Gucci goes giddy for Kingsley Ben-Adir

Did you read Phoebe Philo’s interview this week?

Fashion’s great enigma gave the gossip to the New York Times (we were busy), speaking about her buzzy namesake label in her first proper interview in over a decade. What were the big takeaways?

Well, Philo, wearing a black bomber and pinstripe grey suit, shared her grand, anti-high-concept design philosophy: ​“Someone telling me a story isn’t going to make me like it more. It is a coat. It’s a pair of trousers. I do appreciate a level of straightforwardness.”

Maybe fashion is just clothes, after all. And she wants us to cling onto our favourite pieces for a long time. That’s obviously easier to do if you can afford the jacket she’s flogging for £6k, but she’s got a point: ​“I continue to wear clothes today that I’ve had for 20 years,” she said. ​“One of my favourite pairs of trousers is a pair of Chloé trousers I made.” What else did we learn? Philo still goes clubbing, her brand’s name almost ended up being a swear word and she drinks her tea black. Black!

When Phoebe Philo launched in last October, we took a look back at the designer’s packed CV, from her time as a plucky Central Saint Martins student to her reinvention of womenswear at Celine and, of course, the big 360 that saw her go AWOL from the fashion industry and then return with Phoebe Philo the brand. Turns out, she’s still the coolest designer in the world.

For its latest campaign, Gucci enlisted the good looks of actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, who’s also currently on big screens as Bob Marley in the reggae legend’s new biopic. Shot by German photographer Heji Shin (who caught Paul Mescal in his pants for the brand last year), the campaign is all about spotlighting the house’s much-loved, 70-year-old Horsebit 1953 loafer, which has been reimagined for a whole new generation under the romantic spell of creative director Sabato de Sarno.

Coperni took a different approach to its SS24 campaign, taking us to one of Europe’s largest anechoic chambers (basically, a room so quiet humans can only bear to stay in it for up to 45 minutes) in French commune Trappe. Model Lulu Tenney faces the silence in the house’s esoteric designs – all barely-there silhouettes and sexy, supple leathers, with a double horn on hand for when the peace turns to panic.

Celine has today announced its newest ambassador, NewJeans’ Danielle who joins the likes of Blackpink’s Lisa and BTS’ V. The French fashion house has released a black and white image of the 18-year-old Australian-Korean K‑pop idol wearing pair of jeans and a nice Celine top to mark the occasion and, of course, the fans are going wild.

Finally, Axel Arigato headed to NYC with actress Havanna Rose Liu, who starred alongside Rachel Sennott in 2023’s comedy of the year Bottoms, for the brand’s latest sneaker, the unisex Onyx, inspired by basketball silhouettes from the ​’80s and ​’90s. Alley-oop.

After you’ve listened to this week’s episode of THE FACE Podcast, tune into Chanel’s brand-new Les Rencontres Podcast. In each episode, the house will invite a female author who has recently published a debut novel, with Chanel ambassador Charlotte Casiraghi (Grace Kelly’s granddaughter, did you know?) on hosting duties. And who better to kick things off with than London’s Sheena Patel, author of 2022’s brilliant, frantic and downright head-spinning novel I’m A Fan. Last year, she starred in our best of British Asian talent portfolio, where she offered us some words of wisdom: ​“I am English. I am mouthy like an English person, I don’t listen to authority, I row, I like beige food. It’s not something I reject.” Expect more cracking convo on the podcast.

Another week, another Palace collab. This time, it’s Gap’s turn, teaming up with the London skate brand on a 55-piece collection of ​“PAL” hoodies, varsity jackets, smart Oxford shirts, rugby tops, T‑shirts and Palace’s first kidswear offering. Taking influence from the slouchy Gap hoodies skaters would wear in the ​’90s in San Francisco, Galace (or Pap?) took to the city for a super chill campaign shot by Jim Goldberg. They even found time to create a short film, featuring none other than Sporty Spice – who appeared, along with the other four Spices, on a Palace T‑shirt last year – playing the mum of a young skater.

Supreme and Dr. Martens are back with their latest kicks, this time remixing the classic 1461 shoe with some hi-tech rub-off leather. The more you wear them, the more colours are revealed under the black or red top coat, as the leather wears off over time. Something tells us these could really rub off on us…

After weeks of teasing, Louis Vuitton’s collab with Tyler, the Creator is here. All preppy collars, sherbert colours and sweater vests, the collection is the latest product of Tyler and LV’s creative director Pharell Williams’ long friendship – and an extension of the modern dandy flavour Williams has been establishing at the Parisian house. ​“Tyler has been my close friend and collaborator for years and we’ve always connected on music and design,” Williams says. While Tyler added: ​“The team was great to work with, it kinda felt like ​‘Big’ with Tom Hanks. P has always left a door open for me, but I still can’t believe this one.”

Catarina Oliveira and Rui Liu’s adaptogenic skincare brand Herbar is only a year old, but it’s already working hard to revolutionise the products we love slapping onto our faces by harnessing the power of mushrooms (not magic ones, unfortunately). Their latest invention? The Barrier Cream, a super-smooth moisturiser that repairs the skin barrier by 54 per cent, helping to reverse the damage caused by pollution, sun damage and all the rest. Who could say no to that?

In case you didn’t know, the Italian brand MSGM has a fully-sustainable line called Fantastic Green, offering T‑shirts and sweaters made from 100 per cent organic cotton and using only chemical-free, biodegradable ink. For the first time, the line has partnered with Florence-based artist Duccio Maria Gambi for a capsule collection of plush T‑shirts, hoodies and slouchy shorts featuring prints of some rather healing crystals. And breathe…

Bleu Nour, the up-and-coming perfume brand releasing fragrances based on synesthesia, have just dropped their brand new scent, Canna Crush – ​“the smell of weed, but make it sexy”. Inspired by the streets of East London, it blends whiffs of leather, pink pepper, osmanthus, white musk and, of course, cannabis. Even better, it comes packaged in a super-compact roll-on bottle, so you can take it with you wherever you go. Bleu Nour also celebrated Canna Crush’s launch at Goodhood this week, with plenty of fresh-smelling pals in tow.

Good news for Kiko Kostadinov fans: the brand has swung open the doors of its first store. All you have to do is hop on a plane to Tokyo’s Shibuya District to check it out. This is no ordinary shop, though. Made up of two components, the first ​“Outer Vessel” is designed by Yusuke Seki and his team, creating a minimal blank canvas for Kostadinov’s esoteric designs to speak for themselves. The second component is an ever-evolving space that artists will be invited to transform with their works – the first being provocative filmmaker Ryan Trecartin, who will build an installation made up of video, sculpture and sound. Worth the 13-hour flight.

Find yourself in Tokyo? Make a B‑line for 2 – 32‑3, Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 160‑0001, Japan.

Closer to home is East London’s favourite concept store LN-CC, which has had a facelift over the past couple of weeks and is reopening this weekend. The store called on British set designer Gary Card to magic up its new digs, complete with sexy metallic finishings, lilac walls and a new and improved sound system courtesy of Teenage Engineering. Housing hotshot brands such as Bottega Veneta, Prada, Rick Owens and Margiela, the store now boasts six freshly made-over rooms: The Tunnel, Atrium, Midtarsal, Cobalt, Callisto and, finally, L8TE, a reinvention LN-CC’s dedicated party space which has hosted the likes of Shygirl, Jamie xx and Eartheater over the years.

Head down to 24 Shacklewell Lane, London E8 2EZ from Saturday 23^rd March.