Vibes #24: 2023 Was A Wild Fashion Year
Zara's fashion blunder, 2023 was the year of the 'himbo' and being British is fashionable right now
‘Vibes' is a place to get the lowdown on what the f*ck has been going on in fashion recently. Good, bad, and everything in between — this is where it's at.
‘Vibes’ is a place for you to discover all of the fashionable things that should be on your radar.
If you didn’t know you needed to know these fashion tidbits, well, now you know.
It's a place to discover the news you may have missed and peek behind the scenes to see wtf has been going on in fashion recently.
Let’s get into round #24.
2023 was full of fashion ups and downs, highs and lows.
The highs were really high, such as the April 2023 cover of Vogue Philippines with a 106-year-old tattoo artist, the era of Sandlercore making its way into the mainstream, a pregnant Rihanna starring in a Louis Vuitton campaign and chaos luxury giving us something other than bland and boring aesthetics.
But the lows were pretty damn low, as seen in being Black is 'off-brand' at Lululemon and working as a POC in fashion coming with an expiry date, the never-ending reign of white male creative directors at major fashion houses and nepo fashion babies spewing more and more nonsense.
Did the vibes vibe? Was the fashion really fashion-ing?
That's down to a matter of opinion.
Either way, there's a lot to unpack to try and make sense of the wild fashion year 2023 ended up being.
Brand chit chat
Zara is in hot water: Zara's latest campaign has ruffled a few feathers. After using statues with missing limbs surrounded by rubble, the array of images went viral after social media users pointed out side-by-side comparisons between the imagery and those that have emerged from the Gaza conflict. People are boycotting the brand en masse leading them to release a statement, but this isn't the first time the brand has been accused of anti-Palestinian behaviour as pointed out by Diet Prada.
Kith's new creative director: it's been eight years since Ronnie Fieg launched Kith Women, and the streetwear giant is betting big on female spending power in the streetwear space. Dutch designer Daniëlle Cathari has been named the new creative director of Kith Women and has been brought in to offer women the same experience that they offer men. It's about time.
Swarovski had a Gen Z glow-up: Swarovski has always been about sparkle, a little here and a little there, but thanks to a strategic and clever rebrand they've managed to capture the hearts and wallets of Gen Z. Through celebrity endorsements featuring Kim Kardashian, Bella Hadid and Olivia Rodrigo to partnerships with SKIMS, the 128-year-old Austrian brand is capitalising on the Gen Z driven 'pop luxury' moment.
News you might have missed
2023 was the year of the himbo: I beg your pardon? According to British GQ, himbo's ruled 2023. If, like myself, you didn't know what a himbo was... let's break it down. They have boundless golden retriever energy, they're the counter-cultural equivalent to the traditional Hollywood jock, and they look a little like Barbie's Ken and Swiftie’s fan fave boyfriend Travis Kelce and sweet yet hot guy Jacob Elordi. It’s a feel-good fashion type for sure.
2023’s most stylish people: The New York Times's fashion and style section has named Rihanna, Pedro Pascal, Jenna Lyons and Law Roach as some of the most stylish people of 2023. Appearing in no particular order, those named on the list are recognised for the way they've impacted fashion over the past year — helped, of course, by a team of stylists, costume designers and more.
The high street has taken over high fashion: Zara is at Dover Street Market. Pretty Little Thing showed at New York Fashion Week. Shein has live-streamed a runway show. H&M has teamed up with Mugler and Rabanne. Make no mistake, the high street is trying to recreate the glitz and glamour of luxury brands to seem more desirable and draw in a new generation of shoppers.
Slay moments and eye-roll behaviour
Being British is 'in' right now: I may be biased being a Londoner born and raised, but according to i-D being British is fashionable right now. Being from this side of the pond is part patriotic, part embarrassing and very, very complicated. But thanks to brands and designers such as Burberry, Palace, Bianca Saunders and Wales Bonner, the diverse and democratic vision of British fashion is on everyone's lips at the moment.
Kid Cudi gets a fashion degree: Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, aka rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer Kid Cudi, has graduated from Istituto Marangoni in Miami with a Masters of Arts in Fashion Design. We love to see it.
Model of the year driven off socials: Paloma Elsesser is a face you'll know even if you're not familiar with the name — the supermodel has made history at fashion houses such as Fendi, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga. She recently took home the Model of the Year award at the British Fashion Awards and was the first plus-size woman to do so, but instead of celebrating Elsesser was driven off of IG after her account was swarmed with abusive and fatphobic comments. And this is what we're dealing with in 2023, a bunch of keyboard warriors who probably look like Shrek's pinky toe.
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