SHOWnews: Rihanna for Diesel, Robert Pattinson for Dior And More

Dior Iconic Relationships Start With Robert Pattinson

Gray was Christian Dior’s favourite colour. Gray is also an archetypal shade in masculine wardrobes. Gray then becomes both colour and concept to reinterpret Kim Jones’ defining details of the Dior Man, er Men. Shades of gray in slate, charcoal and ash paint the body of Dior Ambassador Robert Pattinson for a campaign that personalises Monsieur Dior’s colour preference with a sincere focal point — friendship.

Robert Pattinson is mate to both Jones and Dior. Pattinson has long standing relationships with the maison over twelve years. He also featured in Jones’ A/W 23 presentation. He is familiar with Jones’ Dior Homme interpretations of an instantly wearable, effortlessly masculine wardrobe. Continuity from friends and clothes is something men generally prefer. We fancy a certain sophisticated uniform. Repetition makes getting things done in life, easier and with style. The masculine identities within gray, consistency and long-term friends extends to Dior imagemaking also. Alasdair McLellan, longtime friend and photographer of Kim, returns to the fold to shoot Pattinson in his friend’s clothes. Continuity pops up again considering McLellan shot the A/W 24 Dior Men campaign.

Hopefully that explains another way to relate the Dior Icons capsule and campaign to reality. The wardrobe is a textile-specific parable of sorts to express the importance of genuine relationships, preferably with those who wield good taste. Dior Icons represent fashion, but not really. Honestly, how often do you discuss your construction gig with your mates in tech?

Sassy? Moody? Nasty? Savage x Fenty.

Blending evenly matched energy and an instinct for what feels just right, right now comes the first collaboration between Glenn Martens at Diesel and Rihanna at Savage x Fenty. The partnership provides lingerie, underwear and sleepwear that celebrates the body (these are Diesel visuals after all) while making skin feel blasé from styles that compel every impulse to buy everything at once.

Diesel and Savage X Fenty interpret body-positive product offerings across distinct Diesel principles of True Diesel, Denim and Utility. Red fishnets and foil fabrications define True Diesel (again these are Diesel visuals) while Denim is re-explained in Martens’s treatments for the house in flocked, feathery mesh and velvet options. Utility is an effortlessly confident way of living as stretch lace articulates fit bodies and stocking garters creep up bustiers.

Diesel and Savage X Fenty’s video ad best explains why everyBODY needs Rihanna’s $3B lingerie branded for the beach, boudoir or boulevard. Shot on the Tuscany seaside, photographer Salvatore Matarazzo lensed Italian characters in a reality-based depiction of democratic acceptance towards light hedonism. Witness all ages, all bodies and all Diesel x Savage x Fenty products as nature intended.

The Diesel x Savage x Fenty collection will be available at Diesel Worldwide stores and online at savagex.com and diesel.com.

Songzio and DC Comics Ask Why So Serious?

Songzio demonstrates the importance of good timing with their new capsule collection featuring DC Comics. As ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ continues to rankle the DC Universe, Songzio’s new DC collection can be embraced as a band-aid for eyes seeking the safety of better taste. For starters, DC Comics fully endorsed this collaboration. This is a very good get for Songzio since the fashion label’s expressionary depth and avant surrealism matches DCU’s animation style of idealised heroes and decadent villains.

The collaboration features ten original artworks, showcasing the Gotham wing of DCU prominently. Again, great timing as Batman, The Joker, Harley Quinn, The Riddler, Catwoman, Scarecrow and The Penguin star directly onto patchwork jumpers and hoodies, while insignias from The Joker were embroidered onto knit jumpers and wool trousers.

Songzio’s thirst for artistic expressions shines through from roundabout visual storytelling. A bold colour palette of red, black and blue represent The Joker, Batman and Superman indirectly on garments. Technical designs from Songzio give sportswear disorder to capture Batman in primitive perspectives. Sliced black waxed trousers resemble his caped wings or possibly a gothic dress. The Joker is represented with shiny formal neckties and languid silhouettes ideal for dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight.

Songzio and DC Comics meet the moment with a collaboration that pushes past a simple idea of cartoons on hoodies. Songzio uses comic book continuity to ground the urge to overdesign boundaries. This origin story begins and ends with utter clarity from superheroes and supervillains in a super fashionable multiverse.

Songzio x DC Collaboration is available 10 October

Viktor & Rolf Renew Their Vows

Viktor & Rolf recall a past love to embrace their romantic climax in Marriage for A/W 25. Our favourite Dutch conceptualists this side of Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin inject surreal details from past collections to infuse beauty with a transformative dose of bows on overload. V&R’s classic S/S 05 ‘Flowerbomb’ collection hovers over the proceedings as ‘Flowerbomb’ pink satin ribbons mutate into ivory shoulder straps, décolletage and hyper long veils in florette-dotted tulle. Garments scaled as tulle towers from their statement-making S/S 19 couture collection are perceived in three pieces that communicate big love language through kilometers. Produced in partnership with Justin Alexander, Viktor & Rolf celebrate twenty years of Flowerbomb embroidered by ceremony. They encourage anyone of the marrying kind to step back and observe echoes of modernity contained in their past works. A spray here, a sniff there and observe how the explosive antidote of Viktor & Rolf's elegance makes the scent of love a fragrant occasion.

Versace Iconography Versus Cillian Murphy and Anne Hathaway

Metal mesh, concise tailoring and the iconic presence of a movie star separates Versace Icons from the chaff. Tiny aftershocks from Richard Avedon Versace campaign history helps focus eyes and eyebrows on Cillian Murphy and Anne Hathaway. The giddiness a Cillian Murphy smirk imbues or his ice blue eyes that paralyse your gaze reflects the extraordinary presence a Versace Icon can inspire. Less convincing are photographers Mert and Marcus' observations of Anne Hathaway.

Clarity from the heroic Versace signature mesh, Barocco mini and Medusa 95 bag are not expressed quite as ferociously as one expects from a Versace female icon. This is where Versace’s magic confidence defies what our eyes see. Anne Hathaway vibes with the force of Donatella Versace in a way that silences critique: ‘Versace is more than brilliant prints, powerful tailoring and its iconic legacy - it’s a dream realized, an invitation to move beyond the ordinary and live as though the everyday was exceptional. I’m so grateful to Donatella Versace for seeing me in this collection; truly she sees me even more clearly than I see myself.’

Possibly what sets Versace Icons apart is Donatella’s sense of personality.

Diesel On Babies, Chihuahuas and Voyeurism

Diesel creative director Glenn Martens and art director Christopher Simmonds give confinement a thoughtful spin in their new campaign for Diesel. Being boxed in leaves little room for successful living. So Martens and Simmonds populate a universe of solutions to free the inner self from metaphoric constraints. The new campaign called ‘Break The Box’ sees photographer Paul Kooiker explore historic conversations between voyeurism, performance and claustrophobia. These are Kate Moss-inspired topics us SHOWstudio folks have been having for decades. Nice then, to see what results from boorish conservatism, or bored office environments, that force our muti-culti cast of models to reanimate their lives.

Using internet aspects of social media reels or short form comedic content to dance, dance, dance, viewers are encouraged to analyse ‘televised behaviours’ using Diesel’s fall 24 show theme of open access. This campaign films two sides to its story: the viewer watching these personalities with pleasure vs enhanced cults of personalities once the camera turns on. Relating to a friend group, even the annoying one who often forgets their pants, is a superficial choice, but a fun decision. We can break the box with CCTV think pieces later.