Fashion

Collina Strada Pre-Fall 2021

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Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele handpicked the New York brand Collina Strada to be a part of his latest project. Today, designer Hillary Taymour and her collaborator Charlie Engman premiered their pre-fall 2021 collection via GucciFest, a virtual film festival headlined by a new miniseries co-directed by Gus Van Sant and Michele titled “Ouverture of Something That Never Ended” that showcases Gucci’s spring 2021 collection. Collina Strada was chosen to participate along with 14 other emerging labels from around the world.

The task at hand? Create, with total freedom as per Michele, an imaginative fashion film. Taymour and Engman decided to translate their eco-conscious, psychedelic world into a video game. The idea was to create an interactive extension to their spring 2021 video and collection, which featured a fantastical farm world filled with animated 3D flower models and moving natural landscapes.

For the video game, which they’re calling “Collinaland,” Taymour and Engman, along with multimedia artist Freeka Tet, dreamed up a farm world, an underwater world, a self-expressive world, and an ice world, all inhabited by plants and animals and, of course, video game characters: real models that the team digitally scanned so as to bring human beings into the virtual world, rather than create avatars from scratch. In the game, each character explores the digitized earth scenes with the ultimate goal of helping to battle climate change. The characters can pick up trash, put out fires, water cacti, and help build waterfall ice bridges for polar bears.

The Taymour-designed clothes they wear provide whimsical armor for tackling the global warming crisis: The models are dressed like cool, otherworldly warrior princesses in hand-drawn prints and pretty colors like pink and icy blue. Thanks to the partnership with Gucci, Taymour had the chance to explore more elevated techniques and fabrics, such as micro pleating, delicate embroidery, and ruffles that add an element of femme to her otherwise playful repertoire. The most impressive piece was the floral print bodysuit with ruffle embroidery and peplum, but fantasy cargo pants with a bold ink blot print also deserve a shoutout, as does a hoodie reimagined with puff sleeves. A low-slung skirt and a cutout dress were accessorized with visible thongs—a cheeky nod to Tom Ford-era Gucci. There is certainly a new element of sexiness to the collection, but one of Taymour’s best qualities is that she never skews too far in one direction. Even with shiny new Gucci-provided materials, her point-of-view is still wonderfully out-there.

Taymour and Engman’s rather novel idea this season was to create clothes for customers and fans of the brands to interact with, without having to buy them. Yes, you read that right. They don’t want to keep putting more and more products into the world, contributing to our planet’s waste crisis. “We’re exploring different concepts around who a designer is and what a designer can be,” Taymour says. “We’re still artists and people are still looking at what we’re going to do next. But how do we create a different experience? There’s a way to create a more educational model or expressive model, rather than a product model.”

Is virtual fashion a viable new strategy for fashion brands? Could it be a legitimate revenue stream? It will be exciting to see what Taymour and Engman do next because as they’ve proven the last two seasons in Collinaworld, it’s game on and all systems go.

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Air Jordan 3 “Paris” Reportedly Trades Elephant Print for Damask

Jordan Brand may be preparing to drop a special Air Jordan 3 dedicated to one of the world’s most recognizable cities. Landing in June 2027, the Air Jordan 3 “Paris” comes with a unique design that ditches the usual elephant print. Instead, the rumored edition is said to feature damask detailing, special Paris-inspired branding, and a limited drop focused on the French capital.

The first word comes from @zSneakerHeadz, but Jordan Brand has not confirmed the sneaker yet. A mockup is currently circulating, so the final look may differ. That said, the described design is an interesting direction for the Air Jordan 3, especially for fans used to seeing elephant print as one of the silhouettes hallmark visual elements.

The shoe is said to feature a white tumbled leather upper with a navy rubber outsole. The most noticeable change is replacing the traditional elephant print with a damask print. The pattern is reportedly on the toe and heel, with another section next to the Jumpman logo on the tongue. The treatment gives the sneaker a different visual character without straying from the Air Jordan 3’s recognizable structure.

More branding is expected to tie the release closely to its namesake city. The mudguard is said to have the wording “Jordan Paris Family 91, 92, 93, 94,” while the heel is said to have “NIKE PRS.” The details give the shoe a more specific identity than a simple colorway, with the reported inscriptions presenting it as a tribute to Paris and its role in the Jordan Brand story.

The sneaker is expected to be released in men’s sizing and will carry the style code JJ3727-100. It retails for $230 and will be available in select Jordan Brand stores in Paris. If the release details are accurate, the limited distribution may make the pair tough for sneaker fans outside the city to get their hands on. But the brand has not confirmed the information that has been reported, and the image shown is a mockup and not an official product reveal.

The Air Jordan 3 “Paris” is also expected to join a growing list of regional releases such as the Air Jordan 3 “Middle East.” These projects give Jordan Brand the chance to attack the same silhouette through various regional themes, not just the usual retro colorways. The damask pattern with city-specific branding would, in this case, make the Paris edition clearly distinct.

This classic Air Jordan 3 shape combined with a strange pattern is bound to appeal to collectors. The expected Paris-only distribution adds another layer of exclusivity, although the final release details have yet to be confirmed. If the June 2027 launch comes to fruition as described, the Air Jordan 3 “Paris” could be one of the more unique regional editions on Jordan Brand’s calendar.

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Nike LeBron 24 “Christmas” – Holiday Collection Gets Grinchy Green Look

Nike Basketball’s holiday collection is starting to take shape, and LeBron James’ latest signature shoe is bringing a particularly loud look to the seasonal crop. First-look images of the Nike LeBron 24 “Christmas” have surfaced, showcasing a black and electric green colorway with metallic silver accents. The rumored Grinch-inspired direction of the upcoming release is shaping up to be one of the more unique additions to Nike’s Christmas footwear collection.

The shoe will be dropped on December 4 for $200. Its most striking feature is the electric green colorway, which gives the design a strong visual identity. Black is used on the upper for contrast, and metallic silver is seen on the Swoosh near the heel. Another contrasting touch comes from a red logo on the tongue, offering a subtle nod to holiday colors within the overall aesthetic. The shoe continues the theme with a green rubber outsole below.

Aside from the looks, the LeBron 24 “Christmas” also features performance elements associated with the broader LeBron 24 line. The outsole has a Zoom Turbo unit that is said to keep the shoe light and quick. That bit gives the holiday edition purpose beyond just its seasonal styling, keeping it tied to the basketball performance direction of the signature series.

The Grinch concept is part of a larger “naughty list” theme that also includes the Sabrina 4 and Book 2. Rather than treating the LeBron 24 as a standalone holiday release, Nike seems to be building a connected seasonal collection around the idea. The electric green colorway fits that direction, making the shoe pop while giving the broader theme a recognizable visual thread.

The first glimpse of the sneaker came via a 360-degree video Nike shared. The audience got a first look at the color blocking and design details as the shoe was presented from various angles. A handful of basketball creators also got a sneak peek at the pair earlier on a trip to Nike headquarters, helping build the early hype around the release.

The style code is IO8205-300 and the shoe is expected to drop in men’s sizing through Nike and select retailers. The December 4 date and $200 price point give us a sense of what to expect, but the information provided doesn’t list every retailer that will sell the sneaker.

The Nike LeBron 24 ‘Christmas’ is holiday-themed and performance-inspired for LeBron’s signature line, featuring a bright green colorway with silver details, red tongue branding, and an outsole with Zoom Turbo cushioning. Its Grinch-inspired theme also fits clearly into Nike Basketball’s broader seasonal plans. If you’re a fan of the brand’s Christmas releases, this pair is already making a strong first impression.

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