#LastFortnightToday in fashion: Dior and Chanel head to Africa, Demna apologises, Viva Magenta, and more

Much has been written about the incredible tolerance fashion has for culture benders, shape shifters, early adopters, anarchists, oddities, revolutionaries, visionaries—the whole nine yards. However, it can as easily gnaw at you when you indulge in it with unpalatable sinister undertones, replacing wearable expressionism with an unbearable need to illicit reactionism. 

Up until Balenciaga’s ‘bear-it-all’ moment, the fashion powerhouse became the first to take a stand on anything trending¬—whether it was for severing ties with Kanye West over antisemitic posts, or deleting its profile when Elon Musk recently took over Twitter. In the past few days, it’s been ‘fashion people’ and those in the know breaking up with Balenciaga in a very public way. Just when we thought things would only get messier, Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna Gvasalia posted an apology on the gram on December 2, taking ownership for the controversial ad campaign. Indian designers on their part ticked all the right boxes. 

Celebrated couturier JJ Valaya’s designs were seen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Anita Dongre launched ‘The Promise of Hope’ bracelets for CITTA (a non-profit organisation working in India and Nepal) to support and empower young girls, while Indian luxury lifestyle brand Good Earth became the first Indian design house to set up shop at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) in Washington DC. An iconic fashionable coming together we absolutely loved—Louis Vuitton and legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s 2023 collection and the Fall 2023 Dior Men’s show held in Egypt on December 2, with the majestic Pyramids of Giza as the stunning backdrop. 

Scroll down for detailed insight, plus all the other fashion highlights making headline today and from the fortnight gone by. 

All eyes on Africa with the Dior show in Cairo, Egypt, followed by Chanel’s show in Dakar, Senegal

When news first broke of the Dior men’s show being held in Egypt at the magnificent Pyramids of Giza, I wanted to be teleported to experience the magical coming together it promised. While this wish fulfilment didn’t quite happen, the live stream was breath-taking, evoking an expansive otherworldliness with 75 models walking an LED-lit runway, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the French brand. According to creative director Kim Jones, the inspiration for putting together the Dior Men Fall 23 collection came from the fascination with the ancient world and how the past shaped the future. Uniting feminine to masculine couture finishings, plus, technical practicalities, the archival embroideries were meant to assume the notion of futuristic armoury. The line-up also included a capsule collection that was guest-designed by Tremaine Emory, creative director of sportwear label Denim Tears and the descent of attending celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Lewis Hamilton, Robert Pattinson, South Korean rapper Oh Se-hun, amongst others. Earlier in 2019, Maria Grazia Chiuri had integrated African craftsmanship into her work when Dior held the first cruise extravaganza in West Africa in Morocco. 

Another French luxury brand to make its way to Africa for its very first cruise collection will be Chanel on December 6, at Dakar in Senegal, determined to be a part of the African fashion narrative.

Much ado about a lot with Balenciaga’s controversial ad campaign

On November 16 when Balenciaga launched its 2022 ‘Gift Collection’ holiday campaign, shot by award-winning National Geographic photographer Gabriele Galimberti, featuring children holding teddy bear handbags (wearing what looked like bondage leather harness) the images offset a chain reaction in the negative. Some believed the next picture from the campaign validated that it may not have been an honest mistake. The second image featured Garde-Robe campaign that had an ‘Office’ theme and included a photo with a page from the Supreme Court ruling that deemed the promotion of child pornography illegal. Even though Balenciaga may have been looking for a tempered stand with the second image, it aggravated everyone in the know for being privy to the consequences of a controversial shoot. What has followed since has been backlash across the spectrum—cancel Balenciaga trending on Twitter, Kim Kardashian joining the call for condemnation, The Business of Fashion revoking creative director Demna’s Global Voices Award, and both the label and Demna finally issuing an apology on December 2.

Kate Middleton’s rented dress on her Boston visit and the rise of pre-loved luxury

When Kate Middleton and Prince Williams recently made their way to Boston for the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony on December 2, Twitter was abuzz for Middleton’s sustainable choice of dressing. She wore a stunning lime green dress for approximately $100 rented from HURR, a UK-based rental platform, and paired it with a $15 million emerald and diamond choker that belonged to Princess Diana. In line with the sustainability pledge at COP 27, the rise of the global second-hand luxury market is also increasingly becoming undeniable. Valued at $28.3 billion in 2021, it is expected to grow to $47 billion by 2027. No surprise then that Indian homegrown label Relove was recently in the news for raising $700K in pre-seed funding, making a strong case for fashion circularity. 

93 year old Yayoi Kusama’s second collaboration with Louis Vuitton

One of the first to normalise openly talking about mental health, 93-year old Japanese contemporary artist, Yayoi Kusama, loved for her playful abstract expressionism has been voluntarily living in a psychiatric hospital for the past 45 years, using art as therapy and way of life. Almost a decade later, since her collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2012 (while the brand was under the creative direction of Marc Jacobs), the label has teamed up for a second time for its Cruise 2023 show. This time round though the legendary artist will be dressing clothes and bags created by Nicolas Ghesquiere. 

‘Viva Magenta’ named Pantone colour of the year 2023

Christened the ‘it colour’ of 2023, Pantone has deemed ‘Viva Magenta’ as the “unconventional shade for an unconventional time”. It wasn’t until 2000 that the Pantone Color Institute began to declare the ‘Color of the Year’, interweaving the relationship that colour has with culture. If 2022 was about ‘Very Peri’ (light purple used to represent courage and creativity), according to Pantone, magenta balances boldness and fun, with confidence and humanity.  

Gucci Creative director Alessandro Michele exits fashion house

Alessandro Michele, the Italian fashion designer has been largely credited for changing the way people dressed when he took over the reins at Gucci as creative director from January 2015 to November 2022. His maximalist, geek-chic aesthetic struck a chord across age demographics as he consciously moved away from Tom Ford’s creative lens to play with femininity, while designing Gucci menswear early on. Blurring gender lines further, he reused the “My Body My Choice” slogan, embroidered uterus design, and the date (22.05.1978) ushering in a post-gender era for the brand, which also put him on the map when Time magazine in 2017, listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. What’s next for the avid artist, visionary and designer with an almost cult-ish following? Watch this space. 

Anita Dongre’s ‘The Promise of Hope Bracelet’ for CITTA

In true to form, Anita Dongre leads with sustainability and social accountability with her latest collaboration with CITTA, a US based organisation working in India and Nepal focussed on women’s health, education and economic development. The eco-conscious designer has designed the ‘Promise of Hope’ bracelet inspired by kindness, endurance and gentle strength of the elephant, with the proceeds from each piece of the bracelet going to Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls’ School in Jaisalmer. What makes the collaboration even more special and circular in nature are the students who are children of embroiders, weavers, and nomads of the Thar region in Rajasthan. Launched at Anita Dongre’s flagship store in New York on November 17, the bracelet can be purchased on site.

JJ Valaya’s designs fit for the queen in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

The movie Black Panther has been largely credited for ushering in an era of afro-futurism and now, with its second instalment, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it continues to ride that wave. The hard-to-miss Indian connection came in the form of Angela Bassett who was not only lauded for her portrayal of Queen Romona but for the exquisite designs she wore. Although Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E.Carter styled the film, the white pearl-embellished dress and the purple velvet dress with gold embellishments, created by JJ Valaya became much-talked about scene stealers. 

Noteworthy Fashion Collaborations

Signed, sealed and upcoming international launches, acquisitions and brand ambassadors you should know of.

•    Valentino store launched at DLF Emporio, Delhi
•    Chanel acquires Italian expert in high end denim art
•    Estee Lauder acquires Tom Ford and signs a licensing agreement to develop Balmain beauty line
•    Reliance to open Balenciaga store in Delhi and is in talks to acquire stake in Prabal Gurung

Lead and sq images: Dior