We are weeks away from putting an ooo on our emails and playing Mariah Carey on loop but until then the sartorial world is still churning and we have lots of chic news from the world of fashion. There’s some exciting exhibitions from Bottega Veneta and Matty Bovan; a wholesome festive campaign from Bimba Y Lola and a short film from Dior; sexy new collabs from Yoshitomo Nara x Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo x Timberland, Jacquemus x Tekla and Mowalola x Bratz; and important initiatives from Grand Collections and END., and Mr Porter. Here’s what’s in fashion.
Get your hands on a piece of Bottega Veneta’s mesmerising SS23 set
A key part of any truly memorable fashion moment is, of course, its backdrop, and during the SS23 shows, there were few more dazzling sets than the one we saw at Bottega Veneta. It featured a rainbow-hued poured resin floor and 400 cuboidal Come Stai? chairs in complementary vivid hues and a monumental site-specific artwork by architect, artist and designer Gaetano Pesce. Commissioned especially for Matthieu Blazy’s sophomore show for the Milanese house, it brought a Cheshire cat grim to the faces of everyone there, conveying notions of colour, craft and play. Now, a portion of the joyful installation has made its way across the pond to Miami, where a selection of the sculptural chairs will be presented in an exhibition hosted by Bottega Veneta at Design Miami. That’s not all though – coinciding with the exhibition of the emblematic pieces of furniture is a book documenting the process of their making, with photographs by Stephen Shore and Sander Muylaert and a series of one-of-a-kind, handcrafted covers inspired by the Come Stai? Chairs’ materials. If you’re currently in Miami, then head on down and take a seat! MS
Bimba Y Lola rings in the festive season
If Spanish brand Bimba Y Lola is known for one thing, it’s without a doubt it’s jolly, cheerful irreverence – just the kind of spirit we should all be embracing for the festive season! That’s just what makes itself felt in the label’s brand new festive campaign, Merry BIMBAYLOLIZED! An extension of the BIMBAYLOLIZED ethos first introduced in the brand’s AW22 campaign shot by Petra Collins, it sees a host of members of brand’s close family celebrating the holiday season with their Bimba Y Lola bags, all while embodying the brand’s core qualities of positivity, authenticity and freedom. And who doesn’t want that? Head here to grab a slice of the Bimba Y Lola pie. MS
Stella McCartney x Yoshitomo Nara are back for a sequel!
When cult Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, known for his paintings and sculptures full of human emotion, rebellion and love, had his first ever collab with Stella McCartney early last year, it was a huge, sell-out success. Now, after working with Stella on her SS23 runway show, the pair have united again for a new Yoshitomo Nara x Stella McCartney wardrobe inspired by youthful rebellion and love towards people, the planet and animals. What that translates to is tees, hoodies, sweatshirts, varsity jackets and bowling shirts with matching flared trousers, all peppered with cutesy and kitsch character illustrations and powerful, empowering and unapologetic statements. What’s more, in 2023 there will be a mini-me offering of the collection for Stella Kids that will drop with the Spring Summer collection. In the meantime, check out the full Yoshitomo Nara x Stella McCartney Collection now online. TG
This NYC skate brand is crossing the Atlantic to fight food poverty in the UK
For four years now Grand Collection, the NYC-based skatewear brand, has been putting together an annual food drive and fundraiser to support the cities homeless and less fortunate. This year, their community focused initiatives are crossing The Atlantic too, as they partner with UK luxury retailer END. on two chic tees where 100% of the proceeds will be going to London-based food banks. This comes as many in the UK are strongly feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis and Grand Collection notes that one in five families in the country are currently experiencing food insecurity. You can shop the tee, which comes in a beige and a black colourway, now from END.’s online store. The brand is continuing their efforts in New York this year too. After an iconic runway show earlier this season set within the heart of the city’s skate scene also acted as a food drive with guests donating a non-perishable food item, the brand has also promised that a portion of all sales from their online store from now until the end of the year will go to feeding New Yorkers in need. Get your loved ones some cool skatewear this christmas, knowing your gift will also be going to make a change in the world. TG
An exclusive Chen Peng capsule lands on 24S
Though the LVMH Prize may have wrapped up months ago, with Steven Stokey Daley and Eli Russell Linnetz taking home the top and runner up gongs respectively, the fashion conglomerate’s commitment to fostering emerging fashion talent has carried on strong beyond the prestigious award. This week, 24S — the online luxury retail platform owned by the luxury group — announced the release of an exclusive capsule created by Chinese designer Chen Peng. Known for his proportionally intriguing puffers, the designer has released a total of 23 pieces on the platform, spanning cloud-like coats, sweaters, pants and scarves — perfectly on time for the season! Head here to cop yours.
Enter the beautiful, trippy world of Matty Bovan with a new London exhibition
We of course j’adore the psychedelic knit vision of CSM-graduate and Fashion East alumni Matty Bovan and celebrating everything in his world is a new exhibition in the curved glass enclosure of the Now Gallery in the Greenwich Peninsula. Entitled Ribbons by Matty Bovan, the participatory installation will be an immersive entrance into the designers craft with a towering knitted cocoon construction you can enter, with different types of weave within it, that allows you to explore the beauty of Matty’s work from the inside – like you are watching from the POV of a hand or an arm reaching through one of his wearable pieces. Thousands of metres of ribbons have been used for the art piece that is meant to subvert the boundaries between fantasy and reality. There are also other painted art pieces, special scents throughout the exhibition made with perfumers Vyrao to add an extra sensory element, and exclusive hoodies and sweatshirts featuring the knitted ribbons, and t-shirts, tote bags and a book that are all available to purchase. “I want people to be able to escape into the RIBBONS world, to be able to dream, and to want to create their own world, however abstract or literal they wish. My world is full of dreams and nightmares, much like real life, but I do overall believe this is a positive world I have built.” All we know is it’s a world we want to experience for sure! TG
See the process behind the Diorodeo hat
During her tenure at the helm of Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri has forged a reputation as a champion of artisanal craftspeople around the world, using the house’s roaming cruise shows as opportunities to spotlight making techniques and traditions indigenous to the places they’re held in. When Maria Grazia landed in Seville this summer to present a Rosalía-soundtracked ode to the sartorial heritage of southern Spain, she took the opportunity to collaborate with the Fernandez y Roche atelier on the Diorodeo hat, a wide-brimmed, flat-topped straw headpiece that draws inspiration from the hats worn by the region’s horsewomen. Now, the house has released a brand new video offering insight into the care and savoir-faire invested in its making, tracing the process that sees Ecuadorian woven straw transfigured into a veritable object of desire. Click above to check it out! MS
The unexpected pairing of Jimmy Choo and Timberland are back together
You know those couples that you never saw coming but actually, they’re perfect together? Kourtney and Travis, Zendaya and Tom Holland and… Jimmy Choo x Timberland. When the pair first got together back in 2020 we didn’t see it coming but their union was magic. Well it seems the two can’t get enough of each other and are back for another rendez-vous – this time, the collab is a footwear collection inspired by the fashion-forward grittiness of New York. What’s noteworthy about the collaboration is that the two brands opened up their relationship (monogamy is dead after all), turning to Black and Latina-platforming creative agency Harlem’s Fashion Row for a fresh outlook, who introduced them to Shanel Campbell whose designs speak to the Black experience in America. Jimmy Choo creative director Sandra Choi reimagines the iconic OG Yellow Boot from Timberland in a more glamorous style. The result is boots in unisex styles with barbie pink shades and clear soles, thigh high ones with a swarovski collar or with six-inch heels and drowned in the crystals, or covered in graffiti. We’re in love! Whatever one takes your fancy (or all of them!), shop them now at Timberland and Jimmy Choo stores and online as well as other retailers. TG
Jacquemus expands its universe with Tekla
Jacquemus girlies, if you’ve been looking for a way to take your obsession with the cheeky-chic French label beyond looks and into a fully fledged lifestyle, then this is the announcement for you. Jacquemus has joined forces with Copenhagen-based luxe textile maven Tekla on a collection that spans sleepwear, bed linens and products for the home. It includes striped PJs and robes, luxe percale bedsheets and more playful items like gigantic towels-for-two and womenswear crop-tops that look like mens’ boxers. The collection brings a welcome lifestyle expansion to one of fashion’s best loved brands. “This collaboration between our two brands came naturally and spontaneously,” Simon Porte Jacquemus says. “I have always dreamed of developing a bedding and homewear line, with TEKLA it was the perfect match. I’m a great fan of the brand and I feel we share the same universe,” one that you can wear by day, and curl up in at night. MS
The dolls are dolling for Bratz x Mowalola
M3GAN has been found dead in a ditch because there are some new it-dolls on the scene for the girls, gays and theys to obsess over. Everyone knows that Bratz are the dolls du jour for Gen Z fashion girlies with severe main character syndrome and were constantly getting in trouble for shortening their school skirts and wearing make up, and so it just makes sense that the MGA toys next collaboration is with Mowalola, the cult fashion designer known for her transgressive, slutty designs. Two of the “girls with a passion for fashion” – “Kool Kat” Jade and “Glam Gecko” Felicia – have been given a makeover in their own unique and very-Mowalola creations. Fashion editor Jade is stepping into her 10 till 6 office job, two oat milk double-shot lattes already inhaled, wearing a bold yellow mesh Star Lava dress with red pleather star patches placed just perfectly enough to keep HR from calling her in for a chat, and accessorised with platform thonged sandals and knee-high socks. She’s also of course carrying a striped Illusion mini dress and motocross jacket in her work bag for the PR event she’s going to do a circle of before making a french exit for an underground rave later. Meanwhile party girl Felicia is hitting the dance floor in an MTV sultry red zip-up jacket and dynamic Poison Pleaser boots with towering heels. And yes, of course, she’s going to trip in them and spill her double vodka cran across her white cutout vest but it’s okay because she’s also carrying a suave black maxi dress and bug-eyed sunglasses in her one-of-a-kind Glam Gecko oversized bag she was gifted earlier in the day. The dolls also have trendy bushed and bleached brows, unique horned or antler hairstyles and standout features unseen before on the toys and each comes with a certificate of authenticity to show they’re better than anyone else’s Bratz doll. “Growing up as a tomboy in Lagos, Nigeria, I have always been fascinated by Bratz dolls with their extreme beauty, looks, and out-of-this-world-fashion. This collaboration with the brand gave me the opportunity to re-examine the ideals of beauty and femininity and how I could bring Bratz into my world and make them reflect my own ideas of beauty,” Mowalola said in a statement. Forget Barbie, I want to be a Bratz girl living in a Mowalola world! TG
Mr Porter has found and supported 3 new exciting menswear labels
It’s true that menswear is the most exciting it has been in a long time, with a host of new young designers ready to push the boundaries of the binary in their creations. Always looking to lift up the next gen of talents and make the industry more diverse and inclusive, earlier this year Mr Porter called on anyone and everyone to submit their proposals for a menswear collection and received over 1,000 ideas from 77 countries. From that, they then chose three brands to support and tutor on a fashion, production and business course from the in-house team and cover the costs of creating two seasons-worth of collections. Now, earlier this month, the first collections of each of the brands have launched. There’s Manaaki by Kat Tua, who turns to her Mãori heritage for hand printed designs on denim and sporty jerseys; Portland’s Miles Leon who, like Dior and Loewe, looked to the garden and nature for inspo; and Saif Ud Deen, a manchester designer who brought a contemporary edge to traditional Islamic attire. Each designer will receive 50% of net profits from the sales and even after their time with Mr Porter Futures ends, they will get continued mentorship as well as £10,000 from Klarna to establish and grow their business. Buy up these collections from the Mr Porter site when they drop on 30 November! Who knows, you could have an OG piece from the next big thing in menswear! TG