Iris Van Herpen debuts ‘living dress’ at Paris Couture Week
The Dutch designer’s latest collection Sympoiesis featured a glowing ‘live dress’ grown with 125 million bioluminescent algae, blurring the lines between nature, fashion, and technology. The world of couture has a long-standing reputation for pushing the boundaries of what can be done with fashion. From incorporating unique sewing techniques, creating breathtaking...
Current in Fashion + Beauty
Are synthetic hairstyles putting women’s lives at risk?
Reports have found that synthetic fibres contain dangerous and carcinogenic chemicals. A Consumer Reports study has found that the ingredients used in synthetic hair across a range of popular brands – including Magic Fingers, Sensationnel and Shake-N-Go, have the potential to cause cancer. Braids have been the site of care and resistance...
Bianca Censori’s body is still making people uncomfortable
Kanye West’s wife has become somewhat of a living mannequin. But her controversial clothing is raising questions around autonomy and the politics of the female body. Bianca Censori was relatively unknown when she began dating, then quickly married rapper Kanye West. The Australian architect and model has since become a...
PrettyLittleThing’s ‘quiet luxury’ rebrand is confusing consumers
The brand known for its bubblegum pink unicorn aesthetic is adopting a more grown-up look as it claims to be moving ‘away from fast fashion’. But will its products and practices live up to its new image? It’s the brand millions of us bought as students with little disposable income,...
The Louvre’s first-ever fashion exhibition is arriving next month
It may have taken 231 years, but Paris’ iconic Louvre Museum is finally hosting its first-ever fashion exhibition this March. The Louvre in Paris is one of the world's most famous museums, boasting a collection of over 600,000 objects of which 35,000 are artworks. Visiting each of the museum’s 400 rooms...
What are the hidden meanings of First Ladies’ inaugural outfits?
In light of US President Trump’s recent inauguration, let’s review the history of First Ladies inaugurations outfits and what they really foreshadowed about their partners’ presidencies. Between seventy-three and seventy-nine days after a presidential election a president-elect takes the presidential oath of office, otherwise known as their inauguration. This is a...
Opinion – social media is stifling our style and individuality
We now live in a time where the term ‘microtrend’ doesn’t suffice to describe the short lifespan of social media trends. ‘New year, new us’ right? And with that, new conversations online about how we’ll improve our unique style and find our identities this year. But are we truly trying to find ourselves? The rise of social media has had a profound impact on people and their individuality, raising concerns about the...
Indigenous craft is still being co-opted by the fashion industry
Actor Lily Gladstone has called out Valentino, the latest brand to copy Indigenous designers. Protecting these cultural crafts from the capitalist machine is a longstanding – and often exhausting – battle. By now, it’s a familiar cycle: a fashion house unveils its latest collection, the press fawns, social media unearths its problematic roots, and the brand issues a half-hearted statement about inspiration versus appropriation. This week, it was Valentino’s turn under the microscope,...
Cosmetic vagina surgeries are hugely popular among Gen Z
‘Designer vagina’ surgery is one of the fastest growing cosmetic procedures among young people worldwide. Recent research has uncovered that this is due to a lack of education and diverse representation. It’s never been easier to look at a vagina. In the digital age – unless parental controls are active – a quick dig through the less-regulated social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit will bombard users with a torrent of...
Gen Z’s latest accessory? Ear plugs
The unlikely trend has made ear safety stylish. What’s the harm? The soundtrack of your teens and twenties usually involves crowded festivals, loud nightclubs, and headphones dialled up to high-volume. But Gen Z are starting to reject this cacophony with help from an unlikely accessory: the earplug. Studies have shown that for many young people, noise exposure poses a serious risk to the health of the ears and can even lead...
