India Couture Week 2025: Threads of Identity, Echoes of Dreams

image courtesy of JJ Valaya

text by Parrie Chhajed

Every July, Delhi transforms. The city, with its bustling character and chaos, becomes home to the patronage of Indian fashion. A legacy, a staged walk by greats, it hosts the India Couture Week, a celebration of craftsmanship and couture, a sanctum where heritage meets modernity, and where the past and future walk parallel. 

India Couture Week 2025 was held at the iconic Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi, curated by the FDCI ( Fashion Design Council of India ). The week staged poetic interactions between culture and innovation, local and global. 

Since its founding in 2008, India Couture Week has become a pivotal event in the Indian fashion calendar. The event is an ethos of the Indian spirit rooted in traditions, craftsmanship, and artisanal heritage. An answer to the Paris Haute Couture Week, an interpretation derived from India’s passed down stories and values, honoring the handicrafts that characterize Indian design. 

Through the years, ICW has recognized and defined moments in the careers of Indian designers and placed India on the global stages and fashion and luxury map. It remains one of the few platforms where, every year, we backtrace further into our culture and craftsmanship while creating new stories and keeping up with today's silhouettes and innovations. 

While last year revolved around softness and sentiments, the 2025 couture week conversed about identity, urging us to look deep within. The ideologies were seen being represented through shapes, silhouettes, and styles appliqued with reimagined traditions.

Through the lenses of legacy, identity, and reinvention, stories unfolded on the runway, and the ones that shone out the most were: Rahul Mishra, Amit Aggarwal, JJ Valaya, Aisha Rao, and Ritu Kumar.

Rahul Mishra – Becoming Love

image courtesy of Rahul Mishra

image courtesy of Rahul Mishra

image courtesy of Rahul Mishra

image courtesy of Rahul Mishra

image courtesy of Rahul Mishra

The week opened with Rahul Mishra’s ethereal collection titled Becoming Love, which unfolded like a flower in the rain. Inspired by Sufiism’s magic, Mishra’s couture offered seven stages of love, each captured in finely hand-embroidered stories across fabrics such as silk organza, velvet, and tulle.

A combination of magnificence and reality. While one moment, a gown shimmered like Klimt’s The Kiss, the next, a lehenga carried the ache of longing. Alas came Tamannaah Bhatia, walking down the runway in a sculpted floral gown—proof once again that Rahul Mishra stitches emotion into every sequin.

Amit Aggarwal — Arcanum

image courtesy of Amit Agarwal

image courtesy of Amit Agarwal

image courtesy of Amit Agarwal

image courtesy of Amit Agarwal

image courtesy of Amit Agarwal

image courtesy of Amit Agarwal

image courtesy of Amit Agarwal

If Mishra spoke of emotion, Amit Aggarwal answered with introspection. His collection Arcanum—a word meaning ‘mystery’—explored identity through the architecture of DNA. Using his signature polymer techniques and handwoven metallics, Aggarwal built garments like sacred codes: twisted helixes, cocooned corsets, and chrysalis gowns.

But behind the science was softness. There was something deeply moving about how structure met surrender. Couture here was not just worn—it was inhabited. Aggarwal reminded us that even the future has ancestry.

JJ Valaya — East

image courtesy of JJ Valaya

image courtesy of JJ Valaya

image courtesy of JJ Valaya

image courtesy of JJ Valaya

image courtesy of JJ Valaya

No one stages drama quite like JJ Valaya, and East—his closing show and a celebration of 33 years in fashion—was an imperial epic. A curation and compilation of Ottoman silks, Rajput extravagance, and East Asian tapestries, the collection was detailed and imaginative. Catalogued a collection where there was something for all, embroidered jackets, obi-style belts, brocaded cloaks, and voluminous skirts, as if they were brought to life. 

Rasha Thadani and Ibrahim Ali Khan closed the show with old-world poise and new-world flair. It was a fitting finale—part history lesson, part fantasy film.

Aisha Rao — Wild at Heart

Making her ICW debut, Aisha Rao was the season’s freshest dream. Her collection Wild at Heart bloomed with lotus petals, banana leaves, and rose-gold mosaics—each appliqué whispering a kind of untamed tenderness. She layered nature into couture like a fable.

Sara Ali Khan was stunning in a beautiful Banarasi lehenga. Rao's world feels like a place where rebellion is subtle and fantasy is intricately woven with thoughtful details. The entire show was truly unforgettable.

Ritu Kumar – Threads of Time: Reimagined

A quiet storm came in the form of Ritu Kumar, one of the original matriarchs of Indian fashion. In Threads of Time: Reimagined, Kumar revisited and revitalized her archives, reworking iconic prints, paisleys, and kalidars for a new generation. It felt like a love letter to Indian textiles, with the wisdom of decades and the freshness of reinvention.

This wasn’t nostalgia—it was memory made malleable.

What We Saw, What We’ll Remember

This year, ICW saw a return to tactility. Couture was about touch—embroideries you could feel with your eyes, textures that moved like memories. There was structure, but also surrender. Motifs of roots, DNA, nature, and spirituality ran across collections like leitmotifs in a symphony.

We saw metallics meet brocade, corsetry meet kalidars, and flowers sprout from pleats. And above all, we witnessed a reclamation of Indian identity in high fashion—not as tokenism, but as a language only we know how to speak.

India’s couture scene is now more intimate and more international than ever before. With young voices like Aisha Rao stepping in with fresh fantasy and veterans like Rahul Mishra and Amit Aggarwal pushing boundaries between concept and craft, couture is evolving. Indian fashion today isn’t just bridal lehengas, it’s chronicles of the land, reflected in silhouettes and fabrics, expressed by the artists, with imagination for the bold futures.

The designers were encouraged to reflect, dream, and truly connect with their vision.

Rick Owens' Retrospective Is A Paean to the Designer's California Roots @ Palais Galliera in Paris

Rick Owens, Temple Of Love is a meditation on romance, beauty, and diversity. It archives one of today’s leading designers, transforming the museum into a shrine to creativity.

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Courtesy of Palais Galliera

text by Kim Shveka

Rick Owens, Temple of Love is the first exhibition in Paris dedicated to fashion designer Rick Owens, which he creative directed himself. The massive retrospective features collections from his beginning in Los Angeles through his most recent theatrical runways in Paris’s Palais de Tokyo.

With his radical fusion of Gothic Romanticism, Brutalism, and Minimalism, which often provokes social and political themes on his runways, Rick Owens has long been known as fashion’s avant-garde designer. His aesthetic challenges conventional notions of beauty, gender, and form, often occupying a space between fashion, performance art, and architecture.

In the exhibition, we gain rare insight into the designer’s creative inner world, understanding how his references come to life and the ideas that lie behind his work. Gustave Moreau, Joseph Beuys, and Steven Parrino were among Owens’s sources of inspiration, resonating with his embrace of destruction as creation, the usage of art as a vehicle for criticism, and the glorification of beauty through excess. The exhibition also focuses on the central role played by his lifelong wife and muse, Michèle Lamy, whose presence is always felt through Owens. We get an intimate glimpse into the couple’s private world through a recreation of their California bedroom, designed using pieces from Owens’ furniture line. Just beyond the wall, their closet room is unveiled, with dark garments loosely folded next to a packed bookshelf. This section of the exhibition feels like a genuine invitation into their daily lives, where we are meant to truly feel their presence. The air itself is infused with Rick Owens’ signature scent, activating all five senses for a complete journey through their rituals.  

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Courtesy of Palais Galliera

In another room, plastered with “No photos please” signs, stands perhaps the most Rick Owens-esque piece in the exhibition: a towering statue of Rick himself, mid-urination. It reads as the most cynical, provocative fountain since Marcel Duchamp.

The exhibition is extended throughout the entirety of the Palais Galliera campus, as well as the outside garden, wherein California-native plants and vines surround thirty brutalist cement sculptures. Above the garden is the building of the exhibition, whose windows display three colossal statues of Owens covered head to toe in gold. Owens saw the importance of finishing his retrospective with his origin, California. As a designer whose presence casts a looming glunge shadow over the City of Light, it’s easy even for him to overlook his roots in the Sunshine State.

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Courtesy of Palais Galliera

Rick Owens, Temple of Love is on view through January 4, 2026 at Palais Galliera, 10 Av. Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75116 Paris

Louis Vuitton SS26: Pharrell Williams' India Is Rooted in Reality, Rendered in Reverence

With a hand-painted Snakes and Ladders set, coffee-hued denim, and cinematic embroidery, Pharrell Williams' SS26 collection for Louis Vuitton reimagines India not as spectacle, but as substance.

Image courtesy of : Louis Vuitton

text by Parrie Chhajed

In Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2026 menswear show, Pharrell Williams looks east, not for ornament, but for essence. India emerges not as a motif but as a moodboard: one defined by color, craft, and quiet charisma. Far from the reductive tropes often seen in luxury fashion’s attempts to ‘globalize,’ Williams’ India is observational, tactile, and purposefully translated.

The show set, created in collaboration with celebrated architect Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai, was a towering hand-painted wooden interpretation of Snakes and Ladders, India’s traditional board game. It was an immediate statement: playful, rooted in storytelling, and intentionally handcrafted—an homage to India’s material cultures rather than its monuments. A.R. Rahman’s “Yaara Punjabi” set the sonic tone, blending seamlessly into the aesthetic narrative.

Williams and his team spent time in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur in the lead-up to the collection, absorbing India not through fashion history books but by walking through markets, workshops, and city streets. “You won’t see any tunics or anything like that,” Williams said backstage. “What we were inspired by from India were the colors.” And indeed, the palette tells the story. Black is replaced with a regal purple-blue. Camel becomes a dusty beige. Denim appears in a never-seen-before “coffee indigo,” inspired by Indian filter coffee and designed to fade gracefully into white thread, like sun-worn cotton.

The silhouettes, too, reflect this shift—from conventional tailoring to something more intuitive. Think relaxed pleated trousers worn with leather flip-flops, pajama-stripe jackets, robe coats, and flowing layers. There’s a sense of ease here that feels lived-in rather than styled, a softness that alludes to India’s informal luxury—the kind found in hand-pressed cotton, creased linen, and clothes shaped by climate.

A particularly poetic detail: Louis Vuitton resurrects the animal motifs originally created for The Darjeeling Limited (2007), revisiting its visual dialogue with India in a new context. Hand-embroidered zebras, palm trees, and cheetahs reappear across cashmere coats, safari jackets, and luggage—a cinematic nod refined for the runway.

Yet this was no costume drama. The collection delivered on commercial pragmatism with buttery leather outerwear, clean-cut blazers, tonal shirts, and the Maison’s signature monogrammed baggage. Everyday wear was elevated with micro-beading, metallic threadwork, and even a shell suit fully woven from metal yarn. There’s experimentation, but it's controlled, audacious without being theatrical.

Pharrell’s respect for Indian craftsmanship is unmistakable. He describes his visits to printmaking studios and embroidery ateliers as the most meaningful moments of the journey. “What art and painting is to Paris, textiles and embroidery are to India,” he said. That respect materialized in garments enriched with lace, hand-placed stones, and artisanal techniques that elevate rather than overwhelm.

This wasn’t Williams’ first Indian reference. In 2018, he launched an Adidas collection inspired by Holi. But this time, the tone is mature and rooted in research. Less festival, more foundation. It’s an India experienced rather than imagined—drawn not just from its celebrations, but its subtleties.

Image coutsey of Louis Vuitton

“I’m personally a global citizen,” Williams said. “Storytelling provides context. And when you provide context, it makes it easier for people to understand what your true intentions are.”

And that’s perhaps the collection’s greatest strength—it doesn’t speak over India; it listens to it. In a time when global references can quickly slip into appropriation, Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton stands out for its clarity of intention and depth of execution. The result isn’t just a collection inspired by India; it’s one in conversation with it.

SS26 proves that India isn’t a detour in luxury—it’s a destination. And for Louis Vuitton, it’s a terrain rich enough not just to inspire, but to shape the future of menswear.

The Art of Impossible Perfection: Demna’s Final Couture Statement at Balenciaga

“I have come as close as possible to being satisfied in this endless pursuit of impossible perfection,” writes Demna in his farewell to Balenciaga couture, marking the close of a transformative decade at the helm of one of fashion’s most revered maisons. The 54th Couture Collection is not merely a finale; it is a culmination—a poetic, exacting thesis on craftsmanship, silhouette, and legacy. Shot across Paris and laid bare in both look and making, the collection fuses the radical spirit of Cristóbal Balenciaga with Demna’s own uncompromising vision for the future of fashion: personal, sculptural, and exquisitely strange.

A corresponding film directed by Gianluca Migliarotti—known for his documentary O’Mast on Neapolitan tailoring—offers rare access into the meticulous inner workings of the House’s couture ateliers. In it, premières, tailors, and designers narrate the multi-layered labor behind each garment. The documentary traces the making of corseted gowns, reconstructed archival silhouettes, and collaborations with legendary artisans like Maison Lemarié, William Amor, and fan-maker Duvelleroy. It is a film not just of fashion, but of devotion—a love letter to the human hands that define couture.

The collection opens with a tribute to “La Bourgeoisie,” a term once synonymous with conformity, now mined for its elegance and severity. Tailored jackets bear tulip lapels that frame the face like armor; high collars evoke both Medici nobility and Nosferatu’s haunting grace. In Demna’s hands, bourgeois tropes are recoded—pierced with irony, elegance, and a commanding silhouette. “Garments are sculptural and intricate in their construction,” he notes, “while embracing minimalism and reduction in their architecture.” This paradox—maximal form through minimal means—runs like a seam throughout the collection.

Corsetry, once an instrument of feminine discipline, is reengineered for comfort across ten different looks. An airy pink debutante dress in technical Japanese organza, a diva gown encrusted in black sequins, and a draped one-seam gown conjure Old Hollywood glamour as seen through a funhouse mirror. These are not nostalgic recreations—they’re cinematic hallucinations. A “mink” coat made from embroidered feathers, worn by Kim Kardashian as a tribute to Elizabeth Taylor, is paired with the actress’s actual diamond pendant earrings, on loan from Lorraine Schwartz. Over 1,000 carats of custom jewelry glimmer throughout the collection—white diamonds, Padparadsha sapphires, and canary yellow stones—turning the runway into a constellation of light.

Other garments are grounded in quiet subversion. A silk bomber jacket becomes as featherweight as tissue; a summer taffeta blouson transforms into businesswear via sleight of hand. One standout detail: 300 kilometers of tufted embroidery used to create trompe-l’œil corduroy pants, a feat of excess that reads as effortlessness. “They’re the first ‘corduroy’ pants I want to wear,” Demna says, with a wink toward comfort as luxury.

A standout thread in both the show and its documentary is tailoring—specifically the collaboration with four family-run Neapolitan ateliers. Nine suits, developed as “one-size-fits-all” garments measured on a bodybuilder, are modeled on a diverse cast of bodies. “It is not the garment that defines the body, but the body that defines the garment,” Demna writes. This democratic inversion of couture’s traditional ethos suggests a radical inclusivity. Migliarotti’s camera captures the intimacy of fittings, the choreography of needle and cloth, the philosophy of hands that have stitched for generations.

Heritage and transformation are braided throughout. A 1957 floral print from Cristóbal Balenciaga’s archives resurfaces on a sequined skirt suit. A replica of a 1967 houndstooth look once worn by Danielle Slavik, one of the house’s original muses, becomes the “Danielle” suit. Each is a memory made tactile. The finale gown—a seamless guipure lace sculpture shaped using millinery techniques—embodies the house’s entire language in a single garment: restraint and drama, memory and innovation, body and architecture.

The accessories deepen the message. Logos on bags are replaced by the wearer’s name, subverting the idea of branded status. Duvelleroy fans, recreated over nearly 200 hours of craft, flutter like time machines: one from 1895, another from 1905. Flower brooches are crafted from discarded tissue paper and silk, offering waste a new role as adornment. Even the couture sneaker—handmade using traditional shoemaking techniques—feels like a manifesto: this is couture for the street, couture for now.

Demna’s voice is not the only one heard. The soundtrack of the show features the names of his team—an act of collective authorship, a rare moment of ego dissolution in a field known for solitary genius. This final gesture is perhaps the most emotional: a house, after all, is not built alone.

As Demna departs Balenciaga couture, he leaves behind not a collection, but a philosophy. Couture is not anachronism—it is resistance. It is an art of slowness, of refusal, of obsessive care in a time of disposability. “This collection is the perfect way for me to finish my decade at Balenciaga,” he writes. “The ultimate minimal sculptural gown…represents everything this House stands for.”

What does Balenciaga stand for now? In this collection: freedom, contradiction, legacy, reinvention. A house haunted by its past, electrified by its present, and—through the ghost stitch of every seam—already dreaming of what comes next.

Balenciaga by Demna: The End of An Era

At Kering's Paris headquarters, a one-time exhibition unfolds Demna's work for Balenciaga, featuring pieces across 30 collections from the past decade.

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In the historic Kering headquarters at 40 Rue de Sèvres, lies Demna Gvasalia’s resume from the last decade at Balenciaga. A decade of radical creation and endless ideas unfolded in this complete, uncensored retrospective, curated by Demna himself.

Demna’s magnitude as a designer cannot be denied, although many critics have tried; this exhibit shows his credentials as a creative force, a marketing genius, and a brilliant couturier. Through 101 selected pieces, we are taken through Demna’s aesthetic autopsy, inviting us to explore how the designer revolutionized the face of contemporary fashion, challenged pre-established rules, and posed a satirical lens on society through his designs.

Demna had become a synonym for oversized, deconstructed silhouettes and has deeply influenced fashion’s embrace of streetwear, often sparking controversy with his idea of wearable casual wear.

The exhibition opens with a rejection letter Demna received in 2007 from Balenciaga, which reads: "Dear Demna, Thank you for your interest in an internship at the Menswear Design Team at Balenciaga. We've carefully reviewed your application and, after consideration, we will not be moving forward with your candidacy at this time. Your profile will remain on file should future opportunities come up."

This email isn’t about holding a grudge, but rather a gentle reminder that rejection can often be a redirection toward something greater, like in Demna’s case, where missing out on an internship led to becoming a creative director.

Now, as he prepares for his last couture show, Demna concludes his long journey with the presumption that his force cannot be denied, and we’re left longing to see his new chapter in Gucci.

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Courtesy of Balenciaga

Balenciaga by Demna is on view from June 26 through July 9, at 40 Rue de Sèvres, 75007, Paris.

Paris Couture Week Predictions Through the Lens of Charles Worth's Current Retrospective @ the Petit Palais

Unlike other fashion, Paris moves through layers of history and a continuous dialogue between tradition and change. But in today’s challenging and ever-changing economic and political climate, what can we expect from this trendsetting city next?

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Worth & Bobergh, Robe à transformation, vers 1866-1868.
Faille verte et tulle de soie. Philadelphia museum of Art, États-Unis d’Amérique.
© 125th Anniversary Acquisition.
Gift of the heirs of Charlotte Hope Binney Tyler Montgomery, 1996, Philadelphia museum of Art.

text by Kim Shveka

As Haute Couture week descends on Paris, the city reasserts its place as the center of gravity in fashion, the stage where elegance is both performed and consumed. The newly opened Charles Worth exhibition, Worth, Inventing Haute Couture, at the Petit Palais deepens this position, reminding us that Paris’s fashion dominance is not merely current. It is layered with history, narratives, and unbreakable foundations that were built since the 15th century. Worth is cited as the father of Haute Couture; he altered the way to view fashion, from practicality to a status of art. He created a system that is defined by exclusivity, artisanal craft, and aesthetic authority that helped distinguish Paris as a city where fashion is understood not only as clothing, but as culture. The aim was not just beauty, but distinction—an aesthetic nationalism that still echoes in the way French fashion is marketed and perceived today. From this foundation, figures like Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent built empires not only by introducing new silhouettes but by shifting the paradigm of femininity, luxury, and modernity. The designers didn’t just reflect French culture; they directed it to the rest of the world.

The other fashion capitals each carry their own codes. London is where fashion is pushed to its most conceptual edge. New York delivers commercial clarity and cultural speed. Milan prizes structure, refinement, and a family-driven approach to legacy. But Paris continues to present itself as the stage where it all connects—the final act, the definitive voice. Its claim to be the capital is not just symbolic; it is structural: the power, the history, and the industry still move to the Parisian rhythm. And yet, that same stage is now caught in a cycle that resists disruption.

Alongside the grandeur of the maisons and the ritualistic anticipation of the shows, there’s an unsettling pattern repeating itself in the background. In the span of a few months, many of the major houses in the fashion industry have appointed new creative directors, reshuffling the same names that have long been in circulation. With every season, the game of musical chairs intensifies, and what once felt like an exciting leap now looks more like a closed loop. The question is no longer who gets the chair but whether there are any chairs left for those who have never had the chance to sit in one.

This past year has seen dramatic shifts across the Parisian landscape. After years of dominating Balenciaga with a confrontational, minimal lexicon, Demna left the house and was swiftly appointed at Gucci. In his place, Pierpaolo Piccioli, formerly of Valentino, took over creative direction at Balenciaga, signaling a sharp pivot from shock to softness, from provocation to romantic craft. At Dior, Jonathan Anderson, who had already proven his capacity for reinvention at Loewe, was named creative director for the entire house, including menswear, womenswear, and couture, a role no one has held since Christian Dior himself. Sarah Burton, once the artistic director of Alexander McQueen, made her debut at Givenchy with a recalibrated take on femininity anchored in tailoring and strength. Meanwhile, Glenn Martens, already at Diesel and Y/Project, was announced as the new face of Maison Margiela following John Galliano’s departure, with a highly anticipated debut planned for tomorrow.

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Gazette du Bon ton, Entre chien et loups, 1912. 24,7 × 19,2 cm. 
Palais Galliera, musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris. CCØ Paris Musées / Palais Galliera, musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.

On the surface, this looks like change. But beneath the headlines and the hashtags, it’s the same logic that’s been quietly driving the industry for years. None of these appointments were about discovering an unheard voice or matching a designer with a house based on his aesthetic affiliation; they were about bankability. The equation is simple and cynical: if a designer has already succeeded commercially, they can probably do it again. A recognizable name promises brand buzz, social media traction, and a fast return on investment—all in a fragile market where luxury sales are under pressure and leather goods are expected to do the heavy lifting.

This tendency has made the creative director role more of a function than a vision. It has also made the path to that role narrower than ever. The doors that were once open for young designers with new ideas are now closed by default. It is not that the industry doesn’t want new voices; it simply doesn’t leave them enough space to develop, to fail, or to prove themselves beyond a single collection. With every appointment handed to a designer who has already made it, another seat is taken from someone who hasn’t.

The expectation is that each new director will immediately stabilize revenue, secure brand loyalty, and carry the weight of legacy while still offering something “fresh.” But freshness is difficult to fake, and even harder to maintain when everyone is rotating between the same houses. The result is a kind of creative fatigue. Consumers may still buy, but the cultural impact of each new collection grows weaker.

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Worth, Manteau de cour porté par Franca Florio, 1902. Palazzo Pitti / Galleria del Costume , Florence, Italie. 
© Museo della Moda e del Costume, Palazzo Pitti, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence. Ministero della Cultura.

John Galliano’s recent departure from Maison Margiela deepens this dilemma. His Artisanal Spring 2024 was arguably the most talked about in years, precisely because it evoked a time when a fashion show was true art, when fashion shows aimed to move, not sell. Yet, such significant shows appear so rarely now. And with the latest wave of appointments, they seem even less likely. Why, then, are even the most profitable luxury houses struggling to produce that level of artistry? Can a system so driven by metrics and performance indicators ever make room for true creative vision again? These new directors may bring efficiency, consistency, or even spectacle, but they don’t replace what the industry is truly missing: a sense of forward motion. The biggest luxury brands carry immense responsibility; they dictate trends and set the standard. Yet, they consistently fail to raise the bar, to truly innovate, and to genuinely make us feel something.

This is the paradox Paris finds itself in. The city still holds the world’s attention, but it is no longer opening doors the way it once did. Couture Week is the moment when fashion is meant to step outside of commerce and return to craftsmanship and conceptual purity. But even here, the same logic applies. Trust is placed in those who have already delivered profits, not in those who could shape the future if only given the platform.

What is missing is not talent. It is the willingness to take a risk on someone who is not already on the circuit. The problem is not just that the chairs are constantly changing; it’s that they are being filled in a closed room. The game is being played by the same few, while others wait in the wings for a door that may never open.

As the week unfolds and the collections are unveiled, Paris will once again claim its position at the center of fashion. But unless the industry begins to create space for new perspectives, it risks becoming a hall of mirrors. The reflection is beautiful, but it does not move.

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Nadar, La comtesse Greffulhe, 1886.
Procédé photomécanique, 29 × 16,8 cm.
Palais Galliera, musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
CCØ Paris Musées / Palais Galliera, musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.

Worth, Inventing Haute Couture is on view through September 7th at the Petit Palais, Av. Winston Churchill, 75008, Paris.

Telfar Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary Not With Spectacle But With Substance

Two decades after its quiet beginnings in Queens, Telfar turned the streets of New York into a runway and the community into the main event. This was not just a fashion show; it was a reminder that independence, creativity, and cultural impact are what fashion is all about.

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Courtesy of Jason Nocito

What began twenty years ago in a Queens apartment by a teenage Telfar Clemens has evolved into the largest Black-owned fashion brand in the world, and likely the longest-running genderless brand in history. The brand has charted its own path entirely, remaining 100% independent, without investors and little entanglement with the fashion industry. Yet, with its captivating DNA, Telfar managed to build a loyal following of over three million customers along the way.

Telfar has long stood out as a brand that simply gets it right. It’s visionary, equitable, and deeply in tune with its audience. From the beginning, it gained a loyal community drawn to its commitment to cultural storytelling, accessible pricing, and customer-first values. This integrity helped elevate the iconic “T” bag into one of the most sought-after accessories of the past decade, carried by A-listers and aspirational shoppers alike.

Over the weekend, following a five-year hiatus, Clemens took to the streets of New York City to make his return to the runway.

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Courtesy of Telfar

At the show, the support and love were undeniable. Fans, friends, family, and industry insiders all came crowding to the street behind the Telfar store, fittingly on Juneteenth weekend. Among them were familiar faces like Luar’s Raul Lopez and Solange Knowles, who’s often cited as the one who promoted the brand in its early years. Her sister, Beyoncé echoed that same support in her 2022 Renaisssance album, closing it with a shoutout to the brand: “This Telfar bag imported, Birkins them shit’s in storage,” encapsulating everything the brand is all about.

As always, Telfar did things their own way. Instead of a traditional runway cast, the show featured people directly from the brand’s community. Through a series of open castings at the Telfar store called New Models, anyone could take part. The final lineup was chosen not by insiders but by the public, who voted live during the first episode of New Models, streamed on Telfar’s own platform on June 19. Friends, family, and longtime collaborators all walked the show, making it a true celebration of the people who have shaped the brand.

Telfar’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection was a bold celebration of community and creativity, and every look was met with cheers and applause. It opened with reimagined suiting and shirting, crafted from deconstructed jersey T-shirts that honored the brand’s twenty-year history. Loose-fitting jackets, flared trousers, and relaxed silhouettes offered a fresh take on fashion staples; easy streetwear, and polished tailoring—echoing the brand’s ability to capture New York’s forward-looking vibe. The collection continued with khaki in tones of beige, black, and camo as a foundation, denim spanning vintage to futuristic rib knit dresses, and logo jelly sandals in various colors, just in time for the minimalist footwear wave.

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Courtesy of Jason Nocito

Accessories took center stage as much as the clothing did, proving once more why Telfar changed the way the industry thinks about “it” bags. The debut of the Tie Bag—an evolution of the Telfar shopper as a slouchy hobo tote—is available in three colors and one perfect size. Of course, the legendary Shopping Bag was also present in spirit, reminding everyone just how Telfar became the brand known as Bushwick Birkin. Together, these pieces underscored Telfar’s core message that quality design and cultural resonance need not break the bank.

Twenty years in, Telfar has proven that good things are worth the wait. The fashion industry constantly demands speed and instant reinvention, often leaving creatives forced to accumulate. But Telfar Clemens has built an empire that allows him to listen to a slower, more authentic rhythm, and he understands the value of risk in fashion. As he celebrates the brand’s platinum anniversary, it’s never been more clear that Clemens is still winning the game, with rules he made himself.

Read Our Interview of Chef Walid Sahed and Designer José Lamali of BARBARE, A Multidisciplinary Artistic Project @ the Hôtel Grand Amour in Paris →

From June 26 to 28, 2025, chef Walid Sahed and fashion designer José Lamali present BARBARE, a multidisciplinary artistic project at the Book Bar in the Hôtel Grand Amour in Paris. Blending fashion, food, and storytelling, BARBARE is a three-night celebration of the duo’s shared Amazigh heritage—an intimate encounter between tradition and contemporary expression. The project was born from a dialogue between two creative practices: the kitchen and the atelier. For Walid Sahed, cooking is a deeply human act, shaped by memory, migration, and material. Born in Algiers and raised in Pantin, Sahed is the founder of the beloved neighborhood restaurant Les Pantins. His journey has taken him from the kitchens of the Stafford Hotel in London and Le Bristol in Paris to far-flung kitchens in Melbourne and Delhi, experiences that inform his generous, worldly, and emotionally resonant cuisine. Grounded in French culinary craft and open to global influences, Sahed creates food that speaks of belonging and transformation. José Lamali, co-founder of the fashion-art label Études Studio and current artistic director of Aigle, brings a parallel sensitivity to material, memory, and reinvention. A Franco-Moroccan designer whose practice began with secondhand clothing, Lamali’s work blends urban aesthetics with minimal structure and conceptual depth. Over the past decade, he has redefined French fashion through more than 20 Paris Fashion Week shows and, more recently, through his leadership at Aigle—where he has reimagined the brand’s outdoor heritage with a focus on sustainability and transmission. A recent foray into culinary studies marks his growing interest in the sensorial and ritual aspects of creation. Together, Sahed and Lamali have imagined BARBARE as a living installation—where traditional Berber flavors, garments, gestures, and stories unfold in a contemporary setting. The evenings will feature a menu inspired by North African cuisine, including mechouia salad, a light chicken tajine, and other seasonal dishes. Guests are invited to share in an immersive experience that honors the past while celebrating transformation, hybridity, and cultural resilience. BARBARE is not only a tribute to Amazigh identity—it is a space of exchange, warmth, and creation where roots become routes, and where tradition and modernity meet at the table. Read more.

Listen to Four Exclusive Playlists From A.G. Cook, Bar Italia, and More, Inspired by Alexander McQueen

The iconic brand convened a who’s-who of modern British music in four cozy listening sessions at their flagship London store.

Image courtesy of Alexander McQueen

text by Maisie McDermid

From ’80s godparents of goth rock Siouxsie and the Banshees to electroclash feminist Peaches to mercurial IBM auteur Aphex Twin, Alexander McQueen’s runway shows have always been soundtracked by music on the cutting edge. Just as Lee McQueen knew how to build a whole world from a collection of garments, a set, and a soundtrack, contemporary fashion labels are no longer content with simply being looked at or purchased; they want to be experienced.

Last Thursday, Alexander McQueen hosted four listening sessions over eight days with A.G. Cook, Bar Italia, John Glacier, and Nilüfer Yanya at their flagship location in London, the latest in a growing trend of high fashion labels merging music and style in intimate settings. Curated by creative director Seán McGirr, the musicians chatted about their influences and style with four influential musickers: editor of EPOCH Francesca Gavin, indie label founder Cyrus Goberville, NTS Radio founder Femi Adeyemi, and creative strategist Cynthia Igbokwe.

These listening spaces mine a common line between music and fashion: inspiration. Within the room walled by mirrors, some of London’s most innovative young musicians explored why and how they create. “We made music together because there was nothing else to do,” said vocalist Jehzmi Femi about the band’s beginning in 2019. “So you’re a lockdown band,” joked Cyrus Goberville.

Notorious genre blender A.G. Cook—whose mega-sized solo albums 7G, Apple, and Brit Pop draw on everything from ’90s Europop to garage rock to nightcore to hushed acoustic songwriting—had a typically omnivorous take: “That’s the thing that I like about music in general: not just the layers, but the slight sense of time travel I get hearing this. The details of it, unnecessarily going that extra step…. It’s what we’re gonna do now, not in terms of genre, but in terms of extra effort and weirdness,” Cook said, rocking an oversized, baby blue Alexander McQueen button down.

Between musings, artists played out their own personal soundtracks from classic love songs like “In My Life” by the Beatles to post-punk freak-outs like “Hypnotize” by Scritti Polliti. Check out playlists from Cook, Bar Italia, and more below.

Read our Interview of Phoebe Bor and Sam Macer: A Conversation between Two Young British Designers →

Phoebe and Sam, 2025. Photographed by Luke Soteriou in London.

Despite the oh-so-competitive fashion industry and the unpredictable nature of the creative job market, young designers Sam Macer and Phoebe Bor demonstrate that there are many different ways to achieve results in this turbulent world. Both designers, who have been friends for several years, have forged their own way and achieved great success. Bor, who has recently graduated from Central Saint Martins (CSM) and is currently experiencing all the attention that comes from an outstanding degree collection, discusses her experience of university, her inspirations, and how she feels about the industry that awaits her.

Sam Macer, who completed the Central Saint Martins foundation course alongside Phoebe, was not accepted into the undergraduate degree program. However, before finishing his year of studying, his final project, which was a beautiful performance piece involving setting a skirt on fire and letting it burn, received a lot of online attention, giving him the platform to grow on his own. Five years down the line, Macer has dressed stars such as Rosalía, Julia Fox, and SZA. 

Both artists discuss their experiences in a way that only friends can. They have a very candid conversation concerning the pros and cons of the type of environment somewhere like CSM creates, their different ways of working and how they have, and continue to remain inspired and authentic. They provide great insight into what it’s like being a young designer; whether you’re just entering the industry or already fully immersed. Read more.

Indian Fashion Is Rising As A Global Force: Diverse, Expressive, And Impossible To Ignore

From new-age designers reinventing fashion to centuries-old handlooms, textiles, and design systems, it's an epicenter for everything.

Image courtesy of Swadesh Online

text by Parrie Chhajed

The Western fashion industry is increasingly recognizing the importance of sustainability, inclusivity, and individuality, values that India has prioritized for centuries. Here, each region has a fabric, a drape, and an aesthetic of its own. It is through the balance of this diversity that we establish harmony.

India has been one of the origins of the slow fashion movement, where every household has sarees and garments that are decades old but still worn with pride. There are over 2,000 documented craft clusters, and 70% of India’s textile production is handwoven or artisanal. India isn’t adapting to sustainability; it’s returning to its roots.
“India never needed to be taught sustainability. It was always our way of life. We just need to remember what we already know.” — Bandana Tewari (Editor of Vogue India).

In recent years, Indian voices have not just entered but are actively shaping the global fashion dialogue.

With global ambassadors like Alia Bhatt for Gucci, Priyanka Chopra for Bulgari, Deepika Padukone for Cartier and Louis Vuitton, Sonam Kapoor for Dior, Ananya Panday for Chanel, Gauravi Kumari for Jimmy Choo, and recently KL Rahul, one of India's top cricketers, named brand ambassador for Paul & Shark are helping spotlight India on world stages.

Indian celebrities with growing online platforms are expanding India’s visibility as a cultural capital. The film and fashion narrative has been shaped exclusively by the West, and this signals a long-overdue dismantling of Western-centric fashion hierarchies, making space for Eastern and Global South narratives.

In addition, Indian designers like Rahul Mishra at the Paris Haute Couture Week (the first Indian designer), Gaurav Gupta’s sculptural gowns on international red carpets, Falguni Shane Peacock’s edgy fusion shown at New York Fashion Week, as well as Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra, Anita Dongre, and Tarun Tahiliani, are representing India’s style narrative on runways worldwide.

These designers are doing an exceptional job of showcasing fashion heritage from back home while seamlessly blending it with contemporary silhouettes. They have pulled out textiles and techniques from India's intense fashion archive, like brocade, aari, cording, and combined them with international garment construction techniques.

Beyond household names, India’s rising crop of indie labels—like Bodice’s minimalism, Dhruv Kapoor’s futuristic tailoring, or NorBlack NorWhite’s color-forward storytelling—are quietly redefining what global fashion can look like.

They are reinterpreting homegrown fashion aesthetics and styles to bring them to mainstream global fashion consumers. The stylistic identities are resonating deeply through the diaspora as more people are opting for sustainable fashion initiatives, slow fashion, and unique designs that help represent individuality and personality. Not a trend, but traditions reimagined.

In addition, online fashion platforms like Aza, Pernia's, and Ensemble are curating Indian designers for global discoverability and access.

We have also seen international celebrities adorning Indian designers—like Zendaya in Rahul Mishra’s moonlit sari gown at NMACC, which marked a defining moment in the mainstreaming of Indian couture; Naomi Campbell walking the ramp for designers like Manish Malhotra; Paris Hilton vocalizing her love for the subcontinent’s sartorial scene and wearing sarees by designers like Tarun Tahiliani and Papa Don’t Preach on numerous occasions; Beyoncé at Ambani’s Holi party; and the Kardashians at the Ambani wedding.

We’ve also seen Indian-inspired styles in Western pop culture—in Eat Pray Love, 27 Dresses, Sex and the City 2, and more.

This recent gain in media recognition marks a historic repositioning of Indian fashion as not only an anchor in current trend cycles, but a noteworthy innovator in contemporary couture. couture-worthy

Adding to this global momentum, India Weekend at Lincoln Center in New York this September, will be hosted by the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), aiming to spotlight India's cultural and fashion prowess on a world stage. Featuring runway shows, textile exhibits, and performances, the event will not just be a celebration, but a statement of India’s influence on the global creative map.

India is not just an emerging market—it’s a global contender, a vibrant and rapidly growing sector, experiencing significant shifts in consumer behavior and technological advancements. With a surge in Gen Z and aspiring luxury buyers, the market has exponential potential.

It's a mix of traditional and modern fashion, influenced by both domestic and international trends.

With a projected growth from $102.8 billion in 2022 to $146.3 billion by 2032, India’s fashion market isn’t just expanding—it’s exploding with potential, driven by Gen Z consumers and conscious luxury buyers.

Western Luxury houses and premium prêt-à-porter brands are not just launching new stores in India; they are releasing their first original Indian collections.

India's handmade textiles are embedded in every aspect of its identity. The history of these fabrics dates back at least 6,000 years. Courtly splendor was proclaimed by sumptuous fabrics, while religious worship still finds expression through sacred cloths. Centuries of cross-continental trade have been shaped by the export of Indian textiles and patterns,  from the Romans obsessing over cotton muslin to  Chinese traders exchanging silks.
Furthermore, Indian textiles like Kutch embroidery and Banarasi are also recognized as UNESCO crafts. A fashion legacy woven in resistance, resilience, and reinvention.

With textiles like Kanchipuram, Madras checks, ikat, and Mysore silk in the South; to thicker wool and Mughal-inspired textiles like pashmina, phulkari, and kinnauri in the North; the West, being home to royals and the rich, has a lot of printed and embroidered textiles like leheriya, bandhani, gota patti, aari, ajrak, and paithani. In the East, intricate weaves like Baluchari from Bengal, Eri and Muga silk from Assam, and vibrant motifs from Odisha form the soul of indigenous luxury.

India’s fashion story is a living, breathing archive of its culture. This diversity serves as a platter of inspiration for not just Indian designers, but for all designers working within the legacy fashion capitals.

“India is the only country where they still make clothes by hand, and not only the embroidery. Everything is handmade: the weaving, the dyeing, the stitching.” — Karl Lagerfeld

Global designers have for years taken inspiration from India for their collections—like Jean Paul Gaultier’s SS2013 Haute Couture collection, often referred to as his ”Love Letter to India collection,” Dior’s 2023 India show at the Gateway of India, and Schiaparelli’s use of Indian embroidery techniques. These collaborations weren’t merely symbolic, but true partnerships with Indian artisans.

Today, India is also creating, exporting, and developing collections for many of these couture brands.

In this ever-evolving landscape, the pulse of Indian fashion beats to the rhythm of change, giving rise to myriad trends and innovations that are set to redefine the very essence of style. Indian fashion today is not just being seen—it’s being celebrated. In every drape, dye, and design, India is claiming its rightful space in global fashion history—not as an influence, but as an origin point.

Prada’s Architectural Meditation in Osaka

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Prada Mode, Osaka
Courtesy of Prada

text by Andrea Riano

At a time when fashion’s cultural events are so often reduced to surface-level branding, Prada Mode’s second edition in Japan is a serious meditation on how architecture can reimagine the ecosystem of an island. In the heart of Osaka, the brand collaborates with architect Kazuyo Sejima, inviting guests to participate in a critical dialogue, exclusive performances, and an immersive exhibition.

Open to the public through June 15th, Prada Mode Osaka takes place in Umekita Park, a rare oasis nestled between Osaka’s glass towers and directly connected to the country’s busiest train station. This is the twelfth edition of the brand’s cultural journey, which has landed everywhere from Miami to Hong Kong and now, for the second time, in Japan. This particular edition is curated by Pritzker Prize-winning architect and head of SANAA, Kazuyo Sejima, a frequent collaborator of Prada.

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Prada Mode, Osaka
Courtesy of Prada

In 2008, the Fukutake Foundation, which manages the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, invited Sejima to reimagine and shape the built environment of the small Seto island of Inujima. At Prada Mode, the architect shares this ongoing work through models, videos, and other materials at a SANAA-designed pavilion in the park. In the days leading up to Prada Mode Osaka, Inujima Project offered a private preview of Inujima, introducing the history of the island, Sejima’s projects there over the past 17 years, and her vision for its future. During the Inujima Project, Prada and the architect unveiled a permanent pavilion at Inujima Life Garden, designed by Sejima and donated to the island by Prada.

“On Inujima, a tiny island rich in nature, visitors will encounter and experience symbiosis - a landscape that combines history, architecture, art, and daily life. In Osaka, a city with historical ties to Inujima, this experience will be shared and expanded to reach a wider audience. At this edition of Prada Mode, Symbiosis will take shape through conversations and discoveries, creating a new landscape that continues to grow with the participation of all,” says Kazuyo Sejima.

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Kazuyo Sejima at Prada Mode, Osaka
Courtesy of Prada

The programming reflects that same ethos. The week-long schedule is a soft collision of art, intellect, and experimental sound curated by Craig Richards, featuring performances by Nik Bärtsch, Reggie Watts, and C.A.R. (Choosing Acronyms Randomly), the latter being an incredible post-punk performance. Guests lounged on floor cushions, sipped Prada-branded negronis and olives, while watching film screenings by Bêka & Lemoine and a dance piece by choreographer Wayne McGregor, joined by composer Keiichiro Shibuya. Shibuya also presented “ANDROID MARIA,” a newly created android developed with a team of leading developers, produced and presented by ATAK.

“It’s not about promotion here. It’s about architecture, music, ideas. The curation is unique. Prada genuinely wants to support culture.” says Shibuya, who is known for challenging the boundaries between humans and technology through his compositions and collaborations with artists and scientists, such as his Android Orchestra. 

Indeed, Prada Mode has never really been about fashion, instead, it's about the contexts that shape it: cities, people, materials, and memory. In Osaka, that vision reaches a new level of clarity.

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Prada Mode, Osaka
Courtesy of Prada

Prada Mode is on view through June 15th at Umekita Park, Ofukacho, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0011

A Defining Moment in Luxury Fashion: Jonathan Anderson Appointed Sole Creative Director at Dior

One of the most undeniable visionary designers in history, Jonathan Anderson was just tapped as the first sole creative director at Dior since Christian Dior himself. To understand this new era for the designer and this iconic luxury house, we’re looking back at Anderson's origins, tracing his artistic growth, and exploring his key influences.

Photo by Oliver Kupper

text by Kim Shveka

The fashion world in 2025 looks increasingly like an elaborate game of musical chairs, with creative directors joining, defining, and leaving major fashion houses at breakneck speed. While few truly new faces have emerged (Julian Klausner’s appointment at Dries Van Noten in January being a notable exception), the same familiar faces are leaping from house to house, most recently with Demna Gvsalia departing Balenciaga for Gucci and Glenn Martins taking over for John Galliano at Maison Margiela. This reluctance to introduce fresh talent, though disappointing to those hoping for a more dynamic industry, isn’t surprising given brands’ desire to protect profits by relying on familiar names. However, seeing tenured creative directors adapt their aesthetics to new brands is rather engaging, hinting at potential revivals for houses in need of revision.

One exception to the rule is Jonathan Anderson, whose distinctive vision and forward-thinking approach to design turned Loewe into a critical and commercial darling. Now as he departs the Spanish-brand after more than a decade to take over at Dior, we’ll delve into his journey: from his early life to launching his own label, his pivotal role in Loewe’s revival, and his upcoming tenure at Dior, exploring what his time with the luxury house might bring.

Jonathan Anderson was raised just outside of Magherafelt, a small town in Northern Ireland, during the final decades of the Troubles, a time when conflict seeped into everyday life. Although his family home was not directly exposed to violence, the weight of tension, fear, and division was always present. Armored vehicles in the streets, news of bombings, segregated communities, and a sense of uncertainty shaped the backdrop of his childhood. Living through such a politically charged and emotionally fraught environment gave the young designer a heightened sensitivity to contrast, conflict, and identity.

As a child, Anderson turned inward, developing an early fascination with objects, theater, and the power of imagination used as tools of escapism from a reality that felt brittle and divided. He has spoken about feeling like an outsider, not only because of the surrounding political unrest but also because of his own queer identity in a conservative landscape, feelings that later translated into his designs.

In his adult work, we see this reflected not in political statements, but in his aesthetic of disruption and fluidity: clothing that refuses fixed categories, silhouettes that question proportion, and a deep love for craft and heritage. Anderson tried to reassemble something fragile and broken into something beautiful and whole.

Jonathan Anderson’s love for fashion started was initially triggered by an obsession with James Dean, dressing like him, even taking up smoking to better resemble Hollywood’s original bad boy. Later on, while Hedi Slimane was in his prime at Dior with his signature skinny suit, Anderson worked at a department store that put everything which was too small to sell on the discount rack. Now with affordable access to the aesthetic, in lieu of donning the “real thing,” the aspiring young designer started going out regularly to gay nightclubs in Dublin. After notoriously being rejected from Central Saint Martins, he went to the only university that accepted him—London College of Fashion, joining a menswear course.

Struggling to launch his menswear brand, JW Anderson, Jonathan felt like an outsider, due mostly to the fact that he wasn’t considered a real craftsman like McQueen or Galliano, and by not qualifying for a top art school. Recognizing his own talent and potential, Anderson persisted in a system that wasn’t for him, he kept full confidence in his ideas, knowing even from the ripe age of twenty that one day he’d be one of the greatest in the industry.

Founded in 2008, JW Anderson quickly stood out for its bold, gender-fluid designs and intellectual approach to fashion, but it was still considered a niche market and was known mostly in fashion circles in London. The true turning point came in 2013, when Jonathan Anderson’s breakthrough womenswear collections led to a minority investment by LVMH and his appointment as creative director of Loewe, a moment that catapulted him into a global spotlight overnight.

Jonathan Anderson’s first collection for Loewe in 2014 made a big splash in the fashion industry and was widely discussed by many fashion critics who were struck by his decision to completely reset the brand’s aesthetic while still honoring its heritage. Quickly, young and relatively unknown Anderson, was considered a groundbreaking designer, praised for his modern, playful, intellectual vision grounded in minimalism, craft, and originality. Anderson positioned Loewe as a leader in artistic luxury and for the following eleven years he kept confirming his status as one of the most distinct and intelligent designers ever.

With each season at Loewe, Anderson continued producing visionary clothing and accessories that became signature, viral pieces, while enhancing Loewe’s market presence and financial performance with each collection.

After many speculations and rumors, in March it was finally announced that Anderson would be leaving Loewe stating: “While my chapter draws to a close, Loewe’s story will continue for many years to come, and I will look on with pride, watching it continue to grow, the amazing Spanish brand I once called home.”

Sidney Toledano, adviser to LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault considers Anderson “to be amongst the very best,” stating, “What he has contributed to Loewe goes beyond creativity. He has built a rich and eclectic world with strong foundations in craft which will enable the house to thrive long after his departure.”

Leaving Loewe on a high note, Jonathan Anderson’s next move quickly became a speculation amongst the fashion crowd. Following Kim Jones’s departure from Dior in January and persistent rumors surrounding Maria Grazia Chiuri’s potential exit after nine years, many began to suspect that Anderson would soon take the reins at the French house. In fashion, rumors often become reality, and by mid-April, it was confirmed that Anderson would indeed be joining Dior, though initially only as the creative director of menswear. Many considered this role to belittle Anderson’s ability to make womenswear and a missed opportunity for his talent to be translated into Haute Couture. However, just three days ago, Dior officially announced that Jonathan Anderson would become the sole creative director of the entire house.  

Anderson’s appointment marks the first time a sole creative director has been employed at Dior since Christian Dior himself. A decision so rare that it makes Jonathan Anderson the first non-founder designer in history to control all creative fronts in the history of fashion. For LVMH, it’s a major risk and privilege—demanding not just fashion talent, but a deep understanding of cultural storytelling, stamina, and longevity.

This leads us to consider why such an unprecedented opportunity was given specifically to Jonathan Anderson. By now, we know his talent is undeniable: he managed to produce sixteen collections a year across his label, a collaboration with Uniqlo, and his work at Loewe. He was critically acclaimed for honoring Loewe’s heritage while elevating the brand’s relevancy and commercial success through his strong artistic vision. He is also known for his professionalism and humanity in the workplace, a vital quality in today’s fashion industry. But when a role of this significance is given to a single designer, with so much at stake, we’re left to think; perhaps there’s something deeper at play?

Perhaps it’s his ability to not just design clothes but to shape the cultural and emotional language of a house as iconic as Dior.

Jonathan grew up in the shadow of conflict, and while the influence may not be overt, the butterfly effect of those early experiences can be felt in the tension, nuance, and depth that define his work today. Christian Dior grew up during World War I and later witnessed the devastation of World War II, which directly preceded the launch of his legendary “New Look” in 1947. Dior’s signature designs, such as soft shoulders, cinched waists, and full skirts were more than elegance, but a response to the austerity he had experienced. He was expressing his desire to escape and dive into a world of harmony and balance. Dior designed so he could restore beauty from the ruins, he created a sense of femininity, dignity, and hope for a world that longed to be renewed. Despite their differing origins of both history and location, Anderson’s and Dior’s creative aspirations might be driven by the same place of grief and devastation; a consummate aptitude for sartorially sublimating humanity’s darkest moments.

For the future of Dior with Anderson, we can safely predict that the brand is poised for a bold new chapter; a yet-to-be-seen approach to design through the lens of modern artistry.

Although the demand for a designer to produce eighteen collections per year, two of them being haute couture is controversial, the prospect of the Dior house operating under a cohesive artistic vision is intriguing. Anderson is unlikely to continue his signature gender-neutral approach, and his interplay between menswear and womenswear will definitely be highly anticipated in the coming fashion weeks. What remains to be seen is whether Anderson will opt to steer Dior away from romanticism, suiting, and streetwear, leaning potentially into a more radical direction that aims not only to sell but to change the fashion landscape.  

Watch Jonathan Anderson’s final collection as Creative Director at Loewe, via Vogue Runway

Craft is our Language by Bottega Veneta Celebrating 50 years of The House’s Iconic Leather Weave

Bottega Veneta presents 'Craft is our Language', a new campaign celebrating 50 years of Intrecciato, the house’s iconic leather weave. The campaign, directed by Jack Davison and choreographed by Lenio Kaklea, explores Bottega Veneta craft and creativity, as well as the wider beauty of hand gestures as a universal language.

Mother Daughter Holy Spirit Throws a Star-Studded Trans Rights Fundraiser

Hari Nef, Kai Schreiber, Naomi Watts, John Mollett

Fashion LaBeija

Queen Jean

CHRISTEENE

Bobbi Salvör Menuez

photography by Fernando Palafox
text by Karly Quadros

Last weekend, Mother Daughter Holy Spirit closed out their three-part fundraiser for the Trans Justice Funding Project with a celebrity-filled bash at Gitano NYC. The party was a veritable who’s who of New York City’s queer underground and nightlife royalty, brining together everyone from film stars Chloë Sevigny and Naomi Watts (and her daughter, model Kai Schreiber) to cult favorites Julio Torres and Richie Shazam to art world darling Tourmaline and supermodel Alex Consani.

“It’s funny, we called Holy Spirit the final event, and that’s how we planned it. But being there, in the energy of it all, it didn’t feel like an ending. It felt like a beginning,” said co-founder John Mollet.

The night’s events rounded out a flurry of fundraising events as trans rights are increasingly under attack under this administration. Mother Daughter Holy Spirit, which was co-founded by John Mollet and Bobbi Salvör Menuez, began with a runway show featuring Alex Consani, Richie Shazam, and more stomping the runway in clothing from the likes of Vaquera, Willie Chavaria, and Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen. Next came a pop-up boutique and online store stocked with garments donated from celebrities like Chloë Sevigny and Hari Nef, with some custom artist t-shirts peppered in for good measure.

Holy Spirit was the group’s largest event yet, scaling up from 200 attendees to over 600 dancing the night away in view of the East River. The crowd was largely trans, a mishmash of underground art legends, it girls, theater kids, and militant leftists all dancing under glittering chandeliers and palm trees. Christeene confronted the crowd with her raw, transgressive drag, while Juliana Huxtable and Fashion bumped pounding dance tunes all night long.

“[Gitano] was an unexpected choice for a crowd that often piles into dark and dank Brooklyn warehouses, but we wanted it to feel glamorous, elevated, even a bit reminiscent of the days when the queers and the artists and the yuppies all partied together at Studio 54 — a New York Moment, but this time, with a special focus on celebrating trans people as culture makers, change makers, and invaluable members of our world,” said head of production Lio Mehil.

So far, Mother Daughter Holy Spirit has raised over $50,000 in funds for trans-led grassroots organizations across the country, with additional closet and t-shirt sales scheduled in the coming weeks. In a time when the need for resources and material support for the trans community is more essential than ever, trans joy and self-expression were front and center at Holy Spirit.

“I’m not a trans person, and maybe this sounds selfish, but I truly believe my world, our world, becomes better when trans people have full equality. The trans people I’ve known throughout my life have brought forward a kind of strength, empathy, and clarity that the world desperately needs… I envision a society that seeks trans wisdom more deliberately and more often. I feel so deeply grateful to be part of a project that says to trans people: you are seen, appreciated, and loved,” said Mollet.

Explore the party with exclusive photography from Fernando Palafox.

High Fashion Goes Hi-Fi With L'Atelier Sonore by Valentino and Terraforma In New York

Lea Bertucci at L’Atelier Sonore at Valentino’s Midtown Manhattan location

text by Karly Quadros

In his 2012 book How Music Works, Talking Heads frontman David Byrne argues that over time, music and its technologies evolve to suit the spaces where people do their listening: the church organ’s bellows fill the cavernous chapel, the finely tuned bedroom pop of the 2010s nestles comfortably in one’s headphones. 

Lately, the fashion world has been dabbling in its own new experiments with music, style, and space, enlisting the help of sonic curators that inspire their own fervent devotion across the globe, like Terraforma and NTS Radio. 

Fashion and music have always been tightly bonded from the songs that soundtrack runway shows to the musicians sporting the latest collections. Early hints to the trend came when pioneering LA radio station Dublab released a capsule collection with Carhartt for their twenty-five year anniversary last year. Similarly, Crocs and the ominously lit Hör Berlin released a collaborative shoe in 2022; Adidas announced a collaboration with the collective the year after, featuring a broadcast from Adidas’ flagship store in Berlin with DJs Soyklo, Carmen Electro, Baugruppe90, and DJ Soulseek. Krakow’s own avant music festival Unsound has designed shirts in collaboration with Polish streetwear brand MISBHV and hosted a party with them in an abandoned railway station last year.

As the ways audiences discover music together continues to evolve in the digital age, so does the fashion world’s flirtation with musical communities and experiences that are more specific, intimate, and curated. 

On May 15, Valentino unveiled an intimate listening room at their Madison Avenue location in Midtown Manhattan, dubbed L’Atelier Sonore. The heavily curtained room lit with oranges and pinks was outfitted with sloping couches and an impressive sound system in the front, constructed by Francesco Lupia in collaboration with Terraforma, a collective that runs the cult classive Milanese experimental music festival of the same name. Lupia worked with impiallacciatura, a wood technique historically associated with Renaissance-era interiors. The result was something that felt opulent but modern.

“The idea was to build a sonic living room — intimate, soft, intentionally domestic. We were inspired by the Parisian salons of the early 20th century, spaces where literature, art, music, and conversation naturally converged,” said Ruggero Pietromarchi, one of Terraforma’s founders.

Over the course of the day, a small but impressive lineup of selectors took to the decks, spinning records The Loft-style, unmixed, from start to finish. There was downtown icon and New Age pioneer Laraaji, DJ and archival tape label Minimal Wave founder Veronica Vasicka, and Queens-based Nowadays resident Physical Therapy. Vibes were lush and meditative while not taking itself too seriously. Case and point? At one point, a “Careless Whisper” cover from unsung jazz hero Nancy Wilson was trotted out.

“Given the constant acceleration in our society, there’s a growing need for contemplative spaces and shared rituals. Listening requires stillness — it’s a focused, reflective act. The space was designed with that in mind: small, intimate, and free of distraction, to support attention and presence,” said Lupia.

Meanwhile in London, another fashion world plunge into hi-fi sounds was unfolding. Golden Sounds, a joint effort from Ugg and beloved Internet radio station NTS, filled two full days with programming. Panels, led by Saffron Records on Friday May 16 and NTS Radio on Saturday May 17, focused on everything from the basics of how to DJ to building your own sound system. Deep listening sets were curated, largely around South London’s jazz, R&B, and electronic scenes and featured artists like Goya Gumbani, dexter in the newsagent, Errol, and Alex Rita. There was a particular focus on sounds from London’s African and Caribbean diaspora communities: baile funk, hip hop, and soul.

For those used to going to the club for a specific producer or a particular energy, the historic importance of sound systems might not be readily apparent. Sound systems were a central feature of early dance music culture in Jamaica and the UK – often, the sound system itself was more of a draw than any one DJ or emcee. In ‘90s rave culture too, collectives and promotions would advertise on flyers the truly awesome power of their custom sound systems, occasionally with flashy technobabble that had little to do with the actual mechanics of audio technology itself. For those that know and care about the cultural lineage of people dancing together in space, a sound system is the mothership, a monument to hedonistic release but also to the care, intention, and work that goes into bringing people together.

“It’s not just about what you hear, but how you inhabit the space while listening,” said Pietromarchi.

Golden Sounds’ events, held in an open air stone courtyard, were less cloistered than L’Atelier Sonore at Valentino but sought to capture a similar audience and atmosphere. After all, what else inspires the same devotion, obsession, and sense of exclusivity than underground music? DJs guard their rare white labels with a fervence verging on feverishness. In-the-know music fans are happy that artist broke into the mainstream but also know they used to be better (but really, how i’m feeling now will always be superior to brat.) The status, the symbols, the devotion to the archive – it’s attractive for fashion brands like Valentino and Ugg to seek out the kinds of audiences cultivated by Terraforma and NTS Radio particularly for their discerning taste and dedication.

Hi-fi spaces like these split the difference between deep listening on one’s headphones and a dance night out on the town. The question is, is having the time and access to such spaces becoming a luxury in and of itself? Like the historic sound systems from decades past, communities centered around music will persevere sometimes in resistance to and sometimes in tandem with larger cultural forces like fashion. In the meantime, it’s clear that, in a time like ours, the need for spaces that encourage deep, active listening are greater than ever before.

When asked if time and space to pause and listen had become a luxury, Pietromarchi answered honestly: “Yes — unfortunately, it often is. But I don’t believe it should be. Listening is a basic, vital act. That’s what spaces like L’Atelier Sonore try to offer: a kind of pause that isn’t passive, but active. A moment to re-centre.”

L'Atelier Sonore, an immersive listening room, is open daily through August at Valentino Madison Avenue.

The turntable at Valentino’s L’Atelier Sonore

Everything Has to Come At the Right Moment: Read Our Interview of Designer Francisco Costa →

From Calvin Klein to sustainable skincare, the maternal gaze is a guiding principle for Brazil’s prodigal son.

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Francisco Costa’s path from the rarefied world of high fashion to the heart of the Amazon is a story of return—both to his geographical roots and to a practice that prioritizes community care by design. Born in the small town of Guarani, Brazil, Costa was raised by a visionary mother who ran a garment factory that empowered hundreds of local women and modeled what would now be considered a quietly radical form of sustainability.

Shortly after losing his mother during his adolescence, the budding young designer moved to New York to study fashion at FIT. An early and formative experience working for a Seventh Avenue garment manufacturer who held licenses for major designers, including Oscar de la Renta, led to Costa eventually working directly under de la Renta, becoming part of his atelier and learning the foundations of luxury design and craftsmanship. This apprenticeship was pivotal—it exposed Costa to the world of refined, couture-level design and helped him develop the precision and discipline that would later define his own minimalist aesthetic.

In the late 1990s, Costa moved to Gucci, where he worked under Tom Ford. This period helped sharpen his sense of modernity, sex appeal, and branding. Best known for his decade-long tenure as the Women’s Creative Director at Calvin Klein, Costa became a defining voice in modern reductionism—an editor of excess, who found beauty in restraint. But even then, his instinct was to reuse, reimagine, and reconnect with materials in deeply personal ways. All along the way, his mother’s ethics of care and resourcefulness continue to shape Costa’s worldview.

With the founding of Costa Brazil, he turned his attention from clothing the body to nurturing it. A pivotal trip to the western Amazon introduced him to Indigenous communities and powerful natural ingredients like breu, a sacred resin with antimicrobial and spiritual properties. Guided by partnerships with organizations like Conservation International, Costa built a brand that honors the land, its protectors, and the rituals that sustain both.

In every sense, Costa Brazil is an extension of its founder’s ethos: pure, considered, and deeply connected to place. Read more.

Walk a Mile in Women's History Museum's Shoes →

Image courtesy of Company Gallery

It was February 2024, and one model at the Women’s History Museum show couldn’t stop falling over. Determined, she trundled down the runway only to trip once again. The culprits were obvious: two enormous, cumbersome brown boxing gloves attached to the toes of classic stiletto. “Take them off!” cried members of the audience, a mixture of fashion insiders and queer iconoclasts. Still, the model made it to the end and hoisted the gloves in her hand, triumphant. K.O.

Unlike most New York footwear, the shoes of Women’s History Museum are not designed with functionality as a priority. In a city where pedestrians reign supreme and comfort is a must, the shoes of fashion label/art duo/vintage store curators Amanda McGowan and Mattie Rivkah Barringer are here to tell a story. Whether they’re white wedding heels bedazzled with a clatter of bones and colorful pills or gold boxing slippers rendered into precarious platforms by two wooden pillars, the shoes of Women’s History Museum exist in the sweet spot between strength and softness, power and precarity, barbarity and beauty.

Vintage remains an essential reference point for the duo. They maintain a carefully curated secondhand designer shop on Canal Street, sort of a modern-day SEX, stocked with everything from ‘80s Vivienne Westwood and ‘90s Gaultier to Edwardian furs and linens. In a similar style to early Alexander McQueen, Barringer and McGowan mine fashion references of the past – Victorian riding boots, rocking horse platforms, 70s crocodile skin clogs – for highly stylized fashion performances that entice as much as they reject traditional categories of beauty. The result is something that feels entirely 2025 in all its shredded, everything-out-in-the-open glory. Throughout Women History Museum’s nine staged collections, they return to similar references: animal prints and pelts; competitive sports, particularly boxing; and New York City, with the coins and shattered glass that cover the sidewalks. The clothes bare skin and barb it too.

Shoes, in many ways, remain the ultimate fetish object. They’re exalted, often the most expensive part of an outfit, yet they spend most of the day in contact with the filthy sidewalk. They’re civilizing, often constricting, and conceal the foot, which remains almost as hidden from public life as the body’s most nether regions. Shoes have often been used to control women as with painful and restrictive footbinding practices, yet their erotic potential is undeniable, as with the long, sensuous lines created in the body with a clear plastic pleaser. It’s no wonder that they served as the basis for Women’s History Museum’s latest show at Company Gallery, on display until June 21. Autre caught up with Barringer and McGowan to talk stilettos, surrealism, and the seriously sinister parts of living – and walking – in New York City. Read more.

A Peek Inside Miu Miu’s Exclusive NYC Installation

Tales and Tellers explored the state of modern femininity for Frieze New York 2025.

Image courtesy of Daniel Salemi/Miu Miu

text by Karly Quadros

Last Friday during Frieze, New York, Miu Miu convened a who’s who of the international fashion and art worlds for the second edition of Tales and Tellers, an immersive performance and installation exploring modern femininity through style, performance, and film. 

Partygoers ducked out of the rain and bluster into Chelsea’s Terminal Warehouse, a cavernous late-19th-century industrial space teeming with New York City history. It was once home to the infamous Tunnel Nightclub, founded by Peter Gatien who also owned the Limelight and Palladium, and was a beloved haunt of the Club Kids as well as New York’s iconic 90’s hip hop scene. Back in the day, the side rooms of the hangar were lavishly decorated according to theme – a Victorian library in one, an S&M dungeon in another – so it was fitting that Tales and Tellers, which brought Miu Miu’s fashion to life through staged tableauxs, found its home here.

Drawing on her longstanding collaboration with Miu Miu, Polish-born interdisciplinary artist Goshka Macuga used Miu Miu’s archive of short films by female directors as inspiration for the piece. Since 2011, the films – which have included the work of Janicza Bravo, Miranda July, Ava Duvernay, and Mati Diop, and have sometimes accompanied Miu Miu’s runway shows – have explored the authentic lives of women worldwide; mothers, daughters, performers, dreamers, lovers, skaters, and rebels buck social convention in their searches for identity. Miuccia Prada and Macuga first united all the films for Art Basel Paris in October 2024. The show was an unexpected hit, drawing 11,000 visitors over just five days. 

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This second edition, convened by Elvira Dyangani Ose, director of the MACBA in Barcelona, was indebted to Miu Miu’s rich archive of fashion and curatorial efforts. The dim tunnel-like space was outfitted with screens from tiny mounted smartphones to hefty LED plinths, all playing one of the three dozen female-directed films commissioned by the fashion house. Guests trickled in, sipping champagne and leafing through the Truthless Times newspaper, a remnant from Macuga’s last installation with Miu Miu, Salt Looks like Sugar, which served as the backdrop for their Spring/Summer 2025 runway show. Notable attendees included Alexa Chung, Sara Paulson, Chase Sui Wonders, Paloma Elsesser, Ella Emhoff, Kiki Layne, Pauline Chalamet, and Cazzie David.

One by one, performers outfitted in archival Miu Miu began to roam the space as well. One performer shadow boxed in bejeweled tap shorts. Another in a red dress haltingly performed a standup comedy routine about, what else, but failed love, Plan B, and thoughts of death (one waiter carrying a tray of empty champagne flutes giggled, despite himself.) Several performers sang and danced, while yet another sculpted with Play-Doh in front of a stop motion animation, yet not every tableaux felt so joyous. One woman in a bell-shaped yellow coat, crept along the sidelines, a gas mask strapped to her face. Another in a grey wool skirt suit stared longingly at her screen from a cage. The entire performance culminated in an ecstatic dance party in the center of the room: women, moving and playing freely in a space once known as a haven for self-expression.

The dark, moody atmosphere of surveillance, punctuated by roving spotlights, evoked the troubled times we live in. After all, what feels more true to 2025 then trying to just go about your daily life – putting on makeup, working at the office, playing dress up – while something more sinister presses in? As one performer brandished newspapers and called out, fruitlessly, about “disrupting reality” and “digital malfunction,” the others continued their rituals of self, care, and creativity. This is the state of modern womanhood, after all. What else is there to do?

Image courtesy of Daniel Salemni/Miu Miu

Explore the New Collab From Artist Sonya Sombreuil, Underground Cartoonist R Crumb, and Fetish Photographer Eric Kroll →

text by Karly Quadros

For a certain kind of weirdo, R. Crumb is a god. The grandfather of underground comix, his work teems with a highly specific dirty-little-bugger-ness that hit just as 1960s San Francisco counterculture was getting into full swing. He defined a sickly funny visual language that inspired the likes of ‘90s alt comic anti-heroes like Daniel Clowes and Jamie Hewlett as well as painters like Louise Bonnet and Nicole Eisenman. In his cartoons, Crumb depicts himself as a combination of ornery, neurotic, and randy, chasing down (or fleeing in terror from) Catholic schoolgirls with chubby thighs and languorous hippie chicks with their asses hanging out of their bell bottoms. His fetishes are unmistakable; a Crumb girl exists in a category all her own. 

His other character creations share similar cult status. Mr. Natural, a guru with a Santa Claus beard and a priapic nose, was a great dispenser of ‘60s absurdist wisdom, while his relentlessly bootlegged Keep on Truckin’ cartoon fetches prices in the hundreds if you manage to find a vintage t-shirt carrying its image. Perhaps nothing captures Crumb’s signature cocktail of sleazy satire like his comic strip Fritz the Cat about an unrepentantly hedonistic hipster tabby cat. An X-rated film adaptation of the comic strip from cult animator Ralph Bakshi was released in 1972; Crumb was so worked up over creative differences with the filmmakers that he immediately killed off the beloved Fritz, dispatched by a scorned ex-girlfriend who stabbed him in the back of the head with an ice pick.In recent years, the art world has grown to embrace Crumb’s work a little more. A 1994 documentary by Terry Zweigoff on Crumb brought his work to a larger audience, and he’s now represented by David Zwirner. Crumb’s notebooks, full of obscene jokes and intrusive thoughts, sell for around a million dollars each. On display is his adamant lack of self-censorship but also a technically dense, exuberantly gestural personal style.

Sonya Sombreuil, artist and founder of the LA streetwear brand Come Tees, has found a muse in R. Crumb, inspiring a limited collection of t-shirts, panties, and long sleeves emblazoned with Crumb’s artwork. The collection’s campaign is shot by legendary fetish photographer Eric Kroll who, in addition to his landmark “Sex Objects” series has also shot Robert Mapplethorpe, Grace Jones, Madonna, Kenneth Anger, and Andy Warhol. Sombreuil was joined by Dan Nadel whose biography, Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life, is out April 15. The two discussed Crumb, fetish, photography, and flesh. Read more.