LI-NING Autumn/Winter 2020 30th Anniversary Collection Future-Vintage, Sport-Formal

Our thoughts and prayers are with China at this moment and all those affected by the Coronavirus epidemic, just when Chinese nationals around the world should be celebrating the Lunar New Year.

On the global political and economic stage, China has in recent years risen as a super-power, yet coupled with the ongoing trade war imposed by the US, this crisis is putting tremendous added pressure on the country, forcing it to take unprecedented drastic measures while putting its economy at risk.

As we have come to recognise in the fashion and food industry, transparency is key.  China's president Xi Jinping warned this week, "The epidemic is a devil.  We cannot let the devil hide." This virus does not have any borders and amidst all the alarm and panic, the world needs to collaborate  to take it on, find a vaccine and work together to stop the epidemic.
We wish China and everyone in the world good luck as we usher in the year of the Rat.

Meanwhile, the rise of the status of China as a fashion power may be represented by the rise of the Chinese fashion brand LI-NING, which celebrates its 30^th Anniversary this year with the staging of its Autumn-Winter 2020 collection: Future-Vintage, Sport-Formal earlier this month (18th January 2020) in Paris, at the Pompidou Centre.

Li-Ning has come a long way since the days when it was very much another sportswear brand.  
But look at it now.
Founded by the country’s sport icon of athletics and Olympic gold medallist, Li Ning, the brand is now incorporating street fashion and tailoring, creating a hybrid sports-inspired look with multiple reference points.  And has accumulated a global following to boost.

(L-R) Founder Li Ning, with mega fans Jackie Chan, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade at the Li-Ning Menswear Fall/Winter 2020-2021 show, Paris Fashion Week January 18, 2020. 
(Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)

The collection originates in an image of Mr. Li, the brand’s founder and an Olympic gold medallist in his own right, wearing a suit, seen above with his fervent fans.

The vision of a champion athlete in relaxed tailoring inspires Li-Ning’s approach: applying techniques of classical tailoring to iconic, sport-derived styles, seen through an aesthetic lens of future-past. This range of apparel, footwear, and accessories is a product of Li-Ning’s three-decades-long quest to define a wardrobe for tomorrow.
The brand’s 30th anniversary sets into motion a far-reaching series of new collaborations and associations within the worlds of fashion and contemporary art, the latter of which is represented in Li-Ning’s three-year patronage, beginning in January 2020, of Paris’ renowned cultural institution -  the Centre Pompidou.

With a focus on live performance, the programme seeks to crystallize the partners’ shared belief in the unifying nature of experience and the power of art in creating exchange.

 Li-Ning’s Autumn/Winter 2020 show inaugurates the partnership, utilizing the venue’s sprawling galleries to reveal this special anniversary collection.

For the show, Li-Ning creates the effect of a shifting 3-D urban landscape with the Pompidou Centre illuminated in a matrix-like grid constructed of scaffolding, neon, pixelated LED screens, and monitors displaying 8-bit content reminiscent of ’80s video games along side various vintage video footage. The games and videos play, glitch, and “break down” then loop again, highlighting the season’s innate clash between lo-fi and hi-fi.  Models walked the Pompidou to a roughly collaged soundtrack that flickered between underground dance music, new wave hits, and ambient sounds of city bustling streets. 

Quickly expanding the brand's growing world of associates, founder Li-Ning arrived in Paris having just launched collaborations with the menswear designer Neil Barrett, at Milan Men’s Fashion Week, and Stefano Pilati’s Random Identities, at Pitti Uomo.

The Paris show opened with a preview of yet another partnership: a design collaboration with the iconic martial artist and actor Jackie Chan. The 10-look collection featureed futuristic black-and-white looks that combine Kung-Fu–inspired design elements with utility and military surplus.


(Photos by Francois Durand/Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

More than half of 25 to 34-year-olds buy second-hand clothes, say Mintel market experts

Britain’s thrifty young fashionistas are buying, selling, mending, swapping and renting their clothes, according to the latest research from Mintel.

Illustration: meidea.it on SS2021 trends
shown during Denim Premiere Vision - London 

‘Thrifting’ is the way forward among young British fashion shoppers, as Mintel research shows that in the last year alone over half (52%) of those aged 25 - 34 bought second-hand clothes, compared to an average of 43%.

Young Brits are turning their old clothes into hard cash, with 50% of 25 to 34-year-olds selling unwanted clothes in the last year, compared to 35% of consumers as a whole.

And in the spirit of ‘make do and mend’, half (50%) of 25-34-year-olds have repaired damaged or worn-out clothes.

Illustration: meidea.it on SS 2021 trends

‘Swishing’, the act of swapping clothes with friends or acquaintances, is also becoming on-trend, particularly among young people.

Three quarters (75%) of 16 to 24-year-olds say they either have swapped fashion items with others or would be interested in doing so in the future. This compares to an average of just 51% of Brits.

Meanwhile, looking at the habits of fashion shoppers, Generation Z (16-24-year-olds) is the demographic group most likely to use rental services, with 54% saying they have rented or would be interested in renting fashion items, compared to an average of 33% of Brits. Overall, 57% of Brits agree that buying too many fashion items is bad for the environment.

Chana Baram, Mintel Retail Analyst, said:“The idea of ‘reusing, reducing and recycling’ has the potential to be a big disruptor in the fashion industry. Young shoppers seem to be emulating their grandparents, who were forced to ‘make do and mend’ during World War II. As the climate crisis continues to gain headlines, consumers’ perspectives are shifting. It’s no longer enough for clothing to be priced well, or to reference the latest trends; fashion brands and retailers also have to think about working towards a goal of providing more sustainable options. Many young people today are likely to be  influenced by the ‘Attenborough’ or ‘Greta’ effects, and are becoming far more aware of the negative effects fast fashion can have on the environment. As a result, we have seen a real increase in the number of businesses and retailers offering repair services, second-hand items or rental options.”

Gen Z the main theme of the February 2020 edition of Milano Unica

“Gen Z _ Gen future: Tribe Culture 5.0” is the title, almost in code, of the next edition of Milano Unica for the presentation of Spring/Summer 2021 trends.  Gen Z is short for “Generation Z” (16-24 year-olds), the moniker that anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists have given to the generation of digital natives, the post Millennials, consisting of individuals born from 1997 up to today’s teenagers, according to the organisers.   This is the generation of the future (Gen future), the first that has used the internet since birth and for which cognitive structure and verbalisation are filtered through technology (5.0).  It is the generation that is perpetually connected, living all kinds of relationships and experiences on-line: from friendship to study, from shopping to entertainment, from the sense of community to virtual socialisation, up to the means with which it defines and shares its identity.

The 30th edition of show of the international textile fair Milano Unica that will take place 4th-6th February 2020 in the setting of Rho fairground, will be showcasing once again the latest trends in textile and innovative fabrics.

Spread over different pavilions, it will feature top-quality products from some 6,000 Italian and European textile mills and manufacturers, many of whom will be participating in the MU Sustainable Innovation project, analysing the relationship between style and sustainability.

Other sections in the fair include Ideabiella, Shirt Avenue (with MU Sintesi), Moda In Accessories (divided into Special Area: Origin Passion and Beliefs, MU Tendenze, MU Sintesi, MU Info & Style, MU Trade Press and Filo), as well as Moda In Fabrics (enhanced by the themed areas of Silky/Print, Lace & Embroidery, Knit, the Special Area: Japan Observatory, MU Sintesi, MU Vintage, MU Designers, MU Cinema and Politecnico di Milano).

Forever Sewing announces “Next” Big Step

Bricks and mortar retailers on the British highstreets are facing a challenging market while online sales are thriving.  And if a web-based business can go an extra mile to provide bespoke options, it is a formula that can lead to great success.
Now UK’s popular personalised, matching family loungewear company, Forever Sewing, has started the year on a high by announcing their “Next” big step; a partnership with high street retail giant Next.
The bespoke clothing brand, that is all handmade in Yorkshire, has made its classic loungewear and romper suits available to purchase on next.co.uk, in a range of colours, for both boys and girls, with the option to personalise in sizes ranging from 0-6years.

The brand has taken the market by storm and now have a loyal fan base who love its quality embroidered clothing. From humble beginnings at founder Laura Newman’s kitchen table, to launching its very first shop in their hometown of Rotherham and working with celebrity ambassador Dan Osborne late last year, the brand has grown exponentially.  
The partnership with Next sees Forever Sewing taking the next steps to success.  Next as a household name very much resonates with the Forever Sewing’s family-friendly ethos, so the launch on Next online is a perfect fit. On the first day of trading new customers reportedly flocked to the site, resulting in over 100 orders which is a great success for both parties.  

Forever Sewing will be adding a few more select ranges to the offering on next.co.uk throughout the year, and customers can still shop throughout the year on the foreverswingx.co.uk website for the wider selection of ranges and new product launches.

Laura Newman, founder and owner of Forever Sewing said: “This journey has been crazy. Never did I think that from starting to sew at my kitchen table that we would have a beloved and successful brand. We’ve grown from a small hard-working team into a bigger team that is thriving, opened our very own Forever Sewing shop and now to top it off we can celebrate a partnership with Next! Next is a great store for us, as it embodies our family brand ethos and we felt it was the right and exciting next big step for us to take as a company. Last year was a great year for us, we have learnt so much and are continuing to grow, and now we’re looking forward to showing everyone what we have in store for the rest of 2020.”

Tom Dixon launched new accessories in Paris – first of a series of 24-hour-campaigns

New collections SWIRL and PRESS from TOM DIXON.

A psychedelic update of an Italian post-modernist aesthetic, the pop sensibility of SWIRL from Tom Dixon is created from a series of geometric forms stacked upon one another to create multi-dimensional, functional sculptures. The unique process involves recycling the powdered residue from the marble industry, mixed with pigment and resin to create blocks of material that can then be sawn, sliced and turned on a lathe.

Stem, Small and Medium vases in the SWIRL collection are inspired by Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Anchored with a heavy base, the cylindrical vessels allow branches and flowers to cantilever out.

PRESS is a series of heavyweight grooved vases, bowls and candleholders made of fat, chunky coils of pure and clear transparent glass. The thickest industrially pressed glass artefacts designed and engineered to catch and refract light, and to last forever.

Bold in silhouette and simple in the function, PRESS are manufactured by dropping big globs of molten glass at 1,200 degrees centigrade and pressed in two- or three-part iron moulds to create immediately familiar silhouettes.

24 Hours in Paris was launched on January 20, 2020 and filmed with SONY equipment and latest innovations including Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens; Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens; Sony 64GB SF-G Tough Series UHS-II SDXC; Sony 32GB SF-G Tough Series UHS-II SDHC; Sony Alpha a9; Sony A7sii and Sony PCM-D100.  Click here to see the film.

Photos from TOM DIXON.

Salon International de la Lingerie opens on January 18 at Paris Expo. Climate, Inclusive Fashion and the Fight against Cancer are main focus.

The Salon International de la Lingerie which opens on January 18 at Porte de Versailles, Paris will focus on Climate, Inclusive Fashion and the Fight against Cancer, according to organisers at Eurovet.

On the topic of CLIMATE, the fair will be supporting the efforts of established brands and emerging designers to show the way towards more conscious and responsible consumption, and will be committed to reducing waste production by favouring recycled materials and adopting behaviours that are consistent with this approach.


The fair will also be embracing INCLUSIVE FASHION more than ever, says Eurovet, celebrating women in their diversity, by offering a wide spectrum of materials and collections that evolve for lingerie that cater and adapt to all shapes and personalities.


Also championing the FIGHT AGAINST CANCER, acknowledging that breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, the Salon International de la Lingerie and the concurrent Interfilière Paris have joined forces to support research to overcome this disease, contributing €1 from each ticket sold at the fair to the ARC Foundation for breast cancer research.

MARBLE Mural Prints and Wallpaper from Nat Maks reflect artist's energy.

An original marbled print of Acrylic colours onto Artist paper.

In addition to mural wallpaper, UK designer Natascha Maksimovic, based in Margate, Kent, has a range of prints also bearing a distinctive MARBLE design, available from Nat Maks.


Her MARBLE mural is hand printed by way of the traditional Japanese Art of Suminagashi, designed and made by Natascha.

As for her mural wallpaper, each roll is unique and bears the designer's signature as each roll is treated as a painting.
Natascha loves the medium of wallpapers and takes the Art of marbling to a much bigger scale.

The murals freely reflect the Artist's energy within its patterns. Even colours react different every time, sometimes getting on in harmony, sometimes fighting for dominance.

Each mural therefore has its imperfections; the colour overlaps, there are clear water markings and gaps within these patterns. It's these imperfections Natascha finds so interesting, not just the marble itself. She intends to create abstract paintings; expressing movement, imperfection and freedom.