Coach’s viral Brooklyn bag gets the A‑list treatment

Elle Fanning, Charles Melton and Storm Reid are just like us: they’ve fallen for Coach’s adorable, trinket-covered bags and they don’t care who knows it. Toys have been booming in the fashion industry over the last few months. But it was at the brand’s AW24 show in February, where the Brooklyn bag made its debut, that we actually took note of the whimsical trend. Keychains became fruit-shaped. Tiny bags attached to other tiny bags spread like wildfire.

So, it was only a matter of time before the viral Brooklyn got its own billboard moment. Enter: the ​“Unlock Your Courage” campaign, shot by FACE family Elaine Constantine. In all her windswept glory, Elle brandishes both a Brooklyn and a Tabby bag with all the cutesy add-ons, while a suited and booted Charles Melton appears to be equally enamoured with his iteration. That’s one way to charm the cool kids.

Big news: Sarah Burton will become the eighth creative director of Givenchy. The announcement has sent excited shockwaves throughout the fashion industry. Insiders have been waiting with bated breath to see Sarah’s next chess move after departing Alexander McQueen last September, where she spent 26 years of her career, 13 of which she served as creative director. The designer will take the Givenchy baton from Matthew Williams, who left the brand in January. Following the news of Haider Ackermann joining Tom Ford, it almost seems like fashion is healing after all. Keep your eyes peeled for her debut show next March.

Glenn Martens is exiting Y/​Project following 11 years as creative director. The Belgian designer’s tenure at the brand ensured that Y/​Project was always a fashion week highlight (who could that SS23 collection, teeming with distressed denim, tromp l’oeil slip dresses and knit vests?). His departure means yet another creative director post is anyone’s for the taking, and as the New York Times’ Vanessa Friedman put it: the news will surely ​“send the rumour mill into overdrive.” Whoever takes over at Y/​Project has some mighty big shoes to fill…

Now, no one makes me want a multi-pocket tool bag more than Willow Smith. Hear me out: when the bow-laden, glossy red iteration dropped, it was love at first sight. The only thing stopping me from making the hefty but (very) necessary purchase was thinking about how I’d even begin to style it. Now, however, Willow Smith has me officially sold, courtesy of her smize and a daring double-denim get-up. For the brand’s AW24 campaign, the musician is snapped in a floor-trailing denim jacket in one look. Next, she’s giving it her all, topless in a faux fur coat and loose jeans. If that wasn’t enough, the campaign also introduces a drool-worthy pony hair multi-pocket bag. Plus, Willow super fans can catch her belting out some tunes IRL in the coming weeks as part of Acne Studios’ partnership with Spotify.

Call incoming: Hunter Schafer, Letitia Wright, Miranda July and Damson Idris are on the line. Prada’s AW24 ​“Now That We Are Here” campaign required an A‑list cast that simply loves to yap. Catch Hunter Schafer nattering in a smoky-grey and plush-pink blazer, or Letitia having a chinwag in an aubergine bow-littered dress. What’s more, if you call the (free) number on billboards across London, New York, LA, Milan and Bangkok, you’ll get to hear a pre-recorded message from none other than Miranda herself. Talk about hotline bling.

Hedi Slimane’s Celine is ever-evolving. Take Celine Homme’s SS24, for instance: it eschewed all gender norms in favour of halter necks, skin-tight leather trousers and bows affixed to tops. A masterclass in androgynous style. SS24’s women’s line was another hit, with a mashup of his greatest hits: where cut-off shorts, biker boots and panelled leather jackets stole the show. Now, the man with the Midas touch is back to pay homage to 1920s British tailoring. Inspired by the eccentricity of British socialites Stephen James Napier Tennant and Cecil Beaton, Hedi continues his 30-year interrogation into preppy, English style for his men’s summer line. In the campaign, models sprawling about the grounds of an estate donning handmade rowing jackets with trompe l’oeil. Elsewhere, silk gilets are embellished with floral motifs, blooming decor is fixed to tailcoats and glossy lace-ups complete the footwear.

Solange Knowles is the stuff of dreams in Wales Bonner’s latest ​“Dream Study” campaign. The star’s love for the brand is unwavering and well-documented. A TikTok video of Solange and Yassin Bey backstage at the show in Paris blew up in January. It was only a matter of time until Knowles became a bonafide member of the Wales Bonner clan. Bathed in soft lighting (thanks, Zoë Ghertner), the musician steals the show in a slick tailoring fashioned from cashmere wool, an intricately woven shirt, and a macramé dress plucked straight from the Wales Bonner archive.

Not many brands can make a graffiti-laden bag look good – except Marc Jacobs, of course. Capturing the spirit and creativity running rampant through downtown New York, leather top-handle bags, hoodies, loose denim separates and more have been reimagined with Futura’s scrawl, as part of the brand’s ongoing 40^th anniversary celebrations (Anna Sui and Kenzo’s creative director Nigo joined forces with the New York-based brand this year, too). Paloma Elsesser, J Balvin, and, of course, Futura himself all sizzle in the campaign. Maybe life does begin at 40?

There’s no stopping FKA twigs. In fact, put her on a mountain and she’ll thrive. Case in point: ON’s latest campaign starring THE FACE cover star. Contorting her body atop pebbled rocks, the star makes a good case for the flexibility of ON’s autumn/​winter training collection. The newly announced ON creative partner makes breaking a sweat look utterly cool, while quite literally cutting some shapes outdoors. We’d expect nothing less.

The wait for the link-up of the year is over. Puma and Aries did their big one. The red-printed cardigan is the first thing I zeroed in on and, naturally, it sold out before I could get my mitts on it. But the yellow version is just as captivating and will be thrown over my shoulder all of fashion month.

But there’s much more to the super-hyped collaboration. Aries’ DNA is injected throughout the collection, from the X‑ray tracksuits (also emblazoned with Puma motifs) to the lace-patterned tops. If you’re more of a sneakerhead, good news: the collab includes a brand spanking new pair of Puma’s viral Mostro trainers with burgundy mesh layering, toggle laces and Aries branding on the tongue. Meet you at the checkout.

PUMA x Aries is available to buy now at ariesarise​.com and the Aries Flagship store, London, as well as other stockists.

ECCO leather, the world’s first design-led tannery, and 1 Granary, a platform dedicated to spotlighting future leaders of fashion, are joining forces to help burgeoning designers make sustainable choices. KNWLS, Johanna Parv, Duran Lantink and Charlie Constantinou are the first bunch of designers to join the programme, which entails working inside ECCO’s workshops in the Netherlands. The programme will give young designers the opportunity to push boundaries, get their heads around sustainable practices and create innovative pieces while they’re at it.

Tasty booze, The Standard London and fashion’s hottest tastemakers – is there any better way to ring in London Fashion Week? You’ll be hard-pressed to find anything else that matches up to Résidence Cîroc’s kick-off extravaganza. Fronted by A$AP Nast and Shygirl, the event will commandeer an entire floor inside the King’s Cross hotel, acting as a base for rolling installations throughout the week. There’ll be takeovers from the young, thriving Fashion East cohort, KNWLS and celeb super stylist Law Roach. After dark, hit the dance floor and knock back some limited-edition cocktails, then pick up a fashion-approved swag bag that’ll make the raging hangover worth it. Try and find a better way to kick off a month of fashion shows. Go on, I dare you.

Résidence Cîroc runs from 14 September to 17 September at The Standard London.