SINGAPORE (Dec 24): Next year is going to get exciting with new fashion collaborations, and fur is getting the boot.
Heineken partners with streetwear boutique Union
Brewery brand Heineken has teamed up with clothing store Union to mark the ninth year of its #Heineken100 programme. The duo created a “Green Collar” capsule collection, touted as “elevated workwear for the global creative”.The six-piece series — a chino pant, hooded sweatshirt, boxy coat, T-shirt, hat and sneakers — comes in 16 colourways and offers more than 100 product combinations. It is priced between US$55 ($75.50) and US$380.
“With their eye for unique, timely and ultra-wearable pieces, Union is the perfect partner and the next evolution of the programme, as the high fashion-meets-streetwear capsule collection provides much-needed products for our global creatives to wear daily,” says Raul Esquer, brand director at Heineken USA, in a statement.
Adds Chris Gibbs, owner of Union: “As former creative director for #Heineken100 programme, I understand the importance of the Heineken
‘Open Your World’ motto, as Union has helped create a runway for many Japanese streetwear brands to have a marketplace in the US. So, I’m excited to once again partner with Heineken for this year’s programme to bring a collection of stylish, well-crafted wardrobe staples to the closet of creatives throughout the world.”
The #Heineken100 x Union collection is now available at Union Los Angeles, and will be rolled out in the store’s Tokyo location soon.
The collaboration marks the second big partnership of the year for Heineken, which teamed up with Italian athletics brand Kappa on a limited-edition, six-piece fashion collection inspired by the World Cup and football culture earlier this summer.
California closer to fur-free status
A bill to ban the sale and manufacture of new fur products has been tabled at the California State Assembly. Introduced on Dec 3 by representative Laura Friedman, the bill follows similar decisions made across several of the Golden State’s cities — in September, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to ban the sale of fur within the city limits, six months after San Francisco passed a similar ban.
“California is one of the most progressive states in the country and a world leader in animal welfare,” Friedman says. “Given the overwhelming evidence of inhumane practices in the fur industry and the availability of so many different options for warm and fashionable fabrics, we will not continue to be complicit in unnecessary cruelty towards animals solely for the sake of fur.”If the bill is passed, California will be the first state to make it illegal to manufacture, sell, trade and donate fur products within the state (with the exception of used fur), across clothing, handbags, shoes, slippers, hats and accessories.
The ban would be in keeping with the tidal wave of support for the growing anti-fur movement across the fashion industry and the world. Multiple fashion houses have recently made public their plans to discontinue the use of fur, including Chanel, Coach, Diane Von Furstenberg, Burberry and Versace. Earlier this year, Norway became the latest country to propose a ban on fur farming, while September’s London Fashion Week was an entirely fur-free event.
Virgil Abloh is new green creative adviser to Evian
Not content with founding the Off-White fashion label, being creative director of the Louis Vuitton men’s line, as well as being a DJ and architect, to name a few of his known ventures, Virgil Abloh is now Evian’s creative adviser for sustainable innovation design.The mineral water brand has signed up the American designer to help transform its design process towards making it more sustainable, WWD reports. As well as seeking solutions for a more environmentally responsible future, the passionate and pioneering Abloh, 38, will also help design upcoming Evian products.
The first joint project by Abloh and Evian is expected to be unveiled in early 2019. Watch this space.
Marc Jacobs to launch new fashion line
US designer Marc Jacobs is set to launch a new, lower-priced collection for pre-fall 2019, reports WWD. According to the fashion site, the line’s lookbook was compiled with the help of stylist Lotta Volkova, and initial images hint at androgynous silhouettes and a vibrant colour palette.This is not the first time Jacobs has dabbled in more affordable fashion — his long-standing “Marc by Marc Jacobs” line was beloved by fans until it was discontinued in 2015.Jacobs recently announced the launch of the Redux Grunge Collection 1993/2018, a capsule fashion series marking the 25th anniversary of his iconic Spring 1993 Grunge collection for the US label Perry Ellis.
The capsule famously saw the creative fired from the company after it was widely derided by fashion critics, but ultimately led to the launch of his eponymous line, which catapulted him to stardom. Jacobs has also been focusing heavily on his beauty empire, launching a perfume-inspired lip gloss and recruiting Kate Moss’ daughter Lila Grace as the newest face of Marc Jacobs Beauty for 2019.
This article appeared in Issue 862 (Dec 24) of The Edge Singapore.
