WE’RE BACKKKKK!!! Did you miss us? Of course you did. We’ve had a few weeks away jumping cities to follow the SS23 runways around the globe (catch up on all our reviews from New York, London, Milan and Paris here), but fashion never sleeps and in the meantime there are a host of new releases, campaigns and pop-ups to discuss from all our faves including Repossi, Vaquera, Converse, Coach, Ami, Acne Studios, Total Luxury Spa, 032c, Tiffany and Co. and, of course, Burberry. Here is what’s in fashion.
A Repossi pop-up lands at Selfridges
Though we may have recently published a piece sounding the death knell for the word ‘chic’, here’s something that’s entirely deserving of the term. Over the next month at London luxury emporium Selfridges, you’ll find a pop-up by exquisite high jewelry house Repossi. As if that weren’t enough cause for excitement, the ephemeral shop-in-shop will also host the second instalment of the brand’s limited edition collection created in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. A culmination of three years’ research and development by Gaia Repossi, the maison’s creative director, the collection comprises “jewelry influenced by the jewelry pieces Robert Mapplethorpe made with beads and found objects early in his career,” Gaia explains “I was able to access his entire archive of jewelry and jewelry materials at the Getty Research Institute. This collection is a tribute to his genius aesthetic and the beautiful items he assembled.” Even if the pieces may be just a tad beyond what your wallet can stretch to, it’s still more than worth taking a trip down to the London department store to behold these works of both fine jewelry and fine art before November 6th. MS
Fly AWAY with Vaquera’s new suitcase
Any fashion girlie knows that the most stylish way to travel is with an AWAY hard shell suitcase in tow. Only the most discerning, however, are aware that not all AWAY suitcases are created as equals. This week, a new suitcase supreme emerged with the release of a rugged white upright valise bearing a decal of a spray of bright red roses – it’s the product of a collaboration with none other than our recent cover stars: Vaquera. No doubt designed with their new life on the road – hopping between their New York studio and the Paris runway – in mind. To get one, you’ll have to make for the AWAY site like you’re dashing to make the final boarding call for your flight – at the time of writing, there are only a few left! MS
Baby Keem teases new things in a campaign with Converse
Joining the likes of Tyler, The Creator, Natasha Cloud and pgLang as a face of Converse is Baby Keem. It’s part of an ongoing Create Next series with the famed street-ready canvas trainer brand to platform talents that showcase creative freedom across music, sport and culture. In his partnership with the brand, the 21-year-old artist and baby cousin of Kendrick Lamar gets the sk8er boi aesthetic in a new campaign that sees Keem holding a pair of black Chuck Taylor All Stars – “iconic and timeless” shoes in his own words – and create a film that showcases his love for the pair, and music, with a cassette called LP#2. Could it be a sign of a follow-up to his 2021 album The Melodic Blue? Here’s hoping! TG
Lil Nas X joins Coach’s latest campaign
Cast your minds all the way back to NYFW SS23, when pop icon Lil Nas X closed the Coach show in a leather patchwork waistcoat and shorts accessorised with purple jelly shoes and a glittering gold bag on his wrist. It was a big moment for the Atlanta-born singer who went from a cute viral TikTok country rap anthem to a chart-topping record that is unapologetically himself in under four years, all while wearing some iconic fashions. After Coach also created custom looks for his tour, Lil Nas X is now the face of Coach’s latest dreamy campaign by Petra Collins that celebrates his growth. We watch him navigate his childhood streets, discover music and internet culture, strut a subway train like a runway and finally make his way to the stage, all the while expressing himself unabashedly with Coach items such as a long fluffy bubblegum pink coat, motocross leathers, sporty letterman jackets and sexy flannel ensembles. Entitled ‘Courage To Be Real’ the campaign is to empower people to have the confidence to be themselves, something Coach and Lil Nas X are both known for championing. TG
Total Luxury Spa launches an artist series with Cauleen Smith
Artist collaborations may no longer be a novelty in fashion, but few do them quite like Total Luxury Spa. Having previously worked on collaborative pieces with artists including Cyprien Gaillard, Merriem Bennani and Xavier Veilhan, the LA-based brand and wellness centre is now launching a quarterly artist series, with the first iteration celebrating the work of Afrofuturist multimedia artist and educator Cauleen Smith. Described as “an interactive social sculpture that celebrates the tangible, but is larger than a simple commodity”, the capsule comprises long-sleeved T-shirts printed with representations of Cauleen’s graphics and text works. Alongside the capsule, Total Luxury Spa are releasing a short video that features the artist unpacking the powerful symbolism that underpins each piece, as well as the process of translating her rich, hand-drawn, -written and -painted works to textile. Keen to cop your own pieces of wearable art? Well, rather than the usual fashion channels you’re used to shopping through, the limited edition collection with primarily be available through major fine art institutions such as the Hammer and Whitney museums. MS
032c are venturing into loungewear with Sloggi
Now that it’s October it’s that time of year to spend your evenings curled up in your comfort clothes with a hot chocolate and an inordinate amount of pillows, watching a gory 90s slasher horror movie on the TV – dreamy! Innovative European bodywear brand Sloggi and Maria Kock’s 032c ready-to-wear’s new 11-piece gender-neutral collection of loungewear is made for this in cotton, ribbed and neutral-toned hoodies, sweatshirts, sweatpants and a comfy poncho. “Limit everything to the bare essentials. But don’t remove the poetry,” was the vision behind the collection and each item has a simple, understated style, marked only by a reflective embroidered logo. Check the full collection out at Sloggi stores or online now! TG
Tiffany & Co. paints Paris blue
These days, brands have to work pretty hard to really grab an audience’s attention. Indeed, in a market saturated with runway gimmicks and A-listers moonlighting in blockbuster campaigns, it’s tricky to really stand out from the crowd. One sure fire way of doing that, though, is to place yourself right in the middle of them. Last week, that’s just what American jeweller Tiffany & Co. did, taking over the Place Georges Pompidou – the location of the like-titled contemporary art museum – during the Nuit Blanche all-night contemporary art festival with an immersive installation. Within the digital box – lit-up in Tiffany’s signature blue hue – visitors are able to experience LOSE YOURSELF IN LOVE, a celebration of “individuality, love and universal connection”, and the house’s second campaign created in close collaboration with none other than Beyoncé. What’s more, for the opening night during Paris Fashion Week, the iconic art museum adjacent to it was bathed in Tiffany blue, too. Iconique, n’est-ce pas? Well, there’s still time to check it out in the flesh, with the installation due to run seven days a week until October 20th. MS
Burberry takes to the night with its new campaign
Changes may be underway at Burberry – with the recent announcement of the respective coming and going of Daniel Lee and Riccardo Tisci at the house’s helm – but if there are two things that will always be a constant for the British brand, it’s these: it’s emblematic check and its London heritage. Both of those things figure front and centre in the brand’s latest campaign, titled “Night Creatures”, a celebration of “the power of curiosity and exploration of the unknown.” Featuring a film by MEGAFORCE that sees a trio of explorers taken on a journey across the city by a mysterious creature, and an image series shot by George Ayers on London’s instantly recognisable night buses, both place a square focus on new outerwear pieces in the brand’s Night Check, a dusky iteration of Burberry’s signature pattern. MS
Ami cruises all the way to Seoul
At this point, it’s hardly news that fashion’s travelling circus is well and truly back on the road, with brands once again going to efforts to stage blockbuster shows all around the world. The latest to do so is Parisian fave Ami, who this week announced that Alexandre Mattiusi and the gang will be heading to Seoul to present a reshowing of the SS23 collection it presented beneath the Sacré-Cœur back in June, with the addition of exclusive pieces designed for the South Korean market. Taking place on the official Seoul Fashion Week schedule on October 11th, the show coincides with the opening of the brand’s very first Korean flagship store, located in the capital city’s upscale shopping district of Garosu-gil. Stay tuned for more news on the collection next week! MS
Acne Studios goes Motomami
If there’s one person who knows how to serve the trend of the season, biker chic, it’s our icon and i-D cover star, Rosalía. In a campaign photographed by Paul Kooiker, the Motomami girlie is transported through history, through ancient lands to the ice age to the retro-futuristic 90s, all in Acne Studios pieces crafted from the repurposing of denims, leathers and jerseys. “The fall collection was a collage of different ideas and feelings, so we wanted to explore this clash of historical references but with a cultural icon who feels so effortlessly of the moment,” says Jonny Johansson, Creative Director of Acne Studios. Rosalía also mentioned why she loved the collection, specifically the jersey boots and sunglasses “I love how bold but elegant everything is. To me, Acne Studios is a brand that takes care with the fabrics, the colours, the textures – everything is so well thought through, impeccable and fresh.” Launched in Acne Studios stores and online now, go check out the collection that will give you that distinctive Rosalía aggressive-gum-chewing energy. If you’re in New York, LA, London, Paris, Barcelona or Mexico City too, keep an eye out on their social media for exclusive activations near you. TG