Vibes #27: Fashion Is Getting Heated
Designers get political, tech-driven brands take over and marijuana enters its fashion era
‘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 #27.
In fashion, things are getting a little heated.
Legendary designers are binning CBEs over their country's involvement in geopolitical conflicts.
Brands and industry heavyweights are calling the cops to shut down legitimate pop-up events certified by authorised retailers.
And working in fashion is proving to be no good for the mind, body or soul.
Looking at the state of things, the fashion landscape is fighting itself to remain on top.
This battlefield is only likely to intensify as time goes on, but who will come out on top is anybody's guess.
Brand chit chat
Coperni’s tech-driven takeover: remember that dress sprayed onto Bella Hadid during the SS23 fashion month? Or the Air Swipe bag made of 99% air and 1% glass that just debuted at PFW AW24? We’ve got futuristic meets sci-fi Paris-based Coperni to thank for the current fashion buzz doing the rounds.
Tomorrow LTD acquires A-Cold-Wall: Samuel Ross announced the 100% sale of A-Cold-Wall in an amount likely worth 8-9 figures, signalling a strong future for the brand. And in case you didn’t know, Ross started out as Virgil Abloh’s intern 12 years ago — this is the career trajectory we love to see.
Slam Jam is making Umbro cool again: Umbro fell off the cool radar a little while back, and if you're a Londoner like me you know what I'm talking about. But fear not, as Italian retailer Slam Jam has stepped in to save the day and take the creative helm of all of Umbro’s lifestyle collections going forward.
News you might have missed
Paul Smith launches mentoring programme: Paul Smith’s Foundation is partnering with the Mayor of London’s office and Projekt to create The Fashion Residency at Studio Smithfield. This creative and marketing boot camp for emerging designers is the support the industry desperately needs.
Fashion transparency is on the up: Remake just dropped a sneak peek at its 2024 Remake Accountability Report, and things aren't looking good for some of fashion's hottest brands. Missguided, Fashion Nova, Temu and SKIMS scored zero points based on social and environmental categories — damn.
Weed, but make it fashion: the creative director of Edie Parker, Brett Heyman, is infusing marijuana into all aspects of the accessories label. From tabletop lighters to rolling papers to playful and cheeky accessories, fashion is getting well and truly high as cannabis legalisation is on the up in America.
Icon moments and eye-roll behaviour
LAPD shuts down YZY Gap pop-up: Urban Necessities and SRGN Studios took to Instagram to promote a YZY Gap pop-up selling pieces for $20 on a first-come, firt-serve basis… until the LAPD shut down the event due to claims of ‘theft’. Do you think Ye tittle tattled to the cops? I can totally see it.
Working in fashion is dicey: former HighSnobiety style editor and author Alec Leach pens some thoughts about the emotional and financial stress of working in the industry, with the effects it takes on people's emotional and mental wellbeing. I've been in the game for over a decade now, and I agree.
Katharine Hamnett bins CBE: fashion doesn't like to have a strong viewpoint on politics, but designer Katharine Hamnett isn't about to be silenced. Hamnett binned her CBE in protest against Britain’s ongoing involvement in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, using her platform in a way others should.
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