Top fashion stories of the week: January 6

Entering the new year, fashion presented a diverse mix of business, creative director changes and new collaboration launches. If nothing else, it revealed that the upcoming fashion year will include a wide variety of big and small moments worthy of discussion.

Adidas and Thom Browne appeared in court in connection with their ongoing trademark dispute over the three stripes; Kering Forecasts for the fourth quarter suggest that Balenciaga’s advertising controversy could contribute to the decline in numbers; California became the first state to ban the sale of fur; and Louise Trotter left Lacoste as creative director. Outside of work, Marni and Carhartt WIP teamed up for a funkadelic offering, the Dior x ERL “California Collection” presented at DSM, Louis Vuitton launched the Yayoi Kusama collaboration in New York, and Fendi and Tiffany & Co. they united for the baguette bag in pure silver.

Below, HYPEBEAST has rounded up the top fashion stories of the week so you can stay up-to-date on industry trends.

adidas and Thom Browne go to court over three-stripe trademark dispute

Last Tuesday, adidas and Thom Browne appeared in Manhattan’s Southern District Court in connection with the ongoing Three Stripes trademark battle. Although a trademark infringement and dilution lawsuit was filed against Thom Browne in June 2021, the recent appearance marks a new point for the high-profile name issue. The sportswear brand claims that Browne’s brand “imitates [its] the three-stripe mark in a manner likely to confuse consumers and mislead the public as to its source, sponsorship, association or affiliation,” which in turn “irreparably harms the adidas brand and its extremely valuable [mark].”

As such, adidas is seeking $867,225 in damages for potential licensing fees in addition to $7 million in profits, according to adidas attorney R. Charles Henn Jr. from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP via WWD. See the post linked above for more details on both parties’ claims in court.

Kering’s Q4 forecasts suggest Balenciaga ad controversy could contribute to falling numbers

Balenciaga is still not out of hot water and as a result, it looks like Kering will take a hit. Due to the Balenciaga 2022 advertising controversy, the brand suffered significant business losses in the US and UK markets, according to WWD a recent HSBC equity research report.

The report detailed forecasts for Kering for the fourth quarter, which could see a 3.1% decline, made up of Gucci’s 12.5% ​​decline and an 8% improvement in other brands. But since the official report with the figures has yet to be released, it remains unclear to what extent Balenciaga’s controversy will hurt Kering. Along with Balenciaga, Gucci’s recent changes should also produce changes at Kering given the recent departure of creative director Alessandro Michele.

Balenciaga represented roughly 10% of the Kering group’s sales in 2021, while Gucci’s figure is 55%. Stay tuned for more details on Kering’s Q4 when the official Q4 report is released next month.

Louise Trotter is leaving Lacoste

From Alessandro Michele leaving Gucci to Raf Simons shutting down his eponymous label, 2022 was a year of major creative director changes – making waves in the industry. 2023 looks set to continue that trend as Louise Trotter has left Lacoste as creative director after a four-year stint.

Trotter joined Lacoste in 2018 and made her first runway show with the brand in 2019 during Paris Fashion Week. Following the release, Trotter showed her latest collection to a private group last year and will be part of the brand’s SS23 collection.

California is officially the first state to ban the sale of fur

California has taken a new step in the direction of animal protection and environmental equality by becoming the first state to ban the sale of fur. The ban came into effect on January 1 and prohibits the sale and production of new animal fur products.

To clarify, the law does not prohibit the sale of used fur products that appear through second-hand dealers or non-profit thrift stores. The law also does not affect the right of ownership of fur. Therefore, it is still legal to wear real fur clothing in California. Additionally, the ban affects department stores such as Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s and Neiman Marcus in the state that have either closed their fur salons or have not closed fur sales, according to WWD.

“We are grateful to California for taking a stand against the cruel fur industry by implementing this statewide ban on the production and sale of new fur products,” said Jenny Berg, state director of the California Humane Society of the United States, in a statement.

Take an official look at the Marni and Carhartt WIP Funkadelic Fusion

Marni Francesca Rissa first teased its collaboration with Carhartt WIP last year, and now the collection has finally been revealed. To bring the funky collaboration to life, the brands enlisted Bootsy Collins, his wife Patti Collins, Bootsy’s grandson Vincent, and Babyxsosa.

Fusing Marni’s whimsical and colorful cadence with Carhartt WIP workwear style, uniform pieces take shape in color-blocked constructions and floral prints alongside co-branding. Collection highlights include the Active and Chore jackets, which appear in green/white, yellow/black and warm colors.

The Marni x Carhartt WIP collection launches on January 14th at Carhartt WIP stores, Marni boutiques and on Marni’s website.

The “California Couture” collection by Dior and ERL is launching at DSM this week

Dior and ERL have finally released their “California Couture” collection at Dover Street Market, which was first presented back in May. Filled with an array of dreamy colors, sublime style meets Cali comfort in the highly anticipated collaboration.

Pieces like quilted puffer jackets, pastel satin suits and more graced the show’s bold blue runway. Kim Jones of Dior noted that the glamor of Christ Dior’s period in the United States served as a focal point in the creation of the collection. HYPEBEAST recently spoke with Kim Jones and Eli Russel Linnetz to discuss the collection’s vibrantly fun influences.