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Earlier this week, NikeSKIMS twirled into a new collaboration with LISA as the face of the new campaign. The collection features a ballet-inspired aesthetic that pairs the technical performance of Nike with the signature sculpting silhouettes of SKIMS. Ahead of the release, the brands established temporary spaces in Berlin and Paris to celebrate the launch and Schön! was there to witness the arrivals.

On February 4th, NikeSKIMS x Highsnobiety hosted an exclusive launch event for the new collection and pop-up, which runs until February 7th at Highsnobiety UDL in Berlin. This activation offers exclusive fitness classes, including Barre and Ballet Core, led by Nike’s top-tier coaches, as well as an exclusive first chance in Germany to shop the highly anticipated NikeSKIMS collection ahead of general release.

During the Paris event, Kim Kardashian shared her thoughts with us on the new direction of the partnership. She spoke about the excitement of being in the city for the launch. “This collection is very feminine,” she said. “I think women’s bodies have always been the focus of everything that we do at SKIMS, and at NikeSKIMS, it’s just such a big part of who we are, just to celebrate all body types and to make sure that there’s something for everybody.”

The collection aims to demonstrate this through various dance-inspired looks and layered pieces. Performance is still a major factor, even with the new focus on grace and movement, emphasised by the introduction of the new NikeSKIMS Rift Satin. The versatility of the range was evident as guests explored the various ways to layer the bodysuits and leggings.

The line features five different fabric stories, including Matte pieces with Dri-FIT technology for serious compression and Stretch Knit styles that offer a flattering drape. There is also a Ribbed Seamless collection with moisture-wicking tech, Weightless Layers that feel ultra-light and semi-sheer and Woven Nylon for those relaxed third layers that still allow for plenty of movement.

Kim Kardashian also highlighted the balance between aesthetic and function. “I want women to feel really confident and strong, and to feel like they’re getting an item of clothing that is very ‘SKIMS’ and snatching,” she told us. Beyond the gym, she views these items as versatile additions to any wardrobe. “I just hope that you feel really good,” she added. “I hope that it inspires you to want to work out, to want to get in shape or just wear it to look cute and cool.”

The full collection is now available online and at select Nike, SKIMS and partner retail stores. Find out more here.

photography. courtesy of Szymon Stepniak
words. Gennaro Costanzo

The creative partnership between JW Anderson and Justin Vivian Bond reaches a new stage this week in Philadelphia. Known for their work together on campaigns and cultural projects, the duo has reunited for the world premiere of ‘Complications in Sue’ at the Academy of Music. This production marks the first time Anderson has designed costumes for the opera stage and sees Bond taking on their first title role in the medium. Opera Philadelphia presents this new work from the 4th to the 8th of February.

As a MacArthur Fellow and cabaret icon, Bond has spent decades as a cultural provocateur, weaving together history and wit to explore contemporary identity. Their journey across the landscape of gender has influenced both their artistic practice and wider LGBTQ+ rights conversations, making them a long-standing muse for Jonathan Anderson. Here, Bond’s specific perspective forms the foundation of the production, as the opera grew from their original concept.

The opera unfolds through ten distinct vignettes written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Michael R. Jackson. Jackson, known for ‘A Strange Loop,’ makes his operatic debut here with a libretto based on an idea originally conceived by Bond. Each scene captures a different decade in the life of the main character, Sue. Anderson’s costume designs track this progression visually and support Bond’s portrayal of the character from birth through childhood and adulthood, all the way to old age and death. 

“I feel like I have been trying to innovate in musical theatre for several years now, and with ‘Complications in Sue,’ I am challenging myself by stretching into this new form that I have long admired as an audience member,” Jackson says.

A different composer scores each segment to create a sonic landscape that changes with the era. The roster includes Opera Philadelphia veterans such as Missy Mazzoli, Rene Orth, and Nico Muhly alongside Nathalie Joachim, the current Composer in Residence. They are joined by Andy Akiho, Alistair Coleman, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kamala Sankaram, Dan Schlosberg, and Errollyn Wallen. Zack Winokur and Raja Feather Kelly serve as co-directors, while conductor Caren Levine leads the orchestra in her company debut.

Four opera singers support Bond by playing various figures in Sue’s life. Soprano Kiera Duffy returns to the company alongside mezzo-soprano Rehanna Thelwell. Scottish tenor Nicky Spence makes his debut with the company and joins bass-baritone Nicholas Newton to complete the cast. These performers inhabit roles ranging from Mrs Claus and a newscaster to neighbours and the personification of Death.

“Examining a woman’s life from birth to death began as a very collaborative storytelling idea that I am now running with, and I look forward to embracing the next stage of collaboration with this group of amazing composers, who will bring a new scale of sound to the drama,” Jackson adds.

Bond expresses a similar enthusiasm for the project: “With a dream team of creative collaborators focused on thinking, singing, dressing, lighting, and designing sets around Sue and Michael R. Jackson’s libretto, delivering a lifetime supply of delirious complications, I am simply in heaven.”

Co-directors Zack Winokur and Raja Feather Kelly manage the staging of this multi-layered life, with Caren Levine conducting at the podium. Performances take place at the Academy of Music and run for approximately 100 minutes with no intermission.

Tickets for the limited run are available now through Opera Philadelphia. Find out more here.

photography. courtesy of JW Anderson
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Over 624 miles from Paris, I stood in the biting cold for my first peek at the creative ecosystem that is Copenhagen. The Scandinavian city of over 1 million has captured the attention of adventurous insiders who want to see what’s next in fashion. Case in point: in a week, I braided wool, marvelled at performance art, and was enchanted by trompe l’oeil. While there were so many amazing designers to choose from, here are the four to know.

Sson Studios

Founded over a year ago by Yulia Kjellsson and Ellinor Håkansson, Sson Studios has already made it to Copenhagen Fashion Week’s One to Watch list. Conceptually merging circularity with editorial taste, the Swedish brand’s latest collection, “The Fortunate Ones,” was as much of a statement as it was a litmus test of the brand’s design ingenuity and its sustainable values.

Set in inter.pblc gallery, the 11-look collection was displayed on models seated along its four corners. Created entirely of second-hand garments and textiles, pieces were sourced, taken apart, and reassembled, allowing their previous use to remain part of the final design. One of my favourites was a bag skirt, whose top handles and pockets were left intact, with two slits in the center to put one’s legs.

However, the most interesting part of the presentation was the mountain of clothes piled to the ceiling. A nod to landfills and our insatiable need for consumption, or “having access to excess,” as the program stated. “The ability to discard, replace, and continue consuming,” it continued.  “SSON works from the belief that relevance in fashion does not depend on producing more, but on learning how to work with the resources already at hand,” the program concluded.

Perhaps, it’s time we take note.

Bonnetje

Try something: grab a piece of paper and fold it into sections. Now, draw a face at the top of the paper, fold it, and pass it along. The result of Cadavre Exquis, this surrealist game invented in the 1920’s, is creative collaboration without restriction. The same could be said for Danish design duo Anna Myntekær & Yoko Maja Rahbek Hansen’s avant-garde collection of the same name, for their brand Bonnetje.

Made from vintage suiting and defunct materials, the brand creates fashion treasures. Thought pieces that could be worn around the office of an art magazine as much as on a red carpet, and the presentation— absolutely sensorial. From the haunting hum of a black-and-white campaign projected at the entrance, a stately domestic living quarters where models lounged on couches with bratty pouts and cool indifference, stood on apple box platforms or walked fur tails on leashes, to the dining room where models waited around a table of crystal glassware, swishing keychain-covered heels to an off-kilter piano arrangement, stimulation was everywhere.

And what of next fall, when these clothes live their lives on the rack? That’s when the real fun begins.

James Cochrane

James Cochrane

James Cochrane

O.Files

Oscar Jardorf doesn’t waste time. He knows his audience, so he doesn’t have to. Founded in 2018, from the moment Jardorf turned on his camera, the O.Files customer was baked in, ready to give feedback, praise, and simply check in. Citing inspiration from military style, the brand’s no-fuss aesthetic is based in Scandinavian minimalism and Italian craftsmanship, rooted in collaboration with a curated selection of tailors that Jardorf keeps close.

“What can be refined, without losing what works?” is the question eternal. From the curve zipper on a leather jacket to a double lapel on an overcoat, it all works. The melding of influences is part of the formula, so when O.Files announced Japanese origami as an added influence in his debut presentation, it fit. “In practice, this becomes a tripartite dialogue between traditional sartorial menswear, uncompromising technical execution, and purposeful playfulness,” said the show notes.   

The playfulness came through in the presentation, each model an actor in a domestic scene, one model practiced his watercolours, while the other brushed up on ironing skills, and one even read a newspaper, a tongue-in-cheek prop that announced the collection in bold headlines. 

“Complexity stays close to the garment; it is felt, not announced,” read another line from the show notes. We won’t tell if you won’t.  

Ranra

Inspired by Beeswax, also the name of Ranra’s most recent collection, a practical finish with a long Nordic history of waterproofing and reliability in demanding conditions, Ranra continues its reverent exploration of nature’s wonders. 

Created by Reykjavík-born co-founder Arnar Már Jónsson and British co-founder Luke Stevens as a performance-based outerwear brand, the Reykjavík and London-based brand rebranded in 2022 as a design studio with a new name and has created several staples that lie on the intersection of style, comfort, and innovation. Silk wool-blend puffer jackets refined with a wool blend to maintain structure while remaining light, and their Wool River Fleece updated with a new dye treatment deepening its tonal range and enhancing the material’s natural texture, chief among them. Now introducing tailoring to their assortment in wool suiting and a structured coat developed with material function and construction in mind. 

Set against the backdrop of yellow wax structures, the choreography of the show added a cinematic drama to the collection. Models walked by briskly in their fur-trimmed hoods, turning them into faceless mannequins. A punchy rose and grape-colored button-up with matching trousers did a figure eight around guests, and fair isle sweaters in burnt orange and camouflage green added a domestic sensibility.  

James Cochrane

James Cochrane

James Cochrane

James Cochrane

James Cochrane

words. Malcolm Thomas