By Amiebenomo Nizar
With the traditional fashion calendar thrown to the wind for now in the wake of coronavirus, brands are still debuting spring/summer 2021 collections. Saint Laurent will be debuting their spring/summer 2021 collection on December 15 via a video format.
No further details about Saint Laurent’s video have been provided, including if anyone major is starring in it, where it was shot, or the inspiration for the video. For their spring/summer 2021 men’s show, Saint Laurent featured models leaping over rooftops and landing on a raised runway attached to the Eiffel Tower.
Saint Laurent shows are often known to be a bit of a spectacle, so its anticipated this video will not disappoint. Other competing luxury brands that have recently opted for a video format include Chanel, which just revealed their Métiers d’Art collection last week, and Dior, which just revealed their men’s pre-fall collection online yesterday.
- As fashion brands are looking for new ways to bring in audience and engagement from consumers with the traditional runway show format being thrown to the wind, Valentino will be staging an interactive experience in Shanghai. After their business took a major hit from the coronavirus pandemic, Valentino is looking at ways to turn their financial situation around. Part of that plan includes targeting China, where the luxury market is seeing tremendous rebound.
Later this month, Valentino plans on unveiling an interactive space in Shanghai’s Power Station of Art. Louis Vuitton was one of the first brand’s to target Shanghai for rebound when they staged a menswear show there post-lockdown, becoming the first major luxury brand after China lifted coronavirus restrictions to stage a fashion show in the country.
Valentino’s new interactive experience is titled Resignify Part One: Shanghai. It will run from December 19 to January 17, 2021
Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Acidic colors, psychedelic patterns, luxurious extravagance of the costume with new proportions, accessorized with slippers or massive boots: Dior unveiled its autumn 2021 men's collection online Tuesday, opposing joy to the gloom that hangs over this year.
“Joy, happiness and hope”
“When we started the collection, we were coming out of the first confinement and I wanted to bring joy, happiness and hope,” explains Kim Jones, British designer of men's collections from the French luxury house in a video accompanying the presentation of the collection.
This collection that he wanted “fun and light” plays on the gap between the classic silhouettes of Dior and the world of the American artist Kenny Scharf who, in the 80s, had created connections between the world of contemporary art and that of graffiti like Jean-Michel Basquiat or Keith Haring.
"I love the clash of colors - yellow and purple, orange and blue, red and green. When you take the happy and sad opposites and put them together, it creates the tension and excitement that I love," said Kenny Scharf. The motifs of his works are reproduced on jacquard jackets, sweaters or shirts, like a monkey with flowering nipples, but also embroidered on tambourines, those slightly square berets, Christian Dior's favorite headwear.
Knot stitch embroidery, one of the oldest techniques in the world, was performed in China. New on the silhouette side: the abundance of jackets and coats with belts worn with loose, short pants revealing the ankle above bright blue or pink “chunky boots” or slippers, a nod to the global lockdown that boosted loungewear fashion.
The six-button coat revisits the work jacket while the English twill jackets, a fabric used in military uniforms, are decorated with a huge bow at the back.
And the ultimate in luxury, a “double-sided” jacket made up of two pieces superimposed one on top of the other with a slight offset. The scenography of the parade broadcast on the Dior website is designed by the French director Thomas Vanz like a virtual space odyssey. (AFP)
Thursday 10 December 2020
Burberry has teamed up with the British Fashion Council (BFC) to launch ReBurberry Fabric, a pilot programme that will see the British luxury label donate leftover fabrics to fashion students most in need across the country.
The BFC, through the Institute of Positive Fashion and Colleges Council, will oversee the logistics of the fabric donations, with shipments going to students throughout the UK.
Burberry said it is working with BFC to create a process whereby logistics for donations will be centralised, “facilitating fair access to materials”.
“We are delighted to partner with the BFC to launch ReBurberry Fabric, as we continue to ensure we are meaningfully supporting the next generation of diverse voices across the country,” said Burberry’s vice president of corporate responsibility, Pam Batty.
“Providing resources for these communities in a sustainable way will enable them to bring their creativity to life, and continue through their programmes with the tools they need.”
Burberry to donate leftover fabrics to fashion students
The initiative aims to be rolled out as an industry-wide programme and hopes to act as a blueprint for other brands and colleges to work together to provide practical support to future talent, Burberry said.
“We look forward to seeing how donations can positively impact these academic institutions and students, and hope this is the beginning of a wider industry initiative to support these communities, now and in the future,” Batty continued.
It comes as fashion’s propensity for waste is being put under increasing scrutiny by the industry and its consumers. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an estimated garbage truck worth of textiles is being thrown to the landfill or burned every second.
Caroline Rush, CEO of the BFC, said: “One of the BFC‘s priorities is to encourage the industry to move towards a circular fashion economy while supporting excellence in fashion design. We are delighted to work with Burberry, helping ensure students across the country have access to the best quality fabrics.
“Creative talent is at the heart of the industry and we are proud of our world leading colleges - being able to provide these students with such opportunities is a privilege.”
Lyle and Scott have launched a new collaboration with Manchester-based menswear store Oi Polloi with a knitwear capsule collection.
Taking influence from the laid-back thrift-store stylings of the grunge era, vintage Seditionaries jumpers and the relaxing sport of golf, the knitwear capsule collection consists of 4 stylish mohair cardigans in block and argyle patterns inspired by images from the Lyle and Scott archive.
Commenting on how the partnership developed, Oi Polloi co-founder Steve Sanderson, said in a statement: “They were one of the first labels we stocked. We wanted to bring together Lyle and Scott’s rich history with our perspective on the cultural history of reappropriation—referencing cardigan-wearing cultural icons through the decades. There was Hockney in the ‘60s, Lydon in the ‘70s and Cobain in the ‘90s.
“We noticed golf sweaters with oversized argyle patterns and we wanted to make something unexpected, inspired by Lyle and Scott’s rich cultural experiences whilst adding our own cultural references. We had never seen Lyle and Scott do a mohair cardigan before and their development team helped us turn that idea into the actual product.”
Commenting on the lack of the prominent Lyle and Scott logo in this capsule collection, Sanderson added that was “a nod to Lyle and Scott working with and making for Dior in the ‘50s. We wanted the quality of the item to be what you notice, not the branding.”
Founded in Manchester in 2002, Oi Polloi has established itself as one of UK’s most renowned independent menswear stores
The limited-edition Lyle and Scott x Oi Polloi cardigan capsule is available now with prices ranging from 150 to 159 pounds.
