This month, our fashion and beauty roundup brings you a mix of bold collaborations, empowering initiatives and iconic designs.
Cultural Canvas
Asteri Beauty has joined forces with Saudi Arabian artist and creative visionary Sara Al Namlah to celebrate Saudi National Day. This collaboration beautifully honours Asteri’s Saudi heritage, bringing the brand’s essence to life through an exclusive art piece. Featured on a limited-edition box, the artwork highlights Asteri’s Legacy Lipstick range, with both extended and current shades, alongside a special Saudi National Day lip set. Sara Al Namlah, a graduate of Visual Art & Printmaking from Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, is known for her intricate digital collages and photography. Her work captures the beauty of Saudi traditions and femininity, blending heritage with modernity. Her exclusive design reflects the elegance and strength of Saudi women, using rich gold tones and symbolic patterns. The collaboration also includes two limited-edition sets: the National Day Lip Set, featuring three Legacy Liquid Lipsticks and the National Day Liquid Lip Set, including a Legacy Lipstick and two refills.
Nurturing Tomorrow’s Designers
NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER have expanded their renowned Vanguard mentorship programme for 2024, uniting to provide more comprehensive support to emerging designers. This year, the programme celebrates talents featured in NET-A-PORTER’s NET SUSTAIN and MR PORTER’s Consciously Crafted selections, with a strong focus on sustainability. The chosen brands are Diotima and Liberowe, available at NET-A-PORTER, and Kartik Research, available at MR PORTER. Each label has launched exclusive capsule collections featuring Digital ID technology, allowing customers to explore the provenance and care of their items. The mentorship has been extended to two years, providing the designers with tailored guidance from industry experts on business development, sustainability and marketing. This initiative continues championing the next generation of fashion innovators, fostering responsible design and long-term industry success.
Bold & British
Introducing Miu Balmoral, a bold new series of pop-up stores by Miu Miu, celebrating the fearless charm of British style with a blend of masculine and feminine contrasts. These exclusive pop-ups, running through the end of October, appear in key cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Seoul and, for the first time, online at miumiu.com. Drawing inspiration from the autumn and winter 2024 collection, the popup capsule reimagines British classics such as Argyle knits, waxed cotton overcoats, kilts and pyjamas. Paired with rugged walking boots, Church’s X Miu Miu brogues and laceup shoes, the capsule strikes a perfect balance between smart and casual. The accessory lineup includes the Wander, Aventure, Arcadie, Beau, and the newly launched Penny bag in sheepskin and Prince of Wales fabric, which is exclusive to the brand.
Family By Choice
In its latest &Co.llaboration, MAX&Co. teams up with Lorenzo Posocco, the creative director of LPS (Lorenzo Posocco Studio), to present the ‘Found Family’ capsule collection. This unique range pays homage to the concept of chosen families (the ones you’re not born into), where love, care and belonging are formed through shared experiences. Inspired by ’90s fashion and intimate portraiture, the collection recreates a communal wardrobe filled with versatile pieces designed to be worn, cherished and passed on like modern heirlooms. The creations merge simplicity and complexity, featuring gender-inclusive and multi-generational designs. Key pieces include sportif pencil skirts, pinafore minidresses and boxy leather jackets. With a classic colour palette of grey, black and white, accented by bold hues of yellow, lilac and scarlet, the collection offers timeless appeal. Sustainability is central, using organic cotton, recycled taffeta and matching dust bags made from leftover fabrics, adding to the collection’s sense of care and lasting value.
Fashion Remix
In a bold creative move, Givenchy introduces the Shark Lock Boot Project, reimagining its iconic gaiter boot style as a standalone art object. This initiative showcases the house’s dedication to pushing artistic boundaries beyond traditional fashion photography. Led by London-based creative director Jamie Reid, four international tastemakers – Alessandro Furchino Capria, Takashi Homma, Sharna Osborne and Jet Swan – were invited to reinterpret the Shark Lock Boot through their unique artistic lenses. The results highlight unexpected facets of the Shark Lock, from its craftsmanship to its avant-garde appeal. Standout designs include high wedge boots in ivory leather, knee-high slouchy boots in cheetah-effect pony and biker ankle boots in washed denim. Complementing the collection are new interpretations of Givenchy’s star handbags, including the Shark Lock bucket bag and the Antigona Lock Mini, each available in luxurious materials like Nappa leather, python and denim, creating a perfect synergy between art, fashion and design.