A Fitting Successor
Iconic fashion house Chanel has released a statement confirming Karl Lagerfeld’s successor after his demise — his long-standing right-hand woman Virginie Viard. Viard has been by his side for decades. She started as an intern at Chanel in 1987, and left Chanel with Lagerfeld to join Chloé in 1992, where the pair worked together for five years. When Lagerfeld returned to the French fashion house in 1997, she took on the role of coordinator for haute couture, and then ready-to-wear in 2000. Viard will continue the creative work for the Chanel collections, “so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on”.
Back to Basics
London-based fashion brand COS has launched the White Shirt Project. Taking the quintessential white shirt and reinventing its classic style, the eight-piece capsule collection, for women and men, focuses on the art of craftmanship exploring a contemporary wardrobe staple.
Designed and created within the COS in-house atelier, designers and pattern-cutters developed the collection in parallel, using a 3D method of draping. This involved starting with the classic white shirt, deconstructing it and finally reinventing each style in an innovative way. Combining 100-per-cent pure cotton, fine tailoring and effortless style, each unique piece explores volume, silhouette, proportion and the movement of the wearer.
Encouraging New Talent
Now in its fourth season, The Innovators initiative has become one of the defining programmes for matchesfashion.com as a supporter and incubator of talent. Designers, chosen as part of the seasonal collective, highlight innovation in design and celebrate luxury craftmanship and one-off special pieces.
“This season’s Innovators all specialise in creating and designing special one of a kind pieces, made individually for their clients. Now, by working with them on very limited capsule collections, we are able to bring to a wider audience the incredible work they do,” Explains Natalie Kingham, buying director at matchesfashion.com. Harris Reed, Francis de Lara and Marta Ferri are the latest collective of design talent whose collections launched exclusively online at www.matchesfashion.com in February.
A Prestigious Prize
The names of the 29 shortlisted artists for the 2019 edition of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize have been released. Each finalist’s work will be exhibited at Isamu Noguchi’s indoor stone garden ‘Heaven’ at the Sogetsu Kaikan in Tokyo, from June 26 to July 22.
The third edition of this award presents a diverse spectrum of techniques, media and modes of expression and the finalists range from recently graduated and newly emerging artists to well-known names and leaders in their fields. This year’s finalists were chosen by a panel of experts from over 2,500 submissions from more than 100 countries. A jury composed of 11 leading figures from the world of design, architecture, journalism, criticism and museum curatorship will select the winner.
A Sustainable New Collection
Homegrown Dubai-based designer and fashion label ASMARAÏA has launched a new campaign, Nocturnal Animal, featuring the latest collection focusing on sustainable, metropolis chic, feline-inspired style.
The fast-rising brand works with more environmentally-friendly materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester and faux fur, as well as supporting fair trade in its supply chain to support the fashion industry’s campaign to be cruelty-free and promote sustainable practices.
The collection includes a variety of colourful leopard printed suits, shimmering turtle neck blouses, checkered fabrics, faux fur, animal skin printed robes and athleisure-inspired pajamas.
