Jonathan Anderson Wins Designer of the Year and LVMH Invests in Scandinavian Label Db in This Week’s Top Fashion News

by

As a seasoned fashion enthusiast and trend forecaster with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the color choices for 2025 are truly intriguing! The Pantone Color of the Year, “Mocha Mousse,” is a delightful choice that resonates with me on several levels.

This week saw pioneering personalities being recognized by the British Fashion Council, fresh collaborations emerged between brands, and established partnerships were strengthened. The fashion world is now eagerly anticipating the upcoming year.

At this year’s British Fashion Council awards, Jonathan Anderson won the top honor, sparking much conversation. In other fashion news, labels are expanding into new areas: LVMH is investing in luggage production, while Kim Kardashian introduced a collaboration with The North Face for her SKIMS line. Similar moves were seen as Palace teamed up again with UGG for a winter collection and le PÈRE announced plans to open a boutique in sunny Los Angeles. Balenciaga debuted its Fall 2025 collection through a leaked campaign, featuring a new Lamborghini collaboration. Finally, Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2025 was revealed: a warm and inviting “Mocha Mousse” brown.

In this section, we have compiled the most notable fashion news items from the past week, keeping you well-informed about the latest happenings and trends within the fashion world.

Jonathan Anderson Named 2024 Designer of the Year

At the 2024 Fashion Awards hosted by The British Fashion Council (BFC), the prestigious Designer of the Year award was given to Jonathan Anderson, who is known for his work at LOEWE and JW Anderson. Other nominees included Chemena Kamali for Chloé, John Galliano for Maison Margiela, Miuccia Prada for Miu Miu, Pieter Mulier for Alaïa, and Rick Owens for Rick Owens.

At London’s illustrious Royal Albert Hall, the event was brimming with notable figures such as Rihanna, Rita Ora, and the talented duo Chloe x Halle, all gracing the stage together for the crowd’s delight. Among those who shone brightly were A$AP Rocky, who was honored with the 2024 Cultural Innovator Award, and Alex Consani, making history as the inaugural trans woman to receive the Model of the Year accolade.

LVMH’s Luxury Ventures Fund Acquires Stake In Scandinavian Luggage Brand Db

As a thrilled fan, I’m excited to share that I recently learned about LVMH’s Luxury Ventures Fund (LLV) investing in Scandinavian luggage brand Db for the first time in Norway. This announcement follows their similar investment in Our Legacy, a premium Swedish apparel label. Richard Collier, CEO of Db, shared with TopMob that this is the first significant funding round for Db. He further explained that this investment will empower Db to speed up its global expansion, focusing on increasing brand visibility through strategic partnerships, strengthening its presence in North European markets, and boosting growth in the US and Asia.

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve discovered Db, a brand established in 2012 by visionaries Truls Brataas and Jon Olsson. What sets Db apart is their compact collection of backpacks, duffels, and totes, all labeled as “minimalist” masterpieces. These designs effortlessly transition from urban living to thrilling outdoor excursions, making them perfect for my versatile lifestyle.

SKIMS Takes the Slopes With Solutions-Oriented The North Face Collaboration

For the very first time, stepping into cold-weather fashion, Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS has teamed up with The North Face on a partnership. They’re revamping some classic designs from The North Face’s historical collection, using their signature figure-flattering fits and muted color schemes. “This collaboration represents our initial venture into winter clothing, and working with The North Face gave us the opportunity to utilize their knowledge in this field,” said Kardashian. “The line offers practical and attractive garments tailored for the season,” she noted.

This exclusive line combines SKIMS’ renowned shape-enhancing and supportive innerwear with The North Face’s high-performance outer garments. You’ll find a variety of items such as a down jacket, fleece jacket, one-piece down suit, waterproof shell pants, an adaptive bodysuit, DotKnit top and bottom. Completing the collection are accessories like beanies, gloves, and insulated slippers.

le PÈRE To Open Los Angeles Flagship Store

Based on WWD reports, the menswear label le Père, based in New York, is set to debut a new store in Los Angeles, California. This emerging brand, which has been active for approximately two years, will be located in the West Hollywood area at 8507 Melrose Avenue. The store, designed by the brand’s frequent collaborators at Bond Architecture, aims to maintain a retail-cum-event-space philosophy similar to its New York City counterpart. Drawing inspiration from traditional SoCal aesthetics, the venue features a primarily wooden exterior and tiered seating reminiscent of bleachers. le Père’s Los Angeles store is scheduled to open on Tuesday, December 3.

Abhi Janamanchi, the brand director at le PÈRE, clarified their reason for opening an LA branch: “Given the consistent success of our artist events here in New York, many people have been asking, ‘Since you have a wide network of artists and there are so many musicians based in Los Angeles, will you ever expand to that area?’

Balenciaga Fall 2025 Breaks the Fourth Wall With Imagery Straight Out of Demna’s Phone

For Fall 2025, Balenciaga’s main designer Demna unveiled visuals that were initially leaked on his personal Instagram, featuring images adorned with distinctive Balenciaga watermarks. With its roots in “everyday casual wear,” the collection showcases a range from simple to extravagant, transforming essential pieces like t-shirts into high-profile merchandise displaying famous figures such as Kim Kardashian and Michelle Yeoh, while also offering elegant touches with a flowy maxi t-shirt dress and a fitted white tee mini-dress.

The latest collaboration between Lamborghini and Balenciaga has been introduced, kicking off with a standard graphic t-shirt, branded with the 2025 Lamborghini Huracán Temerario design. The collection showcases unique elements such as a driver’s manual-inspired clutch and car key fob accessories, which reflect Demna’s imaginative style. The line continues to explore everyday themes through self-referential CEO and CMO sweater designs, Balenciaga uniform items like tracksuits, reversible parkas, nylon jackets in MA-1 style, surplus-style knitwear, poplin corporate shirts, and more.

In this collection, Balenciaga x Scholl’s open-toe sole sandals and orthopedic stilettos make a striking impact, contrasting with the oversized, reversed handbags. Meanwhile, the outerwear has been creatively reimagined as dramatic scarves, adding to the already voluminous ensembles.

Palace and UGG’s Third Collaboration Exudes Embroidered Elegance

In their third joint project, the London skate brand Palace transforms the classic shapes of UGG into innovative, expressive designs, encompassing footwear, accessories, and clothing for a ready-to-wear collection.

Distinctive footwear selections include the UGG Palace Tasman Mule and the UGG Palace Ultra Mini, artfully designed with elaborate embroidery showcasing tiger and mountain motifs on camouflage backgrounds. The collaborators also introduced the UGG Palace Jacket, skillfully made from soft suede and lined with luxurious shearling. Embroidered motifs are found on the jacket’s arms, as well as exposed shearling trims and the distinctive Palace logo on its back. The collection concludes with the UGG Palace Bucket Hat and UGG Palace Tote Bag, both featuring the same suede and shearling fabric as the jacket.

The collaboration between UGG and Palace is due to hit selected Palace stores and their online platform across North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East on the 6th of December. Following this, the collection will be accessible in Japan and Korea a day later, and at a single-day event at UGG’s Shanghai store as well.

Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year is “Mocha Mousse”

For the year 2025, the much-awaited Pantone Color of the Year is a “straightforward” and “soothing” brown shade called “Mocha Mousse.” This widely utilized color-matching system selects a striking color to anticipate the upcoming year by considering trends from design pioneers and cultural influences. Throughout 2024, iterations of “Mocha Mousse” were prevalent in numerous SS25 collections from Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Miu Miu, among others. Notably, Vice President Kamala Harris wore a rendition of this color in a coordinated two-piece outfit at the 2024 DNC prior to the US presidential elections, often recognized as the “Tan Suit.

The color, as Pantone describes it, is a “comforting, warm brown” that blends harmoniously between minimalist elegance and opulent luxury, reminiscent of earthy tones like clay and the richness of human skin shades. Its culinary associations are hard to miss – it evokes thoughts of luxurious coffee-flavored desserts. Overall, this color evokes a sense of comfortable warmth, aptly represented by ERL’s California Shearling Coat in “Natural Brown” depicted here.

Read More

2024-12-07 01:56