Pharrell and Queen Bey, Phoebe Philo Online, Fern Mallis’ Interviews – WWD

SUPERPOWER: In a merger of entertainment powerhouses, Pharrell Williams has created custom looks for the Detroit leg of Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour,” marking his first major celebrity dressing moment since taking over as creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton.

The singer, who was among the A-listers who took in Williams’ spectacular debut show for Vuitton in Paris in June, wore a custom bodysuit featuring the French luxury brand’s signature Damier check rendered in crystals, according to a sketch released by the house on Thursday.

“Pharrell Williams also created a series of custom Damier looks with crystal details for Blue Ivy and the dancers,” Vuitton said in a statement, referring to 11-year-old Blue Ivy Carter, who has joined her mother on stage to perform dance routines.

Leveraging his entertainment connections, musician-turned-designer Williams teased his first Vuitton collection with an advertising campaign featuring Rihanna wearing a leather shirt in a pixelated Damier check that exposed her pregnancy bump. 

Williams has produced and written several tracks for Beyoncé during her career, including a writing credit for “Energy” on the “Renaissance” album, which generated controversy for its sampling of the Kelis song “Milkshake.”  

Beyoncé has kept fans enthralled with her multiple wardrobe changes on the “Renaissance” tour, wearing designs by brands including Alexander McQueen, Balmain, Coperni, Courrèges, Givenchy, Loewe, Mugler, Rabanne, Schiaparelli and Valentino.

The “Renaissance World Tour” is in support of Beyoncé’s seventh studio album “Renaissance,” released last year. At the 2023 Grammy Awards in February, it won the award for Best Dance/Electronic Album, making her the most decorated artist in Grammy Award history. — JOELLE DIDERICH

ALL SYSTEMS GO: “Register here for news and further updates” are the only words on the black screen that shows up when one types in Phoebephilo.com.

But it signals that the acclaimed British designer is on track to soon unveil, and start selling, her long-awaited new signature collection.

It is understood the site will go live with merchandise in September.

“I need to save up,” “Take my money,” “The drought is over,” and “Selling vital organs as we speak” were among the hundreds of comments accumulating on the official Instagram of Phoebe Philo when it revealed on Thursday that registration was open. The account, sparked up in February, already boasts 211,000 followers.

Philo confirmed in July 2021 that she would be returning to fashion after a four-year break with an independent, namesake house — and with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton as a minority investor.

At the time the British designer said she would create clothing and accessories “rooted in exceptional quality and design,” adding: “To be independent, to govern and experiment on my own terms is hugely significant to me.”

As reported in WWD last month, the new collection is expected to span ready-to-wear, leather goods, jewelry, eyewear and footwear. At the time, sources told WWD that more than 150 styles would be available at a dedicated online store initially shipping to the U.K., Europe and the U.S.

Given her cult following, instincts and antennae keenly attuned to the zeitgeist, Philo’s return to fashion will no doubt elicit cheers from consumers, editors and retailers — and perhaps some nail-biting and angst among her designer peers.

Philo is best known for engineering a brand rejuvenation during a 10-year tenure at Celine, one of about 75 brands controlled by LVMH. Season after season she minted womanly, modernist clothing and distinctive handbags, accruing an intensely loyal fan base.

A graduate of London’s Central Saint Martins fashion school, Philo has also designed for Stella McCartney and Chloé. — MILES SOCHA

HEARST, EVANGELISTA, STEWART AND MORE: To help kick off 92NY’s 150th season, Fern Mallis has rolled out the fall roster for her “Fashion Icons” series.

With 63 interviews and counting, Mallis will return to the Upper East Side stage on Sept. 7 for a chat with Gabriela Hearst. That will launch Mallis’ 12th year with the program. “A big fan” of the designer, Mallis said she has been lobbying for a while for an interview. The New York-based creative will soon have a little more time, having confirmed her exit from Chloé later this year. Her final collection for the luxury house will be shown on Sept. 28, during Paris Fashion Week.

In addition, Mallis will be spotlighting Linda Evangelista in a Q&A at 92NY on Sept. 27. As with any of these chats, online listeners are welcome, along with in-person ones. That one-on-one will cap off what has shaped up to be a triple billing for Evangelista. In mid-September, Phaidon will publish the book “Linda Evangelista Photographed by Steven Meisel.” And on Sept. 20, the docuseries “The Super Models” will be released on Apple TV+. Created by Imagine Documentaries and One Story Up and directed by Academy Award winner Roger Ross Williams and Larissa Bills, the four-part series highlights the breakout careers of Evangelista and her fellow supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington.

Meanwhile, Mallis said she is “so looking forward to” talking with Evangelista, “who does have a story to tell.” Having already quizzed Crawford and Turlington, Mallis “can’t wait to sit with” Evangelista and “hopefully eventually get Naomi to say yes.”

On Oct. 4, the Fashion Icons creator will chat with Martha Stewart at 92NY. They will have a lot of ground to cover, since Mallis first met Stewart decades ago. Mallis said, “I first worked with her on an event, when she was just a caterer in Westport, Connecticut, and I had a PR business in the city.”

Having watched Stewart move from one business to another including cookbooks, TV, table and cookware maker, clothing designer and most recently serve as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, Mallis said, “It’s a remarkable career and I can’t think of anyone else like her.” — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

CINEMA GODARD: Fondazione Prada is to pay permanent tribute to French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard. Starting from September, the movie theater housed in the cultural institution’s Milan location will be renamed Cinema Godard in honor of the late Franco-Swiss director, who died last year at age 91 and whose work has influenced generations of cinephiles, artists and spectators. 

“Cinema is a laboratory for new ideas and a space of cultural education — for this reason, we have decided to name our movie theater after Jean-Luc Godard,” said Miuccia Prada in a statement Thursday. “His works’ experimental and visionary power is a constant inspiration to renew our foundation’s commitment to spread cinematographic and visual languages and explore emerging narrative forms by activating a place where people can understand the world and their lives.”

Fondazione Prada is the only international institution to host two permanent projects by Godard. Both were specifically conceived for the Milan venue and personally supervised by the filmmaker during their installation in 2019. 

For “Le Studio d’Orphée,” Godard relocated his atelier and recording and editing studio to Fondazione Prada, setting a living and working space bringing together the original technical equipment used for his last films from 2010 to 2019, as well as furniture, books, paintings and other personal items from his studio-home in Rolle, Switzerland. Here, visitors have the opportunity of attending the screening of his 2018 feature film “Le Livre d’image” in the physical place where it was created. 

For the elevator of Fondazione Prada’s Torre tower, Godard also conceived “Accent-soeur,” an audio installation combining the soundtrack of “Histoire(s) du cinema,” an eight-part video project the director began in 1988 and completed in 1998 that narrates the complex history of “the seventh art.”

The institution also implemented a retrospective program devoted to Godard’s work, examining his vast filmography that includes titles such as “Breathless,” “A Woman Is a Woman,” “Band of Outsiders,” “Pierrot le Fou” and “Masculin Féminin.” Incidentally, fashion house Saint Laurent also recently produced a short film exalting Godard’s last work and premiered it at the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival in May.

Over the years, Fondazione Prada has supported several film-related activities creating connections between moving images, the visual arts and technology. To kick off its new film season in September, it will invite German film director, screenwriter and author Werner Herzog and French film director and screenwriter Rebecca Zlotowski to participate in two of the meetings open to the public. 

In particular, on Sept. 16 Zlotowski will discuss her work, ranging from her debut film “Belle Épine,” which revealed the talent of Léa Seydoux, to the more recent “Les enfants des autres,” which was presented at the Venice Film Festival last year. 

The following day, Herzog will present his latest film “The Fire Within: a Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft,” dedicated to the French volcanologists and filmmakers, and “Theater of Thought,” exploring the mystery of the human brain between neuroscientific and technological discoveries and their ethical and philosophical implications. In addition to Herzog’s two unreleased films, a selection of his documentary works from the 2000s onward will be screened, many of which were never released theatrically in Italy.

Cinema Godard’s schedule will continue to include themed screenings, retrospectives, previews and restored movies. Each monthly program will be organized in different strands, ranging from exploring contemporary filmmakers, young film talents and spotlighting queer cinema to presenting restored versions of movies that had an enduring influence on collective imagination. — SANDRA SALIBIAN

NAPLES-LONDON: Making its first push into the fashion-soccer marketing bonanza, Kiton’s sibling label KNT has sealed a two-year partnership with the British Tottenham Hotspur F.C. soccer team to become its off-field formalwear supplier.

In keeping with its ethos of blending Neapolitan sartorial prowess with the modern penchant for high-tech, high-comfort gear, KNT created three activewear outfits to be sported by the London-based soccer team’s players and coaching staff.

The company said the tie-in reflects the penchant for soccer of twin brothers Walter and Mariano De Matteis — who are behind the KNT label — as well as late Kiton founder Ciro Paone’s appreciation of British tailoring.

Blending blue and white nuances, both distinctive of the London-based soccer team, the outfits include a single-breasted mélange suit bearing a subdued, crossroad-inspired pattern layered over a white cotton and linen crewneck and jersey polo shirt; a utilitarian suit featuring an overshirt and jogger pants crafted from superfine, 14-micron wool, and a more decidedly activewear ensemble comprised of a waterproof hooded windbreaker, a zippered viscose sweater, T-shirt and cargo pants.

“The Tottenham Hotspur F.C. family is very similar to ours, that’s why our values immediately matched. Additionally, KNT embodies the agonistic, dynamic and high-end spirit of the Premier League [British soccer championship], which is one of the world’s most watched championships,” said Antonio De Matteis, Kiton’s chief executive officer. “For a company like Kiton, being part of London’s international scene through a partnership with a historic club like the [Tottenham Hot] Spurs is the best way to make a debut in the sports industry.”

Commonly referred to as Tottenham or Spurs, the team, now home to such soccer champions as Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Yves Bissouma, among others, was founded in 1882.

The soccer club has a cockerel standing upon a ball flanked by the Latin motto “Audere est Facere,” or “to dare is to do,” as its emblem and players have traditionally worn white shirts and navy blue shorts as their home kit, currently manufactured by Nike, since the 1898-99 season.

Home matches have been played in the 62,850-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since April 2019. It has traditionally rivaled the Arsenal F.C., with which it competes for the North London Derby.

“In Kiton we are proud to have a formalwear partner that will provide our players and coaching staff with exceptional design and tailoring, that will exude professionalism and maximize comfort as they arrive for matches — a crucial stage in the preparation for the 90 minutes ahead,” said Ryan Noris, commercial sale director at Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

As reported, soccer and fashion have found their sweet spot, as players worldwide are increasingly being noticed by fashion brands and, for their part, embracing the fashion game. Case in point, AS Roma player Paulo Dybala has been revealed this week as a new brand ambassador for Replay until July 2026.

Several marquee designer brands have or had ties with soccer clubs, including Loro Piana with Juventus; Thom Browne with FC Barcelona; Hugo Boss with AS Roma, FC Bayern, Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain; Paul Smith with Manchester United; Diesel with AC Milan; Brooks Brothers with Inter, and Fendi with AS Roma, among others. — MARTINO CARRERA