Cre8tiveSHFT

Category: Fashion & Style

  • Louis Vuitton Appoints Pharrell Williams as New Men’s Wear Creative Director

    Louis Vuitton Appoints Pharrell Williams as New Men’s Wear Creative Director

    A Bold Move Towards a Celebrity-Driven Fashion Future

    The fashion and entertainment industries are intertwined yet again as Louis Vuitton announced its new creative director for men’s wear: American rapper and producer, Pharrell Williams. The French luxury brand named Pharrell to the coveted position about 16 months after the sudden death of its previous men’s wear designer, Virgil Abloh. In an Instagram statement, the brand expressed that Pharrell, known as a “visionary” whose creativity expands from music to art and fashion, has established himself as a “cultural global icon.”

    Many names were thrown around as potential successors to Virgil, including designers Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose, as well as Telfar Clemens and Colm Dillane, who was recently named as Louis Vuitton’s first-ever men’s wear guest designer. However, Pharrell, who has worked with the brand off and on since 2004, ultimately landed the high-profile creative director role in men’s fashion. The announcement marks the first major move by Louis Vuitton’s new CEO, Pietro Beccari, who joined the brand from Dior last month.

    Pharrell brings to Louis Vuitton a diverse portfolio of experience, including his role as the first male ambassador for Chanel, his collaboration with Tiffany & Company, and his past creations of influential streetwear brands like Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream in partnership with Japanese designer Nigo. His first collection for Louis Vuitton will be shown in June at Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.

    Pharrell’s appointment underscores an apparent trend among luxury goods makers to put their futures in the hands of multi-hyphenate celebrities, rather than professional designers. This trend has been exemplified by other high-profile entertainers like Rihanna, whose Fenty clothing line in partnership with LVMH shuttered in 2021, and Ye, who has become a fixture at fashion weeks around the world.

    Spectacle has become a given at runway shows, with the recent Louis Vuitton men’s wear event in Paris featuring expensive sets, a front row of stars from the worlds of K-Pop, Hollywood, and hip-hop, and a supercharged performance by Spanish singer Rosalía. While men’s wear constitutes a relatively modest percentage of overall revenue for Louis Vuitton, it remains a source of optimism as the fastest growing sector in a luxury goods industry struggling against headwinds induced by the global pandemic and the loss of markets in China and Russia.

    In light of this bold move, we can’t help but wonder what’s in store for the future of fashion as the entertainment and fashion industries continue to merge. Will fashion continue to be driven by celebrities with multi-hyphenate talents, or will professional designers take back the reins? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain – we can expect Louis Vuitton’s new men’s wear collection to be a must-see event at Men’s Fashion Week in June.

  • Behind the Scenes of Dior’s 3D-Printed Shoe Creation

    Behind the Scenes of Dior’s 3D-Printed Shoe Creation

    The fashion industry is buzzing with the latest trend of 3D-printed design, and Paris is at the forefront of this movement. On January 20, BOTTER and Reebok unveiled a wild 3D-printed sneaker, and later that day, Dior showcased its fully 3D-printed Derby shoe as part of its FW23 presentation. Dior has previously experimented with 3D-printed wearables, but this is the first time the French house has attempted to create a one-piece 3D-printed shoe.

    The 3D-printed Derby shoe boasts a futuristic design, resembling the midsole of an adidas 4DFWD. It comes in black colorways, with subtle Dior branding at the heel and underfoot, and a quicklace toggle fastening. The shoe is lightweight and has a more formal silhouette, making it approachable for even the most devoted sneakerheads.

    This latest trend in 3D-printed footwear begs the question: is this the future of shoes? Brands like Givenchy and Zellerfeld are pushing for the technology to go mainstream, but smaller brands may not have access to the same level of quality construction. As the production of 3D-printed footwear becomes more accessible for designers, it’s easy to imagine more shoes being shaped by computers. Dior’s FW23 shoes are a testament to this seemingly inevitable future.

  • Kid Cudi Unveils His Mysterious Fashion Line

    Kid Cudi Unveils His Mysterious Fashion Line

    It’s finally here, OKAY! Kid Cudi‘s Member of the Rage (MOTR for short) clothing line was unveiled in full at Paris Fashion Week and let me tell you, it’s lit. The designs are straight fire and exactly what you’d expect from Cudi – flashy, trendy, and dripping with his personal style. A showroom was set up for guests to touch and try on the new high-end line, and it’s clear that Cudi put a lot of thought and effort into this collection. Although, the brand hasn’t really given us much information beyond a dead website and a vague Instagram bio, this debut collection speaks for itself.

    Cudi announced that he was working on MOTR back in 2021 and confirmed that it would be launching in 2023. So, this Fall/Winter 2023 collection probably won’t be released until Summer 2023, but he might drop a few pieces early to keep us on our toes. Fingers crossed!

    This collection definitely lives up to MOTR’s mission statement, but it’s also heavily influenced by Cudi’s own personal taste. It’s a co-ed collection, with references to stuff he has been spotted wearing in the past few years. You’ll see his ERL wedding dress, BAPE-inspired camo, and even a Midnight Studios-like boombox bag. Teddy fleece, baggy jeans, and spaceman vibes are all over the place.

    MOTR also includes accessories, like this bespoke sneaker. Be prepared to drop some cash on this collection because Cudi is positioning MOTR as a luxury label. But trust me, it’s worth it. Stay tuned for more surprises leading up to MOTR’s official debut by the end of the year.

    Cudi’s killin’ it and on top of his game! Can’t wait to see what other fire he’s got cookin’!

  • Botter & Reebok’s 3D-Printed New Sneakers

    Botter & Reebok’s 3D-Printed New Sneakers

    A Bold Step Forward in Footwear Design

    The marriage of high fashion and sportswear has given birth to some of the most groundbreaking and avant-garde footwear designs in recent history. And as the world navigates the logistical challenges brought on by the pandemic, the industry has turned to 3D-printing tech as a means of creating futuristic products with less material waste, reduced dependence on in-person meetings, and streamlined manufacturing processes.

    Leading the charge in this arena are Paris-based fashion house BOTTER and sportswear giant Reebok, who have teamed up to unveil their latest offering: the Venus Comb Murex Shell shoe. This 3D-printed masterpiece draws inspiration from both retro football boots and the designer’s previous Banker shoe, while introducing a striking sculpted sole unit that has sparked comparisons to the unreleased YEEZY D ROSE.

    But the real story behind the shoe lies in its tooling, which takes its cue from the Murex seashells that the Greek goddess Venus is said to have used to comb her hair. The 3D-printing tech used to create the shoe was developed in partnership with HP Inc, a California-based institution, and the shoe is available in tonal black and pink styles, as well as a multi-colored version that nods to the designers’ appreciation for the Caribbean.

    In an official press release, the designers behind BOTTER, Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, shared their excitement about the project, saying

    The Reebok x Botter Sneaker is the beginning of a wonderful project. Our partnership with HP 3D Printing aims to create products that sit at the intersection of innovation, sustainability and luxury, and this is just the first step.

    The Venus Comb Murex Shell shoe is a bold and daring take on what is possible with 3D-printing technology in footwear design. It represents a marriage of high fashion and sportswear, while also pushing the boundaries of what we think is possible in terms of design and sustainability. As we look towards the future of the industry, it’s clear that BOTTER and Reebok are leading the charge in terms of innovation and forward-thinking.

    Keep an eye out for the official release details as we head into fall and winter.

  • Jerry Lorenzo: Says Adidas Needs Kanye

    Jerry Lorenzo: Says Adidas Needs Kanye

    Canceled or not, The Visionary Designer Behind Fear of God Feels Something is Missing.

    Jerry Lorenzo has never been one to shy away from sharing his opinions. Recently, at Paris Fashion Week, he made a statement on Instagram to his 1.7 million followers, which caught the attention of many.

    In the post, complete with a heart emoji, he wrote,

    Though the post was swiftly deleted, it received nearly 20k likes and almost 200 comments, almost all of them in agreement with Lorenzo’s sentiment.

    Kanye West, also known as Ye, has been persona non grata in the fashion world since a series of shocking anti-Semitic rants and questionable outbursts. Business partners like Balenciaga and Adidas have cut ties with him. Ye has since retreated into hiding and avoided the public eye, even when he suddenly got married to a YEEZY employee in early 2023.

    It’s not clear why Lorenzo deleted the post, but it may have been a concern about stepping on toes by suggesting that Adidas is worse off without Ye. Fear of God Athletics, a collaboration with Adidas, is set to debut in 2023. Lorenzo has a habit of speaking freely and has previously called out brands he sees as imitating Fear of God and publicly denounced gay marriage.

    He later deleted the latter statement and it has never been brought up again.

  • A Deep Dark Truth About Life as a Fashion Model

    A Deep Dark Truth About Life as a Fashion Model

    Like so many young women, I grew up in a world that glamorizes modeling. It’s a career that’s often portrayed as a fairytale; a scout “discovers” you as a gawky teenager and turns you into a goddess, gracing catwalks and glossy magazine pages. But as someone who’s had this exact experience, I can tell you it is all smoke and mirrors. Behind the facade of beauty and luxury, I found myself in a job with no possibility of progression, the feeling of being exploited at every angle and dealing with the mental health issues that arise as a result.

    I started modelling at the age of 13, when my mum sent a photograph of me to a local agency. Having been bullied for the way I look for years, it wasn’t something I’d ever considered, but before I knew it I was being told that my photos would be in some of the biggest fashion magazines out there, which kick-started a career that lasted more than a decade.

    “As a fashion model I was humiliated, objectified and forced into debt – here’s why I’m exposing the truth.”

    One of the things no one ever tells you is that often as a model you have little control over your contracts or even experiences at work. Models are often seen as objects to be hired out for the day, in any capacity, and this can lead us to forget that we have rights. Really, the only power you have as a model is choosing an agency. But there is no real guidance or official quality control system for the industry, making it hard to know whether you’re making the right choice.

    In one instance, I actively chose a prestigious agency but quickly found myself being sent on unpaid test shoots that I later found out I was being charged for – some up to £400. I had experience working for big brands so I could stand up for myself, but even so I felt heavily pressured by the agency.

    After a week I found myself in almost ÂŁ1,000 of debt, with no sign of actual paid work on the horizon. It was impacting my mental health so terribly that I was having continuous panic attacks, and when I tried to leave I was threatened with legal action. I have also often been humiliated at castings and spoken about as an object on the job. One client complained for two hours about the evenness of my eyebrow height.

    Effortless beauty. Three attractive young women looking at camera while standing against grey background

    The majority of models I know have also been pressured to lose weight. I was scouted by an agency who told me to lose three inches (7.6cm) from my hips. When I refused, they dropped the request to 3cm. Months followed of me having weekly measurements taken at the agency after being invited in for a “quick chat”. It was humiliating and degrading to be continuously told off for not being thin enough, and I felt pathetic and worthless as a result.

    Everyone around me seemed to think it should be easy. When I finally lost the weight they asked me to lose another 2cm. At this point I finally realised nothing would ever be enough.

    As models, people often assume that our bodies are fair game. This created a complex relationship with my body – I suffered eating disorders as a result and still have severe body dysmorphia. But it also leaves us vulnerable to sexual harassment and exploitation.

    Everyone around me seemed to think it should be easy. When I finally lost the weight they asked me to lose another 2cm. At this point I finally realised nothing would ever be enough.

    As models, people often assume that our bodies are fair game. This created a complex relationship with my body – I suffered eating disorders as a result and still have severe body dysmorphia. But it also leaves us vulnerable to sexual harassment and exploitation.

    On another test shoot, I had to leave half way through as I felt incredibly pressured into having a drink and posing nude in a stranger’s bedroom.

    I recall a shoot where I was asked to spank another model’s backside with a ping pong bat, and told to “cover my face with my hair” by a photographer when I refused and was visibly upset. I ended up being maneuvered into a sexual position by the team as I cried from humiliation. I didn’t feel like I could just walk out for fear of seeming unprofessional – and I wasn’t even being paid.

    While agencies presumably don’t want their models to have negative experiences, the industry is largely unregulated, making it hard for them to know whether the photographer they’re sending us to is legit, or just a creepy amateur. The stress of being consistently sexualised while doing your job inevitably takes a toll.

    I feel strongly that if models are aware of their rights we can ensure that these situations do not happen to other vulnerable people – that’s why I’ve written a book sharing my experience. I hope that this starts the much needed global conversation of how to improve the modelling industry.

  • How The Old Trends Can Help You Improve Your Look

    How The Old Trends Can Help You Improve Your Look

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