We get it. We can barely keep up with the onslaught of information ourselves. That being said, it’s our mission to keep readers in the know, which is why we’ve combed through it all, distilled it to its essence, and dispensed it into easily digestible tidbits. Want to be the most knowledgeable culture savant in your group of friends? Then check back every Sunday for what you’ve missed in the world of celebrities and fashion.
Virgil Abloh Lands at Louis Vuitton
From his very first ‘Pyrex 23’ collection – in which he printed Caravaggio paintings onto Champion sweatshirts – to the head position at Louis Vuitton’s menswear, Virgil Abloh’s career has been meteoric. Abloh, who was recently named the new Creative Director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, replacing Kim Jones, now occupies a rarefied position in the fashion industry: he is the first black designer to ever work at the storied French luxury brand.
The move provoked a strong reaction within the greater fashion community, who argued that Abloh’s appointment has more to do with the hype built around his name than his actual design acumen. However, given the fact that Louis Vuitton’s menswear has been an overlooked and underselling category for the brand, coupled with its recent successes in collaboration with Supreme, it looks like a little hype might suit the brand just fine.
Adidas Debuts New 'Deerupt' Shoe
Adidas Originals has put a contemporary spin on its heritage style with a new sneaker. The ‘Deerupt’ design has a sleek silhouette, a cool grid overlay, and two bold colorways – and it’s aimed directly at the heart of the Instagram generation. Created to catch the eye, whether you’re running down the street or posing with your #girlsquad, the Adidas ‘Deerupt’ sneaker is the ultimate combination of hype and substance.
Chopard Launches "Ethical Gold" Initiative
Many brands have entered a new “woke” phase of operation, committing to transparent business practices, ethical manufacturing, and sustainable designs. Chopard is among the ranks of luxury brands that are working to become more sustainable with the recent announcement that it will commit to using ethical gold in all of its products by July 2018. Chopard’s new high-jewelry ‘Green Carpet’ collection presented at Baselworld 2018 exemplifies the use of Fairmined gold, which the brand sourced in partnership with Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM).
Reformation Launches Extended Sizing
LA-based clothing brand Reformation has (finally) decided to offer extended sizing. In a statement to the press, it said, “Last year, we started receiving a lot of comments on social media and requests from customers for more inclusive sizing. We agree it’s unfair that we only offer clothing to a limited size range and have been working on changing this. We’re now happy to be launching a collection with more sizes (0-22). We’re super sorry we didn’t do it sooner.”
Model Ali Tate Cutler helped Reformation design the collection, which includes two-piece sets, bodysuits, dresses, and more. Curvy girls, rejoice!
Stella McCartney Becomes Sole Owner of Her Company
At a time when multinational corporate conglomerates are buying up fashion brands by the fistful and luxury mergers are at a peak, Stella McCartney has defied the mainstream and chosen to buy back the majority stake in her company from Kering. The global luxury group has owned 50 percent of the Stella McCartney brand since its launch 17 years ago, but at this time, McCartney felt it prudent to take back control.
It is rare to see a brand of Stella McCartney’s magnitude retain sole ownership, but it is also an inspiring move by one of the industry’s most stalwart and forward-thinking designers.
Vetements Responds to Critics
HighSnobiety’s scathing article about the downfall of Vetements cited flagging sales, high prices, and fickle fans as the causes of the brand’s practically non-existent sales in recent seasons. Anonymous sources spilled the tea about Vetements’ sales, saying, “From a retail standpoint, Vetements is completely dead. Over the course of two seasons, no one is even looking at it. Sales have dropped dramatically to the point where you are now seeing Vetements on sale on various outlets at 60 to 70 percent off.”
Naturally, a headline entitled, “2 Years After They Broke the Internet, It Looks Like Nobody Is Buying Vetements” elicited a strong reaction from every corner of the fashion internet. The controversial piece went viral, prompting a response from Demna Gvasalia himself, who insisted that “fashion is not about hype” – although one could certainly argue that he arrived at his current successes by way of heaping amounts of hype.
Who Bit Beyoncé?
Tiffany Haddish, the hilarious breakout star of Girls Trip, has one of the most bizarre celebrity-encounter stories ever. In an interview with GQ, Haddish detailed her experience meeting Beyoncé at a party last year, but the experience was far from ordinary. According to her, an actress at the party who was “doing the mostest” came up to Beyoncé and bit her in the face. Wait, what?
Haddish, who signed an NDA over the incident that she witnessed, refuses to share the actress’ name, but did describe how Beyoncé reacted to the bite by storming away, finding Jay-Z, and then – in her words – “a lot of things happened”. While her description left a lot to the imagination, internet sleuths have gone into overdrive trying to find out who the actress is. Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s team has come forward and requested that everyone chill with the speculation. Chrissy Teigen summed up our feelings on the matter best when she tweeted, “I cannot leave this planet without knowing who bit Beyoncé in the face.”
