Attention Blinks!!! As you no doubt already know JENNIE has teamed up with Calvin Klein to release her first fashion collaboration, but how is she wearing the collection and what are her favourite pieces? Below we caught up with the k-pop star on the collab. Elsewhere in fashion news we have beachy summer campaigns from Gucci, Burberry and Jimmy Choo; anniversaries to celebrate at Lacoste and Levi’s; new eras at Helmut Lang and Nuba; and must-see pop ups from Dover Street Market and Paloma Wool. Finally there’s a steamy new scent from D.S. & Durga to check out and all the goss from Tbilisi Fashion Week. Here’s what’s in fashion.
JENNIE on how she’s styling her first fashion collection
While pop megastars fronting campaigns for fashion megabrands isn’t necessarily anything new, what is, however, is seeing these ritzy brand ambassadors step into the design studio. The latest global idol to add ‘designer’ to their roster is none other than JENNIE – yes, the JENNIE of BLACKPINK! Teaming up with Calvin Klein, the brand for which she’s served as a global face since 2021, the K-pop icon released an easy-wearing capsule designed with both the vigour of her stage routines and post-performance chillout time in mind. Comprising soft-to-the touch jersey bralettes and bottoms, joggers, tees and crewneck sweatshirts – as well as more fashion-forward 90s-fit jeans, knitted dresses and a sculpted denim bra – Jennie for Calvin Klein is a testament to the starlet’s effortlessly at-ease personal style and personality – which has also been captured through the lens of Korean photographer Hong Jang Hyun for the capsule’s official campaign. With the collection now available to shop, we caught up with JENNIE to hear more about the creative process behind her first fashion collection, her favourite pieces, and how she’s styling them. MS
Hi JENNIE! How does it feel to be releasing your collection?
It was an honour to work with such an iconic brand on my first apparel collection, and so exciting to work on the pieces from fabric details to colours together.
Can you tell us about the design process? What sort of conversations did you have with the Calvin Klein team while you were working on the project together?
I had a very close conversation with the CK team from the beginning. Thankfully, they did a lot of research on the styles, colours and fits I like, so I was encouraged to openly share my ideas and thoughts, and they made it a reality.
What’s your favourite look from the collection?
While I love all the pieces in the Jennie for Calvin Klein collection, one of my absolute favourites is the lilac knit dress. I love how versatile it is – it can be dressed down with a denim shirt or dressed up with a pair of heels.
How are you styling pieces from the collection with the rest of your wardrobe?
The pieces are very iconic and are simple items, so you can mix and match any items you have in your closet. You can match a baby t-shirt with other jeans or skirts, or pair a denim jacket with other dresses you have.
D.S. & Durga want you to smell the rainbow
Indie perfumer D.S. & Durga have earned a name for creating fragrances that offer a synaesthetic lens into places, experiences and objects you probably thought impossible to faithfully harness through scent. A whiff of Rockaway Beach, for example, instantly conjures the mêlée of sunscreen, privet hedge flowers and salty ocean breeze that floats on the air at the Queens, NY beach. And Roman Fruit Sellers does a stellar job of whisking you to the Eternal City’s Campo dei Fiori at the height of summer, awash with ripe peaches, strawberries and blackcurrants brimming from poplar crates, without the hassle of having to deal with the crowds and stifling heat. The transportative power of the brand’s latest fragrance is just as potent, though where it takes you is somewhere no human has gone before. First conceptualised when David Seth Moltz, one of D.S. & Durga’s co-founders, asked himself the innocuous question, “What would a rainbow smell like?”, his answer was an olfactory reflection of a rainbow passing through the vapour rising from rainfall on a hot summer’s day. ”I’ve wanted to make something that smelled like a rainbow for a long time (especially inspired by Terry Riley’s A Rainbow In Curved Air),” says David. “The concept is to use materials of every colour in the rainbow in a certain proportion that is softened in the humid air of their abode,” featuring citrusy top notes of red mandarin, orange and yellow elemi resin, verdant mid notes of green cedar, blue almond flower and indigo grass, and earthy base notes of violet, vetyver and vapours. “Now you can wear rainbows,” David adds. “Wait ’til you sniff how delicate they are.” MS
What went down at Tbilisi Fashion Week
After a four year hiatus, due to the pandemic and the neighbouring war in Ukraine, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi has finally returned! And we could not be more excited. A combination of the city’s mainstays, emerging talents and Ukrainian designers, like Ok Kino and Sayya, took over The Factory last week, which was flooded with the city’s fashionably dressed youth ready to fête the occasion. The calendar was quite full, spanning five days, but lucky for you, we scoped out all the best shows and highlighted some of our favourites below.
One of the first runway shows was Berhasm, the fashion, arts and music collective founded by Beso Turazashvili, who staged their AW23 collection “It Is Not My Dream” around a beat up, graffitied silver Mercedes with white flowers spilling out its doors. Amongst a series of tailored jackets and separates, the label known for mixing streetwear and 90s nostalgia with Eastern European aesthetics, debuted their first ever handbag – an oblong, edgy baguette with silver hardware – and colourful knits, each featuring the Georgian symbol for freedom.
Both God Era, founded by young Georgian designer Nino Goderidze who specialises in sustainable and ethical fashion and is working to develop a biodegradable leather, and Aka Prodiashvili – who’s dressed i-D favourites like Arca and Lady Gaga in his namesake label, also presented collections inspired by liberation. The latter, took over popular club Monohall, and showed his latest offering on the city’s queer artists and drag community. Friends and family looked on, cheering as they all broke out in dance at the finale, a beacon of hope in a country where LGBTQ+ folks face ongoing discrimination.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine and decades of hostility towards Georgia have revealed Russia’s problematic stance towards its independent neighbouring states. The majority of Georgians recognize that Russia poses a significant challenge to our nation,” the notes at Situationist’s show read. “While there are no physical bullets being fired, we are engaged in a war of ideologies, and its wounds are deeply felt among the Georgian community, especially the queer community, as Russian propaganda is often built on anti-queer attitudes.”
After showing in Paris in September, Situationist designer Irakli Rusadze felt it was important to return to Tbilisi for the city’s first fashion week back on the calendar. His menswear collection, thrown together only a few weeks prior, turned out to be the standout of the entire fashion week – shown in Tbilisi’s Sulfur Baths, a historically significant location with ties to the city’s queer culture. Sleek leather coats and trousers were paired with open knits and cheeky sleeveless lace up tops. Skirts done in overlapping denim and pleats added to these looks, while the brand’s impeccably tailored blazers and suits were worn open, often with no top at all. It was an aptly steamy collection, but one that finds power and resistance in unapologetic expression.
Finally, young streetwear label Reckless – founded in 2020 by teenage designers Anka Koiava, Liza Kajrishvili and Masu Mtsariashvili – decided to explore coming-of-age and the insecurities that plague today’s youth, especially within our current moment. Their fifth collection, “My Heart Hurts”, which is written across T-shirts, zip ups and totes, as well as phrases like “I Cried Again Today”, was modelled on their friends and community. The idea behind the melancholy graphics (see also “I Love Hentai”), being that “If you can’t find your place of belonging in the real world – the digital world will accept you,” the show notes read. “There is beauty in that too.”
Though MBFWT’s return saw many designers grappling with socio-political issues, their collections peppered with resistance, the city’s impressive young talents are hopeful – and they deserve to be celebrated. With founder Sofia Tchkonia already looking to October for the next edition, we suggest you keep an eye on the Georgian capital. À la prochaine, fashion fans! ND
Dover Street Market’s legendary sample sale lands in London
LONDON GIRLS! THIS👏IS👏NOT👏A👏FUCKING👏DRILL👏 After six years of wandering the desert, trying to look cute with the scraps you’ve been able to salvage from meagre end-of-season sales, at last – we have at last reached our oasis: the sample sale to end all sample sales. Yes, you infer correctly – Dover Street Market MARKET, the shopping event of fashion lore, is FINALLY returning to London, bringing with it a bumper crop of discounts on pieces you thought long since consigned to the archives. Taking place at Printworks – the now-defunct south London event venue – from Tuesday May 16th till Sunday May 23rd, guests will be able to rifle through a selection of pieces from all the Comme des Garçons brands – not to mention a very broad selection of the brands that DSM stocks – at discounts of up to 80%. What’s more, stock will be regularly replenished across the six days of the event, so multiple visits are advised *pauses to allow you to breathe from a paper bag*. So that’s what’s what – but how the fuck do you get in on the shopping event of the year, you ask? Well, mercifully, it’s a lot easier than the fights you’re gonna have to secure future archive Raf grails will be. All you need to do to head here to register for a ticket, and head down and join the queue. MS
A Paloma Wool pop-up lands in London
Paloma Wool have already made a name for themselves as a favourite of today’s it-girls, and now the Barcelona-based brand is bringing itself to the streets of East London for you to experience it in the flesh. It’s not quite like the usual pop-up store experience though: items from the SS23 collection will be on display in a stunning exhibition space crafted by artist Carsten in der Elst for you to look at and touch. But no piece comes off the rack! Instead, you will then be given a sheet where you note the pieces you want to try on, which will be fetched by the team along with personalised styling advice. Then, you can either buy the pieces you love there and then or have them shipped to you via free three-to-five day shipping. This is the first time the exclusively online label has come to London and who knows when it’ll be here next, so make sure you pop on down to the space at 133 to 135 Bethnal Green Road before it closes on 21 May. TG
Burberry drops the swimwear of the summer
If, like us, you’ve been on a frantic hunt for your swimsuit of the summer since you saw spring’s first blossoms, then you can finally relax – your search stops here. Why? Well, because Burberry just dropped the unofficial beach looks of the season, a capsule of briefs, bikinis, shorts and robes – not to mention ludicrously capacious totes to carry it all in – all in the house’s iconic Check. As if the very prospect of sporting a Burberry Bikini sur la plage de Brighton, Bognor or whatever other glam beach destination you have on the cards for the summer, wasn’t enough to convince you, then a deliciously sensual campaign shot by Tyrone Lebon – and scored by Vegyn, with a spoken word contribution from Covco – will. MS
Gisele embodies the spirit of the season of Jimmy Choo
“Are those the…” The Jimmy Choo high-octane, gold agave flat gladiator sandals? Yeah, they are. As the face of Jimmy Choo’s latest campaign, Gisele Bündchen summons all the immaculate sunny vibes. In a series of photographs by Carlijn Jacobs and a film by Paul McLean, the Brazilian supermodel stands amid tropical foliage with the aforementioned sandals and lounges about on sandy beaches with pearl embellished slides and the woven bon bon bucket maxi bag. Other shoes seen on Gisele include the chunky platform Sayeda sandals and the glamorous strappy Indiya heels that are both frontrunners to be shoe of the season. Maybe the weather hasn’t caught up with her yet but if Gisele says summer is here, well, then summer is here! TG
Gucci puts a summery spin on its classics
It’s no secret that Gucci is a truly timeless brand, and showcasing that the house’s classics pieces are the perfect addition to your outfit all year round, their latest campaign, Gucci Summer Stories, reinterprets them for the poolside in light, summery raffia. Here, Harley Weir’s photographs show the iconic Jackie 1961 bag now woven with leather detailing, while the beloved horsebit loafers are also given a new woven look, and softened with cooling, earthy tones. Jumbo GG leather duffles and tote bags come in a variety of sizes depending on whether its a weekend getaway or an extended vacation you need, while the women’s and men’s apparel offering are filled with printed silk, breezy cotton and cool linen pieces perfect for slipping over board shorts and bikinis. Check out your new holiday wardrobe at gucci.com or in stores. TG
Peter Do bags the top job at Helmut Lang
It’s rare that we receive fashion news that slaps a wide grin on our jaded mugs, but this week, we received just that. So what is the news, you ask? Well, two titans of New York fashion – one old, one new – are soon to become one, with the announcement breaking on Wednesday that Peter Do has bagged the top job at none other than Helmut Lang. A longstanding admirer of the designer – who’s wispy, body-conscious, minimalist aesthetic continues to make itself felt across the fashion landscape – Peter will be the latest in a series of creatives tasked with restoring the brand to the acclaim it enjoyed under its namesake founder, who formally quit fashion in 2005 to focus on his fine art practice. As well as his new gig, Peter will reportedly continue to create collections for his cult namesake label. “No one embodied radical thinking more definitively than Helmut Lang. It is my deep honour to be entrusted with ushering in the next chapter of Helmut Lang’s legacy,” Peter says. “I am excited to learn from the foundations this house stands on and to continue creating new, energetic clothes that inspire people to challenge their understanding of what is possible when it comes to expressing their individuality.” While we’re certainly looking forward to the summer, we’re just as eager for what awaits us on the other side of it, when Peter Do makes his Helmut Lang debut at New York Fashion Week. September can’t come sooner! MS
Levi’s 150 years of 501s with a London pop-up
A century and a half ago a Nevada tailor had the idea to reinforce the points of strain on denim trousers with copper rivets in order to make them stronger. Taking the idea to Levi Strauss, the blueprint for the modern day jean was born and it was called Levi’s 501s. Since then it’s become a wardrobe staple – one that has shaped modern day culture from barrels of 501s being imported to Kingston, Jamaica in the 70s, to hippies adding extra material to the ends to make flares, and mods squeezing themselves into the tightest pair they could find. To celebrate the anniversary of one of the greatest garments created and its cultural legacy, particularly in music, Levi’s have opened a series of installations and experiences in Shoreditch, London. Iconic artists from the London scene will perform on Levi’s sound systems, while a map will trace Bass culture in the city, and other exhibits will feature rare archival pieces from Levi’s story. There are also panel talks from DJ legend David Rodigan and a guerilla art performance from street artist Navinder Nangla, and, finally, the world’s first vibro-acoustic therapy tub with deep bass vibrations of varying strengths offers soothing respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. Check it all out from Thursday 18 May to Sunday 21 May at 11 Dray Walk and Dray Walk Gallery, 91 Brick Lane, Shoreditch. TG
The Lacoste Crocodile turns 90
Happy 90th birthday to Lacoste! The French label, created by tennis player Rene Lacoste, is celebrating nine decades of defining sports chic and streetwear worldwide, with their new campaign, entitled Impossible Encounters, celebrating the many subcultures it has impacted. Lacosteiros, a São Paulo vibrant baile funk party where attendees share their Lacoste-filled wardrobe to create new party looks, the French rap scene and global vintage lovers (especially those in Tokyo) are some of the communities featured in the campaign. There’s, of course, the sporting communities too, on the court and golf course, who have been wearing the brand’s performance ready gear since it began. Here, these communities are cinematically paired with one another to showcase their similarities and differences and the way they each use the brand to express themselves. TG
Young London label Nuba enters a new phase
You may already be familiar with Nuba, the brand founded by Cameron Williams in 2020 upon his graduation from Central Saint Martins’ prestigious MA Fashion programme. Since starting out, Nuba has earned a reputation for creating resolutely elegant, conceptually charged clothing, born of a meditation on notions of displacement and how people adapt in the face of it. While the brand has existed for 3 years, it now enters a new era, with Cameron now joined by newly appointed co-creative director Jebi Labembika, a Cameroon-born, London-based art director and image-maker. Initially meeting while both were studying at CSM, the pair had informally collaborated prior to Jebi coming onboard earlier this year. Last month, Escape, the first fruits of Nuba’s new era, was revealed at an intimate event in London. Featuring installations composed of the collection’s intricately draped fleece hoodies, quilted gilets and skirted pants, alongside tender images of the collection shot by Joyce NG, it marked a formal start to a new chapter for the brand, one that Cameron and Jebi discuss further below.
What brought the two of you together and made you want to embark on this new chapter of the brand as a duo?
Cameron Williams: Well, we’ve been friends for a few years now — we first met studying at Central Saint Martins — and since we met, there have always been similarities between our visions. I felt Jebi could really contribute from a unique perspective. What I’ve been trying to do with Nuba is create a brand that’s focussed on the idea of both physical and cultural displacement, and between his West African upbringing and my experience of Afro-Carribean culture growing up here in the UK, it felt really complementary.
Jebi Labembika: Our research is really aligned and, while we come from different creative backgrounds, there are many similarities in how we understand the notion of displacement and of having to create identities within a space that you aren’t necessarily from. Initially, I just started helping Cameron with the art direction as a friend, but we eventually realised that it made sense to merge our respective perspectives on communication and design.
You’ve spoken a bit about your similarities, but what are you say are your key differences? And how do they complement one another?
Jebi: Well, I’m more image trained, and Cameron’s definitely more design trained. I come from a perspective of looking at photographs, and thinking about how garments should look in images, and how they should communicate a message. Cameron, on the other hand, thinks a lot more about the design details — the threads, the buttonholes, the seams. And that’s what makes it a strong union. I’ll come in when he’s draping, for example, and suggest what I think could make for a stronger visual, or when I’m pulling together references for a shoot, Cameron will say what references make sense from a design perspective.
Cameron: Because I started Nuba, I know what the brand’s foundations are, but in building this new chapter, I’m really excited to see how we’re going to develop the story. Having that contrast between my understanding of Nuba and Jebi’s interpretation of it has really helped to generate lots of interesting ideas around displacement, travel and movement — not just of people, but of cultures, too — and how that then translates to the clothing.
So how does that translate from a design perspective?
Cameron: It really goes back to the research. A lot of our primary research is images of people we see going to, say, the market, dressed in a combination of clothes from the culture they’re originally from, which often have an element of modesty to them, and clothes influenced by the urban environment they’ve been transposed to. I quite like that juxtaposition, and think it trickles down into things like the hoodies. They’re quite practical, but they still have a modesty to them. And there’s of course an element of tailoring there as Nuba is, at its heart, a youthful tailoring focused brand. It’s about showing this sense of preparedness and sophistication that I feel today’s youth are really trying to achieve.
Jebi: That’s why the collection is titled “Escape”, because we’ve often felt quite trapped, and bound to an idea of who we are that’s already pre-written for us. In researching, we returned to this notion of community, looking at images of aunties and uncles — women in Dalston, Brixton, Cameroon. That was really the foundation of this collection: people who have found a way to escape from a traditional idea of how they should be, and create new identities that are separate from the stereotypical traps. We wanted to bring a sense of softness, fragility and vulnerability, and counterpose that with an elegance, toughness and resilience. That’s the foundation we wanted to lay for Nuba, and it’s what we want to build on top of as we move forward.
How do you hope people respond to this new chapter of Nuba?
Cameron: We just hope that people feel that we embody something that they’ve been searching for. We want to create a community that feels distinct from the clichés associated with urban youth brands; something that feels more specific and sophisticated, and that also speaks to a community that’s wider than the people that inspire our designs. Ultimately, Nuba is about the story of displacement, of having to exist in an environment that is foreign to your heritage, while still trying to embrace your heritage at the same time. I think that’s something we can all relate to, no matter what age you are, or what culture you come from. I don’t think anyone permanently exists in an environment where they feel they 100% fit in; we’re all constantly trying to find a way to discover our own nuances, and adapt to the circumstances around us.