Fashion buzz: Jeremy Lin is Coach’s newest face, Adidas stands with Nike in solidarity, and more

1) Jeremy Lin is Coach’s latest ambassador

Coach has a new face, and it’s basketball player Jeremy Lin! The partnership will see the athlete in global advertising campaigns for leather goods, ready-to-wear and footwear starting from Autumn 2020. “I am excited to be named the newest member of the Coach family,” said Lin. “There are so many reasons why I’m excited to partner with Coach—a fashion brand that is going to keep me looking good, but also cares about authenticity, self-expression, and giving back.”

Born in United States but proud of his Chinese descent, it’s apt that his debut will be Coach’s second China Collective collection. After a successful first collection with graphic artist Guang Yu, the latest will feature the artist’s reinterpretations of Coach’s iconic Horse and Carriage motif, ie. its first-ever house logo. The second China Collective collection is scheduled to be in stores later this year.

2) Gucci goes seasonless

The pandemic has seen a noticeable shift in fashion, namely with brands taking charge of their own schedules. Gucci has recently announced that they too, will be following suit, moving forward with seasonless collections. Creative director Alessandro Michele shared on his Instagram account, “I would like to leave behind the paraphernalia of leitmotifs that colonised our prior world: cruise, pre-fall, spring-summer, fall-winter. I think these are stale and underfed words. Labels of an impersonal discourse that lost its meaning.”

3) Louis Vuitton welcomes Johnny Coca

The ever changing carousel of creatives in fashion has spun again. Previously the creative director of Mulberry, Johnny Coca will join the Louis Vuitton family as the leather goods director on 2 June 2020. According to WWD, his “prime focus will be on high-end bags and show pieces”.

This will be a sweet homecoming for Coca who started his career as a leather goods designer at Loui Vuitton from 1996 through 2000. “It’s with great pride that I join Nicolas Ghesquière and the Louis Vuitton teams to further develop the women’s handbag collections. For me, the journey now has come full circle, to the place where I was lucky enough to hone my passion firsthand and learn the fundamentals of leather craftsmanship in the ateliers at Asnières. It opens a new chapter in my own creative adventure, in an extraordinary laboratory that blends heritage and modernity.”

4) Copenhagen Fashion Week to continue in August

With major fashion weeks announcing a huge change by going online, it appears that Copenhagen is not marching to the beat of that drum. The Spring/Summer 2021 shows is scheduled to take place from 9 to 12 August 2020 (after being delayed by a few days from 4 to 7 August 2020). CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, Cecilie Thorsmark says, “We’re fortunate that the Danish society is opening up much more quickly than expected, making it possible for us to hold Copenhagen Fashion Week very close to the originally scheduled dates. All of our activities will of course be set up to meet applicable regulatory requirements”.

5) You can now shop the Karl Lagerfeld brand online

Archi Luxury e-commerce platform is now online, and the first items in its catalogue belong to the Karl Lagerfeld brand! Ready-to-wear, shoes, bags and accessories are available for him and her. The Spring 2020 collection offers bold colour blocks, fun graphic shapes, and distinct typography, which include the late fashion icon’s cursive signature. Check out the collection at archiluxury.com.

6) Adidas stands up with Nike

Two industry rivals take a break from competition in the name of solidarity. On May 30, in response to the political unrest in the United States, Nike released a poignant video across their social media platforms. On the same day, Adidas retweets the video with the caption, “Together is how we move forward. ⁣Together is how we make change”. The original message from Nike, and Adidas’ seconding motion are both powerful and inspiring. If these competitors can put their differences aside to fight for what’s right, why can’t we?