Private: Horsey Set
“We have to support creators at all costs. Everything in here was made by a creator…they were all once just thoughts, they were all just epiphanies,” said Pharrell Williams after a Chanel haute couture show that left him impressed by the set designed by contemporary artist Xavier Veilhan and the music by Sébastien Tellier.
“I mean, we are literally sitting on the guy’s ideas,” he said, taking his place on one of Veilhan’s seats shaped like a pommel horse and describing Tellier’s live performance on a verrophone, an instrument made of glass tubes and played with wet fingers, as “genius” for its “stellar, otherworldly” sound.
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Along with Charlotte Casiraghi opening the show on horseback, it was the kind of experience that Belgian singer Angèle was hoping to share with her mother, who accompanied her to the second runway show. “It was her birthday last week and I wanted to share…this world I’m starting to be comfortable with. Bringing her here makes it ultra-real and reminds me to cherish this access to fashion and craftsmanship,” she said, revealing that she was here to work with Chanel artistic director Virginie Viard as part of the preparations for her upcoming tour starting in April.
Sitting on the sinuous rolls that served as benches were Sofia Coppola; emerging French-Romanian actress Anamaria Vartolomei, recently named among the Révélations des Césars; choreographer Blanca Li, and Vanessa Paradis, who described the setup as “impressive. We were all sitting quite low, so we saw that giant horse and the pretty Charlotte [Casiraghi] atop it.” The French actress and singer just finished starring in a four-month run of “Maman,” a play written by husband Samuel Benchetritt, and although her character had been intense, she would repeat the experience with pleasure.
The profusion of talent among friends of the house was just what Margot Robbie needed — especially now that she’s spending more time on her production company LuckyChap Entertainment, co-founded with husband Tom Ackerley and pal Josey McNamara.
“I’m really just [here] to try and incorporate the Chanel family with the producing work that we’re doing,” she joked, pointing out Margaret Qualley’s starring role in Netflix’s latest hit show “Maid,” and a new project featuring Kiera Knightley being filmed in Boston.
That was one of several things the actress and producer now had time for, since deactivating her social media accounts last summer. But “you always find something else to distract yourself and procrastinate,” she revealed. In her case, “my free time is always dictated by food but we actually went to the furniture markets,” she said, confessing she had her eye on vintage kitchen cabinets.
The conversation jumped from furniture to a Barbie Dreamhouse she owned as a child thanks to her next project, an upcoming live-action version of the famous doll’s adventures, starring the Oscar nominee in the title role.
“I’d go to like my cousin’s house to play with the dolls, but like that house. The way it folded, the just-slightly unrealistic dimensions, the furniture — it was so fun,” she said, regretting that she hadn’t kept it. “It was so satisfying,” she sighed. — LILY TEMPLETON
NEW AT HERMèS: Gregoris Pyrpylis has been appointed creative director for Herme?s beauty.
In the role, he will report to Agne?s de Villers, president of Herme?s Parfum et Beauté, and be under the supervision, as well, of Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the group’s artistic director.
Pyrpylis succeeds Jér?me Touron in the role.
“We take a crosscutting perspective to creating objects for Herme?s Beauty, an approach born of several areas of know-how that compliment and enrich each other, with the aim of serving an artistic vision expressed through the object, material, color, gestures and eco-responsibility,” de Villers said in a statement. “As an expert in the colors, textures and gestures that express and elevate beauty, Gregoris’ talent will be a driving force for Herme?s Beauté.
“We share with Gregoris a vision of beauty as an everyday ally that reveals personality and confers elegance, comfort and pleasure,” Dumas said. He described Pyrpylis as “a makeup artist and artisan,” who will “contribute to building the unique, authentic and sensory language of Herme?s Beauty.”
For his part, Pyrpylis said: “I have always viewed makeup and skin care as a means and not an end. Beauty objects are marvelous tools that go beyond appearance to beyond appearance to benefit well-being.
“It is clear to me that through the beauty métier, Herme?s seeks to provide its community with an experience, a journey, during which each personality can be expressed, each form of beauty revealed,” he added.
Herme?s, which has had a longstanding fragrance business, ventured into the world of color cosmetics in March 2020, with the launch of lipstick. Its makeup offer has since expanded to include the likes of blush and nail polish. — JENNIFER WEIL
TALENT SIGNING: Aurora James — the fashion designer, creative director and founder of the 15 Percent Pledge — has signed with United Talent Agency.
The 38-year-old, a Toronto-native based in New York, is the founder of Brother Vellies, the luxury accessories brand worn by the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Beyoncé, Meghan Markle, Rihanna and Zendaya. Launched in 2013, the fashion line is handmade by artisans who utilize traditional African designs.
“Aurora is a visionary whose creativity and passion are transcending boundaries and shaping culture,” Darnell Strom, UTA’s partner and head of culture and leadership, told WWD in a statement. “We are excited to work with Aurora and expand her influence across multiple verticals.”
In 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, sparking the Black Lives Matter movement, James created the 15 Percent Pledge — a nonprofit that encourages retailers to pledge at least 15 percent of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses, while offering consulting services. In the first year about 30 companies, including Sephora and Macy’s Inc., have signed the pledge, shifting nearly $10 billion of revenue to Black-owned businesses, according to the organization.
Recognized for her work and activism, James has received the Council of Fashion Designers of America Founder’s Award, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize, British Fashion Award, as well as two CFDA Emerging Talent nominations and a CFDA American Accessories Designer of the Year nomination. She also made Time’s 2021 100 list of most influential people.
At UTA, she joins a roster of clients that include Timothée Chalamet, Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell, Tiffany Haddish, Ben Stiller, Paris Hilton and Jessica Alba, as well as content creators Emma Chamberlain, Bretman Rock and the D’Amelio family. In the world of fashion, the agency represents British Vogue’s Edward Enninful and model Gisele Bündchen. — RYMA CHIKHOUNE
THE KEDS ARE ALL RIGHT: Keds, the nostalgic sneaker brand that’s been around since 1916, is partnering with IMG, New York Fashion Week and designer Maisie Schloss.
For the upcoming New York Fashion Week, Schloss, creative director of the Maisie Wilen brand, has collaborated with Keds on an exclusive limited footwear line that will be revealed during her runway show scheduled for Feb. 12. Schloss is backed by Kanye West and is a former women’s designer at West’s fashion brand Yeezy. She’s also a Parsons School of Design alumni.
“Working with Maisie is an opportunity to reinvent and put a fresh perspective on Keds,” Jen Lynch, vice president and general manager of Keds, told WWD. “It’s taking our heritage silhouettes and really dimensionalizing them in a way we’ve never done before. Maisie brings forth so much energy and optimism to her apparel and footwear. Being able to have some fun with fashion is a great palette cleanser, giving us a sense of grounding and joy that’s missing in our world today.”
Lynch declined to describe the Schloss designs for Keds, other than indicating it’s a wide array, saying she didn’t want to spoil the surprise at the show. For the fall 2022 New York Fashion Week, Keds, which is a division of Wolverine Worldwide, will reveal another footwear collection with a CFDA designer later this year.
“Working with Keds on this remarkable, women-led collaboration has been a dream,” Schloss said in a statement. “Keds will help to bring an exciting and fun element to complete each of our presentation looks.”
“This partnership will go far beyond New York Fashion Week, and we look forward to bringing these passionate teams together to celebrate creative minds and explore what the future holds,” Patrick Connors, senior vice president of global brand partnerships for IMG fashion events and properties, said in a statement. — DAVID MOIN
IRINA-TOWN: Irina Shayk towers over a gas station and an American diner in the new Pinko advertising campaign.
The Italian contemporary fashion brand tapped the model for its spring 2022 ads, which focus on the label’s new Love Bag Click handbag, defined by a circular, round logo enriched with two tiny birds.
Photographed by Brianna Capozzi, Shayk appears wearing second-skin looks splashed with a leopard print as well as a minidress in which the animal pattern is jazzed up with sequins and sparkles. Whether in a catsuit, a body-hugging dress with cutouts or in eveningwear, the model exudes a sexy attitude while posing against the miniature, desert-like scenery.
“We picked Irina because she makes us dream, and with us I believe she will make our customers dream,” said Pietro Negra, founder and chief executive officer of Pinko. “But it was not only a choice dictated by the heart: After several researches we conducted on the relationship between the brand, current customers and potential ones, we have found out that the best formula defining our women [can be summarized as] ‘Fearless Beauty.’”
According to the executive, Shayk is the embodiment of those two words. “She’s a woman with an incredible personal history, a daughter of a Russian miner who today is an international fashion icon. A beauty that is due to her appearance but also to her personality and self-confidence. She’s sunny, ironic and knows how not to take herself too seriously. With her grit and charm, she’s the perfect manifesto of the Pinko woman,” said Negra, adding that the model will be the face of the brand throughout the rest of the year. After the focus on the new bag, Negra said there will be two other chapters that will spotlight new products.
Further proving that Pinko is betting big on communication, the executive revealed that the budget allocated for this area in 2022 “is the highest of the last five years.”
In particular, Negra said the investment in marketing has been increased 51 percent compared to 2021. Without disclosing additional figures, he explained that the budget will be distributed between traditional media and digital channels, which will account for 55 percent of the total. To wit, the brand is committing to further developing its presence online, not only through advertising but also via marketing activities on social networks and in gaming.
In 2021, Pinko reported more than 240 million euros in sales, exceeding its performance in 2019, when it posted revenues of 222 million euros. In 2020, the brand’s turnover decreased by around 25 percent, compared to the previous year. — SANDRA SALIBIAN
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