Giorgio Armani: “We all need to step up”

Mr. Armani, you once described your forties as just the beginning — the moment when you start to become aware. How would you now describe your eighties?

My eighties are the moment of intense liveliness, of complete dedication to a business that’s become a lifestyle, and the time in which I am finally trying to find a balance with leisure. Work comes first, still. Over the course of my life, I have sacrificed love, private life, and time for me, all on the altar of work. But I have also created an empire that is important for so many. I care deeply for all my employees. Although, the older I get, the more I feel regret for things I have not done, places I have not seen, loves I have not cherished… But I erase those feelings by working a bit harder. It’s an endless path of improvement.

The Italian Streetwear

When we are talking about fashion the first thing on our mind is Italy. This may be because Italy is THE FASHION country. Almost every fashion designer comes from Italy making this country the birthplace of modern fashion. Now we are about to show you the Italian streetwear of 2020.

The street culture in Italy is a bit different from the rest of the world. It differs with the fact that this style of fashion in Italy more or less resembles high fashion rather than skate culture.

Fabulous Collabs

Collaborations have recently blown up in the industry being more and more in demand. Each collection of collaborations is an exclusive limited edition making them extremely pricey, especially because most collabs are between high fashion brands like Louis Vuitton, Off White, Vandalized, Nike and many more of this class. Here are some of the most demanded collaborations made recently:

NIKE x OFF WHITE

Since it’s creation Off White have been working with Nike and to this day there is a new Nike x Off White collection every year. Their most demanded product is undeniably the Air Force One modded by off white numerous times with thousands of variations of this model.

PUMA

Solebox x PUMA Clyde
Solebox collaborated on the Clyde to bring you a clean shoe with a reptile formstripe.

Puma has always been open for collaborations making one of their most iconic models the suede a test subject to all these brands wanting to share a design with them.

They have some obscure models among all these collabs but this is not all they’ve got. They also have some stylish suggestions that can catch the eye of good taste: the

PUMA x Karl Lagerfeld are one such example.

SUPREME

Supreme is a brand that is famous for it’s controversial design language. This time they may have decided to take things one step too far. Or have they?

The notorious Supreme x Louis Vuitton hoodie. Famous with rappers, hypebeasts and other people that like to take things one extra step in fashion. Love it or hate it you’ve got to admit that it is iconic!

The Artist Is Absent: A Short Film On Martin Margiela | by YOOX Group

The exclusive documentary produced by YOOX Group and directed by New York filmmaker Alison Chernick. The film, selected for the 2015 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival reveals the true face of the enigmatic Belgian designer who appears here as never before.

Dries Van Noten: “I want to show reality”

Name: Dries Van Noten
DOB: 12 May 1958
Place of birth: Antwerp, Belgium
Occupation: Fashion Designer

Mr. Van Noten, when your father retired, he preferred to close his company rather than sell it. Can you imagine your eponymous fashion label going on without you?

I hope that my company could live without me because I have the responsibility for people who work with us – those in the company in Antwerp and those who produce our clothes, who print our fabrics, who embroider. We have nearly three thousand people in India who embroider all our things by hand. It would be a pity if the moment I say, “I’ve had it, I’m stopping,” all those people would be kind of unemployed. And especially the knowledge that we have tried to keep alive in small villages in India or a small mill in Cornwall that’s still doing hand-woven fabrics. So, I really hope it’s possible and I’m convinced that we’re structuring things so that if something would happen, the company can live without me. As a responsible fashion designer, you have to work like that, I think. It would be a bit selfish to say, “It can be only me who can make this survive.”

Miuccia Prada Talks Fashion & Poiltics With La Repubblica

Miuccia Prada rarely sits for interviews, but she made an exception for La Repubblica.The fashion designer chat very candidly with the Italian newspaper on fashion and politics, and we have all the deets. Miz Prada touched everything about luxury brands leaving Italy, designers brushing off Italy and the Italian Press and politicians not taking fashion seriously.

Kris Van Assche: “You swim in order not to drown”

Mr. Van Assche, as the creative director for Dior Homme you deal with beauty all the time. Do you remember the first time you recognized beauty?

No, but I do know that as a child beauty was a big part of my upbringing because my grandmother was a real aesthete and I used to be really close to her. When I was a kid she was making her own clothes and at one point started making clothes for me, so it was already a big part of it when I was like 10 or 12 years old.

What does beauty mean to you?

I don’t really differentiate beauty according to where it comes from. Making a nice table for a nice dinner is nicer than just eating food out of a plastic plate. It’s always been about that little extra effort that makes all the difference. And I think that’s true in all aspects of life.

Vogue Voices: Tom Ford

Stella McCartney ~ Vogue Voices

Sir Paul Smith: “I’m happy to talk to anybody”

Photo by Bloomberg via Getty Images

Mr. Smith, I’ve heard that you play music in your office every morning from 6 until 8 before everyone else shows up. What did you listen to today?

This morning I was listening to a little English singer called Jake Bugg, who sounds a bit like a young Bob Dylan. He’s actually from my hometown Nottingham, so I know him and he’s a very nice lad. I love my two hours of peace in the morning. It’s heaven.

How do you pick what music to listen to?

It completely depends on my mood and how late I got to bed or what type of day I’ve got ahead of me.

Vogue Voices ~ Alexander Wang

From Supermodel to Designer: Yliana Yepez Dishes on Her Handbag Line

Designer, wife, and mother of five, Parisian born Venezuelan Yliana Yepez, has had a life full of runway shows, diplomatic parties, and globetrotting. Drawing on this background Yepez moved to New York ready to take on the Big Apple and start her own line of handbags. After four years of dedication and perseverance, (and a little of America’s strange business practices) Yepez is launching a new line of handbags set to release this August. The collection merges her travels, design experience, and her busy lifestyle to create a sophisticated and functional look that is going to beg for a place in your closet.

Top fashion designer Michael Kors talks

The award-winning American designer is set to take Europe by storm 

Photo: Norman Jean Roy — Courtesy of Michael Korsby Cheryl Chu

Recipient of multiple awards, in particular the CFDA award for womenswear and menswear designer, Michael Kors has been one of the most influential American designers for over two decades. It all started in New York City where, at the age of 19, he designed and merchandised a collection for a well-known local boutique. Over the years, Kors’ vision of beautiful, luxurious American sportswear flourished and expanded to the world of women’s accessories, as well as complete menswear. Michael Kors flagship stores are in New York City’s Madison Avenue, Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive, and also in Hong Kong and Dubai. As the brand continues its expansion in Europe, Michael Kors tells that for him it has always been about the Michael Kors woman. Let’s find out.

Raf Simons: “The process never stops”

Photo by Willy Vanderperre/Art Partner

Mr. Simons, would you consider yourself someone that lives and breathes fashion?

How can I put this without being too critical? I don’t have so many things in the fashion world that interest me. It’s probably because I am so deeply into it. Often when you go very deep into something, you also discover what it’s about and you understand it better. With the art world I still have a lot of curiosity. There are a lot of things that I feel attracted to and I don’t necessarily understand them and that’s what fascinates me. In the fashion world I know a lot of the brands and the designers and you start to be more critical and you start to have a very specific point of view.

First Person | Vera Wang

Vera Wang | Source: Courtesy photo

Vera Wang has turned what began as a single bridal boutique into a fashion and lifestyle empire with an overall retail value of over $1 billion. BoF speaks to the powerhouse entrepreneur about her remarkable professional journey.

NEW YORK, United States — “People have done far better than me in far shorter periods of time, but that wasn’t my story,” Vera Wang tells BoF. “It was brick by brick, client by client, store by store. It’s been a trip of passion, but it has not been a quick trip. Nor has it been easy. And that is the truth.”