stylist & photographer: Hakan Solak
model: Ilias Paci (@ Viva Models)
Browns Finds A New Forever Home On Brook Street
On April 12th Browns will open its doors to Browns Brook Street, located at 39 Brook Street in the heart of London’s Mayfair. The new flagship is an intuitive environment in collaboration with Farfetch that cultivates personal connections to foster community in a highly tech-enabled retail experience.
Browns Brook Street offers a rich canvas to uniquely showcase the merging of the historical and the contemporary. Set over four floors, the new space features a pioneering restaurant, Native at Browns designed by Red Deer, who are leaders in sustainable design, and an unexpected yet inviting courtyard that celebrates the history of 39 Brook Street which has been preserved yet modernized to perfectly imbue the Browns brand. They have endeavored to use as many local, natural and artisanal products, to fit in with the Native ethos. Expect handmade ceramic tiles and blown glass lamps from UK artisans, a mosaic floor made from repurposed tiles and walls rendered in colored clay from Cornwall. The Courtyard, designed by award-winning landscapers Rosebank, has been reimagined into a secret forest in the city. Silver birch trees populate the space, whilst a large cherry tree takes centre stage in the middle with white neon strip lights dotted around to give it a modern touch. Due to environmental impact, Native has chosen not to use patio heaters, opting instead for blankets made from recycled cotton, produced in Cornwall, with Pergolas to provide light weather cover. The tables outside are fabricated from recycled glass beer bottles with chairs made out of recycled ocean plastic.
Built in 1720, the heritage site located on the corner of Avery Row and Brook Street, has had an illustrious history within the fabric of Mayfair having housed influential British decorating firm Colefax and Fowler which was founded by 20th-century tastemaker Nancy Lancaster, who resided in the space. Drawing on these historical aspects of the building and retaining some of the site's original grandeur, some areas have been left completely untouched, blending old decadence with a contemporary mood.
After the success of the launch of the ‘Residencies’ programme online in October 2020, Browns Brook Street will also play home to the physical realization of these experiences.
Watch The Films Of Guy Bourdin On The 30th Anniversary Of His Death
Music and Sound Design by Ensemble/Olivier Alary
Students At The European Institute Of Design In Milan Are Innovating Inclusivity
In their first semester of the 20/21 academic year, students of the European Institute of Design in Milan were asked to design in an inclusive way with gender, disability, ethnicity, and age in mind. Conducted by professors Mia Vilardo and Riccardo Polidoro, partners of Studio Elitre, the inclusive design course asked students to create original products capable of satisfying everyone's needs.
In terms of gender inclusiveness, the REN proposal goes to intercept the needs of those who do not identify with one of the two sexes and of those who feel unique through what they choose to wear: a mix of garments and accessories that reflects the person without distinction between man and woman. On the disability front, there are those who have imagined a fashion brand " for anyone who feels wrong or not fully represented ". JFMP - Joy for mistaken people (proposed by Penelope Bazzani, Michela Polo, Jennifer Rossi, Federica Santangelo) subverts the rules and looks at things in a different light, working specifically on blindness and low vision.
On the path of ethnic inclusion, the To.get.there - Rebirth project instead works conceptually to "unite" what is at the deepest roots of human experience, what unites all cultures (both physically and spiritually). This translates not only into the choice of fabrics made from elements present in nature, but also into the reuse, grinding and processing of industrial and production waste to obtain, with the appropriate binders, new design materials.
Good taste and being able to be inspirational have no age: thus, the working group on the ageless theme (Simone Ricetti, Alice Marchetti, Alessandra Natalino, Martina Sagliaschi) imagined AMAS, a range of accessories perfect for all seasons of the life.
Pioneering Streetwear Brand Slam Jam Opens 30-Year Archive In Ferrara
Founded by Luca Benini in 1989, Slam Jam was born to serve the underground long before the term “streetwear” existed, becoming the first Italian importer of then unknown brands such as Stussy. From its HQ in Ferrara, far from the European fashion establishment, Slam Jam has honed a unique and highly distinctive style guided by art, music and clubbing, connecting tribes of like-minded people across the world. From the rural outskirts of Ferrara, in the last 30 years Slam Jam has become a globally renowned cultural institution, its name on urban subculture clothing and goods a seal of guarantee.
For the first time since its establishment over 30 years ago, Slam Jam, is opening the doors of its archive with an exclusive project devised by Nationhood. The project comprises a new location in Slam Jam’s headquarters in Ferrara, and a consultable online atlas stemming from an experimental publishing plan focused on the brand’s cultural heritage. Formerly the private collection of Slam Jam founder, Luca Benini, this ultra-refined pastiche of eighties-to-the-present-day underground culture is now a new cultural resource with its own digital platform, a long list of publishing products, and various offline off-shoot activities hinging around visual art and culture. Nationhood has designed an infinite scroll, a digital flow that unites different contents in a sequence of images which is a collision of Lo-Fi cinema and “eBay aesthetics” visual brutalism. The upshot is a new digital device collecting the anthropology of the look and underground subcultures of which Luca Benini was a founding presence: from clubbing on the Riviera Romagnola, London and early ‘90s New York, to the international hip-hop scene and Japan‘s noughties fashion neo-avant-garde. Once again, Nationhood takes the idea of the archive apart and talks of how customs are the cultural custodian of the contemporary world. And so it has designed a hyper-photographic atlas mixed with soundscapes from the around 10,000 vinyls in the collection, offering up the archive in a visual stream that confirms the potential lyricism of chaos and cyberspace as the symbolic place of a new digital romanticism.
Read Our Interview Of Film Director Fiona Jane Burgess →
Fiona Jane Burgess, UK-based film director specializing in music videos, commercials, documentaries and fashion films, owes much of her career success to experiencing a number of challenges. Burgess found herself having to rethink her career path at 28, a time when she was also facing the realities of motherhood and the breakup of her band, Woman’s Hour. Fortunately, her natural flare as a director, which she exercised when shooting her own music videos, determined her career segue into film direction. Since delving into the film industry, Burgess has worked on diverse campaigns that span music videos, personal projects, working with the UK’s No.1 Baby Feeding brand, Tommee Tippee and some of fashion’s most recognised names, including Gucci and Burberry. Read more.
Alexander McQueen & Vestiaire Collective Are Pioneering Circular Practices In Luxury Fashion
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN VOSS finale
photograph: Chris Moore Catwalking.com
Alexander McQueen and Vestiaire Collective have just launched a pioneering collaboration aimed at empowering a move towards sustainability and circular practices. Supported by innovative technology, the collaboration marks the launch of Vestiaire Collective’s new ‘Brand Approved’ programme and reinforces Alexander McQueen’s growing commitment to the durability of luxury fashion.
A select group of clients will be contacted by a sales representative at Alexander McQueen. Any pieces the clients wish to sell will be assessed and if eligible assigned a buy-back price. Once the pieces are received and authenticated by Alexander McQueen, the client will be issued with a credit note with which they will immediately be able to purchase new items from specified Alexander McQueen stores. Once processed by Vestiaire Collective the pieces will carry an external NFC tag giving prospective new buyers access to information confirming the authenticity of the piece. The pieces will be available to purchase on a dedicated ‘Brand Approved’ page on the Vestiaire Collective app and site.
There are currently two pieces available for purchase.
Tuxedo jacket
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Sarah Burton’s first show as creative director SS11
photograph: Chris Moore Catwalking.com
Tartan skirt
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
‘Widows Of Culloden’ AW06
photograph: Chris Moore Catwalking.com
Couture From Home: An Inside Look At The Making Of Alexander McQueen's Pre-SS21 Collection
As all offices, ateliers and factories were closed over lockdown, the Alexander McQueen design team were sent stock fabric to their homes, which was over-printed, over-dyed and renewed.
This collection harks back to the early days of McQueen and a free, make-do-and-mend spirit. Garments – from signature sharply cut masculine-inspired tailoring to prom dresses - were cut by hand at kitchen tables, fabric was dip-dyed in gardens. A mid-twentieth century silhouette – sweetheart necklines, soft shoulders and overblown skirts – is complimented by a hyper-feminine colour palette in shades of pink, from albion to fuchsia rose, and red, punctuated by classic black. Asymmetric hand-draped silks and exploded bows nod to the haute couture tradition finishing an audaciously romantic look.
Look 26
A dress with off-the-shoulder drape and a tiered skirt in washed silk organza dip-dyed albion pink and black.
look 27
A double-layered tuxedo jacket in black wool silk with a wrapped bow peplum in albion pink micro-faille and cigarette trousers in black wool silk with a black satin tuxedo stripe.
look 28
An oyster ruffle dress with a high neck and scalloped back in washed organza dip-dyed albion pink and black.
look 29
An asymmetric, floor-length dress with an exploded skirt volume in washed calico silk organza with sketchbook hand embroidery over a skeletal corset in nude silk tulle. The embroidery was inspired by drawings in the notebooks of the Alexander McQueen design studio teams.
Watch S.R. Studio's Debut "Apparitions" For Paris Haute Couture Week
California Couture. A collection created in America, reflecting America. Shot in Los Angeles on January 19, 2021, the last day of the Trump presidency.
The Puritan and Pilgrims, traveling to America in the 17th century, viewed the United States as a “Redeemer Nation” — a belief in the country’s divinely ordained redemptive role in the world. It is a narrative being profoundly questioned today, inseparable from the enduring inequalities and ongoing threat of violence framed as patriotism.
Responding to the history of the United States — imagined and real — Sterling Ruby explores the intersection of fashion, art, craft and culture for this first haute couture collection created at the invitation of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, Paris. Silhouettes, shapes, garment archetypes reference American heritage: Puritan collars, styles of dress inextricable from colonialism, neocolonialism, and religious persecution. These contrast with the uniforms of modern America: references to skate wear, workwear, business wear.
creative direction and editing by Ruby
Read A Conversation Between Emily Labowe and Devendra Banhart On The Occasion Of The Launch Of Poppy Undies →
Click here to read more.
Frutti Di Mare: Read Our Interview Of Danish Designer Sia Arnika →
With her SS21 Frutti Di Mare collection, designer Sia Arnika has found a chimeric pearl in the depths of a timeless Limfjord oyster. These highly-coveted mollusks were so in demand by the 16th-century King Frederic II of Denmark and his court that he declared them “crown regalia” and forbade the people of Arnika’s native Mors island from eating any themselves. While the capital city Nykøbing was a bustling port city in the mid-19th century, its population has since dwindled, and with it, much of the island’s former sense of self. Click here to read more.
Watch Alexander McQueen's SS21 Film "First Light" Directed By Jonathan Glazer
Back to London, coming home.
“Shape, silhouette and volume, the beauty of the bare
bones of clothing stripped back to its essence —
a world charged with emotion and human connection.”
-Sarah Burton
Watch Mused's New SS21 Campaign Video And Interview With Designer Lindsay Jones →
Two fashion insiders discuss the fashion industry’s pivot, and why fashion need not be considered frivolous, especially in ugly times. Click here to see more.
Enter Sasha Frolova's Romantic Apocalypse In A Beauty Collaboration With Dr. Hauschka →
Click here to see more.
FRIENDS: A Sustainably-Minded Fashion Editorial By Byron Jesus
Shot by Allison Nguyen, featuring (model) Cameron Rose, (painter/model) Lila Doliner, (photographer) Bradley J Cooper, (designer/Model) Kristian Kane, styled by Marilyn Monroy and Byron Jesus, creative direction by Byron Jesus, casting by Büst Agency.
Featured brands: Bonfire of the Vanities @bonfireofthev, PHLEMUNS @phlemuns, Comme des Garçons @commedesgarcons, Boy Kloves @boyagainstthesea. @blk_pr, @jjjordandouglas,
No Sesso Runway Presentation Of "A Vignette of the Renaissance on 24th Street" At MOCA Los Angeles
photographs by Michelle Genevive Gonzales
Cara Delevigne And Olivier Rousteing Team Up For Puma x Balmain Campaign Directed By Philippa Price
An unlikely partnership takes the form of two limited-edition capsule collections, both designed by BALMAIN’s Creative Director Olivier Rousteing and his good friend and muse, the English actor and model Cara Delevingne. This is PUMA’s first-ever collection with Cara Delevingne, who has been working with PUMA since 2016. Standing at the intersection of sport and fashion, this new collection features pieces inspired by traditional boxing gear that are infused with Parisian couture. Bra tops, boxing shorts, and sneakers are elevated with a stark color palette, hits of gold, and design elements straight out of BALMAIN’s atelier.
The campaign for the line, directed by Philippa Price and produced by MAAVVEN is a boxing-inspired, interactive campaign starring Delevingne. The campaign is not a literal interpretation of boxing but a dynamic and visceral interpretation of the timeless tale of human connection, identity, tragedy and triumph, love and hate, and the universal duality of “the fight.” In addition to Delevingne, the cast is rounded out by an incredible group of “real people,” who personify this idea of the fight.
In addition to the campaign, Price produced the live launch event, which took place here at Milk Studios in Los Angeles.
"Translating the campaign into the show concept was a lot of fun. We wanted the whole event to feel like a fight club. I worked with Jasmine Albuquerque (who also did all the choreography for the campaign) to create a 20 minute performance piece that evokes the duality of emotions behind any fight, whether it be physical or emotional—anger vs. empathy, defeat vs. perseverance, endurance, truth, forgiveness, and most importantly, love. Love for the self and love for all humans.” -Philippa Price
"Back Side / Fashion from Behind", An Off-Site Exhibition @ Musée Bourdelle In Paris
![Jeanloup Sieff, Eve from behind, Kim Islinski [Top and skirt Martine Sitbon, published in New York,1997] © Estate of Jeanloup Sieff](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/544cb720e4b0f3ba72ee8a78/1571798019244-IN4BFT01MJ43GMEWWFWP/29+Sieff+Kim+1997.jpg)
In a society that is obsessed with people’s faces, "Back Side / Fashion from Behind" is an original and unexpected theme. By addressing our body’s relationship to clothing from a social and psychological point of view, the exhibition questions the perception we have of our own and other people’s backs.
The exhibition spreads across the Great Hall of Plasters, the contemporary Portzamparc extension and Antoine Bourdelle’s studio. The models on display establish a dialogue between fashion and sculpture, a dialogue with the works of this great master of the turn of the 20th century. "Back Side – Fashion from Behind" gives us a new take on the works of Bourdelle: we look with new eyes at the powerful, muscular backs and the slender outlines of his sculptures. "Back Side / Fashion from Behind" is on view through November 15 at Musée Bourdelle 18, rue Antoine-Bourdelle, Paris 15e. photographs courtesy of Palais Galliera
Meals Clothing Presentation At Various Small Fires Gallery In Los Angeles
Meals’ first presentation ‘COCKTAIL PARTY’ took place on October 12th at Various Small Fires gallery. The show was styled by legendary LA stylist, Shirley Kurata, and featured a food-centerpiece and delicious agar-agar pouches by ascendent food artist, Nünchi. photographs by Oliver Maxwell Kupper
Whole Drops Capsule Collection In Collaboration With The Germs' Don Bolles
Los Angeles art weirdo brand, WHOLE has just dropped a capsule clothing collab with legendary LA punk band, The Germs. The collaboration consists of album and poster artwork as: t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants and a wool cap. Don Bolles (drummer of The Germs) has been a staple of the Los Angeles music scene since the 70's and has also modeled for Skim Milk and WHOLE back in 2018. The unisex capsule collection is available for purchase on WHOLE's website and they will be doing a pop up event at Virgil Normal on October 5th where the items will be for sale and Don Bolles and Josh Scholl (WHOLE) will be spinning records.