For what looks like one of the first major designer collabs of the year, Coach collaborated with BAPE on a limited-edition capsule. The collection of outerwear, ready-to-wear pieces, and accessories lifts popular iconography from both labels, including Coach’s distinct logo pattern with the Japanese streetwear brand’s gorilla logo and shark teeth motifs, to introduce a new tier of designer streetwear.
Monogrammed leather accessories, like the Coach Academy backpack, have been updated in funky colors that merge the sophisticated cool of the designer’s native New York with the lambent energy of Tokyo. (This was further realized in the accompanying lookbook, which was shot by Quil Lemons in both the Ebisu District of Shibuya in Tokyo and Williamsburg in Brooklyn.) A brown puffer jacket has been cut in leather and stamped with Coach’s monogram as the designer debuts its own take on the streetwear classic. Even BAPE’s signature sneaker, the BAPESTA, has been reimagined to celebrate the footwear’s 20th anniversary. Hoodies printed with BAPE’s guerilla-style gorilla print and with the cartoon shark graphic placed on the hood’s exterior have become street icons on their own, but this time around they’re aligned with the aesthetic values of Coach.
As the collection rolls out, city-exclusive T-shirts will be released in select cities including New York, Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, and London. The Coach x BAPE collection will launch in select stores and online on February 22. See more looks from the collection below.
Some of the most established names in the New York Fashion Week circuit are leaving the city. After presenting its Spring/Summer 2020 show in a subway station, Tom Ford is now opting to present its next collection in Los Angeles two days before the Academy Awards. And Jeremy Scott (who similarly showed a Pre-Fall 2020 collection in a subway, albeit for Moschino) will be presenting his namesake line in Paris later this summer. There seems to be a general sense of worry as big-name designers depart the once-dominant fashion capital — could the end of NYFW be near?
Quite simply, no. This is actually a good thing — this might be some of the best news since Project Runway returned to Bravo. When celebrity designers bypass NYFW to gain some new credibility (and customers) in a different country, it clears the way for a fresh wave of designers to take the stage and essentially construct a new fashion landscape. Brands like Linder, N.Hoolywood, Nihl, Wiederhoeft, Area, and Chromat among others are some of the fresher labels that are offering different perspectives. The fact that they don’t have to compete with the same timeslots as the Fords and Scotts of the industry works in their favor.
Back in 2016, Kanye West controversially and suddenly decided to present a show during NYFW. This was seen as a kind of a “fuck you” to local designers that had spent time and money organizing a show, as West’s fame easily eclipses rising talent. His show, which was more a media circus than anything, was met with a lukewarm response but one thing was made clear: celebrity over clothes. Maybe some of the bigger names are leaving since they are simply growing weary from the competition.
It’s an exciting time to be a designer in the city. There’s a whole generation of creatives — a generation that has essentially been raised on social media and to which gender fluidity is a standard rather than a trend — who doing really cool shit and they should have the opportunity to share it with the world in the context of NYFW. There are still a number of household-names like Michael Kors, Helmut Lang, Proenza Schouler, Christian Siriano, and Oscar de la Renta that are all slated to present in the city next month. And if you’re worried about the future state of fashion week, remember that everything in the industry is cyclical. So rest assured, NYFW will never really die.
Jeremy Scott, a designer renowned for his cheeky and novelty approach to the world of high fashion, has always been one for showmanship. Perhaps even more so when he inherited Moschino in 2014. So for the Italian label’s Pre-Fall 2020 show, a downtown subway station was converted into its own runway. “It’s the most quintessential New York backdrop I could imagine with my mix of clothes — always a play of high and low, uptown and downtown,” Scott told WWD. “And the subway literally goes uptown and downtown.”
The location was the first part of setting the mood for a memorable show. (Although Tom Ford showed in a nearby downtown subway station in September.) But the line between memorable and meme-able is very thin. When something from fashion becomes a meme, it’s because something is so eye-catching or absurd — like the insane 100-layer Balenciaga coat — that it inspires the public to organically respond and start a conversation. I could go on about the meme economy and how it ultimately boosts a designer’s profile (all publicity is good publicity, etc) but let’s stick to Moschino.
The ridiculously large Moschino-branded fake Metrocards that were sent as an invite to the show? Meme-able — I saw a bunch of people posting about them on Instagram which I can only assume was the desired effect. Tiny bags accessorized with ginormous bags? Also meme-able — 2019 was definitely a year where designers shrank and inflated bags to new extremes and the results were shared widely everywhere. But the collection as a whole struggled to find a comfortable balance between the two — for the most part, it seemed like every piece was purposely designed forcefully weird enough to be memed.
Scott took conventional (read: cliché) New York-style cues and exaggerated them in a way only he could. Tweed ensembles were festooned with chunky gold chain trimmings. Studded leather pieces were slit and bandaged by safety pins. Moschino-nameplate gold chains were everywhere you looked. Bags were big, snapbacks were even bigger, and a slew of sweaters and coats were just so big and disproportionate that the models ended up looking like a bunch of Baby Yodas getting on and off a train. (Meme-able? There’s literally memes of Baby Yoda wearing a big coat and looking lost.)
New York — especially downtown — is an endless source of inspiration for designers and will likely continue to be until rising sea levels consume it. It’s hard to find a designer that hasn’t cited the city for inspiration at least once and even harder to do something original with the material. And while Scott remains as defiant as ever (classic NY attitude, some could argue), the collection felt less like a homage to the city and more like an end-of-day subway commute: congested, needlessly inconvenient, and generally unmemorable.
A break from the holiday campaign overload, Prada has released its newest campaign for its Resort 2020 collection. Photographed throughout the designer’s native Italy by Keizo Kitajima and Drew Vickers — Kitajima is known for his candid street style shots while Vickers is an internationally recognized portrait photographer — the latest visual series is a “celebration of the preciousness of the everyday, an expression of the style of life, a piece of now,” according to a statement.
Models — Freja Beha Erichsen, Lexi Boling, Sara Blomqvist, Stella Jones, Xiao Wen Ju, Xara Maria, Vik Nahishakiye, Ashley Radjarame, Kyla Ramsay, Toni Smith, Qun Y, Freek Men, and Yang Hao — are shot in portrait mode and then restyled for another shot in the city while — in a kinda meta twist — holding a bouquet wrapped in images from the same campaign.
And throughout the month, images from the campaign will be used to wrap floral arrangements at florists around the world, including Paris, Shanghai, London, Milan, Moscow, New York, and Tokyo. The designer further explains: “As with flowers passed between loved ones, the Prada Resort 2020 campaign is an exchange, a discourse, an open conversation.”
Celebrating his namesake brand’s 10-year anniversary, Prabal Gurung is releasing a lush coffee table book chronicling his decorated fashion career. Raised in Nepal, Gurung moved to New York in 1999 to study at Parsons before working at American labels including Cynthia Rowley and Donna Karan. Ten years later, he launched his own line from his studio apartment in downtown Manhattan. The rest is history.
With a foreword by Sarah Jessica Parker, as much a New York fashion institution as Bergdorf Goodman, Prabal Gurung chronicles the designer’s ascent from East Village wunderkind to red carpet mainstay. Featuring never-before-seen photos and glimpses into his genius, with mood board images and illustrations, the book is a perfect addition to any sartorial connoisseur’s collection.
This Friday, Kith will release its fall line — Fall 2 — which is one of its largest collections ever. With 86 pieces, the New York brand combines a diverse range of influences spanning from traditional Japanese tailoring to chunky knitwear to sportswear that add new weight to its traditional streetwear offering.
Opting for a more toned-down approach with neutral colors, Fall 2 also stands out as one of the label’s more mature collections. Hoodies have been reimagined in plush knits and monochromatic combinations of whites and greys. Sweaters and overcoats are similarly anchored by a dark color palette. Even a color-blocked shearling jacket, which stands out as the most elaborate item, has been refreshingly reformatted with a looser fit that still remains structured. Classic pieces like the Mercer Pant are also available, but for the most part, overt branding has been subdued.
The Kith Fall 2 collection launches tomorrow in Kith stores and online. Check out more pictures from the collection in the gallery above.
The beloved New York skate brand is expanding on the West Coast with the opening of its first store in San Francisco. Supreme teased the news on Instagram over the weekend, by posting video footage and photos of the city’s skate scene. The brand also posted a registration link on its site, inviting guests to sign up for a place in line for the launch of its next retail experience. (The list is now closed.)
No further information about the store’s opening is available as of now, but Bay Area residents should be hyped for the opening of Supreme’s 12th store in the world.
Following a quiet hiatus, Helmut Lang is back in the spotlight. Since the eponymous founder of the minimal label stepped down in 2005, a roster of talented designers—including Hood By Air’s own Shayne Oliver for one brash presentation—have taken over the role to continue what he started. Industry veterans Mark Thomas and Thomas Cawson are only the latest to inherit the empire.
The duo remains committed to honoring and preserving the legacy the epochal designer has built. “I think change can be a trap and a distraction, so I think it is very important for us to keep a steady course,” Thomas, creative director of men’s and womenswear, tells me in the label’s studio in the Meatpacking District in downtown New York City. “A uniform for today is really what we’re working towards,” Cawson, creative director of Helmut Lang Jeans, affirms.
When the pair debuted their first collection in New York this past February, it was a reminder of what made the label great in the first place. Classic men’s pieces—the perfect building blocks for any uniform—were updated in new and, at times, contrasting fabrics. There was not a print in sight, with material and texture drawing emphasis on the immaculate structure and form of each piece.
“Design is function,” Cawson says. “There is a purpose, and there are parameters that you have to keep yourself within, but it’s also finding yourself joy and fun within those parameters.”
Thomas and Cawson got the sartorial experience that Lang never sought. (Lang always considered himself an artist first, designer second. The first Helmut Lang collection was even shown in an art museum as part of an exhibition on modernism.) Both attended the prestigious Central Saint Martins. Thomas worked in production at various factories and eventually landed at Paul Smith. Cawson made the rounds in Paris and Milan before working at Calvin Klein under the direction of Raf Simons. This combination of experiences seems perfectly tailored to carry on such a heterogeneous label.
In the time since Helmut Lang last showed, the industry has undergone serious change, a lot of which the label predicted back in its heyday. We’re still technically following the same fashion schedule that was established when Lang decided to move his show six weeks earlier in 1998. Later that year, the designer was the first to release a collection on the Internet—today, most major designers livestream their presentations to get a bigger audience. This globalization has an effect on how people consume and discuss fashion, which quickly trickles back to the designers as feedback and potentially influences their next move. The industry has become democratized.
“Now everything is so accessible and I think that’s the challenge for designers now—the people are speaking,” Thomas says. Once a trailblazer in disruption, the label is readjusting to the mercurial industry it helped create.
Helmut Lang was also among the first to introduce the idea of artist collaborations when it partnered with Jenny Holzer on a series of installations. In just the past year, the designer has released collections incorporating the work of queer photographer Peter Hujar, a Pride capsule collection with Artforum, and most recently a three-piece denim line with visual artist Josephine Meckseper. But while Lang sought to blur the worlds of art and fashion, Thomas and Cawson see things differently.
“I still don’t think of making clothes being a form of art,” Thomas says. It’s apparent that delivering a brilliantly designed product, rather than something that’s just nice to look at, is paramount to the designer. Cawson is quick to agree. “It’s an applied art and there’s commerciality to it. There is definitely a strategic position the company is taking for it to be successful, for sure,” he says.
“We need people to trust us and see us as a resource, for we really are kind of the best offer for a modern wardrobe,” Thomas says, ahead of the label’s forthcoming September show. This mentality is one of the many ways the pair reinforces their mission to honor and expand the legacy without feeling restricted to the rules of those before them. Historically speaking, Helmut Lang was always interested in coloring outside the lines anyway.
Another day, another Supreme drop to keep the hypebeasts nourished. This time, the New York skate brand turned international sensation is releasing a collection of graphic t-shirts.
The newest range is a graphic menagerie of playful logo reinterpretations (including a take on Kraft Singles cheese slices and its own version of Google), some comic illustrations with punk-like grittiness, and photographic prints. One particularly bold shirt has a ninja-graphic on the front with a tagline reading “We Are Back to Fuck You Up!” (As if they ever left.) Additionally, each of the shirts is available in a number of different colors, including light blue, navy, yellow, orange, and peach.
The Supreme Fall 2019 t-shirt collection launches in select stores and online tomorrow, October 10.
It’s really never too early to start taking care of your skin. Whether or not your regimen includes an extensive 10-step ordeal or just washing your face with a bar of Dove (gasp), there are so many options for basic grooming that there’s really no excuse. Still, if you’re the type who’s too busy to even maintain a consistent routine, there are people that can take care of your skin for you. “Instead of spending thousands on skincare products, go get a professional treatment,” says Eugene Kagansky, owner of BodyFactory Skin Care, a medispa in New York.
He opened the first BodyFactory Skin Care in the West Village in 2014 before expanding with two other locations — one in Hell’s Kitchen and a newly opened outpost on the Upper East Side. His main goal was to provide a convenient facility for people to get simple and powerful treatments that address a number of skin needs — everything from anti-aging to hair thinning. Currently, BodyFactory offers a variety of treatments and services including specialized facials, injectables, and body sculpting options. I recently went in for a Sheer Radiance facial, aka a PRP facial, aka the Vampire Facial as made famous by Kim Kardashian. Basically, they take your blood and isolate the plasma to inject into your face via micro-needling to stimulate collagen production and eliminate signs of aging. Less than a week later my skin already looks brighter and younger, so shout out to my own blood for keeping me youthful in a totally non-sacrificial way.
I spoke to Eugene to talk about the history of BodyFactory and the most popular treatments men are seeking out.
EH: Can you tell me a little about why you wanted to open BodyFactory?
I created this whole concept because we’ve always had a need for something that’s a little less medical, but still has a medical-grade — the idea was to take the medical away from the medical. When people go to a doctor’s office or dermatologist [for these skincare services], it can feel very serious and that environment was a little too harsh, the way I see it. I thought: what if we did something that’s less medical but still has a medical environment, and give the customer the idea that it’s more young and fun? It’s easy to book and easy to do the treatments — it’s not as serious as going to the office. We took an expensive approach to treatments to give them a more accessible price point for everyone because I believe everyone should do skincare.
EH: What are the most popular treatments men are seeking out?
Men do a lot of facials — the Original Facial. Men also do a lot of under-the-skin treatment, a lot of injectables, and a lot of fillers. Now men are more aware of taking care of the skin than they were before. Especially in our Hell’s Kitchen location are coming in for treatments. They’re open-minded to different skin treatments and we can customize them for whatever approach they need. Also, a lot of men get the membership because it reminds them to go get their facial.
EH: What are some of the misconceptions men have about these types of services?
I think people just aren’t aware of the different treatments. But I think right now men are starting to take care of themselves — the way they dress, the way they take care of their skin, and the way they do their hair — it’s changing.
EH: Is there a specific time or age you think people should consider these treatments or is it more based on skin need?
I think people should start taking care of their skin as they grow up. Very basic stuff — using a cleaner, moisturize, it’s a basic thing you have to do all the time. There are so many products on the market, [but] I always believe you should take care of your skin at home. I tell my customers if you don’t do your regimen at home, no matter where you go, you’re still not gonna get the results you want. Like yes, we’ll give you the treatments and you’re gonna see results but if you don’t do anything at home, you’ll never really have the results you want. We’re like trainers at the gym — if you’re not going to continue your training, you’re not gonna get the results.
After announcing a capsule inspired by Morrissey, Supreme has shifted its focus to a new seminal indie rock presence. For the Fall 2019 collection, the New York-based skate brand is releasing a line inspired by The Velvet Underground. Formed in 1964 in downtown Manhattan, the band’s groundbreaking combination of rock and avant-garde earned initial praise from Andy Warhol, who later acted as their manager. Now they’re frequently praised as one of the most influential groups of the century.
The upcoming fall collection features original artwork, including photos and other designs, from the band across a collection of ringer tees and button-downs. For a brand as deeply engrained in New York culture as Supreme, it’s a wonder why these two downtown institutions didn’t meet sooner.
The Supreme x The Velvet Underground collection launches online on Thursday, September 19.
Long a signature of the brand since its debut in the ’90s, Margiela has once again updated its Tabi boots. Out later this month, the French designer made over the oft-imitated-never-duplicated cult footwear with graphic punch. Available in black and white, the mini-capsule also includes leather bags that have been similarly covered with a bold and colorful print that evokes the look of graffiti-covered bathrooms that are housed in most DIY venue spaces. The boots and bags will be available later this month in stores and online, so you might wanna snag a pair while you can ahead of the forthcoming Margiela documentary.
