8 February 2023 |
TEN CRAVES IS OUR ONLINE SERIES THAT ROUNDS UP ALL THE BEST PRODUCT LAUNCHES AND MUST-KNOW FASHION HAPPENINGS WEEK IN, WEEK OUT.
MOSCHINO’S INFLATABLE CAMPAIGN
Following Moschino’s inflated SS23 show, Jeremy Scott has masterminded an equally energetic campaign. Featuring Franco Moschino’s signature heart motif, the lapels on suits are intriguingly inflated and rubber rings wrap around the hems of little Jackie Kennedy style pencil dresses that look like wearable pool floats fit for a five star hotel in Monte Carlo. With fabulous and fun summer makeup by Pat McGrath, the campaign is a little cabaret and a little Moulin Rouge, made merry by Steven Meisel’s lens.
BISOUS SKATEBOARDS AND HORACE’S VALENTINE’S DAY RANGE
Bisous! Valentine’s Day is creeping up on us quickly with just six days left until the big romantic day. But what of the gifts that go along with it? If you haven’t already picked up some chocolates or a ring, then look no further, because Bisous Skateboards and Horace have just hooked up for a limited-edition collection laboured for lovers. Made up of tuberose and sandalwood scented shower gels, leisurely T-shirts featuring a new adorable hugging hearts design and a purifying face mask – perfect for passionate pampering if you plan on staying in with your partner. You can get an all-inclusive kit with all three lush products in it too, either way, the sensual range is available now at Horace.co.
SIMONE ROCHA MENSWEAR AT DOVER STREET MARKET
September was an epoch of firsts for a lot of esteemed designers, most notably Simone Rocha who debuted her first-ever menswear offering during London Fashion Week. It was an exciting milestone for the brand and now it’s taking another step forward with the aristocratic menswear collection dropping at Dover Street Market. With a special installation in place to support the launch, Rocha worked with a number of incredible collaborators including Rory Mullen and Rosie Marks on amalgamating the magnificent menswear shopping space.
ARIES X JUICY COUTURE’S RHINESTONED COWBOYS
Nudie Cohn was an Ukrainian-American tailor known for his decorative designs of rhinestone-covered suits – popularly referred to as Nudie Suits – and his utterly outrageous custom Cadillacs. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that he was the original rhinestone cowboy. So, with Cohn’s legacy and eventual demise in mind, Aries and Juicy Couture teamed up for an elaborately embellished capsule collection called Rhinestoned Cowboys that was catalysed by Cohn’s design of Gram Parsons’ iconic white suit in particular. It plays on the “sex, drugs and rock’n’roll” lifestyle of LA – the birthplace of Juicy Couture – too, featuring diamante Aries prints and bleached velour tracksuits, shrunken baby tees and bodysuits, as well as trucker caps. Saddle up and head to either brand’s websites to lasso yourself some Aries x Juicy Couture looks. Yee-haw!
GERRIT JACOB’S PSYCHEDELIC AW23 COLLECTION
In German designer Gerrit Jacob’s AW23 collection, “Scum” doesn’t refer to frothy filth, but rather diverging combinations of youthful optimism and mature degeneracy. It’s the name of the collection too, which channels frustrations of 21st century existence into psychedelic tracksuits, puffer coats and warped leather co-ords. Jacob, whose collections are usually rooted in channels of queer aggression, seeking to find meaning in stark contrasts between naive exploration and jaded perception, navigates these nuances this season more fiercely than ever before. In a brightly-coloured, bubblegum palette, Jacob’s unhinged neon universe comes back to life with esoteric tiger prints and one of a kind air-brushed garms.
BORAMY VIGUIER’S AW23 VUARNET COLLECTION
Vuarnet is a concentrated mountaineering brand and in Boramy Vigier’s practised hands, it is reviving retro classics to be cooler and more specialised than ever before. The Paris-based designer’s latest collection for the label is all about “newness, techniques and technology”, while maintaining a particular appreciation for the brand’s heritage and 80-years of history of traditions in the Alps. “This winter collection wants to blend those different notions; to blend heavy jacquard “Alpine” knits with mastered three-layer membraned mountainwear,” Viguier says. “It aims to create anachronistic looks that mix separated areas from the mountain to reconcile them.”
Key to the AW23 collection are the slim, retro-future style knits, a core pillar of the edit. “You have, on one hand, heavy knitwear made in France at a traditional Atelier near Lyon, that really brings the ‘cosiness’ of the brand. On the other hand, you have the knit base layers which are designed for Alpinism. Also made in France, with specific seamless machinery, they’re very body conscious and enrich the functional side of Vuarnet,” he explains.
“Eyewear is not a big focus at Vuarnet, it is the keystone of the brand,” he continues. “The Vuarnet sunglasses are legendary in Alpinism.” Their mineral lenses are made at a Vuarnet‘s own France-based factory using sand from local pits to offer the highest quality eye protection with its patented Lynx technology – especially at extreme altitudes – which Viguier describes as “a rarity in the market.” Speaking on the assorted sunnies on offer, he explains that the Alpine Vision range is influenced by mid-century frame shapes with a ski resort spirit, while the Sport Protection glasses focus on function and tech. These are made separate from the most complex shapes, such as the Glacier models, which are handcrafted at the brand’s in-house atelier.
SCHIAPARELLI’S HEAVENLY NEW HARRODS BOUTIQUE
Schiaparelli has just launched its first boutique atelier at Harrods. It’s an exceptionally elegant emporium stocking a wide-range of ready-to-wear pieces, jewellery and best selling leather goods such as the Secret and Face handbag collections and the bijoux Face bag. This is the first British flagship retail space for the maison, taking after the iconic Schiaparelli atelier located on Place Vendôme, in Paris. Daniel Roseberry designed the space looking to the brand’s rich heritage, referencing culturally defining Schiaparelli collaborators from Jean Michel Frank to Alberto Giacometti to Salvador Dali and more.
BFRND’S SS23 BALENCIAGA SOUNDTRACK
French hard-techno and electro pop artist BFRND has officially released “Elephant” the original catwalk soundtrack of Balenciaga’s SS23 show. Created in collaboration with German rapper UFO361 and producer SONUS030, the trio wanted to produce something “we’ve never heard before,” that gives strength to their audience, with inspiration for the track coming from the idea of having to fight to be who you are. “Demna had a very clear message to communicate through this show, it was all about fighting to be who you are and that’s something that speaks to my soul,” he says. “I have been physically and mentally attacked for being different, either because of my appearance or my sexuality so doing this track felt like writing the story of my life.”
Riffing off the metaphorical idiom, “the elephant in the room”, which refers to a large or important topic, question or controversial issue that seems obvious but that no one wants to bring attention to, the track, while hard-hitting and severe, is actually pretty profound. “Elephant is the spirit animal of Sonus and it inspired me a lot because it made me think about that idiomatic expression,” BFRND explains. “For me that’s exactly what the show was about.” The descriptive turn of phrase is often used to describe an issue that involves a social taboo or which generates disagreement; maybe because it makes some people uncomfortable or is personally, socially, or politically embarrassing or emotionally charged, inflammatory or dangerous; but BFRND is bidding to dismantle this. The overarching idea is that regardless of how uncomfortable something might make someone, BFRND and his collaborators want to remind people that nothing in this world can stop them from being who they are.
For BFRND, composing music for a fashion show is an exceedingly different process than working on his own, individual soundscapes. “When I compose music for a show my mission is to translate Demna’s collection and story line into sound, when I make my own I am the only person who decides what it’s gonna sound like, It’s like therapy. I speak about my emotions, my life, my fantasies, whatever I feel like resembles me. If I want to do a jazz song or collaborate with a reggaeton singer I can, as long as it fits my identity, it’s my story. It is much easier to produce for Demna though, because he is there to guide me, he knows what he wants. When I’m working on my album I have to face my own insecurities. It’s much easier to tell someone else’s story than my own.”
It’d be remiss not to mention the flaming artwork that goes along with the LP. Even though it looks like an oil painting, BFRND says that it was actually “fully generated with Dall-e 2, a text-to-image artificial intelligence developed by Open AI.” It feels simultaneously futuristic and classic.
From here, BFRND has a lot of endeavours on the horizon. This year he hopes to release his debut album which has been in the works for four years, which will be followed by a tour. “I’m also producing music for other artists which is something I enjoy doing a lot. My biggest dream is to work on movie scores. I’ve never done that before but I hope that’s something I will start working on next year.” The digital “Elephant” LP is available on all streaming platforms now.
MARTINE STIBON’S RETURN WITH REV
As Paris Fashion Week approaches, there’s plenty to look forward to, from the shows to the creative director debuts and newsworthy celebrity antics. But one thing we’re on the edge of our seats to see is the return of Martine Stibon. Her new line, Rev, revisits the cult ’90s designer’s iconic archives with a future-facing frame of mind to bring androgynous chiffon garms into the fold. Loose and fluid, we’re expecting silhouettes to oscillate between the masculine and the feminine, with all the nuances of Parisian cool, evoking a raw sense of individuality, preciousness, authenticity and a contemporary nonchalance written by brothers Arik and Laurent Bitton, former music producers and founders of the high-end urban brand Iro. Together, they’re (Rev)ving up for Stibon’s return.
Top Image: Moschino SS23 campaign by Steven Meisel.
