Fashion Scoops
English Spring
Prada is back at the Selfridges Corner Shop after its last stint six months ago.
The Italian luxury brand is starting off the English spring with a green garden with interiors that resemble a meadow with wooden furnishings.
The special project with Selfridges is titled “Prada En Plein Air” as part of ongoing activations from the brand on display at the Corner Shop until
May 19 with men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories on display.
The brand has installed a similar set up at Harrods with a floral- inspired, allover print in the pop- up space until May 26.
Nature seems to be on the brain at Prada.
In October last year at the Selfridges Corner Shop, Prada Reporter, a project between Prada and Magnum Photos, showcased 150 works of photography based on the relationship between humanity and nature.
The images were formed into an exhibition titled “Witness to Nature” that made its debut at the Corner Shop, featuring floor- to- ceiling panels that showcase the images. The images then traveled to other international cities.
The exhibition held four key themes, which had been shot by eight photographers.
The first theme was “Nature & Metropolis,” drawing on the works of Paolo Pellegrin and
Trent Parke, exploring transformation.
Prada men’s fall 2024 show had a foot in town and country, with the other in idyllic nature.
Guests sat on swiveling office chairs arranged in serpentine rows above transparent floorboards in the vast runway theater. A few feet underneath them, a crystal- clear stream ferried autumn leaves across a verdant, undulating landscape of grasses and ferns.
The Princess And the Bag
Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini has tapped a young Savoia heir to mark the launch of its Lauren bag, which was first unveiled during the brand’s spring 2024 show in Milan in September.
The label’s creative director Lorenzo Serafini zeroed in on Vittoria di Savoia, young princess of the House of Savoy — Italy’s former ruling dynasty — to embody the sophisticated yet fresh ethos of the brand. The 20-year- old model is the eldest daughter of French actress Clotilde Courau and Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, grandson of Umberto II, the last king of Italy before the monarchy was abolished in 1946.
“I am very happy with this collaboration with Vittoria for a project that I’m very excited about. I believe she perfectly embodies the elegance and refinement defining both the Lauren bag and the Philosophy label,” Serafini said.
In the images, the young princess poses with the bag in different sizes and colors. Crafted from nappa leather, the soft clutch with a clean aesthetic comes in two sizes and with a shoulder strap enabling a cross- body use, too. Colors available range from butter to burgundy, with twotoned options additionally offered to add a twist to its pure lines.
“With this bag, I wanted to create an accessory that is a symbol of femininity and timeless style. Through its versatile design, it easily transforms from an elegant evening clutch to a practical chic day bag,” said Serafini, who has been creatively helming the Aeffe- owned brand since 2014.
Coming with a price tag ranging between 650 euros and 870 euros, the Lauren bag launches Tuesday on the brand’s e- commerce, at its store in Rome as well as at a selection of Italian and international retailers. For one, Clan Upstairs in Milan will dedicate a window to the accessory during the upcoming Salone del Mobile design event, which will run April 16 to 21.
Represented by Parisbased Karin Models agency, Vittoria di Savoia is not new to the fashion circuit, having recently secured her first cover on Spanish magazine Yo Dona and with multiple front row appearances past year. In addition to attending the Philosophy fall 2024 runway show in Milan earlier this year, she was also seen side by side her mother at the Dior couture spring 2024 show in January and the Valentino couture fall 2023 show last summer. Last week, the mother- and- daughter duo touched base in Rome for the Pucci spring 2024 show, too.
the importance of sportswear in a fashion context” and eventually led to sportswear becoming the language of both Louis Vuitton and Dior Men under his direction.
“We spent over five years sourcing these rare collaborations from all over the world. The exhibition will be the first time they have been seen together, allowing visitors to see how such a diverse range of designers have reinterpreted British sportswear through
Umbro,” added Danielle Sprecher, co- curator of the exhibition.
According to Groves, the Off-White coach shoe was one of the most difficult items to obtain for the exhibition.
“It took us two years to find a pair in perfect condition and with the original box. Over 93,000 Umbro clothing [ items] are currently posted on eBay, and I have searched them all every day for the past two years. It led me to find not just the OffWhite trainers, but also exceedingly rare 1930s football clothes,” he added.
Divided into five sections: Manchester, England, Tailored, Replica and Diamond, the exhibition looked at different stages of how Umbro reached cult status.
The Manchester part entails where it started, while the England part, by using England’s 1966 World Cup shirt produced by Umbro as a starting point, examines the nation’s complex relationship with national identity. Other examples include Jones’ use of the Tudor rose, Raeburn’s deconstruction of historical kits and Saville’s reimagined St George’s cross.
The Tailored section looks at how Umbro has influenced sportswear over the last 100 years, featuring seven archetypical Umbro garments chosen by Aitor Throup for his Archive Research Project in 2011.
The Replica part looks at how pattern is used to create both repetition and variation with examples of England’s third shirt from the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, and how it was later reimagined by both Palace Skateboards and New Order.
The last section, Diamond, shows how the brand’s logo became a powerful branding tool in the world of fashion, scoring high- profile collaborations with top designers like Jones, Abloh and Demna at Balenciaga.
“It’s incredibly rare for any company to survive for a hundred years, but Umbro has managed to do so by their ability to adapt to each new generation. Umbro was founded in 1924, just five years after the Balenciaga couture house was established,” Groves said.
“What is interesting is that sportswear has become the dominant language of fashion to the point where Balenciaga is no longer a couture house but rather a sportswear company. In the end, sportswear became the common language of dress for everyone, and that in part is down to Umbro,” he added.