Balenciaga doubles down on the metaverse and Palace smartens up with a Harrods exclusive
The landscape of luxury fashion is going to look different in 2022. Both Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton – two headline-dominating labels – are undergoing dramatic change as they christen a new era under Matthieu Blazy and Virgil Abloh’s soon-to-be successor. So far, there have been whispers of Kanye West, Samuel Ross, and Heron Preston to take over the mantle from the late designer, but whether LVMH will source from within Abloh’s inner circle is yet to be determined. For now, however, Daniel Lee is taking his final bow at Bottega Veneta with Wardrobe 03, the brand’s Cruise equivalent, released this week via a Sarah Piantadosi-lensed lookbook.
The collection reads like a distilling of everything Lee has been crafting during his tenure at the fashion house. It’s full of sumptuous textures in tendril-sprouting sweaters, deep-grooved corduroy two pieces, voluminous, technical outerwear, threads of bottle green, and slinky Samantha Jones cocktail dresses. Meanwhile, the designer’s most beloved accessories are memorialised in square-toed, disco-sequined pumps and silver-sprayed puddle boots. Glossy renderings which are presumably to cash in on all the glitz of the holiday season but can’t help but feel like some kind of trophy for Lee’s midas touch. Head to the gallery above to get a closer look at the offering.
This week also saw Pete Davidson and HoYeon Jung hack into Calvin Klein’s socials and upload their own underwear-clad photos to the grid, while Valentino announced it would be using its Instagram to platform young designers. As tributes to Virgil Abloh continued to bloom, Demna and Harmony Korine paid homage to the 90s, Margiela, and FashionTV, while Edward Enninful broadcasted the news of his upcoming memoir, The Visible Man. Click through the gallery below for everything else that may have passed you by.
PALACE SMARTENS UP FOR HARRODS
While Palace’s roots are firmly planted in counterculture, the label has decided to smarten up its act with an exclusive capsule collection for Harrods, the gilded Knightsbridge institution. From today (December 10) the label will pop-up in the department store with a co-branded collection, food, drink, and luxury hampers. The installation will run until December 12 and will be available to shop online until December 17 – providing it doesn’t sell out before then. Head over to Harrods for bottle green hoodies, skateboards, and varsity jackets.
KIKO KOSTADINOV GETS AN IRL BASE
Kiko Kostadinov is arriving in bricks and mortar form for the first time ever. From December 18-19 a short-lived pop-up will land at 55A Dean Street, providing home to a one-off capsule collection made with local suppliers and from end of roll fabrics. Head down to Soho next weekend to bag some twisted, thoroughly modern fashions.
NIKE SCORES MEGAN RAPINOE
Nike has given free reign to footballer Megan Rapinoe to cast her expert eye over the business, touching on everything from athlete support to employee programmes and inclusivity. The partnership kicked off this week with a Megan Rapinoe edit of the label’s current collections. Check out Rapinoe’s gender-fluid, easy wearing selection here.
NO SESSO DEBUTS ITS FIRST COUTURE COLLECTION
While the global art and fashion community gathered at Art Basel in Miami to celebrate the industry’s most beloved tastemakers, expensive dinners, and beach parties, No Sesso debuted its new collection. Dubbed Ghetto Gold, the label showed 19 couture looks inspired by Afrofuturism. Sleek and skintight, the offering comprises cut-out tailoring, sinuous Lara Croft corsets, and flouncy string-beaded slips. See more of the clothing in No Sesso’s accompanying film here.
BALENCIAGA DOUBLES DOWN ON THE METAVERSE
From video game fashion shows to Fortnite collaborations, Cédric Charbit confirmed Balenciaga has major plans to explore the metaverse. In fact, the CEO said that the brand has launched a dedicated business to explore meta-marketing and commerce opportunities with over 100 developers working on the venture. Stay tuned for more.
JANUARY’S FASHION WEEK IS CANCELLED
The January edition of London Fashion Week (which was traditionally menswear) will not be going ahead in 2022. The British Fashion Council revealed that due to COVID concerns, next year’s calendar will merge menswear and womenswear across three, rather than four, fashion weeks. These will be held across February 18 to 22, June 11 to 13, and September 16 to 20. The hybrid digital/physical schedule will continue to incorporate runways, presentations, appointments, and events alongside online content.
MEET GLOB, THE HIGHLIGHTER-TONED, FUTURE-FRIENDLY BAG BRAND
Oh, my, Glob! Your new fave, affordable, and sustainable bag brand has dropped. Glob, started by Kim Christenson in LA, recently launched to meet the need for trendy, affordable single-use plastic bag alternatives. Available in an array of highlighter and pastel hues, the bags hit a new high for reusable bags – one Glob bag can replace 500 single-use plastic bags, and each one is made from 4-10 plastic bottles. Every month, the company donates 1 per cent of its sales to climate justice and youth organisation CoalitionWILD. You can shop the Glob with the future in mind in all its bold colourways now.
SEEK OUT SIMPLE PLEASURES WITH SLEEPING WITH JACQUES
Party season remains precarious, but Sleeping with Jacques is this time of year’s go-to brand for the bedroom and (hopefully) beyond. The Melbourne-born label is defined by its sumptuous velvets and laces, deep jewel tones and soft neutrals, with boudoir-to-boogie silhouettes. The brand is set to launch its latest collection, aptly titled Simple Pleasures, for SS22. Brand brains and founder Jacqui Hoang shares that Sleeping with Jacques is about wanting to create an experience for women to include in their daily evening rituals that was exciting, sensual, and silky. “I wanted women to feel good, feel celebrated, feel adored and excited about the skin they were in,” she says.
“The simple ethos of shifting your paradigm to search for joy in your day to day routines I believe is the art of living. Hot salt baths, walks in parks, sipping on hot tea, fresh bright flowers, books, sexy self loving, and slipping into some sensual silk dresses at the end of the day became my simple pleasures, which inspired this collection. My hope for women is that they take time to take their pleasures seriously and make it a ritual to indulge daily in their simple pleasures, and Sleeping with Jacques is there to assist.”