It was probably inevitable that Reebok would build on its collaboration with Cardi B after how quickly her collection sold out last October. That collection, with retro colours and motifs applied to the Reebok Club C sneaker, recalled the rapper’s own fashion choices, such as a bright red dress she wore to the Met Gala in 2019.
   Reebok has now announced its first apparel collection with Cardi B, called the Summertime Fine collection, releasing April 23 at 10 a.m. EDT. This time, the German-owned brand stresses that it was a full collaboration, with Cardi involved since the beginning of the design process, and trying on every piece herself.
   Rather than the ’80s vibe of the shoes, there’s a ’90s one this time, recalling Reebok’s own vintage styles and Cardi’s memories of summers on the Coney Island boardwalk. Colours are bright red and pastel purple, with cinched waists and mesh cutouts, designed to be fashionable both at the gym and on the street. Sizes range from 2XS to 4X. Matching footwear, in the shape of the Cardi B Club C, will also be available, in women’s and children’s sizes.
   ‘I’m so proud to announce my first apparel line with Reebok. This collection gives every woman the product they need to feel sexy and confident; the waist-snatching tights and curve hugging silhouettes make every body look amazing,’ she said.

Labelhood, China’s first fashion incubator combining design and brand management, has presented its first show at the Tank Shanghai complex, opening Shanghai Fashion Week’s autumn–winter 2021–2 Shanghai Fashion and Lifestyle Carnival.
   The show was hosted by beauty influencer Li Jiaqi, and streamed on his Taobao channel, which allowed audiences to purchase the items they saw in the show. On the show were Deepmoss’s Liu Xiaolu, 8on8’s Gong Li, and Yirantian’s Guo Yirantian. Labelhood selected 26 items from 13 brands, including Private Policy, the Flocks, and Motoguo, as well as established labels such as Uma Wang, Yirantian, and Deepmoss.
   Estimated views exceeded 10 million, according to Labelhood, with online sales also exceeding that number. There had been no need to discount, with brand development more the focus of the event.
   Labelhood, or Leihu to give its transliteration from Chinese, has run its services for 12 years, and collaborated with Li to get its independent brands in front of a larger audience.
   This season the incubator hosted 32 brands at its Labshowroom.
   Labelhood has four physical retail stores in Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou, and has branded spaces in Lane Crawford in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Hong Kong. It also has a Tmall presence, and supported its designers to open there, including Tirantian, Shushu/Tong. Deepmoss and Motoguo. In addition, it has cooperative deals with over 100 retail channels, including SKP, Galeries Lafayette and Net-à-Porter.
   The incubator has successfully attracted younger buyers who favour independent designers.

Giselle is back: the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s acclaimed ballet from 2012, which toured the world after its première in Wellington, and which became a 2013 feature film by Toa Fraser, will return in May and June 2021.
   Conceived by former RNZB artistic director Ethan Stiefel and choreographer–director Johan Kobborg, Giselle was praised by this magazine both at its début and its 2016 tour. We wrote in 2012: ‘it distinguishes itself through clever choreography … stunning costumes by Natalia Stewart, and Kendall Smith’s lighting (and lightning). Howard C. Jones’s scenic design gave Giselle a visual depth, using different shades to gain perspective, and making the production feel even grander …
   ‘The high standards in these areas complemented the outstanding choreography and production by RNZB artistic director Ethan Stiefel and Royal Ballet principal dancer Johan Kobborg. Stiefel and Kobborg, both of whom have danced the role of Albrecht, have collaborated brilliantly …’
   Audiences will have a chance to experience it again in Wellington (May 12–15), Palmerston North (May 19), Napier (May 22–3), Auckland (May 27–9), Christchurch (June 4–5) and Dunedin (June 9). Hamish McKeich will conduct the Adolphe Adam score with Orchestra Wellington, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in those centres, with the Wellington recording used elsewhere. More details can be found here.
   RNZB artistic director Patricia Barker says, ‘We have reached into our vault of precious gems and great, beloved ballets, and can’t wait to be on stage again with Giselle. New Zealand audiences and dancers have shared an almost 70-year love affair with this ballet, which continues to enthrall us all with its elegance and timeless story.’

English actress Gemma Chan (陳靜) has been announced as L’Oréal Paris’s newest spokeswoman. Already a familiar face to many readers, from an extensive résumé dating back to the mid-2000s—Doctor Who, Sherlock, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, and Humans among her TV work—Chan was probably noticed more by US audiences when she appeared in Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, followed by Captain Marvel in 2019. Her role in the anthology series I Am, which she co-developed and where she played Hannah in the third entry (‘I Am Hannah’), was highly acclaimed. In December, Chan will star alongside Meryl Streep in Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk, and next year, in Eternals, another Marvel entry. She also founded her own production company, with the aim of promoting more minority voices.
   An Oxford University and Drama Centre London alumna, Chan has worked as an advocate for or supporter of numerous causes, including UNICEF, the Time’s Up movement, the Justice and Equality Fund, and Cook-19 supporting London health care workers.
   It is her rising international profile that seems to have L’Oréal Paris interested, especially with Chan venturing into blockbuster hits. Says its global brand president, Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, ‘Gemma Chan is proof of the success that happens when you have the confidence to follow your own dreams, and speak up for others to be able to follow theirs. Committed to her causes with innate female strength, she’s a source of inspiration beyond the screen, for young women to be the change. We’re delighted to welcome Gemma to the family.’
   Chan added, ‘I’ve always believed that we should embrace our difference as our strength. So I’m thrilled to join L’Oréal Paris, a family of empowered women of all origins standing together to show the power and beauty of diversity. The L’Oréal Paris message to every woman, “Believe in your self-worth,” is as needed today as ever.’

Movado’s Shanghai event saw actor Jerry Chengjie Yuan, singer Li Ronghao, and Movado China general manager Danni Hammer.

Movado held its Music Time Journey event in Shanghai on October 29, with an interview format featuring its spokesman, singer–songwriter Li Ronghao (李榮浩) and host, actor Jerry Chengjie Yuan (袁成傑).
   Movado China general manager Danni Hammer, discussed the philosophy behind the brand, and how it used simple design to convey the attributes of independence and confidence. He noted that beneath the design, Movado used superior watchmaking technology.
   Movado sees Li as a good match for the brand, as an artist with a unique style, and creativity that follows his heart. The event linked Li’s latest album to Movado’s Museum Dial Modern 47 watch, featuring the company’s iconic design created by Nathan George Horwitt in 1947.
   The watch design is an example of Bauhaus simplicity, with no markers on the dials, and a single circle at the top signifying the sun—a piece of functional art. Movado had been producing the Horwitt design without permission originally, and only settled with him in 1975 for a minor sum.
   The Museum name came from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), to which Horwitt had sold one of three watches he had privately commissioned in the mid-1950s. MoMA produced wall-clock versions of the design, originating the term ‘Museum Dial’.
   Li says this is his favourite design: ‘This dial reminds me that music and time have their own melody and rhythm, so I don’t forget to stick to my original aspirations and find the origin of life.’
   The event also promoted Movado’s 1881 series, targeted at older customers, linking it to Li’s new album Sparrow.

There’s often a two-decade rule when it comes to revivals, and Revolution Beauty’s collaboration with Friends still manages to come within that for the US series that ran from 1994 to 2004.
   The sitcom about six white singles in New York had already been transformed once into a range of make-up palettes, lipsticks and eyeshadow shades by Revolution, dedicated to Monica, Rachel and Phoebe, selling out within five hours of going live at Ulta.com. This time round, Revolution is announcing additional products, which should still meet with immense success, since there’s nothing more reassuring during uncertain times than a dose of nostalgia.
   There are lip glosses, eyeshadow palettes that play off Friends in-jokes, a lip scrub, and make-up accessories, all priced below US$25.
   ‘When developing and creating the first Makeup Revolution × Friends collection, we looked at each character individually—evaluating their style, personalities, make-up influence—to build an authentic collection bringing the characters to life,’ said Revolution Beauty founder Adam Minto. ‘Revolution’s goal was to embody the essence of Friends, paying tribute to the ’90s in general and we clearly achieved that goal with consumers as the collection sold out on Ulta.com in record time. As the only beauty brand that has been awarded with the honour to adapt the Friends font and logo into our own logo, we cannot be more excited to drop the second part of the Makeup Revolution × Friends collection and reveal additional branded products.’
   Revolution products are PETA-certified cruelty-free, never tested on animals, and 76 per cent vegan.
   The collection goes on sale today at Ulta beauty stores and Ulta.com, as well as RevolutionBeauty.com.