THIS WEEK IN FASHION: 11/10

FASHION
by Chidozie Obasi

From Gucci’s latest wobble to Hailey Bieber’s ‘grammatically incorrect’ gown, here’s your week at glance reported by INDIE. You’re welcome.

THE INTERNET SAID ‘JELL-NO’ TO GUCCI

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@Gucci has been known to bring in under-the-radar creatives to collaborate with. The high-profile exposure and subsequent opportunities that come with working with an international luxury brand at the cusp of creative and commercial success have propelled many careers. The dreamy female gaze of photographer @petrafcollins , @unskilledworker 's paintings, @troubleandrew 's graffiti drawings… the list goes on. Gucci even gave us our first break in 2017 when we did a takeover for their Instagram stories. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Another such project was seemingly underway with Canadian artist Sharona Franklin (@star_seeded ), a disabled artist with multiple diagnoses who creates her gelatin artworks seen on @paid.technologies as a way of subverting domestic alienation of disabled women. Franklin was in talks in May with Gucci and their creative team at Simmonds LTD to contribute to their Resort 20 campaign. An NDA was signed and calls were conducted about her process and the logistics of the shoot, which was to take place in Rome, only to end up with Franklin being ghosted for two weeks. After multiple follow ups, she was finally told that due to budget cuts, Gucci looking for someone else in Europe to execute the work. 9 days ago, teaser images from the campaign dropped, featuring gelatin desserts supposedly attributed to set designer @davidjameswhite_ , who has since deleted his posts. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Jelly desserts aren't uncommon fare online… nightmarish images of 60s salad creations still circulate Pinterest and curated Instagram feeds, and Franklin herself was recently included in a NYT roundup of other artists working in the medium. It’s the inclusion of non-food items and foods chosen more for their aesthetics than flavor that bear too many similarities to Franklin’s work, of which the images depict the jellies as objects of marvel and are photographic works themselves. Apparently, the word that's circulating internally at the company is that she was to be hired as a "set assistant", which fails to make any sense as any local food or prop stylist could've been hired without the song & dance courtship. • #gucci #sharonafranklin #gelatin #dietprada

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Last week was by no means the first time Gucci landed itself in hot water, nor, we suppose, will it be the last, but when the house shared the teaser for its 2020 Cruise collection, social media went wild. The campaign featured intricate jelly art, that looked incredibly similar to the work of Vancouver-based artist and disabled activist Sharona Franklin. Following an onslaught of internet speculation, Franklin revealed last week that she was originally hired by Gucci for the Cruise 2020 campaign—but then ‘ghosted’ (as @dietprada put it) by the brand, who was apparently unable to fly her from Canada to Rome for the shoot. Instead, Gucci attempted to profit from an emerging and marginalised artist without any given credit. The brand claim they were in conversation with various gelatin artists for this project, however the similarities between Franklin’s work and the end result are near on impossible to refute. 

VIRGIL ABLOH ALMOST MADE A BRIDAL BLUNDER

A week on from Justin and Hailey Bieber’s wedding celebrations, which took place at Montage Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina, Mrs Bieber decided to share photographs of her gown—an Off-White creation designed by Virgil Abloh. The bride opted for a figure-hugging, backless fishtail number, bedecked by an off-the-shoulder neckline, long sleeves and pearled adornments. Black and white wedding photographs shared by the bride on Instagram offer a closer gaze at the fine details of the gown, including floral lace sleeves decorated with pearls and the deep scoop at the back. But the seizing detail was a cathedral-length veil, hem-embroidered with the words “till death do us part”, which caught the attention of grammar nerds the world over, who took to social media to debate the usage of the word “till”. But Vogue‘s Steff Yota, and Merriam Webster’s senior editor Emily Brewster set the record straight. In fact till is its own word, and came before ’til. As such, Abloh redeemed himself.

FARFETCH GOT THRIFTY

Perhaps the most uplifting fashion news of last week came as luxury e-platform Farfetch announced its partnership with on-demand donation service Thrift+, setting up a bid that urges unquenchable shoppers to donate their pre-loved items and support circular fashion.

Customers will be able to give, while gaining something for themselves, too. Thrift+ is an online donation service that seeks to bring the charity shop experience online. The partnership will allow customers to donate pre-loved items easily—and let Thrift+ do the work in selling them. The money raised is then split into three—with a third going to the customer’s chosen charity and a third coming back to the customer as Farfetch credit (the final third aids with service’s running costs.)

The collaboration symbolises a “circular fashion methodology”, strictly sustainable (potential apparel re-usage and eco-friendly practices implicated). Initiatives of such kind will aid in a downfall of global waste, as apparel’s one of the leading industries that capitalises in garment-making for millions of consumers.

RIRI PUT THE ‘LIT’ IN LITERATURE

This week, Vogue revealed Rihanna as their cover star, and though her interviewer prepared no questions to ask the good girl gone bad (yep, you read that right), it was revealed that while she’s too busy to make an album, but she’s found time to make a book. The unapologetic tycoon used an Instagram video montage on Monday to disclose the forthcoming release of Rihanna, a visual autobiography she revealed has been over five years in the making.

Published by Phaidon, Rihanna’s memoir includes exclusive imagery, sharing her trajectory from Barbados to world-known trailblazer. Furthermore, it’ll include various iconic momentums as well as intimate kinds. Described by Rihanna as “my first piece of art in a new industry”, the megastar’s work will be available for purchase in three limited editions: Rihanna: Fenty x Phaidon Edition, Rihanna: Luxury Supreme, and Rihanna, Ultra Luxury Supreme. 

Rihanna is available to pre-order now and will ship October 24th. 

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