The Waleses Step Out in Coordinated Outfits, Off-White’s Collab With the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Collab: Off-White is continuing the late Virgil Abloh’s legacy with a new NBA capsule collection.
The luxury streetwear brand announced on Thursday it is teaming up with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls for a capsule collection that celebrates Abloh’s love of basketball and deep ties to Chicago.
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The capsule collection was a collaboration between Off-White chief executive officer Andrea Grilli, streetwear designer and Chicago Bulls creative strategy and design adviser Don C — who was a close friend and collaborator of Abloh’s — and Abloh’s family. The collection offers four limited-edition items including a T-shirt, hoodie and two varsity jackets. The pieces all showcase a new logo featuring a bull wearing an Off-White jersey and both brand’s names.
The Off-White and Chicago Bulls capsule collection will be available starting Feb. 2 at select Off-White stores and on the brand’s website. The capsule will also be available on Farfetch Beat, a concept retail series from Farfetch that offers exclusive product launches.
Abloh regularly paid tribute to Chicago through his designs and endeavors. Abloh received his master’s degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and later went on to open a luxury, contemporary fashion and streetwear boutique in the city called RSVP Gallery with Don C after the designer interned at Fendi.
In 2017, Abloh teamed with Nike for the Off-White Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG, marking the first of many collaborations between the designer and the Jordan brand. The sneaker paid homage to Chicago with its white, black and varsity red colorway.
Abloh also first debuted his “Figures of Speech” museum exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in 2019, which was the first exhibition devoted to Abloh’s work. The exhibit later made its way to the Brooklyn Museum last June. — LAYLA ILCHI
Coordinated Colors: The Waleses have come out.
Prince William and Kate Middleton made their first public appearance on Thursday afternoon in Liverpool, North West England, after the release of Prince Harry’s highly anticipated memoir “Spare,” which details the prince’s falling out with the Waleses and other intimate details inside the British royal family.
The couple, united in matching colors of navy and pine green, waved to royal fans outside the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
Kate rewore her Holland Cooper double-breasted coat that retails for 749 pounds with a new wool knit dress from Cefinn, the brand founded by Britain’s former first lady Samantha Cameron, who raised 1.2 million pounds in a new funding round in 2022.
She carried Mulberry’s Amberley, a small top-handle bag in a dark green, with navy Gianvito Rossi pumps.
Prince William walked side by side with his wife in a green jumper with an unbuttoned navy blazer layered on top.
The princess turned 41 on Monday, a day after Harry’s first broadcast interview to discuss his book. In the sit-down with Tom Bradby of ITV, he revealed that William and Kate didn’t get on with Meghan Markle from the “get-go.”
Kate’s sartorial choices in Liverpool included a majority of British designers, a decision that’s been closely followed in the British media as her official royal duties increased as a senior member of the firm.
At Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, Kate stuck to a firm template of British designers, wearing Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Emilia Wickstead.
The coming weeks will be testing times for the Waleses and their popularity as Prince Harry continues his book tour. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED
The Journey Ahead: Adidas and Ivy Park are continuing their partnership with a new release.
The German sports’ giant and Beyoncé’s apparel brand announced on Friday the release of the Ivy Park Top Ten 2000 sneaker, a basketball shoe that is “designed for the journey ahead,” according to the brand.
The brands took inspiration from the Top Ten 2000 sneaker that debuted in the early Aughts, blending archival designs with a modern Ivy Park twist. The sneaker is designed with mixed materials like technical mesh and suede, features a soft foam-fitting Neoprene and a molded heel piece. The style comes in an orange and beige colorway with multicolored laces.
The Ivy Park Top Ten 2000 sneaker is priced at $200 and will be available starting Jan. 20 on the Adidas Confirmed App.
The new sneaker comes after Adidas and Ivy Park released its Ivytopia collection in October. The collection offered 52 pieces of fashion, accessories and footwear that blended athleticism and fashion. The pieces were designed with materials like mesh, metallic spandex, French terry and stretch twills and in colors like off-white, silver, cyan, khaki and yellow.
Adidas and Ivy Park first teamed together in 2019, embarking on a long-standing partnership to relaunch Beyoncé’s label. Beyoncé first launched Ivy Park in 2016 as a joint venture between herself and former Topshop tycoon Philip Green. The partnership ended following Green becoming embroiled in controversy over allegations of sexual assault and racial harassment.
Since teaming with Adidas, Ivy Park has released a number of collections across fashion, accessories and footwear. — L.I.
Teaming for Tennis: Wilson Sporting Goods Co. has tapped its first brand ambassador to represent its full line.
The sporting brand has tapped Ukrainian 20-year-old tennis player Marta Kostyuk as its new brand ambassador, fronting Wilson’s full line of tennis rackets, footwear and sportswear. Wilson debuted its sportswear line in May 2021.
“Wilson is committed to equipping athletes with all they need to succeed on and off the court, and there is nobody better to join forces with than Marta Kostyuk,” said Jason Collins, global general manager of Wilson Racquet Sports. “Marta has an extremely sharp game, and we look forward to not only expanding Wilson’s impact in the sports of tennis, but also supporting her as she grows her competitive edge and personal brand.”
Kostyuk debuted the partnership last week during the Adelaide International Tennis Tournament, where she wore custom Wilson sportswear, the Rush Pro 4.0 tennis shoes and used the Wilson Blade v8 racket. The tennis player will continue to wear custom Wilson apparel for future tournaments and tennis matches. She will also help in product development for future sportswear collections.
“Growing up in a tennis family, Wilson has always been a trusted staple in my game for as long as I can remember,” Kostyuk said. “It feels surreal to officially be playing and wearing Wilson — a partnership that I know will inspire and evolve, just as the game does.”
The ambassadorship comes on the heels of the release of Wilson’s latest tennis sportswear collection, which offers men’s and women’s pieces. This month, Wilson is also celebrating the one-year anniversary of its SoHo flagship store, which offers its full range of athletic products in addition to its newly launched sportswear. — L.I.
Runway Ready: Runway 7 Fashion will return to New York Fashion Week for the fall 2023 season with a launch party and runway show on Feb. 9 and three full days of runway shows, live events and activations between Feb. 10 and Feb. 12 at Sony Hall at 235 West 46th Street in New York.
Runway 7 is partnering again with 360 Fashion, a full service production, marketing, sales and merchandising company based in Peru that provides end-to-end apparel manufacturing services from design, product development and production to marketing, merchandising and drop shipping.
Runway 7 aims to encourage the next generation of fashion designers by offering a platform and incubator to showcase their collections each season.
Some 45 brands will participate in runway shows from Feb. 9 through Feb. 11, including Susanne Bartsch, who will show Feb. 9 at 8 p.m., as well as Elysian, Perry Jones Collection, Skai, Masal, House of Barretti, Avar Collection, Celeste, Chalk, among others.
On Feb. 10, Elysian will cohost a fundraiser and runway competition in partnership with Runway 7 to benefit Bissell Pet Foundation, which supports animal welfare organizations and provides resources to underserved communities.
To date, Runway 7 has donated $50,000 to Mount Sinai’s Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis, a philanthropic partner. — LISA LOCKWOOD
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