The Loop Issue Thirty-Four
Letter from the Editor
Fashion Month is back, and we can’t not let you hear about it. In this issue, we’re taking a look at SS27 and giving you what we deem are our highlights — from young designers you’ll want to say you discovered first to trends and runway moments you’ll want to steal for your next wardrobe cleanout. Consider this your excuse to get inspired, find something new, and maybe look at the clothes in your closet a little differently.
With love,
Fashion month is back, and SS27 is already defined. Here’s what to know:
IN THE NEWS:
CHRISTOPHER KANE X MULBERRY COMEBACK
Cristopher Kane and Mulberry made a joint return at London Fashion Week, with Kane as the new creative director. Just fifteen years ago, Kane and Mulberry were fixtures of London Fashion Week. But post-2020 pandemic, the two brands experienced a gradual slip from previous mainstream recognition. Now, the two names are joining forces. With a renewed focus on British craft, a new chief executive has fueled a revival within the brand. Kane’s return is more than a nostalgic reunion. It reflects a broader pattern emerging across this Fashion Week season — established houses are looking to their archives, heritage, and past identities to chart what’s next. As fashion continues to cycle through its own history, Mulberry’s latest move raises a question worth watching: Is the industry entering another era of heritage revival?
DIANA VON FURSTENBERG’S NEW CHAPTER
As Diane von Furstenberg’s first creative director since its namesake, Henry Zankov had big shoes to fill at NYFW. The Russian-American designer has long been surrounded by powerful women, but describes Dianne as the embodiment of one. Debuting on Manhattan’s highline, Zankov’s collection celebrated the idea of a “woman in motion” — confident, curious, and independent — the very qualities that have long defined the DVF woman. Never recreating the past, Zankov looks to reinterpret it, weaving recognizable elements into a contemporary wardrobe. Zankov’s inaugural collection establishes what the next chapter of DVF can look like: not a departure from the woman at its core, but a new perspective on who she can be.
TREND WATCH:
WHO NEEDS A SHIRT, ANYWAY?
In the midst of the heat wave, New York designers gave showgoers a solution to the overheating and sweating — leave your blouse, jackets, and cardigans wide open, and let the bra be the focal point of the outfit. At Altuzarra, bras peeked through shirts and sweaters, while KHAITE took things a little further, sending Kaia Gerber down the runway in a sculptural white bra and long black leather skirt. Is the bra officially outerwear, then? Fashion Month seems to think so.
DESIGNERS TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON
Fashion Month is a good reminder that while all the big houses get the headlines, some of the coolest clothes are coming from designers whose names you still have to Google. Geordie Campbell, a London-based designer with a queer eye, brought queer club-kid energy to London. His playful take on British menswear has already made his “Queer Boy” and “Best Boy” T-shirts signature pieces, and his SS27 collection looked to George Michael, cruising, and ‘80s excess for inspiration. Oscar Ouyang turned found objects and handcraft into genuinely strange (and very cool) clothes, while Petra Fagerström played with pleats, leather, and perspective. Basically, if you want to say you’ve “discovered them early,” go check them out.
STYLE SPOTLIGHT: LOAFER SEASON
Some clothes simply refuse to die. Take the loafer: At London Fashion Week SS27, Saint Laurent’s Le Loafers, Prada’s chunky monoliths, and Gucci’s Jordaan loafers were all over the feet of showgoers. On the runway, Mulberry paired dark-brown loafers with a metallic shift dress in Christopher Kane’s SS27 debut, while Talia Byre styled her collection with Topshop brogues. After SS27, one thing is clear: The loafer is here to stay.
MFMS PICKS:
For this selection of the MFMS picks, the editors spotlight five looks from Spring Summer 2027, which they believe to be indicative of the incoming fashion idiom.
