Rihanna is the new face of J’Adore Dior
Rihanna is the new face of the J’adore women’s fragrance from Parfums Dior. The businesswoman and singer described her new role as “both an honor and a mission. The scent, that I have known and loved for so long, means so much to women. I am especially looking forward to joining this adventure and contributing to it through my world, my story, my roots, as well as my creativity and my own femininity.” Rihanna succeeds Charlize Theron, who became the jewelry and skin care ambassador in May at LVMH owned Dior after being the face of the fragrance for 20 years. Véronique Courtois, chief executive officer of Parfums Christian Dior said “Since its creation in 1999, J’adore has always been embodied by powerful, triumphant, inspiring women. The choice of Rihanna to be the next face of J’adore was obvious for us. Not only is she one of the greatest and most powerful artists of all times, she is also multitalented, a successful entrepreneur, a committed humanitarian, a mother of two and a singular beauty.” The J’adore campaign in which Rihanna appears shot by Steven Klein will break on September 1st. According to Courtois, J’adore remains one of the fragrance market leaders globally because it keeps reinventing itself with the likes of Parfum d’Eau, the first alcohol-free eau de parfum. More recently, there has been L’Or de J’adore. It was the first significant scent created for Dior by Francis Kurkdjian after he became the house’s perfume creative director in October 2021. [WWD]
Alessandro Michele Drops Debut Collection for Valentino
In a surprising move, Alessandro Michele debuted his first collection for Valentino on the last day of Men’s Milan Fashion Week, coincidentally coinciding with the Gucci show. The former creative director of Gucci created a resort 2025 collection for Valentino, presented as a lookbook, in just two months. This collection features 171 looks and 93 accessory shots. Titled ‘Avant les Débuts’ (which translates to ‘before the beginnings’), it embodies Michele’s distinct 70s coded style, showcasing fur-trimmed collar coats, ruffled mini dresses, and a variety of prints. Michele drew significant inspiration from Valentino Garavani’s 1968 Sfilata Bianca collection. According to Vogue Runway, Michele said, “I started working at Valentino as if we were an orchestra; everyone was playing his instrument with so much love and dedication that I thought it’d be right to be thankful and grateful to the people who have worked so tirelessly to make it happen. My job is to tune the instruments, and it’s all about sharing, so to keep the collection somehow hidden from view wouldn’t have felt right. This is a beginning born out of love — it wants to be brought to light and be seen and shared.” [Vogue]
Yoox Net-a-porter’s China Joint Venture With Alibaba to End
Fengmao, the joint venture between Alibaba and Yoox Net-a-Porter (YNAP), will soon be discontinued, according to Yating Wu, chief executive officer of Fengmao. This move is part of YNAP’s broader strategy to exit China and concentrate investments on more profitable core markets. Additionally, Compagnie Financière Richemont, which hopes to sell YNAP this year, may be looking to streamline operations and phase out long-standing partnerships. Richemont chairman Johann Rupert noted, “There are very many parties still in talks, and private equity has not exited.” Net-a-Porter entered the Chinese market in 2013, appointing industry veteran Claire Chung as general manager in 2015. However, that same year, its sister operation, The Outnet, exited China due to intense competition. The YNAP partnership allowed Alibaba to enhance its search results with legitimate luxury products, encouraging brands to sign direct deals with the platform. In 2020, Richemont and Alibaba collaborated with Farfetch on a landmark deal designed to provide Farfetch with greater access to the Chinese market and boost the digitization of the global luxury industry. However, this digital shopping boom in China was interrupted in 2021 when local authorities began cracking down on the tech sector. Two years later, Farfetch collapsed into administration and was subsequently sold to South Korea’s Coupang for a reduced price of $500 million. [WWD]
Models.com New Agency Directory + Individualized Agency Pages
Models.com has launched a new agency directory along with individualized agency pages. These pages are now more visual and include new functionalities and filters, such as the ability to find agencies based on cities, ranked models, and a recently updated feature that highlights agencies that have recently updated their pages. The individualized pages for premium and standard agencies display each talent/model and their five latest works in each tile. Check it out here!
Giovanni Dario Laudicina on the Subtlety of Menswear
Sicilian-born stylist Giovanni Dario Laudicina began his fashion journey assisting before advancing to spending seven years as fashion editor at Vogue Hommes. In the latest segment of Behind The Image. Models.com spoke to Laudicina about his appreciation of timeless elegance in clothing, influential collaborators, inspirations, and taking on new tasks like fashion director of the new men’s magazine, U Repubblica. Find the complete interview on Models.com here.
MDC Selects: These Rookies Are Passionate Global Citizens
Models.com brings you a new group of new faces for this week’s MDC Selects. Find out how they were discovered, their irrational fears, and much more. Click this link for the full interview.
See What the Models Wore Off-Duty During MFW Menswear S/S 25! Days 1-4
Milano was a fever dream filled with sartorial steps towards the future of menswear for camps like Gucci, J.W. Anderson, Fendi and more. Melodie Jeng captured the moments of zen after shows as the leading models on the runway show off their best fits. See what they’e sporting here.
Also, don’t forget Men’s Milan and Paris Fashion Week Day In The Life’s with Hedi Ben Tekaya at Dsquared2, Adamu Bulus at Dolce & Gabanna, Shivaruby at Wales Bonner, and Runway Spotlights at Prada & J.W. Anderson.
