Paris Fashion Week Has Been Greenlit
In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, much speculation was put on if the Spring 2021 fashion season would go on as planned in September. With London Fashion Week and Couture Week experimenting with a digital-only format or canceling completely, this week the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode has been the first organizing body to announce that it will host physical runway shows. No word on which brands will be on the schedule or what safety measures will be put in place, but brands like Burberry and Dior have already announced that they will host “digital experiences” in September and full-on cruise shows as early as July. Paris Fashion Week shows will take place from September 28th-October 6th. [FASHIONISTA]
The Black in Fashion Council Demands Equality Action in Fashion
The Black in Fashion Council, over 400 strong, has demanded that fashion, beauty, and media companies be accountable for systemic racism. Led by Teen Vogue EIC Lindsey Peoples Wagner and publicist Sandrine Charles, the collective supported by the Human Rights Campaign, is focusing on deliberate action with an equality index that transparently highlights if companies are cultivating inclusive representation of Black employees at all levels. Vogue reports they will also produce a digital directory of Black fashion and beauty professionals that brands can purchase to assist with diversifying their staffs and findings will be released June 2021.
Industry Leaders Launch Black Fashion and Beauty Collective
Further spurred by the uprising against police brutality, more Black fashion leaders have come together and organized initiatives calling for accountability in their sector. Hair stylist Lacy Redway and stylists Law Roach and Jason Rembert have joined their platforms to create the Black Fashion and Beauty Collective, a non-profit initiative that will focus on creating education and career advancement opportunities for aspiring creatives, developing industry diversification standards for corporations, providing resources to support members with their professional goals, and fostering community engagement and support. [ELLE]
Saks Fifth Avenue Opens Back Up
New York City entered Phase Two this week, and Saks has re-opened its Fifth Avenue flagship offering virtual concierge services, boosted hand sanitizer stations, and nonmedical masks if, for some asinine reason, you’ve forgotten yours. It’s a big step to re-enter into the retail market as stores have been hit hard due to industry-wide closures three months ago. A positive result of the forced closure? Delays of on-sale dates of some spring collection orders and Saks paring back its buy has resulted in seasonally appropriate clothing hosted in the store for the first time in 96 years, as Vogue reports.
Kanye West Comes Back to the GAP with a New Yeezy line
With the previously announced Telfar x Gap collaboration on indefinite hiatus due to COVID-19, the struggling mega-retailer is collaborating with Yeezy on a ten-year deal to produce a line of updated basics. Emerging designer Mowalola Ogunlesi will come on as the design director and Gap stock has surged in result to the announcement this morning. Hip-hop fans will recall from West’s debut, College Dropout, that the rapper used to work for the retailer before going full-time into music. [BOF]
