Louis Vuitton Reprised Its Spring 2021 Show in Singapore—See the Best Street Style Looks Here

Louis Vuitton Reprised Its Spring 2021 Show in Singapore—See the Best Street Style Looks Here

It’s been less than two weeks since Nicolas Ghèsquiere staged his fall 2021 Louis Vuitton show at the Louvre, live-streamed globally with no audience. That “show” brought the season to an energizing and joyful end, but in Singapore, the house reprised its spring 2021 collection as a reminder of all the exciting new pieces launching in stores right now. Consider it the ultimate re-emergence wardrobe: Micro-mini skirts paired with oversized trenches, sparkling suits and sneakers, and graphic T-shirt dresses. We got a glimpse of how you might style them IRL at the Singapore show, where attendees turned out in their brand-new tees and accessories. Su Shan Leong photographed the best looks; scroll through them all below.

Louis Vuitton to present Women’s Spring-Summer 2021 spin-off show in Singapore amid pandemic

South China Morning Post

Meng Wanzhou’s lawyer on Monday condemned a former Canadian police officer for his “unprecedented” refusal to testify at the Huawei Technologies executive’s extradition hearing, saying the court should not believe the ex-officer’s affidavit that he did not send information about Meng’s phones to the American FBI. Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police staff sergeant Ben Chang, who left the force and became a casino executive in the Chinese territory of Macau, has retained a lawyer who says he will not appear at the hearing in the Supreme Court of British Columbia; a document filed by Canadian government lawyers cited “witness safety” for their previous refusal to hand over material related to Chang. “There is a certain shock value in the notion a former senior police officer would refuse to be cross-examined on an affidavit … But that’s what we’re dealing with,” said Meng’s lawyer Scott Fenton.Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. He told Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes that she should place “no value” on Chang’s affidavit. “Of utmost concern in this case is that S/Sgt Chang is not merely failing to testify through no fault of his own or for some justifiable tactical choice of the DOJ [Department of Justice]. To the contrary – he is refusing to appear for cross-examination,” Meng’s lawyers said in their written argument. Fenton said Holmes should infer that cross-examination of Chang would not support the credibility of his affidavit about the electronic serial numbers of Meng’s devices and whether they were sent to US investigators. Chang dealt with Meng’s devices when he was in charge of the RCMP’s financial integrity unit in 2018, after serving as the RCMP liaison officer in Hong Kong for four years. In 2019, he retired from the police force and became assistant vice-president for security at the Galaxy casino. Canadian Mountie at centre of Meng case was elite officer in Hong Kong Meng’s lawyers have been pressing a case that she is the victim of an abuse of process, and that her treatment by Canadian border officers and the RCMP was a covert and illegal evidence-gathering exercise conducted at the behest of the FBI. They say the only remedy is that she be freed. Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei and the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei has been fighting against extradition to the US since she was arrested at Vancouver’s airport on December 1, 2018, on an American fraud warrant. She is wanted to face trial in New York on charges that she defrauded HSBC by lying about Huawei’s business dealings in Iran, thus putting the bank at risk of breaching US sanctions. She denies the charges. In June last year, the Canadian government lawyers representing US interests in the extradition case asserted privilege over a document they were refusing to turn over to Meng’s lawyers. The document was described as “Summary/Notes of phone call between Kerry Swift and Ben Chang”; Swift is a DOJ lawyer. A spreadsheet said the Justice Department was refusing to turn over the notes because of “witness safety”. Ultimately, however, the government lawyers agreed to turn over the Chang-Swift notes. But they have been withheld from the media and the public. “It’s clear and fair to say that Chang would be the most important witness” regarding the fate of the electronic serial numbers, said Fenton. Canadian’s spy trial in China over in less than 3 hours, diplomat says Chang said in his affidavit that he “believes” the FBI requested “identifying information from the electronic devices seized from Ms Meng”. But he also said in the affidavit that “[as] I was never asked for the identifying information by [any] member of the FBI, or any other member of any other United States authorities, this information was never shared”. Fenton contrasted that denial with an email that Chang sent to an RCMP colleague three days after Meng’s arrest, in which he said an FBI agent had asked him for the phone serial numbers. “Can you please go through your exhibits and acquire those for me,” Chang wrote. Fenton said Chang’s email account and the contents of his hard drive had been automatically destroyed by the RCMP after his retirement. It was “unacceptable and unexplained negligence” by the force to have failed to determine whether material relevant to Meng’s case was present before the destruction, he said. In the current phase of extradition hearings, Meng’s lawyers have repeatedly depicted Canadian border and police officers as lying or attempting to mislead the court with their testimony. Another of Meng’s lawyers, Richard Peck, said on Monday that the credibility and reliability of the testimony of officers involved in Meng’s treatment had been undermined by their failure to take appropriate notes. Omissions from Canada Border Services Agency officers’ notes included any reference to an airport meeting with the RCMP on the morning of December 1, 2018, to set up Meng’s arrest. “This is astonishing,” said Peck. Canada feared for safety of Meng witness in Macau who refuses to testify Nor, he said, did they note doing internet searches that the officers said in court had been the basis of their national security concerns about Meng; details of the seizure of Meng’s electronic devices and passcodes; and the fact that Meng’s passcodes had been given to police. The lack of such notes “amounts to an attempt to obscure what really happened to Ms Meng on that day”, said Peck. Witness by witness, Peck derided the border officers’ evidence – notes by CBSA Superintendent Sanjit Dhillon, who had asked Meng about Huawei’s business, were “a travesty … an inferior imitation of what a notebook should look like”; the testimony of Border Security Officer Sowmith Katragadda was “disingenuous, argumentative and evasive; Border Security Officer Scott Kirkland was “recalcitrant, disputative and, at times, somewhat dramatic” on the stand. Turning to the RCMP, Peck said Constable Winston Yep had invented the reason why he delayed arresting Meng until long after she disembarked her Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong; Yep had testified this was because of concerns about safety, and not knowing how Meng would react if he tried to apprehend her on the plane. “Yep made this up…it’s a figment,” said Peck. Meng’s lawyers have repeatedly depicted the delay as being designed to allow the CBSA to conduct a supposedly bogus immigration examination. The hearing was adjourned until Tuesday. Meng’s long battle against extradition may be nearing the end game; hearings are scheduled to conclude on May 14, after which Holmes must decide whether to free her or approve extradition. But appeals could drag out the process for years, and a final decision on whether to send Meng to the US will rest with Canada’s justice minister. Meng’s case has infuriated Beijing and threw relations with Ottawa and Washington into disarray. Two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were arrested by China in the days after Meng’s detention. Kovrig and Spavor underwent brief trials for espionage, on Monday and Friday respectively. The trials lasted only hours and were held behind closed doors; no details or verdicts have been released. Canada has said they are victims of arbitrary detention and were seized by China in retaliation for Meng’s arrest.More from South China Morning Post:Meng Wanzhou’s lawyer mocks Canada border officers’ testimony, telling extradition judge to be ‘very sceptical’ of honestyMeng Wanzhou’s lawyer accuses Canadian border officer of fabricating testimony about phone passcodesCanadian Mountie at centre of Meng Wanzhou extradition storm was elite officer in Hong KongCanada feared for safety of Macau-based witness who refuses to testify in Meng Wanzhou extradition caseRetired Canadian police officer refuses to testify at Meng Wanzhou’s extradition hearingThis article Meng Wanzhou’s lawyer blasts ex-Mountie for ‘shock’ refusal to testify at extradition hearing first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.

Louis Vuitton to hold first physical fashion show in Singapore amid Covid-19 pandemic

SINGAPORE - Fashion is returning to the catwalk at Louis Vuitton on Tuesday (March 23).

Even though recent fashion weeks in Paris, London and Milan have gone completely digital due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the French fashion house will stage a fashion show in Singapore, complete with masked guests seated 1m apart.

To be held at ArtScience Museum, the Louis Vuitton Women’s Spring/Summer 2021 Spin-Off show will be the first full-fledged physical fashion show in Singapore in the new normal.

There will be three shows - at noon, 4pm and 7.30pm - with just 112 guests each and a slew of safe management measures in place, such as temperature checks and SafeEntry scans on arrival. All surfaces will be sanitised between each show.

Guests will be segmented into zones, with no intermingling among zones, and Louis Vuitton face masks have been included with the invitations. Also, arrival, departure and seating timings will be staggered.

Safe distancing ambassadors will be deployed at the venue as well.

The 41 unmasked models walking the show will be at least 3m away from the guests. They will also observe safe distancing on the runway.

They and the backstage crew, including hair and make-up artists, will also be segregated into zones.

The final show will be live-streamed on Louis Vuitton’s website so everyone can have a front-row seat from the comfort of his or her home.

The last time Harper’s Bazaar Singapore editor-in-chief Kenneth Goh attended a fashion show in person was a year ago. PHOTO: HARPER’S BAZAAR

A total of 69 looks - from the spring/summer collection, presented in a “distanced” show in Paris last October by Louis Vuitton’s womenswear artistic director Nicolas Ghesquiere, and a Summer Capsule collection inspired by the beach - will be featured.

For fashion editors, celebrities, influencers and clients who used to jet-set to fashion capitals for shows, this presentation signals that the industry is taking baby steps towards recovery.

It promises to be a star-studded event and the guest list includes home-grown actresses Zoe Tay and Rebecca Lim as well as singer Stefanie Sun.

The last time Harper’s Bazaar Singapore editor-in-chief Kenneth Goh attended a fashion show in person was a year ago. Coincidentally, it was the Louis Vuitton presentation, held at the Louvre, which closed Paris Fashion Week.

“I’m very excited to attend the show in Singapore for Louis Vuitton. It’s the first replica womenswear show by Ghesquiere outside of Paris in this new normal,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase the importance and significance of Singapore in the global fashion scene as Louis Vuitton will be live-streaming the show at ArtScience Museum.”

Dubbed a “phygital” show, the event will combine physical and digital elements, with green screens playing a major role.

They form a backdrop for the projection of footage from director Wim Wenders' film, Wings Of Desire (1987). The romantic fantasy classic - which tells the tale of angels who choose to experience life, thanks to the power of love - was employed to great effect in the Spring/Summer 2021 show in Paris last October.

Louis Vuitton worked closely with the Singapore Tourism Board to leverage the country’s talent, infrastructure, resources and luxury consumer landscape to bring about this show.

Working behind the scenes are fashion industry veterans such as Fran Borgia (left) and Daniel Boey. PHOTOS: LOUIS VUITTON

Local models as well as Singapore-based ones will be in the spotlight.

Notably, Singapore’s top international model Kaigin Yong, who was in Paris for fashion week earlier this month, will strut the runway.

Working behind the scenes are fashion industry veterans such as Singaporean show director Daniel Boey and Spanish film-maker Fran Borgia. Borgia - who has been based here for 15 years - will take on the role of live-stream creative director.

Mr Goh of Harper’s Bazaar Singapore believes that if Louis Vuitton’s show is a success, many other brands will follow suit.

“Nothing beats the excitement and the immediacy of a live show and to be able to see beautiful fashion on the most interesting models in a captivating space - it’s what sartorial dreams are made of.”

Q&A with Louis Vuitton’s CEO Michael Burke

Mr Michael Burke talks about the Louis Vuitton Women’s Spring/Summer 2021 Spin-Off show, effects of the pandemic and the maison’s approach to sustainability. PHOTO: LOUIS VUITTON

Louis Vuitton’s head honcho talks about the show, the effects of the pandemic and the maison’s approach to sustainablity.

How has Louis Vuitton navigated the past year and what would you say are the three main takeaways from the pandemic?

What this current pandemic has taught us is to show resilience, agility and creativity:

We have nurtured our relationships with our clients and have stayed connected on a deep level with a personalized one-to-one approach.

As travel became complicated, we virtually met with our clients through all means possible.

We know people are not going to be able to travel, so let’s not have people travel to the venues - let’s have the clothes travel to the venues.

The spin-off show in Singapore is a way for Louis Vuitton to cultivate proximity with a global audience by bringing the show to a new location and addressing current challenges faced by clients/travellers who are used to looking towards fashion capitals for the latest season’s inspirations and to shop the collections.

Louis Vuitton will be the first brand to hold a full-fledged physical (and digital) fashion show in Singapore, especially in current times, to rejuvenate Singapore’s fashion event scene.

It is in difficult times that great ideas are always born.

Everyone’s talking about sustainability, from fast fashion to luxury goods. What is Louis Vuitton’s stand and position on this?

Louis Vuitton is on a committed journey to have 100 per cent of its raw materials responsibly sourced by 2025, eliminate single use plastic by 2030, act on climate change, taking into account everything from cotton and viscose harvesting, to reinforcing its contribution to the objectives defined by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Luxury, as we understand it at Louis Vuitton, goes hand-in-hand with high-quality craftsmanship.

By definition, we produce in very limited quantities. In addition, our products are intended for the long term. Louis Vuitton products are made to last. We are mainstreaming the environment into every step of the creative process.

Throughout these stages, we are reinventing how we design our creations and exploring pathways to sustainable creativity.

To do so, it is vital that we 1) source environmentally-friendly materials 2) optimize the use of these materials (no additional production) and 3) manufacture products that can be repaired (Louis Vuitton provides repair services all over the world whereby over 1/2 million products are repaired every year).

At Louis Vuitton, we control our entire production chain, our logistics platforms and our distribution network. This gives us free rein to take tangible decisions and to act for change.

How will live fashion shows and digital versions co-exist and evolve, now that everyone can get a “front-row seat” in front of the laptop?

Digital should “augment” fashion shows, not replace them. It is a fantastic opportunity to create one-of-kind experiences.

For Women’s Spring-Summer 2021, Nicolas Ghesquière and his teams imagined a strong concept combining physical and digital: a “phygital” show giving access to different experiences while seated in the venue or in front of your laptop / mobile device.

The last Women’s Fall-Winter 2021 by Nicolas Ghesquière - which was fully digital due to sanitary restrictions - counted more than 100 million views worldwide. The digital buzz was phenomenal.

In parallel, travelling to the venues will remain, such as the example of the spin-off show in Singapore.