In this week’s edition of Brand New, we’re sharing details on the latest from names like Prabal Gurung, Pyer Moss, Fendi, and more.
Puzzles with Purpose presents Art x Puzzles, an online benefit sale offering support for artists during the current COVID-19 crisis. The project launched an exclusive limited edition of puzzles created in close collaboration with over 80 contemporary artists, to support artist studios and artist relief efforts close to the participating artists. A percentage of the proceeds will benefit Artist Relief, as well as additional charities of the artist’s choice, like Black Lives Matter and First Responders Children’s Foundation. The special editions available at launch feature Louise Lawler’ POLLYANNA ADJUSTED TO FIT, DISTORTED FOR TIMES, Idris Khan’s The Old Tune, Marc Dennis’s America, Will Cotton’s Cotton Candy Cowboy, Spencer Tunick’s Big Color, Andres Serrano’s America Jewel-Joy Stevens, actor and artist Billy Zane’s first painting Telemundo (created on set during the filming of Titanic), and Christopher Makos’s Andy in Clown Nose (a tribute to Andy Warhol). On September 15, the sale went live to collectors, contemporary art lovers, and puzzle enthusiasts, and now continues with additional limited Collector Edition Jigsaw Puzzles that will be added on a rolling basis.
Marc Dennis puzzle, courtesy of Art x Puzzles.
Nak Armstong creates innovative jewelry with a trademark architectural edge, combining exclusive gemstone cuts with experimental metalworking techniques. Whether it be designs that imitate the pleating of fabric or pixelated floral-inspired designs, Armstrong’s complex, classical creations capture the geometric nuances of natural and textile forms. Nine years after debuting his eponymous collection, he’s launching “Nakard”—a new sterling silver-based collection. The collection is born out of the designer’s love for mosaics, which he developed during his time in Rome, and is inspired by a best-selling necklace from his main collection that’s made of 100 tile-like gemstones. “Nakard” creations highlight stones such as Ethiopian and pink opals, moonstones, labradorite, and turquoise in fluid, mobile-like settings of dark rhodium-plated silver, making the metal almost disappear in relation to the vibrancy of the gemstones.
Prabal Gurung has announced the launch of his VOTE t-shirt. Sales from it will benefit When We All Vote, an organization dedicated to increasing participation in every election with grassroots energy and data-driven social campaigns for an accessible voting culture. With its bold design inspired by the brand’s ethos “Stronger in Colour,” the shirt is a declaration of intent to make every voice heard in the upcoming U.S. presidential election by registering to vote and by voting.
Double Loop earrings, courtesy of Nak Armstrong.
Pyer Moss announced the launch of “Exist to Resist,” a platform spotlighting the important work of social justice organizations. And in an effort to encourage voter registration and drive awareness to Rock the Vote (a non-profit dedicated to building the political power of young people), the brand launched the Sean John by Pyer Moss “Vote or Die…For Real” tee. Presented during the brand’s September runway show, the tee revisits Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’s original “Vote or Die” shirt that first launched in 2004 with a similar outreach message. The tee is exclusively available for purchase online and all proceeds will be donated to Rock the Vote.
The Brooklyn-based Mexican designer Sabrina Olivera revealed “SOLDADERAS”—a collection featuring three pants as an homage to the Soldaderas. Inspired by the armed women of the Mexican Revolution, Olivera reimagined its signature braided hair and crisscross-shaped bullet belts worn on their chests. The collection was created to provide economic support to the women impacted by gender violence in Mexico. All proceeds will be donated to Red Nacional de Refugios A.C., a foundation in Mexico that supports shelters for these victims.
Courtesy of Prabal Gurung.
Prada and Adidas have proposed a timeless, eternal shoe—the Superstar. Offering a new point of view for a new decade, the iconic Superstar style is presented in a trio of new colorways—monochrome black, white with black, and chrome silver with white. The streamlined silhouette and the inherently modern, unisex design of the shoe is translated into full-grain leather, alongside the dual logos of Prada and Adidas, which appear together on the tongue of every pair. The next facet of this collaboration will be linked to the upcoming America’s Cup (the most prestigious international sailing race, set to be held in 2021) and will celebrate the duo’s shared legacy of sporting excellence.
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Hennessy’s Hennessy X.O., the world-renowned architect Frank Gehry reinterpreted X.O.’s timeless bottle with his signature style for the Frank Gehry X.O. 150th Anniversary Masterpiece. Created in 1870 by Maurice Hennessy, Hennessy X.O. is the first “Extra Old” cognac ever created. A century and a half later, Gehry marries gold and glass to create a striking masterpiece, inspired by the rich blend and natural elements found in Cognac—like the Charente River and soil surrounding the brand’s estate—and reinterprets the blend’s iconic legacy in is signature style. Hennessy formally unveiled Gehry’s creation as part of its anniversary festivities, including a global “World Odyssey” event that was organized by internationally renowned Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, who curated a firework display from brand’s headquarters in Cognac. Gehry’s masterpiece has officially launched in an exclusive, limited run of 150 numbered and signed decanters, while a wider release of limited-edition bottles also created by Gehry will launch worldwide later. In the U.S., proceeds from the bottle will benefit Unfinished Business—the brand’s new initiative that helps small businesses face the challenges of COVID-19.
Courtesy of Pyer Moss.
Following the launch of Fendi’s “FENDIFRENESIA” Yellow Scented Baguette collection, the brand and Maison Francis Kurkdjian present FENDIFRENESIA Pink. Because pink is the staple color of the new Regular Baguette bag, Nano Baguette, and card case, it has been interpreted as a perfume by Francis Kurkdjian. After our senses can experience touch, smell, and sight, a new sensorial dimension is added. With Sine—a synthetic interpretation of the fragrance by StudioAIRA!—and through a specific process, the colors and scent of the fragrance are analyzed and converted into frequencies, waves, and sinusoids, resulting in The Sound of Fragrance. This visual and sonorous representation of the FENDIFRENESIA Pink fragrance moves and dances in a liquid form to its own rhythm.
