NEW YORK: With Gigi Hadid as his opener and her royally dressed sister, Bella, at the end, Prabal Gurung celebrated the strength, grace and resilience of women in a collection full of vibrant purples, reds and blues, inspired in part by the women-led Mosuo tribe of China.
Gurung, raised by a single mother in Nepal, said in a backstage interview he’s had matriarchies on his mind for a collection over the last four or five years, deciding to go ahead with this one now amid the recent movements bringing women together to fight back against sexual misconduct and oppression around the world.
His bright pinks, some in lush cashmere and wool knits hand done in Nepal, and his sari and sarong-inspired draping, he said, were references to the Gulabi Gang of women activists in northern India. They “adorn themselves in pink saris symbolic of their self-proclaimed power and fearlessness,” Gurung said, as they come to the defense of women, vigilante style.
There were other elements, feather and sequin detailing, the use of velvet and pearls, that generally symbolized ceremonial wardrobes.
Bella Hadid took a slow walk around the bright sand art Gurung displayed on the floor wearing a strapless, royal-red cape gown with a gold cord belt. Gigi Hadid opened the show in a porcelain-white cashmere turtleneck with fox trim on the sleeves, an orchid-colored skirt and a draped sarong overlay that wound around her neck and fell below the waist.
He also embraced the practical, in shearling and quilted puffer jackets inspired by the need to trek.
Gurung said he grew up in a culture where color is celebrated in the clothes. After seeing the wear-black protest at the Golden Globes, he said he wanted to show women “in their full feminine glory.” Back home, he said, “color and texture was kind of unnerving for men.”
Usually, Victoria Beckham takes a quick little bow and a wave at the end of her runway show. On Sunday, she changed it up a little, rushing over to the front row to embrace husband David Beckham and their three younger children, Romeo, Cruz and Harper.
Beckham may have been emotional because she was beginning what she called her label’s 10th anniversary year. In her show notes, the British designer noted that she wanted Sunday’s show to be “a quiet celebration of where we have come since those very first appointments here in New York.” In September, she plans to show at London Fashion Week to fete her anniversary.
Beckham was also showing in a new space on the Upper East Side of Manhattan — the James A. Burden House, an Italian Renaissance-style mansion completed in 1905. Guests climbed a grand spiral staircase to arrive at the show.
It was a collection heavy on workplace looks, with belted coats and jackets with defined shoulders and drawn-in waists. Her favorite item, Beckham said afterward, was a striking belted leopard-print coat, made from a chenille jacquard fabric that was based on Venetian upholstery. She also featured clingy leggings, ankle cuffs in leather, and a print on silk that resembled fur — “my take on fake fur,” she explained afterward.
At DVF, the label’s creator, Diane von Furstenberg, introduced a new (and returning) designer — Nathan Jenden — and a new muse for the brand: her 18-year-old granddaughter, Talita von Furstenberg, who modeled an outfit from the new collection and pronounced it “really cool” to embark on her new role.
Jenden, who returned to the label in January after working there for a decade until 2011, said he’d chosen the young von Furstenberg as his muse after watching her grow up. “I’ve known her since she was 2,” he noted.
The new collection included a lot of riffs on the iconic DVF wrap dress — some obvious and some more subtle.
“To me it was obvious what we needed to do,” Jenden said in an interview. “Richness, layer on layer of fabrics. There’s a lot of wrap. If you look carefully, everything is constructed so it feels like a little light jersey dress.”
Von Furstenberg, 71, made a pointed reference to the #MeToo movement in remarks to the crowd at her downtown showroom.
“I just wanted to say that with everything that’s happening with women right now ... I personally am more committed than ever to the empowerment of women,” she said. “And this is really important and the DVF woman through the generations has always been about being a woman in charge — in charge of her life, in charge of who she sleeps with, in charge of what she does. She’s in the driver’s seat.”
Jenden addressed the crowd as well, saying his designs were “all about being brave, about being unapologetically a woman, about celebrating femininity ... this is an homage to Diane, it’s an homage to Talita, it’s an homage to all women.”
Gigi and Bella Hadid celebrate women at Prabal Gurung NYFW show
Gigi and Bella Hadid celebrate women at Prabal Gurung NYFW show
Saudi designer Njoud Alghamdi: ‘We want to sustain our cultural identity in a new form’
- The Saudi designer on revamping the date-serving experience with Muntj Studio
DUBAI: Saudi product designer Njoud Alghamdi brought a culturally rooted product to last month’s Dubai Design Week with “Nawat” — showcased under the Designed in Saudi initiative by the Saudi Architecture and Design Commission.
Alghamdi is the co-founder and lead product designer of Muntj Studio, which she describes as “a cultural design studio where we focus on sustaining our cultural identity.”
But Alghamdi isn’t interested in simply reproducing products from the past. “I am passionate about cultural innovation,” she told Arab News.
“Nawat” — which she describes as the studio’s “signature piece” — is a perfect example of that innovation. It was created to address an issue that occurs in gatherings across Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
“As you know, dates hold a very special place for us,” she said. But Alghamdi and her team identified a common concern. “Usually when people eat dates, they are embarrassed dealing with the pits themselves,” she explained. “So usually, they hide it in their pockets or in a tissue.
“We asked ourselves, ‘How we can solve this problem to make the experience easier for the users?’” she continued. The elegant result is “Nawat,” a rounded wooden vessel with openings designed to store date pits out of sight.
Those openings were inspired by traditional Najdi architectural elements, with a particular focus on the motifs used in old Najdi doors. During the research phase, she and her team reviewed a range of patterns but chose not to use the sharper shapes found in older houses.
“We didn’t want to use motifs like the triangle,” she said. “So, we found the perfect circular motif and used that. Najdi doors are also a symbol of welcoming.”
This connection aligned naturally with the social role of dates in Khaleeji culture. “The date pit holds a very special place for us at every table,” she said. “We hope that reflects how friendly this object is.”
The final product was crafted in Riyadh by local artisans, she explained. “They used natural wood with natural finishes as well.”
The studio is now developing an entire “Nawat” range, Alghamdi said, explaining that the collection will include different sizes and dimensions to fit a wider range of occasions.
Alghamdi described the studio’s broader focus as creating contemporary objects that sustain cultural identity. “Most of our products reflect our Saudi identity in a new format,” she said. “We want to sustain our cultural identity in a new form that can share our story with the whole world.”
Current projects include an incense burner inspired by the camel hump, intended to “support a more comfortable daily incense ritual.” She added that the studio is also working on “cultural games,” which she described as ways to express Saudi identity in an interactive way.
“Playing a game is the perfect way to communicate,” she said. “We believe that by expressing our identities through these games, it will help us to spread our identity and culture to the whole world.”
Dubai Design Week was a small step towards that goal.
“Actually, this is one of my proudest moments, to be honest,” Alghamdi said. “Exhibiting with the Architecture and Design Commission is something really special to me.
“We’re always grateful for all the support and empowerment that (the commission is) giving us,” she continued. “As a Saudi designer, they always ensure that we get the best (opportunities) to present our work. This is something that makes every Saudi designer super-excited to come up with the best designs, because (we have the chance to) reflect our identity and the (wider design) scene.”
