logo
New Dries Van Noten designer blends the archive with a new voice in Paris

New Dries Van Noten designer blends the archive with a new voice in Paris

Washington Post05-03-2025

PARIS — Julian Klausner presented his first womenswear collection as creative director of Dries Van Noten Wednesday at the Opéra Garnier in Paris, a setting that reflected the historical influences woven throughout his designs.
The fall Paris Fashion Week show marked a new chapter for the Belgian house following Van Noten's departure last year after three decades at the helm. Klausner, who had worked on the brand's womenswear since 2018, approached the collection with a balance of archival references and new interpretations.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How a Second City improv class became a training ground for the next generation of business leaders
How a Second City improv class became a training ground for the next generation of business leaders

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

How a Second City improv class became a training ground for the next generation of business leaders

On a rainy Thursday afternoon, Rossanna Figuera found herself standing in a circle with a group of strangers in a large, square room with black walls. She held an imaginary ball in her hands, then tossed it to the man next to her. He did the same. Over the next five minutes, the ball-passing exercise became increasingly complicated, as different made-up objects were introduced and passed around the circle. An entrepreneur and co-owner of Wafels and Dinges, a New York based Belgian waffle company, Figuera oversees food trucks and five brick and mortar locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. She's also one of a dozen people who decided to attend a workshop at The Second City, a famed improvisational school and theater. But rather than chasing dreams of Saturday Night Live, this group was made up of business leaders hoping to use the school's improv principles to become better at their jobs. Figuera says that business leaders are often very critical of their own performance, and second guess themselves about how they could have done things differently. With a workshop centered around improv games, she said the stakes felt low enough to take risks and try new things. 'I think there was a lot of freedom to make mistakes,' she tells Fortune. 'Honestly, it felt a little bit liberating.' Over the past 60 years, The Second City has produced some of the world's most influential and prolific names in comedy, including Chris Farley, Steve Carrell, and Tina Fey. But not everyone who walks through the school's doors wants to be in show business. 'About 40 years ago, someone had the 'a-ha' moment that many of the students that were taking classes in the training center weren't doing so because they wanted to be on SNL, but because they wanted to apply those skills to work,' Tyler Dean Kempf, creative director at Second City Works, tells Fortune. And so Second City Works was born—an arm of the theater company that applies the core tenets of improvisation to drive organizational change. It has developed programs for major companies including Meta, Uber, and HubSpot. The company also has a partnership with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business's Center for Decision Research. The workshops don't teach participants how to craft the perfect memo or create a PowerPoint presentation. But they do provide strategies to help people improve interpersonal interaction. Embracing vulnerability, making decisive choices, and active listening are just a few of the qualities that participants try to cultivate through a series of improv games. One is a disagreement exercise, in which two participants engage in a low-stakes debate, like the merits of tea versus coffee. Another is a feedback simulation, in which one participant has to deliver constructive criticism to someone else in two different ways: first in a vague meandering way, and then in a blunt and curt manner. Kempf argues that it doesn't matter what kind of workplace the students report to—the exercises are designed to work no matter what the environment. 'These skills are universal, because they are human-centered skills,' he says. Samuel Monnie, another workshop participant, is a brand purpose consultant and frequently participates in brainstorming meetings with his clients. He says that he thinks the improv workshop will help him tune into what his clients are saying, and what they really want. 'To work with the brands and companies, we have to be good at listening,' he tells Fortune. 'And listen to understand, not [just] to respond.' Kempf says companies get in touch with The Second City for all kinds of reasons. One is how to help employees of different ages communicate, something that has become a pressing issue in a workforce that now spans five generations. Another growing topic of interest in corporate America is how to lead neurodiverse teams. And then there is the goal of leading authentically, which is the focus of the workshop Figuera and Monnie are participating in. 'We're [working with] companies that are hiring a lot of new managers and next generation leaders,' says Kempf. 'It's a difficult time to be a leader, because there's so much changing and so many new things to consider that maybe [people] hadn't been considered in the past.' After The Second City workshop, Figuera couldn't stop thinking about the very first exercise with the invisible ball, and how it could apply to her own workplace. She says staying focused in overwhelming environments is particularly important for the hospitality industry. She also appreciated the feedback delivery game, and is hopeful that it can lead to even stronger team dynamics for her company. 'One of the insights for me was: [it's] very important to assess the readiness of the receiver, despite all the loud voices in the room,' she says. 'Really connect with people to understand where they are, and whether they're able to receive whatever is coming their way.' This story was originally featured on Sign in to access your portfolio

Jonathan Anderson Heads All of Dior & Demna Unveils Final Balenciaga Ready-to-Wear Collection in This Week's Top Fashion News
Jonathan Anderson Heads All of Dior & Demna Unveils Final Balenciaga Ready-to-Wear Collection in This Week's Top Fashion News

Hypebeast

timea day ago

  • Hypebeast

Jonathan Anderson Heads All of Dior & Demna Unveils Final Balenciaga Ready-to-Wear Collection in This Week's Top Fashion News

Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top fashion stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry. In a major shift for the legendary French maison, Dior has confirmed Jonathan Anderson as its eighth couturier, taking the reins as the creative director for both its women's, men's and haute couture collections. The appointment marks the first time a single designer will have creative helm over all three divisions since Monsieur Christian Dior himself. Anderson was initially appointed as the creative director of Dior Homme on April 17, 2025, succeeding Kim Jones. Days prior to the latest development, Maria Grazia Chiuri's departure from Dior's womenswear and couture lines was confirmed on May 29 following her Cruise 2026 show. His first women's ready-to-wear collection for the maison is expected to debut during Paris Fashion Week in October, following his highly anticipated first Dior menswear collection on June 27. Anderson said in a statement, 'I am incredibly honored to be given the opportunity to unite Dior's women's, men's and couture collections under a single, cohesive vision. My instinct is to be led by the house's empathetic spirit. I look forward to working alongside its legendary ateliers to craft the next chapter of this incredible story. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Bernard Arnault and Delphine Arnault for their trust and loyalty over the years.' For Spring 2026, Demna has revisits to his famously controversial Balenciaga 'archetypes' — all of the references, shapes, sentiments and concepts that have come to define his decade-spanning tenure at the House. In those years, the designer transformed the Spanish label from a $400 million USD business into a $2 billion USD mammoth. Titled 'Exactitudes,' inspired by Ari Versluis and Ellie Uyttenbroek's scientific photographer series, the collection spotlights Demna's anthropological approach to fashion and dress codes. 'This collection embodies the multitude of design codes that have been part of my creative vision and research on fashion at Balenciaga for a decade,' the designer said. 'It combines pieces from 35 different collections with new pieces and garments from my personal wardrobe, representing the volumes, silhouettes, and attitudes that have defined my vision and my questioning of the contemporary wardrobe, what people actually wear, how they wear it, and what the fine line is between luxury and fashion.' On Monday morning, Kontoor Brands, parent to heritage denim labels Lee and Wrangler, finalized its previously announced deal to acquire performance gear brand Helly Hansen, closing at $900 million USD. The move arrives as major players in the apparel sector look to get in on the growth of the outdoor and performance gear market, a development particularly relevant to Kontoor, whose bread and butter has been its small group of heritage lifestyle labels. ccording to Kontoor, Helly Hansen is expected to boost the company's revenue, adjusted earnings per share, and cash flow with immediate effects in fiscal 2025. Per a report from Ecotextile News, the brand is anticipated generate upwards of $680 million USD in revenue and $80 million USD in adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2025. Matthew M. Williams iet to debut his new namesake clothing brand during Paris Men's Fashion Week, expanding his breadth beyond 1017 ALYX 9SM and his recent tenure at Givenchy. Williams' aesthetic has been defined by his application of utilitarian elements, industrial aesthetics, and sophisticated minimalism. However, details around what approach he will adopt in his first namesake collection are sparse. The independent clothing project will be unveiled at the Seiya Nakamura showroom in Paris, with men's and women's collections expected to reflect the American designer's product-based approach. The Seiya Nakamura showroom will also showcase Craig Green, Taiga Takahashi, Arpa Studio, Amomento, Song for the Mute, Khoki, and Edward Cuming. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue on Tuesday revealed the ten finalists for the 2025 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, an award created to help establish the next generation of American designers. The 2025 finalists include Ashlynn Park of Ashlynn, Julian Louie of Aubero, Bach Mai, Bernard James, Ashley Moubayed of Don't Let Disco, Gabe Gordon and Thomthy Gibbons of Gabe Gordon, Stephanie Suberville of Heirlome, Jamie Okuma, Meruert Tolegen, and Peter Do. This year, the program will award one honoree with a $300,000 USD cash prize and two runner-ups with $100,000 USD, while offering all finalists meaningful business mentorships. The aforementioned designers' works will be judged by the 2023 Selection Committee, which includes Vogue's Anna Wintour, Mark Holgate, and Nicole Phelps, Instagram's Eva Chen, Fifteen Percent Pledge founder Aurora James, moddel Paloma Elsesser, Nordstrom's Rickie De Sole, Saks' Roopal Patel, CFDA chairman Thom Browne, and Gap's Zac Posen. The winner is slated to be announced on November 18. NY-based sportswear designer Eric Emanuel's eponymous label is embarking in its next chapter with the unveiling of its first-ever full seasonal collection. Styled by Ian Bradley and photographed by Menelik Puryear, the hefty lookbook celebrates Emanuel's energetic ethos and sense of humor with casual styling and bold hues for the summertime. Comprising tailored essentials, colorful, textured knits, retro sports gear, branded underwear, and more, the label's inaugural SS25 collection expands on its sports-focused aesthetic with playful colors and textures. The Eric Emanuel SS25 Collection launches first with the Summer Cableknit Shorts & Zip-Ups in Navy, Green & Yellow, Oxford Shirting in Blue, Pink and White, and Linen Track Pants in Brown/Blue, Green/Blue, and Ivory/Blue, today at the brand's web store. The brand will subsequently launch its Striped-Knit Shorts & Button-Downs on June 6.

'Grandpa robber' behind Kim Kardashian Paris heist recalls that 2016 night

timea day ago

'Grandpa robber' behind Kim Kardashian Paris heist recalls that 2016 night

Kim Kardashian made a defiant walk into Paris' Palace of Justice in May, to face the criminals who held the reality star at gunpoint and robbed in 2016. The trial's shocking outcome would only prompt more questions. Ten suspects, dubbed the "Grandpa Robbers" by French media because most of them were in their 60s and 70s, stood trial in Paris for the notorious 2016 jewel heist that terrorized the reality star. ABC News Studios' "IMPACT x Nightline: Inside the Kim Kardashian Heist" is streaming only on Hulu. Despite finding eight of the 10 suspects guilty of crimes related to the 2016 heist, the French court allowed all defendants to walk free, with some receiving suspended sentences or credit for time already served. The judge cited the defendants' ages and health concerns as reasons for leniency. Two were acquitted. The crime occurred during Paris Fashion Week in October 2016, when Kardashian was staying at the exclusive "No Name Hotel," reportedly known for hosting celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Madonna. That night, while Kardashian's security detail accompanied her sister Kourtney to a nightclub, the robbers struck. In an interview with ABC News, Yunice Abbas, one of the convicted robbers, said he didn't even know who Kardashian was at the time. "I was always told 'wife of an American rapper,'" Abbas said. The robbers, wearing fake police jackets, first confronted the hotel's night concierge, Abderrahmane Ouatiki. They forced him at gunpoint to lead them to Kardashian's suite. "When you feel the cold steel of a gun on the back of your neck, you have to be calm," Ouatiki told ABC News. "You have to be wise in such situations." The thieves escaped with more than $6 million worth of jewelry, including Kardashian's upgraded 18.8-carat wedding ring from then-husband Kanye West. In their hasty bicycle getaway, Abbas admitted to falling and spilling some of the stolen jewels on the street. Following the verdict, Kardashian, who has become an advocate for criminal justice reform, released a statement. "While I'll never forget what happened, I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all. I remain committed to advocating for justice, and promoting a fair legal system." The outcome of the trial surprised even the defendants. When asked if he expected the lenient sentence, Abbas responded with a simple "No" as he left the courthouse a free man. The unexpected verdict left some questioning the French justice system. "I respect Kim Kardashian, but I call foul. Justice was not served," legal commentator Nancy Grace told ABC News. "They should be in jail for what they did."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store