Pinko releases Reimagine collection with Patrick McDowell
Italian womenswear label Pinko has revealed its Reimagine collection in collaboration with Patrick McDowell, making it the brand’s third instalment of the concept by the sustainability design director.
Inspired by fashion trends from the early 2000s, Reimagine pieces were constructed using items from Pinko’s archive, with McDowell repurposing a number of designs from past seasons. Upcycled pieces were made using a broad selection of reused denim, jersey and taffeta fabrics, with design elements aimed to bring volume to contrast fitted proportions.
The capsule includes a range of mini skirts, t-shirts, denim jackets, jeans, sweatshirts and denim bralettes, as well as two mini handbags and belts. McDowell incorporated his own signature design elements and embellishments into each item, producing a collection that resulted in garments that can easily be paired together.
Image: Pinko
“I cannot forget how Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, Xtina created the glam around the tv shows, videos and the first era of social media,” said the designer in a statement. “I have always been fascinated by the mass media effect and the music universe and I think it is a language very similar to fashion: versatile, creative and very fun.”
McDowell was appointed sustainability design director back in February, carrying out the role alongside his main line where his own collections, Firefighting Aunties and Catholic Fairytales, draw inspiration from his upbringing and personal experiences. The designer is a strong advocate for sustainability, upcycling and rental fashion, bringing his values into this new collection.
Pinko’s creative director, Caterina Negra, said about the collaboration: “It is always a pleasure to collaborate with Patrick. When he arrives in our offices, he is a creative machine, we share ideas, inspirations and personal artistic views. He has this amazing ability to convert conversation into styles that I will wear every day. I love his energy, vision and capacity to create something sustainable and still being true with the Pinko DNA.”
The capsule collection is available to purchase through select Pinko stores, the brand’s official website and in Selfridges.
Decoding Ann Demeulemeester’s return to her namesake label
When Ann Demeulemeester quietly exited her namesake label in 2013 she kept the most important asset: her name. Unlike designers Jil Sander, Helmut Lang, Roland Mouret (until he bought it back), Calvin Klein, Halston and Thierry Mugler, Demeulemeester closed the industry door behind her but didn’t throw away the key.
It was fashion’s unrelentless pace that Demeulemeester sought to leave behind, but the brand’s DNA lived forth when it was bought for an undisclosed sum by Anne Chappelle, Belgium’s most powerful businesswoman in fashion, who also owns the Haider Ackermann label. Chappelle last year sold the Demeulemeester business to Italian fashion entrepreneur Claudio Antonioli, founder of his namesake boutiques in Milan and Lugano, and an early partner of the New Guards Group. Antonioli had long stocked the brand and championed Demeulemeester’s design aesthetic since the beginning.
Antonioli has vowed to return the brand to its glory days, albeit with a focus on luxury, when its dark and moody tailoring was sold via the world’s most prestigious boutiques. The company’s flagship store in Antwerp remains a destination for fashion lovers, with its never-ending ceiling height, botanical garden and minimalist collections. The premises were recently revamped by Demeulemeester’s husband, Patrick Robyn, and echo the brand’s codes with dark wooden floors and crisp, white plastered walls.
Fashion and lifestyle
Amongst the fashion sits Demeulemeester’s new passion, her homeware and lighting ranges made in collaboration with Serax, a Belgian B2B interior design company. Beautiful ceramicwares and hand-blown glassware are displayed on the ground floor. They make a refreshing curation from the obligatory handbags and small leather goods that are meant to drive sales.
Image: Ann Demeulemeester Antwerp store
To the surprise of many, Demeulemeester last week confirmed her return, not as its creative director – she will not be designing collections at this point – but to oversee special projects, such as creating the house’s first perfume. The quiet nod of approval by having the founder involved will help elevate the brand to flourish, in a way Chapelle’s business couldn’t.
Since acquiring the brand, Antonioli has been busy behind the scenes, relocating the company’s design office to Italy, where production is expected to be more streamlined and efficient. According to Business of Fashion, photographer Willy Vanderperre and stylist Oliver Rizzo, well-known for their Raf Simons collaborations, will head up artistic direction. New boutiques are slated to open in New York, Tokyo and London and Milan, the first sign of Antonioli’s ambitious expansions plans, and reducing its reliance on wholesale, a strategy many luxury brands have embraced to retain quality and more exclusive distribution.
Ann Demeulemeester will present its spring summer 2022 collection in Paris on October 3rd.
Chanel buys jasmine fields to ensure No. 5’s existence
Chanel, to ensure that their famed No. 5 perfume will not be jeopardized, has bought land in southern France to secure its supply of jasmine, which is harvested by hand in a delicate ritual. The news was reported by Reuters.
Chanel’s purchased 10 hectares of land, adding to the 20 hectares is already uses near Grasse. In the 1980s, Chanel entered a deal with the Mul family to anchor production of five flowers in the Pegomas region as they feared jasmine production was moving to other countries.
Jasmine grown in Grasse has a specific scent. Since the 17th century the region has been a fragrance hub. Chanel’s jasmine harvest wasn’t too affected by COVID-19, primarily because workers were able to work outside. Fragrances are a core part of the brand’s business, with fragrance and beauty considered to be the main propeller of the company’s growth.