Valentino releases vaccination merch, while Kering officially bans fur
As Jean Paul Gaultier took a bow at the close of his SS20 show, he announced that he was officially “retiring” from fashion. However, instead of looking for a replacement to fill his shoes, Jean Paul Gaultier was to continue as a collaborative venture, enlisting separate designers for each and every couture collection. This – quite unorthodox – evolution was thus inaugurated by Chitose Abe of Sacai, who became the first outsider to step up to the Gaultier helm, splicing and dicing its breton-striped codes in the process.
And now, Glenn Martens, artistic director of Y/Project, and more recently Diesel, has been announced as the brand’s next designer-in-residence – marking his first foray into couture. While Martens’ handwriting differs greatly from Gaultier’s, both designers are united by irreverence, wit, and a disregard for tradition, subverting the norms of tailoring with a twisted, wry smile. Plus, it’s a full circle moment for Martens, who started his career as a designer under Gaultier after graduating from Antwerp’s Royal Academy. The duo’s first collection will debut in January 2022.
But until then, Jean Paul Gaultier is satiating its desires with a devilish Lil Nas X collaboration, which dropped this week. Elsewhere, Rick Owens became Shein’s latest plagiarism victim while London Fashion Week came to a close – with talk of Fashion East and Steven Stokey-Daley dominating its final days. As Balenciaga announced an IRL and URL Fortnight collection, Chopova Lowena finally acknowledged the existence of freaky-fashion-loving men. Otherwise, Kourtney Kardashian was at it – again – with Megan Fox, while Fendi swished into Milan Fashion Week with a Studio 54-indebted SS22 collection, and a rumoured Versace collaboration.
For anything else that may have passed you by in fashion news this week, check out the gallery below.
SAINT LAURENT LAUNCHES A ZINE
Saint Laurent’s LA-based flagship-cum-gallery, Rive Droite, has launched FANZINE – a mini publication to platform up-and-coming creatives. The first guest editor is the British photographer Indigo Lewin, who has curated the issue with an exclusive selection of her signature candid, dishevelled imagery from her archive. To run alongside this, an exhibition of Indigo’s work is currently on exhibition at the Saint Laurent Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles.
VALENTINO RELEASES THOSE VACCINATED HOODIES
With creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli and Lady Gaga uploading snaps of themselves wearing a bootleg V for Valentino hoody designed by Cloney this month, the fashion house has now made the decision to officially release its vax merch to the public. At £590 a pop, every penny will go to UNICEF and the global vaccine roll out. “Getting vaccinated has become the most effective way to fight this global pandemic, as well as a symbol of respect for others and social responsibility. One cannot hide behind the concept of freedom by deciding not to get vaccinated,” Piccioli said in a statement. Shop the piece here.
PALACE TAPS PA SALIEU FOR ITS SECOND EVISU COLLECTION
Launching today (September 24) Palace is launching the second edition of its Evisu collaboration, with Pa Salieu, Joy Orbison, and Ray Keith fronting the campaign. The capsule sees Evisu’s iconic seagull motif manipulated across jeans, jackets, intarsia knits, bombers, sweats, and accessories, bringing the subcultural 00s rave and skate staple back into the mainstream. Who said Y2K was dead? Not everything from the aughts was low-slung! The capsule is available in store, online, and at Dover Street Market in London and LA.
JORDANLUCA IS STARTING AN ONLYFANS
For SS22, JORDANLUCA delivered a blasphemous, erotically charged collection, shot by Alexei Alexander Izmaylov. While models pose, sweat-slicked and semi-nude, two snakes twirl up and around bodies, a sex-positive homage to Adam and Eve, and a disavowal of shame. An uncensored version takes this to a full-on extreme, and an even more uncensored version is set to drop on OnlyFans. Sex still sells, apparently.
MOWALOLA DROPS SOME MERCH
Vowing not to return to the runway until 2022, Mowalola has at least released a limited run of t-shirts and beanies dubbed “Lola Land”. With prices starting from £95, the Fashion East graduate is relaunching some of her most beloved designs, among them shrunken Superman-Jesus t-shirts, and munchie graphic baby tees. The line can be shopped on Mowa’s website, or at Browns, Ssense, and H-Town.
KERING BANS FUR FOREVER
Starting from AW22, no Kering labels, which include Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen, will be permitted to use fur in their collections. While many of those houses – Gucci, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen have already spoken out against the fur trade, CEO François-Henri Pinault said that “going entirely fur free as a group is just the right thing to do: we do it out of conviction, for the sake of ethics and modernity.” It puts increased pressure on other conglomerates, namely LVMH, to follow suit, which is perhaps more of a challenge given that it counts Fendi (which continues to use fur) among its roster.
PARIAH CORP LAUNCHES WITH A TOTTENHAM RAVE
New brand Pariah Corp debuted at London Fashion Week with a rave at a secret location in Tottenham. The collection, full of spiked jackets, extreme shoulders, and scribbled devil motifs, was indebted to horror – Nosferatu, Hellraiser, and Dracula. Distorted bodily proportions, faux-croc skin, and punk-like flyers had been adorned to clothing, while the brand ominously questioned “Is God dead?” and “Who is P”. See more of what’s to come from the label here.