Maisonette, the premier online shopping destination for children’s
apparel is adding a new brand to its swimwear offerings: Agua Bendita. Made
exclusively for the retailer’s Mommy and Me collection, the capsule
collection features handmade swimwear featuring bright and vibrant printed
dresses for women and children.
Combining the expertise of co-founders and mothers of the Colombian
swimwear brand, Mariana Hinestroza and Catalina Alvarez, with Sylvana Ward
Durrett and Luisana Mendoza Roccia of Maisonette, this collection will be
Agua Bendita’s first-ever collection designed for children.
The Agua Bendita x Maisonette collection—which launched on Feb. 21—is
available in children’s sizes 2Y to 10Y and women’s XS to XL. The
collection ranges from 50 USD to 650 USD and will be sold exclusively
within Maisonette’s Swim and Sun Shop, which is a curated selection of
vacation essentials.
Athletic apparel company Lululemon Athletica
Inc. said Friday that it remains confident in the long-term
opportunities in China, despite the current disruption to its growing
business in the region due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In the update on the outbreak, the company said it continues to work
closely with local authorities to prioritize the safety of its people
and guests in the region.
The majority of lululemon's 38 stores in China have been closed since
February 3, while some are now operating on a reduced schedule. The
company's online business has continued to operate.
Calvin McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, said, "We're inspired by
the resilience and commitment of our team in China as we navigate the
emerging impacts of the coronavirus. The safety of our people is our
highest priority, and we are adjusting store operations based upon
the recommendations of local authorities."
The company said it continues to monitor the situation and will
provide an update on the financial and operational impact on its
fourth quarter fiscal 2019 earnings call, to be held in late March. (dpa)
Be disruptive-At a Fashion Management panel held by
Parsons School of Design, Dylan Jones, the editor-in-chief of British GQ told
FashionUnited, “It’s all about the ability to handle disruption. I
work for a legacy publisher. We still produce 14 magazines a year, we
update our website every 14 minutes, the job you do now is very different
than the job ten years ago, but I don’t think anyone has to be a
soothsayer. I defy anyone to tell me where media is going to be in five
years. You just have to be able to move very quickly.”
In a #LifeAtCoach video from the company’s LinkedIn page, Fredrik Malm,
the President of Europe and International at Coach shared his thoughts on
innovation, “I think of disruptiveness, being disruptive to innovate is
critical in today’s retail landscape.”
Seek newness-Laura Dubin-Wander, the President of Coach
North America further stated in the same video, “Innovation to me is all
about newness and it’s about what’s new in the in-store experience.”
Good leadership: Keep learning by supporting one another, exchange
different perspectives, know when to follow
According to an article published by Forbes in January, Why Every Leader
Should Lead At Following, what makes a good leader is the ability to know
when to follow. When asked by FashionUnited on how to lead, Dylan Jones
(British GQ’s Editor-in-Chief) replied, “Leadership is all about
confidence. I didn’t set out to be a leader. It’s about setting your course
and bringing people with you. Also as an employer, it’s crucial to
understand people’s motivations: If you understand every decision they
make, you can anticipate things.”
At Coach, as the Global Presidents gathered in New York, they shared
with each other what was working in their business, what they can do better
by learning from each other. “It was great to hear some of the big things
(the others) are working on and some of the global initiatives that we can
help support each other with,” Laura Dubin-Wander said in the #LifeAtCoach
video. “What is great to be part of this team is to exchange a lot of
different perspectives because we all look at the world through the eyes of
our own customers,” added Yann Bozec, the President and CEO of Coach
China/President of Tapestry Asia Pacific.
Uphold social values and stand by one's beliefs
As Amsterdam-based Scotch & Soda announced this month that it is strengthening its executive leadership team with
three new hires, CEO Frederick Lukoff placed an emphasis on the
premium label’s values. "The brand is uniquely positioned across the
industry to deliver on the promise of the spirit and the liberal values of
Amsterdam based on tolerance, freedom and individuality. The city is way
ahead of its times and those values are important today, particularly in a
world where they are under attack,” Lukoff stressed in a statement.
At GQ Germany, Joko Winterscheidt went into detail on how he envisions
to uphold his new role as CCO by being open about his values and beliefs,
“I am not the brand Joko Winterscheidt, I am the person. I have attitudes
and beliefs, strengths and weaknesses and thoughts and doubts. No brand is
anything without the people who fill it. From these great people, our
readers and users and friends and partners can expect great stories.”
London Fashion Week began this weekend and the British Fashion Council
is providing highlights from the fourth day on its YouTube Channel. See the
streetstyle highlights from day four of London Fashion Week, featuring Eve,
Miss Fame, Grace Carter, Kenya Hunt, Eva Chen and Charlie XCX.
Video source: British Fashion Council, via Youtube.
When Amsterdam-based fashion brand Daily Paper presented its first
collaboration with Vincent van Gogh Museum on Friday, the coming together
of the two Dutch icons not only fused streetwear with post-impressionist
art - it revealed fashion’s power to conceive identity and connect
communities.
The Van Gogh Museum, where the launch party of the collaboration took
place on Friday, is looking to expand its audience by working with Daily
Paper, a Dutch brand that built its success on expressing the voice of its
customers - a group of young people who felt unheard. The streetwear brand
was originally a blog founded by childhood friends Hussein Suleiman,
Abderrahmane Trabsini and Jefferson Osei in 2008, before the trio began to
print T-Shirts. In the past, the label focused several collections on
African culture inspired by Cape Town and Congo tribes, but now, with the
Van Gogh collection, the brand is turning back to its Dutch heritage.
In the same way as the collection sought to translate Van Gogh’s works
into the present and into its own garments, hundreds of Daily Paper’s
friends and family, creatives and loyal customers, flocked to the Van Gogh
Museum on Friday. With their lively vibe and street style, the crowd
certainly differed from the average visitor to occupy the museum’s
expansive network of floors.
In between shopping the collection and sipping drinks, visitors took
the time to enjoy the ‘real’ works of Van Gogh that were featured in the
apparel and presented on the same floor as the pop-up store. The museum’s
plan to reach out to new and young audiences seemed to work. “We found that
young adults like active cultural participation”, said Martin Van Engel,
programme manager of ‘Van Gogh Connects’, at the launch on Friday.
In its licensing cooperation with the Van Gogh Museum, Daily Paper
included some of Van Gogh’s radiant and colourful paintings such as
‘Irises’ explicitly as all-over-prints on its collection staple set of
cargo jackets and trousers. It’s also the first time the brand released
denim pieces in a collaboration, trying new techniques such as laser
printing drawings by Van Gogh on a pair of jeans.
Some apparel pieces struck a more serious tone, depicting lesser-known
works such as ‘Garden of Asylum’, which Van Gogh painted during his time as
a patient at an asylum. The shirt carried a quote by Van Gogh, who fought
for recognition as a painter during most of his life: “Success is sometimes
the outcome of a whole string of failures.” Another white t-shirt read: “I
would rather die of passion than of boredom”.
Some of these quotes printed on the apparel seemed to reflect the
sensibilities and story of the brand. Since being founded, it has grown to
a fashion label with around 60 employees, worn by star rappers and
streetwear aficionados alike, and will open its first store outside of the
Netherlands in New York in March. Storytelling has remained a strength of
Daily Paper since its inception. In an interview, co-founder Abderrahmane
Trabsini described how its collaboration explored the parallels in the
stories of the two Dutch creative forces.
Van Gogh’s work has become incredibly famous and recognizable over
time. When creating the collection, did you feel pressure to not fall for
cliches and to create something that was more than just ‘merchandise’ for
such an important Dutch icon?
No, not at all. If I want to make something, especially a collaboration,
I want to make it special, give a feeling of a unique piece outside of the
normal collection. As an example: We have the cargo set always in basic
colours, now with the collaboration we actually put Van Gogh’s painting on
it. That’s why I like doing collaborations – you want to make your standard
silhouettes something more special.
And you also tried to achieve this when choosing the works of Van Gogh
for the collection?
We wanted to play with the cliches and pick artwork that’s not so well
known, like the skeleton with the cigarette - a lot of people didn’t know
Van Gogh made that.
The short documentary presented today provided a first look at how you
worked with Van Gogh’s life story in your collection. Why did this
fascinate you?
When we did this project, we learned more about Van Gogh as a person,
which was a blessing because he had a similar upbringing as me in terms of
following his passion, hustling and doing it himself. He didn’t have any
mentor, he didn’t have the financial means. His paintings for example are
two-sided because he didn’t have money to buy a fresh canvas each time.
I always want to know, how did it start? How did it end up here? Just
like me sitting here, where I am now, it didn’t come overnight. It’s about
the journey, not the end goal. If I reach my end goal with my brand, it
wouldn’t feel like ‘yeaahhhh’, it would probably feel boring.
Van Gogh barely sold a painting during his lifetime. Could you relate
to this feeling of being the underdog?
We were kind of the underdogs at the beginning but I think now we have
a cult following who really likes Daily Paper for what it stands for. We’re
not the underdogs anymore. We want to give back and help people. If it
rains, it drops for other people. I share my knowledge with the next
generation, if I can help the next talent, I would love to. When that
person becomes more successful than me at my age, I am happy that I helped
push the youth further.
The generation before us never dreamt of being this big, I am curious
what the next generation will do after us. We’re putting Amsterdam on the
map, we’re showing that you have a lot of dope brands from this small city.
I am not just talking about my brand, I'm also talking about brands like
Olaf Hussein, Patta, Filling Pieces and others.
Is there any artist that you would you like to feature in your
collections in the future?
Kaws. The style is very futuristic - I like his artistic voice. If we
did that collaboration, I would make a slick print or a special toy.
London Fashion Week began this weekend and the British Fashion Council
is providing highlights from the third day on its YouTube Channel. See the
streetstyle highlights from day three of London Fashion Week, featuring
Arizona Muse, Sinead Burke and Caroline Daur.
Video source: British Fashion Council, via Youtube.
UK fashion tradeshow Pure London wrapped up its AW20 edition on Tuesday, closing an event which saw visitors from over 80 countries and more than 1,300 fashion collections coming together under one roof at Olympia London. At the fair, visitors also got to see a presentation by Jane Kellock, founder and creative director at fashion forecasting platform Unique Style Platform, about the macro-trends driving the AW20/21 season. Here is a summary of the five trends:
Hibernate
Slowing down is key to the first trend, Hibernate. The humancentric trend is a reaction to the increasingly fast-paced world we find ourselves in, said Kellock. As consumers look to slow down, they find refuge from modern life in self-care and comfortability. Shapes of clothing are voluminous and cosy with warm layers and padding as consumers look for products that make them feel cocooned and protected. The colour palette is soft and warm, combing neutral pastels such as rose, pastel pink, mint and sage green. Retail spaces also reflect the trend with many creating homely, safe spaces where customers feel at ease.
Model 1 - Jumper: Fitbuddha/Trousers: Alam & Manusia/Necklace: By Nikolas. Model 2 - Coat: Jayley/Jumper: Rupert & Buckley/Trousers: M & Tesiwei/Scarf: James Lakeland
Attune
The second trend, Attune, is all about making eco-friendly choices in a world of mass-production and fast-fashion; it’s about making conscious choices against a background of decision exhaustion and overconsumption. The trend is a reaction to consumers becoming increasingly interested in how garments are made and what they’re made of. Transparency, honesty, simplicity and circularity are key. The trend features sustainable fabrics, biomaterials and recycled fibres, with natural tones drawing on nature, such as rich browns and greens, beige, creams, chartreuse and rust.
Opulence draws inspiration from the aristocracy, historical references and ancient ceremonies. Oversized florals and exaggerated proportions create a statement look centred around occasion - but occasionwear that can be used as daywear as luxury becomes redefined for the contemporary consumer. Accessories have a religious aesthetic, while the colour palette includes bright oranges and reds combined with Cadbury purple, plush blue and metallic gold. The trend is also about authenticity and community. “Brands are trying to tap into consumers desire for original aesthetics and authentic conversations,” Kellock said. In retail it manifests itself in the form of experiences - it’s about creating something people want to share on Instagram and often incorporates emotion, drama and nostalgia.
Coat: Simonetta Sabo/Blouse: James Lakeland/Trousers: Pour Moi/Earrings: Sonatachic
Nu Tech
Nu Tech is about blurring the gap between technology and humanity. The trend sees streetwear and athleisure elevated and optimised with brands increasingly harnessing technology to create new smart and adaptive materials. The trend is underpinned by bold, bright colours such as electric lime and acid yellow, while black, peach and midnight blue anchor it in reality. In retail, brands are using technology to enhance consumer experiences. Companies such as Nike and sneaker platform Goat, for example, are using AR to allow users to see what they’d look like wearing certain sneakers.
Coat: Jayley/Hoodie: Fitbuddha/Skirt: Paul Brial/Hat: Seeberger/Bag: Nali
Coat: Simonetta Sabo/Hat: Fonem/Clips: Bijoux Et Tu
