Four trends to emerge from New York Fashion Week Men’s

New York — As subway trains rattled the tracks overhead, the fashion crowd gathered under the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown for Belgian designer Raf Simons’ hotly anticipated spring 2018 men’s fashion show. The night’s humidity and a smoke machine added additional sweltering drama to the open-market setting July 11 as male and female models shielded themselves from the steaming clouds with LED-lit umbrellas. A neon sign advertising Replicants hinted that the collection would be themed around “Blade Runner,” Ridley Scott’s gritty-chic 1982 science fiction film whose sequel opens later this year, and sure enough, Simons featured layered, distorted-tailored shapes, cocoon outerwear and a variety of slick tech fabrications. Looks printed with New Order and Joy Division concert T-shirt designs added to the overall 1980s retro-future aesthetic. The moody, almost salvaged-looking collection was a microcosm of many of the leading trends to emerge.

Now in its fifth season, the annual four-day New York Fashion Week Men’s put on by the trade association Council of Fashion Designers of America again featured a mix of established designers and houses (Boss, Perry Ellis, Todd Snyder) and newer-comers (Kenneth Ning, Thaddeus O’Neil, Private Policy). Dark and light dueled as some designers chose optimistic, playful motifs (Bode’s homeware-inspired coziness, David Hart’s sunny celebration of Cuba) in contrast to the more brooding collections (Willy Chavarria’s leather-meets-lowrider themes, the “West Side Story” delinquents at Death to Tennis). Here are four standout trends from New York Fashion Week Men’s.

New wave apocalyptic

As with recent women’s collections, dystopian and new wave-meets-punk themes were a strong current. Call it part of the ’70s bleeding into ’80s moment in the retro cycle or a continued fashion embodiment of the current political resistance culture — there was a feeling of rebellion. Simons’ “Blade Runners” and Chavarria’s homage to New York’s pre-AIDS gay leather scene were two of the strongest nods, while Linder relied on punk cutouts, riveting and bleached-patchwork effects. Maiden Noir’s beach-meets-protest trenches, Heliot Emil’s military straps and hardware and Feng Chen Wang’s utilitarian athleisure sets and dusters also heavily borrowed from the mood. Kenneth Ning’s “Protocol 18” collection used heavily deconstructed tailoring, manipulated camouflage (also seen at Landlord) and aggressive Doc Marten boots to explore themes on the national security state.

Proportion play

Slim silhouettes will never entirely leave us, but menswear’s reaction against a decade of ultra-skinny cuts continues. N. Hoolywood elongated varsity jackets and cardigans, Thaddeus O’Neil cut shirts loose and boxy, while Raun La Rose inflated everything from trousers to puffer vests. Ingo Wilts at Boss relaxed suiting and featured plenty of swooping outerwear, while Michael Maccari at Perry Ellis widened pants and was one of many designers to feature the dangling, ultra-long belt.

“Guys are really loving the loose trouser,” said Maccari. “As the super-wide shapes are coming back, guys are getting it’s not about skinny; we’re pushing in the other direction as the eye changes.”

“Plastic” fantastic

Tech fabrications with the shine and gloss of plastics were seen in the reflective and transparent outerwear at Ovadia and Sons, the athletic meshes and rubberized jackets at EFM Engineered For Motion, and the primary-colored cutaway-style raincoat at Wood House. Designer Patrik Ervell, who has made the textile a hallmark of his brand, explored it again this season in sporty anoraks, wide polyurethane shorts, pants and colored cellophane-like shirting.

“With something like the silicon code ripstop (fabric) we used, it feels incredible, slippery, bizarre,” said Ervell. “When you layer it, you can get almost a stained-glass quality.”

Androgyny

One of the most talked about debuts at NYFWM was Robert Geller’s new Gustav Von Aschenbach line (named for the title character in Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice”), which featured sets of monochromatic, loose uniform-style looks with a strong unisex appeal. Carlos Campos showed unisex jumpsuits, tunics and sport pieces in drab beige balanced by bold pops of red on a mixed-gender runway. N-P-Elliot designer Nicholas Elliot took a more fantastical approach to androgyny with his boldly patterned bodysuits, draped shorts and billowing sleeves.

“All our boys (on the runway) are so pretty we didn’t want to gender the clothing too much,” said Elliott. “This trans thing that was popular a couple seasons ago was kind of a fad but this is my brand ethos. It’s important that we talk about the right kind of intersectionality (in fashion).”

Jaime King Wears Ruffled Blouse From Fast-Fashion Site

Actress Jaime King stepped out in Los Angeles looking fashion-forward sporting a structured ruffled blouse, skinny jeans, and black flats. She paired the casual jeans with a shirt that upon first glance looks seriously high-fashion but is actually from the fast-fashionwebsite SheIn. Meaning: We can afford it.

SheIn sells really affordable clothing — think adorable blouses for under $20 (and sometimes even under $10) — and even stylish celebs like King are taking advantage of the incredible deals.

Jaime King wears a ruffled blouse from fast-fashion site SheIn. — Jaime King in her ruffled SheIn blouse. (Photo: AKM-GSI)

SheIn’s prices are competitive with those of a brand like Forever 21, but its styles seem to target a more mature audience.

Although King’s blouse is no longer available on the site, a similar off-the-shoulder blouse on SheIn sells for only $16. The shirt has 96 reviews and an almost perfect score of 4.9, with many uploading pics of themselves wearing the blouse onto the site’s “Style Gallery.”

The SheIn Style Gallery, where customers get points if they upload a photo of themselves wearing a SheIn item.

“A little small on the waist but it is a so sweet blouse; I like the shape, and the fabric does not look cheap,” wrote one reviewer who gave the top a five-star rating.

Another wrote: “Adorable top, fits true to size, I purchased small. Fit perfectly. Love the fun sleeves and off-shoulder vibe. Received so many compliments. Highly recommend. Amazing quality and a great price. Looks so much more expensive than it was!!”

Of course there were naysayers too. A customer who gave the blouse a one-star rating wrote, “Too small … returning.” To that, SheIn’s customer service department commented: “We deeply apologize if our items did not live up to your expectation. Please kindly note that the sizes of our items correspond to the size description on our site, which are not standard U.S. or U.K. sizes, thus we have measurements on each product page for your reference. We’re sorry for the hassle, and we’re doing everything we can to improve.”

The brand is also sold on Amazon with similar generally positive reviews, aside from the pervasive SheIn sizing issue.

“Typically wear a size 4 and ordered a medium and it was way too small. Very cute skirt other than being too small,” an Amazon commenter wrote about a popular SheIn denim skirt.

“I am normally a medium, so I bought a large. Still way too small =*( For sure, I would give this 5 stars if it fit me. Apparently, they don’t have XL so I can’t even exchange it,” wrote another.

With prices so low though, perhaps it’s worth ordering SheIn items we love in multiple sizes and returning the ones that don’t fit. Hey, if SheIn is good enough for Jaime King, it’s good enough for us.

SHOPDEALMAN

9 Must-Try Summer Fashion Trends That Clueless Predicted

As if! Say you were born the day Clueless opened in theaters across America—July 19, 1995. You would be 22 today, or way older than Cher, Tai, and Dionne as they strode the halls of Bronson Alcott High School.

Feel ancient now? Consider this: It is over 200 years since Jane Austen wroteEmma, on which this iconic teenage film is based. She describes her heroine as a girl “no one but myself will much like,” and introduces her in the first lines of the book as: “handsome, clever, and rich,” which kind of sums up Cherilyn “Cher” Horowitz as well. Transporting Emma’s action from an English manor house to a mansion in Beverley Hills, Clueless tells the timeless story of young matchmaking gone awry—though Austen never had Emma say, “She’s my friend because we both know what it’s like to have people be jealous of us,” as Cher explains in one of her many enlightening aperçus.

And another thing: Austen’s damsels may have muddled while clad in flimsy muslin frocks, but the outfits worn by Clueless’s heroines are far closer to ourown hearts. As luck—and fashion—would have it, so many of the mainstays of Cluelessare showing up again on runways, store racks, and city streets.

Happy anniversary Clueless! So get out those slip dresses, slap on those chokers, cuddle up in your pastel athleisure! Then tear open a bag of Skinny Pop, crank up the air-conditioning, pay $3.99 to have Amazon stream the movie into your laptop, and spend a perfect evening in the company of Baldwins and virgins who can’t drive.

Here, our guide to the enduring fashions of Clueless.

SHOPDEALMAN

MoMa’s First Fashion Exhibition In 73 Years Showcases Everyday Clothing

It’s been over seven decades, but a fashion exhibit is finally making its way into the hallowed halls of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Items: Is Fashion Modern?, will be the first fashion-related show at the museum since Are Clothes Modern, an exhibit from 1944.

Unlike the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume institute exhibit, which focuses on a specific designer or cerebral theme, Items: Is Fashion Modern? will shed the spotlight on more everyday fashion items. The collection will include 111 different pieces, with a special focus on items that have had a long-lasting impact on American culture at large.

Some of the standout pieces are things that people encounter out in the real world, like Levi’s 501 jeans, Converse All-Stars, and Calvin Klein briefs. But it’s because they’ve become everyday items that they’re in the exhibition. Instead of shining a rarified light on couture, the show is hoping to bring common items into a different context.

There are some high-concept pieces in the exhibit, however. Issey Miyake’s A-POC, a long, continuous dress that several models wore simultaneously, and Moon Boots will be on display in an area focusing on size and form. To bring things back to Earth, a Wonderbra will sit alongside those two items. Little black dresses and pieces associated with “power,” like suiting and a Hermès Birkin bag will also be included.

To illustrate modesty, senior curator Paola Antonelli included a range of clothing pieces that span a variety of cultures, including a hijab, a bikini, a very timely slip dress, and leather pants.

The exhibition is set to open on October 1 and will run through January 28, 2018.

Kristen Stewart Turns Heads at the Chanel Couture Show in an Ultra Glamorous Jumper

Kristen Stewart has never been one to follow the herd; quite the contrary, in fact. Think back to when the Cannes Film Festival imposed a no-flats-on-the-red-carpet rule, and she showed up wearing Vans with her Chanel. So it comes as no surprise that the actress, arguably one of fashion’s most stylish disruptors, turned up to Chanel’s Fall 2017 Couture show this morning in what has swiftly become the must-have item of the moment, the jumpsuit.

The one-piece evening trend was seen recently on Bella Hadid who attended the Met Gala in a skintight catsuit by Alexander Wang this past May—as the story goes, she was sewn into the look en route to the ball. Clearly, other designers have taken notice: the Fall 2017 Couture collections have given way to a number of iterations, from Atelier Versace to Dior.

Stewart put a new twist on the idea—hers was cropped and felt more casual, even done in sequins. She added polish in the form of pointed-toe Christian Louboutins but stuck to her rule-breaking roots with a pair of statement sunglasses—the ultimate cool-girl accessory.

DEALMAN

Karl Lagerfeld receives Paris honour at Chanel’s greatest hits show

German designer awarded city’s highest award as autumn/winter haute couture collection deploys classic Chanelisms

Karl Lagerfeld flanked by Katy Perry, Cara Delevingne and Claudia Schiffer at the Chanel haute couture show in Paris. Photograph: Corbis/Getty

Spectacle comes as standard at a Chanel fashion show – last season models circled a lifesize replica of a space rocket in lift-off – but Tuesday’s autumn/winter 2017 haute couture presentation was a lot to take in, even by Karl Lagerfeld’s standards.

The set was typically impressive: a recreation of the Eiffel Tower built within the Grand Palais. Guests sat on metal chairs and were dwarfed by the structure; the tower’s curlicues and lattices echoed the iron spokes and glasswork of the cavernous hallway.

The clothes were as Parisian, and almost as recognisable, as that famous monument. The classic Chanelisms were all deployed: there was tweed for miles, used for stone-coloured, ankle-length dress coats with theatrically puffed-out arms, midnight blue twinsets with hooded jackets and grey culotte jumpsuits paired with matching thigh-length jackets.

Chanel’s recreation of the Eiffel Tower at the Grand Palais. Photograph: AFP/Getty

This was a greatest hits tour, but the proportions – and the tight, thigh-high black patent boots with clear perspex heels – gave the collection a modern edge.

The styling was very Coco: the models wore the designer’s signature boater hat – though fashioned from tweed and sequins rather than straw – and gobstopper-size pearl stud earrings rimmed with tweed.

Sequins give a classic boater a new lease of life. Photograph: Corbis/Getty

Aside from a clutch here or there, there were few other accessories, allowing the garment’s silhouettes to take centre stage. That, too, felt like classic Coco Chanel, echoing her famous quote: “When accessorising always take off the last thing you put on.”

Midway through the collection the tweed suits became more complex: they were adorned with crystals, or sprouted multicoloured feathered rosettes at the arms and hems.

Tweed suits dominated the catwalk. Photograph: Corbis/Getty

Next came a procession of black evening gowns with dramatic skirts and shimmering straps, and a preponderance of cocoon shapes and 60s-influenced shifts.

The show closed with a “bride” whose cream, feather-trimmed A-line dress crescendoed into a skirt so voluminous that as she walked it swung like a bell.

A voluminous feather-trimmed bridal gown. Photograph: Corbis/Getty

Despite the finery, the real focal point was not the venue, or even the clothes, but Kaiser Karl – as he is known in the trade – who took to the runway at the end to be awarded Paris’s highest honour, the Grand Vermeil medal, by the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo.

Guests crowded around the pair with their iPhones aloft in a surreal scrum in which Tilda Swinton, Katy Perry, Cara Delevingne, Kristen Stewart, Claudia Schiffer, Julianne Moore and Mario Testino could be seen jostling and whooping and straining on their tiptoes to get a better shot.

Thigh-high boots with a clear perspex heel add a modern twist. Photograph: Francois Mori/AP

The atmosphere of giddy bonhomie was tempered only slightly by the ring of security guards in dark suits who formed a human wall in front of the proportion of onlookers considered to be civilians – a difficult distinction to make with a crowd this well-dressed. This was a barrier that, for many minutes, Chanel muses Stella Tennant and Carine Roitfeld found themselves unexpectedly on the wrong side.

The Frenchness of the optics was no accident: in October, Hidalgo hosted a breakfast to appeal to the fashion industry for help in combating dwindling tourism to the city. The trend for big brands to present collections away from the capital – in locations such as Cuba and Shanghai – was presented as an issue to be tackled. Since then, Chanel has shown its collections close to home, and today the brand – and the city – got their reward.

Accessories were kept to a minimum at the show. Photograph: Corbis/Getty

In a short speech, Hidalgo described Lagerfeld as “a big talent; a unique person; someone who makes Paris more magical; someone who makes Paris a city in which things happen. Paris loves you, Karl. You are Paris.”

On accepting the award Lagerfeld, who is German but was also speaking French, said he hoped use of the language would become more fashionable, adding: “Let’s celebrate France and Paris. Vive la France!”

Guy Bourdin’s images of Chloé are celebrated at the fashion house’s new Maison

This month sees the French luxury fashion house Chloé unveil a new public space in Paris, with an exhibition of images by the seminal photographer Guy Bourdin.

Between 1956 and 1986 – when design was led first by the ready-to-wear label’s founder, Gaby Aghion, and then by Karl Lagerfeld – Bourdin shot images of its collections for campaigns and for magazines, most notably Vogue Paris. “It was incredible how Bourdin outnumbered any other photographer – by a mile,” says Judith Clark, the London-based curator of the exhibition.

Spring/summer 1979 photographed for the same magazine — Spring/summer 1979 photographed for Vogue Paris

The show, at the new five-storey Maison Chloé, adjacent to the brand’s headquarters, marks this collaboration with more than 100 photographs featuring Chloé garments shot through Bourdin’s cinematic, often surreal, sometimes sinister filter.

Chloé’s spring/summer 1975 collection, shot by Guy Bourdin for Vogue Paris Credit: The Guy Bourdin Estate

“It’s not about the dress, it’s about his story,” says Clark. “So many of his images are like film stills, and you feel that the dress is being used as a prop. It is a part of the story.”

A permanent exhibition in the space will feature an A to Z of Chloé, tracing the history of the brand’s heritage and its famous designers – including a run of four British women: Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, Hannah MacGibbon and Clare Waight Keller, who left earlier this year, to be replaced by the French designer Natacha Ramsay-Levi.

The house’s autumn/winter 1975 collection in motion,
for Vogue Paris — The house’s autumn/winter 1975 collection in motion, for Vogue Paris Credit: The Guy Bourdin Estate

“In a digital world it’s become more important that there are moments and places where you can touch and feel what Chloé really means, to experience that spirit,” says Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye, the company’s CEO. “We needed to give Chloé girls a house.”

SHOPDEALMAN

The Secret to Men’s Healthy Skin

Christopher Glebatsas, Anthony McDonough, David Furnish

The latest phenomenon in men’s style and fashion is the re-emergence of the well-groomed man. They even have a holiday to prove it! National Men’s Grooming Day is celebrated on the third Friday of August each year by men who want to incorporate style and better grooming practices into their routine.

Whilst there are still grungy guys with that bad boy look, the most revered are those that are able to carry off the man bun or the heavy beard without seeming fussy. But underneath it all, they are more evolved than ever. Especially with skincare. Men are now taking this more seriously, because they want to look good. The difference between them and their girlfriends or wives is that they do it without the fuss.

In the search for the best skincare designed for the modern man, the appeal is for men who want an honest brand that is built on science and innovation. Men just won’t stand for all the hype from the women’s world of beauty. The key to a successful men’s brand would have to be designed by men for men, like Christopher Glebatsas and Anthony McDonough. They have developed their own skincare line, Liquid Skin Care (Lqd®) to solve some common concerns like sensitive skin, acne and anti-aging . With a background in chemistry, McDonough realized the necessity to create the “perfect product” for himself and something he could recommend to his friends. Men’s skin is different to womens; the outer layer is thicker and has a different chemical composition, it also ages differently due to testosterone levels. Add to that the daily assault of shaving, and men’s skin ends up being drier and needing more hydrating ingredients. In the past most men’s products were just repackaged women’s ingredients.

Growing up playing sports in a beach town in Australia, McDonough noticed his skin had aged prematurely. Unfortunately all of the men’s products on the market irritated his skin. He had a dream of one day finding a product that worked, without causing further irritation. Having a chemistry degree and a lifetime of marketing experience, 15 years later that dream turned into a reality and Lqd® was launched. Lqd® embodies a healthy lifestyle approach to having the best skin you can. Their 3 pillars for achieving great skin are a combination of diet, exercise and great skincare products. The founders are both the prime embodiment of their brand, with an impressive commitment to training for overall physical wellbeing. Their ironman physiques are the pinnacle of peak performance training.

Lqd® was created to address common skincare issues around dryness, redness, breakouts and aging. It is targeted to fitness focused men who care about their appearance, specifically their skin. This Clinically developed cosmeceutical skin care utilizes the latest breakthroughs in skincare science. It includes anti-irritants, anti-oxidants, anti-inflamatory and anti-aging peptides to improve the health and appearance of men’s skin. While the simple stylish packaging convey’s a no fuss approach that men want, the sophistication of the range is in the high efficacy products and ingredients list. The whole range also leaves out all known skin irritants.

“It’s not only what’s in the formula – it’s also what we left out”

With a love for animals, especially their dog, Spartacus, and a dedication to bringing forth not only the highest quality but also the highest ethical standing, they do not test their products on animals.

The high efficacy of the products is due to the active ingredients they chose, such as AHA’s, BHA’s, Anti-irritants and inflammatory agents as well as vitamins, anti-oxidants and anti-aging peptides which are all known to deliver tangible results.

This is why it was awarded the BEST SHAVING PRODUCT and BEST MOISTURISER in Australia by the Men’s Health Grooming awards. But men are noticing that some of their favorite creams are being snatched by their women! The word is out and their best selling Eye Restore is getting great results for everyone.

The highlight of their brand’s emergence was when they were chosen as the exclusive skin care sponsor for the recent UK London Fashion Week Men’s event. This skyrocketed the brand to expand their loyal following on Social Media as well as their strong retail presence.

The popularity has caught the attention of celebrities such as David Furnish, LFWM’s Ambassador, who said “Massive thanks to Lqd® Skin Care for their support of LFWM. Their commitment to quality and innovation in men’s skin care sits beautifully alongside the same qualities of British Men’s fashion.”

A private dinner at the Berkshire home of Sir Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, with Lqd® Skin Care, was hosted for the fashion industry style makers as well as the international press.

The popularity of the brand is spreading across the globe, being now available at Harrods, U.K. Bloomingdales, US, and David Jones in Australia. Prior to this, the brand was built online.

The secret to having the best skin possible is finding the perfect balance of diet, training and skin care and Lqd® Skincare takes men’s grooming to a whole new level.

These high school students are learning about the fashion industry from every angle

Emily Walpole, a rising junior at Apex Friendship High School, has already learned about the history of fashion and basics of sewing. Dawn Harrison

Remember the old days, when the closest high school kids got to fashion design was learning to sew a button in home economics class?

Students at Apex Friendship High School are learning to sew buttons – and design clothing, construct garments and run a fashion show – in the school’s fashion curriculum. The program kicked off last year, when the school opened, with two levels of fashion courses that offer training in design, construction, marketing, merchandising and event planning, among other avenues. A third course will be added this coming school year.

“This is definitely a cutting-edge curriculum,” says Dawn Harrison, apparel and textile fashion educator at Apex Friendship. “It’s taking the kids on an industry-based approach – we’re focusing more on the industry. They’ll learn all about the industry, but they’ll also learn life skills like how to hem pants and sew on a button.”

The curriculum goes much deeper than just designing clothes. Harrison incorporates skills from multiple disciplines – from art to science – to show her students the diversity of career paths in the fashion industry.

“We’re not just teaching kids how to be a fashion designer,” she says. “They’re also learning the importance of science to be a chemist to create new textiles or how to be a stylist or fashion photographer – there are many avenues in fashion.”

Students in the classes get hands-on experience, be it designing and creating a fashion collection or even producing their own fashion show, as they did this past spring.

“It was very interesting to see how (a fashion show) actually happens in real life,” says Emily Walpole, a rising junior. “I’ve always been interested in fashion; since I was 10 I would sit down in September and February and watch New York Fashion Week shows streaming on their website. To be behind the scenes – seeing the models going on the runway, doing hair and makeup, making goodie bags and bringing it all together – has been great.”

For fashion-loving students like Walpole, the class teaches the tools needed to turn this passion into a career.

“I got to learn the basics of sewing, and I learned the history of fashion,” she says. “You also really get to see what your future might look like. And it builds your portfolio and gives you the skills to create things at home.”

As the program grows, Harrison hopes to incorporate more technology, such as 3-D printing and the use of electronic elements in garments. She also hopes the class will spark an interest in her students in preserving and reviving the textile heritage of their state.

“Our whole goal is to bring awareness and fashion to this area,” she says. “We want to be a part of that textile revival and get young people involved. We can revive this in North Carolina.”

Students at Apex Friendship High School are learning to sew buttons – and design clothing, construct garments and run a fashion show – in the school’s fashion curriculum. Dawn Harrison

BoF Exclusive | Condé Nast to Launch Vogue Poland

WARSAW, Poland — Condé Nast International will launch a Polish edition of Vogue next year, partnering with new media venture Visteria to expand its offering in Eastern Europe. Filip Niedenthal will be the magazine’s launch editor-in-chief, with Polish model Malgosia Bela taking up the title of editor-at-large.

In a move away from the “digital first” strategy the publishing house pursued with Vogue Arabia, debuting an online platform last autumn months ahead of the print launch in March of this year, Vogue Poland will launch digital and print simultaneously.

“Condé Nast always believed in local autonomy, in local creativity and relevance of its editions for local readers,” Karina Dobrotvorskaya, president of Condé Nast new markets and editorial director of brand development, told BoF. “Yes, digital is becoming increasingly globalised, but print readers are still looking for a unique experience. So we do believe Poland deserves its own highly creative edition of Vogue which will be different from the other 22 Vogues.”

“Polish readers have been waiting for their own edition of Vogue for years now,” said Niedenthal, whose experience launching Esquire in Poland and two years as executive fashion director at the local edition of Harper’s Bazaar makes him well placed to introduce the Vogue name to the Polish market. “Rumours that it was about to launch have been rife since I started working in the business 17 years ago.”

The decision to launch a Polish version of the Vogue brand is significant for Condé Nast given how cautious the publishing house can be when rolling out international editions compared to its competitors. Over the course of the last 20 years, Vogue has only launched one edition in Eastern Europe since Vogue Russia’s seminal 1998 launch: Vogue Ukraine in 2013.

The market is crowded and Vogue comes last, but as the king.

Vogue is debuting in a Polish media market where other global fashion magazine rivals have had a number of years to establish an audience: Elle launched back in 1994, and today has a circulation of 52,000 plus; Harper’s Bazaar entered the market in 2013, with a reported circulation of 50,000. That’s not to mention the presence of local magazines such as Twój Styl (Your Style), the Bauer Media-owned Polish monthly glossy that boasts a readership of almost 1.3 million.

“Launching a magazine in the modern media landscape is a challenge in itself,” acknowledges Dobrotvorskaya. “The market is crowded and Vogue comes last, but as the king. The challenge is to be the best, and the luxury market leader.”

“The other challenge is Vogue digital, which we will be building from scratch. But with CNI’s [Conde Nast International’s] huge international resources, and our experience with the recent digital-first launch of Vogue Arabia, we are confident that we will build a truly multimedia brand.”

While observers may view Vogue Poland as late to join the country’s editorial offering, launch editor-in-chief Niedenthal believes that part of the magazine’s success will come down to brand recognition: “Despite its absence from the Polish market, Vogue is one of the most recognisable titles here, carrying with it an air of authority and prestige that no other publication, whether in Poland or indeed anywhere else, can rival.”

Niedenthal is the fourth man to be named editor-in-chief of a Vogue edition this year, following the announcements of Emanuele Farneti at Vogue Italia, Edward Enniful at British Vogue, and Manuel Arnaut at Vogue Arabia earlier this year. Condé Nast has had long-standing male editors at Vogue Taiwan, Vogue Thailand and Vogue Korea.

Dobrotvorskaya, however, is quick to point out that this trend had little to do with Niedenthal’s appointment. “It is not Filip’s gender,” she said, “but his expertise as an editor in the region and his understanding of the Polish fashion market that makes him the right person for this particular role.” Before his time at Esquire and Bazaar, Niedenthal helmed travel magazine Podróże, and spent two years as fashion editor at Twój Styl.

And while Niedenthal will bring experience and deep market understanding of the publishing landscape, his counter-part Malgosia Bela will bring an innate understanding of Polish women.

“Malgosia is an internationally renowned figure in the industry, who has an inherent understanding of the Polish market,” continued Dobrotvorskaya. “She has unparalleled experience and relationships with international brands, photographers and stylists, which will help establish Vogue Poland’s credentials and key relationships. She is the perfect connection between Poland and the global fashion industry.”

But the question remains why Condé Nast sees now as the right time to penetrate the Polish market and expand further in Eastern Europe?

“We have been considering launching Vogue in the market for a few years,” explained Dobrotvorskaya. “The key factors behind timing are the strong recent development of the Polish luxury market and economy.”

Last year, KMPG valued Poland’s luxury fashion market at 2.2 billion Zloty ($584 million), and forecasts that it will increase 28% by 2020.

Certainly, the new title will debut at an interesting time, as the former Eastern-Bloc nation begins to flex its muscle on the European stage. As one of the only countries in Europe to survive the Great Recession relatively unscathed, Poland emerged with a fast-growing economy, defying the economic downturn experienced by the wider Eurozone.

Mateusz Morawiecki, the country’s deputy prime minister and minister of economic development, went as far as to dub Poland “one of Brexit’s beneficiaries” in a recent interview, asserting that international investors looking for stable EU operating bases find Poland an attractive contender.

While his views on the impact of Brexit are not universal, Morawiecki’s enthusiasm for the Polish market is not unfounded. According to a recent FDI Intelligence report, Poland enjoyed $9.9 billion in capital investment in 2016, making it one of Europe’s most attractive destinations for FDI (foreign direct investment).

Emerging market intelligence firm BMI Research forecasts the country’s economy to expand by 3.6 percent this year, up from a year-on-year growth of 2.8 percent in 2016. “The Polish economy is benefitting not only from relatively strong external demand, but still-low levels of inflation, record-low interest rates, low unemployment rates, and strong wage growth,” explained Lucas Dos Santos, head of Europe country risk at BMI, pointing out that the aftermath of the UK’s Brexit referendum saw an acceleration of broader EU growth which has benefitted Polish exporters.

Kasia Kulczyk, founder and chairperson of Condé Nast’s publishing partner Visteria, sees Poland’s growing clout as central to the Vogue launch. “Poland currently finds itself at a very interesting point in history, all the while growing in stature on the international cultural scene,” she said. “With this in mind, we want Vogue Poland to be a platform to promote Polish talent, particularly women, both internationally and in Poland, not just from a fashion point of view but in all facets of culture.”

“Our country is now an important European and international player,” she adds, citing Poland’s thriving economy and the fact that it is one of the largest markets in Europe with a population of almost 40 million people. “We are ready to embrace a world-class brand like Vogue.”

When we launched Glamour, Poland had not yet developed a big appetite for luxury, but a lot has developed since then.

Poland’s affluent class is growing relatively rapidly, a factor crucial to the growth of a media brand like Vogue whose advertisers are mostly made up of luxury brands. The country’s high net-worth individuals (HNWIs, or USD millionaires) more than doubled from 20,600 in 2006, to 45,300 in 2016 according to World Wealth data in Frank Knight’s latest World Wealth Report. By 2026, the number is forecast to increase to 54,400. While Poland’s wealth demographic pales in comparison to parts of Western Europe, it is one of the highest among former Eastern Bloc countries.

Launching the Polish edition of Glamour 14 years ago has given Condé Nast first-hand experience of how the country’s growing prosperity has impacted the consumer. “The media market was very different in 2003,” explained Dobrotvorskaya. “When we launched Glamour, Poland had not yet developed a big appetite for luxury, but a lot has developed since then.”

This growing appetite is reflected in the retail market, with a number of luxury brands moving in either through concessions or as standalone stores that are part of a bigger multi-brand complex. Warsaw is home to a number of luxury department stores and upmarket malls, the most famous of which is Vitkac, where shoppers can find marquee names like Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Gucci. Galeria Mokotów is another example, a destination whereMichael Kors and more recently Max Mara have set up shop.

But luxury shopping is not limited to the capital; in addition to its Warsaw shop, the popular Likus Concept Store also has outposts in Krakow and Wroclaw, and stocks a selection of more avant-garde brands including Commes des Garçons,Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamto, Junya Watanabe and Acne. According to Povilas Sugintas, research analyst at Euromonitor International, it is expected that more mid-sized cities will see their first designer apparel and footwear store openings over the next few years.

Local retail developments are important to the health of a magazine like Vogue Poland because luxury brands that are present in the local market are more likely to advertise.

Poland’s luxury market may still be in its infancy compared to established markets like France or Italy but the broader fashion market is performing well, again standing out from its Eastern European neighbours: BMI forecasts that the Polish consumer will spend 44.7 billion Zloty ($11.9 billion) on clothing and footwear this year, with a year-on-year increase of 4.3%, reaching 54 billion Zloty by 2021.

“Over the last few years Poland was not immune to global trends, most importantly fast fashion,” said Euromonitor’s Sugintas, citing H&M and Inditex as success stories that have fast been expanding in the region since 2012. Condé Nast’s Dobrotvorskaya also notes that Poland has the sixth biggest cosmetics market in Europe. “According to a recent survey,” she said, “Polish people spent about $3.89 billion on cosmetics in 2016.”

Since luxury cosmetics are far more affordable than luxury fashion, advertisers in the former category may be able to compensate for cautious advertisers in the latter and help to create an increasingly important revenue stream for a magazine like Vogue Poland.