What are we thankful for this Thanksgiving? We’re thankful for Daniel Lee and his iconic, very Bri’ish campaigns since taking over Burberry. For NYC girlies brand MadeMe and the family that shaped it. For the very Cali link up of Total Luxury Spa and Chez Panisse. For Future’s shake up of Lanvin. For the Peter Do curated A Magazine Curated By. For the Stüssy x Birkenstock slides keeping hypebeast’s toes warm. For the Per Götesson-ification of Armand Basi’s 90s archive. And for the incredibly slay new Evian Water bottle by Coperni tailor made to be held by the It Girls. Aren’t we blessed! Here’s what’s in fashion.
Neneh Cherry becomes a Burberry face
Under the creative direction of Daniel Lee, Burberry is currently undergoing something of a renaissance, fielding a fresh vision intent on reframing and redefining the notion of British luxury. Part of this extensive rebrand has, of course, entailed the introduction of a whole new roster of faces and brand ambassadors that encapsulate the brand’s reinvigorated spirit, from the likes of model Kit Butler to national treasure Mary Berry. The latest to join this oh-so-cool clique is none other than Neneh Cherry, the Swedish-born, Britain-based singer and musician best know for the iconic track – and music video – ‘Buffalo Stance’, which brought the genius of the London-based fashion movement to the world 25 years ago. As you’ll see in this image of Neneh, shot by Tyrone Lebon, her icon status remains fully intact to this day, making her a natural fit to be the face of one of Britain’s most iconic brands. To celebrate the moment, we had a quick catch up with Neneh to hear her thoughts on becoming the new face of Burberry. MS
What’s the first that comes to mind on hearing ‘Burberry’?
Fine not like “Fine, whatever”… but refined… like fine dining and fine wine!
How does it feel to be in this campaign?
I am one of many faces in a gang of wonderful people and I feel blessed.
What is it about Daniel Lee’s vision for Burberry that resonates with you?
I love the colours and shapes. I like to feel the sensory stimulation from clothes on my body adding to my expression – holding my form without telling me I need to change it. Daniel’s designs do exactly this… resonating
What’s on your wish list from the Spring 2024 collection?
Oh what I have to choose one thing… hard! The coat I wore in the pictures – boom!
Total Luxury Spa honours legendary eatery Chez Panisse
For the culinarily inclined among you, Chez Panisse needs no introduction. The Berkeley-based restaurant created by Alice Waters in the 70s brought the focus on simple, tasty dishes made from local, agricultural ingredients that was popular in France to California and was a large part in changing the culture around food, not just in the US but worldwide. Their impact is felt in other areas too, and LA label Total Luxury Spa list the restaurant’s approach to wellness, as well as its very New Americana aesthetics, as inspiration. To mark this, in 2016, the brand worked with photographer Amanda Marsalis to create a coffee table book showcasing the beauty of the Chez Panisse kitchens and their creations. Now, they’ve released a capsule collection that turns Alice’s culinary commandments – such as “food and love”, “cook together, eat together” and “eat locally and sustainably” – into prints across tees, hoodies, accessories and a bottle opener, that will all then benefit Alice’s non-profit. The Edible Schoolyard Project seeks to transform school kitchens, gardens and dining halls into places of both nourishment and academic learning, and a portion of proceeds from the collection will be donated towards their work. For some new garms that are not only emblematic of LA culture but is actively shaping the future and our planet, check out the full collection at Total Luxury Spa now! TG
Downtown NY brand MadeMe take a star-studded family portrait
It’s that time of year when you and your relatives gather together to shoot the big family photo that will cover the holiday cards sent out to your nearest and dearest for the holidays. But the only festive family photo more star-studded than the Kardashians’ is MadeMe’s. Across 15 years in Downtown NY, the streetwear brand made by the girlies, for the girlies, has formed a close relationship with the models and faces who have adorned their campaigns over the years, mentoring and nurturing their careers. In turn, those faces have played a large part in what MadeMe is today. And so, for their latest campaign photographed by Mayan Toledano, designer and founder Erin Magee bought the family together in one very, very long picture that includes, from left to right: Blair Broll, Natalie and Nicole Albino, Sam Puglia, Lola Leon, Eri Wakiyama, Gia Kuan, HAWA, Amandla Stenberg, Princess Nokia / Destiny, Coco Gordon-Moore, Shana Sadeghi-Ray, Beatrice Domond, Vivian Yi, Baby Head / Alana Derksen, Zara Mirkin, Liana Satenstein, Mayan Toledano, Paloma Elsesser, Goldie, Miyako Bellizzi, CLIP, Portia, Ajani Russell, Trissi, Neon, Efron Danzig, Akobi Williams, Manon Macasaet. So many NYC It Girls in one photo! TG
Future lets loose at Lanvin
Unless your modem’s cut out, you’ll know that rappers are not only at the bleeding edge of fashion design, but they’re actively dictating its future. It’s only fitting, then, that one of hip-hop’s savviest sartorialists, Future himself, has a say in just that. Standing as the first and foremost guest designer to take on the new Lanvin Lab initiative, Future has served up hot-shit accessories, embossed or gilded with eagle insignia and hardware, a starry studded leather jacket, plus some heavy Lanvin-logo-ed dungarees. And that’s just drop one. So far, so fresh. Of course, it’s worth taking stock of what such a major crossover says about culture more broadly. Indeed, this is the oldest couture house in history, handing over its reigns to the pioneer of mumble rap. No doubt, some of fashion’s old guard will be up in arms, but, as far as we’re concerned, it’s a step in the right direction. With Lanvin at something of a stalemate following former creative director Bruno Sialleli’s step down, Fosun, the conglomerate bankrolling the Lanvin label, will be wanting something a little more than collections produced in-house without a maestro to put their name to. At least where design is concerned, this capsule feels up to scratch, showcasing an earnest engagement with Lanvin’s sometimes gaudy Art Deco credentials and the minimal, clean menswear silhouettes that defined Bruno’s tenure. Whether Future’s next drop will showcase his take on the robe de style or any of Jeanne Lanvin’s 30s icons remains to be seen, but we’ll be watching closely. For now, shop the drop at Lanvin. JB
A Magazine Curated By’s new era kicks off with Peter Do
If you’re a die-hard fashion magazine fan – which, since you’re here, you obviously are – this week brought some big news. A Magazine – the très recherché publication, which hands over its editorship to a new fashion visionary with each edition – has just launched its latest issue. Following the footsteps of the likes of Kim Jones, Simone Rocha and Eckhaus Latta is none other New York based designer Peter Do. For his turn at the editor’s desk, Peter chose to explore the notion of ‘home’, offering myriad riffs on the theme that span his childhood in Biên Hòa, Vietnam and his present day in New York, where he’s earned a name as one of the city’s truly pioneering designers – both for his work at his namesake label, and in his capacity as creative director of Helmut Lang. Voices from the Vietnamese diaspora, including writer and poet Ocean Vuong and chef Trisha Do, feature prominently, and essays – textual and visual – exploring the sensory underpinnings of memory bring a robust conceptualism to the issue, the embroidered cover of which, naturally, comes in the designer’s trademark tout noir. Pre-order your copy here to avoid the disappointment of missing out when the issue inevitably flies off the stands the moment it hits them next month. MS
Stüssy x Birkenstock do sandals, but make it cosy
When hypebeasts are out of office, they don’t just suddenly let their drip drop off. No, not in this day and age, when the fit-pic police are just a TikTok away. Instead, they trust in streetwear OG, Stüssy, to bring some seriously beachy goodness that will still score high on the ‘WDYWT’ Reddit threads, and let their feet breathe in the hot, Cali sun. After all, surfy, hang-ten garms are what Stüssy made its name on back in those fateful 80s. Nailing that same vibe in 2023 and beyond, however, requires something a little more luxe. Indeed, any self-respecting guy or girlie hitting the playa knows that Birkenstock is a trusted authority, both for the normcore classics and, as exemplified in this fluffed-up scenario, something a little peppier. Riffing on a lesser-known silhouette from the Birkenstock archive – known as the ‘Kyoto’ – Stüssy opts for a one-strap, slider design, complete with the usual cork sole and some of the cushiest lining yet. And don’t fret, streetwear bros, you’ll still be able to flex your labels. Subtly embossed along the side is that infamous scribble, making a quieter statement about your footwear acumen than usual, but a statement all the same. Our advice? Team it with the Stüssy Tekla towel and head on down to Venice Beach. The Stüssy-stock collab is available at Stüssy now, so be quick. Surf’s up! JB
Per Götesson reworks Armand Basi’s 90s archive
Put on standby until recently, Barcelona-born brand Armand Basi is something of a cult among those in the know – especially the stylists and buyers doing the rounds from 1987 onwards when it was first conceived. For those that do indeed know, it purveyed the uniform for Catalan bad boys and It Girls, going big with leathered-up looks, balaclavas and more playful, silly-frilly pieces. But that was then. And so, rather than resting on its laurels, the brand’s been getting stuck in since its 2021 relaunch, taking a very 21st-century approach and calling on collaborators to revive its mojo. For the latest partnership, Per Götesson, the Swedish denim doyen based in London, got the call-up. The result is a wrought and sensual collection, rich with architectural designs inspired by Barcelona’s unique infrastructure of blocks that map out the city, as well as artisanal jewellery by Per’s creative and romantic partner, Husam El Odeh. Given total access to Armand Basi’s archive, Per dove into the clothes, as well as casting from the label’s 90s heyday. His design objective? Envisioning what the Armand Basi muse of yesteryear would be wearing in a utopic future. To do this, Per spent periods in Barcelona, getting to know the city and its people, while swatting up on his Armand Basi history. Being the rigorous craftsman he is, he was drawn to the dress of Barca’s working-class tradies, photographing them and riffing on their style throughout the collaborative collection. At the presentation, held last week in Barcelona, keys engraved with ruler markings appeared as necklace charms, while garments showcased utilitarian details, such as trousers fitted with wrap-around skirt attachments, nodding to an iconic Armand Basi design of the past. As for Per’s biggest surprise that came when mining the Basi hard drive, it was undoubtedly the high-octane, theatrical show productions. “There is something very camp about Armand Basi that I wanted to play with,” he said. “It was such an amazing energy and it’s still there. I wanted to find it again, but it couldn’t be fake.” Reframing the brand for now, he masc-ed it up with cool, asphalt tones but kept some hints of extra, applying ribbed inserts along the flank of black, sleekly patchworked shirting, splaying collars, pointing shoes or crafting metalwork caps, because, well, why not? While you can check out what’s to come now, you’ll want to earmark February for the official release. JB
Coperni gives Evian water bottles an It Girl makeover
Last week in Paris, Coperni’s CEO Arnaud Vaillant and creative director Sébastien Meyer unveiled the brand’s latest collaboration: a custom-designed water bottle with Evian. A staple part of French fashion culture, and one of the few that bleeds out of its inner circle onto the shelves of the country’s supermarkets. A limited edition design, part of a project that’s seen everyone from Virgil Abloh to Jean Paul Gaultier offer their own inspired take on the water brand’s vessel over the past few decades, they seemed excited, when we met them at their studio, for the big reveal.
Here, the duo talk design, the honour of tapping into their own childhood nostalgia, and where the two separate titans of French culture intersect. DG
You’re the latest in a long and historic lineage of designers to have worked with Evian on these limited edition bottles. What does that mean to you?
Sébastien: We grew up in France and our family collected all of those water bottles. It’s like something of a childhood memory.
Arnaud: Yeah, it was kind of a childhood dream. It’s funny, people don’t see Evian the same way [here] compared to, say, New York,where it’s like French luxury. But actually, in France, it’s culture, it’s very popular. And everybody collects the glass bottles.
Talk to me about the points of intersection between Evian and Coperni.
Arnaud: First of all we are two French brands who love the idea of youth. We didn’t do this on purpose, but they have done many campaigns with babies, and we did one recently too.
Sébastien: Also the glass. We did the glass bags.
Arnaud: Coperni is very tech oriented. We love tech innovation, and we pushed them in tht direction. For the bottle for instance, they had to use many different techniques, and Sebastian is a maniac, so he said no to all of the first tests and pushed them to do more. They tried, tried, tried and managed to do this effect on the bottle.
Sébastien: Normally for Evian it’s important to see the water. We covered it.
When you were first presented with this opportunity did you know exactly what this would look like?
Sébastien: It was the first idea. Well, we thought about water in a glass bag, but it was too complicated.
Coperni as a brand has intrinsic ties to astrology, and that’s present on the bottle. Talk to me about the figures, the characters that appear on it.
Arnaud: The name of the brand is inspired by Copernicus, because we love science and progress. Sebastian designed this map of the whole world of Coperni. You have Nicolas Copernicus who meets the Marquis de Lessert, who founded the source of Evian water. Then you can see our girls from the campaign, a baby wearing our hoodie. We have our swipe bag, and yes!
Was the process of designing this much different to designing a collection?
Arnaud: This is rewarding because it’s the cheapest thing we’ve ever made. It’s four euros. It’s cool to have an object that you can give to anyone. We love the many codes in the fashion world, but also what’s important for us is not to become snobbish and to have a wide audience.
Sébastien: What we love is that [the Evian collaborations] are popular. That’s important.