Virgil Abloh Passing Away
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the fashion industry was rocked with the sudden passing of Louis Vuitton Menswear artistic director and Off-White founder Virgil Abloh after a two-year battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. The devastating news led many in the fashion and music scene to social media to cathartically remember the designer and his many endeavors. Abloh always linked his creativity onto other mediums than fashion and his many collaborations with brands including Nike, Mercedes Benz, and Ikea were early indicators of the virality of his ideas and how it is fruitless to fit him into the box of just a designer. Described as an eternal optimist and full of light from his countless friends, fans, and colleagues Abloh did not let the impending news of his death stop the already scheduled runway show for Louis Vuitton Menswear taking place in Miami, requesting as a final wish for it to continue, with many treating the event as their goodbye to the 41-yea-old, Ghanaian-American trailblazer.
Alber Elbaz Passed Away
In April, the fashion world was devastated by the untimely passing of designer Alber Elbaz due to COVID-19. Famously known for his revival of the house of Lanvin, Elbaz, 59, had just launched AZFactory at the top of the year, his most high-profile fashion venture since leaving Lanvin in 2015. Born in Israel, Elbaz was legendary for his unconventional silhouettes, modern take on femininity, inclusive stance towards casting, and his kindness. Alber’s team at AZFactory along with 44 other designers honored him at a tribute held at the end of Paris Fashion Week, showcasing looks inspired by Elbaz’s core design philosophies and epitomized by his mantra, “Love brings love.”
Pieter Mulier Begins at Alaïa
How do you follow in the footsteps of a legend? Belgian designer Pieter Mulier found out this year when he was named Creative Director of the house of Azzedine Alaïa, four years after Alaïa’s passing. Already well-known to fashion insiders as the right-hand man of Raf Simons during his tenures at Calvin Klein, Jil Sander, and Dior, Mulier’s first show for Alaïa was a triumphant debut as much as it was a tribute to Azzedine. Showing a mix of couture and ready-to-wear looks, Mulier’s self-declared ‘return to foundations’ was an ode to the beloved late couturier, who he thanked in a heartfelt letter included in the show notes.
Balenciaga First Haute Couture Show In 53 Years
It had been 53 years since Cristóbal Balenciaga had his last couture show – so it was only right that creative director Demna carried on the tradition with his own interpretation for Balenciaga’s SS22 collection. Demna continuously speaks on his love for clothes, saying “Clothes have a psychological impact on me. I realized they make me happy—and I realized that’s the purpose of fashion.” The collection was a combination of oversized tailoring with contemporary silhouettes that gave the essence of the 21st-century ballroom culture. The show itself was a spectacle of sorts of celebrity culture; the couture house partnered with The Simpsons to give a 10 min preview of the new collection, and models and celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Cardi B, Ella Emhoff, and Juergen Teller walked the red carpet to leave to the audience to interpret who exactly was a celebrity invited to the show or a paid model. From that presentation alone, Demna showed the possibilities of what a fashion show can be.
Kenzo Selects Streetwear Legend Nigo As Artistic Director
After Portuguese designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista stepped down this year as artistic director of Kenzo and founder Kenzō Takada passed away last year due to complications of COVID-19, the entire industry was on their toes trying to guess who the successor to his eponymous Parisian brand, Kenzo would be. In September, the company announced that the guru of streetwear, founder of A Bathing Ape and Billionaire Boys Club, Nigo would be appointed as the new artistic director of the luxury house. Nigo is due to debut his first collection for women and men during PFW next January, so we will be excited to see what this new era of Kenzo brings.
Pyer Moss Unveils A One-Off Couture Show
On the day of Kerby Jean-Raymond’s first attempt at couture for Pyer Moss, Mother Nature unleashed torrential rain and wind gusts, postponing the show for a nerve-wracking 48 hours. The dramatic opening hosted at Villa Lewaro, the impressive 1918 estate of Madam C.J. Walker, brought back loyal show guests including Tracee Ellis Ross, A$AP Ferg, Justine Skye, and Bethann Hardison to witness the first-ever Black American designer guest invited by the Chambre Syndicale. What was presented was a surrealist testament to historic references and subtle defiance of tradition with elevated everyday objects found around black households or invented by black innovators.
Daniel Lee Leaves Bottega Veneta
In a year of shock exits throughout the industry, none was more surprising than that of Daniel Lee at Bottega Veneta, just days after the brand’s Salon 03 show in Detroit. Lee had much to do with the repositioning of the venerated Italian fashion house, rejuvenating a brand known primarily for their leatherwear and introducing a younger and broader audience. Rumors of a toxic workplace and behind-the-scenes drama being the cause of Lee’s departure are still swirling, and there is no word as to where the British-born creative director will land next. What is certain, though, is his replacement: Kering journeyman designer Matthieu Blazy has been promoted from within to take over the role. Time will tell if Blazy is able to maintain the hype that Lee fostered for the brand.
Naomi Campbell Announces The Birth of Her Child
Iconic supermodel Naomi Campbell announced the arrival of her first child in May with a post on Instagram saying, “A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother. So honoured to have this gentle soul in my life there are no words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you my angel. There is no greater love.” Many fellow fashion insiders sent their well-wishes like Adut Akech, Edward Enninful, and Marc Jacobs.
Ib Kamara Becomes Editor-in-Chief of Dazed Magazine
Dazed announced new additions to its masthead at the very top of this year as the London-based magazine entered a new era under the direction of editor-in-chief Ib Kamara. Since then, the newly appointed EIC has created an uncompromising creative vision focused on mythologizing global culture, frequently collaborating with heavyweights Paolo Roversi, Carlijn Jacobs, and Rafael Pavarotti for the publication. Having graduated in 2016 from Central Saint Martins, his global outlook has already captured celebs like Rihanna and Harry Styles and in December he took home the British Fashion Council’s Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator.
The Return of NYFW
After two seasons of COVID-cautious digital presentations and lookbooks in place of physical shows, New York Fashion Week returned for the Spring/Summer 2022 collections with as much normalcy as it could muster. And while it wasn’t the same over-the-top spectacle as it has been in the past, it did produce plenty of memorable moments. Most notable included the return of Thom Browne to the schedule after four years in Paris, Peter Do’s fashion show debut, the casting of Aaron Philips by Moschino, and the LaQuan Smith show held at the top of the Empire State Building. But with many questioning the necessity of fashion weeks and an increasing number of high profile designers opting to show off-schedule, not to mention the emergence of the Omicron variant and corona case numbers soaring, who knows what format next season’s shows will take.
New Leadership At Vogue France and Vogue Italia
Longtime EIC of Vogue France, formerly Vogue Paris, Emmanuelle Alt, left her role of 20 years at the publication this year, as did Emanuele Farneti, who held his role of EIC of Vogue Italia for 5 years. These shakeups were part of Condé Nast’s global integration, as the company reorganized its editorial teams under Edward Enninful, who now oversees all of the owned and operated European Vogue titles. New leadership at the two publications was announced. Eugenie Trochu who first joined Condé Nast a decade ago as an intern for Vogue U.S. in Paris, replaced Alt as Head of Editorial Content, and made the decision to change Vogue Paris to Vogue France. As for Vogue Italia, Francesca Ragazzi is now the Head of Editorial Content replacing Emanuele Farneti. Ragazzi also started her publishing career as an intern for Vogue Italia and worked her way up to fashion market director.
Models.com Removes Top Sexiest List
The evolution of Models.com’s rankings board was not something we took lightly and this year the removal of our Top Sexiest Rankings was something we felt was long coming if we were to reflect the cultural shift in the markets. “Sexy isn’t dead, it’s evolved,” Models.com editor-in-chief, Stephan Moskovic said. “In a world where what sexy encompasses is virtually limitless, more determined by individual viewpoints than markets, the culture the list was first created to track felt out of touch.” Brands like Victoria’s Secret, Savage x Fenty, Skims, and Abercrombie are now considered for the Money List rankings, which tracks big figure contracts within the fashion and beauty marketplace.
