Tom Ford Gracefully Exited and VLONE Mysteriously Returned in This Week's Top Fashion News

This week in fashion, new eras began, and others came to a close. After 13 years at the helm of his namesake label, Tom Ford officially said goodbye with his final women’s collection, after selling the brand to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion USD in November of last year. Meanwhile, the once-popular, then-defamed streetwear label VLONE returned under new mysterious leadership, without its former boss: convicted sex offender A$AP Bari.

Elsewhere, Gucci launched the first iteration of its Gucci Cosmos exhibition in Shanghai, and Valentino expanded its “Valentino Vintage” initiative across the globe. Paper Magazine, on the other hand, laid off its entire editorial staff, marking the end of an era for the iconic American fashion and pop culture publication.

Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top fashion stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.

Tom Ford Exited His Namesake Brand With a Final Collection Celebrating His Best Work

Steven Klein/Tom Ford

After 13 years in his eponymous fashion throne, Tom Ford officially bid farewell to his namesake label with his final women’s ready-to-wear collection, for Fall 2023. The line, which dropped on the designer’s website earlier this week, arrives alongside his last campaign, which sees Ford cinematically canter through his archives in three high-caliber videos, shot by Steven Klein.

The sartorial send-off stars several Ford muses, namely Amber Valletta, Joan Smalls, Karlie Kloss, Karen Elson and Caroline Trentini. Wearing the concluding collection, which houses reproductions of the American visionary’s favorite archival pieces, each glittering cast member’s look calls back to a significant point in Ford’s brand history.

A celebration of his unwavering hold on fashion (and that of pop culture), Ford’s Fall 2023 collection marks his final outing for his eponymous label, after selling the brand to Estée Lauder in a deal valued at $2.8 billion USD in November of last year.

Read more, here.

VLONE Relaunched Under Mysterious New Leadership

Vlone

VLONE — the once-popular, then-defamed streetwear label previously helmed by convicted sex offender A$AP Bari — has returned under new, enigmatic leadership. In this “new era,” the controversial design label is looking to reinstate its former glory with a new outlook, after cutting ties with Bari in 2022.

The refreshed VLONE officially launched on April 21, with a collection, titled “Brick by Brick,” nodding to the imprint’s attempt to rebuild itself. A note from the team behind the new VLONE on the brand’s updated website reads, “In the new era of VLONE, our brand will embrace distinctive creatives who defy the norm and inspire the willing as we build our fashion house together, one brick at a time.”

Read more on the brand’s downfall and return, here.

Gucci Opened Its ‘Cosmos’ Exhibition Exploring 102 Years of Its Best Work

Gucci

In Shanghai, Gucci opened the doors to its latest exhibition, Gucci Cosmos. The expansive showcase, open through June 25, explores the House’s most memorable designs from its century-old archive, offering both a tribute to the Italian brand’s Florentine beginnings and a nod to its everlasting creativity.

Designed by British contemporary artist Es Devlin, with curation from Italian fashion theorist and critic Maria Luisa Frisa, the exhibition houses eight “worlds,” each of which uplifts treasures (many never-before-seen) from the Gucci Archive, located in the 15th-century Palazzo Settimanni in Florence.

Following Gucci Cosmos‘ closure at the West Bund Art Center in Shanghai, China, the exhibition will tour the world. Take a look inside, here.

Prada Group Revealed Plans to Invest €60 Million EUR in Italian Factories

Robert Alexander/Getty Images

The Prada Group announced plans to spend €60 million EUR ($66 million USD) on industrial capital investments, with the goal of expanding its production capacity in 2023. Specifically, the Italian company will double its knitwear production plant in Torgiano, according to Reuters.

While the luxury group will place an emphasis on expanding its Umbria-based factory, it will also look to smaller acquisitions of manufacturers. The company reportedly has its targets, which likely do not include leather production outposts, as the group is already well-equipped in that category.

Still, the majority of Prada’s investments will go toward the expansion and improvement of the company’s pre-existing factories, along with the acquisition of updated technologies and a larger workforce.

Vivienne Westwood Debuted a Historical Corset Exhibition in London

Vivienne Westwood

Following the passing of Dame Vivienne Westwood earlier this year, the designer’s namesake brand, now led by widower Andreas Kronthaler, is paying tribute to its founder’s trailblazing work with an exhibition spotlighting its quintessential corsetry.

Titled Vivienne Westwood Corsets — 1987 to Present Day, the showcase will open during London Craft Week in May, with a deep-dive into Westwood’s subversive lingerie and undergarments. It will include several pieces from the late designer’s runways, dating back to 1987, juxtaposing the founder’s evolved approach to corsetry with that of Kronthaler’s today.

The Vivienne Westwood Corsets – 1987 to Present Day exhibition will show from May 8 to 21 at the brand’s London storefront.

Paper Magazine Laid Off Its Entire Editorial Staff

Rita Barros/Getty Images

Paper Magazine, the iconic American fashion and pop culture publication founded by Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits in 1984, laid off its full editorial team on Wednesday.

The layoffs will affect between 20 to 30 full-time employees at the company, including writers, editors and editorial director Mickey Boardman, beginning April 28, according to Adweek. The magazine’s editor-in-chief, Justin Moran, will remain at the company for another month to publish the magazine’s remaining projects.

Per Adweek‘s report, publisher Tom Florio is looking to cut costs in the face of declining ad revenue. The alternatives include selling the company to a potential investor who has expressed interest, according to sources. It is not presently known whether the publication will continue to operate in the future.

Valentino Vintage Opened Swap-Shops in London, Milan, Paris and Further Afield

Valentino

Valentino Vintage has expanded its initiative for 2023, with new swap-shops in Milan, Paris, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, and New York. As part of the program, the Maison has teamed up with seven vintage stores in the aforementioned destinations, along with London’s education incubator 1 Granary, in a move to make luxury fashion more attainable.

Each store was chosen for its relevance in its city. Among them, London’s Rellik, which opened in 1999, is known for its lines of ’60s silhouettes from the capital’s heydays, and Milan’s Madame Pauline is highly regarded for its mixture of styles across generations.

With 1 Granary, the program has partnered with several schools to gift students pieces from the archive to further understand Valentino’s design process. The institutions included are IED in Milan, Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, Central Saint Martins, in London, Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, Coconogacco in Tokyo, ESMOD in Seoul and Parsons School of Design in New York

For the full list of Valentino Vintage locations, click here.