Latest news with #Hermès
Hypebeast
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
PARCO Taps Shanghai-Based Emerging Director Aj Duan for Autumn 2025 Campaign
For over 50 years,PARCOhas been a leading force in Japanese style and culture, not only as a major commercial institution, but the brand is also renowned for its richly imaginative and insightful campaigns. Continuing to welcome audiences into its world, PARCO now unveils the latest campaign for the Autumn 2025 season. She has an extensive portfolio that includes campaign visuals for distinguished fashion houses, including Hermès and Gucci. However, this collaboration with PARCO marks her first creative project for a Japanese company. The theme of the striking new campaign is 'echoes of self.' Expanding upon that theme, Duan explains her thoughts on the concept, 'The word 'echoes' has always resonated with me. It's a sound in a very uncertain state; you can never tell when the original sound began, because it's constantly reflecting, distorting and transforming. The phrase 'echoes of self' emerged as I was creating this campaign.' She continues, 'I believe that each of our 'selves' is composed of a multitude of voices, a variety of 'echoes.' Voices from the outside, the perspectives of others, and our own experiences all continuously influence and shape our self-perception, much like echoes. In an age that moves at a breathtaking pace and that is overflowing with information, I wanted to use the imagery of 'echoes' to express our search and contemplation for that ambiguous, yet certain, existence we call the 'self.'' The theme signifies not only a physical reverberation of sound, but a deep, internal resonance. This worldview was brought to life through the majestic backdrop of Izu Oshima island. The campaign depicts two individuals living in a modern society dominated by information overload and speed, as they confront the selves they're beginning to lose. Through their connection with nature, they rediscover their bond with the natural world and with themselves. The campaign also features sounds that we might not ordinarily notice, inviting the audience to experience a sharpening of the senses through the visuals and their auditory elements. The PARCO Autumn 2025 campaign, directed by Aj Duan, will launch Tuesday, July 22nd. Looking ahead, the Winter 2025 campaign is scheduled for release in mid-October. Check out thePARCO websitefor what's next.
Daily Maverick
14 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Birkin v Wirkin: the backlash against the global elite and their luxury bags
The Birkin bag made by luxury retailer Hermès is a must-have for the global elite. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast to hear two sociologist discuss what it symbolises. The Birkin bag made by French luxury retailer Hermès has become a status symbol for some of the global elite. Notoriously difficult to obtain, a select few obsess over how to get their hands on one. But when US retailer Walmart recently launched a much cheaper bag that looked very similar to the Birkin, nicknamed a 'Wirkin' by others, it sparked discussions about wealth disparity and the ethics of conspicuous consumption. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we speak to two sociologists about the Birkin and what it symbolises. For the rich housewives of Delhi, the Birkin bag is a must-have, says Parul Bhandari. A sociologist at the University of Cambridge in the UK, she's spent time interviewing wealthy Indian women about their lives and preoccupations. She told us: A bag that is carried by rich women of New York, of London, of Paris, is something that you desire as well, so it's a ticket of entry into the global elite. Birkins are also used by some of these rich women as a way to show off their husbands' affection, Bhandari says: ' Not only from the point of view of money, because obviously this bag is extremely expensive, but also because it is difficult to procure.' The harder your husband tries to help you get the bag, the more getting one is a testimony of conjugal love. Manufactured scarcity Named after the British actress Jane Birkin, Hermès's signature bag can cost tens of thousands of dollars, or more on the resale market for those made in rare colours or out of rare leathers. But you can't just walk into any Hermès store to buy one, as Aarushi Bhandari, a sociologist at Davidson College in the US, who studies the internet – and is no relation to Parul – explains. You need to have a record of spending tens of thousands of dollars even before you're offered to buy one. But spending that money doesn't automatically mean you get a bag. You have to develop a relationship with a sales associate at a particular Hermès store, and the sales associate really gets to decide, if there's availability, whether or not you get offered a bag. Bhandari became intrigued by online communities where people discuss the best strategies for obtaining a Hermès. So when US retailer Walmart launched a bag in late 2024 that looked very similar to a Birkin, and the internet went wild, Bhandari was fascinated. She began to see posts on TikTok discussing the bag. First, it was fashion accounts talking it up, but then a backlash began, with some users criticising those who would spend thousands on a real Birkin and praising the 'Wirkin' as a way to make an iconic design accessible to regular people. Bhandari sees this as an example of an accelerating form of anti-elitism taking hold within parts of online culture. @chronicallychaotic_ Why aren't people ashamed and embarrassed to flaunt wealth? ♬ original sound – Chronically Chaotic In February, the chief executive of Hermès, Axel Dumas, admitted that he was 'irritated' by the Walmart bag and that the company took counterfeiting 'very seriously'. The Walmart bag quickly sold out, and no more were put on sale. It has since entered into a partnership with a secondhand luxury resale platform called Rebag, meaning customers can buy real Birkins secondhand through Walmart's online marketplace. The Conversation approached Hermès for comment on the Walmart bag, and to confirm how the company decides who is eligible to buy a Birkin. Hermès did not respond. DM This story first appeared in The Conversation. Gemma Ware is the Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation. Listen to the full episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast to hear our conversation with Parul Bhandari and Aarushi Bhandari, plus an introduction from Nick Lehr, arts and culture editor at The Conversation in the US. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Katie Flood. Mixing and sound design by Eloise Stevens and theme music by Neeta Sarl.
GMA Network
a day ago
- Climate
- GMA Network
Heart Evangelista, Senate Spouses Foundation donate relief goods in Pampanga
Heart Evangelista took to social media to share the relief efforts of the Senate Spouse Foundation Inc. (SSFI) for those affected by the heavy rains and flooding in Pampanga. On Instagram, Heart shared snaps of containers filled with rice and canned goods being carted from what appears to be Heart's house. In another post, the containers lined the wall ready to be transported. Heart took oath as the new head of the SSFI in June last year. Among her first fundraising projects was to sell her hand-painted Hermès bag to donate the proceeds to the organization. SSFI, an organization of Philippine senators' wives, was previously led by Audrey Tan Zubiri. The triple threat of Crising, Habagat-induced rains, and low-pressure areas have contributed to heavy rains — and heavy flooding — in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. On Wednesday, PAGASA said three dams in Luzon continued to release water amid heavy rains due to the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat and a low-pressure area. In its 11 a.m. bulletin, the state weather bureau raised Signal No. 1 over four areas in Luzon as Tropical Depression Emong is expected to make landfall. For those looking to donate to the victims of the heavy rains, here is a list of organizations with relief operations. — Hermes Joy Tunac/LA, GMA Integrated News
Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Need an instant update? Wear a silk scarf
Stop scrolling sundresses, put down the palazzos — the quickest way to update any outfit this summer is by adding something you most likely already own: a silk scarf. From Lauren Sánchez Bezos's Hermès square wrapped around her hair à la Sophia Loren the day before her Venice wedding, to Charli XCX draped in Alexander McQueen skull print at Glastonbury, this slightly fusty accessory has taken centre stage in recent weeks. Across social media, there are reels and TikTok tutorials devoted to the perfect tying of them — so that yours, like Lauren's, might survive a trip on a vaporetto, rather than being whipped off by the wind like Bridget Jones's. (The key is to loop the ends round and knot behind your head, rather than under your chin, which gives a more Balmoral aspect.) At Liberty — where silk foulards have long been a stalwart, if not exactly heat-seeking, item — sales are already up 45 per cent on last year. John Lewis has had searches for them increase by 50 per cent in 12 months too. The second-hand resale app Depop links its spike in interest directly to sightings of Alexa Chung and Kylie Jenner wearing theirs. The elite personal shopping and styling platform Threads is calling 2025's a 'Silk Scarf Summer''. They're synonymous with chic already, of course, but usually with the twinset and pearls/Upper East Side variety, which can just as often feel ageing rather than elegant. So just what has happened to make such a must-have of something that looked soon to be obsolete in the era of hoodies and low-key hair? It's the new and easily copied fashion insider tweak of the season, as spotted on Instagram and the beau monde's favourite beaches alike: the waist wrap. You can barely move for vintage silk scarves in Ibiza, where stylists are using their colourful patterns to break up otherwise plain black linen dresses or tops and shorts by folding a silk scarf corner to corner into a triangle, then knotting it loosely around their hips. • The story of the Gucci silk scarf It might sound affected — and admittedly this-old-thing nonchalance is somewhat undermined once everybody starts doing it (see also: winter's woollen neckerchief trend). Yet here is a way to give definition at your waist or hips, while the dangling pointed end adds an illusion of length to your legs too. It's a bit boho, yes, but the thin end of the wedge, quite frankly, and won't necessarily lead to you buying a tasselled poncho next. Plus — and I particularly like it for this reason — doesn't everybody have a little stash of silk scarves (inherited or simply scavenged from the £1 basket in charity shops) that they rarely use but are too pretty to part with? Consider the waist wrap a zeitgeisty oomph to whatever you're wearing, holiday garb or no — Chung's algorithm-boosting version was with a plain T-shirt and jeans. It suggests you've put some effort in but not too much, which is what everyone is looking for at this time of year, whether you've already blasted through your time away, have just set off or are counting the days until the August bank holiday. There are other things to do with your scarf too, though I wonder how universal the Gen Z festival bandana trend really is. As one sceptic said to me at the weekend, 'If you're not beautiful, a bandana just highlights how ordinary your face is,' a statement that, while caustic in its truth, is hard to disagree with. If, however, you're still tempted to try it, position the flat edge of the scarf's triangle along your forehead, then tie the points underneath your hair. Avoid wearing too far back, or the look becomes more Plymouth Brethren than beach babe. • Read more fashion advice and style inspiration from our experts Then there are all the neck ties you can do — though I realise many of you will file this advice under 'stating the obvious'' or even 'egg-sucking tutorial''. I don't want to sound like Pippa Middleton's party book but, yes, you can tie a silk a scarf around your neck this summer to add some interest to plainer tops or shrug around your shoulders when the weather is not quite warm enough. For the former, roll it into a thin sausage from its longest edge to the point, then wrap and tie; I also like wearing mine point forward, like a cowboy, then wrapping and knotting at the front — perfect with a plain black camisole for now, or a jumper and peacoat in the autumn, just like American Vogue's Tonne Goodman. Finally, there is one more option that I feel duty-bound to mention but which I'm not sure will work for many. If any of you attempt to wear your scarf as a strapless (usually bra-less) 'handkerchief'' top, I'm afraid The Times can take no responsibility for what happens after that.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘Real Housewives of Miami' star Stephanie Shojaee reveals her pricey guilty pleasure
Think you're obsessed with handbags? There's a good chance that Stephanie Shojaee has you beat. The 'Real Housewives of Miami' star admitted on Page Six's 'Virtual Reali-Tea' podcast earlier this week that she owns more than $1 million worth of Birkins. French fashion house Hermès rolled out this luxury tote in 1984, named after late French-English actress Jane Birkin. The original prototype made for the style maven was sold earlier this month by Sotheby's for $10.1 million in Paris. Handmade by artisans, each purse has a signature rectangular, streamlined shape, two shoulder handles and a lock closure. The quality is unparalleled, and one bag can last for generations. Birkins are known as some of the rarest and most expensive handbags on the planet, with standard leather models starting at around $10,000. Depending on the material, e.g., crocodile, they can really leave a dent in your wallet. Shojaee says out of her 100 or so purses, she has a couple — including one studded with actual diamonds — that are worth a lot more. We found a jewel encrusted beauty on eBay used that's going for a whopping $350K if that gives you some idea. 'I just really feel that you should be able to work and spend your money on what you like,' said the 40-year-old who works alongside husband Masoud Shojaee running the Coral Gables-based real estate empire, Shoma Group. Shojaee, who never buys second hand, was practical about the splurges, calling her treasure trove an investment. 'Why is it no problem to talk about Jay Leno's car collection [or] other people's art collection,' said the real estate developer. 'But a girl has 100-something Birkins, like, she's so shallow. Really?' Let's hope her 'RHOM' castmates don't hope to borrow one of her prized possessions for a night out. Shojaee is very protective of her babies that she has referred to her 'emotional support dogs' on the show. 'I don't let anyone look at them, touch them, breathe on them,' she said. You can also find her accessorizing with them all over the world on her Instagram feed. In one picture Shojaee is standing on a beach on St. Barth's carrying a fabulously huge black Birkin. 'If they call you 'too much' tell them to go find less,' the unapologetic caption reads. 'It will probably suit them better anyway.'
