Kanye takes us to heaven and hell, while Balenciaga takes over TFL
Martine Rose is not worried about being beautiful. The designer spent the 90s observing the weird and the wonderful of London’s subcultures as they came together among tungsten lights and sweat-slicked walls, before spilling out, clothes twisted and jaws quivering, onto Clapham Common. This season, she returns to the halcyon days of British nightlife with a collection indebted to scruffy, all-night dancing. Where Rose’s AW14 offering was pieced together, quite literally, from club pamphlets and rave flyers, SS22 sees the designer dissect their artwork, appropriating kitschy telephone and paint-splashed motifs across satin trousers, shirts, and loose-fitting tracksuits. A lookbook, lensed by Sharna Osborne, Rosie Marks, and Camille Vivier, houses the usual Martine Rose misfits in skew-whiff wigs and wonky fashions. Old men shake a leg in branded, motorsport two pieces and shrunken football jerseys, as kids clamber onto car bonnets and podiums in disintegrating prom shirts and high-shine tailoring. Grab a Bacardi, babe.
In other fashion news this week, Lil Uzi Vert fronted Marc Jacobs’ Monogram capsule and Virgil Abloh spoke on a newly-shared panel from the Rubric Initiative, while Kanye West continued to plug Balenciaga, GAP, and YEEZY through music videos and Julia Fox. For everything else you may have missed this week click through the gallery below.
MULBERRY AND NICHOLAS DALEY COLLAB
Over the past few years, Mulberry has become something of an incubator for up-and-coming design talent. In 2021, the heritage brand collaborated with Priya Ahluwalia and Richard Malone, and this year, the team has added Nicholas Daley to the Mulberry Editions roster. Inspired by the musicians that Daley counts as his inner circle, the capsule collection has reimagined Mulberry’s Antony bag in 5 different sizes, alongside a slew of musical accessories, including saxophone straps, guitar straps, and plectrums. All of which are showcased by Shabaka Hutchings, Lianne La Havas, and members of Tomorrow’s Warriors in a campaign film. “I created this range with the musicians and talents that I've worked with in mind. It's almost like I was creating an accessories wardrobe for them to wear on stage,” Daley says. ”I was also heavily inspired by people that I’ve always admired, both sonically and stylistically – among them Miles Davis, Roy Ayers, Jimmy Hendrix, Prince, and Bob Dylan.”
ANDAM IS BACK AND BIGGER THAN EVER
The ANDAM prize returns for its 33rd year and has boosted its overall prize fund to €600,000, which will be split across five categories – the grand prix, the grand prix special, the Pierre Bergé prize, the fashion accessories prize, and the prix de l’innovation. The jury will be announced in February but prospective candidates now have until March 31 to apply online.
YE’S HEAVEN AND HELL
This week we asked: is everything just marketing? The list of beneficiaries from Kanye West’s recent exploits is growing – Julia Fox, Balenciaga, Diesel, Demna, YEEZY, Carbone, GAP, and, now, DONDA. The musician released his music video for “Heaven and Hell” this week, a Dante-esque spiral into the seventh circle where everyone was dressed in YEEZY Gap. The hoodies, which were previously sold-out online, were immediately, and at this point, unsurprisingly, restocked on GAP’s website. Check out the video here for a real life simulation of what Ye is currently putting culture through.
BALENCIAGA TAKES OVER TFL
After announcing its triple collaboration with GAP and Kanye West, which promises to make design available to everyone, this week Balenciaga unveiled its Cities campaign – taking over the Waterloo and City line to do so. At the heart of the campaign was the label’s new Phantom Sneaker, which is already available online here.
RICCARDO TISCI INVITES FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO BURBERRY
Burberry’s AW22 Pre-Fall collection marks the first chapter of Riccardo Tisci’s Friends and Family series, which will see the designer tap a new collaborator every year. This time, it was trans model and activist Lea T who took the helm, proffering a collection made up of deconstructed, gender-neutral, and topsy-turvy Burberry codes. Head over to Burberry to see what’s in store.
TELFAR DROPS AN EMBOSSED CAPSULE
While Telfar has fast become one of the most important brands to come out of the US, it’s line of accessories – instantly recognisable by that overgrown, embossed T – has eclipsed its ready to wear offering in terms of desirability. But, now, Telfar Clemens and co have taken inspiration from its covetable Shoppers and will expand their clothing offering with an Embossed capsule. Mock neck sweaters and hoodies have been imprinted with the Telfar T and are available now.
CARHARTT WIP FLIPS THE SKATE WORLD INSIDE OUT
Carhartt WIP has released a teaser for it’s upcoming short, Inside Out. Shot across Milan, London, and Paris by director Joaquim Bayle, the 29-minute film features Carhartt WIP’s team riders and delves into all the chaos and glory of being a professional skater. Watch the trailer here.