London, Paris, Milan, New York … Manchester? Well, yes! This week, the Colombian-born French designer Haider Ackermann – beloved by Tilda Swinton and Timothée Chalamet alike — landed in the Northern English city with a bang. Staging a show for his collaboration with sportswear giant Fila, we bring you a firsthand report of what went down in the town of Oasis, football and the Hacienda. Meanwhile, in Marrakesh, the purveyor of your favourite sheet masks 111Skin introduced a new collaboration with none other than the Aman hotel, while in London, Grace Wales Bonner introduced a holiday capsule collection just in time for festive shopping. Don’t say we don’t scour the globe to bring you the best fashion news. Here’s what’s in fashion.
Haider Ackermann + Fila took to Manchester’s rave scene to showcase their collection
In a Manchester warehouse usually reserved for raves and the concerts of hyperpop girls, a white runway so pristine it was emitting its own light divided the rain puddle-speckled concrete floors like a beam. Haider Ackermann — a Parisian designer known most recently for crafting the buzzy, sometimes backless, red carpet look of Timothée Chalamet and is soon to be the next guest-designer of Jean Paul Gaultier — turned his eye to sportswear for a collaborated with Fila in a collection inspired by energy and electricity. Opening the show was a series of monochromatic white looks – windbreakers were layered with leggings, swimming goggle-esque sunglasses, form-fitting knitwear and rock climbing shoes — that were almost rendered invisible as they sped along the runway. This was then clashed with a series of looks where body-fitted tailoring met the Olympics, creating a sleekness and momentum in bodysuit-attached swim shorts, head-covering crop tops, smart tennis polos and an array of tracksuit sets. Meanwhile the e-boy-approved pairing of neons with black and charcoal pieces created a racing car effect that was emphasised by the haphazard way the models zoomed along the catwalk (at the end, all the looks returned en masse, aggressively weaving between each other on the runway, like commuters at a train station who have finally found out the platform their delayed train is coming in to).
That sense of showing yourself and your body the way you want to with vision, urgency and acceleration that underpinned the collection and its location was also noticeable in the crowds that flocked to see Haider’s latest project – both inside the venue and outside with cameras at the ready to catch a glimpse of House of The Dragon’s Emma D’Arcy, American Horror Story’s Cody Fern, cool girl actress Chloe Grace Moretz, Elite’s resident hottie Manu Rios and, everyone’s favourite, Andrew Garfield. A collection of the most exciting and sexy internet heartthrobs du jour, beloved for their style as well as their authenticity and rawness. Fitting, given that Haider has proven he knows how to break the internet through expressing yourself with iconic, sexy and effortlessly cool outfits. TG
111Skin introduces a must-have Aman-inspired mask
Fun fact: those 111Skin sheet masks that you love were, in fact, originally invented to heal post-op patients by one of the world’s leading surgeons. Dr Yannis Alexandride. His practises on Harley Street created the hydro-gel sheet and eye masks with the help of European space scientists, testing on astronauts in Space – an extreme environment where skin ages more rapidly. So it’s little wonder they have an almost-magical way of de-puffing and brightening skin on even the worst days, and have become beloved by makeup artists and designers alike, who now load fridges in backstage spaces at fashion shows to prep models’ skin for the catwalk. This week, the cult beauty brand introduced an addition to its repertoire — a collaboration with another fashion favourite: the Aman hotel group.
“The masks are inspired by the AMAN lifestyle that is felt throughout all the properties worldwide,” explains 111Skin’s co-founder, Eva Alexandridis. “From the peaks of Bhutan to the sands of Turks & Caicos, Aman has built sanctuaries in many of the most inspiring locations on earth.” So, what can we expect from the new Aman x 111 Skin mask? Let’s start with the science. The ingredients draw inspiration from Aman’s destinations around the world: Kalpariane®, a brown algae found on the coasts of France, which creates deep hydration, skin protection and stimulates collagen; iMYFerm®, fermented wakame seaweed sourced from Jeju Island, which prevents wrinkle formulation; and Spirulina, which calms the complexion and leaves skin glowing. “The mask needed to be nourishing and feel very calming and therapeutic as the spa concept of Aman is very zen,” Eva points out. Fear not: if you can’t make it to one of Aman’s locations in Utah, Marrakesh or Venice, then simply pop one of the masks for the ultimate at-home spa moment. It’s been a long week, after all — you deserve it. OA
Mytheresa x Balmain have your festive party looks sorted!
Party season is upon us and if there’s anyone you should turn to for a glittery, glitzy and glam look for your family Christmas New Year’s Eve celebrations, it’s Olivier Rousteing. Partnering with e-commerce site Mytheresa, the Parisian-house Balmain has brought their couture codes to a 15-piece capsule collection, the third of their collaborations. In traditional Balmain style, sequins and rhinestones, power shoulders and daring cuts are the focus of crop tops, bodysuits, minidresses and gowns in festive shades of silver, icy blue and green or standout attention-stealing hot pink. The house’s signature embossed buttons adorn a two-piece pantsuit for you to turn up to your office Christmas party in a look that says you own 51% of this company. “My team and I looked to the legendary clubs and the joyous nightlife of the ‘80s for inspiration,” Olivier said in a statement. “We channelled that festive moment’s incredible nightlife, adapting several signature Balmain designs to reflect the dazzling disco era’s joy-filled sensuality.” Check the collection out now exclusively from Mytheresa.com. TG
Wales Bonner has made the Christmas jumper chic
Christmas is coming! Fear not, avid shoppers, you still have time to bag the best gifts — even if, let’s be honest, it’s for yourself. This week brings the merry news that Wales Bonner has launched a holiday-timed capsule collection of knitwear. To that we say, ABOUT TIME! Tis the season of frumpy reindeer sweaters no more! Always one to draw on the intellectualism of music and subculture, our beloved Grace drew on what she calls “subtle groove sounds” for the collection of technical jacquard, mohair and plissé rib knits in Caribbean-flavoured colour combos of stripes and chevron motifs. Dresses, tracksuit jackets, cardigans, polo tops — take your pick at walesbonner.net. And let it be known that Grace Wales Bonner is the designer who saved Christmas. OA
The new skincare brand invigorating your slugging routine
Ever since it took off on TikTok earlier this year, slugging – lathering your face in petroleum jelly as a form of hydration that dates back to Native American communities in the 15th century – has become the internet’s latest skincare hack. But put down the Vaseline girlies because the genius’ behind our other skin saviours, Starface and Plus, have launched a new brand called Futurewise, that turns the practice into a three-part routine in order to maximise hydration. All made up of a combination of humectants, emollients, and occlusives, there’s the Slug Boost, an essence mist filled with hydrating qualities to prep your skin for the rest of the routine; the Slug Cream, a vegan repairing moisturiser to get a dewy glean to your skin; and the Slug Balm, a silky non-stick jelly that creates a cocoon over your skin to heal blemishes and lock-in moisture. Usable all together or separately, the products launched earlier this week and are currently exclusively available from futurewise.world. Never will your skin look like a Heidi Klum Halloween costume again. TG