5 January 2024 |
Bottega Veneta celebrates the Lunar New Year, Prada drops their campaign, and more.
The first week of 2024 has been relatively quiet — is it us or is everyone making the best of the holidays with a prolonged break? Not that we’re complaining but it does make for a slightly abbreviated version of 10 Things this week with just seven items worth noting. For those who are back at work, it’s business as usual as the new year kicks off a flurry of special collections, campaigns, and activations. For fans of Pharrell’s debut collection at Louis Vuitton, a series of pop ups around the world will carry the line, complete with special packaging and other in-store surprises. Prada, Calvin Klein, and Proenza Schouler dropped their star-heavy ads, featuring the likes of Troye Sivan, Kelvin Harrison, Jeremy Allen White, and Pamela Anderson. And because the Lunar New Year approaches, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, and Loewe are offering exclusive lines to celebrate the Year of the Wood Dragon. Check it all out below and see what else you might have missed.
Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton Collection Drops Worldwide
Following a splashy runway show on Paris’ Pont Neuf and an equally as memorable first ad campaign starring a very pregnant Rihanna, Pharrell William’s first Louis Vuitton collection has finally hit stores. Consisting of global store concepts, the United States iteration consists of pop-ups in New York and Los Angeles. Featuring gilded interior details that call back to the runway location like Parisian-style street lamps and architectural molding inspired by the historic bridge, the shops will carry everything from the Damoflage (Williams’ camouflage spin on the classic Damier pattern) printed pieces to suiting to the pearl encrusted accessories that finished off looks. Also worth noting? A hidden Speedy room, dedicated to his multicolored versions of the bags.
Envisioned to be the physical representation of his LVERS philosophy, the idea that the brand is a global community connected by a love of creativity and craftsmanship. Fifty stores and spaces across the world will have everything from life-sized holograms of every look to minicarts loaded with Monogram trunks or giant cubes. If you happen to be in Paris, the Champs-Élysées space offers personalized posters and a space devoted to dandy dressing while the Seoul Dosan boutique will offer unique desserts. While each space is slightly different, expect bespoke uniforms as well as limited-editing shopping bags at all of them. The concepts will remain open through mid-March, in case you want to stop by.
Bottega Veneta Welcomes the Year of the Dragon
As cute as the Year of the Rabbit merch was in 2023, the Lunar New Year lines celebrating 2024’s Wood Dragon have proven to be superior. Perhaps it’s a no brainer, considering that dragons tend to lend themselves to cooler interpretations. The latest to drive home that point? Bottega Veneta’s capsule collection which features a bespoke Jodie handbag with dragon-tail handle, earrings that recall the mythical animal’s scales, as well as leather novelties made to look like woven versions of the creature. Key pieces can be seen in the brand’s latest campaign starring Shu Qi, Bottega’s latest Global Ambassador. Called The First Sunrise With You, it celebrates just that — the dawning of a new year as celebrated by different characters in a variety of panoramic settings. It sees Shu Qi admiring the view over the Shanghai skyline while another features groups of friends on the beach or riding scooters alongside a mountain road. A fourth vignette has a couple gazing at the light glinting off the snow-covered models while the last scene has Estelle Chen, along with her mother, walk along the riverside by the Museum of Art Pudong.
Loewe Celebrates Jade
For Loewe’s Lunar New Year campaign, the brand is celebrating the heritage and craftsmanship associated with jade. Consisting of three parts, the first features master carvers Xiaojin Yin, Qijing Qiu, and Lei Cheng who have created five limited-edition pendants that depict an array of animals and plants. Yin’s version features a cricket perched atop a cabbage as a symbol of wealth and abundance while Qiu’s eggplant is meant to resemble a hat-wearing high-ranking official, to indicate status and success. And finally Lei’s is a pea pod with a snail, to signify fertility, abundance, and luck. While those are sadly not available in the United States, select stores will have the Flamenco Purse mini bags in jade-inspired colors like emerald green, yellow, and mauve. Nestled within is a special pocket that features a bi disc in a matching hue. And should you prefer something small, there are also jade-inspired bag charms in animal shapes. To illustrate the collection, David Sims photographed the brand’s latest global ambassador Yang Mi in the pieces. You can see all of that plus a short film on how the stones are carved on their site.
Burberry’s British Spin on Lunar New Year Traditions
For the last of the Year of the Dragon collections, Burberry tapped their brand ambassadors Tang Wei and Chen Kun for a campaign set in the streets of Chengdu. Also featured in the photos and film shot by Ryan McGinley are models He Cong, Wang Xiangguo, and Alex Schlab. The group are clad in pieces from the capsule collection, which plays on British wardrobe archetypes albeit with an auspicious twist. Classic styles like the Knight bag, houndstooth check scarf, and lug soled boots are reimagined in shades of red, a color associated with luck and prosperity.
Prada’s Spring Ad Campaign is Here
Instead of far flung destinations or elaborate sets, Prada decided to pare things back for their spring summer 2024 ad campaign. Called Days of Prada, it consists of simple portraits by Willy Vanderperre, with a focus on clothes. There are 40 women’s images in total, highlighting each model that walked, wearing the looks straight from the runway. Featuring the likes of familiar faces like Mica Argaranaz, Anok Yai, and Elise Crombez as well as newer talent like Jolien Bosman, Oninyechi Chijoke, and Lina Zhang, the spare images are meant to address the ever-transforming notions of femininity. Per the press release, the concept also is meant to remind us that fashion as a profession, is both individual as well as a collective endeavor.
As a complement to the women’s campaign, the men’s images include just three actors: Harris Dickinson, Kelvin Harris Jr., and Troye Sivan. Like fashion, cinema is also equal parts a solo and group job. Dressed in key pieces ranging from Sivan’s workwear-inspired jacket to Dickinson’s floral patterned shirt, they’re designed to be visual studies and a celebration of the group’s collective talent.
The Pamela Anderson Renaissance Continues
To say this was a good year for Pamela Anderson is an understatement. Following the release of her Netflix documentary, Pamela, a love story, Anderson has been on red carpets, posed at fashion week parties, and become a front row fixture. This past fashion month saw her attend a flurry of shows in Paris from Vivienne Westwood to Victoria Beckham, all without makeup. The barefaced direction continues as she stars in Proenza Schouler’s new ads. Clad in a mix of tailored separates as well as one bright gown, the actress makes a case for wearing just moisturizer and sunscreen daily.
Calvin Klein Has the Internet Going Yes, Chef!
Okay, you probably didn’t miss this because there’s no way to escape the thirsty posts that were in every corner of the internet the moment Calvin Klein’s latest campaign featuring Jeremy Allen White dropped. So consider this an excuse to gaze upon the images yet again. Clad in not much more than a pair of jeans, tank top, and the brand’s signature logo underwear, the actor is making the most of the body he acquired while training for his role as a wrestler in Iron Claw. The accompanying video is equally as revealing, as White runs up and down stairs, strips, and does a pull-up. Shot by Mert Alas and styled by Emmanuelle Alt, the campaign is meant to be an ode to showcase his connection to New York City, as he’s a native New Yorker. But really, no one is blaming you if you can’t see past the abs.
