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Business of Fashion
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business of Fashion
How Fashion Can Engage With the Global Culture, the Right Way
Dear BoF Community, The locus of fashion is shifting away from a singular focus on Western fashion capitals to seize on the palpable optimism, creative energy and economic growth of the Global South, a vast region covering the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. These regions contain some of the world's fastest-growing economies, with young digitally-enabled populations and a hunger to be seen and credited for their creativity — not just their consumption. As the Kazakhstani educator, artist, entrepreneur Aika Alemi said so powerfully in her talk at BoF CROSSROADS in Dubai last month, 'we're not just a raw material appendix. We want to be the author of ideas, author of design and art.' One of the key questions that arose at BoF CROSSROADS was how global brands can find ways of engaging with global cultures in an authentic way, without appropriation. Indeed, in conversations with fashion leaders in India, the Middle East and Brazil, they all underscored that locals are keen for their cultures to be embraced globally, but this requires a nuanced understanding and respect for what they bring to the table. I was debating this very topic with Alexia Niedzielski a few weeks earlier at the Alexander McQueen dinner during Paris Fashion Week. She told me about Sunbelt, her new creative studio and collective focused on working with global brands to amplify the creativity and culture of countries in the Global South, to tell stories that 'feel lived, not staged — working at the intersection of fashion, culture, and identity.' This kind of description can sound a bit highfalutin and theoretical, until you experience it in real life. On a recent trip to Rio de Janeiro, Alexia invited me to Rocinha, the city's largest, most well known favela, one of the low-income urban communities in peripheral neighbourhoods of Brazil's big cities, where she was staging a creative shoot for the French fashion brand Rabanne. But this was not my first time in Rocinha. Late one night many years ago on another trip to Rio, I was escorted there by some local community members who were keen for us to experience their culture and music at a Baile Funk party. Baile Funk (or Funk Carioca) is a local Brazilian music genre that emerged from the favelas of Rio in the 1970s. Its raw, bass-heavy, and syncopated staccato style percussion was influenced by Miami Bass in the 1980s, and is now one of the most culturally and politically significant forms of contemporary Brazilian music. Funk music has become an important medium for marginalised communities and favela youth to express their identities in a society that often ignores or criminalises them, addressing topics like police violence, drug trafficking, love, sexuality and the desire for upward mobility. My night in Rocinha was long before we used smartphones to document everything everywhere, but I'll never forget the electricity and vibe of what I experienced that night, dancing amid the glistening bodies grinding to the sounds of Rio's famous funk music until the wee hours. The Rabanne shoot had the same vibe, just with a high-fashion twist. Rabanne's sparkly clothes and signature chainmail and paillettes moved to the sounds of the funk music and the energy of the more than 70 dancers, deejays and local community members hired to be part of the shoot, which was directed by Emmanuel Cossu and photographed by Melissa de Oliveira, a visual artist from Morro do Dendê, in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro. Watching it all come together in real-time, it seemed to be the perfect blend of Brazilian street culture and high-fashion. The energy was infectious, but I wondered how it would be received in Brazil. The campaign, called Atlantic Allusions, was finally released earlier this week. The feedback on Rabanne's Instagram page has been largely positive, receiving more than 4,000 comments and 6,000 shares. By collaborating directly with local artists and community members, Rabanne avoided stereotypical portrayals and highlighted the rich cultural tapestry of Rocinha. The inclusion of real residents and the focus on everyday life and funk music was seen as an effort to celebrate and elevate the community's culture. The author has shared a YouTube video. You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future. Instagram user Juliipreta commented: 'Funk, the favela, the racialised body — all of this, which many people in Brazil still marginalise, becomes an aesthetic reference abroad. Brazil isn't following trends, it is the trend!!!! When a global brand chooses this setting, this language, this sound… it's not by chance. It's because the world has already understood what many people here still haven't seen.' But there has also been some criticism questioning the tangible benefits for the Rocinha community and the use of a high-fashion platform to depict a community facing socio-economic challenges. Fernando_fernandez365 responded: 'Aesthetic reference? Using favela bodies as hangers. Knowing that they could never afford to wear those clothes outside the video? The people who buy those clothes don't live in favelas. Inclusion or exclusion?' These are exactly the kind of conversations we should be having as fashion expands its cultural inspiration beyond the West. As Khalid Al-Tayer pointed out in his concluding talk at BoF CROSSROADS, making clear how much countries like India, Thailand and Brazil have in common, despite their cultural differences, 'we are moving away from a unipolar definition of fashion and luxury into a multipolar definition of fashion and luxury. The Global South demands and should earn a bigger share of voice in the world.' Exactly how that voice is shaped and shared is an important consideration for where we go next. For anyone interested in these kinds of topics at the intersection of fashion and global culture, we are in the early stages of planning next year's BoF CROSSROADS gathering and would love to hear from you. You can contact about speaking opportunities and our brand partnerships team about sponsorship opportunities and suggestions on where to host the second edition of our special gathering next year. Imran Amed, Founder and Editor-in-Chief P.S. Earlier this week we announced that Hailey Bieber and Tracee Ellis Ross will headline The Business of Beauty Global Forum on June 9-10 in Napa Valley, California. Join us for the global livestream as we gather the leaders shaping the global beauty and wellness industry. Here are my other top picks from our analysis on fashion, luxury and beauty: 1. The Logic Behind Balenciaga's Pierpaolo Piccioli Appointment. Kering has named the former Valentino designer known for his deft use of colour and sculptural couture to succeed Demna in an apparent reset at the Paris-based brand. Pierpaolo Piccioli has been appointed creative director of Kering's Balenciaga label, succeeding current designer Demna, effective July 10th. (David Sims) 2. The End of the Lipstick Index. After years of double-digit growth and a perception of being impervious to wider economic downturns, the beauty industry is finding that cash-strapped customers aren't interested in 'little luxuries.' Beauty's earnings season revealed many steep losses. (BoF Team) 3. A Slap on the Wrist Won't Solve Luxury's Sweatshops Problem. This week, Italy's Competition Authority closed a probe into whether Dior misled consumers about working conditions at its suppliers without finding any wrongdoing. But a new case linking Valentino to poor labour practices suggests this is a problem that won't go away easily. This week, Italy's Competition authority closed a probe into whether the French luxury giant Dior misled consumers about working conditions in its supply chain. (Getty Images) 4. Chanel Pulls Back on Price Hikes as Sales Fall 4%. The French couture and beauty giant is easing off punchy price increases and investing in new markets including India, Mexico and Canada. In interviews, chief executive officer Leena Nair and chief financial officer Philippe Blondiaux told BoF the luxury market remains 'challenging' as Chanel prepares to revamp its fashion image under new artistic director Matthieu Blazy. Chanel's 2024 sales declined in a luxury market roiled by geopolitical uncertainty and stubborn inflation. 5. Fashion's World-Builder-in-Chief. Niklas Bildstein Zaar's knack for designing immersive experiences has made him a go-to collaborator for the likes of Demna, Haider Ackermann, Anne Imhof and Travis Scott. Niklas Bildstein Zaar's knack for designing immersive experiences has made him a go-to collaborator for the likes of Demna, Haider Ackermann, Anne Imhof and Travis Scott. (Kristina Nagel) This Weekend on The BoF Podcast (System Magazine) This week on The BoF Podcast, we have something a little different: instead of my usual place in the host's seat, I had the pleasure of being a guest for an interview with Jonathan Wingfield, Editor-in-Chief of System Magazine, alongside Luca Solca, Senior Research Analyst at Bernstein – as featured in the debut issue of System Collections, out this week. Together, we explore how major shifts are impacting the global luxury market, the growing fatigue with high prices and mass production, and why creativity, innovation, and strategic alignment between business and creative leadership are more crucial than ever. To receive this email in your inbox each Saturday, sign up to The Daily Digest newsletter for agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice that you won't find anywhere else.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Fans salute Postecoglou on Tottenham trophy parade
Investigation into the crash of an AZAL aircraft in Aktau has entered the stage of analyzing the collected materials. reports this was stated by Kazakhstan's Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev. According to him, data collection has been completed and specialists are currently studying the materials. During the investigation, Kazakhstani and international experts visited airports in Azerbaijan and Russia. Karabayev noted that as part of the investigation, Kazakhstani and international experts visited airports in Azerbaijan and Russia, including Baku, Grozny, and Rostov-on-Don.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
A 1,000-X-ray blob: Why Chernobyl's Elephant's Foot still terrifies scientists
Nearly four decades after the Chernobyl disaster, the remnants of Reactor No. 4, especially the Elephant's Foot—a dense, highly radioactive mass formed from molten core materials—remain a powerful symbol of the nuclear accident's enduring danger. Rare footage from the 1980s and 1990s captured by radiation experts shows the extreme conditions inside the reactor's basement. Despite time and decay, the site continues to pose a threat, serving as a chilling reminder of the long-lasting impact of radiation exposure. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A silent killer made of stone and fire Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The brave who filmed the unfilmable Radiation on film and memory A disaster still unfolding Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads War reawakens the danger In 1986, a nuclear explosion rocked Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl power plant. In the immediate aftermath, radiation swept across what was then the Soviet Union. Among the remnants of the disaster was the formation of one of the deadliest objects on Earth—now known as the 'Elephant's Foot'. This mass of nuclear sludge, born from molten core material and reactor debris, still lies beneath the plant, a haunting symbol of the world's worst nuclear after the meltdown, strange molten structures began forming in the plant's lower levels. One such mass—shaped eerily like the foot of an elephant—solidified into what scientists later identified as corium. A searing combination of uranium, zirconium, graphite, steel, and sand, this highly radioactive sludge oozed its way through the reactor's pipes before cooling in the its peak, the Elephant's Foot emitted over 10,000 roentgens of radiation per hour—enough to kill a human in minutes. Experts likened the exposure to enduring 4.5 million chest X-rays in one sitting. Early symptoms of exposure included vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever. Scientists said being near it for five minutes could have resulted in death within two today, while the radiation has decayed, the site remains dangerous. The corium is now 'more or less has the consistency of sand,' said Maxim Saveliev from the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power despite its lethality, several individuals ventured close enough to photograph and study it—often at great personal of the most iconic recordings was made in 1996 by Artur Korneyev , a Kazakhstani radiation specialist. Donning a hazmat suit, he and his team descended into the flooded, rust-streaked depths beneath Reactor 4. The footage he captured is grainy, ghostly, and claustrophobic—filled with metallic remnants and spider webs. But at its centre sits the Elephant's Foot.'We had to use a Kalashnikov to chip pieces off,' said one scientist, referring to how dense the corium had later joked about his condition from radiation exposure : 'Soviet radiation is the best radiation in the world,' he told The New York Times. He is believed to have died in 2022 at age years after the disaster, physics technician Alexander Kupny volunteered to document Reactor 4's remains. In 1989, he ventured inside multiple times, managing to avoid acute radiation syndrome by limiting exposure. Kupny's footage, often taken from behind thick concrete or with remote cameras, has circulated online. Viewers noted how radiation warped the footage.'The white specks on screen is not the camera quality, but in fact the radiation messing with the film/camera itself,' commented one viewer on YouTube.'These folks sacrificed their own health and potentially their own life to record footage of this disaster. Mad respect,' said earlier, just days after the explosion, Soviet filmmaker Vladimir Shevchenko filmed the 30-kilometre Exclusion Zone from above. His 35mm footage carried ghostly static and distortion. It was only later that he understood: he had captured radiation itself on long-term impact of Chernobyl is grim. The United Nations reported that over 400,000 people were relocated from the surrounding areas. More than 500,000 firefighters and cleanup personnel were exposed to high radiation. While 31 died in the immediate aftermath, estimates of eventual deaths range between 4,000 and 60,000. Thousands of thyroid cancer cases have been traced back to contamination from the four other known corium formations have ever emerged during nuclear meltdowns in history. None have the notoriety or public recognition of the Elephant's the decades that have passed, Chernobyl remains a flashpoint. In 2022, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops took control of the plant—raising alarms worldwide. Ukrainian staff warned that if the generators failed, the consequences 'could have been catastrophic.' Reports emerged that Russian soldiers dug trenches in the Exclusion Zone and may have been exposed to 'significant doses' of again, the world was reminded: Chernobyl is not in the is still a wound, open and radioactive.
Al Arabiya
24-04-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Turkey, Kazakhstan cenbanks sign $735 million currency swap arrangement
The Turkish Central Bank said on Thursday it had signed a bilateral currency swap arrangement with the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan to promote bilateral trade through a swap-financed trade settlement facility. It said the swap arrangement, signed by the banks' governors in Washington, allows for the exchange of local currencies between the two central banks of up to 28.0 billion lira ($735 million) or 423 billion Kazakhstani tenge. The arrangement will be effective for three years and could be extended by mutual agreement between the two sides, it said.
Sharjah 24
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Sharjah 24
Maryam Karim wins UAE's first Asian junior gold
Record-breaking performance Karim triumphed in the 400m hurdles final with a time of 59.55 seconds, setting a new national record and surpassing the previous Asian U18 championship record of 59.71 seconds, set in 2017 by China's Liang Yina. Strong international competition The championship featured athletes from 29 countries. Uzbek runner Shodina Rakhmanova took silver with a time of 1:01.40, while Kazakhstani athlete Ryabukova Evalina earned bronze, clocking in at 1:01.59. Dominant start in the heats Maryam Karim began the competition strongly, finishing first in her preliminary heat with a time of 1:01.87, setting the pace for her gold-winning final performance.
