Thursday, March 14, 2024

Philipp Plein Signs Home Textile License

Philipp Plein’s ambition to deliver his flamboyant style directly to his customers’ homes is inching up a notch. The brand revealed Thursday that it has signed a licensing deal with the publicly listed Caleffi SpA for the design, production, and global distribution of home textiles under the Philipp Plein moniker. Mirabello Carrara SpA, an entity controlled by the Caleffi group, is to operate the partnership.

The three-year agreement kicks off in 2025, with the first collection set to be unveiled at the Maison & Objet trade show in Paris in January. “It’s been a true privilege to get in touch with such a company as Mirabello Carrara — and Caleffi Group — which impressed me for its quality, manufacturing prowess and practical and proactive business blueprint,” said Philipp Plein. This marks a new brick in Plein’s plans to build a design and interior ecosystem, plans that commenced in 2022 when the namesake brand revealed a licensing deal for the production and distribution of branded furniture with The Netherlands-based Eichholtz and for wallpapers with Italy-based specialist Zambaiti Parati.

“We are extremely glad and proud to be collaborating with Philipp Plein, a synonym for luxury, extravagance and eccentricity all over the world,” said Guido Ferretti, chief executive officer of Mirabello Carrara and a board member of Caleffi SpA. “Unmistakable for their rock and rebellious spirit, Philipp Plein’s creations represent the perfect combination of comfort and style defined by a futuristic and alluring bent, aimed at a dynamic and cosmopolite consumer who wants to stand out with style and originality.”


Based in Viadana, in the outskirts of Mantova, Italy, Caleffi SpA was founded in 1962 by Camillo Caleffi as a luxury home textile manufacturer. It boasts 2,000 stores in Italy and 600 abroad. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, the company’s portfolio includes house brands as well as licensed labels including Roberto Cavalli, Diesel and Trussardi, among others. Plein’s move falls in line with another ambition of the outspoken entrepreneur, who in 2021 unveiled plans to venture into hospitality with a dedicated project in Milan, yet to be completed.

After unveiling stately headquarters in Milan that year, his road map to grow his company’s scope and reach includes the relaunch of the Plein Sport line; new licensing deals and global store openings; significant distribution plans in China, and an overall enhancement of the womenswear business to rebalance the label’s offering, among other initiatives. Last year the company signed a beachwear license with Area B, following similar deals with manufacturer De Rigo for eyewear collections and with Timex Group Luxury Division for watches and jewelry.

Stephen Linard Dead

Stephen Linard, an ’80s London club kid who drew on Gothic, romantic and street dress for his wild, color-drenched looks, has died aged 64, according to his family.Linard, who spent his career working for brands in Japan and Australia before returning to his native England, had been ill for many months and died on March 10 from throat cancer.

He wasn’t the best-known ’80s designer, nor was he the most successful to come out of London, but he was a trailblazer, and a talented artist who lived for color and saw fashion in a broad context. “He was the first person who saw clothing as a ‘story’ — this was pre-John Galliano — and had a visual interpretation of fashion. It was the era of MTV, i-D, and The Face and he was styling for those magazines,” said Stephen Jones.

Jones knew Linard from his university days at what was then Saint Martins School of Art, now Central Saint Martins. Jones later hired Linard as his very first assistant, and made the hats for Linard’s graduation show. “And for his own collections he designed everything — the hair, the makeup — and the attitude,” said Jones who, like Linard, was a “Blitz Kid.”

Both Stephens were regulars at the Tuesday night Blitz club in London’s Covent Garden in 1979 and 1980, outdoing each other with their increasingly flamboyant looks, which they’d often change and tweak multiple times before stepping out. Passionate about creating different personae through the language of clothes, they are credited with birthing the New Romantic movement, in all of its baroque splendor. Those boys and girls were the very opposite of minimalists.

In the ’80s, Linard was among the first designers to create Goth looks, and drew on his menswear background to create things like “an organza shirt for men — it was something that just wasn’t done,” said Jones, adding that color — black, faded navy and chocolate — always played a big role in Linard’s designs. He dressed Boy George, David Bowie, the Pet Shop Boys and even the members of U2, in addition to his friends Galliano and Jones, who argued that Linard’s designs were much more than fashion. “They were costumes you’d put on to ‘become’ someone else,” said the milliner.


Linard branched into womenswear and had a shop near Oxford Street but — as with most young London designers — money was tight and it eventually shut. At other points in his career he worked with great success for Japanese and Australian brands. In the ’90s, Linard joined Drake’s, the Savile Row tailor and haberdashery which had been founded by his second cousin, Michael Drake.

There, Linard applied his love of pattern and rich, drenched color to silk-screen designs for foulards, ties and other soft accessories for Drake’s and a variety of other brands. “He used his talent in all kinds of ways, and we worked on so many designs together — he was my first design assistant, and I respected and trusted his opinion,” said Drake. Linard stayed on after Drake sold the company to its current owner, Michael Hill, and continued to immerse himself in pattern and color.

“He was an expert colorist, and because of his technical background he knew exactly how all the dyes worked when they were printed onto fabric. He could hand-block prints, and color ancient madder designs,” said Hill referring to the silk printing technique that results in unique shades. “He approached everything with flair,” Hill added.

Over the decades Linard’s sense of color endured, and was even celebrated last year with an exhibition of his fashion illustrations at Rogue Gallery in Linard’s hometown of St. Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex, England. The show, “Stephen Linard: Total Fashion Victim,” featured works from his archives from 1978 to 1983. The gallery’s owner Ray Gange said he was proud to have put it on. “Other celebrated British fashion designers have all had big public exhibitions of their work, and I felt that it wasn’t right that Stephen, with his immense talent and his legendary status, hadn’t. I thought he deserved a show of his own here in his adopted home town,” said Gange. 

He said the show was a hit — so much so that the police received complaints about the street being blocked with so many noisy people — an echo of the clubbing days at The Blitz. “On the night, Stephen rose to the occasion like the fashion star he should have always been,” said Gange. Linard is survived by his sister Beverley. A memorial service is being planned, but a date has not been set.

Walter Chiapponi Exits Blumarine After One Season

Walter Chiapponi has left Blumarine after just one season as creative director. A successor has not yet been named. The brand did not indicate any reason for the departure, but Chiapponi had been open about his grief throughout 2023, which he called a “horrible year” in an Instagram post in January due to the sudden deaths of his nephew, his friend Davide Renne (shortly after his appointment as Moschino creative director), and his dog.

“My thanks for this experience go first and foremost to Marco Marchi [sole director of Eccellenze Italiane Holding, parent company of Blumarine] who made it possible, but also to all those without whom I wouldn’t have been able to express myself as I did. I am especially referring to people I have loved who are no longer with us, but who continue to instil strong emotions in me, to inspire my feelings and my journey,” says Chiapponi in a statement today. “I now want to concentrate on new initiatives and projects with a social and humanitarian scope before returning at a later date, at the right time, to the catwalk.”


Chiapponi’s appointment to Blumarine in November came as a surprise for some, signalling a pivot away from the Y2K aesthetic the label had leaned into under Nicola Brognano, who revived the brand following his appointment in 2019. Chiapponi was formerly creative director at quiet luxury label Tod’s; he stepped down in July 2023 and was succeeded by Matteo Tamburini.

As anticipated, Chiapponi’s first and only collection for Blumarine was a far cry from Brognano’s aesthetic of butterfly motifs and Y2K silhouettes: for autumn/winter 2024, the brand pivoted to romantic lace brogues, sheer gowns and floral prints on dresses and silk pyjamas. Some showgoers thought the collection lacked direction, but the sense was that we’d yet to see what Chiapponi could do with the brand. “This experience will remain unique at a special moment in Blumarine’s history,” says Marchi. “I am grateful to Walter Chiapponi for pouring so much of himself into this collection. It has been an extraordinary adventure. I wish Walter all the best for the continuation of his journey.”

Naomi Opens Her Own Fashion Exhibition

As one of the most famous supermodels in history, it’s hardly surprising that Naomi Campbell is preparing to unveil her own exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The display celebrates her extensive creative collaborations, activism and profound cultural influence. To kick off the exhibition in style, Naomi chose to host a fabulous luncheon at The Dorchester, and wore a particularly rare piece of fashion history for the occasion.

Dressed in Alexander McQueen – specifically look 47 from the autumn/winter 2000 Eshu collection – Naomi sported a black button-up shirt paired with a slate-grey suit, featuring a single-breasted jacket with an ultra-defined waist and matching pleated, cropped trousers. Her ensemble was finished off with silver jewellery and black patent leather pumps, maintaining a classic yet sophisticated vibe.


The exhibition, titled Naomi: in Fashion and sponsored by Boss, promises to be a thrilling experience for fashion enthusiasts. Visitors can expect to see exclusive pieces crafted specifically for Naomi, ranging from creations by Azzedine Alaïa and Valentino to the unforgettable Dolce & Gabbana gown famously worn on the final day of her court-ordered community service. Plus, attendees can marvel at the platform shoes – bearing the inscription “Naomi”, penned in blue ballpoint by a backstage dresser – in which Campbell stumbled at a Vivienne Westwood show. Mark your calendars – the exhibition is scheduled to open its doors on 22nd June.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Dior Will Present Its Cruise Collection In Scotland

Dior will unveil its cruise 2025 collection on June 3 in the gardens of Drummond Castle in Scotland, the French fashion house said Wednesday. The picturesque location in Perthshire near Crieff, a market town famous for its whisky and history of cattle trading, has featured in films including “Rob Roy” as well as the TV series “Outlander,” in which it stood in for the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. Built into a hillside, the castle started life as a fortified tower in the 15th century.

Its Renaissance-style garden combines the styles of Italian terraces and statuary with French parterres, with a striking 17th century sundial at the center. A beech tree planted by Queen Victoria commemorates her visit in 1842. The castle, which is not open to visitors, is now the seat of Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, who was a maid of honor at the coronation of Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.


Dior staged a ball at the nearby Gleneagles Hotel for its spring 1955 collection, the house said in a statement provided exclusively to WWD. Founder Christian Dior drew inspiration from Scotland for a look in his debut collection in 1947 that he christened Écosse. Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of womenswear collections at Dior, is expected to continue her tradition of collaborating with local craftspeople on the annual collection, which has the potential to significantly boost tourism revenues in its destination.

Since the lifting of pandemic-era restrictions, the Dior cruise show has taken place in Mexico City; Seville, Spain; and Athens, Greece. The last time the fashion pack descended on Scotland was in 2012 for the Chanel Métiers d’Art show at Linlithgow Palace near Edinburgh.

Applications For New York Men’s Day Open

New York Men’s Day (NYMD), the biannual showcase for emerging men’s and genderless brands, is now accepting applications for the spring 2025 season. The presentations are slated for Sept. 6, during New York Fashion Week.

NYMD will feature 10 to 12 designers, each of whom will present in an individual studio space during either a morning or afternoon session. Designers who are selected to participate in the event will have a chance to meet buyers, show their lines to media representatives and network with various industry professionals. NYMD covers 85 percent of the presentation costs for each designer chosen.


The New York Men’s Day committee for this season includes stylist Memsor Kamarake; Aria Hughes, editorial creative director of Complex Media; Joseph Errico, editor in chief of Grazia USA, and Jian DeLeon, Nordstrom’s men’s fashion and editorial director. To apply, designers can visit newyorkmensday.com and fill out an application. Applications will be accepted until April 12th.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

High & Low: John Galliano

“I am going to tell you everything,” says John Galliano mere minutes into High & Low: John Galliano, the documentary on the designer directed by Kevin Macdonald, which will be released in theatres in the US, UK and Ireland on 8 March, with Canada following a week later on the 15th. And when Galliano says everything, he’s not kidding: He doesn’t spare himself over the course of the 116-minute run time of the film – which features contributions from Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Bernard Arnault, Charlize Theron, Amanda Harlech and Rabbi Barry Marcus – as he comes to terms with not just his recent past, but his entire life.

Not about his upbringing in south London in the Sixties with his Spanish and Portuguese parents. Not about his student years, where he went full throttle with the hedonistic club scene of Eighties London while still managing to – notoriously – graduate from Central Saint Martins art school with a 10-look collection, Les Incroyables, which has achieved mythic status. And certainly not the cycle of ascent, descent and reascent with his own label, with Dior, and with Maison Margiela while facing addiction issues, departures from reality, and the racist and anti-semitic outbursts in a Paris bar, which brought him and his world crashing down in 2011. “It was a disgusting thing, a foul thing, that I did,” Galliano says. “It was just horrific.”

On the phone from London, Macdonald – who previously directed the Academy Award-winning One Day In September, about the murder in 1972 of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes – explains why he wanted to make a documentary about Galliano. “There are two reasons,” he said. First, “John is regarded as one of the great designers of the last hundred years – everyone tells me this guy’s a genius. What does that actually mean in the world of fashion? What does it mean to be one of the greats?”


The other, he goes on to say, was around those antisemitic incidents and the subsequent firing of Galliano from Dior and the ensuing court case in Paris. “We’re living in a time in which – and John’s is really the origin of this for me – well-known people, celebrities, are getting caught by some socially unacceptable behaviour and cancelled in one way or another,” Macdonald said. “I was interested in the question of what happens to you afterwards? Is there a mechanism for forgiveness for that in society?”

Much of the power of Macdonald’s film lies in the way that it refuses to neatly lead us to a place of forgiveness – it tacitly acknowledges that the path to that place isn’t one everyone will want to take but is, rather, full of conflicting signposts and complicated diversions. To reduce it to black or white is too simplistic. That Macdonald can do all of this lies in no small part to a subject who, the director acknowledges, was prepared to speak his truth, but understood that not everyone would hear him. (The interviews with the designer were conducted over six days, for four or five hours per day, and with no minder or PR present.)

“John knows he will never be forgiven by everybody,” Macdonald said. “He wants to be understood – to have the opportunity to explain as far as he can what happened. And he wants his case to serve as a warning. But he was also concerned not to make his story too depressing. At the end, he says his story isn’t actually depressing, because he has come out of everything with a renewed life and a renewed sense of vigour and creativity.”