Ralph Lauren Details Global Citizenship and Sustainability Initiatives

Ralph Lauren Details Global Citizenship and Sustainability Initiatives

For Ralph Lauren’s exciting achievements in committing to the Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold Cashmere Sweater, coupled with other significant achievements in sustainable materials and products, Ralph Lauren earned a prime spot on Fast Company’s 2023 Top 10 list of the most 540 most innovative companies in North America, across all sectors.

Ralph Lauren redesigned its signature cashmere sweaters to receive certification from Cradle to Cradle, a nonprofit that helped the company meet C2C’s standards for using safe materials, employing fair labor practices, and enabling the garment to be recycled into a new one.

The full 2023 Ralph Lauren Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report and ESG Supplement are available for download on the Company’s website. AOC is reading the report and feels compelled to cite more calls-to-action for the Ralph Lauren Corporation beyond the press release.

The support by Ralph Lauren brands of HBCUs and especially Morehouse and Spelman Colleges continues at an accelerated level. Equally impressive is an accelerated commitment to indigenous communities in America. Of all the severely-impacted humans who have been part of the glorious American experiment, indigenous peoples have experienced the dark side of American excellence and high standards.

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Kering Acquires 30% of Valentino with Option for 100% of Shares by 2028

Kering Acquires 30% of Valentino with Option for 100% of Shares by 2028

Kering will acquire a 30 per cent share in Valentino from parent company Qatar’s Mayhoola for an all-cash sum of €1.7 billion, the conglomerate announced on Thursday. The agreement, a significant acquisition for Kering’s fashion business, includes the option for Kering to acquire 100 per cent of the share capital of Valentino within five years. It will immediately acquire Valentino board representation upon necessary approvals of the deal.

The transaction is part of a broader strategic partnership between Kering and Mayhoola, which could lead to Mayhoola becoming a shareholder in Kering. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2023, subject to approval.

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Gucci 'An Ode to Love' Campaign with Wen Qi and Daniel Zhou Shot by Leslie Zhang

Gucci 'An Ode to Love' Campaign with Wen Qi and Daniel Zhou Shot by Leslie Zhang

There’s an A-team on this new summer 2023 campaign including art directors Kevin Tekinel and Charles Levai, director Tin Seoi and photographer Leslie Zhang [IG], whose photography we love. Taiwanese actor Wen Qi and Chinese singer Daniel Zhou star are the lovebirds.

AOC disagrees with more than one fashion writer who has seen this new Gucci ‘An Ode to Love’ campaign and responded with words of praise that storytelling is back at Gucci. Whew!

This new campaign is pure and innocent — which is not how Alessandro Michele served it up. He took you into the setting to experience the imagery yourself, not as an observer.

In my case, he sometimes admonished me [metaphorically], because I wasn’t in the mood to be part of the joke. Yet I chuckled when he grabbed me by the arm, saying “Would you take a damn break, Anne, and let your imagination run wild. Come and play with us.”

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New GAP CEO, Mattel's Prez & COO Richard Dickson Is a Superlative Hire

New GAP CEO, Mattel's Prez & COO Richard Dickson Is a Superlative Hire

Mattel golden boy Richard Dickson is the new CEO of Gap, ending a year-long search for a visionary leader to take the helm of the struggling mothership brand. Dickson is widely credited with reviving Barbie for the 21st century.

President and COO at Mattel

Mattel announced Dickson’s departure as President and Chief Operating Officer to staff early Wednesday, as many were still celebrating Barbie’s humongous box office success. In his role, Mr. Dickson leads Mattel's portfolio of global brands, overseeing innovation strategy, design and development, and brand marketing.

Dickson joined the retailer’s board in November 2022 and is responsible for a new partnership in which Gap sells merchandise themed around Mattel’s properties. First up is Barbie, where Gap began selling T-shirts, hoodies, jeans and other gear inspired by Barbie and Ken in May. 

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Cara Delevingne Feels Finally Free in ELLE UK September 2023 Dior Fashion Story

Cara Delevingne Feels Finally Free in ELLE UK September 2023 Dior Fashion Story

Top talent, activist and humanitarian Cara Delevingne covers the September 2023 issue of ELLE UK. The Dior ambassador is styled by Aurelia Donaldson in ‘I Finally Feel As Though I Can Be Free’, lensed by emerging creative Quentin Jones [IG]./ Hair by Harry Josh; makeup by Hung Vanngo

Hannah Marriott sits down for the interview at an arts venue in Manhattan. Cara says “I’m resilient as hell.” That is good news because Cara has a global squad cheering for her.

Cara shares that traditional therapy has never worked for her — although she has tried everything including the Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12-steps program. In Cara’s case, seeing her yoga instructor Colin Dunsmuir — with her for 12 years —via Face Time three times a week has brought very solid results.

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Margot Robbie Covers Vogue Australia As 'Barbie' Blockbuster Results Roll In!

Margot Robbie Covers Vogue Australia As 'Barbie' Blockbuster Results Roll In!

Margot Robbie delivers her fourth cover story for Vogue Australia [IG] with a special format that pairs writer Hannah-Rose Yee with Barbie star Robbie and the film’s director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig.

Master photographer Mario Sorrenti [IG] is behind the lens as Vogue Australia — like M Le Magazine du Monde — takes Robbie off pink style patrol./ Hair by Shay Ashual; makeup by Pati Dubroff

Read on at Vogue Australia: “Margot Robbie in conversation with Greta Gerwig on the Seismic success of Barbie”.

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Daniel Lee Rolls On As Burberry Resort 2024 Meets London New Bond Street Store Renovation

Daniel Lee Rolls On As Burberry Resort 2024 Meets London New Bond Street Store Renovation

On June 29, 2023 creative director Daniel Lee’s evolution of the Burberry brand continued with the opening of the renovated New Bond Street store in London.

The 22,000 sq m space stretching over three floors, has been transformed into a minimal, modern space with an with open-plan design.

It’s safe to say that in the area of store design, Burberry has met the 21st century, and there is nothing uniquely British about the interior environment.

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Imaan Hammam Is Haute in ELLE USA August 2023, Lensed by Chris Colls

Imaan Hammam Is Haute in ELLE USA August 2023, Lensed by Chris Colls

Supermodel Imaan Hammam takes two covers for the August 2023 issue of ELLE USA. Imaan wears bralette and earrings from Fendi Couture above with a corset from New York Vintage. The second cover below features Imaan wearing an Armani Prive black gown with Van Cleef & Arpels necklace.

Leah Faye Cooper interviews Hammam in her Brooklyn apartment during Ramadan, explaining how 2023 is a year for her to connect more deeply with her Muslim faith. Imaan is not only fasting by day but also not working.

The very top model became an Estée Lauder Global Brand Ambassador in May, and she reports fainting on the set during Ramadan 2022. “They’d be having you doing so much on these shoots, girl. It’s like dancing, jumping around, running—and then there’s a room for TikTok, doing all these TikTok videos….”

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SKIMS Now Valued at $4 Billion as Kardashian - Grede Lockdown $270M Series C Funding

SKIMS Now Valued at $4 Billion as Kardashian - Grede Lockdown $270M Series C Funding

Skims co-founders Kim Kardashian and CEO Jens Grede have confirmed a new $4 billion valuation for the company, after raising $270 million in a new Series C funding round.

Skims was previously valued at $3.2 million.

The new capital investment was led by Wellington Management and also includes funds from Greenoaks Capital Partners and existing partners D1 Capital Partners and Imaginary Ventures.

Mr. Grede has confirmed that Skims anticipates sales of about $750 million in 2023, up from $500 million in 2022. About 15 percent of its online customers come from outside the United States.

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Prorsum Knight Is Wilding in Scotland and Ireland in Burberry Fall 2023 Campaign

Prorsum Knight Is Wilding in Scotland and Ireland in Burberry Fall 2023 Campaign

Burberry’s [IG] Winter 2023 campaign is out, lensed by Tyrone Lebon [IG] in Scotland’s Isle of Skye and Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway.

About the cow . . .

AOC needs to make one small point. We are thrilled with the cow, and the speed with which Burberry delivered it. It was only Monday in writing about Daniel Lee’s second Resort 2024 collection, that we brought up cows for Burberry. Voila! We have a cow.

It’s great but . . .. . . it was cows in relation to the Burberry dandelion print revised to a daffodil. Because we are promoting a great climate change study with cows and daffodils.

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Sporty & Rich X Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc and the New French-American-AOC Alliance

Sporty & Rich X Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc and the New French-American-AOC Alliance

Embracing her faux French roots without behaving like an imposter, it’s perfectly natural — even logical — that Sporty & Rich finds itself in an exciting collaboration with one of the world’s most important destinations — Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc Antibes.

Sporty & Rich is not just a fashion brand; it represents a lifestyle that seamlessly blends athleticism, wellness and luxury. At its core, the brand embraces the belief that being active and maintaining physical fitness should not compromise one's sense of style or desire for clothes with an attitude of luxury.

Canadian-born, New York-based founder Emily Oberg has a sixth-sense for brand DNA and pedigree, and she plays her hand expertly — choosing a name like Sporty & Rich for her brand, but not falling down the rabbit hole of vapid pretentiousness.

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L'Officiel Settles Unpaid NYC Freelancers Lawsuit

L'Officiel Settles Unpaid NYC Freelancers Lawsuit

The City of New York has reached a settlement on behalf of unpaid freelancers working for French media brand L’Officiel. As of July 14, 2023 L’Officiel has agreed to pay more than $275,000 to 41 freelancers.

Plaintiffs included  writers, editors, photographers, videographers, graphic designers and illustrators.

Notice to Unpaid L’Officiel NYC Freelancers Who Have Not Filed a Claim Must Do So By Feb. 7, 2024

Freelancers who were not fully paid by L'Officiel for work performed between Jan. 1, 2017, and July 11, 2023, and were not specifically named in the suit, must file a claim by Feb. 7, 2024, in order to participate in the settlement. Freelancers named in the agreement do not need to file a claim and will receive an email with information explaining how to receive payment.

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Anitta'a Global Takeover for Harper's Bazaar US June-July 2023 Includes Social Justice

Anitta'a Global Takeover for Harper's Bazaar US June-July 2023 Includes Social Justice

Today, we meet up with Anitta in the June-July 2023 issue of Harper’s Bazaar US, where she wears Dior on the cover in a fashion story lensed by Emmanuel Sanchez-Monsalve [IG].

Anitta’s Very Fine Mind

Anitta sings in Portuguese, Spanish and English, and she is also conversant in French and Italian. In her increasingly storied adult life, Anitta’s skills in being a polygot [one who speaks five or more languages] make her an important candidate for brain science. Neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts and also the University of Geneva in Switzerland might like her to find time for functional MRIs (fMRIs), brain scans, to measure Anitta’s brain activity.

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Celine Fall 2023: Kaia Gerber Ads, Harrods London Parfumerie, Celine in Shenzhen, China

Celine Fall 2023: Kaia Gerber Ads, Harrods London Parfumerie, Celine in Shenzhen, China

Kaia Gerber returns to Celine’s new 2023 campaign in a collection named “Age of Indieness”, with its big reveal last December 2022 at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles.

The Chasseur jacket, the Newspaper Triomphe bag, and bold sunglasses worn 24/7 express the Celine vibe in the new campaign.

Slimane’s images of Gerber channel the rebellious spirit of the mid-2000s. Kaia wears all the sleek and structured silhouettes we’ve come to expect from Hedi Slimane, who has refashioned the LVMH brand in his own image.

As Phoebe Philo is ready to return with her own eponymous collection, with a beloved following, LVMH financing and her Celine old mailing list, it’s important to note the great success that Celine has enjoyed under Hedi Slimane’s tenure as creative director.

Reality is that LVMH has achieved staggering results with the expansions of Louis Vuitton and also Dior. I would never second guess their goals on what is achievable with Celine.

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Georgina Rodriguez in GUESS Fall 2023 Campaign Has Great Mom Sensual Elegance

Georgina Rodriguez in GUESS Fall 2023 Campaign Has Great Mom Sensual Elegance

Spanish-Argentine social media influencer Georgina Rodriguez [IG] brings the Fall 2023 GUESS campaign to her 50M followers. The glamorous images were shot at Madrid’s Santo Mauro Hotel by Nima Benati [IG], who just shot Sharon Stone for Vogue Arabia’s September 2023 cover.

Georgina Rodriguez met her life partner, soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo, working in a Gucci store after his five-year relationship with Irina Shayk ended. At the time, Ronaldo was playing for Real Madrid.

As part of her Netflix series I am Georgina, now in season two, Ronaldo tributes his partner, reflecting on their meeting: "I didn't think at the beginning that [the relationship] would be this strong. That I would fall in love with her," Ronaldo shared during the first episode. "I didn't expect it honestly. But after a while I felt that she was the woman of my life."

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Prada's Caffe Principe: Where Excellence Meets Timelessness in Forte dei Marmi

Prada's Caffe Principe: Where Excellence Meets Timelessness in Forte dei Marmi

Nestled in the enchanting Italian coastal town of Forte dei Marmi, Caffè Principe stands as a true testament to the la dolce vita marriage of excellence and timelessness.

Since its establishment in 1959, this iconic establishment has been a haven for discerning coffee lovers, gastronomes, and art enthusiasts alike. The cafe reopened today, July 9, 2023, with its legacy intact.

In fact, Caffe Principe has been restored to honor the legacy of the hotspot, keeping its original name. Caffè Principe is managed operationally by Marchesi 1824, which makes perfect sense.

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Angelina Jolie Pens Major Essay on Domestic Violence and Racial Inequity in Treatments

Angelina Jolie Pens Major Essay on Domestic Violence and Racial Inequity in Treatments

4% of Women and 6% of Men in America Murdered by an Intimate Partner

In America, of the 4,970 female victims of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in 2021, law enforcement agencies reported that 34% were killed by an intimate partner. By comparison, about 6% of the 17,970 males murdered that year were victims of intimate partner homicide. About 16% of female murder victims were killed by a nonintimate family member—parent, grandparent, sibling, in-law, and other family member—compared to 10% of male murder victims.

We are familiar with the absurd but widespread belief that women of color can handle greater pain. But this device deals with the very real problem of not even seeing or detecting bruising, when a doctor has the best of intentions to offer quality healthcare in communities of color.

Angelina received a demonstration of how a handheld device can highlight bruising on darker skin tones that had been previously invisible to the naked eye.

The simple, portable device directed “alternate light”—in this case violet light with a yellow lens—toward the skin. The technique is up to five times more effective at detecting bruising than white light, as much as four weeks after injury.

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LVMH Launches Bold Focus on Preserving and Teaching Craftsmanship Across France

LVMH Launches Bold Focus on Preserving and Teaching Craftsmanship Across France

The Rencontres Economiques des Metiers d'Art Forum, organized by leading partner LVMH, is an exciting new platform celebrating the convergence of art, artisanship and commerce in the luxury sector.

The platform launched in the picturesque town of Tonnerre, Burgundy on June 30, 2023, designed to bring together renowned artisans, industry experts, art enthusiasts business leaders to explore the rich but intricate relationship between craftsmanship and economics.

With a focus on preserving traditional techniques while embracing innovation, the goal of the forum was and will be a catalyst for dialogue and collaboration among talented individuals from various artistic disciplines. It’s indisputable that the artisans themselves are at the center of this metaphorical wheel of French excellence.

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SKIMS Dials Up The Heat As 50 and Fabulous '90s Icons Sizzle in SKIMS Swim July

SKIMS Dials Up The Heat As 50 and Fabulous '90s Icons Sizzle in SKIMS Swim July

‘90s Playboy models Carmen Electra and Jenny McCarthy are 50 and fabulous, thank you very much, as Kim Kardashian rolls out another fantastic SKIMS swim July 2023 campaign.

Electra, 51, and McCarthy, 50, "capture the essence of a sizzling, hot summer," notes SKIMS in a release. "This fun campaign celebrates the impact these women had on pop culture and their timeless appeal, reminding the world that confidence and sexiness cannot be confined." 

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Jennifer Lopez Basks in Gorgeosity Lensed by Norman Jean Roy for Vogue Mexico July 2023

Jennifer Lopez Basks in Gorgeosity Lensed by Norman Jean Roy for Vogue Mexico July 2023

Jennifer Lopez photographs well most days of the week, but her Vogue Mexico July 2023 images are particularly gorgeous. They were shot by Norman Jean Roy [IG] the day after last May’s Met Gala.

If Lopez was out partying half the night, we would never know it.

María José Gonzálvez and Angel Emmanuel Ramirez worked with Lopez’s own stylist Rob Zangardi.

It is a true statement to say that Jennifer has earned every inch of her success with merit and a backbone of steel in dealing with the reality that envelopes her then and now.

Not only did Lopez become the first actress with Latina roots to earn a million dollars with the film Selena, or the first woman to have a movie and a No. 1 album simultaneously, she is probably the first Latina woman to know what her worth is in the North American market, redefine it and reclaim it.

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