Buckle up, girlies. With another year comes another breathlessly packed schedule of fashion weeks, exhibitions, creative director debuts and unexpected crossovers from tennis to interior design and beyond. Granted, 2023 was a lot, serving up fashtainment aplenty care of Pharrell’s catwalk-cum-stadium-tours, rapper takeovers and the rise (and rise) of quiet luxury. But 2024 shows no sign of things slowing down. After all, this is a trillion-dollar industry built on the very concept of newness. Those CEOs are hungry for more It-bags – and so too are we! Luckily, we’re on hand for the next 365 days, guiding the way with a catch-all swat list of every moment and milestone to earmark. Whether it’s Louis Vuitton’s latest sporty-spice ambassadors, Gucci’s next chapter of menswear or the finely fashioned furnishings decking every aesthete’s home come New Year, we’ve got you covered. New year, same fashion? Think again.
Fresh Blood
Fashion is a fickle beast, and not just when it comes to trends. These days, every waking hour brings yet another creative director stepdown or new appointment at the major houses. Of course, the rag trade’s ongoing game of musical chairs is nothing new, but this is undoubtedly the peak. Just look at the state of play as we approach the AW24 collections. Gucci’s hire, Sabato De Sarno, is exemplary, having already rewritten the house vision, ditching Alessandro Michele’s kitschy bonanza for something a little more pared-back. His next moves in January when he inaugurates the Gucci uomo will complete the casa’s temperature check, foreshadowing, hopefully, serious ROI and garms to fawn over. We’re betting on the male counterpart to those exquisite classics he’s purveyed for the fairer sex so far, and hopefully another noughties model revival to rival Daria Werbowy.
Over at Givenchy, there’s an empty throne following the unexpected departure of Matthew M. Williams, the man responsible for a sportier but also highly couture informed approach to tailoring and ready-to-wear, as well as the smartly orchestrated development of its East Asian market via K-Pop representation in names like Taeyang and BTS alike. However, for as long as Matthew and his predecessor Riccardo Tisci have carried the house, athletic cuts and streetwear-adjacent designs remained the focus. Perhaps, a shake-up is in order? And yes, we’ll be watching closely what the first Tom Ford men’s collection looks like under the founding designer’s protégé, Peter Hawkings. As it goes, we’re pretty quite confident the brand’s luxe credentials will be going nowhere given that Peter has been manning the label’s menswear behind the scenes for some time already.
As for womenswear, it’s ears to the ground at Chloé, which showed its last collection under Gabriela Hearst last September, making way for the former Saint Laurent women’s design director Chemena Kamali. Meanwhile, another face from the school of Chloé, Phoebe Philo continues to work on her own terms, dropping piecework collections for the doting subscribers of her mailer. Now two drops into her ‘A1’ offering, the queen of less-is-more suiting and proudly professed mother is no doubt busy cuing up her latest, swishiest trousers cuts and, hopefully, some more pawn-shop-esque gold accessories flexed by comeback queen Daria Werbowy. Save those pennies; you’ll be needing them.
Oh, and any fash-packer worth their salt should have their eyes sharply peeled for Irishman Seán McGirr, the ex-head of prêt-à-porter at JW Anderson, who was tapped to carry Alexander McQueen forwards following Sarah Burton’s swansong last season. Counting previous gigs at Dries Van Noten and Uniqlo’s Christophe Lemaire crossover, he’s a man with range, perhaps ushering in a reboot to the house that Sarah had managed since Lee McQueen’s death in 2010. Hers was a reverent approach, born from her days as Lee’s righthand, femmed up with yonic motifs and an unflinching celebration of womanhood. As such, there are some big platformed tennis sneakers to fill. Meanwhile, it’s all eyes on Ann Demeulemeester’s new in-house hire, Stefano Gallici, whose sophomore collection follows a cautious but strong start. Last but by no means least, a heartbreaking gap left at Moschino by the late CD-in-waiting, Davide Renne, has yet to be filled.
Fash-interiors
It’s no secret that fashion has a soft spot for the adjacent arts, whether it’s the longstanding courtship of style-savvy collectors exploited by Matches at Frieze London or SS Daley’s perennial enlisting of the National Youth Theatre into his theatrical catwalk shows. Naturally, it wasn’t long before fashion’s artistic monopoly would engulf the world of interior design, as seen across the last Salone del Mobile, where the likes of Prada, Kiko Kostadinov and Louis Vuitton all showed face. Granted, many of the heavyweights, including LV, Prada, Missoni, Loro Piana, Etro and Hermès, have long catered to this appetite for home design, but now, more than ever, it’s become less an offshoot and excuse for further merchandising, and more a core part of the brands’ storytelling. These days, you don’t just want the Kiko Trivia bag; you want the Soft Baroque-designed stool, too.
Hot on the heels of Miami Art and Design Week – coloured by architect Frank Gehry’s Louis Vuitton Capucines and Fendi Casa’s trompe-l’oeil blinds conceptualised by design studio Bless – we’re expecting an inevitable flood of yet more Wedgwood collaborations, Raf Simons Kvadrat cushions and fashion-friendly interior design magazines. But why? Well, according to Clara Krzentowski, director of Galerie kreo in London, it’s a crossover with legs that taps into a pre-existing affinity. “Many fashion designers collect design, and integrate it in their brand worlds – I’m thinking of icons like Azzedine Alaïa, Issey Miyake, Karl Lagerfeld, Pieter Mulier, Camille Miceli,” she says. “For the coming year, we’re looking forward to seeing more collaborations / creative directions of this type. We’re also excited to see how some of the increasingly bold and experimental younger fashion designers will interact with the design of physical objects – fashion seems to be in a particularly interesting and generative phase with the question of materials, form and sustainability.” Well, here’s hoping for Chopova Lowena X Kartell crossover or an Aaron Esh X Longhi to adorn our living rooms…
One thing is sure: the OGs will be upping the ante. Loro Piana, for example, which opened its interiors division in 2006 to make further use of its fine fabrics among interior decorations, has big plans. Part of its success so far lies in the internal structure of the business. “Our vertically integrated internal production process allows us to customise the products we offer and to be versatile, which also makes us interesting for those who are doing interior decoration projects,” says Francesco Pergamo, director of Loro Piana Interiors. 2024 at LP Interiors kicks off fast, too, with a new collection scheduled to air at Paris Déco Off this January. “Furthermore, in April, during Milan Design Week, we will present a beautiful project that plays with some details in line with the ready-to-wear collection.” Count us in.
Fashion vs Art
Sure, fashion and art being bedfellows is old news, but that doesn’t change our insatiable need for blockbuster fashion exhibitions. If 2023 was anything to go by – Gucci Cosmos, the Met’s Karl Lagerfeld homage, The Missing Thread, Newgen’s Rebel and Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto – then 2024 promises big hitters aplenty. First up on the circuit? Something close to home: Icons of British Fashion at Blenheim Place, opening March with a best-of-British rollcall spanning Barbour, Stephen Jones for Dior, Zandra Rhodes, the late Dame Viv and Stella McCartney. Those into something a little laddier will want to flock down to the Westminster Menswear Archive’s April exhibtion, which charts the last century of British sports apparel and its meteoric rise as a defining force in global fashion, ticking off early designs from Palace, Vetements, Kim Jones and rare football kits from as early as 1938. Bloke-corists, this one’s for you. Director of the archive, Professor Andrew Groves, notes how sportswear has evolved from functional garb into an everyday uniform. “Just as wearing an Arsenal football shirt creates a shared group identity, wearing a Balenciaga tracksuit does as well,” he says. “This need to express a shared group identity and a desire to belong is critical to the enduring success of sportswear.”
Oh, and where big, flashy exhibitions are concerned, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into through the summer months. Kick things off in May with the Met Gala’s Sleeping Beauties, an insight into the custodianship and care of hyper-delicate rarities from across 400 years. How Doja Cat and Jared Leto will interpret the brief, no one knows. Then, head on down to the Naomi Campbell – yes, you read that correctly – V&A retrospective, an exploration of her fashion legacy opening in June. And don’t you dare question the diva’s cultural relevance, both as an icon of style and pioneer remoulding the otherwise whitewashed and Eurocentric vision of beauty across the industry and the pop culture at large. Let’s not forget the looks, too! “Naomi Campbell’s extraordinary career intersects with the best of high fashion,” says the V&A’s senior fashion curator, Sonnet Stanfill. “She is recognised worldwide as a supermodel, activist, philanthropist and creative collaborator, making her one of the most prolific and influential figures in contemporary culture.” Speaking of feminine role models, Barbie, the new litmus test for today’s zeitgeist and the changing winds of identity politics, will open the warmer months with a dedicated Design Museum exhibition of Mattel’s franchise, her glad rags, the cars and the homely architecture of her dreamhouses come July. Plus, if you haven’t already, head on down to Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs for Mode et Sport, another insight into sporting garments and high fashion’s blend, as told through designs from the likes of Jean Patou, Jeanne Lanvin, Gabby Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli to Off-White, Balenciaga and more – you have until April.
Fashion Olympics
While we’re on the topic of sport, there’s a lot more where that came from. Aside from the long-cemented position sportswear holds on the runways, another, less expected development is underway in fashion. Yes, actual athletes, as opposed to your tracksuit-laden brother, are getting chummy with the likes of LVMH- and Kering-owned labels, rocking their garb on court, pitch and beyond. Certainly, there’s been a place for luxury goods among professional sports for some time. Just think of Serena Williams AW22 Off-White runway cameo and her myriad custom Nike tennis kits – not least David Beckhams’s noughties heyday. Now, however, it’s less the occasional crossover pioneered by braver athletes, and more the norm.
Indeed, LVMH, the sponsor of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games, is leading the way, placing its bets on some of the best sports people globally, enlisting record-breaking swimmer Léon Marchand and star gymnast Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos as Louis Vuitton and Dior ambassadors respectively, alongside other major names getting their kit on. In fact, according to Daniel-Yaw Miller, the Business of Fashion’s senior editorial associate, this tapping of talent is everywhere in sport. Take, for example, Wimbledon-winning tennis titan Carlos Alcaraz’s big monogram-decked LV campaign or footie star Jude Bellingham’s newly signed endorsement deal. “2024 is going to see the biggest convergence of sport and fashion to date,” says Daniel-Yaw. Just look at the recent months. We’ve seen all arenas of sports, including the less athletic, get a fashion flex, from Palace X Kappa X F1 to A$AP Rocky’s creative direction of Puma’s F1 apparel. “Now brands are aware of the viewership and opportunities in the sport ” adds Daniel-Yaw. “Expect an avalanche of collabs like we have seen across fashion and football in recent years.” Game, set, match.