Chanel Says No More to Exotic Skins
Fresh from its night at The Met, luxury retailer Chanel announced this week that they were no longer using exotic skins in future creations. President of Chanel fashion and president of Chanel SAS Bruno Pavlovsky said to WWD that it was getting increasingly hard to source skins like crocodile, lizard, snake, and stingray that meet the brand’s ethical standards. This is a win for animal rights activists that have recently had major gains in the luxury sector with brands like Gucci, Burberry, Maison Margiela, Michael Kors, and Armani ending the use of animal skins and furs from their future collections.
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Had Its Lowest Ratings Ever
After switching from CBS to ABC and an abysmal press roll-out, the Nielsen viewing numbers are in for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and its audience dropped this year from 5 to 3.27 million viewers. The fallout happens after viral comments from Chief Merchandising Officer, Ed Razek, that VS excluded transgender and plus-size models from the show because it was set to sell a “fantasy”. Is the dream coming to an end? [US TODAY]
Balmain Rebrands Its Logo
Olivier Rousteing announced this week plans for Balmain to join the sans serif revolution with a new logo and monogram. In a press statement, Rousteing states that the new Balmain “B” references the two letters of founder Pierre Balmain in addition, to the city of Paris that is “inextricably linked to our history and creations. It is a singular place, which has proven to be a rich source of inspiration for every designer who has had the great fortune to work here.”
Marc Jacobs is Launching a Diffusion Line
After closing its popular Marc by Marc Jacobs label in 2015, Marc Jacobs returns to affordable price points with his new diffusion line, The Marc Jacobs. Reportedly styled by Lotta Volkova of Vetements and Balenciaga fame, the collection will be availble in retail stores for Pre-Fall 2019.
[WWD]
The CFDA welcomed 14 new members on Tueday
The Council of Fashion Designers of America now has 493 members total with the 14 new additions following a bi-annual membership meeting Tuesday at Hotel 50 Bowery. The announcement on their site lists the new admissions as Zaid Affas, Jason and Julie Alkire of Haus Alkire, Mike Amiri of Amiri, Pamela Bell of Prinkshop, Christopher Bevans of Dyne, Sander Lak of Sies Marjan, Lindy McDonough of Lotuff, Ji Oh, Alexander Olch, Marysia Dobrzanska Reeves of Marysia, Venus Williams of Eleven by Venus Williams, Ahlem Manai-Platt of Ahlem Eyewear, and Alejandra Alonso Rojas. The executive vice president of the not-for-profit, Lisa Smilor, said, “On behalf of the Admissions Committee, the Board of Directors and our Members, the CFDA is very proud to welcome this group of exceptionally talented designers to the organization.” [CFDA]
Vivienne Westwood and Burberry launch their posh-punk collaboration
Two of Britain’s sartorial bedrocks meet and the rest is history. That’s how the story of the Burberry check getting Westwoodified goes, a punk-posh capsule collaboration that just somehow makes sense (considering everybody and anybody is doing a mash-up these days). Riccardo Tisci’s Burberry turned out Vivienne Westwood signatures in the heritage brand’s signature check pattern that are now available online. The campaign, photographed by David Sims, features Kate Moss, Vivienne herself and hubby Andreas Kronthaler and others. It’s all in the name of the charity Cool Earth. [WWD]
Love Magazine rolls out Youtube “magazine”
Love Magazine, the Katie Grand-led fashion publication, rolled out its Youtube video issue in partnership with the online video giant. Bringing fashion and beauty to the site has been the focus of Derek Blasberg, director of YouTube Fashion and Beauty, and Love’s month-long rollout is the first original content produced specifically for the new vertical. The editorials feature Love favorites like Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Bella Hadid and more filmed by Steve Mackey and Douglas Hart. The publication’s printed matter will be out in January, but Grand is motivated to update its format, saying, “It’s clear that video is now the primary medium through which audiences enjoy fashion, and YouTube was our first choice of partner as it leads the medium.” [Fashion Week Daily]
Versace, Wang and Chanel took over New York City
First things first: Michael Kors’ most recent acquisition, Versace, took over the New York Stock Exchange for its Pre-Fall 2019 show, with the emblematic liberty torch in gold as the runway’s giant centerpiece. Donatella Versace chose Kaia Gerber to open and Amber Valletta to close, you can see every model that walked here. Next was Alexander Wang who served in equal parts and heavy doses club-kid meets hacker, think Justin Theroux as the evil DJ from Zoolander meets the Twins from the Matrix. Nana Skovgaard opened and Aymeline Valade closed the show at One Hanson Place in Brooklyn––see every model here. Last but not least, was Chanel’s Métiers d’Art show, which showcases the house’s metiers (embroiderers, milliners, feather workers and so on), and was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There, Karl Lagerfeld sent a gilded collection down the runway backdropped by the ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur. Vittoria Ceretti opened while Karl fav Luna Bijl closed and Alton Mason became the first black male model to walk a Chanel show. You can see the entire casting here.