John Boyega, Maye Musk Celebrate Launch Of Zegna Capsule With The Elder Statesman
The party held on the opening day of Paris Fashion Week was a chromatic feast.
PARIS — The party celebrating the launch of Zegna’s collaboration with The Elder Statesman on the opening day of Paris Fashion Week was a chromatic feast, with every room in the sprawling venue bathed in a different color.
Guests wearing looks from the capsule collection explored a private mansion in Paris where surprises included a food truck in the courtyard, a saffron yellow cocktail bar and a bathtub filled with blue dye.
John Boyega opted for a shawl-collared cardigan in a lilac, orange, green and brown tie-dye-inspired pattern, while Maye Musk wore a matching striped knitwear top and pants with a cashmere flannel shirt.
“Can you imagine taking a flight in this?” she asked. It was an apt question for the model and author, who was fresh off the plane from Milan and will be jetting off to the United Arab Emirates, China, South Africa and Greece in the next few weeks. So has she made a plan for her 75th birthday in April?
“Well, you know, my book is ‘A Woman Makes a Plan,’” she said with a laugh. “Yeah, of course I made a plan. A lot of friends are getting together [in New York City] to have a cocktail party for me.”
Musk planned to attend several shows in Paris after walking for Philipp Plein in Milan, always a taxing adventure. “Do you know how long that runway was? It’s the longest you’ve ever seen,” she said ruefully.
“I modeled for him three years ago, but then it was on very high heels and on mirrors. And so some models fell, some cried, some took their shoes off and walked, but I didn’t know I had that option. I just walked in those very high heels. This time it was really cool boots, but you had to walk fast,” she added.
Zegna artistic director Alessandro Sartori stopped by a red wall, where red-gloved attendants handed out drinks through a small hatch. Meanwhile, Greg Chait, founder and chief executive officer of The Elder Statesman, posed for pictures with influencer Fai Khadra.
Peter Dundas and his partner Evangelo Bousis were in town for his Dundas runway show on Monday, his first since 2019. “It’s always been our home for shows. I grew up in fashion in Paris,” said the designer, who was creative director at Ungaro from 2006 to 2007. “I walked past my old office today and I was thinking about that.”
The Los Angeles-based couple were there to support Chait. “He’s a very, very dear friend of ours and we also wear his things profusely,” Dundas explained. “We travel in them, we live in them, we wear them all the time.”
Florian Zeller was still buzzing from the Paris premiere last week of his movie “The Son,” which stars Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern. “It was something that was very meaningful to me. We created a story about family and somehow we became like family all together, so it was really special for me to have them with me in France,” he said.
The Oscar-winning playwright and director is taking a break before embarking on his next project.
“I’m still digesting. You know, when you have children, there’s that moment when you know you have to let them live their own life. You have to let it go, and I’m at that moment with my film. I know that now, I need to let it go to live its own life and then I will have more room to think about what’s next, but I don’t know yet,” he confessed.
Jackman wore Zegna for the Paris leg of the press tour, but Zeller, dressed in black, has yet to embrace the new capsule collection’s rainbow palette.
“I’m not very brave but I think it’s very beautiful, the combination of colors, texture,” he said. “I mean, it’s art, you know, and it’s great when you see art coming into our lives, through clothes or through movies or through anything, you know, just to be inspired.”
of Space Age touch, but he keeps very pure lines.”
She’s become personal friends with the Belgian designer who has an Italian name. “And his name is di Felice, it means happiness in Italian. How beautiful can that be?”
— RHONDA RICHFORD
Couture Collection
Stephanie Seymour’s personal collection of vintage haute couture dresses created by such designers as Azzedine Alaïa, Courrèges, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne will be on display at a new exhibition at NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, titled “The Swans: Karen Kilimnik and Stephanie Seymour Paintings and Dresses.”
The exhibition, which runs from March 12 to July 15, features a selection of romantic paintings by contemporary artist Karen Kilimnik. In her paintings, she casts a youthful Leonardo DiCaprio and other stars and fashion models in leading roles. The paintings are inspired by the glamour and sophistication of the fashion world, and complement the haute couture dresses.
The exhibit references the stylish and mid- 20thcentury high- society women whom writer Truman Capote dubbed, “The Swans.”
The exhibition is part of “Picturing Fame,” which comprises four concurrent exhibitions on the subject of fame that include: “Toulouse- Lautrec and the Follies of Fame,” “Hooray for Hollywood,” and “Emilio Martinez: Van Gogh, Lautrec and Me,” which all opened Feb. 11 and run through Sept. 3.
The NSU Art Museum is celebrating the exhibition with a black-tie event that includes cocktails, exhibition premiere and dinner, in honor of Seymour and Peter M. Brant on March 11. Individual tickets start at $ 3,000, and proceeds will support
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale exhibitions and educational programming.
– LISA LOCKWOOD
Road To Milan
Edgy British retailer End. has set foot overseas, opening its first international flagship in Milan.
Named End. Milano, the three- story unit located on central Via Mercanti connecting the Cordusio and Duomo Squares offers 1,700 square feet in retail space organized around an airy three- story- high atrium and central escalator.
It is decked in marble and maple wood, which provide the space with a graphic and lean set- up, in addition to locally sourced materials such as terrazzo marble, a Milanese staple and Portofino timber.
“Creating inspiring retail concepts is a key element of our strategy at End. and I’m so pleased with how well this project has come together in Milan. It’s a beautiful space located right in the heart of the city, and we feel proud and privileged to have a space like this to welcome our existing community as well as new customers getting to know End. for the first time,” said Parker Gundersen, the company’s chief executive officer.
The brick- and- mortar unit builds on the strong e- commerce footprint in the city, the company said.
The ground and basement floors display a wide selection of End.’s menswear labels — from A. P.C., Arc’teryx and Carhartt WIP to Balenciaga, Saint Laurent and Rick
Owens — and a dedicated sneaker corner. The ground floor also features a section dedicated to beauty and lifestyle products such as skin care, fragrances, cosmetics, homeware and edgy publications, as well as A Bathing Ape’s corner.
Traditionally a menswearleaning retailer, known for its mix of street and luxury and for championing sneaker and hype culture, End. Milano boasts a strong womenswear assortment, displayed on the top floor.
“We’re grateful for the support of all our brand partners and are looking forward to a full schedule of events and exclusive product launches planned in the weeks and months ahead to bring the store to life. I’m also really thrilled to introduce our new End.,” Parker said.
Founded in 2005 and having built a strong reputation in the e- commerce space, the British retailer has opened physical destinations in Glasgow, Scotland, and London, Newcastle- uponTyne and Manchester, England.
— MARTINO CARRERA
The Attico’s Swag
As much as the fashion crowd at large right now, The Attico’s Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini are obsessed with the ‘ 90s and they are celebrating some of the decade’s icons in their latest capsule collection for fall 2023.
Dubbed “Kick Your Game,” it pays homage to R&B stars including Mary J Blige, Aaliyah and TLC — their style a mix of high and low, streetwear and glamour.
Comprising ready-towear and accessories that capture the zing of that era’s fashion, the collection updates The Attico’s styles, including cargo pants, jerseys and washed- out denim jeans scattered in crystals, as well as tops, frocks, skirts and leggings decked in a multicolored bandana motif.
Playing with contrasting silhouettes, oversize bomber jackets and low-slung baggy pants mingle with skinbaring body-con pieces with cutouts and chainmail or feathery details.
The capsule collection is complemented by accessories, a fast- growing category for The Attico. They include degrade PVC mules with geometric wedges, patent leather pumps and stiletto boots, as well as patent leather trapeze handbags.
After sitting out of the fashion week platform a few seasons ago and adopting a see now, buy now format, Tordini and Ambrosio will celebrate the launch of the capsule collection on Thursday, throwing a bash during
Paris Fashion Week. Nicknamed The Attico
Club, the event will feature performances and DJ sets by Caroline Polachek and The Blessed Madonna.
Available starting Wednesday on the brand’s e- commerce platform and at select retailers worldwide, the collection retails for between 230 euros and 2,900 euros for ready-to-wear; 810 euros and 1,270 euros for handbags, and 790 euros to 1,470 euros for shoes.
The brand — which in 2018 received an investment from Remo Ruffini, who acquired a 49 percent stake in the company through a vehicle called Archive
Srl, controlled by Ruffini Partecipazioni Holding Srl — has been on a retail and category push as of late.
The designers traveled to New York to open their first temporary pop- up in the city, located in
SoHo’s Wooster Street, last September following similar activations at key retailers worldwide. In 2021 the brand introduced its first handbag collection, expanding its accessories range; approached the world of streetwear with the “Life at Large” collection; launched beachwear, and unveiled the “Superattico” capsule of 14 evening outfits during Milan Fashion Week.
Stretch Your Denim
Updating its heritage in jeans making, Pence 1979 has unveiled a capsule collection with wellness influencers Anna Kanyuk and Dmitriy Kanyuk, adapting denim to the active lifestyle.
he men’s and womenswear capsule includes denim kimonos and Bermuda pants, as well as the brand’s signature straight-fit jean equipped with side zips for extra practicality and a hybrid short- miniskirt apt for running in style. On the menswear front, denim overshirts, five- pocket jeans and waistcoats hinge on leisurewear and reflect Dmitriy Kanyuk’s penchant for traveling.
The collection, dyed in indigo, clay gray
and flamingo pink, is complemented by basic jerseys in tonal nuances.
“Let’s motivate people to do some sport,” said Anna Kanyuk, detailing the rationale for the collaboration. “I’m a mum of two girls and I’m always looking for something comfy and sexy, that makes me feel good.”
Dmitriy Kanyuk said they first got in touch with Pence 1979 last June and started discussing details over Zoom calls. The pair is based in Dubai, from where they chronicle their life sharing Anna’s motto “Stretch Your Limits,” a pun nodding to the stretching workouts and videos she posts to her social media.
“I had fun and found it fascinating to create garments that explore the human body in a different way. Designed for more extreme movements than the ones we do in everyday life,” said Dora Zecchin, the brand’s creative director. “Anna certainly knows how to move and master her body with such lightness and sinuosity’,” she added.
The collection is part of the fall 2023 lineup that focuses on arty denim treatments leveraging the company’s high- quality manufacturing and knowhow and cool knits done in collaboration with
Danilo Paura.
In 2021 Pence 1979 was acquired by IPO Fashion & Design with Zecchin, the daughter of founder Otello Zecchin, retaining minority ownership. The brand has been bulking up its international footprint as of late and plans to enter South Korea this year via a local partner. — M.C.
Fashion Reimagined
Amy Powney is on a mission to educate the fashion industry and the wider general public with her debut documentary “Fashion Reimagined” with director Becky Hutner.
The two women met five years ago when Powney won the BFC/ Vogue
Fashion Fund Award. She told Hutner that she was going to use the money from the fund to make her label, Mother of Pearl, sustainable.
“Hutner just said it was her calling in life to follow my journey,” Powney told WWD in a Zoom interview.
Hutner has been a fly on the wall filmmaker, documenting every step of Powney’s business and activism.
“None of us knew what we were going to find or what was going to happen. I didn’t have a plan, we were just going at it and she didn’t have a narrative or storyboard because she didn’t know what we were going to do,” Powney said of the filming process.
By the end of the five years, Hutner had collected more than 250 hours of footage that she edited down to 92 minutes slated for a Friday release in the U. K.
The experience for Powney has been touching, both on a professional and personal level, she said.
“It’s quite a privilege to have someone capture a moment of your life and time, especially being a mother. I always think that my children will never really remember me now and that they’ll remember me as an older woman,” said Powney, who never intended for the film to be a promotional piece of footage for herself or her brand.
The film is divided into three parts: the statistical part, the supply chain of how a brand operates and the personal journey of Powney.
The documentary takes a different approach to others in the category such as “The True Cost” and “Unravel,” which trace the problem of fashion rather than facing it.
“The most important part about this film is it’s teaching you about a problem and I want people to come away from it saying, ‘I didn’t realize how complex the fashion industry was, but actually this girl’s done something about it, so can I,” said Powney referring to her small upbringing in north of England.
Powney sits on the advisory board for Copenhagen Fashion Week and believes that London needs to be doing more.
“There’s too much conversation and not enough action. That’s quite a harsh thing to say, but climate change affects everybody,” Powney said.
“It was too much money and too much pressure for seven minutes of your life that we weren’t uplifted from. We were exhausted from it and let down at the end of it because it’s such a huge moment that you put weeks and months into making,” she adds of her experience staging fashion shows.
Powney wants brands and designers to care more about the life of their garments beyond the starting and finishing point, but to rather think about the afterlife of garments and how they’re treated once purchased.
She’s taking it slowly and carefully with her brand Mother of Pearl.
“In all honesty, I just want to make clothes done properly that make women feel good. All I care about for my brand these days is to get a message from a customer to say ‘ I’ve got that and it makes me feel amazing,’” Powney said.
“I just want to simplify it and go back to what Coco Chanel was doing back in the day, where it was just making great, nice-quality products done correctly to make women feel good. I don’t really have much more of a desire than that,” she said.
— HIKMAT MOHAMMED
Going Green
Entrepreneur Nikki Reed, “Avatar” star Bailey Bass, “You” and “Uncharted” star Tati Gabrielle and more will join as cohosts of sustainable fashion platform RCGD [ Red Carpet Green Dress] Global’s PreOscars Gala this March.
As the Oscars’ official sustainable style partner — having recently published a sustainable style code for famous faces — RCGD Global’s pre-Oscars event will return March 9 in Hollywood. RCGD Global has collaborated with The Academy since 2011 on its Red Carpet Green Dress initiative at the Oscars.
Its newest style guide includes sustainable outfit recommendations, while highlighting past red carpet designs that are sustainable and include circular-inspired actions items.
RCGD Global’s current ambassadors include Tati Gabrielle, Sophie Turner, Marlee Matlin and Billie Eilish, many of whom have already showcased their passion for sustainability through climate changerelated advocacy.
The event is an annual tradition by RCGD Global ( now in its 13th run) whereby stars and collaborators such as Tencel and new partners such as QR code provider VeriSwype and sustainable apparel trade group Sustainable Apparel Coalition, get a platform for showcasing sustainable fashion and honoring past legacies.
RCGD Global said the event will have a “very special tribute to the legacy of Dame Vivienne Westwood,” though further details were not provided.
“To honor the legacy of one of the most influential and pioneering activists in the fashion industry Vivienne Westwood alongside some of our closest friends and ambassadors as cohosts feels like a celebration like no other. Our collaborator since 2012, Vivienne Westwood has always been a true inspiration for us all and we aim to follow her mission of having a positive impact on society through fashion,” said Samata Pattinson, chief executive officer at RCGD Global.
RCGD Global’s PreOscars Gala will take place ahead of the 95th Academy Awards where RCGD
Global and Tencel’s fourth annual Oscar partnership gowns will be unveiled on the red carpet. The collaboration produces occasionwear using
100- percent renewable cellulose- based fabrics.