Weekly Digest
🤳🏼 Balenciaga Fall 2025 Breaks the Fourth Wall With Imagery Straight
Out of Demna's Phone
TLDR:
Under its mononymous creative head Demna, one can only expect the
unexpected when it comes to Balenciaga. For Fall 2025, the designer
rolled out imagery with leak-style photos debuted on his personal
Instagram, complete with busy Balenciaga watermarks.
Why
It Matters: The ‘internal-use’ images of the collection
captured on Demna’s phone reflect the ironic subversion of the everyday
that has become synonymous with his tenure at the historic fashion
house. With a foundation rooted in “casual everyday outfits,” the
collection swings between extremes, taking staples like the t-shirt from
pedestrian celebrity merch depicting icons like Kim Kardashian and
Michelle Yeoh to refined moments with a flowy maxi t-shirt dress and a
semi-fitted white tee mini-dress. This dialectic of opposites is a
thread that runs throughout, with polarities between brand-new tagged
garments vs. hyper-distressed pieces, heavy long-line skirts vs.
micro-skirts fashioned out of men’s briefs, and maximalist numbers vs.
minimal looks comprising single pieces.
Read the full article here.
🌸 Louis Vuitton Announces Nostalgic Takashi Murakami Re-Edition
Collection
TLDR:
Louis Vuitton has taken to Instagram to announce a major drop for
the beginning of 2025. Celebrating two decades following the iconic
collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, the luxury French
fashion house is salted to launch a nostalgic re-edition collection of
the collaboration.
Why
It Matters: When the collaboration first debuted on the Louis
Vuitton Spring/Summer 2003 runway, LV’s then-creative director Marc
Jacobs defined fashion collaborations for the noughties. The era saw the
logoed LV bags riddled with monogramouflage and cherry blossoms as
Murakami lend his cartoon-style artwork to the house’s signature pieces.
Bringing LV to modern mainstream media’s attention, the collaboration
has been regarded as one of the most memorable to date. While little is
known about the release, the Instagram announcement features a short
teaser clip of what fans can expect. Featuring Murakami’s iconic vibrant
floral motifs as well as the bear, combined with the classic LV moniker,
the duo appears to ready a major re-release of some of the
collaboration’s most iconic pieces.
Read the full article here.
⏻ Nike Shuts Down Virtual Sneaker Brand RTFKT
TLDR:
Nike is officially shutting down its virtual sneaker and fashion
brand RTFKT. According to CEO Elliot Hill, Nike is recalibrating and
reassessing its priorities as it moves into its next chapter of digital
innovation.
Why
It Matters: RTFKT was Nike’s surprise acquisition in 2021,
one of its pandemic-era crypto investments into web3 and was seen as “the Supreme of the metaverse.” John Donahoe wanted to put Nike at the forefront of the digital world and even launched Nike’s own web3 platform, .SWOOSH. However, post-boom, RTFKT’s NFTs saw their values decline, struggling to keep the community engaged. Taking to X to
make the announcement of the closure, the four-year-old company states
that upon shut down, RTFKT will be launching a website that will
showcase digital works spanning from NFTs that include Takashi
Murakami-designed avatars to virtual versions of Nike Dunks. They
announced that they will be halting operations by end of January 2025,
including online quests its community members would have to complete to
access the products.
Read the full article here.
💪 Streetwear Meets Strength With Young LA and Gold’s Gym’s Latest
Collab
TLDR:
The brand partnered with the iconic fitness franchise Gold’s Gym
to create a capsule that blends the best of both worlds: Gold’s Gym’s
rich fitness heritage with YoungLA’s signature streetwear edge. The
collection is a part of the two brands’ Black Friday release and is
available now.
Why
It Matters: YoungLA has roots in streetwear but also aligns
with the gym’s commitment to supporting the athletic community. As part
of a two-year partnership, Gold’s Gym and YoungLA releases an exclusive
range of outerwear, streetwear, and athleisure designed for the most
dedicated and stylish gym-goers. The collection features Gold’s Gym’s
signature color scheme and emblem on high-performance pieces like
sweatpants, graphic t-shirts, joggers, and hoodies. Each item is
designed with versatility in mind, transitioning effortlessly from
workouts to daily life and beyond. Gold’s Gym—also known as the “Mecca
of Bodybuilding”— inspires exercise enthusiasts to integrate health and
wellness into their daily routines.
Read the full article here.
💰 Unboxing: The User-Friendly Yet Secure Crypto Wallet, Ledger Stax
TLDR:
The latest generation of Ledger’s digital asset security has been
centered around the release of the innovative Ledger Stax and Ledger
Flex. Of the two wallet-style devices, the Ledger Stax model – revealed
first in 2022 – has pioneered the brand’s secure tech worldwide,
ensuring that every user can protect their cryptocurrency with ease.
Why
It Matters: In a new unboxing, Hypebeast gets hands-on with
the Ledger Stax, exploring how the wallet functions seamlessly for
everyday use. From logging into the device to creating secret recovery
codes, the setup process creates a sense of reliability from the get-go.
Once in, users can browse through the menu on the E Ink touchscreen that
wraps around the wallet, featuring an about section, lock screen
settings, the addition of sounds, and the option to change languages. One of the defining features that sets the credit card size Ledger Stax model apart from the Ledger Flex is that it is magnetized and stackable.
Read the full article here.
|
2023 Hypebeast Limited. All Rights
Reserved
Hypebeast, 40/F, Cable TV Tower,
No.9 Hoi Shing Road, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong
|
|
|
