Protesters Hit Harrods, Santa Maria Novella Parties in New York, Burberry Partners With Minecraft
PAINT PROTEST: Harrods’ Knightsbridge store was the latest target for the environmental organization Just Stop Oil.
One entrance and a few adjacent windows were spray-painted orange on Thursday morning and about 20 people staged a sit-down protest on the road in front of the luxury store.
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A member of the group said in a video posted on Twitter that the owner of Harrods, which is the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund the Qatar Investment Authority, “also has shares in oil and gas companies. These fossil fuels are fueling the climate crisis.” He was later dragged into the store by security guards from the luxury department store.
The storefront was later cleaned after the police removed all activists from the premise. In footage circulating online, members of the public can be seen helping to drag protesters off the street.
The eco group has targeted several high-profile city landmarks and busy roads such as the Dartford Crossing to express its demand that “the government halts all new oil and gas licenses and consents.”
On Sunday, two Just Stop Oil activists made global headlines by splashing tomato soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting in National Gallery and gluing themselves to the wall after. The painting was unharmed as it was covered by a glass protective case, but the frame was said to be damaged.
The Aston Martin showroom in London’s Park Lane was also painted over on Sunday by the eco group, and a similar sit-down protest was staged on the road outside as well.
The Metropolitan Police has made more than 500 arrests so far this month as Just Stop Oil members carry out its “civil resistance” throughout October.
Harrods did not respond to a request for comment. — TIANWEI ZHANG
NEVER TOO LATE: Typically when brands throw their first events, it’s within their first few months of existence — not 800 years down the line.
But Florentine fragrance company Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, known more casually as Santa Maria Novella, did just that in New York the other night when the brand hosted the very first event in its 800-year history.
Team members were flown over from Florence to bring guests an authentic scent experience, in honor of the brand’s new — and first — perfume, L’Iris. (It previously has stuck with colognes.) Guests like Zani Guggleman, Scott Schuman, Sophie Elgort and Michael Avedon gathered at Harlem Parish on 118th Street to first smell L’Iris, then work with one of the Florentine staff members to create their own custom scent, blending together 10 different drops into a bottle that was mixed while dinner was served.
Newly hired executive vice president Elyse Nemerever, who comes to Santa Maria Novella by way of Lanvin, Dior and Proenza Schouler, celebrated the theme of firsts for the night.
“One of the things they said to me when I joined the company was ‘we’re an 800-year-old start-up,’” she recalled. “Even though they’ve been around for a really long time and the heritage is there, in terms of development and infrastructure and our growth, all of that has been really organic and not so extensive. Until now — and even now — it’s about finding the right partners, the right positioning, the right teams.” — LEIGH NORDSTROM
PUSHING THE EDGE: Game on for Burberry.
The luxury British brand has partnered with Minecraft, one of the best-selling video games with up to 140 million monthly active players across 20 platforms.
Burberry entered the gaming space in 2021 with Mythical Games and continued the collaboration for a second time this summer.
The in-game adventure by Burberry and Minecraft is called “Burberry: Freedom to Go Beyond” and it will be released on Nov. 1, complete with a special capsule collection available for customers to shop digitally within the game and in stores at seven global locations. These include Spring Street, New York; Shenzhen Bay, China; Regent Street, London; Omotesando, Tokyo; Cheongdam-dong Seoul, South Korea; Taipei 101, Taiwan Area, China, and Siam Paragon in Thailand.
The brand’s subscribers in selected countries will get early access on Oct. 31 and a set of exclusive in-game accessories.
This is Burberry’s first partnership with a gaming franchise. The video game is made up of pixelated building blocks for players to create their own world.
During Paris Fashion Week, Jonathan Anderson presented a series of pixelated-inspired T-shirts, trousers and hoodies at Loewe that nodded to the popular game.
Despite the big changes happening at Burberry, with Jonathan Akeroyd entering as the company’s new chief executive officer and the hiring of Daniel Lee as chief creative officer, the brand firmly continues to grow its digital business. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED
NEW BRAND: On Thursday, Ina, a new women’s intimate skin care brand, launched.
Cofounded by chemist and founder of Project Chemistry Susan Goldsberry and OB-GYN Dr. Beri Ridgeway, the brand was developed in-house and meant to be gentle enough to be used on the vulva.
Goldsberry, who has worked as a cosmetic chemist since the ’80s, explained the brand was developed out of passion, as well as to fill a white space in the feminine care market. “Ina was born out of the love for my mother. Years ago when I was caring for her, I realized that there weren’t a lot of products for elderly care, especially women, that addressed the issues that were needed,” she explained. “Instinctively I knew I could create safer and more elevated products.”
Ina’s ingredients are plant-based and clinically tested.
Over the course of 15 years, Goldsberry worked with Ridgeway to create Ina, meaning mother in Filipino, an “intimate skin care line, developed to elevate and modernize feminine wellness.” The brand’s launch date was also intentional, as Oct. 20 is Goldsberry’s mother’s birthday. “This is a tribute to my mother and to all women everywhere,” she said.
The new line includes five patent-pending products geared towards all women: an Anti-Chafe Liquid Powder, $26, a Balancing Cleanser, $24, a Barrier Balm, $28, a Hydrating Serum, $38, and a Nourishing Oil Elixir, $42. Ina has additional product launches in the pipeline for 2023, all feminine wellness-focused. While the products can be used to address specific vaginal health concerns, Goldsberry noted the brand was developed for daily use as a foundational wellness routine.
The brand, which launches Thursday on InaLabs.com, is expected to reach $10 million in sales its first two years, according to industry sources. Ina also has its eyes on expansion, and it is currently planning to roll out into retailers in 2023. — EMILY BURNS
NEW FUNDING: Fashion workplace-development organization Custom Collaborative secured new grant funding to put toward its design institute aiding a number of aspiring designers.
Approaching its 10th training cohort Monday, the 15-week program is designed to give low-income and immigrant women equal footing in the industry through education on the ins and outs of the fashion industry. The $60,000 grant was provided by the Fashion Impact Fund, which funds female entrepreneurs in fashion.
“Speaking on behalf of the entire Custom Collaborative community, I am proud to accept this transformative support from the Fashion Impact Fund,” Custom Collaborative’s executive director Ngozi Okaro, said in a statement. “Fashion Impact Fund elevates and supports women, sharing the spotlight with the often overlooked. Their investment in and partnership with Custom Collaborative is a testament to the leadership and team’s commitment to supporting ethical fashion.”
Kerry Bannigan, executive director of the Fashion Impact Fund, added: “The Custom Collaborative Training Institute program is imperative to shift the current narrative around women’s leadership and economic empowerment as well as strengthen system change. Women-led fashion initiatives play a critical role toward a sustainable future for humanity and nature; this calls for amplification and financial support as they aim to drive us toward a fair, inclusive and regenerative world.”
Custom Collaborative uniquely tackles sustainable business fundamentals with entrepreneurship as a basis through its Training Institute and Business Incubator. The course utilizes 100 percent repurposed materials sourced locally. Students also get a briefing on fashion advocacy (including fair wages and workplace rights), while sharpening skills across ethical manufacturing, marketing, sourcing, design and personal finance. — KALEY ROSHITSH
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