The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
LONDON, United Kingdom — Kim Jones spawned an entire generation of young London-based cyber-sportswear designers, from Christopher Shannon and Nicola Formichetti to Nasir Mazhar and Bobby Abley, and it's been fascinating to see how distinctly each of their voices has evolved within such a clearly defined vocabulary: a hoodie is a hoodie, a tracksuit is a tracksuit.
Abley’s specialty is cartoon-cute. His latest collection featured the warm fuzzies of mohair and teddybear fur (his logo is a teddy) and the primary colours of Brazil, a land he loves. He was also inspired by the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as if you couldn’t tell from the palette, the go-go graphics and the helmets carried by Abley’s boys and girls. But cute can turn terminal toot sweet. This designer dodged that bullet yet again with a healthy dose of sex appeal, the way his teddy bear was splayed across a tanned Carioca chest, for example. It raised an eyebrow, added a knowing edge to the collection. Not such kid’s stuff after all.
Tim Blanks and Imran Amed discuss the highlights of the Autumn/Winter 2023 collections, including Daniel Lee’s debut at Burberry, a transitional show at Gucci and Balenciaga’s first brand statement in the wake of the advertising scandal.
Hollywood has always been close to the designer’s heart, so it was pure kismet that Donatella showed her latest collection in Los Angeles three days before the Oscars.
In an age of clickbait fashion, it was acts of reduction that, paradoxically, stood out most, reports Angelo Flaccavento.