attention and praise for in her decade-long tenure at the Maison.

Paris is an apt location to premiere a collection devoted to the woman who lived and breathed Paris in the Jazz Age. The line designed by Chiuri is filled with references to the great Josephine Baker and the historic times in which she lived – Art Deco inspired headbands, flapper dresses, velvet dressing gown coats. The artwork featured prominently as the set of the show tells the story of other important African-American female figures of the 20th century, celebrating their accomplishments in their respective fields and their trailblazing contributions to society. HZ

www.dior.com

Fashion

Tod's Chinese New Year Limited Edition

Tod's, the esteemed Italian luxury brand, welcomes the Chinese New Year 2024 with an exclusive limited-edition collection, drawing inspiration from the Chinese zodiac element of the dragon. The assortment celebrates the spirit of the annual festivities, offering unique accessories that seamlessly blend tradition with modern style. At the core of this collection are three distinct shoe styles: the iconic Gommino Bubble, the latest sneaker, and rubber sole loafers. Each pair is adorned with a captivating double dragon pattern and Tod's logo on the inner soles, showcasing meticulous attention to detail and design. The limited edition collection extends beyond footwear to accessories like a leather and fabric shopping bag, where the double dragon motif continues to make a statement on an internal leather pouch. Tod's limited-edition collection beautifully captures the essence of the Chinese New Year, fusing traditional symbolism with contemporary Italian elegance. This release is an exquisite celebration of the dragon, providing a stylish pathway into the promise of renewal and rejuvenation that accompanies the advent of the changing seasons.
www.tods.com

Fashion

In The Skies

Circling above Milan at an unknown altitude, the models of Emporio Armani’s Milan Fashion Week show glided gracefully over the runway like the brand’s characteristic eagle. In fact, the models and looks they were donning were no more elevated than the rest of Milan, yet the optical illusion provided by the floor of the showroom – a military style birds-eye map of Milan – together with the old-fashioned pilot accessories, worked together to vividly simulate the theme of aviation that spanned the entire collection and show.

In keeping with the nostalgia for the early days of flight, the entire collection acted as a tribute to the revered figure of the 1930s aviator (an assuredly widespread male fantasy). Sophisticated and adventurous, an explorer by nature; the gentleman in the skies requires (at least as much so as the gentleman on the ground) a suitable attire, that is at once as sophisticated as he himself, yet also accommodating in his sportive ventures. In this pursuit, the Emporio Armani FW23 collection presents the perfect wardrobe companion for such a man. Soft, high-impact materials, designed in the classic sartorial gentlemen’s styles such as Houndstooth and Prince of Wales checks, take shape in varied silhouettes – trench coats, double-breasted pea coats, cropped trousers, and more. Accessories help to enhance this effect: combat boots, aviator shades, vintage-style bomber jackets, to name just a few. Adding extra points in the categories of both Timelessness and Elegance is the color palette, made up of beiges, grays and caramels in the former part of the collection, with occasional splashes of color in the latter half. HZ

www.armani.com

Fashion

Finding Balance

“Balance of life”, Brioni’s FW23 Collection, is a testament to the ethos of the brand – the creation of stylish, timeless, high-quality pieces. As the name suggests, the collection and accompanying campaign does exude an acute sense of serenity. One contributing factor in this most definitely the color palette of muted brown, grey and cream tones. Especially accented throughout the collection are the shades of turquoise and tobacco. An emphasis is placed on the guiding principles of subtlety and intimacy, as is by now a deeply entrenched philosophy at the Maison of Brioni. A stark contrast to the brash loudness to much of the outside world and fashion industry, the brand stands like a quiet and steady sanctuary, like a place of solace and subtlety. Not just the men are lucky enough to be graced with new looks this season however, the women’s capsule collection “La Donna” has also been extended to include eight more full looks. Like the men’s collection, the women’s looks are distinguished by an exquisite attention to tailoring and fabrics. Brioni brings balance through its personal process of taking the time and care to bring a piece to life, using only the finest handcraft to allow the elements of the clothing to shine through. In this process, it also allows the wearer to shine through, more so than the item they are wearing. The soft material and tailoring of the garments allows for more fluid movement in the wearer, creating ease of movement and thereby a balance between the inner and the outer. HZ

www.brioni.com

Fashion

LOIS // OSLO

“Casual chic” is perhaps the best way you could describe the new FW23 collection by Lois Jeans, inspired by 1980s New Yorker street style. Sub-themes of Groovy Chic and Preppy Chic also ran throughout the collection, lending the collection a certain versatility.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Oslo Opera House, the unveiling of the collection was accompanied by dramatic live music and ballet dancing, creating a formidable experience for the guests in attendance. The Opera House is an architectural marvel; designed by the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta, it unfolds neatly into the cityscape thanks to its low-slung form. Music played a central role in the event as well: the full show was accompanied by an orchestra of 22 Norwegian music students, to the tune of the celebrated Boléro by Maurice Ravel. Due to its grand yet sleekly elegant interior, the opera house was the perfect venue for the convergence between fashion, dance and music that took form through the Lois Jeans FW23 show.

In the words of Creative Director Arthur van Rongen: “In this show, everything for me came together; my favorite classical piece of music in one of the most beautiful buildings of the world, my favorite ballerina in the world in one of the most beautiful countries of the world. For this show. I’ve really listened to my dreams, and together with my team we made it happen and with our audience it felt for 30 minutes we were all together in a bubble of love. This is what fashion should be like for me.” HZ

www.loisjeanstore.com

Fashion

LV & Ski

Ski, slopes and sun. What better way is there to spend a winter season? For those lucky enough to make it to the mountains this year, Louis Vuitton’s new LV Ski Collection comes like a belated Christmas present. Sporting everything from snowsuits to furry hats to ski boots, the collection has an item for every occasion, whether that be racing down the slopes or having the odd drink or two at the après ski. Puffer jackets made of genuine goose down padding and recycled nylon fabric will keep you warm in the cooler climates; technical nylon and waterproof stretch gabardine will allow for optimal movement while bracing you against the cold. Louis Vuitton also commemorates the winter season with a remixed version of the famous LV logo, giving rise to a reworked version of the Snowflake motif alongside the LV Flocon logo.

In a nod to traditional nomadic architecture, Louis Vuitton has also opened a new pop-up in the famous Alpine town of St. Moritz in the shape of a yurt. The structure is emblazoned on the outside walls and throughout the interior with the familiar LV logos and patterns, and houses a cozy yet sophisticated vibe, complete with plush sofas and a fireplace in the middle.

The Louis Vuitton Yurt Pop-Up is open from December 16th until April 10th on Via Maistra in St. Moritz. HZ

www.louisvuitton.com

Art

Simplicity, clarity and logic

Going back three generations, the family-run Carl Hansen & Søn has been committed to passionate craftsmanship. With the aim of preserving Danish design classics as well as representing influential contemporary designers, the company seeks to gather the best and most iconic modern furniture designs under one roof. The brand’s partnerships with designers are premised on a shared respect for thoughtful design and production, holding at the core the Danish Modern principles of simplicity, functionality and craftsmanship.

These values continue to guide designers of the brand today, as for example in the most recent AH Outdoor Series, designed and developed by the late Alfred Homann. Born in 1948, Homann was an esteemed architect and designer, having won multiple awards for his work before his death in 2022. The founding of his own studio in 1978 in Copenhagen at just 30 years old saw Homann develop his own personal style, with a particular taste for simplicity, clarity and logic. The Outdoor Series, released in time for the new year, reflects Homann’s personal style and pays homage to his keen eye for detail and sense of soft shapes that pervade the collection. Eleven pieces carved out of untreated teak comprise the series, each meticulously polished by hand by the seasoned craftsmen at Carl Hansen & Søn. HZ

www.carlhansen.com

Fashion

Stone Island SS023

The brand Stone Island cherishes a culture of research, experimentation and usability. With its sharp focus on textile research and design innovation it continues to push the bounds of fashion production. It is a project based on fashion beyond mere aesthetics, taking as its observatory the study of workwear for the sake of understanding the functionality and evolution of clothes. The DNA of the brand lies in scientific innovation and investigation, as it seeks to transform and reinvent the make-up of fibres and fabrics, as well as of dyeing processes.

The Stone Island Spring Summer ‘023 collection is yet another stitch in this pattern, representing state-of-the-art fabric and garment dyeing technology, in terms that will set the average layperson’s head spinning. In terms of styling, the collection explores the world of 1980s youth subcultures, with a vibrant palette of colors – magenta, yellow, orange, sienna, green – that ensure a visual blast to the past. Despite the technological innovation and fashion focus of this new line, the brand remains true to its essence: keeping functionality at the very heart of the collection. HZ

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

ETRO Christmas Capsule Collection

ETRO – Milanese fashion house, family business, and connoisseur of textiles – celebrates the oncoming festival season with Marco De Vincenzo’s latest SS23 Collection, “Step into the Holidays.” De Vincenzo, a veteran of the Milan fashion scene, was named Creative Director of ETRO, the over 50-year-old brand, a mere few months ago.

Presented in Milan during Fashion Week this last September, the ready-to-wear selection includes bags, shoes, accessories and jewelry, and features two of the brand’s most characteristic visual codes: the arnica motif and the colored stripes. ETRO’s visual brand identity is strongly associated with the paisley design, popularized in the early 1970s, but representing an ancient decorative symbol born in Mesopotamia.

The campaign images look like the scene from a retro-futuristic dream, shimmering and surrealistic against the night sky. Appealing to the imagination, the campaign reintroduces us to some of ETRO’s more iconic designs, as well as introducing us to some newer and more eclectic designs, including the new Love Trotter shopping bag with 3D Pegasus embroidery, a gold metal apple jewel bag and Aladdin’s clogs.

The Step into the Holidays preview will be available exclusively from November 28th on NET-A- PORTER, etro.com and in a selection of Etro boutiques worldwide. HZ

www.etro.com

Fashion

Armani in the Alps

St. Moritz – luxury ski resort town and host to not one, but two, historic Winter Olympics – played host yesterday to another major event, the Giorgio Armani Neve Autumn/Winter 2022/23 show. Held against the backdrop of the Olympia Stadium one one side, and a 360 degree panorama of the glorious Swiss Alps, the Giorgio Armani Neve event drew a throng of over 300 gracious guests.

“Neve”, Italian for snow, is the name of Armani’s elusive skiwear collection, launched only a few years ago, in response to a growing demand for high-fashion skiwear. Armani is certainly not alone in answering to this call – by now, droves of fashion brands are ambling into the style-meets-ski arena – however “what makes Neve different is the balance of performance and style, and the span of the offer, which is dedicated both to skiing and après ski,” according to the namesake founder/designer Giorgio Armani himself.

Armani is leading by example as a major fashion label. Together with the Swiss Tourist Board, the Armani Group worked to organize a show with minimal environmental impact throughout the entire affair, avoiding single-use plastic and food waste, as well as ensuring the reuse and recycling of materials. The brand is also committed to offset all event-related emissions through nature-based solutions, including making a sizable donation to “MortAlive,” a Swiss organization working to protect glaciers all over the world. HZ

www.armani.com

Fashion

Eastpak x Super Mario

It’s-a-me, Mario! Nintendo’s poster boy, one of the most well-known and loved characters on video game screens, is coming back to schools and offices. Since the early 1980s, Mario has been delighting people all over the world in his quest to save Princess Toad and the Kingdom from Bowser and the Koopa Troopa, the clan of evil turtles known for their black magic.

Out of his familiar native Mushroom Kingdom, Mario now comes riding back in on what is surely another familiar household name, the Eastpak. The brand is well known for its functional, stylish and timeless luggage, accompanying millions to school and work every day. “Built to resist”, Eastpak products come with a thirty-year warranty as another guarantee of the durability and robustness of the product, thus reducing waste and promoting more sustainable patterns of purchasing.

Across multiple products, from Padded Pak’r backpacks to Eastpak’s Springer bum bags, pencil cases, suitcases and lunchboxes, a sense of childhood is woven into the exteriors, with familiar Super Mario motifs embossed and embroidered in. The collaboration is rife with imagination and nostalgia, bringing a little bit of that early 90s feel to everyday life. HZ

www.eastpak.com

Fashion

CHANEL IN DAKAR

Dakar, the Senegalese capital and westernmost city on the African mainland, was host this season to the CHANEL 2022/23 Métiers D’Art Show. It represented a significant moment in fashion, as the first fashion show by a European luxury brand in sub-Saharan Africa. The show took place a week after Dakar had hosted the 20th edition of Dakar Fashion Week, Africa’s longest-running fashion event. Preceded by “real dialogues, nourished over the long term,” the show was intended as a celebration of the vibrant local culture. The collection and show come as the results of multiple creative encounters with artists, choreographers, directors, musicians and writers from the local scene. This collaboration was evident in the show itself, featuring performances by special guests such as local singer Obree Daman and dancers from the local École des Sables dance school.

During the creative process, CHANEL Creative Director Virginie Viard drew heavy inspiration from the 1970s – a time of freedom, revolution and enormous energy – with heavy tweeds, warm color palettes, flared trousers and platform shoes forming integral elements of the collection. The collection also emulates this iconic chapter in fashion history with precise details, such as plant motifs, sequins, sparkling pendants and geometric motifs.

A four-part short-film series published on the Chanel website and directed by the students of the Kourtrajmé film schools, tracks the story behind the 2022/23 Métiers d’art CHANEL – DAKAR collection and show. HZ

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Dior at KaDeWe

Situated in Berlin’s famous Ku’Damm district, a historical center for shopping and indulgence, sits the Kaufhaus des Westens, or KaDeWe for short. The KaDeWe is more than just a momentous building that looks like it's been plucked from a Wes Anderson set, but by now also a historical heritage site. Erected in 1907 and witness to two World Wars, the KaDeWe became a symbol of West Germany’s Wirtschaftswunder – the economic prosperity in the postwar era. Since then, it has retained its status as a symbol of glamor and affluence, on par with Galerie Lafayette in Paris or Harrod’s in London.

For the 2023/4 winter season, the House of Dior is setting up shop in the KaDeWe and lending a peek at its intricate scenographies to the outside world through the window displays of the KaDeWe. Placing the Dior cruise 2023 collection at center stage in both the window displays and the Dior pop-up shop inside, the House invites the visitors of KaDeWe to ponder over Maria Grazia Chiuri’s most recent designs and inspirations. Conceptualized as a “voyage of discovery, imagination and reflection, a combination of heritage and inventiveness,” the Cruise collection drew inspiration heavily from Spanish and especially Andalusian influences, from the art of the flamenco dance to the equestrian traditions. The looks from the Dior Cruise Collection 2023 will be presented in KaDeWe windows until January 7th, 2023. The pop-up will remain until January 28th, 2023. HZ

www.dior.com

Art

At the Intersection of Champagne and Art

Ruinart’s relationship with art is inscribed in its history. The historic link was forged in the late 19th century when the French Maison showed audacity and modernity with its first advertisement created by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. Ever since then, Ruinart has maintained these close ties to the world of art and the artists, who have reinterpreted its universe time and time again. In line with this continued commitment to not only creating excellent champagne but also artistic expression, Ruinart has partnered up with German-Dutch artist BD Graft for PAN Amsterdam. For this collaboration, the artist created 20 limited edition magnums which were not only exhibited but also auctioned off with all the proceeds having gone to the World Wildlife Fund. As Ruinart stated, “Nature loss and climate change affect all life on earth. To stop this, we need more nature. WWF will use the proceeds to secure forests worldwide. This fits in perfectly with the sustainability objectives that Maison Ruinart has set itself.” For each of the limited edition bottles, the 100% biodegradable “second skin” featured unique designs, numbering and a signature of this special artist. BD Graft has found success through his simple, yet recognizable visual language with nature and the human condition being central aspects of his work. Displayed at the Ruinart Lounge, in the middle of the art fair, each of the bottles was the embodiment of the iconic Maison, combining the art of champagne making with the artistic expression of a chosen artist.

www.ruinart.com

Fashion

Furla Cruise 2023 Collection

Founded in 1927 by Aldo Furlanetto in Bologna, the brand Furla has long been hailed as an industry leader in its craft. Drawing on its long-standing expertise, the Italian brand strives to create pieces made from a sense of beauty and quality, reaching at the same time for new heights in design innovation and creativity. With its atelier based in Tuscany, the brand stays true to its DNA of producing goods of traditional Italian craftsmanship. Furla stands for optimism, bringing a sense of colorful and cheerful creativity into each creation.

True to form, colors and youthful playfulness make up Furla’s Cruise collection 2023. Furla paints the picture of a woman – “curious, enthusiastic, creative: a woman who is not afraid to experiment.” Its newest collection of handbags is designed to equip this modern woman. Available in both bold and vibrant as well as neutral and classic colors, the Furla handbags are readily wearable for any occasion. Soft and geometric shapes can be found throughout, creating a visually versatile range of purses and bags.

www.furla.com

Art

The Swingin' Sixties

The Italian design brand Brionvega is announcing the release of PRIMO, a faithful reproduction of the original RR126 Radio, 55 years on from the release of the original model. The radio-phonograph was designed by brothers Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Achille Castiglioni in 1964 and eventually became an iconic example of 1960s design movements – examples of it are today on exhibition at places like the MoMA in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Milan Triennale. Coveted by design and vintage lovers alike, the time-honored piece has come to represent a relic of the past, embodying a nostalgia for Italian industrial design and the age of the 1960s. The PRIMO radio-phonograph (product code rr-226 NOCE CANALETTO) brings this past treasure into the modern age. It stays true to its predecessor in many ways, from design and materials to production and manufacturing. Wooden panels sanded with sandpaper, the handcrafted frame made by sand casting, hand-painted frame holes, silk skin print – all elements that, then as now, reflect a high degree of mastery and craftsmanship. The rebirth of the cult object comes in only 100 pieces of the PRIMO radio-phonograph, available in-store in limited edition. HZ

www.brionvega.it

Fashion

A Lesson in Victory

A single photograph, a chessboard, and the two reigning football champions of our generation. A photograph taken by legend Annie Leibovitz has rocked the world in the new Louis Vuitton brand campaign featuring none other than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The campaign, entitled “Victory is a State of Mind” shows the two football legends consumed in a game of chess improvised out of and played on top of a Louis Vuitton Damier attaché case. It follows on from an earlier campaign, shot also by Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton that similarly featured the football hall of fame greats Pele, Maradona and Zinedine Zidane, poring over a game of foosball in a dusty bar in Madrid, LV baggage sitting idly by in a corner or draped over a chair. “Three exceptional journeys. One historic game.” – the name of the former campaign.

Louis Vuitton once again shows an exceptional feat of marketing, capturing the hearts and minds of football fans across the world with its image of these two icons enthralled in a game that is, like football, as old as time. The game in fact mimics an iconic match between Chess Grandmasters Magnus Charlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, played at Norway Chess in 2017. Ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022, it is certain that the eyes of the world will be locked upon these two stars, as they enter into what it is to become both of their final World Cups. An historic moment for the world of sports and popular culture, for which Louis Vuitton has secured itself a place amongst these two victors. HZ

www.louisvuitton.com 

Fashion

Cool in the Cold

The FW collection 22/23 represents a second collaboration between Canadian luxury outwear brand Moose Knuckles and American fashion label ECKHAUS LATTA. The collection brings Moose Knuckles’ specialization in innovating and engineering to create high-quality outerwear together with Eckhaus Latta’s cutting-edge design. “Fearless yet functional fashion” is the purpose behind this collaboration, according to Moose Knuckles’ Chief Marketing Officer Ayal Twik. As one of the world’s leading producers of luxury outerwear, Moose Knuckles has garnered over 100 years of experience in the business of creating “resilient garments for the most unforgiving conditions”. The brand specializes in product design and technical expertise, invoking special knowledge of fabrics and fashion engineering in order to produce the highest quality outerwear.

ECKHAUS LATTA is an American fashion label established in 2011; the brainchild of Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta, who met during their studies at the Rhode Island School of Design. At the time, the two founders were studying Sculpture and Textile Design respectively. This intersection between art, design, and fashion remains a core tenet of the brand even today, which regularly participates in art installations and exhibitions with projects, videos, and collections – exhibiting for example at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2018. The designs, at times grunge and edgy, sometimes colorful, are unfailingly inventive. A partnership of “artistic and technical exploration” has resulted in a revisiting of some of Moose Knuckles’ core styles, reinterpreted by ECKHAUS LATTA to offer a more contemporary look using oversized, exaggerated proportions. Moose Knuckles’ technological mastery is most evident in the puffers – filled with RDS-certified down but designed in hyper-light form for better mobility. The accompanying campaign was shot by Mary Manning and styled by Matt Holmes, under the artistic direction of Eric Wrenn. HZ

www.mooseknucklescanada.com 

Fashion

Belvedere: New Global Campaign

Belvedere, the world’s first super premium vodka, is a Polish rye vodka, which receives its name from the Belweder, the Polish presidential palace in Warsaw. Representing 600 years of Polish vodka-making tradition, the production processes adhere to the traditional regulations, using only Polska rye, purified water, and a distillation process by fire, without any additional additives. For its newest campaign brings together a stellar community of creatives inspired by pure emotion captured by a moment of feeling gloriously free. In this spirit, Award-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi, photographer Juergen Teller and choreographer JaQuel Knight create exciting visuals, a perfect mise-en-scene for the campaign’s face, Daniel Craig. Through Waititi’s unique lens, we get to follow Daniel Craig in picturesque Paris, making his way through the luxurious Cheval Blanc Paris arriving at a spectacular suite, and dancing his way to the Belvedere bar, where he takes an ice-cold sip before we hear the director yelling cut and giving instructions to take it from the top. It’s a unique take that brings together the choreographed mise-en-scene as well as snapshots of how life might look like when the cameras are not rolling. This coming together of an inventive and gifted group of provocateurs, each with a taste for the unconventional results in the captivating yet unique campaign, a nod to Belvedere’s longstanding beliefs of self-expression, authenticity, and style.

www.belvederevodka.com

Fashion

Tommy Jeans x Martine Rose

Tommy Hilfiger is teaming up with British designer Martine Rose to launch the gender-inclusive capsule collection “Tommy Jeans x Martine Rose”. Fusing the DNA of brands, the 35-piece collection takes archival icons from Tommy Hilfiger and reinterprets them through Martine Rose’s unique lens, highlighting the British designer’s trademark out-of-the-box and experimental approach. The collection itself is defined by an elevated streetwear aesthetic with ironic touches expressed through powerful play of color and graphics which can be seen on garments characterized by exaggerated proportions in a typical Martine Rose style. A fan of the brand herself, Rose comments that, “Tommy Hilfiger has always been a brand that I’ve drawn inspiration from, so this partnership was such a natural and organic marriage.” The collection’s imagery was shot in Miami by renowned photographer Buck Ellison attempting to redefine traditional Americana by showing a diverse couple in a classic setting. Martine Rose’s aesthetic is mirrored in the campaign’s imagery which brings the spirit of Americana into the 21st century, highlighting the beautifully diverse spirit of modern America.

The collection will be available on November 7th, 2022 at select Tommy Jeans stores and online.

www.tommy.com

Art

Ninth Edition of the Max Mara Art Prize For Women

In 2005, Max Mara and Whitechapel Gallery brought the Max Mara Art Prize for Women into being. This biannual award, aiming to promote and support artists, identifying as women, hence enabling them to develop their potential with the gift of time and space, is the only one of its kind and awards its winner a six-month Italian residency tailored to fit the artist’s needs to realize her winning proposal. During this residency, organized by Collezione Maramotti, the winning artist will have the opportunity to realize an ambitious new project which will then be presented in a major solo exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London and at Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, which will then acquire it. As Bina von Stauffenberg, chair of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women jury, states, “It could not be more urgent or relevant to ensure that women artists are championed, and heard on the world stage. For more than a decade, this unique prize has successfully enabled women-identifying artists at different stages of their careers to develop their potential in extraordinary ways.” In late October, the eighth edition’s winner Emma Talbot’s exhibition The Age/L’Età was presented in Reggio Emilia after having been revealed earlier this summer at Whitechapel Gallery in London. On this special occasion the five shortlisted finalists, Rebecca Bellantoni, Bhajan Hunjan, Onyeka Igwe, Zinzi Minott and Dominique White, for the ninth edition have also been announced. Rebecca Bellantoni is an artist who currently engages in research looking at the city and its multiple worlds in relation to the psyche, soul and body of the city dweller. She realizes this through her wide-ranging practice encompassing moving image, installation, performance, photography, textiles, printmaking, sculpture, sound-text and ceramics. Bhajan Hunjan is a trained painter and printmaker closely associated with the Black British Art Movement. Through her practice defined by a very individual visual language of free-floating lines, symbolic colors and shapes, repetition and script motifs, she is encouraging the viewers to reflect on social, spiritual and emotional environments. Onyeka Igwe is an artist and researcher who engages with the question “how do we live together?” in her practice. Particular interest is given to how spatial, sensorial and non-canonical ways of knowing can provide answers to these questions, resulting in “figure-of-eights” drawing upon archives, narration and text to expose a multiplicity of narratives. Zinzi Minott’s practice is focused on the relationship between dance, bodies and politics and how dance can be perceived through the prisms of race, queer culture, gender and class. She is especially interested in the Black female body and Caribbean stories, such as the Atlantic Slave Trade and the migration of the Windrush Generation. Dominique White’s practice is weaving together the theories of Black Subjectivity, Afro-pessimism and Hydrachy with the nautical myths of Black Diaspora into a term she defines as the Shipwreck(ed) in relation to “a Black future that hasn’t yet happened but must.”

www.maxmara.it
www.collezionemaramotti.org
www.whitechapelgallery.org

Art

Saint Laurent Rive Droite invites artist Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux

Marking Art Basel Paris +, the Saint Laurent Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles present a series of specially commissioned artworks created by the artist Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux. The Paris-based artist investigates the relationship between people and ideas, which he addresses in an open and vibrant way in his artworks. With a particular focus on Afro-Caribbean images, he emphasizes aspects of everyday life, mythologies, iconography, beliefs, and religious heritage. His art evokes a dual identity by incorporating found or familiar objects into still life and painting series.
The exhibition was organized in partnership with the Cécile Fakhoury gallery, which has been based in Abidjan since 2012 and in Dakar and Paris since 2018. In order to achieve the goal of promoting contemporary art across the African continent, Cécile Fakhoury is developing a perennial infrastructure thus creating and establishing awareness, creativity, and diversity. The gallery unites artists whose artworks use barrier-breaking language while rejecting geographic stigmatization.
The exhibition includes about thirty artworks, which will be displayed in Paris, and two large artworks in Los Angeles: Antan Lontan and Au bord du ruisseau. JW

www.cecilefakhoury.com
www.ysl.com

Fashion

The Palace Gucci Collection

Italian luxury and London streetwear melt together as Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele invites Palace Skateboards to an astonishing collaboration. Although the two brands appear to be opposites at first glance, the Palace Gucci Collection discovers their common ground of approaches, obsessions, and meanings. The designs focus on modern street culture as they unite the creative universes of both Palace and Gucci, captured in surreal imagery accompanying the collection. The film by Max Siedentopf connects the two different realities, thus encouraging viewers to discover their own anomalous affinities.
The collection includes accessories and clothing for all genders, that is Palace presents for the first time women’s ready-to-wear designs. Alongside Gucci icons, such as the Horsebit loafer, Palace’s staples are represented as well, meaning soccer tees, denims, and tracksuits. Within the collection, Gucci’s heritage gets revamped, as for instance, the legendary monogram canvas incorporates a Palace ‘P’ while duffles appear reshaped in a pyramidal form. The fusion of the diverse aesthetics culminates in the logo, which merges Gucci’s double-G with Palace’s Tri-Ferg.
The result is an inspiring collection of high-end streetwear, which bears the signature of two modern and acclaimed brands that have discovered new sides of themselves together. JW

www.gucci.com
www.palaceskateboards.com

Fashion

Colmar presents pink skiwear

Colmar heralds the ski season with an astonishing Fall Winter 2022/ 2023 collection, revolving around the motto Pretty in Pink. Skiwear has a long tradition within the renowned fashion and lifestyle brand, which provides Winter athletes with wonderful skiwear since the 1930s.
This season Colmar introduces an outstanding ski suit in a light pink color. The quilted jacket is made out of ripstop fabric and is distinguished by its water-resistant materials. Thus, it can withstand any weather conditions and brings you dryly to the end of the ski slopes even in snow and rain. A special touch is given by the logo details on the jacket’s sleeves, significant to Colmar. The beautifully crafted jacket can be worn combined with matching pants, which mirrors its soft color and water resistance. Together, the light-colored set brings joy to the mountains and defies any winter weather, no matter how gray.
Both of the products, the jackets as well as the pants, are part of the Colmar Green Path Projects, which focuses on sustainable production for an environmentally conscious future. Thus, the brand takes an important step, while offering an elegant, unique and functional ski suit. JW

www.colmar.com

Fashion

Sander Lak publishes coffee table book about his former label Sies Marjan

In 2016 the Dutch fashion designer Sander Lak founded his highly influential and now cult fashion label Sies Marjan. Despite closing down in 2020, the garments stood out due to the evocative use of colors, proportion as well as subversive fabrication, leaving a lasting mark on the world of fashion. Offering an impressive retrospective on the work of the beloved creative director, Sander Lak launches an excellent coffee table book, titled The Colors of Sies Marjan. The pages of the decorative book introduce the readers to the luxuriously constructed pieces, distinguished by shining, jewel-toned hues and a uniquely cool appeal. It brings them to the buzzing streets of New York City, where the brand was based during its four-year-long existence and where its beautiful pastel coats can still be seen regularly walking down the avenues. Tracing the label’s history path, the richly illustrated volume is organized by color. It includes various expressive images, ranging from unpublished drawings to ad campaigns and found objects of inspiration. Alongside the pictures, a number of interviews and reactions from, among others, Donna Tartt, Isabella Rossellini, and Hanya Yanagihara give an insight into Sies Marjan’s glorious journey. JW

www.rizzoliusa.com

Fashion

Zegna officially partners up with Real Madrid

The Italian luxury brand Zegna and the famed football club Real Madrid have officially teamed up as Zegna becomes Real Madrid’s Official Luxury Travelwear Partner. Together, they form a partnership of superlatives, built on shared values and shaped by a relentless desire to make a positive difference on Earth. First seen during the inaugural Champions League game of the 2022/2023 season, the items of the exclusive collaboration will increase in variation over the upcoming seasons. Its core consists of the signature overshirt, the chore jacket, and matching jogger bottoms or narrow trousers as well as crewneck underpinnings and signature triple stitch shoes. The jackets carry Zegna’s new brand sign, amplified through Real Madrid around the world. Characterized by a double-stripe graphic, it honors the 232 Road that crosses through Oasi Zegna, which was created as a result of the founder’s early commitment to sustainability.
“I am outstandingly thrilled about our newly announced partnership with the Real Madrid, one of the most recognizable brands in the world with a loyal and enthusiastic fanbase. The importance of values is what attracted Zegna and Real Madrid. We are both convinced that what is visible, either an item of clothing or winning a football match, only matters if there is an ethical stance behind it”, affirms Gildo Zegna, Chairman and CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna Group. JW

www.zegna.com
www.realmadrid.com

Art

Brutus Rotterdam shows impressive installations by Tommy Malekoff and Akeem Smith

Nothing is infinite. The environment surrounding us, our lives as humans, and history are destined to change, even collapse. The constant threat of brutality and impermanence contends with the world we know. The thus created tension is explored in the works of the artists Akeem Smith and Tommy Malekoff. In the exhibition BUILT, on view in Brutus Rotterdam, they present impressive and immersive installations, connecting film and architecture, time and space. Curated by New Canon’s Maxwell Wolf, the exhibition features Queens Street (2020) by Akeem Smith, for which he drew inspiration from archival materials and architectural remnants of his hometown in Kingston Jamaica. The video installation hence juxtaposes past artifacts with the own memory of the artist, creating awareness of beguiling oblivion affecting our memories.
Beyond that, Forever and Forever (2022), an imposing multi-channel video by Malekoff, will be on display at BUILT. It portrays how human intervention has impacted the American landscape up until now. To create this artwork, the artist traveled to the Everglades region of southern Florida, where a raw and primordial wilderness can be found, yet showing clear traces of human life. During his two-year-long journey, he captured footage, which fluctuates between extreme beauty and decimation.
The exhibition BUILT will be open to the public from October 7th to November 20th at Brutus Rotterdam. JW

www.brutus.nl

Fashion

Moose Knuckles teams up with Post Malone

Over one year ago, Canadian luxury outerwear label Moose Knuckles and Global superstar Post Malone started working on an exciting collaboration behind closed curtains. Now, the 10-piece gender-neutral capsule collection is finally out. As someone experimental who expresses himself through his inventive style, Post Malone seems to fit perfectly with the rebellious spirit of Moose Knuckles. He explains: “This partnership with Moose Knuckles felt super organic from the beginning. The collection is about celebrating and doing things your own way based on your natural instincts.” Composed of iconic Moose Knuckles silhouettes, the collection includes amongst others the 3Q jacket reworked in Realtree camouflage print in black and customized golden yellow. Furthermore, the collection is characterized by further customized design details such as all-black metal hardware, zippers, and a special edition logo on the above-mentioned 3Q jacket. Beyond that, the insulating “Bunny” hoodie in black sherpa, equipped with a detachable lamb shearling hood is featured in the collection alongside a matching sherpa jacket and jogger. In terms of accessories, the collaboration offers a sherpa baseball cap adorned with a new logo patch. For the first time in a collaboration, Moose Knuckles will also include the 3Q for children, providing the whole family with the eye-catching collection. JW

www.mooseknuckles.com

Fashion

Zinédine Zidane is the new face of Montblanc

Montblanc announced Zinédine Zidane as the new Mark Maker as well as the new face of the Montblanc Legend perfume, starting September 2022. As a world-renowned soccer player and coach Zidane has always done what appealed to him, thus being consonant with Monblanc’s philosophy of What Moves You Makes You. With the national team, the French player won the European championship and the World Cup. Beyond that, he also celebrated great successes with the clubs Juventus Turin and Real Madrid, not to mention his success as a coach.
He explains how he himself identifies with the brand and its values: “Montblanc is a house of culture and quality that emphasizes the importance of sharing ideas and thoughts through writing. A belief I share as someone who inherited the values and culture of my father and family, which I also try to pass on. Personally, I write in my notebook every day... I don't just hand out autographs!" Making Zidane the face of Montblanc Legend is the brand’s way to honor his achievements as a footballer and coach which rightfully earned him the title of legend. With his strong passion, his exceptional skills, and his strong determination he reflects the mindset of those who strive to write their personal legend by their own effort. JW

www.montblanc.com

Fashion

Bulgari presents the SS23 Leather Goods & Accessories collection at MFW

Bulgari presented its new Spring Summer 2023 Leather Goods & Accessories collection during Milan Fashion Week. In its Milanese home, the enchanting Bulgari Hotel the renowned jeweler set up a showroom and furthermore hosted an evening event there. Under the title “Shades of Wonder”, Bulgari showcased a world of vibrant nuances, testifying to the brand’s captivating creativity and unrivaled mastery. More than 400 members of the international press joined the showroom to explore the new Spring Summer 2023 collection which is defined by intense colors inspired by the most precious gems.
These colors and gems were mirrored by the garden of the Bulgari Hotel at sunset, which lit up thanks to the light installation “PRECIOUS SHADES” by Studio Mandalaki. The special optical bodies of the Halo Edition lights appeared just like the rare stones incorporated in Bulgari’s fine jewelry, creating a unique and magical atmosphere in the midst of the buzzing city of Milan. It thus evoked a both visual and sensory experience which is liked to the concepts of the new collection. JW

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Prada’s SS23 shifts between realities

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons showcased a sequence of realities for the Prada Spring/Summer 2023 womenswear collection, titled Touch Of Crude, and presented during Milan Fashion Week. The collection investigates the contrast between delicacy and roughness, shifting between different visions and alternate realities. Some of the garments mirror the show space, a black panopticon, as they are made of a paper-based fabric, torn against the body. Intentional rifts, twists, creases, and folds define and shape many of the collection’s pieces as they depict traces of human life and memories of beauty. It is this rawness that evokes fragility, reflecting humanity as reality.
Day and evening clothes alternate and blur the lines between distinct realities, fusing opera coats with leather jackets and intimate loungewear with outwear. Continuing with accessories, Prada presents reinterpretations of classic Prada handbag silhouettes in an antique nappa and with patinated, pressed, and wrinkled surfaces.
For the fashion show Film director, Nicolas Winding Refn presented fragments of his short films through raw apertures punched through the décor, giving the audience the opportunity to look into a different reality, remaining in the context of the Touch of Crude collection. JW

www.prada.com

Fashion

FENDI SS 23 goes back to the 2000’s

For Fendi’s Spring/ Summer 2023 collection, presented during Milan Fashion Week, Kim Jones dived into the brand’s prestigious history. That is, he freshly approached previous collections and gathered inspiration from Karl Lagerfeld’s work for Fendi. He explains: “It’s about continuity. I am interested in looking at things that Karl has done, and seeing, how we can develop them - both visually and technically.” In the course of this, the designer reimagined a floral print of the Fendi archives as well as a logo from the year 2000.
The garments are reminiscent of the time around the turn of the millennium as they link minimalist ease with pop-infused eclecticism. Both effortless and refined are the floating layers of technical organza as well as the nylon jersey adorned with lacquered embroidery. While the collection is kept in neutral tones, Jones added bold pops of colors in vibrant pink, blue and green. Furthermore, the fabrics which include cashmere, fur, and leather appear lighter than ever before, layered with technical fabrics. In terms of accessories, Fendi presents a Peekaboo in a revamped variation. Sliced in half, revealing the mechanisms of the bag, it becomes the key accessory of the new season. JW

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Stone Island presents the Shadow Project

For the cold seasons of the year, Stone Island presents the Shadow Project Fall Winter ‘022 ‘023. Adapting to the needs of winter, the collection focuses its features on a more functional aspect. As the designs are divided into two chapters, the Shadow Project celebrates the traditional value of truthfulness. In this sense, the collection also testifies to the fact that Stone Island is eager to innovate and venture into unfamiliar territories while remaining truthful to the brand’s core.
The garments are distinguished by their choice of material, which reflects the thought process and the honest idea behind the project. As Stone Island decided on seasonal fabrics, which can be described as rough, unpretentious, and industrial, it paid extra attention to the functionality, warmth, and comfort of the clothing items. The color palette is distinguished by neutral shades which emphasize the special feel of the materials. The two chapters mentioned above differentiate in their color spaces. Hence, chapter two presents clothing characterized by a spectrum of reds, from rustic orange to warm berry. All in all, this results in a coherent overall picture of appealing and high-quality pieces that fit perfectly into the upcoming season. JW

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

MYKITA & Bernhard Willhelm

Since 2009, MYKITA and the Paris and LA-based fashion designer Bernhard Willhelm have collaborated, creating extraordinary shades in various colors and shapes. For his designs, Bernhard Willhelm draws massive inspiration from today’s Pop culture, in which he also incorporates elements of sports and streetwear. Hence, his garments radiate a sense of irony and absurdity. Together with MYKITA, he shares a deep interest in innovation. The modern manufactory is always striving for innovation and new technologies as it combines them with precise and high-quality craftsmanship.
A highlight of the collaboration is DAISUKE. The lenses form a shield over the eyes and nose, which is defined by a mirrored effect. Beyond the extraordinary design, the shades are characterized by their high quality. DAISUKE is made out of the material Mylon and crafted according to a patented screwless joint concept. Handcrafted in Berlin, DAISUKE joins further models of the collection in being extremely lightweight, providing a comfortable wearing sensation. The shield that protects half the face, is a tinted polyamide sunscreen shield with 100% UV protection and anti-reflection coating on the reverse side. By combining the craftsmanship of MYKITA with the creativity of Bernhard Willhelm, united in their innovative approach, true statement pieces, and stylish shades emerge. JW

www.mykita.com
www.bernhard-willhelm.com

Art

Unseen celebrates its 10th edition

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the international photography fair Unseen is returning to Amsterdam. For this special occasion, 70 galleries, 65 publishers, and 12 special projects gather on the Westergasterrein in the Dutch capital. Creating an epicenter of the international world of photography, the event is defined by its intimate atmosphere and its high quality. The group of participants is composed of long-standing Dutch galleries such as Galerie Ron Mandos which presents photographs of Erwin Olaf and newcomers like Bitforms Gallery which specializes in digital art. International contributions are also made by the Indian gallery Nature Morte and the Robert Morat Galerie from Berlin. This year, Unseen presents for the first time NFTs, as it explores the innovative offering of the digital art world. Investigating the boundaries of the photographic medium, the prestigious fair also shows works of various artists in the exhibition UNBOUND. The Book Market showcases photography and art books of independent and international publishers, featuring a new Book Award in collaboration with GOST Books. Director Roderick van der Lee explains: "This year we have worked closely with several galleries to present this 10th edition of Unseen, making another global reflection of the latest developments in art photography, which has worked out very well. With 70 galleries from 16 countries, including the US, Mexico, Morocco, India, Iran, and South Africa, this edition (presents) an inspiring picture of the direction in which the art form is moving.”
The photography fair Unseen will take place from the 15th to the 18th of September, 2022 at Westergas in Amsterdam. JW

ERWIN OLAF
Kleines Requiem VI, 2022
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Ron Mandos

www.unseenamsterdam.com

Fashion

Neo.Fashion. promotes young designers at Berlin Fashion Week

Neo.Fashion. returned to Berlin Fashion Week this season for its 6th edition, promoting aspiring talents and fashion designers. As a hybrid event, Neo. Fashion. presented shows as well as a showroom at Reinbeckhallen in Berlin. In the course of the event, graduate shows took place, in which ten universities presented designs of their most promising students. In this context, over 80 graduates got the chance to show their garments to a larger audience. This also included the digital Graduate Show, which introduced 12 graduates of the National University of Technology and Design Kiev, showing ongoing support for Ukrainian fashion designers while the country remains at war with Russia. Once again the Neo.Fashion. Awards have been given to the best German fashion design graduates as part of the Best Graduates Show. One of the lucky winners is Nanyi Li, who won in the category Best Sustainability Concept. For this edition, Neo. Fashion. is also launching its new format, titled Aspiring Designers to further support young creatives. The new format includes collective fashion shows, panel talks, and workshops, helping aspiring talents to find an entry into the industry. Stephan Schwarz, Senator of Economic Affairs, Energy and Operation says: “I am very pleased that Neo. Fashion. focuses on young fashion designers and promotes them sustainably. Neo.Fashion. has become an important format at Berlin Fashion Week. We want to use it to support the international visibility of graduates and up-an-coming designers and also underline how important the development of the creative scene in Berlin is to us.” JW

www.neofashion.de

Fashion

MARTAN recycles Hotel textiles

The sustainable brand MARTAN opened Amsterdam Fashion Week in the Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam. The hotel not only served as a location for the event but also as a major inspiration and as the fabric supplier for the collection. MARTAN is known for using luxury hotel textiles, which it transforms into colorful garments.
Built 107 years ago and known as “Het Scheepvaarthuis”, the hotel’s architecture and history are referenced in the collection. For instance, the iconic railing of the hotel inspired a print and the tiling of the floor influenced the design of the earrings. Another pattern is distinguished by the motif of wavy lines which can also be found in the silhouettes of the clothing items, imitating the flow of the oceans. The trenchcoats are a highlight of the collection, defined by their shiny coating. Ranging from soft shades of pink, blue, and camel to bold colors of Green and Fuchsia, the color palette provides an exciting and refreshing contrast. It is almost impossible to tell that these garments are fabricated in old hotel linen. For Fashion Week director Char Li Chung created a story of people traveling to different destinations. Worn by models and actors such as Susan Visser and Joes Brauers, the collection and the fashion show represents the history of the Amrâth, the event's core. JW

www.martan-official.com

Cinema

Cartier returns as the official partner of the Venice Film Festival

For the second year in a row, the French Maison Cartier returned as the official partner for the 79th Venice Film Festival “Biennale Cinema 2022”. This partnership, which started in the year 2021, manifests Cartier’s deep passion for art, in particular film. As part of its initiative, Cartier presented the “Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award”, which went to film director, writer, and producer Walter Hill. His new movie Dead For A Dollar, starring Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Brosnahan, and Benjamin Bratt premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
Furthermore, Cartier is hosting the “Cartier Art Dialogues”, two master classes that highlight the interaction between film and music. Promoting art and culture is deeply rooted in the French Maison's history as Cartier pieces are featured in a variety of world-famous films and can be seen on red carpets around the world, worn by icons such as Grace Kelly and Josette Day. For this reason, Cartier decided to organize an exhibition, showcasing jewels from the Cartier Collection, during the Biennale. Beyond the borders of the Festival, Cartier also engages in other projects in Venice to not only preserve the cultural heritage of the glorious city but also to support the ongoing development of its cultural life. Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Arnaud Carrez explains: "Dialogues with the art world have always been a source of creative inspiration for the Maison. (...) Our collaboration with the Mostra is a new opportunity to bridge between all the artistic disciplines that are close to our hearts". JW

www.labiennale.org
www.cartier.com

Art

Prada exhibits Who the Bær by Simon Fujiwara

First shown at Fondazione Prada’s Milan venue in 2021, the Italian brand now presents the exhibition Who the Bær by Simon Fujiwara at the Prada Aoyama Tokyo. At the center of the exhibition is the cartoon bear Who, a completely undefined personality, who takes on the chaotic journey through a “Whoniverse” of images in order to find and shape their identity. Simon Fujiwara created this character as a mirror of our society, which is obsessed with finding one’s true self. Thus, Fujiwara and Who explore a variety of current topics, ranging from climate change to plastic surgery.
Inspired by fantasy literature, the artist lets Who’s story begin with the question “Who is Who?”, depicted on a collage in the form of a book cover. He continues with a stop frame animation titled “Hello Who?” posing philosophical, authenticity questions to the cartoon bear. The exhibition also includes childlike drawings which show how Who is able to change his identity at any given moment, referring to today’s logic of social media. In this manner, the bear continues his journey of self discovery.
The artwork reveals a paradox of our society as we strive for fantasy and authenticity all at the same time. Reflecting the real world by leading the audience through his fantastical and sometimes disturbing universe is significant to Fujiwara’s body of work.
The exhibition Who The Bær by Simon Fujiwara will be open to the public from October 15th, 2022 to January 30th, 2023 at Prada Aoyama Tokyo. JW

www.fondazioneprada.org

Fashion

SUSUMU AI at Berlin Fashion Week

On the occasion of Berlin Fashion Week SUSUMU AI has shown its new Spring Summer 2023 collection in the Samurai Museum Berlin. The garments of the Berlin-based fashion label were presented by professional Taiko performers. Taiko is a special drum style which originated in Japan and revolves around an exchange of energy: While the drum remains just a tool, the players themselves become the instrument.
Japan plays an important role within the brand as it sources its high-quality fabrics from the Eastasian country as well as draws huge inspiration from it. It therefore seems obvious that SUSUMU AI has chosen the Samurai Museum in Berlin as the event location since Samurai are deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Surrounded by collections of historical objects and multimedia installations, the brand set the stage to present its new collection of clothing. Founder and Art Director Alisa Menkhaus explains that traditional craftsmanship is the core of SUSUMU AI, which blends perfectly with the scenery of the Museum. After she and Keiho Menkhaus greeted the guests with a short introductory speech, the performance of the drum playing models began and Japanese culture was spread across the room, enchanting the audience. JW

www.susumuai.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend - Bernadette Chéné at Galerie La Forest Divonne

Starting on Brussels Gallery Weekend, the Galerie La Forest Divonne presents the exhibition L’Un et l’autre by French artist Bernadette Chéné.
The core of this exhibition are sculptures made out of raw and strong materials such as cut metal plates and erected trunks. The creations radiate a timeless beauty as they are displayed under the glass roof, significant to the architecture of the gallery. The sculptures reveal Bernadette Chéné’s abilities as a transmitter of emotion and as a visionary. For her artworks she takes familiar and simple materials, which at first glance do not seem special at all. However, she manages to detect what is extraordinary and beautiful about the material and makes it visible to the visitors. Hence, she evokes a surprising and unexpected effect. Nonetheless, the sculptures seem subtle and discreet. The exhibition L’un et l’autre by Bernadette Chéné will be open to the public from September 8th to October 29th, 2022 at Galerie La Forest Divonne in Brussels. JW

BERNADETTE CHÉNÉ
L’Un et l’autre, exhibition views in Galerie La Forest Divonne
©ECrooÿ
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie La Forest Divonne, Brussels 

www.galerielaforestdivonne.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend - Xavier Mary at Baronian

As one of the longstanding participants of the Brussels Gallery Weekend, Baronian once again opens an exhibition of contemporary art in the course of the event. This year the gallery shows the works of Belgian artist Xavier Mary (1982). In his solo show Black Hole Sun, the artist investigates the discrepancy between spiritual dimensions and modern society in a conceptual and poetic manner.
His works combine mythological and technological elements, making them seem to be located in the past, the present, and the future at the same time. Reflecting on modern civilization, humankind, and consumer culture, the artist takes a critical stance toward our industrialized world. The inspiration for his exhibits originated from his travels through Southeast Asia, where he experienced both spirituality and highly innovative technology. The ancient architecture and mechanics of the sculptors, as well as the contrast between the vibrant cities and the untouched nature of the jungles, fascinated him deeply. Xavier Mary combined these impressions in his post-industrial sculpture and post-apocalyptic, mythical realism, creating art of absurd cleverness and technological motorized skills.
The exhibition Black Hole Sun by Xavier Mary will be open to the public from September 8th to October 8th, 2022 at Baronian in Brussels. JW

XAVIER MARY
3x Bouddha
Courtesy of the artist and Baronian Brussels

www.baronian.eu

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend - Sophie Kuijken at Galerie Nathalie Obadia

As a participant in the Brussels Gallery Weekend, the Galerie Nathalie Obadia presents the sixth solo exhibition of Belgian artist Sophie Kuijken.
For almost 20 years, the works of Sophia Kuijken remained undiscovered until they were first shown in a museum exhibition in 2011. This exhibition however displays the latest works of the painter, which seem like an interplay of different art eras: Her portraits combine figures in the manner of Flemish Primitives with mannerist stretched bodies and powerful lighting reminiscent of Caravaggio. Impressionist lighting effects recur in a few works as well. Despite the classical influence, she breaks away from the conventional approach of painting a lifelike model. In fact, her portraits are composed of various carefully selected photographs from the Internet. The result is an individual, cobbled together from different identities, characterized by a hidden vulnerability and vivid emotion. The depicted person appears strange and familiar at the same time, leaving the viewer caught between comfort and uneasiness. This creates a mystery and an elusive quality, although the portraits are technically flawlessly painted. 
The contradictions within the subject of the portrait and the linking of epochal features and different genres blur the certainties of representation. What is depicted eludes temporal and spatial classification, yet the portrayed subjects seem present and catch the viewer's humanity in their deep gaze. The ambiguity is amplified in every aspect of the images, confusing and yet also touching the viewer. The exhibition by Sophie Kuijken will be open to the public from September 8th to October 15th, 2022 at Galerie Nathalie Obadia in Brussels. JW

SOPHIE KUIJKEN
O.O.P., 2022
Acrylic and oil in chipboard panel, 150 x 90 x 1,8 cm
Photo credit: Sophie Kuijken
Courtesy of the artist and the Galerie Nathalie Obadia Paris-Brussels

www.galerie-obadia.com

Art

The 15th edition of Brussels Gallery Weekend

The annual Brussels Gallery Weekend is returning at the beginning of September, thus presenting the 15th edition of the festival. In the course of the event, 47 art galleries will open their doors to professionals and other art lovers from all around the world, presenting contemporary art in the heart of Europe’s capital. In no previous year have so many galleries participated, showing impressive exhibitions, performances, and installations around the city. For the 15th edition, Brussels Gallery Weekend has chosen to have a main venue as a focal point, which will be located in the former printing plant of the National Bank of Belgium. The unique building will host, amongst other events, the “Sculpture Factory” exhibition and the “Generation Brussels” exhibition, introducing emerging artists from Brussels. Alongside the festival, the traditional “off” programme will be held as well as different talks and other surprises.
“Thanks to its central location and the vitality of the local scene, Brussels plays a prominent role in the contemporary art world, and we seek to further the city’s influence with a spirit of sharing,” explains Sybille du Roy de Blicquy, director of the Brussels Gallery Weekend.

Brussels Gallery Weekend will take place on the weekend of September 8th to September 11th, 2022 in Brussels. JW

image credits: StockkStudio, David Baatzsch

www.brusselsgalleryweekend.com

Art

Johan Tahon exhibits sculptures from another dimension

During his upcoming exhibition RAY, the Belgian artist Johan Tahon offers new insights into his work, which he displays in the gallery Gerhard Hofland. To create his art, Tahon draws inspiration from his own life and environment as well as his subconsciousness. His sculptures seem like creatures from another, superordinate world who have been instructed to deliver messages and truths, while also posing fundamental questions to humanity. An ancient atmosphere builds up around them, making them seem intense and kinetic but also strange as if they do not belong here. Fragile and yet tremendous, the sculptures are defined by their uneven surface, covered in hand-mixed glazes of a glowing palette of blue, white, and silver. Tahon explores the boundaries between the subconscious, our empirical world, and the beyond, resulting in timeless artifacts, distinguished by their deep gravity and vigorous materiality. In his work, he moves closer and closer to a universal essence echoing the human urge to create a larger meaning. The artworks by Johan Tahon involve the audience in a special aura, inviting it to reflect, contemplate and understand or even discover one’s own person.
The exhibition RAY will be open to the public from September 2nd to October 8th, 2022 at the gallery Gerhard Hofland in Amsterdam. JW

www.gerhardhofland.com

Fashion

Borbonese opens boutique in Porto Cervo

After having a pop-up tour in Germany, the Italian bag and accessory brand Borbonese now opens up a new boutique in Porto Cervo for the summer months. In the enchanting town of the Italian island of Sardinia, where the high society of Europe likes to enjoy its vacation, the brand unfolds a new concept, which will later be adopted for further openings. The concept consists of combining elements of a boutique with elements of an art gallery, thus creating a unique retail experience and content conveyor. For this matter, the brand has furnished the selling room with sustainable furniture, which can later be changed in position and composition to display the bags in different ways. As LED videos and neon elements round off the appearance of the store, a real and at the same time virtual experience emerges.
The boutique will present new models from the Fall Winter 2022 collection, including the Epoque and 011, as well as the Strapcycle line of last season, made of a special and completely recycled polyester canvas by using Italian techniques of fishing and weaving. Alessandro Pescara, CEO of Borbonese explains that the brand chose Porto Cervo as the location, as it represents the brand’s most important values, “creativity, digital innovation, sustainability without neglecting the historical heritage of the brand.” JW

www.borbonese.com

Fashion

UNDERCOVER meets Eastpak

For its latest collection, US bag brand Eastpak collaborated with Japanese designer and founder of UNDERCOVER Jun Takahashi. To capture the unique spirit, heritage, and outlook of both brands, the Tokyo-based designer created packs that combine military utility with urban subculture in three highly functional styles. Made from recycled materials in various, bold monochromes and emblazoned with the words “Chaos/ Balance”, the collection gives a unique overall picture.
The UC Padded Doubl’r stands out not only for its striking colors but also due to its high functionality as it is equipped with a padded laptop sleeve, inner and outer zippered pockets, and other smart details. For this piece, Takahashi chose to also create a version in UC Black Denim that deviates from the usual monochromes, used for this collection. The UC Crossbody, which can also be worn around the waist, is characterized by its zippered main compartment, inside stash pocket, and detachable shoulder/ waist strap. Finally, the UC Stand+ makes a great travel companion. It is fabricated from recycled lining, binding, and webbing and comes with a padded laptop sleeve and removable shoulder strap, thus joining the whole collection in its functionality and cool effortlessness. JW

www.eastpak.com
www.undercoverism.com

Fashion

Iris van Herpen and Aubade create a botanical seduction

“Sensory Illusion” is the title of the collaboration between Parisian lingerie manufacturer Aubade and Dutch couturier Iris van Herpen. Inspired by nature, its fragility, and vibrant vitality, Iris van Herpen created undergarments with leaf embroidery and mystic ornaments, diving into a magical and botanical world. For the creation process of the pieces, the talented designer explored the archives of the French lingerie pioneer during which she came across Aubade’s iconic and ethereal gradations. As a new interpretation, she constructed straight lines, contrasting with the organic, embroidered motives. A seductive see-through effect is created, which continues at the back of the bra in a refined embroidery. Available in the colors “Golden Leaves”, a mix of bronze and black, and “Silk Rose”, different shades of pink, the collection offers two different variants of sensuality.
The capsule includes ten pieces, three of which are different kinds of bras. Each of them has matching panties, which range from tanga to Italian slip to shorty made of Saint-Tropez-lace. A body, a nightgown, and a high-waist suspender belt complete “Sensory Illusion”. Reminiscent of nature’s diversity, a u-shaped, golden piece of jewelry distinguishes the triangle-bralette, the body, and the nightgown in between the cups. Bringing together two masters of their craft who value luxurious materials, the exclusive Capsule collection merges seduction and savoir-faire. The exceptional craftsmanship of Iris van Herpen and the decades of experience values of Aubade, result in an alluring and unique collection of high-quality lingerie. JW

www.aubade.com
www.irisvanherpen.com

Fashion

#HUGOYourWay

In the brand’s spirit of encouraging and empowering its audience, HUGO now consolidates this message in its digital-led Fall/ Winter 2022 imagery. For this matter, HUGO formed a trio of inspiring artists, including Korean American rapper Big Matthew and Guyanese American rapper SAINt JHN as well as the American model and singer Selah Marley. The two rappers have been named brand ambassadors for the previous season and return now, keeping up the energy from the branding refresh. Each one of the ambassadors set an example of doing one’s own thing, staying true to one’s self and thus, creating their own look.
In order to connect with youthful fans and to spread their message and values even further, HUGO expanded on Tiktok, posting videos made by some of the platform’s most cherished and creative content creators. Always using the hashtag #HUGOYourWay, customers get to discover the world of HUGO on various social media apps. In its posts, HUGO is teasing its new collection for FW22, in which the brand focuses more on its denim products as well as the brand’s colors of red, white, and black. A highlight of the collection is the introduction of the new HUGO monogram, which will be spread as an all-over graphic on various styles, such as sweatshirts and footwear. JW

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

The New Gucci Décor Collection

Over the past years, the world has become aware of the importance of the home, as a space of peace, which should radiate a sense of peace. Not just a place to rest, but a place of comfort in line with one's own taste. In this sense, the new Gucci Décor Collection is providing an eclectic selection of decorative homeware which will offer customers the opportunity to dress their living space with the compelling visual narrative of Gucci’s contemporary romanticism. By introducing new forms of archival floral print and animal totems, this new collection brings the physical and spiritual beauty of nature to the home. Romantic and whimsical, each piece is a unique objet d’art perfect to accentuate one’s living space according to one’s individual taste, keeping in line with the House’s spirit of self-expression. It is a surprising and joyous juxtaposition of hues, patterns and designs, which forge new connections between previous opposites. The campaign envisioned by Alessandro Michele and realized with photographer Max Siedentopf perfectly encapsulates the Gucci Décor items' natural iconography through a mise-en-scène in the pristine setting of a topiary garden. The lighthearted landscape with its lush greens provides the ideal poetic setting from which the natural curiosities seen throughout the collection can faithfully emerge.

The Gucci Décor Collection will be released gradually in select Gucci boutiques across the globe and online.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

DoDo opens in Berlin

After renovating its existing space in Düsseldorf, and incorporating prominent testimonials, the Italian jewellery brand DoDo is now opening its second location in Germany. This marks an important step for DoDo as Germany is becoming an increasingly important market. The new store will open its doors at Rosenthaler Straße 32. This location has not been chosen at random. Located at Hackescher Markt, a cosy neighbourhood with a strong identity in Berlin Mitte, already famous for its nightlife and cool shopping stores. Surrounded by a variety of historical buildings and landmarks, Art Nouveau courtyards, contemporary art galleries and indie clubs, the new boutique is immersed in this distinct atmosphere that only the German capital has to offer. The face of the brand in Germany is currently Ann-Kathrin Götze, following actress Gina Stiebitz, as she embodies all the values, inclusivity, sharing, equality and empowerment, important to DoDo. With the new boutique, the Italian brand now brings these values reflected in their jewellery collections to the German capital.

www.dodo.it

Fashion

Alexander McQueen Sprint Runner

Regardless of one’s age, sneakers have become an intricate part of all of our wardrobes. From fast fashion retailers to luxury houses, everybody has recognized its popularity and has included a selection of sneakers in their selection. Formerly considered as footwear suitable only for casual dressing or athletic activities, the sneaker has now overcome this limitation and can be worn at ease with either casual or formal attire. Nothing might exemplify this development more than the new Alexander McQueen film, directed by award-winning director and visual artist Sophie Muller. The focal point of this film is the Sprint Runner sneakers work by singer, songwriter and renowned dancer, Mettenarrative. The Sprint Runner is a modern and streamlined variation of a classic running sneaker. First unveiled to the world at the women’s SS23 show, the shoes with their sleek design prove to be versatile and suitable for any situation. Sophie Muller’s film finds its inspiration in Mette’s fiercely beautiful physicality and is an ode to the ultimate expression of empowerment through clothing. The dresses Mettenarrative is wearing, corset dresses with oversized hook-and-eye detailing and asymmetrical dresses, which beautifully accentuate the body and its movements are matched with the Sprint Runner in classic white, the perfect shoe granting ultimate freedom of movement.

www.alexandermcqueen.com

Fashion

New Version of the LV Trainer

Louis Vuitton is presenting a new version of its iconic LV trainer that pushes the concept of sustainability even further, without compromising on the French Maison’s superb standards of quality or creativity. The shoe is a perfect blend of creativity, sustainability and eco-design, a perfect embodiment of Louis Vuitton’s innovative spirit. This new icon is breaking new records, with the utterly graphic silhouette being produced from 90% recycled and bio-sourced materials. Boasting the Maison’s signature Sustainable Development logo, designed by Virgil Abloh, it is a visual example of Louis Vuitton’s upcycling philosophy. The conscious sourcing of the materials is not limited to the shoe itself, also the box is made entirely out of recycled and recyclable cardboard and due to an ingenious handle, turns into a bag - a strategy saving as much as 70% of materials to ensure the lowest environmental impact in terms of transportation and storage. This new sneaker with all its sustainable innovation is part of Louis Vuitton’s sustainable development plan in line with the LIFE360 program. Through this program, Louis Vuitton and LVMH take six lines of action in order to preserve natural resources and impact society in a positive way.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Stone Island Prototype Research_Series 06_Dévoré with Kevlar Core

Stone Island has long been amongst the most innovative and forward-thinking brands when it comes to textile research. From its beginnings, the brand has positioned itself as a symbol of extreme research of fibres and textiles utilized in innovative designs, gaining a loyal following throughout the decades. With the Prototype Research Series, Stone Island now offers the opportunity to acquire pieces that feature fabrics or treatments born from research and experimentation processes that have not yet been industrialized. Only available in very limited numbers, this series represents and embodies the cutting-edge research for which Stone Island has gained prominence. For the sixth edition of the Prototype Research Series, the brand now offers its Short Fishtail Parka in Dévoré With Kevlar Core, a fabric resulting from the close collaboration between R&D and the Stone Island research and experimentation department. For this piece, a fine Kevlar yarn is covered in cotton, which is, in turn, disintegrated through the dévoré printing technique, revealing an all-over pattern in a Kevlar characteristic yellow color, resembling a technical lace. These are then treated with resin to add texture and strengthen the fibres.

The Series 06_Dévoré with Kevlar Core will be exclusively available on their website starting June 12th, 2022.

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

CHANEL Haute Couture FW2022/23

For Virginie Viard, the FW 2022/23 Haute Couture collection was a continuation of the previous show, a fact underlined by artist Xavier Veilhan returning to collaborate with the French Maison for the second time in a row. This time, he is also joined by Sébastien Tellier and Charlotte Casiraghi. Throughout the show, one could see the instantly recognizable and familiar CHANEL elements such as the tweed or the suiting, and one could feel the influence of her two predecessors. Yet, Viard achieved to make the collection her own, taking references and inspiration from the works of Mademoiselle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld as a starting point to transform the pieces through her own vision. By working together closely with extraordinary makers and textile designers, this collection is defined by its interplay of textures, the masterful use of different materials and the gentle flow of perfect pleats which move just beautifully as they are elegant. Each piece bears witness and is an ode to the extraordinary savoir-faire of the CHANEL ateliers, the skilful hands of the craftspeople who mastered their craft, as well as the fournisseurs who supply the French Maison with the textiles, accessories and embellishments of unparalleled quality.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Christian Louboutin Men SS23 in collaboration with Highsnobiety

Within the Parisian cultural hub for contemporary art, the iconic Le Centre Georges Pompidou, Christian Louboutin, and Highsnobiety will host a presentation at Georges. At the top of the building, the two brands will celebrate the launch of the Men’s SS23 collection, previewing the newest line titled “Dune”. Highlighting the creative universes, the runway featured a futuristic outdoor corridor compromised of red plinths in different heights inspired by the graphic red and black notches soles of the Dune line. Here, a selection of dazzling evening shoes, new styles from the inclusive capsule Our Angels, and leather goods from Techno CL perforated leather pattern are displayed. Inside the space is a central scenography made of four aluminum panels arranged in a circular shape to form a futuristic cocoon that showcases the new hero shoe: the Dune lug sole. With inspiration taken from the Maison’s signature niche displays, the Christian Louboutin and Highsnobiety design panels serve to highlight eight variations of the newest addition to the collection. Once it becomes dark, that afterparty took place with an array of musical performances.

www.christianlouboutin.com
www.highsnobiety.com

Fashion

Versace Resort 2023 Collection

Versace Resort 2023 Collection exudes fresh young energy. Designed to address the new generation, it combines a rebellious spirit with clubby acid florals. In a game of contrasts, hard and soft, masculine and feminine, formal and playful, the collection shows Versace’s true essence. The Italian brand has presented a series of new outfits where clothes are paired in unusual ways. Floral chiffon dresses with 3D flower embroidery and jersey tops in Versace logo print are juxtaposed under biker-inspired dresses and jackets, as well as ultra-square shouldered tailoring is layered over sportswear pieces. Then, the collection continues featuring pinstripe cargo pants and studded washed-denim jeans in a wide-leg cut, evening dresses in nocturnal neon colors, and knitwear and leggings with cutaways in a diamond motif. For accessories, Versace introduced new sunglasses, pumps, sling-backs, and kitten heels studded in metal, together with La Medusa bags made punk in all-over tonal point finishes. Studs, metallic neon iteration with 3D floral embroidery, and pop colors embellished the whole Resort 2023 Collection. VB

www.versace.com

Fashion

Gianni Versace at the Groninger Museum

Gianni Versace is one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, with his prominence very much being carried on through today. Versace brought together classical and pop art imagery and found inspiration in figures from ancient Greece as well as subjects like bondage and SM. The designer worked with artists like Andy Warhol, Jim Dine, and Julian Schnabel, raising the profile of the marriage between the old and new like never before. As a pioneer in the fashion world, Versace regularly challenged traditional images of masculinity and femininity, designing clothing for both sexes and referencing sexuality and power in his collections. The colorful, daring, and emotional Gianni Versace Retrospective exhibition will take visitors through the journey inside the eccentric fashion designer’s world of extravagant clothing and lavish catwalk shows in which clothing, pop music, and design come spectacularly together. The exhibition displays men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, fabrics, drawings, interior designs, and footage of legendary shows derived from the Italian designer’s glory days between 1989 and 1997. Gianni Versace brought the arts together like no one ever before, leading the way in the transformation of fashion shows and advertising campaigns into works of art. Each item presented is an original piece, all of which are sourced from international private collections. GH

The Gianni Versace Retrospective will take place at the Groninger Museum from December 2 2022 to May 7 2023

www.groningermuseum.nl
www.versace.com

Fashion

Brioni SS23

The Brioni SS23 collection reflects the aura of the nonchalance of Rome, captured in uncontrived shapes, in the softness of tailoring that suggests a relaxed way with formality. The soft and light materials are perfect for summer, in painterly colors. With a suit, trench coat, small-collared blouson, and field jacket, each piece is sartorially made, with an effortless finish. Garments are made to fit an array of occasions, from spontaneous to leisure, always with an urban, dignified feel, embellished with round-toe loafers and leather sandals. A seersucker is worn with a matching shirt and no necktie. The materials consist of washed silk, seersucker, extremely light wools, and linen, light knit for the underpinnings, and textured knitwear meant as outerwear. The colors depict the image of Rome, with rich and muted tones, dense and bright, inspired by the city’s artistic and natural heritage. There is an array of cognac brown, earth, yellow, blue, grey, black, and white along with accents of pink, orange, and baby blue in the suits defined throughout the collection. Eveningwear in the collection is inspired by the Brioni archives, with creativity expressed through couture fabrics and unexpected colors. Overall, each garment is made to accompany life, in the long run, seeking eternal beauty. GH

www.brioni.com

Fashion

Alessandro Michele and Harry Styles Presents GUCCI HA HA HA

A friendship and contamination of collective ideas are the elements that have given life to Gucci HA HA HA, a collection designed by Creative Director Alessandro Michele together with British singer-songwriter and actor Harry Styles. HA HA HA is a title made up of the first letters of their names that also reflects the onomatopeic sound of the written essence of an emoji, the "laughing face," representing their complicity. Met a few years ago when Alessandro Michele made his debut at Gucci and Styles released his first album; they immediately started a mutual exchange of creative thoughts. It is a friendship based on a sincere revelation and dedication of oneself towards the other, without duplicity and displays of power. From this dialog between the two, a playful collection was designed, crafted with liberating codes that eliminate the ritual complexities of fashion collections. Jackets, coats, pants, shirts, and accessories evoke a new masculine elegance focused on the materials, forms, and volumes. Gucci HA HA HA also merges many elements that characterize the creative paths and peculiarities of both artists, for example, English tailoring garments that come reinterpreted with romantic accents through the eccentric use of Prince of Wales checks to create double-breasted coats. In addition, to complete the collection are sartorial suits, treated denim jackets, and velvet suits in irregular hues, paired with unexpected printed pajamas and bowling shirts. VB

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Polo Ralph Lauren Unveils New Uniforms for Wimbledon 2022

Polo Ralph Lauren has unveiled the new 2022 uniforms for all Wimbledon on-court officials, including chair umpires, line umpires, ball boys, and girls. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Centre Court in its current location on Church Road, Wimbledon, the brand designed a collection that combines the heritage of Polo Ralph Lauren with modern fabrications and silhouettes, focusing on the use of more sustainable materials. Inspired by the elevated sense of style that spectators bring to The Championships, Polo Ralph Lauren designed a belted back sportscoat lined with a commemorative Ralph Lauren-designed signature Wimbledon print and paired with a wide Bengal stripe shirt, trouser, or white skirt with pearl button closure, specifically for umpires. Line umpire uniforms, instead, are refreshed with navy cardigans featuring a white and Wimbledon green striped cuff. Then, for ball boys and girls, the brand presented the iconic Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt reinterpreted in a navy blue and white wide stripe in recycled material. The result is exclusive garments that emphasize comfort, breathability, moisture management, and ever-present craftsmanship, alongside contributing to have to positive social and environmental impact. VB

www.ralphlauren.com

Fashion

CD 1947 Capsule Collection

Dior has unveiled the CD 1947 Capsule Collection, a dialogue between Kim Jones and the legacy of Christian Dior. The line features a new “Christian Dior” signature connected with “1947,” the year of the first Dior défilé. It presents some iconic classics of the Maison as the Dior Saddle Bag in typical Dior Grey grained leather, introducing, at the same time, a great novelty: an exclusive collaboration with Birkenstock. Dior’s Creative Director has chosen to reinterpret two signature silhouettes of the German shoe manufacturer, the Tokio Mule and Milano Sandal, taking inspiration from Christian Dior’s love of gardening. Celebrating this influence, the two silhouettes mix functionality, and elegance in tribute to the couturier. The mule and sandal also arrive in a variety of finishes, including black nubuck calfskin, grey felted wool, and, for the Tokio Mule, a “Greige” nubuck calfskin. The CD 1947 Capsule Collection is available on Dior’s website. VB

www.dior.com

Fashion

adidas x Gucci Pop-Ups

Gucci has announced the arrival of a brand new series of Gucci Pop-Ups, with the initiative of connecting and engaging with clients across the world and their surrounding communities. The pop-ups will showcase a variety of products in an immersive, dedicated environment which reflects Gucci’s unconventional approach to luxury fashion. Another exciting factor is the pop-up debuts in Alsterhaus in Hamburg. adidas x Gucci merges the emblems of each house to create iconic tailored streetwear creations. Expanding from the initial adidas x Gucci lookbook, the collection involves a spectrum of sport-inspired pieces, distinguished by the same retro aesthetics of the show. With the heritage of both brands encoded in a trio of lines, a fixation of stripes plays out across ready-to-wear and accessories including Gucci’s own take on the famous adidas Gazelle sneaker. The kaleidoscope aesthetics of the collection are reflected in the creativity of the Pop-Ups dedicated to it. The space is defined by a perimeter of illuminated pointed arches complemented with vintage-inspired furniture. Elements featured are coated in the energetic retro print taken from the collection, combining the GG monogram with the sportswear brand Trefoil, amplifying the two legacies. GH

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Hortus Deliciarum: The New Gucci High Jewelry Collection

Creative Director Alessandro Michele has unveiled the third act of Hortus Deliciarum, the Gucci High Jewelry collection. A fantastical journey more than just a simple collection, it presents unique pieces that seem suspended in time and space. Inspired by an imaginary Grand Tour, the jewelry reflects an ethical and aesthetic value by bringing together different cultures and restoring the splendor of rarities existing side by side. Alessandro Michele himself becomes the traveler of this voyage, telling us a story through the new Gucci creation, a story that is divided into five chapters. The first theme develops the idea of the Grand Tour, a journey of indefinite duration undertaken by European nobles and intellectuals from the eighteenth century onwards. Rome was the ultimate destination and so the starting point of this third Gucci High Jewelry collection. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches, and gold pendants featuring red and pink spinel, blue topaz, and colored diamonds evoke the historicity of the typical Roman landscapes. From the Eternal City, the journey continues in the India of the Maharajah between the magnificence of the royal palaces and the lush nature of the gardens. Red is the color that characterizes this chapter: rubellite, imperial topaz, yellow beryl, tourmaline, and garnet adorn the jewels embodying the hypnotic quality of twilight. The third theme pays homage to the mythological origins and symbolism of the pearl, a gem born from the foam of the sea and solidified on Aphrodite’s skin. Alessandro Michele’s travel diary dedicated the last pages to the New World when Modernism abounded and skyscrapers soared into the sky. These necklaces and bracelets come in geometric shapes in chains with asymmetrical, flexible modules. To complete the collection are pieces in psychedelic colors evoking the pop culture, free self-expression, and the desire to discover foreign worlds typical of the 1970s. VB

www.gucci.com

Fashion

The Power of Love: Pomellato Speaks up for Pride Month

Pomellato has extended its support to the LGBTQIA+ community, with the inspiring “I Am Here” video. The black and white video features key celebrity members of the community and allies talking to the camera as they explore profound questions surrounding the nature of love, freedom, tolerance, the meaning of pride, and the need for change. In 2017, the Italian jeweler launched the Pomellato for Women program, advocating for gender equality, diversity, and inclusivity. Now extending its support to the wider community, Pomellato once again recognizes the importance of leveraging its visibility to bring meaningful conversations to the table. The lineup of individuals showing their support includes Italian actor Alessandro Gassmann, activists Lea T and Sibel K, and Kasia Smutniak, alongside many more members and allies. Pomellato’s CEO Sabina Belli and Creative Director Vincenzo Castaldo also appear on camera, adding their voices to this message joined by celebrities and activists that have opened their hearts. GH

www.pomellato.com

Fashion

Paul Smith x Mini – Recharged

Paul Smith and Mini have once again joined forces to convert a classic Mini from the 1998 MINI Paul Smith Edition and install an electric engine in a project that marries heritage and tradition with innovation and modernity. The vibrant blue body was first exhibited at Salone Del Mobile, Milan’s premier design festival, the blue reflects a swatch taken from one of Paul’s favorite shirts. The lime green accents and battery box reflect the 1990s color sensibilities. The car has been restored and redesigned, branded as MINI RECHARGED, and engineered by a specialist team at “Recharge Heritage Limited”, who are responsible for implementing the MINI RECHARGED project. When discussing the recharge, Paul Smith has said: “Three things describe this car perfectly: quality, sustainability, and functionality […] we have made a 1990s car totally relevant for today”. The project follows the success of last year’s MINI STRIP, a radically reduced sustainable concept car that “stripped away” extraneous design details and pushed the limits of automotive design. Both models will be exhibited at Paul Smith’s showroom, which has been redesigned to mirror the aesthetic of MINI RECHARGED as part of Salone Del Mobile. GH

www.paulsmith.com
www.mini.com

Fashion

Cartier Introduces New Ambassadors

Cartier has unveiled the new ambassadors of the Maison: Paul Mescal, JISOO, and Austin Butler. First is BAFTA TV Award winner and Emmy nominated actor Paul Mescal, who made a red carpet debut at the 75th Annual Cannes Film Festival wearing the Pasha de Cartier Grille watch. Known for playing the lead role of Connell in the adaptation of the Sally Rooney novel "Normal People" directed by Lenny Abrahamson, the actor showed up at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès with two upcoming films in competition, "God’s Creatures" and "Aftersun." Then, the Korean artist and singer of the BLACKPINK JISOO is the newest member of the Panthère community. With her elegance and innate charm, she has been able to captivate an entire generation becoming the perfect embodiment of the magnetic aura of the panther. Last but not least, Austin Butler, the actor who played Elvis Presley in the much-anticipated Baz Luhrmann-directed movie, Elvis. Austin, recognizable for his chic and classic approach to fashion, also attended the Cannes Film Festival wearing Cartier creations. VB

www.cartier.com

Art

STONE ISLAND PROTOTYPE RESEARCH_SERIES 06

Since 2016, Stone Island has created limited editions of garments that, given their complexity of experimentation, are not yet industrializable. The project is called the “Prototype Series,” which focuses on the research of innovative technologies, new fabrics, and treatments. This year for the Milan Design Week, the brand presented the PROTOTYPE RESEARCH_SERIES 06 in collaboration with the Kevlar® consumer brand R&D team. Kevlar® is a synthetic fiber with exceptional strength, hardness, and thermal stability that, when combined with "stretch broken" technology, produces an incredibly fine yarn that can be covered with cotton. For this project, the cotton yarn has been disintegrated using the dévoré printing technique, obtaining an all-over pattern that reveals the characteristically yellow color of the original fiber. The unveiled yarns create a sort of light technical lace. The outcome is innovative, water-repellent items. The installation created by Stone Island features four concentric circles that originate a tunnel that leads the gaze from the macro to the micro, in a distorting lens that allows visitors to discover the hidden of the prototypes. The exhibition will be on view until June 12th, 2022, at Stone Island's showroom in Milan. VB

www.stoneisland.com

Art

Stella McCartney Launches The Second Installation of “Future of Fashion” at Salone del Mobile

Stella McCartney has announced the second edition of the “Future of Fashion: An innovation conversation with Stella McCartney” exhibition launching during the 60th annual Salone del Mobile. The installation will display from 7 to 12 June at the historic Porta Nuova in Milan. Future of Fashion aims to invite the world to discover the limitless possibilities of material innovation for creating a more nature-positive market. This year, to keep inspiring people to undertake future actions, Stella McCartney has presented an exhibition that combines cutting-edge fashion and design in partnership with Bank of America, as well as first-ever interiors collaborations with B&B Italia and heritage British wallpaper house Cole & Son. With the Italian furniture maker, the British luxury fashion house reimagined the iconic Le Bambole armchair, an iconic piece originally designed by Mario Bellini in 1972 and now produced by B&B Italia using sustainable techniques and circular composition. Instead, Stella McCartney x Cole & Son Wallpaper presents a revival of the Summer 2022 hand-drawn Fungi Forest toile de Jouy print. The graphic has been reworked as burgundy and navy wallpapers by Cole & Son with renewable fibers and introducing a manufacturing process that uses 30% fewer greenhouse gases. All display materials will be recycled for future events to limit environmental effects. In addition, Future of Fashion will offer its guests the possibility to explore curated items by Stella McCartney as the Frayme Mylo bag, the first-ever luxury bag crafted from mycelium created in partnership with Bolt Threads. VB

www.stellamccartney.com

Art

Armani Casa 2022 Collection

In the brutalist spaces of Armani Silos, Giorgio Armani has set up a unique installation to present the new Armani Casa 2022 Collection. The Italian brand has designed furniture and accessories that combine design research, material richness, subtle multiculturalism, and a distinct sense of rarefaction for the Salone del Mobile 2022. The exhibition is structured into eight themes that correspond to eight different environments. Each piece is set in context with the inspiration from which it originated in a way that visitors can feel and imagine the creative journey that leads from the starting point to the finished piece of furniture. Starting with the water: this section is characterized by a calm and peaceful ambiance, with natural references and 1930s and 1940s elegance that give life to the MORFEO bed and other unique objects. The space devoted to China presents a powerful contrast between red, the color of joy and good fortune, and non-color. Here, the JYLIA chairs in lacquered wood create a symbolic four-lobed figure within an environment entirely clad in black. Then, a third room dedicated to nature, travel, and discovery, exhibits the painting of a tiger, the feline that dominates the current year in the Chinese zodiac. In this space, the RENOIR sofa covered in the SAO PAULO fabric is the main protagonist. In the end, there is the sailing ship ensemble, which includes the PASCAL armchair and the SPACE table, both inspired by early twentieth-century ocean liners. In addition, accessories such as a wool blanket with matching cushion, thermos flask, and croquet mallets, among many others, complete the proposal. VB

www.armani.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton’s FW22 Spin-Off Show in Bangkok

Louis Vuitton’s FW22 Spin-Off Show has landed in Bangkok, Thailand, unveiling nine unseen looks from the original collection. In honor of Virgil Abloh’s legacy, the decision to showcase the collection in a second location is based on Abloh’s focus on circularity, a central theme in his practice, alongside other key topics such as the coming-of-age premise, the global perspective, and the cycle of creativity. Just like the first presentation in January, the Creative Director framed the show in childlike whimsy, a Louis Dreamhouse, displaying the wonder that exists within boyhood. Opening the show was a cinematic prelude by director Sivaroj Kongsakul portraying the Boyhood Ideology® key to the philosophy of Virgil Abloh. Based on the filmmaker’s childhood memories, the story follows the early experience of an 11-year-old boy in rural Thailand, illustrating Abloh’s belief in a global youth. “We might go to India or Kansas or Cuba, but wherever we go the focus is youth: the stage in your life before you’ve been taught or programmed to do, think, or wear certain things. And in that study, you realize that teenagers on opposite sides of the world are dealing with the same things. It reflects the fact that, fundamentally, we are all one.” VB

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

La Vacanza 2022 Campaign

Summer means freedom, sea, sun, and vacations, exactly what Versace portrays in the new La Vacanza 2022 Campaign. Starring model and actress Iris Law, the images depict a group beach holiday with unapologetic flair and energetic fun in the Very Versace style. Barocco print bikinis, silk shirts, and swimming trunks, together with silk scarves tied around the La Medusa basket bag, are bold, seductive, and joyful items that will make your summer days exciting and vibrant. Wide canvas tote bags featuring the Versace logo and Medusa plaque are the perfect styles for the beach, as well as the new colorful sandals made both for men and women. In addition, new leather footwear with light rubber soles and golden Medusa Biggie medallion hardware, along with the innovative Medusa Dimension sliders crafted from molded super-lightweight rubber with swirling Baroque flourishes, are added to Versace's repertoire. Captured by photographer Camille Summers-Valli, the campaign results in a series of searingly bright and fiery images celebrating the most anticipated season of the year. VB

www.versace.com

Fashion

Pomellato: Nudo Solitaire

Since 2001, the Nudo ring has been a pioneer in the jewelry industry. This simple yet game-changing silhouette of the Nudo was Pomellatto’s unique take on the omnipresent diamond engagement ring. Made to be stacked, women quickly fell in love with the Nudo, starting a twenty-year journey of continued success and a rainbow of color gemstone options. Now, twenty-one years on, the Nudo Solitaire has been born, unmistakably Nudo, but in a new sparkling white guise. This is Pomellato’s singular vision of the diamond ring. This piece could be an unconventional engagement ring or could be fitting as a glamorous right-hand ring. The ring features a 0.5-carat central diamond, surrounded by more than 60 diamonds for a dazzling effect maintaining the iconic shape of the Nudo gemstone cut. Seamlessly giving way to a glittering pavé, the diamonds are perfectly set into a smooth halo around the central diamond. The opulence of this new Nudo design is further highlighted by the shank being set with a row of diamonds that taper down the side of the ring. The ring is made in Fairmined white gold, a certified source of gold direct from artisanal mines in South America, and the diamonds are sourced from certified suppliers. The Nudo Solitaire overall confirms the enduring success of the original concept that continues to be Pomellato’s signature design. GH

www.pomellato.com

Fashion

Fendi announces the opening of its new Mykonos Boutique

As the peak of summer is fast approaching, Fendi has announced its opening of a new boutique on the sunny Greek island of Mykonos. Located inside the Nammos Village, the unit is the brand’s first store in Greece, making this upscale shopping destination the perfect location. Inspired by Mediterranean culture and local architecture, the 90 square meter store is installed in a two-level white building, with sunlight filtering inside through elongated windows. The boutique welcomes the entire FENDI universe, with all categories from the womenswear and menswear lines. The look and feel across the spaces are chic and elegant, combining natural elements such as oak wood flooring with light blue resin inserts. Raffia wallpaper and elements nodding to a marine theme define the fitting rooms, while the furniture includes bespoke pieces in travertine mixed with wood, rattan, and bamboo pieces. Two terraces are designed to give continuity to the indoor feel. A special rendition of the Fendi Peekaboo ISeeU medium bag will be offered as an exclusive for Europe in the Mykonos boutique. Available in white croco, with white leather lining featuring a shiny finishing together with a Pequin motif wooden handle and palladium accessories. GH

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Stone Island and C2C Festival Celebrate Indipendent Contemporary Music

As part of Stone Island Sound, a curatorial project that supports independent artistic production, the Italian clothing brand partnered with the C2C Festival to celebrate contemporary music. The project aims to create a global sound map of avant-garde and new pop. This year, STONE ISLAND PRESENTS event took place in Berlin at Wilhelm Hallen, the former Winkelhof iron foundry, now transformed into a vast post-industrial space famous among the local creative community. On May 19th, 2022, a lineup of artists performed on the stage: Bill Kouligas, the founder and artistic director of PAN, Beatrice Dillon, who was declared “the most thrilling new voice in British electronic music” by The Guardian, and the Canadian group, Pelada. Then, the duo composed of Chris Vargas and Tobias Rochman made its appearance, followed by the unique performance by Warp Records Italian experimental musician and visual artist Lorenzo Senni. To close the event were Skee Mask AKA Bryan Müller and Kenyan artist KMRU. The result was multicolored chaos of genres to promote cultural independence and quality productions. VB

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

The Navitimer Cosmonaute: The Original “First Wristwatch in Space”

60 years after its journey to space, the mythic Navitimer Cosmonaute is once again set to lift off in a new release that pays tribute to the historic mission. Marking the occasion, Breitling is offering the first-ever public viewing of the original Cosmonaute, revealing the watch’s incredible story. 362 pieces of the tribute piece are available, recognizing both the spacecraft’s circumnavigations of the Earth, and the year the mission made history, marking a crucial step in crewed spaceflight. At first glance, the new Cosmonaute is very similar in appearance to the original, made timeless with an all-black dial and black alligator strap or seven-row stainless-steel bracelet. This time, the elegantly proportioned 41mm watch is packed with new features, including a platinum bezel that makes the edition even more of a collector’s piece. Whilst honoring the aesthetics of the original Cosmonaute, subtle updates work almost imperceptibly to give it its modern retro appeal. As a final tribute, the case back is engraved with the date of Carpenter’s mission, “ONE OF 362”, and the phrase “First Swiss wristwatch in space”. GH

www.breitling.com

Fashion

Balenciaga Spring 23 Fashion Show

Taking place in New York, on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Balenciaga’s Fashion Show unlocks a new chapter in the brand’s history by presenting a collection that is a mix of ready-to-wear, eveningwear, and Balenciaga x adidas. The models walked down the runway covered in black fetish bodysuits as obscure identities. Over this latex layer, they wore Demna Gvasalia’s creations which spanned from suiting, separates, and outerwear featuring bold silhouettes and precise tailoring with minimalist construction techniques. The collection also presented extra-formal clothing such as bodycon gowns, reconstructed tuxedos, floor-length silk trenches with trains, and the collaboration between Balenciaga and adidas. This line included a wide range of products from garments, shoes, and bags to jewelry and accessories embroidered with the adidas’ trefoil motif and Balenciaga logo reinterpreting Balenciaga’s creative language. In addition, the Spring 23 Collection includes the oversized, padded XL Pump, thick steroid boots, and the Stage Shoe featuring a heel-less sock pump on a flat platform connected only to its toe. VB

www.balenciaga.com

Fashion

Dior Maison Presents The Aquarius Collection

Approaching the summer season, Dior Maison has unveiled a new tableware collection dedicated to the fascinating underwater world. Sea creatures of all colors and shapes are hand-embroidered on white linen napkins and painted as frescos on ceramic plates. A golden fish, made of glass, seems to float inside a carafe, while a bigger specimen in luminous shades of blue and green serves as a centerpiece. The Aquarius Collection, as the previous one realized by Pierre Yovanovitch and inspired by places dear to Christian Dior in the south of France, celebrates a special site loved by him. Designed by Art Director Cordelia de Castellane, the new pieces are a poetic reference to the river that flows past the mill at Monsieur Dior's country home in Milly-la-Forêt. A haven of peace where Christian Dior found refuge, far from the hustle and bustle of Paris. VB

www.dior.com

Art

Gerhard Hofland Presents New Work by Johan Tahon, Michael Kirkham and Ralf Kokke

On the occasion of Art Rotterdam 2022, Galerie Gerhard Hofland presents new works by Johan Tahon as well as those of Michael Kirkham and Ralf Kokke. The Belgian artist studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and went undiscovered for several years until 1995, when Jan Hoet, the then-director of the SMAK, invited him to participate in the museum's new building's opening exhibition. Johan Tahon's works are a tangible and visual representation of his youth; his difficult situation at home forced him to reflect on the fundamental questions of life, bringing him to create masterpieces that border craft and invocation, hunger, and higher-calling. His sculptures combine different materials such as plaster, ceramics, and bronze. Their surface is turbulent, drenched in hand-mixed glazes of celestial blues, ancient whites, and more recently, silvers rendering the work both ethereal and aglow. In addition, fundamental parts of Johan Tahon’s art are collaborations, such as those with Lee Ronaldo of Sonic youth, Belgian Poet Peter Velhelst and Till Lindemann of Rammstein. The art fair will take place at Van Nelle Fabriek in Rotterdam from May 19 to 22. VB

www.artrotterdam.com
www.gerhardhofland.com

Fashion

Dior Men Spring ‘23: “California Couture”

“California Couture” not only refers to Christian Dior’s time spent on the West Coast, and the influence America had on the growth of his business but also to the region’s rise in importance in today’s fashion landscape. This resort collection was presented on an ocean-blue runway with two cresting waves for set pieces. Here, a merging of art and life took place, of art and fashion’s role in the artistic direction of the not-so-everyday silhouettes emerge. Cleverly, the collection captured perfection and subversion, tempered with a sincere appreciation of everything. Guest designer Eli Russell Linnetz, described the collection as “a coming together of chaos and perfectionism”, seen through the everyday sensibility that belies the precision of tailoring and mastery of fabric in the atelier. There is inside-out tailoring in Christian Dior’s classic gray, which is also a nod to Kim Jones’ first collection for the house. Kim Jones discussed that when designing this, “it was both familiar and revelatory; reaffirming why we both dreamed about working in fashion in the first place”. The collection pays homage to both designer's biographies, as well as infusing the Maison’s classic motifs writ larger than life. Repeated throughout is a quilting made from satin and leather on skate sneakers and the unraveling of crystal-encrusted trousers. The Dior Saddle bag is rendered in tinsel as well as molded gold metal with a skater-boy chain handle, and the sunglasses are named after Linnetz’s dog Lucky. GH

www.dior.com

Art

The Mondriaan Fund Presents The Exhibition Prospects During Art Rotterdam

Lovers of contemporary art can once again discover the work of emerging and established artists at Art Rotterdam 2022. This year's exhibition features some unique novelties, from outdoor installations to new projections and the expansion of “Prospects,” the Mondriaan Fund's exhibition. It is the 10th consecutive year that the public fund for visual art and cultural heritage in the Netherlands presents this kind of exhibition showing the work of 88 artists from 19 to 22 May 2022, helping them to kick start their careers thanks to a financial contribution. This time, the exhibition, curated by Johan Gustavsson in collaboration with junior curator Gabija Seiliute, is also on display in the Expedition Building, directly opposite the entrance to Art Rotterdam. Among the work of hundreds of artists from all over the world, the one who particularly stands out is Tarona with her artwork “Pivot.” It is an 11 minutes video that takes a closer look at Black performances in white spaces. Conceived as a contemporary interpretation of the famous "Serpentine Dance" (1899) by the Lumière brothers, the artwork shows a Black performer who resists the expectations of a white audience while dancing expressively in a striking golden dress that almost becomes a character in its own right. The video was made in collaboration with Chanel Vyent, Qianwei Tong, Sam van Eenbergen, Ivan Hidayat, Imane Saksou, Gaea Studio, and de Makeover Factory en Captcha!. VB

www.artrotterdam.com

Fashion

Versace by Fendi, Fendi by Versace

Not just a collaboration, but described by Kim Jones as “a swap, […] done out of friendship”, the output of Donatella Versace, Silvia Venturini Fendi, and Kim Jones is arguably a pinnacle of fashion collaborations. Named Fendace, the collaboration pays homage to the return to the nightclub. This reimagines classic silhouettes from both houses. Featuring the Versace chain mail and a Medusa motif on a nano Fendi baguette bag, as well as slick Fendi dresses that are stitched together with Versace safety pins. The collection takes on a more is more approach, where print and color is loud and emotive, and fun logoism is embraced. Further enhancing the garments are embellishments that gleam across gem-studded accessories and jewelry that combine the two houses' iconic brand codes. A unique moment in fashion, where the Fendi FF logo meets Versace’s Medusa, the collaboration is a clear statement of the collection’s intent to create authentic designs with respect for each fashion house at its core. This collection launched on May 12th through a series of global pop-ups at events that encapsulate the decadence of the Fendace experience. GH

www.versace.com
www.fendi.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton & Nike "Air Force 1" by Viril Abloh

Louis Vuitton is an iconic Maison, which looks back on immense heritage and history. Virgil Abloh was an iconic creative, who has shifted the fashion industry as a whole. The Nike “Air Force 1” is arguably one of the most iconic sneakers having been sold millions of times all across the world. This May, all three will come together, as Louis Vuitton is launching 9 editions of the iconic sneaker reimagined by Virgil Abloh. First presented to the world as part of the SS22 Men’s collection, the new creations are set to launch with various cultural happenings surrounding it, such as the exhibition Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh, which will take place at the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in New York City. This special showing brings together all the 47 editions of the Air Force 1 which Virgil Abloh has created through his inimitable lens. Each is an embodiment of Abloh’s deeper design philosophy aiming to erase the borders between “high and low”, celebrating the historical influence of Black subcultures on mainstream fashion, a true expression of humanity and unity. The exhibition offers its guests the opportunity to immerse themselves into Abloh’s mindset, perfectly captured by the intricate setup, with each piece bearing witness to Abloh’s philosophy. Additionally, the exhibition will extend itself through the whole city of New York with five installations, graphic globe sculptures, being placed throughout the city. FM

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Applications open for Cartier Women’s Initiative 2023

Cartier is once again seeking to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs through its Women’s Initiative program. This provides female changemakers with financial, social, and human capital support to grow their business and build their leadership skills. Launched in 2006, Cartier Women’s Initiative has supported 262 female entrepreneurs to support their businesses that are all driven to solve the most pressing global challenges. Since its 15th anniversary on International Women’s Day, the program has been looking for ways to extend opportunities to more entrepreneurs around the world and ensure the program evolves alongside new developments in its global ecosystem. Because of this, for its 2023 edition, the program is expanding with the creation of new Regional and Thematic Awards. The Regional Awards will be expanded to two new regional categories: Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. This is to increase the impact of the program and refine its support to different regions. Three fellows will be selected from each of the nine regions. In addition to the Science and Technology Pioneer award launched in 2021, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award will be created to encourage entrepreneurial solutions designed to close gaps in access, outcome, or opportunities that have been underrepresented or unserved. Based on being around inclusivity, this pilot award is open to all genders, three fellows will be selected for each of these two thematic awards. Impact entrepreneurs across the globe can apply from May 16th, 2022, until June 30th, 2022 for these awards. The top three applicants for each award will be announced in April 2023, and the awardees will be selected by the jury during the Cartier Women’s Initiative awards ceremony in May 2023. The first-place awardee will take home $100,000 in grants, while the second and third places will respectfully receive $60,000 and $30,000. Finally, the 33 awardees will all benefit from tailored mentoring and coaching, media visibility, networking opportunities, and the in-person INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Program and Executive Education program. GH

www.cartier.com
www.insead.edu

Fashion

La Grande Dame 2012 x Yayoi Kusama

Today, the destinies of Veuve Clicquot and Yayoi Kusama have converged in an unparalleled collaboration. The Champagne house based in Reims has unveiled the new La Grande Dame 2012 Edition, an artistically decorated magnum bottle supplemented by an exceptional object reminiscent of a flower created by the Japanese artist. Entitled "My Heart that Blooms in the Darkness of the Night," this unique and colorful work of art is a symbol of love and optimism. Yayoi Kusama is one of the most successful contemporary artists, becoming famous for her signature polka dots. A signature pattern that she reworked for this special occasion to symbolize the perlage of the champagne. This collaboration is not the first time they have met. It all started in 2006 when the artist created a portrait of Madame Clicquot covered in red polka dots for a charity auction in Tokyo. But this time, their partnership reaches a new sparkling, daring, and optimistic climax. L'Objet d'Art that wraps La Grande Dame 2012 Magnum, with happiness and vibrancy, celebrates the joie de vivre. In addition, Yayoi Kusama designed La Grande Dame 2012 Limited Edition (0.75l) which will be available from June. While the "My Heart that Blooms in the Darkness of the Night" artwork is available exclusively on request through Moët Hennessy Private Sales. VB

www.veuveclicquot.com

Fashion

Château Ducru-Beaucaillou by Maison Sarah Lavoine

Interior Architecture Studio Maison Sarah Lavoine has unveiled a new project: the renovation of the prestigious Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, an estate located on the eponymous winery. A historic place that features tapestry and architectural details of the 18th century, with an area of 400m2 and 105 hectares of vineyards. Maison Sarah Lavoine, who since 2012 has offered an Art of Living, a lifestyle, which combines sophistication and a modern touch, has used its core values to face this challenge. The designer’s idea was to take into account the history of the site, magnify it, and respect the wishes of the owner Bruno-Eugène Borie, a great art collector. She wanted to sublimate the classic soul of an exceptional estate. Therefore, the Architecture Studio, working on reviving the private areas and reception rooms, has opted for a mixture of periods and styles, combining classical details with contemporary lines. In the entrance, Laurel walls and Charcoal colored woodwork echo a pre-existing graphic marble floor, in the living room, the walls and ceilings are painted in a warm Midnight blue, a signature color of the Maison, and in the dining room, an old tapestry has been discovered, redesigned, and highlighted with a deep China Tea color. This hue also takes up residence in the kitchen, with brass grill panels, Bordeaux stone, and walnut. This harmonious quartet creates a cozy atmosphere. Lastly, the bedroom, painted in Sarah Blue, follows the principle of Feng Shui. VB

www.maisonsarahlavoine.com

Fashion

Bulgari And Save The Children Campaign: “My Wish For You”

To celebrate Mother’s Day, Bulgari has teamed up with Save The Children in a unique campaign titled "My wish for you." Their partnership started 13 years ago, and since the beginning, Bulgari has donated more than $100 million to the charity organization helping 2 million unprivileged children worldwide through four different areas of intervention: education, poverty alleviation, youth empowerment, and emergency response. This time, the fine jewelry brand, thanks to this new initiative, not only portrays Mother’s Day in a beautiful way but also contributes to funding programs to support children in difficult humanitarian situations, giving Save The Children €75 for each piece they will sell. Bulgari wants to offer everyone a life full of love, where children feel supported in their own choices and decisions, where they can pursue their ambitions and achieve their goals. VB

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Luxury Essential

Moose Knuckles Canada has unveiled its new Luxury Essential styles from the SS22 Collection. The Canadian brand, known worldwide for crafting resilient garments for the most unforgiving conditions, from the tundra to the city, has designed new pieces exclusively for the summer season, addressing everyone's need to stay and look cool. The Luxury Essentials line presents familiar outerwear and sportswear morphed into more relaxed silhouettes to maximize airflow and minimize restriction to movements. In this way, Moose Knuckles offers a luxurious yet casual attire consisting of coordinated sets and matchable pieces made of french terry 360 sustainable cotton blend. For women, the brand created four different looks that include the Dunes Trucker Jacket, Bayside Hoodie, Malibu Pants, and Sonoma Shorts, while for men, it realized a range of products such as the Wabasso Pullover, Wabasso Jogger, Siesta Key Hoodie, Greyfield Pullover and many others, that express the same irreverent spirit and energy typical of the Canadian brand. VB

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

A Watch For Champions

Hublot, in partnership with UEFA Champions League has created a new, exclusive edition of the Big Bang Unico: a watch made to capture the greatest soccer moments. The Swiss watchmaker started its collaboration with the world's greatest club competition on the occasion of the UEFA EURO in 2008, and since then, it has been part of unforgettable moments. In 2015, the brand was appointed as the official timekeeper and watch brand of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, as well as the official supplier of referees' timepieces. Then, in 2018 Hublot became a partner of the UEFA Europa Conference League, and in 2019 joined the UEFA Women's Champions League. In football competitions, dynamism and time are key factors, and Hublot is the ideal partner for measuring time with extreme precision. This year, to celebrate seven years of collaboration, the Swiss brand has decided to present a new 100-piece limited edition Big Bang Unico made of glass-bead blasted ceramic, wrapped in the iconic UEFA Champions League blue. The new timepiece also features the Hublot Manufacture Unico 2 chronograph movement, a highly complicated, innovative movement that will measure the decisive moments on the pitch. VB

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Dior Fall 2022 in Seoul

Dior and Ewha Womans University in Seoul have joined hands to celebrate youth, education, and hope. Here, the Maison presented its FW22 collection that represented visual poetry, a dialogue between the history of Dior and the ever-changing constellation that is the contemporary world. The transmission of savoir-faire, education, and sisterhood have always been fundamental values at the heart of Dior culture. Thus, these shared values with Ewha Womans University make it the perfect setting for launching the collection surrounding the symbol of a new sisterhood, with the motto L’union fait la force (strength through unity). To add more celebration in Korea, Dior will also be hosting a one-of-a-kind concept store in Seongsu-dong, a former industrial zone that is now one of the trendiest and most innovative neighborhoods in Seoul. Maria Grazia Chiuri became interested in school outfits and, above all, in the way students dust off, revamp, and update the tropes of these garments, personalizing with distinctive details, verging on punk overtones, before venturing through urban landscapes in search of spaces of freedom. The collection is composed of pleated skirts, black and white, kilts; jackets that borrow from men’s wardrobe, rethinking the iconic Bar jacket; men’s long coats and ultra-short skirts; biker shorts matched with white blouses and black ties. Elsewhere, 3D embroidery reveals itself through knitwear, while a fantastic, pixelated zodiac is rendered in the style of a video game. By continuing to uphold its social responsibilities, Dior is also offering a supportive and comprehensive CSR program at Ewha Womans University, providing students with a scholarship, a Women@Dior Internship Program, Retail Management Training Program, and masterclasses from the Maison’s leaders, giving students a platform to express their personality and opinions openly and creatively. This reflects the show's presentation of looks that overall evoke the concepts of involvement, communication, and sharing. GH

www.dior.com

Fashion

Saul Nash Wins International Woolmark Prize 2022

The expert jury of the International Woolmark Prize 2022, including Ben Gorham, Carine Roitfeld, Edward Enninful OBE, Ibrahim Kamara, Naomi Campbell, Pieter Mulier, and many others, has announced Saul Nash as the winner of this year's edition. MMUSOMAXWELL received the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation. The 2022 event, in partnership with the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, celebrated the art of play: the immersive final exhibition in London was inspired by Isamu Noguchi's sculptural playscapes, offering the possibility to physically and socially interact. The seven finalists, each of which presented a collection that explored textiles, design, and responsible business practices to drive change and innovation for a cleaner, brighter future, had the chance to showcase their creations surrounded by colorful and architectural displays. The winner, London-based designer Saul Nash, crafted a collection using deadstock, recycled membranes, and zero-waste technology to push the boundaries of sustainable design. The whole features a modern use of Merino wool, building a link between active solutions and more formal requirements. VB

www.woolmarkprize.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Idylle Blossom

From the range of voluptuous and full curves to the more tapered and slender, the Idylle Blossom flowers are true embodiments of Louis Vuitton’s heritage and savoir-faire, as delicate blossoms meet brilliant stars. The Monogram Flower has been the Maison’s iconic signature since 1896. Therefore, for the tenth anniversary of the emblematic collection, the Idylle Blossom, both original designs and new interpretations are adorned with diamonds, yielding a contemporary yet refined elegance. Celebrating the beauty of imagination, the new everyday essentials can be stylistically repeated and layered or worn alone. This versatility makes them suited to be worn for any mood or occasion. One or more necklaces draped from the neck could enhance the skin with dazzling radiance. Coupled with a pair of hoop earrings, adorned with Monogram Flowers, could perfectly frame the face. These can also be embellished with ear cuffs, rings, or reversible studs that display the Maison’s motifs with Louis Vuitton’s initials on one side and the Monogram Flower on the other. Each of the Monogram Flowers complements a shade of rose, yellow or white gold, accentuating brilliant-cut diamonds, and rendering these creations undeniably feminine and sensual. The versatility of each piece hides multiple styles within each design, allowing the wearer to change their look without changing jewelry. The signature of the collection is the Idylle Blossom ring, taking on a refined aesthetic of the season, this truly embodies the contemporary, dazzling, and free style within the collection. GH

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Bottega Veneta & NTS announce Bottega Radio

Global music platform and radio station NTS has joined forces with Bottega Veneta for a new cultural partnership and monthly radio series, celebrating the craft behind music by collaborating with emerging and established musicians. The radio will be ongoing throughout this year, opening new conversations between NTS residents and guest stars through a series of collaboratively produced musical soundscapes, airing under the new title of Bottega Radio. For an insight into what is to come, the first episode features autotune enthusiast Tim Zha, otherwise known as Organ Tapes, working together with L.A’s Jazmin, an expert in Latin music and resident host for NTS show Como La Flor. Launched on April 7th the series took off with a party at Stone Nest in London’s West End, featuring DJ sets and live performances from PLZ Make It Ruins boss and Frank Ocean collaborator Vegyn, experimental hip-hop auteur Slauson Malone, producer-rapper John Glacier, collaborative duo Sky and Mika Oki and the ever-elusive Dean Blunt. The first episode of Bottega Radio aired on NTS 2 at 09:00 am on April 8th and can be listened back via the Bottega Veneta App. GH

www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

The Game of Opposites: Ferragamo Cage Bag SS22

Colorful and versatile is what characterizes the unique expression of Ferragamo savoir-faire, producing the newest icon set to steal the limelight for SS22, the Ferragamo Cage Bag. The house is no stranger to innovation, and this piece is no exception. By merging the forces of a sleek woven leather bucket bag structure with an interchangeable pouch, a special two bags in one is created. The inside drawstring bag can be taken right out and, interchangeable, it comes in leather, in the same or a contrasting variety of color choices, in natural fabric, or silk with a scarf print from the archives, reworked for the summer season. Crafted to be lightweight with a convenient crossbody style option, the bag emphasizes the brand’s exceptional leatherwork, while evolving for today’s less-is-more philosophy. A digital campaign for the bag has been created with the game of opposites in mind, determining the very essence of contemporary luxury. Mariacarla Boscono’s explosive personality is the muse that embodies the contemporary vision of the House through its Cage Bag. The film has a theatrical deal to it that keeps the focus firmly on the product and the double soul of the bag, becoming a physical extension of the woman carrying it. The Ferragamo Cage Bag campaign is an intimate portrait of the ability to embrace multiple souls in one. GH

www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

Virgil Abloh and Mercedes-Maybach Create The Ultimate Legacy Car

Mercedes–Maybach and Virgil Abloh have presented the ultimate legacy car. The project MAYBACH, born from the creative cooperation between the luxury car manufacturer and the late polymath artist, architect, creative director, and fashion designer Virgil Abloh, has come to an end, unveiling its last chapter. The new vehicle, which was finalized before Abloh's untimely passing in November, represents the symbiosis between innovative design and ultimate craftsmanship, setting the new boundaries of luxury experiences. The Maybach by Virgil Abloh is a fully equipped Mercedes-Maybach S-Class S680, a one-of-a-kind model from exterior to interior, designed in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Group AG Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener. The vehicle exterior, presented in a two-tone color scheme developed for Project MAYBACH, features the upper half of the car lacquered in a glossy obsidian black and the lower section, side flanks, and custom forged rims painted in a sand hue. While not to be outdone, is the vehicle's interior crafted with an identical two-tone color scheme and a special Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh logo inscribed on the center console panel. In addition, the limited-edition S-Class features ultimate cutting-edge technologies such as a bespoke user interface. The result is a car that creates a truly exceptional customer experience, ensuring maximum comfort and safety. The launch of the limited-edition bespoke S-Class coincides with the release of a capsule collection designed by Virgil Abloh and in collaboration with Off-White, which includes sand-colored t-shirts, hoodies, baseball caps, and racing gloves refined with a black spray effect. VB

www.mercedes-benz.com

Art

MOLOCH: The New Solo Exhibition by Martin Eder

The artist organization Augsburg Die Ecke e.V. in collaboration with the Kunstsammlungen und Museen Augsburg present MOLOCH, a solo exhibition by Berlin-based artist Martin Eder. Held at H1 – Zentrum für Gegenwartskunst im Glaspalast Augsburg until June 12, 2022, the exhibition will display over 50 works, spanning over a decade of Eder's career. Since the beginning of his career, Martin Eder has always explored the illusory possibilities of painting and their meaning. His art does not want to answer questions but to provoke: the sentimental, the filthy, and the sublime are the core elements of his works that break the generally accepted notions of what fine art should be, undermining conventional hierarchies of images and subjects. Eder’s oil paintings reveal surreal encounters, cute kittens, and cuddly puppies juxtaposed with candid nudes in a combination of beauty and ugliness. The artist explores the uncanny, all that is strange and mysterious in this world. The exhibition, made possible by the support of various German and European art collectors, is paired with the release of a catalog on May 21, 2022, and the presentation of three motifs selected by the artist and produced in a limited edition of 25 pieces. VB

www.martineder.com
www.kunstsammlungen-museen.augsburg.de

Fashion

Alanui x Suicoke SS22

Tropical vibes through the vibrant colors of the Alanui island make us yearn for the summer season. This call has been answered, with the third chapter of the collaboration of Alanui with Japanese footwear brand Suicoke, an embodiment of what we need this season. The perfect blend of Alanui’s signature bandana graphics with the unisex Suicoke Moto Fringed slippers presents us with cool and eye-catching styles, perfect for the sun. The footwear is characterized by the iconic bandana pattern and embellished with multicolor fringes that feature recycled plastic beads. These come in a wide range of exciting colors: ocean turquoise, bright orange, yellow lime, and military green, fitting to the theme. The newest addition to the collaboration is a brand new laced-up sandal. This is an Alanui twist to the Suicoke GUT Sandal, presented in black, military green, and sugar brown. Timeless and emblematic, the silhouette features a chunky rubber sole and tassels, embellished with multicolor recycled plastic beads, seashells, and the iconic Saint Cristopher medal. The collection is available now online at Alanui, right on time for the alluring summer. GH

www.alanui.it

Fashion

Hublot: Art of Fusion

For the first time, Hublot is being represented at the Watches and Wonder fair in Geneva. Proudly presented, are the four novelties that underline the house’s masterful “Art of Fusion”:
The Hublot Big Bang Integral Ceramic is displayed in its integral element. Made integral by the monobloc architecture, with a bracelet integrated into the case, monomaterial made from ceramic, and four new monochrome colorways: blue indigo, sky blue, sand beige, and jungle green. Each model is available with a limited edition of 250 pieces. The piece is equipped with a slimmer design, new architecture, easier assembly, and enhanced legibility and functionality.
The Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Purple Sapphire is a new frontier for the art of sapphire. This new, powerful, expressive, and precise shade of purple shows the subtle alchemy that has gone into extensive research and development. The complex design made from the disruptive sapphire material reaffirms the brand’s Motto: to be first, unique, and different. What truly separates this watch from the rest is that when wearings its Tourbillon next to the skin, there is a sensation of a completely translucent case that reveals every detail.
Five years of collaboration between Hublot and Orlinski has led to now, where they have unveiled the missing link of the shared collection: a series of watches adorned with a new metallic bracelet using the facets of the French artist’s famous sculptures. Suited to all wrists and all genders, four versions of the watch are cleverly made by fitting the Classic Fusion Orlinski Bracelet with a new integrated metallic bracelet. Like a jeweled piece of art, the architecture is beveled and faceted in titanium and composed of 83 parts.
Inspired by the brand’s iconic Big Bang, Hublot is introducing its own interpretation of the square watch, new geometry for the watchmaker. This adds a new pillar, “The Shaped Collection” to sit alongside the Spirit of the Big Bang. Unlike other brands, Hublot has taken the approach of hiding non of its movement. The chronograph has a column wheel visible at 6 o’clock, while its bicompax display dispenses with a dial, to reveal its secret inner workings. A collector’s edition of this model is also available in all black, limited to a minuscule 250 copies. This is a rare design for those who prefer to take the path less traveled. GH

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Opens in Seoul

The contemporary Italian restaurant Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura has landed in Seoul. The third venue outside Italy, after Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and Gucci Namiki in Ginza is located on the top floor of the Gucci Goak flagship store in the district of Itaewon and has already opened bookings on its website. Mixing creativity, elegance, playfulness, and sensuality with traditional Italian cuisine, Gucci Osteria Seoul offers a unique dining experience that incorporates the diversity and identity of its location. The menu, developed by internationally acclaimed chef Massimo Bottura, Karime Lopez, Davide Cardellini, and Seoul Executive Chef Hyungkyu Jun, is a fusion of Italian and Korean cultures, juxtaposing signature dishes such as Tortellini with Parmigiano Reggiano Cream with new seasonal Korean-inspired creations. The restaurant is ready to welcome its guests and serve lunch, dinner, and Italian aperitivo. The experience is made even more exclusive thanks to the interior design inspired by the original Florence outpost, with references to the Italian Renaissance and the eclectic mix of aesthetics embraced by Gucci. The Gucci Osteria Seoul da Massimo Bottura evokes the atmosphere of a winter garden with a color palette composed of vibrant greens spread from the bar patio doors to the velvet chairs. VB

www.gucciosteria.com

Fashion

Colmar SS22: New Optimistic World

The Colmar SS22 contemporary designs radiate an energy of inspiration, emerging from technology, art, communication, style, materials, and thoughts. A wide variety of cuts were designed to adapt to the four themes that are in each collection, perfectly adapting to a person’s individualistic needs in everyday life. The first theme is derived from welcoming spring, expressed by lightness and freedom, the pieces reinterpret well-known classics for better functionality. Within this theme is a versatile array of garments in both men's and women’s collections. The men’s collection includes a range of various types of jackets, suitable for the season and give a sporty look, three of these are water-repellent and made of polyester microfiber. Nine feminine garments are in the women’s collection, ranging from pastel shades and bright colors to classic, neutral tones. These are embellished with accessories with a silver finish that makes the jacket more radiant. For the second season in a row, Colmar Originals is focusing the collection on environmental friendliness, using the mottos “Recycled” and “Biodegradable” making these the second theme. The brand has put great efforts into ensuring that the men’s and womenswear are made of durable materials that are as eco-friendly as possible. The third theme of the campaign, mid-season, presents a range of garments for spring’s interchangeable weather. Unlined jackets can be paired with sweatshirts, polo shirts, or t-shirts, while there are all jackets made of a three-layer fabric, which is created by processing elastic stretch material and soft jerseys. The fourth theme consists of light garments: colorful designs, graphics, and personalization for a stylish summer look. Available for men are a wide range of polyester-cotton sweatshirts, swim trunks, and more. For women, similar but more pastel feminine designs are available to be paired with palazzo trousers and shorts. An additional special campaign was introduced as part of this, the first themed father and son, while the second represents the mountains and skiing, a true connection to the brand. GH

www.colmar.it

Art

Reflex Amsterdam: Daido Moriyama ’71 New York

Reflex Amsterdam has announced that it will premier the first exhibition featuring a large selection from Daido Moriyama’s Another Country in New York. The photographs featured are all in the artist’s signature style: rough, out of focus, and grainy. This represents the photographer’s belief that the art of photography should not be used as a sharp tool, but instead to capture reality in its essence; exciting and chaotic. The collection displays Moriyama’s first trip to New York in ’71. The miscellaneous frames, dynamic digital compositions, and flashing lights capture the overwhelming sense of the urban landscape. After being printed 20 years ago, the photographs have never been shown in completion and have been hidden in the archive, making the exhibition so much more special for lovers of vintage photography. The title of the series is based on the book by James Baldwin, Another Country. Reflected in the photograph series, the book illustrates the urban buzz within New York City. The blurriness of the works displayed are not to be mistaken as an attempt to solve the urban mystery but are simply there to capture its essence. This sense of mystery is reflected in the double prints, where two images are paired that reveal stark oppositions or overwhelming impressions of the city. Born in ’38, Daido Moriyama became an independent photographer in ‘64, publishing his first books Nippon Gekijo Shashincho in ’68 and Shashin yo Sayounara in ’72, both depicting the darker sides of urban life and the city of Tokyo. The exhibition is due to open on March 26th alongside some solo exhibitions at Reflex, Amsterdam. GH

www.reflexamsterdam.com

Fashion

Hogan Enters The Metaverse

Hogan has teamed up with Exclusible and Boson Protocol for the first Metaverse Fashion Week in Decentraland. Exclusible, the fast-growing marketplace for luxury NFTs and Italian luxury House Hogan will debut the brand’s first NFT drop at a special “Hogan-X” afterparty on March 26th. The event will present the first-ever dance competition in the virtual world, with prizes consisting of POAPs, pre-sale NFT spots, and exclusive NFTs, and will be hosted by acclaimed Dj superstar Bob Sinclair. The “Hogan Untraditional NFT Collection” lets Hogan takes a stand from traditional to untraditional, from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0. It is an edgy and immersive collection that celebrates the re-edition of the brand’s first-ever sneaker. This item, conceived as a white canvas, is reinterpreted, without any creative limitations, by several artists such as Silvio Rondelli, Yoann De Geetere, Linear, Vincent Ghiotti, and Finn Berenbroek. It is an innovative approach that sets the standard in how the ethos of the Web 3.0 community should be celebrated, cherished, and communicated. After the “Hogan-X” afterparty premiere, the NFTs artists series will be available for sale to the public on April 3rd, 2022, on Exclusible’s website. In addition, a virtual pop-up store in partnership with Boson Protocol, a metaverse marketplace for buying luxury and exclusive physical products as NFTs, will be located in Decentraland. VB

www.hogan.com

Fashion

Hublot Campaign with Kylian Mbappé

Footballer Kylian Mbappé is the new face of Hublot’s latest campaign. He is the perfect fit for the brand based on his shared values with Creative Director Ezra Petronio of having long-standing respect for creativity, work, integrity, and the quest for perfection. Kylian Mbappé is considered one of the world’s best footballers, his sporting intelligence, spirit, and dedication are perfectly captured in the watch collection. He has stated that “I love simplicity and the beauty of lasting things that have a soul”. The brand has discussed that the intensity of his direct gaze and his openness that the internationally-acclaimed photographer chose to focus for the new campaign. Ezra Petronio has said, “what fascinates me about Kylian - apart from his creativity and the perfection of his art - is his passion, his intelligence, and the inner strength that drives him”. This aesthetic is captured well in the campaign images as well as Hublot’s tendencies of consistently being ahead of the curve with a highly visionary future. GH

 

www.hublot.com 

Fashion

Versace Jeans Couture SS22 Campaign

The Versace Jeans Couture SS22 Campaign reinterprets the coming-of-age story reflecting the new season collection’s mood of youthful experimentation and possibility. Versace Jeans Couture presented for the SS22 season a Women’s collection made of romantic and sensual silhouettes with a contemporary twist: printed jackets paired with matching skorts and skirts, twin sets and slip dresses reimagined with ruffled flounces; and chunky footwear to add a contrasting street edge to soft, pastel, and floral ensembles. While, for men, the Italian brand presented a range of clothing with a sportier attitude influenced by the American culture. The collections convey a young and carefree outlook that has been reinterpreted in a series of images by Finnish photographer Osma Harvilahti for the new Versace Jeans Couture campaign. Through his playful and colorful style, Harvilahti tells an optimistic story of youth, portraying the models full of joy and spontaneity as they fool around and reclaim their suburban environment. The images focus on the intensity, purity, and uncontrolled emotion of young adulthood echoing through the collection’s eruption of clashing prints and color, with looks that feel haphazardly put together reflecting the young cast’s embrace of life in its myriad forms. VB

www.versace.com

Fashion

Tommy Hilfiger: “Make Your Move” Brand Campaign

“For me, fashion has always been about celebrating individuality and self-expression”, says Tommy Hilfiger when describing the brand’s new “Make Your Move” campaign. This features Grammy-winning, Golden Globe and Emmy nominated performer Antony Ramos. The campaign is a vibrant clash of modern prep styles from the Spring 2022 Tommy Hilfiger collection with Anthony’s world of music and pop culture, resulting in a fresh take on iconic pieces. The campaign has been launched online and in select Tommy Hilfiger flagship stores. Storefronts will feature a QR code that activates augmented reality mannequins on Instagram. These will showcase dance moves and encourage fans to take photos with them to share on social channels. Elevating this campaign to a different dimension, a #MoveWithTommy TikTok activation will take place in April. Here, users can give their interpretation of Modern Prep to the “Stand Up” soundtrack by Grammy-nominated American rapper Ludacris. This song will be featured on all video assets with sound throughout the Spring campaign, as well as on dedicated social activations and across the brand’s digital advertising platforms. Hilfiger has described this as the brand “embracing the best of modern technology to bring this message to our fans around the world, and I’m excited to invite them to Make Your Move”. Anthony Ramos showcases modern prep styles in new silhouettes, including the double pleated chino as well as fresh patterns as seen in the mixed striped icon sweater, all with an understated collegiate code. The campaign further features a diverse cast of talents and a select mix of dancers. The Spring 2022 Tommy Hilfiger collection celebrates stylistic self-expression with key pieces in both the men’s and women’s collections. Building on the brand’s mission to waste nothing and welcome all, the collection is made using more sustainable methods and materials, and is now available online and in Tommy Hilfiger stores worldwide. GH

www.tommy.com

Fashion

The Next Era

The Dior FW22 Collection is suspended between present and future, beating to the rhythm of simultaneity and synchronicity, in tune with the times. Surrounded by a gallery of paintings created by Italian artist Mariella Bettineschi, the show has brought on stage Maria Grazia Chiuri’s concept of (re)constructing a performative relationship between the body and the garment in a succession of operations associating forms, savoir-faire, materials, and futuristic technologies. Titled “The Next Era,” this art installation is composed of large-scale portraits of women from the history of painting from the 16th to the 19th Century, that with their cut-up, stacked eyes question the judgment that has conditioned women past and present. Dior’s Creative Director has presented a hybrid collection that opens up unsuspected creativity through the use of embroidery, which adorns technical knitwear, waterproof materials, nylon, and cashmere. In addition, Maria Grazia Chiuri revisited heritage to conceive the lines of tomorrow, reinterpreting the iconic Bar jacket. The original structure has turned into a system that manages the body humidity and warms it up using novel techniques created in the D-Air lab laboratories, while a bodysuit keeps the temperature constant. VB

www.dior.com

Fashion

Exclusives by G-Star RAW: Innovative designs meet elevated constructions

Exclusives by G-Star RAW encapsulates the limitless creativity of the brand. Inspired by the Dakar Rally, the designs are expressed without restraint whilst employing the G-Star DNA in its purest, most extrovert form. Rising Berlin-based talent, Langston Uibel is featured in the recent campaign shoot for the brand. Features within the garments mimic those of the hard-wearing “Enduro” equipment, developed solely for the demanding racing environment. Bold and complex, the garments each include surprising elements such as reversible features and unusual silhouettes, coinciding with an ease of wearability. The palette is inspired by desert tones, ready for the Spring season. Another inspiration from the collection is drawn from Japanese workwear, which originates from the Japanese military uniform. The design team experimented with denim-focused garments to create elevated and refined styles with a considered, conceptual twist. Aspects taken from these uncompromising and unique garments include a wider leg with an abruptly narrower fit at the calf. Superior construction techniques, premium fabrics, and hybrid design features aim to encapsulate the stories behind each piece in the collection. Each piece with slight inspiration from the G-star RAW archive, the collection consists of a high fashion trench coat, a 72H lifesuit, washed leather jacket, lifevest shirt, bomber jacket, and cropped jeans. The Exclusives by G-Star RAW became available in selected stores and online from February 17th, 2022. GH

www.g-star.com

Fashion

LOEWE x On

LOEWE has announced a collaboration with performance brand On with a limited-edition capsule collection of shoes and apparel designed for modern adventure. The designs reimagine long-established craft skills, combining a focus on sustainability with an emphasis on applying the handmade to technical pieces. In the collection are LOEWE editions of On’s iconic Cloudventure and Cloudrock performance shoes for both men and women. This outdoor footwear is available in five colorways with six ready to wear pieces for women, and seven for men, each built with a unique blend of performance properties and key On features - weather adaptable Running Pants, a moisture-wicking Waterproof Anorak, temperature regulating Performance-T t-shirts, and a unisex customizable insulation three-layer Parka. Each of the ready-to-wear pieces is available in two colorways for each gender: an organic palette of khaki, blue, and orange that takes inspiration from nature, applied, applied in gradient effects that suggest prolonged exposure to the elements en plein air. Alongside the Japanese sashiko-inspired needlework print that resembles a starry night, these effects are the result of a meticulous technical process to craft the perfect color and pattern. The finishing process is carried out by hand, ensuring that the printed gradients match across all components of each item. Similarly, the marble effect soles are processed individually and manually, making each shoe unique. There is extensive use of recycled polyester for production to be responsible. The collection launched on March 9th online and in selected LOEWE stores on March 10th. GH

www.loewe.com
www.on-running.com

Fashion

Hermès FW22

“It’s really about how do you translate classicism and sophistication and chic into the idea of a woman really assuming her femininity? The fact that sex is ok-it’s not something to be ashamed of”, said Hermes Creative Director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski when describing the message behind the brand’s FW22 ready-to-wear collection. Showcased during Paris Fashion week, the imagery presents us with the female-gaze point of view on the subject of skin exposure that is emerging from a rising generation of female designers across the United States, Europe, and China. An example of the presentation is body-mapped shorts, in abbreviated, engineered shapes of knitted onesies and form-hugging leather. Another is the manipulation of opaque-sheer techniques in narrow stripe formation, this shadow-play geometry is seen on sweaters and flared skirts with its vertical stripes of leather interlinked with semitransparent lacy panels. Despite exploring the body-con trend and other features of modernity in a wonderful way, the collection sticks to the brand’s well-known features that maintain the label’s attraction. This attraction is in its signature coats, whether they be formal, country, or to be worn in the city. The minimal, easy-to-style coats in a variety of black, white, and brown shades maintain the signature of Hermès outerwear being built to carry on its super-luxe heritage. GH

www.hermes.com

Fashion

032C WORKSHOP X SNIPES

SNIPES and 032c WORKSHOP just launched their exclusive capsule collection titled BREAKING BARRIERS. With it, both brands showcase their distinct take on streetwear, and influential creators and VIPs from the realms of fashion, street style, and arts flocked to 032c WORKSHOP’s pop-up shop in Berlin for a sneak peek. TJ TurnUp, rappers Ufo361, and ASAP Nast, as well as celebrity stylist Bloody Osiris, were among the illustrious crowd. In 2016, 032c WORKSHOP started out as the merchandise extension of the eponymous Berlin-based magazine and has since gained a cult following in its own right, with drops generally being sold out in a heartbeat. And this unisex streetwear collection goes to show how perfectly their creative approach vibes with SNIPES. Having been started in 1998 in Germany, SNIPES has since evolved into a true household name in the realms of streetwear and sneakers having expanded widely into different European markets and the United States. Together, they have also added graffiti icon MODE2 to the roster, who contributed graphic elements to the designs. The result of the creative hive mind? An intersection of high fashion and authentic style influences directly from the streets. BREAKING BARRIERS features understated, contemporary streetwear essentials from accessories such as laces, socks, and bags to track pants, shirts, and jackets with impeccable details. The muted color palette of greys and black with some pops of bright green provides the perfect canvas for logo prints and MODE2’s intricate artworks.

032c WORKSHOP x SNIPES limited BREAKING BARRIERS collection will drop on March 5, 2022, in 8 select SNIPES stores across Europe and online.

www.snipes.com

Fashion

Marni's Objects of Affection

For the FW22 Season, Marni presented a collection about courage, time, and feelings condensed into objects of affection that are kept, cherished, and mended. These objects are like an identity card for the show protagonists: talismans to which their courage is attached. Marni, the Italian luxury fashion house with a history of humanist values combined with an experimental approach to materials and colors, is a state of mind, a playful spirit more than a brand. It is an expression of quirky elegance with an avant-garde attitude that holds a constant dialogue with the world of art. With the FW22 collection, Marni wanted to tell a story where objects were part of the plot. Objects inspired by tradition, mended objects, objects that seemed stolen from a museum, all jumbled together. While models shared the same wardrobe, each one of them was wearing clothes in their way and mixing them with their items of affection. They walked down the runway in big coats, shredded dresses and trousers, shrunken jackets, and outsized jumpers with sleeves dangling to the floor. To complete the collection, sartorial suits completely handmade by Attolini captured the emotion of tradition in the touch of the hand, defying mechanical reproduction. Old things become new, assembled with courage and affection. VB

www.marni.com

Fashion

Walk of Fame

Missoni, the brand that stands for zigzags, presented its FW22 Collection during Milan Fashion Week: a unique show that portrayed an array of celebrities walking down the runway. Founded in 1953, the Italian brand is a synonym of impeccable knitwear, refined tones, and meticulous details that, for this season, are reinvented through clothes with imperfections and cuts, adding a patina of fondness as if telling a long story. The FW22 Collection pays homage to the inner strength that pushes someone out of their comfort zone. It features feminine and masculine shapes combined, while light, bright, opaque, soft, metallic, and shiny materials complete the whole. An unexpected lifestyle enters the wardrobe given by a unique mash-up. This new lifestyle is, then, interpreted by different women and bodies. Missoni wanted to represent a strong and sweet woman, assertive and private, alternating between melodic and rock in the rhythm of a heartbeat. Celebrities such as model and actress Elisa Sednaoui, wearing a zebra motif maxi cape and a cream utility leather jumpsuit, appeared on the catwalk. But also Italian actress Greta Ferro, with a black and white geometric pattern knit with ultra baggy alpaca work pants, American actress and producer Marsai Martin, and French surfer Victoria Vergara took part at the fashion show. Not to mention top model Eva Herzigova, who wore a multicolor skin-tight knitted dress with a metallic coating. In addition, leading names of the Italian and international scene appeared on Missoni’s guest list. Mia Regan, Maria Sole Pollio, Veronica Yoko, and Lorenzo Viotti, among many others, attended the FW22 Show. VB

www.missoni.com

Fashion

Blooms With Furla

During Milan Fashion Week, Furla launched the Bloom Bag, a new item that marks an important step towards a greener future. With a long craftsmanship tradition linked to a stylish design, Furla is a one-of-a-kind brand that has always preserved its traditional roots while keeping up with the times. In fact, for this season, the Italian House, according to current trends and to do a step towards the environment, decided to embrace new sustainable materials and technologies. Furla presented The Bloom Bag 1927 crafted with a unique paper whose main component is FSC® certified wood pulp. The result is a product made of organic substances, biodegradable under controlled composting conditions, and free of petroleum-derived elements. The Bloom Bag is a revolutionary accessory that recalls the ancient Japanese art of folding paper. It is flexible, supple, and light, just like an origami flower, and it expresses the beauty of craftsmanship and Italian style. Complex in its simplicity, beautiful and functional, the handbag becomes a precious product celebrating change, joy, and blooms. VB

www.furla.com

Fashion

Loro Piana Modern Icons: Seaside Walk and Summer Walk

For SS22, luxury Italian house Loro Piana has relaunched its iconic footwear in the modern evolution of classic espadrilles: Summer Walk and Seaside Walk. The shoes are designed for summers spent outdoors, sailing, at the seaside, or in town. They have a sporty, casual spirit while also excluding the natural sophistication that has always been synonymous with the brand. Summer Walk was inspired by the classic boat shoe, but over the years has become an emblem of a comfortable, dynamic, and versatile wardrobe. There is a space on the heel for engraving the wearer’s name, a practice originated for sailing enthusiasts to recognize the pair. The shoe has technical elements exclusive to the brand for better stability and traction, such as hand-stitched seams with the waxed thread of shoemaking tradition, and Loro Piana’s signature white sole. The Seaside Walk espadrille is perfect in its simplicity. Available in soft, lined suede or Wish® wool knit, it is made with superior materials, artisanal craftsmanship, and the innate class that makes the house so unique. Both the Summer Walk and Seaside Walk are available in an array of neutral and bright tones, perfect for the summer wardrobe. GH

www.loropiana.com

Fashion

Lacoste SS22

Lacoste continues to be a pillar of French sportswear, with its SS22 campaign celebrating a modern shift towards the perception of classic sports references. The collection features new variations of the brand’s signature patchwork tennis shirt in their classic shades of green, dark blue, taupe, black, and optically white. This is reworked on knitwear, where close-fitting, striped rib dresses and matching ensembles are a new variation. The classic Lacoste polo is reimagined on a printed mesh. On top of this, there is a new color selection that emphasizes warm, bright tones such as scarlet, emerald, burgundy orange, and neon yellow. Breathable and ventilating clothing features logo mesh decals and ventilating inserts in cycling jerseys, track shorts, and basketball jerseys, while ergonomic perforations have been manually laser cut in neoprene baseball jackets. Soft parachute fabrics and glossy finishes accentuate the playful transparency along with the outerwear featuring rubber-embossed brand logos zip-and-drawstring anoraks that evoke the feeling of being indispensable and lusting after speed. Trendy accessories perfectly embellish the look, ranging from molded leaf slippers and Jacquard weaved knee socks to tinted sunglasses with neoprene cords, bottle holders, and cross-body messenger bags with buckles. The collection is a true reflection of Louise Trotter’s fascinations within the codes and culture surrounding sports, merging sportswear and everyday outfits closer together, these blur the lines between sports clichés and streetwear. GH

www.lacoste.com

Fashion

MiuMiu Workout

MiuMiu has introduced a capsule collection of sports accessories to facilitate a search for inner balance and outer strength. Born from the independent and unconventional spirit of Miuccia Prada, MiuMiu illustrates the most rebellious and seductive core of contemporary femininity. It is a youthful and playful brand that, this year, decided to embrace women’s sporting spirit launching a line of yoga mats and bricks, drawstring gym pouches, boxing gloves, and water bottles. Each item is adorned with the instantly recognizable MiuMiu logo and made functional thanks to adjustable webbed straps for cross-body or over-the-shoulder carrying. While the color palette of soft pink and classic black combined with white stripe detailing revokes MiuMiu’s naïf energy and iridescent subversion. The capsule collection is an emblem of empowered femininity and belonging to a community of like-minded, free-spirited souls. MiuMiu Workout is already available at selected Miu Miu stores worldwide and on the brand’s website. VB

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Dior SS22

Maison Dior have launched their SS22 campaign, inspired by the colorful questioning of the role of play in our lives, it is the perfect shift towards spring that we need. The technicolor versatility within the collection is an ode to the work of Anna Paparatti, designed by the house’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. Set against a monochromatic zebra crossing-esque background, playfully infiltrated with bursts of color, the campaign’s color-block aesthetic is able to capture the eye with ease. Photographer Brigitte Niedermair brings the campaign to life in the same hyperkinetic chromatic spirit. In the collection, models are draped in cubic silhouettes and 3D embroidered cuts similar to the ready-to-wear collection shown in Paris in 2021. The campaign also revisits some of the brand’s celebrated accessories, including the miniature Lady Dior Bag and the classic MissDior sunglasses that complete these magnetic silhouettes with their 50s allure. The energising campaign video is illuminated by a flash of lazers in the same block color palette of the garments. The joyous undertones of the campaign makes Dior stand out yet again, continue to revolutionize the women’s fashion industry. GH

www.dior.com

Fashion

Armand Basi - Project 01: No Gender Tailoring

Armand Basi has been relaunched their eponymous label under the creative direction of Eva Basi, granddaughter of brand's founder. Armand Basi was one of the benchmarks of 80s Spanish designer fashion, parading on international catwalks with its first store in London. The revamp named “Project 01: No Gender Tailoring” has been designed by Joan Ros, a designer specialising in tailoring. Ros’ imaginary is shaped by his family origins, the countryside of tailoring, as well as the British aesthetic. The collection turns the concept of traditional tailoring on its head with British youth counter-culture styles as inspiration, eradicating gender and season. The rebellious tone throughout the collection is based on the diplomatic line representing tradition in clothing, but applied to the garments that come from counter culture. The collection features various visual games, such as silky-looking cottons, tailoring with zip-fastenings, and knitwear that looks destroyed but with an exquisite technique. Accessories with the capsule collection also presents us with somewhat an illusion; from a distance they seem to have come from an alternative setting, but close up we can see that they’re watch chains. The collection also advocates up-cycling, as most of the fabrics have been recovered from the surpluses of fashion companies.GH

www.armandbasi.com

Fashion

A Lock To Celebrate Love

DoDo celebrates San Valentine’s Day 2022 by launching a new bracelet and necklace embellished with a lock, a universal symbol representing any kind of attachment and bond. Known to offer high-end jewelry to a broader unisex audience combining playful aesthetics and expressing a personal message, DoDo, for this special occasion, decided to celebrate love in all its forms creating a new charm in the shape of a lock. It is a commonly used object that throughout its history has always been loaded with meanings that have transformed it into a powerful motif without labels. The new DoDo Lock, available in rose silver or silver, has been redesigned with soft volumes and rounded shapes by skilled master craftsmen. The result is a unique jewel with an enameled keyhole on the front, vertical engravings, and a screw-shaped decoration on the base, an appropriate gift for every type of relationship.

www.dodo.it

Fashion

Cole Sprouse x Versace 2022

Versace have launched their new 2022 capsule collection, with Cole Sprouse taking centre stage as the perfect embodiment of the Versace name, branded as the epitome of eloquent, expressive masculinity. Captured by internationally renowned photographer Steven Klein, the campaign imagery was taken through a hand-held camera to fully capture Sprouse’s movement, charisma, and innate star power. Featured in the collection are the VE2242 Medusa Focus sunglasses. The perfect symbol of Versace’s bold, striking aesthetic, the metal navigator frames feature multiple of the house’s iconic features, including the Greek Key and brand logo at the temples. The model is available with light grey lenses and a black mirror effect, completed with a small, embossed Medusa on the frame, a staple to the brand. Another feature are the VE2243 Medusa Mesmerize, glamorous sunglasses with a futuristic look, featuring a wrap-around metal mask frame and clip-on details along the profile of the lenses, adding a magnetic vibe to the model presented. Completing the collection with a more sophisticated profile, are the VE1279 Medusa Dream. This optical model epitomizes the urban chic cosmopolitan spirit. Repeated throughout the collection is the Versace logo engraved on the temples for a luxurious finish and contemporary appeal.

www.versace.com

Fashion

Push Your Limits

For 2022 The North Face presented the latest generation of the NSE collection. With iconic graphics, eye-catching colors, and wearable pieces, the brand created timeless garments designed to push the limits in any environment. The NSE line celebrates individuality with a fresh and culturally influenced design, combining the mountain roots of the brand with an urban style that stands out in both women's and men's collections. Realized in bold colors, both of them feature iconic pieces such as the Safety Green Phlego DryVent Jacket, the Polar Fleece, and the Graphic Tee for the male wardrobe, and The Phlego Synth Jacket in Brilliant Coral for women. This piece is the highlight of the NSE collection. A line that stays true to The North Face’s DNA, inspiring individuals to strive for something more, to wonder why, to be themselves, and to go their own way. The NSE collection will be available from February 8th, 2022 on the brand website and in selected The North Face stores.

www.thenorthface.nl

Fashion

Marsèll’s Uniform

Marsèll SS22 Collection renovates an iconic shoe design with a new ultra-light sole, while also launching a partnership with GRASSI 10000, a workwear brand that explores the concept of modern uniforms. For this season, Marsèll, an artisan business devoted to the study and exploration of forms, has chosen to transform the iconic style and trademark of the brand, the Gommello, into a shoe of extraordinary lightness thanks to new research on the rubber soles. Entitled Gommellone, this modern take comes in Chelsea and Derby styles and over ten different colors. The Gommellone then became the protagonist of the collaboration between Marsèll and Grassi 10000. The company restyled it with a made-in-Italy uniform consisting of a jacket, pants, coat, and Bermuda made of peached cotton in blue or green. The garments, shot by photographer Jonathan Frantini, are an extension of the workwear concept: essential lines and high-quality materials that give rise to a new formal urban style that fits into any daily environment.

www.marsell.it

Fashion

Gregoris Pyrpylis is the Creative Director for Hermès Beauty

Greek make-up artist Gregoris Pyrpylis has been appointed as the new creative director for Hermès Beauty. He is described by Agnès de Villers, President of Hermès Parfum & Beauté, as “an expert in colors, textures, and gestures that express and elevate beauty”. The make-up artist has embraced the aims of Hermès that “seek to provide its community with an experience, a journey, during which each personality can be expressed, each form of beauty revealed”. The Hermès Beauty métier launched in March 2020, starting with Rouge Hermès lipsticks, and has since been expanded with Rose Hermès blush line and Les Maines Hermès nail varnishes. Pyrpylis will be the driving force for the development of these collections. Pyrpylis has announced “it is a great joy to be able to create, spread, and share this common vision of beauty as creative director for Hermès Beauty”.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Valentino Anatomy of Couture

The Haute Couture SS22 Collection by Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli has been imaged as a quest for beauty that welcomes all of its manifestations, ending in a performance that transcends age, background, and shape. Haute Couture has always been a chase for perfection expressed through the body of the house model, on which everything is conceived and built. As the body of women and their beauty canons are changing over time, Pierpaolo Piccioli felt the urgency to adapt, to rethink the rituals and processes behind couture. The Valentino Anatomy of Couture collection has therefore not been imagined on an idealized body, but on a variety of women of different physiques and ages, a true reflection of the richness and diversity of the contemporary world promoting an idea of beauty that is not absolute, but embraces a more democratic spirit . The collection was built as a composite harmony of physical types and clothes that dress them. Studied through a long process, both scientific and poetic in a dialogue between who thinks the clothes, who makes them, and who wears them. The silhouettes follow the body or detach from it, while nudity glimmers from extremely short hems, peeping from deep necklines that reveal the torso.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

NATAN Couture SS22

The NATAN SS22 couture collection revolves around sensuality and lightness, fitting across generations and occasions. Vibrant tones on noble materials that contrast with the delicate white background, prompt the longing for summer parties. Soft flowing meshes in dynamic hues give a youthful energy boost to the long and elegant garments, while the short styles draws us to dance. The retro and naive 3D patterns, giant butterflies and daises on oversized smock capes depict the fun and stylish spectrum in the collection, characterizing a newer take on luxury. Pixelated lights in neon yellows and purples photographed onto satin-trimmed materials, adding touches of transparency, play and converge to create new and sophisticated contours. The lights are reflected on a variety of attires, from extra wide balloon sleeves, tops with padded shoulders, cultivating asymmetrical effects to create a balanced wardrobe. The changing horizons depicted by the pixelated lights are also reflected on cocktail dresses, created from large taffeta bows. These looks can all be sublimated with daytime or evening accessories, resembling the endless versatility of the collection. The pixels, asymmetric panoramic patterns and flowing materials are a depiction if the overall enjoyable movement within the NATAN collection, ideal for discovering the world and pleasure of shared movements with changing horizons.

www.natan.be

Fashion

DIOR Haute Couture SS22

Ateliers are a space of experimentation, where magical creations come to life, constantly renewing the incredible and scientific language that is haute couture. The Dior SS22 Haute Couture Collection revolves around this concept: the atelier as a synonym of excellence, and embroidery as sophisticated and skillful procedure. Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Creative Director of the Maison, decided to honor and utilize the skill of craftsmen and artisans all throughout the collection, not just as a decorative detail but to give structure to the garments. The result is an elegant and refined collection with simple lines but adorned with jewels, stones, and embellishment. These embroidered patterns are applied all over a variety of garments, from ecru skirts to sheer silk organza shirts and thighs that become a signature piece of the collection. Presented surrounded by unique artworks made by Indian artists Madhvi and Manu Parekh in collaboration with the Chanakya Atelier and the Chanakya School of Craft, the decor exalts virtuoso skills and a stylistic exercise, showcasing the language of embroidery being expressed through the hands of skilled artisans. The Dior SS22 Haute Couture Collection is an inspiring creative dialogue between the French Atelier and different artists, with embroidery being transformed into a collaborative mode of expression, at the crossroads of art and craft.

www.dior.com

Fashion

LOEWE FW22: What Is Real Today?

For the FW22 Men's Collection, Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director of LOEWE, defined an altered world, challenging the concept of reality and the current canons of perfection. Anderson decided not to employ a singular seasonal style anecdote but to incorporate a fusion of style notes. In this collection nothing is as it seems, it is a series of playful tricks, where archetypes of men’s dressing are presented in a new light with a twist. Coats, denim jackets, mohair pullovers: everything is elevated to another and seemingly illogical dimension where the body is the main subject. It is the point of arrival and departure, around which the entire collection is built. Faces and body features are presented printed on garments in trompe l'oeil style, while hoops and wires become artificial extensions of arms and bust. Combined then with flashes and LEDs, these clothes glow and the body that fills them seems projected outward. In addition, a highlight of the collection is the selection of outerwear pieces and accessories that include translucent overcoats in electric colors, styled with the famous Flamenco clutch embellished with shells and reimagined as a soft pair of boots.

www.loewe.com

Fashion

The ABCDior Collection

The new ABC Dior line uncovered by Dior Maison is based on the emblematic Mitzah scarf collection. Originally designed by Grazia Chiuri onto a series of plates and valet trays, as well as candles and stationery, the imagery of the collection makes a new appearance. In honor of the iconic toile de Jouy – the signature emblem used to decorate Monsieur Dior’s first boutique ever called “Colifichets”, opened in 1947 – each piece features an enchanting message in the form of an alphabet book that poetically pays homage to heritage, passion, desire, and dreams. Dior invites to celebrate the art of giving to the other and oneself and the beauty of invention and exploration while remembering the Maison’s dear founding couturier.

www.dior.com

Fashion

LOUIS VUITTON FW22 MEN’S COLLECTION BY VIRGIL ABLOH

Virgil Abloh was known to use fashion as a tool for definition and redefinition and to understand the world. For FW22, Louis Vuitton presents Collection 8: In the Grand Scheme of Things by Virgil Abloh. Supported by his seasonal vocabulary – “a liberal definition of terms and explanation of ideas” – the visionary’s eighth collection is rooted in the desire to challenge conventional ways of seeing. The collection’s premise lies in using fashion to decode the biases inherent in human appearance. Abloh’s goal was to change the way we look at each other and treat each other. Virgil Abloh’s creations are deeply rooted in imagination – the everlasting driver of his life's work. It’s what brought him to Louis Vuitton and what leads his legacy at the Maison. The recently deceased Men’s Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton embedded his view of fashion as a social, political and cultural signifier and mediator of change for FW22 like never before. Driven by this conviction, the Louis Dreamhouse™ created by Virgil Abloh serves to convey the themes and messages of the arc he created at Louis Vuitton. It’s an octology that plays out in the tradition of the hero’s journey: the age-old story of the underdog, who is tried and tested and becomes a sensation in the eyes of his spectators.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Rick Owens FW22

Rick Owens presents a glamourous extravaganza for FW22. Drella coats can be belted around the hips or, with the unbuttoning of a back slit, overthrown as a poncho or cape. A versatility that continues with this season’s parkas featuring goat hair trim in various colors. Coats and jackets continue Rick Owens signature exaggerated shoulder, which he started incorporating as a parody of masculinity, but ended up becoming a design classic. With the environment, traceability and social responsibility in mind, the patchworked shearlings come from a family-owned, second-generation tannery in Tuscany. Inspired by Egyptian temples and tombs, artisanal craftsmanship and his own archives, Rick Owens joins the conversation the fashion world is having about responsibility. Believing in creative expression as the rawest and sincere state, Rick Owens cherished the power of fashion this season.

ww.rickowens.eu

Fashion

DoDo celebrates the Chinese New Year

Introducing a new tiger pendant design, DoDo celebrates the Chinese New Year 2022. The jewellery piece is a precious miniature tiger that represents the fourth pendant of the Chinese zodiac. DoDo joins the celebrations of the festival with a fine jewellery addition, dedicating the design to another year under the sun in honor of the strong sign of the tiger. The wild cat embodies a powerful, courageous and unpredictable spirit. It loves challenges and adventures, lives to the fullest and evokes strong emotional connotations. Made of 18K gold, the DoDo tiger pendant has a fur to stroke with red lacquer-enamel stripes. The leitmotif of the special collection stands for luck, wealth and love. The artisans of DoDo have created the cat of prey delicately and added a charm that becomes a stylish touch to the emblematic look.

www.dodo.it

Fashion

New Bally Creative Director Rhuigi Villaseñor

Swiss luxury brand Bally, owned by JAB Holding Company, appoints Rhuigi Villaseñor as its new Creative Director. In this position, Villaseñor will be responsible for the artistic direction across the brand. His first collection debut for Bally will launch for SS23. The Manila-born allrounder is Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of the brand Rhude since 2015. As his mother was a tailor and his father an architect, Villaseñor grew up with a passion for design and an understanding of garment construction. As a Filipino and American national, raised in several continents before emigrating to the U.S., he started his career in Los Angeles. His work takes inspiration from American iconography with nostalgic reflections recalling his childhood observations of U.S. culture through a foreign lens. In his form language, the visionary designer combines luxury techniques with streetwear elements, offering a new narrative of the modern wardrobe. Nicolas Girotto, CEO of Bally, said: “Having acutely followed Rhuigi’s ascent I am excited by how his natural creativity and energetic spirit have made him one of the industry’s greatest idea generators and community builders. Rhuigi’s deep understanding of Bally’s history coupled with a distinct appreciation of the Swiss lifestyle will be instrumental in ushering the brand into the future.”

www.bally.eu

Fashion

Philipp Plein FW22: THE TURNAROUND YEAR - The Evolution of creativity

PHILIPP PLEIN shares its new vision with the fashion world at Milan Fashion Week. New horizons are opening up for the empire with an impressive line-up of new openings in exclusive shopping districts and upscale locations. In particular, Barcelona Mandarin Oriental, London Old Bond Street, Warsaw, Poznan, Kuala Lumpur, Las Vegas Forum, St. Petersburg, Dailan Olympia 66 Xigang. Launching a new store concept, PHILIPP PLEIN is bringing to life a contemporary and luxurious sphere, in which the customer is immersed upon entry. PHILIPP PLEIN also announces an expansion of its universe beyond fashion. In addition to his plans to delve into the hospitality and entertainment industry with the PHILIPP PLEIN Hotel and Club in Milan, Philipp Plein announces the launch of a range of art pieces (“Unique Pieces”) displayed in the new PHILIPP PLEIN showroom in Via Burlamacchi in Milan. The garments of the season are inspired by the creativity and stamina behind the brand’s growth: contemporary art and fashion meet in the capsule collection with playful sophistication where the “Lil Monsters” created by Plein appear printed or sewn by hand. A key feature of this season’s presentation is also the total black casting. Only black models have been selected for the catwalk, as a token of the longstanding commitment of Mr. Plein and of the PHILIPP PLEIN Group to inclusivity and to the celebration of black culture.

www.plein.com

Fashion

MSGM FW22: The Sound of Time

According to the physicist Carlo Rovelli, time speeds up and slows down, looms and pulses, oscillates and makes a sound. It doesn’t run from the past to the future, it is still and yet dynamic. Never forging a direction, always following its own rhythm. Time is confining power, yet an elusive concept that is difficult to grasp for humans. And it is this world of intriguing chaos without strict boundaries that MSGM is speaking about with a collection that mixes hints of heritage and contemporary impulses. And once again it is Milan, as always: the past and future come together in the melancholic setting of an Italian apartment, which serves as a hangout for the MSGM generation. The psychedelic voyage commences amongst the sound waves of distant music. An everlasting classic of MSGM - the magic mushroom - makes a comeback in mesmerizing prints on poplin shirts and boxer shorts, viscose suits, and large inlays on sweaters. Butterfly and acid marble prints appearing like lava join the confluence of visuals. The MSGM Men’s FW22 collection embodies a fluid, fantasy-laden approach to reality and is a play on perception. With trekking boots, techno accessories, slippers, and pool slides in association with ACUPUNCTURE, the attitude is distinctly 90s, while always looking to the future. Taking inspiration from the architect Gaetano Pesce, MSGM’s creative choices for this season seem free and wild, a kaleidoscopic dream, celebrating life and the sound of time.

www.roe.shop-msgm.com

Fashion

Brioni FW22: The Allegory of Air

Ever in pursuit of its core purpose, the creation of clothing defined by its timeless beauty and comfort, the Italian house of Brioni has understood that the customer and their demands are changing and realized a need to reflect on the wider world around. A comfortable piece of clothing needs to adapt to a variety of different situations while offering the wearer a maximum amount of comfort, two previously strictly divided menswear universes come together - the formal and the casual. Norbert Strumpf, Brioni Design Director, explores this common ground applying progressive design to artisanal know-how, creating pieces of unmatched lightness conveying unparalleled ease and pleasure for a modern, dynamic wearer. To create substance, despite the minimal weight, textures become paramount. The vision, articulated through unmatched materials and fabrics such as Prince of Wales cashmere and ultrafine 180 wool, stresses the clothes luxurious feel and Brioni’s material expertise. Tailoring is hybridized, suiting is deconstructed, resulting in the workwear suit, an ultralight herringbone field jacket paired with matching trousers and the jogging suit, pairing a half-button rugby shirt and trousers. Our notion of sophistication is changing and our clothing needs to adapt. With this in mind, Brioni seeks to create menswear that empowers its wearer with timeless urban elegance while enjoying ease and comfort. For the first time in its history, the Italian house is expanding its vision to the realm of womenswear, presenting a capsule collection of six looks of pieces developed from the menswear and cut for the female form.

www.brioni.com

Fashion

TOMMY JEANS x AAPE BY *A BATHING APE® Capsule

Introducing a collection of outerwear, cold-weather accessories and collectible skateboards, AAPE adds a streetwear tone to TOMMY JEANS’ iconic street prep. For an eye-catching prep-pop look, APPE’s classic camo print is reinvented in red, white and blue – the classic TOMMY JEANS colors. The TOMMY JEANS plaid makes an appearance in deep green for an unexpected twist in the color palette. Key styles include the camp flag puffer jacket, the 2-in-1 plaids sherpa fleece windbreaker, the classic TOMMY JEANS flag denim jacket and the reversible camo vest jacket. Merging the established high-quality tailoring of TOMMY JEANS and the boundary-breaking street-inspired style of AAPE BY *A BATHING APE® the new collaborative capsule is an expression of fashion-forwardness. The documentary-style campaign to the collection follows four NYC skaters through the city’s most iconic landmarks, including the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn.

www.tommy.com
www.bape.com

Fashion

La Rose Dior

Victoire de Castellane was inspired by the different facets of the rose - Monsieur Dior's favorite flower - in La Rose Dior jewellery collection which launched in January 2022. The new Rose Dior Couture collection follows other emblematic collections such as Bois de Rose, Rose Dior Bagatelle or Rose Dior Pré Catalan, completing the universe dedicated to the unique flower. An expression of elegance, which lives on and never fails to impress. “Fortunately, there are flowers,” Monsieur Dior confided in his memoirs, which implies his deep belief in the sensual power and aesthetic of flowers. His fascination for the rose is foregrounded in the new La Rose Dior collection and reiterates his passion for the eternal source of inspiration. Artistic Director of Dior Joaillerie once again adds to the precious garden of collections he has cultivated in the name of the rose and creates a pluralistic story reflecting multi-faceted femininity.

 www.dior.com

Fashion

The North Face x Gucci: Chapter 2

Gucci launches the second Chapter of its partnership with The North Face. Following up on the previous collaboration, the unique product selection resulting from the two brands working together stays true to its original objective: honoring the spirit of exploration in all its forms. The collection examines various spheres of discovery, from literal adventures to more metaphorical or mental journeys. To give the second phase of this collaboration its individual character, Alessandro Michele has created a campaign shot by the French twins Jalan and Jibril Durimel set in Iceland. Stills and videos introduce the viewer to the spectacular landscape and its almost metaphysical spirit. Into this ruff, but yet harmonic environment come Gucci’s explorers hiking across Nordic Island to showcase the collaborative collection. The special cross-category collection for men and women comprises ready-to-wear, soft accessories, luggage and shoes, including many pieces as hiking boots, multi-pocketed backpacks and warm, insulated jackets that powerfully reference the outdoor world of The North Face.

 www.gucci.com

 www.thenorthface.nl

Fashion

In the Mood for Prada

The Prada womenswear SS22 campaign is an exploration of desire and sensuality. It showcases the SS22 collection and explores the relationship between a woman and her clothing. Reflecting the feeling of Prada, the creation by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons merges reality and fantasy through its storytelling. The cast is led by the actor Hunter Schafer and includes models Selena Forrest, Julia Nobis and Lina Zhang, who are captured in the acts of dressing and undressing. Striking details express a sense of closeness and intimacy, which undeniably draw the viewer in. Photographer David Sims creates an authentic, intriguing moment through his photographs which showcase the innate personal relationship people have to their garments – the women’s relationship to Prada wear. The imagery captures and celebrates everyday gestures and the multiply moods of life. A vivid embodiment of the SS22 collection emerges as the campaign evolves through a series of videos and photographic contributions devised by a series of emerging image-makers, each invited on set to interpret the collection, the campaign, and the mood of Prada.

 www.prada.com

Fashion

Lay Zhang appointed Hublot Brand Ambassador

 With the objective to fuse style and art, Hublot is proud to present Chinese pop star Lay Zhang as part of the Hublot family. Bringing his unique approach to the world of music and performance the new Hublot Brand Ambassador is an individual whose strong ambition is a constant pursuit of excellence. Often called a non-stoppable allrounder, Lay Zhang is an award-winning Chinese singer and songwriter, dancer, music producer and actor with a successful career in music, as well as acting. As an artist with a distinct vision he pushes the boundaries of performance and creates a novel style that is unique and groundbreaking. He expresses various facets of his multicultural identity as a performer, dancer, singer, and actor, while also showcasing the Chinese culture of music and performance. The result is a revolutionary fusion of seemingly different modes of artistry: Chinese traditional culture and Streetdance Building on his extraordinary musical talent, Lay Zhang combines classical elements of Chinese music with modern music styles and carries Chinese music to the world. Within a time frame of only a few years Zhang has become one of the most important persons in the Asian music scene. Lay has been a collector of Hublot watches for years. His personal attitude - be “First, Unique and Different” - has now led him to join the ranks of the Hublot family.

 www.hublot.com

Fashion

Bottega Veneta: Bottega for Bottegas

Bottega Veneta unveils its newest project, an initiative to support and promote Italian creativity. The name Bottega Veneta translates into “Venetian Workshop” as the name indicates. Bottega Veneta was founded in 1966 by Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro, who produced leather goods with a strong emphasis on precise craftsmanship. The pandemic has shattered artistic industries, forcing smaller brands, art collectives, and independent artists to deal with the threat of closure and insolvency. To counteract the repercussions of the pandemic, the luxury fashion house initiated a project that aims to help, support, and foster artisans in Italy. For the special initiative, Bottega offers Italian artisans advertising spaces, websites, newsletters, and store windows to provide a display space for the unique works of Italian artisans, which are as versatile as Bottega Veneta itself and ranging from mosaic artistry to distilleries of well-researched gin. Among the many impressive artisans is the Amatruda family, known for their passion for papermaking for almost 750 years now and which is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit organization, dedicated to encourage responsible management of the world’s forests. The initiative supports and perpetuates the work and establishments of artists that represent Italian creativity and excellent craftsmanship, which coincide with the values Bottega Veneta was founded on.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Art

Prada Mode Moscow: Turning into a Pharmacy For The Sixth Iteration

This year’s destination of the Prada Mode event is the Levenson Mansion in Moscow, featuring a special metamorphosis of the location by Damien Hirst into an iconic pharmacy experience. Prada Mode is a traveling social club event, lasting several days and including art installations, musical acts, dinners, and providing a space for like-minded people to meet and connect. The inaugural iteration of the concept was initiated by the luxury fashion house Prada in 2018 as a part of the art fair Art Basel in Miami. The Prada Mode Moscow is set in the Levenson Mansion, the charming private residence designed for the official purveyor of his majesty Emperor Nicholas and which has been bestowed with the clinical atmosphere of a pharmacy by Damien Hirst. Among the series of memorable works of his, is the recreation of a pharmacy, shown for the first time in the 90s in a London restaurant. Longtime friend Miuccia Prada designed the original uniforms for the restaurant, resulting in an ideal match for joining forces on Prada Mode Moscow. The installation features typical pharmacy elements, such as floor-to-ceiling medicine cabinets, embedded pills into floors and banquettes as well as wallpaper, imprinted with a design that has been taken out of a catalog for prescription medicines. The interactive art installation at Prada Mode Moscow is a captivating experience without any side effects, summarized by Damien Hirst as “I’ve always thought great restaurants can be art, and Pharmacy is a living breathing artwork, best filled with people and art as one.’’

www.prada.com

Fashion

Valentine’s Charm

The high jeweler A.E. Koechert has been founded in 1814 by Emmanuel Pioté and Jacob Heinrich Köchert. Ever since then, the family-owned business has been creating unique jewelry creations in their Viennese parent location – at times for the Austrian emperor himself. Nowadays, the jeweler pursues to treat all his clients as if they were emperors themselves – bringing the felicity of considerate gifts to the customer. Taking the literal translation of the notion “joaillier” into account, which means “the bringer of joy”, A.E. Koechert wholeheartedly stands for creating joy with their designs. Creativity and individuality are an inherent part of their visual language, emphasizing the unconventional, the personal, the valuable and not least the eccentric. Thinking ahead, the jewelers of A.E. Koechert have created a line dedicated to Valentine’s Day – composed of three rings, a necklace and a pair of earrings, the collection exudes a playful charm, toying with the shape of hearts, different tones of pink and the incomparable glistening of gemstones. Made from white gold and with a prominent ruby heart and an infinity-style adornment of diamonds, one of the rings caters to the customer who seeks symbolisms, whereas the other two rings, crafted from gold and with a design that features two opposite facing hearts, offers a more subtle approach to Valentine’s Day’s semiotic interpretations. The necklace and the earrings show a complex style, in which fluid and solid parts of a diamond-studded gold chain intertwine, drawing attention to the circular-shaped rose-colored opals, bright pink rhodolite and vibrant pink sapphires it carries. 

www.koechert.com

Fashion

Strength through Unity: Dior Fall 2022

Maria Grazia Churri has revealed the looks of the Dior Fall 2022 collection in which she drew inspiration from the women of the Dior Maison, calling to life a collection that tributes empowerment. Overall, the collection expressed the idea of strength through unity, set into the context of fashion by a collection that appears as highly individual interpretations of the same uniform. Many of the looks featured layering, creating depth and personal style. Dungaree dresses layered over white shirts, black ties combined with quilted, fringed ponchos, and tulle skirts balanced with heavy boots reoccurred throughout the collection, making for an aesthetic that merged school attires with mature elements. The color palette exhibited black and white looks, complemented with dark neutral colors as well as recurring shades of yellow. Maria Grazia Churri experimented with pattern mixing, in particular with different kinds of plaids and diamond checks. Knee-length skirts and mid-length sleeves introduced new shapes into the current silhouettes. On a more feminine side, the looks were subtly enhanced with see-through blouses and lingerie tops, featuring sheer materials as a contrast to the strong lines and sharp tailoring. With great attention to detail, the looks show unexpected elements such as open hemlines and asymmetries. Accessory-wise, the collection showed leather woven belts, at times connected to the black ties, creating a harness-like shape, as well as black socks complementing the sturdy boots, given a twist with lacing detail at the top.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Heatwave Incoming

Appearing like a kaleidoscope of form and color, the AGR SS22 collection brings the post-lockdown spirit to life, giving it a vibrant look. The typical technicolor offering of the brand is a response to the collective yearning for freedom, adventure, and pure enjoyment. “London on heat” is how AGR founder Alicia Robinson describes the narrative of this season, which is an assemblage of different sources of inspiration. Drawing on British photographer Martin Parr’s hyper-saturated images of everyday life, the collection channels the spirit and style of the 90s rave culture, showcasing knitwear in imaginative forms and tailor-made psychedelic pieces. Further exploring the realm of bright pop color, the season’s intensive color palette takes inspiration from abstract painter Mark Rothko’s seminal color field paintings. AGR’s signature lime green is accompanied by neons, which are juxtaposed with natural, neutral tones and the use of space-dyed yarns. For textile and form, AGR created new jacquards in collaboration with the Netherlands-based knitwear manufacturer Knitwear Lab, which emulates the appearance of American spray-gun painter Roy Colmer’s spray- and stripe-work. Lastly, referencing Parr’s photography the AGR look book of the season portrays a summery scene, telling a tale of positivity, enthusiasm, and a taste for a bustling future.

www.agrknit.co.u

Fashion

Gucci x The North Face: Opening a Second Chapter of Fashion History

Following the first collaboration in 2021, Gucci teams up once again with The North Face for a ready-to-wear collection. The North Face was founded in 1966 as an answer to the strong demand for proper outdoor clothes for athletes to defy any weather conditions. Today, The North Face belongs to one of the leading outerwear brands with a strong emphasis on function and minimalist key styles. The collaborative collection features variations on insulated bomber jackets and vests, complemented with multi-pocketed backpacks or baseball and bucket hats and worn with hiking boots. In addition to that, The North Face dived into its archives to revive some of the brand’s most iconic 90s designs, including the Nuptse Jacket. The selection takes up signature elements of Gucci, such as the GG monogram with a beige and green base and the colorful 70s inspired Gucci patterns while celebrating the spirit of experimentations through new shapes and pieces influenced by The North Face. As a leading mantra, Gucci and the North face decided on self-discovery and self-expression as the vision of the collection. This mantra resurfaces with various essentials, significantly reminiscent of hiking clothing, equipping the wearer with the perfect attire to set off for a trip to the deep ends of the soul.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Ventures Out Into the Alps

For the first time in its longstanding legacy, Louis Vuitton launches a capsule collection devoted to winter sports. The resulting collection features a complete wardrobe, that leaves no dressing desires unattended – from the slopes to the chalet, from the crisp mornings to the chilly evenings, offering apparel, accessories and shoes. The collection introduces a new LV emblem, namely a snowflake-shaped Flacon logo, that has been exclusively created for the occasion. Alpine landscapes are not only the backdrop where the collection is put to practice but serve as recurring motifs on the textiles themselves. Puffer jackets with feather linings come with matching leggings and pullovers, bringing a poetical, yet futuristic touch to the mountains with metallic finishes and sunset imagery. Sleeveless vests in puffer and fur versions ensure additional layers, whereas a selection of sweaters, shirts and dresses offers garments for the après-ski events. The looks are replenished by a variety of shoes – among the styles are rubber boots in different heights, as well as leather ankle boots for more sophisticated occasions. For the luxury-oriented winter athlete, Louis Vuitton further unveils a limited edition pair of skis, with an aluminium-covered wooden core, bringing the iconic LV monogram to the slopes. To ensure a head-to-toe look, the skis come with a pair of high-tech boots, developed in collaboration with Tecnica. High-performance results are stipulated with Louis Vuitton’s touch of decadency in this debut ski capsule.

The capsule collection is available as of right now in Louis Vuitton stores.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Kaldewei’s Classic Duo Oval at the Villa della Quercia

With its sustainable products made of recyclable steel enamel, Kaldewei has been setting high standards concerning materiality and design – not least in the hotellerie business. The latest project of Milan-based design and architecture specialists Reveria Studio has made use of the one-of-a-kind characteristics of Kaldewei’s design, as they chose the German pioneer’s bathtubs to be the center pieces of the bathrooms of the Villa della Quercia, one of the luxurious buildings of Mandarin Oriental hotel, located directly at Lake Como. Opting for a free-standing bathtub from the Meisterstück Classic Duo Oval series, Reveria Studio has accredited the bathtub with the features needed for combining aesthetic design with practicality and longevity. With the selection, the architectural firm aimed to transfer the magic of nature of the scenic Lake Como into the interior of the hotel, combining a refined Italian style with the purity of clean shapes. The classic design of the Meisterstück Classic Duo Oval and the freestanding corpus fuse timeless elegance with contemporary design. Further, the steel enamel of Kaldewei is extremely suitable for the hotel industry, as the astonishing material is not only pleasant to the eyes and to touch but just as well durable and easy to maintain clean and hygienic. Kaldewei’s designs offer the possibility of a special easy-care surface coating that meets the demands of hotel standards.

www.kaldewei.com

Fashion

Emporio Armani x C.P. Company: A Celebration

Emporio Armani and C.P. Company fuse their exceptional brand DNA to celebrate their 40th and 50th anniversary respectively. C.P. Company was founded by Massimo Osti in 1971 and today his son Lorenzo Osti continues to embrace the principles the brand was founded on, the experimental approach, practical design, and innovation in terms of materials and dyes. Both brands are synonymous with innovation and a unique instinct for the complex needs of customers in contemporary society. The collaborative anniversary collection transports the common vision of innovation and fuses the distinctive elements of the brands, such as C.P. Company’s iconic goggle parkas, blousons, and anoraks, often inspired by military shapes and Emporio Armani’s signature bomber, raincoat, and stand-up collar jacket in a straight-lined, simple aesthetic. The color palette ranges from deep blues to a pale white, and the garments are made out of WOOL GUM waterproof wool, A.A.C. laser-cut microfiber, and DYSHELL bi-elastic nylon knit, which alludes to both brands’ strive for innovative materials. The clothes presented by Emporio Armani and C.P. Company are visual embodiments of both brands’ DNA and in combination offer a new vision for the future of fashion. The collection will be available from Saturday, 4th of December at the C.P. Company and Armani stores in Milan and from the 10th of December as well online.

www.armani.com

Fashion

Prada’s SS22 Show Exhibits Subtle Seduction

Simultaneously presented at the Fondazione Prada in Milan, as well as the Shanghai Bund One Art Museum, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons have unveiled the first runway creation of their partnership with the SS22 collection. The looks featured Prada’s signature sharp lines and defined shapes, amplified by cutouts and tailored detailing. Despite the classical shapes, the collection presented itself with a wink, centering around the idea of “Seduction, Stripped Down”, as the collection has been named by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons. The center pieces of the SS22 collection are 60’s Mini skirts alluding to the 2000s low waist cuts and provokingly short hemlines. Complemented with visible biker shorts underneath, the skirts illustrated the idea of showing body parts that are usually concealed. The 39 looks – which solely consisted of skirts and dresses – were defined by this meaning-laden piece of clothing that marked the turn of the Women’s rights movement in the second half of the 20th century, as it served as a symbol for women of taking power over the own body. The prominent focus on oversized tops of the last seasons expressed itself in the form of generously cut blazers, nodding to the power-dressing fashions of the 80’s – another crucial point in time of emancipation. Pointed shoes reinforced the confident spirit of the collection, appearing in flat as well as heeled versions. The color palette featured strong and bold shades, including electric purple and bright red, next to seductive black and was accentuated with vibrant green, orange and yellow shades. The luxurious shimmer of Satin weaves appeared throughout the entire collection and delivered an intriguing mix of materials in combination with roughened leather and smooth canvas bindings.

www.prada.com

Art

Fendi at Design Miami 2021

On the occasion of the art fair Design Week in Miami 2021, Fendi decided to collaborate with the African-rooted furniture brand Mabeo. Peter Mabeo founded the brand in 1997 and expanded to the international market in 2006, following numerous local commercial projects in his home country Botswana, Africa. Mabeo set his goals high and made it his mission to embrace and raise awareness about African artisans, characterized through a minimalistic approach with emphasis on purity and conscious use of natural materials. For the special project, named Kompa, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Delfina-Delettrez as well as creative director Kim Jones worked closely together with Peter Mabeo to ensure the highest quality and a highly recognizable aesthetic. Kompa can be translated into something complete, which resurfaces in works like the Gabinyana Table Lamp, based on the silhouette of the Gabi-Gabi sculpture, the biggest piece of the collection. Woodworkers and experienced artisans in ancient methods of pottery-making join forces to create one of the most prominent furniture pieces of the collection—the Lana Stool. The furniture piece is a multi-functional work that aesthetically revolves around the letter F and that can be used either as storage containers, stools, or assembled as a side table. The exceptional furniture pieces are the result of individual artists fusing their crafts to create a perfect symbiosis between structure, functionality, and natural materials.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

PB0110: Coming Back, Carrying an Important Message

For the upcoming weekend, PB0110 announces a special action to improve the brand’s ecological footprint, setting an example for the rest of the fashion industry and in particular the harmful impulse buying tradition of the Black Friday Week. PB0110 was founded by Philipp Bree in 2012 on the concept of producing leather goods in Europe with a great emphasis on sustainability, transparency, and high craftsmanship. PB0110’s differently shaped and sized bags and backpacks are made out of naturally tanned leather or signature linen and brass. Now, Bree has made it his goal to take a step further towards a sustainable planet with his brand by presenting a new plan of action. PB0110 offers CO2 neutral shipping from now on and is planning to plant four trees with every purchase placed during the Black Friday weekend, in an undertaking of counteraction the environmental impact the sales period has. In addition to that, each customer receives a complimentary CM39 along with their pick-up. The CM39 is a small coin case with a unique opening design, in which overlapping leather parts keep the coins securely inside instead of making a traditional zipper. Besides cherishing the importance of longevity for his leather goods, Bree significantly contributes to a more sustainable and less harmful fashion industry, by ecological relief.

www.pb0110.com

Fashion

DIOR: Elegant & Icy

DIOR creates a unique interpretation of the Christmas holidays in its own words, defined by an enormous amount of style and elegance. The French luxury house is known for its elegant couture garments and, in particular, for its founder Christian Dior, who introduced new shapes and silhouettes into the fashion industry. In 2018, designer Kim Jones took over the creative direction of the men’s collections and refreshed the image of the house with a sportif, contemporary and youthful approach to the clothes and accessories. For the Christmas collection, Jones thoroughly selected a range of different leather goods, shoes, and jewelry to be parts of it, such as the iconic SADDLE bag alongside its backpack version and the Dior LINGOT line of bags. The B23 and B27 sneakers of the selection have become a signature feature of the men’s collections and reflect Kim Jones’ design vocabulary and influence on the house. Each item bears a sign of distinctive recognition value for Dior, either in form of the Dior oblique motif or the CD initials. The official launch of the pieces is staged by an equally compelling video as the items themselves are, and acknowledges the beautiful and magical aspect of the cold and festive season. The short video sequence showcases a playful transformation of the snow-covered, icy pieces, revealing the actual selection in full splendor as the video moves on.

www.dior.com

Fashion

AGL Virna Red Pump: Finding Power in Cohesion

AGL was founded by Piero Giusti in 1958. Now, three generations later, the Italian brand is still a family-run company, owned by the sisters Sara, Vera, and Marianna Giusti. Ever since taking over the brand, the trio works closely together on every project and are known for their artistic sensitivity and sophisticated designs “from women for women”. Their latest shoe creation, the VIRNA pump, conveys an important message, as it supports the international day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and spreads. AGL introduces the VIRNA as a pump in a bright red color with a thin elegant heel, made for fierce and confident women. Every shoe visually embodies the brand's deeply anchored identity, the sister's emphasis on craftsmanship, high-quality materials, and exceptional designs. Only this time, the shoe serves a greater purpose than ususal. The proceeds from the purchases of the pump will be donated to CISDA, the international committee in support of Afghan women. The Italian association CISDA was founded on the principles of sharing human values of each person, regardless of their religion, origin, culture, or nationality, and has been promoting solidary initiatives for Afghan women since 1999. The Giusti sisters aim to empower women and advocate for the importance of supporting each other and showing solidarity amongst women, which is visually translated through their collections and in particular the new VIRNA.

www.agl.com

Fashion

Jennifer Meyer x Moose Knuckles

Once again, the Canadian outerwear brand Moose Knuckles has launched a collaboration. This time, Los-Angeles based fine jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer has lends her expertise in jewelry design to an exclusive Moose Knuckles collection. Instead of fusing the jewelry elements with the jackets and coats of Moose Knuckles, her designs were turned into print motifs, turning jewelry into one-dimensional textile patterns. In addition, the hardware details of the looks are inspired by Jennifer Meyer’s jewelry designs. The resulting collection consists of 18 pieces and marks the first ready-to-wear line Jennifer Meyer has worked with. Taking an upbeat approach, the effortlessly edgy collection features ready-to-wear pieces fusing Meyer’s belief that jewelry can be more than an accessory with Moose Knuckles’ luxury heritage style. The capsule focuses on light pieces that can be layered and exhibit Moose Knuckle’s typical shapes: a cropped puffer and sporty sweater, a shearling trucker jacket and a velour tracksuit. A portion of the proceeds from the collection will be donated to the nonprofit organization Baby2Baby, which provides counteracts child poverty by providing support in various ways. “It’s been incredible working with Jennifer! We’re both family-run operations and the moment we met our synergies aligned perfectly. We set out to inspire authentic self-expression creating unique pieces for our West Coast friends to fall in love with. We’re excited for our community to see this collaboration come to life and to be working alongside Baby2Baby - an organization that is close to Jennifer’s heart,” is how Dominique Lagleva, Vice President for Global Marketing at Moose Knuckles comments.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

PB0110: A Helping Hand

“We believe in the relevance of beloved objects. In things which develop an individuality through daily use and become essential companions over time,” is how Philipp Bree, founder of PB0110, introduces the new collection of his brand. Titled A Helping Hand, the collection presents manifold variations of small items, which are of indispensable convenience in the daily mill of life. A Helping Hand is composed of little items and gadgets which hold space for the daily utilities of life – keys, phones, cards and all the other things we carry with us. As such, the collection presents key chains and coin purses, mobile cases with integrated cardholders but just as much as etuis and shoppers. Each of these items has been carefully though-out, to make the life of those easier whose plans change frequently, yet are only made possible by the tiny daily constants that make the plans run smoothly. As always, PB0110 withdraws from the idea of transient design and substitutable trends, by pursuing timeless accessory-making, centering around the notions of practicality and quality. The A Helping Hand collection is not only a new take on pragmatism and convenience, it serves also as a guiding inspiration for choosing gifts that have value and even more so a purpose. Next to the joy that the quality and aesthetic each of the pieces bring, the quotidian usage of them ensures the presentee’s appreciation for the item each day a new.

www.pb0110.de

Fashion

Bulgari x Save The Children

Save the Children is the biggest independent children’s rights organization in the world. It has been established in 1919, with the mission to foster safe environments for children to grow up – in manifold ways. Ten years ago, Bulgari has joined a partnership with the changemaker, and ever since dedicates a collection to their good cause. The Save the Children jewelry collection consists of four pieces, two necklaces, one bracelet as well as a ring. Each of the pieces features the Save the Children signature logo with a black Onyx Stone and a red ruby detail that imitates the logo of Save the Children. The proceeds of the collection are primarily used to create quality educational opportunities for children in need, as well as youth empowerment, emergency responses and poverty prevention – so far, the collection has raised more than $100mio. On the occasion of World Children’s Day on November 20th, Bulgari has launched the campaign #MyWishForYou, which puts its support of Save the Children into the limelight. The campaign, which is presented as a communication initiative is published over Bulgari’s digital and social media channels, serving as a call to action to raise awareness with the namesake hashtag #MyWishForYou. At the center of the digital wave-making is a video that virtually connects children from all over the globe through universal wishes that diverse individuals and Bulgari brand ambassadors have proclaimed for them. Love, hope, support, education, adventure, experiences, strength and ambition are only a few of the wishes to name. With this campaign, Bulgari makes an example of how to combine a legacy as rich as theirs with good deeds and charitable undertakings.

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Tiffany & Co.: Seasonal Display at KaDeWe

On November 16th American jeweler Tiffany & Co. brought their renowned holiday window display from their Fifth Avenue flagship store (NYC) to Germany and celebrated the unveiling of the Christmas window installation at the iconic department store KaDeWe in Berlin and at Oberpollinger in Munich. All ten façade windows of KaDeWe in Berlin are decorated in this year's Tiffany & Co. Christmas campaign. Inspired by the creations of Tiffany designer Jean Schlumberger, this year’s festive windows enchant with dreamy opulence and modern lightness. Schlumberger’s legendary "Bird on a Rock" design from 1956 comes to life as the main protagonist of this year’s theme and embarks on a fantastic journey from New York City across the Atlantic Ocean to Berlin, landing at the Brandenburg Gate. This is brilliantly featured in the window scenery. Architectural icons and design codes from both cities merge in this magical world and storytelling. Visitors are transported into a dreamlike fantasy world, evoking associations of a theatrical "Nutcracker" suite. In addition to the "Bird on a Rock,” the windows feature Schlumberger’s iconic "fish" brooch design and many of his other animal motifs which decorate each portal and are painted by hand. Colorful gemstones adorning the “Bird on a Rock”, from yellow diamonds to deep blue tanzanites to pink kunzites, result in a festive backdrop for Tiffany’s High Jewelry creations. Iconic collections including Tiffany T and Tiffany City HardWear are showcased in these magical window vignettes set off with glittering chandeliers and brought to life with the help of digital animation. The occasion also marked the reopening of the brand’s store within the luxury boulevard of KaDeWe. Numerous artists and creatives from the film, fashion, and music industries heeded the call and were treated to a private concert by international artist Alice Merton following the unveiling.

www.tiffany.com

Fashion

Dior x Sacai Capsule Collection: Fusing Tradition with Innovation

For this season, Dior’s creative director Kim Jones and Sacai founder Chitose Abe decided to join forces on a capsule collection. Sacai was established by former Rei Kawakubo protégé Chitose Abe over 20 years ago. Ever since the label has built up a reputation as a modern fashion staple, masterfully managing the dichotomy between formal and streetwear fashion. The brand previously collaborated with namesake brands, such as Nike on numerous occasions, refining the iconic sneakers with the signature elevated hybrid optic of Sacai. The capsule collection mirrors the deeply-anchored brand DNA of Sacai in the color palette of the clothes, varying mainly between a devouring black and pearly white. A new, reimagined Dior lettering serves as a visual sign for the creative dialogue that has been started between the two brands. The collection combines Dior’s traditional and unparalleled tailoring with Sacai’s technological innovation, infused with a streetwear aesthetic. Workwear cut denim jackets and trousers are supplemented with functional details and rounded off with a couture finish. The infamous beret, a signature symbol for Dior is presented in a new, reimagined way alongside the clothes. The capsule collection is an ideal fusion of the DNA between two global players of the industry, aligning traditional with contemporary elements, which results in a unique collection of clothes.

www.dior.com

Fashion

MCM Cubic: Reinterpreting History

Monogram— the artistically interwoven initials have been adorning garments for decades now and have become a distinctive and firmly established part of pop culture. Many high-end brands, among them MCM understand the crucial role eye-catching logos play in times where consumers are continuously confronted with pictures and impressions, not least due to the void of accessible information online. MCM— which stands for Modern Creation Munich is best known and admired for its luxury luggage and finding enthusiasts in world stars like Diana Ross or underground artists such as Peggy Gou, ever since being founded in 1976. The 45th anniversary of the iconic brand prompted MCM to revive and reimagine its most prominent recognition value— the monogram. For the first time in the history of MCM, the brand presents three exclusive interpretations of the unique Visetos monogram. Previously this year, the Vintage Jacquard monogram was released. Through a highly-specialized weaving technique inspired by methods used in the world-renowned textile school of Bauhaus, the original logo receives a refreshing new design. The second interpretation is called CUBRIC monogram and stands apart from previous logos with a clean, straight-line pattern. The minimalistic approach resonates with the Bauhaus spirit, which is an integral part of German modernism. The compelling reinterpretations are incorporated in a range of signature styles, such as a casual tracksuit and complemented with a bucket hat.

www.mcmworldwide.com

Fashion

Aiguille D’Or for Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo

2021s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève has awarded Bulgair with the “Aiguille d’Or” price. The “Aiguille d'Or” is the most prestigious category of watch-honoring awards and has been dedicated to the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, one of the four watches which Bulgari has entered into the contest. The Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar consists of no less than 408 components each aligned and coordinated into one entity that masters the art of time with extreme finesse. The sleek, thin watch case marks the thinnest in the world, setting a world record for the seventh time in a row. Created in 2014 in the wake of a complete overhaul of fine watch-making by Bulgari, the Octo Finissimo has redefined the limits of contemporary horlogerie. Concentrating on thinness, the Finissimo line radically renewed the genre of valuable watches, leading several Haute Horlogerie brands to follow suit. To acquire the flat watch case, the engineers of Bulgari had to explore new solutions, sounding out the ideal ways of using each minuscule space between the components while considering the dimensions the mechanical clockwork requires. Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of the Bulgari Group, comments: “This prestigious award rewards the in-depth work initiated by Bulgari to redefine the fundamentals of Haute Horlogerie in terms of Art of Miniaturization. It rewards finally Bulgari’s spirit: boldness, disruptive and innovative.”

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Luxury House Bottega Veneta and Daniel Lee End their Collaboration

After three years of successfully bringing new energy to the luxury fashion house, Creative Director Daniel Lee and Bottega Veneta owner Kering made a joint decision to end the partnership. Bottega Veneta was founded in 1966 in Italy, selling leather goods, defined by a distinctive new leather weaving design, called Intrecciato. Daniel Lee refreshed and revived Bottega Veneta’s heritage, giving it a contemporary veneer and perpetuating its current momentum for the future. The creative director created the most prominent signature pieces of Bottega, such as the padded leather bags, thoughtfully woven with the Intrecciato method or sleek rubber trimmed boots in a bright, neon green, which goes down in history as the Bottega Green. Daniel Lee previously worked for great names of the industry, such as Maison Margiela, Balenciaga or helped develop Celine under the creative direction of Phoebe Philo, before accepting the challenge at Bottega Veneta. As for the new creative leadership of the luxury brand, Kering left only a few hints, leaving us curious to observe what the future holds for Bottega Veneta as well as Daniel Lee.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Zenith: DEFY Extreme Desert

Inspired by the raw and wild beauty of the desert, the Swiss luxury watchmaker launches a special edition of its most triumphant design to date- the DEFY Extreme. For the special project, Zenith and acclaimed nature photographer Kourosh Keynejad join forces to create the release of the unique watch. Accompanying the release of the reimagined DEFY Extreme, the photographer showcases previously unpublished work inspired by the exceptional watch. Keyenjad is best known and admired for his breath-taking pictures, photographed during his travels across the globe and various extreme destinations. The original watch is a unification of precision and high-quality materials. The series of DEFY Extreme models, which are derived from the initial design are all inspired by extreme environments. The DEFY Extreme Desert marks one of the milestones of the DEFY series, as it is the debut watch of the variant models. The luxury brand picks up the theme of the desert in the protection components of the watch crafted from a blue-grey opaque macrocrystalline quartz gemstone, called the falcon’s eye. The falcon lives in the desert and embodies determination and endurance, perfectly matching the luxury watchmaker’s core identity. The main construct of the watch is complemented by a range of different watch straps, such as a sandy beige rubber strap and a titanium bracelet that can be changed easily. Zenith lives up to its high reputation of well-thought-out and excellent designs, resulting in a wearable piece of art.

www.zenith.com

Fashion

Gem Z: The Farthest from Earth We’ve Ever Been

What would an extraterrestrial species think about planet earth and its human population? Together with different innovative artists, Gem Z opens up a theoretical dialogue between humankind and the unknown in space in their current exhibition, called The farthest from earth we’ve ever been. Gem Z is a talent development program, founded by Current Obsession, a magazine and platform to encourage relationships between young artists and support them in terms of creativity and business development. The exhibition is inspired by the two spacecrafts that were sent into space in 1977, each with a copy of the Golden Record on board. The exhibition is inspired by the two spacecrafts, containing a copy of the Golden Record and sent into space in 1977. The Golden Record, an audio-visual disc carried various images and sounds of Earth, such as samples of human speech, musical tracks, and illustrations of the DNA structure. The specific samples were selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on earth. Four decades later the team around Gem Z has tried to develop an imaginery answer to the Golden Record in an installation, fusing design, digital art, and adornment. The mixed-media exhibition is an interesting portrayal of an imagined alien treasure trove crashing on earth and answering to our human kind.

www.current-obsession.com

The exhibition is presented at Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, from October 30th until November 30th 2021.

Fashion

Saint Laurent Rive Droite Halloween Special: A Playful Homage to the Spooky Season

To celebrate the world’s spookiest season, Anthony Vaccarello, the visionary creative director of Saint Laurent, decided to create a special Halloween capsule, available at the infamous Rive Droite retail location. The exceptional boutique Rive Droite is a nod to Rive Gauche, which opened in 1966 as the first ready-to-wear store in a Couturier’s own name. Saint Laurent Rive Droite distinguishes itself from other retail stores, not only because of its remarkable history but the airy interior, defined by the opposites of concrete and glass as well as black and white marble, creating a more accessible and eclectic atmosphere. Vacarello continues to live up to the reputation of the boutique, designing festive jewelry pieces with a playful and youthful approach to the dark side, the hallmark of Halloween. The special collection includes bracelets and necklaces, inspired by the shapes of skulls and crossbones as well as decorative figurines, created in collaboration with the toy company Nanoblock. To round the spooky Halloween experience, a spider projection in 3D by German artist Friedrich Van Schoor will be displayed in the Rive Droite boutique in Paris, as well as in the store in Los Angeles.

www.saintlaurent.com

Fashion

Tommy x Timberland: Fusing Their Exceptional DNA

For a long time, the pieces of Tommy Hilfiger, a pioneer of the classic American collegiate style, have been combined with innovative outdoor specialist Timberland. Now the two brands finally decided to launch their first collaboration, which opens up a creative dialogue. The special collaboration embraces their heritage, drawing parallels between the two major brands in their distinctive role in forming the Zeitgeist of the 90s and discusses the future by fusing their individual brand DNA. Perfectly in time for the upcoming cold season, the collection showcases an original range of winter essentials from apparel, footwear to accessories, such as unisex sporty college jackets, detachable workwear-inspired trousers, and a reimagined version of the iconic Timberland construction boot. The color palette ranges from Hilfiger´s signature bright red and navy blue as well as Timberland´s earthy nuances. The clothes are adorned with a fused logo of the signature Tommy Hilfiger white and red flag as well as the unmistakable Timberland tree. The collection embodies the perfect dialogue between two industry staples, resulting in an exceptional range of deeply anchored Hilfiger classics, induced with a workwear twist by Timberland.

www.tommyhilfiger.com

Fashion

Salvatore Ferragamo: Joyous Anticipation of the Holiday Season

Salvatore Ferragamo´s festive holiday 2021 collection shows exquisite clothes that create a feeling of anticipation giving the viewer a glimpse of the upcoming days full of joy, nostalgia, and generosity. The collection consists of classical garments, effectuated with Ferragamo´s high aspirations of bespoke tailoring. A shiny black tux version, wool sweaters, and neatly cut skirts are accompanied and enriched by beautifully extravagant accessories. As such the collection include mules and boots, adorned with the letter F for Ferragamo and covered in glitter, a revived and extended version of the Viva Bow bag through new shapes as well as a soft penny loafer with a new Gancini detail. The special collections been launched with a campaign video, coming along as a short-film like story, putting the new house ambassadors Jelly Lin and SEULGI into the limelight as protagonists of a real-life Christmas carol. The storyline shows the two actors embracing the Christmas spirit, letting the festive ambiance into their hearts and leaving the daily life behind in a very literal way. The scenes accompany their shift from work attire into their festive outfits. The holiday 2021 campaign perfectly captures the brand´s deepest values and translates them into a joyous and cozy portrayal of Christmas, a holiday that celebrates friendship, family, and kindness- values that coincide with Salvatore Ferragamo´s vision.

www.salvatoreferragamo.com

Fashion

Adidas x C.P. Company: Cinquanta

Functionality and intense fabric research, as well as innovation, are deeply anchored in the success vocabulary of the Italian sportswear brand. This year marks a milestone for C.P. Company, the 50th anniversary in business. For a long time, football and fashion lovers combined pieces of the iconic Italian brand with their German equivalent Adidas. In honor to celebrate C.P. Company’s anniversary, the two pioneers finally decided to officially fuse their DNA in an exceptional range of garments. Chester Perry, later renamed as C.P.Company, was founded in 1971 by Massimo Osti, a man who would later go down in history as the “godfather of urban sportswear”. Sports played a significant role in the implementation of C.P. Company´s experimental streetwear pieces into the mainstream. Both brands are closely connected to football. The limited collection, launched under the name Cinquanta, features signature styles and pieces of Adidas such as the Haslingden jacket, infused with C.P. Company’s core identity. The Adidas icon is revived in a 1970s Italian camouflage print and made out of C.P. Company’s signature fabric 50 Fili. Aside from that, a special team was assigned to the task of revisiting the archives of both brands, resulting in the Adidas Italia SPZL, a white full-grain leather sneaker, adorned with green and red details. Another noteworthy aspect is that the collaborative sneaker comes with an additional pair of outsoles, to provide an extended lifetime of the Adidas Italia SPZL. C.P Company and Adidas are a striking example of a successful collaboration between pioneers, blending their strong identities harmoniously together.

www.cpcompany.com

Art

Martin Eder x London Heni Gallery: “The spirit is weak, but the flesh is willing”

German artist Martin Eder is best known and admired for taking realistic motifs out of context and immersing them into a surrealistic environment, creating a captivating atmosphere for the viewer. For the “The spirit is weak, but the flesh is willing” exhibition, Eder examines the borders between the beautiful and the ugly in his artworks. The artist also draws inspiration from Dante’s Inferno. With his new series of paintings, Eder takes the viewer on a journey through the deeper levels of human subconsciousness as well as a dreamy hell. Martin Eder challenges the viewer with a selection of motifs in his paintings, that range from wide-eyed puppies to still life compositions of the remains of a wild party night. His work also features confident nudes and unreal accountings such as goats in front of rushing waves. Perfectly in tune with our zeitgeist, defined by ironic messages and so-called memes, Eder’s paintings are a refreshingly grotesque questioning of the principles of life. With every look, one discovers a new hidden message, meaning, or story in Eder’s impressive and overloaded artworks. The contemporary figurative paintings are melancholic yet ironically amusing. The “The spirit is weak, but the flesh is willing” exhibition is a prime example of the creative genius to be found in Martin Eder’s devouring paintings.

“The spirit is weak, but the flesh is willing” is exhibited at Heni Gallery, London, from October 6th-November 11th

www.newportstreetgallery.com

Fashion

Dunhill Rethinks Longevity with the Compendium Parka

In time for the colder season, Dunhill is replenishing its outerwear assortment with the Compendium Parka. The concept around the new parka revolves around timeless design that endures several seasons. The Compendium Parka is inspired by a men’s compact found in the Dunhill’s archives – consisting of utilitarian tools such as a cigarette case, a pocket knife, a lighter and a watch. Drawing inspiration from the multifunctional, timeless spirit this compact exuded, Dunhill centered the Compendium Parka around the notions of versatility and adaptability, which is why the parkas can be worn adjusted to the wearer’s desire. The overcoat can be detached to transform the parka into a jacket, and the lining can be worn together with the parka or on its own. The compromise between the four components offers maximum comfort for the wearer no matter the season’s conditions and is made from fine material supposed to last a lifetime, including eco-conscious, regenerated nylon and a shearling-polyester base. With the creation of the Compendium Parka, Dunhill strives to actively contribute to longevity instead of disposability. Making use of luxurious, yet durable materials, Dunhill unites utility, function and elegance and embodies these notions in one, everlasting, yet constantly changing item.

www.dunhill.com

Fashion

Matthew Williams x Ewan Macfarlane: Sculptural Poetry

Collaborations have not only proven to be the best way for a brand to connect with a new audience but just as well to develop the brand´s DNA. Accompanying the arrival of Givenchy´s FW21 collection in a few selected stores, Matthew Williams initiated a ravishing collaboration with multimedia artist Ewan Macfarlane. The artist is best known for his impressive and poetic work dedicated to self-discovery. For a few selected retail stores, Macfarlane created captivating human-like sculptures, which are crouching, climbing, reaching or leaning or include disassociated limbs, all dressed in Givenchy. ´´What someone wears should always portray who they are inside. I feel like the beauty of Ewan´s work helps me convey that in a powerful& poetic way´´ explains Williams. The creative director is renowned and admired for perfectly combining the contrast of utility and luxury in his creations for Givenchy. By displaying these impressive mannequins, Macfarlane and Williams open a conversation on self-expression, meaning and evolution as well as craft, opulence and celebrating life. Refreshingly grotesque yet sculptural poetry. Macfarlane´s work perfectly emphasizes Williams quintessence thought for Givenchy, which is to take a look beneath the beautiful and luxurious clothes because, searching for the insides that really count.

www.givenchy.com

Fashion

Watches and Wonders: A Look Behind the Scenes of Horology

Watches and Wonders, a collaboration between Mr Porter and Net-A-Porter celebrates the intersection between luxury watches, style and fashion. Launched in spring 2020, the digital platform represents a one-of-a-kind character: tailored directly towards industry instead of retail, the web destination has become a dynamic hub for leading retailers, journalists and VIP guests. With their new Watches and Wonders campaign, the two renowned online retail spaces Net-A-Porter and their men’s fashion counterpart Mr Porter, once again pay a special tribute to fine watchmaking. Globally orientated and coming along with a series of physical events and its own digital platform, the campaign is a hallmark of showcasing the art behind fine watchmaking, offering professional insiders as well as the public eye a glimpse behind the scenes. Currently, the platform features insight on the Salon 2022, which unites more than 40 horology houses in an extensive exhibition in Geneva. As one of the first digital destinations to provide unparalleled access to the newest novelties and iconic pieces of the watch industry, the new campaign showcases no less than 30 timepieces, including the top-tier watchmaking names Cartier, Hermès, H.Mose & Cie, IWC Schaffhausen as well as Piaget. Watches and Wonders fosters inspiration, education and marvels at the countless wonders behind the craft of horology.

www.watchesandwonders.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent SS22

Here we are, ascending the white stairs at Place Varsovie, surrounded by the atmosphere of the French capital striving for normality. Here, at this specific place, stands tall one of its iconic symbols, the Tour Eiffel, shining enchantingly with its usual timed light show. As we arrive at the designated seating we see what at first glance looked like a mirrored floor only later to be discovered as the effect of water on the pavement. Little we knew what was going to unfold before us minutes later. As the sun starts to go slowly down the first look make its appearance. It’s a long, sharp yet fluid dress with oversized shoulders, and bold jewels. Austere, yet revealing. Suits transform in overalls, and accessories transform into statement elements. It’s the statement of a woman beyond genres and norms. The woman Yves Saint Laurent found as one of his dearest muses, the charismatic Paloma Picasso, whom the couturier met in the 60s and became a great inspiration for the so-called “collection scandale” presented in January 1971 “For a long time, I wanted to transpose this meeting between Paloma Picasso and Yves Saint Laurent, whose importance few realize in the designer’s creative journey. It is a moment to which I am sensitive as a designer because for me it is the defining moment when Saint Laurent’s fashion creativity became a style.” Anthony Vaccarello speaks about the crucial moment when the couturier Yves met the socialite Paloma. Not many have been aware of its intrinsic importance. A moment that opened up free new artistic paths for Yves Saint Laurent, abolishing the solemn borders of haute couture and preconceived codes. Anthony Vaccarello likes to call it the “couture jacket”. The superbly constructed tailored jacket, declined through radical cuts, dissolving genres and the definition itself of sensuality. As the last looks walk, a cascade of water starts to pour down the catwalk, the models, we the guests. We feel like baptized. Reborn, after these tragic times that took away many who will be always remembered. As will this fantastic show.

www.ysl.com

Fashion

Bally SS22: Easing into Life after the Pandemic

For the SS22 collection, Bally has embraced naturalness as a theme. While the looks are mainly focusing on casual comfort, each garment is elaborately processed. The signature pieces of this collection are focusing on traditional craftmanship, put into practice on intricately quilted coats with whipstitching and double-studded details. The layered garments range from large knits, red leather coats to very wide trousers. which are multifunctional, comfortable and practical as well as suitable for formal wear. The collection is a manual on how to dress while slowly getting back to work and normal everyday life. Therefore, the collection showcases a lot of garments, inspired from workwear such as utilitarian jackets and the ‘‘outline runners’’, a multifunctional, typical outdoor work shoe. The traditional leather artistry of the brands core identity becomes visible in a variety of different bags, from sizable, pleated ones to smaller cross body bags. For the men’s collection the theme of naturalness is taken up by using deadstock fabrics, recycled cotton and plastic bottles. The brand is perfectly on tune with our Zeitgeist, proving that fashion can be sustainable, by finding new ways to dye garments, such as using botanical dyes extracted from wood. The Swedish tradtitional house is a prime example for excellent craftmanship and high quality production as well as final garments.

www.bally.com

Fashion

ENG Concept Store: #StopAsianHate

Being one of the leading fashion retailers with a customer group of Gen-Z luxury consumers, the Shanghai concept store ENG bridges the gap between retail and entertainment. Through an experience-driven, highly conceptual shopping experience, the famous store attracts the fashion-forward crowd of the metropole. For their latest project, the label has made it their aim to raise awareness about the increase of hate crimes against Asians. Showing severe percentages already before the pandemics, hate crimes against Asians have almost doubled. The project is tailored towards the global #StopAsianHate campaign and came to life with international and Chinese brands creating t-shirts, whose full retail proceeds are donated to the Stop East and South-East Asian Hate Campaign. The campaign’s mission is to condemn hate by creating lasting social change, whereas the fund is used to support organizations uplifting and empowering Asian communities. ENG’s campaign is brought to the public eye with an extensive campaign, including a multitude of praised fashion industry personas, such as Leslie Zhang, one of China’s most prolific fashion photographers and several others, who all gave their passion, experience and time freely in order to support this urgent cause. The campaign is replenished by a trilogy of podcasts with Susie Lau and Asian creatives, in which matters of prejudice and bias are reflected upon. In particular, the episodes touch upon the barriers in the Western educational system, that young Asian creatives are confronted with.

The designed t-shirts as well as the podcast are accessible online at ENG. Donations for the GoFundMe campaign can be made through the link below.

www.engconcept.com
www.gofundme.com/f/support-esea-community

Fashion

MCM: Urban Luxury Commute

MCM’s current collaboration with Urwahn elevates ordinary city commutes to a luxurious cruise. Taking inspiration from the metropolitan dynamic of Munich in the 1970s, the two brands have created an E-bike that unites their expertise and design language in a future-oriented way. "We wanted to develop a collaboration that celebrates the essence of moving from the past into the future. URWAHN is a thoroughly German company known for its high-quality engineering, making it the perfect partner with which to celebrate our 45th anniversary," is how Dirk Schönberger, chief creative officer, describes MCM's initial vision behind the collaboration. Whereas this collaboration marked a step into unknown waters for MCM, the outcome sets a high for successfully combining urban mobility with a luxurious lifestyle. A 3D-printed frame, entirely coated in copper and adorned with the iconic Visetos Monogram - that is unmistakably associated with MCM - exudes an opulent aesthetic. Logo-embossed brass framings and reflective MCM emblems plastered over the rims make for an impressive, lasting brand impression. The E-bikes are hand-built in the German town Magdeburg at one of Urwahn’s factories and are the result of detail-oriented design and professional execution. The attention to detail goes beyond the bike itself. MCM also took the riders’ needs into consideration and conceived a special-edition Urban Bottle with 24Bottles. Only available with the MCM x URWAHN E-Bike, this lightweight water bottle sports the brand’s iconic logo and color and with its glamorous Chrome Finish reflecting the light, it isn’t just a great alternative to plastic bottles, but also adds a gorgeous touch.

From September 22nd onwards, 10 of the bikes will be presented in selected MCM stores worldwide.
The e-bike, limited to 40 pieces, will be available online from October 1st.

www.mcmworldwide.com
www.urwahnbikes.com
www.24bottles.com

Fashion

Jil Sander SS22: New Awakenings

“Far from perfect, we can always look forward, with as little filter as possible. We are plural, nocturnal, and luminous; feminine, masculine, vulnerable and strong; and we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. We are in motion.” This is the mantra from which Lucie and Luke Meier derived their creativity for the SS22 collection for Jil Sander. In the spirit of new awakenings, the collection invites to reopen one’s eyes to oneself and one’s surroundings. The collection’s looks excel at balancing sensitivity with power and are a paragon for looks that look strong yet feel light. The prominent silhouette of the SS22 collection is wide and flowy, yet structured; achieved by tailored garments made from delicate fabric. Oversized blazers are combined with clean palazzo trousers, voluminous straight-cut coats layered over slit skirts and long figure-flattering dresses balanced with loose overshirts. Designed with fabric combinations such as cotton, chenille, shimmery silks and matte wool, the looks offer an intriguing mix of material while remaining neutral and wearable through their muted color palette of discrete cream shades, classic earth tones, and pastels such as pale peach, light green and sky blue. The subtle color accentuations lend a soft-spoken touch to the rectilinear, sharp lines of the looks, expressing how subtlety and authority co-exist in Jil Sander’s designs.

www.jilsander.com

Fashion

Doucal FW21/22: Urban Outdoors

With the recent eruption of outdoor interests, the world of womenswear has been opened to new spheres. With true Italian craftsmanship, Doucal has taken inspiration from this development, presenting their FW21/22 collection with ghillie lacing, fine textiles and material inserts on functional footwear shapes. Timeless styles and considerate details are prompts that attract the educated, selective customer of these days. Doucal translates these variables into their design, in particular with three of their shoe models. For the FW collection, Doucal has put a spin on their classic Chelsea boot from the previous collection by focusing on an aerodynamic shape, giving the well-established boot a more athletic touch. Shiny leather combined with a rubber sole creates a trans-seasonal mood that delivers durability. Similarly, the loafers of the Italian brand combine tradition with comfort through a rubber sole. Doucal’s sneaker models have been elevated with fabric elements, such as wool and feature neutral color blocking that makes them suitable for city looks. Additionally, the collection premieres an ankle boot with a flared heel that picks up the material mix of the collection. The men’s collection ventures out into a more athletic approach; presenting ultra-light soles, technical details and rubberized inserts. Previous models, such as the Kobe and Andrew, are reborn with new color palettes, nylon waterproof patches and wax treatments while offering a range from walking shoes, boots to monk shoes and loafers.

www.doucal.com

Art

ULAY Foundation Project Space: The Metamorphosis of the Body

The Ulay Foundation has opened its doors to a new exhibition launched under the name Body Ecstatic Body Eclectic Body Eccentric. The exhibition investigates the notion of the body through a variety of media such as moving images, photography as well as performance. The exhibitions features artistic positions concerning the body from the 1970s to recent days, which makes for an intriguing insight into the influence of the digital and post-digital realms that have shaped our perception of bodies immensely. Touching upon current topics with political value, Body Ecstatic Body Eclectic Body Eccentric thematizes traditional conceptions of gender and sexuality, self-presentation and the female narrative of the fight for social justice. In this sense, the exhibition proposes insight into what the body desires these days, how they metamorphose and adapt to societal pressure and consequently how the body can break free from the limitations that are postmarked upon them by certain standards. Particularly focusing on the woman’s body in these scenarios and considering the recent developments of the pandemic too, the exhibition unveils how economic, political and reproductive rights are under attack worldwide.

Body Ecstatic Body Eclectic Body Eccentric, curated by Hana Ostan Ozbolt, is on show at the ULAY Foundation Project Space in Ljubljana until October 29th 2021.

www.ulayfoundation.org

Fashion

Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle: Synthetic Jungle

Anne Flipo, who has been appointed as “Master of Parfum” by the IFF New York in 2019, has created an opulent and unique fragrance for Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. Her olfactory style is defined as modern, precise and powerful and is perfectly represented in her recent creation Synthetic Jungle for Frédéric Malle. The resulting fragrance is a tribute to its very own name – richly evocative, green, vegetal and flowery. The perfume is an olfactory embodiment of a jungle, relocating the wearer into the setting of abundant greenery, exotic plants and floral freshness. Since the millennial turn, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle has given master perfumers from all over the world complete freedom, guiding them to the pinnacle of theirs art and providing them with exceptional material. Without time, budget or marketing constraints, Frédéric Malle champions the artistry behind the world of perfumes. Anne Flipo herself describes the development of Synthetic Jungle as “the joy of composing with no time constraints” and as a creative outlet “where everything is possible.” The approach cultivates an eclectic range of perfumes representing the unique diverse personalities and art of their creators. As such, synthetic jungle is an ode to Anne Flipo’s preference for floral and green palettes.

www.fredericmalle.com

Art

Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: K60

In line with the Gallery Weekend *Discoveries purpose to represent a platform for upcoming artists, the event aims to foster connections between the participating galleries, curators and subsequently artists as well. This year, the second edition of the K60 exhibition brings together eight Berlin galleries – Alexander Ievy, ChertLüdde, HUA International Klemm’s, KOW, Kraua-Tuskany Zeidler, Plan B and PSM. The eight galleries present a plethora of artworks from various artists, including conventional mediums like sculptures and paintings, as well as more contemporary takes on art through videos, installations and photography. The exhibition stretches over two floors in the industrial setting of the Wilhelm Hallen, whose architectural characteristics make for an excellent exhibition space. The artworks are placed alongside the raw concrete walls, hung from the iron frameworks of the high ceilings and integrated into the pillars and braces of the former iron foundry. The vast space allows the individual art works to unfold on their own, honoring the research and creativity of each individual, while contributing to a unique undertaking that emphasizes the art scene as an entity and delivers a diverse and manifold art experience to the audience. The joined exhibition and the vast location invite to articulate a dialogue, not only between the artworks themselves but also between the visitors – highlighting the common threads that link the artworks and their audience together.

The K60 exhibition is open to public at Wilhelm Hallen, Berlin, until September 18th 2021. 

www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Art

Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Compliance

The pursuit of self-optimization has gained tangible significance over the past decades. Self-fulfilling aspirations such as academic success, professional advancement, character development and altering one’s appearance occupy the human mind. The physique of the body stands in the limelight of this optimization fever. The desire to look one’s best is majorly impacted by the constant state of comparison that the individual is confronted with, whether in mirrors, social media or the real world. While optimizing oneself and striving for the best version is an immanent human trait driving forward evolution, the idea of constantly evolving into a better, stronger and faster version of oneself, cultures a toxic mindset. In this mindset, thoughts turn into a torrent that allures with positively labeled attributes like discipline, routine and dedication. Somewhere along the lines of gym sessions, workout videos and fitness gear, determination turns into compulsion. Megan Marrin, known for installations with medieval and torture elements, expresses this mind game in her exhibition Compliance. A series of paintings show athletic devices – ballet barrés and gym machines, in a minimalistic manner, exposing them in all their cold, neutral object-ness. With elements of modernist architecture, Marrin’s work sketches how purposeful spaces turn humans into objects that fall victim to hyper-optimization. The exhibition captures the turning point between free will and societal constraint. Marrin unifies the notions of aesthetics and function not only in the artworks but in the exhibition location itself, where the space functions as a medium to display the art – similar to how athletic activities showcase the fit body. Marrin's exhibition evokes both the discomfort and the desire for the visibility of bodies and, in an abstract form, the social pressure to conform to ideals postmarked on individuals by a collective effort to preserve the body in its finest state.

Compliance is exhibited at Efredemis, Berlin, from September 4th - October 7th 2021.

www.efremidisgallery.com
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Art

Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Fictions

A canvas covered in dense paint strokes, winding curves, blurred layers of emerald green and greyish billows of smoke. The painting reminds of a deep forest, dense undergrowth blends into shadow shapes. A portrait of a girl, hiding beneath a surface of paint. Diverging saturations of color tease the eye of the observer, the dimensions between the girl and the surface are impossible to gauge. Artworks like these, where mystical sceneries and fantastical creatures become alive in the observer's eye are the signature pieces of Brook Hsu. Hsu, who is known for interweaving autobiographical and imaginative elements, includes a combination of painting, textiles, sculptures and texts into her body of work. Her paintings titillate the imagination of the observer, inviting into mythological realms embedded in art historical narratives. Hsu creates depth by playing with shapes, contours and layers. Nuances of black and varying shades of green are an integral component of her work. Not least the color choice contributes to the narrow ridge between a menacing and calming message that her paintings convey. The piercing, at times feverish imagery addresses the psyche of the viewer, reflecting matters that revolve around fear, sadness, uncertainty and curiosity. Pre-Christian myths, historical occurrences, modern literature, films and personal stories are Hsu’s sources of inspiration. Derived from these sources, her paintings convey a realm where the ethereal and factual, the fantastical and real and the historical and personal meet. The psychedelic yet tranquil character of the paintings opens the gate for a mind game in which the observer loses touch with reality while being firmly grounded by autobiographical interpretations.

Fictions by Brook Hsu is exhibited at Kraupa Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin, from September 15th - September 19th 2021.

www.k-t-z.com
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Fashion

Longchamp FW21: Seasonal Reinterpretations

For the FW 21 collection, Longchamp explored a seasonal reinterpretation of two of their star pieces – the Brioche bag, named after the delectable French pastry and the Roseau bag with its signature bamboo toggle. Inspired by the evergreen charm of the Parisienne, the French Maison revisited the two iconic bags with the suave wink French women are known for, expressed in the campaigns through a humorous take on ordinary situations of daily life. The Brioche is presented in a sleek, compact design with a versatile metal chain and it's signature neat flap that allows for a surprisingly spacious interior. A leather-covered, metal-rimmed clasp nods to the leather expertise Longchamp is known for. This season, the Brioche’s color palette is replenished with a pastel powder pink and a neutral dove grey. To counteract the soft nuances, a shiny snakeskin-effect leather version as well as indigo denim style one cater for a more outspoken look. Another new version of the Brioche features a sporty 60s vibe with graphic stripe elements. Lastly, the reinterpretation spawned an ivory-colored Brioche with a shearling-effect canvas and a natural calfskin clasp. The Roseau bag has been revisited with a smooth leather body in natural ecru and red color, accessorized with a chunky toggle and chain giving a vintage look, as well as more contrasting material choices such as crocodile-print leather and velvety suedes.

www.longchamp.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend: Four Months, Four Million Light Years

On February 8th, 2021 the Dutch government has officially put an end to transnational adoptions, hoping to prevent the systematic trafficking and fraud that these processes often inherit. Korean/ Dutch artist Sara Sejin Chang set herself to raise awareness of these past malpractices by dedicating an exhibition to the matter. With Four months, four million light years she captures the colonial past of interracial adoptions. Named after a decree of the Korean government, which stipulated four months as the minimum time frame for children to stay in one orphanage before adoption, the exhibition calls out the transnational and transracial adoption industry. The adoption industry leaves a trail of individual fates confronted with deracination and an ever-lasting question of cultural belonging. The artifacts and anecdotes displayed are an homage to these persons who have been separated from their families, ancestors and inevitably cultural heritage. A composition of textiles, paper text banners and drawings accompany a video projection of a colonial print that marks the entry point of the exhibition. The print serves as a memorial for the beginning of a long history of racialized and infantilizing descriptions of Asian cultures and the violent eradiation of shamanistic cultures by Western missionaries. Drawing from her own experience and those of other adoptees, Sara travels through time in her works, from early colonial descriptions to contemporary adoption society. Sara honors the healing power of the shamanic figures and ancient traditions throughout the exhibition, emphasizing how a reconnection to cultural roots and spirituality is a sacrosanct pillar for adopted persons.

Four months, four million light years is exhibited at Argos, Brussels, from October 9th - December 12th 2021.

www.argosarts.org
www.sarasejinchang.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend: Rosa Rosa Rosae Rosae

The exhibition rosa rosa rosae rosae features the knowledge, transmission and history of language as a subject of discussion. With twenty contributing artists of multiple origins the exhibition achieves a diverse representation of how language shapes world views and creates barriers and clarification at the same time. The exhibition has taken inspiration from Jan Vercruysse’s photograph Rosa/Rota ll, in which the Belgian poet plays with the modification and purposeful interpretation of the Latin language. The photograph depicts two panels, one with the declension of the Latin word rosa (rose) and one with the Latin word rota (destiny). Getrude Stein’s infamous poetry verse “rose is a rose is a rose is a rose” reinforces contemplations around the literal meaning of words by emphasizing rhyme, rhythm and the fluidity of poetry. Derived from these references, rosa rosa rosae rosae revolves around the deceptive power of language. Since language is immanent to passing on knowledge, words inherit the ability to influence depending on personal language bias. The exhibition visualizes the reflection of a world with permeable borders where language unconsciously intermingles with discussion values, individual viewpoints and expression habits. This language bias is summarized in rosa rosa rosae rosae as a matrix that clarifies and confuses as it surrenders to interpretation.

Rosa rosa rosae rosae is exhibited at La Maison Pelgrims, Brussels, from October 10th - October 23rd 2021.

www.brusselsgalleryweekend.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend: Post-Truth and Meditative Textures

Nino Mier Gallery is making its debut at the Brussel Gallery Weekend with the LA-based artist Dashiell Manley. Manley’s works are characterized by a unique sculpting technique that creates a textured surface in which oil paint fans out in shell-like patterns, distantly reminding of psychedelic visions. The alternating surface of his paintings and the use of vibrant color palettes lend his works an unexpectedly soothing, harmonious character. The creation of these meditative works stems from the personal development of the artist. Prior to finding emotionality and tranquility in his works, Manley was known for the subtle language of satire. In his early years, he converted political print media, such as newspaper front pages or cartoons into abstract, distorted versions on canvas. Depicting the news as a blurry mess conveyed the decay of media outlets in times of careless and unquestioned news consumption. Commenting on the role of the media in a post-truth era through his art, were the leading steps of artistic transition for Manley. After the process of visualizing post-truth matters, in which emotion and personal beliefs rule over reliable sources and facts, Manley sought for an equilibrium that would combat the frustration and critique he had visualized for years. Hence, as an artistic reprieve, the artist switched to a more meditative practise, ruled by open gestures and movements. Despite the complete reversal of the motivation behind Manley’s pieces, they show a distinct visual language making use of pastel colors and large-scale patterns.

Dashiell Manley’s art is exhibited at Nino Mier Gallery, Brussels, from September 9th - October 9th 2021.

www.miergallery.com

Fashion

Swarovski Wonderlab Collection II

A world where magic and science meet, a world full of wonder – from muses of the Bohemian movement to design aesthetics taken from the Swarovski’s Austrian heritage, the second collection of Wonderlab enrichens the timeline of the jewelry brand by a modern twist. Each crystal item of the collection represents a microcosm of an individual world in which the magic of Swarovski jewelry unfolds in manifold ways. The collection exhibits an interplay of colors, textures and cuts that symbolize self-expression in all its various ways – classic, punk, sweet, striking and every nuance in between. Aligned with this expressive nature, the collection is launched with a campaign that represents the opposite of archetypes in all their authenticity. The Wonderlab Collection II cherishes the success of the preceding Collection I; paying tribute to the families of the original collection with evolved takes such as unisex approaches, new forms and colors. Besides, the Wonderlab Collection II presents a quartet of new design families: Abunda embodies technical marvel, exploring architectural elements, focusing on the prowess of craftsmanship. Dextera exemplifies geometric embellishment, parading crystals precisely composed around metal frames that radiate a “mathemagical” fusion. Imber replenishes the Wonderlab themes by a softly sensory experience, with crystals that create a cascading illusion, inspired by the classic Swarovski chains. Lastly, Stella features dark and dreamy star-shaped pieces that play with proportion and lets starlets and stargazers dream of alternate realms.

The Wonderlab Collection II is available from September 7th in-stores as well as online.

www.swarovski.com

Fashion

Galop d’Hermès: Equestrian Anecdotes

The Galop d'Hermès watch, created in 2019, exemplifies a thoughtful creative process. The watch revisits the Maison’s equestrian codes with its watchcases that is inspired by the shape of stirrups. The Galop d'Hermès was born from the detailed observation of Californian designer Ini Archibong, who immersed himself into the archives of Hermès creations. Bridoons, stirrups, bridles, harnesses - with his streamlined and balanced style, Archibong merges avant-garde interpretations of these design anecdotes with the beknown functional simplicity of Hermès objects. Now, Hermès relaunches the classic piece in a smaller format. Closely linked to the House's watchmaking repertoire, the Galop d'Hermès is a piece that combines the practicality of a watch with the delicacy of jewelry. The new “Petits Modèles” are available in rose gold, plain steel and in a steel bedazzled with no less than 134 diamonds. The case’s soft angles close around a wide-open dial, punctuated by Arabic numerals of different sizes. Enlarged on the lower part of the display, they convey movement and a shift in perspective. The progressive typography, finely highlighted in anthracite, stands out against a sandblasted background, while the hands hover over a smooth opalescent surface. A final nod to the world of horses, the number 8 forms an inverted stirrup. A calfskin or alligator strap, made in the Hermès Horloger workshops, extends the aerodynamic and futuristic lines of this creation.

www.hermès.com

Fashion

Hublot x Big Bang DJ Snake

DJ Snake’s career is of dazzling and multifaceted character. With over a billion streams on Spotify and numerous awards including Billboard and MTV ones, the French musician is a kind of its own. Celebrated by fans for his creations since 2013 with hits like “Lean on” with Major Lazer and “Let me love you” with Justin Bieber, DJ Snake is a factor to be reckoned with when it comes to electronic music all over the globe. Since 2018, the DJ is an ambassador for the Swiss horology pioneer Hublot. For their latest project, the DJ’s creative design ideas and Hublot’s technical know-how have joined forces. Resulting from the collaboration, the Big Band DJ Sake has been created, a watch that boldly expresses the musician's character while demonstrating how traditional craftsmanship can be turned into modern, avant-garde and outspoken watch-making. The DJ sums up the thought process behind the design: “ To be able to wear – and also offer my fans – a watch which reflects my personality is something that has been very important to me since the start of my partnership with Hublot. I am delighted to have been able to combine my inspiration with the expertise of the fantastic watchmakers and technicians at this Swiss brand.” The Big Bang DJ Snake watch features an iridescent shine emerging from countless light hues of electric blue and pulsing purple colors. Made possible by a special manufacturing process, the color accents change depending on light and angles. A distinctive detail of the Big Bang DJ Snake is the prominent notches on the side of the watchcase. Limited to 100 pieces, this special creation comes with a color coordinated as well as a black strap that offers an individual choice to its wearer.

www.hublot.com
www.djsnake.com

Fashion

Vitra Circle Store

The Swiss design pioneer Vitra opens its first store in the Netherlands. With circularity and sustainability in mind, the name of the store – Vitra Circle Store – already gives away the idea behind the concept. The Circle Store sells used items from the numerous exhibitions, trade fairs and showrooms representing Vitra all over the world. Next to the classic pieces, the assortment range includes products designed exclusively for Vitra by contemporary designers. The pieces available for purchase offer a broad choice to the customer – whether it is sofas, chairs or interior accessories. By opening this well thought out store concept, Vitra aims to increase awareness of conscious consumption, considered production and the importance of original, timeless design. The Circle Store is located in the monumental building in the Hembrugterrein in Zaandam. To provide maximum quality, the objects sold at the Circle Store are restored and cleaned before they enter their second life cycle. The refurbished objects are sold with a two-year guarantee and persuade with fair prices, which are made on-site, depending on the condition of the design pieces.

The Vitra Circle store is open to the public on Fridays from 9am to 5pm from the 10th September 2021, and from the 1st October 2021 additionally on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm.

www.vitra.com

Fashion

Guess F21: Originals and Kit Program

Just in time with the beginning of a new academic year, GUESS launches their F21 collection. The collection entails an Originals capsule and an Originals Kit Program. For the Originals capsule, GUESS took inspiration from the back-to-school season and created looks taking cues from classic campus attire. Authentic vintage pieces from the 90’s have been developed into revamped pieces featuring athletic silhouettes like cardigans, varsity jackets and jerseys. The campus sports elements are enhanced by classic collegiate graphics, such as regimental stripes, plaids and chenille/ varsity patches. The capsule parades modern prep vibes that take the wearer back to the 90s school spirits. The Originals Kit Program focuses on seasonal color ways, presenting refreshing takes on every-day pieces. As such, the program introduces light twill and woven pants and denim pieces next to chambray shirts and pocket tees. The women’s collection presents ribbed tanks, bodysuits and biker shorts, referring back to the athletic appearance of the Originals capsule.

The GUESS Originals capsule and the GUESS Originals Kit Program is available from now on in selected GUESS retail stores, as well as online.

www.guess.com

Fashion

Hublot’s Rainbow Watch

With a passion for pop art and bright tones, Hublot’s latest creation is abundant of color. A vibrant gradient adorns the Big Bang Tourbillion Rainbow - no Pantone color is unattainable - not even the rainbow color palette. Since 2017, Hublot has incorporated all the rainbow colors in different ways in the watches, but until the Big Bang Tourbillion, the seven colors of the rainbow have not been set together in one watch. This August, the watchmaker presents these two exceptional high jewelry pieces, which radiate cheerful decadence from the bezel to the watch case to the bracelet. The Big Bang Tourbillon model is available in two versions, one in king gold and one in white gold, which reveal the fascinating movement of the automatic winding under sapphire glass. Nearly 36 carats, 484 invisibly set baguette-cut stones, and seven different types of stones reflect the seven visible colors of the rainbow spectrum: bright red rubies, fuchsia sapphires, ultraviolet amethysts, Yves Klein blue topaz, lush green tsavorites, lemon yellow sapphires, and bright orange sapphires. The smooth transition between the seven types of stone emphasizes the artistic character of the timepiece. 1,200 hours of work were required to select the stones themselves and their color nuances, to cut and set them according to the color gradient plan, and ultimately to imitate the perfection of nature. Once again, Hublot combines innovation and know-how, high horology and high jewelry in a superlative watch.

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Carhartt WIP x Civilist

For the SS 21 collection, Carhartt has collaborated with the iconic Berlin skate brand Civilist. The capsule collection consists of nine pieces. From cotton jersey hoodies to short-sleeved shirts, as well as skating decks and a neck pouch, the collaboration represents a holistic strategy to street style credibility. The approach of Civilist brings a playful side to the renowned streetwear and skateboard brand, by emblazoning the Carhartt styles with graphic smiley faces, whose facial features are derivations of the Carhartt logo and the Civilist logotype. The smiley reappears as a warped 3D iteration on a kaleidoscopic background throughout the nine pieces. Civilist, which was founded in 2009 in Berlin-Mitte evolved from a skate shop to an apparel retailer. Despite the gentrification of the area, the Civilist shop remains a cultural hub and meeting point for the city’s skaters, not least because of their steadfastly and reassuring authenticity. Civilist has collaborated with renowned brands in the past, including Nike, Vans, Converse and Stussy.

Carhartt WIP x Civilist is available from now in selected Carhartt WIP stores, selected skate shops and online.

www.carhartt-wip.com
www.civilistberlin.com

Fashion

Rotate SS22 x Marsèll

The pandemic, which has held a grip over this world for over a year and a half, is not yet over, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. We have largely worked from home, going to bars, restaurants and clubs was impossible and our wardrobes started to reflect this as we gladly exchanged jeans for sweatpants. Now that the world might be reopening, it is time to bring the focus back on statement dresses, to revive the everyday glamour. For this reason, ROTATE’s Creative Directors Thora Valdimarsdottir and Jeanette Madsen drew inspiration from the 90s sitcom style icon Frane Fine for SS22, a collection that makes us fall in love with the glam of the 90s, infused with a touch of 70s disco. The collection was presented during Copenhagen Fashion Week in a fast-paced show during which the models emerged from vintage sports cars parked on the runway. The delicately feminine garments were contrasted with the raw masculine energy of the cars, an embodiment of the brand’s signature high-octane cool. Short hemlines and sequins fused with masculine elements such as denim and sharp tailoring defined the collection with the looks being finished with Marsèll’s most iconic footwear creations. Whether it was the Micarro ankle boots the Carretta beatles or the Zuccone, the styles selected embodied the essence of the Italian footwear brands with their gender-neutral aesthetic, utilitarian edge and their penchant for oversized soles.

www.rotate.com
www.marsell.it

Fashion

Stone Island FW2021: Shadow Project

Research, experimentation, function and use are the four matrices that define Stone Island’s brand identity. The Italian brand revolutionizes contemporary menswear by focusing on design and practicality at once, without compromising in terms of style. For the F/W 21 collection, Stone Island curated Shadow Project, a product line that focuses on serving the wearer. Utilizing attentive research into the behavioural pattern of wearers, Stone Island manufactured the individual pieces in a way where true functionality shows in the daily usage. Herein, the process of wearing the garment plays a significant role, the pieces of Shadow Project By reducing typical functional details, relying on internal storage solutions and tailoring with a generous fit, the garments provide freedom and comfort to the wearer. The collection is split up into two chapters and engineered to meet the alternating weather conditions of two seasons and their transition time. Shadow Project is a response to futuristic and current world scenarios, in which contemporary menswear evolves to a fusion of performing aspects, material innovation and style.

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

Net-A-Porter expands Net Sustain Platform

Net Sustain, the British online shop’s segment focused on consciously crafted fashion, presents itself with an updated user experience. In the wake of the expansion, a series of new fashion brands have been adopted. With the values of consciousness and circularity in mind, the labels were carefully chosen by taking into account human, animal and environmental welfare within the label’s production and distribution chains. Each label has to excel in at least one of nine product attributes, namely considered materials, ingredients and overall process, waste reduction, local production craftsmanship and community, animal welfare, vegan and design for circularity. The latter is a newly added category that aims to actively contribute to a shift in throwaway culture and waste caused by textile disposal. Next to the increased number of labels, Net Sustain newest edit features an enhanced customer journey. This journey comes to terms in a dynamic shopping experience that offers post-purchase solutions. A personalized digital ID enables customers to track the life cycle of selected garments. Transparency is a key element of turning over the relation between fashion, industry, retail and customer experience which is why Net Sustain’s digital ID provides information on Care & Repair partners, promoting longevity and appreciation for purchased garments.

www.net-a-porter.com

Fashion

Fendi x Rimowa

The collaboration between Italian house Fendi and German luxury luggage brand RIMOWA is back once more. For a third time, both houses join forces to combine the best of their respective know-how and flair. Crafted in RIMOWA’s signature aluminium, the new Classic Cabin comes equipped with a new and innovative multi-wheel system, which promises smooth and effortless travel even with a full suitcase. It’s a perfect blend of German industrial know-how and luxurious Italian craftsmanship. The aluminium body features a brushed effect that depending on the light reveals the Italian house’s emblematic FF logo, whilst being completed with Fendi details, such as Cuoio Romano leather handles on the top and side. Additionally, you have the opportunity to hot stamp your initials on a Cuoio Romano leather nametag, as is customary with all Fendi bags.

Available in selected Fendi stores and online from September 2021, the RIMOWA x FENDI suitcases will be pre-launched in August 2021.

www.fendi.com
www.rimowa.com

Fashion

Beneath the Coat: Moose Knuckles Sportswear Collection

Canada is a country that is famous for its cold and harsh winters from which its citizens need adequate protection. It should therefore not come to anybody’s surprise that Canadian brand Moose Knuckles is most famous for its outerwear and has, according to Retail Insider Magazine, “been ranked as the top parka brand in terms of having the highest thermal insulation value.” That said, everybody knows that fortunately, the cold seasons don’t last all year and that we also need other garments besides warm jackets and coats. Moose Knuckles is happy to provide. Considering themselves as a luxury sportswear brand, their selection also naturally includes a sportswear collection consisting of hoodies, shirts, pants and shorts, more suitable for the warmer seasons. Made entirely of 100% Cotton French Terry, a low maintenance fibre, the garments have a light and comfortable feel, ideal for athleisure wear. The collection offers the wearer a myriad of possibilities to combine not only the colours, Surplus Green, White Yellow Brit Blue, Charcoal Melange and Black, but also the pieces and their different fits to their heart’s content. The pieces get their final touch with the iconic Moose Knuckles metal logo. The clothes are made to flatter the shape of the body, but for everybody who likes the oversized look, there is always the possibility to size up.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

TommyXIndya

Over the last years, it has become clear that our world finds itself once again at an important crossroads. On the one hand, the messages of tolerance and equality, as well as the support for minority groups, have seemingly never resonated with more people, but at the same time, we are facing a wave of right-wing populism and racism sweeping the globe. Tommy Hilfiger takes a conscious stance in support of equal representation through its People’s Place Program. It is a three-pillared platform with the mission of advancing representation and furthering inclusivity in all areas of fashion and beyond. As Tommy Hilfiger has put it himself, “Great style knows no boundaries, and this has always driven my dream to create fashion for all.” For this reason, the brand has partnered up with actor and activist Indya Moore with the resulting capsule collection TommyXIndya being a celebration of the beauty and diversity of the global community. It features a range of size-inclusive and non-gendered pieces, which seek to empower those who want to express themselves without any limitations. Every piece is a re-interpretation of a classic Tommy Hilfiger staple, adapted to fit and respect multiple gender expressions. The pieces are adaptable, aiming to fit everybody whilst encouraging continuous self-expression, fluidity and exploration. As Indya Morre has put it herself, “ It breaks a cycle and sets a new standard across the industry. Too many people are made to feel that something is wrong with them just for being themselves. It means everything to me to know that with our capsule, no one is made to feel wrong or different or broken. Everyone works perfectly for this collection, no matter who they are.” Tommy’s commitment to the cause goes beyond the collection itself but also seeks to promote creative talent from underrepresented BIPOC communities in front and behind the cameras. Myles Loftin lensed the campaign in Moore’s hometown and beside themselves, it features four groundbreaking activists, who all have stood up for LGBTQIA+ rights as well as equal representation for people of color.

The TommyXIndya capsule collection will be available online and in select Tommy Hilfiger retail locations across Europe, North America and Mexico from July 20th, 2021.

www.tommy.com

Fashion

The Heart of Fendi Revitalised anew

It was announced in September 2020, that designer Kim Jones would be joining Fendi. The British designer would be in charge of the Roman house’s couture and womenswear lines and therefore complete Fendi’s trifecta of Artistic Directors next to Silvia Venturini Fendi, who is responsible for accessories and menswear and Delfina Delettrez Fendi overseeing the jewelry. His debut collection was then unveiled to the world in February 2021. The starting point as expressed by Jones himself was to create “clothes that women want to buy” and he sees this as the key aspect of his work. With his collection, Jones delved deep into some of the stories most meaningful to the Roman house, paying homage to the many people who have previously shaped it, while at the same time starting the process of leaving his own mark on the narrative. It’s the historic and extraordinary Italian elegance from a fresh and new perspective. It’s the turning of a page at Fendi, the emergence of a new visual language, which looks toward the future without forgetting about its deeply rooted traditions. It’s the heart of Fendi revitalised anew. The campaign for the collection was photographed by Craig McDean against the backdrop of Fendi’s historic headquarter, the Palazzo della Civilita Italiana, and it visually mirrors the merging of classicism and modernity of the clothing conceived through Jones’ new vision.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Les Extraits

Louis Vuitton’s newest Les Extraits Collections is the coming together of two geniuses in their respective fields, Maître Parfumeur Jacques Cavallier Belletrud and architect Frank Gehry. It is the first time that Gehry conceived a perfume bottle. His design is defined by the harmony between line and curve, the tension that gives form to beauty. Each flacon comes topped with a 3-D, sculptural work in silver, which is reminiscent of the wind moving and swirling through silver fabric. The fragrances themselves, entitled Dancing Blossom, Cosmic Cloud, Rhapsody, Symphony and Stellar Times, reflect the spirit of travel that Louis Vuitton has celebrated since its foundation. Through this collection we are taken further, to new horizons, a garden of waves, a golden temple floating beyond time enveloped in a halo of olfactory sensations. The five compositions center on materiality and the perpetual metamorphosis of nature. These scents are liberated, embracing the breath of life by being condensed into an Extrait, allowing them to blossom freely, without any constraint. As Cavallier Belletrud puts it himself, “I wanted to venture where no one goes anymore. To reinvent the notion of an Extrait in a contemporary way. To bring in light, expand matter, and lighten things up. I wanted to deconstruct the very architecture of perfume. That’s how Les Extraits Collection was born: five perfumes with no top, heart or base notes, in order to reveal the quintessence of each olfactory family.”

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Dior Haute Couture FW2021/22

The world is re-awakening from a 16-month slumber. After months of ever-changing rules and regulations, the world finally seems to be reopening and for the first time in three seasons ,people were allowed to see the Dior Haute Couture collection in person. People stand at the heart of haute couture, not solely the people who came to be astonished by the garments, but all the skilled craftsmen and seamstresses, the whole unseen chain of people without whom the practice of haute couture could not exist. In this collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri focuses of daywear, top-to-toe silhouettes of grey tweeds, camel cashmere recalling long nature walks, which we have all become so familiar within the last year and a half, but the real meaning is woven into the garments themselves. Chiuri celebrates hand-loomed tweeds, the stitch-work carried out by embroiderers and silk manufacturers. Everybody is interconnected and Chiuri sees it as part of her responsibility to weave together the threats of social responsibility and to support all the hard-hit manufacturers and craftsmen who have become indispensable for haute couture. The collection’s backdrop was French artist Éva Jospin’s impressive Chambre de Soie, a continuous conceptual landscape mural, with every one of the minute stitches made by the Indian embroidery school that Chiuri encouraged Dior to support over the last few years. It is the responsibility of every single one of us to reveal what one does not see; especially now in a world that, re-emerging from a forced stop, will find itself undergoing profound change.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Hermès Mens SS22

The Hermès Men’s SS22 collection is about a sense of lightness, relaxation and freedom. It is a response to our need for wider perspectives, for the great outdoors. It is an invention and reinvention of a wardrobe in which different fabrics are interwoven, and where technical innovation finds inspiration in craftwork legacy. Depth and fantasy: a duality of spirit shaking up appearances. Paper becomes fabric, Toilbright and a cotton cover fuse together, leather is enlivened with bursts of colour and stitching graphics. Forms in trompe-l’œil: overshirts, double jacket-cardigans, coats and parkas in two materials.This hybrid approach ushers in a renewed elegance synonymous with energized and flexible shapes: the seemingly casual style belies a structured sophistication to the night as it fades in from the day. Innovation and precision, a dialogue with legacy patterns devoured, blurred, perforated and otherwise transformed by modern techniques.A harmonious play on contrasts accentuate the colours. Celadon-green, algae, chocolate, and carbon hues blend with the softness of faded rose, stone-grey and raw-silk. A bright, soft sweater, a daisy pattern and large Bermuda shorts embody this liberated relaxation.Suffused with optimism and energy, this creative collection is bursting with the vitality of a world reclaimed.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Rick Owens SS22

The Rick Owens show SS22 will be the fourth and last to happen at Venezia’s Lido Beach, where Owens himself lives half the year and where his team could join me from our factory a short drive away. He describes these live shows in front of the beach as a “retreat, not a defeat” as an intimate alternative to the usual shows. This year’s collection embraces hedonism in a soft, grateful way - reflecting this new period of contradictively trying to mix glam with responsibility and thoughtfulness. The shapes and fabrics he calls “white-magic-houses-of-the-holy-stairway-to-heaven” worn by hippies wear baggy, dragging flares over platforms, with eco-cotton disco bodysuit, under transparent shirts, or transparently tailored monster-shouldered blazers and coats. This time around, Owens aimed to expose the clothing technology and his pieces’ interior processes and structures since he is so comfortable with his expertise in tailoring crew. Therefore, he sliced into the coats and jackets, ripping off sleeves, deepening armholes, cutting away fronts and backs, and rendering everything in undyed cotton organdies and undyed silk chiffons that expose the complexity of the structural interlinings beneath. The brutalist chokers combined with the extravagant looks are from an ongoing jewelry collection produced by Goossens, the Maison that once created jewelry for Coco Chanel, Cristobal Balenciaga, and Madame Grès in the 50s. The original Rick Owens feel and look takes on a lighter shade for the summer collection.

www.rickowens.com

Fashion

Yohji Yamamoto Mens SS22

This season Yohji Yamamoto presents his SS22 collection in collaboration with Japanese photographer TAKAY, who poetically shows models, a documentary of Yohji’s vision. The 18 minutes video is a journey of 28 looks accompanied by Yohji’s voice and songs. The SS22 collection follows Yohji Yamamoto’s DNA by using deconstructed and oversized shapes, very light fabrics as linen, silk, and light cotton. Included in the collection are revisited trench coats, which suggest light and airy clothes, easy to wear for warm summer. He also looked back into his archives of the SS86 collection to create black and beige hybrid looks. Heavy sneakers, flower prints, and eye drawings are embellishing the collection. Through his collection Yohji Yamamoto wants to represent all human beings, mixing all social categories. The final costume silhouettes, printed with real newspapers from the latest months, are a testimony of the current world. Yohji Yamamoto’sYamamoto’s collection is an expression of his feelings and anger in a poetic way and shares his vision of people in the streets. It’s a statement about today’s world.

www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp

Fashion

DIESEL SS22

Creative Director Glenn Martens presents DIESEL’s SS22 collection, and the season marks a milestone for the company: Martens’ first collection for the brand. The SS22 collection was presented as a short film. The short film is a collaboration with artist and director Frank Lebon, with a soundtrack by British musician Leon Vynehall and takes a close look at four areas of DIESEL’s evolving brave new world, seen through the creative prism of Glenn Martens. We follow the protagonist through a familiar yet slightly offbeat environment. It starts in the living room at a party. Confused and dazed, she wants to leave the room and walks toward the elevator, where the DIESEL heritage and Martens’ aesthetic are tailor-made. The short trip ends in a strange room, bathed in deep red light. Martens made sure to reinterpret the brand’s history on blazers, shirts, and jeans: Laser prints depict layers of fabric and seams as a trompe l’oeil effect. Throughout the story, Martens’ focal points - denim, womenswear, menswear, and experimentalism - are showcased. Together they result in something new: electrifying, extraordinary, and individual. The Martens concept is a contemporary interpretation of DIESEL’s bold and ironic perspective. Defining themes include a cross-gender approach, a heritage component, and the newly introduced DIESEL LIBRARY.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

Etro Mens SS22

The ETRO Men's SS22 collection “Travelling in a Joyful State of Grace” wants to be a tribute to Franco Battiato, a man, a musician, an artist and a thinker that deeply influenced the vision and the life of Kean Etro. For SS22, ETRO mens creative director Kean Etro explores one of the most iconic signatures of the brand, its nomadic spirit. Travelling also becomes a state of the mind and of the heart. Meditation brings to unexplored territories. In a joyful state of grace. In the footsteps of Bruce Chatwin and of Dame Agatha Christie, ETRO’s nomadic journey tinges with reminiscences of archeological explorations in sun-drenched lands, where reality and dream merge. To the tone of Franco Battiato’s masterpiece ‘L’Era del Cinghiale Bianco’, ETRO’s soul travelers take the catwalk, - set in the surreal, suspended atmosphere of the Scalo Farini area in Milan, where nature unexpectedly makes its way through the concrete, - wearing languid, slightly sensual styles, designed to feel good.

www.etro.com

Fashion

Zegna SS22: The (New) Set

Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori explores the possibilities of both thoughtful tailoring and innovative fabric-making in the latest Zegna show. Filmed in both Milan and Turin, the fashion show invited the viewer to transcend into the unknown and magical realms of warm tones architecture, a labyrinth into the water of a stream which hosts a group of people who cheers to new beginnings. Zegna has been actively aiming to reset categorial designing in their collections, cleaning the slate for a restart that now takes the form of a New Set. Its fluid code enters the world by keeping the connotations of tailoring in both methodology and construction while redefining silhouette in new fabrications, adjusted to the needs of today. Fluid volumes and streamlined shapes allow for a new dialogue between clothing, body, and gestures. The precision of tailoring is used in a gently non-formal look that features unpredictable use of colors and textures. The collection is presented in the form of a film that plays off an energizing juxtaposition of freedom and restraint. The New Set silhouette includes collarless kimono shapes, utilitarian chore coats, long dusters, oversized overshirts, and a new generation of knitwear. This is the New Set. A tailored possibility for the modern world.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

“NOT IN PARIS” LONGCHAMP x HIGHSNOBIETY

Digital media and cultural platform Highsnobiety is collaborating with Longchamp for the third edition of their “Not In Paris” exhibition series, coinciding with Paris Men’s Fashion Week. Highsnobiety first unveiled “Not In Paris” in June 2020 with the aim of distilling the experience of Fashion Week into a multimedia hub of online content showcasing art, fashion, music and design, and making it accessible to a culturally curious global community. The Longchamp-Highsnobiety collaboration features the iconic Le Pliage® travel bag in 100% recycled polyester canvas, which is principally made from recovered plastic bottles. “Paris” is emblazoned with a sublimation printing process in green college-style lettering on the white canvas, with “Not In” embroidered in black italic script on it. A fluorescent green zip pull and black Russian leather on the flap, handles and shoulder strap complete the exclusive design. The “Not In Paris” exhibition and collaborative products – exclusively available at Highsnobiety Shop - launch on 16 June 2021 on www.highsnobiety.com. For the first time, “Not In Paris” will also actually be present in the French capital via a pop-up souvenir shop at 198 rue de Rivoli, adjacent to the Louvre and Tuileries gardens. Open to the public from 19 to 26 June, it will present the full array of collaborative products along with a special programme of events. www.longchamp.com www.highsnobiety.com

Fashion

Marsèll x Suicoke

The Japanese cult brand Suicoke and Marsèll, the distinctive Italian brand specialising in the production of handmade leather accessories, have collaborated for the first time; releasing a a limited collection of 1,000 pieces that will be available from the 15th of June. The model will be genderless and it will be available in five different colourways. Founded in 2006, Suicoke had incongruous beginnings, producing small accessories and hand-painted Russian dolls prior to their transition into footwear. Marsèll was founded in 2001 as the expression of a new craft culture. Shoes are the focus of a line of research devoted to pushing the boundaries of tradition, within the counterculture deconstruction movement. Now the first Suicoke Made in Italy created by Marsèll rose to the challenge of developing its own version of the iconic sandal by Japanese brand Suicoke. The idea behind the project was to create a shoe that reflects the fusion between Japanese culture and Italian craftsmanship. The key concepts underpinning the creative process are respect, reuse, transform and enhance. The result is an entirely leather sandal mounted onto a serrated rubber sole with a square toe. The sole is made from recycled material. Marsèll and Suicoke are united in their drive to create everyday footwear for creative environments, with a focus on the style that has redefined the boundaries of the contemporary aesthetic statement in the last decade.


www.suicoke.com

Fashion

MIU MIU Spirit bag

Unveiled as part of the Miu Maritime collection, the Miu Spirit bag adapts to myriad locations, seasons and, of course, individual personal styles. Fun, feminine, light and light-hearted, the Miu Spirit bag perfectly balances fashion and function, classicism and innovation, innocence and experience - all apparently contradictory qualities central to the Miu Miu name. A soft construction, made predominantly in fabric trimmed with leather, this versatile design features bold stripes, Vichy checks and polka dots dancing across faille. In quilted ciré in ultra-bright hues, the Miu Spirit is more sporty; in soft French terry cloth in icecream shades it becomes the ultimate summer carry all. It is – as its name suggests – as freespirited as the woman it was created for.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Cartier Women’s Initiative 2021: 8 laureates

For its 2021 edition, the Cartier Women’s Initiative program aims to explore how to create and sustain the ripple effect ignited by these women changemakers, thus paving the way for a better world for future generations. The names of the eight laureates of the Cartier Women’s Initiative were announced during a digital ceremony, which concluded three days of virtual gathering. Hosted by Cyrille Vigneron, Cartier President and CEO, the virtual gathering brought together a diverse group of global thinkers and doers ranging from prominent leaders such as entrepreneur and author Jacqueline Novogratz, award-winning journalist, author, and founder of Shriver Media and The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Maria Shriver or scholar Nassim Nicholas Talebto friends of Cartier such as actor, producer and change agent Yara Shahidi, to collectively discuss the challenges of our time and to shine a light on the opportunities they provide to foster anti fragility, build new alliances and uplift women impact entrepreneurs. The winners of the 2021 edition all share an unwavering commitment to generating positive change in the world by answering to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of promoting good health & well-being, reducing inequalities and encouraging climate actions as well as responsible consumption and production.

www.cartier.com

Fashion

RETRO ARTSY by Westwing Collection

Westwing’s latest collection, 'Retro Artsy by Westwing Collection' is made up of in-house designed collection pieces combined with timeless design and retro vibes. Cozy flair from the 1960s meets simple, elegant shapes."With our Retro Artsy collection, we want to create a home where you can easily relax and feel happy. Retro-inspired elements go hand in hand with simple abstract patterns and colorful objects to set highlights. There is a calm atmosphere - Modern art, splashes of color and a mix of materials bring joy to everyday life. " so Ale Tobler, creative director of the Westwing Collection. The collection is characterized by expressive pieces of furniture and artistically designed decorative accessories. Soft color schemes of cream-colored and natural stone gray in a mixture of terracotta tones and black meet different material optics such as trendy travertine and dark wood.

www.westwingnow.de

Fashion

Shared Passion - Dockers New Brand Ambassadors

Since its foundation, one of Docker’s fundamental pillars was sustainability. A part of its DNA, which has certainly played a role in its California Cool image. Within this strategy, there is a special importance put on the subject of water. The garment industry especially has been heavily criticized for countless production processes which not only exhaust massive amounts of water, but also contribute to the industry being one of the most polluting industries worldwide. At Dockers, they have reduced their water consumption for dyeing and production processes by 73% on their whole range. Additionally, since 2020, they partnered up with surfer and activist Jon Rose in order to help fight the global water crisis. The first brand ambassador, Dockers is now proud to present four new faces, ambassadors who share this environmental engagement, the passion and lifestyle. The first is Kepa Acero, a Basque surfer and world traveller, who is dedicated to exploring the oceans and looking for ways to protect the environment and the local communities which are so dependent on it. Together with Dockers, they have started #DockersW4W, a social media challenge through which the brand has pledged to donate water filters to provide access to clean water to communities all over the planet. The second new ambassador to join the Dockers family is Deniz Roprak, a surfer and entrepreneur. In 2018, he started Mellow Sri Lanka, an environmentally-friendly co-living, which has the goal to make people aware about the resources we receive from nature and the importance of protecting it in order to enjoy all its many gifts. Joan Duru is the third new ambassador. Having started surfing at the age of 7 and now considered one of the greatest surfers of his generation, he has seen with his own eyes in many places all over the world, how the pollution is damaging our oceans and the absolute need for action right now. Last but not least to join the Dockers family is Maud Le Car. Born on Saint Martin, she has always been in close proximity to the sea. In order to protect the oceans, she has founded Save La Mermaid, an organisation with the goal of finding viable alternatives to plastic, whilst organizing clean-ups and educating the public on the issue of plastic pollution in order to continue to be able to enjoy the beauty of the oceans.

www.dockers.com

Fashion

CHANEL in Saint Tropez

CHANEL is back at its seasonal boutique in Saint-Tropez in time for the summer. In the heart of the village, La Mistralée, has been given a new décor inspired by the House and the latest collections designed by Virginie Viard. All the elegance of a private property in the South of France is displayed from the hallway through to the veranda, from the salons out to the garden via the pool house. In each room of the boutique, reorganised to resemble a villa, the beige and white terrazzo floor is enhanced by a black marble frieze. The white walls are decorated with frames. Console tables and a bookcase furnish the hallway and present the sunglasses, as well as a selection of perfumes and beauty products. Clients will discover other silhouettes from the collection out in the veranda. In the middle of the space, a "bag bar" presents the season's newest creations, while showcases display a range of CHANEL Jewelry with the COCO CRUSH collection, and watch designs including the J12, BOY·FRIEND, CODE COCO and PREMIÈRE. The outside of the boutique offers an invitation to relax in the sun on loungers and armchairs by the swimming pool or on the terrace by the pool house. In a graphic décor, the latter will be home to the shoes of the season and the CHANEL COCO BEACH 2021 collection, a Ready-to-Wear line dedicated to the beach that focuses this year on floral motifs intertwined with camellias and the double C.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Eyewear Campaign

Louis Vuitton invited three international, independent, and contemporary talents to portray its new sunglasses collection and embody the many facets of the woman. Belgian-Congolese singer-songwriter Lous & the Yakuza wears both a square design with precise, strong angles, as well as a more classic offering, American actor Chloë Grace Moretz embraces a timeless chic model, while South Korean singer-songwriter Somi sports couture sunglasses with their finely crafted jewellery-style temples. Bright days are ahead with the new sunglasses collection from Louis Vuitton, blending design and savoir-faire, innovation and tradition. Boasting exceptional quality and contemporary lines to accent any look, the collection adorns any face, setting it off to perfection.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

CHANEL Eyewear FW21

The CHANEL Fall 2021 Eyewear collection tells three stories that combine modernity and refinement, technicality and savoir-faire, casual elegance and a couture spirit. For this new collection, CHANEL presents three minimalist pairs of sunglasses with a masculine/feminine spirit: a cat eye, an aviator and a round frame in gold, silver, ruthenium or matt black metal. The purity of these designs is enhanced by metal inserts integrated into the glass, emphasising the curve of the cat eye and aviator frames and drawing two double Cs on the round design. A technical innovation, imperceptible to the touch, which subtly enhances the brown, light grey and anthracite tinted lenses. Introduced with the Spring-Summer 2021 collection, CHANEL continues its sequin theme this fall on three sunglasses and two opticals. A very feminine, large hexagonal frame in black or tortoiseshell acetate with a double C is embellished with micro-sequins. This sophisticated, textured material, shimmering or matt depending on the version, is also used on the top and the temples of sunglasses with a round or an oversized square frame, both in metal. The sparkle of the sequins reflects in the grey, green, brown or amber lenses. Two optical designs complete this line. In harmony with the colours of the frames, micro-sequins adorn the temples of a hexagonal shape in gold, matt black or ruthenium metal, and a graphic square in black, grey tortoiseshell or brown acetate. Certain versions of these opticals come with UV and blue light blocking lenses. The CHANEL Fall 2021 Eyewear collection will be available in boutiques from June 2021.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Sensory Manipulation

Ben Storms is a Belgian designer and craftsman whose work challenges sensory manipulation in terms of materials. By using state-of-the-art techniques, he transforms his sculptures into captivating shapes that defy the viewers’ expectations. His talent comprises working with many different elements as he is equally a stonemason, sculptor, and woodworker. His practice connects traditional techniques with high-tech processes to create unique pieces of furniture with a sculptural character, noting that, “In my practice as a designer, I push materials to their boundaries, often questioning common notions. Does marble always have to look heavy? Can steel look soft? By creating shapes that verge on the impossible, I confuse the viewers, make them lose their balance briefly, and stimulate them to look at familiar materials with a fresh eye.” The result is pieces like the Ex Hale, a marble table that mimics the shape of a monumental cushion. Its counterpart, In Hale is an enormous coffee table consisting of a massive marble piece that floats on a metal cushion. The artist developed the idea for the table while looking at a piece of marble that was considered leftover. By inflating sheet metal, he creates a three-dimensional cushion for the precious marble, which feels like it defies gravity. The marble used for his designs is carefully selected in quarries all over Europe. The marble is mainly left alone to show its natural beauty, only polished in certain places but overall left rough and unpolished on the lower side of the piece. The In Hale Wallpiece, two metal sheets, blown up in a cushion shape and scanned in 3D, after which a CNC machine mills the same form from a block of marble, demonstrates the multilateral talent of Storms. Through his vision, hard becomes soft, and sturdy becomes delicate.

www.benstorms.be

Fashion

Where the Water Flows

The latest Jil Sander SS21 campaign is an expression of pure haze. The idea of flowing, natural water is almost tangible in its visuals. It gives every image a sense of endless place and a dreamy dimension. Set in Biarritz, France on the Atlantic coast by the ocean and in the ocean, the SS21 collection is presented in a natural, comfortable and calm atmosphere. The tactile lighting aesthetically blurs the imagery and merges the bodies, the water and the background. The imagery provides a contrast to dense city life and leaves the viewer appreciating the vastness and emptiness of the landscape captured from dawn to sunset. The photographs were taken by Tim Elkaïm, in aw of days and nights spent ruminating and relaxing by the sea. The JIL SANDER SS21 collection including swimsuits, a windbreaker, shorts, hoodies, knitwear and blankets is artfully accentuated by the storytelling of the campaign. A pure illustration of ease. Jil Sander+ seasonally adds to the world of Jil Sander a series of garments made for life in nature, for both men and women; often unisex. The Jil Sander creative direction duo Lucie and Luke Meier skillfully blends the sense of comfort and design of their Jil Sander with honest, authentic items.

www.jilsander.com

Fashion

Levis x MIU MIU

Miu Miu is continuing it’s “Upcycled by Miu Miu” project with a collaboration with Levi’s. Using vintage iconic 501 trousers/short and trucker jacket, Miu Miu is going to exclusively customize 1000 pieces for a worldwide distribution, by adding special embroideries and patches. Putting an iconic twist on the classic jeans brand’s identity, Miu Miu creates a new visual language while adding their part to a sustainable future.

www.levis.com
www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Art-à-Porter

The Denim Culture capsule collection by Sportmax is a project entirely dedicated to jeanswear. The unique project is based on cooperation with various artists from the worlds of music, fashion and, art. In its fifth edition, Denim Culture by Sportmax reiterates its collaborative nature by working with the renowned Italian photographer Franco Fontana. The virtuous photographer transforms eight of his most impactful works into wearable photographs for the Denim Culture project. The images were reproduced and printed onto various denim garments and a series of t-shirts, creating the experience of observing a piece of art expertly positioned on clothing. The wearer thus has the pleasure of not only wearing this work of art but also becoming a living and moving canvas of art-à-porter, in the true spirit of Fontana, who said: “Creativity does not illustrate, it actually interprets life.” The SS21 Sportmax lineup was inspired by Fontana’s creative outlook and includes oversized, voluminous trousers, figure-embracing dresses, as well as tops and bustiers with necklines that enhance the simplicity of nude skin. Fontana’s images animate the collection, in an all-over print that adorns various Sportmax pieces. Shirts are also fashioned in a similar way roomy proportions and collars, decorated photographic prints. The color palette merges light blue tones and makes reference to the hues of Fontana’s signature works - famous for their swathes of red, sage, emerald green, turquoise and, yellow.

www.sportmax.com

Fashion

Limited Edition

Iris von Arnim presents the RE EDITION collection, made exclusively from waste fabrics and yarns. During the production process of the RE EDITION collection, the brand makes sure no thread is thrown away, with all leftovers being kept and recycled in order to ensure no new waste is created. Sustainability is at the very core of the 40-year-old company’s values and has been integrated thoroughly, with guaranteed fair production and short transport routes. Since 2019, the entire company has been actively practicing CO2-neutrality. RE EDITION is the logical continuation of the sustainable practice and marks the brand’s most environmentally friendly line to date. Iris van Armin’s bestsellers have been reissued with RE EDITION, made from leftover yarn in limited quantities and colors. The name RE EDITION is derived from the main elements of this line “Reuse, Reduce and Recycle,” and thus reflects the environmentally friendly production cycle. A limited number of pieces are available in every color, and style combination. The first launch consists of six models “Re-Nicolas,” “Re-Cayo,” “Re-Gemma,” “Re-Sara,” “Re-Sardinia,” and “Re-Surani,” which are available in neutral and timeless colors such as black, mud, pearl, and flannel, and bright colors such as pink, nile, and amber.

www.irisvonarnim.com

Fashion

Versace Greca Sneaker

Versace launches the Greca Sneaker for their SS21 Collection. The new signature item is inspired by the iconic and geometric Greca pattern and comes in a high top and low top version. The silhouette is clean and classic yet elevated by the outer sole, which features a continuous debossed Greca detail while having a hidden Medusa feature and tonal logo. High-top styles feature an appliquéd Medusa badge at the ankle, while the low tops version has a small logo accent at the heel counter and tongue. The upper is made from smooth leather or canvas and features color ranges from classic black and white to vibrant blue, red, purple, and pink. Versace’s iconic Barocco print is also an option. Seasonal styles include the sea-themed 'Trésor de la Mer' print and a Versace.com exclusive style in a colorful Medusa Amplified pattern.

www.versace.com

Fashion

Gallery Weekend Berlin: Dries van Noten at Andreas Murkudis

“A PERFECT MOMENT, Captured” is the name of the collaboration of Andreas Murkudis and Dries Van Noten for Berlin Gallery Weekend 2021. This collaboration comprises a photographic installation using the full height of the store’s 10-meter-high windows and a specially dedicated temporary space within the store that houses Dries Van Noten’s designs. The photographic installation faces out onto the courtyard, just off Potsdamer Strasse, to engage with visitors who may not enter the shop due to the current covid restrictions. ANDREAS MURKUDIS is pleased to invite you to experience the Dries Van Noten collection for Spring/ Summer 2021 at our ephemeral Store 81. An exceptional installation was created as a framework to portray all of the layers the collection holds this season. The 10-meter-high windows of the store’s old printing hall display large-scale photographs by Viviane Sassen for Dries Van Noten. These images capture garments of the collection shot within projections of the visionary films of New Zealand artist Len Lye – a pioneer who played an important role in harnessing motion in art. Filmed in the 1920s to 1940s, with colour painted and motives scratched onto the celluloid, the films were precursors of the psychedelia that would follow only forty years later. Motifs from his work are carried through to the prints for the designer’s SS21 collections for women and men. A temporary interior exhibition area is dedicated to the collaboration and provides an extraordinary aesthetic framework of assembled and layered images and fabrics. BOCCI, a bouquet of light created to react to and reflect the colors and reflections of this space, unfolds to mark the room.

www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Art

Gallery Weekend Berlin: Ashley Hans Scheirl at Crone Berlin

Installation view, Ashley Hans Scheirl, Currencies of De*Capital Delirium, Galerien Crone Berlin, 2021

As part of this year’s Gallery Weekend, Crone Berlin is presenting a solo exhibition by the artist Ashley Hans Scheirl, who, together with her/his partner Jakob Lena Knebl, will be exhibiting in the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2022. Paintings, sculptures, and drawings merge in the gallery spaces to form a room-filling installation. They lead the visitor into an exuberant, seemingly insane dream world. Consumption and the search for meaning, restriction and freedom, greed and renunciation, excess and isolation, rebellion and resignation, identity and transformation, gender and hierarchy, individual lifestyles and the global economy of rejection collide here and culminate in a digital-anarchist-neutralized big bang, or at least in a new world currency that gives the exhibition its title: Currencies of De*Capital Delirium. Angela, Angela Scheirl, Angela Hans, Angel Hans, Zeze Hans, Ah, A A A A, Hans Scheirl, Hans, Hansi, Hansda, Hans von S/hit, Scheirl, Ashley Hans Scheirl was born in Salzburg (Austria), in 1956. She/He lives in Vienna. The work she did in the 1990s as part of London’s underground dyke scene contributed to the development of a conceptual practice that was constantly exchanging with the Viennese scene via the techniques of experimental cinema, painting, object art, actions in public space, performance and music, with all genres treated as equal. Indeed, in this artist’s practice, these “disciplinary techniques” are brought together to function on the model of a lesbian, queer sexuality. This transitioning of one fine arts category toward another was accompanied during these years when the artist was moving between London, Vienna, and New York by a metamorphosis of her/his own body, helped by the injection of testosterone. Her/his mutating name reflects this constant becoming which is never really static. Her/his recent self-expression in the use of painting, after multiple experiments with Super 8 and video cameras, encouraged Angela— now Hans—to transform her/his masculine look by a new phase of emancipation and to become Ashley, a painter who carefully cultivates her/his androgynous appearance.

www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Jakob Lena Knebl & Ashley Hans Scheirl Seasonal Greetings. Kunsthaus Bregenz, Oesterreich, 2020/2021, Installation view, Ashley Hans Scheirl Das Labor, Operationssaal, 2020. Photo: Markus Tretter, Lindau

Fashion

Givenchy: 4G Bag

Givenchy introduces the «4G» bag. The latest design of the Maison was created by Matthew M Williams and is a sleek and graphic update on a classic shape. The rectangular 4G bag design comes to life in two versions: a flap bag and a chain bag. The two formats are conceived to adapt to multiple styles of wear. The 4G flap bag features a removable strap with Givenchy metal brackets that adjusts for over-the-shoulder or crossbody wear. The 4G chain bag version features the House’s new signature G-link chain in silver- or gold-finished metal, slips through metallic hoops to adapt to shoulder or crossbody wear. Both shapes are available in full-grain box-calf leather and feature various colors from neutral black to ivory, cappuccino beige, to seasonal shades of avocado green. More vibrant variations include baby pink, red and dark khaki. Special finishes showcase an all-over 4G monogram. This is achieved through high-frequency debossing on the calf leather for a three-dimensional effect and comes in ivory, pink or black. Additionally, patent leather versions in black or sky blue have a crinkled finish. www.givenchy.com

Fashion

Cartier Women’s Initiative 2021

Cartier announces the 24 fellows for the 2021 edition of the Cartier Women’s Initiative. With the announcement of the 2021 Cartier Women’s Initiative fellows, Cartier is reaffirming its commitments to women impact entrepreneurs leveraging business as a force for good. Starting in 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative has supported endless women to reach their full potential by highlighting their achievements and providing them with financial, human, and social capital to support and grow their businesses. Since 06, the campaign has helped over 260 female entrepreneurs from 59 countries and has awarded over 4 million US dollars to support their businesses. This year, to further increase its impact and relevance, the program has launched the Science & Technology Pioneer Award. In addition to the seven existing Regional Awards, three more women impact entrepreneurs at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation will be recognized. Open to women entrepreneurs from any country and sector; this award will highlight disruptive solutions built around unique, protected, or hard-to-reproduce technological or scientific advances. Twenty-four fellows are selected amongst 876 applicants hailing from 142 countries. For the first time, the Cartier Women’s Initiative has recognized women impact entrepreneurs from Mali, Iraq, and Myanmar. These fellows represent the top 3 businesses for each of the 7 Regional Awards and for the Science & Technology Pioneer Award. In these unprecedented times, Cartier considers it its duty to protect its teams, partners, and program participants; this is why the eight laureates will be announced on May 26th, 2021, during a virtual ceremony, which will close a digital awards week on the theme of the Ripple Effect.


www.cartier.com

Fashion

Kaldewei receives iF Design Award 2021

The MING washbasin bowl made of Kaldewei steel-emaille material impresses with its slender silhouette and a flawlessly glazed surface. Kaldewei has now been awarded the prestigious iF Design Award 2021 for the MING basin’s trend-setting and high-quality design. The premium manufacturer was able to convince the jury of the design award with a distinctive product profile, which uniquely combines tradition and modernity with absolute material quality. Kaldewei's exquisite MING bowl captivates with elegant lines, extensive depth and a delicate rim. Its traditional contours are inspired by Chinese Ming vases and made of steel-emaille. This material is hundred percent recyclable and therefore particularly sustainable. Whether for a classically simple bathroom or experimental locations, the elegance of MING with its convex curved silhouette leaves room for visions that turn any space into a sensual retreat. Displaying an easy-to-clean finish, the Kaldewei Perl effect, is standard on all MING bowls.

 www.kaldewei.de

Fashion

RIMOWA x Masumi Ishiuda

On the occasion of the cherry blossom season, RIMOWA publishes wonderful mood images by photographer Masumi Ishiuda. The used RIMOWA products, the Personal Poly, the Hybrid Cabin or the small backpack visually fit with the colors of the spring season. RIMOWA is a global leader in premium luggage. Since 1898, it has placed quality and innovation at its core to create functional tools for a lifetime of movement. In 1937, RIMOWA introduced aviation-inspired aluminium into the manufacture of its suitcases, an idea that revolutionised the industry and resulted in their iconic grooved aluminium design. In 2000, it pioneered again with the debut of the world's first polycarbonate suitcase. In 2017, RIMOWA joined LVMH; three years later, it launched Never Still, a collection of bags for daily use that heralded its evolution into a cult mobility brand. Designed and engineered in Germany, RIMOWA combines a legacy of craftsmanship with the rigours of modern technology.

www.rimowa.com

Fashion

Rosa rosae rosae

by Manuela Martorelli

“There is an analogy of material between powder and silk. They offer the same delicacy, the same softness, the same radiance. This inspiration is further reflected on the surface of the powder, which is textured like the fine rib of silk twill.” Jérôme Touron, Creative Director of Hermès Beauty describes the intrinsic analogies between silk and the new addition to the Maison’s Beauty collection: a compact powder blush composed of key scent created by Hermès nose Christine Nagel in the same vein as Rouge Hermès that reveals notes of arnica and sandalwood and subtle hints of green tea. Rose Hermès Silky Blush unfolds in a swathe of light. From dawn dew chromatic hues to tones of warm sand: pink zephyr, a pink halo, the rose of freshly heart warmed cheeks, so candid and oh so French. Its velvety texture and formula with vitamin E providing antioxidant properties, and combining a perfect finish with buildable coverage, from the most natural to the most sophisticated. A beauty ritual, enhanced by the exceptional case designed by Pierre Hardy, Creative Director of Hermès shoes and jewelry: a disc of white and gold light in satin-finish perm brass, marked with the concave ex-libris created by Émile Hermès in 1923. Following Rouge Hermès, it’s a sustainable object, refilled by simply removing and replacing the powder pan in one gesture. “Design is where necessity meets fantasy. Objects must come to life through a creative approach that pushes them further, transcending their utility”, Pierre Hardy, explains how the very essence of Hermès, the air that it breathes, the Maison’s lifeblood is naturally embodied by Hermès Beauty, with a simple gesture, never loud but nevertheless full of personality.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

GLENN MARTENS DEBUT AT MILAN FASHION WEEK

Since his appointment as Creative Director for Paris-based label Y/Project, Glenn Martens’ creations have been a constant at Paris Fashion Week. This year, the Belgian Designer embarks on yet another creative journey, premiering his debut for DIESEL during Milan’s menswear programming. Coincidentally, this will also mark DIESEL’s debut on the Milan Fashion Week calendar. After having created a denim collection with the brand in 2018, we will now get a first look on how Martens has incorporated his vision across the brand’s entire range of product categories. The show is a major step of Martens’ role in overseeing the brand’s creative identity, design and communications.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

Acqua di Parma presents Colonia Futura

Acqua di Parma’s universe welcomes Colonia Futura, the newest addition to the colonie family and a genuine emblem of the historical Italian brand’s sustainability manifesto. For the brand, sustainability means preserving traditions, respecting and renewing them in a dynamic and vibrant transition between past, present, and future, protecting and sharing authentic Italian style, alive and intact, to future generations. For over a century, Acqua di Parma’s values have been lying in the necessity to safeguard and pass on the Art of Italian Living, aware of the importance of protecting Italy’s cultural, artistic, and natural heritage. The newest product of the brand embodies this commitment. The fragrance is rooted in the Maison’s heart to its original universe - the planet of the colonie.

Colonia Futura follows the tradition of Colonia, an iconic fragrance of the Maison, in the olfactory signature and the quality of its Frutti d’Oro, but projects it into the future, in the knowledge that sustainability is the necessary condition for evolution. The new Eau de Cologne composition contains 99% natural origin ingredients in line with the ISO16128 standard. The bright, sparkling tones of P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) Bergamot from Calabria, the roundness of Clary Sage, and the freshness of Lavender are the key essences of Colonia Futura. These olfactory notes are skillfully blended and dosed in a composition highlighting the bright richness of Italian sun-filled landscapes, trademark for Colonia.

www.acquadiparma.com

Fashion

TOMMY x PATTA

Tommy Hilfiger comes together with Amsterdam-based streetwear brand Patta to release a PATTAxTOMMY capsule collection that captures the strength and influence of the African diaspora movement with the message “unity is strength, division is weakness.” The two brands share the value of openness and their commitment to fostering inclusivity, collaboration, and community. Collaborating for the first time, Patta and Tommy Hilfiger centered the PATTAxTOMMY capsule around the Pan-African Flag, Black unity, and community, channeling a sense of interconnected histories, present times, and the future that lies ahead. To celebrate this, the iconic white, red and blue TOMMY colors have been replaced by the traditional Pan-African colors of deep red, black, green, and yellow, putting African culture and community self-actualization front and center in this capsule. The video campaign was captured in Lagos, Nigeria, by Nigerian filmmaker Dafe Oboro through his short film, “Two Become One,” with campaign photography by Moroccan visual artist Hassan Hajjaj. To further underline the collection’s message, Patta has produced “Katibo Yeye,” a documentary directed by award-winning Dutch film director Frank Zichem.

The film follows Clarence Breeveld, a Suriname-born man living in the Netherlands, as he attempts to trace the shipping route from Ghana to Suriname traveled by his enslaved ancestors, visiting locations where slave trading took place. As part of this partnership, Tommy Hilfiger and Patta will donate to The Black Archives from Amsterdam, Sistah Space from London, and The Good Neighborhood Collective from Milan –each chosen for their dedication to celebrating Afro-descendants and uplifting their voices.

The PATTAxTOMMY range will be available via the Patta retail network globally beginning Friday, April 9, 2021, at 1 PM CEST, and via selected wholesale partners starting April 16, 2021.

www.pattaxtommy.com

Fashion

Diesel x Diesel: FAKE SMILES

Diesel x Diesel is a concept created by the founder of the brand Renzo Rosso’s desire to reintroduce Diesel’s past icons in a modern context. The capsule collection has a distinctly North American aesthetic with a look back at old archives of the many trips Renzo and his multicultural design team did back in the late 80s. The collection is mainly inspired by college apparel, Route 66, and the essential Diesel identifier of workwear. This results in pieces such as varsity jackets that have been reimagined in extra-distressed leather with a new Diesel typeface in patches across the shoulder blades. Further in terms of outerwear, the collection also includes reimagination of a mixed-material coat of shearling, cotton, leather, and jacquard wool which was initially inspired by a late 1980’s research trip to the South of the U.S. A treated leather vest from the tail end of the 1980s has patches that recall an American road trip. For each piece, the underlying idea is the bridging of separated entities, whether governmentally (land borders) or temporally (the then-and-now). With their slouchy shape and the oddness of the pseudo-trompe-l’oeil chaps, there’s something casually appropriate about them for 2021. There are four other denim trousers models, each from the 1980s, on which contrasting waistbands have been added for differentiation. Rounding out Diesel x Diesel, there are reissued hoodies, mini-skirts, and shirts.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

On The Beach - Louis Vuitton

Maison Louis Vuitton continues its emotional journey with the launch of the latest Cologne - a special symbiosis of the lightness of citrus notes and the magical richness of flowers. The new perfume On The Beach by Louis Vuitton interprets the infamous journey along the US West Coast in a summery scent dedicated to the warm and sunny season. It tells the story of the freshness and ease of the coast and the desire for freedom. On The Beach - the latest creation by Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, Maître Parfumeur of Louis Vuitton - is an olfactory surprise consisting of emotions reminiscent of a day at the beach. It evokes memories of the warming rays of the sun, the sound of breaking waves and the feeling of sand on the skin. The elaborate composition is a mix of fresh lemon from Japan, orange blossom filled with sun, thyme, rosemary and pink pepper. The lively scent brings the ambience of the West Coast – a territory that is passionate and wildly creative – to life, while combining the spontaneity of the colognes with the sophistication of perfumes.

 www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Ninamounah FW21 – Seduce Me

Ninamounah presents her first Paris Fashion Week participation, an audiovisual piece in runway show format called "Seduce Me." The Amsterdam-based brand - named after its Creative Director Ninamounah Langstraat – received the inspiration for the show from the natural world, taking biology as the starting point for the conception of the ideas that help shape the pieces in the collection. "Seduce Me" explores hypnotizing mating rituals, stimulating the viewers' animalistic side and translating the aesthetics of these complex animal behaviors into garments with a various and rich range of silhouettes, textures, and movements. Even the models move slightly feral as they were filmed walking backward and reversing the content, leaving the viewer hypnotized and at unease at first sight. The collection feature exaggerated cuts and oversized tailoring, which takes inspiration from the sexual mimicry of the animal kingdom.

Contrasting the suppleness of velvet and the discomfort of vinyl tells the story of seduction: both romantic and aggressive. The velvety antlers of male deers are the perfect paradigm seen in nature. The deception of sensuality and violence in nature, as seen in snake trails (a sign of either mating or conflict), translates into the hypnotic, undulating seams in the recurring garments. The urgency of red punctuates the neutral palette as a semiotic conversation between the aggressiveness and seduction it represents in both nature and the human-made world. The neutral palette is a reflection of the unarmed state and the innocence of living beings before they are ruthlessly hunted down. For the collection, Ninamounah collaborates with artist Stef Van Looveren, with whom the brand has developed a revisited line of accessories starring their already signature bags depicting human male and female gonads in a wide range of colors, from bubblegum pink to metallic gold.

www.ninamounah.com

Fashion

Thom Browne FW21

For the FW 21 collection, Thom Browne continues his collaboration with director Carissa Gallo. In the short film, Lindsey Vonn - an American former World Cup alpine ski racer on the US Ski Team- introduces Thom Browne’s collection by walking through a snowy wonderland filled with an audience of animated stick figures watching her pass by - in the only colorful piece of the collection, a button back off-shoulder lapel dress with an oversized drape in gold lame over an oversized tailcoat gown with drawstrings and backpack straps in gold lame. The visual story unveils as Lindsey Vonn sees the stick figures off and boards a helicopter. From there, she skis along the models wearing the intricate design pieces, wearing lace-covered fencing masks. For FW 21, Thom Browne is crossing boundaries, creating menswear for women and womenswear for men. The silhouette is a juxtaposed mix between formal and sportswear. He continued to challenge and modernize today’s connotation of the suit.

www.thombrowne.com

Fashion

Hermès FW 21 – A presentation in three acts

Image by Hua Dong

The visual presentation of the Hermès women's FW21 collection introduced during Paris Fashion Week transcends all conceptions of both the conventional live-audience catwalk fashion show and online-streaming shows that represent the new norm. The women’s FW21 collection is brought to life through a film by director and screenwriter Sébastien Lifshitz. Drawing on the collaborative art form of theatre, the film entitled Triptych consists of three sequences set in New York, Paris and Shanghai. The film not only merges various art forms being a living performance of both dance and catwalk, but also unites cultural lenses through the choice of locations and choreographers. Hermès and Sébastien Lifshitz cooperate with the American choreographer Madeline Hollander, who created the choreography for the prologue set in New York, and the Chinese artist Gu Jiani, who choreographed the piece taking place in Shanghai in Act III. Both choreographies, as well as the catwalk presentation in Paris in Act II were filmed and broadcast live. Triptych is a radical, expressive study of movement and space, that brings the clothing to life by capturing the energy of the three different locations through dance and art. It ubiquitously creates a sentiment of connection in current times of disconnection, while reappropriating and reinventing the narrative of self-determined, contemporary female sensuality. Three acts, the common thread of which is the symbolic Hermès orange box, tell the story of how a collection comes into being and is turned into performance through the dialogue of different cultures and forms of art.

Image by Sasha Arutyunova

“I wanted this three-act performance to be our way of keeping a record of these extraordinary times where the situation demands more of us than a simple runway show. I wanted a film directed by an artist with a feel for the crossover of genres and disciplines. Not a film about fashion, nor about dance, but a film about us all and all the ways we can and must continue to reinvent ourselves.”
- Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski, Artistic Director of women’s ready-to-wear

www.hermes.com 

Fashion

Dries van Noten FW21

Dries van Noten’s FW21 collection is a call to passion. A troupe of 47 performers from the world-renowned contemporary dance companies Rosas and Ultima Vez, and a few from the Opéra National de Paris, presented the latest collection by dancing between purity and passion, masculine and feminine, genders fused and embraced. Most participants are women, dancers with a few models, though a few men dancers complete the group. Dancers became models,’ and models became dancers. Dressing a dancer’s human form required the designer to rethink styling choices, whose gestures range from meek to vaudevillian. The tailoring has gravitas yet is juxtaposed with the exuberance and glamour of the fluffy, shiny, and whimsical. Easy, elongated long shirt dresses, which are belted, wrapped, structured, and lose fit tailoring stand out in the collection.

The pieces vary in cut from couture to sportswear and are accessorized with roses as bags. Red lips and roses, pearls, sequins, and marabou are iconic representations of glamour. Embellished with Swarovski crystals and fancy trim in contrasted vivid tule and georgette redefine the outline of garments. The collection marks the return to essence and Dries Van Noten’s design roots by updating his take on a long white shirt dress for his first collection in 1981 as a fashion student. Caspar Sejersen shot the photography and film at ‘The Red Room’ of the Single Theatre in Antwerp. The models dance to the song “Angel” by the English trip-hop group Massive Attack.

www.driesvannoten.com

Fashion

Valentino FW21 - ACT

For Valentino’s most recent collection, FW21 ready-to-wear, Pierpaolo Piccioli worked with the topic of punk in a more muted color palette of black and white with pops of gold. Having historically shown on the Paris show, Valentino presented their first co-ed FW21 collection at Milan Fashion Week. One year after the lockdown swept Italy, shuttering performing arts spaces and much of the cultural life in their wake, Pierpaolo Piccioli reopened Milan’s Piccolo Teatro for one night only to stage a 66-look-show by the name Valentino ACT. “The fact that we decided to have it reopened, albeit just temporarily, it was a sort of a punk act,” he said at a press conference held in the darkness of the auditorium.

“What we missed in the pandemic was above all the sense of sharing and of communality that culture gives us—not so much pasta and pizza.” A spotlight illuminated the models in the otherwise dark theater as Cosima sang live accompanied by a string quartet. Pleated A-line mini skirts, pointed collar white shirts, turtlenecks, and swingy cape coats, paired with sturdy boots covered in rubber petals and macro studs to bring the 60s back to life in modern times. A daywear assortment of beautifully cut short wool capes was the collection’s pivot, worn with bare legs and elegant stilettos “for sensuality,” as Piccioli underlined. “It’s the radical act of having the strength to be who you are; that’s what I mean by romanticism today. It’s a subjective, almost anarchic gesture, assertive of one’s own identity—exactly like punk.”, he concludes.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Salvatore Ferragamo FW21 – Future Positive

Salvatore Ferragamo’s FW21 collection ‘Future Positive’ as seen online on Milan Fashion Week lives through its title. The show presenting the eccentric collection is inspired by futuristic, metropolitan imaginations of urban utopia, shaping a fearless outlook into what is to come. Creative director Paul Andrew projects the limitless conceptual freedom of science fiction and the house’s heritage of technical innovation onto the future of craft, suggesting an alternative reality and visionary prospect. Driven by a strong ‘the future is now’ sentiment, the collection conveys youthful optimism, creative innovation and rising hope, disrupting and upgrading all that is uniform and old-fashioned. Taking up the pace of the advent of the future, Ferragamo’s Ready-to-wear collection blends diverse ideas of militaria, moto, athletics, scuba and beyond. Shirting, mohair knits, footwear and accessories for men and women are complementary and connected, linked by monochrome shades that are contrasted by bursts of color. Seasonal advances include capes, coats and parkas in elaborate heat-processed leathers and wools, fine gauge technical knitwear, knit bodysuits and dresses patterned in an abstract futuristic take on camouflage. Fringed yarn adds surprising irregularity to the utility parkas and casual tailoring, dresses and outerwear.

Playing on the idea of sci-fi visual story-telling, a constellation of draped jersey dresses and statements in chainmail star and shine silver-line the lineup. The clothing is underlined by the key footwear being space-biker boots, scuba sock sneakers, clogs in rubberised nappa, and a sleek reinterpretation of Ferragamo’s iconic F-heel adorned with rhinestones and a galvanised finish. The Salvatore Ferragamo FW21 collection brings to live the vision that creative director Paul Andrew himself summarizes as the following: ‘“In fashion, the past exerts a gravity - we are always drawn to it. For this season I wanted to invert that physics. The objective was to engineer a collection that sees the present through a prism of the future – unleashing a multitude of fresh perspectives.’

www.salvatoreferragamo.com

Fashion

Furla FW 21: #Furlaillusions

Furla releases its third chapter of #Furlaillusions, an interactive digital platform for the Milan Fashion Week. The interactive platform unveils a selection of the most impressive pieces of Furla’s FW21 collection. This unique online experience allows the viewer to dive into the elegant and dreamlike Furla universe in a virtual space. Furla presents their new pieces in an endless and sky-like virtual room surrounded by soft floating clouds.

The brand’s creativity unfolds encircled by natural elements within the limitless space and glittering waters accentuated by colorful butterflies. The event #Furlaillusions spreads a romantic atmosphere and embodies the same mood of freedom and joyous elegance as #Funfurla, the recently launched institutional manifesto of Furla. Viewers are invited to join in on this experience on the platform through an animated video presenting this new creative space and highlighting Furla’s Fall-Winter 2021 hero bag – the Furla Portagioia.

In a See-Now-Buy-Now activation, the bags will be available in limited edition as a preview, and exclusively at Milan’s recently re-designed Duomo flagship store, as well as globally on e-commerce. The Furla Villa and Furla Vertigine lines are also featured on the website. Additional to the playful discovery of the new collection via the platform, the story of FW21 is told via surrealistic and poetic social media filters.

www.furla.com

Fashion

Swarowski Wonderlab

The world’s largest crystal manufacturer, Swarowski, is revealing its new brand identity. The first-ever global creative director, Giovanna Engelbert, also reimagined the iconic Swarowski Swan symbol for the “bold vision that celebrates crystal in all its form.” The revamped Swarovski will also introduce 28 new brick-and-mortar concept stores to bring to life the Swarovski Wonderlab. 28 ‘Instant Wonder’ stores are to be unveiled around the globe.

According to Engelbert: “The Wonderlab is where science and magic meet, where extra and elegance collide, it is a feeling of wonder that everyone should experience as we invite them into our new world at Swarovski.” The Swarovski symbol, the swan, has been turned to face the customer, signifying its new direction. It’s “head on, poised to take flight”. The swan has been given a streamlined form, with an elongated neck and placed in an octagon to symbolize, ”a faceted crystal, evoking the unrivaled craftsmanship of Swarovski’s master cutters”. Swarowski is opening “Instant Wonder” stores in key global markets around the world that will be a “feast for the senses”. The first redesign opened February 23 in Milan, followed by a further 27 across North America, Europe, and APAC, including new Paris and New York locations.

www.swarowski.com

Fashion

COLMAR A.G.E. x MORTEZA VASEGHI

Colmar’s innovation-focused label A.G.E. (Advanced Garment Exploration) was initiated by the Italian outerwear brand three years ago with the experimental goal to collaborate with international artists and designers. A.G.E. stands for modern, contemporary design and reinvention of Colmar’s designs, which are historically rooted in ski-wear. For the third collection of A.G.E., which is an essential part of the FW21/22 collection, Colmar works with the internationally renowned designer Morteza Vaseghi. Mostly known as the co-founder of the magazines Recens Paper and Wallet along with Elis Olsen, Vaseghi transfers his fascination for printed pages in magazines to the design of clothing for the human body. As the Creative Director for Colmar’s newest A.G.E. collection Vaseghi introduces organic, futuristic forms that express his progressive ideas of unifying human beings with nature, reconnecting the idea of modernity with the natural environment in the context of fashion.

 www.colmar.it

Fashion

Ferragamo reinvents the Gancini-monogram

Salvatore Ferragamo presents Gancini Iconic, the newest version of its characteristic Ferragamo Gancini-monogram. The pattern is featured in the design of shoes, bags, leather goods, silk and ready-made clothing of Ferragamo’s pre-spring 2021 season as a continuation of the legacy of the signature monogram. Salvatore Ferragamo was first inspired by the gancini, which resembles hooks used on doors, walls or equestrian saddles, back in the 70s, discovering them on the ironwork of gates of his headquarter at the Palazzo Spini Feroni in Florence. Since then, the brand’s Creative Direction has made efforts to constantly reinvent and reemphasize the house monogram. Ferragamo reinterprets its classic brand identity with the introduction of the Gancini Iconic, highlighting the brand’s core values: quality, heritage, strength and togetherness.

 www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

VERSACE x La Medusa Bag

VERSACE introduces its latest accessoire line in the name of the brand’s ultimate muse: Medusa. The ancient Greek icon of beauty and desire as a historic example of unapologetic attitude and fearless self-belief continues to enduringly guide the spirit of VERSACE’s designs. Embracing this, each La Medusa handbag is adorned with the classic Medusa-head plaque, a replica of the plaque that was discovered on the doors of VERSACE’s first headquarters in Milan. These VERSACE trademarks are combined with a bold, bright color scheme exuding positivity and lightness with an emphasis on the shade DV Blue. Donatella Versace worked to create the perfect shade of blue, inspired by nature and designed to bring happiness to the wearer. ‘Blue is my favorite color because for me it represents freedom’, the Chief Creative Officer says and expresses through the new Medusa bag in DV Blue. Moreover, all handbags of the collection are made in Italy from premium leather, which is selected to create a slouchy and unstructured finish. The texture-color combination gives the Medusa Bag a modern and youthful feel, which makes an ideal accesoire for the contemporary woman.

 www.versace.com

Fashion

Dior Spring SS21 Campaign

Dior presents its Spring-Summer 2021 read-to-wear looks by Maria Grazia Chiuri, which are revealed in a series of striking photographs. The campaign celebrates creation in all its forms, from Virginia Woolf’s feminist essays to militant collages by Lucia Marcucci that enhanced the show’s staging. The collection is captured in a campaign reflecting the unique power of a painting. The photo series highlights silhouettes with an almost sacred aura of mystery as if they were subjects of paintings punctuated with shimmering shades of blue, red, and gold.

Eline Kechicheva captured the series, and the images reinvent the Dior visual language by combining precious embroideries with paisley motifs and floral designs that blossom on dresses and trousers, as well as the essential Dior BookTote. Light, fluid pieces take on the deep blue of denim. Simultaneously, the revisited men’s shirt is combined with the Dior Palto jacket, freeing movement with grace and elegance alongside the irresistible Dior Caro bag. The campaign reveals virtuoso compositions, an homage to the savior-faire of couture.

www.dior.com

Art

Beuys Bleibt / Beuys - A Close Up

Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century, would have celebrated his 100th birthday on May 12th, 2021. In honor of his centenary German photographer Michael Ruetz has published the book “Beuys bleibt / Beuys – A Close Up” in January of 2021, which sheds new light on the many myths surrounding the late artist. Michale Ruetz started photographing Beuys in the late 70s after getting to know him through mutual friends.

Not initially intended for publication, the photographer’s detailed observation is more intimate and spontaneous. His goal was to “explore the actual person behind the all too familiar figure of Beuys.” Since Beuys has been photographed extensively in his time, the spontaneity of Ruetz has is a more detailed photographic tribute than ever existed before. Most prevalent in this tribute is the insight behind the artist’s professional façade and exploration of the fascinating inner life of Joseph Beuys.

“In Dialogue with Joseph Beuys” is on show at Galerie van der Grinten, Cologne, from January 23rd - March 23rd, 2021. “Beuys bleibt / Beuys – A Close Up” is out now and will be presented at Akademie der Künste, Berlin, on May 12th 2021.

Michael Ruetz Joseph Beuys Düsseldorf, Frühjahr 1971 © Michael Ruetz courtesy Michael Ruetz / Akademie der Künste, Berlin / Agentur FOCUS

Fashion

The Piaget Polo goes Skeleton

Piaget launches a fully skeletonized version of its celebrated Piaget Polo, the groundbreaking luxury sports watch created by Piaget in 1979. The newest interpretation of the historical Piaget Polo merges the ultra-thinness and transparency of the Polo Skeleton with the elegance of its iconic Piaget Polo look. The Piaget Polo Skeleton models are made of stainless steel and 30% thinner than Piaget’s conventional models, which leads to the unique, slim lightness of the watch. The movement of the model, available as Piaget Blue and Titanium Grey, is completely visible and integrated into the design. In combination with the brushed surface, this creates a visual play with light that emphasizes the thin, dynamic aesthetics of the watch. With the Polo Skeleton Piaget adds on to its tradition of innovation, creating an everyday bracelet watch in the service of exclusivity and luxury while upholding the sport-chic spirit.

www.piaget.com 

Fashion

Prada Symbol Pop-Ups for SS21

Prada presents Prada Symbols, a series of pop up stores dedicated to the women’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection. The pop-up concept entails glass structures decorated with the iconic Prada triangle logo and adorned with white and gold checkered flooring. Transparent displays and mannequins are in line with the collection’s overall look, which also heavily featured the super-sized Prada Symbol triangle. This collection marks the first time Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons working together, which the industry welcomed with delight. It includes the Prada Cleo bag and prints by artist Peter De Potter. The new Prada collection entails long, narrow ’90s trousers styled tone in tone with long sleeveless shorts that feature the fashion houses’ iconic symbol, kitten heels in vibrant colors, and long skirts.

The Prada Symbol pop up stores are located at Macau Four Season, from January 22nd – March 31st Paris Galeries Lafayette, from January 26th – February 23rd Hong Kong IFC, from January 28th – March 14th Busan Shinsegae Centum, from January 29th – February 21st Beijing SKP, from February 3rd - February 23rd Tokyo Isetan Woman, from February 10th – February 23rd Tokyo Isetan Man, from February 17th – March 2nd

www.prada.com

Music

Kaldewei: SOUND WAVE

Kaldewei is confronting plastic pollution, starting in the most intimate room of all, the bathroom. According to the Heinze Bathroom Panel, 12,000 tons of plastic are installed in German bathrooms in acrylic bathtubs and shower trays. That's why Kaldewei uses superior steel enamel that is fully recyclable. Now Kaldewei is revolutionizing the at-home spa experience with their sustainably produced SOUND WAVE audio system, which turns Kaldewei bathtubs into a resonating body.

SOUND WAVE is the acoustic innovation for every bathroom and compatible with all Kaldewei bathtub models. Six acoustic panels and two body sound transducers are attached to the tub's inside and remain invisible to create an exceptional sound experience. SOUND WAVE plays back any audio file via Bluetooth from a smartphone, laptop, tablet, or PC. Not only spa lovers are convinced of the SOUND WAVE, which revolutionizes the bath experience, even music professionals such as sound engineer Bryan Gallant from The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, Canada, has already installed the SOUND WAVE in the studio so musicians can experience a new way of listening to their own music after a session. The Warehouse Studio has hosted many of Rock's greatest such as REM, Nickelback, Billy Joel, Muse, Metallica, AC/DC, and Bryan Adams.

www.kaldewei.de

Fashion

Carolina Herrera: 'Very Good Girl Eau de Parfum'

Carolina Herrera’s Very Good Girl Eau de Parfum is inspired by modern femininity, creating a luscious, surprising scent, that adds onto the existing Good Girl line. In awe of the multifaceted nature of the contemporary female, which eradicates binary oppositions of identity in pursuit of true self-expression, the new fragrance creates an olfactory adventure. The fruity, floral Eau de Parfum develops the Good Girl line’s fragrance composition a step further and conquers new territory based on the strength and unique scent of the rose. Aromas of exotic lychee and tangy currant invigorate the reinterpretation of the classic rose scent. As a final component is a veil of vetiver, pure and refined, with a woody scent that harmonically contrasts the floral base scent, highlights the Very Good Girl perfume’s surprising character. The result is a multifaceted fragrance, that embraces the natural beauty of its ingredients and represents the unapologetic women it is made for.

www.carolinaherrera.com

Fashion

Saucony Originals: Happy Birthday, Jazz!

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Saucony Originals collection’s most iconic shoes, the Jazz O’ trainers, the brand launches two new models – Jazz 81 and Jazz Court - in tribute to its origins. Released in 1981, the historic Jazz O’ model embodied the brand’s ambition to create a unique, technologically advanced running shoe focused on aerodynamic profile, lightweight materials and ergonomic fit for ultimate athletic comfort.

The Jazz O’ trainer has become the best-selling Saucony shoe of all time and until today continues to be the cornerstone of the collection and a staple in the world of running, having been awarded five stars by Runner’s World, a bible for runners all around the globe. The anniversary releases represent a faithful reinterpretation of the original model, while enhancing comfort and fit by choosing premium materials and other special details. The keywords “see, touch, feel” express the innovative upgrades in design, material and fit.

www.saucony.com

Fashion

COMME des GARCONS Parfums: 'Rouge'

The new fragrance from COMME des GARCONS Parfums, ‘Rouge’, expresses a disruptive and rapturous blend of olfactive ingredients associated with the color rouge. Crushed clusters of spicy sweet pink peppercorns countered with the intense aroma Indonesian ginger, a certain heat often visually represented by rouge. A sensual blend of aromatic cistus and the woody scent of sticky incense, Egyptian geranium and vegetal roots provide a foundation for the scent that is both transcendent and grounded.

Shot by talented photographer Jordan Hemingway, ‘Rouge’ is a portal into the surreal, an open window through which one can escape into the endless. With deliberate and particular overdoses, this orchestration of that which is Earthly and that which is other inspires an exhilarating and seductive perfume.

COMME des GARCON ‘Rouge’ is available as of October 2020

www.comme-des-garcons.com

Fashion

CHANEL Haute Couture SS21

Photographed by Dutch photographer and filmmaker, Anton Corbijn, at the Salons at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris, CHANEL debuted its Haute Couture SS21 collection. The covid-safe event closed to the public, hosted by Creative Director, Virginie Viard, the collection was wedding-themed with an abundance of white petals and flowers, fairy lights and a bride atop a white horse.

The collection is reminiscent of a wedding one might see in a small town where people remain close and dress with a more relaxed and personable sensibility. With silver embroidery and lace details, ivory satin along with a big veil. The Grand Palais was dressed with rustic arches adorned with flowers, to take the form of a modest chapel setting created by renowned decorator Jacques Grange.

Sincere and fond memories of the late Karl Lagerfeld were shared by ambassadors, models and celebrity guests including Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Lily-Rose Depp with her mother, Vanessa Paradis, Joana Preiss, Izia Higelin and Alma Jodorowsky. All guests were seated at a safe distance as well as being tested for the virus prior to entering. Documented by a drone and varied camera set-ups, Corbijn also put together a lovingly made photo-book as a keepsake.

During a time when an embrace or a gathering is a contentious and divisive issue, the SS21 Haute Couture theme echoed the better nature in mankind which many hope to return to. Gathering to celebrate that which is just and caring and good, like the union of two souls. A love that is felt deeply expressed through fashion, an alignment with CHANEL at its core with nods to Karl Lagerfeld, distinctive and life-affirming in Virginie Viard’s joyful creations.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

LOEWE Men's FW21/22

With his FW21 Menswear collection, LOEWE’s Creative Director Jonathan Anderson pays homage to artist Joe Brainard. As Anderson explains himself, ‘I have been drawn to Joe Brainard’s body of work, especially his collages and his ability to create from everyday things. As an artist, writer, illustrator and poet, he developed his ideas and actions outside of convention and category. His work possesses a lightness and immediacy that I find very much in keeping with the present, and indeed with any moment.’ The collection which he delivers is characterized by its light spirit, realised through clean silhouettes and precise cuts. Some of Brainard’s works are revived as prints, but most notably, Anderson makes use of one the artist’s favourite methods of working, collage. With his approach, Anderson revived iconic subcultures in an eclectic assemblage of iconic elements and tropes borrowed from subcultures ranging from mods to grunge. Artworks are printed bluntly onto the front and lapels of blazers. Leather bandage trousers, cardigans with culottes, extra baggy trousers, just to name a few, make each look a thoughtful and masterfully executed collage.

www.loewe.com

Fashion

Isabel Marant Men's FW21

In the cloakroom of Isabel Marant, a rebellious and dynamic mob of larrikins debut vintage sportswear inspired pieces from the beloved French designer’s FW21 collection. With a video directed by Laure Atanasyan presents a mix of formal staples reinterpreted to prioritize comfort and ease of wear as an adaptation to the zeitgeist.

With a range of fabrics and technique, the striped knitted polo shirts, the polar fleece hoodie and a technical windbreaker jacket are examples of classic fall winter clothing. To further bridge the divide between inside and out, a wool suit jacket worn with sweatpants, conveying a message of comfort as its own form of luxury.

The colors, almost grunge in appearance, are made soft on the eye with the use of neutral fabrics. Shearling takes the form of a teddy with an initial lettering and a hooded jacket. The Isabel Marant Men’s FW21collection is an idea for the modern man; dynamic, comfortable and essential wardrobe items paired for today’s world, sporty and formal in appearance.

www.isabelmarant.com

Fashion

Dries Van Noten Men’s FW21/22

To make new what is old and cherished, time-honored and treasured elements of the Dries Van Noten wardrobe are reinterpreted for Paris Fashion Week. Clothing designed to evoke purpose in the wearer, while also revealing a tenderness or emotional depth. In a blend of sportswear and formalwear, Belgian tailor, Dries Van Noten, after opening a new store in Los Angeles last year, debuts a new take on modern menswear for its FW21/22 Men’s collection.

An abstract purity about the line and shape of each garment rings true to Dries Van Noten’s brand DNA, finding joy in the unassuming by way of soft and sharp contrasts. Cropped and elongated elements, trousers ranging from drainpipe skinny to relaxed and loose-fitting, along with pleated high waist trousers paired with oversized car coats display a dedication to versatility and expression in modern menswear.

Colors from petrol to lemon display the spectrum of earthy and warm colors such as alkaline, dusty pink, coffee, ochre, anthracite and cement. Along with traditional tie motifs, zodiac signs and classic shirt stripes, the collection is filled with skilful embroidery, patterns and prints. The collection also features a range of accessories which include a monogrammed metal ring, leather pouches, bucket hats in padded nylon as well as high-tech moccasins and knit legwarmers.

The garments are designed with both formal and casual settings in mind, the blurring of the two in recent times and ‘dressing for our days’ is noted as a muse for Dries Van Noten Men’s FW21/22 collection.

 www.driesvannoten.com

Fashion

HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE FW21

HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE premiered its FW21 collection titled ‘Never Change, Ever Change’. A title which captures the essence of the collection perfectly. This collection embodies the brand’s intent to evolve, to capture the spirit of our times and to respond to our ever-changing lifestyles through design. At the same time, HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE stays true to its roots, from design language to production. Classic and conventional pieces are re-interpreted through a modern perspective and infused with original ideas and technology, building a selection of new basics of the brand. The collection itself was an interesting mixture of the classics pleats and subtle novelties, which sometimes remained hidden from the viewer’s eyes. It was the first collection, which featured a series produced 100% from recycled polyester fabric or a new fabric woven from yarn-dyed polyester threads, resulting in a materials that is warm like wool, but at the same time much lighter in weight and wrinkle-resistant. In their video presentation, the process of pleating the garments were central, offering an insight into the processes needed to create the very unique signature garments from HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE.

www.isseymiyake.com

Fashion

Iceberg FW21/22

With his new FW21/22 collection for Iceberg, Creative Director James Long channels a carefree eccentricity reminiscent of 90s Brit Pop, underground rap and acid rock scenes to create a new identity for both men and women alike. The collection re-interprets luxury sportswear and elevates it through details such as 3D quilting and jacquard as well as ironically placed zips. The more sporty aesthetic pays homage to the 90s raver silhouettes. Traditional codes of the ever-evolving athletic leisure wear is not rejected, but enhanced through more soft and feminine touches and the introduction of luxury knit. This is also reflected in the color palette of the collection. For the women’s collection, muted tones of primrose, egg-shell and grey are juxtaposed with acid pink, energizing the selection, whereas the men’s collection is amped up through utilitarian details and the contrast between tech and knit textures. In typical fashion, Iceberg once more showcases its affinity for incorporating pop icons, with Peanut cartoon characters Snoopy and Woodstock portrayed on some of the sweaters. The FW21/22 collection is the coming together of luxury sportswear and the innovative Italian knitwear, which Iceberg is so famous and celebrated for.

www.iceberg.com

Fashion

Church's Men's FW21

‘The Auction’, a short film that conveys the elegance and style of the new Church’s Men’s FW21 collection. The luxury English footwear company sets its new film in a British auction house decorated with antiques and fine art. Colors of rich mahogany and the craftsmanship commonly found in objet d’art that find their way to auction is mirrored by the level of care and quality that goes into the new FW21 collection from Church’s. The new ‘Gillingham’ shoe takes note of a growing trend of square toes while shoes like the iconic ‘Chelsea’ boot and the ‘Amberly’ shoe feature a rounder toe.

The British fondness for fine brushed leather and reliable, quality materials resonates with this collection. Church’s is famous for its British heritage, the same heritage present in the new military-inspired ‘Gray’ boot and the brand’s acclaimed ‘Ryder’ desert boot, which arrives this season in a polished binder leather. Classic styles are complimented with new sneakers, a more casual fit in lace-up and high-top shapes which feature chunky rubber soles and the Church’s logo screen-printed onto the counter of the sneaker.

The Church’s FW21 Men’s collection will be available in stores and online from July 2021.

www.church-footwear.com

Fashion

Ermenegildo Zegna XXX FW21

As expressed by Zegna’s Creative Director Alessandro Sartori himself, ‘We are all experiencing a new reality concerned with new needs, which lead us to previously unseen lifestyles and attitudes.’ Our world is constantly evolving and has changed even more drastically throughout the last year. Since taking the reigns at the Italian house, Sartori’s has moved Zegna away from the utter formality, redefining the style. For this season, Zegna has decided to (Re)set, to (Re)interpret their roots and to (Re)tailor the modern man. Its fluid shapes and the comfortable and adaptable nature of the garments define the collection. Comfort and formality, indoors and outdoors are blended; archetypal items get new functions in a switch of forms, weights and materials. The idea of formality is injected with notions of coziness and comfort, whether it be the easy of track pants or of the robe de chambre. Most notably we see the classic suit reimagined, not as a uniform, but as a garment that allows its wearer to be himself.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

Brunello Cucinelli: FW21/22

After years of research and development, Brunello Cucinelli has launched a collection of menswear for Fall Winter 21/22. The collection is the synthesis of yesterday and tomorrow. Finding a balance between the past and a prominent vision of tomorrow’s look, the collection keeps ideals of moderation and simplicity with neutral colors making the foundation on which to build. Mid and dark colors are diffused in the knitwear hydrangea violets, bonfire reds, bordeaux, blueberry and variants of green like sage and mint. Aside from classic coats, this FW21/22 by Brunello Cucinelli is made up of down jackets and outerwear in different lengths and weights to remain true to modern menswear in the colder months.

Knitwear rests at the forefront of comfort, items of reassuring clothing we all reach for in winter’s cold embrace; knitwear features prominently in this collection adding something unexpected and special to down jackets. Time honored textures of stockinette stitch and English rib are enriched by chiné and vanisé techniques, a proud pairing of workmanship and nuance.

Supple leathers and shearling complimented by discrete patterns displayed on the men’s outwear provide something beyond reproach during the rainy seasons. In addition to lightweight, handcrafted leather accessories, formal footwear displays the attention to detail and dedication to craftsmanship at Brunello Cucinelli. This same craftsmanship is applied to a range of sneakers made from lightweight and natural materials that add versatility to each look.

Somewhere between the sartorial approach and taking cues from new stimuli of modern fabrics elegance is given a presence in the everyday. Brunello Cucinelli designs for the present moment, newer than yesterday, classic enough for every tomorrow.

www.brunellocucinelli.com

Marcel Dzama: 'The Moon is Following Me'

Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp, will host Canadian born and New York-based artist Marcel Dzama’s first solo show; a celebration of the post-Trump era. Expressive and bursting with color, the show is titled ‘The Moon is Following Me’ drawing from folk-tales, art-history and displays contemporary flourishes. Dzama’s artworks honor childhood fantasies and the strength and resolve of the imagination.

With ballet costumes by Francis Picabia or Oskar Schlemmer to invite viewers into this dream-like world as well as more direct nods to the work of Francisco Goya, Joseph Beuys and Marcel Duchamp. Of his art, Dzama says “I usually either do political drawing or I go for this kind of vacation feeling. Almost idyllic. A lot of them are based on photographs taken of my son and wife on vacation.”

The artist is known for responding to current events through his art. Dzama has painted the late United States Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, over a watercolor impression of Donald Trump swinging a golf club. The canvas used for this work was simply a front page of the New York Times, in keeping with the contemporary and newsworthy nature of his subjects. In addition to this Marcel Dzama’s drawing of a tiny owl found inside the Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree will be included in his solo exhibition at Tim Van Laere Gallery.

Stating that “because the Trump years were so traumatizing” that the series of artworks had to have more hopeful themes, in an effort to rekindle a collective sense of whimsy.

‘The Moon is Following Me’ will run from January 21st to March 6th at Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp.

Quotes taken from an interview with Marcel Dzama by Manuela Martorelli, published in ZOO Magazine Issue #69.

www.timvanlaeregallery.com

DIOR: The Caro Bag

As part of its Cruise 2021 collection, DIOR will release a newly designed bag.The Caro bag takes its name after Christian Dior’s remarkable younger sister, Catherine Dior, who was fondly referred to by family and those that knew her well as ‘Caro’.

Passion, grace and unyielding courage in the face of atrocities, violence and cruelty; Catherine Dior lived a life of great service to France. As a highly decorated member of the French Resistance during World War II, Catherine endured a great deal of pain in her lifetime; she was made a political prisoner of war, she was deported, she was tortured for information that she never relinquished, surviving the Nazi gulag and the most horrific of circumstances.

Designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Dior Caro bag is available in sky blue, black, mint green and blue as well as smaller versions in raw denim, Tie & Dior and shearling. The bag is made with a precious chain that brandishes links detailed with the “CD” signature to echo the clasp. In addition to its chain, the precious soft leather bag proudly displays the house’s emblematic cannage motif.

The Caro bag is not simply an accessory to the Cruise 2021 collection, it is an example of the luxury French maison honoring its family heritage, a reminder to hold fast to your courage, hold fast to the belief of what is good in others, a reminder that against a tide of hate; love will overcome.

The Caro bag, a heartfelt expression of heritage Dior style, is now available online and in stores.

www.dior.com

Fashion

CDG3 x Better Gift Shop

In the third edition of the collaborative partnership between CDG3 and Better Gift Shop, Amanda Mescudi and Taj Williams roam the dusk-lit streets of Los Angeles with a lackadaisical and adventurous aura about them. The Gregory Shimanda collaboration features an exclusive hoodie and T-shirt, relaxed and youthful style with distinctive qualities of both Comme Des Garçon and Toronto-based retailer, Better Gift Shop. In previous years visual artist Gregory Shimanda has had joint exhibitions in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Oakland California and has been a rising creative of the San Francisco Bay Area. The collection, styled by Monica Rojas, features the artist Panda Sex and is photographed by Chandler Kennedy.

www.cdgcdgcdg.com
www.bettergiftshop.com

Fashion

Upcycled MiuMiu

Nearly thirty years and many great strides in fashion since Miu Miu was founded by Miuccia Prada, the iconic brand is debuting its ‘Upcycled by Miu Miu’ collection. A special collection of vintage dresses has been given new life, once loved and soon to be loved again as Miu Miu garments. Each piece is unique and entirely one-of-one, adorned with signature Miu Miu embroideries and embellishments. The limited run of 80 upcycled dresses will be available in nine cities at Miu Miu boutiques worldwide. These cities that the ‘Upcycled by Miu Miu’ line can be found in are Milan, Paris, London, Tokyo, Moscow, Hong Kong, Shanghai and St. Moritz. Each item has been carefully reworked and renewed by the designers at Miu Miu, a dress from the ‘Upcycled by Miu Miu’ collection that is found in one city will never be found in another city. For example, item 26/80 is a 1970s silver and gold knitted cocktail dress customised with all-over diamanté embellishment, a crystal neckline and rose peach silk gazar bow detail; available at Miu Miu Paris, while item 14/80 is a 1960s short belted dress in white silk crepe with one-sided pleats on the front, customised with white and emerald green crystal embroidery and all-over diamanté embellishment; available only at Miu Miu Tokyo. Each dress is lovingly restored by hand and re-imagined through the Miu Miu lens to ensure they are loved once more and maintain continuity with the brand’s oeuvre.

www.miumiu.com

Art

Thonet Barstool Collection

Thonet has built its name to be synonymous with a longstanding history of designing furniture that displays one foot in tradition and another striding boldly into the future; a design journey that was conceived at the hands of master carpenter, Michael Thonet, out of a small workshop in Boppard on the River Rhine in 1819; with Chair No. 14 or, as we know it today, the Vienna coffee house chair. The furniture maker continues its legacy with two new iterations of the barstool; the S 32 VH Barstool and the S 32 VHT low barstool. The S 32 tubular-steel cantilever chair made by Marcel Breuer in the ‘20s during the Bauhaus era offers an insight into the design cues for these comfortable and  new barstools. The distinctive Viennese canework and Thonet bentwood elements exist in stylistic contrast to the sleek tubular steel lines and lightweight nature of the furniture. The furnishings are visually very reduced and made to be subtle so as to suit a broader range of environments from reception areas to kitchen breakfast bars in the home or trendy metropolitain bars and restaurants. Easily adjustable and transported, the S 32 VH Barstool is designed in response to the growing trend of standing tables and counters both in workplaces and the home. The new barstools versatility and timeless style follows on from Thonet’s earlier adaptation of Marcel Breuer’s S 64 tubular steel cantilever chair, in which Thonet designed a height-adjustable swivel chair set on a pedestal base and castors that they dubbed the S 64 VDR swivel chair.

www.thonet.com

Fashion

DIOR Men Fall 2021

“I never considered myself a graffiti artist, although I do use spray paint and spray all over New York City. I grew up here in Southern California. When I moved to New York I learned about all the street culture. That to me was what was exciting. I understood the language, I understood the visuals of the airbrush. I wanted to be apart of it. I am always interpreting the world around me, be it the nature, be it the news. Whatever it is I’m taking it in and I am using that in my process”. American artist Kenny Scharf creates cartoon-inspired images, stories, works nodding to a near future, taken from any experience, from real world news to historical facts, to moments of dream, where clashing colors - blue, yellow, purple, transform opposites and tension into a captivating universe. Dior Homme’s Creative Director Kim Jones engaged Scharf’s oeuvre through Dior’s history, fusing tradition and digital innovation. Tailoring underscore a heightened mood of dressing up where the “tailleur oblique”, tailored coats and slender single-breasted jackets are eased around the body, relaxed, and belted at the waist in homage to the iconic bar jacket. Mirroring the evolution of a couture house, Dior’s ateliers translated Kenny Scharf’s works into prints and embroideries, with archival pieces appearing alongside a series of new commissions created specifically for Fall 2021: drawings recalling the Chinese Zodiac’s animal character. China, one of Monsieur Dior main inspirations over the years, merges into the collection through traditional Chinese techniques and materials translated into the idiom of a French couture house where Yoon Ahn’s modern jewelry adorns looks with jade and lapis, and the Maison Lemarié reinvents chrysanthemum blooms as boutonnieres. A dreamlike set recalling the luminous stellar explosion of a supernova - the transient event during the last stages of a massive star triggered by a nuclear fusion - where a crab nebula, hundreds of light-years in diameter, shows its full beauty.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Optical Precision. German Engineering.

Both Leica and Mykita belong to a group of industry leaders in their respective fields dedicated to the holding up of the high standards associates with the label ‘Made in Germany’. For this collaboration, both houses bring together their areas of expertise, pairing Mykita’s innovative product engineering with Leica’s unique design language and expertize in lenses and optics. The results of this partnership are a range of glasses, defined by their reduced and functional design and precision engineering. The debut collection of sunglasses features two design series, the first being a concept of stainless steel whereas the second combines the steel with MYLON, a material innovation made using 3D printing technology. Apart from the design, the lens technology is another standout of this partnership, having been manufactured using all of Leica’s expertize in this field and undergoing the rigorous quality control that all Leica optics are subjected to. The Leica optical collection features clean and timeless design, mirroring the established shapes of the sunglass line. The purposeful sleek design gives the glasses a timeless flair recalling the iconic design of the Leica cameras.

www.mykita.com
www.leica.com

Fashion

Stone Island Miami

Stone Island certainly one of these brands, which have become deeply interwoven with European cultural history, whether it be Milanese paninari, British football fan or anything in-between. A household name in Europe, the house has recently found increasing success in the United States, partially due to celebrities such as Drake of Travis Scott being seen in Stone Island. To expand its presence in North America, Stone Island is opening its fourth store in Miami after New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. Situated in Miami’s Design District, the store covers an area of over 3000 squared feet on two levels, hosting the Stone Island and Shadow Project collections. In typical fashion, the interior design follows the concept created by Marc Buhre, a German industrial designer and founder of the Zeichenweg TM architectural firm. Following the recent opening in Beijing and now Miami, Stone Island now counts 28 flagship stores worldwide exporting the brand’s philosophy of experimentation and innovative design into the world.

The Stone Island Miami Store is located at 123 NE 41st Street, #107/207, Miami Design District, 33137 Miami.

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

Freedom of Travel meets Craftsmanship

The freedom of travel meets the craftsmanship of watchmaking in Louis Vuitton’s new Trunk Table Clock. Elevating the classic accessory to a monumental timepiece, the Maison reproduces the Tambour Moon Dual Time concave dial in a new fresh design and concept. It also features a double time-zone, suited to the urban globetrotter and a vibrant dial of multicolored flags. The 80mm diameter hemispheric steel case suspended in its trunk is a wonderful historic reference to 18th century navy chronometers, these devices were used for long-distance navigators for them to calculate longitude. The trunk is an iconic aspect of Louis Vuitton, in bringing this element into the watch design, the brand cleverly interweaves its own heritage and identity into its new timepiece. With this in mind, Louis Vuitton pays homage to the extraordinary pioneers of early travel, conceptualizing it in a contemporary design that is distinctly connected to the Maison.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Hublot 40 Years

Hublot and its CEO Ricardo Guadalupe invite friends and ambassadors of the brand to take part in the digital celebration of the Swiss watch manufacturer’s 40th anniversary. In a 30-minute presentation, Guadalupe presented all the milestones that have shaped Hublot into what it is today. Despite its relatively short history, there surely is no shortage of memorable moments to look back on, from the diverse novelties and innovations to the groundbreaking partnerships with Fifa and Ferrari. And how would you retell Hublot’s history without mentioning two key figures, the company’s founder Carlo Crocco and Jean-Claude Biver, who emphasized the art of fusion between tradition and future. Throughout the presentation some of Hublot’s most well-know brand ambassadors were connected live. They were truly representative of the wide-ranging and diverse Hublot family, from footballers Kylian Mbappé and Ada Hegerberg, Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, three-star chef Andreas Caminada to world-renowned pianist Lang Lang. To mark the occasion, Hublot has also introduced its ‘Classic Original 1980’ a watch which has been reinterpreted to reflect the Hublot of today and as put by Guadalupe himself presents ‘a brand-new contemporary version that celebrates Hublot’s innovative approach of the last 40 years.’

www.hublot.com

Travel

Into the Woods

Founded by Italian architects Massimo Gnocchi and Paolo Danesi, The Mountain Refuge was set up to realise the equilibrium of sustainability and design, to find a way of living in harmony with the world around us. Encouraging this greater understanding and appreciation of the outdoors a floor to ceiling glazed window allows for a true and uninterrupted view of nature. With their goal to deliver shelter and sanctuary globally, Gnocchi and Danesi conceptualized their own minimalist cabin, versatile and low maintenance, their design does not require foundations but can be adapted for locations that do with the use of a thin slab of concrete. Returning to the primal connection we as humans have with nature, the cabins recall the traditional mountain shelters of the Alps, wooden and cosy, but the Italian team have transformed these typically dark interiors through large windows. This prefabricated micro home, with its angled roofs is more than a design spectacle, but an alternative way of life, one which many are avidly seeking as the clamour of everyday life grows too much.

www.themountainrefuge.com

Fashion

Take-out Gala

Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens is set to organize an extravagant take-out gala in collaboration with internationally regarded artist Rikrit Tiravanija. The Belgian modern art museum has gotten creative in the absence of its annual garden party, designing a free group exhibition, selling a range of different art works, now through the expo site as a result of new measures. In light of these restrictions, the museum is organizing an exclusive take-put gala to gather funds for the museum’s upcoming year. Tiravanija and acclaimed chef Antto Melasniemi have created 3 original dim sum to be presented in a reusable take out box, designed especially with a monogram by the artist. With only 500 of these boxes available, each order grants access to an online gala, an ingenious idea that spotlights the thriving creativity at a time of such stasis and devastation.

www.museumdd.be

Fashion

Home Time

Latvian designer, Santa Kupca, presents her 3 part graduation project, the perfect antidote to the pandemic’s omnipresent sense of loneliness and isolation. Entitled “Hesistant to RSVP”, “Dolce far niente” and “Public Library”, the graduate of the Design Academy Eidenhoven, references beautifully these current anxieties through a conscious set of garments. Graduating from the Identity department, Kupca responds to the entrapment of the home and the pressure of online communication, with garments that comfort and swaddle, replicating the feeling of a tender embrace. Each of the three pieces engages with certain aspects of the home, curating a quiet sense of intimacy, made irresistible by their duvet-like quality. To be worn over underwear or simply nothing at all, Kupca caters to the human form at a time where connection and intimacy are under strict regulation and monitoring.

www.santakupca.com

Fashion

Surreal Times

Salvatore Ferragamo responds to this surreal time in their Pre-Spring 2021 collection, a tangible sense of pride and consciousness shaping each look down to every meticulous detail. Featuring upcycled leathers, cashmere, recycled nylons and organic cottons, the brand deftly navigates luxury design with ethical and sustainable choices, creating a collection that is both mindful and stylish in its embrace of a positive momentum in the fashion industry. Mens wear and womens wear both display an exciting sense of flux, moving between clean minimal lines and soft tailoring to wild animated animal prints. The hybrid of giraffe and leopard print takes center stage in the collection, inspired by their Creative Director, Paul Andrew’s extensive interrogation of the archive, dating back to the 1970s. Other innovative highlights include in a new almond-toed driving shoe, fitted with a never before seen double Gancini hardware. Reflecting on the collection Andrew commented “this collection was made in exceptional times, under exceptional conditions, through which we were all obliged to adapt and innovate… The result is a collection of which we are proud. We worked to turn the limitations of the period into positives by considering what is most essential”.

www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

Creating an Icon

For Miu Miu’s Icons Holiday 2020 Advertising Campaign, the brand examines what it means to be an icon. Mapping the transition from icons dictated by religious representations into a secular age, Miu Miu goes on a hunt to demystify and encapsulate the aura of a contemporary icon in their new campaign. Selecting their own cast of women, the luxury brand curates their own community of multifaceted icons, drawing from the realms of cinema, fashion and music. Recognizable in the campaign are the likes of Kim Basinger, Chloë Sevigny, Du Juan and Raffey Cassidy amongst newcomers: actress Emma Corrin, the musician and actor Jordan Kristine Seamón and Storm Reid, an actor who also opened the Fall/Winter 2020 Miu Miu show. In showcasing this intergenerational talent Miu Miu is expansive in their definition of an icon, an empowering expression of modern femininity.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Game Up

Pikachu animates Longchamp’s iconic Le Pliage® for their new collection Longchamp x Pokémon. The adored Japanese character features across a range of bags as well as a scarf, inspiring a rare blend of French classicism and Japanese kawaii. The collection will be made available from October 13, 2020 in stores and online, but will be released exclusively in Japan from October 9, 2020 - paying homage to Pokémon’s roots. For Kenji Okubo, President of The Pokémon Company, the collaboration “upholds Longchamp’s tradition for quality and luxury but adds a fun and playful twist”. Pikachu appears in two exciting designs, the first evocative of a retro video game, his familiar yellow figure prominent against a bold black and white print which spells out Long champ in a distinctly maze-like design, the second more subtly showcasing his silhouette embossed onto red, cream and black bags. Longchamp shows the potential of collaboration in this collection, producing new and unexpected possibilities, Pokémon bringing a vibrant and iconic motif to the House’s colorful and diverse oeuvre.

www.longchamp.com

Fashion

"Claudia Andujar, The Yanonami Struggle"

Over the next eight years, Triennale Milano and Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain will join forces to create a cultural partnership unprecedented in Europe. They share a common vision of what contemporary artistic creation should be, dedicated to contribute to the development of a truly multidisciplinary and international program which creates bridges between all different facets of creativity, whether it be art, architecture, design, fashion, cinema, science or philosophy. Cultural exchange between the many European institutions to provide artists the necessary stage and support system in order to bring their meaningful perspectives of the modern world to life. The partnership will be inaugurated with the exhibition “Claudia Andujar, The Yanomami Struggle” followed by “Les Citoyens, Guillermo Kuitca” the coming year. Claudia Andujar’s exhibition offers an insight into the struggle for recognition of the Yanomami, the largest isolated tribe in the Amazon forest. Curated by Thyago Nogueira, the exhibition showcases over three hundred photographs of the Yanonami, an in-depth photographic essay on their daily lives, which Andujar has been working on since the 70s. It showcases all of her prowess as a photographer and activist, whilst showcasing the Yanomami as complex and rich culture with its own intricate myths and rituals.

“Claudia Andujar, The Yanomami Struggle” will be open to the public from October 17 to February 7, 2021 at Triennale Milano.

www.fondationcartier.com
www.triennale.org

Fashion

Blue planet

Montblanc delves into the deep blue, telling the story of our blue planet in its new collection of pens, Montblanc Star Walker. Echoing NASA’s motto “follow the water”, this collection revolves around the marine hues of the ocean, paying homage to the huge expanse of seas and oceans that connect our planet. The pen itself is composed of blue precious resin, a wonderful ode to water, and this connection to our Earth is enhanced further by the transparent dome at the top of the pen. The spherical dome represents the rising Earth above the lunar horizon, as viewed from space, the platinum-plated cap a nod to NASA once again, in its abstraction of an astronaut and the angled clip, a shooting rocket. Montblanc delivers a captivating tale for this collection, channelling our focus to the water that makes up over 80% of the world’s oceans, not all of which have been mapped and explored. In wetting our appetite with a sense of purpose and adventure, we are compelled to write, bringing our own sense of discovery to the written page.

www.montblanc.com

Music

The Monster Inside

An Interview with Woodkid
by Lauren Gee

We spoke to Woodkid ahead of his album release S16. Speaking openly on the nuances and challenges that come with contemporary masculinity, vulnerability collides with cinematic brilliance in an album that is a bold announcement of Woodkid’s multiple creative talents. Conjuring up the sublime through his strong and unwavering voice, S16 is an insomniac tale of distress and redemption, the tangible catharsis of this body of work, undeniably magnetic.

Lauren Gee: What was the inspiration behind this album?

Woodkid: First of all I wanted to make an album that was somehow industrial, I’m not really sure what that meant at the time but I knew that it was triggering some visual and sonic ideas for me, and at the same time I needed to make an album that was a reflection of my mood at the time. That was centred around the idea of deconstruction, learning new things and doubt. Something that is a thread throughout the entire record, is this idea of doubting and asking for help at the same time. It is an album that talks a lot about the beauty that there is in resilience and in the act of asking for help. I actually started the record right after the Paris attacks in 2015. So very early 2016 I started working on the record and wrote the first songs.

LG:There is something very cinematic about this album, each song feels very climatic and emotional, I can imagine it as a soundtrack to a very intense film, is this a reference you were aware of?

WK: First of all I worked with an orchestra, I think it definitely gives no matter what you do a cinematic quality. And it's also in my DNA, it’s my job, I am a film director, I always have images in my head and I want music to serve these images somehow. So I think it is out of my control really, whatever I do I get moved by music that triggers images.

LG: You have such a strong connection with the moving image through the visuals you create, what role does cinema and the moving image have in the music you create?

WK: Alot! I always have big images in my head from the films I love, I always have feelings, textures and emotional textures from films in the back of my head. Actually I have more film references than I do music references, for example Jonathan Blazer, Akira Kurosawa, there’s always some images that are just floating around, even some 2001 A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of The Third Kind somewhere. There are always these big visions of other cinematographers in my head.

LG: This album for me really conjures up a sense of the sublime, the scale of the world against the individual human, how did you manage to construct this sense of vastness in your music? 

WK: I think by temporal contrast, which means the construction of moments of silence and massiveness, progression and breaks and always trying to write things as a very deconstructed and fragmented piece, which I think is very evocative of the collisions and the fragmentations of the world and the pressure of these massive forces that are around us. I think also singing love songs, because they are very intimate love songs, but always adding a layer visually but also sonically, almost like the world and the force of the world speak to the individual trajectories of humans. There is always a thread and a connection between the very intimate and the massive, that there is probably connections between doubt and fear of the future, and the blues of the world that we all have inside. There's also probably a connection between the environmental challenge and the massive crisis that we are facing, because I think there is a fractal resonance between us and the world and I think that's what I have really tried to do, you will see it in the next video too: I always talk about the intimate but put a narrative layer of infinity on top of it. 

LG: Your voice really feels like its guiding the listener in this album, were you conscious of taking on this role when you began writing 

WK: I definitely think I find more legitimacy in my voice being a leader vocally in my songs. With time I found more colors too and my palette has been widened since I toured and practiced more. Now I feel I have more tools to really tell a story, to use the right colors in my voice at the right time and try to be less systematic in the way I think. That allowed me to shut down the orchestra sometimes and turn the music down and just have the piano and vocals where my voice takes the lead and I just tell the story. 

Fashion

Stone Island: Storia

Since its foundation in 1982, Stone Island has unquestionably left its mark on the fashion landscape. From Milanese paninari to British football diehards, Stone Island resonates with a diverse audience. It is its distinct mix of elements of fashion, luxury and streetwear, which has kept the Italian house relevant throughout its almost 40-year existence. Not just relevant, but a veritable cultural cornerstone, a status enhanced by its celebrity following, but primarily thanks to its ardent fans all across the world. Central to the brand is its relentless pursuit of excellence, may it be in the design language or in their continuous efforts to bring innovation to the world of fabric treatment and dyeing. Stone Island: Storia captures the house’s illustrious story and ethos. Previously unseen images are combined with three major texts by Eugene Rabkin, Paul Gorman and Jian Deleon offering seasoned and new fans alike new insights into the world of Stone Island. A special edition with slipcase and a poster depicting the history of the house’s iconic branded badges has been produced exclusively. These special editions will be available exclusively in Stone Island stores and online starting from October 6, 2020.

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2021

“Take over, Drive, Kick, Climb, Swap, Switch, Relay, Dream, Doubt, Splash, Reach, Stand, Sky Dive, Extend, Vote…” Words as mottos, slogans for actions, emblazoned on t-shirts and dresses and heard intone across the soundtrack for the show. Nicolas Ghesquière’s new Womenswear collections for Louis Vuitton explored the meaning of gender fluidity in fashion and it’s correlation to our time. “Vote”, “Dream”, “Kick”. These are words that call for a strong stand against inequality, against boundaries “Stepping into a territory that is still stylistically vague. A sensitive zone that erases gender and promises exponential creative possibilities. What does an in-between garment look like? What kind of cut can dissolve masculine and feminine? What wardrobe might s/he look good in?” This is Nicolas Ghesquière’s wish to begin an open reflection on a theme as crucial as sensitive. The in-between, the ground where shapes and silhouettes meet without constraints. Relaxed masculine classic trousers paired with t-shirts, at times worn as dresses under overcoats, sequins mixed with classic tailoring. There was a subtle reference to Ghesquière’s signature 80s reference through the bold lettering on prints. The French designer has always been fascinated by the 80s, its idiosyncrasies, and cultural experimentations. One of the most iconic artwork of that decade was actively present at the show live stream: 1987 Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire. His angels, their “voyeurism”, with the late Bruno Ganz looking at the world from above, looking at the people’s pain, the desire, the struggle. Through the green screen technique, the digital guests were able to see the movie fragments overlaid on floors and walls of the magnificent Art Deco architecture and Art Nouveau frescoes of the Samaritaine. Under the glass of La Rotonde, on the top floor of this historical monument - whose renovation has been 15 years in the making and is set to open in 2021 - the runway was intersected with large swaths of color green serving as chroma key. That same green used on accessories throughout the entire collection. The building situated just across Ghesquière’s office seemed the perfect choice when the increasing risk of the pandemic in France required a careful evaluation towards efficiency and sustainability: the crew was able to just walk to the location and the clothes didn’t have to be shipped. The great size of this empty building also gave Ghesquière the space to bring a step further the virtual experience of the show: all the guests affected by travel restrictions were given a personal link to a virtual seat: dozen of personal webcams were situated along the runway, with the possibility to be manipulated in 360 degrees. It translated to a never-seen-before experience, comforting all the guests who could not attend in person. It give a sense of reassurance and great consideration. One more reference to Ghesquière’s journey set to abolishing boundaries.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Issey Miyake Spring Summer 2021

“When things are rolled up neatly / when things are stacked on top of each other / Or when things in pieces are put together / It is a simple moment like this that we find pleasing / When things transform, our perspective changes too. / And with this change we feel the beginning of something new”. Satoshi Kondo – who debuted as Issey Miyake’s new Head designer last year after working for the brand for more than a decade – delivered a collection exploring creative and integrative ways to make garments extremely compact: tying, rolling, folding, stacking, and layering. In preparation for Fall Winter 2020 Kondo looked at the number of boxes ready to be shipped to Paris, and realized the sheer volume of clothes being transported. What if the clothes were instead easily foldable? What if the next collection would be as compact as possible? Beautiful complex garments, so compact that the entire collection could fit into just one box. Issey Miyake Spring Summer 2021 answered these questions inspired by the idea of delivering garments in compact forms to people all around the world Form Body, Out A Piece, To Go, Spongy, Temporary Room, five main themes, five different researches on textiles, materials, shapes, constructions: a new take on the relationship between body and clothing; garment that can be zipped together into a three-dimensional silhouette; the idea of integrating clothing and a bag where the wearer goes through the cycle of wearing, folding, and carrying away the garment; knitwear as stretchable as a sponge; the idea of wearing a artwork integrated into clothing as a whole. The digital presentation UNPACK THE COMPACT, filmed inside a warehouse in Paris, featured animated garments on display that moved and breathed. Upon entering the space, the models walked through this exhibition overlapping the runway show with the stop motion animation revealing the ingenious construction of each garment.

www.isseymiyake.com

Fashion

Marine Serre Spring Summer 2021

Set in a dystopian future, in the aftermath of the disaster we all have brought upon our fragile Earth, long enough humans have evolved into new species striving for survival. Here this new humanity, now gender fluid, lives between new dynamics and emotions. Marine Serre Spring Summer 2021 collection presented through the format of a short film is a poignant visual landscape evoking the current heath and environmental emergency, and calling to actively embrace life’s pleasures and adversities. Marine Serre has always given a revolutionary take to our post-apocalyptic future rather than despair. Realized in collaboration with directors duo Sacha Barbin and Ryan Doubiago, with music by composer Pierre Rousseau, Amor Fati is a window to our desires, to our fears, our not-so-far fate, when humanity will live on am extremely warm Planet, partly submerged. and where the last living scientists will resort to new preservative measures. Marine Serre is a visionary. During the pandemic outbreak in March we all dreamed to own the protective anti-pollution masks created by Marine in collaboration with French specialized brand R-Pur in February 2019. Once again Marine Serre created new additions to the series of futuristic pieces: shield visors, and the survival harness crinoline consciously delimiting the body space. The collection dives further into the urgent need for change embracing the challenge where clothes are an armoire but also a personal narrative. Serre’s signature sharp tailoring and research on fabrics are the file rouge through the entire collection: recycled moiré, regenerated carpets in terracotta hues, Serre’s classic regenerated denim updated with a laser engraving of the ‘moonfish skin’ pattern, biodegradable nylon. But also knitwear in kaleidoscopic sapphire and cobalt hues, and footwear designed in collaboration with Jimmy Choo. Sensual and intricate. Serre never ceases to create a powerful universe.

www.marineserre.com

Fashion

Born of A dream: A Man of the Future

Since the success of IWC’s “Born of a Dream: A Boy from San Mateo”, a short film starring the brand’s ambassador Tom Brady, the Swiss luxury manufacturer has embarked on yet another cinematic adventure. With its first film recounting Brady’s journey to becoming a champion quarterback, ICW embraces a story far closer to home, the story of its founder, Florentine Ariosto Jones. Born in Boston, Jones’ dream was to apply America’s advanced industrial technology to the established Swiss tradition of craftsmanship in the emblematic form of a pocket watch. American entrepreneurship meets Swiss heritage, a fusion that to this day sets ICW apart from its competitors. Titled “Born of a Dream: A Man of the Future'', the film sees actor James Marsden establish his pioneering watch company in Switzerland in 1868. Speaking on his role in the film Marsden stated, “I am thrilled to be part of this project and be up on the screen with Tom to recount how he – and F.A. Jones – achieved what they did. It’s about setting your goals high, overcoming adversity and the importance of determination and hard work. Even though their stories take place over a century apart, it’s a timeless journey”. IWC’s affinity with cinema and storytelling is a core essence of a brand with a strong and affirming heritage and history. This personal installment of its “Born of a Dream” promises to be its most exciting yet.

www.iwc.com

Fashion

MM6 Spring Summer 2021

For MM6 the Spring Summer 2021 collection is all about perspective. In a new reality in which we communicate mainly over the screen, the MM6 design team reinterprets the notion ‘business on top, party on the bottom’ with subversive ensembles optimized for the new 9-5. The collection is mix and match up and down, showing menswear with lingerie following the motto opposites attract. MM6 archetypes receive surprising twists through scale, surface and silhouette, chopped garments and contemporary formality. As we all, the MM6 design team focuses on the domestic, the familiar, we all had time to reacquaint ourselves with over the last months.The collective behind the collection revisits some of the house’s founder Martin Margiela’s best work while infusing it with the energy and feminine touch of current creative director John Galliano. The short film offered insights into the process of image creation with studio perspectives. We are able to observe staff and models closely interact with the garments in a smart, engaging, wry and super on-brand mise-en-scene.

www.maisonmargiela.com

Fashion

Versace Spring Summer 2021

The mise-en-scene of Versace’s SS21 runway, is taken from the depths of the sea. Depicting the sunken ruins of a baroque city, Corinthian pillars jut out of the floor, Versace’s iconic motif presented as a head stone, amidst broken statues of Greek gods and goddesses. Illuminated by theatrical lighting and beneath these watery reflections, models appear, transforming the sea floor into a unique runway. Glittery starfish appear as brooches on garments, a nod to the marine scenery, a fun and vibrant detail from a house renowned for its use of color and sparkle. Crop tops on men and women as well as bralets, appear in neoprene a further consolidation of this underwater dwelling, allowing the theme to run cohesively through the collection in their investment in materials. Colors appear bold and kitsch, garish patterns, also featuring the motif of the starfish, are paired with blacks and navy. A carnivalesque spirit grips the show as greens, orange, pinks, reds and blues build up a real sense of celebration to the background of fast paced techno. Versace curates a party underwater, skirts and dresses featuring exquisitely dramatic ruffles, adding a sense of autonomy and motion to each of the looks. After strutting down the runway, models join the statues in the background, consecrating each look in the graveyard of classical Greek ruins. Color and sparkle joins the shadows once more for an ending of a show that captivated and enthralled, presenting an alternative vision to a summer that has been undeniably dampened by the current crisis.

www.versace.com

Fashion

Sportsmax Spring Summer 2021

Sportmax’s offering for Milan Fashion Week is a masterclass in simplicity done well. Sumptuous maxi dresses in beige and black grace the runway, contrasting brilliantly against oversized blazers that are as much outwear as dresses themselves. Whilst some silhouettes hug the body, others form pleats and ruffles, adding accent and intrigue to flowing garments. To the background of a soothing strings ensemble, pops of vibrant orange bounce off more neutral creams, a rendering of spring summer which is as refined as it is quietly joyous. Boisterous boots are paired with dresses in a defiant gesture that resists traditional expectations of a summer shoe. Heels also surprise, the soles of the shoes exaggerated, adding a statement to sleek and sophisticated dresses. The music seems to gather in intensity, trance-like, as more voluminous silhouettes are added, lime greens and vibrant blues amidst more serious shades of grey. In dipping in and out of a neutral palette Sportmax creates a dynamic show, which feels meticulously balanced, an ode to a summer which has been anything but predictable.


www.sportmax.com

Fashion

FENDIFRENSIA PINK: The Sound of Fragrance

It is now almost a year since the Roman house Fendi and Maison Francis Kurkdjian have launched the FENDIFRENSIA Yellow Scented Baguette line. This project, which was born out of an artistic conversation between Silvia Venturini Fendi, Creative Director of Fendi, and Francis Kurkdjian, composer and co-founder of the eponymous perfume house. Natural materials, most noteworthy the Selleria Cuoio Romano leather, represent the tangible intersection of the world of perfumery and accessories. At this year’s Milan Fashion Week, Fendi presents the second edition of this ongoing collaboration with Maison Francis Kurkdjian. After the initial yellow, FENDIFRENSIA returns in pink, with the bags in rose hues being mirrored by the matching floral scent. Fendi classics, such as the Baguette bag or the Nano Baguette shine in the pink, whilst this special occasion also marks the launch of five Yellow Men’s Regular Baguette bags, with each bag coming with a 5ml bottle of the respective fragrance.

FENDIFRENSIA Yellow and Pink Scented Collection will be available online as well as in FENDI boutiques worldwide starting from September 25th.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Big Bang Camo Yohji Yamamoto

The timeless essence of Yohji Yamamoto has been captured boldly in Hublot’s new watch, Big Bang Camo Yohji Yamamoto. For 50 years the Japanese fashion designer has offered transcendent design and creative ingenuity, Hublot’s response is a tribute to the designer and a strong extension of their own connoisseurship. Responding to Yamamoto’s iconic use of textiles, the Big Bang Camo Yohji Yamamoto comes in camouflage, a seminal pattern, fitting of Hublot’s new limited edition. Releasing 200 pieces, each watch is imbued with irresistible exclusivity adding to the aura surrounding the watches. The watches’ 45 mm case is cut from matte black ceramic, indicative of true sophistication and elegance A Sapphire dial features add exquisite detail to the watch, biomorphic patches a nod to Yamamoto’s camouflage motif, his signature also subtly featuring at 6 o’clock. Hublot once again proves itself as a pioneering force in its industry, using brand new technology to create its new watch. Its constituent shapes fused together using the vulcanisation process, its straps exhibiting beautifully the beauty of this newly discovered process. Hublot’s Big Bang Camo Yohji Yamamoto is a powerful ode to its namesake, an object of creative defiance.

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Brunello Cucinelli Spring Summer 2021

Brunello Cucinelli seeks inspiration from the humble pleasures of life for their SS21 Men’s collection. The simple unadulterated joys of our day to day, the renewed sense of happiness that comes with the most delicate of moments is captured deftly by the brand. With this in mind, unique and distinctive elements construct the new collection, minimalism allowing for thoughtful reflections on casual elegance. This sense of effortlessness translates to the lightness of the fabrics too, where fine blends of natural fibers find new ways to articulate and shape shirts, t-shirts, polos and trousers. Beiges, greys and blues present a muted summer palette warm in its attention to summer hues, this sentiment translates across to the women’s collection. Here sage and moss greens denote a calming serenity against tones of pink, light blue and sun bleached limes tones, monochrome looks also feature blacks and charcoals. Similar to the sense of return felt in the men’s collection, the womenswear collection returns to nature and wellbeing. Calm, gracefulness and flow run through the looks, creating a fluid path that looks beyond the presentation to the world at large inspiring a welcomed sense of peace.

www.brunellocucinelli.com

Fashion

Three Stripes

Sportswear meets luxury-wear as Prada and adidas Originals come together to produce their second drop of the Prada Superstar. The iconic Superstar which has been heralded as a timeless classic, since its creation in 1969, is reimagined with the utmost respect in this collaboration. Prada retains a sense of true classicism, offering 3 minimalist color ways: monochrome black, white with black and chrome silver with white. This collaboration not only recognizes Prada’s affinity with sports but also its admiration of heritage, a key aspect of its own brand. The unisex design is translated into full-grain leather, a perfect blending of luxury high quality with sporting excellence. Paying homage to its origins, “Made in Italy” is heat stamped into the trainer’s side, accompanying the dual logos of Prada and Adidas Originals; all three markers of high quality design and craftsmanship. The fundamental character of the Superstar is kept intact, Prada’s influence bringing a new twist on the loved classic. The campaign is an ode to the craftsmanship that went into creating the trainer, reimagining the factory line through a distorted scale to create a futuristic and illusory aesthetic.

www,prada.com
www.adidas.com

Fashion

Coach: We Are family

Coach launches its global advertising campaign, “Coach Family”, for the House’s Fall 2020 collection. Strengthened by stories of community, bonds of togetherness and enduring love in the face of adversity, Coach seeks its inspiration from our turbulent present and its test of the most important relationships we have in our life. The campaign features ambassadors of the brand Kiko Mizhura and Jeremy Lin alongside longstanding Coach face Jennifer Lopez and other individuals regarded as the House’s extended family. Channelling the wholesome essence of family life, the campaign recalls home videos in its aesthetic of archive footage interspersed with unfiltered stills, optimism and inclusivity resonating throughout. New portraits will be released over the course of the season, creating a campaign that feels spontaneous in its reveal of new and established Coach faces. Creative director Stuart Vevers uses our current time to “re-examine our values” forming a campaign around the heart of the family.

www.coach.com

Art

The Tigress

Marina Abramovic realizes her lifelong study of Maria Callas, as a profound and stimulating world premiere, together with influential composer Marko Nikodijevic. Maria Callas also known as “The Tigress” was an American soprano of Greek heritage, born in the ‘20s in Manhattan. The singer captivated Abramovic’s imagination, inspiring her to create an opera project with Callas at its centre. 7 Deaths of Maria Callas, references some of Callas’ most famous scenes, Carmen, Tosca, Otello, Lucia di Lammermoor, Norma, Madame Butterfly and La traviata, reimagined with striking intensity by Abramovic. The tragic fates of Callas in the aforementioned performances are integrated fascinatingly with the singer’s real life character, moments from her personal life and also from her space in the limelight. Abramovic’s role is all encompassing, directing, stage designer and also appearing on stage in the second part of the evening’s performance, showcasing the multifaceted talent of an artist who is perhaps one of the most influential creatives of her time. The opera scenes are sung by a range of singers, namely Selene Zanetti, Adela Zaharia and Hera Hyesang Park, revitalized by Marko Nikodijevi?’s compositions. Abramovic’s obsession with the singer is longstanding, “for twenty five years, I have wanted to make a work dedicated to the life and art of Maria Callas”. Abramovic delivers a visual spectacle on stage, her passion for the life and career of Callas at its epicentre.

www.staatsoper.de

Fashion

Gold for the Win

As part of the FW20 collection, BOSS unveils an exclusive capsule collection in partnership with British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua. Presenting 10 easy-wear pieces, t-shirts, sweatshirts, jersey pants, knits and a hooded jacket, BOSS develops a sleek capsule in midnight navy with highlights of gold. The bold BOSS logo is captured in gold in each garment, a nod to the pedigree of Anthony Joshua and his winning mentality. Known for his motivational words and mottos, each piece includes quotes from the boxer: “Never let success get to your head, or failure to your heart”. These quotes also feature in the campaign film, where Joshuah is filmed uttering these sentences in a London location earlier this year. Sports royalty and fashion lux unite for this very special and personal collaboration, where strength and courage translate boldly to an easy wear collection.

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

Let's Dance

Let’s Dance “THE FENDI POWER” campaign is enlivened by the unadulterated freedom of self-expression, featuring model Alton Mason and his iconic Peekaboo bag. An alternative to past FENDI rooftop performances, the film is shot on the Museum Garage’s rooftop in Miami, the unbounded energy of Mason converting the space into a stage. Alton’s passion for dance produces a dynamic and energetic display which complements that of Chinese creative talent, Mia Kong also featured. The FENDI Pre-fall 2020 collection is an effortless blend between formalwear and laidback leisurewear, extending FENDI’S rich Italian heritage out to the world, embracing everything from graffiti to music in its high energy campaign.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

No Place Like Home

Lois journeys home in its new retail concept CASA LOIS, a true embodiment of the tranquility of rural Spain. Started in Valencia, Lois’ dream of going international was realized when it established itself in Amsterdam. However despite this duality becoming a critical part of a contemporary Lois, its Spanish roots and Mediterranean aesthetic still remain formative to the brand’s identity. At a time where the home has never been more important or gratefully acknowledged, Lois channels domestic comfort in its new approach to the retail experience. Customers are redefined as guests and Lois becomes host of its idyllic Finca, a traditional Spanish house in the countryside. Natural materials, organic shapes and earthy tones curate a charmingly authentic setting, treating retail as an immersive and cultural experience. Lois Galería boasts a wonderful interior, entirely custom-made, where built in seats and a strong sense of Spanish heritage transports their customer into sunny Spain. Lois Galería is at Gerard Doustraat 74, Amsterdam.

www.loisjeanstore.com

Fashion

Inspiring Italy

Staying true to its founder’s vision of “giving back”, Zegna now more than ever understands the importance of its scholarship program. In a world that has been blighted by economic uncertainty Zegna provides a beacon of light. For the 7th edition of Ermenegildo Zegna Founder’s scholarship program, 42 students from 15 Italian universities will be awarded scholarships, supporting emergent talent to engage in education and experience that will help enrich Italy’s future. Committing to €25 million over 25 years, this donation aims to provide financial support to Italian students and researchers looking to learn and seek connections abroad. In keeping with past years, this year’s awardees have selected leading academic institutions across Europe and North America, including Oxford, Cambridge, University College London, Columbia, Harvard and NYU. The Digital Get-Together format used to bring awardees together this year speaks to the resilience of a community able to overcome anything.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

FENDI Fall Winter 2020-2021

Silvia Venturini Fendi produces a surprising and inventive collection for Fall Winter 2020-2021, deceptive in its one of a kind FENDI craftsmanship. Concealed pockets and reversible outerwear curate a wardrobe that is both intriguing and mystifying in its disruption of traditional garment wear. Retro-futurist undertones navigate a sea of melton wool, heavy twill, flannel, flocked denim and corduroy suede. Illusion underlines this collection, the application of trompe l’oeil fabrics and extraordinary proportions bringing a new perspective to a familiar take on utility wear. This collection unabashedly celebrates the House, with FENDI Roma taped seams, the FF logo as a chain link animalia pattern and of course the iconic Fendi yellow which runs so defiantly through the entire collection.
Also situated within the collection is the collaboration between Silvia Venturini Fendi with Japanese designer Anrealage. Birthing a selection of photochromic outerwear and accessories, four FENDI Men’s silhouettes represent the first photochromic Menswear on a European runway and include four light-sensitive transformations across sports-inspired outerwear, mittens, inside-out tailoring, bags and accessories. When exposed to UV sunlight a white tiger quilting shines a FENDI yellow and a white diamond quilting reveals a new FENDI Code in black. Fendi creates a Men’s collection that is pioneering, in its embrace of the future as well as the past.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Prada Timecapsule

Prada’s initiative, Timecapsule, is an exclusive drop where 50 items are released on the first Thursday of each month. As part of this bold launching strategy, Prada is proud to announce an exciting new drop on August 6 at 3pm CET for 24 hours only. Presenting a new unisex cotton popeline shirt, whose print’s motif includes a specific limited edition number 1/50, 2/50… Prada serves us retro sporting vibes in an eye catching graphic print of black, light blue and white. Biking culture, tour de france and ‘60s bowling culture collide, invigorating this new drop with a sense of sporting pride. Mother of pearl buttons grace this boxy silhouette with a succinctly Prada elegance, revealing a touch of luxury amongst its sporting aesthetic. Enabled by the new Prada e-commerce platform, this new section is now available solely in Europe, reaching other markets over the course of 2020 following the new prada.com layout-relaunching calendar. The Prada Timecapsule drop will be available on August 6th at 3pm CET.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Fall Winter 2020

There's a fluidity and harmony to the Autumn-Winter 2020 campaign, demonstrative of one man’s vision from conception to finish. A freedom and honesty guide Nicholas Ghesquière, Artistic Director of Women’s Collections, achieving a distinctive sense of individuality which reminds us of the sheer joy in getting dressed up and expressing oneself through fashion.
We feel as though we too have been invited along to Ghesquière’s photography studio on the Quai Voltaire, alongside his host of impressive friends and kindred spirits, composed of models, artists and athletes alike.
There is an intimacy to the shoot that heightens our familiarity and adoration of Louis Vuitton’s iconic pieces, the Capucines, the Twist, the Pont 9 and the Dauphine all appearing as old friends next to a hoard of celebrities, who in their current successes we feel just as, if not more connected to.
Ghesquière himself notes his desire to “follow through to the end of the creative process and give the collection its final punctuation” and it is this personal flair that is so tangible in the collection, giving it a contemporary freshness that feels such an intrinsic part of the director and photographer’s vocabulary. Incorporated into the campaign is the new line, SINCE 1854, another opportunity to marvel at the talent possessed by Ghesquière, who was also the mastermind behind the new jacquard celebrating the house’s establishment in 1854.

The campaign will be unveiled in September 2020 publications worldwide.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

The Future is Female

Established in 2006, Cartier’s Women’s Initiative was set up. Its mission, ‘Driving change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs’. Acknowledging the repercussions of systemic gender inequality, Cartier has used its influence and platform to produce an annual international entrepreneurship programme, targeted specifically at women-run businesses.

Open to international applicants working across any sector, Cartier is dedicated in its commitment to sustainability, only accepting submissions that promise a strong and sustainable social or environmental impact.

With its deadline set for the 31st July, the initiative has launched a new award to sit alongside its longstanding seven regional awards. The exciting new launch of the Science & Technology Pioneer Award for its 2021 edition, is yet another step for the initiative, branching out into new terrain and providing more talent with the support and industry intel to bring their businesses to the next level.

Pictured below two of the seven 2020 laureates, Adriana luna (Mexico)and Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen (Denmark) 

www.cartierwomensinitiative.com

Fashion

Ermenegildo Zegna Summer 2021

2020 marks the 110th anniversary for Italian house Ermenegildo Zegna. Having started as a textile mill, the brand later encompassed clothing manufacturing laying the groundwork for the modern house we know and cherish today. On a big anniversary like Ermenegildo Zegna’s, it is not uncommon to look back, to reassess and to refocus on the core values. For Zegna, this means its connection since its foundation with nature, not just as source of raw materials, but as diverse and precious commodity overflowing with inspiration. The sense of fluidity paired with an immense precision that pervades the collection hints at the underlying inspiration: nature, the immense precision of modern machinery and what links both of them, humans. Throughout the collection, Alessandro Sartori continues his investigation into new sartorial hybrids, which define his vision for the Italian house. Pieces, like outerwear are produced in unusual fabrics, freeing the wearer and the pieces themselves from old conventions. With a sense of ease and nonchalant, this collection allows an unprecedented freedom of combination and interpretation alike. As the Artistic Director puts it himself, ‘Without man, everything would be soulless. This project reflects this union of sensibilities, which is also a balance of past and future, of inside and outside, in a cohesive yet multifaceted opus.’

www.zegna.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles Gives a F*ck One of a Kind Jackets

Moose Knuckles has emerged as a humanitarian power house during the current pandemic. From donating online profits to producing PPE for hospital staff, they have been a shining example of what social responsibility looks like for an international fashion brand.

As part of this effort Moose Knuckles has come up with a new fundraising initiative, “Moose Knuckles Gives a F*ck One of a Kind Jackets”, to generate profits for a selection of international hospitals. Renowned for its high quality outerwear, fittingly, the brand has centred its new project around its Lead Rider jacket. Treating its seasonally designed raincoat as a blank canvas, Moose Knuckles is collaborating with creatives across the world, granting each artist full creative reign to customise the piece of clothing as they see fit. Their only guideline, to inspire “positivity in the face of the pandemic.”

Beginning with NYC, Moose Knuckles have sold out of their first collection of one-of-a-kind pieces and are now endeavouring to do the same with a carefully selected group of artists from Paris and Milan. Using The YARD Agency for their Paris outreach and Acapulco for Milan, they have sourced the best local talent and will be replicating this process in California and Canada imminently.

“Knuckles is a family, a community, a tribe” and never has their motto been more visible than in their recent drive to help support the global community that has elevated them to the internationally respected brand they are today.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021

Louis Vuitton Men’s Creative director Virgil Abloh dove into boyhood since his very first collection, while exploring the Maison’s signature theme: travel. For Men’s Spring Summer 2021 Abloh created a short film with the use of animation, to serve as the first chapter of a story unfolding in the following months to gradually unveil the collection. Starting from Vuitton ancestral home in Asnières, it follow the adventures of a group of friends – going by the name of “Zoooom with friends” – hiding in Vuitton’s shipping containers, traveling along the river Seine. As they cross Paris leaving for Shanghai, they resurface to enjoy the city of lights one last time, playing music and dancing. On 6 August 2020, after crossing the oceans, the shipment will arrive in Shanghai and the runway show will fully unfold. No longer animated, ‘Zoooom with friends’ will come to life. Throughout its voyage the collection will transform in an evolving exchange across cultures and nations, unveiling its up-cycling nature: new looks made from recycled material, looks repeated from the Fall-Winter 2020 collection, looks freely created by the studio during the lockdown using recycled material, and new looks created from existing ideas. Transcending the traditional rules of fashion and seasonality.

Fashion

Furla Metropolis

In keeping with their distinct Italian heritage, Furla proves itself to be a brand that while staying true to its essence, still knows how to redefine and build on a classic. The label’s iconic Metropolis bag is back in a new guise yet still manages to respect and pay homage to its heritage style that has always been its greatest attribute. This renewed and updated line welcomes new volumes, re-designed silhouettes all available in a selection of bright colors like electric blue, energetic ruby or vibrant orange.
The designs are also available in more understated, neutral tones of black and white to match any ensemble. This cross-body bag is now reimagined as a new cute phonecase or small, rounded clutch handbag is now on its way to becoming the emblem of the iconic brand, founded over 90 years ago in Bologna.
Standing for quality, colorful creativity, joyfulness and of course a contemporary Italian lifestyle, Furla continues honoring its own righteous code of conduct in the world of fashion and accessories.

www.furla.com

Fashion

Wander and Dream

When Virgil Abloh presented his FW20 menswear collection back in January, guests were surprised first by the heavenly, cloud-covered decor and theme, and second by the designer's drastic shift from streetwear to a more classical and refined aesthetic. The latent star of the show for many were the dreamy accessories, a prime favorite being the Backpack Trunk, an ideal addition to the celestial aesthetic. Available in Monogram cloud or mirror, the trunk is the latest addition to Louis Vuitton’s travel collection. Wooden slats adorn the trunks’ lids, while original leather trimmings in blue or white calfskin enclose the exteriors. The interior of the trunk reveals discrete compartments and iconic cotton straps complete with an “LV” cloud for the Monogram Mirror variation. Combining innovation and tradition, these luggage containers are crafted in Asnières, Louis Vuitton’s first workshop in France. In homage to the maison’s passion for travel, the monogram mirror backpack trunk includes a complimentary two-person tent in the iconic monogram print. Pushing the boundary of a travel trunk’s utility and portability, Virgil Abloh presents a refined yet modern take on men’s accessories.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Woolly eyes

It is no surprise to us that Chanel’s Fall eyewear collection is inspired by the brand’s emblematic fabric — tweed. Now reinterpreted as a metallic weave or engraved on titanium, the collection is signed with the tweed motif displaying a play between feminine and masculine lines, between strength and fragility. For the iconic fabric to be so well translated onto eyewear is a mystery, but no surprise for the iconic maison. Just as it works for a Chanel suit, tweed also works just as well in accessories, working for every innovation. For the first time the metal structure that holds each temple melts into a weave of metallic threads, positioned between two acetate plaques, breathing a spirit of sophistication into the design. Tweed metal inserts highlight the angles of the cat eye styles in black, brown, green or tortoiseshell acetate. To round off the collection, a design inspired by the Fall-Winter 2020/21 Ready-to-Wear runway show shows volumes exaggerated in relief, with a lightweight nylon frame, these butterfly glasses adopt a sporty chic allure ideal for any season.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Intimate Ornaments

Each luxury brand has a trademark bag synonymous with the label itself, Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Hermes are all easily identified by their most popular bags that set them apart from the rest. When dealing with accessories in the luxury price range, it transcends beyond simple accessorizing and becomes something as covetable as a sculpture or painting, it becomes living art. Miu Miu's iconic coffer bag first arrived on shelves nearly fifteen years ago and was regarded as one of the maison’s most iconic handbags. The original design hit all the right notes: a braided top handle, a matelassé leather body, two snap button pockets finished with precise hardware detailing. Released with the pre-fall collection, a new, long-awaited version with some modern variations. From the flash of the 00’s to the more understated style of the 20’s, the new form is refined, sculpted yet equally iconic. Combining sophisticated craftsmanship with innovation to create the highly distinctive leather that represents the marriage of form and function, personality and practicality. The unique artisanal finish of the Matelassé leather is rivalled only by the malleability of the skin that stretches. Nestling close to the body, the plump surface is as comfortable as it is aesthetically pleasing.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Berluti Buggy

In an elegant and fun filled tribute to the beachy culture of 1960’s California, Berluti has launched a brand new design object for this summer, the Buggy. Inspired by the recent Globe-Trotter luggage collaboration and the brand’s signature printed canvas designed by Kris Van Assche, Berluti’s new beach buggy reflects many of the brand's signature design elements including the leather interior alongside the emblematic Berluti logo, a canvas top in signature print and the B logo on the bonnet. The original Buggy was developed by Bruce F. Meyers in Newport Beach in 1964 for the purpose of roaming the dune landscape in search of a perfect surf spot. A rollover protection structure doubles as a surfboard stand, making it ideal for those looking to take it off-road in search of the best waves. Just like back then, today's buggy is based on a VW Beetle frame and engine and is available by special order. The stately body does not distract from the clear homage to the laid-back lifestyle of 1960’s California.

www.berluti.com

Fashion

Celebrating Power

A woman who has leaped far further than ever expected, Rihanna started the 2000s as a fledgling popstar, and now walks into the new decade as a highly successful creative entrepreneur, having integrated inclusion and freedom into the world of luxury fashion. The lady herself has become more than just a brand, but a persona – an ethos. To some, Rihanna is a complete belief system – a way of life – and that way of life is Fenty. The brand’s first Ready-to-Wear release of the decade, 2-20, is all about bringing opulence and attitude to the everyday. Rihanna has become a symbol for diversity, with her countless renegade interactions with the media, preaching body positivity, and a general devil-may-care attitude. The new line is pleasing to the eye, and will indeed appeal to the masses. But as with everything the artist does, it is also rich with emblems of empowerment, managing to represent far more than good looks. Fenty’s trench-inspired parka plays on symbols of power, appealing to aspects of utility to put a fresh spin on a vintage design. The collection exudes femininity, freedom, and sexuality, each element playfully balanced and contrasted.
The utilitarian corset dress brings a new meaning to female power by blending the notorious shapewear garment with the desires of the modern woman: sensuality collides with comfort and elegance. The fusion of these aspects with function, together with the flavor of streetwear, plays out through a palette of lemon yellow and burnt paprika hues. The mix of materials and styles pencils an effortless image, commensurate with the complexities of being a woman. Every aspect of the brand celebrates the female spirit and its negotiation of contradictions, from the structure of silhouette itself to the representation of models, casting with an authentic appreciation of inclusion. With Fenty, we find freedom through comfort and utility – this latest drop a deeper dive into what it means to be a woman today: rich with self-awareness, dimensional and knowing.

www.fenty.com

Fashion

From Milan with Love

The new FW20 collection of the independent Milan-based design concept Jing Yu proposes new silhouettes with a contemporary classicism. Redefining traditional clothing as current and refreshing creations, Jing Yu’s latest collection is influenced by the photography of British surrealist painter Paul Nash’s Informal Beauty. Nash’s quiet intensity prospered an experimental vision that translates to Jing Yu’s contemporary interpretation. Clean-cut with attention to detail and made from the finest materials, Jing Yu plays with formality, deconstructs it, and steers it into a new direction. Wawa, Co-Founder of Jing Yu, explains the vision: “Our original idea [was] to explore our understanding of life in a new form and perspective with dialectic analysis to the philosophical eclecticism in [the] design and art field. In a way, it is more like an art project rather than a fashion label, and a dialogue and philosophical discussion between us and audience.”

www.jingyu.eu

Fashion

Monochrome Royalty

Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto is renowned worldwide for his dark, punk and japanese inspired clothing that has been victorious in the fashion world since his 1981 debut at Paris Fashion Week. The general vibe of Yamamoto’s work is one of deconstruction, whether in form or in idea, his clothing presents an antithesis of traditional Western dressmaking using harsh and impactful silhouettes with a monochromatic color scheme.
This crowned king of moncohrome represents his design values across any medium, and it seems only logical that his design for swiss watch brand Hublot is entitled ‘Big Bang GMT All Black Yohji Yamamoto’, made to celebrate the grand opening of its new flagship Boutique on Chuo-dori Street in Ginza, Tokyo. When Hublot launched a pioneering concept: "Invisible visibility", in 2006, the all-black design of this new limited edition expressed a philosophy symbolising the very essence of the brand which now seems to compliment Yohji Yamamoto’s own design character. The timepiece displays two different time zones, local time is read easily via the conventional main hand while the time at home is indicated using a second arrow-shaped hour hand. True to the All Black concept, tone on tone, the signature of Yohji Yamamoto can be discovered at six o'clock.
“This watch can easily display the time zones of the two cities where I'm based, Tokyo and Paris. Moreover, the hours are invisible. As a person who isn’t always forthcoming, I find that highly amusing.” reflects Yohji Yamamoto.  

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Comfortable Classics

Known for its classic and reliable products, Calvin Klein Jeans almost always hits the mark when it comes to giving the customers what they want. After months of isolation and quarantine, people, as is to be expected, are soothing their invisible wounds with a nice salve of retail therapy. As we prepare for a summer like no other, we are rethinking our habits and adjusting ourselves accordingly. The current situation has, if anything, given us a new lease of life, and a refreshed outlook on our impact on the collective world. Now it seems that sustainability and minimalism are again on-trend and Calvin Klein Jeans reflects that with a new collection of basic summer-wear with innovations on denim and sustainable style. Hoping to leave a message of positivity, the aspiration of this selection is to inspire positive change. Known for their unique details, design and material innovation, excellent fit and function this range of comfortable clothing ticks all the boxes. Vintage washes and cropped denim are reminiscent of 90s style, reminding us of a simpler time. Seasonal prints and minimal accessories further the ranges spirit of youth and style.

www.calvinkleinjeans.com

Fashion

Nine Colors, Nine Eyes and Nine Hearts

In these times of uncertainty, isolation and worry we search for something to take our mind from the harsh realities and transport us to another place, even if only for a moment. Is it not the job of the artist to bring our attention to something else, to make us think in a new way? Louis Vuitton commissioned artist LuckyLeftHand to decorate the façade of its Paris headquarters during the current lockdown. The fresco covers 280m2 and is made up of 14 colourful, sleek and playful paintings in the artist's minimalist, condensed style. Taking inspiration from 1960s and 70s aesthetics the artist aims to transport passerby-ers to the landscapes of Hossegor. “I wanted to create this wall painting to offer Parisians a colourful stroll past the 14 windows, evoking a summer holiday while still representing the temporary period we are going through. The hands placed a metre and a half apart is a nod to what we’re currently experiencing. I hope this wall painting’s bright, saturated colours and rainbows made of big, curved lines will bring the positive energy we all need right now,” said the artist in a statement.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

#MiuMe

Among the many social media campaigns that have been announced in recent weeks is Miu Miu’s #MiuMe campaign. The initiative invites a diverse cross-section of people from around the world to use their mobile phones to film themselves going through their wardrobes, wearing pieces by Miu Miu. Notable figures from the realms of sport, art, dance and fashion, as well as Miu Miu fans are free to present themselves in any manner, elevating the selfie to a statement about identity. From the participants' homes around the world, these FaceTime moving-image self portraits will be collated and curated for the first stage of the brand’s ongoing project that stands to produce bundles of noteworthy content.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Bottega Veneta: Charitable Aspects

Since the spread of COVID-19, there has been a deluge of donations being piped into health services and scientific research as people bound together in an effort to ease the ongoing pandemic. Among those is Italian brand Bottega Venta, who have announced their support for scientific research in Italy following the spread of Coronavirus. Funding for two-year scholarships across Veneto, Lazio and Campania they will contribute to research and the support of Italian medical staff, from the current pandemic and beyond. “We recognise that supporting the medical professionals who are saving the lives of others must be our priority during this time, which includes those working tirelessly to tackle the devastating impact of Covid-19 and its enduring effects, through scientific research.” Daniel Lee, Bottega Veneta.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Gute Luft

Through this collective experience, we have come to a point that has caused us to stop, and reevaluate our lives and the way we live them. The lack of unnecessary movement and human activity has resulted in lowering of emissions and even some signs of nature ‘healing’ itself. In the wake of this, people are reexamining their values and rethinking our consumerist nature and asking what the future will be like post-pandemic?

‘Gute Luft’ is a campaign to playfully draw attention to these thoughts and raise awareness for how negligent society has treated nature, resources, animals and people. Through this, THINK INC. hopes to steer people towards a new, more ethical future. It encourages people to share their Gute Luft moment along with the text, ‘What we have learned now, we should not forget in good times. Show your attitude and take responsibility. Your ethical actions count - during and after corona’, in a hope to spread a hopeful message.

Fashion

Bottega Veneta Pre-Fall 2020

The Pouch bag, iconically associated with Bottega Veneta, is a perfect example of Italian craftsmanship and excellently formulated leather. For Pre Fall 2020 the recognized clutch is further evolved and presented alongside a slew of bold accessories. Elevated with a flat square silhouette and cascading leather fringe, the handbag can be folded over itself or worn over the shoulder with an adjustable strap. With Nappa being a major player in the new pre-fall selection, the Italian label presents the BV bold shoe, the Chain Cassette and the Chain Tote to match all in soft, full grain leather. “Straight-forward. Bold and confident. Subtlety elevated. Pre Fall 2020 celebrates Bottega’s heritage made relevant for today”, Daniel Lee.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Brands Giving Back: Prada

On top of donating funds and manufacturing masks and hospital gowns, Prada has announced its support for a new research project, Proteggimi. Financially supporting research with San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, the project will seek to explain the disparity in the impact of COVID-19 on men and women and to assemble data, broken down by sex.

Prof. Salonia, director of the San Raffaele Urological Research Institute and a lecturer at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, explained, “if we are to understand whether testosterone levels are linked to the severity of the illness, and to assess any long-term impacts on the overall health of men who have recovered from the virus. We hope this research will produce its first results in the next few weeks.”

www.pradagroup.com

Fashion

Woolrich Summer Jackets

As the weather starts to improve and our spirits along with it, we start to dream of places to go and people to see and above all, we dream of the outfits we will wear on such occasions. Although the weather is as unpredictable as, say, life itself, Woolrich’s SS20 collection boasts a colorful selection of durable garments ideal for mixing, matching and layering suitable for a range of climates. The sophisticated Peony Coat in Extra Light Ripstop is not only water repellent but also wind resistant – perfect for a casual commute. The use of micro and macro checks add an element of playfulness and much-needed variety to the collection. While the clever use of color-blocking boasts a vibrant personality and feminine touch. Summer models are available in many color variations such as red, green or the iconic pink check pattern, all perfectly suited for those long evening-stretches. The combination of playful color, durability and functional design employs the outerwear brands mantra: Woolrich Keeps you Warm, Dry and Protected.

www.woolrich.com

Fashion

Dior’s Delectable Books

Originally we looked to literature for faith or education but today we look to books for all kinds of reasons. In these extra long days spent in our homes we find ourselves on the hunt for some sort of escape to ease our anxieties and allow us even for a moment to forget about all that is going on in the world outside. Whether it’s to escape, to dream or to better ourselves books are a wonderful medium that allows the realms of art, imagination and reality to collide. So, it makes perfect sense for Dior to bring us a selection of ten books to take you on a timeless journey celebrating the magic of couture.

Featuring a selection of ten luxurious livres the books showcase the maison’s history and explores the spellbinding secrets of the iconic brand. Escape to 20th century Paris with the personal story of Monsieur Dior by delving into Dior by Dior or discover the vibrant, captivating work of Peter Lindbergh in Dior Images. Let yourself be carried away by the magic of the Maison’s heritage, brought into focus by the greatest fashion photographers thanks to a wealth of reading material to inspire and lead you behind the scenes to a world of elegance and beauty, in the comfort of your home.

www.dior.com

Fashion

The passing of Leïla Menchari

We were devastated to hear of the passing of Leïla Menchari, longtime Hermes window-dresser, christened ‘The Queen of Enchantment’ by Michel Tournier. Born in 1927, Menchari was the first woman admitted to the Beaux arts school of fine arts in Tunisia, where she grew up. After studying at the Beaux-Arts school in Paris, she began her career in Hermès in 1961 as part of Anne Beaumel’s decoration team. Soon promoted to director of window displays Leïla also designed gloves, bags and clothing. An outstanding dreamer and storyteller, Menchari is well regarded for her work transforming the windows of the Hermès store to become glimpses into another, more luxurious and wonderful world. Passers-by would be gifted with a peek into a scene that even in a moment would always arouse curiosity, surprise and amazement. Her windows became so well-known that in 2017 they held an exhibition devoted to Menchari’s work in the Grand Palais in Paris, “Hermès Takes Flight: The Worlds of Leïla Menchari.”

We remember her as being the person who took window dressing and turned it into an art form, collaborating with artists and creating an always imaginative concept whilst bringing her own personal touch to everything she did. “Thanks to Leïla, exoticism found a home, happily and permanently, in Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré” says Axel Dumas, chief executive officer of Hermès.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Dior Maison

 In 1947, Christian Dior opened a boutique called “Colifichets”, at the same time as his better-known couture house at 30 Avenue Montaigne. A quick success, the boutique expanded soon presenting an array of home accessories. Consistently developing alongside fashion and beauty creations, the boutique collaborated with the likes of Maria Pergay and Gabriella Crespi to create original pieces. Revisiting the plant-filled atmosphere of the SS20 ready-to-wear show from Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Dior Gardens line, designed by Cordelia de Castellane, features new pieces that elevate table settings. The delicate motifs that adorn the different looks unfold with grace and refinement across earthenware plates. A highlight of Dior Maison’s is the Copacabana collection. Seaweed motifs adorn plates while vases and decorative glass balls transform into precious aquariums populated with fish and coral. In these extended hours spent at home, Dior invites you to bring a touch of magic into your home and add a little extra comfort to the simple pleasures of everyday life. As Christian Dior himself wrote, “Living in a house which doesn’t reflect who you are is a bit like wearing someone else’s clothes.”

www.dior.com

Fashion

Hermès ‘C’est la fête’

Founded in 1837, Hermès began as a bridle and harness company before making the switch to luxury handbags, a decision which led the company to become one of the most successful and iconic brands in the world. Apart from the Birkin bag, Hermès silk scarves have become the most coveted item in the maison’s repertoire, having been quickly adopted by the likes of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. Now, the famed accessory takes off on a new adventure, that of double-sided printing. Designed by the illustrator Daisuke Nomura, the scarf features two versions of the same design, one on each side. Titled ‘C’est la fête’, the scarf offers two finishes, one classic and the other in outline. Soft and supple, the carré has been specially developed for contemporary menswear. Ideal for the contemporary man, ‘C’est la fête features a two-in-one design to match alternate moods and styles. One of the most meticulously-crafted accessories in the world, the double-sided carré denotes classical influences and modern techniques.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

H for Herno

Despite fashion being one of the most competitive and fast-moving industries in the world where trends come and go in the blink of an eye, monograms always seem to withstand the test of time. One thinks of Louis Vuitton, Guess or Burberry and their iconic lettering that have transcended time to become symbols of fashion excellence. Now, as the ‘F’ for Fendi or the ‘G’ for Guess, Herno has ‘H’, tagging onto the never-ending trend with their S/S20 collection. Inspired by the fashion and styling of the 1950’s, Herno brings the monogram to the here and now with a modern twist. Classic and oversize trenches, raincoats, bombers and parkas are either entirely monogrammed or feature simple details placed on discrete areas. A stylish note that aims to lead a narrative that tells a story of Italian know-how and excellence. Monogrammed areas include the back of the collar, on the belt, on tabs or on the inner thermo tapings. Rooted firmly in the past, Herno believes that a brand's success is kept by remembering their origins yet one must always search for new reimaginings and repurposings in spite of the future.

www.herno.it

Fashion

Acqua di Parma Home Collection

Through our senses we can be transported through time and space to a moment of the past. A pleasant memory or a moment of happiness brought to the fore with the taste, touch or smell of something reminiscent. There are certain sensations so powerful that for a moment, we can feel as though we are somewhere else. Indeed staying home is the best thing for us right now, but transporting oneself does not have to be physical. Acqua di Parma’s new home collection is designed for life’s every moment, to allow you to create the ideal space from the comfort of your own home. A collection of candles and diffusers full of stimulating compositions based on typical moments of Italian living. With Spring finally stepping in, transport yourself with the fine fragrances of the Italian brands candles and diffusers. Luce di Colonia, Buongiorno, La Casa sul Lago, Caffè in Piazza, Oh, L’amore, and now two new Acqua di Parma creations: Aperitivo in Terrazza and Profumi dell’Orto. Create a sensuous ambiance as refined aromas such as tomato leaves, verbena and a lively spicy scent of pepper spread through your home.

www.acquadiparma.com

Fashion

Service à Café en Marbre

Our morning routine becomes leaps and bounds more luxurious when we use a vessel that not only enhances the aesthetic but is forged by a brand name that by its very essence screams opulence. Back in October 2019, YSL’s Anthony Vaccarello launched his reimagined retail concept, the new Saint Laurent Rive Droite. A creative space with a selection of highly curated objects. Now with products available online, the creative retail space is designed with a youthful and revolutionary vision synonymous with the French Maison since the original Saint Laurent Rive Gauche boutique, opened in 1966. Featuring an abundance of items from sportsgear to decorative homewares to aesthetically pleasing paper-clips the store has grown to be a collection of stylish gadgets that appeal to all ages. Hand-cut from fine marble, this decorative coffee service consists of two saucers and two cups with an elegant, heart-shape that exudes a luxurious sensibility. Available in black and white the marble coffee service acts both as a decorative piece to be seen and not touched or it could become our new, albeit decadent morning ritual.

www.ysl.com

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week Women's - Recap

CHANEL

Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Piaggi met in 1974. For a decade Karl Lagerfeld constantly drew her for years to record her aesthetic, her ability to mix vintage, costume, daily finds. Karl described her as “a great performer”, but also as “ the writer of the play”. There are many photographs, mostly in black and white, portraying the power duo. One in particular caught the eye of Virginie Viard: in the old photo Piaggi is wearing a skirt suit, the skirt at floor length paired with a jacket with pronounced shoulders and cinched waist. Lagerfeld’s instead sported a striped jacket and matching gilet together with jodhpurs pants and riding boots with contrasting flaps. Lagerfeld loved the reinterpretations of classic codes of costume history: the military uniform, the riding clothing vocabulary, with humor and a witty attitude. Virginie Viard celebrated this image in her latest collection for Chanel, one year after the passing away of her mentor. The reinterpretation of jodhpurs pants, with open sides at its bottom through a series of CC press-stud buttons. At times the split would be along the whole leg, transforming it into a flared trouser with jackets of Edwardian allure. There were variation to the theme: long tweed coat paired with bustiers and shorts, skirts with a deep split, cropped lace tops, dresses with balloon sleeves and jackets with ruffled collars reminiscent of the prevalent trend of Romanticism from the 1820s through the mid-1840s Viard is trying to achieve her own vision on womanhood, on what means today power dressing, with simple elements and great courage to bring in Chanel her very own point of view. “One is happy as a result of one's own efforts once one knows the necessary ingredients of happiness: simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self denial to a point, love of work, and above all, a clear conscience.” (George Sand, Letter to Charles Poney, 1866)

www.chanel.com

MIU MIU

Miuccia Prada knows how to nod at the 40s (one of her favorite decade) and create a collection modern, playful and jovial true to the spirit of the house. Miu Miu is the fun and experimental side of Prada Group. It tells a story of a woman far from traditional aesthetic values, subversive, emancipated and a true feminist. Rebellious and seductive. Set at Palais d’Iena designed by legendary architect Auguste Perret breaking the rules of the space and setting a new aesthetic, AMO, the counterpart of the iconic architectural office OMA directed by Rem Koolhaas and long time collaborator of Mrs. Prada, worked in antithesis to the nature of the building: metallic structures with LED lights around each concrete column, a velvet element at the base, cinema chairs together with wooden ones. Irreverent and playful, juxtaposed to the solemnity of the modernist Palais d’Iena are the set where Miuccia Prada created her Miu Miu Fall Winter 2020. Long crushed silk satin dresses in vibrant colors, yellow, blue, pink, paired with wool coats. Transparencies, paired with big furs, cinched at the waist creating a wasp like silhouette and beaded hairpieces. It’s the contradiction of that special decade, the wartime, the glamorous Hollywood - Joan Crawford to Bette Davis, Ava Gardner to Rita Hayworth - but also Italian Neorealism - Sofia Loren, Anna Magnani, Ingrid Bergman for Roberto Rossellini’s Stromboli - stars of the time, despite the imposing hardships post WWII. There is a certain austerity but also liberation, and positivity. Resonating today’s current dramatic world climate. There is no much difference between the fear of a war and the fear of an strong enemy without face. Miuccia Prada has always been a visionary in this sense: her wish for hope, for joy, fierce in these obscure times.

www.miumiu.com

HERMÉS

“She walk through a forest of vertical bars/ and she dashes / she needs to jump to move forward/ moving forward to play” The show notes welcoming us at our arrival at la Garde Républicaine, a museum dedicated to the traditions of the Garde Républicaine, the ceremonial unit of the French National Gendarmerie located in the 4th arrondissement created to presents its traditions from 1802 to the present day, including its infantry, cavalry, and military bands. What better venue for Hermès to breath its equestrian inspiration? A myriad of bars recalling jumping obstacles in equestrian competitions with their primary colored stripes and placed vertically to form a forest. Walking through to loose yourself. Yellow, red, green, blue, brilliant tones Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski brought to the classic palette of Hermès. Inspired by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, one of her modernist heroes, present at the show, Vanhee-Cybulski designed a collection of warm elegant timeless staple true to her signature for the Maison. With exquisite craftsmanship and a peculiar attention to details: the silk carrè and Kelly buckles placed at the neck line of pulls-bodes, horse-blanket coat with leather pockets, pleated skirts knitted and doubled with silk, leather pinafores with quilting. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski ‘s vision, distant from seasonal trends, also introduced a strong feminine silhouette reminiscent of equestrian riding jackets. A “manifest of purity,” as she called it, with a strong graphic allure and minimal white cotton paired with boots and derbies. “What is useful must me beautiful/ A style is created to changes us/small gestures don’t exist/ At the end of this research/there will be equilibrium”.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week Women's - Recap

SAINT LAURENT

Cy Twombly, one of the most relevant contemporary artists of our time, who created mostly large-scale paintings with aggressively big gestures and his signature scrawling scribbles, he was anguished by the flood of people and his only desire was to paint. Yves Saint Laurent was not far from that. He repeatedly admitted additionally his benign shy. Nevertheless his work, like Twombly’s broke the rules of what was considered the norm. He developed a multitude of highly original approaches, including changing the way modern women dress, putting them into pants with his 1966 Le Smoking” collection, or into safari jackets. Both famously worn by Betty Catroux, his close friend, muse and almost “his double” for her uncanny resemblance as mentioned in one of the video accompanying the ongoing exhibition “ Betty Catroux, Yves Saint Laurent: Feminine Singular”, at Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris. Curated by Anthony Vaccarello it celebrates the the pair’s lifelong friendship and the donation of 180 items of clothing from Catroux to the foundation. “I am just giving back what was given to me“ Catroux remembers in the conversation with Vaccarello recorded for the exhibition. Her icy and androgynous look was perfect for Monsieur Saint Laurent’s creations and loved to gift her couture looks and often unproduced prototypes. He loved to see her wearing his clothes. But Yves Saint Laurent was ahead of time. His animalier prints collection in 1982, or constant inspiration from art: Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian. He often declared how he abhorred bourgeoisie, and its pedantic colorless lifestyle. He was a master of the unconventional and contradictions. He matched sheer dresses (a scandal at the time) with exquisite embroideries, or the bon-ton silk bow shirt with pants. Since his very beginning at the maison, Anthony Vaccarello expressed a strong respect for the legendary designer. His first collection was a strong homage to his work but also an interpretation through his own eyes. Now at his 4th year as Creative Director of Saint Laurent , Vaccarello embodies the desire of strong powerful sensuality for women. For Fall Winter 2020 Vaccarello revisits Monsieur Yves apparent strident contrasts. Everything is a matter of tension between discipline and pleasure. “I wanted to find the balance between control and abandonment, the tension between discipline and pleasure that defines the modernity of Saint Laurent”. For Fall Winter 2020 Vaccarello explored latex declined in pants, dresses, skirts. Combined with wool blazers – mostly in Monsieur Saint Laurent’s signature vibrant colors emerald, purple, blue - and bow shirts between nocturnal life and well-mannered girls. “For Saint Laurent, elegance is mandatory but it also goes with perversity; one without the other would only be plain bourgeoisie or vulgarity […] I was really stimulated by that tension this season, it made me want to break the codes that are too conventional. Saint Laurent is about danger”.

www.ysl.com

COMME DES GARÇONS

20 different looks. 20 different soundtracks: each created out of vinyls mixed live by sound artist Calx Vive. Calx Vive’s first collaboration with Rei Kawakubo dates back to 2014 when he was asked to create a sound installation for the freshly opened Dover Street Market retail space in New York featuring all CDG lines and the brands under its umbrella like Junya Watanabe , but also brands like Rick Owens, Saint Laurent, Thom Browne, among the rest, who have created site-specific work for the store. In 2014 Kawakubo declared how she lost interest in creating what looked like real clothes. When 2017 the Japanese designer was asked by the Met to be the protagonist of a new exhibition, Kawakubo designed it closely with curator Andrew Bolton, to mirror her poetic to the core. Divided into distinctly Comme themes rather than chronologically: Absence/Presence, High/Low, Fashion/Antifashion and Object/Subject. Comme des Garçons Fall Winter 2020 is non other than a beautiful vocabulary of Kawakubo own obsession to these themes. Her own dictionary rendered into 20 looks, revisiting her most iconic collections: 1997’s ‘Body Meets Dress-Dress Meets Body’, 2005’s ‘Broken Bride’ , 2012’s “White Drama”, 2015’s “Blood & Roses”, 2017’s “The Future of Silhouette,” and more. The bride veil suspended by a transparent structure , the lumps and bumps (the nickname of her 1997 collection), voluminous gown that combined clouds of foam with restrictive protuberances, and geodesic-like structures. On the show notes she questioned: “Is it not impossible to make something completely and utterly new, since we are all living in this world? “ She described her work as “a perpetual futurist”, working from “within the Comme des Garçons world.”. Visceral, and unforgiving.

www.comme-des-garcons.com

DIOR

Every Italian guest present at Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Fall Winter 2020 RTW show for Dior undoubtedly felt that nostalgia, that languid feeling when listening to Roisin Murphy’s cover of legendary Lucio Battisti’s “Ancora tu” written in 1976. The show continues the ode to feminism and to women’s world with a collection inspired by the seventies, when Maria Grazia Chiuri was a child blossoming into a teenager. These crucial coming of age years are the starting point of the collection: her mother’s haute couture atelier, the rebelling women in Italy using fashion, literature, science to assert themselves. Crucial figures like Carla Lonzi and her book “Autoritratto” published in 1969, a collection of conversation with relevant figures of the art world of the time in Rome. On the 23 of March a relevant retrospective celebrating Italian women artists and based on Lonzi’s manifesto and vision - will be held at Rome’s National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art supported by Dior. Lonzi’s work as feminist but also as art critic first serves as inspiration to the manifesto –like sentences build in the set design of Maria Grazia Chiuri show in the form of illuminated sign suspended from the ceiling. In collaboration with Claire Fontaine collective the setting highlights crucial moment of women’s emancipation but also underscore the contradictions in our society. Claire Fontaine collective uses the language and slogans of non-reformist feminism : “I say I”, Women raise the Upraising”, Women are the Moon that Moves the Tides”. While on the floor models walk on a new version of Fontaine’s work “Le Monde Pixèlisè” where pages of Le Monde are all glued together. Inspired by a photo portraying Henri Matisse By Robert Capa taken in 1949 is again a source of dialogue, of necessity to shed light on to questioning our world. It’s a succession of the frees spirit of women against their unrecognized role in the 70s: the small bandana on the head, the handcrafted silk fringes, long pliseé dresses and skirts paired with chuncky checked wool jacket , mantels, but also Chiuri’s signature sheer long dresses worn with flat combat boots, mary-janes and slippers. In the collection Chiuri pays homage to Monsieur Dior’s love for check but also to Marc Bohan who was at the helm of the maison in the 70s.

www.dior.com

YOHJI YAMAMOTO

The soundtrack played and sung by Yohji Yamamoto haunted us all. Its beautiful melancholy, gentleness, heartrending notes. Yohji-san has been reflecting on the passing of time, on the meaning of life itself for quite a while. The passing away of legends Azzedine Alaïa, Karl Lagerfeld – who both deeply respected Yamamoto - and the recent decision of Jean Paul Gautier to stop designing, had a huge impact on him. Losing his antagonists, his rivals, like he phrased. For Yohji Yamamoto history has always been an interesting point of investigation, a common ground with Alaïa. The two also shared a great friendship for decades. In 2005 an exhibition, ”Juste des Vetements” – and what a better title as Yamamoto has been describing himself as “just a dressmaker” - at the Musée Des Arts Décoratifs celebrated hiss inspiration and respect towards the iconic French Couturiers: Cristobal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Mademoiselle Coco Chanel, just to mention few. Rigorously innate to Yohji-san, that spirit of research and rebellion to the fashion establishment, to the homogenisation of the industry, has been constantly present in his work. Journalists have tried to phrase the delicacy, strength and purity of his deconstructed poetry where imperfection, laceration, distortion have always been a source of beauty rather than glamour. In Yamamoto’s eyes fashion shows resemble Noh, the Japanese musical theatre performed since the 14th century (and the oldest form of theatre in the world) where the actors walk to the centre of the stage slowly, without talking, and almost without acting. Since years now Yamamoto shows have been characterized by slow peace walking models. They wear each outfit solemnly and you cannot but feel the layers of work and emotions through each garment. In the latest show the Japanese designer experimented a complex succession of deconstructed garments with a look at the 19th century including the late 19th century riding-dress-inspired ensembles with their military simplicity. The declinations of references are immense as well as the new vocabulary created by Yamamoto for the collection: strings recalling the figure-framing style of severe corsetry, the crinoline here knitted or pleated, the low waistlines, woven sculptural dresses revealing graciously the skin and merging with a jacket, veiled overskirts, hand painted brush strokes on long coat created with a manipulation of fabric and drapery. The poignant feeling inside any Yohji Yamamoto’s show defies definition. The legendary designer, almost at his 50th anniversary in the industry, never ceases to evoke deep emotions through his work. The invite anticipated all: a soft wool fabric sample. To accomplish understanding you must feel.

www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week Women's - Recap

PRADA

Raised up and voyeuristic yet strangely detached we viewed Prada’s Fall/Winter womenswear collection that portrayed a surreal sense of glamour. The selection of pieces compared ideas of femininity against stereotypically masculine components. A boxy belted jacket is paired with a fringed skirt that seems to exude a sense of confidence, a sporty aesthetic is enriched with elongated basketball jerseys and sneaker-boot hybrids. The extreme colors, utility accessories and lingerie components further the collections nod to Miuccia Prada’s world where fashion equates power.

www.prada.com

MISSONI

Any designer worth their salt carefully conceptualises a collection and even better if they can back it up with some literature or text. The 1886 novella Flatland - A Romance of dimensions was the inspiration behind Missoni’s Fall collection ‘20 that was a visual love poem to geometry. A story of feminine strength, empowerment and self awareness presented beautifully with horizontal, diagonal and vertical stripes littering the runway with earthy burnt tones brightened by dashes of red and turquoise. Each aspect from colors to patterns to silhouettes shape the collection in the freewheeling Missoni spirit.

www.missoni.com

FENDI

The current approach in fashion seems to be attempts of redefining and challenging gender norms employing new meanings onto femininity and masculinity. Yet Fendi’s Fall collection seemed to embrace the double standards that accompany the male gaze whilst simultaneously exuding a sense of self gratification - dressing for oneself rather than for the world. A balanced selection of structure, softness, rigor and sensuality is reflected with accentuated waists, strict silhouettes and expansive shapes with corset detailing. The offbeat contrasts end elegant monochrome furthered the sense of soft power that embodies the whole collection.

www.fendi.com

BALLY

Exploring nature and realising our impact as humans seems to be a pertinent thought across designs for the coming seasons. Swedish luxury brand Bally presented their AW20 collection through a sensory art installation that showcased their understated ready-to-wear garments using subtle choreography, film and sound. Guests traversed the runway as a crowd moved in the opposite direction with models clad in earthy tones and luxurious layering. Titled ‘Purity of form’ the collection encompassed organic materials, soft shapes and sculpted silhouettes reflecting the brands passion for design innovation.

www.bally.eu

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week 2020 - Berluti Men's Fall/Winter

Arriving at the majestic location of Opera Garnier we were welcomed by magnificent flowers, adorning the staircase, the rich, inebriating perfume merged the atmosphere into a symphony of colors true to Kris Van Assche’s Berluti. Blue, crimson red, purple, fuchsia, but also Prince of Wales checks rendered in green or yellow. Tailored silhouettes together with relaxed suits paired with sneakers. Kris Van Assche’s Berluti plays between past and future, classic and modern. An extreme savoir-faire especially shown in the full patina leather suits becoming the iconic element of the maison. Recent Berluti’s beautiful collaboration with Parisian based art gallery Laffanour, resulting in 17 vintage chair designed by Pierre Jeanneret - the legendary cousin of star architect Le Corbusier - added with the Berluti patina in jewel-tones, echoed in some of the looks for Fall/Winter 2020/21. Van Assche ability to plays with classic codes through a rebel soul.

www.berluti.com

Fashion

Spirit of Departure

With the current state of affairs, one might get a bleak idea of the new decade ahead. Not for notorious Canadian outerwear brand Moose Knuckles. Borrowing from science and science-fiction, he translates his personal and optimistic vision of the future. Classic staples collide with futuristic influences resulting in new yet familiar silhouettes reflecting the past as well as the future.This nod to the future can not only be found on the surface, but is literally ingrained in the collection’s fabric. Cloud is a groundbreaking innovation reducing the overall weight of the Core parkas. This novelty material gets its chance to shine in one of the collection’s newest additions, the Cloud Trinity jacket, a ultra-lightweight parka, delivering intense warmth in a weightless package. As part part of the FW20 collection, the Canadian brand also unveils its Eco Soft-Shell Collection, an eco-conscious line fabricated from recycled and reused materials, showcasing Moose Knuckles continuous efforts to combat fashion’s adverse effects of over-consumption and pollution. 

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week 2020 - Dior Homme Fall/Winter

When approaching the white humongous squared temporary structure built on Place de la Concorde for Dior Homme latest show we felt a sense of thrilling vibe. Inside the space high up to the ceiling transparent boxes occupied almost fully the catwalk where smoke arranged in different colors, from orange to blue, floated intermittently at the rhythm of music as the show started. Kim Jones’s new collection for Dior is all this: the explosion of his favorite silhouettes, of his love for British culture, the ability to dive into archives of a French Maison like Dior, while paying homage to his dear friend, the late Judy Blame, the brilliant stylist and designer, punk icon in the 80s, who passed away just 2 years ago. Blame’s love for gloves, for paisley prints, for jewelry - designed as always by uber-talent Yoon Ahn for Dior Homme - and reminiscent of Blame’s DIY punk signature aesthetic with metal chains adorned with charm-like crystals, roses, tags. But also the British tailored savoir faire of layering blazers and overcoats. An exquisite long silk shirt at knees length with paisley print worn under a blazer and the closing look – a coat embroidered with sequins into a feather motif inspired by a couture dress by Marc Bohan from 1969 - were undoubtedly breathtaking. The latter requiring 1000 hours of work left speechless at closer look during the re-see. Kim Jones found his dimension at Dior and we are thrilled to see what’s next.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Sportmax Book Launch

The unwavering energy of SPORTMAX celebrated in a eponymous volume marking its 50 years anniversary and Italian savoir faire. Born from Achille Maramotti’s intuition in 1969 fascinated by the fresh dynamism found in the new age investing Europe at the end of the Sixties, and particularly in London with its youth-driven cultural revolution. Published by Assouline as part of its Legends collection and edited by historian and curator Olivier Saillard, the volume documents the history of the Italian brand from the Seventies till today with dedicated chapters for each decade. Peter Lindbergh, Sarah Moon, Albert Watson, David Sims to name a few of the many iconic international photographers who have interpreted SPORTMAX’s style. The book also includes previously unpublished material including backstage photos, drawings and a series of images lensed by Grègoire Alexandre. Capturing the brand’s DNA, from its iconic knitwear to the total look graphic colors, two SPORTMAX very own themes since its origin till today. And the uncompromising continuous research on excellence.

www.assouline.com

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week 2020 - Fendi Men's Fall/Winter

With her new FW 2020 Menswear collection, Silvia Venturini Fendi lays out her personal vision of the modern man. Inspired by the classic notion of the gentleman, Fendi presents a collection that features classic men’s garments enhanced with modern twists, proving that even tradition is not always what it appears to be at first sight. To achieve this, FENDI teams up with Japanese designer ANREALAGE, combining Italian craftsmanship with the famed futuristic spirit of Japan’s fashion scene. The collection itself combines the retro with the futuristic resulting in an exciting wardrobe for the modern gentleman. Blazer as well as coats are turned inside out with visible contours of lining and inside pockets, which themselves were adapted to the modern times, with the cigar pocket being replaced by a compartment for credit cards or AirPods. Another highlight of the collection was the utilitarian nature of several of the garments. Through strategically placed zippers, the garments receive a shape-shifting ability, allowing the wearer to adapt the garments to his needs, whether as overcoat, jacket or bolero. The collection was rounded out with accessories in the typical FENDI yellow, with the oversized shopper reminiscent of the FENDI packaging being the stand-out piece amongst various new takes on the classics.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Revealing the Hidden

 Due to the quick progression of technology, there is a tangible disconnect between ourselves the items that surround us on a daily basis. Despite everybody being able to use the newest technology in our daily lives, only a very few actually grasp how they work. This creates a certain lack of trust, a feeling of discomfort. At the Swiss manufacturer, they are driven by their belief that people are once again longing for the time when they could understand how things work and they decided to look deeper into the essence of this idea. Their mechanical watches radiate a sense of honesty, which we can relate with in the most natural sense, as we can create a tangible connection to their inner workings. Inspired by the natural sincerity of the Waldenburg Valley, which has surrounded the village of Holstein, where Ortis has been bases since its foundation in 1904, the traditional Swiss house introduces the Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115. Without unnecessary decoration, no superfluous complication or flashy colors, this masterpiece is laying bare its inner workings. Nothing remains hidden, visually reconnecting the wearer to the aesthetic inner worlds otherwise hidden behind the dial. The watch itself follows a modern approach to luxury, no longer showy or indulgent, the focus is simply on the appreciation for excellent craftsmanship and quality. The Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 is presented to the public on November 18th at the Oris Watch Night hosted by the Swiss manufacturer in Munich.

www.oris.ch

Fashion

Woolrich x Aimé Leon Dore

Two brands born and made in America, one with a rich history rising to the challenge of dressing the U.S. naval officers in hardy garments, and the other serving a young and modern public. Aimé Leon Dore, founded just a handful of years ago, has had very fruitful collaborations in the past, they are gifted at seeking out contemporary classics and putting their own twist on them. Woolrich, a very well trusted brand in weather-proof materials, strong heritage and consistently proving it has a grasp on street-casual style. Far from the realm of novelty accessories or couture fashion, both brands have an overriding respect for creating timeless articles of clothing.

Their FW19 campaign takes place in a cozy New York diner, two friends munching away at their breakfast; neither of them willing to remove their coats and flannels. There is an element of comfort that people can sense, the sort of wear that never gets old each time you put it on. Woolrich has opened its archive for Aimé Leon Dore and reaped the rewards of a fresh perspective; the same vestige of quality down puffers and coats are resurrected for the street. Whether by fate or by entering one another’s periphery until they became impossible to ignore, the teachers have learned from disciples of a new generation and given city dwellers a collection too comfortable and unabashedly urban to be denied.

www.woolrich.com
www.aimeleondore.com

Art

Cartier: Crystallization of Time

Stare long enough at any rock, gemstone or mineral and you will see the beauty in natural formations once hidden beneath the Earth’s 4.6 billion year old crust. Since 1989 Cartier has held no less than thirty four exhibitions in world-renowned art museums but only now will they host an exhibition focused on contemporary pieces spanning from the 1970’s onwards. The purpose of the exhibition is to explore the perennial beauty of Cartier creations, a classic beauty retained and untarnished by the ravages of time. Aptly titled, ‘Crystallization of Time’ the legendary Jeweller will hold the exhibition at The National Art Center of Tokyo to explore the relationship between their creations over time. Up to 300 works, including contributions from private collections, act as mirrors that offer an astute insight into the eras and evolutions of Cartier. Beyond this exhibition of their past ‘Crystallization of Time’ will foreshadow Cartier’s vision for the future. The exhibition will be presented in three unique perspectives including, ‘Material Transformation and Colors’, ‘Forms and Designs’ and ‘Universal Curiosity’ along the axis of time. ‘Forms and Designs’ will explore the micro-architectural nature of their design ethos as well as their use of essential lines and spheres to create unique and iconic jewellery.

In large part refusing to conform or settle is what adds to their timeless qualities, the essence that there is nothing quite like Cartier on the market. As the second act on their timeline, ‘Forms and Designs’ will feature ‘Harmony of Chaos: Accident of Design / Accident of Nature’ which seeks to explore how life’s happenstance adds to our understanding of beauty. In 1967, when Cartier London released the Crash watch, they implored this design quality, the end product being a watch whose case had the appearance of being run over by a car. As gemstones are naturally formed there is an element of random natural occurrence that takes place as the rocks form, from this Cartier explored how to capture the unpredictable while still producing a fashionable product. The exhibition will also play host to a number of rare pieces from private collections, some pieces dating back as far as 1907. The scope of this exhibition can not be understated, from Nils Herrman’s Cartier collection Egyptian motifs resurface; a greater dialogue with our past is opened up through timeless designs, a Scarab brooch brandishing rubies, emeralds, platinum and antique blue faience alongside a Scarab necklace in yellow gold date back to 1925.

Cartier’s ‘Crystallization of Time’ is exactly what it claims to be, reinforced and hardened into something beyond reproach; displaying the opulence and dedication to lasting quality that Cartier is unabashedly known for. The exhibition will run from October 2nd – December 16 at The National Art Center, Tokyo.

www.cartier.com
www.nact.jp

Fashion

Louis Vuitton SS20

A VHS tape re-imagined as bag. The name of iconic movies morphed with a witty style placed on totes. Nicolas Ghesquière’s time machine brought us at the very origins of Louis Vuitton. La Belle Èpoque, or the golden age in France after the end of the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 till the Great War. A period of stability and optimism.

Leather and silk skirts reminiscent of the end of 19th century silhouettes with bell shapes flared smoothly over the hips from a small waist and gradually widened at the hemline. It is a time when the Victorian era crinoline disappeared and corsets were worn only in the evening and formal occasion. The change of dressing codes reflecting the woman emancipation at the time is a strong inspiration for Ghesquière.

We also saw beautiful painted motifs looking at Art Nouveau and using Marcel Proust beloved cattleya orchid – which metaphorically symbolized the sensual and erotic desire in “Swann’s Way” - pinned on lapels. The symbol of a new era, of a new spirit, of blossoming. The vibrant colours – blue, red, orange, yellow, to mention few – composed like fragments of bucolic Art Nouveau illustrations on several look.

Nicolas Ghesquière tribute to that fervid time in Europe is reflected in the atmosphere created by singer Sophie’s otherworldly performance in an extended version of “It’s Okay to Cry, specially made for Louis Vuitton and screened on a humongous backdrop at Cour Carrée inside the Louvre.

When exiting this magic show venue the light of Pei’s pyramid casted an enchanting atmosphere. Briefly after it started pouring rain just like the final moments of Sophie’s video performance.A moment of energy, beauty and the multitude of facets of Nicolas Ghesquière’s genius.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Valentino SS20

Crisp white cotton declined in evening gowns, shirt dress to be worn with shorts and lace bomber jackets. Pierpaolo Piccioli worked on the beauty of this color, undisputed symbol of Summer and that light hearted elegance the maison Valentino has been representing since the last years.

Piccioli knows how to conquer the crowd with his romanticism in a strong modern key: a tulle purple majestic gown, a sequined one, so light at touch you could hardly believe it is sequins, and the acid green, permeating the entire collection and bringing that fun and joy we have been savouring season after season at this iconic Italian maison. At a closer look , during our re-see; we saw all that Valentino atelier savoir faire in terms of craftsmanship.

Pierpaolo Piccioli has been working always on the evolution of the gown, on its lightness, on the absence of body constrictions. He has been always putting women at the centre: the women who wear his creations, the seamstress, the women who have been part of the Valentino family for so long. And the models who walk the show: Adut, Awuol, Tiziana, Tomiwa, Evie, Mathilde, all eighty carefully mentioned one by one.

As we enjoy looking at the details of each look at Valentino’s headquarters in Paris, Piccioli appears in front of us on his way to the office. We could not but warmly congratulate him in person. Grazie Pierpaolo for delivering once again a beautiful vision on womanhood.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Hermès SS20

We have been struck by the delicacy Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski infuses every season in her vision for Hermès. For Spring Summer 2020 she talks about powerful femininity ready for our times. For Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski a woman need to walk, move freely and go to work, without renouncing to beauty. But what is beauty? It was questioned in the show notes. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski answers with a clear vision: beauty is not equal to perfection, but to the multitudes of all beauties out there.

A fresh minimalism is declined with several inspirations. One above all the apron - worn at the Hermès leather workshop in Pantin - here deconstructed and revisited on tops and jumpers creating sculptural elements and open back.

The safari atmosphere is visible in multiple pockets jackets - the classic saharienne - in Heritage calfskin, a cargo playsuit in washed cotton gabardine and cargo trousers. Vanhee-Cybulski’s and Hermès continuous research on leather is seen on buttersoft leather dresses together with patchwork details rendered in lambskin doubled with silk organza. A research found in the beautiful equestrian inspired looks like the harness-inspired trench coat in fine stripe cotton or the equestrian-inspired openwork coat, in double-face cashmere jacquard adorned with chestnut patches.

Hermès Spring Summer 2020 is a whispered elegance, delicate and nonchalant.

www.hermès.com

Fashion

BOSS SS20: 'BOSS Individuals'

Presenting their men’s and women’s collections for SS20, BOSS has held individualism in high regard. The sophistication and sleek presentation so synonymous with BOSS is renewed for the arriving decade. Dressing is an intensely personal ritual and relies heavily on the individual traits of the wearer. Realizing this, they travelled from their atelier in New York to the restless fashion mecca of Milan, where it held a runway show for its highly personable collection. Guests in attendance included G-Eazy, Chloe Bennet and Jason Lewis. The focus was on accented style and understated comforts, this collection remains true to the essential nature of BOSS while evoking an openness to Spring frivolities and calm Summer nights.

‘BOSS Individual’ suits are tailored into more relaxed shapes while their sportswear is precisely tailored and dressed up. The women’s SS20 line is filled with jackets nipped at the waist and wide-leg pants prioritizing comfort without sacrificing the signature BOSS styling. With fluid silk wrap skirts or maxi dresses there is a living sense of freedom as this collection breezes down the runway. With a flash-flood of seasonal colors interplayed with detailed craftsmanship and neatly tailored suits formal wear is elevated for the next decade and beyond. Whether it is the lightweight technical cloth on pants made for sport or the silk and cotton yarn open-knit sweaters, the SS20 collection delivers enough variety to truly encourage individualism on even the hottest days of Summer.

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent SS20

A sudden storm moving forcefully, all of us under the glass roof over the seating, the light projected forming a sea of beams that played together with the Tour Ei¬¬ffel light spectacle. Saint Laurent always reserves a set design worth the rain and cold of an outdoor late summer show in Paris. As the model stormed in we saw the natural confidence of Vaccarello. Vertiginous shorts worn with blazers, at times declined in velvet or in black sequins rigorously matched with high knees boots or strappy sandals.

The looks converged increasingly towards an evening atmosphere - Vaccarelllo’s signature - in all its alluring connotations: second skin trousers paired with off-the-shoulder tops, long dresses lusciously embroidered, gold lamè, black, green or burgundy chiffon with gold motifs. Additionally the show displayed sharp tailoring, or as Anthony Vaccarello likes to call it “couture tailoring”, as he skilfully showed us season after season. The last suit, in black sequins, was worn graciously and fiercely by Naomi. Which icon could better embody this atmosphere? Thank you Anthony for always being true to your vision.

www.ysl.com

Fashion

NYFW: Sies Marjan Spring 2020

At the Hall of Records in Lower Manhattan during New York Fashion Week, Sies Marjan unveiled their Women’s collection for Spring 2020. They took their time and basked in their designs, the underlying theme of their show? A refined appreciation for taking one’s time in the knowledge that comfort and an excess of time are the only true luxuries. The collection’s color palette is inspired by nail polish and make-up, two applications that require patience and careful consideration. Creative Director of Sies Marjan, Sander Lak spoke on his collection, saying “it celebrates the beauty of having the time and freedom to create and consider your choices.”

Materials like untreated denim are tailored as if it were wool into the shape of fine suits whereas the dresses boast sophisticated fabrics. Double duchess satin, reptile-embossed silk and lacquered crocodile-embossed leathers evoke power and aesthetic prowess. Visually the dresses for Sies Marjan’s Spring ’20 collection are as effortlessly regal as they are tailored with precision. Vibrant colors won over the onlooking crowd, rich emeralds and devilishly alluring reds remind the eye of shimmering lip gloss. Walking the line between conservative and contemporary Lak’s vision for Spring 2020 is a vivid and amorous display of craftsmanship for those that take their time in life. Although it might seem pared down at times, this is a cornerstone of the collection. To surprise without outdoing oneself is not an easy task, Lak stated that he has “a desire for the beauty of wealth and time, but never in excess.”

www.siesmarjan.com

Fashion

NYFW: COACH SS20

Creative director of Coach, Stuart Ververs, presented his Spring 2020 men’s and women’s collections on the Spur and Coach Passage, the newest additions to New York’s High Line. A bright range of garments embellished with the pop art illustrations of Richard Bernstein brought to life notions of joy against all odds. A star studded audience including Kyrie Irving, Marina Testino, Miles Heizer, Megan Thee Stallion and Princess Nokia gazed at the joyful Spring 2020 collection.

Sandals and flats walked the runway in a laid back style rarely seen during such a high-class event. Multidisciplinary talent and the current face of Coach, Michael B. Jordan made a gesture to the next generation. He brought with him interns of his own initiative, ‘the Outlier Society Fellowship’ in order to reassert the boundless possibilities that young people from all walks of life can harness through Coach’s ‘Dream It Real’ initiative. Along with the eager young interns, Jordan also invited the fashion club from his hometown school in Jersey, Essex County Newark Tech High school.

Robert Hammond, co-founder of ‘Friends of the High Line’ as well as High Line’s inaugural artist, Simone Leigh came to see a myriad of colorful leathers, knits, flowing coats and dresses. Leigh received the first commission for High Line, she named it ‘Brick House’ and dedicated it to strong black female figureheads and indeed black beauty everywhere. Prominent models walking for Coach included brand ambassador, Kiko Mizuhara as well as Kaja Gerber, Julia Nobis, Adut Akech and Abby Champion. Coach’s Spring 2020 line embodies new beginnings, free spirited models walked the The High Line to evoke a raw authentic energy and the infinite possibilities ushered in by a new decade.

www.coach.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton: The Art of Travel

One of the foundational aspects of the house of Louis Vuitton, to travel freely and frequently where your heart truly takes you. It is this empassioned spirit that propels their latest collection, ‘The Art of Travel’. To dream is to escape the seemingly closed window that is reality, to escape is to truly live. Dreams and travel are intrinsically linked, as if there is more life to be lived in another place, in another way. There is no greater key to freedom than an immediate departure, gripping the present moment and doing away with instinctual hesitation.

Kit Butler, Rianne Van Rompaey and Fei Fei Sun are depicted in the farthest reaches of Vietnam’s moss green plains. Under the artistic direction of David James, photographer Angelo Pennetta captures the inimitable art of travel and the savy of those that flirt with the notion of where they feel most alive. The Petite Malle, the On The Go shopper as well as a large Steamer bag, of the finest materials display how distinctive yet subtle Louis Vuitton’s iconic motif really is. To never appear out of place is a valuable thing. Some prefer to move in a way that screams when most others whisper, this collection ebbs and flows as jauntily as the traveller. The gut feeling when a plane lifts off the runway and into clear skies, after this nothing but the destination matters. Well, that and your luggage of course.

www.louisvuitton.com

Travel

ALTES HAFENAMT: Hotel 25Hours

In contrast to the modern appearance of the surrounding Hafencity stands the Hotel 25Hours Altes Hafenamt, located in the oldest surviving building of the area. Inspired by the cozy style of a captain’s home, the hotel has a much more rustic and old-fashion flair. The Augsburg design team DREIMETA is responsible for the its new appearance, creating a harmonizing interplay of the old with the new. Historical details of the original building and nostalgic collectors pieces are used alongside new objects and exciting materials, allowing the building’s rich tradition to shine through in the most subtle manner.

The hotel Altes Hafenamt stands out amongst its hyper-modern surroundings. As the oldest and only remaining original building, it is a historical witness proudly showing its historic brick facade in dramatic contrast and exciting interplay of dimensions to the modern architecture of the 57-meter-high Cinnamon Tower, designed by Bolles & Willson.

The hotel’s offerings are completes with its restaurant NENI and the Boilerman Bar. Run by Haya Molcho, NENI is defined by its cosmopolitan soul food, drawing on the culinary traditions of the Arab world and Europe. NENI brings together tradition and the unexpected, marrying notions of heimant and wanderlust in a culinary experience, perfectly representative of Hamburg’s seafaring tradition and meeting point of different cultures. The Boilerman Bar is an unusual place with a defined casual character. Mainly focussing on rum, traditionally perceived as a typical seafarers’ drink, they offer fuss-free drinks of the highest quality, with Highballs being the house’s signature.

The 25Hours Hotel Altes Hafenamt offers an authentic and nostalgic experience of Hamburg, combining the contemporary needs of the urban nomad with a traditionally rustic character.

www.25hours-hotel.com

Art

Miron Zownir: 'City Landscapes'

In his upcoming solo exhibition ‘City landscapes’ Miron Zwonir, celebrated international documentary photographer, will put his usual focus into the background. Social outcasts, by choice or through disadvantage, are now only incidental subjects in the frying pan of a harsh metropolis bursting at the seams. The dark prince of noir photography will bring a cross section of over forty years of photography to Galerie Bene Taschen. The German-Ukrainian photographer lives in a world of contrast where repression and destruction guide the eye in a re-education of cities as a background for all change that people encounter within themselves. The strange creatures and tall shadows cast by streetlamps are products of their city, but ultimately never defined by them. Resilient and fervid throughout Zownir’s body of work are the fringe cultures set adrift in maddening urbanity.

Cities like Los Angeles, New York, Berlin or ones in Eastern Europe all beg similar questions. How does one exist in any of these environments and retain a strong sense of self? Zownir’s metropolises are on a merry-go-round of destruction, creation and somewhere in the chaos, transformation. Miron Zownir has been displayed in group and solo exhibitions at Bene Taschen before but never as cohesively as this. The gallery will display his most impactful photography including excerpts from his book ‘RIP NYC’ and scenes from his series ’Berlin Noir’. The very definition of normality and what it means to be you will be in question, leaving visitors with contrasting feelings on society at large as they depart. You can see more of this radical international photographer’s work in Cologne from September 7th until October 12th at Galerie Bene Taschen with an early reception on the 6th.

www.benetaschen.com

 www.mironzownir.com

Art

Duran Lantink: 'Old Stock'

The top floors of Utrecht’s Centraal Museum are taken over by Dutch fashion designer Duran Lantink, to recycle, repurpose and reimagine discarded designer fabrics. The 31-year-old designer, named after the Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán, calls his exhibition ‘Old Stock’. The solo exhibition follows Duran Lantink’s aesthetic journey along a path he paved for himself between fashion and art. Where does this path lead? It leads toward a world that wastes nothing and celebrates everything.

Praised as being one of fashion’s best up and coming talents at this year’s London Fashion Week, Lantink a variety of garments, all of which have his vigorous craftsmanship about them. The Centraal Museum is making sure Lantink has all the room to breathe he needs, allowing him to take over the top floors to better display his versatility and imagination.

‘Old Stock’ is divided into thirds, photography, an installation called ‘Straight From the Sales Bin’ and lastly ‘Dismantled’. “Sistaaz of the Castle”, the photo series, was started by Lantink three years ago with Jan Hoek and a transsexual workers organization known as ‘Sistaazhood’. They shadowed transsexual sex workers as they flaunted proudly around Cape Town. ‘Straight From the Sales Bin’ is Lantink’s way of distancing himself from the chain of destruction that sees unsold clothes burned, discarded or shredded.

As for ‘Dismantled’, Duran Lantink’s freedom of expression is a beacon to designers and artists the world over. Centraal Museum has horded designer clothing, dresses they chose not to display, that served no real purpose other than gathering dust until Lantink intervened, these stagnant garments are now reanimated and born again for the world to see. Regardless of the whether you perceive Duran as the Freddy Krueger of fashion or the edgy prodigal son that Dutch fashion sorely needed, one thing remains certain, this never resting creative mind has nowhere to go but up.

www.centraalmuseum.nl

Art

William Blake Reborn in New Tate Britain Exhibition

The largest exhibition of the artist William Blake, known foremost for his writing and then for his prophetic, dazzling and even terrifying works of art that were sorely overlooked during his lifetime, will now consume Tate Britain. The life of William Blake is one of fraught political angst, he offered the antithesis to the harsh rule of the church of England, paving a way forward for philosophers, artists, anyone that sought to explain in their own terms what it meant to be alive outside of religious definition. His vision was larger than his time allowed. 

This artist, poet and author, will claim his day in the sun in a manner never before seen in Great Britain. Some of his best-known paintings including ‘Newton’ (1795 - c. 1805) and ‘The Ancient of Days’ (1827) which later became a frontispiece for an edition of ‘Europe: A Prophecy”, the artists final painting. The quaint domestic room above his family’s hosiery shop, in which his art saw its only real exhibition in the year 1809, will be reconstructed in great detail to offer guests an authentic sense of how his art was displayed in his time. The exhibition hopes to provide a biographical framework with which to better understand Blake, even highlighting the vital influence of his wife Catherine, who offered practical assistance and even coloration for his illuminated books.

With over 300 original works including prints, watercolours and paintings, this is the largest showing of Blake’s work in the last two decades. Two of his works ‘The Spiritual Form of Nelson Guiding Leviathan’ (c. 1805-9) and ‘The Spiritual Form of Pitt Guiding Behemoth c. 1805) will be projected onto an enormous wall in the grand sense that Blake had imagined. Tate intends to reintroduce Blake to the public using modern techniques. From the 11th of September until February next year this wide range of the artist’s work will live at Tate Britain.

Tate.org.uk

Fashion

Bang & Olufsen x Saint Laurent

Where design meets functionality, Bang & Olufsen have never lacked or compromised. The audio giant, holding their design instincts close to their chest has landed a dream collaborator in Saint Laurent. The all black collection has subtle, luxurious twists that serve to remind Bang & Olufsen’s customers that they have sought out and found the most optimal quality.

The 3rd generation Beoplay A9 home speaker has room-filling sound and was originally designed to compliment tidy furnishings and simplistic décor. Without rocking the boat, Saint Laurent respects the under stated nature of the A9 home speaker while reminding the customer that they have invested in the very best. The legs that the larger home speaker, A9, stands on are transformed from wooden to aluminium with a finish in gold or in jet black anodized mirror.

Bang & Olufsen’s A1 Bluetooth speaker was designed to project sound on all sides for upmost ambiance. 360 degrees of sound emanate from its aluminium grill, the high gloss Saint Laurent logo printed in black. The A1 model says two things about the wearer; they have respect for timeless design and they have a love for music that demands the best sound quality wherever they go.

The only downside is how limited supplies are. The collection is only available at two physical locations. The speakers have been entrusted to Saint Laurent’s Paris store at Rive Droite and in Los Angeles, California at their Rodeo Drive store. This is an overdue example of Bang & Olufsen knowing and owning their true value with respect to both design and quality. While stocks last these rare speakers can also be ordered online.

www.ysl.com

Fashion

Prada Play Matchmaker

Whether you fell in love with Prada’s banana bowling shirt or their action packed short sleeve button up’s make your head one thing remains true, we will be seeing a lot more Prada pairings. Their ‘Double Match’ personalization service opens in Germany next month offering customers the freedom to mix and match a variety of iconic Prada prints.

Playful and Prada is by no means synonymous, however, when you button up a shirt that has two very different styles on either side and it’s Prada, it is a completely undeniable statement of fun and fashion. Worn well by Jeff Goldblum and Pusha T, Prada asks their customers, what is life without a heavy splash of color? Is the sky not blue? Is the grass not green? For those among us who stick to wearing black, Prada encourages even more personality and customization. Don’t just buy off the rack, mix and match your Prada.

The Double Match personalization service will be available soon in select German stores.

www.prada.com

Fashion

To See The World Anew

From the early 80’s right up to the present day, Cartier has reaffirmed its place in the world of eyewear time and time again. This began with the breakout success of Lunettes CARTIER in 1983, one of fashion’s “must have’s” of the day, it symbolised the first true pair of luxury sunglasses. By 1989 they were producing bespoke reading glasses, a new version of Lunettes CARTIER for women, as well as a supplementary release of Lunettes Panthère to add to their highly popular range of Panthère products. The Lunettes lenses, awash with pale blue tints had an elegance rarely seen before in the larger world of eyewear.

Now, in their latest collection, Cartier approaches familiar motifs with new flare and a variety of Fall colors. Panthère de Cartier, a symbol of the fearless, elegant and everlasting returns with vigour to join the House’s Fall/Winter eyewear collection. The panther head is front-facing and embedded into the corner of each lens, it will simply not go unnoticed. Panthère’s masculine counterpart, Santos de Cartier has a purposeful and renewed look. Thick, dark shades screwed into a strong titanium frame, every bit as uncompromising and assertive as Santos de Cartier is known for being.

www.cartier.com

Fashion

Doodling FENDI ROMA

The city has become a canvas with every wall offering a world of possibilities to leave a lasting mark. The times that art was meant for the canvas are long over and due to famous artists like Banksy, people start to recognize that street art is not to be dismissed.

F is for FENDI, but in this case, as Mr. Doodle says, F is for Fun. The 25-year old artist from London teams up with the luxury Italian house for ‘Doodling FENDI ROMA’, to inject the remarkable FENDI DNA with his iconic street art in a flawless act of creativity. With his signature doodles, his unique style of drawing, Sam Cox aka Mr. Doodle does not only cover the FENDI rooftop as initially planned, but the whole Palazzo Della Civilità Italiana. This collaboration reaffirms the Italian house’s bond to contemporary culture and graffiti art, as the Englishman is the fourth artist or collective to team up with FENDI.

Nonetheless, Mr. Doodle is the first artist to have the opportunity to take his pen to FENDI’s Peekaboo bag. Acting as his white canvas, the bag is covered in his signature doodles to create a fresh new look for a legendary bag.

www.fendi.com

Art

Mike Meiré: North-West

Mike Meiré found the inspiration for his newest solo exhibition NORTH-WEST in today’s North America. Always perceived as a place of freedom and endless opportunity, the continent today has become a place of contradictions caught between reality and idealism, departure and exclusion, progress and fatality. With his work, the German artist, designer and art director addresses the romanticised ideas surrounding the American Dream whilst at the same time confirming their very failure, making NORTH-WEST a metaphorical search for updated notions of freedom and identity.

Alongside ceramics, the show will present paintings from Meiré’s ongoing series CAR TIRE PAINTINGS. Central to this series is its performative component, the tyre hoovers over the canvas before it is slammed down by the artist and the few seconds between control and loss of control which define the unique outcome of each work. The conscious choice of the standardized tyre signals towards the achievements of modern life and the purposeful and functional design of the globalised consumer world.

NORTH-WEST will be open to the public by appointment only from July 28, 2019 until September 6, 2019 at Von Bartha in S-chanf.

www.vonbartha.com

Fashion

Stone Island x Nike Golf

Professional sports have become much more than the mere pursuit of athletic excellence. Athletic competitions have become grand spectacles, with the athletes being celebrated like celebrities by millions of people all over the globe. Constantly in the public eye, it is no longer just about winning, but winning in style with an increasing number of athletes, like Serena Williams and LeBron James, being equipped in personalized special collaborations or even bespoke athletic attire.

Italian brand Stone Island makes its first steps into the realm of athletic wear and teams up with Nike Golf. With the Nike x Stone Island golf collaboration, both brands combine Nike’s fundamental expertise in understanding the golfers’ needs and Stone Island’s expertise in fabric innovation to unveil true technical and performing pieces, able withstand even the most difficult weather conditions on the course. Adaptive fibres increase the garments’ breathability to maintain the athlete’s optimal temperature throughout play, whereas the water-resistant membrane provides adequate protection from the rain.

The two garments, a jacket and a crewneck available in multiple colorways, will debut during golf’s fourth and final major at Royal Portrush.

The Nike x Stone Island Golf collection will become available on July 25th.

www.nike.com
www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019

Black is a complex color that resonates with us. Even Christian Dior once wrote, ‘I could write a book about black’. For the Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019-2020, Maria Grazia Chiuri presents a collection exclusively in black, only rarely punctured by color. Black demands perfection and it is this conscious choice that lets her true inspiration shine through. By erasing the color as a consideration, construction and silhouette, texture and detail come into focus. The monochrome color palette reveals the garments’ bone structure that holds them together and defines them.

Inspired by writer Bernard Rudolfksy, Maria Grazia Chirui engages in deep thoughts about the nature of clothes. She raised questions about the relation of modernity and sartorial customs, modernizing old techniques and outdated conventions, without losing Dior’s beautiful essence established by Christian Dior. Chiuri breaks with the belief that comfort always has to come at the expense of beauty and allure and adapts the essence of couture for a modern lifestyle.

The designer made her most daring statement by presenting her version of a Dior staple, the ball gown. The breathtaking garments, in all their grandeur and opulence, were defined by their lightness and a flair of modern ease, achieved through the use of lavish yet delicate materials. The lacquered organza, dégradé gauze jacquard and lace were adorned, here, with velvet scrolls, there, with thistles and wildflowers.

This collection was Maria Grazia Chirui’s most confident and exquisite couture collection. To answer the question raised at the start: ‘Are clothes modern?’ Yes, if beauty is considered modern, then so are these garments.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019

Pierpaolo Piccioli’s presentation of the Valentino Couture collection was undoubtedly one of the highlights of Paris Couture Week. A fact confirmed by the power trio of Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Campbell and Celine Dion takes place front row.

Piccioli recognized, that even in couture, the seduction through an abundance of elegance and craftsmanship is no longer sufficient. Instead, modern women are looking for a deeper message and buy into brands whose position is in line with their personal beliefs. In a period of increasing political isolationism, Piccioli sends out a message of individuality and inclusivity. It is only by embracing different women’s identities and cultures that couture can stay alive and well. A message reinforced by the diverse cast of models presenting his creations of irresistible beauty on the runway. To bring this idea into full expressiveness, Lauren Hutton, Cecilia Chancellor, Georgina Grenville and Hannelore Knuts, ranging in age between the early-40s and mid-70s, joined the lineup.

The collection was defined by its exceptionally buoyant colors, often in surprising combinations. But the dazzling display of colors is hardly the only characteristic that makes the collection stand out. The beautifully constructed dresses, adorned with elaborate embroidery and ornamentation, bear witness to the totality of expertise found inside Valentino. Painstakingly rendered by hand, the long dress with floral appliqués or the sleeveless gown made of rose squares attached one-by-one required hundreds of hours to be completed.

Pierpaolo rounded off his looks with a series of highly-elaborate ornamental heads and komondor wool fringes and set an example of a collection with a conscience.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Dunhill Spring Summer 2020

Mark Weston has been bringing fresh air in Dunhill’s heritage by maintaining the roots of this historical luxury English tailoring maison. This season saw a fluid sensuality barging in.

Together with the evolution and subversion in Dunhill’s tailoring Mark Weston continued his references to Japan, in particularly Japanese design from the 80s. Relaxed, wrapped tailoring with split helms reminiscent of Kimono-like cuts.

“I wanted elegance and austerity disrupted by sensuality and provocation, with a feeling of fluidity and ease running through it all. At the same time, rigour is all important; in tailoring particularly, nothing should just be for the sake of it.”. Mark Weston explained how Japanese elements were already crossing boundaries with Casual clothing culture in ‘80s Britain and how this collection is am ode to British tailoring on a broad sense.

Silky fluid pants with cropped jackets in dark blue, beautiful oversized ponchos in khaki, butter-soft leather tailored jackets, shiny silk acetate parkas, overwhelmingly beautiful and luscious white wool-silk fluid suit worn with flat leather hotel slippers. Weston built a collection between utility and elegance, rigour and distortion.

For Spring Summer 2020 Weston collaborated with Tokyo-based digital artist Kenta Cobayashi: “I had really been taken by Kenta’s work a couple of years ago and I was just waiting for the right time to ask him to work with me. In a sense, the whole digital field has become much more appealing – I love the idea of digital crafting.”

Weston handpicked four archive images of Cobayashi’s “Smudge” series – where he experiment with graphic distortion – to be reworked with Dunhill logo. Weston explained how the collaboration channelled classic campaign imagery from the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Applied on outwear, bags and tailored pieces, Cobayashi’s glitched graphics channel the playful and sensual spirit for the new Dunhill.

www.dunhill.com

Art

John M Armleder CA.CA.

John M Armleder has never accepted the traditional boundaries of the different artistic disciplines. Regarded as one of the most influential concept, performance and object artists of the modern era, Armleder’s playful approach to artistic expression draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources, influential art movements, such as Modernism, Constructivism and Op-Art, as well as design, painting and pop culture.

Time after time, Armleder combines familiar tropes from art history with modern day items, commenting on our reality and the state of art itself. This juxtaposition of opposites runs like a red thread throughout his work, planning is faced by coincidence, profundity is shown alongside frivolity, exploring what art could and should be in an ever-changing cultural setting.

Both inside and outside the Schirn Kunsthalle, Armleder shows a number of specially created installations alongside some of his previous works. The freely accessible Rotunda is transformed into a life-sized installation by mounting twenty disco balls in different heights, capturing their reflections in the windows covered in mirror film.

John Armleder presents his seductive approach to Conceptual Art and stimulates the critical mind as well as the senses.

The exhibition will be open to the public until September 1st at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt.

www.schirn.de

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2020

Imagine a mild summer day in Paris, walking on one of its characteristic little streets populated with cafés terraces, street musicians playing a classical piece, patrons sipping a glass of wine at the shadows of big parasols and the urban greenery that adorns most of the French capital’s urban spaces. Just across the street you can find benches where to read a book or enjoy the soft breeze, a mobile creperie vendor, maybe an artist painting your portrait.

Virgil Abloh’s third collection for Louis Vuitton channelled all the artistic influences of the American designer: a playful ode to boyhood, to the notion of free-minded spirit, crossing over gender boundaries.

Since the very first looks big flowers adorned the bodies and accessories together with straw hats reminiscent of a Provencal atmosphere. In the seasonal Virgil’s “Dictionary” – a collection of key words updated each time – you will see several new entries addressing this feelings: “flower”, “kite”, “lightness”, among the others, where the concept of flower is removed from the status “often relegated to the trivial or mundane” becoming instead a “naturally occurring metaphor for diversity, as beautiful on a micro level as they are on a macro level, a living creature that blooms from a simple seed, crosses borders”. 

The collection had a multidimensional and hybridised connotation: strings holding together the garment’s singular elements with a peek-a-boo effect, cut outs to create different volumes, but also caging, wrapping, gridding or netting, disrupting the conventional architecture of clothes.

Floating ponchos and raincoats in technical nylon taffeta, asymmetrical pleated skirts over wide-leg trousers, the last few looks presented sculptured attached on the shoulders and at time in forma of a kite.

Liliac, mauve, faded blue, sage, mist green, yellow, concrete grey, peony pink, fuchsia, neon orange, and the super white, or better called “blanc des blancs”, together with beautiful flower scarf patchwork. The colour palette enhanced this splendid Virgil Abloh’s ode to Nature and the ephemeral we all dreamed of.

www.louisvuitton.com

Art

Il Sarcofago di Spitzmaus e altri Tesori

Museums are places of knowledge. Each piece on display has been meticulously studied and analyzed before experts categorized it according to the right origins and time period. Just as the academic research on different civilizations is largely separated, each time period belongs to a separate collection within a museum.

With ‘Il Sarcofago di Spitzmaus e altri Tesori’, translating into ‘Spitzmaus Mummy in a Coffin and Other Treasures’, the Fondazione Prada, in collaboration with the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, takes a less academic approach to the museum and its traditional methods of display. The task of curation is realized by film director Wes Anderson and illustrator, designer and writer Juman Malouf. Unconcerned with time periods and chronological accuracy, the two artists have access to 23 different collections belonging to two different museums, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna. Together, both artists selected 537 artworks and artefacts from over 5000 years of human history and showcase them alongside one another. Their interdisciplinary approach at times reveals unexpected parallels and resonances between the works and directly challenges traditional museum canons. The exhibition is titled after Coffin of a Spitzmaus, an Egyptian wooden box containing a mummified shrew from the 4th century BC.

After the display in Vienna, the exhibition moves to exhibition space of the Fondazione Prada in Milan. The Milan display is a second version with a larger display area and a greater number of exhibits. Alongside the exhibition, the Fondazione Prada publishes an artist’s book, which inspired by Duchamp’s Boîte-en-valise, elaborates the idea of the portable museum.

The exhibition ‘Il Sarcofago di Spitzmaus e altri Tesori’ is open to the public from the 20th of September 2019 until the 13th of January 2020 at the Fondazione Prada in Milan.

www.fondazioneprada.org

Art

In Conversation with... David LaChapelle

Reflex Gallery in Amsterdam created the series In Conversation With… in order to offer the showcased artists’ another platform to share their personal vision and background information on their work. In the fourth installment, the focus is on photographer David LaChapelle, who is currently exhibiting Act Of Nature at the gallery.

David LaChapelle rose to fame due to his unique vision and distinct aesthetic. Especially thanks to his celebrity portraits, David LaChapelle is considered one of the most important photographers of the century. His third exhibition at Reflex includes highlights from the past ten years alongside a selection of previously unseen work, on show for the first time in Amsterdam.

Throughout the interview, David LaChapelle offers an insight into his approach to photography and discusses how the challenges of a natural setting have influenced his way of working. In his work, LaChapelle tries to capture and share his imagination of paradise and the deep connection between humans and nature that sparked this idea. Alongside the exhibition, a publication of Act of Nature, containing an essay by author and art writer Katya Tylevich, will be available in Reflex Amsterdam.

Act of Nature is on view at Reflex Amsterdam until August 31st.

www.reflexamsterdam.com

Fashion

#UseTheExisting: Ermenegildo Zegna Spring/Summer 2020

Creative Director Alessandro Sartori realizes that his profession is not all about making beautiful garments. Yes, it is still a crucial part, but what is the price to pay? Fashion has found itself among the top three polluting industries in the world, trying to satisfy the insatiable desire for consumption without considering the environmental impact.

Sustainability is at the center of the Ermenegildo Zegna SS20 collection. With the project #UseTheExisting, Sartori proves that environmental protection and high fashion can go hand-in-hand. The incorporation of upcycled wools and technical fabrics form the house’s own textile division showcases that an alternative and sustainable way to produce refined materials out of discarded ones is indeed possible.

In his collection, Alessandro Sartori takes a new approach to tailoring, using traditional techniques in a new concept, such as the leather jacket that becomes a short-sleeved shirt. Overall the collection features wider silhouettes, making the fit just as pleasant as the good feeling one gets when putting on this sustainable and ecological garment.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

Brunello Cucinelli Spring/Summer 2020

With the Spring/Summer 2020 collection, Brunello Cucinelli sets a modern standard for dressing well. With the increased pace of modern life, style and comfort have to be perfectly balanced, posing a challenge to the often stiff formality of tailoring.

Brunello Cucinelli makes a conscious effort to move away from this stiffness, proving that dressing comfortably does not always equal dressing down. With softer fits, Cucinelli achieves a sophisticated yet casual feel, combining good taste with the sensation of comfort. The unstructured garments are defined by a refined contemporary zeitgeist, making them versatile companions for any occasion. The essence of the collection remains in tailoring, which alongside the knitwear in bright and fresh summer hues combines to the perfect look to face summer.

Regardless of the renewed aesthetic, Brunello Cucinelli keeps up the tradition of using the finest materials and excellent craftsmanship. As the overall trend is shifting towards casual dress and leisure, one can only consider Cucinelli’s creations fit for ennobled leisure.

www.brunellocucinelli.com

Fashion

Achilles Ion Gabriel joins CamperLab

From June 18th onwards, Achilles Ion Gabriel will become the new creative mind behind CamperLab. The Finnish designer will be in charge of the design team and define the brand’s creative strategy. By appointing the promising footwear designer, Camper hopes to implement his unique vision in a new era of further growth and development.

Before joining Camper, Achilles Ion Gabriel, currently based in Paris, was able to gather valuable experience industry with the likes of Marni and Courrèges, but also with his own brand ION.

Both designer and brand have found their ideal counterpart. Whereas Camper has expressed admiration for his previous work and will most definitetly benefit from the Finns’ talent, the designer gains insides of Camper’s unrivalled shoemaking heritage and an unparalleled opportunity for creative freedom and realization.

Achilles Ion Gabriel’s first collection at Camper will be presented in January as part of the Fall/Winter 2020 collection.

www.camper.com

Fashion

Cartier Magnitude

Not many brands have become as synonymous with elegance and luxury as Cartier. With its new high jewelry collection, the French manufacturer does not only celebrate its long tradition of excellent craftsmanship but also showcases a boldness for a new stylistic adventure and novelty in its designs.

Magnitude is an unexpected and bold encounter of materials that were never meant to meet. Side-by-side precious stones confront ornamental hard stones, complementing and highlighting each other in a display between opacity and transparency and pure colors and shimmering nuances.

To celebrate Magnitude, Cartier held an exclusive event in London. The iconic London building, 180 The Strand, was chosen to present the Maison’s newest collection, followed by an evening gala dinner hosted by Cyrille Vigneron, CEO & president of Cartier International. Alongside a performance by Beth Ditto, among the selected guests were notable friends of the house, as Claire Foy, Lily Collins, Bianco Brandolini as well as Ella Balinska, Iris Law and Diana Silvers.

The collection will be on show to the public at 180 The Strand London between June 27th and June 30th.

www.cartier.com

Fashion

Gem Dior

Since its creation twenty years ago, Victoire de Castellane has continuously been the creative spirit behind Dior Joallerie. The new Dior High Jewellery Collection is therefore not only a celebration of the department's anniversary but also of de Castellane’s successful tenure at its helm.

The collection “Gem Dior”, a play on words between gem in English and j’aime meaning ‘I love…’ in French, is a declaration of love to stones and their infinite variety in hues and colors. These precious colored stones have long nourished de Castellane’s imagination and have been central to Dior’s poetic jewelry-making and whimsical story-telling.

The collection is a celebration of the gemstone as well as the exceptional know-how of its stone-cutters and polishers. Her compositions, harmonic in its color combinations and rhythmic in its shapes and mountings, express Victoire de Castellane’s entire narrative universe, with the realization that in the end what’s left is material and color.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Givenchy Pre-Spring 2020

With her Spring 2020 Pre-Collection, Givenchy’s Artistic Director Clare Waight Keller explores the notions of moving through the urban environment and today’s on-the-go, city-hopping lifestyle. Just like herself, constantly on the move between Paris, London and other various destinations, the modern person is always moving forward, whether along routes they have traveled countless times or across borders and time zones.

With the urban-chic collection, Clare Waight Keller takes couture to the streets, drawing inspiration from Paris and her own spring couture collection and London’s increasingly flamboyant and colorful streetwear scene. She merges traditional and technical, reviving classic pieces in saturated color and modern materials in order to achieve the practicality, formality and glamour she desires. The result is hybrid pieces that, according to the wearer’s needs, are easily dressed up or down.

In addition to this, Givenchy introduces its new line of women’s leather accessories. The four newly unveiled bags are intended to cover every facet of life for the modern woman on the go.

The Givenchy Spring 2020 Pre-Collection will arrive in store in July.

www.givenchy.com

Fashion

F IS FOR..

With a faster-changing pace of the industry, certain brands have encountered issues relating to the new, digitally-active customer base. With the emergence of the internet and social media, the traditional brand-to-customer dynamic has drastically changed, leaving some alienated from this new generation of customers.

Rome-based brand FENDI has long recognized these concerns and proactively counteracted. F IS FOR is a campaign with youth culture at its core, aiming to translate the FENDI DNA for a younger customer. Similarly, FENDI also makes use of the online vernacular in form of the hashtag for its #MeandMyPeekaboo campaign.

For the first time, exclusively unveiled at ZOO Magazine, both campaigns merge to create the first-ever special #MeandMyPeekaboo episode featuring the Lin family. In familiar fashion, FENDI puts family intimacy at the center of the video, showcasing authentic interactions between identical twins John and James with their twins Elise and Pierre, older son Jude and Julia Lin. In and around their home in Miami, the iconic FENDI logo is ever present, with the Peekaboo Fit for Men and the Peekaboo XS never leaving their side.

F is for family, the FENDI family as well as John Lin’s own.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

LOEWE & the Elephants

LOEWE cares for natural preservation and the well-being of endangered species. Creative director Jonathan Anderson expressed his compassion by partnering with Knot On My Planet last year to support the Elephant Crisis Fund. The resulting elephant-shaped bag aimed to raise awareness and to set a clear sign condemning the demand and trafficking of ivory.

The elephant motif has remained with the house ever since, as just this year, Iconic Disney character Dumbo the Elephant gave inspiration for a limited edition capsule collection. The elephant-motif will now available hand-size in form of a phone case, as a continuation of the expertly crafted line of elephant-shaped bags. This case, adorned with an elephant’s head, is just the latest embodiment of LOEWE’s campaign fuelled by its love for elephants.

www.loewe.com

Fashion

Cartier Santos-Dumont

French manufacurer Cartier pays homage to the rich history of its iconic Santos-Dumont model. First created in 1904, Louis Cartier designed a modern wristwatch, exclusively suited to the needs of Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont.

Ever since being unveiled to the public, the design, exuding simplicity, innovation and elegance, has always remained true to the original. The square-shape, reminiscent of the geometry popular in Paris at the time, is paired with an unadorned alligator leather strap. Practicality remains central to this classic. To achieve this, Cartier enchanced its performance with a high-efficiency quartz movement featuring an autonimity twice as long as traditional movements. The Santos-Dumont model is available in two different sizes and three shades in hues of rose gold and steel.

www.cartier.com

Art

Sumo and the three boys from Pasadena

The Helmut Newton Foundation unveils its new exhibition, combining the photographic work ''SUMO'' of Helmut Newton, his private collection, developed with his wife June Newtown and Three Boys From Pasadena by his three apprentices Mark Arbeit, George Holz and Just Loomis.

Newton’s masterpiece SUMO was created 20 years ago and first exhibited a decade later. Consisting of 400 iconic images, from the genres fashion, portraiture and nudes in black and white and colour, they include, to only mention a few, his famous portraits of artists like Salvadór Dalí and Andy Warhol as well as his work for various magazines, like Vogue or Vanity Fair.

His three apprentices augment their Three Boys From Pasadena, created ten years ago, with new works. The additions are a combination of life-sized photograms of models by Mark Areit, Hollywood portraits of legends by George Holz and intimate ‘Backstage’ works, showcasing the hidden, less glamorous facets of fashion, by Just Loomis.

Furthermore, we are offered an insight into the couple’s exquisite photo collection, featuring 50 valuable vintage prints in original frame of the 20th century’s most influential and important photographers.

The exhibition opens on the 6th of June at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin.

Art

Anthropometry

One year after his passing, multifaceted artist Getulio Alviani, pioneer in the movement of kinetic art and Op-Art, was celebrated in the framework of the 58th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. In the spirit of Alviani’s vision, the Palazzo Barbaro on the Grand Canal is transformed into an interdisciplinary exhibition Anthropometry combining art, fashion, jewelry music and theatrical performance, perfectly staged during the opening vernissage featuring live performances of Brazilian actress Lìgia Cortez and famous eclectic virtuoso Olen Cesari.

The dress “Cerchio + Quadrato” worn during Cortez’s performance shows that Alviani’s collaborations in the field of fashion, springing from the research of avant-garde materials and technologies, with designer Germana Marucelli are one of the focal points. By applying his visual experimentations with light and optical illusions to sartorial endeavours, designer Marucelli constructs wearable pieces of art, transforming and evolving with movement and in relation to the body that wears them.

The exhibition is open to the public until the 30th of May in the Palazzo Barbaro in Venice.

Fashion

Everything is going to restart

When did we enter this state of war with each other? The feeling of defeat used to be rare, a symptom of testing the limits. Now, it feels more like the kind of dull ache you’d develop if you lived in a house with leaky pipes; a vague, tolerable heaviness that doesn’t go away. British designer Claire Barrow offers some hope that the end is in sight. The third installment of her Xtreme Sports mini-collections, Les Sports Extréme, pours thought on the theme of battles – both political and personal, socially and for the sake of the self. Her multidisciplinary entry point to art has fostered an illustrative capsule clothing line and short film, created by regular collaborator Daniel Swan, soundtracked by a self-authored song that jars lines from Les Misérables and new phrases that feel urgent to our time, fractured with the ad-libs and manic laughing of a characterful cast.

“You sometimes forget that the battle is still ongoing,” says Barrow, “things just seem hard now. There’s still hope, but I can’t help feel defeated by some of the evils. I wanted to embrace that despair in the collection a little.” The chaos that comes with losing control translates to the casual silhouettes of T-shirts, hoodies, silk wide-legs and scarves. Barrow breaks a dominant night blue base with innocent licks of baby pink, blue and yellow – sweet tones marred by distressing, patched with crying baby faces. Fantastical and historical figures form the intricate illustrations: dreamlike drawings of knights and teddy bears, pigeons and mermaids, clinging tightly to one another, hands held to harness the strength of a circle, while the rising figure of Lady Liberty, as immortalized by Eugène Delacroix, waves a flag into the new dawn. With their graffiti signatures, rips and ragged stitching, the Trash Barricade tees speak of resistance and division, imploring all around to declare their loyalties with the question, “What side are you on?” stamped at the back of the body.

“I was interested in how things are still left open, even after conflict,” Barrow says, “nothing is ever really resolved. Like the French Revolution: the people won, but we are still entrenched in the same discussion as we were then.” For once, someone is wrestling with the grey area, rather than falling by the fault lines of the black and white; with that, Barrow serves the solution of solidarity alongside the still-raw wounds of rivalry, hopefully a sign that peacetime will soon come.

www.clairebarrow.com

Art

Aneta Bartos: Family Portrait 2014-2018

With her first solo exhibition Family Portrait 2014-2018 at Tommy Simoens Gallery in Antwerpen, Polish-born photographer Aneta Bartos offered a first cohesive overview of her ongoing project, which has been four years in the making.

Daughter of a lifelong bodybuilder, the photographer offers an insight into her psyche formed by an unusually liberal upbringing, surrounded by nudeness in an otherwise stern Catholic environment. Each photograph features her own ageing father, caught in his obsession with the perfect physique, as well as herself, the daughter, now as a grown woman intensely aware of her own sexuality.

The exhibition highlights the complex dynamics of this very personal relationship, displaying a fa-ther and a daughter sometimes close, but also so far apart that they are seemingly invisible to each other.

The personal feel is not limited to the photographic work but is supported by the installation itself, which features bodybuilding equipment transported from the father’s gym in Poland.

The exhibition is extended until 18th of May at Tommy Simoens Gallery in Antwerpen.

www.tommysimoens.com

Art

Autonomous Intimacy

Every house is unique and has therefore its very own autonomous intimacy. It has an atmosphere that emerges out of a few characteristic factors; the place where it is situated, the people who live in that house, and their specific interests are aspects that create a certain interior. Rugstar decided to delve deeper into these autonomous spheres to find out more about the underlying influences of houses and how Rugstar’s carpets became part of their very own intimate interior.

Starting in Berlin, one of the most eccentric cities of Europe with a very autonomous identity.18 interiors styled by Rugstar were shot by Local photographer Michael Tewes. Each picture tells the home its intimate individual story. The setting appeals to your imagination about the people, their relationship and their lives that largely take place here. Berlin is a very open-minded city and also the people who live here have largely incorporated this thought into their personal environments. Styles are provocatively combined with each other and produce fascinating compositions that create a layered and profound story about what is going on inside these walls. Rugstar’s beautiful rugs are off course leading and add an individual element to each interior with themes like Adam & Eve, The Garden of Eden, and many more.

The second city is Portland, one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world with a very urban lifestyle. Photographer Laurie Black based in Portland took Rugstar to all the different kinds of homes in this very green metropolitan. Classic, authentic interiors are embellished with carpets containing graphic natural animal and plant prints executed in soft colors. These prints embody the Portland lifestyle wherein nature is fully coalesced with the urban city life. The inhabitants here have found a way to create an intimate urban design place that honors nature to the fullest.

The intimacy project is an expression of love for personal stories and through which inspirations they came about. In exchange for these, the Rugstar team will cook and share their vision about styling, designing and craftsmanship. Next stop: Beijing! Are you ready to share your autonomous story?

www.rugstar.com

Fashion

What Was I?

By Goshka Macuga and Fondazione Prada

Who am I, who do I want to become? Questions that we ask ourselves all the time. We always want to go forward and therefore we hardly ask ourselves whom we were. Through the years, our society changed by shifting into a fully technological civilization.

Polish installation artist Goshka Macuga created in collaboration with Fondazione Prada an intriguing exhibition that will be presented in the Prada Rong Zhai residence (1918) in Shanghai from 23 March to 2 June 2019.

Macuga created an imagination of a post-Anthropocene epoch that gives a sense of the world after the collapse of humankind due to the affects of technological overdevelopment. An android designed by Macuga and produced in Japan by A Lab (presented already in 2016 by Fondazione Prada in Milan) is taking you on an unexpected journey. The android proclaims in its repeating monologue that he is the depot of all human knowledge. This futuristic imaginative scenario no longer has a human perspective and reflects therefore on the dramatic question: “What was I?” The voice of this creature is the one of Frankenstein the protagonist from the gothic novel “Frankenstein” written by Mary Shelley in 1818, to add an extra post-apocalyptic sphere.

In this story, the Android occupies all the rooms of the Rong Zhai residence wherein he is revealing his very own art collection: 26 pieces from the Prada Collection including several Italian art masterpieces, from 1958 to 1993, as well as 3 recent paper collages by the artist, part of the series ‘Discrete Model.’

Many influences pass by; a selection of artists from the German Zero-group and the Italian and French Programmed and Kinetic Art movement with names as Jan Schoonhoven, Luis Tomasello, Grazia Varisco, and Nanda Vigo who all explore the complexity of computer-animated, geometric shapes that have their own autonomous alphabet of forms. The Android is enclosed by a constellation of artworks produced by Italian artists, Enrico Castellani and Piero Manzoni who composed a language without images. Lastly we see Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana, Francesco Lo Savio, Salvatore Scarpitta, Turi Simeti and Giuseppe Uncini, presenting new experiments in order to overcome physical and symbolic boundaries in an unconventional way by integrating art more deeply into reality.

The artists and their work each contribute in their own way to a new sense of human consciousness about an intimate habitat that may start its own existence at any moment.

www.fondazioneprada.org

Fashion

Seriously Studious

In Paris this week, as a celebration of the tailored sensibilities in menswear, Thom Browne presents its studious, sturdy looks catered for women. Serious, scholarly looking models appear bespectacled, donning attire displaying rigorous couture craftsmanship.

A decade since Manhattan based Thom Browne first launched his vision in Europe, the seed of an idea that has ignited an ever-evolving and expanding brand, is resown and replicated for this Fall / Winter collection. Full wardrobes are strictly tailored, aptly reinvented for a modern climate where women adopt the roles traditionally dominated by men; socks, briefcases and brogues. Here the fashion follows, yet retains a strictness and playfulness full of charisma and character.

The clear base of the looks leaves ample room for experimental invention and creation and it is here that Thom Browne’s brand signature is full realised and used as a canvas for playful exploration with plenty of embellishments, grosgrain tape and duck motifs. All the outfits, from chesterfield coats and checked tweeds and wools, create a trompe l’oeil effect showing off details born from a real technical prowess.

www.thombrowne.com

Fashion

Restrained Classicism

In Paris this week, Hermes proves time again that conservative fashion rules this season, presenting garments that are subtly constructed to last for generations. Proving less is more, the collection is classically chic and brimming with Parisian style, restrained yet by no means dull. Classicism here is interpreted rather as a modern way of viewing life, resisting wastefulness, rejecting whims and crafting garments with longevity.

Bourgeois looks are stapled with simplicity and this is key to the entire collection. Leather skirts are textured, nipping in long sleeved printed silks at the waistline. Leather is utilised to the absolute maximum; a textile in its own singular right.

Outerwear is of course taken account for, calfskin dressings exhibit meticulous seamings that contour the silhouette in a breathtaking and striking manner. Camel-hair cocoon coats are adorned with polyhedron shaped buttons, this and exterior leathers concealing soft goose feather interiors that offer style and utility. Layers play an important role, contributing a sense of comfort and effortless attitude spearheaded by the wearer. Hermes at their best  champion well-made pieces and unyieldingly showcase their timeless values.

 www.hermes.com

Fashion

A Retrospective of Icons

KENZO La Collection Memento N ° 4 presents a selection from it’s stunning emblematic archive by putting the most creative printed prints on the map again. Both the fun and whimsical side of Kenzo Takada is clearly presented. His striking attitude towards fashion, his partiality for food and above all entertainment form a broad palette of inspiration.

Historical icons such as the tiger (coming from the men's collection spring-summer 1991), appears this season again in new expressions and embellishments. The tiger is KENZO's eternal dedication, a symbol of strength, something that must always be there to move on. Photorealistic airbrush tigers are made in two colors on T-shirts, sweaters or shirts of cotton poplin. The "running tiger motif" and the "spring tiger" (from the women's autumn-winter collection 1983) are extravagantly released in gold, burgundy and leopard prints, depicted on the "Jungle" bomber jackets, dresses and knitted tops and skirts.

Secondly, do you remember besides the tiger, the other iconic symbol? It is the hyper real painted tomato in either red or yellow. The tomatoes became big in KENZO’s Spring Summer men’s collection in 1992. The tomatoes are pictured on comfy cotton pieces, short sleeve archival smock dresses and mesh shirts.

Lastly this new edition of prints also introduces great line of bags – bumbags, backpacks, totes and the reversible “Knot” bag – also printed on caps and slip on trainers.

This innovative and exciting collection embodies KENZO's valuable design heritage, which can continuously adapt to the latest trends.

www.kenzo.com

Fashion

Apocalyptic fantasy

“When control is released, chaos is created that will lead to innovation and a new imaginative realism.”

With this thought, Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient designed the new futuristic collection for Ottolinger. The old wooden theater of the Lycee Jacques Decour turned into a perception-disturbing environment, where lights flashed and overwhelming metallic sounds filled the room. Chaos was clearly the key to a new sort of innovation in this collection.

The aesthetic codes are emphatically based on the unusual; for example psychedelic check knits are incorporated in denim and sportswear. Asymetric tops and trousers are executed in torn fabrics, body-outfits made of flannel. The creative duo focused on completely technical textile looks. Ski outfits shaped as spatial uniforms enhanced the female silhouette. They are tailor-made copies, easy to carry, creative but very elegant.

Ottolinger tells the story of a civilization that is led by unpredictable movements - another planetary system. The elaboration is based on speculative dreams that leave much to the imagination.

www.ottolinger.com

Fashion

It's All About Glamour

MaxMara makes crystal clear in their Fall / Winter line that women need not suppress their glamorous side in order to be taken seriously. The old age debate has been settled. Not only does glamour empower women but it is all about the clothes and how they make you feel that allows you to shine and ultimately triumph.

Defying all conventions of dress, the collection exhibits strong silhouettes at the shoulder that expand wider, boxier and leggier down the form. Artfully bound in leather, plush alpaca, camel and cashmere, all the fabrics sink into one another and are fabulously topped off with statement thigh high boots.

Skirts appear cut from men’s pants, hanging softly both above the knee and grazing the ankles and svelte polo sweaters put the power in power dressing.

For the working women, beautifully tailored utility vests, jackets and cargo shorts are adorned with multiple zips and pockets. Technicolour total looks bring a refreshing lightness and positivity to the line. MaxMara at their very best, designing and making clothes that put you in the mood to take on the workplace, the party, the world, even when you do not at first in the right state to do so. The collection presents the best and boldest of women's ability and potential in universally flattering tones and movable, soft fabrics.

www.maxmarafashiongroup.com

Fashion

Zegna Brings Italy To Manhattan

Down Manhattan’s 4 West 57th Street in the historic Crown Building, Zegna launches their three-story high global store. A world leader in luxury menswear, Zegna have enlisted renowned architect Peter Marino for this bold chapter in Zegna’s history.

Within this expansive retail space of 600 square maters, customers can begin their virtual journey through the Zegna world, following the ever-changing ephemeral installation all year round. Façade metallic strings overlay two stories of glass, illuminated by LED lights when the sun goes down. The effect is an emotional fil rouge shadowing the visitor right from the external window display to the very heart of the store.

The ground floor presents leather goods and shoes, all uplifted by neutral tones of cerused ashwood, mahogany and vals stone. An unusual wooden box structure envelops the entire space, creating an aesthetic thread that runs seamlessly between the three levels.

The third floor showcases Sartoria, Luxury Leisurewear, Couture and a specially designed personalised room: the open space hosted by a master tailor to assist meet all needs. A glance around reveals a fusion of modernist and vintage elements with matte teak and laquered wood. Extra details include a welcoming Italian bar, a Gardella lounge chair on a geometric patterned carpet and historical photos that surround the space.

An intimate environment showcasing bespoke clothing speaks right to the brand’s heritage; the very notebook Ermenegildo Zegna carried on his founding trip to NY in 1938 inspiring the collection. Now, a new generation of American men can uncover modern luxury rooted in quintessential Italian style.


www.zegna.us

Fashion

A Transatlantic Aura

Longchamp, NY Fashion week Fall/Winter 2019

Creative director Sophie Delafontaine led us through a beautiful independent journey of self-discovery that embodied the free-spirited aura of traveling women. Longchamp its Fall / Winter collection is characterized by an intrinsic rock 'n' roll attitude with influences derived from places located between Paris and New York. In order to emphasize the spirit of travel, the models parade across a carpet that is inspired by a traditional landing strip designed by Andrée Putman.

The 70-year-old Longchamp brand founded by Jean Cassegrain and still owned by the Cassegrain family, is the ultimate symbol of effortless Parisian femininity. Over the years, the brand continuously translated this characteristic into a contemporary version. The nomadic character is realized in silk dresses and pleated skirts made out of embroidered tulle or delicate woolen mesh. This dreamy bohemian look is interspersed with fresh, cool contrasting pieces that consist of black leather tops and architectural coats with graphic or Apaloosa prints that indirectly represent New York as vibrant, world metropolitan city. Details like grosgrian ribbons and hard silver studs give the elegance a sturdy rock edge. Delafontaine lets contrasts blend together by mixing textures, silhouettes and patterns and matching them with dynamic extremes. Several Bauhaus artists whom are central worldwide this season indirectly inspire this approach.

The sense of division and coolness is a prevailing feeling today in metropolitans. This feeling is clearly present, especially in Longchamp’s new handbag collection, La Voyageuse. A vivid compact silhouette executed in many colors and fabrics available in two sizes for both travelling short and long distances and is therefore a preferred travel companion.

This collection represents the idea of ultimate wanderlust and freedom. The attitude is owned by strong, independent women who effortlessly combine style and influences without any fear.

www.longchamp.com

Fashion

An Intriguing Her-interpretation

Prada unveils its 2019 Spring/Summer collection in a very special manner; the campaigns give the impression of scenes coming from early film posters. The collection will be presented into two films conducted by directors Willy Vanderperre and Benoît Debie.

The settings are classical, re-contextualized, enigmatic film scenes, which have been an endless source of inspiration and fascination for these collections. Each short film is an attractive puzzle piece, part of a larger whole that refers to the classic Hollywood genre. The unique sound pieces arranged by composer Frédéric Sanchez emphasize deeply this esoteric atmosphere even more.

The film-inspired stills do not show what you would expect; these do not conform to what already exists. The films are little portraits each containing an intriguing underlying message. A duality between what is already there and what reality could have been. Every protagonist including Daan Duez, Freja Beha Erichsen and Liu Wen discovers their different personal characters through the versatile facets of this Spring/Summer collection. The short films are an artistic stylized biographical documentary in which the viewer is exposed to the many possibilities that our reality may contain.

These short films will be revealed gradually on Prada's social media channels.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Tambour Horizon

Louis Vuitton introduces the Tambour Horizon watch; this fully connected piece embodies the spirit of travel and authentic craftsmanship. In contrast to the previous designs, this model allows you to personalise the dial with your own chosen watch face. Very extraordinary is the watch face; the design aesthetic refers to a classical Louis Vuitton runway show.

Louis Vuitton as a brand has symbolized “the art of traveling” for a very long time already. This watch is subversive, since it is able to synchronize all your travel information together in one place together with your agenda. Because the world has become increasingly polluted, Louis Vuitton has integrated a "Pollution" function that continuously displays the current air quality index on the dial.

The Tambour Horizon has a unisex case with a unique shape and is available in polished white ceramics, polished steel, matte black and brown Pvd and white with gem-set horns. The Tambour Horizon is the ultimate combination of smart and refined craftsmanship and technical excellence. The brown Pvd is especially symbolic; this color has been an integral part of Louis Vuitton’s aesthetic since 1854, used most prominently in the emblematic Monogram design.

www.louisvuitton.com

Cinema

Soggettiva 4 - Expressway Milano

Fondazione Prada’s Cinema presents the fourth chapter of the series “Soggettiva” with the title Expressway Milano made by Danish director Nicolas Winding. This chapter is a “cinematic journey into the rare and unknown” screening 13 forgotten American 1960’s/1970’s films from the online archive by Nico