Fashion News Alert: Victoria Beckham Combines Brands, Harlem Fashion Row announces “Close the Gap” winners, and Telfar Clemons Designs Olympic Opening Ceremony Uniforms for Liberia

Image courtesy of teenvogue.com

The Tokyo Olympics are less than a month away and already the fashion pundits are lining up to review Opening Ceremony uniforms. What most industry professionals have access to is previews of the Opening Ceremony uniforms. And to that respect Liberia’s Opening Ceremony uniforms is one of the first countries giving a sneak preview.

Telfar Clemons, who is designing the Liberian Opening Ceremony uniforms, released a preview of his designs via Instagram. The image on Instagram show a blue and white design referencing Telfar’s unisex one-shouldered tank. 

The partnership with Clemons came due to Liberian Olympic sprinter Emmanuel Matadi’s familiarity with Clemons due to his girlfriend being a fan of Clemons’ handbags. Matadi approached the Liberian attaché, Kouty Mawenh, about a possible collaboration.

When asked about his designs for the Liberian team, Clemons told the New York Times, “It’s all things you can’t find. They said, ‘Go crazy.’ So, I did.”

Though Clemons had never designed activewear before, he was excited about this opportunity. The uniforms are currently being tested and adjusted to meet performance requirements. Fans of the activewear will be able to purchase selections from the Opening Ceremony uniforms in September as a part of Telfar Clemons wider workout and sportswear line.

The Tokyo Olympics begin with Opening Ceremonies on July 23, 201.

Images courtesy of runwaymagazine.com

Victoria Beckham changes direction

When Victoria Beckham revealed her new pre-spring 2022 fashion collection, there was an obvious adjustment. Like many British fashion brands, Beckham has combined her two fashion brands—Victoria by Victoria Beckham and Victoria Beckham—into one signature brand. Additionally, Beckham has adjusted her brands’ price points.

Beckham seeks to return her brand to a positive financial position after being in the red for several seasons. Though celebrated for her sophisticated, fashion-forward collections, Beckham has struggled to turn the positive reviews about her collection into positive retail sales.

All that is looking to change with some restructuring. French luxury vehicle, NEO Investment Partner, is coming on board as an investment partner and their will be shift in direction with new CEO Marie Leblanc de Reynies and Chairman Ralph Toledano.

“We think of it as this as a rebirth. We are very excited about this collection as we have put Victoria by Victoria Beckham and Victoria Beckham into one cohesive collection, with a more accessible entry price point. To me this is a sweet spot,” explained Beckham, as reported in fashionnetwork.com.

Instead of the eight fashion collections that Beckham produced early year, the brand will scale back to just four collections. Beckham will also reduce the cost on her signature collection, which will be midway between Victoria Beckham and Victoria by Victoria Beckham’s price points.

“Before I struggled to know where [I] would go for affordable luxury for designer clothe—so we see this as a sweet spot. Plus, people constantly compliment us on the execution of the garments, which is great,” Beckham concedes.

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

Fashion scholarships for HBCUs

The Gap and Harlem Fashion Row announced the winners of its “Close the Gap” scholarships, which is awarded to historically black universities and colleges (HBCU). The pool of scholarships amounts to over $510,000 dollars this year, making it the largest fashion scholarship ever presented to an HBCU by a fashion retailer.

The aim of the “Close the Gap” scholarship is to give educational opportunities to the next generation of black fashion industry professionals. The award recipients include two scholarships of $100,000 to North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T; Five scholarships of $50,000 to Delaware State University, Howard University, Bowie State University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Tennessee State University; and three scholarships of $20,000 to the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Clark Atlanta University and Norfolk State University.

“It is a great honor for us to partner with a global leader in the fashion world to kick off the inaugural awards ceremony that will turn into a yearly event,” said Brandice Daniel, founder and CEO of Harlem’s Fashion Row. “We are coming together as one to not only address pipeline issues of diversity and inclusion in the industry but also to help give them tools and guidance the next generation needs to take the fashion industry to new heights.”

—William S. Gooch