Nelson Mandela launches his first fashion label, using his prisoner's matricule number as fashion ID.
46664 is the name of this internationally-minded South African label which announces a New wave of creativity in South African fashion scene.
Seeking to dynamize local fashion economy, Nelson Mandela decides to impulse the change in creating a local fashion specificity.
46664 launching intervenes at a time when South Africa fashion scene encounters difficulties to develop locally its fashion labels. Rich with a creative fashion potential, the country has to face a lack of financial subsidies necessary to market local fashion designers businesses. However, it's clearly assumed that this african country is proudly hosting a specific identity of fashion, feeding local trends with an underground fashion style only London city can compete with. Then, Johannesburg stands out the crowd as THE fashion hub of the country, considering the Avant-Gardist and home-made underground Hipster Style Joburg citizens are easily identified by.
Consolidating a self-made fashion model where the "Do-it-yourself" becomes an innovation strategy, South Africa develops a unique fashion identity while the rest of the continent remains in its traditional Total Look Wax Style. Then, 46664 creates the impulse in a contemporary fashion scene which has been too often confused with bad quality fabrics and counterfeits items.
The label breaks in South Africa fashion market, standing aside European A-list fashion labels and aligning with "Boutique" fashion designers. For now, 46664 is the first global fashion label emerging from South Africa. Developed under a licencing agreement withCape Town-based Seardel Investment Corporation Limited, 46664 is endeavoring a new way through, giving hope to fashion designers on Rainbow Nation's future economical fashion features.
Fashion artists such as Athi Patra Ruga or Themba Mngomezulu (Darkie Label) are proudly representing this new generation of contemporary South African fashion designers who successfully developed their own fashion vision. Far from the HIV/AIDS charitable vocation 46664 label assumes, these artists empower South Africa fashion "Nouvelle Vague".
The Rainbow Nation can definitely prides itself for impulsing the change, feeding a Fashion Conscious wind that blows in its local fashion scene.
The official launch of 46664 Collection has been programmed for August this year, with retail stores in Joburgh and different ones across the country.
This Fall season, Issey Miyake ironically reminds us Ready-To-Wear original meaning : On the earliest Ages of this social fashion liberation, Ready-To-Wear was more a practical and easy way to create single-use minded garments from which patterns weren't made to models measures.
Dai Fujiwara decided to bring us back to an Era where Pret-à-Porter was an easy way to fabric clothes, breaking with Haute Couture time, when fitting, sizing and cutting ruled garment creative process.
Developing a collection around the origami theme, Dai Fujiwara created for his last season a show alternating paper dresses with the illusion of fabric.
Creating phantoms of garments in showcasing origami-like dresses, Fujiwara signed this collection on a piece of sheet, writing his name on walking paper pattern dresses, saving his last words before leaving Issey Miyake's artistic direction.
Revisiting the house architectural codes and intricately detailed pattern-making techniques, Fujiwara gaves origami a timeless dimension.
Following on stage paper-patterns silhouettes by fabric versions of those single-use dresses, Fujiwara printed on paper a timeless fashion message.
While this fashion week season has been placed under goodbyes signs, the designer presents a timeless show, like to underline his fashion influence in Miyake's House.Then, he reminds us the Ephemera of fashion, displaying for a last time his words, placing some dots to a fashion language in which he has always been fluent, living behind what will always remain eternal : his Style !
Fujiwara added depth to his collection in nurturing his patterns with M.C Escher's influences, living origami dresses with optical illusions of jackart.
White dresses are outstandingly presented in Black background silhouettes, walking in tune with a childhood flavored little ditty.
This season, Karl Lagerfeld isn't shying to present a new Chanel women : She's grunge, dark and she crossgenderizes !
Far from the traditional "Bon Chic-Bon Genre" style-which is too often showcased by the House-Karl Lagerfeld imposes his style in revisiting Chanel's codes.
It's in a post-apocalyptic background that Karl presented a collection which in my opinion is a great success.Chanel reinvents the grunge in adding to it drops of Elegance in a sobriety background. This show has been placed under the musical sign of an instrumental version of THE CURE, giving the atmosphere to the whole collection.
Man's jacket, denim leggings, biker boots were on stage; few drops of feminity flavored this slightly male-sized collection . We saw this season a collection of clothes which looked damaged by the time : colors were shadowy-which stand us far from the traditional vivid Chanel "Black-and-White" Credo- and fabrics have been chosen amongst the tough ones : Tweed, Tweed and Tweed again ! Superposed, it ruled the whole show.
This fall collection wasn't a show about slightness but a long live materials Manifesto, celebrating an Era in which clothes survive Time and elements (maybe that's the reason why a fumigating volcano has been placed on stage !).
Reaffirming the identity of the House, or presenting a new identity? Well, I believe this show is a call to Chanel's original identity : Mademoiselle Chanel wasn't a bourgeoise, she was a self-made determined woman with a sense of Elegance, a taste for change and a willing to embrace challenges. Then, I think Karl performed this collection in translating Mademoiselle values, reminding us Chanel House identity survives its time and its designers.
Coco Chanel's spirit was heavily floating on this collection. After Sarah Burton for Alexander Mc Queen and John Galliano for Christian Dior, we can consider this fall fashion week season haunted by fashion phantoms who secretly invested catwalks, sharing on stage a Millésime of truly inspired Style motions.
Aside the scenarization of this show, this collection is in phase with grunge fashion reality : When Gothic-Punk movement found its roots in UK streets, fashion movement turned into a universal second-hand phenomenon : punk clothes stores were not places to find brand-new outfits, especially at the early ages of the movement. Then, Karl reminds us the Essentials of fashion : "Go find your clothes in places they already have been worn several times" because "it's a dark time". It's clearly underlined with this shredded chiffon look some outfits have on stage.
Tunics, tabbarts and capes gave a romantic ton to this collection balancing the dark with drops of colored softness. It's definitely not a pure punk collection, it's just a remind of Coco Chanel spirit which is oscillating between the femininity and this PRESUPPOSED masculine Avant-Gardism. It's a balance between the Yin and the Yang the masculine and the feminine.This fall collection isn't a Chanel Bourgeoise collection, it's a show spiriting the Dark side of Chanel with the audacity of Mademoiselle.
Fashion is currently embracing a very important time of its History : some Success-sized designers die, other are dismissed... It drives us to interrogate ourself about the potential for Fashion Houses to survive their designers. Karl clearly put Chanel show in alignment with his own statement when affirming "the world is a dark place". Well, I won't say that his affirmation is genuinely reflecting my personal understanding of the world, but I can definitely claim Chanel created its world, balancing both sides of its Heritage, conjugating the spirit of Mademoiselle with an ability to overcome the past in surviving its designer codes.
Far from the traditional codes of Chanel's femininity, this Fall collection is at the image of the prestigious House which is emblematic of women in "Avant-Garde" with her time and condition. The presence of Stella Tenant on stage is clearly a reflect of a surviving Epoque.
Horst is one of those fashion photographers who revolutionized international fashion photography scene.
In a Black and White universe, Horst depicts portraits of emblematic women, sublimizing them from a very personal angle, making his signature highly recognizable for a timeless and styled fashion Escape.
From Mistinguett to Rita Hayworth, the German photographer starred the most prestigious figures of glamour from the 30's to the 80's. He played a leading role in Vogue publications whom contributed to launch it's cliche to the ranks of "Photography with Style".
As a fashion Escapist, Horst is the Father of emblematic cliches which are at the image of a unique sense of Beauty and taste for Style.
When fashion week approaches its end, it's always the same mental scenario: I have lots of fashion show pictures bubbling in my head. Then, I keep having the same fashion hesitations over and over again, trying to determine THE designer who had the best story to tale.
At this stage, I still can't clearly say who was my favorite fashion story as I have a long list of "fashion favorites". Actually, I can make a selection of what are in my opinion, the best fashion week performances: it's a mix of creative fashion concepts erected at the image of Elegance in a background of non-academic styles.
Galliano Men Fashion Week F/W 2011-2012
John Galliano never lacked inspiration. For Dior or for his own fashion label, the designer prides his collections with a strong identity of Style in a very inspired background. That's probably one of the reasons why his audience always keeps vivid memories of his fashion performances which stand apart from any Fashion Academism.
This season, for his F/W Collection 2011-2012, John Galliano inspired men fashion closets with Rudolf Noureïev's Heritage : From his URSS escape to his arrival in Paris, the Russian ballet dancer invested Paris fashion week podiums. Galliano invites him on stage to transgenderize Male fashion closets, mixing ballet influences with basic male fashion pieces.
Galliano silhouettes meet Raspoutin's influences and ballet dancer's attitudes. This Men collection mixes masculine influences with a firmly assumed Ballet dancer Style: tights, leggings or make-up powders flirt with "Swinging London" Styles, Dandy Jackets, dodgy ranger boots, customed-ties styles, fashionably-creepy moustaches and over-sized barbs.
Today it's official: Galliano Men is a traveler who dares to assume his femininity to firmly declare to the world his male identity !
Paris Women Fashion Week F/W 2011 2012
Paris Women fashion week has always been a festival of well-fitted fashion performances. My love for accessories drives me to have a careful attention to Louis Vuitton's 2011 2012 F/W's Collection.
This season Louis Vuitton models are Call-Girls with Style : Marc Jacobs takes us to a universe of Fetishism where Vuitton bags suit Extreme circumstances. Showcasing Call-Girls in Vuitton fashion show is part of fashion Extravaganza stories. Scenarizing Fetishism in using walking-Call-Girls requires more than Fashion designer talents to assume the whole thing with brio. BRAVO !
Marc Jacobs gives to Vuitton bags -and other Vuitton accessories- the leading role of this fantasized movie. Still keeping a traditional taste for the codes making Vuitton a label of fashion distinction, the designer conjugates to its extremes the ingredients of Fetishism : Leather Belts, vinyl corsets, transparency are so many accessories in Vuitton's Dangerous Seduction Tale.
This season, once again, Marc Jacobs reaffirmed his status : More than a fashion designer, he scenaries and rocks Louis Vuitton stages with the same willing to respect the codes of "The Old Vuitton Lady".
My love for leather and for Walking-Fashion-Armies drives me to have a special consideration for Gareth Pugh's collection.
Gareth Pugh's Models still have outstanding looks, their silhouettes are very structured. This season, the designer put drops of bluish which adds volume and tenderness to the Elegance of silk. It added drops of Romanticism to a collection which is often placed under the sign of Black color. However, this painting fantasy just recreated a Neo-Romantico punk style only Gareth Pugh can perform.
I like Gareth Pugh the same way I like Rick Owens, Thierry Mugler and Ricardo Tisci. The only concern I have when I 'm looking at Gareth Pugh's collection is related to those clearly visible similarities with Ricardo Tisci and Rick Owens collections. Copied and Pasted? Who knows? It just requestionned my understanding of Gareth Pugh's identity. However, it would be unfair to limit Gareth Pugh's collection to those considerations especially when the designer invites us to a Festival of silk (and I love the silk!).
Black silhouettes are still as Futuristic as before. Models are modern amazons and I like that! We are far from the "Shut-Up-And-Walk" modeling concept. Actually Gareth Pugh's fashion scene overcame this selective autism fashion stage : Gareth's silhouettes are alive fashion souls and they even speak.
I like Gareth sense of optical measure. The designer adds to his collection games of superpositions, mixing materials and colors, giving a three dimensional perspective to his silhouettes. It's part of Gareth Pugh's Futurist identity and it's what I like the most.
Victor and Rolf
Victor and Rolf Army has enough character to speak for itself :
The end of a reign brings a new Era to the french edition of Vogue Magazine. Condenast appointed Emmanuelle Alt at the direction of the french Vogue.Who else than Emmanuelle could assume the role ? The new french editor in chief who started as a fashion editor at the early age of 20, will successfully assume her new role. Icon of the french elegance, she endorses a role that suits her style accuracy. Continuity will be assured and will bring the french vogue edition to new roads of success.
I think Emmanuelle is at the image of french simplicity of style. She represents "La parisienne". Refined sophistication associated with a younger sense of style is definitely what will drive the magazine to go further.
