SHOWnews: Songzio Brings Chaos, Jawara Alleyne In Situ, Sneaker Madness And More
Jawara Alleyne Phones Home
On 4 November, the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands opened an exhibition celebrating work from their native son, the artist and designer Jawara Alleyne, and his eponymous fashion label. Titled Island Underground, Alleyne’s unique voice and vision gets showcased through the lens of his last three collections using his artwork, sketch books and design archives. Island Underground draws its name from the Jawara Alleyne S/S 25 collection title. Installed alongside A/W 24 ‘Eye of The Storm’ and S/S 24 ‘Beach’ collections, Island Underground encapsulates Alleyne’s intuitive range with storytelling of the pirates and punk references from screenplays in his mind.
Alleyne signatures transcend gender by narrating — in his trademark slash, drape and pin fashion approach — what exists between the divine masculine and feminine. His approach celebrates Caymanian individualistic rituals from Ann Marie ‘Hairstyle’ Tomlinson, Gerald ‘Bogle’ Levy, and Darvin Ebanks as Captain Black Terrance of the Bloody Bay Buccaneers. Jawara Alleyne readily embodies Cayman Island’s past and present identities on his own terms. ‘I’ve always been inspired by a dare to be different attitude and I wanted to reflect individuals who have inspired me to find my way of doing things, to write my own story,’ he said. ‘Island Underground invites viewers to see fashion not just as clothing but as a canvas for artistic expression and cultural commentary.’
Island Underground and its S/S 25 antecedent were conceived as a deliberate two-part fashion and visual installation, as a conversation. Each represents Jawara Alleyne’s work and homecoming in a multi-layered declaration. Graduating from both Central Saint Martins and Lulu Kennedy’s Fashion East talent incubator helped firm Alleyne’s case studies of instinct, impression and emotion gone tactile. The fashion collection held Cayman Island footprints of their own breton stripe. Connecting that collection to Alleyne’s A/W 24 Caymanian observations of sea-faring tumults, to design how shelter from storms got its style.
The National Gallery is a full-circle moment for Jamaican-born, Caymanian-bred Alleyne. Childhood thoughts that became sketches. The bookstore he worked in as a teenager that inspired storytelling within his cultural diaspora. Menswear conversations start with female energy. Then the opposite occurs using Timberland boots. Alleyne’s shamanic stories all began here. ‘It’s more than just fashion – it’s about honouring where I come from and sharing that story with the world,’ the designer adds. ‘The National Gallery is a sacred space for me, a place where art and culture meet. This exhibition is a way to connect my work with the people and the community that answered and supported my calling. My work goes beyond being simply inspired by culture; it expresses my culture by speaking directly to it.’
Island Underground runs from 04 November to 07 February 2025, Monday to Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm. Admission to the National Gallery is free.
Songzio Presents Our World In Torment
Antiheroes have dominated this past dismal week. So it appears the new Songzio A/W 24 campaign, aptly titled Night Thieves, is right on schedule. Photographed by avant-visual, surreal image-maker Cho Gi-Seok, Night Thieves is a depiction on Songzio antiheroes who dominate the night. Contradicting notions of the rowdy versus the calm, the dark yet fiery sense, feels eerily on brand this past dismal week. Cho Gi-Seok presents order and disorder as inspired by Prometheus being punished for his sin, stealing fire from the gods. Considering this past dismal week, does any of this sound familiar? Fashion often explains how the world works. As Songzio and Cho Gi-Seok try to spin a tale of Prometheus’ defiant act that championed humankind to evolve civilisation in some way represents the chaos and disorder of this past dismal week. Take from either side what you must to go forward somehow.
adidas and C.P. Company Present A SPZL Finale
The final installment of adidas SPZL's 10th anniversary celebration points back to its creator and longtime collaborator, Gary Aspden, in a directly poignant fashion. Aspden’s self-constructed compass borne from casuals-era clothing contrasts, has equipped him with a unique understanding on the inherent relationship between history, sportswear and fashion. That compass fostered a unique understanding of relationships in and around appreciation for trainers like the adidas Universal. To embrace this SPZL moment one last time, Aspden’s personal compass brings Robert Brooks, Goldie, Ashley Walters, Stephen Graham and Toby Mclellan there and back again in a Nick Griffiths-directed film short about the poetry within shared, lived experiences. And with their collective lens reunited, so to goes adidas SPZL X C.P. Company reunited.
For the first time in three years, adidas SPZL and C.P. Company present six distinctive styles reflecting the decade between a lifetime of adidas SPZL through the filter of CP’s Italian high performance sportswear technology. Past and future return on 12 November with the beloved CP Manchester SPZL (the ‘89’ for those who only know web copy). It is reformatted with C.P. premium materials, more eyelets and Charlie Brown jumper patterned topstitching. CP’s 1988 Mille Miglia is an essential article to stamp authenticity onto authenticity across the collection’s range of graphic apparel like the CP SPZL puffer and the CP SPZL flying jacket.
On 11 November, adidas Carnaby will launch the adidas SPZL x C.P. Company collection through a pre-sale event at the shop with a chance to view the full length campaign film (seen above) in a one-off screening of Griffiths’ complete campaign film. Tickets are available in the adidas app.
G-Shock and Marni Release A Head-Scratching Watch
Casio’s G-Shock watch is known for its toughness. Francesco Risso’s Marni is known for boundless creativity. When the two combine over 70 years of function and fantasy to innovate with a watch, let’s just say we were underwhelmed. Like a modern home in the 90s, perhaps people need indestructible watches with G-Shock resilience and precision. Marni’s logo replicated in constant repetition on the bezel and strap aims to hypnotise. If we were supposed to think of No Doubt’s Rock Steady album cover art then it succeeded. In terms of industrial hoo-ha, the watch is both shock and water resistant with a battery lifespan of three years. We are not sure how these details add to desire. We are also not sure how Marni added to this ‘collaboration.’ However there is an LED backlight if you want to read liner notes from your Rock Steady disc past bedtime like it’s 2002 again? In that sense, perhaps this new, nostalgic watch is for you. It is available on Marni’s website right now, if you like.
Fumito Ganryu Meets Puma At Genuine Levels
For over six years, Fumito Ganryu has taken the lessons he learned at Junya Watanabe and his diffusion line at Comme des Garçons GANRYU to blend workwear archetypes of extraordinary proportions embedded with comfort. His curious sense of history and innovation within legendary companies found a willing subject with Puma for his A/W 24 collection. Bulky, cape-shaped jumpers and Dickies trousers with oversise shapes reminiscent of water droplets actually held Ganryu’s new Puma GV Special underneath pooled hemlines.
Puma and Fumito Ganryu’s collaboration is a marriage of philosophy in sleek black and white, suede aesthetics. Passionate sentiments behind intrepid product design to make the wearer feel good, get Ganryu going. Puma innovates with constant collaboration, which injects new ideas for an energetic footwear formula. Ganryu’s respectful attitude helps him remove prior experiences that inform new ones. He operates with a fresh mind.
Through the GV Special, that approach is on complete display in a campaign concept that turns the R&D process into a narrative on Puma and Fumito Ganryu’s respect-filled dedication to comprehensive quality. Engage in a conversation between Fumito Ganryu and Puma filled with process, inspiration and a fascinating Disc System dial that adjusts fit to any specifics on the Fumito Ganryu website.
Stella McCartney Just Put A Bag On A Horse
Placed atop a black stallion, sits the Ryder in celebration. Stella McCartney just launched the campaign for the Ryder, its latest vegan bag. In the shadows lurks McCartney’s vegan Falabella bag from 15 years ago. It walked so the Ryder could ride. Made in Italy the Ryder is produced from recycled, grape-based leather alternatives to reflect the shape of a horse’s nape and back. We think this heavy-handedness might explain the stallion.
The Ryder builds on the cruelty free cachet of McCartney’s iconic Falabella bag, which paved the way for vegan luxury bags in 2009. This new silhouette takes the sophistication and craftsmanship up a level. In true Stella style, each is hand-sculpted in Italy from recycled and grape-based leather alternatives to mirror the shape of a horse’s nape and back. Featured prominently in front of the horse is Sarah Snook. Snook is an Emmy-winning Australian actor who, like the model and activist Natalia Vodianova who closed Stella McCartney's winter show, fancies the Ryder. This new campaign reinforces Stella McCartney’s efforts to show how luxury and ethical sourcing can sit comfortably atop the same horse.
Puma Inhales Again To Inverse Later
Puma continues looking back to then to freshen up the now with their styles from the late-90s and early-00s. Today, they reintroduce the Inhale from 2000. The Inhale is a favorite from A$AP Rocky’s Puma collaboration. Updates for a wider fit and softer midsole remove the Inhale from running shoe vortices to up the ante for daily wear casualness. While yes, the Inhale is still useful for running, multiuse gives way to progress, which means innovation, which means AI! The AI-generated Inverse is a sub-creation under Puma’s Inhale umbrella. The Inverse is retro and progressive with a sleeker design and bolder colourways. It has a youthful energy that, if cleated, could be worn by Dutch footballer Xavi Simons. Judging by these Puma Inverse campaign pictures, it looks like the Inverse’s multifunctionality serves a purpose. When it drops on 7 December, maybe you will feel the same way. In the meantime, grab the unisex black and red Inhale, available now in Puma’s webstore.
