Image courtesy of TIME
In this year of change history continues to be made, particularly in the fashion industry. First, there was the appointment of CaSandra Diggs as the first black president of the CFDA. And now British Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful has acquired a cover on TIME magazine. This makes Enninful the first black fashion magazine editor on the cover of TIME. To that effect, TIME named Enninful “the most influential black man on the fashion landscape.”
Edward Enninful is the first person of color to helm British Vogue. And since taking over the reins of British Vogue Enninful has had 12 women of color on the cover of the esteemed fashion magazine.
“I wanted to reflect what I saw here growing up [in London], to show the world as this incredibly rich, cultured place. I wanted every woman to be able to find themselves in the magazine,” he said in an article in fashionweekdaily.com.
“I was always othered … you know, gay, working-class, black. So, for me it was very important with Vogue to normalize the marginalized, because if you don’t see it, you don’t think it’s normal.”
Image courtesy of zimbio.com
A distressed Philipp Plein
COVID-19 strikes again!! Philipp Plein has been forced to downsize his eponymous fashion brand due to diminishing revenue attributed to the COVID19 pandemic lockdown.
Founded in 1999, Philipp Plein was one of the most popular new European luxury brands. A go-to brand for hip-hop artists and millennial luxury consumers, Plein’s fashion shows had become one of the most coveted fashion shows in Europe and the US.
With the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown hitting luxury brands hard, Plein has had to layoff 200 employees and close his luxury headquarters in Milan. Plein will maintain his two stores in Milan while keeping his home base is Lugano, Switzerland.
Plein launched his first fragrance in early 2020 but shut down his sportswear line in 2019. Like many designers, Plein will introduce his spring 2021 collection via livestreamed video.
Balmain spring 2020 image courtesy of Peter White/Getty Images
Some designers/brands opt out of Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week will occur this season on schedule. Still, there is some controversy and trouble brewing for one of the most esteemed fashion weeks on the global fashion calendar.
Paris Fashion Week’s spring 2021 season is scheduled for September 28 through October 6. However, due to rising COVID-19 infections in France and in Europe overall, many fashion designers/brands are opting out of showing at Paris Fashion Week. Additionally, many fashion industry professionals are also not attending with many fashion events cancelling as well.
Plaza Athénée and Le Meurice, both Parisian luxury hotels, are down in hotel bookings from their usual 1,250 bookings to about 250 bookings. Italian distributors, which usually attend Paris Week, are also opting out.
“Our office on the Champs Elysées remains closed. We will stay in Milan to avoid unnecessary risks, and also a likely quarantine, a prospect that has been floated insistently in the last few days,” said the owner of the Studio Zeta showroom, Mauro Callegari, speaking to MF Fashion, as reported in fashionnetwork.com.
“We won’t travel to Paris because, apart from a few European buyers, no one will go there. And Paris is prohibitively expensive,” said Riccardo Grassi, of the eponymous showroom. “We had everything set up to showcase 15 collections at our Paris offices, but our clients themselves are now telling us they won’t go to Paris, to avoid taking risks,” Daniele Ghiselli also explained in MF Fashion.
For those Parisian showrooms that will remain opened during Paris Fashion Week, most will operate on a very limited schedule, allowing online appointments, and limiting their in-person appointments.
William S. Gooch
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