This month’s news roundup is all about collaborations that span from legendary restorations to creative reinventions and much more.
100 Years of Mastery
To mark its centenary, Loro Piana has released Master of Fibres, a book by historian and journalist Nicholas Foulkes, published by Assouline. This commemorative book plunges into the maison’s evolution from a wool trading company in the 1800s to a brand globally renowned for its cashmere. Using archival materials, interviews with the Loro Piana family, and historic photographs, Nicholas brings to life the history behind the brand. The book highlights milestones such as the founding of a wool mill in Piedmont’s Valsesia Valley by Pietro Loro Piana in 1924 and the launch of iconic products like the Grande Unità scarf in the 1980s. The 196-page volume, featuring 150 illustrations, is hand-bound and housed in a clamshell case crafted from Loro Piana’s Tela Sergio, a cotton-linen blend fabric. Part of Assouline’s Ultimate Collection, it stands as a tribute to the maison’s legacy of excellence in textiles and design.
Fashion For A Cause
Jil Sander has collaborated with the Only the Brave (OTB) Foundation to launch a limitededition T-shirt for charity, with 50% of its sales supporting the first public orphanage for girls in Kapisa, Afghanistan. This comes after the successful reopening of the province’s boys orphanage in 2022, also backed by OTB and Nove Caring Humans (one of the few Italian NGOs still operating in Afghanistan). The Kapisa orphanage provides 50 girls with shelter, education, healthcare and emotional support, offering a safe space amid widespread poverty, violence and early marriage. The orphanage also supports families in crisis, maintaining connections between children and their relatives. The T-shirt, featuring a heart motif and the slogan ‘for the children of the world’, is available worldwide in Jil Sander stores and online. Proceeds aim to empower vulnerable Afghan girls and break cycles of poverty.
Playful Fusion
Adidas Originals teams up with avant-garde fashion house Avavav for a debut collaborative collection, unveiled during Milan Fashion Week’s Spring and Summer 2025 presentation. Known for its subversive and provocative designs, Avavav, under Creative Director Beate Skonare Karlsson, brings its signature wit and internet-age aesthetic to this unique partnership. The Autumn and Winter 2024 collection, titled ‘The Worst Game You’ve Ever Seen’, explores the intersection of sports and fashion through exaggerated designs and playful irony. The campaign features a satirical take on a football match, with models portraying comically unathletic players, mishaps on a concrete pitch and a disengaged audience. The collection includes reimagined adidas classics, such as the Superstar sneaker adorned with Avavav’s iconic four-finger motifs. Garments have inflated silhouettes: cropped track tops, lengthened track robes and oversized puffer jackets. Accessories include finger-shaped hats and gloves to complete this unusual re-interpretation of sporting heritage.
For The Love Of Art
Parfums de Marly partners with the musée du Louvre to restore and enhance the Decorative Arts department’s 18th-century Cressent rooms in the Richelieu Wing. This collaboration, which began in September 2024, aims to revitalise these spaces, which are renowned for showcasing masterpieces of furniture, tapestries, paintings and objects from the royal collections and leading manufactures of the period. The project includes updating scenography, improving lighting, reorganising displays and implementing protective measures to safeguard these fragile works. Notably, pieces by Charles Cressent, a prominent Rococo artist, will undergo detailed study and potential restoration. Scheduled in three phases, the renovations will pause in early 2025 for a fashion exhibition before resuming and culminating in a grand reopening in 2026. The brand’s support highlights its dedication to French cultural heritage, with regular project updates shared on its platforms.
A Decade In The Folds
Purificación García’s Origami bag celebrates a decade since its introduction. The bag is inspired by the Japanese art of origami and is characterised by its geometric design, 3D structure and craftsmanship. It has become a key feature across the brand’s collections for men, women and accessories. For the anniversary, the brand collaborated with four plastic artists – Alba Galocha, Clara Cebrián, Sara Uriarte and Sophie Agullo, who offered their interpretations of the bag. Every artist had their own approach to the project, reflecting themes such as structure, simplicity and nature. The bag is made of high-quality Nappa leather for its flexibility and ability to hold folds. The production process mirrors origami techniques, with precise folds and triangular supports integrated to create its distinctive shape. This celebration reinforces the bag’s connection to craftsmanship and the creativity behind its design.