Prada’s Beijing Show, ERL Pop-up Shops – WWD

BEIJING REHEARSAL: All stars aligned for Prada.

Echoing the original Milan shows that featured celebrities such as Hunter Schafer and Kyle MacLachlan, the Beijing repeat of Prada’s men’s and women’s fall 2022 collections surprised some of China’s most high-profile movie stars. industry.

A total of nine well-known Chinese actors and actresses took part in the show. Liao Fan, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival; Kara Wai Ying Hong, three-time winner of the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress; Bai Yufan and Rayzha Alimjan, stars of the popular TV series “Mining Town”; Guo Keyu, the actress-turned-reality TV star; Huang Jue, an art house favorite; Huang Miyi, actress of popular TV drama “The Bad Kids,” and Prada ambassadors Chun Xia and Li Yifeng, added star power to the track.

Supermodels Du Juan, Ju Xiaowen and Cici Xiang, as well as male supermodels Jin Dachuan and Zhao Lei also walked the runway.

Over 400 guests, including Prada Ambassador Cai Xukun, director Jia Zhangke, artist Cao Fei and architect Yung Ho Chang, attended the event. The show took place at Prince Jun’s Mansion, a royal compound that was once the residence of Prince Jun in the Qing Dynasty.

The reconstructed show featured 51 looks with slightly tweaked styling and a few added pieces. The event was streamed live on social media platforms Weibo, Douyin and Tencent Video, garnering over 92.7 million views.

Prada worked with AMO to transform the space. Geometric lighting systems and industrial non-slip metal floors add a touch of modernity to the old red-brick palace and its rear garden.

In the eyes of Yihan “Chace” Zhu, the frontman and DJ of popular alternative rock band Mandarin, elements of juxtaposition from Depeche Mode’s soundtrack further transformed the space. “The electronic elements go with the angular edges found in clothing,” he told WWD after the show.

“The music and much of the design reminds me of the works of Robert Longo and the ‘picture generation’ as a whole, the vibe is pure New York in the 80s,” said Philip Tinari, Director of UCCA Center for Contemporary Art. .

For Mia Kong, the Shanghai-based influencer and stylist, casting made the day. She was able to let out her inner fangirl when she saw Liao Fan marching down the runway. “The casting showed the intellectual side of the Chinese celebrity scene,” Kong said.

“The casting is unexpected but quite sensible; it adds a new sense of fantasy to clothes,” added Chinese designer Xander Zhou.

After the show, guests were ushered into the back garden, a Chinese-style villa full of gazebos and hallways built atop serene fish ponds. Bathed in Prada’s pink fluorescent lighting, they munched on Prada embossed ice cream and Peking rice rolls while enjoying the lush scenery. “I think this is the first industry gathering for many people in a long time,” Zhou said. “At times like this, we need a chance to come together in real life.”

Prada’s event in Beijing came at a time when the capital was still maintaining strict COVID-19 related regulations to stay in line with the “dynamic zero” policy. Bars and concert halls remain closed, while regular testing is needed for people to enter public places.

Prada has become the first luxury brand to hold a physical show in China this year. According to local industry insiders, Louis Vuitton may be the only other brand intending to produce a fashion show in the country this year. — Denni Hu

MAKE WAVES: Eli Russell Linnetz’s big year continues: Thursday he launched his first two in-store ERL stores. Both are in Japan and feature impressive blue plexiglass fixtures reminiscent of waves – or a half-pipe.

The brand’s quirky California cool – Linnetz is based in Venice Beach – can now be found in a 915-square-foot setup at Fujii Daimaru department store in Kyoto, and a 315-square-foot corner at Dover Street Market Ginza in Tokyo. Angled rails allow Linnetz to display children’s clothing at one end; for adults to another.

“These spectacular designs symbolize Eli’s vision and creative talents,” enthused Adrian Joffe, managing director of Dover Street Market and chairman of Comme des Garçons International, also dropping a third ERL store to debut on next month at Dover Street Market in Beijing, which is moving to a bigger location near the Forbidden City.

ERL falls under the umbrella brand of Dover Street Market Paris, the 100% subsidiary of Comme des Garçons which nurtures a group of labels operating under various commercial agreements. They are also Weinsanto, Vaquera, Paccbet, Youths in Balaclava, Liberal Youth Ministry and Honey F–king Dijon.

“We are proud to accompany ERL on its ever-upward journey,” added Joffe.

Admittedly, these are heady days for Linnetz, who won a special Karl Lagerfeld Jury Prize at the 2022 LVMH Prize for Young Designers last June, and teamed up with Kim Jones on the Dior menswear collection, runway show. in his hometown in May.

He launched his ERL brand, initially focused on menswear, for the fall 2020 season.

“For me, ERL is all about color, texture, and happiness, and I wanted the designs of the spaces to be minimal so that all the focus remained on the collections, which tell so many stories about California and where I come from,” Linnetz said. on the new shops-in-shop.

He noted that each space will “change constantly, perhaps several times a week” so that people are fully immersed — “even lost”, he offered — in its Venice Beach vibe. — Miles Socha

PINK PRINTS: Valentino created a historic moment for Pink PP, its house shade for the Fall 2022 collection, in China by dressing all the contestants in the finale of the popular reality show “Sisters Who Make Waves,” which aired Friday night.

In an image trending on Chinese social media, the 17 finalists, who are among the hottest singers and dancers in Chinese popular culture, posed together on stage, showcasing looks from the brand’s instantly iconic collection.

The “Sisters Who Make Waves Final” hashtag has so far garnered more than 130 million impressions and 44,000 posts on Weibo, and Valentino outfits have been widely discussed among fans and viewers online.

Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Valentino, earlier told WWD that Pink PP is a new Pantone color he created, and confessed that he “wanted to work like a monochrome artist” for the fall 2022 season.

“When you look at a color, you have to go beyond the surface, the texture, the cuts, the silhouette, the volume and the details… Pink is a color that I really like, and it is also a color that can have different sides,” he added. .

Now in its third season, “Sisters Who Make Waves” features 30 female celebrities over 30 who compete each season and fight for a spot in the first girl group to be formed in the finale.

Many celebrities, who were not as in demand as before, managed to revive their careers after participating in this reality show and gained new followers among young audiences.

For example, Cyndi Wang, who started her singing career in Taiwan two decades ago, became an online phenomenon in China this season, after her debut performance on the show went viral on Weibo and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Wang, who wore a pink feather dress by Valentino, was named the annual champion in the final.

She will become a member of brand new girl group Xsister alongside Jessica Jung, former member of South Korean girl group Girls’ Generation, Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung of Hong Kong girl group Twins, dancer Tang Shiyi, singers Fiona Sit, Amber Kuo , Yu Wenwen, Tan Weiwei and actress Crystal Zhang. —Tianwei Zhang