After Gucci announced it would return to Milan for Men’s Fashion Week, Salvatore Ferragamo is following suit. On January 12, the Italian designer will return to the city to stage its Fall/Winter 2020 menswear show following several seasons of coed presentations.
“My journey as Ferragamo’s Creative Director started in Milan four seasons ago and I’m thrilled to return to Italy’s fashion capital with the Autumn/Winter 2020 menswear collection in January,” creative director Paul Andrew said in a statement. “Every new season represents a debut and every debut is marked by creative energy: I think that the city of Milan, with its intellectual vitality and vibrant international soul, is the perfect stage.”
Salvatore Ferragamo is part of a wave of designers that have opted to present men’s and womenswear in one show — others include Gucci, Moschino, and DSquared2, to name a few. But as the industry continues to evolve as a whole, and menswear continues to soar to unprecedented heights, it makes sense that designers would want to give it its own stage.
Hedi Slimane to Show at Paris Fashion Week Men’s for Fall ’19
Image: Indigital.
After a hotly anticipated and polarizing Celine debut in September, Hedi Slimane will show at Paris Fashion Week Men’s. Taking place later this month, it marks the French label’s first ever official menswear show (though Slimane included a series of menswear looks in his Spring ’19 show — skinny suits, rocker influences, you know the deal) and will serve as an opportunity for the designer to prove he’s more than just a one trick pony. Fingers crossed.
Who will Replace Raf Simons at Calvin Klein?
Image: The Independent.
Raf Simons announced his departure from Calvin Klein at the tail-end of 2018, leaving us with yet another cliffhanger of who will be his successor. Simons was the chief creative officer for the American label for a little under two years and his collections were distinct for their strong and literal inspirations from film and television (his most recent collection featured predominant themes from Jaws, including graphic prints and neoprene diving suits). It would have been nice to see him continue to grow at the house, but so it goes. And there’s still no word on who will replace him yet so we’ve got that to look forward to.
Moschino Takes its Show to Rome
Image: David Maestr. Feature image: Arnaud Lafeuillade.
On January 8th (that’s next week if you can believe it), Moschino will show in Rome as part of Men’s Fashion Week. The Italian designer, which has previously shown in Milan and London, opted for the city’s Cinecittà Studios for its latest presentation as the collection is rumored to be inspired by director Federico Fellini, who filmed some of his greatest work there. Additionally, British designer J.W. Anderson will leave its home of London to present its FW19 collection in Paris later this month.
The First Ever Mugler Exhibition to Open in Montreal
Image: Mugler.
Thierry Mugler, the French designer who earned international acclaim for his spectacular runway shows and futuristic looks in the latter half of the 20th century, will get his first exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts later this spring. Curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot (who was also responsible for the Jean-Paul Gaultier retrospective that traveled the world a few years ago), it marks the first time the designer’s work will be celebrated in its own show. Set to open on March 3rd, it’s likely that the show will embark on its own world tour in the fall.
Margiela Gets his Own Documentary
Image: Marina Faust.
The ever mysterious Martin Margiela will be the focus on an upcoming documentary chronicling his affluential career. Titled Without Compromise, it’s billed as the first documentary that the reclusive designer himself has agreed to participate in, which is pretty major for a man who’s never released a proper picture of himself. Produced by Dogwoof, who also released the Vivienne Westwood documentary last year, the film is scheduled to premiere at Cannes.
A see-through Louis XVI armchair, nearly invisible, yet unignorable. A bookcase that spirals across a wall like a snail’s shell, and threatens to send its contents to the floor. A corrugated, shaded table lamp, whose base is baroque and the deepest black. These plastic-fantastic confections are the work of renowned Milanese company Kartell, a hits factory of interior design since turning its eye from auto accessories to home décor in 1963.
Kartell’s success, including flagship stores in 130 cities around the world, comes in large part from its keen eye for partners. The designers who imagined the pieces above—Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, and Ferruccio Laviani, respectively— share shelf space with work from Joe Colombo, Patricia Urquiola, Tokujin Yoshioka, Marcel Wanders, and dozens more. The broad portfolio is a testament to Kartell’s historic respect for innovation and willingness to take risks, a legacy that owner and president Claudio Luti continues to this day, updating classic pieces and launching new ranges of shoes and handbags (in plastic, naturally) with fashion partners like Paula Cademartori and Alessandro Dell’Acqua N°21. Designers clearly adore him: in 2008, he convinced everyone from Moschino to Vhernier to create Kartell installations at Salone del Mobile, the world’s largest design fair. In 2017, the fair appointed him president. “In a collaboration,” he says, spruce and suited in the eye-popping, bustling SoHo flagship, “I try to give back what I take in. Designers have to be clever and generous. And we offer them the best of technology and the chance to take a risk.”
Kartell’s new worldwide retail concept shown at Salone del Mobile in Milan.
In 1988, Luti joined the company, which was originally owned in part by his father-in-law, Giulio Castelli. He’d spent the previous decade working with college friend Gianni Versace to remake the fashion world in Versace’s multo-maximalist vision. Kartell, meanwhile, was still best known for groovy units like Anna Castelli Ferrieri’s Componibili storage columns, which boasted rounded-corner drawers operable via a simple, circular hole. In the buff glass-and-chrome ’80s, such cheer looked more retro than retro-futuristic. Now, it just looks timeless. Design spirits lifted with the arrival of the zany Memphis movement, but such flights of fancy from Ettore Sottsass et all just weren’t Kartell. “The philosophy was fantastic,” Luti says, “and I liked the strength of the Memphis movement’s color and form. But I was against it, because it was not industrial.”
It took a new kind of plastic to manifest Kartell’s mix of the one-of-a-kind and the readymade. “We began experimenting with the material of police shields,” Luti reveals. “It was not so transparent, but strong. We worked on it for a year and a half, and in the end found a polycarbonate that was very clean and resistant. And it was exclusive [to us.] I thought, ‘Who is the best designer to use this innovation?’”
The answer was the French polymath Philippe Starck, who in 2002 boiled the neoclassical Louis XVI armchair, maybe the most famous seat in the world, down to a few essential lines. Kartell made a mold capable of producing the Louis Ghost chair in a single piece, then made a mint, reportedly selling more than 1.5 million copies. Free of joints that might crack from heat or cold, and easy to clean (Kartell even marketed its own spray), the various iterations of Starck’s indoor/outdoor seat—armless Victoria, child-sized Lou Lou, and barstool Charles—still haunt chic dining rooms, lobbies, and lofts. In 2016, the notorious Fiat heir Lapo Elkann updated its Ghost model by wrapping its backs and seats with stripes and numbers inspired by his beloved racing cars; he suited others up in houndstooth and tartan, and similarly remixed the old favorite Componibili. Barneys showed off the results in a pop-up installation this past January.
The 21st century has seen Kartell looking back quite a bit: beyond the Starck and Laviani remixing, there was 2013’s massive Taschen monograph Kartell: The Culture of Plastics. In 2015, the Kartell Museum observed its 15th anniversary with a complete renovation to house a definitive corporate history and a rotating exhibition space, currently filled with a retrospective of its partnership with the peerless Italian mid-century masters Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni.
Kartell toy design by Moschino seen at Salone del Mobile.
But Luti is also looking ahead. At this year’s Salone del Mobile, Kartell debuted a new collaboration with the Milanese print devotee La DoubleJ, a wild combination of dizzying geometric repeat and floral motifs encasing Kartell’s signature framework. The collection’s charm is undeniable, installed in the entire front half of the SoHo location with a verve that spills out through the windows and into the streets—and, of course, into the backdrops of selfies around the world. This is no accident, for Luti is well aware an Instagram post is at least as influential as a window display. And that’s not the only change: manufacturing technology is constantly updating.
“Maybe one day a robot will make everything,” Luti says with a laugh, “but someone must still provide creativity. Products must have a strong personality that can give emotion. It’s not like fashion, which is consumer- based. We make pieces that remain—10 years, 20 years—because we imagine them with such strength.” Such strength ensures a bright future for Kartell. That much is clear.
After a highly successful event in New York City back in October, Barneys New York and Highsnobiety have announced they’re taking thedrop@barneys to Los Angeles. Over the course of the weekend, fashion and streetwear aficionados will have the opportunity to shop and hang out with each other at Barneys’ flagship store in Beverly Hills.
Starting June 2, guests will be able to explore over 90 brands and engage in numerous exclusive brand activations and panels. Event exclusive collections will be stocked by brands including Prada, Fendi, Heron Preston, Moschino, Versace, Rick Owens, and FEAR OF GOD (see below for a peek). When not shopping, attendees can try skating at the Gucci skating rink or try their luck at a Balenciaga raffle that’s donating proceeds to Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit fighting for gun regulation. Designers and influencers scheduled to attend the event include Jeremy Scott, Heron Preston, and Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg of AREA. It’s the perfect place for anyone in the community to really dive into the worlds of luxury and streetwear. If you’re unable to attend, do not fret — the event will be streamed online on Sunday June 3.
Last night, the Met Gala took A-listers to church on the first Monday in May. This year’s theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” was bound to stir some controversy, but also confusion since very few gents dressed accordingly to theme — sorry guys, a tux complimented by a cross is a bit lazy at this point in the game. Especially when you’re competing with the Queen of the Met Gala and this year’s co-host Rihanna (who wore Versace) and the Queen of Catholicism as a Pop Accessory herself, Madonna (dressed in Jean-Paul Gaultier), who later treated guests to an intimate performance of ‘Like a Prayer.’ This year’s male showstoppers — including Migos, Jared Leto, and Chadwick Boseman — were dressed in Versace, Gucci, and Moschino. Take a look below.
Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images | MIGOS in Versace
Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images | Chadwick Boseman in Versace with Christian Louboutin shoes and Bulgari jewelry
Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images | Jeremy Scott in Moschino
Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images | Christian Combs in Dolce & Gabbana
Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images | Jared Leto in Gucci
We select the best of the week so you don’t have to.
ART: Armory Art Show at Piers 92/94 until Sunday March 11th, $47
Image: Rebecca Smeyne.
For a 4 days, one of New York’s biggest art happenings of the year, the Armory Show, is here. Dedicated exclusively to 20th and 21st century art, the show presents artists from al around the globe. Visitors are invited to discover thousands of works across mediums, from various artistic time periods and cultures at this weekend, in the company of the city’s art elite. – AP
RUNWAY: Opening Ceremony x Mickey Mouse at Disneyland
Image: Greg Kessler Studios.
As the happiest place on earth, Opening Ceremony chose Disneyland in Anaheim, California as the site of its latest show. In addition to presenting its Spring ’18 collection, the retailer also revealed a collaboration with Disney featuring Mickey Mouse to celebrate the famed character’s 90th birthday. Oh Mickey, you’re so fine, even if you are nearing 100. The Disney x OC collection is available now. – RQ
We’ve long been fans of ASOS’ efforts to promote independent sellers from around the world with ASOS Marketplace. Today, the brand also launched its latest installment from “Rare Edits” that offers the top vintage finds from across all their featured boutiques. Think: Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Versace, Moschino, and more. Dig in! There are tons of classic marvels to be found just in time for spring. – AP
LISTEN: Shamir – Room
Image: Jason Macdonald.
I was an instant fan of Shamir when he emerged on the scene with “On the Regular,” bringing a new type of pop into the conversation. His latest album, self-released Resolution, out today along with a two-song EP titled Room, shows a departure from his regular sound, but still intrigues. Showcasing a more traditionally indie and alternative tone that was referenced in his previous album (last year’s Revelations), it proves the artist’s versatility and possibly serves as a preview to an upcoming album with Mac Demarco. Listen to it here. – RQ
SHOES: UWEZO cowhide shoes, $185
Image: UWEZO
We’re all about statement shoes, and what better way to make a statement than doing it while supporting a cause. UWEZO creates unique cowhide shoes (every pair is different) that flaunt funky immaculate style, but also offer it’s proceeds to generate scholarship funds for Empower African Children and opportunity for East African youth. Footwear for a cause. – AP
Moschino delivered not one but two major 90s Madonna references — the soft S&M aesthetic of Erotica and the deconstructed menswear of the Blond Ambition tour — in one rich presentation. Several models were covered with black latex masks, jackets were kept opened to reveal studded leather harnesses, suits were printed with newspaper-clipping graphics, and suits were deconstructed and repurposed in a way that I can only assume should be interpreted as a reclamation of power. Here for it. Slay.
As the 90th edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo approaches, the historic menswear event announces Gosha Rubchinskiy as its guest designer for the Spring/Summer 2017 season. Recently, the subversive Russian voice has become a streetwear mainstay; his eponymous brand gaining global editorial traction with its post-Soviet aesthetic eye and Comme des Garçons retail support. In addition to Rubchinskiy, the three-day series will unveil a designer project by Hiroki Nakamura’s Visvim, special event with Sicilian celebrity designer Fausto Puglisi, and introduction to Lucio Vanotti via Pitti’s emerging program, Pitti Italics. The appointments signal the changing of gears for the long-lasting Italian show, whose traditional roots a Firenze—after previous season partnerships with Moschino, Hood by Air, and Juun.J—continue to find new footing.
Italian Fashion conglomerate Gilmar Group announces the appointment of subversive British designer and British Fashion Council Fashion Forward Award winner James Long as the new Creative Director of Iceberg’s menswear line. Iceberg, a brand first known for its mastery of knit sportswear and creative collaborations—Jean Charles de Castelbajac, Andy Warhol, Vivienne Westwood, Franco Moschino, etc.—looks to Long to further develop the brand’s DNA for a modern time, returning back to its bold style while also adding his signature provocative point of view. Autumn/Winter 2016 will be Long’s first collection at Iceberg, debuting at Milan Fashion Week this upcoming January.
Laptops, documents, and even workout clothes—getting ready for the work day is never easy, but choosing the right bag big enough to stow all of your essentials might seem like even more of a chore. The new office culture commands us to be bold and courageous with our travel companions, as the time of old and tired carriers is long gone. Let your imagination free and try out a statement accessory that expresses yourself, with or without the nine to five.
1. Phileas backpack with magnetic stud closing front flap, Balenciaga
Image: Balenciaga.
Elegant yet simple, this Balenciaga backpack is made of the highest quality calfskin leather, and offers plenty of room for all of your necessities. Two patch pockets and one zip inside allow you to keep your documents or phone separated for easier access.
