Latest news with #Balenciaga
Khaleej Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Should your sneakers look chunky or sleek? What fashion week says
There was a time when sneakers didn't just walk into a room — they stormed in. Super-sized soles, exaggerated forms, and unapologetically loud designs turned sidewalks into runways and feet into fashion billboards. If your shoes didn't weigh two kilos and demand a triple take, were you even flexing? Balenciaga's Triple S kicked off the seismic shift, Versace's Chain Reaction brought Greco-Roman bravado to streetwear, Louis Vuitton's Pharell-era LV Trainers looked like they came straight out of a sci-fi sequel, and Balmain's Unicorn sneakers might as well have been prototypes from a galactic fashion lab — part-sneaker, part-spaceship, and all statement. But just as the volume peaked, fashion — as it always does — changed course. Quietly, intentionally, and with the sort of elegance that doesn't need to shout. A quick glance at the front row of fashion week or a scroll through Instagram's most style-savvy feeds reveal it all: the sneaker game has shed its bulk. Sleek, minimalist silhouettes are dominating. The once-loud, maximalist aesthetic has been softened into something more refined, elegant, and — dare we say — feminine. Not in a gendered sense, but in terms of design language: delicate lines, softer forms, and lithe profiles are replacing the hulking shapes of seasons past. Miu Miu's collaboration with New Balance is perhaps the most iconic symbol of this shift. Reworking the 530 into something that felt like part-sneaker, part-ballerina slipper, they injected subversive femininity and ballet-flat grace into a world that once equated size with power. Loewe followed closely, with its Flow Runner and Ballet Runner models that marry featherlight construction with high-craft detailing, signaling that the new flex is quiet and considered. Even Balenciaga — the very house that led the charge into sneaker maximalism — has scaled back with its Monday sneakers. Sleek, almost modest, the silhouette stands in stark contrast to the behemoth Triple S. Where once there was aggressive bulk and oversized branding, there's now restraint. The same holds true across the luxury landscape. The likes of Dior, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton are all slimming down, creating silhouettes that aren't about stomping through the streets but gliding through them. This shift is more than just aesthetic. It's philosophical. Post-pandemic, there's growing consumer appetite for mindfulness, versatility, and timelessness. A sleek sneaker doesn't scream trend — it signals taste. It's a staple, not a seasonal impulse. And with the return of Y2K fashion, this makes perfect sense. The early 2000s weren't defined by mega soles; they celebrated minimalism. Slim, low-rise sneakers ruled the playground — and now, they're back and ruling the pavements. One name has re-emerged as the face of this return: adidas Samba. A shoe once confined to the shadows of football fields and forgotten closets, the Samba is now the epitome of effortless cool. Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and a slew of other street-style icons have cemented its place in the current fashion canon. But what really set it off was the Wales Bonner collaboration. British designer Grace Wales Bonner has reimagined the adidas Samba with Afro-Caribbean influences and refined detailing — creating editions that sell out instantly and command high resale value. This broader move towards sleeker sneakers is also a reflection of the 'quiet luxury' moment sweeping through fashion. While loud logos and overt branding still have their place, there's a growing appreciation for the understated. Hermès has long mastered this with its Day Sneakers — crafted in premium leather with minimal embellishments. They whisper wealth. Louis Vuitton's Sneakerinas push this sensibility further. These hybrid ballet-sneakers exude couture-level elegance while maintaining sporty roots. Bottega Veneta, with its Orbit sneakers, has created a design that feels like a study in modern architecture — futuristic, featherlight, and devoid of all excess. They're sneakers for those who don't need to prove anything, because they already know. Even Dior's sneaker playbook is evolving. Once known for bolder silhouettes like the B22, the maison has pivoted to models like the B27, the flatter and sleeker B33, and more recently, the B01 Match Sneaker — a tennis-inspired low-top that oozes minimalism and monochromatic finesse. It's luxe, lean, and utterly wearable. In similar fashion, brands like Loro Piana — long known for their whisper-soft cashmeres and walk-on-cloud sensibility — are now reaping the rewards of never having followed the chunky sneaker trend in the first place. Their 360 Flexy Walk and Week-End Walk models are having a quiet moment with a whole new generation of buyers. The rise of slim silhouettes has made Loro Piana, suddenly, feel ahead of the curve — without ever changing their pace. What unites these designs is a shift in luxury itself — from showy and immediate to thoughtful and enduring. And, just as importantly, they're far more wearable. Chunky sneakers, as bold as they were, demanded attention and very specific styling. Sleek sneakers? They're democratic. What unites these designs is a shift in luxury itself — from showy and immediate to thoughtful and enduring. And, just as importantly, they're far more wearable. Chunky sneakers, as bold as they were, demanded attention and very specific styling. Sleek sneakers? They're democratic. They slide under slim tailoring, elevate dresses, work with jeans, and feel equally at home in an airport lounge or a gallery opening. This evolution also reflects a maturation of sneaker culture itself. New-age sneaker enthusiasts are older, wiser, and more discerning. They still value drops and collaborations, but they're now looking for craftsmanship, sustainability, and wearability. Brands are responding with recycled materials, refined lines, and silhouettes that are not only fashion-forward but also environmentally and socially conscious. It's no surprise then that archival models are being dusted off and redesigned. From Reebok's Club C to Nike's Killshot and Puma's Speedcat, the spotlight is now on sleek classics that can be reintroduced with purpose. Even performance brands like On Running are betting big on minimalism, merging Swiss engineering with city style. It's a sign of the times — the age of visual noise is making space for visual clarity. In fashion, every shift tells a story. The oversized sneaker era was about rebellion, irreverence, and irony. But this new era of slim silhouettes is about evolution, intention, and identity. It's not about taking up space anymore — it's about fitting perfectly into your world. So no, the chunky sneaker isn't dead. It's just been asked to take a breather while its leaner cousin takes centre stage. Sleek is in, and it's here to stay.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on a new era for museums: letting the public take control
The museum of the future has arrived and it looks like an Amazon warehouse. But art critics have unanimously awarded it five stars. From Saturday, visitors to the V&A East Storehouse in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be able to wander among the 250,000 objects in the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection that are not on display in its west London home. The headline-grabbing order-an-object initiative means you can book online to get your hands (gloves are provided) on a priceless artefact any day you like. And all for free. It is a triumph born out of necessity. After the V&A's eviction from their Kensington storage home a decade ago, they decided that instead of hiding one of the world's largest design collections in an expensive warehouse, they would turn it into an attraction in its own right. Storage is a big issue for institutions: only 1% of the British Museum's more than 8m artefacts are on public display. Showing off your overflowing attic makes the most of what you've already got, repurposing a closet that, for the V&A, includes a Balenciaga gown (the most requested item so far) and PJ Harvey's hotpants. Open-access storage is not a new idea. In 2021, the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam became the first purpose-built (and presumably the only Ikea-salad bowl-inspired) public art-storage destination. The V&A Storehouse takes a leap further. You are invited behind the scenes of the museum, where everything is jumbled together and conservators are at work – a giant version of the BBC's The Repair Shop. Like the children who run away to New York's Metropolitan Museum for a week in EL Konigsburg's classic 1967 novel From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, visitors are able to explore freely. 'We wanted people to feel like they're trespassing,' said Tim Reeve, the deputy director of the V&A. 'That feeling of joy, seeing behind the curtain.' Part of the V&A's mission was to inspire innovation, to be a bit radical. Ordering an object is a user-friendly way of engaging newcomers, not just a click-and-collect for art lovers. Like Sadler's Wells, which also launched a Stratford venue earlier this year, the V&A hopes to draw in a younger audience who may have felt excluded from its stately South Kensington home. A sister V&A East Museum will open close to the Storehouse next year. Putting everything on show cannot get over uncomfortable questions about the provenance of a museum's acquisitions. But it does give transparency to how the museum works and what – down to every last pin – it has got. This week, Manchester Museum won the European museum of the year award for its own approach to opening up the curatorial process. As part of its revamp in 2023, the museum handed its new South Asia gallery to a collective of 30 people from Manchester's diaspora communities to design and fill as they chose. The top floor has been given over to a college for neurodivergent students, with a London campus opening at the Design Museum in September. The pandemic, as well as funding and sponsorship crises and anxieties over legacy, have put institutions under pressure. Both the V&A East Storehouse and Manchester Museum show bold new ways forward. They mark a shift in how museums perceive their role. They remind us that these collections are our collections. Fill your basket.
Fashion United
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion United
Creative direction reshuffle: Does the trust between CEO and creative director have an expiration date?
With Maria Grazia Chiuri's departure from Dior now official, new appointments are anticipated. It seems as though all that is missing is the station master's whistle and the call of 'all aboard' to begin this latest journey towards a new creative direction in luxury fashion. We are witnessing a continuous reshuffling of creative directors; only a few weeks ago, news broke that Pierpaolo Piccioli, after years at the helm of Valentino–eight of these alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri, who left the brand in 2016 to join Dior–was moving to Balenciaga (Kering). A year prior, Alessandro Michele took the creative lead at Valentino, after Piccioli's departure in 2024. Michele left Gucci in 2022, subsequently replaced by Sabato De Sarno, who served as the Florentine brand's creative director from 2023 to February 2025, shortly before Demna Gvasalia's appointment. Gvasalia, in turn, vacated the position at Balenciaga, which was then 'assigned' to Piccioli. We'll stop here, but the merry-go-round of appointments in recent months has, of course, been much more extensive. It is perhaps worth remembering the arrival of Dutch designer Duran Lantink as the new permanent creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier, perhaps one of the few truly new entries into the Olympus of fashion in recent times. Not that Lantink is a novice; on the contrary, the designer, already shortlisted for the LVMH Prize in 2019 and winner of this year's Woolmark Prize, has designed pieces for artists such as Beyonce, Doja Cat, Paris Hilton, Billie Eilish, and Solange. Let's just say he's a fresher name. Sabato De Sarno Credits: Courtesy of Gucci, ph Riccardo Raspa The question that arises at this moment, however, is not so much whether in fashion, as in cinema, there is a famous 'inner circle' of names that move from one label to another yet always remain in the spotlight at one brand or another, but how much this sometimes frantic alternation can really contribute to the growth of brands. Or whether it contributes to the loss of the label's DNA and the partial recycling of loyal customers (who no longer recognise themselves in the brand), rather than a real expansion of the target audience, which is what, hopefully, the top management of the brands that move creative directors from one brand to another are aiming for. There is no shortage of choice, given that in LVMH's fashion and leather goods division alone, there are Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Celine, Loewe, Kenzo, Givenchy, Fendi, Emilio Pucci, Marc Jacobs, Berluti, Loro Piana, Rimowa and Patou; while Kering today has, in the fashion segment, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, McQueen and Brioni. Kering deputy CEO: 'There must be mutual trust between CEO and creative director' In this regard, on May 22 in Milan, during the Changemakers in luxury fashion meeting, organised by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) and Zalando, Francesca Bellettini, Kering's deputy CEO, stressed: 'There must be mutual trust between the CEO and creative director, but each must have their role with mutual respect.' In complex times like the ones luxury is going through, brands must be true to their DNA and 'generate appeal and desirability thanks to creative directors'. But this trust, instead of consolidating over time, season after season, seems undermined in a short time and influenced by a turnover that, these days, has to do with the crisis, weak demand and the complicated geopolitical situation. Even the authenticity, transparency and coherence demanded by consumers and mentioned just two days ago by Matteo Lunelli, president of Altagamma, during the foundation's shareholders' meeting, do not always seem to be at the top of the list of priorities for brands. Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Balenciaga Credits: Courtesy of Kering and Balenciaga, ph David Sims Demna Credits: Courtesy of Kering This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
CairoScene
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
The Graphic Edit with Nob Designs Founder Ahmed Nabil
The Graphic Edit with Nob Designs Founder Ahmed Nabil When the statement piece is a literal statement…Ahmed Nabil's styles his iconic graphics in this edition of The Scene Selects. It's been ten years since Ahmed Nabil launched Nob Designs, a Cairo-born label that treats language as material and the graphic tee as a public platform. What began with a few statement tops has grown into a regional fixture - worn by celebrities, style disruptors and, more crucially, by anyone who understands that clothes can speak before you do. Nabil's signature is a kind of fashion linguistics. Whether printed with biting social commentary or phrases lifted straight from WhatsApp group chats, his pieces toe the line between wearable slogan and, well, not-so-wearable slogan. This edition of The Scene Selects spotlights Nob's Graphic Edit - an unapologetic collection that turns everyday speech into a design language of its own. These are garments with an opinion. Less trend, more transcript. The slogans don't just decorate; they assert, provoke, and often outshine everything else in the outfit. Iconic 'This look is all about embracing your cool self and expressing yourself to the max. P.S. This is not for the faint of heart' - Ahmed Nabil, Founder, Nob Designs Top Nob Designs | Iconic Coat Balmain | FW25 RTW Coat Sunglasses Balenciaga | Fennec Oval Sunglasses Skirt Miu Miu | Pleated Mini Skirt Shoes Nike | Ancuta Sarca Heels Perfume Dior | Hypnotic Poison Iconic 2.0 Top Nob Designs | Iconic Tee Jewellery Ambush | FW23 Rings Trousers Vetements | SS23 FTW Pants Sunglasses Balenciaga | 5G Sunglasses Coat Diesel | FW24 FTW Coat Shoes Saint Laurent | Wyatt Leather Chelsea Boots Har gedan 'This look is all about being chic no matter what the weather.' Top Nob Designs | Har Gedan Tee Shoes Prada | Paillette Heels Skirt Dior | Galliano Victim Collection Pleated Skirt Purse Moschino | Champagne Bucket Clutch Bag Glasses Balenciaga | Swift Oval Sunglasses in Silver Khaleek fe halk 'This look was made mainly for all the nosy people in our lives who are always trying to ask all the unnecessary questions like 'why are you wearing this, where are you going, what's going on with your personal Top Nob Designs | Khaleek Fe Halk Tee Jewellery Gucci | AW19 Statement Neck Piece Schiaparelli | Half Face Mask Cuff and Ring Shoes Schiaparelli | FW21 RTW Heels Trousers Alexander Wang | Pinstripe Leather Shorts Bag Schiaparelli | Triple Face Anatomy Bag Khaleek fe halk 2.0 Top Nob Designs | Khaleek Fe Halk Tee Trousers Fen Chen Wang | SS25 Collection Shoes Kenzo | Black Patent Leather Cutout Sandals Sunglasses Balenciaga | FW23 Red-lens Sunglasses Love you 'It's our very unique love letter. Basically it's the letter you send to yourself.' Jewellery Nado's | Gold Heart Ring Bag Jayda Hany | The Cupid Bag Shorts Jaquemus | FW23 Le Chouchou Shorts Sunglasses Dolce & Gabbana | Love Sunglasses Shoes Christian Louboutin | Lipstrass 100 Satin Patent Leather Red Enta fain 'It's our latest capsule collection highlighting the most used words in our chat these days. We're always saying 'Enta fain' because someone's always late or lost or even MIA.' Top Nob Designs | Enta Fain Tee Shoes Maison Margiela | Tabi Many Jane Flats Bag Acne Studios | Baker Lips Print Tote Bag Skirt Daley | SS25 Skirt Sunglasses Chanel | 4114 Vintage Sunglasses
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Lamborghini quietly unveiled something new (it's not a car)
I may not look like it, but I'm actually a car girlie. I've had the need for speed since I was little. My mom used to joke I could've been the next Danica Patrick. She swore I had a lead foot before I could even reach the pedals. Sure, I still had Barbies. But I made sure they had a hot rod to match. Convertible, cherry red, preferably with a spoiler. Related: Cartier and Van Cleef owner announces surprising year-end results Fast cars have always pulled me in. It's not just about what's under the hood - it's the feeling of motion. Fast, loud, and just dangerous enough to make your heart race. Starting my car daily is still a thrill - that engine growl hits every time. So when two of my passions came together, supercars and luxury fashion, it wasn't just a full-circle was fuel on fire. Image source: Lamborghini Lamborghini has quietly stepped off the track and into something entirely new. As part of a collaboration revealed during Balenciaga's Fall 2025 show, the Italian automaker co-launched an extensive line of ready-to-wear, bags, and accessories that blends speed-driven design with high fashion edge. But this isn't just a logo slap. We're talking oversized racing jackets, motorsport-inspired tees, and even reimagined Balenciaga bags - all featuring Lamborghini's iconic shield emblem. Related: Louis Vuitton, Dior customers get bad news The Rodeo, Hourglass, Explorer, and Carrie silhouettes have been given the supercar treatment. The collection even introduces all-new pieces like the Dashboard Clutch and Temerario key-fob charms, bridging lifestyle with mechanical inspiration in a way that feels (somehow?) totally natural. It's not just about the product, either. According to Hypebeast, Lamborghini and Balenciaga are rolling out immersive in-store experiences worldwide, with things like driving simulators made from real car parts and art installations that elevate auto design into sculpture. This isn't just hype - it's strategic branding at work. For Lamborghini, it's a signal that the brand is evolving beyond performance and prestige. It's leaning into lifestyle, aiming to expand its cultural footprint and stay top-of-mind with a younger, image-conscious generation. By stepping into fashion, Lamborghini gets something that can't be wind-tunneled: relevance. Meanwhile, Balenciaga, now under new creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, is using this high-wattage moment to reassert its identity and creative edge. That timing matters. Kering PPRUY reported that Q1 2025 revenue for its "Other Houses" segment, which includes Balenciaga, was down 11% compared to the same period in 2024. With the group doubling down on its elevation strategy for high-net-worth consumers, this partnership operates as both a brand reset and a bottom-line opportunity. It's a way to drive retail traffic, attract buzz, and stay visible in a crowded luxury landscape. Unlike some automakers' awkward merch attempts, this drop actually makes sense. It speaks to shared values - design, power, presence - and gives both brands cultural currency far beyond their core categories. Whether you're there for the torque or the tote, one thing's clear: this is more than a flex. It's a business play - and a smart one. Related: Formula 1 faces major problem in the US as buzz fades The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
