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Introducing three of the best new-season collaborations

News from the fashion front line

WHEN KAIA MET KARL

Kaia Gerber only made her catwalk debut a year ago, but now the model of the moment has turned her attention to design. The daughter of Cindy Crawford, Gerber has worked with Karl Lagerfeld on a collection of high-gloss accessories, laid-back tees and cosy hoodies for his eponymous brand. She’s the first to admit that this is a huge opportunity for a 17year-old to have secured. ‘I’ve always thought that he’s a genius, so it’s amazing that he’s shown me some of his trade,’ she says of Lagerfeld. ‘[Designing a collection] isn’t an easy thing to do, and he’s shown me how to do that. It has really given me a new appreciation for how hard these designers work.’ Karl Lagerfeld x Kaia collection, from £24, karl.com.

WHAT ALEXA DID NEXT

Alexa Chung loves a chunky shoe. So much so, in fact, that five out of the 10 designs in her new collection for Superga boast a thick, vulcanised-rubber, ‘Alpina’ lug sole. ‘The shapes are really dynamic,’ she says of her range, which comes rendered in classic patent, as well as a less obvious velvet. Hiking boots were everywhere during the last round of catwalk shows, but for Chung, the influence had already been bubbling away for some time in her trendgenerating brain. ‘I think trends seep into my style subconsciously but I’ve never been the kind of person who pays too much attention to what we should be wearing at any given time to seem “cool”. If you just follow your instincts it’s way more interesting.’ Available from Friday, from £72, superga.co.uk.

IN PRINT

The television presenter and cookbook author Laura Jackson (pictured left) is reeling off the list of essential criteria for her first ever bag design: big enough to hold a laptop without looking bulky. Can be rolled up into a micro-sized burrito shape. Somewhere to keep a scrunchie, in case she wants to tie up her hair on the go… ‘It sounds silly, but these things really matter to me,’ she laughs. ‘I wanted to get it right.’ The bag is one of 13 pieces from her new collaboration with cult British label Rixo, which will be shown to press at London Fashion Week on Tuesday and available to buy from 24 September.

Jackson’s (famously good) signature style is all over the range. The key, hand-drawn print is inspired by her engagement on the Amalfi Coast, and her now-husband, the photographer Jon Gorrigan, has shot the campaign images on film, with no retouching. ‘It is so personal,’ she explains. ‘I really will be wearing all of it. The dresses over jeans in winter, with wedge trainers in the day or sparkly Manolos in the night. I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone on Instagram will style it up, too.’

From £15 for a scrunchie, available at net-a-porter.com.

THAT’S A WRAP

Wrap-around watch straps may be having a moment, but Hermès has 20 years of experience on the subject, having debuted its Cape Cod ‘double tour’ back in 1998. The brand’s Médor Rock watch took the bracelet-look concept to new heights, with a minuscule dial hidden beneath a pyramid-shaped stud, reminiscent of its iconic dog-collar bracelet. Three new versions of the Médor feature a polished-steel or lacquered stud in black, white, blue or red, precisely colour-matched to the triple-wrap-around leather bracelet. From £2,950, hermes.com.

Sarah Royce-greensill

Caroline Leaper