Jean Campbell in 'Vintage, Pre-Loved and Investment' Clothes for HTSI Magazine Oct. 21, 2023

Jean Campbell in 'Vintage, Pre-Loved and Investment' Clothes for HTSI Magazine Oct. 21, 2023

Known primarily as a very successful stylist, Cathy Kasterine [IG] is the photographer, shooting Jean Campbell in a cover fashion story for the October 21, 2013 issue of HTSI [IG]. / Hair by Soichi Inagaki; makeup by Niamh Quinn

Called ‘How to Spend It Wisely: New Conscious Attitudes’, the feature is devoted to “vintage, pre-loved and investment pieces in a homage to the ethos: Buy less, choose well and take care of things.”

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Loro Piana Malibu Dinner for New 'Cocooning Collection' Was a Feast of Neutrals

Loro Piana Malibu Dinner for New 'Cocooning Collection' Was a Feast of Neutrals

Italian quiet luxury brand Loro Piana held a dinner party in Malibu on October 10th. The purpose was a cozy celebration for its third ‘Cocooning Collection’, appropriately held at a private beachside villa along the Pacific Coast Highway.

The evening was rich in Loro Piana’s preference for neutral colors. In concert with the natural beachside environment, neutrals permeated every visualization from the guests’ attire to the interior design and even table settings.

The fine-tuning evolution around the LVMH brand Loro Piana [called Loro by insiders] is led by chief executive Damien Bertrand, who took the veins of the deeply respected luxury house about two years ago. He is passionate about his assignment.

 “We have the best fibres in the world, and this is the work of the Loro Piana family for six generations. These are fibres, and people tend to forget, that come from animals; like humans, if they are eating well, being treated well and sleeping well, the quality of the fibres is better. If you are looking at what we have done at Loro Piana, there is no one else that does it.”

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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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Fish-Friendly Fashion Sequins from Stella McCartney and Lulu Has An Idea, Too

Fish-Friendly Fashion Sequins from Stella McCartney and Lulu Has An Idea, Too

This post on sustainable sequins is inspired by Zara’s June 2023 mermaid dresses, a delectable group of sequins-rich fashions photographed by Carlijn Jacobs.

Thinking out loud, I wondered if Zara used the new plant-based sequins — or at least recycled plastic ones — which does not help the fish.

Hope springs eternal with Zara and they have been excellent in marching towards more sustainable production.

Recently, LVMH’s Stella McCartney featured Cara Delevingne in Vogue’s April 2023 issue, wearing a jumpsuit made of BioSequins, lensed by Annie Leibovitz. This new angle on sequins got Lulu jumping up and down with excitement until she came up with a possibility of her own.

Evolutionary biologists say that humans are preconditioned to love sparkly, glittery things. Our ancestors were always on the search for fresh water in order to survive. Our eyes and brain are programmed to see sparkling surfaces in the distance, as signs of water.

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Loro Piana's Global Luxury Resort 2023 Collection and the Grand Italian Experience

Loro Piana's Global Luxury Resort 2023 Collection and  the Grand Italian Experience

Exquisite quality has defined Loro Piana’s luxury brand DNA for six generations, anchored by its commitment to vertically-integrated manufacturing.

The Italian brand’s 2023 Resort [summer] collection is a summary of a brand DNA platform that’s among the most inspiring in the world of luxury fashion.

Linen, in crêpe or in Loro Piana’s exclusive Solaire fabric, is used abundantly for resort, as is silk georgette. Prints reflect ancient, global trade routes in and around the Mediterranean. Clients embrace the reality that a print might appear to be Moroccan-inspired . . . no, no it’s from India . . . no, no it feels more like today’s Marseilles.

Recent discoveries in Egypt suggest that Indian trade routes back and forth were as prolific as the famous Silk Road trade route. The world was not sleeping 10,000 years ago, waiting for the rise of whites-dominated business savvy. The true historical story of global commerce is far more eclectic and interesting.

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Massimo Dutti's 'Sul Mare' Getaway Clothes Are Using More Planet-Loving Fabrics

Massimo Dutti's 'Sul Mare' Getaway Clothes Are Using More Planet-Loving Fabrics

Massimo Dutti shares its summer getaway collection “Sul Mare” with a focus on surface interest fabrics like raffia and crochet and angular cuts. The sophisticated collection modeled by Nikki McGuire is heavy with a rough elegance vibe through its use of natural fabrics including linen.

Styled by Delphine Danhier, the collection is photographed by Misha Taylor [IG], who captures the watery tie-dye prints and classic stripes.

Focus on Linen

Linen is both linen as we know it [which is better than most fabrics] but also 100% European grown linen. This linen is grown without artificial watering and no GMO seeds and defoliants are used. It is produced in Western Europe and complies with the EUROPEAN FLAX® standard of the European Confederation of Flax and Hemp (CELC). Also this item is made in Portugal.

Calling Out Ramie

Massimo Dutti is also using ramie, an eco friendly fabric and the highly sustainable fiber, that is airy and beautiful. Ramie is made from the stalks of flowers and plants and is a chic vegan silk alternative or very lightweight linen which is lighter and airier, while obviously tailoring well.

Actually, I just did a ramie search on MD, and all these items are made with the fiber. It appears that most or all of the Massimo Dutti ramie products are also made in Portugal, which has a better chance of eco-friendly dye processes and positive worker welfare.

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Maison Valentino Vintage Partners With 7 Global Vintage Stores in Exchange Voucher Program

Maison Valentino Vintage Partners With 7 Global Vintage Stores in Exchange Voucher Program

Valentino Vintage, an initiative by the luxury fashion house Valentino [IG], has expanded its presence by partnering with vintage stores in seven cities around the world, including London, Milan, Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, and New York. This innovative program allows customers to exchange their pre-loved Valentino garments for vouchers that can be used to purchase new items from the brand, extending the life cycle of luxury fashion.

Each participating vintage store was carefully selected based on its unique identity and cultural relevance within its respective city. For instance, London's Rellik, which opened in 1999, was chosen for its collection of vintage 1960s garments. The updated program now features a variety of Valentino's famous archival apparel in these partner stores.

Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, BFC 2022 Designer of the Year

The goal of ‘democratizing fashion’ in the luxury market is sincere at Valentino from all we know. AOC focused on Valentino’s brand values and how they fit in with the HENRYS: [High-Earners-Not–Rich-Yet] in a recent April 2023 post.

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COACHTOPIA Scrappy Bags 'Think Different' and Sell Out on Coach Website

COACHTOPIA Scrappy Bags 'Think Different' and Sell Out on Coach Website

On the rarest of occasions, AOC wakes up to a significant new reality in fashion world, a radical process that turns everything upside down. Going foward, we will share the news by playing probably the most important marketing video ever to date ‘The Crazy Ones’.

Today, April 24, 2023 Anne of Carversville shares ‘The Crazy Ones’ worthy: COACHTOPIA.

A defining component of Coachtopia, Joon Silverstein, SVP, global marketing, creative and sustainability explained to Vogue Business, is that it is built as a “community” and has invited a “beta community” of Gen Z environmentally-conscious, individuals to collaborate and give feedback on Coachtopia concepts and products.

Emerging artists will be key players in future product drops and design collaborations.

Coach flipped its traditional production process on its head. Rather than a vision and a sketch, designers started with scraps on a cutting room floor. The handbags are made almost entirely from materials that were destined for landfill, with excess leather fragments arranged into vibrant floral patterns and zipper tracks repurposed into embellishments. The waste-forward products are a bid to transform the supply chain and move toward a circular industry, Coach says to all press inquiries.

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It's Dame Vivienne Westwood in Karlie Kloss' Body for CR Fashion Book by Emma Summerton

It's Dame Vivienne Westwood in Karlie Kloss' Body for CR Fashion Book by Emma Summerton

CR Fashion Book editor-in-chief, the indefatigable fashion industry heroine Carine Roitfeld is in top-tier exection mode for issue 22 of her eponymous magazine.

Issue 22 is dedicated to ‘Mother Nature’ in a nod to Earth Day on April 22 and the late Dame Vivienne Westwood. Karlie Kloss channels Westwood, who was not only a fashion provocateur, but also an ardent environmental activist.

The godmother of punk — as channeled by Kloss in fashion eccentric looks styled by Roitfeld — is photographed by Emma Summerton [IG]. Guillaume Lauruol handles art direction, with set design from Viki Rutsch./ Hair by Ward Stegerhoek; makeup by Maki Ryoke

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Gabriela Hearst Talks Nuclear Fusion. and Puma Women with WSJ Magazine

Gabriela Hearst Talks Nuclear Fusion. and Puma Women with WSJ Magazine

Prior to connecting with WSJ Magazine for a recent touchbase, Chloe designer Gabriela Hearst was in Egypt in mid-November 2022 for the COP27 climate conference.

The annual UN Climate Change conference taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh put Hearst on a panel speaking about fusion.

The future is fusion, in the eyes of Gabriela Hearst, who isn’t particularly concerned if we can or cannot read her new passion into the clothes that make up the Spring 2023 Chloe collection.

What is exciting about Hearst’s enthusiasm is that a huge breakthrough in the drive for fusion power happened days after Hearst returned from Egypt.

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Maggie Q At Home in LA by David Urbanke for L'Officiel Italia Fall 2022

Maggie Q At Home in LA by David Urbanke for L'Officiel Italia Fall 2022

NYC and LA-based photographer David Urbanke [IG] photographed actor MaggieQ at her home in Los Angeles for L’Officiel Italia’s Fall 2022 cover.

The actor wears Italian label Loro Piana’s knit top and skirt on the cover, styled by Gaultier Desandre Navarre with fashion direction by Giulio Martinelli. The fashion brands are about 50/50 sustainable and ethical v those with few credentials.

One of MaggieQ’s favorite business projects is Qeep Up, her collection of sustainable and recycled activewear and swimwear. In her own words on the Qeep Up Nation website: “QEEP UP™ is the premier activewear line for the eco-warrior woman. Made entirely of recycled fibers, QEEP UP™ takes a stand for the planet without sacrificing style or performance.”

We aren’t yet qualified with sufficient knowledge to test the promises of brands claiming to be fully-sustainable. Workout clothes made of recycled plastics do still release microplastics, for example.

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Loro Piana FW 2022 Campaign by Mario Sorrenti | AOC on Sustainability at Loro Piana

Loro Piana FW 2022 Campaign by Mario Sorrenti | AOC on Sustainability at Loro Piana

Top models Edie Campbell, Mona Tougaard and Leon Dame pose against rocky but fecund terrain of Brittany, France. LVMH brand Loro Piana unveils its Fall-Winter 2022 campaign, lensed by Mario Sorrenti [IG], with art direction by Heiko Keinath.

As always — and especially on the subject of a mostly cashmere-driven collection— AOC turned our attention to Loro Piana’s sustainability efforts. Our usual sustainability pit-stop at Good on You was operating just now.

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ThredUp and Priah Ferguson 'Stranger Things' Star Beg Gen Z to Stop Buying Fast-Fashion

ThredUp and Priah Ferguson 'Stranger Things' Star Beg Gen Z to Stop Buying Fast-Fashion

‘Stranger Things’ Star Priah Ferguson has a message for you. She is not going to make you feel badly about yourself. No. Priah is on your side, and so is AOC. She is not shaming you. Rather, Priah is giving you a big hug and begging you to take action not words.

The new ThredUp and Priah Ferguson “Fast Fashion Confessional Hotline” is meant to encourage Gen Z shoppers to stop shopping fast fashion and embrace more sustainable options.

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Stella McCartney Resort 2023 Collection Hits 85% Record Sustainable Production

Stella McCartney Resort 2023 Collection Hits 85% Record Sustainable Production

Stella McCartney’s Resort 2023 Collection was operating on eight cylinders of creative and manufacturing moxie as fashion’s greatest advocate for the environment and PETA-friendly alternative materials hit her highest bar yet.

McCartney’s resort collection was photographed in and around her eco factory in Novara, Italy. Stella reported that 85% of the collection is produced sustainably.

Stella McCartney also has an instinctive embrace of great marketing, making her “Rewilding and rechilding” tagline a marketing hit.

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Candice Swanepoel's Tropic of C and Alo Yoga Collab with Peruvian Artisans

Candice Swanepoel's Tropic of C and Alo Yoga Collab with Peruvian Artisans

Supermodel Candice Swanepoel and her eco-lifestyle brand Tropic of C [IG] launch a new collaboration with Alo Yoga [IG] for a swimwear capsule collection that also embraces yoga movements.

Center stage are the crochet swim pieces and accessories made by hand by Quechua and Mochica women across 3 regions of Northern Peru: Pacasmayo, Cajamarca and Huamachuco and in nine communities.

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Adeam X Carolyn Murphy June-July NYC Pop-Up Collection in Harper's Bazaar Japan

Adeam X Carolyn Murphy June-July NYC Pop-Up Collection in Harper's Bazaar Japan

The June 2022 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Japan shares images of the new Adeam X Carolyn Murphy collaboration styled by Sean Knight. Photographer Sofia Malamute [IG] captures the supermodel in key fabrications including recycled sheer cupro, biomass cotton linen, organic cotton denim, eco-jersey, recycled cotton cashmere as well as Oeko-Tex rayon which uses a process to reduce carbon dioxide and water pollution by half.

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Tindi Mar in Los Guayabos by Santiago Sierra Soler for Vogue US and UK June/July 2022

Tindi Mar in Los Guayabos by Santiago Sierra Soler for Vogue US and UK June/July 2022

Rising model Tindi Mar is photographed by Santiago Sierra Soler IG] Stylist Tonne Goodman and Soler photograph Tindi Mar at her home in Guadalajara, México at Los Guayabos Ecological Community. The fashion story and accompanying narratives are shared in both Vogue US and Vogue UK’s June/July issues.

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Carolyn Murphy and Antwaun Sargent in Gucci's 'Off the Grid' Spring 2022 Collection

Carolyn Murphy and Antwaun Sargent in Gucci's 'Off the Grid' Spring 2022 Collection AOC Fashion

Supermodel and environmental activist Carolyn Murphy and art critic, writer and Gagosan curator Antwaun Sargent are styled by Tess Herbert in Gucci’s Spring 2022 ‘Off the Grid’ collection. Photographer Daria Kobayashi Ritch [IG] shot the campaign in partnership with So It Goes magazine at the Flamingo Estate.

Home to Richard Christiansen and a brand created from Gaia’s orchard, garden and friends. AOC has written about Flamingo Estate previously, and the website is just intoxicating in its natural beauty. It’s truly a stunner, even if you are only searching for a 2 minute mental getaway.

This season’s Off the Grid collection is heavy on Gucci luggage made of regenerated ECONYL® nylon — the miracle-fabric used by many top luxury brands.

Gucci’s Demetra

Acne Studios REPURPOSED 7 and 8 Play Drop, Curated by Olu Odukoya

Acne Studios REPURPOSED 7 and 8 Play Drop, Curated by Olu Odukoya

Acne Studios is headquartered in Stockholm, producing men's and women's ready-to-wear fashion, footwear, accessories and denim. In 2021, the brand launched a project to turn excess textiles into new capsule collections.

Titled Seasons 7 & 8, the latest collection continues this mission by reimagining woven silk, jersey, fleece and eco-printed denim fabrics.

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