Top of the morning to you, our fashion friends! As London Fashion Week Mens kicks off this week we bring you all the tea on the latest drops, experiences and collaborations that have come from the fashion world this week. From a new issue of Acne Paper and a saucy campaign from GOOMHEO for AW23, to the winners of this years LVMH Prize and a new collection from Adidas Originals and Wales Bonner that celebrates Jamaica. Also, we chat to CSM grad Anissa Kermiche about her collection of horny tableware that should be at any sexy dinner party. Here’s what’s in fashion.
Acne Paper invites you home with its new issue
Ever wanted to know what a house designed and decorated by legendary Swedish fashion brand Acne Studios would look like? Well, with the latest issue of Acne Paper, the brand’s esteemed, deliciously esoteric print publication, now you can! Titled The House of Acne Paper, the newly launched issue adopts the thematic framework of a stately maison, showcasing a fantasy collection of furniture, artworks and objects across nine rooms and a sprawling garden. Opening the door to each ‘room’ leads to the discovery of a photographic story, each lensed by some of today’s most exciting image makers — from Sharna Osborne to Carlijn Jacobs, Jordan Hemingway to Zhong Lin – as well as a conversation between a très recherché roster of artists, writers, architects, designers and more. Give us the keys, please!
Rev up and ride with GOOMHEO’s AW23 collection
Vroom vroom! For AW23, Seoul-based brand GOOMHEO has decided to rev up its engines with Riders, a racy collection designed for renegade beefcakes and saucy party boys. Presented by way of a pulse-quickening shoot by Heji Shin and stylist Gerry O’Kane, it sees grungy beefcakes riding Harley hogs in scuffed, studded leather gilets and briefs, washboard-ab-bearing twunks in voluminous flasher coats and foiled denim twinsets with, ahem, convenient button down crotch flaps, and prairie-prowling cowboys in hulking faux-fur trousers and carwash hemmed denim mini dresses, perfect for a bareback jolt across the meadows. Eclectic a mix as that may sound, the throughline here is that that the target audience of these clothes is pretty broad — put plainly, they’re for boys who dress up to get undressed by someone else. If that doesn’t embody the spirit of the hot boy summer that lies ahead of us, then what does?
How to get your hands on Steven Philip’s legendary archive
Attention archive divas! This is not a drill! On June 20th and 21st, esteemed London-based auction house Kerry Taylor Auctions will be staging Passion for Fashion, one of the most exciting sales we’ve seen in some. Featuring pieces from the Simon Costin Alexander McQueen Archive and the Hilde Smith BodyMap archive, it will offer the public to get their hands on veritable fashion historical gems. The cherry on the cake, though, is without a doubt the 147 items sourced from the archive of Steven Philip, one of the fashion world’s most esteemed collectors and archivists. “This is the perfect opportunity to acquire museum quality Vivienne Westwood from Punk Sex Originals, 1975, swashbuckling Pirates, 1981, through to romantic ballgowns and dangerously vertiginous Super Elevated Platforms of the 90s and 2000s,” Kerry says. “The Galliano Chapter is also strong, and includes a Saint Martins degree show waistcoat with a matching original student sketch, as well as rare and important Galliano showpieces.” With the catalogue now live, it’s time to get those bidding paddles at the ready!
Meet the winner of this year’s LVMH Prize
Each year, one of the most anticipated moments of the fashion calendar takes place beyond fashion weeks. We are, of course, talking about the announcement of the winners of the LVMH Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for emerging fashion talent. This week saw the finale take place in Paris, with the eight top-tier designers – including London-based brands Aaron Esh and Paolina Russo – presenting their work before a panel comprising the head honchos at the luxury conglomerate’s ritzy houses. This year, the grand prize went to Satoshi Kuwata, the Japanese founder of the Milan-based Setchu, who took a €400k cash injection as well as a year’s mentoring from LVMH’s Sophie Brocart. The Karl Lagerfeld Prize, which comes with a €200k award and a similar mentoring package, went to both Luca Magliano and Julie Pelipas, the founders of Magliano and BETTTER respectively. Raising a glass to those on the podium, and to this year’s incredible roster of finalists. You’re all winners in our eyes!
Lanvin have given Suicoke footwear classics a makeover
After the success of their braid-strap slides together last year, french luxury house Lanvin are once again taking their vision to Suicoke summer footwear classics. Two of the cult Japanese brands shoes, the clog and the sandal, both available in black and in white iterations, have been given a contemporary, futuristic makeover but with the enduring appeal of the originals intact and nods to storied Lanvin signatures. The chevron herringbone straps are back, originally sourced in Greece, to give each shoe a bold new look, alongside embossed logos. With a limited run both online and in Lanvin stores now, run on down to get your new summer shoe!
The Louis Vuitton trunk has gone digital, filled with Web.3 goodies
What if I told you that inside your new Louis Vuitton trunk was a whole ethereal dreamscape for you to explore like Alice in Wonderland? The 160-year-old classic bag from the house has entered a new digital phase of existence. Entitled VIA, each one of the few hundred of $39,000 trunks acts as a portal to a world filled with immersive drops of new, limited products and exclusive experiences. Intended for the house’s most devoted collectors, clues are hidden around the world for what’s soon to come, with the first key — which will unlock the first digital collectible within the world – being released in a few weeks. The plan is for the portal to hold many more unique creative drops and endeavours in the future. Curiouser and curiouser! You can check out the VIA treasure trunk at louisvuitton.com. TG
Fear of God Essential’s new drop is head-to-toe black
Since its formation in 2016, Fear of God Essentials has become, well, an essential part of everyone’s wardrobes with its simple, universal and minimal basics that can be easily styled for your expression. Now, their latest drop, entitled The Black Collection, takes all their most beloved and coveted pieces and gives them a monochromatic all-black hue. Someone tell Kris Jenner! That’s not the only change to the garms though, with other updates being tonal matte rubberized 3D embossed Fear of God ESSENTIALS logos, cleaner design details such as hidden pockets on hoodies and crewnecks and fuller silhouettes. Check out the full collection both in-store and online now! TG
Mina Galan and Morena Salas take over Stella McCartney for Pride
The dolls have taken over Stella McCartney! Last year trans activist and stylist Mina Galan helped Stella on her Pride campaign. This year, after meeting Mina and her collaborator Morena Salas at the Christmas party, Stella has given them the reigns of her Bond Street store and full creative control of how the fashion house celebrates Pride this year. The result is pretty slay, with the photoshoot a celebration of womanhood and next-gen LGBTQ+ creators as Mina, Morena and their friends photograph each other, style the different Stella collections and just generally serve as they pose around the flagship store.
“Brands at this time of the year tend to use and capitalise on Pride in a disingenuous way,” says Mina. “That’s why it’s important to have campaigns like this one – where queer people are not only in front of the camera, but also behind the scenes having full control in how we want to tell our story. Now that’s something to be proud of.” Morena concurs, adding: “We were looking to capture the connection of our friendship. We love to get dolled up and take pictures of each other every time we go out, so we thought the shoot could be an intimate moment to portray ourselves dressing up with the fab Stella looks and taking pictures of each other around the beautiful 23 Old Bond Street store. The pieces scream our names; we would literally wear that every time we would go out.” Happy Pride girlies! TG
Adidas Originals x Wales Bonner SS23 is here!
For their latest link up Wales Bonner and Adidas Originals decided to celebrate Jamaica and the Caribbean — its beauty, mysticism and style, and how the trefoil and the legacy of the sportswear brand’s impact on the local culture. Across the unisex offering are elevated tracksuits, either with a unique knit construction or bright teal nylon. Elsewhere are Harrington jackets, flared trousers, toweling tops and knitted sweaters either in the tones of the Jamaican flag or bright, joyful colourways reminiscent of the landscape and community spirit. Two archival adidas footwear offerings are reimagined too: the WB Samba now in either a neutral hue with sleek leather stripes, or in silver leather with a bold crochet stripe, and the WB SL72 Knit, where the knitted upper of the rubber pays homage to Jamaican culture. With a stunningly ethereal campaign film, directed by Jalan and Jibril Durimel, that furthers this celebration of the community by showcasing the beauty of the woods, the water and the stories behind them; the collection is now available on adidas.com, via the Confirmed app and at select retailers. TG
Anissa Kermiche releases a cheeky homeware collection.
Ever since she graduated from Central Saint Martins, Anissa Kermiche has become a favourite of the fine jewellery and luxury objects world. Now, she launches a homeware collection cheekily entitled Amuse Bush that explores different stories of womanhood and female sexuality through objects at the dinner table. Now, your dinner guests can eat off plates printed with not-so-subtly horny botanicals and named things like masturplate or ovuplate, or season their food with salt and pepper from boob shaped dispensers. Fun! Here, we get to know Anissa and learn more about the inspirations and message behind her sexy homeware and who, and what, she is serving at her dream dinner party.
How would you introduce yourself and your creative practice to someone discovering it for the first time?
I express myself better visually- I would often grab my phone and show photos of what I do when asked about my practice. Often, business minded people will ask about the entrepreneurial journey that led to where I am now: logistics, distribution, etc. Creative people will ask about the design process, my inspirations and so on. When introducing my brand, I tend to show the Rubies Boobies necklace as it was the first piece I designed for my very first collection 10 years ago, and it encapsulates every aspect of my work: my love for sculpture, of the female form, playfulness and humour. I love my work to be a conversation starter and if it draws a smile on someone’s face, then I know I’ve succeeded.
How long have you been designing and creating homeware? And what drew you to it in the first place?
I made my first sketch when I was studying 3D computer-aided design and 3D printing in Hatton Garden 10 years ago. It was the little necklace called “Le Derriere” that I designed along with the pot “Popotin” – both depict a little peachy bum. I can’t really explain why I was drawn to it. All I know is I have always loved jewellery and objects. I find them quite similar in a way. To me, homeware constitutes the home’s jewellery.
Tell us about the Amuse Bush collection — how did the idea first come about?
Some of the things I love the most in life are designing, eating, decorating and hosting friends. Launching a line of tableware is a mix of it all. ‘Amuse Bush’ was a homeware extension of the ‘Deflowered’ jewellery collection. Both collections are orientated around female bodies and symbolised through playful flower imagery/sculpture. The work of Georgia O’Keeffe and Maruja Mallo was very influential as both artists depict female anatomy through the use of flowers and plants which aligned really well with our message. We had to try and find a playful angle to work around the topic and “Amuse Bush” lent itself really well.
Could you tell us more about the significance of the message behind it?
The flowers in our sets of ‘Ovu-plates’ and the ‘Pollination’ bowls are representations of a woman’s cycle and the beauty of fertilisation. The more sexual side of the collection offers the ‘Masturplate’ and ‘Forniplates’, intended to encourage pleasure. We love the idea of a dinner party, where our ‘Amuse Bush’ and ‘Lick the Plate’ plates are used to serve guests. They are designed to stimulate appetites, both in the dining room and the bedroom.
Whose table (or tables) would you most like to see pieces from the Amuse Bush collection on? And what pieces do you think they’d have?
I am a big admirer of many food designers and chefs who are pure artists, working with edible media. I follow the work of a lot of women chefs who come up with the most beautiful ideas and recipes. Food is visual at first, the first contact you make with food is ocular, hence why presentation is key. I would love to see my plates used by women chefs like Imogen Kwok, Paris Starn, etc..
Who are your four dream dinner party guests, dead or alive?
My girlfriends, hoping they will be alive after having my food! On the dead side, I would dream of a mix of women across history. Imagine Queen Nefertiti, Margaret Thatcher, Lady Diana, Mother Teresa, Lolo Ferrari, Marie Antoinette, Virginia Woolf at the same table!
What are you serving on your Amuse Bush plates at your next dinner party?
Summer is coming so anything that is seasonal in June – new potatoes, wild garlic, asparagus. I love making a mix of yummy salads, especially on the lighter side if we are going dancing after or to leave space for dessert, which is my favourite. I often read the dessert menu first at restaurants!
What’s your ‘wow’ dish when hosting?
I love making a slow cooked lamb tagine from my Algerian Grandma, the night before hosting. It gives me time to make the fresh bits (salads) on the day. Also, because it is slow-cooked for 6 hours, people tend to think it’s a lot of effort when it is actually mostly the oven’s doing!