Graduate Fashion Foundation welcomes Global Ambassador Munroe Bergdorf
Graduate Fashion Week 2022 will continue to deliver everything it has become world renowned for over the past 31 years, with an extensive in person, digital and live stream schedule that will celebrate the incredible and innovative talent the UK Fashion industry is unparalleled in.
The Japanese culture comes to Metaverse Fashion Week with MetaTokyo
Is everyone in the metaverse already?
Ph. Duncan Rawlinson
The metaverse is a place of inclusivity and the more advanced it becomes the more people worldwide are confidently stepping into the unknown world. This year was the first large-scale digital fashion event - Metaverse Fashion week. Digital fashion fanatics spent 4 days in Decentraland attending runway shows, parties and panel talks, and did some shopping. A project that really stood up from the rest was Japan’s first pop-up museum focused on generative art.
MetaTokyo is finally opening their doors for visitors to dive into Japanese culture for the Metaverse Fashion week.
Taking part in the Metaverse Fashion Week has proven to be a challenging task. Due to its international scope and accessibility it has attracted a greater variety of talents, emerging designers, and cultural sectors. The meta verse has been here for a while, but it is still relatively new to the mass public. Amatures have had the opportunity to experiment and improve and high-end brands are no longer the only luxury there is. Even the slogan in the event is ‘Everyone’s a VIP in the metaverse’. The competition in the virtual world is bigger but so is the audience.
MetaTokyo. What is it?
MetaTokyo is a project that is focusing on bringing their own take on the metaverse and showcase visitors the uniqueness of Tokyo culture. What started as a joint venture between Asobisystem Co., ParadeAll Co. and Fracton Ventures turned into a mission to develop cultural cities in the metaverse by connecting the digital landscape with global entertainment. Last year they developed the real estate in Decentraland but it is just now that they have finally opened their doors. To mark this milestone Meta Tokyo is collaborating with the twin fashion models AMIAYA to create NFT photography, launch the “SPACE by MetaTokyo” pop-up museum, and provide AMIAYA-themed wearables for the fans.
AMIAYA x STREET Collaboration
Ami and Aya Suzuki, known as the twin unit AMIAYA, have gained worldwide attention for their fashion sense. Together with Street, a street fashion publication in Japan, the duo will launch the AMIAYA x STREET TOKYO FASHION 2021ss photo collection book and hold a photo exhibition, both in real life and in the metaverse. A total of 330 unique NFT’s will be generated from the photography featured at the event, and they'll be offered through OpenSea. It’s safe to say there will be something for everyone. The collection will be available to only MetaTokyo Pass holders but for those interested in the launch a physical photo book will be available for purchase at the venue.
By the looks of it, it seems like Meta Tokyo is more than ready to embrace metaverse and Japanese culture. This is just the beginning, and a great one for Meta Tokyo. They have confirmed that more exciting events and launches are set to take place in the virtual world. So keep an eye on them. This project is set to inspire other countries to enter Decentraland and showcase the uniqueness that is hidden behind every culture.
Plunging Necklines For Ethereal Elegance
Should we link the originality of plunging v neck cuts with the heroic goddesses of ancient legend?
Debut “Zero-Point” Sustainable Print Collection
The origin of an ornate print requires a visionary and lover of art to make it special. Design Blender Founder Alexa Papavasileiou takes sustainable methods of upcycling pieces and captivating patterns to create something conscious and sharply modern with her debut collection.
Treating the remedy of emotional burnout with vibrant colours and staple pieces
Looking for an assertive easy look? Explore Statement N9. We love the concept behind this collection, connecting the remedy of emotional burnout through vibrant colours with classic staple pieces for fuss free elegance.
The Tbilisi twins of Lalo Cardigans have landed fresh and juicy spring style
The traditional Georgian threads, handmade from colours sourced from the Cau-casus along with old knitting techniques unleash modern, bold and a feminine take to layer your look.
Taipei Fashion Week AW22 Heralds A Cleaner Production Line
Curious to see what’s going on in the far east on sustainable practice?
Fast Five A-List Hair Hacks in 5-Minutes
Ready to go runway hairstyles don’t get better than this. Move over TikTok, we have an A-list Hair stylist to teach us five fast hacks. Let’s get into it.
Balenciaga pays tribute to Ukraine during Fashion week
When we think of a fashion show, we usually think of the glamour and elegance of haute couture. Let’s not forget that the fashion industry is very influential and has the power to carry out a message to millions of people everywhere. When everyone's focus is on the current situation in Ukraine, none of us can remain indifferent, fashion is taking a stand.
Ph. Museum at FIT
Balenciaga goes where fashion hasn’t dared go before and takes a stand for the Ukrainian refugees.
About The Show
Let’s experience the fashion show together. As you enter the room you notice the enormous snow globe on one side and a piece of fabric with the colours of the Ukrainian flag on all 525 seats. As you walk through the different rows looking for your seat, your mind starts to wander in different places and your excitement to take your place takes over you. You finally find your seat, take the fabric in your hand, shortly you notice it’s a T-shirt, but there’s also a letter from the creative director of Balenciaga himself, Demna Gvasalia. As you read through the letter you can’t help but to feel your emotions taking over you. The letter begins with “The war in Ukraine has triggered the pain of a past trauma I have carried in me since 1993, when the same thing happened in my country and I became a forever refugee,” and ends with “It’s a dedication to fearlessness, to resistance and to the victory of love and peace.” You start questioning everything and you can’t stand in peace in your seat. The show begins. The models are walking down the runway and in the background you hear the designer’s voice reciting a poem by the Ukrainian poet Oleksandr Oles which, he says translates roughly to “your sons will save you”. There is no translation to the poem, you listen to the Ukrainian language and you see how the models struggle to walk through the snow storm, you cannot help but to feel more uncomfortable than ever. You feel empathy.
Personal Take On The Show
It’s quite difficult hosting Fashion week during wartime and most designers are extremely cautious in such times. Other brands raised awareness on the situation in Ukraine through the social media channels and by adding a little detail to their show but Demna, made the show about Ukraine, which completely changed everything. Balenciaga was close to calling off the show, they said that “fashion week feels like some kind of an absurdity but to cancel the show means surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years”. For him this was way beyond fashion, it was personal. Driven by the desire to tell the world his story he managed to cover the most important issues humanity is facing now - climate change, technology taking over and horrific news of war. When Demna was 12 years old he was amongst the 250,000 Georgian refugees forced to leave their homes during Georgia’s civil war. Knowing all the obstacles refugees have to deal with makes him want to not stay silent and take action to support them and give them some hope. According to some, fashion doesn’t have a place in politics but Balenciaga thinks otherwise, for the brand this is a call to action. “We, as a brand, have to do something … we cannot take weapons and go fight there, but we can use our voices,” Demna shared in an interview with Reuters.
The Meaning Behind It
The initial idea of the show was to cover the topic of the climate crisis and virtual reality. The show was supposed to comment on how future generations might perceive the concept of winter. It is about how in the future this might have to be digitally rendered in order to explain what snow is, the feeling of coldness, and the disappearance of winter as a season. The glass wall that separated the audience from the show was a metaphor on that imaginary future reality, creating an IRL livestream of sorts. Using a humanitarian crisis as an aesthetic proved to touch many in the audience and create a powerful show of empathy, something we rarely see on the runway.
At the end of the day, the designer managed to achieve what he does best: It made the audience think and ask questions about themselves as well as about the system. The audience was meant to feel uncomfortable while watching, as this meant realising what refugees are forced to deal with not just in Ukraine, but in Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan and every other country that is living during war time.
Nehera F/W 2022 - Paris Fashion Week
NEHERA’s Fall Winter 22 is a meditation on seemingly opposite worlds: past and future, vintage and modern, analog and digital, masculine and feminine.