Runway Shakeups Are Coming
After a year-long hiatus, New York-based designer Marc Jacobs is set to reveal his fall collection on June 28th. Last week Monday, the designer posted a yellow background on his personal Instagram account with the date “6.28.21” and the caption “happiness” hinting at a show date. On the other hand, Peter Do announced his first runway appearance at the reignited live shows at NYFW this September, mentioning “This show is an opportunity for us to establish, rekindle, and strengthen connections within our community, while also in turn highlighting all the ways in which these communities have supported us since day one.” One thing for sure is that NYFW’s rebirth will be something to watch out for.
Victoria’s Secret launches VS Collective Initiative
It’s been about two years since Victoria’s Secret let go of the “VS Angels” after backlash over lack of diversity, inclusivity, oversexualization and the company’s notorious proximity to Jeffrey Epstein. Now, the company has chosen a new direction to empower women, CEO Martin Waters said, “When the world was changing, we were too slow to respond, we needed to stop being about what men want and to be about what women want.” Last week Wednesday, the company announced The VS Collective, a group of seven women including Adut Akech, Paloma Elsesser, Amanda de Cadenet, Eileen Gu, Megan Rapinoe, Valentina Sampaio, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas who will collaborate with the brand, appear in ads, and rally support for causes vital to women. [NYT]
Juneteenth Is Now A Federal Holiday
Last week Thursday President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, recognizing June 19th as a federal holiday and commemorating emancipation. This is the first federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day that was created in 1983. Biden said in a signing ceremony, “Juneteenth marks both a long, hard night of slavery and subjugation and the promise of a brighter morning to come, this is a day, in my view, of profound weight and profound power, a day in which we remember the moral stain, a terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take.” While the United States facing its own torrid racial past with a federal holiday feels like a bandaid on a gaping, open wound, key bills like the Emmett Till Antilynching Act and George Floyd Justice in Policing Act still remain stalled in Congress. [CNN]
Reference Studios x Slam Jam launch Fashion Incubator Program
Creative Agency Reference Studios, based in Berlin, teamed up with retailer Slam Jam to launch an all-inclusive fashion prize for next-gen creatives. The program is open to all with only a minimum of a year of experience in the industry as well applicants unique approach to design that will be judged by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Ferdinando Verderi, Soo Joo Park, Kenneth Ize, Honey Dijon, Zainab Jama, Edward Buchanan, Simon Whitehouse, and Serhat Isik and Benjamin Alexander Huseby of GmbH. The deadline is July 31st and the winner will be announced on September 9th at the Reference Festival in Berlin.[i-D]
Lisa Aiken is headed to Neiman Marcus as the Fashion and Lifestyle Director
After almost three years as fashion director at Moda Operandi, Lisa Aiken has been appointed as the fashion and lifestyle director of the American luxury department store Neiman Marcus. The group’s President and Chief Merchandising Officer Lana Todorovich said, “We have been on a journey to find a global fashion leader who is a digital native and will help accelerate the growth of Neiman Marcus’ loyal brand portfolio with a fresh perspective.” Aiken is set to start the new role in August.[WWD]
Telfar is Designing Olympic Uniforms for Liberia
In a major power move, Liberian-American designer Telfar Clemens is designing Olympic uniforms for the Liberian Olympic team. Born to Liberian parents in Queens, New York, Clemens’ rollout before the highly anticipated, COVID postponed games highlights a collaboration of around 70 unisex designs for the opening and closing ceremonies, competitions, the Olympic village, and general merchandising. [NY TIMES]
Model Martha Hunt is Expectinbg
Congratulations are in order for model and former Victoria’s Secret Angel Martha Hunt as she announced over the weekend she is expecting with fiance, photographer Jason McDonald. The couple got engaged last summer and will be welcoming their first child later this year.
