Category Archives: BREAKING MODE
TAPS KENNETH AND KARL BRAND
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in Austria from age 4, the designer had previously shown at Arise Fashion Week in Lagos, and came on to the international radar as a finalist for the 2019 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers.
Honoring its founder’s penchant for surprising collaborations, he has cooked up a capsule collection with buzzy designer Kenneth Ize, whose colorful, energetic fashions exalt Nigerian weaving and craft skills.
“The breadth of Karl’s work has been very inspiring to me, and it’s an honor to be working with his namesake maison,” Ize said, sharing details of the project first with WWD. “Our vision is to combine Karl’s Parisian-chic aesthetic with elements of traditional African artistry.”
Ize made a splash with his official Paris Fashion Week debut last February as Naomi Campbell closed the show, handily sparking a social-media sensation. Continue reading
PARIS FASHION READY FOR THE MESS
Paris Fashion Week will take place this fall with physical shows, augmented by a digital platform, French fashion’s governing body said on Wednesday. As usual, a weather vane would have been more accurate
The Spring 2021 women’s wear fashion week will be held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 6 and will comply for its implementation to the recommendations of public authorities.
The federation canceled couture and men’s fashion weeks this Summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has yet to release the schedules for the digital couture week, scheduled for July 6 to 8, and men’s shows, due to take place online from July 9 to 13. But why make it simple when you can make it complicated? Continue reading
SHAME ON ART
The art of shame or the shame of art! this is the ultimate for an Egyptian to have a “papy Russe”, and when this one is called Bergé it is linked to a traffic of antiques worth several tens of millions of euros that has been dismantled. It will shake up the fashion world, with five arrests, for hundreds of antiques sold in particular by the Pierre Bergé company, arts industry cultural looted in the Middle East in countries such as Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria. Continue reading
BURBERRY OUTDOOR SHOW
Riccardo Tisci is answering a cry from the great outdoors with plans to stage a Burberry presentation under British skies in September. Everyone’s invited to the spring 2021 outdoor shoW.
The show will take place on Sept. 17 Tisci’s lucky number and on the eve of London Fashion Week, which runs from Sept. 18 to 22. Burberry’s chief creative officer said he wanted to channel the “purity and simplicity of the outdoors” and redefine the fashion landscape through new forms of expression.
After Bambi a Tisci signature featured big in his first collection for the brand, while hand-sketched, painted and collaged animal prints have pranced and swung their way across jackets, bags and silk scarves. Continue reading
MEN’S STORE FOR ABLOH
Louis Vuitton is opening its first ever standalone men(s store in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to coincide with the Summer Olympic Games in the Japanese capital, the opening comes as the country’s economy is reopening cautiously against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.
In line with the ongoing social distancing restrictions, the store in the new Miyashita Park mall will open on July 6 by appointment only. Advance booking online will be required until July 27. Continue reading
FAKE DRESSES FOR A FAKE DESIGNER
Olivier Rousteing and his team designed Balmain’s resort collection during the coronavirus pandemic, swapping images on WhatsApp and drafting in suppliers worldwide to get it made !!! Interesting !
Embroideries were done by old ladies working in their kitchen in the south of Italy, the myth of Haute Couture is killed in eggs. In Japan, they were working in their living room, you know in this very large apartment in Tokyo !!!
It was tough,” said the designer, who tried on the men’s prototypes in his Paris apartment. The fabrics were a real struggle because I was choosing by Zoom. It is a very difficult and great performance in fact, but so much easier than sewing a dress.
In the whole Balmain produced more than 400 looks for women and 300 for men, presented since June 15 in a digital showroom with an avatar of Rousteing acting as host and guide. But if you can make 400 models in your kitchen why not do away with the design studio ? Continue reading
ELEMENTARY MY DEAR WATSON
Emma Watson has joined Kering’s board, becoming the chair of its sustainability committee. The British actress is joining the board alongside Tidjane Thiam, who will chair the audit committee, and Jean Liu.
The luxury group said it seeks to expand its expertise, improve understanding of the group’s markets and represent a diversity of experience on the board.
“The collective intelligence that comes from diverse points of view and the richness of different experiences are crucial to the future of the organization, François-Henri Pinault said, chairman and chief executive officer. Continue reading
WILLIAMS SHAVE ON YOU
Luxury brand Givenchy has announced the appointment of an American designer and founder of luxury streetwear label. Starting from June 16th, Williams will take on all creative responsibilities for women’s and men’s collections, whilst also independently designing for the Alyx brand.
Nickname Celtic neck cross. The 34-year-old self-taught designer said he is “honoured” to be taking on the role, succeeding Clare Waight Keller who left the fashion house in April. When you didn’t go to fashion school you can indeed be proud.
Williams described his appointment as his “lifelong dream”, before adding that “at the same time it’s bittersweet because we’re living in unprecedented times in the world. I just hope in some way I can bring hope and with my community and colleagues, create positive change for our industry and for the world.” The choice of Tolenado for an autodidact who does not know how to make a dress but more about making the buzz. The house can handle it like a puppet. Continue reading
BALMAIN SECOND LIVE
Monday, Rousteing said he leveraged high-tech means to reveal the humanity behind the collection, interspersing CGI razzmatazz, Zoom meetings and WhatsApp groups with footage of seamstresses, tailors and embroiderers toiling at home, pausing occasionally to celebrate a colleague’s birthday.
“It’s going to be like getting into the Balmain world from far away, but at the same time feeling really close,” Rousteing remarked. Visitors to the interactive “digital house” can visit various rooms to discover a variety of content. A technology invented by second live 15 years ago. Continue reading
LONDON FASHION NOTHINGNESS
XU ZHI AW20 VIRTUAL PRESENTATION from Xuzhi on Vimeo.
Designers taking part in London’s first all-digital showcase, which began Friday and runs through Sunday, have been delving deeper into their respective cultural backgrounds as they navigate the challenges of telling their stories online and in film formats. Continue reading
MARNI PARIS FASHION 2021
THE MASQUERADE
Facebook and Instagram are opening up their temporary ban on nonmedical masks on their platforms to allow people to advertise them and post in IG shopping listings and marketplace.
In March, the platforms temporarily banned ads and commerce listings for masks on their apps to help protect against scams, misleading medical claims, media supply shortages, inflated prices and hoarding. Since then they have continued to monitor trends and activity around COVID-19 to better understand how people are using their platforms and advertising tools during the pandemic.
Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, governments and authorities around the globe have evolved their guidance on the need to wear masks. Many health authorities now advise wearing nonmedical masks, and in some places, masks are required for activities such as taking public transportation or going inside a store. Continue reading
CHANEL CRUISE 2021
HO BLAZY HO BLAZA VENETA
The former design director of Calvin Klein under Raf Simons, Matthieu Blazy, has joined Bottega Veneta.
According to sources, he quietly started in a senior design role several weeks ago, reporting to Bottega Veneta creative director Daniel Lee.
Blazy spent two years and seven months at Calvin Klein working on men’s and women’s collections and was part of the inner circle that Simons brought with him to New York. That circle also included Pieter Mulier, Simons’ longtime number two who carried the title of creative director at Calvin Klein and joined Simons for runway bows. Continue reading
FASHION RATTLESNAKE BAG
A recently released study reveals that, between 2003 and 2013, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service seized thousands of products made by Gucci, Michael Kors and others. As the fashion industry scrambles to reinvent itself during the Covid-19 pandemic, it must not forget animals.
More than 5,600 fashion products made from illegal wildlife, including these reptile skin boots, were seized by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service between 2003 and 2013.
A report makes it clear that efforts to more thoroughly understand the complex trade in reptiles are often hindered by large information gaps made worse by criminals in the supply chain who forge permits, fudge paperwork and smuggle or launder animals through ranches.
But efforts to protect animals are also muddied by industry-appointed scientists who idealise the trade in reptile skins with overstated claims on conservation and job benefits. Continue reading
CHANEL AT THE CENTER OF RIOTS
Stores across the borough including Chanel in Soho and Coach in Midtown were targeted by unruly protesters in the fourth night of demonstrations over the death of Floyd. The police kept an eye on the Chanel Boutique, Probably Afro-Americans with no taste.
Surprisingly, the boutique Vuitton has not been affected by riots, probably because the brand is the only one to have two Afro-Americans in its design team. Continue reading
TIFFANY ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING
It is understood board members of the luxury giant are concerned about the impact of not only the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives in America and wreaked widespread economic damage, but also the growing social unrest over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
In addition, these sources said, LVMH board members voiced concerns about Tiffany’s ability to cover all its debt covenants at the end of the transaction, which was expected to be concluded mid-year.
A woman walks at Tiffany & Co. and designer boutiques of Manhattan and Paris are feeling the chill of a Chinese economic slowdown that has hammered automakers and other industries. That is jolting brands such as Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co that increasingly rely on Chinese customers who spend $90 billion a year on jewelry, clothes and other high-end goods. The industry already is facing pressure to keep up as China’s big spenders shift to buying more at the spreading networks of luxury outlets in their own country. Continue reading
ABUSE OF PACKAGING IS DANGEROUS TO HEALTH
The artist Christo, known for wrapping buildings including Berlin’s Reichstag, and also swathing areas of coast and entire islands in fabric, has died aged 84.
Born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in Bulgaria, Christo studied in Sofia and then defected to the west in 1957, stowing away on a train from Prague to Vienna. Two years later he met Frenchwoman Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, who would become his artistic partner and wife until her death in 2009. Continue reading
GIVAUDAN ACQUIRE ALDERYS
Alderys develops innovative approaches to the micro-organic biological engineering of profitable chemical compounds from renewable plant resources.
Maurizio Volpi, President of Givaudan’s Fragrance Division said: “The acquisition of Alderys aligns with our long term strategy for Active Beauty and more specifically, their expertise in biotechnology is fully complementary to our Fragrance and Active Beauty businesses. It will allow us to expand our portfolio of natural and biosourced products, thanks to their strong research and development bio-engineering platform. It will be an additional tool to drive our future development and innovation in the active cosmetic ingredients space and beyond. It will also reinforce Givaudan’s capabilities to support our customers in developing sustainable, performant and safe products.” Continue reading
RUPERT IS NOT MEURT DOC
Richemont’s and the Rupert View again, “We are lucky in that we prepared for an economic downturn,” said Johann Rupert, Richemont’s chairman and founder. “COVID-19 merely sped up what was probably going to happen in any case.
Diamonds are forever, as are other jewels made from precious rocks and minerals, and their long-term appeal will outlast any damage that COVID-19 may inflict on sales of hard luxury. So says Compagnie Financière Richemont’s Johann Rupert, who is paving the way for better years ahead.
The short- to medium-term may be grim but, as usual, Richemont’s founder and chairman is taking the long view. He believes his company, home of brands including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Montblanc, is run with enough "caution and cash" to emerge in a much stronger position post-pandemic. Continue reading
NOT JOHNNY CASH BUT COCA
A Coco in Vuitton. Return to Vuitton for Coca, who started his career as a leather goods designer at Vuitton from 1996 to 2000. Adding more design muscle to a linchpin category, Louis Vuitton has snared acclaimed leather goods designer Johnny Coca.
Johnny Coca acclaimed leather goods designer, who recently exited as Mulberry’s creative director after a successful five-year stint, is also known for his work under Phoebe Philo at Celine.
Born in Seville to Spanish parents, Coca later moved to Paris, where he studied art, architecture and design at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Malaquais and École Boulle in Paris, respectively.
The hire further reinforces the upscaling drive spearheaded by Vuitton chairman and chief executive officer Michael Burke and adds to a steady addition of top creative.
It’s with great pride that I join Nicolas Ghesquière and the Louis Vuitton teams to further develop the women’s handbag collections. Continue reading
LANVIN A MILLION DOLLAR BABY
As with many fashion executives the world over, Joann Cheng the chairwoman of Fosun Fashion Group, had a litany of urgent challenges brought to her desk by the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The owner of fashion brands including Lanvin, Caruso, St. John Knits and Wolford, among others, was facing widespread production delays, order cancellations from multiple wholesalers, not to mention a general plunge in retail sales as mandatory stay-at-home orders were issued across numerous countries.
It’s a challenge honestly, said Cheng, sitting in her office on a high floor of the Bund Finance Centre here.
The country was first hit in January by COVID-19 but four months later, the nation is largely recovered and life looks remarkably a lot like it did pre-virus in Shanghai. Traffic jams have returned, and masks are no longer required by the government to be worn by people out and about. Shoppers are creeping back incrementally, she observed. Continue reading
TMALL AND SEPHORA
Sephora on Tmall the specialty beauty retailer is launching cross-border on Tmall with cloud shelves stocked with products from new-to-China brands like Natasha Denona and Sunday Riley. The store will carry 25 international brands, including Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Bon Parfumeur, Farmacy and Dermalogica, and more than 600 products.
Based on our long-term relationships with global beauty brands, we are glad to cooperate with Tmall Global to introduce overseas brands into [the] China market," said Benjamin Vuchot, Sephora Asia president, in a statement. This initiative is very special to Sephora, as we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of Sephora in China this year. The opening of the Sephora Tmall global flagship store offers a great opportunity for Sephora to continue reinforcing its commitment to the China market by catering to the Chinese consumer’s ever-changing trends and evolving needs to enhance their beauty power. Continue reading
CHLOÉ FASHION PETITION
Chloé Signs Petition to Overhaul Fashion Calendar. “While it boasts an impressive list of signatories, the petition was for a more sensible and sustainable fashion calendar spearheaded by Dries Van Noten did not manage to rope in any brand from Europe’s three big luxury groups until now.
We has learned that Chloé chief executive officer Riccardo Bellini has signed the so-called forum letter, which aims to better align fashion deliveries with seasons and stamp out early markdowns. Chloé is the flagship fashion brand of Swiss luxury group Richemont, also parent of Cartier, Dunhill, Baume & Mercier and Net-a-porter. Continue reading
FRAGRANCE FÉCONDATION WEBINAR
The Fragrance Foundation is bringing its awards online finalists will be announced via webinar. The awards ceremony, annually held at Lincoln Center, has been postponed to September and is being planned as a livestream.
The Fragrance Foundation has also moved the consumer choice voting to August, ahead of the event. We’re hoping this will help spur retail excitement,It will also help us invigorate the category in August.
This year, the foundation is forgoing honorees and instead will introduce new categories, including those based on sustainability, gender-neutral scents and innovation.
The Fragrance Foundation, in the last few years has really looked at resources and where the community wants them. Even though we are not having the event, we need to look at 2021 to find ways to bring back events; the media coverage of the awards is so tremendous, we’ll find our way back.
ALBER SAID THANK YOU
The former Lanvin designer, now in the throes of getting his Richemont-backed start-up AZ Fashion up and running, lauded those on health-care’s front lines for “coming to work day after day with so much courage and passion, to help, to take care of us, to be there when we really really need you. You’re the best, thank you for being there.”
“Merci,” Alber Elbaz scrawls above a cluster of nurses he sketched on a T-shirt his way of thanking the health-care workers who have risen to the challenge in caring for thousands of French citizens hospitalized with COVID-19.
T-shirts, a collaboration with contemporary fashion chain Gerard Darel, are on sale in all his boutiques and his e-shop for 45 euros, with proceeds to La Fondation Hôpitaux de Paris Hôpitaux de France. Continue reading