Last August Nicola Formichetti confirmed that he was preparing for the launch of his own line. While he said that he is committed to create 'a kind of brand that hasn't been seen before, something new for our generation,' nothing else was said about what we can expect from his independent design pursuit. That began to change this week.
The brand, named Formichetti and is likely to launch mid-2013, is all about incorporating modern technology into fashion, he told WWD. 'It’ll be very digitally oriented and high-tech,” he revealed. 'We’ve been working with the same fabrics, the same techniques for hundreds of years. That’s all great, but we need something new.' In Formichetti's world that means creating clothes charge your phone through the incorporation of solar panels.
With his last two collections at Mugler, Nicola Formichetti has put on a show. Whether it's Lady Gaga's links with the brand or Formichetti's own celebrity, the shows have undoubtedly always been a spectacle. This season felt different. Rather than focusing on what the soundtrack was or whether Gaga would walk in the show or sit front row, this season was all about the clothes.
Designers have really played with highlighting the female form this season and this is something that Mugler is known for so it was no surprise to see Formichetti explore the brand's feminine silhouette.The shoulders were dramatic, which emphasised the waist especially on the series of white peplum looks that opened the show.
Though it was clear that the designer was conscious of the past, the sci-fi space-age feeling created on the white looks felt modern and fresh. What was particularly interesting about this collection was his ability to have those dramatic pieces like the fringed white coats with fur sleeves whilst also being conscious of presenting looks that would sit easily on any shop floor.
I am just about the only person that hasn't fallen in love with the Carine Roitfeld-styled Jennifer Lopez cover for V magazine, but this editorial featuring Adriana Lima and Doutzen Kroes in the sports themed issue definitely makes up for it. The Victoria's Secret models show off their enviable post-baby bodies in the Mario Testino-shot editorial wearing lingerie pieces styled by Nicola Formichetti.
Harlem-based rapper Azealia Banks was given the fashion stamp of approval by Karl Lagerfeld last month when he invited her to perform at his home after the Chanel couture show. As we all expected, that's only the beginning for the young star's foray with fashion folk. Last week Nicola Formichetticonfirmed that he styled her for a V magazine editorial and her forthcoming video for 'Liquorice.'
"I was just listening to '212' and I was just tweeting about how I loved the song and she tweeted me back saying, 'I love you too' and [I said] 'I love you more' and we just met up and I shot her for V magazine and we started collaborating and she asked me to do her new video, so I directed her ‘Liquorice’ video last week in London and we are editing it at the moment," he told Fashionista. "It’s completely different to the way I work with Gaga, I mean it’s similar in the way that they’re very into to what they’re doing, both of them are just lovely people, so I only want to work with nice people. Yeah she’s cool; she’s 19 straight from Harlem to London and Paris and she’s good. You just can’t take your eyes off her."
I'm not a fan of Justin Bieber neither am I particularly taken by his covers so it comes at no surprise that I met the news of his V cover of their music issue with disappointment. Today the images of the full editorial were released online by Nicola Formichetti and quickly something became clear. While the Biebs can shift records and a good few million bottles of perfume too, his cover star abilities aren't as impressive, as his Vanity Fair cover proved.
While some complain about the overexposure of collections due to the the Internet, this is something that doesn't bother Nicola Formichetti. It's actually quite the opposite. As you'll recall, last season he embraced all things digital by releasing teaser images online hinting at what we can expect from the collection and live streamed it on the Mugler website and S/S12 is no different.
Ahead of his show on Thursday, Formichetti will be blogging about the collection live from the Mugler atelier in Paris. Expect videos, images and lots of teasers on the brand's Facebook and Twitter accounts too.
It's all systems go at Barneys. Last week the department store released the images of the Roitfeld clan appearing in their Fall campaign and the former editor has been working with them in a styling capacity since leaving Vogue Paris. This week they announced that they're also working with Lady Gaga on a special project.
The singer will appear in their upcoming holiday campaign and will reinterpret Santa's workshop on the whole of the store's mens floor. Nicola Formichetti and artists Eli Sdbrack and Christophe Hamaide Pierson of Assume Vivid Astro Focus will collaborate on the creation of the workshop, which will launch in November alongside the singer's window displays on Madison, The Cut reports. And it doesn't end there. Gaga will also design a small line of limited edition gifts that will be available both in store and online with 25% of the proceeds going to one of her charities.
He's already one of the busiest men in the industry but Nicola Formichetti is already working on his next project. If recent reports are anything to go by, next up for the designer is his own line. Despite only taking the helm at Mugler last September, in a recent interview with MilkMade.com he revealed that his upcoming pop-up store in Manhattan next month will feature a "sneak preview" of his new line.
Despite working on independent pursuits, he made it clear that he is still committed to Mugler. "I want Mugler to become a digital global brand. I want to create a new kind of fashion brand, a new way of looking at fashion and take a step into digital communication," he explained. "A kind of brand that hasn't been seen before, something new for our next generation. We need to take fashion to the next level! Its needed right now. It's just a start…"
Last month Nicola Formichetti was the centre of attention after he allegedly made derogatory statements about overweight people to W magazine - an assertion that he vigorously denies. Now the stylist is in the headlines again but this time for alleged ageist remarks. In the latest issue of ELLE Collections Formichetti said, "I think old people should just be old and go away," adding, "It's not about being in the industry for ten years anymore: it's about good ideas."
As The Cut point out, this clearly seems a case of wrong timing. After the W controversy it seems that people instantly interpreted these comments as being ageist when in actual fact, he seems to be referring to people that have worked in the industry for a long time rather than the elderly generally. He made this clear when he added: "[Fashion] still has this elitist feeling — it's really scary ... Me and Gaga, our motto is 'fuck fashion' because we love it so much we want to destroy it and start again and keep it fresh."
Ironically a week after Nicola Formichetti hit the headlines after allegedly revealing that he doesn't like fat people in an interview with W magazine, an editorial featuring a group of plus sized women shot by Richardson has been released in Vice magazine. The shoot features normal women in what appears to be their own clothes and make-up, shot for the magazine's latest issue which hit newsstands this week.
