LAURENCE LI AND CHICO WANG
New York Fashion Week continues to attract young designers who stand out as the Canadian duo “Laurence and Chico”, a specialist in extravagant outfits worn by dizzying silhouettes.
The couple formed by Laurence Li and Chico Wang, based in Vancouver but both of Chinese origin, remain faithful to a favorite accessory: excessive wigs giving an unexpected verticality to their models, who mock male/female barriers. Girl or boy, “it doesn’t matter” for the outfits designed by the duo, said Laurence Li.
last September on the theme of crazy sports, the two men chose the place of their last trip, Thailand, as their main inspiration for their autumn-winter 2019 collection presented on Thursday.
Fabrics printed with flowers or exotic fruits, skirt and suit sets with geometric shapes, diamonds or checks highlighted with silver pearls, long enveloping coats made of tulle ruffles… The range of colours was wide, including fluorescent yellow and pink, appreciated by Cardi B or Lady Gaga, the brand’s two most famous customers launched in 2015. (LIVE IN 11 DAYS ON CANAL-LUXE).
NYFW 2020
Two weeks after the Council of Fashion Designers of America released its preliminary official fashion week schedule, IMG has released its roster.
Prabal Gurung will celebrate his 10th anniversary with a Sept. 8 evening show at Spring Studios. In recent days, the designer explained why he was no longer considering showing at The Vessel at Hudson Yards. His move stemmed from The Related Companies’ Stephen Ross’ decision to host a fundraiser for President Donald Trump in the Hamptons last weekend. Continue reading
MODEL LIU WEN APOLOGIES
Just days after Yang Mi severed ties with Versace over slights to Chinese sovereignty, Coach and Givenchy too have run afoul of the same sensitive issue, putting high-profile celebrity partnerships with Liu Wen, Jackson Yee and Guan Xiaotong in jeopardy.
The two brands issued apologies on their official Weibo accounts on Monday just after midday for giving off the impression that Hong Kong and Taiwan are separate countries.
The outcry surrounding the two brands is nearly an exact repeat of the Versace scenario. T-shirt designs from the two brands list a series of cities followed by the country it is located in, for example, Beijing, China; But Hong Kong does not follow the same format and is listed stand-alone in the Coach design and for Givenchy as ;Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Meanwhile for both brands, Taipei is listed as Taipei, Taiwan. Continue reading
SHISEIDO AND TORY BURCH
Under the terms of the agreement, Shiseido will have the worldwide license to develop, market and distribute Tory Burch beauty products effective Jan. 1. The license has been held by the Estée Lauder Cos. since 2011.
Right now, Tory Burch’s beauty assortment consists of several fragrances, but under Shiseido, the plan is for Burch’s beauty purview to expand.Beyond growing the fragrance business, Shiseido plans to explore the possibility of launching other beauty categories.
Tory’s very much into beauty and digital, and there’s a lot of things we can do in terms of digital innovation and frankly, beyond fragrances. So yes, we can grow fragrances, but the brand certainly has potential to grow beyond fragrances, Rey said.
The Tory Burch beauty business will be run out of New York, managed by Shiseido Americas. Shiseido picked up the Dolce & Gabbana fragrance license in 2016, and also has licenses for Elie Saab, Narciso Rodriguez, Issey Miyake, Serge Lutens and Zadig & Voltaire fragrances.
MEMMORY OF AN ODOR !
The luxury Italian house has introduced ‘Mémoire d’une Odeur’ to its Gucci Beauty portfolio, it announced via Instagram this week. The perfume, which the label categorizes as a “universal fragrance,” was inspired by “the power of memories which can be relived in the present.” It is creative director Alessandro Michele’s latest addition to a growing fragrance portfolio for the brand. Continue reading
KARL MET AT THE MUSEUM
Although no great fan of fashion exhibitions, especially retrospectives, the late Karl Lagerfeld is perhaps the designer most deserving of one.
The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York certainly thinks so, and head curator Andrew Bolton is to conceive the showcase for 2022.
The Met has yet to divulge the theme of its 2020 fashion exhibition, saying only that the Costume Institute’s permanent collection would be the primary source of looks as the institution marks its 150th anniversary Continue reading
REPETTO AN ANGEL IN L.A
Just as designers such as Tom Ford, Hedi Slimane, Nicholas Kirkwood and Jeremy Scott succumbed to the city’s creative vibe, Repetto America chief executive officer Gilles Assor believes L.A. will be an inspiring backdrop for the brand’s activities.
Repetto Studio in New York’s Chelsea closed its doors on Wednesday. The space, which opened in the spring of 2018, will relocate to the West Coast before the end of the year.
During its tenure in Manhattan, the studio was a private showroom and community space for members where dancers and creatives could take dance classes, as well as a venue for brand events such as exhibitions and collaborations. Repetto’s store on West Broadway in Manhattan’s SoHo will remain open. We’re generating business with that store," Assor said. It’s our first flagship in the U.S. Continue reading
BRAZILIAN SWIMWEAR
In 1974, though, backsides were under attack via California legislation outlawing nude sunbathing. A radical fashion designer and Austrian expat in Hollywood, Rudi Gernreich, had a solution: The thong swimsuit. “The Thong is my response to a contradiction in our society: nudity is here; lots of people want to swim and sun themselves in the nude; also lots of people are still offended by public nudity,” he wrote in a ’70s manifesto, citing Brazilian swimwear, Sumo wrestlers’ mawashis, and thong sandals as references for his then-trademarked design. At the time, Gernreich made his unisex thong swimsuit in black and brown fast-drying nylon, revolutionizing the look of SoCal beaches and the limits of acceptable taste. Continue reading
SUSSEX FOR CHANGE
The Duchess of Sussex has taken control of September’s British Vogue, dedicating it to 15 “fearless women,” including Jane Fonda, Jacinda Ardern, Greta Thunberg and Salma Hayek Pinault, in an issue dubbed “Forces for Change.” Continue reading
LALIQUE HAVILAND STORY
Suzanne Lalique is the daughter of René Lalique and Alice Ledru, born out of wedlock in 1892, she grew up under the benevolent gaze of her father and grandfather, the sculptor Auguste Ledru. From these friends of youth, we can remember names like Paul Morand or Jean Giraudoux. Discreet, Suzanne is nevertheless a precious help to her father who regularly solicits her. In the 1910s, she began drawing powder and candy boxes for her father. She uses her talent in other fields such as screens, wallpaper or fabric motifs, but also decorations for the Sèvre factory.
We know that Suzanne Lalique has worked on many projects that will be carried out under the signature of René Lalique. In the 1920s, she participated in the creation of various decorative crystal objects such as vases and cups. These works truly bring the Maison Lalique into the Art Deco era. Continue reading
STELLA MC VUITTON
LVMH said Monday that Stella McCartney would continue as creative director and ambassador of her brand, while holding majority ownership. Stella McCartney, who confirmed her split from Kering last year, switching sides in a new partnership with France’s other luxury giant, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
McCartney’s is the second female-run fashion house that LVMH has taken on board this year, after the owner of Louis Vuitton and Dior set up a luxury maison with singer and entrepreneur Rihanna under the Fenty label.
In addition, she will hold a specific position and role on sustainability, as special adviser to LVMH chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault and the executive committee members. Continue reading
GERMAN FLAVORS BY GIVAUDAN
Givaudan, the flavors and fragrance creator, has purchased the German firm Drom in a bid to expand its reach in the global fragrance market.
Founded in 1911, Drom is a perfume house that makes fragrances for consumer products and fine fragrance customers. Headquartered near Munich, Germany it has manufacturing facilities in China, Germany, the U.S. and Brazil. The company employs 489 people around the world.
Gilles Andrier, chief executive of Givaudan, said the acquisition “is fully in line with our strategic ambitions. Like Givaudan, Drom has a long heritage in fragrance creation and their capabilities and strong culture will fit perfectly with ours. We look forward to welcoming Drom’s employees to Givaudan and are confident that our combined capabilities will deliver a compelling, valuable proposition for our customers across segments and in key markets.”
The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Givaudan said Drom’s business would have represented approximately 110 million euros of incremental sales to its own 2018 results on a pro forma basis. Givaudan plans to fund the transaction from existing resources.
The planned acquisition remains subject to formal approvals from the relevant regulatory authorities and the transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2019.”
NY FASHION WEEK
Just when you were settling into the ides of summer, the Council of Fashion Designers of America has a reality check for the industry the breakdown for the official New York Fashion Week.
Domestic and global retailers, media and other stakeholders piped up to make it clear that previous seasons were too long and too crowded. The crowds spoke and the CFDA listened. So NYFW spring-summer 2020 will run from Sept. 6 to Sept. 11, starting with Telfar on the opening Friday night.
Steven Kolb, president and chief executive officer of the CFDA, said, “I am excited for the strong September lineup which will continue to showcase and celebrate the creativity and diversity of American fashion.” Continue reading
