Blackpink’s Lisa joins the jury for the 2021 ANDAM Fashion Prize
Need further proof that Blackpink’s Lisa is a fashion powerhouse? The K-pop star of Thai descent has been named to the jury of one of France’s most prestigious fashion awards—the ANDAM Fashion Prize. Taking her spot among fashion world luminaries such as ex-Celine creative director Phoebe Philo, Chinese mega pop star Chris Lee, Net-A-Porter’s founder Natalie Massenet and more, the savvy move cements the ultra-chic Lisa as one of the industry’s top movers and shakers. “The jury members are inspiring for all of us, because of their accomplishments, of course, but also because in one way or another each one has marked or changed his or her time and potentially the generations to come,” said Cédric Charbit, chief executive officer of Balenciaga and the president of this year’s ANDAM jury, in an interview with WWD. We can’t wait to see which new fashion brands catch Lisa’s eye during the judging process.
All hail the Birkinstock, the Holy Grail of normcore chic
The fashion world plunged into a frenzy after fashion brand MSCHF released their latest drop—a collection of Birkenstock sandals created using Hermès’ highly-coveted, ultra-expensive Birkin bags. In an interview with the New York Times, Daniel Greenberg, the 23-year-old head of strategy at MSCHF, said, “We’re just sort of fascinated with destroying expensive things and creating something new out of them.” So far, rapper Future has already dropped his cash on a pair made from red crocodile stamped with a cheeky ‘BIRKINSTOCK’ logo in gold, which he has obviously shown off on Instagram, and Kylie Jenner has also just gotten a pair. According to reports, MSCHF has only made about ten pairs of these, each ranging from US$34,000 to US$76,000, so they’re limited edition to boot.
Alexander McQueen partners with Vestiaire Collective
Kering-owned Alexander McQueen is putting some incredible archive pieces up for sale on designer resale site Vestiaire Collective, as part of their new ‘Brand Approved’ program. It represents the fashion house’s commitment to creating a circular fashion practice, says Emmanuel Gintzburger, CEO of Alexander McQueen. “We are delighted to be the first house in the world to collaborate with Vestiaire Collective on its ‘Brand Approved’ programme and to give beautifully crafted pieces a new story. We are confident that our customers will be equally excited to take part in an initiative that challenges a linear economy and sets a new and more sustainable standard for the future. We hope many houses will follow because to have impact-at- scale, we need to act collectively,” he adds.
How the system works: A sales representative from Alexander McQueen will contact a select group of customers. Pieces that the clients are willing to sell will be assessed and assigned a buy-back price, if eligible. The pieces will then be authenticated by the fashion house and the client will be issued with a credit note which they can use to buy new items from specified Alexander McQueen stores. After processing by Vestiaire, the pieces will be put up for sale on a dedicated ‘Brand Approved’ page on the Vestiaire Collective app and site, and carry a NFC tag that gives prospective buyers more information about the authenticity of the piece.
So far, there is already a tight edit of dresses, shoes and bags, which you can shop now on Vestiaire’s website, and more will be added in the days to come.
Salvatore Ferragamo launches its Historical Archive online
Speaking of archives, Italian luxury label Salvatore Ferragamo has put a treasure trove of historical memorabilia online for fashion fans to get up close and personal. The ‘Historical Archive’ was originally started by Salvatore Ferragamo himself and built up by his daughter Fiamma. It is now managed by the Fondazione Ferragamo, which has expanded the collection of documents, patents, prototypes and products in the house’s history dating back to the 1920s. The archive is already available for virtual tours in both English and Italian.
Coach and Champion score top points for their collaboration
What happens when you bring two iconic forces in American fashion and athleticwear together? The Coach x Champion collection, recently released on 2 February, is the answer. Comprising of ready-to-wear, bags and shoes that hypebeasts will adore, the collection also features fresh, new branding that combines Coach’s storypatch, one of its house symbols, with Champion’s iconic C-logo for a modern take on sportswear.“I was inspired by the idea of elevating sportswear silhouettes in an unmistakably Coach way using leather, shearling and by combining our iconic symbols in a way that feels fresh, youthful and immediate,” says Stuart Vevers, creative director of Coach. One thing’s for sure: this unique collaboration is a winner in our books.
The Coach x Champion collection is now available at Coach Wisma Atria.
H&M and Lee are joining forces to make denim more sustainable
On the topic of collaborations, Swedish fashion brand H&M has also collaborated with another iconic American brand—denim label Lee. The result? A collection of achingly cool t-shirts, sweaters, beanies, jackets and the pièce de résistance: H&M’s first 100% recycled cotton jeans, made from 80% post-industrial waste and 20% post-consumer waste. “We just loved working with Lee to push for change. A change for more sustainable and circular denim garments. We looked at every detail and challenged each other in a positive way. It’s also amazing to work with Lee’s iconic designs and give them a bit of our flavour, for H&M denim lovers around the world,” says Jon Loman, designer at H&M. Oh, and did we mention that there’s a super adorable childrenswear line for this as well?
The Lee X H&M Divided collection is now available online at hm.com in Singapore.
Tune in next week for another instalment of the top things that you need to know about what’s going on in the world of fashion.
