Amfitheatrof by the Book, Gigi’s Capsule, Tommy Celebrates With SZA – WWD

SHOW AND TELL: Louis Vuitton’s artistic director for watches and jewelry Francesca Amfitheatrof says a good book on jewelry is less about the glittering creations themselves as it is “the person behind the story you always want to know about.”

“Francesca Amfitheatrof: Fantastical Jewels,” scheduled to be published by Rizzoli on Sept. 19, sets out to give a closer look at who is behind the high jewelry creations for the French luxury house.

The 264-page tome peers into the artistic director’s notebooks or at her desk, eyes her sketches and inspirations, and leafs through the notes that led to the creation of the first four collections she designed for Louis Vuitton since her 2018 nomination as artistic director for watches and jewelry.

But it was also an opportunity to “stop, look back and see how much we’ve achieved” in a division that “didn’t really exist five years ago,” Amfitheatrof said.

That’s why she kept the book’s scope at four collections, eschewing the addition of this year’s Deep Time designs as she “wanted to give space to the enormous scope of inspiration and the kind of craft and hands-on method” she prefers.

Amfitheatrof had been kicking around the idea of a book for some time but she “didn’t want to do a gloss, beautiful, classic high jewelry book,” a genre she found “stunning but at times a little cold or impersonal,” she told WWD.  

So don’t expect a chronological recounting of the process, either.

Chapters jump between 2018 and 2021, an approach that feels fitting for a designer who is “not simply a master jeweler” but “an alchemist and an adventuress,” as Cate Blanchett writes in the book’s foreword.

The actress, who served as the face of the Spirit collection, has been wearing Amfitheatrof’s designs since her Tiffany & Co. tenure highlighted the way “each piece moves with the body, inviting you to cocreate a narrative which seems to have been designed exclusively for you.”

Designs from the Spirit, Riders of the Knights, Stellar Times and Bravery collections as well as the proprietary LV Cut Star Monogram diamond shape are explored through a wealth of visual material and the words of Stefania Amfitheatrof, the designer’s sister and a writer specialized in luxury and branding who has been writing the collections’ notes.

The coffee-table book will be released exclusively in English and be priced at $115 or 90 pounds. — LILY TEMPLETON

HADID’S CAPSULE: Gigi Hadid’s cashmere brand Guest in Residence plans to launch a limited edition capsule collection with LuisaViaRoma, WWD has learned.

Expected to encompass extra-fine rib knit cardigans with fluid bell sleeves, one-shoulder jersey tops and lightweight skirts, among other items, the range of exclusive styles and colors will drop at the retailer’s flagship store in Florence and online platform on Sept. 22, alongside the label’s main fall 2023 collection.

On the eve of the launch, Hadid and LuisaViaRoma will fete their collaboration with an intimate dinner at the storied Il Baretto al Baglioni location in Milan, which is expected to see the model’s fashion inner circle in attendance.

To wit, Hadid defined Milan Fashion Week “the perfect occasion to celebrate this collaboration surrounded by people who inspire me.”

Meanwhile, the LuisaViaRoma Florentine store will dedicate to the tie-up two installations — one this month and one to be staged in November — as well as multiple activations off- and online.

Founder and creative director of the brand, Hadid officially launched the fashion label in September last year, after having teased the project on social media with behind-the-scenes images of the design process, which sparked instant internet buzz at the time. 

Earlier this year, Guest in Residence released an exclusive co-branded capsule with The Snow Lodge, the sister property of The Surf Lodge, located at the St. Regis in Aspen. It consisted of three 100 percent cashmere styles, including an oversize hoodie and true crew, and boasted a co-branded logo.

As reported, this launch followed two interactive “Feel Shop” pop-up stores that opened in New York City and Aspen for the holiday season. Both locations featured a schedule of interactive activations, including pottery classes; shop-and-sip events; hand-embroidery services on products; gift wrapping and specialty floral arrangements, in addition to a meet-and-greet with Hadid.

To round out the activations, specialty Guest in Residence holiday windows were also unveiled at Antonia in Milan at the time.

While this is Hadid’s first clothing brand, she has been in the fashion world virtually her whole life, starting her modeling career as a toddler, when she appeared in a campaign at the age of two. She ultimately signed with IMG in 2011 and made her New York Fashion Week debut in 2014. Ever since, she has become one of today’s biggest models, working with all the major design houses and fronting advertising campaigns for brands of the likes of Miu Miu, Versace, Jacquemus, Hugo Boss and Self-Portrait, to name a few.

Hadid made a foray into design by collaborating with brands including Frankies Bikinis, Reebok, Stuart Weitzman and Tommy Hilfiger. In particular, her tie-up with Hilfiger marked the first time a celebrity codesigned a collection and shared the label with the American designer. — SANDRA SALIBIAN

TOMMY AND SZA: It was a mob scene Sunday afternoon at Maxwell Tribeca, where Tommy Hilfiger and SZA, the Grammy winner and multiplatinum artist, cohosted a brunch for influencers. The event celebrated SZA’s appearance in Hilfiger’s fall ad campaign, where she poses alongside her family and loved ones.

“I’m super blessed. Tommy’s an icon and was a staple in my childhood, and it was an honor to be involved with him,” SZA said. She added she was “nervous” to appear in the campaign, but her mom and dad were there and she enjoyed it.

Asked if she wears Hilfiger’s clothes while she’s on tour, SZA said, “I love the tube top but I’m afraid my boobs would fall out. I do wear the overalls.”

In a campaign that celebrates the themes of belonging and togetherness, SZA posed with her friends and family in Beverly Hills wearing classic American denim. Others featured in Hilfiger’s fall campaign are Quincy Jones, Paloma Elsesser, Amber Valletta, and Devon and Steve Aoki — who were all photographed alongside their families and friends.

At the party, Hilfiger and the 33-year-old SZA mixed and mingled with rising stars from the worlds of fashion, art, music, entertainment and sport. Guests were served a cuisine by DeVonn Francis and signature cocktails while dancing to sets by DJ JadabOo.

Attendees dressed in Tommy Hilfiger included Grier Hammond Henchy, Babyface, Aoki and Ming Lee Simmons, Brooks Nader, Jordyn Woods, La La Anthony, Halima Aden, GloRilla, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Antonia Gentry, Madelyn Cline and Jasmine Tookes.

Karrueche Tran, a model and actress who was modeling one of Hilfiger’s looks, said she was attending New York Fashion Week for the first time and would be presenting at the MTV VMAs on Tuesday. In addition to Hilfiger, she said several designers have been styling her, and she’s attended such shows as Dion Lee and LaPointe, and was headed that evening to Area. — LISA LOCKWOOD

FAST VAYDER: The new, denim-focused men’s brand Vayder isn’t wasting any time with its international rollout. Vayder’s fall 2023 debut collection has just landed at Selfridges in London, and the brand will also be sold at Harrods, Holt Renfrew and Saks, in addition to the brand’s new e-commerce site.  

Vayder’s denim and rtw collections have a polished, vintage feel and draw inspiration from the ’80s and ’90s, according to its four founders: Jon Geller, Adam McCowan, Jeffrey Azoff and Shawn Holiday.

Geller, a fashion industry professional, and McCowan a designer, had collaborated on men’s collections before, at brands including Paige Denim. They tapped two entertainment executive friends, Azoff and Holiday, who in the past have managed the likes of Harry Styles, Cardi B and the Eagles, to create the collection.

Geller and McCowan said their inspirations are drawn from music, art, design and sports, with references that range from “an athlete’s style on and off the court, to the precision engineering of a sports car, to the endless creativity of an artist, or the attention to detail in fine tailoring.”

Going forward, they said Vayder’s mission will be “to support and engage with communities that empower creativity and eclectic culture.”

The brand’s art director is the photographer Michael Muller, who works across fashion and the film industry.

The collection features Italian-made denim and hardware, as well as hand-cut leather. The denim ranges in price from $355 to $575, while the rtw runs from $355 to $2,000.

Geller said he was keen for the brand to be stocked at Selfridges “because they believed in our brand and vision from the onset. That vision absolutely aligns with Selfridges’ mission to power imagination and the creative spirit.”

Selfridges will reveal the debut collection in the windows of its Oxford Street flagship on Sept. 21. Geller added that Vayder is also the first brand to use the Selfridges-owned DeLorean as part of an in-store display. — SAMANTHA CONTI

EXPANSION DEAL: Italian eyewear manufacturer Marcolin and German luxury fashion house MCM have signed an exclusive license agreement for the design, production and worldwide distribution of the brand’s eyewear until Dec. 31, 2028. 

The first sunglasses and optical collections produced by Marcolin will hit selected stores starting in January.

This step fits in the brand’s new strategic direction of MCM Global AG’s president Sabine Brunner, as reported in June.

The main focus is to reposition MCM as a digitally driven luxury brand through a new image and products that revitalize its heritage codes — tracing back to 1976 — as well as expand into a full-fledged offering of accessories, ready-to-wear and lifestyle. The goal is to further serve and engage both the brand’s existing customer base and what Brunner described as the “Digital Nomads,” the Gen Z and Millennial consumers MCM has been increasingly attracting.

To this end, Tina Lutz and Katie Chung have been appointed to lead and develop the new global design and creative direction, enhancing the brand’s signature codes and making them resonate with today’s market demands. 

Recently MCM chose supermodel Cindy Crawford to front its latest campaign. The model first posed for an MCM campaign in 1996, lensed by Herb Ritts. 

Marcolin was founded in 1961 and is based in Longarone, Italy’s Veneto district. It distributes its products in more than 125 countries and its portfolio includes 20 licensed brands such as Tom Ford, Max Mara and Zegna. — ANDREA ONATE