Quite a bit has transpired in the fashion industry within the past few days. Fashion Month has officially come and gone, Spring/Summer 2025 runways were seen, and every trend report and style analysis has been posted following. In the midst of all that, creative heads of several luxury houses decided now was a great time to play musical chairs, with several stepping down and leaving empty seats during an unprecedented time. Add in all the discourse and discussion that surrounded body inclusivity on the runway and financial woes of fashion leaders such as Naomi Campbell, and well the fashion girlies were well fed to say the least. Amongst the feast though were two very special treats that piqued my fancy, and as such I felt like sharing it whilst waiting for my clothes to dry. Trust me, I have time.
- Wales Bonner X Adidas Collaboration
Wales Bonner is releasing another collaboration with Adidas, which isn’t surprising as the duo’s previous efforts have birthed what I consider to be cult classics. You have the silver and pony hair, leopard spotted Sambas that can still be found at decent prices. Then there’s my personally favorite love child, the Japan style in hazy yellow and cream white, which can run you around $700 for either colorway at my size.
This time around however Bonner has decided to take things a bit more exotic with five new styles that incorporate crocodile (?) embossed leather. We see the material on the familiar Sambas form as well as a MN variant and a nice twist on the Adidas Superstar sneaker as well. The ‘Night Brown’ colorway is personally calling my name but any of the new styles shown are worth the splurge as far as I’m concerned. As of now the collaboration doesn’t have an exact date but the expected release date is falling within the Fall/Winter seasons, so hopefully in the next few weeks or so.
- MET Exhibition & Gala (?) Revealed
Anyone fashionably inclined (or otherwise) has been talking about probably the biggest news to come out of the fashion industry thus far, and that is the new MET Exhibition coming Spring 2025. The theme is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, which will dive into race, menswear, and style across the Black diaspora. As quoted by the MET’s official site:
“…Will present a cultural and historical examination of the Black dandy, from the figure’s emergence in Enlightenment Europe during the 18th century to today’s incarnations in cities around the world.”
This exhibit, which was inspired by Harvard graduate Monica Miller and her book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” will be on display from the middle of May up until October and will coincide with the annual MET Gala, which has many excited.
If the theme of the Gala follows closely to that of the exhibit like usual then this will be the first time in many years that the festive event will focus on menswear. Focusing specifically on black dandyism did not go over fashion lovers heads either, as notable journalist, creative director, and overall fashion icon André Leon Talley was the first name to pop up amongst the discussion. Rightfully so, as the late legend for all intents and purposes embodied what the modern black dandy is, and was one of few black creatives to pierce the heavily closed off world of high fashion, donning the title as the first African-American male creative director of Vogue magazine.
Even with all the speculation and high hopes some within the community have, others have voiced that they’re afraid if the theme of the Gala is similar to that of the exhibit, that cultural appropriation is and will be at play. The common denominator with this argument is that mistreatment and lack of representation of black people within the fashion industry is still present, whilst big wigs and industry leaders will now be capitalizing off of the history and plight of black people. It’s definitely a lot to take in and think about when considering that the event isn’t until May, but that also means that designers and creative directors should probably do their research and history homework before taking a stab at whatever concept is finalized. On the bright side Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell were all announced to be co-chairs of the First Monday in May event alongside Ms. Wintour herself.
I’ve personally gone ahead and ordered Monica Miller’s book because I’m intrigued by what I’ve heard thus far just from her explaining her research, and if I’m being quite honest I feel like I may have found my tribe. This I’ll expound upon later in Closet Conversations talk, but long story short there is a psychology behind clothing that I’ve airways been privy to since a young age but couldn’t quite put my finger on, and I think Ms. Miller may have unlocked that box for me and finally given me the words and train of thought to explore this notion more whilst still being digestible.
With all this being said I can’t wait until my book arrives, I can’t wait until the Wales Bonner x Adidas collaboration is released, and I definitely cannot wait until we learn just what the actual MET Gala theme will be. In the meantime I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for more news, but definitely let me know what you’re looking forward to the most now that Fashion Month is over. Also, I finished with time to spare in the cycle. See?
Name Is Kanem 
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