Hypebeast • 17th May 2023

What Happened With Bally and Rhuigi Villaseñor?

Since founding the luxury streetwear label RHUDE in 2015, Rhuigi Villaseñor has become one of the most notable names in fashion. The Manilla-born, Los-Angeles raised designer’s personal profile and signature high-street aesthetic became even more notable when he assumed the creative director role at Bally in January of last year. But just 14 months later, Villaseñor stepped down from his position at the Swiss brand, causing many in fashion to wonder: what happened?

Although it needed a touch of

Hypebeast • 11th May 2023

Will Peter Do Be Helmut Lang’s Saving Grace?

Since coming on the scene in 2018, Peter Do has served as a reminder that every so often a designer emerges who’s able to captivate by just their work alone. No gimmicks, no hoopla, just a commitment to a vision and the unwavering determination to see it manifest season after season. Because of this, the Vietnamese designer has been one of the most revered emerging names in fashion over the past five years — and what adds to his mysticism is that we seldom see or hear from him. Yesterday, howeve

Hypebeast • 17th March 2023

Okane Is the Emerging Menswear Label Building More Than Moments

Like many fashion designers and creatives, Alex O’Kane’s love for fashion revealed itself at a very young age. From being surrounded by clothes due to his mother’s work with designer Fernando Sanchez to devouring his aunt’s fashion magazines, it was a constant. But instead of immediately going to study fashion, O’Kane focused on art history and went into the family’s electrical business post-college. All the while, his passion for fashion, then at odds with his career, continued to grow.

After

Hypebeast • 23rd December 2022

How Upstate NY Resort Design Finds the Balance Between Charm and Tranquility

Design and leisure go hand in hand in upstate New York. For decades, the Hudson Valley and Catskills regions have attracted NYC residents who crave a serene touch of nature and an escape from the Big Apple’s hustle and bustle. But over the past few years, there’s also been a growing desire amongst global travelers to set their feet down in the area’s charming bliss. From the quaint yet unequivocally cool to symbols of modern luxury, the caliber of hotel stays in the area is just as diverse as th

Hypebeast • 20th December 2022

Looking Back at How Fashion Evolved in 2022

In 2022, the fashion industry surged back to life. Runway presentations returned to their fullest forms since before the pandemic, with brands like JW Anderson and Coperni staging double-take-worthy spectacles that reminded onlookers of the power of fashion weeks. Brands united for memorable collaborations, some of which saw high-fashion merge with streetwear, while others let sportswear become avant-garde via artisanal craftsmanship. Industry-shifting designers embarked on their first outings a

Hypebeast • 11th November 2022

SoFaygo Finds the Sweet Spot Between Emotion and Euphoria With ‘Pink Heartz’

“She like ‘Faygo, you getting bigger’. I remember when you was a lil’ n****,” Atlanta rapper SoFaygo said on “Knock Knock,” one of his most popular tracks to date. Little did the artist expect the 2020 cut to rapidly elevate his career, but that’s exactly what happened when the track traversed TikTok – introducing SoFaygo’s energetic-yet-melodic sound to an entirely new group of listeners. Now, with several EPs and mixtapes under his belt, SoFaygo is stepping into a brighter spotlight with his d

Hypebeast • 6th October 2022

‘Las Ruinas’ Is Rico Nasty’s Coffee Bean

Thanks to her arresting adlibs like “WOAHH,” “HUH HUH YEAH” and “KENNYYYY,” it’s hard to confuse a Rico Nasty track with music from any other artist. With a multifaceted rap-rock cadence and unique dripped-out style, Rico Nasty has carved out her own lane over the past seven years. But after releasing a catalog of mixtapes plus one studio album since stepping on the scene, it was time for the Maryland-born rapper to reset with her latest project, Las Ruinas. Whereas previous works exalted the ro

Hypebeast • 29th September 2022

10 Years of Daily Paper: Community, Clothes and Commitment

Blogs that sell T-shirts rarely evolve into global clothing brands, but Daily Paper has never been the kind of brand to walk a standard path. Whether it be an early screen printed t-shirt or a bespoke suit, Daily Paper’s garments are more than clothes: they’re a medium for learning about and bridging cultures. What shines even more about the brand’s ascension over the past decade, however, is its firm footing in exalting their community. In a landscape where many brands see “community” as a tren

Hypebeast • 20th May 2022

WINNIE New York Only Wanted To Fly Under the Radar

Mum’s the word when it comes to menswear label WINNIE New York or so that was founder/creative director Idris Balogun’s intention. However, when you’ve previously worked with the likes of Christopher Bailey and Tom Ford, it is rather challenging to keep your debut clothing label under wraps. Now just three years after the birth of WINNIE New York, Balogun has found his label on the lips of tastemakers worldwide – begging the question: “What is to come from this undeniably skilled designer?”

Ado

Hypebeast • 30th April 2022

Sole Mates: Chris Echevarria and the Blackstock & Weber Ellis Penny Loafer

Seldom has the penny loafer, a hallmark of men’s classic footwear, been cast a newfound light that rests within contemporary fields of view. Both its existence and aesthetic have usually reflected tradition, formality and a singular idea of what its presentation should be. But for Chris Echevarria, these stylistic ideals were too rigid and in dire need of evolving to reach the shoes’ greatest potential. So naturally, Echevarria led his own charge.

The Blackstock & Weber founder eventually creat

Hypebeast • 17th November 2021

EGONlab Is the Emerging Label Bringing a Punk Spirit to Tailoring

For creative duo Florentin Glémarec and Kevin Nompeix, creating clothing without a message is a futile exercise. As such, the designers and their young unisex brand EGONlab, which was founded just two years ago, hope to bridge generations through romance and rebellion.

EGONlab extends beyond its founding duo, to include a wider network of visual artists, graphic artists, and music producers. It’s a chosen family, of sorts. It’s curious, then, that the brand draws its name from the early-20th Ce

Hypebeast • 5th November 2021

‘The Harder They Fall’ Tells the Story of Black Western Culture Through Costume

Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall made its Netflix debut on November 3 and tells the story of retribution and revenge through the lens of Black cowboys in the 19th century American West. Though the story is fictional, the film based its character portrayals on legendary Black historical figures and employed a star-studded cast that includes Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Delroy Lindo, Danielle Deadwyler and more.

The prevalence of Black co

Hypebeast • 16th September 2021

For Edvin Thompson of Theophilio, Fashion Is an Expression of Culture

Edvin Thompson, the designer behind the contemporary clothing brand Theophilio, has crafted a name for himself by designing garments woven with social commentary and personal stories of his upbringing.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Thompson moved to the U.S. in 2002, moving around to several cities. The designer told HYPEBEAST that while he has always been artistically inclined, it wasn’t until high school that his love for clothing and design took shape.

“I was actually introduced to personal st

Hypebeast • 8th July 2021

To Migos, Jewelry in Hip-Hop Is a Symbol of the American Dream

Whether it be iced-out chains with customized pendants, diamond clustered tennis necklaces, bust down Audemars Piguets or four karat rose-cut diamond earrings, jewelry has long been used as a symbol of success in hip-hop music. To the artists that sport these opulent pieces, it’s not only a fashion statement, but also a celebration of how far they’ve come and a testament to how they have actualized the American Dream.

Migos’ new Ice Cold docuseries, premiering today on their YouTube channel, ex

PAPER • 3rd March 2021

Zerina Akers, Beyoncé's Influential Stylist, Is Only Getting Started

You've likely come across Zerina Akers' work more than you realize. See: Beyonce's Black is King, Chloe x Halle's "Do It" music video and Fendi campaign, Normani's Teen Vogue cover and spread. You get the point. Many would consider that this stylist, costume designer and all-around businesswoman has already reached the highest ranks. I mean, where does one go after working with literal Beyoncé? But for Akers, this is just the birth of an industry shifting career.

Clothes are clearly Akers' trad

PAPER • 4th February 2021

The Designer Turning Clown Culture Into Freaky High Fashion

The timing of Sintra Martins' first-ever ready-to-wear collection could not be more fitting considering how, now more than ever, almost everyone is doing away with the rules that once governed how and when shows are released. (This past week alone we've seen designers show Spring 2021, Pre-Fall 2021 and Fall 2021.)

"I think coming at it from the perspective of sociology, I was able to gain some insight into why [fashion] exists," she tells PAPER. "I was able to better understand why I like it s