Reduce, recycle, resell. Balenciaga has partnered with Reflaunt to assist in the re-selling of your pre-loved Balenciaga pieces, enabling you to become part of the circular fashion revolution.
As the consequences of mass consumption continue to be realized, companies have doubled down on sustainability efforts. One such brand that has expanded its practices for reducing environmental impact is iconic Maison Balenciaga. By investing funds into carbon removal projects, sponsoring agroforestry projects across the world with each ecommerce purchase and integrating other sustainably minded initiatives, the French Maison has continued its mission of becoming a fully sustainable company. Embracing the increasing popularity of the secondhand market, Balenciaga has now officially introduced its Re-Sell Program, an initiative that backs the company’s commitment to the environment.
The Re-Sell Program involves customers dropping off items at select Balenciaga stores or having them picked up for documentation, authentication, professional photography, pricing and listing. To assist in the listing process, Reflaunt’s worldwide network of over 25 secondary marketplaces is used. Once sold, the seller is compensated in either monetary or Balenciaga credit value. When opting for a Balenciaga voucher, the payout value is 20% greater than it would be in cash, incentivizing the circular process.
Starting today, products can be dropped off at participating Balenciaga stores or collected via a scheduled service. The Balenciaga Re-sell Program is currently available in France, Italy, the UK, the US, and Singapore. Find the list of participating Balenciaga stores here. Come into the beautiful world of Balenciaga.
Following the Maison’s menswear Winter 2022 Collection debut in January of this year, the French Maison Dior has now opened a respective pop-up store in Los Angeles.
Located on Beverly Hill’s infamous Rodeo Drive (where else), the boutique offers another look at Kim Jones’ refined collection that was filled with asymmetrical closure pants, elevated overcoats, exquisite wrap and double-breasted blazers, relaxed yet refined pants and more.
Whether it be a light gray wool overcoat or a waist-hugging blazer, tailoring was Jones’ exhibition of beauty. Alongside ready-to-wear garments, the show also featured Dior’s now popular Birkenstock collaboration.
Bringing Paris to the West Coast, the pop-up store is inspired by the Alexandre III bridge with an array of Art Nouveau lamp posts and images of the Parisian skyline. The boutique also features a gold 3D-printed Pegasus sculpture that is exclusive to the Rodeo Drive location. From elevated overcoats and cheetah-print jackets to bejeweled derbys, the boutique showcases a range of the Winter 2022 collection pieces.
Dior Mens Wear Pop-Up Boutique 362 N. Rodeo Drive Los Angeles, USA
The Dior Mens Wear Pop-Up Boutique is now open through Monday, September 19. Come into the beautiful world of Dior.
After unveiling the collaboration at the start of the year, French Maison Dior has now officially released its capsule with Birkenstock. The collection features two signature silhouettes — the Tokio Mule and Milano Sandal — and takes inspiration from Christian Dior’s love of gardening.
Celebrating this influence, the two silhouettes mix functionality and elegance in tribute to the couturier. The mule and sandal also arrive in a variety of finishes, including black nubuck calfskin, grey felted wool and, for the Tokio Mule, a ‘Greige’ nubuck calfskin.
Alongside the Birkenstock collaboration, the French Maison has also released its new CD 1947 capsule. This collection is based on a dialogue between Kim Jones and the legacy of Christian Dior, with this relationship exemplified by a new ‘Christian Dior’ signature combined with ‘1947’ in honor of the first Dior show.
Both the CD 1947 collection and the full Birkenstock collaboration are available now via the Dior web store.
Following the unveiling of its sharp Fall/Winter 2022 Collection in March, iconic British fashion house Burberry has tapped Amsterdam-based label Pop Trading Company for a capsule collection inspired by global skate communities.
A fusion of Burberry’s design DNA and Amsterdam’s skate-inspired style, reinterpreting the sense of adventure and freedom in every Burberry piece.
Ditching signature tones of beige and birch brown, the range instead opts for a palette of grey, black and red, paying homage to dark cityscapes in Japan where skating is restricted during the day and comes alive at night. Among relaxed silhouettes and liberated proportions, the collection encapsulates the imprints’ twin penchants for sartorial exploration.
Under Burberry’s codes, the line plants a new blurred Check in an exclusive colorway onto technical parkas, zipped jackets, silk shirts, cotton cargo trousers and a multitude of accessories. Elsewhere, reflective Check resides on classic car coats and an enlarged Icon stripe is jacquard-woven onto a grey melange cardigan.
Meanwhile, oversized T-shirts, hoodies, baseball caps and a blanket are doused in dual-branding motifs, some of which include the exact coordinates for both brands’ headquarters, while others provide a more playful remix with animated lettering. For footwear, the collaboration offers deep maroon leather loafers detailed with a metal logo medallion.
The full collection will be available to shop in select Burberry boutiques, on Burberry’s website and on Pop Trading Company’s website beginning June 15. Take a look at the collaborative range above.
Introducing LVandNike. Created and crafted in a collaboration between French Maison Louis Vuitton and Nike for the Spring-Summer 2022 Collection by Virgil Abloh, the Nike ‘Air Force 1’ fuses the iconic sneaker’s classic codes with the insignia and materials of the Maison. The collaboration is a symbol of the hip-hop culture that inspired the Men’s Artistic Director and is an authentic celebration and union of Abloh’s worlds.
On January 26th, 200 limited-edition pairs will be auctioned by Sotheby’s, where all proceeds will benefit The Virgil Abloh™ ‘Post-Modern’ Scholarship Fund which supports the education of academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent. Stay tuned for more. Come into the beautiful world of Louis Vuitton.
Once again, the fashion world loses one of its most influential figures with the death of the French avant-garde couturier and costume designer. The eccentric French fashion designer passed away on Sunday. Mugler’s team has announced this via his Instagram account. He was 73 years old.
After three well-known faces from the fashion world disappeared last week (fashion journalist André Leon Talley, former top model Ghislaine Nuytten and actor and top model Gaspard Ulliel), Manfred Thierry Mugler passed away on Sunday. The sad news was shared on his Instagram last Sunday in a short statement. An all-black image reads, in French: ‘We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr Manfred Thierry Mugler on Sunday 23rd January 2022. May his soul rest in peace’.
Thierry Mugler was born in Strasbourg in December 1948. At the age of 14 he decided to become a dancer with the ballet company of the Opéra national du Rhin, and studied at the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. His creativity led to training as an interior designer, but in his early twenties he shifted his attention to designing clothes.
In 1967 he managed to sell his first designs to the French fashion houses Cacharel and Dorothee Bis. A period of freelancing in various European fashion capitals followed, after which Mugler settled on a houseboat in Amsterdam – some sources say he shared rooms with Sylvester, who would later have big hits with songs like ‘You Make Me Feel..Mighty Real’, and ‘Do You Wanna’. Funk’.
He moved to Paris at the age of 24 and created his own label ‘Café de Paris’ in 1973. A year later he founded the fashion house ‘Thierry Mugler’. His structured and refined silhouettes quickly became an established name.
Some people are exceptionally gifted. Fashion designer Thierry Mugler was one of them: each design was powerful, sharp, soft, outspoken, timeless and different.
In the 80s and 90s he became known in the haute couture world for his sexy style and the big names that walked around in his creations, such as Diana Ross, Lady Gaga, Liza Minelli, Beyoncé, Céline Dion, Svetlana Zakharova, Dua Lipa, but also the Cirque du Soleil were among his clientele. At the request of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, he completed his first haute couture collection in 1992.
Thierry Mugler was often in the company of colleagues Claude Montana, Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaïa. His fashion shows were extravagant affairs held in arena-like settings and the associated collections had different themes. He was known for his sculpted designs with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Wearable art with a bombastic touch was his trademark.
I have always tried to take the body to the next level, to make people dream.
Early in his career, he designed signature looks for Michael Jackson, Madonna, Grace Jones, Diana Ross, and David Bowie; as well as outfits for George Michael’s music video ‘Too Funky’ and most notably Demi Moore’s dress from the 1993 film ‘Indecent Proposal’, once dubbed “the most famous dress of the 1990s”.
In addition, according to the authoritative fashion magazine WWD, Mugler was the first designer to force celebrities to showcase his creations at fashion shows. He was also one of the first designers to champion diversity in his runway shows, often addressing racism and ageism, and incorporating non-traditional models such as drag queens, porn stars and transgender women.
It wasn’t just the clothes that appealed to Mugler. Photography was more than a hobby, many of the photos used in campaigns were taken by the designer himself. In 1988 he publishes his first book as a photographer. He was also the director of several short films for Canal+ and several commercials for Gauloises in 1990. He not only designed the clothing, but he also directed the iconic video clip Too Funky in 1992. In 1994 he co-starred in the film ‘ Ready to Wear’ by Robert Altman.
Angel
Estelle Lefébure for Thierry Mugler Angel, 1992
In 1992, the fashion designer entered the beauty industry with the launch of the fashion house’s first fragrance, Angel, a sugary-sexy blend of caramelized praline, chocolate and a patchouli accord. It would be part of a new fragrance family now known as ‘gourmand’.
Mugler worked very closely with famed nose (and founder and head of the Clarins empire) Jacques Courtin-Clarins to create a fragrance that reflected his approach to fashion design — unexpectedly, somewhere between the vulgar and the luxurious.
Jerry Hall for Thierry Mugler Angel, 1995
Loyal fans of Angel include Diana Ross, Jerry Hall, Barbara Walters, Eva Mendes and Hilary Rodham Clinton. But the powerful fragrance, inspired by Mugler’s childhood memories of visiting the funfair in France, became the ultimate ‘party perfume’ of the 1990s.
The Angel flacon, a technically sophisticated design in the shape of a faceted star, was designed by Thierry Mugler. Brosse Master Glassmakers manufactured the refillable flacons by hand using a special process.
One of the most important features was that the flacons were made of very clear glass without the use of lead, making the flacons recyclable, and the flacons were refillable ‘as in the past’. In this, Jacques Courtin Clarins and Thierry Mugler were way ahead of their time. Limited ‘star’ flacons were released every year.
Thierry Mugler A*Men
In 1996 Mugler Angel launched a male version called Angel Men or A*Men. This fragrance contains notes of caramel, coffee, vanilla, patchouli and honey. Nearly ten years after Angel, its 2005 counterpart – Alien – was released with much the same fanfare. Since then, several additional versions such as Angel Muse, Angel Nova, and Alien Goddess have hit the scene earlier this year.
Career switch
In 1997 he sold his fashion house to the Clarins Groupe. In 2002 he said goodbye to his Maison. When he went out of fashion, the designer went back to using his birth name, Manfred. Through bodybuilding and surgery, he changed his appearance, making him look like a homoerotic illustration of the French artist Tom of Finland. I have always found his transformation fascinating. In his interview with his good friend Tippi Hedren for Interview he talks about this, memorable!
The cheerful Frenchman, a lover of drama and theater, stopped as a designer in 2002 and said about it: “Fashion is beautiful, it is 3D art on a person. But it wasn’t enough, which is why I want to create in other ways”.
He did this, among other things, by focusing on making costumes and concepts for circus, cabaret and pop stars such as Lady Gaga, Cardi B and Beyoncé. At the Cirque du Soleil he directed the ‘Zumanity’ (zoo-manity) show (2003), for which he also designed the costumes. In 2008, he created the outfits for Beyoncé for her ‘Sasha Fierce-Tour’. For her ‘I Am… World Tour’ in 2009 he started working as an artistic consultant and designed both the clothing and the decor.
The return
In September 2010, Nicola Formichetti was announced as Creative Director of the Thierry Mugler brand. He changed the brand name to Mugler, removed the first name, and in January 2011, launched the revival of the brand’s menswear collection in collaboration with Romain Kremer.
After more than two years working as Mugler’s creative director, Formichetti announced in April 2013 that he and the fashion house were separating. Formichetti left Mugler to work for the Italian brand Diesel. This year Thierry Mugler returned as a creative advisor.
In 2016, Thierry Mugler created and directed the music video and staging for San Marino’s Eurovision Song Contest entry ‘I Didn’t Know’ performed by Turkish singer Serhat. In 2019 he created a ballet together with the choreographer Wayne McGregor. Mugler joined forces with the choreographer to direct something he had long dreamed of: a dance-fashion fusion presentation called ‘McGregor and Mugler at The London Coliseum’.
That same year, Mugler interrupted his designer retirement for Kim Kardashian, for whom he designed the dress she wore to the Met Gala. Inspired by Sophia Loren in the movie Boy on a Dolphin, Mugler imagined a ‘wet’ California girl; hence the name of the creation “wet couture dress”. The dress from which small drops of her body hung has now become an iconic design of his hand.
In October of the same year Mugler was a guest in Rotterdam for two days, where he exhibited his beautiful creations in the Kunsthal with the ‘Couturissime’ exhibition. The exhibition ‘Thierry Mugler: Couturissime’ in the Kunsthal brought together more than 150 outfits from the period between 1977 and 2014, most of which were exhibited for the first time. Wonderful to have seen some of his creations ‘live’ again…
I was working for Clarins in the 1990s. During the launch of Angel in the Netherlands I met Sonia Ziekek, International Training Manager for the Clarins Groupe. This very friendly and sympathetic woman brought me into contact with the right people at Mugler (thanxx always! x), so that I could work behind the scenes of various shows in Paris on the make-up. A very special time, where I met many special people (Tessa Rolink, Victoria… remember the time). So is Thierry Mugler himself, a very friendly and charismatic man. A beautiful person.
Thierry Mugler was a force of creativity and kindness. I was shocked to hear of Manfred Thierry Mugler’s passing. A man with the astonishing vision, who set the tone of the times like no other. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work for you.
Jean Amr, owner Yakymour, former makeup artist
According to his agent Jean-Baptiste Rougeot, Mugler died a sudden, natural death. According to Rougeot, the couturier still had many plans and would announce new collaborations at the beginning of this week.
If someone is going to spend a weekend in Paris soon, an exhibition of his designs is mind blowing.
The ground-breaking fashion editor André Leon Talley propelled himself through life with intelligence, faith, and generosity, as well as an unabashed belief in the uplifting power and grace of beauty. Mr. Talley died in New York on January 18, 2022. He passed away peacefully from complications due to covid-19. He was 73.
Mr. Talley was the long-time creative director of ‘American Vogue’, the only Black person to hold that position. He was also editor of ‘Numéro Russia’ and his byline appeared in ‘Vanity Fair’, ‘HG’, ‘Interview’, ‘Ebony’ and ‘Women’s Wear Daily’. Mr. Talley was a dominating presence in fashion at a time when the industry was a cordoned off club whose members were European aristocrats, globe-trotting socialites and the monied. He was often the lone Black person at the ball, at the show, at the decision-making table.
Over the years, Mr. Talley was a counselor and friend to veteran designers Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Diane von Furstenberg, Manolo Blahnik, Patrick Kelly, Tom Ford and countless others. He supported young designers from New York to Paris, lending them his exuberant validation and touting their work to colleagues and competitors alike.
His taste in fashion was both catholic and precise. The foundation of his aesthetic sensibility lay in his Southern roots. He was born in Washington, DC but was raised by his maternal grandmother Bennie Frances Davis in Durham, North Carolina. A cleaning woman at Duke University, Mrs. Davis carried herself with dignity and style. Her grandson was enthralled watching her prepare for Sunday service each week. Her hats and gloves and attention to detail gave him a keen understanding of fashion’s ability to weave a narrative and define identity. He saw fashion as a rebuke to stereotypes and prejudices.
Mr. Talley received his master’s degree from Brown University where he studied French history and literature. His thesis explored the role of Blackness in the novels of Gustave Flaubert, the poetry of Charles Baudelaire and the paintings of Eugène Delacroix. Mr. Talley’s was both a literary and visual assessment. He considered not only what was said, but what was seen. The effusive and fizzy pronouncements that years later filled his stories and guided his visual compositions were a blend of Ivy League education, an encyclopedic knowledge of the entire Vogue catalogue and the good home training of the Black tradition.
Mr. Talley straddled a multitude of worlds. He was a Francophile working in fashion – someone who had apprenticed with Diana Vreeland when she was special consultant to the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was a brother in faith regularly attending Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. He was a Black man. He brought his church sister to Paris for fashion week and walked her up the red carpet at the Met gala. He donated his compensation for appearances on “Full Frontal Fashion” to Abyssinian in support of its community outreach. He delighted in a church plaque acknowledging his financial efforts as much as he did in his 2003 Eugenia Sheppard Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He held the same values from the beginning of his life until the end. Only his wardrobe became more grand.
Mr. Talley wrote books on Valentino and Oscar de la Renta and the little black dress. He chronicled his own life in ‘A.L.T.: A Memoir’ and ‘The Chiffon Trenches’. He was also the subject of the documentary ‘The Gospel According to André’.
For more than 13 years, he served on the board of trustees of Savannah College of Art and Design, which honored him in 2001 with its first lifetime achievement award in fashion– an accolade that now bears his name. SCAD held a special place in Mr. Talley’s heart. He enthusiastically supported its students, helping them secure both apprenticeships and full-time jobs in fashion and costume design. He donated a trove of his papers to the school with the hope that his past could inspire its students’ future.
Mr. Talley received an honorary doctorate from SCAD in 2008. He was presented the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Republic in 2020 and the North Carolina Governor’s award for literature in 2021.
He is survived by his dear cousin Shirley Austin and a host of other relatives. An official memorial will be announced in the spring – Mr. Talley’s favorite time of year.
With travel at the heart of its history French Maison Louis Vuitton updates its Aerogram collection, which was initially launched last year, by introducing the Messenger Voyage and three new colors this year.
As always, the Aerogram collection blends the Maison’s heritage of travel with distinct modernity. While the collection’s leather goods offerings embody craftsmanship and nomadism, its sharp lines and contemporary detailing are designed for everyday elegance. Like the name of the collection, it is inspired by the aerogram, a folded sheet of paper that can both be a letter and a stamped envelope.
Launching in three new colorways this year, the travel accessories boast a new plain grey, bright orange and midnight blue. Each of the pieces’ shoulder strap, embossed logo and luggage tag are coordinated in the same tone to create an elevated accessory ready to add an edge to any outfit. Staying true to the collection, the silhouette of the pieces echoes the distinct shape of the envelope.
Seasonal classics like the Messengers bags, backpacks and Keepall bags and pouches are joined but yet another contemporary and practical piece, the Messenger Voyage, which is inspired by the iconic Pochette Voyage. With an adjustable shoulder strap, zipped front pocket and customizable cardholder, the bag is ready for any kind of travel.
The Louis Vuitton Aerogram collection is front and center with a new campaign. The advertisement stars are Valentine Caron, Fernando Cabral, Kohei Takabatake, and Leon Dame. Thurstan Redding photographs the models as they board a train in style.
Louis Vuitton’s Aerogram collection of men’s leather accessories is available at Louis Vuitton Boutiques worldwide. Come into the beautiful world of Louis Vuitton.
Kylian Mbappé, the star striker of French football club Paris Saint-Germain, has been named the new ambassador of French Maison Dior. He will lend his image to creations by Kim Jones, Artistic Director for Dior Men’s collections, as well as to the Sauvage fragrance.
Just weeks after the launch of a bespoke wardrobe designed for the Parisian club by Kim Jones, Dior continues its partnership with the world of football, announcing a new collaboration with Kylian Mbappé.
At the age of just 22, the young star is a major force on the French national team, with which he won the World Cup in 2018. The same year he was named best young player by FIFA and also won the KOPA Trophy for best under-21 player worldwide. His most recent exploit was scoring a quartet of goals on November 13 during a qualifying match – the first such feat since 1958 – ensuring France’s ticket to the 2022 World Cup.
The footballer’s accomplishments continue off the pitch as well through his involvement in numerous charity initiatives. Kylian Mbappé sponsors the ‘Premiers de Cordée’ association, which gives hospitalized children a chance to discover and experience sports. In January 2020 he launched his own association, ‘Inspired by KM’, which motivates 98 children to achieve their objectives and make their dreams come true.
Maison Dior is delighted to welcome Kylian Mbappé, with whom it shares the values of excellence and generosity. Come into the beautiful world of Christian Dior.
LVMH just announced the very sad news that their designer and close friend Virgil Abloh has passed away, on Sunday, November 28th, of cancer, which he had been battling privately for several years.
We are all shocked after this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom. The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sorrow, and we are all thinking of his loved ones after the passing of their husband, their father, their brother or their friend.
Bernard Arnault
YakymourMen would like to express its deepest condolences to Virgil Abloh’s family and loved ones in this moment of sorrow.
Yakymour Men 