Girls, it’s scorpio season and you know what that means — it’s time to pause, ground ourselves and figure out what we really want, our true desires and passions, whether that’s to find a new life partner or find a new Bottega Veneta piece for life (the house’s recent announcement has you covered on the latter at least, the former you’re going to have to manifest yourself). In other fashion news, Dior takes Seville, Julia Fox takes KNWLS and Martine Rose takes Florence; Kiko Kostadinov has brought about an exciting collab with Hysteric Glamour; Black fashion talents are being celebrated at the Saatchi gallery; Ugg are going regenerative; and you can now deck out the kids in your life in head-to-toe Rick Owens. Adorable! We also had a chat with Vanna Youngstein about her new collab with global skate crew Violet. Here’s what’s in fashion.
Bill Strobeck and Vanna Youngstein launch Vanna4Violet
If you’ve had your eyes on Vanna Youngstein’s limited edition 90s baby tees, you know, the ones worn by all the Euphoria girlies — Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, Hunter Schafer and Sydney Sweeney — on the show, or the iconic Cherry Baby style seen in Carly Rae Jepsen’s Petra Collins-directed “Boy Problems” video, you’re in luck. The legendary downtown designer and stylist has teamed up with another New York legend — skate videographer Bill Strobeck, known for his work with Supreme on films like cherry and Mind Goblin, and founder of global skate collective Violet, who recently featured in this very magazine (read up on the supremely talented crew here). Their new collaboration, Vanna4Violet, features a heart-bejewelled ‘Scorpion’ tee modelled on Chloë Sevigny, and Ama Elsesser’s sweet Violet Princess bow tank, which are dropping on violetstate.com today. Like Vanna’s designs for her cult namesake label, we expect these pieces to sell out pretty much immediately… so read through our chat below about the new, highly-coveted Violet collab – wheat pasted all over downtown New York – then hop to it!! ND
How did your line with Violet come about? What are your main sources of inspiration?
Seven Strong spoke to Bill and suggested that Violet collaborate with me and I was really excited and honoured because they were already doing such cool stuff. Efron Danzig had been wearing a lot of my tees, so it felt like a natural fit and Efron and all of the team were definitely a big source of inspiration.
You’ve had your own clothing line for some time now. What’s been your favourite part of collaborating with Violet?
My fave part was being able to discuss ideas and go through styles together. We have similar references and I really respect Bill and everyone on Violet’s taste and style. I loved being able to produce a whole kind of capsule collection together.
Tell us about one of your favourite items in the drop.
I love them all — the Miss Violet Girl tee is from a vintage T-shirt I’ve had for ages that Bill has taken my photo in front of his wall in, so it’s kind of full circle. It’s a 70s Miss Pageant tee; we remade it and changed it to Miss Violet ‘22. I also really love the Scorpion tee with the mini heart studs because it’s kind of sweet and sour. The kiss two piece is really special too — I’ve been making the “kiss” studded tees for a while and we decided to make a special showpiece version — looks so sick!
The photos that Bill shot for collab feature some major NYC babes, from Ama Elsesser to Chloë Sevigny. Who are your ultimate style icons?
I know!!! I feel so lucky to have them all in the photos! I love cartoon characters and movie characters — my ultimate style icons are Lula Pace Fortune (Wild at Heart), Betty Boop, Morticia Adams, Mary Corleone (The Godfather III), Gwen Stefani in the “Sunday Morning” video and Kelis.
Bottega Veneta to last you a lifetime
When you decide to invest in a piece from a lofty luxury brand like Bottega Veneta, you want to do so safely in the knowledge that your purchase will hold out for a good amount of time. Well, thanks to a new scheme from the Italian house, now, you can. From November onwards, the brand will be providing a ‘Certificate of Craft’ along with the purchase of a selection of its most iconic items. More than just a chic piece of paper, the physical and digital token offers confident assurance that their new bit of Bottega will stand the test of time. And if ever it’s in need of a refresh or repair — 5, 10, 20 years down the line — all you’ll need to do is head to one of the house’s numerous retail locations, where you’ll be handsomely looked after. Innovative a scheme as it may seem, it is, in fact, a vindication of the ethos that has been at the heart of the brand since its founding day. “Our vision remains consistent with the one of our founders,” Leo Rongone, Bottega Veneta’s CEO, says. “They wanted Bottega Veneta to represent the most elevated and refined form of luxury. We count days, not hours, to make our products. They are designed to last forever.” MS
Dior Cruise 2023 campaign takes to the halls of Seville’s palaces
Cast your minds back to Dior’s Cruise 2023 show in June and you’ll remember that it was a celebration of Spanish – specifically Seville’s – history of fashion, music and dance with leather chaps, shadowy boleros and crimson dresses for that flamenco-inspired aesthetic. For the Cruise campaign, Maria Grazia Chiuri enlisted photographer Laura Sciacovelli to convey the elegance of the collection within the palaces of the old Andalusian capital. The modern equestrian chic of Dior’s ateliers and its latest Matador edge, fill the hallowed, naturally-lit corridors of the palace like dreamy scenes from culebrones (that’s the spanish equivalent of a telenovela). The photos are an embodiment of the beauty of Spanish culture, a testament to the often overlooked intricate traditions of the country’s fashions and the love and respect they have for craftsmanship, something they and Dior have in common. TG
Rick Owens has a kids line!
If you needed any further proof that kid’s fashion is in its hype era, then here it is: Rick Owens is officially launching a kids’ line! A result of the fact that “after 20 years of working together,” Rick writes, “babies are entering our lives in a big way”. With numerous members of the brand’s core team recently adding to their family, the new Babygeo collection sees iconic RO silhouettes – think black zippered bombers, clompy Ramones sneakers and drop crotch sarouel pants – reimagined in mini. “It has always been about furnishing our world and meeting our personal needs in the most harmonious way possible,” Rick writes of his brand’s central mission. “Making things for our babies is our new chapter.” Whether now or in the future, if you want to have the chicest kids on the playground, you know where to go. MS
Julia Fox is a KNWLS girl
Is there anything more fated, more written in the stars, than Julia Fox becoming a KNWLS girly? The actress, model and all-round muse to us all, is featured in the latest campaign for the CSM-born, Fashion East-nurtured label by Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault and their gritty, slutty fits for AW22. Photographed by Elizaveta Porodina, Julia showcases the corset bodices, sheer fabric bodysuits, low-waist worn-leather miniskirts and fitted jackets, and bulky knit barely-there cardigans, all from the collection entitled ‘Precious’. “Julia is an icon of our time who embodies our values; strong, unapologetic and authentic,” the designers said in a statement. “Collaborating with Julia and watching her transform in front of Elizaveta’s lens was thrilling and a perfect combination of fierceness — she exudes power and resilience which is the energy we strive for with every collection. Spending time together, we realised how much we have in common, both feeling that we’ve had a lot to overcome in our respective fields. This shoot gave us the chance to come together and create something meaningful, which we’ll always remember.” Tbh, it’s a masterpiece, if I do say so myself. TG
Martine Rose takes flight for Florence
Ok, we know that it feels like the SS23 shows only ended, like, yesterday, so it may feel a bit premature to be discussing plans for AW23, but fashion is an industry with a pace that waits for no one — you either keep up or you get out! In any case, this week, we received news that has us chomping at the bit for the next season – London hometown hero Martine Rose is going international, showing her first collection outside the British capital. Rather than follow the lead of many of her British menswear contemporaries and swap London for Paris, though, she’ll be showing at Pitti Uomo in Florence — an honour that has recently been bestowed on illustrious independent brands like Wales Bonner, Telfar and Y/Project. “I’m so honoured to be showing as part of Pitti Uomo in January. Pitti were celebrating men’s design way ahead of the curve and many of the designers I respect have been a part of it,” Martine said in a statement. “We are all so excited to come to Florence, a city I love, with our next collection!” And we’re just too excited to be there and see it! MS
A collaboration to really get hysterical about
With so many collabs knocking about these days, it’s rare that we come across one that truly has us shook. This week, however, our typically jaded perspective on things was dramatically lifted with the announcement of Kiko Kostadinov’s collaboration with Hysteric Glamour. Referencing the cult Japanese brand’s early work, in particular its iconic textual graphics, Laura and Deanna Fanning have transposed punchy visuals onto inimitably Kiko Kostadinov Woman pieces – skirt trousers, warped stripy knits and three-way zip faux denim jackets. Rounding out the offering is a seriously hype-worthy shoe — a sneaker born of the minds of the London-based design duo, the Japanese brand and Asics, with whom the Kiko Kostadinov studio has a longstanding collaborative relationship. There’s also a photobook by Rosie Marks, which — following in the tradition of Hysteric Glamour’s limited-edition early-90s books – compiles a quietly surreal series of vignettes that contemplate contemporary notions of beauty and glamour. Believe us when we say that we’re in full-blown hysteria trying to figure out how and where we can it all! Which, if you’re in Tokyo, is at either Dover Street Market Ginza or Hysteric Glamour. The rest of us will have to hold out till November 8th, the date of the worldwide release on the Kiko Kostadinov webshop.
A new exhibition in London celebrates the best of Black talents in the fashion world
Opening today at the Saatchi Gallery in London is a new, must-see exhibit holding some of the most iconic works from Black people within the fashion world. Entitled, The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion, the exhibition is curated by Antwaun Sargent, the writer of the book of the same name, and features photography by 15 Black photographers, many of whom are i-D faves including, Campbell Addy, Tyler Mitchell, Renell Medrano and Nadine Ijewere. There’s also the celebration of Black creative talents in other elements of the fashion world including styling, modelling, makeup and creative direction. The exhibit has been generously sponsored by Burberry, who are committed to forging opportunities and tending to creativity within young people in open, public spaces, and will be organising free workshops, tours and resources within the gallery and off-site for schools and local community groups. Running until January 22, 2023, you can walk-in or pre-book tickets from the Saatchi website. TG
UGG are going regenerative
As we leave a surprisingly warm October and soon plummet into winter, it can only mean one thing: It’s time to get the UGG’s out and slip your frosty toes into those warm, fleece-lined booties. But if you’re in the market for a new pair then UGG have released their most exciting footwear yet — a pair made entirely from regenerative materials. Available for both children and adults, the Classic Mini Regenerative — as seen on model and activist Quannah Chasinghorse — is crafted with materials from Atkins Ranch, a farm committed to landscaping using regenerative traditions that work to restore soil, encourage wildlife diversity, capture carbon within the ground, and preserve the land for future generations. The sheepskin body is sourced from regenerative agriculture while the sole is made from fast-growing sugarcane and has the same level of cushioning and buoyancy as other products in the UGG range such as the Treadlite. Ugg have also partnered with the Savory Institute’s Land to Market program, which promotes verified regenerative farming solutions working toward ecosystem protection and reversing environmental degradation, and the brand has promised to restore one million acres of grassland into regenerative farmland by 2025. We love to see it! TG