Jared Leto at Off-White; Y-3 Atelier Launch – WWD

STAR SIGHTINGS: The set was otherworldly at the early-morning Off-White show, as guests were transported to the red planet.

Jared Leto made a bold fashion choice in a white leather cape and jacket combination, a moto-style astronaut suit for the earthbound. The actor, suffering from jet lag, kept his shades on while he talked about prepping for his upcoming role in the Karl Lagerfeld biopic.

The house of Lagerfeld is behind the film, and Leto said it is still in the early stages. “It’s something I’m really passionate about. He was a great guy, we miss him a lot,” he told WWD of the legendary designer that became a close friend and inspiration.

“One of the first big fashion shows I ever saw was [Chanel] at the Grand Palais, and it was transformative,” he said. Leto ended up falling in love with the historic building and went on to play a concert there with his band 30 Seconds to Mars. “It took us years to get the permits, and I believe it was the first rock show ever played there. It has a very personal meaning to me.”

Lagerfeld may have been on Leto’s mind as he prepared to attend shows during Paris Fashion Week, but designer Ib Kamara was man of the hour.

“I’m here supporting a young Black designer. He thinks outside of the box and creates interesting shapes, as you can see,” said Jodie Turner Smith, turning to show off her dress, which boasted a lace-up bustier and an embellished skirt.

Smith was seated with Tessa Thompson, who flew in from the “Creed III” premiere Wednesday night in L.A. for the early morning fashion week show. She didn’t have jet lag, though, perhaps riding on the energy of the film opening Friday.

“I’m nothing but excited,” she said. “I’m really proud of the film and really excited for Michael B. [Jordan] and for the next sort of phase of this universe.”

After the show, which saw models walk around a silver orb, she also praised the young designer.

“All of that construction is really, really beautiful. I felt very transported by both the space and the garments, and I think it honors Virgil’s legacy,” she added of the late Off-White founder Abloh, who passed away in 2021.

Singer Ciara also arrived straight from the airport, but ingeniously flew with her glam squad so they could do her hair and makeup on the plane so she could head directly to the show.

She has been teasing new music lately, and while she wouldn’t divulge any details, she said it will be a bit of a new direction for her.

“I want to rep all my girls and all the girls around the world. It’s all about female empowerment,” she said. “My mission is to inspire girls to be their best self in all ways, to celebrate yourselves and take care of yourselves, and to embrace your independence,” she said.

Ciara cited her mom and grandma as the biggest inspirations in her life, as well as a strong circle of girlfriends. “It’s honestly a blessing because they’re all very fearless and no nonsense, they go after what they want and they get it done. I love being surrounded by that girl power.”

Models were powered up by black suits with grommets, and Ciara wore a midriff-cutout bomber dress that Naomi Campbell also sported on the runway. — Rhonda Richford

FEELING BOOKISH: A good slice of the Paris social scene filed into the 7L bookstore on Rue de Lille on Tuesday night, where journalist and author William Middleton was signing copies of his new biography of Karl Lagerfeld, titled “Paradise Now.”

Olivier Picasso, Pierre Passebon, Haider Ackermann and Lars Nilsson rubbed shoulders with executives from Chanel and the Karl Lagerfeld house before retiring to Lagerfeld’s famous photo studio tucked in the back for a conversation between the author and Elizabeth Von Guttman, cofounder of System magazine.

Actress Rebecca Hall, wearing a Batsheva dress with a pointy collar, said she’s “putting together a movie that I’m going to direct.” She was mum on details, but her expression suggested it will be world’s apart from the last film she wrapped, the “Godzilla vs. Kong” sequel due out next year.

Nilsson is gearing up for Salone del Mobile, as his projects in home decor multiply. In addition to the fabrics he designs for Stockholm-based interior design company Svenskt Tenn, he also does rugs, lamps and candlesticks with other specialist-makers.

“I started making them during the pandemic,” he said of the candlesticks realized by Connolly, which vaguely resemble shish kebabs, only the elements are oak, bronze, ceramic and some wool. “Each one is unique.”

Opera director Robert Carsen, who conceived the “Karl For Ever” celebration in 2019 following the German designer’s death, is next directing and designing the set for a production of a Handel’s “Ariodante” at Opéra de Paris.

It’s quite a shift from his last project: “Cabaret,” which recently wrapped a successful run at the Lido. It was the first time the 1966 musical was performed in English in the French capital, and was the first musical comedy event at the revamped Lido, once dedicated to cabaret and now to musical comedies.

“It couldn’t play for longer because the entire cast was English,” he said, lamenting that since Brexit, actors can only remain in France for a short period.

Now out from Harpers, Middleton’s 480-page tome delves into Lagerfeld’s key relationships, both personal and professional, and charts his extraordinary fashion career. — Miles Socha

THREE STRIPES IN: Two decades ago, Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto came together for Y-3, which revisited sportswear through the Japanese designer’s lens. 

Now, they’re bringing that vision full circle with the launch of Y-3 Atelier, a line that will parlay the patterns of Yamamoto’s runway pieces into items that cut closer to his namesake brand than ever.

The line is meant to draw on “monozukuri” (or “making things” in Japanese) and a craft-focused creative approach to channel the Japanese designer’s “approach to production driven by skill and undeterred dedication,” stated the sports apparel company.

Each piece will be decorated with a custom Three Stripes detail in a nod to Adidas’ branding.

“The [Adidas] Three Stripes are so charming and at the same time so strong. In the black, putting three white stripes, it’s very strong. I was excited by that,” said Yamamoto in a statement announcing the new line.

Apparel in the Y-3 Atelier line will retail from 1,100 euros for a men’s cut-off jacket and 1,500 euros for a trenchcoat, up to 2,500 euros for a parachute dress and 3,600 euros for the most elaborate piece, a men’s track top.

Launching exclusively in Paris with a three-day pop-up in collaboration with e-tailer Ssense, the Atelier line will fall into a seasonal rhythm as of next season.

In addition to the 10-piece inaugural collection, the Ssense pop-up will also feature an exhibition of photographs shot by Daidō Moriyama.

Commissioned by AnOther Magazine, the Japanese photographer captured Y-3 Atelier looks at Narukiyo Izakaya, a hard-to-find eatery with a cult following located in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, in gritty black-and-white.

The images are said to reflect the shared values of Yamamoto and Moriyama, named as “a quasi-obsessive loyalty to monochromatic palettes, a desire to find magic in the everyday and a relentless commitment to breaking all the rules.”

The Ssense pop-up will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 42 Rue de Sevigné in Paris’ buzzy Marais neighborhood. — Lily Templeton

L CATTERTON DOUBLES DOWN: While many investors have shied away from fashion, L Catterton is charging ahead. 

The consumer investment giant, which is backed by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, inked a deal to acquire control of the French fashion brand A.P.C., confirming a Feb. 3 report in WWD that first revealed the two were in talks. 

That parks A.P.C. alongside brands such as Birkenstock, Etro, Ganni and John Hardy in L Catterton’s global portfolio, which also includes names from across the consumer space. 

“Fashion has been in our DNA for a really long time,” said Eduardo Velasco, a partner in L Catterton Europe, told WWD. “We know inside and out the segments we invest in. The key focus for us is to first understand the segments and to understand the development of those trends in a very insightful manner. When the new trends come, guess what, we know them already.”

Velasco said A.P.C. was a “legitimate lifestyle brand” with close connections to the worlds of art and music and a long history of working in the area of sustainability — which has only become more important to consumers today.

The plan is for A.P.C. to continue to develop those connections and build under L Catterton, which has a big network to help push the endeavor along.

“We don’t transform brands, we strengthen brands,” Velasco said. 

A.P.C.’s business has revenues of just over 100 million euros, and Velasco said it could be five-times bigger. 

Those are the kinds of gains that any number of investors would jump at, but that few see in fashion right now.

But L Catterton has developed fashion into something of a sweet spot and Velasco has proof. 

He said Ganni, which L Catterton bought four years ago, has seen its revenues increase five-fold to close to 200 million euros. — Evan Clark

A JOURNEY THROUGH GEMS: Pharrell Williams is not taking a break from his personal projects as he begins work as Louis Vuitton’s new men’s creative director.

The multihyphenate is holding the first high jewelry-specific auction for his Joopiter platform this month in partnership with Lorraine Schwartz.

The auction, “A Journey Through Gems,” will include vintage and new designs by Schwartz as well as select, rare loose stones.

Schwartz said of the auction in a statement: “I was lucky enough to meet Pharrell over 20 years ago, and we’ve built an incredible friendship through a mutual appreciation for the most exquisite and unique gems in the world.

“To me, ‘A Journey Through Gems’ is not only a curation of the finest bespoke high jewelry available now, but also the story of our journey and relationship as told through gems. I am excited to partner with Joopiter for this once-in-a-lifetime sale, bringing access to these gems and their provenance to a global audience.”

Lots include a 50-carat D flawless heart-shaped diamond and a diamond and Colombian emerald bib necklace with matching earrings. Select items were designed in collaboration with Williams over the years, like a 26-carat Asscher-cut yellow diamond ring.

Further information about the full run of lots and estimated prices will be released in the coming weeks.

Bidding begins on March 17 on the Joopiter website, and will remain open until March 28. A private preview is scheduled to take place in late March in Hong Kong, timed to coincide with Art Basel there. It will represent Joopiter’s first event outside of the U.S.

This is Joopiter’s second auction and follows November’s “Son of a Pharoah” auction, which took in $5.25 million in sales. — Misty White Sidell

SOCIAL STARS: The D’Amelio family has tapped Lauren DiCicco as head of design for their first brand launch as part of new business venture D’Amelio Brands. Parents Marc and Heidi have partnered alongside their daughters Dixie and Charli, the social media and reality stars, to create labels of their own.

DiCicco will work with the family to first unveil D’Amelio Footwear, a women’s collection out in June.

“In her new role, DiCicco will also oversee design, and manage and execute the development of a collection of products within lifestyle and fashion, trend, material and color research, as well as establish creative concepts that are authentic and reflective of the D’Amelio brand,” according to the company. “In addition, DiCicco will administer the development of product samples and prototypes, tracking progress of the collection and build relationships with manufacturing agents and suppliers domestically, while leveraging her extensive connections with international factories.”

DiCicco was formerly at the Camuto Group, the enterprise founded by Vince Camuto in 2001 that designs, develops and distributes fashion footwear and accessories. With a 15-year history at the company, DiCicco gained experience in design, sourcing and production. Her career kicked off at Camuto in 2007, working in footwear as the assistant line builder for N by Nicole Miller’s private label. The executive then worked with Vince as assistant designer before joining the Jessica Simpson footwear brand, where she’s been for the last seven years overseeing trend and material research while working with its lead designer.

Meanwhile, the family’s Hulu reality series, “The D’Amelio Show,” has been renewed for a third season. Charli, 18, started her social media career in 2019 posting dance videos on TikTok, becoming the most followed creator on the platform a year later and accumulating more than 150 million followers to date (with 48.3 million on Instagram). A dancer, she won the 31st season of competition series “Dancing With the Stars.” (Her mom Heidi, with a social media following of her own, 10 million on TikTok, was also a competitor that season.) Dixie, 21, sings and acts. She has starred in the YouTube web series “Attaway General” and hosts a talk show on the site, “The Early Late Night Show.” She has 57.4 million and and 23.4 million followers on TikTok and Instagram, respectively. The sisters also appear in Snapchat’s “Charli Vs. Dixie.” — Ryma Chikhoune