Louis Vuitton Taps Pharrell Williams As First Guest of Podcast 'Louis Vuitton Extended' Out Now

Louis Vuitton Taps Pharrell Williams As First Guest of Podcast 'Louis Vuitton Extended' Out Now

Louis Vuitton is launching a podcast with popular French fashion journalist, documentary maker and YouTuber Loïc Prigent. Called ‘Louis Vuitton Extended’, the podcast will dive deeper into the scenes of what’s happening behind the scenes at one of the world’s premier luxury houses. That Prigent-guided conversation includes the house’s cultural codes, values and activism.

In the case of Louis Vuitton Men’s creative director Pharrell Williams, the dialogue will focus on the June 20, 2023 show and all the decisions made around its structure and content.

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Hector Muelas Rejoins Alexandre Arnault as Tiffany & Co. Chief Brand Creative Director

Hector Muelas Rejoins Alexandre Arnault as Tiffany & Co. Chief Brand Creative Director

Hector Muelas is now Chief Brand Creative Director of Tiffany & Co.

Muelas arrives at Tiffany & Co with a storied resume that includes positions at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Rimowa, Apple, Creative Artists Agency, Donna Karan International, Vice Media and more. Muelas joined Expedia Group as senior vice president of global marketing and creative in 2021.

At Rimowa, Muelas held the same title of Chief Brand Creative Director and would have worked with Alexandre Arnault, who was CEO of Rimowa at age 28. The youngest Arnault — and a prodigious business talent — is now Executive Vice President of Product and Communications at Tiffany & Co.

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Chioma Nnadi Wins Top Position Managing British Vogue's Editorial Content

Chioma Nnadi Wins Top Position Managing British Vogue's Editorial Content

British-born Chioma Nnadi will succeed Edward Enninful at British Vogue, operating under the title 'Head of Editorial Content'.

Vogue US editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is also Condé Nast global chief content officer and this change solidifies her control of Condé Nast global content worldwide.

In June 2019, Nnadi share the family photos above in a deeply personal story about the influence of her Nigerian father on her relationship with fashion and style.

He arrived in the U.K. from Nigeria in 1964 to study economics. Soon after, Nigeria was ravaged by a civil war that pitted the government against Biafra, the secessionist state where Nnadi’s father was born.

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Burberry's New Pop-Ups and Immersive Events Design Live Well in a Psilocybin World

Burberry's New Pop-Ups and Immersive Events Design Live Well in a Psilocybin World

The field of Burberry winter 2023 purple roses popping into the first floor of Seoul’s Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch is a feast for our psilocybin-loving eyes.

This new Burberry pop-up in Seoul is sophisticated, charming in a totally-modern way and also a reflection of ‘restrained psychedelic design’. There is nothing ‘flashy’ about the visual design. It beckons us, however to explore the shop — which is a key attribute of a successful pop-up.

‘Restrained Psychedelic Design’

Magic mushrooms inspired profound introspection and spiritual connections long before the rise of monotheism.

In a world where psilocybin use is coming at us in a profound and urgent way — after a Nixon-administration 50-year ban — my reaction to the Burberry purple roses display was instantaneous.

My memory was transported to my own use of psilocybin and a dark night walk I took, eventually sitting down next to a flower bed on my own lawn.

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Succubus Chic Queen ‘Fall Fatale With Gabbriette’ by Dan Beleiu for GEN V Magazine

Succubus Chic Queen ‘Fall Fatale With Gabbriette’ by Dan Beleiu for GEN V Magazine

Meet GEN V from V Magazine

GEN V is the renamed MINI V from V Magazine. and is AOC’s focus in this debut fashion story ‘Fall Fatale With Gabbriette’.

In the words of Mathias Rosenzweig [Editor-in-Chief, GEN V]

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, maybe even sweeter.

So yes, MINI V has become GEN V.

Like, whatever. Things change.”

AOC fell down this rabbit hole, seeing the photographer credit for Dan Beleiu [IG]. ‘Fall Fatale With Gabbriette’ is styled by Anna Trevelyan with luxe looks from ALAÏA, Benneton, Chanel, Ferragamo, GCDS, Gucci, Kim Shui, Marc Jacobs, Valentino and more. And we ended up getting an education on succubus chic.

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RIMOWA Celebrates 125 Years on the Road of Purposeful Journeys

RIMOWA Celebrates 125 Years on the Road of Purposeful Journeys

RIMOWA, the first German maison in the LVMH luxury group, defines itself as a global lifestyle brand with a mission to create the essential tools for a lifetime of travel.

Just out is a new RIMOWA campaign featuring Blackpink’s Rosé, champion Formula 1 pilot Sir Lewis Hamilton and French soccer player Kylian Mbappé. Agency Anomaly London created the campaign.

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Will Icon Collection Pay Off for Victoria's Secret? Adriana, Candice, Gisele, Naomi to the Rescue

Will Icon Collection Pay Off for Victoria's Secret? Adriana, Candice, Gisele, Naomi to the Rescue

The new VS campaign is excellent and has some real VS icons featured. Bringing back past VS models is a terrific idea for a brand trying to find safe ground to stand on. Shop the new collection at the VS website.

If I read the VS copy carefully, I’m sure we are all icons somewhere in it, so let’s just cut the AOC analysis short here and say “good job, VS.”

The Icon by Victoria’s Secret Collection models includes VS greats Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell, Adriana Lima, and Candice Swanepoel.

The Icon cast campaigns expands to include Adut Akech, Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Bieber, Paloma Elsesser and Sui He. I’m pleased to say that every woman listed here has archives on AOC.

Oyadeas!

Oh dear goddess Oya. I tried . . . I tried . . . I tried so hard to step carefully, but I just fell down the “we’re all icons” rabbit hole, and I did not see it coming.

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Ulla Johnson Opens West Hollywood Kelly Wearstler-Designed Global Vibe Store

Ulla Johnson Opens West Hollywood Kelly Wearstler-Designed Global Vibe Store

Designer Ulla Johnson grew up in Manhattan but lived also ‘on the road’ as the daughter of archaelogists.

AOC immediately wants to know if Ulla traveled to the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa, a paleoanthropological site located about 50 km northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Gauteng province.

How about the Lake Turkana region of today’s Kenya, where the Leakey family discovered Lucy. Better yet, has Ulla Johnson been to the Omo Valley? Her clothes suggest ‘yes’.

As a mother to Soren, now 17; Asher, 13; Agnes, 11 and a vizsla named Daphne, and wife to Zach Miner, Ulla Johnson has travelled her own road out of Brooklyn and now to the opening of new store in West Hollywood.

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Angela Ahrendts Joining SKKY Partners Is Big Kim Kardashian News

Angela Ahrendts Joining SKKY Partners Is Big Kim Kardashian News

Taking a quick look at other Angela Ahrendts’ videos on capitalism and leadership, her decision to join Kim Kardashian’s private-equity firm is a stunning and inspiring score for SKKY Partners.

Kardashian formed SKKY in summer 2022, joining forces with longtime Carlyle Group consumer head Jay Sammons.

Ahrendts’ primary role with SKKY will focus on identifying and assessing high-potential brands; determining if and how SKKY can add value to them; and to coach and mentor the companies in which SKKY invests for its portfolio.

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Tapestry to Acquire Capri Holdings in $8.5 Billion Deal in Consolidating Luxury Sector

Tapestry to Acquire Capri Holdings in $8.5 Billion Deal in Consolidating Luxury Sector

An American fashion mega deal was announced today, August 10, in which Tapestry, the parent company of Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, will acquire Capri Holdings, home to Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo and Versace.

The purchase price is $8.5 billion and is not subject to any financial conditions. Tapestry has secured $8 billion from the Bank of America and Morgan Stanley to finance the deal, which will not close until 2024.

Capri, which has a market cap of just over $4 billion, reported revenues of $5.62 billion in fiscal 2023, down 0.7 per cent on the previous year’s record $5.65 billion. This performance is very subpar in the high-end luxury market, which has had a strong rebound in a post-COVID luxury retail landscape.

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Emma Mackey Is Face of New Burberry Goddess, Vanilla-Rich Refillable Bottle Fragrance

Emma Mackey Is Face of New Burberry Goddess, Vanilla-Rich Refillable Bottle Fragrance

Burberry Goddess fragrance grows its green credentials with the release of its new fragrance in a refillable bottle. The running wild with lions campaign starring British-French actor and new ambassador for Burberry Beauty Emma Mackey, released on July 31.

The inspiring, emotional Burberry Goddess video was created with live footage of lionesses in their natural environment and CGI [computer-generated imagery] technology.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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Kendall Jenner Named L'Oreal Global Ambassador Launching September 2023

Kendall Jenner Named L'Oreal Global Ambassador Launching September 2023

Kendall Jenner and L’Oreal have shared the announcement that the top model and B-Corp entrepreneur has been named L’Oréal Paris’ newest global ambassador.

When Kendall shared her WSJ Magazine terrific images and interview early in June, AOC did extra homework to unearth the important to us — and I daresay L’Oreal — fact that Jenner’s 818 Tequila brand is a B-Corp.

Kendall’s first L’Oreal campaign will be in makeup, with a September 2023 launch. Both parties issued the expected press releases.

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Skims Talks New [and Last] Round of Funding Before IPO with $4 Billion[ish] Valuation

Skims Talks New [and Last] Round of Funding Before IPO with $4 Billion[ish] Valuation

Boston-based investment firm Wellington Management is in talks to lead a new round of funding for SKIMS, led by Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede, Skims CEO and co-founder.

Reports are that the financial math currently on the table would establish a financial valuation for SKIMS of $4 billion. Assumptions are that this would be the final round of fundraising before an initial public offering that could come in about a year.

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L'Officiel Settles Unpaid NYC Freelancers Lawsuit

L'Officiel Settles Unpaid NYC Freelancers Lawsuit

The City of New York has reached a settlement on behalf of unpaid freelancers working for French media brand L’Officiel. As of July 14, 2023 L’Officiel has agreed to pay more than $275,000 to 41 freelancers.

Plaintiffs included  writers, editors, photographers, videographers, graphic designers and illustrators.

Notice to Unpaid L’Officiel NYC Freelancers Who Have Not Filed a Claim Must Do So By Feb. 7, 2024

Freelancers who were not fully paid by L'Officiel for work performed between Jan. 1, 2017, and July 11, 2023, and were not specifically named in the suit, must file a claim by Feb. 7, 2024, in order to participate in the settlement. Freelancers named in the agreement do not need to file a claim and will receive an email with information explaining how to receive payment.

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Basquiat Graffiti Will Remain at Atelier Jolie's NYC Home at 57 Great Jones Street

Basquiat Graffiti Will Remain at Atelier Jolie's NYC Home at 57 Great Jones Street

Angelina Jolie’s new purpose-driven collective has its first location at 57 Great Jones Street in New York City. In the IG video showing off the new headquarters, Jolie’s children, Shiloh, 17, and Pax, 19, are also visible spray painting the collective’s logo onto the building.

This has got to be an exciting time for Angelina Jolie and her children as they enter a space where Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat lived and worked for several years.

The interior features 6,600 square feet of space across three floors. The exterior of the building is adorned in street art, and Jolie will keep it that way as a public tribute to Basquiat. who started his career as one half of the graffiti art duo SAMO.

More Basquiat News

In Los Angeles, the show “JEAN-MICHEL-BASQUIAT: KING PLEASURE©” has been extended through October 15, 2023. Location is 100 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, Ca 90012. Self Parking is located between W. 2nd Street and W. 1st Street on S. Olive Street.

At the same time, in Paris the Jean-Michel Basquiat x Andy Warhol exhibit, organized by the Louis Vuitton Foundation, runs through August 28, 2023.

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Prada's Caffe Principe: Where Excellence Meets Timelessness in Forte dei Marmi

Prada's Caffe Principe: Where Excellence Meets Timelessness in Forte dei Marmi

Nestled in the enchanting Italian coastal town of Forte dei Marmi, Caffè Principe stands as a true testament to the la dolce vita marriage of excellence and timelessness.

Since its establishment in 1959, this iconic establishment has been a haven for discerning coffee lovers, gastronomes, and art enthusiasts alike. The cafe reopened today, July 9, 2023, with its legacy intact.

In fact, Caffe Principe has been restored to honor the legacy of the hotspot, keeping its original name. Caffè Principe is managed operationally by Marchesi 1824, which makes perfect sense.

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