Michael Kors Calls On Gigi, Bella And Emily To Bring Star Power To NYFW

Michael Kors’s autumn/winter 2022 show was all about making an entrance and so he had to call in the big guns to show the world how it’s done. Of course, when you’ve got the Hadid sisters on speed dial, this is no big deal. As well as Gigi and Bella, Michael called up fellow New York street-style maven Emily Ratajkowski, who lives in the glare of the paparazzi and knows how to, as Kors said, “strut [her] stuff”. Top models Irina Shayk and Natasha Poly completed Michael’s glossy posse, with rising runway stars Adut Akech, Paloma Elsesser, Jill Kortleve and Rianne Van Rompaey delivering the shoulders-back confidence Kors’s clothes require.

Indeed, while Kors is known for his beloved brand of Uptown polish, this season’s conceal-and-reveal looks requires extra confidence to pull off. Take the enrobing teddy coats shrugged artfully off the shoulders to reveal a slither of a sequined dress underneath. This Hollywood-esque styling hack requires a mix of self-assuredness and sass to execute well. Ditto the hooded outerwear that gave off Kylie Minogue glamour when worn by Kors’s girls.

For the Gen-Z supers, for whom midriff-flossing is common fashion parlance, this tantalising approach to getting dressed is all in a day’s work. For the rest of us, Kors lined his extravagant eveningwear in jersey to facilitate dancing and dashing for cabs when party hopping around town. “It’s about turning everything into a special occasion,” he said of channelling his joie de vivre into a collection made to have a good time. On the biggest model names living in New York City, who are quite probably clinking martinis with Kors in The Carlyle on a week night, this was a compelling proposition indeed.

Jacquemus 24/24 Pop-up To Touch Base In Milan For Fashion Week

Jacquemus founder-slash master of Instagram communication Simon Porte Jacquemus has done it again.

After teasing a project involving Italy for days on social media, which further spiked the interest of the brand’s local following, on Tuesday the designer revealed that the Jacquemus 24/24 retail format is to hit Milan during fashion week.

The pop-up store will run nonstop from Feb. 25 at 9 a.m. to Feb. 27 at midnight. Details on the location and selection of products are still undisclosed and will be revealed later this week.

First debuted in Paris in December 2021 and inspired by automated convenience stores, the Jacquemus 24/24 retail concept focuses on operating 24 hours a day like a vending machine to offer shoppers key accessories of the brand — encompassing bags, bucket hats and scarves — anytime they crave one.

Whereas in its inaugural iteration in Paris the pop-up was all in pink and marked the launch of the Bambino Long bag, the Milanese leg will come with “a new color and new products,” according to the teaser posted by the designer on Instagram.

Even if details are still under wraps, it is safe to say the location will attract curious crowds and street style creatures eager for a last-minute fashion fix.

This has been a busy week for the French designer and his brand’s Instagram feed. As reported, Jacquemus has recently launched its new — and viral — advertising campaign featuring Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny portrayed while showing off his biceps in a pink minidress with baby blue slide heels or riding a jet ski wearing nothing but a pink life jacket.

In between the commercial content, the designer also used the social medium to address homophobic comments he received on Valentine’s Day, getting the support of models Bella Hadid and Vittoria Ceretti as well as filmmaker Xavier Dolan, among others.

AMBUSH®︎ Ventures To A Volcano For S/S'22 Campaign

Yoon Ahn’s AMBUSH® is back with its latest campaign for the brand’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection that was unveiled in July of 2021. For the eye-catching campaign, the Tokyo-based label ventures to the island of Lanzarote for some volcanic visuals.

Starring Taemin Park and Sora Choi, the images exhibit the poetically rigid and natural landscape of Lanzarote. With a theme of “retro-future romance,” the collection’s nature-inspired prints, colorful crochet-knit pieces and relaxed silhouettes illustrate an intricate balance between soft textures and rough environments. Complimenting this romance is an array of flowers interspersed throughout campaign images that heighten the usage of vivid color.

Photographed by Harley Weir, the campaign moves through the clifftop lookout Mirador del Río, El Golfo beach with its black sand and green lake and other parts of Lanzarote island. Check out the gallery above for the psychedelically colorful campaign with the SS22 collection available now on the brand’s website.

Coach’s Idyllic Neighbourhood A/W'22 Show

Vogue fashion critic Anders Christian Madsen reports the key takeaways from Coach’s autumn/winter 2022 collection, which celebrates “the joy of dressing up” in an everyday way.

The set designed imagined a neighbourhood

On the afternoon of his Coach show in New York, Stuart Vevers delivered to long-distance guests a Coach-centric village newspaper and an old-fashioned apple pie. “Made with love”, it echoed the values of his friendly neighbourhood set design. “The idea of a neighbourhood came to mind very early. I liked that it was very simple and universal. It’s a place that feels sentimental and sometimes bitter-sweet: the idea of home, which is so personal to every person. But this is almost like an abstracted version of a neighbourhood, because I want people to fill in the gaps with their own memories,” he said on a video call from New York. Far from the Doncaster neighbourhood Vevers grew up – “semi-detached houses, working class” – his Coach dream was inspired by that of E.T.

It was dressed-up daywear

These days, the family life embodied by the image of the provincial neighbourhood is very much a reality for Vevers, whose twins are turning two this year. His premise made for an almost wholesome Coach collection. Classic shearling jackets had a familiar and reassuring effect, but only almost: the designer imbued them with the gestures of eveningwear – a dramatic collar, an elegant sleeve – creating a juxtaposition between rugged and refined. “It comes from an evening place but I always bring it back to the day.” They evolved into graphic manifestations with the leather side printed in pattern and the furry side dyed in bright colours.

It featured repurposed leather pieces

“It’s my single favourite piece in the whole collection,” Vevers said of a black leather coat cut in the 1970s retro manner. It was repurposed from the leathers of vintage finds. “We took them apart and created these pieces,” he explained. “It feels really rich because these people have gone through multiple lives.” Throughout the collection, Vevers explored our associations with leather. “Hari Nef has often inspired me, and she tweeted after the last show something like, ‘Eagle Bar merch at Coach. Talk about heritage leather baby.’” The actress’s association made him think about how layered leather is a reference, from ideas of sophistication to comfort to cool, “through to the material as a fetish.”

Clothes were covered in graffiti and playful graphics

A series of prim little candy-coloured and white dresses in lace or crochet were styled with biker boots and baseball caps to interrupt their poise. “They’re dream thrift store finds, in a way,” Vevers said, and they often felt grungy. “It’s very nostalgic, very charming, and very indulgent: the idea of dressing up.” As the pandemic seems to be fizzling out, he wanted the collection to convey “the joy of dressing up” in an everyday way. The feeling was echoed in pieces hand-graffitied by the duo Mint & Serf, and in graphics Vevers said were rooted in youth culture like an animated house that was DJ-ing and a teddy bear that was glowing up.

Bags included the new Bandit

As part of the collection, Vevers debuted his newest accessory, the Bandit Bag, a hard, polished leather square or rectangle box bag he called “very proper and smart” in keeping with the dressing-up mentality he was feeling this season. Paired with the collection’s grunge and skater spirit, it instantly took on the lived-in values expressed in many of Vevers’s garments. “It feels very heritage,” as he pointed out.

Is A Kanye West And McDonald's Menu Collaboration In The Works?

After the Kanye West‘s debut in a McDonald’s Super Bow LVI commercial, fans have now speculated that the DONDA rapper is working with the fast-food restaurant on a collaborative menu item.

After the commercial aired, Ye acknowledged that he was at the top of headlines lately and even took the opportunity to air out some of his grievances. In a recent Instagram post, Ye wrote, “HOW GREAT IS IT TO BE A FREE ARTIST. I FOUGHT FOR MY FAMILY. WE HAD SUNDAY SERVICE. TRENDED OVER THE SUPERBOWL WHILE AT THE SUPER BOWL WITH MY KIDS. ODELL GAVE ME AND MY KIDS HIS GLOVES. DRE PERFORMED. RAMS WON. AND I DID A SUPERBOWL COMMERCIAL WITH MCDONALDS. GOD HAS A PLAN. LOVE OVER FEAR. TODAY WAS AWESOME”

Ye would not be the first artist to have a collaboration with McDonald’s. Recently fellow rapper Saweetie launched her famous orders menu item which included a remix meal of a Big Mac, chicken nuggets, fries, one drink and two sauces. Others include Travis Scott, J Balvin and BTS. The rumors have sent fans on social media in a frenzy, speculating on its arrivial.

Mia Regan’s First Front Row Look Of The Season Was A Colourful One

Mia Regan might not know New York very well, but during her whirlwind trip to see the Coach autumn/winter 2022 show, the vintage hawk has sniffed out the best archive fashion stores. Expect to see her new Vivienne Westwood skirt and “a few other bits” – a true retro fashion sleuth never reveals her finds – on @mimimoocher soon.

Her Coach show look marks a departure from the Depopper’s usual style, which includes all the trappings of a Gen-Z fashionista, but with a homespun point of view. “I wanted to wear something a little bit different,” she says of swapping the long skirts she has been living in for low-rise baggy shorts revealing boxers underneath. Teamed with a bright yellow roll-neck and matching stomper boots, the mood was “colourful and happy”, and all the better for piquing the interest of the street-style paparazzi.

It’s her sense of individuality that makes Mia the perfect ambassador for creative director Stuart Vevers’s vision for the house. “I love how Coach can be tailored to suit lots of different people,” asserts Regan. Indeed, the rising name in the fashion sphere is certainly in good company. Also in the Coach family? J Lo, Bob the Drag Queen and Megan Thee Stallion. This does not faze the 19-year-old, who has her sights set on becoming an Adobe pro this year in order to polish up her DIY video content. “The Coach team is always very encouraging about my creativity,” she shares.

The Rise And Rise Of Gender Fluid Fragrance

According to Tania Sanchez, coauthor of the seminal 1992 compendium Perfumes: The A-Z Guide, the beginning of the modern era of fragrance can be marked by the 1882 release of Houbigant’s Fougère Royale. It was the first cologne to use a synthetic material, but its cultural significance runs much deeper, explains Sanchez. “The Fougère family, which would come to include such macho standbys as Brut, Drakkar Noir, and Cool Water, really established itself in that moment as the fragrance family for men anxious to prove they were ‘real men,’ ” Sanchez continues. By the 1930s, advertisements for Fougère Royale read, “Leave the flower perfumes to the ladies” alongside an image of tuxedoed gentlemen smoking cigars and drinking cocktails. (That flower perfume, of course, was Houbigant’s Quelques Fleurs, a lush cacophony of jasmine, tuberose, violet, rose, and ylang-ylang for the woman who “uses as great care in selecting her perfume as she does her jewels.”)

When they launched, these scents were decidedly of their time, olfactory representations of the strict gender roles established in the Victorian era. And what of our time? Look no further than Eilish, the ungendered debut fragrance from pop phenom Billie, which arrived last fall in a bust-shaped bottle that hints at the female anatomy. The heady gourmand was created by the 20-year-old “to feel like you could see anybody in it,” she recently told Vogue, “and you could be it.” Nearly 30 years after CK One mainstreamed the idea of gender-fluid eaux de toilette, a new generation is latching on to the idea that fragrance should exist beyond the binary.

Scent, in its purest form, is not a gendered proposition—Burberry’s recent ad for its bergamot-laced Hero, which features a shirtless Adam Driver becoming one with a horse, notwithstanding. “The gender-centricity of these flowers, spices, woods, and herbs was never part of the conversation,” says Anita Lal, the Delhi-based founder of LilaNur Parfums, a new line of 10 gender-fluid fragrances built around ingredients native to India, including the opulent jasmine sambac–tinged Malli Insolite. One of the most expensive and prized raw ingredients in the world, jasmine is traditionally considered feminine, explains Lal, but in India, where it is frequently used as a temple offering or to scent the home, it is embraced by people of all gender identities. Rose regularly faces similarly undue gender sidelining, adds Sanchez. “The salesperson for Frédéric Malle at Barneys once told me that he’d sold out his entire stock of Une Rose to a couple of wealthy Saudi guys for their personal use,” she shares of the Arab world’s non-discriminating embrace of Malle’s florals, including the tuberose-heavy Carnal Flower. His Bigarade Concentrée, a bitter-orange eau de cologne, has also enjoyed gender-bending success, boasting the same fresh appeal as Mäurer & Wirtz’s citrus classic, 4711. “Without the colors and the campaigns, you can just focus on making something that’s different,” adds Barnabé Fillion, who created Aesop’s 2020 R¯ozu, which casts rose through a modern lens by layering it over vetiver and focusing on “the liminal space between genders.”

Those liminal spaces are now getting smaller and smaller. “We are at a critical inflection point,” says Patrick Kelly, the founder of Sigil, an indie line of natural, genderless fragrances, including the modern-marine Aqua Viridi. “Binaries are being left by the wayside,” continues Kelly, “and thankfully fragrance is catching on.” This enlightenment can be credited to younger fragrance enthusiasts, suggests Byredo founder Ben Gorham, who has been successfully subverting the industry’s marketing traditions since he launched his pioneering gender-agnostic fragrance brand in 2006. “They don’t have to be binary to belong,” notes Gorham, whose newest scent, De Los Santos, is an herbaceous musk that bows next month. Gen Z is also more keen to use fragrance as a means of self-expression versus as a tool of seduction, suggests Fillion, whose new project, Arpa, features seven scents that explore the neurological phenomenon of synesthesia. “Younger generations are looking more for an experience,” he continues.

This checks out per a recent sniff test with my 20-year-old babysitter. Never conditioned to stay in a prescribed perfume lane in the first place, she was guided by pure olfactory preference, which defies arbitrary gender associations: In no particular order, her favorites included Aedes de Venustas 16a Orchard, a sparkly fusion of ginger and iris; Synthetic Jungle, the latest from Malle, which grounds powdery lily of the valley in a mix of earthy chypre and leather; and Dior Homme Sport 2022, a zesty amber wood straight from the “men’s section” that she likened to “a hug.”

“When we take away labels—people are more open to trying new things,” Vijay Uttam tells me a few days later on a visit to Scent Bar, a shoebox-size store that he manages in New York’s Nolita neighborhood. Uttam points me toward a selection of staff favorites on the boutique’s cluttered shelves, Parle Moi de Parfum’s Milky Musk among them. I spray it on, captivated by the hits of creamy sandalwood that feel at once comforting and inviting and completely unencumbered by preexisting narratives. That freedom of association is something perfumers appreciate too, confirms Alberto Morillas. A master perfumer for Firmenich, who was one of the noses behind CK One, Morillas has more recently become Alessandro Michele’s go-to perfumer at Gucci, where the binary is regularly blurred, then bottled. (Morillas’s universal, Harry Styles–fronted, chamomile- and jasmine-heavy Mémoire d’une Odeur broke boundaries at the Italian house when it launched three years ago.) “With no specific consumer in mind, we can focus on conveying emotions through ingredients,” Morillas says. In that way, he continues, “fragrances have shifted to reflect more of what people want to feel.” And these days, if you want to feel like a chiseled centaur, that’s okay, too.

Louis Vuitton Is California Bound With Its Next Cruise Show

Nicolas Ghesquière is California dreaming: Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of women’s collections is heading to the Golden State on May 12 to unveil the French house’s cruise 2023 collection.

It’s the latest sign of a strong return to destination fashion shows as the coronavirus pandemic wanes, with Chanel, Emilio Pucci, Alexander McQueen and Gucci among the European brands planning to show outside the big fashion capitals in the coming months.

Vuitton said it would reveal the city and venue for its cruise display at a later date, while stressing that it “will continue its architectural journey of showcasing cruise collections at exclusive locations of exceptional design and renown around the world.”

Ghesquière typically selects an architectural marvel as a transporting backdrop. Cruise shows have been staged at the groovy Bob Hope Estate in Palm Springs, Calif., by John Lautner; Brazil’s MAC Niterói by Oscar Niemeyer; Kyoto’s Miho Museum by Ieoh Ming Pei; the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul de Vence by Josep Lluís Sert, and the TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport in New York by Eero Saarinen.

Choosing the state that’s home to Hollywood for his latest runway spectacle also will no doubt attract a stellar front row. Vuitton’s slate of celebrity ambassadors includes actresses Alicia Vikander, HoYeon Jung, Léa Seydoux, Emma Stone and Jennifer Connelly.

Like many brands adapting to restrictions amid waves of COVID-19, Vuitton has had to occasionally substitute digital solutions for live runway spectacles. Its cruise 2021 collection was shot at Ghesquière’s studio at LV headquarters in Paris, while the cruise 2022 show was livestreamed from a monumental, bridge-like installation in Paris by the late Israeli sculptor Dani Karavan known as Axe Majeur.

Cruise represents a key delivery for luxury brands as the collections have a long selling window straddling several seasons, and often dedicated campaigns and extra distribution via pop-up stores.

Finally, Sexy Clothes Tor Men

When COVID first hit back in early 2020, I remember several friends texting me their cozy sweatsuit fits in the weeks that followed. I, however, went a more impractical dressing route. Feeling unsexier than ever—an impending sense of doom will do that to you—I ordered a fancy (and entirely unnecessary) tank top, in the hopes of uplifting my spirits. When I tried on the shirred, body-hugging Dion Lee tank top, I remember thinking that it would be the perfect going-out piece—if the bars were open. I knew it was a frivolous buy, but I didn’t care, because I felt instantly hot in it. Sexy, even. It was totally worth it to boost my self-esteem again.

There’s been so few times that clothing has made me feel sexy like this. Menswear often falls into two categories: conservative and stuffy, or overtly playful and kitschy. Sexy, form-fitting men’s clothes are very hard to find! When shopping with my friends, for instance, I’ll see them navigate the women’s section filled with vampy, lace-y tops or flirty, slinky dresses. In the men’s section, I’m left with wacky printed button-up shirts, boring T-shirts, or business-casual attire. Not exactly come-hither.

Sue me, but when it comes to fashion in 2022, I personally want to feel hot. Not put-together, not elegant or professional—simply hot. We’ve all spent far too much time locked in our homes to not step out looking our absolute best. And lucky for me, menswear designers are starting to catch onto the idea: There’s a few labels who are pioneering a new movement in the menswear space, producing clothes that showcase the body via sensual silhouettes. (Bonus: Many of them happen also take a more genderless approach to design, which is a refreshing change in itself.) Of course, this type of look has been around for a while, especially on the stage (musicians David Bowie and Mick Jagger have been obvious pioneers of the sultry man aesthetic). But the look is gaining traction this year, perhaps as the follow-up to the past two years’s comfort dressing trend. The spring 2022 runways at Saint Laurent, GmbH, and Palomo Spain have all made the case for skin being in—and these tight, slinky, sexy men’s pieces are actually more easily shoppable than ever before, too.

One such label I’ve been drawn to recently is Utierre, based out of L.A.. Perusing their new collection, I’m drawn to the strappy wrap tops, which can be accentuated with separate mesh sleeves. The pairing begs for a night of dancing. (It’s worth noting that they also sell extremely chic thongs.) Ludovic de Saint Sernin is also mastering the sexy, going-out look. Their cropped knit cardigans and transparent tanks are deliciously revealing, as are the tanks by K.ngsley and Fang, both of whom design with queer bodies in mind.

With the abundance of sizzling men’s options on the market right now, I’ve enjoyed watching certain celebrities get on board with the more alluring look, too. Stars like Lil Nas X have recently worn a strappy white top on the red carpet, Harry Styles tried out a blazer sans shirt underneath, and Troye Sivan rocked an Altu dress with side cut-outs. It’s refreshing to see this more sensual approach to dressing come to the mainstream. So I apologize in advance, because the next time you see me, I’ll probably be showing more skin than you’d like to see. But just know that I’m not dressing for you: I’m dressing for how I want to feel on the inside. Being hot is a mindset—the clothes just help!

5 Things To Know About Craig Green’s Hyper-Tactile A/W'22 Show

British Vogue’s fashion critic Anders Christian Madsen shares five key takeaways from Craig Green’s autumn/winter 2022 presentation in London.

It was delightfully disturbing

As with any Craig Green show, references in the following piece of writing may trigger disturbing visual associations. Reader discretion is advised, and the designer wouldn’t want it any other way. Backstage, after his first show since the pandemic, he optimistically referred to techniques and materials as “horrible” and “disgusting”, making some of us almost sentimental for his return to the runway. There is no one in fashion quite like Green, who casually tackles alarming, or even off-putting ideas like they were any old reference on a moodboard. His work is so subversive that it comes full circle; turns elegant, romantic, and beautiful. It was something he illustrated perfectly in his first show post-Covid.

It was based on iron lungs

“We found an image of a man living in an iron lung where his head is still on the outside. They put a mirror above him so he can see behind him, but he can’t move. It has these holes on the side for other people to touch him,” Green explained. “There’s something dark but nice about it.” This real-life, Googleable scenario fuelled a study of the post-pandemic tactility we’re all dealing with, whether you belong to those longing for the human touch, or those who would be happy never to hug a stranger again. Green translated his trademark holes into knitwear and latex constructions. Some holes kind of invited you to stick your hand inside, while others – lined in boiled tuftage – looked like blisters that had burst. (In an abstract way.)

It dealt with phobias and fetishes

Green’s research into hyper-tactility was sparked by something as innocent as a mohair jumper, which he instantly managed to subvert: “People wear fluffy things on the outside, trying to appear fluffy to other people, rather than experiencing the material,” he reflected. The designer had turned the jumper inside out to provoke the extreme version of the suffocation some people associate with heavy knitwear. “We thought there was something amazing about the feeling of it pressing against your skin,” he said. Green’s rather fetish-y investigations generated a collection where the inside of garments was often more refined than the outside would suggest. “All the silk suits have the satin finish on the inside, so you feel it against your skin. The outside looks like nothing,” as he said.

It was founded in the conundrum of post-pandemic dressing

Referring to our post-pandemic approach to dressing, “It was always about feeling things again: experiencing things in reality and touching things, for comfort but also for suffocation,” Green said, (His own return to the runway took place in a warehouse in E16 just next door to his future studios. Next season, he noted, he’ll be back on the Paris men’s schedule.) “I’ve always liked the idea of liking the way something looks but not the way it feels; or, liking the way it feels but not the way it looks. That kind of crosses over into a sexual thing, because sometimes you don’t like to share with people what you actually like. It’s pleasure and suffocation,” he said and paused. “In a nice way!”

Shoes were disguised Stan Smiths and bags channelled medical gear

Applying his premise to accessories, Green created a series of shoes with his long-time partner Adidas. Moulded on the classic Stan Smith, they looked nothing like it but evoked instead associations to footwear native to space travel, diving or hazmat suits. Green wanted people to have the feeling of wearing a Stan Smith but the look of something totally different. Similarly, bag and surface decoration constructed in British industrial factories drew on the properties of sectors far from fashion. Some bags were made at medical factories that produce anaesthetic pumps, while the pocket valves on certain garments were created in a latex factory that specialises in deep sea diving gear. It was a perfectly weird homecoming for Craig Green.

Waste Management Gets Fashionable Makeover As It Steps Into Sustainability

Waste Management — from its employees’ innovative new recycled uniforms to its first chief sustainability hire and a star-studded visionary event — is looking more and more fashionable.

“If you look back 25 years, the waste industry was a collect-and-disposal model. Today, the industry has evolved — and WM is at the forefront of circular solutions for our customers,” said Tara Hemmer, chief sustainability officer at Waste Management.

The deployment of advanced technologies like volumetric scanners (for weighing heavy loads), optical sorters (for sorting) and robotics (for every other need imaginable) are among the company’s recent advancements.

“WM manages more post-consumer recyclables than any other company in North America,” Hemmer said. “As you would expect, the types of materials we manage are changing as a result of consumer behavior, education and legislation in the U.S. and globally.”

The organization revealed its inaugural “Sustainability Green Index” survey on Thursday, done in part with global intelligence company, Morning Consult. The survey looks at the latest sustainability perceptions and expectations among adults in the U.S., starting with the stat that 72 percent of Americans are “overwhelmed” by sustainability today.

Equally telling, half of adults aren’t composting their food waste and more than half, or 56 percent, of adults said they equate sustainability with recycling — meaning factors of circularity like reuse and repair are obscured solutions.

While three in four adults say they feel confident in knowing what can and can’t be recycled, there’s confusion around what to recycle among first-timers (sometimes dubbed “wish-cycling,” where the individual chucks their item into the designated recycling receptacle and hopes for the best).

Renewable energy’s origins are another sore spot of conversation.

“The most important takeaway from the WM Sustainability Green Index survey data is that there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to consumers understanding what they can do to make an impact around things like recycling right, disposing of food waste properly and more,” Hemmer said. “However, consumers care. They want to make sustainable choices when it comes to the products they purchase and how they live their day-to-day lives. WM Sustainability Green Index data shows they are looking for governments, corporations and individuals to take action and they expect brands to commit to a range of meaningful sustainability initiatives. It’s encouraging to see consumers want to be part of the solution when it comes to sustainability.”

As consumers get on board, WM also eyes its sustainability event set to be held digitally on Feb. 9, with no cost to attend. Speakers include sustainability “visionaries” Paul Polman, formerly of Unilever, and circular economy expert George Bandy, to name just some.

“One session I’m excited about will highlight the next generation of innovators committed to creating a circular economy,” Hemmer said. “The session will showcase work from the WM Design Challenge, featuring an interview with one designer. Powered by Slow Factory, the WM Design Challenge gave six individuals/teams an opportunity to create design solutions for products, materials and/or systems that embrace regenerative practices. Participants also received grants to develop their ideas and were mentored by industry leaders in the textile recycling supply chain, education and marketing realms.”

What The Future Of Beauty Looks Like In 2022

As we continue to brutally propel ourselves through 2022, we ought to take a moment to pause and reflect. Should this be the year that we attempt to go “off grid”? How do we really feel about zaddy season? Is it time to switch up our go-to makeup look? And to the latter we say: yes, definitely. Change is good. 2021 might have brought the return of skinny brows, that weird rounded lip trend and Pleasing by Harry Styles, but what can we expect for the rest of 2022?

To get a clearer picture of what’s coming, we called on six beauty experts from across the globe to fill us in on the trends they’re seeing take off in their cities. Y2K nostalgia — all coloured lashes and bejewelled embellishments — is continuing to evolve. After all, the world is currently waist-deep in Euphoria season 2, a show whose aesthetic impact is proving to be deeper than Cassie Howard’s dependency on male validation. But we’re also drawing from K-pop, with more men than ever realising the benefits of contouring; and it looks like Paris girls might be branching out from natural beauty on a mission to have more fun with their faces.

Louisa Trapier, Paris

Who watched the video for Pharrell, Nigo and A$AP Rocky’s new track “ARYA” last week and thought, damn! The cast look incredible! Well, you know who made them look that good? 25-year-old Paris makeup artist Louisa Trapier, that’s who. When not dabbling in wild prosthetics or turning Oklou into a post-apocalptic warrior queen, she’s painting Euphoria High-worthy beauty looks all over her own face. Nous sommes obsédées, honestly.

What's a beauty trend you're predicting for 2022?

 
I feel like here in Paris, in 2022, two trends are gonna be big: coloured false lashes and face piercings, which I hope are gonna make a comeback as well.

Where do you think this trend comes from?

 
I think it’s more a trend coming from the US because Parisian girls tend to be as natural as possible, but I love seeing people have fun with their appearance! I think these trends come from American influencers and also from pictures of Japanese girls from Y2K — overall it’s the Y2K aesthetic continuing to make a big comeback.

Any advice for embracing coloured lashes? And even facial piercings?

My advice for the Parisian girls is to be daring and to do whatever they want, no matter what people think. Also, if you’d like to get pierced but you’re not ready to take the leap, you can always glue some rhinestones on your face with eyelash glue!

Amrita Mehta, New York & LA

Like many of us, Amrita Mehta discovered the joys of makeup on YouTube. But unlike most, the Bay Area-born, South Asian biology grad decided to pursue it as a career and didn’t back down. “I sent a million emails, reached out to anyone I could, flew to NY, snuck into numerous fashion week parties to network, and finally found a place for myself in the industry,” she explains. “I now spend most of my time between New York and Los Angeles, and am fortunate to work with some really incredible artists like Amber Mark, Raveena and Yaeji.” Describing her work as “pretty with a twist”, Amrita blurs the line between glam and weird – taking a classic look and throwing a more modern, experimental element at it.

What beauty trend are you predicting for 2022?

Embellishments! I think glueing things to your face is really having a moment. It seems like people are constantly looking for new materials to use to accentuate beauty. (I know I am!). The definition of makeup and beauty is constantly evolving and I am so here for it.

Do you think it's a trend that's specific to your cities?

I definitely think this is something that has taken off globally – it’s really interesting to see how trends spread worldwide and how each person/culture interprets them. Jewellery and adornments are such a large part of many cultures as it is, and I think this is just another type of facial ornamentation.

Where do you think the inspiration behind the trend comes from?

I feel like a few industries play a role in this trend. Shows like Euphoria have really inspired people to embrace rhinestones and glitter and really just be open to trying something new. We’ve also been seeing bold pieces on the runway and even on social media (cc: Rihanna’s baby bump jewellery) – when used in makeup, the concept remains the same, just with a twist. Then of course, technologies like face scanning and 3D printing have really created a ton of customisable options, meaning the possibilities are endless. And when times are unpredictable and trying, if a rhinestone, a sticker or a bit of glitter can lift your spirits and make you feel a little more jazzy, why would you hesitate?

Got any tips for embracing embellishment?

Don’t be scared! Embellish to your heart's desire. Whether it’s a tiny sticker on your cheeks or a full on bedazzled eye; there are so many options to play with and no right or wrong way of doing it, so you can definitely find something that you feel confident in. Pro-tip: Use eyelash glue as an adhesive. It’s face- and eye-safe, strong enough to hold but easy enough to remove at the end of the day. Just be cautious of which formula you use If you have a latex allergy.

Cecy Young, Monterrey

Not content with simply being a brilliant photographer (she’s shot for the likes of Vogue Japan, Ginza and i-D), five years ago Cecy Young teamed up with her sister to launch the very aesthetic beauty brand Momiji, of which she is creative director. What began as an e-commerce platform introducing a number of Korean beauty brands to Mexico, soon evolved into its own popular skincare and makeup brand with a flagship store in Cecy’s Monterrey hometown that even boasts its own (super cute) Momiji Cafe. A real beauty destination offering up a community for Mexican K-beauty fans.

What's a big beauty trend you're predicting for 2022?

 
I think in recent years the trend was very focused on skincare and less on makeup. This year though, I think eye makeup is already having a strong comeback – a Y2K meets K-pop idol look in particular is a trend that we see coming and we are embracing at Momiji.

How does the Y2K eye look present itself in Monterrey?

We see a lot of young people in the cafe wearing masks, but the eyes are very embellished with glitter and jewels. They also apply highlighter below the eyes which is a common practice in Asia. Recently I was doing research into app avatars, and I realised that the looks of the avatars are typically very K-pop idol meets Y2K too.

Where do you think the inspiration came from?

I think the K-wave is becoming stronger each year. Trends and nostalgia from the early 2000s are also mixing together in fashion, design and makeup. For the eyes, we also see a lot of shimmer, glitter and jewels in shows such as Euphoria.

Got any tips for people hoping to embrace the Y2K K-pop look?

Just have fun and enjoy! Experiment with shine and colour – there are no mistakes in makeup. Also, age doesn’t matter!

Porsche Poon, London

Having spent eight years painting faces (and four of those assisting beauty guru Isamaya Ffrench), “full-time big cosmetic beauty hoe” Porsche Poon brings a wealth of experience to their boundary-pushing work. And it’s getting them noticed — the Hong Kong-born, London-based makeup artist was selected as one of the BFC’s New Wave Creatives for 2021. Whether working on Shygirl’s Burberry collaboration, MØ’s new music video or their own brilliantly distorted Self Love self-portrait series, Porche’s aim is to infuse both the process and the resulting look with as much fun as possible.

What beauty trend are you predicting for 2022?

I predict a trend based on what I am currently into doing in my work: a strong eyeliner look and use of diamanté. When it comes to skincare, as a proper skincare hoe, I feel that bakuchiol is going to be the next big hit ingredient brands are going to put in their products. It’s an ingredient that has almost the same effect as retinol, but has none of the irritation that retinol brings to our skin.

Any tips for attempting to embrace your strong eyeliner look?

Such a cliché thing to say but with makeup it really is: practice makes perfect.

Kritika Gill, Mumbai

Makeup artist and hair stylist Kritika Gill was bitten by the beauty bug while studying furniture design (is there anything she can’t do!). A quick career path pivot and a move to Mumbai saw her dive headfirst into the action by assisting a number of established artists. Rather than makeup itself, Kritika’s approach to beauty has always been much more focussed on skin. “I found that if the skin looks at its best, you don’t need much more embellishment because the person’s unique features will speak so much louder,” she explains. Kritika has collaborated with some of India’s best photographers, stylists and models for clients including Vogue and Chanel Beauty.

What beauty trend are you predicting for 2022?

 
Since affordable skincare has brought such a big wave of information to everyone, at every age, I see people treating their skin with more kindness and becoming more minimal with makeup in general. We’re substituting a full face of foundation with little dots of concealer, and embracing the skin we were blessed with. The hyper glossy, “dewy” skin is taking a backseat to a fresher, demi-matte finish in makeup.

Do you think it's a trend that's specific to Mumbai?

Even though we love uber juicy skin that makes you glow like goddess, the need for longevity in Mumbai’s year-round muggy, tropical weather is why, strategically, matte skin will gain popularity. I think that the 90s-inspired beauty trends globally are also pushing to embrace the semi-matte skin with a hint of sun kissed glow (the kind you only get from being outside).

Got any tips for people hoping to recreate the semi-matte look?

Use a creamy liquid concealer under the eyes and on blemishes, patted outward gently with your fingers. Use your favourite cream blush for a youthful look to bring some colour and light into the face. The most important step is to use your powder of choice on a medium-sized fluffy brush and really work the powder into the brush. Tap off excess powder and blend into your forehead, under the eyes, around the nose and on your chin. This light dusting of powder will set the concealer but also matte out areas that would tend to get shiny through the day. The creamy blush will still show through and give the skin a subtle sheen. Pair with a softly blended bronzer around the face and on the eyes, with a coat of mascara on curled lashes and clear gloss on the lips for an effortlessly polished look.

Yooyo Keong Ming, Shanghai

With an impressive 20 years of experience in the industry, Yooyo is a familiar face at fashion weeks and on sets across the world. The Malaysian makeup artist, who is based in Shanghai, has worked extensively with Chanel China, and collaborated with photographers including Peter Lindbergh, Ellen Von Unworth and Chen Man. He even has a TED talk!

What's a big beauty trend you're predicting for 2022?

 
Makeup for men is getting more and more popular, particularly foundation, highlighter and contouring products. This is perhaps because Asian features can be flatter, and this makes them more 3D. This not only popular in Shanghai though, I believe it is also very popular in other countries where men are becoming more concerned about their grooming. They are getting more interested in nail polish too.

Where do you think increasing interest in makeup for men comes from?

Asian men are often inspired by K-pop stars — not only when it comes to their makeup, but also fashion trends.

Got any tips for men considering wearing makeup for the first time?

To enhance the look, get some sun tan before makeup.

Alexander McQueen To Stage New York Show

Just as the other big Kering brands, such as Gucci and Bottega Veneta, are returning home for their fall collections, Alexander McQueen is embracing the itinerant show.

The brand said Wednesday it plans to show its fall womenswear collection on March 15 in New York, but gave no further details. The off-schedule show will happen well after the main fall collections wind up in early March.

McQueen usually shows on the Paris calendar, but broke with tradition last October with an off-schedule show in the far eastern reaches of London.

Guests sat inside this greenhouse-like dome, surrounded by views of the City of London and a sunny sky — a striking contrast to the eerie sounds of thunder that blasted through the speakers and reached a crescendo as the show was about to begin.

The crowd was mostly local; there was no street-style frenzy or fanfare outside the venue, while the vibrant front row was packed with McQueen supporters, including Kosar Ali, Vanessa Kirby and Emilia Clarke, picked for their close relationship with the house rather than the size of their Instagram following.

Asked why she chose to show in London, and when the European collections were all wrapped up, McQueen’s creative director Sarah Burton said she wanted to “listen to the rhythm of her studio,” stay immersed in her London day-to-day and choose a time and place that suited the team.

Indeed, the event in October had the feel of an indie show, one that was pure McQueen, and that didn’t conform to broader industry demands.

Five Italian Celebrity Stylists On Passion, Motivation And More

Being a celebrity stylist goes far beyond the creation of an outfit or a look. Stylists create an aesthetic, a common thread that accompanies the artist in every performance. Ramona Tabita, Nicolò Cerioni, Rebecca Baglini, Simone Furlan and Susanna Ausoni to discuss their research processes behind each look, what it means to be a stylist in 2022 and what motivates them.

RAMONA TABITA

Ramona Tabita is a Sicilian-born celebrity stylist who curated the look of top model Mariacarla Boscono for the Venice Festival in 2021 and works with Italian pop singer Elodie, among many others. For Boscono, the stylist chose a vintage 2016 burgundy Jean Paul Gaultier dress matched with tights in the same color.

“I have always been an aesthete, so consequently fashion has always been a part of my life,” said Tabita. Dressing an artist and choosing their aesthetics is a very intimate and personal experience, so for Tabita “it is important to establish a relationship with them and once I have identified the vision they have of themselves, I shape it by proposing mine.”

By closely working with musicians and celebrities and guiding them in every important performance or red carpet look, Tabita has established close friendships with each of her clients. “The friendship was born after they trusted me, over time and also by sharing a path together,” she said. “The stylist shares the most prominent moments of the career with the artist, so I think it is inevitable that this bond will be created.”

Tabita also explained that, to make a look work, she constantly works with brands. She added that: “It is very important for me to view the collections live, to preview pieces that have not yet been communicated on the market and to work four hands with the creative team to create ad-hoc garments together.”

NICOLÒ CERIONI

For someone who “never had the intention to create fashion,” working as a celebrity stylist with Italian and international singers is something that perhaps not even he could have imagined. “I’m not a fashionista — fashion shows have never been my dream and fashion for me was just a representation of what I saw on performers — my idols have always been Madonna, David Bowie and Raffaella Carrà. For me, fashion tells something about performing art,” he said.

Cerioni has long collaborated with Italian rock band Måneskin, winner of last year’s Eurovision Festivall.

His creative process “starts from a thousand inspirations: I love cinema, I read constantly, I like to do research. It’s a little bit of everything, and also I am very influenced by pop culture,” he said. Indeed, for the 64th edition of the Grammy Awards, Cerioni dressed Maneskin with total looks from Jean Paul Gaultier — rocking dresses made with Scottish motifs in yellow tones and tailored pieces.

The stylist also believes that “today, the visual part is no longer separated from the musical one, a complete and contemporary artist in my opinion has both things. Aesthetics must reflect the music, there is no separation.”

SIMONE FURLAN

Simone Furlan started working as a stylist by chance. “I studied art history and then worked as art director, and one day a friend of mine asked me if I would be interested in helping him create a look for a rap singer. I said ‘yes.’ I had never been a stylist before, but from there brands and talents started noticing me,” he said. Furlan is known for dressing young talents and singers in the Italian music scene, getting them noticed by brands that still have hesitation when it comes to dressing emerging talents.

For the Sanremo Music Festival last year, the stylist dressed 20-year-old Italian pop singer Madame with a total look from Dior. “It wasn’t easy. However, together with Maria Grazia Chiuri, we believed in the project of this very young girl who only had three songs out — it is sometimes difficult to make brands understand how important it is to dress our Italian talents.”

Furlan is also aware that to work with celebrities, there has to be a certain level of communication and often disagreement in order to achieve the desired look. “Sometimes I want to make my idea work so bad that I miss the moment of confrontation, and this was certainly penalizing. The lesson I learned working as a stylist is to cross-pollinate each other, to know each other, to change ideas.” When working with musicians, he likes to be inspired by the song and to work around it — through clothing he wants to reflect what the song is about, he explained.

At the moment, Furlan is working on a special project in collaboration with Vogue Italia and RAI radio 2 for the Sanremo Festival: He will interview Italian stylists to better understand the process and work that goes behind creating each look.

REBECCA BAGLINI

While Rebecca Baglini’s journey to styling wasn’t simple, her passion for fashion stems from a very young age when, “my grandmother took me to the theater and there I started noticing costumes and clothing,” she said. Baglini learned how to sew, “but I wasn’t patient enough,” so then she “started drawing, but I wasn’t precise and so I thought there has to be something! I was changing draperies, I was modifying the clothes and putting them together in a different way. That’s when I realized I wanted to work as a stylist.”

When doing research for a look, Baglini prefers to find a common theme between the song and the outfit. “For a musical project I like to understand the key words of the songs, I always ask to listen to the pieces and songs in advance to have a clear plan of how I have to work,” she said. Her focus “is linked to a very specific Italian era, even if obviously I always put an element of contrast, a stimulus that tries to unhinge [things].”

She is aware of the change that is happening in the fashion industry. “When I started doing this job, in 2012, I witnessed the big change. During that time brands started choosing talents and other out-of-the-ordinary types of beauty for their campaigns, shoots, runways. It was certainly groundbreaking then, but nowadays if we watch a fashion show and we only see models it makes it boring, there has to be an element of uniqueness.”

When asked why the role of the stylist is so important in the music scene today, Baglini responded: “I think I’m almost sorry that my work is so fundamental at times! I’m happy because obviously it’s my job, but on the other hand, if I think that music were born in an era where there was no TV and therefore only the voice was heard — I think there was a real loyalty to music.”

SUSANNA AUSONI

“My journey into the world of styling began a long time ago. I have always had a strong fascination with contemporary art. I discovered that there is a strong connection between art and fashion and from there a thousand doors, a thousand worlds, many imaginary [worlds] have opened,” said Susanna Ausoni.

The Milan-born stylist has always worked in the music scene. She started her career at MTV Italia where she began curating the image of countless Italian pop singers. Before planning the final look, she is to “consider the musical atmosphere. The project I have in front of me. I start from the music and rotate around it.”

Ausoni’s passion for music and fashion have always led her to play with clothes, to create characters and make the artist feel confident and powerful in the outfit. “I look at how people inspire me, I look at their feelings,” she added. Ausoni pointed out that newspapers and magazines often criticize looks of celebrities without taking into consideration the work and hours spent on them. “I like numbers in mathematics and philosophy. I never like them in a judgement. I think they can lead to insecurity, like any negative judgement, and make you lack courage to express yourself. Not only for artists, even people who don’t do this job and are simply reading an article.”

Paris Fashion Week To Feature 45 Physical Shows, Including Off-White

Paris Fashion Week for the women’s fall collections will feature 45 physical runway shows, with newcomers including The Row and Vtmnts, and an Off-White show paying tribute to the brand’s late founder Virgil Abloh, according to the preliminary schedule published by the Fédération de la Couture et de la Mode on Monday. The event, set to run from Feb. 28 to March 8, will feature 95 brands in total, with 37 physical presentations, and 13 digital-only shows.

The Off-White show is scheduled for Feb. 28 at 8 p.m., kicking off a week featuring runway displays by brands including Dior, Saint Laurent, Balmain, Chloé, Rick Owens, Loewe, Hermès, Balenciaga, Valentino, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Miu Miu.

Louis Vuitton, which traditionally closes the week, has switched to a 2:30 p.m. slot on March 7, the day before last. Marine Serre is due to return to the runway after several seasons of digital shows, with a display on March 4 at 9 p.m., while Lanvin has opted for a digital presentation on March 5 at 10 a.m. instead of a runway show.

The Row, the New York City-based luxury brand headed by Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, previously showed in Paris in 2015, combining a showroom presentation with a clients-only show at the 17th-century Château de Courances, an hour outside Paris. Its show this season is due to take place on March 2 at 11:30 a.m.

Vtmnts, the new brand from Zürich-based Vetements, had initially announced its intention to show during the men’s collections in January, but subsequently dropped off the calendar. It is now expected to stage its first physical show on March 4 at 8 p.m.

The season’s other newcomers on the physical show schedule include Ester Manas, which was billed as a presentation last season, although designers Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre actually staged a runway display for their body-positive collection. The brand will show on March 5 at 10:30 a.m. Rounding off the additions in this section are Germanier, Petar Petrov and Vaquera.

On the official presentations schedule, the federation is welcoming Germany’s Anne Isabella, showing in Paris for the first time; CFCL, the label founded by former Issey Miyake Men artistic director Yusuke Takahashi; French designer Alphonse Maitrepierre’s eponymous brand Maitrepierre; Belgian designer Meryll Rogge, and Hungarian fashion brand Nanushka.

They will be joined by Rui, the genderless label founded by Chinese designer China’s Rui Zhou, one of the joint winners of the Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize at last year’s edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers, and Dutch brand Sheltersuit.

Shaun White Unveils Custom Whitespace x Louis Vuitton 2022 Winter Olympics Luggage Set

Now that the 2022 Winter Olympics are officially under way, three-time Olympic gold medalist, Shaun White has just unveiled his winter luggage set between his Whitespace imprint and Louis Vuitton.

The American snowboarder revealed that the collaboration was conceived with Virgil Abloh where the custom Olympic luggage set includes a snowboard case — a first for the house — a guitar case, a Keepall, and a Horizon hard side carry on. There is also the commemorative hand-signed snowboard from White pictured next to the set.

Developed in Louis Vuitton’s atelier in Marsaz, France, the set took six Louis Vuitton artisans over 250 hours to fabricate, with over 100 steps in assembly. Check out the set above and see it in action on Shaun White’s Instagram.

Chanel's Ephemeral Aspen Boutique

If you were asked to identify the most luxurious ski resorts in the world, which would you pick? Although there are quite a few out there, there’s no doubt that Aspen, Colorado. would be somewhere near the top if the list. If you were asked to do that same, but for luxury brands, it’s quite possible that the same would be true of Chanel. Thus, it’s only natural that these two luxury entities should meet. And meet they will because Chanel has officially opened a new ephemeral boutique in the heart of Aspen.

Following the previous ephemeral boutiques, which opened in 2014 and 2019, this latest iteration is housed in the historical landmark, the Benton Building. Open through April 2022, the new store features an impressive collection of Chanel’s ready-to-wear, handbags, and shoes, as well as a selection of watches, fine jewelry, fragrances, and beauty products.

Despite being thousands of miles away from Chanel’s headquarters in Paris, the ephemeral boutique in Aspen aims to immerse the skiing clientele in an atmosphere that celebrates the house’s heritage. As far as interior design does, the store features a woven floor, modern decorative accents, signature wool tweed couches topped with plush pillows, and white and beige walls with flashes of black and gold. Needless to say, the space is intimate and evokes the timelessly chic aesthetic of the brand.

Within the historic walls of the Benton Building, visitors are able to explore a select few collections. These include the recent Cruise 2021/22 collection as well as the Coco Neige collection. Further, Aspen is the perfect backdrop for the label’s Fall-Winter 2021/22 collection which debuted last March at Paris’ Left Bank nightclub Castel. In a statement about the collection, Artistic Director Virginie Viard stated that it was inspired by ″the ambiance of ski holidays…and a certain idea of cool Parisian chic, from the 1970s to now.” Thus, shoppers will be able to outfit themselves in all of the Chanel accessories designed specifically for the Alpine environment, from goggles and gloves to skis and snow boots.

Considering the fact that Aspen is known the world over for being a glamorous winter setting and has a rich, fifty-year history as an off-duty celebrity playground, it is the ideal location for Chanel’s ephemeral boutique. With collections that cater to the ski-obsessed population and an ambience that immediately transports its clientele to Paris, the new store perfectly balances the rugged nature of the Rocky Mountains with the brand’s chic urban roots. Thus, with a little help from Chanel, Aspen is likely to become the most stylish ski resort of the American West. The Chanel Aspen boutique will be open through April 2022.

Bad Bunny Is The Moment In Jacquemus' "LE SPLASH" Campaign

Simon Porte Jacquemus knows how to make a moment. From his eponymous label’s runways that take place in picturesque fields to Jacquemus‘ continuous exploration of masculinity, feminity, and the lines between, the brand has become a mainstay for the masses, dominating Instagram mood boards and appearing on many of today’s fashion icons. Now, Jacquemus has unveiled its “LE SPLASH” collection campaign, starring Bad Bunny and shot by Tom Kneller and Zoey Radford Scott in Miami last month.

Bad Bunny is no stranger to serving strong looks. His ensembles have included everything from Canadian tuxedos to floral-covered anoraks and faux fur floor-length coats, while his adidas Originals collaboration continues to intrigue the eye with its use of color. Rest assured, the musician is not afraid of standing out.

For the “LE SPLASH” campaign, Bad Bunny can be seen wearing a washed pink apron dress with a pair of blue velvet open-toe heels, and in contrast, a neon green suit that he is drenching. Skateboarding shorts in a pink gingham check make for a clean Miami vibe, as do the green board shorts. Particular standouts include the gray two-piece suit that’s decorated with jewels all over the blazer, and of course, the final pink puffer gilet paired with the blue sunglasses.

Take a look at the campaign above, and stay tuned to Jacquemus’ Instagram account for more information about the “LE SPLASH” collection, which is set to come soon.

Kenzo Drops First Limited-Edition Capsule By Nigo Alongside NFT's

The Nigo era at Kenzo will start with a flower. The first limited-edition drop under the house’s new artistic director features a floral graphic inspired by the boke, a Japanese quince bush that blooms in February. It will adorn sweatshirts, long-sleeved T-shirts, a jersey cardigan and nylon coach jackets.

The line is scheduled to go on sale on Saturday in selected stores and on Kenzo’s website, as a prelude to his debut collection for fall 2022. The brand said it plans to release three additional drops for spring, each revolving around natural elements, in line with the legacy of the label’s founder Kenzo Takada.

In conjunction with the collection, Kenzo will release a limited edition of 100 NFTs, marking its official entry into Web 3.0. Each drop will be accompanied by a collection of NFTs that unlock exclusive access into the world of Kenzo, with additional information and updates to be posted on the label’s social channels.

For his first capsule, Nigo has designed two five-piece wardrobes for women and men, but the collection is genderless in spirit. It also includes an oversize hoodie, cargo pants and a cargo skirt in Japanese washed cotton twill. “The drop is largely retained in white as a nod to the image of a blank page: new beginnings,” Kenzo said in a statement.

It comes on the heels of Nigo’s runway debut during Paris Fashion Week for the fall men’s collections, which drew a crowd of top musicians including Ye, Pharrell Williams, Tyler, the Creator, Gunna and Pusha T.

The 10 Biggest Trends Designers Need To Know In 2022

In the past year, trends in innovation and culture have changed more quickly and dramatically than ever before.

It's no surprise, then, that many aspects of design moved in diverse directions. Physical activities like work, education, dating, and shopping have migrated online. The metaverse, a speculative virtual world navigated by our avatars, is moving full steam ahead. (At least brands seem to think so.) The web—and by extension, the way it's designed—became as much a part of real-life as the physical world. And despite the fact that we know more about the pandemic than before, it's unlikely that we will return to the “normal” conditions of life and design anytime soon. Certainly not in 2022—it looks like some changes are here to stay.

We don’t have a crystal ball to predict how the precarity of our moment will impact web design in the coming year, but we do have the next best thing—leading designers from across the industry. With their help, we’ve analyzed what's happening in terms of design, innovation, and culture, and forecast some of the biggest trends you can expect in 2022.

1. Dark Mode

Your phone’s dark mode feature saves battery and is perceived to be easier on the eyes, but it can also be a graphic move that creates visual interest—all important factors considering how our screen time has increased over the past 18 months. Monochromatic websites are becoming increasingly popular, used by brands like Apple, WeTransfer, and Spotify, and by studios like Pentagram for the Moholy-Nagy Foundation. Dark mode options are being used by personal websites and social media sites as well—Twitter has “dim” and “lights out” options.

“The internet has become very busy and with so many things competing for attention, circling back to a more pared-back visual aesthetic feels like a natural progression,” said Brandon Levesque, Art Director at Cusp, a collective made up of agencies from across Europe and North America. “Dark mode can act as a subtle easter egg on the site to peak the user’s sense of discovery. As it becomes an option on most devices, we will start to see it trickle down to other aspects of the digital design space, like sites that take an editorial approach or place primary focus on photography.

2. Evolution of corporate Memphis

Over the past several years, major tech companies like Airbnb, Hinge, and Airtable have adopted THE now-ubiquitous, abstracted, flat illustration style inspired by the postmodern Memphis movement from the 80s. The style’s popularity means that while it may not go away anytime soon, it is due for a shakeup: there’s increasing criticism that tech companies use the generic figures to appear more human-centered and friendly, despite their contradictory policies and business practices. Indian e-retailer Flipkart’s figures feature characteristics from an array of backgrounds, University of the Arts London’s whimsical humanoid forms, and this recent Chipotle ad featuring music by Kacey Musgraves, are examples of how this trend might evolve.

Writer and strategist Samantha Culp predicts that future-forward companies will begin to take risks, updating the Corporate Memphis color palette and leaning into “jewel-toned psychedelia and cosmic art, lesser-known figures from Impressionism and Expressionist art, art nouveau (and the way art nouveau is influencing Solarpunk, and just more ‘pastiche’ of various clashing styles and periods all at once.”

3. Typographic landing pages

Bold, prominent, and expressive typography will continue its reign over landing pages. While this trend made waves in 2021 as well—see Gawker’s relaunched website, DIA Studio’s type system for the Chaumont Biennale 2021, and Harry Styles’ beauty brand Pleasing—it will evolve to include many different kinds of applications, from portfolios and brand websites to online publications and microsites.

“In the last few years a lot of big brands have begun investing in their own type systems because they understood that typography is a powerful way to convey the brand’s tonality and persona,” said Laura Scofield, strategist and creative lead at January.ai. Scofield adds that this trend can be interpreted as a throwback to modernist posters, Penguin’s iconic book covers, and movie titles like Wes Anderson’s use of typography as a storytelling device in his films. “Prominently displaying type has always been part of graphic design, but now more and more brands and companies are leveraging it on the web,” she said.

4. Preparing for the metaverse

The metaverse is here and brands and designers alike will have to urgently prepare for the opportunities and challenges it brings with it. There is a slew of recent examples: Nike acquired RTFKT Studios, a virtual fashion startup that makes NFTs and digital sneakers, Adobe bought Substance, a 3D-texturing app used for game and film production, audiences tuned into virtual concerts on Fortnight, and Facebook rebranded to Meta and is investing heavily in AR and VR. Brands, entertainment, and the corporate world will be unrecognizable very soon—Bill Gates predicted that within three years most office meetings will take place via avatars.

As the future arrives more quickly than expected, 2022 will see companies building interaction design teams and coming up with strategies to succeed in the era of extended reality. “It's hard to imagine that only some 30 years ago, there were no interaction designers,” said Adhiraj Singh, a San Francisco-based art director and interaction designer whose clients include Red Bull and Microsoft. “But today interaction designers are considered the architects of digital experiences that we use to work, game, network, entertain, travel, and even fall in love."

5. Deeper collaboration

What we’ve learned about remote work so far is that despite its challenges, it has tremendous possibilities for productivity as well as collaboration. And as more and more industries continue to work remotely, tools that support teamwork will take on a more human-centered approach. Frameworks like Figma, Miro, and Google Workspace are constantly innovating on improving collaboration, while digital design workshops like Open Collab and collaborative web development platforms like Editor X will transform how hybrid or remote design work takes place.

“Even without the pandemic, collaboration is a standard that enables agencies to work efficiently and smoothly. But the workflow in agencies today is quite linear,” said Na’ama Ben-Oliel Ronan, product team lead at Editor X. “On most websites and production platforms, designing together is either impossible or awfully limited. So we’ll start to see the creation process becoming much more parallel.”

6. Playfulness and nostalgia

Just as real-life objects inspired early skeuomorphism, elements from the real world will make their way back into design as web designers use new technology like 3D graphics to recreate the fun and physical aspects of childhood (consider the Nintendo founder family website, Yamauchi No. 10, for instance). Handdrawn elements by studios like Pentagram and Luke & Nik, and Y2K references from cultural trend setters like Olivia Rodrigo (both big trends in 2021), as well as old-school games will return in a big way.

“Having designed websites since the [late ‘90s/early 2000s], I see websites today looking like the Flash websites we used to design,” explains Hege Aaby, founder and creative director of Sennep. ”They are fun and experimental, often with a nostalgic flavor. After the death of Flash, technology has finally caught up, giving web designers great freedom to create immersive and creative websites. The ticker tape, sideways scrolling—that for a long time was a no-no—and the use of retro typefaces and colors are back. The reference to old technology never gets old.”

7. Narrative typography

While the internet can sometimes make it seem like the world is a small, homogeneous place where neutral aesthetics reign supreme, more and more designers are recognizing the need for hyperlocal design—especially when it comes to typography on the web. Type designers are increasingly experimenting with typefaces inspired by their unique cultural narratives, in a variety of languages and which take into consideration the nuances of their local scripts. Collectives like the Syrian Design Archive and Archief Cairo, which work to preserve their local visual history, are growing.

“There hasn’t been much done to explore the form of non-Latin scripts. For example, what does Devanagari graffiti or a Telugu logo look like? While local type foundries have always existed, diverse groups of people are now experimenting with their cultures and languages because of the advent of modern type design software and social media,” said Manav Dhiman, designer and founder of ManVsType. Dhiman points out that localized ligatures, like the rupee symbol in his Bombay typeface, are important from a functional standpoint, too: “Someone who doesn’t experience the frustration of not being able to type it easily on a daily basis would not have even thought about making it simpler.”

8. Interactive education

As the trend toward online education continues to grow in momentum, designers are harnessing the power of interactive platforms and are using machine learning and AI to solve unconventional learning problems beyond classroom instruction. Students can use Otter, the AI-powered transcription platform, to take notes. Fingerspelling, a machine vision-powered website created by creative studio Hello Monday for The American Society for Deaf Children, helps parents of deaf children learn ASL using a webcam and hand-tracking. Wongle, another Hello Monday application from 2020, uses Google Cloud Vision to teach children the letters of the alphabet. The possibilities for experiential, interactive learning are endless, and will be a major trend as education continues to remain online in 2022.

“There is something interesting about thinking that someone taught the computer to 'see,' and now the computer is using that knowledge to teach us back,” said Anders Jessen, Founding Partner of Hello Monday. “I think the man-hours put into making the algorithm and detection—while it is a lot of work—is incrementally small in terms of how many hours it can save when used for learning."

9. Digital fashion experiences

Succeeding as a fashion brand means leading with cutting-edge practices, and for luxury brands, engaging AR and VR experiences is a clever strategy to appeal to early adopters. Progressive brands are already using this trend, innovating experiences that help them stand out beyond attractive retail and e-commerce sites. Nike collaborated with online gaming platform Roblox to create Nikeland, in which players can dress their avatars in Nike gear, and created an immersive virtual world for its 2021 ACG collection. Under Armour launched digital catalogues with 3D product renderings. Balenciaga launched a video game for its SS 2021 collection, Burberry launched a new AR shopping tool based on the Greek goddess Olympia, and Gucci created a colorful, dynamic gaming website for the launch of its Gucci Basket sneaker.

The partnership between style and digital design will grow stronger as the technology for interactive and sensory experiences expands. “COVID-19 has accelerated the need for fashion brands to communicate through digital touchpoints, especially luxury brands that are used to relying on their physical presence to connect with their audience and build brand loyalty,” said Rian Verhagen, Managing Partner of Superhero Cheesecake, a creative studio in Amsterdam with clients like Gucci and Viktor&Rolf. “I think the role of AR and VR in 2022 will be to provide increasingly realistic and tactile product displays. I'm expecting to see more brands turning their digital platforms into online flagship experiences.”

10. Inclusive assets

As cultural conversation expands to include the voices of previously underrepresented communities, especially of people of color, differently-abled people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, designers and brands will become more sensitive to unconscious biases that come through in web content, images, and visual language. A wider range of resources like stock imagery will be required as companies like LEGO, CitiBank, and Microsoft introduce inclusive practices into their external communication and product design. The industry will also need more people from underrepresented communities in leadership positions, like Chanel’s new CEO Leena Nair.

“We know that images have a crucial role to play in how people—and children—view themselves and the world surrounding them,” said Dr. Rebecca Swift, Global Head of Creative Insight at Getty Images. “It is very easy to fall into the trap of using stereotypes but everything that is put out into the digital world needs to be rethought through the lens of accessibility and inclusion.”

Key Men's Fashion Trends For Spring/Summer 2022

Spring/Summer 2021 was all about freedom and hope with its brightly colored pieces, suits stripped of all formality, big (couture) sweatpants, and extra-wide pants where comfort reigns supreme. In 2022, fashion houses and designers are showcasing new silhouettes as a counter response to the pandemic we've been living.

How will men dress for Spring/Summer 2022?

For the past two seasons, designers have been forced to think creatively about how to showcase their collections: some designers like JW Anderson relied on the lookbook format, while others like Balenciaga tried video. Although many have decided to continue on this new path, the Spring/Summer 2022 season saw the great comeback of physical shows, a breath of fresh air in the fashion industry.

Renewed creative energy and optimism were the keywords of the Spring/Summer 2022 Men's Fashion Week. There was the emergence of a new formality through effortless officewear along with the hegemony of the color black. But at the same time, wardrobes were undoubtedly designed to reconnect with the social life we've been missing for the past two years: think new takes on cardigans, vibrant colors and party boy looks with glittery pants sure to have anyone on the dance floor. Equally as important, the audacity of designers this season is undeniable, introducing pieces that are traditionally feminine into the heart of the male wardrobe, such as heels, crop-tops, and shorts reinterpreted as skirts. Vogue takes a closer look at the 16 menswear fashion trends for Spring/Summer 2022.

Cutouts

This season, Nicolas Di Felice unveiled his very first men's collection for Courrèges and one of the fashion statements of summer 2022 was indeed the cutout pieces. Other designers followed suit, such as the Rick Owens bodysuit and the deconstructed marcel by Y/Project.

The bermuda

Last summer's must-have Bermuda shorts are still hot this season. But don't panic, although the extra-short shorts are not really part of the trends, they are still iconic and ultra-desirable.

The sleeveless sweater

Also seen on the streets during Fashion Week, the sleeveless sweater, whether V-neck or round, has become something of a hit. Prada made it one of its spearheads by incorporating it into models with a delicate style, while other houses like Dior Men and Erdem used this knit piece to infuse it with all kinds of patterns. Sun's out, guns out…

Short… or skirt?

The skirt is no longer a women's only item. When Loewe and Phipps introduced the piece, Prada experimented with a design that's half-short, half-skirt with a Sixties feel.

The cardigan

The cardigan might have long been neglected, yet is still considered a retro piece par excellence, remerging from the closets and establishing itself as a men's essential of Spring/Summer 2022 through extreme lengths, vintage accents, or colorful knits.

Torso statement

Showing off your torso is now officially a fashion trend. For the young Spanish designer Alled-Martinez, the T-shirt no longer serves its primary purpose. Instead, it wraps itself hastily around the body, while for Dolce & Gabbana, a simple swim brief will do the trick. Next year, men will be absolutely fearless.

The office life

A formal aesthetic that's now stripped of any hindrance with its blazers, suit pants, shirt and ties… A whole officewear lexicon that designers revisited many times to deliver on a promise of a summer that's is both free and chic.

Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Debuts Live Shopping

Savage X Live allows customers to shop looks from intimate apparel brand while watching live performances from music artists on its website.

The initiative launched on Jan. 31 with a virtual performance by the rap duo City Girls, which was filmed on set in the brand’s first brick and mortar store in Las Vegas. The musicians wore styles from Savage x Fenty’s Ribbon Writing and Glossy Flossy collections, which viewers could purchase in real time. (The recorded performance remains live on the site, allowing customers to re-watch and purchase items worn by the performers.)

The store’s opening last month coincided with the Savage X Fenty’s latest funding raise, a $125 million Series C round led by Neuberger Berman, bringing the brand’s total venture capital funding to date to $310 million. The brand has plans to open more stores in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Houston.

Rihanna, whose net worth hit $1.7 billion in 2021, according to Forbes, debuted the her intimate apparel line in 2018. Her most lucrative fashion industry venture is LVMH-backed Fenty Beauty, worth a reported $2.8 billion, according to Forbes. The musician-turned-entrepreneur currently holds a 50 percent stake in the business.

Paris Couture 2022 Trend: Grand Gestures

With Paris Couture Week returning to the physical runways, players big and small dialed the drama up to 11, to the delight of live audiences — including the clients back in their front-row seats.

A sign of this exuberance were the grand gestures that emerged as a trend of the spring 2022 couture runways.

In the Carreau du Temple, Elie Saab showed his optimistic mood, with a display bursting with his signature brights. Inspired by the Garden of Eden, or at least the Mediterranean, with gowns in bougainvillea pinks and orchid purples, he pumped up the volume from his opening strong capes, which set the tone of the show, to his signature gowns.

At Schiaparelli, stripping back Daniel Roseberry’s signature color and billowing volumes in favor of a more essential interpretation of the house’s Surrealist codes made for a flamboyant lineup, which merged the showmanship of the Ziegfeld Follies with the drama of sci-fi costumes.

As the second guest couturier at Jean Paul Gaultier, Glenn Martens made good use of the “only one time in my life when [he] can do a gown with a 15-meter train” in designs that looked like a fog of molded black organza enveloping the silhouette, or trailing crinkled, undulating mounds of fabric that brought to mind a tongue of lava.

Including bodies of all genders and ages was how Pier Paolo Piccioli made a sweeping overture at Valentino, relishing the challenge of creating couture outfits that would best dignify and exalt the beauty of each individual, achieving the purpose of couture in the first place.

Not all gestures required acres of tulle — although those are par for the course at Giambattista Valli. After a tidal wave of Omicron cases caused him to forgo his show in favor of “The Valli Experience,” it was a hand in the pocket of a floral brocade haute couture gown that set the tone to this freewheeling mélange of pre-fall ready-to-wear and haute couture that describes how the couture client’s wardrobe “is becoming larger and larger.”

Others, including Rahul Mishra, Yuima Nakazato and Ronald van der Kemp, channeled exuberance in craft-intensive techniques, be they smocking, embroidery or the careful juxtaposition of materials. For Viktor & Rolf, it was a protective shrug that created the “Surreal Shoulder” the couture artists described this season, with this lineup nodding to the Old Hollywood depictions of Dracula.

As for emerging whizkid Charles de Vilmorin, he went for the grandest gesture of all: setting one of his colorful designs ablaze.