How Responsible Should “Influencers” Be for What They’re Selling?

Is it possible for an influencer campaign to be a little too effective? To announce the arrival of Fyre Festival, a new Bahamas-based festival that billed itself as an ultra-glamorous, highly exclusive Coachella alternative, organizers behind the event reached out to 400 influencers in various sectors to build hype, and even held an Insta girl photoshoot that included Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Baldwin, Elsa Hosk, and Rose Bertram posing in swimsuits aboard a yacht.

But what was sold as a supermodel-packed escape turned out to be a dystopian nightmare instead: Reports included little to no actual on the ground preparation, with poorly constructed tents, bad food, canceled flights, and canceled headliners. As harrowing images flooded in on social media from the festival site as attendees attempted to return home (in itself a reportedly traumatic experience), the Internet began to turn on the ones who sold them this dream in the first place: Fyre Festival organizers, of course, but also the Insta girls who’d made it look so great to begin with.

With the lines between communicating with followers and commerce increasingly blurred–look no further than the FTC’s recent crackdown on branded content guidelines—and the outrage surrounding Pepsi’s poor-taste commercial featuring Kendall Jenner, Fyre Festival is just the most recent example of social media-based influencer campaign gone wrong. Which brings us to the question: To what extent should a celebrity or blogger be held responsible for what they personally endorse?

Sure, it’s advertising—and for the very famous, it’s easy money. But the implications behind an Insta girl shilling for a slimming tea on her Snapchat is decidedly different than that same person appearing in a magazine ad for the same product. (If it wasn’t, the FTC wouldn't have to get involved.) “On some level, I think it’s a lot more personal of a decision than the way a magazine would do an advertorial,” says Karen Robinovitz, cofounder and co-CEO of Digital Brand Architects. “A magazine doing an advertorial still doesn’t necessarily have to feel like a 1,000 percent endorsement from that magazine. Everything an influencer puts on his or her feed in some way, paid or not, is an endorsement. When someone is getting behind a brand, a product or an item, he or she has to think about the association and really believe what's being shown; influencers have to be able to stand up for what they post and be passionate about what they’re doing.” 

When things go wrong, it could affect that person’s marketability going forward: Say an It girl repeatedly instagrams herself using a brand of toothpaste that actually made people’s teeth fall out. A big beauty brand isn’t likely to hire her for their campaigns in the future, because consumers may associate her with a bad, fraudulent product (and missing teeth). “The reason these [types of business transactions] are somewhat removed from straight up business is because influencers’ brands are built around their personalities, their likes and dislikes, and how they connect with other people,” says Robinovitz. “It’s really an intimate conversation in a lot of ways versus the old school way, which was where the talent might be really removed from the audience. Today’s influencers personalize everything.”

Which isn’t to say that they don’t often have professional help. In the case of Fyre Festival, a creative agency and production company called Matte was hired to create advertisements to be used on the festival’s website and in social media posts, including sponsored instagrams like those posted by Insta girls. According to Matte cofounder Max Pollack, creative input from influencers “really varies” when it comes to sponsored content. “Most of the time it’s more of an influencer signing off on it. Creatives are already usually kind of done,” he said. “But I think we always welcome, to an extent, creative input.” It’s assumed that it would be required for those pictured to believe in what they're selling, and like Robinovitz, Pollack stressed the need for influencers to naturally fit the message they are sending. “I think people in general are super savvy about being able to detect bullshit,” he noted. 

So, Elsa Hosk posting a yacht pic with fellow supermodels is in line with what she might post otherwise: the promotional aspect is in the geotagging and the captions, leaving viewers to connect the dots. “[Influencer marketing] has always existed,” says Pollack. “I think it just needs to feel more real [today]. When things fall flat, it’s because it’s not so real, it feels too branded or an inauthentic message coming through, or this person doesn’t feel like a fit for this brand or for this specific creative. So I think people are just getting a little bit more intelligent about it.”

According to James Nord, CEO of Fohr Card, a company that connects influencers with brands, the responsibility falls on the influencer to do the due diligence on a brand and suggested project ahead of time. “The problem with large scale projects like [Pepsi]–obviously that was quite expensive–is that brands start walking down a road, and they get a certain distance and they feel like, ‘We’re already so far, we can’t turn around,’” said Nord. “And then they don’t have the right people around them, and they’re just a bunch of yes-men, and they convince themselves that it won’t be that bad, and it comes out and it is [that bad]. I think it takes a lot of courage to say no to things and to push back.” The problem with an Instagram post is likely the opposite: it’s low stakes. So if it goes bad, just delete it.

Pollack noted that most of the time, influencer marketing campaigns are “limited in scope,” so a debriefing after a campaign with an influencer rarely occurs, unless an ongoing relationship is being developed. Says Pollack: “I think ultimately they’re not really in the conversation.” It's up to them whether that's going to change.

“Actresses and actors make bad movies. It happens. That doesn’t mean that they’re going to start writing the scripts,” says Pollack. In regards to Kendall Jenner’s involvement in Pepsi’s commercial, he said, “I don’t think it’s her fault by any means. There are bad campaigns that don’t work out and ultimately that’s a mix of different things coming together, whether it’s misguided creative, or bad timing, or a bad execution of good creative. A lot of things can happen in a campaign."

Jenner has remained silent about the Pepsi commercial and has since deleted her Instagram post supporting Fyre Festival. Ja Rule, one of the festival founders, has taken to Twitter to admit to his part in the failed festival, saying, “I truly apologize as this is NOT MY FAULT… but I’m taking responsibility.” Likewise, festival organizers have promised to refund tickets in full and give “free VIP passes to next year’s festival.”

Enter The Wonderful World Of Anna Sui

London is a hotbed of fashion exhibitions right now and The World Of Anna Sui, which opens this week at the Fashion and Textile Museum, is up there with the best. A cleverly staged retrospective of Anna Sui's fashion legacy to date, it's an experience that is as immersive as it's comprehensive - not to mention nostalgic for the designer herself.

"It has been emotional," New York-based Sui told us yesterday as she walked us around the exhibition ahead of its opening tomorrow. "It’s the first time I’ve really looked at these clothes again and seen the whole outfits all together."

Split into "Anna's Archetypes", themes include Fairytale, Nomad, Victorian, Mod, Punk, Grunge, Androgyny, Americana, Surfer and Schoolgirl, all recurring reference points in Sui's nearly 30-year fashion career. Curator Dennis Northdruft has placed examples of each "tribe", as Sui describes them, on rising podiums, in a room that mirrors the aesthetic of Sui's first Big Apple boutique ("the red floor, the purple walls, the black lacquered furniture," Sui recalled) and which is entered through an elaborate wardrobe door.

"The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is my favourite fairytale and I loved the idea to emerge through this wardrobe into my world," smiled Sui.

But as well as celebrating the work Sui has created, it harks to the inspiration points that have got her to the top of the fashion pile. Starting off with what she calls the "inspiration room" visitors are presented with work from "all the British designers that I was inspired by – my idols - Zandra Rhodes, Biba, Ossie Clarke, the Kings Road boutique Granny Takes A Trip, Scottish fashion designer Bill Gibb and memorabilia from before fashion shows is all in here," explained Sui, who made sure one of her earliest stimulation points were included here.

"This is the article that appeared in Life Magazine that got me thinking about going to Parson's," she revealed. "It was about two young ladies that went to Parson’s School of Design, went on to graduate, and then Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton opened a boutique for them, so as a kid I thought, ‘That’s all I have to do, go to Parson’s!' As an adult, I went back and re-read the article, and one of the young ladies’ father was Irvine Penn, so you don’t get that as a kid. When I met Irvine Penn later in my career, I got to tell him that story, and he thought it was so funny."

Also celebrated in the exhibit are the collaborations Sui has become so well-known for. "That’s the unique thing in my career - I’ve ended up working with a lot of the same people," she said. "Pat McGrath and François Nars for make-up, Garren for hair, Erickson Beamon for jewellery, James Covello for knitwear and hats and, of course, my close friend Steven Meisel." As a result, the best examples of Sui's unions have been selected for display, showing the power of creatives joining forces.

Another major thread of this exhibition is music. Like an intangible muse, it has been a constant source of motivation for Sui and features heavily through rock posters; an echoing soundtrack of late Eighties and early Nineties hits, including The Stone Roses track I Wanna Be Adored; homages to cultural pin-ups including Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithful; and a screening of the 1997 MTV show Fashionably Loud, where Sui showed her collections alongside Marc Jacobs, Todd Oldham and rock band Elastica.

As the why London has been graced with the retrospective, it's a case of "don't ask, don't get". "It was a coincidence that I was asked to do it here, because I was visiting the Thea Porter exhibition," explained Sui. "I was in the gift shop and Celia Joicey [head of the museum] walked in and we ended up having coffee. By the end of the conversation she asked me if I wanted to have an exhibition. She was the first to ask!"

The BFC Ups Its Trust Support

The British Fashion Council has announced its largest ever donation to its Fashion Trust - an amount totalling £450,000 - along with new beneficiaries of the charitable initiative.

Edeline Lee, Georgia Hardinge, Isa Arfen, Sharon Wauchob and Teatum Jones have been incorporated into the Trust's support scheme joining previous recipients Eudon Choi, Fyodor Golan, Huishan Zhang, Marques’Almeida, Osman and Rejina Pyo who continue to receive funding. They will also receive mentoring, which this year includes legal advice from Taylor Wessing and Eco-Age's Livia Firth who will be mentoring on sustainability and industry best practice.

“Supporting the development of such a strong group of designer businesses reflects the core aim of the BFC Fashion Trust, and is the most rewarding part of the initiative," read a statement from co-chairs of the trust Tania Fares and Sian Westerman. "We are incredibly proud of what the BFC Fashion Trust, with the help of its wonderful members and partners, has achieved so far and look forward to continuing to nurture the incredible pool of talented designers in the UK.”

The announcement comes as the importance of supporting design talent in the UK increases in the wake of the economic climate, following Brexit, as well as additional pressures emerging from the changing fashion model. Since its inception in 2011, the trust has given over £1.5 million to over 30 designers to assist with business, e-commerce and retail decisions.

“The generosity of the BFC Fashion Trust supporters is always remarkable, and I am delighted that we are able to support these eleven deserving designers for the year ahead," said BFC CEO Caroline Rush. "By providing financial as well as mentoring support the BFC Fashion Trust continues to help secure the future stability of these designer businesses in contributing to our growing industry.”

Inside Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion

The  profound - and lasting - influence of Cristobal Balenciaga on the fashion world is being celebrated this month at London's V&A in the exhibition, Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion, that has had us all counting down the days to its opening this week. None more so than curator Cassie Davies-Strodder, who took us around the legendary location's private stores as the final preparations started to take place.

For Davies-Strodder, the 18-month culmination of work that forms the body of the exhibition not only proved to be fascinating as one would expect, but a deep exploration that took her all over the world acquiring pieces from private collectors - not easy, given the designer's penchant for not courting the press.

"He is such a mystery, because he didn’t do many interviews or write a biography," Davies-Strodder explained. "It’s tricky because there’s a lot of mythology that builds up about someone like that. There’s all these stories, but he only ever gave one interview... He was very private. For the first 10 years of his fashion house he banned the press from the first showings of his collections – they made separate journeys a month later. It could be seen as career suicide but he had such confidence."

The lack of recorded work hasn't stopped the exhibition from being comprehensive. Split into three sections called Front Of House, Workrooms, and Balenciaga's Legacy, it builds on previous retrospectives of the designer's work and design temperament (Diana Vreeland famously chose to profile Balenciaga for her first major fashion retrospective at the New York Met in 1973), while bringing something new to the table: showing how his handwriting can still be seen.

Given that Balenciaga was so admired by his contemporaries (Christian Dior famously called him "the master of us all"), it comes as no surprise that his artistry continues to impact 21st Century designers. That this would play a huge part of the exhibition was a given from the start.

"We knew from an early stage that we wanted to look at the legacy up to the present day," Davies-Strodder said. "We could have stopped in the Sixties with the people that worked with him, but we felt in order to make it as relevant as possible to people, we needed to take it right up until now. Those were early decisions."

As a result over 30 designers from the last 50 years feature, showing the influence that Balenciaga's collections had on their own. Pieces from Azzedine Alaïa, Oscar de la Renta, Comme des Garçons, Simone Rocha, JW Anderson, Celine, Iris Van Herpen, Erdem, Molly Goddard, Rick Owens, Vetements, and, of course, Nicholas Ghesquiere's Balenciaga collections all feature, cleverly connecting the influential dots that resonate in modern day.

Keen to emphasise this to the audience in minute detail, Davies-Strodder and her team partnered with pattern-cutting students from the London College of Fashion, who were able to replicate and dissect famous pieces from the Balenciaga archive to show the skill involved - most notably a complicated dress that they unravelled had been made from one piece of fabric. The team also worked with X-ray artist Nick Veesley, who has presented a gown in a way to show the many layers of fabric and "the elements that are so intrinsic to the artistry of Balenciaga but that you can’t see from looking at a dress", explained Davies-Strodder. With the same thought in mind, extensive thought went into how to stage the major show.

"We felt early on that he was such a different character to someone like McQueen - with whom you needed a big stage to show a big showman on. Cristobal was more about the detail and the making and so a smaller space is more appropriate to give a more in-depth look at the process," she said. “We have also pushed it in terms of audio-visual content this time as we realised early on that communicating those elements of making or the details to people is really difficult when you have a static fabric on a mannequin behind glass."

Davies-Strodder (who has worked at the V&A for nine years) and her team had a strong starting point for the exhibit, looking to their own extensive archive to begin with.

"We have the biggest collection in the UK of Balenciaga and it's strong so we wanted to focus on that," she explained. "It’s largely from the Fifties and Sixties and it was mostly acquired by Cecil Beaton in the Seventies who curated an exhibition called Fashion: An Anthology. It was the first major fashion exhibition at the V&A and it was kind of a result of him ringing around his contacts – society ladies – and asking them to donate their couture, so a lot of our 20th century couture collection comes from that time. It was also one of Balenciaga's most creative periods. Where we’ve taken in loans, it’s because the Beaton collection is a very particular type of woman he was in contact with and we wanted to tell the story of some more of his demure work with not much pattern – not only the kind of woman who was wearing the envelope dress!"

For fans of the tunic, the baby-doll and the shift dress, you're in for a sartorial history lesson; for devotees of the man himself, you're about to get to know him even better; and for aficionados of the house's current reincarnation with Demna Gvasalia at the helm, you'll see how the apple hasn't fallen so far from the tree.

"When we started 18 months ago we didn’t know that the brand was going to be more prevalent than ever, so it’s really fortuitous," said Davies-Strodder, referring to Gvasalia's appointment and recent acclaimed collections, adding, "We kick ourselves that Gvasalia's latest collection which is so literal is just too late for us to include."

Don't worry, there is more than plenty to see. This is an exhibition that is promising to be a euphoric celebration of the master of them all.

Rihanna's Words Of Wisdom For Future Creatives

Rihanna is famously encouraging of the next generation, and while attending a benefit in aid of the Parsons School of Design this week where she was honoured for her philanthropic work and fashion influence, she took the opportunity to encourage more support of rising creative stars.

“It was especially important for me to come to Parsons tonight because you are all the next generation, and we need to invest in you,” she told the students and attendees, which included designers Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan and Thom Browne, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “You’re the ones who see the world with new eyes, with new perspective, who care about the future of our planet and the current state of the world. I’m here to say that I’m listening and I’m watching, and you’re up next."

The superstar singer - who is a regular advocate of the institution's work, frequently wearing its students' designs to high-profile events - continued, saying that the creativity the students demonstrate should be given more credence in themselves.

"I don’t think you get celebrated enough," she told the crowd. "You should be celebrated for every aspect of your growth and your growing pains. You should be celebrated for your creativity, for your fearlessness, for your persistence and determination. You should be celebrated for all the effort that you put into building your future, for being different, for not being given enough credit—for not having to use eye cream! My point is, we often tear our youth down when we should be building them up. At the end of the day, our future is in their hands."

Tory Burch On Her Retail Evolution

As e-commerce continues to saturate the fashion industry, many brands are shying away from the archaic structures of bricks and mortar. Not so with Tory Burch, who celebrated the opening of her second London flagship last night - one of 200 others across the globe. Located in the heart of the city's bustling Regent Street, the launch marked a defiance against contemporary perceptions that the physical retail experience is dying a slow, technologically inept, death. Far from paying homage to nostalgia, Burch continues to champion the physical space as a representation of her brand.

"I obviously believe in e-commerce but we're spending a lot of time as a company understanding what 360 means, omni-channel means and how we can really engage the customer. Online traffic is way down, so how do you make the store experience interesting and enjoyable?" For Burch, it's all about creating an intimate space that is inviting to shoppers. "We want it to feel as if you're walking into someone's living room where you can hang out and have a drink".

But it’s not just the retail side of her eponymous brand that keeps the designer busy. In 2009 the designer launched the Tory Burch Foundation, a philanthropic initiative which supports the ambitions of women in the workplace. "The whole point of the brand was to start a foundation; it was always part of the business plan,” she told the students. We were very careful in talking about it at the beginning because we never wanted it to be perceived as marketing". The impact of Burch's message can be seen in a recent video released by the foundation to promote their #EmbraceAmbition campaign which features everyone from Sheryl Sandberg and Melinda Gates to Chris Pine and Gwyneth Paltrow, all talking about the importance of female ambition wearing Tory Burch T-shirts emblazoned with various empowering slogans. "Women are a great investment, she said, "it's harder " she says, "it's harder for women to get along, there's a lot of sexism out in the world. If we can be a support system to get women to be the best advocates for themselves, then that's great."

Does she consider herself a feminist? "We have to get the negative connotations away from that word. Women are feminists, men are feminists, feminist to me means equality for women. The fact that we're having this conversation at this time in history where women are paid 70 cents of the dollar on men for the same job is insane to me. I think that we all have to stand up to that."

Speaking of inspiring women, Michelle Obama to The Duchess of Cambridge are just some of the famous faces to have sported Tory's vibrant designs, not to mention the string of high profile actresses including Blake Lively and Jessica Alba. In an age of influencers and social media stars, where celebrities are often sponsored to wear designer's clothing in public and post pictures to their social profiles (which should be - but seldom are - captioned with #spon or #ad), how does she navigate this murky pond? "It has to be organic and authentic. I admire the people we dress, they are people of substance. We're not actively going out and paying people to wear our clothes".

That's not to say that the brand hasn't encountered a fair share of criticism. A recent campaign video promoting the brand's summer 2017 collection featuring Poppy Delevingne was taken down following accusations of cultural appropriation. The video, which was directed by W style director Giovanna Battaglia, featured Poppy dancing and miming along to Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall's hit song "Juju on That Beat" alongside fellow models. The issue for fans derived from the fact - that despite the song being by two black artists - the clip featured only white models. "I think it's sad because the conversation has changed dramatically and everyone's sensitive, obviously including our company as well," Burch explained. "We put on a video to rap music and we worked with the producer and the rapper who wrote the music and it was also perceived as [cultural appropriation]. You just have to be thoughtful and I think one thing that we've learned from the election and with everything going on in the world is that we have to listen to what people are feeling and we have to be overly sensitive until we all come together a little more and that's something we're trying to do".

Fascinatingly, despite the brand's meteoric rise to success, they have never advertised in print. "We never had the budget so we had to be resourceful. We were early adapters of social everything; that's really what has helped us build our company. We never wanted to be the biggest business. We don't want to be everywhere and as long as I'm there I'd prefer not to be a public company" she said.

As a mother of three teenage boys, Burch's career trajectory seems only more impressive: "The thing I'm best at is being a mum. I put my boys before everything." she told the students. In fact, prioritising family is something she has integrated into her business model: "Family is the culture of our company, I want people to be able to go to a lacrosse game or a doctor's appointment if they need to. As long as the work gets done, it's fine. Otherwise women won't be able to work. a lot of environments don't promote being a mum and working so we're trying to change that and be role models to other companies".

The artist Young Thug recently performed wearing a tracksuit from Burch's sports wear line, does she see the business migrating to menswear? "It shows the depth of the brand that we have men wearing it despite it being a women's brand. It's definitely made me think that a unisex capsule would be interesting,” she said. What about investing in future technologies? "We're a patient company and virtual reality is something I'm really interested in, particularly in sport but I don't think it's quite there yet but when it is, can you imagine trying on a ski jacket and then putting on a headset and being on the Swiss alps and really feeling it and smelling it?". Wouldn't that be something?

Angelica Hicks: Gucci's New Girl

When Gucci's Alessandro Michele tapped illustrator Angelica Hicks to collaborate on a limited-edition T-shirt collection, the artist's dream job landed in her lap. Here, she tells us about her world and working with a fashion-industry great.

Why do you think your style is a good fit for Gucci?

"My style is playful and fun, making fashion accessible to everyone. In my opinion, Gucci encompasses these things."

How did you connect with Alessandro?

"Alessandro and I had been following each other on Instagram for a while when Gucci sent me an email saying that they were interested in optioning the usage rights to a selection of my drawings that had been inspired by the brand."

Did you always want to be an illustrator?

"I never knew that it would be a possibility! I sort of fell into it while I was in my final term at UCL studying history of art. Weighed down with a dissertation to write and exams to study for, I needed some sort of creative release from hours spent in the library and it took the form of illustration. The illustrations then became my main focus. I would wake up maddeningly early and go to sleep very late and spent all of my time not spent in the library, sitting in my room drawing. Needless to say I had developed a true passion. I suppose you could say that I have wanted to be an illustrator ever since I started illustrating."

When do you think you got your big break?

"When designers and notable people started reposting drawings that I had done, namely when Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid both used my drawing to announce their participation in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. That drawing of mine went kind of viral in a way."

Do you find that your style is evolving, or is it important to stick to your signature style?

"My style has been pretty consistent since a young age. I have always reduced people and things to their graphic linear components. My signature style is just the way I see - it's not something that I consciously replicate in every drawing. I didn’t have any formal artistic training, so I think that's where the childlike quality stems from."

Have you got a favourite project to date?

"Definitely this project!"

Where are you based and why?

"In New York. I moved here after I graduated from university and started my career as an illustrator. I have always been drawn to the idea of living here, and I wanted to challenge myself by lifting myself out of my comfort zone in London."

Do you have any unusual sources of inspiration?

"I find inspiration everywhere. I can be inspired while on the move, while in conversation with friends, while riding the subway - I’m deeply inspired by people and my surroundings, anywhere and everywhere."

The world of fashion illustration has grown exponentially in recent years, are there any other artists whose work you admire?

"Yes, many. I’m a huge fan of Unskilled Worker - both as an artist and as a person, she is hilarious. Julie Houts is also fantastically funny. She has a whimsical style with a humorous stream of social consciousness."

What would your dream commission be?

"This is it!"

SJP Reveals Carrie Keepsakes

Sarah Jessica Parker  may have hung up her Manolos portraying Carrie Bradshaw, but the actress has revealed that she has kept a few of the fictional New York writer's most prized possessions.

"I have the Carrie necklace still... I love it and it’s tucked away somewhere safe," she said at Vulture Festival yesterday, reports The Cut, adding that she has lost and found the piece of jewellery, much like her character in one of the final Sex and the City episodes. "I wish I could play that scene again," she joked, "because now that I’ve lived through it, I’d do a much better job."

Fans of the fashion of the four lead stars - Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York, and Samantha Jones - will be pleased to hear that the wardrobe from the six-season show, devised by stylist Patricia Field, has been immaculately preserved.

"We have probably 95 per cent of the clothing archived. I have it all," she said. "I don’t touch it or wear it but all of that is really meaningful."

Also at the culture festival, Parker revealed that she and former co-star Cynthia Nixon, who played lawyer Hobbes, were in competition for parts long before they were united on the Sex and the City set. "Cynthia Nixon and I were always in a waiting room together," she said. "She got a lot of the parts and rightfully so. I love her and admire her even more today, and I’ve known her since she was 11."

Future Proof: Graduate Fashion Week Gears Up

Graduate Fashion Week is nearly upon us once again, and with it a new wave of fashion talent from around the UK. Now in its 26th year, the event is one that has been gaining more and more momentum in recent years, and to mark 2017's graduates the organisers have selected eight aspiring designers to showcase their work in a stunning editorial shoot.

"The work being produced this year is of the highest calibre and the campaign is truly extraordinary, reflecting the talent on show at Graduate Fashion Week," said managing and creative director Martyn Roberts. He will be joined this year by illustrious fashion names, including Angela Missoni, Sarah Harris and Fabio Piras, to select the winners of the prestigious gold award (which Christopher Bailey first scooped 26 years ago) which will see the winning student receive £10,000 and their university be awarded a prize of £2,000.

For the second year in a row, there will be two graduates chosen to take part in the Tu at Sainsbury's scholarship initiative (there will be a winning womenswear and a menswear graduate) who will work with the design team - based on last week's news there has never been a better time to be there - to create a graduate collection for spring/summer 2018. They will also receive year-long mentorship with designers Henry Holland and Oliver Spencer to help them do it - something which seasoned LFW designer Holland knows first hand is vital to the future of the industry.

"London is one of the most supportive capitals in the world to the creative industries and I have always felt like there is an initiative available to me to help me further my business," he told us. "The challenge is the volume of people looking to get into the industry and providing enough support for everyone is just impossible. I think we do as best we can though. With my own company I encourage young designers to make themselves heard. I’m never closed off from my team and work alongside them every day – often inviting them to share their opinions and thoughts on what we should do and the best way we should do it. I think being open and receptive to every point of view is very important and my job is to select the best routes and ideas to take forward!"

In addition, Holly Fulton will be joined by Jackson Tucker Lynch of the Harris Tweed Authority to judge the Catwalk Textiles Award, which will see the winner take home £1,000 and their university £250.

Pippa Middleton Weds In Giles Deacon

An eccentric designer; a traditional dress. Pippa Middleton chose British couturier Giles Deacon to design her bridal gown for her wedding to James Matthews on Saturday, and the result was wonderfully Pinterest friendly: file this under "traditional English bride". The only surprise? That it was Deacon, known for his flamboyant, antic-flavoured designs, who conceived of the beautifully old-school, classically chic number.

Deacon’s name had admittedly been in the mix for some time after he was photographed exiting Middleton’s Kensington home several months ago, garment bags in hand. Some unfairly presumed he was designing her bridesmaids’ dresses, given that his headline-grabbing, experimental designs often tinker with borderline bad taste. Instead, Deacon pulled off an elegant dress that felt stately but not staid, classy but not stiflingly conventional.

On paper the design sounds a little prim and proper, even for the sister of the future Queen of England. Constructed entirely of lace, the material had been hand-assembled to create a seamless sheath, and embroidered with tiny pearls. But Deacon’s skill is in trifling with tradition. Hence, the high neck added a touch of unexpected drama; the capped sleeves a contemporary edge. The form-fitting waist spilled out into a tulle-filled train, which Deacon said was inspired by the ballroom dancing scene in Luchino Visconti’s 1963 film The Leopard, where Claudia Cardinale’s white puff of a dress floats out behind her as she moves.

The similarities with her sister the Duchess of Cambridge’s dress were marked. Like Kate, Pippa chose lace, though she was able to take a more modern approach to the cut. She paired her gown with a Stephen Jones pearl-studded veil, a Maidenhair Fern tiara and Manolo Blahnik shoes. For her part, careful not to upstage her sister, the Duchess wore a pale peach Alexander McQueen Forties-style dress and a rose-embellished Jane Taylor hat.

Deacon shuttered his ready-to-wear business in January 2016 to focus on couture and the bespoke side of his business. He has since established a 20-strong London atelier just off Brick Lane, in London’s East End, producing exquisite custom-made pieces for between £3,000 and £5,000, and red-carpet creations for between £50,000 and £70,000. At the moment he has a client book of roughly 50 clients. After this coup, that number will surely swell.

Has Luxury Gone Too Mass?

Luxury brands have long been mass consumer brands. After all, real exclusivity — selling highly select items to a limited audience — offers limited opportunity for scale and business growth. Indeed, the world’s most elite luxury houses, like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel, have driven strong financial results by creating iconic products as high price points, which, paired with elaborate marketing campaigns, emit a halo of perceived exclusivity around lower priced products, made to sell in high volumes to aspirational consumers. Getting the balance right can be a delicate act, involving art as well as science.

But in recent cycles, adapting to shifts in mass media, globalisation and a turbulent post-recessionary economy, many luxury brands have become more accessible than ever, embracing social media, fast-fashion collaborations, public exhibitions, stores in airports and casinos and off-price outlets offering last season’s luxury products (and sometimes purpose-made collections) for a fraction of the full retail price. This all may be well and good for investors, but the question is - are luxury brands upsetting the delicate balance that made them desirable in the first place? Is luxury fashion becoming too mass?

Lucinda Chambers To Depart British Vogue

Lucinda Chambers has announced that she is to step down from her position as fashion director of British Vogue. She will depart this summer after a career spanning 36 years at the publication.

"Lucinda has been the most wonderful creative collaborator, as well as friend, throughout my whole editorship," said Alexandra Shulman today. "She has produced many of the most influential and inspiring fashion shoots in the world during her time as fashion director of this magazine as well as a huge number of our most remarkable covers. It is impossible to overstate her vision, commitment, imagination and her ability to bring the best out of teams that work with her. I, like her many admirers, will be excited to see what she produces in her next chapter."

Chambers's creative career started when she abandoned her secretarial ambitions and applied for an art course at Hornsey College of Art. During her time at college, she began to make jewellery as a sideline, selling her creations to friends and at Camden Lock Market on the weekends. When one of her pieces made it on to the pages of a magazine, it inspired her to write a letter to Vogue, asking for an interview. She initially assisted a Ms Davies in accounts, before a chance encounter with the PA to then-editor Beatrix Miller led to an interview, which in turn led to her becoming Miller's assistant.

After three years in this role, Chambers became assistant to Grace Coddington, of whom she says "was, and still is, the queen bee of fashion". During her time as Coddington's assistant, Chambers struck up a professional friendship with photographer Mario Testino, which has lasted to this day and has produced some of the most iconic images of our generation. It was after a brief stint at Elle magazine that Chambers returned to Vogue in July 1992 where she became fashion director.

"I adore British Vogue and am so very proud to have been a part of it for so long," Chambers said this afternoon. Her departure from the title 25 years later comes as long-term editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman steps down. Incoming editor Edward Enninful will take over in August, it was announced in April.

M&S AW17: The Verdict

Food and fashion are not traditional bedfellows. That hasn’t stopped M&S splicing them together in its latest TV campaign, Spend It Well. The central premise is that life’s too short for crappy shoes that give you blisters or dissatisfying ready-meals eaten at your desk. Get the right bra and the rest will follow, counsels the nation’s favourite high street retailer, as two laughing women drive into the sunset, Thelma & Louise style.

“No saving things for best” is a clever slogan to get shoppers to buy more. But as some observers have pointed out, Thelma & Louise drive their car off a cliff at the end of the movie. Those same observers were quick to indicate that this is effectively how many M&S clothing customers felt when they heard the news last year that the retailer will close 30 stores and convert 45 to food-only supermarkets in 2017. Why invest in an M&S coat when M&S is investing in Gastropub paella meal deals and a delivery service that can drop it on your doorstep?

Belinda Earl and Jo Jenkins, style director and director of womenswear, lingerie and beauty insist the shift is in-line with customer spending habits. “The website has everything now,” says Earl, speaking to Vogue at the press preview of the new autumn/winter 2017 collection. “The realignment in space is really just about us making sure we’ve got the right offer for customers in terms of how they’re shopping and where they’re shopping. So, certain stores will have more, certain stores will have less.”

The revamped website is a key element of the “realignment”, with more attention being placed on the editorial features enticing shoppers to click through to purchase. “Our customers see things in magazines and they often go straight online,” says Earl. “And then everything else has been graded according to size and profile of the store.”

Grading the fashion, on the other hand, is a matter of buzzwords. A tour of the showroom led by Jenkins and design director Queralt Ferrer reveals the key pieces for autumn have all been through the same vetting process. “We need to make sure that everything we’re doing goes through that filter: is it simple, is it stylish, is it ageless?” says Jenkins. On balance, the answer for this autumn offering is: yes.

What do you need to buy? Set your sights on the £99 check coat. “We’re all dying for this one,” says Jenkins. “The good thing about the colour mix” – red, navy, black, cream and grey are all woven into the tweed – “is that you can pair it with anything.” Equally delicious is the teddy bear coat, £79, which has more than a whiff of Max Mara about it. Then there’s the sharply cut cashmere-wool mix city coat, £119, which comes in eight colours.

The catwalk references are strong. A lovely lightweight tweed grey shirt and trouser pairing nods to a Chloé look that many fashion editors, including myself, lusted after in February. There’s a Dior-esque navy blue dotted dress in a lightweight tulle fabric for £45 that will be a chic Christmas party option, especially when styled with a choker. I liked the printed velvet pieces, another autumn trend diluted by a forgiving silhouette. M&S is also gently encouraging tonal dressing for autumn, and it’s backing red in all its variations: witness a Balenciaga-style cranberry draped dress paired with tomato red knee-high boots, and a plummy-toned silk shirt with a scarf-neckline styled with matching red trousers (for the faint of heart, there’s also a navy version, the M&S team are keen to point out).

On the subject of boots: race you to the till for the hot red ankle boots with a metal stiletto heel that are racier than anything seen on the M&S shop floor for years. The footwear is particularly desirable: another member of the Vogue team had her eye on the jewel-toned satin stilettos that nod to Manolo Blahnik’s cult crystal-buckled pumps but have a modest £35 price tag.

Can’t wait ‘til autumn? M&S knows that May sees a rise in searches for “dress” online, so five £45 dresses will go on sale today, some with the much-vaunted super fluted sleeve that is currently acting as a panacea in stores in the form of a hot pink shift dress. Wear it now, then pop a polo neck underneath come winter, is the way they’re selling it. And as for the right bra? Soozie Jenkinson, head of lingerie, active and swim, says soft-cup bralettes are flying. Let’s hope the rest really does follow.

Réard Paris - The Founder Of The Bikini - Relaunches

Since its oh-so chic Parisian launch at the Piscine Molitor in 1946, the bikini has become a global staple in the wardrobes of women, but few know the name of its founder: Louis Réard. The good news is they're about to, as following decades of sartorial obscurity, the swimwear brand - Réard Paris - is relaunching for summer 2017. It has a fresh outlook that honours the brand's heritage and pioneering past and a creative director who hails from Chloé, Céline Adler. We asked Adler how she's breathing new life into the brand.

How does it feel to be relaunching such a famous brand?

"This is an incredible and rare opportunity. The possibilities are endless when it comes to creativity as the brand has been dormant for the past few years, but it is a true honour to be able to work with such a strong heritage and background. Réard and its founder, Louis, have had a great influence on women’s fashion. As a woman, I feel honoured to work for such a historical and symbolic name. Louis Réard was himself a feminist in some ways as he fully supported the emancipation of women and, as such, created a product which liberated them. I am very moved and deeply touched to be a part of this adventure."

What has been your approach with redefining the house?

"We have decided not to directly reference the pin-up style that Réard had in the Fifties. We’ve obviously kept the essence of the minimal bikini by developing a piece which is tiny, yet functional but, other than that, Réard is developing its style in a more contemporary manner with sharp lines, strong visuals and graphics bringing an effortless and natural fit. Réard was a visionary, an inventor even, and I wanted to keep this strong heritage and go above and beyond creatively with the use of today’s new technologies. This allows me to create pieces that are both highly architectural and pure."

Can you explain the new elements that you have introduced?

"When it comes to the style, I wanted to develop pieces that are recognisable in terms of their minimalism and by their incredible details and elements which would make these bathing suits desirable. Réard’s signature look today is clean and precise lines creating a strong silhouette. We also have a strong desire for quality. We have a studio in Paris where we create all of our prototypes with a professional team who are at the cutting edge of technology. We use the latest fabrics and bonding technology which allows us to create a precise and perfect fit."

What is your background?

"I studied History of Art at The Sorbonne before going to Esmod in Paris. I’ve worked for many years for brands such as Huit and Princesse Tam Tam. I have also worked as a freelancer where I had the incredible opportunity to work alongside Peter Copping at Nina Ricci as well as Clare Waight Keller at Chloé."

What did you take away from your time working under Clare at Chloé?

"During my time at Chloé I worked in their swimwear division, which is a small part of their business, but Clare is incredibly intuitive and works with great generosity, creativity, and detail. I learned to look at archives with a new approach, to use them and bring my vision of the 21st Century into them. Clare has a strong link to these archives and is able to read and re-adapt them to the latest trends, as she is always conscious of the everyday and effortless style which she brings to her collections. This is also very important to me with Réard as we’re not here to create museum pieces."

How would you like Réard be perceived now?

"I would like Réard to become the brand of choice when one needs a new bathing suit and this is for three reasons: because we invented the bikini; for its style; and for its quality. For me, fashion is not meant to be something that you can just throw away; I like pieces that are timeless and will transcend time, accompanying you through the ages. I would like women to come to us when in search of a premium product. Beyond finding a pretty piece, it is about offering a perfect fit which in my eyes, is a key quality in a bathing suit."

What makes it stand apart from other swimwear collections?

"There is an endless amount of brands today as swimwear seems to be trending at the moment. Within the luxury swimwear market, there are very few, I would say even no brands that offer a minimalist style that is modern as well as a perfected and highly detailed lining, which enhances and beautifies a silhouette. These aspects have mostly been seen in sort of mainstream brands, but we are looking to push the boundaries whilst staying true to our timeless aesthetic.
I truly believe there is a place on the market for a brand which offers women a trendy, premium, and desirable product, where quality is at the heart of every piece, thus making women feel beautiful and confident."

Are there plans to offer other product categories?

"It’s important for us to make a comeback with swimwear foremost because it is our heritage. Nevertheless, we do want to expand the brand into a true resort-wear brand. We are simply waiting for the right moment and collaborations or partnerships to do so. This comes with developing our beachwear into ready to wear, sandals, sunglasses, jewellery (etc), in order to offer a complete summer wardrobe."

What are the key pieces from the launch collection?

"There are three key points to the collection: The must-haves, which are the stars of our collection and are timeless pieces with a perfect fit; the seasonal collection, which offers a range of products with various styles and strong details, such as oversized eyelets, or even two-tone graphic lines which have the effect of a ribbon being pulled through the fabric; and certain samples are quite exceptional as they are designed with pieces of jewellery which have been exclusively created and developed by Réard, such as a gold-edged cutout eyelet on the back of one of our silhouettes. These pieces can easily be worn both on the beach and with a pair of jeans for example."Louis Réard was himself a feminist in some ways as he fully supported the emancipation of women and, as such, created a product which liberated them

"When it comes to the style, we’ve really tried to think outside of the box and go above and beyond. For example, one piece plunges dramatically on the back and it reminds of the dress Mireille Darc wore. Others include a pure and minimalist bandeau with a plunging cleavage, as well as high-waisted pants which are very structured and architectural."

How many collections will you work on a year?

"We will be working on four collections a year, with spring, summer, autumn, and a Cruise collection. We are following the same calendar as ready-to-wear brands. Additionally, we are opening several pop-up stores throughout 2017, and a first Réard store in 2018. With regards to retail outlets we will also be selling limited-edition pieces that are specifically designed to have a link with each location and each history."

What do you feel gives you the advantage?

"Today, the word bikini is found in the everyday language. Réard’s influence has been huge, all you need to do is look on the internet and you’ll see that the Bikini is everywhere. Réard holds a strong position and stands as an innovative brand and thus has a place to take in the market. We are going to work on building the link that once was between the word Bikini and Réard, ensuring that we are once again known as the original bikini!"

Sainsburys' Fashion Focus Revealed

You may associate Sainsbury's more with food than fashion, but the British supermarket has set its sights on developing its clothing ranges, Tu, it has revealed this morning. It's a move that is in contrast with fellow high-street retailer Marks & Spencer, which has revealed that it, on the contrary, intends to open more food shops.

While it may surprise some, Sainsbury's' statistics are solid: currently the UK's tenth-largest clothing retailer (based on value) and the sixth-largest (based on the number of garments sold), it boasted clothing revenue growth of four per cent last year and sales of nearly £1 billion, according to researcher Kantar Worldpanel, reports Bloomberg. Its success has to do with its hands-on approach, according to Sainsbury’s commercial director James Brown, who has been a part of creating the new team of 30 fashion spotters who travel the world, attending catwalk shows and identifying global trends to translate for its Tu range.

“We decided we needed to compete more with the high street,” said Brown, “both in terms of the pace at which clothing was changing through the season, as well as on our quality and the trends we sell."

The brand has enjoyed many marketable moments in the past, including catwalk shows for the in-house label; collaborations, including one with the celebrity stylist Gok Wan; and affordable premium fashion, including a recent leather jacket, costing £95, that sold out in a week. “All trends are relevant for us, but the knack is how we translate those in a way our customers will like," added Brown.

Six Things To Note From The Louis Vuitton Resort Show

Here are the six things you need to know from the Louis Vuitton resort show, straight from Japan.

Paying Tribute To Yamamoto

In Louis Vuitton's 2018 cruise collection artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière paid tribute to emblematic Japanese designer and artist Kansai Yamamoto, famous for having made an extensive number of David Bowie's costumes but also for the being the first Japanese designer to show in Paris and for reinventing the kimono in avant-garde form for a modern audience. Yamamoto especially created icons and symbols to decorate new accessories and leather goods.

The Setting Was Everything

Three-quarters of the Miho Museum, where the resort extravaganza was staged, is underground and was designed by I. M. Pei, the same architect who conceived the Louvre's Grand Pyramid in Paris.

Hats Off To Haigh

Teenage boys the world over became obsessed with Louis Vuitton after the brand collaborated with street skate label Supreme for autumn/winter 2017. Street cred in the resort show came in the form of caps by New York-based designer Kristopher Haigh, founder of 1K.

A Kabuki Moment

Spot the Kabuki masks decorating everything from dresses to handbags and clutches, which hail from a long history in traditional Japanese theatre.

A Star-Studded Audience

600 people from 25 countries flew into Japan to watch the show at the Miho Museum, south-east of Kyoto, with 17 celebrities including Michelle Williams, Sophie Turner, Jennifer Connelly, and Elvis's granddaughter Riley Keough. There were 55 looks in the collection and the show lasted exactly 17 minutes.

Ghesquière's Japanese References

This collection was, in part, an homage to Japanese design by Louis Vuitton's Nicolas Ghesquière, who first visited Japan 20 years ago. There are references amongst the pieces to obi belts, samurai and ceremonial dress.

Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion

The profound - and lasting - influence of Cristobal Balenciaga on the fashion world is to be celebrated this month at London's V&A in the exhibition, Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion, that has us all counting down the days until May 27 when it opens. None more so than curator Cassie Davies-Strodder, who took us around the legendary location's private stores as the final preparations started to take place last week.

For Davies-Strodder, the 18-month culmination of work that will form the body of the exhibition not only proved to be fascinating as one would expect, but a deep exploration that took her all over the world acquiring pieces from private collectors - not easy, given the designer's penchant for not courting the press.

"He is such a mystery, because he didn’t do many interviews or write a biography," Davies-Strodder explained. "It’s tricky because there’s a lot of mythology that builds up about someone like that. There’s all these stories, but he only ever gave one interview... He was very private. For the first 10 years of his fashion house he banned the press from the first showings of his collections – they made separate journeys a month later. It could be seen as career suicide but he had such confidence."

The lack of recorded work hasn't stopped the exhibition from being comprehensive. Split into three sections called Front Of House, Workrooms, and Balenciaga's Legacy, it builds on previous retrospectives of the designer's work and design temperament (Diana Vreeland famously chose to profile Balenciaga for her first major fashion retrospective at the New York Met in 1973), while bringing something new to the table: showing how his handwriting can still be seen.

Given that Balenciaga was so admired by his contemporaries (Christian Dior famously called him "the master of us all"), it comes as no surprise that his artistry continues to impact 21st Century designers. That this would play a huge part of the exhibition was a given from the start.

"We knew from an early stage that we wanted to look at the legacy up to the present day," Davies-Strodder said. "We could have stopped in the Sixties with the people that worked with him, but we felt in order to make it as relevant as possible to people, we needed to take it right up until now. Those were early decisions."

As a result over 30 designers from the last 50 years feature, showing the influence that Balenciaga's collections had on their own. Pieces from Azzedine Alaïa, Oscar de la Renta, Comme des Garçons, Simone Rocha, JW Anderson, Celine, Iris Van Herpen, Erdem, Molly Goddard, Rick Owens, Vetements, and, of course, Nicholas Ghesquiere's Balenciaga collections all feature, cleverly connecting the influential dots that resonate in modern day.

Keen to emphasise this to the audience in minute detail, Davies-Strodder and her team partnered with pattern-cutting students from the London College of Fashion, who were able to replicate and dissect famous pieces from the Balenciaga archive to show the skill involved - most notably a complicated dress that they unravelled had been made from one piece of fabric. The team also worked with X-ray artist Nick Veesley, who has presented a gown in a way to show the many layers of fabric and "the elements that are so intrinsic to the artistry of Balenciaga but that you can’t see from looking at a dress", explained Davies-Strodder. With the same thought in mind, extensive thought went into how to stage the major show.

"We felt early on that he was such a different character to someone like McQueen - with whom you needed a big stage to show a big showman on. Cristobal was more about the detail and the making and so a smaller space is more appropriate to give a more in-depth look at the process," she said. “We have also pushed it in terms of audio-visual content this time as we realised early on that communicating those elements of making or the details to people is really difficult when you have a static fabric on a mannequin behind glass."

Davies-Strodder (who has worked at the V&A for nine years) and her team had a strong starting point for the exhibit, looking to their own extensive archive to begin with.

"We have the biggest collection in the UK of Balenciaga and it's strong so we wanted to focus on that," she explained. "It’s largely from the Fifties and Sixties and it was mostly acquired by Cecil Beaton in the Seventies who curated an exhibition called Fashion: An Anthology. It was the first major fashion exhibition at the V&A and it was kind of a result of him ringing around his contacts – society ladies – and asking them to donate their couture, so a lot of our 20th century couture collection comes from that time. It was also one of Balenciaga's most creative periods. Where we’ve taken in loans, it’s because the Beaton collection is a very particular type of woman he was in contact with and we wanted to tell the story of some more of his demure work with not much pattern – not only the kind of woman who was wearing the envelope dress!"

For fans of the tunic, the baby-doll and the shift dress, you're in for a sartorial history lesson; for devotees of the man himself, you're about to get to know him even better; and for aficionados of the house's current reincarnation with Demna Gvasalia at the helm, you'll see how the apple hasn't fallen so far from the tree.

Why David Has To Work Extra Hard These Days

David Gandy has admitted that keeping his body in shape isn’t quite as easy as it used to be. The supermodel has explained how he had to up his fitness regime in order to be ready for Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue Eau Intense fragrance campaign, shot by Mario Testino. The 37-year-old - who has been a favourite of the brand since 2006 - admitted he "had to work extra hard this time" to get his body in shape for this campaign, in which he features topless in white swimming trunks.

"The body’s got to be ready so I was training for a good six to eight weeks," Gandy explained in an interview with the Mail Online. “This time I used a different technique, because when you get older your body does not react or change as quickly as you'd like as your metabolism gets slower.”

The supermodel also embarked on strict diet for two months ahead of the photoshoot on the island of Capri, in Italy. "I did some research and was reading up about what the cover stars of Men’s Health and bodybuilders do," he explained. "It’s a thing called salt depletion; salt bloats you so you can get rid of all the salt in your body in a couple of days and then you dehydrate quite a bit."

Gandy also admitted that despite a career spanning over 15 years, he's still not comfortable with all the attention he receives: "I’m not sure if you ever get used to it. But it’s just the character that I’m playing."

Alexa Poses For Mario Testino's Towel Series

Alexa Chung - this month's Vogue cover girl - is the latest to pose for Mario Testino's famous Towel Series (see the behind-the-scenes video below). Testino shot the 137th photo in the black and white series following the June issue's cover shoot, photographed by Testino and styled by Vogue's fashion director, Lucinda Chambers.

In the video for Mira Mira - Testino's online visual platform - the pair joke about doing the nude shoot: "I'm probably the most shy person that's done it," Chung says before Testino replies: "Oh please, give me a break!"Style File - Alexa Chung

The series - previously featuring the likes of models Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, as well as actresses from Sienna Miller to Blake Lively - is a personal project for Testino in which stars strip back and wear nothing but a towel to cover their body, and often a towel on their head.

"For me it's interesting I spend all my life dressing people, and at the end of every shoot, I take everything off, and then I put a towel there," Testino says in the clip.

"I've seen your series and I've seen what people did with it, a lot of people just holding the towel, its about being naked, but for me, it's about making an outfit out of the towel," the model-turned designer says in the video. "It's the natural born designer in me."

LVMH Reveals More Details About New Luxury Website

Following its announcement in March that it would be launching its first multi-brand e-commerce platform, LVMH has revealed more details about the ambitious and highly anticipated launch.

The new site for Le Bon Marché - the luxury department store that the French conglomerate owns - will be called 24Sevres.com, after its Paris address (24 rue de Sèvres) and will be open for business in the second week of June. It will initially focus on womenswear; ship to 75 countries; offer exclusives from 68 brands for the launch; and will sell more than 150 brands, approximately 30 of which will be LVMH-owned, including Dior and Louis Vuitton, marking the first time that the two brands will be available in a multi-brand online platform.

“Our clients are highly sophisticated and always in search of creativity and innovation," said Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH. "With the launch of 24 Sèvres, we are offering them a truly differentiated online experience built on our unique expertise at Le Bon Marché in Paris. Shopping at Le Bon Marché is a special and unmissable experience for both local and international clienteles. With 24 Sèvres, our clients can now enjoy this unique feeling every day and night, worldwide.”

It will also be a hub for moving image and innovative visual merchandising (such as on-the-spot, video styling consultations), rather than focus on editorial content, as with many competitors including Net-a-Porter, Style.com, and Matchesfashion.com, Farfetch.com. For chief digital officer Ian Rogers (for whom 24 Sèvres is his first major project for LVMH since he was headhunted from Apple 18 months ago), this is a key point of difference.

"The move toward social-media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat comes hand-in-hand with the rise of the internet as a more visual medium and of mobile domination," he told The New York Times. "If you look at our site, we lean far further toward visually-led merchandising than the more editorial skew of our competitors."

As for joining said online luxury competitors, Rogers is confident that with the move by many brands towards omnichannel experiences (a much debated topic at this year's Condé Nast International Luxury Conference), the time is perfect to strike.

"We don't want to be early adopters. We have been before and we paid the price for that," he said, referring to LVMH's former venture into e-commerce with eLuxury.com which closed in 2009. "When it comes to the internet specifically there isn't necessarily a reward for being first. There is, however, currently a major focus on omnichannel and experience, and we are moving from a mass culture to a mass of niches. If there is quality in what you do, you're not threatened. Timing-wise, this is exactly where LVMH wants to be."

Chloë Comes To The Rescue

Famous for perfecting the elusive easy-meets-considered aesthetic so many of her contemporaries and younger fanbase craves, Chloë Sevigny is the undisputed poster girl for authentic vintage cool. So much so, that Vestiaire Collective has tapped the New Yorker to curate an edit of her favourite vintage pieces from the site that it hopes will inspire its clients to discover pieces they never knew they needed.

It seems like a match made in e-commerce heaven given Sevigny's connection with the category. Having been a thrift-store devotee since she was a child, 42-year-old Sevigny told us that growing up vintage fashion wasn't just about wearing something unique, it was about connecting with like-minded style aficionados.

"When I was younger, shopping vintage gave me a sense of community - places to meet other weird kids and kindred spirits," she said. "Love Saves The Day - an old thrift store on 7th Street and 2nd Avenue (made famous by Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan) - was one of the first places I would go when I came up to the city from Connecticut and I loved seeing how other people were dressing. There was no street style or street chic then like there is now, so it was amazing inspiration and gave everyone a sense of belonging."

As astute as she is stylish, Sevigny has certain rules when it comes to buying vintage. "There's a max I would spend, and it's about $800," she said. "People might be surprised to hear that, but I'm actually pretty frugal and try and keep to a budget on individual pieces because I spend so much collectively." She also doesn't allow herself to impulse buy, preferring to take her time when considering an item and leaving it down to fate if it's there when she returns. She cites Relik and One Of A Kind in London; Screaming Mini's and Love Saves The Day in New York; and The Wasteland and The Way We Wore in LA as must-visits (the latter of which she jokes that it's impossible not to shop, "because there's not a lot else to do!").

Current items on Sevigny's shopping list include a Chanel suit ("I'm deconstructing it in my head and seeing if it could work"), while the one vintage piece that she has worn every day since she bought it is a gold Rolex - which she has recently had customised to black as "gold doesn't feel so appropriate right now" - and she confesses to always searching for tops. Unsurprisingly, one thing that she does not need is advice.

"I'm pretty good at self-moderation and I don't really need anyone to tell me what looks good. It kind of annoys me in a shop, actually, when sales assistants go, 'Oh that looks cute,' because I'm like, 'Uh, I know!'" she laughed. "Like when I throw something on over my jeans and they're like, 'You'll get a better picture of what it will look like if you took those off' I'm like, 'Uh, I think I have a pretty good idea, thank you'," (an attitude that is, conveniently, perfect for online vintage shopping).

Aquazzura Collaborate With De Gournay Interiors

Luxury footwear label Aquazzura has collaborated with interiors brand de Gournay - renowned for their hand-painted wallpapers and fabrics - in a five-piece collection for Matchesfashion.com.

Modelled by brand ambassador, Arizona Muse, the capsule collection features a powder-pink tropical design, hand-painted for Aquazzura by de Gourney, in five different styles for summer. We spoke to Edgardo Osorio, founder and creative director at Aquazzura, exclusively about the collaboration.

What drew you to de Gournay over other interior designers and artists?

I always admired de Gournay’s precious techniques and deep sense of artistry. The maison creates pieces which seem to have real soul and that’s exactly the same approach that I have to design. Being a great fan of the fabrics and wallpaper company, I was deeply fascinated by the idea that women could wear luxurious shoes reflecting the same beauty of de Gournay interiors.

Working with the brand has been a wonderful occasion to express my passion for interiors and to bring ideas together with an exceptionally creative team. The imaginary jungle we designed is an exotic, decadent dream full of animals and plants, preciously detailed and hand-painted, timeless and extremely modern at the same time. Our creative vision and approach to design matched as perfectly as I expected.

Have you always been a fan of de Gournay?

I’m obsessed with wallpapers and prints. I’ve been following de Gournay for many years now and I always wanted to work with them, so this collaboration is an absolute dream!

Do you use de Gournay for your own interiors?

Of course I do! De Gournay wallpaper takes pride of place in my apartment’s entrance hall – a sophisticated welcome when entering the house. A tropical inspired de Gournay wallpaper featuring pink flamingos also adorns the Aquazzura flagship store in Bal Harbour, Florida, adding a unique Latin touch to the space. And, naturally, the Aquazzura X de Gournay “Amazonia” wallpaper in pink is now an integral part of the Aquazzura HQ in Milan. It’s my new favourite room, everyone who comes in can’t help but stare in awe at those precious hand-painted wallpapered walls.

Why is Arizona Muse the perfect poster girl for this collection?

The moment I met Arizona for the first time, I knew I wanted to work with her. Her being a working mother, her natural beauty, amazing energy and personality are all reasons why she perfectly embodies the spirit of the brand and its customers from all over the world. I deeply admire her work ethic and the efforts she constantly puts into her work. Such a true professional and the nicest woman to spend time with.

How did you choose which shoe silhouettes to use?

I wanted the capsule collection to include styles which could be used day and night, and versatile enough to be worn with different outfits. That’s why I decided to include both flat styles and heels so that each woman could find her perfect shoe.

What is your approach to collaborations?

A good collaboration couldn’t exist without each party’s total commitment. During the creative process, I constantly exchange opinions with the partner and listen to their opinions, yet always remaining true to my personal aesthetic vision. What usually happens is that this mutual exchange flows naturally, and that is exactly what happened with de Gournay. A winning collaboration delivers equally both parties’ distinctive features in a very natural way.

Aquazzura has done a number of collaborations before, what do you look for in collaborators, and how does that align with the brand?

When it comes to choosing a brand to partner with, like for example in the instance with de Gournay, artisanal luxury, unique creativity and attention to detail – are some of the things I look for, as well as a shared contemporary aesthetic. You have to feel like your visions naturally converge, in order to preserve one’s very own authenticity.

Collaborations between Aquazzura and celebrities on the other hand, with Olivia Palermo and Poppy Delevingne for example, always start from a mutual admiration and a common interpretation of femininity and style. The partnership, naturally evolves with a joint effort during the design process where the celebrity partner and Aquazzura’s aesthetic merge. What is important in these instances is that you should never stop learning and evolving, and listening at other people’s ideas; taking inspiration from others, is definitely key.

What is your favourite piece from the collection?

My favourite piece of the collection is probably the Love Tassel Flat, because it’s so fun, flirty and feminine; but I really love every piece because they are all very different from each other, and extremely comfortable.

The Aquazzura X de Gourney collection will be available from May 11, exclusively at Matchesfashion.com, with prices starting from £357.

Roberto Cavalli Appoints Creative Director

Roberto Cavalli has appointed Paul Surridge as its creative director, following Peter Dundas's departure from the role last October.

British designer Surridge studied at Central Saint Martins, before moving on to work at Calvin Klein in the Nineties, Burberry (under Christopher Bailey) and Jil Sander (under Raf Simons) in the Noughties, and most recently Z Zegna, where he was creative director and Acne Studios, where he acted as a creative consultant. His new role will see him take responsibility for "all of the group’s brands and for all creative functions", a statement confirmed this morning, with his first outing for the brand slated to take place during the spring/summer 2018 showcase at Milan Fashion Week this September.

“I am honoured and proud to carry forward the legacy of this extraordinary Italian house," said Surridge today. "This is a unique opportunity to contribute a new chapter to the Roberto Cavalli universe, which positively celebrates the beauty, sensuality and power of women. It is my intention to show the passion I share for the codes and vision on which Roberto Cavalli built his brand while celebrating the excellence of Italian craftsmanship."

There has been plenty of upheaval at the Italian fashion house over the last year. Following his appointment as creative director in March 2015, Peter Dundas departed after 19 months in the role, shortly after CEO Gian Giacomo Ferraris joined from Versace. The brand released a statement shortly after, announcing that it would be undergoing a significant restructure - including redundancies - news of which was met with upset and the threat of action from employees. The company reached an agreement with its employees last December.

“I have worked with Paul, and I had the opportunity to appreciate his creative talent as well as his managerial abilities," said Ferraris today. "Paul has a 360-degree vision on brands and branding. He is passionate, mature and an amazing team player. We all believe that he is the ideal candidate to complete our management team and contribute to implementing the ambitious development plans for Roberto Cavalli, which we have agreed with our stakeholders."

Hilfiger Keeps Hadid On The Books

Tommy Hilfiger has announced that Gigi Hadid is to design another two collections for their collaborative label, Tommy X Gigi, making their union more of a permanent fixture rather than a two-season fling.

“Gigi is a force in the fashion industry and the ultimate Tommy Girl,” said Tommy Hilfiger today. “Her positive, down-to-earth energy, and cool, effortless style continue to captivate her audiences around the world. I have loved designing the Tommy X Gigi collections with her and I look forward to continuing our partnership for another year."

Hadid first debuted her designs for the brand for autumn/winter 2016 last September, and showed her second collection for spring/summer 2017 in February in LA as a part of the brand's see-now, buy-now structure which it has called Tommy Now. Contracted to the brand, Hadid traversed the globe, popping up in multiple cities to promote the collections which were available to purchase immediately.

House Of Fraser Aquires Issa

House Of Fraser has announced today that it has acquired the British fashion brand Issa. The acquisition reinforces the department store’s strategy to invest in “improving the quality and designs of the most popular House Brands”, it said today.

“We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Issa to our portfolio of exclusive brands. It truly epitomises confidence for women, something which resonates well with our customers,” said Maria Hollins, House of Fraser’s executive director for buying and design.

Originally launched in 2003 by Brazilian-born designer, Daniella Helayel, London-based Issa slowly became popular amongst a celebrity crowd but made global headlines in 2010 when the Duchess of Cambridge wore the Sapphire London dress to announce her engagement to Prince William.

Shortly after, in 2011, Helayel sold 51 per cent of the company to Camilla Al-Fayed - daughter of the former Harrods owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed and close friend - in order to keep the brand afloat. The amount Al-Fayed has secured from House of Fraser for the fashion brand is undisclosed.

The first Issa range under House of Fraser's ownership, available both instore and online from autumn/winter 2017, will be aimed at event dressing and is to include key styles from the Issa archive along with a range of shoulder bags in prices ranging from £79 to £199.

“The design and buying team have worked extremely hard over the last 10 months to develop a range that was true to the Issa brand, by keeping the luxury element of the clothing yet offering a modern twist,” Hollins explained. “Customers will recognise the iconic Issa prints which we have developed within the range as well as the iconic styles coveted by so many.”

The news comes today as Coach acquires American accessories brand, Kate Spade.

Coach Seals The Kate Spade Deal

Coach has sealed the deal with Kate Spade, buying its fellow American label for $2.4 billion, the house announced this afternoon.

“Kate Spade has a truly unique and differentiated brand positioning with a broad lifestyle assortment and strong awareness among consumers, especially millennials," said Victor Luis, CEO of Coach, reports Businesswire. "Through this acquisition, we will create the first New York-based house of modern luxury lifestyle brands, defined by authentic, distinctive products and fashion innovation."

Founded in 1993, Kate Spade made a name for itself with its playful and insouciant accessories lines, soon expanding into shoes, stationery, eyewear, babywear, fragrances, and bedlinen. Luis believes that Coach, itself a stalwart of leather goods as well as its successful ready-to-wear lines headed up by Stuart Vevers, is perfectly placed to help move Kate Spade into more lucrative waters, with Coach's chief financial officer, Kevin Wills, saying that he believes Coach can "realise a run rate of approximately $50 million in synergies within three years of the deal closing".

"We believe Coach’s extensive experience in opening and operating specialty retail stores globally, and brand building in international markets, can unlock Kate Spade’s largely untapped global growth potential," he continued. "We are confident that this combination will strengthen our overall platform and provide an additional vehicle for driving long-term, sustainable growth.”

The rumour mill has been rife of late that Coach was circling another brand to buy. Speculation settled on Burberry last year, with Burberry rebuffing "multiple approaches" by Coach, the Financial Times reported at the time.

Alexa Chung Reveals New Logo

Alexa Chung has revealed the logo of her eponymous label, Alexachung, ahead of the brand's launch later this month in a short film.

Entitled Dressage, the short film from Grammy-nominated filmmaker Lorin Askills depicts Chung, immaculately dressed in her riding attire, greeting her horse and performing a brief sequence to reveal the logo stamped out in the sand beneath.

“It is a tongue-in-cheek celebration of the dedication, precision, skill and determination needed to develop and create something aesthetically pleasing," explained Chung, "coupled with the feeling that you could spend endless amounts of time trying to create something that means a lot to you, hoping that some might appreciate it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I guess itʼs supposed to be funny."

The inaugural collection from Alexachung - the first solo design project for the model and Vogue contributing editor - will be unveiled on May 30th.

Lucinda Chambers On Rei Kawakubo

From taking in the spectacular early Comme des Garçons show in the early Eighties, to working with her on early lookbooks that same decade, Vogue’s fashion director Lucinda Chambers has long been devoted to Rei Kawakubo. Here she sheds a little light on that love and why it has lasted the test of time.

Before Rei Kawakubo came, the revolution was with Mary Quant and the mini skirt. Up until that point, fashion and clothes had always been either smart or sexy, but never both.

What Rei and the Japanese did was offer a way of dressing that was intelligent and extraordinary at the same time. It was total liberation. I mean, you could still look properly bonkers - I remember I saved up all my money to wear a Comme jacket and put a wastepaper basket on my head - but it was so much more than just a bonkers thing. If you didn’t fit into that mould of either ‘smart’ or ‘sexy’ or ‘girly’, it just opened the whole fashion world up.

Rei's way of cutting, draping and fashioning clothes on the body was so new at the time and she still does it to this day. It wasn’t referenced though, it seemed to come out of nowhere: one minute everyone was wearing a Chanel jacket with leggings and a pearl choker and the next, wow.

What is quite wonderful about her is that she takes things that are part of the fashion dialogue and even where she reinterprets them, there is nothing derivative or cynical about what she does. It feels to me as if Rei is trying to turn fashion and the idea of what is beautiful on its head, inside out and back to front, and as she gets older she becomes more rebellious.

Quite a lot of Punk was about women having a loud, strong and anti-establishment voice, and that is how I see Rei; pushing, pushing, pushing us until we might feel uncomfortable and have to ask ourselves why.

Burberry To Relocate 300 Jobs To Leeds

Burberry plans to relocate 300 jobs from London to Leeds. The luxury fashion retailer proposal to create a new business centre of excellence will move roles from finance, HR and procurement from the UK and overseas, as well as some customer service and IT roles.

Christopher Bailey, chief creative and chief executive officer, said: “This is an important move for Burberry as we continue to deliver on the strategic priorities we outlined last year.”

The Leeds-based offices, opening in October, come as part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to strengthen its historic ties to Yorkshire, home of the iconic trench coat. The plan also aims to deliver at least £100 million in cost savings by 2019.

The news comes as part of an overhaul for the British fashion house. Christopher Bailey stepped down as CEO to become president and chief creative officer, and will welcome new CEO, Marco Gobbetti, in July.

A £50 million proposal for a Yorkshire-based manufacturing facility, announced in 2015, is on hold however, as chief financial officer, Julie Brown, confirmed the retailer is "taking a moment to think through" plans for the factory in Leeds South Bank.

Tim Walker To Shoot 2018 Pirelli Calendar

The 2018 Pirelli Calendar will be shot by British photographer Tim Walker, it has been revealed.

The Vogue favourite will be shooting in London next week, although the concept and cast remain firmly under wraps. 2017 year’s calendar was a resounding success, shot by Peter Lindbergh and featuring the likes of Robin Wright, Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman and Nicole Kidman.

2016’s calendar - photographed by Annie Leibovitz - featured an all-star cast including Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Rooney Mara, Helen Mirren, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlotte Rampling, Lea Seydoux, Alicia Vikander and Kate Winslet. Both the 2017 and 2016 editions adhered to a stripped back, natural aesthetic.

Walker’s take on the annual publication will no doubt herald a new approach, as his whimsical and often fantastical shoots and portraits always do.

Alexander Wang On Bella's Met Look

Bella Hadid´s skin-tight Alexander Wang catsuit was one of the most talked-about outfits from this year’s Met Gala – and the designer had only one thing in mind; showcasing the model’s figure to perfection.

“It was exciting to do a bodysuit for the Met because I felt that it was something that hasn’t really been explored,” Wang told us exclusively last night. Inspired by the late-night-luxe jumpsuits from his autumn/winter 2017 collection, the NY designer created “a more amplified version, done in lace with allover beading and embroidery down to the shoe,” he explained: “It really shows off Bella’s incredible body.”

The beaded jumpsuit was one of her bravest looks yet; featuring a low, scooped back and off-the-shoulder neckline of the intricate beaded jumpsuit, teamed with newly-cropped hair insured all eyes were on her at Monday night’s red carpet. The outing marked the first event that Bella attended where her ex-boyfriend, The Weeknd, and his new girlfriend, Selena Gomez, were also there – sparking a raft of hilarious internet memes.

Hadid knew she was in good hands when it came to switching her usual formal attire for a fierce feline look: “I love a sexy look, so I knew Alex was going to do that for me,” she told us. “When I saw the sketch it was exactly what he told me and what we envisioned!”

The model - who did not confirm or deny rumours that she was sewn into the catsuit prior to the red carpet - said she felt that this year’s Met Gala avant-garde theme was the perfect opportunity to try something different: “The last few years I’ve worn more traditional black tie attire, this year with Comme being the theme I wanted to break the rules a little bit more,” said Hadid. “I think it interprets the theme, thinking outside the box – obviously Rei is the champion of that – and I thought, why not?”

Hadid’s red-carpet icons include Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista - “all the majors” - and her favourite Met Gala looks? “Of course Rihanna in the yellow majorness two years ago, and Beyoncé always kills it.” While Wang’s favourite person to dress is Met Gala co-chair, Gisele Bündchen. “Dressing Gisele is such a huge pleasure because I absolutely adore her, and she looks great in everything. I’ve dressed her in two completely different ways, and she makes it all so easy.”