Image courtesy of peeopingmoom.com
We are all aware that since Estee Lauder acquired the Tom Ford brand for 2.3 billion dollars, Ford is stepping down as creative director of his eponymous brand. For his final collection Tom Ford looked to his 13 collections for inspiration.
Looks for Ford’s final collection included sequin football jerseys, a velvet suit, lots of leopard prints, the Zendaya-approved molten breast plate, and the type of slinky body-hugging gowns we have all come to love. And of course, the final collection was modeled by Ford’s bevy of model beauties—Joan Smalls, Amber Valetta, Karlie Kloss, Karen Elson, Caroline Trentini, and many more.
Peter Hawkings will be the new creative director of Tom Ford. Hawkings previously serving as Senior Vice President of Tom Ford’s menswear division. Hawkings worked with Tom Ford for over twenty-five years.
“In Peter Hawkings the brand has found the perfect Creative Director,” Tom Ford said in a statement. “Peter began working with me 25 years ago as a menswear design assistant at Gucci and rapidly worked his way up to become the senior men’s designer at the company when he left to join me at the Tom Ford brand.” Ford continued, saying “Since the creation of Tom Ford menswear, Peter has been instrumental in the success of the brand. He is an incredibly talented leader with tremendous industry experience, and his appointment gives me confidence that my commitment to creating fashion products with the highest level of design and quality will continue.”
Image courtesy of commercialsong.com
Boss partners with the NFL
Boss, once called Hugo Boss, is launching a sportswear brand by collaborating with NFL players. Partnering with the National Football League this season and next season until the 2024 Superbowl, Boss has developed a capsule collection that will include hoodies, sweatshirts, tee shirts, polo shirts and tracksuits in black, white, and blue.
“We are delighted with this new partnership with the NFL and to be able to offer our customers a wide range of clothing featuring their [favorite] teams. This collection pays tribute to the players and the high level of training they put in season after season with a strong, all-encompassing message about what it means to commit and play like a boss,” said Marco Falcioni, head of creative direction at Hugo Boss in a statement, as reported in fashionnetwork.com.
During the NFL draft, Boss opened a pop-up store in Kansas City from April 27 through April 29 that will house the capsule collection. There will also be an e-pop shop where consumers can purchase the product. Prices range from $98 to $198.
Image courtesy of The Woolmark Company
The Woolmark Prize combines, fashion, dance and performance art
If you are not familiar with the International Woolmark Prize, you should be. The International Woolmark Prize encourages designers to think beyond today, embrace wool as a naturally innovative and sustainable fiber and showcase its basis for new technologies and development to meet the discerning needs of tomorrow’s customer.
One finalist will be awarded the International Woolmark Prize by a prestigious panel of industry experts and receive AU$200,000 to invest in the development of their business. The Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation will be awarded to another finalist, with the winner receiving AU$100,000. The Woolmark Supply Chain Award will also be presented, celebrating outstanding contributions from a trade partner to driving wool-supply chain innovation. All finalists will have the opportunity to be stocked in some of the world’s leading stores, via the International Woolmark Prize Retailer Network.
For this 2023 International Woolmark Prize there is an intergenerational dialogue between iconic innovative performance artist Joan Jonas and leading design talent A. ROEGE HOVE, Bluemarble, Lagos Space Programme, MARCO RAMBALDI, MAXXIJ, Paolina Russo, RHUDE and Robyn Lynch. This dialogue is expressed in the film “DIALOGUE,” which is a restaging and reinterpretation of Joan Jonas’ 1972 performance piece, “Delay, Delay.”
“Years ago, I would not have participated in a project like this,” says Joan Jonas. “But I’ve since become very interested in how people interpret my work, how they might be influenced by it and how it might change the way they view their own work.” “Delay, Delay was performed outdoors in the Lower West Side of Manhattan in empty lots. Those places don’t exist anymore in New York, in that way. The fact that Woolmark found a site near Marseille in France to restage parts of it, and that the work would be transformed by younger people—I find very interesting.
Creative directed by Zak Kyes, the film brings together directors Partel Oliva and choreographer Josh Johnson. Special guest appearances include writer Naomi Shimada, muse Sonia Ichti, ballet dancer Samuel Pereira and Marseille-based creatives: Valentine Valero, Hanna-May Porlon, and Luka Isaac. An original score is composed by British electronic producer and musician Loraine James.
—William S. Gooch
