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It’s the best way to kick off the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and this season did not disappoint with the brother–sister design duo of Nicholas K. delivering their signature style of layered, ready-to-wear to an appreciative, fashion-ready crowd. Backstage, models prepared for the first show of the official calendar with Haven for Essie nails and natural yet striking make-up from Janell Geason for Aveda.
   There was not a spare seat in the house as Bryan Boy and Elle US’s Joe Zee entered to join the loyal crowd of Nicholas K converts ready to kick off another season of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
   Aside from the khaki and black colour palette—signature shades for Nicholas K—this season the designers showcased stunning burnt orange and lavender to add splashes of spring to the collection. Tailored, wide-leg pants and floating outerwear creating the distinctive Nicholas K look. Styled by Wendy Schecter, it built upon the best of last spring–summer while adding a new dimension to the brand’s æsthetic.
   Unbeknown to many, the brand styled its womenswear with Nicholas K jewellery and footwear, a relatively new addition to the collection, something we are very excited about. When you’re a fan of this brand it’s nice to know you can go head-to-toe.—Angela Gilltrap, Associate Editor

Watch our day one videos here.

Above Heidi Klum in a publicity shot for the new season of Project Runway.

Heidi Klum has reached a milestone for her TV show Project Runway: its 10th season. To promote it, she was at Times Square on Thursday commenting the struggles starting the series.
   ‘I’m extra proud. It’s like one of my babies being born and being out there for so many years already now. … Figuring something out, trying to sell something, I ran all over town to explain what this show could be all about, that people might love watching talented designers at work,’ said the 39-year-old model and businesswoman.
   ‘A lot of people turned us away and they said, “Why would we want to watch that?” We were really passionate about it and then finally we did find a network that put us on the air and then we got started.
   ‘Then we started filming and I didn’t have a stylist in the beginning, [and I asked,] “How am I going to look really stylish?” This is a show about fashion. So I started calling friends and asking, “Can I borrow this? Can I borrow that?” A lot of designer friends and Michael [Kors], of course, helped me out.
   ‘I couldn’t do a show on jeans and T-shirts and things that I wore a long time ago when I didn’t have that kind of a closet so we made do. So as Tim [Gunn] always says, “I made it work”—we all made it work.’
   The latest season premièred Thursday at 9 p.m. EDT on Lifetime.

Above Angela and Margherita Missoni.

Italian house Missoni has teamed up with the European fashion chain Lindex—part of the Finnish Stockmann group—to support breast cancer research.
   The collaboration has resulted in a collection consisting of 70 fashion items, of womenswear, lingerie, accessories and childrenswear. Ten per cent of the sales price goes to the fight against breast cancer, which Lindex has supported for the last 10 years.
   Missoni is famous for its iconic designs and use of colour. Founded in 1953, it has been led by generations of women from the Missoni family.
   ‘The collaboration with Lindex has given us a unique opportunity to bring affordable design to every woman, and at the same time to give something back, through creating worldwide awareness for breast cancer. We are impressed by Lindex’s long–term commitment to breast cancer research, which the company has supported for many years. I believe that all individuals and organizations deserve recognition for the dedication and effort they input into the fight against breast cancer,’ says Angela Missoni.
   The collection will be released on September 25, and will be sold in all Lindex stores in the Nordic countries, Central Europe and online at www.lindex.com.—Samantha O’Reilly

Magnus Magnusson

Top Designs from the Anna Dello Russo at H&M collection. Above Anna Dello Russo and H&M’s Margareta van den Bosch.

In the spirit of having famous designers collaborate on mass-market fashion, H&M has said that it will now work with fashion director Anna Dello Russo on a new accessories’ collection.
   The new collection will hit 140 H&M retail stores worldwide, and online, on October 4. It will feature jewellery, sunglasses, shoes, bags and even a trolley, says the company.
   Milano-based Dello Russo is perhaps best known as former fashion editor of Vogue Italia, former editor-in-chief of L’Uomo Vogue, and fashion director-at-large for Vogue Japan.
   ‘I am excited by this collaboration: this is the first time H&M involves a fashion director in a special project. This is the sign of an important evolution in fashion, and I am both thrilled and humbled to be the one chosen to lead it. I wanted to create precious accessories that are impossible to find. As a stylist, I know accessorization [sic] is essential: it is the personal touch to any outfit. With these pieces everybody can have fun, turning an ordinary day into a fantastic fashion day,’ says Dello Russo in a release.
   ‘It’s been extremely exciting to involve Anna Dello Russo in this project, something completely different from what we have done before. Anna has a fantastic eye and a strong taste, apart from being a veritable fashion icon. She produced an extravagant range of accessories that will get H&M customers and everyone in love with fashion excited. The collection is a celebration of excess, fantasy and decoration,’ says Margareta van den Bosch, creative adviser at H&M.

Magnus Magnusson

Copyright ©1964 by Danjaq LLC and United Artists Corp.

Above Sean Connery as James Bond at the Furka Pass, Switzerland, and the iconic Aston Martin DB5, during the making of Goldfinger (1964).

With the 50th anniversary of the cinematic James Bond, exhibitions are being shown around the world to mark the occasion, but the Barbican Centre finally has one on the design aspects, including fashion and graphics.
   Called Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style, the exhibition runs from July 6 to September 5, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (10 p.m. on Thursdays).
   The exhibition looks at the fashion, craft, tailoring, costumes, stunts, props, and set and production design, including the Bond cars, gadgets and special effects. It also covers the graphic design and motion graphics of the Bond movies.
   Highlights include the gadgets and weapons made by special effects’ experts John Stears and Chris Corbould, along with artwork for sets and storyboards by production designers Sir Ken Adam, Peter Lamont and Syd Cain, and costume designs by Bumble Dawson, Donfeld, Julie Harris, Lindy Hemming, Ronald Patterson, Emma Porteous, and Jany Temime, says the centre.
   In addition, there are creations on display by Giorgio Armani, Brioni, Roberto Cavalli, Tom Ford, Hubert de Givenchy, Gucci’s Frida Giannini, Douglas Hayward, Rifat Ozbek, Jenny Packham, Miuccia Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Anthony Sinclair, Philip Treacy, Emanuel Ungaro and Donatella Versace.
   Among the exhibits are Jaws’s teeth from The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, the attaché case from From Russia with Love, and the poker table from Casino Royale. There are also blueprints and drawings from the Eon archives.
   Designing 007 is being produced in collaboration with Eon Productions Ltd. It has been designed by Ab Rogers and curated by the Barbican, with guest curation by fashion historian Bronwyn Cosgrave and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming.
   Ticket prices are £12, £10 for concessions and £8 for under 16s. There are discounts for Barbican members.

Above Elle Macpherson, arguably one of the most successful supermodels-turned-businesswomen.

Supermodel Elle Macpherson, Electus chairman Ben Silverman and Electus CEO Chris Grant will address MIPTV participants in Cannes on April 2, and present their new show, Fashion Star.
   The new TV series sees 14 undiscovered designers compete over 10 weeks, but unlike existing shows in the genre, they will have celebrity mentors who will coach them. John Varvatos, Nicole Richie and Jessica Simpson have the mentoring roles, while professional retail buyers from Saks Fifth Avenue, H&M and Macy’s judge the designers.
   The winning designs will be available for purchase online after each episode airs, and hit retail stores the following day. The winner becomes the ‘Fashion Star’, and receives a multi-million-dollar contract to launch their clothing line in three of the biggest stores in the US.
   Electus, 5×5 Media (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), Magical Elves (Project Runway) and the Global Fashion Association have collaborated on the show.
   The show débuts March 13 on NBC in the US.
   The Cannes presentation will examine the integration of advertisers, retailers and consumer interests, according to MIPTV.

Above Stine Riis, winner of the H&M Design Award.

København native Stine Riis, a 28-year-old graduate of the London College of Fashion, has been announced as the winner of the first Hennes & Mauritz Design Award. Her winning collection, called Decadence & Decay, was shown on the catwalk at Stockholm Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week earlier today.
   The win sees Riis receive €50,000 and 15 of her designs sold in selected H&M stores in Sweden, the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands in September.
   Stine calls her style ‘tailored future elegance’. She sees the construction of the garments as being part of the design, while ensuring the clothes are comfortable.
   The competition jury featured Christopher Kane, Hilary Alexander, Kristopher Arden Houser, Susie Lau, Margareta van den Bosch, and Ann-Sofie Johansson.
   ‘I am still overwhelmed. Showing at Stockholm’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has been such a great experience. I can’t believe so many people came to see my collection! This award gives me the confidence and financial back-up I need to pursue my dream of building my own brand. I couldn’t have imagined a better start to my career as a designer,’ said Riis in a release.
   Alexander complimented Riis, calling her entry ‘a polished, well-cut collection of strict tailoring in contrasting materials including leather, wool, metallic and bonded fabrics. Her silhouette was lean but flowing, and particularly effective was her use of colour: a slim blue and orange bi-colour top, for example, or a blue coat stamped with white.’
   The H&M Design Award People’s Prize, decided online by visitors to the Awards’ website, was won by Anne Bosman. She receives a one-month internship at Christopher Kane in London.
   Students at fourteen colleges in six countries competed for the prize.

Kristian Loveborg Fotografering

Summer Rayne Oakes and Benita Singh’s Cartier award-winning venture, Source4Style, which helps designers source sustainable fabric through a well designed, transparent website, launches its second version today. Lucire has the low-down in the main part of the site, and this story forms part of some of our next 2012 print and other non-web editions.
   We believe this will revolutionize the way the business of fashion is conducted. Think about it: consumers demand sustainability and the trend has no signs of stopping. Yet, according to Singh, suppliers are spending up to 43 per cent of their marketing budgets just on trade shows. ‘It’s a huge up-front time and financial commitment with no guarantee of a return,’ she says. On the other end of the scale, Cornell University research shows that designers are spending up to 85 per cent of their time visiting those same shows, going through online directories, or wading through sample folders.
   Source4Style uses the internet to bridge the divide, and has obvious positive implications for smaller suppliers, who are on a level playing field with the big names. Some of these suppliers are in third-world countries, so it’s not hard to see the financial benefit that Source4Style can have for them and their communities.
   It’s in line with the ideas in Simon Anholt’s Brand New Justice, where Anholt posited that good brands helped third-world communities find greater profits and margins. Source4Style doesn’t quite give these companies brands per se, but through the site, it allows them to be the equal of businesses that are operating in the first world, and levels the playing field.
   It is the solidity behind this venture that sees us devote two web pages and the cover to it. We encourage readers to take a look, as this may well be the moment when fashion changes for good—in more than one sense of the word.—Jack Yan, Publisher