Godt fredag, mine elskere! Yes, Copenhagen Fashion Week was last week and Emma Chamberlain is on her way back to the US with all her new Ganni goodies, ready for some R&R before the rest of the SS23 womenswear shows take over our lives very soon. But in the meantime we have a short, sharp and sweet dose of fashion news to keep your dopamine levels high. From a magical new face of Prada Beauty to a new tasty collab over at Vivendii. There’s also an iconic Telfar fashion moment turned into a ready-to-wear collection, Fear of God’s ESSENTIALS AW22 and Samuel Ross of A-COLD-WALL* bringing back his grant to support young Black British artists. We even had a little chat with everyone’s favourite kinky crochetier Gui Rosa! Here’s what’s in fashion.
Prada Beauty gets a brand new face
The team over in Camp Prada have a pretty good thing going where their muses are concerned. Whether it’s Hunter Schafer and Jeff Goldblum for Prada, or Sydney Sweeney and Emma Corrin for Miu Miu, the brands within Miuccia’s stable have some of the most in-demand faces in fashion on lock (and, presumably, some very generous retainers). For the launch of Prada Beauty – a new venture for the Milanese powerhouse in collaboration with L’Oréal – via an official Instagram account which dropped this week with suspiciously little fanfare, the brand announced its latest ambassador by way of a drip feed of enigmatic posts. “An artist, an activist, an actor, a woman set free in the spirit of indefinability,” one read. “Sophisticated, fiercely feminine, intensely intellectual,” another declared. “She’s everything and the opposite. Always running towards the next version of herself. Who could she be?” The answer to that, of course, is Emma Watson! The face of Prada’s new Anonyme fragrance, she’s the latest A-lister to take on a leading role in the Pradaverse. Trust us, we’re already chomping at the bit for the full campaign! MS
The Samuel Ross Black British Artist Grant Programme is back for another year!
If there is anyone who truly embodies excellence in the fashion space, it’s Samuel Ross. The designer, artist and creative from Northampton – who, after being mentored by Off-White’s Virgil Abloh, eventually set up the famed menswear label A-COLD-WALL* – has been supporting other young talents in the form of The Samuel Ross Black British Artist Grant Programme since 2020. Now, it’s back again with the grant currently accepting applications until the 29th August. The scheme, now in its fourth instalment, is focused on increasing access, visibility and integration across the creative industries for members of the Black British community, through a £2,500 grant and an organic membership. This year, the recipients of the award will be selected not only by Samuel himself and his advisory board, but also fellow groundbreaking designer Grace Wales Bonner, who noted in a statement that she is “excited about seeing the level of talent we can support this year.” If you’re a Black British creative – especially in the areas of industrial and graphic design, fine art, furniture, sculpture or fashion – then you can apply for the grant at community.samuel-ross.com. TG
Vivendii activates its full horsepower with a fresh collab
Whether through their DJ sets under the name Vivendii Sound or their print-heavy garments that evoke a particular early-Internet Explorer nostalgia, Jimmy Ayeni and Ola Badiru – the co-founders of London/Lagos-based collective and cultural platform Vivendii – have played a crucial role in fuelling the ascent of Nigeria’s white-hot youth culture to global renown. For their latest release, though, they’ve managed to get a bit of a boost from Power Horse, one of Nigeria’s most popular energy drinks brands, resulting in a fresh new collaborative capsule. Born of an initiative run by Power Horse to support emerging talent last year, the collaboration has resulted in a co-branded t-shirt in Vivendii’s signature lo-fi, cut-and-paste-collage style. “Power Horse values innovative thinking and pushing the envelope creatively,” says Ola, highlighting the common values that Vivendii and the drinks brand share. “It’s all about the energy. We are energy and power. We are both what drives society forward.” To celebrate the launch, the Vivendii boys enlisted their global community – which includes familiar names like Mowalola, Deto Black and Pa Salieu to be part of a photo series spotlighting the new tee. Fancy one yourself? Down a powerhorse and zoom over to the Vivendii webstore this Sunday to get one before they’re gone! MS
Telfar Performance is giving us activewear fit for an Olympic athlete
Do you remember last year’s Olympic Games? No, neither do I. However, you of course remember the iconic wardrobe worn by the Liberian team’s athletes during the games and the opening ceremony, designed by none other than fellow Liberian, Telfar Clemens. From mesh riffs on the designer’s emblematic asymmetric tanks to sweatpants wrapped like sarongs, the team were serving looks. If fashion was counted as a sport – well, shopping definitely is at least – they would have taken home every gold medal going. Anyway, that collection has now been extended into Telfar Performance, with 14 new styles that include leggings, compression tops and shorts, a singlet, a swim hat and a jumpsuit for both those who spend their days running on a track or flicking through a clothing rack. Each unisex piece comes in skin-tight black nylon with sleek white detailing, and the iconic half tank of last year returns, now a tad more revealing than the ones worn by the athletes – this is what Maddy Perez wears on school Sports Day. The full collection is available now at the Telfar online store. TG
Fear of God’s all-American ESSENTIALS is back for AW22
No doubt you’re already picking out your butch vests, auntiecore statement pieces and mary-janes to get the AW22 style – but what about the staple garments to finish out your looks this season? Enter Fear of God with their new ESSENTIALS collection for AW22. In tones of stone, acid wash denim and a Neapolitan mix of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla shades, the collection is filled with minimalist pieces in contemporary styles and shapes that give off a modern yet classic American energy. From corduroy jumpers (the sexiest of all jumpers) and baggy sweatpants, to hand-draping oversized hoodies that Ariana Grande would adore and sweatshirts, shorts and letterman jackets all adorned by the numbers 1977, the year founder Jerry Lorenzo was born. The collection and the campaign will be released on 24 August so keep your eyes peeled on the socials to grab it while you can! TG
Gui Rosa proves crochet can be kinky
There are certain materials and fibres that instinctually connote kink and fetish. Leather? Of course. PVC? Duh! Mohair? Uhm… not so much. Well, prior to seeing the latest body of work by maître-crochetier Gui Rosa, that would’ve been our response, too. Offering a collection and lookbook that explores the unexpected sensuality of knit – how, for some, a fine, hand-crocheted jumpsuit can elicit the same exquisite haptic pleasure as a well-powdered gimp suit does for others – the London-based designer is elevating the codes of woolie (or wool fetishist) culture to standards befitting fashion’s highest stages. Here, Gui spins the full yarn on his fantastically fuzzy new work. MS
Hi Gui! How would you summarise the spirit of your latest collection for us in 3 words or set phrases?
‘As long as there has been wool, there were people who were aroused by it.’ Concealing while on display. Interpreting the Kama Sutra atop a crocheted air mattress.
What was the main jumping-off point for the collection?
At the beginning of this collection, I visited a village in Portugal where every two years they cover the whole town in crochet – and I mean buildings, statues, entire roundabouts. They laid there wrapped and concealed in stitch. It only made sense that every single piece in this body of work was made entirely by hand, so two years of fantasies later, I’ve envisaged a crocheted stitch so tight it emphasises the rapport between the flesh and the mesh, ridding the body of the obvious appeal of exposed skin. The fetish is being enveloped in the knitted chrysalis.
Is there a particular piece or look that you think of as the cornerstone of the collection?
The après-skate full-body mohair bodysuit, complete with its crochet miniskirt, matching crochet boot bag and crochet wig. The design carries the idea that woolies are in a relationship with the artificial epidermis that conceals their skin. They are in an all-consuming relationship solely with their clothes, so I’ve obsessively layered them in itchy and supple pieces entirely made by hand. The obsessiveness and the repetition invoke the perverse nature of the mohair fetish.
Are there any particular pieces that stand out for you?
I have a particular penchant for the poncho assembled from thousands of individually crocheted lurex and chenille flowers which form a bulbous shape around the torso. We’ve also deflowered a single orifice in the front of the cape which allows you to carry a cowboy boot-shaped crochet purse!
What are you wearing from the collection, and where?
The microchain linked gold crochet lapland safarienne mini dress to Sunday night ‘Spaghetti’ at Nan Kempner’s in the 90s.
