Latest news with #SimonCracker
CBC
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Long-hair looks, washes of colour and flashy eyes: Top beauty trends from Men's Fashion Week Spring 2026
Brands big and small showcased their Spring 2026 collections over the last few weeks. The proverbial fashion caravan began in Florence, at Pitti Uomo, before making its way to Milan and, ultimately, Paris, with the volume of shows increasing from city to city. While most of the attention is paid to the clothes — and rightly so, as that's what brings in the money in the world of men's style — it's always worth noticing how the hairstylists and makeup artists are doting on models to create a holistic image that fits with the collections on show. If the clothes seemed more polished than in recent years, much of the hair and makeup suggested a rawness and realism that made the runway appear more accessible — these were meant to be real people, wearing real outfits, in the real world. Just like us. A raw look In the era of Facetuning, Instagram filters and extensive retouching, many makeup artists opted to go natural. Of course, sometimes this meant creating so-called imperfections by using tools such as blush, foundation and eyeliner. At the street-cast Simon Cracker, freckles and beauty marks were left as is, and, in some instances, embellished to dramatic effect, while a few models walked with eyes powdered to seem red, as if rubbed or irritated. Models looked hot at Louis Vuitton — it was a show inspired by India, after all — with flushed cheeks courtesy of Pat McGrath, creative director of the newly minted Louis Vuitton makeup line. While the effect was painstakingly recreated in the air-conditioned Centre Pompidou, it would have been easy to believe that the models had sprinted in the Parisian heat to make it to the show. At Egonlab., too, models appeared sweaty and a bit dishevelled. At AWGE, A$AP Rocky's upstart label, one model's eyeliner was running as if they'd just had a good, long cry. Others sported affected shiners: badges of honour in some circles, and touches of reality in the often too-perfect world of fashion. Even at Walter Van Beirendonck and Rick Owens, habitually two of the more daring shows when it comes to makeup and hair, more sober, understated looks were preferred. Nonchalant hair Similarly, there appeared to be a concerted attempt to create hairdos that implied little to no effort. At Qasimi, in Milan, there were uncombed, unevenly distributed dos with bits and bobs that went here and there. In Paris, at Officine Générale, the hair seemed largely untouched, but bandeaus wrapped around the heads of some models gave the impression of a rushed exit: the way someone might hide unwashed tresses. Bedhead was on full display at Yohji Yamamoto, with voluminous, mussy dos on most models, a fitting match for the loose, pyjama-like clothes that Yohji is renowned for. Some of Sean Suen's models had wings of wigged hair that made it seem like they had been sent to the runway before they were done with hair and makeup. At Egonlab., the hair was both messy and still wet, evoking the look of someone who simply stepped out of the shower and then out of the house, without paying much mind to how they coiffed themselves. Pops of colour From lips to eyes to brows, the face served as a canvas to introduce a touch of colour into looks. Setchu was showing for the first time in Milan, after the brand staged its premiere runway show in January as a guest designer at Pitti Uomo. The highly anticipated show saw models with green lipstick and liberally applied eyeshadow. In Paris, there were the aforementioned shiners (more reddish-purple than black) at AWGE, as well as delicate leaves painted onto faces (and bodies) at Feng Chen Wang, alongside colourful smoky eyes. Dark lipstick added a serious touch in otherwise upbeat collections at Kenzo and Doublet. The most striking use of colour came at Kiko Kostadinov, where models' brows were dabbed with orange, pink and yellow pigment, creating ethereal, almost alien-like visages. Great lengths Sometimes, credit for trending hairstyles is owed to the casting team rather than the hair and beauty crew. Notably, this season, there was plenty of long hair on the runway — evident at Bluemarble, for instance, where a number of the models sported veritable manes that likely took years to grow. The winged dos at Sean Suen were another example, offering a high-fashion take on the humble mullet. At Yohji Yamamoto, there were long 'fros, cornrows that dangled almost to a model's collarbone, and locks and other styles that fell well below the shoulder. There was also a pair of tangled, Medusa-like headpieces, one black, one white, to close the show. Big wigs have been a mainstay at Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, and the Spring 2026 show was no exception, with Rapunzel-esque braids swaying below models' waists as they walked. Unfortunately, getting hair as long as it was shown on the runway takes time, but the headpieces at Yohji Yamamoto and the wigs from Comme des Garçons Homme Plus offered hope for those of us who haven't started growing it out yet. It's in the eyes Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but, for Spring 2026, it's all about the eye itself. Makeup artists and accessory designers alike were on the same page in drawing the eye to, well, you know. In addition to the colourful eyeshadow at Setchu, Kiko Kostadinov and more, Walter Van Beirendonck's show featured some models whose eyes were rimmed with stripes — not quite in A Clockwork Orange fashion, but close. At Craig Green, models sported light-up glasses that covered the iris with a starburst flare, bringing a surreal touch to the procession — and, at times, drawing attention away from the clothes as one tried to figure out exactly what they were seeing.
Toronto Star
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Simon Cracker creates a brand uniform to highlight star upcycled garments during Milan Fashion Week
MILAN (AP) — Simon Cracker's collection for next summer is an expression of exasperation with a world of uninformed 'experts,' and as an antidote the Italian upcycled brand has distilled its focus to singular, spotlight garments, paired with a Simon Cracker new uniform. For designers Filippo Biraghi and Simone Botte, upcycling is the lexicon they use to tell the story. This season's was titled: 'The devil in the details.'
The Star
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Fashion label upcycles emotion into bold designs for Milan Fashion Week
Simon Cracker's collection for next summer is an expression of exasperation with a world of uninformed "experts', and as an antidote the Italian upcycled brand has distilled its focus to singular, spotlight garments, paired with a Simon Cracker new "uniform". For designers Filippo Biraghi and Simone Botte, upcycling is the lexicon they use to tell the story. This season's was titled "The devil in the details'. They took inspiration for their ironic and disproportionate details from the Belgian designer Martin Margiela, adding to the garments oversized buttons that were actually facsimile copies, huge safety- and clothespins and giant zipper pulls. Read more: What happens when Chicano cool meets Harajuku whimsy? A bold new fashion mash-up "We didn't copy Margiela. We tried to use the same language,'' Biraghi said. The basic Simon Cracker co-ed "uniform" for Spring/Summer 2026 was a simple square T-shirt fashioned from jersey stock that they saved and reconditioned after it became waterlogged in flooding. The T-shirts, each with a big care label sewn on the front, were paired with tailored black shorts. The "uniforms" were backdrops for the real stars. A blazer with multiple crumpled arms that unfurled on the runway into dramatic trains. A triplicate of belted trousers tiered to make super low-waisted streetwear. Shirts sewn on dress fronts, with the arms tied behind the waist. A frenzy of shirts that become a ruffled skirt. Three pleated skirts layered to form a strapless tiered dress. Each garment, made of clothes that had been in some way discarded, had its own architecture, and its own story. Read more: Cowboy, but make it fashion: Beyonce's tour looks blend country and couture Biraghi said that the designers have come up with a "recipe' for some core garments, including the Siamese T-Shirt he was wearing. It was made out of two T-shirts, one forming the sides with the arms, the second contributing the front and back panels. The idea is put out some identifiable pieces, while maintaining the uniqueness of each garment that is core to the brand. "Our niche wants unique pieces. It is not the herd that interests us. Fewer but more devoted,'' Botte said. – AP
Gulf Today
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Simon Cracker creates a brand uniform to highlight star upcycled garments
Simon Cracker's collection for next summer is an expression of exasperation with a world of uninformed "experts," and as an antidote the Italian upcycled brand has distilled its focus to singular, spotlight garments, paired with a Simon Cracker new uniform. For designers Filippo Biraghi and Simone Botte, upcycling is the lexicon they use to tell the story. This season's was titled: "The devil in the details." They took inspiration for their ironic and disproportionate details from the Belgian designer Martin Margiela, adding to the garments oversized buttons that were actually facsimile copies, huge safety- and clothespins and giant zipper pulls. "We didn't copy Margiela. We tried to use the same language,'' Biraghi said. The basic Simon Cracker co-ed uniform for Spring-Summer 2026 was a simple square T-shirt fashioned from jersey stock that they saved and reconditioned after it became waterlogged in flooding. The T-shirts, each with a big care label sewn on the front, were paired with tailored black shorts. This Photo shows a model wearing a creation of men's Simon Cracker Spring-Summer 2026 collection. AP The uniforms were backdrops for the real stars: A blazer with multiple crumpled arms that unfurled on the runway into dramatic trains. A triplicate of belted trousers tiered to make super low-waisted streetwear. Shirts sewn on dress fronts, with the arms tied behind the waist. A frenzy of shirts that become a ruffled skirt. Three pleated skirts layered to form a strapless tiered dress. Each garment, made of clothes that had been in some way discarded, had its own architecture, and its own story. Biraghi said that the designers have come up with a "recipe" for some core garments, including the Siamese T-Shirt he was wearing. It was made out of two T-shirts, one forming the sides with the arms, the second contributing the front and back panels. The idea is put out some identifiable pieces, while maintaining the uniqueness of each garment that is core to the brand. "Our niche wants unique pieces. It is not the herd that interests us. Fewer but more devoted,'' Botte said. Associated Press
Fashion Network
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Young designers stand out in Milan with Simon Cracker, Saul Nash and Magliano
Make way for unbridled creativity and new languages. The third day of men's fashion shows in Milan proved the vitality of young creation, bringing a breath of fresh air to this fashion week dedicated to Spring/Summer 2026. Among the most interesting names in this new wave, a fine trio. The provocative and committed label Simon Cracker delivered a collection à la Margiela. Englishman Saul Nash fused sport, technique, and couture. And Magliano opted for a cinematic format with a real theatrical projection, working on a versatile multi-horizon wardrobe. See catwalk Welcomed to the Fondazione Sozzani on the outskirts of Bovisa - a new cultural space and art gallery opened by Carla Sozzani after closing the 10 Corso Como chapter - the Simon Cracker label couldn't have wished for a better venue to present its new avant-garde collection, clearly and openly inspired by Martin Margiela, fashion's last true pioneer. At the label, the devil doesn't dress in Prada, but "hides in the details", as the collection's name, "Il diavolo è nei dettagli", suggests. "Unlike other colleagues, we quote our sources with complete transparency. We didn't set out to copy Martin Margiela, but just tried to speak his same language around a precise wardrobe with an emphasis on details, as the Belgian couturier taught us," explained Simone Botte backstage, who founded the brand in 2010 with a 100% upcycling commitment from the outset, and was joined after Covid by Filippo Biraghi as brand coordinator. Aside from the humorous quotes, using safety pins and giant clothespins or large photocopied buttons affixed directly to the garments, the collection was surprisingly coherent and desirable. The design duo confirmed their evolution and the maturity acquired over the seasons. The neo-punk aesthetic of the early days has gradually given way to a more structured and understandable wardrobe, certainly less messy and cluttered than in the past, without abandoning the responsible commitment that has characterized the brand since its inception, with unique pieces that were entirely upcycled and designed with zero waste in mind. See catwalk The fabric used for the T-shirts, cut in squares and simply sewn on the sides, came, for example, from a huge roll of cotton jersey soiled and damaged by the floods and torrential rains that hit Emilia-Romagna in 2023, which had been washed, revitalized and dyed. For this show, Simon Cracker opted for a radical vision in true Margiela style. In other words, no superfluous accessories and zero styling. All models wore custom Crocs with hand-drawn patches and graffiti, a T-shirt with a label sewn on the front (indicating washing instructions) and tailored shorts. On top of this basic uniform, they each donned a single piece from the wardrobe, where designers give free rein to their inventiveness. There was the jacket with infinite sleeves, made up of six different pairs of sleeves, which dragged across the floor or playfully rolled up on top of each other to create a wearable dimension. The baggy pants were tightened at the waist by an XXL climbing rope fastened with a large knot. Large golden paperclips decorate a black jacket and transform into a pocket-watch chain. A long pair of mottled painter's pants is slipped on like a coverall, the waist turned into a boat neck. A banker's suit became a dress, the collar slightly lowered and plastered wide open over the torso. Naive black felt-tip drawings on white cotton were woven into ensembles made from lace doilies. A great deal of work is also done on dyes with "impressionist" effects. See catwalk For his second show in Milan, Saul Nash chose the Teatro Principe, a discotheque that was one of the Lombardy capital's finest hours during the nineties, while recreating its slightly cheesy nightclub decor with velvet curtains and old red sky sofas. Good music filled the space. A spotlight illuminated the runway, on which the models - nerdy sportsmen with thin metal-rimmed glasses - moved elegantly, suddenly slowing their pace in a swaying movement, sometimes coming close together and gently embracing. The Guyanese-born British designer and dancer, who grew up in north-east London, is one of the new names on the fashion scene to watch closely. Having passed through the Central Saint Martin school and the Royal College of Art, he founded his house in 2018. Semi-finalist for the LVMH Prize in 2021, he won the International Woolmark Prize in 2022. Known for his art of fusing sportswear and high-end with a techno-functional approach, he delivered a collection that was both sporty and chic, often sensual, packed with couture details, most of them invisible to the naked eye. Like a discreet zip, hidden by a tie, which opened a chest-high pocket in a shirt made from lightweight technical fabric. A handy place to slip one's cigarettes, or a small revolver. The top of a tracksuit could be worn as a vest, thanks to armpit openings. The ultra-chic denim jacket with its faded graphics had a designer cut and zips up the front, while tight-fitting knitwear in tie dye unbuttoned diagonally below the right shoulder, revealing a muscular chest through an oval opening. The collars of striped, lace-up linen jackets extended into hoods. Elsewhere, a hood was tied at the front to form a tie. The classic grey jersey fleece sweater was transformed into a suit jacket. Tuxedo belts draped over certain sizes. This dressing room, where everything is precise and well-defined, was completed by transparent tulle tank tops and impalpable nylon windbreakers. All that was left for Saul Nash to do was collect his applause with an unexpected dance step. A change of register at Magliano. This season, the designer chose to swap the usual fashion show for a film. He invited his guests to Milan's small Cinema Centrale on Saturday evening. "This current period of crisis is reminiscent of Covid," confided Luca Magliano, who greeted his guests at the cinema entrance. "As a result, we decided to take a break and create a sort of sabbatical collection. The idea was to do something out of the ordinary, outside the urban setting, and to propose a different form of expression", he said, admitting that he shot the film just a fortnight ago. He entrusted the project for this eight-minute short to the young British director Thomas Hardiman, author of "Medusa Deluxe". Hardiman assembled Magliano's little world on a ferry. The boat, whose journey lasts the duration of the film, was populated by colorful characters who were by turns moody, temperamental, or marginal, but always endearing, from the nerd to the mechanic, via the musicians, the cocktail-loving vamp, and the jilted lover. The camera moved from one character to the next, following them as they wandered and rambled, crossing the ferry from top to bottom until it ends up on the deck, accompanied by a splendid jazzy score that punctuated the film effectively. Along the way, one catches glimpses of looks from the new Magliano collection, including a handsome hand-knitted sweater in large gold thread knits, some nonchalantly elegant shirts that glide over the skin, and futuristic-looking technical jackets. The message of this film, entitled "Maglianic" (an ironic reference to Titanic), was that fashion is a natural, no-fuss part of life. At no point did you notice Magliano's clothes, for they were literally inhabited by the characters. This was in stark contrast to recent big-budget films sponsored by certain luxury houses, whose clothes were displayed in every scene, including on the extras. Fashion belongs to everyone, as long as we make it our own. With its slightly mysterious atmosphere, zany dialogue, and lively music, the film succeeds in evoking the Magliano style: authentic, intense, popular, humorous, with a pinch of romanticism.
