Vogue’s inaugural Forces of Fashion event: photos and videos

October 13, 2017

Forces of Fashion
Rihanna and Hamish Bowles at Vogue’s Forces of Fashion Conference at Milk Studios in New York City on October 12, 2017. (Photo by Corey Tenold/Vogue)

The following is a press release from Vogue:

Vogue has concluded its inaugural Forces of Fashion conference. The conference was the first event of its kind: for one day only in New York City (October 12, 2017), a series of intimate and informative dialogues between some of today’s most talented designers‍‍‍‍‍‍ and the editors of Vogue took place. These conversations were no holds barred conversations and nothing was off the table; everything about what it means to be designing and working in 2017 was up for discussion. The day was sponsored by American Airlines, HP, and Milk.

After a whirlwind day of fashion talk (both colloquial and cerebral), Vogue’s first ever conference Forces of Fashion ended with clinks of champagne flutes. Seven hours prior, however, it was Vogue editor-in-chief and Condé Nast artistic director Anna Wintour who delivered a toast of her own. “Forces of Fashion is a testament, I think, to our capacity for change,” she announced in her morning address. “This is our 125th anniversary year, which marks a long time for any magazine to stay relevant and interesting.”

In the spirit of embracing the now, the audience included both guests (360 including students) who took their seats at 15th Street’s Milk Studios and conference-goers who streamed the experience via Facebook live. Those IRL attendees received little red pamphlets which contained the day’s program-–a fashionable assortment with back-to-back conversations from the likes of (in chronological order) Stella McCartneyDries Van NotenMarc Jacobs, Kevin Systrom (Instagram), Michael Kors,Francesco Risso (Marni), Natacha-Ramsay Levi (Chloe)Joseph Altuzarra, Erdem Moralioglu, Simon Porte Jacquemus,Victoria BeckhamJohn GallianoVirgil Abloh, Heron PrestonDemna Gvaslia, and Rihanna.

Throughout the day, conversations ranged from social media, inheriting a fashion house, disruption, unpacking the concept of “cool” and (straight from the bad gal herself) the nature of being Rihanna. The ears’ of design students perked when John Galliano doled out technical tricks of the trade (hold a mirror to your croquis to see them in a new way) and nostalgic millennials delighted when Victoria Beckham spoke of her experience revisiting photos from her Posh days. “That was a hell of a PVC catsuit,” she quipped. Off-white’s Virgil Abloh pressed the importance of individuality, “Be yourself but be so specific so people can find you.” There was something for everyone.

Coming off of Rihanna, who proffered business tips like “If I can do your job better than you, then it’s a waste of my time to hire you,” everyone was inspired to be their bad self as they made their way down to the ground floor of Milk Studios for a cocktail hour. If there was a lack of things to look at (with the caliber of this crowd, there certainly wasn’t) guests could peruse a collection of landmark photography from the Vogue archives which lined the walls. Panel members and their onstage moderators—Vogue magazine’s best and brightest (Hamish Bowles, Chioma Nnadi, Sarah Mower, André Leon Talley, Sally Singer, Nicole Phelps, Virginia Smith, Luke Leitch, Mark Holgate, and Selby Drummond)—gathered, inspired by the day’s dialogue which continued on throughout the evening.

As the day wound down, one of John Galliano’s remarks from the afternoon seemed to reverberate: “glamour doesn’t exist without an audience.” At the time, he was speaking of fashion as a shared experience but with an audience like today’s, glamour seemed to be everywhere.

Facebook Lives:

Pop Goes the Fashion World: Rihanna and Hamish Bowles

Fashion in the Age of Instagram: Marc Jacobs, Kevin Systrom, and Sally Singer

Can You Keep Cool Cool: Virgil Abloh, Heron Preston, and Chioma Nnadi

2017 Forces of Fashion: Rihanna joins inaugural event

September 5, 2017

Rihanna
Rihanna (Photo by Phil McCarten/CBS)

The following is a press release from Vogue:

What’s a pop superstar with a burgeoning movie career doing on a fashion panel among the likes of John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, and Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia? As anyone who reads Vogue knows, the four-time cover girl is more than a chart-busting diva with more online downloads than any other artist and a star of next year’s Ocean’s Eight. She’s a fashion mogul whose every chameleonic outfit change is chronicled online. Indeed, outfits like the sheer, Swarovski-encrusted fishnet number she wore to the CFDAs in 2014, and her electric yellow Guo Pei–designed 2015 Met Gala gown have been known to “break the Internet.” That’s the red carpet, but her off-duty looks are just as influential. Rihanna has brought her glamorous, body-confident sensibility to the sportswear giant Puma, where she’s been the women’s creative director since late 2014. Tickets to her Fenty x Puma shows in Paris were highly prized, not just for the sexy tomboy basics and brilliant best-selling shoes she served up, but also for their unbridled sense of fun. Last March, Slick Woods, Joan Smalls, et al. stormed down the reading tables at the Richelieu-Louvois Library; the season before, Rihanna filtered the extravagance of Versailles with state-of-the-art gym gear. New York Fashion Week will be lucky to have her back next month—don’t miss Vogue’s online coverage of her show on September 10.

All of these topics and much more will be on the table when Rihanna sits down at Milk Studios on October 12. For more information and to buy tickets, visit vogueforcesoffashion.com.

About the Conference:

Forces of Fashion is the first event of its kind: For one day only in New York City, a series of intimate and informative dialogues between some of the most talented designers of today and the editors of Vogue. These will be no holds barred and nothing is off the table conversations; everything about what it means to be designing and working in 2017 is, and will be, up for discussion. You’ve worn and loved what these designers do – now’s your chance meet them, up close and personal.

Ticket availability is limited.

 Opening Remarks

Anna Wintour

Speakers

Demna Gvasalia, Vetements & Balenciaga

Dries Van Noten

Erdem Moralioglu, Erdem

Francesco Risso, Marni

Heron Preston

John Galliano

Joseph Altuzarra

Marc Jacobs

Michael Kors

Natacha Ramsay-Levi, Chloe

Rihanna, Fenty x Puma

Simon Porte Jacquemus, Jacquemus

Stella McCartney

Victoria Beckham

Virgil Abloh

Moderators

André Leon Talley

Chioma Nnadi

Hamish Bowles

Kevin Systrom

Luke Leitch

Mark Holgate

Nicole Phelps

Sally Singer

Sarah Mower

Tonne Goodman

Virginia Smith

 

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