Edited by Jeffrey Yan.
1 DYNAMIC DUO
Fashion collaborations have become ubiquitous, but thankfully, there is still room for some awe and surprise. Ushering in the new decade with a bang, Dries Van Noten teamed up with Christian Lacroix, the master couturier who rose to fame in the ’80s with his vision of capital-F fashion extravagance. For spring/summer 2020, Van Noten wanted to evoke exuberance and opulence, which led him to ’80s couture and its exaggerated silhouettes, flourishes and palettes. With a mood board filled with Lacroix’s work, the Belgian designer decided to reach out with a partnership proposal instead of just paying homage. The result was an extraordinary meeting of minds and amalgamation of aesthetics. Lacroix’s maximalist tendency found its perfect foil in the refined ease that is Van Noten’s signature. Sweeping skirts and swathes of feathers were worn with plain white tanks; a slouchy grey sweatshirt dressed down bursts of hot pink ruffles; tangerine and lemon brocade was cut into a suit that hit the sweet spot between sharp and soft. The sublime synergy of this alliance proved that when approached authentically and executed with finesse, fashion collaborations can still spark breathtaking magic.
Elisa Sednaoui, the face and inspiration of Christian Louboutin’s latest bag
2 A MUSING
For his latest bag, Christian Louboutin was inspired by Elisa Sednaoui. A model, actress, director, social entrepreneur and mother, Sednaoui symbolises the plurality of modern womanhood to the designer. He also found in her Egyptian, Italian and French background the qualities he wanted to express with the Elisa bag, respectively mystique, craftsmanship and elegance. The bag’s twist-lock clasp evokes the royal symbol of ancient pharaohs while the brand’s logo has been reimagined as a hieroglyph.
Prada for Adidas sneaker and bag set, $4,840
3 SPORTY SPICE
This season marks round two of the Stella McCartney and adidas Stan Smith team-up. True to the former’s brand ethos, the iconic sneaker is rendered in vegan leather in an all-white palette, save for the rainbow laces and the gradient hues that peek out from the side perforations. McCartney has reimagined the classic three stripes as rows of stars and her portrait sits on the left tongue, while Smith’s remain on the right. The new Stan Smiths are not adidas’s only heavy-hitting fashion collaboration. The German sportswear giant has also partnered with Prada, combining adidas ergonomics with the Italian brand’s leather expertise on the signature Superstar sneakers and the Prada Bowling bag for adidas, which riff s on a Prada emblem and is a nod to classic adidas gym bags. There are only 700 pieces of each available worldwide.
Stella McCartney Stan Smith sneakers, $530
From top: Pool float; Medusa Head vase, $520 to $980; scented candle, Versace Home
4 HOUSE STYLE
For its latest campaign, Versace enlisted performance artist Sarah Baker to conceptualise and art direct a series of tongue-in-cheek visuals inspired by the aesthetics and narratives of vintage romance novels and soap operas. A particular standout of the edit was the brand’s homeware collection, which ranged from more conventional offerings such as vases and candles to more whimsical and playful pieces such as a football, a pool float and a table tennis bat.
Fringe details lend a Wild West flair to Maje’s sustainable denim capsule
5 GOOD JEANS
Denim production is one of the most wasteful processes in fashion. Recognising this and aiming to start tackling the problem, Maje has launched a capsule collection of sustainable denim called First Stone. The name references the new stone-washing techniques employed in the making of the collection as well as the first step each of us must take in building a more sustainable future. Compared to traditional denim production, these techniques reduce water usage by 95 percent, chemical use by 50 percent and energy use by almost 80 percent, with the goal of further progression each season.
From top: Bottega Veneta in Miami. Maison Louis Vuitton in Seoul.
6 RETAIL THERAPY
Daniel Lee’s refresh of Bottega Veneta has proven to be a big hit with customers and critics alike. Now, the designer has unveiled his new vision for the brand’s retail concept with the opening of his first store in Miami. Infusing warmth and texture into the Bottega Veneta universe, the new store is defined by its play on colour and contrasting materials. Terrazzo, marble and pink plaster coexist alongside green lacquer, blue resin, brass, concrete, mirrored surfaces, leather and plywood. Over in Seoul, Louis Vuitton opened the doors to its latest Maison, designed in collaboration with superstar architects Frank Gehry and Peter Marino. With its swooping glass planes, the building is an homage to not just the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, but also the historical architecture of South Korea and the country’s traditional Crane Dance.
From top: Cabin suitcase; Personal Clutch bags, Dior and Rimowa
7 JET-SETTING SUPERSTAR
A global nomad, Dior Men’s Artistic Director Kim Jones is no stranger to living out of a suitcase. His just happens to be from RIMOWA, and the luggage brand fittingly tapped the designer to front its Never Still campaign last year. Expanding that relationship, Jones collaborated with RIMOWA on his spring/summer 2020 collection, resulting in a capsule of accessories featuring the distinctive grooved aluminium of the German brand. Some are splashed with the Dior Oblique motif while others are transformed into backpacks and cross-body bags with the addition of leather straps. The standout of the collaboration is an irreverent champagne case complete with a crocodile skin handle, a bottle strap, and compartments to hold flutes and coasters.
8 FASHION CONSCIOUS
Loewe has renewed its partnership with Knot On My Planet, which supports elephant conservation efforts around the world, for a second year. The Spanish luxury giant released a highly limited run—only 15 pieces globally—of its iconic Elephant Mini Bag, with the full proceeds going to the Elephant Crisis Fund. To empower local communities as well as save the elephants, the special pieces are hand-beaded by the women of the Samburu tribe in Northern Kenya.
The women of the Samburu tribe who worked on the project
The patchwork of the hooded poncho is inspired by vintage camp blankets and archival House prints
9 WILD, WILD COUNTRY
Ralph Lauren revives its Polo Sportsman line from the ’90s with its new Polo Sport Outdoors capsule, an 11-piece limited-edition collection of apparel and accessories that pays tribute to the rugged mountaineering spirit of the original. Ready-to-wear includes anoraks and ponchos printed with retro poster art as well as army surplus attire such as utility vests and trousers, while accessories range from hiking boots to wide-brimmed hats and reissued sunglasses.
Collectibles at the Moncler House of Genius pop-up stores range from sport accoutrements to tech accessories
10
After disrupting the design and distribution models of luxury fashion, Moncler Genius now seeks to shake up the retail scene with Moncler House of Genius, a series of pop-up concept stores in Milan, Paris and Tokyo. Each serves not just as a retail space for the different lines of Genius, but also as an interactive hub of creativity, learning and cultural exchange, with events featuring a roster of international thinkers, designers and artists. Conceptualised as art galleries that are continuously shape-shifting, the pop-ups will also carry exclusive merchandise created by designers in the Genius programme, ranging from apparel to tech accessories, objects and collectibles—each stamped with a crest of its host city.
BY JEFFREY YAN
