Every month, FashionUnited selects the most interesting reads about the
fashion industry published across US and UK news outlets. Here’s what you
may have missed this month.
“Will the real Karl Lagerfeld please stand up?”, Vogue UK
February was marked by the passing of one of the most iconic fashion
designers of all time, Karl Lagerfeld, who revived Chanel when joining the
French fashion house more than a decade after the death of its founder,
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. He had a lifetime contract with the label and
remained there for 36 years. He also held the same role at Fendi for over
half a century, in addition to having his own label.
Most news outlets published an overview of Karl Lagerfeld’s life and
work, as is to be expected, but none of them offered such a close look at
who Lagerfeld was as a person as this piece published by Vogue UK in 2018
and resurfaced on the day of his passing. Titled Will The Real Karl Lagerfeld Please Stand Up?”, suggesting Lagerfeld was the Eminem of fashion given his
outspoken nature, the article is penned by Suzy Menkes, a journalist
Lagerfeld knew so well he didn’t even consider her a journalist anymore.
The fact he felt so comfortable around her made for some revealing quotes,
such as “sometimes I nearly feel guilty that I was not nice to him [his
father], as I was a slave to my mother”.
“Anna Wintour: a rare face-to-face with the most important woman in
fashion”, The Guardian
Vogue US editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has become a public figure in a
way no other magazine editor has ever been. Although she is known for
playing to win and expecting perfection in everything she is involved with
(character Miranda Priestly from bestselling novel and movie The Devil
Wears Prada is believed to have been inspired by her), she swore to
Guardian editor Jess Cartner-Morley that becoming famous “wasn’t a
conscious path”. In this comprehensive profile, Wintour talks about
Michelle Obama, fake news and the future of print media.
If you’re looking to get to know Wintour even more, Vogue started a
series of videos this year in which she answers questions
from total strangers. The first two videos show Wintour speaking her mind
about sneakers, parkas and Meghan Markle’s style.
“Kim Kardashian’s love-hate relationship with fast fashion, explained”,
Vox
Love them or hate them, the Kardashian/Jenner sisters are among the most
powerful names in fashion today. Online fast fashion retailers such as
Fashion Nova, Boohoo, Missguided, Nasty Gal and Pretty Little Thing have
risen to popularity by selling similar styles to looks worn by the
Kardashians, sometimes as fast as 24 hours after the outfits are worn.
But now this symbiotic relationship is going sour — or so it seems.
Kim Kardashian slammed Fashion Nova this month for knocking off a vintage Thierry
Mugler dress she wore. “It’s devastating to see these fashion companies rip
off designs that have taken the blood, sweat and tears of true designers
who have put their all into their own original ideas”, she wrote on
Twitter. She also filed a lawsuit against Missguided for inappropriately
using her image, as the brand not only knocks off her outfits but also uses
her name and photos to sell the products.
However, fashion watchdog Diet Prada suggested Fashion Nova must be
tipped off by either Kim or her team, considering how fast the label it is
able to put similar styles up for sale. About the Thierry Mugler dress,
Diet Prada also posted alleged pictures of Fashion Nova’s photoshoot of the
copycat product, revealing they named the files as “Kim’s dress”. Is this
all just a big marketing stunt? When it comes to the Kardashian clan, this
possibility can never be discarded. It’s also possible that Kim is looking
to disassociate herself from cheap, fast fashion now that the family has
become influential enough to earn a seat at the luxury sector’s table.
Want to know more about the Kardashian’s love-hate relationship with the
fast fashion industry? Vox explains it all in this article.
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Pictures: courtesy of Karl Lagerfeld/Steiff, Tiziana Fabi / AFP,
FashionNova
