Burberry and SSENSE launch an immersive NYC experience, while Y/Project announces a Fila collab
Though they may seem like an unlikely reference point for a Parisian fashion house, the Babycham dancehalls of 1970s Wigan and Blackpool have been reborn in Saint Laurent’s new Northern Soul-indebted campaign for AW21. Directed by Jean Paul Goude, the french artist responsible for Grace Jones’ most iconic album artwork, Anthony Vaccarello’s Night Train sees a pack of models shuffle, spin, twist, and kick to James Brown’s “Lost Someone”. Though it’s not just the dancehalls of the North West that Vaccarello has been haunting – it's the region’s infamous Ska bars, too, dressing his dancing troupe in all the checkerboard knits, trilbys, and skinny ties of their clientele.
As much as Vacarello looked back this week, Nicolas Ghesquière did the complete opposite, imagining a future full of space travel for Louis Vuitton’s cruise show. Elsewhere, London Fashion Week came to a close with the likes of Priya Ahluwalia and Paolo Carzana showcasing the best in British talent. Further progress was made within the fashion world when Victoria’s Secret announced it would be canning its Angels and Adrian Grenier AKA Andy’s boyfriend in The Devil Wears Prada confessed that he, perhaps, was the villain after all.
Scroll down to check it out, and click through the gallery below to see what else may have passed you by this week
DIOR AND SACAI COLLABORATE
Dior and Sacai released a surprise collaboration this week, which surely cemented the era of the power collab, almost four years after Kim Jones united Supreme and Louis Vuitton. The 57-piece capsule is billed as a “creative conversation between two designers, two heritages, and two cultures”. Think Sacai’s trademark hybrid splicing combined with Dior’s relaxed tailoring – blazer-bombers and techy Saddle bags. “I’ve always loved Chitose Abe,” Kim Jones told WWD, “and I just think she’s one of the coolest women in the world. And we talked about doing this since I was at Vuitton, and then finally it happened.” The full collection is set to drop in November.
APOC STORE IS FUNDRAISING FOR CHARITY
The fashion marketplace for emerging designers, APOC Store, is hosting a fundraising gala with C4CS (Creatives 4 Systemic Change) between June 20 and June 27 with all proceeds going towards a collection of anti-racism initiatives. Over 60 designers under the APOC umbrella have donated one of their creations to the charity raffle, which costs just £10 to enter. C4CS are continuing to support Black Trans charities, for whom they raised over 50k last year, while next week’s donations will also be invested into the Asian community, following the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes. Visit the APOC Store Instagram closer to the date for more details.
THE FASHION SEASON GETS MEGA CONFUSING
The SS22 shows might have kicked off this week in London, but a whole succession of other runways announced off schedule – though as has been the case for a while now, not all of these correlate to the current season whatsoever. Marc Jacobs, for example, is making his runway return on June 28 with his AW21 show, with Jacquemus following on June 30. Joining them is Peter Do, which makes its catwalk debut during the September edition of New York Fashion Week SS22. Confused? Same!
STELLA MCCARTNEY DROPS HER MOST SUSTAINABLE COLLECTION YET
Alongside its 80 per cent eco-friendly Pre-Fall collection, Stella McCartney has launched its “Our Time Will Come” campaign, which pushes the label’s core message – that animals and humans are, in fact, equals. Mert and Marcus have lensed the madcap campaign, which sees models don fluffy animal heads as if they were rewilding within London. Otherwise, Stella represented the fashion industry at the G7 summit in Cornwall last weekend. There she announced the Terra Carta initiative — “a movement putting nature, people, and the planet at the centre of global and business leader’s discussions and charting a path towards a more conscious, cruelty-free future”.
KERBY JEAN RAYMOND REVEALS HIS FIRST PROJECT AT REEBOK
Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond was appointed as VP of Creative Direction at Reebok last year, and this week unveiled the first glimpse of what he has been working on. Alongside director Jonas Lindstroem and marketing director Jide Osifeso, Jean-Raymond launched a film series dubbed Reconnect, which explores the relationship between sport, community, and identity. While most fashion films avoid dialogue within their scripts, Kerby’s film centres on a heartfelt conversation between a boy and his father. Check it out here.
MARC JACOBS LAUNCHES A COLOURFUL NEW LINE
The Colour Collection is the latest capsule under the Marc Jacobs family tree, launching this week with a sun-soaked campaign styled by Dazed’s Ib Kamara. It’s an off-duty sportswear line or “an everyday capsule designed by Marc to celebrate comfort, creativity, and self-expression”, as the brand puts it. Sweats, tote bags, tennis dresses, and breton t-shirts speak to a carefree summer spent lounging in the sun. Casual, no fuss, unisex fashion, Marc’s The Colour Collection can be shopped here now.
EXPECT TO SEE A FILA AND Y/PROJECT COLLAB VERY SOON
Fila and Y/Project have announced an upcoming capsule collection to be unveiled on June 27, when Glenn Martens presents his SS22 collection for Y/Project during Paris Fashion Week. Blending sports heritage with off-kilter, conceptual constructions, the collection is said to be full of double collars, snap buttons, double sweats, and shoulder straps. “The process was as easy as it was fun, and it allowed me to explore an openly streetwear direction that felt new,” Martens said. “There is a fresh, happy vibe to the endeavor that I think is right for this moment.”
GCDS DEBUTS EYEWEAR
Italian label GCDS, known for alien runway shows and hyperactive, streetwear-on-acid fashion, is officially expanding into eyewear. There are 14 face-swamping styles in the new range, including metallic cat ear (not eye) shapes, transparent WAG style frames, and amber-hued Kurt Cobain shades. “One of my favorites from the collection is the Elvis model,” Guiliano Calza, the label’s founder and creative director, says “having it in pink really makes it over-the-top and fun. I also love the Divah model, a big, 70s frame that screams ‘I just killed my boyfriend’.” Get your hands on a pair here.
DAILY PAPER IS CHAMPIONING LONDON MUSICIANS
To coincide with the opening of its first London flagship, Daily Paper, the Amsterdam label, is launching a series of concerts with fresh London talent. The Unite sessions will include Ghetts, ENNY, BDE X FLEX and Elheist, each of whom will deliver a spoken word performance, followed by an exclusive freestyle. The gigs will premiere over on YouTube on June 20 and will drop every Sunday after that.
BURBERRY AND SSENSE OPEN AN IMMERSIVE NEW YORK POP-UP
Burberry has invited SSENSE into its Soho store, creating a multi-faceted IRL-URL experience for its New York shoppers. From the outside, the facade of the shop has been taken over by motion graphics, while digital tunnels and interactive pathways have been burrowed throughout the inside. For those elsewhere, a microsite is meant to replicate the IRL sensation. Dovetailing this project is Burberry’s new capsule collection, a collaboration with Peter Saville, which sees shirts, trenches, and accessories plastered with anamorphic creations. There’s a film, too, which features Lourdes Leon and Selyna Brillare, as well as Burberry muse Alexis Chaparro. Set within the hum of New York, A-B-CITY is a stream of consciousness exploring what an “imaginary city” truly means. See that here.