Savile Row tailoring expert, Ozwald Boateng OBE, is to be the next in an auspicious line-up of British designers to develop uniforms for British Airways after Paul Costelloe, Roland Klein, Baccart Weatherall, Hardy Amies and Julien MacDonald.

Boateng, who is known for bringing a modern contemporary twist to the classic British institution of tailoring, will be designing a collection for the airline’s 32,000 employees who wear a uniform as part of their role.

The new uniform will form an important part of the airline’s celebrations for its Centenary next year. Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and Chief Executive, said: “Our uniforms have been an iconic symbol of our brand throughout our 100-year history and our partnership with Ozwald will take us forward to the next chapter in our journey.”

“At a time when we’re investing for customers, new uniforms are a visual representation of investment in our people and we want them to feel proud when they wear the new uniform”.

Ozwald Boateng OBE, said “I am really excited about creating this new uniform for British Airways. It is important for me to create something that makes all British Airways’ 32,000 uniform-wearing employees across the world excited, at the same time as enabling me to really demonstrate my skills as a designer. British Airways is investing £4.5 billion over the next five years and the uniform I design will form part of that, so I’m looking forward to taking a uniform and refining it into a collection.”

Ozwald started his career in fashion in 1986 and became the first tailor to host a catwalk show at Paris Fashion Week. As well as being the youngest tailor to open a store in Savile Row, Ozwald was the Creative Director at Givenchy Homme from 2002 to 2006.

Boateng, who launched his first womenswear collection this year, will be working closely with the airline’s employees throughout the development process, from shadowing them to understand their roles and how the uniforms need to perform, to design, testing and final delivery.

Transgender is defined as the people who have gender expression differs from their assigned natural gender. An effort made to touch upon the sensitive core of humanity, to bring into public domain an issue of gender particularly Transgender or Transwomen lies at the heart of a new suite of works developed by the photographer/artist L. Ramachandran.

The famous playboy photographer has perfectly captured their expressions and marvelously pictured it in the frame. In his present suite of works, he has given a break to fashion photography, which concerned the representation of sensuous, opulent and vibrant female bodies to bring in a sensitive awareness of the social reality of so-called third gender or the transgender.  Their marginalized presence in society had preoccupied him for a long time, consequent to his study on gender and marginalization as a concern and issue which now needed focus to highlight their woes.

He has a series named ‘Bond’ that supports this cause in which he says, “Bond in human relationships is characterized by emotions as affections and trust leading to confidence building and eventual happiness. A bond thus shared is a matter of soul where discrimination of any sort ceases to exist. Highlighting here the issues that the LGBT community faces. The models here radiate with happiness oblivious to society’s judgement.” The varied concepts related to ‘Struggle for Freedom”, “Multi Faces”, “Posh Trans”, “Adoration of Beauty”, “Hopeless Soul”, “Fantasy “Wedding”, “Bond”, “Transformation”, “Angst, Anger and Pain”, “Gothic”, “Blossoming”.

These varied concepts were visualized by the artist/photographer insightfully, subjecting it to intellectual pondering juxtaposed with the metaphoric portrayal that made the process of visual reading not only complex but also enigmatic. With a strong core concept, the aesthetics had to be visualized; and it was here that Ramachandran established his credentials as an artist – planning and structuring the juxtapositions of colors, the textures, the appropriate props, and seminally the lighting, which was an emotive and expressive drawing tool.

L.Ramachandran is a self-taught photographer who has a huge passion towards photography and arts. He is the first Playboy photographer from India.  He has recently received two prestigious awards, a doctorate for contribution in photography form international Tamil university and ATIM’s top 60 Masters of the Contemporary award.

The Ermenegildo Zegna Group announced that it has reached an agreement with Sandbridge Capital and with Mr. Thom Browne for the acquisition of 85% of Thom Browne Inc, for an enterprise valuation of approximately half a billion dollars. Mr. Thom Browne will be the sole other shareholder, with the balance of then Company’s shares.

The Thom Browne business will remain independently run, to pursue and accelerate the strong and profitable growth trajectory that the brand has seen over the past several years. As such, Mr. Thom Browne will continue in the same capacity as Chief Creative Officer and Rodrigo Bazan will retain his role as Chief Executive Officer.

Ermenegildo Zegna, Chief Executive Officer of the Zegna Group said: “As global leaders in luxury menswear, we have always been open to opportunities for external growth. And, since we started looking at partnerships, I always knew that Thom Browne would be the perfect fit.”

“In addition to the immediate benefits with regards to fabrics and manufacturing support we can leverage our global reach to further expand Thom Browne’s retail network. Most importantly, we share the same passion for excellence and impeccable, modern tailoring.

Thom’s visionary approach and his unique point of view have enabled him to build and nurture the most loyal clientele. On this strong footing, and thanks to a thriving women’s business and strong appeal with millennials, we believe that we can build long-term value for all of our stakeholders.”

also read – https://fashionfad.in/in-focus/zegna-celebrates-its-wool-awards-2/

The Shop Yohji Yamamoto is the new online store launched by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto globally. The online store is an English language one-stop that will stock all his brands. Yamamoto first launched e-commerce in July, however up until now it was only available in Chinese.

Yohji Yamamoto brings all his brands under one roof which are S’yte, Yohji Yamamoto Produce, which reproduces his signature hits, genderless Ground Y line, casual wear web-only Yohji Yamamoto + Noir brand, luxury accessories line, Discord Yohji Yamamoto, and Y’s.
The Webstore will also sell Yamamoto’s daughter Limi Feu pieces designed by her. Delivery to about 130 countries across the world and transaction can be made in US dollar via Paypal, Mastercard, or Visa. An introduction of an app is in the pipeline as well as a Chinese Language online store come this September.

also read – https://fashionfad.in/brand-catalogue/yohji-yamamoto-menswear-spring-2018-paris-fashion-week/

London, 20^th August 2018 – Forevermark is supporting the Tusk Rhino Trail, a central London wide art installation run by UK registered charity, Tusk, that aims to raise awareness of the critical threat facing the black and white rhino population in sub-Saharan Africa.

To celebrate this magnificent animal and to ensure the continued conservation of rhinos and their fellow African species, the Tusk Rhino Trail is supported by an invited list of internationally respected and collected artists and designers who have specially designed, decorated and embellished 21 rhino sculptures.

For the Forevermark supported Rhino Sculpture, the brand partnered with contemporary British Artist Dave White, who dedicates his work to celebrating popular culture and interpreting emotive issues. Of his rhino design, which he has titled Fragile, Dave White says, “Reflecting a realistic vision from a distance, with an abstraction of expressive paint marks upon closer viewing, my work represents the fragile balance of order and chaos in the natural world and the impact that we are having on our environment. I hope that by inspiring generations of all ages with this project, it will be one small positive step to support Tusk in their vital work protecting endangered species.”

Huawei in association with Dabboo Ratnani has released a coffee table book titled ‘Inspiring Imagination’. The limited-edition memorabilia is a collection of 80 photos shot by 20 photographers over the period of a month, the book especially features a collection of photographs by ace celebrity photographer, Dabboo Ratnani.

Centered on handpicked themes —Macro-B&W, Windows, Streets and Metal — the contest unfolded in 2 phases. Utilising Huawei P20 Pro’s cutting-edge technology, the #P20ProBattleLeague challenged the contestants to push the boundaries of creative mobile photography and capture the essence and beauty of their ‘journey of becoming a Pro’.

In the first phase, Ratnani chose the top photographer for every theme from a select list of 20 contestants. Successively, the second phase saw the four theme winners pitted against each other for the final round, while the winner took home a special feature in the book besides an Amazon gift voucher worth INR 50,000.

Talking about his experience with the device and the #P20ProBattleLeague, Dabboo Ratnani said, “This coffee table book brings out the journey that some talented photographers made on their way to becoming a pro, as captured through the lens of a Huawei P20 Pro. I am proud to let the world discover the creative expressions that we witnessed as part of the contest. The images presented in Inspiring Imaginations, capture the hearts and spirits of true artists who want to set a colorful path for the days that lie ahead of them. This collection marks the confluence of technology, creativity and imagination that bind the passion and skill of the people who produced them.”

La Biennale di Venezia and Jaeger-LeCoultre announce that the great Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Hero, Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou; twice winner of the Golden Lion in Venice, in 1992 with The Story of Qiu Ju and in 1999 with Not One Less) has been awarded the 2018 Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker of the 75^th Venice International Film Festival (August 29^th to September 8^th, 2018), dedicated to a figure who has left a particularly original mark on contemporary cinema.

The award will be conferred to Zhang Yimou on 6 September 2018 in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema), before the world premiere screening Out of Competition of his new film Ying (Shadow). The Director of the Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera says, “Zhang Yimou is not only one of the most important directors in contemporary cinema, but with his eclectic production, he has represented the evolution of global language of film, and at the same time, the exceptional growth of Chinese cinema. Zhang Yimou has been a pioneer thanks to his capacity to translate authors, stories and the richness of Chinese culture in general into a unique and unmistakable visual style.

Ying (Shadow) is a martial arts (wuxia) film about the conflict between two feudal groups. In China, during the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280 circa A.D.), an exiled king and his people develop a plot to regain control of their land. The events are told from the points of view of the king, his sister, his commander, the women trapped in the royal palace and a common citizen.

Living in a house which does not suit you is like wearing someone else’s clothes,” wrote Christian Dior in his memoirs. The unbreakable bond uniting the couturier with the art of living is told for the first time in Dior and His Decorators. With an enlightening foreword by Hamish Bowles, editor-at- large for US Vogue, this richly documented exploration is the work of Maureen Footer, a historian specializing in the French decorative arts.

It is, above all, an unprecedented invitation to open the doors to exceptional places and secret settings: from the couturier’s childhood villa, perched on a cliff at Granville, where the drawings of Utamaro and Hokusai composed his very own «Sistine Chapel» of inspiration, as he said in his evocative memories, to the family’s Paris apartment.

The extensively illustrated book unearths the House’s designs and archives, and the intimate worlds that forged Christian Dior’s tastes and more particularly his fascination for the 18th century, sublimely transcribed by his New Look silhouette.

This passion for elegance was something he shared with his decorator friends, Victor Grandpierre and Georges Geffroy, with whom he formed a unique creative trio. A key subject of this book, their collaboration helped to define Dior’s identifying codes, homages to neoclassical style. Victor Grandpierre was responsible for the «decorated but not decorative» atmosphere of 30 Avenue Montaigne, which has become famous for its Helleu salon, use of white and pearl gray, and its Louis XVI-inspired medallion chairs. He also designed other boutiques around the world, as well as the displays and packaging of iconic perfumes such as Miss Dior and Eau Sauvage.

In addition to producing a captivating collective portrait of three erudite aesthetes and friends, Dior and His Decorators reflects the creativity of an era, a decade influenced and shaped by the innovative vision of Christian Dior and two of his most loyal collaborators. A long-time friend, from the House’s very beginnings Victor Grandpierre poured his energies into a specific art de vivre, symbolizing luxury and refinement. And, for the couturier, George Geffroy’s dreams of grandeur proved a source of endless inspiration.

* Dior and His Decorators: Victor Grandpierre, Georges Geffroy and the New Look, Vendome Press, 272 pages. Published in France on September 5, 2018 and in the UK and US on September 25, 2018.

Deepika Padukone will be seen in wax figurine at the Madame Tussauds museum in London by early 2019. The 32-year-old star announced on her Instagram page, wearing a formal white shirt and black leather pants from the international brand Proenza Schouler with a belt around her waist during her meeting with experts.

While the first wax figure will be launched in London early next year, followed by another statue in Delhi. As known there is a separate section for Bollywood at Tussauds however Deepika will join a fleet of global stars standing next to lady Diana.

Lately Shahid Kapoor too took to Instagram to reveal about his association with Madame Tussauds pronouncing, “Keep an eye out, Coming Soon…

Lately, Manish Malhotra was one of the celebrated participants of The Concours d’éléphant Auction led by HRH Prince Michael of Kent, hosted at The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. A play on the traditional ‘concours d’élégance’ – a beauty parade for cars – Elephant Family combined the twin passions of its late founder Mark Shand; elegant automobiles and endangered elephants, to create the Concours d’éléphant.

The prestigious platform saw Manish Malhotra design the interiors of the iconic pink ambassador. Drawing inspiration from his recently handcrafted miniature showcased at the Elephant Parade – Prakriti, he combined his dual passion for nature and heritage crafts and translated the design into the interiors of one of the most celebrated cars in India.

The upholstery weaved the beautiful artistry of vibrant floral patterns combined with green tones of the Jade Feng Shui Elephant rendered in a style to mimic the traditional Meenakari craft, synonymous with the brand.

The proceeds from the auction support conservation of Asia’s rapidly dwindling elephant population and is thus, a creative effort to shed light and raise awareness for sustaining the endangered species.