Every now and then, the fashion landscape sees a flurry of happenings—be it huge overhauls in terms of the creative direction for the key maisons or groundbreaking collaborations that attract enthusiasts from every corner of culture. Some of these, undoubtedly causing a palpable shift in the sartorial world. After all, changes at the executive level for the various fashion houses might not only bring about the end of an era with certain iconic designers, but also set in motion a season of change as to who might be next to take up the mantle. One only needs to recall the legacy of Tom Ford’s Gucci or the vision which Karl Lagerfeld had left behind for Chanel; both departures despite being inevitable, were undeniable rupture points for the fashion world.
And at other times, the industry welcomed moments of genius; creative collaborations that cross into the realms of art, film and music turn into the talk of the town, such as Louis Vuitton’s memorable collections with Japanese artists Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama or the many joint moves with widely popular artist KAWS.
And with the number of new collaborations or announcements sprouting from the industry every other day, it’s inevitable that you might miss out on a standard few. Not to fret however, for with Vogue Singapore’s bi-weekly round-up, you can consider yourself all caught up. This week, we’re looking at a number of significant decisions being implemented and handled at the executive level—from the fashion brands under SMCP group going feather-free to Adidas and Thom Browne being caught up in an ongoing legal battle. Elsewhere, the luxury houses seem to be casting their sights on the girls of K-pop group NewJeans, with more members being appointed as global ambassadors.
Catch up on all the fashion news to know, below.
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Adidas meets Thom Browne in court over a trademark dispute
After first filing a lawsuit against Thom Browne in June 2021, Adidas has finally met the luxury fashion maison in court on Tuesday earlier this week—for allegedly infringing on the sports giant’s trademark stripes. Whilst Adidas has been using the distinctive three parallel stripes since the 1940s, Thom Browne’s designs have often included sets of four parallel stripes on their own designer apparel, since the launch of the eponymous label in 2003. This lawsuit follows a previously avoided legal battle between the two houses in 2007, when Adidas had discovered Thom Browne’s use of three stripes in their designs. Both had agreed on Thom Browne’s addition of one more stripe—making it four—for a clearer distinction between the two.
Fast forward to today’s ongoing court war: the sports house’s lawyer is arguing that customers are still confused by the supposed similarities in design, calling it a “targeted attempt to grow its sportswear business” on Thom Browne’s part, considering how the luxury label is expanding its sports-oriented products. Adidas is seeking US $867,225 in damages, which is the amount that would have been received should the two companies have entered a licensing agreement. An additional US $7 million has also been filed—for the estimated profits Thom Browne has made from the sale of its striped products.
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K-pop group NewJeans’s members are now fashion ambassadors
Despite only debuting in the second half of 2022, the South Korean rookie group NewJeans are already making waves all over town, for both their music and style. With hit songs ‘Hype Boy’ and ‘Attention’ going viral all over social media, the five girls have swiftly caught the eye of the public—and also the largest fashion houses from around the world. It seems that each of the members are quickly gaining appointments from the luxury maisons; starting with Hanni for Gucci, Hyein for Louis Vuitton and most recently, Danielle for Burberry. Much speculation is in the air for the remaining two members of the group, but it seems to only be a matter of time before we hear news on Minji and Haerin.
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Moncler Genius to show at London Fashion Week in February
As the fashion world prepares itself for yet another high-octane season, a multitude of brands are readying themselves to reveal their latest hand on the runway. Some, with their own little surprises to beat. One we’ll be anticipating is Remo Ruffini’s very own collaborative project for Moncler: Moncler Genius, set to show at the maison’s show at London Fashion Week on 20 February. Launched in 2018, Moncler Genius looks to the experimental nature of creation—providing the space for other designers to reimagine the house’s original codes and signature shapes. Previous collections have seen the likes of JW Anderson, Craig Green and Dingyun Zhang hold the reins, but the identity of exactly whose work we can expect to see at the upcoming show is yet to be revealed.
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Fashion brands under SCMP group to ban the use of down and other feathers
Starting with the fall/winter 2023 season, brands under the SMCP parent group will be going feather-free—cementing their commitment against animal cruelty-free practices. Labels such as Claudie Pierlot, Maje, Fursac and Sandro will henceforth be banning the use of animal hair such as duck and goose feathers in their future collections, an implementation that follows their previous ban on fur and exotic skin in earlier years. With their choice to use synthetic materials and cruelty-free alternatives instead, this indicates the possible onset of an industry-wide shift against animal cruelty.
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Fendi collaborates with Tiffany & Co. on an exclusive series of Baguette bags
In celebration of the iconic bag’s 25th anniversary, a dedicated fashion show had been held by Kim Jones in New York last September. As part of its continued celebrations, the fashion house reached out to the luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co. to craft an enchanting, one-of-a-kind piece: a sterling silver bag, engraved with a flurry of lilies and roses on it—both nods to the two maisons’s roots of Italy and New York respectively. Put together by an ensemble of Tiffany Makers using a traditional silversmith’s method at the jeweller house’s Rhode Island workshop, the bag weighs close to 2.4 kilograms and is part of a larger capsule of other collaborative Baguette bags featuring the Tiffany & Co.’s signature blue hue.
