Celine hits the desert

What were you listening to at the age of 11? Probably not Hector Berlioz’s 1830 composition Symphonie Fantastique – the title of Celine’s Homme ​’24 collection. It was at this age that Hedi Slimane first heard the piece, made by a then-26-year-old Berlioz. Much later, it was described by American conductor Leonard Bernstein as ​“the first psychedelic symphony ever composed.”

The piece is a headrush, said to be influenced by the French composer’s obsessive relationship with an English actress, Harriet Smithson. But its semi-autobiographical programme notes are, shall we say, a little darker. It details the romantic sufferings of ​“a gifted artist” who takes opium to numb the pain of unrequited love. His wild hallucinations take him through a pastoral scene in a field, a march to a scaffold (a raised stage for public executions), and a witches’ sabbath in the company of satan, before he overdoses and dies.

Celine opted for a cinematic showing of its collection; an accessible format the house has been enjoying since 2021. Celine-branded helicopters descend into the Mojave Desert, dropping a jukebox that divests from the usual rock ​‘n’ roll riffs of Slimane’s playlists (past shows have included The Libertines, Iggy Pop and Alan Vega) but, of course, the smooth and swaying opening strings of Symphonie Farntastic. Then, a series of Celine-licensed Cadillac Fleetwoods speed down the long road, dropping off Slimane’s latest menswear collection in the middle of nowhere.

Slimane’s past has long informed his work as a creative director; the irreverent flair of Parisian youth; Berlin’s underground art scene in the late 1990s; and London’s indie years in the early 00s. But this latest reference to Symphonie… felt like a personal, feverish period of Slimane’s early life; a young boy entranced by otherworldly sounds, and a growing imagination hungry for the bizarre and fantastical – which he was at the cusp of discovering.

This collection felt like a return to Slimane’s happy place. There was tailoring – lots of it – and a dominant shadow of black on three-button suits, frock coats, and hand-embroidered waistcoats, while shirts were impossibly clean and crisp, the stark white punctuated with a black skinny tie. The past few menswear collections have experimented with varsity jackets, leopard print, slinky pussy-bow blouses, and leather; all equally in Slimane’s world of androgyny and swaggering stage-presence. But here, it’s in the razor-sharp lines and straight silhouettes that hark back to his highly influential beginnings, when an army of men began adopting straighter, slicker styles from the cobbled streets of Paris to the pubs of Camden Town.

The drama of the collection, much like the highs and lows of Symphonie Fantastique, unfold in gold embroidered jackets that shimmer in the light and billowing cape-like coats – before the jukebox catches fire and the piece fizzles out to a few soft chimes. Naturally, Celine Homme ​’24 felt retrospective in parts; Slimane is a master of using his past to inform the future of the house. This time around, it felt like a sweet daydream; a young Slimane conjuring up the ideas of smoky glamour that would go on to inform his long, influential career.

In case you missed the memo, adidas has been celebrating 10 years of Spezial. They kicked off proceedings on 17^th May with a stellar retrospective exhibition in aid of local youth homelessness charity Nightsafe, titled Decade – Celebrating 10 Years of adidas SPZL, in Darwen, Lancashire, which is open ​’til 26^th May and includes vintage design references, unseen samples, technical drawings and signed footwear. But if you can’t make it up North, don’t fret – adidas is releasing the Decade pack, a special ode to archival Three Stripe pieces including the Garwen, Lacombe, Blackburn, and the Ardwick. Each shoe has been subtly reworked by Lancashire’s very own Gary Aspden, who established adidas Spezial in 2013.

Fingers on the button: the SPZL arrives on 24^th May via select retailers and the Confirmed app.

As we gear up for the Euros next month, adidas Originals and NTS arrived in good time with their capsule collection inspired by archive football kits, which includes jerseys (pink with the NTS logo and adidas trefoil front and centre), shorts, jackets, and two colourways of the Samba Millennium. Plus, a rather brilliant campaign showing the highs, lows, and moments of refreshment during the 90 minutes. It’s worth noting that the retro-inspired kits, which focus on five pivotal cities: London, Marseille, Barcelona, Berlin, and New York, will be available at pop-ups in the key cities following the drop.

The collection will be available via the Confirmed app and in-store at the adidas Originals and Size? stores on Carnaby Street, London from 1^st June.

And finally, Wales Bonner is back with her latest adidas Originals collection. This time around, the designer was influenced by running traditions in Ethiopia and Kenya – a theme that builds on the research of her namesake label’s SS24 collection, titled Marathon. In this collection, streamlined track tops come in electric blue and blue-green variations, while summer staples such as knit vests, three-stripe tees, and light jackets are included in the mix. And this season, Wales Bonner got her hands on a pair of Samba Millennium, originally an indoor football boot, now with a luxe upper and contrasting tones, and the SL76 straight out of the adidas running archive.

Shop Wales Bonner’s latest collection with adidas Originals at wales​bon​ner​.com

To celebrate 501 Day, Levi’s dove into its extensive archive (that’s around 170 years’ worth of denim) to determine what its oldest pair of jeans were. After much deliberation with several contenders, the 9Rivet came out as the top dog: ​“Of the various 1870s blue jeans in the Levi’s® Archives, I always suspected 9Rivet was the oldest,” said Paul O’Neill, Design Director, Levi’s® Vintage Clothing. ​“After confirming it was in fact the oldest we have, we were thrilled to reproduce all of its quirks and details that collectively capture a unique piece of denim history.” How’s that for vintage?

You can get your hands on a limited-edition pair of 9Rivet Jeans from levis​.com, the Levi’s App, and select Levi’s stores.

Meanwhile, Stüssy has partnered with Artisan Project – a collective of textile designers led by Palestinian-American textile designer Nina Mohammad – for a second collection of special boucherouite rugs, using upcycled Stüssy T‑shirts and wool from the Atlas Mountains. Inspired by Moahammad’s ancestral rugs, art, vintage graphics, and nature, the rugs are then woven by the Ain Leuh Women’s Cooperative in Morocco using ancient cultural practices.

Inevitably, the rugs have sold out pretty fast. But there are still two styles left for the taking, so head to stussy​.com now!

Back for a third round, Parley for the Oceans, a global environmental organisation, has partnered with Dior on a beachwear capsule collection. Entirely made up of 100 per cent innovative materials, including 30 per cent designed using Parley Ocean Plastic (a material made from upcycled marine plastic debris). The holiday-ready pieces include short-sleeved shirts, shorts, a bucket hat, sandals, and beach bags in aqua green and blues, with Dior emblems and coral print motifs. Under the sea…

Parley for the Oceans and Dior’s capsule is available to buy at dior​.com

ECCO.kollektive returns for SS25 along with designers Craig Green, Louis-Gabriel Nouchi, and Ottolinger. Launched in 2022, the project, once known as At.Kollektive, and with past collaborators including Helmut Lang’s Peter Do and Kiko Kostadinov’s Laura and Deanna Fanning, aims to innovate through collaboration. Each season, new designers merge their creative juices with Ecco’s footwear expertise. This season’s process began at Ecco’s leather studios, inspiring a boundary-pushing collection of shoes, accessories, and ready-to-wear pieces.

Pieces will be available at eccokol​lec​tive​.com and select stores from November, with prices starting at €225.

Rains has launched its new Festival 2024 campaign just in time for the season to kick off, starring Stratford-born rapper Lancey Foux getting down and dirty in the outwear brand’s protective gear. With the unpredictable British weather, Rains have long been a mainstay of festival kit, thanks to its weatherproof jackets, capes, and anoraks shielding from the (inevitable) storm. Catch Lancey wearing pieces from the campaign at his upcoming performances at London’s Big Smoke Festival and All Points East this summer.

Weather the storm at rains​.com

And while we’re on the topic of weather, if we’re in for a long, hot, summer – there’s no harm in a slice of optimism – Vivienne Westwood has you covered with an exclusive fan, made with the posh Mandarin Oriental Mayfair hotel. Handcrafted in the UK, the fan is inspired by the drama of a dance and includes figures of two glamorous lovers that nod to the British house’s past campaigns of effervescent characters. But you’ll have to be quick: there’s only one, and it’s on auction ​’til 28^th June. The sale of the fan is part of The Vivienne Foundation’s ​“Stop War” campaign, with the sale supporting War Child’s Emergency Fund, aiding children in crisis when disaster strikes.

Register to be part of the auction at theauc​tion​col​lec​tion​.com

We’re back fans of All-In, the fashion brand that got fashion fan’s tongues wagging at their ballsy Paris Fashion Week SS24 show. In fact, we invited the brand’s founders Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø into our Winter 2023 issue, where they turned veteran model Lily Cole into a popstar called Allina (geddit?). The brand started as a magazine in 2015, with shoots informed by Benjamin and August’s meticulous sourcing of vintage pieces, transgressive tastes, and uber-cool faces. Now, get set for All-In Issue 7. With Lily-Rose Depp, photographed by Lengua, on the cover, the latest chapter ​“centres around the demise of the magazine and takes the form of an unravelled periodical held together by ripped plastic,” and features contributions from Lotta Volkova, Harley Weir, Thomas de Kluyver and Marili Andre.

Get your mitts on All-In Issue 7 at all​-in​-stu​dio​.com. Only 999 copies are available!

Last Monday, Gucci transformed the Tate Modern into a temporary greenhouse for its Cruise 2025 show, with the makeshift catwalk lined with all sorts of plants, flowers, and greenery. And they live on, having been donated to the non-profit grassroots organisation Grow to Know, which is launching a new community garden in West London. Supported by the Westway Trust, the gardens, called Life Under the Westway: Maxilla Gardens, will feature a green installation, bespoke furniture, and a tapestry of planting contributed by Gucci.

For more info, head to growtoknow.world