This week, the fashion industry spoke up against violence, celebrities paid tribute to the late Azzedine Alaïa and Victoria’s Secret angels conquered the runway in Shanghai. Discover these stories and more as we reveal this week’s top international fashion news.
Fashion Fights Violence Against Women
For the sixth year in a row, the Kering foundation has launched a digital campaign to fight physical abuse. In support of the White Ribbon initiative to end men’s violence against women, the organisation has rolled out the #icouldhavebeen social media campaign, with the goal of raising awareness and encourage survivors to break the silence. Kering was joined by its brand ambassadors, including Alessandro Michele, Christopher Kane, Stella McCartney, Joseph Altuzarra and Selma Hayek. “Being born a girl, should not equate to a higher risk of violence. Yet unfortunately, that’s the case in our world today,” explains Kering’s chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault. Indeed, one in three women worldwide is still subject to acts of violence. In an effort to highlight the imbalance of power between both genders, thousands of followers posted messages of sympathy and solidarity on social media.
Men were invited to share personal stories, imagining what their lives would have been like if they had been female. On the other end, women were asked to put themselves in the shoes of a victim of violence. While hundreds of women visualised to be ‘her’, men assumed the names they would have been given if they had been born a girl. “Asking my parents what name they would have chosen if I had been a girl was an eye-opener,” says Joseph Altuzarra. “It’s exasperating to think that, as Juliette, I could have been less safe or less powerful.” Meanwhile, Stella McCartney spoke words of encouragement and unity. “We, as women, are a team. We have to support each other. Men are showing their support, and now, we all must join forces.”
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Celebrities Pay Tribute to Azzedine Alaïa
After the news broke that fashion legend Azzedine Alaïa had passed away last weekend, celebrities and industry professionals have come together on social media to remember the fashion mastermind. Among them Naomi Campbell, who shared a close bond with the couturier. “I was blessed in my life to meet you and for your embrace at 16, so many wonderful memories of you through out our journey together,” she writes in a heartfelt post on Instagram. Taking her in as a young teenager, Campbell viewed Alaïa as a father figure. His warm personality made him popular company everywhere. “He was so giving, so loving, his heart so full and pure. I’d watch in awe as he hand made each and every piece, his fingers touching the fabric like poetry,” recalls Lady Gaga. Additional tributes came from Rihanna, Mark Jacobs, Linda Evangelista and other celebrities who had worked with the designer.
Born in Tunisia, Azzedine Alaïa rose to fame in the ‘80s, quickly becoming one of the greatest minds in fashion. His sculpting, figure-hugging designs earned him the nickname of ‘King of Cling’. He soon became a red-carpet favourite, dressing the likes of Greta Garbo, Madonna, Tina Turner and Grace Jones. Following the passing of his twin sister in the early nineties, Alaïa semi-withdrew from the fashion circus for a while. While he always was extremely involved in every step of the creative process at his couture house, Azzedine was also not one to be rushed. This often resulted in sporadic deliveries to department stores and presentations outside the regular fashion week schedule. Having reportedly suffered a heart-attack, Azzedine Alaïa died at a French Hospital at the age of 77. His legacy, however, will remain an inspiration for many aspiring designers for years to come.
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Highlights of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2017
After almost a whole year of intense planning and preparations, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2017 finally took over the Mercedes-Benz arena in Shanghai on Monday this week. In front of thousands of people, the angel squad including Adriana Lima, Bella Hadid and Lily Aldridge, presented the latest VS collections that are due to hit the stores at the end of the month. For fans of coding expert Karly Kloss, it was an extra special night. The model returned to the Victoria’s Secret catwalk for the first time in three years. Long-time angel Alessandra Ambrosio, on the other hand, announced shortly after the show that she had spread her wings for the last time. After 17 years she will be retiring from the VS runway. Like in past years, the show carried different themes for each collection, which were as varied and elaborate as ever.
South-African beauty Candice Swanepoel opened the show to the tunes of Harry Styles’ Kiwi, wearing the first outfit of the punk-rock themed Balmain collection. The model looked striking strutting her stuff in a red-and-black tartan set with opulent feathers strapped to her back. For the segment Goddesses, the girls were accessorised with gold laurel wreaths and gold-leaf wings. The VS Pink collection followed the theme Millenial Nation, which preceded the snowy-romantic looks of the Winter’s Tale segment. The Porcelain Angel collection featured precious, hand-painted textiles channelling bits of Chinese history. Inspired by cultural heritages around the world, the Nomadic Angels creations could be considered a playful nod to VS’ effort to embrace a more diverse cast. You can catch the full show on Channel Nine on November 29. Meanwhile, every look of the show is on display here.
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Kendall Jenner Snatches Title of Highest Paid Model
Kendall Jenner, second-youngest offspring of reality TV mastermind Kris Jenner, has snatched up the title of highest paid model of the year according to an annual list published by Forbes. By that, she pushed all-time Brazilian queen Gisele Bundchen off the pole position for the first time in 15 years. The magazine credits Jenner’s substantial social media following (85 million), her participation in her family’s immensely successful show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and various high-profile advertising deals the 22-year-old signed in the last financial year. All of which sums up to an estimated gross income of USD$22 million (AUD$28,89 million). Although Gisele officially retired from the runway in 2015, she still made USD$17.5 million (AUD$22,98 million) in earnings from lucrative contracts with brands like Carolina Herrera, Azzaro shoes and Vivara jewellery, which secured her the runner-up position.
Further proof of the importance of social media to a model’s career nowadays is Gigi Hadid, who came in fifth with an overall income of USD$9.5 million (AUD$12.48 million). With Bella included on ninth place, the Hadid sisters are the first siblings to ever appear together in the top ten. Model Liu Wen is the first Chinese model in history, who has made it into the annual ranking as well. She was also the first one to sign a contract with Estée Lauder, first to walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and first to appear on the cover of Vogue US. Ashley Graham slipped in on tenth place with an annual salary of USD$5.5 million (AUD$7.22 million), credited in part to her new swimwear line. She is also the only plus-size model that has made Forbes’ list. You can view the full ranking here.
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Amazon Soon to Launch in Australia
The wait is finally over. While Amazon has successfully avoided settling on a concrete launch date, we know now for certain that it’s going to be soon. This week, the online retailer has finally started a ‘soft launch’ involving a small number of Australian Amazon retailers. About 500 of them were sent an email from Amazon earlier in the week, asking them to be prepared to take orders starting 2 pm on Thursday. However, only a selected number of customers (supposedly Amazon Prime members) have the opportunity to put the Australian servers to the test. Following this trial, the site is suspected to remain open and gradually roll out for public use over the coming weeks.
Amazon first launched in the United States in July 1995 as an online book vendor. A few years later, the online trader expanded its business to Canada and the UK, followed by other European countries and Asia. Australia, however, has been kept waiting until now. While Australians could in the past order from international Amazon websites, those orders were usually subject to enormous shipping costs. One of the many issues an Australian site is automatically going to rectify for the most part. Retail experts expect that the website will also inevitably have significant impacts on the Australian retail landscape, giving consumers easier access to sought-after international products at lower price points.
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Rose Schleicher is an experienced content and communications professional who has worked across three different continents over the past nine years. She has completed a master’s degree from the renowned London College of Fashion with extensive involvement in the cultural scene of Europe. As a creative, she loves writing about all things fashion, beauty, and lifestyle topics.
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