Latest news with #Virgil
Hypebeast
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Hypebeast Community Center: Hikari no Yami
Give us your elevator pitch. My name is Jakarie Whitaker, and I'm the creative director and founder of the brand Hikari no Yami. Hikari no Yami is Japanese for 'light of darkness.' The brand was created to serve as a cultural bridge between worlds, merging my African American heritage with Japanese design sensibilities and philosophies, such as Kintsugi and wabi-sabi. Who is wearing Hikari no Yami? Leaders, thinkers, artists, rebels, and people who exist outside the conventional box. Our community includes anyone who finds beauty in imperfection. What is your brand's main message? Sustainable creations without limitations and Freedom through duality. Cultural combination through merging the east and west and appreciating contradictions like light and dark & control and chaos… while pushing sustainable, philosophical fashion. When did you launch your label? I launched Hikari no Yami in 2020 during the pandemic. It started as a self-taught form of protest and expression, and then it evolved into a global dialogue. Where are people wearing Hakari no Yami? Tokyo, NYC, Seoul, Shanghai! It's worn everywhere that style and culture intersect. The brand is so versatile that it's suitable for all occasions — and bound to turn heads. Why was Hikari no Yami created? To destroy traditional fashion systems and give me the freedom to create without any limitations or expectations. I needed a space to honor both my heritage and the eastern philosophies/Japanese design sensibilities that I love, so I created it. I view Hikari no Yami as my philosophy book that others can relate to. When did fashion design become a passion for you – and on top of that, an intended career path? I was actually super late to fashion. During a gap year, I saw Virgil's 'The Ten' collection. That shifted everything. I switched from pre-med to fashion and philosophy, diving deep into design as both a dream and a medium for change. You're a four-time Virgil Abloh scholar. How did that experience help shape your craft? Virgil was one of the designers who taught me to dream. Being a Virgil Abloh scholar gave me confidence in my voice. His legacy taught me to design from truth, to remix culture with intellect, and to break systems without apology. Those scholarships weren't just awards; they were reminders that I belonged. Seeing Virgil deconstruct things helped inspire my brand's ethos. So far, what has been your biggest takeaway from studying fashion design, as you begin your master's at Central Saint Martins this fall? Attending fashion schools all over the world has taught me the importance of networking, dedication, and how to stand out in a crowd of loud voices. Also, it's taught me to remember that you're only in competition with yourself. How would you define Hikari no Yami's style in your own words? Hikari no Yami is freedom and chaos unleashed. It's an amalgamation of my experiences traveling, working under my favorite fashion brands, and creating my own definition of what fashion can be in the modern world. What do you think makes Hikari no Yami stand out in today's sea of emerging fashion brands? We don't just make clothes… We build ideologies. Our commitment to sustainability, our distinct designs, and cultural storytelling make us more than the average emerging label. The search for freedom resonates in our work, and the viewers feel that. Hikari no Yami is already building a strong identity, one defined by punkish imagery and subversive design tricks. What role do visuals play in the brand's story? Our visuals bring the viewer into the world of Hikari no Yami. I believe visuals are the most valuable part of the story, and I make sure they capture the brand's main focuses: culture, black and white, and light and darkness. What style codes or eras do you draw inspiration from? A combination of avant-garde reverse tailoring and streetwear. I'd say the Karasu-Zoku movement spearheaded by Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, and Issey Miyake in the '80s is my biggest inspiration in design, and the Post-Modern Renaissance brought on by Virgil in the 2010s inspires me with the notion of 'you can do it too.' What is the biggest challenge you've faced while building your brand? I'd say self-funding everything is quite daunting, but it's also enjoyable to have something to constantly work toward. Who would you most like to see your designs on? The dream is Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, also Zendaya and Fuji Kaze. What's next for Hikari no Yami? After coming off of our Paris Fashion Week exhibition and being a finalist for the Fashion Trust U.S, we're planning to do a debut presentation during New York Fashion Week this September.
New Statesman
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Statesman
All roads lead to Rome? We should be so lucky
Illustration by Charlotte Trounce Last week I swapped the soundscape of urban London summer – the clicking gears of stolen Lime Bikes – for an equally monotonous sound: the cicadas general to a Tuscan evening, not to mention the high-pitched whirr of a mosquito about to commit a bloodthirsty strike on your ankles. And in my case, face. This is what Virgil's Eclogues were all about. For one month a year, Britain offloads most of New Labour to Chianti's rolling hills. Tony Blair used to spend August in those spruced-up rubble-stone farm houses. And the turkey twizzler Duce, Jamie Oliver, is such a fan of one local butcher in the hilltop town of Panzano he glibly refers to it as his 'second home'. So popular is the region with the other sort of leftish tribunes that in the early Noughties it received a new moniker: Chiantishire. Thank God for the perfectly calibrated social consciences of the invading Brits, otherwise the Italians might have a problem with this. The establishment anxiety – that Britain is slowly coming to resemble the Old Boot – is acute, no matter their affinity for the place. Plagued by low growth, regional inequality, general instability, populist gadflies and at the mercy of the bond markets? 'Welcome to Britaly' the Economist warned in 2022. I was sitting on a government owned-and-operated train from Rome to Florence, wondering if that would be so bad. The leather seats and postmodern interiors displayed a level of taste the good people at TfL do not possess. I assumed the waspy Italian businessman beside me was the CEO of Al Italia, or something. Thinking of the many hours I've spent delayed on a Great Western train in England, 'Welcome to Britaly' started to sound more like an aspiration than an omen. The illusion was soon broken. I arrived at the elegant squalor of Florence's train station, Santa Maria Novella, to discover that there was a citywide taxi strike. Though you would be forgiven for not noticing at all – there were no placards, no crowds, and seemingly scant industrial motive (if there was one beyond ambient dissatisfaction it certainly went unexpressed). I only discovered it was happening when I walked up to a small group of men smoking – the taxi drivers – and asked if one of them could drive me to the countryside. 'No, strike,' he said, gesturing limply to a bus station. The spectacle was so unspectacular I wondered if this is what the Tour de France would look like if it were organised by the bikes. Or what an Italian taxi strike would look like, if it were organised by Italian taxi drivers. Up the workers, etc. But it left me in a pickle: rural Tuscan bus services are not as good as the trains. So I did what any accomplished 29-year-old would do in this situation and called my brother. He collected me – after I dashed across Florence to the gates of the city – and in the car we reflected on how reassured the hand-wringy British establishment might be with this unfortunate turn of events. Put to shame by the trains, yes. But here is rhetorical justification for the superiority complex: sure, we have ceded our sovereignty to the long arm of the bond markets, and yes political instability typified the latter half of the 2010s with tremendous force. But those Euros, so lazy! The ponderous and haughty northern Europeans might be concerned they are turning into their southern European cousins. But they haven't nailed the key details of the transition, which is this: they are halfway there politically, but culturally they never will be. Michelangelo was just more important than whatever Albrecht Dürer came up with. The Protestant probity of Britannia is anathema to the south's winking Catholic loucheness. And tomatoes, we all know, are better consumed on the ultramontane side of things. And so, on a train back to Rome (wait, is that also the CEO of Al Italia?) I am unable to take their concern very seriously. The land that produced the Trevi fountain will never resemble one that boasts the blandly demure Eros in Piccadilly Circus. And what of the stolid Land Rover vs the unembarrassed Ferrari? Ale vs Sangiovese? Welcome to Britaly? We would never be so lucky [See also: Kemi Badenoch isn't working] Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
Fashion United
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion United
Grand Palais to host exhibition dedicated to the work of Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh: The Codes, the first major European exhibition dedicated to the work of Virgil Abloh (1980 - 2021), will be presented at the Grand Palais from September 30 (his birthday) to October 10, 2025. The exhibition will explore nearly two decades of Abloh's multidisciplinary output through 20,000 archive items. It brings together hundreds of objects, prototypes, sketches and images from Abloh's career, as well as pieces from his personal collections and library. The Codes also highlights Abloh's collaborations with several artists, designers and athletes. 'This exhibition is just the beginning of our work to share Virgil's legacy and principles with the creative community and the world,' Shannon Abloh, the late designer's wife and also chief executive officer of Virgil Abloh Securities, founder and chairwoman of the board of the Virgil Abloh Foundation, and president of Virgil Abloh Archive, said in a statement. Abloh continued: 'Sharing his personal collection, unfinished projects and magnum opuses with the public is a monumental way to celebrate Virgil's legacy and his commitment to making information accessible and collaborative. Through the Archive, Virgil will remain a source of inspiration and a beacon of creative knowledge.' Curated by Chloé Sultan and Mahfuz Sultan, the exhibition is an expanded edition of the 2022 exhibition Virgil Abloh: The Codes. It traces how his signature design principles – his 'codes' – are found in his work across garments, footwear, architecture, music, advertising and more, unifying a practice that spans multiple disciplines. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
Fashion Network
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Virgil Abloh Archive and Nike to launch Paris exhibition
The Virgil Abloh Archive, in collaboration with Nike, announced on Thursday the launch of its first major European exhibition dedicated to the work of the late Virgil Abloh. Dubbed 'Virgil Abloh: The Codes', the exhibit opens on what would have been Abloh's 45th birthday, on September 30, and runs through October 10 at the Grand Palais in Paris. Drawing from the designer's vast 20,000-object archive, The Codes will present hundreds of pieces, including prototypes, garments, footwear, sketches, photographs, and personal items. Curated by Chloe Sultan and Mahfuz Sultan, the show builds on the 2022 Virgil Abloh: The Codes exhibition and expands it through his work in apparel, footwear, architecture, music, advertising, and more. The exhibition also explores Abloh's collaborations with several artists, designers, and athletes. 'This exhibit is just the beginning of our work to share Virgil's legacy and principles with the creative community and the broader world,' said Shannon Abloh, chief executive officer and managing director of Virgil Abloh Securities, founder and board president of the Virgil Abloh Foundation, president and chair of Virgil Abloh Archive. 'Sharing his personal collection, unfinished projects, and magnum opuses with the public is how we celebrate Virgil's legacy and his commitment to making information accessible and collaborative. Through the Archive, Virgil will live on as a source of inspiration and beacon of creative knowledge.' In addition to the exhibition, a series of publications and public programs will be held throughout the run, including workshops, performances, screenings, and live dialogues with voices from Abloh's global creative community. 'It's an honor to stage two decades of Virgil's work in Paris. This exhibition at Grand Palais is a homecoming of sorts, a love letter to the city that inspired him most and shaped so much of his practice. Virgil Abloh Archive carries forward V's spirit of generosity by sharing his work, his methods, his 'codes' with anyone who wants to learn from and build on his ideas. This exhibition represents the first chapter,' added Mahfuz Sultan, director of Virgil Abloh Archive.
Fashion Network
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Virgil Abloh Archive and Nike to launch Paris exhibition
The Virgil Abloh Archive, in collaboration with Nike, announced on Thursday the launch of its first major European exhibition dedicated to the work of the late Virgil Abloh. Dubbed 'Virgil Abloh: The Codes', the exhibit opens on what would have been Abloh's 45th birthday, on September 30, and runs through October 10 at the Grand Palais in Paris. Drawing from the designer's vast 20,000-object archive, The Codes will present hundreds of pieces, including prototypes, garments, footwear, sketches, photographs, and personal items. Curated by Chloe Sultan and Mahfuz Sultan, the show builds on the 2022 Virgil Abloh: The Codes exhibition and expands it through his work in apparel, footwear, architecture, music, advertising, and more. The exhibition also explores Abloh's collaborations with several artists, designers, and athletes. 'This exhibit is just the beginning of our work to share Virgil's legacy and principles with the creative community and the broader world,' said Shannon Abloh, chief executive officer and managing director of Virgil Abloh Securities, founder and board president of the Virgil Abloh Foundation, president and chair of Virgil Abloh Archive. 'Sharing his personal collection, unfinished projects, and magnum opuses with the public is how we celebrate Virgil's legacy and his commitment to making information accessible and collaborative. Through the Archive, Virgil will live on as a source of inspiration and beacon of creative knowledge.' In addition to the exhibition, a series of publications and public programs will be held throughout the run, including workshops, performances, screenings, and live dialogues with voices from Abloh's global creative community. 'It's an honor to stage two decades of Virgil's work in Paris. This exhibition at Grand Palais is a homecoming of sorts, a love letter to the city that inspired him most and shaped so much of his practice. Virgil Abloh Archive carries forward V's spirit of generosity by sharing his work, his methods, his 'codes' with anyone who wants to learn from and build on his ideas. This exhibition represents the first chapter,' added Mahfuz Sultan, director of Virgil Abloh Archive.
