L'OFFICIEL Presents: The In Crowd

Photography Lia Clay Miller
Styled by Michael Cook

These days, it’s all about the next big thing. As luxury brands continue to bet on the hype that surrounds a small-batch drop, artists and designers are coming together to satisfy the market’s constant craving for innovation and exclusivity. To take the idea of newness one step further, we asked the current crop of next generation models—all descended from top-level fashion and Hollywood talents—to showcase designers’ capsule collections. Call it remixing the classics, squared.

Take Saint Laurent’s Rive Droite, with locations in Paris and Los Angeles, which feature an ever-evolving collection of blink-and-they’re-gone pieces, plus art exhibitions, performances, events, and more. French label Celine has found itself at the center of the conversation around menswear, presenting collections inspired by today’s youth culture. For the label’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection, creative director Hedi Slimane asked seven artists to participate in the show-titled “Teen Knight Poem”—which was presented in the form of a film in which young men with impossibly cool hair wander nonchalantly around a French castle. Among these artists is the LA-based artist Cambria Guevara, a.k.a. Mermaid Hex, who created a graphic motif that was printed onto a denim vest, t-shirt, sneakers, and even a longboard, creating a complete skater uniform. At Givenchy, graphic artist Chito was tapped by creative director Matthew M. Williams to add his own spin to the brand’s new classics. The Seattle-born, Mexico-based artist’s airbrushed pop-inspired designs appear on hoodies, windbreakers, slides, and the iconic Antigona bag.

Tommy Hilfiger also teamed up for its second collaboration with outdoors wear powerhouse Timberland. The result is a ‘90s-inspired, 16-piece capsule that’s ready to hit the streets. Heritage brand Louis Vuitton takes its collaborations literally, calling them “Louis Vuitton Squared.” The second iteration of LV² continues the creative conversation between Men’s Artistic Director Virgil Abloh and Nigo, the founder of Japanese label Human Made. An homage to silhouettes of the ‘50s and ‘60s, the capsule collection’s designs are imbued with an East-meets-West spirit. Finally, few labels have had greater success with collaborations than Moncler. Known for its skiwear, the brand has found a second life through its Moncler Genius project, where guest designers are invited to instill the iconic garments with their own point of view. As an example, the Moncler capsule created in collaboration with 1017 Alyx 9SM brings a futuristic touch to puffer jackets, leggings, trousers, and more.

These limited-edition capsule collections bring together creative minds across disciplines, reaching younger generations by injecting heritage brands with an up-to-the-minute twist.

L'OFFICIEL: You began your career in minor league baseball, and now are deep into fashion. What was that transition like?

JAMES TURLINGTON: Sports and fashion are pretty opposite, but it was amazing to do something totally new. I had been playing baseball since I was four years old, so it was my whole life and I had the same schedule every day. I was surprised by how fast-paced fashion month it; you never know what is going on until the day before.

L'OFFICIEL: You're a model, photographer, and design your own line, CTRL+. Is there anything else you want to try?

Roberto Rossellini: I work on my mom's farm on Long Island-primarily with the animals but also some garden work-and I studied marine biology. I'm trying to apply that to my creative work now and would love to eventually do underwater cinematography for somewhere like National Geographic. 

L'OFFICIEL: What subcultures influenced your style growing up?

GABRIEL-KANE DAY-LEWIS: Growing up in Paris I got really into something called Tecktonik, which is a kind of electronic dance. Everyone who does it does their hair really spiky with a ton of gel, and we would always wear impossibly tight Cheap Monday jeans with a hoodies from American Apparel.

L'OFFICIEL Hommes USA Fall 2021 is now on newsstands and available to order online here.

HAIR Sean Michael Bennett
MAKEUP William Scott
PRODUCTION Shayan Asadi
PHOTO ASSISTANT Leah James
STYLIST ASSISTANT Myles Colbert