How Famed Fashion Designer Nicole Miller Is Tapping Into A New Generation - Forbes

Nicole Miller, founder of the fashion label Nicole Miller, Photo Credit: Courtesy of Nicole Miller

Courtesy of Nicole Miller

Legendary designer Nicole Miller is synonymous with many different realms of fashion, from her signature design elements (which include color-blocking, luxe fabrics and graphic prints), to her first fashion show in 1991 that featured supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington. More than 35 years after launching her namesake brand, Miller's relevance and ability to plug into a new generation of millennials is testament to her business prowess and visionary trendsetting talent.

Miller has expanded her empire from apparel, to a lifestyle brand that includes shoes, jewelry, home, bath, and kitchen (the latter was an especially organic move, as Miller is passionate about entertaining and cooking). A line of activewear will be launching in August 2019.

Off the heels of an acclaimed New York Fashion Week presentation this past February that focused on sustainability and the life balance so many of us are aiming to achieve, I spoke to Miller about the importance of reinvention, how she's inspiring a younger generation of fashion lovers, and how she incorporates sustainability into her day-to-day life.

Karin Eldor: I loved how your most recent show at New York Fashion Week in February 2019 focused on sustainability, as does your presentation at Shanghai Fashion Week, this April. Why did you decide to choose this as your focus?

Nicole Miller: I've actually been focusing on sustainability for a while — even eight or 10 years ago, we had a line of carbon neutral men's ties. Since I've been going along this path, I decided I would start with some vintage sweaters that I upcycled for these shows. I've been doing that with denim for a couple of seasons already, using vintage pieces of denim on my clothing. I also started thinking about everyone's concerns and their everyday lives, and how so many people are worried about their future. It’s a commentary on seeking balance and still enjoying your life. I'll often have a theme around a place or time in history, or a location, so I've evolved over the years and gotten less thematic in my collections, but there's always a point of view.

Eldor: How do you walk the eco-friendly talk at work, for example?

Miller: I've always been very militant about not wasting things at our office. We always had filtered water instead of plastic bottles, and today there are no plastic cups in the office, there are only paper cups. We always recycled everything. We've never thrown our hangers away and we recycle plastic bags. We've always tried to conserve as much as we can and get that message out there about waste, even in our e-blasts. I'm trying to instill change in people's way of thinking, so that everyone can lower their own carbon footprint.

Eldor: As a founder, what are some tips you have for successfully navigating a brand evolution?

Miller: I feel people get in ruts and get too comfortable, and I think it's always about breaking your habits and trying to do different things. The longer you're in business, people tend to pigeonhole and typecast you. And they would even say about me, "Oh right, she makes dresses," but meanwhile my bestselling items are blouses. So you always have to challenge those things. And for those who are trying to reinvent themselves or pivot, you have to change your habits and do things differently from what you normally do.

Eldor: What are some ways in which you've kept your fingers on the pulse of the conversation and dialed into the trends?

Miller: We've been very "on it" with social media and we've worked with a lot of different influencers who are very popular, and made a lot of good relationships in that area, so I think that's really important. But having said that, I feel like that room is getting very crowded. Every day there's a new influencer, so the ones who started at the beginning of all this are very powerful now. 

Eldor: Do you have any tips for founders who might need to pivot, in terms of their branding or business model (such as adding new product categories, or taking on a whole new direction)?

Miller: The longer you're in business, the more you want to branch out and become a lifestyle brand and get into different categories. And I cook a lot, so it makes sense for me to have cooking utensils. I'm also always trying to reinvent myself, so I'm always trying to add another category so that others don't just think of me as "the dress designer." I'm in all these different areas as a lifestyle brand and it makes the brand stronger.

I have this theory: you need to keep doing things, or else they're going to forget about you.  

Eldor: I love that the Nicole Miller brand is speaking to and appealing to a whole new, younger generation. How do you manage this, what's your secret?

Miller: I stay current because I always have young staff, and they keep me in tune with what's happening with music and trends, and certainly with the lingo! You've got to make sure that you keep up with the language. I also often go to art shows and travel. Last week I went to four movie screenings, because it's always important to know what's going on! It's hard to keep up with everything, but I try to.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/karineldor/2019/03/31/famed-fashion-designer-nicole-miller-now-speaks-to-a-new-generation/

Universal Standard Is Revolutionizing How To Shop For Plus-Size Fashion Online - Forbes

Universal Standard's Denim by US collection.

Universal Standard

Universal Standard has built a business on offering sleek, minimalist pieces to a full range of consumers—and it is now tackling the holy grail of styles, jeans. The New York-based apparel brand has recently launched its Denim by US collection, which comes in sizes from 00 to 40, and starts at $90.

Founded by Alexandra Waldman and Polina Veksler, Universal Standard, as its name suggest, aims to appeal to all women, and not just those that many in the industry tirelessly, and perhaps carelessly, cater to.

Indeed, when it comes to fashion, size matters. The way garments fit the body, allowing consumers to feel at ease and emboldened is the major reason why fashion is a billion-dollar industry. Yes, design and creativity play a large part, but at the end of the day, fashion is a utilitarian medium. To whit, a dress or pair of jeans needs to be suitable on a range of forms to really have an impact and generate enough sales to be commercially viable.

Sadly, most big-name brands stick to a very antiquated mindset, one that proselytizes an ideal body type. It is slender, often devoid of curves and, most important, unattainable for real woman. To be sure, the average American figure ranges from 16 to 18. Yet, many labels don’t offer styles in this bracket. And if they do carry larger sizes, the styles are just enlarged variations of what was made for a petite form.

“People always think fashion is fashion, that you can compare straight-size fashion to plus-size fashion,” said Waldman over the phone. “But you cannot. It’s like comparing oranges and giraffes. They have very little in common.”

Alexandra Waldman and Polina Veksler.

Universal Standard

This is what led to Waldman and Veksler to create Universal Standard. In 2014, the duo couldn’t find a dress for Waldman to wear to an event. They searched up and down 5th Avenue, looking for an item that worked for her figure. And when they finally did stumble on a selection of larger sizes, what they saw was far less then stellar.

“There was a small little corner of the worst polyester you’ve ever seen—the kind that would set you on fire,” recounted Veksler. This was it. That was the first time this world opened up to me. This was the first time I realized there was a problem. This was the first time the light bulb went on in my head that we should do something.”

With virtually no background in fashion or production (both had careers in finance), Waldman and Veksler went to work on a creating a brand that spoke to all women, to gals who valued great quality and even greater fit. They started with an eight-piece capsule collection of basics: two dresses, two tops, a coat, a jacket and other pieces that they couldn’t remember. But what they did recall was that the entire collection sold out.

Universal Standard's Denim by US collection.

Universal Standard

The reason for this successful drop, as the duo learned, was the power of word of mouth (or in this case, social media). Women with larger builds had dollars to spend, but couldn’t find substantial pieces to warrant a purchase. So, when they did find something that flattered, that was made for them in mind, they were ready to share it with world.

“There is such desperation on the side of the double-digit-size women to find clothes to dress herself with,” said Waldman. “She is very actively combing through the internet, reading everything she can, networking and going through social media to find anything that’s out there. When we created jeans, a few people bought them and loved them. Then they started talking about it on their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. It kind of blew up from there.”

Universal Standard’s denim was so popular that it eventually amassed a waitlist of 1,700. And seeing how the market was ripe for the taking, Waldman and Veksler decided to launch Denim by US. That said, they also realized that offering more sizes wasn’t enough. “There are a lot of peccadillo to a consumer who is on the larger side and prefers to shop on the internet,” Waldman observed. “And we thought about what it would take for people to have a better understanding.”

Universal Standard's Denim by US collection.

Universal Standard

To that end, Universal Standard’s online platform showcases its jeans on models in its full size range. From 00 to 40, every denim style is shot separately at differing angles, allowing shoppers to fully realize their purchases. There is no second-guessing—or, as Waldman put it, “eye-zhoozhing”—if, say, a size 10 would look good on a size-28 frame. “We decided to build See It in Your Size, which is a much more digestible shopping experience if you are direct to consumer,” she said. “And I think that a lot of brands are starting to notice how it is very helpful, and are starting to adopt it.”

By May, they plan on expanding See It in Your Size into all categories. With this display, consumers no longer have to wonder if a garment will fit them. They can be content with their purchase and wear it unabashedly. And that, for all intents and purposes, should be a universal standard.

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For More, See:

Lacoste Teams With Keith Haring On A Capsule Collection

Channel Cary Grant's Star Quality With This Sunglass Collection By Oliver Peoples

Commit to Your 2019 New Year's Resolutions With These Chic Shopping Finds

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Follow Barry Samaha on Twitter (@barry_samaha) and Instagram (@barrysamaha).

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrysamaha/2019/03/31/universal-standard-how-to-shop-plus-size-fashion-online-denim-by-us-collection/

El Chapo's family hopes to fashion a clothing line with drug lord's brand - WLS-TV

El Chapo-branded clothing -- complete with the convicted drug lord's name and signature -- could soon become available in the United States and Mexico.

From his cell in a Manhattan federal prison, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman signed a contract granting the rights to his name and signature to a limited liability company, or LLC, that will be headed up by his wife, Emma Coronel, and attorneys who worked with him behind the scenes during his recent drug conspiracy trial in Brooklyn.

Once the leader of a murderous drug cartel in Mexico, Guzman was convicted last month of running a continuing criminal enterprise and other drug-related charges.

The company is officially called El Chapo Guzman: JGL LLC, and will launch a clothing line this summer, said attorney Mariel Colon Miro, who was often seen sitting next to Guzman at his three-month-long trial in federal court.

A posting for the LLC appeared Friday in the New York Law Journal, part of a legal requirement for LLCs to announce publicly when they are created. The first posting was listed late last month.

"I'm very excited to start this project, which was based on ideas and concepts that my husband and I had years ago," Coronel told CNN in a statement. "It is a project dedicated to our daughters."

Coronel, a former beauty queen with an interest in fashion, has twin 7-year-old daughters with Guzman. She was a regular presence at her husband's trial, and was often swarmed by media reporting on her fashion choices in court.

Guzman agreed to give the intellectual property rights of his name and signature to the LLC but will not earn any money from it for himself, said Michael Lambert, another attorney who has worked with Guzman.

"He wanted to be able to set something up -- a legitimate enterprise -- for the benefit of his wife and his two daughters," Lambert said. "He loves his wife and he loves his daughters, and he wants to prepare for the future."

Guzman, who is under court order to communicate only with attorneys and only about matters related to his case, had to receive special permission to be able to sign the civil contract that would give his intellectual property rights to the LLC, according to court filings.

That contract was signed in mid-February, shortly after a jury found him guilty of 10 counts of criminal charges ranging from running a continuing criminal enterprise to conspiring to launder narcotics proceedings. He faces life in prison and will be sentenced in June.

His attorneys are seeking a hearing and possibly a new trial after reports of juror misconduct.

Defense lawyer Colon emphasized that Guzman has no role in the company.

"It's not his project. It's Emma's project," the attorney said. "It's based on conversations that they had many years ago. It's something that they wanted to do."

'None of the money is going to him'

As Guzman awaits his sentencing, the government has made clear it will seek billions of dollars "constituting the cartel's illegal drug-trafficking proceeds" that it believes Guzman helped earn during his time as a leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

Duncan Levin, a former federal prosecutor who specialized in asset forfeiture at the Justice Department, said it will be difficult for US authorities to seize any of Guzman's assets.

"The forfeiture judgment they got is largely symbolic rather than something they could collect on," Levin said. "A lot of the assets are in the name of other people. It's hard to find them, and once you find them, it's hard to get the buy-in of the Mexican government."

Colon told CNN it is her understanding that Guzman "does not have any assets at the moment."

But because the LLC was created in New York, Levin said he believes authorities could try to seize assets from the company under "Son of Sam" laws, which were created to prevent criminals from profiting off publicity gained from their crimes.

"The registration of the company itself could be something that the state could seize," Levin said. "All the proceeds could be taken away from (the company) by these laws that were meant to prevent a defendant from making money off their crimes."

Lambert maintains that the company will not do business with Guzman or with anyone else "alleged to be in his organization," adding that Guzman would not see any profit from the company.

"He's not giving us money. He's not giving us proceedings of drug-dealing transactions," Lambert said. "Everybody has intellectual property rights to their name, their signature, their identity. None of the money is going to him."

A spokesman for the US attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York had no comment on the LLC.

Lawyer cites boost to the Mexican economy

Colon said designs for the clothing are "already in progress" and merchandise will include baseball caps, T-shirts, jean jackets, sweatshirts and phone cases. While the company hopes to engage "up-and coming" fashion designers and artists, the lawyer said, Coronel will be heavily involved.

"She really enjoys fashion and designing," Colon said. "She's certainly going to be overseeing a lot of the designs."

One mission for the company is to keep as much of the production in Mexico as possible, she said.

"It's very important for Emma and for the board of the company that it stays as much as possible in Mexico," Colon said, "to help the Mexican economy and create more opportunities and work."

While other clothing lines sporting Guzman's name exist, Lambert said this is the only one officially trademarked to use Guzman's identity.

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Squaring up: how Insta-fashion is changing the way we shop - The Guardian

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Squaring up: how Insta-fashion is changing the way we shop  The Guardian

Instagram has become the window display for a new generation of savvy shoppers – and it's changing the way we consume style, for good and bad.

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/mar/31/squaring-up-how-instagram-fashion-is-changing-the-way-we-shop

NAACP Red Carpet Photos: The Best in Black Fashion and Beauty - TheGrio

The 50th annual NAACP Image Awards is going down tonight at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and we’ve got all the best looks from the star-studded red carpet.

The annual event boasts appearances from Black Hollywood’s elite and tons of famous faces hit the carpet to serve up some fierce fashion moments.

5 things we REALLY hope to see at this year’s NAACP Image Awards

Checkout a few of our favorites:

29Chadwick Boseman

(Photo by Liliane Lathan/Getty Images for NAACP)

The Black Panther himself made sure to stand out from the crowd in a printed jacket and gold pants and shirt. Soon after the show’s start, he nabbed the trophy for Outstanding Actor for his leading role in the Marvel hit.

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Denver: High Altitude Fashion Tourism - Forbes

Colorado has been a celebrated destination of choice for avid hikers, skiers, and foodies. Since state-wide referendum approved increased tourism marketing spending in 2005, Denver has been breaking visitor records for twelve consecutive years, outpacing national sector growth threefold. Now, the Mile High City is positioning itself as a major cultural hub, beyond the Rockies. Here are three new reasons to set your sights on Denver. Come for the high fashion, enjoy contemporary art, stay for haute cuisine.

Dior Goes to the Mountain Top

John Galliano for Christian Dior, Gold embroidered triple organza jacket and skirt. Haute couture Spring-Summer 2004. Dior Héritage collection, Paris.

Laziz Hamani

Denver Art Museum has hosted a 70-year retrospective of Christian Dior’s impact on global fashion. Dior: From Paris to the World was curated by Florence Müller, the Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art and Fashion. This was Müller’s sixteenth Dior exhibition since 1987. Turns out, Denver has had a foothold in the haute couture world all along. Thanks to this professional relationship, about two-thirds of the dresses have never been displayed before! Featuring over 200 garments, accessories, original drawings, and other historical material, the exhibition focused on how Dior’s successors Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri continued his visionary legacy. While the House of Dior has built one of the biggest archives in the industry, tracking many original pieces decades later was no small task that took two years. “Fashion is still seen as a secondary subject in museums. In this exhibition I’m presenting Dior as the paramour of the globalization of fashion,” said Müller. It was the phenomenal success of the earlier Dior blockbuster in Paris that prompted the idea to bring it to the United States for the first time.

Dior - From Paris to the World

James Florio

Denver may have seemed an unlikely stage for such a grand debut, but its fashion scene had been undergoing a transformation in recent years. Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design is cultivating a new generation of talent. Its alumni are becoming more visible in the style community. Denver Fashion Week, currently in its latest edition through March 31, is one of the fastest growing American fashion platforms. It showcases dozens of local designers vying for national spotlight. Some, like Taylor Ross of Ricky King Clothing or Aldo El Creator of Dark Denim, are attracting a cult fashionista following thanks to their unconventional streetstyle take on Western-wear. The Dior exhibition heads to Dallas, Texas next. However, there’s plenty of cool fashion to catch in Denver.

Art As Far as The Eye Can See

Denver Art Museum is now hosting Treasures of British Art. This impressive new exhibition spans centuries of classical painting since the 1400s. However, it is contemporary art that is putting Denver on the art lovers map. The Dairy Block micro-district is radically transforming the city’s art scene. Located in the heart of Denver’s historic LoDo neighborhood, home to popular restaurants and boutiques, it serves as a walkable art gallery. Few urban locales have successfully managed such engaging infusion of public creativity. The pedestrian alley that runs between Blake and Wazee and 18th and 19th Streets is curated by NINE dot ARTS. The block showcases pieces by thirty-one artists; each with some meaningful connection to Denver itself. Artists Sandra Fettingis and Michael Ortiz pay homage to kind of “classic” street art murals. A collective Ladies Fancywork Society that has been “terrorizing your neighborhood with garish yarn crimes since 2007” is responsible for fun crochet installations.

Outside of Denver Milk Market

Courtesy of Denver Milk Market

An interactive display by Nikki Peel allows visitors to activate music and lights by turning the cranks connected to butter barrels. The illuminated pathway by Jen Lewin brings technology and art into public space. There is a type of artwork for almost every taste. The surrounding area with the Milk Market food hall, The Maven Hotel and the Office Lobby is home to 715 pieces of public art, including 275 site-specific commissions! Everywhere you go throughout Denver, it’s not just the dazzling mountain skyline that is fascinating to look at.

High Altitude Fashion & Appetite

It’s not all steaks and BBQ out West anymore! The culinary revolution sweeping the nation has a stronghold in Denver as well. New establishments and varieties of cuisine are flourishing. Perhaps, the best place to witness the trend is the 100,000-square-foot Zeppelin Station in RiNo’s art district. Its immersive “Made in the City” program allows visitors to experience culture of other places without having to leave their own. It’s like the Sister Cities concept, but with delicious food! The first showcase was Montreal, followed by Reykjavik (now through April 10), the capital of Iceland, with Mexico City confirmed as the next gourmet destination.

Made In A City concept pop-up shop at Zeppelin Station in Denver, Colorado

Courtesy of Zeppelin Station

According to Mathieu Mudie, Head of Retail Experience, dinning customers aren't the only ones benefiting from this. By bringing in international chefs, Zeppelin affords its kitchen staff the chance to work and grow professionally alongside their global colleagues. Developer Justin Croft found huge potential for growth in Denver. “I was drawn to come West because of such an emerging market. The food and beverage and retail scene is really growing here,” he said. The “Made in Reykjavik” edition has received a lot of support from Icelandic businesses, including Iceland Air and Iceland Naturally.

Made In A City concept pop-up shop at Zeppelin Station in Denver, Colorado

Courtesy of Zeppelin Station

"The guys from Zeppelin Station visited us back in Iceland few months ago and told us about the project, which immediately grabbed our attention," said Chef Gísli Matthías Auonsson of a Michelin starred Skál!. "We run a small place in Iceland's first food hall, but although we are a small place we serve a lot of people. We source as much as we can locally and work with the seasons, and that was also the idea when we got the opportunity in Denver - use local produce but still combine it with Icelandic spices and methods. And we get fresh Icelandic fish shipped every day. I think you can really get the feel of Iceland by just visiting Zeppelin Station!" Food really does bring people together.

Taste the award winning - Skál - at Zeppelin Station

Courtesy of Zeppelin Station

Most of other vendors featured at Zeppelin Station are locals with two-year contracts to ensure quality and diversity of cuisines available at any given time. Fridays bring pop-up bars, tattoo artists and local bands for one of the liveliest atmospheres in town. “People coming in here are really stoked about everything,” notes Mudie.

This winning combination of high fashion, street art and global cuisine that mark Denver’s rise as an up-and-coming North American fashion tourism destination.

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El Chapo's family hopes to fashion a clothing line with drug lord's brand - CNN

From his cell in a Manhattan federal prison, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman signed a contract granting the rights to his name and signature to a limited liability company, or LLC, that will be headed up by his wife, Emma Coronel, and attorneys who worked with him behind the scenes during his recent drug conspiracy trial in Brooklyn.

Once the leader of a murderous drug cartel in Mexico, Guzman was convicted last month of running a continuing criminal enterprise and other drug-related charges.

The company is officially called El Chapo Guzman: JGL LLC, and will launch a clothing line this summer, said attorney Mariel Colon Miro, who was often seen sitting next to Guzman at his three-month-long trial in federal court.

A posting for the LLC appeared Friday in the New York Law Journal, part of a legal requirement for LLCs to announce publicly when they are created. The first posting was listed late last month.

"I'm very excited to start this project, which was based on ideas and concepts that my husband and I had years ago," Coronel told CNN in a statement. "It is a project dedicated to our daughters."

Coronel, a former beauty queen with an interest in fashion, has twin 7-year-old daughters with Guzman. She was a regular presence at her husband's trial, and was often swarmed by media reporting on her fashion choices in court.

Guzman agreed to give the intellectual property rights of his name and signature to the LLC but will not earn any money from it for himself, said Michael Lambert, another attorney who has worked with Guzman.

"He wanted to be able to set something up -- a legitimate enterprise -- for the benefit of his wife and his two daughters," Lambert said. "He loves his wife and he loves his daughters, and he wants to prepare for the future."

Guzman, who is under court order to communicate only with attorneys and only about matters related to his case, had to receive special permission to be able to sign the civil contract that would give his intellectual property rights to the LLC, according to court filings.

That contract was signed in mid-February, shortly after a jury found him guilty of 10 counts of criminal charges ranging from running a continuing criminal enterprise to conspiring to launder narcotics proceedings. He faces life in prison and will be sentenced in June.

His attorneys are seeking a hearing and possibly a new trial after reports of juror misconduct.

Defense lawyer Colon emphasized that Guzman has no role in the company.

"It's not his project. It's Emma's project," the attorney said. "It's based on conversations that they had many years ago. It's something that they wanted to do."

'None of the money is going to him'

As Guzman awaits his sentencing, the government has made clear it will seek billions of dollars "constituting the cartel's illegal drug-trafficking proceeds" that it believes Guzman helped earn during his time as a leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

Duncan Levin, a former federal prosecutor who specialized in asset forfeiture at the Justice Department, said it will be difficult for US authorities to seize any of Guzman's assets.

"The forfeiture judgment they got is largely symbolic rather than something they could collect on," Levin said. "A lot of the assets are in the name of other people. It's hard to find them, and once you find them, it's hard to get the buy-in of the Mexican government."

Colon told CNN it is her understanding that Guzman "does not have any assets at the moment."

But because the LLC was created in New York, Levin said he believes authorities could try to seize assets from the company under "Son of Sam" laws, which were created to prevent criminals from profiting off publicity gained from their crimes.

"The registration of the company itself could be something that the state could seize," Levin said. "All the proceeds could be taken away from (the company) by these laws that were meant to prevent a defendant from making money off their crimes."

Lambert maintains that the company will not do business with Guzman or with anyone else "alleged to be in his organization," adding that Guzman would not see any profit from the company.

"He's not giving us money. He's not giving us proceedings of drug-dealing transactions," Lambert said. "Everybody has intellectual property rights to their name, their signature, their identity. None of the money is going to him."

A spokesman for the US attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York had no comment on the LLC.

Lawyer cites boost to the Mexican economy

Colon said designs for the clothing are "already in progress" and merchandise will include baseball caps, T-shirts, jean jackets, sweatshirts and phone cases. While the company hopes to engage "up-and coming" fashion designers and artists, the lawyer said, Coronel will be heavily involved.

"She really enjoys fashion and designing," Colon said. "She's certainly going to be overseeing a lot of the designs."

One mission for the company is to keep as much of the production in Mexico as possible, she said.

"It's very important for Emma and for the board of the company that it stays as much as possible in Mexico," Colon said, "to help the Mexican economy and create more opportunities and work."

While other clothing lines sporting Guzman's name exist, Lambert said this is the only one officially trademarked to use Guzman's identity.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/29/us/el-chapo-llc-drug-lords-name-to-be-licensed-for-clothing-line/index.html

Fashion brand mocked for $470 denim panties: 'Take your Canadian tuxedo to the next level' - Fox News

One Parisian fashion brand is being mercilessly mocked on social media for selling a $470 pair of high-cut denim panties that leave nothing to the imagination. (Y/Project / Ssense)

Well, it’s certainly a look if for those who truly dare to bare.

One Parisian fashion brand is being mercilessly mocked on social media for selling a $470 pair of high-cut denim panties that leave nothing to the imagination.

Earlier this week, luxe retailer Ssense shared an image of the Y/Project’s denim panties to social media, where the look has sparked a frenzy.

ELDERLY BEACHGOER PRAISED AS ‘HERO’ AFTER HILARIOUSLY UPSTAGING MODEL DURING BIKINI SHOOT  

“Two words: Denim panties,” reps for Ssense wrote in an Instagram post that has since been liked nearly 9,000 times, linking out to styling tricks on how to “take your Canadian tuxedo to the next level.”

Unbelievably, the navy-toned, mid-rise “brief-style shorts,” are already sold out in sizes medium, large, extra-large and XXL, according to the garment’s product page. According to The Sun, the eclectic “shorts” debuted at Paris Fashion Week in the Y/Project's Spring/Summer 2019 womenswear collection.

Twitter users, meanwhile, quickly called out the wacky knickers.

“Is it April fools day already [?],” one commenter wondered.

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“Gross,” a critic agreed.

“Just no,” another chimed in.

Pragmatists, meanwhile, wondered just how useful the panties would prove in real life.

“Where's your phone go?” one asked.

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“To what occasion can you actually wear denim panties???” another mused.

“Whatever next,” one fashion cynic clapped.

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Lebanese designers dominate inaugural Fashion Trust Arabia Prize - CNN

Written by CNN Staff

The winners of the Middle East's first major fashion prize were announced at a start-studded dinner in Doha, Qatar on Thursday night.

While the inaugural Fashion Trust Arabia was open to designers from across the Middle East and North Africa, Lebanese designers dominated, with Salim Azzam and Roni Helou honored for ready-to-wear; Elie Saab alum Krikor Jabotian winning for womenswear; and Mukhi Sisters coming out on top in jewelery.

Zyne, the brand that took home the prize for shoes, and Sabry Marouf, the winning bags brand, are both Egyptian.

The winners will each receive mentorship and up to $200,000 in funding for their brands.

Designs by Mukhi Sisters, the winning jewelery brand. Credit: Courtesy of Mukhi Sisters

The entrants were judged by an international panel of 25 fashion designers, models, journalists and industry insiders, including Victoria Beckham, Diane von Furstenberg, Balmain's Olivier Rousteing and Valentino's Pierpaolo Piccioli, who also attended the ceremonial dinner in Doha.

"Last night's announcement of the Fashion Trust Arabia prize winners was a celebration of the incredible wealth of talent the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region has to offer and that we need to nurture," Tania Fares, the founder of the Fashion Trust, said in an email.

In a statement, Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, one of the prize co-chairs and a major arts patron, called the launch of the prize "a joyful accomplishment for our country."

A design by ready-to-wear designer Salim Azzam. Credit: Courtesy of Salim Azzam

"It is the only initiative of its kind in the Arab world, creating a space to find, nurture and cultivate the most talented designers on an annual basis," she said. "The initiative's mentorship will help a new wave of MENA talent receive global attention, and I am confident that each of these prize recipients will add dynamism and diversity to the fashion industry."

The prize is one of a number of recent cultural initiatives launched in Qatar. On the same day the prize-winners were announced, the 40,000-square meter National Museum of Qatar, designed by Jean Nouvel, opened its doors after being delayed more than two years.

Top image: A design by Krikor Jabotian

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What LVMH's blockchain foray means for luxury fashion - Glossy

The time for luxury goods to get serious about authenticity and accountability could finally be here.

Earlier this week, bitcoin and digital currency news site CoinDesk reported luxury group LVMH plans to launch a blockchain in May or June of this year, beginning with just two of the group’s 70 brands: Louis Vuitton and Dior.

While a representative for LVMH stated the group has no comment, a source familiar with the project told CoinDesk that LVMH hired a full team of blockchain experts to work on the project, alongside ConsenSys and Microsoft Azure. The blockchain, code-named AURA, is designed to “provide proof of authenticity of luxury items, and trace their origins from raw materials to point of sale and beyond to used-goods markets. The next phase of the platform will explore protection of creative intellectual property, exclusive offers and events for each brands’ customers, as well as anti-ad fraud.”

Getting into blockchain for a luxury group like LVMH gives the brand a chance to stamp out fake goods in an increasing global counterfeit market — a $450 billion-plus industry as of 2016, per the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Experts believe it could also have major impacts on the luxury resale market.

“It helps LVMH better fight fraud, which is so massively valuable for a brand like Louis Vuitton that is trying to uphold standards, pricing and quality,” said Vic Drabicky, January Digital founder and CEO. “Things that aren’t authentic begin to massively drop in price or disappear, and for those that do have authentic pieces, it allows customers to experience the product in the proper way, which should bring more people into the brand.”

By creating a blockchain, or a decentralized database where users can add information about a product as it makes its way from where the materials are being sourced to the creation of the finished product (like, say, a Louis Vuitton bag), LVMH would be opening a window into the company’s supply chain. The nature of a blockchain would mean that no one can change any information added to the ledger.

“You’ll be able to run an authentication along the journey of that product from alligator to register,” said Israel Mirsky, executive director, global technology and emerging platforms at OMD Worldwide.

While LVMH would be the first major luxury fashion group to break into blockchain, other luxury segments have already caught on to the trend. The diamond industry, for one, has been active in the world of blockchain in the past few years. Experts believe that by being the first major luxury fashion group in blockchain, LVMH would further cement itself as the leader in the space and force competitors to play catch-up.

“The risk is relatively low,” said Drabicky. “Last year, LVMH reported roughly $53 billion in revenue, so unless this is a billion dollar enterprise, we’re talking about something that is a very low risk monetarily.”

Some initial reports suggest LVMH plans to whitelist the solution so that other luxury brands can use the technology to assess their own supply chains and authenticate the products consumers are purchasing.

“Like most technology systems, the more users contributing to a blockchain, the more valuable they tend to be,” said Mirsky. “It’s definitely in LVMH’s interest to include as many of their competitors within the same system as possible.”

Whether that white-labeling is happening by LVMH or it’s actually ConsenSys or JPMorgan, it isn’t quite clear at this point. Should an outside source be responsible for the white-labeling, and not LVMH, Mirsky believes more brands would benefit from the technology. Plus, if competitors start to see real benefits to AURA, and LVMH isn’t directly profiting from it, Mirsky said he thinks it’s increasingly likely that more brands will join the ecosystem.

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6 Fashion Designers Reassess Their Very First Spring Collections - The Wall Street Journal

March 28, 2019 2:29 p.m. ET

Victoria Beckham

FIRST SPRING SHOW: 2009

NOTABLE FOR: Sleek silhouettes; proving that a celebrity can tailor

CRITICAL REACTION: “The woman formerly known as Posh Spice has launched a dress collection, and, believe it or not, it’s one of the hottest things going in New York this week.” —Nicole Phelps, Style.com

WHAT THE DESIGNER SAYS NOW: “I still love that first spring collection… I was creating pieces that I wanted in my own wardrobe, hoping that others would also want them in theirs. It was made up of dresses that I had worked really hard to make perfect, with amazing corsetry and careful boning. We didn’t have a fit model, so I did what I needed to do and stripped down to my underwear to try on these amazing pieces.”

Joseph Altuzarra

FIRST SPRING SHOW: 2010

NOTABLE FOR: ’70s suede; Swiss dots; slouchy sex appeal

CRITICAL REACTION: “Jolt or not, it was a fascinating show.” —Cathy Horyn, The New York Times

WHAT THE DESIGNER SAYS NOW: “It’s still one of my favorite collections I’ve done. It really set the tone for what the Altuzarra woman wears in the spring: she’s feminine, undone, floaty and sexy. I don’t think I would change a thing! It was the first time I had worked with leather and it was a very steep learning curve, but it did start my love affair with the material. The zipper on the finale gown on Natasha Poly [pictured above] broke a minute before she was supposed to go out on the runway—we had to very quickly take the dress off and sew her into [it]!”

Simone Rocha

FIRST SPRING SHOW: 2012

NOTABLE FOR: A schoolgirl sensibility; clever use of lace; Perspex brogues

CRITICAL REACTION: “This was as polished a performance as we could expect from the very best of London Fashion Week.” —Alexander Fury, SHOWstudio.com

WHAT THE DESIGNER SAYS NOW: “The collection was shown in an old townhouse, which we later found out was actually a brothel with a large Jacuzzi in the crypt below the house. I feel proud of the fabrications which are still very signature to me today—lace, tulle, tailoring, transparency. I also like how lots of the looks were very short. I still love the plastic pieces with real lace trapped inside I found in markets. I would change very little. It was right for me at the time and place.”

Thom Browne

FIRST SPRING SHOW: 2012

NOTABLE FOR: Lobster claws; extreme proportions; a bird-woman in a cage

CRITICAL REACTION: “Totally weird, amusing, and irritating in equal measure.” —WWD

WHAT THE DESIGNER SAYS NOW: “I call it ‘The Flapper Show’ because it was somewhat ’20s-feeling but not literally referencing the era. You saw in the shapes how confident and secure these girls were. It’s horrible for me to say, but I think [this collection] was so underrated. There are so many interesting ideas that I still go back and pull from. I have grown and I have evolved, but one thing that hasn’t changed is how I want people to see [my shows]. I always knew that I wanted people to have a true experience.”

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler

FIRST SPRING SHOW: 2004

NOTABLE FOR: Youthful shorts; nautical flair; splitting the critics

CRITICAL REACTION: “There were some great pieces…But in the main, it was separates in search of a collection.” —Cathy Horyn, The New York Times

WHAT THE DESIGNERS SAY NOW: “We’d just graduated from college and started our collection and we were still experimenting. Vogue called it one of the top 10 collections [of the season]. But Cathy Horyn, who has since become a friend, tore it apart. It was like a dagger through the heart, but she was totally right and we definitely kept [her feedback] in our heads for a couple of seasons,” recalled Jack McCollough, who designs Proenza Schouler with Lazaro Hernandez, adding that their design process has evolved significantly.

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Rainbow shoes, sweaters, and watches have taken over fashion - Vox.com

Welcome to Noticed, The Goods’ design trend column. You know that thing you’ve been seeing all over the place? Allow us to explain it.

What it is: rainbow hues presented in stripes or gradients all over clothing, jewelry, and other accessories for grown-ups. These products sit at price points both accessible and ultra high-end, from independent brands and mass market players alike. Occasionally, designers exercise artistic license and scramble the order in which a rainbow’s colors naturally occur. This still counts.

Rainbows go luxury with Balenciaga.

Balenciaga

They also go mass, with Fashion Nova.

Fashion Nova

Where it is: splashed across fine jewelry collections, Gucci jackets and bags, Balenciaga T-shirts, and the entirety of designer Christopher Bailey’s final collection for Burberry, a statement of gay pride that also involved donations to multiple LGBTQ charities. On the more attainable side of things, Asos is selling rainbow glitter wedges, while Fashion Nova offers a variety of rainbow items, like a furry sweater and a cut-out bodysuit. From the indie designer corner, the New York-based brand For Good Luck sells ’80s wedding gowns that have been tie-dyed and cropped into cool and somewhat challenging tops, while the brand Farrow makes a more straightforward sequined rainbow tank.

The Ferragamo “Rainbow” sandals from the 1930s are an early example of the fashion industry’s interest in the color set.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Why it’s everywhere: The history of rainbows in fashion is rich, from the iconic rainbow platform sandals that Salvatore Ferragamo made for Judy Garland in the 1930s to sequined mini-dresses from the swinging ’60s to the dramatic, brilliantly colored gowns Alexander McQueen sent down aughts runways — the most spectacular of which featured wing-like feathers rising around the collar. At the 2018 Met Gala, Lena Waithe stole the show in a Carolina Herrera cape that vibrantly and unequivocally referenced the LGBTQ pride flag, the rainbow’s most prominent cultural association.

Still, there’s been a noticeable uptick in the prevalence of rainbows in fashion lately. Nordstrom fashion director Elizabeth Kanfer says “bright, upbeat” colors, including rainbow spectrums, have been trending in clothing for several years now, while rainbow jewelry has been rising steadily over the last two. The popularity of rainbows in fashion and accessories seems to hinge upon the color scheme’s exuberance and joyfulness. It’s a reaction against the post-Recession dominance of minimalism, and, one might argue, a salve for the anxiety of modern life.

Lena Waithe wore a rainbow Carolina Herrera cape to last year’s Met Gala.

Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Susan Alexandra has applied a colorful look to her beaded bags and jewelry since she founded her namesake brand in 2015, and in the ensuing years, she’s noticed other designers coalescing around a similar aesthetic. Alexandra describes her designs, which often bear fruit motifs and smiley faces, as “very childlike, whimsical, and dreamy” — delightful in a pure, uncomplicated way. Her upcoming collection, which comes out in late spring, will feature literal rainbow arches.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about the fact that what excites me in design is almost exactly what would have excited me when I was 5 years old,” says Alexandra. “Maybe a little bit more refined.”

The “kidulting” movement is real. When I talked to Shelley Sanders, founder of the direct-to-consumer jewelry brand The Last Line, she, too, wondered whether her professional interest in rainbows is simply the 5 year old inside her talking. While there’s nothing inherently childish about a rainbow, it does have closer associations to kids’ toys, entertainment, clothing, and breakfast cereals than it does to the material world of adulthood. To wear The Last Line’s multicolored “Best Friends” necklace, one of many pieces in its rainbow collection, is to satisfy one’s inner tween — and, perhaps, to seek refuge in nostalgia at a time when the American political landscape and health of the planet seem particularly uncertain.

“The country feels very precarious,” says Alexandra. “People are craving something innocent, easy, palatable, and not heavy, and I feel that maybe the inclination for really joyous and sugary things is because we just need an antidote to the news, to the scariness.”

The rise of rainbow fashions isn’t exactly about regression, though: Sanders says a piece of rainbow jewelry can look slightly juvenile when it’s rendered in the classic ROYGBIV order, so she prefers to remix the arrangement of the colors, giving it a more unexpected and sophisticated look.

Susan Alexandra switches up the order and pattern of the rainbow spectrum in her bags and jewelry.

Susan Alexandra

The Last Line is another accessories brand that plays with color arrangement.

The Last Line

“You want to elevate it,” says Sanders. “It’s something classic, something people are familiar with, served up differently.”

The implications of rainbow dressing grow more complicated as the price point rises. The Last Line’s BFF necklace costs $1,429, meaning it’s definitely made to be purchased by adults with disposable income. This, however, pales in comparison to Rolex’s Rainbow Daytona watch, which came out in 2012 and has inspired a wave of copycats since. The Rainbow Daytona is wildly hard to acquire. Not only does it start around $86,000, but Rolex produces it in extremely limited quantities, driving its resale value up to three times its original price. Adam Levine has one, which he wore to perform during his widely panned 2019 Super Bowl halftime show. So do John Mayer and Mark Wahlberg.

While some jewelry brands mix sapphires, which come in a dazzling range of colors, with other stones like emerald, ruby, peridot, topaz, and amethyst — The Last Line and Venyx, which sells rainbow hoop earrings on Goop, for instance — the Rainbow Daytona only uses sapphires, creating a smooth, consistent fade from color to color. It’s blingy as hell, possibly implying to the casual observer that its owner has enough money and status to make this their “fun” watch.

The famously exclusive Rolex Rainbow Daytona watch.

Rolex

“Truthfully, I think a long time ago it would have been a flashy thing, but now I think it’s tongue-in-cheek because it says you have a sense of humor about watches,” says Cara Barrett, an editor at the watch website Hodinkee, noting that her industry can be incredibly self-serious. “But of course you have to have enough money to buy it, so it’s also a ‘fuck you’ watch.”

Like Alexander, Barrett also sees consumer eagerness for rainbow accessories as a sign of the times: “I would say it’s a reflection of people just wanting to not think about how serious things can be in the real world.”

The popularity of rainbows is representative of a wider interest in saturated, dreamy colors. You may recall, for instance, the “unicorn” trend that rampaged through consumer culture a few years ago, leaving in its wake scores of artificially-colored Starbucks Frappuccinos and all manner of YouTube tutorials explaining how to create iridescent, cotton candy-hued makeup looks. Right now, soothing pastel gradients reign supreme in advertising and corporate branding. After the austerity of early 2010s minimalism, aesthetics have swung back toward the expressive and unserious. Groovy fonts reminiscent of the ’60s and ’70s have come into vogue in branding (see: Glossier Play, Flesh, Great Jones), and with them, the rainbow colors that wash over posters from that era.

Asos rainbow wedges.

Asos

Our thirst for color is even more apparent when you look at the art world, a world that, it should be noted, invariably influences fashion and jewelry brands. In 2014, the Museum of Modern Art focused an exhibit on Henri Matisse’s riotously colorful paper cutouts — a show that continues to inspire designers today — while the Guggenheim Museum saw success in 2016 with its Agnes Martin exhibit, a testament to the power of quiet, subdued tones.

More recently, the Guggenheim has been drawing hordes of New Yorkers and tourists alike with its Hilma af Klint exhibit, which opened in New York in October. Working at the turn of the 20th century (and in a manner now considered well ahead of her time), af Klint filled huge canvases with overwhelming, invigorating colors — lilac, yellow, orange, baby blue, pink — and incorporated actual rainbow spectrums into some of her smaller works. The Guggenheim says that sales of the show’s $65 catalogue are already the highest in the museum store’s history, having surpassed its 2009 Kandinsky exhibit. Photos of af Klint’s paintings have exploded on social media.

Of course they have. Despite the emotionality of af Klint’s work — and of rainbows in general — Alexandra says there’s another, more mundane reason why these colors are having a moment: Instagram, the accelerant of basically every design trend.

“That’s how my business really launched,” she says. “When you’re scrolling and you have so much stimulation, the way to stand out is with color. It stops you in your tracks, a vibrant, saturated photo. I think that’s why people are so liberally using color.”

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