Gucci launches a platform to hold itself to account on everything from diversity to sustainability, Whistles’ summer drop has us dreaming of far-flung holidays and Kitri launches a pre-order model to stop excess fabric waste. Read through to find everything getting us excited in the world of fashion this week.
Alessandro Michele’s platform Gucci Equilibrium is a digital space for the Italian luxury brand to outline positive change for both its consumers and the planet. From Gucci’s sustainability strategy to its pledge to combat racism, the hub has the answers to all the questions you might be asking a luxury fashion house seeking to hold itself to account right now. This month, the brand launched the Equilibrium Instagram account, making all this information more accessible, and published its Environmental Profit and Loss (EP&L) for 2019, revealing that it reduced its environmental impact by 21% from the year before. Positive change: we love to see it.
Rihanna’s ready-to-wear label Fenty is treating us to not one but three drops across June, “celebrating the creativity, hope and spirit of youth”. Drop one of Release 6-20 came last week and is inspired by the aesthetic of youth movements from ’90s subculture, referencing baggy rave silhouettes, grunge tie-dye and hoodies. The collection, whose campaign is captured by London-based photographer Lea Colombo, is top of our June wish list.
Fenty Release 6-20, from £180, is available now.
Fenty Printed Wrap Skirt, $, available at Fenty
Fenty Long Sleeve Printed T-Shirt “Immigrant”, $, available at Fenty
Fenty Denim Baggy Pants with Slits, $, available at Fenty
With COVID-19 forcing the fashion industry to stop, take stock and rethink how it can reduce its environmental impact, positive change is coming. Kitri, one of our favourite London labels, has introduced a pre-order function for its summer 2020 collection in a bid to minimise waste, reduce surplus stock and “create an equilibrium between supply and demand”. New pieces will be released in very limited runs, allowing the brand to gauge consumer demand without overproducing; once the initial run has sold out, the product will be sold on a pre-order basis. Hurray for brands looking to sustainable futures.
Kitri’s summer collection, from £75, is available to pre-order now.
Kitri Gretchen Floral Print Smocked Top, $, available at Kitri
Kitri Margot Green Check Midi Dress, $, available at Kitri
Kitri Rose Coral Linen Top, $, available at Kitri
From banana, cherry and lemon-printed dresses to airy linen jumpsuits, coordinated swimwear and beach cover-ups, Whistles’ new summer collection may have been designed with beach strolls and sun-soaked swims in mind but coronavirus had other ideas. We may not be hitting a holiday high any time soon but the collection, all easy-breezy silhouettes in fresh and fruit shades, will look just as great at a socially distanced picnic as it would beside a pool.
Whistles summer 2020 collection, from £25, is available now.
Whistles English Garden Flippy Skirt, $, available at Whistles
Whistles Lattice Print Trouser, $, available at Whistles
Whistles Romantic Floral Rachael Dress, $, available at Whistles
Colville, the luxury brand founded by Molly Molloy and Lucinda Chambers, has collaborated with the Fashion Illustration Gallery to invite some of the world’s best fashion illustrators and contemporary artists to create handmade face masks. The calico cloth was donated by The Cloth Shop, Maria Londono handcrafted the artists’ work in the Colville studio and the resulting masks will be auctioned online from 12th to 21st June, with 100% of the proceeds going to Hope and Homes for Children. We particularly love this piece by Jordi Labanda.
The Colville x FIG face mask auction takes place online until 21st June, with bids starting at £100.
If lockdown has had you doing countless Zoom yoga sessions and at-home HIIT classes, we bet – like us – you’re looking at your holey tee and ancient leggings with fresh eyes and wanting to up your activewear game. Fear not, because ba&sh has collaborated with Reebok on a capsule collection inspired by the movement of dance. Starting at £45, the collection includes supportive bras and sweat-wicking leggings, and the campaign features one of Beyoncé’s long-term backing dancers, Hajiba Fahmy.
ba&sh x Reebok, from £45, is available now.
Ba&sh x Reebok Redy, $, available at Ba&sh
Ba&sh x Reebok Freestyle, $, available at Ba&sh
Ba&sh x Reebok Railey, $, available at Ba&sh
Aurora James, founder of Brooklyn-based label Brother Vellies, which works with artisans from Nairobi to New York to produce sustainable ready-to-wear, has launched a campaign to fight for economic equality. 15 Percent Pledge is calling on major retailers from Sephora to Shopbop to give 15% of their ‘shelf space’ to Black-owned businesses, on the premise that Black people account for 15% of the American population.
The campaign’s Instagram page, created last week, has amassed 18.6k followers already and is asking people to sign the petition to effect real change across fashion, beauty, lifestyle and many other business sectors. Let’s hope UK retailers take note and invest in more Black-owned companies, too.
Sign the 15 Percent Pledge here.
FANGIRL, founded by Rani Patel Williams back in January, is a gender-neutral handheld fan and T-shirt label inspired by Black club culture, LGBTQIA+ club culture and the diaspora. The latest drop, Shake It Don’t Snake It, featuring snake-print fans in colours taken from the outfits seen in Jamaican dancehalls, is your answer to staying cool in a heatwave. In two colourways, printed on recyclable paper and made from biodegradable wood, the fans also come with a matching face filter to take your selfies to the next level.
FANGIRL is also donating all profits from its Black & Boujee collection to Black Lives Matter UK for the duration of June, so while you’re shopping for fans, cop a tee and support the cause, too.
FanGirl Black and Boujee Fan, $, available at FanGirl
FanGirl Black and Boujee T-Shirt, $, available at FanGirl
FanGirl Shake It Don’t Snake It, $, available at FanGirl
Known for its covetable vintage fabric handbags, Instagram favourite ROOP continues to cause a stir online with its sell-out sustainable collections. However, this week might be your chance to finally get your hands on one of ROOP’s amazing pieces through a prize draw raising funds for charities that support Black communities. With over 50 other fashion brands involved in the initiative, the lucky dip – just £2 a ticket! – gives you the chance to win clothes and accessories while supporting invaluable organisations like Runnymede Trust and Reclaim the Block. Make sure to purchase your ticket by June 22nd to be in with a chance of winning.
The Black Lives Matter Lucky Dip, £2, is available to enter here.
With lockdown slowly easing and the news that face coverings will be mandatory on public transport, wearing a face mask is more vital than ever (although we hope you are already doing so in public to protect those more vulnerable than you). There’s a host of great offerings online, from Etsy to Rixo, and now the British Fashion Council has partnered with Bags of Ethics to create sustainable, reusable and breathable non-medical face masks.
Six British designers – Halpern, Liam Hodges, Mulberry, RAEBURN, Rixo and Julien Macdonald – have designed the masks, and 100% of the profits will be split between NHS Charities Together COVID-19 Urgent Appeal, the BFC Foundation Fashion Fund and Wings of Hope Children’s Charity. Available from the BFC, plus retailers like John Lewis & Partners and ASOS, the masks are priced at £15 for three.
The BFC x Bags of Ethics masks, £15 for three, are available now.
Julien Macdonald Great British Designer Face Coverings, $, available at Bags Of Ethics
Mulberry Great British Designer Face Coverings, $, available at Bags Of Ethics
PANGAIA, the sustainable and gender-neutral company driven by materials science to engineer innovative fashion fabrics, has long been a cult favourite of conscious consumers everywhere. Today, for World Oceans Day, the brand has launched a capsule of products inspired by the deep blue sea. Made up of hoodies, trackies, T-shirts, sweatshirts and shorts, expect the label’s signature minimalist aesthetic in colours inspired by the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. Using 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton and environmentally friendly dyes, it’s a guilt-free way to show love for the big blue.
The Ocean collection, from £69, is available now.
Pangaia Organic Cotton Long Sleeve Crop T-Shirt, $, available at Pangaia
Pangaia Organic Cotton Shorts, $, available at Pangaia
Pangaia Organic Cotton Crop T-Shirt, $, available at Pangaia
If you’re anything like us, you haven’t changed out of your PJs since lockdown began in March. If your holey and coffee-stained co-ord just isn’t cutting it anymore, may we introduce Prayers and Plans, the luxury loungewear label founded by Amaka Ikpeazu. Each piece in the brand’s first collection, Hope, which includes silk robes, pyjama sets and eye masks, is embroidered with the words “The Best Is Yet To Come” – a reminder Ikpeazu feels is particularly needed right now.
Made using natural fibres and plant-based dyes, the collection comes in classic hues that are made to last. Five percent of every purchase made goes towards Solar Sister, an organisation that trains and supports women to deliver clean energy to rural communities across the African continent.
The Hope collection, from £30, is available now.
Prayers & Plans Pearl-White Silk Shorts, $, available at Prayers & Plans
Prayers & Plans Midnight-Blue Silk Sleep Mask, $, available at Prayers & Plans
Prayers & Plans Rose-Gold ELLA Silk Set, $, available at Prayers & Plans
Whistles has been throwing up some fantastic collaborations of late – you might remember its partnerships with Mlouye and by FAR – and the newest team-up with London-based luxury basics brand L.F.Markey does not disappoint. Recognising that our only wardrobe requirement right now is comfort-first, the collection, made up of no-brainer boilersuits, loose-legged trousers and easy-breezy shirts, is perfect for at-home dressing. Coming in a summer-ready palette of blush pink, pale blue and ivory, the 16 styles start at £55. Our favourites? The could-be-PJs button-down tops and the pink canvas trainers, perfect for your sun-soaked weekend walks.
Whistles x L.F.Markey, from £55, is available now.
Whistles LF Markey Felton Shirt, $, available at Whistles
Whistles LF Markey Harley Trainer, $, available at Whistles
Whistles LF Markey Puff Sleeve Jacket, $, available at Whistles
If you’re anything like us, you’re not making much effort in the clothes department but, thanks to Zoom calls with colleagues and loved ones, your accessories game has stepped up. Putting on an uncomfortable dress when WFH just isn’t cutting it, but adorning your ears, neckline and hair with pretty-as-they-come jewels? That we can manage. Kitri, one of our favourite London labels, has launched accessories and we’re thrilled. From pearl-drop gold hoops to marbled resin hair slides, they’ll amp up any virtual hangout.
Kitri’s accessories, from £11, are available now.
Kitri Mint Wavy Hair Clip, $, available at Kitri
Kitri Pearl Back Small Hoop Earrings, $, available at Kitri
Kitri Pastel Butterfly Hair Clips, $, available at Kitri
We remember the excitement we felt at London Fashion Week last September when we saw male models walk down Rejina Pyo’s catwalk in clothes we’d love to wear. Pyo launched her unisex collection for SS20 and the ‘70s sunset hues and Palm Beach prints of the relaxed tailoring and workwear-inspired pieces that the designer has become known and loved for made us long for a summer holiday. Sure, we won’t be hitting a far-flung coast anytime soon but the bowling shirts and board shorts work just as well for park frolics. We’re styling ours oversized – split the cost and wardrobe share with your boyfriend/brother/friend.
Rejina Pyo’s unisex collection, from £145, is available now.
Rejina Pyo, REJINAPYO Rhys T-shirt Cotton Jersey Mint Blue + Green – UNISEX, $, available at Rejina Pyo
REJINAPYO Leo Shirt Camel Mix, $, available at Rejina Pyo
REJINAPYO Marley Shorts Linen Print Hawaiian Khaki – UNISEX, $, available at Rejina Pyo
We’ve got a growing collection of Astrid & Miyu pieces thanks to the London label offering the perfect balance of statement but simple jewellery. Following on from donating 100% of the profits from its Rainbow collection to Women’s Aid, the brand has launched its vintage-inspired collection, all classic gold chains, thick hoops and chunky signet rings. Priced from £39, it’s the perfect dose of nostalgia for your jewellery box.
Astrid & Miyu’s Vintage Collection, from £39, is available now.
Astrid & Miyu Rope Charm Hoops in Gold, $, available at Astrid & Miyu
Astrid & Miyu Rope Chain Bracelet in Gold, $, available at Astrid & Miyu
Astrid & Miyu Rope Signet Ring in Gold, $, available at Astrid & Miyu
We caught up with Margherita Missoni as she took the helm at M MISSONI back in 2019, bringing a fresh and youthful spin on her family’s legacy of colour and print. Now, in the brand’s first collaboration since she became creative director, M MISSONI has dropped a collection in partnership with Italian retailer YOOX. A sunny summer capsule comprising 11 pieces of mood-boosting colour, our favourite picks are the slogan tees and space-dye separates. Starting at £59, it’s your chance to get an affordable slice of Missoni’s legendary cacophony of colour.
The M MISSONI x YOOX collaboration, from £59, is available now.
M MISSONI X YOOX Jumpsuit/One Piece, $, available at Yoox
M MISSONI X YOOX T-shirt, $, available at Yoox
M MISSONI X YOOX Casual Trouser, $, available at Yoox
Our favourite French ready-to-wear label Sézane has long provided contemporary takes on classic pieces – think Jane Birkin-inspired flared denim, romantic blouses and high-quality leather accessories – but its launch into the lifestyle space this month has us pumped. The brand’s beauty essentials include vegetable wax candles, fragrance, body and hand creams and lip balms. The ultimate collection to turn your rented bathroom into a Parisian paradise.
Sézane’s lifestyle collection, from £10, is available now.
Sézane Body Cream, $, available at Sézane
Sézane Lip Balm, $, available at Sézane
Sézane The Sézane Candle, $, available at Sézane
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