Bottega Veneta - A Desert Dreamscape

.new campaign
Bottega Veneta Winter 24
*Alec Soth Shoots Ad Campaign in the Desert Wilds

written Monica de Luna

Bottega Veneta’s Winter 2024 campaign lands in the American West with an impact that feels strange and inevitable. Creative Director Matthieu Blazy teams up with photographer Alec Soth to create a visual dialogue between the desert’s stark beauty and the brand’s vision of luxury.

Captured in Nevada and Utah, locations notorious for UFO sightings, the campaign blends the eerie with the elegant. Models Mariacarla Boscono, Zayna Cisse, Imaan Hammam, and others inhabit the cloths, merging with the barren landscape like they belong there, yet stand out as otherworldly beings.

Blazy’s designs—feather-light skirts and imposing, sculptural coats—create a powerful contrast against the desert’s raw backdrop. They are protective, almost armor-like, yet fluid, interacting with the environment in a way that feels at once familiar and alien.

Alec Soth’s photography leans into this tension, capturing every detail with a clarity that makes the desert’s rough textures feel palpable. The intertwined craftsmanship of Bottega Veneta’s signature intrecciato accessories echoes the twisted resilience of desert flora. These elements—hardy yet intricate—ground the campaign in a tactile reality, even as it flirts with the supernatural.

Rahim Fortune’s accompanying film amplifies the campaign’s mood of quiet anticipation. Sweeping shots of the desert give way to closeups of models moving through the landscape with a sense of purpose, as though on the brink of a revelation. The soundtrack by Le Motel adds to the suspense, mixing ambient sounds of crackling fire and wind with an electronic hum that feels like a signal from beyond. The film creates a sense of impending discovery, of something hidden just out of sight.

Thew new Fall 2024 ad campaign is a stark reminder of Bottega Veneta’s refusal to conform to digital noise. Blazy and Soth have crafted a narrative that commands attention, drawing the viewer into a world where the line between reality and the unknown blurs. It’s a visual exploration of craft, design, and environment, where each element enhances the other. The visuals unfold in the endless expanse of the desert, challenging you to see beyond the horizon.

Hair
Duffy

Makeup
Dame Pat McGrath

Casting Director
Anita Bitton

Music
Le Motel

Bottega Veneta Creative Director
Matthieu Blazy

Photographer
Alec Soth

Film Director
Rahim Fortune

Location
Utah and Nevada

all content (c) Bottega Veneta 2024

Talents + Models
Mariacarla Boscono, Zayna Cisse, Luke Clod, Walid Fiher, Imaan Hammam, Liz Kennedy, Hoyong Kim, Hejia Li, Mamuor Majeng, Rolf Schrader, Hedi Ben Tekaya & Penelope Ternes

Mugler x Gentle Monster *Eyewear Capsule

.new campaign
Mugler x Gentle Monster Collaboration
Visionary Collision

written Amanda Mortenson

Fashion lovers, brace yourselves!
Mugler and Gentle Monster have joined forces, pushing the envelope with a daring new eyewear collection.

The collaboration is a high-voltage fusion of Mugler’s iconic heritage and Gentle Monster’s futuristic edge. This embodies the fearless spirit of both brands, capturing the essence of Mugler’s ‘Les Insectes’ haute couture collection from 1997 with a modern twist. Think geometric marvels and goggle shapes that scream avant-garde.

Georgia Palmer for Gentle Monster x MUGLER Campaign
2024 Collaboration

Colin Jones

Gentle Monster x MUGLER
2024 Collaboration

Georgia Palmer

Starring Colin Jones and Georgia Palmer and shot by Theo Liu, the campaign is a visual feast. It’s a nod to legendary visual innovators like Helmut Newton and Manfred Thierry Mugler, merging high fashion with kinetic energy. The visuals are an art form, showcasing the dynamic synergy between Mugler and Gentle Monster. Beyond the eyewear, the collaboration extends to its packaging, blending organic and structural forms that are as innovative as the pieces themselves. This is about reimagining what eyewear can be. To celebrate, Seoul and Shanghai will host special activations featuring ephemeral spaces and kinetic structures, reflecting the bold identities of the two brands.

This partnership is a seismic shift in the fashion landscape. Mugler x Gentle Monster redefines what it means to be visionary, setting the stage for the future of eyewear.

Mark your calendars for July 18th, 2024!

all images
(c) MUGLER x GENTLE MONSTER Collaboration
2024

Iris Van Herpen *Fall 2024 Couture

*New Collection
Iris Van Herpen Fall 2024 Couture
Ethereal Avant-Garde

written Amanda Mortenson

In a show that felt more like an immersive art installation, Iris Van Herpen once again shattered the boundaries of fashion with her Fall 2024 Couture Collection. Held during Paris Fashion Week, Van Herpen´s presentation was a blend of avant-garde innovation and ethereal beauty, solidifying her place as a pioneer of the future of fashion.

Iris Van Herpen has once again transcended the traditional boundaries of fashion with her Fall 2024 Couture show. Eschewing the typical runway show, Van Herpen’s presentation, titled “Ethereal Genesis,” transformed models into living sculptures suspended against impasto-covered canvases. The effect was mesmerizing, as the models’ slow, deliberate movements conjured an ethereal dance of life and art.

Set within a gallery-like space, the presentation showcased nine works, each a testament to Van Herpen’s innovative approach to Haute Couture. Five of these were gowns, blending technology and craftsmanship in a way that only Van Herpen can. Models appeared to emerge from the canvases, stabilized by protruding shoes, moving with a grace that mimicked natural phenomena.

The pieces themselves were a marvel of design and execution. One gown featured rhythmic bursts of pearls, while another boasted a transparent, filigreed structure molded by a heat gun into glass-infused organza. The intricate patterns of constructed lace fused seamlessly with floaty silk, creating a dreamlike effect that captivated all the audience. A bronzed dress reimagined the traditional kimono, its intricate pleats and folds adding a sculptural dimension to the ensemble. Simply fantastic!

Van Herpen’s foray into pure artistic expression was evident in the remaining four works, not shown here. These pieces utilized filmy scrims adorned with solid oil paint fragments, airy draped tulle, and hand-pleated silk, creating a dynamic interplay between solid and ethereal elements. Her exploration of the duality of sculpture and dance, static and animated, was further emphasized by a soundscape composed by her partner, Salvador Breed.

The entire presentation was an invitation to linger and absorb the details, a stark contrast to the fleeting moments of a runway show. Van Herpen’s desire to capture time and allow the audience to find their own rhythm with her work was palpable. The experience was transportive, each piece a testament to months, even years, of meticulous work.

IRIS VAN HERPEN
Couture, Fall 2024
during
PARIS FASHION WEEK

In the end, as the models made their exit and the canvases stood empty save for the embedded shoes, Van Herpen’s suspended tulle sculptures remained. These ineffable variations on a self-portrait left an indelible mark, a reminder of the infinite possibilities when fashion and art collide.

all images
(c) IRIS VAN HERPEN, Couture Fall 2024 Show

Tom Ford Mens and Womens Fall 2024

.new collection
TOM FORD / Fall 2024
The Audacious Vision

written Sarah Arendts

TOM FORD's Fall 2024 collection emerges as a powerful expression of luxury redefined, curated under the innovative direction of Peter Hawkings.

The TOM FORD woman this season asserts a bold presence. Her style is direct, streamlined, yet brimming with movement. From flaring trousers in pantsuits to elongated coats with stately high collars, each piece makes a deliberate statement of power and poise. Alongside structured looks are liquid-like jersey dresses and velvet swimsuits that wrap the body in sheer elegance, allowing her to showcase strength in femininity.

The collection rounds out with essential accessories—high-heeled shoes, neatly designed clutches, and commanding square sunglasses, each adding layers to her mystique.

TOM FORD
Fall 2024 WOMEN

Ella Dalton

read more on current
TOM FORD SS24 Collection

Eva Komuves

Nyanderi Deng

Materials play a critical role in enhancing the tactile experience of the Fall24 lookbook. Silk jersey, double georgette, and lurex velvet dance together with more resilient fabrics like cashmere flannel and stretch velvet, all draped in a palette that speaks in whispers of midnight blues, creamy ivories, and rich indigos. Each texture interacts with light and shadow, making the lookbook a sensory journey through touch and sight.

Parallel to the dynamic TOM FORD woman, the collection introduces a man of equal confidence and style. His attire speaks volumes about meticulous craftsmanship and an unyielding embrace of modern masculinity. Sharp suits with peak lapels and military-inspired peacoats showcase a strong, definitive outline, while softer elements like suede and wool blend seamlessly into his wardrobe. His evening attire glistens with metallic finishes and subtle prints, blurring the lines between daywear and nightlife allure.

The accessories designed for him—ranging from sleek sneakers to structured cross-body bags—reflect a lifestyle that values both aesthetics and functionality. His presence in the lookbook is seen and felt, through the portrayal of garments that embod a sleek ease and a bold defiance.

The Fall 2024 collection by Peter Hawkings is a manifesto of the TOM FORD identity, rearticulated for a new era.

Ahmed Richards

Meng Yu Gui

all images
(c) TOM FORD
Fall 2024 Lookbooks