The Next Big Thing: So Who Is Michael Lo Sordo?
He’s just won the DHL Export Scholarship for 2014, nabbed the BT Emerging Designer award in March, and was a finalist in the Australian Woolmark Prize.
Michael Lo Sordo is busting out all over – so we thought you’d like a primer on what he does, so you can claim you knew him before he really hit it big.
It might be a close-run thing, though. Lo Sordo is burning white-hot at the moment. He won a Qantas Spirit Of Youth award in 2012 and has powered forward ever since.
His aesthetic? Vogue calls it a “structured, razor-sharp take on romantic minimalism”. That means slouchy, easy-to-wear tiers of silk, minimal coats, only the simplest of patterns and masculine-inflected casuals (his trenches and coats are the ones editors pick up immediately).
And he’s recently been snapped up by Net-a-Porter, Harvey Nichols and Avenue 32, who will be stocking his creations overseas.
Until then, they’re being stocked around Australia at places like JASU.com and ArchFashion, in case you want a collector’s item.
Are you tracking Lo Sordo’s career?
Image: Michael Lo Sordo.
Zara Pulls ‘Holocaust Star’ T-Shirt
Zara has been forced to promise to pull and destroy all copies of a T-shirt after customers complained that it looked similar to a Star of David.
The design, Zara said, was meant to be inspired by Old West sheriff’s stars, but the six-pointed, yellow design and its location were too reminiscent of Holocaust markings for various shoppers, who complained.
They released a statement saying that the offending shirt “has been taken out of circulation due to the potential similarity with the Star of David”.
The Jewish Press, reports Vogue, were the first to start the protest, saying that the shirt, from Zara’s children’s range, offended them as an “ugly, sly swipe at Jewish Holocaust survivors with its yellow, six-pointed star sewn onto a dark navy-and-whtie striped long sleeve shirt.”
Later, Twitter exploded, and amid scathing references to The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, Zara swiftly responded.
“We now recognise that the design could be seen as insensitive and apologise sincerely for any offence caused to our customers,” the Spanish retailer said.
The shirts will now be taken out of inventory and destroyed by the company.
What do you think: easy mistake or horrible?
Image: Zara t-shirt.
Band Of Outsiders ‘Quits’ NYFW After Designer Tantrum
The New York label Band Of Outsiders has pulled out of New York Fashion Week amid comments that it’s a ‘dog and pony show’.
The label’s designer, Scott Sternberg, criticised the whole runway show mentality last year, effectively calling it a waste of time.
And now Band of Outsiders has been pulled from the shows altogether.
The technical explanation is apparently a scheduling clash. Band of Outsiders’ first flagship store is due to open on the same day that their NYFW show was scheduled.
But rather than juggle the two, Sternberg has opted for the retail side rather than the runway, and some think it’s a definitive and symbolic move.
Increasingly designers are critical of the many shows and collections required by top houses every year, including Resort, Couture, S/S, A/W and others. Karl Lagerfeld has spoken of the pressure it creates, while it was reportedly a factor in John Galliano’s spectacular breakdown.
Some designers, including Tom Ford, have previously decided to avoid the show cycle altogether, showing instead to private clients and select editors who might choose to show the clothes in magazines.
This appears to be the route that Sternberg will now take – and considering that the average runway show includes upwards of 15 models, sets, lighting, venue hire and other costs, it’s likely to be a very cost-saving decision.
NYFW organisers may not take the same view, however, and it remains to be seen whether any party sues.
What do you think: brave stance or waste of a possibility?
Image: Boy by Band of Outsiders collection.
