Art

Hennessy X Jean-Michel Othoniel: A Precious Gem

Hennessy had partnered with renowned artist Jean-Michel Othoniel to create two decanters for the X.O collection. X.O by Hennessy is the first extra old Cognac and stands as a testament to the brand’s unparalleled expertise in blending and aging fine spirits.

This collaboration forms a continuation of Hennessy’s dedication to partnering with esteemed talents in art, fashion and culture to create exquisite works of art further elevating the Hennessy experience.

Jean-Michel Othoniel first crafted the X.O Masterpiece decanter seamlessly blending tradition and innovation as well as the artist’s signature style centering on a fascination with light and reflection. This Baccarat crystal decanter – destined to become a collectors item – is encased in hand-carved oak wood, reminiscent of Hennessy’s iconic barrels,shielded and protected akin to a precious jewel.

The collection is completed by the Hennessy X.O Limited Edition, which puts a more dramatic and avantgarde twist onto the meticulous design. This piece presents the decanter as a ruby red gem hidden beneath an intricate gold structure, which has a special opening mechanism allowing for bottle replacement or refilling in line with the brand’s commitment to sustainability.
Each edition is a testament to the power of reimagining familiar objects and infusing them with new meaning and beauty to create new magic paying meaningful tribute to the Maison’s long heritage.

www.hennessy.com

Fashion

Ten C Collaborating with Diemme - the New Anterselva

In October 2024 Diemme and Ten C announced the launch of their second footwear capsule collection, after the grand success of the first time they joined creative forces. The collaboration stands at the meeting point of Italian artisan tradition of Diemme and the functional and highly innovative approach of Ten C.

The new Anterselva – owing its name to the grand alpine lake located in the province of Bolzano – consolidating urban style and outdoor activity in one design. A version of the iconic and timeless Rosset model, with its characteristic robust aesthetic, typical of mountain footwear. The shoe appears minimalist, while maintaining its trekking functionality. Clean design, in neutral colors meets urban elegance - fully in line with Ten C’s aesthetic codes. The combination of highest quality Italian leather and Original Japanese Jersey, in accordance with the DNA of both brands, with longstanding heritage of an effort to ensure designs with great attention to craftsmanship – completely made in Italy.

The Anterselva is a unisex model. The design is presented in three colors, namely, beige, black and forest green. Anterselva boot is distributed in 45 boutiques worldwide and available on the e-shops of both brands.

tenc.com
diemme.com

Travel

Park am See Nattika – Relaxation at Your Doorstep

Hotel Park am See at the Western shore of the Tollensee in Mecklenburg Vorprommern has joined forces with Nattika Ayurveda to offer true relaxation only a stone throw away from the everyday. This collaboration is bringing authentic ayurvedic treatments to Germany, allowing you to find inner peace and calm without having to engage in a long and costly journey. This century old knowledge is brought by Nattika Beach Ayurveda Resort from Kerala, India which has been a hotspot for traditional treatments and retreats that are both open to people newly exploring its benefits and deeply rooted in the actual culture and history behind it. The Park am See Nattika is utilizing these principles not just through treatments such as massages, detoxes and yoga but also through culinary explorations, created by a talented chef specializing in ayurvedic cuisine which strengthens the body’s immune system. Guests are also able to take classes and learn these skills for themselves, to be a bit more centered and ready to take on challenges back at home. The rooms are outfitted to allow for a variety of durations of stay, from a quick weekend retreat to a longer journey of health and wellness, there is something for everyone. Blending together beautiful old German aesthetics and seemingly untouched nature with top of the line ayurvedic treatments – Hotel Park am See Nattika is a new oasis.

www.parkamseenattika.com

Fashion

Introducing Philos - the New Origins of Running

Recently launched Dutch brand Philos – focusing on everything running for the passionate female – has opened the doors to their first store in Amsterdam.

The new store is located in one of the Dutch capital’s most breathtaking areas, Spiegelgracht, emblematic of the city’s radiant scenery – a harmonious blend of breathtaking natural landscapes and striking architectural Rafinesse.
A visit to Philos can only be described as an exquisite experience, inspired by the ancient origins of running. Upon entering, one will be welcomed into ‘Philos Temple of Running’, inspired by the sport’s ancient roots.

Philos Running’s innovative concept, focusing on the specific needs of women in running sports, importantly broadens the growing female specialized high quality sportswear market. The brand’s concept, with its deeply personal history of origin, is fitting for a city like Amsterdam, with its progressive character and powerful community of female runners. Putting females first through creating a community of powerful women, inspiring and supporting each other.

Running is more than just a sport. It is a way for us as humans to connect with each other – through unleashing our innate need for self-expression.

The store – hosting the ‘Running Armor’ collection and ‘Philos Athena’ running shoes – can be visited at Spiegelgracht 21 in Amsterdam.

www.philos.run

Fashion

Marsèll Fall Winter 2024

In a campaign at the core of which lies art, Marsèll creates the path for innovation and architectural designs in fashion. In the latest Fall Winter 2024 collection, viewers are presented with the fundamental principles of the Italian brand: bridging two extremes – the celebration of materiality and functionality and the pursuit of essence and spirit.

Titled Fondamenta, translated from Italian to “foundations”, the new line introduces what initially feels like a Brancusian silhouette. The designer of the House shocks through a futuristic and structural shape which outlines the Fasma clutch. The star of the show, Fasma reflects the core values of Marsèll, blending art with technology, and craftsmanship with elegance. In the colors black, mist, and mortar, the minimalist clutch is crafted with fine leather which molds to the sharp edges and curves, which are brought together by the thin gold chain.

Representing the innovative thinking of bridging the gaps between art, fashion, design, architecture, and sculpture, the campaign has a clear and defined aim of professing renewed loyalty to the brand’s origins, creating a solid foundation upon which to keep reinventing its idea of the future repeatedly. Marsèll’s creative team pushes the boundaries of innovation in the Fall Winter 2024 campaign, and proposes minimalism as the next trend, while respecting tradition and the heritage of the brand.

www.marsell.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2025 PFW – Musings on the Suppleness of Structure

How to reconcile two antagonists, softness and power?

This is a question the Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2025 collection ponders at Paris Fashion Week. It comments on the soft power of French fashion as a shaping of culture as well as muses on the ways there can be power in softness and vice versa. The 2025 collection appears to be in constant movement creating contrasts from look to look but also within each one individually.

The show begins with structured jackets with large puffed sleeves reminiscent of the Renaissance in which Nicolas Ghesquière found inspiration for this collection. While the shape is historically inspired the fabrics and pairings are modern to a tee. With classic French stripes and paired with biker shorts, to create a look that seems like it should not work but does. Throughout the show there is a back and forth of this and softer less structured shapes with increasingly flowy and silky materials, you never know what to expect with the next outfit which builds the tension until the final looks.
The stars of the collection manage to combine both ideas into a harmonious yet exciting Grand Finale. Three unstructured jackets depicting paintings from artist Laurent Grasso’s Studies into the Past worn with glistening tassels on the bottom. These paintings combine modern celestial and atmospheric events with classic Renaissance painting style to result in a perfect mesh of the supposed contradictions of softness and power.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Hermès PFW Spring Summer 2025 – Sensual Summers Yet to Come

Step into the artist’s studio where silhouettes are composed through movement and where the sensuality of light reveals a multifaceted femininity that is forever evolving.
That is the atmosphere of the Hermès Spring Summer 2025 collection presented at Paris Fashion Week. Strongly anchored in the heritage of the artisans workshop this collection employs a deceptive simplicity that turns leather and fabric into a pathway for new perceptions. The materials skillfully outline the lines and curves of the body with silk mesh revealing glimpses of the skin beneath. The looks have a throughline of an assertive sensuality that is a celebration of the body also in its color scheme with garments focussing on the full spectrum of brown tones. The clothes are like a second skin, but not a thing to hide behind but something highlighting the beauty and confidence beneath.

Additionally, the collection focuses on a beauty in the use of your clothes, in the individual choice on how to wear them. This is demonstrated through the Birkin Bag turned inside out and carried upside down or sideways scrunching up the leather. People have become increasingly precious with their bags and this show highlights the free spirit they were supposed to evoke. Outerwear pieces adapt from a coat to a bomber jacket or a gilet, reminding us of the coexistence of style and function and the joy in versatility.

While a lot of the collection focuses on lines and curves with rather simple monochromatic colors there is also a refreshing use of patterns that lead back to the role of artisans and the joy of creation.

This collection is like a warm summer wind inviting you to a sensual adventure soon to come!

www.hermes.com

Fashion

KASSL Editions x TRETORN

October 4th can’t come soon enough for fashion and design lovers. The day bears exciting news, as KASSL Editions will open the doors to a new Amsterdam pop-up store, which represents a meaningful collaboration with the Swedish brand TRETORN. Envisioned by spatial designer Dennis Vanderbroeck, the space brings out the true aesthetic of KASSL and both brands’ dedication to make rainy weather fashionable.

The capsule collection clearly introduces the vision and the aim of the two brands – born in Amsterdam and Sweden – to combat bad weather in style. The collaboration presents functional rubber shoes and boots that are complementary to the rest of the KASSL Fall Winter 24 line. Reinterpreted by KASSL, a key element of the capsule collection is TRETORN’s iconic waterproof rubber shoe. Combining functionality with style, the renowned shape is meant to allow the wearer to perform daily tasks, and look cool and trendy while doing it. In spite of the Northern European weather, everyone should be able to go on with their lives with elegance. In addition to the water repellent shoe, the launch also adds a high boot and two ankle boot designs to the brands’ heritages, as well as a clog and a loafer. The common denominator in this capsule line is the sustainability oriented ethos, the drive to create something that stays fashionable in a responsible manner.That's why the shoe creators experimented with technical, eco-friendly materials that offer flexibility, allowing designers to incorporate intricate details. The collection explores a fall coded color palette, with Black, Coffee Brown, Moss and Cherry shades at the center of it.

Unique and creative, the concept store will soon be available not only at Van Baerlestraat, but also at de Bijenkorf in Eindhoven, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. Co-founder Bart Ramakers invites guests to dive into the joy of the collaboration: "At a time when the industry is dominated by large luxury brands and independent brands are struggling to survive, we are looking for meaningful partners who understand our values [...] We are excited to invite our customers to our pop-up that physically embodies the world of KASSL Editions.”

www.kassleditions.com
www.tretorn.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Bed Trunks

Labeled by Louis Vuitton himself as “a unique collector’s piece”, the iconic Bed Trunks are brought back by Maison’s creative directors, Nicolas Ghesquiere and Pharell Williams. First introduced in 1868, the Bed Trunk is a symbol of the everlasting savoir-faire of Louis Vuitton, honoring his work and the house’s heritage as a trunk maker.

The two new versions of the Bed Trunks are a testimony of Louis Vuitton’s love for travel, and reflect its core principles of innovation, creativity, and excellence. A blend of the traditional and the contemporary, the trunks were initially created for travelers, yet over the years became an object of admiration, frequently exposed at fairs, international exhibitions or campaigns. Respecting the classic design, the newly launched trunks feature a folding bed frame which holds a mattress covered with a topper secured with woven cotton straps, which helps travelers keep their personal belongings safe.

Standing in opposition to one another are the creations of Women’s Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière and Men’s Creative Director Pharell Williams. Incorporating elements from earlier collections, Ghesquière’s Bed Trunk introduces a modernized, futuristic vision of luxury travel. Taking inspiration from the Cruise 2023 collection for the outside and from the Spring Summer 2018 for the inside, the artistic director uses engraved metal plates and reinvented corner pieces. A combination of floral motifs and innovative materials gives Nicolas Ghesquière’s design a sense of forward-thinking creativity, adding to the avant-garde element of Louis Vuitton. On a more classical note, Pharell Williams follows a timeless, archival design on the outside, which he combines with a red and white stripe pattern on the inside, embellished by the “LV Lovers” embroidery.

Available for a limited period at the Saint-Germain-des-Prés store and the Hôtel Cheval Blanc in Paris, the Bed Trunks are a celebration of continuous inspiration and appreciation of the past.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Diesel MFW Spring Summer 2025 – Traversing the Indigo Wasteland

The Diesel MFW Spring Summer 2025 show was more than a runway show, instead audiences were offered a full immersive experience. This presentation bridged the gap between sustainability, art, innovation and the heritage of the Diesel brand.

The runway is made up of 14.800kg of a giant rectangle of denim scraps (to be repurposed after the show), which the models walked down in intricate choreography. Over the speakers music is joined by a voiceover of a monotone voice discussing the history and creation of denim. Both elements are equally contradictory as well as perfectly aligned in a strange and haunting way. The eerie elements are elevated by the models in various hues of contact lenses, from full white and black to piercing green and blue – they are beautiful aliens walking through the waste of our world.

As could be expected based on the set the collection centers denim in all its shapes and forms especially distressed. The models walk through the mounds of denim waste in clothing made from the same material, blending in and standing out. This highlights the beauty in waste and a parallel to the purposeful distressing of the new collection with a focus on true circularity. Instead of mere claims to change and attempting to hide the waste of fashion, Diesel is embracing it and has taken on the challenge to be circular yet innovative.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

La Double J at Milan Fashion Week – The Sisterhood of the Travelling Sound

Fashion has the potential to be a spiritual experience, and I am not talking about feeling blessed by the last piece in your size in a sample sale. The things we wear and the stuff we surround ourselves with have a tremendous impact on ourselves and our inner life.

So, La DoubleJ is inviting audiences at Milan Fashion Week to take a real step back from the chaos and take part in a spiritual journey unlike anything else. The Milan-based brands Spring collection is centered in an enormous sacred geometry installation created with local artist JoAnn Tan, at the stunning Centro Filologico in Milan. Yellow lines from floor to ceiling create a connection and make it feel like you step inside this place of wonder. The clothes are presented on mannequins as well as chicly hung on clothing racks and are in and of themselves a reason to smile. Colorful prints in understated, wearable cuts that seem like a joy to wear.

Unlike a traditional fashion show though, the fashion presented was merely an element of a five-hour sound energy bath guided by different practitioners. Audiences were invited to take part and become part of this community. And community is the key word, as this event also launched the new “the Sisterhood” program which offers members access to vibration raising digital practices and in-person experiences. The Sisterhood is led by eight big sisters, the inner circle of spiritual advisors, who function as energy-raising ambassadors and offer exclusive events to raise one’s vibration.

www.ladoublej.com

Fashion

Emporio Armani in Milan

The newly renovated Emporio Armani flagship store in Milan is an ode to the brand’s commitment to sustainability. Joining the rest of the Armani group locations – Emporio Armani Ristorante & Caffè, Nobu Milano, Armani Hotel, and the Privé club – the store reopens in the famous ‘A’ shaped building on Via Gastone Pisoni 1.

Recalling the first ever Emporio Armani store, Giorgio Armani says “The space soon became a key gathering point for Milanese locals and visitors alike. After all this time, I thought the moment had come to update the design, using new technology and opening the windows to emphasize the dialogue between inside and out”. In doing so, and respecting original structures, he collaborated with his team for a renovation that would reflect contemporary design and meet the sustainability standards that Emporio Armani has set. The use of LED screens on the ceiling, the transparent tables, and the LED video parallelepipeds confer the space a futuristic feel, creating a dynamic play of references to the themes of Armani collections. Additional details such as the carefully chosen materials – eco-resin and cement – and the neutral tones around the store provide visitors with a refined sense of elegance and sustainability, while the seamless integration of modern technology enhances the overall experience, reinforcing the brand's commitment to innovation and environmental responsibility.

In its journey of becoming a leading brand in the sustainability area, Emporio Armani has begun the process of obtaining the highest level of LEED certification. Last, but not least, the team is using the renowned boutique as a method of promoting the “Milano Green Circle” project that involves the renaturalisation of the city and supporting the broader sustainability goals of the Armani Group.

www.armani.com

Fashion

Fendi MFW Spring Summer 2025 - One for the Ages

The Fendi Spring Summer 2025 runway at Milan fashion week is monumental, and I am not merely talking about the column silhouettes prominently featured. This collection designed by Kim Jones is presented in celebration of the Houses 100th year in business. A grand feat speaking to its strong standing as a family business passed down through matriarchal line with an illustrious heritage, as well as an ability to go with the forever changing tides of fashion.

The collection draws from the year Fendi was founded – 1925 – with dropped waists and intricate embroidery and fringes. Additionally, the designer worked with and considered the four generations of Fendi women who set the course for the brand’s success and history and through its direct discussion over the speakers at the show allows the audience to reminisce alongside the family business.
Altogether, this results in a celebration of womanhood and female fashion. Walking down the runway are all different types of Fendi women, sporting looks ranging from sheer ornamental celebrations of the female form that are simply jaw dropping displays of craftmanship to more androgynous looks that radiate contemporary chic.

All are united in their confidence and certainty. They are a Fendi woman.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Unseen Photo Fair

From the 20th to the 22th of September, Unseen Photo Fair returns to Westergas for its twelfth edition. Dedicated to those who love photography and art, the event will host the works of international artists and up and coming talents, and will consist of 4 main attractions: the Main Fair, the Book Market, the Unbound section, and the City Programme.

With over 70 exhibitors, the Main Fair is one of the most seeked out experiences of Unseen. This year, the Fair proudly introduces new artists from all over the world: Open Doors from London, MotorMond from Amsterdam, and Einspach from Budapest. Long term exhibitors such as Steiglitz19 (Antwerp), Annet Gelink, Viviane Sassen, and Ellen de Bruijne return to showcase their newest works, some of which can be found in museums worldwide. As part of the Main Fair, the Past / Present area features beautiful presentations, including Depth of Field – a set of photographs that blend the past and the present, with a focus on textile imagery. Highlights include an exceptionally rare and significant historical photograph of the renowned 'Shroud of Turin,' also called the 'Holy Shroud.'

Those who share a passion not only for photography, but also for books, can delight themselves in the Book Market, where they can find a deliberate mix of internationally renowned veterans and young publishing initiatives. Apart from the venue at Westergas, Amsterdam offers many photography exhibitions that reflect the city’s love for art.
Whether you’re captivated by contemporary works, rare historical images, or the art of photobooks, this year’s edition has something for everyone.

www.unseenamsterdam.com

Fashion

Sultry Summer Nights with Versace Eros Energy pour Homme

Out of the 7 types of love, eros – the love of the body – has always been associated with passion and vigour. This is nowhere better represented than in Versace’s fragrance Eros Energy pour homme which combines sultry notes of musk and patchouli with refreshing citrus scents of bergamot, lemon and grapefruit just to name a few. Through its simultaneous refreshing and sensual nature, it represents a Mediterranean summer flirt in a bottle.

Similar to the best love affairs, the six different citrus notes that form the head of the perfume mirror the first spark of appeal and attraction, the refreshment of meeting someone’s eyes on a hot summer’s day. The heart notes deepen the fragrance with Pink Peppercorn, Blackcurrant and White Amber and form a delicious blend that complements the citrus headnotes and provides a whiff of passion and desire that lingers beneath the first infatuating spark. Lastly, the fragrance exhibits a strong base of Patchouli, Musk and Oakmoss which turns the sensual elements into a bodily feeling and provides an earthy balance reminiscent of those summer nights where anything can happen. Together they form a warm embrace that invigorates and envelopes the wearer and those around him.

The bottle itself adds perfectly to the opus of the Eau de Parfum – the sunny yellow color highlights the fresh citrus notes within while the classic Versace Medusa forms the center of the bottle creating strong visual emotions even at just one single glance. The Versace Eros Energy Eau de Parfum pour homme is the perfect blend of passion, elegance and strength as well as the undeniable joie de vivre experienced on a Mediterranean summer vacation.

www.versace.com

Fashion

Krug X Flower Concept Bar

For over 150 years, Krug has been an industry leader, known for one of the most refined and of the utmost quality champagnes. Founded in Reims, France, by Joseph Krug, the essence of the Maison lies in its mastery and innovative creations that redefine Champagne making, delivering exceptional quality and an unparalleled sensory experience with every bottle.

Each year, the Krug House highlights a unique ingredient in its culinary creations. To celebrate a decade since the event first debuted, Krug chose flowers as this year’s ingredient. Paying homage to ancient civilizations, the use of edible flowers blends beautifully with the sparkling taste of champagne, forming a harmonious fusion of history and elegance that enhances the sensory experience of each glass. From the Romans' use of rose petals in salads and omelets to the Victorians' candied violets on desserts, flowers have long been celebrated in cuisine. Most recently, Maison Krug has partnered up with Maximilian Gradl, owner of the Ory Bar in Munich, and German chef Jan Hartwig, for the opening of Krug x Flower Concept Bar, a concept that pairs champagne with flowers. Starting on September 11th, visitors will be able to delight themselves with Michelin star amuse-bouches, accompanied by a glass of the finest Krug Grande Cuvée or Krug Rosé.

As a symbol of culinary innovation and historical appreciation, Maison Krug continues to carry on Joseph Krug’s legacy as a visionary and an artist.

www.krug.com

Fashion

Gucci FW24 – Exploring Harmony in Contrast

The Gucci FW24 women’s campaign presents a world of harmonious contrasts and a strong link to the brand’s heritage through accessories.

Compared to recent Gucci Ancora campaigns living in abstraction this collection seeks to create a narrative between personalities and clothes. In an intimate setting every look and expression adds to the continuous dialogue between model and garment. A juxtaposition of delicate embroidered slip dresses and rich wool coats creates a wearable sensuality that defies notions of frailty and embraces unconventional notions of femininity. Moreover, the classic soft earthy tones of fall and winter are complemented by surprising bursts of color to brighten up the colder months.

The center point of this campaign can be found in its accessories, especially bags. The Gucci B bag is a new take on archival pieces originating from the 1950s. The relaxed and oversized silhouette is both effortlessly chic and practical for daily wear.

Additionally, the GG Milano bag is making its debut, paying homage to the vibrant creative city it bears the name of as well as Creative Director Sabato De Sarno’s personal reflection on Milan as a continuous source of inspiration.

Lastly, the continuously adored Gucci Jackie is available in new colorways, a fresh take on a timeless staple.

www.gucci.com

Travel

Coqui Coqui X H&M Home

H&M Home is collaborating with lifestyle and fragrance brand Coqui Coqui Residences & Spa, launching a 26-piece collection for a curated home and a stylish getaway available now.

This collection includes many reinterpretations of classic Coqui Coqui pieces that have become synonymous with the brand such as blankets and pillows rimmed by tassels in shades of beige reminiscent of sandy beaches in tropical places. This is complemented by new additions such as a porcelain tea set with a palm tree motive and gold accents which perfectly goes with the gold stainless steel tray table for a perfect feeling of comfortable decadence in the home. Additionally, travel enthusiasts can find joy in the beach bag and towel featuring the Coqui Coqui logo in a prominent yet sophisticated manner.

The centerpiece of the collection though is formed around the two new fragrances specially created in Grasse for this collaboration. Flores de Yucatan and Vétyvers du Pacifique are available as room sprays, diffusers, scented candles and scented cards, allowing for a sensory island getaway from anywhere. This collaboration makes it possible to create a true home away from home and is now available in select stores and online.

www2.hm.com

Fashion

Breitling Pop-up in Paris

Breitling, the renowned Swiss luxury watch brand, has inaugurated its newest pop-up store on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Marking a significant milestone, this establishment is not only the largest watch boutique on the Champs-Élysées but also one of the largest worldwide. The opening of the store coincides with the celebration of Breitling's "140 Years of Firsts," in the journey of its historic achievements.

Located at 76 Champs-Élysées, the 400-square-meter lifestyle space offers an immersive experience of Breitling's world. From July, watch enthusiasts can explore a wide selection of items that seamlessly blend innovative technology with exquisite design, representing the brand’s various themes. Moreover, this pop-up store will nestle down in Paris permanently in 2025, at 78 Champs-Élysées, to welcome Parisian customers. The pop-up store will host special events, gatherings, and exclusive partnerships to celebrate the brand’s anniversary, emphasizing the connections between time, adventure, and innovation. In particular, visitors can also personalize their watches with a variety of straps with after-sales service.
www.breitling.com

Fashion

Blauer FW24 Campaign

Blauer’s FW24/25 campaign, titled “The Soul of Seoul,” explores the Korean wave against the backdrop of the extraordinary metropolis in South Korea. The true Korean essence infuses the dynamic energy of the city into Blauer’s iconic archive pieces, which reference police and military-inspired designs.

Once again shot by the renowned James Mollison, his distinct sensual vision created captivating scenes where an exotic urban vibe merges with Blauer’s American identity. The FW24/25 collection features leather and shearling jackets, as well as down jackets, combined with archival pieces in various fabrics such as knit, wool, nylon, and denim. These elements offer a relaxed feel while presenting a new vision of freedom that transcends borders and remains timeless.

The campaign showcases South Korea's cultural diversity, featuring various local artists including tattoo artists like Greem Jeong and Hyo Seong Kim, professional models such as Guy Park, Daria, Alexander, Hwan, Dain, and David, as well as sports trainers, musicians, and DJ Minju Kim. Filming took place at some of Seoul’s most iconic locations, including Sindang-dong, known for its Jung-ang market frequented by young artists, and the Hongje Yuyeon gallery beneath the Hongje River bridge. Other hipster areas include Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Greem Jeong's studio in Hongje, the Han River with Jamsu Bridge, and the Undept Café. Moreover, the Haebangchon district, known for its breathtaking panoramic views of Seoul, conveys the city's beauty. Overall, the FW24/25 campaign is a tribute not only to fashion but also to the vibrant culture and creativity that Seoul represents today.
www.blauerusa.com

Fashion

TOM FORD PRE-SPRING 2025 WOMENSWEAR

The Tom Ford Pre-Spring 2025 Womenswear collection encapsulates the glamorous, seductive aesthetic that lies at the core of the brand. Connecting past and present fashion, the latest womenswear collection redefines Tom Ford's iconic style, infused with sophisticated modern elegance. This glamorous, nostalgic collection is inspired by Veruschka, the legendary German model and artist. Back in late 60s and 70s, her iconic bohemian maximalist style was an inspiration for prestigious photographers and big brands such as YSL, Tom Ford, and Dolce & Gabbana. Now, Veruschka’s influence seamlessly blends with Tom Ford's essence in this resort collection, evoking nostalgia for the brand's glamorous past.

Slinky trouser suits, mini skirts, and cotton-drill jumpsuits reveal body silhouettes, while glamorous flyaway caftans and mini dresses with ruffle details highlight feminine allure, embodying a luxurious and modern ethos in Tom Ford. These pieces present subtle nods to iconic images of Veruschka, showcasing her in outfits such as an Yves Saint Laurent 1976 safari jacket or an A-line micro-dress with a cross-ribbon neckline. Indeed, the collection embodies contemporary feminine glamour with a slight touch of retro, evoking the heyday of the brand and paying homage to its rich history and heritage.
www.tomford.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Store Opens in Düsseldorf

Louis Vuitton brings exciting news to German customers with the opening of a new store in Düsseldorf on July 5, 2024. The new store embodies the synergies of fashion, art, and the architecture of the lively city, offering the essential dimensions of Maison Louis Vuitton.

The store's atmosphere revolves around a modern spatial concept, highlighting refined materials such as natural stone and exquisite wood to provide customers with a unique shopping experience. Especially, the architecture and interior design were crafted by New York architect Peter Marino, featuring linear silhouettes and modern, minimal elements. A sophisticated lighting setup guides customers through the contemporary and elegant space, allowing them to delve deeper into the exclusive heritage and craftsmanship of the house. The store presents both womenswear and menswear, including ready-to-wear items, accessories, small leather goods, shoes, and jewelry. Moreover, in keeping with Louis Vuitton's dedication to the essence of travel, the store also offers Louis Vuitton signature travel pieces, such as the iconic Keepall and the innovative Horizon trolley designed by Marc Newson.
www.louisvuitton.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

LOUIS VUITTON MEN FW2024 CAMPAIGN

Louis Vuitton has unveiled the latest campaign for the Men’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection. Dreamed up by Pharrell’s vision, the FW menswear pieces were staged against a sprawling desert with a distant view of snow-capped mountains in the campaign. And there is the hero, cowboys, and horses.

For the FW season, the Louis Vuitton Men’s collection centers around the iconic cowboy. The cowboy-themed collection depicts a magical display of savoir-faire, inspired by workwear with roots in the American Western wardrobe. The campaign captures the adventurous journey of cowboys through both images and stylishly filmed videos. The cowboy models in the campaign are subtly mysterious yet stylish, while exuding grandeur, transforming the frontier fashion through sophisticated aesthetics and styling. The cowboy-inspired ensembles represent a unique yet elegant look: cowboy hats, cowboy boots, blanket coats, embroidered shirts, jeans, suits, and leather jackets.

Above all, the classic American Western style is elevated with delicate embellishments of pearls, metal studs, and turquoise button accents on most outfits. In particular, a blue Louis Vuitton Speedy bag is a key piece to achieve the Louis Vuitton cowboy look, adding vivid color accents to the Western cowboy style.
www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Men’s Milan Fashion Week – Doucal's

Luxury Italian brand Doucal's showcased its timeless Italian shoe collection during Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy. Doucal's Spring/Summer 2025 collection embodies the “slow life” focused on timeless and authentic Italian charm, woven by the skillful touch of artisans while highlighting the brand's 50-year legacy of enduring craftsmanship and excellence in shoemaking.

The slow life concept invites the audience into a timeless Mediterranean experience, infused with Italian spirit and rich heritage, presenting the journey as an inspiring and sensational voyage envisioned by the Italian brand. Revolving around the "Mare Nostrum," a metaphor for the profound journey, the SS25 collection defines Italian timeless elegance and aesthetics through hand-crafted shoes.

Among the collection's pieces, the new full penny MARIO model stands out as the ultimate interpretation of this exploration. As a re-edited version of the iconic Penny Loafer, launched to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary, the new full penny MARIO model features semi-lining and is produced with Soft Blake workmanship. Its memory foam midsole features elegant yellow leather and the brand’s monogram and offers great comfort. Moreover, the light leather sole boasts the iconic Golden Cream tread, enhanced with a non-slip rubber insert. The choice of materials and hues is diverse, ranging from five color variations in suede to three color choices in Nappa calfskin leather. The sumptuous Italian material exudes a formal yet soft and light quality, fitting the shoe like a glove. The elegant loafer is perfect for achieving a classic Italian style, with versatile options like casual denim or classic long trousers. This Mediterranean-inspired collection offers an enchanting voyage into contemporary elegance with a truly Italian timeless appeal.
www.doucals.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

Tod’s Milan Fashion Week – Men’s SS 2025 Collection

Aiming to revolutionize fashion in the same way artificial intelligence revolutionized the tech world, Tod’s SS 2025 campaign introduces Artisanal intelligence. With this collection, the team at Tod’s, led by Creative Director Matteo Tamburini, shifts its focus to offering the ultimate quality, while adding contemporary elements that bring the savoir faire of authentic Italian style.

While artificial intelligence still casts uncertainty over its capabilities, Tod’s artisanal intelligence plays an important role in encouraging customers to express confidence and embrace high-performance attitudes. Part of the Pashmy project, the collection draws the creative team closer to their goal of using exclusive materials known for their softness, lightness and silky touch.

The essence of Tod’s Spring - Summer 2025 is captured by the sixth look of the collection. Inspired by timeless elegance, Matteo Tamburini creates a sophisticated silhouette using pashmina as his central component of the look. The pashmina jacket – a piece of the Pashmy project – paired with the Bubble Gommino and the T Timeless shopper bag become essential items that contribute to the sense of classicism of any wardrobe. Complementary to pashmina are the fine leathers used to transport customers to a world of luxury, where relaxation and opulence meet.

Artisanal intelligence is the first ever Men’s collection designed by Matteo Tamburini, who places the development of individuals in the center of the creative process.

www.tods.com

Art

MONTBLANC HAUS Exhibition: INSPIRE WRITING | FILMMAKING

In Montblanc’s headquarters city, Hamburg, the first-class craftsmanship brand Montblanc unfolds its 100-year story of the Meisterstück with a temporary exhibition titled INSPIRE WRITING | FILMMAKING, presented at MONTBLANC HAUS.

The Meisterstück is one of Maison’s iconic writing instruments, boasting a high standard of performance, quality, and style with the signature Montblanc emblem. Over the past century, this sought-after writing instrument has undergone endless evolution, and its compelling story is celebrated through the exhibition.

Opening on June 6th, 2024, the exhibition honors the glorious journey of the legendary Meisterstück fountain pen, emphasizing the pivotal role of writing in filmmaking. It also showcases the new anniversary campaign dreamed up by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Wes Anderson. The exhibition takes visitors on a compelling journey through the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of the filmmaking process. From a source of inspiration progressing through ideas on paper to a re-imagined studio set for the brand’s campaign film, these unique installations offer sensory experiences to visitors in the filmmaking world.

Since its opening in Hamburg in 2022, MONTBLANC HAUS has been dedicated to narrating Montblanc’s history, craftsmanship, and the impact of its writing instruments. The INSPIRE WRITING | FILMMAKING exhibition highlights the value of writing in helping people express their full potential, emphasizing the profound connection between writing and the art of filmmaking.
www.montblanc.com

Fashion

A New Destination

On June 3rd, the first Vacheron Constantin boutique in Munich opened its doors, inviting guests, collectors, and flâneurs to venture into the Maison’s world of horlogerie. Located at Maximilianstraße 27, this stand-alone boutique is synonymous with Vacheron Constantin’s dedication to excellence.

Adorning the windows and interior of the boutique is the bespoke art installation “From Past to Present” by Munich-based artist Ruben Benjamin. Drawing inspiration from the flow of time, the pieces are defined by light and vibrant hues, filled with volume and texture that evoke a joie de vivre. Characterized by a pursuit of perfection, overcoming technical challenges and achieving virtuoso know-how, the installation aligns with the Maison’s values. Through the use of materials like acrylic glass and mirrors, “From Past to Present” creates a floating impression that transports visitors to the otherworldly realm of Vacheron Constantin.

Inside this one-of-a-kind interior, which features the Maison’s own design concept, guests can explore the Maison’s collections in comfort and elegance. Featuring all collections – Patrimony, Traditionnelle, Historiques, Overseas, Fiftysix, and Égérie – as well as exclusive in-boutique models, the Munich store stands as a living testament to the Maison’s rich heritage. This legacy is deeply intertwined with Germany, where Vacheron Constantin has nurtured an enduring and close relationship since 1847, when the first watches were sold to German clients.

The boutique also features a VIP area, which offers an intimate and private atmosphere, as well as exclusive services such as strap personalization. Additionally, a Watchmaking Panel provides a comprehensive overview of the crafting stages of the Maison’s iconic watches, including processes such as polishing, straightening, chamfering, and many others. Guests have the unique opportunity to meet an in-house watchmaker inside the boutique, adding a distinctive touch to their visit.

Combining heritage with modern aspects, the first Munich boutique of Vacheron Constantin is a must-see piece of art. From Benjamin’s art installation to the emblematic watchpieces, every small detail is meticulously thought through, reaching a standard of excellence that is embedded within the Maison’s DNA.

www.vacheron-constantin.com

Travel

Juvia by Paul & Shark

Juvia by Paul & Shark Paul & Shark, an Italian luxury clothing brand, draws upon its identity rooted in a passion for the sea for the upcoming project, Juvia by Paul & Shark.

A creative concept inspired by the history and identity of the island led the brand to a fantastic project on the island of Formentera: a stylish restaurant, the Juvia by Paul & Shark project. Continuing its summer customization project since 2023, Juvia by Paul & Shark is ready to serve customers for the summer of 2024 in the heart of Es Pujols, offering a fabulous ocean view of the island's crystal-clear waters. The island is a distant oasis suspended in time, and the restaurant's mesmerizing setting embodies the sophistication of the brand. The venue features light-colored, porous wood furniture and blue hues, all crafted primarily from recovered materials. In this spacious outdoor setting, customers can enjoy a relaxed atmosphere with exquisite Mediterranean cuisine and an array of signature cocktails, against the breathtaking backdrop of the sunset.

Beyond offering a luxurious dining experience, Juvia by Paul & Shark is dedicated to supporting the local community, which has always been at the heart of Paul & Shark's mission. Through the collaboration with Vellmarí, a local association focused on researching and protecting nature and the marine ecosystem, they continually contribute to planting vital aquatic plants, responsible for reducing Co₂ in water and fostering biodiversity.
www.paulandshark.com

Fashion

Aeternal Splendor

Bulgari unveils its sensational new campaign featuring global ambassadors Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Liu Yifei, celebrating personal renewal through ceaseless rebirth.
Since its creation in 1884, the Roman jeweler has been constantly renewing itself, finding an inexhaustible source of beauty and elevation.

Paying tribute to its 140 years of heritage, Bulgari invites on a journey of personal growth inspired by its majestic creations, symbols of strength and self-confidence.
Directed by Nathalie Canguilhem and photographed by Zoey Grossman, the campaign captures Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and Liu Yifei exploring Rome through a sequence of mirrors, reflecting their evolution and multiple facets. In the light of a Roman dawn, they shine in exceptional pieces from the Aeterna collection. Rome, an eclectic fusion of eras and styles, is captured in a new light, representing heritage and modernity.

This timeless city and Bulgari's incomparable jewels embody the ability to constantly reinvent oneself.
The Aeterna collecton launches worldwide on May 28, 2024, accompanied by a digital activation and a contemporary installation in the Piazza di Spagna, creating connections between legacy and future.
www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Walk Of Fame

Dior takes a new step in sneakers with the introduction of its Chrono Sneaker. With its sporty lines and refined details, this new pair is the fashion statement of the busiest days.

The silhouette is Y2K, and on the side are the initials CD, as a wink to the origins of the House and its founder, Christian Dior.
With a clear 2000s influence, the Chrono sneakers are the cool girls' pair. They feature star inserts, meaningful in the brand's imagery and a nod to Christian Dior, who was particularly attached to them.
Metallic colors and precise lines offer a pair that's as fashionable as it is comfortable, designed for the busy and the hurried, those who need sneakers that go with everything, anywhere, all the time, always with style.
www.dior.com

Fashion

The Grand Meisterstück Hotel

In honor of the Centenary of its fountain pen Meisterstück [Masterpiece], Montblanc unveiled a special campaign, called "Through the Eyes of Wes Anderson", for which the fabulous American filmmaker created and starred in a small commercial film. Wes Anderson also designed his own Montblanc pen, a limited-edition called the Schreiberling [The Scribbler], that will be released in 2025.

The brand celebrated this unique anniversary campaign with a grand event at the Paramour Estate in Los Angeles. Guests such as John Legend, Emma Roberts, and Emilia Schüle attended the evening, celebrating the Meisterstück's legacy amid the glamour of Hollywood's golden age.
Wes Anderson short’s film was unveiled, revealing to be set against the backdrop of the fictional Montblanc Headquarters atop Mont Blanc, the campaign features an ensemble cast including Rupert Friend, Jason Schwartzman, and Wes Anderson himself.
The guests were then able to explore a special exhibition showcasing the evolution of the Meisterstück design over the past century.

Opening the festivities to all cinema and writing lovers, Montblanc Chalet Pop Up in Beverly Hills is to be discovered until July 31st, offering an immersive experience to experts and the curious while celebrating the heritage of Montblanc's Meisterstück pen, and the unmatched cinematic vision of Wes Anderson.
www.montblanc.com

Fashion

H&M STUDIO RESORT CAPSULE

H&M’s most directional, fashion-forward offering, H&M Studio line has unveiled the Resort capsule collection. Inspired by dreamy Italian palazzos, swirling Venetian glass, and magical shell-encrusted grottoes, the collection channels a holiday state of mind. Drawing on the vibrant summer vibe in Italy, the collection purposed the summer holiday essential for escape to Italy. The optimistic, upbeat vibe comes with a feminine silhouette, and joyful prints while the Italian aesthetic is reflected on the sunset palette of tangerine, honey-yellow, and flashes of pistachio, with richly textured embroidery pieces. In particular, the eye-catching prints, golden-hour gowns along jet- set swimwear perfectly epitomized the easy beach style.

Overall, the collection is daring and dreamy. Especially, a slinky V-necked patterned dress and a honey-colored oversized suit are evening stand-outs. Moreover, the entirely beige tone outfits reminiscent of pure summer mood, such as the ruched two-piece consisting of a skirt and off-shoulder top as well as the crocheted detailed top evoke a feminine mood yet hold boldness. Also, elegant timeless black features several pieces, like a black ruffle-trimmed maxi kaftan, tailored blazers, and printed metallic swimwear. Meanwhile, bold accessories complete the maximalist mood such as gold leather sandals with distinctive texture, and a matching mini bag alongside sculptural and beaded jewelry.

The H&M Studio Resort capsule will be available in selected stores and online stores from May.
www.hm.com

Fashion

Art Champenois

Ruinart opened "Maison Ruinart 1729" last night, Wednesday, April 24, at Oranienburger Straße, Berlin. The event marked the House's second "Carte Blanche" collaboration, inaugurating a wonderful pop-up.
It will welcome visitors to the heart of the Champagne House's history from April 25 to 29.
For the occasion, Berlin's crème de la crème of artists and celebrities were invited to a festive and chic event dedicated to art and champagne.

The evening showcased the work of Henrique Oliveira, Marcus Coates, and Thijs Biersteker, three artists who have created unique installations for Ruinart, inspired by the treasures of the Champagne terroir.
It was a journey for the soul, as after admiring the works on display in the Art Gallery, guests were invited to take part in a multi-sensory experience based on the House's heritage. The trendy Veronika restaurant rounded off this sensory journey with culinary delights enhanced by Ruinart's new Chardonnay champagne, Blanc Singulier, which made its German premiere.
The event ended in music with a performance by the fabulous DJ Noah Becker, delighting special guests such as Maria Ehrich, Paul Schrader, Lea Zoe Voss, Kristian Schuller, and Annabelle Mandeng, and kicking off the wonderful Berlin "Maison Ruinart 1729" pop-up store.
www.ruinart.com

Fashion

A Puffy Silhouette for Cold Seasons

GG Milano is the new Gucci it-bag! Designed by Sabato de Sarno for the Italian House and unveiled during Fall-Winter 2024 Milan Fashion Week, the handle bag presents a puffy silhouette and is declined in stunning colours.
The GG Milano is an evolution and a reinterpretation of the GG Marmont silhouette and the emblematic codes of the House. Enhanced by the iconic Double G hardware, it takes the Fall-Winter silhouette to a new level and is the perfect fit for a cozy winter day or a crazy night out!
Sabato de Sarno said it to be a personal reflection on his arrival in Milan as well as a tribute to the vibrant city; infused with art, fashion, design, and a never-ending creative energy.
The GG Milano will be available worldwide, from September 2024, just in time for the fall glow.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

Rokh H&M Collection Event in London

In the heart of London, at Haymarket, H&M and Rokh celebrated their first-ever collaboration, “rokh H&M collection” with the fashion crowd. Numerous celebrities and influencers turned up to celebrate the festivities in the immersive setting designed by the visionary set designer, Jabez Bartlett while accompanying the classic melodies by members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, inspired by Hwang’s love of cinematic scores. The blessed guests, later, also enjoyed the exclusive DJ set by the experimental musician Arca, dressing the complete look of the collection, blending her genre-defying sense of style.

The one-of-a-kind collection, rokh H&M explored the complexities and possibilities in garments which tapped into both impeccable and delicate tailoring, showcasing exquisite silhouettes and attention to detail. The designer Hwang also added extra layers to his garment, merging and cutting the items, as well as transferring elements from one style to another, which is clear in the trench dress. The collection pieces are highly customizable in multiple ways. They can be either layered or adjusted or even worn backward. They also feature removable, adjustable elements, such as hems with hook-and-eye details and button-up seams. Focusing on multi-functional design, it allows the wearers to experiment and create the styles on their own, resulting in a one-of-a-kind style.

The rokh H&M collection will be available in the selected stores and online from April 18, 2024.
www.hm.com
www.rokh.net

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

Monogrammed Lifestyle

For Milan Design Week, Louis Vuitton introduces its latest Tableware collection, now in a chic beige hue, blending classic and contemporary styles. Crafted from exquisite Limoges porcelain, the Monogram Flower set exudes timeless elegance, featuring delicate watercolour motifs of the iconic Monogram flowers on a pristine white backdrop. From graceful plates to generous bowls and teapots, the collection sets a dreamy tone for every dining experience.
Complementing the Tableware collection are the exquisite Twist Glasses and Flower Carafes, available in a range of captivating hues, hand-blown by artisans in Murano glass. Each piece reflects Louis Vuitton's commitment to exceptional craftsmanship and individuality. The collection is now available online and in a selection of stores.

In another tribute to its legacy, Louis Vuitton presents the Bed-Trunk, a fusion of tradition and innovation. Inspired by the 1865 original, this updated version boasts the iconic Monogram Canvas exterior and a modern, aluminum, and beechwood interior. Designed for the discerning traveler, it seamlessly transforms into a comfortable bedframe, complete with a memory foam mattress and adjustable headrest. Available for pre-order starting April 16th, it's a testament to Louis Vuitton's enduring dedication to luxury and functionality.
www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Cynematic Wrist

Gucci High Watchmaking achieves unprecedented excellence through its latest innovations, seamlessly blending groundbreaking technology with its distinctive aesthetic. The House introduces the exclusive Gucci-signed minute repeater, a testament to its commitment to pushing horological boundaries. This remarkable timepiece celebrates the beauty of sound, employing cymatics for the first time in watchmaking while also paying homage to the harmony between nature's geometry and human artistry.

Additionally, the collection welcomes masterpieces showcasing cutting-edge innovation and precision. Among these groundbreaking releases is the GUCCI 25H Minute Repeater, marking a pinnacle in Gucci's watchmaking journey. Featuring a unique carillon minute repeater movement, it delivers a rich and complex sound akin to a musical instrument, activated innovatively by a rotating bezel.
The collection also includes the GUCCI 25H Skeleton Tourbillon line, boasting transparent sapphire glass and avant-garde design elements. The introduction of Gucci Interlocking introduces a fusion of flying tourbillon and jumping hours complications, housed in a striking cushion-shaped case.
To complete this line, the G-Timeless Planetarium dazzles with its rotating precious stones surrounding a central tourbillon, offering a mesmerizing display of color and light.
Each piece reflects Gucci's commitment to craftsmanship and innovation, ensuring a truly exceptional horological experience.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

On the Road

Amidst the winding roads, casting a glance at the path already traveled and the one awaiting footsteps, a new adventure begins. Maison Montblanc embarks on an exciting journey, unveiling its Spring/Summer 2024 leather collection. With a seamless harmony of style and functionality, the designs pave the way for innovation. As a nod to the Maison's traditions, heritage motifs are reimagined, taking on fresh formats and colors that resonate with the evolving tastes of a new generation of Montblanc customers.

Combining functionality with a sleek contemporary style, the Montblanc Extreme 3.0 collection ensures durability and performance. Completed by small accessories like wallets and card holders, the assortment serves as a reliable companion for a fast-paced lifestyle. Available in warm yellow and ink blue hues, the Montblanc Extreme 3.0 brings structure to unexpected daily adventures.

As an ode to the art of handwriting, the Sartorial collection emerges. From ink bottle shapes to envelope-like construction of the bags, this signature business collection is an aesthetically appealing masterpiece. As the protagonist hue of the new Sartorial assortment stands mastic, an elegant neutral brown tone that adorns bags and small accessories. A warm clay tone also plays its part, enriching the selection of small and medium-sized bags. Adding a playful touch, shades of steel, dusty blue and coral decorate wallets, card holders and pen pouches.

With a texture reminiscent of tree bark, evoking the origins of paper, the Montblanc 4810 collection offers a sensorial experience. Elegance intertwines with smart organization solutions, rendering it a perfect fit for the business world. Featuring a pale tone of green, pewter, as well as a light tone of gray, steel, the collection introduces new medium-sized shapes: the Montblanc 142 Bag and the Mini Messenger.

Tailored for business travelers, the #MY4810 lightweight trolley is ideal for those on the move, whether for overnight work trips, weekend escapes or far-away journeys. This collection presents three trolley sizes in new colors, clay and pewter, ensuring both style and practicality on the road.

www.montblanc.com

Fashion

The Duality within the Singularity

In a captivating dance of contrasts, the Dior Fall 2024 collection emerges, seamlessly blending light and shadow, black and white, and the interplay between feminine and masculine elements. Drawing inspiration from the timeless glamor of actress Marlene Dietrich's iconic style, Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri envisioned a daring array of designs that boldly challenge the boundaries of convention. Delving into the depths of these contrasting concepts, like the plurality within the nature of femininity, the collection embodies a fusion of sophistication and naturalness.

From the enduring elegance of the 1950s to the contemporary flair of today, each ensemble within the collection is intricately weaved from such dual motifs, creating a harmonious symphony of contrasts. Below-the-knee pencil skirts and lace-encrusted petticoat dresses are given a subtle sensuality, revealing glimpses of lingerie that add an unexpected charm while maintaining an air of elegance. Miniature editions of Dior bags, including the emblematic Lady Dior, allow for freedom and movement, ensuring a comfortable look without giving up style.

Through a convergence of refined silhouettes and fluid movements, the Dior Fall 2024 collection narrates a story of delicate balance amidst forces, achieving a singular unity of excellence through the duality of motifs.

www.dior.com

Fashion

MILAN 2024/FW - LORO PIANA

The Loro Piana Fall/Winter 2024-2025 Womenswear and Menswear Collections encapsulate the essence of the House's 100-year history, celebrating its heritage through a captivating exploration of fibers, fabrics, and silhouettes. With a focus on exquisite tactility and graceful design, the collection is a tribute to the founding values of Sergio and Pier Luigi Loro Piana.
At the collection's heart lies the symbolic "fiori di cardo" thistle flower, representing Loro Piana's unique craftsmanship and elegance. This motif, historically significant in the Maison's coat of arms, guides the journey across iconic materials woven into garments with sophistication and refinement.

The collection seamlessly blends masculine and feminine elements, incorporating outdoorsy yet elegant touches alongside delicate silk and satin pieces. From Pecora Nera® Spagna jackets to flowing silk dresses, each garment reflects a harmonious fusion of tradition and modernity with a color palette of creamy neutrals, deep burgundy, and classic black and white. Eveningwear features elongated silhouettes and refined details such as embroidered lapels and all-over sequin dresses. The Menswear collection assembles soft tailoring with unconstructed blazers and versatile outerwear.
In addition to apparel, the collection introduces new leather goods and jewelry inspired by the Maison's heritage. Pieces like the Ghiera shopper and the Loom bag in cashmere and zibeline leather embody Loro Piana's commitment to quality and craftsmanship.
Throughout the collections, the House's commitment to excellence and innovation shines through, reaffirming Loro Piana's status as a beacon of timeless elegance and quality.
www.loropiana.com

Fashion

PARIS 2024/FW – SAINT LAURENT MENSWEAR

Anthony Vacarello created the event by presenting his Menswear show to close the Womenswear PFW, a week after revealing his Women collection.
A few brands had men on the catwalk during this FW, from Miu Miu to Marine Serre, but presenting a Menswear-only show was a real gamble, and Anthony Vacarello pulled it off brilliantly, revealing a successful, timeless collection.

With suit ensembles consisting of double-breasted suits and extra light pants, the silhouettes could have been very classic, but the trouser falls, loose fit, and square shoulders gave them a modern, timelessly chic look. The tailoring was as flou as Yves Saint Laurent knew how to do it, revealing the impressive all-time craftsmanship of the Saint Laurent ateliers.
Anthony Vacarello dresses the man of today while respecting the codes of yesterday, a discreet but genuine tribute to the signature style of the House's founder. The major silhouette of the collection was a thoughtful recreation of Yves Saint Laurent's iconic silhouette, dark suit and black glasses.
Vacarello refuses to let Menswear get sidelined and proves it with this unique Fall-Winter 2024/25 collection, timelessly elegant.
www.ysl.com

Fashion

PARIS 2024/FW – LOUIS VUITTON

Nicolas Ghesquière celebrated his 10th anniversary as the Creative Director of Women’s collections for the House of Louis Vuitton.
He thus presented a Fall-Winter 2024/25 collection resulting from a coherent blend of new silhouettes and reinterpretations of his former creations.

It was a collection celebrating fashion and imagination, with many references to science fiction and travel, two of Ghesquière's main inspirations.
Even the venue was a nod to the past decade, indeed the show took place at the Cour Carrée of the Louvre, the place, where, ten years ago, in 2014, Nicolas Ghesquière presented his first collection for Louis Vuitton. The cuts were precise and well thought-out, as we're used to from Vuitton. The House's legendary expertise in leather is also part of the collection, reflected in soft leathers and vibrant colors, presented in jackets, skirts, and tops. Embroidery, gilding, furs: the looks were dazzling and playful, as a living celebration of fashion.
As a throwback to his first decade at Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière presents a retrospective collection. Without being nostalgic, he reminds us of his past creations and shows how he sees his future within the House.
www.louisvuitton.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 - PRADA

The Prada Autumn/Winter 2024 collection by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons is a fashion embarkation with fragments of history. Exploring beauty in a contemporary but shaped by the past, world.
As often with Prada, romance is in the air but this time, explored through time's eye. Here, history defines the collection, borrowing materials and silhouettes from another time to make them contemporary and modern. Contemporary garments such as biker jackets, knitwear, and bomber jackets are deconstructed and mixed with other, more timeless, close-fitting pieces. An ode to fashion that transcends the ages.

Materials seemingly intended for men's fashion are reworked to become intrinsically feminine. Knots, frills, and ruffles, associated with feminine fashions of other times, are redefined and modernized. As other accessories inherent to the image of womanhood, make-up, and sunglasses are combined, and handbags are suspended. Skirts are made of delicate silk, asserted by straight cuts, while hats and shoes feature exaggerated, almost theatrical shapes, reinterpreting the very notion of femininity in an Instinctive Romance.
www.prada.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

Bulgari x Constantin Film, a celebration of fine jewelry and cinema

As in every year, the Berlin Film Festival took place at the start of February. This year, the director Martin Scorsese was awarded an honorary Golden Bear for his entire career.
To celebrate this festival of the 7th art, Bulgari organized a sumptuous party attended by numerous personalities from the cinema world.

Bart deBoever, CEO of Bulgari, Martin Moszkowitz, CEO of Constantin Film, Oliver Berben, co-CEO, and Thorsten Koch, CEO, invited prestigious guests to celebrate cinema and fine jewelry during a remarkable evening.
Brand ambassador Emilia Schüle was present at the event, as were many actors and actresses, to celebrate cinema and discover Bulgari’s new creations.

Lisa-Marie Koroll, Aylin Tezel, Heike Makatsch, Katja Riemann, Daniel Donskoy, Jannis Niewöhner, Emilio Sakraya, and Jannik Schümann were among the guests at this lavish party, which was also the occasion to celebrate Bulgari’s B.ZERO1 jewelry line.
Finally, to crown this prestigious event, Bulgari unveiled exclusive new models from the B.ZERO1 collection. www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Paul&Shark SS24: “A Father and Son Tale, Chapter 2”

Paul & Shark, the Italian luxury outdoor clothing brand is launching its new Spring Summer 2024 Collection. This collection is once again embodied by the world-famous actor Pierce Brosnan, and his son, Paris, reunited in a new chapter of "A Father and Son Tale".

Photographed by Giampaolo Sgura and styled by Anna Dello Russo, the father-son duo was captured in a series of portraits that exude a sense of complicity and elegance. The neutral decor focuses the eye on an emotional and authentic intergenerational exchange. In a highly poetic way, this shoot reveals a collection of sea-inspired shades while reviving the iconic blue of Paul & Shark.

The brand remains true to its roots, revealing an elegant, high-performance collection of faded pullovers, linen trousers, and knitted cotton polo shirts. Lightweight field jackets made from Typhoon Platinum waterproof and windproof material complete this new line, ensuring a comfortable and elegant outdoor experience, enhanced by a myriad of light blue nuances.

The Paul & Shark SS24 Collection will be available on all official Paul & Shark channels from 13 February 2024.

www.paulandshark.com

Fashion

Colmar Spring-Summer 2024 Collection

Where cutting-edge outerwear technology marries timeless style, that is where lies the world of Italian icon Colmar. Known ubiquitously for continuously setting the standard for high-performance outerwear, the brand proceeds to do so with its newest Spring-Summer 2024 Collection. Classic styles, as do fashion-forward allures, converge with functionality in bold golden prints on green checks, or in pink on beige checks. Similarly, an asymmetrically zipped jacket presents a stylish, yet weather-resistant companion for any occasion, from a day of shopping to a business lunch or a long walk, it all seems like the perfect fit - figuratively and literally. Naturally, we also recognize Colmar’s characteristic quilt, this time also added onto by elegant collars and lapels, which appear on non-quilted garments as well. Usual attention is paid to comfort and high quality, evident in every stitch. The collection also brings forward a brand-new selection of warming vests, hugging the body, they keep their wearer snug and stand the test of every temperature’s turmoil. Coming in a diverse color palette, Colmar offers an option fit for various styles and personalities. Last, but not least, the collection also brings forward a new selection of polo shirts for Men, sporty, yet classy. Naturally for Colmar, each piece tells a story of Italian craftsmanship, innovation, and a passion for the great outdoors.
www.colmar.com

Fashion

Dior's Spring-Summer 2024 Couture Collection

Presented as an exploration of the feminine aura, Dior unveils its Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2024 Collection created by Maria Grazia Chiuri. All garments being infused with the spirit of that explorative quest, the collection manifests as a deep-dive into the plural beauty of textiles. Twenty-three disproportionate silhouettes, which all exert an enchanting playfulness, grace the dreamy weft-scenography conceived by Isabella Ducrot. Refined moiré, a defining fabric of this couture collection, drapes beautifully and uniquely on bodies under novel interpretations of coats, skirts and dresses reminding of waves, as it pays tribute to archive piece La Cigale, an iconic dress dreamed up for the collection of Autumn-Winter 1952 by Christian Dior himself. Moreover, we recognize an architectural elegance in coats with imposing collars, wide skirts revealing exaggerated cut-outs and in the masterly layering of pants and jackets. Velvet on other garments amplify the tenderly elegant energies of the collection, while floral ornamentation enchants its onlookers even further. Added onto by a feathered cape, the auratic, sculptural and metamorphic value of this collection once again highlight the exquisite craftsmanship as well as the poetic passion, which both lie deep in the DNA of the house of Dior.
www.dior.com

Fashion

Loro Piana Interiors Presents The 2024 Collection

Loro Piana Interiors presents the 2024 collection at Paris Déco Off, showing an eclectic spectrum of colors, materials, weaves, and textures in a never-ending quest for new components based on a century of experience and ongoing communication with clients. This season, Pure cashmere is transformed into a warm-toned, cozy Tweed for exclusive upholstery; wool and linen blend broadcloths are ideal for curtains or upholstery; and hemp is combined with cotton and jute in a pleasantly nubbly textile. Cotton velvet in 23 shades completes the range. For the outdoors, fabrics in Trevira® are flameproof and weather-resistant, suitable for all occasions and weather while always offering a certain quality and style. But the true highlight of Loro Piana Interiors 2024 is the entire personalized service, which adds distinct elegance and creativity to every area of the home. The classic bespoke services are now complemented by additional customization options for the bedroom, table, bath, and spa zone. Starting with the table, Loro Piana presents linen tablecloths, placemats, runners, and napkins with embroidered openwork, and contrasting borders. In the bathroom, a fresh color palette and a touch of cashmere provide softness and coziness. For the bedroom, a variety of sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers in organic cotton and linen, as well as cotton and cashmere, complement the queen-size cashmere blanket in natural tones and trimmed with cashmere chevron ribbon. The Sils rug is made of New Zealand wool and was hand-woven on looms to bespoke sizes in a variety of color combinations and three designs. In this way, Loro Piana Interiors, creates complete, inimitable interior decoration projects with a harmonious language made up of materials, colors, and elegance. www.loropiana.com

Fashion

Marsèll's first flagship store in Milan

Marsèll, the esteemed Italian footwear and accessory brand has inaugurated its first flagship store in the fashion district of Milan with an event during Pitti. 400-square-meters stretch out over the two-level space, that now showcases Marsèll’s genderless and limited-edition leather goods. Dedicated to the study and exploration of form in every sense of the word, the boutique is a result of an eight month collaboration with Berlin design studio Lotto Studio, embodying a modular environments inspired by Marcel Breuer’s architecture and calming atmospheres conceived by Carlo Scarpa. Apart from housing the brand’s iconic garments, the novel flagship also opens the doors to art projects in a gallery. The design incorporates carefully chosen materials, such as travertine for the women's area, walnut wood for the men's area, stainless steel, glass, leather, and Marsèll's signature colors. The innovative use of materials and the flexibility of the space reflect Marsèll's commitment to design and craftsmanship, creating a timeless and unclassifiable environment that encapsulates the brand's philosophy over its two-decade history. Creative Director and Founder of Marsèll, Marco Cima, emphasizes the importance of this moment as the brand engages in direct dialogue with its audience.
www.marsell.com

Fashion

Levi’s X Beams Capsule Super Wide V2 Collection

A fruitful collaboration that has withstood the test of time: Levi’s and BEAMS unveil their fourth collaborative capsule collection that centers all around new super wide fits. Inspired by the iconic Americana allure of Levi’s 1944 denim archive, the pair has dreamed up a novel expression of denim while ignoring previous conceptions of wider silhouettes. A true homage to Levi’s heritage, the collection features new bold and widened pieces derived from classic styles and washes. The combination of the skillsets of Levi’s, as the pioneer of modern denim, and BEAMS, as a leading figure in Tokyo’s fashion, is what makes this capsule collection so remarkable. As a derivative of the 1944 Levi’s jean jacket, the Super Wide V2 Type I Trucker, made from heavy 16-ounce custom Orange Tick selvage denim, features just four shanks, a custom super wide leather back patch, doubling the width of the iconic Two-Horse Pull patch, and a BEAMS exclusive tab. For a full denim look, the Super Wide V2 Type I Trucker pairs beautifully with Levi’s x BEAMS Super Wide V2 Jean, which is inspired by the 1944 501 Jean. Also made from Orange Tick selvage denim developed exclusively for BEAMS, it features the BEAMS exclusive tab and custom reworked leather back patch. This limited-edition capsule collection is available in select Levi’s and BEAMS stores and online starting January 9, 2024.
www.levis.com / www.beams.co.jp

Fashion

FENDI x FRGMT x POKÉMON

FENDI joins forces with the iconic Hiroshi Fujiwara's Fragment, introducing a special collection that transcends boundaries and celebrates the Year of the Dragon with Pokémon. Kim Jones, FENDI's Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear, expresses admiration for Fujiwara, describing him as an influential figure in Japan's club, youth fashion, and streetwear scenes. The 'Friends of FENDI' initiative, curated by Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi, brings together diverse projects, emphasizing sincerity and friendship over strategy. Hiroshi Fujiwara, renowned as the 'godfather of streetwear,' seamlessly blends fashion, music, art, and design, shaping global fashion with his multi-modal creativity. The FENDI x FRGMT collaboration unveils the 'FF Fragment,' applying Hiroshi's signature on the iconic FF jacquard logo. The disrupted design graces women's Peekaboo and Baguette bags, while men's staples incorporate the FRGMT disruption with yellow contrast zips. Taking a playful turn, the FENDI x FRGMT x POKÉMON collection merges FENDI's iconic bags with the beloved Dragon-type Pokémon to commemorate the Year of the Dragon. From inlays and prints to 3D marquetry, the collaboration showcases the Maison's mastery of leather goods. The lineup extends to jewellery, clothing, and even a rare collector's item—a meticulously crafted Dragonite available in a limited series. This collection will be available worldwide in selected FENDI boutiques and online from January 4th, 2024, marking a new era in the fusion of high fashion, streetwear, and pop culture.
www.fendi.com

Fashion

ZEGNA Now in Saint Moritz

In a grand stride towards alpine elegance, ZEGNA, the trailblazing luxury menswear brand, has opened a new store in the Swiss haven of Saint Moritz. Nestled on Via Serlas, this 75m2 boutique stands as a testament to the brand's reinvention under the artistic helm of Alessandro Sartori. Channelling a 'mountain resort' ambience, the store introduces patrons to ZEGNA's meticulously curated Luxury Leisurewear and Luxury Outdoor collections. Embracing the open-air ethos of Saint Moritz, these wardrobes showcase the perfect fusion of style and functionality. The spotlight, however, falls on the Triple Stitch Vetta—the crown jewel of ZEGNA's iconic Triple Stitch lineage. Named after the Italian word for 'peak,' these shoes encapsulate the spirit of the Alpine landscape that connects Saint Moritz with Oasi Zegna in northern Italy. Crafted from deerskin and suede, and boasting an innovative Vibram Arctic Grip Sole, the Triple Stitch Vetta is a stylish companion for both mountain terrains and urban landscapes. A nod to sustainability comes through the Oasi Cashmere featured in the Luxury Outdoor collection, with ZEGNA's commitment to certifying the fibres as 100% traceable by 2024. The colour palette mirrors the earthy tones of the natural world, creating a collection that is both stylish and environmentally conscious. The Saint Moritz store encapsulates the brand's dynamic strategy, offering patrons a glimpse into the future of ZEGNA's Luxury Leisurewear and Luxury Outdoor collections.
www.zegna.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

Fashion

NARS Cosmetics Holiday 2023 Collection

'Tis the season to dazzle, and what better way to make a statement than with the NARS Cosmetics limited edition Holiday 2023 Collection. This collection is a curated blend of bestsellers and rising stars, featuring exclusive, radiant sets. The 'Endless Nights Eyeshadow Palette' promises an unforgettable night with its nine highly pigmented, seductive eyeshadows. From shimmering neutrals to vibrant pinks and violets. Embrace the festive spirit with captivating colours like "Let Loose," a shimmering peach-champagne, and "Starlet," a glittering bronze gold. 'All That Glitters Light Reflecting™ Cheek Palette' is a limited-edition palette featuring six vibrant Light Reflecting™ blush shades, adorned with glitter for that extra touch of glamour. From the metallic cool pink of "Silver Screen" to the satin terracotta-red of "Sabrina," each shade is carefully curated to enhance your natural glow. In other news, NARS proudly marks the 10th anniversary of the essential Radiant Creamy Concealer, with a commitment to inclusivity, the Concealer boasts an extensive range of 30 shades, catering to all skin tones. What sets this concealer apart is its infusion of Multi-Active Botanical Blend Technology, tightening the skin, reducing redness, and fortifying the skin barrier. Its availability in a mini size makes it the perfect on-the-go companion. Discover the timeless Radiant Creamy Concealer and the Holiday 2023 Collection as a celebration of all things glitter, glamour, and boldness.
www.narscosmetics.com

Fashion

Marciano By Guess Holiday Campaign

Get ready to glam up this holiday season with MARCIANO by GUESS's stunning new Holiday campaign. Shot against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake Como in Bellagio by the talented Alina Troyan, under the creative direction of GUESS. Featuring the Ukrainian beauties Iryna Dzhagarova and Diana Zotova, alongside Sicilian model Simone Bonaccorsi, the campaign showcases an array of glamorous dresses and apparel that embody the essence of MARCIANO by GUESS. From silky sateen dresses in monotone or bold festive patterns to elegant mini dresses adorned with shiny appliques and sequins, the collection exudes sophistication and glamour. Draped in flawless pleats, ruches, and revealing slits, the garments elegantly follow the body's contours. The holiday lineup also includes exclusive pieces like a corset top and cropped sleeved dress, featuring an all-over gold embroidered motif, as well as long skirts with satiny ruffles. Complete your holiday ensemble with the winter collection of accessories all infused with MARCIANO's iconic retro-glam style. Whether you opt for flamboyant feather necklines or intricate embroidery, the 2023 MARCIANO by GUESS Holiday collection promises to turn heads and make a statement on every festive occasion.
www.guess.eu

Fashion

Breitling’s Avenger Collection

For more than two decades, Breitling's Avenger has soared through the skies as a symbol of precision, durability, and unparalleled design. The new Avenger collection, recently announced in a press release by CEO Georges Kern, is set to redefine aviation watches with its elegant detailing, wear-resistant materials, and the formidable Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01 in the chronograph models. The watch pays homage to the brand's pioneering HUIT Aviation Department, which crafted precision instruments for aviation and pilot chronographs. The collection, available in three versions - 44mm Chronograph, Automatic GMT 44mm, and Automatic 42mm - promises not just style but substance. The Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 and Night Mission, powered by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, boast a 70-hour power reserve, a five-year warranty, and COSC certification. The bold design choices, including coloured dials and a stainless steel rotating bezel, make a statement both in and out of the cockpit. The Avenger Automatic GMT 44, tailored for pilots and frequent travellers, features a red GMT hand for easy Zulu time reading. With a steel case and a choice of dials, it's a compact companion for globetrotters. The Avenger Automatic 42, a well-balanced timepiece in a 42mm diameter, offers robustness in a compact form. Its COSC-certified mechanical automatic movement ensures precision, while design options cater to varied tastes. The Avenger can withstand the toughest conditions in the cockpit and never backs down. The redesigned collection is not just a watch; it's a statement, ready for action-packed adventures in the sky.
www.breitling.com

Fashion

ZEGNA X Real Madrid

In a seamless fusion of Italian Luxury and sports spirit, ZEGNA, the eminent menswear house with a heritage dating back to 1910, proudly continues its exclusive partnership with Real Madrid, the iconic football club that has been dominating the pitch since 1902. With the motto “Every king needs a tailor,” the collaboration between these two reinforced their shared values and commitment to surpassing limits. As the Official Luxury Travelwear Wear Partner for the 2023-2024 season, ZEGNA will dress both the football and basketball first team of Real Madrid in exclusive outfits tailored to perfection. The first Champions League Trip of the Season unveils their new wardrobe, showcasing ZEGNA’s ALBA Overshirt, GHIACCIO Blouson in Oasi Cashmere, jogger bottoms, crewneck, and the latest version of the Triple StitchTM shoes. The made-to-measure collection, goes beyond fashion, extending into a commitment to excellence, hard work, societal responsibility, and a continuous pursuit of new frontiers, blending the heritage of both brands. It is now available in selected ZEGNA boutiques globally. ZEGNA and Real Madrid, with their respective championships in luxury menswear and on the football pitch, epitomize the idea that success is not just about the destination but also the journey.
www.zegna.com

Art

Brionvega Exclusive Cherrywood Finish for rr26 fo-st Radiofonografo

In a celebration of timeless design and craftsmanship, Brionvega introduces the Cherrywood finish for the iconic radiofonografo, originally designed by the Castiglioni brothers in 1965. Limited to only 100 numbered pieces, this exclusive edition invites passionate enthusiasts to become the custodians of a truly unique art piece, destined to be cherished across generations. Following the global success of the limited Canaletto walnut edition in April 2023, the Cherrywood finish is set to captivate aficionados with its dual nature—symbolic of strength and compactness, yet embracing the gentleness and elegance associated with cherry blossoms – a tree representing rebirth and beauty. Each radiofonografo undergoes meticulous handcrafting in Italy, the natural grain of the cherry wood adds a unique character to every piece, elevating the radiofonografo into an embodiment of rare and timeless beauty. Available for customer orders from July 1, 2023, this limited series offers partners an exclusive pre-order opportunity in June 2023. Brionvega's commitment to sustainability is reflected in the concept of creating products designed to be enjoyed for a lifetime and beyond. As Brionvega continues its mission to globally relaunch the icons of Made in Italy design, the Cherrywood radiofonografo stands as a testament to the brand's dedication to the preservation of timeless beauty.
www.brionvega.com

Fashion

Paul Mescal and Xiao Zhan Star in the Gucci Horsebit 1953 Loafer Campaign

Through the campaign starring actor and Ambassador Paul Mescal and Global Brand Ambassador Xiao Zhan, Gucci proudly celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Horsebit 1953 loafer, an enduring symbol of the maison’s rich heritage and savoir-faire. The Gucci Horsebit loafer, introduced in 1953, revolutionized the world of footwear, bringing together comfort and sophistication. The loafers are especially characterized by their distinctive design, featuring a miniaturized horse bit which gives the footwear their iconic name and which quickly became one of Gucci’s distinctive marks, bridging the gap between past heritage and contemporary fashion. Throughout the decades, the Gucci loafers have evolved to become a staple piece in every man’s wardrobe thanks to their versatility and elegance, which allows the wearer to pair them effortlessly with every outfit. The Gucci Horsebit Loafers are a synthesis of high-skilled Italian craftsmanship, America outdoor lifestyle, and classic British equestrian aesthetic. The new campaign starring Paul Mescal and Xiao Zhan showcases the timeless allure of the loafers and of the Gucci style, perfectly capturing the feeling of ease, comfort, and classic elegance that the Horsebit Loafers embody. The portraits of the campaign are proof of how the loafers’ heritage and silhouette continue to inspire and captivate generation after generation.
www.gucci.com

Art

Hublot Design Prize 2023

Hublot, the renowned Swiss luxury watchmaker, recently held the prestigious Hublot Design Prize award ceremony at the new extension of the Kunsthaus Zurich on October 2nd. Since its inception in 2015, the international competition has recognized and celebrated original design, with a focus on designers under 40, spanning diverse realms of creative expression. This year's ceremony witnessed the spotlight on two exceptional talents. The Hublot Design Prize 2023 was awarded to Aqui Thami, whose fluid multidisciplinary practice encompasses graphic and social design, art, and performance. The jury commended Aqui for her deep activist engagement, evident in every aspect of her work, showcasing a profound social impact and inspirational approach. The Pierre Keller Prize found its deserving recipient in Gabriel Fontana, lauded for his innovative use of sport as a catalyst for redefining societal roles and norms. Fontana's work aims to create a positive impact, challenging preconceived notions of identity and inclusion. His exploration extends to developing non-stigmatizing clothing for sports and community activities. The Hublot Design Prize serves not only as a recognition of exceptional talent but also as a springboard for young designers' careers. The ceremony at Kunsthaus Zurich brought together the six finalists, the esteemed jury, and an invited audience, marking another milestone in the ongoing commitment to celebrate and foster creativity on a global scale.
www.hublot.com

Fashion

BOSS | Samsonite Aluminium Capsule Collection

In a harmonious fusion of elegance and durability, BOSS and Samsonite have joined forces to create a capsule luggage collection, ensuring that you can always travel in style. This collaboration marries BOSS's commitment to bold, self-determined style with Samsonite's legacy of durable travel solutions, reflecting premium quality, innovation, and timeless design. Crafted from high-quality aluminum, the BOSS | Samsonite shells are embellished with an anodized signature BOSS monogram pattern in a tone-on-tone black motif, adding a sleek luxury touch. The interior features the iconic BOSS camel color, complemented by prominent branding and adjustable packing straps for convenient organization. What sets this collection apart is not just its aesthetic appeal but also its thoughtful design for fashion-forward explorers. Co-branded leather handles, paired with high-performance wheels, a secure TSA lock, and the option to add your personalized touch through initials, exude sophistication. Samsonite CEO Kyle Gendreau expressed excitement about the collaboration, emphasizing both brands' dedication to delivering high-performance products. The luggage seamlessly aligns with the new BOSS FW23 collection. Available in limited edition from October in select BOSS and Samsonite stores and online, the BOSS | Samsonite capsule collection offers four models, including a cabin, two check-in suitcases, and a trunk. For those who refuse to compromise on style, this collaboration is a passport to jet-set elegance, marking a new era in the intersection of fashion and travel. As the collection extends its availability in 2024, it promises to continue offering fashion-forward travelers the perfect blend of sophistication and functionality with ever-lighter and stronger products.
www.samsonite.de/boss_samsonite/

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week - Dior

Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative force behind Christian Dior, delves into the intricacies of time and feminism in her SS24 collection, seamlessly weaving together past, present, and future. In a collaboration typical of Dior's visionary approach, Chiuri joins forces with artist Elena Bellantoni in designing the show’s space. ‘NOT HER’, the video installation covering the walls in an electric mix of pink and yellow, is unmissable. The 7-meter-high LED screens respond to sexist advertisements with counterpoint phrases challenging the dominant stereotype. From the neon pink and yellow hues to the dark, Parisian neo-grunge vibes on the runway, Chiuri's vision is a powerful statement against the conventional norms of fashion. The collection draws inspiration from iconic women rebels like Ingrid Bergman and Maria Callas, bringing a sense of empowerment to the designs. Opening with a statement of black lace gowns, metallic knitwear and bewitching accessories, all elements converge to create a spellbinding visual journey. Witches as custodians become emblematic figures in this narrative—symbols of feminine strength and independence. The Middle Ages provide a historical backdrop, interpreted in an abstract and contemporary manner. Prints and embroideries draw inspiration from the celestial, featuring phases of the moon, suns heralding seasons, medicinal herbs, and fantastical animals. A modern twist acknowledging Dior's historical Bar jacket and '50s haute couture, the iconic jacket is transformed with eased waists and frayed hems, and the pleated New Look circle skirt is disrupted with leg-flashing slits and bold prints. Chiuri rejects the notion that collections must adhere to a single reference: beyond being a showcase of fashion, they hold the duty to empower women. SS24 reflects the need for fashion to be relatable, the exploration of feminism through time and the rebellious spirit of witches, offering a wardrobe that allows the personalization of style.
www.dior.com

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week - Ferrari

Ferrari unveiled its SS24 collection at Teatro Alcione during Milan Fashion Week, focusing on the power of desire. Connecting to the strength and the passion that has always driven Ferrari, the collection focuses on the unconditional passion and the continuous dedication that traces the contour of the legendary brand. The collection is built around a sentiment that constantly strives for excellence and elegance, be it in design, performance, or innovation. Ferrari’s Creative Director Rocco Iannone leans towards a new dimension of complex simplification, focusing on feelings that guide the path to emotions, resulting in a collection that exudes Ferrari’s powerful allure through fashion. The brand’s style codes, racing, workwear, and tailoring, are filtered through the creative director’s lens putting the body and its silhouette at the center stage. The silhouettes are carved, molded, and exaggerated through volumes and sharp lines, which also contribute to the dynamic feel of the garments. Iannone goes to the core of forms and materials, de-saturating colors to emphasize the shapes. Through tightness and voluptuousness, a new language of the body is born as a symbol and the expression of the brand’s perpetual desire to create, innovate, and communicating the passion that drives it.
www.ferrari.com

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week - Bottega Veneta

The Bottega Veneta Summer 24 collection presented at the Milan Fashion Week is the continuation of a journey of transformation and escape following the vision of Matthieu Blazy, Bottega Veneta’s creative director. In this collection, the travel is both literal and metaphorical, encompassing an array of influences from all over the world. The models traverse the world of the show walking across the continents and oceans that spread before them in a quest for inspiration through dislocation, at the border between reality and imagination. The trope of the journey becomes the emblem of the effortless passage between ordinary and extraordinary, encompassing both the manmade and primitive world. The clothing showcases the ethereal nature of this journey through simple silhouettes that challenge the notion of “getting changed”. Clothing from the previous season is metaphorically shed, brought in oversized, basket-woven intrecciato bags. The collection explores all kinds of journeys, from the city commute to the journey of a castaway. The notion of a “national dress” transforms into that of an “international dress”, which borrows and takes inspiration from cultures all over the world. Newspapers are morphed into foulard bags, and highly crafted leathers take on a new meaning, in this collection where everything appears to be possible.
www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week - FENDI

In the brand’s SS24 womenswear collection, FENDI’s Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear Kim Jones takes the city of Rome, the founding place of the brand, as the main source of inspiration. The garments in the collection explore an ease of dressing with a certain Roman freedom. Throughout this collection, imperfection becomes a more human perfection, and luxury is found in comfort and quiet. The clothing and accessories allow the wearer to feel fully themselves in them, exploring a sense of duality that permeates the whole collection. The garments are simultaneously pragmatic and playful, crafted with masculine tailoring and materials but applied fluidly and femininely with elegance and sensibility. The materials and textures range from the finest kid mohair to silks and knits. The garments are fluid and everchanging: a washed silk evening dress is able to slip into the day-to-day, while a folded-over waistband reveals a pair of trousers’ inner construction. The way the outfits are put together also reflects FENDI’s dualistic approach, such as pairing a masculine, heavy coat with ballet shoes. In this collection, masculine utility and comfort come together with a feminine flourish with the agency of the wearer in mind. The collection caters to both style and comfort, effortlessly revealing the elegance of the FENDI woman.
www.fendi.com

Fashion

Gucci’s New Jewelry Campaign

In his first campaign for the brand, Gucci’s new creative director Sabato De Sarno presents the Maison’s new jewelry campaign starring Polish-Canadian supermodel Daria Werbowy. The campaign, centered around Gucci’s Marina Chain jewelry collection and photographed by David Sims, is a celebration of Sabato’s past debut in the fashion world and its current debut as Gucci’s creative director. The Marina Chain jewelry collection is inspired by the chain of an anchor, and it was first introduced with a bracelet in the late 1960s. Throughout the decades, the Marina Chain collection has come to represent an iconic element of Gucci’s history and jewelry line. The campaign’s shots have a free, light, and elegant feeling to them. The aquatic theme perfectly embodies the Marina Chain’s source of inspiration, the sea, now reinvented with an eye that looks at the future. Daria Werbowy and David Sims showcase perfect symbiosis between model and photographer, effortlessly bringing to life the character at the core of the campaign, and perfectly representing the classic and innovative aspect of the Maison of Gucci. The campaign was shot at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, perfectly capturing De Sarno’s vision of an unfolding, meaningful story.
www.gucci.com

Fashion

Ralph Lauren Spring 2024 Women Collection

On September 8th, 2023, Ralph Lauren showcased its new Women’s Collection in New York with an immersive fashion experience transporting guests to the core of the brand’s values and personality. The event was a romantic and artistic celebration of Ralph Lauren’s classic American style. The collection dresses a cool and sophisticated woman, giving her the freedom to craft her style. Faded denims and painterly florals contrast black and gold shapes, giving life to an eclectic mix of colors and patterns that is elegant and sophisticated. For the event, a utilitarian warehouse in the heart of New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard was transformed into a world of romance and rusticity with a modern feel. The location is an ode to artists' retreats, and it is a reminder of the Spring 2024 runway backdrop, with glimmering chandeliers, artfully draped canvases, and wood textures. The collection features a classic spring palette that is innovative in its mixtures of white and blue hues, eclectically combined with denims and embroidered patterns. The black and gold juxtaposition brings vibrancy to the pieces, emphasizing self-expression and originality. Ralph Lauren’s Women Collection for Spring 2024 celebrates female self-expression, emphasizing the importance that personal style and individuality have for the modern woman.
www.ralphlauren.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

Audemars Piguet’s New Pieces in Collaboration with Matthew Williams

The renowned Swiss horlogerie brand Audemars Piguet announces a collaboration with the American designer Matthew Williams, founder of the fashion label 1017 ALYX 9SM. The partnership results in four new editions of Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore models, plus one unique piece of the Royal Oak made of stainless steel and 18k yellow gold. What makes the watch unique is the duo-chrome bracelet and the signature touch of both brands, which is distinguishable on the dial. The one-of-a-kind Royal Oak was auctioned off in Tokyo on the night of the collaboration’s launch, raising $1 million to benefit underprivileged children. The new pieces combine the unmistakable design features of the manufacturer and the sophisticated signature style of Matthew Williams. This cooperation gives life to a modern collection that aims to be enjoyed by fans of urban fashion. The timepieces allow for the expression of individuality, effortlessly combining modern fashion with the classic practice of wearing a watch. A shared avant-garde worldview, great attention to detail, and the advocacy for a holistic and sustainable approach unite Audemars Piguet and Matthew Williams. Their collaboration on the design of their Royal Oak Watches showcases elegance and attention to detail.
www.audemarspiguet.com

Fashion

Elie Saab X Aubade - New Capsule Collections

Aubade announces its collaboration with haute couture brand Elie Saab on three luxury lingerie capsule collections for winter 2023. Through its lingerie, which celebrates glamour, beauty, and strength, Aubade aims to express the essence of French sensuality. It does so through high-quality materials, seductive designs, and a purpose to bring joy and comfort to whoever wears their lingerie and nightwear. Aubade’s pillars pair perfectly with the brand Elie Saab, known for its dedication to high craftsmanship and its dreamy collections. Elie Saab pays particular attention to understanding the female body and creating sophisticated compositions that pay homage to it. The two brands have created lingerie and nightwear collections that bring the feminine form to the forefront, embracing every silhouette with flattering materials and designs. The “My Desire” lingerie collection and the “Whimsical Affair” nightwear collection are designed with a playful seduction in mind which materializes in feminine forms through the workings of a chiaroscuro effect on the skin. The collections are available in two color palettes, “Naughty Black”, a deep black, and “Love Affair,” a nude rose. Elie Saab’s understanding of the female body, and Aubade’s sophisticated glamour, evoke a sensual interplay through beautiful details and careful use of materials and fabrics.
www.eliesaab.com
www.aubade.com

Fashion

Bottega Veneta Supports Biennale Danza for the Third Year

In lieu of its ongoing collaboration with Biennale Danza, Bottega Veneta is supporting the event for the third year in a row. Biennale Danza is the International Festival of Contemporary Dance, which, this year, marks its 17th edition. The festival is famous for its international, diverse program and for representing a platform for new and emerging artists on the international dance scene. The new Biennale College Danza’s project is titled “When I Am Facing U” and developed under the supervision of notable Chinese dancer Xie Xin. Bottega Veneta is not only supporting the event for the third time but is ever present in the show. In fact, the costumes worn by the dancers of Biennale College Danza during their performances have been designed by Matthieu Blazy for Bottega Veneta. The costumes feature denim silhouettes replicated on viscose silk, thus creating an interesting contrast between the rigidity of the pictured denim and the fluidity of the silk. The lightness and malleability of the shapes and the feel of the clothing reflect the sensuality imbued in the choreographies performed. Through radical minimalism and departure from form and context, the show leaves a lot of space for improvisation and freedom of interpretation. The choreographies are explorative and experimental, perfectly enhanced by Bottega Veneta’s costumes.
www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Berlin Fashion Week - Fassbender

“Original” is the provocative title of Fassbender’s SS24 collection presented at the Berlin Fashion Week 2023. The collection indeed plays with the meaning of the word “original,” which stands for both the real thing that already exists and something completely new. The Hamburg-based label, formed by Christina Fassbender and Matthias Louwen, combines elegant and sophisticated tailoring with comfort and functionality, resulting in a unique style that appears effortless in its complexity. The brand was founded in 2017 alongside Christina’s brother, Sebastian Steinhoff. With a strong focus on sustainability, the brand uses the most innovative techniques and findings to ensure that its garments are made sustainably throughout the process without compromising style and affordability. Fassbender believes in a solid circular economy, contributing to the well-being of nature and living beings. The garments manufactured in Europe are made to adapt to a constantly evolving wardrobe: they are versatile and wearable on multiple occasions. Fassbender’s passion for innovation is evident in their interest in using AI in fashion design, something the brand’s creatives are eager to integrate into their process. One of the brand’s goals is to draw attention to the work of craftsmanship that takes place behind the scenes of every collection. The care that goes into crafting each garment is part of the sustainability behind the brand, which poses itself in direct contraposition to the culture of fast fashion, emphasizing the timelessness of their clothing.
www.myfassbender.com

Fashion

Berlin Fashion Week - William Fan

At the 2023 Berlin Fashion Week, William Fan brings a collection focusing on the play with different materials, finishes, and colors. The German designer, whose homonymous label has been producing clothing, shoes, bags, jewelry, furniture, and objects since 2015, conceptualizes his designs according to the critical Euro-Asian dialogue he conducts within himself, thus honoring his Asian roots. Indeed, his designs mix European elements with Chinese influences, resulting in a proper merge between the two cultures. Indeed, according to the designer, the inspiration for his collections comes from his past and future experiences and environment. In this context, the city of Berlin represents a significant source of inspiration for the designer, as it is a melting pot of different cultures and a place where it is easy to live immersed in the art scene. The collections focus on neither gender nor age, adopting gender neutrality as one of the main principles of the brand. Instead, the clothing is directed towards expressing Fan’s purpose of telling a story through his fashion shows. William Fan has studied fashion and worked in the industry in The Netherlands, London, Hamburg, and Berlin, where he finally founded his brand in 2015. The brand has been a part of the Berlin Fashion Week since its beginning and still views the event as a major support to its growth.
www.williamfan.com

Fashion

Mixing of Dress Codes in Louis Vuitton’s Men Prêt-à-Porter Fall 2024 Collection

For its Fall 2024 Menswear collection, Louis Vuitton adopts a dual wardrobe approach based on the elevation of everyday clothing that can adapt to an array of situations. Professional and casual dressing is hybridized according to Maison's practice of code-switching, resulting in a transitional wardrobe. The Louis Vuitton Studio Prêt-à-Porter Homme designed the collection as a standalone proposal. Every look is styled by mixing different dress codes and with accessories that diverge from standard archetypes. The visual elements that distinguish the Maison also take on a different character, as is showcased in how the emblematic Epi is brought to life using various materials, creating optical effects. An element that characterizes this menswear collection is the use of accessories, specifically their role in morphing with the clothes. The LV Pacific slip-on shoe exemplifies the blending of formal and casual styles, combining a sneaker sole and a suede upper. In the jewelry, corduroy and Maison’s classic Epi are fused in embossed metals with an aged gold finish, to be found on bracelets, necklaces, and band rings. A different interpretation of the Epi leather is translated on the red Maxi Epi texture on the Alma bowling bag. At the same time, the classic Louis Vuitton monogram emerges in two new colorways (olive-green canvas with orange lining and blue canvas with brown lining) on various bag models. This menswear collection fully captures an innovative light on Louis Vuitton’s iconic style.
www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

An Archaic Past is Revived in Dior’s FW23/24 Collection

Maria Grazia Chiuri presented Dior’s FW23/24 Haute Couture Collection in the afternoon of July 3rd. The collection is constructed around the idea of time, reflecting the care that is put into creating couture. The past is integrated into the present: the sketched form is immediately translated onto the dress without making use of any paper patterns. The forms are simple, morphed into archetypal sartorial elements such as the peplum, the tunic, or the cape. Maria Grazia Chiuri has worked on the collection presentation with the artist Marta Roberti, transforming the catwalk into an art gallery that evokes archaic artistic elements such as goddesses and animals. The artist assembles these elements to represent myths of a distant world where the female figure was revered above all else. The Mediterranean region is a reference point, as the ancient cultures in those areas produced the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic images present in Roberti’s art for the Dior fashion show. The models' composition recalls divinities through a vertical silhouette and flat shoes. The main colors are white, beige, silver, and pale gold, with coats evoking the shape of classical statues. The shimmery dresses are intertwined with pearls, symbolizing purity. Overall, the presentation of this collection aims to represent the strength and fragility of femininity through the cult of goddesses, enhancing sensitivity and attention to detail.
www.dior.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

Saint Laurent’s SS24 Men’s Collection

‘Each man kills the thing he loves’ is the expressive title for Saint Laurent’s SS24 men’s collection, dreamed up by Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello. In line with Saint Laurent’s world tour, the SS24 show revealed the designer’s deep appreciation for Berlin – a landscape that speaks to his own past. The impressive Neue Nationalgalerie, designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and representative of classical modernism, set a certain novel-inspired mood to begin immersing the guests into the collection’s atmosphere. As a continuation of the womenswear line, the word evolution comes to mind when thinking about Vaccarello’s future aspirations. A desire to transcend gender codes is also apparent, opening up space to leave behind limitations. Sharp tailoring remains central: shedding special attention to structure and volume. Boxy suit jackets with broad shoulders are purposefully combined with delicate silhouettes, appearing weightless. Mousseline de Soie, as well as the timeless leopard print and polka dots provide elegance while retaining a certain sensual touch – seen in trench coats, tank tops with décolletés, and blouses. Trousers rise high and are narrow at the waist, while also cut at the ankles to accentuate heeled boots. After the show, guests were led to the Kraftwerk Berlin club for some dining and dancing. It was only fitting to finish off with a nod to Berlin’s intense party scenery.

www.ysl.com

Fashion

Virginia is for LVERS

In his much anticipated first show as Men’s Creative Director of Louis Vuitton, Pharell Williams looks to the sun as the ultimate source of inspiration. The sun is a guiding light, a source of life, and a vital source of empowerment across cultures and creeds that are laced into the fabrics, the graphics, the palette, and the decorations of this collection.

The collection presents this vision through fresh twists and new approaches to familiar, foundational elements of Louis Vuitton. The heritage Damier pattern morphs with a camouflage print, birthing "Damoflage" across accessories, workwear, denim, knitwear, fur, and more. Imagination runs wild as Damier is also expressed in primary color treatments featuring the revived Louis Vuitton Marquee Déposée logo, new digitized patterns by American pixel artist ET and hand embroidery with pearl decorations on denim sets. The collection is rich with new takes on prized Louis Vuitton bags, from Monogram Copper materializations that transform in the gleam of the sun to embroideries and pixelated images of artists Henry Tailor and ET respectively.

Embodying a connection between Paris and Virginia, the home state of Pharell Williams, the SS24 collection was presented on Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris with a backdrop view of the Louis Vuitton studios. This relationship is epitomized through design choices that amplify classic American styles such as the varsity jacket. Through the re-contextualization of Maison’s Parisian ateliers, the sporty staple is adorned with intricate pearl embroideries or monograms signifying the new wave of LVERS while nodding to the slogan of Pharell Williams' home state: “Virginia is for lovers”.

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

Men’s Milan Fashion Week – Brioni

For its Spring 2024 menswear collection during Milan Fashion Week, Brioni transforms a quality embedded in its spirit into a creative perspective. Lightness becomes this season’s guiding principle, providing ease and freedom to enrich possibilities of self-expression. Instead of being overpowering, the new garments dissolve into the everyday: a practical tool to fit the wearer’s daily needs and occasions. Intrinsic to life, clothing becomes your best companion in exploring new ways to look at the world and live in it accordingly. This season, the embodiment of this newly embraced perspective is what Brioni is about.

At the top floor of a stern-looking, hard-edged building, guests are immersed in Brioni’s world of light as the aerial view of the city unfolds in front of their eyes, setting the ambiance for the collection’s presentation. Nodding to the history and spirit of Brioni, the collection is suffused with painterly Roman hues. Formalwear remains impeccable in craft, but attains a certain softness with a relaxed fit and construction achieved through fuller volumes and hollowed shoulders. Similar levity is found in the treatment of nubuck leather and suede, while at night, lightness takes on a mantle of muted shine.

The circularity of intents defines a fluidity of new perspectives.

www.brioni.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

FENDI’s SS24 menswear collection

Dedicated to excellence in fine leather goods, the new FENDI Factory in Capannuccia becomes the desired destination for the artisans of the future. Designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, FENDI’s SS24 menswear collection pays homage to this new adventure and historic return to Florence – a place entrenched in FENDI’s history. The collection and show are a metafictional reflection on process. Exploring the liminal space distinguishing man and machine, past and future, nature and innovation: the industrial and handmade are linked in perpetuity. This season’s silhouette celebrates the archetype of the ‘corporate artisan’. Patch pockets of workwear belts, the apron as halter neck collared shirts, and the zip-off suit trousers indicate that a game of proportions is afoot. The presence of the Tuscan landscape is not only visible in the factory’s space, but heavily informs the color palette: a stratum of mineral shades from burnt umber to deep indigo is diffused by a soft haze of sage, limestone, and chalk. For the SS24 accessories collection, the ‘corporate artisan’ is taken up through an exploration of tactile expressions: structured and deconstructed bag shapes complement new styles, textiles, and patterns. Punctuated by the FENDI KENGO KUMA project, the accessories form part of a new artistic dialogue between Italy and Japan.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Gucci's Green Doors Reopen

Gucci is reopening its newly renovated boutique in Saint-Tropez, between the port and the Place des Lices. The store is situated in a classic Saint-Tropez house at 72, rue François Sibilli characterized by green shutters that typify the surrounding landscape. Guests are invited to immerse themselves in a world that blends Gucci’s spellbinding summer charm with the immaculate beauty of the French Rivera.

Through pastel hues, local materials, and classic design elements, the interiors of the boutique are perfectly complementary to the pristine beauty of the French Rivera. Liberty-style mosaics on the floors, natural oak on the walls with woven rattan finishes, and newly designed brass racks come together in harmony to immerse guests in a unique Gucci experience. In the private garden which crowns the boutique, guests can relax around a preserved well and enjoy the greenery, sunshine, and fresh air.

Within the space, which spans over 200 square meters over two floors, visitors can explore pieces for both men and women, from ready-to-wear, footwear, and accessories to the house's signature handbag lines and a selection of precious jewelry. The boutique additionally showcases the Gucci Valigera collection, designed for the dream holiday.

Gucci also imprints its unique aesthetic in collaboration with the renowned Loulou Ramatuelle Beach Club. After a captivating transformation, the beach club will host a temporary Gucci pop-up. An exclusive Saint-Tropez capsule collection will be available alongside the Summer Stories collection and a special selection of cocktails and menus by Giardino 25 from June 1st until the end of September.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Smells of Well-ness

The dramatic landscape and extravagant beauty of America’s Pacific Coast form the inspiration for the ethereal scents of Louis Vuitton’s Cologne Perfumes. Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud has captured the magnetic energy of Los Angeles, creating an olfactory adventure within each bottle. Each member of the Cologne Perfume collection has a personal story about the light in the city, from the gentle glow of the dawn to the sparkles that light up the streets at dusk. The newest addition is “Pacific Chill,” inspired by the detoxifying fresh breath of morning light on the skin.

California’s cool and purifying vibe is not only attributed to the regenerative vigor of its ocean views and energizing force of its green rolling hills but also its renowned health and wellness culture. Pacific Chill was crafted in line with this sense of balance and well-being, an exhilarating scent that caresses the skin with an uplifting spirit. Belletrud drew further inspiration from characteristics and experiences unique to the LA lifestyle – beloved detox smoothies and energizing morning hikes before the heat settles. The scent palette opens with blackcurrant, held aloft with cedrat and lemon, amplified with coriander and ambrette seeds, basil, peppermint, and orange essence – an impeccable attention to detail. Iridescence is brought out of an essence extracted from carrot seeds with apricot, date, and fig. A hint of May Rose is the final seal offering a floral sweetness.

Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Alex Israel has collaborated with the Maison on their previous Cologne Perfumes and once again paints an exclusive image to accompany Louis Vuitton’s latest scent upon a Fragrance Trunk and Travel Case.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

One Stop Shop All Summer Season

Mr. Porter, a destination for discovery for men around the world seeking inspiration for all styles, has an unparalleled product offering. Through a seamless online shopping experience and express worldwide shipping, Mr. Porter offers something for everyone: from the most sought-after menswear and lifestyle brands to exclusive capsule collections. Their latest campaign and their biggest to date, Summer Stories, is a celebration of the sun-kissed festivities from June to August. The standout collection features 125 brands and 49 exclusive ranges that embrace the warm weather for every occasion.

The campaign began on May 29th, with 5 multi-faceted chapters encompassing ready-to-wear, swimwear, shoes, accessories, luxury watches, jewelry, and lifestyle that will be unveiled throughout the next three months, solidifying Mr. Porter as a one-stop destination all season long. The capsule began with “For Sun, Sea And Sky,” with the foundations of a vacation wardrobe and poolside essentials that promise unforgettable memories to come. “Al Fresco” will be released on June 19th, consisting of the unmatched Italian brands and craftsmanship that are loved worldwide. On July 10th, “Bohemian Spirit” will be released, a selection of designer and contemporary brands catered to the adventurous hearts and souls unleashed through warm-weather activities. With a focus on new watches and exclusive jewelry, the offerings of “At The Bazaar'' will gleam under the summer sun from July 24th. And last but not least, “Pacific Dream” will round off the season with laid-back ready-to-wear for long, lazy evenings after days full of adventure.

www.mrporter.com

Fashion

A Higher Standard of Luxury for Golf

Loro Piana, the Maison known for its distinctive understated elegance and celebration of Italian excellence, has announced that they will once again collaborate with Team Europe for the Ryder Cup, Golf’s greatest team contest. The greatest team contest in Golf will be held at the “Marco Simone Golf & Country Club” in Rome from September 25th to October 1st. Loro Piana will dress the athletes and their entourages for all the official events, inspiring players through the highest standard of clothing and the savoir-faire that has been the Maison’s hallmark for six generations. Through meticulous design and craftsmanship, the garments will be functional and comfortable, without cutting short on style and elegance. Loro Piana used 3D technology to stimulate the clothing’s reaction to the fine movements of golf, guaranteeing ease of movement for each and every swing. Six looks especially designed by the Maison will include a short-sleeved polo, a high-neck shirt with a zipper, a waterproof vest, and classic tailored trousers. The technical materials of each have been chosen for maximum softness and stretch, as well as for special features that enhance ergonomic performance to guarantee unparalleled wearability. In addition, a selection of the Team Europe uniforms, collectors’ items, complete with the Team Europe and the players logos, will be available in the Maison’s boutique in Rome exclusively during the competition for golf lovers to experience the wardrobe for themselves.

www.loropiana.com

Fashion

Old-fashioned Craftsmanship and Modern Design

C.P. Company explores new ways to incorporate handmade and old-fashioned craftsmanship techniques in its forward-thinking, cutting-edge design process. A special capsule of T-shirts, sweatshirts, and shirts made in complete antithesis to serial mass production and elevated through the use of such artisanal techniques. Not to mention that they also keep alive the know-how of Italian printers and graphic designers.

This special capsule includes both prints and designs developed with the Italian artists of the Stamperia Artigiana Marchi, as well as handmade pieces made with modern digital screen-printing techniques. The Stamperia has been running since 1633 and specializes in wood block printing. Quantities are limited and each piece is unique as the manual technique causes slight imperfections. The prints are crafted using a method employed since the shop’s foundation. The process begins with the realization of the mold, carved by hand from pear wood. The natural pigments are fashioned by the printer, who then spreads them on the mold and beats it with a wooden hammer to transfer the design on the T-shirt, which is then dipped in a special liquid and hung to dry. Also producing one-of-a-kind garments, which are numbered with the date and time of their creation, are the designs developed by screen printing the outline of the iconic British Sailor and dampening the fabric with a cloth while the ink is still wet – producing smudges, an unpredictable expansion of pigments, and stains which are then fixed into the fabric.

This special capsule is now available in stores.

www.cpcompany.com

Fashion

Cut Throat Waves

Creating with the future in mind, for the second year in a row Kim Jones, the Artistic Director of Dior Men, has collaborated with Parley for the Oceans, an environmentally conscious organization that works to combat threats to the ocean. Parley for the Oceans, started in 2012 has been protecting marine life through a strategy called Parley AIR: Avoid, Intercept, Redesign. Together, Dior and Parley have created a Men’s beachwear capsule collection that reflects the deep connection Dior has with nature whilst making sure to protect the said nature through conscious designs and meticulous attention to detail.

Christian Dior is well known for his passion for flowers and gardens, however, this collection was deeply inspired and formed around his love for water and the ocean, first blooming when he was lulled by the song of the waves in Granville. Kim Jones, sharing Christian Dior’s passion, created a collection made from 96% recycled materials to ensure the presence of beaches in the future of our world to wear these garments at. The garments relay a confident relaxation– bold colors catch the eye and a joyful declaration of living is embedded into each fold and thread of the garments. From mules to bags to wetsuits, this capsule collection has integrated every aspect of the beach. The wetsuit accompanied by a dazzling surfboard, sports a graphic water overlay under the iconic Dior logo, embracing the natural elements and playing into the function of the garment. The surfboard, also embellished with a graphic overlay of splashing water is sure to increase your speed as you cut through vicious waves.

www.dior.com
www.parley.tv

Fashion

Dior’s First Boutique in Hamburg

In March 2023, Dior opened its first boutique in Hamburg. On April 27th, to celebrate the occasion, Dior organized an in-boutique cocktail, followed by an exclusive dinner at the premises of St. Maximilian Kolbe. Bathed in natural light thanks to large bay windows, the reinvented building where the boutique is housed offers a breathtaking view of the Bleichenfleet canal. Inside the building, the unique space – spread over nearly 500 square meters and divided over two floors – hosts the different universes of the Maison, from ready-to-wear to accessories.

Starting from the ground floor, we come across Victoire de Castellane’s creations, as well as iconic women’s shoes and bags, such as the Lady Dior, the new 30 Montaigne Avenue, and the Dior Book Tote, embroidered with Plan de Paris or Dior Petites Fleurs prints. Moving on to the second floor, Dior’s SS23 ready-to-wear line by Maria Grazia Chiuri is enhanced by wood sculptor Etienne Moyat’s artwork, whereas Kim Jones’ wardrobe is staged in a refined atmosphere, adorned with an abstract painting by Scottish artist Peter Seal. Combining the purity of white and the naturalness of wood with elegant touches of beige and gold, the sophisticated setting features emblematic Dior fundamentals throughout the entire space, such as the Versailles parquet floor. To complete this eye-catching environment, designer furniture adds an ultra-contemporary touch, while the grand staircase is punctuated with white canvases from the haute couture ateliers, a poetic fresco inspired by 30 Montaigne. The boutique conveys Dior’s savoir-faire, and its constantly renewed inventiveness.

www.dior.com

Fashion

The Third Edition of the BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS

With a mission to celebrate inspirational and talented contemporary women, the third edition of the BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS ceremony was held on April 26th. The start studded award show dates back to Bulgari’s initiative on March 8th, 2016, named after the Roman goddess of dawn, a symbol of intelligence and creativity. The first edition of the award ceremony was held in China in 2019 to pay homage to contemporary Chinese women’s creativity and transformative power. Full circle, in collaboration with the official media partner of the luxury brand Marie Claire, the BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS ceremony is back in China to celebrate and highlight the achievements of Chinese women.

The third edition of the awards ceremony hosted many iconic and talented names among them were, Mr. Vincenzo Pujia, Bulgari Retail & Customer Experience VP and Greater China Managing Director, Mr. Emanuele di Lorenzo Badia, The Charge' d'Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Italy to the P.R.C., Bulgari brand ambassador Liya Tong, Wen Qi, Fan Chengcheng, Bulgari PR ambassador Kai Xu, Famous actress Kara Wai, Zhuo Tan, as well as celebrity friends of Bulgari - Nazha, Li Zhang, Duling Chen, Lingzi Liu, Keni Zeng, Yunrui Li, Keran Lu. Moreover, the ceremony was also blessed by the appearance of this year’s nominators and the winners of this and past years’ BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS.

Dedicated to honoring the creative and transformative power of modern Chinese women, and constructing discourse about their journeys of growth and innovation – the BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS ceremony celebrated a total of seven nominators and nine winners from fields such as film, art, and dance. These winners include the versatile actress Jingyi Zhang, the coveted young director Dongmei Li, swan-like dancer Jiejing Zhu, and more powerful and awe-inducing women.

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

New Dimensions in The Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu

In his third collaboration with Hublot, Maxime Plescia-Buchi inks the art of tattooing into watchmaking. Just as his tattoos have the power to unleash a new identity, he reimagines the strokes and architectural design of The Spirit of Big Bang. He infuses Hublot’s DNA, the enhanced three-dimensional and ergonomically enhanced design of an iconic timepiece, with the geometry and symmetry of Sang Bleu. The Salone del Mobile of 2023 in Milan saw the unveiling of The Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu.

The Spirit of Big Bang takes on the Big Bang’s original features in a 42mm diameter barrel-shaped case. Maxime retains its distinctive quality with three limited editions with a perfectly proportioned design that becomes one with the case. The Sang Bleu signature is instantly recognizable in each model: 200 units in titanium, 200 in All Black ceramic and 100 in King Gold. In addition, two models are set with 180 diamonds weighing approximately 2.4 carats, in titanium and King Gold. Each indelible line is chiseled, beveled, polished and satin finished, while hexagons, diamonds and triangles overlap to create a new mysteriously magnetic interpretation of volume. A sapphire dial disc displays the HUB4700 automatic skeleton chronograph movement. The back of the case has been arched to ensure the watch fits flush across all wrist sizes, for both men and women.

In a quest for perfection, Maxime has revisited each component of Hublot’s The Spirit of Big Bang, ultimately creating a tattooed chronograph that embodies the Hublot philosophy ‘Be First, Unique and Different.’

www.hublot.com

Fashion

An Unforgettable Afternoon with Breitling

To celebrate its newly launched models of the Top Time Classic Cars and Premier B01 collection, Breitling delivered an unforgettable afternoon with the Style & Speed Event 2023 in Berlin. Breitling CEO, Georges Kern, invited guests, friends of the brand, VIPs, media and concessionaires for a full immersion into Breitling’s impressive world. The energic afternoon kicked off with an exclusive Breitling diner, followed up by a spectacular live concert by the country rock band The BossHoss.

“We are going after that sense of freedom and fun with the 1960s-inspired Top Time Classic Cars collection, and are thrilled to once again partner with Ford to introduce the new Thunderbird model, along with updated versions of the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, and Shelby Cobra chronographs”, says Georges Kern. The four watches feature the colors and emblems of their 1950s and 1960s sports car counterparts, and now all come with one of the most highly regarded chronograph movements in the industry, the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01. The manufacture movement provides an approximately 70-hour power reserve, a five-year warranty, and a water resistance of 100m with the enhanced Top Time case. However, the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01 now also features in six new Premier models, introduced with a heritage-inspired design. Willy Breitling – who designed the Premier line, a series of elegant chronographs with the best materials, finishes, and calibers – has been an incomparable inspiration within the Swiss watchmaking brand. The new Premier B01 Chronograph 42 assortment lives up to Willy Breitling’s uncompromising technical standards.

www.breitling.com

Fashion

Horizons Truly Never End with Louis Vuitton & Lionel Messi

As a football legend and recent world champion, it is rather inevitable that Lionel Messi is frequently on the move. Entirely fitting, then, is the fact that Messi stars in Louis Vuitton’s new travel campaign, Horizons Never End. Captured by fashion photographer and filmmaker Glen Luchford while seated in an airport terminal with his legs stretched out on his Horizon rolling cabin bag or seated upon the iconic Louis Vuitton trunk amidst the planes of the airport apron, Messi appears ready to take on countless adventures with his Horizon luggage by his side.

With this Horizon luggage collection dreamed up by Marc Newson, the Maison remains devoted to its founder’s art of travel, while also reshaping it with Newson’s numerous contributions. Newson developed “the ultimate contemporary backpack” for his debut collaboration with the Maison, as well as designed and engineered many Louis Vuitton travel essentials. His new-iconic Horizon collection marked a true accomplishment for the Maison’s luggage family in terms of design, durability and functionality when it was first launched in 2016. Packaging space, a crucial necessity for an itinerant, is optimized through a generous, flat-bottomed interior, whereas a highly maneuverable exterior trolley system with silent, miniature wheels grants 360° directionality. The Maison’s trunkmaking legacy peeks through with the ultra-lightweight cases in molded mesh composite, covered in specially developed Monogram or Damier canvas and trimmed with natural cowhide.

Starting April 14th, 2023, the first chapter of the Horizon collection will debut internationally in print and on Louis Vuitton social channels.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Seventh Edition of the Loro Piana Knit Design Award

The seventh Edition of the Loro Piana Knit Design Award, an international competition between talented students dedicated to a creative interpretation of iconic yarns that represent the excellence of the Maison, has recently come to a happy ending. Since 2016, the first Edition of the Loro Piana Knit Design Award, students from the most prestigious international design schools have participated in the exciting competition. The theme for 2023 was “Regenerate” and the students from the six participating schools– the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York, Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh, Donghua University Shanghai, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Università IUAV di Venezia, and Institut Français de la Mode– were requested to develop a creative idea with a focus on sustainability and recycling, which will in enhance the value of Maison’s exclusive yarns in the long term.

After the initial brief, the competing students were given a chance to fly to Italy to see first-hand Maison’s extraordinary heritage and a general outline of the production process explained meticulously by the Research and Development team through guided tours of the wool mill. The finalists, presented on the 6th of April, were judged by international experts and internal representatives including but not limited to CEO Damien Bertrand. The winning pair were students Sumin An and Blake Dewitt of the Fashion Institute and Technology of New York. An and Dewitt were graciously celebrated for their win, leaving Italy with a prestigious Loro Piana Knit Design Award 2023 handmade silver trophy, along with a scholarship and an employment contract with the company. Loro Piana’s efforts to merge teaching and professional experience allow for the company to shorten the distance between education and the job market– providing youthful creatives with an opportunity to showcase their talents to the world with no time to spare.

An and Dewitt’s finished pieces, supported by expert artisans, will be exhibited in Pitti Filati, to be held in Florence from the 28th-30th of June.

www.loropiana.com

Travel

An Italian and Japanese Dance in the Sky

On the 4th of April, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts celebrated a momentous occasion: the opening of the brand’s newest luxury hotel, the Bulgari Hotel Tokyo. The new hotel combines Italian tradition and glamor with Japanese history and culture to adorn the 40th-45th floors of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, a new ultramodern skyscraper overlooking the iconic Tokyo Station, the Imperial Palace Gardens, all the way to Mt Fuji.

This incredible addition to the Tokyo hospitality scene was first celebrated by a ribbon cutting ceremony led by the Bulgari Group CEO Jean-Christophe Babin with the Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike, Italian Ambassador to Japan Gianluigi Benedetti, famed actress Anne Hathaway, the singer and actor Tomoshisa Yamashita, Executive Managing Officer of Mitsui Fudosan Co. Yutaka Kawamura, Executive Vice President Bulgari Group Silvio Ursini, General Manager of Bulgari Hotel Tokyo Yuji Tanaka and President of Bulgari Japan Vincent Reynes in attendance. The acclaimed group of individuals was later joined by 400 guests on the 40th floor to enjoy early performances by Simona Molinari and later on DJs Ami x Aya and Alisa Ueno. The night ended with Miyavi, a star guitarist, surprising the crowd and joining DJ Alisa Ueno on stage for an impromptu live collaboration!

A devout follower of the essence of audacity and bravery, Bulgari associates each of its glamorous hotels and resorts with a rare and precious gem. The Bulgari Hotel Tokyo is married to the pink diamond – an elegant homage to the beauty and harmony threaded into Japanese culture and Sakura season. As Babin expertly states in the brand’s press release, “Jewelry and hospitality combine perfectly to meet Bulgari’s client’s expectations of a high level”.

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton’s Unveilings at Milan Design Week

This Milan Design Week, from 19 to 23 April 2023, Louis Vuitton’s latest Objets Nomades, the Cabinet of Curiosities by Marc Newson, and the Marc Fornes pavilion will all be showcased at Palazzo Serbelloni.

The Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades collection grows with the unveiling of 11 new innovative furnishings and objects created by a renowned selection of international designers. Creations from Atelier Oï, Raw Edges, Atelier Biagetti, Marcel Wanders, Zanellato/Bortotto, Studio Louis Vuitton, and Campana are exhibited in a space especially curated in the historic Palazzo Serbelloni. Amongst the new additions are designs inspired by Louis Vuitton’s iconic monogram, such as Atelier Biagetti’s Flower Tower lamp, with 15 glass bubbles that appear to float when lit and Studio Louis Vuitton’s Flower Carafe and Twist Glass, handmade by Venetian artists.

Louis Vuitton will also premiere the fascinating Cabinet of Curiosities by Marc Newson. A hard-sided travel trunk transformed into a presentation case with 8 doors and secret compartments by the Australian industrial designer. The trunk houses 19 leather-covered metal cubes in 3 sizes and 3 colorways. The cubes can be arranged in over 1,000 configurations to display books, art, souvenirs, or anything the heart desires.

Finally, the Maison presents its annual exhibition of nomadic architecture in the palazzo’s courtyard. Architect Marc Fornes designed the structure from 1600 uniquely shaped anodized aluminum sheets. The structure resembles a coral-like, living entity, and will host a series of events throughout Milan Design Week.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

BOSS Legend Series: Bruce Lee

BOSS has announced their latest capsule collection as part of the inspiring BOSS Legends series. The next instalment is a tribute to the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. The collection celebrates and channels his pioneering and courageous spirit; a call to be your own BOSS.

Bruce Lee is a true, global icon. He created a legacy not only in martial arts, with his unique hybrid philosophy, Jeet Kune Do, but also in pop culture, where he bridged the gap between East and West. In both worlds Lee was one of the most influential figures of the 20th century and is still well-known today. He transcended the idea of having a single goal, instead seamlessly combining his passions to revolutionise martial arts and cinema. From his massive impact on centuries of fixed styles and systems in martial arts, to his trailblazing career as a movie star and director, Bruce Lee’s legacy is exemplary of the unbelievable feats that one can achieve through the power of self-belief.

The capsule collection has a laid-back, casual and gender-neutral style, but each piece packs a punch. Black, white, and blue T-shirts and hoodies are printed with snapshots of his signature, unforgettable moves. A baseball cap with 3D embroidered calligraphy rounds off the collection. His popular stage name, “Lee Little Dragon,” is spelled out in traditional Chinese characters throughout the collection. This capsule is next in the series, which has previously spotlighted Freddie Mercury, Muhammad Ali and Frida Kahlo.

www.boss.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

Prada Frames: Materials in Flux

The Prada Frames symposium, presented by Prada, aims to spark reflection and innovation to define a new reality with an environmentally conscious approach. International scholars and professionals from a full disciplinary range are brought together to explore the complex interactions between design and the environment. Fusing a transdisciplinary approach with an ecological lens, Prada Frames explores how these dynamics can be improved to ensure a brighter future. The event is curated by Formafantasma, a research and design studio based in Milan and Rotterdam that investigates the ecological, historical, political, and social forces that shape the discipline of design with the goal to use design to initiate vital transformative interventions.

In 2023, the second edition of Prada Frames is held in Hong Kong and Milan, with the theme ‘Materials in Flux’. Inspired by the work of British anthropologist Tim Ingold, one of the many contributors to the event, the concept is focused on how materials and matter are interconnected, with an endless life cycle.

In Hong Kong, the symposium began on March 21 and 22 at the M+, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, inaugurated by its architect Jacques Herzog.

On April 17, 18 and 19, during the Salone del Mobile, the symposium will continue to unfold in Milan’s Teatro Filodrammatici, one of the oldest theaters in the city. The program includes sessions and talks titled ‘Conceptualizing’, ‘Contextualizing’, ‘Designing’ and ‘Valuating’, ‘Governing’ and ‘Re-inhabiting’, unpacking every step and process that makes up global waste infrastructures, and delving deep into the relationships between matter and ecosystems.

Admission to Prada Frames in Milan is free, but there is a limited availability. From April 6th it is possible to register for attendance on the Prada website.

www.prada.com

Fashion

W&W Vacheron Constantin: The Essence of Watchmaking

This year, the very essence of watchmaking art took precedence above all else in Vacheron Constantin’s show at Watches & Wonders in Geneva. While in the past we saw “Classic with a Twist” and “The Anatomy of Beauty”, this year’s theme, embodying the spirit of the manufacturer, is Less’ential. The Maison took technical mastery and the originality of artistic crafts as its guiding principles for its new novelties, as well as its new booth architecture. The outcome? A perfect balance between shape and design; a new form of elegance and sophistication; timepieces where mechanical complexity and a meticulous attention to detail devote themselves to beauty. All the new designs symbolize Vacheron Constantin’s artistic priority. The Overseas moon phase retrograde date, a sporty-elegant steel watch, combines the precision moon phase – an astronomical complication – with the retrograde display. Inspired by the 1950s designs, the Patrimony retrograde day-date watch’s hour markers and hands follow the gentle curve of the dial. The Traditionnelle tourbillon retrograde date openface watch expresses an avant-garde aesthetic, where the opening onto the architecture of the 2162 R31 movement highlights the watch’s mechanical power. Among the new releases we encounter new pieces for the Overseas collection. Yet, one of the most eye-catching designs is a one-of-a-kind double-sided watch in white gold: Les Cabinotiers Dual Moon Grand Complication, which captures 11 noble horological complications in one refined casing. Vacheron Constantin’s new releases are a celebration of excellence, featuring mechanical perfection enhanced by the combination of creative inspiration and refined skills.

www.vacheron-constantin.com

Fashion

Etro Makes Sail

Vela is the first bag designed by Marco De Vincenzo, Etro’s new Creative Director. It takes its inspiration from the nautical world. With a sharp silhouette, like a sail by the winds of the sea, it is molded with dynamic curves and contours. It takes its name from this image, as “vela” is “sail” in Italian.

Natural and timeless, the bag is finished with innovative and captivating details, like its V-shaped closure with a flexible zipper. Vela is adaptable, with a double detachable shoulder strap that allows it to be worn on the shoulder or across the body. The zipper features a distinct chain to which a medal is attached; engraved with the same technique used to mint coins, the Etro logo shines on one side, and a Pegasus on the other. The Vela Bag is made of a luxurious calfskin, available year-round in black, ivory, and gianduja chocolate, along with a rotation of seasonal colors.

The bag was released with a series of editorial images featuring Italian top model Bianca Balti. Like a siren in the sea, she exemplifies an audacious and alluring femininity. Centered in an essential background with colors reminiscent of the open ocean, she creates a sensual connection with the Vela Bag that embodies its timeless beauty.

www.etro.com

Art

Blue Makes Radiofonografo Infinite

Blue is infinite: the color of the endless sky, the relaxing constancy of the ocean’s waves, the four walls of our earth. Since the beginning of art, blue has been an emblem for loyalty, courage, and beauty. Now, the radiofonografo becomes blue. Brionvega will present the latest version of its radiofonografo in a deep, unforgettable blue alongside many other new products at the Salone del Mobile in Milan in April 2023.

Brionvega’s radiofonografo was originally created in 1965 by designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, but it is much more than a modern design object. Originally conceived to flawlessly reproduce music, the radiofonografo is a true work of multi-sensory contemporary art. It has become a key figure in stories and memories, an ebullient companion that brings people closer to music and technology.

The radiofonografo was and is a friend for life for some of the greatest icons of the 20th and 21st century. David Bowie was a tireless collector of art of every kind. His love and devotion to the radiofonografo represents one of the greatest tributes to its one-of-a-kind design. Francis Ford Coppola, one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema has expressed his fascination with Brionvega over the years, particularly his admiration for the unmatched performance of the radiofonografo. The radiofonografo has, as such, gained value over time. Owned by icons of the present such as Kendall Jenner, it will continue to prevail as it is passed onto future generations.

www.brionvega.com

Fashion

Exclusive Chocolate Creations, Dior You Can’t Wear

As Easter approaches, the House of Dior reveals a delectable approach to honoring their history and founder, Christian Dior. The art de vivre and gastronomy were cherished by Christian Dior, who was proud to describe himself as a “gourmand”. The House cultivates and shares this passion, with a series of exclusive chocolate creations.

Delicate and delicious; they are works of art that can be held in your palm and melt in your mouth. The distinct and exquisite sculptural forms take the shape of three iconic Dior silhouettes. The sculptures are exceptional recreations of some of Dior’s most emblematic creations. The magnificent petal skirt of the Junon dress, the swirling movement of the Tourbillon dress, and the timeless Bar jacket exemplify a convergence of mastered skill, from couture to the culinary arts. The chocolate dresses are presented at La Pâtisserie Dior, located at the 30 Montaigne boutique. The heart of Dior, 30 Montaigne and its neighboring buildings are a fully immersive world that take you back to the beginnings of the couture house.

The elegant experience of the chocolate dresses can be carried home in a poetic box, kept and savored for over a year. They can also be enjoyed on the spot at La Pâtisserie Dior as a truly unique and cherishable memory.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Beauty Threaded in with Speed

A provocative and bold analysis of beauty, what it is, and what it means – Ferrari’s FW23 collection explores the ins and outs of beauty as a concept. The brand’s Creative Director Rocco Iannone masterfully outlines what beauty is for the brand driven by speed: “Beauty is the pleasure that derives from speed, captured in its initial burst, in its full symbolic and design potential. It is the movement that stems from an idea, the aesthetic that captures the uniqueness of the transient, the sign of what is about to take place”.

The collection features beauty sewn into motion and speed, the ultimate signifiers for the luxury brand. The garments, sleek and dutifully inspired by the elusive world of racing are crafted to produce silhouettes that are aerodynamic, outlining the body and providing the foundation for further acceleration. The colors are bold, classic black is contrasted with a pop of blood red or magnificently saturated yellow. The beauty is observed in the details.

The color red symbolizes Ferrari's universal identity and elegance, and within the spaces of Palazzo Citterio, a historic building housing the Brera Art Gallery, it reaches full saturation. A highlight garment from the collection, workwear-inspired by practical elements as well as the world of racing, the loose suit paired with a blue leather jacket is adorned with blood-red fur lapels and heels lined at the sole with the same omnipresent hue. The monochromatic cohesiveness and the conscious disruption enhance the vitality of the silhouettes and the entirety of the collection.

www.ferarri.com

Fashion

Porsche x BOSS

Porsche and BOSS’s collaborative SS23 collection features an intimate pairing of innovative designs and a distinctive L.A. essence. The brands’ collaboration celebrates the notable friendship between the luxury fashion brand and the renowned German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance luxury sports cars, SUVs, and sedans. Putting forth a collection perfect for a multitude of activities on a warm day, Porsche and BOSS once again showcased their potential as a duo.

In January, the beloved Colombian singer Maluma was announced as one of the faces of the global campaign. The world-renowned singer is also featured as the lead in the Porsche x BOSS collection.

The SS23 collection features a series of transcendental athleisure garments and premium casual wear pieces imbued with the charisma of seasonal colors such as bright white and warm royal blue. The silhouettes feature several jersey and nylon styles, such as polos, hoodies, and more, which are embellished with color-gradient detailing that imbues the garments with notions of speed and adrenaline. Lightweight essentials: jackets, sweatpants, hoodies, and sneakers are adorned with white stripes and piping inspired by elements of the active warm-weather lifestyle. The allure and excitement of the collection are sewn into the essence of smart casual wear paired with the elevated L.A. vibe.

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

The Chosen Four

Succeeding C.P. Company’s 50th Anniversary project, the SS023 ADV campaign follows the stories of four individuals. Stemming from diverse cultural backgrounds while also differing in age, gender and interests, the chosen four interpret seasonal looks with their own personal style. They represent the brand as an engine for social change and innovation by virtue of their experiences.

The ADV campaign is attended by five-year-old Leo and his father Diego, who frequently skates at Milano Centrale, a source of aesthetic inspiration. The brand’s attention to detail prompted an immediate attraction during his search for practical jackets, essential for wintertime skating. Representing his story, Diego wears a workwear-inspired Ba-Tic Light jacket together with his own camouflage cargo pants. The brand’s affinity to pursue utility and functionality is shared by Louison Bahurel. The brand’s garments, he explains, are fashioned as tools, “helping you preform actions more easily thanks to their ergonomics and adaptability.” Wearing a 50 Fili Tr-P jacket with a concealable hood is Gabriel Moses, a successful photographer and video maker from South London. This versatile jacket with a military inspired fabric and a polyurethane coating secures an ideal hard-wearing outwear piece. Sofia Pace, a New Yorker, found herself a one-of-a-kind piece for her closet. Representing the brand’s wide array of experimental fabrics, she wears the reflective Kan-D jacket with a detachable hood, crafted using a flattened monofilament nylon yarn.

This entrancing partnership epitomizes C.P. Company’s pioneering urban sportswear and its hybridization of functional menswear and Italian fabric innovation – characteristic of all pieces.

www.cpcompany.com 

Fashion

Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama’s New World of Infinity

Louis Vuitton has collaborated with artists for years, an impetus which continues with perhaps the pre-eminent global artist of the 21st century. Yayoi Kusama’s transformative imagination is embraced by the Maison, taking over all its product lines. The gift that sparked their relationship in 2012 exemplified their shared vision. Kusama hand-painted her characteristic INFINITY DOTS, known for giving a glimpse into infinity, onto of the most timeless, emblematic Louis Vuitton objects - the trunk.

This collection unites the two in their pursuit of crafting fantastical objects with an investment to detail and infinity in mind. A cascade of Kusama’s captivating motifs in vibrant, joyful colors furthers the limits of Louis Vuitton’s savoir faire in Drop 2 of their collaboration.

In stores starting March 31st, 2023, PUMPKINS, FLOWERS, FACES, INFINITY DOTS, and INFINITY NET encompass the ready-to-wear, bags, shoes, accessories, luggage, trunks, and fragrances available to men and women. The winsome form of PUMPKINS is integral to Kusama’s hallucinatory world. They take center stage, inspiring new forms, and playful new designs on iconic pieces. The women’s world receives special attention inspired by the psychedelic FLOWERS painting from 2004, with delicate embroideries and prints of elegant hyper-florals. FACES, especially chosen for the collaboration, are married with the new signature blue of Louis Vuitton, combining chicness with chaos especially in ready-to-wear. A second wave of INFINITY DOTS introduces enthralling new colors to accessories and men’s footwear. Finally, the Capucines bag is entirely enveloped in the mesmerizing rhythm of Kusama’s INFINITY NET motif.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Longchamp’s New Ambassador

Longchamp has revealed its newly appointed ambassador: South Korean singer and actress Kim Se-jeong. “We are delighted to welcome Kim Se-jeong to the Longchamp family,” comments Creative Director Sophie Delafontaine. “Not only is she an exceptionally talented performer, but her joy and energy make her great to be around.” In addition to making a name for herself in her native country, the talented actress shot to international stardom with her award-winning role in the SBS romantic comedy series Business Proposal – one of the most popular non-English shows on Netflix in 2022. Her lively and relatable personality is the key source of her burgeoning fan base. Her Instagram account, where she tells us to keep an eye out for her future work with the brand, has over nine million followers. “It is an honor to collaborate with Longchamp, which to me epitomizes the style of the Parisienne,” Se-jeong explains. “I feel we can maximize the relationship by playing to our strengths and similarities”. With her natural warmth and sparkle, Se-jeong was the ideal choice to embody the energy and authenticity of Longchamp as well as to front its SS23 campaign. The visuals shot in Seoul display Se-jeong modeling key looks from the SS23 collection, characterized by a synergy of bold colors, prints and materials, in combination with Longchamp’s star bags, such as the new Box-Trot in natural canvas and leather or eye-popping candy-pink. The Longchamp SS23 campaign with Kim Se-jeong is available for purchase on the brand’s website.

www.longchamp.com 

Fashion

PFW - Transforming Perception with Miu Miu FW23

For FW23 Miu Miu collection, Miuccia Prada is “focused on the instinctive process of looking, […] and how an act of observation can, in turn, transform the object of its focus.” As models walk down the runway with messy hair, tights over tops and no trousers, it becomes clear that – to transform how we visually read looks – the structure of how we dress, what lies underneath and outer layers are redefined through fabrication, styling and perception. A casual yet elegant line with a youthful attitude is put together as familiar clothing items take on new arrangements and meanings. In the Palais d’Iéna, Mia Goth initiates the show as she walks down the lifted runway wearing Miu Miu’s iconic prim cardigan and slingback heels with a matching purse on her wrist. Transparent chiffon reveals commonly concealed elements: bright tights are exposed, lowered waistlines and layered fabrics create complexity, dresses are overlaid and the trending only-panties-look is notably embraced. A muted color palette, emphasis on comfort, and broad-shouldered silhouettes characterize the looks – as seen on a mustard corduroy jacket, hooded sweatshirts and twinsets. Conforming with the collection’s spirit is the show’s accompanying installation by artist Geumhyung Jeong, whose work examines “the relationship between her own body and clothing”. The youthful touch is not only visible throughout the collection but also in the character cast, including Amelia Grey and Emma Corrin among others, and the incorporation of male models for Miu Miu’s genderless philosophy introduced by Prada. This amusing collection has something for everyone’s next wish list.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

“Freedom, Pleasure, Experimentation, Play”: Diesel FW23

The post-apocalyptic and sex-positive FW23 collection showcases the brand’s core values moving forward. “Freedom, pleasure, experimentation, play”, these four concepts imbue the collection with a youth-like acceptance and embrace of the erotic. The Italian fashion house successfully explores new creative territories whilst initiating valuable discourse, embellished with a preview of its forthcoming capsule collection with Durex, which drops in April 2023.

The importance of individual freedom and the value of safe sex is sewn into the commentary of the showcase as well as the garments such as jersey T-shirts featuring the Durex logo with the D of Diesel. “We have to remind everyone that safe sex is still important, we cannot forget,” says Glenn Martens, the Creative Director of Diesel.

The models strut on the dynamic runway built around the grandiose sculpture of 200,000 Durex condom boxes completed with captivating electronic music with a pornographic audio break. Aside from the valuable social commentary, this collection once again highlights the brand’s mastery over denim. The garments allude to the movement of the past, and future. Heavy distressing and intentional fragility can be seen on almost every garment - leather jackets made to look cracked, jeans that appear to be falling apart, and dresses and gowns only supported by metal detailing featuring the emblematic D logo. However, it’s important to note that the fragility that lines the garments is expertly coupled with practical and utilitarian elements. This dichotomy between the use of materials does not diminish the urge to display the body. All garments possess a specific temporality - whether they conceal, display, or protect the body: the dynamic use of fabric and material saturates the collection with the feeling that the garments are meant to be taken off.

The Diesel FW23 collection commits to exploring a territory too often deemed taboo in high art and does it with intense artistry and creativity.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

PFW - FW23 - Alexander McQueen: Anatomy

What lies beneath - Alexander McQueen’s FW23 collection Anatomy is a divine exploration of the anatomy of the human body, clothing, and flowers. Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen’s Creative Director delicately communicated the brand’s dramatic and romantic essence through an extensive study into tailoring and its implications. Women and men’s garments shared similar values of smooth lines, structured silhouettes, and a display of intricate sensuality, further emphasized by the displays of the flower of love, the orchid. The garments asserted a confidence associated with an intimate relationship to the proportions, lines, and composition of the human body- seemingly displaying and playing with it. Suits with dramatic shoulders, narrow waists, and trousers that go past the nipples - McQueen displays a desire to subvert classic expectations of the mysterious aesthetic. The collection grows more experimental, knitwear hugs and forms the body akin to parts of the body, the orchid takes a central role, and leather is used to create garments that imbue the idea of a wild second skin. The role of leather in the collection is best observed in the stand-out look of the beautiful dark purple belted trench coat, accessorized with monochromatic leather gloves and a black leather tie. Apart from the energy imbued into the collection through exquisite tailoring, the intentional use of the orchid print and motif reinforces the dark, sultry, and romantic aura of Anatomy. The orchid, much like Anatomy personified, is the embodiment of individuality, beauty, and power. Sarah Burton successfully continues the legacy of Lee Alexander McQueen by breaking traditional conventions of tailoring and experimenting with the vast possibilities.

www.alexandermcqueen.com

Fashion

PFW - Saint Laurent FW23

A collection highlighting the dichotomy between masculine and feminine, opulence and simplicity, seduction and power- the Saint Laurent Women’s Winter 23 collection exhibits a masterful expression of play. The Italian fashion designer and the current Creative Director of the brand infused the familiar aesthetic of the tailleur-jupe with the ethos of the classic Saint Laurent style and his own codes of creative expression. The outcome is a collection that provides women with aesthetic agency.

The collection comprises garments that embed elements found traditionally in masculine tailoring juxtaposed with a traditionally feminine silhouette. The color scheme is heavily focused on neutrals such as brown and black and supplements the play between the masculine and feminine. The subdued color, harsh cuts, and exuberant shoulder pads allow the models to shine. As suggested by the seductive garments underlining the oversized garments of outerwear, the women are given agency. The collection orbits around the desires of the feminine- fostering the temporal modes and roles of women, the garments break conventional boundaries of tailoring and mix practicality with elegance and feminine power.

Playing with the relationship between opulence and simplicity, the venue pays homage to the ballroom of the Intercontinental hotel where the brand showcased its Haute Couture collections for over 25 years. With an eye for detail, Vaccarello makes it clear that the Saint Laurent woman is above the values of tradition.

www.ysl.com

Fashion

H&M and Mugler announce their Spring 2023 Collection

Last week, the Swedish brand H&M announced its upcoming collaboration on a Spring 2023 Collection with the fashion house Mugler. H&M has a star-studded history of designer collaborations- Karl Lagerfeld, Maison Martin Margiela, and most recently Balmain. Through these creative collaborative relationships, H&M has made high fashion more accessible for the majority of consumers worldwide. This collection, infused with the atelier’s unique essence, will be designed under the Mugler Creative Director, Casey Cadwaller.

The exciting H&M and Mugler Spring 2023 Collection will be made available online and in selected stores.

www.hm.com

Fashion

MFW - FENDI FW23 - A Timeless Wardrobe for a Contemporary Woman

Over the years, Tod’s has established itself as an icon of Italian design. At its very core is the realization of a lifestyle – one that, according to the brand, merges “elegance, creativity and savoir-faire with supreme artisanal quality”. A way of life that is once again put into the limelight in Tod’s women’s FW23 collection, designed by Creative Director Walter Chiapponi and presented at Pirelli HangarBicocca – home to a non-profit organization in Milan. The collection resonates with the demands of the modern-day woman. The central idea? A refined and contemporary elegance combined with a strong sense of identity. This winter wardrobe reveals classic and timeless pieces featuring clean lines and a monochromatic color palette – a combination of soft caramels, browns and creams with black and white pinstripes. Natural fabrics and precious leather add a dash of softness and sensuality. Knit dresses hug the body while polos star in countless looks. Masculine features transform into sophisticated femininity. A slight playfulness with proportions, and iconic details together with functional elements make up elegant silhouettes with a hint of practicality. Shoulders stick out while the waist is accentuated. Hourglass leather dresses walk down the runway, skirts come in all types of lengths and pockets become a refreshing feature. Not failing to carry on the Tod’s legacy of traditional Italian craftsmanship are the collection’s accessories. The iconic Di Bag can be taken apart while the T Case is soft to the touch. In Tod’s world: functionality, structure, style and elegance are not mutually exclusive.

www.tods.com

Fashion

MFW - Emporio Armani FW23

Emporio Armani brought an air of humor to the FW23 fashion show in Milan. The backdrop of the catwalk was a throwback photo of model Noemi Ditzler, setting the stage for the timeless collection. Models carried looks inspired by old Elizabethan theater, with dazzling smiles that put a subtly ironic twist on Armani’s classical elegance. The collection draws a joyful inspiration from stage costumes, met with everyday wearability that can carry one from day to evening. This was represented in the clothing from asymmetrical jackets, pin-tucked trousers and breeches, to accessories such as miniature hats, shirt collars as necklaces, and grosgrain straps. The characteristic fluidity between masculine and feminine seen in Armani’s designs did not fall short. The styling brought together precise and sophisticated silhouettes featuring tailored jackets accentuating sharp shoulders and bodice belts to define waistlines, with youthful short hems and flowing trousers. Black, white, and gray dominated the runway, but dramatic and playful flares of magenta and graphic patterns provided radiance. Layers of texture and volume brought the drama of the theater to the runway. Embossed velvet, mohair and faux fur effortlessly met with silk, canvas, and sequins. Armani consistently suggests clothes that bring out the person, bridging the attitude of the catwalk with the drama of the theater to introduce an unusual and ironic take on classicism.

www.armani.com

Fashion

NEW YORK - Michael Kors Collection FW23

Fashion has the ability to capture the current zeitgeist, maybe better than any other creative discipline. Despite being able to spark desires in the here and now, the fashion industry has never failed to pay homage to those who came before. And each decade has its own icons, whether it is certain places, ground-breaking designers, or tastemakers, whose impact still reverberates decades after. With the new FW23 collection presented in New York’s Greenwich Village, Michael Kors celebrates these forever icons, whom he calls his influencers, who have left a lasting impression on his work, highlighting timeless glamor whilst at the same time paying homage to the rule-breaking spirit which has defined Greenwich Village for decades. To put it in Michael Kors’ own words, “I was really thinking about the things that influenced me when I was coming of age in the 70s, the women who influenced me, the neighborhood that influenced me, and the combination of big city glamor and bohemia that I found in Greenwich Village at the time.” Throughout the collection, we can see Kors play with proportions, interlacing sweeping coats and dramatic capes with leggy dresses, skirts and shorts whilst also using clever slashes and slits to frame the body. With this collection, Michael Kors plays to its own strengths with the designs, defined by clean lines, having a familiar feel whilst keeping us on edge with modernizations in terms of detailing and materials.

www.michaelkors.com

Fashion

White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence

Over the past decades, the sneaker has undoubtedly become a must-have item in all our wardrobes to the point where a brand like Louis Vuitton would feel incomplete without sneakers in their collections. With this in mind, the former Artistic Director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh, designed the ultimate luxury sneaker. The LV Trainer, first unveiled for SS19 and an instant icon in the sneaker community, is fusing the authentic codes of basketball shoes with the iconography and savoir-faire of the Maison with each pair requiring no less than seven hours of manufacturing. Now, this special sneaker is becoming the foundation for Louis Vuitton’s newest project, the White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence exhibition. The idea for this exhibition goes back to the late Virgil Abloh who saw the LV Trainer as a perfect canvas for artistic collaborations. For the first instalment of this recurring artistic exchange program, the French Maison is partnering up with three artists shaped by the 80s New York underground scene, Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones and the Estate of Rammellzee, who each put forward their own unique spin on the iconic LV Trainer. It’s an embodiment of Louis Vuitton’s ongoing fostering of free expression and creative conversations bridging the gap between diverse domains of knowledge and genres. Lady Pink was born in Ecuador and was a leading figure in the rise of graffiti-based art which made her a cult figure in the hip-hop community. Lee Quiñones was born in Puerto Rico and was pivotal in bringing street art above ground and Rammellzee rose to fame through the rich expression of his artworks across multiple disciplines. Exhibited in Garage Traversi in Milan, the centerpiece of the exhibition will be the three original hand-painted sneaker adaptations. But Louis Vuitton created an overall experience which allows the visitors to immerse themselves within the context of the works through multimedia installations charting the collaborations. Aside from being a display of the works, the exhibition will also act as an exclusive point of sale for commercialized versions of each collaboration made available in limited quantities.

The Louis Vuitton White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence exhibition will be open to the public from February 24th until March 16th at Garage Traversi in Milan.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

The Art of Genius

Every industry has its own calendar, its own rhythms which determine the course of the year. Fashion is by no means an exception and functions by its two-season model with luxury houses presenting their new collections twice a year. But more and more are moving away from this traditional modus operandi. In this spirit, Moncler launched Moncler Genius in 2018 as a continuous flow of newness. Another core principle behind Moncler Genius was the power of collaboration. Over the past five years, Moncler has relentlessly amplified the concept, engaging in collaboration with some of the world’s greatest creative minds in the industry providing innovative ways of curating, communicating and sharing creativity with the world, tapping into the cultural zeitgeist and continuous evolution embedded in its DNA. This platform is now taking the next step forward, going beyond fashion and exploring the boundaries of creation at the intersections of art, design, entertainment, music, sport and culture. To introduce this year’s roster of co-creators, Moncler presents The Art of Genius. This event, a live show on a grand scale, features some of the world’s premier creators from various industries who present their creative visions bridging different formats and disciplines.

The Art of Genius will take place on February 20th and will allow visitors to immerse themselves in a world of creativity with all its beauty and emotional power.

www.moncler.com

Fashion

COS x YEBOAH

COS was founded with the concept of offering its customers a more minimalist, uncomplicated wardrobe, less trend-oriented, modern pieces taking inspiration from the effortless and nonchalant Nordic lifestyle and aesthetic sensibilities. With the launch of its newest global collaboration entitled Metamorphosis, COS signals first hints towards a new direction. For this newest 40-piece collection, COS partners up with London-based brand Yeboah, founded by Reece Yeboah and presents a blend of elevated wardrobe staples and street-luxe garments with an interchanging color palette of dark tones accentuated with eye-catching yellow. It is a coming together of two brand’s creative languages, a masterful blend of functionality and style enriching COS with new creative impulses. Unveiled in an experiential presentation in a unique London venue. There the guests were immersed in a striking light presentation, kaleidoscopic patterns taking guests on a journey of metamorphosis inspired by butterflies. Additionally, it was James Messiah who created a bespoke soundscape for the presentation whilst also performing a live spoken word pieces reflective of the overall narrative for the evening.

The new COS x YEBOAH collection will be available from February, 1st, 2023.

www.cos.com
www.yeboahonline.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

Paul Smith at Paris Fashion Week

Debuting in Paris, inside the American Cathedral, Paul Smith’s FW23 Collection is a true testament to the designer’s past. As ever, designer Paul Smith has stayed unfalteringly loyal to the integrity of his craft, with each new collection a reflection of a high caliber of tailoring and fabrics.

This season, Smith took a new approach to the art of tailoring. A contemporary take, including more modern items such as the puffer jacket, a crew neck vest in place of a waistcoat, or simply oversized everything, gave the collection a distinctly 2023 feel. A looser narrative structure defined Smith’s vision for this collection, leaving more space to explore different avenues. One such avenue of inspiration was the modernist movement, from which evolved many of the collection’s silhouettes, defined by sharp, geometric lines.

Paul Smith carried some of his signature motifs into this new line. His penchant for bold and saturated color, evident in the vibrant cobalt blue and bright candy pink, plays out against a backdrop of more somber autumnal colors – the whites, beiges, browns and blacks that form the basis of the collection. Smith’s vivid graphics ripple across the clothing as well, for example in the Big Floral or the Signature Stripe, a fun and youthful juxtaposition to the tweed, houndstooth and bouclés of the collection. HZ

www.paulsmith.com

Fashion

Celestial Bodies

Long, thin, elegant shadows swept anti-clockwise around the circular room in the grand finale to the Saint Laurent Men’s FW23 show. Accompanied by a tense musical score emanating from a grand piano, the entire experience created an air of intrigue and mystery, not least owing to the inordinately elegant looks being presented, but also to the room itself. On the eve of Tuesday, the 17th of January 2023, Saint Laurent laid claim to the rotunda room of the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection. Reimagined by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando in a project spanning three years, the architectural elements he introduced to the centuries-old building were envisioned to act as a dialogue between the old and the new. Such was especially the vision behind the rotunda room, whose modern-concrete-cylinder lower half meets together with a magnificent fresco cupola.

Somewhere between the past and the present, Saint Laurent joined this dialogue with a statement of timelessness of its own. The collection, elegant to a fault, represented Saint Laurent’s progressive vision of genderless clothing. “I really want them to be almost one person,” said Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello. “So women could be the men, and the men could be the women. No difference. I want more and more to put them at the same level. No distinction.” In this spirit, the FW23 “menswear” collection seemed to cater much more to entities than genders, through uniformly long and svelte silhouettes. As they cascaded along the runway, the models of Saint Laurent seemed to be floating more so than walking; blending in rather more with the angelic figures on the celestial ceiling above them than the mere mortals watching from below. HZ

www.ysl.com

Fashion

FENDI FOR THE FALL

FENDI unveiled its newest, and perhaps coolest, collection to date. The surrounding setting complemented the free-spirited ethos of the collection, the interior taking on the form of a giant roller disco pinball machine. Elements of nostalgia permeated the collection and show, with a distinct nod to archetypal 1970s disco styles. Especially the one-shouldered neckline was a motif that ran throughout, apparently inspired by Silvia Venturini Fendi’s enthusiasm for one-shoulder styles while partying at Studio 54 in the 1980s. The detailing served as a touch of thrill in a collection that otherwise emphasized comfort and luxury. Shades of dove grey, oatmeal, burnt umber, mocha, mauve, lavender, deep navy and black create a feeling of understated elegance. Swaddled in cashmere, engineered leathers or jacquard silks, the models of FENDI exuded sophistication above all. Accessories added to this effect, infusing the rest of the more sober-colored collection with a touch of playful glamor. Bags stood out as a particular highlight amongst the accessories collection – the Peekaboo, the Baguette and the new hobo satchel were particular stand-outs. Suave, sexy, cool. The new FENDI Men’s FW23 Collection designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi is a testament to the simultaneity of elegance and opulence that emanates from each new FENDI collection. HZ

www.fendi.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

Golden Sunshine

“My wine overbrims a whole summer;
My bowl is the sky,
And I drink at my eye,
Till I feel in the brain
A Delphian pain -
Then follow, my Caius! then follow:
On the green of the hill
We will drink our fill
Of golden sunshine,
Till our brains intertwine
With the glory and grace of Apollo!”
                       - John Keats (1818)

Written shortly before his death, Keats wrote this poem as an appeal to Apollo, the Sun God. Drinking up the golden sunshine – the glory of Apollo – with his eyes, he remains, until the pain becomes un-withstandable.

If only Keats had had the adaptable pantoscopic lenses, anti-fog technology and sleek metal accents, all offered within the LV 4MOTION sunglasses! A Maison-favorite, the model equips its wearer to drink in the sunshine while looking chic and sporty. With their universal fit, the shades are expected to be an essential statement accessory on the runway for the Spring/Summer 2023 "Rainbow Playground" men's wear collection. The LV 4MOTION sunglasses will be available in store starting February 2023. HZ

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Memories of Beauty

Prada’s “Memories of Beauty” campaign for the Lunar New Year 2023 features some of the most familiar faces of Chinese youth pop culture today. Singer, songwriter and rapper Cai Xukun (better known as KUN) graces the campaign, alongside actress Li Chunxia, actor Bai Yufan and model and actress Du Juan. The campaign is shot by Nick Yang, the Shanghai-native emerging photographer with a special eye for intimate images. His work is often characterized as sensitive, perceptive; a poetic take on the fashion industry. His images, playing on deep shadows and tight framing, take on a cinematic quality that echo the sensual and surreal aspects of everyday life.

The campaign looks not only to the stars themselves, but also to the everyday objects that bear witness to specific moments from their respective pasts. These tangible items – a vinyl player, a telephone, a flower pot, a camera – pay tribute to the individual’s story. The collection of images thus takes care to balance past, present and future, looking to tokens of the past while preparing for the year ahead. The campaign is extended onto a social media project that invites WeChat users to create their own personal time capsule. The new ready-to-wear collection is available from January 2023 online and in selected Prada stores. HZ

www.prada.com

Fashion

Rudolph on the Rondelle

What is Christmas? To some, it’s going home for the holidays, hugging family, meeting old school friends over a piping hot cup of mulled wine. To some, it’s big sweaters, fuzzy socks, Christmas baking, snuggling up in front of a fire (if you’re lucky enough to have one – the rest of us just pull up a convincing YouTube clip of a fire on the TV). Dinner parties, Christmas gifts lining the trees, arguing with relatives over the dinner table. To some, it’s just another Christian holiday. For those who celebrate it however, Christmas is undeniably an exceptional time of year. To mark the occasion of Christmas, the jewelry brand Dodo announces a remake of its Rondelle bracelet, in a new version made up of 9 karat rose gold, which can be personalized with the edition of an adorable Rudolph pendant, or individual letter pendants that together matter-of-factly spell out ‘XMAS’. It’s a chance to prolong the special occasion, to treasure the homely and cheerful memories of Christmas time.

www.dodo.it

Fashion

Welcome to The Party

“People were not invited – they went there… Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission.”

With the onset of the holiday season, Valentino introduces its new “The Party Collection 2022”. The collection of ready-to-wear garments and Valentino Garavani accessories are an explosion of light and color. Vibrant emeralds, purples and yellows lay the foundation of the collection, with bold gold, rhinestone and sequins acting as splashy details on an all-around splashy selection.

The campaign emulates the kind of house party most can only dream of attending at some point in their life. Glamorous, Gatsby-esque figures draped in beautiful sparkling attire indulge in the joy of the moment and the company of friends. The collection, dedicated entirely to the art of merrymaking, comes at a historical time at which people all over the world have real cause to celebrate: the first holiday season after nearly two years inside.

A series of six short films shows a group of friends gearing up for the big festivities; blowing up balloons, unveiling the cake, singing karaoke and so on. A sense of joy, extravagance and coming together is what defines this collection – an invitation to party like Gatsby, swathed in the latest and greatest of Valentino.

The Party Collection 2022 will be available in Valentino’s boutiques, as well as on Valentino.com, until the close of the holiday season. HZ

www.valentino.com

Fashion

C.P. Company x Palace Skateboards

Palace Skateboards was born in 2009 out of London’s South Bank, an area known for its vibrant skate and art culture. By now a seasoned collaborator, the brand has often been applauded for breathing fresh wind into the oftentimes stiff and serious world of high fashion. With its wit and youthful energy, it reflects the zeitgeist of modern skate culture and the South Bank that it hails from.

C.P. Company, “the Original Italian Sportswear Brand,” has, since 1971, been an industry leader in the creation of functional menswear. Like Palace, C.P. Company’s founder, Massimo Osti, took subtly non-conformist approaches to the business of fashion. Among the first to develop the technique of garment dyeing, C.P. Company is a pioneer in fabric innovation.

For the first time, C.P. Company and Palace have joined forces to create an exclusive collaboration, remixing the former’s technical expertise and sportswear legacy with the latter’s youthful, tongue-in-cheek attitude. The result is a collection that brings together staples of both brands, such as the C.P. company’s revered duffle coat and Palace’s bomber jackets and sweatpants, saturated in colorful palettes and playful overtones.

The collection will be available online on C.P. Company and Palace official websites and official flagship stores worldwide from December 16th, 2022. HZ

www.palaceskateboards.com

Fashion

BOSS X KHABY

Khabane “Khaby” Lame, aged 22, has done the unthinkable: in an era where near-everything revolves around social media, and all social media tries to be Tiktok, Lame has conquered the behemoth. The clips that created his enormous fame (with over a proud 150 million followers on Tiktok) were refreshingly simple, a sarcastic answer to overly complicated DIY-hack videos that dominate certain corners of the platform. His worldwide appeal lies, ironically, in his silence. Relying on facial expressions, body language and pure comedic timing, he is able to resonate with audiences across the world using the one universal language in everybody’s arsenal.

As the by now most-followed person on Tiktok, Khaby has certainly received his fair share of attention, both from everyday people and brands. The new BOSS x Khaby collection is dedicated to his worldwide community of fans, a limited edition time-capsule infused with Khaby’s own personal brand of fun and playfulness. BOSS’ signature B-monogram pattern in black is placed, alongside the collection’s logo of Khaby’s likeness, against a colorful ombre background for this new collection, appearing on a versatile range of pieces including a tracksuit, hoodie, belt bag, and phone case. The new BOSS of Tiktok thus lends his inimitable wit and personality to the BOSS brand. HZ

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

Breitling x Deus Ex Machina unveil new Top Time in Limited Edition

Dating back to 1884, the Swiss brand Breitling SA has long championed the art of watchmaking. A favorite of anyone from Jerry Seinfeld (who wore either a Breitling Navitimer or Chronomat in nearly every episode of Seinfeld) to Sean Connery as James Bond (who is given a Breitling Top Time with a geiger counter in Thunderball to track down two stolen nuclear warheads), the Breitling watch is a timeless favorite.

The Breitling “Top Time” watch was first developed in 1965, designed to offer a more dynamic and contemporary feel to the chronographs that had been at the center of the brand’s watchmaking. In a second collaboration with the Australian motorbike and surf apparel brand, the Top Time is reinvented as a watch designed for the modern adventurer. “Deus Ex Machina” derives from Latin, meaning literally “god from the machine,” and is used to denote persons or things that bring order out of chaos. Casual, robust, and stylish, like its wearer, the Top Time does just that, bringing order into the open-road adventure it was designed for. The color scheme is new, yet the underlying details are the same. Limited to only 2000 pieces, each Top Time Deus is delivered together with a travel bag produced out of fine linen. The Breitling x Deus collaboration extends on to an entire clothing and accessories line, to be found in six of Breitling’s flagship stores worldwide. HZ

www.breitling.com

Fashion

Cartier opens new Amsterdam Boutique

For almost 45 years, Cartier has been charming all the residents and visitors of Amsterdam connecting to the city through its incredible designs and savoir-faire in an unforgettable manner. Since 1994, the Maison’s main boutique has been located in the Dutch capital's most prestigious shopping street, the P.C. Hooftstraat. After all these years, Cartier was proud to announce the opening of their new boutique, remaining on the same street just a few doors down at P.C. Hooftstraat 129. As Valérie Ahner-Boudier, Managing Director of Cartier Benelux & Nordics, puts it, “The new boutique will be an open window to timeless design, celebrating creativity and craftsmanship. A perfect reflection of Cartier’s distinctive blend of tradition and innovation.” It marks a new chapter for Cartier in Amsterdam. The design of the new store was headed by Studio Parisien and inspired and supported by local Dutch talents. Throughout the store, one can find hints reminiscent of the rich Dutch heritage, its world-renowned painters the Dutch Masters, the innovative design language such as De Stijl and the various local characteristics that define the city. A perfect embodiment of this is the playful and welcoming ceramic façade designed by Amsterdam-based artist Eva Crebolder who took inspiration from the imperfections of Amsterdam’s canal houses. In addition to this, all the ceramic pieces were created in the world’s oldest operating tile factory, the Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum. Stretching over multiple floors, the new boutique offers clients a complete offering of the Maison in an environment that isn’t solely aesthetic but also meets the highest ecological standards as directed by the globally recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

The new Cartier Boutique is located at P.C. Hooftstraat 129 in Amsterdam.

www.cartier.com

Fashion

A quiet retreat

December, 2022. FENDI unveils its new store in Düsseldorf, located in the Königsallee. The two-storey boutique stretches out over 460 square meters, creating a spacious and airy interior feeling. Wide windows, marble floors, and FENDI’s characteristic arched LED lights tie in to this feeling of space and quiet comfort, with plush seating and lush plants forming elegant centerpieces to the rooms. The store is imbued throughout with a soft color palette and smooth materials – ivories and pinks, champagne metal shelves and silky green backdrops – that adds to the serenity of the space. FENDI handbags, clothes, and shoes line the smooth metal shelves.

The entire upstairs area is dedicated to FENDI’s ready-to-wear collections, and is a visual continuation of the airy elegance of the ground floor, using alternating elements of Arabescato Vagli marble and gold to complete the picture. The highlight of the store design resides on the first floor – a floating mirrored glass walkway that connects the glass elevator with the rest of the first floor. The intimate VIP area is a quiet retreat: with azul metal walls, a light blue marble floor and ivory velvet curtains, it brings the customer into an even deeper state of peace and meditativeness.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Dior's Winter Wonderland

Enter into a dream at the Dior Exhibition at Harrods this winter. A display of childlike wonder awaits visitors. The miniature dollhouses are not only tiny reproductions of iconic Dior sites, such as via 30 Montaigne or the Château de La Colle Noire, but are also made entirely from gingerbread and biscuit. An incredible eye for detail accompanies the entire exhibition, with golden lights and arabesques carved into the surface of the confectionery walls, adding to the fairytale scenography.

Walking through the exhibition takes you on a dreamlike sequence through the history of Dior. Tiny silhouettes of iconic Dior designs peek out within and alongside gingerbread replicas of Dior’s most loved houses, and gingerbread men feature as tiny employees hard at work in the Dior ateliers. White lights made to look like falling snowflakes dance on the surface of the little houses. A gingerbread Christian Dior sits at his desk smiling over his designs. Faces on flowers, as if in a scene from the Nutcracker, skate around in the gardens of La Colle Noire.

The Fabulous World of Dior is a fairytale escapade from beginning to end that calls out to the inner child, whilst taking one on a journey through the heritage and inspirations of the House of Dior. HZ

www.thefabulousworldofdior.com

Fashion

LOUIS VUITTON WATCH PRIZE FOR INDEPENDENT CREATIVES

A watch is a moving construction, the coming together of a puzzle of hundreds of small parts to form a whole. The watchmaker is a true craftsman, a creative who dares to build and deconstruct this puzzle time and again paying utmost attention to every little detail. It is a time-honored craft, but as Jean Arnault, Director of Watches at Louis Vuitton, puts it, “watchmaking is not a dormant industry, it is not inaccessible. Young generations of watch enthusiasts are passionate and want to see new innovations on the market.” For this reason, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton is pleased to announce the establishment of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, to be awarded on a biennial basis. This initiative is a celebration of the creative talent, savoir-faire and audacity of the independent watchmaking industry, supporting and recognizing the bold visions and independent thinking of all those who are challenging the present and defying the boundaries of time. Open to all, watchmakers, designers, entrepreneurs, recent graduates and creatives from all around the world can submit their projects from the beginning of 2023 through the end of 2023. The same year, a commission of international and independent experts will short-list 20 semi-finalists before narrowing it down further to five finalists based on the criteria of design, creativity, innovation, craftsmanship and technical complexity. Out of these five finalists, the emerging winner will receive a grant, as well as a one-year mentorship by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton tailored to the needs of their creative project. As part of this programme, the winner will be supported in multiple aspects, ranging from corporate legal aspects to communication and marketing.

www.louisvuittonwatchprize.com

Fashion

Italian hospitality

In time for the new year, Valentino unveils its plans for a new store concept. With an interior design that brings together elements of 1930s Art Deco with a bold 1970s aesthetic, the resulting atmosphere strikes a refined yet eclectic balance. Marble floors with geometric motifs and elements of onyx and wood create an air of refinement throughout the store. Textile walls in muted tones pay tribute to the tailoring busts used in haute couture. In order to produce unique objects to ornament the spaces, the Maison brought in specialist craftsmen – the result: an array of handmade ceramic door handles, decorative geometric compositions in brass, delicate chandeliers, Camaleonda sofas, and more.

The new design story places the central focus on the client and the customer journey. In line with its Italian heritage, the brand sets out to create a feeling of welcoming and hospitality throughout its line of stores. Each store is subtly enhanced with details connected to the local culture. The space is designed to create a sense of intimacy with the customer, to aid Valentino in its increasingly “human-centric” approach to business. The Maison has begun the redesign of its global locations in November 2022, with a few flagship stores such as in Jeddah, Madrid, Venice and Shanghai. It plans to roll out its new boutique designs in New York and Paris by springtime of next year. HZ

www.valentino.com

Fashion

A timeless timepiece

A collaboration between MR PORTER and IWC Schaffhausen has resulted in the Big Pilot’s Watch 32 MR PORTER EDITION 1. This special edition watch features a reduced 43mm bronze case, titanium case back, and black dial with gold-plated hands. The idea of the Big Pilot Watch 43 model is to mimic the style of an easily readable cock-pit instrument. It was specially chosen as the limited-edition timepiece for its simplistic yet sophisticated dial design, which creates “an amazing presence on the wrist with excellent wearing comfort.” The limited edition model – with only 500 pieces globally – is made further unique by the bronze case and crown. Through the process of oxidization, each individual piece develops its own patina over time – a green or brown film that arises on the surface of bronze materials. This bronze material also contains aluminum and iron, thus making the alloy used for the watch about 50% harder than standard bronze. The watch furthermore features IWC-manufactured 82100 caliber to automate the movement of the hands, a highly efficient self-winding system developed in the 1950s by IWC’s then technical director Albert Pellaton. “A unique take on an iconic collection,” the Big Pilot’s Watch 43 MR PORTER EDITION 1 is available from now until February 2023 exclusively on the MR PORTER website. Afterward, it will also be available for purchase in IWC Schaffhausen boutiques.

www.iwc.com

Fashion

A partnership of perfectionism

A new partnership between Italian fashion house Herno and Catalan sports behemoth FC Barcelona marks the beginning of a new era for both companies. For the first time in its history, the women’s and men’s football and basketball teams of FC Barcelona will all be attired by the same design house. Despite coming from very different industries, the two houses have one key commonality - the aspiration to excellence in their respective fields.
Founded on the banks of the Lago Maggiore over seventy years ago, the brand Herno has distinguished itself as a fashion house par excellence in creating high-quality, innovative designs while staying true to its long-standing Italian sartorial traditions. In the context of this new collaboration, Herno has commented that it looks forward to the challenge of “dressing players of very different physicalities,” in pursuit of making everyone “feel comfortable and well dressed” in their off-field appearances. Aided by its investments in research and design innovation, the Italian heritage label seeks to pioneer the industry in unifying style, functionality and technology. In this sense, the brand represents a good fit to one of the most beloved sports clubs in the world. Boasting over 140,000 members and hundreds of millions of fans worldwide, the club known as “more than a club” holds the eyes of the world. Coming January and through the next three seasons of 2024/25, so too will FC Barcelona’s official partner Herno. HZ

www.herno.com 

Fashion

DIOR Maison Cruise 2023

Vibrant greens, reds and yellows in intricate ornamental patterns adorn the new Andalusian-inspired dinnerware collection by Dior Maison, designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s first ever female creative director. Much like the women’s fashion line of the same name, the earthenware collection brings to mind the vitality of the southern Spanish peninsula. The attention to ceramic craftsmanship, bold colors and ornate motifs all closely mirror their significance in the Andalusian culture of pottery and ceramics. The Dior Cruise 2023 show, presented in Seville, heavily drew inspiration from flamenco and was especially an ode to Carmen Amaya, or ‘La Capitana’, the revered Spanish flamenco dancer. Aside from the design choices that serves as direct nods to cuts and fashions from the region, the venue, production and line itself also featured heavy elements of the rich and diverse blend of different cultures characteristic of the region, where Muslim, Gypsy, Christian and Jewish cultures met. This blended heritage is beautifully reflected in both collections. The strikingly rich colors of the ornaments evoke the intensity and passion of flamenco, while the intricacy and detailing of the patterns recall Arabic influences, as seen on the vaulted ceilings of the Alhambra or in the palaces of Seville. A “festive ode” (in Dior’s own words) to the art of entertaining, the Cruise 2023 line brings more than just dinnerware, but also the energy and spirit of Andalusia, to the table. HZ

www.dior.com

Fashion

Dior Maison: La Colle Noire Collection

At the Château de la Colle Noire the French couturier Christian Dior found a place to enjoy a sunny and peaceful interlude, symbolizing French art de Vivre. The tranquil Provencal haven in Montauroux surrounded him with a mesmerizing and inspiring atmosphere evoked by century-old trees and the subtle fragrance of rare flowers.
Now, Dior Maison introduces a vibrantly hued collection, which revolves around the Maison’s founder’s love and passion for nature and botany, thus picking up the name of the magical château. The flowers of the extraordinary garden, including lilacs, lilies, roses, carnations, tulips, and papavers are referenced in delicate and beautiful sketches which adorn dinner and dessert plates, mouth-blown glass decanters, hand-painted glasses as well as napkins and embroidered placemats. The glasses are labeled with the plant’s names in romantical cursive handwriting and feature, depending on the flower, a colorful edge. This color scheme is continued on the napkins, which show an embroidery of a flower in its respective color. Beyond these exceptional items, colored glass candle holders round off this botanical collection. Crafted in Italy thanks to virtuoso savoir-faire, they offer an enchanting and surprising finishing touch. JW

www.dior.com

Fashion

ARTYCAPUCINES CHAPTER 4

It has long been established that fashion and the fine arts are intrinsically linked and connected. Fine arts are not only an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the various luxury houses’ designers, but through collaboration, fashion’s creations can also become a blank canvas for artists to bring their visions to life within a three-dimensional object. In this spirit, the French Maison Louis Vuitton has started Artycapucines, bringing together the stunning creativity of chosen artists with the unparalleled savoir-faire of its masterful artisans. The starting point is Louis Vuitton’s timeless and feminine classic, the Capucines bag, named after the Rue Neuves-des-Capucines, where the Maison’s founder Louis Vuitton opened his first store in 1854. For the fourth chapter of this special collaboration, Louis Vuitton partnered up with six global artists, Daniel Buren, Kennedy Yanko, Park Seo-Bo, Amélie Bertrand, Peter Marino and Ugo Rondinone, who have all brought their unique visions to the bag. Daniel Buren’s Capucines features a trompe-l’oeil design with his trademark stripes in white and black; Kennedy Yanko’s interpretation of the bag is constructed of 3D-printed leather defined by its hand-applied metallic patina and Park Seo-Bo recreates one of his signature Écritures paintings on the textured and embellished calfskin. Amélie Bertrand in turn hand-sprayed her vision resulting in a bag in shifting colors and phosphorescence, whereas Peter Marino’s variation is a powerful all-black and studded creation featuring an exclusive clasp. The last of the six artists, Udo Rondinone created a harlequin-style bag, delightfully playful and colorful due to its over 14,000 hand-stitched beads. The resulting bags are creating veritable contemporary artworks, as diverse as the artists themselves. Highly limited to 200 per artist, the bags will be presented in their own specially designed gift boxes. Artycapucines bears witness to Louis Vuitton’s desire to put its innovative spirit and artisanal expertise to the service of artists and their creativity.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

A-COLD-WALL* x Eastpak

A-COLD-WALL* and Eastpak teamed up for the first time to create a new collaborative collection. United by their vision of freedom of movement, they are releasing three pieces in iconic Eastpak shapes reimagined with A-COLD-WALL*’s signature look. They thus combine complex materials with an unmistakably crafted feel. Beyond that, bold colors and experimental techniques define the designs. Reflected elements embellish the unique pieces, which thus fit perfectly to the urban adventurer.
Part of the collection is the ACW Padded, distinguished by the shape of the iconic Padded Pak’r. Clashing materials, colors, and prints, it is composed of dual front zippered panels, contrasting trims, and co-branded logos.
Another piece included in the collection is the ACW Orbit, shaped as the classic compact daypack. The look is reminiscent of A-COLD-WALL*’s unique take on British streetwear as it juxtaposes the organic shape with asymmetrical forms, extra-long coated zipper pullers, and functional jacquard webbing. Furthermore, the collection features the ACW One, a mini shoulder bag that incorporates the same contrasting jacquard webbing, elongated zipper pullers, and reflective components as the above-mentioned model. Zippered front stash pockets round off the design, which is available in black and gray.
Designed to get you through the challenges of city life, these items connect style with functionality. JW

www.eastpak.com
www.a-cold-wall.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

Loro Piana participates in Les Journées Particulières

Just a couple of weeks after Milan Fashion Week, Loro Piana draws once again attention to the fashionable city as it will participate in the fifth edition of Les Journées Particulières. The event is an initiative of the LVMH Group, which thus offers a rare opportunity to look into the outstanding artisanal heritage that characterizes the LVMH Group design houses. First introduced in 2011, Les Journées Particulières provide a unique experience, giving visitors a better understanding of the brand’s exceptional savoir-faire.
96 locations in 15 countries will be participating in the event this year, including museums, wineries, private residences, shops, and studios. Among them is also the Palazzo Cortile della Seta in Milan, where Loro Piana’s new headquarters are located. It is hence one of 19 locations in Italy, which will be involved in Les Journées Particulières. Putting an installation in the shape of an hourglass on display, Loro Piana will give visitors an extraordinary and comprehensive insight into the brand’s history. Photos, videos, archive documents as well as famous garments, exquisite fabrics, and fascinating source materials will take them on a unique journey behind the scenes of the LVMH Group and Loro Piana.
Les Journées Particulières will be open to the public from October 15th to 16th, 2022 at Palazzo Cortile della Seta. JW

www.lvmh.com
www.loropiana.com

Fashion

Hermès opens new flagship store in NYC

Parisian elegance meets New York dynamism at Hermès’ new flagship store at 706 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side. Testifying to the Maison’s love for New York City, this new address exudes its lively and creative spirit. In order to provide a spaciously sized and unique store, the Parisian architecture agency RDAI connected three existing buildings, one former bank building adjacent to townhouses. The interior of the several distinctive salons that form the store is inspired by New York’s Art Deco past, thus pure yet decidedly anti-minimal, linking angular geometry with curved manifestations. The now fully renovated premises stand out due to their carefully chosen materials and neutral color palette as some aspects, including a coffered ceiling, recall the history of the buildings. The highlight is an arresting stone staircase running all the way to the fourth floor, which is adorned with an astonishing artwork collection on its supporting wall.
On the floor ground, one can find fashion jewelry, the silk universe, perfume, and beauty as well as men’s silk, leather goods, and equestrian collections. The second-floor houses the men’s universe in a warm atmosphere which transitions into the comfortable aura of the women’s universe on the third floor. A moment to rest is offered by the bars on the third and fourth floor, which also lead to the enticing roof garden, a rare treasure in New York.
Various iconic Hermès designs have been revamped for this special occasion, including the American Quilt, celebrating this exciting opening. JW

www.hermès.com

Art

The Conservatorium Hotel and Van-Gogh-Museum create a culinary homage inspired by Gustav Klimt

To celebrate the upcoming exhibition Golden Boy Gustav Klimt of the Van-Gogh-Museum in Amsterdam, the museum partners up with the renowned Conservatorium Hotel. Amid the museum district of the Dutch capital, the hotel fits perfectly within the exhibition’s context of exploring Klimt’s life and body of work, including his inspirations. For this reason, Taiko Cuisine & Bar is going to serve a special three part culinary homage, dedicated to the famed artist and the exhibition. To honor Gustav Klimt through the culinary experience, bar chef Marios Ragkavis created a wonderful Gin-Cocktail with a tincture of gold, a color significant to Klimt’s art. Translated by toasted almond, passion fruit, bergamot, lime, and grapefruit, the Golden Treasure cocktail is a revelation of taste. This is followed by the main course, created by Hugo Engels, Executive Sous Chef of the Taiko. It consists of a black taiko-style bao bun painted with copper and gold tones, which is filled with umeboshi plum, duck, and sansho pepper, combined with a gold-trimmed Sichuan tree of life cookie and fresh edible flowers. The inspiration for this exceptional dish was offered by Klimt’s The Tree of Life. His painting Judith is referenced in pastry chef Maikel Vet’s dessert, as it mirrors the shapes and patterns, underlined by the elegant taste of almonds and chocolate, rounding off the menu. JW

www.vangoghmuseum.com
www.conservatoriumhotel.com

Fashion

Stella McCartney presents SS23 at the Centre Pompidou

During Paris Fashion Week, Stella McCartney presented the Spring Summer 2023 collection at the Centre Pompidou piazza in a democratic demonstration outdoors, a brand first. Mirroring the facade of the renowned museum, the catwalk was composed of colored paths which created a link between art and fashion. Art was furthermore incorporated into the collection, as it featured the work of the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, who inspired the collection as a whole with his slogan “CHANGE THE HISTORY”. His illustrations of big-eyed girls, sinister children in animal costumes, and activist slogans can be found on various iconic pieces such as stretchy crinkle knit dresses, t-shirts, and bias-cut dresses. These unique items already give a taste of the upcoming unisex capsule of Stella McCartney in collaboration with Yoshitomo Nara.
In its minimalism and sensuality, the garments are characteristic of Stella McCartney, clashing the casual with the formal. Furthermore, it underlines the sustainable approach of the brand in using conscious materials and vegan alternatives to leather, protecting animal rights dear to Stella McCartney. Another highlight is the evening garments, including cut-out dresses, fluid tops, and asymmetric skirts, glamorous due to their crystal embellishments. These can also be found on the iconic Falabella clutch as well as on S-Wave party bags, which among other accessories round off the outstanding collection. JW

www.stellamccartney.com

Fashion

Dior SS23 revisits history

The French Maison Dior unveiled its new spring-summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection, designed by the creative director of Dior women’s lines Maria Grazia Chiuri, at Paris Fashion Week. To gather inspiration for the garments, the Italian fashion designer turned to the Dior archives, from which she took an image of a map of Paris featured on a scarf from the 1950s.
The designer was also influenced by Catherine de Medici, an Italian noblewoman who came to France in 1533. As she portrays the early relationship between women and power, Maria Garzia Chiuri was mesmerized by her political intelligence. Pioneering innovations in fashion such as heeled shoes and the corset, Catherine de Medici influenced the designs and silhouettes of Dior skirts. Beyond that, the collection also incorporates raffia coats, characterized by nature motifs. Set in a scenography designed by the artist Eva Jospin that reinvents Baroque grottos, the dancing and choreographic duo Irme and Marne van Opstal offered an astonishing performance. Striking a stunning balance between the beautiful and the disconcerting, they complemented the Dior fashion show and enhanced the presentation of the elegant garments of the spring-summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection. JW

www.dior.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

The Furla METROPOLIS REMIX dives into music

In the course of the Milan Fashion Week 2022, Furla launched the new METROPOLIS REMIX. This special bag is representing the newly established connection between the Italian brand and the world of music. It thereby also takes the position against the gender gap in music and fosters a more equitable opportunity for women in the music scene. To gain more attention for this current and relevant topic, Furla partnered up with She Is The Music, a non-profit organization founded by Alicia Keys in 2018, which pursues the goal to increase the number of women working in music, thus developing the next generation of women in music. For the organization to continue its educational programs, Furla has come up with a special donation campaign. During the Milan Fashion Week, customers directly supported She Is The Music by purchasing the METROPOLIS REMIX, as Furla has decided to donate the proceeds to the non-profit. Furthermore, the bag and the project was presented in a short fashion film, called Music of the Metropolis, featuring Kim Turnbull who talked about her career as a female DJ.
The design of the crossbody clutch made in Italy is defined by the soft calf leather and a bow shape, reminiscent of the Furla Metropolis. JW

www.furla.com

Fashion

Jimmy Choo extends its Varenne family

Jimmy Choo introduces the Varenne Avenue Collection for the coming season of Autumn 2022 as an extension of the beloved Varenne family. This new series of exceptional handbags exudes the spirit of the Jimmy Choo muse’s glamorous world and of the cosmopolitan cities in which they live as it embodies a dynamic lifestyle. The design is distinguished by the new matelassé pattern and adorned with statement gold hardware as well as the iconic JC monogram. Modern yet timeless in its sensory feel, the collection stands out due to its playful colors of pink, gold, burgundy, and black. Each of the pieces of the Varenne family is made in Italy, ensuring high quality and dedication to craftsmanship, significant to Jimmy Choo.
The collection includes a square quad, shoulder, and clutch with gold and leather chain strap as well as the pouch clutch and small leather goods. Sandra Choi, creative director of Jimmy Choo concludes: “Our new Avenue quilting pattern lends a graphic depth and richness that animates our signature Varenne’s personality. The linear pattern draws inspiration from our urban habitat, the avenues we navigate daily dreaming with every step of arriving somewhere full of wonder.” JW

www.jimmychoo.com

Fashion

Eastpak x Denham

In an astonishing collaboration, Eastpak and Denham revamp Eastpak’s most iconic silhouettes, releasing them in contemporary denim style. The Amsterdam brand links its unique take on jeans with the function-first approach of the bag manufacturer, thus combining the pioneering spirits of both brands. A two-part collection emerged, stylish and intelligent, adapting to the wearer’s needs.
The first model is titled Padded Denham and depicts Denham’s version of the classic Eastpak Padded Pak’r backpack. It is distinguished by a modern patchwork of contrasting denim fabrics, adorned with traditional Sashiko embroidery, Japanese knotted zipper pullers, and other signature design elements. While the design undergoes an enhancement, the functionality remains as the backpack is equipped with multiple accessory pockets, a number of detachable pouches, and a detachable bottle holder. The Padded Kerr is based on the shape of the iconic Eastpak shopper and resembles the model mentioned above in its multifunctional aesthetic and Eastern-inspired design, implemented in the same denim patchwork. Both of these pieces, the Padded Denham and the Padded Kerr, are characterized by Denham’s unique style, reinforcing the functionality significant to Eastpak. JW

www.eastpak.com
www.denham.com

Fashion

The new JEANY icon bag by LIEBESKIND BERLIN

Continuing the exclusive “THE EDIT” collection, LIEBESKIND BERLIN introduces its new “JEANY” icon bag. Manufactured in a Tuscan factory and made of the finest Italian leather, the bag stands for high quality and craftsmanship. As the limited edition comes out twice a year, the brand decided to reinterpret one of its classics, which echoes the progression of the brand over the last 19 years, as Gina Condé, Creative Director of LIEBESKIND BERLIN explains.
The bag is available in two sizes, ranging from small to large, which come in different leathers. They are either fabricated in fine nubuck, modern crinkled patent leather, or natural Nappa leather. With great attention to detail, special touches have been added to the handmade bag, including the bonded leather lining in contrasting colors inside the bags, alternating between classic and bold colors. Furthermore, the different versions of the JEANY are embellished with a hand-turned leather handle and brass accessories, which define the overall look of the leather goods as it gives them a modern note. Combining Italian artisanry and the Berlin atmosphere in the brand’s spirit, the bag is a unique piece, distinguished by its luxurious and timeless design. JW

www.liebeskind-berlin.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton and Mory Sacko unveil restaurant

Louis Vuitton ventures into the world of culinary as it joins forces with the Michelin-starred chef Mory Sacko. In June the renowned French Maison unveiled the “Mory Sacko at Louis Vuitton”, a seasonal restaurant at the White 1921 Hotel in the heart of Saint-Tropez, taking Louis Vuitton’s art of travel to the next level. Located at the central yet calm Place des Lices, Mory Sacko creates a unique and sophisticated gastronomic experience, distinguished by his travel-inspired menu. For the dishes he offers in the restaurant, Sacko fuses local foods with inspirations from all over the world, creating true explosions of flavor. An exemplary but comprehensive impression of the culinary skills of the young chef is given by the tapas on the dinner menu, ranging from vegetarian aubergine tacos to a selection of grilled amberjack to mango salad to much more.
For the design of the venue, Louis Vuitton and Mory Sacko worked closely together. An ethereal and artistic Moongate welcomes the guests into the restaurant, whose interior is defined by the materials of travertine, wood, rope, and ratan. Monogram flowers, significant to the Maison, can be found all over the restaurant as well as redesigned Objets Nomades. The surrounding creates a tranquil yet fresh atmosphere, maximized by the savoir-faire of the Maison and the culinary expertise of chef Mory Sacko. JW

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Miu Miu presents a short-film by Carla Simón

Carta A Mi Madre Para Mi Hijo (Letter To My Mother For My Son) is a short film directed by Spanish film director Carla Simón. As the 24th commission to Miu Miu’s acclaimed short-film series, Women’s Tales, it premiered at the Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori 2022. Women’s Tales features films by female directors, in which they explore vanity and femininity in today’s world.
At the beginning of her short film, Carla is shown pregnant and naked, reflecting photos of her mother when she was pregnant with Carla herself. After this sequence, a family of grandparents, uncles, aunts, fathers, and great-grandparents is depicted in a series of Super 8 shots. The film then proceeds to follow the journey of a young woman, growing from the 60s to the present day, who in the end meets the pregnant Carla in the idyllic atmosphere of the Catalan coast.
In this work, which the Spanish Director dedicates to her son, Carla Simón wants to create a family history, as it is something that she never had. When she was only six years old, Carla lost both her parents to AIDS. She explains that “Cinema has the power to repair what is missing”, leading her to make this short film composed of real and fictional memories, echoing the lifelong process of understanding who we really are. JW

www.miumiu.com

Art

Espace Louis Vuitton München presents From South Africa

As part of the Fondation Louis Vuitton’s “Hors-les-murs” programme, Espace Louis Vuitton München is presenting the exhibition From South Africa, featuring photographic artworks by the two African artists Zanele Muholi and David Goldblatt. The gallery showcases a powerful series of colorful landscape photographs shot by Goldblatt. In these images, the artist portrays the complex relationship between South African people and their land, while he also explores the true meaning of architecture in the post-Apartheid era. Zanele Muholi presents the series Faces and Phases which consists of portraits of Black members of the LGBTQIA+ community from South Africa. Alongside those works, the exhibition also includes Muholi’s series Somnyama Ngonyama which shows the artist in autoportraits, evoking stereotypes of African women.
The two artists met in the Market Photo Workshop, which was initiated by Goldblatt. Muholi became the mentee of Goldblatt and got inspired by his political stances far beyond his death. Their activist aim of challenging their country’s past and present history regarding the human rights of black people and members of the queer community became significant to their body of work.
The exhibition From South Africa by Zanele Muholi and David Goldblatt will be open to the public from the 9th of September, 2022 to the 8th of January, 2023. JW

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Saucony’s take on Saucony

Fusing innovation, style, and culture, the performance running brand Saucony is releasing an addition to the Saucony x Saucony collection. Using premium materials and treatments, which are usually exclusive to collaborations, the line depicts Saucony’s take on Saucony. For the design of the collection’s latest Sneaker, the Shadow 6000, Saucony drew huge inspiration from the Japanese art form and ancient tradition Kintsugi. It involves fixing broken pottery by filling the cracks with liquid gold, leaving strings of gold on the reassembled object. Translating this technique onto the sneaker, the Shadow 600 is characterized by metallic gold embroidery stitching together the individual parts of the shoes, creating little imperfections as an exciting element. It refers to the core idea of Kintsugi which revolves around embracing one’s flaws and imperfections in order to heal and grow stronger than before.
Testifying to Saucony’s expertise in shoemaking, the sneaker is distinguished by a perforated nubuck base, specked midsole, and an embossed tongue. The overlays are crafted in premium suede, as the design focuses on a weathered and worn-looking leather, unique in its raw-edge contrasts. The Saucony x Saucony collection joins the brand’s previous creations in the tradition of only using the highest quality material, ensuring comfortable and durable sneakers. JW

www.saucony.com

Fashion

202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit talks sustainability

202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit returned this season during Berlin Fashion Week for its 4th edition. Located at the Colosseum Theater in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg, the sustainability conference dealt with the overall topic “Fashion for positive Impact: Regenerative Transformation”. The summit welcomed more than 50 speakers of various fields to discuss the urgent topics of the industry and possible solutions in 34 sessions in the course of three days. Directed to thought leaders and progressive minds, various exhibitions and side events accompanied the sustainability conference in the fashion forward German capital. With the goal of creating a positive impact in mind, the participants explored our dependance on the planet as well as the possibilities of building connections to the biosphere, technosphere and metasphere. The event was divided into six thematic blocks. During the first day, the participants focused on the protection of the environment while the second day was all about new and innovative technologies. Finally, the speakers discussed the world of virtual fashion, including NFT’s and digital designs on the third and last day of the conference. In doing so, 202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit created a new perspective on how to sustainably approach fashion, rewriting the current definition of sustainability. JW
Photo credit: Roland Justynowicz

www.202030summit.com

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

Fashion

WILLIAM FAN launches SS 23 during Berlin Fashion Week

WILLIAM FAN launched its new collection ETERNITY, which the brand presented during Berlin Fashion Week. For the Spring/ Summer 2023 season, the fashion designer was inspired by the nightlife as it gives you the feeling of letting go together. It creates a moment of weightlessness, in which posed evening encounters become unfiltered. The clothing items of the collection are defined by sharp tailoring and astute patterns which are combined with fresh, asymmetrical silhouettes and experimental draping. The crafting of the garments reinforces the effect of their movement as a hand pleated fusion of skirt and trousers is reminiscent of a skirt slipping down the hip while dancing. For ETERNITY, the fashion designer revamped the “Wyona” jacket by embellishing it with a metallic zipper as an athletic element, which is characteristic to the collection. To further add a special touch to the clothing items, various pleats and open cut edges were incorporated. The color palette of the collection is defined by shades of black, gray and brown as well as hints of gold and silver, while shimmering sequins in green and blue accentuate coats. For the first time WILLIAM FAN included his chinese sign in some of the garments. Echoing the energy of going out, the styling of the collection re-explores the familiar, trying out new things. JW

www.williamfan.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend - Louisa Gagliardi at Rodolphe Janssen

Rodolphe Janssen is presenting the third solo show of Swiss artist Louisa Gagliardi, Around the Clock, in the course of Brussels Gallery Weekend.
As a base for her artworks presented in this exhibition, Gagliardi approached the method of loci, often referred to as the ‘memory palace’. The method serves to train the recollective memory by creating a familiar structure, in which new information can be easily navigated. The artworks by Gagliardi construct a world that seems familiar yet ambivalent to our presence. The artist leaves it open, who actually looks at whom and if the viewers are actually welcome to look at the scenery. Nevertheless, we become equal actors as our view is led in a triangular way through the artwork, freezing the moment.
The Zurich-based artist creates digital-based paintings made in Photoshop and printed on PVC banners. At this point of the production, Gagliardi makes adjustments by hand, using gel medium or nail polish to add accents. This process results in the depiction of a dreamlike world filled with avatars and conveyors, folding together nostalgia and memory.
The exhibition Around the Clock by Louisa Gagliardi will be open to the public from September 8th to October 22th, 2022 at Rodolphe Janssen in Brussels. JW

LOUISA GAGLIARDI
Tête-à-Tête, 2022
Gel medium, ink on PVC, 370 x 1100 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels

www.rodolphejanssen.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend - TR Ericsson at Harlan Levey Projects

On Brussels Gallery Weekend, Tom and Sue, an exhibition by TR Ericsson, opens at Harlan Levey Projects. At its center are two extensive artworks: The portraits of Tom and Sue. Besides them, Ericsson’s first painting since 2002 is displayed in the exhibition.
Sue, the mother of the artist Tom (TR Ericsson) is portrayed in a seven-volume book collection of letters written by herself to her son, called All My Love Always No Matter What. The artwork creates the image of a lively and humorous woman, despite the hurdles that life had in store for her. More than 20 years of collecting, organizing, and arranging letters, audio recordings, and video messages eventually led to an artwork, purely narrated by the mother. Ericsson pursues the goal of spreading his mother’s life story through his art, as he perceives his works as a symbol of her love, devotion, and selflessness. The portrait of Tom, the artist himself, consists of 107 oil paintings, created between 1992 and 2002 during an eventful and emotional phase of his life and after which he quit painting for some time. As a kind of self-portrait, the artwork depicts a young man who is searching for himself and his voice. The title Sad Young Man on a Train refers to a cubist painting by Marcel Duchamp from 1911/12, showing a fragmented figure on a moving train.
Exhibited together, the two artworks complement each other, portraying the love between a mother and her child. They tell the stories of two people, directly and inevitably connected to one another; stories of ups and downs, of grief and joy.
The exhibition Tom and Sue by TR Ericsson will be open to the public from September 8th to December 17th, 2022 at Harlan Levey Projects in Brussels. JW

TR ERICSSON
Family Picnic (Sad Young Man on a Train #076), 1992-2002
Oil on linen, 61 x 71,1 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels

www.hl-projects.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend - Jean Katambayi Mukendi at Waldburger Wouters

Opening during Brussels Gallery Weekend, Waldburger Wouters is presenting the exhibition f’low by Congolese artist Jean Katambayi Mukendi.
Born in 1974 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and based in Lubumbashi, the capital of the Haut-Katanga region and second biggest city in Congo, his artworks often revolve around Congolese society. From an early age, Jean Katambayi Mukendi developed a passion for the fields of technology, mechanics, geometry, and electricity, which later led him to graduate as an electrician and study mathematics at university. The impressions he gathered from these experiences as well as aspects of his daily life now inspire and define his work as a visual artist. For this exhibition, opening on Brussels Gallery Weekend, Jean Katambayi Mukendi created art installations, fragile and complex at the same time, which are driven by sophisticated electrical mechanisms.
The exhibition f’low by Jean Katambayi Mukendi will be open to the public from September 8th to October 22nd, 2022 at the gallery Waldburger Wouters in Brussels. JW

JEAN KATAMBAYI MUKENDI
Concentrateur
Photo credit: Koen Vrancken
Courtesy of the artist and Waldburger Wouters, Brussels

www.waldburgerwouters.com

Fashion

Alexander McQUEEN AW 22 collection

Alexander McQUEEN presents its fascinating new imagery for the Autumn/ Winter 2022 collection, featuring Awar, Lucia, Florence, Celina, and Achenrin. Shot by Paolo Roversi, the series is defined by a striking, yet classical visual language, characteristic to the Italian photographer.
The collection includes garments, handbags, and shoes that are mostly held in black with a hint of red, green and yellow. Furthermore, it features various pieces of silver jewelry. A range of beautifully crafted dresses depict the highlight of the collection. One of them is the exploded pleated bustier dress in black. It is composed of a wrap skirt and a bustier top with slashed detailing and a back zip fastening. Fabricated in black beetled poly faille, a recycled polyester yarn, the strapless dress constitutes a modern and edgy look. Extraordinary in terms of design is a black, single-breasted jacket, distinguished by the once again exploded neckline, which forms an impressive silhouette. The jacket is made of certified wool and mohair, ensuring high quality of the production process and the material. Leather garments are also part of the collection, such as the leather twisted biker jacket in black. Deviating from a classic biker jacket, this design is defined by an open neckline as well as a buckled waist belt, accentuating the figure.
These unique pieces are imposingly staged in the brand’s campaign, which enhances their cool character and the elaborate crafting. JW

www.alexandermcqueen.com

Fashion

Exquisite by Gucci

Inspired by the wondrous world of cinematography, Gucci presents its new imagery Exquisite, set in motion by the brand’s creative director Alessandro Michele. The Italian fashion designer has long been fascinated by the cinema’s visionary power to tell stories. For this reason, he always imagined his “collections as films able to convey a cinematography of the present”. Exquisite honors the work of Stanley Kubrick, a philosophic filmmaker and a great master in his field. Admiring his experimental approach to creating films that do not belong to a specific genre but blur their boundaries with exceeding significance, Michele draws great inspiration from him. Taking his liberty of decomposing, altering, and reassembling, the designer produced a film and images which depict various of Gucci’s creations from the last decades in captivating sceneries. The Adidas gown is presented as a Victorian costume, followed by a dress designed by Laura Whitcomb, popularized by Madonna in the 90s, and a dreamy evening dress, fabricated in tulle. Furthermore, a philosophical approach is incorporated in Exquisite, as it arises questions about meaning in life.
In the film and the pictures, the “clothes get closer to bare life”, telling the story of the human, shattering and enchanting at the same time, explains Alessandro Michele. JW

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles presents cozy outerwear

Tough but cozy. For its Fall Winter 2022 collection, the Canadian outerwear and ready-to-wear brand Moose Knuckles creates new versions of its bestselling “Bunny” hoodie and new sherpa jackets in fresh silhouettes and colors.
The imagery for the collection is shot by renowned photographer Luis Alberto Rodriguez and styled by Carlos Nazario, Artistic Director of i-D Magazine. In the course of Moose Knuckles’ “Heatmakers” initiative, it draws attention to rising talents, such as R & B singer Kaash Paige, skateboarder Lil Dre, and model Jaychelle, who are shown in a ‘90s-inspired fantasy of what cozy means for creatives on the street. The unisex “State XL Bunny” is one of the highlights of the collection, as it creates a generously oversized silhouette and can be worn over everything. It is the first piece that is entirely fabricated in the brand’s sumptuous faux fur on the exterior rather than on the inside of the garment. As the hoodie version of the “Debbie Bomber”, the “Bergen Bunny Bomber”, made for the city woman stands out from the collection as it features the shearling hood ruff, pom poms, and J-seam detailing. Revamped with a monochrome, dark sapphire look, and faux fur, the “Classic Bunny 3” stands out for men, suitable for layering in the unpredictable autumn time.
The oversized and plushy garments allow a free range of movement in a highly comfortable way, breaking the rules of “tough exterior”. JW

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

The Dior Jardin Capsule Collection for Men

Recently Dior launched its new Dior Jardin Capsule Collection for Men. In remembrances of the Maison’s founder Christian Dior, the designs of Kim Jones allude to the Monsieur’s love of nature, by incorporating a studded rose, the “Queen of Flowers”, in various pieces. Throughout the collection, it can be found in each of the Dior emblems, which it artfully entwines.
The magnificent blooming single rose is emblazoned especially large on the back of the polo shirts and hoodies, striking in its pink color on white cotton piqué or in green shades on black fabric. In another variation, which adorns among others an overshirt and slim-fit jeans, it is shown in an all-over tonal jacquard pattern, that highlights the individual rose petals and places them together in a dense structure. In an ensemble, including comfortable fitted Bermuda shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, made of silk twill, the rose represents itself in a pattern of multiple single roses. These models are also available in the two color combinations of white-pink and black-green. Furthermore, the collection features a variety of accessories, such as a tie, socks, bandanas, a backpack, and bags as well as sneakers and derby shoes.
Honoring Christian Dior, British fashion designer Kim Jones created a collection that radiates joie de vivre. The motif of the rose adds a touch of romance and a refreshing splash of color to the elegant everyday wear. JW

www.dior.com

Art

Irina Ionesco passes away at 91

To our great dismay, on July 25, 2022, photographer Irina Ionesco passed away at the age of 91 in her hometown of Paris. Throughout her lifetime, Ionesco had made a name for herself with her images of seductive and sensual women, displayed in dark and theatrical settings. The artist was born the daughter of a violinist and a trapeze artist in Paris in 1930. Neglected by her parents, she moved to her grandparents in Romania when she was only four years old. It was not until 1951 that she returned to the French capital, where she first started working in the cabaret. She took up photography, when Guillaume Corneille, with whom she was in a relationship at the time, gave her a first camera. In 1974, her first exhibition was presented at the Nikon Gallery. The black-and-white photographs on display often showed single, half-naked women adorned with lace, fur, and flowers. Their faces were covered with striking makeup and their bodies were graced with jewelry and pearls. Their surroundings conveyed a surrealistic feeling, evoked by its gothic and fetishistic decor, in which the women appeared like a role in a film. Ionesco had been captured and enraptured by Orientalism from an early age. She spent her childhood with her grandmother who raised her in the Turkish quarter in Constantinople. From a young age, she experienced the city’s strong diversity in culture, counting the many mosques and Byzantine Churches, with their Saints dressed in gold and covered with gems nurtured by virgin Icons. The buildings oftentimes are not only decorated in splendor on the outside but have unique inside atmospheres, the air sated in the murmur of prayers and the scent of incense. All these experiences inspired and shaped her later body of work. Among the many subjects, she has captured you will find models such as Sylvia Kristel, but also nude Yakuza, the notorious Japanese gangsters, who bared their full-body tattoos to Ionesco, sitting stoically in public bathhouses. Through her imagery and her work, Ionesco left her mark on Western photographers working today in fashion, art and music. From the 2000s onwards, the artist devoted herself to fashion photography and created works for Givenchy and Vogue Japan, among others. In 2014, Reflex Amsterdam showed some of her photographs in an exclusive exhibition. Irina Ionesco has and will continue to be an inspiration, and through her work, she has left a mark and strong influence on many Western photographers in fashion, music, and art.

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

PRADA EXTENDS TOKYO

Prada Extends is a series of live events focused on and designed for creatives in different hubs around the world. This concept with the aim of creating a connection between like-minded figures, encapsulating the identity of each locale and its creative community. First launched in London in November 2021, Prada Extends now travelled to Tokyo for its newest edition. For the first time, the underlying idea was extended resulting in a duo of events: a conversation and a celebration. For this edition, a part of the “The Sound of Prada” experience, the emphasis was on music as a means of bringing people together. Plastikman aka Richie Hawtin came on board to create this special concept. The first part, an intimate discussion between Richie Hawtin and Naohiro Ukawa, took place at the Prada Miyashita Park store, followed by an event at Terrada, a center for art and music, featuring music and visual performances curated by Hawtin, including his own performance. It was a celebration of Japanese culture, to which Hawtin shares a deep bond, music and its creative communities which were connected to the whole world.

www.prada.com

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

Stella McCartney and the Frayme Mylo

Stella McCartney has long been known to push sustainable practices and was a pioneer in proving that sourcing responsibly and consciously does not oppose the concept of luxury. On the contrary, sustainability has since become one of the key topics in luxury fashion. Despite most brands now steering toward a more sustainable future, Stella McCartney remains a pioneer for conscious luxury continuously pushing the boundaries. It should therefore come as nobody’s surprise that the British brand is the first to introduce the first-ever luxury bag crafted from Mycelium to be sold at a commercial level. This launch marks a milestone in the implementation of vegan leather, counteracting the leather industry and its huge environmental impact as one of the most polluting industries in the world. The Frayme Mylo showcases the capabilities of Mycelium, the next-generation materials produced from the root-like structure of fungi. The bag itself is handcrafted in Italy by craftspeople especially trained to work with this new alternative to leather. The Frayme is a new Stella McCartney icon, re-energizing classic brand codes and showcasing the versatility of the new material.

The Frayme Mylo will become available exclusively in Stella McCartney Boutiques.

www.stellamccartney.com

Fashion

FENDI Couture FW22

Fendi was founded in Rome in 1925 and ever since that moment the luxury house has proven its continued commitment and dedication to its hometown, the Eternal City. Rome is in Fendi’s DNA and vice-versa, yet Kim Jones, Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear recognized the need to, as he puts it himself, ‘place Rome in a global context. In this collection, we are looking at fragments of different cities, Kyoto, Paris and Rome. The fragmentary nature of things is echoed throughout the collection, like snatches of memory or the impression of things past, present and future.’ The starting point for the collection is the cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto and its sartorial history, the historic kimono traditions and the intricate crafts behind it, notably Kata Yuzen, a century-old, painstaking hand printing and painting technique, which is utilized in the Fendi creations. The collection itself highlights various contrast, East and West, masculine and feminine, the natural and the man-made, traditional and the modern, yet it creates a sense that contrasts do not equal opposites, in the case of the Fendi FW Couture collection, they are equally important parts of a greater whole. In this sense, the Kata Yuzen dresses are echoed with their continental counterparts, sinuous and glittering dresses, reflecting the spirit of Paris in their construction and fabrication or with nods to masculine codes of tailoring with a more Italian take on the tailleur. The collection bears witness to the supreme skills of the Fendi atelier, a fundamental pillar of safeguarding couture traditions.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

TOMBOGO x Saucony Butterfly

Saucony belongs to those brands that have a long heritage attached to it. Despite all the tradition and history, the brand has long recognized that one can not solely rest on its laurels, but there is a constant need for novelty and innovation in order to ensure continued success. As part of this year’s Paris Men’s Week, Saucony unveiled its collaboration with TOMBOGO, combining the creative forces and impulses of both brands in order to create a brand new silhouette, the Butterfly. This shoe strikes the perfect balance of the three elements which define both brands, functionality, form and performance. The shoe was unveiled in the House of Originals, where friends of the brand were able to get a sneak peek of the collaboration between Saucony’s performance know-how and TOMBOGO’s innovative design language, expressed through the modular nature of the shoe, and interchangeable color system, allowing every wearer to make the shoe their own.

The TOMBOGO x Saucony Butterfly will become available in selected markets over the course of the year.

www.saucony.com

Fashion

Paul Smith Reinterprets Traditional Menswear Codes for SS23

For its SS23 men’s presentation in Paris, Paul Smith revisits the ’80s art scene to offer a redefined take on classic menswear silhouettes. Silhouettes throughout the collection reinterpret the norms of formal menswear and translate them into a casual spirit in multiple combinations, including a waistcoat-inspired vest, oversized shorts, belted jacket, and car coat. Traditional shirting stripes are subverted, mixed and matched, and used across sportswear and technical styles. These include an oversized pullover windbreaker, work jacket, collarless shirt, and knitted vests. Paired with these pieces, are footwear that reinforces the contrast between traditional elegance and sporty modernity, with high-shine cut-out leather loafers set atop a lightweight sole and classic crossover sandals on hiking-inspired commando soles. Prints throughout refer to ’80s artistic techniques and media. Within the collection is a “Hot Summer” floral, seen across shirting and outerwear, and the “Glow Polka” print, taking its cue from contemporary light installations and features across shirting and neon knitwear. Another key theme is the painterly finish in the “Untitled” stripe print, created using an innovative combination of hand-painting, spray-painting, and screen-printing. Also highlighted, is the interplay of texture and print. Innovative techniques are employed to showcase patterns that emphasize the contrast between formal and casual, blending traditional shirting poplin and worsted suiting materials with lightweight silks and technical nylons. Presented in Paris at a former post office, an industrial backdrop reinforces the collection’s artistic inspiration. This, in hand with an eclectic mix curated by renowned British DJ Gilles Peterson, reflects the season's vibrancy and the ’80s club scene. GH

www.paulsmith.com

Art

“Torso Reloaded” - Homage to Andy Warhol

On October 1st 2022, the solo exhibition “Torso Reloaded” by Nadine Dinter will open at Haze Gallery in Berlin. 10 years ago, Dinter developed the concept while working alongside a long-term companion of Warhol, Christopher Makos. Here, the artists traveled with former erotic model and tattoo artist Benjamin Godfre, who is a passionate Warhol fan. Using this, Dinter and Godfre spontaneously decided to photographically recreate Warhol’s legendary Torso series from 1977. Now, Nadine Dinter has recreated the series using the different body types of the current generations of men, with Warhol’s spirit as the continued inspiration. Alongside Benjamin Godfre, six representative men are presented: from a model, influencer, wrestler, computer scientist, and photographer. Shifting away from Warhol’s initial project of capturing the front and back of the models in a tight, close up shot, Dinter’s wider framing gives them more space, adding impact to individual characteristics such as tattoos, scars, and musculature. As a result, the bodies seem close enough to touch without being overtly sexualized. The exhibition also addresses the female gaze on the male body, while documenting the exploration of the body cult in contemporary society. These contemplative body shots were taken using only natural lighting between January and April this year. Each image captures its own story, transforming the bare image into a unique photographic profile. GH

Image: Nadine Dinter; Traegi, Cologne 2022 © Nadine Dinter courtesy HAZEGALLERY

www.haze.gallery

Fashion

Palm Angels Set Up House in Milan

Palm Angels has opened its first European store in Milan, in the heart of the city’s “Quadrilatero della moda.” The brand founded by Francesco Ragazzi has a new place to call home. The space presents a unique concept that combines the brutalist aesthetic typical of buildings in Los Angeles and the more classical and traditional Italian style. Designed by the Francesco Ragazzi and the renowned Parisian firm Gilles&Boissier, the store plays on the harmony of contrasts. The ground floor’s decor features geometric lines, shiny surfaces, and a color palette of cool tones, camouflaging itself with the clothes on display. Then, a staircase leads to the lower floor, where customers can immerse themselves in an atmosphere reminiscent of a Californian landscape. Connecting the two levels is a large glass window with a fuschia frame that disrupts the minimalism of the interiors with a blast of contemporary pop attitude. Instead, reflecting Palm Angels’ chaotic and creative style is the eclectic structure. The Milanese flagship store also displays the first drop from the home collection designed by Francesco Ragazzi: cushions, bedspreads, notebooks, candles, and other objects that lend a touch of Palm’s “art de vivre” to the home. VB

www.palmangels.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

A Basketful of Summer

The Emporio Armani Men's SS23 Collection evokes the summer season with a distinct feeling of lightness. Clothes and accessories have been designed to bring the holiday spirit, characteristic of this period, to the city and give any holiday the appropriate fresh and composed sensation. The brand, created by Giorgio Armani, is an original container of possibility that, on this occasion, has presented a collection in which shirts take center stage combined with soft trousers cut from the same fabric. Jackets and tunics complete the look. New deconstructed blazers in jacquards reaffirm a cornerstone of the Armani style. Everything has been thought of in detail: slits, vertical openings, and cuts reveal the skin giving the clothes a vibrant sensuality, while the new silhouettes are soft and graceful. The garments barely touch the body, allowing it to breathe vital energy. Lastly, the color palette includes different shades of blue, natural tones, as well as the black of the night. Emporio Armani has created a show that fully recalls the magic of summer, its beauty, joy, and serenity. VB

www.armani.com

Fashion

Missoni Women’s Main Spring’23

Missoni’s women’s spring SS23 collection speaks to the masses, with a fluid range of garments that acknowledge age as only a mindset. The collection involves an essential and extensible system of garments such as cardigans, shirts, tops, pencil skirts, trousers, and slip dresses. The colors range on a vibrant light spectrum with yellow, magenta, and cyan tones, as well as the primary colors and their endless permutations. Graphic black and white additions are added to the pieces to bring further lightness and structure to them. The wardrobe is designed to be worn every day in an effortless yet elegant way. Prints include seductive monochromes, maximizing color in a single note on a range of textures. A variety of patterns are also included, the founding motifs of Missonism: fiammato, zig-zag, patchwork, and rachel are blown up, combined, and morphed. Applied crystals and shimmers create new dimensions of height, drawing patterns and refracting glimmer. The collection overall creates the perfect blend of timely and timeless pieces that speak to all. GH

www.missoni.com

Fashion

Alexander McQueen FW22 Pre-Collection: The Bow Bag

For the FW22 Pre-Collection, Alexander McQueen has presented a new iconic accessory, the Bow Bag. Inspired by the bows seen in Alexander McQueen's ready-to-wear collections, which have become a symbol of femininity and decoration for the brand, this item is an emblem of empowering femininity, as well as a functional object. The instantly recognizable silhouette is given by the precious leather, sliced and folded to create a bow shape that confers to the handbag a bold and straightforward look. Then, the splicing of materials such as leather, raffia, and denim echoes the unlikely fabric juxtapositions and patchworking that are an Alexander McQueen signature. The new Bow Bag comes in classic colors and bright and muted seasonal variations and can be carried in hand, leaning on the shoulder, or across the body thanks to a longer strap. VB

www.alexandermcqueen.com

Art

Carl Hansen & Son Presents the VLA26 Vega Chair by Vilhelm Lauritzen

Carl Hansen & Son has introduced the iconic VLA26 Vega Chair by internationally renowned architect Vilhelm Lauritzen to its collection of design classics. Pioneer of Danish functionalism, Vilhelm Lauritzen is known for his creations, from buildings to furniture to doorknobs, thoroughly down to the smallest detail. In 1956, he worked on the construction of Vega, a building conceived as a universal meeting place for the labor movement that 40 years later has been turned into a concert venue to promote the cultural life of Copenhagen. For this building, the architect also designed chairs, tables, wood panels, friezes, and chandeliers, and it is indeed among these works that the VLA26 Vega Chair can be found. The VLA26 Vega Chair is a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture made combining steel, wood, textile, or leather, all materials that give it a slender and refined look. Instead, the dynamic curve of the back of the chair confers a distinctive character to the object, while the legs elegantly finished with wooden feet bring out exceptional craftsman-like detail. Today, the VLA26 Vega Chair becomes part of the Carl Hansen & Son Collection, and it will be produced in collaboration with Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, who celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2022. VB

www.carlhansen.com

Fashion

Looking For Lightness

Hermès launched a new collection of objects for the home during Milan Design Week 2022. In a quest for lightness, the French Maison built a colorful set inspired by brutalist water towers, whose forms were replicated with voluminous wooden structures covered in translucent paper. Each construction was conceived as a cocoon concealing the latest furniture and accessories. The focus of this year's exhibition is home textiles. The objects are made in cashmere, a delicate natural fiber that combines a taut hand with bright colors, reworked with different manufacturing techniques. Plaids are manufactured with strips of cashmere crafted in a patchwork motif or geometric shapes using a relinking method that evokes stained-glass windows. A bed cover features remarkable hexagons gained mixing patchwork and the precision of quilting, crafts well-known by American artist Carson Converse. Then other objects, such as porcelain tableware recalling the color of the sun and a delicate canework seat in the shape of a chair, complete the collection. The final result is a magnificent play of lights that brings out the delicacy and poetic allure of every single piece. VB

www.hermes.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

Fashion

Bulgari unveils Eden the Garden of Wonders

“Eden the Garden of Wonders” was recently presented in Paris, unveiling a collection of 140 breathtaking jewelry pieces, each representing the wonders of the Garden of Eden. For the first time in the brand’s history, more than 30 creations are included dedicated to the magnificent emerald. The Flower of Eden necklace displays blossoms of flowers made of mother of pearl inlay and buff top emeralds, perfectly capturing the richness of the collection. An oval Colombian emerald surrounded by exquisite emeralds and diamonds evokes the slender silhouette of the iconic Eiffel Tower. The Mediterranean Reverie Necklace is one of the most precious creations ever created by the Roman jewelry house. Boasting a timeless elegance, the sophisticated chain combines platinum, baguette-cut sapphires, and a host of other diamonds in various cuts. The collection became available on June 6th and will be on display for the coming days at Bulgari’s boutique in Place Vendome. Also on display in this showroom will be the brand’s first NFT jewel, “Beyond Wonder”. GH

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Alexander McQueen AW22 Women’s Pre-Collection

British fashion label Alexander McQueen has unveiled a new creative project that involves a group of twelve artists to highlight the brand’s AW22 women’s pre-collection. Titled “Process,” this special art collaboration illustrates the fact that creativity emerges from countless perspectives. Sarah Burton, Creative Director of the brand, expressed her willingness to give these artists the freedom to reinterpret the garments she created for this season. Each of them had the possibility to choose a look from the collection and work on that through their preferred medium, engaging in a creative dialogue with the house. Among the collaborators can be found the names of Ann Cathrin November Høibo, Beverly Semmes, Bingyi, Cristina de Middel, Guinevere van Seenus, Hope Gangloff, and many others who realized exclusive artworks according to their points of view. The artists’ projects have been displayed alongside the McQueen pieces they relate to in a temporary installation. In addition, Alexander McQueen has created a detailed zine to tell each artist’s personal story and journey about how they engaged with Sarah’s work. VB

www.alexandermcqueen.com

Art

Colnago x Tod’s: Riding The Italian Lifestyle

Tod’s has presented a new special project during Salone del Mobile 2022. First, the Italian brand has unveiled the second edition of its iconic products: the Tod’s Tabs sneaker and the two-tone windbreaker. The shoes, recognizable by the use of rubber pebbles on the heel, come in a combination of white monochrome leather and inserts of leather and suede to obtain well-defined contrasts. The jacket is made of technical nylon materials in blue, tobacco, and khaki and embellished with the iconic T-Lion pocket. Then, in partnership with Italian bike maker Colnago, Tod's produced a high-tech bicycle. The Colnago x Tod’s T Bike in carbon fiber features a color palette of greens to oranges. The collaboration, representing the true Made in Italy, celebrates the active spirit and energetic lifestyle of the new generation with a focus on eco-mobility. The limited-edition series of 70 unique T Bikes, and the apparel items, will be available from June 13th on Tod’s website and in select flagship stores worldwide. In addition, the brand boutique in Via Montenapoleone in Milan will also accept Bitcoin cryptocurrency transactions. VB

www.tods.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton x NBA New Collection

Louis Vuitton and the National Basketball Association (NBA) are back with a new collaboration inspired by travel. This year’s edition continues to celebrate the values of basketball, a legendary sport that emanates uplifting energy, so much appreciated by Virgil Abloh and reflected in all the pieces he created for the Maison. Dedicated to luggage, the new Louis Vuitton x NBA Collection features The Christopher backpack, iconic Keepall 55, Dopp Kit, and Pocket Organize, together with two exceptional pieces: a case that can store eight watches and the signature Malle Courrier. Every piece presents different exclusive motifs as an oversized LV signature in the shape of a basketball that boasts the NBA logo colors, a basketball net combined with gold chains and metal details, and the iconic NBA colors. These unique items, made of Monogram-embossed electric blue Taurillon leather, represent the perfect mix of Louis Vuitton and NBA’s aesthetic codes and spirits. In addition, the French House, which invented the “Art of Travel,” has created an exceptional new Official Travel Trunk for the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Trophy, the pinnacle of basketball achievement. The new trunk is a reinterpretation of the original model that the Maison has been producing for over 160 years. This version features an exterior covered in emblematic Monogram canvas with heavyweight brass closures and fittings and an interior lined with soft microfibre and sporting the NBA’s 75th Anniversary logo. VB

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

CHANEL 1932

Ninety years ago, Gabrielle Chanel created "Bijoux de Diamants," the first High Jewelry collection, with only one purpose: giving women's bodies freedom and adorning them at the same time. Today, the French House, taking inspiration from the legendary original collection, has created a modern version that retains the same theme of the heavenly bodies, the purity of the lines, and the freedom of the body. The "1932" High Jewelry Collection, designed by Patrice Leguéreau, Director of the CHANEL Fine Jewelry Creation Studio, is a journey out of time. The new jewels are ethereal as if belonging to a dreamy dimension, suspended in a timeless space between planets and stars. The Comet line, with twisting spirals and shooting stars, is like a charm that watches over the destiny of the woman who wears it. The Moon, made of 18 pieces, pays homage to the most mysterious heavenly body in the solar system, the only one that does not emit light but reflects it. To end the collection is The Sun, a series of 24 exceptional pieces crafted in white and yellow gold and white and yellow diamonds to resemble the brilliance of the Solar System's central star. In addition, in line with Chanel’s philosophy about the freedom of the body, the "1932" High Jewelry Collection includes 13 transformable creations able to wrap around the human figure and follow its movements. VB

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Paul Smith Presents a Cinematic AW22 Men’s Collection

Inspired by the world of arthouse cinema, Paul Smith has presented the AW22 Menswear Collection, a combination of otherworldly photo prints, lavish textures, and a cinematic palette. The new collection is a one-of-a-kind revival of the distinctively visual techniques of film's greatest auteurs, from the 1930s monochromatic films to the 1960s and the emergence of technicolor. Padded down jackets, checked duffle coats, cropped bombers, as well as jumpers, and shirts are adorned with psychedelic Zig Zag prints, Shadow Floral prints, and other bold graphic elements in an homage to avant-garde directors such as David Lynch and Wong Kar-wai. Instead, photo prints, a long-time signature of Paul Smith, resemble vintage movie posters and old cinema interiors, while the heady Starlet print is a reference to the studio headshots of silver screen stars. In terms of fabrics, the collection offers a wide range of materials: from tweeds and wool for both tailoring and sportswear to matte satin, rich shearling, mohair, and jewel-toned leather to portray Hollywood Golden Age and a return to dressing up. Surrealism and opulence are mixed, giving life to a unique fashion show held at the spectacular Île-de-France Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry headquarters in Paris. VB

www.paulsmith.com

Fashion

Prada Linea Rossa: “Water on the Moon”

Prada Linea Rossa and Red Bull have an ongoing partnership that aims to promote events and special initiatives focused on sport and innovation, by working alongside athletes and supporting their talents, improving their skills, and helping them achieve the ambitious goals that they set themselves. Watersports rider Nikolas Plytas is the newest member to be supported by this collaboration. Since he was a teenager, Plytas has been a huge talent on the Greek waterski scene, positioning himself to smash records, push his limits, and take on the best in the world. Within the collaboration, the goal and vision of the Greek champion was to create a video that would portray his strong connection with the sea. For this, having the perfect technical gear was important, making the custom board from Prada Linea Rossa and the Luna Rossa Team valuable. The board was a mix of wakeboard and waterski, fast, with sharp edges, and directional for great stability at high speeds. Prada Linea Rossa items, focused on technical detailing and made of pioneering textiles, provided Nikolas with the perfect match for comfort, high-performance, and style-consciousness for his challenge. GH

www.prada.com

Fashion

Dioriviera Capsule Collection

Celebrating luxurious summer living, Dior has launched a brand-new capsule collection including ready-to-wear fundamentals and beach day living essentials. The Dioriviera summer capsule collection is an invitation for us to get away and holiday. Continually reinvented, the collection plays with the house’s fundamentals; ready-to-wear, leather goods and shoes are illuminated with florescent shades of blue, orange, and pink – a palette inspired by the Fall ’22 collection. The toile de Jouy is a timeless symbol for those in the know. Instantly recognizable, the motif is identified by its ink-like vignettes of the French pastoral scape. Throughout this capsule, this emblematic symbol is revisited and featured on skirts, dresses, shorts, swimwear, and the house’s iconic accessories. Also adorned with this classic pattern, are the Lady D-Lite, Dior Book Tote, and Diorcamp bags, as well as the Dior Travel clutch. Complementing this sunny wardrobe, the Dior Maison essential Is envisioned for summertime are also being unveiled, including a surfboard emblazoned with the “Christian Dior” signature, a skateboard, a pool mattress, a parasol, beach games, and fans. A series of decorative objects, stationary cushions, and placemats prolong this celebration of art de vivre. GH

www.dior.com

Fashion

Think Positive and Green: DoDo & Tenaka Together Again

DoDo and Tenaka are back together, launching a new collaboration to support environmental protection. This year, the iconic pendant and jewelry brand, which has always been active in projects to protect the planet, has joined forces with French social enterprise Tenaka to support the Coral Reef Restoration project in Tioman, Malaysia. Their partnership began in 2020 with the restoration of a thousand square meters of the world's most resilient and biodiverse coral reef, followed by a one-of-a-kind project to save a mangrove forest in the state of Sabah in 2021, to finally get to the current collaboration to expand Malaysia's coral reef with 300 new corals planted. For this project, DoDo realized a bracelet and necklace made of silver and recycled plastic inspired by the colors of the ocean to symbolize the new commitment. It is a call to all to respect and protect the sea. VB

www.dodo.com

Fashion

Palm Angels x Vilebrequin New Capsule Collection

Palm Angels, the brand founded by Art Director and Photographer Francesco Ragazzi, has announced the release of a new project in partnership with VILEBREQUIN. After the first collaboration launched in 2021, the new Palm Angels x Vilebrequin capsule collection represents the second drop of the coolest swimwear for Summer 2022. Both brands stand for durable tailoring and sartorial construction combined with a playful and joyful design. The new beachwear pieces, in line with their stylistic codes, introduce five new different prints: camouflage and animal prints, an art-deco inspired motif with the Palm Angels logo, a bold tropical sunset as viewed from a pristine Hawaiian coast, and, lastly, the classic teddy bear with ultra-trendy paisley motifs. The color palette ranges from bright yellows, blues, and classic black to perfectly embody the summer season. These clothes will be available starting May 31st on VILEBREQUIN and Palm Angels’ websites and select stores. VB

www.palmangels.com
www.vilebrequin.com

Fashion

Dior: Archi Dior

Since 2014, Victoire de Castellane has paid tribute to Dior’s origins through her Archi Dior collection. This year, the Archi Dior jewelry collection is enriched with eight new pieces, three of which are inspired by the famous Bar suit. First presented in 1947 in the very first collection by the House of Dior, with a pleated skirt cut from four meters of black wool and a natural shantung jacket with soft curves and a peplum emphasizing a wasp waist, the sculptural design became emblematic of the Dior look. Its new jewelry incarnation, Bar en corolle, features a white gold ruffle and diamond belt, appearing as a luminous bracelet and necklace. Completing this, are fan-shaped earrings, set with a pear-cut diamond that may also be worn as a simple stud. Also celebrated from 1947, is the short-sleeved Aladin dress, which was decorated with bows and caused a sensation. This is celebrated with the ultra-contemporary Diorama earring. Designed specifically for either the left or right ear, the jewel is placed high on the ear and allows a glittering ribbon to unfurl, illuminating the silhouette. This year, the line also gives rise to three new Archi Dior Milieu du siècle creations in the form of a necklace, bracelet, and pair of earrings. GH

www.dior.com

Art

Art Rotterdam 2022: Artist From All Over The World

During Art Rotterdam, people will have the possibility to dive into the creations of hundreds of artists from all over the world. From France, UN-SPACED Gallery presents the new work of Lilah Fowler on show in the New Art Section. The British-Japanese artist is famous for her complex and layered installations that represent the geopolitical layers of our globalized virtual and analog landscapes, as well as how these parallel worlds occasionally overlap. Her woven works, photography, sculpture, and video art explore the effects and consequences of technology on contemporary society. The Belgian booth curated by Galerie Felix Frachon, instead, showcases the art pieces by Brazilian artist Mano Penalva. His works are based on everyday objects collected during his many trips to major world cities, especially at popular street markets. These items are, for him, examples of material culture and globalization. What fascinates him is the new, poetic values that these objects gain once they are taken out from their original context. Then, representing the Netherland, one of the galleries that take part at the fair is STEVENSON, presenting the new masterpiece by Viviane Sassen. Her creations are characterized by sculptural representations of bodies, often surreal and anonymous. VB

www.artrotterdam.com

Art

OBJECT Rotterdam: Jubilee Edition From May 20 till May 22

OBJECT Rotterdam opens its doors to the public from May 20 till May 22, presenting the artworks of over 150 designers, of which more than 50 recently graduated. Held at the modernist HAKA building, this design fair is an incubator for creative talent: a place where to discover new trends and meet upcoming artists. Inspiration and innovation are the keywords of the event. This year’s edition will offer a mix of products, furniture, fashion, lighting, and graphic design, in addition to giving free access to all visitors to the Euromast, a pop-up platform where various designers from Rotterdam present their works. OBJECT Rotterdam is also famous for its well-balanced combination of commercial and conceptual designs that are not just on view but also sale, giving the possibility to the creators to connect with consumers, collectors, agents, gallery owners, and curators. Among the artworks and artists, people can discover the colorful textiles by Lola van Praag, new furniture by the Italian Lisa Brustolin, and poetic sculptures by German artist Cengiz Hartmann. Next to these names, also many young designers get a head start at OBJECT. These newcomers, selected by Anne van der Zwaag, owner and director of the design fair, represent the most interesting 2021 graduates from KABK, HKU, Rietveld Academie, ArtEZ, the Design Academy, MAFAD, and the Rotterdam based WDKA. VB

www.objectrotterdam.com

Fashion

MM6 Maison Margiela SS23: “Avant-Premiere”

MM6 Maison Margiela celebrates the arrival of summer’s freedom and long, balmy nights in its “Avant-Premiere” SS23 lookbook. Shot in the queue outside La Java, one of the most loved nightclubs in Paris, it portrays an eclectic group of revellers who are drawn together by the common purpose of relishing nightlife. The imagery depicts the unexpected beauty discovered in the process of their making. A forest green wool blazer features appliquéd circular elbow patches, being a playful geometric adjustment of the traditional oval shape as well as a nod to the status that the circle has acquired as an MM6 Maison Margiela “non-logo”. Tapered tailored trousers are given a five-pocket treatment typical of workwear pants, and easy-wearing ribbed tanks and striped cotton jersey t-shirts are vertically spliced with stepped crew necks; in some experimental iterations, they are reimagined as sarong-like trails with multiple armholes that drape around the body, offering the wearer a sense of creative autonomy. Curious experimentation is also presented in knit abound, with lightweight argyle vests in scarlet and black reversed, making an unexpected spectacle of the typically concealed side of the fabric. The eccentricity exhibited does not stop there, with broderie anglaise-trimmed pillowcases fashioned into cropped tops, circular-flat pattern viscose dresses printed with imagery shot in the reflection of this season’s polished spherical jewelry, sandals that give the impression that the foot is sinking in the shoe’s bright molten sole, and an innovative collar system found across cotton shirt dresses, denim jackets, and zip-up cardigans. Depictions of the house’s Parisian headquarters feature across the knit sweaters and shorts, and a printed version of the Japanese bag features scans of MM6 Maison Margiela’s most emblematic pieces. GH

www.maisonmargiela.com

Fashion

Omega teams up with Athletic Legend Allyson Felix

Omega has been the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games since 1932, therefore, it seems fitting that legend of athletics Allyson Felix joins the Swiss brand. One year after gaining her first professional contract at the age of 18, Felix earned her first Olympic Games medal, winning silver in the 200m event at Athens 2004. Since then, she has won an overall 11 Olympic Games medals, 7 of which are gold, along with 18 World Championship titles and 5 Diamond League titles. When discussing joining the Omega family, Allyson Felix has said “It’s been an honor to rely on their precision for some of my fastest ever moments and I’m thrilled to wear their watches as a symbol of the brand’s quality”. The brand has a fast-growing family of sporting ambassadors, including other Olympic Games stars such as Michael Phelps, Shaun White, Noah Lyles, Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, Dalilah Muhammed, Yulimar Rojas, and Ma Long. Each with the values of precision, accuracy, consistency, and strength – all key assets to a watchmaking brand that prides itself on excellence. GH

www.omegawatches.com

Fashion

Debut of luxury label Maeden

Luxury label Maeden has made its debut with the launching of a designer bag to be worn and enjoyed for generations to come. The brand has been launched as a homage to Dutch design, local craftsmanship, and true luxury at its essence. Founder and Creative Director Christian Heikoop launched the brand with the intention of fulfilling the potential of leather ateliers and tanneries in the Netherlands, pairing designers and craftsmanship. According to Heikoop, “by pairing the two you can reach true innovation by challenging and learning from one another”. Whilst offering a solidly made, sustainable product that goes against fast fashion, the brand labels itself in between high street and traditional luxury, being more visible to those who position themselves between the two. With its first collection of bags emerging from experts in the fields of jewelry, fashion, product design, and textiles, the pieces offer a fresh and much welcomed take on shape, material, crafts, and innovation. Possibly looking simple at first glance, the bag designs are technically complex and incredibly detailed. Summarized in one word: pure, the pieces are therewith in line with Maeden’s definition of genuine luxury. GH

www.maeden.nl

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Unveils The New Collaboration With Yayoi Kusama

Since 1854, Louis Vuitton has nurtured strong ties with the art world, coming together with a series of artists, and rewriting the rules of creative collaborations between luxury brands and artists. Today, the French Maison presents chapter two of its partnership with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. In 2012, the two teamed up for the first time to create exhibitions, one-of-a-kind window installations, and a startlingly lifelike mannequin modeled by the artist. Yayoi Kusama, famous for combining different techniques in his artworks, from sculpture, painting, and installation, to filmmaking and photography, is considered a precursor to Pop and Minimal art, even if her diverse art practices resist any singular classification. She is a cutting-edge artist that takes inspiration from the hallucinations she has experienced since her childhood to express her inner self and investigate the mysteries of life. The new collaboration celebrates their long-lasting relationship, unveiling a handful of leather goods created by Nicolas Ghesquière for the Cruise 2023 fashion show and reinterpreted by Yayoi Kusama’s obsessive dots. The new products will hit stores worldwide in January 2023. VB

www.louisvutton.com

Fashion

The Big Bang Unico UEFA

The meeting of the biggest clubs and players at the UEFA Champions League is measured in Hublot time. This partnership is a shared passion for bringing people together and consequently giving them lasting memories. According to Richard Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot, “Hublot measures the moments that people remember long after the game”, a true depiction of the brand’s importance to the UEFA Champion’s League, the decisive factor in the competition. To celebrate seven years of collaboration and great football, Hublot is now presenting an exclusive edition, the Big Bang Unico. Limited to 100 copies, the piece is made of glass bead blasted ceramic crafted and clad in iconic UEFA Champions League blue. The crucial moments on the Speifeld are measured with the Hublot manufacture chronograph movement Unico 2, a highly complex and advanced movement that ensures impeccable reliability. Today, the UEFA Champions League is the most-watched annual sporting competition in the world, and the most popular among players, clubs, and fans. Hublot’s dedication to football makes this the perfect partnership, capturing the moments that make history. GH

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Stone Island x Supreme SS22

The seventh collaboration between Stone Island and Supreme is dropping on May 12th, with yet another expansive collection that focuses on both outerwear pieces and classic wardrobe staples. The exclusive pieces begin with water-resistant resin-coated nylon Reversible Faux Fur Parkas, as well as heat-sensitive pigment printed Reactive Ice Camo Ripstop Jacket. The Reversible Faux Fur Parka has one side that is made in Formula Steel, a nylon oxford with a PFC-free anti-drop treatment, and the other made of thick faux fur. The back of the faux fur side is woven in darker-color faux fur hair from a large Wind Rose motif. Many of the pieces were designed in a versatile way that is fitting to multiple weather conditions. For this collaboration, the two brands have gone above and beyond, creating everything from reversible faux fur coats with the Stone Island compass logo imprinted on the back, to hoodies and t-shirts with the Mona Lisa printed atop, tracksuits, and unique accessories. GH

www.stoneisland.com
www.supremenewyork.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

Premiata Presents The Second Release of John Low Sneakers

Premiata has teamed up with Sciarada, a historical manufacturing company, to create a second release of the John Low model in the name of Circular economy. Sciarada, based in the largest leather-producing district of Tuscany, is specialized in suede production. For this collaboration, the tanning company has developed a new, extremely innovative material called Evolo. It is a type of suede produced respecting the environment, able to eliminate six out of sixteen passages compared to the standard production process. Evolo saves 66% of water and 36% of chemical products while lowering CO2 emissions by 50%. It is a one-of-a-kind eco-friendly material. Furthermore, Premiata realized the new shoes using the LIMONTA upper in regenerated nylon with ECONYL® yarn produced with pre-post-consumer waste and natural and recycled fabrics for the bottom part. The new shoes will be available in shades of white for women and classic colors such as grey, navy, powder blue, and pink for men. VB

www.premiata.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton SS22 Eyewear Campaign

Louis Vuitton has unveiled the SS22 Eyewear campaign featuring British 18-year-old, Emmy-nominated, SAG Award-winning actress and UNICEF Ambassador, Millie Bobby Brown. The new house ambassador is portrayed wearing Louis Vuitton sunglasses in a series of images shot by the photographer Steven Meisel in her first-ever campaign for luxury fashion accessories. "I met Nicolas Ghesquière 6 years ago and have been a fan of his work with Louis Vuitton ever since. Today, I am proud and honored to be joining the Louis Vuitton family. Truly a pinch me, full-circle moment!" says Millie Bobby Brown. Together with her, model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss and the Congolese-Belgian singer and model Lous and the Yakuza appear in the photos, with styling by Joe McKenna, hair by Jimmy Paul, and makeup by Pat McGrath. They are framed against gradient backgrounds of blue, dusty rose, and terracotta that suggest the enthralling way the sunlight changes from dawn to nightfall. VB

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

C.P. Company SS22 Mille Jacket

For the SS22 Collection, C.P. Company has reimagined one of its iconic designs: the Mille Jacket. A true challenge for the brand that has chosen to make the new product out of the KAN-D, a C.P. Company proprietary technology fabric similar to the original cellophane candy wrappers. It is an extreme, transparent material that requires meticulous construction and sewing techniques since every seam is visible. Also, the KAN-D, which stands for “Klear Achronic Nylon Dyed,” can only be utilized in the imbalance shrinkage dyeing process and garment dying form. In addition, C.P Company has also presented a contemporary version of the Cinquecento Jacket, a timeless outerwear piece designed by Alessandro Pungetti in the early 2000s and inspired by the Mille Jacket. This season’s edition features the same pockets’ structure as the original look but designed with a regular fit, and made in LCM and Gore-Tex Infinium, two waterproof and breathable textiles. VB

www.cpcompany.com

Fashion

Chanel at The Venice Biennale 2022

The CHANEL Next Prize is the brand's latest initiative to support the arts and contemporary culture, reflecting its founder's aim to be a part of the "ce qui va arriver" – "what happens next” prize. The French house has celebrated the ten winners of the new biennial award at the pre-opening of the 59th edition of the Venice Biennale, awarding them €100,000 each. Jung Jae-il, Keiken, Lual Mayen, Marlene Monteiro Freitas, Rungano Nyoni, Marie Schleef, Botis Seva, Wang Bing, Eduardo William, and Precious Okoyomon represent 11 countries and diverse art forms, from theatre, film, dance, gaming, the visual and performing arts. As winners, they also had the opportunity to test ideas, strengthen artistic networks, and find inspiration for future projects by participating in different activities such as joining the preview of this year’s exhibition “The Milk of Dreams,” and a celebratory dinner in their honor. Jurors Tilda Swinton and Sir David Adjaye, as well as creative thought leaders and partners from the CHANEL Culture Fund, took part in the events. VB

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Indomptables de Cartier

For their newest jewellery and watchmaking collection, Cartier is presenting unexpected encounters between animals, capturing the wild and untamed spirit through the image of the tiger, giraffe, crocodile and zebra. With this collection, Cartier dares to create jewellery hybrids characterized by the strong, graphic pieces featuring powerful volumes. The design of the pieces is clean and precise with an emphasis to every detail, resulting in the ultra-realistic designs. While the animal’s heads stay true to their natural image, the bodies are transformed; the scales of the crocodile adorn the zebra, while its stripes are passed on to the panther. Each animal of the collection are characteristic of Cartier’s menagerie, which is ruled over by the Maison’s ultimate emblem the panther. As Pierre Rainero, Director of Image, Style and Heritage puts it so eloquently, ‘With their shapes, colors, forms and effects of volume and stylization, the tête-à-tête bracelets of the collection reveal an unprecedented dimension of Cartier’s menagerie and its symbolic power. Animal jewellery has the ability to reflect the personality of its wearer, as well as their mood, attitudes and character traits. It’s an opportunity to deliver a message.’

www.cartier.com

Fashion

Colmar SS22: New Optimistic World

Lightness and freedom of movement characterize Colmar’s SS22 collection, perfect for the changing of the season. Colmar is renowned for observing the present, looking to the future inspired by the surroundings: technology, art communication, style, material, and thoughts. Each innovative collection is divided into four themes according to fit and occasion, the first being fitting to spring. This makes everything perfectly adaptable to the user’s own needs in everyday life. Being eco-friendly is a focus of the collection, representing a more conscious approach to the garments, as they are made from recyclable fabrics that always respect the environmental conditions. The second theme is biodegradable, each garment is made from biodegradable nylon fibers in collaboration with Amni Soul Eco. This allows for the garments to be degraded within five years, providing they are placed in the designated disposal areas. Thirdly, the collection presents a range of garments for spring’s changeable weather. This includes woman’s and men’s jackets are made of a three-layer fabric, created by processing elastic stretch material and soft jersey. The fourth theme, daylight saving time, consists of light garments, colorful designs, graphics, and personalization for a stylish summer look. A special addition to the imagery named “Matchy Matchy” divides into two different designs, themed father and son. The first plays with reflective logotypes and rainbow effects, while the second represents the connection between Colmar, the mountain, and skiing. GH

www.colmar.com

Fashion

HOGAN: A Story to Tell

How do you define iconic, a true classic? In some cases it’s possible that it is a story yet to unfold and to be told, which has begun but not quite ended. A narrative that creates a sense of anticipation in the way books, movies, or art pieces can. Drawing on this idea, Hogan has a long tradition of presenting its iconic shoe models as a medium for storytelling. Marking the beginning of its legacy in the late 80s, Hogan and sneakers have long been an inseparable dyad. In 1986, the label took its first steps toward a groundbreaking idea: the conceptualization of a luxury sneaker. The Hogan Traditional was the first, future- shifting luxury sneaker introduced by a lifestyle brand and now defines Hogan’s signature style. Since then, it has remained a popular staple piece. At the time, sneakers were primarily considered as a part of sportswear. By introducing the sneaker in the luxury fashion context, Hogan redefined the boundaries of activewear and paved the way for luxury athleisure – casual, and comfortable yet chic clothing designed to be suitable for everyday wear. Disregarding every existing stereotype and reversing the cliche?, Hogan set new rules with the Hogan Traditional. With the launch of the iconic model, a new category in footwear was born. Now as then, Hogan encapsulates the pioneering idea of casual luxury that suits every possible occasion featuring contemporary and dynamic, yet laid-back and elegant lifestyle pieces. Taking inspiration from this tradition, Hogan is never losing sight of any opportunities to reinvent itself and paving its way forward into the future. Developing the vision of what is considered classic, ever perfecting the balance between tradition and modernity, Hogan’s future lies in its established roots. 35 years after the introduction of its industry-changing Hogan Traditional, Hogan introduces a new classic to the market: a re-edition of the original model, with sustainability at its core. As part of the Hogan-3R project the new edition is a confluence of genderless, cutting-edge pieces inspired by the world of cricket. Subtle, yet unconventionally elegant, it is destined to become timelessly iconic. The three “R’s” in the project title stand for the concepts Hogan applies to its sustainability philosophy: recycle, reuse and reduce. Other keywords like rethink, respect, or revolutionize can also be read into the idea. Hogan aims to centralize sensible use of available resources, reducing waste and bringing unique, valuable and durable pieces to life. The footwear is an expression of sober, yet unconventional elegance, an embodiment and expression of its sustainability commitments. The sneakers are manufactured from low environmental-impact materials, which becomes visible in the ultra- lightweight outer sole of the pieces. The 3D design of the sole is made of materials including leftover, unused industrial materials, which contributes to the label’s waste-reduction and sustainability goals. The 3R edition also includes essential, yet multi-faceted pieces of clothing and accessories that draw inspiration from the dynamism and skylines of the world, the technologically innovative smart cities. Born out of a dedication to the environment and all beings inhabiting it, the project puts the earth at the center, as our home and host, highlighting its vulnerability and campaigning for its protection. Hogan-3R embodies the values that are at its core: from responsible innovation and conscious use of resources to waste reduction. As a label with Italian roots and a strong international outlook, Hogan is known to fuse tradition and design innovation with the finest quality materials, celebrating that “our future is a canvas we will paint together.” Thinking forward and in awe of heritage, Hogan continues its story, referencing the past and narrating the future by encouraging the new generation to write a new chapter. A love story – a declaration of devotion for storytelling and nature through creation.

www.hogan.com

Fashion

Gucci Bamboo 1947

Creative Director Alessandro Michele has presented the Gucci Bamboo 1947, a reinterpretation through a contemporary lens of the design of the iconic Bamboo bag. Part of the signature Gucci Beloved lines, the new Gucci Bamboo 1947 act as a bridge between past, present, and future. This iconic item was designed for the first time by Guccio Gucci during Italy’s post-war era. This period, in which traditional raw materials were difficult to find, gave him the possibility to experiment with new goods, giving rise to a unique bag with a handle crafted with lightweight and durable bamboo. The Bamboo bag became an instant emblem worn by Hollywood’s leading ladies and the international jet set. Today, the Gucci Bamboo 1947 comes with interchangeable leather and Web straps that are detachable and adjustable, making the bag a highly versatile accessory suitable for different occasions. With a vibrant color palette and a sophisticated silhouette, the bag features exceptional levels of craftsmanship, featuring pieces of bamboo that are hand-picked according to the Gucci design specifications. The Gucci Bamboo 1947 is a worldwide icon that the Creative Director also decided to celebrate by involving in the launch of the new line 9 international creators that produced various digital projects, each of which presented a personal take on the revisited bag. VB

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Prada Linea Rossa SS22

Prada sub-label Prada Linea Rossa fits right in wherever there’s a sport, founded with the remit of exploring progressive styles, evolving materials, and moving to the future. For SS22, the brand is worn by models playing a futuristic form of table tennis, demonstrating the inherent versatility of Prada Linea Rossa’s garments. Photographed by Johnny Dufort, the clothes are captured in fast-paced, dynamic, ceaseless action. The trim, lightweight SS22 garments allow for entirely unhindered mobility, enhancing the capabilities of the everyday seasonal uniform. The base layers are cut from a bio-ceramic polyester piquet that balances the body’s internal temperature irrespective of the environment. Also introduced is new nylon woven from threads made of castor plant seeds. The result of this is simultaneously lightweight, wear-resistant, and antibacterial, requiring none of the care demanded of its organic peers. The iconic Prada America’s Cup sneaker is exhibiting a relaunch with a new dimension offered: customization. Through this, the user can personalize their own taste to the styles, choosing from leather to laces, with a spread of colors and even the possibility of embossed initials. The collection truly embodies the brand’s tendency of producing metropolitan clothing, engineered for tomorrow. GH

www.prada.com

Fashion

PB 0110 x ___hagenkoetter

Rethinking the development process of a collection and upcycling century-old fabrics, PB 0110 and ___hagenkoetter teamed up to present new collaborative products. Past and present woven together. On one side, PB 0110, the label by Philipp Bree, known for fine bags of natural leather and linen, and on the other ___hagenkoetter, which works with traders who specialize in sourcing antique fabrics crafted by hand on small looms in the 19th century and kept carefully preserved. Both of them involve local manufacturers preferring traditional production methods to machine production. The collection presented features one-of-a-kind models realized with different fabrics, each of which, has its own story. The result of this collaboration is a classic tote bag in two versions: the HB 01 consisting of a soft, light divan previously used as a cover on beds or upholstered furniture, and the HB 02, a bag made of light linen fabric, almost 100 years old, utilized for tablecloths, workwear, bed covers and more. Both are complete with the PB 0110 vegetable tanned leather from the tannery in Belgium. PB 0110 x Hagenkoetter products are available exclusively at PB 0110, SSENSE, Online, and CIBONE, Japan. VB

www.pb0110.com

Fashion

Palm Angels New Iconic Bag

Expression of uniqueness, strong personality, and free mindset, Palm Angels has presented the new Palm Beach bag, designed to become the brand's new iconic bag. Francesco Ragazzi, the founder of the brand, has created an object of desire reminiscent of the feminine spirit of the House. Made for Palm Angels girls, the new bag is an accessory that allows our imagination to travel, even in metaphorical places. It is a unique combination of non-conformism, passion, and research for details. The Palm Beach bag, crafted with calfskin leather, is offered in the small version as a crossbody bag, while it features an adjustable shoulder strap in the medium and large versions. But the true protagonist of the bag is the palm tree, a closure in shiny gold and faceted 3D metal. This element, which revokes both the freedom of beach life and a metropolitan attitude, is the symbol of the relaxed and unconstructed lifestyle that the brand wants to convey. Then, to create an even more dreamy atmosphere, the new bag has been realized in a color palette that reminds of the shades of a sunset by the sea: bright yellow, faded pink, and light blue combined with more classic colors such as black and brown. VB

www.palmangels.com

Fashion

Quatre Novelties

Boucheron has unveiled the new SS22 jewelry in a reinterpretation of the Quatre Collection. The new pieces feature four bands, the Grosgrain, the line of diamonds, the Clou de Paris, and the Double Godron, that reflect the signature codes of the Maison. Each band, in its singularity, gives the jewelry a timeless spirit so that everyone can wear them in any combination. The collection presents a variety of products, from pendants and bracelets to necklaces and earrings crafted in yellow or rose gold, silver, and with the addition of magnificent diamonds. The collection created is a celebration, a pure delight, poised to embrace Spring with style. The season of renewal, expression of optimism and excitement, is enhanced by Boucheron in its Spring Colors campaign. Featuring ambassadors Alexa Chung, Nour Arida, Hannah Quinlivan, and Youn-Jung Go, the images are an invitation to enjoy the pleasure of the moment. Here, the women have fun playing with the XXL pieces of the Quatre Collection, while other photos portray them on a monochrome background that reflects their true essence. VB

www.boucheron.com

Fashion

Miu Miu Women's Tales #23: House Comes with a Bird

Miu Miu has presented "House Comes With A Bird,” the 23rd installment of the short film series Women’s Tales. The program, launched in 2011, aims to bring together today’s most profound and original female directors to investigate vanity and femininity in the 21st century. This year Miu Miu teamed up with American film director, producer, and screenwriter Janicza Bravo to realize a new movie that features singer and cellist Kelsey Lu and actress Natasha Lyonne. Known for her films Zola, Lemon, and Gregory Go Boom, Bravo has expressed her love for short films and described her latest work, House Comes With A Bird, as a marriage of text and beautiful clothing. The short movie portrays a series of clipped social encounters, each of which denotes dynamics of power in gender, race, and class. The whole surrounded by an airy, languid mood that is the quintessence of the late afternoon Californian sun. Janicza Bravo’s new episode for Women’s Tales made its debut in Los Angeles, and now it is available on Miu Miu digital channels and MUBI globally. VB

www.miumiu.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

Alan Roura Is The New Hublot Ambassador

With less than 1000 days to go before the start of the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe, Swiss watch manufacture Hublot has appointed skipper Alan Roura as the new brand ambassador. The Genevan skipper, who has spent 27 of his 29 years on water, can count on this long-term collaboration and top-tier partner to reach his ambitious goal: to win the 2024 edition of the "Everest of the seas" – the world's most challenging sailing race. Since the brand's inception in 1980, Hublot has had historical links to sailing. Nearly 25 years later, the watchmaker has chosen Alan Roura as the figurehead for its return to racing. Following its "First, Unique, Different" philosophy and its commitment to promoting 100% Swiss Made products, Hublot will support him in this unique human adventure and magnificent sporting challenge. Alan Roura will skipper the IMOCA 60 HUBLOT in every race on the calendar for the next three seasons before embarking on another round the world voyage in 2024. The IMOCA 60 HUBLOT is a 60-foot monohull used for the Vendée Globe. These yachts, made from composite materials, are designed to be both lightweight and fast while retaining the necessary strength to withstand conditions on the high seas. They are unique prototypes and a fusion of state-of-the-art technology. Especially, this new ultra-high-performance craft in black, yellow, and white livery will propel Alan Roura into a whole new dimension, offering him the opportunity to reset his sporting ambitions. “Now I have the resources I need to succeed, three years to prepare, and a real rocket to take me there. It's down to myself and to my partners to push it to its absolute limits. When you want something, you have to be relentless. Which is fortunate, because neither Hublot nor myself are the relenting types!" - Alan Roura. VB

www.hublot.com

Fashion

It Is Electrifying

Maserati is the first Italian luxury automotive manufacturer to produce fully electric vehicles, announcing the launch of the Folgore model. Through the evolution of its designs, Maserati has always led the way in automotive fashion, with unique cars, elegant yet sporty, always with highly personal, distinctive lines. In 2021, the Italian brand experienced a robust year-on-year sales growth of 41%, with 24,269 vehicles sold to customers worldwide. So, strengthened by these outstanding results, Maserati has decided to introduce on the market a new all-electric, two-door sports car. The new GranTurismo is the first vehicle in Maserati's history to use 100% electric solutions combined with cutting-edge technology from Formula E, outstanding performance, comfort, and elegance. Manufactured at the Mirafiori production center, the car will launch in 2023. In addition, next year brand new SUV Grecale will also be available in an electric version, and by 2025, all Maserati models will be available in a fully electric version: the MC20 supercar, the new Quattroporte sports sedan, and the future Levante luxury SUV will complete the Maserati Folgore range. Maserati's plans are part of Stellantis' "Dare Forward 2030" strategy. The new Maserati models will be 100% designed, engineered, and produced in Italy, using electric powertrains to deliver innovation and high performance, typical of Maserati's DNA. VB

www.maserati.com

Fashion

Missoni’s New Creative Direction

Missoni takes on a new creative direction. The Italian brand appointed Filippo Grazioli, a young designer with 18 years of solid experience in prestigious fashion companies, to head up the Men and Women’s Collections. The new Creative Director has joined Missoni’s team to improve the brand’s image in the luxury market and further strengthen the modernization process already initiated. Filippo has immediately made public his excitement for the new position at Missoni, a brand that he considers to be a leader in the history of Italian style and design with its remarkable integrity over almost seven decades. He is ready to bring his vision but maintaining the joyfulness, freshness, sense of color and positivity that are the core qualities of Missoni. Filippo Grazioli took over his role from Alberto Caliri, a long-serving member of the company, right-hand man of Angela Missoni, and successful designer of the last two collections, that from now on will develop Missoni Home Collection and Missoni Sport. Alberto Caliri will have the possibility to continue to fully express his passion for architecture, art, and design, as well as having the opportunity to work closely with Rosita Missoni. Thanks to these two new appointments, the company aims to strengthen its foundations for the future, pursuing its goal to enhance the “total Living” concept of the brand. VB

www.missoni.com

Fashion

Salvatore Ferragamo appoints Maximillian Davis as Creative Director

Manchester-born Maximillian Davis has been appointed as Creative Director for Salvatore Ferragamo, effective from March 16th, 2022. Chief Executive Officer for the brand, Marco Gobbetti, has expressed his thrill with this change, proclaiming that “through his [Davis’] lens of contemporary sensibility, he will write a new, exciting chapter for this house built on a heritage of creativity, craftsmanship, sophistication, and outstanding human values”. Maximillian Davis graduated from London College of Fashion, and founded his eponymous brand in 2020 at Fashion East with his first collection in SS21, immediately attracting international recognition. His Trinidadian-Jamaican origins are essential to his identity and a strong inspiration for his work. The designer’s confidence, sharp elegance, innate sophistication, sense of color, and culturally hybrid point of view have been translated into garments seen on Rihanna, ASAP Rocky, and Dua Lipa. Davis has announced, “I am deeply honored to be joining Ferragamo and grateful for the opportunity to build on the rich and profound heritage of the house”. GH

www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

Cartier x sacai for Fashion Week 2022/2023

 Trinity for Chitose Abe of sacai is first and foremost an encounter between the designer and founder of sacai, Chitose Abe, and the Maison’s creative studios. Six modular reconstructions of the Trinity ring have been made to achieve a new balance. These completely reinvent the wearer’s style without ever compromising on elegance. The collaboration consists of two rings, a bracelet, a choker, an earring, and a versatile piece that is both an earring and a ring. Truly present throughout this is the famous chromatic trilogy of white, yellow, and rose gold rings. However, the distortion of the rings changes in regards to their position on the skin and their function. The capsule was seen for the first time at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris during the sacai FW22/23 fashion show, inspired by Cartier red. This exclusive, limited-edition collection will be released initially in Japan in summer, then in Paris, London, New York, and Seoul in FW22. GH

 

www.cartier.com 

www.sacai.jp 

Fashion

Clarence Ruth Is The Winner of The New Legacy Challenge

Tommy Hilfiger has announced Clarence Ruth as the winner of the New Legacy Challenge, a design competition developed through a partnership between Tommy Hilfiger’s People’s Place Program and Harlem’s Fashion Row. Launched in 2020, the People’s Place Program draws inspiration from Tommy Hilfiger’s first store of the same name opened in 1969 in his hometown of Elmira. This program was created to amplify the company’s efforts to increase opportunities and visibility for underrepresented communities within the global fashion and apparel industries. And, it is following the brand mission that the New Legacy Challenge has been born. This event aims to support emerging Black talent on a global scale giving them the possibility to bring their unique designs to life. Held at The EDITION Times Square Hotel, the latest edition of the New Legacy Challenge, saw the three finalists Megan Smith, Johnathan Hayden, and Clarence Ruth presenting their inspirations, concepts, and collections in front of a jury. Mr. Tommy Hilfiger, Grammy-winning, Golden Globe and Emmy nominated performer Anthony Ramos and HFR executives, then awarded Clarence Ruth, the founder of the brand Cotte D’Armes which explores denim from a vantage point, with the first prize, giving him the opportunity to co-design a capsule collection alongside the Tommy Hilfiger design team. VB

www.tommyhilfiger.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

Louis Vuitton for UNICEF

Aside from bringing unique designs to the world, Louis Vuitton has had a partnership with UNICEF since 2016 to help bring vulnerable children life-saving humanitarian support all over the world. This includes UNICEF’s emergency programs, responding swiftly to catastrophes worldwide. In response to the tragic situation unfolding in Ukraine, existing funds within Louis Vuitton for UNICEF’s partnership are being made available as quickly as possible, as well as an additional one million euros that will be donated immediately to UNICEF to help children and families touched by the conflict. This will contribute to providing children and families in Ukraine with humanitarian aid including access to clean water, healthcare and education supplies, child protection services and psychosocial care. In addition, Louis Vuitton invites you to support and donate to UNICEF through the link below. GH

https://help.unicef.org/ukraine-emergency/louis-vuitton

Fashion

Intelligent Informal

Titled “Intelligent Informal,” the FW22 Collection presented by Salvatore Ferragamo has shown how casual clothing can be made, selected, and worn with the same care, craftsmanship and detail as an evening dress or coat. The 20s of this millennium increased a global shift toward the concept of casualization, and together with recent events and the values of new generations, habits have changed and fueled the decline of sartorial style and formal eveningwear in favor of a more informal attitude. The FW22 Collection highlighted this change featuring deconstructed and revisited clothes through a more fluid approach. Knit, leather, shearling, and sustainable nylon were combined to give origin to maxi-rouches garments, dresses, jumpsuits worn under mini skirts, and trench coats with shawls for multiple uses. In addition, maxi cuts out, and juxtaposition replaced a formal style with irony and informal intelligence. The result is a final look that gives off a contemporary personality. Salvatore Ferragamo with FW22 Collection exhibited in the neoclassical Sale delle Cariatidi of Palazzo Reale, in Piazza Duomo, in an immersive atmosphere, has demonstrated how casualwear became the new glamour. VB

www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

Diesel FW22

Diesel presented the FW22 Collection, a disruptive, sexy, fluid yet fun catwalk show realized by Creative Director Glenn Martens. For his debut, Glenn Martens unveiled clothing celebrating Diesel world: experimentation, rebellion, play, and the inevitable denim are the star for this season. The FW22 Collection, divided into four chapters, is a constant research that combines denim, utility, pop, and artisanal. Design themes run throughout, like the raw attitude of utilitarian belts, the sexuality of hook-and-eye, the play of trompe l’oeil, the energy of asymmetry, and the denim cuts from Diesel Library, the brand’s core range of more responsible denim. Materials clash and contrast, textures are pumped up, and every look has freedom and control. In addition, the collection includes the first-ever pieces created from fully recycled denim, cotton, elastane, and indigo-dyed without water. It is an important step forward for Diesel that gives life to an innovative, positive new line: Diesel Rehab Denim, in partnership with fabric sustainability specialists Tejidos Royo. VB

www.diesel.com

Fashion

MSGM And The Magic of The Stars

For this season MSGM addressed the stars. The FW22 Collection took inspiration from these celestial bodies, and in detail, from the feeling known as Astrophilia: the love for the stars. The stars, constant features in everyone’s lives, visible by all corners of the globe, are travel companions and a compass not to lose the way. They are the light in the dark or the twinkle in the night, they are bright and beautiful, and it is from these characteristics that Creative Director Massimo Giorgetti developed the Astrophilia® Collection. He presented night-time atmospheres expressed by a dark palette broken up by shimmering tones and shiny, precious materials while introducing, paving new and unexpected territory, minimal clothing in black and silver and embellished with outline embroidery, beads, and sequins. Then the stars appeared everywhere and multiplied on the garments in infinite graphic variations: on lycra turtleneck tops, wide jacquard dresses, and oversize poplin shirts worn with embroidered bras. Mini dresses and long skirts are crafted with reflective plexiglass stars, denim is finished with inlaid stars, and necklaces and accessories take the shapes of glittery stars. It is a physical and metaphorical trip to the infinity of Space. Because, in a period of challenges, tensions, and new conflicts, Space seems to be a horizon of escape and hope, a suspended horizon, a page yet to be written that opens up a thousand possible ways of living yet to be experienced. VB

www.msgm.com

Art

Saint Laurent Rive Droite, Robert Mapplethorpe

Creative Director of Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello has paid tribute to the works of Robert Mapplethorpe through an exhibition of original works displayed in the Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles. This is in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, whose goal is to continue the artist’s legacy of promoting photography as an art form and supporting HIV/AIDS medical research. Mapplethorpe mastered the light, shadows, and shapes through compositions of still lifes, both male and female nudes and portraits. These were to challenge the standards of classical aesthetics. His widely known work contributed to a new perception of photographic art, and at the same time elevated fine art photography to the level of respect and attention given to sculpture and painting. His vast, provocative, and powerful works have established him as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Saint Laurent Rive Droite Paris and Los Angeles will host an exclusive selection of original artwork by Robert Mapplethorpe. The exhibitions will include silver gelatine photographs and Polaroids of still lifes, portraits, and nudes, courtesy of Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery in Paris and Morán Morán Gallery in Los Angeles. In connection with this, Vaccarello has designed a unique lifestyle collection in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. This limited edition includes bags, leather goods, clothing, porcelain, and pillows available to purchase in both stores. GH

www.ysl.com
www.mapplethorpe.org

Fashion

Prada Mode, Los Angeles

From February 16th-18th, Prada presented the seventh iteration of Prada Mode at Genghis Cohen, featuring an immersive installation by L.A based artist Martine Syms, coinciding with Frieze Los Angeles. Prada Mode is a traveling social club that focuses on contemporary culture, featuring fashion, art, music, conversation, and food, offering its guests a unique experience across diverse locations worldwide. Prada Mode in Los Angeles took place in the iconic restaurant and music venue Genghis Cohen, located on the historic Fairfax Avenue. Martine Syms’ interactive installation title “HelLA World”, transformed the location into one of her signature works that feature a perfect mix of conceptual grit, humor, and social commentary. The work shown was a text and video installation, equal parts live performance, narrative exposition, and casual conversation with a stranger. The installation consisted of monitors that make exchanges contributed by the guests public, revealing the possibility of the collective unconscious writ large. With the possibility of being scripted or spontaneous, the backdrop of texts suggested the banality and frisson of texting with a stranger. Members could join the experience at any time over the course of the two-day event to view the site-specific installation, attend talks, performances, and culinary revelations. GH

www.pradagroup.com

Fashion

Armani Exchange SS22 Collection

Armani Exchange has launched their SS22 collection entitled “Everything from A to X”. Taking inspiration from a 1992 advertising campaign, the project redevelops and emphasizes the same idea through a sustainable lens. The collection is characterized by sustainable materials, as well as displaying versatility through making essential items easy to use, mix, and personalize. The concise selection of simplistic black and white pieces can be combined from head to toe for any occasion that might present itself in modern city life. Pieces in the collection include organic cotton T-shirts and sweatshirts, windbreakers, parkas, chinos, shorts and wool blazers as well as white box sneakers and a nylon backpack. This system of elements can be freely mixed and matched without the need to add anything else. The collection is upholding the brand’s reputation of being accessible to most. The simplicity of the elements makes the items so authentic as anyone who wears them can mix and match freely, expressing their personality whilst also showcasing their individual taste. GH

www.armaniexchange.com

Fashion

Valentino Is The Sponsor of The Italian Pavilion at the 59th Biennale di Venezia

Creative Director of Valentino, Pierpaolo Piccioli, and Chief Executive Officer Jacopo Venturini will support the curator Eugenio Viola and artist Gian Maria Tosatti for the Italian Pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition of Biennale di Venezia. The luxury Italian house continues its commitment to promoting and sustaining culture with projects that aim to a cultural comeback and reciprocity. For the first time, the international exhibition will feature one sole artist’s work to represent Italy, titled “History of Night and Destiny of Comets”. This is a large environmental installation, with an optimistic perspective that offers a striking vision of the current state of society and its prospects. The 59th Biennale, “The Milk of Dreams”, will be curated by Cecilia Alemani. Le Gaggiandre of the Arsenale, where the Italian Pavillion will be hosted, is also the location where Pierpaolo Piccioli presented his Couture show in July 2021, “Valentino Des Ateliers”. Once again, the Creative Director wants to pay a homage to the city of Venice and to its cultural panorama, Piccioli views it as the natural perceptive scenario for a conversation between art and fashion, where a creative mind can envision its creations. Work featured by Gian Maria Tosatti is constructed as an intermediate that merges a plurality of languages, from literary references to visual arts, theater, music, and performance with the intent of creating new awareness, poised between dreams and errors. The 59th International Art Exhibition will be open to the public from April 23rd until November 27th, 2022. GH

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Etro launches "Love Hats" for Valentines Day

Expressing love through the joy of colors and positivity, Italian house Etro celebrate Valentine’s Day with the new “Love Hats” capsule collection, featuring a selection of unisex bucket hats. The hats feature the brand’s iconic paisley pattern in two different color schemes that both include the famous pegasus logo, creating a style statement to fall in love with. The hats are a true reflection of the brand’s tendencies of transmitting features that display curiosity, art, innovation, and community. Etro has defined Italian style globally since 1968. The acclaimed paisley prints styling luxury clothing since 1981 has become the Milanese fashion house’s signature design. Starring in a digital campaign shot in the streets of Paris, the hats are decorated with rubberised details and contrasting embroidered messages that speak of love, a perfect accessory for the holiday of love. The “Love Hats” are available from January 28th online and in Etro boutiques. GH

www.etro.com

Fashion

The Glamour of Pomellato Jewels

This year Pomellato becomes more glamourous than ever, adding new pieces to the NUDO and ICONICA collections. Synonymous with creativity and color, the Italian fine jewelry House is known for its eye-catching gems that, through innovative stone cutting and setting techniques, define the unmistakable and unique style of Pomellato. The ICONICA collection, with an unequivocally Milanese understated style, presents a new set of rings and earrings with a simple but meaningful design. Combined with bright sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and diamonds, the earrings have a double loop structure, while the rings feature two round gold spirals joined by a flat, transverse link that creates a greater whole. These shapes express the power of the union of two elements in a typical Pomellato approach. For the NUDO collection, Pomellato introduces NUDO RIVIÈRE: four flowings semi-flexible necklaces that combine the purity of the Nudo style with the sophistication of the Clessidra cut. In addition, double-row earrings and a NUDO pendant, both realized with white, blue topaz, and rose quartz, give a radiant elegance to the Pomellato line.

www.pomellato.com

Fashion

Paul Smith + PORTER Released a Bold New Bag Collection

For the SS22 season, the British company Paul Smith has teamed up with top Japanese luggage brand PORTER to offer a new line of bags and accessories. The main qualities of both brands are highlighted in this collaboration, which combines Porter's iconic shapes with Paul Smith's signature code of color and stripe. The collection includes traditional Porter pieces like the helmet bag, duffel shoulder bag, and wallets, all of which are made of the brand distinctive nylon twill, a lightweight and durable fabric. These items are then reimagined via Paul Smith's unique perspective. The designer incorporated his graphic stripe montage, which combines a variety of lines of different sizes and hues in an eye-catching style. In addition, the collection celebrates the great outdoors and a return to nature thanks to a color palette with organic tones blended with white and red that recall hues seen in the sky at sunrise. The Paul Smith + PORTER collection will be on sale online and in selected Paul Smith and Porter’s shops from February 16th.

www.paulsmith.com

Art

Rinus Van de Velde: Inner Travel

BOZAR will exhibit the start of the second part of the “Europalia Trains & Tracks festival” with the flagship exhibition, Rinus Van de Velde: Inner Travels. The exhibition entails a diverse media ranging from drawings to sculptures, installations, and films, Van de Vedle creates a mirror universe where elements from reality and imagination coalesce into a unique kind of visual storytelling. Europalia trains and tracks celebrates the forms of travel that are depicted by the train as an everyday journey of the commuter to mythical and imaginary journeys. The work presented is born out of the inner journeys that the artist undertakes each day, that take place in the strict privacy of his studio. During these journeys. Van de Velde meets multiple other artists through which trigger episodes of his fictional autobiography, forming a common running thread through his work. The exhibition is further enriched by a series of talks and performance programme in which Dolares and Charlotte Bouckaert, Monster Chetwynd, Rita Hoofwijk, Gaëtan Rusquet and Damien Petitot being a wider outlook to the theme of travel and encounters. The exhibition is being shown at BOZAR from February 18th until the May 15th 2022.

www.europalia.eu

Fashion

44 Label Group Presents the FW22 Collection Screwed UP

"Screwed up", the FW22 Collection by 44 Label Group, has been presented during Milan Fashion Week, marking the brand's debut on the calendar. The brand founded by German techno artist and producer Max Kobosil is the result of his hard journey. The DJ, who was born and raised in Neukölln, has amassed a loyal worldwide following among nightlife people and the underground; people who identify with his music. And it is this sense of belonging that distinguishes his brand 44 Label Group. Started as a merchandise line with t-shirts at its core, today it includes a wide range of products. The “Screwed up” collection introduces a new level of cutting-edge fashion that embodies the uniform of Kobosil’s neighborhood. Puffer jackets, pants, and denim, with the collection’s screw print, evoke 90s gym wear, while other looks reference German festivals in rainy summers. This collection represents Kobosil’s background and vision, from his failure to his successes to prove that talent leaps over formal education at times.

www.44labelgroup.com

Fashion

LV VOLT

The LV Volt collection designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof, Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director for Jewellery and Watches, opens a new chapter. A Reinvigoration of the iconic aesthetic, the L and V initials, so representative of the French House, come to life radiating vibrant energy. Simple, yet cheerful, the pieces showcase a contemporary design language, whilst reflecting all of Louis Vuitton’s expert savor-faire in a rich variety of textures and patterns, a perfect blend of subtlety and sophistication. Symbols of casual elegance, the pieces, such as the new bracelets, feature an interchangeable band, available in different hues, perfectly complementing the two iconic letters in yellow gold. Suited to a modern customer, each piece represents a graphic representation of joy and the architectural metaphor of an electrifying pulse.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Viktor&Rolf Haute Couture SS22

For their first runway show in over two years, Viktor&Rolf launched an iconic collection that plays on fear, inspired by the figure of the vampire itself. Constructed on corsets worn under each look, the designers achieved an effect similar to the allure of Dracula in old Hollywood movies, creating a “surreal shoulder”. It is not unlike Viktor&Rolf’s iconic Hyeres collection from 1993 that featured exaggerated, high shoulder lines that created distorted, elegant silhouettes. A source of inspiration paired with the overpowering sensation of fear created their haute couture collection. The garments appear as if the human figure is stretched to a maximum, glorifying the head and face while protecting the neck. This play with proportions is typical for Viktor&Rolf’s stylistic vocabulary. Using the symbolism behind Dracula, the fear of societal change, as a theme for the collection is genius as a reflection of today’s uncertainties. The notion of fear is amplified in the show with additions of horror music and ghoulish makeup. Most of the outfits are stark and monochromatic, with a “gothic” feel similar to that of Dracula’s tuxedo with its cape. Furthermore, a wide variety of dresses is shown, ranging from billowy sheaths to sculptural ballgowns, as well as trench coats, tuxedo jackets, and shirts. Fabrics are either crisp or gauzy, yet always compact to support the architectural shapes. The colors play on the contrasts between dark and light, all muted, with some delicate pastels, chalk white, and the occasional pop of cerise red. The collection is complemented with the third season of Melissa / Viktor&Rolf vegan shoes.

www.viktor-rolf.com

Fashion

Miu Wander: a Step Towards Sustainability

Miu Wander is the new bag presented by Miu Miu for the SS22 season. A shoulder bag with a classic hobo design characterized by the iconic matelassé motif associated with Miu Miu’s best-loved leather goods. Embellished with a tonal metal lettering logo, the accessory comes with a removable mini pouch. The Miu Wander bag is crafted in lightweight Econyl, regenerated nylon produced from recycled and purified plastic materials collected in the ocean, fishing nets, and textile waste fibers. This material shows the brand’s increased commitment to sustainability. The Italian brand is no stranger to such initiatives, as evidenced by the upcycled collections it has produced in recent years. Miu Miu tries to reduce the usage of land, energy, and waste by switching to eco-packages and implementing sustainable and reusable nylon projects, such as this one. The Miu Wander is built on a juxtaposition of opposites following the Miu Miu codes, where the utilitarian nature of the nylon meets the intricacy of the process involved to achieve the depth and plumpness of the matelassé surface.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Jude Law and Raff Law Are The New Ambassadors of Brioni SS22 Campaign

Brioni, the Italian luxury menswear house, has announced Jude Law and Raff Law as new brand ambassadors, with the SS22 campaign marking their official debut. Jude Law is one of the most enigmatically compelling actors working today, having held roles in highly acclaimed movies and TV Series. One perfect example is “The Young Pope”, thanks to which he also formed a special connection with the city of Rome where the brand is also based. He is an actor of unparalleled versatility, a great master of his art, and his son, following in his steps, is considered a rising talent in the same universe. Both have a strong personal style and natural complicity, to put it in the words of Raff Law, even though they have different tastes and perspectives, they share the same love for Brioni, its craftsmanship, and quality, both key features of the brand. The Laws naturally embody elegance and class, making them the perfect pairing to reflect Brioni’s modern vision of menswear, in which distinctions of age are blurred by a shared passion for genuine craftmanship.

www.brioni.com

Fashion

Dries Van Noten FW22

The Dries Van Noten FW22 Collection hits the screen bringing along a dreamy atmosphere, diving into the past, evoking a life that we lost. It is all about having fun again, touching and kissing people, living carefree. Shot by Casper Sejersen, an interplay of decadence and rebel glam, reminiscent of artists like Bowie and Kurt Cobain, the collection has seemingly no boundaries. Ease and freedom are the keywords of this spectacular show. Pajamas, sportswear and suiting are mixed without adherence to the traditional rules of menswear. Both feminine and masculine shapes are evoked through wide, sharp, cigarette shoulders and soft padded tailoring, alongside skirts and slip dresses. Realized with a variety of materials such as nylon, velvet, recycled cashmere, raw denim and satin, the collection is the result of a combination of glamourous and technical pieces. The presented garments have vivid tones that contrast the base of black and white and are adorned with an abundance of prints and embellishments that challenge traditional themes: flower prints, sequins and jewels. The Dries Van Noten FW22 collection also features various accessories and footwear that span from traditional shoe styles to wedge boots resulting in very interesting contrasts on the runway. The collection is a tribute to life and light-heartedness.

www.driesvannoten.com

Fashion

Fashion

A BATHING APE® × Woolrich

The new year has brought with it a new and unique collaboration between BAPE® and Woolrich, a representation of American heritage design with a streetwear feel. Woolrich, America's oldest outdoor brand with a history of over 190 years, is pairing up with A BATHING APE®, one of Japan's leading streetwear brands. Together, they are launching a collaborative collection consisting of three main pieces embodying the essence of both brands: Woolrich's Arctic Parka, the Blankets, and Ape Head Cushions. They are all presented in a light, with a modern twist, while maintaining their high degree of functionality. The three items integrate BAPE®'s distinctive graphics into Woolrich's traditional red and black buffalo check pattern. While the Blanket has a maxi collaboration logo in jacquard, and the collaboration label embroidered on the front, the Arctic Parka is presented with a double-sided collar with Woolrich and BAPE® logo badges. The BAPE® × Woolrich Collection, the first collaboration between both brands, will be presented on Saturday, January 22, 2022. The pieces will become available in all A BATHING APE® authorized stores, Woolrich Flagship Stores, as well as on their websites.

www.woolrich.com

Fashion

Isabel Marant Homme FW22

A grungy spirit comes to life in the Isabel Marant Homme FW22 collection. Crafted from unexpected blends of prints, color, and fabrics, the silhouettes of the garments exude a casual chic. Looking back to the 90s as an ode to the legacy of Kurt Cobain, cuts are baggy, check shirts are tied around the waist and washed denim meets versatile stripes. Convinced that layering is key, pieces and shapes are overlapping for an urban look. For an eye-catching streetwear look, the Isabel Marant man wears a pair of Bumkeeh, the reinvented men’s version of the iconic wedge sneaker Balskee – one of the house’s most known pieces. With adventure at heart, a love for the great outdoors becomes evident in boxy parkas, patchworks of shearling, and oversized windbreakers combined with warm knitwear pieces. Perfect for cold winter weather, the steppe-colored pieces are contrasted by the introduction of color block activewear pieces where royal blue, bright yellow, mint green, and fiery red clash.

www.isabelmarant.com

Fashion

Y/PROJECT FW22: Pourquoi ne pas s’amuser?

Glenn Martens, Creative Director of Y/PROJECT, presented his FW22 collection: a continuation of his play with contemporary silhouettes but with a fun twist. In fact, rather than imposing a uniform, he proposes a set of “cartes blanches”; which incorporate some of the highlights of the Y/Project wardrobe alongside suits, shirts, dresses and more that show Gaultier’s signature style. This as a result of a collaboration between Y/Project and the ready-to-wear line of the French designer. Glenn Martens has specially tapped into the designer's spirit of mockery: nude bodies printed on denim pants and jackets, sweaters, adorned with the likeness of female breasts, with a masculine shape. And following this creative process he introduced also a new form of pants with a rounded cut called the “Banana”. With this collection the Belgian designer could have fun both in shapes and colors, using brilliant hues and deconstructive techniques resulting in "Peel Off" pieces with layers that can be removed and silhouettes that can be transformed. So the collaboration between Y/PROJECT and Jean Paul Gaultier turned out to be a logical and well done union. This relationship between the two designers began when Glenn Martens started his career under the direction of Gaultier and is carried forward with Gaultier welcoming Martens as Creative Director for a single season.

www.yproject.fr

Fashion

Missoni Men's FW22

Art has always been at the center of Missoni’s sense of creation. This season, the world of art deeply influences the house's FW22 menswear collection. Precisely, the informal abstract art movement which developed in Italy during the 1940s forms the point of departure for the distinctive graphics and harmonic color palette that characterize the collection. The style is openly informal, featuring effortless versatile pieces that emanate a sense of spontaneity. The textile excellence is highlighted by the neutral and timeless shades of gray and blue, combined with vibrant touches of bright tones, such as red, yellow, orange, and green. The collection offers a realistic wardrobe designed for men with a dynamic lifestyle, willing to embrace elegance and comfort. In line with the brand’s tradition, knitwear is the star of the collection. Timeless icons, such as the zigzag and the rashel, find space next to new jacquards featuring abstract motifs with an impactful graphic appeal. Patchwork, one of the techniques rooted in the brand's tradition, pops out with a denim jacket enriched with knitted inserts. The collection exudes timelessness while keeping its gaze towards the future through the language of innovation.

www.missoni.com

Fashion

Dolce & Gabbana Menswear FW22

In the spirit of the Dolce and Gabbana FW22 menswear show at Milan Fashion Week, Gabbana says: “We’re challenging ourselves. We’re questioning everything we’ve been used to. Things are changing, and we welcome that change; we want to experience the new, which makes us evolve and move forward”. To express this gusto for innovation, Dolce and Gabbana reiterates its excitement for high-style pyrotechnics and spectacular entertainment. Deeply inspired by the lightweight freedom radiated by the young generation, the FW22 menswear collection embraces the idea of deviating from all conventions. Based on the conviction the concept of a coherent, monotonous wardrobe is outdated Dolce and Gabbana showcases a diverse selection of garments. This season, the house proves that opposites indeed attract. The show’s dynamic rhythm and ecstatic visual storytelling is an ode to the fierce style created by Gen Z’s hunger for individuality and self-representation. A movement that is fearless, striving to make an echoing statement. Accentuated by a performance by Machine Gun Kelly, the rhythm of the show was undeniably captivating. The extremism of the season is brought to the next level through the exaggerated proportions of the garments, creating a majestic, almost galactic look.

www.dolcegabbana.com

Fashion

Spyder FW22

For this season, Spyder Korea portrays its understanding of New Normality. The label perceives our present times as a state in which different forces and inspirations coexist, creating a new order. The collection is an expression of the quest to find balance in a world ruled by uncertainty while sending out a message of hope and positivity. Spyder Korea imagines the wardrobe of a dynamic, eclectic individual tackling the challenges of daily life with a sense of effortless style. Titled “Coexistance”, the garment collection is an ode to diversity and a multifaced fashion proposal. Reimagining the emblematic codes of its sportswear, Spyder investigates the intersection between athletic wear and leisurewear. The most advanced technologies are combined with an elaborate sense of contemporary style. For the presentation of the FW22 collection, Spyder Korea unveils on the catwalk a joyful, young, and fresh lineup, celebrating the sense of freedom rooted in an active, energetic lifestyle. “Coexistance” puts into practice how athletic clothing can have it all – quotidian and extraordinary, casual and chic.

www.spyder.co.kr

Fashion

Eleventy FW22

For Milan Fashion Week, Eleventy presents its FW22/23 menswear collection, honoring the sartorial heritage of the brand’s legacy. While saluting tradition, the collection embodies the pursuit of innovation and creativity. A fusion of past and future emerges, featuring a mix of materials, styles and colors which meet in a winter collection with a strong contemporary flair. This season’s outdoor wear made with wool or cashmere includes versatile, reversible features. Having undergone an extensive manufacturing process the pieces are soft and unique garments characterized by an “extra fine” look and feel. Jackets and suits rigorously undergo hand-made processes and are the rendering of a new formal elegance. The carefully made knitwear is contemporary and refined, thanks to elaborate finishing techniques and special treatments. Knits are inflated by reeling, then softened with special washings and smoothened with double or triple raising steps. Enveloping light and modern yet war, Eleventy’s FW22/23 menswear collection is a range of timeless additions to everyone’s wardrobe.

www.eleventymilano.it

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

G-Star: The Rhythm of Denim

Tap dance emerged in the early 19th century, quickly developing into a dance style that was seen as a form of communication. With a powerful part to play in the Roaring Twenties, the dynamic art form grew so popular, it was frequently featured in Broadway shows in New York. Fast forward to 2022 and tap is making a modern revival across the globe in a new street dance variation of classic tap. The new G-Star denim campaign tells a story narrated through an immersive dance performance. Titled The Rhythm of Denim, the new campaign is inspired by the urban tap movement that is taking over the world by storm. Showcasing the motto “tapping into the new year”, the denim collection in combination with the dance campaign expresses this season’s longing for novelty and reimagination. An artistic encounter between two world-class tap dancers - World Tap Champion, Kamira Samuel and successful Broadway performer, Lee Howard – is captured in The Rhythm of Denim. The two extraordinary dancers communicate and express themselves solely using the language of dance. G-Star gives a stage to what becomes a spectacular dance performance using the mode of interacting through body movement only. Dance becomes a dialogue and the denim pieces their uniform. With The Rhythm of Denim, G-Star emphasizes and explores its artistic side to present the collection. Creating a bold, immersive experience for the viewer, the campaign is a strong celebration of different modes of human expression, foregrounding the beauty of dance and the abilities of the body. Choreographer Jack Evans describes the production saying: “The simple premise of two characters in separate locations communicating transcendently through rhythm gives a contemporary lens for us to view tap dance in its rawest, most authentic form.”

 www.g-star.com

Fashion

The Year of the Tiger

 Celebrating the lunar year of the tiger, Versace presents an exquisite capsule collection comprising a compilation of new styles and reinvented signature looks. The tiger motif adorns a selection of ready-to-wear pieces in the form of prints on jersey sweats and t-shirts, as well as elegant embroidery details on sportswear-inspired jackets alongside a button-up knit sweater. The tiger as the spirit animal of the collection is represented by a vibrant new year red color that runs throughout the designs. The classic La Greca print is featured in the same shade and plays out across a selection of women’s and men’s styles. Golden Medusa buttons reiterate Versace’s eternal muse and are applied to selected pieces. They become an additional red thread to the emblematic capsule collection. Limited-edition accessories are typically playful and luxurious, with exclusive variations of La Medusa bag and phone case in red with gold-tone metal hardware for women, and a men’s coated canvas backpack and multi-functional pouch, both finished in La Greca print accentuated by tiger stripes. A glamorous campaign presents the capsule collection, with an acrobatic performance telling the story of retro and expressive Versace new year celebration.

 www.versace.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

Schiesser Revival

Schiesser was founded in 1875 and has since become a staple in many people’s wardrobes all across the world. For the FW21 season, 70 years after its initial release, the German house, rich in tradition, re-launching the original double-rip, an absolute cult classic. This revival revamps this legend with the zeitgeist of today. It is also an expression of the house’s growing sense of responsibility and commitment when it comes to sustainability, the classic double-rip now being crafted from 100% organic cotton. This commitment is not solely restricted to Schiesser’s double-rip, other bestsellers like the Karl-Heinz now also appearing in a new more sustainable fashion. The pieces of the collection shine in a myriad of colors, deep purple, red, rust, brown, olive and blue, complemented with rich textures, floral prints and subtle details. With the established retro athletic look being updated for a new generation of customers, each piece’s design bears witness to Schiesser’s home town, as well as the house’s longstanding commitment to premium quality.

www.schiesser.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

Fashion

Parisian Prestige for AGL

Paris, Boulevard Hausmann 64. Since 1865, the iconic French department store Printemps has been located on this prestigious street that runs through Paris parallel to the curve of the Seine. Exhibiting the latest collection of the top-tier high-end brands, Printemps Hausmann is known for not only the luxurious assortment but just as much for its impressive architecture. With high ceilings and a dome adorned in blue glass mosaics, the department store offers a backdrop that is aligned with the decadence of the brand it represents. The floors are organized in plots, some of which are reserved for temporary stores – ensuring an ever-changing and engaging layout that offers customers to explore new spheres. Throughout December until the beginning of March, the Italian shoe manufacturer AGL is represented on one of these plots. Plexiglass walls separate the different collections of AGL shoes, whereas straight and curved lines intertwine in the design of the interior. The shoes are enthroned upon industrial cement blocks, creating a minimalistic contrast to the seating furniture which is held in soft, warm colors and dusty pink tones. The effortless and contemporary design of the temporary AGL store reflects the modernity and dynamic approach of the brand - currently in the third generation and led by the three Giusti Sisters, AGL persuades with exceptional craftsmanship and timeless design – a result of traditional origins paired with an evolving vision.

www.agl.com

Fashion

Giorgio Armani's New Beginnings at Königsallee

After a thorough renovation, the Giorgio Armani boutique on the Düsseldorfer Königsallee has reopened its doors to its customers just in time before Christmas. Located in the prominent luxury shopping district of the city, the Giorgio Armani store exhibits Italian tailoring on three sizeable floors. The façade of the building already prepares the customer for the ambiance inside – with green granite surfaces and platinum-colored finishing, the impressive windows allow a glance into the luxurious retail space. Going with the times, the retail experience has been enhanced by an interactive digital wall on the ground floor, showcasing the women’s accessories collections and Armani beauty. The first floor is reserved for women’s evening wear and the Giorgio Armani fine jewelry collection, whereas the second floor presents the men’s collections and Made to Measure services. Just as the sartorial lines, the space consists of substantial, sophisticated elements: satin-finish furniture with metal detailing, silken wall panels that reflect the marble effect of the floors and armchairs from the current Armani Casa collections. Special dedication has been devoted to the lighting arrangement, making the most of the natural light that pours into the space through the windows, softened and re-directed by delicate gold-mesh metal screens. The Giorgio Armani boutique appears refined and fluid, exuding elegance and warmth in a classical Armani manner.

www.giorgioarmani.com

Fashion

A Monk’s Habit

G-Star replenishes their collaboration with an unusual project: together with the brothers of the brewery La Trappe, the denim brand has created a monk habit. What might seem to be a surprising collaboration at first glance, soon turns out to be a unique joining of forces – with the values of sustainability and circularity at the core of both the Dutch denim pioneer’s manifesto, as well as the ethos of the long-standing brewery, the collaboration between the two brought forward an intriguing example of how interdisciplinary companionship can introduce new ways. The design process of G-Star for the monk’s habits led back to a sketch, perpetuated in a hand sketch in an over 80-year-old book, the La Trappe monks had in their archive. The sketch turned out to be surprisingly modern – with a cut that enables minimum waste production, a solution to reduce the impact of textile production that G-Star pursues in their design process as well. The monk’s habit shows strong proportions, alluding to the Bossche Schule, a traditional movement of Dutch architecture. Entirely composed with Cradle-to-Cradle Gold Certified Denim, the habit stands for G-Star and La Trappe’s commitment to thinking further than the present. The denim material is made from 100% organic cotton and colored without any chemical dyestuff. During the production process, special attention was paid to reducing water usage to an absolute minimum – nodding to La Trappe’s mission of carefully considering the resource of water during their brewery process.

www.g-star.com

Fashion

Bottega Veneta: Opens New Store in SoHo

To celebrate Bottega Veneta’s new store at 101 Greene Street in SoHo, New York, the luxury brand invited notable guests, such as rapper ASAP Ferg and Lil Kim, as well as actresses Tommy Dorfmann and Tracee Ellis Ross and initiated an intimate dinner at Saint Theo’s. Bottega Veneta was founded in 1966 in Vicenza, Italy, and has been transformed and regenerated by Daniel Lee in 2018 - into one of the most important global players in the fashion industry, perfectly in tune with the zeitgeist. Lee expanded Bottega Veneta’s assortment, introducing ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and jewelry to the range. The most distinctive recognition feature of the Italian luxury brand is a particular weaving technique called “intrecciato”. This technique allows the designer to weave thin leather into thicker, more durable products and resulted in Bottega Veneta being synonymous with fine craftsmanship. The new SoHo store features furniture, crafted from folded aluminum and designed by Vanderbke Andreu, specially made resin and stone floors and marks the second permanent Bottega Veneta store in Manhattan. The new store concept perfectly matches the contemporary and experimental aesthetic of Bottega Veneta’s displayed ready-to-wear clothes and continues to prove an unparalleled sense for highly recognizable and elevated aesthetics, now under the wings of the newly appointed creative director Matthieu Blazy.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Art

Heliotropo 37 – Fondation Cartier

Fondation Cartier announced the exhibition named Heliotrop 37, by Graciela Iturbide, who carries the W. Eugene Smith and the Hasselblad price – two of the most distinguished photography prices to exist - and has been practicing the métier of photography for over 50 years. This exhibition in Paris marks the debut of the Mexican photographer in France and shows collected works from, captured between the 1970s and today. Heliotropo 37 – which is an acronym that alludes to the address of Graciela Iturbide’s studio in Mexico City, presents over 200 images, from iconic works to more recent, unshown ones. Graciela Iturbide, whose photography is determined by a black-and-white color scheme, has further implemented a unique, entirely unedited color series into Heliotropo 37. Her works sound out the depth of human mysticism, leveling off somewhere between a raw, documentative style and poetic depiction of the obscurities of life. The artist herself describes her profession as a ritual, where picking up the camera is inevitably followed by the search for symbolism. “I look for the surprising in the ordinary, which I couldn’t have found anywhere else in the world,” is how Graciela Iturbide defines the driving force between this search. With the striking character of her photos, the exhibition promises to leave a lasting impression on the viewer, inciting a dialogue that revolves around the strange beauties of humanity, the animal kingdom, seemingly ordinary objects and the bond of nature.

Heliotropo 37 by Graciela Iturbide is on show from February 12th to May 29th 2022 at Fondation Cartier Pour L’Art Contemporain Paris.

www.fondationcartier.com

Fashion

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

CHANEL Metiers d’Art: An Homage to Craft

CHANEL presents the Metier d’Art collection and pays homage to all the ateliers d’art that have enriched the Parisian Maison with their high craftsmanship and knowledge. The French luxury house was established by Gabrielle Chanel in 1910 and is today creatively led by Virginie Viard, who is known for her youthful approach with an emphasis on soft femineity with a rock n’ roll edge. For the SS22 collection, CHANEL chose a special venue, imagined and designed by the Maison itself together with architect Rudy Ricotto - Le19M. The digit 19 stands for one of the emblematic numbers of Gabrielle Chanel and represents the 19th arrondissement of Paris where all the arts and crafts ateliers, such as the embroiders Lesage, the goldsmith Goossens, the hatter Maison Michel and the shoemaker Massaro, the feather worker Lemarie and the pleater Lognon congregate. Le19M is a large, open architectural space with a façade enhanced in white concrete and with large galleries, which open up the possibility to hold exhibitions and invite like-minded people for cultural exchanges. The collection features signature styles that are deeply anchored in the CHANEL vocabulary, induced with a contemporary twist, such as tweed jackets with sweatshirt sleeves, sequin embellished CHANEL logos on cardigans as well as beige and black Mary-Janes with heels adorned with pearls. The looks of the collection take up the structure and elegance of the building itself and are, as Virginie Viard herself stated: “very metropolitan yet sophisticated.’’

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Dior Cruise 2022: Dior Vibe Sneaker

Back in July 2021, when Maria Grazia Chiuri unveiled the Dior Cruise 2022 Cruise show, the collection featured a new shoe creation - the Dior Vibe Sneaker. The athletic shoe resembles the shape of a running shoe, exuding truly sportive aesthetics while remaining true to the elegance that the French Maison is known for. With a distinctive play of transparent materials and fabric inserts, the sneaker exhibits an intriguing mix of textures. The flexible rubber sole delivers functional performance, while the delicate details balance the dynamic character of the shoe. Dior’s iconic star emblem, the magical code dear to the founding couturier, decorates the sneaker. Finished with a “Christian Dior” signature, the Vibe sneaker combines the world of sportswear and true Dior styles. The sneaker is available in a crisp white with warm golden details, as well as a snow-white version with cooler silver elements. The Vibe sneaker bestowed the collection with a sportive touch, building a contrast to the refined and graceful looks and served as a breach of style bringing a casual and laid-back touch with urban flair.

The Vibe sneaker is available from now on in Dior boutiques, as well as online.

www.dior.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

Audemars Piguet “Beyond the Limits”

Once again, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet takes its experience and knowledge in precision and innovation to action. This time, not to develop an exceptional watch but to curate an exhibition under the wings of the Dubai Watch Week, named “Beyond the Limits.” The exhibition takes the visitor on a journey through the luxury watchmaker’s tireless strive for innovation in terms of design and materials. It showcases the creative process of the Royal Oak Offshore watch, which was launched in 1993. The watch broke the conventional boundaries of horological aesthetics and went down in history as the predecessor of sizeable timepieces, inspired by different lifestyles and extreme sports. The exhibition gives a unique insight into the history and research process of Audemars Piguet, from its inspirations, drawn from air- and space travel and the automobile industry, material experiments with ceramics and gold to the turnaround of technological and horological improvements in the 80s, that led to one of the world‘s most historic watch, ergonomic and exceptional timepieces. The Royal Oak Offshore, presented in the exhibition, visually reflects the core principles of mastery, innovation, and independence Audemars Piguet was founded on.

www.audemarspiguet.com

Fashion

MCM Revived Classics

With a constant eye on innovation, MCM is reinterpreting one of the most prominent classics in the world of leather goods—the Tote bag. MCM—which stands for “Modern Creation Munich” was founded by Michael Cromer during the creative renaissance of Munich, as the name suggests, in 1975. The luxury leather goods company is best known for its leather bags and backpacks, designed with an emphasis on functional innovation and contemporary music, art, and travel. The most distinctive recognition features of the brand, which resurface on the reimagined Tote bag as well, are the caramel-brown color and the monogram bearing the initials of MCM. The Tote bag comes with an additional small pouch bag, and is defined by its versatility. It is large enough to fit in everyday essentials as well as optional extras, and through the detachable shoulder belt, the Tote can be transformed into a crossbody bag and therefore liberates the wearer to be able to move with free hands. The square-shaped bag is available in the signature caramel-brown and a fresh cognac white and is characterized by an elegant, clean and streamlined silhouette. Due to its versatility, the Tote bag is perfectly in tune with the complex needs of customers around the world.

www.mcmworldwide.com

Fashion

Breitling: Sky is The Limit

To honor and celebrate the history of aviation, in which Breitling was significantly involved as a pioneer for flight instruments, the horology pioneer released a new series of precise and handcrafted watches named Super AVI. The Swiss luxury watchmaker was founded in Grenchen, Switzerland in 1884 and designed the world’s first high-end Swiss luxury watches and quickly became very popular amongst aviation pilots. Breitling equipped the British Royal Air Force during the Second World War with innovative precision cockpit clocks and Astronaut Scott Carpenter wore a Breitling Navitimer Timepiece during his orbital flight in 1962. In the 50s, the luxury watchmaker elevated and developed their flight instrument design into a smaller, wearable version, the Co-Pilot Ref. 765 AVI. Known for its emphasis on precision, reliability, and durability, the luxury watchmaker has become a pioneer and a trusted choice amongst pilots by equipping its watches with chronometer-certified movements. The Super Avi collection is inspired by the bespoke watch, Co-Pilot» Ref. 765 AVI and by four legendary air crafts, such as combat-, naval aircrafts, the so-called “Wooden Wonder”, the fastest plane between 1940 and 1950 as well as the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, a master of agility. The distinctive and robust aesthetic of the watches and the calfskin bracelet with decorative stitching are visually reminiscent of leather aviator gear of the cited era. With the Super AVI collection, Breitling embraces its rich heritage in aviation and visualizes it in form of a new, exceptional aesthetic and highly crafted clockwork.

www.breitling.com

Fashion

Max Mara 101801 Light: Sartorial Timelessness

For the SS22 Resort collection, Max Mara decided to dive deep into its archives and created a special garment based on the iconic 101801 coat, narrating a rich history that dates back to the early 80s. Max Mara is a visual archetype of the luxurious and sophisticated spirit of Italian fashion. Max Mara was brought to life by Achille Maramotti in 1951 and has continuously developed classical shapes and designs, reinventing them in a contemporary context context ever since. The emblematic 101801 coat has been revived, reimagined, and conformed to the fashions of every new decade for almost 40 years but is still defined and recognized by the same quality attributes. The coat is characterized by an oversized fit, soft deconstructed sleeves, a distinctive notched lapel, and a double-breasted closure. The successor of the coat, the 101801 Light is made out of a techno-luxe jersey and available in soft dreamy pastels, ranging from a fresh minty green over cotton candy blue to a warm lemon yellow. The 101801 Light is largely defined by its versatility. The coat is light enough for layering, while the material distinguishes itself through the ample protection that defies any weather condition.

www.maxmara.com

Fashion

Armani Exchange in the Heart of Cologne

Armani Exchange, which has been launched in 1991, was initiated to address a younger audience. Rewriting urban codes for two decades, the offshoot of the Italian high-end brand is opening a new store in one of Germany’s up-and-coming cities: Cologne. On November 25th, the doors of the new Armani Exchange store will open to the public – accompanied by an outdoor media campaign around the new store and the connecting streets. The new retail location, which counts 200 square meters of space, is a point of sale for the men’s fashion and women’s fashion collections, as well as for accessory lines. Combining urban elements with an industrial backdrop, the store impeccably represents the contemporary spirit of Armani Exchange. Concrete floors serve as a base for delicate and minimalist shelving, whereas lighting elements are used to highlight special attractions. On the occasion of the launch, the two sizeable front windows are decorated with neon light installations of the typical “A” and “X” letters of the brand, leaving a lasting impression on the numerous passerby’s. Located at Cologne’s well-visited Schildergasse, the store finds itself amid one of the most vivid pedestrian shopping promenades of the German town. The Schildergasse, which is the second oldest street of Cologne, is one of the most frequented shopping streets in Germany. With the opening of the Armani Exchange store, the saunterers are offered to explore the accessible, versatile clothing of Armani Exchange, which cater to a wide audience regardless of age, gender and background, all while replacing conventions with individual expression in true Armani signature style.

The new Armani Exchange store is located at the Schildergasse 72-76, Cologne, Germany from November 25th onwards.

www.armaniexchange.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

YUSE Fall 2021: Re:Yuse: In Sync with Nature

The FW21 collection is a prime example of the refreshing, contemporary, and sustainable approach of the design of Korean brand YUSE. The brand was founded on the principles of finding a better solution for a successful interaction between human society and the environment. YUSE identifies itself with a new generation of fashion brands, defined by consciousness, intelligence and a focus on finding solutions. The brand puts an emphasis on sustainable and transparent production, which is indicated in the name of the latest collection—Re:Yuse, a pun alluding to the term “re-use”. Finding inspiration and unorthodox materials in the exceptional sides of nature, the brand designed tube tops, imprinted with its signature nature-inspired pattern and made out of PET bottles. The pattern showcases a vision of the seaside, glimmers of natural light and mystic forests. YUSE’s clothing production results in a transformation of former plastic waste that pollutes the Earth into extraordinary garments that can be worn with a clean conscience. The showcased dresses, blouses, and various knitwear pieces are created with an asymmetrical shape and are available in different earthy shades of brown as well as an azzurro blue and pomegranate red. YUSE’s design approach creates no boundaries between minimalism and boldness but rather highlights the individuality of a person through clothing.

www.yuse-shop.com

Fashion

Chanel Resort 2022: Irreverence and Refinement

The Resort collection of Chanel took place in May at the Carrières de Lumiéres in the midst of the French Provence. The according campaign has been captured in front of a backdrop of long stretches of sand, complete with murmuring waves, the collection imagines a trip to the beach in the Mediterranean part of France. Chanel defines the spirit of the collection with “In the art of contrast, irreverence meets refinement” – the collection combines expressive black and white looks with a strong aura with delicate organza flowers, silk crêpe fabrics and macramé elements. Mixing velvet, suede, satin and patent leather with the emblematic use of Chanel tweed, the collection exudes the effortless French style that Chanel has been known for since its founding. The collection exhibits a new free-spiritedness and sense for experimentation, incorporating elements such as chokers and Mary-Jane shoes. The playful side of the collections is balanced out with punk rock influences, coming to terms with alterations of band t-shirts and little black dresses, feather timed and adorned with silver chains. The Resort collection also showcases embellishment as a recurring detail, expressing the finesse and attention to detail that Virginie Viard has continuously carries forward in all the Chanel shows.

The Chanel Cruise collection is available in boutiques from November 9th 2021.

www.chanel.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

Saint Laurent Rive Droite Exhibition Honoring the Work of Jeanloup Sieff

To celebrate Paris Photo 2021, Anthony Vaccarello, the creative director of Saint Laurent, decided to host a unique exhibition, including the work of artist Jeanloup Sieff at the luxury brand’s Rive Droite store. Jeanlouf Sieff was a French photographer, best known and still admired for his unique talent of capturing well-known personalities and politicians as well as iconic black and white landscape images. Sieff thoroughly studied the body in dance, resulting in a very erotic signature appearance on his photographs. The photographer is deeply connected with the brand since he shot the most legendary picture of the couturier and founder of the brand, Yves Saint Laurent— a nude portrait. Sieff's poetic approach on nudes, women, and the infinite interpretations of space and nature, grasping a relationship between fashion and storytelling is alluring. It perfectly matches the quintessence of the concept on which Rive Droite was established— an accessible, playful, and ironic equivalent to Rive Gauche. The cultural nod to Rive Gauche is not only a store with a versatile assortment but a platform for like-minded people to meet at performances, exhibitions, and events for cultural exchanges. The exhibition will be displayed at Saint Laurent Rive Droite, Paris, from November 4th until December 7th 2021.

www.ysl.com

Fashion

Gucci Parade SS 2022: An Imaginative Escape

“People dress how they feel, not just for fashion but for representation of ego, and personality…it's about human beings,” Alessandro Michele´s latest declaration of love applies to all the different glamorous sides of Hollywood. The creative director of the globally renowned and admired brand Gucci is known for translating his wishes, dreams, and beliefs into bold, magnifying clothes with a poetic approach. For the Gucci Love Parade show, Michele draws inspiration from iconic personalities and moments of Hollywood that have been an imaginary escape from the grey and dreary reality since his childhood. For the Love Parade collection, Alessandro Michele lives up to his reputation of being a provocateur, designing special jewelry pieces, which upon closer inspection reveal themselves as sex toys. Star-studded nightgowns finished with furry volant details are complemented with cowboy hats, resembling the confident and eccentric charisma of a Marilyn Monroe or Veronica Lake. Lingerie-inspired dresses and skirts matched with blouses are adorned with Michele´s captivating signature patterns and dipped in bold colors. A reimagined, glittery version of Tom Ford’s legendary velvet suit is worn by unorthodox models, such as Macauley Culkin or Jared Leto. With the show, Alessandro Michele creates a wonderful world where neither the past nor future are of substance, only the power of imagination.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

PB0110- CO2 NEUTRAL LEATHER: With Small Steps Into a Climate Neutral Future

The urgency for eco-friendly alternatives and climate neutrality is ubiquitous and concerns every occupational group. PB0110 meets today’s ecological standard by working closely with a certified tannery in Germany. The family-run tannery was founded in 1899 and ever since lives up to their aspirations of continuous improvement, producing high-quality leather, that stems from by-products of the meat- and milk production. The tannery is tested by ECO2L, a German labeling system that controls the energy and emission variables during the tanning process, and certified with the gold standard of the Leather Working Group, a highly recognized brand, representing responsible leather sourcing to the industry and consumers. By investing in CO2 certificates, ECO2L also supports a wind project in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and therefore contributes worldwide to reduce the risks of global warming. PB0110 Neutral Leather collection features shoulder bags in different sizes and shapes, ranging from sack- to square-shaped bags as well as shoppers accompanied by a long shoulder strap. The color palette ranges from bright blues and reds to earthy nuances, such as brown, black and dark green. The Neutral Leather collection represents a small step for the leather industry to reduce its CO2 emission and foster climate-neutral production as an immanent part of the fashion supply chain.

www.pb0110.com

Fashion

Levi’s x The Woolmark Company: Unifying Strengths

Levi’s and the Woolmark Company are united by sustainability and performance, which are deeply anchored in the success vocabulary of the two global conglomerates. The Woolmark logo is one of the world’s most recognized and respected symbols for natural fibers, assuring the highest quality for the international textile and fashion industries. The company is a subsidiary of the Australian Wool Innovation, owned by more than 24.000 woolgrowers, who invest in the development and research of Australian Wool. The renowned brand Levi’s decided to collaborate with the company, combining forces and creating a new silhouette, the Torsten Quilted boot. The casual boot guarantees high quality from the moisture-managed sole through the upper constructed, breathable leather to the recycled lacing. The inner lining of the shoe is made out of Australian merino wool. The Woolmark certified merino Wool equates to a large extent with a renewable, biodegradable, and recyclable fiber. The utilitarian-inspired design is combined with an eco-Cordura quilted effect and is available in an autumnal color palette, ranging from mustard to black. The Torsten Quilted boot perfectly highlights the versatility of the natural fiber and sustainably conscious produced options.

www.levi.com

Fashion

Cartier: A Unique Experience

A place where exceptional savoir-faire and remarkable creativity meet- the first Pop-Up boutique in De Bijenkorf, the Netherlands of world-renowned luxury Maison Cartier. By choosing Amsterdam as a location for its Pop-Up boutique, Cartier found the perfect location that coincides with the brand´s deeply anchored values- an unparalleled sense of adventurism and eclecticism. The elegant white interior design is adorned with gold accents and perfectly matches with the iconic gold jewelry pieces, that are showcased in the store, resulting in an ideal union of form and design. The boutique´s assortment includes the most memorable and innovative designs of the luxury conglomerate. Cartier showcases its iconic watches as well as extraordinary rings, bracelets and necklaces, that were designed and crafted at the beginning of the 20th century but due to their timelessness are still popular today. Another notable aspect and proof for Cartier´s deep-rooted originality is an area in the boutique, referred to as Touch&Try, which revolves around a thorough study of the quintessence as well as the origins of Cartier´s iconic jewelry. A visit to the debut Pop-Up boutique of Cartier in Amsterdam is an unparalleled experience, where one encounters a fusion of timeless elegance and precision in jewelry as well as interior design.

www.cartier.com

Fashion

Bottega Veneta: Salon 03 Detroit

Inspired by the golden age of intimate couture shows, Bottega Veneta presented its latest collection through Salon 03, a format called to life in October 2020, that presents the ready-to-wear collections of the house with an exclusive take. Each season, the Salon takes place in a new city, intertwining the shown looks with the urban spirit of the according town. The third edition of Salon was presented in Detroit. Inspired by the city’s appreciation of technical and creative design, Daniel Lee, creative director of Bottega Veneta, encapsulated Detroit’s pioneering role in pushing forward American retail, techno music, automotive innovations and the architectural modernism movement. Celebrating the ingenuity of the city, the collection revolves around the notions of progress and joyful futures. Interpreting sports- and workwear with a modern, high-performance daywear lens, the looks exude individualism and freedom. Referring to the industrial innovations of Detroit, the collection’s looks come with a technical glamour that does not compromise in function. Metal yarns, rubber elements and an overarching theme of manipulated, voluminous silhouettes bestow the looks with a avant-gardist nature. The collection was simultaneously presented at their newly opened Detroit Firehouse, which represents a space where local creatives come together, exhibiting diverse art works an design projects. The architecture of the old fire station, which is still true to its original composition, offers a minimal and vast backdrop for the multidisciplinary projects, including for example a pop-up record shop by Detroit’s Underground Music Academy and a library dedicated to the publishing history of Detroit, curated by Asmaa Walton. Alongside the creative outlet, the space doubles as a retail point for the commissioned projects.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Valentino Re-Signify Part II

Valentino takes pride in its legacy by reviving significant memories and moments time and time again. As an homage to the profound identity and legacy of the house, creative director Pierpaolo Picciolo has opened the doors of SKP South’s T-10 exhibition space in Beijing, to showcase the second edition of Valentino: Re-Signify. Th exhibition, described by Valentino as a “liquid reading”, immerses the audience into a universe of interpretative takes on classic Valentino codes. 17 artists spanning different mediums and disciplines have lend their creative vision, whereas each of the artists’ works have been paired with Valentino’s designs, either separately exhibited in a complimentary way, or incorporated directly into the art works. This time, the exhibition features artists such as Cao Fei, who merged together the themes of Valentino Haute Couture and cosplay and Gioele Amaro, a digital artist who created physical artefacts that play with the limits of eye sight in synergy with six Valentino Couture dresses. Cheng Ran curated a multi-video installation that levels off somewhere between documentary and fiction, depicting four prêt-à-porter looks from Valentino’s Act Collection. As the name of the exhibition hints, Valentino Re-Signify Part II is a revived memory, a revisited archive of the house’s history, given a new signification through the synergy created by the artists. The re-contextualization of these Valentino anecdotes is exhibited in a perceptible and readable way for the viewer.

The exhibition Valentino: Re-Signify Part II is on show from October 16th to November 7th 2021 at the T-10 space of SKP South in Beijing.

www.valentino.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

Fashion

Arte Gia “The Divine Feminine”: A Love Letter

ArteGia is an Amsterdam-based brand who identifies uncompromisingly with feminine energy and inclusion. The family-run brand is founded by Gianita Brinkman, her daughter Kimberly Tarifa and her son Baqua Jody. ArteGia’s core identity, the idea it was founded on is the power of the woman. The family's Indonesian heritage is the greatest source of inspiration for their latest collection “Mamuli”. ArteGia’s idea was to create a love letter, an homage to the Grandmother Marianne, which is transformed into an exceptional range of hand-made jewelry pieces. The collection includes remarkable pieces, earrings and necklaces, made out of sterling silver with an 18-carat gold layer. The pieces of the collection showcase the Mamuli symbol, which unites all the virtues Arte Gia stands for - inclusivity and compassion for every human being no matter their identity, gender or social situation. The symbol has its roots on the Indonesian island of Sumba and represents fertility, creation, healing as well as growth. The most important value of ArteGia is their authentic belief system, which is not only reflected in their jewelry but also in their dedication and support in Bali. The family has made it their mission to especially help the creative and LGBTQ+ communities, by providing basic needs such as rice and food packages. Through their Indonesian heritage, the ravishing Mamuli collection is to be seen as more than just beautiful pieces of jewelry but spiritual reminders of compassion, love and devotion.

www.arte-gia.com

Fashion

Royal Folklore at Etro

Few historic remnants carry as much symbolic value as a crown. Signifying responsibility, majesty and decisiveness, the crown embodies an epitome of fortitude. While royal sovereignty as a form of government and the idea of sole reigns are passé, the figurative symbolism around royalty still marks a significant tool of empowerment. Etro found inspiration in this empowerment for the Crown Me line and interpreted majesty in a modern manner for their customers. Etro launches the collection as a metaphor and shared invitation to love and appreciate, representing the idea of a more powerful, daring and valiant every day feel for its wearers. The Crown Me line consists of a collection of bags, small leather items and accessories like belts, jewels and headbands, featuring classic styles including a hobo-bag, a bucket bag and a tote. The key element of the collection is are rustic embellishments of square studs that achieve a three-dimensional touch. The crown-like assemblage of the studs is featured in two color options, an antique tinted silver galvanic with turquoise cabochon and brass galvanic with black cabochon. The combination of the stud decorations, Etro’s signature paisley print fabric and high quality leather marks the meeting between heritage and contemporary creativity and evokes a folklore feel.

Crown Me is available in Etro Boutiques, online and at selected international retailers from now on.

www.etro.com

Fashion

Messika by Kate Moss: A Sensual Homage to Femininity

Following a previous collaboration, Messika created another series of jewelry, working together with the one and only supermodel legend Kate Moss. The jewelry designer Valérie Messika is known and admired for her beautiful jewelry pieces, enhancing female beauty and a blend of the timeless with a modern twist. This collaboration marks a milestone for Messika’s and Moss’ partnership because for the first time it is presented as a real, ravishing runway show, staged in an equally glamorous environment as the jewelry collection itself, the Hotel Ritz. The guests included Cardi B, Toni Garrn and Tina Kunakey. The collection features an exceptional range of extravagant necklaces, unique earrings in precious colored gold, refined with colorful gems, malachites, turquoises as well as diamonds. The pieces can be worn traditionally around the neck and on the ears as well as on the forehead as a modern version of a crown. “The emotion appears when the imaginary becomes real’’ is a mantra of the brand Messika, perfectly capturing the creative process behind their collaboration. Kate Moss drew inspiration from elements of bohemian chic that sensually enhance femininity. This idea was transformed in versatile jewellery pieces, which represent perfect elevating additions to an everyday look.

www.messika.com

Fashion

Arthur Arbesser FW 21: Fashionable Art

In the FW21 presentation the Milan-based designer Arthur Arbesser, best known for his personal and design language, proves that one can draw inspiration from everything, even a painter’s palette and a harlequin doll found on a flea market. Something that sets Arthur Arbesser’s FW21 collection apart from others are the prints, which act as a mirror of the designer’s personality and give us a very private glimpse of his soul. Striking prints with symbolic, geometric motifs resemble the works of British artist Joe Tilson, heavily appreciated by Arbesser. Tilson is famous for his designs referencing ancient cultures, reinterpreted in a pop-art aesthetic. Another noteworthy aspect surrounding the prints, presented in this collection is sustainability. The brush-stroked printing from the SS19 collection is revived, previously used fake-fur is dyed and made into impressive hats and silk as well as cotton are rematched in new garments. Further pieces of the FW21 collection also include silk pyjama sets, mohair jacquard skirts, sweaters and pleated skirts in a beautifully composed styling. Bold colored and radiant yet soft and easy to wear. The collection is photographed in an artistic environment- a painter’s studio with lots of canvases stacked in the background, which perfectly resonates the clothes. It seems that the art on the canvases is come to life by the captivating and colorful prints on the clothes. The collection does not only feature beautifully put together garments, but with every piece of clothing, a bit of the designer Arthur Arbesser himself.

www.arthurarbesser.com

Fashion

VERSACE SS22: Celebrating Comebacks

This season is all about revisiting iconic archival Versace trends, while having the first live fashion show since the pandemic has started. Donatella makes strong use of the typical Versace vocabulary, the vibrant colors, sleek latex dresses and what comes first to mind when thinking about Versace, the brands multifunctional signature piece: the foulard. Aside from the fact that the runway location is wrapped with the silk scarf, it appears on a range of different garments such as flowing dresses, pajama sets, Bikini tops and for the men’s collection in form of the infamous silk shirt. The SS22 collection is youthful and playful, strongly oriented to the needs of the Generation Z for ´90s revival trends. It includes the short, bold colored party dresses as well as the iconic safety pins, which serve two purposes, decorative embellishment and functional fastening of the pieces. The collection also features the iconic pinned black pencil dress, worn by Elizabeth Hurley in 1994. The colorful mix of colors and ornamentation details is intriguing to look at and at the same time acts as a teaching lesson for anyone who wonders how the mind of the Gen Z generation processes impression rich social media such as Tik Tok.

www.versace.com

Fashion

MM6 Margiela SS22 to Bring Back the Fun in Fashion

The brand is rediscovering the playful side of fashion, in a literal way with a lot of chess patterns on a range of different garments. True to the brands core identity, you can find a lot of playful contradictions in this collection. The most expressive pieces on this runway are faux fur wheeled luggage items in collaboration with Eastpak, silk evening dresses and long chess patterned skirts paired with rubber gloves, one would usually associate with cleaning dishes. Sleeves and gloves are the main focus this season, taken out of context and displaced on ecru colored blazers or wrapped around bold colored leather jackets. Another interesting detail is the fabric manipulation in form of boiled cotton, that gives off the impression of leather. This process could be compared to Trompe l’oeil, a technique popular among surrealists, as it gives an optical illusion of something, that isn’t there. All these rebellious aspects give us a hint on the main inspiration behind the new collection, the female surreal artists, among them Claude Cahun, Leonora Carrington and Dorothea Tanning, whose influence is especially noticeable in accessoires like the broken pearl earring. A perfect balance between casual and avant-garde pieces, the MM6 SS22 collection is an ideal example of the free-spirited play with clothing, ignoring any rules, that is deep-rooted in Margiela’s DNA.

www.maisonmargiela.com

Fashion

Boucheron: Animaux de Collection Wladimir

Boucheron’s history of incorporating animals into their collections dates back to the 1860s. With their collection Bestiary Tale, Boucheron brought to life a series of minuscule animal figurines, perpetuated in the finest jewelry. The French brand has revived its inspiration from the animal kingdom with its Animaux de Collections in the past years. Through this collection, each animal - among others a leopard, a hedgehog and a parrot - Boucheron has created personal talismans that represent the unique character of their wearer. The fauna of the planet earth has always been deeply connected with us humans. Domesticating animals, pet ownership and the anthropomorphising of animal characters show the incomparable bond between humans and animals. Now, the collection is replenished by a new character – Wladimir, the cat with vivid gemstone eyes and diamond-studded fur. The inspiration for Wladimir comes from Boucheron’s urban mythos tale of a cat watching over the Boucheron boutique in Paris. Available in two different ring forms, a simple pendant necklace as well a sturdy collar necklace, Wladimir represents a feline lucky charm, making for a perfect gift that is enriched by the wearers personal association. The according campaign features Alexa Chung, whose carefree and playful elegance embodies the blueprint identity of Boucheron’s customer – and Wladimir’s human guardian.

www.boucheron.com

Fashion

Stone Island x New Balance

Collaborations have proven to be very effective ways for a brand to not only connect with a new audience but also offers a possibility to reflect on the essence of the brand itself. Faced with a different brand’s heritage, its different approach and aesthetic, one is forced to reflect on one’s essence and how it can be combined to create a new and innovative product truly representing the best of what both partners have to offer. This becomes especially true if the partnership isn’t just for one season, or one specific drop, but rather over a longer period of time. The Italian house of Stone Island and the footwear company New Balance are about to embark on such a journey. The first chapter of this long-term partnership is a reinterpretation of the RC elite racing and training shoe. The resulting shoe is the combination of New Balance’s expertise as shoemakers, whereas Stone Island brings a new stylistic direction, as well as all their accumulated material knowledge. Perfectly adjusted to the needs of runners, it features the updated FuelCell technology and the upper is produced in a 3D knit, lightweight, thin and breathable. The most visible reminder of this partnership is the strategically placed logos, the New Balance graphics on the right foot and the iconic Stone Island Compass on the left.

www.stoneisland.com
www.newbalance.com

Fashion

Furla’s Re-Candy Bag

In the wake of Milan Fashion Week 2021, Furla celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the signature Candy tote handbag by re-inventing with a forward-thinking, conscious vision while remaining true to the brand’s authentic traditions. The Candy bag, distinguishable by its reduced and contemporary design, has been elevated into a sustainable version. To ensure maximum expertise, Furla has turned to the professional knowledge of Italian companies who are trailblazers of sustainable solutions, such as Nativa, a regenerative design business. Circularity has been a centerpoint in Furla’s undertaking towards an ecological Candy, which is why the Re-Candy is made from recycled plastic and produced in a factory powered exclusively by electrical energy from renewable sources. In an endeavor to encompassing sustainability, the Re-Candy name and logo have been embossed onto the bag instead of using dyes. Although the Re-Candy has been designed to last a lifetime, the bag is fully recyclable once it is disposed of. The Re-Candy comes in vibrant colors, from vibrant pink, saturated purple, bright orange to lime green and embodies a lifestyle balancing urban dynamic with the serenity of being at ease with the environment. The Re-Candy was presented in the midst of multicolored inflatable flowers, with the event serving as a propeller of conversation and change.

www.furla.com

Fashion

BOSS x Russell Athletic Pre-Spring 22: Game Day Energy

BOSS x Russell Athletic Pre-Spring 22: Game Day Energy On the occasion of their second collaboration, Boss and Russell Athletics presented their looks in a classic American manner on the lively baseball field of the Kennedy Sports Center in Milan. The show was opened by Gigi Hadid, sporting an emblematic blouson jacket, uniting the tailoring experience from BOSS with the casual designs of Russell Athletic. Gigi’s opening set the bar for a plethora of celebrities featured in the show, such as Irina Shayk and Joan Smalls, who presented the 60 looks of the collection. In an encompassing way, the show reproduced compelling game-day energy with a marching band, cheerleading teams and a jubilant crowd, including personalities like Chiara Ferragni and Tik-Tok star Younes Zarou. The SS22 collection champions team spirit and companionship with matching looks, featuring classical sportswear elements such as varsity jackets, crewnecks, hoodies and jerseys. Tapping into the design potential of team merchandise elements with pithy logos and slogans, dynamic stripes and oversized silhouettes, the collaboration extrudes the legacy of casual streetwear. The neutral color palette ranging from camel, black, white and navy as the basis of the collection delivered the perfect playground for color coding with orange, red and teal accentuations, resulting in visual unity yet immediate affiliation to imaginary sports teams - creating a replica of the fashion seen in stadium stands.

www.boss.com
www.russellatheletic.com

Fashion

David LaChapelle for Moose Knuckles

With the production of the latest Moose Knuckles FW21 campaign, David LaChapelle has once again captured a surreal and phantasmagoric setting bursting with vibrant colors. Utilizing his distinctive exaggerated and expressive photography DNA, LaChapelle enacted a winter wonderland of the unusual kind. The icy location conveys a bubbly kitsch with a subtle computer-generated imagery atmosphere in which the campaign faces Emily Ratajkowski, Pete Davidson and Adwoa Aboah seem like comic figures. Artificial ice waves in life-size, iced versions of motorcycles and other surreal gadgets juxtapose the extreme and abstract with the familiar. Directly depicted in the snowy landscape and put to practice in the action-loaden shots, the looks style by Kyle Luu exemplify what Moose Knuckle’s expertise stands for: impeccable function with style. Focusing on puffer jackets and vests, Moose Knuckles FW21 collection offers bold color options such as lime colored check patterns and neon palettes. The development of the collection concentrated on minimizing weight and permeability, while increasing warmth, mobility and personality.

The FW21 collection from Moose Knuckles is available for purchase online as well as selected luxury retailers worldwide.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Art

Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: The Rise of Butterflies

María Magdalena Campos-Pons is one of the most renowned artists from the post-revolution era in Cuba in the 1980s. Her powerful and poetic voice is known countrywide and is now displayed in Europe within her exhibition The Rise of Butterflies at Galerie Barbara Thumm in the wake of the Gallery Weekend *Discoveries. The central pieces of her art revolve around race, religion and class, taking into account the individual and collective stories touching upon mythology, traditions and symbols of the African diaspora. Campos-Pons makes use of a multidisciplinary expression, creating from a multitude of mediums such as paintings, videos and photography, sculptures, installations as well as performances. In The Rise of Butterflies, the Cuban-based artist translates the situations of life that stem from hybrid cultural upbringing. Separation, memory and fragmentation play a major part in her work in which she also incorporates personal narratives of her youth in Cuba and the following relocation to the United States. “My work speaks to an ancestral knowledge and tradition to give a voice to the darkest narratives with grace and aesthetic elegance. Fragility, ephemerality, and a transient quality of a time and place are visible components in my vocabulary” is how Campos-Pons defines her artistic mission. The exhibition centres around the topic of metamorphosis – the bringing down of the evil, the budding and blossoming of the new beginnings and the hope that springs from this rebirth. Floral symbolism, culturally rich semiotics and colour explosions are the golden thread in her work. 

The Rise of Butterflies by María Magdalena Campos-Pons is exhibited at Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin, from September 18th until December 31th 2021.

www.bthumm.de
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Art

Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Senorita Latifa Sharifah

Sculptural collages made from peculiar objects are the centerpieces of Jasmin Werner’s first solo exhibition at Guido W. Baudach Gallery. The exhibition consists of two of Jasmin Werner’s latest series, Wholly Family and Schloss der Republik Burj Khalifa OFW. The common ground of the two series that together make the exhibition Senorita Latifa Sharifah is the display of peculiar and arbitrary objects, puzzled together into assemblage-like sculptures which exude cryptical and allusive allegories. As such, the exhibition features sculptures in which combine construction mesh prints with light installations. Many of the assemblages feature quirky objects such as children toys like chopping cart that are turned into extension cords that power the light work or miniature ladders, inducing a change of perspective and size distortions. The Cologne-based German-Filipino artists used mostly recycled materials from former works at Städtische Galerie Bärenzwinger in Berlin. Through the new interpretation, in which she dissects the former scaffolding sculptures and images of buildings, she connects the locations of the Palast der Republik, the Berlin Stadtschloss and the skyscraper Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Senorita Latifa Sharifah by Jasmin Werner is exhibited at Guido W. Baudach Gallery, Berlin, from September 11th to October 16th 2021.

www.guidowbaudach.com
www.jasmin-werner.de
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Art

Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Starter Kit

Cudelice Brazelton IV is a Frankfurt-based artist who channels subcultural happenings into hybrid art installations. Sculptures and paintings are his preferred vehicle of artistic expression. Through the combination of sculptures and paintings as well as sound accentuation, Brazelton creates unusual installations that induce the experience of tactile, auditory and visual stimuli. By engaging multiple senses, Brazelton creates a performative context that points towards a specific source of inspiration. Through his installations, Brazelton refers to black, punk and queer culture. For the artist, these cultures represent the driving force behind his profession, which is why he ensures to represent current events, controversies and critical discourse through his artistic outputs. DIY elements and the idea of clubs as a meeting point play a significant role in the actualization of the sculptures. Brazelton’s installations showcase a spectrum of industrial, abstract, delicate and crafty elements. Canvas, electronic supplies, chains, pipework – the materials used are diverse, yet Brazelton’s installations feature distinctive handwriting. Alongside more rustic materials, Brazelton incorporates photographs and paintings into his sculptures, often featuring a human face or body part. The hybrid nature of humanity, technology and objects that is reflected in his sculptures evokes an absurd aftertaste that poses questions of identity and belonging, which directs back to the inspirational essence from which subculture emerges.

Starter Kit by Cudelice Brazelton IV is exhibited at Barbara Weiss, Berlin, from September 4th - October 7th 2021.

www.galeriebarbaraweiss.de
www.cudelicebrazelton.com
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Fashion

Armani Casa: The Home as the Horizon

With the recent happenings that implied a turn towards the own four walls as the site of daily life, the meaning and significance of the notion “home” has shifted. Our living space turned into an ever-changing cosmos, representing our dispositions, feelings and situations – or as Armani puts it the home has become the horizon of everyday life. Giorgio Armani himself has attempted to find answers during this shift of perspective, contemplating the blurred lines between day-to-day activities and the home as a safe haven for relaxation. Eventually, bowing to a strong wish to reconnect with the sparks of the outdoors instead of the indoors, Giorgio found his inspiration in nature: “We live on this planet, and we need to be in touch with the earth. Natural elements give us calm and serenity and provide the background against which we can express ourselves.” Lightness and light play a major role in the design outcomes, with a focus on function, quality and elegance. Decorative details support the definition of visual continuity between the different areas of the home, creating compartments that define yet merge the areas of the home. The collection features items including slender desks, bar cabinets, sitting accommodations. Many of the pieces simultaneously serve as room dividing furniture.

www.armani.com

Fashion

Cartier's Santos Collection

For their latest eyewear launch, Cartier once again took inspiration from their design legacy. This time the origins of the new eyewear line date back to 1904 – which is when Cartier crafted one of the first wristwatches for famous Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos Dumont. The wristwatch’s design was aligned with the typical aviator hints, such as exposed screws and geometric shapes. With its gender-neutral popularity, the watch rapidly ranked as a classic defying the hands of time. Cartier has extended the aviator watch into the Santos collection, a series of eyewear items that pay tribute to Santos and the design cues of his profession. The frames of the Santos collection is characterized by confident metal shapes, luxuriously finished with signature screw details and geometrical temple tips taken, directly adapted from the original Santos watch. The men’s collection features a contemporary take on the idea of aviator leather jackets with soft leather blinders. For the first time, the Santos launches a women’s collection too, showing lightweight profiles with delicate frames with beautifully nuanced lenses with gradient glasses, taking on a modern interpretation of highly recognizable and sophisticated design through delicacy and subtleness.

www.cartier.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

Art for Days: Brussels Gallery Weekend 2021

From renowned museums to exquisite galleries, small artist’ ateliers and café exhibitions – Brussel’s cultural repertoire is of an impressive spectrum in which the traditional and old-school aligns with the urban contemporality. Since 2008, each year in September the art hubs of the city become the showplaces of the Brussels Gallery Weekend, an undertaking that highlights this diverse art scene and its spectators. A dynamic program of exhibitions, panel talks and gallery tours enables the visitors to immerse themselves into the local art scene. A special exhibition named Generation Brussels supports young talents by providing them with an opportunity to show their art. With 46 participating galleries and 14 guest venues, the weekend promises a plethora of exhibitions. Free spirits create their own routes and roam through the galleries as they please, yet for those who enjoy some guidance, seven routes of an hour and a half accompanied by an expert are offered. In addition to the exhibitions, the Brussels Gallery Weekend includes special occasions such as book launches, exclusive visits, performances and more. 

The Brussel Gallery Weekend takes place from September 9th until September 12th 2021. The opening hours are 11am to 7pm, with an exception to the opening day on which art enthusiasts can visit the galleries until 9pm.

www.brusselsgalleryweekend.com

Fashion

Hermès Hippomobile Tea Service

During the Milan Design Week, Hermès has presented their latest home collection creation Hippomobile– a joyful and playful tea service inspired by the iconic equestrian notes the French brand is known for. The tea service is composed of a teapot, various plates varying in size, several types of cups and saucers, a creamer, a sugar bowl, as well as a cake and a tart platter. The colorful designs of the items allow for mixing and combining on the whim - no matter the occasion, the porcelain adds a cheerful touch to breakfast, morning coffee, afternoon tea or any other time of the day that could use a touch of playfulness. Gianpaolo Pagni, the artist behind the distinctive designs, drew his inspiration from jockey silks. Pagni’s inspiration unfolded in an unexpected way as he interpreted his vision with round, contrasting shapes taken from the cartoon world. “I envisioned a horse with an elongated back that could hold several riders. A kind of limousine horse”, is how the Italian artist explains the idea behind the horse motif that stretches over the items and gives an illusion of the items belonging together while being interchangeable at the same time. The horses are covered in graphic friezes that abstractly remind of jockey outfits. Together with the vivid, almost 3D like backdrops painted onto the items, the design catches the eye of the observer and induces a geniality that lets imagination run free. For the graphic elements on the horses, Pagni crafted stamps that would imprint the motifs onto the porcelain – a technique that is known for creating a slight quiver in the pigment distribution and thus creates a unique look for each piece.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Gina Stiebitz for DoDo Charming Jewelery

Gina Stiebitz, a German actress known for the internationally successful Netflix series Dark is the new face of DoDo’s latest campaigns. The young actress has made a name for herself within the German film industry especially, with an expressive charm and memorable confidence. With the new campaigns, newly opened boutiques and new jewelry collections, DoDo pursues its values of sustainability and inclusiveness by spreading heartfelt messages of love, friendship and freedom through its famous charm items. The collaboration between Gina and the Italian jewelry brand is a match made in heaven – as for both the values of inclusivity, empathy, unity and empowerment are of indispensable significance in all of their undertakings. The young spirit of DoDo, which launched in 1994 aligns with Gina’s age and together they aspire to convey the open-mindedness their generation is known for. In 2021, DoDo has planned and launched three collections – Bollicine, Stellina and Holiday – each of which features a campaign with Gina. Bollicine concentrates on versatility and daily wearability with a focus on layering, stacking and the currently on-trend mixing and matching of minimalistic pieces. Stellina presents itself in a true DoDo manner, in which star shapes shine away with precious gemstones and diamonds, making for a modern, evolved style for young women especially. Lastly, Holiday is a special collection for the festive season, presenting the iconic DoDo charms such as the heart, moon, clover and stars with a sparkly and celebratory twist.

www.dodo.it

Fashion

Montblanc Meisterstück x Pirelli Limited Edition

When two pioneers of traditional European craftsmanship unite their uncompromising skill and aspiration of quality, the result is guaranteed to be a masterpiece. For their latest writing instrument, Montblanc has paired up with Pirelli, bringing together the art of writing with the art of making tyres. Whereas the collaboration seems unexpected at first glance, these two brands share a strong bond that reaches back to their very beginnings, namely the material that defined their origins: rubber. Back in the day, Pirelli manufactured rubber products of various kinds, while Montblanc crafted their first writing instrument from ebonite, a special kind of rubber received from vulcanizing natural rubber. With a subtle anecdote to Montblanc’s signature Rouge et Noir fountain pen and Pirelli’s choice of red as a brand color, this Meisterstück edition presents itself in a classic color combination with unconventional graphic design. Inspired by these origins, the deep, saturated black of the ebonite rubber and the accentuating bright red, the Meisterstück Great Masters Pirelli Limited Edition 1872 reflects the legacy of Montblanc and Pirelli at once. The special edition features an engraved pattern on the cap and on the barrel that pays tribute to the historic graphic pattern of the Pirelli logo from 1966 and resembles the surface of tyres. A stylised running tyre with the Montblanc emblem at its centre further expresses the proud collaboration of the incumbent manufacturers, that both carry the virtue of craftsmanship, precision and quality at their core.

The Meisterstück Great Masters Pirelli Limited Edition 1872 is available from September 2021 at Montblanc boutiques worldwide.

www.montblanc.com

Fashion

Dior Talks with Felicity Jones

Dior invites the curious listener to experience the contemporary mind of the French Maison. At Dior Talks, persons who directly shape the creative direction of Dior meet with those whose artistic, cultural or intellectual views inspire the narrative of it. Hosted by journalist Justine Picardie, the sixth season of this podcast series revolves around feminism and features strong female characters from different professional backgrounds. Following talks with poet and author Robin Morgan, international ballet start Eleonora Abbagnato and artist Eva Jospin; the latest episode features actress Felicity Jones. Jones, who has been a part of the movie industry for over 25 years, touches upon acting, gender roles and her opinion towards all-male environments, specifically in regards to the recent shifts and developments in the acting world, which have been unfolding since the #MeToo happenings in October 2017. Picardie and Jones get to the bottom of the shortcomings and pitfalls of the male-dominated film industry and discuss the importance of women-led projects – in front of and behind the camera. Jones has admired Maria Grazia Chiuri designs at Dior for their ability to empower women, and for the Maison’s modus operandi of tying together unapologetic femineity, freedom and feminism all in one.

www.podcasts.dior.com

Fashion

Max Mara: FW21

Italian Heritage brand, Max Mara, unveils its FW21 ‘Camesole’ - highly technical fabrics depicted on two strong incredible women, in a series of shorts directed by Tracy Doyle. With cinematography by Cecile Zhang, themes of hope are explored, the idea of the impossible or improbable dissipating with the presence of hope. In these videos which were produced, directed and starring women, ‘Portraits of Women’ focuses on two subjects from two different parts of the world. The camel hair is finely interwoven with recycled polyester made in Italy, the result is a resilient padding to protect against the harshest elements. The FW21 collection is made up of 10 pieces which include five styles of coats, one jacket, two hoodies and a short and long vest.

The Senior Director of Talent for Vogue and Condé Nast, Helena Suric, is filmed by Dagmar Weaver-Madsen starting her day at eight in the morning. The ritual of dressing is the focal point, a brief moment of vulnerability displayed as one studies themselves in the mirror before taking off into a cold world or inner city night. The video’s nighttime subject is CEO of Nova Universal, Jasmine Xie, shot in Chengdu, China at eight in the evening, filmed with the help of cinematographer Cecile Zhang. Both subjects, armed with CameLuxe from the Cube, embraces all possibilities and opportunities offered up by both night and day this fall season.

The application of camel hair on its coats is a process at the heart of Max Mara, cameluxe, an ultra-fine material. The Cube, Max Mara’s modular outerwear collection arrives in colors of caramel, rock salt, black, coal, dark and dark blue. All materials used are certified by the Textile Exchange to meet the Global Recycling Standard.

www.maxmara.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

Electric Horology at CHANEL

For their latest take on watchmaking, CHANEL seeks inspiration from the mantras of electro subcultures. Referring back to the roots of a music genre that cherished being different and original, the capsule collection CHANEL Electro borrows the graphic codes of vibrant night scenes and the rebellious atmospheres, going against the grain of classics and traditions. Given the all-encompassing, sensory, auditory and visual experience of electronic music, the electro era marked a turning point for performance which gave rise to an authentic culture with distinctive aesthetics. As an honor to this fully-fledged artistic genre, CHANEL immersed into the visual effects of electronic music to find impulses for color combinations. “White is illuminated by color, color is intensified by the depths of black” is the essence of the flickering that accompanies the clubbing scene. Arnaud Chastaingt, the director of the CHANEL watchmaking studio, applied these visual performance programs onto four classic watches, the J12, the Première, the Code Coco and the Boyfriend. Using elements of black ceramic and black steel in combination with vibrant color accentuations CHANEL steps out of the conventional way of design. The Code Coco and Boyfriend styles feature bright diamonds and neon pink leather straps, while the J12 exhibits accents of bold colors in its numerals. The Première comes with a chain bracelet that has an interwoven multicolored leather detailing. The campaign is accompanied by the exclusive launch of seven electro-music pieces, all true to style on a vinyl record, as well as Spotify, specially composed for CHANEL by French DJ Pedro “Busy P” Winter.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Salvatore Ferragamo: Holiday Collection

In the 2021 Holiday collection Salvatore Ferragamo serves up an unexpected array of festive garments. Sidelining the typical santa reds, pine greens and gold tones, the Italian brand presents a new take on holiday colors. Turning upside down the conventional Holiday dress code, Salvatore Ferragamo includes a range of items that offer choices aside from the obvious – all while revering the most iconic elements of the brand. The women’s items are categorized into four themes: pretty in pink, sparkle is the girl’s best friend, mini is the new black and mint is a state of mind. The F heel, the Gancini symbol and the Viva bow are represented in metallic-glitter versions, bubblegum pinks and minty pastels and even with integrated mirrors. The men’s collection is significantly less unusual, opting for classic footwear pieces including a pair of loafers, a classic lace-up low shoe and a pair of sneakers. Travel goods cater the driving-home-for-Christmas look and persuade with various size options. Despite the scaled down character of the men’s collection, the attention to detail that shows in the women’s items, steals the spotlight of the gentlemen too. The Gancini buckle adorns the belt options in gold and silver versions, with geometric cuts and relief work. And for the last minutes Christmas gifts, Salvatore Ferragamo included a gift box with a duo of interchangeable buckles inside.

www.ferragamo.com

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

Alpine Capsule: Skiing with Dior

As an ode to the Alps’ winter wonderlands, Maria Grazia Chiuri designed a capsule collection that fusions Dior’s elegance with sporty skiing attires. Concentrating on looks that combine style and high-tech functionality, the designs are not only suited for going down the slopes but for après ski occasions as well. The capsules’ color palette consists mostly of white and black alpine looks accentuated with red and navy details. Voluminous puffers, trousers and the classic book tote are available in leopard print for an extra dash of glamour that creates an unusual contrast to the snowy landscapes of the mountains. Knitted sweaters with patterns that distantly remind of traditional alpine garbs complement the aim of the collection to meet athletic as well as leisure purposes. The brand’s signature logo pattern - the Dior Oblique, as well as the infamous camouflage and the Dior lucky star motive, are featured throughout the designs as well. For the maximum coordinated look, accessories like an ultra-matte ski mask and logo-emblazoned sunglasses are part of the Dior Alps collection too.

The Dior Alps capsule collection will be available in-store starting mid-September. 

www.dior.com

Fashion

Technical Skill & Creative Flair: Berluti’s Fly Sneaker

Berluti has replenished its FW 2021 sneaker collection with a new version of the classical Graphic sneaker. Fly unites the 70s elements of the original sneaker with the sporty details of bicolor soles and a geometric heel. The combination of leather and rubber creates a clash between modernity and retro vibes, making the sneaker stand out with a bolder style than expected from Berluti’s designs. The combination of rich leather, vibrant tones and dynamic details taken from Berluti’s DNA and reinterpreted with an effortless and lightweight approach result in a bootmaker-inspired final outcome. The Fly sneaker comes in three characteristic designs. Two of them are made from leather, featuring a version with black and white stripes that parade a red outsole detail and a white-silver version with a grey outsole detail. Both of these feature the house’s signature zig-zag stitching and perforated details. The third version is a derivation of the Venezia accessory collection crafted from calf leather with a special patina, presenting a more toned-down color palette with a saturated brown and black detailing. The Fly sneaker embodies the dedicated craftsmanship and the unique combination of technical skill and creative flair that Berluti stands for.

www.berluti.com

Fashion

Salvatore Ferragamo & Wim Wenders present: A Future Together

For the FW21 collection, the Italian house Salvatore Ferragamo is partnering up with legendary filmmaker and three-time Academy Award-nominated Wim Wenders to create the fashion film “A Future Together”. It’s a post-modern, multidimensional and layered reflection upon the exciting potential futures – a myriad of positive possibilities – that await us all. The short film was shot in Milan and the storyline follows a stylish young film director, brought to life by Gaia Girace, who is working on a sci-fi adventure with a powerful cast and costumes, the Ferragamo FW21 collection, which itself offers a fresh perspective through its technologically advanced and futuristic concept. Onset, she meets a handsome sound engineer, played by Felix Sandman, marking the beginning of a personal story full of adventure. Through their story, Wenders created an optimistic and exhilarating campaign, which is light yet deeply profound, compellingly optimistic and perfectly highlights the luxurious and proactive nature of the collection produced by Ferragamo’s expert artisans. Wenders himself had the following to say: “Developing a positively energetic story inside the framework of a futuristic setting is a challenge at a time when the future is generally regarded as bleak and dystopian. But sometimes, when the cards are stacked up against you and you have to fight many obstacles, the result can achieve an extra aura of beauty. This was definitely the case at our Ferragamo shoot. Not only did the sun break through the grey sky of Milan, so that the futuristic sites could show their best potential, but also our two young stars were luminous and enchanted. Most of all the collection, when it was finally revealed and worn by the actors, turned out more radiant and spectacular than in our wildest dreams. All we had to do as a film team was to capture that sudden explosion of glorious beauty in front of us.” The collection looks towards the future, trying to appeal to all of those who are determined to shape the new and positive fashion, whilst also embodying Ferragamo’s progressive heritage, the combination of technological and aesthetic innovation which is reflected in designs capturing the now whilst revealing their timelessness in the future.

www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

Dressing for the Summer

When the summer is coming around and the temperatures are rising, we abandon our coats and jackets and opt for clothing that is light and gives our bodies the chance to breathe and to be touched by the sunrays. What emerges from under the many layers of fabrics are real jewels, literally. Now that the clothing has been reduced to a minimum to stay cool, jewelry takes center stage and becomes a very prominent part of the perfect summer look. For this reason, NET-A-PORTER presents its yearly High Summer Fine Jewelry, the perfect selection to capture the essence of summer and the free-spirited aesthetic of the season. As Charlie Boyd, NET-A-PORTER’s Fine Jewelry and Watches Editor explains, the standout trend this season is layering, whether it be a striking stack of bracelets made to be mixed and matched or necklaces with unique pendants or earrings defined by their shapes and colorful gems. Their selection is extensive, featuring not only universally beloved staples but also newly launched brands like gigi CLOZEAU or Marie Lichtenberg. The NET-A-PORTER High Summer Fine Jewelry selection offers each of us a myriad of possibilities and the perfect pieces to give every summer look your personal touch.

www.net-a-porter.com

Art

Gmunden.Photo

When you visit Gmunden today, you will find 29 shipping containers placed on the shores of the local lake. Shipping containers are the perfect metaphor for the global interconnectivity, as they are at the base of international trade, with thousands being shipped all across the globe on a daily basis. With the ongoing pandemic, we are not able to travel the world, making them the perfect reminder that we are part of a global community, which despite unfortunate circumstances and physical separation continues to exchange and grow together. In this case, the containers’ content is photographs taken by 23 different photographers, young and upcoming talents and internationally established stars alike. The containers currently house an exciting exhibition curated by the Swiss Beda Achermann, putting the Austrian photography scene into an international context. It bears witness to the role of the relatively new medium within the contemporary art scene and the constant innovation to be found within. Photography as a medium is changing; it’s becoming more and more of a hybrid, which finds itself paired with painting, sculpture and other forms of digital art, fortifying its place as a living and diverse artistic medium. The exhibition covers a large variety of different photographic styles, classics such as documentary and portrait photography, but also their new iterations by new generations of artists. It also witnesses its contemporary relevance, as we often perceive the present solely through images, whether it is the environmental destruction or the seduction of an aspirational life on the Internet. The exhibition features photographers from 8 different countries, not only showcasing their work but also displaying the power of images as a universal language to be understood and appreciated by people all across the world.

Gmunden.Photo will be open to the public until August 15th at the Seeviertel in Gmunden, Austria.

www.gmunden.photo

Credits:
Roe Ethridge – Untitles (Alexis Bittar)
Simon Lehner – Balance study with boy

Fashion

Armani Privé Haute Couture FW2021/22

As for many fashion houses, the guests were also allowed to return to Giorgio Armani’s Prive Haute Couture show yesterday, which was hosted for the second time in the Italian Embassy in Paris. For a seasoned designer like Mr. Armani himself, heading an established house like his, the pandemic might not have been as cataclysmic as for smaller and less established houses, but by no means can one say that this 16-month halt did not leave a mark nevertheless. With a certain post-pandemic awareness, Mr. Armani states that, “I do not feel more emotional about my work after the pandemic, but now I want my work to show emotions in a clearer way. I think that, during this period, we have discovered a feeling of something true, something powerful, something enriching, something energizing, and I want all this to come true, also through my work.” His newest haute couture collection definitely bears witness to this. Fittingly entitled Shine, the collection is luminous. It focuses on the brilliance of fabrics that almost seem liquid, the sheen of satin interwoven with ultra fine metallic thread paired with Armani’s signature filtrage, the layering of transparent fabrics, which created as Mr. Armani put it himself, “halos around the body”. The garments radiate light and levity, celebrating the excellence of the materials. In a nod to the timelessness of his creations, Mr. Armani, whose clothes are never made for just one season, also filtered into the collection 15 garments from the audience-less show in January, because he wished for people to see them up close.

www.armani.com

Fashion

Tommy Hilfiger store Berlin

Tommy Hilfiger opened the doors to its new Berlin flagship store, located in one of the German capital’s most prestigious streets, the Kurfürstendamm. The store itself has been expanded and redesigned in order to reflect the contemporary Tommy Hilfiger and to create the necessary space to showcase all the Tommy Hilfiger collections, menswear, womenswear and accessories. It is a fusion of the brand’s DNA and heritage with clean lines, modern finishes and a bright airy aesthetic. the concept takes inspiration from the nautical lifestyle, one of Tommy Hilfiger’s long-time sources of inspiration. In addition to this, the location now includes Tommy’s Coffee, a 40-seat movie theater space and café area. Not all the changes in the store will be visible at first sight. In line with the brand’s efforts to reduce energy consumption and have all its locations being powered by 100% renewable electricity by 2025, the store utilizes LED lighting both in its shop front wall and in-store paneling. The new Tommy Hilfiger Berlin flagship store, located at Kurfürstendamm 217, will be open to the public from July 1st, 2021. The opening happens in accordance with local Covid-19 guidelines, strict precautionary measures and services will be implemented throughout the store to protect the health and safety of staff and consumers.

www.tommy.com
#TommyHilfiger

Fashion

Thom Browne SS22

Premiering as part of Mens’ SS22 Paris Fashion Week is the show by Thom Browne in the theme of “Looking Forward to Tomorrow”. The film depicts the comfortable loneliness of a marathon runner intraining. His comfort in being alone is truly inspirational. Set in the expansive flatlands of northern New Mexico, the film follows our runner as he prepares to compete against the current world record-holder. He wakes at dawn and trains until dusk, day after day. As he trains on the open roads and rests each night in his open-frame house, the runner is alone but never lonely. When event day arrives, his world becomes a new adventure. He and his fellow competitors celebrate the event day and compete as animated versions of Thom Browne’s drawings. In his signature colors, the runner moves through the city and finally into the stadium.

www.thombrowne.com

Fashion

Dior Men's SS22

Even in 1947, Christian Dior understood that one had to look beyond the confines of then war-torn Europe. He understood that across the Atlantic Ocean lays a land that does not only represent a potential market for his garments, but is also full of inspiration. When he travel to America to celebrate his debut collection, the country and especially the state of Texas left a lasting impression, with, to quote his words, “the zest for life and self-confidence” which radiate from the American spirit and ethos, marking the beginning of a special connection between the couturier and Texas. For the SS22 Men’s collection, current Creative Director Kim Jones draws inspiration from this link and pairs up with Texas-born rapper, songwriter and record producer Travis Scott to create Cactus Jack Dior, drawing its name from Scott’s record label. The collection itself is a conversation between two friend and two cultures, exploring at once the identities of a heritage Parisian couture house and a modern musician. This dynamic is represented in the show’s set, a recreation of Christian Dior’s rose garden which evolves into a cactus garden representative of Scott’s native Houston. In typical fashion, the collection’s pieces bear witness to the incredible savoir-faire of the French house giving a modern take of Dior’s 1956 Arrow line finished with through hand-painting and embroideries and a reimagined logotype by Travis Scott. This also marks the first time that Kim Jones collaborates with Dior Joaillerie Artistic Director Victoire de Castellane on a high-jewelry piece, a cactus necklace, blooming with precious gems. The color palette of the collection is inspired by Texas’ natural landscape, the grand canyons and dusty deserts, featuring sun-bleached tones of mauve, café, pistachio and pale blues. As with previous collections, Kim Jones once again works with a celebrated artist, this time George Condo. These works created especially for the show will be auctioned off with the proceeds being used to support future generations of creative talent through scholarships.

www.dior.com

Fashion

UNDERCOVER SS22

The SS22 Men’s Collection “ONCE IN A LIFETIME” by Undercover is inspired by the translation of an idiom known by the Japanese tea master “Sen no Rikyu”. For this collection, Jun Takahashi, Creative Director worked in a great environment which is a brand new studio located in a mountain where he could walk down to the beach and learned to cherish the ordinary. The collection reflects his wish to create designs that are not excessively decorative but deeply rooted in everyday life.The style of music and graphic designs created by the Japanese rock band “OGRE YOU ASSHOLE”, one of the collaborators of this season, embodies his feelings. The collection reflects visually that even on an ordinary day, any moment in life cannot be repeated. Treasure every single day of your life is the theme for this collection interpreted in monochrome looks with intricate prints and construction, yet simple in form.

www.undercoverism.com

Fashion

MSGM Mens SS22

MSGM’s Men’s SS22 collection named Canon Infinito - like a musical composition that unfolds in circular melodies.The title of the song by Lorenzo Senni, the project’s soundtrack, encapsulates the atmosphere of the entire collection, of a story that follows the moments of a long day, on a desert beach, composed in an intense joint effort by Massimo Giorgetti with Francesco Nazardo, the No Text Azienda and Senni. Canone infinito, like the dazzling light of the sun that hour after hour becomes gentler before giving way to night and returning in the morning, repeating its dance in a stubborn perpetual motion. Infinite like the horizon where the sea melts into thesky. Artisanal washes and the watercolour prints are reminiscent of liquid patterns of water reflected on rippling water; solarised dyes, almost a new tie dye, created surprising effects on the clothes as if they have been left to fade under the heat of the sun. Like chromatic clouds, melange items in woven cotton webbing recreate organic, rough and three-dimensional textures. Wet clothes stick to the skin, along with the scent of salt. Elements embodying an underwater imaginary world appear everywhere. www.msgm.com

Fashion

Prada Mens SS22

The Prada Men's SS22 show should feel, in co-creative director Miuccia Prada's own words, like "A sense of the utopian, the ideal, of hope, positivity. To expose yourself to nature, to go to the beach—it's freedom. It is utopian. That is a primary need—an intellectual need, too." This concept translated beautifully in a collection of skin-heavy pieces, reminding of a moment of rebirth for the brand after the pandemic. The show started inside a long, blood-red tunnel, which the models had to escape to emerge into the world ahead. Short romper suits with nautical motifs such as octopi, mermaids, anchors, and fish reminded of 1960s tattoos and were styled with functional bucket hats with slits at the front to allow sunglasses to be slipped in them. In the setting of the beach in Sardinia, the presentation changed from classic runway to something freer, "The primary feeling is one of joy. It's almost like that memory of a child, the joy of a child going to the beach. The simplest and most honest of pleasures. In all its simpleness, it's also something very meaningful and timeless.", so Raf Simmons. The collection included terry hoodies, skorts with matching tank-tops, bucket bags, and even a biker jacket in bright yellow or red and double-waisted pants.

www.prada.com

Fashion

BRIONI

Brioni introduces the F/W21 advertising campaign featuring House ambassador Brad Pitt. Shot by photographer Mikael Jansson on the terrace of Suite 64 at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, the images show Pitt’s relaxed confidence and style. The campaign features garments which reflect the House’s sartorial heritage combined with a contemporary twist. Looks in tonal colors, including eveningwear crafted from RWS sustainable wool and ultra soft knitwear, are inspired by Brioni’s traditional tailoring but also embrace new and more relaxed styles.The Roman nonchalance, integral to the ethos of House, is inherent in the fabric and construction of the garments.

www.brioni.com

Fashion

FENDI Men’s FW 21/22

The FENDI Men’s FW 21 advertising campaign is directed by the Italian artist Nico Vascellari. The video is a cinematically surprising slideshow that portrays the collection designed by the Artistic Director of FENDI Accessories and Menswear Silvia Venturini Fendi as an optimistic adventure framed within a game of illusions. The color palette stays vibrant and includes saffron, orange, fuchsia, cobalt and periwinkle color-blocked against black, camel and charcoal, as linings, inlays and slashed seams flash with contrasting textures and shades. The campaign was filmed in a metaphysical set, and plays with the signature looks of the collection, a broad spectrum of menswear classics twisted with FENDI playfulness; resulting in a vivid celebration of color and light, emerging from darkness into full Technicolor. Throughout the collection, multifunctionality and form unite in reversible workwear and relaxed outerwear silhouettes. Diagonal quilting inflates all manner of silk jacquard separates from a shawl collar lounge coat to pullovers, shirt jackets and bermuda shorts in a luxuriant expression of cocooning comfort. The season’s cosmic spirit is further emphasized by a series of psychedelic and multicolour artworks realized in collaboration with the multidisciplinary artist and performer Noel Fielding, including an abstract version of the FENDI logo in his signature stream-of-consciousness scribble art.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Kaldewei x WWF

In honor of World Oceans Day 2021 on June 8th Kaldewei fights with WWF against plastic in our oceans. The brand is not only ensuring that the use of sustainable, 100% recyclable steel enamel for minimizing plastic in a minimization of plastic in sustainable bathrooms. The Ahlen-based family-owned company has also been a partner of the WWF since 2017. This is because one of the focal points of the cooperation is the support of the WWF's Marine Conservation Program, which focuses on the fight against plastic waste in the world's the world's oceans. Ocean's Day is an initiative of the United Nations. The "World Day of the Oceans" has its origins in the 1992 Earth Summit and has been celebrated since 2009. The aim of the day is to raise global awareness of current challenges related to the oceans. in connection with the oceans. Kaldewei would like to use its underline the importance of the oceans for global food security and the environment. global food security and the climate. As a sponsor of the WWF marine conservation program, Kaldewei is supporting a model project in the Mekong Delta (Vietnam) to combat the causes of plastic waste in the world's oceans. The aim of the project is to reduce the entry of plastic waste management system to significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the sea. With the help of Kaldewei sponsorship, it was possible, among other things, to carry out a feasibility study on separate recyclable and waste fractions was carried out. Based on this, a system for the collection and separation of waste at the household level has been established. By improving waste management in the Mekong delta, the recycling rate of recyclable materials is significantly increased and less plastic enters the sea, which also protects vital ecosystems.

www.wwf.com

www.kaldewei.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton: Capucines bag

As a timeless feminine icon, the Capucines symbolises the quintessence of Louis Vuitton, its quest for excellence, creativity and craftsmanship. Named after Louis Vuitton’s very first store, which opened in 1854 on rue Neuve-des-Capucines in Paris, the Capucines has established itself as one of the Maison’s most iconic models. The Capucines is both versatile and an everyday companion. This summer, it will be available in three sizes, Mini, BB and MM, embracing the various styles, desires and moments of the day.The black and arizona Capucines with its textile strap featuring embroidered Monogram flowers is a casual chic bag, perfect for every day. It portrays an authentic allure in natural raffia and caramel calf leather, or a more mysterious character in playing with textures featuring intertwined embroidery and silkscreen-printed patterns that echo the 1854 Jacquard canvas.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Colmar's A.G.E.

The italian outerwear brand Colmar presents its third collection of Colmar Advanced Garment Exploration (A.G.E.), a hyper modern fashion label focused on experiementation and product innovation. Created three years ago, Colmar A.G.E. has hosted international artists such as Shayne Oliver and White Mountaineering to reinterpret the brand archives. For the project’s third collection, Colmar appoints Iranian designer Morteza Vaseghi as the Creative Director. The internationally acclaimed designer is most known for his publishing porjects Recens Paper and Wallet that he co-founded with cultural entrepreneur Elise By Olsen. Translating his fascination with conceptual thinking from paper of the printed pages Vaseghi applies a laboratory approach to his fashion practices. Under Vaseghi’s creative direction, Colmar A.G.E. introduces futuristic organic forms that could translate an advanced vision of the holistic coexistence between humankind and nature.

www.age.colmar.it

Fashion

LOEWE Foundation – Craft Prize 2021

The LOEWE Foundation presents their 2021 Craft Prize in a new manner – in the form of a digital exhibition. In this fully immersive presentation, the viewer is able to virtually walk around 3D model of the Great Hall of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and see the finalists’ works. TThe winner of this year’s Craft Prize is Fanglu Lin, selected for its breathtaking skill and monumental scale. Special mentions are awarded to sculptor David Corvalán of Chile and ceramist Takayuki Sakiyama of Japan.

The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize exhibition will be online from 24 May - 30 September 2021.

www.craftprize.loewe.com

Fashion

Carhartt WIP x Clay Arlington

Carhartt WIP has worked with artist and designer Clay Arlington for ist SS21 campaign, creating a series of images that reference the artist’s past body of work, as well as the brand’s own cultural rooting. Fire extinguishers, floral motifs, and basketballs – in this case, one created by Spalding for Carhartt WIP S/S21 collection – all draw from Arlington’s signature aesthetic, and are combined with text- based works that offer a knowing interpretation of the brand’s DNA. One image features artist and model Ivy Johnson, her back turned to the camera while wearing a white hoodie, with the words “it’s just work” scrawled on tape across the bottom. These works, created by Arlington, have appeared on billboards in cities such as London, New York and Los Angeles. On the 13th of May, Carhartt WIP will release two t-shirts featuring them, combined with other text-based components. Each t-shirt will also come with a limited edition posterzine.

www.carhartt-wip.com

Fashion

Berluti SS21

Berluti is introducing a new line with eye-catching braided leather details, displaying a new kind of savoir-faire and craftsmanship for SS21. Inspired by the Maison’s ongoing collaboration with Brian Rochefort and by Rochefort’s trademark texture play in his sculptures, Berluti’s braided leather technique is featured on a selection of bags, small leather goods and sneakers. Using the iconic Signature canvas as a base -with its grained texture and its motif merging Berluti’s logo-, new bags from the Summer 2021 collection include a large white logo crest printed on the front side of each piece, outlined by a braided calf leather stripe. Available in a black, white and yellow or a black, white and blue colour combination, the tricolor stripe is braided following a perforation pattern on the canvas, thus obtaining an exceptional visual and textural play through an innovative, luxurious technique imbued in Berluti’s DNA. Berluti’s braided leather pieces will be available both at Berluti stores and e-shop from May 2021.

www.berluti.com

Fashion

Fondazione Prada: Stop Painting

Fondazione Prada presents to the press the exhibition “Stop Painting” conceived by Peter Fischli, on view at the historic building of Ca’ Corner della Regina. “Stop Painting” brings together a selection of 110 works by more than 80 artists and explores a series of specific ruptures within the history of painting in the last 150 years, intertwined with the emergence of new social factors and cultural values. The artist conceived this project divided in 10 sections as a plurality of different narratives told by himself in the first person. The show begins on the ground floor of Ca’ Corner della Regina with a new site-specific artwork by Fischli that consists of a scaled-down model of the entire project, defined by the artist as “a sculpture of a painting exhibition”. The exhibition unfolds on the first floor following not a chronological order, but a personal and idiosyncratic approach. At the beginning of the process leading to the conception of his exhibition the artist identified 5 radical ruptures in art history that correspond to moments of rejection and reinvention of painting: the diffusion of photography, the invention of the readymade and the collage, “the death of the author”, the devaluation of painting as a commodity and the crisis of criticism in the late capitalist society.

Fondazione Prada presents «Stop Painting” at Ca’ Corner della Regina, Venice from May 22 - November 21 2021.

www.fondazioneprada.org

Alain JacquetLe déjeuner sur l'herbe, 1964Serigraphy on paper mounted on canvas 175 x 100 cm
Collection Mamac, Nice, inv: 988.16.1Photo Muriel Anssens © Adagp, Paris, 2021 © Alain Jacquet, by SIAE 2021

Marcel DuchampApolinère Enameled, 1916-1917 (1964 edition)Tin plate on cardboard, 24 x 34 cmCollezione Attilio Codognato, Venezia © 2021. White Images/Scala, Firenze © Foto Scala Firenze© Association Marcel Duchamp © Marcel Duchamp, by SIAE 2021

Fashion

Acqua di Parma: Per papà

For Father’s Day Acqua di Parma has prepared the most beautiful surprise for gift artfully designed for a special. This sophisticated toiletry bag created by the Maison for Father’s Day stands out for its essential design, the sunny tones of Parma yellow and the hand-embroidered Acqua di Parma logo. Made with a practical and durable Italian fabric produced by recycling plastic, it is perfect for a sustainability-conscious man. This functional and refined accessory contains the ideal set for any trip, with products in travelling formats: Cologne in the 100ml Art Deco bottle and the Cologne Shower Gel in the 75ml tube. The final touch is the outer box, decorated with a refined striped pattern, sober and masculine. This is a gift designed for a father and characterised by Acqua di Parma’s trademark attention to details. A true art that becomes an exciting ritual, to be experienced in all the Maison’s Boutiques and in the most exclusive stores. Along with the toiletry bag, you can also choose your father’s favourite Eau de Cologne in a very special package, the one that best reflects his personality and his natural elegance: Colonia, Colonia Futura, Colonia Pura, Colonia Essenza, Colonia Intensa and Colonia Club in the 100 or 180ml formats.

www.acquadiparma.com

Fashion

Studio Yen

Studio Yen is an independent design studio with a unique variety of handmade and vintage interior pieces. The treasures included in Studio Yen’s selection range from vases, sculptures and lamps to rugs, stools and side-tables, which are sourced from and produced all over the world. Driven by a true passion for special interior pieces, the design studio’s team carefully selects and collects the objects by travelling and visiting antique markets and auctions and working together with artists in various international locations. While most collaborators are based in European cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam or Barcelona, certain pieces are partially produced in and imported from South American countries. Studio Yen’s aesthetics and stylistic outlook is informed by this South American influence, which becomes visible in pieces like the Maninkari Rug. The rug, which is made of 100% hand-spun sheep wool was designed in Belgium and then spun, dyed and and handwoven by Mayan weavers in Guatemala. A mortar made in Nepal, wooden stones from the Philippines, hand stools from Burkina Faso, as well as a patchwork carpet handmade in Iceland were part of Studio Yen’s recent selection. Natural, organic forms and shades combined with pure materials and textures are characteristic for Studio Yen’s pieces. Maintaining a sustainable, environmentally friendly approach Studio Yen only offers a limited amount of products, most of which are unique hand-made or made on request.

www.studio-yen.com

Fashion

Les Parfums Louis Vuitton : Imagination

Les Parfums Louis Vuitton opens a new chapter in its history of perfumery with the launch of a seventh fragrance dedicated to men. Imagination, an exceptional composition by the House’s Master Perfumer, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, created in the heart of his atelier at Les Fontaines Parfumées, in Grasse. Inscribed within the heart of Louis Vuitton’s DNA, imagination and creativity have always guided Jacques Cavallier Belletrud in his work, prompting him to constantly push the limits of his art. “For five years, I’d been dreaming of revealing the beauty of ambergris and expressing the quintessence of its amber note in a way that’s of-the-moment and devoid of nostalgia,” explains the Master Perfumer. To give it contemporary resonance, he chose to use Ambrox, a veritable white gold of perfumery, a molecule present in its natural state in ambergris. Imagination takes flight across one’s skin in an extraordinary encounter that ignites senses and spirit to give rise to an irrepressible, universal attraction. Available from June 3rd.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

VALENTINO COLLEZIONE MILANO - PAINTER CAMPAIGN

The art world enters the Maison Valentino universe for the newest chapter of its Advertising Campaign. For this reason Maison Valentino has worked with five international painters, giving them complete freedom to create a work of their choosing, which includes a Valentino Garavani accessory from the collection. Each of the painters is an emerging talent in their area and on the global art scene and each work a testament to the freedom, voice and creativity of each artist. Louise Giovanelli, from the UK, created a hyper realistic painting of the Valentino Garavani Roman Stud Top Handle, while Alexis Ralaivao, from France, painted a cropped-in portrait of the same bag in a striking pink hue. Chinese painter Zhang Zihao opted to paint two subjects wearing the Valentino Garavani Crochet sneakers, while Korean artist Nahum Kim envisioned a surreal and otherworldly work featuring the Valentino Garavani Roman Stud Top Handle. Finally, Iori Nagashima, from Japan, created a work using the Valentino Garavani Roman Stud Crochet bag on a subject under rainfall. In all, each work is a testament to the freedom, voice and creativity of each artist.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Thonet S 5000 Retreat

From the 1930s to New Work: Thonet and Studio Irvine introduce a contemporary update to conventional work interior design. Office and work environments constantly develop and are an immediate response to societal conceptions of work life and everyday routine. The question how human’s will behave in the work sphere in present and future is therefore omnipresent and requires constant evaluation. In the middle of the development phase of the new Thonet S 5000 Retreat program, the Covid 19 pandemic hit and significantly accelerated and changed the adaptation of working environments. Responding to social distancing and separation guidelines, the S 5000’s design is a flexible, space providing solution for the office space. The basic module of the S 5000 is a day-bed like cushion available as one, two or three seater on a tubular steel base without back and side parts. When English designer James Irvine reinterpreted the sofa type of the daybed with the S 5000 almost 15 years ago, he did so for the present, with a futuristic outlook in mind. Daybeds with tubular steel frames were already an integral part of the Thonet program in the 1930s, but Irvine developed a flexible sofa system from them. Now Studio Irvine under the direction of the architect and wife of the late designer, Marialaura Rosiello-Irvine, has taken the idea of the changeable minimalist S 5000 program with its base of curved, bent tubular steel. The result is a modular system of sofas and seating elements with partitions. Variably complementary elements such as tables, cushions or sockets allow a particularly versatile use in the new-work context, as well as in the private home-office sphere. For example, the new S 5000 Retreat variant provides noise and privacy protection and and allows - in an aesthetically convincing way - working at a distance.

www.thonet.com

Fashion

On Moon Time

OMEGA is releasing its latest edition of the Speedmaster Moonwatch collection, an updated version of the much-loved timepiece, which includes a powerful Master Chronometer certified anti-magnetic movement. The Swiss watchmaker has taken inspiration from the 4th generation Moonwatch style, commonly referenced as the ST 105.012, and worn by Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon in 1969. The new Moonwatch includes tributes to the space-era such as the classical asymmetrical case, the step dial, the double bevel case back, the famous dot over 90 (DON), and a dot diagonal to 70 on the anodized aluminum bezel ring. These small details beautifully tell the origin story of the Speedmaster. The most critical update comes with the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 3861, which ensures that the Moonwatch will be unaffected by even the most extreme magnetic fields reaching 15,000 gauss. Also, it ensures that the entire watch is certified as a Master Chronometer – the highest standard of precision, performance, and magnetic-resistance in the Swiss watch industry. Even the dial with the Calibre 3861’s frequency shows updated attention-to-detail, as the the minute track is now split by three divisions instead of the five divisions on previous models. The Moonwatch comes in eight special editions, including versions in stainless steel, 18K Sedna™ gold, or 18K Canopus gold™. All come with OMEGA’s full 5-year warranty.

www.omegawatches.com

Fashion

Trash to Treasure

FADE OUT LABEL is a Berlin-based brand co-founded in 2015 by Andrea Bonfini, an Italian fashion designer together with his friend Nicola. The brand focuses on creating new from old by utilizing patchwork techniques to handcraft their pieces. FADE OUT collection’s uniqueness stems from their oversized pieces, crafted from vintage denim. The label does not work with traditional seasons but rather designs garments adaptable to various occasions and different personalities. Additionally, it features permanent collections that change every so slightly each season. With sustainability in mind, each piece is upcycled, using denim bought at charity shops, deconstructed, washed, sanitized, ironed, and reassembled – making each piece unique. FADE OUT’s latest project, White Trash, is a capsule collection inspired by Berlin – the faded graffiti on the remaining Berlin Wall and Berlin’s famous clubbing scene paused at the moment by the pandemic. Each piece is unique and unisex, continuing with the brand’s aesthetic and underlying philosophy: urban wear, upcycling, patchwork, and zero waste. The items are handmade in a Berlin atelier using waste materials such as vintage white jeans, silver deadstock fabrics, antique parachutes as well as used pharmaceutical vials and metal elements.

www.fadeoutlabel.com

Fashion

FENDI Peekaboo Campaign

Presented for the FENDI Fall/Winter 2020-21 Collection last February, the new Peekaboo features a new accordion-frame shape, to open in a deep ‘smile’ featuring inside pockets which can be interchangeable in smooth leather or precious skins. Since it’s first arrival in S/S 09, Silvia Venturini Fendi has enmeshed the Maison’s savoir faire and original creativity with the research for high-quality materials and details, giving life to infinite versions of the Peekaboo that – each one with its standout and distinctive features – all flawlessly embody the versatile and timeless aspect of this bag that has been and will continue to be elevated, reinterpreted and declined season after season, collection after collection.

www.fendi.com

Art

Gallery Weekend Berlin: Susan Philipsz at Konrad Fischer Galerie

Konrad Fischer Galerie is pleased presents Susan Philipsz’ first solo exhibition in Berlin. Susan Philipsz is a Scottish artist based in Berlin who works with spaces, narrative and sounds. In 2010 she won the Turner Prize which was the first time a sound work was nominated. She uses recordings of her own singing voice and to project this sound a space. Her voice is untrained and she leaves in breaths and imperfections to create a sense of intimacy. She has reworked songs varying from traditional folk music and sixteenth century ballads to songs by Nirvana and David Bowie. The themes she explores can trigger memory and emotions. While each piece is unique, she explores familiar themes of loss, longing, hope and return.“Whenever I enter a space that I am considering working with I call into the space to measure its acoustics. By projecting my voice into a space, I measure that space; through the resonance and echo I can ascertain the volume, scale and depth of that space. The gallery has a particularly resonant acoustic with lots of echoes and reverberations. The sounds from one level are audible on the other”, so Philipsz about the origins of her works Separated Silos (2021), and Slow Fresh Fount (2021) which lends its title to the exhibition.

Susan Philipsz’ work is exhibited at Konrad Fischer Galerie, Berlin, from 1 May – 17 July 2021.

www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Susan Philipsz, Slow Fresh Fount, 2021. Courtesy the artist and Konrad Fischer Galerie. Photo: Roman März

Fashion

ROLEX AND THE OSCARS

The history of Rolex and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are united in their pursuit of excellence and mission to promote and honor the creation of something extraordinary - a masterpiece. Like a great filmmaker, a watchmaker cares about creating a unique work of art that never loses its relevance and lasts over time. The many directors, actors, technicians and engineers honored here set new standards in a discipline that seamlessly blends art and science, just like a precision Rolex watch. Each plays a crucial role in a complex mechanism to bring a visionary idea to life. Through the symbolic power of its revolutionary products, the brand is inextricably linked to the world of cinema: When Marlon Brando played the role of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, he wore a Rolex. A Rolex was also on Paul Newman's wrist when he reprised his role as pool player "Fast" Eddie Felson in The Color of Money. And Bill Paxton, as treasure hunter Brock Lovett was equipped with a Rolex in Titanic when he explored the famous wreck in a submersible. Every Rolex tells a story, and cinematic stories are a particular concern for the watch brand, which has a great story to tell, full of innovations dating back over a hundred years. In 1926, Rolex introduced the Oyster, the world's first water-resistant wristwatch, an undisputed masterpiece that changed history. For the first time, a wristwatch was robust, accurate and reliable, and could be worn in sterile environments such as high mountains. Rolex's almost unbelievable capacity for innovation, as evidenced by its more than 500 patents, owes much to its pursuit of continued excellence. This pursuit is part of Rolex's self-image, which goes back to Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the manufacture. It is the driving force behind all the brand's activities - from the production of delicate chronometers to promoting excellence in sports and the arts, including film, television, and television.

www.rolex.com

Fashion

DoDo x Tenaka

Environmental awareness is an important priority for the jewelry brand DoDo. With the Blue Forest campaign, DoDo is now becoming a part of another environmental project: Together with the non-profit organization Tenaka, DoDo is planting 3000 mangrove trees on two hectares of land on the coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah. With the support of twenty biologists and local organizers, residents and students of the region are also involved in the endeavor to raise awareness of the importance and preservation of this ecosystem. DoDo Blue Forest is a jewelry project with Tenaka, a social enterprise founded by Anne-Sophie Roux. DoDo and Tenaka are aware of the importance of renaturation measures, which aim to maintain the balance of nature through the reforestation and protection of mangrove forests, which are of fundamental importance to biodiversity. The symbol of the brand's environmental commitment is the Granelli bangle DoDo designed for Tenaka. It is made of plastic materials taken from the Mediterranean Sea by REVET, a company based in Pisa, Italy. The bracelet is transformed and dyed in shades of green to resemble the beauty of mangroves. The latest unique piece of jewelry is the emblem of DoDo's sustainability efforts and most recent Mangrove project.

 www.dodo.it

Fashion

Giuseppe Zanotti FW21

Giuseppe Zanotti, an Italian luxury footwear and fashion designer, brought a certain sense of boldness to its FW21 footwear collection for both men and women. The women’s collection radiates confidence while including a pair of hot pink leather loafers, thigh-high glossy boots with chunky, futuristic soles, and strappy sandal in electric blue with a statement platform. The men’s collection pieces were updeated through new color and new material, such as the classic Chealsea boot in gold and a set of slide sandals in tan fur. Additionally, Guiseppe Zanotti debuted a futuristic unisex sneaker style, which includes a pair of oil slick material and a black style suede with thick white soles and gold detailing.

www.giuseppezanotti.com

Fashion

C.P. Company Cinquenta - THE BRITISH SAILOR

Massimo Osti founded the brand Chester Perry, which would later be renamed C.P. Company in 1971 in Bologna. Famous for its screen printed t-shirts and its sportswear, the brand has continued to pioneer a connoisseurial hybrid style that combines the functionality of vintage military, work, and sportswear with intense fabric research and innovation, heightened by using garment-dyeing ever since. Forging a new path for functional menswear meeting Italian fabric innovation is its origin and the base for everything it does today. From the very beginning, Massimo Osti's idea on the creation of a brand started with the desire to create a product with a strong identity, utterly different from anything else available on the market. Convinced of the strength of his idea, he even personally designed the logo, a lifebuoy. Later on, the logo shifted to a British sailor symbol with arms crossed - smiling, dependable, and informal. The inspiration came from one of the books about military uniforms, which Massimo Osti collected for his studio's library. Since 1975 this has been the primary brand logo, and it represents the link between tradition and innovation. On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary, or Cinquanta, C.P. Company has created an exclusive porcelain sailor statue handcrafted in Italy by Tuscan artisans. Only 150 pieces of this exclusive figurine are made -, the sailor represents its great story's memorabilia and pays homage to Italian artisanal tradition. The British Mariner will be available, from April 14th, on 50.cpcompany.com and in all C.P. Company flagship stores in Milan, Amsterdam, London, Seoul, and Tokyo.

50.cpcompany.com

Fashion

Marina Raphael SS21

For the warm time of the year, Marina Raphael, founder of the luxury handbag brand - inspired by the modern-day traveler who lives for the thrill of adventure - sets off to create a collection that celebrates the raw beauty found in the uncharted. The SS21 collection exhumes escapism and emphasizes collecting unique accessories that serve as mementos of precious memories and experiences. The “Chasing The Sun” collection works with rich napa leather, with which she aspires to evoke the transitional essence of this season through her visual language. Flawless prints, geometrically structured weaved raffia, striped canvas, and crystal panels embody the collection’s playful tone of voice. Impeccable craftsmanship in working with denim finishes the visual story the designer wants to tell by speaking a more urban language. The color for summer is warm, neutral tones, such as caramel and cream with a hint of natural green. Denim fabric brings in blue hues, which mirror Greek waters and set the mood. Swarowski crystals and the slight use of tortoiseshell plexiglass round off the details of the collection. Marina Raphael reinvents classic shapes and introduces new ones in a harmonious symbiosis of modernity and sophistication. Forms range from the signature Riviera and Porter shapes to novel cylindrical concepts and envelope statement pieces.

www.marinaraphael.com

Fashion

FENDI Limited Edition Couture Capsule

Drawing from the themes presented during Kim Jones’ SS21 Couture debut for the house, FENDI presents a Capsule Collection that translates the season’s sensibility into ready-to-wear—adopting the collection’s motifs of fluid androgyny and exquisite romance and presenting them through translations of critical silhouettes. The pieces will be available solely for two weeks in limited quantities at select boutiques across the world from mid-April. The FENDI Couture Collection explored the liberated British sensibility of the 1920s as well as historic Roman grandeur. Jones has drawn inspiration from the Bloomsbury set and Virginia Woolf’s seminal binary-blurring novel Orlando. He expressed this notion in the collection through cady and wool-silk tailoring and crisp cotton shirting, alongside elegantly draped satin dresses and gowns; the conventional codes of masculinity and femininity are united in monochromatic harmony. Included are ballerina slippers embossed with Karligraphy beaded monograms or knee-high satin boots. These are evolved from the styles presented at Couture, while a new collection of baroque pearl jewelry, frozen in resin and embossed with rhinestones. Exclusive variations of the iconic Baguette and Peekaboo bags, trimmed with pearls or covered in prints inspired by the Bloomsbury Group’s Sussex home of Charleston House. This reflects the timeless elegance introduced at Couture: a contemporary homage to British creativity and Italian glamour.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

MARNI presents FUSSBETT SABOT

For the women’s and men’s SS21 collection Marni gave the iconic Fussbett sandals a makeover, presenting a bolder version of the versatile version under MARNI FUSSBETT SABOT. Founded in Milan in 1994 by Swiss designer Consuelo Castiglioni, Marni has become internationally renowned for its experimental collections characterized by innovative prints and colors. Mixing practicality and sophistication, the SABOTS offer comfort and a dash of effortless glamour while working from home. They maintain the same approach in the streets, standing out for their contemporary, casual style, which creatively matches each outfit. The SABOTS are unisex and available in two textures: in grainy calf leather—in black and white tones—and bold, entirely covered in calf hair leather—in black and fuchsia colors. The calfskin version is enriched by the MARNI logo, which discreetly appears on the side. They will be available for spring 2021 on marni.com, in Marni boutiques, and selected multi-brand stores worldwide.

www.marni.com

Fashion

Versace Home Textiles & Accessories

The new Versace Home Textiles & Accessories collection takes the brand’s most recognizable designs and reinterprets them as a range of luxury bedroom, bathroom and living room accessories. The mythical Medusa logo is feature throughout the new collection. The house’s eternal muse amplifies the Made in Italy bed sheets, comforters, and iconic terrycloth robes. As seen on the AW21 runway, the new signature Versace La Greca print is also incorporated into the interiors. The graphic Greek Key pattern adorns an array of interior pieces and home accessories. Staying at home is made more exciting with a nod to the coveted La Medusa handbag line – the references are seen on colorful coasters and realistic puzzles. Out of home, the recognizable Versace Home aesthetic is transferred onto luxury-to-go items.

 www.versace.com

Art

Luisa Catucci : TRA COLOR CHE SONO SOSPESI

Aqua Aura and Lidó Rico present their work at the TRA COLOR CHE SONO SOSPESI (Engl. : Among those who are in suspense) exhibition at Luisa Catucci Gallery in Berlin. The exhibition's title is an homage to the unusual situation the whole world faced over the past year, which left most people to experience an unsettling feeling of suspense. The sequence of Lockdowns and isolation left us feeling fragile. For many, the difficulties or even impossibilities to work properly made us feel closer to Virgil and the other souls Dante Alighieri suspended in Limbo. In this after-death place, he left the great but not catholic minds hanging to an eternal wait. Simultaneously the suspension reawakened the attention on existential issues and pushed humanity to reargue the "Übermensch" attitude we developed as a society.

This is a theme both the Spanish artist Lidó Rico and the Italian artist Aqua Aura have investigated through different media. Additionally, 2021 is the 700th anniversary of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri's death, whose description of Limbo fits the feelings induced by the repetition of Lockdowns, so dedicating this exhibition to him seems fitting. In TRA COLOR CHE SONO SOSPESI presents a dialog between the works of the meta-photographer Aqua Aura and his dystopic views of a post-nature post-humanity future. Together with Lidó Rico's work referring to the fear of the void created by the lack of survival of the knowledge acquired in life, the exhibition fits the world's current state. TRA COLOR CHE SONO SOSPESI will be exhibited at Luisa Catucci Gallery, Berlin from the 3rd of April until the 28th of May 2021.

www.luisacatucci.com

Fashion

Jil Sander FW 21

The Jil Sander FW21 collection is an ode to individuality, freedom and change. It is a mirror of the sense of self-reflection and intimacy we are enjoying, even if it forced upon us, and the desire we have for the company of others. In this collection ornamentation, prints, patterns and colours are present and strong. The color palette is natural and exceptionally light for winter: butter, cream, powder, mauve, lilac, raspberry, cardamon, burnt sienna, black, different shades of yellow and blue. With the pieces, Lucie and Luke Meier – the husband and wife duo behind Jil Sander - remind us that playing with clothes, recombining them, is uplifting. Playfullness can be light-hearted and meaningful at the same time. To them the touch is vital, and they achieve it through craftsmanship and the meticulous choice of materials and techniques. The feeling aspect is noticeable in the enlarged hand-enamelled chain necklaces; the rouching of fine leather gloves; the knitted shaping found from shoe to dress to lingerie. Footwear is powerfully included, with the presence of an over the knee boot, in black, white, cream, vegetable tanned nappa, grey, and metallic finishes, silver and copper. Some are ornamented with large carved crystals, encased in metal, attached by hand. Heels are bold and sculptural. Sandal uppers are thin straps, or round and inflated, perched upon a bulbous plexi shaped heel in candy colors.

www.jilsander.com

Fashion

CHANEL FW21

The latest collection is inspired by the légère intimacy and simplicity of Chanel shows of the past – models would dress themselves and do their own make-up - which predecessor Karl Lagerfeld told current Creative Director Virginie Viard about. “I don’t know if this is because of the times we live in, but I wanted something warm, lively. I imagined the models doing a show for themselves, going from room to room, crossing each other in staircases, piling their coats up in the cloakroom, and going up to the next floor to get changed.” The FW21 show was filmed at Castel, a legendary club on Rue Princesse in Paris.

Walking on the streets outside Castel, in the dark and mysterious salons or down the spiral staircases, the models exhume an exquisite air of Parisian chic. Staged by the duo Inez & Vinoodh, the show has a distinct sensual touch and contrasts between volumes, materials, and spirit. A long tweed coat with a chevron motif reveals bare legs wearing voluminous boots in black curly faux fur; a trouser suit in black tweed with small checks in blue lurex is adorned with thin braces in pearls and layers of sautoir necklaces. A white coat in patent sheepskin and lined with faux fur is coupled with “down jacket” style two-tone boots, with unzippable legs giving way to a pair of silver heeled booties to go dancing in. The salopettes-ski suits in white quilting embroidered with red and blue motifs, or in fuchsia tweed, are worn with strappy sandals embellished with chains, and little black bows or pumps adorned with a camellia, while delicate blouses in chiffon or crêpe de Chine are combined with pieces inspired by winter sportswear. For FW21, Virginie Viard was inspired by Chanel’s DNA of cool Parisian chic and the ambiance of ski holidays.

www.chanel.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

ISSEY MIYAKE FW21/22

‘As the Way It Comes to Be’ is the title of ISSEY MIYAKE’s FW21/22 collection that premiered online as a collection video in the context of Paris Fashion Week. The collection examines the essential colors and shapes found in nature in its range of forward-thinking designs, that embody organic beauty and strength. Subtly set in both natural environments and built infrastructure the video directed by Mikiya Takimoto foregrounds the simplicity of the designs and the delicacy of the textures. The quiet mood that dominates Takimoto’s piece underlines the sense of untouched, untamed beauty of nature that is taken up in this season’s ISSEY MIYAKE designs. The collection features seven thematic series that are based on different garment techniques, textural treatments and color schemes. The STONE series for instance is inspired by stones that are made by craftspeople in Kyoto using a traditional technique named suminagashi. The ethereal, marble-like patterns are created by dropping dyes on the water surface to allow them to expand freely against each other, which are then soaked up by a clean fabric. The finalized five different styles of the STONE series consist of patterned shirts and dresses, that loosely drape over the body and emphasize the craftsmanship of the fabrics and patterns. The additional series of the collection follow a similar concept and form language, by drawing pleated, silky, three-dimensional and geometrical fabric variations. All series included in the ISSEY MIYAKE FW21/22 collection unify in the goal of artistically reflecting nature through fashion design, using elaborate, qualitative garment manufacturing methods.

 www.isseymiyake.com

Fashion

Emporio Armani FW21

In the mood for pop – Emporio Armani’s eclectic outlook is vividly expressed in the visuals shown in the online presentation and looks of the FW21/22 fashion show. The collection makes reference to Armani’s vocabulary of the 80s, while subtly updating the aesthetics of the iconic decade. Harmonic shapes and relaxed elegance are interpreted in a snappy, metropolitan way and highlighted with bright, vibrant colors. Armani invites to step into Armani/Teatro to watch the Emporio Armani FW21/22 men’s and women’s fashion show, that immerses the viewer in a mystical, energetic light show.

The collection creates a mirroring dialogue between male and female silhouettes. The feminine designs exhibit elongated, slender shapes with a high waist. Embedded in the Athletic-wear attitude are touches of graphic prints and surface embroiders, that lead to a military-like pragmatism in a glamorous light. Unexpected patchwork prints on velvet materials, alternating with knit wear provide movement and sophistication to the color palette in which bright notes of purple and pink stand out against a black base. For men, the interpretation of softness is translated into new shapes and functions. Following a flowing, deconstructed silhouette, the jackets are wide with drop shoulders and accentuated with hairy linings, in order to replace coats. The coats themselves are crafted from knitted or woven fabrics, adding stable, heavy pieces to the collection. The men’s counterpart of the collection also draws on athletic styles and military looks, making the mens and womenswear a harmonic whole.

 www.armani.com

Fashion

Alessandro Dell’Acqua FW21 x Elena MirÒ

Beyond clichés and against stereotypes. To compose an imagery in the name of this sentiment, Alessandro Dell’Acqua collaborates with Elena Mirò to narrate natural physicality in awe of femininity for his FW21/22 collection. The Capsule Collection proposes a fashion that renews its own language, to tell the story of women as they are and not as an expression of preconceptions. Dell’Acqua and Mirò refrain from defining static sizes and dimensions or conditioning the form: The silhouettes and proportions draw a figure that traces and follows the free and naturally curvilinear shape of the female body, from the waistline to the décolleté. In its deliberate versatility, the Alessandro Dell'Acqua X Elena Mirò Capsule Collection aligns variable solutions: dresses and skirts composed with ‘boiserie’ technique featuring lace and organza panels in shades of black and beige, that create an architectural effect.

Tweed – that is typical in men’s tailoring – reoccurs in the women’s jackets, skirts. Knitted slip dresses and a range of maxi and small cardigans are combined with accentuating pencil skirts. The nude sheath dress covered in black guipure lace is the key look of the collection and embodies the strong essence of female elegance underlying the aesthetics of the designs. Sudden shades of red and pink blending in with the base colors grey, black and crème and ergonomic shapes detailed with belts tightened and sinched at the waist add vibrancy and motion to the form language of the collection. The complimentary campaign featuring Dutch model and actress Lara Stone further interprets the physicality and personality of the woman who imagines the Alessandro Dell’Acquq x Elena Mirò Capsule Collection. The campaign reflects the attitudes and behaviors of the contemporary woman, who freely encompasses and radiates self-awareness and authentic personality.

www.alessandrodellacqua.com

Fashion

Tod’s FW21 – In a Moment

Tod’s introduces their FW21 collection in a modernist space over marble floor inlays. The four women in the show represent four different characters, or perhaps different personalities of the same woman caught in a single moment. Gestures, movements, and colors tell the fluid story of the collection. Creative Director Walter Chiapponi offers other points of view on Tod’s vocabulary. Through manual skills, excellent craftsmanship, and an endless quest for enhancement, he created a new repertoire of classic garments in which archetypes blend. For FW21, Tod’s made a world where sportswear meets couture’s voluptuous femininity without sacrificing function and utility.

The garments receive new volumes and surprising yet chic details for all functions and occasions by combining the two. The collection pieces consist of leather-trimmed trench coats, which have ruffles at the neck and create shoulder-like capes. Shirts with long pussy bows and quilted leather duvet jackets are combined with knee-length dresses and coats, which draw a sinuous silhouette. Out-of-scale hats complete the looks, reminding of a past era. The sunglasses are framed with leather; bags are exaggeratedly large with a raw cut profile. All bags, as well as the Oboe, are made of shiny sheepskin leather. Decorative flat chains are adorned on the Kate bag’s flap and are also used to replace the shoulder straps. Chunky-heeled loafers with the iconic Tod’s T mark are also heavily featured. The T mark is also on belts and bags. The FW21 collection combines modernity with Italian elegance ever so effortlessly.

www.tods.com

Fashion

Brunello Cucinelli Womenswear FW21

Brunello Cucinelli digitally presents his FW21 women’s collection as part of Milan Fashion Week 2021. For his video contribution to this year’s online event, the Italian designer chose a very personal location: a pavilion in a vast park in his hometown Solomeo in Umbria, where the fashion empire has its origins. Backed with elegant music he briefly presents the fashion, letting the visuals of the models displaying his clothing speak for themselves. The women dressed in his FW21 collection are positioned on the elevated garden pavilion, illuminated by the sun and blending in with the natural surrounding. Cucinelli then personally holds a speech explaining the shift in focus he has taken up in the face of the current reconceptualization of the daily rhythm of life and its effect on human needs, values and wellbeing. Furthermore, he pleads for the re-evaluation of the relationship between humans and nature. Cucinelli envisions the expansion of the concept of the social contract to all beings of the universe in pursuit of establishing a world in equilibrium and aims to contribute to it with his business approach and designs.

The FW21 women’s collection reflects Cucinelli’s vision of harmony, comprising informal and relaxed outerwear, knitwear, trousers, shirts and accessories. The designs blur the line between living in the public and the private sphere by unifying form language of timeless elegance and effortless comfort. Unique manufacturing processes, loose silhouettes and soft volumes, following a neutral, organic color scheme represent the cardinal elements of fluid and well-proportioned cozy wear.

www.brunellocucinelli.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

RIMOWA SS21

RIMOWA releases its SS 21 eyewear collection. Following last year’s launch of the brand’s first-ever eyewear line, RIMOWA is excited to unveil a new collection of iconic sunglasses. The new collection updates classic shapes like the aviator, square, and pantos with traditional or colored reflective lenses.

The frame is inspired by early aviation and pilot essentials combined with the brand’s own iconic aluminum grooves first inspired by aircraft fuselage. The eyewear collection is color-matched with selected RIMOWA luggage for a coordinated look. With this, the brand aims to enhance new ways to improve and cater to the wearer’s travel experience. The latest eyewear collection, which is presented as unisex, will introduce three updated versions of the RIMOWA eyewear looks and four new designs. The pieces featured in the SS 21 collection pays homage to the brand’s iconic aluminum luggage.

www.rimowa.com

Fashion

Montblanc appoints new Creative Director

Nicolas Baretzki, CEO of Montblanc appoints Marco Tomasetta as the new Creative Director of the house. Tomasetta, who will officially take office on March 1st 2021, is a graduate of the Instituto Europeo di Design in Milan and has elaborate expertise within the leather goods and accessories department. With experience in renowned fashion houses such as Prada, Chloé and Louis Vuitton the former Creative Design Director of women’s and men’s leather goods at Givenchy now takes on a new leadership position, bringing perspectives for innovation and modern refinement to the German manufacturing company of jewelry, watches and writing implements, among a range of other luxury goods. In anticipation of this new challenge Tomasetta himself states: ‘As a designer, writing and drawing are the starting points of any design process, which is why I was immediately drawn to Montblanc - fusing tradition with pioneering design’.

 wwww.montblanc.com

Fashion

Boogaloo Oman Collection

Boogaloo swimwear presents new styles inspired by the beauty of Oman. Boogaloo is a swimwear brand that encourages self-expression by using travel photography from all around the world to create prints. Oman is a country that not only boasts warm hospitality, rich culture, and awe-inspiring scenery but is where Boogaloo’s creator, Melina Giolva, re-discovered the power of owning her own journey. The new collection features seventeen pieces in five new shapes, which feature Melina’s own photography from her trip to Oman. The photography prints of natural landscapes are of vibrant color like royal blue, vibrant pinks, turquoise, sunny yellow, vivid mint, and searing reds reflect the warmth of the place they were captured. The collection celebrates the Omani landscapes such as palm trees, desert, mountains, the sea, and ancient architecture by reintegrating them into wearable art. Boogaloo pieces are manufactured ethically by a family-operated business in Athens, Greece.

www.boogalooswimwear.com

Fashion

Colmar SS21

For the Spring Summer 2021 collection, Colmar has used its most iconic pieces as a starting point for the new collection, which aligns perfectly with the typical Colmer DNA: technical, dynamic, functional, and summery. The designs are versatile and can be worn in different summer climates and on multiple occasions. The ambiguity of the collection aims to inspire the wearer to live their summer to the fullest. Clean and simple lines yet precise attention to detail is what makes the new collection stand out. At the core of the collection stand functionality and comfort. To create their multifunctional jackets, Colmar used recycled polyamide from industrial waste, which is regenerated and reprocessed. Double layered polyester is sewn with a membrane that supports a 5000 mm water column to make for the resistant material. Both the Women's and Men's collections feature from best-sellers like the 1246 Colmar, biker jackets, and field jackets to gilets. Iridescent graphics and blurred prints complete the summer mood of the Spring Summer 2021 collection.

www.colmar.com

Fashion

Salvatore Ferragamo: Chinese New Year & Valentine’s Day

Salvatore Ferragamo has collaborated with five young international creatives to develop a series of special projects during 2021, the first two chapters of which are called “Chinese New Year” and “Valentine’s Day.” For the Chinese New Year (February 12th), Ferragamo has collaborated with London-based illustrator Charlotte Mei in a digital project that celebrates the year of the Ox (pronounced “Niu” in Chinese). The digital campaign is called “What makes you Niu” and consists of a series of photographic collages and illustrations. With celebratory aesthetics of the year of the Ox, the campaign conveys the NIU! message with a series of big-impact editorial images and artwork that highlights the exclusive selection of CNY products. For Valentine’s Day (February 14th), Ferragamo has called on artists Davide Ronco, Charlotte Mei, Johanna Goodman, the Mert Keskin, and Ruth van Beek to create a series of multimedia artworks that will feature in the “Patchwork of Love” campaign. “The Patchwork of Love” campaign highlights itself with contrasting colors and the concept of creating a new whole from crashing elements. All collages, animation, illustrations, photos, videos, and sculptures are featuring Ferragamo elements such as the Gancini logo and articles from the Ferragamo selection for Valentine’s Day.

www.ferragamo.com

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

DIOR MEN SS21: Amoako Boafo

Kim Jones muse for the latest DIOR Men’s campaign is Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo, whose big-scale portraits of Black subjects using a finger-painting technique have skyrocketed in popularity the past year. The collaboration marks the first African artist to develop a line with the French Maison to date. According to DIOR’s Artistic Director Kim Jones, the fashion line celebrates Boafo’s intricate and vibrant portraiture, reflecting in the collection’s powerful energy. Inspired by Boafo’s expression, which entails flat color portraits complemented by vibrant backgrounds, the campaign incorporated his portraits into the collection and added textures, prints, and colors inspired by his paintings. Through careful styling and close collaboration with the artist, the fashion house was able to bring the images back to life by incorporating DIOR essentials such as the Oblique Motif, Dior Atlas sandals, Maxi saddlebag, and the artists’ dynamic color palette ranging from pink to fluorescent yellow. The pieces are quintessentially vibrant and celebrate freedom, diversity, and the many facets of the contemporary man.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Bottega Veneta Salon 01 Campaign

The Bottega Veneta Salon 01 Campaign photographed by Tyrone Lebon brings the brand’s SS21 collection to life. Featuring German artist Rosemarie Trockel and Uganda-born British actress, composer and playwright Sheila Atim, the campaign is centered around two charismatic, accomplished personas. Inspired by the nostalgia of books, videos and records Creative Director Daniel Lee gives way to the idea of domestic comfort fits combined with glamorous silhouettes of the 60’s. This concept translates to the thick, mostly knitted fabrics and is accentuated by the expressive color palette of green, yellow, black, violet and browns. Lee himself summarizes his vision behind the new campaign saying: ‘I’m always interested in this idea, of how you can feel done up and elegant at the same time as feeling comfortable. That’s really my kind of mission for Bottega.’ Lee’s designs capture the Zeitgeist by translating contemporary reconceptualization of daily routine and home comfort in the face of a global pandemic to the context of luxury fashion.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

DIESEL x Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year celebration falls on February 12th 2021, inaugurating the Year of The Ox. In honor of the transition into the Year of the Ox, DIESEL launches a genderless and athletic-inspired capsule collection. DIESEL’s collection includes a series of varsity jackets, hoodies, tees, and sweat dresses as well as various accessories including backpacks, baseball caps and jewelry inspired by and depicting the Ox Zodiac symbol.

Boldly printed, vibrantly colored pieces informed by basketball style and techno music graphically illustrate the oxen applications on the designs. The Zodiac print icon appears in the form of chalked outlines, patch-applications, abstract chrome cyberpunk graphics or bold dynamic letterings expressing the phrase ‘BRAVE CNY 2021’. With denim at the heart, DIESEL also reiterates its signature fabric throughout the capsule collection with an emphasis on the brand’s sustainable denim treatment technologies that reduce the use of chemicals and the overall environmental impact of the production process.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

#MAKEAPROMISE

Louis Vuitton has partnered up with UNICEF through the #MAKEAPROMISE campaign in order to support the world’s most vulnerable children in the world, proving that the values of the luxury market have shifted compared to just a few years ago. Luxury is no longer just about exclusive and masterfully crafted objects, but it is also defined by its broader impact in the world, whether it be a social or environmental. As part of the effort, Louis Vuitton presents four new Silver Lockit bracelets, inspired by the tumbler lock invented by Georges Vuitton in 1890 to guarantee the protection of his client’s most prized possessions. Available in pastel blue, pink, celadon green and black, the bracelets were crafted incorporating recycled silver and organic cotton for the first tine. Aside from Silver Lockit bracelet, Louis Vuitton presents the Doudou Louis, a teddy bear in a Monogram printed textile. By purchasing either item, clients will support UNICEF’s continuous work on providing access to water, sanitation, nutrition, education, health and protection services to the most vulnerable children on the planet as well as the Covid-19 emergency response efforts to reimagine a world fit for every child.

Since the launch of the partnership, nearly 13 millions dollars have been raised for UNICEF. The Silver Lockit bracelets and the Doudou Louis will be available from January 19th online and in selected Louis Vuitton stores worldwide.

#MAKEAPROMISE

www.louisvuitton.com
www.unicef.com

Fashion

Furla SS21

In the spirit of joy and optimism, Furla is welcoming all to enjoy the moment with its SS21 collection. Diving deeper into its roots as an Italian family-owned brand, the core DNA is expressed in the film by Lorenzo Gironi with the Creative Direction of Macsiotti. The motto of freedom, a joy in elegance and close friendships fuels this collection. A dreamy Mediterranean meeting of sky and sea reflects the simple pleasures evident in nature, simple pleasures people can share, evoke the core values of Furla for its SS21 collection. With a soundtrack by Cyril Giroux, photos by Dario Catellani and styling by Vittoria Cerciello, the seasons of joy conjure up feelings of long Summer days that in turn become warm, carefree and unforgettable Summer nights.

Italy’s coastline was the chosen setting, a panoramic and incredibly beautiful way of telling the next chapter of the Furla brand story. A soft palette of products, shown with chromatic ton-sur-ton effects contrasts against one another, carefree, wild. A balancing of volumes both in color and in shape are tailored with signature Furla details, an institutional manifesto of sorts, marking a new chapter.

#FUNFURLA

www.furla.com

Fashion

VETEMENTS FW21/22

VETEMENTS, French design collective, has premiered its FW21/22 Men’s and Women’s collection in a runway that combines both during Paris Fashion Week. An anti-conformism collection that hits many contemporary talking points with sophistication and its signature tongue-in-cheek sense of humour. A trench-coat brandishes bold labels like ‘Race: Human’. ‘Birthplace: Earth’, ‘Politics: Freedom’ and ‘Religion: Love’. The collection, both Men’s and Women’s, ignites a thought-provoking dialogue on authoritarianism, power and how much freedom and control people have in the 21st century.

The campaign shot by Gio Staiano displays the wide range of elegant dresses in dark colors, the focussed tailoring evidenced in the Men’s collection of the VETEMENTS FW21/22. In addition to Men’s and Women’s clothing there are unisex T-shirts with graphic slogans printed on them, including quips such as “I love long walks and sex before marriage.” There is also an over-the-knee boot decorated with flags from many nations across the world, possibly a comment on the intersection of globalization, fashion and consumerism.

While the pentagram and more gothic visuals combine with the humorous wordplay to pair a nihilistic worldview, complete with balaclavas in lieu of pandemic-style face masks, the imaginative shapes and forms which are tailored into both Men’s and Women’s FW21/22 collections shine through.

While the pentagram and more gothic visuals combine with the humorous wordplay to pair a nihilistic worldview, complete with balaclavas in lieu of pandemic-style face masks, the imaginative shapes and forms which are tailored into both Men’s and Women’s FW21/22 collections shine through.

www.vetementswebsite.com

Fashion

C.P. Company: ‘Cinquanta’ 50 Year Anniversary

C.P. Company, the acclaimed Italian fashion brand founded in 1971, celebrates 50 years of fashion innovation and design with an ode to the origins of sportswear. With a program of authentic collaborations, activities created to involve the community and tasteful homages to five decades of human advancement. The C.P. Company ‘Cinquanta’ will run throughout 2021 with the release of a special item every month. Each of these items represent a fraction of the brand’s core DNA and a stage in the development of Italian sportswear over the years, the pioneering of a genre of clothing that led to founder, Massimo Osti, being recognized as the godfather of urban sportswear.

Iconic fabrics and an intimately furnished wardrobe employs the use of memories, mementos, toys, books and posters to structure the narrative of C.P. Company’s 50th anniversary: Cinquanata. To symbolize this celebration, the brand has designed a flag made from a mix of fabrics and garments dyed as a unique piece of cloth. The flag represents the pillars of C.P. Company, expertise in the technical research of fabrics and the development of dyeing techniques for which the brand first pioneered in the mid-seventies.

www.cpcompany.com

Fashion

DIOR MEN FW21/22

Christian Dior translated dreams into reality and today, Kim Jones, Dior Men’s Artistic Director, does exactly the same. His collection for FW21 is a living embodiment of the worlds created by Scottish-born, Trinidad-based artist Peter Doig, reminding us also about fashion’s incredible power to create dialogue with other creative disciplines. The garments themselves were heavily inspired by the extravagance of ceremonial attire, uniforms, creating a visual link to one sartorial tradition which is still dynamic and alive today. Throughout the collection we find hints to uniforms, such as collars, but never did the collection seem rigid or overly formal, as the uniforms were softened through embroidery and embellishment. In a masculine interpretation of couture, decorations and motifs from the Dior Archives were reinvented, most notably the gilded embroidery of Rosella, a haute couture evening gown from the 60s. For this collection, Kim Jones and Peter Doig worked together very closely. The artist was not only devising motifs, but was involved hands-on during the creation process of the collection, hand-painting designs on a selection of wool felt hats by Stephen Jones. Especially for this collection, Doig created two animalistic emblems, inspired by his own work as well as his knowledge and relation to the House of Dior. The first was a likeness of Dior’s dog Bobby and the second a lion, referenced so often in his own works. The collection brings to live some of Doig’s most iconic works, referenced through an exact color palette, soft muted blues, navy, dusky mauve and Dior grey alongside hues of yellow, blood-orange and green. The looks are then elevated even more through the jewellery and belts adorned with an especially created Lion sculpture by Doig.

www.dior.com

Fashion

TAAKK FW21

Japanese Menswear brand, TAAKK, founded in 2013 by award winning designer Takuya Morikawa, has released a short film for Paris Fashion Week to debut its FW21 collection. The film is an ode to the idle and intangible nature of reminiscing. To venture forth requires a glance into the past, lingering on a thought like a daydream.

The protagonist muses on what it’s like to exist in the present moment when so often people are called back to the past; whether via a reminder, an invitation or a familiar voice. Mirokawa has continued to reshape the perception of menswear design since TAAKK’s founding, combining extensive material research and imaginative fabric treatments into each creation with the help from expert technicians to make each idea possible.

This season a herringbone wool jacket transitions seamlessly into tuckable cotton shirting, a jacket tailored in wool fades into a nylon MA-1 bomber, and polyester twill dissolves into sheer organdy to reveal layers beneath. To blur the line between dreams and reality, the short film produced by Nagisa Kodama for the TAAKK FW21 collection captures the yearning and boundless possibilities of being in a dream, suspended in time between departure and arrival.

The TAAKK FW21 collection will debut virtually February 2021 and will be available in select stores worldwide starting July 2021.

www.taakk.jp

Marni SS21: Fussbett Sabots

For the women’s and men’s SS21 collection, Marni has reignited their Fussbett sandals, a unisex item that presents a versatile and bold slipper version of the original. The more practical and sophisticated elements of the Fussbett are elevated and enhanced, the new Marni ‘Fussbett Sabots’ offer comfort and decadence to wear while working from home. Maintaining the same approach in the street, the Fussbett Sabots announce themselves loudly with a contemporary and casual style that aligns with many outfits and Marni looks.

The new slipper sandal by the luxury Italian brand is made to be worn in any relaxed setting, arriving in two versions: an understated grainy calf leather in black and white tones and a version covered entirely in calf hair leather in black and fuchsia colors. The calfskin iteration brandishes the Marni logo discreetly on its side. Made to transition between indoor and outdoor, night and day, the Fussbett Sabots exude nonchalance with a hint of glamour that is never too much.

The unisex Marni Fussbett Sabots will be available for spring 2021 online and in Marni boutiques and select multi-brand stores worldwide.

www.marni.com

Fashion

Tod's Men's FW21/22

Villa Ronchi, Vigevano, designed by Giuseppe De Finetti in 1936, is the setting for the new film ‘#sevenT’ from Italian luxury shoe designer, Tod’s. The title of the film denotes seven days in the week, and ‘T’ for Tod’s and time. The story that takes place at VIlla Ronchi, is the story of Tod’s place in nature, the story of relaxed tailoring and a reinterpretation of classics to define the sort of lifestyle synonymous with the brand.

Wools and sturdy cottons in colors that camouflage with the nature found in the Italian countryside take classic wardrobe garments and contradict formal details with more unexpected combinations. The trench coat, the shirt-jacket, the hunting jacket and the field jacket; pillars of a man’s wardrobe. Creative Director, Walter Chiapponi, defines the artisanal nature of each product to conjure up a portrait of the Italian gentleman, cosmopolitan and free-roaming.

The Tod’s FW21/22 Men’s collection also finds strength in its accessories, robust lace-ups with Norwegian stitching, ankle boots with a texan heel, sneakers with a multitude of materials and desert boots with enlarged gommini. The recurring ‘T’ made of metal appears on buckles and loafers, covered in leather on spacious and supple bags which were painstakingly made with as few cuts as possible on geometric briefcases with two straps intended for umbrellas or bottles.

‘#sevenT’ for Tod’s FW21/22 is an exploration into classic menswear and a rediscovery of comfortable formalwear.

www.tods.com

Fashion

FENDI Men's FW21

During the ongoing pandemic, society has shifted, most notably in the way we dress. Having been confined to our homes, we seek comfort in the clothes we wear, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside clothing. With the latest FENDI Men’s collection, Silvia Venturini Fendi takes us on an optimistic and comfortable adventure in a world full of illusions, a glimpse of how comfort is done at FENDI. A maze of neon doorways was suspended in a mirrored tunnel, infinitely multiplying the models whilst in reality entirely alone. Throughout the collection, we experienced the menswear classics in a new light having been injected with the FENDI playfulness. This did not just express itself through the bright colors, emerald, vermillion, orange and fuchsia just to name a few but also through contrasting textures and materials. Outerwear was defined by more relaxed silhouettes and reversible work wear inspired pieces unite multi-functionality and form. Another visual highlight of the show was the collaboration with British artist and performer Noel Fielding, another addition to Fendi’s playful selection of artistic collaborators. His signature style, multicolored, stream-of-consciousness scribble art, fits right in with the show’s backdrop and underlines once more Fendi’s optimistic and less formal view of the new reality.

www.fendi.com

Diesel Living with Lodes

DIESEL has partnered with Italian decorative lighting company, Lodes after the signing of an exclusive global licensing agreement last year. The international lifestyle brand DIESEL, owned by the OTB group, has launched a lighting collection dubbed ‘Diesel Living with Lodes’. The collection, which includes three new exclusive designs (Flask, Vinyl, Urban Concrete) and five renovated best sellers (Cage, Fork, Gask, Glass Drop, Pipe), displaying versatility and a bold design language inspired by contrasting opposites and themes of reality and perception.

Taking cues from the bollards found in the urban landscape, ‘Urban Concrete’ are lights designed to hang at lengths of either 12, 50, 60 or 80 centimetres. Clean lines and solid surfaces are juxtaposed to create the illusion of very heavy metal domes hanging on a thread, when in reality the light fixtures are very lightweight. ‘Flask’, also playing with perception, is inspired by the unique shapes of glass bottles one might find in a scientist’s lab, featuring a matte metallic surface that reveals the lamp’s glass appearance only when lit.

Technical innovation that is capable of capturing the imagination is central to the shared goals between the minds at DIESEL and Lodes. Of the licensing agreement, which will run for five years, Massimiliano Tosetto, General Manager at Lodes says “the launch of the ‘Diesel Living with Lodes’ products an the partnership with one of the world’s most renowned lifestyle brands is a further testament of our commitment to championing design excellence and creativity.”

The collaborative effort follows the success of other well received DIESEL collaborations, such as Scavolini (kitchens and bathrooms) or Mirabello Carrara (home textiles).

The Diesel Living with Lodes line will be available in select stores worldwide as of January 2021.

www.diesel.com
www.lodes.com

LEICHT: Light-Bathed Living

A three-storey house with floor to ceiling windows, rooms bathed with natural light and an awe-inspiring view of the Austrian countryside from almost anywhere in the house. These impressive architectural results from Austrian design firm, LEICHT, speak to the company’s dedication to clear lines, shapes and of course light as fundamentals in an exceptionally livable space by LEICHT and architect Zoran Bodrožic.

‘Architecture + Kitchen IV’, the fourth edition of kitchen and living settings. The house boasts a distinguished ensemble of individualism, comfort and opulence. The presence of light in the home and as an essential part of life takes precedence in the home’s design. The transparent home in Klosterneuburg features a completely handleless kitchen in a rectilinear design connecting the kitchen to the living room, making the flow of the house accommodating and incredibly scenic. Founded in 1928 as a carpenter‘s workshop by brothers Alois and Josef Leicht, the company has evolved into a globally recognized brand that excels in kitchen and living settings.

A trifecta of concrete, wood and stone make up the ceiling, floor and walls of the lounge room; a visual feast of elements both natural and refined. In this rejoicement of light bathed living an artistically detailed room divider creates an interplay between the kitchen and the living room so that one can feel they are not sacrificing the joys of one room in favor of another. Two preparation and cooking areas sit parallel to one another, the kitchen layout is an amiable setting for entertaining, relaxing or making a delicious meal in a gorgeous panoramic country setting.

Synonymous with prestigious, open kitchens with a homely aesthetic, LEICHT offers kitchens in all price ranges offering outstanding value for money. In recent years they have turned their attention to designing the dining and living rooms with dividers to improve the relationship between both rooms within the 21st century idea of a home.

www.leicht.com

AGL SS21: 'Sallie'

The over the knee boot has been around since the 60s, origins dating back to the 17th century, adopted by Balenciaga with the release of their knee high boot for their Fall 1962 collection and Yves Saint Laurent with the release of Roger Viver’s thigh high alligator skin boots; the design has been a favorite at many houses. The family owned and operated Italian shoemaker, AGL, has released their answer to this boot with ‘Sallie: The Art-Couture creation’. AGL, short for Attilio Giusti Leombruni, has made many fine shoes of shapes and varieties since being founded in 1958. In this adventure into art-couture, ‘Sallie’ features a laser-cut pattern of geometric shapes and laces to be tied at the back of the boots. The boots are visually dramatic, while also lucid and intentional, to be worn with confidence and swagger.

The imaginative designs arrive in three kinds of leather, made entirely in Italy, each boot has its own individual finish; lizard skin, snakeskin and a muted pink calfskin. Sara, Vera and Marianna, granddaughters of AGL founder, Piero Giusti, as the third generation in the family brand the sisters pave their own path boldly to pursue a wild reinvention of a classic with their ‘Sallie’ boot. Their conceptual and technical knowledge supplemented with an evident sensitivity for Womenswear allows this boot to act as a bridge between old and new, amplified and joyfully contemporary.

AGL will be releasing the ‘Sallie’ boot as a highlight of their SS21 collection.

www.agl.com

Fashion

Coco Beach de Chanel 2021

Sun-kissed bodies lazing on a beach or frolicking in the ocean, waiting for the perfect wave; an ideal of freedom. The daydreams of a carefree and perfect day at the beach, what might this daydream look like? Coco Beach De Chanel 2021 collection will arrive midway through this year to answer this question. Asymmetric swimsuits and bikinis embellished with a bow on the shoulder or breast, timeless color pairings of purple and black, black and white and ivory prints feature on a casual range of luxury swimwear and beach accessories.

In the collection are a plethora of styles and materials. The looks include Loose fitting blouses made of Oxford cotton, bermuda shorts, a bag and beach towel in purple and black cotton, a lightweight white tunic in poplin styled over a black swimsuit in stretch jersey; a fusion of traditional and contemporary. With the signature double C motif seamlessly appearing in each pattern. In the past Chanel has released cruise collections, resort collections, even a swimwear line debuted in 1995.

Much has changed in the world and at Chanel since, with this collection the fact remains that style created for joy remains resilient muse at Chanel. The Coco Beach De Chanel 2021 collection will be available in Chanel boutiques from April.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Fjallraven SS21

The Swedish brand, Fjallraven, founded by Åke Nordin in 1960 and known for their passion for the great outdoors, are releasing their new High Coast Hydratic series for SS21. Featuring a waterproof and breathable 2.5 layer construction, their 100% recycled polyamide hydratic jacket has a specially designed printed lining by Swedish artist, Erik Olovsson. The jacket is similar to its more technical predecessor, the Keb Eco-Shell jacket, in that it is made without fluorocarbons which can damage the environment and the Earth’s ozone by warming the lower atmosphere. These fluorocarbons are also common in refrigerators and air-conditioning units. 

Versatility sets the High Coast Hydratic Jacket apart. It is breathable, packable, features an adjustable hood and has hi-vis elements for busy urban landscapes such as the journey to and from work. The jacket also has unique ventilation zips in its sides in order to let out any excess heat that builds up in the jacket from wear. For the mountains, the Summer hiking trails or the fierce high seas; the High Coast Hydratic Jacket by Fjallraven is an adventurer’s companion and an asset against all elements. Continuing its belief that no weather is ‘bad weather’, this eco-friendly SS21 jacket is as integral to the outdoors as the elements themselves.

 www.fjallraven.com

Art

Rome De Bellegarde x Ettinger

French luxury cognac maker, Rome De Bellegarde, and the British heritage brand, Ettinger, have partnered to create a limited run of 50 gift boxes. These opulent gift boxes include a 100ml bottle of Rome de Bellegarde’s rare limited edition X.O. cognac as well as a four ounce Ettinger hip flask augmented with a butter soft leather brandishing the logo of these two esteemed brands marking their collaboration. Rome de Bellegarde dates back to France’s King Henry III and is survived by the new generation of the Bellegarde family who resurrected their ancestor’s savoir-faire in exquisite cognac.

Ettinger, founded in 1934, is proud to jointly release a vessel to hold one of the finest cognacs in the world today. Rome De Bellgarde’s signature orange color was the inspiration for the tan of leather that wraps around the flask, making it warmer to the touch, a welcome reprieve from the cool breath of Winter. CEO of Ettinger, Robert Ettinger, has said of the collaboration, “it is always a pleasure to work with another craftsmanship brand and hope our flasks continue to be enjoyed long after the X.O. cognac is finished!” 

Of the esteemed partnership and collaboration, Rome De Bellegarde’s owner David Romuald-Bellegarde Smeralda, has doted on Ettinger with similar praise, stating “we are truly honored to share this collaboration with a great craftsmanship brand such as Ettinger, who in many ways share a similar story to the Bellegarde family and display great resilience. This limited edition box was designed with our customers in mind making sure they get the very best from us.” 

The gift boxes retail for £499 and represent the best that both houses have to offer. The flasks can be customized with the recipient’s initials for enhanced personalization and richness of character.

www.ettinger.co.uk
www.romedebellegarde.com  

Fashion

Lamborghini x Roger Dubuis

Horology is invigorated with the roar of Lamborghini’s supercars in the Excalibur Huracán STO. Designed by the legendary Roger Dubuis, this new piece is an unbelievable encapsulation of the powerhouse car brand, elegantly concealed within a stand out accessory. Rules are thrown out of the window with this watch, where a strong futuristic sentiment gives the bold blues, oranges and blacks real excitement and vigor. The watch’s clear similarities to its namesake don't end at its title, the exhilarating power of the super sports Huracán STO captured in the watch’s automatic RD630 calibre with a honeycomb motif and a 12° angled balance wheel combined with a 360° oscillating weight. Roger Dubuis ijets adrenaline and excitement into every detail of this timepiece, a car and watch lover’s delight in each respect.

www.lamborghini.com

Fashion

Eternal Beauty

Lois creates a distinctly intimate exhibition in their Amsterdam Galeria, celebrating the pioneering supermodels who changed the industry with their iconic and eternal beauty. Featuring Helena Christensen and Elle Macpherson and photographed by Kat Irlin this wonderful shoot is a celebration too of Lois, a brand that has long been committed to the eternal beauty of diverse models. Christensen was shot in her home in New York and Macpherson at the Faena hotel in Miami. These photographs are a small and delightfully unassuming insight into the world of these two legendary models.

www.loisjeanstore.com

Fashion

Step Up

Church’s excites with their new Urban Crossover Collection, a wonderful array of styles and looks, designed for the colder months. Both men’s and women’s are complete with innovative design, contemporary uppers with hyper-light weight vulcanized rubber soles lending themselves to easy practical wear. Church’s also appeals to a sense of classicism and nostalgia, their classic lace-ups, loafers and boot uppers retaining a place of prominence, uniquely married with a specially defined lightweight St. Morritz sole. In applying these details, Church’s delivers on brand footwear that has a distinctly contemporary edge. This is seen in the women’s collection where an updated iteration of the iconic 1970’s Shannon is rearticulated with vigor and intention. The new Shannon T is bold, its thick yet lightweight tread sole contrasting beautifully against its smooth rois calfskin upper. Urban Cross Over is a delightful and intrepid step into the unknown, whilst still championing the identity of some of Church’s most beloved shoes.

www.church-footwear.com

Fashion

Teaser

Soon after being appointed the Maison’s Creative Director in October, Matthew M williams released his debut collection for Givenchy. Following the success of the Spring Summer 2021 collection, the fashion house has now dropped an edited selection from this line, a playful grungy expression of leather, denim, chains and classic white shirts. Statement outerwear composed of crocodile print and decadent leathers give way to relaxed silhouettes paired with horned baseball caps and distinctive hardware, a unique and urban aesthetic. Amidst denim co-ords and leather sliders, there is a wonderful sense of youthfulness and freedom, a new iteration of the beloved Antigona woven into this exciting rebellious narrative. The Teaser capsule collection premiers today, (1 December 2020) exclusively in seven Givenchy stores across Europe, Asia and the US, as well as on their online store. This collection is a testament to the magnetic power of great design and creativity.

www.givenchy.com

Fashion

Set in Paris

Longchamp returns to the city of love for its new film campaign. Set in Paris, fantasy meets reality as the infamously romantic city becomes cinematic backdrop to this eccentric yet subtle production. With the dynamism of a music video, Longchamp have selected emerging actresses to play a lively cast of Parisian women with the “joie de vivre” of the city. In this wonderful typically french take, two Longchamp bags become accidentally exchanged, and it is in this quaint storyline that Longchamp’s iconic accessory is showcased in an understated but undeniably present and engaging way. Describing her vision, the brand’s Artistic Director explained, “I wanted to depict an active, spontaneous and open-minded woman, one who grabs hold of life with elegance and independent spirit.” For a fashion house so inextricably tied to the city of Paris this film is a visually stunning tribute to such a nostalgic and meaningful location.

www.longchamp.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles, Hamburg

Following the success of their opening in Düsseldorf, Moose Knuckles is set to move to its next German location: Hamburg, with an exciting new pop up store. Located at the center of this thriving cultural city, the new pop-up store will occupy one of the most famous department stores in Germany, Braun Hamburg. Reflecting on this strategy for the Canadian outerwear brand, GM and Executive VP Marco D’Avanzo said “we recognized the change in shopping behavior and launched this experience-based concept to meet our community in their local area. The foundation of our brand is built on local, authentic and emotional ties with our customers worldwide”. Developing the store concept, experts from the Parisian design office Bureau Betak have crafted a unique experience which centres the customers, and of course the pioneering jackets and coats Moose Knuckles are internationally renowned for.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

Shaded Dreams

Emboldened by a kitsch retro glamor, Gucci’s Matelassé eyewear collection is a perfect embodiment of a House dedicated to striking and iconic design. Chunky frames, adorned by the House’s recognizable logo of the interlinked G’s are a fun and playful statement piece able to dress up any look. Covered in leather, the sunglasses exude a decadent charm, recalling Gucci’s beloved Marmont bag pattern, with the matelassé decoration that runs over the entire frame and temples. These wonderful accessories coming in burgundy red, black, white and snakeskin are beautifully textured, a surprising but welcomed detail to this timeless accessory. Perfect for bright crisp winter days these sunglasses beg to be worn with a thick knitted jumper, and winter coat, or for a warm weather retreat by a poolside. Gucci delivers yet another stunning collection of sunglasses, beautifully authentic in their use of leather.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Season Greetings

FENDI gets into the holiday spirit with their new collection, unapologetic in its dedication to the most jubilant time of the year. Versatile in essence, the collection is both functional and aesthetic in its championing of chunky knits and sporty tracksuits. With their menswear featuring urban puffers and their womenswear articulating the feminine form beautifully in a new set of skirts, FENDI has everything covered. Taking the season in full fling, the collection showcases an exciting new collaboration with K-Way®, offering their customers practical wear for months of cold and wet weather. Any union with K-Way®, would not be complete without their legendary windbreakers, FENDI creating a dark blue color way for men and black and fold for women. An exclusive style is also offered, the FF logo printed on mink fur in brown. Continuing the tone of luxury brilliance, gold metallic accents sparkle in the Golden Capsule Collection, another nod to the holiday season. In this collection, silhouettes become fluid, Lurex jersey frocks, draped collars and sculptural plunging necklines transforming their wearer into the life of the party.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Mirror Image

“A mirror image is not the same as a reflection” reasons Maite Denolf, graduate of the Design Academy Eindhoven. Rather the mirror produces a reflection with a shifted perspective, a distinction that is explored in Denolf’s graduation project, the “Reflective Compass”. Composed of rotating tubes with black vinyl forms, a transparent reflective glass which overlays these moving parts produces changing reflections coming in and out of focus. In its illusionistic sense of play, the designer/architects hopes “the Reflective Compass can cause people to stand still from time to time and take a moment to interact with themselves”.

www.maitedenolf.com

Fashion

By My Side

RIMOWA announces a brand new collection of personal cases this autumn. Crafted in the latest polycarbonates Essential collection colors, the launch is a timely celebration of the brand’s 20th anniversary of their pioneering polycarbonate suitcase in 2000. RIMOWA pushes the boundaries of travel, encompassing lifestyle in this new collection which was unveiled at Dior’s summer 2020 show, available as part of a capsule collection in collaboration with kim Jones. This latest collection made in Germany, has practicality and easy travel at its core, made in ultra-lightweight, dent-resistant grooved polycarbonate, perfect for keeping your staple travel items safe and protected. Coming in 4 glossy colorways, the monochromatic classics black and white are joined by 2 seasonal hues, Desert Rose and Cactus, in keeping with the most recent RIMOWA Essential collection rooted in the mojave desert.

www.rimowa.com

Fashion

Larger Than Life

Hublot delights with its new version of the MECA-10, an oversized version of their beloved January 2016 model. The table clock extends Hublot’s rich repertoire moving from wearable craftsmanship to innovative interior design; in the process treating its host of loyal watch enthusiasts to a domestic centrepiece. In collaboration with the Jura-based L’Epée manufacturer, the MECA-10 has been enlarged by four times, realizing its full potential, impressively retaining its original specifications, most importantly its 10-day power reserve. Reimagining the manual movement in a uniquely technical light, the manual mechanism’s seamless performance is delivered by its Meccano construction system. The world-renowned clock-making expertise of the L’Epée manufacturer, flourishes in this new venture, its 19.60 by 18.10cm case housing the meticulous system, coming in two versions. The first model showcases Meccano-inspired angles and a ring in polished satin-finished steel and transparent composite; the second version is covered with PVD consolidated by supporting brushes coated in black. Hublot makes an impact with this bold design of limited edition pieces, presenting a table watch larger than life.

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Michaël Borremans

Michaël Borremans appears in an exciting new solo exhibition, entitled ‘Coloured Cones,’ at the Zeno X Gallery in Antwerp, Belgium. Borremans presents a new series of paintings, a wonderfully colorful addition to his illustrious oeuvre. Cone-shaped objects covered in satin become the artist’s focus, appearing in various different constellations in the foreground of his canvases. These objects become succinctly figurative in Borremans’ human-like compositions, lending themselves to an anthropomorphic reading. The artist’s painterly gestures revitalize the canvas, adding surprising dynamism to his inanimate subjects, his sincere approach engaging with the cones as one would a group of figures. Zeno X Gallery curates a beautiful show, spotlighting the art of their national Belgian talent.

www.zeno-x.com

Fashion

The Triple Stitch

The fall winter season is welcomed with innovation and style by Ermenegildo Zegna, their presentation of the Triple Stitch, keeping at bay the winter blues. This versatile slip-on sneaker has pleasure and ease at its core, promising elevated comfort in a wonderfully light weight shoe. A luxury essential for the modern man’s wardrobe, the Triple Stitch evades dress code in its sheer versatility. Its flexible construction is realised by a sole made in an extra light rubber, matching the pace of day to day life. Clever in its allusion to Zegna’s rich and iconic history, the enduring triple elastic which allows it to be slipped on and off also recalls the three hand stitches on the brand’s suit lapels. In its crafty design, Zegna makes a trainer that can be worn across the seasons, particularly in its range across a spectrum of colors. Featuring beige, dark vicuna and red leather, a contemporary combination of grained calfskin and suede dyed grey, blue or chocolate brown is also offered. For an even sorter finish, a supple deerskin version is also available, the perfect remedy for the biting cold of crisp winter days.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

The Finer Things

NET-A-PORTER launches its first ever exclusive pop-up with iconic jewelry brand Jessica McCormack. The U.K based jewelry company has solidified its place as a household name, having been worn by everyone from Victoria Beckham to Meghan Markle. In their striking commitment to heirloom-inspired designs, Georgian-era characteristics are integrated stunningly with a fresh, contemporary aesthetic. A pioneering light in the world of wearable jewelry, Jessic McCormack has proved that its customized, layered designs are as personal and intimate as they are luxurious and classic. For the pop-up NET-A-PORTER will showcase key collections: Signature, Ball n Chain, Tattoo, Chi Chi, Gypsets, Hex and Wings of Desire, all making a welcomed appearance. In their effortless aesthetic each piece in each collection exudes contemporary cool, a perfect and fitting addition to a globally-acclaimed site renowned for its dedication to innovate and wonderful design. Speaking excitedly about this collaboration, Jessica McCormack’s CEO, Colleen Caslin said “NET-A-PORTER’s approach to client satisfaction, upheld by their exceptional team of personal shoppers, dovetails with Jessica McCormack’s – where anything is possible and service is unparalleled.’’ With craftsmanship at the essence of Jessica McCormack, high quality products, this union between itself and NET-A PORTER is an exciting prospect for both companies’ future.

www.net-a-porter.com
www.jessicamccormack.com

Fashion

Hermès Spring Summer 2021

The sun, or is it the moon? A super moon perhaps, hovering on the horizon, above the sea. It’s the sea we look at just after winter, still in motion, not completely calm but not rough either. It’s Frédéric Sanchez’s visual artwork, always interwoven with his music. Then the wind raises, it tousles the hair of a woman, she is standing still, thinking. Or was she daydreaming? In fact she is made of terracotta. She is one of Camille Vivier’s women, always between sensuality and strangeness. Few pages before the vibrant strokes of German Artist Carsten Fock. They form landscapes of colors, of energy. To accompany Hermès Spring Summer 2021 collection Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski put together a limited edition scrapbook, collecting a number of artists who inspired Hermès over the years, and recalling the scrapbook she used to create during her years at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Amongst these artists also Claudia Wieser whose artwork as well informed the vast scenography built inside the Tennis Club de Paris. Here a series of the Wieser’s signature images interpreting ancient artifacts excavated from the ruins of a Roman temple build in third century AD, are installed as wallpaper on vertical elements, columns, volumes, emerging as a forest of ancient ruins, of visual moments, and interlacing with the collection. “A dialogue between fashion and art, a free interpretation of patterns, incarnations and digressions around the themes of the new collection’s silhouettes … with just one spirit: a found freedom.” Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski created a collection where apparent sobriety reveals daring cut outs, and a rush of freedom. A graceful, confident silhouette, a sensitive second skin that expresses strength and fragility. Reconnecting with the outside and rediscovering sensuality. The hip-skimming, sleeveless, backless bodysuits celebrates the body. It also frees the body. Matched with the leather skirt as magnificently simple as the leather aprons of stable hands, but with a female allure. As always at Hermès the details are a reference to their iconic bags like the key-shaped clasps of this skirt, also a subtle nod to Crébillon’s La nuit et le moment. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski combined every day armour with fantasy where Masculine/Feminine, genders fluid, each one nurtures the other. Hermès Spring Summer 2021 also features Les Roues de phaéton print, a digitally reworked black and white homage to mid-nineteenth century carriages: “The obsession with this print, this carriage, this moment, recurs in this modern summer outfit. Passing through a crossroads of times, influences and currents, without coming to a standstill”. Amongst the most architectural looks a mesh dress, in horn and fine chestnut brown lambskin, layered over a micro dress, in Poros white stretch silk knit: “Leather and horn mesh over silk knit, Chestnut over Poros white. Free to layer outfits the way the avant-gardists structured their colors”. Art once again informs the collection: inspired by Lucio Fontana, a supple coat’s neckline, in kilim brown glossy lambskin, plunges to reveal bare skin. The closing look, A backless bodysuit, in stretch silk knit, in terracotta brown underlines Hermès’ statement on simplicity: “Knowledge has never been so turbulent. It plays itself out in details”.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Wearable Art

Vans and MoMA collaborate in an artistic explosion that produces special edition footwear and apparel, consecrating the museum’s most iconic works and renowned artists. As a longstanding advocate for creative expression, Vans is a perfect candidate for one of the world’s most pioneering cultural institutions. Featuring the art of Salvador Dalí, Vasily Kandinsky, Claude Monet, Edvard Munch, Jackson Pollock, Lybov Popova and Faith Ringgold, this collaboration is a testament to the diversity of Moma’s leading collection. In translating motifs and images from these artists onto a series of footwear and apparel, Vans and MoMA create wearable art, their iconic shoe models transformed by bid use of color and shape. Drawstring bags, jumpers and hats are also enlivened by this unique collaboration, which extends also to a children’s and toddlers range. Surrealism flows into abstraction, in a collection that is every art lover’s dream.

www.vans.eu/moma

Fashion

Born a Star

French-Georgian pianist, Khatia Buniatishvili is the latest ambassador to join Cartier’s impressive and eclectic group of inspiring personalities. Making her debut as pianist, unbelievably at the of 3, Khatia has shown herself to be an extraordinary talent, her virtuosity, open-mindedness and striking intellect recently lending itself to a range of humanitarian commitments. Reflecting on their new addition to the board of ambassadors, Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO of Cartier International said, “Khatia expresses the essence of who we are. Pure simplicity and expressive romanticism. Delicate exuberance. Unique and universal. Plural singularity. Body and soul, with measure and unbridled energy Khatia embarks us into the dizzying exploration of human emotions and passion”. Khatia has performed internationally at some of the world’s largest stages: London, Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan and Shanghai to mention just a few. Social causes now supported by the acclaimed pianist include refugee aid, climate just and child development. In her passion and dedication to all that she does Khatia is a welcomed addition to Cartier’s esteemed collective of ambassadors.

www.cartier.com

Fashion

Isabel Marant Spring Summer 2021

Dance, Dance, Dance. One of the most fun moments during Womenswear season in Paris has been always the after party following Isabel Marant show. It was a moment to connect with colleagues you hardly have time to talk with, but also a time for spontaneity, for pure freedom, for self expression. We all wonder when we will be able to freely enjoy again those moments, that seem now very far on the horizon. For Spring Summer 2021 collection Isabel Marant revived that quest of vitality and exaltation. Held at the extended premises of the brand’s signature show location, the Jardin of Palais Royal, a bacchanal of bodies stormed around the models, in waves, dancing. The (LA)HORDE collective’s original performance expressed a powerful transformation of energies, triggering movement, heat and light. Isabel Marant also collaborated with Los Angeles-based artist Amber Goldhammer. She designed a print for the collection: a profusion of multicolored graffiti hearts, blossoming out of a short-sleeved jumpsuit. This burning desire to go out and escape is reflected in the entire collection through Isabel Marant’s signature silhouettes and fabrics: short skirts and mini shorts, lamé dazzling pieces, strapless dresses and asymmetrical designs. Everything calls for festivity, day or night. This is a woman who loves Debbie Harry, Donna Summer and the beat of 80s music.

www.isabelmarant.com

Fashion

Dries Van Noten Spring Summer 2021

Pure sheer joy, psychedelic colors, dance. For Spring Summer 2021 Dries Van Noten draws a direct inspiration from pioneer artist Len Lye and his films created between the late 20s and 40s. Like 1938 ‘A Colour Box’. The film constructed without the use of any camera, moves in mysterious ways. It’s a continuous stream of fabulously kinetic energy, where a series of abstract artworks directly painted on the film strips celluloid sways before your eyes. Len Lye was one of the most exhilarating artists from the 20th century, known for his kinetic sculptures and experimental direct animations. Born in New Zeeland in 1901 he moved first to Australia and then to a remote Samoan island before taking the place of a deserting sailor in a ship to London in 1926. He successfully established himself as artist associated with the Seven and Five Society, but eventually moved to New York in 1944 Over the years Len Lye remarkably shifted from one medium to another, reinventing new forms of visual art, fascinated with sculpture, painting, motion, writing. Some critics regard his 1958 ‘Free radicals’ as one of his greatest film. He reduced the film medium to its most basic elements by scratching on black film using a variety of tools: dental tools, ancient Native American arrow-head. Growing up in the South Pacific region gave Lye a peculiar set of interests, very different from Western modern artists. In the early years of his career he studied Maori and Aboriginal art including the Pacific tapa design. It’s this mysterious and intriguing use of colors, forms, references that has always fascinated Dries Van Noten’ vision. Over the years his inspirations looked at art, exceptional characters, cinema. Always infusing craftsmanship and history. This season the narratives of folklore are evoked with traditional embroidery techniques and a series of printed motifs derived from Len Lye’s painting work on films in collaboration with Len Lye’s Foundation Archives Presented through a video directed by Vivian Sassen, the collection is a new take on print and embroidery, a graphic play with light and shadow where Dries Van Noten’s signature silhouettes and textiles merges with the psychedelic color sunbursts and the crisp comforting simplicity of Dries Van Noten vivid elegance.

www.driesvannoten.com

Fashion

Locked Up

Matthew M Williams, Givenchy’s new Creative Director, channels the beauty of his new life in Paris, in his first advertising campaign for the house. Collaborating with longtime friend and photographer Nick Knight, Williams pushes a fresh, modern attitude for Givenchy. Returning to a picture he took of the iconic “love locks” that adorn the bridges of Paris, Williams elevates this emblem with a distinctly urban aesthetic. The hardware symbols are to be a part of both the women’s and men's collection, classic chains formed of flat and angular links, stylized into a “g” shape, a subtle tribute to the house. These unisex accessories sit against ombre pastel backgrounds, a striking contrast between washed out hues and metallic tones. Gold-finish “Givenchy” locks recall the U-lock design or come with a spare, narrow body and elongated shackle that closes with a textured screw. Williams also showcases a padlock in the collection, embossed with an exotic skin motif with two asymmetrical piercings at its base so that its sibling locks have the opportunity to hook up or not. The campaign is also present on digital platforms, where a video features vocals by Willaims’ close friend, rapper and songwriter Playboi Carti.

www.givenchy.com

Fashion

Giorgio Armani Spring Summer 2021

1980, a young, almost unknown, Richard Gere acts as Julian, a high-priced male escort in American Gigolo, directed by Paul Schrader after gaining recognition as screenwriter for many celebrated movies including Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. Schrader at his second feature film as director asked the young Giorgio Armani – who started his fashion adventure in Menswear only 5 years before - to create the entire wardrobe for Gere. In one of the most iconic scenes, Gere gets ready in the morning, choosing what to wear: he lays down a number of suits on top of his bed, with matching shirts, ties, carefully handpicking each one. The blazers are fluid, with only a soft silk lining, almost impalpable. They move and feel like a shirt. It was a revolutionary image, suits were now as sensual as light. Since the very beginning Giorgio Armani wanted to create fashion to dress real people. For Giorgio Armani clothes have been always an extension of the persona and never the opposite. Backstage before his Fall Winter 1984 show speaking to the models he said: “We need to create a show that is nothing like a show, rather than models you need to feel like ordinary guys, taking a stroll, walking down the street with your girlfriend, stopping by to watch a move. Nothing has to feel forced. I would like you to be as natural as possible “ Like narrated in the documentary “Timeless Thoughts” – broadcasted in the occasion of Giorgio Armani Men’s and Women’s Spring/Summer 2021 show – Armani spoke to all the men who no longer identified themselves in the classic suit striving for individuality, and to the women who longed to step outside and start their own career freely. Giorgio Armani Spring Summer 2021 collection highlighted all these essential traits of Armani’s soft revolution over the decades, not only through the stripped down/reinvented suits for men, but also through the versatile silhouettes for women contaminated by that freedom borrowed from man’s wardrobe, still as feminine as each woman wished for. Soft oversized long blazers, short jackets paired with fluid pants, long suit jackets in neutral colors. Beige, pastel green, white and declinations of Armani quintessential color: that very specific grey hue, synonymous of rigor and sensuality. The show ended with a series sumptuous evening looks as dazzling as ethereal. Intricate beading works, geometrical graphic elements and the signature oriental fascinations reiterated the calm elegance Giorgio Armani has been gifting women for more than four decades.

www.armani.com

Fashion

Emporio Armani Spring Summer 2021

Giorgio Armani’s interpretation of architectural and urban themes has been a constant in his career. Culminated in 2015 opening of Armani/Silos, the building housing various exhibitions but also Armani’s very own philosophy: “setting up Armani/Silos, deciding what to exhibit and how, focusing on the themes that best represent a way of thinking and a style – all this helped me look back on my 40-year career in a passionate but balanced way. Because fashion, which seems to want to live in an eternal present, needs to reflect on itself and its own roots in order to face the future. Through this process of reflection, we see how fashion accompanies and often anticipates important social changes. Remembering what we were like in the past can help us understand what we might be in the future “. Giorgio Armani words could not be more pertinent to our time. The future we long will be built from a reflection on our past. Emporio Armani Spring Summer 2021 was presented through a video where the urban dynamism of Armani/Silos dissolved into a contemporary lightness: here a cluster of people walk, dance, live, as frenetically as orderly. They strive to achieve immateriality and turn into light. The regular geometric shapes of this monumental building are the resonates Armani’s aesthetic seeking simplicity. The cinematographic motion set colors, graphic images, roads, suspended bridges, fragments of a city becoming animated by movement. In this fictional world the idea of ethereal, unpredictable elegance merge with feather-light materials, almost impalpable. The interplay of textured and tactile surfaces enhances the barely-there colors through materials: a neutral palette ranges from beige, grey and almond finding their purest expression in shades of white and light blue, and ultimately illuminating black hues. For menswear the suits and overcoats are fluid, textured with laser-work and architectural dévoré effects, iridescent at night. The soundtrack and original visuals by Frédéric Sanchez, the respected French music artist and producer - mark the rhythm, capturing the atmosphere of a world yet to come. His work always starts from images, visual representations of a moment, a feeling.

www.armani.com

Fashion

Aesop Gift Kits

Aesop presents a beautiful monochromatic animation, following a seagull at sea in the dead of night. Using interactive technology we are invited to step into this virtual world and discover the inspiration behind Aesop’s new fiction inspired campaign, gifts to inspire imaginary flights. Noting the importance of escapism in our current time, Aesop’s 2020 gift offerings are imbued with the power of storytelling, transporting us to other worlds through beautifully crafted product boxes accompanied by a free audio and e-book of a selected work of literature. This literature comprises works by an international cast of talented writers and authors: Modernist master Katherine Mansfield, writer Lafcadio Hearn, author Rabindranath Tagore, author Isabelle Eberhardt and Machado de Assis. With the packaging for these inspired gift kits made out of 100% recycled and biodegradable materials, the brand stays committed to ethical and sustainable production whilst providing tantalizing treats for loved ones at an incredibly deserving time.

www.aesop.com

Fashion

Fendi Spring Summer 2021

Through the looking glass, Silvia Venturini lovingly pieces together memories, nostalgia becoming a means to celebrate time spent with family and quiet more subtle observations gleaned during the surreal climate. We get the sense we are at once inside looking out and outside looking in, a hybrid space where reflections merge organically with real life as models meander down a white carpeted Milan runway. Within this myriad of stories, domestic life is made beautiful, the simplistic allure of linen and cotton elevated with sleek design. FENDI boldly strips itself bare in this collection, allowing minimalistic layering and soft silhouettes to speak for themselves. Formal shaping and structures are softened, tailored details becoming more relaxed through unbuttoned shirt sleeves, embroidered tulle and apron dresses, curating a sense of weightlessness. Neutral creams and whites sit amidst splashes of pale blue, reds and deep pink accents, giving way to more sombre office greys and blacks. Spring and Summer is imbued with a delicacy, a beautifully minimalist approach to the warmer seasons. Diaphanous dresses contrast excitingly with soft quilted jackets in a show that recreates the feeling of a warm summer breeze.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

AGL Presentation, Milan Fashion Week 2021

Through a distorted lens, models and a sea of entangled legs gently pulsate. Tulle silhouettes flow into heels that accentuate the feminine figure from the floor upwards. It feels as though one is coming in and out of consciousness, a rebirth somewhat, where AGL’s shoes are presented as the only true constant. Some heels snake around the foot, some appear as denim sock boots, others cream leather. Moving up the legs, thigh high shoes present something of a Herculean athlete, metallic lattice fabrics, curating bold and mythological statement pieces. More paired back styles also have a classical Greek feel, studded straps connected along the back of the calf by thin red leather straps. AGL creates real magic, a collection which speaks to the contemporary moment, shoes built to empower their wearer to stand tall.

www.agl.com

Fashion

Stepping Back

Maison Berluti celebrates its 125 anniversary in style, with an exciting collaboration with the Monnaie de Paris. Under the guidance of Creative Director Kris Van Assche, this union becomes a part of a myriad of successful collaborations, which have flourished since his appointment to the role in 2018. Marking this iconic year for the brand, their classic Andy shoe is reimagined as a penny loafer, an ode to the legacy of Alessandro Berluti, the Italian-born shoemaker who designed the brand’s first lace-up shoe. The Andy, which was designed in 1962, for the infamous Andy Warhol, takes on the prep school aesthetic, an innovative twist on its initial form. In the early 20th century, the penny loafer’s name was coined by a college demographic who would cleverly keep a penny in the half moon cut out of the shoe’s upper leather strip for the pay phones. Paying homage to this history the Monnaie de Paris has crafted an ornamental penny, beautifully stamped with Berluti’s crest. A limited-edition model, the shoe comes in four different color ways, all wonderful quality in their hand patinated full grain, uncoated, soft Venezia leather. Maison Berluti, returns to their roots, the references used, a wonderful nod to the fascinating evolution of fashion.

www.berluti.com

Fashion

20 Years of Perfume Wonder

Frédéric Malle turns back time for their 20th anniversary, celebrating each and everyone of the 32 perfumes of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. Revisiting the year of each fragrance’s creation, the brand offers a set of limited editions, reviving past scents with new vigor and the buzz of this monumental landmark in the brand’s identity. In true patriotic fashion, Frédéric Malle uses the brand’s signature color red, on the bakelite cap of their 100ml bottles. Seven of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle’s most popular perfumes are brought to the fore; Bigarade Concentrée, Vétiver Extraordinaire, French Lover, L’Eau d’Hiver, Musc Ravageur, Carnal Flower et Portrait of a Lady, made available for this very special occasion. Running through the packaging and bottles’ design is a frieze designed by the Creative Director of The New York Times, Patrick Yi, consecrating 20 years of exciting and pioneering talent and creativity. This same imagery also decorates two travel sets which feature a selection of three perfumes for him or her. Completing the 20 year spectacle will be a limited edition discovery coffret, gifting a fortunate perfume lover with 12 emblematic scents from the collection. Twenty years of perfume connoisseurship.

www.fredericmalle.com

Fashion

Inner City Magic

Virgil Abloh curates an eclectic whimsical Tokyo show for Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Spring Summer 2021 collection. Re-imagining the typical runway, models roam through an abandoned packing district, somewhat scattered as they meander through a dark and smoke filled landscape; sometimes in groups, sometimes as individuals. Huge inflatable balloons suspended over the show are held by men in branded Louis Vuitton boiler suits and bandannas, inflatable characters are also strapped on to models, whose outfits casually blend into large and imposing figurines. Virgil Abloh is inspired by Afrofuturism and surrealism, rethinking the black imagination, in his interweaving of black culture through flags, music (ska and two-tone), spoken word and dolls inspired by his own Ghanaian heritage. These dolls appear in various forms, wrapped around shirt collars, hanging from suited shoulders, peeking out of pockets and hand held by selected models. Abloh creates something of a quasi futuristic dream scape, models wearing asymmetric and uni-banded sunglasses in glittery balaclavas and khaki trench coats; forming a unique and captivating vision that feels as much an ode to childhood as it does the dystopian contemporary narrative. Shipping containers, onto which are projected dancers’ silhouettes and musicians, form the backdrop of the show, defiantly resisting the typically “beautiful” norms of fashion runway shows. Interspersed with the live show are aerial scenes of Tokyo, archival film, live footage of the band and cartoon sketches of Louis Vuitton’s animated characters; intertextuality is skeletal to the show and of course Abloh’s thinking adding depth to the show that only elevates his bold an eccentric garments and looks.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

An Italian Affair

With her fresh and timeless aesthetic, Greta Ferro effortlessly fills the role of protagonist in Furla’s Autumn Winter campaign. Formed around the concept of a love story, the campaign’s idyllic tale of a young woman in the midst of a postcard exchange with her lover, adds a gripping narrative to the House’s set of advertising stills. Shot by photographer Giampaolo Sgura under the creative direction of Magnus Berger, Furla encapsulates the simple pleasure of a good cup of coffee at one’s favourite spot. The city bar at which Ferro appears so naturally, is buzzing with life, laughter, flirtatious exchanges and light music, almost audible through Sgura’s lens. The collection features some of Furla's most iconic creations, made excitingly unfamiliar against new and revised looks. Clean lines married with high craftsmanship and the value of tradition all propulate this picture perfect Italian scene, Ferro’s ease and elegance blending seamlessly with the House’s identity.

www.furla.com

Fashion

The Seventh Art

CHANEL will be partnering with the Deauville American Film Festival for its second time. This year the Festival will be celebrating its 46th event, running from September 4 to September 13, 2020. Presenting a vast range, the festival will be showing films from the Cannes and Annecy film festival as well as from its own selection. The president of the jury this year will be artist Vanessa Paradis and of the Revelation jury, Rebecca Zlotowski. What makes this partnership so special is Deauville’s unique place in CHANEL’S history, a formative location for one of Gabrielle Chanel’s greatest discoveries. It was here that Gabrielle Chanel opened a hat shop in 1912 during which she appropriated the “poor” jersey fabric worn by fishermen as a stretchy alternative for her modern feminine silhouettes. A century later Karl Lagerfeld consecrated this time in Gabrielle Chanel’s career, making a short film entitled “Once upon a time” in which Keira Knightley played the young couturière and in 2018 CHANEL produced the fragrance Paris-Deauville for the LES EAUX DE CHANEL collection a further ode to the Normandy region. In addition to CHANEL’s long relationship with Deauville, they also have a sustained and rich history with cinema and film, existing under Gabriel Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard’s leadership. Gabrielle Chanel herself was invited to Hollywood by esteemed American producer Samuel Goldwyn and Karl Lagerfeld was a true film enthusiast. In partnering with the Deauville American Film Festival CHANEL continues its sustained affinity with cinema and of course Deauville.

http://www.festival-deauville.com/

Travel

"Take the Best that Exists and Make it Better"

Rolls Royce has long established itself as the pinnacle of car manufacturing with every vehicle being crafted to perfection. Where does a brand with the magnitude of Rolls Royce go in future? According to founder Sir Henry Royce’s philosophy the direction is clear, ‘Take the Best that Exists and Make it Better.’ This might sound like a difficult task, but the British house is determined to transform the quintessential symbol of British sophistication from the creator of the ‘Best Car in the World’ to the world’s leading House of Luxury. Having changed at a quicker rate than ever before in its storied past, the iconic double ‘R’, a timeless expression of true luxury has received a makeover to fit the new chapter of the house. The modernization of the brand to adapt to a new generation of customers has happened in collaboration with Pentagram, the revered multi-discipline design studio. Pentagram embarked upon a deep exploration of the brand to understand the essence and unique relationship the marque maintains with its clients to ensure that the new visual language remains true to the heritage. The new logo is just the tip of the fascinating journey to a modernized visual identity, which will, according to Chief Executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös, ‘echo the changes seen in our portfolio, our client demographic, their lifestyle and the luxury world that surrounds them.’

www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

Fashion

Digital Escapism

As part of the exhibition series THE ARTIST IS ONLINE, curated by Anika Meier and Johann König, Thomas Webb launched his solo digital show EXERCISE IN HOPELESS NOSTALGIA -WORLD WIDE WEBB on 14 August 2020. In the artist’s digitally rendered world, visitors were asked to enter through their browsers or smart phones, recreating the spontaneity of a post covid time where freedom of movement was exercised to the fullest. Grappling with the internet in this multiplayer simulation, Webb offers thought provoking reflections on the hypocrisy and inconsistencies that prop up this global digital realm. Speaking on the Koenig Galerie’s instagram live, Thomas Webb will be in conversation with Johann König on Thursday, 20 August, 4pm CET to discuss this work and further thoughts on our digital age.

www.koeniggalerie.com

Fashion

Chanel Fall Couture

Chanel’s Creative Director Virginie Viard describes her thought process for her Fall Couture Collection, “I was thinking about a punk princess coming out of ‘Le Palace’ at dawn,” which somehow managed to translate perfectly. Presented yesterday online, adding to the slew of virtual fashion shows and product drops happening this week, Chanel released an edited collection of 30 looks that embody a sense of muted opulence. In a new, byzantine and eighties inspired selection, this year’s couture is a swift turn from the rigor of the Spring couture that was inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s schoolgirl uniforms at the Aubazine convent, “I like working like this, going in the opposite direction of what I did last time. I wanted complexity, sophistication.” says Viaird. The collection, shot by Mikael Janson is filled with 80s extravagance, dropped waistlines, prom-inspired gowns and of course, where would Chanel be without tweed? Viard returns to the maison’s favored material and reimagines it in a new, compelling makeover. Short frothy taffeta dresses and faille ball skirts are accentuated with punk mohawk bangs and lace-up court shoes. Taking inspiration from her late predecessor, Virginie reflects, “This collection is more inspired by Karl Lagerfeld than Gabrielle Chanel. Karl would go to ‘Le Palace’, he would accompany these very sophisticated and very dressed up women, who were very eccentric too.”

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Tie & DIOR

The art of tie dye finds itself seamlessly transposed onto rings, earrings, necklaces and more for the new Tie & Dior fine jewelry collection. Designed by Victoire de Castellane, over one hundred pieces of jewellery expand upon the beloved Gem Dior and Dior et Moi lines, using the flow and blend of tie dye to inspire a delicately chromatic set of jewelry. Just as the subtle flow from one colour to another illuminates textiles, colour takes on a dynamic sense of movement in this collection as round, oval, pear and marquise cuts achieve a distinctly ombre like brilliance. There is a tangible sense of freedom in this collection, a light hearted curation of texture, colour and jewels, where true harmony is achieved by the playful approach of Dior’s Jewellery Ateliers.

www.dior.com

Fashion

STONE ISLAND/PORTER® CO-LAB REFLECTIVE WEAVE RIPSTOP-TC

The collaboration between Stone Island and Porter continues with a trio of new bags. Pouch bag, backpack and tote bag, equip the urban explorer with an accessory for every adventure. Porter, renowned as a heritage Japanese bags and accessories brand, brings their expertise to this partnership, the fabric used across all three bags prioritizing wearability, endurance and individuality. Using a REFLECTIVE WEAVE RIPSTOP-TC, a twisted cotton nylon ripstop woven with a thin highly reflective tape, the bags are carefully dyed in order to retain their reflective surface. Coming in blue and black, each model is donned with the Stone Island Compass logo and Porter patch logo, celebrating both of the revered brands in their own right. This collection is available now from Stone Island online and in stores

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

FENDI and MR. DOODLE CAPSULE COLLECTION

Building upon their hugely successful collaboration in 2019, FENDI and Sam Cox, aka Mr. Doodle, a talented London artist and illustrator, will be launching a special Capsule collection this summer. Renowned for his Keith Haring-esque like doodles, Cox brought an energizing aesthetic to the brand last year when he took over FENDI’s headquarter rooftop at Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. Covering the space with his infectious black and white squiggles, their relationship was fortified when Cox cleverly incorporated FENDI yellow into the design, demonstrating the electrifying union between brand and artist.

‘Doodling across categories and genders’, Cox’s canvas will comprise Women’s and Men’s leather goods, Ready to Wear as well as shoes, for the upcoming Capsule Collection. Set to be available in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, Shenyang, Hong Kong and Taipei together with Singapore, Sydney, Bangkok, Costa Mesa and Vancouver, its pre-release date at the end of July will preempt its official launch on August 25th. The final date, coinciding with Chinese Valentine's day on the 7th day of the 7th Chinese lunar month.

Mr Doodle’s bold use of line will embrace typography in this new collection, interweaving the FENDI and FF logos within his labyrinth of intricate line work. As worked previously, FENDI’s accent yellow will appear, this time accompanied by vibrant red hearts, adding splashes of colour amidst the wider design.

The capsule is as much an ode to the traditional as it is to the new, Mr Doodle’s prints breathing new life into iconic brand favourites. Nothing is off limits, Fendi’s new capsule collection is liberated by the hand of the artist.

A pre-launch of the Capsule Collection will be available from the 24th July 2020 on fendi.cn and followingly it will be available from end July in the FENDI boutiques mentioned above.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Versace’s Flash Collection

As most of Europe’s fashion houses are diving into technology to solve the riddle of how to stage a fashion show during the time of a global pandemic and social distancing, Versace reveals that the ideal format is to be found not in the future, but in the past, a music video as seen on MTV in the late 90s and early 2000s. In collaboration with British musician AJ Tracey, the resulting format was a celebration of music, recalling the long-standing relationship between Versace and young musical talents and the inspiration they provide to house’s creative mind Donatella Versace. It was not about huge production or fuss, the artist and models and, of course the garments, were center-stage. The collection itself evoked nostalgia for the times of MTV, but the thought behind it hinted at the fashion industry’s future. Donatella Versace comes up with answers to central problems of the industry today, overproduction and waste and the disadvantages of the disharmony between the seasons and the fashion cycle. A flash collection, compared to their predecessors, allow the house to present more frequently and by reducing production times, they can be delivered to stores faster and closer to their actual intended season. Excesses like in the 2000s might belong to the past, but Versace’s glamour surely is not going anywhere.

www.versace.com

Fashion

MSGM Men’s Spring Summer 2021 and Women’s Resort 2021

Massimo Giorgetti, Creative Director of MSGM, joined forces with film director Luca Finotti to inspire positivity, solidarity and rebirth, through a delicate, emotional and poignant short film featuring a group of passionate and free-spirited young people, their enthusiasm, their longing. Against hardship, and a latent suffering. It’s the suffering of the current young generation, their quest to diversity, to freedom of expression. Celebrating life, their love stories, their friendship with overwhelming intensity and an early summer in Milan as their backdrop. “After lockdown I found myself reimagining the collection, and reconsidering who we were aiming at, how we were doing it and what kind of message we were giving. I tried to go for what is essential, with a strong and compact collection, I have questioned myself on the meaning of simplicity, what it means to me and to MSGM. It’s not about clean colors, prints or patterns, which instead remain vivid, kaleidoscopic and explosive, true to the optimist message I felt was my duty to leave now. Simplicity is rather total immediacy. The immediacy of fresh, desirable clothes, easy to wear. Clothes that bring joy”- explain Giorgetti - “I wanted the collection to convey, both visually and aesthetically, the idea of a joyous rebirth, the yearning for a renewal that I myself was experiencing after the challenging period during the first months of the year” Romantic ruffles, silk satin pajamas, boxer shorts, technical, fabrics, tie-die prints, paisley, Monstera leaves with a tropical flavor.. The colors are either muted or brilliant, but always playful. It’s a powerful and very genuine approach, true to the Italian brand and the aesthetic of the Italian new wave of cinema blossomed in the last years. Giorgetti successfully brought a message of respect and hope we were all longing for. “May a hundred flowers bloom”

www.msgm.it

Art

Cindy Sherman at the Fondation Louis Vuitton

The Fondation Louis Vuitton’s long awaited reopening has been scheduled for September 23rd, with a new, unprecedented exhibition, spotlighting the legendary career of Cindy Sherman. Reaching global acclaim through her iconic self-portraits, Sherman last held a solo show in 2006, making this exhibition all the more anticipated. Spanning her career from 1975 to 2020, the show is to include over 300 images selected from some of her most infamous series, such as Untitled film stills, Rear Screen Projections, Fashion, History Portraits, Disasters, Headshots, Clowns, Society Portraits, Murals, and Flappers. Sitting alongside these renowned works will be new images, set to characterize male figures and couples, venturing away from Sherman’s iconic presentation of the lone woman. The show is both a celebration and reflection of the sheer uniqueness of Sherman’s craft and her journey to becoming a household name both in and outside the art world. Complementary to the retrospective will be an exhibition entitled Crossing Views, a specially curated body of works carefully chosen with the input of the artist. Relating to Sherman’s extensive work around the portrait, two floors will be dedicated to an array of international artists, who working across various disciplines also work with portraits to excitingly different conclusions and effects. This close collaboration between Sherman and the Fondation promises to produce one of the most thorough presentations of Cindy Sherman’s work in Europe over the last decade.

www.fondationlouisvuitton.com

Image: Untitled #584 (2018) Courtesy of the Artist and Metro Pictures, New York © 2019 Cindy Sherman

Fashion

Yohji Yamamoto Men’s Spring Summer 2021

Global warming, social movements, health emergencies and the inexorable advent of consumerism. Yohji Yamamoto has always reflected on the current world through a poetic and idiosyncratic language. Expressing feelings and thoughts with words embroidered, hand painted, patched, knitted on the garments has been a signature of the Japanese maestro through the years. For Men’s Spring Summer 2021 he collaborated with Japanese photographer Takay to create a video imbued of that melancholy and poignant feelings we have been touched with season after season. Men’s Spring Summer explores the brands’ codes, such as deconstructed and oversized lines, hand painted elements, the mix of sensual and tailored, where multiple layers of fabrics – linen, wool gabardine, denim – build a collection true to Yohji’s vision for Menswear. Uniforms for Yohji’s army fighting the current crises, in a journey accompanied by Yohji’s own voice and lyrics. As the video ends, we capture a glimpse of the maestro himself, as we would if we were present at the physical show venue. He wears his signature hat and a coat. At its back lays - embroidered in English - a word he has never been afraid to mention: “fragile”. Thank you Yohji-san for the unwavering intellectual honesty.

www.theshopyohjiyamamoto.com

Fashion

Balmain Sur Seine

With the ongoing pandemic and in times of social distancing rules, the question for most fashion houses in the world is the same: how to stage a fashion show? The shift to digital seems like the most convenient solution. Certainly this alternative brings with it its own set of drawbacks, most prominently the lack of flair of the traditional fashion show. At Balmain, having models walk down the catwalk without an audience was not an option. In contrary, the French house took the garments to the people, to the Parisian public on the banks of the Seine.
On a boat heading down the river and completed with a musical performance by French singer Yseult and a surprise dance performance, the project titled ‘Balmain sur Seine’, honoring the house’s 75th anniversary, showcased pieces from current Creative Director Olivier Rousteing alongside works of his predecessors, such as Oscar de la Renta and Pierre Balmain himself. With only a very limited number of journalists present, in order to respect social distancing rules, amongst the viewing public, this event presents itself far more democratic than the traditional show and acts as a beacon of optimism in these difficult times. As put by Olivier Rousteing himnself, ‘ After this period I wanted to bring back this optimism that this brand has been known for.’

www.balmain.com

Fashion

Pasha Community

The story of Cartier’s Pasha watch is one of fashion’s more interesting origin stories. There are many fairy tales about its origin, one such being that the Pasha of Marrakech approached Louis Cartier to create a waterproof watch that was fit for a king. Whether this story is credible or not, we know that the Pasha has been an iconic waterproof timepiece in history since its official release in 1885. Now with the release of its new Pasha watch, Cartier has brought together a community of unique and creative celebrities to celebrate the new model. Rami Malek, Troye Sivan, Willow Smith, Maisie Williams and Jackson Wang were all captured as new ambassador’s of the watch by the photographer Craig McDean.

“Since its creation in the 1980s, the Pasha watch has embodied a certain idea of success directly linked to its extroverted design, power and graphic nonconformism. It is as edgy as ever and in tune with today's new generation of creators. These new Pasha ambassadors owe their success to their differences, creativity, connection, multidisciplinary talents and generosity.”
Arnaud Carrez, Int. Marketing & Communications Director, Cartier International.

www.cartier.com

Fashion

Fendi Renaissance - Anima Mundi

This week, on June 20, a unique live streaming event took place presented by Fendi alongside the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The wonderful performance took place at the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, also the Fendi headquarters, where the orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and star violinista Anna Tifu, dressed in three of the maison’s impressive couture looks, performed “Summer” from Antonio Vivaldi's “The Four Seasons”. In a wonderful collaboration of music and fashion, this project brought together two institutions that are deeply connected to the city of Rome.
Expressing their excellence and creativity through classical melodies that are only accentuated by the impressive garments and breathtaking surroundings.
The concept of the project stemmed from the longing to express an uplifting message of rebirth through the play and intersection of art, fashion and music after the recent months of isolation and to share this sense of joy and positivity with people all over the world. Interestingly the event coincided with the summer solstice, a happenstance that symbolized the desire for a new, positive start together as one, global community.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

So Long, Daddy

Last year, Zoo reporter Catherine Somzé caught up with the former squatter turned star-artist last year to discuss his work, love, and his interest in contradictions and impurity. Richter’s work is characterized by his fantastical landscapes and his prescient depictions of socio-political events as well as the Greek and latin influences that are seen throughout his most recent large-scale paintings. “I’m not so much into style, I’m much more into method. At one point, certain formal decisions will lead you to abandon your old style because they no longer fit with what you wanted to express.” The former Zoo coverstar Daniel Richter’s new solo exhibition ‘So Long, Daddy’ is currently on view at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in their Salzburg Villa Kast gallery until July 18 both online and in the gallery space.

www.ropac.net

Fashion

East & West

When two very different brands come together to collaborate creatively, it can be difficult to achieve an ideal fusion and balance between the two. Yet when two like-minded bodies with similar values and goals come together to create something while honouring their differences the resulting synthesis can be quite sublime, a dash of color to a previously monochromatic aesthetic. A perfect example of this is Danish design firm Hay and cult Japanese footwear company Suicoke’s latest collaboration, combining both eastern and western design influences the two design houses have teamed up to create a limited reiteration of Suicoke’s Depa sandals. Lending its Scandinavian aesthetic, Hay takes a quick side-step from its usual home goods creations to take its design identity to the realm of fashionable footwear. With a passion for contemporary forms and an ethos rooted in functionality, Hay leans towards partners with the same attitude, as Mette Hay, HAY Co-founder and Creative Director of HAY Accessories confirms, ‘In all of our collaborations, we strive to partner with brands whose values and aesthetics are in sync with our own, and Suicoke is the go-to brand for this type of sandal.” Shrouded in mystery on the eastern side of the world, Japanese footwear company Suicoke has earned international praise in recent years for its clever collaborations, it’s laid-back functionality and its ever-evolving style profile. As sandals bask in their long-overdue moment in western society, Suicoke collaborates with brands that match their values of utility, comfort and of course, impeccable design. Their fresh, geometrically-inspired sandals project a sense of creative freedom that manages to dodge the usual fashion constraints. Each version features an adjustable-Velcro front strap in a distinctive hue, a flexible, foam-rubber sole, and an open toe for added comfort. Balancing their cultural influences, these two labels one in furniture and one in footwear, have become inextricably linked through their passion for three things — design, functionality and unparalleled quality.

www.suicoke.com
www.hay.dk

Fashion

Nostalgic About the Future

Distant memories of characters in sci-fi novels, films and TV shows are used as inspiration for Keenkee’s SS20 collection. As the season commences, Korean-born designer Kee Kim celebrates the start of the future with a mixture of fabrics and textures. The virtually-produced abstract prints run a gradient motif, adding a certain aura to the perfectly crafted paneled shirts and pleated shorts. Bright hues are softened by contrasting subdued shades, and glossy fabrics are paired with lighter materials to create a sense of balance. Loose-fitting mauve trousers are designed with a coordinating cropped blazer jacket, proposing silhouettes that stretch gender rules. Paired underneath is a violet-colored jacket, which elongates the entire outfit and contributes to the contrast of purple tones.

www.keenkee.net

Fashion

Healing

The art industry has endured a huge loss this year leaving artists, gallerists and curators scrambling to adapt to the new world changes. Thankfully the past couple of months have seen cultural industries reopening, first, in China and more recently galleries and museums have begun to reopen all across Europe. The pandemic has meant that museums have had to rely more on their online presence, showing virtual exhibitions and online gallery tours. Brussels-based collector Alain Servais has said, “Art is not made to be seen online—except, for the art that is designed to be seen online.” The work of Johan Tahon is rich with emotion, the physical space occupied by his work exudes a powerful presence, one that is difficult to even describe let alone experience through a screen, one must be able to witness the physicality of his work in order to experience it fully. Following the cancellation and postponement of several shows, Tahon has announced a slew of upcoming exhibition dates scross Europe and further east. In collaboration with Belgian consulate in Guangzhou, Tahon's upcoming solo exhibit, Mercury Orb will be presented in Y Space Gallery, Guangzhou (CHN) June 5 - July 15. Exhibiting in Amsterdam, Brussels, Solothurn and Otegem over the next year, enthusiasts will find plenty of opportunity to witness Johan Tahon’s artwork in a number of different settings.

www.johantahon.com

Fashion

The Standard Project

As fashion has come to a virtual halt, designers and brands are claiming excitement at this production reduction and cancelled-collections, happy to rethink the way the industry is. In truth, the nature of the fashion industry causes unimaginable damage to the environment, and the current method as we know now is completely unsustainable. Since 2019, the Standard Project has offered an alternative to the fast fashion system. They believe that good design has a place in everyday life. Stripping designs down to their essence and reviving them with pure looks and materials, The Standard Project identifies essentials and reinterprets them according to the idea of having a permanent collection of items. Creating basic, unisex t-shirts and beanies, their collection goes past the basics of fashion. Tailoring to everyday needs with products like a titanium pure design bike, filter coffee light roasted from Guatemala and a soft woollen blanket with monochrome black stitching. Employing the ‘slow fashion’ process, all of their products are ethically-produced with sustainability and good design at the heart of its identity.

www.standard-project.com

Fashion

Prada Timecapsule no. 5

Last week we saw the fifth edition of Prada’s Timecapsule, an initiative that drops a new item on the first Thursday of every month as an online exclusive for just 24 hours. A unique logo created by OMA together with a serial number and sophisticated dedicated packaging makes each drop unique. For this release, Prada presented a crisp white cotton poplin shirt in a limited edition, decorated with an all-over print clearly inspired by auto-racing. The "May" print of the month on the back is a unique touch for this shirt that is also accented with mother-of-pearl buttons suitable. Launched for the first time on December 5, 2019 in Europe, and for the first time in Japan, the exclusive product drop will potentially reach other markets over the course of 2020. Stay tuned.

www.prada.com

Fashion

The Dior Maison Collection - New Lily of The Valley

Throughout his extensive career Christian Dior redefined dressage, taking inspiration from floral forms and creating beautiful gowns and garments worthy of a place in the finest museums. Floral aspects have since been synonymous with the maison as we look back to the Muguet Dress, made in the late 1950’s, entirely embroidered with bell-shaped blooms. Or we are reminded of the Diorissimo perfume, a delicious scent that skillfully evoked this springtime bouquet. Now, the lily of the valley adorns this season’s new Dior Maison collection by Cordelia de Castellane, a symbol of purity and joy that announces the arrival of warmer days. Porcelain plates, decorative baubles, glasses and decanters are covered or playfully sprinkled with its precious sprigs, capturing art de vivre through a sweet celebration of nature’s beauty.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Fendi Outdoor Collection

Summertime is the season for relaxation, for travel and for a little luxury if all things permit. With so much uncertainty in the current moment about what both our near and far future holds for us, it’s difficult to plan for the future. Stuck in this waiting state, we turn to ourselves and our homes for entertainment and luxury. Fendi casa has always provided luxury for the home presenting pieces that embody the Italian maison’s fine heritage of craft and opulence. The new Thea chair combines a romantic design with the iconic leather braiding on the backrest, with all-over FF logo pattern inlaid in the set. While the new Versilia chaise longue presents a solid Iroko wood frame. Offering a selection of seating options including the sofa, loveseat, armchair and chair that further completes the range, ideal for summer lounging and luxury from home.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Formale Eccezionale

Even the most unfashionable of men, those without a conscious thought to their wardrobe, even these men understand the power of a good suit. Like most excellent fashion compositions, a well-made suit has the power to shift not only the world's view of a person but how they view themselves. Yet self-expression is a key player in putting one's best foot forward and expressing one's personality and individualism. Etro’s capsule collection presents four suits, characterized by formal construction and enriched by unexpected interpretations, colored details and special prints of paisley or jacquard. Combining traditional elegance with eccentricity, the Italian brand stays true to the maison’s identity as it puts forward a new apparent antithesis of the eclectic Etro male wardrobe. With four different designs in the capsule collection, Etro reinforces its attention to detail and dedication to fabric research and tailoring processes, since 1968. The formale eccezionale is launching in June 2020 both online and (hopefully) in-stores.

www.etro.com

Fashion

PRADA Pre-Fall 2020

At a moment where our experience of society and culture is defined by the picture plane, as we spend our days focusing more on virtual interactions rather than physical Prada’s new pre-fall campaign takes inspiration from the nature of human interaction as well as the imperfection of handcraft. Photographed in London by David Sims and painted in New York, and engineered to react to a changed world, Prada color recalibrates classic garments to give outfits a new even surreal actuality. The silhouettes of the clothes become ‘paint by numbers’ frames for explorations of color – with shades of Celeste blue, pink, yellow, orange, and green. Vibrant colors are pushed center stage, highlighting their disarming simplicity and reflecting a fusion of the human hand and eye with technology. Blurring lines between the photographic and the painterly, between technology and humanity, it is a subconscious echo of the current moment. The joy of color with the joy of technology - both a means of communicating an immediate message. Ultimately, that message is of positivity - a fantasy, painted in Prada colors.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Brands Giving Back: Tristate International

Among those in the private sector re-working their business to aid the front-line is parent firm to Italian sportswear brand, C.P Company. Tristate International SA lends a hand during the crisis by donating sanitary equipment to the much-affected Lombardy state in Italy, providing over 19,000 sanitary masks. As well as working with Italian companies and universities to develop reusable masks that could help in lowering the environmental impact of the coronavirus. With plans to do more as the situation continues, Tristate and C.P Company have joined the front-line in aiding those who need it most.

Fashion

Cartier Watchmaking Encounters

With the closure and cancellation of events and conferences companies are doing their best to dream up new ways to host in the online sphere. In the absence of a major watchmaking fair this year, Cartier is launching an international website dedicated to this year’s watchmaking novelties. “In the current context, we believe it is important to preserve our interactions with all our clients around the world through various touch points, and thus be able to offer them an experience entirely dedicated to our Maison’s watchmaking creations. ”, says Arnaud Carrez, Marketing and Communication Director at Cartier International. Visitors will be able to first discover Pasha, the brands cult watch featured in a whole new interpretation. A design highlight of Cartier, Pasha will be this year’s watchmaking statement for the Maison, starting with a launch in China this summer, followed by a worldwide activation early September. The platform will be live starting April 25, and will be available in French, English and Chinese.

www.cartierwatchmakingencounters.com
www.cartier.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles Gives a F**k

The last few months have been heart-rendering to say the least, but these poignant times have also showcased incredible acts of solidarity. We have witnessed countless examples of generosity from businesses of all sizes in support for the fight against COVID-19. Brands are using their influence to do some good, and canadian brand Moose Knuckles is no different. Firstly the outerwear brand held a ten-day sale in support of overburdened medical professionals, then launched a collaboration to commission creatives in New York City and Paris to reimagine the brands Lead Jacket into art. The unique creations will then be available to purchase via the brands website. To alleviate the effects of the indefinite isolation of the masses, Moose Knuckles has also transformed it’s Instagram account into a source of inspiration, engagement, and entertainment. By employing teams of local businesses and freelance creatives, the initiative supports industries that are severely affected by the pandemic. “This crisis is bigger than business and profits. We can think about that later. At the moment, our main focus should be on looking after each other.” - Ayal Twik, CEO.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

Les Parfums Louis Vuitton x Heures d'Absence

In 1927, at the height of the Roaring Twenties in all their creative effervescence, Louis Vuitton launched its first perfume, Heures d'Absence. Named after the country home the Vuitton family acquired in the Seine-et-Marne region in the 1920s, the perfumes recipe has been lost and no living person knows what the original perfume smelled like. However, we know that it was a perfume that reflected the time of its creation, celebrating the new modes of transport that were then emerging, a scent to inspire you to shake off the blues and seize the day.

Now, in an attempt to not recreate but reinterpret the classic perfume the maison creates a perfume with a profusion of fresh flowers, an ode to nature and allegorical figures of joy. "Everything is done in service of the flowers, there’s no element to rein them in or disturb their message," the Master Perfumer explains. Warm vanilla notes of Peruvian balm amplify the sophistication of the fragrance while a floral apotheosis with a hint of Sri Lankan sandalwood gives a rich juxtaposition. These elements along with sambac jasmine and may rose compose a melody that feels never-ending.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Bally AW20 Purity of Form

On the back of seasons of brightly colored fashion pieces and statement-makers, Bally has made the move towards a more organic aesthetic with a collection entitled ‘Purity of Form’ for Fall 2020. The reflection of the theme is not only seen throughout the minimalistic designs but also in the ethos, Bally is emphasising the quality of materials and emphasizing a deep respect for the environment with this collection. Through the use of clean lines, neutral tones and sculptural silhouettes the range highlights the Swiss brand’s heritage while giving it a modern twist. Soft shapes are understated whilst luxurious layering exudes an elegant and simplistic look. Abstract prints inspired by European modernist art marry archival Swiss textile patterns in an unexpected yet effortless mélange. Soft knit cashmere cardigans and roll necks meet the sharp tailored silhouettes of heritage-printed silk shirts and split-seam pants. A favorite of ours is the graphic chevron patchwork coat with hand-cut segments. Presenting artful accessories, such as the new signature 1851 hardware across the versatile Vestige collection of quilted leather totes, chain handle shoulder bags and subtle mini bags. Calling themselves ‘architects of leather’, Bally’s passion and talent for leatherwork is highlighted with oversized leather shirts and high-waisted leather skirts that land beautifully amongst the textured materials and fluid lines of the collection.

www.bally.eu

Fashion

Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle - New Dawn

Mystic daybreak, a song before sunrise. As night dissipates we are blessed in those precious moments before the morning sun brings first light. Diffused yet powerful, the second perfume by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle is an allegory for the serenity and solitude of the day’s first moments. Inspired by travels through the Middle East, the aromatic and complex scent is luxuriant and bold, yet layered with nuance. Deceptively simple, its magnificent texture is faceted by a host of supporting characters: a refreshing opening of rose and lively pink pepper. Referencing the region’s unique culture and language of scent the laudanum and vibrant frankincense bring extra warmth as oak moss provides a dark focal point. Widely considered to be America’s greatest living perfumer, Carlos Benaïm’s extensive career and Moroccan heritage inform an esoteric take on the traditions of Middle Eastern perfumery. The rich notes of the perfume begs us to take pause and enrich moments by allowing the aroma to take hold, like a moment of prayer.

www.fredericmalle.com

Fashion

Cartier Women’s Initiative

Back in 2006 Cartier launched the Cartier Women’s Initiative, an action that made a commitment to women in reaching their full potential. Open to women-run and women-owned businesses that aim to have a strong and sustainable social and environmental impact, the initiative has accompanied 240 promising female entrepreneurs from 56 different countries and has awarded over 3 million USD to support their businesses. Announcing the 21 finalists of the 2020 edition, we see for the first time ever countries such as Australia, Benin, Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden represented in the program. By providing them with the necessary financial, social and human capital support to grow their businesses and build their leadership skills Cartier shines a light on the achievements of these women. Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO “At Cartier, we believe it is crucial to support young businesses and start-ups through to a more stable period. And this is what we intend to keep doing, fully aware that these women are making a concrete and durable impact, therefore paving the way for a better future.”

www.cartier.com
www.cartierwomensinitiative.com

Fashion

Camper Together with Pop Trading Co.

Back in 2006 footwear brand Camper had the genius idea to develop an initiative to collaborate with leading designers and creative thinkers from the worlds of fashion, art and architecture to design and create exclusive products as well as unique stores. The concept, known as Camper Together has been hugely successful resulting in numerous fruitful collaborations with names like Kengo Kuma, Jonathan Olivares and Doshi Levien. The latest collaboration with Amsterdam-based brand Pop Trading Co aims to push the boundaries of contemporary design while staying true to the brands distinct heritage. Founded in 2013, Pop Trading Co initially began as a distribution company for the Benelux market but has since developed their own line that fuses menswear with the brands strong skateboard heritage. For S/S20 the Dutch brand presents two distinct styles, the first style taking inspiration from the Camper archives, revisiting the Camper Runner XL sneaker. While the second style has a more relaxed sensibility, updating the Chassis Chukka boot with a rubberised sole and crepe rubber foxing tape. The unisex styles are available in a choice of colors and will be available from April 3.

www.camper.com
www.poptradingcompany.com

Fashion

Max Mara Art Prize for Women

British artist Emma Talbot explores themes of human existence, environment and gender using flowing lines, decorative patterns and light materials that encapsulate the viewer into a dreamlike world of her creation. Often hand-drawn or painted onto silk her ideas come to realisation with a mixture of drawing, painting and sculpture. In her proposal to reimagine the work of Gustav Klimt for the 21st century, Talbot's work questions deeply rooted positions of power, governance, attitudes to nature as well as representations of women, through a slightly personal lens. The proposal takes its starting point from Gustav Klimt’s Three Ages of Woman (1905), a painting which features a naked elderly woman standing in apparent shame. Talbot’s reimagination involves animating the older woman as someone who overcomes a series of trials similar to The Twelve Labors of Hercules. Through her modern-day trials the artist plans to counter prevalent negative attitudes to ageing. Having been awarded the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, Talbot will hopefully spend six months in Italy on a residency planned for later this year to research and create a new body of work to be exhibited in 2021. Awarded in alternate years since 2005, the Max Mara Art Prize it is the only visual art prize of its kind in the United Kingdom. Chaired by a panel of art-world experts including gallerist Florence Ingleby, artist Chantal Joffe, collector Fatima Maleki and art critic Hettie Judah the ingenious initiative was created to support UK-based female artists who have not previously had a major solo exhibition.

www.maxmara.com

Fashion

Longchamp Mini and Nano Bags SS20

Making waves since Jacquemus revived the trend in 2017 the nano-bag has caused designers to scramble to show their take on the mini model. However the tiny bag is nothing we haven’t seen before with the trend tracing back as early as 1900. Wealthy women once carried small purses or ‘reticules’ that doubled both as an accessory and status symbol. Founded in 1948 the French luxury brand Longchamp has stood the test of time by utilising its mid-way position between accessible and traditional luxury. Artistic director Sophie Delafontaine’s third collection at New York Fashion Week last September focused on the work of Judy Chicago, employing looks that follow a woman as she traverses the day, fit for any occasion. On top of a sun-bleached palette perfect for the season that’s in it, Spring / Summer 2020 Longchamp also presented their own take on the trend: a selection of pretty little mini bags. Taking inspiration from the brand’s iconic bags they presented a miniature version of the iconic Le Pliage bag. Inspired by origami the light, foldaway bag has established itself as a cult object worldwide. Now they give us the lines Roseau, Cavalcade delight, La Voyageuse and Le Cuir Pliage, miniature versions of the popular Longchamp favorites. The selection includes a drawstring bucket, an open tote, and a top-handle day bag and is available in a number of finishes or materials including nylon, patent leather, calfskin and printed snake.

www.longchamp.com

Aesop Sublime Replenishing Night Masque

The beauty industry has been developing its craft for centuries even the egyptians used creams and cosmetics to improve and protect their skin from the elements. However it is only in recent years that such effective technology and research methods are being utilised. The science of skin is ever-evolving with new, exciting developments constantly coming to the fore. Not only is the research increasingly accurate but there but the average person is more aware of their individual skincare needs. Aesop boasts a fiercely independent approach to product research and development as well as tailoring products to the needs expressed by their pool of customers. The new Sublime Replenishing Night Masque is Aesop’s first product developed explicitly for the night. Offering immediate and sustained hydration to balance skin and brighten its appearance. The light gel-cream has a warm, woody aroma that is rich in vitamins B,C,E and F. As we know, some of the best healing is done after dark. 'Night, When words fade and things come alive.' Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

www.aesop.com

Fashion

Calvin Klein's New Campaign 2020

The introduction of all-inclusive campaigns has meant that brands have to think twice about their advertising, in particular underwear and lingerie brands are under fire for their marketing methods. Embracing our diverse society is top priority as people want inclusion, they want openness and they want a brand message that they believe in. Clothing that not only looks good but makes them feel good. Riding the wave of the hyper-successful #mycalvins campaign Calvin Klein has announced their latest global operation that preaches self love while exuding confidence. The collection itself features Calvin Klein Jeans body stretch denim and Calvin Klein Underwear breathable and invisible range. The all-star cast were chosen for their willingness to bare themselves to the world. Iconic models such as Kendall Jenner and Hunter Schafer are featured alongside award-winning musicians SZA, Maluma, Lil Nas X, Lay Zhang and Justin Bieber. The campaign, shot by Mario Sorrenti is portrayed as an ode to self expression mixing raw emotion and fantasy with glistening images that say, I am who I am, Deal with it.

www.calvinklein.nl

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week Women's - Recap

SPORTMAX

Following Sportmax’s 50th anniversary year fashion director Grazia Malagoli led the brand into the future with a strangely optimistic perspective. Unlike the usual discourse surrounding our uncertain future the show titled, ‘A brighter future’ confronted the imminence of hyper-technological future. Boots that extended far beyond the knee, ultra scenographic eyewear and seductive 3D silhouettes kept with the structural mood and futuristic tone. The blend of materials and shapes brought a soft sensuality while the floral patterns and jacquard motifs brought a sense of levity to the structured collection.

www.sportmax.com

Salvatore Ferragamo

The nature of femininity in the current climate is becoming increasingly diverse and flexible. In contrast to the Jungian archetypes of women, Salvatore Ferragamo’s fall collection explores what it means to be a woman today. The moods range from soft and romantic utilising sheer and cashmere, to pragmatic and powerful with details like chain fringes and bold shearling personifying the diverse and flexible nature of female identity. A strong cultural depth along with up cycled leather accessories embody the ‘Metamodern woman’ in this futuristically fluid collection.

www.ferragamo.com

BOSS

Celebrating a new age with reworks and restyles of their seminal BOSS aesthetic the brand showcased a future-focused Fall collection in a show titled ‘Generations’. Following the current trend-wave of fringe, a warm selection of glossy fabrics, utility accessories and hand-woven leathers blended the mens and women's looks seamlessly. The fresh-faced models presented the collection with elevated outerwear and fluid jersey pieces in a lilac-colored show space accompanied by an energetic live orchestra. A new interpretation of their tailored history ‘Generations’ granted a fusion of iconic aesthetics with an avant-garde twist.

www.hugoboss.com

Bottega Veneta

Amongst a sea of fall colors and autumnal moods Bottega Veneta’s Daniel Lee presented a ready-to-wear collection that exuded confidence with rich waxy palettes punctuating black. The deep color pops of scarlet, kiwi and lollipop were played in controlled repetition. The show emphasised vitality and movement not only with color but with elongated silhouettes, knit dressing and jersey for both day and evening. Feeding into the current fringe ‘moment’ that reigned over Milan last week Bottega Veneta’s use of the ornament was by far the most audacious and indeed, memorable.

www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week 2020 - Balmain Men's Fall/Winter

Discovering your roots at a adult age is always a an emotional and powerful moment. Last year the documentary “Wonder Boy” portrayed Olivier Rousteing journey in search for his biological parents in Africa. The Men’s Fall Winter 2020 show was a joyful celebration of these roots. Set at Parc de la Villette, the beautiful and complex architectonic wonder designed by French architect Bernard Tschumi, the show unveiled a very new Balmain for Men’s: relaxed silhouettes declined in camel tones, wrapped tunics, mantels, silk slouchy suits, safari outwear. A wardrobe of a man traveling to Africa to discover a new world. Reminiscent of Bertolucci’s “The Sheltering Sky”, its melancholic desert breeze, the orison vastitude.

www.balmain.com

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week 2020 - Prada Men's Fall/Winter

The overarching theme of the Milan Men’s Fashion Week was to redefine masculinity and find an answer to the question what it means to be a man in the decades to come. For Prada, the modern man draws from tradition, but is equally transformed, leaving behind existing and clearly defined gender roles. A fantasy and fresh take on classic masculine heroism. His wardrobe should represent this new spirit. Inspired by classic pieces, the Italian house boldly combines traditional materials with the modern and technologically innovative fibres, creating a deceptive contrast. Pieces might look inherently traditional at first sight, but novelty methods of production allow Prada to create extreme and previously unachieved shapes and a series of varying silhouettes undermining and ultimately fracturing our lacklustre idea of male power and force. The collection was presented in a setup reminiscent of the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio di Chirico. The essence of the classic Italian piazza is transformed into an enigmatic porch with a equestrian statue at the centre. Purposely totally unheroic, fabricated from cardboard, it becomes an embodiment of the underlying thought. Appearing and disappearing through openings, the models seem to wander through the space, blurring the line between what is exposed and what is concealed.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week 2020 - Hermès Men’s Fall/Winter

An understated elegance can be a radical gesture. Véronique Nichanian’s aesthetic for Hermès has been always driven by the craftsmanship savoir faire of the Maison and a that classic yet innovative wardrobe we have seen season after season. Nichanian for Hermès Fall-Winter 2020 expressed this vision on a further level. Extremely minimalist, clean and casual silhouettes combined with beautifully tailored suits and outwear at times layered. The color palette also spoke the same language: charcoal, hazelnut, camel, ecru, ebony. The leather pieces have always been the quintessential element for the Maison: technical calfskin for sweatshirts, rubberized lambskin for parkas reversible in printed Toilovent, zipped windbreakers in deerskin, babylamb for blousons with high collar. The collection used rich psychedelic patterns for knitwear named Rêve Hypnothique, adorning beautiful turtle neck pullovers in 180’s wool Sensual but whispered, Nichanian’s latest collection is an ode to the deep core of Hermès where “the evening is surrounded by nuances of brown and black”.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Graphic By Nature

After having opened its doors last year, the spotlight falls once more on the new Bally flagship store in Milan. Situated in Via Napoleone, one of the centres for luxury retail in Milan itself, the store hosted the unveiling of the SS20 collection during Milan Men’s Fashion Week. Among the guests were notable friends of the brand, from Italian actress and model Elisa Sednaoui to a multitude of influences like Linda Tol, Ami and Aya Taiki and Noah Lee. The Bally House proved the perfect location to amplify the collection’s underlying philosophy ‘Graphic by Nature’, illustrating one of the Swiss brand’s pillar, the intricate interaction between design and the nature that surrounds it. For this special occasion, the brand teamed up with Stefan Beckman, who transformed the store into a digital Alpine forest, shimmering in Spring hues and adorned with the native flora. An immersive installation, the transformation was not solely visual, but an immersive experience featuring a soundtrack consisting of lyrics, beats and birdsongs.

www.bally.com

Fashion

American Dream

Michael Kors belongs to one of the most visible brands originating in the United States, and has developed into a household name all around the globe. As the expressed by Michael Kors himself, ‘my spring collection is a celebration of the best American style, a mix of ease and glamour that is inherently American.’ Photographed by the Dutch duo Inez van Lamsveerde and Vinoodh Matadin, the new campaign showcases the Kors’s take on timeless American style with all its layers of sophistication and romance shot in Beverly Hills, a location itself synonymous with luxury and the successful American Dream. Crisp tailoring is juxtaposed with soft and romantic dresses whilst small indicators, like stripes and stars provide a visual reminder of the brand’s American origins. The global ad campaign will launch in January and the images will appear not only in traditional print but also in numerous digital outlets.

www.michaelkors.eu

Fashion

Celine opens Haute Parfumerie Boutique in Paris

In the heart of Paris, at 390 rue Saint-Honoré, now arises the home of Celine’s new Haute Parfumerie Boutique. Following the unique Hedi Slimane’s architectural design concept for the maison’s stores launched in February 2019, the Haute Parfumerie Boutique juxtaposes natural materials and a strong sculptural connotation where Noir Grand Antique marble – a black marble quarried in France is at its centre, reconnecting with Celine’s French heritage while recalling a 21st century Brutalism. The multitude of mirrors together with an infinite amount of perfume bottles displayed as a floating large organ - a virtual modern cathedral designed by Hedi Slimane himself - confer a further mise-en-scène for the artworks (acquired or specifically commissioned for the store) of relevant contemporary artist such as Luisa Gardini, Rochelle Goldberg, Camilla Rayman, Søren Sejr. A stratification of materials, surfaces, images hosting all the maison’s perfume creations and the new Celine’s spirit.

www.celine.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles: Seven Deadly Sins

This past August, for their Fall/Winter collection, Moose Knuckles released a cinematic campaign entitled ‘Sacred Glacier’ starring Dennis Rodman. Now diving deeper into the themes introduced in ‘Sacred Glacier’, Moose Knuckles explores ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ through photographer Vijat M and multi-disciplinary entrepreneur Kristen Noel Crawley. For those that might not know, the seven deadly sins include pride, wrath, envy, indolence, gourmand, greed and lust. A variety of colors will evoke the cardinal vices or sins on modern designs, with the help of Crawley Moose Knuckles continues to reimagine an ancient list of evil temptations.

Their ‘Wrath’ collection draws inspiration from the wisdom of mystics, tarot cards are printed on tees and sweatshirts as well as on the lining of purple parkas and puffers. Exclusive events at Verso, Antwerp and Shoreditch, London will celebrate the collection’s release, the theme of course being ‘Seven Deadly Sins’. For each of these sins there is a corresponding garment, the capsule collections will be launched at select retailers over a period of four weeks from the 14th of October onwards. To be sheltered from the cold is a blessing, The first chapter in their collection being ‘Pride and Wrath’, with ‘Envy and Indolence’ and ‘Gourmand, Greed and Lust’ to follow.

With exceptional tailoring and a legacy of providing warmth, comfort and protection from the harshest elements the creative minds at work thrust us into a new and exciting chapter of Moose Knuckles.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

Armani Art Exchange: #st_ART

In the fifth issue of #st_ART, dedicated to combining contemporary and street-art, Armani has released a capsule collection with young, international artists at its heart. Artists involved in the Art Exchange this year include Max Reed, Harry Hambley, Bunny Michael, Freddy Carrasco and Jacob Rochester. All distinctive and endearing in their own right as they sit on the precipice of wider acclaim in the art world, they have created designs just for Armani. Where street art meets contemporary art is a hard place to define, mostly because contemporary art often overlooks street artists who are quite literally creating art in the most contemporary sense. Whether in print, on a gallery wall, on social media or sprayed on a brick wall in a car park, art and artists live everywhere. Armani has acknowledged and commended this, giving six artists the opportunity to design for their latest capsule collection.

Whether it’s the humble beginnings of a senior high school student’s drawings or the quest for the point where home and heritage meets; these artists are ascending rapidly. Freddy Carrasco, born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Toronto journeyed to Rural Japan in order to find his inner creator, spreading murals around Japan while cultivating cabbage and cucumber as a form of creation in its own right. Harry Hambley was finishing up high school when he penned the character ‘Ketnipz’ to embody his own confusion and sense of misdirection. That character took off on Instagram and consequently led to Hambley working on designs with Snapchat and Instagram. Jacob Rochester, designer and illustrator based in Los Angeles will bring his blend of ephemeral style and obscure art references to #st_ART. Each one of these artists has a voice that cannot and will not be quieted; now amplified by Armani’s latest capsule collection.

www.armani.com

Fashion

CHANEL SS20

The breeze you feel on a Sunday morning drinking your coffee on your balcony looking at the Parisian roofs, the freedom you savour when breathing that crisp fresh air. Virginie Viard was inspired by the Nouvelle Vague’s actors Gabrielle Chanel used to dress, like Jean Seberg, famous for her iconic performance in Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless.

Chanel Spring Summer 2020 delved in a youthful atmosphere, nonchalant, playing between schoolgirl innocence and powerful masculine dressing codes: straight-cut tweed jacket is revisited, transformed into playsuits, jumpsuits or a little dress with a flared skirt, balloon skirts paired with ruffled tops and pleated blouses with balloon sleeves adorned with raffia and organza petals. Long coats come in tweed or wool crêpe while a striped top and a carelessly knotted shirt again play with the dual accent of masculine/feminine. It is about a timeless balance resonated with a modern no-nonsense. The looks are rendered through a minimal styling where the most precious Chanel element is at the centre: the tweed. Vibrant hues are merging the collection in a energetic mood: red, orange, pink, conferring a luminosity in balance with the heritage black and white of the maison.

Several looks feature a graphic version of Chanel letters interlaced with Parisian facades in a chromatic palette where dark and light blue play with the most soft pink creating a geometric-like motion. Easy going and flat heeled. The Chanel girl gang knows how to balance simplicity and romanticism.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Issey Miyake SS20

The 81 years old Issey Miyake has been always a researcher and pioneer in terms of technology and the construction of garments around the body. Many times during his long career he turned over the direction of his brand to his associate in order to dedicate himself fully to research.

Arriving at Centquatre - a cultural centre where dance, theatre, street art come together at the northeast edge of Paris in the 19th arrondissement – we a saw a place buzzing with excitement and creative spirit.

Satoshi Kondo, the newly appointed designer at Issey Miyake, already working for the brand for the last 13 years, delivered a spectacle we haven’t seen at the brand since a while. Several “chapters” disclosed through a beautiful dance performance that injected in the audience what Kondo addressed as the main theme of the collection: joy.

The opening skin tones colored looks, the prints depicting two embracing figures in a Yves Klein blue, but also parachute-like fabric rendered in coat on models on skateboards running across the space. The performance arrived at his best when pleated dresses came down from above through wires directly on the models and disclosing the beautiful hand pleating in circular patterns bouncing at the dancers’ moves.

www.isseymiyake.com

Fashion

Rick Owens SS20

It has been several seasons: Rick Owens has turned towards a positive and joyful position on fashion. This season he continued his beautiful homage to iconic American Designer Larry LeGaspi, one of the most underrated fashion designers who dressed the likes of band Kiss, Labelle, Grace Jones, George Clinton, with its neo-futuristic and visionary style. For anyone who still doesn’t know about LeGaspi the recent Owens’monograph “LeGaspi by Rick Owens” published by Rizzoli is a perfect reference.

We fund all that subversive sensibility and the crafts for volume at Rick Owens’ Spring Summer 2020 collection. Presented at Palais de Tokyo in a Myazaki-like setting with performers creating a sea of bubbles floating in the air as the models walked in. A fantasy embodying the imaginative power of Owens. Big volumes, swiping floor satin-like robes, peplums, sculptural shoulders, layers binding together embracing the body in Owens’ signature silhouettes. Reminiscent of that 80s LeGaspi glamour but also a very personal inspiration: Connie, his 87 years old Mexican immigrant mother

Pleated elements, geometric motives in sequins, inspired by fleeting memories like the china poblana patterns on a skirt his mother would wear on Sundays, or head pieces between Aztec influences, legendary Fritz Lang’s Metropolis futurist investigations, and Sphinx-like shapes, as Owens explained.

There was plenty of colour: gold-mustard, vivid red, pink, green, next to the signature’s black. An homage to Mexican pride: architect Luis Barragàn. The beautiful soundtrack was exclusively crafted by tecno Dj Gage featuring Maria Felix vocals in one of her iconic movies spelling : “Corazon tu diras los que hacemos” A beautiful collection from a designer who didn’t cease to research and surprise.

www.rickowens.com

Fashion

Dries Van Noten & Christian Lacroix: SS20 Women's

Dries Van Noten wanted clothes to excite, inspire joy, from this initial thought he says “I quickly realized that all roads seemed to lead to the work and world – of Mr. Christian Lacroix”.

In conversation with Susannah Frankel, Dries Van Noten and Monsieur Christian Lacroix met on the Champs Elysées, a middle ground between Antwerp and Arles in Paris, the home of haute couture. It was here, in March, they discussed their work on a women’s SS20 collection. Expression that dares, clothes that derive life and feeling are at the heart of Dries Van Noten’s design ethic. Van Noten’s counter-part is the French couturier, Christian Lacroix. It is only natural that they meet and discuss their joys and aspirations, their sensibilities and their voice in the world of fashion. In the collection, jeans with an appliquéd feather or feather print on one leg embody their shared passion for expressive fashion that is street-ready. The SS20 women’s collection also features jacquards inspired by Kubrick’s 1975 film ‘Barry Lyndon’. The dreamy Lyon jacquards were woven on looms, true to the era in which ‘Barry Lyndon’ was set. Every detail has a story, every item in the collection is a shout and not a meek whisper, these two minds have brought their joy to the masses in a striking ready-to-wear women’s collection for SS20.

Dries speaks of Lacroix with excitement, noting how uninhibited their process was. “Knowing that Christian was there, the fact that we could have the help of Christian to make this collection was so inspiring for us, it gave us the creative freedom to think: okay let’s have big shapes, let’s have big colors, big prints, a little bigger, a little brighter? Why not? Why not?”. Lacroix was feeling a little alien upon arrival at the Dries Van Noten studio. This feeling quickly dissolved as their working relationship blossomed, Lacroix spoke openly saying “I don’t know Belgium very well but there is an elegance that is restrained but discreetly generous. He has that.” Van Noten goes on to say, “The idea is to bring fun ideas, nothing too serious, things that I think perhaps we have lost a little in fashion. We have lost maybe the joy of dressing up, of playing with fashion, combining many different things.”

www.driesvannoten.com

Fashion

Hermès: The Arceau Astrologie Nouvelle

There is a distinct difference between destruction and deconstruction, one ruins and the other presents an opportunity to rebuild, reorder and reinvigorate. With their new Arceau Astrologie Nouvelle, complete with matte black alligator strap, Hermés has deconstructed their original Arceau watch. In 1978 the historically favored prestige watch-maker, Hermès, released The Arceau watch. Designed by Henri d’Origny, the watch was designed in the image of a horse stirrup. This year, after a handful of variations on The Arceau, including the Écuyère, the watch is reborn. Woodwork is not often associated with horology and yet Hermès has taken precious wood from a tree native to North America, the Yellow Tulip tree. This wood is then framed it in white gold and sapphire crystal glass with an anti-glare polish, in order to properly observe both artistry and the fluid continuity of time. Other varieties depict their horse head motif as well as a wolf howling at the moon to make the line between fashion and craft all the more indistinguishable.

The wood was chosen for its fine grain and similar shade to the original Arceau, the Astrologie Nouvelle model is self-winding and retains energy for up to fifty hours. Sometimes an artwork’s frame is every bit as gorgeous as the painting it houses, this watch’s creative technicality paired with the classicism of the original model achieves just that. Minuscule details attract curious eyes, the result of three weeks patience and dexterity in the Hermès atelier. Wooden intersections detailed with the Astrologie Nouvelle pattern allign like pieces find their unique place a jigsaw puzzle. The new timepiece proudly displays considerate and remarkable expertise at work. The Arceau Astrologie Nouvelle watch fragments and transposes the Hermès Astrologie Nouvelle scarf into a playful monotone dial. The watch is available in a limited edition release, only eight variations on the classic ’78 model will be released.

www.hermès.com

Travel

BMW: ‘Concept 4’

BMW, a household name in car manufacturing has brought us many thrills in the past. Now, long past the notion of reaching any discernible peak or glass ceiling, they intend to remind drivers to expect the unexpected. From the m3 to the m5 and their lustrous hybrid i8 model, BMW has displayed finesse in both environmentally conscious engineering and cars that can handle great speeds. The Concept 4 echoes the company’s core DNA at every turn. It’s safe to say their contributions to the automotive world are as fruitful as they are plentiful.

At their headquarters in Munich the tireless minds at BMW have introduced their concept for the future to its physical embodiment. The BMW Concept 4, a striking coupe in the same vein as the 328 or the 3.0CSi but with significantly more artful design sensibilities. Though this vehicle has all the design elements we’ve come to love from BMW, the look is exaggerated so as not to understate what is undeniably a great stride forward for the carmaker. Proportionally the bonnet it stretched and affixed with a reinterpreted vertical kidney grille reminiscent of the 328 Roadster 2.0 that facilitates advanced air intake. The car’s tail end curves into its streamlined roof, its stance evoking an unyielding brawn.

The Concept 4 was shaped and moulded with great care to become the new face of the 4 series, rigorously enhanced. Millimetre precise contours add to a voluminous build, the Concept 4 is like a low riding muscle with a long wheelbase and a shapely sophistication that ensures it is not soon forgotten. First unveiled at Frankfurt’s 68th IAA car show, BMW’s Concept 4 is a blood oath with their customer, to excite and to never settle for the assumed standard. This model foreshadows what is in store for their 4 series range.

www.bmw.com
www.bmwgroup.com

Art

Jorinde Voigt: ‘Immersion’

Open Studio Berlin, members from the publishing house, Hatje Cantz and dozens of art lovers will gather tonight at the König Gallery to celebrate the launch of Jorinde Voigt’s new art book, ‘Immersion’. The book is a study of how intuition provides the framework for immersion, her nuances of text in an image with so much complexity in shape guides the eye and results in a better understanding of the art itself. In her new cycle of works, Immersion, artist Jorinde Voigt invigorates her on-going study of perception. Lena Kiessler of Hatje Cantz will be moderating the book release to properly celebrate the start of the eighth Berlin Art Week.

The book launch will take place across a number of countries but it will be honored in its vitality by a select few fine art institutions. The launch of ‘Immersion’ spans from Berlin to Houston Texas, where another release party will occur at Menil Drawing Institute. After teaching the art of conceptual drawing at Munich’s Academy of Fine Arts since 2014, Voigt felt it was only right that she pass on her refined understanding of shape and intuition. By Repeatedly feeling out her own thematic strengths, revisiting themes that reoccured in her art Voigt details and seemingly annotates her work for our benefit. When art captures our attention, holds our gaze, we often wonder what it was that really had that effect, with the launch of ‘Immersion’ this is exactly what Jorinde Voigt brings us closer to understanding

www.koeniggalerie.com

Fashion

CAMPER FW19: 'RALLY'

Romain Kremer, Camper’s first ever creative director, has been inspired by the the discipline and agility of motorsport. “Rally” will mark Kremer’s final campaign for Camper, with this the intention is clear, to excite and motivate the wearer in their pursuit of performative excellence. Everyone has their own race, and with it an itching desire to navigate their race without hesitation, fault or failure. The shapely contours and eight different variations from Kremer’s collection challenge the wearer to find the shoe that helps drive their race. Camper allows a flash-flood of colors and future-centric design to throttle us into the rest of their Fall/Winter 2019 collection, available from today.

A driver’s rally car is built around the driver themselves, how do they move? How do they react under pressure? This collection answers these same questions, making it clear in no uncertain terms that the wearer is used to standing out, entirely self-assured and exist as a breakthrough force to be reckoned with. The spray of champagne once the race is won can hardly be felt through a rush of pins and needles coursing through the driver’s body, a restless and machine-like perfectionism about them. On track or off-track this feeling remains, so too this feeling lives in Camper’s new collection, aptly dubbed “Rally”.

www.camper.com

Music

TOOL: 'Fear Inoculum'

After fourteen long years, after legal battles and motorcycle crashes and cracked ribs, TOOL is back to remind us no one can do what they do. The LA rock group that formed in 1990, mythicized in Rock & Roll history with band members that happened to live above one another before being introduced by legendary guitarist Tom Morello, and over time even making a fan out of King Crimson’s guitarist, Robert Fripp, today delivers their fifth studio album under the title “Fear Inoculum”.

Fourteen years ago when they received awards and accolades for “10,000 Days” they were keen to write more music, even announcing that they’d begin writing for their fifth album “right away” on MTV. “10,000 Days” went platinum with songs like “The Pot” and “Vicarious”. They recorded instrumentation without Keenan, who planned to lay the vocals over their recordings once they were finished, as was their working method. In 2012 their website read that they were half way done with recording the album before vocals.

Then the worst happened, their drummer Danny Carey had broken multiple ribs in a motorcycle accident. Being that rhythm and varying time signatures were at the core of TOOL’s style, they had no choice but to give Carey as much time as he needed to recover fully. Adding to this unexpected hiatus in writing and recording they were mired in court battles since 2007 after an old acquaintance of the band that claimed he’d created the artwork for “10,000 Days”.

The distinctive rolling thunder of Justin Chancellor’s bass and twisted, theatrical machismo of Maynard Keenan’s vocals are not easily forgotten. Their fans never ever left. Not to mention their three-time Grammy winning guitarist Adam Jones. Their sound is rooted in technical perfectionism, being totally in sync within a totally insane song; some might refer to this as organized chaos. The writing process was everything to TOOL, after more than five thousand days they have delivered “Fear Inoculum”. After what feels like one of the longest waits in music history, TOOL reconnects with their fan base through this riveting seven-track project, hoping that their following will hear it with perked ears and little hairs standing upright on the back of their necks.

www.toolband.com

Music

'This World is Drunk': Raphael Saadiq

In this world of political unrest and earth’s seemingly hopeless decay, a voice cries out through the dark. The Oakland raised recording artist and multi instrumentalist, Raphael Saadiq has written songs for the brightest stars of R&B including Solange, D’Angelo, Whitney Houston and TLC. Even under the crushing weight of his three brothers and one sister passing, Saadiq embraced his passions, growing in maturity significantly since his introduction as part of the three-piece group ‘Tony! Toni! Toné!’. Saadiq grasped life in his hands and began shaping it with vigour and care until it mirrored his dream, we are now seeing the fruit Saadiq’s life force has bore, his first studio album release in eight years, 'Jimmy Lee'.

‘Jimmy Lee’ is a melancholic soundscape to the world’s incredibly dizzying turn, felt greatest by the world’s most vulnerable. In the same way as David Bowie used his music to observe and shape the world for better, Raphael Saadiq offers a spoonful of sugar to help digest the bitter medicine you might see on a newspaper headline or bearded face with creases running deep in sunburned skin of a homeless man holding a cardboard sign in downtown California that reads “dollar for a song”. There’s no greater tragedy than bad things happening to good people. If this is true then Saadiq is the best of us and his voice is a vital one to pay attention to in the 21st century.

On the song “This World is Drunk” Saadiq finds himself contemplating how lost, stretched out and estranged the life of an addict can be. The swimming chords drone in and out while high octave piano keys play out like the very heart strings they echo from. Music like this can get lost in the ocean of choices that streaming services offer up, there is a multitude of reasons not to miss this rare chance to better understand life and our world through music. “Jimmy Lee” throws the blame back on the endless rat race that corners good people to find their darkness and use it. Whether that darkness is a drug, a violence, lust, Raphael Saadiq reminds the listener bluntly “this world is drunk and the people are mad”.

www.raphaelsaadiqmusic.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles Canada FW19: 'Sacred Glacier'

Since its inception ten years ago the brand, Moose Knuckles Canada, offshoot of Moose Knuckles, has become a top of the line, weather-ready force to be reckoned with. Made of fine tailored, ethically sourced materials, their FW19 collection ensures that first step you take into the cold winter’s air will be one of confidence and excitement. Their new collection is accompanied by a clear message that life is not to be neglected and the time sensitive realities of our life-giving planet, not to be dismissed. They have also issued a vehement anti-fur statement explaining that they exclusively use faux fur.

With insulating fabrics and a growing legacy in outwear and exploratory gear, Moose Knuckles encourages wearers to throw themselves into life regardless of how great the challenge or how severe the weather. In a scenic and compelling video, made with Toronto’s acclaimed production house ‘Kid. Studio’, Dennis Rodman plays an Inuit with mystical powers. In the short fashion film he calls upon the human embodiments of seven deadly sins to enter his small fishing hut atop a slowly moving iceberg known as ‘the sacred glacier’ in the Nanavut territory. It is here the mystic Inuit performs a ritual that cleanses them of sin and sanctifies in them the true meaning of human existence.

The FW19 collection is a vehicle for Moose Knuckles Canada to remind viewers of the natural beauty in Earth’s eco-systems, and its vulnerability in today’s world. As the Amazon burns and giant glaciers in the artic melt, cooling our oceans, changing our weather patterns and making weather events more extreme and unpredictable, Moose Knuckles Canada urges us to involve ourselves more deeply in a reality freed from the mirth of apathetic tendencies technology can trap us in.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

Onitsuka Tiger x Christian Dada

Even after 70 years, Japanese brand Onitsuka Tiger has not lost a bit of appeal. Still a staple amongst streetwear enthusiasts and fashionistas alike, the iconic shoe combines the world of fashion and sports, its own heritage and innovation.

For the 70th anniversary, Onitsuka Tiger announced a series of special collaborations, with 7 distinct designers, one for every decade of its existence. For the third edition of this ongoing series, Christian Dada’s Masanori Morikawa gets the opportunity to leave his personal mark at the legendary Japanese brand.

The resulting piece, in Christian Dada’s signature color black, takes after Onitsuka Tiger’s iconic running shoe ‘Rebilac Runner’. In his signature fashion, Morikawa infuses his leather and mesh design with the references to Dadaism, such as the arrangement of the laces reminiscent of a crawling snake. Alongside the shoes, the collaboration also features a matching jacket and pants. In a culmination of functionality and design, Onitsuka Tiger’s distinct sporty vibe meets Christian Dada’s signature loose silhouette. In line with Dadaism, the jacket’s breast pocket and inner back pockets of the pants are adorned with rubber patches, carrying a statement.

The Onitsuka Tiger x Christian Dada collaboration will be available from August 26th in select shops and online.

www.onitsukatiger.com

Art

The World's True Protagonist

Cartier, world-renowned jeweler, is starting a dialogue with environmentally conscious speakers, artists, philosophers and academics in an exhibition dubbed "TREES". This exhibition offers a long awaited chance for the humanity of such an issue to be unfettered by political inaction. Artistic contributions from Latin America, Iran, the United States and European nations reinforce a shared goal and the global unity necessary to progress. Vital and intimately connected to the issue, "TREES" provides a platform for Indigenous representatives like the Nivaclé and Guarani of Gran Chaco (Paraguay) as well as the Yanomami Indians who live in the heart of the Amazonian forest. It is through Foundation Cartier's platform these voices can urge and advocate for the conservation and protection of the Amazon rainforest. Trees, the gentle giants so unassuming yet crucial to life on Earth, provide sanctity to humans and deserve sanctity from industrialism. The relationship between humans and trees will be thoroughly explored in a film by Raymond Depardon.

"TREES" will be curated by Hervé Chandès, Isabelle Gaudefroy and anthropologist, Bruce Albert, a long time companion of the foundation since Cartier's exhibition "Yanomami, Spirit of the Forest" (2003). Three narrative threads tie this exhibition together. Firstly, trees as we know them, then the aesthetic observation of trees and lastly, the devastation of trees as visualized through documentary film and pictorial testimony. The Brazilian artist, Luiz Zerbini, explores the blunt force with which urbanism defiles the world's natural environment. Stefano Mancuso will speak on the intelligence and awareness of plant life as it communicates and interacts with its surroundings. This exhibition of purposeful unity will remind change makers that trees are they are the lungs of our suffocating world and they are at risk of never breathing at full capacity again.

The event will run from July 12th to November 10th at 261, Boulevard Raspail, Paris, The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art.

www.foundationcartier.com

Fashion

She's Never Alone With her Longchamp: FW19

Longchamp’s creative director, Sophie Delafontaine, has envisioned a new travel companion with the vanity travel cases of previous eras at heart. The 'La Voyageuse' bag comes in three variations and a handful of adjustable styles for the modern woman that makes travel look like a breeze. 'La Voyageuse', French for ‘the traveller’, encourages you to take pride in the freedom of constant mobility, curiosity and forward motion.

'La Voyageuse' is paradoxically faced with the issue of the occasional lonesome and quiet nature of solo travel. For nights out in foreign cities there are two additional styles. A small cross-body bag with a detachable strap that doubles as a clutch and a second style that draws inspiration from vintage newspaper bags, minimalist and uncluttered, with removable handles for those into customization. Whether it’s the miniature ‘La Voyageuse’ or the ‘La Voyageuse’ LGP Jacquard intricately designed with wool canvas and black calf detail, whether it is for spontaneous weekend flights or longer, more adventurous trips, travellers will be very taken by the 2019 Fall / Winter collection.

The highlight of Longchamp’s Fall/Winter season ‘La Voyageuse’ will be in stores from 27th August.

www.longchamp.com

Fashion

Dream It Real

In fashion, every new season is a new beginning. The old collections disappear as they are replaced with the new looks. The turnaround can be quite drastic, so it is crucial for brands to showcase the new season’s aesthetic. Often the first point of contact between the brand and its customers, the campaign, enveloped in a thought-provoking narrative, sets the tone for the new season.

Inspired by the 21st-century dreamer, chasing infinite possibilities in the city of New York, Coach unveils its new look and feel for the house. Alongside Michael B. Jordan and Kiko Mizuhara, the Coach family is extended by Yara Shahidi, Jemima Kirke, Lolo Zouaï, Miles Heizer and new Coach ambassador Liu Wen.

The unique essence of this diverse cast is captured by famous photographer Juergen Teller, who once more proves his ability to reveal his subject’s authentic personality and humanity. Shot in iconic landscapes around New York City, the campaign accentuates the house’s heritage and connection to the city as well as the city’s unapologetic and free-spirited attitude.

www.coach.com

Fashion

Bally: Peak Outlook Initiative

Reaching the top of Mount Everest literally means arriving at the top of the world. Trekking this iconic peak, measuring 8,848m, remains a remarkable feat, which only a relatively small number of people have achieved. With the rise of outdoor activities and extreme sports, the number of adventurers attempting this endeavor has sharply risen over the last decades, over 1200 in 2019 alone, leaving behind a devastating footprint of trash and debris in the high altitude territories.

Bally’s relation to Mount Everest dates back to the earliest expeditions trying to conquer its peak. In 1947, the luxury brand provided the Swiss expedition with rubber-soled footwear, with the world-famous Bally reindeer boots being worn during the first-ever successful summit in 1953.

With this enduring bond to the mountains, deriving from the house’s deeply-rooted Swiss heritage, it should come to nobody’s surprise that Bally launched the Peak Outlook Initiative, a long term commitment, to preserve the mountain environment and the lifestyle of the communities that call it their home. With the first edition of the Bally-sponsored clean-up mission, the group of experienced climbers removed over 1 ton of waste from areas only reachable by humans. A second undertaking has already been initiated for the end of the season to discard the debris left by the numerous expedition teams.

To celebrate the launch of Bally Peak Outlook, the Swiss house introduces an exclusive capsule collection, pledging its net profits to benefit future expeditions. The first unveiled item is a t-shirt, adorned with the slogan ‘No Mountain High Enough’. Produced from GOTS-certified cotton, it underscores the house’s larger commitment to environmental protection and sustainability, not solely limited to the world’s most extreme mountain regions.

www.bally.com

Fashion

Boggi Milano: Italian Elegance

The suit is to men what the little black dress is to women. Highly versatile, whether in the classic three-piece ensemble or in a more casual combination, it can be adapted to almost any social setting and situation. With the life of modern men becoming more diverse and cosmopolitan, the suit had to adapt to a new set of challenges.

Milan is a global fashion city with a long and rich tradition in men’s wear. Considered as the capital of men’s fashion, it is the perfect setting for Boggi Milano to showcase its Fall/Winter 2019 collection. By allowing the city’s cultural, social and architectural fabric to shine through, Boggi pays homage to its birthplace and the notion of Italian elegance. In cinematographic pictures, which relate to the men’s daily emotions as fathers, husbands or boyfriends, Boggi presents a new image of the man, capable, cultivated and self-confident.

The collection itself is defined by precise tech-tailoring, layering and the use of premium fabrics. Apart from exquisitely tailored suits, the more relaxed wardrobe of versatile pieces, embracing masculine elegance and innovation, offers the modern man the perfect attire for both formal occasions as well as leisure time.

www.boggi.com

Travel

Celebrating 60 years of MINI and the MINI Electric

A very famous proverb tell us: ‘Do not change a winning formula.’ British car manufacturer MINI has taken this to heart, leaving the design of their signature car largely unchanged for decades. Instantly recognizable, the shape has been engrained deeply in our minds and has become synonymous with the brand MINI. Nevertheless, progress has not passed the British manufacturer by.

Recognizing the growing ecological awareness of a new generation of consumers, Mini unveils its first electronic MINI model. With the new Mini Electric, the British brand is making a huge step towards a new mode of urban mobility, combining the revolutionary design of the classic MINI with a clean electric engine.

In celebration of their 60th anniversary, MINI proves that progress does not have to come at the expense of tradition, by adjusting everything that distinguishes a MINI to modern needs.

The new MINI Electric will become available in 2020, but can be pre-ordered via the online reservation tool.

www.mini.com

Fashion

CHANEL Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019

Certain houses are defined by a single person; a person so impactful that their presence can still be felt long after their passing. In the case of CHANEL, it is not just one but two individuals whose legacies still loom over the house. Coco Chanel founded the eponymous house and it was Karl Lagerfeld, who remained at its helm for over 30 years. A hard act to follow.

When Virginie Viard was announced as Lagerfeld’s successor, her name burst into the main spotlight of the fashion industry. Despite this being her first CHANEL Couture show as Artistic Director, Viard’s relation with the house of CHANEL started over three decades ago, first as a member of the design studio and since 1997 overseeing the haute couture. A fact that became obvious in the created atmosphere of quiet savoir-faire.

With her first collection, Viard honors the exquisite craftsmanship found in the CHANEL Haute Couture studios and utilizes it to realize her own vision of the classic CHANEL woman, defined by a sense of nonchalant elegance. Nevertheless, one can feel the influences of Coco and Karl throughout the show. The mostly tall and narrow silhouettes, paired with 30’s inspired wide-styled trousers hinted at the house’s founder whereas the feathered ruffs, high white collars and sequined embroidery were reminiscent of Lagerfeld.

Viard’s first haute couture collection and the imposing transformation of the Grand Palais into a grand circular library prove that the designers might change, but CHANEL remains a giant of French culture and a blockbuster event of any Paris Fashion Week.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Paul Smith Spring/Summer 2020

Oversized suits in dusty colors from pink to sage. Beautiful double breasted elongated blazers worn just buttoned at the inner side, leaving the wide lapels on a fluid motion.

For his eponymous label’s Spring/Summer 2020, Paul Smith revisited the ‘70s in New York with its artistic vibrancy and young art scene. Having experienced first hand during his travels at the time, Paul Smith channelled all of that eclectic atmosphere, imbued of unconstrained creativity.

Tailored leather jackets worn with drawstring tracksuit trousers in sage nylon, double breasted blazers at times cropped on the waste and worn with high rise fluid pants both for men and women. The color palette is also filled with hues reminiscent of Pop Art chromatic scale: yellow, fluorescent orange and cobalt blue.

During his visit in the big apple, Paul Smith breathed the environment around iconic galleries, like Leo Castelli, definitely the most prominent art venue in the world during those years and one of the first in late 50s to showcase Pop Art when Jasper Johns joined the gallery.

The collection almost stripped of accessories presented few beautiful slouched big drawstring bag worn cross body over suits, both for men and women’s. A relaxed mood so appealing and modern we have loved every bit.

www.paulsmith.com

Fashion

Jil Sander Men's Spring Summer 2020

Upon the sand, upon the bay/"There is a quick and easy way" you say/Before you illustrate/I'd rather state:/"I'm not the man you think I am”. The sound of The Smiths permeated the whole room. There was a translucent wall as a backdrop. Just behind you could see the shadow of dozens of flowers, along its whole perimeter.

Are they the same flowers that will blossom when planting the few seeds received as show invite? I haven’t asked Lucie and Luke Meier, but I am pretty sure they are.

Season after season the couple has been building a strong coherent identity for Jil Sander. A modern minimalism with delicate features. Just think of Mario Sorrenti’s Spring Summer ‘19 campaign for the house: the poetry of the soft breeze walking on a summer day in Japan.

For Spring Summer 2020 Lucie and Luke Meier confirmed that fluid tailoring and relaxed silhouettes: linen shirt-jackets, Japanese cotton V-neck shirts, organic banana fibre trench coat, a sleeveless canvas knee-length overcoat. Particularly beautiful the cotton sweaters with long hand-crocheted fringing kissing the floor, paired with sharp oversized pants or precise tailoring. Botanical prints and floral jacquards make their entrance in the monochromatic palette dear to the brand – burgundy, off white, black, sand – with new colours like Klein blue.

The contrast between the beautifully fragile and the modern effortless rendered perfectly the vision of the Meier couple’s for Jil Sander.

www.jilsander.com

Fashion

Hermès Men's Spring Summer 2020

The internal court of the iconic Mobilier National by legendary architect Auguste Perret. Several different chairs of different styles and times arranged at its sides. Hermès presented his Men’s Spring Summer 2020 in this suggestive location where all the monumental modern energy of the place served as the perfect stage.

Since the very first look it was already clear that Véronique Nichanian choose to play with a wonderful research on colours and layers: a large shirt with high collar in cotton poplin with mint and white stripes layered over a simple white shirt, matched with large khaki trousers and a fluid parka in waterproof technical celadon green toile.

The colour palette continued with soft bubblegum pink, lagoon, aqua, plum, desert, sand, tobacco, rust, beautifully woven together.

Already at her 31 year at the helm of Hermès Menswear, Véronique Nichanian knows how to channel the delicate savoir faire of the iconic French maison where every little detail, every stitch or cut is a mirror to that artisanal know-how and set of values we have known since almost two centuries: not laud, almost whispered aesthetic. But also strong ethic and love for every artisan involved as one big family.

This is Hermès and every step of this maison is imbued of this core values regardless is one of the art projects supported by Fondation Hermès, a fashion show or a store opening.

For Spring Summer 2020 Nichanian choose an easy elegance, a wearability with a touch of joy at times or minimal formalwear at others. This season’s code verged towards the idea of a youthful spirit where versatility and reversible garments are key words.

The choice for the collection of accessories added a strong touch: beautiful sandals with a thick sole and fanny packs also declined in aqua colour. T

he last looks with blouses in heritage silk scarf patchwork at times overdyed channelled further a lively and playful energy.

It felt very fluid, relaxed, nonchalant. And the soft summer breeze at the Mobilier served as the perfect amplifier.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Celine Men’s Spring Summer 2020

In a pitch black room just one spotlight is directed on one person only: Hedi Slimane, almost silently shaking hands to everyone who respectfully wanted to congratulate after his first Celine Menswear dedicated show. The surreal, almost religious atmosphere is the perfect mirror to the designer’s credo: a creative mind far from any compromises.

Hedi Slimane’s multifaceted imagination created also the set design, a mobile squared box covered with theatre-like red velvet curtain to reveal a structure made of metal and beaming lights. A stage-throne where the first model seated till the humongous mechanism approached slowly the centre of the catwalk.

The collection expressed one of Hedi Slimane’s favourite references: the 70s, the disco culture of the time. High waste flared denim, sequins jackets, short black leather perfecto, red or gold varsity jackets. But also tailored slim suits in dark brown, khaki, black and at time – see the first look - reminiscent of Savile Row.

It felt almost as if we just were walking out of a student protest of the time. The rebellious and nonconformist attitude in the air: sentences written by artist David Cramer and printed on t-shirts, bomber, bags added up: “I still don’t know if this is getting me anywhere” or “I have nostalgia for things I have probably never known”.

Kramer, an American artist working with words and building them together in form of slogans as part of his mostly figurative paintings and graphic drawings, collaborated for the first time with Slimane. There is a strong 70s research in Kramer’s work, with a confronting nostalgic humour.

Hedi Slimane’s rock and roll “i-don’t-care” looks marched at the rhythm of Bodega’s original track “Name Escape” composed for the show.

www.celine.com

Art

Cindy Sherman at the National Portrait Gallery

Without any doubt, Cindy Sherman is one of the most influential artists in contemporary art, with a career spanning from the mid-‘70s to the present. In her photographs, she explores artistic manipulation of self-appearance and photography’s complex relationship between façade and identity, which, in the world of social media, seems more relevant than ever.

In an eponymous exhibition, comprising around 180 of her images, the National Portrait Gallery presents a major retrospective on Cindy Sherman’s career. Central to the exhibition is the critically acclaimed series, Untitled Film Stills, which is shown to the UK public for the first time. This series, realized between 1977 and 1980, is Cindy Sherman’s first artistic work, commenced shortly after her move to New York. In 70 images, whose overall flair is heavily inspired by the staged aesthetic of ‘50s and ‘60s Hollywood, as well as film noir and European art-house film, Sherman captures fictional situation, inspired by the conventions of yesterday’s cinema. Cindy Sherman truly was an image creator. She did not only assume the role as photographer, but also model, set designer and hair and makeup artist.

Through sharp observation, her work scrutinizes contemporary life and exposes it as a world of pure appearance, denouncing all its facades and deceptions.

The exhibition Cindy Sherman will be open to the public from 27 June to 15 September at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

www.npg.org.uk

Art

Fondation Louis Vuitton: Charlotte Perriand

Charlotte Perriand was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century design. This truly visionary woman stands at the origins of a distinctly modern art de vivre, whilst at the same time helping to redefine the relationships between the arts themselves. Her work was a reaction to the shifting social and political climate of the time, embodying the transition from outdated traditions of the 19th century to the 20th century’s urban living.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of her passing, the Fondation Louis Vuitton dedicates a major exhibition to her forward-facing work. They explore her impact on modernity and her perception of a ‘synthesis of the arts’, a link between the different disciplines and the influences they share. The Foundation consecrates all of its ten galleries to invite its guests to a journey through the 20th century, in the company of a truly pioneering artist.

Each of the different galleries recognizes one aspect of her broad range of work, spanning from her contributions to design and architecture to her political engagement. This is a unique opportunity to engage with the roots of modernity thanks to meticulously researched and faith reconstitutions.

The exhibition is open to the public from October 2nd, 2019 to February 24th, 2020 at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr

Fashion

In-Store Presentation: Prada Spring/Summer 2020

For the first time, Italian house Prada decided to stage their SS20 Menswear runway show outside of Italy. Earlier this year, the collection was unveiled on Shanghai’s catwalk. As it is impossible for an Italian house of Prada’s magnitude to just skip Italy’s Fashion Week, they invited for an in-store presentation of the collection in Milan.

The collection itself once again proved Miuccia Prada’s exceptional creativity. Exploring the aesthetics of youth whilst remodelling it in a modern spirirt. Prada explores the meaning of clothing whilst intentionally distancing herself from the notions of garments as classics. Classical items were adorned with pockets and pouches, challenging familiar forms, whilst manipulated proportions and clever layering evoke a hint of rebellion against the norm. The remixed Prada logo, prints of casette tapes and video cameras and the characteristically vibrant color palette finish the retro-futuristic aesthetic and prove the ever-changing nature of the house.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2020

Armani’s influence on men’s style and suiting is as undeniable as it is legendary. After leading tailoring into a more relaxed direction in the 1980s, Mr. Armani once again proves his connection to the contemporary. With his Emporio SS20, Armani infuses traditional tailoring with the recent fluid attitude to dressing and a modern component of athleticism.

The result is a collection defined by the lightness of materials and a fluid, almost feminine silhouette. The almost weightless combination of crinkly materials and brightly colored, cellophane shiny materials is reminiscent of ‘90s athletic attire and underlines the internal dialogue between formal classic patterns and the world of sports.

The athletic spirit of the shows extends itself to the accessories that round of the presentation. Modern cross-body bags, backpacks and belt-wallet hybrids in punchy shades, as well as sneakers, are elevated as fitting finishes for the refined athletic looks envisioned by Armani. The finale of the show was Italian Olympic and Paralympic athletes celebrating Armani’s close relationship with Italian sports, as the official supplier of Team Italy for all Olympic competitions.

www.armani.com

Fashion

FENDI Resort 2020

In a way, the new Resort 2020 collection represented a turn of the page for the Roman house. After a tenure of almost half a decade, this was the first presentation of FENDI that was not designed under the guidance of Karl Lagerfeld.

Nevertheless FENDI is moving forward, staying true to the DNA that Lagerfeld has established for the house. Silvia Venturini Fendi, who has worked alongside Lagerfeld all her career, seamlessly continues the brand’s celebration of strong femininity. Inspired by the ‘80s thriller movie Gloria, Silvia Venturini Fendi presents beautifully constructed clothes, defined by softening shapes that radiate a hint of Seventies bourgeois refinement, alongside a hyper femininity highlighted through mannish details of tailoring.

As expected from a house like FENDI, throughout the collection, only exclusive materials are used alongside fine furs, in subtle combination with the houses signatures; the Pequin logo-no-logo stripes, Karligraphy and the traditional FF monogram. To round off their retro-elegant look, FENDI unveils new interpretations of the iconic Peekaboo and Baguette, alongside an archive-inspired tote design and structured chained bag.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Stone Island FW 19/20 Icon Imagery

After the opening of its new flagship store in Milan just last month, Stone Island and its Creative Director Carlo Rivetti are shifting the focus back on their garments by presenting the Fall/Winter 2019 Icon Imagery collection. Reminiscent of its predecessors, the assortment is all about color.

Many of the garments of the upcoming seasonal range are made in a variety of colors: from bright orange to neon green, from blue to grey and from black to white. A visual novelty and highlight is the use of a new special camo-styled fabric in Fall-friendly hues, rounding off the vast selection of outerwear garments of the Italian company. Behind the eye-catching vibrant aesthetic, Stone Island keeps up with signature detail of all its collections, the refinement and care in the materials.

Alongside the mainline and reflective pieces, such as new takes on the classic nylon metal jackets and a multi-colored parka, Stone Island allows us a sneak peek at the new monochromatic Ghost range, including a uniquely paneled bomber with an asymmetrical opening.

www.stoneisland.com

Fashion

Anatomy of Romance

It is not unusual for a collection to take a year from being unveiled on the catwalk until being available to the customers in store. As the focus is already shifting towards next year’s seasons, brands capture our attention by reviving and readapting the spectacle of their catwalk shows in elaborate advertising campaigns.

Italian brand Prada captures the spirit of the Fall/Winter 2019 men’s and women’s collections by exploring the ideas and ideals of romance as human emotion and an artistic movement. Photographed by Willy Vanderperre, the campaign’s tender imagery, under the title Anatomy of Romance, evokes a romantic atmosphere through the surroundings and the figures within.

In a modern romantic metaphor, Prada investigates the complex co-existence of men and women as well as the wild natural and the urban industrial. The panoramas display different figures of the diverse and multifaceted cast, including new faces and established talents, in intriguing moments of intimacy, allowing endless interpretations of their entwined destinies. Anatomy of Romance is an extension of the designer’s aesthetic vision, created for a modern romance, for modern romantics.

www.prada.com

Fashion

COACH Pre-Spring 2020

No other city in the world has had the same cultural impact than New York City. Constantly evolving, the city has left a mark not only in its eight million inhabitants but every single person around the world. We have all seen countless movies and TV shows taking place in New York and share a certain familiarity with the city.

Creative director Stuart Vevers takes inspiration in cinema’s constructed representation of New York, which interweaves reality with fiction. Especially Whit Stillman’s 1990 Metropolitan has influenced the designer’s approach to design. His Coach Resort 2020 collection is refreshingly urban with a hint of toughness, combining preppy origins with a certain downtown attitude.

Vevers unveils his reimagined version of the Coach heritage. Reminiscent of the Nineties, with a Seventies-inspired earthy color palette, the collection shows his personal take on what a vintage piece of Coach might look like. The revisionist picture is merging modern tendencies with their archives, whilst reenergizing the horse-and-carriage emblem. The iconic logo evolves into a pattern, repeating itself throughout the whole collection. The created pattern feels fresh imbued with a distinct old-school feel, playing on notions of heritage and the contemporary craze for brands and logos.

www.coach.com

Fashion

New Outdoor Label by Woolrich

The phenomenon of Ametora, meaning American tradition, first landed on Japan's shores as early as the 1980s with the arrival of the East Coast Ivy League style. At first, only referring to Ivy, this phenomenon swept over the Japanese islands time and time again, always bringing along another American style, from California surfer to hip-hop style.

Historic American brand Woolrich writes the next chapter in this Japanese-American exchange with the unveiling of its New Outdoor Label. In cooperation with renowned Japanese outdoor brand Goldwin, Woolrich redefines and replaces their iconic American outdoor line. Inspired by a new notion of balance between humanity and nature, the design team unveils a subtle 80's and 90's throwback sports concept, defined by functionality and minimalism, comprising a number reimagined staples, among others parkas, jackets and vests. The principally neutral color palette, at times adorned with hues of sunrise and sunset, as well as water and sky-blue, blends perfectly with a variety of backdrops, from the peaceful nature of forest to the busy city life.

The collection will be available in Woolrich stores and online.

www.woolrich.com

Fashion

Jet-A-Porter

Summer starts early this year, as Italian retail group Net-A-Porter invites its guests for a getaway in the Greek sun. For three days, designers, models, influencers and friends of the brand alike come together at the Amanzone Resort Villas to celebrate the warmest season in all its facets.

Over three days, Net-A-Porter, in partnership with Zimmerman, Chopard and Sisley-Paris, offered their invitees extraordinary entertainment, tailored exclusively to highlight the spectacular Grecian landscape. In this breathtakingly beautiful setting, it was the guests that stole the show, bringing to life all the aspects of high summer fashion, from essentials for pool or beachside to cocktail attire and partywear.

To complete the looks, Chopard made available a selection of limited-edition jewels, which were worn by some of the guests throughout the week. In addition to this, the guests were invited to the Jet-A-Porter Vacation Shop villa. Here, an exclusive curated collection of high summer essentials, featuring brands such as Zimmerman, Aquazarra and Wandler awaited the guests. This summer,

Net-A-Porter unveils the Jet-A-Porter vacation shop, revealing a complete curated summer selection ideal for a summer city break or beach vacation.

In the meantime you can shop the pieces at www.net-a-porter.com

Art

Exhibition Brigitte Waldach

German artist Brigitte Waldach has gained national and international reputation over the last few years due to her large format drawings and installations. She creates pieces that exceed the two-dimensional canvas, combining bands and strings, drawings, sounds and text into a multi-sensual experience. The installation EXISTENZ, making use of the interplay of bands and strings, creates an interconnection between her works and elevates them to a new dimension.

Famous for her work on existential and sociopolitical subjects, the dynamic tangle of strings represent the relations between time and space, life and death as well as individuality and collective. Having found inspiration in the thinking and work of Felix Nussbaum, his presence and words become ever-present, at times through personal words or letters or through reference to key moments in his life, so closely tied with fate of the German Jewish community in the 20th century.

The exhibition showcases the artist’s combination of notions of the past and present with biographical components. The exhibition is open until the 10th of November in the Felix-Nussbaum-Haus in Osnarbrück.

Fashion

Dunhill Aquarium Limited Edition Capsule Collection

London-based house Dunhill looks back into its past and rediscovers a series of hand-painted illustrations first introduced with the Aquarium lighters in 1949. They received their name, due the material's optical reflection of the light, giving them the appearance of a large fish tank. These intricate nature-inspired motifs of fish and birds, were re-contexualised and reimagined as prints for a series of modern pieces, such as bombers, swim short or sneakers.

As expressed by Mark Weston, the whole collection expresses a certain tension in parts due to the old reinterpreted in new forms, the ageing motifs with a newfound relevance, so as the Art deco inspired motifs on hand-painted lighters become fabric prints for items such as belt bag.

Despite the new polished format of these prints, Dunhill keeps in touch with their origins. Aside the summery capsule collections of modern clothes, they also feature an exclusive revamp of the original lighter, using the same traditional methods and a exquisite palladium or gold plated finish. This very limited edition only consists of 15 lighters per colorway, each individually engraved and numbered.

www.dunhill.com

Art

The cure

Entitled THE CURE (HEAVENLY PIE(A)CES), the new Richard Yasmine collection is an assortment of unconventional, serene yet hypnotizing white on white blended set up. For Yasmine, the concept is always the focus. Conceived as an experimental installation, THE CURE reads as an interpretation of our inner spiritual substance with a deep therapeutic message associated with the notion of time and the philosophy of karma with its idea of renaissance after each failure moment creating an influential emotional charge reflecting forgiveness and self-reconciliation. Yasmine’s collection is made of white powder coated aluminum structures combined with other materials such as brass, neo-cement, suede, Carrara marble and couture handmade embroidery with beads pearls and silk. It includes an armchair, a pendulum clock and a wall mounted lighting fixture. Each piece has a special significance related to the theme, Yasmine explains: “The armchair’s back is in a Headstone silhouette with a message of destiny and regeneration. The pendulum clock corresponds to time and how to catch the moment before it’s too late, yet it shows there is always brightness and hope at the end of the darkness. Third element is a wall-mounted light represented by a halo or an aureole with rays of light in a circular shape symbolizing the majesty or prominence of the soul.”

www.richardyasmine.com

Fashion

#MYCALVINS

Calvin Klein launches their new #MYTRUTH campaign, creating an additional stage for some of the most influential voices to tell their story in their own words while inviting the world to do the same. A campaign that fits the brands’ provoke history and celebrates freedom and self-expression. The campaign is a call to action to speak your mind, creating a movement with artists like A$AP Rocky, Bella Hadid, Billie Eilish, Kendell Jenner, Shawn Mendes, Troye Sivan and many others. The campaign will be released worldwide in installments beginning on May 9th #MYTRUTH #MYCALVINS

Art

Exhibition ‘Into the Light’

SR CONTERMPORARY ART Gallery opens its new exhibition for the Gallery Weekend in Berlin. The exhibition features the work of portrait and fashion photographer Tom Jacobi, who travelled two years over seven continents to capture archaic landscapes that are dominated by brightness.

Into the Light symbolises the striving towards light from out the darkness, in search for the meaning of life, gazing up towards the sun that fills with the brightest of all colors: white. White occupies a particular position in the spectrum of colors and has an essential influence and meaning in the exhibition and how the color is interpreted in different societies and cultures.

The exhibition will run from the 11th of April to the 20th of May at SR CONTEMPORARY ART.

Niebuhrstraße 11A, 10629 Berlin, Deutschland

www.srcontemporaryart.de

Fashion

Summer Scents from Louis Vuitton

The maison of Louis Vuitton launches three new scents on April 4th 2019, just in the nick of time for the first burst of summer weather. With a triptych of pop colors and the scent of summer optimism, these eaux de parfums announce and prolong that spirit of summer that is so often tragically fleeting. Conjuring up sizzling patios scattered with cacti, beaches etched in foam and the one-of-a-kind California landscape, it unleashes a sense of freedom and passion notorious of the West Coast. Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud has concocted a formula bodied with airness that lingers on the skin, ensuring that permanence so yearned for on endless summer nights.

The inherent natural properties are brought to the fore, the perfumes consisting of the rarest and rawest of materials. Sun Song’s prominent note is Citron, sealing the following scents together. An olfactive melody of orange blossom, citron and musk evokes rays of sunlight reflected off of the sea surface. Cactus Garden is a frisson of emotion introducing more bitter notes of Calabrian bergamot combined with the traditional mate and lemongrass. This powerful aroma injects a certain energy associated with lounging on the patio, recovering sheltered from the heat. The final scent is Afternoon Swim, an explosion of juice. Rejuvenating and magnetic; the profound mandarin note emits a distinct freshness. The sprinkle of ginger allows it to set sail, then is pulled back again for savoring through the creamy ambergris and orange.

Los Angeles native artist Alex Israel designed the packaging for the respective scents, pairing emblematic artwork with the spirit of the fragrance to appropriately capture each scent.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Karl's Winter Wonderland

Snow capped peaks and cosy chalets welcome the CHANEL Fall-Winter Ready-to-Wear collection at the Grand Palais in Paris. This metamorphosis envisioned by the late Karl Lagerfeld with Virginie Viard makes for an romantic, emotional event, fondly and fittingly exhibiting everything about the brand that Karl so loved and fought for.

Radiating elegance and class, the collection is quintessentially CHANEL, silhouettes are accentuated with both the masculine and feminine cuts in a palette of clean winter whites, beige, navy blue and black, the perfect foundational coat for the flashes of emerald, purple, brick reds and fuchsia.

Tweed fedoras are dusted with snowflakes, paired with tartan, houndstooth and big check motifs. Tweed is certainly a core fabric this collection, both top stitched and quilted, asserting its masculinity with high-waisted wide-cut trousers and layered with great enveloping mini capes and overcoats that warmly wrap the silhouette in a blanket like fashion. All motifs and small touches evoke the theme and setting. Soft knit pullovers and sweaters are detailed with crystals and maxi pockets that create a trompe-l’oeil effect.

Although confident and crisp, there is a distinct softness to the collection. White pearl earrings and knitted scarves in embroidered chiffon are just some of the details that emanate an air of sophistication. The feminine of course is unavoidable with floaty maxi volumes in Claudine collars and delicate shirts. Snowball skirts and chiffon feathers bring in a sense of modernity and youth.

 www.chanel.com

Fashion

A New Intimate Approach in Femininity

Miu Miu’s Fall / Winter 2019 collection comprehends an interesting dialogue about the power of images produced through all sorts of new media. The show represents the dynamic creative work of New Zealand born artist, photographer and filmmaker Sharna Osborne. Her work is praised for the beautiful details that are often highlighted. Osborne created a physical space full of imagination and wonderment for this show. She used a personal selection of her work to create an innovative intimate approach to the contemporary standard of femininity.

The intriguing monumental hypostyle hall is filled with a jumbled array of giant prints, short video clips, old TV’s and LED-screens that produce a non linear visual overload of contrasting images and stories. Special and unique is that the installation is intrinsically connected with the collection itself. Both form a storytelling interaction by consisting an arrangement of frames, supports and structures that shape a chaotic and absorbing ensemble of divergent narratives.

The model path unfolds playfully through the hall and brings the installation with the models to life. The catwalk is a confrontational embodiment of images, opinion and language about fashion as an intimate extension to femininity.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Marine Serre Fall 2019-2020

It has been a very short time since her debut, but Marine Serre has already conquered the industry.

The cutting edge attitude and vision have come strong at the latest show during the second day of Paris Fashion Week.

If last season we witnessed the collection on a bridge in the 18th arrondissement, this season set was poles apart: a wine cellar in Paris’s outskirts that looked more like a bunker.

Marine Serre dives further into her fascinations about fashion challenged by the current global eco-war: up-cycling garments found anywhere has been one of her signature. This season she envisions a post apocalyptic time where humans strive to survive in an underworld made of infinite darkness, waiting for the right moment to resurface

Yumi Tamura’s “7 Seeds” series surely comes to mind: The earth will soon be devastated and we will all forced to live underground waiting centuries for the air to be breathable again.

Fluorescent catsuits with the signature crescent moon, flowing scarf–dresses (obviously up-cycled scarves) and coats with big furry collars, all reminiscent of night creatures. There were anti-pollution masks created in collaboration with French specialized brand R-Pur, but also beautifully Marie-Antoinette garments constructed with couture skills. The denim, the plaid checks up-cycled from picnic blankets.

Marine Serre is not just having a new vision but she is also a very skilled designer. She is creating a new credo and we are all already subscribing.

 marineserre.com

Fashion

Re interpreting Dior’s “New Look”

Each collection of Dior forms a new alchemy born of a confrontation between images, bodies, silhouettes and language. By reconnecting these elements over and over again, a new contemporary spirit emerges. It is a new gateway to reinventing the wealth and style codes that have made the Dior atelier so big.

Artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri went back to the 1950s and used the pioneering "New Look" as a new research object in combination with an feminine counterpoint: the Teddy Girls.

The teddy girls were brutal characters originated from Edwardian times and were at odds with everything that was the norm. The women were rebellious; they wore leather men's coats, velvet scarves, and large skirts. This counter reaction created a new female fashion perspective. Princess Margaret was at this time the leading icon of the trend by being one of the first who worn creations from Dior’s "New Look" line.

There is obviously a clear fascination with the mix of English classicism and subversion, elegance and rebellion that can also be seen in the exhibition Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, now at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The concept of the "New Look" has now been applied to extremely elegant sportswear. The collection is a tribute to the heritage of Dior equipped in the codes of our time. The iconic silhouette of the Miss Dior dress has been re-released and radiates artistic strength and grace. Evening dresses are made out of bodysuits and skirts with embroidery and transparent sequins are decorated with flowers in relief.

The collection contains more odes and references, such as a pal tree print (Toile de Jouy) that refers to artist Mario Schifano. You also recognize the literary work of the American feminist poet Robin Morgan with elements from Sisterhood Is Forever (2003). The scenography of the show is based on ABCs representing a woman made by the Italian artist Tomaso Binga.

The collection transcends the idea of gender and promotes the reinterpretations around identity discovery; an idea that has been supported by Dior for a long time already.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Balmain opened at Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris

The Rue Saint-Honoré located in the first arrondissement of Paris, near the Jardin des Tuileries has a long history with many different names and associations.

The Saint-Honoré has undergone an incredible transformation in these last years; the authentic historic buildings have been beautifully renovated and are now inhabited by the most luxurious brands. Balmain is one of them. The Parisian brand Balmain headed by artistic director Olivier Rousteng in collaboration with the architects of Studio AMV created a true residence for the brand.

This classic historical building breathes Balmain’s modern identity and will serve as a true style guide to the future residences with which the brand will eventually conquer the world. The 'house' of Balmain is a very idiosyncratic expression rooted within classical Parisian residential architecture. It contains ten specific living spaces; a garden, a living room, a boudoir etc. Each is decorated according to Balmain’s classical signature style.

This boutique reflects the idea of 'classics, with a modern outlook.' Rousteng further elaborates on the Balmain heritage by translating it into defiant contemporary expressions. The designs are classic, elegant silhouettes derived from the most luxurious contemporary materials and prints: a signature originated in Paris. The boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré is a homecoming, says Rousteng, it is the perfect complement to Balmain's historic address: 44 François Premier, where founder Pierre Balmain first opened the Balmain atelier almost 75 years ago.

www.balmain.com

Fashion

The Exploration of Masculinity and Femininity

Contrasts between two feelings, embodiments and extremes: masculinity and femininity is what this collection expresses. Lucie and Luke Meier explore the relational meeting of two extremes in order to arrive at harmony in the Jil Sander Fall / Winter Women's 2019 collection.

The feminine silhouette is expressed in softy formed knits with crocheted corsets, bustier dresses, and light silk and satin jackets. The male contrast is added by pure, sharp sculptural 3D shapes and geometric dresses and coats of generous volumes that seem to float lightly. The constructions in this collection are the main part of the aesthetic and contain wavy, dimensional structures. The finishes are sensitive and contain splits and stratifications.

Coarse fabrics symbolize masculinity but give a feminine reaction through the subtle treatment. Traditional couture techniques turn into Japanese fitting finishes to emphasize fragile body shapes. Cotton voiles, paper-like leather and silk crepe emphasize raw elegance.

Prints are characterized by birds, herons and swallows printed on the front or back of woven shirts or suede jackets. There is a clear balance between slimness and volume. The comfort can be found in soft pathways. The search for the harmony between masculinity and femininity is interspersed with a color palette of black, white and soft natural colors against bright colors.

Accessories are smooth and emphasize the relational contrasts. Shapes are broken, stretched and folded into indefinable corners. Shoes are delicate and executed in soft and hard silhouettes. Special are the leather socks and thin soles that give the feeling of primitiveness.

 www.jilsander.com

Fashion

High Octane Chic

Michael Kors, NY Fashion week Fall/Winter 2019

Cipriani Wall Street transformed for a moment into an old-school ballroom complete with herringbone floors, velvet curtains, disco balls and chandeliers and to finish the ambiance, traditional Studio 54 capsule designs were added. This collection was a real-time romantic dream that celebrated glamorous individual style. With Barry Manilow singing live ‘Copacabana’, better called the successor to Frank Sinatra, the show was a real flashback to one of the most sophisticated era’s of all time.

“The city was edgy and gritty but underneath it all there was energy, imagination and a sense of total freedom. It’s when the rules disappeared and a new kind of glamour emerged.”

Michael Kors reflected back on his first arrival in New York in 1977. It was a time of unprecedented possibilities that he wanted to seize again in this collection. If you do that, there is only one option; collaborate with the most famous nightclub of the 70’s and 80’s: Studio 54! The logo, the glitters and the distinctive characters of that time have been translated by Kors into surprising contemporary items. Here, Kors experienced the mix of style, energy and glamour on an entirely different level, which influenced him forever.

His collection is an ode to this magical time. That is why the collection does not contain any fashion rules or dress codes. The collection is about expressing your inner own extraordinary personality. Iconic supermodel and old muse Patti Hansen closed the show and is the ultimate embodiment of this approach.

www.michaelkors.com

Fashion

Movement and Color

What was once familiar is now unrecognisable. Coach’s house signature has been playfully dismantled and reassembled, rendering the familiar now unfamiliar, all courtesy of Coach’s creative director Stuart Vevers who premiered his Fall 2019 Men and Women’s collection at the American Stock Exchange in New York City.

A joyful collection, handmade from artisanal fabrics and quilts that are juxtaposed with bold and enhanced outerwear, offers a heightened sense of color, nature and emotion. Painting with both light and dark colours and all psychedelic prints in between, a mash-up between freedom and defiance unravels.

Movement and distortion are also key, kaleidoscopic print dresses cascade down the form gently trailing behind. Kaffe Fassett’s floral work stamps the collection, as do oceanic shades that instills a vibe of prismatic optimism.

 www.coach.com

Music

Groove producer FKJ

A new generation of pioneering musicians is taking over! Contemporary artists like Tash Sultana, Jordan Rakei and FKJ (French Kiwi Juice) conquer the world as solo multi-talents with niche productions that often enclose multiple genres. They are a DJ, a producer and an artist all at once and continually explore their horizons by entering into surprising collaborations mostly based on improvisation.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, 27 year-old Vincent Venton (FKJ) from Tours, France gave two sold-out amazing one-man performances in Paradiso, Amsterdam. He can play almost every instrument both electric and acoustic with a focus on bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboard, saxophone, and he also has a modest jazzy voice. His oeuvre is influenced by electronic, rhythm and blues, soul, neo-soul, R&B, hip-hop, and even house. He already gave concerts at music festivals including EUPHORIA, CRSSD and Coachella.

FKJ seems to be in a very relaxed vibe during his performance. He does not talk or sing much; he just plays in a very sincere way. But when he sang live, it was more like he was talking, telling short stories. His keyboard and saxophone solos sounded like naturally improvised sessions that just aroused on the spot. FKJ recently jammed with fellow musician and producer Tom Misch at the Red Bull Studios in Berlin where “Losing My Way” got born. Last summer FKJ collaborated with Jamaican “traphousejazz producer” Micah Davis, better known as Masego (which means blessing in Tswana). “Tadow”was created, a piece of music that emerged from an undeniable shared chemistry.

Despite FKJ being alone, he looped his riffs and solos to give the illusion of a fully performing band of at least five members. While doing this, he mixed-in these earlier collaborations, giving the impression of Misch and Masego really being there. You also clearly hear that FKJ is touched and inspired by previous soul and jazz icons for example American R&B and disco singer Thelma Houston.

Making music is acting from the soul for FKJ. Rhythms are relatively simple and there is a lot of repetition, but the way in which all the layers flow into one another is the music of FKJ. Sit down, do not think about it, and do what feels right.

www.frenchkiwijuice.com

Fashion

Anne Imhof's New Work Exhibited at The Tate Modern for Ten Days

Frankfurt-based dynamic choreographer and visual performance artist Anne Imhof is revered for her utilisation of hyper physicality and incorporation of sound into her performances, often using unsettling rhythmic repetitions and sinister choral chants pumping out over a bass of static dissonance. She is known for her works Faust, Angst and a fascinating piece exploring human nature and control through the joining together of music and boxing in the Frankfurt Red Light District.

Common features of her work juxtapose the use of technology with stripped back Kafkaesque animalistic physicality. The dramatic 2016 piece Angst consisted of a segement with a drone stalking possessed, lifeless looking subjects dressed in non-specific attire who appear almost under the spell of the drone, miming along to loud vocal sounds in a pagan-like manner. Her provocative pieces blur the line between the performance activating audiences and actual active participation initiated from the audience whereby the performers’ traditional spatial limitations are violated and encroached upon. In the way that a painting is able to use perspective, Anne invites this component to her physical performance work, effectively weaving in various levels, angles and perspectives for the audience to observe the work from. Anne cites the abstractive stationary work of artists like Francis Bacon as central influences inspiring the subsequent physical development of her performance pieces. This was most utilised in Faust in Venice for which she was bestowed the prestigious Golden Lion award.

The direct impact of Anne’s work on the perceiver inevitably lulls them into an intense, dreamlike space removed from familiar reality, forcing us outside of our comfort zones and thrusting us into an atmospheric trance-like state, both simultaneously unsettling and invigorating.

Anne Imhof will be occupying the full suites of The Tate Modern’s Tanks with her single project combining music, paintings and sculptures over the course of ten days. This new piece will explore themes of technology, anxiety, proximity and identity and will take place in London from 22 March - 31 March 2019.

www.thetate.org.uk

Art

Existenz

The Nussbaum Haus, built by architect Daniel Libeskind, dedicated to artist Felix Nussbaum in Osnabrück presents the spatial drawing “Existenz” of artist Brigitte Waldach. The installation gives the spirit of German-Jewish surrealist painter Felix Nussbaum an unexpected rebirth. His art gives an artistic insight into the life of one individual among the victims of the Holocaust. He was that individual itself who lived for a long time in fear of Nazi terror, a fear that has always characterized his work.

Waldach's spatial drawing embodies the center of existence in a distorted cube. With frightened excerpts and thoughts in the background coming from letters written by Felix Nussbaum.

The space expresses the "Raum für Gegenwart", which means the room of existence. Every wall illustrates a component of existence. On the wall of the "brain" the star of David is portrayed. This immediately recalls the gruesome persecutions, but for millennia this “star” has represented a spiritual unity. Waldach emphasizes this idea with white and black lines that merge and mirror the visible and invisible world of a fearful life. Through it weaves a red thread that reflects the lifeline of Nussbaum. A line that indicates how the fate of a young Jewish artist led to atrocious persecution.

This artwork is an ode to Nussbaum, but at the same time it is also an analysis of the life cycle. The individual circle of life is characterized by the endless creation and passing of different stages of activity. Between birth and death we experience situations of departure, separation, isolation, doubt and the constant presence of existential fear. The course of a life is a line of actions and reactions that an individual experiences.

The exhibition can be seen until November 10, 2019.

www.waldach.com

www.libeskind.com

Fashion

Jil Sander Fall 2019 Mens

Jil Sander’s creative directors Lucie and Luke Meier are building their own aesthetic for Jil Sander, gradually adding elements to their aesthetical structure every season.

Take for instance the new campaign by Mario Sorrenti for Spring/Summer 2019, that emotional and authentic aesthetic rendered through a slice of life, a moment, a collection of memories of a road trip to the Japanese coast. Delicate instants, small gestures.

Held at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, with its wonderful Salon D’Honeur’s ceiling décor from the XIV century featuring a heavenly sky with cherubim, Jil Sander Menswear for Fall 2019 add another element to the brand: the modern and minimal aesthetic made of boxy silhouettes, a classic color palette - featuring ice grey, off-white, camel, beautiful cream tones, navy, burgundy - and razor sharp cuts.

The collection emanated bits of the codes dear to the iconic identity of Mrs Jil Sander herself in the 90s: a cool elegance far from stiff formalwear. Functional, free-spirit.

A particular attention was given to outwear often paired with color matching trousers: the opening navy mackintosh, the calfskin pieces cut and treated like oversized shirts. But also to a certain dualism of materials and textures like the patchwork sweater worn over fluid silk shirt.

It was a smart and appealing collection we are definitely looking forward to see in store.

www.jilsander.com

Fashion

Dunhill Fall 2019

 

Fashion

Dries Van Noten Fall 2019 Mens

The sound of cicadas, and summer breeze. A warm male voice starts talking in Italian: “According to Proust the only true paradise is a paradise lost. It is a famous quote. But I dare to add that there might exist paradises even more appealing than the lost ones: the ones we never lived, the places and the adventures we barely see afar, not at our back like the lost paradise filling us with nostalgia but in front of us, in a future that maybe as a dream coming true we can finally reach... Maybe the we really stop being young when we miss and love only the paradise lost”. It’s no other than Marcello Mastroianni’s voice in his “Mi ricordo, si io mi ricordo”, filmed in September 1996 in Portugal with a small troupe of close friends . A collection of memories, reflections around his life and the human nature itself.

For his Fall 2019 Menswear ‘s soundtrack Dries Van Noten choose these words together with fragments of other notable man who inspires him since the beginning: John Lennon, David Hockney, David Bowie, amongst the others.

As Mastroianni’s words are an ode to youth and a spur to life the fullest, Dries Van Noten addressed his elegant collection to a younger audience, striving to live free from stereotypes: beautifully floating boxy suits are styled with quilted scarves wrapped around them rendering them an appealing staple for the young client, far from streetwear. Oversized double-breasted blazers are presented next to hourglass silhouettes, belted jackets - at times in leather - suits. A splash of colourful tie-dye prints on coats, shirts and sweaters provided that nonchalant playful personality Dries is known for. David Bowie melancholy echoed in the finale “For we're creatures of the wind. And wild is the wind”

www.driesvannoten.be

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Fall 2019 Mens

When the day before the show we all found a white sparkly sequined glove as show invitation it was clear Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton second collection was going to recall his hero and inspiration through childhood: the iconic character who become a worldwide legend and still is after his sudden death 10 years ago, Michael Jackson.

When entering the show venue in the Tuileries gardens we saw a complete set as out from “Billie Jean” video: a New York sidewalk imbued with the atmosphere from those years when the King of Pop was at the peak of its growing fame. As the show started an original soundtrack, “You Know What’s Good” composed by Devonté Hynes aka BLOOD ORANGE was performed life along with his musicians. It was an intimate moment more than a loud one. It collected all Virgil’s sentiments: the unity for humanity he advocate, the extraordinary Michael Jackson coming of age sentiments, and all that Abloh’s own childhood inspirations as young boy.

Amidst this slice of life moment when the models walked artist Futura performed a live graffiti. Some of the guests were seated as if they were part of the stage, just on a sidewalk as if it was an ordinary evening.

And there it came, the Abloh of new modern clothing codes (carefully explained in his “Vocabulary” as show notes): suits layered in stone and pearl heather grey wool gradation with fluid wide trousers, the puffa over them, the camel outfits with padded details, the declination of flags in the last looks, the very gender neutral elements like the floor swiping plissé wrap skirt. But also of course more direct references to Jackson’ wardrobe: the sequined tour bomber, the gloves, the silk pyjama that model Alton Mason worn and turned into a performing costume for his continuous back-flips on the catwalk.

There are so many layers around Abloh aesthetic that we can’t wait to discover as part of the new Vuitton’s heritage for the years to come.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

90’s Maverick Individualism

The Parisian brand Givenchy chose this season to present a new vision characterized by contrasts and eclectic tones. This look finds its roots in 90's maverick; an attitude that is represented by personal color-blocked suits with special embellished pieces in embroidered leather.

Artistic director Clare Waight Keller introduced a new way of creating in this collection by playing with different volumes, and mixing lean lines with loose and oversized pieces. The mix of bright colors interspersed with formal shades gives a dynamic, surprising feeling to the classical Givenchy textures. Casual pieces have been given a luxurious couture finish with edgy materials such as pallets, down and móire, which will give the traditional Givenchy man a new spirit to his elegant appearance. Experimental forms such as three-headed monk shoes are alternated with mid-calf shoes. Also thick platform shoes from the Givenchy pre-fall collection, together with the higher biker boots, the talisman charms and the seal rings are still Givenchy's leading niche.

Style codes dualate on each other's borders but still express the elegant Parisian spirit. Givenchy chose to display the collection in the Palais Brongniart, The Paris Bourse Stock Market built on request by Napoleon. The allegorical statues and majestic peristyle give a playful edgy perspective against the maverick attitude of Givenchy’s collection.

www.givenchy.com

Fashion

Imaginative, Quirky Couture

Odély Teboul has moved on from her days as part of the design duo Augustin Teboul. During the FW19 showcases at Berlin Fashion Week she presented the designs of her own label, Lou de Bètoly. Following stints at Vogue Salon this was her first major showcase on her own. The label had already gained traction this past year with pop star SZA or it-girl Delilah Belle Hamlin wearing Odély Teboul's designs last year. Each one of her designs is handmade using couture techniques and features strange details that con only be produced by wild imagination. In a city that never really conforms or grows up, these quirky looks work.

This ethno-dada draws from her childhood in the 90s and seems deliberately narrated from a child's point of view paired with a bit naïvety. And everything is blurred. We see a shirt with balloons and crocheted cords that could've been stolen from her father's closet. Or a denim jacket, which is covered all over with small hand puppets. And those alluring 1920s that Odeeh found inspiration in, also played into the Lou de Bètoly A/W 19-20 collection with the understanding of the "decadence and nonchalance" of the decade. One great example of this are the extra-long gloves made of neon hair ties.

www.loudebetoly.com

Fashion

Fendi’s Fall/Winter Collection Captures Classic Italian Style with a Contemporary Twist

In Fendi’s Fall/Winter 2019 Menswear line, Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini pay homage to the classicism of Italian street style, drawing influences from more modish urbanwear and employing traditional tailoring in a contemporary fashion. The collection is a full demonstration of Lagerfeld’s hand and encyclopedic knowledge of menswear, seeping with clean and timeless style.

Fendi achieves the fine balance between venerating the distinctive staples of the brand whilst subverting the notion that tailoring is characterised by clean cut, stark symmetry. Beautifully fabricated sleek a-line jackets with sharp shoulder cuts, flared trousers softly secured around the waist, leathers and furs feature are all expected features however the bags and accessories are perhaps the most notable feature in the collection, creatively devised and expertly crafted.

The dynamism of featuring asymmetrical half-half jackets and overlayers reminds us that this formula is available for adaption. The integration of bold, intrepid urban staples such as oversized anoraks and quilted puffer jackets stitched with colourful inner linings excite the collection with a freshness that never oversteps into the core essence of Fendi.

The collection loyally adheres to palettes of sharp blacks, metallic sheens and classic neutrals focussing on rich chocolates, nutty browns and creamy whites. The occasional dash of bold reds, yellows and oranges seen in the sleek footwear trimmings is a clever, understated touch that adds a subtle flair of zest and contemporary edge to the collection.

www.fendi.com

Art

Posthumous Exhibition in London and Paris Celebrating the Life and Work of Franz West

Franz West is widely known and revered for his 40-year career that features notable highlights such as his series of Adaptives in the 1970s, his Lemur-Heads scattered around Vienna as well as his use of unconventional materials in building furniture and his famously colourful work with paper mache.

Franz’s work requires us to take his hand and accept his invitation to actively engage with the art. For Franz, the meaning is not some ungraspable, floating figment in the ether. Rather the meaning is what we decide to grant to it and is the various experiences that are evoked upon our direct, personal interaction with the given piece. It is precisely this mirroring of the external that makes Franz’s work so inclusionary and what absolves him from any dangerous accusations of elitism or pretention. We are the essential, necessary final piece of the puzzle. Our realisations, our relationship and our connection with the pieces are paramount and take priority focus – how we respond, what we evoke, what we discover.

Franz is renowned for his light-hearted, open, playful and at times humorous quality paired with an underlying deeply introspective and subtly philosophical approach, driven largely by an understanding and respect of the free man to enjoy leisure and not always be so as Franz himself put it ‘deadly earnest.’

Vivacious, vibrant and interactive, this exhibition invites us to celebrate the extraordinary life and lively work of Franz West – to touch, to wear, to handle and to open yourself up to a rare and inclusionary experience of art as you have never had before.

The multi-faceted Austrian artist Franz West’s life and work (1947-2012) is posthumously celebrated as part of a major exhibition taking place at The Tate Modern, London and the Centre Pompidou, Paris from the 20th February to the 2nd June 2019.

www.tate.org.uk

Fashion

Giorgio Armani x SANG WOO KIM

Artist first, model second, Sang Woo Kim has collaborated with Giorgio Armani on a special digital project — to creatively interpret FW18 from behind the scenes.

Born in Seoul, raised in London, Kim studied in and dropped out of London’s finest schools. Fine art is his first love, where his instinct began to drive his inspiration. Sang Woo translates literally to: each other, helping. While discovering his own identity through art Kim’s confidence sky-rocketed as his peers began to dress and shoot him for their personal projects — as a result of helping others, he found himself.

Through this collaboration, I wanted to capture and transmit with my photos this shared feeling of romance, masculine sensitivity, and elegance, and in a completely uncontrived way; thus staying true to the vision of Mr. Armani.

With the decadent, stark and supreme Armani/Teatro space as his stage, Kim gently opens the curtain on the wonderful world beyond. Marvelous boots, stunning mitts, and cheekbones galore Kim’s contemporary flair fills the pages with a human vulnerability so vivid and honest — successfully curating the theatre of Giorgio Armani with his artistry and vision.

www.armani.com

Fashion

Rick Owens Spring Summer 2019

A humongous burning pyre in the shape as a conic towers standing in the middle of miroir de l’eau of Palais de Tokyo. Rick Owens Spring Summer 2019 felt beautifully unsettling. It was inspired by the biblical Babel Tower and the architectural Tallin’s tower as mentioned in the show notes. Architectural as the clothes envisioned by the designer with intricate layered structures that at times seemed as out of Russian constructivism illustration.

Draped, twisted, tore. This is Rick Owens in its purest form. The intrinsically constructed cut-out leather dresses and capes together with more fluid signature’s pieces carefully composed the images of a procession in name of – as Owens addressed himself – a better world in spite of the dark times. Some of the models carried torches: high priestess, but also soldiers with a menacing armoire and fragile new adepts. It is the ceremony-like ritual that bonds together societies according his words during FW2017 show. Also this season it all felt into place. Owens’ dark vision nevertheless felt beautifully auspicious amongst the sea of current uninspiring fashion gestures.

www.rickowens.eu

Fashion

Stone Island launches Iridescent Tela Collection

Stone Island is a brand that lives to explore — their military logo symbolizes love for the sea and constant search, discovery is in their blood. This penchant for discovery has led Stone Island on a quest for innovation.

During the embryonic phase, before their inception into the fashion world, the company worked with a new fabric: ‘Tela Stella’ — a cloth with different colors on each side that was to be used to make tarpaulins for trucks. This heavy-duty material later took life as seven utilitarian coats, and became a benchmark for Stone Island’s creativity.

Now, the desire for continual experimentation has given life to the Iridescent Coating Tela collection. Iridescent nylon bonded to a golden pink polyurethane film fuses with Reflex Mat: a reflective nylon canvas with a matte coating made with thousands of glass microspheres to create six intergalactic garments. The collection is availble now.

Check out the preview here or on the brand’s website.

www.stoneisland.com

Travel

Introducing BMW's iNext

Touch entry, touch seating, touch steering, lights on lights, touch on touch, screens on screens. This is the automobile of the future. Your favorite place on wheels - BMW’s Vision iNext - is a dramatic, awe-inspiring SAV (Sports activity vehicle), synonymous with pioneering spirit built to deconstruct dogmas. The iNext is a divisive innovation that reaches further than expectations can begin to fathom.

To cast an eye upon BMW’s latest creation will only begin to scratch the surface. However, this is the best place to start. The meticulous exterior harmonizes precision design. Every single line is conscious and purposeful. The wheels look as though they have escaped from Area 51 at their own free will, while the interlinked double-kidney grille evokes authority through clearly sculpted form and surfaces. Even the paintwork traveled back in time, the Liquid Greyrose Copper exterior changes in shade and humidity injecting the vehicle with a charismatic flair.

A gentle swipe, where one would imagine a handle to exist, triggers a crisp opening. The world beyond beckons. Every object is designed as if it were a single piece of furniture, reminiscent of your living room. For BMW’s vision, the question was, how to gain time to live. The result is an utterly human car, released from everything. The evocative nude tones marry seamlessly with warm green turquoise micro-fiber, lined with purple jacquard, a traditional method that finds itself a place in the new world.

The grace and splendor of the iNext alone are astounding, yet there is more. Shy technology. Shy tech abolishes physical controls from the entire cabin and replaces them with a gesture control system that is both intuitive and natural. The simple task of outlining a music symbol on the fabric of the rear seat allows passengers to take control of the vehicles audio, yet another step toward an autonomous future.

The iNext will not be an entirely autonomous automobile and will instead promise two driving modes, Boost and Ease. Boost is the human interaction and Ease being the control of the vehicle itself. For now, the real-world driving experience is thin on the ground. Clearly, the truth that we can’t predict the future will not stop us from trying.

www.bmw.com

Fashion

Highlights from London Fashion Week

Victoria Beckham Spring 2019

Spring 2019 is a collection of growth to mark an iconic decade for Victoria Beckham. A decade in which Victoria has blossomed into an empowering stalwart of the fashion industy.

“What we did was celebrate being different. We showed it was okay to be who you are,”- Beckham said. “And that’s what this is about—empowering women through fashion. All women are different, and there’s something for everybody.”

www.victoriabeckham.com

JW Anderson Spring 2019

JW Andersons’ Spring 2019 collection blazed a trail of bohemian femininity displaying infinite craft. Anderson composed a fluid collection that recognizes the elaborate as refined.

“I wanted something a bit more bohemian. A celebration of fashion. Everything with fluidity to it, and patch-worked, somehow,”- explained Jonathan Anderson.

www.j-w-anderson.com

Simone Rocha Spring 2019

Simone Rocha exhibited a cultured and sophisticated collection featuring tang dynasty prints and hand drawn faces. A romantic tribute to religious rituals surrounding births, weddings and funerals which bring extended family together.

www.simonerocha.com

Fashion

Highlights from New York Fashion Week

Escada Spring 2019

The quiet presence of Escade erupted at the Park Avenue Armory. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the German women’s-wear brand, new creative director Niall Sloan looked to ignite the new corporate power women with loud jockey inspired color blocking.

www.escada.com

Tom Ford Spring 2019

Tom Ford used New York Fashion week to return to his classical past, a class that oozes sex appeal, sensuality and luxury. The Tom Ford Spring 2019 collection maintains a strict palette of black, white, gray and nudes drawing from the sensual warmth of humanity we so often crave.

www.tomford.com

Fashion

REFLECTIONS: dunhill FW18 Campaign

Life is made of details, those little gestures that day by day build up our personality. For dunhill, accessories function exactly to define a precise sense of uniqueness, which in turns comes out from a variety of multifaceted aspects that literally mirrors the brand's DNA. This is the philosophy unveiling the British tailoring label's Autumn Winter 2018 campaign —  the second season under new creative director Mark Weston —  centering around the visual metaphor of "reflections".

Elegantly shot by photographer Jack Webb in the streets and through the glass fronted buildings of Mayfair in London, the pictures present the firm beauty of model Clement Chabernaud. Layered outerwear pieces and traditional cashmere coats nonchalantly speak for British masculine elegance, while leather goods underline the always contemporary yet timeless language of the brand.

www.dunhill.com

Fashion

FAMILY PORTRAIT: Kim Kardashian with her mother and daughter in FENDI campaign

In the year of the 10th anniversary of the launch of the iconic Peekaboo bag, Italian fashion house FENDI invited American reality-star Kim Kardashian, her mother Chris Jenner and 5 years old North West to take part in new campaing. Shooting took place in sunny Los Angeles. The main theme of campaign — family values and women with a bright personality.

Following the first chapter, a video and image campaign featuring Silvia Venturini Fendi, FENDI Creative Director for Accessories, Menswear and Kidswear and her daughters Delfina Delettrez Fendi and Leonetta Luciano Fendi, this one now focuses on five international couples of women. This time Italian famous brand decided to show the family portrait of the Kardashian clan.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton x FIFA World Cup 2018 Collection

French multinational luxury brand Louis Vuitton announced about holding an auction on July 12 at charity gala dinner.

The event has been organized by Russian famous supermodel Natalia Vodianova and music producer Yana Rudkovskaya. It is a part of the Year of Culture Qatar-Russia 2018. It will be supported by Qatar Tourism Authority and Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy 2022, in aid of Naked Heart Foundation, helping children with special needs.

Each of the 13 match balls inside this remarkable Louis Vuitton trunk, redited by adidas, will be singned by former FIFA World Cup winners of 1970 to 2018 editions.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

FENDI x RIMOWA

LVMH iconic brands Fendi and Rimowa renovate their partnership, introducing two new versions in blue and red for their one-of-a-kind cabin trolley.

Honouring the companies pioneering heritage as well as celebrating the completely new Rimowa visual identity, the very modern suitcase stands out for a sophisticated design and materials.

On the one hand the aluminum equipped with an innovative Multi-wheel system and the individually adjustable Flex-Divider system confirm the modern language of Rimowa, On the other hand, the use of Cuoio Romano leather and the elegant neoprene lining with a black-on-black embossed “FF” logo thoroughly glorify the timelessness of Fendi.

The cabin trolley is available in selected FENDI and RIMOWA stores, on fendi.com and rimowa.com as of June 18, 2018.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

A double soul – Fendi Summer 2019

The performing collection presented by Fendi for Summer 2019 is nothing but a provoking anagram. FENDI/FIEND.ROMA/AMOR.

Love and tiny demons reign over raincoats, blousons, anorak, tailored pants, shirts, sport shorts and knitted polo-shirts. Dualism is the tempting theme, better enhanced by graphics and contrasting chromatic codes.

Pequin taping on waterproof gear, FF-forked snakes, clawed frogs, horned demons cards and dice that multiply over the surfaces, interpreted by italian artist Nico Vascellari.

For the accessories, the iconic Peekaboo X-Lite bag, as well as bucket hats, crossbody puches and hi-tech running sandals follow and fluidly communicate a strong functionalism and confidence with Rome’s inner spirit.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

CamperLab's New Store in London

Established in the Shoreditch district of London’s East End, CamperLab has opened a brand new store. A true minimalistic, modern store with an urban vibe. Different from the traditional Camper stores worldwide, the store has a more contemporary, advanced and futuristic feel.

Collaborating with different designers such as Eckhaus Latta and Kiko Kostadinov, the shoes are taking bold steps forward in their urban designs, looking glamorous and raw at the same time, while staying true to its underground aesthetic.

The new store is located at 13a Boundary Street E27JE, London.

www.camper.com

Fashion

Giorgio Armani to celebrate the opening of the new Giorgio Armani and Armani/Casa boutique in London with a private "Giorgio's" pop-up club at Tramp

A private Giorgio Armani trunk show hold at Giorgio Armani boutique in London inaugurates the opening of Giorgio Armani and Armani Casa boutiques in prestigious Sloane Street, London.

The renovated space of 1000 square meters that hosts the two adjacent boutiques features 5 display windows that introduce to a totally new concept, which was curated by Giorgio Armani and his team of architects.

Mirroring the refined sense of distinctive, minimal elegance characteristic of the Maison, the boutiques focus on the extensive use of space. As well, a light and clean distribution of lights and linear shapes meticulously highlights the balance between rigour and refined luxury.

To best celebrate the event, the trunk show has been followed by “Giorgio’s” pop-up club at Tramp Nightclub, which for the first time bring the private members night out of the Armani/Privet nightclub in Milan, including De La Soul’s live performances and DJ Harvey DJ set.

Music

The Smashing Pumpkins announce their "Shiny And Oh So Bright" Tour

Formed in Chicago 1988, The Smashing Pumpkins have marked a chapter for the history of alternative rock.

They released their debut album Gish in 1991, reaching mainstream success later on in 1993 and 1995 with respectively 4x multi-platinum Siamese Dream and 10x multi-platinum Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

Overtime, they gained worldwide attention as well as influenced several groups for a very distinctive sound, exploring the more diverse genres and music styles, such as heavy metal, progressive rock, psychedelic rock and more recently electronica.

After several changes in their line up and 30 years later, the band has announced their “Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour”, which will be the first in nearly 20 years to feature founding members Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha, including also guitarist Jeff Schroeder.

Produced by Live Nation, the tour will feature material from their debut trough 2000 and kick off in Glendale, AZ on July 12, 2018 and North American arenas throughout the season.

At ZOO we wished it was already “Tonight, Tonight “, yet we’ll make a count down because we can’t wait for seeing them live this summer!

Fashion

The B-Way: Berluti launches their new range of accessories

For Fall 2018, Berluti introduces their new series for bags and shoes.

Paying tribute to manuscripts and the calligraphy established by Olga Berluti, the B-way range features seven proposals, this time exposing the nylon traditionally used for the Venezia trolleys.

Featuring a water repellent finish, as well as the patinated Venezia leather and the iconic Scritto motif, Complice cross-body bag, Evasion sporty bag and Volume MM backpack stand out for their urban design and sporty characteritics.

With a great focus on versatility, some products feature a double function. For instance, Duo is an extra-large bag in technical fabric, nylon and calf leather, which can be worn as a tote or on the shoulders, while Esprit is a compact ouch thought to be used both as a clutch and bag organizer.

To complete the accessories range, the Croquis toiletry case includes a comfortable internal pocket, while the Fast Track shoes combine the sporty soul of a sneaker with the mountain style of Brunico and Greta Garbo boots.

Practical yet extremely devoted to a very classical and clean design, the new collection will be available in Berluti stores from April 2018.

Fashion

Highlights from Paris Fashion Week

Berlin 80s underground scene is the leading mood for Clare Weight Keller at Givenchy, whose collection takes inspiration from cult movies such as The Hunger and the documentary B Movie: Lost and Sound in West-Berlin, 1979-1989. Several faux furs, leather jackets and psychedelic prints dominate the collection, which unveils asymmetrical cuts and laboured fabrics elaborating an effectively sophisticated youth couture.

In Alexander McQueen’s show, models of various ages tell a new narrative for Sarah Burton. As when caterpillar become butterflies, similarly this collection speaks of a powerful metamorphosis. The designer’s tailoring heritage reaches the next level, presenting precious details such as insect and wing decorations on transparent dresses. Structured shoulders and bustiers are in balance with more rounded, almost romantic ruffles, as well as subtle silk fringing on a opulent evening dress enhance the idea of a fluid movement and distinctive femininity.

Literally overwhelmed by natural world, Karl Lagerfeld unveils a collection in-between Eighties moods and forest references. On the one hand multicolor or black and white leaves prints, oxidised gold leather details, iconic tweed looks and vintage outlines would suggest a classy yet totally wearable proposal. On the other hand there is an interesting presence of flowing billow-sleeves over ultra lean coats or on elegant evening dresses in lace, which adding romantic feel to the overall collection.

Regardless of the Sixties references of the collection, Miu Miu establish a “kind of alphabetical system, a language for expressing and defining oneself”. With Elle Flanning opening and closing the show, Miuccia Prada presents several versions of vintage oversized jackets and coats, mohair sweaters, mini-skirts, tweeds and iconic bobby socks, which recall the girlish brand’s youthful signature alternating flaming and playful pastel colors.

Women and their right are more and more at the centre of social debate. Therefore interpreting femininity is the main theme at Louis Vuitton for Fall 2018. With a collection that somehow renovate classic elements of 19th century military uniforms and turn them into skirt-suits, shearling jackets and peplum tops, Nicolas Ghesquiere’s contemporary approach to fashion unveils a very sophisticated notion of elegance.

Fashion

Highlights from Milan Fashion Week

Hogan Galaxy is nothing but an open invitation to take an interstellar journey on another planet. Presented in an (almost) parallel universe, the new luxury sneakers in a iridescent material are characterized by the Maxiplatform H222 motif, while rainbow platforms sign the structure of glossy metallic leathers. In addition to the chunks in purple or green, the H340 and Interactive models are realised with an innovative dipping technique enhancing the psychedelic spirit of the collection.

Travelling around the globe allows people to better incorporating a multicultural sense of community. Delving into Renzo Rosso personal archive, the youth memories and relics collected during his travels in the Eighties set the mood for both men and women collections of Diesel Black Gold. Tribal elements and embroideries recalling Mexican and Peruvian culture on sweaters and jackets accentuate a sense of adventure, although keeping minimal the overall aesthetics.

Angela Missoni loads the patterns of her collection with a nostalgic interpretation of the late Seventies. Trough multiple layers, strong color-contrasting patchworks and stripes, the range is is a rich, intense storytelling. From flowing coats, jackets and dresses narrate different cultures spacing between Italian, Jamaican and Scottish as well as they make reference to the historical brand archive to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Fashion House.

Jil Sander develop a collection that elaborates a human-oriented vision preferring simplicity to hyper technological communication. Authentically minimal, the proposals do not stiffen the body, instead they achieve a state of fluid elegance trough the delicateness of organza and wool that gently wrap the silhouette. White and more pleasantly white, the color palette includes also precious pieces in navy blue, soft grey and black. Some of the coats and skirts are enriched by floral motifs or softened by round curves, while ribbed knits highlight the dominant mood embracing beauty in the most genuine sense.

Dresses are tool that can change the body and the environment around us. Trough a thoughtful collection named Techno-Primitivism, Francesco Risso brings the individual and the collective to Marni's ethical considerations. Bright hues in blue and acid green take over belted coats, knitted tunics are presented with large trousers, dresses in a vintage 30’s look and eventually a felted coat made of recycled materials highlight the contemporary need for utilitarian and sustainable aesthetics.

AGL is a brand about women. With a presentation held in via della Spiga, Milan the proposals for Shoewear presented by the three sisters are truly devoted to light. Stand out of the collection, the Daylight are classic lace-up, which are reinterpreted trough the language of the brand and achieve a contemporary look with the decisive use of white over the minimalist shape. Luxurious materials and several colors introduce the Warm Light rain boots, while the extravagant Full Light/No Light speckled over-the-knee stiletto boots with a soft bootleg are dedicated to women with a powerful identity.

Fashion

Una Giacca – Armani/Silos

For the first edition of Armani/Laboratorio, a competition launched on the 31st August 2017, a short movie entitled Una Giacca (A Jacket) has been released by film students that took part of the project held in Milan from 27th November to 6th December last year.

Guided by several professionals including screenwriter and writer Francesca Marciano, Michele Placido, director of photography Luca Bigazzi, film editor Patrizio Marone, costume designers Gabriella Pescucci and Alessandro Lai, set designer Paki Meduri, make-up artist Maurizio Silvi and hair-stylist Aldo Signoretti, the students focused on the storytelling of Armani’s signature.

The short movie is a narration set in-between past and present. In a black and white square scenario, a job interview takes place and a girl is asked to describe a jacket. Afterwards, the examiner goes with the flow of colorful memories back on the day of her very first interview, centring on those little stereotypes and pure, innocent feel of uncertainty that marked the beginning of her professional life.

The jacket, which is a key element in Armani aesthetics, is here turned in a real challenge for the students and an occasion to support the next generation of young talents.

“I’m really proud of this project and of it’s outcome, and I hope it will be the first of a long series of works, because cinema has always been my passion” as Giorgio Armani stated, making a step forward in the progressive bond between fashion and cinema industry.

www.armanisilos.com

Fashion

L’Eau delà-Émoi – Longchamp's new store opening in New York

In anticipation of Spring 2018, the new Longchamp flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York inaugurates the building façade with an illustration from Paris-born artist Guillame Alby, also known as Remed.

The visual work, which has been named ‘L’Eau delà-Émoi’ (Water from there, Emotion), is part of the technique series and echoes an “ode to the present trough the worship of the line, for the love of a gesture that most resembles the essence of intention, or the state of awareness” as Remed declared. The result is a mathematical conjunction of lines and letters that hypnotically captures the viewers’ eyes trough simple curves and vivid primary colors, yet dramatically enhance their personification due to a creative process that involves the use of permanent tools, namely not allowing for anything to be erased.

Before, artists Ryan McGinnes and Franz Ackerman curated the first and second installations. Remed is the third one being commissioned by Longchamp trough their Artwalk Movement, successfully transforming retail sites into large-scale artworks available for the wide public.

Fashion

The lighthearted woman

Paris is a soft backdrop for Longchamp's Spring 2018 campaign, where a happy-go-lucky Freja Beha Erichsen explores the romantic city photographed by Angelo Pennetta.

Featuring different pieces from the ready-to-wear collection as the safari jacket coming in a variety of materials, from laser-cut leather to canvas, worn with shorts and fringed skirts.

The campaign foucsus on the iconic Mademoiselle Longchamp hobo bag in perforated calfskin, which this season will be proposed also in a mini size. The second pillar of the range is the structured Madeleine that stands out with an innovative three-tone graphic version. Longchamp introduce its new sunglass collection, including the butterfly model with an oversized frame that softly enhances the alluring mood of the season.

Launching the 20th of February worldwide, a film directed by Ujin Lin will be shared on the website and social media channels.

www.longchamp.com

Fashion

KENZO Fall/Winter 2018

A young woman stands up in front of her best friend’s family gathering. That same day he shocked everyone when arriving with dyed blond hair. At the end of the evening she is having a letter in her hands, a handwritten note to herself.

With a soft and emotional voice she reads: “I know I felt like this before, But now I'm feeling it even more, because it came from you. Then I open up and see the person falling here is me, a different way to be. I want more, impossible to ignore. Impossible to ignore”

As the girl ends reading, they both walk under a shower of confetti, a metaphor of the shower of dreams we all somehow experienced in our youth. A girl and a boy. They have been friends forever. They are Carol and Humberto, or better known as Carol Lim and Humberto Leon.

In the past seasons Kenzo’s creative directors have been looking at the roots of the brand and his founder Kenzo Takada. See the Spring Summer 2018 with its references to musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and iconic model Sayoko Yamaguchi, both muses of Takada back in the days.

This season, Lim and Leon looked at their own story.

Arriving at the show’s venue we found a cinematographic set at the centre of the runway. Seconds before the lights went on too little we all knew that a live-shot movie was about to start, telling a story inspired by that time when Humberto Leon truly bleached his hair at his sister’s wedding in ‘98.

As the real-time shooting was ongoing the lineup of models stormed in.

The 90s subtly permeated through the entire collection. But also that atmosphere we find in the oeuvre of one of the most acclaimed Hong Kong director: Wong Kar Wai. Knitted vests, boxy silhouettes, and a clash of prints with checks and florals. But also high waist pants paired with lengthened bomber jackets: the menswear collection hinted at a myriad of classic references. The use of technical nylon with an iridescent finish together with leopard print faux fur coats delivered still a youthful approach.

For Womens there was a sense of romantic nostalgia, with floral velvet and silk satin cherry blossom dresses, the latter styled with knit twin set. Bustier dresses in heavy denim were matched with t-shirts where accessories reminiscent of a vintage dimension with clasp bags were declined in satin, leather or with crystals beading.

As those final words from actress Ayumi Roux impersonating young Carol were no other than the lyric of Cramberries’s Dream, also chosen as closing soundtrack of the show, we join in remembrance of the recent and unexpected passing away of its lead singer Dolores O’Rien.

www.kenzo.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Menswear Fall/Winter 2018

Just few days before the show it was announced that Kim Jones would present his last collection for Louis Vuitton Menswear.

For many reason it was certainly a surprise. Who more than Kim Jones delivered year after year beautiful collections true to one of the oldest French Maison’s identity while bringing it to hype amongst the younger crowd? Last year’s Louis Vuitton collaboration with Supreme is only one of the acts in this sense.

After 7 glorious years, first appointed as Menswear artistic director in 2011 by Marc Jacobs -at the time creative director of the brand - he developed a signature style with a travel allure, the latter being the main recurring elements in Louis Vuitton heritage.

For his last collection at the brand Kim Jones used once again his travels, this time in Kenya, where areal photographs are directly featured on prints. Their colour palette with warm dry tones - recalling natural rocks, lavas, and infinite landscapes - running throughout the collection. It delivered a classic and elegant style while using sportswear elements like leggings worn underneath shorts and zipped blousons.

Gloss materials from fabrics to a spectacular python coat and pants (that on a closer look during a visit at the showroom resulted incredibly butter soft) together with organza overlay on coats and shirts – tracing a fil rouge with previous’ season Hawaiian organza t-shirt – epitomise Louis Vuitton’s delicate and refined definition of luxury .

Kim Jones picked from many themes: the American rodeo, the Siberian temperatures with an intarsia mink, a safari attire and the world of hiking and climbing with hints of neon yellow and orange.

The show arrived at its peak when iconic top models - and friends of Jones - Naomi and Kate joined the runway, dressed in glazed monogrammed raincoat.

A beautiful finale as ode to a new beginning.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Alexander McQueen Menswear Fall 2018

An updated sleek suiting with an hourglass waist, prominent shoulders and cropped flare trousers.

Sarah Burton knows exactly what is one of the main strength at McQueen and never fail to update new elements season after season.

Fall Winter 2018 presented pinstripe and English check suits with overcoats in black cashmere and paisley embroidered camel. Floating kite-like trench coats were styled tightened around the waist. A dialogue between a modern take on traditional tailoring and a more street-like and utilitarian story.

It’s Alexander McQueen heritage to explore contrasting elements.

The collection continued with parkas and bombers in leather with what looked like a double inlay but at a closer glance revealed to be an embellishment on its zipped closure. The play of double progresses when a cashmere lined leather horse blanket as cape with shearling collar is paired with leather pants.

Austere precision is faced with opulent and romantic elements: beautiful hand painted English roses adorn silk suits and jet beading seen in the previous season embellish silk dressing gowns and evening blazers with matching track pants. All paired with white trainers with moulded soles.

Black, burgundy, silver, khaki and a splash of what the show notes called London fire engine red. Like the red lights at the show location, with all its English underground connotation set the mood for an increasingly powerful menswear identity at Alexander McQueen.

www.alexandermcqueen.com

Fashion

Damir Doma Fall/Winter 2018

Back to 1980s, German Männer Vogue style and energetically loaded by Dj’s duo Barker & Baumecker techno-beats echoing the vaulted rooms of Halle Am Berghain, Damir Doma returns back to Berlin to present the Fall/Winter 2018 collection.

Men’s and womenswear silhouettes spread the positive energy of the club scene, unveiling a radical juxtaposition of tailoring and drape. A ‘Super 110’s” wool selvedge outlines blazers and shift dresses. Asymmetric lines and bohemian allure reveal vented coats cut in wool felt, seersucker corduroy and grid-cotton, sculpted leather blousons and wool satin tunics.

By contrast, the modern landscape is enhanced by airbrushed rib jersey and ombre sweatshirts. Sprayed brogues, stretch cuissards and belt pouches are realised in collaboration with Officine Creative and highlights Berghain's spirit to keep late hours.

The collection continues exploring fabrics and patterns, such as vintage florals, silk paisley and carpet knit that drop a hint about the designer travel history across the major fashion capitals in Europe.

www.damirdoma.com

Fashion

Dior Denim by Kris van Assche

Perfectly in line with Kris Van Assche’s minimalistic aesthetic, Dior Denim Spring Summer 2018 collection gives space to the reinterpretation of the men suit.

The Dior’s proposal defines the outlines of a urban man, without compromising its timeless and smooth elegance.

Crisp shirts and silk neckties strengthen the Double Denim’s concept, which is firmly enhanced by bold graphics and sheepskin collars, as well as precise cuts and a silver-embossed logo tab. Despite the opulent of details, such as the season’s club kid slogans or the roses embroideries, the look stays balanced. Parts of the collections are also the straight leg 5-pocket jeans, denim shirts and jackets in an array of pale tones, varying from raw indigo to vintage black.

Moreover, exclusive pieces customised with London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Tokyo initials will be released with the collection and sold in 6 pop up stores around around the globe.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Moncler's Florence Boutique Opening

With three windows creating access to Via degli Strozzi and Piazza della Repubblica, Moncler has inaugurated the opening of its new boutique at the very heart of Florence's main shopping area.

The space, which dedicates 160 out of 328 square metres to the sales, stands out for the presence of decorative elements that contribute to highlight a pleasant and sophisticated atmospere. Grigio Carnico marble at the entrance welcomes you to the store, whilst chêne fume wood paneling and a herringbone white Calacatta marble floor creating a balanced contrast with the display areas, whereas metal, glass and mirror details are presented.

Hosting all the Moncler collections including Moncler Grenoble, Gamme Rouge and Gamme Blue lines, the boutique will work as a strategic point for the brand’s retail development plan, which confirms its strong presence as a milestone of the Italian fashion market.

www.moncler.com

Fashion

dunhill introduces the London ICON Racing Fragrance

The thrill of the open road and the picture of a man driving through the British landscape in an open-top sports car in racing green were the inspiration for the latest frangrance by dunhill. The racing green was the team color of the English racing drivers at the dawn of motor racing, which is associated with glorious victories and the cutting-edge machinery of Britain’s golden age of engineering. The dunhill London ICON Racing fragrance stands for speed, masculinity and freedom.

As dunhill has always been connected with the history of motoring, an engine turn finish was chosen to decorate the bottle, sporting the automotive engineering technique knurling, which creates a textured geometric pattern and was first used on dunhill metal lighters in 1924. Considered being effortlessly impeccable in manners and appearance, the ICON Racing man is stylish not fashionable.

This energy and masculine sophistication is distiled in every bottle of ICON Racing featuring Guaiac wood, vetiver and musk as warm base notes. Italian bergamot, grapefruit and cardamom note enhance the scent of black pepper and lavender making it the ideal aroma for men on the move.

www.dunhill.com

Fashion

Available Now: Roberto Cavalli’s Capsule Collection for Spring/Summer 2018

Since December 6th, the Roberto Cavalli SS18 Capsule Collection is available in the online store as well as at the flagship stores in Milan, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Dubai, Hong Kong and Beijing.

Curated by Creative Director Paul Surridge, the collection encapsulates the new codes of the brand’s identity. The collection has strong, bold and dynamic features, which perfectly give every garment a character of its own and so it does for the women who are destined to wear them.

The clear design language exudes Italian spirit, quality and femininity in a straight-forward and sensible way. The traditional Cavalli codes are being transformed highlighting a more urban and cosmopolitan identity of the maison. Concluding that, this collection represents a new concept of contemporary glamour, focusing on advanced interpretations of daywear.

www.robertocavalli.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent Collaborates With Colette and Nobuyoshi Araki

The Parisian concept store colette is offering a unique collaboration with Saint Laurent featuring collectors pieces signed by Anthony Vaccarello. Amongst all the desirable items, you will find a hoodie with Patti Smith print, skateboard decks, a Leica camera, a Polaroid SX-70, speakers and headset by Bang & Olufsen, a red Baccarat crystal heart and Helmets by Ruby in a crystallized and fully black version.

In addition to that, the store presents a unique collaboration between world-renowned artist Nobuyoshi Araki, Saint Laurent and its designer Anthony Vaccarello. The unique series of 16 photographs capture model Anja Rubik and integrates photography and painting techniques.

The series is named “Saint Laurent Shiki-in”, which means “lust for color” in Japanese, and intertwines elements of the world of Saint Laurent with the traditional themes of Araki’s work. All of the pieces can be pre-ordered at colette through the Taka Ishii Gallery and then be sent from Tokyo along with Araki’s signature and certificate of authenticity.

The exhibition will be located on Colette’s Mezzanine, while the range of co-signed collector’s pieces will be displayed on the first floor until the 20th December.

www.ysl.com 
www.colette.fr

Art

Ballenesque — A Retrospective by Roger Ballen

With its probing, challenging images between painting, drawing, photography and installation, the work of American art photographer Roger Ballen is one of a kind. He was born in New York in 1950 but has lived and worked in South Africa for over 30 years and is often named as one of the world’s greatest art photographers. The term Ballenesque, which is already a firm part of the lexicon, is synonymous with his rich monochrome vision, psychological insights and constant reinvention.

His work is being displayed in the permanent collections of some of the best art institutions such as MoMa in New York, Tate Britain in London, Stedelijk Museum and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Reflex Gallery in Amsterdam is hosting a double-sided exhibition of Ballen’s art, comprising a mini retrospective of 30 works and a selection of 150 Polaroid images. These constitute the first display of color images by the artist during his entire career and offer the opportunity to own an original Roger Ballen image in the form of a Polaroid. The exhibition will be open from the 23rd November until the 30th December 2017.

www.reflexamsterdam.com

Fashion

Fendi Partners Up With Rimowa

The Italian fashion house Fendi has joined forces with the iconic luggage brand Rimowa from Germany and created a one-of-a-kind piece. Rimowa stands for design, durability and craftmanship and is popular amongst fashionable people and those working in the industry. The trolley combines Fendi’s savoir-faire and daring creativity with the modern design and high-tech attributes of Rimowa and successfully intertwines the DNA of both brands. The suitcase is made of aluminium and equipped with a Multiwheel system for smooth and effortless traveling. 

Featured in the Cuoio Romano leather, the key values and signature design of Rimowa are perfectly coupled with high-quality, unique details and craftmanship such as the sophisticated, emblematic double F logo with a brushed effect on the aluminium, which changes its perception depending on the light. The black leather handles, along with the web belt, that runs across the case in tones of yellow and a touch of black with the logo, gives the case a characteristic Fendi touch. This ultimate traveler’s piece comes with fun stickers and a name tag where you can add your personal details. Available in selected Fendi and Rimowa boutiques and on fendi.com as of December 2017, just in time for Christmas and all those who will be traveling around the world during the festive season.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

“Hermès à tire-d’aile. Le monde de Leïla Menchari” exhibition opens at Grand Palais

Imagine a Hermès bag completely covered in coral, placed at the centre of a theatric scene, surrounded by a universe in soft pink, pale orange, mother-pearl and a constellation of rose coloured marine flora. It’s just one of the enchanting worlds created for Hermès by Leïla Menchari, who for over 55 years has been delivering magical representations of the vision around Hermès, the heritage, the craftsmanship, all in a window. First in ’61 as assistant to Annie Beaumel – director of window displays at the Faubourg Saint-Honoré store, and then in ‘78 when she took over the position together with being appointed director of the silk colours committee for the Maison. Leïla Menchari, a beautiful enchanting woman born in Tunisia, who studied at the Écoles des Beaux-Arts in Paris, captured the imagination of Robert Dumas and his son Jean-Louis. A liaison built on respect and trust. Leila, with her fantasy, with her travels, and exotic vision. Hermès, with its craftsmanship, the know-how and discipline. If a Kelly bag would take generally 15 hours to be crafted, it would turn to 50 hours for the ones produced ad hoc for Leïla Menchari’s spectacular window displays.

“The workshops have never said no to me, always “we’ll see, Leïla, we’ll give it a go.” But it wasn’t easy to get them to fully understand my madness: you can’t explain a dream!” Leila Menchari explains how she was given total freedom both in creation and budget. A so-called carte blanche. For Leïla Menchari a window display is a like a small pièce de théâtre, but without the possibility of dialogues, movements or actors to explains the image. During the opening evening of the exhibition at Grand Palais she explained her vision and nature: “I am touched by grace, by the passion for nature and the “extraordinary” in life. Everything becomes extraordinary. This vision gave me a different way of looking at things, with a high degree of surrealism”. When asked if the exhibition was maybe driven by a dose of nostalgia, she gracefully answered: “Nostalgia is fundamental for memory” This is Leïla Menchari, the globetrotter, the dreamer, the collector, and – as nicknamed by her great friend, the French author Michel Tournier – the “reine mage”. The exhibition will be held till the 3rd of December 2017.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

The Lady Dior Art Bag

The iconic Lady Dior bag was born in Dior’s workshops in 1995 and made famous in 1996 when Princess Diana was showing her admiration for it on a visit to Paris. This instantly recognizable bag carries the house’s inimitable style but is also open to interpretation and artistic reinvention. Last year, the maison invited a handful of British and American artists to reimagine the accessory with a limited edition. After the big success of this project on the runway, Dior decided to make it even more diverse and creative by inviting ten artists from around the world, of different ages and backgrounds. The fashion house gave “carte blanche” to the artists to transfer their creativity into Dior’s leatherworking language. Everything, from the bag’s fabric, to its charms, size, color, jewellry, handles and stitching were all adjusted to the artist’s specifications. The outcome is a great collection of exceptional bags, which makes it hard to choose only one Lady Dior Art Bag.

www.dior.com

Art

Prada collaborates with Francesco Vezzoli for “Opera Pompidou”

The Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli is internationally well-known for mirroring the glamour of Hollywood in his unsaleable paintings. Now he partnered up with the fashion house Prada to produce the twelve costumes for the “Opera Pompidou” live performance, which was presented in the Centre Pompidou on the 19th October. The reason for this unique project was the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the museum for arts and culture in the heart of Paris. The Italian artist’s visionary world of elaborate references intertwines with the collection of the museumto create a series of special live art performances staged by Vezzoli. Each artist was wearing a costume made by Prada which references to the art work and brings it to life. In this totally emotional reinterpretation of the modern and contemporary collections of Centre Pompidou, the visitor finds himself in a new immersive experience.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Sacai Spring/Summer 2018

Chitose Abe returns to her DNA with transformable-layered silhouettes in a trompe l’oeil language. Tops and outwear were worn on the bust line with the sleeves tied as to create a seamless corset with a floating volume, held together by big sporty straps. The second look to storm in the catwalk already anticipated Abe’s vision for the season: a wind jacket in tech nylon tied over a silk light blue short dress. It’s a language Abe has been using since the start. Deconstructed skirts in denim or cotton lace patchwork-frayed paired with knits delivered a youthful look that felt confident and effortless.

Fluid floral tops with matching jackets knotted over them and long dresses in several tartan patterns patched with transparent chiffon, created a fresh ethereal and appealing atmosphere full of that cool but feminine attitude Abe’s vision is always set on. It is the intricate match of textiles and codes: camouflage cotton, trench textile, lightweight fabrics, all just in one singular dress in a play of hybrids where what seems to be a belt is in fact a soft blazer.

The colour palette was vivid: magenta, bright blue, green, yellow, all the colours that slowly became the signature of the brand. Chitose Abe, the famous protégé of Rei Kawakubo first and Junya Watanabe later, has been always mixing versatility and layered silhouettes. But this season felt extremely genuine and intuitive.

www.sacai.jp

Fashion

HUGO BOSS and VITRA mark the exhibition “An Eames Celebration”

On October 5th Hugo Boss and the Vitra Design Museum introduced the exhibition “An Eames Celebration” with a cocktail event held in Berlin. One part of the program was the presentation of the limited BOSS accessories collection, which was especially created for the exhibition project. It’s a limited unisex collection of 125 pieces including a tote bag, a portfolio bag, a clutch and a card case. The event took place at the historic pump station of the art collector Christian Boros at Hallesches Ufer. The guests in attendance included international and national film stars as well as socialites from Berlin’s culture and fashion scene. Hugo Boss is the lead sponsor of the retrospective Charles and Ray Eames’ oeuvre running at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein from Septmeber the 30th to February the 25th 2018.

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2018

What is more French than the Tour Eiffel? Anthony Vaccarello orchestrated a grand show in celebration of the French Maison and its historical patron Pierre Bergé who sadly passed away just three weeks ago.

He paid homage to Bergé, to Yves Saint Laurent, to their visceral love and to the revolutionary years in fashion that they both represented.

Bergé’s words to Vaccarello at the eve of his debut have already become legendary - ” You are not Yves Saint Laurent, don’t try to be Yves Saint Laurent” - the young designer could not be more Yves Saint Laurent in spirit than anyone else.

His style, irreverent, individualistic, and extremely sexy in a way that you literally wish to wear anything he designs regardless of your own style is without doubt so “Monsieur Saint Laurent”. The Monsieur Saint Laurent who managed to move – sometimes with unfavourable opinions - entire fashion crowds in the late 70s, in the 80s, and who was not afraid of fashion critique and consequently pushed boundaries.

We can find traces of Monsieur Saint Laurent’s DNA in Anthony Vaccarello’s Spring Summer 2018 collection: that gypsy shirt from the 70s, the 80s mono-shoulder dress, the feathers – but the collection remains very much about Vaccarello’s powerful identity.

As we were welcomed at the impressive location at the Fontaine de Trocadero, facing the Eiffel tower, the atmosphere culminated into an epic moment when the light spectacle of the tower served as backdrop halfway through the show.

"The Saint Laurent woman is a traveller who reaffirms her complex personality, full of a subtle tension. She is a dark angel with a sensual allure and drapes herself in black-sequined dresses, shining like the asphalt after the rain".

Vaccarello’s words are emblematic of the several elements that constellated the collection. As the designer’s summer travels took him from the Cote d’Azur to Capri, to LA we reencountered everything that fascinated him: the white Italian lace, the French flamboyant look, the West Coast leather looks.

A series of final sculptural dresses, with a scarlet red declination worn by the muse and face of the house Anja Rubik, left the audience speechless.

www.saintlaurent.com

Fashion

Welcome to G-Star Mat

In the presence of esteemed guests from the realms of fashion, music and cinema, Pharrell Williams toasted the launch of the G-Star Elwood X25 at G-Star Mat, a space that embodies creativity and self-expression.

The classic G-Star Elwood was reimagined in 25 bright and beautiful prints that meld motifs from the natural world – from poison dart frogs and butterfly fish to leopards and whale sharks – with renderings that pay homage to cultural diversity and include ornate Indian paisley prints and Japanese kimono embroidery.

Like the prints, the space itself was also designed to champion creativity by way of transforming an otherwise ordinary space into a surprising, aesthetically pleasing environment. Sleek Laundromat machines, each containing different print iterations whirred with activity, allowing guests to see the inspiration behind each print and encouraging them to interact with the space itself and one another as if on a movie set.

www.g-star.com

Fashion

Zegna’s ‘Defining Moments’

For the second iteration of its ‘Defining Moments’ campaign, Ermenegildo Zegna has brought on Hollywood legend Robert De Niro and Benjamin Millepied, the French choreographer responsible for Natalie Portman’s dramatic dancing in Black Swan. The global advertising campaign will run starting August 22nd on a multitude of platforms. The ‘Defining Moments’ omni channel initiative was first introduced for the Spring/Summer 2017 season, and reflects the emotion and people-centered voice that Ermenegildo Zegna supports in its brand statement.

Both De Niro and Millepied come from different eras, countries and fields. But surprisingly, they have a lot in common: both share a love for New York, sophistication, elegance, and culture. Together with Alessandro Sartori, the Artistic Director for Ermenegildo Zegna, and film-maker Francesco Carrozzini, a dialogue is formed between De Niro and Millepied. Together they discuss their passions, values, and defining moments in their careers: an insightful and intimate conversation which covers their artistic expressions, and how it has framed their life choices.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

FENDI: F IS FOR…

Fearless.

This season, Fendi have partnered with Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jordan Clarkson. In the campaign video, the young 25-year-old basketball prodigy, who was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, challenges his skills by shooting hoops at the top of the Palazzo Della Civilta? Italiana in Rome. “It’s important to be fearless on and off the court,” he says. “When you look good, play good, it gives you that sense of confidence. In basketball, it’s all about confidence. Show them who you are, before you get in the arena and express yourself. That’s what it all comes down to.”

The campaign was created and curated by Leonetta Luciano Fendi, the daughter of Silvia Venturini Fendi and the fourth generation of the famous fashion family, poised to take over the helm and bring the brand deep into the new millennium. Together with Ciristiana Monfardini, Leonetta Fendi is shaping fresh content which celebrates young talent, creativity, optimism and fearless confidence: values solidly ingrained in the core of FENDI.

www.instagram.com/fisforfendi
www.fendi.com/nl/fisfor

Fashion

UGG x Jeremy Scott

Jeremy Scott has made a name for himself thanks to his fun-filled approach to fashion, which shuns minimalism and opts instead for boisterous, eye-catching and attention-grabbing designs. You may love them or you may hate them but one thing is for sure: they are excellent conversation starters and some may even be your guilty pleasures.

This September, the outspoken American designer and creative director of Moschino partners up with Californian brand UGG®, putting his own spin on iconic styles. Inspired by and paying homage to cool Californian spirit and vibrant Los Angeles pop culture throughout the ages, the capsule collection is comprised of eight silhouettes featuring bold flame designs, jewelled hardware and Swarovski® crystals on the sheepskin footwear that is now recognised the world over. The limited edition collection includes UGG® footwear for men, women, kids and babies.

And if the designs themselves didn’t turn heads enough, the collab’s ad campaign is sure to do so: musician Lil Yachty and model Jasmine Sanders star in the campaign shot by Marcus Mam outside Los Angeles and are seen rocking not only Scott's designs for the footwear brand but also custom pieces created exclusively to complement featured styles.

www.ugg.com

Fashion

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

“Come, gentle Spring, ethereal Mildness, come, And from the bosom of you dropping cloud, While music wakes around, veiled in a shower of shadowing roses, on our plains descend”.

James Thomson poem Spring from his The Seasons printed on the show’s invitation resonated in the enchanting space of the Orangerie du Sénat as the models walked in.

Sarah Burton’s Alexander McQueen Men’s 2018 started slowly to unveil itself, telling a story gracefully balanced, like the gradual passing time of melting snow and moving clouds as the mild warmth of Spring approaches overcoming the cold Winter.

If the first looks presented sleek tailoring, leather outwear in black, off-white or crimson red - three colours running throughout is the whole collection – and a spectacular leather perfecto with matching pants adorned by a constellation of zip, buckles and studs, they are the last looks to steal the scene.

As a white leather cape embroidered with Rudyard Kipling’s “The Explorer” excerpt walks in, we feel the storm, the storm that precede any changing of the season, the sea storm of discovering journeys.

Sarah Burton continues the delicate island folktale for Alexander McQueen from her Women’s Fall collection.

Loose threads in red and blue wool adorns coats and suits in off-white, black and denim recalling the wishing tree. Maps scribbles and ancient poems are embroidered over the collection throughout. The closing looks, with a tree of life embroidered in crystals on a black suit and coat deliver the final emotional blow to this moving and ethereal collection.

“While softer gales succeed, at whose kind touch, dissolving snows in livid torrents lost, The mountains lift their green heads to the sky”.

www.alexandermcqueen.com

Fashion

Yohji Yamamoto Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

“Too old to die”, “Don’t be body shaming”, “Give me one more chance”

It's rare to see an icon like Yohji Yamamoto reinventing himself with such a savoir faire season after season. For Men's SS18 Yohji Yamamoto channelled his vision in a poetic exercise aiming to discover the younger generations in his team, keeping that signature we have loved long since. Spectacular ethereal velvet, leather bomber jackets in pop colours and notes scribbled all over this touching collection.

Yohji Yamamoto reflects on the afterlife, on the future of the brand once he will depart this world. It is a collection with the signature’s black palette and those powerful and visceral scribbles we have seen often in Yohji Yamamoto’s oeuvre, with Japanese calligraphy and its English counterpart next to it. Messages to the future. Sentences echoing in space look after look. As the models enter the catwalk in the Headquarters of the brand we have felt all these emotional connotations. The future of Yohji Yamamoto’s legacy, the integrity of his signature in the time soon to come. There were beautiful coloured leather jackets painted in collaboration with artist Saitoh Yusuke with portraits of Japanese actress Eiko KOIKE who will be the new face for the upcoming Yohji Yamamoto’s catalogues.But also the self portraits of artist Suzume Uchida, depicting herself as ghost.

It’s the circle of life, as seen in Buddhist philosophy, repeating itself: death, rebirth, and the continuation of life in loop.

www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp

Fashion

Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2018

Late summer nights. Kris van Assche's new Dior Homme storms in the Grand Palais with a collection imbued with that irreverent and smart spirit we have seen since last Summer show one year ago.

The new wave, the 90s rock, the punk, the party kids, the rave. It's all here, this time declined in beautiful reinvented tailoring with the mesmerizing sound of the pulsing show soundtrack composed by sound artist Frederic Sanchez as backdrop.

A black sleeveless t-shits with a printed “Christian Dior Atelier”, paired with tailored fluid pants with a sort of half blazer attached on top at the waistline. A trompe l’oeil recalling the sleeveless suits walking immediately before.

It is again a sophisticate tale of details, of research, new silhouettes for suiting. Kris van Assche channels again his memories, his early years fascinations in music, art, youth subcultures.

The colour palette is mirroring that dark attitude Dior Homme has been channelling lately: black, red, grey, and classic checks on the same tones, with a splash of mauve and blue.

It’s the rave boy, it’s the cool kid on the block but it is also the duality of dressing up in the night. Leather bomber jackets, shorts, preppy knitted waistcoats, with tie-like scarf casually wrapped around the neck.

It’s this “new cool” on suiting.

The set design made possible an extremely close look on the pieces as they walked in. The signature’s detailing, the stitching, the perfection of the cut. And that atmosphere just out of a late night summer music festival.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Valentino Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

Pierpaolo Piccioli looks at the strength of sportswear language and the fascinating realm of competition, of the authentic research of the self expression. Fresh, modern, looking at the street in a creative exercise to conquer the nowness and youthful audience.

Valentino Menswear for Spring Summer 2018 is a powerful collection channelling that empowering energy of sport exploring undiscovered territories, far away grounds in search of new moments. Anorak, track jackets, chinos, relaxed shirts, volumes and a wonderful urban appeal. This new journey of Pierpaolo Piccioli at the reign of the brand bonds this new fresh appeal to the craftsmanship, to the Atelier, and that Valentino etherealness.

A geometric graphical approach and a broad colour palette like khaki, a mint, pink, red, brown, next to black and electric blue.

VLTN, a new lettering reworking Valentino logo in black capital letters emblazoned in shirts and outwear gave new dynamics to the menswear approach of the brand It’s a relaxed collection with a strong identity.

The sporty volumes of jackets and the impressive collection of sneakers– the protagonists of the collection - with the cross stitching, embroideries, beaded details and handwork embellishments recalling a distant tribal folklore bring the Menswear ground of Valentino one step further to a new fresh sophisticated DNA.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Salvatore Ferragamo Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

Ferragamo’s Spring/Summer 2018 menswear collection was a sun-drenched collection of Riviera inspired pieces designed by Guillaume Meilland that exuded a leisurely lifestyle and the understated elegance synonymous with the iconic Italian maison.

If that’s hard to picture just think of Alain Delon and Marcello Mastroianni summering seaside in all their laid-back, effortless glamour. Bringing this aesthetic and grounding it in today’s reality, Ferragamo banks on the feeling of escapism supported by a breezy colour palette dominated by earthy hues, ivory, subdued pinks and light blues with a dash of hazy blues and deep mahogany.

Formal and casual styles focus on light silhouettes for a deconstructed feel that’s very in keeping with this season’s ‘from desk chair to beach lounger’ aesthetic without neglecting, of course, the addition of details intrinsically linked to Ferragamo’s leather savoir-faire.

Terrycloth, corduroy and velour are given a beachy makeover, revisited with a softer hand and decorated with subtle marine patterns featuring wreathes, corals and seahorses for Bermuda shorts, coats and jackets.

Contrasting this, classic British checks and fabrics are rendered pared-down and minimal, fluid and light while they manage to retain a casual disposition that wouldn’t stick out even in formal settings.

Legacy and immediacy, both core values for Ferragamo, manifest themselves through the offering of leather pieces that were bound to take centre stage for yet another season. Shapes may be roomy or slim but they are unlined and void of superfluous elements yet meticulously crafted with a strong focus on details. Why change a winning recipe?

www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

Etro Spring/Summer 2018

Etro’s Spring Summer 2018 Menswear collection pays homage to the spiritual wanderers of the psychedelic generation who inspire Kean Etro’s vividly colourful journey. Hints of Indian mysticism and talismans manifest themselves along with sacred cows, elephants, tantric couples and Tarot figures within quintessentially Etro paisley patterns.

Fabrics were inspired by Kean Etro’s grandfather as he worked tirelessly to recreate their unique DNA in his Italian atelier. Colours are worked into dyes that preserve the essence of the collection’s spirit with coral, tangerine, turquoise and fuchsia working both together and in contrast with earthy browns, military greens and bronze.

Linen is a permanent fixture for Etro’s Spring/Summer 2018 offering, affording the collection a casual yet tailored feel that’s so at home during the summer months. Lightweight, multi-coloured blazers with paisley prints and coloured Madras checks are all the rage while raw wool combinations ensure that the pieces remain light enough for the warmer months.

Ornamentation also plays an important role in the collection. Painted by hand in swirls of Etro’s favoured palette for the season or embroidered mandalas and floral motifs elevate the look of cargo jackets. This season’s trousers play with volume – ranging from slim cut tuxedo-style evening-wear version to linen Madras slacks for a more casual mood and ornately embroidered denim.

www.etro.com

Fashion

Philipp Plein Spring/Summer 2018

True to form, Philipp Plein delivered yet another runway extravaganza for his latest men’s and women’s collection showcased at Milan Fashion Week. Revved-up engines, super cars, boy racers and tough girls comprised the mood of the tire-screeching spectacle accompanied by the sounds of Greased Lightning.

Frayed denim, studded leather jackets and sleeveless t-shirts for the rebels of a modern West Side Story were paired with chequered flag patches, flaming eight balls and ‘Glorious Bastards’ insignia while applique red flames adorn their jeans.

The ladies present a fresh twist on Grease’s queen bee persona, the inimitable Rizzo, as they hold their own in the leather bomber jackets and crop tops, leggings and bejewelled killer heels. Men and women stand their ground as equals, all members of a speed-obsessed squad that transcends gender stereotypes.

Hooded crocodile and leather biker jackets are decorated with airbrushed painting of Deat Proof hot rods, skulls and lightning bolts mirroring the designs emblazoned across the hoods of the pimped-out car zooming past.

Here, it’s the details that do the talking as every element counts in fine-tuning a look. Adrenaline-fuelled fashion for life in the fast lane where noise, power and speed conflate to give birth to something akin to a religion with ‘no guts, no glory’ as its mantra.

www.philipp-plein.com

Fashion

Fendi Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

That Friday feeling… it manifests itself mere moments before you leave the office, ready for the weekend adventures of your choice. Almost tangible, it is infused with an air of optimism, relaxation and regrouping no matter the season. Come the summer months, however, and that fleeting moment of utter freedom is accentuated further by longer, sunnier, brighter days and a generally elevated mood.

If that sounds all too familiar, then you’re totally grasping the inspirational context behind Fendi’s Spring Summer 2018 Men’s collection that walked the runway on Monday as part of Milan’s Fashion Week Schedule. This is executive realness on the verge of the weekend. Corporate aplomb walking hand-in-hand with sunny holiday daydreams. In a naturally subdued palette of beiges, sand, greens and flutters of that all-important pink, Fendi’s latest offering focuses around formalwear so versatile that stands its ground from boardroom to pool bar: suits and big blousons are worn with sleeveless shirts while shorts and tracksuits find their perfect matches in silk shirts. Slingback loafers are paired with running socks and neckties complete even the most laid-back looks.

This season sees the advent of what the brand has coined ‘The Skype look’: a playful mismatch of sartorial options that somehow work together while concealed behind the office desk: tops and bottoms clash beautifully and interestingly enough, so do the fronts and backs of many pieces. All notions that adhere to that mood-flipping feeling that rolls around when you’re about to clock out.

This is corporate escapism, the Fendi way! 

www.fendi.com

Fashion

COS RE-OPENS ITS KURFÜRSTENDAMM STORE

COS is going back to where it all started by re-opening its Kurfürstendamm store in Berlin. Back in 2007, the Kurfürstendamm store was the first COS store to open on the German market and has since then evolved into eighteen stores.

This time, the Kurfürstendamm store is set over two stories and 625sqm, offering the full collection across COS womenswear, menswear and children's wear. COS wanted to create a dynamic yet timeless space and has therefore preserved the building’s original architectural features while mixing it up with modern updates. The stores interior goes in line with the brand aesthetic by combining functionality and design, creating a contrast interior of blonde wood against concrete and marble.

www.cosstores.com

Fashion

Finding Eden

A brand’s advertising campaign has a very specific aim in mind –as a carefully crafted fusion of the brand’s core values and signature visual codes, this collection of references is meant to encapsulate and appeal to its archetypal customer.

As the age-old moniker attests, less is (usually) more. Adhering to long-standing traditions and stripping down to a the bare essentials may just be the key ingredients for a campaign in which the ideal customer is present at both ends of the process; they are simultaneously an inspiration and the receiver of the end product. In an age where endless attempts of innovation and out-of-the-box thinking are swarming our daily lives, a back to basics approach comes as a breath of fresh mountain air.

Enter Woolrich’s latest campaign – UTAH: a campaign that focuses and is built around characters residing in Eden, Utah. Located north of Salt Lake City and nestled in a lush valley between Snowbasin and Powder Mountain, Eden seems to exert an irresistible force that pulls lovers of the great outdoors towards it effortlessly, inviting them to partake in the vast array of activities it offers.

The campaign aims to embody the effortless equilibrium that characterises the daily lives of Eden’s residents who are all infatuated with the great outdoors in ways totally personal to each and every one of them. The importance of people and space, the balance between work and home life, the melding of style and exploration all became focal points. For Woolrich, this is about much more than stopping and smelling the roses, it’s about pausing on a long walk to hear stream, feeling the wind on your skin, watching the trees grow and basking in vibrant sunsets. Simply put, this is a celebration of nature’s simultaneously calm and invigorating energy and the endless possibilities it opens up to anyone eager to listen.

Woolrich has been at the forefront of outdoor lifestyle innovation for more than 180 years but its roots can be traced back to tradition and the oldest, continuously operating woollen mill in the US. The Woolrich Mill provided wool blankets to civil war soldiers and continues to produce them to this day. Since then, the brand has been consistent in delivering outdoors-oriented products since the 70s when people began to engage with nature in new and exciting ways. Men and women took their free time to explore natures splendour in a more recreational setting with backpacking, camping, mountaineering and cycling being just a few of their preferred activities.

From simple wool socks to its famous cold-busting parkas, the brand’s products embrace and highlight the authenticity of the outdoor lifestyle. Functionality, comfort and durability are key characteristics of Woolrich’s offerings for both men and women that are further elevated by quality materials such as wool, cotton and down. Completely in-tune with the needs of its customers, the outdoor brand now incorporates technical performance fibres like nylon and polyester in all its garments.

For Woolrich, there’s a simple constant: as long as there are people keen to venture into the wild, it will help them do so in comfort and style.

www.woolrich.eu

Fashion

Chanel Fall/Winter 2017

The magic sets of Chanel Ready-to-Wear shows are always expected with anticipation and this season Karl Lagerfeld confirmed once again to be a visionary. A giant 35-meters-high rocket ship was waiting for us at the centre of the Grand Palais, envisioning the recent NASA news of potentially earth-size and consequentially habitable-zone planets.

It does not surprise that the humongous double C rocket was designed to lift off for more than 10 meters in the finale, leaving us completely stunned in smoke and pyrotechnic lights with Elton John’s Rocket Man in the background, Lagerfeld playfully used a whole vocabulary of space references: metallic matelassé stoles in silver and pink as space blankets, knitted headbands lifting the hair into a voluminous round cloud hinting to the space suit helmet, heavenly beaded black evening dresses to match the stardust castellated sky.

The classic Chanel skirt suits is also reinvented with matching shorts and completed with sequined tights and half gloves. It’s a fantasy as out of the best interstellar tale, and we hypnotically want to be part of it. Sparkling signature tweed in metallic silver, white electric blue and Karl’s favourite powder pink, together with the most glittery lunar boots would provide the perfect mise for our final space mission to escape this tired Mother Earth.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Hermès Fall/Winter 2017

“How enduring, how we need durability / The sky before sunrise is soaked with light / Rosy colour tints buildings, bridges, and the Seine” Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski chose Nobel Prize Czes?aw Mi?osz as backdrop for her collection. More than an homage to her ancestors, it’s the sense of surprise and anticipation every non-Parisian feels when experiencing this city that Vanhee-Cybulski aimed to hint. It’s that wandering around as in a sort of situationist walk, not sure what will resurface from its powerful heritage. The expectation and the excitement.

Hermés Fall/Winter 2017 is all that. Vanhee-Cybulski’s wish to build Hermés identity as timeless but playful, a dialogue between the contemporary fresh attitude with that effortless spirit expressed since her first collection at the French house, was clear from the start. The collection felt polyhedric and at a closer look it revealed all its beautiful craftsmanship.

A beautifully timeless wool long cape in midnight blue lined in a rosy dusty brick tone and paired with a sporty ribbed sweater and tights. A sweeping floor leather coat in pale powder pink. Classic cut pants and laced-up thigh-high boots as borrowed from man’s wardrobe. Relaxed turtleneck knits matched with statement patchwork leather outwear with shearling trim. But also 70s vibes with scarf dresses in mousseline. Vanhee-Cybulski is revising the codes of haute modern dressing for this equestrian-routed French maison.

www.hermes.com 

Fashion

Yohji Yamamoto Fall/Winter 2017

Declinations of deconstructed silhouettes in shades of black. Pleated, wrapped, twisted. Yohji Yamamoto Fall/Winter 2017 celebrates the roots of the acclaimed Japanese master himself in all the aspects that have been constantly accompanying his vision.

Forty-four looks of pure architectural shapes, and virtuosic silhouettes in a crescendo of emotions. As Yamamoto once again recorded his own guitar playing for the show music, it’s almost as if we could see him, in his home, sitting down and casually strumming his acoustic guitar, in search for fragments of time, emotions, images. Singing about a woman, the archetype of the woman itself.

And it’s the search for the perfect balance of draping around the female body the protagonist of the collection. The gracious volumes protruding along the figure with bias cut, deconstructed, rigorously in black with hand-painted splash of purple and blue. Painting has always been a beautiful obsession for the Japanese designer and we know he would never refrain from expressing the refuse to use print patterns.

The collection synthesizes magnetically these feelings of attachments to identity and the exciting search for the new. Yohji Yamamoto showed once again the unconditional pure beauty of staying true to oneself.

www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp

Fashion

Dries van Noten Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear

Imagine a tribe of legendary models from the 90s, with their ageless beauty, power walk and barely-there makeup. Imagine them now walking for the most loved and respected fashion designer of our time for his 100th show.

Dries van Noten surprised everyone when the show started: all the models who walked for him, from the very beginning, were all present: Amber Valletta, Caroline de Maigret, Malgosia Bela, Kirsten Owen, Trish Goff, Kim Noorda, Guinevere Van Seenus and legendary Kristina de Coninck opening the show. Together with the more recent favourites. It was an overwhelming flow of emotions for whomever has followed and worked with this acclaimed Belgian designer since 1993.

The collection was a parade of all the prints, the cuts, the colours from past collections, the story of Dries van Noten in toto. It was an incredible archive research, as some of the print designs didn’t exist anymore. The strong sentiment of timeless style and ageless beauty was pervasive, look after look. The oversized coat, the relaxed long dresses, the denim, velvet, and beautiful fur stoles. The mix-matched colours with a lemon yellow splashing the entire collection. It was a celebration of joy, of positivity, of the essence of femininity itself.

The sound of a crowded street, the cars, the people, a dog barking accompanied the vastitude of a collection of music and movies extracts played: from Jun Miyake’s Lilies of The Valley - the musician who closely worked together with Pina Bausch, one of Dries Van Noten's dearest muses – to the late David Bowie singing Heroes in the a cappella finale. “…you, you can be mean. And I , I’ll drink all the time. Because we are lovers. That is a fact”

www.driesvannoten.com

Fashion

Gucci Fall/Winter 2017-18 The Alchemist's Garden

An air of magical curiosity filled the air as Alessandro Michele's Fall/Winter 2017 Gucci collection was presented at Milan Fashion Week. Complete with streetwear elements, fused with historical costumes and oversized floppy hat featured alongside vest tops with anarchic messaging, the collection was vibrant, exciting and oh-so Gucci.

There's a garden of plants and animals. Inhabited by signs, symbols and archetypes invoking and recalling remote worlds, blending the conscious with the unconscious as imagination forces the inertia of reality. This alchemist's garden is an anti-modern laboratory that refutes rigidity and determinism, aiming instead to recover the complexity of existence with the contradictions that permeate it.

This ubiquitous cycle is perfectly embodied in the Ouroboros, an ancient Egyptian symbol of a snake eating up its own tail. It destroys and conceives in a never ending cycle of self renewal and reflects Alessandro Michele's fascination with the role of fashion in modern society.

www.gucci.com

Art

Iris Schomaker – Come to the Edge

Berlin based artist Iris Schomaker, will display her first Benelux exhibition “Come to the Edge” at the Reflex Gallery in Amsterdam showing off her expressive large-scale watercolor and oil-works on paper featuring figures in various states of repose.

The show will consist purely of new works representing an arresting close-up of a single figure, lying reading, resting, sitting curled up, unaware of the viewer’s gaze because “it’s more like a sudden glimpse-something unexpected. These figures do not offer contact. Their faces are blank, vanishing.” As the artist herself said.

Is exactly this blankness that took Iris to project on to the image looking at the very anonymity of those faces as an invitation to the viewers to bring something of their own being surrounded by powerfully immersive and contemplative figures. Moreover the figures in the newer works from the German artist are often accompanied by a symbolic animal that is more idea, atmosphere, and energy, more a sprit guide that brings a strange, irritating and inspiring energy rather than a flesh and bones companion.

In muted shades of black and grey, with only the thinnest veil of oil wash in faded aquamarine or yellow, the overall impression of the palette is decidedly monochrome. The figures are resolutely not portraits; the final creation is given by a work of research through images of unknown people like photos, sketches, ripped pages of magazines, combined with her drawing and creativity, in order to give birth to an incredible mix between classic paintings and current graphic novels.

The exhibition will run until April 26th 2017

www.irisschomaker.de

Fashion

Ermenegildo Zegna's Defining Moments

Every story worth being recounted begins with a defining moment. Ermenegildo Zegna's latest campaign focuses on just that: precious interactions, settings and conversations that trigger potentially life-changing reactions for its participants.

Robert De Niro, an actor known and revered the world over requires no introduction but it is safe to say he is no fashion ad regular. Alongside him, American Honey break-out star McCaul Lombardi whose performance generated Hollywood buzz at the end of last year. Actors of different generations, with wildly different experience levels but with an affinity that transcends age.

The campaign, shot by film-maker Francesco Carrozzi sees the actors interacting both with each other and the Zegna garments they have chose to wear and recalling their Defining Moments. De Niro's mentors, his philosophy of risk-taking and what draws him to a role are all put to the table. Lombardi appears genuinely awe-struck and profoundly respectful of his older, more experienced counterpart as he shares his experiences.

A free, real and passionate exchange that bridges a generational gap and lies at the heart of Ermenegildo Zegna's philosophy. A merging of the intensely artisanal and industrial elements that form the brand's DNA and expresses its values.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

OFF WHITE Fall/Winter 2017

“The show is real” Virgil Abloh told us backstage after the show. Real and now, much like the urge to touch the everyday life of many in various forms. For OFF-WHITE Menswear Fall/Winter 2017 collection Abloh stood up for a new chapter of the brand. Oversized outwear gives way to tailored silhouettes. The extreme youthful approach is now moving into a more grownup vision.

The spectacular set design featuring real fading leaves and shedding trees inside the harsh concrete brutalist UNESCO building, wraps the collection in a surreal atmosphere. As we walk inside the venue we feel overwhelmed by this recreated landscape. It almost urges you to just take a stroll and roll in what looks like a wintery park’s forgotten route.

Checked coats with embroidered foliage, denim printed with flying doves and adorned with golden leaves by London based jeweller Duffy. Exquisite knitwear permeates the whole collection, both for men and women, featuring the brand’s signature bar logo. In all its wearability Seeing Things – as named by Abloh - is a romantic and ambitious collection yet staying true to OFF-WHITE’s identity rooted in the streets.

A new way of seeing, as resonating in the words of British writer John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, was chosen as the opening narration for the show: “The images has come to you, you don’t go to them. The days of pilgrimage are over. It is the image of the painting which travels now”.

www.off---white.com

Fashion

Christian Dada Fall/Winter 2017

 “It was boundless blue, almost transparent. I stood up, and as I walked toward my own apartment, I thought, I want to become like this glass. And then I want to reflect this smooth white curving myself. I want to show other people these splendid curves reflected in me” The melancholic closing words of Ryu Murakami’s Almost transparent blue - one of the most striking Japanese contemporary novelists exploring the themes of youth and drug abuse - echoed in Masanori Morikawa’s new Fall Winter 2017 collection for Christian Dada.

Puffer jackets in aluminium silver as reminiscent of drug wrappers, Coca Cola-red sweatshirts with Heroin written in the same typography as the iconic American drink, sweaters in psychedelic orange and blue tones serving as glimpse of post-drug hallucinations.

Morikawa’s collection is imbued with duality - certainly the epitome of youth itself – and that uncertainty and struggle of reaffirmation of young individuals. We see relaxed men’s cut shirts that reveal an incredible heavy textile at the touch, deconstructed jackets that show the lining on the outside, lurex raw materials, all surprisingly soft to the touch.

The T-shirt and leather sweatshirts in collaboration with former English fashion designer and illustrator Charles Anastase, all point in the same direction.

Yet Morikawa presented a collection with a composite of Japanese nostalgia. Like the summer nights spent wearing Jinbei – but here transposed in leather and denim – or those high school times – with the tartan motifs from school uniforms juxtaposed here with urban silhouettes. Christian Dada is beautifully grown up and we are looking forward to seeing the evolution of the brand.

www.christiandada.jp

Fashion

G-STAR RAW presents RAW RESEARCH II by Aitor Throup

Exploring the unlimited possibilities of denim has become Dutch brand G-STAR RAW's latest challenge. The brand presented its latest project, RAW RESEARCH II, in Paris' Palais De Tokyo.

Curiosity and experimentations brought this project to life creating a capsule collection, its pieces a prototype of the latest in denim innovation. The collection features a brand new 3D denim concept: the “ Motac” series. An ergonomic study of the human body in motion gave birth to Motac, created to make garments with perfect fit and versatility thanks to a combination of rigid denim and flexible fabric panels.

To pay homage to G-STAR RAW's homeland, its new creative director Aitor Throup used the iconic Dutch tulip as a conceptual backdrop. Tradition and innovation were brilliantly fused together.

www.g-star.com

Fashion

Plein Sport Fall/Winter 2017

Sport and fitness are the latest addiction of modern society and that's a fact. It's not all about keeping fit anymore, it's a lifestyle. Designers have also caught the athleisure bug and among them is Phillip Plein who delivered a Fall/Winter 2017 collection dedicated to sportswear during this year's Milan Fashion Week.

On a runway made over to resemble a racetrack, models, boxers and workout fanatics presented the first ever Plein Sport line. The collection features sweatshirts, puffer gilets and bombers, among many other fitness apparel favourites, fusing cutting-edge technology with luxurious materials.

Innovation is Philipp Plein's mantra and a key word for his collection that also offered sleeve pockets for iPhones and pioneered lightweight footwear and anti-sweat fabrics.

www.philipp-plein.com

Fashion

Take a walk on the wild side with Christian Dada’s “Blue” collection

In the name of “Blue”, Christian Dada's latest collection is a hymn to Japanese color traditions. Blue evokes feelings of rebellion, frustration, incomprehension that surround troubled youth.

Reaching out to our inner adolescent, the collection revolves around the concept of deconstruction that is obtained with sophisticated methods of shaping and layering. Mixing Eastern and Dadaist aesthetics, designer Masanori Morikawa plays with classic tailored jackets worn like kimonos wrapped around T-shirts and striped pajamas. Trench coats morph into tunics and army bombers and denim jackets are ripped into and skinned to expose their bone structure.

Tartan motifs and schoolboy sheepskin jackets collectively pay homage to College fashion. With slogans like “I Don't Like Drugs but Drugs Like Me” or “Too Fast to Live Too Young to Die” making appearances throughout the line, Morikawa's collection echoes messages from modern society.

Playing with double entendres is a trademark of the Dadaist mood board that definitely urges one to take a walk on the wild side.

www.christiandada.jp

Fashion

Out Of The Blue comes Peuterey

Peuterey wraps its timeless designs into the most diverse shades of blue for its Spring/Summer 2017 collection.

In Out of the Blue, a name that perfectly encapsulates the collection's essence, Italian elegance meets functionality, conceiving a wide range of models that suit our everyday life perfectly, just like their key-color does.

Whether it's trench coats, leatherjackets or blazers – creative director Federico Curradi, has definitely set a new trend for this Spring/ Summer season.

www.peuterey.com

Art

Bottega Veneta and SCoP: when fashion supports art

Tomas Maier, Bottega Veneta’s creative director, has never hid his passion for art, making it a proper flagship of the Venetian brand’s attitude. Bottega Veneta showed for the first time its strong commitment to art and culture in 2001, when Maier introduced the “Art of Collaboration”: an ongoing project which invites photographers and visual artists in order to reflect brand’s aesthetic inside its campaigns.

This year the brand confirms its ever-lasting addiction to art, partnering with the Shanghai Centre of Photography in order to support four key international exhibitions hold at the most prestigious photography institute in China. SCoP is indeed considered worldwide the city’s very first place entirely dedicated to photography showcasing its best and diverse genres.

“Made in Germany: German photography from the 19th century to today” will be the first exhibition supported by Bottega Veneta. The projects will comprises an unparalleled selection of iconic masterpieces that together with contemporary examples will give an up-to-date and fresh touch to the entire exhibition.

The exhibition will run until April 2nd 2017
www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton’s “Series 6”: between French theatricality and aesthetics

Paris with its romantic promenades sur la Seine it’s the star of “Series 6”, the new Spring/Summer 2017 advertising campaign by Louis Vuitton.

Like a flâneur, Bruce Weber, captured the allure of Nicolas Ghesquiere’s favourite heroines bringing back to life the atmosphere of artistic enthusiasm that typify the city of lights. Michelle Williams, Jennifer Connelly, Adèle Exarchpoulos and Sasha Lane become the modern inspirations for a reimagined Paris. The result portrays powerful silhouettes that comprise a collection of strongly cultural referred Parisian moments. The season’s handbags, the long jersey dresses and the tailored suit become characters in their own right, the perfect companions for these pictorial personalities.

“It is to this cultivated, intellectual, original and free-spirited Parisienne that I wanted to pay tribute” said Nicolas Ghesquière, the creative epicenter of nowadays French elegance.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

VERSACE Spring/Summer 2017: enjoy the ride

Savagery and freedom have always been messages carried by Versace that since its birth thanks to its innovative ways of conceiving fashion has endlessly imposed its creative dynamism among the highest fashion brands.

From attitudes to backgrounds, the Spring/Summer 2017 campaign shot by Bruce Weber is the proper representation of what Versace has always meant in the haute couture. Conceived by artistic director Donatella Versace, the freedom and dynamism of summer and the active mood are perfectly encapsulated in these shoots. Models Edie Campbell, Anna Ewers, Mitchell Slaggert and Jake Lahrman, found themselves in the Kentucky countryside surrounded by horses, perfect symbols of this “freedom” collection.

Freedom of choice, freedom of expression and freedom of speech, These are the messages carried by this collection and Versace in general, because as Bruce Weber said: “it’s always interesting that fashion can carry messages in a subtle way and make people think about their own lives and how they can make it better.”

www.versace.com

Fashion

Acne Studios Resort 2017 collection’s film is now out, and it’s all about Hype Fever

Highlighted shades, slow motion pictures and pop vibes merge together to give birth to the new Resort 2017 collections film by Acne Studios.

Inspired by musical counter culture, free and fluid silhouettes mixed and matched with generous draping, patterned knitwear and elongated evening wear. Sneak peeks from the runway are given together with backstage scenes to present a collection that is nothing but common.

Resort 2017 is all about shapes and prints that are achieved through a variety of dyeing techniques from tie-dyeing to oil-dyeing, in order to create a look that is both soft and romantic without ever forgetting a taste of sane hippie-rock attitude.

www.acnestudios.com

Fashion

Levi’s and JUGEND GEGEN AIDS: T-shirts with a good cause

On world’s AIDS day Levi’s decided not to stay in the corner, taking part together with the JUGEND GEGEN AIDS association to a special night that merged fashion, music and sexual education.

In order to make a difference and let young people feel close to the cause, the denim brand organized the “Night of Life” in association with DJs and starred chefs in order to turn a pool party at the Hamburg East Hotel into something unforgettable.

The ‘STOP AIDS’ sign was shown on black and white limited edition Levi’s T-shirts during the party, whose proceeds will go to the benefit association JGA that since years fight to create awareness around AIDS.

“Do what you want. Do it with love, respect and condoms”

www.levi.com

Fashion

Santoni FW22

The Santoni FW22 Men’s Collection offers new horizons in the form of contemporary scenarios. With the craftsmanship and sense of color that have always characterized the Maison at heart, Santoni creates the image of a man with a vivid sense of style. An individual who loves to express himself in an unrestricted way. The collection is an effortless mix of everything formal and sporty and modern and vintage elements, brought into being through athletic high-tech elements. The look is created to transmit a sense of exaggeration that makes a bold statement: eye-catching rubber soles light-up booties, lace-ups, and double buckles. The vibrant pops of color create unexpected combinations that embody the effortless, yet innovative chic of the modern man. Imagining a walk in the high mountains, the pieces have a remarkable outdoor wear spirit, which is inspired by a sense of contact with nature and a feeling of freedom.

www.santonishoes.com

Fashion

H&M& Berlin – the Pre-Loved-Archive Collection

H&M celebrated two decades full of their much cherished collaborations with iconic designers from all over the world with their Pre-Loved-Archive collection.

H&M aims to offer a new generation the chance to own and reinterpret fashion history – opening up the gates to their iconic fashion library and re-releasing iconic and pre-loved fashion pieces from the most sought-after collaborations with renowned designers of the last two decades. The Pre-Loved-Archive is an inspired fusion of nostalgia and sustainability – extending the life of these beloved designs through their ongoing and creative recombination in styling the aesthetic-minded self.

The grand occasion took place on October the 30th of October in Berlin’s legendary Kraftwerk – featuring live performances of Troye Sivan, Caroline Polachek, Arca and JADA. A revitalizing combination of music, fashion and style. Guests A multitude of guests attended in their favorite archive looks from the twenty year long history of guest designer collections. As part of a global series of events, the celebration showcased H&M's new energy, emphasizing a circular approach to fashion.

Several of the curated pieces from the Pre-Loved-Archive collection made their debut yesterday at the Berliner Mitte Garten Store. Additional pieces are now available on hm.com.

Art

ALL TOMORROWS SONGS at Kühlhaus Berlin

Kühlhaus Berlin proudly declares their hosting of the interdisciplinary group exhibition ALL TOMORROWS SONGS, featuring individual projects by 16 young artists who participated in ‘Making It’ – an international workshop centered around exploring contemporary socio-political issues through a wide range of artistic mediums.The workshop, the project, and the exhibition—was initiated by JAŠA.

ALL TOMORROWS SONGS functions as a public moment of representing the collective and cross-disciplinary effort, where artists from differing backgrounds collaborated side-by-side, to create unified, thematic works. A blending together of different forms and unique perspectives into one cohesive and deeply relevant multifaceted experience. Each project acts as a testament of the artists’ remarkable growth during the workshop, individually but also as a group. The whole process was a chance well embraced, to cultivate their capacity to listen, observe and conceptually intertwine, but most importantly – to connect with each other and their surroundings on a profound level.

The young artists’ projects each offer a distinct and deeply personal response to the current socio-political climate – with questions of positioning, self-expression and voice emergence, along with the perspective of responsibility to be a vehicle for others. Sharp poetic insights into the concept of ‘Nowness’ by these young, meaningful voices, who have recognized it as their sole reality. The overarching aim – a call for unity rather than isolation.

The exhibition will be held at Kühlhaus Berlin on November 8th 2024, from 6PM to 11PM.

www.kuehlhaus-berlin.com

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

Art

Dom Pérignon Vintage 2015 Special Edition - An Homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat

Paying tribute to one of the most relevant artists of our time, Don Pérignon presents the limited special edition of it's Vintage 2015, in homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Dom Pérignon’s self assigned creative mission has always been one of achieving harmony as a source of emotion, through their devotion to aesthetic and sensory values of precision, intensity, tactile sensation, minerality, complexity, completeness and an exceptionally distinctive way of sustaining notes. The brand’s vision is one of staying true to heritage, while adapting to the change of tides in the surrounding world. Basquiat, having been a lover of French unique excellence, has always managed to stay true to his conviction, that any form of artistic creation should be understood as an invitation for playful, albeit passionate, engagement with constraints.

Two legends, separated by time and space, yet, each of them, embodying the cultural spirit of their respective eras, coming together in perfect fusion in this most suitable collaboration. An alchemy between creativity and innovation, continuing the red thread of Don Pérignon’s nearly three decade long history of collaborating with inspiring artists and creators.

The series includes three different bottles, with each of the bottles exhibiting a part of Basquiat’s painting ‘In Italian’ (1983). The sensitive design is in line with the principle of assemblage, dear to both Dom Pérignon and Basquiat. The label on the bottles, in three color variants, depicts the hybrid emblem of the three-branched crown, Basquiat’s statement and signature, superimposed on the shield. A powerful seal to this tribute.

domperignon.com/de

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

Christian Louboutin PFW Spring Summer 2025 - A Fashionable Dive

Inspired by the past, envisioned for the future. These are the vibes that the Christian Louboutin Paris Fashion Week show brings to the audience. In a collaboration with artistic director David LaChapelle and choreographer Blanca Li, the designer makes history with the creativity and authenticity he and his team present. Seemingly unusual at first glance, the visitors walked into Paris’ Piscine Molitor, where the French Olympic artistic swimming team was waiting to put on an unforgettable show.

Once a pool, the piscine turned into a catwalk the night of September 27th. Artistic swimmers parading on the sides of it in the new Miss Z pumps, playfully jumping into the bright colored water, and performing dance routines captivated the audience as the famous heels remained perfectly fixed on their feet. In a setting full of projections, lights, and aquatic ballet grace, one element was unmistakable: the red bottoms. After flowing down the giant pair of Christian Louboutin shoes turned into a slide and dancing around the centerpiece of the pool - a fountain meant to guide the performers in their act - the swimmers mysteriously disappear into the deepness of the water, leaving their Miss Z's floating as testimony of the brand's timelessness. Talking about the accumulation of factors that brought the "runway" to life, Christian Louboutin confesses “Something the three of us clearly have in common is our love for dance. Blanca made it her world, David some of his major art works, and me, I also started by designing shoes for dancers".

Dancing to the rhythm of LP's mix of pop, rock, indie and folk, the Olympic team wore metallic pumps that matched the bathing suits designed by Fifi Chachnil. Unapologetically bold and vibrant, the Spring Summer 2025 collection was introduced in this extraordinary moment that breaks the boundaries of fashion shows, celebrating the everlasting creativity of the French luxury brand.

www.christianlouboutin.com

Fashion

Rick Owens PFW Spring Summer 2025 - Hollywood takes Paris

Taking Paris Fashion Week to Palais de Tokyo – one of his preferred locations for a show – Rick Owens transforms the runway into his own playground. Instead of keeping it intimate, like he did for his previous shows, Owens goes all out and puts on an extravagant show that pays tribute to Hollywood, a place of reference for the designer, as it is the place he ran to and met some of the most important people of his artistic journey.

In what he called his “white satin army of love”, the designer introduced his previous menswear collection and asked all fashion schools in Paris to send students and faculty that would walk in the show as a testimony of unity. With his concept, he aims to demonstrate how impactful and important it is to stand by each other. For his most recent show, Owens presented the Women's line named after the boulevard of vice. At first sight, the collection seemed to respect a monochromatic palette of black, as the one back in June did – except with white. However, the creative director added a splash of absinthe-green to some of the looks, as well as some shades of gray, some of which were decorated with shimmering details that added a playful touch. As such, models walked around Palais de Tokyo parading in larger groups, each group wearing similar outfits that turned the venue into a theatrical performance.

Among the pieces in the collection we find flowing capes, transposable zipper jackets and coats, and knit gowns, all made from materials that allow recycling. Using certified organic silk, cupro – a biodegradable and plant based fiber – and recycled polyester, Rick Owens proves that he places sustainability at the frontline of his design process.

The new womenswear collection "Hollywood" stays in opposition to the last menswear line "Porterville", Rick Owens proving his artistic genius to his guests once again in a spectacular catwalk.

www.rickowens.com

Fashion

Chloé PFW Spring Summer 2025 - A Cure for Summer Nostalgia

Just when we thought summer was behind us, Chloé swoops in with the ultimate summer wardrobe, served up like a fashion feast on a silver platter. Soft, gracious, and joyful are the main attributes to describe the Spring Summer 2025, “The Freedom Collection”.

Chemena Kamali, Creative Director of the French House, designs a collection that explores the feeling of freedom, putting on a show that carries the legacy of Maison through the the complete fusion of elegance, ease, and modernity, showcasing fluid silhouettes, delicate fabrics, and a palette that captures the essence of a carefree summer. Faded by the sun, the pastel colors mix and match on the silhouettes, yet one remarkable pattern stands out: a print of hand painted roses and peonies, inspired by a 1977 art piece. The artistic director paints a perfect summer landscape, and her brushes are the fabrics, which outline the ethereal mood of joy and liberation, weaving together the essence of warmth and lightness – silk, lace, and cotton are combined to create an inviting embrace that celebrates freedom of movement. Accessories decorate what almost feels like elegant lingerie and with them, Kamali proves that layering is back in style: sea washed stones combined with broken shells, chains and charms creating a textural symphony that turns each outfit into a testament of sensuality.

The Chloé Summer 2025 show brought delicate simplicity to the catwalk for Paris Fashion Week, introducing new garments that continue to celebrate the brand’s timelessness, though adding an element of spontaneous joy to it.

www.chloe.com

Fashion

Eton - The Phoenix Service

Probably the first and one of a kind, Eton comes out with a new initiative that supports its customers’ love for clothes and for traveling. Ever been in the situation of getting excited to go on holiday, only to find out your luggage was lost or never got to your destination? The Phoenix Service cures the anxiety of parting ways with our most valuable items – whether it’s the vacation outfits we planned in our head, business attire for a work trip, or cherished personal belongings that have sentimental value.

The Phoenix Service is a lifetime travel insurance that makes sure Eton never leaves travelers’ bags. Available exclusively for Eton’s White Signature Twill – a white, versatile shirt that is a staple in anyone’s baggage – the service is accessible to everyone who purchases the item, as the clients receive proof of insurance via email. As CEO David Thörewik would say, the only thing that can replace an Eton shirt is another Eton shirt, which is why, in case of a fashion disaster, all buyers have to do is send airline documentation confirming the loss of their luggage to Eton, and the team will send a new Signature Twill Shirt their way.

Encouraging traveling in style and emphasizing the importance of quality, the creative project is available on the brand’s website, as a limited edition service, from September 16th to November 11th. Just as a Phoenix bird, the iconic shirt can never be gone – it is a symbol of immortality, of endless resilience, always rising from the ashes to embody style and elegance.

www.etonshirts.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

Emporio Armani Spring Summer 2025 MFW - Ties to the Past and Future

The Emporio Armani Spring Summer 2025 Womenswear collection at Milan Fashion Week epitomizes the brand’s commitment to a clear style that is instantly recognizable, ever evolving but equally built on Armani’s heritage.

The collection is an invitation to dress with freedom and a bit of irony, as concepts such as the feminine model in a masculine suit and tie originated to provoke and now has a more playful energy that the collection is leaning into. Ties are featured prominently, paired with oversized muted suits, deconstructed underneath a vest and paired with dark mesh and florals, as well as atop a trench coat embroidered with rainbow florals. The tie is returning for the modern woman to reflect contemporary fluidity of gendered dressing. This is not a provocative rebellion but an individual choice to have fun with ties in creative ways. This sense of play exists throughout the collection, which is fueled by tried-and-true juxtapositions of masculine and feminine, light and dark – with sparks of colorful excitement, long and short, and past and future. A highlight is the use of accessories especially wide-brimmed hats that create a whimsical allure and excitement for springs to come.

The show is entitled “Future Perfect” and forward-looking continuity is embraced throughout in a quintessentially Armanian way.

www.armani.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

Espace Munchen - Gregory Crewdson

In a series of international projects, Espace Louis Vuitton Munchen will present Gregory Crewdson’s work within the “Hors-les-murs” programme. Gregory Crewdson is an American photographer, best known for his dedication to unveil the true essence of the American middle-class to an audience which is blinded by the fantasy of the American dream.

Similar to film director David Lynch, Crewdson captures bizarre characters and scenes, using different techniques – sophisticated lighting and colors – for a more dramatic effect. Compared to his black and white “Hover” series (1996-1997) which resembles documentary photography of rural life, the “Dream House” series (2002) offers an insight into suburban life, yet the colors and attention to detail bring an uncanny and mysterious vibe. The latter features popular celebrities, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Julianne Moore, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, in a collection of super-realist photographs that portray nocturnal settings with characters that almost seem hypnotized, in a constant trance that takes them to a world of loneliness and desperation. As such, his work keeps its viewers wondering about the boundaries between reality and illusion, leading them to question their own perception of “normal” and the hidden dimensions of everyday world.

Another notable series of Crewdson is “Cathedral of the Pines” (2013-2014), presenting images that resemble 19th century American and European paintings. Captured in surrounding forests, the 31 photographs invite viewers to let their imaginations run wild, interpreting each image in their own unique and authentic way.

Treating photographs like films, Crewdson finds a way to share his understanding of the American dream, as well as psychological issues. His work will be exhibited in Munchen from October 11th to February 22nd at Espace Louis Vuitton.

www.louisvuitton.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

The Beauty Booster

Foundation is like a canvas – the base of the make-up look. On this canvas, a highlighter might be a sheer, gleaming veil that enhances the face’s contours and beauty. As the final glowing touch, it captures the reflection of light on the skin with a multi-dimensional effect. It can be sensationally glamorous, natural-looking, or even evoke a subtle ethereal effect. Either way, to achieve all the possibilities of the beautifully luminous look, Armani Beauty recently introduced a new highlighter: Luminous Silk Acqua Highlighter – the latest addition to their skin-enhancing Luminous Silk collection.

This highlighter brings a new level of glow with micro pearls. It is buildable from a natural to a glamorous finish, owing to its liquid blendable formula, which includes a blend of exclusive white micro-pearl and skin-boosting ingredients such as niacinamide, caffeine and glycerin. The water-like texture melts onto the skin, then stretches into a seamless film of shimmer, without moving the underlying make-up. Its pure translucency comes with a pearly glow effect and a silky, dewy finish.

Particularly, tinted or pure white pearls can be used for a variety of purposes. Shade 1, Halo, creates a perfect highlighting tone, ideally on the top of cheekbones, while the depth of shade 5, Sunset, creates a natural contouring effect. For additional use, shade 3, Dawn, can be blended with the Armani Beauty eye tints to infuse a soft metallic tone into your eyes.

www.armanibeauty.com

Fashion

The First Chypre Hermes

Determined to create a feminine scent that would follow in the steps of Jean-Claude Ellena’s Terre d’Hermès – world famous masculine perfume that tells a story of a man’s relationship with the earth – Christine Nagel launches The First Chypre. What drove the Creative Director of Hermès Perfumes most were her neverending curiosity and personal desire of adding Chypre notes to the House’s fragrance collection.

Barénia, the newest creation, captures hours of continuous work and dedication. Its main notes combine butterfly lily with miracle berry, leaving the wearer with the intensity of patchouli and the warmth of oakwood. Nagel based her work on inspiring women that trust their instincts, defining them as “the Hermès woman”: "The Hermès woman is driven by curiosity. Guided by her instincts, her side steps are never missteps”. Tapping into feminine energy, the perfumer wishes for Barénia to become as timeless and representative for Hermès as other items like the Birkin or the Kelly bag.

A passion project of Christine Nagel, Barénia took 10 years to complete and is named after the same exceptional calf leather that Hermès uses to craft its leather goods with. The floral and woody fantasy of Barénia is encapsulated in a round transparent bottle with a silver cap that has Maison’s logo. The First Chypre will be available starting this September.

www.hermes.com

Travel

GRAU Salt Summer Edition

GRAU the German light company launches a new limited edition of their widely successful Salt Lamp: Meet the Salt Summer Edition.

Sporting a vibrant shade of light blue as well as its iconic design, the Salt Summer Edition is the perfect companion for any summer adventures in- or outdoors. The new limited-edition colorway of the most powerful mobile light on the market is directly inspired by the sky during blue hour and offers a wide spectrum of light modes, from clear light to a deep sunset orange to match any mood or occasion. Due to its splashproof design and over 100-hour battery life, Salt forms the perfect addition to a beach day, a leisurely time on the balcony or a picnic under the stars.

And more than just creating a beautiful light the Sunset Dimming technology as well as the Sunset Sleep Timer calm the body and support a healthy sleep cycle making the Salt Lamp great for nighttime use as well.

The Salt Summer Edition in Light Blue, made in Germany, the perfect summer lighting companion.

www.grau.art

Fashion

MAC VIVA Glam

Here is the story of MAC's VIVA Glam, spanning over 30 years. Back in 1994, the leading beauty brand MAC Cosmetics conceived a meaningful idea: to launch an annual lipstick collection to support HIV/AIDS charities. Named Viva Glam, this campaign aimed to both fund and raise awareness for HIV/AIDS programs.

Continuing its ongoing mission this year, MAC Cosmetics has introduced the M·A·Cximal Silky Matte VIVA GLAM Lipsticks, marking the 30th anniversary of this milestone. Expanding on the existing three shades in the VIVA GLAM series, these shades have been renamed and a new color has been added: VIVA Equality, to celebrate all kinds of beauty in the world.

Each color promotes equality for all – all genders, all races, and all ages. By remaining committed to supporting HIV/AIDS charities, MAC's inclusive ethos empowers LGBTQIA+ youth through the collection.

www.maccosmetics.com

Fashion

Diesel FW 2024 Campaign

Global denim brand Diesel has unveiled a new campaign for Fall Winter 2024, titled "Til D do us part." The creative narrative invites Diesel fans to Diesel's one-of-a-kind wedding ceremony, infusing an ironic twist on a traditional wedding. The bride appears expressive and sexy, wearing an entirely denim gown with a feminine silhouette, highlighting the cinched waist and deep neckline. The gown features stone-washed denim fabric with fabulous floral trims that add a touch of glamor to the wedding dress. The rose motif denim embellishment adorns the bride's dress from the shoulder to the chest and along the puff sleeves. The wedding photographer is Nick Waplington and he captured stunning and captivating visuals chronicling the special event with irony and ecstasy—the wedding prep, the ceremony, and the afterparty.

Diesel's bride is not blushing. She is portrayed by Christine Quinn, an author, model, actress, and former star of Netflix's global hit reality show "Selling Sunset." The dress code for the unique wedding ceremony is head-to-toe Diesel denim from Diesel’s Fall Winter 2024 collection. All guests celebrate the wedding with stylish denim ensembles in various denim hues and details. The attendees' looks feature Diesel Library denim and new Peel Off Denim, defined by minimalistic, utility-driven silhouettes. The denim pieces include bonded or laser panels, adding a modern twist to classic denim styles in jackets, skirts, jeans, and vests. In a nutshell, Diesel’s wedding is a denim feast.
www.diesel.com

Fashion

MANDARINA DUCK Gallery Project in Berlin

The Italian brand MANDARINA DUCK hosted MANDARINA DUCK Gallery Project in Berlin to celebrate its connection with the city. The event presented not only the new ECO COATED line but also the fascinating history of the brand at Club Prince Charles. This unique venue, a former employee swimming pool of the Bechstein piano factory, served as the perfect stage for a retrospective journey into the history and avant-garde designs of the brand.

Through an artistic installation in partnership with the Italian artist Cento Canesio, the brand envisions the future with positivity, concreteness, irony, intelligence, and enthusiasm. The brand identity remains true despite the individual transformations of each product and style, while continuing to combine dynamism and functionality endlessly.

The new ECO COATED line is part of Mandarina Duck's Sustainable Journey. It’s the brand's first 100% GREEN collection, made from recycled polyester obtained from plastic bottles (PET). The collection includes city backpacks, duffle bags, and small crossbody bags featuring multifunctional designs that highlight practical and stylish solutions for environmentally conscious consumers. The MD ECO COATED line is an innovative solution that fashion and sustainability can coexist.
www.mandarinaduck.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

GIORGIO ARMANI BOUTIQUE IN VIENNA

On July 5, 2024, the Armani Group announced the opening of a new Giorgio Armani Boutique at Tuchlauben 7A, 1010 Vienna. The new boutique is nestled in the historical city center of Vienna, the Austrian capital. Boasting a spacious area spread over three levels, the boutique features an impressive spiral staircase with a green marble effect and platinum-colored railings.

Designed by Mr. Armani and his team of architects, the boutique embodies a refined, sophisticated atmosphere centered around the Armani aesthetic. In particular, the marble floors with an onyx look complement the silk wallpaper from the Armani/Casa collection. Inside the boutique, the color palette shifts subtly across different areas. Moreover, the furnishings are equally noteworthy, featuring a luxurious blend of platinum and metallic wood. This choice of materials and colors reflects Armani’s high-end aesthetics, at the same time, it exudes a contemporary, elegant vibe in the luxurious boutique. Indeed, the architectural design of the boutique is striking, highlighted by a large, continuous façade. This façade, with its bold black frames, creates a sense of grand enclosure that extends over two levels. Above all, the ground floor's design is particularly eye-catching, with a row of windows framed in platinum-colored metal and adorned with luminous Giorgio Armani logos. Altogether, this Vienna boutique ultimately encapsulates Giorgio Armani’s ethos—where Italian style meets cosmopolitan vision and culture. Now, Giorgio Armani invites guests in Vienna into the brand’s exclusive universe. www.armani.com

Fashion

LEVI’S X MCLAREN RACING

A classic American denim style has entered the thrilling world of motor racing. Levi’s latest collaboration partner is the McLaren Racing team, known for its Formula 1 world championships. Staying true to Levi’s denim heritage, the new Levi’s® x McLaren Racing Collection represents the best of heritage and innovation. Bringing together the two icons for the first time, this collection unveils iconic pieces inspired by a racing theme: a Racing Jacket, Racing Suit, Racing Gloves, Heritage Trucker, Heritage 501® Jeans, T-shirts, and a Racing Bandana.

Above all, the Racing Jacket is the standout piece that embraces the spirit of McLaren Racing’s vintage era, appearing in a light wash denim with cropped and boxy silhouettes, accentuated by a chain stitch embroidery logo on the back and taping details at both the cuffs and hem. Also, the meticulous details elevate the jacket into a one-of-a-kind piece, including an elegant satin liner and a co-branded leather patch. Elsewhere, the racing suit, made from the same denim, features eclectic patches on the top and a wide print down the right leg, reminiscent of a Formula 1 racer. In particular, the Racing Gloves feature the iconic color palette of McLaren and the McLaren logo in Italian leather. Meanwhile, Leiv’s signature items, the Heritage Trucker denim jacket and Heritage 501® Jeans feature vintage-inspired patches and a red co-branded back patch in classic medium wash blue. In this Levi’s® x McLaren Racing Collection, all garments and accessories honor the McLaren Racing heritage and the classic allure of Levi’s, drawing inspiration from an 80s-era McLaren race car.
www.levi.com

Fashion

Blauer USA SS 2025

American fashion brand Blauer USA unveiled its SS25 collection, embracing functional style and innovation. Catering to the sophisticated tastes of both men and women, the collection embodies Blauer's signature refinement in fashion, enhanced with functional features and contemporary aesthetics. Consisting of several lines to meet the diverse needs of fashion lovers, each line boasts distinct charm and style.

First, B.Essential is a captivating fusion of timeless style and technical innovation. The garments feature pure lines, refined design, and optimal performance and quality over time. On the other hand, the B.Urban Police line focuses on the US brand’s DNA, blending military elements with luxury streetwear, suggesting urban ready-to-wear typical of New York.

B.Department emphasizes an adventurous and practical essence merged with Blauer's distinctive style, adapting to both urban and outdoor settings. Men’s outdoor clothing adopts a neutral color palette, such as browns and army greens, while its cutting-edge materials are suitable for both outdoor performance and urban comfort. Womenswear presents functional pieces inspired by workwear yet stays true to the brand’s iconic style. With a careful choice of materials, the garments are made of lightweight, functional fabrics and cotton blended with nylon or linen, skillfully balancing performance and comfort.

Lastly, the B.Rider and B.Project lines present masculine menswear inspired by the racing world. The racing jackets exude a dynamic racing mood, enriched with bold color accents and monogram prints of the brand’s iconic logos. The B.Project line focuses on urban style, emphasizing practical details like LED flash pockets, showcasing the brand's technical quality and design.
www.blauerusa.com

Fashion

Men’s Milan Fashion Week – Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana’s recent Menswear Milan Spring Summer 2025 show was captivated by unique Italian beauty. Not to mention its exquisite craftsmanship and tailoring in fashion, Italian rich historical and cultural heritage were truly embodied in the brand’s Milan SS 25 collection. Each outfit encapsulated the pure aesthetic of Italian beauty, all enhanced by handcrafted skills.

The SS 25 Men’s collection was inspired by 1950’s pure Italian aesthetics in the golden period of Italy, which is referenced by the famous Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni in cinematography. Italian men’s classic sophisticated style was elevated with the “Handmade label” highlighting its high craftsmanship while paying homage to Mastroianni’s heritage and timeless elegance of iconic Italian men’s style, evoking the sophistication of a summer holiday.

Well-dressed models strutted down the catwalk showcasing refined Italian elegance perfect for a summer holiday. They appeared in tailored jackets, amphora trousers, linen shirts, stripes, polo shirts, sweaters, raffia, and leather woven pieces by the skillful hands of craftsmen for shoes, overcoats, and jackets, appealing to a pure Italian-ness.

Moreover, the choice of elegant hues enhanced the collection to stay true to the authentic aesthetics of the 1950s, featuring white, sand, brown, burgundy, green, and Sicily black. The collection was also jazzed up with unique details: classic stripe patterns and delicate bead embellishments, along with extraordinary weaving detail on knitwear, adding a modern twist to the classic Italian essence of Dolce & Gabbana.
www.dolcegabbana.com

Fashion

Paul & Shark Milan Fashion Week

Born in Varese, Italy in 1976, Paul & Shark is a life-style brand that encapsulates elegance and modernity. After being referred to as “the sailing man’s sailing gear” by GQ in 2017, the luxury brand secured a valuable position among other esteemed Italian houses.

On June 15th, Terazza Duomo – the emblematic terrace with the best view of Milan and the venue for Paul & Shark’s show – was designed with elegance specific to the brand and powerful colors, textures, and symbols specific to Capri.

The new collection, Riviera Hello Capri, is an ode to one of the most popular islands in the Mediterranean and its beloved landscapes. As such, Paul & Shark bring Capri to Milan, where the Fashion Week show takes the audience through a journey of sunny, golden beaches, bittersweet scented lemon trees, and shades of blue that almost echo the sound of crashing waves on the coast of the island. Built to embody the beautiful chaos of the Mediterranean shore, the campaign is a reflection of the Italian dolce vita, and exhibits the sweetness of summer through the combination of colors and materials. The new spring/summer line features chic pieces. Linen shirts and shorts that grant simplicity, silk polo-shirts, cashmere jumpers, and swim shorts with playful patterns add to the ideal attire for a day by the seaside.

The Riviera collection represents a tribute to Italy through its yearly shift of focus on different coastal locations of the Mediterranean that the team at Paul & Shark draw inspiration from.

www.paulandshark.com

Fashion

H&M Studio Mini Summer Capsule Collection

Relax, it’s summer! This is what we imagine the slogan of the new Mini Summer Capsule Collection is. Embodying laid-back beachwear, the craftsmanship behind the collection brings an idyllic feeling of delicateness to the looks.

Inspired by the nostalgic feeling of summertime, the launch of the Mini Summer Capsule collection focuses on combining fashion with responsibility. H&M unveils the absolute summer wardrobe, while meeting the standard for ecological responsibility. Driven by the desire to design a timeless set of pieces that clients could mix and match every year, the Studio team used Regenerative Organic Certified Cotton. To obtain this distinctive textile, a particular type of agriculture that ensures the welfare of animals, the restoration of soil, and the improvement of the quality of life of farmers is used.

The collection features dreamy kaftan dresses, a set with a matching top and skirt, and a bralette with a matching skirt, yet the spotlight is definitely on the two maxi dresses. The first maxi piece, enriched by its sunset colors, which blend perfectly with the floral applications, makes the ideal dress for a beach day, a night out at dinner, or drinks with friends. Through its dramatic effect, another piece that stands out in the collection is the maxi black dress. The open back, the halterneck, the spaghetti straps all add to the boldness of the silhouette. Together, the pieces make up a blissful, versatile wardrobe that takes customers on walks on a sunny beach, with sizzling hot sand, and radiant sunshine.

The H&M Studio Mini Summer Capsule collection will be available online and in selected local stores from the 4th of July.

www.hm.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

Aesop’s 20-Year Icon

Seamlessly blending nature’s properties with know-how, Aesop products offer a sensational skin care experience. The lines provide gentle and efficient solutions, ensuring a skin care experience free from redness or irritation. Synonymous with attention to detail, the formulas cater to various skin needs.
An essential part of many skincare routines for 20 years now, the B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel is a loyal companion. As the jubilee of this iconic product approaches, one can’t help but reaffirm its place as an icon.
With its honey-like texture, the B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel ensures a one-of-a-kind experience. Its nutritious formula, containing Vitamins B and C, lightly moisturizes and balances the skin.
Standing as a synthesis of ultimate benefits, consolidating a powerful skin treatment into a single product, the B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel softens and evens the skin’s appearance, as well as hydrates and balances it. The cherry on top: the skin embraces its matte finish.
Aesop continues to set the standard in skincare excellence, offering products that merge science and nature for truly remarkable results. As the B Triple C Facial Balancing Gel prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Aesop remains dedicated to innovation and quality in skincare.
www.aesop.com

Art

Paris, Texas

Pursuing on its long-standing support for the arts, CHANEL is this time focusing on the 7th Art by supporting the restoration of "Paris, Texas."
Directed by Wim Wenders, this filmographic masterpiece won the Palme d'Or in 1984.

This initiative reflects the House’s commitment to supporting artists across all artistic disciplines. The restored version of "Paris, Texas" premiered in the Cannes Classics category at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Palme d'Or win.

“Paris, Texas” is a moving drama directed by Wim Wenders in 1984. The film tells the story of Travis Henderson, a taciturn man found wandering in the desert after four years missing. Reunited with his brother Walt, Travis tries to rebuild his life and reconnect with his young son Hunter. Together, they embark on a journey to find Jane, Hunter's mother and Travis's former wife.
The film explores themes of redemption, family and identity through striking American landscapes while capturing the essence of the American dream and fractured human relationships.
www.chanel.com

Fashion

C.P. Company x Junya Watanabe MAN

C.P. Company, a pioneering sportswear brand, has unveiled an innovative collaboration with the avant-garde Japanese label Junya Watanabe MAN. This groundbreaking collection consists of two fishtail parkas featuring reflective prints on the back and a loose fit.

The two jackets are made of highly functional fabric. They are made of 3-layer laminated cotton denim and 3-layer nylon canvas respectively, featuring Explorer hoods, which is one of the signature features of C.P. company. While retaining the classic design of fishtail parkas, these jackets incorporate several symbolic technical elements typical of functional garments such as concealed zippers and press studs, a drawstring waist, and adjustable cuffs with buttons. The result is a unique fusion that blends Junya Watanabe's unstructured modernism with C.P. Company's technical innovation.

Emphasizing durability and functionality, the jackets embody exceptional technical performance. Moreover, the modern touch of minimal graphics on the back enhances their visual appeal. Altogether, these jackets effortlessly merge durability with style as well as meticulous attention to detail.
www.cpcompany.com

Fashion

Dressing Icons

Dior unveils the remarkable Icons Capsule, imagined by Kim Jones, and redefining a highly modern wardrobe for men. The collection blends excellence with timeless pieces such as wide-leg pants and structured coats, crafting sophisticated ensembles.
Each item, from knitwear to denim, showcases pure lines and subtle embellishments, in the emblematic Dior’s style.
Once again, the traditional craftsmanship is enhanced by innovative techniques and luxurious materials: cashmere elevates sumptuous sweaters, Sea Island cotton enriches desaturated T-shirts, and silk blends enhance Harrington jackets.
The allure is urban yet elegant, everyday wear, but with an inherent chic. The iconic backpacks and weekender bags feature the new Dior Gravity Leather in black, beige, or khaki, adorned with an oversized Dior Oblique motif.

The timeless Dior Icons Capsule Collection reflects a renewed simplicity and ultimate elegance, encapsulating the fusion of tradition and innovation.
www.dior.com

Fashion

Ten c X AWAKE NY - Limited Edition Capsule

The luxury and Italian DNA of Ten c meets the streetwear culture of Awake NY, made a unique collaboration on 26 April 2024 in Milan. As a limited collection, the partnership has encapsulated the best of both brands’ DNA.

AWAKE NY boasts a strong street aesthetic, featuring iconic patterns and graphics. The label’s cool aesthetic enabled the collaboration to be perfectly mixed with all Italian elegance and craftmanship with the vibrant spirit of streetwear. Each brand is seemingly distant, however, the collaborated collection summed up the best of the brand. It’s both eclectic and dynamic, resulting in bold, urban-inspired lines, characterized by tailoring details with the highest quality fabrics.

Consisting of three iconic Ten c pieces, they come in two different colors - acid green and military green. The jacket and trousers feature a unique print that reproduces the rocky substrate map of Manhattan's neighborhoods, creating an original and truly unique camouflage print. Moreover, the materials used are nylon crinkle combined with OJJ, Original Japanese Jersey, the signature material of Ten c. In particular, the outwear features both logos of the brands. On the inside, the classic OJJ label bears both the Ten c and Awake NY logos. On the outside, on the other hand, the puller and hood feature only the Awake NY logo, which respects the codes of both brands: Ten c has always been no logo and Awake NY has made its brand an important communication tool.

This limited edition was launched on 26 April and is available in online stores and some selected stores.
www.tenc.com
www.awakenyclothing.com

Art

Kaldewei- Milan Design Week 2024

Kaldewei, a luxury bathroom design brand recently showcased a new collection collaborated with e15, a Frankfurt-based interior label, known for its use of natural solid wood. The “e15-KALDEWEI collection encompassed a wide range of furniture and accessories and embodied progressive bathroom settings. To unite these two premium brands, there was Stefan Diez, one of Germany's most sought-after designers combined the shared values and progressive design with the luxurious material. His aesthetic, surely, transformed glazed bath objects into true works of art. Especially, during the Milan Design Week, Kaldewei presented the installation “Bath[o]phili” – inspired by the German philosopher Erich Fromm and his life-affirming concept of “biophilia”. This term combined the ancient Greek words "Bios" for life and "Philia" for love. Fromm's "passionate love for life and all living things" was translated into the neologism "Bathophilia" – the bath as a retreat for lively moments full of harmony, devotion, and aesthetic enjoyment. With "Bath[o]philia" at the Design Week, Kaldewei is meant to be an intimate sanctuary, an oasis of calm amidst the pulsating center of Milan. Moreover, Kaldewei merged visionary design with sustainability and meditative aspects. As a result, it combined modern luxury with sustainable thinking, pursuing the concept of Luxstainability, coined by Kaldewei itself. Kaldewei's design, thus, followed the motto, of being sustainable yet luxurious, which is reflected in its noble material, KALDEWEI steel enamel. With a unique, sustainable approach, the brand has offered design solutions for bathtubs, showers, and washbasins that give every bathroom sophisticated features.
www.kaldewei.com

Fashion

Mandarina Duck Gallery Project

On 15, April 2024, Mandarina Duck, a historic Italian fashion brand, specializing in leather goods and travel items, arrived in the heart of Verona and inaugurated the "MANDARINA DUCK Gallery" project. The project unveils its historical archives but also offers a retrospective of its items as well as the most iconic campaigns that featured in the brand's history while encouraging the viewers to rediscover the creativity and avant-garde objects that have been produced till today.

With the opening of the Verona flagship store last March, the Mandarina Duck archive exhibition took place at the boutique, Via Mazzini 24/b, Verona, Italy to celebrate and underline the special bond with the city of Verona. Within a dynamic and harmonious dialogue with the space created by ARTEP Italia atelier, the Mandarina Duck Gallery offers a comprehensive journey between past and future where its core values lay and will continue, in between innovation and creativity as well as freedom from formal schemes and creative research. As always, Mandarina Duck's approach has been driven by a strong feeling of curiosity towards the contemporary world and future, leading it to produce functional items that equip utility, style, and distinctive colors. From leisure or work bags to suitcases and leather accessories, the archive exhibition thoroughly summed up the brand’s recognizable essence, original identity, and functional aesthetic.
www.mandarinaduck.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

The Golden Ribbon Road

From the world to Palazzo Orsini, Armani unveils its latest Casa collection: Echoes from the World (Echi dal mondo). Inspired by cultures dear to Giorgio Armani, this collection seamlessly blends fashion with design. A captivating voyage across continents and cultures, this collection guides the spectatus through rooms adorned with motifs from Europe, Japan, China, Arabia, and Morocco.

The journey begins by tracing a golden ribbon on the floor, ascending the grand staircases to reach the first floor. Here, the fine decor and 18th-century frescoes of the Palazzo Orsini serve as a prelude, hinting at the impeccable taste and craftsmanship awaiting discovery.

The first stop is the Europe section, where the TROCADERO table and the SOFIA chairs, as well as the new edition of the RIESLING bar cabinet, stand as statements of elegance. Paying homage to Japan, the Samurai armor can be found in the Virtù cabinet, crafted with a katana-inspired handle and tatami-effect interiors. As one arrives in the hall of mirrors, delicate shades of gold and bamboo stalks predominate, reminiscent of China. The VIVACE table, the VENUS console, and the VIRGOLA bookcase are some of the masterpieces showcased in this section. An echo of "Arabian Nights", the CLUB bar cabinet and the VERVE decorative cushions transport us to a new land. Finally, influences from Berber culture inspire the MORFEO bed, the ESAGONO coffee tables and the MIRO multifunctional cabinet.

From the world to Palazzo Orsini, and also to the display windows of the Armani/Casa boutique in Corso Venezia 14, cultural echoes inspire this one-of-a-kind collection. A dialogue between fashion and design, Echoes from the World leaves an indelible mark on the world of luxury.

www.armani.com

Fashion

Paul & Shark X Bixio Braghier - SS24 Capsule Collection

A luxury outdoor clothing brand, Paul & Shark has launched a capsule collection of T-shirts designed by an Italian artist, Bixio Braghieri. The collaborative collection is a meaningful gesture conveying its support for the world of art and design while staying true to the brand’s DNA rooted in the sea. The limited-edition T-shirt Capsule Collection was inspired by various perspectives on the sea, delving into its scents, nuances, nuances, strength, and lightness. The sea has always inspired the brand’s philosophy and collections but also played key roles in Bixio’s life, living by the sea and his work featuring renewed nuances of sea views. This shared ancestral vision was captured through the collaborated collection, especially the artistic take on the shark and the iconic symbol of Paul & Shark.The iconic shark prints come in two models. With watercolor technique and pure blue tones, the prints appear in different graphic versions of the 100% cotton T-shirts: one with the shark print front, the other with a more evocative design. It features distinctive brushstrokes reminiscent of the sea sunset while the iconic shark features on the shoulders. Also, the fresh blue palette evokes the sea: nuances range from light blue to aqua green and sky blue. White is still a core color reminding waves crashing on the rocks, as well as iconic Paul & Shark blue. Paul & Shark X Bixio Capsule Collection fits seamlessly into the brand’s 2024 Spring/Summer Collection with a clear message of “evolving in continuity”, holding steadfast aspects such as respect for the planet, a love for water, and a passion for life outdoors.

This limited-edition T-shirt will be available in the brand’s stores from April 2024. www.paulandshark.com

Fashion

Prada Galleria 2024 Campaign

Scarlett Johansson is the face of the new campaign of Prada Galleria, introducing fresh interpretations of an icon. Just as actors reinvent themselves to embody new characters in films, fashion also undergoes constant transformation. Since they embody the myriad of characters they can become, their constantly evolving characteristics have connected the cinema to Prada.

In this campaign, Scarlett Johansson draws on her exceptional acting talent to establish connections with characters, personalities, and the dynamic shifts in identity that emblematize both film and fashion. To unveil the Prada Galleria handbag, Prada continues its partnership with world-renowned actor Scarlett Johansson, in an exploration of the depth of the craft and performance and celebrates the dynamic and emotional perspective of acting techniques, an ode to the mechanism of acting, as the true motor of both cinema and the talent of the actor. Shot in New York City by director Jonathan Glazer, the still and motion images of the campaign captured the diverse moments of acting of Johansson as an actor, honing her art. Johansson demonstrated the infinite self-transformation that defines an actor's skill, embodying various feelings and meanings through repeated phrases. Depicted as abstract and unreal in her acting scenes, on the other hand, in her reality, she becomes her true self, showing the scene where she leaps from the screen to the street in New York City. As a representation of cinema verité, her short film captured the boundary between the unreal and the real.
www.prada.com

Fashion

United We Stand

The renowned luxury outerwear label Ten c, recently paired with the fashion retailer Antonia. Together, they designed an exclusive collaboration featuring two of the brand's iconic pieces: the Anorak and the Tempest Anorak.

Under the creative direction of Ten c's designer, Alessandro Pungetti, the classic garments have been rethinked using the exquisite OJJ (Original Japanese Jersey) in a versatile monochromatic white. This distinctive fabric is complemented by subtle details such as tone-on-tone buttons, reflective hood strings, and special zippers, elevating the capsule collection to new heights of sophistication.
To add a personalized touch, the jackets feature a reflective print on the back, which includes the coordinates of Antonia's flagship stores in Milan, adding a creative wink to the line.
This partnership between two typically Italian companies has resulted in the creation of exclusive, high-end garments, designed for wearers looking for unique pieces synonymous with Antonia's ethos.

Seamlessly blending Ten c and Antonia’s DNAs, this “Made in Italy” collaboration combines tradition and innovation. Available exclusively at Antonia's Milan stores, and on Antonia and Ten c’s official websites, this limited-edition release promises an interesting fusion of craftsmanship and exclusivity.
www.tenc.com & www.antonia.it

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 – MIU MIU

For her Fall-Winter 2024/25 collection, Miuccia Prada aimed to make elements from childhood and adulthood coexist. Men and women, models from different ages walked the runway symbolizing the essence of her inspiration for this collection.

The shrunken proportions, pajamas, cropped sleeves, and puffed skirts referred to childhood. Exit transparent tights, Miu Miu calls for woolly and colorful legs to stay warm with style, in a playful nod to childhood strolls. While the gloves, brooches, little black dress, and tailoring marked a step into adulthood and responsibilities. Merging those two periods of life, Miuccia Prada unveiled a collection interesting by its colors and cuts, stamped with the brand’s codes but telling a new story about life, fashion, and how they interact. The collection combines elements from the designer's past collections - pearls, vintage-looking double-breasted coats - with the Italian fashion so dear to the designer and her brand, represented by vibrant colors and timelessly chic faux furs. With pearls, satin, furs, and under-the-knee dresses, the collection somehow also gave royal vibes. Some of the looks recalled for Princess Diana’s style, offering a chic and stylish off-duty royal aesthetic.

This collection is addressed to all ages and made to dress every step of life. A line that’s both wearable and fashionable, playful and elegant.
With her Fall-Winter 2024/25, Miuccia Prada aimed to create classics, a wardrobe addressed to all ages, allowing everyone to be whether playful or serious, “a child or a lady”, revealing a bright collection that everyone can identify with.
www.miumiu.com

Fashion

PARIS 2024/FW – ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Seàn McGirr has presented his first collection for Alexander McQueen in a cinematographic and gloomy décor, setting the tone of his influences.

The first silhouette, a woman camisoled under a shiny black jersey dress, was inspired by the Spring 1995 collection of Lee McQueen, named “The Birds”. McGirr decided that this constrained shape would be the anchor of the entire collection, exploring oppression with different fabrics and accessories, covering mouths and eyes in an atmosphere as cinematic as it is oppressive.
Newly arrived at Alexander McQueen, McGirr said that he did not have time to explore the archives of the brand, which might be the reason why the collection lacked some expected codes from McQueen.
The looks were less performative than what we're used to from McQueen, but at the same time, more street-wise, which is ultimately the essence of ready-to-wear and what could distinguish McGirr's work for the brand in the future.

However, the brand's dissonant, punk heritage was very much in evidence: models disappearing beneath huge knit or fur collars, oversized and plastic dresses, and the silhouettes were cleverly designed. Sean McGirr said that he is forever inspired by marginal individuals, those who don't fit into the mold and are labeled in an attempt to understand them. This is something that the designer has aimed to represent, also, he aimed to create a merely brutal collection, using the emblematic embroidery work of the House differently, notably by smashing crystals to give them a broken, wounded look, reinterpreting McQueen’s codes in a personal way.
The Alexander McQueen Fall-Winter collection speaks of our time, its flaws, and incoherence with the touch of extravagance -assagie but present- for which the brand is renowned.
www.alexandermcqueen.com

Fashion

PARIS 2024/FW – SAINT LAURENT

Anthony Vaccarello presented an unexpected and stunning Fall-Winter 2024/25 Ready-to-Wear collection for Saint Laurent. The tones were warm and oriental, ranging from caramel and olive to brown, ochre, and black, like a reference to the House's heritage and the inspiration that Marrakech represented for Yves Saint Laurent.

Blouses with wise collars, pencil skirts, and fabrics that fall below the knees; it might have seemed like an ultra-classic collection if the outfits hadn't been almost all sheer and the model’s breast, exposed. The collection also featured several monochrome suit silhouettes with exaggerated shoulders and a sumptuous black leather coat.
Earrings and bracelets were oversized as if to compensate for the minimal amount of fabric in the silhouettes, and headbands made of the same transparent material covered the heads.
Furs completed some looks but were often neglectfully worn on the models' arms as an accessory. An amused wink at the thinness of the fabrics used in a collection supposedly designed for the cold season.

Almost entirely built on transparent silhouettes, made from pantyhose-like fabric, this collection is as technical as it is sublime, both in the way it looks and in the message it conveys.
An ephemeral collection, almost impossible to market due to the fragility of the material used. Nevertheless, it's worth noting the technical prowess achieved by Saint Laurent artisans to create this collection. According to the designer, his job “isn’t always to do something that’s real or realistic.”
Then ready-to-wear that’s not wearable? That's the whole point. It was a risky gamble, but in the end, a successful one.
www.ysl.com

Fashion

MILAN 2024/FW – VERSACE

Versace has presented its Fall-Winter 2024/25 collection, once again designed by Donatella Versace.
With spiked hair and heavy eyeliner, the makeover was calling for a punk collection but the looks were not thought of in this way, creating a really interesting contrast. The collection covered Womenswear and Menswear, harmoniously articulated around warm colors and black hues. Pairing dark, exaggerated make-up with wise tweed and drapery, the collection then evolves into darker-toned silhouettes, reaching a deep black.

White collars and tweeds - wise, almost classic - contrasted with fitted silhouettes and sheer fabrics. Mixed with more discreet elements, we noted the brand's emblematic codes: a dress with a slit reaching almost to the waist, bare shoulders, or a décolleté encrusted with crystals, the Versace silhouette is consistently sexy and highly polished. The men's looks feature long coats in brown tones, luxurious leather, and transparency. Silhouettes are fitted and accessorized with short gloves. The use of transparency and drapery is as technical as it is sexy, sublimating all genders in a way that only Versace knows how to do it.
Anne Hathaway, present in the audience, wore a magnificent red leather dress, corseted and sublimely tailored. This hourglass silhouette was one of the catwalk's stars, interpreted through dresses, skirts, and corsets: infinitely Versace.
www.versace.com

Fashion

New Balance x Miu Miu 2024 Campaign

New Balance and Miu Miu are back together for a new collaboration, reinterpreting the iconic design of the New Balance 530 running shoe.
Launched in 1992, the New Balance 530 was originally designed for performance, with a sleek design and luxurious materials like suede, leather, and mesh that quickly made it the go-to shoe for sneaker lovers. Blending this sporty spirit with Miu Miu’s fashionably playful, the collaboration has led to the creation of a new model, called 530 SL, as a reference to the Super Light sole that composes it. The original model was entirely rethought to design a deconstructed yet comfortable shoe.

The 530 SL is available in two versions. The first one, made from distressed suede, features warm and natural hues while the second model is made in black and white from suede and mesh. Thus, the collaboration reveals vintage influences, made modern by designing a stylish shoe that suits every lifestyle.
The faces of the campaign, Peris Adolwi, Julie Hoomans and Florine Wildeboer, embody the freshness of this collaboration, placed under the sign of comfort and style, merging the spirits of Miu Miu and New Balance.
The Collection is now available online and in Miu Miu stores.
www.miumiu.com
www.newbalance.com

Fashion

MILAN 2024/FW - DIESEL

Diesel has just revealed its Fall-Winter 2024 collection, showing both a splendid show and the backgrounds, a part of the story often hushed up by fashion brands. As Glenn Martens, creative director, said: “Diesel is a fashion democracy, it is natural for us to reveal what is usually hidden”.
An interesting idea that was a big hit, indeed by giving access to behind-the-scenes parts of the show 72 hours before it, Diesel gave the public a glimpse of the brand’s secrets.
But the idea reached new heights at the show, indeed the set was a live video call with a thousand people from around the world. A daring concept that shakes up fashion for the better by turning the people behind their screens from spectators into spectacle. But Glenn Martens pushes the vice even further, going as far as to show a model wearing a screen-dress with dozens of faces of strangers printed on it: a fashion statement that's both committed and wildly fashionable.

The Diesel Fall-Winter 2024 Collection features innovative garments and accessories, with burn effects, trompe-l'oeil prints, and overlays.
This collection was impregnated with Diesel heritage, from double-breasted coats and quilted faux-fur jackets to feline-patterned bags. Accessories such as vintage-inspired sunglasses, the new D-sruptor watch, and women's and men's shoes with metallic details completed the collection.
And because a Diesel show wouldn't have the same flavor without it, denim is everywhere, worn on black or leather-like coats and cracked pants.
With Diesel's Fall-Winter 2024 collection, Glenn Martens presented a runway show that was at once conceptual, original, and consistent with the brand's emblematic codes.
www.diesel.com

Fashion

Jackie Notte: The go-to bag for Night Owls

Sabato De Sarno introduces the Jackie Notte, his very first bag creation for Gucci.
With a new silhouette and subtle details, this bag embodies the line’s identity while giving it a special twist, as a reflection of the designer’s style.

Sabato De Sarno reinvents here the vintage sophistication of the Jackie 1961 with a contemporary allure, elevating any look with a statement piece. To design this special bag, the designer found inspiration in Italy so dear to his heart, interpreting it through bold colors and a sophisticated allure.
This model reflects the codes of the iconic collection while giving it a new silhouette and joyful nuances. Made to bring joy and glamour into everyday life, the Jackie Notte elevates any look.

Timeless and glamorous, the Jackie Notte is the perfect addition to any night-out look from a slip-back dress to tailored pants.
Now available worldwide, in Gucci stores network.
www.gucci.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

Chanel Spring-Summer 2024 Haute Couture Collection

Buttons and Ballet - the two defining ingredients behind Chanel’s Spring Summer 2024 Haute Couture Collection. In a mission of discovery to find new ways of telling enchanting stories, the house's Creative Director Virginie Viard recognizes dance as evocative of all emotions she considers close to her heart and as an integral part of Chanel’s DNA. In convergence with a Chanel-characteristic code as the button, old iconographies merge with new tales to sing in harmony. It was no one less than Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel herself who envisioned the button as a symbol of emancipation, allowing women to rid themselves of everything that had prevented them to move freely. The touches of ballet become evident in dazzling lace, tulle skirts or on royal ruffles on collars and sleeves, exuding an Elizabethan glamour. Merging with masculine figures on emblematic suiting silhouettes, the creations give rise to a unique affirmation of a triumphant feminine body. This celebration of feminine philosophies also manifests through sequin, coquette bow or floral patterns, reminding of beautiful bouquets. A century following Gabrielle Chanel’s initial creations for ballet, this haute couture collection, dominated by aquarelle tones of pink and white, draws its tender color accents from the influence of Ballets Russes of Léon Bakst and Sergei Diaghilev. In this couture collection touched by grace and wonderment, the worlds of fashion, theater and music come together, constructing a piece of tangible poetry.
www.chanel.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

ZEGNA Menswear FW24 Collection: Reshaping Matter, Remattering Shape

Transformation. It is the right word to describe the new Menswear FW24 Collection of Zegna. From matter to color, everything changes and evolves. Shapes unfold from existing ones, are superimposed, grow generous and practical pockets, loose sleeves or collars, gain tabs, closures, and drawstrings. The collection shows coats with enveloping volumes, sonic welded duvets, blousons, and vests. Double-collared blazers, collarless anoraks, the new “Il Conte” jacket, and generous trousers. All these elements can be layered and combined in many ways, allowing the individual attitude of the wearer to come through in the form of personal styling. In all of this, the cashmere remains the real star. It is a fiber that belongs to the winter season and that, thanks to its proclivity, can be turned into a wide array of textures and surfaces. An ever-changing material. With this collection, Zegna offers a reshaping of matter and a re-mattering of shapes, allowing for an organic evolution that grows and morphs season after season. www.zegna.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent's new boutique in Courchevel

Saint Laurent has opened the doors of a new boutique in Courchevel, France. Nestled amidst the snow-capped peaks of the alps, this exclusive store adds a touch of glamour to the ski resort. The boutique’s design mirrors the sophistication and modernity synonymous with Saint Laurent as well as the alpine atmosphere of its environments with unique vintage furniture and mountain items such as snowboards and skis, creating a unique shopping experience for fashion enthusiasts visiting this glamorous mountain resort. Stone facades encounter chalet-styles constructions, emblematic of the codes of Saint Laurent’s new design concept. The vision was architected by Saint Laurent’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello, resulting in a marriage of modern elegance and rustic charm. As a refuge from the cold weather of the Courchevel’s Winter Wonderland, the boutique is infused with comforting warmth through large curtains in the shades of beige and grey. From now the boutique invite’s alpine adventurers to immerse themselves in avant–garde women’s ready to wear and iconic accessory collection. The Saint Laurent boutique in Courchevel, envisioned by Anthony Vaccarello, emerges as a beacon of style in the heart of this exclusive winter haven, where fashion and alpine allure converge.
www.saintlaurent.com

Fashion

Dior x Otani Workshop Capsule

Dior reveals its latest exclusive capsule collection Dior & Otani Workshop. The house’s creative director Kim Jones and the Japanese sculptor Otani converged on their passion for creating unique art pieces, resulting in a truly avant-garde menswear collection. Onami, one of the leading figures in Japanese contemporary art, gave birth to a joyful green monster of the name Tanilla, who shall grace this collection's pieces with its cheeky grin. Tanilla finds a new home in the smart-casual allure of Dior’s refined pieces, whether in an oversized version on sweaters or by boldly peeking out of the breast pocket of short-sleeved t-shirts, the monster adds a young and playful spirit to Dior’s tasteful garments. The motif also appears on sporty bombers, as well as on bold denim overshirts. Emblematic of this fruitful collaboration, Tamilla is emblazoned on a stylized scribbled adaption of the “Dior” lettering, which adorns both hooded sweatshirts and pouches with functional shoulder straps. Otani’s Tanilla adds on to Dior’s characteristic signifiers, including the Dior Oblique Toile, which manifests in vibrant burgundy and pink shades. The garments feature a palette dominated by reds, a color close to couturier Dior’s heart, who coined it the “color of life” in his petit dictionnaire de la mode. Otani is widely praised for his off-kilter playful ceramic works and admirable mastery of traditional techniques, which he has fused into this one of a kind collaboration with Dior. The collection is on display in Dior boutiques since January 4th, 2024.
www.dior.com

Fashion

A Miu Miu Holiday

In a celebration of intimacy, elegance, and charm, Miu Miu unveils its Holiday Gifting Collection, a manifestation of beauty reconsidered for the multifaceted lives of today. The star-studded campaign featuring actor Emma Corrin invites us into a private space, the filmic environment, draped in soft carpet and adorned with precious antiques. It sets the stage for a wardrobe that is both layered and meaningful. Miu Miu's Holiday collection introduces fluid black cady, shearling, and tactile tweeds, evoking archetypically sophisticated dress codes with renewed significance. Glossed leathers, soft cashmere, and jersey fabrics offer freedom of movement and effortless allure. The collaboration with Marshall brings forth an iconic line of products, while the partnership with Polaroid introduces cameras complete with branded web camera straps. For the festive season, Miu Miu Holiday Gifting offers a range of ready-to-wear and accessories designed to cater to all occasions. Signature skirt suits, glossed leather pieces, and cashmere cardigans are adorned with instantly recognizable elasticated Miu Miu branding, creating a perfect blend of glamour and sportswear-inspired trims. This Holiday Collection not only celebrates the glamour and elegance of the past but also embraces a contemporary and highly individual spirit.
www.miumiu.com

Art

Aesop Sendlingerstrasse

Aesop's latest outpost, located on Sendlingerstrasse, is a testament to the beauty of simplicity and functionality. Embracing the International style that emerged in the 1920s, the store boasts a streamlined design that is unencumbered by excess ornamentation. The largely open plan invites visitors to explore key elements that serve distinct purposes—communal sinks for product trials, freestanding shelving for leisurely browsing, and a point-of-sale counter at the far end. The material palette, featuring stone, wood, and fabric, along with reflective and patinated metals, creates a rich and textured atmosphere. Despite the seemingly still and calm ambience, there's an underlying dynamism and playfulness within the store's stripped-back composition. Aesop Sendlingerstrasse integrates reconditioned pieces, such as wall-mounted consoles from a former Aesop store in Hanover and freestanding shelves designed by BBPR for Olivetti, New York. These elements contribute to the liveliness of the space, showcasing a harmonious blend of the pre-loved with the new. Founded in Melbourne in 1987, Aesop has been dedicated to formulating effective products with a commitment to ethics. A visit to Aesop Sendlingerstrasse promises not just a shopping experience but an immersion into the artful intersection of stillness and animated design.
www.aesop.com

Fashion

Dior Cruise Pop-Up Kitzbühel

In a fusion of fashion and nature, Dior unveiled its Cruise 2024 collection in an enchanting pop-up store nestled in the heart of Kitzbühel, surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the Alps. The store, open until the end of February 2024, transports visitors into a realm of sophistication and charm. The design of the pop-up store mirrors the naturalness of wood and the purity of white, paying homage to the Alpine landscape. Golden butterflies, symbolizing the art of metamorphosis, dance gracefully across the walls and floor, creating a poetic atmosphere that perfectly complements the exquisite Dior Cruise 2024 collection. The collection itself is a celebration of dreams, featuring long skirts, refined knitwear, silk blouses, and elegant carrés. The unique Dior Book Tote and the new Miss Dior bags add an element of magic to the fashion experience, inviting patrons to immerse themselves in the allure of high-end design. Dior Pop-Up in Kitzbühel, located at Hinterstadt 15, welcomes visitors from Monday to Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. This limited-time experience signifies a significant focus for Dior, emphasizing the brand's commitment to creating memorable and immersive encounters with its iconic collections.
www.dior.com 

Fashion

The DiorAlps Capsule

As winter approaches, Dior unveils a breathtaking capsule to the enchanting allure of the mountains with its latest DiorAlps line, curated by the visionary Maria Grazia Chiuri. This exceptional collection, inspired by the House's recent shows, seamlessly marries couture-style creations with high technicity, presenting a unique fusion of fashion and function for the snowy slopes. The DiorAlps line features an array of winter essentials, from puffers and jackets to après-ski boots and the iconic Dior Book Tote, all adorned with the mesmerizing Plan de Paris print. Crafted by the Creative Director herself, this print intricately maps the City of Light, creating a hypnotic interplay of shadows and perspectives. Ski goggles with a bold "Christian Dior" strap and the iconic Dior Oblique further elevate the collection's aesthetic appeal. The pants, available in creamy neutrals or classic black, include knee reinforcements for optimal comfort in all circumstances. The Diorunion capsule's signature coat of arms is embellished with the powerful motto "L’union fait la force." This capsule promises a winter wardrobe that transcends traditional boundaries, offering a daring yet refined look for those who seek style, excellence, and innovation in every winter adventure.
www.dior.com 

Art

GRAU unveils Salt: A lamp designed for well-being

The light-design studio GRAU unveils its latest creation, Salt. The sculptural luminaire Salt captured the broad light spectrum of a sunset and is ready to bring its soothing rays into just about every home. Salt stands as the first mobile lamp that is exclusively designed for mental and physical well-being. As a reimagination of its predecessor Salt & Pepper, the luminaire features a novel holistic design and simulates the full spectrum of a romantic sunset from bright afternoon light (2700K) to the glowy atmosphere of a late summer evening (1300K), replicating a sunset’s warm and soothing embrace to naturally stimulate the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Apart from the options of choosing between hues from reaching from a warm sunset orange light, a golden light, to a versatile neutral light, the relaxing glow can be dimmed and brightened to the user’s liking through the magic button on Salt’s underside. To harness the whole magic of the lamp's ability to stimulate melatonin production, Salt also features the active sleep program Sunset Sleep. Simulating the serene experience of slowly wandering off to sleep under a fiery sunset sky, the luminous sculpture gradually dims its light in the span of 30 minutes - completely automatically. In a sleek yet holistic design, the smart mobile light features an aluminum body with an ultra-touch sensitive head and a lampshade in a matte finish, creating sun rays that reach even into the furthest corners of the ceiling. Finished off with a powder-skin surface, GRAU’s Salt is not just a mobile well-being lamp but also an alluring sculpture that can accompany you just about anywhere. www.grau.art

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

Montblanc StarWalker SpaceBlue Collection

Embark on a cosmic journey with Montblanc's latest masterpiece, the StarWalker SpaceBlue Collection, where the allure of the universe converges with the art of fine writing. This collection pays homage to the marvels of space, drawing inspiration from the mesmerizing beauty of galaxies and the enigmatic Widmanstätten structure found in iron meteorites. The central design element of the SpaceBlue Collection, the Widmanstätten structure, is a testament to Montblanc's commitment to innovation. Whether recreated through an injection moulding technique in precious resin or etched in metal, the structure's tactile feel and midnight blue hue echo the mysteries of the night sky. Comprising three distinct editions, including one in matte blue textured precious resin with dark ruthenium-coated fittings, a Doué edition blending textured resin with a metal cap, and a metal-only edition, each instrument in the collection promises a unique and immersive writing experience. To complement the writing instruments, Montblanc introduces a lined notebook in blue leather with the special Widmanstätten pattern, alongside matching dark blue ink. The collection is perfected with steel and lacquer cufflinks featuring the characteristic translucent StarWalker dome design. It is available at Montblanc boutiques worldwide and online, inviting enthusiasts to discover the celestial allure of fine writing. As galaxies remain uncharted territories, this collection invites you to explore the mysteries of the cosmos and pen captivating stories with its modern aesthetics and innovative technology.
www.montblanc.com

Art

Kaldewei X Bethan Laura Wood

Kaldewei unveils the captivating "Avocado Dreams" collection by renowned British designer Bethan Laura Wood, in a bold fusion of design and functionality. Transforming four iconic pieces from Kaldewei's repertoire, Wood infuses her distinctive style into the Meisterstück Oyo Duo bathtub, Meisterstück Centro Duo Oval freestanding bathtub, Superplan Zero floor-level shower surface, and Miena washbasin bowl. Wood draws inspiration from the organic contours of the Meisterstück Oyo Duo, creating three mesmerising patterns and colour variations: "Avocado Swirl" in green tones, "Avocado Sea" in blue/purple tones, and the expressive "Avocado Disco." Each piece retains the characteristic lines of Kaldewei's bathroom objects while taking on a psychedelic and dramatic metamorphosis. The Oyo Duo bathtub, with its double-walled construction inspired by Japanese porcelain, stands as a sustainable masterpiece in the collection. The Meisterstück Centro Duo Oval, born from Kaldewei's collaboration with Ettore Sottsass, receives a fresh burst of "Avocado Swirl," adding another layer of artistic depth. Wood's creative touch extends to the Miena washbasin bowls, where purist design meets a filigree touch, adorned with the extraordinary patterns of "Avocado Dreams." The Superplan Zero floor-level shower surface, characterised by elegant lines, takes on the lively "Avocado Sea" interpretation, promising an exhilarating shower experience. Beyond their artistic allure, these Kaldewei products share a commitment to sustainability—they are plastic-free and made of 100 percent recyclable steel enamel, fitting seamlessly into Kaldewei's Lustainability® world. The "Avocado Dreams" collection is a testament to the marriage of art, luxury, and environmental consciousness in the realm of bathroom design.
www.kaldewei.com

Fashion

Hublot’s New Classic Fusion High Jewellery

Hublot’s iconic design and highest-quality craftsmanship combine in the Classic Fusion High Jewellery, a unique stunning piece. The Swiss manufacturer is proud to launch its latest creation, embezzled with diamonds on its case, bezel, dial and clasp. The dazzling watch, made of 431 baguette-cut diamonds, is the latest attrition to Hublot’s High Jewellery collection of watches. The watch features a 42mm dial in white gold, and offers a power reserve of more than 50 hours. This new addition to the Hublot family, effortlessly joins all the other watches of the High Jewellery collection, and takes its own place alongside other precious models such as the Big Bang, the Spirit of Big Bang and the Square Bang Unico. What distinguishes and renders unique the Classic Fusion High Jewellery are its embellishments: sleek lines og white gold that make this new piece a true Hublot icon. The Classic Fusion High Jewellry stands as proof that sophistication lies in simplicity, in the high quality of the craftsmanship, and in the refined details that highlight the beauty of this watch, which is created taking as inspiration the original 1980s shape. The final result represents the highest expression of fine jewelry, and accentuates the elegant, timeless purity of the classic Hublot Fusion model.
www.hublot.com

Fashion

FENDI Presents its Golf Capsule Collection

FENDI presents its Golf Capsule 2023, strengthening the brand’s ties with the world of sports and golf. FENDI incorporates its unparalleled attention to functionality and high-quality materials and pairs them with its distinctive elegant style, resulting in a ready-to-wear capsule collection that highlights the comfort and sophistication of the pieces. The color palette is refined, pairing beige with navy blue in classic golf garments. The Maison's iconic FF logo is displayed on various elements, such as on the collar of a short-sleeved polo shirt and on the front of a knitted gilet, while the FENDI Roma logo is shown in different color variants such as yellow and white. This collection, specifically designed keeping the game of golf in mind, also features a golf bag in black Cuoio Roma leather or in classic tobacco-coloured FF logo fabric. To coronate this capsule collection, a set of FENDI-branded golf balls matches a set of golf club covers available in three different sizes to match the needs of each golfer. In classic FENDI style, some fun elements are added to the collection thanks to an FF cashmere golf club cover in the shape of a teddy bear. The capsule collection was pre-launched on September 28th, 2023 at the FENDI Roma Palazzo boutique, celebrating the Ryder Cup international competition which took place in Rome over the course of the days following the collection’s pre-launch.
www.fendi.com

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week - Louis Vuitton

The Louis Vuitton Women’s SS24 show, which was being teased on Instagram through voice notes from house ambassadors like Sophie Turner and Jaden Smith, was finally unveiled on Monday, October 2nd. The show took place in the ethereal ambience of 103 Avenue Des Champs-Élysées, Paris, a setting that seamlessly blended nostalgia with contemporary daring. Nicolas Ghesquière, the creative force behind Louis Vuitton for over a decade, orchestrated a vibrant journey through time and style in the venue draped in vibrant orange plastic, which transported guests into a reimagined hot air balloon basking in the warm summer light. The Creative Director skillfully merged familiar silhouettes with modern details, evoking the Maison's spirit of voyage. Travel-ready bags with references to Rubik’s cubes and digital cameras paired effortlessly with versatile sunglasses embodying the collection’s thematic essence. The designer expressed his clean-cut visual language, playing with layered volumes, ethereal movements, and mismatched graphics, paying homage to French elegance by fusing classic Parisian fashion with vintage codes. Leather bomber jackets found unexpected companionship with ruffled skirts, Y2K-inspired chunky belts, and monogrammed leather. Linear patterns wove through the collection on layered bottoms and buttonless shirts while textured corsets and volumed tops found equilibrium with solid tones. The collection transitioned into double-breasted outerwear in diverse glossy textiles and ended in a reworked houndstooth with layered bedazzled necklaces. The pointy-toe shoe dominated, alongside a daring open-toe style, exposing only the thumb. This season was a fresh journey through retro flair, fluid silhouettes, and oversized proportions with structured accessories, adding a striking dimension and marking a significant chapter in the Maison’s legacy.
www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week - Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent presented its SS24 collection at Paris Fashion Week on September 26th, 2023. The collection, designed under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello, was showcased in a gigantic architectural construct built for the occasion, with a magnificent view of the Eiffel Tower. For this season, the unexpected move of Vaccarello was to strip everything back. He declared that his goal was to bring everything back to its simplistic form, without overcomplicated pieces or exaggerated silhouettes. Indeed, this clean canvas marks a new chapter in the history of Saint Laurent. Cotton as a material dominated the Maison’s runway in every way possible, from shirts to evening dresses. The main inspiration behind the collection is the “Saharien” jacket, a concept that Yves Saint Laurent brought back from his North African upbringing and with which he revolutionized Parisian fashion in 1967. Despite its simplicity, the collection is definitely not humble: every piece radiates the fierce, put-together Parisian glamour which in the years has come to represent the brand. Every outfit was completed by 80s-inspired maquillage, voluminous hair, and gold jewelry. The whole collection brings back the idea of a simple, stripped-back elegance that exalts the wearer and captivates.
www.ysl.com

Fashion

Hermès Reopens its Vienna Store

On September 22nd, 2023, Hermès announced the reopening of its newly expanded Vienna store, where the House’s sixteen métiers are represented by historical elements of the city subtly blended with modernity. The store, located at 22 Graben, is the symbol of the brand’s commitment to the Austrian capital, contributing to the country’s dynamism. It has been renovated by Parisian architects RDAI, and it has been expanded in depth and with the inclusion of one additional floor, thus doubling its original surface. The Hermès experience now extends over three floors, dedicated to accessories, beauty, women and menswear, and jewelry. On the last floor, a VIP area has been built to offer an exclusive shopping experience. Each space affirms its own identity, all the while remaining faithful to the brand’s elegant aesthetics. The space features a sculptural staircase in natural oak which seamlessly unites the three floors. The architecture of the building is inspired by the Vienna Secession art movement, featuring a subtle combination of colors, materials, and patterns. The store’s lighting emphasizes the precious mosaic floor, which also displays the House’s ex-libris. This store marks the beginning of a new chapter for Hermès in Vienna. It perfectly showcases the brand’s history and commitment to innovation through a beautiful display of architectural and decorative elements.
www.hermes.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 - Diesel

The Diesel fashion show, held on September 20th at the Milan Fashion Week presenting the brand’s SS24 collection, was an ode to the brand’s creative spirit. The brand’s newest collection takes as its main inspiration partying and letting loose. One’s truly authentic self and the beauty of freedom are reflected in the garments of the collection and in the attention and care that went into the fashion show. The main pillars of the collection are impact, experimentation, play, and pleasure. Diesel hits the nail on all these characteristics, presenting a unique collection that showcases once again the creative spirit and ability of the brand’s creative director, Glenn Martens. The brand’s love for denim, pop, and artisanal craftsmanship is pushed to the limits with unique distressing effects on every garment, devoré denim, and floral prints. Utility pieces feature zip-up denim and cargo pockets held together by straps, adding an edgier side to the pieces. Through this collection, the House of Diesel once again confirms its ability to surprise, engage, and innovate. Every garment and outfit is a pop culture statement, staying true to the brand’s pillars and yet always innovative. The feel of the collection is that of a fading film poster, nostalgic yet always relevant and reflective of pop culture.
www.diesel.com

Fashion

Valentino Black Tie Campaign

The Italian maison Valentino presents its new Black Tie advertising campaign. The brand’s concept is centered around the description and the codification of a style, not simply a dress code. The face of the campaign is American actress and top model Kaia Gerber, who with her effortless beauty and impeccable style perfectly embodies the character and personality of Valentino’s Black Tie campaign, which represents the universal language of fashion. The campaign was shot by Steven Meisel at Oheka Castle in New York, a place that symbolizes the Maison’s attention towards timeless fashion and style that is perennially elegant. Through Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, the black tie is reclaimed as a symbol of self-expression, which, from its traditional association with formal menswear, becomes a versatile and outspoken piece. In Valentino’s campaign, the black tie stands for individual representation and the breaking of solidified boundaries that are reclaimed, and thus hold a different, stronger power. The reinterpretation of the black tie as an element and as a symbol represents a shift towards inclusivity and diversity, imbuing this classic symbol with new meanings. The campaign perfectly represents the shift between past and future, maintaining elegance while at the same time gracefully embracing what is to come.
www.valentino.com

Fashion

C.P. Company’s FW23 Campaign

C.P. Company once again develops the project started for its 50th anniversary in 2021 featuring a history of Italian sportswear. For its FW23 campaign, the brand renowned for its outerwear features four people photographed by Neil Bedford. C.P. Company’s campaign features Hee Choi, vice president of GF Fashion in Seul, Milo Cuki, a London-based model, Cheb Moha, an artist from Dubai, and finally a special guest, Sergio Pizzorno, a London-based young musician and leader of the British band Kasabian who shot for the campaign alongside his father. The people featured in the campaign come from different cultural backgrounds and have had different experiences throughout their lives; they are from different ages, genders, and interests. At the same time, they are brought together by wearing, buying, and selling C.P. Company, and for having intersected it with experiences of cultural interest. The four talents interpret C.P. Company's seasonal looks through the lens of their style, representing the brand’s unique ability to use the materiality of clothing as a form of expression, intertwining their personal story with the company’s vision. With this campaign, C.P. Company unveils the versatility of its materials and the possibility of self-expression that it offers, perfectly representing the brand’s commitment to uniqueness and innovation.
www.cpcompany.com

Fashion

Oris X Bracenet

Oris, the Swiss watchmaker, has revealed an exciting collaboration with Bracenet. It is a social enterprise through upcycled creation, transforming discarded ghost fishing nets into accessories. This innovative venture led to the creation of stunning watch dials, a special-edition version of the Aquis Date diver’s watch. Their revolutionary partnership commenced with a recognition of the ecological concerns stemming from abandoned ghost nets in the oceans. The outcome, according to ocean experts, unveiled an annual influx of approximately one million tons of fishing nets into the seas. Therefore, the ghost nets continue to trap and endanger marine life as they linger in the water. As a result, their ongoing efforts led to the stunning collaboration to create a new Oribis watch that features a spectacular dial made of recycled ghosts and end-of-life nets. Crafted in these vibrant kaleidoscopic dials, it has a remarkable color accent where the pure green gently blends with blue and white as they fuse into the raw material. Moreover, every dial has a unique look due to its unique production process. Alongside its sophisticated look, the material is entirely devoid of additives, fillers, or adhesives. All in all, every delicate detail collectively represents a cool, unique appearance, making a perfect statement. Available in two stainless steel versions, there is one with a 43.50 mm case and the other with a 36.50 mm case. Both models have automatic mechanical movements and uni-directional rotating bezels and are water-resistant to 30 bar (300 meters).www.oris.ch bracenet.net

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

New PHANTOM Perfume by Rabanne

Following the creation in 2021 of PHANTOM Eau de Toilette, Rabanne now releases a more intense version: PHANTOM Eau de Perfume. The original PHANTOM represented a new era in the history of men’s luxury perfumes, characterized by its masculinity and encouraging men to be the boldest version of themselves. The PHANTOM perfume represents a new chapter in this narrative, aiming to inspire the new generation. It is a dark fragrance, meant to reveal all mysterious aspects of masculinity and exalt them, and this is exactly what makes it such a seductive scent. This fragrance is inspired by a night out in the captivating city of Paris, by its dark scenery and exhilarating scene. The PHANTOM man follows his instincts and lets himself be guided by his emotions, leading to a seductive mysteriousness. Actor and musician Charlie Heaton is the embodiment of PHANTOM’s spirit through his compelling personality and mysterious and attractive aura. Charlie Heaton has thus become Rabanne’s global ambassador for PHANTOM’s campaign, perfectly representing the essence of the perfume. The fragrance is crafted from prestigious and ethically sourced ingredients, created by the world-renowned perfumers Juliette Karagueuzoglou, Anne Flipo, and Dominique Ropion. To its core, Rabanne’s PHANTOM Eau de Perfume is an ode to modern masculinity and its mysteriousness, boosting an irresistible aura around whoever wears it.
www.rabanne.com

Fashion

FENDI’s 2023 Chinese Valentine’s Day Capsule Collection

FENDI celebrates love with a romantic color palette with pastel hues in its 2023 Chinese Valentine’s Day Capsule Collection. The limited edition collection comprises joyful, fun, and romantic attire with ready-to-wear pieces such as bags, shoes, and accessories. The women’s collection conveys a playful attitude through a reinterpretation of the multicolor iconic FF logo, which made its first appearance on a baguette bag in the SS09 collection. In this women’s collection, the logo appears in different formats on multiple items, such as a doodle version of the FENDI mirror logo printed on a cropped shirt and a matching asymmetrical skirt. The juxtaposition of different tones also contributes to the fun and playful feeling of the collection. Since the brand owes its iconicity to its bags, this collection features a multicolor pattern on a selection of bags in embroidered canvas or printed leather, as well as on matching accessories such as foulards and headbands. For menswear, the pattern is reinterpreted in tones such as lilac, pink, orange, yellow, and navy blue. Geometric patterns can be found on the iconic Astuccio bag and on T-shirts, which also feature graphic designs. Overall, both the men’s and the women’s collection has a playful yet sophisticated energy that perfectly captures FENDI’s elegant feeling through colorful tones.
www.fendi.com

Fashion

Berlin Fashion Week - Sia Arnika

Sia Arnika employs traditional and modern textiles in her SS24 collection presented at Berlin Fashion Week 2023. The collection is conceptualized as a reflection on the designer’s Nordic roots and explores the meaning of memory and heritage. Time is at the heart of Sia Arnika’s collections. When asked about where she draws inspiration from, her answer is simple: “From the past, the present, and the future.” The artist works with the concept of nostalgia: the inspiration for her garments is a woman “who was born in the past but lives in the future.” Recalling her Nordic heritage, her clothing tells a saga, born in the Danish countryside and developed in the streets of Berlin. The designer views Berlin as the city that has shaped her style the most by observing its people and fantasizing about their lifestyle and stories. Indeed, some of these stories make it to the catwalk into her collections. Sia Arnika was drawn to Berlin because she longed for an escape, having grown up on a remote island in Denmark. Maybe, that is one of the reasons why she finds Berlin so attractive, with its buzzing atmosphere and air of freedom. In Berlin, she studied and worked and subsequently she founded her label. Creativity and a longing for connection are what inspire her the most.
www.siaarnika.com

Fashion

Berlin Fashion Week - Richert Beil

The concept of gender is challenged in Richert Beil’s new collection, presented at the Berlin Fashion Week 2023. The setting of the fashion show was an old supermarket, where designers were allowed to set up their scenery. Beil’s new collection, titled “Vater, Unser,” defies the traditional societal norm that sees men as the preferred gender. This collection indeed aims to deconstruct men’s wardrobes, thus challenging classical notions of beauty and elegance. Through their collections, the two designers and founders of the brand, Jale Richert and Michele Beil, aim to challenge gender stereotypes and aesthetics. Richert Beil draws inspiration from multiple sources, such as the craft itself or the materials used in their collection. Its primary source of inspiration, though, comes from traditional German textiles, sewings, and finishing techniques, thus paying homage to the heritage of the two designers. Another influence on the brand comes from the interviews that the designers regularly conduct with people from their diverse community to get a better grasp on what is generally expected from today’s fashion and to integrate different emotions and aspirations into their creations. Finally, with its diversity of backgrounds, the city of Berlin constitutes the perfect hub for Richert Beil’s brand to grow and develop. The designers are mainly interested in the city's history of activism, its thriving cultural and artistic scene, and the openness and acceptance that characterizes it.
www.richertbeil.com

Fashion

Table du Sud’s New Capsule Collection in Collaboration with Clairz Interior Design

Table du Sud’s new capsule collection, launched in collaboration with Clairz Interior Design, consists of six pieces of furniture featuring natural materials, clean lines, and round shapes. Table du Sud is a Dutch design company that handcrafts its products in Tweede, Netherlands. Started from scratch by two young brothers, the company has grown to be known for its custom tables while also offering an expanding range of home furniture. The pillars of the brand are user-friendliness and sustainability. Clairz’s trendy designs and Table du Sud’s quality are merged in this collection, which mixes the latest trends in terms of interior design with classical shapes and sustainable materials. The coffee and dining tables are all designed with a C-shape and are made of oak. The tables are customizable to fit anybody’s preferences and necessities: it is possible for the client to choose the type of oak, the color, and the edge finish. The tables come in three different sizes and twelve colors the customer can choose from. Dining tables are priced starting from €3,250, while the coffee tables start from €1,360. The collection is available online and in Table du Sud showrooms from June 29, 2023.
www.tabledusud.nl

Fashion

EBEL Launches the Sport Classic Luscious Red

The functional retro design of the Ebel Sport Classic is now made into two new editions in luscious red. The new models have launched in April 2023, of which one is a limited edition. The Ebel Sport Classic is a versatile model that can be worn both elegantly and sportily and perfectly embodies the brand’s passion for innovation and excellence in watch design. With these new models, the brand reiterates its connection with tennis, which first took place in the 1980s through a collaboration with great tennis players of the time. The new classic editions feature a luscious red dial in EBEL’s iconic hexagonal shape with rhodium-plated Roman numerals. Attention to detail is a defining feature of the brand, and it is noticeable in the Sport Classic model in the retro touches added to its design, such as the brushed and polished stainless steel detailing. The limited edition also displays a net motif on the dial and is only available in 50 pieces. The bracelet is comfortable, with the brand’s signature curved wave links and folding clasp. EBEL’s Sport Classic Lady Tennis models are the perfect balance between elegance and comfort, targeted toward women leading active lives. EBEL is also an official partner of the Ladies Open Lausanne, the Bad Homburg Open, the ELLE Spirit Open Montreux, and the Hamburg European Open 2023.
www.ebel.com

Fashion

“Get Ready for Cozy Season” with OCCHIO’s New Lighting

At the heart of OCCHIO’s brand is the “joy of use” of its innovative products and a desire to instill a new culture of light. The company, born in 1999 thanks to Axel Meise, aims to design living spaces through lighting, making it possible to adapt rooms to every situation. The German brand has been a leader in the luxury lifestyle sector for more than 20 years, and it has now come out with a collection of lighting products tailored for the colder season. With the weather getting colder, it is natural to want to feel more comfortable in one’s home. OCCHIO’s lighting aims to deliver that cozy feeling and feel-good atmosphere through lights that can be adjusted to different moods and situations. The collection creates cozy light zones for reading, eating, or relaxing during the colder months. The Gioia lighting series, which has received this year's IF Design Award, is versatile and adaptable to every situation. It can be combined with the Gioia Lettura for a comfortable and enhanced reading experience, with the possibility of adjusting the direction and light intensity. The unique flexibility of the Gioia allows it to turn 360°. OCCHIO’s classic reading lighting, the Sento Lettura, allows for coziness and concentration while reading through an adaptable arm available in two lengths.
www.occhio.com

Fashion

The Gentlemen’s Crystals are Blood Red

Fashion, at its core, is a waltz choreographed by the different essences established by Maison’s different aesthetic codes and principles. This waltz, with a diverse range of silhouettes, energies, and colors characterizes the DNA of the Haute Couture House Dior. The Creative Director of Dior Men’s, Kim Jones, draws inspiration and pays homage to beloved iconographic elements in the grand world of Haute Couture, from the silhouettes of Yves Saint Laurent to the embroideries of Gianfranco Ferré; the cabochons of Monsieur Dior to the textures of Marc Bohan.

Garments are imbued with playful femininity, slim-fitting suits adorned with ephemeral crystals resembling a transitory rainbow, patterns that accentuate the personality of the individual wearing the garments, and accessories that deconstructed preconceived notions of the divine masculine.

Kim Jones orchestrates a flirtatious pairing between the expected practicality of male tailoring and pop excess; producing an infusion of a sense of crisp, playful modernity, practicality, and ease. A key look that stands out includes a silhouette constructed by the combination of an embellished baby pink button-down and an egg-white jacket paired with dynamic Bermuda shorts that imbues the look with luxurious androgyny. The neon yellow handbag that accompanies the look contrasts the atmosphere curated– the artistic vision of Jones oozes from the holes of the garments, the pores of the models, and the fingers of the artists who have threaded the art on display into a whole.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Etro’s Allegories

While visiting his hometown in the city of Messina, Etro’s Creative Director Marco de Vincenzo wandered into an old bookstore and stumbled upon a copy of Cesare Ripa’s Iconology: a seventeenth-century repertoire filled with allegorical images depicting virtues, values, and vices. Upon a superficial glance, the allegories appear as relics of another time, yet deeper consideration reveals strong ties and communicative powers in relation to the present moment. Allegories use figuration to express concepts, messages, and stories without the bounds of one language. Aren’t our memes, GIFs, and TikTok simply a modern form of allowing images to say something else, and communicating in non-verbal ways?

The SS24 Etro collection was born from this intuitive, deliberately non-scientific idea: isn’t the act of putting together an outfit, also, an allegorical deed with the power to express and communicate through making an image? Allegoric images of Augurio Buono, Bellezza, Eternità, Lussuria, and Tenacità pop up in prints or jacquards along with playful glittery touches. Rhythmic patterns that can be mixed and matched move in a life of their own in flowing silhouettes that barely touch the body. Blazers, bermudas, jumpsuits, fuzzy jumpers, football tops, long cardigans, and thick blankets that turn into coats allow for ease of inspiration in telling a story through styling. The SS24 runway also featured the debut of Etro’s latest eyewear collection in partnership with Safilo, portraying the charm of the ancient Pegaso. Ultimately, fashion is symbolism, a metaphorical expression of our human experience through the guise of clothing, accessorizing, and styling. Fashion is ultimately, day by day, an allegory.

www.etro.com

Fashion

Santoni Souvenir

The earth has many shades, each landscape with its own deep essence and story to be discovered. Santoni hones in on the story of the Marche region, rich in the rural countryside and expanses of wheat fields lined with limestone cliffs and sandy coves. Their SS24 collection is a journey, a story that guides sophisticated, traditional craftsmanship into a contemporary perspective where materials, shapes, and colors exist in a perfect alchemy.

The collection begins with its workmanship, creatively rooted in ancient manual traditions that grant fluid forms and unexpected details. Santoni’s formal shoe lines are predominantly guided by original classicism and technical virtuosity, with iconic special lacing, perfectly pure lines, and poetic ton-sur-ton engravings. The new Figaro model, classic loafers, and the Andrea moccasin are proposed each in a selection of material and color treatments for every occasion. Clean shapes with unique details form the timeless casual and sneakers lines. The DBS Olympic takes a slightly retro shape and flavor with contrasting colors, the Sneak-Air variants are offered in new colors, while the Double Buckle Sneaker is dressed in classic calfskin.

Shoes throughout the collection, as well as the extensive collection of accessories and leather goods, are imprinted with a deep connection to the Marche region. Cantalupo, Vela, and Centofinestre are three sophisticated graphics that capture the memories of every step of the journey through the landscape. Nature-inspired hues tie into this fil rouge, rounding off a true homage to the Satoni Souvenir of the season.

www.santonishoes.com

Fashion

Men’s Milan Fashion Week – Ten c

The Italian brand Ten c focuses its attention on technical fabrics. Its unique and iconic fabric, the OJJ – Original Japanese Jersey is for the first time created in lighter tones such as light blue and pink in the Men’s SS24 collection.The inspiration for the shades of the year-round sweatshirts and jerseys is taken from the reflection of the light over the Berici Hills of Vicenza, where the photoshoot of the collection was filmed.

The Laminated RIP-Stop and the ultralight sanded nylon with a cotton hand are among SS24’s novelty in Ten c’s menswear collection. The pieces take inspiration from the British navy and army, and have been designed with the purpose of creating a total look. The OJJ is mixed in the clothing of the new collection with the new material, thus maintaining it as the iconic material of Ten c; at the same time, it becomes a visual symbol of the brand through external hot-stamping applications. The OJJ remains the focal point of the collection, with sweatshirts dyed in the light hues that characterize the collection and a new Japanese model reminiscent of American varsity sweatshirts. In the men’s SS24 collection, Ten c maintains its technical style proposing it in different, lighter tones.  

www.tenc.com

Fashion

Men’s Milan Fashion Week– Prada

Prada’s SS24 menswear show during Milan Fashion Week unveiled Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ new collection, Fluid Form. At the very core of the collection is an exploration of fluid architecture and the human body: a realization of bodily liberation and awareness through the silhouette and materiality of garments. Simplicity and fluidity permeate throughout. The structure and details of a shirt are borrowed to transform and reconstruct staple menswear pieces; leather bags take on a striking softness; headbands and eyewear are crafted to appear as if capturing fragments of motion. Purpose and function are reimagined as well, transitioning from expansion to elaboration. Utilitarian pockets leave behind their conventional use to become decorative devices, while the floral print is animated through applications of corsages and fringe. Silhouettes are intended to surprise us: while borrowing their lines from masculine suiting, their structure carries an intrinsic flexibility. The showspace, the Deposito of the Fondazione Prada, adds another layer to the concept of fluidity with abstract walls that form an ever-shifting enfilade. Prada’s SS24 menswear collection speaks to humanity’s underlying qualities of life, to its natural state. A state characterized by its inherent dynamic movement and constant transformation: fluidity.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Keepall and Keep Dancing

J-Hope is much more than a triple threat, he is the South Korean rapper-singer-songwriter and music producer as well as the lead dancer of the world-renowned K-Pop band BTS. In February of 2023, Louis Vuitton was pleased to announce this 21-st century icon as a House Ambassador.

J-Hope now becomes the face of the latest Louis Vuitton campaign, a series of stills featuring the iconic Louis Vuitton Keepall, an extremely coveted item from their leather goods range since the 1930s. J-Hopes charm and suaveness radiate in the images, where he is caught mid-action in dynamic, dance-like movements that reference his strengths in choreography that are adored worldwide. He is dressed in monochrome, tailored looks, with the Keepall in hand like an extension of his body.

The Keepall is a versatile, elegant travel bag; the perfect cabin-size companion for carrying all travel essentials for anywhere from romantic weekend getaways to far-flung adventures. Its hard, roomy, rounded shape is crafted with Louis Vuitton excellence and built to last. It has received a wide array of material and color treatments, including several exclusive artistic collaborations through the years from Yayoi Kusama, and Takashi Murakami to Supreme and Stephen Sprouse. The Keepall is woven into the Louis Vuitton DNA and delivers endless future possibilities of both style and adventure. The Keepall campaign featuring J-Hope will run on Louis Vuitton digital and social channels from the 14th of June.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

The Gateway from Paris to India

Dior’s Fall 2023 collection, dreamed up by Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri, was a poetic marriage of Dior’s fundamentally Parisian elegance with the dazzling splendors and savior-faire of India. In an unprecedented new documentary, an exclusive take on the behind-the-scenes story of the collection reveals every stage of the collection’s genesis. Through the collection and the documentary, Chiuri wished to highlight her inspiring collaboration and relationship with experts and artisans from India, and in general, the integral role that India has in the system of fashion. Over many years she has forged an unwavering friendship with Karishma Swali, the head of the Chanakya Ateliers and the Chanakya School of Craft, which champions the inclusion of women into the competitive and traditionally male domain of fashion creation. The documentary reveals an intimate perspective from Dior’s cross-cultural inspirations and history to captivating dialogues with artisanal masters of silk and embroidery, right up to the debut of the collection last March on the runway in Mumbai. The resulting pieces, including shantung silk saris and tunics and the Christian Dior “bar” jacket reimagined with a Nehru collar, were elevated to a level that could only be achieved through the collaboration and deep respect between Indian artisans and the French house. From their practical wearability down to the most intricate details in the design, the collection reflects outstanding expertise and a fascinating imagination, which can now be discovered on YouTube.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Journey into the Unknown of LV

Louis Vuitton is embarking on a new voyage of creation with Web.3, where the physical and digital are seamlessly woven into one material for the Maison to create, dream and craft the exceptional. A material designed to unlock a new form of travel and a renewed sense of wonder for the brand and its clients.

The voyage will begin with a key, dropped several weeks after the Digital Trunk itself, unlocking digital collectibles. An ongoing series of digital keys available to owners of the trunk will follow, each with its own digital collectible that will pair with exclusive access to physical counterparts. The result is a never-before-seen shopping journey inviting the most loyal clients of the Maison to wonder and wander a step deeper into the universe of Louis Vuitton. From dissecting clues of what’s to come; to creating new connections with like-minded innovators, expanding their horizons, and sharing collectibles with their own communities, the world of VIA will renew the bounds of shopping as we know them. Louis Vuitton’s first digital trunk, the VIA Treasure Trunk, is available from the 8th of June in the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Australia on Maison’s website.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Your New Milano and Tokio

The latest venture of the high fashion brand Dior is a brand-new Beach Capsule made in collaboration with the legendary footwear pioneer Birkenstock. Kim Jones, Artist Director of Dior Men, and Birkenstock together are a force to be reckoned with, this second collaboration revolves around the reinvention of two iconic models from the famous footwear brand.

Embodying function and quality, the German brand creates unique shoes – both in form and practicality – to support walking as nature intended, drawing from a heritage that can be traced back to 1774. The journey of the brand, however, can be traced back to Konrad Birkenstock’s orthopedically designed footwear journey in 1897.

The Milano launched in 1965, was designed as an outdoor sandal for active people and nature lovers, whereas the Tokio appeared in 1987 as a protective accessory for walking and professions requiring a lot of standing. Both of the collaboration’s suede models are dressed in the season’s hues, namely pastel shades of yellow, khaki, and green. The models combine summery elegance and practicality with ease, providing irrefutable comfort and support embellished by rubber details and industrial buckles– meant to reflect the bright rays of the sweltering summer sun. The aesthetic product is a love child between the aesthetic codes of both brands: Birkenstock’s anatomically shaped orthopedic cork footbed is lined with smooth leather, while the outsole combines the Dior Oblique pattern with the German brand’s signature Bones graphic.

www.dior.com
www.birkenstock.com

Fashion

A Solid Footing

The leading brand in performance-supporting shoes, Adidas has come together with the luxury brand Prada to create their first-ever Joint Football Boot Collection. This iconic beginning of a new story recodes iconic Adidas silos through Prada’s Linea Rossa. The power of the Football for Prada collection rests on the individual mastery of both of the brands, the high-performance football technologies unique to Adidas, and the elegant aesthetic vision of Prada’s Linea Rossa.

The collection reimagines the three leading Adidas products - the Predator Accuracy, the Copa Pure, and the X Crazyfast. Creating design cohesion across the pack, all footwear has a lining and upper expertly crafted with the finest leather - using the material in fresh ways for Adidas in football - the bold red iconography of Linea Rossa, and a clean mono-color base of black, white and silver. The sleek silhouette of the boots extends the limbs of the athletes, providing immense support for maximizing performance whilst imbuing the athlete in the light of aesthetic mastery and understanding.

All of the reimagined boots share the triangle spikes that increase traction during a game and represent the Prada codes embedded into the brand’s DNA. Merging art and sport, high-performance with elegance and luxury, the Football for Prada collection will be available in limited numbers via the Adidas CONFIRMED App from the 22nd – 25th May 2023, as well as prada.com and selected Prada stores from the 25th of May, 2023.

www.adidas.com
www.prada.com

Fashion

A Higher Standard of Luxury for Golf

Loro Piana, the Maison known for its distinctive understated elegance and celebration of Italian excellence, has announced that they will once again collaborate with Team Europe for the Ryder Cup, Golf’s greatest team contest. The greatest team contest in Golf will be held at the “Marco Simone Golf & Country Club” in Rome from September 25th to October 1st.

Loro Piana will dress the athletes and their entourages for all the official events, inspiring players through the highest standard of clothing and the savoir-faire that has been the Maison’s hallmark for six generations. Through meticulous design and craftsmanship, the garments will be functional and comfortable, without cutting short on style and elegance. Loro Piana used 3D technology to stimulate the clothing’s reaction to the fine movements of golf, guaranteeing ease of movement for each and every swing.

Six looks especially designed by the Maison will include a short-sleeved polo, a high-neck shirt with a zipper, a waterproof vest, and classic tailored trousers. The technical materials of each have been chosen for maximum softness and stretch, as well as for special features that enhance ergonomic performance to guarantee unparalleled wearability. In addition, a selection of the Team Europe uniforms, collectors’ items, complete with the Team Europe and the players logos, will be available in the Maison’s boutique in Rome exclusively during the competition for golf lovers to experience the wardrobe for themselves.

www.loropiana.com

Fashion

Longchamp’s Fantastical Cultivation

The legendary French leather goods brand, Longchamp, has reopened the doors of its Cologne boutique, Domkloster 2. Joining the rest of the brand’s stores around Germany, the Cologne boutique highlights the genius of the RISE concept. The interior of the boutique is as meticulously thought out as everything else the brand creates. Every room spanning the two floors of the boutique is embellished uniquely to cultivate a special ambiance. As you step in, your eyes are immediately pulled toward the standing desk situated in the reception area – modeled after the authentic workshop table – and the most important pieces that are showcased on the bookshelf. The latest pieces are paired with their transcendent aesthetic companions such as books, pictures, and decorative items. Every detail is thought out and the entire layout is pulled smoothly by the aesthetic values of the house, present in every small corner of the boutique.

The reopening of this stylish and elegant boutique was celebrated on the 10th of May by customers and friends of the house. As the doors of the store opened to allow guests to experience the RISE concept in close proximity, the Parisian atmosphere transported the guests into the heart of Longchamp set in limbo between the present and the future. Good food and DJane were the puzzle pieces that perfected the night of celebration. The highlight of the evening was the raffle for a box-trot bag towards the end of the event.

www.longchamp.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Channels Squid-Games in South Korea

Submerged in the watery illusions of blue and orange light, Louis Vuitton took over the Jamsugyo Bridge in Maison’s first Prefall show in South Korea. The living monument atop the Hangang river is the perfect allegory for Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière’s vision of the Prefall 23 collection. The Director of “Squid Game” Hwang Dong-hyuk helped build the scenography for the show, based on the symbolism and cultural significance of the bridge.

The Prefall 23 collection is a tale of to and fro, communicating the never-ending evolution of Louis Vuitton: from Gangnam to Gangbuk, from the West to the East, from K Maison’s origins to its modern philosophies. Louis Vuitton essentials take on new features in a diplomatic journey as they are transformed from one shore of imagination to the other.

As the audience huddled together in the stormy weather, the models walked through the night's rain unbothered with windswept hair. HoYeon Jung, the “Squid Game” star and Louis Vuitton brand ambassador was first on the catwalk in a bright blue windbreaker and studded leather A-line skirt. The looks, highlighting the brand's most recognizable silhouettes and elements from recent collections, celebrated French style with a sci-fi twist. Windbreakers and halter neck jumpsuits in bright primary colors reminiscent of the K-thriller were paired with chunky boots, oversized outerwear and belts with supersized buckles. The final looks took a Bohemian turn with maxi skirts and floor length dresses featuring stripes and floral prints.

www.louisvuitton.com

Art

Ruinart & Eva Jospin’s Special Night

On April 26th, 2023, the Amtsalon in Berlin was the special setting for the opening of a spectacular pop-up. Every year Ruinart chooses an artist to collaborate with, and, this year, French artist Eva Jospin was given carte blanche. 150 guests celebrated the opening of the Ruinart Maison 1729 in Berlin-Charlottenburg, transporting Reims, the home of Ruinart, to Berlin. During the event, all eyes were on Eva Jospin. The sculptor created a unique installation for Ruinart, titled Promenade(s) en Champagne. Stimulated by the richness and history of the Maison and the Champagne terroir, the exhibition displayed Jospin’s intricate mineral and vegetal landscapes, including a collection of drawings, sculptures, and embroideries. In addition to the Art Gallery, a multi-sensory journey through the Maison 1729 amused the guests. Award-wining Chef of Cuisine Sophia Rudolph of the Lovis Restaurant in Berlin provided culinary highlights with her exquisite Food for Art delicacies, inspired by Jospin’s artwork for Ruinart. The Peruvian Berliner-by-choice DJane Alessandra Denegri provided musical entertainment. The guests of the opening night – including, among others, Christiane Paul, Caro Cult, Ruby O. Fee, Marie von den Benken, and Melissa Khalaj – were left in awe of Jospin’s remarkable creativity and skill. The event and collaboration are a testament to Ruinart’s ability to craft a refined and sophisticated ambiance.

From April 27th to May 2nd, 2023, visitors can immerse themselves in the magical world of the champagne house. Enjoyment of art, culinary delights, and champagne are guaranteed.

www.ruinart.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

Valentino Vintage 2023: Archival Fashion as a Tool for Future Creativity

Valentino Vintage, the Maison’s unique second-hand initiative first launched in 2021, returns once again with its alternative shopping experience, placing value onto a more circular fashion model as it expands its universe through many historical layers of the past. The project indulges the global community to bring to selected vintage stores their preloved Valentino garments and exchange the items with the option to buy new Valentino designs.

Starting on April 18th, 2023, the seven vintage stores (Milan, Paris, London, Los Angeles, New York, Seoul, and Tokyo) will experience a shared temporality with a Valentino take over. Each boutique – carefully chosen for its distinctive identity and curated collection, representative of the respective city’s local culture – fully takes on the Maison’s DNA with a unique Valentino Vintage display. Madame Pauline in Milan evokes the feeling of sitting in a mid-20th C apartment, while the timeless and tasteful Janemarch Maison in Seoul is curated by Creative Director Jung Jae Ok as a French-style boutique. This year, Valentino also established an international creative partnership with 1 Granary, a London-based education and incubator platform that invited their student community and seven fashion, design and art schools to join the initiative in all selected cities. This one-of-a-kind project invites the next generation of creative talent into Valentino Vintage’s multidimensional world by fostering engagement initiatives and connections with professionals, and offering resources to empower their talent and creative vision. Marking a new direction, the initiative grants the preservation and transmission of Valentino heritage, know-how, extraordinary handmade workmanship and mastery.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Mullberry and Axel Arigato’s Capsule Collaboration

Axel Arigato and Mulberry have joined forces to create a limited-edition, wear-forever capsule collection. The unisex garments, bags, footwear, and accessories exemplify a harmony between the brands' respective values of Scandinavian minimalism and the timeless British aesthetic. The starting point of the collection was an exploration into the Mulberry archives, giving rise to 35 pieces that celebrate iconic moments in pop culture over the last 50 years, particularly in Britain.

Three archive Mulberry bag designs are reintroduced in a selection of colorways including Axel Arigato’s signature emerald green and azure blue, as well as a classic, elegant black. Axel Arigato’s Area Sneaker, inspired by vintage baseball references, are offered in the same green and blue colorways, adorned with Mulberry’s iconic Postman’s lock and a custom strap. In addition, a white and gum edition of the sneaker is decorated with Mulberry’s tree emblem.

A split-color spin using refined and sophisticated neutral tones is seen on trench coats, embroidered varsity jackets and baseball caps. On some items, the brands’ individual logos are seen beside each other while on others, Mulberry’s tree emblem and Axel Arigato’s insignia are married into a crest.

The collection reflects the collaborative and communal spirit between the brands, adhering to their environmentally conscious production values. All the bags are produced with environmentally accredited leather at Mulberry’s own carbon neutral factories in the UK, and the footwear is made in Portugal with polyester crafter from recycled PET bottles. Furthermore, all the cotton throughout the collection is Global Organic Textile certified.

www.mulberry.com
www.axelarigato.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Voyager Skeleton: A Journey Beyond Time

Described as a journey beyond time, the Louis Vuitton Voyager Skeleton is not simply a watch but a powerful storytelling tool. Encased in the watch is a tale about Louis Vuitton itself: a house with a profound commitment to craftsmanship, the finest quality, and a smooth mixture of style and innovation – all culminating in unique designs.

We begin by entering the miniature world of the mechanical watch movement. The self-winding mechanical skeleton manufacture movement is meant to showcase the watch’s design and mechanics. Louis Vuitton moves away from mere functional mechanics and, instead, moves towards structural components that embody the house’s essence by transforming stationary elements into engineered forms of dynamic beauty. The LV60 caliber, designed and developed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, is the horological equivalent of contemporary architecture. The caliber is equipped with a tungsten micro-rotor, positioned off-center to maximize visibility and decorated with a white gold rhodium plated plate. The barrel ratchet wheel has been open-worked to spell “Louis Vuitton”. The watch’s case, with satin-finished sides and a polished top, sapphire glass, is crafted from platinum, a rare, dense and valuable alloy. It is therefore most remarkable that the case’s front combines sweeping curves and contrasting surface finishes, a challenge for those working with platinum. The watch also comes with two strap options, a navy blue, alligator leather strap or a taurillon leather strap. The Voyager Skeleton is available in an exclusive edition, limited to 150 pieces that carry on Louis Vuitton’s technical expertise and attention to detail.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Loewe’s Reality Glitch

Your eyes are not playing tricks on you, this is Loewe’s SS23 pixelated capsule collection. Loewe reimagined casual staples in their women’s ready to wear and accessories, making them into a real-world glitch.

First debuting on the Paris SS23 runway, the capsule includes everything in pixel form, from a technical knit hoodie and T-shirt to Duchesse silk satin trousers and denim staples. The 2-D look of the technical hoodie and T-shirt is achieved with polypropylene, cut with a sharply jagged edge around a black outline. The hoodie has a functional kangaroo pocket on its front. The other garments feature a textured block print that complements the natural shadows of the human form. The denim pieces - jeans, a jacket, and a miniskirt - round off the collection.

The Puzzle Bag, which was the first bag designed for the brand by its creative director Jonathan Anderson, joins the collection with its own pixelated makeover. The bag is usually offered in a single shade, but now its supple calfskin leather is decorated with a black, grey, blue, and white pixel design that complements its geometric shape. All the pieces will be packaged in limited designed bags and boxes that fit the theme seamlessly.

www.loewe.com

Fashion

This is You in Tiffany

The essence of Tiffany jewelry is about the way one chooses to wear it. The “This is Tiffany” campaign is a celebration of this message, an homage to individual style and the power of expressing one’s true self. In their latest campaign, Tiffany & Co. elevates the Tiffany T and the Tiffany HardWear collections by allowing their ambassadors Zoë Kravitz, Jimin, and Gal Gadot to fit the pieces to their personal styles.

Both collections are defined by the fine craftsmanship of the luxury jeweler with hand-polished finishes, sleek silhouettes, and striking pave diamonds. The Tiffany T collection is a classic and simple tribute to the strength of the Tiffany name, instantly recognizable, just like the House’s logo. The Tiffany HardWear collection is inspired by the energy and architecture of the House’s birthplace, New York City, crafted with gauge links that have allowed the collection to triumph as one of Tiffany’s signature collections. This year, a new watch design joins the collection, with a cushion shaped case and Sapphire top glass resembling a full-cut diamond.

Both collections exemplify Tiffany’s commitment to superlative quality, elegance, and sophistication. The 2023 “This is Tiffany” campaign offers a full range from subtle to subversive jewelry that provides an option fit for anyone to express their unapologetic personal style.

www.tiffany.com

Fashion

W&W Rolex: Icons in the Making

A perfect combination of style and functionality, and a perpetual pursuit of excellence set apart Rolex’s new watches unveiled during this year’s Watches & Wonders. From questioning and perfecting every detail, method and component to its capacity to reinvent while preserving a sense of continuity and tradition, Rolex’s creative vision is one of meticulous attention to detail.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytone is an icon defying time. Rolex’s new adjustments, such as a new balance for the dial graphics and the renewed caliber 4131, ensure the continuation of this legendary watch. A true epitome of Rolex’s commitment to excellence, the Perpetual 1908 is elegant, classic and contemporary with a harmonious interplay between scintillation and reflection. Ideal for the sportsperson is the light and robust Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 42, whose case and bracelet are crafted using RLX titanium. With its two time zones and its annual Saros calendar, the Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller is one for the travelers seeking comfort. The Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II is now available in two new versions and an entirely new color combination, while the Oyster Perpetual Explorer 40 is expanded on with the introduction of a new, 40 mm model. The Oyster Perpetual’s new lacquered dial in 31 mm, 36 mm and 41 mm is an explosion of color and liveliness. A variety of Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 watches now come with dials decorated with stones in shimmering tones that evoke the atmosphere of the Mediterranean coast. Truly, Rolex’s novelties are bound to become icons.

www.rolex.com

Fashion

30 Years of the Royal Oak Offshore

The Royal Oak Offshore model was first launched in 1993, causing an even greater sensation than the launch of the original Royal Oak 20 years prior. The watch’s virile aesthetics, complete with oversized proportions and an enlarged rubber seal, earned it the nickname “The Beast”.

In a stand-alone collection, the Royal Oak Offshore represents the pioneering design and technical innovation of Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet. Inspired by offshore racing and the unapologetic creativity of the 1980’s, the Royal Oak Offshore was designed by Emmanuel Gueit. The model was quick to be embraced by the young and adventurous, as well as various communities of extreme sports. Exuding powerful and dominant energy, thanks to its 42mm diameter and sturdy design, the chronograph became an icon of the millennium.

Marking its 30th anniversary, the Royal Oak Offshore is relaunched, master-crafted from black ceramic and punctuated with yellow details with an ultra-contemporary design and innovations in ergonomics and materials. It pays tribute to the Royal Oak Offshore “End of Days” limited-edition collaboration with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1999, which ushered in a succession of limited-edition designs with numerous multidisciplinary celebrities. Only 500 pieces of the “End of Days” model were manufactured, and there will only be 500 pieces of the new Royal Oak Offshore Self-winding Chronograph.

www.audemarspiguet.com

Art

The Revival of French Modernism

As a contribution to the PAD Paris 2023 design fair, Saint Laurent’s Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello partnered with several prestigious Parisian galleries to curate a tasteful selection of vintage furniture. The French Modernists Exhibition is dedicated to French Art Deco & Modernist design– centered around the work of Jean-Michel Frank, although designed almost a century ago the exhibition assuredly exhibits the modern and contemporary nature of Frank’s creations. Additionally, Vaccarello also included pieces by Jacques Adnet and Jean Després, expanding the realm of modernist artists appreciated.

The furniture expert Jean-Michel Frank basked in pre-war glory and spent his time decorating the homes of the intellectual and artistic elite. The minimalism highlighted by his designs gives them an edge- a transcendental quality concocted by the stripping of forms. His genius fell through the cracks of wartime, however, dealers, historians, and collectors from the ‘60s outlined his rediscovery as a masterful designer and artist. Yves Saint Laurent was a huge contributor to Frank’s rediscovery – the 2009 historical estate sale of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé transparently exhibits the passion for the works of Jean-Michel Frank, now one of the most expensive and sought-after artists.

The exhibition is riddled with the nuances of French modernism, tied together with the silk rope of minimalism. The materials used highlight the lines of the pieces- natural lines are highlighted with natural materials. Details resembling minuscule portions of our elusive world. This breathtaking exhibition will be on view from March 28th to April 24th at Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles.

www.saintlaurent.com

Fashion

W&W CHANEL: Into The Cosmos

For the 2023 edition of Watches & Wonders, CHANEL debuted its new timepieces created in its laboratory in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Inspired by science fiction, space and time travel, we accompany CHANEL on an intergalactic journey, traveling throughout the cosmos. Dreamed up by CHANEL’s Watch Creation Studio, the new Interstellar Capsule collection presents seven exclusive watches – including reinterpretations of some of the French Maison’s beloved designs.

The J12 watch is continuously reinvented without sacrificing its singularity. The new J12 Interstellar and J12 Cybernetic watch are no exception. The former carries an aventurine effect black glittery lacquered dial, while the latter is a graphic interpretation of the J12 watch that produces contrast, apparent in the black-lacquered dial with a matte white-varnished pixel motif. The designs align with the Maison’s stellar odyssey: the Première Lucy Star watch comes with a steel comet-shaped charm set with 6 brilliant-cut diamonds, whereas the J12 Cosmic watch comes polished with rhodium-plated space-inspired stickers. Similarly, a black-lacquered dial with a rhodium-plated printed circuit motif set distinguishes the Boy·friend Cyberdata watch. In line with the collection’s theme, an 18K yellow gold, black ceramic and titanium robot-shaped case adorns the Première Robot watch. Lastly, the Code Coco Cybergold watch is fashioned with a golden quilted calfskin strap with black trim and black calfskin lining. As an ode to Gabrielle Chanel’s astrological sign, Leo, four new pieces, such as the Lion Astroclock and the lion-sculpted cuffs, launched alongside the new collection. The creations are now available in CHANEL boutiques around the globe.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Bulgari’s Latest Gem

Bulgari has announced the newest precious gem added to their family, Yifei Liu joins the Roman jewelry Maison as a Global Brand Ambassador.

Bulgari’s Chief Executive Officer Jean-Christophe Babin has put into words the excitement on the side of the Maison. They have found a talented and strong personality, who represents the values at Bulgari’s core. Yifei Liu’s extraordinary performances in film and TV drama have been well-acclaimed since the beginning of her career and have gained international recognition of the years. Notably, her numerous nominations for Best Actress in Disney's live-action film "Mulan” and for the Chinese TV series “Dream of Splendor” in recent years, the latter of which she won. She continuously exerts her talents in new domains and innovative professional challenges, refusing to stop at the astounding achievements she has made thus far.

Her glamorous style and strong, magnetic personality are perfectly in line with Bulgari’s audacious spirit, making this collaboration a brilliant fit. This was exemplified during the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Bulgari Serpenti, where she adorned jewelry from the Serpenti collection. In the campaign, she radiates with the same allure of the ancient sinuous serpent motif that wraps around her neck, and the power of the bright sapphire that centers her necklace, ring, and earrings. She has expressed her fondness of Bulgari’s design language, and its capability to express and empower the multi-faceted and audacious spirit of women. She looks forward to being a part of Bulgari’s future and their constant pursuit of excellence.

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Carlos Nazario to Carve A New Direction for Moose Knuckles

Effective immediately, Carlos Nazario has been announced as the new Global Artistic Director for Moose Knuckles, the Canadian sports- and outerwear brand. Moose Knuckles is devoted to creating luxurious clothing with ethically sourced materials and impeccable tailoring that can keep one warm from the city to the wildest voyages in the tundra.

A native to Queens, New York, Nazario is hailed as a key shaper of the modern fashion industry. He has left his mark, a provocative and creative force, on numerous magazine covers and luxury brands and has broken boundaries in his work with various world-famous talents. He is currently the Global Fashion Director at i-D.

From March 21st, 2023, Nazario joins the Moose Knuckles community, taking over the collection design, image content, brick and mortar presentation, and marketing/communication expressions across all channels. He has served as a stylist and guest creative consultant in their recent campaigns and is excited to reinvigorate the strong foundation of the brand. He has a clear vision, to introduce a new chapter that broadens and widens the scope of Moose Knuckles with innovations in product design and communication. Moose Knuckles and Nazario are ready to carve out new directions for the evolution of the brand, while staying true to its uncompromising craftsmanship, its highest quality creations, and its unequivocally irreverent nature.

www.mooseknucklescanada.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

Music

Depeche Mode and Hublot are back!

After five years, the legendary band return to the stage with The Memento Mori World Tour. Alongside the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted band will be their official charity partner Hublot, supporting the sustainability of the tour and raising funds for The Conservation Collective, a global environmental charity.

Hublot and Depeche Mode first joined forces for the first time in 2010 based on their common philosophy: “be first, be different and be unique”. They find that their partnership has always felt natural, and they have collaborated numerous times for a range of different deeply important causes. Now, their shared goal focuses on sustainability, reducing waste and cleaning our environment. By supporting The Conservation Collective, they empower a network of local foundations and grass-roots initiatives who work tirelessly to protect and restore biodiversity and the environment.

Hublot’s CEO Ricardo Guadalupe describes how special the atmosphere is created by Depeche Mode in their live events, and how excited they are to transform their sound into a positive environmental change. Dave Gahan and Martine Gore of Depeche Mode devote a sincere thanks to Hublot for giving them the power to raise funds for The Conservation Collective and Live Nation’s Green Nation team who focus on sustainability-related initiatives on tour and at tour venues.

Depeche Mode released their 15th studio album, ‘Memento Mori’, on March 24th, 2023. Following, they began their tour in North America, and are set to continue to Europe in the summer, and back to North America in the Fall.

www.hublot.com
www.depechemode.com

Fashion

Bally SS23 Campaign: Villaseñor's Take on Modern Luxury

After welcoming Rhuigi Villaseñor as its new Creative Director in January 2022, Bally’s SS23 campaign is a tribute to his debut collection and future ambitions for the house. Villaseñor builds onto the Swiss brand’s 172-year rich heritage of craftsmanship and its longstanding relationship with art, architecture and the environment with his creative vision: an evocative and fresh play that conveys his interpretation of modern luxury. “I wanted to introduce a new visual language to Bally campaigns,” he explains, “a mix of bold sophistication and sensuality”.

Under Villaseñor’s direction, the SS23 campaign honors the power of nature that has always been at the heart of Bally. Photographed by Harley Weir and styled by Emmanuelle Alt, the models – including Vivienne Rohner, Kayako Higuchi, Nyakong Chan, Yeray Allgayer, Hong Seong Jun and Feranmi Ajetomobi – are captured in natural elements overlooking a windswept, rocky coastline. The ingenious use of the landscape produces a captivating outcome. An innate sense of confidence pervades, while a dichotomy arises. Sophisticated silhouettes with rich materials, such as velvet and snake-printed leather, lie in contrast with the rugged terrain. The vision is taken further as the light and shade of the water and saturated blue skies are used to amplify metallic leathers, golden-toned Bally emblem hardware, washed denim and cutaway forms. In continuation of Bally’s craftsmanship legacy, Villaseñor introduces a new category: jewelry geared to suit an energetic lifestyle.

The Creative Director elucidates his intentions to remodel Bally, and, under his direction, we impatiently wait to see what is next on his agenda.

www.bally.com

Fashion

Unboxing Valentino Around the World

Valentino’s SS23 collection, titled Unboxing, unfolds globally, celebrating the limitless diversity and complexity of fashion. Nine brilliant stylists with their own window displays infuse the collection with the stories of the city they create in. Supported by precision tailoring and fine differences in drapery and design, minimalistic and monochromatic clothes serve the true individuality of any wearer.

In New York, Law Roach connects to Valentino’s history with a deep totalizing red and the Valentino Toile Iconographe pattern. In London, Rebecca Corbin-Murray’s contrasts all-black with vibrant yellow blooming flowers to signify the unboxing of nature. Clement Lomellini takes Paris in a literal direction, creating a desire to tear off the wrapping paper behind which Valentino awaits. Lorenzo Posocco reflects the authentic fashion of the streets of Milan with a video installation. A paradox plays out in Dubai, where Anna Dello Russo color-blocks and accessories Mannequins in a profusion of Valentino Garavani feathers and fluff to create a fantasy world. Mix Wei in Shanghai infuses traditional Chinese culture into the collection’s quest for purity, honoring the essentials that make up the worlds of art. In Seoul, Geum Nam Hwang invites viewers into the puzzle of the Soma Cube, to search for and unbox their personal essence. In Tokyo, Masataka Hattori spreads the wings of earth-toned looks in an enclave that pays homage to the natural environment. The final window, styled by the duo Grandquist, transcends location with a digital display suspending mannequins in a world of intense red that epitomizes Valentino.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Prada’s Tenth Exclusive Timecapsule NFT Collection

On March 2nd 2023, Prada dropped its tenth limited-edition Timecapsule collection paired with a corresponding gifted NFT – titled INTERFERENZA OTTICA ART PRINT BY ENZO RAGAZZINI, 1969. Last year in June, the NFT initiative was put in place to expand on the Prada Timecapsule project, launched back in December 2019. Currently, Prada’s Timecapsule NFT is an online event that takes place on the first Thursday of every month. For 24 hours, a limited amount of 50 items are made available for purchase.

This month, the Timecapsule collection concludes Italian photographer Enzo Ragazzini’s print trilogy from his 1960s and 1970s archives. This edition’s shirt carries the final print of the three-part series – a print that was originally designed in 1969 for the Enzo Ragazzini exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London (ICA). The design was made with the optical interference technique, using mechanical devices of Enzo’s own invention. The “rotating plane” and the “rotating drum” – digitized in 2017 – are used for the shirt’s circular and horizontal patterns respectively. The shirt also features the Prada enameled triangle logo with “MARCH” transferred on the back of the item. Each shirt comes with its own gifted NFT – an invitation to join Prada’s exclusive Crypted NFT community. As each NFT series includes a serial number for the drop and another for the item, Timecapsule collection holders can match their physical product to the virtual one. As such, Prada continues to expand on its Web3 community with artistic ingenuity.

www.prada.com 

Fashion

MFW - Bottega Veneta FW23 - Unfolding Endless Possibilities

Taking over as Creative Director, Matthieu Blazy has brought his ‘Italia’ trilogy of shows to an end with Bottega Veneta FW23. Showcasing his future ambitions for the house, Blazy continues to honor Italy’s history with craft in motion. An artistic vision expressed in the show’s theme: a parade. “The alchemy of the street is in the difference”, Blazy explains, “it is the surprise of the encounter that has importance”. Looking “at what makes people gather together in a place without hierarchy, where everyone is invited”, he debuts a versatile and relatable yet also elevated collection.

Past techniques, motifs, characters and creatures voyage through space and time to materialize in the present and future. Roman bronze runners and a Boccioni statue decorate the runway. The mythology of antiquity and Futuristic influences heavily inform the designs. Blazy’s parade is a place of joy, entertainment and endless possibilities – a place of priests and playboys, sleepwalkers and streetwalkers. Craft is reconfigured as innovation: cuts, fabrics and proportions take center stage. Shaved leather appears weightless, intricate silk hand embroideries are recreated and rearranged, cascading scales and ostrich-feathers decorate leather pieces and a fringed coat was woven in one piece rather than embroidered. Tailoring divides the figure: wide shoulders and pinched waists become a trend, while cuffs and collar create dimension. Transformed through cut, fantastic and chimerical creatures emerge as skirts allude to a mermaid’s fishtail. Representing a sheer variety of occasions across the 81 looks, Bottega Veneta’s all-inclusive collection has something for everyone.

www.bottegaveneta.com 

Fashion

PFW - RICK OWNENS FW23 - Goth Goddesses

The Egyptian city of Luxor granted Rick Owens a creative stimulus for its FW23 women’s collection. This eye-catching and evocative ready-to-wear-line draws on the monumentalism, mystery and exoticism that permeates throughout the breathtaking ancient ruins, pyramids and deities of the city. Taking place at the Palais de Tokyo, the show encapsulates the spirit of goth goddesses and punk pharaohs as fog machines lead the way for models to start walking down the runway. Black stripes cover faces and black lenses cover eyes. Muted tones of lime green, art deco pink and bordeaux catch our attention in contrast to the predominant use of black. The human figure is almost unrecognizable: sleeves are prolonged down to the leg and voluminously inflated garments covered in matte black and pink sequins encircle the body. Ribbed knits made from GRS-certified recycled cashmere and indigo denim from Japan, which had been treated with mineral was and shredded by lasers produce amusing outcomes. Coats appear to be decomposing. Skirts, on one side, show the hip bone, while, on the other side, cloth trails behind them – conveying the impression of a mummy. Armor-like features are apparent in platform boots that rise over the knee and flowy capes. Sculpturesque jackets appear as if something was about to break free from their protruding shoulders. The designs sway from fantasy to reality, protection to vulnerability, to reveal an aesthetic yet realistic approach that recognizes both the beauty and harshness of the world. This is an all-around Rick Owens spectacle.

www.rickowens.com

Art

Traveling Affairs

This winter, NOMAD – a one-of-a-kind art and collectible design fair – begins an exhilarating journey with a multifaceted curatorial project, Artists in Flux, powered by Gucci. In accordance with NOMAD’s ambition to devise a unique platform where art, design and architecture can dialogue world-wide, this project explores travel culture through ideas of mobility and encounter.

Three internationally praised artists traveled with their Gucci luggage to hotel Grace la Margna in St. Moritz, where they presented their work from February 23rd - February 26th 2023 for the project’s first chapter. Concentrating on their artistic experiences and approaches, they also participated in a round table conversation organized by Monocle radio. The works of American artist Lola Montes Schnabel and Swiss artist Yves Scherer were displayed in parallel in the exhibitions organized by Nilafur and Golsa, while Nepalese artist Tsherin Sherpa collaborated with Mt. Refuge, a design studio at the front of Himalayan heritage. Schnabel’s recent work centers on tile paintings made from volcanic ash and clay from Mountain Etna in Sicily. Fluid lines and limpid forms allow her work to sway between figuration and abstraction. Scherer creates enveloping environments – narratives combined with fanfic and celebrity culture offer a romantic lens that transforms the viewer’s perception of the self, relationships and the everyday. Sherpa reconceives and reappropriates identities, symbols, colors and gestures in order to transcend their chronological and cultural limitations. His work is a scene of tension and continuous negotiation between tradition/modernity, sacred/secular and settlement/movement.

The collaboration’s resulting material will be available on NOMAD and Gucci networks.

www.nomad-circle.com
www.gucci.com

Fashion

Giorgio Armani’s 10 Corso Como Collection

A deep exploration of one element synthesized by established details- Giorgio Armani’s 10 Corso Como Collection renovates the essence of the old west through slim and androgynous silhouettes. This second collaboration with 10 Corso Como showcases the “new Giorgio Armani” - pushing the limits of the possibility that coherence provides.

The entire collection is made of denim - the elusive intimacy that the intense blue of the unwashed denim tailored into thin, elongated forms and coupled with cognac-colored elements transforms the garments into an avante-garde expression of passion and persistence. The brand’s dedication to coherence is admirable - an established loyalty to the coarseness of denim opens the door for elegant details such as subtly formidable boots or belts to shine. A relationship between traditionally masculine and feminine tailoring allows the brand to play with harsh lines, denim ties, and structured garments to accentuate the feminine confidence and sexuality of the models.

The experience that Giorgio Armani curated includes Flavio Favelli’s Mobilia Essay- a 20-square-meter installation that entails luminous hangers and grand armchairs upholstered in rubber. Differing armchairs will be exhibited in Giorgio Armani’s boutique stores around the world. The 10 Corso Como Collection is an avante-garde praise of denim as a lucrative medium of creative expression.

www.armani.com

Fashion

MFW - Genetics: the legacy of house Gucci - FW23

Taking on the concept of genetics, Gucci highlights its intention to foreground the house’s legacy for its women’s FW23 collection. Describing itself as an “ecosystem of designers and artisans whose shared understanding of the house has passed down and evolved from creative to creative for over a century”, Gucci evokes a dialogue between past, present and future to honor the contribution of the visionaries that propelled the house and paved its future. In line with this vision, the house of Gucci is the focal point throughout the show: from cast and sound to scene and collection. In the Gucci Hub, elevators move the collection from building to runway – mirroring the creative process that traces its starting point, the archives, all the way to its final destination, the runway. A nostalgic attitude pervades the silhouettes, drawing on Gucci’s early 1990s and 2000s erotic form language and the 2010s energetic color palette. Voluminous shoulders and dropped necklines outline oversized wool or leather suits. Evening wear, such as the drop-waist skirt of a double-duchesse bustier dress, takes on the shape of a heart – a Gucci symbol. Colored visor sunglasses, which allude to a classic Gucci flacon, convert vision through Rush-tinted glasses. In honor of an iconic archival piece, the Jackie bag is softened in its composition and adapted in two-tone colors while keeping its original shape. The veneration of the old and a devotion to the new pays tribute to the creative culture and community found at the heart of Gucci’s legacy.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Fendi Women’s FW23

For Fendi’s womenswear FW23 collection, Kim Jones takes Delfina Delettrez Fendi as an inspirational starting point. Drawing on her instinctively chic and pervasive form of individual expression through her Fendi archive wardrobe, this Creative Director presents a collection marked by a nonchalance illusion and a lens of subtle subversion that explores classicism and elegance, and entertains with binary constructions. An admiration for DIY and a critical attention to deconstruction elevated the designs into luxurious pieces, capable of being worn in all manner of ways. Feminine sophistication is disrupted through the interpolation of gender stereotypes: masculine tailoring and fabrics are deviated from their traditional purpose to now compose feminine forms. A touch of sensual femininity is visible in intimate apparel occasionally peeking through, thigh-high lace-up boots and layered lace. A perfected and more chic punk style is apparent throughout the collection along with influences from Karl Lagerfeld’s 1981 sketches. Knitwear is cleanly slashed or carefully wrapped, ribbed knitted pieces are left unbuttoned or worn asymmetrically. Glances into the history and innate features of house Fendi are omnipresent. Jones draws on graphic motifs from the FW 1996 Fendi archives. The brand’s multipurpose sensibility is shown with Silvia Venturini Fendi’s introduction of the Fendi Origami. By design, this new handbag is two things in one – it transforms between two distinctive silhouettes. Silvia’s daughter, Delfina, shows off Fendi’s appreciation for duality with her jewelry designs – directly in line with the collection’s essence. Fendi’s ability to transform complexity into simplicity, purity and sophistication hints at the collection’s success.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

An Ode to Connectedness

On February 22nd of 2023, Tiffany & Co. hosted an exclusive dinner party in Berlin with the newly appointed ambassadors of the house, Ruby O. Fee and Matthias Schweighöfer, to celebrate the LOCK collection. Staying true to the brand’s desire to prioritize diversity and inclusion as well as positively impact the communities with which it works, this unisex collection follows the motto: “No rules. All are welcome.” The iconic jewelry pieces point to the power and importance of personal connections in our close environment, as they constitute who we are as individuals. LOCK resonates with Berlin, a diverse and busy city characterized by sharp contrasts, and a united metropolis where creativity and art flourish in ever new forms. Who better than one of Germany’s power couples to represent this collection? The event transpired during the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where many friends of the house and beloved couple – including figures from the film, music and art industries – walked the carpet wearing Tiffany & Co.’s designs. Matthias combined a dark blue velvet suit with the Tiffany Lock Pendant in rose and white gold with diamonds and displayed various Tiffany Lock Bangle styles along with his girlfriend Ruby. The event commenced with an exclusive dinner at the iconic Schinkel Pavillon. Soon after, Anna Liset of Women of Style entertained the attendees – among which we find Yusra Mardini, Lea van Acken, Riccardo Simonetti and Jerry Hoffmann – with a DJ performance. Honoring the collection, the event embodied the celebration of friendship and of Tiffany’s innovative designs.

www.tiffany.com

Fashion

TUDOR becomes official Timekeeper of the Giro d'Italia

The world of competitive sports today has become more competitive than ever before. Through research, developments and optimization of training methods, the athletes’ performances are brought to a peak. Races are no longer decided by seconds, sometimes it’s merely fractions of a second which decide about winning or losing. The world of pro cycling is by no means an exception. One of the biggest happenings in the yearly cycling calendar is the Giro d’Italia which is considered to be one of the most prestigious and gruelling races in the world. In its 106th edition this year, riders from all across the world are once again chasing the maglia rosa, the Pink Jersey, handed to the overall winner of the tour. For the first time, TUDOR will now be the official timekeepers of the Giro d’Italia. But the Swiss watchmaker will not only be the timekeeper of the Giro d’Italia, but for all the RCS races which include classics such as Milan-San Remo or Il Lombardia. TUDOR and pro cycling have longstanding ties, as both are connected through the shared values of courage and team spirit as well as a constant striving for perfection. This is also embodied by the TUDOR Pro Cycling Team competing in races and tours all across the world. The Giro d’Italia will take place between May 6th, 2023 and May 28, 2023.

www.tudorwatch.com

Fashion

Rebirth of an Icon: The Lady 95.22

Building upon an immensely rich history, there is a special aura surrounding a Maison like Dior. Not only did the ateliers perfect their craft throughout the decades, but some of the leading creative minds of their respective eras were able to leave their imprint on the Maison, resulting in an archive which becomes a perpetual source of inspiration and an embodiment of the Maison’s DNA shaped over time. To honor this DNA, this unique heritage, Dior has now revisited one of its iconic bags, the Lady Dior, giving it a modern makeover and hence bridging the past and present. First introduced in 1995 and revived in 2022, both moments in time are reflected in the bag’s new name, The Lady 95.22. First introduced at the DIOR FW22/23 ready-to-wear show, the new icon is defined by its ultra-contemporary silhouette, with its architectural shape being enhanced by the emblematic macrocannage in combination with the new graphic maxicannage pattern. After this first unveiling on the runway, Chinese actress and Dior ambassador Dilraba Dilmurat is now shot with the iconic black leather bag. The resulting imagery isn't solely a prefect metamorphosis between the wearer and her bag, but an expression of the pure essence of Dior style, audacious yet elegant, an eternal source of inspiration and self-affirmation.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Instilling Womens' confidence

Since the beginning, women stood at the core of the Tory Burch empire, named after its founder. Tory Burch recognised a gap in the market, the overlooked, yet successful women seeking affordable quality with the timelessness of good taste. From the very beginning, her pieces resonated with these mid-career women who helped transform the brand into what it is today. The newest collection remains in line with the brand’s underlying philosophy and is a celebration of the strength of women, the power of femininity, motherhood and family. According to Tory herself the collection’s purpose is to empower women and to instil confidence. To put it in her own words, ‘Women don’t want to feel restricted, and they aren’t interested in rules. They want to dress for themselves and express their individuality.’ This is perfectly captured in the seasonal imagery starring Emily Ratajkowski and her son alongside Vittoria Ceretti and Ugbad Abdi set in the expansive, sun-drenched horizons of the Hollywood Hills. Styled by Brian Molloy and photographed by Jamie Hawkesworth. Throughout the captivating imagery, the three muses wear a selection of looks off the runway, showcasing the range and diversity within the collection. They also highlight the new standout accessories of the season, such as shoes, eyewear and watches, as well as the newest iterations of signature Tory Burch handbags.

The Spring 2023 collection is available in Tory Burch stores and selected retailers as well as online.

www.toryburch.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

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

The Passage of Time

The changing of the seasons, the passing of time. The cycle of life moves through the motions – like a river; always moving, never still. Stillness in movement, in change. The passage of time, of life and death, of renewal and mutability, have been themes that have absorbed artists and philosophers alike for centuries. Such was the inspiration behind Kim Jones’ latest collection for DIOR Men Winter 2023-2024.

In a release to the press, DIOR explains the river as a symbol of inspiration to the designer; ever-changing, a parallel to the constant flow of movement that is fashion. Jones has often been praised for his unique ability to pay tribute to the history of the iconic Maison whilst bringing in novel elements such as streetwear, striking a careful balance between the codes of the past and the ways of the present and future.

In this collection, Jones especially pays tribute to one of his predecessors, Yves Saint Laurent, who was the immediate and chosen successor to the father of the Maison, Christian Dior. The Spring/Summer Collection of 1958 is mainly drawn upon for inspiration, yet Jones brings in elements of himself and the time in which he lives to provide freshness and relevance. Mixing male and female elements, as well as a sense of modernity in the ease and practicality of the garments, Jones abides faithfully by the Maison’s mission to reinvent its codes in ways that fit to the lifestyle and agency of the modern wearer. HZ

www.dior.com

Fashion

Missonism

Missoni, the Italian family-owned fashion brand, boasts an over 60-year history of producing apparel that has become recognizable the world over. Known partly for its colorful zigzag patterns, partly for its cheeky sheer designs, and partly for a honed craftsmanship in high-quality knits, the brand grew from a small-town shop owned and run by the married couple, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, to an international mega-brand.

Abiding by the qualities that propelled it to its world-famous status, the latest Missoni Men’s FW23 collection is a true exercise in ‘Missonism’ (as the brand calls it), intersecting shapes, patterns, colors, and ease of wear. Above all, the collection seeks to be transversal: to be worn in multiple different contexts. This is epitomized in the cardigan – a staple in the Missoni catalog – universally wearable, a quality that extends over the entire collection, in the form of windbreakers, coats and shirt-jackets. Loose silhouettes, designed to free the body and the wearer, are emboldened in the classic Missoni manner – through colorful patterning and creative textures. Effortless, cool, fun, comfortable: this is Missoni in its truest form.

www.missoni.com

Fashion

PRADA FW23 Menswear Collection

The Deposito of the Fondazione Prada is a sobering space, once the site of a gin distillery within a former industrial complex on the southern edge of Milan. Here, set against a cold stone scenery and towering columns, was where Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons presented their newest collection. The location is usually a site for art exhibitions, however doubled as a runway space in Prada’s most recent show for its Men’s FW23 collection. The barren background of the scene fit well to the concept of the new line: a crosscut between modernism – reductionist and sparing in its design – and comfort, bringing baggy and exaggerated silhouettes to an otherwise subtle and minimalist design style.
The “LET’S TALK ABOUT CLOTHES” collection is a testament to both designers’ personal tastes – Miuccia Prada’s penchant for subtle luxury meeting Raf Simons’ darker flair. Their past collaborations have similarly been marked by elements of futurism and modernism. The skeleton of this collection was a look to archetypal masculine silhouettes, rethought with notes of reductionism and comfort. Muted tones and colors added to this effect. The collection continuously reflected a sound awareness of contemporary styles and trends, with items such as the bomber jacket and the tote bag revisited and reformed in the codes of the Maison. HZ

www.prada.com

Fashion

Lady 95.22

The Dior Lady 95.22 is revisiting the iconic Lady bag, first released by the Maison of Dior in 1995; its name a reflection of its decade-long history. As the new replaces the old, the Lady 95.22 reinvents the original Lady with new lines and silhouettes. Its rounded silhouette and bold black design makes it a statement piece that nonetheless blends seamlessly into any outfit. Like its predecessor, the Lady 95.22 retains its signature pattern and textures in the form of the maxicannage pattern, an instant identifier. The two handles are dressed in leather and metal and embellished with Dior lucky charms. Leading the charge of the new Dior staple are three industry-leading women. World-renowned author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is by now widely regarded as one of the most influential novelists and public speakers of this generation. For her work she has been distinguished with a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Book Critics Circle Award, and perhaps most importantly, the faithful following of a generation of young readers. Appearing next to Adichie in the current campaign are Anya-Taylor Joy, the award-winning young actress who found international recognition especially through her role as a chess grandmaster in the hit show ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, and Beatrice Borromeo, long-time Dior ambassador and political journalist. With such an impressive roster of representatives, the new Lady 95.22 embodies a pluralistic vision of femininity, painting a picture of grace, empowerment and style. HZ

www.dior.com

Fashion

Jackie, meet Dakota

A mainstay within Gucci, the Jackie handbag has been a popular favorite since its inception in 1961 among celebrities and civilians alike. Named after one of its biggest subscribers, Jackie Kennedy herself (archives within Gucci show the first lady clutching the bag on many, many occasions), the bag has since found its way onto the arms of many familiar faces over the years.

Most recently, actress Dakota Johnson has joined its ranks. The Jackie 1961 campaign is shot like a series of paparazzi portraits of the young actress moving through her daily life in L.A. This videographic style is not new to the Jackie bag’s legacy in the media. In fact, it is said that its renaming (priorly named the Fifties Constance) came about upon the Gucci family seeing a paparazzi shot of Jackie Kennedy with the bag.

Each outing in the campaign is paired with a different model of the inherently versatile Jackie bag, each version emblematic of a certain time and style. The bag maintains its characteristic silhouette in each iteration, with variations on everything from color to texture to patterning, lending the bag its adaptable personality. As far as designer ‘It’ bags go, the Gucci Jackie bag is unique in its long held position as a timeless favorite. HZ

www.gucci.com

Fashion

The Year of the Rabbit 2023

January 22nd, 2023 marks the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit in the lunar calendar. Traditionally, the sign of the Rabbit is associated with longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. Starring Chinese actors such as Qi Xi and Shi Pengyuan, as well as athlete Zhao Lina, Burberry has unveiled a new campaign to celebrate the Year of the Water Rabbit 2023. The capsule collection features well-known, traditional Burberry motifs redesigned with playful elements to celebrate the Rabbit, such as the Thomas Burberry monogram with rabbit ears. These iterations abound throughout the collection on womenswear, menswear and childrenswear, leaping off the paper onto clothes, and from bags to silk scarves and other accessories. The campaign video (aptly named “Take A Leap”) is directed by Zika Liu and Sky, and shows each individual on a journey through open spaces, finding inspiration and energy from their surroundings. Burberry encourages the viewer to use the new year to a similar end, with the message “Dream Further. Take a Leap.” HZ

www.burberry.com

Fashion

radio.cubo 50°

Brionvega is a name that is synonymous with quality engineering and elegant design. Masters of such cult-design objects as the radiocubo or the radiofonografo, the Italian design house has recently shifted its focus toward revisiting and reinventing these timeless bestsellers. In time for Milan Design Week, the brand is unveiling the remake of the legendary radio.cubo TS502 designed by Richard Sapper and Marko Zanuso in the early 1960s.

The two designers, the German Sapper and the Italian Zanuso, were two true pioneers in the world of industrial and technological design. A masterpiece of the ‘Made in Italy’ label, the radio.cubo stands out as “the radio that changed the radio.” In its time, the radio.cubo was a fresh and fun take on a heretofore rather dull piece of technology. Since the 1960s it has become an icon of this design period, being exhibited in major museums such as various branches of the MoMa.

Like a cube sliced through the middle, the radio unfolds into two shells. Light, portable and playful, the radio.cubo was a rebel to the old-fashioned static radios that prioritized function over style. Now, Brionvega revisits the design icon of the 1960s with the radio.cubo 50°, with the latest generation Bluetooth technologies, in high definition, allowing you to stream your playlists directly. It is available in Orange and Yellow Sun, White Snow, Black Night and Red. As part of the rebirth of the radio.cubo, Brionvega also unveils a collaboration with Supreme, emblazoning the famous cube with Supreme’s iconic logo and red and white colors. HZ

www.brionvega.it

Fashion

Andiamo, Bottega Veneta!

"Andiamo!" The cry is familiar to anyone that has spent a bit of time in Bella Italia. "Let’s go!" "Come on!" An appeal, a cheer, a mobilization, the four-syllable word is wrought with energy; less spoken than it is sung, like all Italian.

Born in 1966 in Vicenza, Italy, to parents Michele Taddei and Renzo Zengiaro, the brand Bottega Veneta has since its inception retained a sharp focus on artisanal design and craftsmanship, focusing on the production of beautiful high-quality leather goods. 2001 marked a turn in the tide following a more unsuccessful chapter in the company’s history, with the acquisition by the Gucci Group and the crowning of new Creative Director Tomas Maier. Maier codified the essence of the brand as we know it today: refined and elegant, discreet yet recognizable. For Maier, a German Creative Director in a deeply Italian fashion house, sophisticated designs trumped the trends that were taking other major labels by storm in those days.  

Since the beginning, Bottega Veneta has abided by a ‘non-branded philosophy’, refusing to take part in the logo craze that swept over the fashion industry in the 1990s and 2000s. Rather, the company focuses on artful design and leather craftsmanship, such as the brand’s famed “Intrecciato weave”. Today, Creative Director Matthieu Blazy has been commended for his ability to respect and evolve the codes of the house with a focus on strong tailoring and bold accessories.

The Andiamo Bag, designed by Matthieu Blazy for the Bottega Veneta Summer 23 Collection, is a strong example of the brand’s DNA. Wearable by all genders, the bag comes in three sizes and several colors and features the classic Intrecciato design, and an intricate golden knot detail on the woven straps. HZ

www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion

Hublot's Carbon Rainbow

Aided by the newest innovations in digital and watch technology, Hublot is able to push to the borders of creativity and innovation. This is shown most recently in the newest and most colorful product on the market: the Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5-Day Power Reserve in Rainbow 3D Carbon. It is the splashy sequel to the original MP-09 Model, released in 2017, but upgraded to be encased by a rainbow-themed 3D carbon case. The technology underlying the MP-09 is no less astonishing than its saturated exterior – the carbon case is assembled by threading countless thin bars of carbon into a woven pattern. It is milimeter work. What meets the eye as a seamless rainbow is more like an optical illusion, when one looks to the actual technology beneath. An impressive piece of craftsmanship, creativity and engineering.

It lies in the very DNA of the brand Hublot to explore uncharted territory in the art and craftsmanship of watchmaking. The “Art of Fusion” is how the brand itself conceptualizes it, a melding together of tradition, craftsmanship and innovation.

The Hublot MP-09 Tourbillon Bi-Axis 5-Day Power Reserve in Rainbow 3D Carbon will be exhibited exclusively at the Hublot Loves Art event in Miami.

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Canadian Winter Meets New York Street Style

“Not for you – for everyone” is a philosophy that lies at the heart of TELFAR, the New York based unisex fashion brand. Telfar Clements is the mastermind behind the brand, a queer Liberian-American designer, who became a success story during a pandemic that wreaked havoc on large swathes of the fashion industry. In the world of high fashion, Telfar has made a lasting impression with his emphasis on inclusivity and diversity. The relative accessibility of prices distinguishes the brand from large segments of the fashion industry, which explains in part its far-reaching popularity. Its cult-favorite, the TELFAR shopping bag, became somewhat of an “It bag”, coveted for its sleek design and rather egalitarian accessibility. Telfar applies himself to the subversion of traditional fashion expectations, from classism to gender binaries and beyond.

Moose Knuckles, Canadian luxury outerwear brand, has made a name for itself as an industry leader in producing high-quality, resilient garments. A 24-piece ready-to-wear collection marks the second collaboration between the two brands, “where Canadian technical innovation merges with unapologetic New York style designed for all.” The collection includes the classic weather-resistant Bomber jacket with a matching pair of pants, both trimmed in either fox fur or lamb shearling. Additional pieces all feature TELFAR quilted monogram and embroidery. Building upon the mania surrounding the TELFAR shopping bag, the collaboration also unveils a new shopping bag range. Moose Knuckles will also be engineering and manufacturing the debut TELFAR outerwear collection dropping this fall. HZ

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

LOEWE opens in Amsterdam

The brand LOEWE has found new ground in the Dutch capital. With a new location on the picturesque P.C. Hooftstraat, a shopping district that runs up to the city’s cultural center, Museumsplein (“Museum Square”) and is home to a vast number of high-end retailers. “Artisanal detailing with modern flourish” is the overarching concept of the new flagship’s interior design – featuring vibrant colors and patterns, maple wood shelves and glazed ceramics.

The new store’s modest and carefully selected art collection reveals the brand LOEWE’s commitment to art and craftsmanship. It features works such as American sculptor Ron Nagle’s unmistakeable ceramics and design classics like Jos Devriendt’s “Night & Day 383” lamp. The store also includes one unmissable piece: Tomonari Hashimoto’s “Untitled” (2021), a piece from a series of sculpted works of clay that are repeatedly fired and carbonized to bring out an incredible outer layer of metal oxides, that create the look of a unique rainbow of metal oxides. The piece’s display in the store also comes following Hashimoto being distinguished as a LOEWE Craft Prize finalist in 2019.

The store is an anthology of visual expression, featuring not only sculptures but painted works as well, both contemporary and earlier. The walls are adorned with Cian-Yu Bai’s “Spring with an Angel” (2022) painting, as well as a still life by 17th-century painter Jan van Kessel. Artisanal furniture pieces such as by Gerrit Rietveld and George Nakashima carry on this first-rate collection of pieces.

The Amsterdam store is open as of December, 2022, and is located at LOEWE P.C. Hooftstraat, Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat 97, 1071 BR Amsterdam. HZ

www.loewe.com

Fashion

Walking through a dream

Beginning December 12th, 2022, Louis Vuitton invites guests to LV DREAM, an expansive exhibition within the building of the former La Belle Jardinière department store. The exhibition is a look back at the Maison’s partnerships and creative exchanges throughout the years. Historic and contemporary pieces offer an immersive journey through the brand’s creative past, a temporal display of artistic undertakings. The exhibition is interactive as much as it is visual: a room dedicated to Rei Kawakubo, artistic director of Comme des Garçons, plays with scales and encourages visitors to step into the bag, like an Alice-in-Wonderland-type alternate reality.

Nine rooms make up the LV DREAM-scape. Diverse takes by various artists in the room Louis Vuitton: As Seen By offers multiple unique artistic perspectives on the brand. Chinese painter Yan Pei Ming, American tattoo artist Mister Cartoon, American artist Alex Katz and Turkish-American new media artist Refik Anadol, are just a few impressive names on LV DREAM’s roster of credits. The artistic collaboration continues in the Origins room, which features Kenta Cobayashi’s characteristically vivid photography as a backdrop to iconic Louis Vuitton designs. The Leather Goods in Fashion part of the installation dedicates itself to the work of two important artists in Louis Vuitton’s history – Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama – who were responsible for remixing the brand’s identity with youthful Pop Art playfulness. The room Art Meets Fashion throws the spotlight on collaborations throughout the years between artists and Artistic Directors at Louis Vuitton, such as Daniel Buren and Marc Jacobs, Christopher Nemeth and Kim Jones or Atelier Fornasetti and Nicholas Ghesquiere.

As the cherry on top, Louis Vuitton hosts Chef Pâtissier Maxime Frédéric in its dedicated café and chocolate shop (la chocolaterie). A mutual love of craftsmanship and the finer things especially forms the heart of this partnership. HZ

The LV DREAM exhibition is open from December 12th, 2022 at 2 rue du Pont Neuf in Paris, Monday to Sunday from 11am to 8pm.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

FENDI for the Home

Luxury houses like FENDI don’t solely make clothes for their customers, they provide them with a complete vision, a specific lifestyle that extends beyond the confines of their body into other facets of their lives. Especially FENDI has always shown great awareness for this, having been the first luxury house to launch a home collection. In this spirit, FENDI is delighted to announce that its FENDI casa world, through which the Roman house has been bringing the unique FENDI vision into our homes, is now expanded with the first Home Décor & Lifestyle Accessories Collection. Created under the creative direction of Silvia Venturini Fendi, this new collection picks up on the FENDI codes, mirroring the house’s aesthetics not only in terms of color, as for examples the iconic FENDI yellow, or in terms of logos such as the O’Lock, FENDI Roma and Pequin, but also in terms of the Maison’s known commitment to excellence and the highest craftsmanship. The O’Lock and the FENDI Roma act as fil rouge throughout the collection having been reshaped into decorative patterns that adorn porcelain sets, boxes, trays, candle holders in a graphic reinterpretation of the Maison’s DNA. As to be expected, each piece is crafted only from the finest materials and with an incredible attention to detail, with each piece honoring the Maison and its codes.

The FENDI Home Décor & Lifestyle Accessories Collection will be available in FENDI and in FENDI Casa Boutiques worldwide, as well as online, starting from December 2022.

www.fendi.com

Art

Come Stai?

Gaetano Pesce, an Italian architect, artist and designer, is regaled as one of the leading design minds of the 20th century. His designs have often been characterized by a witty modern style, bringing vibrant colors to everyday utilitarian objects. His style is fundamentally experimental; using unconventional modes of color, shape, and especially material in his designs. Today, his works are on permanent exhibition in some of the most important art and design museums in the world, such as the MoMa of New York and San Francisco, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Centre Pompidou, and the Musee des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

In September 2021, Bottega Veneta Creative Director Matthieu Blazy commissioned the design mastermind to create a temporary artwork to act as the show space for Bottega Veneta’s Summer 23 fashion show in Milan. Since the mid-1990s, Pesce has been pioneering the use of resin as a design material. Bringing this distinctive technique to the collaboration, Pesce created a saturated space of sprawling resin, including a sculptural resin floor that acted as the runway as well as 4000 resin chairs. Each chair was created to be “alike in material but unique in color and form” – a tribute, according to Pesce, to the uniqueness and originality of human beings.

A book by the name Come Stai? commissioned by Bottega Veneta with Pesce and Blazy explores the ideation, approach and process of the collaboration. A selection of the chairs from Pesce’s Come Stai? Series will be featured in the Bottega Veneta exhibition at Design Miami/ from 30 November – 4 December. A book signing with Gaetano Pesce will take place at the exhibition space on 30 November. HZ

www.miamidesigndistrict.net

Fashion

Goodbyes at Gucci

Alessandro Michele is bidding “Arrivederci” to the House of Gucci. In announcing Michele’s departure, François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering, stated, “I am grateful to Alessandro for bringing so much of himself in this adventure. His passion, his imagination, his ingenuity and his culture put Gucci center stage, where its place is.” Alessandro Michele has certainly left his mark on the House during his tenure. Gucci’s vast successes in recent years have often been attributed to Michele’s visionary character, whose fresh and unorthodox ideas breathed new life into the company. His experimentation with such things as gender-fluid styles, digital exploration, and environmental conservation brought Gucci back into the focus of younger audiences. Creative collaborations with the likes of Harry Styles, Måneskin, and Jared Leto furthered this cause. His inauguration as Creative Director back in 2015 followed on from predecessor Frida Giannini’s reign, one which painted a rather rigid image of Gucci: exclusive, sophisticated, jet-setter lifestyle – a few words often used in association with Giannini’s Gucci. Michele’s Gucci, by contrast, favored a looser, romantic, more contemporary approach. His inventiveness spelled reinvention for the House. Gucci has yet to announce the new creative lead, as it bids goodbye to the era of Michele. HZ

www.kering.com

Fashion

Prada's Crypto Christmas

Prada’s newest announcement of its seventh Timecapsule Collection drop marks the latest development in the House’s digital saga. The Timecapsule collection is a futuristic take from an over 100-year-old business. The House of Prada, along with some of its other peers in the industry, has taken a bold step toward expanding its area of function and creative presence into Web3. The Timecampsule NFT collection embodies this progression into the digital realm, as each new monthly drop is linked to both a gender-neutral physical product as well as a gifted NFT. The drop takes place in the form of an online event: on the first Thursday of every month, a limited quantity of the Timecapsule Collection products are made available for 24 hours. Limited-edition Timecapsule items are linked to a unique serial number, and buyers are granted Prada NFTs in the second stage. NFT owners are also offered exclusive benefits and experiences, including invitations to Prada Extends or Prada Mode. The latest installment celebrates the festive season with the revisit to a familiar favorite – the holiday sweater. Made of Merino wool and using a special Norwegian jacquard knitting technique, the sweater forms one half of the Prada package, weaving in knitted traditional festive glory with Aura blockchain technology. HZ

www.prada.com 

Fashion

The sun, the moon and the stars of Berlin

The Italian jewelry maker DoDo recently presented its new Moon & Sun Collection at its grand opening in Berlin. The new collection revolves especially around the use of semi-precious stones like smoky quartz and moonstone. Inspired in large part by the sun and the moon, the new collection weaves in these fundamental elements conceptually and physically throughout the collection. The sun, representing warmth, light, vitality, and passion, is symbolically packaged into jewelry pieces through the use of brown diamond pavé on burnished gold, creating a rose gold background. The moon, representing sensuality, mystery and cyclicality, also takes center stage in the jewelry line. The collection mimics the moon’s waning phase on the rose gold background, as a pavé of white diamonds on rhodium-plated gold. The sun and moon motifs are elegantly embodied in the rings of rose gold. The bracelets bring together moonstone or smoky quartz beads between small tubular sections of rose gold. Moon pendants of white diamond and sun pendants made up of brown diamonds bring the cosmic motif to the foreground again.

An impressive roster of guests filled the halls of the brand’s new boutique at 32 Rosenthaler Strasse at Hackescher Markt, the famous square in the middle of the illustrious Mitte district in Berlin, to celebrate the launching of the new collection. The festivities at the boutique were followed by an afterparty at the Weekend Club Berlin. “A sky over Berlin studded with gems and diamonds” served to complete the image, reflecting back the light from the beautiful jewelry on display below. HZ

www.dodo.it

Fashion

THE POWER A SMILE HOLDS

For over 50 years, the SmileyWorld brand has been gatekeeper to the iconic smiley – a simple yellow circle holding no more than two dots for the eyes and an arc for the mouth, which has nonetheless become a symbol of positivity and light to generations since. What began as a venture to bring light to daily news by highlighting positive news bits with a smiling face, has since become a thriving business model. Having the foresight to license the trademark, the father of the smiley, French journalist Franklin Loufrani, has created something of a smiley empire. As a symbol of the free love/counterculture movement in France in the early 70s, and later on a ubiquitous staple with the rise of the internet, the smiling yellow face has stood the test of time. In its FW22/23 collection, A|X Armani Exchange is now breathing fresh life into the long journey of the famous smile, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the SmileyWorld brand. Two new designs are at the forefront of the collection, giving a new face to the familiar logo – the first replacing SmileyWorld’s eyes with the A|X logo, the other paying homage to founder Giorgio Armani by distinguishing it with his recognizable glasses and smile. These are applied across the collection; on bombers, t-shirts, backpacks, and more. True to form, the famous smiley radiates positivity, and reflects its characteristic rebelliousness across the entire collection. HZ

www.armani.com

Travel

Abadia Retuerta Hotel: Experiences in a historic Setting

Excellent Wine, Spanish sun and Spa experiences in a historic setting Abadìa Retuerta welcomes its guest in a former monastery from the 12th century

In the heart of Spain, two hours north of Madrid, the lavender still smells in autumn, a hawk soars and the sun has enough warmth for you to enjoy the pool. Around Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine – a 5* hotel and winery – gentle hills rise with vines, olive trees and pines. The history of this special hotel is present everywhere, it makes you slow down, pause, relax: Located in a 12th century monastery the Santa María de Retuerta Abbey was founded by monks in 1146 and was later declared a Site of Cultural Interest by UNESCO in 1931. Much can be discovered in the old walls that protect you from the Spanish sun: an exclusive wine bar is hidden behind a door, and the oldest part of the property, the chapel, extends behind the cloister, where unique works of art find their ideal setting. Art – be it works from the Renaissance and Baroque – can be found throughout the luxury hotel, on the large historic walls of the corridors and restaurants as well as in the rooms and suites. And it is wondrous, the halls and gardens are so spacious that one feels like a single guest on the property, only at breakfast, dinner or at the fireplace in the evening other guests are suddenly around, enriching the pleasant atmosphere. Two Michelin stars have been awarded to the upscale gastronomy at the Refectorio restaurant under the direction of chef Marc Segarra, including a Green Star for the sustainable cuisine. In the impressive historic rooms, the former dining hall of the monks, local and seasonal products are served under the imposing vaulted ceiling alongside fresh vegetables from the restaurant's own organic garden. Visible from all windows in all directions is the essence that is the soul of Abadìa Retuerta: the more than 700 hectares of land where delicious grapes thrive and are treated by the Spanish sun. On the huge Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine vineyard, which extends in the valley of the Douro River, where the earth is particularly aromatic, various vines grow, awarded the "Winery for Climate Protection" seal. A guided tour of the wine cellar and the wine production facilities is recommended, and of course includes a tasting of the wonderful wines. Those who prefer spa and wellness will love the Abadìa Retuerta. Either enjoy the sun by the spacious outdoor pool or head to the underground spa, which is like an oasis of calm. A spa sommelier combines the healing properties of aromatherapy with wine and oils in the treatments. Whether in the spa, during dining, in the chapel or on a walk in the vineyards - the hotel is a place of deceleration, of retreat, of finding oneself. Just as the monks in the monastery celebrated already centuries ago. BK

www.abadia-retuerta.com

Art

TC Stool by Kokke House: Revamping a Classic

Ruud-Jan Kokke is a Dutch designer working in line with the tradition of Gerrit Rietveld, who rose to fame in the mid-80s due to his inventive objects and furniture pieces. He might be best known for his TC Stool, which was awarded several prizes and has also been included in the permanent collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, as well as the MoMa in New York. The story behind this iconic piece is simple. Gallery Owner and museum guide Trees Coenders approached Kokke in 1989 with a request to create a chair that was suitable for museum tours. Up until then, they had used folding chairs, which were not only relatively heavy but which also proved to be quite impractical due to their angular shape. The new chair needed to be light, practical and easily movable during the museum tours. Kokke immediately caught on to the question and began the work which led to one of his most famous creations the TC Stool. The design is simple and pure yet well-thought-out, a defining characteristic of Kokke’s work. He is not distracted by fuss but aims to create a balance of form and use, drawing upon his extensive knowledge of materials and techniques. The chosen material for the TC Stool was aircraft plywood which is very strong, yet flexible. Kokke, a pioneer working with this material, bent the material into a cone shape and milled a handle into the seat. But this first prototype was initially rejected, as according to the client it looked too massive. To give it a light appearance, he added horizontal slots in the hull, resulting in the playful and light-footed design we came to know today. The TC Stool became an immediate success. 32 years later, the TC Stool is now making its return onto the market. Kokke House, an initiative by Romy Kokke and her husband Daniel Beasley, is now bringing back the iconic design of Ruud-Jan Kokke. Starting with the TC Stool, they will also bring back other designs in limited editions collaborating with artists such as Klaas Gubbels and Petra Hartman. With Kokke House being a family business, it will now bring back the spotlight to this highly acclaimed piece of Dutch design history.

www.kokkehouse.com

Fashion

Rolex Boutique Berlin

Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm belongs to the country’s most famous streets, and has become the German capital’s premier address for luxury. After extensive renovations and remodeling, Swiss watch manufacturer Rolex and Wempe are re-opening their joint-boutique in the historic building situated at Kurfürstendamm 184. Having initially been opened as the first Rolex Boutique in Germany back in 2009, the boutique’s new interior is an embodiment of the famed Rolex aesthetic and all the values of excellence, precision and love for detail for which they have become known over the years. Carefully selected colors and patterns radiate an ambience of comfort whilst providing an insight into the world of Rolex. The focal point of the new store are the impressive oval sales tables crafted in walnutwood with golden paneling, exclusively designed to showcase the Rolex selection in the store as well as an intimate VIP area and lounge. The partnership between Rolex and Wempe dates back as early as the 1950s, when the first Rolex watches were sold by Wempe in Germany and has continued throughout the decades. As Rémi Corpataux, Managing Director of Rolex Germany puts it, “We are happy to, in collaboration with our longstanding partner Jeweler Wempe, reopen our Berlin Boutique after extensive renovation and remodeling.”

www.rolex.com

Fashion

Fendi releases Peekaboo Capsule Collection

Reimagining the legendary leather accessory, FENDI is releasing the new Autumn/Winter 2022 Peekaboo Capsule collection.
The Peekaboo is one of FENDI’s timeless icons which now comes out in a reinterpreted version underlining its innovative and sophisticated character. It first started as an essential bag for women but was soon able to convince men as well, thanks to practical macro sizes and briefcase-like shapes.
The capsule also points out FENDI’s excellent leather craftsmanship by incorporating the Selleria macro stitches, which create a contrasting effect on the black, white and mint green leather. Exotic and ornamental handles round off the design. Another version is fabricated in full suede and stands out due to its elegant camel color. A matching Micro Peekaboo as well as python small leather goods offer exciting touches.
The Men’s version come in asphalt and camel colored Cuoio Romano leather with adjustable shoulder straps. Honoring the model in various sizes, the capsule features FENDI Peekaboo ISeeU Medium, Small and Mini.
Additionally, FENDI also releases a selection of knitted cashmere accessories in pastel tones of gray, mint green and beige. Included are hats, scarves and earmuffs, defined by an all-over FF logo. Cashmere maxi shopper, pouches as well as plaids and pillows add the finishing touches. JW
www.fendi.com

Fashion

Dion Lee launches Dion Lee Code

Dion Lee introduces Dion Lee Code as it launches the Façade Digital NFT collection in collaboration with MA+CREATIVE. As the official launch into web 3, the collection is dropping today, including five digital garments and two full looks. The looks are distinguished by a semi-sheer lace as lace serves as a window into the character’s identities. Beyond that, the first look consists of a silicone wave lace frock coat, contour corset, and, contour lace trousers, while the second look features a visceral lace hooded tank and blueprint denim.
The designs stem from Dion himself while the universal format in 3D files was created by the NFT artist Sam Walker. Entitled Façade, the collection investigates, how far we use constructed identities to build up a facade. The designer thus enters another dimension, where we can choose our characteristics, no matter the societal circumstances and external controls. Sevdaliza’s track System was chosen to accompany the collection as it was inspired by Sevda’s experience as a woman in the music industry who does not identify in any way with industry standards.
Dion Lee has announced, to donate part of the proceeds to the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistant Project, which offers comprehensive support for women to have a safe, legal abortion or emergency contraceptives. JW

www.dionlee.com

Fashion

HUGO launches NFT collection

HUGO is taking a big step toward the future by launching its first-ever NFT collection in collaboration with the renowned Web 3.0 company, Imaginary Ones. The exclusive collection consists of 1001 3D animations, entitled Embrace Your Emotions (EYE). In this respect, the collection revolves around emotional freedom as it encourages everyone to stand by their feelings in order to take care of one’s mental health. Six characters of the 1001 NFTs will stand out by containing special attributes. Five of them represent one of our everyday emotions, including joy, sadness, fear, anger, and love, which are all brought together in the sixth character. This special character will be auctioned and the proceeds will be fully donated to the evidence-based mental health program Youth Aware of Mental Health. Thus, it continues to educate young people on mental health and invites them to explore this brought and complex topic. An allowlist of 1000 spots will provide access to the collection, and enable purchase to those who purchase the exclusive phygital T-shirt, who hold the Imaginary Ones’ genesis NFT collection, or who take part in its social media activities. The holders of the NFTs will then receive a 10% discount in the HUGO online store and access to Imaginary Ones’ staking ecosystem. The collection “(...) enables us not only to further explore this virtual world, but also to share a message of self-acceptance and being true to yourself (...)” affirms Miah Sullivan, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing & Brand Communications at HUGO BOSS. JW

www.hugo.com

Fashion

My INNER HEALTH Club launches revolutionary streaming service

As humankind becomes more and more health aware while at the same time everyday life becomes more hectic and fast these days, engaging with comprehensive and profound information surrounding the broad topic of mental and physical well-being is more significant than ever. With the aim of reviving and introducing traditional knowledge into daily life, the Berlin-based startup My INNER HEALTH Club was founded.
The young company launched as Europe’s first streaming service in the health sector and offers new original content every week revolving around the diverse and broad aspects of health. The personalized information gathered from world-leading experts can be accessed based on monthly or yearly subscriptions, depicting a revolutionary step in shaping our relationship with health. On the platform, customers can visit multimedia online classes which provide holistic solutions to issues of our modern life, including among other things stress, digestive disorders, or low energy. Taking into consideration that information about health can be abstract and inaccessible, My INNER HEALTH Club unravels complex issues and presents simple and individual approaches to preserving health. Beyond that, the startup introduced the My INNER HEALTH Club Traditional Health Practice Report 2022 in Western Europe as part of the launch. JW

www.myinnerhealthclub.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

Fashion

Dior launches J’adore Parfum d’eau at an exclusive event

Dior recently released J’adore Parfum d’eau as the latest variation of the Maison’s beloved J’adore fragrance. While the elegance and femininity remain, the new version only consists of highly concentrated perfume water, which is not based on alcohol, thus reinforcing the flowery aroma. To celebrate this new experience, Dior organized an exclusive launch party in Berlin. Extravagant as the French Maison itself, the dress code was “A Hint of White and Gold”, which even applied to the Gin drinks, which were topped off with golden flakes.
Among the guests were the offspring of German celebrities, all united by the enthusiasm for the J’adore Parfum d’eau. Leni Klum for instance always carries the exceptional fragrance with her in her purse. Alongside the upcoming model and daughter of Heidi Klum, Talia Graf also attended the event. Resuming her model career after the corona pandemic, the niece of tennis icon Steffi Graf just recently moved to Milan. Another lover of the new Dior perfume is Lilly Krug, the daughter of German actress Veronica Ferres. She is currently working on her acting career in the glamorous city of Los Angeles, determined to make it on her own. Thus, the event gathered a range of young, elegant, and up-and-coming talents, for whom J’adore Parfum d’eau stands. JW

www.dior.com

Fashion

Seeing double at the Gucci SS23 fashion show

During Milan Fashion Week Gucci presented the new Spring/ Summer collection 2023, designed by the Maison’s creative director Alessandro Michele. Titled Twinsburg, this collection pays homage to two extraordinary women of the creative director’s life, his mother and her twin sister. Having experienced their deep connection, secret intimacy, and ancestral alliance while growing up, Michele developed a fascination for the double. He explains: “Every single time I catch an aura of beauty in such specular multiplication. It’s so familiar, so powerful.”
For this reason, 68 pairs of identical twins walked the Gucci runway to present the garments of the new Spring/ Summer collection, yet portraying the impossibility of the perfectly identical. From this, the designer derives the tension of the relationship between original and copy, which determines the collection. It shows how the same garments create different effects on seemingly identical bodies and how fashion after all reinforces the act of individualization. That is, the collection describes twinship as a relationship between identity and otherness. Though sharing a confusable appearance, twins are not limited in their being. Nevertheless, they portray the sense of co-belonging and sisterhood, which is an indispensable part of our every life. JW

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Brunello Cucinelli SS 23 dresses the “female explorer”

With a special focus on high-quality and artisanal workmanship, Brunello Cucinelli created the new Spring Summer 2023 collection which revolves around the idea of a “female explorer”. The collection stands for an elegant, luxurious, and discreet style, reinforced through the beige colors, significant to the brand. Earth tones and delicate pastel tones round off the palette and, in the context of the “explorer”, portray impressions gathered on the journey. Centered on the idea of “fluid tailoring”, the garments were crafted in a versatile and easy-going manner, balancing out the orderly elegance and masculine tailoring. As the core of the brand, knitwear becomes a feminine and contemporary element within the new collection. Textured embroidery and crochet stitches show once again the brand’s high expertise in craftsmanship. A highlight of the collection is the new Twin Wear category which consists of matching sets as a feminine alternative to dresses, jumpsuits, and suits, allowing versatile combinations.
The accessories of the Spring Summer 2023 collection seem contemporary and timeless at the same time. Taking on the neutral colors of the garments, these accessories can be described as minimalistic and pure. Knitting techniques used for the clothes can also be seen on everyday accessories, whose material gets enhanced by special textures, such as nappa leathers with broderie anglaise-style embroidery. JW

www.brunellocucinelli.com

Fashion

Sportmax shows SS23 at Milan Fashion Week

Sportmax presented its new Spring/ Summer 2023 collection at Milan Fashion Week. The collection is based on the relationship between speech sounds and visual shapes and objects. As the human brain attaches shapes to abstract meanings, such as “bouba” and “kiki”, the title of the collection, Sportmax addresses the duality of elements in its own experiment. That is, the brand created a collage of elements, which discover their own balance while removing themselves from any logic. Hence, the collection celebrates dualisms and brazen creativity, disrupting social norms.
With a playful approach, Sportmax constructed a collection around minimal but contrasting looks and hypnotic, luminescent patterns. Techno-couture skirts matched with ultra-cropped tops. Streetwear gets linked to evening wear in a vivid palette of acid tones, pastels, deep colors, and black and white. Not only combine the garments different aesthetics but also different time eras. For instance, A-lines and large flare silhouettes of the 1950s are seen next to futuristic space age styles of the 60s and counterculture looks of the 90s. Regarding the accessories, Sportmax designed pneumatic bags as well as exceptional footwear such as second-skin boots. JW

www.sportmax.com

Fashion

Diesel SS 23 showcases democratic fashion

For its fashion show during Milan Fashion Week Diesel broke a world record. In front of 5000 spectators, the Italian brand presented the world’s largest ever inflatable sculpture, creating a unique and energetic atmosphere for the runway. Glenn Martens, creative director of Diesel explains: “I wanted to open Diesel up to the public, for people who may never have been to a fashion show before. They deserve a spectacle so we’ve broken the record (...).” For this reason, the new collection revolves around democratic fashion as it is titled the Diesel Democracy, characterized by denim, utility, pop, and play.
In the spirit of the brand, Martens experimented a lot with denim. To create denim devoré he weaved denim onto a transparent base, which then was fabricated into the devoré corset. Some of the denim incorporated into the garments has been bonded with a layer of cotton and then acid washed, revealing the denim once more. The collection also includes bonded leather jackets that are cut with raw edges. Alongside many other designs, Diesel also presents a new Eyewear collection in collaboration with Essilor Luxottica. Defined by color edging and metallic temples finishing on a perfect D, the styles complete the collection with a special accent. JW

www.diesel.com

Fashion

Dior presents La D de Dior Black Ultramatte

According to Christian Dior’s Little Dictionary of Fashion, published in 1954, the color black can be worn at any time, at any age, and on any occasion. Correspondingly, Victoire de Castellane, the Artistic Director of Dior Joaillerie, now launches La D de Dior watch in an all-black ensemble. Referring to Christian Dior’s dedication to the color, which is deeply rooted in the French Maison’s history, the watch is mysterious and familiar at the same time. It is simple as well, as there are no numbers on the dial, only the Dior lettering and three small dark stones divide it into four sections. However, this does not detract from its luxurious and high-quality appearance but seems to rather emphasize it. As such La D de Dior Black Ultramatte offers the possibility to reflect one’s personality, adapting to its wearer. The stainless steel Milanese mesh bracelet is characterized by a “Satine” pattern and rounds off the design as a whole.
The unique and chic watch model is also available with a black diamond-set bezel, which creates an astonishing light-dark radiance, thus evoking a sense of elegance and preciousness. JW

www.dior.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

Fashion

Louis Vuitton opens Men’s pop-up in Amsterdam de Bijenkorf

For the first time, the French Maison Louis Vuitton welcomes customers to a unique pop-up in Amsterdam, dedicated to the new Fall in Love collection. Located in the center of de Bijenkorf’s ground floor, it can not be missed thanks to its impressive architectural structure in an eye-catching orange. The open space is decorated with modular furniture and has patterned walls in Damier, a signature motif of Louis Vuitton. In combination with the displayed musical instruments and the Louis Vuitton on Air neon lights, the pop-up resembles a recording studio. The construction follows the New York and ’70s vibe of the clothing of the Maison’s collection, which is distinguished by its special color palette and graphic designs. Since the garments are casual and sophisticated at the same time, they reflect the style of a modern man. Enhancing classic pieces by adding a modern twist is the basic concept of the clothing line. As the collection is composed of ready-to-wear and leather goods pieces, it combines Louis Vuitton’s savoir-faire with exciting contrasts. Highlights are the Taurillon Denim and the Record Monogram leather goods line, as they reinforce the retro touch of Fall in Love. JW

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Billie Eilish stars in Gucci Eyewear imagery

Singer-songwriter Billie Eilish makes her debut as the face of the new Gucci eyewear imagery, featuring designs of the second release of Gucci’s 2022 eyewear collection. Known and loved for embracing authenticity and self-expression, Billie Eilish reflects the core values of the iconic Italian brand. Inspired by the film noir genre, the series follows the talented musician on a dreamlike car ride, which takes her and the viewer on a journey through a range of striking portraits echoing Billie Eilish’s unique style. An intriguing plot attracts the viewer, who gets ready to unravel the mystery. The images are based on unbalanced compositions and use a rich color palette, as well as contrasted lighting effects, creating a suspenseful atmosphere. Portraying the cars as a symbolic extension of their driver in the imagery, they reflect their intentions, motivations, and personalities. The imagery as a whole is composed of retro allure and modern sophistication which recurs in the eyewear designs. In one of the images, Billie Eilish wears caravan sunglasses distinguished by black acetate and gold-toned Gucci script logos. Another one shows the American singer with an 80’s-inspired cat eye design in pink, echoing the alluring and cinematic vibe of the images. JW

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Diesel releases Larger-Than-Life imagery

Diesel started the month of September by releasing the new imagery for the brand’s Fall Winter collection 2022, titled Larger-Than-Life. Set in a metropolitan area, the images reveal a world of giants fully dressed in Diesel’s latest collection. Depicted as billboard cutouts, the models and garments merge with the background of an urban skyline. Shot by Johnny Dufort and directed by Chris Simmonds and Glenn Martens, the image series puts the models in proportion to the jutting skyscrapers, exemplifying the international lifestyle company’s core attitude of optimism, rebellion, sexy, and playful irreverence with confidence.
Based on the principles of experimentation, rebellion, and play, Creative Director Glenn Martin created a collection of unique and modern garments, portraying his version of the Diesel World. Composed of responsibly sourced wool knits and reversible puffers adorned with Diesel’s signage as well as metallic dresses and cut-out tops, the collection has a modern and metropolitan feeling to it. Diesel’s huge passion for denim fabrics is translated into a fluid Trompe l’ oeil denim print in skirts, bags, trousers, and shirts. Some of the collection’s pieces combine denim with upcycled jersey, creating a “peel-off”-effect, representing the creative DNA of the iconic brand. JW

www.diesel.com

Fashion

Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak turns 50

To celebrate the 50th birthday of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, the Swiss Haute-Horlogerie manufacturer launches a special book in collaboration with the luxury publishing house Assouline. Written by award-winning cultural journalist Bill Prince, the book tells the story of the iconic watch model from a culturally relevant point of view. It includes exclusive information found in Audemars Piguet’s archives and frames the text with pictures and annotations of longstanding friends of the watchmaker.
When the Royal Oak was first released in 1972, it caused a great sensation due to its ultra-flat automatic movement, which has never been seen before. In the following years of cultural and industrial change, the watch not only kept up with time but was even ahead of it. Marking a new era of Haute Horlogerie distinguished by sportiness and finesse, it embodied an active yet serene lifestyle. Combining technological innovation and high-quality craftsmanship the Royal Oak is not just a watch but a cultural asset that goes beyond the momentariness of our being. The “Generation Royal Oak”, including celebrities such as Kevin Hart, Mark Ronson, and Serena Williams, are featured in the book as they talk about their inspirations rooted in the cultural movement since the Royal Oak was first released. JW

www.audemarspiguet.com

Fashion

LML Studio presents Sensible Ensemble

Known for his hand-painted and re-tailored garments, fashion designer and founder of LML Studio Lucas Meyer-Leclèrc showed his latest collection, titled Sensible Ensemble, during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin in the old Telegraphenamt. The new collection revolved around the theme “remake, reuse, reassemble”. Thus, Lucas Meyer-Leclèrc incorporated many reworked and repurposed vintage pieces into the collection, some of which derived from the 1930s. A significant part of Sensible Ensemble was composed of hand-knitted, crocheted, painted and embroidered pants and shorts as well as coats, tops and accessories. The designs and the fashion show, which was divided into three parts, were inspired by the beautiful feeling of togetherness as well as diversity and the freedom of love and life. A highlight of the runway show was the Berlin Ensemble, who performed an a cappella version of German icon Marlene Dietrich’s and Peter Seegers’ song “Tell me where the flowers are.” Musician PZUDEMO also performed during the show and sang his song GRIND. He was dressed in retailored cotton gabardine trousers, a leather vest and a jacket, which was composed of several evening suits from the 1930s, both hand-painted. A hand crocheted tie completed the look. JW

www.MBFW.berlin

Fashion

Kilian Kerner and LIEBESKIND BERLIN collaborate for Berlin Fashion Week

For the first time, German bag brand LIEBESKIND BERLIN joins forces with the Berlin fashion designer Kilian Kerner for his show at Berlin Fashion Week. In the course of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Berlin, Kerner presented his new collection which carries the name IKONEN, German for icons. The title references the inspiration which defined the designs as Kilian Kerner was heavily influenced by his own personal icons of various fields. In the building of the old Berlin telegraph office, which spreads a unique atmosphere, the event welcomed high-profile guests, like actress Jella Haase, Model Franziska Knuppe and influencer Klaudia Giez.
Kilian Kerner’s garments were perfectly complemented by the clean yet idiosyncratic design of the high quality bags of LIEBESKIND BERLIN, such as the Paper Bag or the Chelsea. The collection of clothing is as well defined by clean cuts and striking designs. Furthermore the two labels are interconnected as they both are soaked with the extraordinary spirit of Berlin and draw huge inspiration from the German capital. Having similar perceptions of charm and creativity, both brands create timeless and remarkable pieces, which they combined at Berlin Fashion Week. JW

www.liebeskind-berlin.com
www.kilian-kerner.de

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 - Fabrice Monteiro at Didier Claes

Didier Claes returns to Brussels Gallery Weekend this year with a solo exhibition, showing photographs of Belgian/Beninese artist Fabrice Monteiro. The 8 Mile Wall shows a series of portraits as the artist’s favorite form of expression. His works deal with the stereotypes of black people that date back to the time of slavery and colonialism.
When Monteiro was still a child, he had a conversation with his father, which made him realize the subconscious effect of aesthetic details, such as clothing, on how we perceive each other. Many years later this conversation led him to create this series, trying to deconstruct this way of thinking. The title of the series, The 8 Mile Wall, refers to a wall of the same name in Detroit, which runs from 8 Mile Road to Pembroke Avenue for 0.8 kilometers. Built in 1941, the wall was supposed to separate black and white homeowners as black people were not welcome on the other side of it, epitomizing racial discrimination. As his photographs portray his complex heritage, they also illustrate the difficult and ambivalent relationship between Europe and Africa, one of curiosity and rejection. His works aim to break down the hurtful and widely used stereotypes by countering the clichés and presenting black people with dignity as a symbol of mental oppression.
The exhibition The 8 Mile Wall will be open to the public from September 8th to November 11th, 2022 at Didier Claes in Brussels. JW

FABRICE MONTEIRO
Pitit Noir, 2017
Digital art print, 120 x 120 cm
Courtesy of the artists and Didier Claes, Brussels

www.didierclaes.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend - Seulgi Lee at Mendes Wood

In the event of the Brussels Gallery Weekend, Mendes Wood is presenting the first solo exhibition of Korean-born artist Seulgi Lee, called Slow Water. The works displayed by the gallery were made especially for this occasion.
The sculptures and installations of Seulgi Lee are characterized by bright and cheerful colors as well as simple but elegant forms. Exploring ordinary objects, everyday language, and natural forms, her works follow a formal aesthetic. The creation of her art is based on a utilitarian approach, linked to the nature of the body, presenting her work as usable and handy tools. Furthermore, Lee appreciates and draws her inspiration from folk crafts. For this reason, she has already collaborated with Korean quilters from Tongyeong and traditional basket makers from Mexico. In the creation process, the artist does not decide between a formal, polished sculptural practice and a more popular aesthetic but combines them both in her artworks. Thus, her art bears a unique signature, which is expressed in form, color, and gesture.
The exhibition Slow Water by Seulgi Lee will be open to the public from September 8th to October 8th, 2022 at the gallery Mendes Wood in Brussels. JW

SEULGI LEE
BAGATELLE, 2022
Wood, metal balls
Courtesy of the artist, Jousse Entreprise and MENDES WOOD DM, Sao Paulo, Brussels
New York

www.mendeswooddm.com

Music

CRO introduces his new Album “11:11”

For more than a decade, CRO has enthused and inspired his fans with his permanent energy and artistic attitude, which has not faded over the years but has grown even bigger. Permanently evolving himself and his music, CRO keeps creating songs that speak to a range of emotions, always uplifting and enthralling.
His latest album “11:11” is all about love. Not only does Cro rap about what love can do to one in his texts, but transports the feeling in the sound of each song: how it makes you forget everything, and how you stagger and dance because of it. One of the songs on the album is called “FACETIME LUV”, a smooth slow jam that talks about trying to create closeness through a phone screen despite being separated by thousands of kilometers. Nonetheless, social media and its possibilites to connect seem to be an illusion, resulting in doubting and questioning the feeling. Another one is “FREIHEIT” which asks about what it truly means to be free. "I've heard there's an infinite number of paths you can take, but I'm only taking mine," sings CRO, torn between big, wild dreams and the desire for love and closeness, the ultimate theme of “11:11”. JW

www.cromusik.de

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

Fashion

Loro Piana presents Denim Cashmere

In its Fall-Winter collection 2022/ 23, the Italian brand Loro Piana presents its new and innovative fabric Denim Cashmere. Distinguished by its unique feel, the fabric was created in collaboration between the crafts team of Loro Piana and Japanese denim experts of the Bingo region. The manufacturers from Bingo are outstanding in their experience and therefore enjoy great popularity around the world. United in their perfectionist approach to creating high-quality garments, the two crafted a mixed material of 60% denim and 40% cashmere, defined by its warm and comfortable wearing sensation. The production requires ancient and rare weaving looms, which can only be used by a few experienced professionals. During a slow process, the two yarns, the indigo denim, and the natural cashmere fiber are woven together. Thus, within one day 50 meters of the precious fabric are produced. In the end, the material was incorporated into one look of this season’s collection, including pants and a jacket. The simple yet elegant garments are the result of a unique collaboration, which combines the know-how of the Japanese denim experts with the Italian spirit of Loro Piana. They symbolize the merging of two cultures, topped off with a luxurious touch, significant to the Italian brand. JW

www.loropiana.com

Fashion

The Power For The People by Steve Davies

After spending his whole life in London, Steve Davies decided to found his own brand “The Power For The People” in 2020, which is heavily inspired by his journey, which led him through London’s neighborhoods Shoreditch, Soho, and Savile Row. For this reason, he also attaches great importance to closely working together with British fabric mills and manufacturers for the production of his collections, ensuring high quality for his clothing. Furthermore, the designs of the handmade garments refer to the British capital in their street energy, as the city surprises the founder and creative director of the brand again and again, despite having lived there for so long. For Autumn/ Winter 2022, only the second season for “The Power For The People”, the label of Steve Davies reflects his first season in tailored and military styles. The collection is crafted in traditional British manufacturing techniques and references the 80s and 90s London club scene with bondage pants, mixed with classic men’s tailoring fabrics.
Based on Davies’ passion and love for the city of London, an all-inclusive structured line of garments emerges, defined by its unconventional style and dedication to its fine production. JW

www.thepowerforthepeople.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

The Tommy Factory

For its Fall 2022 imagery, Tommy Hilfiger introduces the “Tommy Factory”, a creative space inspired by Andy Warhol’s celebrated New York Studio. Portraying an epicenter of self-expression and artistic freedom, it deeply fascinated fashion Designer Tommy Hilfiger. As did the Pop-Art artist himself, whose approach and nose for relevant topics led Hilfiger to the concept of his own creative playground, though it is not a physical place but a “state of mind”.
Linking the classic and the new, the experimental factory unites a diverse cast of cross-generational Future makers, including mother-daughter duo Kate and Lila Moss, drummer Travis Barker, actor Anthony Ramos, musician Jon Batiste, street pop artist Mr. Brainwash, drag queen Lady Bunny and last but not least tattoo artist Steve Wiebe. Shot by Craig McDean in the Bronx and styled by Katie Grand, the images convey the spirit of the city and its cutting-edge communities. At Hilfiger’s fashion show in September during New York Fashion Week, the “Tommy Factory” will continue to unfold in a unique experience. To highlight and reinforce the power of the individual, the show will be accompanied by installations, again inspired by Warhol and his “15 minutes of fame spirit”. Reimagining and evoking the famed Factory by Andy Warhol, Tommy Hilfiger presents its fashion, honoring the iconic artist. JW

www.tommy.com

Fashion

Jewelry by Louis Vuitton - Empreinte Collection

The 2004 Empreinte collection shines in new splendor as Francesca Amfitheatrof, Artistic Director of Jewelry and Watches for Louis Vuitton, presents its unmistakable designs in a refreshing and bold way.

The collection includes 18-karat yellow, white and pink gold pieces adorned by the distinctive LV initials and Monogram Flowers. The Monogram flower appears in particular on a medallion which resembles a modern talisman as well as on the cords of bracelets. While Empreinte portrays strength and adventure, the interlaced bracelets give a warm feeling by symbolizing loving relationships. They also refer to an iconic piece of the company’s history as they are inspired by the leather strap that fastens the Louis Vuitton luggage. A long necklace that can be worn stacked or as a bracelet gives the collection an individual touch. Hoop earrings and diamond-studded ear cuffs complete the clear and contemporary ensemble.
With Empreinte Louis Vuitton and Francesca Amfitheatrof represent the “Art of Travel” in the tradition of the company. While remaining true to Louis Vuitton’s values, history, and quality standards the designer did not miss to meet modern requirements concerning the design and also the production of the collection. The company attaches great value to producing its goods in an ethical way and is therefore certified by the Responsible Jewelry Council since 2012. JW

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Comme des Garçons x Air Max Sunder

Comme des Garçons has undoubtedly become a household name within the luxury fashion industry. The Japanese brand, under the creative lead of Rei Kawakubo, has continuously evolved, establishing a visual identity which is unrecognizably Comme des Garçons. Throughout the year, the Japanese brand has also worked together with Nike to create a series of collaborative sneakers. Now, they are pleased to announce the newest collaboration, the Comme des Garçons x Air Max Sunder, which first debuted in Tokyo during the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus SS22 show. The original model was first introduced in the late 90s and has remained unchanged ever since. Comme des Garçons is the first to update the design since its inception. The exterior shroud is customized by featuring premium neoprene and nubuck. Available in three colourways, the new and modern redesign is simplified, yet maintains the original fit of the sneaker with its unique combination of zipper and lace-up.

The Comme des Garçons x Air Max Sunder will be available at all the CDG and Dover Street Market stores globally, as well as the DSM E-Shops.

www.comme-des-garcons.com
www.nike.com

Fashion

DIESEL opens new Stores at two Prestigious Locations

When Glenn Martens was announced as the new Diesel Creative Director, it was clear that a lot of new and exciting things were to follow. With his first collections, the young Belgian designer has already started to leave his mark on the innovative Italian lifestyle brand and will continue to do so in the years to come. His influence is by no means just limited to the garments, but he has also designed the brand’s new retail concept. Now, Diesel opens new stores in Forte dei Marmi, Italy, and Puerto Baùs, Spain, two prime holiday destinations in Europe. They mark the start of a new chapter under the creative lead of Glenn Martens, whose new retail concepts are defined by both curated shopping elements and experiential immersions. Throughout the store, one can see functional and innovative design details which exhibit the concept's key characteristics of renewal, disruption and transformation. The interior of the store is additionally also reflecting the Diesel DNA, for example through the bone-white and signature red walls, recalling the iconic Diesel logo. Additionally, sculptural elements are interspersed throughout the space, providing a certain depth, textures and timeless appeal to the space. These two will not be the only new stores opening under this new retail concept. Other 2022 rollouts will include new flagship stores in Tokyo Ginza, Shanghai Grand Gateway and Paris Saint Honoré.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

CD Diamond Glasses

Sunglasses are not only for the sunny seasons. They have become an intricate part of most people’s wardrobes and an absolute essential that one should always have on hand. Like many other luxury houses, DIOR has long recognized the appeal and popularity of sunglasses, but now the French Maison takes this a step further by applying their exquisite savoir-faire. The CD DiamondGlasses are a combination of advanced technology and highly refined DIOR craftsmanship and ultimate expertise. Assembled by hand, these virtuoso creations exalt the house’s fundamentals. This special accessory is defined by the infinite precision and attention to detail throughout every stage of the production. This is instantly recognizable in the lenses which have the Christian Dior Signature laser engraved or the diamond motif and iconic CD Diamond Logo applied with the most meticulous care. This Diamond pattern was first unveiled in 1974 and this original emblem and hypnotic design are now celebrated by Kim Jones.

www.dior.com

Fashion

LOIS Jeans SS23: Porto di Como

In the context of its 60th Anniversary, Spanish jeans brand Lois Jeans unveiled its new SS23 collection ‘Porto di Como’ with its first-ever fashion show in Italy. Taking place at the historical location of Acqua di Bianchi in the picturesque village of Taceno, close to Lago di Como, the collection and show were a homage to Italy, its music and its heritage. The unexpected scenery is a direct reference to the inspiration behind the 16th collection, the enchanting ambience of the natural oasis captured through the striking designs and exceptional elegance of the collection. The natural surroundings of Lago di Como expressed through a harmonious color scheme of clean whites, deep blues, soft yellow tones adorned with orange details, floral artworks and elegant shapes is contrasted with Lois Jeans’ iconic characteristics which have catapulted the brand to global prominence. Iconic jeans sets, elevated 60s styles and low-waisted 90s fits are reinvented as visual highlights throughout the collection and bear witness to the essence of the brand’s heritage. Naturally, ABBA, who Lois is known for sponsoring shortly before their Eurovision Song Contest success in 1974, was present through their iconic song ‘Take A Chance on Me’, which was the musical backdrop of the show’s finale. Among the models of the shows were the Lois muses of the past years, such as Dutch icons Rianne ten Haken and Ton Heukels, as well as Lois campaign stars Nour Lwasi, Jena Goldsack and Robin Hölzken. The incredible evening was finished off by an authentic Italian dinner in the serene setting natural setting of Taceno, a perfect setting to celebrate the 60th Anniversary and the 16th Lois collection.

www.loisjeanstore.com

Art

Wir Überleben das Licht

Johan Tahon was captured by sculpture at the early age of 15 and this fascination has not stopped since. Since his beginnings and most importantly independently from all various trends and streams which at one point dominated the art world, Johan Tahon has continued to uphold craftsmanship, personal expression and spirituality as guiding principles in his works. In 1996, Jan Hoet discovered the Belgian artist and started to promote Tahon’s monumental sculptures. Under his sponsorship, Johan Tahon developed into an artist of international stature, heralded as a part of a group of artists who heralded the comeback of figuration and craft in the arts. Tahon’s deeply rooted topics of human psychology and spirituality also caught the attention of writers, most notably Till Lindemann, frontman of the German band Rammstein, who collaborated, under the initiative of ZOO Magazine, with the Belgian artist by writing a number of poems inspired by his sculptures. The resulting exhibition, Wir Überleben das Licht, conceived in collaboration with ZOO Magazine is now on display at the Cultuurcentrum de Steiger in Menen, Tahon’s hometown of which he is also an honorary citizen. The display encompasses the sculptures of Johan Tahon, the poetry of Till Lindemann and the photography of Sandor Lubbe. Aside from Wir Überleben das Licht, the Cultuurcentrum also opened up the DEPOT TAHON, a permanent display of countless sculptures by Johan Tahon, allowing visitors to dive deep into Tahon’s artistic world.

The exhibition Wir Überleben das Licht will be on display at the Cultuurcentrum de Steiger Menen until August 31st.

www.johantahon.com
www.ccdesteiger.be

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

DIOR Men Summer 23

Kim Jones created a gardener’s dream in Dior men’s SS23 show. The pieces pay tribute to Christian Dior’s passion for nature by reimagining the designer’s childhood home in Granville, Normandy. Placed in front of a bright blue backdrop with grass-like features, the models wear pieces dominated by pastel colors that seamlessly blend into their natural surroundings. There is a clear nod towards practicality, with an array of outdoor clothing such as reflective gilets and practical backpacks. Also featured are gardener’s hats designed by Stephen Jones Millinery, some of which are made using a 3D printer. Some elements of Bloomsbury set painter, Duncan Grant’s work was placed on fleece sweaters and embroidered on sheer tops for playful effects. The post-impressionist vibrant colors stood out well against the vivid backdrop. In a practical yet rebellious tone, the pieces evoke an effortless contemporary existence. Reclaimed cashmere, double-breasted tailored coats were teamed with tailored shorts in thirties fabrications. Semi-transparent silk organza revealed the strict, traditional masculine construction of the garments underneath.

www.dior.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

La Martina SS23 Collection

Held at Garden Senato, a classy, unconventional, and unique location, the La Martina SS23 show stands for creativity, multiculturalism, and integration. The brand has unveiled a new collection inspired by a journey that follows the polo players from Argentina to London to attend tournaments and social events. But like everyone, also La Martina’s polo players deserve a holiday. The SS23 Collection is structured around 4 four macro themes: Argentina, England, Holiday, and Essential. From sporty to casual, from streetwear to a more elegant cut, the new garments are made for any adventure, especially during summer vacations. Then, as a fil rouge to connect the many looks are, as always, colors and materials such as nylon, linen, and jersey. La Martina fashion show was presented during the Milan Fashion Week in the shape of a big live event followed by an exclusive party with a DJ set by Graziano della Nebbia, a well-known name on the Milanese music scene. To attend the event were prominent personalities such as Italian and international journalists, K.O.L., VIPs, ambassadors, and friends of the brand. VB

www.lamartina.com

Fashion

Born in Oasi Zegna

Innovation is paramount for Zegna and starts from the Oasi. Created by Ermenegildo Zegna, Oasi Zegna is an ecosystem born long before this word was even known. It is not only a unique model of societal and environmental consciousness but also a set of principles that foster consistency and promote harmony. From here starts the journey made by Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori while designing the SS23 Menswear Collection. Going back to the roots and keeping in mind two of Zegna’s hallmarks - craftsmanship and tailoring - the brand has presented a new series of garments that feature new shapes and textures, giving life to a new language. The idea was to keep the finesse, the attention to detail, and the respect for materials while experimenting with lighter silhouettes and fabrics, as well as finishes with different technicalities, to create a new style for men. The result is a collection that brings the lightness and the freedom of the Oasi Zegna as an environment into the city: kimono-cut jackets, impalpable coats, shirts, and tops, are characterized by loose and unstructured shapes, Bermuda shorts further free movement, while tailored blazers are freed from the necessity of having a collar. Also, materials and colors evoke this feeling of extreme lightness. Throughout the collection, engineered knitwear, technical silk, meshes, rubberized nylons, wools, terry, rubberized leather, and lacquered nappa were combined with a color palette that ranges from earthy tones, powder white, and dusty rose to charcoal, sulfur, and black. VB

www.zegna.com

Fashion

Prada Choices

Fashion can be defined as a manner, a way of dressing, or a method of presenting oneself. Based on this reflection, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons have created a new collection titled “Prada Choices,” an invitation to rethink what style is. The Prada SS23 Menswear Collection plays on the juxtaposition of many elements. Garments are here combined in an unusual way generating a different impact and identity according to the dialogue of each piece with the others. The designers have combined the brand's sophisticated aesthetic with Raf Simons’ youthful aura. Suits, overcoats, sweaters, shirts, denim, and leather are among Prada classics. Despite their simplicity, the silhouettes of these pieces have been reinterpreted through context. Leather shorts are coupled with patterned cotton shirts, and knee-length four-button coats come in leather, gingham, and off-white. Simplicity is the reading key but what makes this collection iconic is the mix of rawness and sophistication, classicism and spontaneity. It is the choice of pairing colors, fabrics, patterns, and shapes to elevate the whole show. VB

www.prada.com

Fashion

Karl Lagerfeld x Alled-Martinez

“This collection is a tribute to Karl Lagerfeld himself, to fashion, and to iconic fashion moments from the early ‘00s that left a mark on me while growing up”, says Archie M. Alled-Martinez when discussing the Karl Lagerfeld x Alled-Martinez capsule collection. The genderless styles reinterpret Karl Lagerfeld’s vision through a queer lens, with details that celebrate fearlessness and self-expression. The capsule features ready-to-wear and accessories that embrace Karl Lagerfeld’s original vision of effortless sophistication combined with Alled-Martinez’s signature aesthetic of being playful, camp-chic, and unapologetic. The ready-to-wear essentials include tailored knitted suits, a lurex-jersey suit with a unique finish that resembles denim, and sparkling sequin pieces. Key accessories range from statement rings to bowling bags, tote bags, and driving gloves that evoke Karl Lagerfeld’s own iconic look. When describing the merging of the two brand’s identities, Archie M. Alled-Martinez said “I brought some daringness to Karl’s rigor and style. At its core is the belief that fashion needs to be real. There’s no right or wrong – it’s about knowing and celebrating who you are". The collection is available globally from June 16th 2022. GH

www.karl.com

Fashion

Herno Resort FW22/23 Collection

Precious details and soft, warm fabrics are the key features that give life to Herno Resort Collection. Thought for leisure time, the collection is designed for the wearer, who can enjoy the refinement of materials, the fluidity of the shapes, and relaxing colors in a perfect Herno style. Knitwear and outerwear are merged thanks to the recent creation of an in-house department in the headquarters on Lake Maggiore, offering a wide range of garments divided into two categories. Travel & Leisure features casual wear dedicated to all travelers who need clothes ready to go. Wool sweaters with zipping, hood, or round necks and sweatshirts are e embellished with sophisticated decorations and pastel colors. Jackets in unlined boiled wool, with knitted cuffs and adjustable drawstrings, give a romantic touch with their hues that range from lilac and teal to blue and butter. It is the perfect starter pack for every adventurer. Luxury Dream, instead, represents the destination of this journey. It is a mix of elegance and luxury. Herno women's collection includes a cape in pure soft wool, a sweatshirt made of 3 materials - cotton for the body, nylon for the hood, knit for the sleeves and edges - and an over sweater and cardigan that combine nylon and knit. For men, the great protagonist of the new collection is the iconic bomber jacket, translated into a college-style model. VB

www.herno.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton releases Pégase in collaboration with Marc Newson

Louis Vuitton the Rolling Series is a collection made up of elevated statements through designs that are built to last. Recently, Pégase has been introduced as an advancement to the series, newly reimagined by Marc Newson. This is Newson’s third collaboration with the brand, having previously released Horizon followed by the Horizon Soft duffle in 2016. The objective for all three of these collections was to “have a consistent vocabulary between them and to share the same innovations”, according to the designer. For Pégase, Newson applied his expertise in materials and engineering to produce an unparalleled slimness to the luggage. Topped with an ergonomic handle, this trolley system excels in strength and maneuverability. True to the visual language of the house, the Pégase is offered in timeless Monogram, Monogram Eclipse, Damier Graphite, and Taiga Leather. Underneath, the shell ensures that Pégase is lightweight and ultra-resistant. In this way, travelers will appreciate that Newson has given equal consideration to the exterior and interior of the piece. Pégase is truly the ideal addition to the Rolling Luggage series, combining emblematic Louis Vuitton features with super functionality. GH

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

LOEWE Celebrates The Paula’s Ibiza Collection

Last weekend, the Spanish brand LOEWE flew to Ibiza to host a special event to celebrate the launch of Paula’s Ibiza collection. Born from the hedonistic vision of Creative Director Jonathan Anderson, the SS22 Collection features sequins, bright colors, and creative cutouts perfect for the thrilling nightlife of the Spanish island. Ibiza is a world-class party destination whose energy and vibrancy reflect LOEWE’s ethos and spirit of freedom. There, the brand organized an exclusive weekend festival that started with a personalized Mercadillo and party at Las Dalias, followed by lunch at beachfront restaurant Cala Bonita the next day, and ended with an evening cocktail dinner at the newly opened Beach Caves at Six Senses. It was an ode to escapism. Among the guest who attended the event were: Stéphane Bak, Amina Muaddi, Jahleel Weaver, Jeanne Cadieu, Blanca Miró, and Ziwe. VB

www.loewe.com

Fashion

Dior presents the CD Diamond Accessories

The CD Diamond is the epitome of modernity and a classic symbol of Dior spirit. Originally designed by Marc Bohan, the iconic motif has been seen across Dior designs since the Miss Dior ready-to-wear collection of 1974. Today, Kim Jones has reinterpreted the design that was originally featured on blouses, scarves, and skirts, as a canvas for his Dior SS22 men’s collection. Revisited in the manner of a refined diamond, this new approach to the “CD”, with its unique relief, enlivens the season’s creations in Dior Gray, evoking the Granville sky as an ode to the founding couturier. The canvas is also featured in black, ono the B23 sneakers, for a casual and sportswear style. The design has also been extended to the Lingot line of bags, in a slim pouch, messenger, and briefcase version. These mesmerizing designs are the perfect continuation of the exemplary print that is maintaining its way of being an emblematic fundamental. GH

www.dior.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Unveils Colorful Lineup on Monogram Macassar and Taurillon Monogram

Louis Vuitton has introduced a fresh and cool lineup on Monogram Macassar and Taurillon Monogram for Summer 2022. To pay homage to Virgil Abloh, the French Maison designed a leather goods collection featuring a distinctive seasonal color palette of orange, purple, and mint green that evokes the late Creative Director's rainbow and energizing universe. The new accessories are practical and colorful, all crafted in LV Taurillon Monogram leather. The briefcase is a sophisticated yet spacious item able to contain tech and essential documents thanks to a padded laptop sleeve and pockets. Its closure features the iconic Virgil Abloh-designed S-Lock Signature, while a top handle and a wide woven shoulder strap make it functional and comfortable. The new wearable wallet is roomy, with a vertical silhouette, and characterized by a flap with a magnetic finishing inspired by Louis Vuitton's original, unbreakable lock from 1886. Then, two other unique Louis Vuitton cult favorites have been redesigned: the Keepall 25 in a city bag size and the Christopher backpack in a smaller version. To complete the collection are the Monogram Macassar canvas bags in the same seasonal colors embellished with signature matte black metallic finishes. VB

www.louisvuitton.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

Loro Piana Interiors Presents New Furniture by Raphael Navot

A new installation by Loro Piana Interiors can be discovered at Cortile della Seta, in Via della Moscova 33. During Milan Design Week, the Italian brand has unveiled exclusive furniture designed by Raphael Navot in the name of craftsmanship, softness, intimacy, and togetherness. The non-industrial designer, who had already worked in partnership with Loro Piana, has set up an exhibition where the objects are hidden and revealed simultaneously through a landscape of soft, undulating dunes. In 2021, Raphael Navot launched The Palm Duet Chaise Longue in Cashfur fabric by Loro Piana Interiors. It was an ode to intimacy and pleasure. Today, distinctive elements of The Palm Duet recur in the new objects characterized by the same soft lines and contemporary aesthetic. A sofa, méridienne, armchair, stools, a side, a coffee table, and an ottoman have been created with a futuristic approach, but without indulging in the cold hyper-technological vision of the future. The new furniture, made of the noblest fibers, can be either used alone, with their elegant personality or grouped in joyful interactions dedicated to conviviality; thus the name “Palm” as in the palm of a hand with fingers slightly closed to welcome, protect, repair. It is all a game of interactions. The Loro Piana Interiors installation will be open to visitors from June 9th, 2022. VB

www.loropiana.com

Art

The Miss Dior Chair by Philippe Starck

The Medaillon chair, an object so dear to Christian Dior and an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the Maison, makes its comeback thanks to the French industrial architect Philippe Starck during the Salone del Mobile 2022. The one between the designer and Dior Maison is an unprecedented collaboration that reinterprets an iconic piece of furniture, a quintessential symbol of French Art de Vivre and Louis XVI style. Philippe Starck has created timelessly elegant pieces with clean lines and marked by modernity exalted by the lightness of aluminum. Named “Miss Dior,” the new chairs are true works of art that can be discovered at Palazzo Citterio, a sumptuous 18th-century building located in the heart of Milan. The installation is a one-of-a-kind experience. The design items are presented in a monochrome decor of a deep, matte black that gives the exhibit a theatrical allure and highlights the materials used to make the chairs. In addition, an interplay of light, punctuated by a musical composition created for Dior by Soundwalk Collective, originates a scenographic choreography. The Miss Dior Chair imagined by Philippe Starck will be on view from June 7 to 12, 2022. VB

www.dior.com

Fashion

LOEWE Presents WEAVE, RESTORE, RENEW At Salone del Mobile In Milan

LOEWE has finally announced a new unique project made for this year's edition of Salone del Mobile in Milan. After two years of full stop, the Spanish brand makes its comeback at the annual furniture fair, celebrating the regenerative power of handwork and collaborating with artisans of unique flair, inventiveness, and technical ability. Titled “WEAVE, RESTORE, RENEW,” the installation aims to give new life to things that could be forgotten or discarded and turn them into exclusive pieces by repairing and reviving them through artisanal interventions. The project shows LOEWE’s commitment to the environment and crafts. Turning ages-old techniques into something unexpected, LOEWE WEAVE, RESTORE, RENEW explores leather weaving, the Galician straw-weaving tradition known as Coroza, and the Korean paper weaving technique known as Jiseung. Different artisans such as Idoia Cuesta, Belén Martìnez, Santiago Basteiro, and Juan Manuel Marcilla worked on the restoration of 240 existing baskets using leather strings to create a new playful, and surprising version of those. Then, LOEWE designed sculptural bags and basket bags by using the ancient technique of the Coroza. In addition, together with Young Soon Lee, the brand created a series of jars made out of paper, as well as sturdy totes. VB

www.loewe.com

Fashion

Audemars Piguet x Carolina Bucci: A Subtle And Unexpected Aesthetic

Audemars Piguet in collaboration with Carolina Bucci has presented a new limited edition 34 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding in black ceramic. To mark the Royal Oak’s fiftieth anniversary, the Italian jewelry designer decided to team up with the Swiss Haute Horlogerie Manufacturer to create a new timepiece that features a unique dial endowed with a multi-colored mirror effect, a tribute to the iconic Tapisserie design. Their partnership started in 2016 for the 40th anniversary of the women’s Royal Oak. In 2018, Carolina Bucci signed a limited edition of 300 pieces for Audemars Piguet, entirely crafted in frosted yellow gold with an exclusive dial. Then, two years later, she realized the iconic K.I.S.S. collection of gold bracelets linking the Haute Joaillerie with the Haute Horlogerie. Today, the designer worked on a limited edition of watches with singular characteristics. The new 34 mm Royal Oak in all-black ceramic, in fact, reveals a surprising dial whose color changes according to the light. To reach this result, Carolina Bucci used a sapphire plate adorned with little squares, subsequently placed on top of the brass dial plate to create a rich rainbow-colored effect. Each design is even more unique thanks to the variation of the iridescent color pattern. The limited-edition comes in a presentation box also designed by Carolina Bucci and is available exclusively in Audemars Piguet boutiques and AP Houses. VB

www.audemarspiguet.com

Fashion

Tommy Hilfiger x NBA: The Essence of Basketball

Tommy Hilfiger, one of the world’s most recognized premium lifestyle brands, has unveiled a new project in collaboration with the NBA. Symbol of the American style, since the 1990s, Tommy Hilfiger has been associated with basketball and street culture, capturing the attention of A-list celebrities and influencers, many of whom had ties to the NBA and sports community. Since then, the sport has always remained a key component of Hilfiger’s brand vision. Today, to celebrate its roots and streetwear fashion, the American brand has launched the new TOMMY JEANS capsule collection by partnering with the National Basketball Association. Inspired by the energy at the heart of basketball, a sport that helped to shape local street culture and diverse communities, the new collection features hoodies, sweatpants, t-shirts, denim pants, and shorts combined with NBA team logos. These garments represent streetwear fashion at its finest. The TOMMY JEANS and NBA capsule collection is available on Tommy Hilfiger’s website and at TOMMY JEANS stores across Europe, North America, Latin America, and select stores in Asia. VB

www.tommyhilfiger.com

Fashion

"Victory travels in Louis Vuitton"

For the second time, the unprecedented Trophy Travel Case for the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco is being presented by Louis Vuitton and the Automobile Club de Monaco. The bespoke case in the colors of the Principality is a celebration of both exceptional French savoir-faire and passion for a legendary sporting event. The Trophy Travel Case epitomizes the Maison’s and Automobile Club’s shared values of tradition, transmission, and excellence. Hand-crafted in Louis Vuitton’s historic Asnières workshop, the trunk showcases the brand’s savoir-faire with its one-of-a-kind red Monogram pattern on a tarmac-black background, drawing inspiration from the heritage of the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco. The Monogram canvas is adorned with the red shade of the Monaco flag, while the red lines, tracing “V” for “Victory”, are rimmed with a white strip, reminiscent of the unique urban route of the track, and the colors of the Monaco flag. Inside its Louis Vuitton case, the trophy is the perfect replica of the 3,337 km circuit with its famous 19 bends, where overtaking is close to impossible. GH

www.louisvuitton.com
www.acm.mc

Christian Louboutin presents L’Exhibition Chapter II

Christian Louboutin, L’Exhibition[niste] is returning in a new form this summer and will be presented by the Grimaldi Forum Monaco from July 9th to August 28th 2022. Chapter II will be devoted to the work and imagination of Christian Louboutin, the shoe designer and key figure in the world of fashion who has drawn much inspiration from the Principality. Redesigned by Oliver Gabet, and showcased across a spectacular 2000 square meter set, the exhibition will unveil previously unsees pieces related to the designer’s Monegasque inspirations, as well as new collaborations. The “Musée Imaginaire” will be in a 300 square meter room, where objects from Christian Louboutin’s personal collection will be displayed in conjunction with heritage and artistic works from public and private collections of Monaco’s museums. It will explore themes in the designer’s work such as his love of dance and the legacy of the Ballets Russes, his passion for African art and Asia, the pop influence of Warhol, and his fascination with oceanography. Far from a traditional retrospective, the exhibition has been designed as a joyful odyssey across three decades of overflowing creativity. Indeed, it is imbued with a curiosity for all arts and cultures. GH

www.christianlouboutin.com
www.grimaldiforum.com

Fashion

Bolia: Neutra Modular Storage System

Neutra is a flexible, minimalist shelving solution named after Richard Neutra’s functional architecture. Designed in robust, modular combinations, Neutra allows the user to create a piece of furniture that precisely meets its wishes and needs while fitting perfectly into the interior. The storage system blends into a private or professional setting with elegance, letting the displayed items take center stage. The storage system does not take light away from beautiful vases, books, and works of art that can be displayed, and fades away thanks to its minimalist lines of great finesse. Neutra is available in a wide variety of modules, sizes, and materials to bring a personalized touch to any space. Its boards are made of white pigmented oak, or gray lacquered MDF. Its support is available in black or gray lacquered steel. The lightness and sensuality refer to Scandinavian nature and its spring season is synonymous with blossoming. Neutra creates a calm and optimistic atmosphere with its durable and environmentally friendly materials and soft colors that reflect the changing seasons. GH

www.bolia.com

Fashion

Gucci Blondie

First debuted within the Love Parade fashion show in Los Angeles, The Gucci Blondie is the new bag designed by Alessandro Michele and inspired by the brand’s archive. This accessory represents an ever-evolving narrative and the ability of the Creative Director to effortlessly bridge eras through his creations. It is a stylistic progression of the original model but with a contemporary twist and striking details. The Gucci Blondie is a versatile and timeless piece offering span sizes and silhouettes. The messenger model, thanks to the Web or leather straps, can be worn on the shoulder or across the body, the smaller day-to-night style with chain straps can be transformed into a clutch, while the miniature version with interchangeable and adjustable straps completes the selection. Each model is available in leather, suede, and GG canvas, with a varied color palette. The Gucci Blondie is presented through a new campaign, conceived as a love letter to New York. The images, shot in a reportage style, evoke a time gone, dynamically converging past, present, and future, just like the new line of handbags does. VB

www.gucci.com

Fashion

G-Star RAW Calls Out To Wear Denim Longer

G-Star has worked rigorously to improve this past year, from social and environmental points of view to transparency and circularity innovations. The Dutch brand has launched a new global campaign to encourage consumers to invest in quality, as well as eight new responsible initiatives as part of their RAW Responsibility strategy. The “Wear your denim till the End” Campaign shows the beauty of the aging process in both people and denim. For G-Star, raw denim is the beating core of the company; jeans are meant to last a lifetime, and they believe denim gets more distinctive and unique at each stage of life. The film's message is simple: take care of your clothes so you may wear them longer. Simultaneously with the campaign, the brand has also launched a raw denim capsule collection with a warranty. Then, in addition to these new initiatives, G-Star has revealed an eight-point sustainable program. To begin with, they provide free repairs to extend the life of jeans, as well as a program that converts worn jeans into brand-new pairs of shorts and a recycling project called "Return Your Denim." Furthermore, G-Star launched a new art platform where international design talents are challenged to work with denim waste and deadstock. VB

www.g-star.com

Art

Three Outstanding Artists at Art Rotterdam 2022

For the 23rd edition of Art Rotterdam, the iconic Van Nelle factory is hosting the booths of over a hundred leading galleries from the Netherlands and abroad. But among the artist presented, three of them stand out for their excellent works. The first one is Otobong Nkanga, with his art piece titled “Tied to the Other Side,” a gigantic tapestry realized in the innovative textile lab of the Textile Museum in Tilburg. In her practice, she uses raw materials such as mica, nickel, malachite, and copper, addressing one major issue: the exploitation of African countries to obtain these substances. Then another name to keep an eye on is that of South African artist Buhlebezwe Siwani. In her video “Eziko,” She speaks out against the legacy of centuries of colonization by the Dutch and the British. In the end, represented by EENWERK is American artist Sheila Hicks. Known for her innovative, woven sculptures, for which she has always pushed the boundaries of what is possible with fibers and yarns, she exhibits her latest masterpiece “Beacon". VB

www.artrotterdam.com

Fashion

New Hermès window display on PC Hooftstraat

The summer window display at the Hermès store on PC Hooftstraat in Amsterdam has been designed by Dutch studio WM. Unveiled on May 17th, the installation named “Vivid Shadows” by Wendy Legro and Maarten Collignon celebrates Hermès’ 2022 theme of “Lighthearted” and takes us deeper into the world of the brand, one in which shadows play with light. Their concept uses projection to showcase two different scarves through a beam in a deep indigo blue, like a blueprint. In Minuit au Faubourg by Dimitri Rybaltchenko, a masked horse wearing a cape flies out of the print alongside a man swinging on a Hermès Twilly from an apartment window as he tries to grab a pot of gold. On the floor above, a Hermès bracelet overlooks a sleeping city. Here, a horse leaps forward, radiating the spirit of the theme with bright and vivid colors. Whirling around this figure is a belt, a bag, and a pair of leather sandals. Created exclusively from layers of paper, the installation is hand-painted and carefully carved to build volume and perspective, showcasing the fragile yet enchanting nature of paper. This window display overall creates a strong connection between the urban landscape and interior space. GH

www.hermes.com

Art

Art Rotterdam 2022: Outdoor Artworks

From 19-22 May, Art Rotterdam comes back to Van Nelle Fabriek, the building icon of 20th-century industrial architecture and a Unesco World Heritage Site. This fair is the ultimate opportunity to discover new galleries as well as new artists. As the most renowned contemporary art fair in the Netherlands, Art Rotterdam offers a unique perspective and a platform for the latest developments in the visual arts. The 23rd edition will display, through the 10,000m2 space, the creations of emerging and established artists, alongside a record number of seventeen large-scale installations in the outdoor area. Since spring has finally come in the Dutch city, the art fair has set a series of socially engaged outdoor presentations that refers to the world around us, addressing important issues such as climate, pandemics, and populism. The first artist to welcome the public is Onno Poiesz with his work “De blauwen,” an allusion to the war and pandemic that dominated the beginning of 2022. Then, Tim Wes unveils his installation “Trauma Triggers Triumph” about the concept of the uomo universale. And in the end, among many other projects, stands that of Thierry Oussou. His “Equilibrium Wind” flag is a reference to the cotton plantations located in the district of Panouignan in Benin and the significant impact they have on the country's economic growth. Placed on top of Van Nelle Fabriek, this flag is a symbolic representation of all those people working in the shadows. The outdoor artworks at Art Rotterdam 2022 are ready to be discovered. VB

www.artrotterdam.com

Art

Art, inside and out, Rotterdam 2022

Rotterdam Art is the most renowned fair for contemporary art in the Netherlands. Each year, Art Rotterdam offers a stage for the latest developments in the visual arts. With a sharp focus on young talent, varying different topics, and the connection with the city of Rotterdam make Art Rotterdam a unique experience. This year, a special spring edition of Art Rotterdam will take place in Van Nelle Fabriek, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, there will be works and installations both outside and inside. Outside, there will be a record number of seventeen large-scale works and installations in the outdoor area, many of which are specifically designed for the occasion. Indoors, there is a floor area of 10,000 m2, where more than a hundred leading national and international galleries will show the work of upcoming and established talent. Two new valuable innovations will be introduced in this 23rd exhibition: firstly, the projections video section will be given a completely new format; also, a major expansion is being planned for Prospects, the Mondriaan Fund’s exhibition. Each year Art Rotterdam becomes more of an attractive alternative for art lovers within the international field of fairs. The special spring edition will take place from May 19th-22nd 2022. GH

www.artrotterdam.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

Louis Vuitton Cruise 2023 Women’s Fashion Show Collection

This season, Louis Vuitton is exploring the nomadic aesthetic in the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, by architect Louis Kahn in San Diego. This is a brutalist building from 1965 designed as a serene concrete monastery for enlightened souls. Here, during times when the sun is blazing, it is perfectly framed by the building within the precise axis of the central foundation. The combination of sun rays and shimmering water creates prisms across the silhouettes, while a myriad of natural materials gives the illusion of a metallic palette. This introduces the show’s perfect guest of honor for the Cruise 2023 collection, the sun. This plays an active part in the evolution of this wardrobe where temperature changes set a stylistic tempo. The collection consists of linen, jacquard, silk, leather, and tweed, with metallic embellishments that reflected the setting sun. Other pieces lifted design details from water sports; the airbrushed colors of half tops and boxy short skirts that came from jet skis. Designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, the show encapsulated superheroine goddesses, with the opening dresses cut from robust jacquards, which were inspired by molten lava. A trio of jackets with enormous, sculpted collars as shiny as armor perched above tinsel sleeves finished off the show, the perfect ending to capture the otherworldly imagination of Ghesquière. GH

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Zoë Kravitz partners with OMEGA

Actress, director, and model Zoë Kravitz is the latest to have joined OMEGA’s impressive line-up of women proud to wear the Swiss brand. A standout performer in the world of entertainment, Zoë Kravitz captivates audiences in a diverse group of acclaimed major motion picture films and notable independent releases. Her individualistic youthful, confident style is the perfect fit for Omega’s willingness to take risks with its designs. Kravitz has consistently stood out in blockbuster big-screen franchises, with roles in The Batman, Mad Max, and Fantastic Beasts, and later this year will make her directorial debut in the original motion picture film, Pussy Island. Omega President and CEO Raynald Aeschlimann has expressed the brand’s excitement about making Kravitz the latest member of the Omega family, describing her as “an extremely talented young woman with an admirable drive and determination to succeed on her own terms” and the new partnership as “the next exciting move in our commitment to reach an emerging generation who are reinventing the idea of luxury”. GH

www.omegawatches.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

Miu Wander: A New Perspective

The new Miu Wander handbag is a re-discovery and re-exploration of Miu Miu's identity from a fresh perspective. Designed by Miuccia Prada, this one-of-a-kind accessory is made of Matelassé leather, a playful yet sophisticated fabric that has become a Miu Miu signature. The bag is soft and feminine with its curved lines and pillowy surface, while the handle makes it a functional item, merging pragmatism with decoration. The Miu Wander appears, also in a campaign that reflects the same spirit and aesthetic of its design. Photographed by Tyrone Lebon, the images portray the actress Sydney Sweeney, the star of the acclaimed TV Series Euphoria, in a sublime atmosphere that recalls classic film stills, encouraging the viewer’s mind to wander. She perfectly embodies the Miu Miu ethos: a youthful energy and rebellious attitude. VB

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Suicoke Launches The MOK Injection Sandal

Suicoke has presented the new MOK injection sandal, the latest addition to its ever-growing injection sandal family. The MOK is a more versatile, lightweight, and eco-friendly model that pushes the brand's visual identity even further with its avant-garde design. Suicoke aims to craft a unique product that shows its attitude towards premium quality design. Light as air, comfortable like clouds, the sandal is produced using recycled waste materials. It is the result of a complex process of experimentation and trials with poor shape, inconsistency of colors, and even explosions. The MOK injection sandal, a new milestone in footwear production, is part of a long journey through creativity and innovative technology undertaken by the Japanese brand. Made in Italy and with a slip-on construction, as well as holes for breathability and a Suicoke-branded strap, the new item is available on the Suicoke website and in selected retailers worldwide. VB

www.suicoke.com

Fashion

Furla Futura: Love for Nature

With the intention of reinforcing its constant innovation, Furla has launched a new iconic bag shape that links the concepts of sustainability to art, launching with a creative yet experimental touch. The Furla Linea Futura features materials created through new eco-friendly processes, such as the upcycling of leftover leathers and the use of metal-free suede. The metal-free is a tanning process that does not resort to heavy metals, thus preventing the pollution of wastewaters. The Design of Furla Linea Futura is a futuristic interpretation of the shape of a bird’s nest. This style is bold and eye-catching and can be worn crossbody in a way that blends against the body in perfect harmony. Two sizes are offered which are available in 11 bright shades like a rainbow, staying true to the brand’s artistic DNA. What truly separates this bag from others is the focus on upcycling: precious recycled leathers are reworked with Global Recycled Standard certification and are reintroduced in this new, original form. GH

www.furla.com

Fashion

TAG Heuer F1 Edition

Tag Heuer has unleashed its newest timepiece inspired by the dominant style of race legend Ayrton Senna, an admired and adored legend for motor racing, as well as Formula 1 fans all over the world. The collaboration between TAG Heuer and Ayrton Senna has been ongoing since 1988, Senna was redefining the word “drive” by breaking many records. Continuing to pay tribute to the driver’s legacy, TAG Heuer continues its quest to create the perfect Formula 1 watch, the one the legendary driver would have loved to wear on his wrist. The bold design and original red color nod to Ayrton’s original watch. The TAG Heuer Senna Special Edition is a very elegant mix of red, anthracite, and black, in line with the design codes of the brand. SENNA’s iconic S. The timepiece also features an ultra-resistant black ceramic bezel, with the number 400 engraved as a reference to the symbolic 400km/h that has never been reached in Formula 1. The famous S/EL bracelet is inspired by the first TAG Heuer chronograph watch worn by Ayrton Senna. Highly shock-resistant, it has a folding clasp with a driver extension to fit over the sleeve of a racing suit. The timepiece is equipped with the automatic Calibre 16, protected by a stainless-steel screw-down case back engraved with the Brazilian driver’s iconic helmet on the back, alongside a special engraving of “SENNA SPECIAL EDITION”. GH

www.tagheuer.com

Fashion

Audemars Piguet Celebrates the Royal Oak’s 50th Anniversary

To celebrate the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary, Audemars Piguet will host a series of events in key cities around the world. From Dubai to Shanghai, passing through Zurich and New York, the Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer will offer immersive sensory experiences with the setup of in-situ installations and edutainment platforms that will guide people into the Royal Oak’s multifaceted world. The Royal Oak, designed by Gérald Genta for Audemars Piguet, was officially launched on April 15, 1972, at the Basel Fair. This timepiece combines sportiness with ancestral craftsmanship and technological advances, setting new standards for watchmaking. Since then, over 500 Royal Oak models have been created, featuring different sizes, materials, styles, and movements. Today, the brand has decided to pay homage to this iconic watch and its 5-decade history, creating surprising and immersive edutainment content that will dive deep into the Royal Oak’s cultural universe. Starting in Dubai, from 15 – 24 April 2022, these installations will lead visitors on a journey to discover the multiple characteristics of this remarkable timepiece. In addition, visitors will be able to test their knowledge of the Royal Oak and the brand as a whole through a digital challenge. The public will be able to join in these immersive experiences in Zurich from May 6 to 12, New York City from May 19 to 25, and Shanghai in July. VB

www.audemarspiguet.com

Art

Louis Vuitton: “Coming of Age”

In loving memory and honor of Virgil Abloh, “Coming of Age” was unveiled at the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France, on April 8th. This is an extension of the group exhibition curated by Virgil Abloh in 2019 in Los Angeles, titled “Coming of Age”. Traveling to Paris, Beijing, Milan, New York, Munich, Tokyo, and Seoul, the exhibition centered around the concept, diversities, and complexities of male youth and boyhood. Central themes in this are traversing class, race, social economics, subcultures, isolation, and camaraderie. As a physical embodiment and homage to Virgil Abloh’s world, “Coming of Age” in Paris regroups, reimagines, and expands this original exhibition and its narrative story. It encourages activities and transforms visitors into participants, alongside artists, photographers, musicians, directors, and animators. This serves as an illustration of Virgil Abloh’s mission and achievement to democratize the dream, rendering it a domain open to the aspirations of all ages, genders, and races, from all walks of life. The extension of the global exhibition will play out over two weeks from April 13th, at the Frank Gehry-designed space. GH

www.foundationlouisvuitton.fr

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

Calvin Klein x Palace: Anything But Ordinary

Calvin Klein teamed with Palace to celebrate individuality and inclusion from New York and London to the world. The new collection CK1 PALACE unites Calvin Klein's iconic minimalism with Palace’s irreverent and modern style, presenting signature garments of the American brand layered with a playful, graphic aesthetic by Palace. Underwear, shirts, and hoodies in classic colors like black, grey, white, and wheat feature custom logos that combine Palace's signature Tri-Ferg with Calvin Klein's regular trademark. Basketball jerseys and baggy shorts push the boundaries of conventional sportswear, and the denim collection presents loose-fitting shorts and full-length pants in a faded wash to give a modern twist to the looks. In addition, since the heritage of both Palace and Calvin has roots in skate culture, the brand addressed Vans to create a limited run of “Calvans.” Dropping via a star-studded campaign, directed by long-time Palace photographer Alasdair McLellan and styled by Max Pearmain, the two brands have gone all out, even remixing the classic CK One fragrance into a unisex, playful scent. CK1 PALACE will be available on April 8th at Palace stores in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, as well as on the website of both brands. VB

www.calvinklein.com
www.palaceskateboards.com

Fashion

Audemars Piguet Unveils The New Royal OAK RD#3

To pay a fine tribute to the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary, Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet has unveiled the new Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin. This unique timepiece remains true to the aesthetic codes of the iconic “Jumbo” models but features the Manufacture’s new self-winding ultra-thin flying tourbillon movement, Calibre 296. It is a mechanism that was developed over five years by Audemars Piguet’s engineers and watchmakers to accommodate the extra-thin nature of the OAK RD#3. With a diameter of 39mm and a thickness of 8.1 mm, the watch reveals a new movement architecture that, for the first time, combines the tourbillon cage in titanium with a peripheral drive, making the distribution of energy to the tourbillon more fluid while lightening the regulating organ. A huge accomplishment that needed to be recognized and, most all, displayed. Audemars Piguet, in fact, redesigned the model’s geometry by placing the flying tourbillon at the dial level for a greater visual experience, making the watch’s beating heart even more perceptible. In addition, the sapphire case-back reveals the hand decoration of the movement components that merge the dynamism and classicism of V-angles with the modernity of traits tirés. The new OAK RD#3, crafted in stainless steel and graced with a Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 Petite Tapisserie dial, which pays tribute to the original model, continues to evolve, showcasing Audemars Piguet’s expertise and techniques. VB

www.audemarspiguet.com

Fashion

Out of Time Watches & Wonders Cartier

Cartier reinvents Maison’s stylistic codes, launching new iconic watches during the Watches & Wonders tradeshow. Thanks to the extraordinary expertise of Cartier’s watchmakers, the Cartier watches are precious objects that constantly renew and explore our way of understanding time and how to make the most of it! Each singular creation establishes its own identity while maintaining its link with Cartier heritage. These horological creations are evolving and establish themselves across different periods, perpetually relevant due to is purity of design and outstanding craftsmanship. This year the brand has presented different models that combine extravagant style and illusory shapes with more classic designs. The famous Louis Cartier watch reveals a playful aesthetic combining monochrome colors such as red, the Maison’s signature shade, and anthracite gray. The Pasha de Cartier watch, overlaid with a geometric grille, displays a vibrant elegance, while the Crash Metiers d’Art revolutionizes the aesthetic codes of watchmaking with its asymmetrical dial. Following the same playful style, the Masse Mystérieuse turns out to be a spectacular watch, an innovative movement, created by the Fine Watchmaking Manufacture. Looking back on over a century of heritage, the Cartier pieces are made to delight through a freedom of possibility, of taste of identity. VB

www.cartier.com

Fashion

Armani Hotels and DGDA Announce Plans for New Armani Hotel in Diriyah

Armani Hotels & Resorts has announced the realization of a new signature hotel in the city of Diriyah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This plan is made in collaboration with Diriyah Gate Development Authority, a program that aims to preserve Diriyah’s history, celebrate its community, and develop the historic UNESCO site. This 300-year-old city, located just 15 minutes from Riyadh, and the capital of the First Saudi State, is part of a pedestrian-centric project designed to preserve the rich history and culture of Saudi Arabia. Diriyah will soon become an extraordinary international cultural and lifestyle destination, and the Armani Hotel will be one of the new hotel units in the city. That is the third Armani property globally and represents a new interpretation of Armani hospitality and lifestyle. The hotel, realized by Mr. Giorgio Armani and his in-house interior design team and architects, embraces Saudi Arabia’s culture and heritage. The structure, including 70 luxuriously designed rooms, two restaurants, and a high-end spa, is characterized by essential lines that enhance the precious materials utilized. Here, volumes, light, and shadow are blended with the unique architecture and landscape of the site, giving life to a building that fits organically into the rich urban and cultural fabric of Saudi Arabia. VB

www.armani.com

Fashion

Acqua di Parma Presents COLLAB - The Colonia Laboratory

In collaboration with IED - Instituto Europeo di Design, one of Italy's most significant fashion, design, and communication schools, Acqua di Parma has launched a new initiative. COLLAB is an open laboratory that connects customers and emerging artists through art and scent in an interactive co-creation process. The Italian brand collaborated with six emerging Italian talents that have translated their creative vision in a collection of 300 unique 180ml pieces from the Colonia Collection. Departing from their personal style, each artist developed a design inspired by the Italian culture, from the horoscope tradition and card games to the reinterpretation of the gladiator imagery from ancient Rome. Different techniques, visions, and colors blended in dynamic visual communication. In addition, since the COLLAB project is a co-creation laboratory, the clients can customize their very own personal fragrance bottle based on what the artists have previously crafted. A Roman number or a horoscope symbol, among other themes, can be added to the final product giving life to a true collector's item. To take part in this experience, people can book their one-on-one appointment on the Acqua di Parma website to meet the artists at the Maison's Boutique in Milan, starting their creative path together. Then, to offer the same service to those clients across Italy and Europe, the brand provides online appointments through a customized platform. COLLAB reflects Acqua di Parma values in preserving culture, art, and design while supporting future generations. VB

www.acquadiparma.com

Art

Tim Van Laere Gallery Presents Self Portraits and Nudes (Gesamtkunstwerk) by Jonathan Meese

Tim Van Laere Gallery presents SELF PORTRAITS AND NUDES (GESAMTKUNSTWERK), the fifth solo exhibition by Jonathan Meese at the gallery. Known for his multifaceted work, which includes paintings, installations, performances, and a body of sculpture in numerous mediums, Jonathan Meese is a German artist that plays with a sense of humor, a combination of both the grotesque and a powerful, original creative will. His paintings allow us to enter an alternative universe. Especially in this exhibition, Meese showcases a new series of works that captures the interplay of inner and outer worlds, merging imagination and reality. "SELF PORTRAITS AND NUDES," as the title predicts, deals with self-portraits and nudes. According to the artist, all self-portraits are nude, and all nudes are self-portraits. In addition, the art pieces want to celebrate the birth of the Gesamtkunstwerk, paying homage to evolution, nature, love, power, collage, abstraction, animalism, and art itself. SELF PORTRAITS AND NUDES (GESAMTKUNSTWERK) by Jonathan Meese will be on display at Tim Van Laere Gallery from April 7th to May 14th, 2022. VB

www.timvanlaeregallery.com

Fashion

Summer Feeling

Summer is around the corner, bringing with it the anticipation of sunbathing and lunching on the patio. To celebrate this season, Maison Sarah Lavoine has crafted a selection of outdoor and tableware pieces in cheerful colors. Since 2012, Maison Sarah Lavoine has always conveyed its values and bold design through its architectural projects and creations. Its furniture, decoration, and ready-to-wear collections are elegant and relaxed: timeless but original, simple but with constant attention to detail, always colorful, and with a resolutely ethical manufacturing process. This season the Maison has presented a collection with Saffron and Pistachio shades that perfectly match with the geometric design of the new Soleil plates. The linen and cotton napkins are embroidered with a shell motif for a summer twist, while the Slave, Diane, and Castiglione candleholders make the good times last longer. The Esquisse collection is an invitation to color and sunshine, enjoying a picnic at the beach or on the grass happily seated down on the bright loungers and stools. VB

www.maisonsarahlavoine.com

Fashion

BYBORRE explores the power of simplicity for the introduction of its 10th Edition

Edition10 by textile design company BYBORRE showcases its advanced knitted textiles and garments in collaboration with the illustrations of Dutch icon Dick Bruna, best known for creating Miffy. By taking Bruna’s simplistic yet iconic designs, the textiles play around with the scale of the artwork and apply a limited palette of colors, giving their spin on the illustrator’s classic line work. The range of textiles celebrates Bruna’s recognizable line work while highlighting how BYBORRE’s techniques enable the power of artwork to be transformed into a textile. Staying true to Bruna’s signature illustrations, there was a strong focus on precision and simplicity in the process of designing and developing the featured garments. Featured in the imagery are key pieces from previous Editions such as the Open Back Vest, Layer Shirt, and A-Type Jacket. There is a continuation to the evolution of staples such as the Suit Jacket, Pants, and Button Tee. These features are all executed in the latest iterations of BYBORRE Textiles. Additional focus has been put into the development of accessories, resulting in the introduction of a versatile everyday bag. The collection truly captivates the simplicity of Bruna’s while going perfectly in hand with BYBORRE’S signature knitted textiles. GH

www.byborre.com

Fashion

Emmanuel Gintzburger Is The New CEO of Versace

Capri Holdings Limited, the global fashion luxury group, has announced Emmanuel Gintzburger as the new Chief Executive Officer of Versace. Mr. Gintzburger joined Versace after six years spent as CEO of Alexander McQueen. Prior he was Worldwide Retail and Wholesale Director for Saint Laurent from 2011 to 2016, having joined the Parisian fashion house in 2009 as the Europe Retail Director. From 2007 to 2009, he served as International Retail Director at Lanvin, and before that, he held regional retail and marketing leadership roles at Sephora. Emmanuel Gintzburger also spent six years at Louis Vuitton in Hong Kong. Both John D. Idol, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Capri Holdings, and Donatella Versace were enthusiasts to welcome Emmanuel as the new CEO of the Italian brand. They agreed that Mr. Gintzburger, thanks to his background in luxury, is the perfect partner to take Versace to even greater heights. Emmanuel’s leadership and vision will help the brand further accelerate its growth and strengthen its strategic initiatives. “I am thrilled to be joining Versace as Chief Executive Officer. I have long admired the unparalleled style and fearless narrative of the house. I look forward to having the opportunity to partner with Donatella and the talented Versace management team to accelerate growth and strengthen the position of Versace as a leading fashion luxury house.” - Emmanuel Gintzburger. VB

www.versace.com

Fashion

Icons Unite: Mercedes-Benz x AWGE

Mercedes-Benz has launched a collaboration with multi-hyphenated artist A$AP Rocky. The well-known luxury car company has presented an exclusive capsule collection including a range of fashion and lifestyle merchandise characterized by iconic trademarks of Mercedes-Benz AG. Mercedes-Benz x AWGE is not the first creative partnership made by the two, but it follows the 2017 “Glow-Up” campaign fronted by the American rapper highlighting the Mercedes-Benz compact-car family focussing on people caught between the coolness of adolescence and the squareness of adulthood. This year the brand and AWGE tight up to realize a line of clothes spanning from t-shirts, pullovers, hoodies, and jackets, to trousers, baseball caps, and bags. Inspired by the 90s pop culture, “Icons Unite” is the new co-operation that sits at the intersection of cars, music, and streetwear, bringing together A$AP Rocky’s distinctive aesthetic and Mercedes-Benz iconic design in a unique offering of merchandise. Mercedes-Benz x AWGE capsule collection is available for purchase via select third-party channels, including the online shop of A$AP Rocky’s agency AWGE and PacSun’s website. VB

www.mercedes-benz.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles SS22 Campaign: Summer Solstice

Spring is a time of transition when the sun seems to stand still in the sky, and in the natural and beautiful scenic state of this season, Moose Knuckles Canada revealed the SS22 Campaign. Moose Knuckles has always crafted resilient garments for the most unforgiving conditions, from the tundra to the city. The brand has become globally known for its relentless commitment to product design and technical expertise alongside its irreverent spirit and energy. This season the Canadian brand has transported the SS22 Collection to the beach. Shot by renowned risktaker Kenneth Cappello, the images portray Moneybagg Yo and Justine Mae Biticon in a picturesque Malibu shoreside sunset, capturing the feeling of mellow tones of a summer solstice through their warm and undeniable chemistry. These photos highlight Moose Knuckles’ SS22 Collection which, with a reinvention of classic styles, offers a range of premium sportswear and outerwear crafted with water and wind repellent nylon, and windproof tech fabrications, to be suitable to face the unpredictable transitional Spring season. The collection is available in Moose Knuckles stores, luxury outer and sportswear retailers worldwide, as well as on the brand’s website. VB

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

A Souvenir Snow Globe

In a not-so-distant future, what was once considered ubiquitous is now rarefied, often only experienceable via simulation. In line with this concept, Balenciaga presented its FW22 Collection on an infinite white field, encapsulated with a protective glass screen. The weather became digitally rendered and the term “winter” took on a new meaning. The show was a real-life 3-D live stream with a 360° view showing the idea of a season as we once knew it. Just as a souvenir snow globe. The collection, surrounded by this atmosphere, featured classic looks pared down and redrawn, letting bold silhouettes stand out. Hybrid stretch dresses and bodysuits fitted and fell in new ways by combining gloves, shoes, pants, trains, or leggings. Staples, such as turtlenecks, pants, and jersey hoodies, were partially destroyed or oversized. Then, through graphic prints, Balenciaga introduced XXXL fits or messages like “Be Different,” while logos were blocked out with black tape. The accessories were exaggerated, emphasizing reuse and alternative materials like the Trash Pouch, inspired by a garbage bag, and purses made from pairs of Cagole or Rodeo boots. For Creative Director Demna Gvasalia, research and innovation are key during the predictably unpredictable time ahead. In addition, following recent events in Ukraine, Demna Gvasalia decided to dedicate the Balenciaga fashion show to fearlessness, resistance, and the victory of love and peace. VB

www.balenciaga.com

Fashion

VEJA X MARNI

VEJA and MARNI have introduced a new collaboration that offers an original interpretation to contemporary footwear, revisiting a slightly nostalgic design with a colorful, DIY-inspired look. Marni, the luxury brand recognized for its unorthodox take on fashion, has joined VEJA to launch a new pair of shoes that combine its playful approach with VEJA’s environmental and social commitment. VEJA is a footwear brand that creates long-lasting sneakers focusing on design and social responsibility, for them, sneakers are, for them, a symbol of our generation and era, but also a product that crystallizes the issue of globalization. VEJA’s V-10 and the newly introduced high-top V-15 welcome MARNI’s free-spirited aesthetic expressed through a colorful scribbled motif covering the upper shoe. Each pair has been assembled by hand, with the right foot different from the left to underline the originality and creative vein of the Italian brand. While, in line with VEJA’s philosophy, all the materials involved in the production are sustainable. The shoes’ laces are made of 100% recycled polyester, the leather is sourced in Uruguayan farms and tanned in Brazil, at a Gold-certified tannery by the Leather Working Group, and the soles are composed of 31% Amazonian rubber, 22% rice waste, and 12% recycled rubber. Made in Brazil, the first release presents two colorways: the V-15 in Black and the V-10 in Marsala. VEJA X MARNI collaboration is already available in selected retailers worldwide, as well as in VEJA and Marni flagship stores. VB

www.marni.com
www.veja.com

Fashion

Bas Koster at De Grote Kunstshow

Artist and Fashion designer Bas Kosters’ work will be displayed in The Great Show from March 11th until May 1st, 2022. The show will be presented by Lucas De Man presents the special show with light, music, monologues, interviews, and lots of fashion. De Man will involve the audience in the show and stimulate them with his unexpected thoughts. Embedded in the show are Koster’s fascinations with gender identity, ideals of beauty, overconsumption, vulnerability, and eroticism will be ideal ingredients for an exciting Great Art Show next spring, in which his multidisciplinary work will come to life theatrically. After the presentation by Lucas De Man, the public will have the opportunity to take a closer look at the presented fashion and art objects on stage. Kosters considers fashion to be one of his ‘languages’, alongside illustrations, paintings, dolls, wall hangings, and other graphic work. De Grote Kunstshow has been displaying visual art and design in the spotlight in a theatrical way since 2013. Initially intended as a one-off event, it grew into a popular and successful format. Koster is The Netherland’s most outspoken fashion designer, therefore deserving of his own edition in the show. GH

www.kunstshow.nl
www.baskosters.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Women’s FW22

For FW22, Louis Vuitton wanted to recommence with the special moments in the formative years of one’s life cycle that forge a character. The garments are linked to the timeframe of young adulthood. Channeling the sense of youthful experimentation he remembers, Ghesquière topped evening dresses with sporty rugby shirts or chunky sweaters wrapped around waists. This grouping in the show is to evoke how a teenage girl may co-opt her boyfriend’s clothes. The imagery also plays with androgynous tailoring, often in oversized shapes. Pannier and bustle shapes were remixed in soft embroidered knit and tweed, making the looks more every day. The message behind the collection is around the freedom and romanticism around hope among youth. The collection displays the aura of having the world at your feet, embracing everything, and approaching taste as a personal construct. This is illustrated in the randomness of the mix and matching of garments, tailored to the individual who may wear them. GH

www.eu.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent Women’s Winter ‘22

Saint Laurent’s FW22 womenswear show paid tribute to the art deco style that was deeply appreciated by Yves Saint Laurent himself. Possibly the most memorable show of Anthony Vaccarello’s career, it was presented under the Eiffel Tower at Paris fashion week. Writer and political activist Nancy Cunard served as a template for the collection, with designs showcased across models from different age groups. Known for her wild elegance, Cunard dressed audaciously ahead of her time, wearing African bangles during a period that would deem it barbaric. Multiple looks such as minimalist gowns worn with heavy bangles, evoke her bold attitude. The looks take us back to the ‘90s, with long, narrow, and languid silhouettes with covered arms and subtle use of color, but the range does not stop there. Also featured are fake fur coats and bombers; overcoats with big shoulders; narrow leather coats; elegantly nonchalant cocoon-back profiles. The flute-like dresses brought the perfect balance of masculine and feminine energy. Looks throughout were embellished with chunky accessories, contributing to the essence of the brand. The show made the audience feel like times are truly changing within fashion, all in the right direction. GH

www.ysl.com

Fashion

Trussardi FW22: A New Narrative

Trussardi, one of the oldest fashion houses to show during Milan Fashion Week, presented its FW22 Collection designed by Creative Directors Benjamin A. Huseby and Serhat Isik. Held at the ground floor of Palazzo Trussardi, the setting reflected the idea of excavation of the house and a return to origins. Benjamin A. Huseby and Serhat Isik wanted to give life to a new Trussardi narrative using their methodology of uncovering the layers to get to the foundation. They looked at the past to reshape the present and think about the future. From a sleeping beauty, Trussardi is awakened, showing a collection that combined fantasy and reality, the historical and the present. It is a mixture of fantastical fairy tales and the genuine codes of how people dress on the streets of Milan. The two Creative Directors studied the Milanese and noticed how almost everyone was wearing 100-gram Piumino jackets, the typical and essential lightweight down jacket, and created a more beautiful and improved version of the item. Benjamin A. Huseby and Serhat Isik's idea of fashion lies in the magic of clothes that gives visibility to who is wearing them, like a magic cloak. For the FW22 show, they aimed to give this power to everyone, inviting people back into the building because the Trussardi spirit has always been to look at fashion democratically. In addition, they redesigned the house motif, an ouroboros depicting the iconic Italian greyhound eating its tail. For Benjamin A. Huseby and Serhat Isik, time is not linear but a loop, and there is no hierarchy in dressing for a world that exists as much in the past as it does in the present. VB

www.trussardi.com

Fashion

Modernist Magic

This season Max Mara paid homage to creative polymath Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Architect, dancer, textile designer, painter, and sculptor, she was a modernist who invested even the most everyday object with a sense of magic and mystery. Sophie Taeuber-Arp was the artist, with Wassily Kandinsky, Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst, and many others to give rise to the Dada aesthetic. But what inspired Max Mara FW22 Collection were Taeuber-Arp’s hastily improvised costumes and marionettes designed for her work “King Stag”. Full of joy, energy, and theatrical panache, they were formed fairytale characters that the Italian brand reinterpreted with strong and surprising silhouettes. The collection explored playful contrasts of mini and maxi, micro and macro, skinny and outsize, presenting a wide range of garments: from Max Mara’s crepe-soled knitted cuissardes, part boot, and part leggings to bell-shaped and full-length skirts and voluminous trousers. And a pale matte gold zipper was the new talisman of the season. As well as Sophie Taeuber-Arp used to elevate prosaic hardware to poetic heights, Max Mara clothes and accessories assumed a Dada dimension. To complete the collection, Teddy Bear coats and oversized puffas, layered one on top of the other, became dream items. Max Mara presented a sleek, modern dressing, with a dash of Cabaret Voltaire’s whirlwind creativity and a sprinkle of magic dust. VB

www.maxmara.com

Art

ZONA MACO 18th Edition

To celebrate its 18th edition, ZONA MACO featured, in a singular event, international exhibitors from more than 25 countries bringing together its four fairs simultaneously. Held at Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City, ZONA MACO MÉXICO ARTE CONTEMPORÁNEO, which combines leading and emerging national and international art galleries in four specialized sections, presented the most representative contemporary artists in the global scene. ZONA MACO DISEÑO, curated by Cecilia León de la Barra, promoted furniture, jewelry, textiles, and decorative objects, as well as limited editions and historical pieces. ZONA MACO SALÓN showcases exclusive antiques welcomed for this special occasion, the new curator Alfonso Miranda. As well as Sara Hermann, who curated ZONA MACO FOTO: a fair focused on galleries and artists working in the photographic and video fields. ZONA MACO, as every year, also announced its Conversations Program, which featured national and international guests to discuss current issues affecting the art world, and the extensive Parallel Activities Program. In addition, ZONA MACO Libros presented publishing projects specialized in art and photography. The 2022 edition has been a unique event that marks the return of the art fair platform to its traditional format, adding to an already tested formula something new and revolutionary. VB

www.zsonamaco.com

Fashion

Erdem FW22 Show

Erdem’s FW22 show in London Fashion Week showcased an exquisite assortment that captivates the feeling of entering a European club in the ‘30s. The collection imagined the nightlife of a group of iconic women who pioneered Berlin’s progressive cultural spirit in the ‘30s, a particular vein of avant-garde expression. These artists explored the notions of gender, sexuality, identity, and expression long before terms such as “fluid” and “non-binary” had been added to our vocabularies. The collection explores and juxtaposes the intertwining of daywear and eveningwear, womenswear and menswear, and formal and casual clothing. Each look is characterized by its distinctive sense of degenerated glamour; mixed and matched together are jacquard and ivory dresses, lavish black beading, and tailored grey-skirt suits. There are embellishments of lace, pearls, studs, and black sequins, perfectly encapsulating the heady spirit of freedom. There is a feeling of isolation from the outside world, a bittersweet edge as the club created is a place of safe space and expression, unlike the world beyond the club. The brand depicts the collection to have created electricity in the air, febrile energy of abandon that comes in the calm before the storm. GH

www.erdem.com

Fashion

Fratelli Rossetti in Fiumara d'Arte

Fratelli Rossetti has shot her SS22 campaign in Sicily, among the monumental works of Fiumara d’Arte, one of the largest open-air sculpture museums in Europe, designed by patron Antonio Presti. The colossal works create an evocative and poetic setting for a collection whose every detail evokes the art of craftsmanship. Presti describes the imagery as “a combination of art and fashion that reflects current environmental, social, and cultural concerns. It helps raise the profile of the extraordinary area of Sicily and its ancient villages”. The forms are captured by skilled fashion photographer Federico Sorrentino, who pays great attention to contours, geometry, and perspective. Human subjects merge with their environment and create a sense of harmony between the shapes and colors. The collection maintains Fratelli Rossetti's signature elegance while being extensively innovative and bright. The brand continues to bring about small and big revolutions in the fashion world as it has done over the past 70 years, remaining as an international ambassador for “Made in Italy” and Italian style. GH

www.fratellirossetti.com

Fashion

The Savoir-Faire of the Dior Tribales Earrings

The Dior Tribales are a timeless design that is modern yet iconic. The style is composed of two asymmetrical resin pearls that are emblematic of the line. The small resin pearl sits on the front while the larger resin pearl appears at the back of the lobe. This season, Dior has reinvented the pieces in see-through shades of blue, orange, yellow, or pink. These are the perfect additions to already available models in fun matte colors, set stones, and pearlized finishes. The fruit of unique craftsmanship, these creations are fashioned from a transparent resin made in Florence, Italy. The bold yet elegant accessories are punctuated with the initials “CD”, in the form of a delicate extruded signature, or as a precious pendant. The pieces can be mixed and matched, worn alone, or in pairs, adding the perfect elevation to any look while creating whole new customizable combinations. GH

www.dior.com

Fashion

LOEWE Valentine's Day: Love is in the Air

LOEWE truly embrace the over the top essence of Valentine’s Day with its new Valentine’s collection. Within the collection are the ultimate tokens of affection - a special edition collection of bags, accessories, and small leather goods featuring the brand’s signature Anagram jacquard canvas in bold, heart stopping red. The 22 piece collection inspired by love, pairs the vibrant red Anagram Jacquard print with classic calf leather trims. The bags come in nano and 28cm sizes, as well as the iconic Flamenco, Balloon, Cubi and Gate. For the first time, the timeless Goya is available in Anagram Jacquard, adding a warm tactility to its clean lines. Joining the bags in this love affair, is a selection of small leather goods, including wallets, cardholders, and pouches, all with the same print. A bucket hat, sunglasses, and a logo strop complete the line in co-ordinating Valentine’s hues. The campaign for the capsule collection is a declaration of excess where too much is never enough. Pairing pieces from the collection with a tongue-in-cheek flurry of hearts, bows, and teddy bears pay homage to the most romantic time of the year. GH

www.loewe.com

Fashion

Gentle Monster x Coperni "5G" Collection

Gentle Monster and Coperni are two modern brands with an innovative and digital DNA. They used these similarities to create a range of sunglasses named “5G”, with the promise of taking us on a futuristic voyage. Inspired by the connection and speed produced by 5G, the sunglasses display five pure and radical lines on the temple that reflect a similar movement. The collaboration consists of six different version of two models: the “5G BOLD” and the “5G”. Echoed by their names, the “5G BOLD” is inspired by the 90s aesthetics of “RoboCop” or “Back to the Future”, whereas the “5G” model displays a more minimal variation of this. The campaign for the collection is shot in an urban, avant-garde landscape by Parisian film director Alexandre Silberstein. The campaign is inspired by the infamous movie “The Matrix”. Transporting us into the two brands technological universes, the campaign features a newly inspired trinity composed of singer Le Diouck, and models Louise Roberts and Jeanne Zheng. The collaboration collection was launched on February 11th, but has already been seen during Paris Fashion Week last September, and worn by celebrities like Zendaya. GH

www.gentlemonster.com
www.coperniparis.com

Fashion

Loro Piana Baseball Cap: A Modern Icon

Loro Piana presented the baseball cap, an iconic item capable of connecting the most diverse people worldwide. The baseball cap is a sports accessory that was discovered by fashion in the 60s and has since become an essential piece that not only protects the head and eyes but also serves as a decorative eye-catcher. This item, which creates a sense of mystery by hiding and revealing the face at the same time, made its first appearance in Loro Piana collection in 2005, where it was worn, quite classically, in combination with the Horsey jacket. Today, instead, Loro Piana introduces a six-piece baseball cap with an innovative style able to transcend trends and generations. The new garment, made from Maison's fine and distinctive fabrics such as Microfiber Wind, Cashmere, Vicuña, and Velvet Cashmere, all treated with the Storm System® process, shows off the brand know-how without letting the item lose its aesthetic appeal. Refined then with a wool-cashmere flannel lining, and seamless front, the baseball cap is transformed into a sporty and contemporary accessory that should be part of any wardrobe.

www.loropiana.com

Fashion

Balenciaga SS22

The second installment of Balenciaga’s ongoing campaign was captured by photographer Stef Mitchell. Several phases of the campaign are being released throughout the season, capturing friends of the brand either in their homes or their place of work. These friends include the likes of Kim Kardashian, Isabelle Huppert, and Tommy Blue shot in their homes, as well as Justin Bieber and Marie-Agnès Diene in their respective studios. The models are all dressed in Balenciaga’s signature silhouettes and pieces, including the iconic Hourglass bag styles, sportswear-inflicted outerwear, and figure hugging bodysuits. As well as having a strong focus on products that continue from season to season, new classics are also introduced such as newer versions of the Tote bags; stretch knee pants; and sunglasses. The imagery of the campaign celebrates and perfectly captures the brand’s unique vision of futuristic streetwear that is becoming timeless. The collection is featured at large scale on famous façades worldwide, beginning at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.

www.balenciaga.com

Fashion

Giuseppe Zanotti's Sustainable Make-Over

For the SS22 season, Italian luxury footwear brand Giuseppe Zanotti launched a new eco-friendly version of its signature Blabber sneaker. Taking a step towards sustainability, the designer presented the Ecoblabber, which realized with eco-conscious materials, keeps the iconic design untouched and clearly alludes to its inspiration, the first original skater styles. This particular pair of sneakers are crafted with a polyurethane and polyester blend obtained from recycled plastic bottles, utilizing a production process that reduces CO2 emissions. Each of them is then assembled with water-based glues to avoid any component that might be dangerous to the environment, and refined with bio-based soles and organic cotton laces. The Ecolabber, realized in a restrained color palette of black and white, with gold and silver nuances, turns out to be a truly green product certified by leading company CIMAC, the Italian top partner of those footwear firms seeking to achieve the highest levels of sustainability.

www.giuseppezanotti.com

Fashion

Versace Men’s 2.0

On the second day of the second month in 2022, Versace presented the FW22 Collection, introducing Versace Men’s 2.0. The collection, which does not focus on the singular but on multiplicity, progression, and diversity looks at the Versace Man, showing garments designed to proudly reach out to a diverse range of men in celebration of who they are. Clean forms, fluid lines, and adaptable designs define a contemporary approach that shows a refreshed masculinity inspired by the new generation. In this collection, Versace synthetized its brand codes presenting unstructured finishes which allow freedom of movement and create a smooth silhouette. While, the brand's heritage ornate prints are polished, portrayed as stenciled bicolors like the new Barocco Silhouette, and bright, optimistic hues like cerise, pink, and orange are worn as solid blocks of color. La Greca motif remains as the brand monogram, interplayed through cable knit sweaters and vivid lurex cardigans. In addition, Versace crafted new accessories and shoe designs like wide totes and belt bags in soft-grained leather and the Odissea sneaker that acts as a confident exclamation point at the foot of an outfit.

www.versace.com

Fashion

The Eternity of Rome, the Spirituality of Rome, the Celestial Rome

The Fendi Haute Couture collection was an ode to the brand’s home, the city of Rome, its past, present, and imagined future. Conceived by Kim Jones, the collection is an embodiment of the eternal city, to put it in his own words, “When you walk down the street in Rome, you are constantly moving back and forth in time. Where we work feels very modern, but you pass monuments on the way there. There’s a total timelessness to the city: a historic vein which runs through it, but also a movement that is projecting forwards.” This harmony between past and present, the historic codes of the city explored through a celestial lens, set the tone for the whole collection. The pieces themselves draw upon time-honoured techniques alongside modern craftsmanship, which is also reflected in the interplay of materials. The lavish embroidery and craftsmanship are paired with sci-fi silhouettes, making the model appear like an army of empresses descending from the heavens. Fluid pieces are draped atop shimmering bodies, beading is illuminated and hand-embroidered tights act as a second skin. It’s a celebration of the celestial Rome, its past being referenced throughout, but more importantly, it’s the essence of Jones’ vision for the Roman House, celebrating the power of women.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Stray Rats & Carhartt WIP SS22

Carhartt WIP has partnered with Stray Rats for their SS22 collection. Stray Rats is a brand that spans from punk and hardcore nostalgia to strands of underground American counterculture, which paired with Carhartt’s authentic adaptations of American workwear has instigated a strong collaboration. The collaboration features nine products, including reworked iterations of the original Active Jacket, Western Jacket, and Smith Pant. The items are all in either canvas or denim, and have an “aged” effect while also bearing a hand-drawn allover print. Each of these garments is accented with classic brass detailing and trims and is in either duck blue or tobacco brown. As a staple to the Stray Rats collection, there are also some cotton jersey items, including a sweatshirt and sweatpants with graphic prints similar to the hand-drawn prints on the canvas and denim items.

www.carhartt-wip.com
www.strayrats.com

Fashion

Dunhill FW22

When discussing his FW22 collection, creative director of Dunhill, Mark Weston describes the exploration and focus on “tailoring, sophistication and rigour”. The roots of British tailoring traditions are reflected on the strict format paired with a gentle subversion of stereotypes that is displayed across 31 looks that convey the power of finely tailored menswear. Weston depicts the collection as an adaptation of the “conventional uniform that makes it so unconventional”. The collection aims to show how rebellious it can appear for younger men to embrace the power of the strict suit, shirt and tie. The meanings and silhouettes behind these signature styles transform stereotypes and specificities of masculine dressing through a new kind of conservatism. Amongst the styles are the classic wrapped jacket and split hem trousers that are pressed with military precision, embracing a more rigorous tone with high breaks and strong shoulders. A less conventional version of the traditional camel overcoat is shown in wool-cashmere that is bonded with neoprene. An oversized raincoat made with coated paper cotton is created to be layered over a leather suit jacket. The depicted undertones of the transformation “from city boy to soldier” is established through different codes intertwining the trends, such as lively buttons and regimental ties, and dark, neutral tones. Each garment expresses the tradition of draping and yet coddling the frame. The collection is an embodiment of Dunhill’s signature way that pulls us in two directions, of fixed tradition merged with superbly modern looks.

www.dunhill.com

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

AMI FW22: The Essence of Paris

AMI is back in the spotlight presenting the FW22 Collection at Palais Brongniart. It is a collection that embodies the quintessential essence of the Parisian style. Paris is, once again, a steady source of inspiration for Alexandre Mattiussi, founder and Creative Director of the Maison. For this collection, his focus shifted from the streets to metro stations, a public space where everyone comes together, mixes and blends, without any discrimination. Influenced by the people who inhabit those places, he decided to reflect this reality on the catwalk by recreating metro tunnels in a mythical monument. The FW22 has been a statement collection that celebrates AMI’s DNA, presenting a free-spirited color palette, prints and motifs next to rich textures and eccentric fabrics. In addition, the collection encompasses a variety of silhouettes, strong unisex pieces, alongside tailored masculine shapes and more delicate feminine forms. These garments are then combined with unique accessories created in collaboration with jeweler Alan Crocetti and with a new it-bag named “Le Voulez-Vous”. In terms of his casting for the show, Alexandre Mattiussi has gone beyond the common standards presenting one of the most inclusive casts ever. On the runway, iconic models such as Mariacarla Boscono, Kirsten Owen and Paloma Elsesser walked, side by side, with street-casted models and new faces. A true representation of the French capital, Ami’s collection embodies the city’s chic flair, fun and diversity.

www.amiparis.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

Maluma is the New Face of Versace SS22 Men’s Campaign

Versace has announced the new face of the SS22 Men’s collection, the global superstar Maluma. Already part of the Versace Family, having previously created memorable moments such as Maluma wearing custom-made garments for his performances and red carpet looks, the Colombian singer has now been appointed by Donatella Versace herself as the new icon of the latest collection. The long-lasting relationship between the two has been love at first sight. Maluma has always been a fashion enthusiast and in the brand, he found the right features for an exceptional collaboration. Donatella Versace herself has always been intrigued by Maluma’s energy and engaging personality; to put it in her own words “He’s the kind of man that makes a difference and makes the world a better place”. The images, released globally on January 19th and shot by photographic duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, portray the singer wearing a varsity jacket finished with a range of brand motif patches and “Donatella” embroidered across the heart. In addition, for the first time, Maluma is not pictured alone but with his dog Buda. With these enticing images, the Italian fashion house and the Colombian megastar are creating new memories together as a fashion family.

www.versace.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

Miu Miu Tigers T-shirt Collection

In honor of the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac, Miu Miu launches an exclusive collection of t-shirts featuring the tiger motif from different animation productions. Ranging from playful to heroic and majestic, the spirit of the collection is ubiquitous and unexpected. Tiger Mask originally appeared in a manga comic book written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji, later adapted into an animation series by Toei Animatio. The character is a powerful wrestler and loyal companion to orphans, whose true identity always remains obscured. Created by Tiger Key, the Tiger Girl character featured in the t-shirt collection is a crime-fighting tiger battling evil. The last iconic animated tiger figures are Disney’s Tillie Tiger - dating back to 1936 when she first appeared on screen – and the anthropomorphic Tigger from the tales of Winnie the Pooh. The Miu Miu’s Tigers t-shirt collection evokes nostalgic images of iconic stories of animation history, in celebration of Chinese zodiac tradition. The Tigers collection of t-shirts is available starting from mid January 2022 at selected Miu Miu stores and online.

www.miumiu.com

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

1017 ALYX 9SM FW22

Models walking fiercely to a slow, powerful rhythm by F1lthy, who created a sound based on images of a majestic church venue on the edge of Milan named Saint Victor and the Forty Martyrs – forces collided at the Alyx FW22 show at Milan Fashion Week. The decadently adorned building served as a vast, yet astonishingly intimate space for the first show by Matthew William’s brand 1017 Alyx 9SM in Italy. The appearance at Milan Fashion Week was like a homecoming for the label founded in 2015 by Williams in Ferrara with a design studio located in Milan. The collection intrigues by showcasing contrasts between masculine and feminine shapes. The menswear looks are characterized by heavy multi-layered and voluminous silhouettes, while the womenswear counterpart features hip-skimming, full-length and fitted looks. Expressing his passion and sense for garments Williams describes his approach to creation: “So maybe it sounds selfish or narcissistic, but I’m just making things that I like, and hopefully other people will like them too. That’s just how I move.”

www.alyxstudio.com

Fashion

Canali FW22

Looking back at the art déco style of the 1930’s – the precursor of a new era of growth and recovery - the Canali FW22 collection strives for a tasteful, elegant and refined look. The collection reimagines what it meant to be a gentlemen in pursuit of discovering the self and the world during the historic era. Style was an essential element to express attitudes and standing and became visible through the sober and exclusive lines of the period - adapting military-inspired silhouettes and colors to a new, elegant context, and celebrating it with its trademark sartorial expertise, care and focus on detail. The Canali FW22 collection both honors and reinvents this image by presenting a look to adorn the modern gentleman. A man prepared at any moment of the day with a versatile look with various shirts and tie options. Elegant pin-stripe, typical of the 1930s, is the signature pattern of the collection, embodying the timelessness of its inspiration. More contemporary styles blend in where sleeves are finished off with rubber press-stud buttons, and trousers are designed in a more athletic look. The Canali FW22 menswear collection is a perfect match of lines and impressively unifies old-era elegance with contemporary design, resulting in an expression of the dynamic of the life of a modern man.

www.canali.com

Fashion

C.P. Company CINQUANTA

C.P. Company CINQUANTA For Milan Fashion Week, C.P. Company presents a throwback on 50 years of sportswear design with "CINQUANTA: A retrospective on 50 years of sportswear innovation by C.P. Company”. At the end of their anniversary celebrations, which lasted all throughout the past year, an exhibition, freely accessible to the public, is open from January 15th to January 17th, 2022 in Milan. Created in collaboration with Random Studio, a creative agency from Amsterdam, “CINQUANTA” is a series dedicated to five decades of Italian sports and casual wear. It includes more than 70 pieces from the C.P. Company archives, alongside original sketches and special projects that have marked and shaped the brand legacy. The retrospective also includes a special area dedicated to the 50th anniversary presenting the collaborations next to various objects and memorabilia. As Lorenzo Osti, President of C.P. Company put it himself, "This exhibition is designed to facilitate the understanding of the essence of the brand through its most iconic items: the ability of C.P. Company to model and create objects that resonate with contemporary society. This way, through our garments, you will find the evocations of cities, landscapes and adventures that have most involved and fascinated us in the last 50 years."

www.cpcompany.com

Fashion

Fashion

Heart to Heart

Miu Miu reveals its latest campaign in honor of the Lunar New Year starring ambassadors Lexie Liu and Qiu Tian in an edit of contemporary classics. The campaign cinematically tells a story of two minds colliding. Two personalities with different life paths meet on the eve of a new year. Conveying a sense of déjà vu and familiarity. They stop to wonder, each delving into their memories before separating again. The two protagonists form a connection through sound and space by reciting their lines and humming tunes. Miu Miu colors illuminate the scene: the pastel pop of Miu Wander bag, the retro tone of a varsity cardigan, gold hair clips that oscillate with light. The short clip is a celebration of the joy of unplanned interpersonal connection. Miu Miu salutes the intangible nature of the order of things.

 www.miumiu.com

Art

The Genius Immersive Experience

The Genius Immersive Experience guides the visitor through a creative, multi-sensory journey. The show presents an interactive experience through the eyes of Leonardo Da Vinci and pushes the boundaries of visual storytelling. Its multi-media concept brings the exhibition and show to an astonishing new level. Just as the Italian painter, craftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer was ahead of his time in creating works, which embody true Renaissance humanist ideals, the show innovatively merges past, present and future. What's it like inside one of the brightest minds that ever existed? How can you touch, play, hear and live iconic works of art? The Genius Immersive Experience provides a space to not only receive but experience the answers to these questions and more. Science, art and intuition were at the core of Da Vinci’s approach to creation and exploration of the world. The master himself famously said: "All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions". Perceptions that are brought to life by The Genius Immersive Experience creators through revisiting Leonardo’s inventions and ideas within a modern framework using cutting-edge audiovisual technology. Almost 80 million real pixels, 50km of cabling and more than 350,000 projected lumens come together to create a sensory explosion. In the revision of Leonardo’s work, the Genius Immersive Experience explores what his vision might have been making use of the resources that are available in the realm of art today. Providing a new lens on ecology, nature, science, space exploration and modern art the show investigates the present through the past, exemplifying methods and possibilities of the future.

 www.geniusdavinci.com

Fashion

Radical Urbanism: "The Power For The People x"

 “The Power For The People x” founded by Steve Davies of Steve Davies Studios London presents its new collection. Davies has been working closely for many years with acclaimed Fashion Photographer and ZOO contributor Roger Rich. The pair have collaborated together for the latest venture “The Power For The People x”: a collection based on love for concrete and fashion. Driven by the Davies’s strong connection to London with a passion for city living, modernism, brutalism, style in art and architecture, the coming SS22 season embodies the urban human experience. The line is created in London and inspired by its development throughout the decades featuring Savile Row mixed with a nod to early Punk from the late 80s early 90s London club scene at the WAG and the MUD club. Working very closely with friends and family Davies produced the finest quality of handmade garments using traditional skills and techniques in an unconventional manner. Tailored trousers meet military jackets and pants worn casually with brand logo shirts and sweats. The collection’s reference to Punk becomes visible through bondage pants combined with artist smocks paired with hats and reversible bags made from military ripstop fabrics in black, navy and olive. The garments are an expression of powerful idealisms to explore the emphasis on materials, textures and shapes in buildings and clothing fabrication creating a dialogue between infrastructure and the voice of society and culture.

www.thepowerforthepeople.com 

Fashion

Brunello Cucinelli Menswear SS23

For the men’s SS23 collection, Brunello Cucinelli finds the perfect refined yet relaxed balance between sophistication and verve. Feeding on the knowledge of tradition, this skillful nonchalance offers a new interpretation of style: fresh, innovative, and capable of conveying harmony and versatility for any occasion. The prestige behind the origins of the brand is transferred to a more relaxed, effortless style. The modern suit is a feature of the collection, which can be used for daily, leisure, and summer dressing alongside business elegance. A blazer and trousers can be worn separately to adapt to the evolving needs throughout the day. Also included are an array of knitwear, t-shirts, and shirts that boost the sense of ease and comfort of contemporary suits and casual styles alike. The colors highlight the essence of summer in a rich variety of tones. Patterns are captivated by the variety of textures, where structures and color-enriching effects confer three-dimensionally and unique characteristics to elements across the collection. A generous collection of accessories has been made as the perfect embellishments to the looks. A variety of footwear has also been designed to fit styles of any occasion, varying from formal to more lightweight designs. These are characterized by the utmost attention to lightness, comfort, and flexibility. GH

www.bruellocucinelli.com

Fashion

Versace Pre-Fall 22: Reimagining History

The Italian luxury house Versace unveils its Pre-Fall 2022 collection, which encapsulates the quintessence of creativity. Versace was established by Gianni Versace in 1978 in Milan, emerged into a leading international fashion house during the 80s, and is now creatively led by his sister Donatella Versace. One of the most distinctive recognition features of the luxury fashion brand is the Baroque print. Donatella Versace states the leading mantra of the Pre-Fall 22 collection as “[…] I see creativity as an opportunity and a way of looking at things you have known all of your life in a different way, from another perspective and transform them into something new that, like a scent reminds you of emotions past, but are now connected to something completely rooted in the present moment.” For the Pre-Fall 22 collection, the infamous Baroque print is reimagined in a black and white version on garments, ranging from fitted suits to loose silhouettes. The collection features dresses, sensually hugging the silhouette of the models and silk wide-leg pajama pants with matching shirts as well as bold colored and heavily printed garments, deeply anchored in the Versace vocabulary. The Pre-Fall 22 collection embraces the so-called Versace woman, a strong independent woman who is confident in continuously reinventing herself through clothes.

www.versace.com

Fashion

Dior Welcomes Kylian Mbappé

Dior has announced Kylian Mbappé as an official ambassador of the French Maison the soccer prodigy will prospectively lend his image to the design creations of Kim Jones, Artistic Director for Dior’s men’s collections, as well as the iconic Sauvage perfume. The globally recognized soccer player is part of the Parisian Saint-Germain club and further one of the major players of the French National Football team with whom he won the world championship in 2018. In the same year, Kylian Mbappé was awarded the title of the Best Young Player by FIFA in the same year as well as the Kopa trophy celebrating the best player aged under 21. Propelling his professional career with a steady advancement, he has also been the player to break the record of scoring a quartet of goals, which had last been achieved in 1958, during a match that qualified the French National Team for the 2022 Worldcup. Kylian Mbappé makes a point in supporting charities, in particular the Premiers de Cordée association, which organizes sports initiatives for hospitalized children. Through this collaboration, the young soccer star aims to be an active part in using athletic aspirations to create purpose and perspectives. Pushing his charitable endeavors further, Kylian Mbappé has launched his own association, named Inspired by KM. With the mutual values of generosity and breaking standards, Dior and Kylian Mbappé are a match that promises exciting collaborations.

www.dior.com

Art

Who the Bær’s Search For Identity

British artist Simon Fujiwara is announcing his second solo exhibition to be shown in Berlin at the beginning of 2022. The exhibition, titled Once Upon a Who? Revolves around the character of Who the Bær – a fictive figure Simon Fujiwara has brought to life with a series of cartoons. The bear appears as a quirky companion, wearing a pair of denim trousers with a heart made of gold – in a literal way, as it is visible on his upper body- as well as an uncontrollably long tongue that – as the observer suspects – leads him into trouble as it spills secrets and witty statements. Purposely, Who the Bær has no determined gender, race or sexuality and even his design is distinguished by a prototype-like understatement. Simon Fujiwara created a narrative for the bear that centers around a search for identity. In a seemingly endless manner, Who roams a fictional world, appropriating characters, identities and aesthetics during a selfish search of a “self”. Who's journey can be followed on a namesake Instagram account. On the occasion of the exhibition, Simon Fujiwara and Esther Schipper gallery have curated a little shop, named “Whotique”, devoted to the merchandise of Who the Bær, including apparel, homeware and posters, enabling the visitors to take home an anecdote of the “Whouniverse”. The boutique has been initiated by Highsnobiety, after collaborating for Art Basel Miami Beach. Once Upon a Who? By Simon Fujiwara is on show at Esther Schipper gallery, Berlin, from January 15th until February 26th.

www.estherschipper.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2022

To Virgil Abloh, pre-collections had a special element to them. As passionate as he was about the sensation of the regular runway shows, he found contentment in immersing himself into the as he defined “normalcy” of the pre-collections that celebrates the idea of commercialism behind fashion, rather than looking upon it. Catering to the terms “trendless” and “lifewear”, his pre-collection frequently delivered looks that stood for contemporality while remaining timeless. His first pre-collection introduced the now widely recognized idea of ‘boyhood ideology’, a perspective with which Virgil Abloh nodded to the influence of upbringing, education and evolvement in the early years of life. The pre-fall 2022 collection seized on this initiation, effortlessly fusing the ideas of formalwear, workwear and streetwear into one fluid wardrobe devoid of conventional dress codes. The collection touches upon the traditional idea of suiting yet adjusts the classical three-piece with a wrap skirt replacing the waistcoat. The seriousness of tapered trousers is replaced with flares and blazers traded for utility jackets. A small selection of looks focuses on elevating sportswear elements with tracksuits appearing in tailoring fabrics. Bringing graphics into formal dressing, the designer played with the Louis Vuitton Damier pattern, reintroducing grid patterns with embroidery work and incorporating landscape motifs into denim pieces. The show exemplified Virgil’s persuasion of questioning definitions and labels, taking visual elements out of context and reviving them by exploring opposites. The shows indicate, in an all-encompassing way, how Virgil Abloh’s designs have shaped the idea of modern menswear and how he continued to pursue the unusual and unexpected while keeping wearability and commerciality in mind.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Dior Men SS22: Paying Homage to Those Who Shaped Our World

For the SS22 Menswear collection, Dior pays homage to one of the most revolutionary writers of the last century—Jack Kerouac. Christian Dior reimagined the pre-war silhouettes with a refreshing approach, influenced by his journeys, where the couturier acquired knowledge and new sources of inspiration in numerous countries and cultures. The influence and importance of author and poet Jack Kerouac are synonymous with Dior. Kerouac shaped his generation with an avant-garde approach to literature art and gained worldwide recognition with his novel On the Road, published in 1957. Kerouac is considered to be part of the Beat generation, which was a rebellious literary movement, emerged out of the desire to break down the established structures and traditional writing conventions in the 60s. Also known as the Beat poets, they influenced culture and politics with their celebration of experimentation and spontaneous creativity. The SS22 collection celebrates the power of imagination and fuses Dior’s heritage, characterized by intricate embroideries or the soft pastel color palette with futuristic technological qualities in materials, such as technical silks and recycled nylon. Fair Isle knits embroidered with sequins are worn with bias-cut soft collegiate jackets and complemented with an original silk Foulard from the 60s. Dior perpetuated Kerouac's legacy by hand-painting and printing extracts of his novel onto leather and silk. “But you can go on thinking and imagining forever further and stop at no decisions to pick up a bag for the thinkings. Turn your thinking into your work, your thoughts into a book, in sieges,’’ as perfectly encapsulated by Jack Keruoac himself, Dior aims to encourage confidence in imagination with its SS22 Menswear collection.

www.dior.com

Fashion

New Chapters at Premiata

Originally known for their expertise in shoe-making, the Italian label Premiata is now introducing their first apparel line with a FW22 Menswear collection. Induced by the fifth generation of the family-led business, the siblings Vincenzo and Carlotta, the line presents itself with a genderless soul and the typical ‘made in Italy’ that is the essence of Premiata. Vincenzo summarizes the key points of the collection as follow: “I thought about the wardrobe of a person who I would call a metropolitan warrior, who needs multifunctional, structured and versatile garments, for an all-day-long use. All the outerwear, from the jacket to the parka, are garments conceived in a genderless key.” The FW22 collection persuades with a combination of technical approaches, such as water repellent materials and finishes, while considering the factor of comfort with soft-touch fabrics and the use of elastics. Timeless, athletic puffer jackets with an urban style, stonewashed parkas and lightweight rain overcoats deliver a selection of outerwear. In addition, the apparel is complemented by accessories such as bags and backpacks, which further reinforce the idea of metropolitan practicality paired with Italian design vocabulary. The entire collection is designed and produced in Italy, in partnership with the renowned manufacturer La Rocca, who is widely recognized in the premium and luxury textile segment. The collection is to be presented with a pop-up during the upcoming Pitti Filati in February.

www.premiata.it

Fashion

Versace Jeans Couture’s Journey Home

“Home is a state of mind. It’s liberation, it’s acceptance, it’s freedom.” With these words in mind, London-based director Sarah Jones has created the cinematic short film The Journey Home for Versace Jeans Couture. The film narrates the return of a young woman to her home after spending a night out. During her commute, she experiences a reflective conversation with a cab driver, which leads to an epiphany about her identity and her innermost feelings. Depicted in a dream-like, surreal sequence, the clip embodies Versace’s values of youthfulness, nostalgia and unleashed emotion. The raw, documentary-style artistic direction with the surreal touch reflects the vulnerability and search of the young woman as she attempts to let go of personal and societal expectations to fully embrace herself. Sarah Jones perfectly captures the emptiness mixed with a sense of falling out of place that is attached to the search for identity. The plot takes the viewer on a journey of overcoming this void through a nightlife experience in a true Versace Jeans Couture manner. In a pensive and intense way, the protagonist of the stories reminisces upon her experiences and thoughts, as she lives through a night full of possibilities before eventually returning home. The eclectic colors and effects of the short film exemplify Versace’s specialty of meeting an avant-gardist Zeitgeist while making use of rhetorical stylistic choices and hidden layers.

www.versace.com

Art

Marséll Exhibition: The Edge Effect

Marséll hosts a new exhibition named The Edge Effect, curated by Chiara Bardelli Nonino, visual editor at Vogue Italia, and Jordan Anderson, editor-at-large of NSS magazine. Marséll was founded in 2001 as a shoe manufacturer, distinguishing itself from other shoe brands by using innovative techniques as well as traditional methods in a nonindustrial manner, resulting in original handcrafted shoes. Later on, the brand developed a concept to support young artists, a multidisciplinary exhibition space called Marséllaria. The performances and exhibitions at Marséllaria serve as a platform for like-minded young visionaries to meet for cultural exchanges. The Edge Effect exhibition revolves around ecotone, which describes a transitional area where two different ecosystems meet, and through mutual influence, intensify and enlarge in density and uniqueness. This phenomenon is an ideal metaphor for our contemporary society, where our identity and the concept of belonging are constantly changing. Each participating artist prepared variations on contemporary Italian identity with a biographical approach through visual dialogues or experimentation in fashion or digital art. The Edge Effect aims to articulate the Italian identity of the future with different approaches, resulting in a personal exhibition that gives exclusive insights into the family history and everyday life of the artists.

www.marsell.com

Fashion

Made To Order, Created to Last

Carnations London – which recently celebrated its first birthday after being founded in 2021 – has made it its mission to produce beautiful and cheerful designs with high quality. Determined to disrupt the shortcomings of the fashion industry, Carnations London has committed to the made-to-order business model – one of the most promising solutions for grappling with wasteful overproduction and a powerful tool to counteract the mindless consumption propelled by fast fashion and throw-away cultures. Each item is made by hand in a small studio – a direct reflection of founder Sarah Bartlett’s vision, in which fashion revolves not only around aesthetics but more so about social responsibility. As such, Carnation London’s design exude the brand values with their visual language: tie-dye patterns in pastel colors and embroidered scribbles make for a charming character, that reminds the wearer to return to the simple and joy sparking items that are uncomplicated and comfortable to wear. Combining the creative forces of various artists is an endeavor the British label pursues with great integrity - after collaborating with artist Joy Yamusangie, who created a lively illustration for a bucket hat, Carnations has partnered up with Stockholm-based print designer KJP, resulting in multifunctional checker-board bandanna and shirt in a vibrant blue color – which has yet to be revealed to Carnation’s followers. Now, during the festive month of December, Carnations returns to the item that marked their debut over a year ago: the classic cotton T-Shirt. With its muted sunset colors, melting together in the iconic tie-dye design (needless to say, achieved with non-toxic dyestuff), the shirt ensures to lift the spirits – and evokes the satisfying conscience of a responsibly sourced product. Besides the B-Day t-shirt, Carnations has included a selection of their best-selling items into the temporary “Festive Shop” collection, offering gift ideas with reasonable origins that make valuable stocking fillers. 

www.carnationslondon.com

Fashion

Gucci Aria Campaign KAI: A Fairytale Trip Down Memory Lane

Gucci unveils its special campaign, starring the global brand ambassador KAI and the exceptional looks of the Aria collection. The Aria collection presents the most spectacular highlight of the brand’s centennial anniversary. The collection featured the most recognizable and well-known looks of the luxury fashion brand since its founding in 1921. It includes the iconic red velvet suit, designed by former creative director Tom Ford and the red and green stripe logo design, which reflects Gucci’s equestrian heritage. The history of Gucci begins in 1921 with Guccio Gucci, who founded a leather goods shop, which eventually became one of the most recognized and sought-after luxury brands. The campaign is set in a surreal and frosted winter landscape, which transports the viewer in a fairytale-like environment. KAI the brand ambassador and protagonist of the campaign is a South Korean singer and dancer who became world-known as a part of the boy group EXO-K. The singer wears the signature looks of the Aria collection, including a velvet, tailored suit, cozy knitwear, and monogram-adorned trousers, worn with equestrian helmets and boots. Director Woogie Kim captures KAI, gracefully dancing and sensually moving, while music composed by Nicolas Fleury is playing in the background.

www.gucci.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent Rive Droite: The Ride

Collaborations have proven to be a successful way to introduce a brand into a new, unfamiliar universe and Anthony Vaccarello pursues doing so with Saint Laurent, joining forces with numerous prominent companies for his latest project, named The Ride. Anthony Vaccarello took upon the task to continue Hedi Slimane’s success as creative director at Saint Laurent in 2016. Ever since Vacarello has successfully teased his artistic vision for the luxury Maison— in which his idea of an accessible and experimental space, where art, music, and fashion meet and mind-broadening conversations and discussions are opened unfolds. For the Ride, Vaccarello designed a motorcycle in collaboration with SUPER73-S2, resulting in a perfect fusion between impeccable design and innovative function. SUPER73-S2 was founded in 2016 in Southern California on the concept of continuous striving to inspire and create a community around adventures, which corresponds to Vaccarello‘s vision. The release of the motorcycle is accompanied by a unisex edition of the K-Way bomber jacket with a tiger print, designed with the help of K-Way, a French staple outerwear brand. In addition to that, Vaccarello joined forces with the luxury motorcycle helmet company Hedon to create an elegant and bold helmet in total black.

www.saintlaurent.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

MB&F x BVLGARI: Reading the Future

Initially showing mutual admiration and professional respect from afar, BVLGARI and MB&F decided to join forces to create FLYING T ALLEGRA, an exceptional timepiece that fuses both luxury brands’ signature skills. Maximilian Büsser founded MB&F in 2005 in Geneva, Switzerland on the concept of revolutionizing the conceptual norm within the world of luxury watches with an unconventional creative approach. For the special collaboration, BVLGARI combines its exquisite feminine graphic aesthetic with the Swiss luxury watchmaker’s complex mechanical know-how, resulting in a series of wearable pieces of art. The timepieces are characterized through their three-dimensional vertical architecture and luxurious case, ranging between white and rose gold and adorned with a high domed sapphire crystal on top. The heart of the watch is the diamond-set flying tourbillon— a technical organ that goes beyond the borders of a traditional dial-plate, anchored only at its base, and set in a 50-degree angle, precisely aligned towards the wearer of the timepiece. BVLGARI replenishes MB&F´s cold and massive construction by a softly sensory experience, with perfectly cut and colored gems. With the FLYING T ALLEGRA series, BVLGARI and MB&F have created historic timepieces with complex micromechanical construction and induced with a futuristic and feminine twist.

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

“The Art of Performance”—A Spectacular Additon to Swarovski‘s Kristallwelten

Swarovski proudly introduces a new chamber to its museum “Kristallwelten” under the leitmotif “The Art of Performance.” Kristallwelten was established to celebrate Swarovski‘s centennial anniversary in 1998. The exhibition takes the visitor on a visual journey through the history of Swarovski, the glamorous designs for red carpet events, and the most flamboyant film and stage outfits made out of the precious Swarovski crystals. The museum-like display embraces and emphasizes Swarovski‘s versatility, uniqueness, and elegance. The exhibition is curated by fashion designer Michael Schmidt and the setting is thoughtfully prepared by set designer Derek McLane. It includes Katy Perry‘s iconic chandelier dress, made by Moschino, and the seductive “Happy Birthday” dress seen on Marilyn Monroe as she enchants a whole nation, including the American president at Madison Square Garden in New York as well as outfits worn by Marlene Dietrich, Lady Gaga, Cher, or Beyonce. Swarovski is defined by its founder’s mastery in crystal cutting and a strong sense of innovative and contemporary designs. Daniel Swarovski pioneered the world of jewelry, creating what is now referred to as conscious luxury, affordable yet high-quality glass gemstones and crystals. “The Art of Performance” offers a unique insight into the brand‘s most valuable creations and helps to understand the important role of Swarovski crystals in a worldwide context.

www.kristallwelten.swarovski.com

Fashion

Diesel: Reshaping the Fashion World

The Italian clothing brand Diesel launches its new PROTOTYPE sneaker through a digital campaign. Renzo Rosso chose the name “Diesel” for the brand in 1978, which is meant to be an expression for “alternative energy,” a node to Rosso’s enduring passion for an original and innovative approach to fashion. The release of the sneaker is accompanied by an original NFT created by the digital fashion house The Fabricant, a company that strives and prospers in developing 3D narratives and digital couture. By doing so, The Fabricant creates an intersection of fashion and technology. By collaborating with this progressive fashion brand, Diesel is significantly involved in paving the way towards a new, digitalized, and in particular less harmful fashion world. Creative Director Glenn Martens designed the new PROTOTYPE sneaker with an innovative approach in terms of aesthetic footwear design. The unisex sneaker is available in a bold and distinctive blue, red, and white colorway. It is adorned with recurring rubber straps and asymmetric lacing and features an industrial outsole tread pattern. With the PROTOTYPE sneaker, Diesel creates a visual reflection of a new digitalized era and introduces a new form of sneaker releases, resulting in digital pieces of art.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

Sabotaging Conventions of Jewelry Design

Free from confines; tethered to self. Unbound. Unchained. This is how the newly launched jewelry label Saboteur defines the essence of its brand identity. Founded by Thomas Sabo, Saboteur relies on the 35 years of design experience of the jewelry titan, while catering for a new generation of customers who seek unconventionality and individuality. Santiago Sabo, son of Thomas Sabo, herein represents the young generations to whom cultural inclusion, open-mindedness and unapologetic expression of the self are values reflected in their consumption choices. Saboteur is designed to break through the sophisticated worlds of jewelry by making use of mystical and metaphorical elements – portraying a spiritual cosmos while being balanced through geometry. The first two collections, called Elemental and Sacral, exhibited under the mantra “Unchain My World”, show elements of industrial engineering that create charms representing solar systems and mysterious relics of extraterrestrial realms. Skulls and hieroglyphic symbols recur on the rings, bracelets, necklaces and watches of the Elemental collection, while the Sacral pieces present visual anecdotes to the North Star, compass silhouettes and studded spikes. Many of the pieces feature an interplay of axles, turning the charms into tiny wondrous objects that can be turned and tilted to the liking of its wearer. Combing the signature 925 Sterling silver of Sabo’s design vocabulary with 18k golden elements, the jewelry line exhausts the possibilities of mixed metals, creating an allegory to their conventionality-defying vision.

www.saboteurworld.com

Fashion

Missoni x Supreme: A Gathering of Innovators

For the Fall21 collection, Missoni, a house rich in tradition, united its strengths with streetwear company Supreme. The history of Missoni begins as the founders, Ottavio Missoni and Rosita Jelmini meet. Ottavio Missoni gained his first experience in design by creating athletes’ tracksuits for the 1948 Olympics in London, and Jelmini specialized in shawls and embroidery. Combining their prior garment experience and knowledge with the proficiency of knitwear construction and machinery of Rosita Jelmini’s family, the couple founded a small knitwear studio in the north of Milan and started producing innovative lightweight knits that would become an unmistakable recognition value for Missoni. The jackets and sweaters of the collaboration are imprinted with an undoubtedly Missoni-esque-inspired pattern. Ottavio Missoni drew inspiration mainly from Guatemalan, Aztec and Incan textiles and was especially known and admired for his bold approach to color, creating a chromatic harmony by adding a third color to two clashing ones. The Missoni patterns are elevated in this collection, developed by implementing them on a new range of clothes. Supreme supplements the strong Missoni identity with its signature casual and sporty streetwear shapes and designs for the garments, such as hooded sweatshirts, crusher, and polo shirts, perfectly in tune with our zeitgeist.

www.missoni.com

Fashion

Cartier: Love is All: About Compassion and Love

To celebrate and honor the feeling that unites humanity the most, the haute jewelry Maison Cartier decided to capture the spirit of love in a two-minute-long campaign video. The luxury conglomerate is known and admired for its highly crafted and thoughtfully designed jewelry pieces that are meant to elevate the individuality of the wearer rather than forcing an identity on them. The campaign is directed by British photographer Charlotte Wales, known for her light-hearted and thorough approach to filmmaking and therefore is the perfect choice to translate Cartier’s core values into a film. The extraordinary campaign film puts unique and world-renowned personalities, such as Monica Belluci, Lilly Collins, Willow Smith, or Troye Sivan into the limelight. The artists, each masters of their own creative profession are visual carriers of the message that cultural and artistic diversity is essential for personal development. The storyline is accompanied by the particular pop song “Love is All”, composed in the 70s by Roger Glover and Ronnie James Dio, which emphasizes the film as an ode to love. Cartier’s Love is All is a perfectly and sensually composed love letter to compassion, coming together with family, friends, and loved ones which is the most important message behind the upcoming joyful holiday season.

www.cartier.com

Art

Cartier Fondation pour l’art contemporain

The Fondation Cartier unveils a particular film by Artavazd Pelechian at the 34th international documentary festival in Amsterdam. The foundation was established in 1984 by the luxury jewelry conglomerate on the concept of supporting artists and artistic creation through temporary exhibitions, live performances, and lectures. For the festival, Cartier decided to showcase the film Nature by Armenian film director Artavazd Pelechian. Nature marks a milestone for the director—it is Pelechian´s first published film after 30 years. The 64-minute film offers an exceptional cinematic experience, displaying found footage of natural disasters and Pelechian´s signature theme— humanity’s relationship with nature. The director also created a new and sensual visual language through slowing, reframing, and inverting the archive footage used in the film. “I am convinced that cinema can convey certain things that no language in the world can translate. For me, it goes back to the Tower of Babel, to before the division into different languages,” The exceptional film is the result of 15 years of hard work, thorough editing and relentless pursuit for perfection. The French luxury Maison proves once again its unparalleled intuition for unique potential, not only in jewelry designs but just as well in artistic productions.

www.fondationcartier.com

Fashion

Furla Cruise collection SS22: Sharing Joy in Italian

For the cruise collection SS22, the Italian leather goods company Furla celebrates its roots and embraces the cheerful spirit associated with Italy. Aldo Furlanetto founded the unique brand in 1927 while traveling across Europe as a trader in accessories and spreading the spirit. Henceforth, Furla reinterprets the Italian spirit with its leather goods, shoes, and accessories in a contemporary context of fashion. The use of high-quality materials and eclectic elegance are deeply-anchored in the success vocabulary of Furla. The cruise collection SS22 has a distinctive theme: “Joy is a group effort, Fun is for everyone, Sharing is everything” and a clear intention of sharing the uplifting atmosphere with the public. Furla presents the iconic Hobo bag, rounded with its gold monogram, padded handbags in silver, shiny nuances, made out of Nappa leather, and bright, neon-colored crossbody bags that guarantee to turn heads. The selection also showcases a range of small accessories, such as keyrings and card cases which upon closer inspection reveal themselves as depictions of bears and hedgehogs. The cruise collection SS22 is accompanied by the release of a campaign video that captures and diffuses the cheerful and careless spirit of the clothes. The recordings showcase a group of cheerful women dancing in broad daylight, surrounded by beautiful Italian scenery, which perfectly displays the core values Furla has been founded on.

www.furla.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

Saucony Highlights Fall/Winter 2021: Reimagines the Shadow 6000

This year marks a milestone for Saucony- the 30th anniversary of the iconic Shadow 6000. To celebrate the duration of the sneaker, Saucony decided to reimagine the shoe with five different themes- Destination, Food Fight, Pearl, Shadow 6000 OG, Sweet Street. Saucony was founded near a river in Pennsylvania in 1898. The brand name refers back to the city name “Saucon”, which is the native inhabitant’s meaning for fast-flowing river. The name of Saucony immediately resonates with a commitment to design and innovation. The Shadow 6000 was developed in 1991 with a new innovative sole, which achieves the perfect balance between heel steadiness, flexibility, and forefoot cushioning and results in the perfect essential for every professional runner. On the occasion of the anniversary re-interpretations, each limited edition of the Saucony classic takes the wearer on a different journey, through a land of sweets with delicious colorways or inspired by the act of marriage implemented in an elegant white design. The Shadow 6000 OG is a historic and significant version since it equals the original design from 1991 with blue, grey, and navy blue accents. Saucony’s anniversary collection perfectly highlights the timelessness of the company’s designs and passion for creative innovation.

www.saucony.com

Fashion

Bulgari Celebrated B.Zero1 Rock Chain in Berlin

On the occasion of the new B.Zero1 Rock Chain collection, Bulgari celebrated its iconic jewelry line with an extraordinary cocktail party in Berlin. In addition to the two brand ambassadors Princess Lilly zu Sayn Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Stephan Luca, VIP guests such as Palina Rojinski, Viktoria von Faber-Castell, Veronika Heilbrunner, Gizem Emre, Sonja Gerhardt, Stephanie Giesinger and Langston Uibel celebrated the launch of the fierce collection. Inspired by the rigorous architecture of Rome’s iconic Colosseum, the collection presents itself with an unconventional approach to jewelry design that celebrated the inspiring power of Bulgari’s bold visions. B.zero1 Rock Chain stands for the uncompromising breaking of rules, a liberating expression of independence and strength, and a pioneering spirit - all of which are closely linked to the DNA of the Roman jewelry house. Thus, the new collection makes all lovers of exceptional jewelry pieces that underline their personality shine. In the spirit of the new collection, the Alhambra location on Kurfürstendamm was bathed in a sea of lights of white, yellow and rose gold, perfectly reflecting the Bulgari brand through a combination of precious materials and timeless design elements. The rapper UFO361 performed an extravagant live show under an oversized Bulgari B.Zero1 ring. The exuberant mood was reinforced by DJ Alexander “Ali” Schwarzer from Tiefschwarz, whose music set the tone for the unforgettable evening that celebrated the sparkling confidence of the B.Zero1 Rock Chain collection.

www.bulgari.com

Fashion

Valentino: A Tribute to Creativity

The Maison Valentino releases a sequel of the extraordinary first art book VLogo, curated by Pierpaolo Piccioli. For the second edition of the artbook, the creative director draws inspiration from 1968’s spirit, a time defined by the desire for radical individualism and liberation from traditional values. Piccioli picks up the theme by visualizing the bold statement of this generation-“Power to the imagination.” Paying tribute to unlimited creativity, Piccioli called upon the industry’s most important players, such as 032c, AnOther Magazine, or Nylon China, just as well as the Valentino style offices to contribute to the project. The edition is filled with unique and different interpretations of the renowned Valentino Logo, created by various independent international publications. Furthermore, the book includes extraordinary images, texts as well as photographs, and drawings of specific moments in the recent past. The contributors reimagined the aesthetic core identity of the Maison, resulting in a broad, interesting spectrum of VLogo interpretations. The intention was to create this book as a canvas of possibilities rather than just a precious coffee table book. Piccioli’s work perfectly visualizes and embraces the idea of creative freedom and contributes to a more diverse world.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Dries Van Noten SS22: A Firework For The Senses

For the SS22 collection, the design team around Dries Van Noten draws inspiration from the Holi festival in India, renowned for its visible celebration of love and colors through colored powder clouds. The clothes embody the explosion of bold colors and euphoric emotions. Dries Van Noten is one of the most successful members of the Antwerp Six and is best known and admired for his creative integrity for his design process as well as the extraordinary aesthetic of his clothes. The collection showcases sculptural silhouettes, that perfectly mimic the festival explosions with heavily draped amounts of fabric on blouses as well as dresses. The garments also include shapes, that emphasize the body, such as caftans, matching suits, and jackets, cinched in the waist and finished with a flounce. Van Noten is picking up the theme of the Holi festival with the print and embellishments on his clothes. Replicate stains on garments give the impression of being doused with pigment and blurred photo prints of flowers and explosive fireworks on silk resemble a festival experiment. The color palette ranges from strongly saturated shades, such as orange, green, and pink as well as soft blues, purple, and mint to stripes in black. The special collection has been launched with a campaign video, directed by Albert Moya. The director perfectly captures the quintessence of Dries Van Noten´s latest collection- a celebration of love and joy, communicated through beautifully constructed clothes.

www.driesvannoten.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

Louis Vuitton Ski Mask: Innovation Meets Style

Right on time for the ski season-opening, Louis Vuitton launches a new Ski mask, that fusions fashion and function once again. Ever since its founding, the brand which has been initially known for its high quality and exquisite luggage pieces, expanded their assortment steadily, incorporating ready-to-wear, fragrances and an elaborate range of accessories- among others face and ski masks. This year, the winter vacation essential comes along with additional functions and aesthetic details, ensuring a golden mean between performance and style. The mask has a UV coating to protect the eye from harmful ultraviolet radiation and had to undergo a special post-production treatment, which results in an anti-fog effect as well as scratch resistance. The lenses are adorned with the famous LV monogram and available in exquisite colors such as black, blue, and orange. Louis Vuitton´s products are innovative and perfectly tailored to the needs of a customer, who plans on traveling into the mountains to ski. To ensure maximum visibility, the ski mask with darker lenses included a lighter version as well, meant to be worn on days when visibility is poor. The orange, pink and blue tinted lenses enable to notices and condition changes on the slopes in time.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Dior Men B30 Sneaker: The Athletic Versatility of Dior´s Men B30 Sneaker

In an interview, Kim Jones once revealed that he owns more than 500 sneakers. His experience and passion for athletic footwear made him an expert in creating the new Dior B30. The Paris-based designer was appointed as the creative director of the traditional Maison Dior two years ago. Ever since he has combined elegant elements, typical for Dior with his modern streetwear affinity, resulting in refreshingly casual and perfectly balanced collections. The B30 Sneaker was shown in the SS22 collection to complementing each presented look with a tribute to the world of running and the streetwear credibility. What strikes most about the sneaker are the extraordinary materials used, such as mesh and microfiber, which enhance the flexibility and lightness of the shoe. The sneaker is adorned with the renowned CD logo on each side of the shoe in a reflective graphic element. Available in five colors, from classic black and white to a refreshing lime, the color palette delivers options for the Dior customer. The versatility of the sneaker perfectly adapts to the complex needs of a customer in today’s fast-moving world and therefore is a striking example for Kim Jones´ understanding of our zeitgeist.

www.dior.com

Fashion

PB 0110: Versatile Favorites

PB 0110’s signature styles are the protagonists of the FW21 collection this year. The brand revived and reinterpreted their exceptional range of unique and elegant signature bags for this season. PB 0110 was founded by Philipp Bree with an emphasis on high craftsmanship, devoting enough time for the production of unique bags and accessories in a few selected reputable European manufacturers. He is an advocate of cherishing the longevity of an accessory. With his designs, he aims to nurture the idea of an essential accessory becoming a crucial companion, instead of a replaceable item. The designer initiated a collaboration with the designer and artist Ayzit Bostan, to pursue the idea of a revived version of the traditional Japanese “Sacoche’' bag. The so called AB112 is only 145 gr light, made out of a vegetable-tanned leather and accentuated with a silver zipper. In addition the shoulder strap can be adjusted individually by a knot on each side of the bag. The production factory is a Belgian tannery that first opened its doors 170 years ago and has been awarded with the Bronze Standard Certification - a factory that coincides with PB0110's high quality standards. The revived Sacoche bag is an elegant solution to the complexity of daily life - subtle enough to remain discrete, yet sturdy and sizable enough to fit the essentials.

www.pb0110.com

Fashion

Kaldewei’s “Superplan Zero’’ Shot by Bryan Adams

Kaldewei and Bryan Adams have collaborated to create a series of images for the brand´s latest product, fusing their values of aesthetic originality and detail-oriented perfection. Consciousness and high quality products are the core identity of the German-based company Kaldewei. The brand’s “Superplan Zero’’ is a shower surface, which resonates this. To pursue the idea of luxurious sustainability, Kaldewei’s “Superplan Zero’’ combines an impressive glass design developed by outstanding Berlin-based product designer Werner Aisslinger and 100% circularity achieved by using eco-friendly enamel steel. The versatile shower surface is available in a range of different colors and dimensions. The product campaign features six images of the famous choreographer Eric Gauthier as well as dancers Arielle Martin, Tatiana Martinez and Federico Spallitta and is photographed by Bryan Adams. The Canadian rock musician has long established himself as a brilliant photographer and has previously collaborated with Kaldewei for the Ming and Miena washbasin bowls. He perfectly captures the quintessence of “Superplan Zero’’ by staging ballet dancers, who are renowned and admired for their effortless perfection. The dancer’s defined legs are displayed in a highly aesthetic way in front of a devouring deep black background, while droplets of water create depth and dimension. Each picture alludes to the sensual side of a shower moment. Bryan Adams combines his creative and unique ideas with Kaldewei’s design expertise, turning the exquisite shower surface into an even greater object of desire.

www.kaldewei.com

Fashion

Marcell von Berlin FW21: Fashion Remains

No matter where in time we find ourselves, the past, the present or the future: fashion is always a representation of the Zeitgeist that collectively expresses the ideas and thoughts of indivduals. The Berlin and Los Angeles-based brand Marcell von Berlin creates charming clothes, worn by celebrities like Lady Gaga, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, aiming to encourage this individual self-expression that eventually turns into a sign of the times. The FW21 women’s collection features rock n´ roll inspired clothing, reinvented in a modern version and bold colors that give every wearer the necessary optimism for the future. Eye-catching neon pink, flared trousers with matching blazers, red sequin dresses and gigantic hats represent a spirit that is never out of style, no matter the decade's fashions : joy. In the FW21 collection, particular attention is given to Marcell von Berlin's siganture handbag; the MM. In order to pursue the idea of timeless, adaptable fashion, a bag needs to function as an allrounder, suitable for every occasion whether day or night. The new MM Bags are unique handbags, available in captivating colors such as neon-pink, yellow or green and in a range of different sizes. The theme of joy was also picked up for the men’s collection with shark motifs on shorts and shirts as well as bright colored suits. Marcell von Berlin and their brilliant designs as well as exceptional craftsmanship are perfectly in tune with the current times, in which authenticity is the most desirable thing to wear for men just as well as for women.

www.marcellvonberlin.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

Prada SS22: Seduction Explained

The duality of the Prada SS22 show, staged simultaneously in Milan and Shanghai-connected via live stream, is a perfect portrayal of the two featured influences, the unconventional beauty chic founder Miuccia Prada and elegant streetwear representative Raf Simons working together. Creating the clothes for the SS22 collection, Prada and Simons have reached the bare structural essentials of the clothing, the ultimate climax of a path of seduction, like the curves of a brassiere, framework of a corset or opened buttons at the back of an elegant silk dress. It featured also draped nude dresses, resembling a bone like structure and silk mini skirts in combination with slightly used-looking leather jackets in different silhouettes, a formal and casual blend, a sophisticated contrast which also mimics Prada and Simons´ partnership. The process of stripping down aims for much more than showing of skin- instead the clothes emphasize the sensual game between bare skin and the soft layers of fabric. Prada and Simons created a new form of sensual sexuality, a more hidden one, giving our mind enough space to create own fantasies.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Sportmax SS22 Shows How Harmonic Contrasts Can Be

“Every something is an echo of nothing.”
For this season’s show the artist John Cage serves as main source of inspiration for the brand. The avant-garde composer is known best for his unorthodox ideas and especially the song 4’33’’, presented in a complete absence of any sound and which profoundly changed the perception of music.The contrast between noise and silence, John Cage became famous for, is being transformed by the brand in a fashion context. Light backgrounds stand in contrast to dark as well as vibrant colors used in Sportmax’ creations. The models wearing intricately, heavily draped amounts of fabric appear out of nowhere between clean walls that can not be distinguished from the white floor on the runway, like an echo caused by the reflection of a sound coming out of nothing. Sportmax’ SS22 looks include jumpsuits with big, puff details on the sleeves as well as boxy cut blazers and second skin bodysuits, in a color palette covering natural shades in contrast with bold colors like lilac and fuchsia. The brand also presented charming contrasts between corsetry details and long flowing dresses in soft earthy tones. The journey through the different kind of contrasts inside and outside of the clothing, Sportmax invites us to this season is a perfect addition to Cages silent music studies.

www.sportmax.com

Fashion

Marsèll x RRose 2021: Last Comes First

Marsèll x RRose 2021: Last Comes First In 2016, the Italian brand Marsèll has established Marsèll Paradise, a platform for generating a dialogue between the brand's creations and other art forms. This autumn, Marsèll Paradise initiated a collaboration with RRose, the alter ego of musician Seth Horvitz. The California-based musician, who is celebrated for his sensual techno DJ sets, repeatedly collaborates with fashion houses. Under the wings of Marsèll Paradise, RRose has created the media installation “Last Comes First” which thematizes the limits of perception: “I am fascinated with the fuzzy boundaries between things – the moments that rupture the mind’s ability to distinguish between independent entities. Illusions reveal the limits of a fixed reality.“ RRose embodies Marsèll Paradise’ vision of cherishing personalities on the pulse of time, who aren’t afraid to look beneath the surface of what is commonly accepted and perceived as the norm. By choosing RRose as a featured artist, the platform draws attention to gender perception in particular. The exhibition includes six images, which are transformed into a series of endless video loops, pursuing the idea of an intimate visual investigation. In addition to the exhibited images and videos, RRose has given Marsèll exclusive access to “Sporophyte”, one of the songs on her upcoming album.

Last Comes First is exhibited at Marsèll Paradise, Milan, from September 24th - October 3rd 2021.

www.marsell.it

Fashion

Giorgio Armani SS22: Back to the Roots

The Armani SS22 collection is a trip down memory lane to the beginnings of one of the most iconic global fashion brands. For this season’s women’s collection, the designer chose a special venue-the birth house of the brand, a place where some of the most memorable shows were staged: the Via Borgonuovo 21. The SS22 collection is an invitation for all of those, who were old enough to catch the beginnings of Armani to relive it as well as for younger generations, to get a glimpse of the brands roots. The designer makes playful yet unmistakable use of the deeply anchored Armani vocabulary, with classical light summer suits and elegant, cinched waist dresses that serve as perfect attire for a weekend in the Hamptons. The collection also includes a range of pastel colored, flowing blouses, trousers, widely cut and resembling the shape of skirts as well as prominent, colourful jewelry. The collection gives us also a deeper into Giorgio Armani’s heritage, which isn’t Italian, as widely believed. His parents originally came from Armenia and fled to Italy during the genocide in 1915. Pieces like wooden bead tops and caps as well as crocheted shoulder bags leave us deeply wanting to join Giorgio Armani as he explores his roots. The sensual, soft materials and colors in combination with the azzurro blue background give the viewer a glimpse of the luxurious present world of Giorgio Armani.

www.armani.com

Fashion

Tod’s SS22: Freedom of Craftsmanship

Tod’s SS22 collection revolves around the notion of freedom. Paying tribute to the brand’s closeness to crafts and material quality, Tod’s has worked with and sponsored artists who make use of the same medium in the past. For the SS22 collection, Tod’s collaborated with Spanish artist Carlota Guerrero, who combines photography, film-making and art directions in her work. Guerrero produced a campaign shoot and video, in which seven women come together in an atelier-like setting where they encounter material sculptures. Through this work, Guerrero tells her own journey with craftsmanship and nods to Tod’s expertise in this field. The looks of SS22 refer to urban use, encapsulating relaxation and good taste simultaneously. Short trench coats, windbreakers and parkas refer to the experience of open-air events, while knit items and tailored elements evoke the sophisticated touch of Tod’s. The collection achieves an equilibrated balance between utilitarian, masculine looks with lavish, dedicated detailing and high-quality materials. Herein, the collection takes up the iconic indispensable color palette of Tod’s of muted tones such as ecru, beige, brown and black – making the craftsmanship of the items stand out from their neutral canvas. Tod’s “T Timeless” project, an undertaking that pursues the recognition of the brand even in future years, shows in the accessories of the collection; showcasing prominent memorability through classical footwear and handbags.

www.tods.com

Fashion

Armani SS22, the Soft Spot in Fashion

Emporio Armani celebrates 40 years in business with an extensive collection for men and women, that fills your warderobe for every imaginable occasion for SS22 from holiday sightseeing, going to work to elegant night outs in the city. It is an hommage to Armani’s deep rooted essence in enjoying fashion without any strict, imposed rules. The show takes us into different worlds, from an imaginary desert to a dreamy heaven of pastel colors. The runway is filled with Armani’s signature lightness and fluidity of the cuts, some genderless pieces and a softness of colors. Pastell pink, green, blue and dusky lilac mac blend together in fluid trousers, blouses and blazers, easily confused with something light as a summer shirt but also holiday ready-to-wear pieces like semi transparent jumpsuits, shorts in an emerald green and turquoise as well as flowing dresses with layers of see-through fabrics and cinched waists, to empathize a little bit of feminity. The men’s clothes are ranging between loose-fitted jackets and trousers crafted from linen, jersey, silk and wool as well as more experimental pieces like a light mullet shaped vest with a hood. The accessoires ranging from scarves to cord belts also empathize the lightness, that stands for the brand. Armani is all about showing a strong confidence without losing any harmony or softness in garments.

www.armani.com

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: Offset

Coinciding with the Gallery Weekend *Discoveries, LA-based artist Kate Mosher Hall is showcasing her first solo exhibition at Tanya Leighton. Kate Mosher’s artworks are individuated by her unique style. The painting displayed in Offset revolve around a play of black, white and grey-scale; capturing walls, facades, windows and doors hid beneath shadows, partially illuminated by faint light beams. By depicting close up details of larger imaginary architecture and blurring the surroundings into silhouettes and hushed projections, Kate Mosher Hall draws in the attention towards a specific segment. The paintings exude simmering darkness, letting the mind of the observer pause with an uncertain premonition, following the pathway of the light beams. The imagery carries a melancholic heaviness, enforced by the low-resolution style of painting. The grainy overlay amplifies a feeling of secrecy and indeterminacy. While looking at the surfaces the pictures seem to question realities, portraying an intimate yet secluded emotion that trailblazes a feeling of foreshadowings. The mind begins to wander, curious to see through the glass of the windows, through the blinds and curtains, through the keyholes of a door – only to reveal nothing but what the observer's inner eye fathoms to imagine. The light beams search with a faint luminosity, seemingly escaping the two dimensions of the paintings, just a moment in time away from unveiling what lies behind the blurred surfaces.

Offset by Kate Mosher Hall is exhibited at Tanya Leighton, Berlin, from September 17th to October 23rd 2021.

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

Art

Gallery Weekend Discoveries: Tobias Pils and Joey Bradley

On the occasion of the Gallery Weekend Discoveries, befriended artists Tobias Pils and Joey Bradley have come together for their first namesake exhibition at the Capitain Petzel gallery. Although the two artists express their creativity in opposing practices; Pils in grey-scale suggestively figurative scenes and Bradley in explosive and coloful abstract paintings, a closer examination of their works showcases surprising parallels. Their contrasting yet complementary ways of practice unveil an intriguing synergy that emphasizes their individuality and uniqueness while intertwining their artworks into one entity. The common ground of the artworks is the use of figuration and distinctive shapes. While Bradley relies on figurative, expansive shapes determined by their colors, Pils uses more stylized, abstract imagery. The resulting expressive sceneries seem to portray a moment in time from which an entire narrative embarks that unfolds itself with the observes imagination. “I’m not so interested in storytelling in my own work. In painting, beginning, middle and end are present on the surface and available all at once,” reflects Bradley’s view on narrating through his paintings. Similarly, Pils defines his paintings as being “about travelling – without a beginning, a middle, nor an end.”

The artwork of Tobias Pils and Joey Bradley is exhibited at Capitain Petzel, Berlin, from September 15th to October 23rd 2021.

www.capitainpetzel.de
www.tobiaspils.com
www.josephbradleystudio.com
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

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: Soap Opera

For the third time, Takahiro Kudo exhibits his most recent works at the Archiraar gallery. Kudo’s creativity often revolves around the idea of restriction, he defines the physical presence of humans as a state of being trapped. Since the body is the vessel for human’s mental activity, Kudo pursues the idea that restriction itself is the matrix of human purpose. Given the development of the past month and the succession of a global pandemic, Kudo investigated the term of restriction in a new light. In times where turning inwards, metaphorically and literally, was not a choice but a given, the notion of restriction has changed. Various practices and concepts of social life have been put on hold. Resulting from the forced collective social sabbatical, society has newly defined what it means to be connected or secluded. In his most recent works, Kudo channeled his own development during social distancing in recent times. Reflecting on his personal experiences with separation and connection, he discovered a new meaning of the term that applies to the fluctuating intimacies of private lives. Aligned with the close to real-life concept of his work, Kudo experimented with soap and acrylic glass, both materials that symbolize self-care and separation. By depicting private yet common narratives, the exhibition of Kudo’s work illustrates the dynamics behind distancing oneself in social engagement, the commodification of happiness and its consumption.

Soap Opera is exhibited at Archiraar Gallery, Brussels, from September 9th - November 6th 2021.

www.archiraar.com
www.takahirokudo.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend: Around the Figure

The exhibition Around the Figure touches upon the reconfiguration of the human body since the post-war years. After a time of austerity, the following years marked a liberating shift concerning the vision of the body. This shift in perception brought along artistic practices which explore the transformative states of human physicality. The exhibition addresses the question of whether the corporeal body truly belongs to the human. A compound of sculptures, photography and paintings from various artist shine a light on bodily perception in abstract and figurative ways. The works center around the predicament between the human desire to reveal the true self and the impulse to remain inscrutable to the outside world. This constant dynamic between exposing and concealing, propelled by second-wave feminism and the sexual liberation movement, exemplifies how the body is harnessed and liberated simultaneously. Control versus powerlessness plays a significant role in many of the exhibited artworks. As such, Cindy Sherman’s self-portraits delineate the male gaze on the female body, proving how the self-control over the own body is limited. Gerhard Richter challenges the mind’s eye in a portrait that depicts the temporary, unreliable character of distant memories, indicating how they are replenished by vague remembrances. Blurring the lines between the individual artists' visions, the exhibition opens a discourse on the individual and inevitably societal perception of the human figure, painting a holistic notion of the mutability of the body of the past seventy years.

Around the Figure is exhibited at Vedovi Gallery, Brussels, from September 10th - November 13th 2021.

www.vedovigallery.com

Fashion

Loewe FW21: Aligned with Nature

The earth is the home of humanity. In times of uncertainty and dismay, it becomes more important than ever to cherish this home not only as the base of our existence but just as much as an organism that lives, breathes and feels. An organism to be respected by humanity, where the relationship between inhabitants and surroundings is not fuelled by exploitation but by respect. It is this mind game that lead LOEWE to introduce their FW21 collection called Eye/LOEWE/Nature. The essence and backdrop of this special collection is the outdoors, the realm where the elements of nature and the instinct of the human meet on a par with each other. The core Eye/LOEWE/Nature FW21 reflects a vibrant playfulness that brings ideas of patchwork and upcycling to the extreme, exploring ways to create surfaces as well as entire garments. Outdoor, vintage and military details are hybridised into garments that make for progressive dressing. Following the overall tendency to loose-cut clothing, the collection features generous shapes, unexpected volume and items that are versatile in their purpose. Tailored tweed jackets are fused with sportswear details, tents are turned into long coats and flannel and knit sweaters are combined with fleece styles. The sartorial range of the collection is replenished by accessories such as coloful hiking boots, technical bags, protecting gear such as hats and small upcycled items including charms and belts.

The Eye/LOEWE/Nature collection is available online and in LOEWE shops.

www.loewe.com

Fashion

Kolor SS22: New Minimalism

For the SS22 season, Japanese brand Kolor pursues a new take on minimalism. The majority of the presented looks remain in a simple aesthetic, whereas profound design ideas and detailing is limited to just a fraction of the collection’s pieces. By this approach, Kolor’s SS22 collection carries the uniqueness and complexity the brand is known for, and presents itself with a patchwork-like, mixed and matched aesthetic in which the minimalist singular pieces are elevated through the whole of the look. As seen in previous collections, Kolor incorporated the element of “broken-then-fixed”, yet introduces a twist by using transparent, clear fabrics to emphasizes the seemingly “repaired” parts. The see through fabrics reveal the structures of the garment, bearing the tapes, staples and seams which are usually hidden. By intentionally showing these messy and raw parts of the garments, Kolor puts them into the limelight as the aesthetic essence, creating lightness and an analogue feeling. The color palette of the SS22 collections is composed of cool tones, such as blues and greens, paired with conservative beiges, grey and brown tones. To create accentuation in this otherwise muted scheme, Kolor worked with hints of with bright purples, red and oranges. The collection conveys the loose and light feeling of 60s and 70s wear, with inanimate and avant garde touches through rubber coatings and silvery, reflective fabrics.

www.kolor.jp

Fashion

Amsterdam Fashion Week: Wandler FW21

Without light, there is no color. With this mantra in mind, the FW21 collection of the Amsterdam-based accessories label presents itself in a bright, apple green color palette. Being the vanguard of the Amsterdam Fashion Week 21, Wandler orchestrated an art show that put the collection’s items in the limelight– in a literal way, creating a homage to colorful expression and celebrating the significant role of colors in Wandler’s creativity and collections. Introduced by a light installation and narrated prose that touches upon the empowerment of color, Wandler showcased the collection at an abandoned gas station in Amsterdam Noord. The graphic elements of the light installation represented the striking shapes and unexpected nature that Wandler’s designs are known for. Following the installation, the items were presented in a lab-like manner, drenched in green neon lights, radiating a sophisticated and confident atmosphere. The choice of apple green reflects on past times and simultaneously embodies hope, growth, joy and happiness, pointing towards a bright future – in general, as well as for the Amsterdam label itself. The collection features the classic Wandler pieces such as the Rosa boots and loafers, as well as the Penelope and Louis bags. For the FW21 collection, the brand’s most iconic piece, the Hortensia bag, parades its rounded, trapeze shape in the fresh emerald color, too.

www.wandler.com

Fashion

Cartier The Clash [Un]Limited with Lily Collins

Free-spirited, energetic and authentic are the attributes that make for Lily Collin’s alluring charm. With a unique and committed attitude, Lily belongs to the generation of artists who embrace and celebrate their different sides, the classic and the elegant, the creative and the extravagant ones. She embodies a woman, who does not limit nor label herself. Lily has been a muse and friend of Cartier for a long time, her individualist and multifaceted nature makes her the perfect fit for Cartier’s The Clash [Un]Limited jewelry collection and the Double C Cartier Bag. „For me, being part of the Cartier family means joining a community of unique nonconformists who show great strength of character. Cartier is Paris, it's this certain idea of elegance and French refinement, which the Clash [Un]limited jewelry and the Double C bag embody with classic extravagance,“ is how Lily describes her campaign collaboration with the renowned French Maison. Lily is internationally known for her diverse range of acting, including movies like OKJA, The Last Tycoon and more recently, the immensely popular Emily in Paris series, for which Lily was nominated for a second Golden Globe. Aside from an astonishing career sparked with one-of-a-kind movies, the actress shows commitment to charitable projects, being involved with several nonprofit organizations, collecting funds for vulnerable, deprived children.

www.cartier.com

Fashion

HUBLOT x NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Joining the ranks of top-tier athletes like Pelé, Usain Bolt, Dustin Johnson and Kylian Mbappé; Hublot has selected their latest ambassador, Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic. In anticipation of the US Open, the world’s number one tennis player has aligned his pursuit of greatness with luxury watch-maker Hublot, in becoming an ambassador and part of the Hublot family.

Djokovic’s mastery of the sport is evidenced in his life’s work, having 85 singles titles on the ATP circuit, 20 Grand Slams, 5 Masters games and 36 Masters 1000 games and an Olympic medal. In addition to his many accolades Djokovic is the only player in the Open era to have won at least two Grand Slam tournaments. Ricardo Guadalupe, Founder of Hublot, the opulent Swiss Watch company which created the Big Bang in 2005, spoke fondly of the star tennis player, saying “we are particularly honored to have the great Novak Djokovic join our beautiful Hublot family. He is a player who makes tennis history by being unique, first and different, which is exactly our motto. It’s a great day for Hublot!”

To excel beyond that which is widely seen as expected or attainable, to reach further than your imagination can comprehend; to truly be the best at your craft is a conquest that is shared by Hublot and Novak Djokovic.

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Remastered Archives at C.P Company

In 1971 C.P Company, then still called Chester Perry, was called to live by Massimo Osti. Osti, who had a background in graphic design, was soon earned the reputation of a “godfather of urban sportswear”. Ever since, C.P. Company has been known for its hybrid style that combines elements of vintage military and sportswear. For their 50th anniversary, the revolutionary streetwear brand has launched a series of celebratory chapters, of which the latest, chapter six, is the collection Remastered Archives. With Remastered Archives, the Italian brand cherishes the past of its legacy by reinterpreting pivotal designs of their creative history. The most emblematic item of the brand, the classical t-shirt, has been used as a canvas to portray the retakes on these nostalgic designs. The design of the shirts relies on the graphic design roots of the brand, featuring a variety of type fonts that bestow a bold yet simple message. Iconic moments of the brand, such as the British Sailor motif, the Flatiron Building – which represents the site of the very first C.P Company store –, the Rainforest Foundation moment and the original MilleMiglia race mark celebrate the half-century anniversary with all its landmarks. The appearance and feel of the t-shirts are also a nod to both historical designs and current aesthetics, using heavyweight cotton, a relaxed fit, and a higher neckline.

The Remastered Archive collection is available at all C.P Company flagship stores in Milan, Amsterdam London and Riccione, as well as online.

www.cpcompany.com

Fashion

Responsible Living: DIESEL Library

The next chapter in eco-friendly denim production from high quality denim brand, Diesel. ‘Diesel Library’, which will be presented for the brand’s Spring / Summer 2022 collection, incorporates a genderless design aesthetic and extends the brand’s commitment to innovation and production technologies that consistently make durable and desirable denim garments. The removal of the 5-pocket demarcation between women and men offers a new perspective on the most democratic material, denim, and to usher in a new era of essential pieces at Diesel.

All fabrics consist of resource-saving materials, including B. organic and recycled fibers The techniques implemented in making the Diesel Library significantly reduce the use of water and chemicals. 50% of the Diesel Library will be “made-to-stay,” meaning that they will have a permanent home on the shelves in the future of the brand. Leather patches are tanned free of chrome, the metal buttons found in the Diesel Library are treated without zinc, even the labels found on each piece are made from recycled materials. Tags and patches are also made from FSC certified materials. This reinforces the brand’s dedication to sustainability, a “total look” will anchor the wide range of eco-friendly garments in the evergreens collection; intended to outlast trends and withstand the test of time.

A first look of the Diesel Library collection premiered at a show hosted by Creative Director, Glenn Martens in June of this year. The garments will be available from November 2021 online and in select Diesel stores globally.

www.diesel.com

Fashion

FW 21 Suicoke x Daniel Arsham

For their FW 21 collection, Japanese label Suicoke collaborated with Daniel Arsham. The New York based artist contributed to Suicoke with a textile design applied to one of their most iconic shoe styles, the Zavo. Inviting comfort and items that create a certain atmosphere are central attributes that determine the design process of Suicoke. The Zavo style embodies these characteristics with a a closed toe cap and a flat sole with a raised foot bed – resembling a pantofle. Arsham overhauled a Porsche 911 from 1986 in late 2020. For the shoe collaboration, he lent the canvas design of this automotive work to Suicoke. Thus, the FW 21 Zavo version features a sturdy, heavyweight stonewash textile material. The cap is finished of with a horizontal strap showcasing the Arsham Studio logo, along with a branding emblem on the inside sole. Fur ultimate comfort, the Zavo variant is lined with mouton fur, which increases heat retention and premium comfort and is available in navy and beige.

The Suicoke x Daniel Arsham collaboration footwear will be available online and at selected global retailers from August 20th 2021.

www.suicoke.com

Fashion

CHANEL Watchmaking: Monsieur. Superleggera Edition

“With its powerful engine, dream coachwork and unique finishing, the Monsieur. Superleggera Edition watch opens new roads that lie ahead” is how CHANEL presents the launch of a unique watch that compromises the most distinctive elements of two renowned chronograph lines – the Superleggera and the Monsieur. Resulting from this rendez-vous, a unique blend of high-tech and elegance emerges. The Superleggera line, consisting of unisex chronographs that appeal to both women and men, features an athletic, masculine look manufactured from high-tech aluminum. The J12 Superleggera proclaims a passion for performance and a love of sports. On the contrary, the Monsieur, characterized by old-school classic elements, is a timeless, scaled-back watch that charms with elegance and grace. With its understated leather bracelet and detail-oriented clock face, the Monsieur watches do justice to their name. The Monsieur. Superleggera Edition stands for a contemporary interpretation of fine watchmaking for men at CHANEL. The new interpretation is inspired by racecar speedometers and has been designed to stand out from the crowd. With a matte black ceramic 42mm-diameter case and a matte black dial with a small detail of red calfskin the Monsieur. Superleggera Edition persuades with a discrete force.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Karl Lagerfeld x Aubade

Aubade Paris has been manufacturing premium lingerie for over 60 years. Over the decades, the French brand has acquired incomparable expertise in corsetry that delivers the perfect fit and cut to their loyal customers. Bringing confidence through empowerment to women is the philosophy behind Aubade. Relying on experience and craftsmanship, Aubade modifies its undergarment collections to current trends and styles. The quality values and aspiration to go with the Zeitgeist show in their latest collaboration for an F/W 2021 capsule with Karl Lagerfeld. The collection consists of four underwear sets, available in an elegant black version and as well a bolder variant of bright red. Karl Lagerfeld’s signature rock-chic design and tuxedo inspirations shine through in selected details and are completed by a clip-on collar and waist corset. From simple to daring, the capsule offers a range of styles that celebrates the body in true classical French fashion. The pieces are crafted from premium quality fabrics and haberdashery, including satin-covered buttons, guipure embroidery and mesh embellishments. The development of the collection centered around the mutual Parisian heritage of the two brands, merging together Karl Lagerfeld’s design creativity and Aubade’s proficiency in manufacturing.

www.karl.com
www.aubade.eu

Fashion

Hugo F/W 2021: Breaking the Box

“There is no right way to wear your clothes, only your way”, is how Bart de Backer, Senior Head of Design at Hugo Menswear, phrased the framework of Hugo’s F/W 2021 campaign, which is built on the concept of nonconformity. Since the act of eluding conventional creeds and practices is majorly motivated by very personal reasons, the campaign features close-up video portraits of four inspiring talents – painter Atusa Jafari, dancer Ahmad Kontar, model Christina Mamantzi and artist Patrick Mason. Going beyond the notion of style, each of the quartet gives insight into their motivations of going against the grain and how their unique stories have shaped them into the persons they are today. Voice overs in their native languages leading through different locations and situations, almost like vlogs, capture how their stories have one thing in common: finding their own individual ways in a society that relies on stereotypical dogmas and snap judgment. Topics like societal pressure, body image, inclusivity and acceptance weave like a red thread through the clips, eventually revealing how creativity and art serves as a pillar of strength and guidance. While the four campaign videos portray very individual journeys, they carry the same message across: to break the box is to be free.

The F/W 2021 collection is globally available from now on in Hugo stores and online. 

www.hugoboss.com

Travel

Curious Encounters

Alpacadroom is an environmentally friendly alpaca farm founded by Greet and Wilko, located in the Dutch province Gelderland. Inspired by their trips to Bolivia and Peru where they first encountered these special animals, they embarked on a project of creating a guesthouse combined with an alpaca farm surrounded by nature. With the Spleuderbos, the oldest forest of the Netherlands and the heaths of Houtdorperveld, a vast width of nature awaits the guests. Since 2019, Greet and Wilko transformed the barns and stables into a welcoming home with rustic elements and the comfort of a modern interior. The shared living room invites the guests to chat and enjoy each other’s company, all while relishing the view of the pasturing alpacas in front of the adjacent forest. Preparing extensive meals in the spacious kitchen contributes to the familial atmospheres too – alpacas peeking through the windows included. Bodil and Gaia, the first alpacas on the farm have extended their family to a herd of 13 of the calm yet curious spirits. Greet and Wilko have created an idyll of a guesthouse that enables transients to connect not only with themselves but just as much with nature and the animals.

www.alpacadroom.nl

Fashion

aeyde Pre-Fall 21

The pace of our everyday lives is becoming faster and faster. News and images circle the globe almost instantly and we are at all times connected to almost everything that is happening in the world, bombarded with a constant flux of outside stimulus. Then, Covid-19 happened and the world for once stood completely still. People were confined to their homes, events were cancelled, streets were empty, and suddenly we found ourselves alone with our thoughts almost without any distractions. This wasn’t just the case for individuals. Also, companies suddenly found themselves in a period of intense introspection, as the minds behind aeyde put it, during which the immensity within was allowed to swell to the surface. All the changes and challenges of the past five years were finally able to sink, sparking the creation of a renewed inner space to contemplate the journey which has brought aeyde to where the brand is now. This is also reflected in the new Pre-Fall collection, which was launched this July. The ongoing reflection is presented throughout the styles, old as well as new, revealing the brand’s past, its identity, but also what’s to come. In line with its typical signature aesthetic, the two highlights of the collection are the new razor-sharp pointy-toe shoes in monochrome and the sleek square-toe styles in classic colors and luxe snake prints.

The aeyde Pre-Fall collection is available in select stores and online now.

www.aeyde.com

Fashion

Valentino Des Ateliers

Valentino’s Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli makes it clear that fashion is not art. Art has no purpose outside itself, art for art, whereas fashion due to its very nature features functionality, a practical scope directly linked to our body. Nevertheless, these two creative differences aren’t opposed. On the contrary, when taking the time to learn about these differences they offer a great source of inspiration and opportunity to broaden our horizons. All that's required is to be curious and to take the time to listen. This is the foundation for the Valentino Des Atelier project, meaningful dialogue between the disciplines. Driven by the urge to build a community of makers around Maison Valentino, convinced that painting is to contemporary art what Haute Couture is to fashion, Piccioli brings together a group of painters of different ages, backgrounds and aesthetic inclinations, translating the two-dimensionality of their works into three-dimensional garments, a truly metamorphic process that transforms the paintings which are contemplated as something still into an animated and draped garments moving with the body. Color layering, signs, backgrounds, the full and empty portions are translated by Piccioli into lines, cuts, compositional gestures, involving each artist in a conversation on the dress itself. Each dress is the result of the confrontation of two creatives, the coming together of two distinct languages into a single dress. Valentino Des Ateliers is not just about creating a dialogue, but about listening to each other before pronouncing yourself.

www.valentino.com

Fashion

Montblanc: The Pink Dial Project

The world of luxury watches indeed operates on its own terms. It’s a very unique industry, which different to other luxury sectors, such as luxury fashion, has upheld its time-honored traditions and modus operandi and moves comparatively at a much slower pace. But when the world is changing, the watch sector will follow. Across all different market segments, customers and their mindsets have changed and the luxury watch clientele is by no means different. The notion of luxury is changing, it isn’t merely about showcasing wealth, but it now includes a new awareness regarding ethics, sustainability and humanitarianism. Luxury watch manufacturers have recognized their corporate responsibility and have incorporated this into who they are. For this reason, Wei Koh, founder of the Rake Magazine, has initiated the Pink Dial Project. The color pink might already indicate to most what this project is about. It’s a charity project supporting the fight against breast cancer. Montblanc is proud to partake in this initiative by donating the 1858 Geosphere Pink Dial Unique Piece, an addition to Montblanc’s eponymous key line. The watches’ stunning fuchsia pink dial is contrasted with a deep black titanium case. The dial is lacquered with a sunray finish making the timepiece stand out even more. It is powered by the renowned Manufacture Worldtime complication and movement which features two turning domed hemisphere globes that make a full rotation in 24 hours. They are surrounded by a scale with 24 time zones, along with a day/night indication for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. To give it the necessary female touch, it is noteworthy that Montblanc’s female watchmakers have assembled this unique piece. This very special watch will be up for auction in October 2021, the worldwide Break Cancer Awareness Month, with all the proceeds going to selected breast cancer charities all across the world. To put it in Wei Koh’s words, “Together we can rock 2021 from a horological but also ethical perspective.”

www.montblanc.com

Fashion

CHANEL Haute Couture FW2021/22

“There are dresses embroidered with water lilies, a jacket in a black tweed crafted from feathers with red and pink flowers. I was also thinking about English gardens. I like to mix a touch of England with a very French style. It’s like blending the masculine and the feminine, which is what I’ve done with this collection too. That twist is very much part of who I am.” This was what Chanel’s Creative Director Virginie Viard had to say about her latest Haute Couture FW2021/22 collection. The natural inspiration is reflected throughout the collection with is countless colorful hues, radiating a warmth perfect to brighten up the cold and grey winter days. Nevertheless, the collection reflects the house’s roots, more precisely its larger than life founder Gabrielle Chanel, which Viard had seen in old photographs dressed in throwback 19th century bustles and crinolines for some society balls in the 1930s. But the collections doesn’t just pick up on the natural and on Chanel herself, most prominently, the collection merges the worlds of fashion and art, acclaimed Impressionist Berthe Morisot and Cubist Marie Laurencin, whose influences can be felt throughout the collection. They are reflected in the lightness of touch and the masterful work of the great embroidery houses of Paris, the likes of Lesage, Cécile Henri, Atelier Emmanuelle Vernoux and Lemaire. The results are nothing short of magnificent, yet weightless, a dream made from embroidered tulle and chiffon. To bring it full circle, the show’s location the Palais Galliera fashion museum is currently hosting a remarkable exhibition Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto, creating a direct dialogue between Chanel’s originals and Viard’s new reinterpretations of the house’s codes.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Dunhill SS22

‘Identities’, the new Dunhill SS22 collection for Paris Fashion Week is s collision of style and identity, utility and extravagance feature throughout. Archetypal characters and clothing, cross-fertilised and collaged, show a sense of ease with elegant imperfection, all realised in precious-made-practical fabrics.“In this collection i wanted to look at certain identities. These are clothing archetypes, but also identities of britishness, of masculinity, of uniforms, as well as those of dunhill past and the new era archetypes that we have sought to establish here. It’s really about how character and clothing work together; the idiosyncratic combinations of personal style and identity in britain and dunhill, as well as a redefinition of them for the house.”, so Mark Weston, Creative Director of the house. From deco dandies to hi-vis handy men, encompassing traditional male archetypes in conventional uniforms to the purposely provocative effeminacy of ‘80s casuals along the way, British masculine identities are playfully reworked, as are elements of dunhill history, past and present. The abstract work of photographic artist Ellen Carey features as a print collaboration this season. Most frequently appearing on double bonded duchesse satin, this most haute couture of fabrics takes the place of a technical shell in canoe tops, jackets and hats. Carey’s prints also feature on leather goods, such as the new era Lock bag in a variety of forms this season.

www.dunhill.com

Fashion

Jil Sander SS22

For Jil Sander’s SS22 collection the attitude is freedom, the keywords autonomy, lightness and clarity. This is a sharp urban collection about the right, and duty, to individuality and imagination. About multicultural cities that lead us to appreciate and absorb diversity; to combine different things, different facets of ourselves, in ways that are unprecedented and effortless at the same time. We turn labor into play, blend day and night - and the other way around; we wear suits for leisure and utility garments to shine. Lucie and Luke Meier always find new forms to balance opposites. The relationships between materials, colours, shapes and volumes are flawless. Lines, movement, and touch are equalized. Every look is unique. Japanese wool jackets, shirt-jackets and coats are straight and voluminous. Overdyed cotton and linen flight suits, with removable sleeves, and comfortable utility trousers are worn under one-and-a-half breasted tailored overcoats.Strong colours, large pockets, contrasting copper zippers, a cheetah print on a brushed wool pullover, scarves in fleecy pure silk, and jewels - silver necklaces, brooches, ear cuffs, and earrings - give all looks - and us - extra personality and an edge.

www.jilsander.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Mens SS22

The Louis Vuitton SS22 Men’s Collection by Virgil Abloh, filmed by Amen Break, features GZA, Goldie, and Saul Williams alongside a wide cast of talent. Directed by Mahfuz Sultan, the film explores ideas of transmission: the act of passing something from one person to another, activating waves of change across generations, and impacting the lives of others. The story told in the show is an abstract interpretation of Lupe Fiasco, the American fine artist and rapper who grew up on the Southside of Chicago amid the gang turbulence of the 1970s and ‘80s. The story is about a father and son united by an unnamed loss, crossing a dream world to deliver a message to the other side. Along the way, adversaries conspire against the child, heroes emerge to guide him, and great sacrifices are made to get him across the divide. The collection introduces new headwear, the modern version of cylinder hats rounding off most of the looks. Accessories also take the forefront in the collection: bags, earmuffs, and gloves prepare the viewer for the cold season. The color range includes monochrome green and navy blue to black looks and color gradients from neon yellow to navy blue.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Jean Paul Gaultier Instagram

The official JPG Instagram account name has changed from jpgaultierofficial to jeanpaulgaultier.

www.instagram.com/jeanpaulgaultier/

Fashion

Fashion

Tod's Mens SS22

Tod’s Men’s SS22 collection is presented in the video “Tod’s Under The Italian Sun”, which was shot at Cantina Petra, Suvereto, a building designed by Architect Mario Botta. The collection embodies nonchalance and modern craftsmanship. Te items are inspired by a combination of the adventurous imagery of Peter Beard with the idea of the urban safari, imagining a wardrobe focused on leisure. The volumes are soft, even in tailoring harmonize well with sandy Mediterranean colors. This wardrobe is made of classics reinterpreted in material, detail, and proportion, such as the Jack Biker jacket made of canvas. The windbreaker is a combination of different materials, and the hoodie is made of suede. The idea of uniform recurs and matching top and trousers, whether they are knitted or lightweight safari jackets. The trousers are practical in parachute canvas, with drawstrings details at the ankle. The knitwear is chunky yet lightweight.

www.tods.com

Fashion

ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA: ROME AND FORTE DEI MARMI STORES

Ermenegildo Zegna enhances its retail network in Italy with the opening of a new flagship store in Rome and a seasonal resort boutique in Forte dei Marmi. Zegna’s evolution from Tailoring to Luxury Leisurewear represents a leap forward for the brand and a new era in store design, too. The new flagship store in Rome, relocated within the historical Palazzo Maruscelli Lepri, launches a new retail design course, to reflect the brand zeitgeist. The new design features a sophisticated atmosphere, customised around the classical architectural references of the venue, framed by natural woods and serpentine marble inserts: a bold check pattern running along the entire ground floor. The coffered ceiling of the Made to Measure room, on the first floor, maintains the original decoration to provide a unique atmosphere where customers can personalise their wardrobe entirely. A modern library in rose gold finishing and an iconic sofa complete the furniture setting to conveying a luxurious home feeling with a bar area to welcome visitors as well as two video screens to convey the brand seasonal highlights. Transformed into a luxury retail space that occupies over 250 square meters and two floors, the new flagship store naturally blends history with modernity.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

Dior x Sacai

Dior collaborates with Sacai on a men’s capsule in which Kim Jones, Artistic Director of the house’s men’s lines, engages in a dialogue with Chitose Abe, founder of the Japanese label. The reinterpretation of the emblematic “Dior” signature embodies this creative exchange: the name Sacai figures within the ‘i’ in the Dior signature. The DNA of Sacai is hybrid: an idea that permeates a collection punctuated by a color palette primarily in black and white. Looks combine Dior tailoring and savoir-faire with the Japanese brand’s sportswear style and technicality. Denim enhances pieces fusing workwear cuts with functional details, finished with a refined couture touch. Dior symbols, such as supple berets designed by Stephen Jones, are revisited while iconic bags from the saddle universe are reinvented in vibrant shades of olive and orange, echoing Sacai’s essential bomber jacket. This capsule, called Dior and Sacai, illustrates a vision in motion, a captivating meeting of two artists. This new perspective on the two houses, framed by Dior heritage, may be discovered from November 2021.

www.sacai.jp www.doir.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

“ISSUE 02”: BOTTEGA VENETA’S QUARTERLY DIGITAL JOURNAL

Bottega Veneta swapped social media for a quarterly digital journal called Issue, of which it just released its Issue 002. The reveal of their journal explains why the Italian brand mysteriously vanished from all social platforms earlier this year. While other brands were launching Clubhouse accounts and joining platforms as TikTok, Bottega Veneta, one of the most popular labels of 2020, was making itself impossible to find. Daniel Lee, Bottega Veneta’s Creative Director, chose to get off the platform because it oversimplifies the creative process and believes it’s a homogenization of culture. The content that lives on the digital journal is a mixture of creative campaigns and features people like Travis Scott and Naomi Cambell. Content like that is supposed to make the audience sit with it as you would watch a movie. The mix of serious and playful content proves that Bottega Veneta is the perfect mixture of sophisticated and whimsical.

www.issuedbybottega.com

Fashion

SLIM D’HERMÈS - La Source de Pégase

A Pegasus with glowing wings emerges from the Slim d’Hermès watch, highlighted by the arts of miniature painting, straw marquetry and engraving. Created in 2015, the Slim d’Hermès watch is all about essentials: a simplicity mingling rigorous discipline with aesthetic balanced. The distinctive yet understated lines of its round case with angular lugs frame a transfigured dial. Graced with a combination of several miniature techniques, the Slim d’Hermès La Source de Pégase watch features a winged horse in brilliant colours, born of the virtuoso skills of the enamelling and engraving artists. This mythologically inspired symbol, reinterpreted through the use of artistic crafts, is drawn from the La Source de Pégase silk scarf designed by French artist Pierre Marie. The illustrator depicts the winged horse striking a rock with its hoof to create the Hippocrene spring on Mount Helicon. His narrative and decorative style composes a radiant Pegasus in a joyful fantasy universe. Transposed onto the slim dial of the Slim d’Hermès watch, the legendary creature expresses a new creative dimension.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Tommy Hilfiger: Moving Forward Together

Tommy Hilfiger certainly belongs to one of those brands whose influence spans across the whole globe, with its countless stores and retail venues. In the German capital, along one of the city’s most famous and prestigious shopping avenues, Tommy Hilfiger now reopens a new and improved flagship store and a cafe called Tommy’s coffee. For this special occasion, the brand created the local “Moving Forward Together” campaign, especially created for Germany, featuring local Berlin talents from the world of film and music. The campaign was captured by photographer Alex de Brabant and videographer Viktor Sloth. In two iconic cultural Berlin locations, the Kino International and Columbia Halle, they capture the likeness of actor Kida Khodr Ramadan and Berlin-based DJ duo Lucia Luciano and Gizem Adiyaman, all three of them being deeply interconnected with the local communities and perfect embodiments of the campaign’s overarching message of inclusivity and togetherness. Luciano and Adiyaman are behind the community space Hoe_mies centred around women, non-binary and trans people. From May to June, Tommy Hilfiger offers its Club members the possibility to enter a raffle in order to win whether a movie night hosted by Ramadan or a private workshop around music production with Hoe_mies. Both events will be hosted once COVID-19 regulations permit. The new flagship store is set to open its doors to the public on July 1, 2021.

#MovingForwardTogether

www.tommy.com

Fashion

MIU MIU MARITIME

Miuccia Prada toys with characteristics of a nautical atmosphere -colours, insignias, attitudes - to create a Miu Miu Maritime collection, refracting these archetypal and classic sartorial gestures into unexpected new forms. Silhouetted against twin expanses of blue like the sky and the sea - the Miu Miu crew of feminine sailors are captured by Johnny Dufort, poised on the concrete ramparts of the Plage de Bon-Secours at Saint Malo, a bathing pool jutting into the sea. As ever, these Miu Miu women are part of a collective, a group - here, they are a fleet, an admiralty, their clothing unifying them, signifying their bond.The clothes are fresh, spirited, evocative of mariner attireyet exaggerated by the lens of fashion. Traditionally masculine gestures - the flap collar, wide shoulders, an air of utility - are abstracted to be fused with the inherently feminine, with softly rounded sleeves, lace detailing, ruffles, bows. The coastline is not the end of the land, but rather marks the start of something new.

www.miumiu.com

Creative direction by M/M (Paris), featuring Shin Hyeon Yi, Shade, Nina Pronk, Elisa Löhr and Topsy. Photographed by Johnny Dufort. Styling by Lotta Volkova.

Fashion

Longchamp Eyewear: Plant based Resin Capsule Collection

Plant-Based Resin is made from castor bean oil, a cleaner alternative to standard petroleum-based plastics; now used in the Longchamp capsule collection, featuring two sunglasses and two optical styles made from 40% Plant-Based Resin. With this collection, Longchamp eyewear draws inspiration from the brand’s iconic Voyageuse handbag, bringing a trendy and sophisticated interpretation of the brand’s signature pattern to the eyewear offering. All four styles are designed using Plant-Based Resin without sacrificing the quality and premium feel the brand is known for. The four styles feature vintage-inspired frame-fronts designed in modern and contemporary shapes, while the new LGP temple design has a tone-on-tone effect to the iconic monogram of the brand. All styles are offered in Black, Brown, Blue and Wine.

www.longchamp.com

Fashion

Bally Presents “My Craft, My Legacy”

Swiss luxury brand Bally honors its 170 - year shoemaking history as architects of leather with a new digital campaign, “My Craft, My Legacy,” featuring the company’s expert artisans. Based in the company’s state -of-the-art Shoe Factory in Caslano, Bally’s artisans undergo three years of rigorous training before utilizing a dedicated and proprietary approach to handcrafting iconic styles “Made in Switzerland,” including the men’s Scribe formal shoe, which was first designed in 1951 on the occasion of Bally’s centennial, and requires 240 artisanal techniques to complete. “My Craft, My Legacy” pays tribute to Bally’s team of 100 artisans whose passion and skill have continued the company’s heritage of craftsmanship and design for generations. They are celebrated through a series of intimate photographs by photographer Jackson Frederik, who captured their personal portraits alongside the instruments of their craft. These remarkable individuals champion the spirit of Bally and its founding, representing the ingenuity of the brand as well as its future, as standard bearers of quality and excellence since 1851. A spirit of community has always been an integral part of Bally, dating back to the company’s founding by Carl Franz Bally, who pioneered an employee benefit system such as an onsite canteen, children’s daycare and community park. This tradition lives on, demonstrated by the longstanding tenure of Bally’s craftspeople, many of whom have over 30 years of service to the brand. Today, Bally artisans craft between 150,000 - 200,000 pairs of shoes each year at the Caslano Shoe Factory, mastering a diverse range of roles including polisher, leather cutter, stitcher, finisher and shoemaker.

www.bally.com

Fashion

FENDI SS21 Capsule collection & FF Vertigo

Dominated by yellow and light blue tones, the Summer 2021 capsule, spans from sophisticated and eye-catching bags and accessories to compelling ready-to-wear for women, men and children. Seventies’ references and Nineties’ vibes fuse in a charming line-up, where FENDI’s outstanding craftsmanship and innovative, forward-thinking approach shine bright. As part of its Summer 2021 capsule, after the official launch at Design Miami, FENDI reiterates its collaboration with New York-based visual artist Sarah Coleman, known for her disruptive manipulation of designers’ materials that she employees to rethink and repurpose everyday objects with an ironic filter. Within the colorful and irresistible Summer 2021 Capsule Collection featuring ‘70s references and ‘90s vibes, FENDI presents a special collaboration with the iconic Polaroid brand, inventor of the first instant camera designed to capture community and individuality. Born from the idea to personalize the classic Vintage Polaroid OneStep Close-Up 600 camera with the FENDI DNA, this Polaroid camera combines the design of this renowned instant camera from the ‘90s with the multicolour FF Vertigo. The FF Vertigo motif—a new magnetic motif offering a twisted, turned version of the classic FF logo—and FF Fisheye motif—where the signature FF logo appears wavy and fluid, as it is seen through a fish-eye lens—are the results of the new collaboration between FENDI and the New York based artist Sarah Coleman who is known for her disruptive manipulation of designer’s materials that she employs to rethink and repurpose everyday objects with an ironic filter. FENDI collaborated with her in the Design Miami/ 2020 edition where she was commissioned to reinterpret the Miami Design District FENDI Boutique and create a series of one-of-a-kind design pieces. The FENDI and Vintage Polaroid OneStep Close-Up 600 instant camera will be available in FENDI Boutiques worldwide starting May 2021.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

All Things Loose

For the SS21 collection, Levi’s® puts a spin on the brand’s emblematic Levi’s® Red classics from the 90s – the last great era of the loose fit. Following the motto of ‘all things loose’, the collection draws on the exaggerated fits, wide hems and drop shoulders of the Levi’s® Red collections, first launched in the late 90s. The contemporary interpretation of the Levi’s® Red collection re-imagines the denim pieces following a sustainable and innovative approach. Men’s jeans include a looser fit version of the 502™ Taper, and a new 505™ Utility, both of which have irregular bartack stitching and a bigger and exaggerated double-stitch on the back pockets. For women, the Low Loose Workpant with a loose balloon leg and a super low rise is the centerpiece of the new collection. The loose silhouette-focus is re-emphasized in the line of denim jackets. Wide drop shoulder fits with mid-length hems and bold pocket and lining designs are their signature features. For fabrics, – in addition to the organic cotton in men’s pants – cottonized hemp is frequently used in select styles of the Levi’s® Red designs. The innovative fabric drives the brand's commitment to sustainability. It resembles cotton in look and feel, and is made with hemp which has been manufactured in a process, which requires less water and fewer chemicals than growing cotton does. The Levi’s® Red collection therefore simultaneously embodies a daring outlook into the future, as well as a nostalgic throwback with a range of unique pieces based on sustainable fabrics, modern shapes and the retro, signature Levi’s® style.

www.levis.com

Fashion

RIMOWA x Chaos

RIMOWA announces its debut collaboration with Chaos, the London based brand renowned for its coveted accessories - two brands for which both individualization and personalization play a big role. United by their common appreciation for luxurious design and innovative solutions, RIMOWA and Chaos have partnered on a limited-edition line of suitcases and tavel accessories. The special design, the striking color scheme, the colorful stickers, as well as the characteristic embroidered tags in three new shapes give the suitcases an instant recognition value. It's impossible to miss these suitcases when you're traveling with them. RIMOWA x CHAOS approach was to design products with excellent function and style, full of energy and high aspirations to improve daily life.

www.rimowa.com

Fashion

Alice Anderson at König Galerie

Alice Anderson - SPIRITUAL MACHINES SERIES, TOTEM 12

Alice Anderson at König Galerie Anglo-French artist Alice Anderson is to showcase her work “Hyperlinks – a solo exhibition – at KÖNIG GALERIE. Her works include sculptures, paintings and drawings generated through dance-performances, each with ritual at their essence. For this exhibition, Alice Anderson presents performative works created through repetitive gestures, some coupled with rapid breathing (the technique of hyperventilation), which gives her access to a state of modified consciousness. This pairing puts forward the body as a vehicle of humanity within the contemporary world propelling towards a technological-wholeness; and the ancestral culture of the Kogi people from Sierra Nevada in Colombia, who exist in cosmic harmony with their environment. Kogi concepts, rituals and ecologi-cal combats have framed Alice Anderson’s reflections upon this change in civilization. The challenge is not to decry these complex technologies but to continue to question the relation-ships between humans, the environment and the machine. One of my answers ‘goes’ through spirituality that expresses another definition of things and redefines a certain balance of what escapes us. In this sense, my performed rituals take on all their importance because they are a physical re-appropriation of what has been dematerialized” says Anderson.

www.koeniggalerie.com

ALICE ANDERSON - Random Chromatics Pixels N.64, 2021

Fashion

Summer Ease

For Furla’s SS21 collection following the motto #FUNFURLA, the brand celebrates optimism and lightness of spirit. Furla enhances its distinctly Italian DNA and communicates a cheerful lifestyle message. The campaign comprises images and a film, which represent a new chapter in terms of creativity and lust for life. The aesthetic of the collection channels this spirit, featuring loose and airy fits in a broad range of colors that embody the vibrancy of the season. Set against a dreamy, Mediterranean backdrop, the open sky and sparkling sea become #FUNFURLA’s setting. The visuals are an interplay of shadows and silhouettes, which is displayed mainly from the back and through body language of the models displaying the clothing. The soft color scheme of the clothing, shown in the photos with chromatic monochrome effects, further enhances the feeling of carefreeness. The joyous atmosphere of spring and summer, as well as Furla’s core values of heritage and beautiful Italian craftsmanship are conveyed through every image. The Furla SS21 collection invites the wearer to enter a summer daydream.

www.furla.com

Fashion

Abstract Femininity

After taking a maternity leave of absence, LARA KRUDE is back with her Spring Summer 2021 collection. The “Designer of Tomorrow” Award-winning designer worked closely with Stella McCartney for several years before launching her eponymous Slow Fashion Brand in 2017. Her latest collection is based on bold silhouettes and traditional craftsmanship while leaving space for the body and the natural fabrics. Androgynous silhouettes, natural colors, such as forest green and navy blue, combined with plaid and striped patterns reinvent the distinct LARA KRUDE look for the warm season. All of Krude’s collections are produced exclusively in Germany and Poland by small family-run manufacturers to guarantee the highest quality and protect the environment. LARA KRUDE stands for effortless elegance and abstract femininity, with the timeless pieces empowering women to feel their utmost best; strong, independent, and always curious.

www.larakrude.com

Fashion

Blurring Boundaries

The Korean artist and designer Lee Sanghyeok’s creative vision is rooted in his interest in the manifestation of rational ideas of immateriality. His interior design projects reflect and analyze objects in space and open up a dialogue about the conventional meaning of material space through this re-contextualization approach. Harmonious, conventional forms are redefined and endowed with new meaning and room for interpretation. Lee emphasizes a new way of understanding the technology in production by making it part of the creative process and visual aesthetic. Most of the Berlin-based designer’s pieces are inspired by architecture, built environment and urban space, which serve as reoccurring metaphors in his work. Creating a dynamic dialogue between objects and their environment, Lee artistically blurs the lines between the exterior and the interior space, between the public and the private sphere. The project titles Domestic Architecture brings this multifaceted approach to spatiality into practice. Including items that appear to be every day - like chairs mirrors, tables and shelves – a new interpretive layer is added to their conventionality. Lee Sanghyeok envisions his project Domestic Architecture as a reflection of the processes that constitute our living spaces. It focuses on and studies human behaviors and attitudes toward objects and creates an intriguing dialogue between intangible body and rational practice. Marble, as a fundamental substance in architecture, is the central material used, which expresses Lee’s validation of workmanship, minimalist design and harmony between forms and function that comes to light in Domestic Architecture.

www.leesanghyeok.com

Fashion

CHANEL Cruise Collection 21/22

It was under the sign of Jean Cocteau that Creative Director Virginie Viard began to imagine the look of the CHANEL Cruise 2021/22 collection, she explains "Because Gabrielle Chanel was close to Cocteau, and I love the film Testament of Orpheus. In particular this magnificent scene: a man with a black horse's head descends into the Carrières de Lumières, his silhouette cut out against the very white walls". Destination: the Carrières de Lumières, in Les Baux-de-Provence, for a highly graphic show, "because the simplicity, the precision and the poetry of Cocteau's film made me want to create a very clean collection, with a very distinct two-tone, made up of bright white and deep black". Both influences for this show, Cocteau and Chanel, are embodies in the cruise collection by the strong yet faded contrast from radiant white and deep black. The combination of those colors manifest in pieces such as long white shirt-dresses, black macramé capes, and a white tweed jacket embroidered with lucky charms to a black dress in velvet and leather. "Echoing the extreme modernity of Cocteau's film, I wanted something quite rock. Lots of fringes, in leather, beads and sequins, t-shirts bearing the face of the model Lola Nicon like a rock star, worn with tweed suits trimmed with wide braids, and pointed silver Mary-Janes. A look that recalls as much the modernity of the sixties as that of punk...". so Virginie Viard.

www.chanel.com

Art

Gallery Weekend Berlin: Rebecca Horn at Thomas Schulte Galerie

Rebecca Horn presents the first solo exhibition at the Thomas Schulte Galerie since its inauguration in 1991. Horn and the gallery have collaborated many times during the past 30 years. Thomas Schulte Galerie featured the artist in the opening exhibition. On the 30th anniversary, Thomas Schulte Galerie is celebrating with a collection of one of Germany’s most important living female artists. Alongside Horn’s recent works, the gallery will be showing two of the artist’s seminal kinetic installations from the 1990s: Bee’s Planetary Map (1998) and Der Turm der Namenlosen (1994). The piece Bee’s Planetary Map (1998) captures the transformative power of bees: converting and repurposing natural materials to construct their habitats. Conceived in 1997, even before the flows of forcibly displaced millions from the Balkans, Bee’s Planetary Map captures themes of dislocation, uprootedness, and fractured movement. Empty beehives fill the space with the haunting buzz of a wandering swarm of bees. Honey-yellow light streams from the suspended baskets, reflecting circular rotating mirrors and projected across walls and ceilings. At regular intervals of two and a half minutes, a stone attached to a mechanical hoist falls from the ceiling and shatters one of the mirrors. Spinning splinters of mirror chase panicked scraps of light across the room. Struggling towards the center, searching for protection and security, fearing for freedom and belonging – these are the central human themes in Rebecca Horn’s work. Themes of flight and (up)rootedness are further visible in Der Turm der Namenlosen (1994). Rebecca Horn dedicated this piece to the thousands of Bosnian refugees who arrived in Vienna in the early-to-mid 1990s. Most arrived without passports and knowledge of the dominant language. Many would use the musical instruments they brought with them to express and perform their trauma.

Rebecca Horn’s work is exhibited at Thomas Schulte Galerie, Berlin, from 28 April - 26 June 2021.

www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de

Rebecca Horn, Bees Planetary Map, 1998. Installation view, Centre Pompidou-Metz, 2019, Photo: Jacqueline Trichard. © Rebecca Horn, VG Bildkunst, Bonn, 2021 Courtesy die Künstlerin und Galerie Thomas Schulte

Rebecca Horn, Die Neuerscheinung, 2019. Courtesy the artist and the gallery.

Fashion

Maserati Special Edition F Tributo

With motorsport in its genes and inspired by countless successes, Maserati celebrates its racing past with the new Special Edition F Tributo. Exactly 95 years ago, on April 25, 1926, the brand made its racing debut: on that day, the Maserati Tipo26, the first car to have the trident on its hood, won the 1,500 cc class of the legendary Targa Florio in Sicily. Driving was Alfieri Maserati himself. 28 years later, on January 17, 1954, the Maserati 250F made its racing debut - a car that wrote motorsport history. This time it was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the Formula 1 five times, making him world champion. His last title came in 1957 on the same 250F. Maserati is now taking this motorsport era as an opportunity to present the special F Tributo edition. The F stands for Fangio, who shaped this phase of international racing like no other driver and was closely associated with Maserati. Red is the color of Italian motorsport. In contrast, the bright and lively Azzurro Tributo is a reminder that blue (along with yellow) is the color of the city of Modena, the historic home of the brand. Other references to Fangio's 250F are the yellow brake calipers and wheels with yellow rims. This is because the racing car of yesteryear also had decorative elements in yellow. To complete the exterior, the Levante F Tributo is fitted with 21-inch Anteo wheels in black and the Ghibli F Tributo with 21-inch Titano wheels in gloss black. The front fender also features an edition ensemble in gloss black, while the trident logo on the C-pillar is deliberately in body color. The exterior accents are also reflected in the interior: the black full-grain leather from Pieno Fiore features decorative stitching in red or yellow.

www.maserati.com

Fashion

Tommy Hilfiger - One Planet

The Tommy Hilfiger One Planet capsule collection was created in honor of and to celebrate Earth Day. It is an embodiment of Tommy Hilfiger’s sustainability objectives, featuring a range of relaxed and effortless pieces made of organic and recycled materials. The planet-positive message of the capsule is emphasized with the goal to inspire more sustainable decision making on this Earth Day and beyond. The range of soft everyday loungewear embraces laidback comfort and displays three unique Earth Day graphics. The recycled-material sweatsuits showcase the planet surrounded by a united community and the message, ‘The Future is Bright, Together We Succeed’. For the One Planet capsule collections, Hilfiger reimagines its red, white and blue ‘Spreading Love’ logo in pastel colorways, creating a harmonious visual impression.

 www.tommy.com

Fashion

DIOR FW 21

For Maria Grazia Chiuri, the presentation of the FW21 collection at the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai represented an extraordinary opportunity to infuse her creations with the visual power of movement and a new energy to celebrate the house's creativity and world cultures.Bright hues play with transparency and shiny looks celebrate the pop aesthetic. Embroideries are embellished with oversized sequins reminiscent of disco balls. The leopard print that graces the runway combines esprit and elegance, appearing on a range of creations and accessories, including the iconic bar jacket. A series of five others exclusive models, each in a different neon hue – as well as red, “the color of life” as Monsieur Dior noted – with tributes to the House’s archives also enriching the collection. Presented to the rhythm of a musical composition by Giorgio Moroder – punctuated by the voice of Maripol – these creations are designed for facing the current context with the high energy, hyper-sophistication, and profound lightness of the Pop spirit.As a final surprise, singer Joey Yung – wearing a dress specially conceived by Maria Grazia Chiuri – and the Chinese rock band Black Panther give an exceptional live performance.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Canada Goose x Angel Chen

Following their highly acclaimed collaboration for SS21, Canada Goose unveils its second collection with guest designer Angel Chen during Shanghai Fashion Week FW21. Angel Chen is widely known for participating in Netflix’s “Next In Fashion” design competition show. She is also a Woolmark prize finalist and the first-ever Chinese designer to collaborate with H&M. For FW21; she was inspired by the traditional Snow Mantra Parka, combining her unique aesthetic with Canada Goose’s functional know-how. This season comes to life with new silhouettes and feminine details like peplums and belts. New bold colors and remarkable Chinese hand embroidery create a diverse visual effect. Angel Chen’s experimental approach to design and color, coupled with a fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics, has enticed the brand to work with her as their very first guest designer. The designer used Canada Goose’s heritage pieces to co-create a capsule collection based on an innovative design direction. Her experimental approach to color and proportion has not only made her a designer to watch, but a coveted person to collaborate with also. With a vision as unique as the clothes she conceives, she doesn’t just push a proverbial envelope open; she lights the whole thing on fire.

www.canadagoose.com

Art

Friedemann Vogel appointed Ambassador of International Dance Day

The International Theatre Institute (ITI) annually proclaims International Dance Day on April 29th. First established on the occasion of the great dance reformer Jean-George Noverre’s birthday by the ITI’s Dance Committee in 1982, the International Dance Day is a celebration of dance as a universal language of human expression in all its forms. Every year, an important personality from the dance world is chosen to compose a message for the occasion. This year, the renowned international ballet star, Principal Dancer and, “Kammertänzer” of the Stuttgarter Ballett Friedemann Vogel has been selected as Ambassador and Message Authore for International Dance Day. The Stuttgarter Ballet is proud to have a dance from its own ranks filling in this honorable position. In the face of the ongoing lockdown and closure of cultural institutions, it is especially important for artists to able to express themselves and uphold their passion for the arts. The International Dance Day provides a special platform for this. Thomas Detrich, Artistic Director of the Stuttgarter Ballett says in this regard: “I cannot imagine a better Message Author for International Dance Day than Friedemann Vogel. An exceptional dancer and artist who always wants to explore and expand his own boundaries, as well as those of his art form and is open to dance in all its facets.”

 www.stuttgarter-ballett.de

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

FENDI presents “Wild Untamed Naomi”

FENDI releases the #FendiPeekaboo video starring Noami Watts, the award winning actress presented in celebration of the opening of the new FENDI Queen’s Club flagship boutique in Sydney. The video is called ‘Wild Untamed Naomi’ and presents a private moment in Naomi Watt’s day within her apartment in New York, documenting her hidden and surprising side, accompanied by the FENDI Peekaboo ISeeU bag. What starts as an average and restless day slowly unveils Naomi’s untamed side as she escapes into her own world and discovers the joy of releasing stress and anxiety through a cathartic release of movement. Using the FENDI Peekaboo ISeeU bags, Naomi chanells the extraordinary in the ordinary. The video is a journey to self-love that plays with the FENDI values of creativity, craftsmanship and playful spirit, whilst celebrating the eternal narrative of the FENDI Peekaboo bag – the hidden beauty within. The iconic bags feature an accordion-frame shape, to open in a deep ‘smile’ featuring inside pockets which can be interchangeable in smooth leather or precious skins and personalised with one’s initials.

www.fendi.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

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.com

Fashion

Miu Miu FW 21: Brave Hearts

Miuccia Prada draws together a diverse group of women for the Miu Miu FW21 fashion show. The result is a voyage through the mountains - a fashion show in the snow. For the show, models explore the landscape of Cortina d’Ampezzo as part of the ‘Miu Miu Mountain Club’ in the heart of Dolomites Alps-, captured on film in a brave and challenging undertaking. The concept is all about dreaming of escape and making this fantasy a reality. In the video, the Miu Miu women explore the landscape dressed for extreme weather conditions. Outfits combine different intentions, different dreams, and realities to create different characters. Inside and outside, protective and seductive, just like women, the outfits contain multitudes.

Forming a collective experience on the mountainside, the models form a graspable alliance as they walk together. Sportswear and fashion fuse within the collection using the vernacular of mountaineering clothing. Miu Miu uses teddy bear faux fur, padded layers, and knitted ski helmets, and ski masks to keep warm and safe while upgrading the necessary means of protection for the mountainside. Silk satin dresses and lace stand convey delicacy and intimacy. Outerwear, inner lives. The juxtaposition speaks volumes and creates a dreamlike state of romanticized practicality through exaggeration - when the fragile can be reinvented to become brave. The utilitarian can become beautiful and pleasurable; the decorative can suddenly have a reason, a new purpose. Padded sportswear borrows its satin and pastel colors from lingerie fantasies; slip dresses are executed in heavy wools, studded with metal-like imaginary armor - warrior lingerie: strength and fragility, courage and aggression.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Versace SS21 Campaign: Summer Daze

For its SS21 campaign, Versace Jeans Couture embraces the memories of a simple outing with a group of friends on a fun summer night for a collection that celebrates escapism and fantasy and is directly inspired by the irreverent style and attitude of the 18th century French Court. The collection’s theatrical and exuberant designs are displayed in a contemporary take on French aristocracy in the form of street edge and youthful style. The fantasy mood is set with a pastel palette, Rococo-infused prints, and tongue-in-cheek graphics that add a pop of color to the dull everyday. For the Women’s collection, the brand has taken inspiration from its iconic archive and youth subcultures - skirts with sumptuous, voluminous silhouettes are paired with jean shirts and jackets - and channels romanticism. The Men’s collection, on the other hand, declassifies a sober military aesthetic by pairing classic camo patterns with bold and colorful logo accents. Tailoring winks to streetwear are found in cropped trousers or loose shorts worn with boxy, structured blazers. The campaign’s concept is based on a group of young friends who searches for thrills during a night out in an empty city during a hot summer night. Due to travel restrictions, they can view their city Milan in a new light by exploring secret gems such as the famous Villa Necchi, the Teatro Manzoni, to the Piscina Cozzi. With a touch of voyeurism, the stills were shot through a fisheye lens in a highly stylized way.

www.versace.com

Fashion

Maserati honors Maria Teresa de Filippis

In honor of International Women’s Day, Maserati celebrates Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to qualify for a Formula 1 Grand Prix – driving a Maserati 250F. Five years after de Filippis death, Maserati releases a special video on the automobile brand’s social media that is dedicated to her groundbreaking career, driven by passion and courage. The female race driver managed to assert herself in an environment that had previously been exclusively male. She earned the respect and esteem of her rivals and brought values to the race-track that still guide Maserati today: Excellence, elegance and power. She won the ten-kilometer road race from Salerno to Cava de' Tirreni, which ignited her dedication to motorsport and led to several victorious competitions in the years following. The key year of her career was 1958: Maria Teresa de Filippis made her debut at the wheel of a Maserati 250F at the Syracuse Grand Prix and then took part in her first Formula 1 World Championship race in Belgium. Maserati and Maria Teresa de Filippis became a winning combination, driven by perseverance and audacity. The story embodies the desire and determination to face technical, physical and personal challenges and turn them into opportunities.

 www.maserati.com

Fashion

LOEWE FW21 - A Show In The News

LOEWE presents the FW21 women’s runway collection as a walkthrough with creative director Jonathan Anderson on its digital platforms as part of Paris Fashion Week. Embracing the reality of the physical show being canceled, due to the current Lockdown regulations, Anderson has created a printed newspaper to showcase the collection. Thus, he transcends the currently popular medium of digital presentation. LOEWE and Jonathan Anderson publish a newspaper supplement with attached articles and images of the collection, released globally in a selection of different broadsheet versions. Drawing on the naming convention established last summer with LOEWE’s ‘Show In A Box’, the paper-based evocation of this year’s canceled runway show is titled ‘A Show In The News’. Alongside the images, the newspaper makes reference to literary traditions by featuring an extract of the newest publication of the prolific writer Danielle Steele, whose book copies have been sold over 800 million times. The idea behind the newspaper concept is also to reach beyond a fashion audience and create a lasting impression, giving the fantasy of fashion a physical presence in the non-digital realm.

The FW21 women’s collection is a full-frontal, visually saturated statement in shape and color, that breaks with the LOEWE formula and escapes its boundaries to create new ones. The vibrant, bright color palette includes acrylic hues and is juxtaposed in graphic compositions and mapped into abstract, draping silhouettes. Geometric shapes are a fundamental tool in the aesthetic form language of cuts and surface treatment. Sinuous lines alternate with straight ones, angles with curves, fluidity with firmness, while quilting, prints and jacquards emphasize the electric glare of the whole. The quilted coats, long tailored jackets and cropped trousers meet strict suede suits, long dresses and draped skirts, mixing angles with curves and fluidity with firmness. For accessories, the collection features color-block lug-soled boots, the Flamenco clutch in a bright, XL version and the new Goya bag as a statement piece. Moreover, the quintessential Amazona bag, first launched in 1975 captures the spirit of the season in nappa-calfskin and Anagram jacquard variations.

 www.loewe.com

Fashion

MSGM FW21 - MANIFESTO

Massimo Giorgetti presents MANIFESTO for MSGM, an ode to the nightlife scene in the city of Milano. It is a new manifesto on the hypnotic rhythm of a song written and interpreted by GeaPoliti, publisher of Flash Art, in collaboration with Club Domani, and is based on Sergio Tavelli's record idea and Andrea Ratti, of which the song "Manifesto" is part. The film was directed by Francesco Coppola, one of the most interesting young directors of the Italian scene. The film is shot in the historic Teatro Manzoni, which has re-opened as a place of cultural production in the heart of Milan. Fifteen performers, including dancers, actresses, and models, all very different from each other, have something in common: all have chosen to live in Milan.

The silhouettes of the collection are sharp with a nocturnal attitude. Belted trenches and suits in caramel brown or teal blue crinkled eco-leather are styled with python-printed satin shirts or net-embroidered tops. The fabrics are shiny: glossy latex and patent leather for outerwear, for short dresses worn with a platform boot, pants with statement MSGM ruffles. The color palette is strong: touches of cyclamen, "screen green," dark amethyst, deep red, broken up with deep black and soft white. Milan's two ambiguous characters are shown: on one side, classic and bourgeois, and on the other side, young and underground. The message transmitted through the collection is clear; Milan is the city of the culture, the city of the future, and we will do everything to rekindle its every light.

www.msgm.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

Aesop x RÆBURN

Aesop and RÆBURN, the pioneer of responsible fashion, have collaborated and developed a sustainable bag for hand care on the go. Whether commuting, traveling, or simply on the go, the Adventurer Roll Up bag makes it easy to carry everything you need. As part of this partnership aimed to be sustainable by using recycled materials, both brands committed to the ethos of the RÆMADEInitiative, which is leading the way in recycling waste materials into responsible designs. The Adventurer Roll Up bag is a 300 piece limited edition item made from 1960s aeronautical navigation charts.

These silk pieces were selected for their motifs, each of which depicts a part of the world that has been particularly damaged by environmental degradation, such as Borneo or the Aral Sea. The manufacturing avoids material waste by making four bags from one card. Each of these Roll Ups also comes with its own serial number and a certificate. To mark the product launch, Aesop has partnered with Hypebeast, the leading online destination for fashion and streetwear, for the sale of 300 limited edition RÆMADE Adventurer Roll Ups. The bags will be available on selected online stores from March 1st, 2021.

www.aesop.com

Fashion

FENDI FW21-22

With the FW21 collection, Kim Jones ushers in a new chapter at FENDI, presented through a homage to the key codes and women who have shaped the house into what it is today. The collection is a celebration of the extraordinary Italian elegance, which has long associated with the house. Nobody embodies the spirit of the house more than the five Fendi sisters, whose wardrobes become the underlying inspiration for the collection. As put so fittingly by Kim Jones himself, ‘The Fendi family are women of intellect who work hard – and that's what I wanted to celebrate, a powerful dynasty. I’m taking the amazing, strong women who I both know and work with, and listening to their needs. There’s a usefulness to the collection, explored in a chic, timeless way.’ No piece of the collection represents this more than a utilitarian shirt jacket which is directly inspired by Silvia Venturini Fendi’s own uniform, reinterpreted and elevated luxuriously as shearling iteration with a boned mink interior. Another legacy which cannot be ignored when looking at the Roman house Fendi is Karl Lagerfeld. His legacy is omnipresent, whether it be the Karligraphy monogram or the FENDI First shoe’s architectural heel, but updated for a new era.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles SS21

Moose Knuckles, a Canadian luxury sportswear brand, presents their ARISE collection for Spring Summer 2021. The collection is inspired by the difficult year the world has lived through and seeing the light at the end of it. The Spring-Summer season represents taking a hiatus from tragedies, the last moment to relax before the world starts to revolve in full swing again. It’s the return of good weather, social distant social events, and a good mood.

The campaign images were shot by Hugo Comte, who was able to capture individuality without undermining the group. Every photograph reminds us of the balance between the collective human experience and the variety of humankind. The collection features a variety of comfortable sports and transition wear, made to resists the natural elements. Additionally featured in this season is ‘Pack Your Moose,’ a collection of rainwear designed to adapt to the unpredictable spring weather. Non-lined, recycled nylon shells promise the characteristic moose knuckles protection; all coats are easily packable and rain protected.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

Prada: Linea Rossa Eyewear

Prada presents the second chapter of the Prada Linea Rossa Eyewear campaign in collaboration with the Prada Cup winner, the sailors of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team. In the campaign images, the sailors’ subject viewpoint leads the spectator to the most ambitious goal, the conquest of the America’s Cup. Blending a contemporary aesthetic with technological excellence, the new glasses from the Linea Rossa Impavid collection take inspiration from the world of sailing.

They are engineered to offer functionality and high performance in any weather conditions. The Prada collection includes two new sunglasses (SPS03X, SPS02X) and an optical frame (VPS04N). The sunglasses set themselves apart with their dynamic wraparound design, which features the signature red detail on the front bar and the rubber inserted inside the temples on the frame. This feature guarantees adherence to the face in a comfortable manner. The optical frame speaks of modernity and technical innovation with its clean design featuring sharp profiles and rubber details, combined with perforated temples.

www.prada.com

Art

Brussels Gallery Weekend presents ‘Candle Up!’

In collaboration with Quintessence Lab the Brussels Gallery Weekend presents the candle collection ‘Candle Up!’. All benefits go entirely to the non-profit organization Feed The Culture. The cultural initiative Feed The Culture gathers a group of volunteers that weekly get together to hand out free food parcels to people working in the cultural sector. Facing the Covid Crisis several actors, dancers and other creatives established Feed The Culture during the first lockdown with the objective to support their colleagues from the art world that had found themselves in precarious situations, due to the cultural sector being shut down entirely. The Brussels Gallery Weekend as a cultural organization that was still partially able to operate and plan events digitally corporates with Quintessence Lab to contribute to initiatives within the creative industry that, like Feed The Culture are in need. Together with artists Lionel Esteve, Sanam Khatibi and Pieter Vermeersch Quintessence Lab produced a collection of candles that are launched via Brussels Art Weekend. ‘Candle Up!’ is a sophisticated, creative line of candles with a story, designed from the creative professionals for professionals.

 wwww.brusselsgalleryweekend.com

Fashion

Jimmy Choo x Marine Serre SS21

Jimmy Choo and Marine Serre have collaborated to create a capsule collection fusing their values of comfort and iconic designs. The capsule collection helps delineate the narrative of Marine Serre’s Spring Summer 2021 collection and accompanying film, created in collaboration with directors Sacha Barbin and Ryan Doubiago. The six key styles of the collection each allude to a different character- a distinct identity, a new facet of a wearer, underscoring each total look they are designed to be an integral part. Inspired by the pivotal moment in 2019 when Jimmy Choo’s Creative Director Sandra Cho first met Marine Serre and the latter was wearing vintage Jimmy Choo’s, the designers searched deep in Jimmy Choo’s archives from Autumn/Winter 2000.

The ease of sportswear was also a significant influence on the collection. Marine Serre reinvented the traditional Kung- Fu shoe into the MOON BOXING KATO SNEAKER. Functionality meets vintage in the capsule collection, which is most clearly visible in the reinterpretation of the classic Mary Jane shoe into the SWIRL RUBBER MOON KITTEN HEEL PUMP. The collection combines the iconic prints of Marine Serre, as well as the contour cut of Jimmy Choo. All styles feature Marine Serre’s leitmotif crescent logo on recycled jersey. Inherently feminine, the styles are also dynamic, designed to be practical for today’s fast paced modern life.

www.jimmychoo.com

 Images Courtesy of Jimmy Choo shot by Quentin Jones

Fashion

Louis Vuitton SS21 Campaign

Louis Vuitton presents its Spring Summer 2021 campaign creatively directed and shot by Nicolas Ghesquière. Ghesquièr, the House’s Artistic Director, embraces his role as a photographer once again to showcase the latest Louis Vuitton collection on the brands’ ambassadors and friends. For this endeavor, the Artistic Director handpicked athletes, models, actors, and musicians for their personality and uniqueness to represent the new generation of Louis Vuitton. The talent includes Grammy Award-nominated singing duo Halle and Chloé Bailey, Oscar-winning actresses Jennifer Connelly and Emma Stone, tennis champion Naomi Osaka, and Sophie Turner, Cody Fern, Laura Harrier, Carolyn Murphy, and Jaden Smith, to name a few. Stars of the campaign are leather bags “the Coussin” and “the Rendez-vous”, to which the idols pay tribute. Both bags can be worn in various ways and challenge both the bounds of style and gender. Icons of the Louis Vuitton’s leather world, the Capucines, and the Twist are also featured by actress Liu Yifei and the model Carolyn Murphy.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

The new Breitling Chronomat for Women

Inspired by female confidence, determination and style the new Breitling Chronomat 36 und 32 series for women embodies versatility and attractiveness. The effortless, modern watch has a retro-touch, making reference to the rich Breitling design tradition and signature models. High quality manufacturing and functionality meets everyday casualness and luxurious elegance in the creation of the new Chronomat models for women. The watch is available in different sizes and materials, from cool stainless steel and double-toned all-rounders to luxurious 18-carat red gold. Breitling underlines the collections dedication to confident, ambitious females in the #SQUADONAMISSION campaign, featuring dance Misty Copeland, actresses Charlize Theron and TV actress Yao Chen. As the CEO of Breitling, Georges Kern, describes the women: ‘Three trend-setting stars who are known for their passion and who are setting new standards.’

The images showcasing the new Breitling Chronomat Collection were taken in corporation with the German model, actress and socialite Cleo zu Oettingen-Spielberg in Oettingen Castle, her home located in the Munich region.

www.breitling.com

Fashion

TAG Heuer x Porsche: Carrera Chronograph Collection

TAG Heuer joined forces with Porsche to set a new standard of brand collaboration. The Swiss luxury watchmaker and the German sportscar manufacturer have created the TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph watch collection, a love child of the two companies’ rich and successful history in the racing sport. The name Carerra came as a natural choice for its first innovative product collaboration since it has been associated with TAG Heuer and Porsche for generations. In 1963, Edouard Heuer’s great-grandson Jack had created the first Heuer Carrera chronograph, designed to let race track drivers tell the time at a glance in the heat of action. Porsche’s history with the name comes from a class win in the Carrera Panamericana race of 1954, in honor of which Porsche started calling its most powerful engine ‘Carrera’. The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph collection unites the brands in the spirit of the ‘Carrera’ (or ‘race’), which embodies ambition, speed, and technical excellence. The collection’s watches either come on a soft strap in calf leather with stitching that echoes the Porsche interior or on an interlocking bracelet. They feature the iconic Porsche logo and come in bespoke packaging, padded with the red Porsche interior lining.

www.tagheuer.com

Fashion

AGL:SOIREE Couture Sandal

AGL’s latest Spring Summer ‘21 collection features 26 unique designs of plateau sandals, heels, flats, open-toed summer shoes, and leather bags. From summer sandals to cocktail heels to festival boots, this collection offers everything for what the summer of 2021 allows.

The Giusti Sisters, owners, and the brand’s managers always create their collections together: Sara and Vera through research and conceptual ideas, Marianna through her drawings and technical knowledge. Together they represent the third generation after Piero Giusti, who founded AGL in 1958, to lead the family business from Marche in Italy, the shoemaking capital. Steeped in the 60 yearlong expertise of shoe craftsmanship, tradition, and creativity, the sisters’ newest collection promises to deliver trendy summer shoes of the highest quality.

The SOIREE sandal represents the sartorial crown jewel of the collection. Its invisible leather structures and volumes of pleated tulle play with the viewer’s visual lightness while optimizing the wearing experience. The couture sandal is available in both black and white. White is contextually used to represent purity. The black version represents feminine sensuality because of the tulle’s “now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t” effect. The SOIREE is truly an emblem of the artisanal savoir-faire of the sister trio.

www.agl.com

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

Art

Foscarini: 'Bump'

Exploring the relationship between light and its interaction with various surfaces, Italian lighting design company, previewed its new suspension lamp during Milano Design Week last September. Designed by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba, who have been longtime collaborators with Foscarini, the suspension lamp began with blown glass before expanding into other materials, surfaces and finishes during the research stage and eventually became the irregular and captivating visual presence of the suspension lamp known simply as ‘Bump’.

The informal personality of ‘Bump’ plays with light, its character changing in relation to the chosen color. The range of colors include gold and petroleum hues as well as a ‘frost’ model with a transparent dome and a satin finish, each with the distinctive shape which resembles a dented surface.

An atmospheric effect is created by the ‘frost’ version of ‘Bump’ due to the translucent dome, whereas the gold and petroleum iterations feature a white interior color to focus light primarily downwards for use in settings such as a study, parlour or bar.

www.foscarini.com

Fashion

Marcell von Berlin SS21

Marcell von Berlin, the brand by Designer Marcell Pustul, with flagship stores in both Los Angeles and Berlin, has released its SS21 collection. The collection is built on the idea of celebrating the cosmopolitan woman who is filled with a yearning and desire to follow her inner path through life with sensuality, joy and fulfilment.

This same feeling is expressed with extravagant prints, flame printed sweatshirts, minimalistic denim jumpsuits, clean lines and noteworthy inspiration from the 70s. In this SS21 collection a range of new handbags are premiered. Made with impeccable craftsmanship, the ‘BERLIN’ bag are made from imitation crocodile leather, the ‘M-R1’ bag and the ‘MM Cargo’ are also versatile accompaniments to each daring and colorful look in this new collection. A hand-painted abstract flame design was scanned and then printed onto the fabrics of this collection, prints that speak to the core DNA of the brand.

The 70s play a pivotal role in the Marcell von Berlin SS21 collection due to that particular decade’s history of women’s empowerment and liberation movements. “While working on this collection I was constantly visualizing women that inspire me,” says Pustul, “women that have that fire and inner drive inside, women who are brave enough to not hide their emotions and live their lives to the fullest. These women are passionate, independent and play by their own rules, therefore the flame seemed like the best representation for them”, declares Pustul.

As Marcell Pustul puts it “times are changing; therefore, the brand needs to evolve and adjust to the new climate in the fashion industry.”

The collection will be available at the flagship stores in Berlin and Los Angeles as well as wholesale partners across Europe and the US from January 2021 onwards.

www.marcellvonberlin.com

Fashion

DIOR Haute Couture SS21

With the presentation of the Dior SS21 Haute Couture Collection, the onlooker finds themselves transported into a magical realm to which Tarot cards are the key. Maria Grazia Chiuri immediately felt a connection with the imaginary worlds that they contain and their power to entice us to explore the unknown while fearlessly looking deep inside ourselves. Grazia Chiuri uses the cards’ visual language, the rich symbolic lexicon as well as the complex and fascinating characters and translates it into a series of extraordinary evening gowns, a testimony to Dior’s excellence in craftsmanship and garment construction. Matteo Garrone, one of Italy’s most high-profile directors, is responsible for the presentation of the haute couture creations. He also draws inspiration from Tarot cards, more precisely drawing on the visual force of the Visconti-Sforza tarot, a collection commissioned by the Duke of Milan in the 15th century. This deck is defined by its splendid and luxuriously decorated cards and their impressive yet enigmatic presence.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Hermès Men's FW21

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the physical fashion show has disappeared. Due to ongoing restrictions and social distancing measures, fashion houses have been forced to switch to the digital realm. For this Hermès menswear show, Veronique Nichanian in collaboration with Cyril Teste decided to re-create the closest possible thing to a real physical show. The viewers were able to follow the show through a seven-section split screen format, recreating the eye’s freedom to roam during a real show, revealing different details and angles. For the FW21 collection, Hermès beautifully blends casual and elegant. The world is changing and this is reflected in our clothing. Véronique Nichanian, in charge of the menswear collection since 1988, recognised this, 'Our approach to clothing is currently undergoing a transformation, and my job is to come up with propositions.' The collection brings together luxury, ease and excellent craftsmanship, bringing together the natural, baby lambskin, with the engineered technical canvas. The divisions between work and home were softened through the loose-panted suiting complementing elevated workwear-inspired pieces. Zesty colored sneakers were a great visual juxtaposition to the muted and earthy color palette of lambskin of pants and cardigans.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Yohji Yamamoto POUR HOMME FW21/22

On January 21st, Yohji Yamamoto unveiled his Menswear FW21 collection. For this, Yohji Yamamoto has teamed up a second time with Japanese photographer TAKAY to create a video collaboration that captures the dark and punk atmosphere of Yohji’s vision of the world today. The collection itself follows Yamamoto’s DNA and design language prominently featuring deconstructed and oversized shapes and different layers from several fabrics, such as cotton, silk, linen, wool gabardine and synthetic fabrics, a nod reminiscent of the Yamamoto’s 90s design.

A keen observer of what is happening in the world, Yohji-san processes all in this collection, whether it be global warming that will unquestionably change how we dress or the ongoing regulations caused by a global pandemic. The masks were a definite indicator of the latter. Included in the collection, they are a representation of Yamamoto’s reflection on how people are wearing masks nowadays, some people do, others don’t and some wear them in a very personal way. This is not to cast judgment, rather an observation of what is happening in the streets. To underline his statement about today’s world, the garments wear messages, personal feelings and anger expressed in a poetic way and once more eluding to the different themes that gave inspiration, human rights, social movements, sanitary emergencies and animal protection.

www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp

Art

ULAY: From Berlin to Paris

A new online exhibition curated by Hana Ostan Ožbolt for Saltoun Gallery focuses on the work of the late performance artist Ulay (1943-2020). The exhibition is titled ‘Ulay: From Berlin to Paris’ as part of the gallery’s series ‘Soultan Online’.

Two of the artist’s important works, ‘Relation in Movement’ (1977) and ‘Irritation - There is a Criminal Touch to Art’ (1976). The latter is regarded as one of the most outlandish art displayed in a public space in art history, in which the artist staged the ‘art theft’ of Carl Spitzweg’s painting ‘The Poor Poet’ from its home at the Neue Nationalgalerie and navigated its relocation to the living room of a family of immigrants.

‘Relation in Movement’ (1977), like other works in the ‘Relation’ series by Ulay and collaborator, Marina Abramovic, challenges the physical limits perceived by the mind and the body. These two iconic works of art by Ulay will be shown alongside exclusive video clips that translate how these radical actions still resonate and can be likened in a direct dialogue with current societal issues.

This exhibition by Saltoun Online is held in conjunction with Ulay’s critically acclaimed and largest-ever retrospective ‘ULAY WAS HERE’ at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

The exhibition can be viewed online at the gallery’s website.

www.richardsaltoun.com

LES HOMMES FW21: 'FEMME'

Designers Tom Notte and Bart Vandebosch have created a FW21 collection for Les Hommes that reflects the brand’s core DNA. The collection consists of unique pieces built with a fusion of classic tailoring methods and sportswear sensibilities. The unification of opposites is the key to this collection, hybrid pieces bring together two seemingly opposite worlds. Signature leather, knitwear and nylon inserts fused with classic tailoring and sportswear makes for an elegant yet powerful silhouette. Hand-knitted knitwear is a key feature of the Les Hommes world. As such there is a big emphasis on creative and unique knitwear. The new essentials for the Les Hommes man are filled with energy and a bold sense of creativity.

Contemporary elegance, the lifeblood of Les Hommes, plays a vital role in the FW21 collection. The Les Hommes ‘Femme’ collection is just that; a fusion of considered, impeccable tailoring and ultra femenine party wear. The unique collision of these two worlds makes for a collection with glamour, femininity and a touch of masculine influence. Strength and confidence are the voices that speak to Les Hommes ‘Femme’. The color pallet is exclusively black, with the exception of cobalt and camel details. The variety rests in the collection’s materials, which bring a subtle yet noticeable depth to the clothing. The indulgent use of velvet, sequins, leather and patent leather unify to create an architectural silhouette. The shape of strong shoulders, couture inspired sleeves and more masculine elements contrast with ultra feminine shapes and champagne colored hardware to create the Les Hommes ‘Femme’ silhouette.

www.leshommes.com

Fashion

Etro Men's FW21/22

Etro has released their FW21 collection, an unconventional and personable message of hope and faith for a life-affirming collection of Menswear. The Creative Director behind the collection, Kean Etro, embraces an upbeat mood for his FW21/22 collection, marking the beginning of a new chapter at the family-managed Italian fashion house. Juxtaposing casual and elegant, the playful and ironic, blazers with cadet details and robe coats rich in fabrication are layers on color-blocked anoraks decorated with paisley patterns. In a time when a sense of freedom is so coveted, Etro is blurring boundaries and breaking established rules to bring joy into otherwise ordinary materials. Denim utility pants splashed with cashmere motifs are balanced out by sartorial elements, the sophistication of camel coats and double-breasted suits which feature deconstructed fluid silhouettes.

A sense of street-savvy interplays with pyjama inspired piping which details the shirts. Quilted jackets made from vintage upholstery textiles. The Pegaso logo appears enlarged on bomber jackets and oversized hoodies, to layer with maxi sweaters made from recycled wool and shirt collars made from an archival silk lining. Contrasts define the selection of footwear in this FW2122 collection, patchwork sneakers with neon laces, paisley and mandala patterns display a knowledge of classic and contemporary on a range of highly functional backpacks, pouches and cross-body bags. The collection also features special genderless vests made from a blend of wool and mohair, see now-buy now capsule collection putting the beauty of the androgynous in full focus.

www.etro.com

Fashion

Prada Men's FW21

With the first collection co-created by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons focused in on the human body, its freedom and the increasing wish for contact, the need to feel. The collection was defined by its tactility, a veritable panoply of different surface textures and textiles. Jacquard knits and leather find themselves combined with re-nylon and wool suiting in both traditional and unanticipated colors. Apart from the rich colors and textures, the garments were defined by a reduced and minimalized structure. The collection was presented in a space created by Rem Koolhaas. The models navigated through the varying spaces of different interplaying materials and textures, mirroring the rich tactile nature of the collection itself, a space inviting and seductive, hard and soft, warm and cold, simultaneously both and neither. The garments were a feast for the senses. Color and patterns excite the eyes whereas the rich materials and surfaces entice touch. After the show, both Creative Directors answered questions from students from all around the world. This exchange once again highlight the though behind the collection, the human need to exchange and relate to others. During their exchanges, they shared how they work together, the importance and meaning of situational design, the challenges arising for fashion with the increasing digitalization and the importance of fashion and clothes as tools for self-expression.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Acqua di Parma: Barbiere

Embracing every morning, the routine and the time that we take in the early hours of each day is important. Keeping the skin hydrated and healthy all year round is something that many men struggle with, Acqua di Parma has released two new formulas specially for men’s skin. A delicate sensory texture and vivacious fragrance of Colonia establish the character of these new products in the Barbiere universe. For shaving, after-shave, beard trimming, hair care, styling and facial care, the multi-action face cream hydrates and smooths; replenishing the skin and protecting against harmful blue light which can age the skin prematurely.

Strange and harsh weather conditions coupled with pollution and toxicities in the air demand the implementation of the new Acqua di Parma Revitalizing Face Cream. When met with water the face cream transforms into a foam and continues to cleanse and remove toxins from the pores of skin without drying it out. Tailored to a modern man’s needs, a luxurious Italian-style ritual that Acqua di Parma is so known for presents a morning of pleasantries and a level of care that gives the skin a renewed buoyancy against the elements.

In alignment with Acqua di Parma Futura, the company’s sustainability manifesto, all packaging is environmentally friendly.

The Multi-Action Face Cream and Revitalizing Face Cream will be available from February 15.

www.acquadiparma.com

Burro Studio x Moose Knuckles Gives a Fu*k

Moose Knuckles, the international luxury outwear brand founded in Canada by Noah Stern in 2009, has released a capsule collection with Milan-based Burro Studio. Known for innovative practices in Graphic Design, Burro Studio has also developed a reputation for being a champion of inclusion and diversity to foster ideals of community with their designs for some time now. Having worked with Miu Miu, Nike and Leica, Burro Studio has a contemporary vision and streetwear sensibility.

‘Burro Studio x Moose Knuckles Gives a Fu*k’ intends to reach and care for at-risk communities. For every item sold Moose Knuckles will donate one jacket to charity organization Diakonie Hamburg, supporting its local community. The capsule collection features a range of unisex hoodies, long sleeves and T-shirts each made from high-grade organic and ethically sourced cotton produced with as little impact to the environment as possible. Burro Studio have laced each garment with graphics executed using screen printing and CAD-CUT ® Premium Plus heat transfer for a lightweight feel, the look taking cues from graffiti culture.

The capsule collection, ‘Burro Studio x Moose Knuckles Gives a Fu*k’, is the next stage in an ongoing charity effort from Moose Knuckles which began in May of last year. To offer vulnerable people access to quality clothing. The capsule’s appearance takes cues from cities all across the European continent, including Amsterdam, Stockholm, London, Dusseldorf and Hamburg. This appreciation for global cities continues Moose Knuckles’ ‘Milano Addosso’ capsule, which was dedicated to the city of Milan, inspired by the architectural sophistication of Barona, Paolo Sarpo, Porta Venezia and Soupra districts.

The capsule collection is currently available exclusively at braun-hamburg.com and at a Moose Knuckles Pop-up store in Hamburg arriving in the city this month.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

FENDI: Women's and Men's SS21

Perceiving the world outside from the indoors, the world outside calls back with an unmistakable Italian charm and cadence; Rome, the home of Fendi. In the new Women’s and Men’s SS21 campaign a digital window is projected onto the wall, through the window is a view of the globally renowned maison’s headquarters in Rome; Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana.

The campaign is shot by acclaimed British photographer, Nick Knight, in his London studio. The set is dressed with curtains that fill with a Summer’s breeze and float as if there is a hidden mysticism in the air. Modelling the Women’s SS21 collection Mariacarla Boscono, Estelle Chen and Jill Kortleve are styled by Chaos Fashion, while Chun Soot and Henry Kitcher are styled for the Men’s collection by Julian Ganio.

Designed by Silvia Fenturini Fendi, the Women’s and Men’s SS21 collection are color coordinated with the sparsely furnished set to reflect the different tones and shades of both collections. A palette of naturally occurring colors including honey, milk and wheat are accentuated by carefully placed notes of cardinal red and sky blue to complete the overall look. To complement the looks, iconic Fendi bags PeekabooISeeU augmented by the modern Fendi x Chaos tech accessories. Featured alongside the iconic Baguette bag for women and the Peekaboo Essential for men, new shapes and designs such as the Moonlight satchel bag and a new Fendi Eyewear collection are introduced.

Shadows visually stretch across the room to signify the ease and relaxation of Summer peaking its rosey fingers through the curtains. Familiar domestic touches like a bed or a wooden chair give the impression that the relationship between indoors and outdoors is at its most casual, seamless and enjoyable in Summer.

www.fendi.com

Étoile Filante by Louis Vuitton

Étoile Filante by Louis Vuitton Inspired by the striking imagery and boundless inspiration caused by a shooting star of comet glimpsed in the night sky, Maître Parfumeur Louis Vuitton Jacques Cavaller Belletrud, created the new fragrance ‘Étoile Filante’ or ‘Shooting Star’.

In his father’s laboratory in Grasse, an eleven year old Jacques discovered osmanthus absolute. “It immediately fascinated me”, he recalled, years later on the master perfumer’s journey through China he would happen upon a combination of exquisite magnolia and osmanthus dancing on the cool night air at the flower market, swooning him into a heady dream. Adding a touch of Jasmine from Grasse obtained using CO2 extraction, a technique exclusive to Louis Vuitton, the floral harmonies of the scent combined with light notes of sun-ripened strawberry are amplified.

On the olfactory composition of Étoile Filante, Belletrud calls it “A perfect illustration of floral freshness that is vibrant and rich in contrast, with marvellous tenacity”, speaking openly about jasmine’s effect on the fragrance, he says simply “it’s an ingredient that makes you smile” says Belletrud. Stars dancing in the sky, racing unthinkably fast to wherever their journey takes them, if only to remind us there is an energetic and restless light out there in the dark.

This latest fragrance from Parfums Louis Vuitton, is an ode to the pure and simple joys that remind us our natural world and place in the cosmos can still reignite an undeniable sense of wonder and hope to pierce through the fog of uncertainty and doubt.

As of January 28, 2021, Étoile Filante will be available at select Louis Vuitton stores and online.

www.louisvuitton.com

Art

Foscarini Sun-Light of Love

No identifiable beginning or end, an ever changing shape refusing to be defined by the human eye; the sun is a muse for Foscarini in their new Sun-Light of Love spherical lamp. Made up of 390 metal rays that have been grafted to the central body, the lamp is suspended in midair much like the sun is suspended in space, as opposed to a more conventional lamp being fixed into a wall or bound to a supporting beam. The Sun-Light of Love directs its light softly diffused upward as well as a stronger and more direct beam of light downward in order to create ambiance for a table setting as well as more focussed lighting for reading or inspecting objects.

Foscarini has made the lamp available in two finishes, one in gold which brings its proud and regal star-light quality to the room and another finish in white for more minimalist settings that require statement pieces that also play to a room with innate subtlety. Its charm and vivacious personality are well purposed to neutral spaces that otherwise lack an edge; reception areas, hotel entrances or retail facilities. Dutch designer, Tord Boontje, showcased in MoMA, New York, is renowned for implementing a sense of romanticism and whimsy in his work. Sun-Light of Love is his first design for Foscarini. This highly decorative, impactful sphere of hundreds and hundreds of metal spokes conjures to mind that which is felt more than defined. Like the welcome heat and bright light of our Earth’s sun is felt, while staring directly into the sun will only add to its enigma.  

 www.foscarini.com

Fashion

Fendi 'The Baguette Dance'

Iconic Roman fashion house, Fendi, continues their ‘Baguette Friends Forever’ series with a stirring emotional performance by a troupe of five skilled gymnasts from The Paris Centre. The Fendi Baguette is invigorated for The Baguette Dance, wearing the renowned FF logo embossed in a hypersoft leather that appears in five colors including black, pink, bright blue, yellow and red. The dancers grace a ballet ballroom with poise, vigour and an unparalleled energy spurred on by an uptempo synth pop beat. The Baguette changes hands between each dancer in tandem with the flow of their highly coordinated routine. The same playful spirit of ‘Baguette Friends Forever’ is enhanced and the first time the Baguette finds its soul and denotes friendship that is youthful and exists outside of the limitations of time in this quintet of ‘FFriends!’ from Fendi. 

Dedicated to the joy that dancers evoke and the same feeling that strong friendships create; the fearlessness and energy of dancers deeply in their element follow a similar path to the curves, edges and accents essential to the DNA of the Fendi Baguette. The Baguette Dance not only pays homage to the overall beauty of the bag’s design but it presents the world in which this bag was created; one of unrelenting joy and comradery. The exceptional dancers at The Paris Centre translate in movement a feeling which cannot be expressed in words.

Conceptualized by the minds at Fendi, the Baguette Dance is not simply an homage to the Baguette design, it represents the Baguette in its purest form. 

www.fendi.com 

Fashion

Prada honoured with Creativity Fashion Awards 2020

Prada is the new recipient of the 2020 Fashion Awards, presented by the esteemed British Fashion Council under the creativity category of this annual event. The Creativity category was set up to provide recognition to individuals and brands that have realized global impact through creativity in design, campaigns and collaborations, in addition to the massive task of shaping global fashion through innovation. Prada has and continues to fuse creativity and social responsibility making the house a worthy winner of such a monumental award. With the Prada Linea Rossa FW20 campaign, their substantial support of Italy in the Covid crisis, the Tools of Memory campaign in partnership with Sotheby's that donated its proceeds to Unesco, educational projects just to name a few, Prada has done a huge amount of good in such a bleak and uncertain time. Co-Creative Directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons were selected for the positive change they made this year within the fashion industry, a testament to the power of creativity.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Support Our Future

With the bold hashtag “Support Our Future”, Aqua di Parma proudly presents their new charity campaign. From December all UK profits from their Colonia Futura will be donated to The Prince’s Trust, to help support young people, who are facing an increasingly bleak and unpredictable future. In keeping with it #StayAtHome solidarity campaign in reaction to the Covid crisis in Italy earlier this year, Acqua di Parma continues in its global support of those in need. The Prince's Trust remains the Uk’s leasing youth charity, first set up by the Prince of Wales in 1976. With this stoic history behind it the charity continues to make huge strides to bring positive change to many young people’s lives. Acqua di Parma’s new campaign is a strong reflection of a brand dedicated to using their influence and platform for good.

www.acquadiparma.com

Fashion

Zegna X Leica

The indomitable pairing of fashion and photography are realized brilliantly in an exciting new collaboration between Zegna and Leica Camera. Both legends in their own field, it feels a long awaited union, the iconic German camera manufacturer moving into the world of fashion with a distinctive collection of high-end camera accessories. First seen in the January on the runway, the modern photographer is gifted with an array of accessories all made extra special by their handmade craftsmanship. Consisting of PELLETESSUTATM camera holsters for Leica Q2 and Leica M cameras; PELLETESSUTATM protectors for Leica Q2 and Leica M cameras; functional crossbody bags called Insta-Pack and the Leica CL with the 18mm ‘pancake’ Leica lens; carrying and wrist straps; Leica keyrings and round wallets (both for coins or the Leica Q2 lens cap) this collaboration caters to every photographer’s need. Zegna’s Artistic Director, Alessandro Sartori is himself a photography enthusiast not to mention a Leica lover, and this unrivalled passion is clear in the collaboration that is a celebration of both photography and fashion alike.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

Star Service

Orveda announces Orveda concierge, an amazing new service, allowing clients to get tailor-made advice for their skin. Investing in the right skin care requires both industry knowledge as well as an acute understanding of one’s own personal makeup. This 5 day a week, 5 star concierge amalgamates the two, providing a bespoke “Chat with our Healer” live service. With a detailed plan of the right products and Orveda regimen for your skin, customers are treated to a truly personal service that centers the client and equips them with the knowledge they need to make their skin the very best. At a time when self care has never been more important, Orveda delivers, entrusting their clients in the hands of their team of expert advisors, ready to tackle the ominous landscape of skincare.

www.orveda.com

Fashion

Night Mode

Louis Vuitton presents perhaps its most daring watch to date, the new Tambour Damier Graphite Race, fusing energy and creativity together in an exciting bold design. This time piece combines sporty-chic with a sleek sophisticated aesthetic, creating a wearable and versatile accessory. The accents of fluorescent green against the dark gray of the graphite PVD coated steel case exudes a real sense of daring and adventure whilst also fitting into an urban aesthetic. Subtly incorporates the V for Vuitton into the design, the Maison erects an architectural dial in the shape of this significant letter, a truly patriotic detail. Despite its modern feel, age old craftsmanship forms the very essence of the Tambour Damier Graphite Race, its smoked-grey sapphire glass caseback cleverly revealing a traditional mechanism. Available in two versions, customers can choose from the 41.5mm diameter automatic model and the extreme 46 mm diameter chronograph. Both designs have the capacity to have an interchangeable strap, black or fluorescent green depending on the wearer’s mood, outfit or preference. Louis Vuitton crafts utter magic with this watch, a striking graphic design that makes a statement.

www.louisvuitton.com

Art

Architects of Air

Designed by Alan Parkinson, the luminarium changes the way we interact with light and space, curating a sense of the sublime through an immersive experience. Influenced by the awe inspiring structures created in the Islamic and Gothic architectural tradition, Parkinson engages a contemporary aesthetic, creating for his audiences a unique and spectacular interplay of light and space. Light in fact, is simply a product of the daylight which seeps through the luminarium’s fabric, employing a wonderful symbiosis with the natural world and connecting each experience to a specific locational context. Shown in a diverse range of contexts, from corporate events to festivals, the luminaria are accessible in their instinctive appeal and versatility. Since there creation more than 3 million people in over 40 countries have been able to experience their transformative and arresting effects. On arrival visitors are asked to take off their shoes before passing through an airlock. Inside visitors are given a map to freely explore the installation comprising multi-colored pods, labyrinth tunnels and domes, as such each experience is defined by the audience who are as much a part of the luminarium as the structure itself.

www.architects-of-air.com

Travel

Parkhotel de Wiemsel

The Kunstgalerie Parkhotel de Wiemsel is simply every art lover’s dream, offering its guests a diverse collection of art, all within the realms of a delightful residence. Deceiving in its historic facade, the quaint country house is home to an extraordinary array of contemporary pieces, covering paintings, graphics and sculpture. Stemming from its owner Henning J. Classen’s 40 years of experience collecting art, which includes the Galerie im Alten Kaufhaus which he founded in his home town Lüneburg 10 years ago, Classen now opens up his collection, inviting his hotel guests to share in his enjoyment over his most treasured pieces in the uniquely private atmosphere of the hotel. A wonderful mix of emerging and established artists, the collection is home to works by the likes of internationally acclaimed artists, such as Ackermann, Christo Giacometti and even Warhol. The gallery holds exclusive hours and on entrance, welcomes the hotel guests with a glass of champagne and other tantalizing nibbles. The luxury does not end here, as the hotel also boasts a decadent spa and heated pools (both inside and out), perfect for a relaxing retreat. Great food and wine are the finishing touches to a truly perfect experience, treating its customers to a truly well-rounded stay. Close to the German Dutch border, food lovers, art connoisseurs and those in need of utter peace and harmony can come together in a hotel that caters to the very best life has to offer.

www.parkhotel-dewiemsel.com

Fashion

The Joys of Gifting

Gifting is imbued with real love and consideration in Cartier’s new collection of objects, that bring moments of joy to everyday life. With everything from music boxes to writing papers, Cartier continues its long established tradition of adding sparkle and intrigue to the most mundane aspects of day to day life. Since 1880 the Maison has been invested in small objects, such as powder compacts, inkwells and other quaint pieces of stationery, and this long fascination is injected with real contemporary flair. Curating 4 collections of objects, all connected to one another by their emblematic codes: the panther, Double C and the menagerie, Cartier show the small unsuspecting power of gifting. From stationery to small silver cups, each object is a show of affection and thought, Cartier preparing for a holiday season like no other.

www.cartier.com

Fashion

10SOUL

The Seoul Design Foundation set up the 10Soul Project in order to champion Korean design on an international platform. Selecting these designers at Seoul Fashion week, 10 emerging talents were chosen to take part in a pop-up installation at Berlin’s iconic Voo Store. Amongst this creative group was Yoon Seok-Woon with his brand SEOKWOONYOON. Seok-Woon takes many of his references from modern art, and is particularly drawn to Trompe l'oeil, creating sculptural illusory elements on his garments. Moving from ready-to-wear to more conceptual looks, Seok-Woon is definitely one to watch. Another 2 members of the Soul project, Lee Moo-Yeol and Kim Min-Hee with their brand YOUSER, have since had their looks shown at Milan’s 2020 runway. Clever sartorial design meets sports luxe, meets uniform in YOUSER, where unique layering gives way to exciting and surprising garments and looks. Voo store proudly showcases these designs amongst many others in an installation that fuses art and fashion.

www.vooberlin.com

Fashion

Story Time

Rooting their Holiday 2020 campaign in the literary imagination of best-selling author Candice Carty-Williams, Prada’s accessories, jewelry and leather goods tell a mysterious and captivating tale. With Steven Meisel as photographer, Williams’ story is given visceral depth, the aesthetic of a film noir providing a cinematic edge to the author’s words. Multiple perspectives, angles and cuts revolve around 5 characters, familiar faces in the Prada’s universe - Freja Beha Maty Fall, Mai Xiaoxing, Rudolfs Valbergs and Merlijne Schorren. Situated in the Villa Gnutti, an isolated residence in rural Italy well known through its association to Helmut Newton’s 1981 shoot, Meisel’s black and white photography recalls vintage cinema, the idyllic mediterranean backdrop creating a beautiful mise en scene. The photograph stills taken from the campaign act as portals into a glamorous world, framing with acute attention the new Prada Cleo Handbag, which debuted in the Multiple Views spring summer 2021 show. The Cleo is a wonderful hybrid, a synthesis of Prada’s archives with futuristic ambition. Alongside the Cleo, the Prada triangle is reinterpreted, the iconic emblem appearing as an array of necklaces, lariats and chandelier earrings. Luxury and decadence run throughout the holiday 2020 campaign, where emotion, intrigue and desire run rife.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Vessels of Light

Aesop channels other worldly wonderment, in its new set of Aromatique Candles created with seasoned collaborator, Barnabé Fillion. Each of the three candles in the collection are named after an ancient astronomer: Aganice, Callippus and Ptolemy, referencing the early pioneers of discovery. The night sky framed as an infinite source of inspiration. Detailing the concept behind the collection, Dr Kate Forbes, Aesop’s Director of Innovation simply put the new collection as “candles as stars”, a warming indictment of the brand’s notion of vision. With exquisitely subtle, nuanced scents, the candles are a welcomed addition to any cosy interior setting, designed to ease the stresses of everyday life through calming fragrances. The Aganise Aromatique Candle is rich with Cardamom, Clove, Mimosa and slight notes of Tobacco, the Callippus Aromatique Candle offers Frankincense, Guaiacwood and shiso and the Ptolemy Aromatique Candle is light with a smokiness of cedar, Cypress and notes of Vetiver. Fillion delights in this collaboration, where candles centre the home as a place of serenity and sanctuary, basking its inhabitants in the soft glow of a beautifully scented candle.

www.aesop.com

Fashion

Adrian Ghenie

Presenting the fifth solo exhibition of Adrian Ghenie, the Tim Van Laere Gallery are proud to present nine new paintings and three new charcoal drawings by the Romanian born artist. Born in 1977 in the city of Baia Mare, Ghenie graduated from the Art and Design University of Cluj-Napoca and now works between Berlin and Cluj. Engaging with a unique and illusionistic spatial arrangement, Ghenie’s work is characterized by distinct pictorial motifs that are at once hedonistic and radical. Transposing his extensive knowledge of history on to his eclectic and diverse subjects, Nazi Germany and Greek Mythology appear in narrative form in many of his works. Referencing the genre of history painting, classic techniques such ad chiaroscuro, reveal a real and genuine connection with traditional practices. Known for his emotional investment in his practice, feelings of vulnerability and frustration come to the surface, challenging the viewer’s own collective memory through the stories he presents. Adrian Ghenie will be exhibiting at the Tim Van Laere Gallery from 15 October until 28 November 2020.

www.timvanlaeregallery.com

Fashion

Echoes of The Unseen

Gerhard Hofland announces its international group exhibition, “Echoes of the Unseen”. Moving beyond the realms of tangible and visual experience, through a narrative of figurative and abstracted forms, artists: Johan Tahon (Belgium, 1965), Janine Van Oene (The Netherlands, 1998), Damien Cadio (France, 1975) and Robert Seidel (Germany 1983) come together to showcase meaningful reflections on these uncharted spaces. Gestures and marks are enlivened by the discovery of a space neglected by the subconscious, landscapes shaped by subjective others. With a distinctly haunting offering, Johan Tahon curates an emotional display, his timeless works guided by a quiet wisdom. Rooted in the artworks of ancient mythology, Tahon’s works are composed of a series of thoughtful and meticulous interventions, all alluding to a higher truth. In Janine Van Oene’s presentation, she challenges the very possibilities of abstraction, her vocabulary spirited by an affinity with color-mixing and and calligraphic strokes, Motionless forms are given a new lease of life, channeling the nostalgic paradox of plastic flowers and vernacular curtain patterns. Damien Cadio, re-articulates the canvas in his contribution, gathering exciting momentum from the parameters of his pieces. In curating disorienting encounters with his subjects, Cadio produces works that toes the line between the physical and historical, a tension, unnerving in its capacity to affect the viewer. With this state of flux in Mind, German artist Robert Seidel is an artist whose practice is underpinned by the notion of perpetual reconstruction. Magnetized by the present, the past is a skin that is continually shed, the infinite role of transformation, tantalizing in the constant promise of unpredictable change. Immersing us in this cycle, Seidel’s thorough interrogation of architecture and scenery, uses observation as a means to engage the viewer in their own locality, their own sense of being.

image credits:Johan Tahon, Glacier Monk, 2019, 185 x 38 x 65 cm, Stoneware

www.gerhardhofland.com

Fashion

LOEWE Spring Summer 2021

Loewe Spring Summer 2021 “Show-on-the-Wall derived from this idea that this entire collection was done remotely. I was looking back I think like a lot of people were doing in this moment of kind of rethinking of models of fashion and how we approach things”. For Loewe Spring Summer 2021 Jonathan Anderson created Show-on -the-Wall exploring the possibilities of a paper show at a 1:1 scale, fully embracing the idea of actively involving the viewer in an experience that is radically different from the traditional fashion show. Coming in the form of an oversized artist’s portfolio, it holds sixteen bus-stand size folded posters, each one depicting a different character wearing a look from the collection, and one poster featuring a still life arrangement of accessories silkscreen printed with fluorescent, phosphorescent and metallic inks. The portfolio is accompanied by a number of tools including a roll of wallpaper borders depicting all the looks from the collection, wallpaper glue, a brush, scissors, a ceramic disc infused with Beetroot scent and a catalogue raisonné, and a unique roll of wallpaper designed by Anthea Hamilton, “When we worked with the artist Anthea Hmilton for the Duveens at the Tate Britain, for me it was a very seminal work. Just before the Summer I was thinking how we can contextualize fashion in this moment and I thought it was nice to work with her again on the wallpaper” . Jonathan Anderson speaks about the wish to create a place where the viewers are put into the position they are forced to be creative, to interact. The images feature a vast cross section of ages, gender and body types: Adam Bainbridge, Alice, , Elise, Hilary Lloyd, Holly, Jadé Fadojutimi, Jewel, Kristina de Coninck, Laurence Kleinknecht, Louis, Mona, Rinke, Rosie, Sunny Suits, Vittoria and the artist Anthea Hamilton herself, “When we were working on how we were going to put this collection together I liked this idea that we would really delve into exploring the art of fashion. This collection glorifies the hand embroidered, hand woven, hand made”. Spiraling flaps. Balloon sleeves, balloon skirts. Crinolines. Neckerchief hems. Hoops. Tulle as an encasing outer layer. Giant knots made of sequins on knitted fabrics catching and releasing the movement. Curves, folds, flaps. Ballerina hints. Festoons. Jonathan Anderson embraces escapism in his own way, using historical research as an experimental tool: how boning can be taken out of context and can be used to create an unexpected structured fluidity. The collection plays between fantasy and reality, taking the wearer to another place, to a different dimension, where to escape in these difficult times.

www.loewe.com

Fashion

CHANEL Spring Summer 2021

On the occasion of the Chanel Spring-Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear photographers duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin shot a series of videos and images for the ritual press kit accompanying the show – previously shot by the late Karl Lagerfeld himself. Four recurring cinematic situations, four settings, four different worlds. They speak about the special relationship this iconic French house nurtured with actresses over the years. Here Rianne Van Rompaey, Mica Argañaraz and Louise de Chevigny play different declinations of the quintessential Chanel‘s woman, her cool seductive elegance, each in their own dimension. As Inez & Vinoodh described – “together [they] represent what we feel is Chanel’s way of fitting into the lives of every woman with a cool and easy allure." Launched just before the show, Inez & Vinoodh also created a captivating video teaser where extracts from films by legendary French cineastes – Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Deray, Louis Malle – revived celebrated scenes: Romy Schneider’s swim in ‘La Piscine’ (1969), Anna Karina’s scissors close up in ‘Pierrot le Fou’ (1965) , Jeanne Moreau’s walk in the streets of Paris in ‘Ascenseur pour l'échafaud’ (1958) . Woven with archival footage of a young Jean-Luc Godard behind the camera, a bird view of the Hollywood hills where “CHANEL” has replaced the iconic letters. A magic cinematic world where everything is possible Imagined by Virginie Viard, the Chanel Spring-Summer 2021 Ready-to-Wear collection is a tribute to these muses, the great actresses that are part of its historical heritage, but also all the ones that have been dressed since the beginning by the Maison. Gabrielle Chanel, beckoned to Hollywood in 1931 by Sam Goldwyn, dressing Gloria Swanson in ‘Tonight or Never’, and Joan Blondell in ‘The Greeks Had a Word for Them’ a year after. Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, were among the other Hollywood stars who became admirers or Mademoiselle Chanel. A legacy continued throughout Karl Lagerfeld’s tenure, both on screen and on the red-carpet. “I was thinking about actresses at the photocall, on the red carpet, that moment when they’re being called to by the photographers: their faces a little distracted, their attitude a little out of sync with the outfits they’re wearing. And then there are the fans waiting for them behind the barriers, this very lively side to cinema that happens beyond cinema, that’s what I like”. Virginie Viard merged the Maison’s signature black and white palette with a splash of vibrant hues: jeans in fluorescent colors, fluid dresses and t-shirts printed with the letters of CHANEL like neon-lights, pale pink capri pants, embroidered looks with sequins, vibrant three pieces bermuda suits. A declination of micro-bags in several colors, worn as belt, charms, jewelry confer the collection an fresh joyful allure, far from any vintage citation.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Balenciaga Spring Summer 2021

The pandemic has given each of us a chance to reflect, and clearly something has happened to Demna Gvasalia. After his apocalyptic show last season and in face of a slightly different dystopia at the moment, Gvasalia returns with an almost optimistic attitude. With the ongoing pandemic, Gvasalia abandons the classic runway show, as many others have done, and reimagines the collection presentation as a music video. The models are strutting in a purposeful step through an abandoned Paris at night to the 80s track Sunglasses At Night, because, to put it in Gvalsalia’s words, “Is there anything more absurdly fashion than that?” His tribe of night time people embodies a sense of modern glamour, representing the type of people who turn heads after dark. In his typical fashion, Gvasalia continues to fuse couture with comfort, applying the Balenciaga DNA to everyday pieces. The standout of the collection was not a single piece, rather the story behind. 93.5% of the plain materials used are either certified sustainable or upcycled. Conscious about the environmental impact that the industry has, Gvasalia show commitment to change, “It became very obvious to try to do garments that are unisex, uni-size, uni-everything—or whatever we want to call it. It drastically reduced the number of cuts and fits we had to make. Also, I like the fact that according to who wears it, the silhouette changes, but whoever wears it, it looks good.”

www.balenciaga.com

Fashion

"Spend More Time With The Great Outdoors"

RSF has released an original buffalo check overshirt in an exclusive purple colorway, the brand’s signature color as part of a second collaboration with Woolrich. Building upon an initial summer drop, where Woolrich and RSF released a collection of sunglasses, the two brands have teamed up once again, this time using the vast beauty of the outdoors as their inspiration. Creating a mini documentary, Milan-based creative Massimilliano Bomba, has created a pure set of visuals, inviting the viewer to venture out of the home and connect with the natural world. The mission statement “Spend More Time With The Great Outdoors” is boldly presented in yellow across the back of the shirt, a graphic and striking addition to the purple and black buffalo check pattern. The Buffalo Overshirt is now available through both Retrosuperfurture and Woolrich channels and at selected retailers worldwide. 

www.retrosuperfuture.com
www.woolrich.com

Fashion

Chloé Spring Summer 2021

A soft wind brushing between the hair. Taking pictures of the Seine. Strolling on a quiet day in the city, then stopping for a moment to contemplate the serenity of everydaylife, of a simple gesture, of a day like any other. Chloé Spring Summer 2021 collection was presented through a set of cameras following models, merged together, overlapping. Natacha Ramsay-Levi has built her Chloé by exploring the female gaze, its strength, its fragility, and that unconventional emotional and intimate gesture. Over the years Ramsay-Levi has reached out to great female artists and activists, bringing their work into Chloé, creating a debate over these exceptional visionaries. This season the collection feature a selection of print created by American artist Corita Kent also known as Sister Mary Corita. Born in 1918 at the age of 18 years old she became a sister under the Immaculate Heart order in Los Angeles known for being very progressive and nurturing artistic sensibility. She developed a great interest in art and after obtaining her master degree in Art History at University of Southern California, Corita became the head of the art department at Immaculate Heart College in 1964. Her teaching method was so revolutionary that great artists like Charles and Ray Eames, Alfred Hitchcock, Buckminster Fuller were invited as guest speakers. Corita often mentioned how Charles Eames played an important role in her artistic vision. A self–taught serigrapher, she became interested in the potentials of the medium creating several hundreds different works, that over the years became increasingly political. When in 1968 she was accused of blasphemy for her continuous activism against war and female discrimination, Corita returned to secular life and became a prolific artist and openly civil rights activist, until her death in 1986. For Chloé Spring Summer 2021 collection, Natacha Ramsay-Levi featured several of Corita’s artworks: ‘hope’ (1965), ‘give the gang our best’ (1966), ‘i can handle it’ (1966), ‘for emergency use soft shoulder’ (1966), and ‘viva’ (1967). It’s interesting how the apparent delicacy of text and words related to Christian fait actually disclose the incredible strength of the artist’s activism. Celebrating Corita’s work, the house of Chloé, will also donate part of proceeds from the Spring Summer 2021 collaboration to the Corita Art Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving her legacy.

www.chloe.com

Fashion

Kenzo Spring Summer 2021

“How can one draw conclusions from a situation that is far from ending and in which the consequences are impossible to grasp? The world is ill, the world is bleeding, but it is still alive. And, as long as there is life there is hope.[…] Going p laces… a mirage of dreams, hope, excitement and discovery. We will not give that up. Clothes that transform themselves to adapt to all situations. The fully covered and protected becomes fragile and naked, daring danger and rules”. Felipe Oliveira Baptista’s words speaks about his reflection and reaction to today’s challenge. Baptista’s first collection for the iconic brand was shown just few days before the World declared state of emergency. The Portuguese designer has always experimented around the idea of versatility, a youthful and contemporary silhouettes around what he often called ‘post-sportswear’ Last year in a press release marking Baptista’s appointment, Kenzo’s CEO, Sylvie Colin, said: “His innovative and modern creative vision and well-rounded artistic approach will enable Kenzo to reach its full potential while respecting its unique heritage.” For Spring Summer 2021 Baptista created a raw youthful and daring sensibility. Clothes for nomads, to explore and create a new world, were contrasting elements recall the dichotomies of our current life, the paradox of our times. Flowers, bees, nature. Archival Kenzo poppies and hortensias were given a digital crying effect. From flowers the primal feeling of protection and cocooning came an ode to the bees, one of the most important insect for the survival of human species. Recently populations of bumblebees have steeply declined in many places, largely because of insecticide and global warming. Some species are now even listed as endangered species. If all of the world's bees died, there would be a major rippling effect throughout the ecosystem, and although it would not likely lead to famine, it would dramatically alter human food systems. But for Baptista bees and the beekeepers with their mesmerizing clothing and hats also strongly echo “the fragility and distance imposed and needed today”. The collection features a series of sheer beekeepers hats a ttimes elongated along the body and worn over. Deconstructed, draped, twisted, cut out garments: floating and grounded, transparent and solid, romantic and utilitarian. Felipe Oliveira Baptista’s vision for Kenzo is whispered through his small handwritten note printed inside the pamphlet that served as invitation to the show, and voicing this celebration of life: “There are no norms. All people are exceptions to a rule that doesn’t exist."

www.kenzo.com

Fashion

Stone Island x Persol

Both Persol as well as Stone Island are two brands looking back on a rich heritage having contributed to the rich Italian design language as well as continuing to do so with their devotion to craftsmanship and the new technologies. For the first time, both companies now come together to combine their visions in a new pair of sunglasses. The inspiration for the Pilot Frame comes out of Persol’s archive, more precisely the 1970s, evoking the exclusive style so connected with the brand. Produced with the same machines as back in the days, the new frame has been made with special attention to details, showcasing the full technical and stylistic capabilities of both brands. The classic shape of the classes is accentuated with technical details, visible screws, hand brushed metal providing a matt finish which constitute the visual counterpart of the shiny glasses. With a commitment to innovation and unafraid to engage in experimentation, without losing that distinct elegance, Stone Island and Persol show us what ‘Made in Italy’ can and should be in the 21st century.

www.stoneisland.com
www.persol.com

Fashion

Marni Spring Summer 2021

In keeping with this surreal time, Marni’s SS21 collection rejects the runway entirely, its collection of models formed by everyday city dwellers inhabiting day to day life. In a climate where normality has slipped between our fingers, Marni embraces the vernacular habits and intricacies of our lives, the trip to the shops, the comings and goings of traffic, playing with pets and other mundane yet entirely profound highlights, anchoring its collection in the remnants of familiar life. Marni creates a video archive, documenting beautifully the simple pleasures of life that for many were inaccessible for the last few months, chronicling the clothes and their wearers as they move through the city, the home, singing, dancing, cycling. In the spontaneity that animates each shot, the clothes are brought to life by each person, seamlessly fitting into specific contexts, matching and playing off the personalities of its eclectic subjects. Togetherness is depicted conversely through isolated lenses, a true and honest depiction of a time, where the screen has been perhaps one of our only opportunities for human connection. Cropped coats, graphic stripes and tank top hybrids, make a nod to Basquiat in their eccentric urban character. Cotton, leather, gauze and flowers add wonderful textures and layers to the looks, reflective of the bricolage that is city life. Marni defies all expectations with this offering, showing incredible versatility in the face of such a spectacular unknown.

www.marni.com

Fashion

ETRO Spring Summer 2021

Over the last months we have rediscovered the joy that simple gestures, like traveling, reuniting with your loved ones. For many, the places that were once familiar became distant, inaccessible. We became overwhelmed with longing for our native territories, like Ulysses for his Ithaca. For Spring Summer 2021 Veronica Etro, creative director of ETRO Womenswear, explored the enchanting Italian summer landscape, the flora and motives found in Italian Riviera: marine chains, anchors, seashells, nautical rope, summer stripes, sailboats, green foliage, together with the brand’s signature Paisley now proposed in monochrome color ways. The collection also presented archival foulard prints - Bandiere da Parata (1992), Albero delle Meraviglie (1993), Trionfi e Soffitti (1994) and Palais Jamais (1995), reminiscent of sumptuous frescos of Italian palazzos. Playful and uncomplicated with shirt knotted at the waist, knotted scarf’s worn under blazers as tops, denim and micro shorts paired with fluid tunics, bustier long dresses worn with rope lace-up flat sandals. Straw basket bags, chokers in gold rope, high-heeled sandals with silk ties wrapping around the ankles. It’s a collection celebrating the outstanding beauty of Italian life and ETRO’s roots. With its rich prints and summer color palette in Sicilian lemon yellow, lavender, mint, orange, turquoise, and lavish silk, floating as the models walked to the beat of 90s music hits.

www.etro.com

Fashion

Re-writing the Space

Putting on an optimistic front, Furla commits itself to enhancing its retail experience, announcing significant investment into this area of the brand. Targeting its key stores worldwide, the Italian accessories brand has united with renowned firm David Chipperfield Architects Milan, to introduce a new concept to its most popular locations, transforming their customers’ experience in the process. Making its debut in Milan’s flagship store, located on Piazza Duomo, this revamp will be fittingly taking place during Milan Fashion Week, the two storey space enlivened through fluid and artistic design. A sculptural staircase will now connect the two floors, a new adjacent space added to accommodate special events and pop-up displays. Classic arched doorways frame the space sumptuously, always bringing the focus back to the core elements of the space, the accessories. A natural palette and tactile textures also guide the customer’s gaze back to the products, a subtle and effective backdrop to Furla’s iconic accessories. Speaking about the collaboration David Chipperfield reflects fondly and proudly, “together we have sought to interpret its heritage while developing a story around the core product – the bag –within a new built space.”

www.furla.com

Fashion

Prada Spring Summer 2021

The most awaited fashion moment just took place: Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons first collection as Prada’s co-creative directors. Presented through a digital event followed by a conversation where the two venerated designers answered questions submitted by Prada-devotees. What is the meaning of “New”, of “Prada-ness”, of “Uniform”? A dialogue, emblematic of the modus operandi of two of the most intelligent fashion designers. “I have been always interested in the metaphor of “uniform”. The show was very much about that. Muccia’s uniforms, how Miuccia dresses, her own uniforms were an instant and important inspiration for the collection”, Raf Simons spoke about his take on uniforms and how it radically inspired the show “It is interesting if you know you can find clothing that you feel good in, and you know you can express what you want to express through them, without being too much about a very specific fashion item. A uniform needs to express something timeless rather than a specific seasonal piece. It’s almost a base”. Prada Spring Summer 2021 touches on a multitude of interpretations around this notion of uniform, - a visual representation of identity, of shared and embraced values, a way of thinking. Garments are pared-back, refined, focused: shell tops, straight pants, overcoats in industrial re-nylon, constructed using couture techniques, suits executed in fleece. “New is the nightmare of every single designer. But I think that “New” for the sake of the “new” probably it is not relevant anymore - Miuccia Prada has always stressed how in her vision fashion is a deep understanding of reality, of people’s lives at an exact historical moment. “For us is very important reacting to reality, to what is happening now. I always thought that fashion is part of creating people ‘s change, it is part of what is happening in the world. A fashion designer is not an abstract job. The people with my clothes need to feel better, clothes need help define your personality, they are an instrument for people’s life” The collection is both reflection of and reaction to our current time, where the mediation between technology and humanity has become vital and the inevitable restrictions we are all facing. Miuccia Prada’s very own longstanding research on the question of technology, and its now indispensable presence in our daily life has led to a fundamental examination in the collection. Artworks created by Raf Simons’ long-term collaborator and friend Peter de Potter, are used to interrupt and disrupt the surfaces - as graphic tools of contrast, sometimes laid over archival Prada print, emblematic of worlds and aesthetic discourses coming together, exploring ideas of thoughts, processes, dialogues, exchanging ideas. Different fabrications are presented throughout the entire collection: t-shirt jersey, fleece, re-nylon, embroidered duchesse satin, taffeta, connected to simple gestures - garments are drawn around the body and held steadily by the hand - quintessential of both designers’ signature, a shared language. Miuccia Prada has always worked with the juxtapositions of historical references, of elements, approaches, at times in apparent dichotomy, but paradoxically harmonious. Lastly what is the essence of Prada, the Prada-ness? In Raf Simons words: “For many years I have always seen it as a community that has a very specific attitude and aesthetic. You cannot really define it but it clearly IS. For me this is very important. And that “-ness “ is exactly what a brand needs to have for me to love it”.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Herno Spring Summer 2021: Fifties Fun

Herno dives into its archives for its Milan Fashion Week 2020 Presentation, bringing the carefree spirit of the ‘50s strikingly into the contemporary moment. Returning to its roots, stock footage is spliced with visuals of their SS21 collection, showing the brand’s integrity and history to be an essential part of their creative DNA. Beginning with the Iconic Herno Monogram collection, the wonderfully recognizable canvas with the emblematic H pattern, is reworked as an essential accessory. To be worn in the hair, tied as a top and cynching in the waist of their cotton raincoats. The laughter, fun and freedom of a girls trip is recreated, as they drive down italian vistas, culminating in a trip to the factory, where we are reminded once more of Herno’s prestigious craftsmanship. In this italian extravaganza, silk scarves blow in the breeze, inducing each outfit with a joyous sense of drama and excitement. The H pattern adorns the timeless outerwear, cotton raincoats and down jackets made of ultralight nylon. In taking a trip down memory lane, Herno remembers its history with pride, its SS21 collection made even more special, elevated by this charming sentiment of nostalgia.

www.herno.com

Fashion

Musc Ravageur

Maurice Roucel’s perfume Musc Ravageur has attracted global acclaim, after receiving the prestigious Fragrance of the Year Hall of Fame Award. Released in 2000, Musc Ravageur sent waves through the perfumer industry celebrated as a pinnacle of the Amber Oriental tradition. Heralded as an unapologetically sensuous perfume, the scent enhances natural musk, with amber, vanilla, patchouli and sandalwood. Reflecting on the award, Frédéric Malle “could not have dreamed of anything better to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Editions de Parfums”. Roucel, who started his career as a chemist in 1973 then transitioned into becoming a self-taught perfumer, characterized most commonly by his creation of opulent and distinctly sexy scents. Musc Ravageur’s wide reaching appeal shows Roucel to have monopoly over the perfume industry in his ability to curate timeless scents that transcend trends.

www.fredericmalle.com

Fashion

Seen in Venice

Choosing the glitz and glamor of Venice’s International Film Festival as the venue for its big reveal, Etro used the seasoned cultural event to announce its GIANVITO ROSSI for ETRO capsule collection. American supermodel Taylor Hill premiered the Gianvito pumps on the red carpet, a huge statement for the brand. Using a distinctly ETRO lens to reinterpret GIANVITO ROSSI’s most beloved shoes, ballerina flats, pumps and boots comprise a modest yet bold collection- the pumps coming in either 8.5cm or 10 cm heels. All 4 models are characterized by red and blue paisley prints also used for ETRO’s Fall Winter 2021 trench coats. The GIANVITO ROSS for ETRO COLLECTION will be available for purchase at both ETRO and GIANVITO ROSSI boutiques, as well as on their respective e-stores and in selected international retailers.

www.etro.com
www.gianvitorossi.com

Fashion

Roll the Dice

20 years since its launch the J12 returns as the J12 Paradoxe, uniting its previous black and white models in a sleek and bold design. Originally heralded as the first watch icon of the 21st century, CHANEL sustains its prominence, creating a completely new and fresh aesthetic. Appealing to both day and night, the J12 Paradoxe feels one of CHANEL’s most versatile watches to date. Crafted from scratch-resistant ceramic and manufactured in Switzerland, the watch is a masterclass in elegance and detail, fusing the two colours together to showcase creative and rebellious spirit. Two-tone elements also detail the dial and the bezel, ensuring this opposition created by the combination of black and white runs cohesively throughout the watch creating unrivalled harmony. J12 Paradoxe is a dynamic accessory, building upon the success of both the black and white J12s that came before it. www.chanel.com

Fashion

To Travel

Louis Vuitton has long celebrated the luxury and freedom of travel, its suitcases an iconic part of the House since its establishment in 1854. As part of this appreciation the House will be adding 2 new photography books to its series Fashion Eye. Greece by François Halard and Ukraine by Synchrodogs. Each work portrays a country, region, city or a destination through the unique gaze of a fashion photographer. For the Greece edition the French Photographer captures his own personal journey and experiences whereas the Ukraine edition is taken by a photographic duo that intersects land art with nude photography. Fashion Eye is a tailor-made series whose intimate editorial process creates books that are akin to art, artisanal in their craftsmanship. Large-format photographs sit alongside biographical information and critical essays are interchangeable with interviews from the relevant photographer. Each book uses an intertextual lens to curate a picture of a place that is reflective and thoughtful, giving way to an understanding of the photographer also.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

The Golden Age

L’età dell’oro translated as “The Golden Age”, is the title of Fabrizio Plessi’s new exhibition sponsored by the House of Dior. A pioneering name in Video art, the Italian artist has reached global acclaim, exhibiting internationally across the world’s most prestigious museums and galleries. Scheduled to open just before the Venice Film Festival, whose date has now moved due to current circumstances, his exhibition will continue. The exhibition will be held on the façade of the Correr Museum, a historic site in the city’s iconic Piazza San Marco. Plessi’s exhibition defiantly intersects nature and artifice, the traditional and futuristic and primitive and technological, making him somewhat of an alchemist in his melding together of unexpected and contradictory elements. Golden sculptures also pay tribute to Serenissima, a beloved city of the artist. In its support of the exhibition, Dior continues its commitment to culture, supporting iconic talent such as the likes of Plessi and his new and exciting exhibition.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Peekaboo I See You

Fendi honors its iconic bag, the Peekaboo, in its first ever global video and image campaign. Starring Zoey Deutch, the actress and producer is shot embracing her Peekaboo in an intimate gesture communicative of the beloved status of the bag, as well as granting us a rare insight into the celebrity’s authentic innerself. Deutch’s personality is revealed, as she struts confidently across a street, performs in front of paparazzi and twirls around uninhibited in her own dreamscape to the soundtrack I See You by The Horrors. As seen in February in the FENDI Fall Winter 2020-21 Collection, the new Peekaboo has an accordion-frame shape, featuring inside pockets which can be made out of smooth leather or precious skins and even personalized with the wearer’s initials. The Peekaboo is a constantly evolving motif of the Maison, subjected to limitless change through the House’s creative depth and flair.

www.fendi.com

Art

Sensitive Euro Man, Friedrich Kunath

Returning to Germany after eight years, Friedrich Kunath’s solo show, ‘Sensitive Euro Man’ will be featured at KÖNIG GALERIE in the NAVE of St. Agnes. Opening on 15 August 2020, Kunath will be showing a collection of previously unseen works; spanning painting and sculpture with a notably large sculptural work to centre the exhibition.
Kunath aptly references German romanticism in this collection, in an abstracted ode to his homeland, but not as one might expect. A sense of the sublime and the awe-inspiring presence of nature, though tangible is undone by Kunath, reimagined through a Californian rear-view mirror. Interweaving his life in LA with this prolific genre, sarcasm, bar humour and beloved lyrics intersperse his works, subverting a genre well known for its earnest sincerity. This exhibition showcases Kunath’s unmatched sensitivity as an artist, where balance and timing come together perfectly to produce works that feel organic, if not refreshing in their charismatic lightness. Kunath teases the viewer in this set of works enticing them in with colour to be met with a sharp tongue. This is Kunath at his best.

www.koeniggalerie.com

Fashion

THE DIOR MAISON SUMMER COLLECTIONS

THE DIOR MAISON SUMMER COLLECTIONS distills the essence of summer into a new exquisite line of objects, thoughtfully designed by Cordelia de Castellane. The pineapple becomes muse in this new collection, its texture and colour sensitively curated in Italian blown glass, showing off the extraordinary craftsmanship of the House and its infinite creative talent. Subtle reliefs add another dimension to the transparent objects, giving them an added sense of intrigue, in their ability to create moments of dynamism in such fragile and delicate forms. Carafes, vases and decorative bubbles are an ode to a tropical summer uniquely told in glass. Christian Dior would seat guests on elegant Napoleon III-style chairs with seats decorated in canework, a graphic code that has become an iconic House emblem. As with the pineapple, the canework pattern has become imaginatively reinterpreted by Cordelia de Castellane, portrayed in new and expressive dimensions and proportions. Entertaining guests is imbued with a sense of real celebration, with DIOR taking centre stage. 

www.dior.com

Fashion

dunhill Fall Winter 2020, The New Wave

The multiplicity of the modern man is celebrated in Dunhill’s Fall Winter 2020 Campaign, through its nostalgic revival of the prolific Blitz Club and the colourful characters who frequented it. Stating his complete fascination with the scene, Mark Weston, Dunhill’s Creative director, references Homer Syke’s photography of the unique space, where young people partied against a bleak political landscape of economic turmoil. Amongst this youthful audaciousness ‘The New Wave’ announces the House’s continued evolution, interrogating cultural niches and moments that have been formative to our understanding of contemporary masculinity. Embracing both the old guard and the avant-garde, luxurious leather outerwear gives way to rigorous and sensuous tailoring, pegged trousers providing yet another historical reference, this time to the New Romantic Scene. Dominating the campaign are the House’s newest additions to footwear and leather goods, the Axis Runner and the Lock Bag, both symbolic of the House’s impeccable balance of heritage and contemporary elegance. ‘The New Wave’ champions the man who is. “a cross between … the establishment and the anti-establishment”.

www.dunhill.com

Fashion

Miu Miu Wonder Woman 2020

Miu Miu serves us retro empowerment in its new capsule celebrating the legendary superhero, Wonder Woman. Said to have been crafted in clay by her mother Queen Hippolyta and endowed with magical powers by the Greek gods, Wonder woman, known to loyal fans as Princess Diana of Themyscira, is a pioneering figure of female strength and adversity.
Her timeless appeal animates three t-shirts for the collection, each treated with a vintage effect, giving the designs an irresistible sentiment of nostalgia. Illustrated in classic athletic poses, Wonder Woman assumes an air of defiance whilst also referencing the much loved pin up girl. These t-shirts are the perfect throw on for a casual look, or can even be dressed up for an evening out.
The Miu Miu Wonder Woman t-shirts capsule is available now online and in stores.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Dior Cruise 2021

Set in Lecce, a city imbued with heritage and craftsmanship in the Puglia region, Dior Cruise 2021 collection highlights the excellence of these priceless skills, and many creative dialogues between the House of Dior and Lecce that began long before the health crisis and the confinement. Paying homage to Nature and the region’s unique landscapes, as a land that has always been close to Maria Grazia Chiuri’s heart. “During this period, I sought to give collective efforts a new dimension. Despite the disadvantages of distance, bringing a different perspective to our daily lives has given us strength and imagination”, Maria Grazia Chiuri supports and showcases the virtuosity of these artisans and artists: from the architectures of the Luminarie, dazzling light structures that have been illuminating local streets and palaces for the feast of the patron saints, to the essential role of dance performed by the dancers of Notte Della Taranta Foundation, a foundation promoting local culture, and reinventing traditional Italian music and dance. For Dior Cruise 2021 show in Lecce, choreographer Sharon Eyal created a timeless choreographic performance that re-engages anew with the profound meaning and symbols of these powerful Puglian rituals around the Pizzica, the iconic folkloristic dance from the region. The dancers performed on the music created and directed by Paolo Buonvino. Buonvino: an exclusive composition especially for this show, a captivating reinterpretation of traditional Puglian melodies. The beauty of the gestures, emotion and poetry of the performance resonate in the exquisite craftsmanship celebrated in the collection: delicate weaves of Le Constantine Foundation displayed on various pieces, with the atelier’s motto «Amando e Cantando» embroidered on a series of skirts; the Tombolo, an extremely delicate style of lace, born in Italy in the 15th century and spread throughout Europe during the 16th century, is created for the collection in collaboration with Marilena Sparasci, one of the last remaining embroiderers to practice and teach this technique; the waving of Tessitura Calabrese, a family business located in the heart of Italy’s Puglia region, perpetuating traditional weaving techniques of fine threads intertwining craftsmanship and technology. “We rise by lifting others”; “On peut souvent créer des révolutions sans les avoir cherchées”; “La differenza per le donne sono millenni di assenza dalla storia”; “A wish is revolutionary because it seeks what cannot be seen”. Phrases chosen by the artist and activist Marinella Senatore, interwoven with her scenography of Luminarie for the show, are an ode to women’s empowerment and to local communities, reaffirming Maria Grazia Chuiri’s ongoing celebration of women and the role of heritage.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Salvatore Ferragamo Pre-Spring 2021

Certain events undoubtedly leave a mark for the better or for the worse. The current global pandemic is certainly one of them as it brings with it a set of challenges for each individual and every business. The fashion industry is by no means an exception, neither is the Italian house of Salvatore Ferragamo. As the house’s Creative Director has put it himself, ‘This collection was made in exceptional times, under exceptional conditions, through which we were all obliged to adapt and innovate.’ Despite all the challenges, Ferragamo’s Pre-Spring 2021 collection can be presented with pride. A distillation of necessity and passionate craftsmanship, the garments combine natural shapes with design structure. The clean and minimal lines and softly tailored silhouettes are contrasted with the print of the season, a hybrid of giraffe and leopard patterns. The print itself derives from Andrew’s deep dive into the archives, more precisely a scarf first seen in 1970. In continuation of the house’s ongoing initiative to increase environmental mindfulness, materials and fabrics are largely sourced responsibly. Various fabrics, cashmere and leather were upcycled, nylons were recycled and the cottons were produced organically. Inspired by functionalism and nature, the collection features minimal construction and only very few ornaments, representing Andrew and Ferragamo’s successful attempt to turn the limitations of the period into positives by focusing on what is most essential.

www.ferragamo.com

Fashion

Prada Men’s and Women’s Spring Summer 2021

The show that never happened. With her signature witty approach, Miuccia Prada orchestrated a series of multiple views on Prada Spring Summer 2021 collection for both Men and Women. Terence Nance, Joanna Piotrowska, Martine Syms, Juergen Teller and Willy Vanderperre, Five different artists, five different takes on Miuccia Prada’s vision through videos, a medium the Italian designer has explored and supported over the years. They tell the story of a house beyond the collection. These are stories within a story. Multiple facets of Prada’s own curiosity. The collection dives back to the origins of the house in the 90s, when the minimal and innovative approach created the renowned Prada aesthetic, speaking a language that continuously evolved through the years, and became imbued of that idiosyncratic approach to fashion codes we have known Prada for. Both Men and Women for Spring Summer 2021 explore technologically innovative fabrications of Prada nylon and stretch materials juxtaposed with traditional suiting: if for Men silhouettes are sharp and fitted, for women they transform into couture volumes and treatments. Taffeta, cotton, nylon. Lingerie, sportswear, couture. Voicing fragility, gender fluidity, and nowness. History and futurism coexist in Prada’s quintessential paradox

www.prada.com

Fashion

Hermès Men’s Spring Summer 2021

The house of Hermès, with its savoir-faire and distinctive history, has always explored boundaries beyond fashion, actively cultivating authenticity and diversity through Fondation d’entreprise Hermès. Paying particularly close attention to works on stage at the crossroads of performing and visual art, the New Settings program was created in 2011 and has supported since a great number of artists experimenting the boundaries of dance, performance, theatre. The Fondation’s long-term commitment to artists supported through the years reflects Hermès’s integrity. The singular work of director Cyril Teste has found voice at Fondation d’entreprise Hermès since the very beginning. Hermès’ Menswear Creative director Véronique Nichanian’ collaboration with Teste for the Spring Summer 2021 collection takes the shape of a live performance. A dialogue between moving bodies and the process of creation, where multiple character – film crew, stylist, assistants, models – and real-life motion explore the boundaries of perceptions. Off-camera becomes the center of attention, spontaneity and improvisation play with the definition of performing arts language. Far from a “making of”. As Véronique Nichanian’ pointed out: “I feel like the current situation is one from which we can all extract new wisdom, and a new momentum”. The collection dives into form, material, and color in Nichanian’s signature carefree expression and simplicity. Striped shirts gain linings, panels and double closure and transform into the lines of a blouson. Mediterranean blue, storm blue, almond green and fluorescent yellow are among the colors inhabiting the collection where leather – deerskin, metis goatskin and technical calfskin – reveal all their sensuality and timeless casualness.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Celebrating Twenty Years of Editions de Parfums

Frédéric Malle was always destined to enter the world of perfume, grandson to the renowned founder of Parfums Christian Dior, Malle’s affinity and connoisseurship feels intuitive of a descendent to perfume royalty. Establishing Editions de Parfums in 2000, Malle was fuelled by a desire to transform the way perfume was seen. Malle gives his perfume intellectual status, tantamount to a classic novel or a vintage bottle of wine, all whilst paying homage to the essence of its craft: its creators, its ingredients and above all the creative process.

Using his platform as one of the greatest perfumers in the world, Malle has created something of an open brief, entrusting an unparalleled amount of freedom to his chosen perfumers. Bereft of any marketing brief, specified products and perhaps most remarkably time schedule, Malle is the epitome of blue sky thinking.

In an ode to the Parisian culture that has been so formative to Malle’s identity as a perfumer, the finished perfumes will be encased in a neutral bottle, its packaging referencing the iconic book covers of the admired French publishing House, Gallimard. Each scent sold in his boutiques are ‘published’, emphasizing the quality and standard at which he works. Embellishing upon his literary semantics, each perfume will be accompanied by elaborate titles, continuing the theatre of Malle’s unique creative process. ‘Portrait of a Lady bath Foam’, is one of Malle’s newest examples of this theme. A luxuriously scented bath foam whose decadence is matched in name alone.

There is an intimacy to Malle’s brand that feels counterintuitive to its position as a world renowned perfume house. Despite its loyal and vast customer base, personalization and authenticity still remain at the heart of the business, and are undoubtedly what has claimed its success over the last two decades. Each store places the customer at the centre of the experience, staffing each boutique with a team of Perfume Experts ready to perform Malle’s personalized consultations committed to finding the perfect scent for each and every one of his customers. It is these encounters that birthed the hybrid concept behind each boutique, a seamless blend of laboratory and Parisian interior.

2020 is a prolific year for the house, marking twenty years of audacious and rule-breaking creativity. To mark this anniversary Malle will be embarking on a series of international events to commemorate and share his passion for perfumer worldwide.

www.fredericmalle.com

Fashion

LOEWE Munich Flagship

Under the guidance of Creative Director Jonathan Anderson, LOEWE has reinvented themselves as a house focused on craft and culture, shown clearly in their intellectual yet playful approach to fashion and lifestyle. Taking after Casa Loewe HQ in Madrid, the Spanish brand has just opened a new flagship store in Munich that harmonizes all aspects of the brand’s repertoire.
Inside the two-storey standalone store on Munich’s Maximilianstraße, Anderson has re-orientated the retail space into a dynamic space that showcases the highlight talents in art and design, core constituents of the maison’s craft-centered identity. LOEWE products are interspersed with art and design objects curated by Anderson himself. Furthering their relationship with the arts, LOEWE features work from artists linked to the brand. This includes Japanese ceramist Takuro Kuwata whose work is shown alongside an impressive basket by Irish weaver Joe Hogan. The space is also inhabited by contemporary furniture including recliners by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld and a stone table by Axel Vervoordt. The classical interior is left intact, but elevated with quality materials such as Campaspero limestone and smooth concrete which can be seen on the walls, floors and structural furniture of the store.


www.loewe.com

Fashion

Boden FW20

Unlike many of their counterparts, British retailer Boden welcomes Fall with a refreshing collection that steps away from the typical muted, autumnal colors that have populated FW selections this year. Rather than neutral colors often associated with the season, Boden has issued a Fall collection that revels in bright contrasts, eccentric patterns and color blocking. The usual tan, walnut, or hickory coats and cardigans are all replaced with spirited fuschia trousers, coral pullovers and olympic blue trench coats. The preview features wildflower printed dresses and pumps, contrasted with the vibrant 60’s inspired patterns that litter blouses and skirts. Although the collection isn’t only pop-colors and quirky patterns, true to Boden’s nature the brand supplies options for the everyday, including a wide range of neutrals, essential for any wardrobe. Making up for a Summer spent indoors, Boden’s FW20 collection is optimistic for the upcoming season.

www.boden.eu

Fashion

An Extended Summer

As many countries are easing out of lockdown and restrictions seem to be relaxed with every day that passes, some of us may be finding it difficult to grapple with the realities of the new normal. The anxiety of re-joining society after a challenging few months can be hard to deal with, and many of us are already planning a much-needed vacation. The new Herno Resort collection for FW20 is designed with this sensibility in mind, an inter-season selection inspired by the dream of travel, designed for those with summer and leisure still fresh in their minds. The collection is dedicated to free time, proclaiming it as the true luxury left in this world. Both men and women are featured in the range, with core silhouettes of a man’s wardrobe reinterpreted with a leisurely accent. Peacoats, blazers and duffels are matched with a selection of parkas, bombers and sweatshirt styles. While women’s silhouettes are enveloping, intended for those not ready to leave the lightness of summer behind, yet the designs are still full of comfort and warmth. The collection is enhanced with a sense of lightness and is completed with Herno’s usual attention to detail and high-quality materials. Wool highlights in the menswear includes a sophisticated herringbone pattern as well as the lingering cashmere, luxurious corded cotton velvet is edged in a bi-colour knit, whilst suede treated with water-resistant tools rounds off the selection of luxury styles. Fabrics in the womenswear suggest a sense of relaxed softness, seeing ultralight nylon with a silky effect matched with tone-on-tone velvet and combined with soft knitwear in a mix of wool, alpaca and viscose to further extend the soft and delicate sense of the diverse selection.

www.herno.it

Fashion

Cartier Women's Initiative

When Cartier launched the Cartier Women’s Initiative in 2006, they made a commitment to helping women in reaching their full potential. Open to women-run and women-owned businesses that aim to have a strong and sustainable social and environmental impact. The names of the 7 laureates of the Cartier Women’s Initiative were announced virtually this week after being selected by an international jury committee. This year’s laureates include Adriana Luna Diaz, Stephanie Benedetto, Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen, Temie Giwa-Tubosun, Nadia Gamal El Din, Chunguang (Charlotte) Wang and Joanne Howarth. They will each receive $100,000 in grant, while runner-ups will receive $30,000. The 7 laureates and 14 finalists will all receive support on strategic financial thinking, one-on-one strategy mentoring, media visibility and international networking opportunities, as well as the opportunity to join an education programme on scaling social impact. Now, with the addition of a new award, the programme is expanding. starting from the 2021 edition. Three more women impact entrepreneurs will be recognized thanks to the Science & Technology Pioneer Award, to support women impact entrepreneurs at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation. Applications for the 2021 edition of the Cartier Women’s Initiative are now open until July 31.

www.cartierwomensinitiative.com

Fashion

Chanel Cruise Collection

Take a trip around the Mediterranean with Chanel’s latest collection. Refined simplicity and rich in fluidity, the collection was conceived for those who travel light. Consisting of several easy to wear, multipurpose items that work perfectly mixed and matched for an ideal and stress-free holiday wardrobe. “Initially I had Capri in mind, where the show was supposed to take place, but didn’t happen in the end because of lockdown,” says Virginie Viard, “So we had to adapt: not only did we decide to use fabrics that we already had, but the collection, more generally, evolved towards a trip around the Mediterranean… The islands, the scent of the eucalyptus, the pink shades of the bougainvillea.” And a free, laid-back allure inspired by the legendary actresses of the 1960s when they would holiday on the Italian and the French Riviera. Discover the ‘Balade en Méditerranée on chanel.com.

#CHANELCruise
www.chanel.com

Fashion

Acta Non Verba

 Peter Do launched his eponymous New York-based brand in 2018 to much acclaim. Since then, the designer has proved consistent yet surprising, making more than just a uniform for the modern woman. It all started with a flurry of sketches during his high school years in Philadelphia. These days, since he was granted the LVMH Graduate Award, Do has taken the temperature of women’s desire and and locked it into each of his designs. After returning from Paris, where he studied under the expertise of Phoebe Philo at Celine, Do amassed relationships with nine stockists, designing out of his friend’s apartment, where he showed his SS19 collection . Philo herself once said, “there is absolutely a gap in the market for 30-something women and, the more I look at it, the more I feel there needs to be a sense of ease and choice.” Do clearly didn’t take that lightly. With Do’s SS20 collection, color trumps all. Textures with an enigmatic opacity do a lot to display the relationship between shape and tone, evoking the modern masters that made America their home: Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still and Ellsworth Kelly. It can be said that Rothko explored the spectrum of single shades like no other, and the designer deftly conjures this fascination for SS20. The restraint and care taken by Do in his latest collection builds on the wardrobe of a contemporary metropolis, while serving the sensitive demands of the modern woman from New York to the world over.

www.peterdo.net

Fashion

Selling Sunset

After spending months in isolation, for many of us lucky people, this time has been spent dreaming of where we would go once things got back to what we know as ‘normal’. The desire to travel is embedded in many of us, and even more so in our instagram-saturated world that lets us peek into the furthest corners of the world from our own home. This glimpse of different places is enough to spark the drive to explore in the physical world. Louis Vuittons Jacques Cavallier Belletrud has embodied such desire and created a scent that captures a place, triggering memories or creating desire or even triggering an emotion to whomever has the pleasure of breathing it in. Part of an enchanting tryptic, California Dream portrays the enchantment of a sunset, a moment that prolongs the happiness of a summer’s day. The new Cologne Perfume is light and citrusy, cloaking the skin with all the emotion of a beautiful sunset. “My starting point was to create warmth that envelops coolness,” explains Jacques Cavallier Belletrud as he does so using notes of citrus, mandarin, musk and floral aspects the master perfumer creates a blend that embodies the warmth, earthy and fresh sense that comes with a sunset.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

Savoir Faire

Meaning to possess the ability to act appropriately, to be able to adapt and knowing what to do in any situation, Savoir Faire is an appropriate phrase to use when referring to Fendi’s iconic Peekaboo bag. The Italian house has just released a new video that exalts the adaptable nature of the bag, showing three different takes on the accessory. The male and female universes collide in this fendi-scape which presents the Peekaboo X-Lite for Men with laser-cut workmanship, the Peekaboo for men where Selleria stitching is combined with the intarsio fur and the Women’s Peekaboo, in different sizes, with leather interlacing. The fil rouge of the video is the Roman maison’s trademark yellow, while the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana shows impressive architectural perspectives rounding together the video’s purpose of highlighting the Italian houses creativity and unparalleled craft.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Equine excellence

In a celebration of the classic Arceau watch designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, Hermès presents a new expression of the French maisons’ creativity and expertise. Imagined by artist Gianpaolo Pagni, the “Cheval Cosmique” composition combines graphic undulations with the silhouette of a horse from Émile Hermès’ private collection. Produced in two limited series of 24 each, the watch is powered by a mechanical self-winding movement which, like the dial, case and bracelet, is developed in the Hermès Horloger workshops. Renowned for its unparalleled craftsmanship, Hermès dazzles on the dial of the Arceau Cheval Cosmique, adorned with a sculpted equine silhouette and waves in engraved gold, highlighted with a dash of black lacquer, set against an aventurine or mother-of pearl and enamel background beautifully paired with an abyss blue or Chantilly alligator strap.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Big Bang One Click Marc Ferrero

The work of French artist Marc Ferrero has been a source of inspiration for many, being one of the most distinguished representatives of Storytelling Art. Swiss watch brand Hublot has once again been inspired by Ferrero’s emblematic work, ‘Lipstick’ for their second collaboration that pays homage to 21st-century women. This time, the artist known for his typically colourful palette tells a story in black and white, in the form of two limited-edition numbered models in a run of 100 pieces. “I love the power of black and white. Shade and light. Yin and Yang. One is profound, unclassifiable, eternal. The other is subtle, ethereal, timeless. They symbolise antitheses and complementarity. Choosing black and white means getting straight to the point without an excess of tonalities. The black and white make ‘Lipstick’ even more graphic and its red lipstick—more magnetic” - Marc Ferrero

www.hublot.com

Fashion

Inside Chanel

In light of the sudden surge in traffic amongst the online sphere, people are searching for new content to keep us entertained in this strange time. Chanel has launched its new series to remedy such want, Inside Chanel. The microsite aims to educate viewers about the maison’s exciting history and heritage through a series of short film and media content. The latest chapter of the series delves into fashion and film, exploring the French designer’s impact on screen, in a time when fashion and film were both finding their footing in the 20th century. As newcomers to the artistic sphere of the 20th century, the paths of cinema and Gabrielle Chanel's extraordinary career crossed in a continuous creative dialogue and is reflected in this condensed picture. The short films have so far reflected on the brand’s history and its founder’s legacy, with testimonies and quotes from icons such as the late Karl Lagerfeld.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Brands Giving Back: BOSS

Fashion sales, like much of the world, is right now at a standstill. As we wait for things to return to normality, private sector companies are stepping into the fight in whatever way they can through manufacturing life-saving masks and gowns, funding or raising awareness. Boss is among those helping out as shortages in equipment increase. Manufacturing 180,000 masks, converting its clothing production site in Metzingen and repurposing conference rooms into workshops, the brand also began making protective clothing and hand sanitizers. All items produced will be donated to public facilities where it’s needed most.

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

Brands Giving Back: Fendi

In support for their country and it’s healthcare system, Italian maison Fendi has donated €250,000 to the organizations in the Regione Lombardia and donated masks to health professionals in Regione Toscana. The Carla Fendi Foundation, established in 2007 to aid the preservation of cultural heritage, also made a €100,000 donation to support the intensive care unit at the Presidio Sanitario Columbus in Rome. In a recent post on instagram Fendi expressed a message of positivity and hope, “Aware of the difficult moments that the world is going through, we are committed to designing the best way to start again, stronger than ever, supporting Fendi’s production ecosystem and its values.”

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Virtual Arts #Rijksmuseum

In light of museum closures, the national museum of the Netherlands has launched ten ways to experience the museum and its works from the comfort of your own home. Presenting online tours, educational videos and research information, the gallery successfully utilises the online sphere to educate its patrons in this time of crisis. Launched in 2012, the Rijksstudio has been a great resource since its inception, allowing users to create their own collection with over 700,000 high resolution artworks available. While the Gallery of Honor has reopened via an online platform, Rijksmuseum Masterpieces Up Close, showing an adjacent look at classics such as Vermeer’s Milkmaid or Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. On top of all this the Rijksmuseum hosts Rijkstube and Rijkscreative, as well as bundles of social media content for education and entertainment.

www.rijksmuseum.nl

Fashion

Rimowa #NewHorizons Project

These are exceptional times, the hustle and bustle of 21st-century life has been paused and for now we are grounded, waiting for the future to unfold before us. “Right now, as we stand in solidarity with everyone from the confines of our homes, we can't help but imagine all the places we've once explored and the new horizons we long to discover. With our movement so unnaturally restricted, many of us have entered a suspended state of longing, hoping, and dreaming.” says Emilie de Vitis CMO Rimowa. For now, we’re reflecting on where we’ve been, dreaming of where we’ll someday go, and who we’ll share it with when we get there. Rimowa’s #NewHorizons series joins forces with talented photographers from across the globe, reflecting the destinations of past travels and those closer to home that have inspired and captured our imaginations. We dream of sunny holidays and live vicariously through Austin Leis dreamlike imagery in sun-drenched Spain whilst Marie Dehe takes us on a tour of southern England in her pastel- filled images. Each week Rimowa will unveil a selection of intimate travel diaries to remind us of the world beyond our everyday. Evocative and immersive, the visually rich series aims to transform our present moment in the way that exceptional art always has.

www.rimowa.com

Fashion

Prada Possible Conversations

Now, in the digital age people have never been more connected. Thanks to the internet we have a constant resource for communication and entertainment. Yet during this time of isolation we are reminded that we are a global community, one that is economically, socially, and politically interdependent. As we stay in isolation we note the benefits of the internet and how lucky we are to be able to stay connected even when we must stay apart. Prada now debuts Prada Possible Conversations, a series of live dialogues between thinkers, cultural arbiters and fashion figures from across the globe in an effort to bring people together during this surreal time.

The talks will start off on 14 April at 6pm CET with author and curator Pamela Golbin and Alexander Fury, features director and critic. The two will discuss the topic ‘Fashion in Times of Crises’, and their dialogue will be broadcasted via Prada’s instagram, allowing the audience to pose questions to the speakers. For each conversation Prada will donate to UNESCO, whose work during the COVID-19 pandemic focuses on the importance of culture, creativity, and education for over 1.5 billion students affected by the crisis.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Z Zegna presents TECHMERINOTM and TECHMERINOTM WASH&GO for SS20

Zegna: A Conscious Lifestyle Zegna has been at the forefront in developing reforestation and environment preservation for over eighty years with successful results on the outstanding Oasi Zegna in Biella, Valdilana Region. Therefore it’s no surprise that Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori utilised the concept of desertification for the SS20 collection. A theme that embraces an ethical and conscious lifestyle, the collection features a new generation of technical garments with innovative fabrics and functional construction. Loose outwear styles such as windbreakers, anoraks and bombers feature mix and matching textures that are paired with pants cut in slim, cargos and carrots. While the crease-free merino natural wool shines with tactile effects, the striking colors are reminiscent of a desert at sunset. Nocturnal indigo is refreshed with off-white and orange shades, while desert and khaki neutrals are paired with the neon boldness of lime green and pink red for added modernity.

Driving the choice of materials and techniques, the range is derived from up-cycled and recycled fibers using water-friendly treatments and washing processes, as well as fiber blends.The deconstructed silhouettes, ultra-lightness, high-performance and unquestionable style of the collection are synonymous of the esteemed Italian label.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

#PomellatoForWomen

Although most of us may be struggling with the new reality with work and events cancelled and in reality, life seems to be on hold. In reality, we are blessed that we get to stay safe indoors, doing our part by flattening the curve. Not everyone has the luxury of feeling safe in their own home, for victims of domestic violence, most commonly women, their reality has been warped far worse than most. Suddenly victims are isolating with their abuser, with very little options to seek help. In a measure to battle against this crisis, brands are scrambling to help in whatever way they can, Italian jewelry brand Pometallo is no different. Founded in Milan during a revolutionary time for women’s emancipation, Pomellato jewelry was created with independent women in mind and in 2017 they launched the #PomellatoForWomen campaign for Pometallo’s 50th anniversary. Building on this, Pomellato along with sister brand Dodo have now launched an awareness campaign and crowdfunding initiative to support women victims of domestic violence. Sabina Belli, Pomellato Group CEO has said, “We were alarmed to learn of the resurgence of domestic and sexual abuse against women, directly related to the restraints and pressures of confinement. Pomellato will always act decisively to support womenkind, and we want women victims to know they are not alone.”

#YOUARENOTALONE

www.pomellato.com

Fashion

Longchamp Roseau Bag

Back in September, Longchamp’s Sophie Delafontaine had guests refreshed and excited as she presented a line for SS20 that stepped away from the brands preceding rock chick aesthetic and cruised in a new direction. A sporty, feminine revamp. Athleisure has become a part of fashion as brands shift and adapt to the needs of the modern woman. Longchamp is no different. The line featured a selection of bags that caught eyes as well as the house’s long-time favorite Roseau bag, but with a new look. In keeping with the sportswear trend, Longchamp has also created a new version of the Roseau in luxuriously soft lambskin leather. The bag itself stays true to the ever-so-loved design with a bamboo-shaped closure that in this version slides onto a leather cord. Bamboo inspired toggle and handles are enlarged, while a more graphic look is gifted from the clean-cut leather edges. This chic minimalist line is available in four sizes and three timeless colors.

www.longchamp.com

Fashion

AGL Mystery Collection

Nothing says femininity more than a high heel. The unwelded power that some extra height can give is unmatched. Confidence and sensuality go hand in hand with a little lift. As we know, fashion and comfort don’t always coexist, though they have begun to shake hands with the outbreak and rise of athleisure, streetwear and non-gendered clothing. The person who wears heels today is different than those of the past, they do it with agency, not because society says they can or cannot. Now the high heel has become a tool for liberation and like all fashion and footwear, an expression of personality. The new MYSTERY series by Italian brand AGL employs sensual details and high quality craftsmanship to create lace-up ankle boots and décolleté characterized by a play of transparencies using micro mesh, combined with a patent leather finish that offers a touch of glamor. Reminiscent of victorian-style boots the series is available in two color options of nude and black diversifying the range for the most casual outfit to one for grand soirées.

www.agl.com

Fashion

Prada Linea Rossa SS20

Back in 1997 Miuccia Prada struck gold in 1995 where, alongside Neil Barrett they debuted Prads’s first menswear collection solidifying the minimalist yet high-tech aesthetic that became the backbone of Prada Linea Rossa when it launched two years later in 1997. The sports-infused aesthetic was so influential that it had become an emblem that diversified the image of the brand itself. After relaunching the familiar red rubber strip in 2018, Prada now presents a new digital campaign coinciding with the reintroduction of Linea Rossa. Taking inspiration from morse code, the Italian maison translates the hyper technical code into an entirely new alphabet for the everyday. The collection itself draws inspiration from uniforms, yet avoids uniformity and presents timeless designs that are genderless, created with innovative fabrics. The classic sahariana jacket is reimagined with new finishes and modern proportions The sporty line takes inspiration from sports such as skiing and dashes of urban streetwear as well as the abstract notion of exploration. Ingrained into the language of fashion, the word athleisure is long-favoured for its gender-neutral and easy-going approach to dressing which is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s society.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Miu Miu SS20 Campaign 'Casa Corberó'

The late artist Xavier Corberó has been considered by many to be the most significant Catalan artist since Gaudí and is best known for his monumental public sculptures that can right now be seen in galleries all over the world. Back in 1967 Corberó acquired a plot of land on the outskirts of Barcelona where he began devoting his time into developing the estate until his death in 2017. The property now stands as a labyrinthine cabinet of curiosities concealed by a heavy medieval stone fence. The surrealist style of Corberó’s friend, Salvador Dali is seen throughout the nine buildings largely devoted to hosting artists-in-residence and exhibition spaces that hold a number of Corbeó’s own sculptures. Now, the estate takes a new identity as it becomes the scene of the Spring-Summer 2020 Miu Miu campaign as ‘Casa Sublim’ part stage set, part installation, part gallery, part home. The campaign envisions an all-female artist colony where creative freedom and expression – at times spattered and hand-painted, with mismatched buttons and ‘collaged’ ruffles is contrasted with the discipline of form, silhouette and utility found in workwear and uniform. Utilising multiple, contrasting viewpoints and styles, still and moving imagery, black and white and vivid colour the campaign ultimately contrasts female and male gazes as well as challenging notions of subject and object as well as the real and surreal.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

The New Chanel 19 Handbag

A new era for Chanel has begun and as strange and unfamiliar as it seems, the fashion house is finally finding its footing in the post-Lagerfeld era. In homage to the 2.55 bag designed by Coco Chanel herself in 1955, Chanel’s Artistic Director Virginie Viard has brought us the 19 bag, a wonderful nod to the brand’s memorable past. The campaign, imagined by Sofia Coppola in collaboration with Virginie Viard features a trio of muses with actors Margaret Qualley, Taylor Russel and Marine Vacth each as distinct as the last. The playful campaign leans on the women’s individual personalities representing the diverse nature of the bag. “I wanted to show how Chanel is so classic it can work with many personalities, and is great to show on different women,” says Coppola. Embodying the spirit of the brand the 19 bag is swathed in large diamond quilting and embellished with an oversized CC clasp. Available in a number of variations the accessory allows each individual to express themselves in their own way, with the Chanel mark exuding a sensual and timeless sense of beauty.

www.chanel.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles SS20 Campaign

On a voyage of discovery Captain George Vancouver met with King Kamehameha I and soon confirmed their friendship by saluting each other with a touch of their noses, as is Hawaiian custom. As a parting gift, Vancouver gave five long horned cattle to King Kamehameha who then made it kapu (off-limits) to harm or possess the cattle. Decades later the people of Hawaii discovered that these animals had to be tamed and so the hawaiian cowboy tradition was born. Canadian outerwear brand Moose Knuckles embodies this relationship and shared culture and beliefs in their new SS20 campaign titled, Surf Rodeo. Since 2013 the brand has been embodying a message of family, and community using honest materials and premium hardware that highlight the Moose Knuckles values. Designed and directed by the Hawaiian creative, Taylor Okata, the storyline of the campaign video embodies the Hawaiian way of life, portraying a group of friends on an adventure that leads them to a beautiful horse ranch and ending the day with a sunset surf session. Combining modern silhouettes with traditional western aesthetics, the collection consists of lightweight, padded jackets, parkas, fitted down jackets and high-end, country-inspired pieces - all in a color palette inspired by the grasslands of the Canadian Prairies. Featuring graphic prints, fringe silhouettes and custom python and kangaroo cowboy boots made by the Alberta Boot Company the western sensibility is celebrated throughout the collection. Shot on the North Shore of Hawaii by photographer Alana Spencer, the video combined cowboy vibes with more metropolitan influences for the Spring / Summer 2020 collection and featured siblings Evan and Alika Mock resulting in an authentic and warm sense of Ohana or ‘family feeling’.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week Women's - Recap

MONCLER

Not one for staying in one lane Moncler presented its third edition of the spectacle that is Moncler Genius in Milan last week. Inside a warehouse it displayed 12 installations each with their own vision with the newest addition being JW Anderson who presented an “inflatable archive” of his signature looks reimagined in down material. Going even further past the boundaries of fashion the event also showcased two surprising new members of collective, luggage brand RIMOWA and electric vehicle brand MATE.BIKE furthermore pushing Moncler to new heights for creative innovation.

www.moncler.com

FURLA

Full of glamour, fantasy and palpable sense of excitement a night at the theatre is always one to remember. Furla launched their Fall/Winter 2020 it-bag with this theme in mind as they invited guests to Milan’s Teatro Gerolamo where they were met with mirrors, neon lights, holograms and a kaleidoscope of colors. Guests strolled through the rooms discovering the rest of the color variations and materials for the bag. The psychedelic setup was in celebration of the Italian brands foundation and presented the Furla 1927.

www.furla.com

HERNO

Italy has been the epicentre of design excellence and manufacturing since the industrial revolution known for their unrivalled innovation and attention to detail. Today that innovative mindset is pushed further as sustainability becomes the main topic of conversation. Presented in Milan, Herno introduced their six projects for their AW 2020 ‘Green focus’ collection under the name Herno Globe. From biodegradable bombers to recycled parkas, the ethical label has redefined functionality in clothing. Not only does it have to look good but it also must in a way do some good.

www.herno.it

Fashion

Together for Change

Cartier joins forces with The Lion’s Share Fund, an award-winning initiative that tackles the climate crisis through a fresh new approach. Uniting brands, conservationists and consumers, The Lion’s Fund cites change as a shared effort, breaking down the usual boundaries that exist between these three groups, in a plight to create shared and achievable goals. With the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a coalition of Businesses and UN Partners as leaders, the fund has its sights set on $100 million per year within the next five years in oder to halt biodiversity loss and ensure habitats are protected. As part of this target brand are asked to contribute 0.5% of their media spend every time an animal is featured in their advertisements. Speaking on this important new move for Cartier, the luxury Maision’s president and Chief Executive Officer Cyrille Vigneron said “The beauty of the natural world has always been a source of inspiration and creativity for Cartier’s timeless pieces” in bringing about real and tangible change from this unique symbiosis, Cartier commits itself to a more positive and hopeful future.

www.cartier.com
www.thelionssharefund.com

Fashion

News from the Top

It was last spring that the Swiss house Bally set a clear sign to its continued commitment to environmental protection, more precisely the protection of the mountains, so intertwined with its Swiss origins and mountaineering heritage. After a more than successful first-ever Mount Everest cleaning expedition, Bally now proactively establishes long-term commitment, in the form of the Bally Peak Outlook Foundation, to the protection of these extreme environments, threatened by increasing numbers of tourists and the garbage they leave behind. With the help of the local communities, Bally’s future efforts will by no means focus solely on Mount Everest. The Himalaya features a multitude of peaks towering far over 8000m, which all will become subjects of the Bally cleaning expeditions. Besides a second Mount Everest expedition this year, Bally has confirmed efforts on four further peaks in 2020 as well as more plans for the upcoming year 2021. As put by Nicolas Girotto, Bally CEO, ‘This is a long-term mission and it is only the beginning.’

www.bally.com

Fashion

Paris Fashion Week 2020 - Yohji Yamamoto Men's Fall/Winter

 Yohji Yamamoto is a master of humor. “Naughty Yohji” “100 ways to forget Yohji” are all sentences marking the back of coats for his Fall Winter 2020/21, shown at the historical headquarters in rue Saint Martin few steps away from Centre Pompidou. A bitter-sweet humor. Yohji-san played with his usual high craftsmanship - at times whispered gestures that only a close look can return the appreciation they deserves – together with his irony towards the meaning of death, of disappearance and resistance. See the coats with multiple chains or the hand painted heavy knitted sweaters with a ripped, raw edge placed on top of coats. Like an armor ripped by a battle. It’s an homage to the French resistance during World War II. To the women partisans who are often forgotten. We see the portrait of one of them in the show invite. She is a very young woman, standing proud with a basque and the typical armband partisans used to wear. She is the embodiment of hope and of unconditional strength against oppression. Yohji Yamamoto has been always working around the meaning of freedom with great coherence and poetry while delivering an exquisite men’s collection true to his aesthetic.

www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week 2020 - Ermenegildo Zegna Men's Fall/Winter

Against the backdrop of shivering ribbons of fabrics, all sourced from the surplus of the 6 previous collections, Alessandro Sartori presents his newest collection at Ermenegildo Zegna. Conceived by American Ann Patterson, it visualizes the huge waste of materials at a house like Zegna and sets a signal of the house’s pledge to improve the efficacy of their ways of production. Entitled ‘Art for Earth’, the intentions behind the collection become clear in an instant, reminding us that in Sartori’s own word, ‘art should always respect the earth. That’s our mission, as humans and fashion-makers.’ Once again, Sartori proves to be the ideal person to showcase all of Zegna’s craftsmanship and mastery of tailoring. Breaking down boundaries, he takes Italian tradition into new hybrid directions in a constant morphing of evolving shapes, such as blazer-parka hybrids, voluminous coats with deep black pleats and shirts that double as short-sleeved blousons. In collaboration with German camera manufacturer Leica, the collection features a series of camera bags, straps and holders, as part of a broader dialogue between the two brands.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

Whitney

In 2015, the Whitney Museum of Modern Art found a new home in the futuristic Renzo Piano designed building in New York. For the special occasion of this reopening, Max Mara teamed up with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop to create the now iconic Whitney bag, with its design being inspired by the architecture of the new museum building itself. For the fifth anniversary of its original unveiling, Max Mara revives the bag in a special edition, dedicated to American painter Florine Stettheimer, whose avant-garde paintings represent a major part of the Whitney Museum's collection. Her acclaimed work 'Sun', dating back to 1931, becomes the main inspiration for the bag's five new colorways and the floral design of the inside lining. Indeed a anniversary issue, or better yet five, each variation of the Whitney bag is to be desired and collected like a piece art.

www.maxmara.com

Fashion

Art of Gardening

There are some months passing between a collection being first revealed on the catwalk and it actually becoming available in store. During this time, the world of fashion does not stop, but continues to move forward with new projects or capsule collections being presented one after another. For this reason, it becomes even more important to follow up the strong first impressions from the initial shows with advertising campaigns that revive the spirit of the collection. Shot en plein air in a natural and classic Italian scenery, the FENDI campaign reflects the gardening and bucolic aspects of the collection with the locations flawlessly merging with the earthy and muted color palette of beige, green and brown. The collection, from sartorial workwear pieces, including overalls, to shirts and suits, is completed with matching accessories in a further nod to the art of gardening, with the house's classic pieces appearing in new variations with carefully selected and combined materials. As with the collection, Silvia Venturini Fendi invited Italian movie director Luca Guadagnino to help her realize her vision of the relationship between man and nature. The resulting visuals will break in worldwide magazines in January 2020.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

SUICOKE: a unique approach to innovation

We have been looking at SUICOKE's bold creative approach for a while: challenging creative development and utilizing only the highest quality materials. Founded in 2006 Suicoke introduced its original Sandal equipped with SUICOKE ORIGINAL EVA Footbed in 2012, adding and unique comfort to footwear. These are shoes made for walking. In 2014 SUICOKE went a step further when they found great unification with the likeminded Vibram® - known for being the best sole producer in the world - working together a sandal equipped with an original Vibram® sole. The two brands went on to create one of the greatest products on the market – the Vibram® Morflex. An industry first, its function and high quality of design gained quickly global recognition. SUICOKE is continuously in motion developing footwear that showcases the brand's relevance within the fashion world.

www.suicoke.com

Fashion

Acqua di Parma: Signatures of the Sun

For more than a century Acqua di Parma has been capturing a sense of lively and inspiring fragrances, bottling them in small yet artful glass bottles and distributing them far and wide. Now, with the help of Italian instant-visual artist Maurizio Galimberti, to evoke an adventurous collection of ten perfumes. ‘Signatures of the Sun’ favors more delicate olfactory elements like the sparkling citric notes of mandarin, flowering notes of neroli or osmanthus, a special flower that blooms commonly in the sunlight of south-east asia.

Their perfume, ‘Sakura’, is a flower of rebirth that comes from Japanese cherry blossoms. The floweing of the sakura is celebrated every year all over Japan, it is a symbol of new energy. With a long-lasting spice and a counterpart of sambac jasmine rest on a sophistocated musk base note. Each of these fragrances embodies the retainance of newfound energy, like dawn’s first light opens one’s eyes the sensations evoked in Acqua di Parma’s latest collection are just as subtle and sweet. Galimberti’s kaleidescopic works bring to mind the many ways in which sunlight is reflected and enhanced, each fragrance’s glasswork also captures this joyous and ephemeral beauty.

www.acquadiparma.com

Fashion

Miu Miu SS20

The freedom of dressing, of moving in your own personality, “Something raw, simple, naive, not a big deal: I am suggesting a way of dressing to people where they are free to do their own thing” Miuccia Prada told to the group of journalist who gathered around her to warmly congratulate after the show. The collection was intelligent and naturally appealing, simple and playful, as only Miuccia Prada is capable of. When a fellow journalist asked why of the relevant difference with Prada Spring Summer 2020 collection, the nonchalant Mrs Prada underlined how when designing Miu Miu there is “more spirit, more lightness and lot of enthusiasm”. And there it was, the lightness: canvasses created from artist’s toile freely painted or adorned with knotted gestures.

In contrast silk duchesse pleated pinafores paired with mohair boiled-wool-like cropped cardigans worn underneath. With the generously long crimped hair it reminisced of Romy Schneider’s look portraying Empress Elisabeth in Sissi trilogy and later in the ambitious and beautiful Luchino Visconti’s “Ludwig”. The structured and austere elements coupled with the light-hearted and youthful: ruffled fabric just directly collaged on the garments. Flowers and oversized buttons as if in a DIY gesture, to underline that simplicity and spontaneous attitude Mrs Prada mentioned backstage: “reflected in the wood, the set, like theatres where people used to improvise.”

AMO’s set design played with the austerity of the magnificent Auguste Perret’s reinforced concrete Palais d’Iena and its monumental Salle Hypostyle. AMO’s space-inside-the-space in OCB wood resulted in a strong juxtaposition with Perret’s original design: its mono-materiality and bas relief created almost a fictional space as out of a computer drawing, a pure simplicity, a “un-palace”.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Woolrich x N.Hoolywood

In collaboration with N.Hoolywood, Woolrich has allied with a contemporary counterpart. With salvaged vintage apparel being one of Obana’s career staples, N.Hoolywood’s creative director utilizes camouflage patterns to mix a sleek urbanity with Woolrich’s tried and true materials. With Woolrich transitioning from the more traditional side of clothing to a more contemporary aesthetic it is safe to say this collaboration has been mutually beneficial. Both brands went into this project with the same intention, to create garments that retained their style and comfort over a substantial period of time.

Their collection comprizes of four unique styles that juxtapose Woolrich’s signature check pattern with camouflage print, resulting in an all-over motif in shades of forrest green and steel grey. An oversized bomber jacket is a sure highlight from their fruitful collaboration, with deep pockets and neon mesh detail the look is as bold as its functionality. Classic Woolrich style is also readily apparent in a wool shirt reminiscent of their famous ‘Chief Petty Officer’ shirt worn by the US Navy, straying from conservatism for a new generation this iteration arrives in a multi-color palette. Complete with water-repellent down-vest, parka and nylon track pants; there is little left to be desired in weather-ready street-style.

Of the collection, released today, Obana was pleased with the outcome, saying “it was an experiment to see what happens if you combine the strength of weak points, the result was a beautiful pattern that I had never seen before.”

www.woolrich.com

Fashion

Celine SS20

A constellation of lights. The humongous installation designed by Hedi Slimane himself moved slowly with his monstrous arms covered in millions of lights.

Slimane continued his poetic staying true to his vision for Celine Spring Summer 2020. Denim trousers, skirts and a-line culottes, paired with silk shirts, fedoras hats and cropped jackets.

This season Slimane explored the powerful allure of the early 70s. These girls love to wear floating silk dresses with an attitude. Printed with floral or with geometric motives, pleated at the skirt and at times richly embroidered, worn with suede high-knee boots and cropped sleeveless shearling jacket – almost as gilet. The color hues stayed naturals exploring earthy tomes: cream, hazel, taupe, grey, caramel.

The accessories as always played a big role: new variations of the Triomphe and Triomphe chain bags. The latter beautifully declined in wicker, python and in suede with fringes. The original soundtrack “Calling it” by Automatic permeated in the space at Place Vauban creating a positive energy . The band’s guitar-less experimentations and minimal sound provided a perfect setting for the collection, where model literally stormed in.

Arriving backstage to congratulate Hedi Slimane, we felt a air of ease and joy. This iconic French maison is treating the designer with outmost respect and we cannot wait to see the future of this collaboration.

www.celine.com

Fashion

10 Years of Kaviar Gauche

In celebration of ten years since launching their bridal line, and fifteen years in the industry, Kaviar Gauche proved beyond doubt that modern German glamour is alive and well. When Kaviar Gauche first stepped on the scene in 2004 they were hosting a guerrilla fashion show on the doorstep of high-end Parisian department store, Colette. In those days the German design duo were finishing up their studies at Esmond University for Art and Fashion in Berlin. Since then Alexandra Roehler and Johanna Kühl, have caused a stir and paved the way for dreamy bridal wear and graceful ready to wear dresses.

Since its inception Kaviar Gauche has designed with great care and attention to detail. Icon, Heidi Klum turned heads in Kaviar Gauche as she walked the isle of her own wedding earlier this year. Their Paris Fashion Week Runway ’10 Years of Bridal Couture’ displays their effervescent signature, a downplayed glamour with tasteful hints of German design intuition and couture influence. With 24 looks, the show was a spectacle of German design prowess keeping their affinity for fine materials with delicate and uplifting tailoring in full focus. With metallic floral embroidery, silk organza and crystal fabrics every look spoke to the Gauche history and foreshadowed a bright future.

www.kaviargauche.com

Fashion

Alex Thomson’s new Yacht by BOSS

British sailor, Alex Thomson, is the face of modern greatness in sailing. Thomson is the youngest sailor in history to claim first place in circumnavigation. In doing so Thomson shattered three world recor¬¬ds and reinforced his reputation by placing second in the 2016/17 Vendée Globe. For next year’s Vendée Globe Thomson will race in a yacht built by BOSS. BOSS, along with friends, international guests and acclaimed celebrities baptised their new yacht on London’s historic Thames river. The ship was in development for two years, worked on tirelessly by Karim Rashid, known for his use of bright colors, painted the boat a neon pink. The yacht will be the first boat of its kind to feature neon pink accents, approved by the IMOCA or ‘International Monohull Open Class Association’. The yacht will be entered into the Vendé Globe in November 2020, helmed by Alex Thomson for his team ‘Alex Thomson Racing’. Poppy Delvingne would be the lucky one to break a champagne bottle on the ship’s bow, thus christening the racing yacht.

The race is both physically and mentally exhaustive and requires the upmost endurance. It is a test of courage and technical prowess in boating, the Vendée Globe is a single-handed non-stop yacht race around the world without any assistance. Thomson’s ‘BOSS’ yacht features solar panels that charge the ship’s battery, as well as its communication and navigation tools. With savvy engineering the panels will also remain functional in the Southern Ocean where direct sunlight is scarce. The ‘BOSS’ logo plays a structurally important role on the yacht’s light carbon fiber body, the foils on the yacht are also redesigned in a first for single-handed off-shore sailing. The wings on the exterior of the yacht’s bilge create the effect of flying or gliding over the ocean for maximum speed. With an immolating desire to reach his absolute potential and the right yacht to claim his victory with there isn’t much in this world that can stop Alex Thomson now.

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

Olivier Theyskens Pop-Up in Verso Antwerp

Verso, a restored 16th century mansion in Antwerp is where Olivier Theyskens (CFDA 2016 winner, formerly designer at Rochas, Nina Ricci and Theory) has chosen to open a pop-up for his FW19 collection. A dark cloud filled with rolling thunder, a rogue that strays far from the conventional herd, Theyskens’ women’s collection is as decadent as it is bold. Haute Couture is plunged into a future full of cascading butterfly lace dresses and ice pink satin offset by gothic jewellery and moiré linen. Theyskens’ own lambskin leather jackets and pleated trousers are soft to the touch yet visceral to the eye.

It comes as no surprise Theyskens has a fondness for Antwerp after the fashion museum, MoMu, unveiled a comprehensive retrospective of his career in 2017. Later, in early 2018 a monograph spanning Theyskens’ 20 year career was penned by MoMu’s head conservator Wim Mertens in collaboration with a range of experts including the New York Times’ chief fashion critic, Vanessa Friedman and two curators from Antwerp’s ModeMuseum. The book, published through Rizzoli was titled ‘Olivier Theyskens: She Walks in Beauty’. There is a home for world-class style, and as the old adage goes, home is where the heart is. Theyskens’ heart rests not in Paris, not in Milan but in the fashion mecca of Belgium, Verso.

The Pop Up embraces Antwerp just as it has embraced him, the FW19 release party will be held on Wednesday the 18th of September.

www.oliviertheyskens.com

Fashion

NYFW: Michael Kors Spring 2020

At 10am on September the 11th spirits were high at Brooklyn’s sun drenched Duggal Greenhouse. All-American optimism was the theme that Michael Kors sought to evoke with his Spring 2020 collection. Is there anything more reassuring of a bright future than the voices of children singing? With performances from the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, which aims to bring music into children’s lives no matter their circumstances, the theme of a typically unified New York could not have been stronger. Of the show Kors said “I am a native New Yorker and I wanted this show to highlight the strength and optimism and can-do attitude of our city – it is a celebration of the diversity of American style and beauty”. Guests were able to have their photo taken at a highly decorative showpiece picnic set before catching the show.

Collisions like preppy versus punk, luxury meeting relaxed nonchalance, all with precise tailoring so that nothing looks out of place. A midnight blue cotton pinstripe blazer effortlessly conveys a sense of formality while the white pick-stitches indicate fashion conscious craftsmanship to diffuse the stiffness of the conventional suit for a more relaxed demeanour. The women’s Spring 2020 collection shined, in particular a crimson crepe sablé dress glistened with silver star sequin embroidery, a taut waist seam and straight shoulder line postured the dress to be as elegant as it is commanding. An elusive and ineffable sense of hope for the future found a place to grow in that Brooklyn greenhouse

www.michaelkors.com

Fashion

NYFW: Longchamp SS20

Only a handful of days ago creative director of Longchamp, Sophie Delafontaine, envisioned and presented a sunburst of retro elegance with her SS20 Runway during New York Fashion Week. An artist adored by Los Angeles, Judy Chicago, is the easel this art rests on. The colors brought out in this collection encourage the same freedoms that entice on late Summer afternoons when the sun has not yet fallen on a hot day. Sky blues and dreamy yellows that reminds you of the first small flower to push through the grass, the truest colors of Summer can be found in Delafontaine’s collection. New York was privelleged to host some fine Paris tailoring and Longchamp delivered.

The classic Roseau bag returns in new contortions, the Le Pliage bag, originally designed by Philippe Cassegrain in ’93, is dramatically downsized, appearing in ‘mini’ and ‘nano’ variations. Putting the right foot forward, Longchamp takes on footwear from contemporary boots to classic laced designs. Lots of rosey faces were in attendance including Kate Moss, Victoria Swarovski, Flaviana Matata, Kendall Jenner and Julianne Moore. All looks appear unquestionably complete as they burned up the runway. Along with nylon crop tops with transparent skirts, floral appliqués and high-cut shorts, this show was for the women that make the very most of Summer. A plateau of different colors and fabrics flowed as the models walked for New York, each step seemingly bringing Summer closer and closer until you could practically hear crickets singing from their warm blanket of Earth beneath the runway.

www.longchamp.com

Art

Osservatorio Fondazione Prada: “Training Humans”

Fondazione Prada will host the first major photography exhibition dedicated to bettering our understanding of the images gathered and used to train A.I. technologies. Artificial Intelligence is talked about frequently and superstitions surrounding new tech are mounting. Two highly contemplative and knowledgeable scholars will host “Training Humans”, held at Galleria Vittorio II in Milan. Kate Crawford, distinguished New York University professor and widely published A.I. researcher, along with artist, futurist, and researcher Trevor Paglen who has been exhibited from the Smithsonian to the Guggenheim. Their exhibition is an interrogation of the training practices used to categorically define the human race through the eyes of artificial intelligence.

When the CIA first conducted facial recognition experiments, in 1963, they compiled a total of 14,126 images with which to set a benchmark for machine learning. “Training Humans” explores two issues fundamental to humanity and its freedoms. The photography on display will expose to human eyes how humans are represented, interpreted and how technological systems harvest, label and use this material. The intention of “Training Humans” is not to imagine some not-too-distant dystopia; it is to specify to a concerned public exactly which images are chosen to teach A.I. Because of the Internet and the integration of social media into our every day the AI researchers moved from using government-owned collections, such as FBI mug shots of dead criminals, to sourcing photos from anywhere they chose to.

In our infinite complexities, authorities seem desperate to teach machines how to understand us in simple terms. The moral quandary of this is how far they will go to put humanity in a box, to remove the unpredictable, the wild, the life we share that machines cannot yet understand.

“Training Humans” is open to the public from September 12th to the 24th of February 2020

www.fondazioneprada.org

Fashion

MARNI FW19: ‘Banana’ Sneakers

In a nod to Warhol’s pop art banana, Marni has crafted summer sneakers without complicating the design process, allowing playful and contemporary shape to guide them. Marni’s Fall/Winter 2019 riffs on the chunky sole shoe, adding a lightweight upper in polyester making the fit less restrictive. The Italian brand founded in ’94, showing no sign of slowing down, has opened up flagship stores this year in Tokyo and Munich to further align themselves with the styles of both cities.

Marni has contributed to emergent trends in a light-hearted way sure to catch passing eyes amid Fall/Winter festivities. The ‘Banana’ sneaker has plenty to like, putting a fresh twist on a familiar favourite with its thick rubber sole, pull-tab and minimalist features. Classic contrast and sparse amounts of color allow for this shoe to be worn with shorts, trousers, jeans or suit pants effortlessly. Marni continues its love affair with the world of the avant-garde while standing its ground in the realm of luxury.

The words quirky and elegant rarely find themselves next to one another, as odd as it sounds “quirky” and “elegant” fit the description of their ‘Banana’ shoe. Under the creative direction of Francesco Risso, Marni has not let its imagination outweigh its sensibilities. Their ‘Banana’ shoe makes for a valiant attempt to capture the essence of the unattainable, that which surprises at a glance time and time again. This shoe treads the line between standing out and fitting in to suit demand for smart-casual sneakers.

www.marni.com

Art

Lovingly Renovated: The Cranford Collection

The Cranford Collection is the most prized collection of art in Europe; nearly 700 works of fine art live in a residential building in Regent’s Park, London. The collection rotates every 18 months under the expert curatorship of Anne Pontégnie, who has been the guiding force behind the collection since 2011. The Cranford Collection exemplifies how art might be seen with fresh eyes in an intimate setting undistracted by any impinging tones set by the impossibly high glass ceilings and large slabs of bedrock found in most other museums. Architecture has a profound effect on the way art is viewed; The Cranford Collection explores the notion that all artworks are at the mercy of the placid walls they adorn.

The Cranford Collection is home to masterpieces by Bruce Nauman, Louis Bourgeois, Alice Neel and many others. The residential location at Gloucester Gate is fresh off the heels of its recent renovation by London based architect, David Chipperfield. The original building was designed by John Nash, one of Great Britain’s foremost architects responsible for the lasting neo-classical elements of England’s Regency and Georgian eras. The essential style of the building has been retained while the space itself has expanded to suit the needs of artists in pursuit of bettering their work. MFA students can now attend talks and discussions, school groups can tour by appointment and the esteemed residential gallery will host film screenings. The Cranford Collection’s collaboration with the Camden Arts Centre ensures artists can apply for residency or publishing of art books. The private gallery has been lovingly expanded to make up and coming artists feel right at home.

The museum will reopen its doors November 2019.

www.cranfordarts.org

Fashion

Messika: Precious Wanderlust

A campfire under the starry night sky surrounded by nothing but the vastness of the desert plains. A red carpet event with thousands of photographers and fans screaming for your attention. The Wild West and fine jewelry really are worlds apart. Nonetheless, Valérie Messika finds inspiration in North America’s endless desert landscapes and injects her newfound desire for escape and a sense of wanderlust into the Haute Joaillerie collection.

Named after the famous 1969 song “Born to Be Wild,” the collection is a tribute to the iconic Route 66 and the love of adventure as celebrated in the film Easy Rider. Carefree American attitude meets French glamour and sophistication in a dazzling display of diamonds and Maison Messika’s excellent craftsmanship.

Suited for queens of the desert, Messika second opus of Born to Be Wild presents its vision of modern jewelry: ultra-feminine and elegant, yet organic and natural in shape, drawing inspiration from Wild West motifs such as cactus flowers, lassos or shooting stars.

Even in Haute Joaillerie, taste never stands still as new generations of customers demand novelty objects and new creations. For the first time, Valérie Messika introduces more unconventional pieces into her collection, such as the mask entirely set in diamonds, each stone in the Maison’s signature feather setting, or the two-in-one nose- and single earring.

Born to Be Wild represents the perfect synergy of French luxury and vast American wilderness, celebrating and combining the glamour of Haute Joaillerie with the Wild West’s longing for freedom and adventure.

www.messika.com

Fashion

Missoni: Casual Finesse

If there is one trend that stands out and has dominated fashion over the last few seasons, it has to be streetwear. Streetwear staples, such as hoodies and sneakers, have become absolute must-have items and they have been elevated, at one point or the other, into the realm of luxury ready-to-wear at every fashion houses. The trend pendulum keeps swinging ceaselessly, so even last seasons’ streetwear aesthetic will be replaced eventually. Maybe sooner than we think.

Missoni’s new Menswear FW19 collection might be the first precursor, as it perfectly illustrates a new sense of formality this season. Reminiscent of ‘70s glamour, the Italian brand dives into the realm of evening wear, reconstructing classic pieces with the signature Missoni finesse. The collection is defined by the narrow and elongated silhouette of smartly tailored pieces: high-waisted, tapered trousers are paired with blazers or caban coats – belted double-breasted or reversible, which softly envelop the body.

In signature Missoni fashion, the collection demonstrates the house’s long-established expertise and heritage in knit and weaving. Using a variety of finely knitted materials for their garment construction, some of the standouts are definitely the tuxedos in woven or lamé flecked loom-knit fabrics, alongside the house’s luxuriously soft basic knitwear staples in cashmere, mohair and fleecy wool.

The color palette of the FW19 collection features soft and refined gradients of earthy tones and radiant hues, inspired by the tonal dégradés of the Swedish-Chilean artist Anton Alvarez’s work. Textural, abstract and boldly colored, Alvarez’s work has resonated with Angela Missoni and inspired this season’s collaboration. The resulting pieces, two distinctive cable knits, play on different patterns and textures, perfectly merging the artist’s eclecticism with Missoni heritage.

This season’s style for the Missoni man is more soigné, proving that informality does not have to come at the expense of elegance.

www.missoni.com

Fashion

BOSS x MEISSEN

With their joint capsule collection, two of Germany’s most prestigious brands come together. HUGO BOSS is a global player in the luxury fashion scene, whereas MEISSEN has enjoyed a premier status amongst the world’s porcelain manufacturers. Both houses have, since their foundations, unceasingly stood as embodiment of the German values of quality and innovative design and exported them all around the globe.

These shared core values have laid the foundation for the collaboration. The starting point for the unique capsule collection were MEISSEN’s Big Five figurines. Inspired by the angular style of traditional wooden African sculptures, they depict the continent’s rich wildlife in form of the lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo

These majestic creatures appear as motifs in embroidered, jacquard and printed form on BOSS’ casual and formal pieces. The monochrome palette of black and white, heavily reminiscent of the porcelain aesthetic, is a direct visual reference to MEISSEN and its rich heritage, fused with HUGO BOSS’ signature craftsmanship and experience in garment construction.

Alongside the garments, the collection features a series of five limited-edition porcelain mugs featuring the same aesthetic. In recognition of the underlying theme, HUGO BOSS pledges a donation to Elephants for Africa, a charity focussing on the conservation of the iconic species.

The capsule collection of BOSS Mens and Womenswear will be available in BOSS and MEISSEN stores around the globe.

www.boss.com
www.meissen.com

Fashion

CARRIE and IVA: Maison Héroïne for Work and Play

Since 2016 Maison Héroïne has created bags for all settings, bridging the gaps between work and play, fashion and function. Working with the finest Italian leathers the Milanese designer, Marta Vitali, has created the new norm for professional women the world over. Maison Héroïne has a polished simplicity and elegance about their design that can be viewed as a statement piece or a means of convenient organization poised for greatness in a workplace setting.

The forms and shapes of Maison Héroïne’s designs keep tablets and notebooks in mind, the modern woman carries both and should not have to compromise her elegance for either. The sleek design and care that IVA encapsulates throws the focus back on the wearer, if less is more then IVA does the most, in Italian brick red suede or sleek black leather, even an expressive gold it does what other bags cannot and does it with spectacular ease. CARRIE, on the other hand is sure to be everywhere in offices from New York to Paris just in time for Summer. Worn as a cross-body, belt-bag or clutch, coloured in ‘deep berry prugna’ among others, CARRIE is at the cutting edge of women’s workwear.

www.maisonheroine.com

Fashion

Panthère de Cartier

The days of the wristwatch as functional items are over. Wearing a watch is not about being able to tell the time, it is a statement, an essential part of your accessories, especially if it comes from the Parisian house Cartier.

The French house keeps redefining and reinventing its products, iconic models are instilled with new energy through creativity and innovative design in an ever-evolving stream of ideas. Ultra-feminine in spirit, the two new interpretations of the Panthère de Cartier celebrate the essence of Cartier, a daring and triumphant elegance.

Inspired by the original, both the styles are a play on proportion, combining signature features, such as the Roman numerals or the iconic soft square shape with a new and contemporary housing. The Manchette accentuates the flowing bracelet of the watch. The dial is set slightly off-centered in a bracelet-styled, open-worked chain to create a casual yet stylish piece. As the name suggests, the Mini Watch is kept very close to the original. Smaller in size, the watch keeps the original’s elegant appearance, making it a well-suited pairing for several bracelets.

The new Panthère de Cartier models will be available from September.

www.cartier.com

Travel

Mindspace's Office Revolution

With the progression of time, it is natural that certain things are bound to change. Letters, typewriters and CDs are just a few examples of objects that have all fallen victim to the changing times and the traditional office space might be the next on the list to disappear.

Flexibility is key in all the facets of today’s work environment. Staff is moving around the office space freely changing between different teams and projects, freelancers and outside contributors come and go and different yet congenial businesses are working alongside each other to enhance each other’s expertise and network. The traditional lease model for office space just does not seems to suitable to fit these new requirements.

Mindspace has become the leading ‘office-as-service’ provider in the world, with almost thirty locations in major global cities. They revolutionized the modern office, creating high-end, yet affordable and flexible shared workspaces, comfortable lounges and efficient conference rooms, enabling creative businesses to work alongside each other and thrive from within the same building. Mindspace’s commitment to a new and vibrant workspace extends beyond the premises, offering its tenants a range of in house wellness-, lifestyle- and professional programs for an efficient yet pleasant work environment.

By opening more locations worldwide and with 8 different locations within the Netherlands, Mindspace continues to support businesses so they can continue to grow and thrive within their industries.

www.mindspace.me

Fashion

New DIOR Boutique on the Champs-Elysées

For a brand of DIOR’s magnitude, it is a question of prestige to have a presence in certain select locations worldwide. This becomes even more important if said location happens to be the birthplace of the house. With the majestic display of its new boutique on the world’s most beautiful avenue, the Champs Elysées, the house of DIOR pays homage to the French capital and its special bond city.

The three-story space is a reflection of core DIOR values, a testament to the house’s savoir-faire and a journey to the heart of the House’s modernity and heritage. In a tribute to the DIOR’s iconic address, the façade of 30 Avenue Montaigne is reprised on an immense, entirely handmade drape at the heart of the Champs-Elysées.

Inside the store, a staircase unfurls like a ribbon in an ode to the curves so loved by its founder, whilst pristine white toiles usually locked away in the DIOR ateliers compose a poetic fresco.

The new boutique adorned with symbols of Christian Dior offers a timeless and contemporary atmosphere for its customers to discover the houses Men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as jewelry and footwear, fragrances and Dior Maison designs. Additionally, the store features an in-store workshop offering a broad range of new personalization services, completed on the spot within an hour. Animated with new launches and pop-ups, DIOR presents an immersive and innovative concept of luxury.

For the opening of its new boutique, DIOR presents an exclusive preview of the Check’N’Dior collection with two exclusive variations of the DiorCamp and a silk scarf in tropical toile de Jouy specially designed for the Paris address.

www.dior.com

Art

Implicit Tensions: Mapplethrope Now

Robert Mapplethrope counts amongst the most critically acclaimed artists of the late twentieth century. Most notably, Mapplethrope is known for his black-and-white portrait photography and his documentation of New York’s S&M scene in the late 70s. His provocative images were never created with the purpose to shock, but out of a curiosity to explore and showcase the unknown. For the 30th anniversary of his passing, the Guggenheim Museum dedicates a yearlong, two-part exhibition to Mapplethorpe’s groundbreaking work, which deliberately kept challenging the social norms of the time.

Whereas the first phase of Explicit Tensions showcased the Guggenheim’s large collection of Mapplethrope’s work, the second part is focussed on the artist’s lasting legacy. In the ensuing decades, Mapplethorpe’s treatment of under-represented communities and homoerotic desire have raised questions about the agency of the photographic subject and initiated complex conversations about the fine line separating representation and objectification.

To honor Mapplethorpe’s critical contributions, the Guggenheim showcases the work of six artists, that engage various approaches of exploring identity through the medium of photography. The six chosen artists were Lyle Ashton Harris, Glenn Ligon, Zanele Muholi, Catherine Opie and Paul Mpagi Sepuya.

The second part of Implicit Tensions: Mapplethrope Now will be open to the public from July 24, 2019 until January 5, 2020.

www.guggenheim.org

Fashion

SCHUELLER DE WAAL Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019

Dutch Design studio SCHUELLER DE WAAL continues to unfold their story of ‘Fashion Therapy’ and opts once again for a different kind of presentation during Paris Haute Couture 2019/2020. In collaboration with Pik Pik Environnement, they present the first Collaborative Cleaning Initiative named ‘Litter’.

Rather than changing a location to be able to accommodate a fashion show, SDW Studio created an initiative that has a positive effect on the location itself. Dressed in an eclectic range of cleaning uniforms, a group of 50 models, cool kids and volunteers started picking up trash in the public square in front of the town-hall in an upbeat cleansing fashion performance.

The workwear inspired overalls pick up on the concept of re-purposing. They are made from patchworks of leftover fabrics and past collection pieces in an effort to avoid the unnecessary waste of resources. The collection is a clashing combination of couture and workwear, recontextualizing past pieces whilst supplementing the insufficient samples and leftovers of luxurious fabrics with re-creations made from office-and household materials.

Most of the cleaning uniforms were finished off by safety shoes by the Dutch brand EMMA Safety Footwear, chosen for its Corporate Social Responsibility mission.

www.schuellerdewaal.com

Fashion

Thom Browne Spring/Summer 2020

Thom Browne is a master in creating a dream-like surreal mise en scène. For Spring/Summer 2020 he imagined a garden as out of Marie Antoinette’s summer residence. At our arrival at the spectacular Ècole des Beaux-Arts we saw what looked like full-scale statues standing on small podiums, at its center a adorable cherub fountain jetting seersucker gush instead of water. The statues, wearing 2D visualization of garments — that we will later discover — we’re no other than part of the collection looks soon to be unveiled. Coming to a closer look to discern the intricacy of the composition, we all realized they were actually real models. Part of the fantasy — one of the principal of the American Ballet Theater — is James Whiteside, dancing magnificently as the models walked in.

The signature Thom Browne fabric, seersucker, is declined in pastel colors: light blue, aqua, pink, yellow, but also in navy and red. At times flower embroideries blossomed, recalling the summer garden we were merged in.

The silhouettes at time reinventing the XVIII century gowns: dilated hips, achieved by panniers, the corseted waist well below the natural waistline, the deep décolletage, the drapery-parted opening of the skirt to reveal underskirts, petticoats, or a dress. Elements that Oriole Cullen - Furniture, Textiles and Fashion Department, Victoria and Albert Muse address as a measure of eighteenth-century theatricality and sensuality.

In Thom Browne Spring/Summer 2020 all these elements are transformed and reinvented: the décolletage is turned in a graphic representation of blazers lapels, the underskirt in exaggerated culottes, the petticoat is rendered only by its naked structure. In classic Thom Browne fashion, he has always loved to merge couture elements in his work.

A whimsical collection as a refreshing dive into a dream-like world, like the breathtaking James Whiteside’s grand jeté.

www.thombrowne.com

Fashion

Yohji Yamamoto Men's Spring Summer 2020

Yohji Yamamoto has the power to fill us all with emotions no matter what. The languid sound of voice and guitar accompanying the slow pace walk of the models. I actually dreamed of an even slower motion walk, just to capture better the passionate handwritten notes, verses, all over the collection. At times I could reach one - if lucky few - words. They felt like notes of protest, a reminder to take action. Visceral and poetic.

Sometimes I would spot ghostly figures by artist Suzume Uchida. With whom Yamamoto collaborated already for Men’s Spring Summer 2018.

Powerful brush stokes by Yohji himself all over, hand painted faces at the back of coats and jackets. And images of what it looked like a sunset. Or was it a hellish landscape?

The artwork is by Yuuka Asakura who has collaborated with Yohji Yamamoto since 2016.

Don’t ask Yohji the reason why he used these elements, he might answer: “just because”. He doesn’t like the overly explained commentaries of what he creates, the fashion journalism that is obsessed to ask “why” without feeling his clothes. He might let you believe it was just an aesthetic gesture on a whim.

The truth is that Yohji Yamamoto has been reflecting on the meaning of our existence and on the future of our planet since a while. Breaking the boundaries of gender already since decades. He is one of the greatest poets of our time. Although he will tell you he is just a dressmaker.

www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp

Fashion

Berluti Spring Summer 2020

The iconic Alessandro shoes have been a source of inspiration since the beginning for Kris Van Assche at Berluti. The headquarters marble table in Ferrara where the shoes receive the special patina, and its coloured stains were rendered on suits already for the Fall Winter 2019 debut collection at the house. For Berluti Spring Summer 2020 Kris Van Assche intensifies the same colour palette with more brilliant hues channelling the rebellious spirit we are acquainted with: intense violet, cobalt blue, fluo orange, yellow.

During last season’s debut collection Van Assche talked about carefully finding the new codes for Berluti in beautiful excellent crafted clothes but with a new energy and seductive allure.

For Spring Summer 2020 Van Assche adds little by little new elements together with confirming what already proposed, building up a language made of details, where heritage meets modernity, also declined in Women’s looks. Like the zip at the bottom of tailored pants to underline the presence of the shoes Alessandro in the version Diamond already available for Fall and the new design with a sneaker sole - Alessandro Edge. Or the house’s legendary scritto motif – a 19th century old manuscript from Berluti’s archive – printed on jacquard suits, shirts and leather pieces.

Kris Van Assche also expands Berluti silhouettes: suits jackets are often sleeveless or paired with bermuda. If we see motocross pants added to Berluti’s vocabulary - further driving in the direction of Van Assche love for New Wave rock - the women’s suits counterpart are declined with ostrich feathers, channelling a delicate femininity, a game of contrasts.

We applaud to the brave spirit of Van Assche and we are already looking forward to next season’s new staples.

www.berluti.com

Fashion

Miu Miu Jockey Club

Each year, Europe’s luxury houses travel in style to a chosen destination for the presentation of their Resort collection. Whereas Prada invited its guests to New York earlier this year, the selection for the sister label Miu Miu fell on the picturesque Hippodrome d’Auteuil race track on the outskirt of Paris.

Fitting to the chosen venue, Miuccia Prada unveils an upbeat collection reminiscent of a day at the races. Aware of the current political situation, Prada confronts conservatism in her designs and presents her personal and playful take of ‘conservative’ occasion wear.

Throughout the collection, fairly straight shapes are shown alongside Forties and Seventies references in form of recurring Chelsea collars, crystal-embroidered pouf-sleeves and high-waisted shorts. Despite many conservative staples, the retro-looking collection gets a distinctly youthful and sporty flair through its accessories. The silhouettes are finished off with clunky platform sneakers and a variety of layered hats, combining classic styles, such as cloches and wide-brimmed sunhats with modern baseball caps.

Fitting for the venue and to underline racing’s tradition as a social occasion, the runway show was completed with a horse race and an exclusive party.

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Fifty Years Proud

Most of the world’s heritage fashion houses share a special bond to the city they are located in. Having remained within its confines for generations, their stories began to intertwine and the brands have become an intricate part of the fabric that set is apart. They become a visual embodiment of the city’s spirit, taking its aesthetic and lifestyle into the world.

Coach shares a special bond with the city of New York. For almost 80 years, they have witnessed some crucial social movements that started in the city and later changed the whole world. With Fifty Years Proud, Coach celebrates the LGBTQ+ community; its history, culture and determined pursuit of recognition and acceptance.

In honor of WorldPrideNYC and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, Coach releases a film project dedicated to the five decades of the struggle endured by the LGBTQ+ community. Through a combination of dance, archival footage of past Pride celebrations and interviews with key figures from each decade of the movement, Coach promotes inclusion and freedom of self-expression, two of New York’s trademark features. To create the film, Coach collaborated with a diverse team of internationally recognized artists, including the director Kevin Calero, choreographer Tanisha Scott, stylist Chris Campbell, makeup artists Jace Bowman and Tiffany The Artist and hairstylist Yusef Williams.

The struggle against sexual discrimination has come a long way but is far from being done. With Fifty Years Proud, Coach expresses its continued active support for the LGBTQ+ community and fortifies its multi-year commitment in support of the Hetrick-Martin Institute.

www.coach.com

Fashion

Karl For Ever

On June 20th, the houses of Chanel, Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld came together to pay homage to an extraordinary career and the man behind it. As much as Karl Lagerfeld lived in the moment and refused to look back into the past, nobody could possibly begrudge the industry for taking a moment to dwell on the lasting memory Lagerfeld left behind.

In the Grand Palais in Paris, over 2500 guests came together to witness a spectacle staged by Robert Carsen in Lagerfeld’s honor. Countless celebrities from film, fashion and music alike took the time out of their busy schedules to take part in this event.

Through testimonials and compelling videos, shot throughout his life, and portraits, from some of the most famous photographers, we get a last impression of this multi-faceted man, who refused to be defined by anyone. Alongside performances by world-renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang and American artist Pharrell Williams, the actresses and close personal friends Tilda Swinton, Fanny Ardant, Cara Delavingne and Helen Miren recited and read excerpts from his favorite authors, Virginia Woolf, Stéphane Mallarmé and Edith Sitwell.

In an exceptional moment, the industry says its last farewell to a man of incredible talent, who has undeniably left a lasting mark in an inherently fast-paced and ephemeral industry.

Fashion

Marcelo Burlon County of Milan Spring/Summer 2020

Italian fashion has a certain inherently elegant quality that has been established by its grand houses and their rich tradition. Marcelo Burlon does not fit this mold of Italian fashion. Traditional Italian elegance is replaced with a gritty urban aesthetic, closer to streetwear than couture. Marcelo Burlon takes a techno-approach for his new season, starting with his choice of materials. Modern fibers, such as iridescent coated nylon and paper-like resin tech cotton are crafted into garments suited for the hyper-accelerated needs of a contemporary lifestyle.

Throughout his collection, sometimes evoking references to ‘90s acid culture, Marcelo Burton continues to refuse the pre-set rules and lets extremes collide, showcasing them side-by-side. Technical cycling garments, do not just inject an element of body consciousness, but also infuse traditional tailoring techniques for an eclectic hyper-modern look. To underline his techno-approach, Edoardo Tresoldi build a modern and impressive wire mesh cathedral as a runway for the show.

Additionally, Marcelo Burlon used his platform to denounce Italy’s increasingly xenophobic political climate. In an effort to give back to the community and in support of tolerance, Marcelo Burlon sets a sign by casting a considerable number of first-generation Italians of African descent and inviting 300 local kids to the show.

www.marceloburlon.eu

Fashion

ETRO x Star Wars Capsule Collection & Spring/Summer 2020

Italian brand ETRO does not only showcase one, but two collections at their Spring 2020 Menswear presentation. Throughout the show, the SS20 collection was complemented by ETRO’s upcoming capsule collection based on the hugely successful movie franchise Star Wars.

As long term fan of the movies, it was Kean Etro’s wish to produce this unisex collection, including a range of urban staples, such as hoodies, sweatshirts and T-shirts, all carrying a variety of Star Wars prints. The images of all the famous characters are sourced from the original movies, released in the late ‘70s and ‘80s.

Human decorative traditions are in the focus of the main SS20 collection. Kean Etro celebrates the brand’s adventurous and traveling spirit, by presenting an eclectic collection, imbued with references to artisanal craft from cultures all over the globe.

Italian sartorial tradition is revisited and freshly interpreted, resulting in a line-up, defined by light construction and relaxed, sometimes even generous silhouettes. Combined with tribal motifs and quintessential nomadic staples, such as the poncho, they create a nomadic vibe reinterpreted in a modern urban context.

The ETRO x Star Wars capsule collection will be available online and in ETRO international stores from July 1st.

www.etro.com

Fashion

NET SUSTAIN: An Edit of Considered Fashion

The mentality of the modern consumer has undeniably changed over the last few years. Whereas a few years ago the main incentive was to blindly satisfy the desire for luxury and consumption, the focus has shifted towards a more informed way of shopping. Important notions of environmental protection and sustainability never before had such a strong impact on our ways of consumption.

By launching NET SUSTAIN, NET-A-PORTER creates a platform dedicated to brands and designers that meet the business’ criteria for sustainability. Hailed as an important milestone in the business’ sustainability journey, this new section will allow the customers to make informed choices while at the same time highlighting brands that are truly making positive changes.

Initially launching with 26 brands, the 500 qualified products all meet one or more of the five key attributes set by NET-A-PORTER. Each attribute takes a different aspect into consideration, covering everything from waste reduction to human, animal and environmental welfare, whilst also aligning with internationally recognized best practices in the fashion and beauty industries. Over time, they hope to include more and more brands, including the addition of beauty within the next year.

NET-A-PORTER sets out on a mission to inspire positive change by showcasing that sustainability and designer fashion can go hand-in-hand. The changes also extend onto the conglomerate itself, which implements a reduction of travel and a strict no-plastics policy into its shoot programming.

NET SUSTAIN will launch on June 18th.

www.net-a-porter.com

Fashion

Christian Louboutin: The Exhibition

On a global level, fashion exhibitions have gained immense popularity over the last decade. As the exhibitions’ curation becomes more and more elaborate, the visitor numbers reach record-breaking levels. Following the major success of two exhibitions, “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” and “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams”, solely focussing on just one designer’s work and vision, iconic shoe designer Christian Louboutin is the next in line whose work is celebrated with a major exhibition.

Under the curation of Olivier Gabet, the Palais de la Porte Dorée dedicates a whole exhibition to the Parisian’s rich creativity and varying sources of inspiration. The designer’s vision and creative processes are explored in every facet through a selection of his most precious works from his personal collections and loans from public collections.

This exhibition presents one of the most complete collections of shoes, showcasing previously unseen historic and artistic pieces alongside a number of exclusive collaborations, which pay tribute to Louboutin’s admiration for craftsmanship and know-how.

For the first time, we are offered a full insight into one of fashion’s most outstanding minds and we will be able to follow what shaped the Parisian’s designs throughout his stellar career. The Palais de la Porte Dorée from which the French designer was fascinated and borrowed a whole repertoire of forms and motifs for his first designs, unquestionably underlines the exhibition’s personal touch and immersion into Louboutin’s creative spirit.

The exhibition will be open to the public from February 25th 2020 to July 28th 2020 in the Musée de la Porte Dorée in Paris.

www.christianlouboutin.com
www.palais-portedoree.fr

Fashion

CELINE: New Paris Boutique

When Hedi Slimane took over Parisian brand CELINE, he succeeded the likes of Phoebe Philo, whose tenure at the house lasted for the whole previous decade. This change at the top of the house brought in a fresh breeze. This new direction would unquestionably trickle down to affect CELINE in its entirety. After announcing a makeover of the house’s logo in September 2018, Hedi Slimane continues to leave his mark by re-envisioning the brand’s retail space.

The new Paris CELINE store opens its doors in the First District of Paris. The creative director’s architectural vision offers the perfect mise-en-scène to present CELINE’s Men’s and Women’s collections. The new boutique’s concept is rounded out with the help of five perfectly integrated artworks by renowned, international artists Deyson Gilbert, Rochelle Goldberg, Katinka Bock, Hu Xiao and Georgia Dickie.

The new CELINE store is located at 4, rue Duphot in the First District of Paris.

www.celine.com

Fashion

Max Mara Resort 2020

Over the last thirty years, ever since the fall of the Berlin wall, the German capital has experienced a period of renaissance. Countless creatives and visionaries have left their mark upon the city to shape it as one of Europe’s true hubs for art, architecture and design. All the recent contributions to contemporary culture revive the avant-garde spirit established a century ago by the radically modern Bauhaus movement. No other city seems more adequate to mark a new beginning.

His fascination with the German capital has influenced creative director Ian Griffiths’ selection of Berlin as the Max Mara Resort 2020 destination. Both of his Berlin idols, Marlene Dietrich and David Bowie are everpresent throughout the show. They become eponymous with Max Mara’s new brand spirit, defying imposed conventions, being classic not conservative. Max Mara presents itself edgy and refreshed by employing hand-made looking fabrics and using the idea of frayed selvages as fringes.

The Neue Museum Berlin, with its priceless artifacts, offered the perfect scenery for this tribute to Berlin, as it syncs with the collection’s sandy and earthy color palette and gave inspiration for the first Max Mara jewelry collection designed by Reema Pachachi. Expertly crafted pieces, such as the pure white Berlin coat, a tribute to Meissen porcelain, were rounded out with a selection of sculpted bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

With the selection of this historical location and the Marlene Dietrich-inspired performance of German singer Ute Lemper, Max Mara pays homage to the past. The collection itself acts as a springboard into the future and modernity, redefining Max Mara’s effortless chic for a new generation.

www.maxmara.com

Art

Holland Festival

Art is an essential and indispensable part of life. The value of art oftentimes exceeds creative expression and broadens our horizons by influencing and enriching our world view. Artists take a central role in today's society, crossing borders, collaborating worldwide across many disciplines and never shying away from sensitive subjects or deep messages.

The 72nd edition of the Holland Festival transforms the city of Amsterdam into an international cultural hub, celebrating the diversity of artists and their work all around the city. Perhaps more than before, a platform is provided to the artists, coming from Chile, Colombia, Germany and the United States among others, to bring pleasure to a broad audience, just as diverse as themselves. For the first time, this year a special focus is on associate artists, South African artist William Kentridge and Congolese Faustin Linyekula. Throughout the festival special prominence is given to their new works, exploring the inspiration, themes and ambitions.

The program includes a number of disciplines from the visual arts to theater and opera.

The Holland Festival, taking place all across Amsterdam, starts today and will last until June 23th.

www.hollandfestival.nl/

Fashion

The New Essential

Certain occasions require more than just a simple party. In honor of their 120th anniversary, German luggage manufacturer overworks its visual identity and embarks on a whole year of celebrations. The aim is to remind people of who they are and what they stand for.

The reimagination of their staple RIMOWA Essential is just a first step of this transformation. RIMOWA recognizes the traveler’s needs to make a statement even when traveling and revives the Essential in four distinct hues. As expected from RIMOWA, the colors were not chosen at random, but are reminiscent of the journey, often forgotten behind the focus on the destination. Each color is inspired by the fleeting impressions of the places in between, often only to be seen from the ariel view. The new colorways of the freshly monochrome Essential include Coral, Slate, Sage and Saffron yellow.

The RIMOWA Essential will be available in three sizes starting June 6th at RIMOWA stores and online.

www.rimowa.com

Fashion

Furla Flagship Munich

Family-owned Italian accessory label Furla opens a brand-new flagship store in the centre of Munich. With their new boutique in Theaterlinienstraße 33, designed in a modern and elegant fashion, Furla brings a piece of the comemporary Italian lifestyle into the centre of Munich.

This newly minimal and elegant interior, dominated by clear lines, offers the ideal background setting for the brand’s men’s and women’s lines. Some of their more colourful bags become a visual focal point in the otherwise creme and champagne-coloured interior.

Furla embraces the opportunity to offer its customers an improved shopping experience as upscale as its expertly crafted leather goods and accessories. The remodelled store radiates an ambience fit for a 92-year old house, looking back on a tradition of expert craftsmanship, quality and innovative design.

The two-storey store opened on Theaterstraße 33 in Munich.

www.furla.com

Art

About Future: Architecture, Cities, Environment. Models and Visions

With the creation of Armani/Silos, Giorgio Armani has continuously supported young creatives to realise their visions and ideas. After initiatives in the fields of fashion, cinema and photography, the focus has shifted towards architecture, deemed to be a crucial discipline in our reflections tackling pressing questions of sustainability and social equality in a rapidly changing world. In the run-up to Milano Arch Week 2019, the ‘About Future’ project is launched in collaboration with the School of Architecture, Urban Planning and Construction Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Milan. This exhibition features the work, in form of drawings and models, of around 50 of its brightest students, working on new ways and innovative visions to redefine the balance between the artificial and natural. The presented projects are a mixture of proposed modifications or extensions of existing features or the creation of

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Cruise Collection 2020

Nicolas Ghesquière once more stunned with his 2020 Louis Vuitton Cruise Collection. Quite suitable to a house, which started as a trunk manufacturer, this year’s theme was the joy of discovery. This does not only include the physical departure to new places, but also the comprised spark of personal growth. TWA Flight Centre at John F. Kennedy International airport offered the perfect scenery for this collection, with is architecture reminiscent of the Jet Age, a time where the world started to become as never before, and the invited guests resembling the waiting crowds at an airport’s terminal.

No other city in the world quite captures this spirit than the chosen destination, New York. This cultural melting pot is ever-changing, due the thousands of people arriving and leaving the city everyday. Everybody enriches the canvas that is New York City, leaves a part of oneself behind, but in return receives much back.

The collection captures the spirit of the city, the legendary buildings transposed as sophisticated prints, the bright colour accents in homage of the city’s bright lights and the suave brocade and embroideries, reminiscent of the city’s glam.

Just like the city of New York, Louis Vuitton blends cultures, the French tradition and the American spirit, to form a sartorial expression, enriched by one another.

www.louisvuittion.com

Fashion

Carhartt Urban Book Release

When thinking about the expressions of urban youth cultures, cities standing at the forefront of seismic cultural shift, such as New York or London, pop in most people’s heads. Amsterdam is often overlooked, despite being at the forefront of one of the street’s most visible artistic embodiments, graffiti culture. Before the influences from across the Atlantic reached and popularised this visual urban language across Europe, Amsterdam had its own home-grown graffiti culture. Punks, hooligans and other rebellious movements alike, spread their message on the city’s walls. Their styles were as varied as their messages, creating graffiti unlike any others.

In collaboration with Carhartt WIP, FRESHCOTTON releases Amsterdam On Tour by grafiti artist Again, to investigate the early roots of this phenomenon. They focus on the city’s original scene starting from the 70s, lasting until 1985. 30 different artists offer a glimpse into this insane scene, dominated by the fully tagged tunnels, benches and trams, in an unique collection of words and images.

In addition to this publication, Carhartt x FRESHCOTTON also releases a limited edition capsule collection, perfectly capturing the spirit of the scene, available only at selected Carhartt stores and freshcotton.com

Art

ES Exhibition - JOHAN TAHON, TILL LINDEMANN, SANDOR LUBBE

‘The collective unconscious consists of the sum of the instincts and their correlates, the archetypes. Just as everybody possesses instincts, so he also possesses a stock of archetypal images.’
- CARL GUSTAV JUNG

Following on from the mighty success of the 2018 retrospective exhibition at the Bonnefanten Museum in the Netherlands ‘Wir uberleben das Licht’, which documented Belgium visual artist Johan Tahon’s career exploring the physical and the philosophical through the art form of sculpting, New York now hosts ES.

From 29th March through to the 18th May 2019, a unique opportunity to experience the work of Johan Tahon and his collaborations presents itself to the public. Sculpture, poetry and photography all coalesce to form an immersive, united exhibition.

Sharing the same sensibilities and sentiments as Johan Tahon, German frontman Till Lindermann of Rammstein has specifically written poems to accompany the exhibition. Our editor-in-chief Sandor Lubbe’s photography also plays a part alongside Tahon’s pieces, the culmination from which ES has developed.

Wednesday to Saturday 18:00-20:00 at 87 Rivington Street, New York, the exhibition at 'Empirical Nonsense' runs from 29th – 18th May 2019.

www.johantahon.com

Music

NAO At Paradiso

The effect of NAO’s sound, songwriting and stage presence can be firstly be described as physically impactful. Soul-splitting, heart-wrenching lyrics paired with a vocal ability on par with the R&B greats leave an unexpected bodily impression that hits you direct in the gut. Bold and boundless, NAO taps into all shades of the human experience in a honest, exposing way that escapes any risks of pretension or disingenuinity.

NAO very much takes the reigns of the show at Paradiso, Amsterdam, ensuring that the experience is truly a shared one, not merely a screen projected for the audience to neutrally detach from. Riffing with the crowd, she guides them through a full orbit of emotions, through every peak and trough, celebrating all the experiences symptomatic of the human condition. ‘A Life Like This’ and ‘Another Lifetime’ are particularly striking, stop you in your tracks and capture your heart.

This intensity would most certainly be too overwhelming if it were not for the dam-like burst of unrelenting joy in ‘Get To Know Ya’, ‘If You Ever’ and ‘Inhale/Exhale’ as NAO joyously bounces around the stage, actively engaging the audience to the point where you catch your unwitting grin begin to ache. ‘Drive and Disconnect’ is just effortlessly cool. This ability as a performer is only supported by an exemplary sense of musicality, phrasing and rhythm. Her vocal acrobatics are nothing short of impressive, particularly in the melismatic stretching from the piercingly high then dipping into a resounding, hearty register.

There is no sense of censorship or false cultivation. NAO genuinely feels like a passion artist, writing and singing for the sheer love of and need for it, relishing in the live experience and exhibiting a colorful, refreshing force of unshackled expression as she does so.

NAO is a English musician from East-London currently touring her second studio album around Europe, ‘Saturn’, the follow up to her debut ‘For All We Know’. Her style is self-described as ‘wonky funk’ fusing the electronic with the soulful. Having performed with the likes of Bon Iver, Lauryn Hill and Nile Rodgers to date, she has very early on established herself as a promising musician to look out for.


www.thisnao.com

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall 2019/2020

Not many knows that when in 1977 the iconic Centre Pompidou opened its doors the Parisians were so shocked that the museum had to arrange clowns and jugglers playing in front of its doors to loosen up the mood and invite more visitors in. The citizen didn’t like the radical architecture designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers – at the time partners – featuring a stile later defined “Bowellism”, where the cable and pipe systems usually kept inside a building were infact exposed.

When entering the Louvre’s Pyramid, slowly approaching Louis Vuitton’s show venue Cour Carrée, we saw a humongous blue pipe running across the courtyard. Little we knew that inside the temporary structure built for the show we would find all the elements and colors of Centre Pompidou’s façade, more pipes, hundreds of them, as set for the show. A Museum in the Museum.

Nicolas Ghesquiere mentioned the beauty of controversy as his inspiration, the need to address colliding elements and the famous Pompidou colors came back in the clothes: the yellow, blue, red, all together.

The collection had a strong 80s references, with its graphic ruffled shoulders and dresses, the ankles boots worn with tights, the silver and glitters, the high-waist carrot shaped trousers and frill skirts. The iconic damier motif was presented in skirts and leather caps.

A bit 80s disco, a bit punk, a bit 80s power feminism. Ghesquiere presented the modern thirst for diversity and an eclectic look far from a put-together one.

The accessories presented some interesting novelties hinting to architectural references and a classic attire: like the flat large bag appearing in look 9 in grey and declined in brown in look 16, apparently Ghesquiere’s favourite bag of the season.

It was a daring collection and we are looking forward to see Louis Vuitton’s client picking and mixing elements.

www.louisvuitton.com

Fashion

CELINE Fall/Winter 2019

At the Winter 2019 show in Paris, Hedi Slimane premieres his winter collection for Celine. Whilst distancing himself from his predecessor, Slimane still manages to meet the brand’s iconic style somewhere aptly in the middle. A solid and stable collection displays a wearable collection of blazers, jeans, sweaters and skirts with a consistent thread of colour and fabric throughout.

It would be hard to miss the references to the 70s. The palette is unmistakably so, camels outer-layers are naturally paired with browns. Creams and denims all tie together with thick knee-high boots. Scrunchy leather boots, wide lapel blazers and aviators play up to this feel also.

Although Slimane’s typical staple is largely subverted by virtue of not having included his characteristic tight and short style, his touch is palpable and present. Leather jackets, the occasional dash of sequins and soft trimmings are identifiable and for a first collection, it is harmonious and marks a strong, clear foundation for evolution in the brand.

www.celine.com

Fashion

Boggi ’s Conscientious Collection for the Casual and Sophisticated

Boggi’s SS19 collection firmly repudiates a common misconception that elegance is a necessary sacrifice in favour of practicality. The collection asserts that sophistication can be achieved in one’s leisure time, featuring lightweight pieces with crease-proof properties. Promoting versatility, breathability and comfort, two strong marks of the brand’s identity – simplicity and class – are neatly woven throughout the collection with vintage designs in wool, linen, soft knitwear and silk.

An exciting aspect of the collection demanding mention is the eco-sustainable fabrics. Garment dyed jackets and flowing long-sleeved shirts are exceptionally made from biodegradable fibers extracted from eucalyptus trees targeting the environmentally conscious Boggi Milano man and offering a newfangled language and approach to fashion.

In the formal-casual line, the completely unlined pinstripe suit is made from bouclé fabric, interweaving red and navy blue yarn. Other suits come in sienna red earth and ice grey. The highly popular bestseller polo-shirt is available in an updated range of colours and fibers. Another highlight is the reversible raincoat: one side, high-tech water-repellent and windproof fabric and the other wool. This use of hybrid elements is replicated in the exceptionally lightweight Aria jacket-shirt. Textured printed jerseys atop jackets add a third dimension to the piece, and monochromatic, warm, earthy colours are split up with detailed, decorative patterns.

Designed with a sense of practicality and understated class, the collection is ideal for Spring weekends of outdoor exploration and urban travel.

www.boggi.com

Fashion

Illuminated Forms

“It was the night /A giant saved me / Changed me into a love machine / I can’t take this hell, i a not your prisoner / i was a love machine /soft and hard” SebastiAN’s original track created for Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent Fall 2019 channels the spirit of the collection: the 80s nightlife, the enchanting Betty Catroux, Bianca Jagger (monsieur Yves Saint Laurent’s own muses), the time when the clubs were the place where designers, artists, socialites and most of the creative crowd would meet.

Anthony Vaccarello presented a strong vision for Saint Laurent gradually evolved season after season into an enchanting identity celebrating the Maison’s historical codes and imbued of Vaccarello’s own signature. The first looks already set the mood: long wool coats, dazzling tuxedo blazer with boxy sculptural shoulders, beautifully tailored. Anthony Vaccarello calls it the “couture blazer”. And it channels that famous masculine look Monsieur Yves himself merged in the Woman’s wardrobe.

But the collection also featured the vertiginously short minidresses Vaccarello is known for in the last looks that stormed in the catwalk as a totally different happening hinting the most deepest night ahead: fluorescents with matching shoes. Looking at their silhouette you can see a reinterpretation of some lines from the iconic 1971 collection by Yves Saint Laurent, clearly addressed by Vaccarello who has been constantly researching the archives. The light installation inside the venue between Matrix and the Tour Eiffel light spectacle – the latter usually accompanying the show during summer time – was a magnificent set for a magnificent collection.

 www.ysl.com

Fashion

A Final Inheritance of Karl Lagerfeld

The Fendi Women's Fall / Winter 2019-2020 collection contains Karl Lagerfeld's last creations. Karl started his career as a design consultant for Fendi in 1965. He developed a special bond with the brand, which is characterized through unprecedented perseverance. Karl gave everything to his collections, whether it was Balmain, Valentino, Chloe, Stella McCartney, Chanel, Fendi or his own brand Karl Lagerfeld. For Lagerfeld, fashion was an endless thought about the expression of wealth and beauty, thoughts that will always live with Fendi, according to creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi.

The collection embodies the extremely creative, romantic track that Karl was always on. His work was a form of personal expression. In his career, Karl was always deeply engaged with the simplicity of the silhouette. Trompe l'oeil - a lasting signature – one he defined in this collection with dreamy and luxuriant scenes in contrast with the sharp geometric forms that were irresistibly illuminated. A beautiful game is played with neutral tones that are highlighted by counterparts such as light ivory tulle, warm cognac patent and terracotta calfskin, alternated with sublime shades such as sea green, mandarin and azure.

Cloque, organza and satin are leading. To compensate for these soft textures, large buttons, double zippers and extra large floating snare straps are added. Karl's own signature is also subtly processed; the collar of the pointy shirt is high and combined with fully pleated trousers, jacket pockets and asymmetrical revers. The geometry contains playful shifting lines that refer to sharp diamond shapes.

A nice detail is Karl's curling 'Karligraphy' FF logo monogram, which Karl designed in 1981 and is depicted on the cabochon buttons. The accompanying accessory collection is a wonderful addition. The classic baguette is available in pillow patent, topstitched vegetal leather with a multi-strap utility harness. There is also a spacious metal frame tote executed in shiny calf. Shoes include flat heels or pointed heels with high heels and contrast soles in shiny neoprene.

A collection that is almost a true blueprint of Karl's artistic heritage.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Crystallized Flamboyance

The magical, pure rays of the Northern Lights are an intrinsic source of inspiration for Byblos's creative director Manuel Facchini. The pristine polar areas that have hardly been affected by humanity are an example of dedication to a more sustainable life. The colors that come together through the interaction of light, ice and temperature on the Aurora Borealis create a natural, flamboyant atmosphere.

Facchini’s aim in this Fall Winter collection is a more sustainable luxury life; plastic recycled bottles are reused by being turned into magical eco-friendly pearls that pursue the same aesthetics of the durable ice crystals and mountain diamonds. By imitating luxurious flamboyance in recycled plastic, Facchini shows that this graceful lifestyle does not only have exist at the expense of our fragile living environment.

Byblos's signature is characterized by all sorts of sports. Elegance and sportiness come effortlessly together in ergonomic constructions from cozy buffers to tight streamlined dresses, all embellished with classic 3D sport protection. Structured silhouettes alternate origami-styled suits with molecular ice structures that seem to melt slowly. Coconbomber jackets, hoodies and crystallized parkas are lined with beautiful graphic and geometric motifs, all are inspired by our own natural, nothern atemporal cosmos. The forms of the prints in this collection are copied from the effects of the Aurora borealis; collisions between electrically charged particles produced by the sun that slowly penetrate the earth's atmosphere. Footwear is characterized by sturdy, cool "cocoon" sneakers, eco-furry booties and hockey-inspired over-the-knee boots.

This new collection is a kaleidoscopic range of practical natural wonders with an inventive, sustainable, extravagant flair. By re-using materials and resemble terrestrial sources, a new challenge arises to save this planet and still live in luxury.

www.byblos.it

Fashion

Infinite Creativity

Hugo Boss, NY Fashion week Fall/Winter 2019

New York is the city where all sorts of cultural influences come together; art, design, architecture, and fashion. Disciplines fuse here faster than anywhere else. This visionary New York culture has been the starting point for Hugo Boss's new women and men’s collection.

The collection was presented in the gallery district of Chelsea, the heart of the Manhattan art scene. Boss’ decent and modest spirit aims to pursue formality, which has evolved in this collection into a more sporty identity that wants to stand out.

Long, custom made coats and voluptuous capes are made out of luxurious alpaca wool and double-faced cashmere. Edited patchworks are interspersed with graphic stripe constructions and sturdy quilts. Him and her are in contrast with the combination of extremely elegant flowing dresses and slouchy knitwear sweaters.

Traditional craftsmanship has been incorporated in this collection in high-end fabrics to refine the noble identity in a refined, creative way. The volumes of the designs have also been given unexpected proportions with raw-edge finishes and stitch details. Boss is nodding here to the great variety of architectural influences that New York richly possesses.

The basic colors have remained true to the roots. Subdued colors camel, mélange gray, biscuit and winter white are connected to extremes like cool yellow, bright blue and dark pink.

The diverse artistic references reflected in the details make the collection individual and quirky. The new designs from Boss invite you to watch twice - and then again; the unexpected is combined with the expected.

www.hugoboss.com

Fashion

Flooded in News

Jeremy Scott, NY Fashion week Fall/Winter 2019

Jeremy Scott thinks that we are guided by the order of the day: the news cycle. Sensational and earth-shaking headlines keep us in their grips, a trap that is hard to escape. Scott wants to make people aware of this issue and designed this collection together with artist Aleksandra Mir, who does not hesitate about mapping the present in a confrontational way.

The endless news cycle does not only make us spectators but also witnesses, victims and perpetrators of an event, something that does not only affect our view on politics, but also pop-culture. Scott’s Autumn / Winter collection 2019 forms therefore a declaration on this tendency.

Mir brought the New York Post and the New York Daily news to life by enlarging the blown-up headlines into large graphic expressions, which are displayed large on the clothing. The collective obsession with salubrious headlines, false scenarios and click-bait drama causes unnecessary tension and divides societies into different groups, something that according to Scott is an unnecessary pattern and must be broken. His designs reflect the latest news that penetrates our lives so uninvitedly. Only black and white have been used to emphasize the contrast and to get into the graphic atmosphere.

Fabrics such as soft and liquid vinyl printed with blazing headlines formed in geometric dresses with a full zoom give the headlines a new context. Denim and leather also dominate and are embellished with a precious counterpart: Swarovski crystals.

Preformed bustiers are interspersed with layered feather-light tulle skirts - again transparency and layering play an important role. Today's catastrophes are covered in chiffon, the scandals of tomorrow in sequins, silk and tulle to express the horror and displeasure of this time.

By placing the powerful images in a different context, another meaning is created and that is exactly what Scott wants to give us.

www.jeremyscott.com

Art

Hate Speech

Aggression and Intimacy

Hate Speech is a collaborated art project with artists: Thomas Baumann, Candice Breitz, Elena Aya Bundurakis, Tony Cokes, Petra Cortright, Folkert de Jong, Verena Dengler, Ryan Gander, Yuri Pattison, Signe Pierce, Jim Shaw, Gunther Skreiner, Markus Sworcik, Amalia Ulman, Martha Wilson, Joseph Zehrer. Presented until 18 April 2019 in the Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst & Medien (KM-) in Graz, Austria. The exhibition addresses the function of the institution as a place for societal, free debate and democratic discussion.

Free speech and freedom of public expression are an ever returning and essential element in human life. In order to live alongside each other, it is always necessary to keep searching for a way to live next to each other. Interacting means developing. By “picking” interactions as a human being, you choose to connect, which means blending yourself with the public and private.

This artwork was developed in response to current relationships between politics and multi-media. Communication contains so many layers today, layers within which humanity needs to wonder whether there is still real freedom of speech within the use and especially abuse of media.

The individual partakes in the interaction process, subconsciously searching for individual meaning and with that, the possible connotations of their own personal intimacy. Interaction arises from people responding to the social and political happenings around them, becoming more sensitive and their psyche becoming more aware.

The way people are connected to online social channels today and how they interact to one another is a tendency that determines a whole new order in communication. Users develop an extraordinary urge for connection, which often seems to be in conflict with their personal boundaries. Questions about identity arise and create an inner intimate crisis. The media has been a dominant middleman for a long time, and has become even more powerful due to the rise of social media platforms. These channels do not only report and interpret the news. Interaction is unfiltered and not viewed in light of context. This creates a solid breeding ground for fake-news and the manipulation of public opinion resulting in an overly sensitive personal psyche.

Online communication results in a contrasting combat between dedication and discarding, visibility and anonymity. The collective reaction to this has resulted in people challenging each other in a hostile manner. Users dare not express their real desires in this uncertain, undetermined environment where only roles are adopted, instead of real personalities. “Intimacy” is central in this collection; it conveys a need for demarcation from outside space and ‘The Other’, for retreat and silence, so as to be able to recognize and describe one’s own personal self.

www.km-k.at

Fashion

TECHMERINO™ Wash&Go by Z Zegna starring Alexander Zverev

Today Z Zegna introduces the new TECHMERINO™ Wash&Go collection tested and presented by the youngest tennis winner of the ATP Finals and face of Z Zegna, Alexander Zverev. During playing, Zverev can fully count on high quality performance-capable material, encompassing lightweight comfort and sustained flexibility.

Zegna has an unprecedented passion for tennis and designed the TECHMERINO™ Wash&Go wardrobe with this obsession in mind. This assemblage includes suits, jackets, bombers, t-shirts, and pants, all with a fast-drying wool fabric for optimal comfort and performance. This collection contains best of both worlds; elegance and ultimate convenience. This can be seen in the variety of fabrics: maxi meshes playing with transparency executed in an inspiring spring color palette. This apparel shows how the limits of active wear can be re-interpreted with innovative techniques that lead into a sophisticated look.

TECHMERINO™ Wash&Go breathes well by offering a continuing thermo regulation that keeps the body on a constant temperature in both heat and cold. All the pieces are made out of the natural fabric; pure Merino wool treated with special finishing techniques so that it will be easy to wash and maintains its rich quality.

www.zegna.com

Fashion

Sacai Fall 2019 Menswear / Pre-Sacai Fall 2019 Menswear

When the morning of the yellow vest protests we all tried to arrive on time for Sacai held at the Grand Palais, Paris seemed a ghost city, lost in space and time. With the Grand Palais in the middle of the restricted area and dozens of police’s special forces at every single corner surrounding the area it was surreal. In 2 hours the people fighting for their future would march those streets.

Feeling blessed to have succeeded to arrive on time at the show after several attempt to enter the area, as we saw this beautiful collection full of all Sacai’s signature traits playing with the construction of silhouettes and juxtaposition of materials: the deconstructed pleated asymmetrical skirts, performance fabrics hybridizing formal garments, coats where the liner becomes a pumped up outer layer, a sweater traditionally worn under a jacket instead becomes its outer shell.

Chitose Abe mentioned a “cultural melting pot”, in her show notes and the importance of feeling “the freedom to be different, to be an individual”. Symbolized by the iconic London’s Bar Italia collaboration for t-shits and hoodies, where Abe spent time as student.

www.sacai.jp

Fashion

Hermès Fall 2019 Men

French pioneer of modern architecture Auguste Perret and his spectacular reinforced concrete aesthetic welcomed us at the Hermès show last Saturday, after a difficult day for France with the Yellow Vest protest that fired across the city.

When arriving at the venue, housing the Mobilier National - the French national supplier of furniture to the royal family first and every official building – the guests were thrown into an ecstatic moment of appreciation: the show was set in the storeroom where all the magnificent armchair and sofas from Art Deco to Louis XIV were laid one after the other.

This landscape of emotion created the perfect setting for Véronique Nichanian’s collection. As magnificently as the upholstery in the background, Nichanian created a modern and extremely sharp Menswear both in the silhouettes and in the intentions.

It is rare today to see a Fashion house not to be tempted to create pieces draw from the current need for the extreme. Admirably Véronique Nichanian stays true to her aesthetic creating a collection made of refined gestures that doesn’t renounce to address a smart and young audience.

Take the beautiful leather carrot pants declined in all colours, from blue to caramel. Combined with knitwear or with leather bomber jackets with geometric contrasting elements. Or the oversized shearling and leather trench in a splendid burgundy tone.

Suits appeared sharp and worn with them with a roll-neck or zip-neck jumper in iridescent colourful hues underneath, giving a smart take on suiting.

It was fun to see a dragon silhouette on bags reminiscent of the Chinese Zodiac

The alluring power of heritage once again flame in this iconic Frech maison

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Yohji Yamamoto Fall 2019 Mens

When not long ago Yohji Yamamoto himself held a live concert in Tokyo playing his beloved guitar we couldn’t help but be extremely excited. The reserved - at times almost introvert – Japanese maestro performing his music on a real stage!

For us who love his poetic and admire him unconditionally it was a natural gesture. We all wanted to be there. And when the sound of his soft voice pervaded the show venue for his Fall 2019 Menswear a soft melancholy, recalling that iconic moment surfaced embracing the whole collection.

The same soft melancholy of the silk thread on blazers and coats, the layered volumes signature of Yamamoto’s poetic: fluid large pants tucked in laced boots, coats on jackets approaching and slowly – in the Yamamoto’s signature models pace – as out of a majestic army.

It is not a stretch to feel the pathos recalling the uniform of the late Hijikata Toshiz? in Shinsengumi’s final battle in 1868.

Backstage Yamamoto playfully stated to some journalists the reason of the floating treads was due to having forgotten to cut them away, but we know his extreme humble nature drives miles away from the fashion circus where every gesture needs to be overly hyped.

Once again Yohji Yamamoto stays true to his integrity.

www.yohjiyamamoto.com

Fashion

Off-White Fall 2019 Mens / Pre-fall 2019 Womens

Spontaneous vegetation growing in hostile conditions, around abandoned industrial landscapes, resurfacing lacerated concrete, fading away from one place to blossom in another corner meters further. It’s the interstitial landscape in Gilles Clément’s “Manifeste du Tiers-Paysage” where plants serve as aid to observe the space with all its social, political, urban connotations.

Virgil Abloh’s setting for Off White is imbued with this rich fragmentary landscape, suspended, in constant evolution and change. Like Abloh’s creative ambition and know-how.

Moving into this residual landscape - constructed as a huge green-screen noddig to the 80’s and 90s “Pubblic Television” - Off-White new collection for Fall 2019 stormed in , with all its codes where the formal clothing and the attention to tailoring surfaced amongst Off-White’s repertoire confirmed Virgil Abloh’s voice and personal baggage starting his adventure at Louis Vuitton.

www.off---white.com

Fashion

Colmar to Protect Against the Elements

Colmar shows off their carefully cultivated experience and expertise that have been trialed and tested over the course of almost a century, catering clothing for the most challenging of open air sports. The Spring/Summer 2019 collection showcases exceedingly technical pieces, conscious of the multifarious challenges and restrictions that are thrust upon the active sport enthusiast facing disparate and at times harsh climates and conditions. The pieces are fit for function and ensure reliable elemental protection and safety, proving the garments up to the task presented by even the most demanding of sports.

Colmar consistently demonstrates its close connection to and understanding of the needs facing athletes and enthusiasts through regular, self-reflective frugal research and development. No more is this evident in this collection than in the slim, compressible jackets occupying only minimal space, ideal for seamless slipping into your backpack. All stretch pieces are created using anti-bacterial and anti-odour fabrics allowing for uninhibited and carefree movement. Other additional details include hoods, breathing inserts and glowing, reflective prints heightening visibility in the darkness. Polartec Alpha technology allows for thermo-regulation in one piece, managing the body heat produced alongside the circulation of air it comes into contact with. Wadding-filled sleeve and sleeveless outerwear have high absorption capacities combating wind, water and cold. All these essential functions are paired with a look that is simultaneously bright, bold and vibrant; so you can look, feel and be the part. The women’s jacket line is decorated with punctilious woven shoulder strap details and prints and the collection is cleanly rounded off with a wide selection of men’s swimwear.

Colmar’s Spring/Summer collection is skilfully crafted and harmoniously structured offering colour combinations that can be playfully layered together. The balance of the functional properties demonstrates Colmar’s sheer commitment to change in the pursuit of high quality, accommodating for both the athlete and the part-time sport enthusiast.

www.colmar.it

Fashion

Mr Porter Collaborates with Off-White

In a partnership with Off-White and under the direction of founder Mr Virgil Abloh, Mr Porter premieres an exclusively available 44-piece capsule collection ‘Modern Office.’ As indicated by the title, the collection revises traditional sportswear dress codes, synthesises them with the game-changing luxury Italian streetwear of Off-White, all the while underpinned by a refreshing exploration of modernity inspired by an upcoming generation of workers and their environments.

Bold and intrepid yet comfortable and minimalist. The skate sub-culture is retained through the individualistic, personalized style items and that sense of independent-minded, carefree disregard subsequently permeates the collection. Flux is revealed through the utilisation of a synergy of wool, felt, heavy canvas and cotton highlighted by muted, tonal colors and graphic visuals.

Mr Porter will debut the collection ‘Modern Office’ on 21st January 2019 as part of a thrilling collaboration available only at Mr Porter.

www.mrporter.com

www.off---white.com

Fashion

Pop-Up Store In Berlin

Another Berlin-based label, Nobi Talai, took the opportunity to launch it's pop-up store at KadeWe during Berlin Fashion Week. The store will be open to the public until February 16th. Designer Nobieh Talaei - inspired by the aesthetics of the Danish designer Finn Juhl - found inspiration in his famous designs such as the Circle Rug or the Pelican Chair for her S/S 19 collection that is being sold at the pop-up. As with all her designs she is forging a link between tradition and modernity, creating a collection for the urban explorers of today.

www.nobitalai.com

Fashion

Roman Nonchalance

Brioni showed in Milan its Fall/Winter 2019 collection presenting a masculine wardrobe repertoire with a tailoring formality. On the other hand they simultaneously exhibit a sense of informality making the collection one open to personal interpretation. Brioni’s authentic tailoring and precision is shaped again in a niche way, in an item called the primo suit. This slim-fit silhouette expresses a confident and exceptional, social spirited character.

An identity that embodies the idea of Roman nonchalance; an attitude that is characterized by pieces that move smoothly and lightly over the body made out of precious, refined materials with interesting details. This philosophy is central due to the representation of a man who instinctively follows his whims. An elegant gent with a well considered wardrobe, which obeys a special repertoire of style codes.

The collection indicates a mix of traditional and trending items: From trench coats to blousons, from morning suits to tailored or military pants. The items are released in materials such as cashmere, camel, wool, silk, leather, crocodile leather, velvet and knits with a fused color palette of neutral tones, whites, greys with touches of light blue and accents of rusted notes.

www.brioni.com

Art

Ulay's Exhibition at Richard Saltoun, London

The very nature of Ulay’s art inadvertently resists all attempts at classification and defies categorisation. A self-proclaimed anarchist, Ulay’s work spans multiple platforms and offers a stark exploration of the dichotomy between the masculine and the feminine, exploring the fluidity of the self and the constant potential for transformation and experimentation with new identities. Ulay is one of our long-time favourite artists with whom we have previously had the incredible honour to work with on two separate projects.

From an early affection for the fleeting, transient and instantaneous process of the Polaroid to a traceable crossover in utilising the physical form through performance and body art, it is strikingly evident that the single common thread of Ulay’s work is awareness — in the obvious performative, physical sense of course but also in his social commentary.

Ulay’s unyielding lifetime commitment to dismantling and subverting the roots of complex themes of identity, particularly gender, by tackling the harmful human conflicts that arise from externally enforced notions of identity through his unprecedented format, are what have comfortably established his status as a true icon of polaroid photography and as the father of performance art.

From 11th January – 23 February 2019, the Richard Saltoun Gallery in London will host its first solo exhibition of Ulay’s work dating back to the 1970s and progressing right through to new works exhibited in public for the first time.

www.richardsaltoun.com

 

Fashion

FENDI: ART & CULTURE

“My work is dealing with volumes shaped by lights and shadows, highlighting the forms with light, creating visual relations between projection and the use of lights and stroboscopes. The light is something smooth, untouchable, soft”.

Laslzo Bordos, the internationally renowned Hungarian artist, considered a pioneer of digital arts and architectural mapping, created “Lux Formae”, a visual installation supported by FENDI and produced by Solid Light Festival within Videocittà series of Events in the city of Rome. Using Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana - home of the roman maison FENDI- as its canvas he created a spectacular 3d projection on the building triggering new perceptions and symbolism of this iconic Italian architecture: “The building is a massive, heavy construction. I would like to create the illusion of the lights "holding" the building, bringing a contradictory situation where the lights become solid and the concrete becomes a floating element, supported by lights”- Bordos explained.

Having its deep roots already in the work of legendary artists like Laszlo Moholy-Nagy or George Kepes, Light Art had incredibly developed in the last decades, taking shape into the new forms of Light Projection on building using 3D mapping, where the urban and architectural environment is completely reproduced virtually in 3D to create an extremely precise and three-dimensional installation. When the projection is performed in situ on the building, its visual power derails the viewers customary schemes of perception and observation, creating a new reality, where the boundary of what is real and what is seen become blurry.
With the support of Fendi and its cutting edge approach to art, the video mapping projection by Laslzo Bordos took shape and brought a new meaning to Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, one of the most fascinating contemporary architectures in Roma.

Fashion

Dries van Noten Spring Summer 2018

Dries Van Noten has been synonymous of effortless since the beginning, more than 25 years ago. We have tasted surely during his 100th show where pieces of all past collection where carefully selected and carefully re-arranged together. The Spring Summer 2019, the first Womenswear show after the news of the recent majority acquisition by Spanish conglomerate Puig, was set at Palais the Tokyo and its clean environment. Many saw it as a symbol of a new start, a new beginning.  

But the collection proved that Dries van Noten aesthetic is as strong as ever.

That relaxed attitude, that playful side to mix prints and certainly the ability to wear masculine oversized cotton suits in white or black with anything borrowed from eveningwear like sheer knits and maxi sequins in aqua green, yellow and Yves Klein’s blue, one of Dries favorite references. The blue splashed a great part of the collection also adorning a couple of models’ head in form of feathers swim caps.

As the collection developed into evening dresses we all felt the mastery of Dries’ cut and ability to create couture-like dresses without feeling too Haute.

The workwear jumpsuit with the upper part pulled down at the waist and work as a decorative bow belt felt the quintessential Dries van Noten: infinitively savoir-faire.

www.driesvannoten.com

Fashion

Moose Knuckles AW18 Collection features a Horror movie

In slang, Moose Knuckles defines the splitting of one’s bean bag as a result of pants that are hiked too high. In the realm of outerwear, Moose Knuckles sounds alarms as the benchmark of style for those who live in the cold.

To mark the release of their Fall Winter 2018 campaign, the moose tribe created a short, campy horror movie – Shady Maple Motel. Toronto’s own four-time MTV video award nominee, Kid. Studio directed the short, taking inspiration from the hyper-real sexually charged photography of Steven Klein. With previous high-profile clients Big Sean and the Weekend to his name Kid, employed the cream of Toronto’s crop for the stylish, sarcastic and gory short.

The leanest, toughest and most luxurious outerwear brand consciously pounds the path less travelled. Playing it safe has never been in Moose Knuckles DNA, and never will be. The contemporary Canadian counter-culture prefers to be known for its grit, dexterity and heritage. Creative Director Steph Hoff prides the brand on an instinctive, organic ethos.

‘If I wasn’t making a campy horror trailer with my friends for Moose Knuckles, I would probably be making campy horror movies with my friends for fun. Like everything we do at Moose Knuckles, it was completely natural to create a campaign around my lifelong love of cheesy drive-in movies, in my home town.’

Fall Winter 2018 includes an array of shearling jackets, transitional coats; combat pieces and over-the-top colorful fur-trimmed parkas, sweatshirts, oversized knits and draped football scarves. To really put the knife in, the collection increases the seminal core of Moose Knuckles with new Army Green, Redwood and Driftwood colorways. Canada to its core Moose Knuckles lives to innovate - to lead.

www.mooseknucklescanada.com

Fashion

Highlights from Milan Fashion Week

Jil Sander Spring 2019

Was the outside inside or inside outside? Who knows? What is for sure is that Lucie and Luke Meier made another lasting impression with the Spring 2019 collection for Jil Sander.

Enter centre stage: the former beloved Milanese Panettone factory. Traditional white tiles adorn the now forlorn walls; operational buttons and levers exist as relics of the past. This was a setting that conveyed function, sense and a certain pragmatism that epitomizes Jil Sander.

Chiseled, sharp, asymmetric two-pieces began the carousel. As time transpired the looks grew in their femininity - sharp minimalism developed an asymmetric funk before evolving angelically into loose, airy ensembles. Rich greens and deep milk chocolate brown rose to crisp innocent white and luxurious caramel tones.

A common trend for Spring 2019 will undoubtedly be the ever-trusty pocket, which infiltrated another runway here in Northern Milan.

www.jilsander.com

Byblos Spring 2019

The regeneration of Byblos is here. Manuel Facchini made a welcome return to the Fashion week circuit in Milan this week with an incredible collection that twisted space atmosphere into something sporty.

Self-expression community experiment Burning Man influenced the Byblos Spring 2019 collection - the annual gathering in north-west Nevada’s, Black Rock Desert dedicates itself to anti-consumerism, communal effort, radical inclusion and leaving no trace.

These influences have birthed a special utilitarian collection that creates a sexy survival atmosphere by translating the colorful Nevada horizons into a playful and ironic space hippie typical of the desert melting pot.

Bonus points for the speculation of an active-wear collaboration.

www.byblos.it

Fashion

Breathing Change: Highlights from NYFW

The Row Spring 2019

Calm, free, fresh, angelic. The Row. In 2019 so much attention is fostered toward creating originality in fashion. So much so that this very idea often breeds stale, unoriginal, regenerated mush. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are the antithesis of this very process. Allowing their serene collection to speak for itself as guests interact solely with their collection directly, quietly and intimately.

www.therow.com

Eckhaus Latta Spring 2019

Eckhaus Latta push new limits. Together Mike and Zoe fuse cool with raw. Spring 2019 combines digital prints, fluttery plaid dresses with dip dyed and tie dyed pastels on gimmick free, real, authentic models that live the brand. Eckhaus Latta is growing up.

www.eckhauslatta.com

Sies Marjan Spring 2019

Sander Lak’s sixth Sies Marjan collection is his most mature to date (at least according to his stepdad). Cargo elements and nautical stripes pay homage to memories of his father with a bold variety of textures that echo Sander’s journeyman child hood. The intense emotional occasion reached a crescendo as Sanders’ mother took to the runway with a smile.

www.siesmarjan.com

Coach 1941 Spring 2019

Leather goods may be Coach 1941’s main bag but that hasn’t stopped Stuart Vevers’ from using spring 2019 to playfully modernize their practical approach. Iron Dinosaurs, gritty ground, and Disney motifs New York 2018 was not a typical Coach runway show.

www.coach.com

Fashion

Prada opens a new boutique at Via della Spiga, Milan

Italian fashion house Prada is pleased to announce its opening of the new clothing boutique at Via della Spiga in Milan. The new 400 sq m corner store, designed according to Prada’s aesthetics, showcases a large, beautiful and fresh interior with large windows, inserted in the stone frame of the building. All display elements are made exclusively for Prada by Osvaldo Borsani and Giò Ponti.

While the first floor is dedicated to leather goods, accessories and footwear collections, the second floor will stock the clothing collections. To celebrate the opening of the Via della Spiga store, from the 10th of September on, the Italian fashion brand will offer the Prada Sidonie bag — from the Prada Resort 2019 collection — in two styles, made of city calf leather in a different range of colors.

www.prada.com

Fashion

Joey Fung and her mother Kam in new Fendi campaign

Joey Yung is one of the most popular singers and actressas in Asia at this moment. She became one of the most best selling Asian female singers of the 21st Century after she released her debut IEP in 1999. Joey Fung won numerous music awards and released almost 40 albums. In 2013 she proudly performed at the Royal Albert hall in London, becoming the first Chinese singer to perform on that stage. Joey Fung was ranked 63rd on the 2014 Forbes China Celebrity 100, making her the most influential Hong Kong-based female singer that year.

She participated in the Hong Kong Peekaboo Project and customized the Peekaboo, which pays homage to her mother Kam Fung. Kam Fung is not a public figure and did not appear on TV shows or TVC, but made an exception for this special Fendi project.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Back to the 80's

In the new Fall/Winter 2018 Advertising Campaign Italian fashion House Miu Miu presented a series of pictures with British fashion model Adwoa Aboah, Georgia May Jagger, Kesewa Aboah, Ariel Nicholson, Zoe Thaets — all of them shot by British photographer Alasdair McLellan.

The starlets company was joined by Hollywood’s renegade spirit Raffey Cassidy, Rowan Blanchard and Elle Fanning. All of them posing in iconic clothes from the season: denim total-look, drape coats, polka dot dresses and shoes with socks.

The reference comes from the 80’s and hairstyles of famous singer Cindy Lauper and Bonnie Tyler. In the movie "Steel Magnolia" Dolly Parton explains: ‘The higher the hair, the closer to God’. But what if she was wrong? There is something devilish about the exploration of the contemporary beehive. What if bad girls want to wear high hair too?

www.miumiu.com

Fashion

Suitcase with the secret: Off-White&Rimowa Collaboration

The king of collaboration Virgil Abloh — founder of the Off-White brand and Creative Director of the men's line of French fashion house Louis Vuitton — continues his cooperation with German brand Rimowa.

After the Off-White fashion show for Men's Spring/Summer 2019 at Paris Fashion Week, the two companies officially launched their partnership. Virgil Abloh presented a new transparent case with a ribbed surface, calling it a new level of design. " It’s like 3.0 of personalisation.

It’s not just putting your initials on it but allowing another layer to come in play.’’ — said Virgin. From July 2nd everyone has the opportunity to buy the limited-edition case online and at selected RIMOWA and OFF-WHITE stores in the US and Asia.

www.rimowa.com

Fashion

Breathing Change: Highlights from PFW

Creativity, newness and powerful vibes of change. This is the fresh air anyone could breath if looking from the Tour Eiffel during the Paris Fashion Week, which has celebrated masculine elegance as well as the debut of several designers at the lead of iconic brands.

Maintaining a structured and industrial look that runs over wide denim trousers and T-shirts, Virgil Abloh’s personal brand Off-White brings flashes of American pop and underground culture. Particularly, the use of graphics ornamentations pays homage to graffiti of iconic artist Dondi as well as The Simpsons prints underline the statement of a subversive yet relaxed contemporary appeal.

New Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director makes a great debut, defining a precise and sophisticated new vocabulary for the brand. A bright (off-)white palette spreads into an extended prism of colours, prints and graphics.
From red poppy flowers taking over anoraks to the renovation of zoot-suit monochromatic looks, Virgil Abloh presents a collection that clearly speaks the language of Millennials, without compromising the distinctive notion of masculine elegance.

On the other way around, Belgian designer Walter van Beirendonck irradiating collection playfully works on structures and subversive imaginaries. On the one hand sparkling primary colours, graphics and patterns run over oversized sweaters and outerwear staples, underlining the label’s eclectic identity. On the other hand, a fetish-like abundance of leather marks the rebellious outlines of blue electric jackets and black pants.

A free dialogue of lines, shapes and drawings introduces to the fluid collection presented by Hermes for Fall 2018. Working on textiles such as cotton poplin or technical calfskin and a colour palette that includes monochromatic staples in pop orange, english green and greyish tones, the proposals define a sober yet self confident masculinity.

Inspired by Hawaii, travelling and island living, Yoon Ahn’s label Ambush creates a collection focusing on natural materials, such as cotton, wool and linen. Moreover, the jewellery range unveils literal pearls of wisdom on earrings, bracelets and rings, keeping in mind the ebb and flow of waves that mirror the motions of life experience.

Another promising beginning has been signed by Dior’s runway. With Kim Jones interpreting the codes of Monsieur Dior himself, the collection is a dual tribute to fantasy and Dior’s creativity. Both urban and soft, finding a balance between floral motifs, embroideries, delicate colours and streetwear structures, Jones spaces between the House iconic past, Dior’s personal life and celebrate the birth of a new out-look.

Fashion

Diesel's Red Tag Project by Glenn Martens

On the 16th June 2018, Diesel presented its second instalment of the Red Tag Project by designer Glenn Martens of the label Y/Project.

This platform aims to host international designers that will create exclusive capsule collections, then distributed by selected retailers. According to Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel: “Glenn comes from Belgian training, so he has this practical-yet-surreal, Margiela-like sense.

But then he’s young and modern, and knows how to appeal to a global, educated consumer, while simultaneously being able to experiment with denim”. Showcased on a stairway at Milan’s Fabbrica del Vapore, the Red Tag Project collection will be distributed and curated by Tomorrow Ltd.

Fashion

Automotive masterpieces with Idris Elba

This September, Grand Basel, the show for automotive masterpieces that presents vehicles in combination with art, design and architecture, is starting a global tour. Therefor, actor Idris Elba is looking for answers about what gives cars their soul in a new film he’s starring in made for Grand Basel.

The new film features four of the event’s exhibitions that reflect the past, present and future. Exceptional automobiles will be presented in extraordinary settings during the contemporary exhibition concept where sophisticated culture, aesthetics and technology engage with international audiences.

The Grand Basel show will be from 6 to 9 September 2018 in Basel, Switzerland. After that the show will be in Miami Beach from 22 to 24 February and Hong Kong 2019.

www.grandbasel.com

Fashion

Karl Lagerfeld first flagship store opening in New York City

Sited at 420 W. Broadway in New York in the heart of SoHo shopping district, KARL LAGERFELD celebrates the opening of their new flagship store, the first one in the United States.

The open feel of the boutique is best intensified by its 3230 square feet, where the overall interior design takes inspiration from Karl Lagerfeld’s private home and studio. Marble finishes, velvet chairs and vintage mirrors create a unique atmosphere, while others elements, such as the red border around the carpet’s edges, tell little stories about the wide imagery of the iconic designer.

The New York boutique will include KARL LAGERFELD and KARL LAGERFELD PARIS ready-to-wear collections for both men and women, as well as accessories and footwear.

In addition to that, Karl Ikonik, the playful collection featuring Karl Lagerfeld and Choupette graphics is also presented. Yet besides clothing, the boutique will also introduce a collection of cosmetics, realised in collaboration with Australian Beauty brand ModelCo.

Keeping the eye focused on future initiatives, the house will surprise customers with the launch of the special collection KARL LAGERFELD x Kaia, which will be available from September 2018.

As Paolo Righi, CEO of the brand, declared: “Opening the first KARL LAGERFELD store in the United States is an exciting milestone in our brand’s continued growth. […] New York is an international fashion capital with a modern spirit and energy that make it ideal setting for our new flagship.”

Innovative, timeless, contemporary. The World of Karl is an open invitation to observe how the future of high-end retail experience looks like.

Fashion

FEIT for TOOGOOD // TOOGOOD for FEIT Collection 02

FEIT founder Tull Price and British design duo Faye and Erica Toogood team up for the second time to launch the unisex Suede Artist Shoe and Suede Artist Boot, as a pure tribute to craftmanship.

The two versions readapt the design from an original desert boot and are made by hand from one-piece upper, which is consequently sewn by hand to the midsole.

With their innovative approach to sustainable solutions, the two models feature a biodegradable and non-irritant vegetable-tanned suede, which allows them to get better with age. As well, the water-based glue used to cement the midsole and the outsole and the shoes can be resoled thanks to the Goodyear construction process.

When looking at the clean design and solid structure of these two clever proposals, it is clear that this project is not only a challenge to the industrial way of thinking, rather it is a consistent demonstration of how the future of fashion is already present.

The Suede Artist Shoe and Suede Artist Boot will be available online and at FEIT New York and Toogood London stores from 21st March 2018.

Fashion

Cartier: The Exhibition

On the 30th March at National Gallery of Australia, Cranberra, historic jewelry brand Cartier will inhaugurate an exclusive exhibition, featuring more than 300 hundreds masterpieces samples from Cartier Collection, private owners and institutions.

Designed by renowned scenographer Nathalie Criniere, the exhibition has been co-curated by Margaret Young-Sanchez, Denver Art Museum and NGA and will dispaly a selection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewels, including the Queen’s Halo tiara.

As well, several items belonged to European monarchs such as the 10.48-carat diamond engangement ring of Her Sirene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco will be showcased alongside famous clients’ private belongings, including the Duchess of Windsor, Mexican film star Maria Felix and Elizabeth Taylor among many others. In addition to that, a variety of the brand’s iconic watches will be showcased for the occasion.

As Gerard Vaughan, NGA Director stated: ‘Jewels of spectacular calibre and size, amongst the most important in the world, magnificently set by Cartier’s renowned craftsmen will be exhibited only in Canberra. It is a collection of immeasurable quality and value, the likes of which have never been seen in this country before, and may never be again. Years of research and gentle persuasion will deliver an unforgettable experience.’

Dedicating this project to Australian people and of course, Cartier lovers, the event that will last from the 30th March until the 22nd July 2018 represents a unique occasion to explore and be overwhelmed by the incredible production of an extraordinary company leading the way of diamonds design for over a century.

Fashion

Givenchy launches their new platform to main European markets

Now closer to their customers than ever before, on the 5th March 2018 historical Fashion House Givenchy has launched their new omni-channel platform to its five main European markets: the UK, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Spain. The new platform, which has been designed in collaboration with the London-based agency R/GA and curated by artistic director Clare Waight Keller, is characterized by a very fluid layout and clean structure blending real-time access to fashion shows, in-depth features and a mix of news.

Coinciding with product availability in-store, the platform will satisfy consumers desire to purchase several pieces from the designer Spring Summer 2018 collection, including front-of line access to monthly-product drops and online-only capsule pieces. Presenting all products in high resolution, Givenchy’s new strategy (covering also online media, e-mail and social media) celebrates a future-oriented approach to shopping and unique ability to combine very distinctivr web design aesthetics with the increasing improvement of user experiences.

www.givenchy.com

Fashion

The future starts now - Moncler Genius

Creativity is our energy, multiplicity is our strength. Truthfulness is our credo. Change is what drives us forward. Moncler is continuing to explore the surrounding spirit of its uniqueness. The future starts now.”

On the 20th of February and with a powerful manifesto, new forms of expression for iconic duvet brand have been announced. Conceived by Remo Ruffini, Moncler Genius is the result of a consistent work of research culminating in different languages that narrate only one identity.

Using the jacket as a starting point, fragmentation becomes the main concept and guideline. Eight projects turn the product in an object and communication mean, strongly oriented to functionality and newness.

The new Moncler building hosts several areas identified by a number, each of them dedicated to a single project (which will be realised monthly) interrelating with others and interpreting the singularity of Moncler consumers.

Starting from 1 Moncler Pierpaolo Piccioli that focuses on purity of forms, Moncler 1952 instead pays tribute to the brand’s year of birth, adopting a curatorial approach.

The journey into the exhibtion-like space continues with Monocle Grenoble focusing on prints and fabrics, Moncler Simone Rocha on deconstruction, Moncler Craig Green on the dialogue between clothing and the body, Noir Kei Nimomiya on wereable geometries, Fragment Hiroshi Fujiwara on reinforcing the duvet cult-status and eventually Palm Angels working on logos and slogans.

With Moncler Genius, a new and really clever direction for the company has been set up, extraordinarily combining those diverse medium that celebrate imagination and uniqueness.

Travel

Casacau: A Homelike Stay In the Eternal City of Rome

In a 17th century Roman residential building near the Fontana di Trevi, the six unique and luxurious apartments of Casacau have been integrated. Situated in the heart of the eternal city, the historical charm of the house intertwines perfectly with contemporary design. This getaway offers all comforts and services one might expect in the most exclusive hotels in Rome, but with the added touch of a home-like-feeling and more privacy. Each apartement has a different aesthetic atmosphere mixed with its own personality. Vintage-furnishings from the 50s, 60s and 70s blend in with modern comfort and convenience. Some of the rooms are equipped with a Turkish bathroom and one even offers a sauna for that added wellness value. All rooms come complete with a dining space and an open supplied kitchen. Two rooms also feature a balcony, with a view either on the street or the patio.

The hotel is part of the TakeMeRome project by Pino Cau, who has been working in hospitality for thirty years. Aiming to offer guests a carefree stay in Rome, TakeMeRome takes care of all details of their stay. Following this philosophy, Casacau offers its guests the possibility to order fresh groceries if they’re feeling up to the task of cooking. If not, the restaurants Stazione di Posta and EIT can deliver to all rooms upon request. What’s more, at Casacau, there will always be someone available to fullfil guests’ special wishes. The philosphy behind Casacau is to provide a hideaway that makes it easy to discover Rome’s hidden gems while making one feel like staying at a friend’s place, because human relations are seen as the real luxury.

casacau.com

Fashion

Berlin goes Kiez

From the 15th of February to the 23rd on the occasion of the renowned Film Festival, Berlinale Goes Kiez is bringing the event to independent cinema's across the city.

With a selection of films and events, the programme is aimed to create a dialogue between the audience and the filmmakers, who will answer the public’s questions immediately after the screenings and Anne Lakeberg, head of City Kino Wedding, will moderate the discussions on the behalf of Berlinale.

This initiative is also honouring the work of art-house theatres that kept cinema culture active and vital overtime as well as it is consolidating a charismatic engagement with the annual appointment.

www.berlinale.de

Fashion

Highlights from NYCFW

Playing with American culture and inspired by everyday heroes, Raf Simons for Calvin Klein presents a layered collection, sporting long skirts, overcoats, balaclavas, knits. From Sofia Coppola’s 2017 The Beguiled to Nasa’s aesthetics, Simons’ references emboss a rich symbolism on Calvin Klein's minimalistic style, interlacing elements from workwear: cropped jackets, prairie dressed and looks reminiscent of an industrial milieu.

Mentioning baseball without including New York would be an oxymoron. With its ‘Sports Tailoring’, Hugo Boss celebrates the American's favourite sport and translates it to high tailoring. There is a focus on making extra sizes and volumes for cashmere coats, puffer jackets and raincoats. Baseball graphics along with Hugo Boss initials adorn shirts and jackets, while flashes of neon yellow are added to classic wool pieces in brown and grey, which elaborate a new imagery for American elegance.

Aligning fashion with art and architecture is likely one of the diktats of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who presented their collection at their showroom in Manhattan’s West Village. For the occasion, the studio has been transformed into an exhibition space where 13 sculptures from artist Isamu Noguchi were displayed to enhance The Row’s vision. Monochromatic and earthy-toned, the collection unveiled relaxed knitwear dedicated to non-conformist women of the 20th century.

Bondage-style straps and neon orange iconic bob wigs. The reference to Luc Besson’s cult movie The Fifth Element is immediate. Over 20 years since the release, Jeremy Scott pays homage to heroine Leelo (marvellous Milla Jovovic) delivering a bright collection with sharp lines saturated by kaleidoscopic prints and tight moon boots. Make-up by Kabuki and hair-styles by Eugene Souleiman was the perfect backdrop.

For Zadig & Voltaire, Art Director Cecilia Bonstrom focuses on sensual femininity, with white T-shirts and tight vinyls. The collection features both men and women’s looks in oversized soft sweaters in red and creamy hues, as well as leather jackets interpreted in new different cuts. To complete the outfits, relaxed blousons are worn under sculptural trenches, while jackets add a touch of balanced androgyny to the full range.

Fashion

Lanvin Fall Menswear 2018

A landscape of lights. A cityscape and its never-sleeping crowd.

Lanvin Fall 2018 collection epitomises Lucas Ossendrijver’s extraordinary know-how in constructing a garment and inventing totally new codes.

We have seen the seminal elements in his Summer Spring 2018 presented last June: combined fabrics, double inlays that revealed a duality.

This season we see the apotheosis of this idea: deconstructed and layered garments play together where everything is masterfully balanced blurring the borders of the garment’s identity itself.

It’s that strong sense of the unexpected invading the entire collection. Sports pieces in fabrics borrowed from the tailoring world: see the puffer gilet delivered in grey pinstriped wool worn over a classic coat.

It was mesmerizing trying to capture all the annexed elements, the attached from the layered, the inserts pieces where the subversion of the traditional idea of a suit is the main theme.

“I focused on the most classic, almost passé item, drawn directly from the legacy and origin of the Lanvin man: the suit. What is a suit? Two pieces, a jacket and trousers, cut from the same fabric. I wanted to deconstruct this idea, using layering”. Ossendrijver’s approach on tailoring delivers a modernity merged with sartorial tradition.

The use of sleeveless parkas is striking: layered on tailored pieces or part of a articulated garment: a part-technical, part-suit parka jacket – in an updated Price of Wales check – sported an asymmetric zip around the collar to reveal a shirt and another suit jacket beneath.

“For me, these combinations make a modern suit. I wanted to create a smokescreen”.

www.lanvin.com

Fashion

Hermès Menswear Fall 2018

The power of senses. The power of what a particular scent can evoke. The smell of winter, of nature, of an alluring simple life.

As we walked in the Hotel de l’Artillerie, a beautiful monastery built at the end of the 17th century in the 7th arrondissement, the magical vision of eight tall narrow bonfires sat at the centre of the cloister. The smell of wood and the dramatically increasing height of the flame, triggered by the sudden wind arose in the evening, gave a extraordinary romantic feeling of warmth and cosiness increased by the woollen blankets waiting at each seat.

We only later discovered that the models were to walk in between those flames and the then dangerously sparkling wood.

It is a fact that the set design by Villa Eugenie gave the perfect background to the collection.

Véronique Nichanian created once again a timeless collection for Hermes Menswear imbued with classic staples pieces. Beautiful sweaters at times slightly slouchy, leathers outwear with a delicate youthful charm like the glossy leather matelassé jackets.

At Hermès the leatherwork Hermes is always outstanding. The butter-soft intarsia leather sweatshirts are only one of the several pieces that caught our eyes. If the evening pieces played around slim silhouettes with lustre finish, oversized and cloudy woollen coats balanced the final look. Nichanian delivered a new spirit in this iconic maison. We are excited to see the developing traits of these sparks.

www.hermes.com

Fashion

Junya Watanabe Menswear Fall 2018

Junya Watanabe has always been researching on workwear for his Menswear collection.

It’s a fuss-free, genuine utilitarian take on clothes that are impressed on our everydaylife, from heavy duty to white-collars. This season was the turn of the fireman, the waste collector, the delivery boy, the office worker, the college student, the hiking guide.

Some carrying totes and backpacks that transformed into a jacket, ready for any weather sudden changes. A reflective band run through the entire collection, also adorning the more tailored jackets, sweaters and coats. A hint to our modern times where office hours often extends into late night.

As the colour palette was imbued with black, dark blue, grey, orange, red, the materials spaced from technical materials to heavy wool and relaxed knit pieces.

Watanabe has been a pioneer in brands collaborations before it became the new cool in the industry.

Also this season Junya Watanabe collaborations featured Carhartt, North Face, Levi’s, Canada Goose, New Balance conferring that high-tech know-how and durability to staple pieces which will undoubtedly never go out of fashion.

Fashion

Woolrich's New Store Experience

Woolrich hosted a private cocktail in its first Milan flagship store located on Corso Venezia 3. Taking place on the opening day of Milan Men’s Fashion Week, the event featured a live DJ set by François Pochez. The boutique, spanning 700 square meters, was designed by Japanese studio Wonderwall under the guidance of Masamichi Katayama. The store’s interactive concept comprises a lounge area, a dedicated space for customization, a green area curated by Green Fingers and an Extreme Weather Experience Room, all of which offer an innovative and fully engaging in-store experience.

www.woolrich.com

Fashion

Celebrating Diversity

“Everyone has a different story… and everyone wears Emporio Armani”. For the launch of its Spring/Summer 2018 campaign, Emporio Armani decided to feature men and women of different ages and coming from all over the world, all selected trough street casting.

Shot in Milan by Photographers Ben Weller, Mark Peckmezian and Pawel Pysz, the campaign comes with a serie of pictures portraying the lucky ones, who bring a personal and original interpretation to Emporio Armani’s exclusive style, as the merging outcome of individual attitude and group’s identity.

With their charismatic attitude and ironic descriptions, the shots intensify the spontaneous freshness of the brand’s spirit and put emphasis on the authentic diversity that makes people unique.

www.armani.com

Fashion

The Paris Polo

In line with its precise identity and redefining the modern codes of urban elegance, Lacoste launches their R-T-W brand new polo shirt.

Characterised by a slim concealed button placket and a collar band, the shirt is proposed with shorter length and a straight fit that highlight the silhouette. The use of light materials like the stretch cotton mini piqué allows a comfortable and practical wear, while a tone-on-tone embroidered logo remarks the clean essentiality of the label, aiming to create a timeless look easy to combine with different styles.

Available in 15 shades, the Paris Polo will be available online and in all Lacoste stores from February 2018.

wwww.lacoste.com

Fashion

Dior Lady Art Bag #2

Last year Dior invited a handful of British and American artists to reimagine the classic Lady Dior Bag for a limited edition. As the project was a great success, it is back now, featuring another ten artists from all over the world of different ages and origins.

Giving “carte blanche” to the artists, they could freely transfer their creativity into Dior’s leatherworking language. Everything, from the fabric, to the charms, size, color, jewelry, handles and stitching could be adjusted by them.

The artists Friedrich Kunath, Namsa Leuba, Spencer Sweeney and Lee Bul created the new versions of the Lady Dior Art Bag. On Dior’s website, one can watch a series of videos highlighting their individual artistic identities and inspirations.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Moon Boot x Moncler

Two brands that are somehow synonymous with winter in fashion, just announced a collaboration with each other. The French outerwear brand Moncler, that connects the extreme demands of nature with those of city life, breathes life into a collection with Moon Boot, the iconic brand for aprés ski shoes. A capsule collection that fuses the stylistic elements of both brands, creating minimal to opulent boot models.

They are playing with colors, but a brillant black, that blends the classical with the traditional, is always prevalent. The collection is featuring boots in complete black, characterised by the typical Moon Boot tone-on-tone graphics, in sand, kaki, with shearling wool or a greige canvas effect. Various typical designs have been revisited concernig content, proportions and height.

The softness and exclusivity of silvery fox fur transforms the pieces in something even more desirable and timeless. With this collaboration a simple winter and sports shoe has become an iconic object and must-have of modern times offering cosy wintertime chic.

www.moncler.com

Travel

A Special Hideaway In the Historic Heart of Rome

In the middle of baroque Roman buildings, emanating the extraordinary presence of history, the exquisite private residence and boutique hotel Le Quattro Dame is located in a traditional palazzo between Piazza Venezia and Largo di Torre Argentina. The name of the residence and its philosophical inspiration comes from the four famous profile paintings, Portrait of a Woman, by Florentine renaissance artist Piero del Pollaiuolo, displayed throughout a few of the rooms. Entering the builiding, one has the choice to either walk up an impressive marble staircase that leads to the second floor, or enter a nostalgic elevator that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Muted earthy tones at the reception area have a soothing effect on the visitor, and lounge sofas serving an inviting space to sit and unwind. A gallery of renaissance artworks by selected artists such as Bronzino, Raffaello and Lorenzo Lotto adorn the walls, instilling the space with an independent and authentic vibe. Classical features such as high ceilings, wooden floors and wide windows are fused with modern but timeless interior design.

Only minutes from the Pantheon, Le Quattro Dame houses six different styles of rooms: three deluxe rooms, two junior suites, and a more secluded apartment. All of them are eclectically furnished and decorated in a chic, sophisticated Italian style. From the Sand Suite’s balcony, one can see the spot where Julius Caesar likely passed away. Viabuzzuno and Kartel lamps light up the rooms, Dedar and Sahco provide wooden flooring and curtains for a homey feel, while cosy Meridiani and Flou beds tempt you to lie in for longer. The bathrooms are furnished with glass doors, resin floors and steel accessories by Agape and Gessi. As Le Quattro Dame provides more of a self-contained apartment stay than a traditional hotel, all rooms are equipped with a kitchenette, Nespresso machine, kettle, minibar, glassware and Villeroy & Boch china.

 During the stay, the manager Dori is reachable by phone, and mulitilingual staff members are available daily from 8.30 am to 6.30pm for inquiries about sightseeing, museum visits, tansfers, car hires, table reservations and everything else. Walking in and out of this typical Italian residence, feeling as if it were your own home, makes one blend in with the locals immediately. Le Quattro Dame is the ideal choice when looking for a high quality luxury hideaway with a romantic and stylish twist in the centre of beautiful Rome.

www.lequattrodame.com

Fashion

Versace Reopens Boutique in Frankfurt

When entering the newly designed and reopened Versace boutique in Frankfurt, one is greeted by a blend of traditional Italian architectural values and the incomparable dynamism and energy of Versace. Fior di bosco marble, onyx and brass elements create an ambience with a contemporary twist and emphasise the mood of supreme luxury. The boutique is a meeting point between the past and the future. The store is a unique and exclusive area of 345 square meters, which is perfect to present the Versace prêt-à-porter collections and accessories for men and women. According to Donnatella Versace, the interior design pays tribute to Italy’s cultural heritage and represents the spirit of the brand.

www.versace.com

Fashion

Paris By Night

With its new capsule collection, Highlight, the french brand Sandro presents an evening wardrobe with Parisian flair just in time for the party season. The 15 pieces are inspired by different decades of party wardrobe, offering the ideal outfit for each taste and occasion. Shades of black, silver and white, geometric shapes and volumes meet asymmetries. Pleats and frills bring twists to a feminine silhouette. The looks are formal but have the typical oh-so Parisian casual edge to them. The lustrous moiré of a draped bustier is combined with a full-circle skirt, silvery sequins can be found on a shawl-collar smoking jacket, worn over a short skirt in draped lurex and a white top with gigot sleeves contrasts with the deep black of a skirt enhanced with an asymmetric frill. Details of lace and brocade capture the final glow of Paris at dusk. The Sandro Highlight collection knows how to play with the dreams and desires of a starry night and channel chic femininity.

www.sandro-paris.com

Fashion

Hogan Christmas Special Edition: Glam It Up!

To accompany the upcoming festive and joyous mood before and after Christmas with style and grace, Italian shoe brand Hogan releases a special collection. The 2017 Christmas Edition can’t be beaten in glamour and festiveness. The brand’s maxiplatform H222 signature sneakers have been revisited and are proposed in two bright versions. The first one is a black patent leather edition with allover golden motifs and a laminated sole and the second comes in black suede with silver decorations and a metallic platform. A bright-touch clutch bag completes the Hogan XMAS Capsule Collection making it a perfect match for the shoes. These pieces are a secure entry on this year’s wish list!

www.hogan.com

Fashion

Camper x Eckhaus Latta

In the name of their Camper Together model, the shoe brand collaborates with leading international designers from the worlds of art, fashion and architecture. The aim is to create singular products and fuse their signature style with Camper’s unique DNA. Now, Camper partners up with fashion label Eckhaus Latta for a third collaboration. The couple and design duo behind the American brand is known for its avant-garde aesthetic, which they combine succesfully with Camper’s offbeat approach to footwear. Eckhaus Latta designed their own version of the Thelma model, which is a vintage-inspired heeled shoe, playing with flared volumes and refined heights. While the deconstructed design features uppers that combine rich leather with inverted jacquard fabric, the outside is inspired by the cloth upholstery typical of public transportation. All these attributes give the shoe an edgy tongue-in-cheek, anti-fashion vibe. The new Thelma will be available as both a slip-on moccasin and a zip ankle boot from the 31st October at CamperLab stores in New York, London and Paris, selected Camper stores and online.

www.camper.com

Fashion

The Handmade Derby by Sandro Homme

The french brand Sandro combines a focus on the future with the exploration of its past heritage. For the Sandro Homme shoes winter collection 2017, Ilan Cherite has revisited the iconic laced derby and added some character and class. These quirky shoes are a product of traditional savoir-faire, entirely hand made in England. To make it durable, they are constructed with Goodyear stitching. The first seam binds the upper, the inner sole and the welt. A second seam binds the welt to the outer sole, which makes it easily to replace. The inner sole out of natural cork fits to the shape of the foot and provides comfort like a tailor-made model. The timeless derby comes in box-calf black leather, which enhances the classic. This classy english shoe style is convincing with its versatility and can be worn with a city suit or less formal attire. In each pair Sandro expresses its aspirations and values, which are elegance, quality, discreet luxury and refinement. These high-end shoes are also intentionally affordable, which makes it easier to achieve that desireable dandy look.

www.sandro-paris.com

Fashion

Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2018

A laugh, a constant chuffed female loud laugh. It’s Michele Lamy’s voice in her latest album, accompanying Rick Owens Spring Summer 2018 show staged at the ornamental pond on Palais de Tokyo’s esplanade.

Rick Owens’ parade of draped, layered, adjunct looks felt - more than the recent Menswear Spring Summer’18 - like a continuation of the previous Womenswear Fall Winter ’17, with its spectacular volumes and emblematic head pieces of what looked like a sacred procession. At the time Owens declared how it was a propitious gesture in name of humanity and a positive new beginning as opposite to his historical cult of darkness.

On the same wavelength, this Spring Summer ‘18 collection is a rejection of any dark climate our time is undoubtedly imbued with. The show started with off-white silhouettes carefully draped with oversized bags placed at the waste, to create volumes recalling wombs.

The collection was rich in variations: sequined looks with knitted threads over them in brown, grey, and black; embellishment details in forms of slim linear beads placed in the shape of striped architectural structures over tops and dresses, occasionally recalling a moebius form.

But it were the final looks that undoubtedly stole the scene. A series of cocoon-like forms made of carefully shaped transparent jersey revealing intricate origami forms beneath, covering models heads’ and elongating them as to create a new being, a new existence. Rick Owens’ ode to joy, light and what’s still to come was staged in a water spectacle where beamers vertically sprayed water ten meters high. As the models walked in an impetuous fresh mist invaded the entire space. The PR’s urging us to wear the plastic rain ponchos placed on every seat pre-show, finally made sense. With Rick Owens signature’s logo written on its back we all looked as part of a congregation, reunited for some propitious ritual in the name or rebirth. A cleansing from this tired society.

www.rickowens.eu

Art

FENDI announces partnership with Galleria Borghese

The Italian fashion house Fendi has always had a strong connection to Rome and the fine arts. It all started, amongst others, with the restauration of the Trevi Fountain in 2015, followed by the opening of the first floor of Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana to the public, where Fendi’s headquarters are now. The brand recently announced a three-year-partnership with the prestigious Galleria Borghese in Rome, which is guarding the most relevant and best preserved paintings by Italian painter Caravaggio. Hence Fendi will be supporting the Caravaggio Research Institute, which sees the constitution at Galleria Borghese as a center of studies, diagnostics and artistic-historical research aiming to become a primary reference. To spread the word about the project, Fendi and the Galleria Borghese created an exhibition on the artist which will be taking place all over the world at the most high-end-venues. However, the first exhibiton that Fendi will be supporting is the “solo one”, which is dedicated to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the most representative artist of the Baroque period in Rome. The exhibition will be inaugurated on the 31st of October and will be open to the public from November 1st 2017 to February 4th 2018.

www.fendi.com

Fashion

Lacoste Spring/Summer 2018

Lacoste celebrates its 85th anniversary with a collection full of humour and new declinations of their iconic polo shirt. Creative director Felipe Oliveira Baptista draws inspiration from classic French cinema from the mid 90s with two particular titles : the controversial Kassovits’s “La Haine” and Eric Rohmer’s “Conte d’été” exploring their portrayals of youth and the clashing realities between these two very different movies. 

Oliveira Baptista questions the themes of formal and informal, of classic and sportswear in a play between contradiction elements and codes. If for women the polo shirt becomes an off the shoulder mini dress that wraps around the body, for men it appears oversized worn over denim.

The 90s reappear in the windbreakers, pea jackets and tracksuits reminiscent of the youth of that time, now released in high-tech versions. This is a collection where the beauty is in the cuts and its new sensuality and where the sportswear pieces made from openwork mesh nylon create a new sensuality. A celebration of the heritage of the brand, the iconic colours red 240, navy 166, white 001 and green 132 reissued together with pastels of the 80s, with the crocodile logo inhabiting the buttons of a piped cardigan or “climbing” over the shoulders of a dress.

A playful approach full of Lacoste’s history and its contemporary innovation.

www.lacoste.com

Art

Museo del Novecento and Fondazione Furla present Simone Forti: To Play the Flute

Museo del Novecento and Fondazione Furla present Simone Forti: To Play the Flute – a selection of performances by this Italian-born American artist, choreographer and dancer that will fill the Museo del Novecento’s Sala Fontana with sound and movement for three days.

This marks the first event of the Furla Series #01 – Time after Time, Space after Space, a performance- centred program that will feature five events from five different artists with varying backgrounds, influences and approaches to this form of expression.

Simone Forti, has been a leading figure in postmodern dance for over fifty years and has helped shaped the landscape of contemporary dance with performances that range from minimalist movement to improvisations that also featured spoken word. To Play the Flute is a reenactment of four seminal performance moments in Forti’s career that highlights her approach to the interplay of actions and objects, and they key role assigned to sound.

Forti’s famous Dance Constructions – now part of New York’s MoMa permanent collection – served as the foundation of her solid reputation in the 60’s art world thanks to her innovative ways of experimenting with the language of movement. The performances rethink the relationship between body and object, movement and sculpture, rules and improvisation and are based on everyday movements or interactions with objects. Personal expression and improvisation always appear to be hampered by the effort required to carry out a given physical task or follow certain rules.

The first Time after Time, Space after Space event will take place on the 21st to the 23rd of September in the Sala Fontana of Milan’s Novecento Museum. The program for Time after Time, Space after Space will include four more events featuring artists from around the world, at bimonthly intervals: Alexandra Bachzetsis (November 2017), Adelita Husni-Bey (January 2018), Paulina Olowska (March 2018) and Christian Marclay (April 2018)

www.museodelnovecento.org
www.fondazionefurla.org

Fashion

Jeremy Scott Spring/Summer 2018

Jeremy Scott is celebrating his birthday. Not the birthday of Jeremy Scott, the 42-year-old designer from Kansas City; rather Jeremy Scott, the distinctive namesake brand. But really, what is the difference? Scott is a designer who's personality is so transparent in his designs - his collections time and again let us peek into the mind of the fun-loving, eclectic American who 20 years ago staged his first show off-schedule in Paris.

For the anniversary show, Scott strived to refresh his distinct style while remaining true to what attracts his loyal following (basically, streetwear on acid). "It was a challenging process," Scott admitted. Not to undermine his word, but the show felt as challenging to process as a favorite guilty pleasure chick-flick. And why should fashion be any more complicated than that, anyway?

Neon phantom trousers overlaid bedazzled fishnet bodysuits, comic book printed body-con dresses were styled with over-the-knee python boots, fun bathing suits worn with chunky leather jackets: as per usual, Scott is hailing every contrast, clash and fashion faux-pas in the book. Perhaps the biggest contrast of all was Ms. Jourdan Dunn, one of the most commercially successful models, strutted down in a one-piece which read "VIVA AVANT GARDE." Oxymoronic, indeed.

www.jeremyscott.com

Fashion

Camper’s Techno Odyssey

Camper’s latest campaign is spearheaded by Romain Kremer, who has created a techno odyssey made up of surreal set pieces and vivid imagery. Six new alien-like personalities bring to life the A/W 2017 campaign, enlarging the Camper universe and telling a new part of its story: dreamlike characters are pictures with avant-garde designs, infused with the drama of over-saturated monochrome tones and colour-blocked, graphic shapes. Photographer Daniel Sannwald and makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench are the ones responsible for creating the high-impact, memorable images which were shot in London.

Avatars Thelma and Serena lead the march for women, Rex and Brutus for men, and unisex favourites Dub and Drift for the androgynous crowd. Viewers can step into Camper alluring new world on many different platforms, all around the globe: in-store, in print, on digital platforms, and their website.

www.camper.com

Art

POWERMASK: Walter van Beirendonk at the Wereldmuseum

From the 1st of September 2017 until the 7th of January 2018, the ethnographic Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam will host POWERMASK, an exhibition curated by Antwerp fashion designer Walter van Beirendonck. The exhibition is a journey through the deeply symbolic, totemic and patrimonial world of masks, an often underrated accessory in contemporary fashion. Van Beirendonck has incorporated masks into his fashion collections since the 1990s, sourcing inspiration from André Breton, Pablo Picasso and Pieter Bruegel’s caricatural portraits.

The exhibition will examine links between Western art and African masks, the supernatural rituals surrounding masks, masks in fashion, masks as fetishes, and numerous other aspects. Van Beirendonck has styled the 125 masks, unpacked from the Wereldmuseum’s archive, with colorful costumes and fashion silhouettes. The backdrop of the exhibition is a delightful patchwork of wall installations by contemporary artists such as Brian Kenny, Coco Fronsac and Charles Fréger, macabre paintings of James Ensor, playful illustrations by Keith Haring, and designs by haute couture heavyweights Viktor & Rolf and Jean Paul Gaultier.

www.wereldmuseum.nl

Fashion

Kenzo Spring/Summer 2018

Asian models, only. Humberto Leon and Carol Lim celebrated two icons of Japan where Kenzo as brand finds its deep roots back to founder Kenzo Takada.

The collection explores the personalities of master musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and topmodel Sayoko Yamaguchi for Spring Summer 2018 menswear and Womenswear respectively. A beautiful look at their world, their time, their influences to Kenzo.

It’s as we were allowed to jump back into the past where Ryuichi Sakamoto was playing with its pioneer electronic group “Yellow Magic Orchestra” in the late 70s, and during the solo years composing the spectacular soundtracks for Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor” in the late 80s first and “The little Buddha” in the early 90s.

His individualism hinting to classic English tailoring mixed with Japanese 50s baseball culture is the main inspiration for Leon and Lim. It is a beautiful collection, eclectic in its preppy style and avant-garde attitude.

The extremely high-waisted trousers are matched with graphic tees printed with original images by Sakamoto himself. It’s the late 70s, the 80s, but more than a specific decade it’s the unique creative persona of Sakamoto.

For the Womenswear collection Leon and Lim channelled Sayoko Yamaguchi personality in the clashing of stripes, prints, coloured and bold sequined look: a love letter to the iconic top model and Kenzo Takada’s muse. Frills, feminine pieces next to more graphic ones.

The accessories are a striking element. Reminiscent of traditional Japanese accessories, they are reworked with pop colour, neon materials or stripes. The bags recall the beautiful satin pouches carried by Japanese women dressed up in kimonos during summer festivals with all that vintage allure.

All framed in a spectacular live performance by singer Lafawndah and aerial dancers on the façade’s courtyard of the show venue. An inspiring ending of this fashion week.

www.kenzo.com

Fashion

Lanvin Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

Workwear versus tailoring. Literally. Lucas Ossendrijver's virtuoso for Lanvin Men's Spring Summer 2018 exploded in a spectacular intricate composition where a dualism of silhouettes and materials merged as the model stormed in a situationist walk.

The factory worker jumpsuits, the tailored pants, the tech sporty anorak but in a checked classic English fabric, beautiful asymmetric knitwear and a strong vision that has graced Lanvin Menswear for more than 10 years.

The multitude of elements in this collection it’s as overwhelming as carefully balanced.

Reworked coats graced with graphic motives or with contrasting neon lining sometimes made into a reversible look. Trousers constructed with double sides where checked classic fabric at the front is mixed with a tech sporty finish at his back beautifully seamed together with a visible stitch. The check again – as in last Fall Winter collection – is one of the protagonists.

It’s a fascination for the classic menswear codes and its challenge to enrich it and enhance it with new elements and unexpected mix matching.

That play of the unexpected that Lucas Ossendrijver's delivers also in the accessory collection for Lanvin for Spring Summer 2018. A retro vintage camera leather pocket case, a massive squared bag as out of a messenger bike utility case with an engraved “L”, a necklace made out of an hand-hammered sculpture in metal covered with leather representing an incredibly detailed hand almost as out of an anatomical specimen collection.

It is an incredible collection of several influences, ideas, many genres, whispering one message: be yourself no matter what.

www.lanvin.com

Fashion

Hermès Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

A specific red hue named "H", a deep, intense red spacing between burgundy and brick colour. Splashed on Hermes Spring Summer 2018, together with taupe, navy, royal blue. It's a collection full of playful graphics, sporty and smart.

Veronique Nichanian’s normcore for Hermes Menswear has been balanced on relaxed silhouettes, cotton suits, leather sandals, paper-thin knitwear in caramel on top of emerald green chinos, a white shirt with a cardigan, a spectacular crocodile bomber in black.

Nichanian’s Hermes is that power dressing far from being loud, that discreet approach with a French attitude. Wear a pair of casual trousers, a beautiful fresh pullover, a sporty anorak on top and you are ready to be off duty in a breezy summer night. And yes, with sneakers. It is the quintessential vision of Hermes, its discreet approach and the meticulous leather work.

As the versatile big tote bag and the lambskin bomber jackets with contrasting stitching hint to baseball references it gives a different angle to this historical Maison and its equestrian heritage.

www.hermes.com

Art

Michaël Borremans Dances at Zeno X

Michael Borremans has launched his sixth solo exhibition at Zeno X, a Mecca of contemporary painting in the heart of Antwerp, Belgium. Sixteen Dances, the title of the show, is primarily a reference to the changing and multi-faceted nature of painting, and how the medium has the ability to forever adapt to the contemporary zeitgeist.

The paintings are structured into three series: this is a typical way of working for Borremans, who has a necessity to always dig deeper and discover new meaning through multiple variations of the same theme. The paintings function almost as vignettes, which give the exhibition a cinematic feel: a clear continuum is interrupted by random stills which confuse any possible narrative structure. This gives an ambiguous and dark atmosphere, encapsulating the morbid and grotesque scenes present in the paintings, such as babies dancing covered in blood and figures in straight jackets. Borremans undoubtedly takes references from Bosch, Bruegel and Goya in this series of works, which questions the morality of human nature and exploits its subconscious savagery and cannibalism. While absorbing these haunted tableaux, viewers are left feeling dread and disorientation: a feeling that permeates in our current age and society.

The exhibition will run until October 14th 2017.

Fashion

MSGM Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

This season marks a new chapter for Massimo Giorgetti’s MSGM after his departure from Emilio Pucci earlier this year. The move has been a catalyst for him to dedicate himself fully to his own brand MSGM, that’s been making street wear waves for quite some times now and shows no sign of slowing down.

Giorgetti’s MSGM Spring/summer 2018 Menswear collection was a well-travelled one. Drawing inspiration from modern street culture has been a constant for the designer who, this time, travelled to sunny California picking up on the inimitable vibes the west coast has to offer. From skaters and latter-day hippies to Burning Man festival-goers, Giorgetti’s references are as current as they are multi-faceted.

This season is all about workwear-inspired apparel in the form of madras parkas reworked into oversized volumes, paired with extra large backpacks. But colour is never far from the designer’s mind who offered his sports-alluding shapes an extra pop by pairing army green with bubblegum pink or turquoise while elsewhere graffiti and watercolour flower motifs elevated nylon ponchos and a chino pantsuit. Thick, cosy knitwear pieces embroidered with boisterous lettering were paired with short shorts and blousons were seen layered over boxy t-shirts.

The MSGM man’s sartorial identity may seem hard to pin down, but that’s exactly where the beauty is: as he floats between identities, influences and moods he picks his battles of rebellion carefully while remaining in the now.

www.msgm.it

Fashion

Missoni Spring/Summer 2018

Even though it wasn’t made explicitly clear, all elements point to a collection dedicated to an urban gardener, quite possibly Angela Missoni’s father whom her mother fondly referred to as ‘her gardener’. With a long-standing love for gardening that spans across generations of Missoni offsprings, this appears to be a well-founded claim.

Missoni’s style has always been characterised by an ease and effortlessness that many brands have tried to emulate throughout the years. Tried being the operative word here as this is exactly the element that should be missing from such an equation.

Lavender, periwinkle, indigo, cherry, blossom, apricot, shadow blue, mint, bamboo and red birch fabrics were dyed, blended and then washed to achieve that faded, almost blurred effect that screams Missoni from miles away.

The silhouettes were relaxed in a way that oozes stylish comfort, accentuated by fabrics that enhance that same aesthetic: slouchy utility pants with a lived-in feel in linen, for example or lightweight wools and cotton crepes. Denim was also given its time to shine in Missoni’s Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear collection – it was washed an appeared to have accompanied the man wearing it on many a relaxed adventures.

A bright and summery mood without trends or frills, bells or whistles, a calm joyfulness that exudes happiness much like a well-tended garden under the summer sun.

www.missoni.com

Fashion

Marni Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

“Lost and Found” – the tile of Marni’s Spring Summer 2018 collection that leaves so much to be imagined and so much more to be discovered. Convoluted as the meaning of that phrase may be, for Marni it acted as the catalyst for a collection that preaches the enjoyment of life through self-discovery.

In his second collection as creative director for Marni, Francesco Risso offered a collection of wearable clothes with a non-conformist touch. An air of randomness characterises the collection of roomy trousers and shirts that appear to have been de- and then re-constructed, sometimes held together with the fabric swatches for a DIY allure.

Sailboat prints and Hawaiian motifs make an appearance alongside garments of a more bookish, almost nerdy, nature that stay true to the brand’s retro tones. As Risso himself put it, this season’s pieces ‘surf the typography of a city’. This is office wear on holiday, where a tie on the beach is just as relevant as sailboats on a suit and Jamaican accents paired with a dash of the 20s. Knits appear shrunken and unfinished with their misaligned stripes.

Rules appear to have been thrown out the window here as the Marni man dresses himself freely, as if he were a collector of moments who may intentionally leave items behind only to retrieve them later. Perhaps even finding himself along the way.

www.marni.com

Fashion

Moncler Gamme Bleu Spring/Summer 2018 Menswear

Thom Browne brought his signature hand-made tailoring sensibility to Moncler Gamme Bleu Spring Summer 2018 Menswear collection. Thus was born a perfect conflation between Browne’s flair and the brand’s expertise in active sportswear and outerwear for a collection that highlights an ease in seasonal transitions.

Down-filled looks made with over-sized plastic zippers and worn over identical looks without the down-filling epitomise the concept of smooth change. The collection was split into three colour-coded subcategories: grey and grey and white, red, white and blue and formal.

Trademark Thom Browne tailored pieces were present in traditional suit material iterations as well as more technical versions that incorporated highly functional fabrics such as technical wool and cashmere, nylon, ripstop, mesh and rainproof slicker.

www.moncler.com

Fashion

HUGO Spring/Summer 2018 Fashion Show

Presenting its mens- and womenswear Spring/Summer 2018 collection, HUGO transformed a factory in Florence into a candle-lit fashion show.

As a tribute to the spirit of the artist, the collection and the space itself illustrated all kinds of sketches and paint strokes that symbolises art and expression. An artist's unconventional perspective upon things, living according to his own rules with an sensitive yet careless attitude, just like the brand characteristics of HUGO, served as inspiration for the collection.

Many of the styles are in collaboration with the Designer Charles Jeffrey, with cut and shape inspired from the first HUGO collection from the year 1993, alongside completely redefined tailoring. The collection also presented oversize jackets and jumpsuits to create a unisex look with a color palette inspired from the artist's studio, reaching from neutral tones to shades of blue, yellow and of course the classic HUGO red.

For HUGO, this Spring/Summer collection is also all about the accessories. From oversized men’s bags, sneakers with chunky soles, to long earrings or pearl chains, they all contributed to a playful look.

Amongst M.I.A, Anwar Hadid and many others, present at the show was also ZOO Magazine’s current cover star, Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis, all wearing head-to-toe HUGO.

hugoboss.com

Art

The Beats and The Vanities, Larry Fink Exhibition at Armani/SIlos

A collection of exquisite black and white photographs from Larry Fink’s The Beats and The Vanities books will comprise the latest exhibition at Armani/Silos. The exhibition presents a unique opportunity for the legendary photographer’s work and idiosyncratic vision to be experienced as one as they have never before been shown together before.

Giorgio Armani himself is a great fan of Larry Fink’s work, finding his ability to capture form and line in such a fluid way something he can relate to as well as a designer. “Fink is a jazz fan, and you can almost view these images in terms of musical composition – people in flow, surprising us, possessing an unconscious sensuality”, he adds.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in a progressive and politically active family, Fink cut his teeth as a photographer as part of the late beat generation, when he hooked up with a group of beats at the age of 17. Political activism, protests and marches formed the photographers worldview who documented the times through his medium-format camera.

His pictures serve as a time capsule and a candid look into his world, perfectly capturing the sense of romance and rebellion that characterised the underground jazz-fuelled youth movement of the time. A regular editorial contributor for prestigious titles such as The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, it was the latter that recognised his ability to bring them something different if let loose to create.

His visual record of the famous and their surrounding courtiers is not concerned with who’s who – rather it focuses on what’s happening. As Fink himself describes it, he tries to embrace the souls of all people, regardless of their conditions.

The Beats and The Vanities, Photographs by Larry Fink will be on show at the Armani/Silos until the end of July 2017.

www.armanisilos.com

Fashion

Dior Fall/Winter 2017

Taking the reins of a legendary fashion house is always a challenge. Maria Grazia Chiuri is not new to the job. She, together with Pier Paolo Piccioli, took the helm of Valentino one year after Sir Garavani’s retirement, keeping high the stakes of the house, bringing it back to international acclaim.

At her second collection for Dior, Chiuri’s wish to bring a revolution and play with the house’s codes is even more clear. She is a woman, and as every Italian woman, she is naturally engaged in elevating women’s power and society’s perception of the female stance. If you were expecting a Valentino’s modus operandi you were mistaken.

Maria Grazia Chiuri is not easily affected by predictions. She has a vision and she is certainly not playing the safe card. Dior Fall Winter 2017 was entirely declined in shades of blue, a blue that Chiuri found in the archives of Dior – particularly on a taffeta silk dress designed in ’54 - and quickly got fascinated by. It’s the blue of uniforms, of elegant evening dresses and certainly of denim. It’s a young contemporary collection. Chiuri wishes to picture the contemporary woman emerging the tense political climate of our time.

Last season’s motto “We should be all feminists” left the place to a more consistent and strong statement where the clothes speak by themselves. The basques created by Stephen Jones give a further accent in this sense. It almost as we see a troupe of suffragettes, marching one after the other advocating women’s freedom to dress however they find fit.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Loewe Fall/Winter 2017

Loewe’s creative director J.W. Anderson is transforming this luxury Spanish leather brand into an impressive fashion house where cultural references, design, architecture, and the beautiful leather craftsmanship coexist.

Like for his eponymous label, Anderson is able to create a dialogue between the arts, where fashion is at its centre, without any stretch. The romantic and enchanting feeling reminiscent of Gone with the Wind’s Rossella O’Hara ball gowns together with a playful splash of Commedia Dell’Arte’s Pierrot and Harlequin, where the polka dots and the western hat felt perfectly parts of the same image. But also the signature handkerchief hem dresses and a parade of countless accessories declined in new colours like the polka dot iconic puzzle bag.

As in every season we see experimentations with butter lamb leather in exceptional peplum waist-cinching tops, dresses, suits, outwear in a variety of colours: lipstick red, moss green, and the forever favourite almond and black. There are so many fascinations Anderson took into account for Loewe Fall Winter 2017 and it just feel fresh and captivating.

www.loewe.com

Fashion

Nicholas Kirkwood Fall/Winter 2017

“The Dark Matters”, for Fall/Winter 2017 Nicholas Kirkwood created a series of monochromatic shoes with a strong 80s aesthetic.

Geometric and graphic lines adorn the heels and boots for this strong and architectural collection. The English designer - inspired by artists like Daniel Buren - used a sculptural approach and the forever-favourite feminine/masculine dichotomy references.

The austerity of black in contrast with lurex and silver mirror smooth leather uppers, plexi-heels, pearls inlaid into a metal frame sole and luxurious black suede, adorn the collection in a play of contrasts. The name of the collection also refers to a new fabric created by Kirkwood: a black glittering stretchy textile used for a new sock-boot and a slip-on mule. It’s a rich and sophisticated collection with new silhouettes and the omnipresent irreverent mood of Kirkwood’s work

www.nicholaskirkwood.com

Fashion

Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear

We have come to a point in fashion when history has been elevated without precedent. There is a lot of the 80s Monsieur Yves we know in the new Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. For Saint Laurent Fall Winter 2017 there is again a respectful reference to the history but also a lot of the Vaccarello DNA that we have seen in his eponymous label for many years.

That sexiness, that daring and fierce attitude the Italo-Belgian designer infused in his own shows season after season before becoming the new creative director of the historical Maison. And then there is the show vibe. Anthony Vaccarello presented his second collection for Saint Laurent in a surreal, and provoking atmosphere inside the under-construction site of the new brand’s head quarters in rue Bellechasse at the Left Bank of the Seine. The rain pouring down, the scaffolding as backdrop, the loud pulsing music as in any squat party, was the perfect set as to declare a new beginning, the shaping of the new identity of Saint Laurent in fieri.

Bold short dresses in velvet, caramel and black leather matched with long up-to-the-neck gloves as to create a tromp l’oeil effect for maxi shoulders. Thigh-high boots in patent leather and rhinestones with ruches - sure to become the obsession of next season. But also strong day looks with an invasive sense of masculinity: denim with mohair sweaters, shearling jackets, or a simple tee. It’s that subversive soul that Yves Saint Laurent himself was known for. It’s that unexpected atmosphere that everyone is waiting with anticipation at this fashion house. As his predecessor, Vaccarello will make everyone want to wear his clothes. With no exceptions.

www.ysl.com

Travel

Burlesque for the Senses

Few cities come close to Berlin’s notoriety — renowned for its progressive art scene and home to internationally-famed nightclubs, the city seems to constantly reel in artists, free thinkers and hipsters from all over the world, creating a buzzing, infectious atmosphere that gives way to a thriving art scene. But something unique and glamorous lies behind the doors of the Berlin Provocateur, the latest gem in hospitality that opened its doors to the public in March 2017.

An other-timely experience that is patiently waiting to be discovered channels the exuberance of Parisian 1920s style, and places creativity and joie de vivre at the forefront. Think of enigmatic songstress édith Piaf and the dandy gentleman that was Oscar Wilde. Where would these legends choose to sojourn, relax and recline should they have been transported to modern day Berlin through some inexplicable twist of fate? With that very concept in mind, Micky Rosen and Alex Urseanu, the Frankfurt visionaries and hoteliers behind Gekko Group, brought to life an oh-so Parisian oasis in the heart of the German capital. Describing the immersive experience that greets guests upon arrival, but also permeates the Provocateur’s modus operandi in its entirety, is no easy feat. Rarely are you able to truly feel transported to an iconic city, let alone a seminal era for the arts and culture.

But the Provocateur and its fifty-eight stunning rooms, bar and restaurant beg to differ — and rightly so, as they give ‘hospitality with a passion’, Gekko Group’s motto,an entirely new meaning. Amsterdam-based designer Saar Zafrir is the creative mastermind behind the hotel’s modern burlesque character. Sensual yet intricate details coupled with warm colours and intriguing textures comprise a beautifully serene ambiance. The journey begins at the lobby, where an elevator from 1912 fulfils its prescribed function, while simultaneously acting as a portal to French je ne sais quoi. What’s more, the guest rooms hold further surprises: at the simple push of a button, guests are given the opportunity to delve further into the reverie of the Parisian past, guided by music and images that are projected on the walls. Unapologetic in its Frenchness, yet somehow contemporary as ever, the Provocateur’s interiors feature luxurious, plush furnishings in warm hues and details that accentuate its glamorous influences. Duc Ngo, one of the most influential figures on Berlin’s flourishing restaurant scene, is responsible for the Golden Phoenix restaurant, where he brings to life his personal vision of fusion cuisine. At the Provocateur bar, arguably the establishment’s beating heart, guests are invited to taste a menu that boasts several creations with clear Franco-Chinese influences and a tastefully provocative burlesque attitude. With its hotel, restaurant, bar and event room, the Provocateur offers all that matters for a stay in Berlin. No sense is left unsatisfied — and that is without even leaving the premises. A case of ‘stay up all night and sleep all day’.

www.provocateur-hotel.com

Fashion

Make Love Not Walls

Through photographic material and a series of global actions, Diesels breaks down all barriers in communication with its #makelovenotwalls movement and tears down the mental and physical walls that separate us. In a time where hate, walls and fear seem to prevail, the brand urges us all to unite for the greater good.

“At Diesel we have a strong position against hate and more than ever we want the worlds to know that. Love and togetherness is crucial in creating a society we all want to live in, and the future we all deserve” explains Diesel Artistic Director Nicola Formichetti.

For this campaign, Formichetti collaborates with legendary artist and photographer David LaChapelle using the Wall as a symbol of separation and breaking it down to create strong stories through a simple yet powerful narrative: walls are built and the heart-shaped Diesel love tank tears them down. As a symbol of separation is reinterpreted into a symbol of unison and flowers fills the space, a celebration of freedom and love is born. Diesel is known for pushing the boundaries creatively.

From its 1995 LaChapelle campaign with two kissing sailors, to this year's anti-wall ads, it encourages us to let fear aside and focus on what brings us all together rather than what divides us. If You've got walls, Diesel's got wrecking balls!

www.diesel.com

Fashion

Mode Suisse Edition 11

February 8th 2017 marked the showcase of Mode Suisse Edition 11 at the Migros Museum fur Gegenwartskunst in Zurich. Once again, a wealth of design talent was represented. Among them high-flying label Julia Seeman, Garnison's post-dandy menswear, LYN Lingerie's luxury handmande collection, Julian Zigerli's second appearance of womenswear and gender-fluid menswear that have made him a household name as well as Berlin-based experimentalist womenswear label studiowinkler. Additionally WUETHRICHFUERST made their much-anticipated debut.

The evening's highlights included the showcase of Masters' students Jeremy Gaillard, Flore Girard de Langlade and Vanessa Schindler, who is the winner of the Prix d'Excellene Hans Wildorf. Additonally Zurich favourites enSoie had the audience craving for its nonchalant style while Vivienne Rohner strutted the catwalk laid with previously unseen carpets by Schonstaub. Special guest designerDorothee Vogel's desirable duvet coats and floaty dresses ended the show.

Edition 12 of Mode Suisse will take place in Zurich in September 2017.

www.modesuisse.com

Fashion

Loewe Fall/Winter 2017

A small trumpet as an earring, a shopper completely covered in off-white cable knit wool, a thin leather belt with an ominous brass nose on its centre. The collection of objets trouvés that populated Loewe Menswear Fall/Winter 2017 is not a new element for the quirky mind of creative director Jonathan Anderson.

The mix of fun, classic, and urban elements is something we have seen season after season where individuality has been the key. Beautiful leatherwork as rooted in the brand's Spanish heritage, but also Anderson’s favourite hints to fishermen and sailors’ daily-life. Presented in the Parisian showroom the collection is the image of a further complexity and playful daring attitude from the English designer now in his fourth year at the helm of Loewe.

It was certainly the beautiful shearling one of the spotlight of the collection. In deep cobalt blue with black leather details, in denim, or in a striped rainbow coloured version, to pump up our gloomy mood in rainy, cold Paris.

Mixed and matched tartans and handbags with imaginary propaganda newspaper titles gave a further energising accent to a splendid collection full of craftsmanship and a romantic post-industrial atmosphere.

www.loewe.com

Fashion

Y/PROJECT Fall/Winter 2017

A mobius of forms, shaped in the seam lines, leading to dramatic volumes. Beautifully balanced but also true to his roots, Glenn Martens created a collection where Y/Project's identity is declined to a new sphere, all played through Martens’ all-time favourite ironic approach to dualities.

The low and the high, the elites and the masses, deconstructed garments and slouchy fits. Between historical reinvention and street culture, Y/Project's Menswear collection for Fall/Winter 2017 continues to master that relaxed and youthful attitude that has characterized Martens’ work from the start.

Doubled silk shirts, deconstructed faux fur, reinvented corduroy suits, slouchy oversized track suits straight from a rapper's videoclip, followed by the impressive sweatsuits with wired piping in a blobbing volume, reminiscent of that mantle draping we have seen on 1808 Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’s portrait of Napoleon.

As Napoleon and consort printed on scarves in football merch fashion - part of Martens' playful reference along with other royal couples such as Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette - steal the scene and we cannot choose. We can only root for this talented Belgian designer.

www.yproject.fr

Fashion

NEW TENDENCY x Meiré und Meiré

New Tendency showed its 2017 product innovations at the Meiré und Meiré Factory.

The Bauhaus tradition has influenced the development process of everyday contemporary objects for New Tendency. Their furnishings serve to compose an ideal setting for modern working environments. With the emergence of co-working spaces, New Tendency have picked up on the need of flexible and functional configurations and strive to inspire those who are surrounded by their creations in their daily lives and their professional environments.

Showcasing their work in one of the leading creative agencies in Germany was therefore a natural progression.

Among other objects, New Tendency presented its December Edition at the Meiré und Meiré factory, a line that was the result of a fruitful collaboration with the agency, furthering their devotion to creative partnerships. The Artist's Edition of the lamp served as the inspirational springboard for the creation of New Tendency's premium line, Black Label that will soon be expanded to include more exclusive pieces with clear geometrical components.

Raw structures, industrial materials and natural elements formed the perfect hybrid framework for New Tendency's minimalist yet progressive designs. The presentation at the Meiré und Meiré factory didn't treat New Tendency's furnishings as conventional exhibits; they were instead integrated in the agency's daily goings-on serving as both a working space and a meeting point.

For New Tendency's exhibition at the Meiré und Meiré Factory, Mike Meire grouped the December edition pieces with side tables from the META line to create an island in the middle of the space. The installation was staged on raw concrete and stone slabs between dry plants, paint buckets and cardboard boxes. Fluorescent lights floated above it, different colours and textures of plastic foil sheets hanging over the top. The industrial ensemble was characterised by deliberately rudimentary fragmented elements that served as a beautiful contrast to the high-end claim of the products on display.

In the age of digitalisation, where products are becoming increasingly perfect Mike Meiré  felt the need to infuse the products with textural and tactile elements proposing 'Brutalism x Redefining Nature' and paying tribute to Le Corbusier's New Brutalism.

www.newtendency.com
www.meireundmeire.com

Fashion

Vivienne Westwood summer trip to the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean has always served as a source of inspiration for poets and artists. A symbol of eternal beauty, of endless summers. A beauty that many have attempted to explain with words but that is better left to feelings and emotions.

Andreas Kronthaler's Spring/Summer 2017 'Europa' collection for Vivienne Westwood is a case in point. The collection is an ode to the Mediterranean's laid-back summer vibes and evokes images of sandy beaches, sunsets by the sea and days spent in nothing more than a bikini. But much like everything that bear's Vivienne Westwood's signature, there's a political statement to be read between the lines: 'Europa' is a continent in crisis, struggling to come to grips with the humanitarian crisis of mass migration, an issue that stains its reputation but somehow doesn't distract from its charm.

Legendary photographer Juergen Teller shot the campaign in Greece, with the picturesque white houses and blue waters serving as the perfect backdrop. Showcasing the garments as well as the scenery beautifully, Teller also managed to highlight the Mediterranean's grotesque facade with a mixture of sophistication and grunge very synonymous with the Vivienne Westwood brand.

Former sex-symbol Pamela Anderson features in the campaign providing a contrast that also links to the power of Mother Nature. The result is simple and delicious, just like a plate of spaghetti.

www.viviennewestwood.com

Fashion

BILLIONAIRE Fall/Winter 2017: Texas under spotlights

Once upon a time, soap opera characters served as primary sources of style inspiration and this season Billionnaire by Philipp Plein travelled back in time to pick up the trend. Remember Dallas?

Set in Texas, the show reached cult phenomenon status and was Philipp Plein's moodboard for Fall/Winter 2017. The Billionnaire man is a wealthy and stylish globetrotter: skiing in Aspen and gambling in Monte Carlo. The collection reflects the attitude of a character that isn't shy about showing off his personality.

Snakeskin jackets, chinchilla bombers and full-length overcoats feature alongside astrakhan and crocodile skins as the ultimate statements of elegance whether on the slopes or in the city. Trousers are high-waisted and denim takes centre stage in trousers and double-breasted jackets.

From knitwear to eveningwear the attention to detail is meticulous, fully conveying Plein's references: classic Texan hat included!

www.philipp-plein.com

Fashion

A dandy poem by Alexander McQueen

A dandy spirit that explores the deepest sides of Oscar Wilde's soul during an esoteric trip that Germans call Wanderlust. A contemporary gentleman traveling from London's Tite Street to Paris Saint Germain seeking inspiration from the world that surrounds him.

Alexander McQueen documents this journey through his latest menswear collection, paying homage to the man who has become synonymous with the term 'esthete'. British tailoring plays a central role in a collection that encapsulates and celebrates the house's trademark codes. Precise and elongated cuts in suits with peaked shoulders and legged or flare trouser silhouettes – worn cropped above the ankle and sometimes with a satin or velvet band on the sides, offer their elegance to coats and jackets alongside jacquards with peacock feathers for the most daring dandies. The collection also explores and plays with proportions, combining classic and more of-the-moment oversized fits to give birth to a new hybrid of men's shirt-dresses. A worn-in feel is brought forward by mohair knits, frayed at the edges and laddered with holes. For the evening, Alexander McQueen’s Fall/Winter 2017 features tuxedos, smoking jackets and robes with satin quilted reveres, embroidered velvet and jacquard to give an incredible taste of elegance to a collection that is worth of an old-fashioned gentleman.

McQueen's latest collection is a true ode to Oscar Wilde, done in incomparable style and honing in on elements that have granted the brand the status it holds today. No doubt it will be at the receiving end of countless praises this season.

www.alexandermcqueen.com

Fashion

Rocking it with Dior Homme

A utopian sense of refined grunge has always characterized Kris Van Assche's creative direction at Dior. For Dior Homme Summer 2017, Van Assche's dynamic energy is reflected through a new generation of four inspired characters: A$AP ROCKY, Boy George, Rami Malek and Ernst Klimko.

A 'do it Yourself' attitude runs through the brand's creative direction this season, a path that the four diverse Dior Homme personalities will follow, eventually converging to personify the house's vision of Homme. The campaign's four faces may embody different disciplines of modern art but through Van Assche's direction, they provide an all-encompassing, cohesive undertone for the French house's men's collection.

Interestingly, hip-hop is made elegant in this line giving birth to intriguing pieces such as the dark floral garments designed by Japanese artist Toru Kamei.

Shot through the streets of Paris and in studio by photographer Willy Vanderperre, the campaign pairs heritage and an innovative rock, raw-edge mood that will undoubtedly make it a key player in Dior's already impressive campaign portfolio.

www.dior.com

Fashion

Schiaparelli’s Haute Couture moment has come

Schiaparelli Maison, Chanel's historical rival is definitely back on the scene after a long hiatus. This January marks a milestone for the celebrated maison as the French Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture decided to enlist Schiaparelli among the 15 fashion haute couture brands existing in the world.

Ravaged by the aftermath of the war, Elsa Schiaparelli closed her iconic Paris "Schiap Shop" in 1954, the very same year that saw the release of her autobiography "Shocking Life". It was only three years ago that Italian businessman Diego Della Valle decided to revive Schiaparelli, believing in the power of its indomitable style and unparalleled innovative techniques.

Alongside stores of long-established brands in the field such as Chanel, Givenchy and Dior to name a few, Elsa's shop in Paris' Place Vendome is opening its doors again to pick up where it left of, starting a new chapter in haute couture history.

www.schiaparelli.com

Fashion

LOUIS VUITTON CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY IN BERLIN

France and Germany join in for the celebration of 30 years of Louis Vuitton, the brand synonymous in everyone's mind and many hearts with élégance française.

Louis Vuitton celebrated its birthday with the opening of its latest concept store in Berlin's Kurfürstendamm. Celebrities and influencers from the world of fashion were present to mark the joyous occasion. A combination of craftsmanship, savoir-faire, continuous innovation and heritage - all keywords for the long established brand as well as the city that played host to its celebrations.

Berlin incomparably contemporary dynamism and Parisian haute couture give birth to 'amour toujours'.

www.louisvuitton.com

Art

The world through Henk Schiffmacher’s “camereyes”

When Texas, Henk Schffmacher's daughter discovered her father's old 35mm negatives in a dusty drawer, she knew they had to be exposed for the world to see.

Dutch tattoo artist, Henk Schiffmacher has become known for his energetic and observational photographic work that is now being collected and exhibited for the first time ever. Highlighting the best and worst facets of modern society, this eclectic ensemble of pictures is a real representation of the world we live in through Schiffmacher's camera.

Taken between 1970 and 1985 these pictures give us a raw insight into the world of youths, bikers and tattoo fetishists from all around the globe – from Las Vegas, L.A., Amsterdam, and Tokyo to Mumbai, Manila, San Francisco and Kuala Lumpur.

This makes for an interesting juxtaposition: a wild mix of cultures, nationalities and excess against the backdrop of vintage cityscapes and timeless scenarios. Schiffmacher's photography offers a unique and brilliant view of the world as it was four decades ago.

Pure, direct and unprecedented just like photography should be.

www.schiffmachershoots.com

Fashion

PIRELLI CALENDAR 2017: An Unfiltered Emotion

“In a time when women are represented in the media and everywhere else, as ambassadors of perfection and youth, I thought it was important to remind everyone that there is a different beauty”

‘Emotional’, the title chosen by Peter Lindbergh for the 2017 edition of the iconic Pirelli Calendar. No other word could strike such a chord in women’s hearts that, nowadays, find themselves fighting against unrealistic beauty standards imposed by society. Fighting to fit in a world in which all things beauty are accompanied by a certain degree of fakery.

Pirelli Calendars have always been seen as conveyors of a specific message of perfection that could be hardly afforded by us, mere mortals. Following Annie Leibovitz’s thread of last year, Lindbergh decided to let beloved actresses shine through their nakedness. Not a nakedness imposed by the lack of garments but by the absence of filters.

The choice of abstaining from Photoshop editing is indeed the leading theme of the 2017 Calendar, which includes actresses like Uma Thurman, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet and Julianne Moore in all their natural feminine splendor. The beauty that speaks about the courage of being yourself in your own sensibility.

Lindbergh’s message wants to reach all women who feel worthless, despicable, and inadequate in a way that only an artist of his caliber could achieve.

www.pirelli.com