After the madness of returning to life in our first post-COVID summer, it makes sense that many of us are looking forward to an autumn and winter of cosiness. Our feral months are retreating into the distance and in their place comes rainy evenings, the comfort and reassurance of PSL season and the joy of being indoors, cocooning ourselves from the world until we’re soft and ready to go back out into it. It’s that sense of cocooning that Loro Piana’s new campaign gets to the heart of. The iconic Italian luxury brand’s latest collection channels the creative and nurturing spirit of the home, and the importance of recharging, particularly for our sense of self and creativity. The faces of the campaign embody that same ethos; a coterie of strong, powerful female creatives from within the i-D family who understand the power of softness too, and of retreating into comfort to find strength and inspiration. Here, along with images of the campaign shot exclusively for i-D, we catch up with each of the women featured in Loro Piana’s Cocooning Collection to find out what makes them feel safe, happy, comforted and cocooned.
Xiaoqiao Wang, Musician
What is your favourite piece from the cocooning collection?
The Fine Ajour Dress in baby cashmere; it feels like an embrace from a wandering cloud.
What’s your most treasured memory of childhood?
I guess there were lots of cute fragments but what comes to my mind right now are the summer holidays, when time would become so slow and vacant and I was just running around, doing nothing in the sun and hearing the chirping songs of cicadas under a big old tree.
Sum up your 2022 in three words
Psychic, flow, revitalised.
What’s your go to cosy movie?
Eric Rohmer’s summer tale ones. I love that everything is portrayed so beautifully; the south coast of France in its ripest summer, with bits of mischief and satire blended in. Just delicious.
Jess Cole, Writer
Who is the most inspiring woman in your life?
There are a handful of inspiring women who are thankfully present in my life. But the person who comes to mind right now is my oldest friend’s Mum. She didn’t put me on the right path, but rather pulled me out of the thicket and showed me there were many paths I could take. I’ll be forever grateful for the advice she gave me and her daughter when we were teenagers, for being my best friend’s mum, for being so utterly, utterly selfless and for Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance.
What’s your proudest moment of your career so far?
When I walked around the corner in Soho and was confronted by a huge photo of my face on the side of the Burberry store. It was my first campaign, really my first modelling job and I looked at my Dad and said “we’ve done it, I can retire now”. That was five years ago. I’m pretty chuffed that I’ve had my writing published by big guys like The Guardian and The New York Times and that people I really respect like MARFA Journal ask me to write for them. It’s this freaky combination of modelling and writing that has enabled me the freedom of time and tingling desire to pursue writing drama, prose and poems – and that is the greatest, deepest, most precious pleasure of all.
When do you feel most beautiful?
I feel most beautiful at my most basic: Showering, oiling up, whipping off my silky smoking gown, slipping into a freshly made bed and snuggling up with a book.
Lauren Michelle Pires, Nail Artist
Where do you feel most safe?
I feel most safe in my home that I worked very hard for – I have poured a lot of love, time and energy into making it my sanctuary. Or when I’m out dancing with my best friends in a sweaty club.
What is your favourite piece from the cocooning collection?
The Aircash Shorts in Cashmere. These shorts look and feel like heaven. The cashmere feels so silky against my skin. And the Aircash Socks in Cashmere too – I love a good thick oversized sock for when I’m lounging around my apartment. It’s the first thing I put on after a long day at work to wind me down.
What’s your most played song right now?
Eliza “Heat Of The Moon” and Idris Muhammad “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This”
What makes you excited for the future?
Personally, I have a lot to feel excited for right now as I’m in the midst of starting my life from scratch again; a reset. I’m finally comfortable with who I am as an individual and that feels so liberating and freeing. I’m excited to see how this new frame of mind affects my creativity and the way that I see and approach projects. I’m excited to work with new mediums and experiment in areas that are out of my comfort zone. All in all, I can’t wait to see what the future brings for the new me. I’m also quite excited about the new app BeReal, lol.
Credits
Photography Alice Neale. Fashion Ai Kamoshita. Hair Kei Terada at Julia Watson Agency. Make-up Mel Watson at Julia Watson Agency. Photography assistance Matt Moran. Model/s Jess Cole at IMG. Lauren Michelle Pires at Future Rep. Xiaoqiao Wang at Xdirectn agency. Creative Direction Yara Heine. Senior Producer Laurene Mpia. Junior Producer Beth Rubery.