News: Boss Lady Fundraising Haul for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty

Before hopping to Rihanna’s latest fundraising haul of $115 million, AOC doesn’t recall ever writing that Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners LLC was key in launching Savage X Fenty’s initial $50 million investment in 2019.

With Las Vegas now open and Culver City, Calif. opening on Feb. 12, Riri is rolling. Other 2021 locations include Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. More details at WWD.

Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners Was Original Savage X Fenty Investor

Reading that Jay-Z was on the investor’s list led by Neuberger Berman this week, I checked back on prior participation and note our error in not crediting Marcy Venture Partners previously as a key player on Savage X Fenty’s birthing team.

To be honest, this factoid is just another data bit on the deep roots and exciting synergy that LVMH and the Arnault family personally have into Black culture in America and beyond.

For those who don’t know, Jay-Z sold 50% of his champagne brand Armand de Brignac, aka Ace of Spades to LVMH in 2021.

While Kanye West runs his mouth around town about having final say on everything Ye, Jay-Z not only got a board seat in his LVMH financial transaction but the deal is an unusual 50-50 transaction.

In simple terms, Jay-Z and Bernard Arnault’s LVMH team must find consensus in a common brand marketing and financial strategy for Armand de Brignac. Both parties will create a new business investment paradigm in select cases — a team of equals — if they can pull off this unusual agreement without a massive boardroom fight.

To understand now that Jay-Z also had a hand in Savage X Fenty’s original funding is equally impressive.

Naomi Osaka Says She's Not God, Could Drop to 84 in Rankings After Australian Open

Naomi Osaka was overflowing with sass this week, heading into the Australian Open, after her early withdrawal from the warmup tournament Melbourne Summer Set 1. Osaka has said that her primary goal in 2022 is to have fun and never cry again in front of the press.

Losing her third round match Friday night to the promising 20-year-old, 60th-ranked American Amanda Anisimova, Osaka was disappointed but also looking on the bright side of things.

Osaka: “I’m Not God. I can’t win every match, you know.”

“I fought for every point; I can’t be sad about that,” Osaka said. “You know, like, I’m not God. I can’t win every match, you know. So I just have to take that into account and know that it would be nice to win the tournament, but that’s, like, really special.”

Having fun was also important to Anisimova, who said that by the third set against Osaka, she was no loner nervous.

“I love playing in these high-pressure moments, and I think it’s really fun to play in Melbourne in front of a crowd like that. So I was just trying to enjoy every moment really. I kept reminding myself, ‘I’m at a Grand Slam playing against Naomi Osaka, just try to enjoy it, because it’ll be over soon.’”

Naomi Osaka, the defending champion of the Australian Open lit up digital space earlier in the week, saying that she has proved herself enough and that she doesn't give a f--- anymore about those who have something negative to say about her.

Osaka responded directly to a fan who wrote on Instagram: "Enter every match in this tournament like you have something to prove.” It’s not clear that the remark was so snarky or disrespectful, but Osaka fired back:

"Respectfully I don't have anything to prove," Osaka said. "Before my first slam I was told I had potential but probably not gonna capitalize on it. After my first slam I was told I got lucky and I was a one-hit wonder.

After my second Slam I was told I could be great but I was unsure. After my third and fourth slams I was told I will only be good on hard courts. Moral of the story - people are always gonna have something to say and idgaf [I don't give a f***] anymore."

Is Kanye West Headed to Russia, Inviting Putin to His Church Service? For Real?

Is Kanye West Headed to Russia, Inviting Putin to His Church Service? For Real? AOC The Wokes

Ye [formerly Kanye West] made headlines every day this week. Nothing new about that fact, but Billboard’s January 11, 2022 story that the entertainer intends to grow his business in Russia with billionaire developer Aras Agalarov and Agalarov's musician son, EMIN was picked up by Forbes and Business Insider giving it credibility.

AOC found the story totally plausible, given Ye’s relationship with the Trump family and Trump’s relationship with the Agalarovs. Kanye dined with Jared Kushner one-on-one in Miami Beach on January 7, with both parties denying that any business was discussed. The story broke four days later.

Trump and the Agalarovs

In 2013, the Russian oligarch and his son EMIN arranged the kind of spectacle in Moscow that Trump adores. Trump arrived as a surprise guest, with an armored Mercedes stretch limo driving off a freight elevator fight into a ballroom where 3000 Russian guests couldn’t believe their eye as Trump emerged to greet them.

Politico refreshed our memories about Trump and Agalarov in 2016. As Trump sought the nomination for the US presidency, the political website published When Donald Trump brought Miss Universe to Moscow. The article fills in much more background about the 2013 event.

It was West’s confidant and strategic advisor Ameer Sudan who told Billboard that they were working on the arrangements. Russia is going to be “a second home” for Ye, Sudan said: “He will be spending a lot of time out there.”

There’s no disagreement that Sudan is tied closely to West.

Sotheby's Will Auction 200 Pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ by Virgil Abloh

For more info about the scholarship fund and some of Virgil’s students, read The Cut’s article published after his passing, in December 2021.

Sotheby's Will Auction 200 Pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ by Virgil Abloh, to Support The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund AOC Art of Living

Sotheby's is proud to present The Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh, a special global online auction of the highly coveted Nike x Louis Vuitton “Air Force 1" sold to benefit The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, an organization that aims to foster equity and inclusion within the fashion industry by providing scholarships to academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent.

The auction marks the first-ever release of the Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh created for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 Collection. Prior to his passing on 28 November 2021, the Louis Vuitton Men’s Artistic Director was involved in the early organization of the auction and its surrounding events. The auction will take place in association with his family.

Each pair will be sold with a Louis Vuitton pilot case in orange Taurillon Monogram Leather (exclusive to this auction), which was likewise featured in the collection.

Starting from the launch of the auction, the shoes and the pilot case will be exhibited at Sotheby’s New York. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit free of charge, and can make an appointment to do so through our reservation page.

A total of 200 pairs of the Nike “Air Force 1” – originally created for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 Men’s Collection – is being made available in an exclusive colorway and a range of sizes.

Heidi Klum Sizzles with Snoop Dogg in Dance Video 'Chai Tea with Heidi'

Top model, businesswoman and wife of Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz, Heidi Klum Sizzles with Snoop Dogg in Dance Video 'Chai Tea with Heidi', which also features Los Angeles-based DJ-Producer duo WeddingCake.

The ‘America’s Got Talent’ judge, cohost on Amazon’s version of Project Runway called ‘Making the Cut’ and former Victoria’s Secret mega star, Heidi Klum hasn’t done anything musical since her 2006 track ‘Winter Wonderland’. Pushing 50 and madly in love with her 17 years younger husband, Klum delivers an impressive performance. And she owns the camera.

Heidi explained to People Magazine that it all began innocently enough. In planning the next season of Germany’s ‘Next Top Model’, someone suggested “to do something fun”, like perhaps Heidi could “record the theme song for the show.”

The supermodel’s idea of fun was to do a duet with Snoop Dogg, because she "loves him" and is his "biggest fan." Martha Stewart might take issue with the “biggest fan” part, but let them fight it out over Snoop.

The song pays homage to Rod Stewart’s Rod Stewart’s ‘Baby Jane’. Heidi and Snoop were finished with the entire production when she finally was able to make contact with Stewart who was delighted with 'Chai Tea with Heidi'.

The musical result has caused a wave of head-nodding, and the video is WOW! There are so many things AOC wants to say, but we are zip-lipped and very WOKE! LOL. ~ Anne

As for Snoop Dogg’s tight friendship with Martha Stewart, well she told Andy Cohen on a Thursday night interview on ‘Watch What Happens Live’ that she has a new boyfriend, and the details are none of our business.

Snoop and Martha go way back as good friends off screen and working together on many food-related projects. Snoop’s long-time wife since 1997 Shante Broadus became his manager in June 2021.

Martha and Snoop made it into our June 2021 article on biophilic design. Fake Poser Plants vs the Health and Wellness Benefits of Real Plants AOC Eye.

Returning to the long and joyous friendship between Martha and Snoop, I wondered if they ever get out of the kitchen. Googling “Martha+Snoop+green plants”, I said “silly me” over Google’s top returns. They include: Martha Stewart is teaching Snoop Dogg to grow plant-based food and more recently in Jan 2021 Martha Stewart’s New CBD Line Was Inspired by Snoop Dogg. Ah yes, Martha’s latest venture.

LV x NBA: AOC Catches Up With a Brilliant Virgil Abloh 'For the Ages' Collaboration

AOC is working to define the key creative concepts of the esteemed and beloved, now departed into the cosmos, Louis Vuitton Men’s Artistic Director Virgil Abloh. At no point did we cover Abloh’s work with the NBA.

Looking Back to Move Forward

Rather than just post-date articles into the past — which we typically do in posting archival material, in order to keep the model, photographers and now brand archives sequential by date — AOC shares this new article about a collection that actually debuted in May 2021. More will come.

Pretend you are reading this article, as we would have written it, had we known about the second LV x NBA collaboration [or the first one!!!]. Having just looked at three collections — this one is the second drop — the product design is just gorgeous.

We will pull together other elements of the collab, because AOC’s marketing/branding instincts are having a big WOW moment over this concept.

Note also that the $2200 late May drop basketball that AOC references at the end of this article is now on sale at Sotheby’s for $8000. This discovery prompted me to ask Google if Sotheby’s is now in the resale market, as opposed to exclusively bidding auctions. The answer is “yes”. Read on.

AOC Writes About a May 2021 LV x NBA Drop

Louis Vuitton sharee its second collection created in collaboration with the NBA called Louis Vuitton x Capsule Collection II in May 2021.

LV artistic director Virgil Abloh delivered a collection that merges American sports and fine French craftsmanship, as well as uniting the signature emblems of the two iconic institutions in a sophisticated and male elegance way.

Abloh referred to the process as “transversal”, a concept fundamental to his design approach in fashion as well as architecture.

In geometry, a transversal is a line that passes through two lines in the same plane at two distinct points. If the angles created by the intersection are identical, then the lines are running technically parallel in geometry-speak. Abloh sought to create ideas that intersect seemingly parallel lines not automatically guaranteed to intersect at some future point. He created the intersection of seemingly ‘of little interest to each other ‘entities.

The three-year partnership between the NBA and Louis Vuitton was announced in January 2020.

“Fashion muses aren’t predictable. Ideas of luxury can be found in the sports world and its champions as much as in traditional forms of artistry. This collection celebrates the cultural contribution of basketball and its diverse characters, and the idea of relatability as a force of unity today,” Abloh said in announcing the exciting collab.

The second LV x NBA collection for Pre Fall 21 alluded to the way basketball players dress as they travel to games, conduct their many business affairs off the court and often speak at press conferences. Many NBA players manage businesses directly related to their sports prowess, but also in unrelated categories like real estate. Many are investors in major new business concepts and especially ones looking for seed money — translated startups.

Louis Vuitton hopes that NBA fans will identify with and support the collab, rich in sophisticated merchandise that goes far beyond the mass market concept of NBA merchandising.

NBA Playoff Winners Meet Louis Vuitton Trunk Makers

WWD reported, when the project was announced in early 2020, that The Larry O’Brien Trophy, presented annually to the NBA team that wins the final championship game, “now travels in a case custom-made by six craftsmen working more than 100 hours at the Vuitton workshops in the Paris suburb of Asnières. Coated in the house’s signature monogram canvas, it is lined with microfiber in the NBA’s trademark blue.”

In another brilliant move, Vuitton has created a matching double-door wardrobe trunk for the players who won the championship, designed to house clothing, accessories and footwear.

Given the rich sophistication of the merchandise, it deserves a worthy trunk to travel in.

Virgil Abloh and Don Crawley

The Louis Vuitton x Capsule Collection II also featured selected pieces designed together with Don Crawley, known professionally as Don C, an American streetwear designer from Chicago, Illinois. Crawley has a long relationship with Kanye West.

The collection also introduced the first ever Louis Vuitton basketball [LV x NBA] at a cool price of $2200. The Louis Vuitton x NBA Capsule Collection II dropped in stores worldwide on May 28th, 2021.

AOC loves the Louis Vuitton collaboration with the NBA in a heart-felt way, because it gives the NBA players the respect they deserve in a post Colin Kaepernick [NFL, we know] world. There’s no NBA-related “shut up and dribble” BS attitude in this LV project. Call AOC inspired. ~ Anne

'Squid Game' Star Hoyeon Jung Covers Vogue Japan March 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 March 2022 issue of Vogue Japan. 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 [Vogue US February link interview link in English] ‘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, shooting a new cover and at least one new editorial image / 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.

Note to AOC regular readers: As Vogue Global develops a shared content strategy [a policy we understand given Conde Nast recent financial losses in excess of $100 million annually] we want to give our high-level creatives an understanding of one Vogue issue to another edition. At the same time, we are respecting Google’s content redundancy SEO, policy so as to stay on the right side of the cyber law, so to speak.

In this case, the images that are showing are the ones published so far by Vogue Japan March 2022. AOC is not writing new commentary from the interview. We link back to AOC’s US Vogue February 2022, at the end of post, where there will be a duplication of three of these images but also multiple more not appearing in Vogue Japan so far images. Surely there’s a Google penalty in here somewhere, but then Google hasn’t faced these kinds of real-world financial content revenue challenges, so they can have all the rules they want. As a side note, Amazon has been deeply cutting into Google ad revenue.

If you are an AOC reader who speaks Japanese, this link takes you that the Global Vogue interview with Hoyeon Jung in Vogue Japan.

Original story on Vogue US February 2021

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

'Don't Look Up' Star Jennifer Lawrence by Lachlan Bailey for Vanity Fair Magazine

Actor Jennifer Lawrence covered the December 2021 issue of Vanity Fair, wearing Dior on the cover and Balenciaga Haute Couture, Celine by Hedi Slimane, Courrèges, Hermes, N°21, Tom Ford, Valentino Haute Couture and more in her fashion story. George Cortina styles Lawrence in images by Lachlan Bailey [IG].

All the buzz in the Lawrence interview centered on her time out from on-screen dominance, being pregnant with her first child with husband, art dealer Cooke Maroney, the ongoing challenge of managing her fame and ongoing internal psychological fallout from the infamous leaks of her private photos. We learned about what could have been an early-death plane crash for the star.

As for her career, Lawrence professed nervousness about walking back into the spotlight.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, the 31-year-old star said: "I'm so nervous... I haven't spoken to the world in forever. And to come back now, when I have all of these new accessories added to my life that I obviously want to protect."

"Every instinct in my body wants to protect their privacy for the rest of their lives, as much as I can. I don't want anyone to feel welcome into their existence. And I feel like that just starts with not including them in this part of my work," Lawrence explained to Vanity Fair’s Karen Valby.

Speaking about movies like ‘Passengers,’ ‘Mother!’, and ‘Red Sparrow’, Lawrence was eager to self-critique. "I was not pumping out the quality that I should have," she said. "I just think everybody had gotten sick of me. I'd gotten sick of me."

What Jennifer Lawrence didn’t know at the time of her Vanity Fair interview is that her new movie ‘Don’t Look Up’ is beyond blockbuster. It tallied a record-breaking number of hours viewed in a single week, according to Netflix.

Even more impressive, the satirical film described by its director Adam McKay, as aimed to be “a kick in the pants” that prompts urgent action on climate change, already sits at Netflix’s second biggest film ever.

In ‘Don’t Look Up’, a planet-killing comet hurtling toward Earth is a metaphor for the global climate crisis. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence play distraught scientists scrambling to get politicians to act, and the public to believe them. This includes Meryl Streep, who represents US President, an uber-narcissistic President Orlean. Ahem. And Streep is back to being a babe. . . in red glasses and red suits.

We share a trailer of the film ‘Don’t Look Up’.

The film ‘Don’t Look Up’ has created tremendous joyous discussion and disagreement among scientists and activists, but also consensus that the film could be a jump-starter in the culture’s comparative inaction around climate science. Read more about the film in these articles.

Don’t Just Watch: Team Behind ‘Don’t Look Up’ Urges Climate Action New York Times

Don’t Look Up Is a Climate-Change Comedy That Hates Having to Entertain Vulture

Don’t Look Up: four climate experts on the polarising disaster film The Guardian

Official Site ‘Don’t Look Up’ Netflix

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.