Veronica Leoni started working on this collection just days after Moncler’s raucous last-February Genius launch and after-party: ah, the Rick Owens RV, the bratwurst, and the dance floor. That launch coincided with the first discovered case of COVID-19 in Italy and its immediate aftermath. She remembered, “It was the first time we realized how specific our way of working had been, and that the way we were working had to change.”
Reviewing this collection feels changed too: That night last February involved helter-skelter-ing through 10 or so collections in less than one hour fashion speed dating which was both fun and efficient but hardly conducive to connection. In contrast, speaking with Leoni on Zoom and looking slowly at these look book images there’s no particular rush, as due to some calendar vagary the collection has been on sale since January, so this review is more an exercise in completism is highly conducive to connection. Even when frustratingly shot in black and
Maggie Marilyn Hewitt has checked nearly every box in the “sustainable brand” criteria. She only uses organic, recycled, or sustainable materials; she avoids fur and leather; she visits New Zealand sheep farms to confirm the wool is sheared from happy, non-mulesed sheep; she ships her clothes in dissolvable bags made of cassava root; she holds her manufacturing partners to strict labor codes; and she’s aligned her strategy with 12 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. This year, she’s even rolling out a take-back program for her organic basics line, Somewhere, so worn-out garments can be collected and upcycled into new ones.
In Earnest by Byron Lars, spring 2021 ready-to-wear
Photo: Courtesy of Byron Lars
Byron Lars is bullish on the future. Thirty-one years into his career the designer knows the ups and downs of the industry, but he still believes in the power and joy of fashion. So much so that he’s decided to launch a new venture, In Earnest, in the midst of the pandemic.
The debut In Earnest collection is inspired by Lars’s Harlem neighborhood, particularly the African street vendors and the treasures they sell. Wax prints and colors predominate, sport elements intermingle with lingerie touches, and almost everything stretches for comfort. These are happy-making clothes and Lars wants to see them worn now, even if they’re paired with sweatpants. “You cannot tap out forever,” the designer says. He’s alert to the individual touches that can up a person’s style quotient, be that a creative mask or a good accessory game. “I feel like that is really the way to do it,” he says, “to