Loewe isn't just a luxury fashion brand. It's a cultural brand that has—since under the creative directorship of Jonathan Anderson—instilled an even greater importance on craft, including from realms outside of the traditional fashion sphere. Through its many collaborations as well as in-house collections, Loewe continues to give prominence the skill of the hand from within its own studios as well as from cultures around the world.
It may seem like a marketing spiel, this idea of a luxury fashion brand being more than creating products to sell. Yet, the proof is in the way Loewe operates. Its social media platforms delve deeper into how a product is crafted by showing a brief run through of the process, while collection notes often detail the craft behind each collection. Separately, Loewe has its annual Loewe Foundation Craft Prize showcasing and awarding the many different works of craft the world over.
Crafted World is in itself a collaborative effort. The exhibition was designed in collaboration with famed design studio OMA with each thematic chapter varying in interactivity and scale. "Born from the Hand", for example, tells the story of Loewe's evolution from its leather-making roots to its current contemporary fashion leanings as seen through the showcase of key products such as first-edition signature bags to costumes made in collaboration with Anthea Hamilton. "The Atelier" quite literally transports visitors behind the scenes to discover the many steps needed to craft Loewe's most iconic bags, with the journey ending with a two-metre-tall recreation of the Howl’s Moving Castle bag. Along the way, Crafted World offers plenty of surprises including knee-high exhibits thoughtfully conceptualised for children to interact with.
And once visitors are done exploring the six thematic chapters, a specially curated gift shop filled with exclusive merchandise and books, lets the magic continue at home. But that's not all. Crafted World continues onto the courtyard with a number of Galician artisan Álvaro Leiro's reinterpretations of the traditional, fringed Galician raincoats woven from reeds, straw and briar.
The free-to-public exhibition comes as Anderson hit his 10-year mark as creative director of Loewe last year—a rarity in today's climate of creative directors not lasting more than three years. Plenty of credit should be given to the man for reinvigorating Loewe into one of the most exciting luxury brands out there; as should the artisans whose works are the cornerstone of Loewe. Crafted World does just that.
Crafted World runs until 5 May 2024 at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre before making its way around the world.
ESQUIRE: Coldplay is in town for the next few days. Have you adjusted to the time zone?
GUY BERRYMAN: Not quite. Getting there. We were in Manila prior and were stuck in crazy Manila traffic. I’ve never seen anything like it. Have you been there?
ESQ: Once. A long time ago. You’ll need to frame your appointments around how bad the traffic is. But having the concert held across several days must be great for you.
GB: So many people want to buy tickets, which is amazing. So, if we only do one show, a lot of people will be pissed-off. From a business point of view, it’s better to be in one spot for many shows because it saves on all the transportation and setup costs.
ESQ: I’d assume that it’s enough time to get acclimatised.
GB: It’s nice not having to move. I like coming to a place, unpacking my stuff in a hotel room and staying there for a week as opposed to flying into a city, doing a show and flying to the next place, y’know? That’s way harder.
ESQ: You have outfits that you have collected over the years. What is that one piece that you’re amazed by?
GB: I’ve got so many garments that I’m completely in love with. Quite often, they’re 50 or 70 years old, something like that. There’s one jacket that I have, which is a Royal Air Force Ventile parka from the 1950s that I think is just one of the greatest pieces of menswear ever designed.
ESQ: Why is that?
GB: It’s hard to say initially... but it’s the details, really. The Ventile fabric, the fit, the lining... what’s particularly nice about the jacket is that it’s 70 years old. It’s faded and got little holes in it; there’s a certain patina to it that brands try to recreate with their products. These days, you can buy new jeans that are full of holes, that’s been faded... it’s all fake. What I love about the [Royal Air Force] jacket is the way it looks, it’s old and really beautiful. I wear vintage pieces all the time. I love them because they look a certain way that you can only get from a vintage piece.
ESQ: Do you think, in this day and age, that it’s easier to buy vintage pieces or harder due to fast fashion?
GB: I’m somebody who buys mostly old clothes. When I go to a different city, I don’t head to the luxury retail experiences. I go for the flea markets, the antique shops and the charity outlets. That’s where I’d find the things that I like. I do shop from Dover Street Market but I’ve no issue with wearing secondhand clothes at all.
ESQ: Was your T-shirt, “Love is the Drug” inspired by one of Roxy Music’s songs of the same name?
GB: Actually, that was just a coincidence. The phrase has nothing to do with Roxy Music. So, we do all of our own screenprinting by hand at our [Applied Art Forms] studio. Somebody in the team said since Valentine’s Day is coming up, we should make a special Valentine’s Day T-shirt. I was thinking about what can we do that isn’t super cheesy like a heart or the kind of typical imagery associated with Valentine’s Day. I kinda thought that “love is the drug”. It kinda had that slightly edgier feel to it. I wrote “Love is the drug” on a piece of cardboard with a pink marker. I let the paint run down a little so that it looked cool. We photographed it, screenprinted about, I think, 50 T-shirts and put it up for sale the next day. When it was sold out, we kept getting e-mails from people wanting to buy it. After a while, we kept printing and making more of them. Then, Chris [Martin] wore it, which led to more people wanting it. So, here we are two years later still with “Love is the Drug”. (shows a T-shirt from the rack) We have a version only for Singapore. This is a black on black T-shirt. But, yeah, “Love is the Drug” has nothing to do with Roxy Music.
ESQ: Has Roxy Music contacted you about the phrase though?
GB: No they didn’t. I mean, I don’t know what the IP rules on this are like. I’m not sure. Actually, the phrase I meant to write was “Love is a Drug” and I wrote it wrong. The “just say yes” portion of it has to do with this 1980s anti-drug campaign in the UK... no, wait, it was an American campaign to stop kids from taking drugs and the campaign slogan was “just say no”. So when I wrote, “Love is the Drug”. I changed and added “just say yes” to it. So, that’s how it came about.
ESQ: Will you do more slogan T-shirts?
GB: For me, my real passion for the brand is outerwear jackets. So whenever we launch a new collection, it’s always built around my ideas for the jackets that I want to make. Most of the time I just wear plain T-shirts... that’s just how I like to style myself. But, of course, graphic T-shirts are what the public wants so we always offer a few different graphic T-shirts. Some are sometimes photographic-based. We do a lot of handwriting or stencilling. “Love is the Drug” is a nice phrase and I don’t think I’m going to introduce another kind of slogan anytime soon.
ESQ: You have a studio in Amsterdam. What does that do for you, creatively as an artist?
GB: My partner, Keishia [Gerrits] is Dutch and so I was spending more and more time over there visiting her family. I fell in love with Amsterdam. It’s just such a wonderful city and it made sense to move there. I’m now a full-time resident of Amsterdam. As a city, culturally, it’s very diverse. The centre of the city looks the same now as it did hundreds of years ago. I always think that it’s very beautiful. But there are a lot of creatives in Amsterdam. Many talented people, like musicians and designers. There are incredible restaurant tours there. The city changed a lot even in the last five years since I’ve been there.
ESQ: Hannah Martin is your partner for your jewellery line, A Vanitas and your meeting with her was serendipitous. Do you like collaborating with other people?
GB: I do. Collaboration is such a big thing these days. I feel almost every day you’re looking on social media or whatever and you’re presented with news of a new collaborative product. When the idea of collaborations first started happening, it was interesting but now I kinda see it for what it is... which is just a big marketing exercise. where big brands are saying, you take some of our customers and we take some of yours. That’s what collaboration these days are like. But the collaboration between Hannah and I was not about that. It was just this very chance meeting. We’re two small brands so our collaboration isn’t gonna move the dial for either of our businesses. Our partnership came about with a focus just purely on the product and the designs that we came up with.
ESQ: What’s next on the collaboration front?
GB: The most sensible collaboration would be with a footwear brand. Applied Art Forms don’t do footwear. For a small brand like us to go into footwear is quite challenging because the minimums on shoes are very high and you have a range of sizes for them. What would make more sense for us, is partnering with an established like-minded footwear brand for shoes. That would probably be my next logical step for any kind of collaboration.
ESQ: You mentioned there was a steep learning curve when you first created Applied Art Forms. Is it easier now? Or do you still find it challenging to sustain it?
GB: No, I love it. I’m very passionate, very driven about design. I’m always full of ideas so it is never an issue to realise them. I mean, we did launch the brand at the start of the pandemic; I was living in the UK at the time and the studio was in Amsterdam. So when the lockdown happened suddenly, I couldn’t go to the studio to work. Very quickly, we had to come up with a new way of working, which was, as you know, would be Zoom calls.
I’d be at home talking through the screen with the team in Amsterdam. We’d have an open Zoom meeting for half a day. If a prototype came in, they would hold it up and try it on. I’d look at them saying, no, the shoulders need to be wider, that needs to be longer, y’know? It’s not ideal but it works. Now, I’m on tour and it allows me to come to places like Singapore and speak to you. That’s helpful for the brand. But I can jump in on a Zoom meeting any time because we have the remote working method really dialled in. Eventually, when I move to Amsterdam, it’ll be fantastic because then I can cycle to the studio every morning and be together with the team. This would be much more productive.
ESQ: What about scalability? How do you navigate that and try to stay true to what you’re doing?
GB: We’re always going to stay true to what we’re doing. Of course, we needed to grow and we needed to scale a bit but I definitely don’t want to turn [Applied Art Forms] into a huge mega brand. It’s always about product quality. It’s about building a community around the brand who understands where I’m coming from. And for me, that’s all it needs to be.
ESQ: We’re curious. Your jewellery line with Hannah is about the memento mori trope (“remember that you’ll die so do all you can in this limited lifetime”). Whereas Applied Art Forms is about the longevity of clothes. What does time mean to you?
GB: It all stems down to trying to leave your mark on the world. If you make something which isn’t very good, or if it doesn’t last a long time, it will disappear. I guess it’s kinda the same way when you make music: you’re trying to make songs that will have an impression on the world. And it’ll still be playing after you’re done. For instance, (points to a jacket) that denim chore jacket there... it’s a beautiful Japanese selvedge denim and this is fantastic in the way it’s put together. Somebody like me could go to a vintage store and find this jacket because it lasted that long. But not only that, it will look so beautiful. It will have faded and there might be some holes in it but it’s going to look beautiful. I always want to make meaningful things whether that be music or clothes or jewellery. It has to be something which will stand the test of time.
Photography: Jaya Khidir
Pharrell Williams and Tyler, the Creator share a longstanding collaboration in the music industry, with many of Tyler’s songs produced by Williams. They also feature in each other’s tracks, including Williams' 2022 single “Cash In Cash Out” and Tyler’s “IFHY” from his 2013 album Wolf. The close friends are in constant creative dialogues and thrive on it. Taking it to a new level, the Louis Vuitton men’s creative director delivers a new capsule collection created in collaboration with Tyler.
This isn't Tyler's first brush with Louis Vuitton having most recently composed the soundtrack for the Maison's Autumn/Winter 2023 menswear show. The Louis Vuitton Spring 2024 Men’s Capsule Collection by Tyler, The Creator is a melodic combination of the visual vocabularies of Tyler and the Maison, especially the one that Williams has established—it's preppy meets dandy with a whole lot of fresh interpretations of both.
The collection features pieces that Tyler would personally wear. “I dress the same in a meeting as I do a performance or grocery store trip, so hand drawing the monogram felt like the perfect balance to me,” he says. Dubbed the "Craggy Monogram", his hand drawn monogram comes in chocolate, vanilla and pastel shades. In addition to the usual LV symbols and 4-petalled LV Flowers, the Craggy Monogram incorporates representations of daisies and Airedale Terriers—familiar motifs from the visual universe of the artist. The uneven shapes of the hand drawn Monogram are echoed in lines and details throughout the collection, from chocolate down jackets to vanilla windbreakers, denim jackets with matching denim pants and denim dungarees, along with accessories.
Known as the guy who turns up to awards shows in shorts, Tyler’s collection just had to include them. Classic shorts and chinos with pleats and fold-ups appear alongside dandy-esque shirts adorned with graphics. With his penchant for pastels, the collection also features baby blue cable knit jumpers with a craggy V-neck and cuff stripes, and a pink fair-isle vest. As a nod to Tyler's obsession of luggages, a special-edition Courrier Lozine 110 trunk featuring the Craggy Monogram was created for the collection.
Tyler's authenticity shines through his recurring playful motifs in the collection’s accessories ranging from flower-studded rings to a Craggy Monogram cereal bowl with a matching spoon. The collection also features a chess set with its chess pieces portraying melted chocolate, hand-sketched by Tyler himself. This is also, unsurprisingly, the rapper’s favourite item from the collection. “I wanted to mix my style and Louis Vuitton’s codes together in a way that felt slightly whimsical but could still be worn to the gas station on a Tuesday,” he explains.
Needless to say, Williams is a fan of the collection: “This collaboration is unique to Louis Vuitton because it’s a natural extension of our LVERS philosophy, building on our network of incredible artists and creatives. There are so many elements specific to Tyler built into these pieces and it’s been inspiring to see him hone in on his craft and collaborate with him for this spring collection."
The Louis Vuitton Spring 2024 Men’s Capsule Collection by Tyler, The Creator is now available in boutiques and online.
2024 is quickly becoming the year of the lapel pin as exemplified by the range seen at the recent Academy Awards. But it was two weeks prior, at another award show, that we were taken by quite an extraordinary lapel pin.
Now, we're not saying that Paul Mescal at the 2024 BAFTAs ignited a sudden re-embrace of lapel pins (and some pretty bejewelled ones at that), but the Cartier piece added to his Gucci suit was such an unexpected surprise in the best ways possible. At first glance, the sharp-edged design looked like individual pins layered atop of each other. However, they're a whole set with its connection hidden at the back of the jacket's lapel. Its name? The Cartier Libre Polymorph jacket lapel gem—crafted in white gold and decorated with garnets, onyx and diamonds.
The Cartier Libre collection isn't exactly new. As the name suggests, it's a completely free expression untethered by conventions of jewellery and watchmaking as well as Cartier traditions, and has resulted in some truly inspiring pieces by the Maison. The Polymorph collection that sits under Cartier Libre however, is the latest creative expression—a collection of watches and jewellery that all share the ability to transform.
No, they don't mechanically move and turn into something else (although judging by the debut collection, it certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility). The Cartier Libre Polymorph collection is inspired by the constant motion of nature, resulting in pieces that are flexible and draws on the Maison's passion for surprise and bringing refined creations to life.
A fine example of this is a Polymorph ring consisting of four rotating discs of white gold, onyx and diamonds. The ring imitates the movement of a solar eclipse with each disc varying in design and size. The full extent of its width can be unfolded on the hand or folded inwards to create a single focal point of a spiral of discs that seems to be in constant flow. It's a show-stopping piece and definitely looks better than a fidget spinner.
One of the collection's more curious objets d'art is a bejewelled carabiner. The precious object is smaller than the size of one's palm but is intricately riddled with baguette diamonds, brilliant-set diamonds, prong-set sapphire and emeralds. In the centre sits a rotating component showcasing a diamond-paved dial surrounded by emeralds and sapphires. At the 12 o'clock position sits a ruby, while beads of lapis-lazuli, onyx, black spinel, turquoise and chrysoprase coil around either side of the dial.
But the main point is that it's a carabiner, and like every other carabiner, it opens up. The Polymorph piece does so with a touch of a sapphire cabochon that activates the diamond-paved band bordered by rubies that it sits on. Talk about decadent.
While Mescal's lapel pin was a unique piece, this next brooch is an incomparable stunner. The panther is Cartier's insignia through and through. Hence, it's no surprise that it would make an appearance in the Polymorph collection too and this time, in quite a menacing interpretation.
Shaped like four claws of the panther, the brooch is crafted from four large moonstones and snow-set diamonds with custom-cut onyx. It sits right at the edge of a lapel, appearing to grip the and display only a hint of its power. But even then, the surprise doesn't stop there. When pressed, a hidden miniature dial is revealed. Smart, audacious and bold—a creative expression like no other.
There are of course more pieces in the Cartier Libre Polymorph collection, including a bracelet that bursts like the sun's rays. But even just these three aforementioned pieces are enough to showcase the unbridled creativity that's at the heart of the Maison. And to think that this is just the beginning.
Creative director Anthony Vaccarello wants eyes on the shoulders of the Saint Laurent man. For the 49-look Summer 2024 collection, he had models either donning jackets with emphasised shoulders, or baring them. Even in unlayered overshirts, the shoulder seams have been intentionally extended to accentuate the broadness of a man’s frame. Presented in Berlin, Germany, at the monumental Neue Nationalgalerie by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the Saint Laurent Summer 2024 collection found the perfect stage. There, in the glass-and-steel temple of modern architecture, the occasion seared the setting into the minds of guests in attendance—the collection was paraded with the aplomb of modernism amid a glorious sunset.
While it is easy to pick up the references Vaccarello pulled from the Saint Laurent Women’s Winter 2023 collection, translating a female collection onto menswear is no simple trick. Due credit must be given to Vaccarello for making it even remotely appealing to the everyday man. The androgynous wardrobe he has created succeeds because it modernises the inverted triangle body shape that traditionalists worship.
Vaccarello’s modernist approach comes into focus at waists that are cinched, so the inverted triangle is fully realised to its tip, literally. In every look, the top is presented tucked and nipped into the generously cut high-waisted flute pants. After the shoulders, attention gravitates towards the pants of the collection. There is an assuring dissonance in the suaveness of the pants being high-waisted and cut in a flute shape. But there is also a comfort in knowing there’s wiggle room for such a sharply tailored garment. Hemmed at the ankle, the pants are also given attention to the chunky heeled boots that are paired with the looks. The least desired thing about flute pants is the bunching at the legs, breaking up the masculine stature.
There are many other modernist approaches employed by Vaccarello throughout the Saint Laurent Summer 2024 collection. Seemingly stereotypical female garment types are butched up. Deep décolletés satin tank tops are cut wide to look like luxurious muscle tanks. One-shouldered toga sheer tops are treated into cut-out T-shirts for a grunge outlook where the other non-exposed shoulder is completely covered. A silk satin blouse is perhaps Vaccarello’s take on the basic oversized T-shirt seen all over the streets.
The Saint Laurent Summer 2024 collection is entitled “Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves”. And by the way it was presented, many men may have overkilled their excuse of being presentable with lazy suits over basic T-shirts. Vaccarello shows the way with sharp tailoring and a modernist masculine appeal of truly being presentable.
The answer: seemingly limitless. The Dior Men Charm bag is the latest of artistic director Kim Jones’ contemporary take on Dior’s storied heritage.
Familiar motifs have taken on new forms before. We saw how Jones supercharged renewed interest in the classic Saddle bag by reimagining it with a Matthew M Williams-designed buckle. Jones also introduced sneakers into the house’s design vocabulary by featuring either the Dior Oblique or in the case of the B30, a streamlined, sporty CD logo. This time, Jones has taken things up a few notches by combining two.
For a start, the Dior Charm bag features a clasp adapted from the hardware of the iconic Lady Dior in the house’s women’s universe. While the original motif consists of connected letters, D, I, O and R (of course), as mobile charms in a calculated arrangement, the Dior Charm of the men’s universe is rendered as a single plaque fashioned from the same characters, with the ‘O’ as the base. It sports an antique silver finish for a grittier look that distinguishes itself from that of the Lady Dior.
But the immediate defining characteristic of the Dior Charm bag is the Cannage motif that completely envelopes the piece. The Cannage Cosmo leather—first introduced by Jones in Summer 2023—is a slightly blown-up version of the original Cannage and translated as a whole laser-cut cage stitched onto smooth calfskin. A true testament to the skills of the Dior artisans, the topstitching is thoroughly precise and serves to enhance the encasement of the motif. In the Dior Charm’s grey and black iterations, they’re subtle and sleek; the Cannage is decidedly bold in the cognac colourway, especially against the antique silver-finish hardware.
Jones is no stranger to referencing the house’s women’s universe and transmuting these references into what would later become key motifs of Dior Men. The Dior Charm is one of those once-in-a-lifetime lightbulb moments that seem so obvious now that it’s been realised. Having it as part of a new bag like the aptly named Dior Charm bag and then combining it with an equally iconic motif like the Cannage (but once again, reworked) is genius.
The past is often revisited in luxury fashion, especially when a great deal of history and heritage are involved. But sometimes, the past whispers fresh ideas, and Jones is the reigning master of listening to them.
Sustainability is the name of the game at Samsonite’s new Suntec City outlet. We are in an unprecedented moment where more action is needed to combat the urgent climate crisis. Consumers are looking for more eco-friendly alternatives to their products. For Samsonite, its key products—luggages—aren't the only area for the brand's commit to sustainability. Samsonite decided to tackle the project of making its latest outlet as an example of its promise to sustainability.
At Samsonite’s new store, Balau wood sculptures frame the space. It goes beyond infusing the store with a touch of elegance though as it also tells the story of rebirth. Each piece spent at least 30 years in shipyards at Tuas. Then it's recrafted and given a second life, further adding to the store’s timeless charm.
Similarly, the store’s external facade was fabricated from recycled aluminium. Plastic waste are cleaned, shredded into flakes, and then reformed into a new cashier counter. The shelves are made from recycled plastics that were intentionally crafted to look identical to glass and laminate sheets.
“We are not just creating luggage, we aim to shape the industry to be more sustainable, one journey at a time,” Satish Peerubandi, Vice-President of Samsonite SEA, declared. This new outlet is a testament to the brand's commitment to lead the sustainable transformation of the lifestyle bag and travel luggage industry.
Besides increasing the use of sustainable materials in its products and packaging, Samsonite is also moving towards a future where this practise will be the norm. Their Magnum EcoTM line is crafted with recycled yoghurt cups for its shells. And the interior lining is made from repurposed PET bottles.
Additionally, until 28 April, Samsonite opens its annual Luggage Trade-in campaign. All brands, sizes, and conditions of luggage are welcome, with materials of pre-loved luggage being recycled and repurposed into eco travel memorabilia. Trade-ins at any Samsonite store will nab you 30 per cent off on Samsonite’s Myton and Magnum EcoTM collections. Samsonite will also donate SGD10 to the WWF-Singapore Earth Hour campaign for every trade-in. In further commitment to the cause, all non-essential lights in all Samsonite stores will be turned off on 23 March 2024, Saturday, from 8.30pm to 9.30pm to coincide with the Earth Hour Switch Off.
Brand ambassador appointments are nothing new—in fact, they're quite a regular occurrence nowadays. What's unusual and quite rare are instances where multiple brand ambassadors are announced on the same day and by two very different brands.
But that's the beauty of appointing a brand ambassador. One is carefully chosen based not only on popularity and personal achievements in the space that they inhabit, but also by how they fit in with the brand ethos and aesthetic. Hence, even when Burberry and RIMOWA announced their newly crowned brand ambassadors on the same day (8 March 2024), the distinction was very clear.
Irish actor Barry Keoghan, known for his roles in movies such as Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin, and most recently, the highly talked about Saltburn, has had many affiliations with Burberry. The BAFTA winner was a guest of the brand for the 2023 Met Gala (dressed in an attention-grabbing outfit featuring chief creative officer Daniel Lee's reworked Burberry check), and opted to wear Burberry to the European premiere of Apple TV+'s Masters of the Air and the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards. If you've been following the Burberry runway shows closely, you would have also spotted Keoghan on the front rows of the Summer 2024 and Winter 2024 shows.
Keoghan's brand ambassadorship seems like a longtime coming then. "I've been a fan of Burberry for many years now. It's such an iconic heritage brand with innovation at its heart, and a commitment to supporting arts and culture. I'm very excited to be a part of this next chapter," he says.
Trust the King of Mandopop to be a fitting ambassador for RIMOWA. Jay Chou confesses to be a longtime fan of RIMOWA: "As I travel around the world, my RIMOWA suitcases have been trusted companions that I share precious memories with. They've accompanied me not only in professional settings but during other travels too, as I delved into new realms to seek out new inspiration." If you're still in doubt about the authenticity of Chou's affinity for RIMOWA, one of his own was showcased as part of RIMOWA's 125th anniversary exhibition SEIT 1898 back in 2023.
Chou is now part of the latest instalment of RIMOWA's Never Still campaign. As an overarching narrative that defines travel not only as a means of personal advancement, but also a catalyst for inner transformation, Chou's campaign sees him relating travel to his musical endeavours and the boundless inspirations that being "never still" offers. "Melodies know no rules, stories unfold spontaneously," he says as he's captured navigating the streets of London (no doubt one of many cities the seasoned entertainer has travelled to) with a RIMOWA Original Cabin in Titanium.
Edited by Asri Jasman
You’ve heard of VR games and concerts but what about VR dance shows? The first of its kind, LE BAL de PARIS de Blanca Li is a multi-sensory virtual experience. A show that seamlessly integrates music and dance to give audiences an award-winning theatrical spectacle. As an audience member, you are part of the act. Operating in a virtual space, the audience partakes in a storyline of unrequited love filled with anthropomorphic animals.
Created by the world-renowned choreographer and filmmaker, Blanca Li, the immersive and participatory experience is made possible with a room-scale virtual reality. Unlike most VR applications which allow stationary users to engage with their virtual surroundings, a room-scale VR allows for users to manoeuvre around a physical space. Think of it as playing a video game. But the controller is your body in a physical space: you move your right foot forward and your avatar echoes the action.
Running for about 35 minutes, the show is brought to life through the use of the HTC Vive Focus 3 and HTC Vive Trackers (for full body tracking). CHANEL provides the outfits your avatars will don during the session. Players are presented with a line-up of 15 CHANEL outfits to choose from in a virtual dressing room. Once chosen, players are outfitted in a garb that's fitting for a grand Parisian ball. And yes, you can even crossdress, no judgment in a virtual space. In the VR world, you can admire your duds in the mirror and you can see your hands and feet in the space as well.
At each show, 10 audience members can indulge in this shared experience. Due to the nature of the show, interaction among audience members is enforced. You're encouraged to dance or move within the space as music and audio is played through the VR headset. Follow along the story of two lovers, Adèle and Pierre. We meet them in a crowded grand ballroom and then transported to a hedge maze. There's even a travel across a lake on a boat and a jaunty ride on a tram. All these and more, within the confines of a room and in the expense of the imagination.
LE BAL de PARIS de Blanca Li brings its grandeur to Singapore's Infinite Studios and runs until 17 March 2024. Tickets are priced at SGD73 for weekdays and SGD87 for weekends. Get your tickets here.
It has been a century since the Cartier Trinity series was first created, and the three-band style has remained an enduring icon since. The Trinity has seen multiple iterations throughout the years but the tri-gold combination is the truest representation of its spirit—now available in an XL version for an even bolder expression.
It’s made entirely out of recycled ocean-bound plastics from Indonesia, and fixing it is idiotproof, as its name suggests. You won’t need complicated tools or glue. Simply connect the five pieces and you have your very own stable stool put together with your own hands. At the end of its lifespan, the pieces can easily be dismantled and put up for recycling—circularity at its easiest.
The baseball cap is a wardrobe staple, whether as part of one’s style or deployed on days when the hair isn’t cooperating. Celine’s iteration possesses a retro charm with a denim wash that’s as striking as it is timeless. It’s a simple design that doesn’t deviate much from traditional baseball caps... but therein lies the charm—why reinvent the wheel when a slight tweak changes the game?
You can count on finding avant-garde styles at Gentle Monster any day. This pair of Memento V3 sunglasses, however, traipses the line between futuristic and familiar. The goggle shape is a reimagined classic, rendered in a modern violet hue with added metal detailing on the temples—a bold piece that’s easily wearable.
Pharrell Williams’ update of the Louis Vuitton Speedy bag is crafted from supple grained calfskin and lined with lambskin. So soft is the construction that there’s a drape to the overall silhouette. They are also available in a range of vibrant colours that are unapologetically in-your-face—a defiant swing at any mention of quiet luxury.
Made in collaboration with designer Vincent Darré, the Martell Cordon Bleu Limited Edition gets a vibrant and uplifting design to the bottle. Darré created an allegory in which the Martell iconic swift bears the universal message of warmth and generosity. Such a message certainly calls for a round of drinks with friends.
Hermès pulls off a truly playful accessory as it mixes the distinctive Kelly swivel clasp with the Kelly Multipocket To Go. With its multitude of compartments, everything can be kept organised in a bento-esque manner. The piece also comes with a versatile adjustable strap for two wearing styles: vertically and horizontally.
The slouchy Burberry Knight Bag is one of many signifiers under Daniel Lee’s era at the brand. A metal horse-shaped clip—a clever way of integrating the Equestrian Knight motif—attaches to two different parts of the bag, giving you the option to alter the shape according to whim.
Even a house as storied as Dior continues to add new branded motifs to its design vocabulary. A new circular logo acts as the centrepiece to the Buffalo loafers—a chunky, rubber-soled piece as part of the Dior Men Summer 2024 collection. This variation further exemplifies how something as traditional as tweed, can be reimagined into a contemporary piece.
Need better assistance on the green? The MARQ Golfer smartwatch may just be better than a caddy. Designed specifically for golfing, it is preloaded with engineered features that include recommendations of the types of club to use depending on the weather, as well as how best to approach each shot. Do it, embrace AI.
Photography: Jaya Khidir
Styling: Asri Jasman
And with that, the 96th Academy Awards aka the 2024 Oscars have concluded. Celebrating films released in 2013, the awards show continued last year's "Barbenheimer" phenomenon (although Barbie received only eight nominations as compared to Oppenheimer's 13) with two musical performances from Barbie, and Oppenheimer bringing home 7 awards. The latter included Cillian Murphy's first nomination and win for "Best Actor".
Murphy took home the award in an Atelier Versace ensemble that complemented his penchant for contemporary stylings while still adhering to traditional dress codes—an aesthetic that seemed to be the unspoken rule for almost all of our best-dressed attendees. Colman Domingo's Louis Vuitton double-breasted tuxedo consisted of flared trousers and embellished buttons, while Riz Ahmed's Marni fit was finished with raw edges with minimal flourishes.
The red carpets at awards shows as important as the Oscars have had a history of being an avenue for celebrities to show allegiance to a cause. This year was no different. Like Ahmed, attendees the likes of Ramy Youssef, Billie Eilish, and Mark Ruffalo took the opportunity to show their support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza by wearing red lapel pins. These pins represent Artists4Ceasfire, a collective of over 400 artists who have all expressed their stand through an open letter to US President Joe Biden.
View the best menswear looks at the red carpet of the 96th Academy Awards in the gallery below.
The Saint Laurent Winter 2024 runway show was a departure from its Summer 2024 one, but only conceptually. Saint Laurent doesn't shy away from the duality of the male spirit. It's apparent in the House's throng of global famous faces adopted into its fold—from rock legend Lenny Kravitz to younger upstarts the likes of Austin Butler, Mark Tuan, and Ten Lee of NCT U—who all, while exuding an air of elegance, are more than stereotypical masculine tropes.
Creative director Anthony Vaccarello has been reiterating Saint Laurent's masculine-feminine tension for a few seasons now. While typically shown during different fashion week calendars, the womenswear and menswear collections have effectively been mirror images of each other. There's been a consistency in aesthetic where Vaccarello would borrow womenswear silhouettes and fabrications for menswear, while the latter's cut would dictate the form of the womenswear collections.
For Winter 2024, the menswear show was somewhat of a surprise. Instead of showing during January's Paris Fashion Week Men's or completely off schedule (like Summer 2024's in Berlin), the Saint Laurent Winter 2024 show was about a week apart from the womenswear show—further blurring the lines between the two. But the actual surprise was the collection itself. After seasons of embodying a softer side of the Saint Laurent man, Vaccarello opted to switch things up at Paris' Bourse de Commerce (also the site of one of my personal favourite runway shows by the creative director).
The fit: Right from the first look, there was little doubt that the collection wouldn't be following a similar formula of collections prior. It was classic, almost too classic, veering on old-school. A grey double-breasted suit paired with a white shirt and (gasp!) a striped tie of significant width. There was a decidedly '80s feel to the entire ensemble but perhaps only on first glance. The wide, peak lapels of the blazer were matched in intensity with the shirt collar. Yet there were nuances of contemporary flair: the overall silhouette was still very languid and soft with a strong-shoulder anchor; the blazer was cut straight with a deliciously roomy give; and while still respecting the traditional rule of a peek of shirt cuff under the blazer, sleeves were lengthened just enough to strike away any old-school notion.
This classic-made-new combination continued on throughout the entire Winter 2024 collection. There were a few outerwear-focused looks interspersed—the liquid-like rubber propositions looked otherworldly—but the main star was the gradual dissolution of the formality of that very first look. As the show went on, the suit became lighter and more fluid both in construction as well as colours, while shirts returned to their Saint Laurent-silk normality with matching ties.
The details: The aforementioned rubber outerwear weren't just for mere drama. Vaccarello reimagined a '60s archival reference with a structured rubber peacoat worn with a leather hat that it's connected to (look 7). Beautiful things can indeed be functional.
If you were missing the silk blouses—seen aplenty on the front row—Vaccerello offered up a number in rich hues that echoed the tail end of the line-up. Although if you were looking out for classic Saint Laurent pointed boots and footwear, they were replaced with square-toed variants that added so much gravitas.
Three exceptional looks: Look 14's all-black drama punctuated by that rubber coat; look 28's sublime colour combination; and an olive green version in look 37 that I would've never considered up till now.
The takeaway: Covered up as compared to previous collections yes, but the Saint Laurent man is still as sexy as Vaccarello has made him to be.
View the full Saint Laurent Winter 2024 menswear collection in the gallery below.
