Ralph Lauren Details Global Citizenship and Sustainability Initiatives

Ralph Lauren Details Global Citizenship and Sustainability Initiatives

For Ralph Lauren’s exciting achievements in committing to the Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold Cashmere Sweater, coupled with other significant achievements in sustainable materials and products, Ralph Lauren earned a prime spot on Fast Company’s 2023 Top 10 list of the most 540 most innovative companies in North America, across all sectors.

Ralph Lauren redesigned its signature cashmere sweaters to receive certification from Cradle to Cradle, a nonprofit that helped the company meet C2C’s standards for using safe materials, employing fair labor practices, and enabling the garment to be recycled into a new one.

The full 2023 Ralph Lauren Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report and ESG Supplement are available for download on the Company’s website. AOC is reading the report and feels compelled to cite more calls-to-action for the Ralph Lauren Corporation beyond the press release.

The support by Ralph Lauren brands of HBCUs and especially Morehouse and Spelman Colleges continues at an accelerated level. Equally impressive is an accelerated commitment to indigenous communities in America. Of all the severely-impacted humans who have been part of the glorious American experiment, indigenous peoples have experienced the dark side of American excellence and high standards.

Read More

Kering Acquires 30% of Valentino with Option for 100% of Shares by 2028

Kering Acquires 30% of Valentino with Option for 100% of Shares by 2028

Kering will acquire a 30 per cent share in Valentino from parent company Qatar’s Mayhoola for an all-cash sum of €1.7 billion, the conglomerate announced on Thursday. The agreement, a significant acquisition for Kering’s fashion business, includes the option for Kering to acquire 100 per cent of the share capital of Valentino within five years. It will immediately acquire Valentino board representation upon necessary approvals of the deal.

The transaction is part of a broader strategic partnership between Kering and Mayhoola, which could lead to Mayhoola becoming a shareholder in Kering. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2023, subject to approval.

Read More

Gucci 'An Ode to Love' Campaign with Wen Qi and Daniel Zhou Shot by Leslie Zhang

Gucci 'An Ode to Love' Campaign with Wen Qi and Daniel Zhou Shot by Leslie Zhang

There’s an A-team on this new summer 2023 campaign including art directors Kevin Tekinel and Charles Levai, director Tin Seoi and photographer Leslie Zhang [IG], whose photography we love. Taiwanese actor Wen Qi and Chinese singer Daniel Zhou star are the lovebirds.

AOC disagrees with more than one fashion writer who has seen this new Gucci ‘An Ode to Love’ campaign and responded with words of praise that storytelling is back at Gucci. Whew!

This new campaign is pure and innocent — which is not how Alessandro Michele served it up. He took you into the setting to experience the imagery yourself, not as an observer.

In my case, he sometimes admonished me [metaphorically], because I wasn’t in the mood to be part of the joke. Yet I chuckled when he grabbed me by the arm, saying “Would you take a damn break, Anne, and let your imagination run wild. Come and play with us.”

Read More

New GAP CEO, Mattel's Prez & COO Richard Dickson Is a Superlative Hire

New GAP CEO, Mattel's Prez & COO Richard Dickson Is a Superlative Hire

Mattel golden boy Richard Dickson is the new CEO of Gap, ending a year-long search for a visionary leader to take the helm of the struggling mothership brand. Dickson is widely credited with reviving Barbie for the 21st century.

President and COO at Mattel

Mattel announced Dickson’s departure as President and Chief Operating Officer to staff early Wednesday, as many were still celebrating Barbie’s humongous box office success. In his role, Mr. Dickson leads Mattel's portfolio of global brands, overseeing innovation strategy, design and development, and brand marketing.

Dickson joined the retailer’s board in November 2022 and is responsible for a new partnership in which Gap sells merchandise themed around Mattel’s properties. First up is Barbie, where Gap began selling T-shirts, hoodies, jeans and other gear inspired by Barbie and Ken in May. 

Read More

Cara Delevingne Feels Finally Free in ELLE UK September 2023 Dior Fashion Story

Cara Delevingne Feels Finally Free in ELLE UK September 2023 Dior Fashion Story

Top talent, activist and humanitarian Cara Delevingne covers the September 2023 issue of ELLE UK. The Dior ambassador is styled by Aurelia Donaldson in ‘I Finally Feel As Though I Can Be Free’, lensed by emerging creative Quentin Jones [IG]./ Hair by Harry Josh; makeup by Hung Vanngo

Hannah Marriott sits down for the interview at an arts venue in Manhattan. Cara says “I’m resilient as hell.” That is good news because Cara has a global squad cheering for her.

Cara shares that traditional therapy has never worked for her — although she has tried everything including the Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12-steps program. In Cara’s case, seeing her yoga instructor Colin Dunsmuir — with her for 12 years —via Face Time three times a week has brought very solid results.

Read More

Margot Robbie Covers Vogue Australia As 'Barbie' Blockbuster Results Roll In!

Margot Robbie Covers Vogue Australia As 'Barbie' Blockbuster Results Roll In!

Margot Robbie delivers her fourth cover story for Vogue Australia [IG] with a special format that pairs writer Hannah-Rose Yee with Barbie star Robbie and the film’s director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig.

Master photographer Mario Sorrenti [IG] is behind the lens as Vogue Australia — like M Le Magazine du Monde — takes Robbie off pink style patrol./ Hair by Shay Ashual; makeup by Pati Dubroff

Read on at Vogue Australia: “Margot Robbie in conversation with Greta Gerwig on the Seismic success of Barbie”.

Read More

Daniel Lee Rolls On As Burberry Resort 2024 Meets London New Bond Street Store Renovation

Daniel Lee Rolls On As Burberry Resort 2024 Meets London New Bond Street Store Renovation

On June 29, 2023 creative director Daniel Lee’s evolution of the Burberry brand continued with the opening of the renovated New Bond Street store in London.

The 22,000 sq m space stretching over three floors, has been transformed into a minimal, modern space with an with open-plan design.

It’s safe to say that in the area of store design, Burberry has met the 21st century, and there is nothing uniquely British about the interior environment.

Read More

Imaan Hammam Is Haute in ELLE USA August 2023, Lensed by Chris Colls

Imaan Hammam Is Haute in ELLE USA August 2023, Lensed by Chris Colls

Supermodel Imaan Hammam takes two covers for the August 2023 issue of ELLE USA. Imaan wears bralette and earrings from Fendi Couture above with a corset from New York Vintage. The second cover below features Imaan wearing an Armani Prive black gown with Van Cleef & Arpels necklace.

Leah Faye Cooper interviews Hammam in her Brooklyn apartment during Ramadan, explaining how 2023 is a year for her to connect more deeply with her Muslim faith. Imaan is not only fasting by day but also not working.

The very top model became an Estée Lauder Global Brand Ambassador in May, and she reports fainting on the set during Ramadan 2022. “They’d be having you doing so much on these shoots, girl. It’s like dancing, jumping around, running—and then there’s a room for TikTok, doing all these TikTok videos….”

Read More

SKIMS Now Valued at $4 Billion as Kardashian - Grede Lockdown $270M Series C Funding

SKIMS Now Valued at $4 Billion as Kardashian - Grede Lockdown $270M Series C Funding

Skims co-founders Kim Kardashian and CEO Jens Grede have confirmed a new $4 billion valuation for the company, after raising $270 million in a new Series C funding round.

Skims was previously valued at $3.2 million.

The new capital investment was led by Wellington Management and also includes funds from Greenoaks Capital Partners and existing partners D1 Capital Partners and Imaginary Ventures.

Mr. Grede has confirmed that Skims anticipates sales of about $750 million in 2023, up from $500 million in 2022. About 15 percent of its online customers come from outside the United States.

Read More

Prorsum Knight Is Wilding in Scotland and Ireland in Burberry Fall 2023 Campaign

Prorsum Knight Is Wilding in Scotland and Ireland in Burberry Fall 2023 Campaign

Burberry’s [IG] Winter 2023 campaign is out, lensed by Tyrone Lebon [IG] in Scotland’s Isle of Skye and Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway.

About the cow . . .

AOC needs to make one small point. We are thrilled with the cow, and the speed with which Burberry delivered it. It was only Monday in writing about Daniel Lee’s second Resort 2024 collection, that we brought up cows for Burberry. Voila! We have a cow.

It’s great but . . .. . . it was cows in relation to the Burberry dandelion print revised to a daffodil. Because we are promoting a great climate change study with cows and daffodils.

Read More