News bites from the fashion and beauty department: there are high-performance products afoot, and good memes aplenty.
Raf Simons is shuttering his namesake label
In sad news for the fashion world, the Belgian designer just announced that the spring-summer 2023 collection for the Raf Simons label would be its last.
With a distinctive sensibility — collections like the radical Black Palms of 1998, and prescient Woe Unto Those Who Spit on the Fear Generation…The Wind Will Blow It Back from 2002 continue to influence style — the menswear brand was founded in 1995, added womenswear to its offering in 2020, and its success led to Simons being appointed creative director at Jil Sander (2005 to 2012) then Christian Dior (2012 to 2015) and Calvin Klein (2016 to 2018). He remains Prada’s co-creative director, alongside Miuccia Prada, an unprecedented role for the family-owned brand.
Haider Ackermann has been busy
We’re enjoying all the unexpected collaborations unveiled recently. Off the back of the delightful Dries Van Noten and Stussy announcement, French-Colombian designer Haider Ackermann presented a collaborative collection with none other than Fila at the end of last week. The location was unexpected too, although fitting; Manchester has a long legacy of athletic style, zeitgeist-y music (Oasis, Joy Division, Factory Records, et al) and general cool vibes. Presented on the runway in a space that’s served as both a railway station and nightclub, Emma D’Arcy and Andrew Garfield were there, and the collection on show was a refreshing spin on sportswear. The range includes op-art prints, searing neons, great windbreakers, swimwear and even goggles — it would all look equally good on the football pitch, at a warehouse rave or even just nipping down to the corner shop.
In other Haider Ackermann business, he will also be the next guest designer at Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture — a series of collections that has already seen Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, Sacai’s Chitose Abe and Y/Project’s Glenn Martens take the helm of the famous French label.
It’s exciting stuff from the quietly, consistently excellent Ackermann (and we’re sure Timothee Chalamet will be wearing all of it).
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Advertise with NZME.Tom Ford sold his multi-billion-dollar business
Cosmetics powerhouse Estée Lauder Companies has acquired Tom Ford’s eponymous fashion company in a deal valued at US$2.8 billion – making the company the sole owner of not just the beauty side of the Tom Ford business (which was already part of ELC), but all of the brand’s intellectual property. The designer who, according to Forbes, will be walking away with an estimated US$1.1 billion as a result of the acquisition, will continue to serve as creative head of Tom Ford through 2023.
“I could not be happier with this acquisition as The Estée Lauder Companies is the ideal home for the brand,” Tom Ford said in a statement. “They have been an extraordinary partner from the first day of my creation of the company and I am thrilled to see them become the luxury stewards in this next chapter of the Tom Ford brand.”
M.A.C to launch full skincare range in 2023
M.A.C is set to make a push into the skincare market, announcing the launch of a new “high performance” line into more than 1500 M.A.C stores worldwide, as well as online, in January 2023. The skincare line, called Hyper Real, will debut with a hybrid serum/moisturiser or ‘serumiser’, a moisturising cream, cleansing oil and a brush for applying serum and moisturiser. The brand has already dabbled in skincare with its Prep + Prime range which includes a primer and setting spray, but according to Vogue Business, M.A.C hopes that the launch of Hyper Real will see 30 per cent of its beauty customers convert to the skincare range over the next three years. As always, we will keep you updated on the launch plans for New Zealand, so stay tuned.
Taylor Swift broke Ticketmaster
Such is the power of Swifties, pre-sale demand (and bots) took down the ticketing behemoth’s US site — leading to a barrage of complaints, the cancellation of general sales, and good memes aplenty.
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Advertise with NZME.Coach launches e-comm in Aotearoa
Fans of the popular US brand will now be able to shop online in New Zealand dollars. Joining its growing brick-and-mortar retail presence on our shores, Coach has just launched local e-commerce too. Prices range from $150 (a handy, classic card case) to $4435 (an arty Coach x Mint + Serf trench coat) and include womenswear, menswear, accessories and apparel. It’s also just in time for its eye-catching holiday range — the campaign features Jennifer Lopez, Zoey Deutch and Chan-Young Yoon — and it’s all very Americana, with varsity motifs and monograms aplenty. Nz.coach.com/stores
