Phoebe Philo’s return date was announced, as Philo stans rejoiced. Elsewhere last week, Balenciaga and Adidas revealed negative impacts of their 2022 controversies, and NYFW officially kicked off. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Glossy Podcast for interviews with fashion industry leaders and Week in Review episodes, and the Glossy Beauty Podcast for interviews from the beauty industry. –Danny Parisi, sr. fashion reporter
Phoebe Philo is back
Yes, again. After retiring in 2017 from Celine and announcing her return under her own brand in 2021, Phoebe Philo went silent for nearly two years. But her fans finally got the news they were waiting for when the designer announced that her eponymous brand will show its first collection in September.
For a certain subset of fashionable women, Philo’s elegant designs inspired a cult-like devotion. Her work at Celine was hailed as stylish but realistic, something someone could actually envision wearing to the office rather than an avant-garde piece fit only for the runway or extra-special occasion. She’s also a designer’s designer; many of her biggest fans are creative directors and designers at other brands.
“Phoebe’s work appeals because she consistently blends modernity with functionality,” said Amy Smilovic, founder and CEO of Tibi. “Her designs were always wearable, but never ordinary. It is one thing to appreciate art and creative design — but in the world of clothing, to be able to wear it in your everyday life, that is the holy grail.”
The impacts of controversies
Late last year, Balenciaga was rocked by a controversy involving themes of child abuse in two different ad campaigns. Meanwhile, Adidas dealt with its own controversy involving the implosion of its lucrative relationship with Kanye West and the Yeezy line.
Now, we’re finally starting to see how these two controversies materially impacted the brands in question. Adidas announced it’s expecting a potential operating loss of more than $750 million, thanks to the fallout from the end of its Yeezy partnership. The company’s stock fell by 11%, the biggest drop in years.
No revenue figures have come out from Balenciaga yet, but on the annual Lyst Index that ranks fashion brands based on their sales, social media buzz and other factors, Balenciaga fell a precipitous seven spots. It had been in the Top 5 brands every year since the Index began in 2018, and now it isn’t within the Top 10.
Glossy at NYFW
New York Fashion Week officially kicked off on Friday, but Glossy has been covering both on- and off-calendar shows and events all week. Check out our recent coverage of the return of Alexander Wang, the state of size inclusivity on the runway (or lack thereof) and the designer trend of championing widespread main-character energy. We’ve got more coverage coming throughout this week, as well.
