Every week, new and exciting news comes up in the fashion industry. Our Global Fashion Roundup column puts all this news in one place just for you. This week, Bentley Motors has been ordered to destroy clothing in its clothing line, Naomi Osaka is Louis Vuitton’s newest brand ambassador, and more.
Halima Aden Speaks About Decision to Leave Fashion Industry
In November, former model Halima Aden announced on Instagram that she was quitting the fashion industry for good because it had forced her to stray from her religious beliefs. In an interview with the BBC, she finally spoke out about her decision.
She explained how she had initially been allowed to use her own hijabs on set but gradually lost control over it, allowing the team on-set style it for her. The realisation that younger Muslim models looked up to her but were not being treated with the same respect scared her.
“These girls are following in my footsteps, and I have opened the door to the lion’s mouth,” she said. She explained the pressure she felt to protect these young one’s, stating, “A lot of them are so young, it can be a creepy industry. Even the parties that we attended, I would always find myself in big sister mode having to grab one of the hijab-wearing models because she’d be surrounded by a group of men following and flocking [round] her. I was like, ‘This doesn’t look right, she’s a child.’ I would pull her out and ask her who she was with.”
Bentley Ordered to Destroy Clothing in its Fashion Line Trademark Row
Luxury car brand, Bentley had been ordered to destroy clothing in its UK clothing range after losing a trademark battle to a fashion company with the same name. In 2019, the High court ruled that the car company had infringed on the trademark of Manchester-based Bentley clothing causing it to lose the right to use the Bentley name on its UK clothing range.
Now, after losing an appeal against the ruling, the company has been ordered to destroy clothes with the Bentley logo by February 3. Not only did the company lose the right to use the name on its UK clothing range, but it also has to limit its range to “jackets, silk ties, caps and scarves”, as decided by the court.
The clothing retailer which was founded in 1962 approached the car manufacturer about the branding clash in 1998 before taking action against them with the High Court in 2017, after years of negotiation.
Anna Wintour Defends Controversial Vogue Cover of Kamala Harris
Vice President-elect @KamalaHarris is our February cover star!
Making history was the first step. Now Harris has an even more monumental task: to help heal a fractured America—and lead it out of crisis. Read the full profile: https://t.co/W5BQPTH7AU pic.twitter.com/OCFvVqTlOk — Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) January 10, 2021
On Sunday, Vogue tweeted photographs of its February cover star, Kamala Harris, but fans were not too pleased about it. Of the two images that were released, one that featured the vice-president-elect standing in front of a glossy pink silk drape was met with criticism.
Now, Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour has come out to defend the February cover phot shot. Allegedly, that image was chosen against the wishes of Harris who reportedly wanted the more formal photograph of her wearing a blue Micheal Kors suit to be used as the cover image instead.
In a statement to the New York Times, Wintour said, “Obviously we have heard and understood the reaction to the print cover and I just want to reiterate that it was absolutely not our intention to, in any way, diminish the importance of the vice president-elect’s incredible victory.”
Defending their choice to use the photo which many deem too causal compared to other glamorous Vogue covers, Anna Wintour stated that the Vogue team felt the photo was just right and denied discussing the final cover image with Harris’s team.
“There was no formal agreement about what the choice of the cover would be,” she said. “And when the two images arrived at Vogue, all of us felt very, very strongly that the less formal portrait of the vice-president-elect really reflected the moment that we were living in.”
Naomi Osaka is Louis Vuitton’s Latest Brand Ambassador
On Monday, Tennis champion, Naomi Osaka was announced as the newest Louis Vuitton brand ambassador. This happened one year after showing her collection in collaboration with Japanese designer, Hanka Maeda and her label AFDAN at New York Fashion Week.
She stars in the French label’s spring/summer 2021 campaign, shot by Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director of Women’s Collections, Nicolas Ghesquière.
Expressing her joy over the campaign, she said, “Aside from tennis, my most treasured passion is fashion; and there is no brand more iconic than Louis Vuitton. It is such an honour to work with Nicolas – he’s a designer I admire so much and we share a mutual love of Japanese culture and style. To become a global brand ambassador is truly a dream come true for me.”
London and Paris Fashion Weeks to Hold Virtually
The British Fashion Council has announced that London Fashion Week will still hold in February, but virtually. The ready-to-wear shows scheduled to hold will still take place but there will be no audience present, making it a digital-only affair.
To comply with the government guidelines, all shows, installations and presentations will be allowed to take place, but they will have to be photographed and filmed for the audience at home.
The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode has also has told brands that the couture and menswear shows, for Paris Fashion Week, can go ahead this month, but they will not be allowed to invite guests.
