Things have been a little crazy in the business and political sphere this week. Cop27 saw an ambiguous conclusion as agreements were made and some issues were paused for another year as the Swedish Fashion Council took matters into their own hands to tackle fashion’s impact. All the while a Twitter poll hosted by Elon Musk saw Trump taking back his tweeting abilities as his account was reinstated (as we all wait with bated breaths for his first tweet). Things kicked off in Qatar as the 2022 World Cup commenced yesterday. Not to worry though, a plethora of fashion collaborations, exhibitions and campaigns added some much needed relief and retail therapy. All of this and more, this week in this week’s Monday Briefing!

HAS THE WORLD COPPED ON? – CONCLUDING COP27

Well, Cop27 has officially come to a close and with it a slew of promises and an unexpected yet needed movement from the fashion industry. The climate change conference held in Egypt saw new arrangements and victories for some while other matters were left unsettled and awaiting its successor Cop28 scheduled to take place in Dubai. Some key takeaways from the two week conference saw a small win for developing countries who suffer the brunt of the climate crisis while oftentimes contributing the least. A loss and damage pooled funding agreement paid to those most affected by the major contributors was agreed on – a small win however, the results are yet to be observed. The issue of India and African countries requesting for the phasing out of fossil fuel use went unsettled, despite claims from the EU and other wealthier countries to back these nations.  One plus saw the Swedish Fashion Council holding their two-day ‘Stockholm [X]perience’ event which saw them heralding the transformation of the Swedish (and hopefully others’) fashion industry focusing on sustainability and circular fashion.

THE WORLD CUP KICKS OFF IN QATAR

The Fifa World Cup 2022 officially kicked off yesterday in Qatar. Despite the many controversies surrounding the event this year and the host country, many positives have come so far (perhaps not for the Qatar team who conceded the first match of the games to Ecuador). With this World Cup FIFA, the football governing body pledged to ensure that Qatar 2022 would be the first carbon neutral World Cup, aiming to make their sector alongside others more sustainable. Another positive outcome will see female referees officiating matches for the first time in World Cup history. Olé!

BARBOUR X AND WANDER DESIGN FOR THE OUTDOORS

Barbour, the British label famous for their wax cotton jackets and Japanese outdoor wear designers And Wander have curated a collection for expeditors with a bit of wanderlust and the outdoors. When two brands whose core design aesthetics and ideas focus on the outdoors, style and performance wear, you know we’re all decked out for Autumn and Winter. 

TRUMP TAKES ON TWITTER AGAIN (THANKS TO ELON MUSK)

As if Elon Musk’s twitter wasn’t already burning down from the inside out, tech mogul and Tesla CEO added fuel to the already uncontrollable wildfire that is Twitter by reinstating former President of the United States Donald Trump’s account. After Elon set to revamp his Twitter and create a new era by firing several thousand employees overnight, and introducing blue check subscriptions, the app has seen a decline in popularity, with even Balenciaga deleting their account. After the account was deleted after the Capitol riots on January 6th due to the “incitement of violence”, Musk held a poll on Twitter which saw a slim majority vote to unban the business mogul. With all of his old tweets present again and his last declaration stating that he was refusing to attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration as well as his 80 million followers awaiting his return, Trump has yet to break his silence and make his not-so triumphant return. 

HELINOX X OFF-WHITE WILL HAVE YOUR INTERIORS EQUIPPED IN STYLE

Off-White and Korean portable furniture design brand, Helinox, have come together to create a 12-set collection entitled ‘EQUIPMENT’. The luxury collection will include homeware, garments, accessories and many more, uplifting the interior architecture and home aesthetics. With artistic references pulled from both brand’s identities and principals external ideas and references were made with collaboration. Even citing influence from the Garden of Eden with the proverbial fig leaf from Adam and Eve’s biblical story, this collaboration appears to be extremely calculated and design driven in nature. 

GIVENCHY AND (b).STROY GIVE US A STREETWEAR CAPSULE AND NTFS

Matthew M. Williams Creative Director of Givenchy and New York-based underground label (b).stroy’s co-founders Brick Owens and Dieter “Du” Grams take tech and style to give us a cultivated  fashion-meets-Web3 collaboration. This Spring-Summer 2023 streetwear capsule creates a fusion and synthesis of both brands’ aesthetics and the backgrounds of the designers. In tune with kaleidoscopic and visual experiments the clothing features essential t-shirts, hoodies, jeans, varsity jackets, statement bags and footwear. Fans of both brands will experience nostalgia and excitement as new and old references are and special pieces will coincide with limited-edition Givenchy x (b).Stroy NFTs created by  FELT Zine. With the collections release on the 4th and the NFT drop on the 19th streetwear and NFT fanatics will be well-equipped just in time for Christmas. 

KENZO HAS BOKE FLOWER POWER

‘Tis the season at Kenzo as they display their holiday collection. Featuring season appropriate knitwear, cardigans, puffer jackets, bags,, varsity jackets and more accessories with festive inspired colour schemes throughout. The Boke flower seems to be a recurring theme throughout, a popular motif alongside the notable Kenzo tiger. Turning over a new leaf (or petal), NIGO presents a shiny new campaign for this collection. Inspired both by streetwear and the  campaign movies in the ‘80s, the collection promotes coolness and zesty fun in the typical familial holiday spirit. Available now at all Kenzo stores, we’d grab a piece while you can!

FOCUSING THE LENS ON “STEVEN MEISEL 1993 A YEAR IN PHOTOGRAPHS”

Renowned fashion photographer Steven Meisel opened the doors to his exhibition  at Muelle de la Batería in A Coruña, Spain. Hosted by Marta Ortega Pérez and her eponymous foundation, and attended by Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Irina Shayk, Karlie Kloss and many many more this exhibition was an homage to a much loved face in fashion. Having driven and uplifted the careers of many of the most notable supermodels in the 90’s, on that night Meisel himself was the much deserved focus of attention. 

OVER’WATCH’ OUT FOR  MARC JACQUES BURTON’S NEWEST COLLAB 

Better watch out! Marc Jacques Burton’s Overwatch 2 collaboration is now available in Selfridges throughout the UK. The campaign for the collection headlines famous faces like Giggs, Wallis Day, and Hope Ikpoku Jnr from ‘Top Boy’ advertising the new line, as well as a performance from South London rapper and singer Darkoo. With psychovisual aesthetics and Marc Jacques Burton well-known aesthetic, the collection marks a new go-to for musicians and performers alike.

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