Kim Kardashian West brings her Fendi collab home and Michael Kors works to Watch Hunger Stop – C Magazine®

Also, Kelly Slater’s Outerknown opens in Malibu and John Lobb boots, derbies and loafers arrive in Los Angeles

Words by ELIZABETH VARNELL

Fendi x Skims Pops Up on Rodeo Drive
The transformative power of figure-sculpting fabric forms the core of a new wardrobe dreamed up by Fendi artistic director Kim Jones and Kim Kardashian West, the founder of Skims. To mark the launch, the Roman maison is temporarily taking over a 1,205-square-foot Rodeo Drive boutique dedicated to Fendi x Skims through November 28. Sketches from an archival 1979 Fendi collection, of twisted tube tops and tight sashes in bright colors — created during Karl Lagerfeld’s tenure at the Roman house — inspired the capsule collection of form-fitting designs. Skin-tight dresses, knitwear, underwear, hosiery and recycled-nylon sportswear are emblazoned with a hybrid Fendi x Skims logo, accompanied by Peekaboo, Baguette Chain and Sunshine Shopper bags and Fendi footwear. Naturally, there’s also a digital photo room to document the pop-up experience. 323 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 631-308-9593.

Six Contemporary Artists Transform Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines
Limited-edition Artycapucines are back. Louis Vuitton is launching the third edition of its handbag-turned-canvas project with Italian multimedia artist Paola Pivi, who is based in Anchorage, Alaska; Beijing painters Zeng Fanzhi and Huang Yuxing; Berlin-based painter and sculptor Gregor Hildebrandt; interdisciplinary artist Donna Huanca, who also makes her home in the German capital; and photographer Vik Muniz, who lives and works in São Paulo and New York. Named after the street housing the trunk maker’s first Paris store, each bag is made of 250 artisan-assembled elements; numbered editions of 200 from each artist will be released. Added to the ongoing collection are Huanca’s handpainted and embroidered abstract blue design, Muniz’s collection of candy-colored embossed characters, and one of Hildebrandt’s trademark monochromatic images (made with the magnetic dust from old recording tape), printed in positive black-and-white and negative white-and-black on the bag’s white leather.

Outerknown Arrives in Malibu
Steps from some of the best waves on the Pacific Coast, Outerknown, the sustainably manufactured clothing line founded by Kelly Slater and creative director John Moore, just opened a brick-and-mortar shop at the Malibu Country Mart. The minimalist 856-square-foot space, designed with a low environmental footprint in mind, is stocked with blanket shirts, guaranteed-for-life S.E.A. jeans that are line-dried and made with recycled water (the name is an acronym for “social environmental accountability”), terry-cloth Hightide sweats, and Slater’s ocean-ready Apex trunks. Shop fixtures are crafted from locally sourced oak, and signs are made with soy-based inks. The brand’s second boutique — its first is in El Segundo — also includes screens detailing its mission and fair trade and circularity goals. Preach. 3835 Cross Creek Rd., Ste. 9, Malibu, 213-424-5992.

John Lobb Steps Into Los Angeles
Give slides the slip, now that storied British bootmaker John Lobb has a Beverly Hills address stocked with derbies, loafers and trainers plus foundational bespoke options honed by the house over the past 150 years. Ready-to-wear designs emerging from its workshop in Northampton and swatches from its bespoke Parisian atelier sit in a modern capsule inside the minimalist two-story shop designed by French architecture studio Ciguë. Made-to-measure models all begin with foot measurements and a carved wooden last (a shoemaking form). In the By Request program, current or vintage models can be customized by color, leather, soles and buckles. Sustainability is also foregrounded by concierges who repair heels, embellish old leather and prolong the lifetime of every favored pair. 9530 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 310-281-8038.

Ron Herman Celebrates 45 Years With Curated Collaborations
Los Angeles retail innovator Ron Herman is celebrating a milestone birthday with a host of brand partnerships and collaborations, some of which highlight 1976, the year Herman first established a specialty shop inside Fred Segal on Melrose Avenue. Offerings at that flagship location now include Frank & Eileen striped button-downs, Phipps crystal-studded jerseys for Los Angeles sports teams, Free & Easy anniversary T-shirts, Weird Bits pearl-and-charm necklaces, Re/Done cropped T-shirts, Propaganda Agency marled cardigans, hats and scarves, RHLA sweats and cashmere, and more. The multi-department space also includes eclectic sections of shoes, denim, a dedicated FreeCity room, a trove of vintage curated by Mothfood dealer Tommy Dorr and an I’m OK shop-within-a-shop with a selection of gifts, games, and books favored by OK’s Larry Schaffer — as well as pieces designed by store staples including Stella McCartney, Isabel Marant, Mother, Jonathan Simkhai, Dries Van Noten and Officine Générale. 8100 Melrose Ave., L.A., 323-651-4129.

Michael Kors Renews His United Nations World Food Programme Partnership
For the past nine years, Michael Kors has created Watch Hunger Stop capsules to fight food insecurity through the United Nations World Food Programme, and this year he’s continuing his mission. Coming at a crucial juncture amid a global pandemic, each of the new collection’s black T-shirts, hats and masks includes a heart patch spelling out the word LOVE. Kors made new strides to minimize the environmental impact of the special-edition collection while maximizing the number of meals delivered to those in need. All profits go to the WFP, whose logo also appears on the garments.

The Great Acquires an Abbot Kinney Address
Designers Emily Current and Meritt Elliott are westward bound, opening a new Venice boutique for their brand The Great inside a 1910 Craftsman-style bungalow on Abbot Kinney with interiors designed by Brigette Romanek. In addition to the assortment of Americana-inspired designs for women, men and children — including Fair Isle sweaters, prairie dresses, denim and flannels — the 1,200-square-foot space contains a reimagined galley kitchen filled with homeware and apothecary items. Ceramics are by California-based artisans Amanda Hummes, Lucy Michel, Ivy Weinglass, Ariel Clute and more. Also on hand are the brand’s made-in-L.A. home goods, including linen napkins, aprons and bandannas. Shelves of vintage finds are culled by the pair, who are known for their collections of vintage denim and ’30s and ’40s prints and graphics. “Things that have wear are more valuable to us,” says Current. 1107 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 424-252-9019.

Circular Accessories Pioneer Fashionphile Takes Residence at Row DTLA
Sarah Davis’ online handbag and accessories re-commerce company Fashionphile has popped up in Los Angeles’ Arts District in a temporary shop — slated to remain open through the end of the year — that’s stocked with a curated selection of offerings from Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Celine (and Céline), Givenchy and more. Davis has opened studios inside Neiman Marcus for customers to sell their preowned jewelry, shades and totes to Fashionphile (the department store owns a minority stake in the Carlsbad-based company), but her new California brick-and-mortar shop contains a mix of vetted luxury goods for purchase. 1318 E. 7th St., Ste. 144, L.A., 213-444-3751.

November 30, 2021

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