Jacquemus and Nike, Vuitton and Kusama, Fendi and Istituto Marangoni – WWD

RUN HIS WAY: Simon Porte Jacquemus, who spent the weekend hanging out with pal Dua Lipa, has hit the week running by teasing his upcoming collaboration with Nike on Instagram on Monday.

“For this collaboration with Nike, I wanted to create a collection that reinterprets athletic women’s sportswear in a minimal way. I have always been inspired by vintage ACG pieces and Nike campaigns from the 1990s,” the French designer said in a statement.

Porte Jacquemus said he imagined “a world where outdoor pursuits and court sports co-mingle within a new, integrated aesthetic” for this collaboration, which spans apparel and footwear along with “a variety of hallmark Nike designs with unisex footwear and accessories.” The items will drop on his brand’s e-commerce on June 28 and will be rolled out globally across Nike’s retail network throughout the summer.

“Having this imagery in mind, we designed women’s athleticwear with sensuous details and neutral colors, along with my own interpretation of the Humara — my favorite Nike shoe. It was important for the collection to be accessible, for all bodies, and to be a natural blend of Jacquemus style and Nike performance,” he continued.

No further details on the designs have been revealed but Jarrett Reynolds, vice president of catalyst apparel design at Nike, stated the collaboration had involved “[drawing] from vintage ACG inspiration, the interweaving of Nike Dri-Fit fabric, and [considering] footwear like the Humara, to create a nexus of sport and style that could only be done through the shared lens of Nike x Jacquemus.”

The Nike x Jacquemus collection, described as redefining summer ready-to-wear as “comfortable anywhere, anytime,” comes as Whitney Malkiel, vice president and general manager of Nike Global Women’s, told WWD in an interview on the brand’s 50th anniversary that it would continue to experiment with collaborations as consumers continue to look for comfort and versatility in the post-pandemic world.

“Women are still loving the idea of comfort and versatility. What we’re seeing them do is start to mix it up with something more tailored and structured as they head back into the world and back to work. We’re excited to play into that as we move forward,” she said. — LILY TEMPLETON

A DECADE LATER: Ten years after their first partnership, Louis Vuitton has teased its second chapter with artist Yayoi Kusama via the French brand’s Instagram.

The work includes a collection of exclusive bags that feature a reinterpretation of the artist’s obsessive dots across Louis Vuitton signature shapes as well as on new models.

According to the brand, the pieces celebrate Louis Vuitton’s long-standing relationship with the artist, and while it will hit stores worldwide in January 2023, some pieces already debuted as part of artistic director of women’s collections Nicolas Ghesquière’s resort 2023 fashion show last week at the Salk Institute in San Diego.

So far Louis Vuitton has posted two videos on its Instagram revealing the new collection. Each has already garnered 150,000 views.

Chapter one debuted in 2012 and saw Vuitton launch both a ready-to-wear and accessories collection in collaboration with Kusama. It was expressed in a wide range of offerings, including exhibitions, products and series of unique window installations, including a lifelike mannequin modeled after the artist herself. — THOMAS WALLER

NEW ART: Fendi is teaming with Istituto Marangoni’s unit in Florence on a project dubbed “Dis-cycling: The Seductive Allure of Creativity in Sustainability.”

Kicking off this week, the initiative will see a number of students of the fashion and art school recovering materials previously used by the luxury house for its window installations to create new artworks.

The students will operate under the creative direction of American visual artist Sarah Coleman, who was recently tapped by Istituto Marangoni as one of its mentors and has already collaborated with Fendi on different projects.

Known for manipulating designers’ materials to rethink everyday objects through an ironic filter, Coleman will work closely with students hailing from the courses of fashion design, multimedia art and textile innovation, following them step by step through the processes of conception, development and final execution of their work. Fendi managers will also be involved in the interdisciplinary project via online and in-person meetings.

Developed also thanks to a collaboration with Pardgroup — the Italian company that handles the window change-out operations of Fendi’s European flagships — the final projects will be showcased in the fall in the exhibition space at Fendi’s factory in Bagno a Ripoli, a 25-minute drive from Florence.

In addition to telegraphing Fendi’s commitment to sustainability, the project builds on the brand’s ongoing support of new generations of talent in craftsmanship and luxury.

For instance, last year the brand strengthened its partnership with New York’s Juilliard School to highlight the talent of emerging artists in different disciplines, from dancing to acting. The company gave the Fendi Vanguard Award to four rising stars selected among Juilliard’s final-year students enrolled in the bachelor’s, master’s and advanced diploma programs.

The fashion brand and Coleman have worked together on multiple occasions, ranging from the revamp of Fendi’s Miami store in the Design District and the creation of a limited-edition Peekaboo bag in 2020 to the launch of a summer capsule collection last year. — SANDRA SALIBIAN

BETTER TOGETHER: The OTB and the Zegna Foundations have joined forces to support Cesvi, an Italy-based humanitarian organization that has been providing assistance to Ukrainian families impacted by the conflict.

Targeting pregnant women and mothers with children under five, as well as disabled people and the elderly who couldn’t flee the country, the organization is providing linens, pillows, warmers and hygiene kits.

Thanks to the two foundations, Cesvi said it has already helped around 1,000 families across several sites in the war-torn country, including Odessa, Dnipro, Kramatorsk and Kyiv.

“We have supported Fondazione Cesvi for over 15 years, in Italy and globally, wherever natural disasters, conflicts or health emergencies required a swift and effective intervention to support local people,” said Anna Zegna, president of the Zegna Foundation.

“In addition to sharing the same values of human solidarity and defense of social justice, we share the same operative approach, in that we focus on concrete goals, which we rapidly achieve thanks to knowledge of the areas of intervention and ability to set up support networks that are respectful of the local context and cultures,” she added.

The Zegna Foundation has partnered with Cesvi in the past, for example, for the “From A to Zegna” charity initiative aimed at supporting educational programs globally.

Similarly, the OTB Foundation has had Cesvi on its radar. The organization’s “House of Smile” homeless shelter in Zimbabwe was among the recipients of the 2019 OTB Foundation’s “Brave Actions for a Better World” charity program.

Among the earliest responders to the humanitarian crisis linked to the conflict, the OTB Foundation answered the urgent appeal launched by UNHCR and has provided the country with medicines, first-aid kits and necessities, shuttling back Ukrainian women and children. It also made sure that refugees could take COVID-19 tests and be vaccinated and helped them find accommodation in private houses or residences. Earlier this month, the foundation and the OTB Group said they will be offering long-term employment to Ukrainian refugee, as reported.

“We have no intention to leave those who were not lucky enough to flee their country alone,” said Arianna Alessi, vice president of the OTB Foundation. “This is part of the campaign the foundation has launched to support Ukraine, and it addresses the population target that is closer to our hearts: women and children,” she added.

Cesvi was founded in 1985 in Bergamo, Italy, and now operates in 23 countries through about 100 projects called “Houses of Smiles” in Africa, Latina America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. — MARTINO CARRERA

REVOLVING TO CANNES: Revolve Group has been revealed as the official after-party sponsor of this year’s amfAR gala taking place during the Cannes Film Festival.

The VIP-heavy event will mark the first European event sponsored by both Fwrd and Revolve under the collective RVLV umbrella.

 

“Showcasing special events and experiences around the world has always been incredibly important to the RVLV Group audience,” said Michael Mente, co-chief executive officer and cofounder of RVLV Group. “This is our first time activating during the International Festival de Cannes, and in the context of such an incredible setting and display of creativity, it is important for us to bring visibility to the change-making amfAR organization.”

Mente will host designers including Peter Dundas and Sami Miro, as well as friends of Revolve and Fwrd, at the gala dinner and after party. The event is set for May 26 in Antibes, France, at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.

AmfAR hosts several annual international galas, always drawing a starry crowd of figures from the fashion, entertainment and art worlds. The Cannes gala has raised more than $245 million to support the nonprofit’s initiatives, which include funding AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment and advocacy. — KRISTEN TAUER