Givenchy Taps Nanao, Altuzarra’s Seattle Stop, Monte Carlo’s Fashion Moment
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NEW FACE: Givenchy has named Nanao as its new Japan ambassador, marking the first time the French fashion house has appointed a Japanese actress as a face of the brand, it said.
A model, actress and TV personality, Nanao has starred in a variety of series and movies since embarking on her career in 2009, including action comedy “Hell’s Garden” and TV show “Ninja ni Kekkon wa Muzukashii,” the story of two ninjas from rival clans who get married without knowing each other’s true identities.
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Givenchy creative director Matthew M. Williams praised her attitude. “I really admire Nanao for her professional versatility as well as her personal energy and style. She will make an ideal Japan ambassador, and I look forward to working together,” he said in a statement.
To mark the announcement, Nanao posed for a series of images shot by her close friend Leslie Kee, a Singaporean photographer based in Japan.
“Givenchy is a timeless brand that elevates me as a woman and an actress. I am very much looking forward to collaborating with the house on my personal expressions of elegance, which I consider a very important, key theme whether I am in front of the camera or not,” the actress said.
Nanao’s appointment illustrates the continued importance of the Japanese market. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the parent company of Givenchy, said sales in Japan grew 34 percent in the first quarter, with the country accounting for 7 percent of its global revenues of 21 billion euros during the three-month period.
Givenchy’s recent appointments have focused on Asia. Earlier this year, it named Taeyang, a member of the group Big Bang and a solo artist, as brand ambassador, making him the first South Korean artist to take on the role. — JOELLE DIDERICH
OUT WEST: Joseph Altuzarra headed to Seattle last week to support the annual Seattle Art Museum Supporters “Spring Into Art” event, in collaboration with Nordstrom. Altuzarra was this year’s featured designer, and the May 18 evening concluded with a seated runway presentation of looks from his fall collection following a cocktail reception and tour of the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
Guests included Anne Adams, Kat Osler, Sally Wright, Jennifer Roberts, and Lorna Kneeland, along with Nordstrom’s Gigi Ganatra and Ricki De Sole. Altuzarra also hosted a shopping event for SAMS members at Nordstrom’s flagship while in town for the event. Nordstrom has supported the museum’s fundraising committee since 1985.
This year’s Spring Into Art event raised more than $200,000 with proceeds supporting the Seattle Asian Art Museum’s forthcoming exhibition “Renegade Edo and Paris: Japanese Prints and Toulouse-Lautrec,” opening July 21. The exhibition, which will be on view through Dec. 3, includes more than 90 works from the museum’s permanent collection and private collectors. — KRISTEN TAUER
EYES ON MONACO: Launched in 2013 and organized by Chambre Monégasque de la Mode, the country’s fashion council, the 10th edition of Monte Carlo Fashion Week ran May 17 to 21.
“We are proud to support international designers by offering them the principality of Monaco as a prestigious showcase in the world,” stated Federica Nardoni Spinetta, president of CMM.
The fashion hub in the Monaco Yacht Club hosted the events and the conferences with speakers such as Benoit-Louis Vuitton, corporate director of Louis Vuitton ,and Carlo D’Amario, chief executive officer of Vivienne Westwood, among others, touching on fashion, business and circularity.
The Genny fashion show was held on Sunday at Verrière at Grimaldi Forum. During its second time at the Monaco fashion week, the brand presented 40 looks of the spring 2023 and fall 2023 collections.
On the occasion of the event, the creative director of the brand, Sara Cavazza, was awarded the Monte Carlo Fashion Week Award 2023 by the board of the CMM sponsored by Princess Charlene of Monaco, “for bringing the Italian style, a timeless elegance and authentic and contemporary femininity to the world through collections paying attention to sustainability and social responsibility.”
On the same evening, during the MCFW Fashion Award 2023 Ceremony, established to reward creatives who have distinguished themselves for their innovative vision, Fausto Puglisi, at the creative helm of Roberto Cavalli since 2021, received the Legacy Award.
A temporary exhibition of his most famous outfits for the house was held for the occasion. — ANDREA ONATE
TRANS YOUTH UNION: As local, state and federal legislators continue to debate and, in some instances, reshape transgender rights, the first prom for transgender youth was held Monday in front of the U.S. Capitol.
More than 200 people, including trans youth, parents and trans adults, were expected at the event. Invited through community-based organizations and individual outreach, Trans Youth Prom attendees did not pay any fees. Meant as an act of solidarity, the prom attracted the support of donors, activists and creative leaders. Celebrities such as Elliot Page, Lilly Wachowski, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande were said to have pitched in. Trans Youth Prom attendees from 18 U.S. states had their travel expenses covered and each received a $100 stipend for their outfits. Although fashion is often a key form of self-expression for trans youth, they routinely struggle to find clothes that fit properly. In addition, the prom was mostly unbranded to keep the focus on the kids rather than the brands, according to a spokesperson.
Last year, the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute, a think tank that conducts research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, released a study that estimated there are 1.6 million transgender people aged 13 and older in the U.S. That information was based on health survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2017 to 2020 as well as statistical modeling. The Williams Institute found the percentage of adults who identify as transgender had remained steady at 0.6 percent since its last report in 2017, but there had been a sharp rise in transgender people ages 13 to 24.
Conceptualized and organized by trans youth organizers Daniel Trujillo, Libby Gonzales, Grayson McFerrin-Hogan and Hobbes Chukumba, the Trans Youth Prom was “a youth-led project to recenter the humanity, childhood and joy of young people, who have spent their lives just fighting to exist,” a spokesperson said. Lawyer and transgender activist Chase Strangio, and the activist, actress and drag performer who is known as “Peppermint” also were involved.
Organizers were motivated by the hundreds of “anti-trans bills” submitted by state legislators that could impact transgender kids’ participation in sports, gender-affirming care and access to bathrooms, according to the spokesperson. The multimillion-dollar fundraising taking place by activists opposed to transgender rights that is being used to “advance misinformed and dangerous narratives about trans people, particularly trans youth,” was another incentive, they said.
Organizers cited a survey by the Trevor Project that noted 86 percent of trans or nonbinary youth reported negative effects on their mental health stemming from the political debate around trans issues, and nearly half had seriously considered suicide in the past year. But reports have also shown that this is preventable, as suicidal rates — both considerations and attempts — dropped dramatically for youth who received support by adults.
Attendees at this one-time could have portraits taken by Lia Clay Miller. — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
MILLER’S MOMENT: Mango has partnered with Simon Miller, unveiling a 73-piece collection.
Dropping Monday and available in Mango stores, shop.mango.com and simonmillerusa.com, the line offers 37 colorful garments and 36 accessories ranging in price between $35.99 and $249.
“What led us to collaborate with such a creative brand like Simon Miller is their refreshing, young and colorful aesthetic, and mindset,” said Justicia Ruano, creative director of womenswear at Mango, in a statement. It was the Spanish retailer that reached out to the Los Angeles-based brand.
“The collection is filled with fancy and fun colors that we find so inspiring and rich. Additionally, summer is a key moment for Mango commercially speaking, so we wanted to collaborate with a brand that shared this with us. We were also looking for someone who had a very strong image and could help us elevate our collections, giving them a more trendy touch towards design. Finally, this alliance helps us gain brand awareness in the U.S. and helps Simon Miller earn brand awareness in Europe.”
Founded in Barcelona in 1984 by brothers Isak Andic and Nahman Andic, Mango operates in 115 markets, closing 2022 with a turnover of 2.69 billion euros. Simon Miller was founded by Daniel Corrigan and Jake Sargent in L.A. in 2008. They’ve since each stepped down, and as of 2019 Chelsea Hansford is the sole chief executive officer and creative director of the brand.
“For all the Simon Miller collections I focus on storytelling, bold colors, and fun prints,” said Hansford. “For this collaboration, we merged the Mango Mediterranean spirit with an eccentric ‘Under The Sea’ imaginative world. We imagined the fisherman catching exotic fish with beaded fish nets and raffia umbrellas with sun-drenched prints and metallics from the reflective ocean.”
Simon Miller is known for its playful interpretation of classic luxury, leaning on a midcentury, Mod aesthetic rooted in L.A.
“Although Simon Miller makes bolder statements with color, print and accessories, we speak a similar language,” added Hansford. “We both offer attainable fashion through a luxury lens, so I was thrilled when Mango contacted us to infuse our playfulness into a collaboration. With Simon Miller’s colors and bold take to playful luxury and Mango’s global access and attainable price points, I think the world is in for a treat this summer.” — RYMA CHIKHOUNE
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