MOVING ALONG: No static fashion poses for him.

For his first Louis Vuitton campaign, K-pop star J-Hope displayed his dancing prowess while flouting the French luxury house’s iconic Keepall bag.

The campaign, slated to interrupt Wednesday on Vuitton’s digital and social channels, depicts J-Hope busting various moves so flawlessly that “the bag becomes an extension of his shifting form,” in line with the brand, which shared a key visual and details exclusively with WWD.

Within the campaign, the South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter and producer — who can also be lead dancer of the boy band BTS — wears monochromatic, tailored looks, leaving the highlight on his complex choreography and the roomy weekend bag.

Designed within the Thirties, the Keepall has been a mainstay of Vuitton’s leather goods range and a coveted item for high-profile collaborations with the likes of Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Supreme and Stephen Sprouse.

J-Hope was named a Louis Vuitton ambassador last February. BTS were collectively named as brand ambassadors for Vuitton in April 2021, a partnership that has since expired. With the band on hiatus, its members have been inking individual deals with fashion houses as they concentrate on solo projects and prepare to finish their mandatory military service.

Describing BTS as “Twenty first-century pop icons,” Vuitton said last February that J-Hope “brings his unique charm and magnificence to this exciting latest chapter with the maison.”

A latest Disney+ documentary, “J-Hope within the Box,” goes behind the scenes of his debut solo album, “Jack within the Box,” and his headlining performance at Lollapalooza last 12 months.

The influence of K-pop stars has been growing steadily, with many European fashion brands inviting them to their fashion shows, often unleashing pandemonium, or signing them on as ambassadors. — MILES SOCHA

PAS DE WES: Wes Gordon will design costumes for the Recent York City Ballet this fall on behalf of the Carolina Herrera brand.

Gordon is the only dressmaker participating on this 12 months’s fall gala, which may even mark the kickoff for City Ballet’s seventy fifth anniversary 12 months.

Previous NYCB fall galas have focused on premiering latest works from rising choreographic talents alongside costumes from vital fashion designers. Given the corporate’s significant anniversary, this 12 months’s event will as a substitute stage two works which can be elemental to City Ballet’s history.

With that, Gordon will envision latest costumes for Balanchine’s 1970 work “Who Cares?” The George Gershwin-scored piece was created as a jazzy, hell-of-a-town type homage to Recent York City’s bustling energy. For its fall gala, City Ballet will stage excerpts from the piece featuring 10 dancers in latest looks designed by Gordon.

“As a Recent Yorker, I look forward every 12 months to NYCB’s fall season and gala. I actually have attended quite a few times and have all the time dreamt of being the guest designer; it’s an amazing honor. I actually have been a longtime fan of Wendy Whelan, associate artistic director of NYCB — having photographed her in partnership with Elizaveta Porodina for our fall 2020 collection — and I’m excited to work along with her and the NYCB costume shop on this project,” Gordon told WWD.

While Gordon has not seen “Who Cares?” live, he’s watched archival footage as research for his designs. “It’s a really fitting piece for Herrera — high energy, fun and [a] celebration of Recent York,” he said.

As in past years, Gordon will work side-by-side with City Ballet costume director Marc Happel and the corporate’s in-house atelier of seamstresses and costume technicians.

Happel said the costumes in “Who Cares?” were ripe for reinvention. “There’s opportunity to bring latest sophistication and elements of the town to the costume design for the ballet. ‘Who Cares?’ is bubbly like Champagne, effervescent just like the city itself. It’s an entertaining and uplifting ballet, with a variety of old Recent York period design about it. I used to be thrilled when Wes Gordon signed on to revamp it, I actually have all the time thought he can be an excellent designer to bring to NYCB. His collections for Carolina Herrera have a chic sophistication but in addition playfulness about them.”

“Who Cares?” last got a wardrobe update in 2013 with costumes by Santo Loquasto, which were designed for the piece’s full forged and 40-minute run.

City Ballet’s seventy fifth anniversary fall gala is scheduled for Oct. 5 and may even include excerpts from Jerome Robbins’ “Glass Pieces,” with a rating by Philip Glass. On Oct. 11, the corporate will stage a one-night-only tribute to its anniversary, staging the identical program from its inaugural performance, which was held on Oct. 11, 1948. — MISTY WHITE SIDELL

NAS DROPS BY: Coach had a surprise for the newest group of 150 students in its Dream It Real program.

This system, which launched in 2018 and is a component of the Coach Foundation, strives to create opportunities, remove barriers and support the subsequent generation of young people in underrepresented communities to attain their dreams.

As a part of its annual Dream Day on Monday, where the students visited the Coach headquarters at Hudson Yards in Manhattan, they were greeted by a special guest: Lil Nas X, the brand’s ambassador and collaborator.

The entertainer surprised several of the scholars with a session together with his stylist Matthew Mazur where they collaborated to create career-inspired looks from Coach pieces within the Dream It Real Closets. He also worked with them within the “Dream It Real Portrait Studio,” coaching students as they took headshots for his or her résumés.

“At all times stand beside yourself,” Lil Nas X told the scholars. “You will be the predominant person you’ll be able to count on while you’re chasing your dream. The predominant person who you may have to consider in. At all times move forward and stand on your personal path.” 

Along with Coach Foundation’s partner organizations — Opportunity Network, Bottom Line, Point Foundation, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Hetrick-Martin Institute — the scholars also received a full day of mentorship, networking and skilled development advice.

Other activities included the “Dream It Real ‘Real Talks’” where executives discussed their profession journeys and topics equivalent to branding and digital marketing.

The day ended with a celebration for the scholars where they were capable of meet and mingle with their Dream It Real mentors, Coach employees who’ve offered support and guidance to them over the past academic 12 months.

Stuart Vevers, Coach’s creative director, said, “Dream Day is a special moment for Coach since it’s once we bring together young people from our programs to have fun all they’re doing to make their dreams real. This 12 months, we were especially excited that Lil Nas X could join us to make at the present time much more memorable for our students. He’s someone who fully embodies the spirit of finding confidence in who you might be that’s so fundamental to every thing we do at Coach, and thru our foundation.”

Todd Kahn, chief executive officer and president of the brand, added, “Dream Day champions Coach’s Dream It Real initiative and is a tremendous opportunity for young people to attach for a day stuffed with mentorship, skilled development and inventive workshops. The Coach Foundation committed to granting 5,000 students with scholarships through nonprofit partners by 2025. I’m proud to announce that we met our goal two years early, helping break cycles of inequality by empowering young people to succeed in their full potential through higher education.”  

Since its launch, Dream It Real has provided support and resources to greater than 150,000 young people. — JEAN E. PALMIERI

WHISKEY AND WORKWEAR: Dickies is able to tip one back.

The workwear brand is partnering with Jameson, the Irish whiskey brand, on a latest apparel and accessories collection. Called Crafted Together, the road will include signature Dickies pieces equivalent to the Eisenhower jacket, in addition to overalls, beanies and caps. A latest graphic, which pays homage to the unique Jameson “Barrelman” icon, utilized by the brand for the reason that 1700s, is on select Ts and hoodies.

Dickies has partnered prior to now with brands equivalent to Gucci and Ford, and Sarah Crockett, chief marketing officer for Dickies, said the newest partnership made sense because each are heritage brands.

“We’re all the time in search of partners that reinforce who we’re as a brand, or offer unique interpretations of our DNA,” she said. “As a legacy workwear brand, we serve a big selection of shoppers from agriculturalists to skaters to on a regular basis streetwear stylists; but it surely all starts on the core of who we’re, and that’s a 101-years young workwear brand. Our variety within the brands we partner with help us to see the world of Dickies through latest eyes while engaging with our consumers and potentially reaching latest ones along the way in which.”

She said that each Dickies and Jameson are known for his or her “longstanding craftsmanship,” so it “felt like a natural fit.”

“Jameson Irish Whiskey was founded in 1780 when workwear was the uniform of the working community, often seen within the local pub after a tough day’s work,” said Brendan Buckley, global marketing director for Jameson. “Meanwhile, Dickies began its life in 1922 as a top quality and revered workwear brand. Craft and kinship underpin each brands and we’re delighted to bring that shared ethos to life through the Jameson and Dickies Crafted Together collection.”

The gathering is priced at $20 to $80 and can launch Wednesday. It should be sold in 26 markets globally including the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

A campaign to publicize the gathering was shot on the Midleton Distillery in Cork, Ireland, by Dublin-born, Brooklyn-based photographer, Wealthy Gilligan. As well as, pop-up shops for those 21 and over will open in Recent York City and London where visitors will probably be offered samples of Jameson cocktails while browsing the gathering. The Recent York shop is at 9 West 8^th Street while the London pop-up is on the Dickies store on Carnaby Street. Each will probably be open through Friday. The gathering can also be available to buy online. — J.E.P.

ART TALKS: Perrotin, the contemporary gallery that features artists including Takashi Murakami, Maurizio Cattelan, Sophie Calle, Pierre Soulages and JR, has entered into exclusive negotiations with Colony Investment Management to sell a majority stake in the corporate.

The true estate and personal equity investment firm, headed by Nadra Moussalem, would take a 60 percent stake within the Perrotin galleries, with founder Emmanuel Perrotin staying on and retaining 40 percent of the capital, the businesses said in a joint statement.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. It is predicted to be accomplished within the second half of 2023.

Perrotin has two outposts within the French capital — one within the hip Marais and the opposite on the tony Avenue Matignon, for nearly 32,300-square-feet of exhibition space.

Colony IM has previously invested in other prime Paris landmark lifestyle locations, including the posh hotel Le Molitor. The corporate manages 3 billion euros of assets.

It’s the primary time the corporate has invested in an art gallery, intended to mix Perrotin’s passion for supporting artists with corporate infrastructure with a watch toward long-term growth.

Outside of Paris, Perrotin operates galleries in Recent York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Dubai. An outpost in Los Angeles is slated to open this fall.

Along with representing major artists, the gallery has expanded into retail sales of prints, books and extra products, and recently began working within the secondary art market space. It had $151 million in sales in 2022.

“Emmanuel Perrotin and his team have developed an exceptional gallery business over the past 30 years with a presence across three continents, representing a variety of remarkable artists. The partnership we’re considering today with Perrotin is the results of a shared vision with Emmanuel Perrotin, aimed toward long-term growth and expansion of the business. We’re convinced that contemporary art represents a highly promising asset class for the longer term, Moussalem said.

“We’re all the time exploring latest investment sectors and thrive on helping firms to attain their full potential,” he added of moving into the brand new sector.

“The association we’re announcing today is the culmination of greater than 30 years’ work by a loyal and committed team within the service of extraordinary artists who’ve grown up with the gallery. I’m convinced that Colony IM is the best partner to accompany us in a latest stage of this collective adventure, to which I remain more committed than ever. This latest impetus will enable us to further strengthen our existing expertise and develop latest ones,” Perrotin said.

The injection of capital would increase Perrotin’s ability to expand in latest cities, with London, Zurich and Istanbul among the many potential locations, in addition to additional acquisitions of other galleries. — RHONDA RICHFORD

SPECIAL CLEAT: Tuesday night at Citi Field isn’t only concerning the Subway Series, pitting each Recent York City baseball franchises against each other in an all the time highly anticipated matchup. It also marks the introduction of the second iteration of the Recent Balance cleat created for Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.

Lindor will take the sphere throughout the Mets and Yankees game wearing the Recent Balance Lindor 2, which incorporates a latest colorway, the Summer Storm, and performance materials including the energy return midsole foam, FuelCell, with Abzorb cushioning on the heel and forefoot. The upper incorporates a two-strap system that permits move lockdown across the foot and a sliding closure system that fastens in less time than tying traditional laces, something Lindor specifically asked for within the shoe.

The athlete also made clear his desire for a more environmentally friendly process for the second version of his signature shoe, so no tooling dies were required for the fixed-width webbing and minimal waste was created, in line with the corporate. As well as, through the use of 3D printing and embroidery, Recent Balance reduced using traditional molds and cutting dies.

“I’m so excited to point out off the Lindor 2 throughout the season, starting with the Summer Storm colorway,” said Lindor. “Having a chance to work with Recent Balance on this update allows me to proceed to explore my love of design. Combining the newest Recent Balance technology with even more energizing designs, you don’t need to choose from performance and magnificence.”

The Lindor 2 is Recent Balance’s most premium baseball shoe and when released to the general public in July will retail for $110 for the pregame version and $150 for the cleat. It should be sold on the Recent Balance website.

Along with the Summer Storm gray shoe with teal accents and a pixel green sole, the Lindor 2 collection will probably be offered in a Vintage Puerto Rico, Tropical Fiesta and other colorways throughout the season in cleat and pregame versions that talk to Lindor’s Puerto Rican heritage. 

The Recent Balance Lindor 1 was introduced in 2017 and marked the Boston-based sports brand’s first baseball signature shoe and apparel collection.

“Francisco is uniquely recognized across Recent York City sports, culture and community, having quickly grow to be the face of the Recent York Mets,” said Matt Nuzzo, senior product manager for Recent Balance Baseball. “Working with Francisco on updating the Lindor he wanted to make sure it could meet his demands on the sphere but in addition [be] something he could wear out after the sport. He is really redefining the longer term direction and possibilities of the baseball category.” — J.E.P.