Bottega is hosting a Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy while sneakerheads are in for a treat at the Design Museum...
Throngs of punters were saved from the biting chill of a British summer this week as pubs, bars, and restaurants finally unlatched their doors, allowing an otherwise desperately freezing public to savour the luxury of shared, room temperature oxygen. While that’s where many of us would have liked to have remained, rooted into the swirly carpets of our trusted locals, the fashion world took one swift sip and just had to dash, darling!
Dazed, of course, got out before its round, scampering to launch the covers of its Summer issue – the first under editor-in-chief Ib Kamara – featuring Marcus Rashford, fashion vaccines, runaway brides, and nose-swab jewellery. While elsewhere, Balenciaga announced it was restoring its founder’s historic couture salon, both Shygirl and FKA Twigs got their Burberry campaign debut, and Valentino got nasty.
Flick through the gallery below for more fashion news you may have missed.
MULBERRY’S LAUNCHING THREE DESIGNER COLLABS
Marking its 50th birthday, luxe heritage brand Mulberry has enlisted some of fashion’s brightest young things – Priya Ahluwalia, Richard Malone, and Nicholas Daley – for an exclusive series of accessory collaborations. Dubbed Mulberry Editions, the three emerging designers have been tasked with reinterpreting the label’s classic silhouettes. And, staying true to Mulberry’s Made to Last manifesto, the capsules have been designed with circularity and low-impact manufacturing in mind. It’s all about “what luxury sustainable craft can mean in the 21st century,” as Mulberry explained. Ahluwalia’s will be the first to launch in June, followed by Malone in September, with Daley rounding off the trifecta in November.
BOTTEGA IS HOSTING A HOCKNEY EXHIBITION
Bottega Veneta’s creative director Daniel Lee has expressed his adoration for the British painter David Hockney, on more than one occasion. Just last year the designer said “I feel such immense joy looking at his work. There’s such a vivid use of colour,” noting the duo’s kinship as Bradford natives. It’s little surprise, then, that Bottega should sponsor Hockney’s latest exhibition David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, 2020 at the Royal Academy. This body of work is the result of Hockney’s lockdown hibernation in France, most of which he spent scribbling away on his tablet – there are 116 new iPad paintings on show. Opening almost a year after the works were first made, this exhibition “will be a reminder of the constant renewal and wonder of the natural world – and the beauty of spring”. The Hockney show opens this Sunday (May 23) and runs until September 26 - see more info here.
SNEAKERS GALORE AT THE DESIGN MUSEUM
Over the past few years, sneakers have gained the same collectible cachet as wine or fine jewellery, meaning that nabbing a pair of anticipated kicks is not only a nigh on impossible task, but an entire industry in itself – Kanye’s OG Yeezy trainers broke records the other week when they sold for over £1,000,000. But where did this all begin, and where is it going? The Design Museum in Kensington is exploring the answer, cannonballing into sneaker culture and mapping its wild ascendancy. The exhibition, Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street, runs until October 24 and will journey through design processes, subcultures, resales, and future tech innovations. Get your tickets here.
SAINT LAURENT GOES TO MEMPHIS WITH A NEW EXHIBITION
Having spent much of the past year backscrolling through social media or glued to the stories of complete strangers, we’ve all become unexpectedly, and unnervingly, au fait with each other’s domestic lives. And it’s likely that between the banana breads and infographics, you’ve seen the resurgence of a particular type of interior – all kitschy trinkets, globular sofas, ultra graphic lines, and pastels. The Memphis style, as it’s formally known, is the subject of a Saint Laurent exhibition at its Rive Droite outposts in Paris and LA. Between May 19 and June 23, the stores will house iconic designs from the likes of Ettore Sottsass, MicheleDe Lucchi, and Masanori Umeda. To accompany the show, Anthony Vaccarello has designed an exclusive capsule of multicolored checkerboard hoodies, dresses, shirts, and sneakers. See more here.
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN UNVEILS ITS AW21 COLLECTION FOR MEN
The past few years have seen Sarah Burton meld the distinct aesthetics of womenswear and menswear ever closer together at Alexander McQueen. Last week, the designer showed a womenswear collection full of roughhewn splicing, romantic detailing, and jeweled colourways. And this week, we’ve seen those same hybridised styles translated, almost directly, into menswear. Bombers were given dramatically rounded shoulders much like the puff sleeves of the women’s shirting while waists were cinched with silky leather belts. Military jackets were again cut through with denim bodies and the same Matisse-style birds over chunky knits. It’s about beefed up, hourglass silhouettes in delicate expressions with chain link belts and glittering embellishments.
LEVI’S CELEBRATE THE WORLD’S FIRST JEAN
Every year on May 20, Levi’s honour their iconic 501 pant. Now dating back 147 years, the style is widely considered the mother of all jeans, having been fashioned originally for mining work. To celebrate, Levi’s tapped Hailey Bieber, Emma Chamberlain, Barbie Ferreira, Jaden Smith, and Dazed cover star Marcus Rashford, who all contributed across YouTube, Instagram live and Clubhouse. For the true denimheads, Levis recrafted its 501s in a limited edition run of Japanese selvedge denim. “We wanted to celebrate a mutual commitment to quality, craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail,” said head designer Paul O’Neill. The jeans have arrived in stock but are limited to 501 units worldwide. Check them out here.
LANVIN TAPS OFFSET FOR NEW SNEAKER STYLE
Lanvin, one of the oldest fashion houses still running, has collaborated with Gallery Department, an LA streetwear brand on a limited edition capsule collection. GD’s founder Josué Thomas looked to the Lanvin “uniform” for inspiration, imbuing the brand’s pared back quality with his own streetwear finesse. The result is a series of items spanning loungewear, footwear, accessories, and workwear, which have been dribbled, dipped, and daubed with kaleidoscopic paint splatters. Josué also shot the campaign, taking Offset to an abandoned house in the Hollywood Hills. “It’s about great energy and the small imperfect details that make a seemingly normal piece of clothing or accessory so special,” the designer said. Take a look at the capsule online here or at select boutiques worldwide.