Style: Haute Headlines and History: A look at Menswear

Friday Fashion. 

In the wake of Succession, the stealth-wealth phenomenon only continues to grow. According to Robb Report, fashion retailer Karen Millen analysed a trove of Google data to reveal that it was the year of “old-money style,” a search term that grew 568 per cent. Quasi-synonymous phrases such as “quiet luxury” (373 per cent) and “stealth wealth” (334 per cent) saw an equally dramatic spike in interest among the trillion-plus annual searches.

As men bequeathed with a sense of high fashion and high currency stocked up on legacy luxury brands, sales among the top-drawer designers were on a steady upwards incline, affected by neither politics nor pandemic. At the time of writing, LVMH earnings in the second quarter of 2023 reveal that “Asia held up the market” with a 34 per cent increase in the region, outperforming Europe and the US, and the company saw “double-digit sales growth,” according to Forbes.

Under the influence of refined taste, not influencers, heir and grace have always bent at the knee for the pride and privilege of being draped and dressed in exalted knits (Zegna and Loro Piana), exquisite craftsmanship (Hermès and Loewe), bespoke excellence (Ascot Chang), gear that can be passed on through many generations (Saint Laurent), and, of course, all things Italian (Prada, Armani, Stefano Ricci, Brunello Cucinelli, and even the quite quirky Moschino). Heck, an all-Italian menswear edition is not that far off course for all things haute and homme.

Although it’s the trend now, Robb Report has been featuring menswear in sombre shades and muted tones since memory serves, eschewing editorials on celebrity powered fads for paeans on fabric and construction. We study the sourcing of cashmere, vicuña, camel hair, and mulberry silk in legacy brands, and hold up a loupe to the artisans who embroider, stitch, and weave by hand the magnificent threads that outlive the seasons.

At the top of the fashion food chain this year, it’s a heady mix-and-match of the usual heavy hitters and the slow burn of the urban sophisticate, here to disrupt long-standing regimes of debonair menswear. Miu Miu, Loewe, and Prada jostled for the honour of “hottest brand of the year,” according to the quarterly Lyst Index, with Loewe coming out of left field to dominate Q2. Several notable brands made headlines, some even history, as the powers that be in the most valuable fashion companies in the world spent big money to showcase their wares. It was a gentleman’s agreement for the maisons to go all out for menswear (theatrics usually reserved for the gowns and glory of womenswear): the shows in the fashion capitals were splendid, be it in New York (Ralph Lauren’s grand return to New York Fashion Week), London (Burberry saw Daniel Lee debut and dazzle with the brand), Paris (Louis Vuitton with Pharrell Williams and all the stars of the firmament), and Milan (Prada showed it takes two—Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons—to tango), while Tom Ford went digital for his final parting shot, bidding his eponymous brand goodbye after selling it to Estée Lauder in 2022.

A special chapter in this edition of Best of the Best honours Ralph Lauren for a saga that continues to entrance the world, followed by a shoot featuring autumn winter looks and Lauren’s enviable collection of classic cars, harkening back to how Robb Report originally began—as a newsletter shared to classic car collectors and members of the Rolls-Royce Owners Club. It all comes full circle.

More at Robb Report Hong Kong. 

Hong Kong's 40 under 40 by Prestige

 The Young and the Restless

 

 

Welcome to 40 under 40, our annual compendium of Hong Kong’s most audacious young talents from the worlds of art, commerce, sport, entertainment, fashion and philanthropy. For the fifth consecutive year, the editorial team convened in the summer to draw up a list of candidates – all under 40 years old, of course – and edit it down to the 40 individuals who passed muster. This entailed some hard and at times brutal decisions, whittling out some top-brass names, until we were happy with our inventory of the city’s more youthful achievers. Newspapers were perused, social media were put under the microscope, and sometimes we just relied on good old-fashioned word of mouth. Finally, the 40 personalities that made the cut were interviewed and photographed and their profiles arranged alphabetically within five categories: Change Makers, Creatives, Visionaries, Movers and Shakers, and Titans.

Over a seemingly endless period, we locked down every person you see in the ensuing pages, dragging them to the tangled and begrimed studios in Chai Wan Industry City for an exclusive portrait session. Some didn’t have the luxury of time to make their way there, so our motley behind-the-scenes-crew made their way to their various residences, restaurants, and galleries, or we found unpeopled streets and corners for a guerrilla-style shoot. This led to the odd scuttle when authorities came inquiring about permits as we beat a retreat, all quick footwork and sheepish grins.

If there’s one thing our fab 40 share, it’s that they are all led by a singular vision, savoir-faire and diligence. They sacrificed, they built, they gained and lost, they fell and they chose to rise again. Some built with wisdom and flair on inherited riches, others were gifted with extraordinary talents that they exploited with almost preternatural skill.

As you go through the publication, you’ll see that this year’s roster of young achievers has a generous addition of new faces that we are thrilled to shine a light on, be it outstanding sportsmen and women, aspiring philanthropists, restaurateurs or tech wizards. The usual suspects are ably represented: business people, property tycoons in-the-making, influencers and second-gen surnames who have added a new edge to family-owned corporations.

Lest I forget, we must credit the wonderful team that created this stunning portfolio of images. Everybody in this invaluable tome was photographed by Dino Busch, styled by Nina Ricardo and benefited from the hair and make-up skills of Gloomy Kwok (and his able crew; Bella, Iris and Sandy). Their patience and generosity of spirit did not go unnoticed.

So here it is, dear reader, a small window into the lives of the young ladies and gents who are helping Hong Kong remain a matchless agency of change and growth.

P.Ramakrishnan
Editor
2018 Edition

The entire list and gallery up at PrestigeOnline.com, starting with Alan See here.

Published Nov 2018

Dunhill: Now for the good hues: Exclusive interview with Fabrizio Cardinali

Now for the good hues: Dunhill adds a splash of colour for the youth market

Dunhill’s latest strategy is all about empowering the designer, catering to a younger clientele and exploring territories in a changed China as if they were new, writes P.Ramakrishnan.
Photo: Andrew Vowles

Dunhill’s early noughties campaigns had many fans. Refined gentlemen, often silver-haired and with generous beards looked introspective in black and white photographs. Each image was thick with the patina of age and cultured taste.

The fine English tailoring was from a house founded in 1893 and renowned for its bespoke menswear and accessories – all very tweed and traditional, signifying the wardrobe of artists, thespians and members of the literati, not glitterati.

Enter Fabrizio Cardinali, who became chief executive of Alfred Dunhill in May 2013 and soon after appointed John Ray as creative director.

“I’m far away from a black and white, old, sad man. What do you want to be? You want to be younger, you know? You want to be colourful; you want to be beautiful; you want to be attractive,” says Cardinali.

Suddenly, the muted and sepia tones got a splash of colour. The varicose veins got some fresh blood as the ready-to-wear, accessories and all things fashionable for the gentleman of today has hues and shades not seen in decades at the old English house.

There were loose-fitting trousers, plush knits, casual corduroys, salmon pajamas, alpaca coats and blankets. Scarves were replaced by full-on, fringed blankets worn by models casually strutting down the catwalk.

“I’d say now we are a more accessible product. A man can still buy a beautiful Dunhill blazer, or beautiful Dunhill suits. The key words are value for money because it’s going to have to last for not one season, but for years. Another key phrase for you: timeless products – combining the contemporary touch. That’s what John [Ray] is doing. We still have our classics in midnight blue, but now we have breadth.”

What they also have is fresh breath. The latest campaigns show collegiate men striking a pose (under the watchful eye of Annie Leibovitz, who shot the autumn-winter 2014 campaign) without the brood, seemingly content in their muted shades of lavender and salmon, clutching bulky leather accessories.

“Everything works with a top photographer, with a great creative director, let’s say a certain level of ingredients that are going to bring the brand where the brand deserves to be,” Cardinali says.

The big question for the business head of any luxury brand would obviously be: how is business in China?

With a pause and a sip of water, Cardinali says: “Dunhill in China is doing well, but business is down [from before]. We know very well what has happened in China since November 2012. Since the new president [Xi Jinping] arrived, he stopped the business of gifting and we – all of us – have seen an impact on the business. The crazy growth that we had in the last eight, nine years was not sustainable.

“China’s annual growth of 7.5 per cent with 1.3 billion people to cater to is a strong economy for any brand. For many of us, the changes are a pain in the neck, but you know what? Many people got lazy. Those numbers were growing no matter what.”

It isn’t just Dunhill. Since the halt of excessive gift giving on the mainland, the Hurun Report says the luxury segment – watches and spirits included – has been the hardest hit. But it is also an opportune time for those key brands to innovate and improve existing business structures. In the long run, the proverbial tightening of the belt might not be such a terrible thing.

“Today businesses must have self-conception,” Cardinali says. “We need to be very focused, all of us, in delivering a business. The fact that someone is entering the store and is buying, you know, 50, 100 bags – that kind of story is over. So now we need to be careful. I have three pillars in mind: product, market and distribution.

Quality is a big deal at Alfred Dunhill. Then, distribution: we’ve got to explore territories in China as if they are new. It’s a new ballgame altogether now. “The new marketing approach, since shooting campaigns with Leibovitz for two seasons, the Dunhill look is definitely more contemporary, more colourful, something that can attract a different type of clientele compared to the past.”

That means catering to a younger buyer. “I think I would like to start selling a product or dressing a gentleman since right after college, or someone doing an MBA,” Cardinali says.

“I want to have this kind of customer because if you’re relevant for those aged 24 or 25 up to 35 or 40 and beyond, automatically you’re going to be relevant also to a more mature clientele. It does not work the other way around.”

Relevance in the “selfie age” is what major brands are looking at. With more than 20 years in the business and a CV dotted with luxury brands including Lancel, Dolce & Gabbana and Levi Strauss, Cardinali is no stranger to global branding.

That explains the changes he brought – in marketing strategy, appointments, hiring and positioning – that created Dunhill’s new age. It also helped that Ray, formerly at Gucci, agreed to end his self-imposed eight-year hiatus.

But Cardinali wants to put a misperception to rest. “John Ray was hired before me,” he says. “I found he was with the company for five months before my arrival. What I did – which I think is a game-changer – is empower John. This is something that never happened at Alfred Dunhill before me.

“I’m in charge, but I’m a businessman, not a designer. What I did was give John the conditions to create in the best way possible. I’m not going to tell him what kind of fabrics he has to use and choose. I have to create the kind of infrastructure where John and the creative people can create and deliver beautiful products.

“If you look around, it’s the right approach to be successful in this industry. When you hear a chief executive is trying to be a designer and a designer is trying to run a multinational company at the same time … apart from a few exceptional cases, it doesn’t work. Empowering the designer was key.”

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 16 April, 2015, 6:28pm
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Now for the good hues

Great Minds: Post magazine fashion shoot: Menswear Editorial: Shot in Hong Kong: South China Morning Post

Men's smart-casual gets a geek-chic makeover.

Photography Gabbard Studio
Production & Creative direction P.Ramakrishnan
Styling Reema Khanna
Hair and Make-up Karen Yiu
Model David O at Models International
Location Courtesy The Space, Cat Street Gallery, 210 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan




Trench coat, Burberry ($21,000)
Shirt, Hugo Boss Black ($2000)
Dark Grey Silk Tie by BOSS Black ($1000)
Trouser, Burberry ($5300)
Belt, Hugo Boss Black ($1050)
Glasses Alain Mikli ($8486)
Bag, Yves Saint Laurent ($17,500)
(not seen in pic -Shoes, Gram ($700))




Jacket, Gucci (15,000)
Linen shirt, Salvatore Ferragamo (TBC Cost)
Trousers, Burberry ($5,300)
Green and Taupe Horsebit Cashmere Print Cotton Carre' ($1,350)
Glasses, Alain Milki ($8,486)
(not in pic – Watch, Calvin Klein ($1,150) and Sandals, Burberry ($5,200)

T-shirt and Jacket, Salvatore Ferragamo ($23,900)
Trousers, Gucci ($5,300)
Belt, Gucci ($2,100)
Shoes, Tods ($3,500)
Watch, Void ($1,600)
Glasses, Alain Mikli ($3,588)

Cardigan, Valentino ($9,100)
Shirt, Shanghai Tang ($1,480)
Grey pants of striped Suit set by BOSS Black ($7450)
Shoes, Hugo Boss Black ($3,450)
Glasses, Alain Mikli ($3,354)
Watch, Calvin Klein ($1,800)

Jumper, Salvatore Ferragamo ($20,500)
Glasses, Alain Mikli ($8,486)
Watch, Calvin Klein ($1,150)

Top, Gucci ($6,200)
Grey pants (part of striped suit set) by BOSS Black – ($7,450)
Belt, Burberry ($4,500)
Briefcase, Bothos ($4,300)
Watch, Void ($1,400)
Glasses, Alain Mikli ($3,588)
(not seen in pic Shoes, Cipher $1,170)

Jacket, Burberry ($45,000)
Vest, Burberry ($2,900)
Trousers, Valentino ($5,500)
Shoes, Cipher ($1,170)
Sunglasses, Void ($600)
Bag, Tods ($21,700)



Published in Post magazine, p31
April 17, 2011

See earlier post The Making of...