40 top designers are paying tribute to Alber Elbaz, and Miu Miu premiers its latest short film at the Venice Film Festival
It’s taken 64 years for the Eurovision Song Contest to be appropriately acknowledged for its contributions to fashion. And while ABBA never quite managed to score a campaign, this year’s sweat-slicked winners, Måneskin, have just been transformed into Alessandro Michele’s latest muses as part of Gucci’s Aria campaign. The former Italian X Factor contestants – who definitely did not do a line on live tele – have lent their glam-rock-infused, heavy-scented pheromones to the fashion house, posing for Mert & Marcus in BDSM leather harnesses, sparkly bell bottoms, and Donatella levels of eyeliner.
And though you shouldn’t pit the girls against each other, lead singer Damiano David’s blustery marabou feather boas cast a deep shadow over Harry Styles’ lacklustre scrap of tinsel. According to Michele, the imagery “captures the revolutionary and joyful impetus of eros” – words which provide an apt description for Tom Ford’s tenure at Gucci, as does the band’s guitarist slinking semi-nude across the floor. See the gallery above for a first look at the campaign.
Elsewhere, New York Fashion Week made a clamorous return to fashion season after a two-year-long hiatus this week. Collina Strada kicked events off with its farm-to-table SS22 collection, swiftly followed by Peter Do’s ice-cool debut, and Aaron Philip’s turn on the Moschino runway. Nensi Dojaka was announced as this year’s winner of the LVMH prize, while Teezo Touchdown became the face of Marc Jacobs’ Heaven. Otherwise, Brandy Melville was outed as a toxic and misogynistic workplace just as a sweep of OG supermodels spoke out against sexual harassment. Oh, and Jonah Hill stormed into the Whitehouse with all the energy of a desperately disillusioned, but It-bag-loving scion – looking at you Barron Trump.
Check out the gallery below for anything else that may have passed you by this week.
GUCCI POWERS UP WITH AN EMERGING HAITIAN DESIGNER
Azède Jean-Pierre and Alessandro Michele first bumped into each other at the Met Gala in 2019. Soon after, the fledgling Haitian-American designer and Gucci’s design team began to imagine the ways in which they could collaborate – and thus, Azède Powered by Gucci was born. The collaboration marks both the long-awaited return of New York Fashion Week and the return of Jean-Pierre herself, who has had to take prolonged breaks from the fashion calendar in order to support grassroots projects in her native Haiti. The limited edition capsule, which has launched in Gucci’s New York outposts, and Dover Street Market, consists of five, streamlined knitted pieces inspired by the Haitian shoreline. Check out the accompanying Ibra Ake film here, with an original score by Wyclef Jean.
40 OF THE INDUSTRY’S GREATEST DESIGNERS WILL REMEMBER ALBER
A few months ago, it was announced that Paris Fashion Week would be closing with a commemorative show in honour of the life and work of Alber Elbaz, who suddenly passed away in April. Led by AZ Factory, the late designer’s label, Love Brings Love will see 40 of the industry’s creative forces procure looks inspired by Elbaz’s vision. While details on who, exactly, will be contributing remain scant, whispers of Nicolas Ghesquière, Rick Owens, Demna Gvasalia, and Pierpaolo Piccioli, have been circulating. Check back with us towards the end of the month to see who will be paying tribute.
THE BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL ANNOUNCES ITS 2021 CHANGEMAKERS
The British Fashion Council’s Institute of Positive Fashion has unveiled the winners of its 2021 changemakers prize, which celebrates individual efforts across three pillars: environment, people, and community & craftsmanship. John Hickling of Glass Onion scooped the environmental prize for his South Yorkshire upcycling institute and Andrew Kenny of The London Embroidery Studio scored on community & craftsmanship. Then, taking home the award for people, was hair stylist and Dazed 100er Cyndia Harvey, who was acknowledged for her bold and boundary-breaking visions of inclusive beauty.
HARRODS LETS ITS MODELS LOOSE AT NIGHT
Perhaps the hardest working person in fashion right now – having just fronted Louis Vuitton’s, and Filippa K’s AW21 campaign – Kai-Isaiah Jamal now steps in front of the camera once more, starring in Harrods’ new season film. Directed by Iggy London, the campaign marks a return to film for the Knightsbridge retail emporium, with a Night at The Museum style video, which sees a troupe of models storm the department store’s gilded hallways while Jamal recites their poetry overhead. Watch the film here.
MIU MIU PREMIERS ITS LATEST SHORT AT VENICE
Miu Miu held three women’s talks during the Venice Film Festival, inviting Sex Education star Patricia Allison, Lingua Franca director Isabel Sandoval, and If Beale Street Could Talk actor Kiki Layne, on stage to discuss developing characters, directorial autonomy, and breaking boundaries. Elsewhere the label debuted the latest in its short film series I and the Stupid Boy, directed by Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania. Watch Hania’s short here.
DANIEL ARSHAM UNVEILS A DECAYING TIFFANY BOX
Continuing its foray into the art world – see Beyoncé and the Basquiat – Tiffany has unveiled its latest collection, which includes a collaboration with Daniel Arsham. The American sculpturist has developed a one-off, white gold bracelet adorned with rare green gems, alongside a more signature, rough-hewn Tiffany box. With only 49 versions produced, the robin’s-egg, bronze box reimagines the jeweler’s packaging as part of Arsham’s future archeological series.
SWAROVSKI DROPS COLLECTION II
Playful, maximalist, and splayed across the body like a spellbinding confectionary table, Giovanna Engelbert of Swarovski dropped her second collection this week, featuring Adwoa Aboah, Lourdes Leon, and Tess McMillan. Following on from her exuberant debut, “collection II” Engelbert says, “gives us a chance to dive further into our world of wonders. From a deeper look into the muses of the Bohemian movement to the design aesthetic of the Bauhaus art scene to the verdant nature of Klimt’s landscapes, we’re able to tell the story of our Austrian heritage with a modern twist. In this way, each crystal item becomes a microcosm of our world.”
FASHION EAST WELCOMES CHET LO
London’s foremost design incubator, Fashion East, has announced its lineup for SS22, including newcomer Chet Lo. The CSM grad, known for his trademark twist-and-pinch knitwear, beloved of Doja Cat, SZA, and Kylie Jenner, makes his runway debut this September alongside Maximilian and Jawara Alleyne, while HRH and Goom Heo have both chosen to drop their collections digitally. “I am so happy to be among such an iconic group of people,” Lo told Vogue. “Fashion East is something I’ve always looked up to and it feels surreal to have gotten here.”