STONE ISLAND PROTOTYPE MULITAXIAL PROJECT

Events, Fashion

The Stone Island Prototype Research_Series 08 titled the “Multiaxial Project” features 100 unique capes crafted from newly developed fabrics using techniques from the automotive industry. The treatments and fabrics used were born from research and experimentation processes that have yet to be industrialized. The Multiaxial Project pays tribute to the brand’s inaugural collection while continuously pushing the boundary of innovation. 

Introducing K’ANG

Fashion

This last January during men’s fashion week in Paris I visited the showroom of a new brand called K’ANG, and it was one of the most exciting discoveries of that week for a couple of reasons. First, there hasn’t been much going on in the avant-garde space that StyleZeitgeist has championed since its inception in 2006 as a forum for men’s fashion enthusiasts. That niche has exploded and then imploded, with few survivors and few newcomers. Juyoung Kang, the designer of K’ANG, the brand he launched in 2023, has apprenticed with some of the best of the avant-garde – namely, Maurizio Amaded of m.a.+ and Deepti Barth, the former right hand of Carol Christian Poell. AtDEEPTI, he assisted with patternmaking and fabric sourcing, and at m.a.+ he also designed menswear and womenswear across all product categories.

Notes on Alessandro Michele’s Valentino Appointment

Fashion

Today Valentino announced that it hired Gucci’s erstwhile creative director Alessandro Michele to lead its storied house. The appointment came just days after its current designer, Pierpaolo Piccioli was let go. 

This is a curious case. Usually, big guns are brought in to fix something, but Valentino did not seem to be broken, though “seem” is a key operating word here. Just like Michele, Piccioli is a talented designer and one of fashion’s darlings – his collections are universally lauded. And Valentino’s sales seem fine. In 2022, according to Reuters, it had revenues of 1.42 billion euros, 10% higher than its sales in 2021, which in turn were 15% above the year prior. On the strength of these numbers, Kering bought a 30% stake in Valentino from Mayhoola, a Qatar government investment fund that also owns Balmain, with an option to acquire the entire company by 2028.