It also got me thinking about a travel-friendly hole in the fragrance industry that needs to be addressed—not mini bottles that consumers would have to buy in addition to their usual perfume, which are not always available anyway—but a fragrance already in light packaging that can go anywhere with you. 

Abby Wallach and Caroline Fabrigas, co-founders of Scentinvent Technologies, are answering this call by doing away with the old idea of perfume. The beauty-reinventing duo recently launched Sparti Scents—fragrance sticks that are super portable, have skincare benefits and don’t cost a bomb.

“We thought beyond bottled perfume, that it would be wonderful to have something that could be pocket-ready, easy to apply and affordable,” says Fabrigas. “And at the same time a fine fragrance that is non-alcoholic, clean, and inspires joy and fun.” Wallach says the S in Sparti stands for scent and self—think, a scent party that celebrates everything olfactory and new beauty tech, targeted at the younger crowd who would rather have a wardrobe of fragrance than commit to one or two bottles. 

Currently available in three scents and in two sizes (priced at $28 and $14.97 for the mini), the twistable sticks are reminiscent of NARS’ Orgasm blush sticks. Perfumer Laurent le Guernec picked notes for each scent, each coded into color, mood elevation and emotional triggers. Spring Sparti, packing citrusy accords of mandarin and nectarine, softened by peony, musk and vanilla, in bright yellow, invokes an invigorating, fresh vibe. In an ambery-orange tone, Love Sparti’s combo of patchouli, lavender and woody notes imbue comfort, kindness and self-care. Dark purple screams owning your stuff, being confident and bold, embodied within Dance Sparti’s musk, amber and sandalwood scent. I’m slathering Dance Sparti on my wrist as I write this; the scent bursts through once the cap is opened, and the intense concentration of the fragrance makes it smell just as luxe as bottled perfume. 

While solid perfumes aren’t new, Sparti is taking the concept to a whole new level. Fabrigas says the tech behind the sticks is brand new and theirs alone. “We wanted to reinvent the idea of solid perfumes—traditionally they are a bit waxy and oily, they don’t always hold the fragrance for a long period of time,” she elaborates. “So we went to our chemist and we created an unusual substrate that can not only hold a high load of fragrance, making it like a perfume, but it could also hold color and be put on a stick, making it very portable.”

Also, unlike a normal perfume, where you spritz it on, wait for the alcohol to dissipate, and the scent dries down to the base notes over the day, Sparti sticks don’t dry down. “I feel we’ve created a new category—something in between eau de parfum and eau de toilette,” explains Wallach. “It’s not a perfume, but it has this wonderful concentration, not diluted with alcohol, and an instant, immediate release when you put it on.”

Wallach adds that alcohol in most perfumes can be very drying, especially when sprayed onto mature skin or delicate areas like the wrist and neck. On top of being alcohol-free, the sticks pack a tour de force of skincare ingredients. “We’ve covered every base imaginable in one little stick,” says Fabrigas. “Green tea is an antioxidant, chamomile extract which is soothing to the skin, and there are also moisturizing agents.” 

After years of investigation and curation—from poring over a database of fragrance to conducting focus groups of Hollywood A-listers and beauty and fashion industry insiders—Wallach and Fabrigas have unleashed something truly nouveau. “We see Sparti becoming all the rage. It’s blowing up,” Wallach surmises. “Like a perfume high we could all use!”

The post Sparti Scents Introduces a Cool New Way to Wear Fragrance  appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

Right after making the purchase, it hit me that $0.99 is such a teensy donation—can’t Kenneth Cole, with those sneakers selling like hotcakes, donate more for the cause? 

It has now been almost four months since Russia plowed into Ukraine, killing hundreds of civilians and causing millions to flee the country in search of asylum. The invasion began on the second day of Milan Fashion Week in February, and focusing on something as frivolous as fashion while the world churned in turmoil came off as being blatantly ignorant. Gigi Hadid put this strangeness into words on Instagram, announcing on March 6 that she will be donating all of her earnings from Fashion Week to Ukrainian relief. Sister Bella Hadid soon followed suit, later joined by other models like Kaia Gerber, Vittoria Ceretti, Kiki Willems, and Francesca Summers. 

 

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Priority has since shifted to not whether, but how, the trillion-dollar industry will use its sheer size and massive audience to make a stand against Russia and provide aid to Ukrainian refugees. LVMH has risen to the challenge, pledging €5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross. “Only the Brave” Foundation, which owns Maison Margiela, Marni, and Jil Sander, is working with the UNHCR to help displaced Ukrainians. Chanel has contributed €2 million to relief funds. Giorgio Armani held his Milan Fashion Week show in silence, and Pierpaolo Piccioli offered an exaltation to the people of Ukraine at the beginning of the Valentino Fall/Winter 2022 show. 

Fashion conglomerate Kering, which owns the likes of Gucci, Balenciaga, and Saint Laurent, was one of the first to openly pledge on Instagram a “significant donation” to the United Nations Refugees Agency. While Gucci has given $500,000 to the UNHCR—with more brand donations incoming according to Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault—it was Balenciaga’s exceptional efforts that stood out. 

Aside from wiping and entirely dedicating its social media channels to the conflict and making a donation to the UN World Food Program, designer Demna Gvasalia referenced the horror of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine by unleashing a snowstorm at Balenciaga’s Fall/Winter 2022 runway show. As models prepared to brave the snow, strong, blustery winds and flashing lights that appeared to mimic bombs, all set within an enormous snow globe, audience members outside the glass held onto blue and yellow t-shirts that had been left on every seat. Attached to each was a note from Demna, who himself had fled Georgia at the age of 12 during the country’s civil war:

The war in Ukraine triggered the pain of a past trauma that I have been carrying inside me since 1993, when the same thing happened in my home country and I became a refugee forever. Forever, because it is something that stays inside.

At the start of the show, the audience listened to a recording of Demna reading a classic Ukrainian poem from the writer Oleksandr Oles, as a prayer of strength for Ukraine. Models bent against the wind carrying heavy leather trash bags added to the severity of the show, yet at the same time appeared to mock the inflated grandiosity of the industry. At that moment, what was originally conceptualized as a commentary on climate change turned into a forceful stand against the war. 

 

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Still, Demna felt that a statement-making runway show and notes of sympathy were not enough—not really doing something about it. Taking serious action, Balenciaga has shut all its stores and halted online sales in Russia, joining the ranks of Chanel, Burberry, Cartier, and Hèrmes, plus high street brands like Zara, H&M, Mango, Nike, and Asos, to include luxury goods in sanctions. This happened after Vogue Ukraine urged fashion brands to place embargoes, in the same vein as Condé Nast suspending all publishing operations in Russia. “Showing your conscience and choosing humanity over monetary benefits is the only reasonable stand one can take in confronting the violent behavior of Russia,” wrote the magazine on Instagram. “Moreover, Vogue UA appeals to the global fashion industry to not keep silence during these dark times as it has the strongest voice.”

 

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In contrast, luxury brands Bulgari, Omega, and Rolex are taking their time in pulling out from Russia, capitalizing on the reported scramble by Russian oligarchs to preserve their savings by investing in luxury goods. Luxury watches and fine jewelry serve as a store of value, known to appreciate and maintain high resale prices even amid currency dives and financial meltdowns caused by war. 

In an interview with Bloomberg, Bulgari group CEO Jean-Christophe Babin heralded the brand’s jewelry as a “safe investment,” admitting that “In the short term it has probably boosted the business.” Babin added that they are sticking around for the people and not for the “political world.” Splitting the two sentiments, and, in doing so, failing to take action against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reads like a lame excuse. 

How can brands like Bulgari ever, now or in the future, espouse social or ethical credentials when they are apparently unwilling to act beyond the profit motive? Choosing to keep their hold on the lucrative luxury market in Russia comes across as especially blasé at a time when other jewelry brands are making bold statements in solidarity with Ukraine— Tiffany last month announced a pause on buying Russian diamonds, and Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Pandora have left the Responsible Jewellery Council (the watch and jewelry industry’s ethics and standards body) over the group’s refusal to cut ties with Russia. Being unable to commit to a strong moral position in the midst of global unrest, at a time when buyers demand it, paints a dire picture of the Italian jewelry house. 

And the public does not let such insensitivity slide. When Fast Retailing chairman Tadashi Yanai originally announced that Uniqlo would stay open in Russia as the brand does not make political comments, the company was lambasted on social media and a “boycott Uniqlo” hashtag went viral. Seeing that shoppers do not make light of their beloved brand taking an impassive approach to international conflict, that decision has since been reversed. 

 

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The same happened when WeWoreWhat founder Danielle Bernstein used the war to plug her brand. Page Six reported that the influencer, with 2.8 million followers, posted shots of herself in a bikini with the caption: “​​When I say you can do both, I truly mean it. You can post about fashion and post about world issues. You can raise awareness for your new collection while also raising money to give back.” The post received major backlash and was later edited. “Performance activism, is quite literally, the death of change and reform,” aptly responded one commenter.

Taking in this zeitgeist amongst its politically-engaged consumers, we can only hope that fashion houses will up their efforts and do more for Ukraine—like giving more significant donations per purchase, pledging a percentage of their profits this season towards charities that help Ukrainian refugees, and releasing capsule collections or items with profits dedicated to Ukraine. Brands that have not made it clear if they are stopping sales in Russia, like Puma and Ralph Lauren, should pull out post-haste and shout it aloud on social media. Bringing luxury sales to a grounding halt in Russia, and, in turn, taking a hit in revenue in the name of making a stand, weighs so much more than the fashion industry being apologetic for its own existence. 

The absolute least the fashion conscious can do—action that can make a difference—is to support fashion houses that have stopped all sales in Russia, and those that are donating proceeds from sales to help Ukraine, like Minimalist NYC. There are also brands releasing collections dedicated to Ukraine, with 100% of the proceeds going to humanitarian organizations and charities dedicated to supporting Ukrainians affected by the war. These include Brit jewelry brand Misho Designs, a dedicated necklace from Made by Mary, and a chic wave sweater from Edify. 

We laud Demna for how he forced the fashion set to stop and ask questions, both of ourselves and the industry, and salute brands that have forsaken profits and shut stores in Russia, but a majority of fashion brands need to do more and do it now. This is a time for the fashion industry to live up to its claims of social responsibility, to answer a call for guts and glory, as the war shakes the industry out of apathy and into action. 

The post How Fashion is Responding to The War in Ukraine appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

Gone are the voluminous puffer jackets and aprés-ski wool sweaters we saw last season; in their place, sheer fabrics, slinky dresses and skirt suits. There were nods to wintry weather, like shearling and quintessential fall hues of brown and red, but all styled in a less-is-more credo that dominated the runways. Case in point: turtlenecks slashed and wrapped around the torso like a bandage in Marc Jacobs’s off-runway, digitally-released collection.  

Frostbite concerns aside, there was so much to love this season. Grand, glitzy dresses and billowy maxi skirts were made so luxe at Altuzarra, Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera. Hemlines went up and oodles of sequins trickled down the runways, in what can only be interpreted as life, post the worst parts of COVID, getting better. As we ooze out of the cozy, lounge-y, bundled-up feeling of 2021, things are definitely looking up. 

Here, our round-up of the hottest fall/winter trends from New York Fashion Week, a premonition of what we will be wearing come fall. 

Party Like It’s 2019

The parade of sequin paillettes on dresses at Oscar de la Renta, Christian Cowan and Altuzarra sent one clear message: we are so ready to get into clubs again. More after-dark dressing took the form of slinky off-shoulder dresses; standouts were a ruched Victor Glemaud dress in a warm latte hue and a white one-shoulder piece from Khaite. 

Sheer Thing

And the party vibe just kept going. Sheer pieces screamed show ‘em what you’ve got, from a dress with a sheer skirt and arms at Christian Siriano, to a completely see-thru top dress at LaQuan Smith. A sheer black striped dress at Jonathan Simkhai took the spotlight, declaring in one gorgeous gown that the time for the re-emergence of glamor is nigh.

Hole-y Julia Fox 

Cutouts have become a fashion week staple, and this season, “It” girl Julia Fox started the trend off with a bang at LaQuan Smith. Fox stormed the runway, fierce gaze in tow, in a black floor-length turtleneck dress with slashes above and below her chest. The crowd went wild. Other shows—like Prabal Gurung and Elena Velez—had dresses with cut-outs in the same spots. 

Up and Away

As much as maxi skirts had their moment this season (that pleated leather black maxi skirt at Altuzarra, paired with a striped sweater and fur-collared jacket—so much ooh), hemlines were on the rise. There were miniskirts in bold, saturated colors and prints at Sergio Hudson and Adam Lippes, and feather-trimmed short dresses at Lisa Von Tang and Bronx and Banco– all clear signs of a collective movement away from the loungewear year that was 2021. 

Cold Shoulders 

Bustiers and corsets, renewed for yet another season, were a dominant go-to party look on the runways. Our faves: a Madonna-esque corset at Carolina Herrera mellowed down with a pair of tailored trousers, leather moto and furry, winter-appropriate bustiers at Dion Lee, and another made sheer and accented with beads and glittery bands at No Sesso.

Edited by Demi Vitkute.

The post 5 Trends Spotted at New York Fashion Week appeared first on The Urban Watch Magazine.

In our list of female fashion designers who shaped the industry, we left out names of old like Madeleine Vionnet and instead chose to focus in from the 1980s onwards. Troubadours like Miuccia Prada and Sarah Burton struck out against the confines of a male-dominated trade, altering preconceptions of women and breaking all norms of conformity. 

Here, we examine seven of the biggest, most influential female designers, who carried the torch and are paving the way for a fashion industry that is for women, by women. Who runs the world? Girls!

MIUCCIA PRADA

With one fell swoop in her Spring 1996 collection, Miuccia Prada challenged everything over-femme and teeteringly delicate about women’s fashion. Gone were Barbie-perfect high-heeled pumps of the 90s—in their place, came chunky heels, ungainly sandals, and square toes. Add to that clashing colors and prints that weren’t seen since the 70s, from chartreuse greens to muddy browns. Miuccia Prada has never stopped bringing into fashion what was previously considered outré, from socks with sandals to housewife dresses. So if one day, you look down and see your acid green maxi skirt grazing a pair of lug-soled boots, thank Mrs. Prada. As she told Another Magazine in 2021, “Bravery is something women always need.”

MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI

The designer who gave Fendi baguettes to the world, Maria Grazia Chiuri’s debut collection for Dior featured tees emblazoned with the words, “We should all be feminists.” The shirts were paired with conflicting shapes, some inspired by structured fencing uniforms and others by dainty ballerina-wear. In that one moment, the new behemoth feminist Dior woman emerged—guns blazing, yet elegant with just the right hit of romantic. The signature Dior ballet flat—soft wraps adorned with ribbons, made for walking with supreme comfort—embodies the fighting spirit Chiuri has put into Dior: delicate but always rooted in reality.

DONATELLA VERSACE

An undisputed icon of everything gay, flashy, and feminist, Donatella Versace centered her collections on the power of self. Versace took a sensual empire built by her brother, Gianni, to levels of in-your-face, unapologetic glamor: insane prints, blinding hues of gold and silver, and sheer materials meant to show off the true female form. Donatella has long championed equality, as evidenced by her Spring 2017 runway show that began with a video of top models stating their varied nationalities. Age and ethnically diverse models then stomped the runway wearing futuristic, streetwear-influenced pieces that shouted words like courage, strength, unity, and power. As she once wrote in an article for Grazia Daily: “These are all part of how you feel when you wear Versace.”

VERA WANG

Vera Wang is the ultimate subversive force in bridal wear, single-handedly tossing poufy skirts and neck-choking coverage for modern, slinky silhouettes, a style we largely perceive now as the only fashionable way to say “I do.” Wang ushered in an era of tight-fitted mermaid bodices, barebacks, and low-cut necklines, always cut like a dream and sometimes in black, blue, or red. She launched a ready-to-wear line in 2000, carrying on her pioneering spirit of nonconformism and giving women the tenacity to rebel. “If I go down for anything, that’s what I’d like to be remembered for—in a traditional business, we broke every rule,” she told Harper’s Bazaar last year. “Especially in the world of weddings; I’m seen as a quiet renegade. OK, maybe not so quiet.” 

SARAH BURTON

When Sarah Burton took the reins from Lee McQueen after his passing in 2010, she rejigged the house’s codes to a hyper-feminine take on British heritage. Ruffles were paired with masculine tailoring, leather armory and biker details met shearling, and beautifully silhouetted dresses were cinched by thick harness belts. In all her collections, Burton explores the contrast of feminine strength and sensuality in the real world, what she once described to Vogue as “soft armor for women.” Think of her lace-up leather boots that take you from the office to a chic dinner outfit, not a blister in sight. Burton refashioned Alexander McQueen into an emblem of strength and courage for women who refuse to be bound by rules.

RIHANNA

Truth: we all want to be as feisty as Rihanna, and Fenty Beauty and Fenty x Puma give us a chance to linger in her stardust. While the Fenty fashion house has faltered, LVMH is backing Savage X Fenty, her boundary-melting, super glossy, super sexy, super-inclusive lingerie brand. Forget modesty and self-consciousness—Savage lets you immerse in opulent bras and boxer shorts in intricate weaves and funky patterns, in sizes and fits for every shape, elevated to the next level to celebrate the body. Rihanna recently announced five upcoming brick-and-mortar stores, which will undoubtedly fill up with legions of fans who would follow her to hell and back. She succinctly described the brand and runway shows to The New York Times as “Women being celebrated in all forms and all body types and all races and cultures.”

STELLA MCCARTNEY

Stella McCartney brings a softer side to women’s fashion, in what she calls a play of strength and fragility, of clothes designed for movement and ease of wear. Case in point, the exemplary slouchy trousers, trapeze-cut silk dress, and wide tunic that stole the limelight at her Spring/Summer 2015 show. “[I] liked that idea of comfort, when things are falling off your hip. Let them be worn by you rather than constraining you,” she said of the wide-legged pants to The Guardian. Her quintessential pieces, like the Falabella bag and Elyse platform brogues, all play on a lightness of spirit, not on the stereotypical whimsy of femininity but freedom to wear your clothes and not have them wear you. 

Edited by Demi Vitkute.

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