China's Skiing Demon Eileen Gu Eyes Beijing 2022 Gold in Louis Vuitton Twist Bag Campaign

China's Skiing Demon Eileen Gu Eyes Beijing 2022 Gold in Louis Vuitton Twist Bag Campaign AOC Fashion

Louis Vuitton ambassador Eileen Gu has closed in on two key life goals at age 18.. The two-time freestyle world champion has always wanted to attend Stanford University — and she will be, as a legacy applicant. Second for Gu was to qualify for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, leaving Team USA to represent China.

In these images for Louis Vuitton, Eileen Gu is styled by Victoria Sekrier in images by Carlijn Jacobs. Creative direction by Charles Levai and Kevin Tekinel./ Hair by Olivier Schawalder; makeup by Min Kim

In 2019, the U.S.-born Gu announced she would switch national affiliations and compete for China in 2022. Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal probed the topic of whether Eileen Gu has given up her American citizenship, so represent China. The situation for Gu is largely similar to Naomi Osaka’s, who did give up her American citizenship to represent Japan at the 2021 Summer Olympics. Gu deflects any questions on her actual citizenship status, writes WSJ.  Osaka did give up her American passport.

“This was an incredibly tough decision for me to make,” Gu wrote in an Instagram post at the time. She said she hoped her move would help “inspire millions of young people where my mom was born,” especially young girls. Through skiing, she added, she wanted to “unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations.”

Gu is such a high-flying IMG ace, that her background puts her at the top of marketing opportunities in the world’s two largest economies. And she could help China whip the US in the upcoming medal count.

Julia Hafstrom Explores Fashion and Occult in Vogue Poland by Hill & Aubrey

Model Julia Hafstrom covers the January/February 2022 issue of Vogue Poland. Ina Lekiewicz, editor-in-chief, ponders the synergy of fashion and astrology including cyclicality, looking into the future, fascination with ritual and beauty of symbols.

The cover story Magia | Kosmos takes a deep dive into magic and cosmic phenomena. In the UK's most western corner, the Hill & Aubrey [IG] photographer duo capture the dark intrigue rich with symbolism of an old farmhouse, with Hafstrom styled by Ali & Aniko. / Hair by Yumi Nakada-Dingle; makeup by Athena Paginton

Signe Veiteberg's Mushroom Promise in Vogue Poland January 2022, by Agnieszka Kulesza & Lukasz Pik

Signe Veiteberg's Mushroom Promise in Vogue Poland January 2022, by Agnieszka Kulesza & Lukasz Pik AOC Fashion

The January 2022 issue of Vogue Poland spins sustainability with a more 60’s/70’s, transformative perspective, by delving into intriguing magical and cosmic phenomena.

In this fashion story photographer duo Agnieszka Kulesza & Łukasz Pik [IG] captured the fashion industry’s fascination with mushrooms — led by Stella McCartney, but with plenty of new players. Fashion editor Kamila Wagner explains why mushrooms can help save the world from an ecological disaster and model Signe Veiteberg is the mushroom mother, source of all nourishment and the ‘skin’ of our living earth. / Hair by Emil Zed; makeup by Marianna Yurkiewicz

AOC has translated everything we can so far at Vogue Poland and don’t believe that the clothes themselves are sustainable or made of mushrooms. That technology is advancing rapidly but is not yet ready for prime time.

It’s undeniable, though, that mushrooms are having a cultural moment in every aspect including as a replacement for meat. Put AOC in that camp. Mushrooms are fundamental to the organic construction of our earth.

'Bold and Graphic' Resort Fashion with Elizabeth Lake, Wayne Booth for SCMP Style

Elizabeth Lake, Wayne Booth in 'Bold and Graphic' for SCMP Style December 2021 AOC Fashion

Models Wayne Booth and Elizabeth Lake wear ‘Bold and Graphic’ 2022 Resort looks styled by Brit Cato. Photographer Luke Dickey is behind the lens for SCMP Style Magazine December 2021./ Makeup by Andrew Colvin; hair by Kazuto Shimomura

Fan Bingbing by Leslie Zhang in Vogue Singapore as 'The 355' Debuts January 7, 2022

Fan Bingbing by Leslie Zhang in Vogue Singapore as 'The 355' Debuts January 7, 2022 AOC Fashion

Fan Bingbing greets 2022 with two digital covers in Vogue Singapore’s January - February 2022 issue devoted to the concept of grace. Coke Ho styles the actor/fashion icon and Chinese superstar, who is lensed by Singapore-based photographer Leslie Zhang [IG]. Sandhya Mahadevan interviews Fan Bingbing in advance of her 2022 film ‘The 355’.

Fan Bingbing’s Musings on Grace and Beauty

“Grace to me, is having both beauty and elegance—always strive to do the right thing, be refined and well-educated, and have self-respect. Then you will embody grace from the inside out."

”Every woman wants to be more beautiful, but I believe beauty is not only on the outside—it shows through every aspect of a person. Beauty is having ideals in life, determination, and confidence.”

Naomi Osaka Pulls Out of WTA Semi-Final After Body Gets 'Shock' Over Playing Tennis

Australian Open champion, and women’s sports’ highest-paid athlete ever Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Melbourne WTA tournament, considered a run-up to the Open starting January 17 in Melbourne. The Japanese tennis superstar, with a difficult year behind her, entered the semi-finals looking like her mojo was coming back. Osaka left the US Open last September and took four months off from the game of tennis.

“Sad to withdraw due to injury from my match today, my body got a shock from playing back-to-back intense matches after the break I took,” Osaka said on Twitter. “I’ll try to rest up and I’ll see you soon!”

Osaka’s statement continued:

“I had a lot of fun playing here in Melbourne. Unfortunately, I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the Australian Open.”

Related: Naomi Osaka becomes highest-paid female athlete in history after earning $37 million last year CNN

How Naomi Osaka Became Everyone’s Favorite Spokesmodel New York Times

Read all the details about Naomi’s return to tennis.

Karen Elson's Spring Fashion Lamp 'Brighter Future' for Harper's Bazaar UK February 2021

Karen Elson's Spring Fashion Lamp 'Brighter Future' for Harper's Bazaar UK February 2021 AOC Fashion

Very independent supermodel Karen Elson covers the February 2021 issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK. Photographer Erik Madigan Heck [IG] packs up his equipment and heads to Oxfordshire with stylist Leith Clark, a long-time friend of Elson’s. Clark chooses a wide range of dramatic fashion from Alberta Ferretti, Dior, Ermanno Scervino, Etro, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo and more/ Hair by Hiroshi Matsushita; makeup by Andrew Gallimore

Lydia Slater conducts the interview of words spun around the spring 2022 fashion fest: Karen Elson on a brighter future.

"It felt like falling headfirst back into British life," the red-headed model activist says. "There was a house with a moat around it, built in the 1700s, there was a graveyard from the 1500s. Even the cold, the rain – give it to me! I’ve had more cups of tea this week than I ever have. And with the hair and the make-up and the beautiful location, there was a sort of wildness about it.”

Naomi Osaka Wins Quarter Final on Friday | Advances to Saturday Semi-Final with Kudermetova

Update 1/7/21: Naomi Osaka beat Germany’s Andrea Petkovic on Friday, advancing to Saturday’s semi-final against Russia’s Veronika Eduardovna Kudermetova.

Naomi Osaka returned to competitive tennis this week, first defeating Alizé Cornet in the 2022 Melbourne Summer Set. Osaka decisively defeated Belgium’s Maryna Zanevska 6-1, 6-1 on Thursday advancing to Friday’s quarter finals, facing Germany’s Andrea Petkovic.

Melbourne 1 is a prelude to the Australian Open, a grand slam event and is currently scheduled for Monday, January 17 to Sunday, January 30.

Playing Cornet, Naomi Osaka had 57 unforced errors, eight of them double faults. Her Thursday 6-1, 6-1 win over Zanevska was decisive.

"I only really have one major goal this year, and it's completely unrelated to results and stuff like that," Osaka said post-match.

"For me, I just want to feel like every time I step on the court I'm having fun. I can walk off the court knowing that even if I lost, I tried as hard as I could."

"I actually really thought I wasn't going to play for most of this year," Osaka told reporters. "I'm really happy with myself that I love the sport that much because I literally said that I was unsure when I was going to play after the US Open and I'm here right now.

"In the break, I was feeling like I didn't know what my future was going to be. I'm pretty sure a lot of people can relate to that. Of course, you never know what the future holds, but it was definitely an indecisive time.

"But I'm really happy to be sitting here right now."

Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka further reflected on her own personality and conditioning and her tendency to internalize everything that happens to her.

Over the holidays, AOC watched Osaka’s Netflix documentary series, where this tendency is very obvious. We note that looking at Naomi Osaka’s website just now, we were impacted about how powerful and confident it is. It may be singularly the boldest self-presentation ever — which makes the complexities of Naomi’s psychology of greater interest. She is such an outstanding role model for young women worldwide, and AOC wishes Naomi well in 2022.

Adriana Lima with Designer Abdel El Tayeb by Hassan Hajjaj Covers Vogue Arabia January 2022

Adriana Lima with Designer Abdel El Tayeb by Hassan Hajjaj Covers Vogue Arabia January 2022 AOC Fashion

Adriana Lima headlines the January 2022 issue of Vogue Arabia, a Celebration of Creativity and Fresh Talent. Lima appears in two of the four covers, shot on location in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Abdelgader El Tayeb won the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent award. Photo: Courtesy of Fashion Trust Arabia

The supermodel is photographed alone [above] and then with accomplished Sudanese-French designer Abdel El Tayeb [below] by Moroccan-British artist Hassan Hajjaj. The artist lives between London and Morocco and is often called the Andy Warhol of Marrakech.

Designer El Tayeb was photographed with Lima hours after the young designer accepted his debut talent prize — named the France Sozzani Debut Talent award — at the 2021 Fashion Trust Arabia awards. Vogue runs down the story about all the winners.

AOC loves the work of Hassan Hajjaj and we think he should be shooting for Loewe. Check out past features on the vibrant energy, social commentary artist who rocks to vibrating colors and patterns below..

Imaan Hammam by Hassan Hajjaj for Vanity Fair US October 2020

Imaan Hammam by Hassan Hahhah for Vanity Fair US

Imaan Hammam by Hassan Hajjaj for Vanity Fair US | Interview by Safy-Hallan Farah AOC Fashion October 2020

Dutch model Imaan Hammam is styled by Nathan Klein in ‘Pattern Player’, vibrant, bold prints from Celine by Hedi Slimane, Dries Van Noten, Erdem, Fendi, Stella McCartney, Versace and more. Photographer and artist Hassan Hajjaj shoots Hammam against his own renowned artistry for Vanity Fair US October 2020./ Hair by Rio Streedharan; makeup by Florrie White

Billie Eilish by Hassan Hajjaj Vogue US March 2020

Billie Eilish Covers Vogue US March 2020 by Ethan James Green, Harley Weir, Hassan Hajjaj AOC Fashion March 2020

Pop star Billie Eilish covers the March 2020 issue of American Vogue, lensed by Ethan James Green, Harley Weir, and Hassan Hajjaj for three different Vogue covers and her fashion editorial. Fashion editor Alex Harrington is in charge of styling and Rob Haskell conducts the interview: How Billie Eilish Is Reinventing Pop Stardom

Meet Moroccan-British Artist Hassan Hajjaj

Hassan Hajjaj in his shop and studio on Shoreditch, East London, on Sept. 20. A major retrospective of Mr. Hajjaj’s work is showing at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris.Credit...Ana Cuba for The New York Times

Hassan Hajjaj Turns Moroccan Clichés Into London Cool New York Times 10/9/2019

Moroccan-born British photographer Hassan Hajjaj’s artistry figures heavily in Vogue’s March 2020 Billie Eilish editorial. Siddhartha Mitter sat down with the artist in October, in his joyously messy Shoreditch, East London studio.

“There are two kinds of artist,” Mr. Hajjaj said in the shop’s back area, with its banquettes made of Moroccan Coca-Cola crates topped with flower-print cushions. “There’s the artist that needs space, to be on their own to work, and there’s somebody like myself.” He scanned the scene. “There’s always an ambience.”

Mr. Hajjaj has become Morocco’s most visible artist, “taking over the entire Maison Européenne de la Photographie, the photography museum. The city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, attended the opening, which included Moroccan Gnawa musicians performing with Yasiin Bey, the rapper once known as Mos Def.”

Carolyn Murphy's 'Homegrown' Upcycled Collab with Mother Denim Benefits Sierra Club

Carolyn Murphy's 'Homegrown' Upcycled Collab with Mother Denim Benefits Sierra Club AOC Fashion

When Carolyn Murphy was a little girl, she had a sewing machine. “I used to take logos off of old clothes and transfer them onto other garments,” Murphy explained about crafting her own line of beautiful clothes with Mother’s co-founders Lela Becker and Tim Kaeding. “I was fascinated by creating something new using pieces I already owned and loved.”

AOC completely missed the launch of Murphy’s 14-piece collection at the end of October. You can find it t Net-Sustain, in-stock, because we checked. Murphy’s upcycled collection is called Homegrown, and it debuted at an intimate luncheon with Net-a-Porter.

The 14-piece collection is entirely made from unwanted rags and Mother denim stock that Murphy reimagined with the design duo. It’s an extension of 60% Mother. a collection made from pre- and postconsumer waste, and recognizes vintage Americana through the use of deconstructed and reimagined quilts, bandanas and denim designed and made in L.A.

“One of the coolest things about the collection, since it’s made from recycled and reused deadstock or products that have been damaged, is that every single piece is unique,” Kaeding explained.

Supernova Hoyeon Jung, Star of 'Squid Game' Covers Vogue US February 2022 by Harley Weir

Supernova Hoyeon Jung, Star of 'Squid Game' Covers Vogue US February 2022 by Harley Weir AOC Fashion

South Korean model turned actor Hoyeon Jung covers the February 2022 issue of American Vogue. In her role of north Korean defector in the Netflix hit ‘Squid Game’, the 27-year-old is part of an established cast of South Korean actors who comprise Netflix’s most-viewed series ever.

Louis Vuitton’s newest Global House Ambassador for fashion, watches and jewelry wears a Vuitton cape and dress on her Vogue cover, accented with Alexander McQueen earrings. Alex Harrington styles the fashion story ‘From Squid Game to Supernova: Inside the Whirlwind with Hoyeon Jung’ with gorgeous elegance from Acne Studios, Givenchy, Junya Watanabe, Loewe, Miu Miu, more Louis Vuutton, Prada, Stella McCartney, Vera Wang and more. Harley Weir [IG] is behind the lens / Hair by Holli Smith; makeup by Thomas de Kluyver for Gucci Beauty.

Vogue’s Monica Kim catches up with Hoyeon Jung at New York’s Soho Grand.

Paragraphs are spent talking about the star’s low self-esteem — probably the most common thread of discussion among women talents these days. Five decades later from the second wave of feminism — with a third wave thrown in to fix all the failings of the second wavers — well, women’s struggles with self-esteem remain front and center.

Without brushing off the self-esteem struggles that affect women deeply, AOC refuses to dwell on them in such a fabulous story about the success of this super-talented young woman Hoyeon Jung.

It was during her first Fashion Week in Paris, in 2016, that she caught the eye of Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton artistic director of women’s collections. “I remember the first thing that struck me was her smile,” he tells me over the phone from L.A. “I remember she had flamboyant red hair, of course a gorgeous silhouette, and such an elegant way of moving. Off of the walk, we already knew she was in—as we say.”

Adut Akech in 'Dream Maker' by Charlie Dennington for Vogue Australia January 2022

Adut Akech Feels Fashion Joy in 'Dream Maker' by Charlie Dennington for Vogue Australia January 2022 AOC Fashion

Supermodel Adut Akech Bior covers the January 2022 issue of Vogue Australia, wearing casual modern style in ‘Dream Maker’. Mark Vassallo serves as creative director and stylist on the shoot, injecting an abundance of sunny optimism into images by Charlie Dennington./Hair by Sophie Roberts; makeup by Victoria Baron

On the cover, which is Adut’s fifth Australian Vogue cover, the beloved top model is wearing Louis Vuitton with Tiffany & Co jewelry. The styling of Tiffany jewelry with LVMH brands is major this season.