Happy friday our sartorial besties, if you have any trials coming up and need a whole new courtroom outfit to look “gwynnocent until proven guilty”, well, we have you covered. From new collections at Theory and Supreme x Undercover to an elegant new leather offering at Chloé and the trainer of your dreams from Nike and Off-White at Sotheby’s. Finally, there’s a Selfridges art installation to check out when you’re vindicated and some celebratory campaigns from Bimba Y Lola and Calvin Klein. Here’s what’s in fashion.
Supreme x Undercover are back for round two
SOUND THE HYPEBEAST KLAXON!! Rest assured, this is a drop that you will not want to miss. Supreme has just released a collaboration with one of Japan’s most feverishly adored cult labels – Undercover. Founded in 1990 by designer Jun Takahashi, the brand has, over the more than three decades since, played a crucial role in bridging the (now pretty much non-existent) gulf between streetwear and high-end ready-to-wear. This marks the second time that the two brands have collaborated – the first being five years ago – and this sophomore edition of the partnership brings a textured exploration of themes of hybridity and graphic experimentation. Black and teal puffer jackets come with punkish, studded leather sleeves, jeans printed with Arabic script have trompe l’oeil flannel shirt hanging from the pockets, and tracksuits in satin-y finishes feature Undercover’s embroidered iterations of their Brain Crossbone insignia. Basically, it’s a collection chock full of grails, and, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll flock over to Supreme’s website – or join the presumably round-the-block queue at your nearest store – stat! MS
Bimba Y Lola have an Xtreme new campaign
Spanish brand Bimba Y Lola always fill us with jow with their camp, ever-so-slightly bizarre campaigns and their latest for SS23 is no less wacky and surreal. Being a fashion girly should of course count as an extreme sport – shopping a sample sale is a contact sport after all – and playing on the idea of a summer spent getting an adrenaline rush at beaches, outdoors and skateparks, the photos shot by Grant James-Thomas sees the Bimba Y Lola fanny bag being held in the hands of models. Both sexy and feisty with its bikini curved tough pockets, a variety of bold colours in leather or performance fabric and a choice of sports straps, beaded tassels or a big 90s chain; the bag flies through the wind and ocean spray as its holder glides on a surfboard, or slams against the sands of a volleyball court or a long jump box. If the bag can survive all of that, it can survive your long summer nights out till the morning after. TG
The Virgil Abloh x Futura shoe you’ve been dreaming about for 4 years is here!
It’s been 84 years… (okay, it’s been four) but you will definitely remember those stunning, double-laced, street-art-printed Nike trainers that debuted on the Off-White runway in Paris during the SS20 shows. All heads turned and credit cards were at the ready to snag a pair of the very special shoe – a collaboration that celebrated the signature styles of house founder Virgil Abloh and legendary NY graffiti artist Futura – when they would be released. But that day never came, and while rumours have been swirling every season that the shoe might finally make it to the shop floor we’ve been left waiting. That is until now! Sotheby’s have announced that they will be auctioning off just eight pairs of the Nike Dunk Low ‘Virgil Abloh™ x Futura Laboratories’ designed by Virgil and Futura, with all proceeds going to the soon-to-be launched Virgil Abloh Foundation. There will also be a public exhibition of the shoe too. With the online auction running from 5 to 14 April, book off work and set your alarms now! This is one not to be missed. TG
Lucas Ossendrijver has designed your new everyday wardrobe at Theory
Since the late 90s, Theory has been curating our everyday city life wardrobes and for their latest collection, they once again partnered with Lanvin designer Lucas Ossendrijver on a line of garments that emit a New York working girly energy. That’s girly in the gender-neutral internet meaning to be clear, because this mix of both womenswear and menswear plays with the binary and fluid materials with movement cut in fluid, unique ways that echo the Big Apple’s culture. Hooded plaid jackets – both cropped and not and featuring bold black detailing – are ready for the streets while tailoring is minimal and sleek, consisting of collarless blazers and beautifully draped skirts, and patched trousers have a utility edge. This collection marks the first ever trainer from the brand too; the unisex sneaker holding a range of hues from lilac to cognac and featuring rubberised shoes perfect for walking all those blocks. Available from today, check out the full collection now on the Theory website. TG
Gray Wielebinski takes over Selfridges’ Art Block
While you probably primarily think of Selfridges as one of your favourite places in the British capital to shop your cotton socks off, it’s also a must-visit destination for anyone looking to admire top-tier works of art. No, we’re not talking about the candy-tone croc Kellys in the Hermès concession window, we’re talking about the London luxury emporium’s Art Block, a permanent installation site just inside the Duke Street entrance, programmed in collaboration with non-profit arts organisation Bold Tendencies. The latest to take to the prestigious plinth is Gray Wielebinski, a Texas-born, London-based artist whose practice explores the overlooked intersections of mythology, nationhood, masculinity, power, desire, memory and more through myriad media. Exhibition, their site-specific commission for Selfridges, riffs on the notion of the public restroom as a monument, a sanctuary, and a space of seclusion, with the installation that Selfridges was, in fact, the first department store to open women’s bathrooms, following 20th century feminist campaigns to equalise access to public sanitation facilities. Beyond this, though, the work also invokes the history of public bathrooms as cruising sites, and their current status as a battleground for currently waging culture wars, as the transphobic discourse around so-called “bathroom panics” well proved. A must-see for the culture vultures among you – take our word for it, we really aren’t taking the piss! MS
Calvin Klein claim a BTS star as their new global ambassador
Now following in the footsteps of Mark Wahlberg, Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner, Jacob Elordi and Michael B. Jordan as one of the hotties fronting a Calvin Klein campaign is none other than the k-pop boy who has hearts melting worldwide, Jung Kook of BTS! Yes, while the band work on their solo endeavours and military services, Jung Kook will also be stripping down for Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein Underwear as one of their global ambassadors this season. In a series of very 90s photographs taken by Park Jong Ha, he poses in straight-fit jeans that show a hint of waistband and open denim jackets and shirts that expose his twink abs and tattooed arms. Calvin Klein, thank you for your services to fangirls everywhere. TG
Chloé debuts a new bag fit for a queen for SS23
Fun fact: So the name Penelope means weaver and it comes from the Ancient Greek tale of Penelope, queen of Ithaca, who was in love with Oysseus and while he was at war she kept her suitors at bay by being like “sorry i’m busy weaving this super-long burial shroud” and that’s a little bit iconic. Anyway, tangentially, french maison Chloé have debuted the Penelope bag for SS23. Coming in three sizes and tones ranging from sandy beige and rich caramel to royal blue and sultry red, the medium bag is more boxy and structured while the small bag and a clutch are slouchy (pooling in your arm like, say, an extra-long burial shroud perhaps) and have gorgeous braided leather detailing and tassels as well as a gold metal coin closure. But while they may have an ancient glamour to their style, these bags are also forward-looking, with environmentally-friendly leathers (ones that are organic, recycled or deadstock) making up 90% of their SS23 offerings and are lined with linen, a much lower-impact material than most fabrics. Penelope, Queen of Ithaca, you would have loved the Chloé Penelope bag, we sure do! TG