Back in 2004, the world was different; there was no social media or Kim Kardashian, no cold press juices or barre classes, and hardly anyone read blogs because almost nobody wrote them! Another astonishing absence was ‘activewear’; but in that year, for the first time a high fashion designer, Stella McCartney, announced her pioneering partnership with adidas. The belief was that ‘fitness’ and ‘fashion’ were more closely related than the world realised, and the combination would uniquely incorporate adidas’ technological, functional know-how with Stella’s beautiful and feminine silhouettes. 12 years on, we take for granted that women want stylish and functional sportswear – a trend coloured heavily by these early innovators! Yet adidas by Stella McCartney has always maintained a unique edgy aesthetic, whilst being high quality, and wonderfully distinctive. To me, it’s the perfect of example of a genuine partnership creating something that’s way more than just the sum of its parts. In LA this week, I was one of the lucky few who had the opportunity to interview the designer after her spectacular SS17 show which took place in West Hollywood. Click MORE to read about Stella’s view on ‘health’, ‘wellness’, the show, and how she goes about the design process! (more…)
Posts tagged 'Athleisure'
EVERYBODY WELCOME!
On the debate of whether the Fitness-Fashion hybrid is here to stay, every Londoner’s favourite department store Selfridges has conclusively weighed in with a bold and far-reaching statement. A few weeks back, I attended the opening of what is now Selfridges’ largest single department, the 37,000 square foot Body Studio, accompanied by their almost unmissable campaign. It’s more than just a retail tour-de-force, it’s a significant declaration of their vision of the future. That the activewear category is the only area of apparel enjoying any sort of material growth right now (outside of Hermes handbags) is well known; there’s such huge latent demand that this studio is solely dedicated to all things wellbeing, enabling you to browse 4,500 items from c.100 brands (including some personal favourites like Monreal London, Adidas, Y3, Stella McCartney, Varley as well as lingerie, sleepwear, swim & beachwear, a Daniel Galvin salon and a healthy cafe by the Hemsley sisters) against the backdrop of a British high street that’s suffering due to online competition. Selfridges are bucking that structural dynamic and are taking activewear firmly into the domain of the ‘luxury experience’ for which there’s simply no internet alternative; you have to see this to believe it 🙂 Click more to get my full view, along with the ‘look’ images we shot in and around the launch! (more…)
HIT IT OUT THE IVY PARK !
Today, I’m super excited to reveal my brand spanking new-look blog – it needed a bit of sprucing up since there hadn’t been an outfit change since it was born! To kick things off, I thought there was no topic more appropriate than the eponymous new monochrome collection from Ivy Park, to match the minimal pared-back B&W aesthetic I went with for this blog! Unless you’ve been living under a stone (+ blindfolded + ear plugged), you may have missed that one of the most iconic hyperstars on the planet just launched her own collection in partnership with Topshop. Queen B, aka Beyoncé, has put pen to paper with Sir Philip Green’s retail powerhouse to design an extremely intelligent line of flattering and affordable performance wear, and I absolutely LOVE the result! (more…)