424 S/S '20

March 24, 2020

424 by Guillermo Andrade metaphorically nods to the "American Dream” in his latest collaboration with artist Benjamin Marra. The lookbook was photographed and styled in Los Angeles by brothers Guillermo, Andrew and Benjamin Andrade with reference to the spatialism originator, Lucio Fontana. In it, they incorporate inspiration from Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. The neurotic devotion Bateman pours into his own success while being absolutely unhinged on the inside sums up the unique finishes, dying and distressing processes of this latest collection.

“The S/S '20 collection features classic 424 silhouettes with unique nods to the work-wear heritage of America, unique monochrome illustrations by Marra don the clothing with a style reminiscent of such artists as Paul Gulacy, Herb Trimpe and Spain Rodriguez. The social commentary present in Andrade's collections and incredibly apt references to the crazy world we occupy could not be more relevant than now.”

Text by Logan Brown

Check out the Fairfax OG’s lookbook below.

Fashion

An Evening With LỰU ĐẠN

September 29, 2023

It is night three of Paris Fashion Week, and, after a quick cycle from the 11th to the 10th arrondissement, I am outside the Ravioli Nord-Est. The restaurant is renowned for its unforgettable and affordable dumplings located in the heart of Belleville. Finishing off my cigarette, I watch three different Parisians sigh to themselves in clear devastation, realising their usual spot is closed off for the night. It’s a LỰU ĐẠN Mahjong tournament take-over, and tonight, this traditional cantonese game meets with the fashion world.

Skepta and Headie One’s Back to Basics soundtracks my entrance into the venue, reminding me of the brand’s established London base. Tables were filled with the likes of Susie Lau, Tyler Joe, Gia Kuan and Blake Abbie, all absorbed in the competition. I managed to snap a quick shot of creative director Hung La, who instantly reached for an incredible floor-length black leather trench — the two didn’t separate for the rest of the night.

Text by Mathilde Favel
Photos by Mathilde Favel and Cassandre Lafon

I’ve barely taken a sip of my Tsingtao beer when someone grabs my arm — “We need players, we need players, come sit!". I’m thrown into a game of Mahjong — and it’s already begun. With Gia’s guidance, I began to pick it up. The game is entertaining and goes by quickly, especially with my opponents, two hilariously sweet German girls in town for Fashion Week. To no one’s surprise, I didn’t win.

Dumplings, mochis and various dishes decorate a table in abundance and, as I tuck in, my friend Henny arrives looking fabulous in head-to-toe black and silver eyeshadow. Stacks of LỰU ĐẠN dollars are passed around, which Henny stores in her thong. How risqué.

Inside, Susie Lau is crowned champion of the Mahjong tournament. She proudly wears her prize - the leather black and white LỰU ĐẠN biker jacket. The night ends in a blur of LỰU ĐẠN dollars and camera flashes as everyone rushes over to the winner to steal a snapshot.

Fashion

In Milan, Lushness and Severity

September 28, 2023

Just when it seemed like the good old days of rebellious Italian eccentricity were over, along came a guard of neutral, fuss-free offerings with a mission to establish a launch pad of clothes that rolled out a welcome mat for buoyant proposals. The Milan runways have an extensive trove of timeless clothes that mine for inspiration, and this season a lineup of delicate, finely cut staples juxtaposed with a fractious feel were exactly it. But while Italy’s designers always hew to the ethos of an earlier era, they’re still aware of what their customer wants to wear in the here and now.

“Butterfly flaps her wings and makes the whole fashion world late!” exclaimed a colleague at the Dolce & Gabbana show on the last day of fashion week, with regard to the batshit crazy delay caused by Kylie Jenner — yup, I can confirm her seatmate and actress extraordinaire, Halle Bailey, was not impressed — that had heads turning and people moaning (pardon the youthspeak, and blame the downpour).

Critique by Chidozie Obasi
Photo credits throughout

That, at any rate, is one explanation for the lush throughline that permeated key catwalks, looking a tad overfamiliar in the contemporary vein. Close up, this season had pieces owning a certain severity of their own, using light layers, crinkled hems, washed textiles, fine cottons and easy pieces meant for do-it-yourself ensembles, all with a slouchy, cool attitude. Sweet. That, of course, continues to make Milan a member of the minimalist tribe of avant garde fashion — but, interestingly, without the avantgard-ness. Milan needs to edit: cutting it to half of the total number of shows would have double the season’s impact. But on the whole, Spring 2024 hit the mark.

At Fendi, Kim Jones took a gentle, feminine approach to the quotidian by crafting a quiet confidence through ease: there were enough pickings here for girls who like to collage together their own romantic city-like style.

Photos courtesy of Fendi

On the other hand, to keep attention coming from a traditional perspective, Prada kept building the character of its collection into a distinctive personal signature, that of Mario Prada, a traveler, with a deep intellectual curiosity who would journey around the globe to source precious items to enrich everyday life with a lick of polish. What epitomizes more polish, though, is relative. Prada likes to play with volume through details, and superfine organza and gazar gave the impression — intentionally? unintentionally? — that proportion play is a huge touchpoint in a Spring setting.

Photos courtesy of Prada

Decidedly substantial was Marco Rambaldi’s latest outing. “It’s precious,” the designer said on the day of the show, explaining how empowerment and emancipation played a key role in his Spring outing, amid the rigid societal constructs imposed by the world at large. “The body is a fundamental aspect of my design vision, and textures such as lace which caress it are like a second skin, in particular, lingerie acted as a portrayal of a freedom I want people to sense within my clothes.” But in the arena of freedom, what’s the purpose of fashion?

Photos courtesy of Marco Rambaldi

“Having fun and playing all around,” said Roberto Cavalli’s creative director, Fausto Puglisi, who unleashed a conundrum of skin-tight toppers and flared pants that had a far-from-poignant, confusionary verve that worked its way into dense natural motifs that climbed up the textures.

It was a welcome change, then, to find a youthful frivolity in the styling of the collections of MSGM’s Massimo Giorgetti and Nicola Brognano’s Blumarine, adorned with primary-colored tints and abstract prints that had a lightened up tone rich with structure as past outings. To wit, in Giorgetti’s work, that was ever present in the vibrant prints and gentle fabric gatherings at the hip, coupled with knee-high socks and shameless slippers which, when thrown together, layered willy-nilly. He worked a classically artsy vibe, referencing The Victoria and Albert Museum’s tartan exhibition and calling upon architectural shapes to infect his work. Sounds heavy, but when put into catwalk context it looked occasionally compelling and, dolefully, dull. Like much of what was on display, that mix did not quite win the race.

Photos courtesy of BOSS

Alberta Ferretti’s collection was on the one hand pragmatic, on the other delicate, but both could account to one case in point: seduction. More often than not, Ferretti’s journey opened with fresh cotton shirts and trousers enhanced by the rhythm of bold stripes on light blue backgrounds. These were accompanied by suits airing wide trousers and constructed jackets, where silhouettes are fluid and vertical, either very short or very long: a key characteristic that emphasized convertibility and ample wearability. A view that gained a more realistic, pared-down manner at N21, where amid the rigor, pieces stood out — particularly embossed chiffons that added an overall sense of levity. “I have no fear of using and processing clichés: for me Napoli is not an experience, it’s my home town, representing my origins,” opined Alessandro Dell’Acqua of his recent collection, specifying that, “It’s upon my own supply of knowledge of this city where everything overlaps that I built the fanciful vision of an airy light upbeat collection. I set together aristocratic and popular souls, culture and carnality, false morality and bold natural sensuality.”

A commercially appetible tenor that devoted to a refined gamut of workwear offerings at BOSS, including utilitarian working jackets with corset-like structured bodices that succeeded at modernizing the label’s references to a younger market, detaching the overly strict codes they held in a previous instance. “This season’s show was such a great, empowering way to feel the BOSS style both on the catwalk and on myself,” Gigi Hadid told me backstage right after the show, explaining how she “felt an awesome energy for having walked.” Per usual, there was an emphasis on liberal young tailoring here, and the smoked gray two-pieces worn with black added a smart touch.

Photos courtesy of Gucci

A touch that went on a hot pursuit of minimalist codes at Gucci, which saw the debut of the house’s new Creative Director, Sabato de Sarno, with a new vest that points out to a canvas of quintessential volumes that are nothing short of traditional. Season after season, Gucci flouted out the modish, projecting a scope of innovation-led thinking and strategically-thought showmanship. At Gucci, all the extravagance is usually tempered by the maximalist-inspired tailoring and hyperbolic details that were hallmarks of the brand. Now, the “defiant tradition” has acquired a newfound gaze, which shone through less than the aforementioned, but it will perhaps work in a much more successful way. Gucci is not the brand you go to for a simple button-down. Nope, because the real deal at hand here are clothes that inspire a cultish following from people who don’t fear to wear those very properties.

Photos courtesy of Bottega Veneta

And on those, Milan — plus the meticulously-crafted shapes offered by Bottega Veneta’s Mathieu Blazy — delivered. “I wanted to incorporate sculptural details mixed with a very du-jour feel in my work,” said the trailblazing designer Maximilian Davis, 28, who currently helms Ferragamo and, in turns, fashions garments that play with the art of conceal and reveal. There’s a sweetly intoxicating profusion of elegance in Davis’ world: be the long kaftans anchored by chunky hardware, or the longline garb scattered in flouncy volumes. “It’s about having a sense of ease and effortlessness, playing with the everyday pieces but adding a touch of grace to elevate them to new levels,” continued Davis. All in all, the wonderful thing about Milan is that the garments always make you think, see, feel and learn something out of the ordinary, because clothes have as much distinctive handiwork as they do innovation.

Photos courtesy of Ferragamo

Fashion

Gypsy Sport Rides a New Wave

On a rainy and windy New York Fashion Week day, Gypsy Sport held their SS24 runway show on Governors Island – a circumstance that didn't stop anyone from celebrating the brand’s 10-year anniversary. The eclectic collection was a clear indication that change was among us. The rain trapped guests on the island, turning the runway show into a full-blown party that had the models dancing in the outfits they walked in.

The gender-neutral brand displayed dresses, tweed two-piece sets, crochet, glittery and sequin looks, and jersey mesh – many that were more elevated than their everyday streetwear looks. We spoke with Uribe after the show to learn more about this chapter for the brand.

What was the inspiration behind the 10-year anniversary collection?

This season was inspired by all of the past Gypsy Sport collections that I’ve ever made. I went through all of my archives and pulled out some of my favorite pieces and then I decided to remake them for 2024. It was like looking back at all of the things that we’ve done but then also I figured if somebody has never heard of Gypsy Sport and this is the first time they’re gonna see it, I want them to kind of know some history.

How were you able to make it different from your previous collections?

Every collection that I do is pretty different, but it was a challenge to make all of those collections cohesive. I did it mostly with the color story and the colors that we used. A lot of the first samples that I made were janky, not finished, missing buttons, or didn’t fit perfectly. This was a chance to make everything fit better and look better.

You had the runway on Governors Island despite the rain. How did that go?

We couldn’t predict the weather. I thought the venue was perfect. I knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge for our guests, but we honestly had so many great RSVPs and confirmations. It kind of turned out to be a private party for the people who stuck around and made it through the rain. I appreciated it because we’re such a community-based brand. I knew a lot of the fashion industry people were not going to be able to stick around, but at least the people that I designed for were there and that’s what really mattered to me.

After 10 years, you’re changing the name of the brand. Going back to the origin, how did you come up with the name Gypsy Sport?

I was grocery shopping in Harlem. They were selling sneakers in there that were called G-Sport. I think it was one of the first posts I ever put on Instagram. Then I thought, ‘That’s so cool. These shoes are probably made in, I don’t know, Egypt somewhere, and then they’re shipped to America, and some guy in Harlem is wearing G-Sport slides.’ It just inspired me so much. I came up with the name Gypsy Sport and then literally the same day, I googled it and found out that it was already a breed of a horse. I really love the horse, it was actually gonna be my logo, but I came up with the planet instead. It was just one of those days where everything was telling me, ‘That’s the name, this is it, you found your name.’ I loved it. I still love the name Gypsy Sport. I still love the work and I wanted to keep it, of course, but it doesn’t feel like it’s my word to use anymore. I’m just more educated on the language, the culture, and the oppression of the Roma people. It took us a while to make the decision to change it because it’s not easy; there’s a lot of back-end stuff and costs. But I figured if we’re turning 10 years old, there’s no better time to do it than now – just make the change, jump into the void, and figure out what the next name will be.

With the renaming of the brand, will there also be a new look, or will it be cohesive with past collections?

There will be a new look, but the logo, we call Planet Hadden, will not change. It’s a registered logo. But the aesthetic and the name will be different.

Do you have a new name yet?

Not yet.

Once the name is changed, where will you and the brand go from there?

We will work with more people. I think being established enough now to know how to work, in a big way, Gypsy Sport was an educational process for me and my team. I’m not formally educated, I just kind of jumped into fashion and it grew much bigger than I expected it to. I wanted to take everything we’ve learned over the last 10 years and concentrate that into the strongest, most beautiful parts of Gypsy Sport that will live on through the new name.

Do you plan to continue to run the brand or will you have someone take on your role?

I’m going to continue to be the creative director, but we will have new people coming in to help run the company in a tighter, smarter way.

Is there anything you want to say to new and old fans of the brand?

I want to apologize again to anyone who’s been offended by the name. I just want to reiterate that the intention of the brand, aside from being cool fashion and selling clothes to people, has always been more important for us to unify, celebrate diversity, and bring new types of people into the fashion industry that have never been recognized before. I really love that we're doing that and we’re going to continue doing that with the new brand name.