Dior’s New Collab, Lagerfeld in Lisbon, Balmain’s Phygital Drop – WWD

MONSTER STYLE: Dior designer Kim Jones has teamed with rising Japanese artist Otani on a capsule menswear collection, marking his first new collaboration with a contemporary artist since 2021.

Represented by the Perrotin gallery, Otani specializes in ceramic sculptures, with recurring themes including bulging heads, anthropomorphic vases, children and animals.

The 24-piece Dior & Otani Workshop collection, due to land in Dior boutiques worldwide on Jan. 4, includes pieces such as sweaters and bomber jackets featuring a small green monster known as Tanilla. Clothing items are priced from 950 euros to 3,000 euros, with shoes retailing for 1,125 euros to 1,400 euros.

“I really admire Otani’s work. He is a key figure in the Japanese contemporary art world. Working with him is a nice reference to Monsieur Dior, who was a gallerist before being a couturier. The Tanilla monster designed by the artist gives a fresh and funny energy to this capsule collection,” Jones said in a statement.

The motif also makes an appearance on a denim overshirt, and knitwear emblazoned with Dior’s signature Oblique motif in burgundy and pink. The monster is paired with a stylized adaptation of the Dior logo on items such as a baseball cap, hooded sweatshirt and pouch.

Since taking over as artistic director of men’s collections at Dior in 2018, Jones has nurtured the thriving relationship between fashion and art through regular tie-ups with artists, though he changed tack in 2021 to broaden his collaborations to cultural institutions and other designers.

He has worked with leading artists including Kaws, Daniel Arsham, Kenny Scharf, Hajime Sorayama and Peter Doig, with whom he has presented a series of skiwear collections since their initial collaboration in 2021. — JOELLE DIDERICH

LAP OF LUXURY: Continuing its push into residential projects, the Karl Lagerfeld fashion house plans to build luxury apartments in Lisbon, Portugal.

The 10 units — all spanning one or two full floors — will be located between Rua Castilho and the Avenida da Liberdade and boast a “communal garden relaxation space” and several private swimming pools.

Lisbon-based developer Overseas is Karl Lagerfeld’s partner in the development, and was selected for its focus on high-end projects realized with minimal environmental impact and biodiversity loss.

“We share central values of innovation and improving the future, and I know that this project will be a stunning addition to the rich, vibrant city of Lisbon,” Pier Paolo Righi, chief executive officer of Karl Lagerfeld, said in a statement revealing the initiative.

“We want to build a reference in comfort and elegance, allied with the most demanding environmental requests in construction and functioning,” commented Pedro Vicente, CEO of Overseas.

The Lisbon apartments will be the Lagerfeld company’s fourth such project, underscoring the burgeoning market for branded residences.

In October, Karl Lagerfeld said it formed a partnership with upstart UAE real estate company Taraf Holding to create luxury villas in Dubai.

The fashion house, headquartered in Amsterdam and Paris, launched its first luxury residences in Marbella, Spain, in 2021, and recently revealed plans for branded residences in hotel tower The Sail in Malacca, Malaysia.

Lagerfeld, who died in 2019 after an unprecedented fashion career, dabbled in a range of interiors and hotel projects during his lifetime.

Over the summer, a lavish 271-room luxury Karl Lagerfeld hotel opened in Macao that had been years in the making. It was entirely designed by the late German designer, who blended classic Chinese designs with contemporary Western aesthetics. — MILES SOCHA

BALMAIN GOES PHYGITAL: Balmain’s Unicorn sneaker may be at the heart of its latest collaboration, but make no mistake: It’s no garden-variety sneaker drop. On Thursday, the French fashion house unveiled a multipart digital-physical offering, thanks to the work of American artist Ant Kai and generative artificial intelligence from tech partner Space Runner.

Fundamentally, the effort yields a physical, limited-edition shoe as reimagined by Kai, in a bundle that also includes an NFT version of the product. The twist is that consumers can customize the digital collectible, personalizing it with different colors, and mint it on Polygon, a sustainable, eco-minded blockchain network. The key is Space Runner’s AI, which was trained on Kai’s “clouds” style.

There are obvious benefits to this approach, as sneaker fans tend to love personalization. On one level, it’s a creative opportunity for these consumers. But it operates on a branding level as well, because both the physical and digital versions position Balmain’s Unicorn as a work of art.

Balmain hopes that the inspiration won’t end there. According to the press release, “This avant-garde partnership transcends mere collaboration; it serves as a blueprint for future high-end brands aiming for authenticity and originality. Space Runners’ innovative Generative-AI tool enriches the customization experience, inviting fashion enthusiasts into an interactive design realm without limits.”

This latest effort isn’t the first for Balmain’s Space Runners partnership or the first digital initiative for the Unicorn sneaker. The fashion company and the tech firm came together earlier this year for a Unicorn capsule collection spanning tangible shoes and digital versions, which they brought to a hybrid augmented reality-metaverse fashion show in March. The event was created by the Over AR metaverse platform and held at Milan’s Piazza del Duomo.

The sneaker business has never been tech-shy, as early adopters of emerging technologies, from 3D printing to AR and NFTs. Apparently AI is no exception, particularly where it meets virtual experiences. For luxury brands, this sensibility seems at home in digital-physical contexts that appeal to younger, tech-savvy consumers without alienating traditional shoppers.

Balmain extends that to the whole shopping experience, including the transaction. Indeed, the limited-edition physical Kai sneaker bundle — which will be on sale exclusively at Balmain’s new Atlanta flagship store and e-commerce site — will be available via standard payment options based on fiat currency, as well as cryptocurrency. — ADRIANA LEE

AGENCY EXPANSION: French event and communications agency WMH Project has acquired boutique creative production agency Petit Ami as it seeks to expand its activities in fashion, luxury and art.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2017 by Laurent Bandet, who previously worked for French brand Agnès b., Petit Ami produces events including fashion shows and showrooms for brands including Mugler, Nina Ricci, Area, Kolor and Y/Project, and exhibitions for art entities like François Pinault’s Bourse de Commerce museum in Paris.

Originally known as FC2 Events, WMH Project, an acronym for “We Make It Happen,” has grown in the last five years through a string of acquisitions designed to consolidate the group’s position in its four core areas: corporate and institutional events, public relations, spatial design, and incentive and business travel.

Bandet, who becomes vice president of WMH Project’s new art, fashion and luxury division, told WWD that the deal will allow him to grow Petit Ami, with plans to open a branch in Milan by the end of 2024.

He hopes to leverage WMH Project’s existing activities and its relationships with clients such as luxury group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton to rapidly double his team of 20 people, which are spread between creative and production functions.

Petit Ami posted revenues of 6.7 million euros in 2022, versus 145 million euros for WMH Project, which employs more than 300 people in France and Belgium.

“The union with Petit Ami will enable us to meet the diverse needs of WMH Project’s clients in the luxury, fashion and the arts and culture sectors,” WMH Project cofounders Marc Fischer and Franck Chaud said in a statement.

Bandet plans to continue working with emerging designers while taking on larger clients, taking advantage of Petit Ami’s network of artists such as French musician Orelsan.

“We have strong relationships with artists, dancers and musicians, and the idea is to bring a strong craft element to our events,” he explained. “For example, for showrooms, I often tap artists — whether young or more established — to work on the sets.”

Going forward, Bandet would also like to produce show sets and events for performers. In addition, he wants to launch an endowment fund and an incubator aimed at promoting sustainable event production.

He noted that a key reason for joining forces with WMH Project is that it recently became a mission-driven company with ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management, and ISO 9001 for quality management.

Petit Ami, which already repurposes decor elements and prioritizes short supply chains, hopes to foster further research into materials and design with a lower environmental impact.

“We work on temporary events. What do we do with all these materials?” Bandet said. “I think there’s a lot of work to be done in this area, and creating an incubator for people to take on these challenges can be really, really interesting.” — JOELLE DIDERICH

X MARKS THE SPOT: Japanese rock star Yoshiki Hayashi swept into Paris Wednesday night to host a holiday dinner at the Mandarin Oriental, which boasts more decorated trees than many of the city’s Christmas markets.

Best known as the cofounder, drummer and pianist of Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, Yoshiki keeps expanding his brand into more lifestyle projects.

For example, he disclosed a collaboration with Baccarat on crystal stemware slated to reach stores in September 2024.

“They’re very provocative — something crazy,” he said, describing a design that looks like a rose when viewed above, but flames from the side.

Yoshiki, known by his first name, will be able to fill these vessels with his own California wine with Mondavi, and his own Champagne, made in collaboration with Pommery.

He also let slip that he set a bigger challenge before Baccarat: a crystal piano. He’s convinced it’s possible, but allowed it could take at least four years to realize.

In October, the musician tickled the ivories at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Hollywood’s Dolby Theater and London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of the “Yoshiki Classical 10th Anniversary World Tour With Orchestra 2023.”

Yoshiki also continues to dive deeper into fashion. He launched a line of “rock-‘n’-roll” kimonos that debuted to much buzz at Tokyo Fashion Week in 2015, and is planning a Paris show next February and a deeper push into women’s ready-to-wear and accessories.

The multi-tasking talent also hosted a screening of the documentary about him and his band, which also streams on Disney+ as “Yoshiki: My Music Story” and on Amazon Prime as “We Are X.” — M.S.

HELPING HAND: Fine jewelry designer Pippa Small has launched a platform to promote the work of up-and-coming jewelry designers based in Kabul, Afghanistan.

New Generation will debut with 20 artisans chosen by the British designer herself. Each designer has produced three styles to make up a 60-piece collection that will be released over the course of three months on pippasmall.com starting this month, with prices ranging from 70 pounds to 1,030 pounds.

The pieces are made up of rings, stud and drop earrings, pendant and link necklaces, charm bracelets and bangles in different finishes and stones, including 18-karat gold vermeil, turquoise, lapis, agate, ruby and garnet.

Inspirations for the collection took cues from native plants, flowers and trees, the stars in the night sky, traditional Afghan textiles and a geometric print found in a mosque in Turkey.

“Since 2008 we have been working with men and women artisans in Kabul, who have continued to produce a high standard of work through all the challenges and changes that have unfolded in their country over the last decade,” Small said.

“For young women today in Kabul there are many restrictions on their freedoms, so to be able to go to a communal workshop, share a space with other women, exchange experiences and draw support from each other is invaluable. To have a voice through their designs that will go out into the world and give them visibility in a world that is trying to make them disappear is priceless,” she added.

The artisans hail from Arts Charity Turquoise Mountain and Zindagi Now, the initiative that Small founded to support 100 female jewelry-makers in Kabul, as well as helping them with literacy, basic business skills and English.

“My family and I went through the darkest of days until we returned to Afghanistan, our country, and found out about Zindagi Now. Zindagi Now has allowed women in Kabul to be trained by experienced goldsmiths and produce handmade products for national and international markets,” said Zulaikha, a Zindagi Now and Next Generation artisan.

Small has been working with King Charles III, Hamid Karzai and Rory Stewart on The Turquoise Mountain Foundation for more than a decade. The foundation nurtures Afghanistan’s craft industry and helps to restore historical buildings and traditional craftsmanship in Myanmar and the Middle East. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED

BIGGER RECESS: Marie Monsod, owner of the beloved Recess vintage boutique in Los Angeles, is branching out.

She’s launching a capsule of statement earrings inspired by the vintage brand of sparklers Richard Kerr.

Open for 10 years on La Brea Avenue, Recess is known for its playful, colorful assortment of vintage from the 1950s to present, and has been a go-to for stylists and costume designers for “Glow,” “Empire” and other glam shows.

“It’s basically a playground,” said Monsod, who stocks a no-name cream crystal beaded and fringe top alongside big name finds like a 1997 Gucci G-string, a 1990 Vivienne Westwood portrait print dress and a 2012 Jean Paul Gaultier tattoo dress. “We have so many different types of customers and I feel like what differentiates me is I go with what I like, it doesn’t have to be a name brand. If it’s a cool print, colors or beaded, I go for it.”

That goes for jewelry, too.

“I’m obsessed with earrings, big statement earrings and jewelry in general. And there’s a particular designer, Richard Kerr, who made fully rhinestoned earrings in unique shapes and colors. Every time I would find those pieces, I just would get so excited and sell them really fast,” she said.

Seeing the supply of the vintage pieces starting to dry up, Monsod had the idea to start making her own. After becoming friends with Esme Hecht, founder of Lunch at the Ritz, she told him about her idea to create earrings and he helped with the manufacturing.

The result is five styles of holiday-ready earrings — discs, fringes, drops, lightning bolts and balls, priced $225 to $295 — that are crystal-covered but surprisingly light because they are made of resin.

“Every time I wear statement earrings I get compliments, they are a conversation starter and you can wear them on with dresses or a T-shirt and jeans and you are dressed instantly,” Monsod said.

For now, the collection is available through her store and website. And depending on how it goes, she may expand into other categories.

“Clothing is something I don’t want to get into,” Monsod said. “There’s already too much and we love the sustainability aspect of vintage. But with accessories, they’re getting harder and harder to find and often have more signs of use or damage.” — BOOTH MOORE

HISTORIC TOUCH: Eileen Fisher searched hard and long for the perfect retail spot in Berkeley, Calif.

And the womenswear company, known for its classic silhouettes and natural fabrics, found it. In late November, Eileen Fisher opened its ninth California store inside a historic building that is nearly 150 years old.

It is located at 1809 Fourth Street, in the happening Fourth Street district, the site of the two-story Ghego House, originally built in 1877 in an Italianate Victorian style.

“We’ve always loved Berkeley and known that we had a strong customer base here since the very early days of the business, but timing is everything,” wrote Lisa Williams, the company’s chief executive officer, in an email. “Space had been tight in the area, and there hadn’t been the perfect spot for us. Post-COVID-19, we started looking in the market again when we saw the listing for the Ghego House. We fell in love with its charming storefront and amazing location in the heart of Fourth Street. We love the energy on this part of the street with restaurants and an amazing mix of local boutiques and national brands.”

The Eileen Fisher store on the first floor of the wood-structured building occupies 1,800 square feet, a space that is slightly smaller than the average 2,000 square feet taken up by an Eileen Fisher location. The outpost has large windows, concrete floors, ceiling beams and white-washed oak fixtures as well as linen drapes and energy-efficient LED lighting.  

The Ghego House was acquired in 1978 by the Berkeley Redevelopment Agency to save it from being torn down after a proposed industrial park had already prompted the moving or destruction of 80 homes. In 1992, the Ghego House was sold to Abrams/Millikan & Associates, developers of the popular Fourth Street retail district, which did a major renovation. Today the Fourth Street district has several well-known retailers including Anthropologie, Madewell, Title Nine, Athleta, Cotopaxi, Ruti and Bryn Walker.

This is Eileen Fisher’s 57 store in its retail lineup. About one-third of Eileen Fisher’s revenues, which in 2022 were estimated to be $267 million, come from its stores. It also has major wholesale accounts with Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue as well as with select specialty stores.

The company was started by Eileen Fisher in 1984 with $350 after a trip to Japan where traditional kimonos inspired her to create clothing with simple shapes and quality fabrics. Fisher remained head of the company until last year when Lisa Williams, the former chief product officer at Patagonia, took on the job to give Fisher more time to concentrate on design. — DEBORAH BELGUM

RICHER THAN EVER: Over the last three months, famous ‘90s club kid and designer Richie Rich has been debuting the latest iteration of his early 2000s brand Heatherette (then cofounded with Traver Rains), now called Richerette (or “Heatherette for the TikTok generation,” the brand noted), at New York and Los Angeles fashion weeks. Now he’s taking the Richerette show on the road to debut an extension of his latest collections with Art Hearts Fashion during Miami’s Art Basel.

“I had a line called Heatherette, and now it’s called Richerette. I think it’s still the DNA that I’ve always had… it’s still the same pop culture, fun, glitter,” Rich told WWD, pointing out new fashions — plush toy handbags, DIY-spirited button-covered hats, bright street style hoodies, etc. — that are set to debut. “I look at it like a pop star’s concert tour, so some of the pieces that were in LAFW and NYFW, I add to them and style them up differently.”

The Richerette show for Rich’s “Boom: Disco, Pop, Fun!” collection was described to be a “fashion party presentation” and is scheduled to take place on the roof, surrounding the pool (and potentially “in the pool,” Rich noted) of the Dream Hotel South Beach on Saturday night. In addition, Art Hearts Fashion is hosting a midday swim and resortwear party at Miami’s new floating experiential venue The Vessel; the Richerette collection, among others, will be exhibited.

At least 12 of the 25 looks slated to hit the runway will be new styles that play into Rich’s signature Y2K revival, such as “Disco Pop Fun” merch T-shirts, street-style hoodies, “high-end hand-stitched prom dresses,” and the brand’s revival of swimwear (harking back to his early 2000s show in Miami with Pamela Anderson during his Heatherette days). Also, Rich noted he’s hoping to present new takes on his former Hello Kitty and Heatherette collaboration.

Following the show, the brand plans to launch the collection for sale on its e-commerce, with prices ranging from $69.99 for T-shirts to $1,450 for the arty prom dresses. 

“To me, fashion is like music: it makes people happy and drives you to have fun. Any interview I’ve ever had asking, ‘What’s your inspiration,’ my answer is ‘Fun,’” Rich said, adding this particular collection was inspired by “disco pop fun — like a fun lollipop that you suck on while dancing and listening to music. It’s a simple concept, but that’s what it is, and I think the world needs that.” — EMILY MERCER