Dior Haute Couture - Entering Lynda Benglis’s World of Form

July 9, 2026

Inside Dior’s Grammar of Forms Exhibition

Jonathan Anderson Brings Lynda Benglis Into Dior Couture

written LE MILE

Inside the exhibition space for Grammar of Forms, Dior’s couture is placed among trees, glass vitrines, dark wood structures and a reflective floor that turns the room into something almost liquid. The same venue that hosted Jonathan Anderson’s couture show for the house now holds the collection in suspension. Dresses stand upright on slim plinths, some enclosed in tall glass cases, others left open to the surrounding greenery.

A metallic pleated form catches the light beside a black handbag, a white gown appears in a wooden frame, its folds held with the precision of a study object. In another corner, a bronze-toned dress rises from the body with sharp, crumpled volume, closer to sculpture than eveningwear. The exhibition follows Anderson’s second haute couture collection for Dior and gives each look the space to be studied up close. A fold can be read as structure, a pleat becomes a held gesture, and surfaces catch the light differently when the garment no longer passes in a few seconds. Here, the stillness makes the engineering visible.

DIOR Haute Couture Exhibition with artist LYNDA BENGLIS GRAMMAR OF FORMS in Paris for LE MILE Magazine — Inside Dior’s Grammar of Forms Exhibition
with Lynda Benglis

Inside Dior’s Grammar of Forms Exhibition
/ courtesy DIOR

Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1941, Lynda Benglis became one of the defining American artists of her generation after emerging in 1960s New York. Her work moved through poured latex floor pieces, polyurethane foam, wax, metal, gold leaf and glitter. She has always treated material as something active.

It spills, bends, hardens, folds and carries the trace of the body that shaped it. Her sculptures have often been described as frozen gestures, a phrase that returns throughout the Dior project because it gives language to what Anderson is also exploring through couture.

Anderson follows Benglis’s fascination with matter at the point where it begins to shift under pressure. Fabric is pressed into pleated volume and pulled into knotted density, while certain surfaces start to resemble paper or metal. Embroidery carries the glittered intensity of Benglis’s work into the surface of the clothes. What appears spontaneous has been calculated through couture engineering, with the Dior ateliers giving each fold the support it needs to hold its shape around the body. The strongest looks carry that exact tension. The fabric seems caught in the act of becoming an object, while the body remains its point of return.

The connection to Dior’s own history sits in the construction. In 1947, Christian Dior’s New Look relied on an internal structure of boning and padding, allowing fabric to create a silhouette that stood away from the body. Over the following decade, the house developed lines such as Zig-Zag, Tulip, A and H, each one treating shape as something deliberate and engineered. Anderson enters that history through Benglis, using her sculptural instinct to test how far Dior’s couture construction can be pushed in fabric.

By the time the viewer leaves Grammar of Forms, the exhibition has made its clearest point about Anderson’s first movements at Dior. The house is being approached through construction and the patient intelligence of the atelier, with Benglis opening a way to think about matter before it settles into form. Her presence keeps the collection away from simple archive exercise or art-world quotation. What remains is the sense of a beginning, carefully held, with Anderson using couture to test how much force a dress can carry before it returns to the body.

all images
/ courtesy of DIOR Press

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Review - William Fan, GmbH, Dagger & More

July 8, 2026

Berlin Fashion Week SS27

Six Shows That Proved Berlin Has Its Own System

written KLAAS HAMMER

Berlin may have been windy this season, but that did little to deter the city's fashion crowd—or the growing number of international guests—from filling the front rows of Berlin Fashion Week. Across the week, designers once again proved that creativity extended far beyond the clothes themselves. From Zehlendorf and Friedrichshain to the iconic ICC building and Reference Studios' Intervention at the Kronprinzenpalais, each venue became an integral part of the storytelling. On the runway, Berlin showcased what continues to define its fashion identity: sharp tailoring, diverse casting, politically engaged collections, and a new generation of designers confidently shaping the future of the city's creative scene.

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 BTS
/ William Fan seen by Nicolai Sauer

William Fan

Opening Berlin Fashion Week with a bang, William Fan presented EXCHANGE, a collection inspired by the rituals of collecting and the memories attached to objects found while travelling. Referencing marketplaces from Marrakech to Tokyo, the Berlin designer translated the idea of cultural exchange into a wardrobe that felt both familiar and constantly evolving.

Instead of relying on standout looks, Fan built momentum through repetition. Relaxed cargo trousers anchored the collection, while layered styling, elongated proportions and subtle utilitarian details created a sense of effortless continuity. Delicate pleating introduced movement without overpowering the clean silhouettes, and small metallic charms appeared like keepsakes gathered over time—echoing the collection's central idea that clothes, much like souvenirs, carry the stories of where we've been.

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Runway
/ William Fan seen by Nicolai Sauer

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 BTS
/ Unvain seen by Nicolai Sauer

Unvain

Following the success of its debut runway show earlier this year, expectations for Unvain's return to Berlin Fashion Week were high. Fashion insiders anticipated one of the week's standout presentations—and they were right.

The collection balanced rawness with precision. Sheer dresses met low-rise trousers, washed-out T-shirts contrasted with a silver-coated military parka, while unfinished edges and a restrained colour palette reinforced the label's understated aesthetic. Rather than chasing spectacle, Unvain found confidence in subtle styling and carefully considered proportions. Sustainability remained part of the brand's design language without becoming its headline. The fur pieces were created entirely from vintage garments, reconstructed in collaboration with resale platform Sellpy, giving existing materials a new purpose. The result was a collection that felt contemporary, self-assured, and confirmed that Unvain is quickly establishing itself as one of Berlin Fashion Week's most exciting emerging names.

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 BTS
/ Unvain seen by Nicolai Sauer

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Runway
/ Unvain seen by Nicolai Sauer

Berlin Fashion Week SS27
/ Barragan seen by Nicolai Sauer

Barragan

Without having followed Barragán closely before Berlin Fashion Week, the presentation at the Mexican Embassy came as a striking discovery. Set within the diplomatic surroundings of the embassy, the show offered more than a traditional runway moment—it created a space for reflection, questioning how identity is shaped, represented, and constantly transformed.

With its queer and Mexican heritage at the core, Barragán has created a distinctive visual language that challenges traditional ideas of identity, questions existing power structures, and reflects on the complexities of contemporary culture. One of the collection’s strongest elements was its casting. In a fashion landscape that increasingly seems to move back towards narrow beauty ideals, Barragán’s runway felt refreshingly open, bringing together different body types, ages, and expressions of individuality. The collection itself embraced contrast and tension.

Distressed T-shirts were paired with transparent fabrics, low-rise trousers with visible underwear, and glossy leather jackets with skin-tight neon-green catsuits. Second-hand inspired denim, heavy boots, and intentionally imperfect layering gave the looks a raw and expressive energy. Presented inside the Mexican Embassy, BARRAGÁN SS30 explored identity as something shaped through movement, politics, history, and cultural exchange. Rather than presenting nationality as a fixed concept, the collection reflected on belonging as something continuously negotiated—formed through experiences, memories, and the places we inhabit.

Berlin Fashion Week SS27
/ Barragan seen by Nicolai Sauer

Dagger

After making its runway debut at Berlin Fashion Week last season, Dagger returned with another presentation created in collaboration with Reference Studios „Intervention“ and once again proved why the queer streetwear label has quickly become one of the most exciting emerging voices of the week. Following the overwhelming response to its first show, designer Luke Raine admits that the success came as a surprise. “Genuinely, it was a total shock,” he explains. “We had never done a fashion show before and didn’t know if, judged by an industry standard, people would connect with it.” The reaction ultimately became a defining moment for the designer, reinforcing his decision to trust his instincts and continue building Dagger on its own terms.

For SS27, Raine returned to the coastal seaside town of his youth, Portrush—a place shaped by early 2000s skate culture, summer crowds, and teenage memories. The collection captured those formative years: first jobs, first freedoms, late nights, and the feeling of discovering who you might become. Rather than documenting the town as it was, Raine explored a “rose-tinted version” of home, focusing on the optimism of youth and the moment when the world suddenly begins to feel bigger. Beyond the clothing itself, what stood out was Dagger’s ability to create a complete universe. Few brands manage to bring together casting, hair, makeup, styling, and music with such natural precision. Every element felt connected, reflecting the community-driven spirit at the heart of the label.

The collection translated this authenticity into clothes that appeared already lived in. Washed-out prints, over-dyed denim, college shirts, and sports jerseys came together with relaxed silhouettes and skate-inspired references. Between DIY aesthetics, streetwear codes, and working-class influences, Dagger celebrated the beauty of garments that carry memories—clothing not just made to be worn, but to become part of someone’s story.

For Raine, Dagger has always been about more than clothing. “DAGGER is about taking a chance on yourself no matter who or where you come from,” he says, reflecting on the brand’s beginnings after investing his final savings into printing his first T-shirts. That personal sense of belief has become part of the label’s identity, allowing its pieces to connect with a growing international audience, from Berlin’s creative scene to artists such as Tyla and Rema. With SS27, Dagger continues to prove that authenticity cannot be manufactured. It is built through community, personal history, and the stories people choose to carry with them.

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 BTS
/ Dagger seen by Nicolai Sauer

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Runway
/ Dagger seen by Nicolai Sauer

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 BTS
/ Dagger seen by Nicolai Sauer

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Runway
/ Dagger seen by Nicolai Sauer

GmbH

Closing Berlin Fashion Week’s Reference Studios “Intervention” with a powerful final statement, GmbH turned the runway into a dialogue between forgotten histories and the brand’s own visual language. For their anniversary collection Desire Paths, research into Berlin’s couture past including fashion historian Gesa Kessemeier’s work and archival garments from Julia Schwarz’s “Berliner Chic” collection became a starting point rather than a blueprint. The designers did not recreate the past; they filtered its silhouettes, craftsmanship, and attitude through the unmistakable codes of GmbH.

While remaining anchored in the distinctive GmbH menswear aesthetic, Desire Paths expanded the brand’s visual language with selected womenswear looks, including a memorable appearance by DJ Arca. Across the collection, archival influences met familiar GmbH signatures: cropped bomber jackets, over-the-knee boots, short shorts, and precisely constructed silhouettes were united through a restrained palette of black, grey, and cream. Custom footwear created with UGG and archival-inspired eyewear developed in collaboration with ic! berlin subtly reinforced the collection’s dialogue between craftsmanship, heritage, and contemporary design.

What made the presentation particularly memorable was the emotional connection between fashion, music, and history. When the soundtrack shifted to Hildegard Knef after some looks, the relationship between Berlin’s past and present felt complete—a rare runway moment where every element came together.

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 BTS
/ GmbH seen by Nicolai Sauer

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Runway
/ GmbH seen by Nicolai Sauer

Marie Louise Müller

One of the newcomers on this season's Berlin Fashion Week schedule, Marie-Louise Müller transformed the rooftop of Lobe Block into a poetic garden for her SS27 collection Escapist Garden. Against the backdrop of raw concrete, dried flower petals welcomed guests while soft house music and playful melodies created the feeling of a warm summer afternoon. Inspired by childhood memories of long days spent barefoot in the garden, Müller presented a collection that celebrated nature through craftsmanship rather than spectacle. Around 2,500 hours of handwork went into the looks, with crochet, embroidery, hand knitting, and upcycled natural fibres forming the foundation of a wardrobe designed to outlast seasonal trends.

The collection unfolded in a palette drawn directly from the natural world, moving from soft creams and earthy greens to delicate pinks, raspberry reds, and sky blues. Floral embroidery and insect motifs appeared throughout the garments, while sculptural pieces—including a skirt constructed from a garden hose—introduced a playful contrast to the collection's otherwise delicate aesthetic. Watering cans carried by several models reinforced the show's whimsical storytelling without feeling overly literal. Rather than chasing novelty, Escapist Garden found its strength in patience, craftsmanship, and emotional storytelling. Marie-Louise Müller delivered one of the week's most quietly memorable debuts, proving that slow fashion and imaginative design can still captivate a Berlin Fashion Week audience.

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 BTS
/ Marie Louise Müller seen by Nicolai Sauer

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Runway
/ Marie Louise Müller seen by Nicolai Sauer

Paris Fashion Week Womenswear SS27 - Streetstyle

July 3, 2026

OUTSIDE THE SHOWS
That’s Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS27

written LE MILE

Outside the official schedules and beyond the staged precision of the runway, Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS27 revealed another side of the season. In the heat of late June, the city became a shifting surface of arrivals, pauses, crossings and departures. Fashion moved through the streets with less formality, yet no less intent. Tailoring appeared lighter, silhouettes opened up, skin became part of the composition, and utility was softened by ease. The mood was not casual in the simple sense. It was deliberate, edited and alert to the body in motion.

uralee Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ Auralee

Comme des Garcons Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ Pharell Williams attending Comme des Garcons

Doublet Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ Doublet

Egonlab Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ Egonlab

Junya Watanabe Man Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ Comme des Garcons

Captured by Ian Kobylanski, Outside the Shows looks at the figures who shaped this atmosphere between presentations. Guests, editors, stylists and familiar faces assembled their own readings of the season through sheer layers, loose proportions, sharp eyewear, worn-in denim, technical pieces and gestures of exposure. What emerged was not a single trend, but a visual field shaped by climate, attitude and proximity.

Shot during the final days of the Paris circuit in June, the series reflects a city briefly transformed into an open-air index of contemporary menswear. Outside the Shows observes how fashion circulates beyond the runway, where garments are tested by heat, movement and the gaze of the street.

Lemaire Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ Lemaire

Lemaire Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski GUCCI advertising on LE MILE magazine backcover — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ Lemaire

Rick Owens Man Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ @esdeekid attending Rick Owens x adidas

Willy Chavarria Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ @loretoperalta attending Willy Chavarria

Sacai Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ Sacai

Rick Owens Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ Rick Owens x adidas

Eifeltower Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027

Paradis Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ @maluma attending 3. Palais

Yohji Yamamoto Paris Fashion Week PFW SS27 Menswear LE MILE Magazine Outside The Show Ian Kobylanski — Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS2027
/ @venmarquardt attending Yohji Yamamoto

all visuals
(c) IAN KOBYLANSKI

Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS27, June 2026

White Resort 2026 - The New Luxury Travel Economy

July 2, 2026

A Review of White Resort 2026

Where Resortwear Meets the New Luxury Travel Economy

written KLAAS HAMMER

Milan was in the grip of soaring summer temperatures, yet the city's fashion crowd arrived at WHITE Resort – On the Beach powered by WHITE with unmistakable energy and curiosity. From 18 to 20 June 2026, BASE Milano became the setting for a new dialogue between fashion, travel and hospitality, where visitors explored curated resort-wear collections, discovered fresh lifestyle concepts and joined insightful conversations on the evolving luxury hospitality landscape.

White Resort 2026 Chapters Milan Fashion Week LE MILE Magazine

Marking its debut, the new format introduced a dedicated platform for resort fashion, bringing together around 100 carefully selected brands alongside an international audience of buyers, industry insiders and hospitality leaders. Representatives from Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette and Wolf & Badger were among those attending, underlining the growing importance of the resortwear category as luxury travel continues to shape contemporary fashion consumption.

More than a traditional trade fair, WHITE Resort positions itself at the intersection of fashion and destination culture, reflecting a shift towards lifestyle-driven retail and new commercial ecosystems. Through newly announced partnerships with TRUE and Allumeuse, the platform aims to strengthen international connections between fashion brands and some of the world's most prestigious hotels and resorts, opening new avenues for visibility, collaboration and global expansion.

Following a promising first edition, On the Beach powered by WHITE will return from 24 to 27 September 2026 during WHITE Milano, occupying a dedicated space at the Nhow Hotel in Milan's Tortona district. As resortwear continues to evolve from a seasonal niche into a strategic business segment, WHITE's newest concept offers an inspiring glimpse into the future of fashion, one where luxury, travel and lifestyle seamlessly converge.

all images (c)
White Milano Press

KML SS27 - The Limitless Poetry of a Saudi House

July 2, 2026

A Review of KML Spring/Summer 2027 Collection

The Limitless Poetry of KML

written MALCOLM THOMAS

“Would you like to take off your shoes?” is not high on the list of requests asked of guests at a fashion show, but it was just one of many ways that Ahmed and Razan Hassan, creative directors of KML, proudly distinguish themselves as the first Saudi ready-to-wear brand to present on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar. Formerly LVMH Prize semi-finalists and Emerging Talent Award recipients at the Arab Fashion Awards, the Hassan’s melding of menswear and culture is a welcome alternative to the Western European monotony that often floods our social feeds.

KML SS27 Show Review LE MILE Magazine Paris Fashion Week

Opened with a short black-and-white film directed by Anas Sufyan and co-produced with Mohammed Sehaim, the film introduces viewers to regional Saudi dances performed by Bilal Allaf against the backdrop of thoughtfully arranged music by Firas Shurbaji. The set, a cosy, white-clothed venue with matching monochrome catwalk and benches, was the perfect stage for a show that was anchored in stillness and fluidity.

The first look was a diaphanous cape, with open sides, exposing the naked breast and body of the model. The tone for a twenty-six-look collection that quietly prioritised its wearer over its wears. Most in sheer, ethereal silks, and sheers in an uncomplicated colour palette of whites, blacks and greys. Soft editorial details like the twist of a skirt or trouser in light wool and the opening of a back on a dress shirt juxtaposed more conscious style choices like unexpected trains, off-the-shoulder blouses, and lantern tassel sleeves.

To call the collection simply beautiful seems limiting. Limitlessly poetic seems to fit just right.

all images (c)
KML Spring/Summer 2027 / KML Press

Post Archive Faction SS27 - Pain, Beauty and Survival

July 2, 2026

A Review of Post Archive Faction Spring/Summer 2027 Menswear Collection

The Pain and Beauty of Post Archive Faction

written MALCOLM THOMAS

Post Archive Faction, abbreviated as PAF, doesn’t provide elaborate show notes or backstories to reference, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot to say. The high-concept Korean brand, founded in Seoul in 2018 by Dongjoon Lim, is steeped in nineties minimalism and technical prowess. Having shown at Pitti Uomo and done collaborations with Off-White and Nike, the young brand that bases its storytelling around chapters that read like poems added a few more to its hypothetical novel this season.

Post Archive Faction Spring Summer 2027 collection LE MILE Magazine Show Review

Centred around karateka who were practising in the background, the collection featured sheer whites, blacks and soft pastel pinks and blues. Translucent trenchcoats and see-through shoes provided a kind of brutal fluidity that paired nicely against a medley of Radiohead and Korean rock that felt like a mix of youthful angst meets American Psycho. Design details were abundant with zip shoulder blousons, dancing ribbons, multi-layered button-ups and spears.

PAF was not just creating a collection but conceptualising a caricature, a grungy teenager on the precipice of the dot-com boom, a madman no longer waiting to be seen, a ruthless banker whose tailoring is as severe as his patience, a fighter readying for battle. The tropes were cleverly clear.

These were a delicious display of clothes to be excited about. A balance between pain, beauty and survival. Even if just a reflection of surviving Paris in a most thick and violent heat.

all images (c)
Post Archive Faction Spring/Summer 2027 / Post Archive Faction Press

adidas Originals Stan Smith - Pop-Up at Paris Fashion Week SS27

July 1, 2026

A review of the adidas Originals Stan Smith pop-up in Paris

adidas Brings the Art of Performance to Paris Fashion Week

written MALCOLM THOMAS

Set in a Paris estate in the Marais, adidas Originals launched a two-day residency inviting friends and collaborators to celebrate and interpret Stan Smith’s enduring legacy as a conduit of creative self-expression and a blank canvas for possibility. Positioning the famous sneaker, not just as a recognisable symbol of quality but as a uniform for those who remain in constant dialogue with their craft.

Summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week ADIDAS PFW Stan Smith Residency Space LE MILE Magazine James Blake Performance at Pop Up — The adidas Stan Smith Residency in Paris / a Platform for Art and Performance
James Blake performing during PFW SS27

Summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week ADIDAS PFW Stan Smith Residency Space LE MILE Magazine Painted Wall

Summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week ADIDAS PFW Stan Smith Residency Space LE MILE Magazine white sneaker

Summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week ADIDAS PFW Stan Smith Residency Space LE MILE Magazine set music

The multi-level residency began at the entryway with a tactile display of home goods and furnishings curated by Mathilde Vallantin Dulac, branded in green for guests to take home. In the highest room in the residence, Yung Lean was left to his own devices as he spraypainted it. Cyprien Gaillard’s conceptual film Untitled played in another, where the natural movement of thick white smoke escaping a railroad tunnel was the focus. Thibault Grevet presented an excerpt of his upcoming monograph, Far, and set up a studio where he shot candid portraits of the participating artists. Mark Gonzalez’s love of skateboarding was his contribution to the space where he performed in an indoor skatepark. One of the more popular rooms in the space was a white-clothed sitting room lounge by Guillermo Santomà, where guests like Willy Chavarria found respite from the heat and community in each other.

Music was provided with live performances by Ibeyi, minimal instruments and a grand piano. Soul artist Debbie created a sound sanctuary with a twelve-person gospel choir, and James Blake took to the keyboard along with a small band of musicians, singing songs that drew quite the crowd.

An archival exhibition was also open to guests to explore the decades of impact the Stan Smith continues to have on culture.

Summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week ADIDAS PFW Stan Smith Residency Space LE MILE Magazine Loli Bahia — Loli Bahia
/at adidas Stan Smith Residency in Paris

Summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week ADIDAS PFW Stan Smith Residency Space LE MILE Magazine Mark Gonzales — Mark Gonzales
/at adidas Stan Smith Residency in Paris

Summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week ADIDAS PFW Stan Smith Residency Space LE MILE Magazine Lil Simz — Lil Simz
/at adidas Stan Smith Residency in Paris

Summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week ADIDAS PFW Stan Smith Residency Space LE MILE Magazine Ibeyi — Ibeyi
/at adidas Stan Smith Residency in Paris

Summer 2027 Paris Fashion Week ADIDAS PFW Stan Smith Residency Space LE MILE Magazine Myles Lewis — Myles Lewis
/at adidas Stan Smith Residency in Paris

all images (c) adidas Originals Press

Taakk Spring/Summer 2027 - Love Letter to Irving Penn and Flowers

June 30, 2026

A Review of Taakk Spring/Summer 2027 Menswear Collection

TAAKK’s Love Letter to Irving Penn and Flowers

written MALCOLM THOMAS

Taakk may have found its stride. Set to a playlist that could double as an action thriller soundtrack, models walked down the catwalk in chocolate and bordeaux nylon disco trenches, slouchy leather and velvet hobos, leisure suiting in sunset orange, and pinstripe embroidered sets.

TAAKK SS27 Paris Fashion Week Review LE MILE Magazine

After receiving a standing ovation for its fall/winter collection, Taakk’s spring/summer offering titled “Ability of Discovery” marks a moment of continued creative acceleration for the Tokyo-based brand. A brand whose purpose is intertwined with the innovative textile techniques that have become part of its ethos.

TAAKK SS27 Paris Fashion Week Review LE MILE Magazine lila suit

TAAKK SS27 Paris Fashion Week Review LE MILE Magazine black outfit

Beyond the tactile, this season, Takuya Morikawa dug deeper, exploring his own identity in an unlikely marriage of inspiration. The iconoclastic fashion photography of Irving Penn and the delicate beauty of the flower. “What continues to inspire me about Irving Penn is not simply what he photographed, but how he looked at things —the ability to transform something familiar into something entirely new,” said Morikawa.

Not new to Morikawa, however, who season after season has transformed material compositions and fabric structures into singularly gradient surfaces or developed intricate precision cutwork techniques that layer embroidery, creating three-dimensional detailing one might find snaking around backs and sleeves. These, after all, are markers of a Taakk garment.

TAAKK SS27 Paris Fashion Week Review LE MILE Magazine yellow jacket

TAAKK SS27 Paris Fashion Week Review LE MILE Magazine orange suit and black leather coat

TAAKK SS27 Paris Fashion Week Review LE MILE Magazine brown leather one piece

TAAKK SS27 Paris Fashion Week Review LE MILE Magazine red trousers

TAAKK SS27 Paris Fashion Week Review LE MILE Magazine coat

all images (c)
Taakk Spring/Summer 2027 / TAAKK Press

Christian Louboutin Men’s SS 2027 - Jaden Smith Expands the Christian Louboutin Universe

June 27, 2026

A Review of Jaden Smith’s Christian Louboutin Spring/Summer 2027 Menswear Collection

Jaden Smith Expands the Christian Louboutin Universe with his Spring/Summer 2027 Menswear Collection

written MALCOLM THOMAS

As if plucked from the ruins of Pompeii, outside the Palais Brogniart on a white-hot day in Paris, two red foot sculptures stood parallel against the stone steps behind them. A banner was draped in the distance. Outside the entrance of what resembled a Rosetta Stone, a manifesto was written. “You are now entering the ruins of an ancient kingdom. Past these doors, you leave this world and enter the realm of Christian Louboutin Men’s”.

Jaden Smith Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 LE MILE Magazine Set Design — Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027
/ by Jaden Smith

Indeed, Jaden Smith’s sophomore presentation was a cultural smörgåsbord bathed in red light. History’s biggest hits propped shoes and accessories in carved out corners and atop formations. Models navigated a crop circle with a Stonehenge-imitation structure in the background—interacting with guests and each other in passing.

Luka Sabbat Jaden Smith Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 LE MILE Magazine — Luka Sabbat at Jaden Smith´s Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 Afterparty

Jaden Smith Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 LE MILE Magazine leather backpack — Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027
/ by Jaden Smith

Brice and Regis Abby Jaden Smith Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 LE MILE Magazine photo Sofia Malamute — Brice and Regis Abby at Jaden Smith´s Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 Afterparty
/ photo Sofia Malamute

Some pieces from the Christian Louboutin Avant-Première collection made a return, such as the Multipocket Vest and TCT Harness. Smith also expanded on Louboutin’s leather goods offerings with the Nostalgic style family, which includes the Hobo and the Backpack. Some pieces took a turn for the fantastical with The Corteo and the Louis from Louboutin’s Child Like Wonder offerings, inspired by Smith’s childhood paper cut-outs. Yet, the most conceptual symbols that the Jaden Smith x Christian Louboutin era is upon us, were Stone Mason’s Feet made from a single piece of leather and cut into square-shaped toes, and the Claw Slide, an animal claw editorialised as a wearable piece of contemporary sculpture.

Of course, there were a variety of everyday pieces too, a patent-leather gradient evening shoe and a classic weekender being among them. Closing out his collection with an A-list afterparty that included a very fashionable Smith family outing, Jaden Smith is clearly aimed at cementing himself as king in a Christian Louboutin “kingdom” of his own design.

The Spring/Summer 2027 Men’s collection will launch in stores on October 28th, 2026.

Jaden Smith Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 LE MILE Magazine Lookbook SS27 — Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027
/ by Jaden Smith

Jaden Smith Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 LE MILE Magazine lookbook bag — Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027
/ by Jaden Smith

Asake Jaden Smith Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 LE MILE Magazine photo Sofia Malamute — Asake at Jaden Smith´s Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 Afterparty
/ photo Sofia Malamute

Jaden Smith Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027 LE MILE Magazine Presentation Set Design Sculpture — Christian Louboutin Men Spring Summer 2027
/ by Jaden Smith

all images (c) Christian Louboutin Press

Dior Men Summer 2027 - Jonathan Anderson Remixes the House

June 25, 2026

DIOR MEN SUMMER 2027

Jonathan Anderson Steps Out of the Museum

written ALBAN E. SMAJLI

The Musée Nissim de Camondo holds the particular silence of a house kept in perfect order after life has left it. Its rooms speak through arrangement, ownership and polished surfaces, which made them unusually exact for Jonathan Anderson’s second Dior Men collection. He placed the clothes inside that stillness and let them look recently handled. Open collars, loose scarves and cuffs stretching past the wrist gave the impression of garments adjusted moments before the models stepped outside, as if Dior had been caught between the mirror and the garden.

Three models backstage at Dior Men Summer 2027 wearing relaxed formal looks, including a cream jacket with black lapel, a grey knit with silver trousers and a pale embroidered jacket for LE MILE magazine — Backstage at Dior Men Summer 2027
Photo by Mireia Deulofeu

Paris was already hot in the morning, and the collection seemed to register the temperature through cut before the setting needed to explain it. Jackets sat with space around the torso, trousers fell with a wider line and sheer tuxedo layers gave formalwear a more exposed physical presence. Silver trousers cut through the garden light with a trace of night, while white shirts with soft bows brought a controlled awkwardness to the body. Anderson’s Dior remained precise, yet its precision came through touch rather than distance.

Model backstage at Dior Men Summer 2027 wearing a checked suit with extended white shirt cuffs and a loosely tied black scarf for LE MILE Magazine — A backstage fitting moment from Dior Men Summer 2027
Photo by Mireia Deulofeu

Model backstage at Dior Men Summer 2027 wearing a white textured coat and carrying a pale blue cannage tote with Dior charms for LE MILE Magazine — A backstage detail from Dior Men Summer 2027
Photo by Mireia Deulofeu

The house references worked best when they lost some of their ceremony. Houndstooth appeared as print, turning a woven code into immediate surface. Polka dots crossed sequins with a brightness that felt almost too decorative for the morning, which gave them their charge. A silk shirt repeated a trompe l’oeil scarf motif from 1979 Dior haute couture, now worn close to the skin instead of treated as an archival citation. The gesture felt typical of Anderson’s method here. He did not need to announce a break with the past, he instead changed the level at which the past appeared.

And that shift gave the collection its strongest moments. Embroidered coats suggested work still visible in the finished garment. Fringed knits and loose scarves gave the silhouette a slightly unsettled edge, while the extended cuffs made elegance look less obedient to the wrist. There was a sense of fitting left in the clothes, as a way of keeping Dior in motion. The formal line stayed intact, though the body inside it seemed freer to move, sweat, loosen and touch.

Fred again..’s custom mix with KTNA, Mabe Fratti, Jamie T and original vocals by Christine and the Queens gave the show a similar feeling of altered recognition. Familiar voices and textures passed through a different register, matching a collection in which established Dior material kept changing state. The mix moved through the preserved rooms with a slightly unsettled pulse, loosening their stillness without forcing the effect.

—see the Key Looks

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Model walks the Dior Men Summer 2027 runway in a textured grey coat, white shirt, black bow tie and wide black trousers inside the Musée Nissim de Camondo — Dior Men Summer 2027
Photo courtesy of Dior

Close-up of a model backstage at Dior Men Summer 2027 wearing a pale denim jacket with frayed detailing over an embroidered white silk shirt and black scarf for LE MILE Magazine — A close-up from Dior Men Summer 2027
Photo by Mireia Deulofeu

Close-up of Dior Men Summer 2027 embroidery work, showing silver beadwork, a black bow detail and hand-applied embellishment on striped fabric — A savoir-faire detail from Dior Men Summer 2027
Photo by David William Baum

Two Dior atelier workers adjust a textured plissé coat on a mannequin for the Dior Men Summer 2027 collection — Inside the Dior Atelier
Photo by David William Baum

Nineteenth-century embroidery appeared on suede lace-ups, bringing historical ornament down to the ground. Woven boots with scuffed finishes, a vintage zig-zag blanket turned into a bag and a spongy denim tote with cannage gave the accessories a handled quality, with craft moving through objects built to be touched and carried.

Anderson’s second Dior Men proposal feels strongest in that controlled state of disturbance. Nothing here collapses the house, and the collection has no interest in theatrical rebellion. Its intelligence lies in smaller acts of displacement. A formal shirt changes through the cuff, a couture motif changes through proximity to skin, and a museum changes because the clothes make it feel occupied again. Dior Men Summer 2027 brought warmth into the house, leaving the museum rooms with the feeling of clothes recently worn, adjusted and carried outside.

Frayed white textile sample from the Dior Men Summer 2027 collection shown against a black background and held across a hand. — A savoir-faire detail from Dior Men Summer 2027
Photo by David William Baum

all images (c) Dior

Louis Vuitton Men’s SS 2027 - Pharrell Williams’ Surf Dandy

June 25, 2026

LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING/SUMMER 2027

Pharrell Williams Takes the Dandy to the Shore

written ALBAN E. SMAJLI

Paris still held the heat when Louis Vuitton opened its Men’s Spring-Summer 2027 show at the Cité Internationale Universitaire. The city was heavy, the evening barely cooler, and Pharrell Williams answered with sand, mist and a wall of water rising at the end of the runway. The set gave the body a suggestion of relief before the clothes came into focus. It was artificial, fully controlled, completely Louis Vuitton, and still the image worked: a beach placed inside the capital, a wave built as architecture, a summer fantasy made sharp by the temperature around it.

LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027 by Pharell Williams LE MILE Magazine Set Design Cité Internationale Universitaire — LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027 by Pharell Williams
Set Design at Cité Internationale Universitaire

The collection took surf culture through the Louis Vuitton dandy, less as a costume, but more as a change in posture. The suit remained present, only loosened by the idea of movement: Shoulders dropped slightly and Trousers widened. Jackets sat with more air around the body. Wetsuit lines appeared inside tailoring, technical stretch tightened certain silhouettes, and waxed surfaces caught the light with a faint wetness. Pharrell’s dandy has often carried polish; here, that polish came marked by salt and surface wear.

LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027 by Pharell Williams LE MILE Magazine bike and suit — LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027
by Pharell Williams

LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027 by Pharell Williams LE MILE Magazine skateboard — LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027
by Pharell Williams

LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027 by Pharell Williams LE MILE Magazine — LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027
by Pharell Williams

The strongest clothes had a handled quality with mended textures, weathered finishes and tactile trompe l’oeil that gave fabric the sense of having passed through use. A short could carry discipline, a knit could hold the memory of sun and a suit could take on the trace of performance fabric while keeping its formal line. This was where the collection felt most precise: in the friction between luxury craft and clothes connected to boards, beaches, travel and repair.

Skate culture ran through the show with a graphic snap: checkerboard motifs cut across sneakers and garments, bringing Pharrell’s own visual memory into the coastal frame. The low-cut sneakers, rubber soles and sharp surface graphics gave the collection a street-level rhythm, while acid colours broke through the sand-toned atmosphere with the brightness of surf hardware and sun-faded signage. Dark tailoring and deep green outerwear gave the eye a calmer register, keeping the collection anchored in the house’s travel vocabulary. And the silver camper near the dunes sharpened that idea, it stood like a polished shelter, sealed and reflective, a nomadic object placed inside an invented coast. Before the show, surfers Mikey February and Julian Wilson appeared in a cinematic prelude, giving the fantasy a physical source. Then came the water, the sound of it, the mist from it, the force of it held inside a Paris runway. Pharrell’s own studio-made music pushed the presentation further into atmosphere, with the wave operating as set, symbol and cooling device.

LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027 by Pharell Williams LE MILE Magazine yellow coat — LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027
by Pharell Williams

The environmental note came through Louis Vuitton’s support of Coral Gardeners, with reef restoration in French Polynesia linked to the house’s Regeneration 2030 roadmap. In a show built around water, that detail gave the image a practical extension beyond the runway. Spring-Summer 2027 feels like one of Pharrell’s clearest propositions for Louis Vuitton Men so far: not a break from the house’s travel mythology, but a sharper way of making it physical. The show understood destination as climate, dress as attitude, and luxury as an environment built around sensation.

LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027 by Pharell Williams LE MILE Magazine bag — LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027
by Pharell Williams

LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027 by Pharell Williams LE MILE Magazine blue suit — LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027
by Pharell Williams

LOUIS VUITTON MENS SPRING SUMMER 2027
by Pharell Williams

all images (c) Louis Vuitton Press

VALENTINO - Cruise 2027 Feels Like a Private Archive

June 20, 2026

WHY VALENTINO CRUISE 2027 FEELS LIKE A PRIVATE ARCHIVE

written SARAH ARENDTS

Valentino Cruise 2027 treats clothes as evidence of private life. In Liv Liberg’s campaign at Villa Gaia Gandini in Milan, Alessandro Michele’s collection sits among rooms that already feel occupied by memory, with coats, prints, shoes and bags carrying the pressure of people who have dressed for themselves before anyone looked.

VALENTINO CRUISE 2027 Campaign photographer Liv Liberg Villa Gaia Gandini Milan for LE MILE Magazine — VALENTINO / Cruise 2027 Collection

The collection places women’s and men’s wardrobes inside the same emotional register. A floral print has the confidence of something found in a family photograph. A coat sits on the body with deliberate weight. Tailoring softens around the figure, while decorative surfaces give each look a sense of attachment. Michele is interested in the way garments become personal before they become public, the way a sleeve, a collar or a pair of shoes can suggest a life already in motion.

Cruise often belongs to travel, yet here the idea of movement feels closer to interior life. The collection creates characters through clothing that seems chosen with private logic. There is elegance, but it comes through possession rather than polish. A bag is held like something needed, shoes alter posture, prints bring memory into the image, and ornament becomes part of behaviour.

Liv Liberg’s photographs sharpen that reading: shot at Villa Gaia Gandini in Milan, the campaign places George Anderson, Valery Sergeva, Yar Aguer, Gaetan Bianchi, Dario Tonin and Khadim Diouff inside a setting filled with domestic gravity. The villa gives the collection a lived frame. Walls, mirrors and furniture hold their own presence, making the clothes feel observed by the rooms as much as by the camera. Liberg’s images carry a controlled intimacy and the models appear caught during a pause, close to speech or just after it. Their gestures keep the campaign away from pure display. A hand rests near a bag and a body turns slightly into the room.

This is where Michele’s Valentino feels most precise, because his work for the Maison has often dealt with memory, excess and character, but Cruise 2027 gives those ideas a more domestic pressure. The clothes do not ask to be decoded as symbols. They work through wear, through mood, through the friction between private taste and public image.

VALENTINO CRUISE 2027 Campaign photographer Liv Liberg Villa Gaia Gandini Milan for LE MILE Magazine bag — VALENTINO / Cruise 2027 Collection

The campaign uses Milan as a house, a stage of possession, a place where fashion enters rooms already charged with time. Valentino Cruise 2027 gains its force from that tension: clothes carrying the trace of someone’s life, photographed in a space that seems to remember its own.

all images Courtesy of Valentino

creative director ALESSANDRO MICHELE
photographer LIV LIBERG
hair stylist PAOLO SOFFIATTI
make-up artist JOEL BABICCI
manicurist ROBERTA RODI
models GEORGE ANDERSON, VALERY SERGEVA, YAR AGUER, GAETAN BIANCHI, DARIO TONIN, KHADIM DIOUFF
location VILLA GAIA GANDINI, ROBECCO SUL NAVIGLIO, MILAN, ITALY

Pitti Uomo 110 and Polimoda - Defining Summer 2026 Menswear in Florence

June 17, 2026

Something Old, Something New 
PITTI UOMO 110 Defies Conventions

written CHIDOZIE OBASI

The Pool is the visual and conceptual theme of the Summer 2026 edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo. In the curator’s vision, the pool is a swimming pool where a young man brushes the still surface of the water with his hand, touching his own reflection.

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Pitti People Pitti Immagine Uomo — Pitti People Pitti Immagine Uomo

Everything in this image feels suspended, a moment of waiting, of time held back. The light is icy and vivid, like in a painting by David Hockney. The mirror of the water reflects a desire that has not yet taken shape, almost like an erotic ideal at the pool’s edge. The young man, dressed in dark, elegant suiting, is not the celebrated body of swimming iconography. He’s a modern Narcissus, a disenchanted one as a matter of fact, aware of the seductive power of reflection yet choosing to break the spell.

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Vincenzo Junior Marrazzo — PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE
Vincenzo Junior Marrazzo

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Lisa Criaco

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Idan David Segal — PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE
Idan David Segal

The edition’s most prominent showcase was Polimoda, one of the world’s leading schools for Fashion and Design, which brought forth a rich selection of graduates whose innovations were inventive and traditional in equal measure. A new vision of the world shaped this season, bringing forth twenty designers from fifteen different nationalities to bring to the runway the vision of a generation shaped by instability and rapid global change. Their work reflected this fully: fearless, intimate, and profoundly human.

The collections express a deeply personal and socially engaged approach to fashion, drawing on memory, cultural heritage, and lived experience as the central pillars of their creative research. The garments do not function merely as clothing, but as emotional and conceptual statements, evidence of a generation using fashion to process, resist, and make sense of the world they have inherited. The Graduate Show marked the culmination of four years of training: a journey in which students from around the world chose Florence and Italy to develop their own creative language, drawing from their cultural roots and translating them into industry-ready work.

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Aaron Dillworth — Aaron Dillworth

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Emilie Wenckstern — Emilie Wenckstern

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Lucia Romagnoli — Lucia Romagnoli

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Isabel Antonia Richter — Isabel Antonia Richter

Fashion has a tool to tell stories of memory, identity, and vision, at the professional debut of a new generation of designers. Every garment was conceived, developed, and realised in the workshops of the Manifattura Campus, under the guidance of some of the most respected professionals in the field. New to the 2026 edition, the mentorship of creative directors Luke and Lucie Meier, who have returned to the school where they trained and met twenty-five years ago, joining director Massimiliano Giornetti, An Vandevorst, and the faculty in guiding the development of the collections.

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Jing Jirat Jitdee — Jing Jirat Jitdee

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Jakob Nittmann — Jakob Nittmann

LE MILE Magazine PITTI UOMO 110 FLORENCE Victor Brial — Victor Brial

all images (c) Polimoda / PITTI IMMAGINE Press

Louis Vuitton Gives the Monogram a New Textile Presence

June 15, 2026

Why Monogram Emblème Matters in Louis Vuitton’s 130th Anniversary Year

Louis Vuitton is marking the 130th anniversary of its Monogram with Monogram Emblème, a new jacquard canvas introduced in June 2026 as part of the Pre-Fall 2026 collection. Applied to several of the House’s most recognisable bag models, the line focuses on texture, colour and the material presence of a motif that has defined Louis Vuitton since 1896, with further colourways scheduled for September.

Flat lay of Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft bag components in Monogram Emblème Peuplier, including jacquard canvas panels, leather trims, handles, hardware and artisan tools arranged on a worktable — All elements of the Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft in Monogram Emblème Peuplier, shown before assembly

The Monogram itself dates back to 1896, when Georges Vuitton created the motif after the death of his father, Louis Vuitton. At the time, the company’s trunks had become widely copied, and the pattern served as a visual identifier and as a way of marking the House’s products more clearly. The initials and floral elements have since become one of the most repeated signs in luxury fashion, used across canvas, leather, denim, collaborations, seasonal lines and runway collections.

Artisan seen in silhouette behind vertical loom threads while working on the Louis Vuitton Monogram Emblème jacquard canvas — Placement of threads on the loom during the making of Louis Vuitton’s Monogram Emblème jacquard canvas

Close-up of a Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft bag panel in Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard, showing the leather gousset, enchape detail, stitching and brass ring hardware — Gousset with enchape detail on the Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft in Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard

Monogram Emblème returns the focus to canvas. The new material is made from a blend of GOTS-certified cotton and linen fibres and developed as a durable, water-repellent jacquard. Louis Vuitton has given the pattern a denser layout, with an embroidery-like relief created through five differently coloured threads. The update is therefore less about changing the Monogram itself and more about altering its surface and visibility.

The shades are drawn from the Vuittonnier, Louis Vuitton’s internal colour library. The first release includes Peuplier, a tone inspired by the wooden structure of historic trunks, and Rose Ruban, which refers to ribbon detailing used on earlier trunk designs. In September 2026, the line will expand with Monogram Bleu, taken from a 1930s register, and Vert Jura, inspired by the flora of the Jura region where Louis Vuitton was born.

The choice of colour references is typical of how luxury houses now frame anniversary products: every shade, material and construction detail is tied back to an origin point. In this case, those references are relatively specific and they connect the new jacquard to trunks, regional history and documented colour records.

Louis Vuitton Alma bag in pink Monogram Emblème Rose Ruban jacquard with natural leather trims, top handles, gold-tone hardware and a padlock, photographed on a white background — Louis Vuitton Alma in Monogram Emblème Rose Ruban jacquard

Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft bag in beige Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard with braided top handles, natural leather trims, gold-tone hardware, luggage tag and shoulder strap on a white background — Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft in Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard

The first Monogram Emblème pieces include several established Louis Vuitton models, among them the Alma, Neverfull, Speedy, Noé and Keepall. The Side Trunk is also part of the launch, making the connection to the House’s luggage history more direct.

For Louis Vuitton, the project fits into a broader 130th-anniversary programme around the Monogram, alongside other lines such as Monogram Origine, VVN and Time Trunk. Each one revisits a different part of the House’s visual and material history. Monogram Emblème is the textile-led chapter of that programme, built around jacquard, fibre, colour and surface. It does not introduce a new symbol, and it does not attempt to detach the Monogram from the codes that made it recognisable. Instead, it changes the way the existing pattern sits on an object. The denser weave, raised surface and archival colour choices give Louis Vuitton a way to extend the Monogram anniversary without turning it into a simple reissue.

Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft bag in Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard, shown with braided top handles, natural leather trims, gold-tone hardware, luggage tag and shoulder strap — Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft in Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard

Louis Vuitton Side Trunk bag in Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard with natural leather trims, braided shoulder strap, gold-tone hardware, reinforced corners and luggage tag on a white background — Louis Vuitton Side Trunk in Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard

That is where the project becomes most relevant and Monogram Emblème shows how a house with a fixed visual code can still create movement inside a narrow frame. The commercial object remains clear through bags that carry one of the House’s most established patterns. The editorial interest lies in the method and Louis Vuitton is using textile development, colour records and product architecture to keep a 130-year-old motif active without visibly redesigning it.

Close-up of the Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft in Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard, showing braided leather handles, gold-tone zipper hardware, natural leather trims and textured Monogram canvas during assembly — Assembly detail of the Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Soft in Monogram Emblème Peuplier jacquard

all images (c) Louis Vuitton Press

Christian Louboutin - Jaden Smith Fronts Fall 2026 Menswear Campaign

June 15, 2026

Jaden Smith Debuts Fall 2026 Christian Louboutin Menswear Campaign

written MALCOLM THOMAS

Set in a 17th-century chateau in the French countryside, Jaden Smith’s vision for his inaugural Christian Louboutin menswear collection is complete in all its rebellious grandeur. Debuting in January, during Paris Fashion Week Men’s, the Avant-Première collection marked a bold new chapter for the brand.

Christian LOUBOUTIN FALL26 MEN AD Campaign for LE MILE Magazine Digital — Christian Louboutin
Fall 2026 Men Ad Campaign

Somewhere between cinema and mythology, shoes were merchandised on antiquity-inspired columns in an elaborate exhibition. Iconographic short films were projected on walls and vintage TV monitors, including one film of Smith’s bare-chested body painted in red, representing the creative director’s full immersion into the role.

An exploration of performance-driven textures and expressive ideas and styles, such as The Molten Trapman, a rubber-soled boot available in glossy red and white molten paint, was introduced. Other new ideas included Tactical and Multi-Pocket tote bags with titled pockets and compartments, inspired by stone masons and scribes. Re-imagined pieces include Smith’s fresh take on the classic style of the Penny Loafer in addition to the Asclepius Sling and Plato and Moustachou Derby Dots dress shoes. Additional highlights included the Ennio, a cowboy boot with tubular overlay, the Chelsea Gorp, as well as skate shoes available in a myriad of colourways in low and mid-top styles. Accessories include baseball caps, belts, lighter keyrings, and can openers.

Each piece represents a character in a cinematic story. A symbiosis of heritage and individuality, whether perusing classic literature, admiring family portraits or luxuriating on the lawn, Smith’s interpretation of the house of Christian Louboutin spans generations.

The Fall 2026 menswear collection is now available in Christian Louboutin stores worldwide, with Jaden Smith making appearances in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Paris and London.

all images (c) Christian Louboutin Press

Nick Woltemade Interview - World Cup 2026, Adidas and Football Fashion

June 3, 2026

Nick Woltemade and the New Shape of Football Culture

written + interview KLAAS HAMMER

Nick Woltemade is hard to miss. There is the 6-foot-6 frame, of course, and the unusually light feet for a player of his size. Now at Premier League side Newcastle United, the young German international is part of the national team heading into the World Cup, which kicks oﬀ on June 11 across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
In conversation with LE MILE, he reflects on fan culture, the growing overlap between football and fashion, and what it means to arrive on the game’s biggest stage.

LE MILE Magazine Nick Woltemade Cover Digital Adidas Original Bringback Collection COVER

Klaas Hammer
A lot of fans see you as approachable and authentic. Do you notice that a community is starting to form around you? And when you hear chants like “Woltemade Ole Ole Ole” in Newcastle, what does that feel like?

Nick Woltemade
It’s something that has grown over the past year, and even more since I moved to England, where the fan culture is a bit diﬀerent. I’ve always loved fashion, and I’d say it’s a little easier to express that in England than in Germany. People seem more open to it. I enjoy experimenting and finding my own style. Since not many footballers do that yet — compared to basketball, for example — it probably stands out more with me. But I’m happy when people respond positively to it — both football fans and people beyond the sport.

Footballers used to be seen mainly as athletes. Today, many of them also move through culture, fashion and entertainment. Do you feel that shift yourself?

Yes, I do. You can see it in the way football is consumed now — everything has become bigger, more professional, more visible. At the same time, fashion and sport are moving closer together. It feels cooler, more open, more relatable. We’re doing some really nice projects with adidas, and I’m happy to have them as a partner. Clubs are becoming more open to it as well. Newcastle, for example, are very open to new ideas and modern developments. A lot of it probably comes from basketball, especially the NBA, which is much further ahead in that sense. I don’t know if football will go in exactly the same direction, but the industry is definitely evolving. People are starting to understand that how you dress oﬀ the pitch has nothing to do with how you perform on it. At the end of the day, what matters is the performance on the pitch.

Has there been a moment with a fan that stayed with you — something that reminded you how emotional football can be for people?

My personal life has definitely changed, especially over the past year since I’ve been playing in England. Even when I was on holiday in New York, people recognized me and wanted pictures, which I hadn’t expected at all. In Bremen, my hometown, it’s probably the most relaxed. People know I’m at home there, so they also respect my privacy there. But the kids are always special.
When you see how much it means to them, and that you can make their day or even their week just by taking a picture or signing an autograph, that still means a lot. You do get used to it in some ways, but I always try to remind myself what it might mean to the fans.

Four models wear pieces from the adidas Originals Germany EQT Bringback Collection in front of a football goal for LE MILE Magazine — adidas Originals Bringback Collection & EQT

A footballer wears an adidas Originals Germany EQT shirt with black shorts and holds a football in a studio portrait — adidas Originals Bringback Collection

Two models sit back to back on a football pitch wearing adidas Originals Germany EQT football shirts and casual sportswear — adidas Originals Bringback Collection

A model wears an adidas Originals Germany EQT football shirt while posing behind a goal net on a sunny football pitch — adidas Originals Bringback EQT Collection

When you think about your development as a player and as a person, who has shaped your style the most — on or oﬀ the pitch?

In football terms, Kai — Kai Havertz — was my role model, but I don’t really want to say that now because he’s here with the national team too and we play together (laughs). As a person, I always thought Neymar was cool, but football-wise, his style is completely diﬀerent from mine. I’m also very tall, so there haven’t been many players in my position I could really compare myself to.
That’s why I never really had one specific role model.

Football and fashion are more connected than ever. What role does fashion play for you, and where do you look for inspiration?

I’m a huge NBA fan, and I watch a lot of the tunnel fits. I think Shai Alexander is really cool — he’s definitely my favorite player to watch in terms of style.

The World Cup is football’s biggest stage. What does it mean to be part of it for the first time?

I’ve answered this a few times now, but somehow it’s still hard to find the right words. It’s such a huge thing. It’s always been a dream, something I imagined for myself, something I always wanted to achieve. And when you’re actually in that moment and think about it, it’s still diﬃcult to fully grasp. I still don’t think I can describe it in a way that really does it justice. I’m very, very proud, and I think everyone in the team feels that. But it’s not something you can easily put into words.

What are you hoping for from the World Cup — on and oﬀ the pitch?

I’m not a big fan of expectations, because if you don’t meet them, you’re always left disappointed. I usually try to keep an open mind and let myself be surprised by what happens. But obviously, I want to achieve the best possible results for the team and for myself. I want to play, I want to score goals, and I want to be successful with the team.

A model wears an adidas Originals Germany EQT track jacket and pleated skirt while standing inside a football goal on a sunny pitch — adidas Originals Bringback EQT Collection

A model wears a white adidas Originals Germany EQT football shirt with wide-leg denim pants in a studio portrait — adidas Originals Bringback Collection

Two models wear adidas Originals Germany EQT pieces while standing in front of a yellow structure near a football pitch — adidas Originals Bringback & EQT Collection

The adidas FIFA World Cup 2026 Germany EQT Collection begins with the 1990s. There are the football codes, of course, and the Equipment clarity that made tracksuits, shoulder stripes and colour blocks feel inseparable from the game. Reworked through the colours of the German national team, the collection brings back the kind of football style that starts before kick-off, outside the stadium, in the crowd and on the way home.

photographer SIMEON ASENOV
styling KLAAS HAMMER
make up and hair LISA FALK
talent NICK WOLTEMADE
models NINA IMERI + SAM THEIN + ALBAN IMERI + JOSHUA FEES
production coordination ALBAN E. SMAJLI
thanks to adidas + ALBINA IMERI

Steinway and Studio Paelis - Bringing Straw Marquetry Into Sound 

May 26, 2026

How Steinway and Studio Paelis Bring Straw Marquetry Into Sound 

written ALBAN E. SMAJLI

Inside the Steinway & Sons factory in Hamburg, sound begins long before anyone touches a key. It begins in the way wood is selected, bent, left to rest, carried from one station to the next. It sits in the smell of lacquer and timber, in the concentration of people who seem to know exactly how much pressure a material can take before it stops cooperating. The place has its own tempo, shaped by patience, repetition and the quiet understanding that every surface, joint and invisible adjustment will eventually become part of a sound.

During a visit to the manufactory, what stays with you first is the intimacy of the place. The factory carries the weight of an institution and still moves with the rhythm of a family workshop, where people greet each other across rooms filled with half-built instruments and where every station seems connected to the next through a chain of knowledge passed from hand to hand. A grand piano becomes itself slowly here, through many specialists, many materials, many moments of judgement that remain invisible once the instrument reaches a concert hall or a private home.

Le Mile Magazine Steinway & Son Straw Marquetry Piano in collaboration with Studio Paelis by Manon Bouvier-Toth — Inside the Steinway workshop, the piano begins with pressure, movement and wood dust, as each curve is guided into shape before the instrument takes form.

It felt almost inevitable, then, that Manon Bouvier-Toth would bring straw into this world with such precision. The new Steinway & Sons x Studio Paelis Masterpiece Straw Marquetry Collection marks Steinway’s first collaboration with an artist working in straw marquetry, a technique that reached prominence in Europe in the early 17th century and was long used to refine furniture and rare objects with a surface that behaves almost like light itself. Straw marquetry carries a natural shimmer, a silky glow, a way of shifting under the smallest movement of the eye. In the hands of Bouvier-Toth and her Lyon-based atelier, Studio Paelis, this historical craft feels immediate, sharp and alive.

Bouvier-Toth founded Studio Paelis in 2016 and has since shaped it into one of the rare contemporary ateliers dedicated to rye straw marquetry. Her work moves through bespoke interiors, exceptional objects, wall panels and commissions for design professionals, interior architects and luxury clients, always with a language that feels precise, sensual and quietly architectural. In her hands, straw becomes a material of quiet precision, guided into surfaces that seem to shift with the room around them.

For Steinway, the collaboration opens a new chapter in its long history of limited editions and artistic partnerships, because the grand piano already belongs to a world of extreme making. Every Steinway carries engineering, memory, acoustic intelligence and status in one body, and the straw marquetry appears at one of the instrument’s most intimate points. It covers the inner lid and music desk, the space a pianist sees while playing, where the piano opens itself to the room and where the visual experience becomes part of listening.

The first sight of the finished piano came on the evening before the factory visit, during dinner inside Steinway’s Hamburg world, with glasses on the table, voices moving through the room and the instrument already holding the attention before anyone had fully gathered around it. Then the keys began to move by themselves. The piano started playing into the room with a strange, precise intimacy, as if it had kept someone’s touch inside its body. Steinway’s SPIRIO technology captures and reproduces the finest movements of a performance, from the force of the hammers to the movement of the pedals, giving the instrument a second presence that feels almost bodily when experienced up close. As the straw inside the lid caught in small flashes, the collaboration stopped feeling like an idea and became something physical in the room. A historic craft, a living instrument, an absent hand made present again.

Studio Paelis works with rye straw sourced from Burgundy, prepared by hand until the material becomes thin enough to follow light with extraordinary precision. Applied fibre by fibre across the piano’s inner surfaces, the straw gives the instrument a quiet luminosity that shifts with every angle and movement in the room.

Across the piano’s interior, the straw behaves differently depending on how it has been laid. In one version, the fibres open from a centre point and pull the eye outward with a quiet, almost solar tension. In another, they move in softer rings, closer to the way sound seems to leave the instrument and remain in the air for a moment. The names of the designs matter less than the sensation they create, precise, restrained and strangely alive. For Bouvier-Toth and her atelier, the piano changed the scale of the gesture. The straw had to move across a body that curves, opens, closes and still remains an instrument before anything else. What remains is a surface that seems to belong there, quietly intensifying the space a pianist sees before the first note is played.

Because Steinway has been building in Hamburg since the late 19th century, the factory carries its history through the movement of work, through materials being handled, surfaces being checked and gestures repeated with the calm of people who know exactly where their part of the instrument begins and where another hand will continue. A small adjustment, a surface checked again, a detail hidden deep inside the body of the piano, all of it belongs to a chain of decisions that eventually becomes sound.

During the factory visit, this sense of shared responsibility became one of the strongest impressions, because the work moved through conversations, glances, familiar gestures and routines carried by people who seemed deeply aware of how their own task would continue in someone else’s hands. The instruments were handled with a concentration that felt personal, almost familial, built from training, trust and the quiet awareness that every decision would eventually reach another bench, another hand, another ear.

Seen from the Hamburg factory, the collaboration with Studio Paelis gains its force through a shared belief in craft as something carried by hand, memory and exacting attention. In Bouvier-Toth’s hands, straw marquetry carries historical memory through a surface that feels alert, tactile and completely present, shaped by time, pressure and an exact understanding of surface. On the Steinway grand, that language settles into the inner architecture of the instrument and gives it another sensorial layer before the first note is played. Between the Hamburg manufactory and the Lyon atelier, the idea of a masterpiece becomes something quieter and more precise, held in the patience of people who understand how much presence an object can carry when it is made properly.

credits
all images (c) Steinway & Son

Amouage - Love Hibiscus 

May 18, 2026

LOVE HIBISCUS
Amouage Returns to the Secret Garden

written ALBAN E. SMAJLI

Amouage has always understood perfume as a form of architecture, structured, atmospheric, dense with material memory. With Love Hibiscus, the Omani house returns to its Secret Garden Collection through a composition that treats floral sweetness as something more unstable, more textural, and more emotionally charged than the usual language of prettiness allows.

AMOUAGE Love Hibiscus perfume covered featured by LE MILE Magazine

AMOUAGE Love Hibiscus perfume featured by LE MILE Magazine

The Secret Garden Collection was first introduced in 2016 and reinterpreted in 2024, with each fragrance built around the meeting of a flower and a gourmand note. Love Hibiscus continues that principle, yet its point of departure feels unusually grounded. Renaud Salmon, Chief Creative Officer of Amouage, found the central flower not in an abstract fantasy of femininity, but in the daily landscape of Oman, where hibiscus grows with a vividness that is immediately visual before it becomes olfactive. Its petals suggest colour, heat, paper, fragility, a kind of botanical theatre that does not need to be softened into romance.

Hibiscus is a difficult flower to translate into scent, because many varieties are almost odourless, and the note is often understood through infusion. In Love Hibiscus, this gives the fragrance its most interesting tension, the flower is approached through tartness, red fruit, herbal depth and a slightly earthy undertone, closer to the sensation of hibiscus tea. Love Hibiscus is precise and sensorial, with a sour brightness that cuts through the composition from the opening.

AMOUAGE Love Hibiscus perfume model holding flacon featured by LE MILE Magazine

Jérôme Epinette, creating his first fragrance for Amouage, builds the scent around hibiscus, salted caramel, passion fruit, bergamot, iris, frankincense, sandalwood, cypriol and vanilla. The opening brings passion fruit and bergamot into the sharper register of hibiscus, giving the fragrance a bright, almost edible acidity. Salted caramel enters with a buttery warmth drawn from Salmon’s childhood memory of palmiers, the sugar-coated puff pastry associated here with domestic kitchens, folded dough and caramelised edges. The memory stays tactile and specific, carried by the sensation of folded dough, caramelised sugar and the warmth of a kitchen surface still holding the trace of preparation.

That is where Love Hibiscus becomes most aligned with the current moment in perfumery. Gourmand fragrances no longer need to announce sweetness as indulgence alone. The more interesting direction is material, where sugar becomes surface, butter becomes texture, fruit brings acidity and vanilla settles into shadow. Love Hibiscus belongs to this movement without losing the Amouage sense of density. Its gourmand element gives the hibiscus body, skin and a warmer afterimage, allowing the floral note to feel vivid, textured and fully held within the composition.

Frankincense, a material deeply connected to Oman and to the history of Amouage, plays an important role in keeping the composition from becoming purely confectionary. Here it appears soft, woody and luminous, creating a veil through which the fruit and caramel feel more diffused. Iris adds a subtle cosmetic dryness, while sandalwood, cypriol and vanilla give the base a rounded, lasting weight. The structure moves from vivid red brightness into something creamier and more resinous, with the hibiscus still present as a pulse. The flacon, presented in an intense hibiscus red with the Secret Garden Collection’s tactile ceramic finish, extends the fragrance’s language of saturated colour and surface.

From May 18th, 2026, Love Hibiscus will be available in 100ml Eau de Parfum, presented at €365. Its form carries the intensity of hibiscus red. Its essence holds the trace of flower, sugar, fruit and shadow.

discover more
www.amouage.com

(c) all visuals
lemilestudios

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 - How Young Designers Are Reframing Mobility

May 13, 2026

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 
How Young Designers Are Reframing Mobility

written KLAAS HAMMER

The future of German design is in good hands - a fact once again proven by this year’s RIMOWA Design Prize 2026. On May 11, seven finalists from universities across Germany presented their projects to an international audience in Berlin, showcasing a new generation of designers driven by innovation, purpose, and social impact.

First launched in 2023, the RIMOWA Design Prize was created to support emerging creative talent and champion the future of German design. Rooted in values such as innovation, inclusivity, and global transformation, the award once again centered this year around the theme of mobility - encouraging young designers to translate visionary ideas into tangible projects capable of creating lasting, sustainable impact on global challenges. And the finalists delivered. Their concepts demonstrated that mobility is about far more than movement alone; it is deeply connected to freedom, accessibility, resilience, and human connection. At the same time, the projects reflected the core principles long associated with RIMOWA - durability, excellence, and purposeful design.

Guests at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 ceremony in Berlin for LE MILE Magazine — Guests at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 ceremony in Berlin

The award presentation at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 ceremony in Berlin for LE MILE Magazine — The award presentation at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Langston Uibel at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 ceremony in Berlin for LE MILE Magazine — Langston Uibel at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Sven Marquardt at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 ceremony in Berlin for LE MILE Magazine — Sven Marquardt at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Heike Makatsch at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 in Berlin for LE MILE Magazine — Heike Makatsch at the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Set against the striking backdrop of Berlin’s Kulturforum, journalist Valerie Präkelt guided guests through both the press preview and the evening’s award ceremony, attended by Berlin creatives, talents such as Heike Makatsch, Langston Uibel, Justus Riesner, Paula Hartmann, industry professionals, and members of the international press. Also present was newly appointed RIMOWA CEO Beatrice Monguidi, who described the event as a meaningful introduction to her new role at the company, one that celebrates young creative voices and offers them real opportunities to shape the future. Monguidi, previously President of Louis Vuitton for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, succeeds Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert, who is stepping down after leading the company since 2021.

The finalists’ projects spanned a remarkable range of disciplines and ideas. Valerio Sampognaro, for example, presented ultra-lightweight furniture inspired by kite construction. Using sailcloth and aluminum tubing, he transformed principles of aerodynamics into functional everyday objects designed for a more mobile lifestyle. Meanwhile, Jakob Schlenker introduced “PIP,” a portable bird-shaped companion created for elderly people experiencing loneliness. Supported by AI technology, PIP encourages movement and social interaction through subtle prompts and emotional engagement. One of the evening’s most discussed projects, particularly due to its urgent real-world relevance, came from Tobias Kremer and Yannick Stilgenbauer. Their concept, A.R.C., proposes a portable cooling system for food and medicine designed for use in hot, arid crisis regions where infrastructure has collapsed.

Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler with their project NURA for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026, featured by LE MILE Magazine — Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler with their project NURA for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Tobias Kremer and Yannick Stilgenbauer’s A.R.C. project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026, featured by LE MILE Magazine — Tobias Kremer and Yannick Stilgenbauer’s A.R.C. project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Tim Kipper and John Roller’s Compassion Aid project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026, featured by LE MILE Magazine — Tim Kipper and John Roller’s Compassion Aid project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Jakob Schlenker’s PIP project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026, featured by LE MILE Magazine — Jakob Schlenker’s PIP project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler’s NURA project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026, featured by LE MILE Magazine — Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler’s NURA project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Valerio Sampognaro’s Aerodomestics project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026, featured by LE MILE Magazine — Valerio Sampognaro’s Aerodomestics project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Nicolas Nielsen’s HYVE project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026, featured by LE MILE Magazine — Nicolas Nielsen’s HYVE project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Niklas Henning’s Paludi Harvesters project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026, featured by LE MILE Magazine — Niklas Henning’s Paludi Harvesters project for the RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

meet the finalists

Samuel Nagel + Paul Feiler, NURA

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Jakob Schlenker, PIP

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Tobias Kremer + Yannick Stilgenbauer, A.R.C

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Nicolas Nielsen, HyVe

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Tim Kipper + John Roller, Compassion Aid

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Niklas Henning, Paludi Harvester

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

Valerio Sampognaro, Aerodomestics

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026

meet the jury

Alexandre Arnault

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 Jury

Clemens Poloczek

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 Jury

Farah Ebrahimi

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 Jury

Hanne Willmann

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 Jury

Hugues Bonnet Masimbert

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 Jury

Konstantin Grcic

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 Jury

Matylda Krzykowski

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 Jury

Stefan Daniel

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 Jury

Tim Richter

RIMOWA Design Prize 2026 Jury

Designers Tim Kipper and John Roller developed an intuitive communication device for emergency responders. Combining voice and visual input, the system enables clearer communication between rescue teams and patients in dense urban environments. Another standout was “HyVe,” created by Nicolas Nielsen, a nomadic home for bees aimed at restoring urban biodiversity. By reconnecting isolated green spaces, HyVe helps reactivate pollination systems and strengthen ecological networks within cities.

The evening’s first award, the “Special Mention,” went to Niklas Henning for “Paludi Harvesters,” an autonomous reed-harvesting machine designed for climate-positive agriculture. The project contributes to peatland preservation while simultaneously creating sustainable sources of income through ecological insulation materials.

The overall winners of the 2026 RIMOWA Design Prize, and recipients of €20,000 in funding, were Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler with their invention “Nura.” The wearable device uses EMG technology to translate sign language into speech and spoken language into text in real time. With Nura, the students aimed to create an elegant accessory that empowers rather than stigmatizes its users. According to the Deutscher Gehörlosen-Bund, approximately 0.1 percent of Germany’s population - around 83,000 people - are deaf. Innovations like Nura therefore have the potential to significantly improve communication and accessibility in everyday life. Nura is undoubtedly a deserving winner. Yet perhaps the true success of the evening lies in the fact that every finalist had already been given something invaluable: the opportunity to develop their ideas, present them on an international stage, and collaborate with renowned mentors through the support of RIMOWA.

What remains now is the exciting question of where these projects will go next and whether the concepts presented in Berlin may soon become part of our everyday lives and working environments.

Inside Dior’s Lady Woven Bag - Reinterpreted by Jonathan Anderson

April 23, 2026

Inside Dior’s Lady Woven Bag
Woven Leather Craftsmanship and the Evolution of the Lady Dior

written LE MILE

A recalibration of the Lady Dior begins at the level of structure, where the familiar density of the bag gives way to an interlaced field of leather that carries its shape through tension, spacing, and the accumulated rhythm of the weave. Under Jonathan Anderson, this gesture lands with precision and a certain insistence, redirecting attention toward the act of making and toward a surface that refuses to behave as a closed, resolved object.

Leather is cut into narrow, consistent strands that remain supple in the hand, each one holding a slight tonal shift that becomes perceptible only once the weave begins to build and the pattern gathers visual weight. The process unfolds through repetition, though never mechanically, as each intersection demands adjustment, pressure, and a continuous reading of tension that lives somewhere between control and instinct. What emerges is a structure that feels worked rather than assembled, carrying within it the trace of time, of decisions made in sequence, of a hand that never fully disappears behind the object.

DIOR The Craftsmanship Behind the Lady Woven Bag LE MILE Magazine — The Craftsmanship Behind the Lady Woven Bag / DIOR Press

The lattice opens the bag to its surroundings in a way that feels immediate, allowing light to move through it and letting the interior register as part of the exterior presence, so that the object holds a certain instability, a subtle responsiveness that keeps it in motion even at rest. There is a clarity in how the form holds together, though it never settles into something static, as if the structure remains aware of the gestures that produced it.
Set within this open framework, a soft leather pouch gathers the contents into a more intimate volume, introducing a second register that feels closer to the body and to use. The drawstrings tighten with a quiet resistance, their hand-knotted tassels carrying a tactile weight that anchors the gesture of closure, so that the act of opening and closing the bag becomes part of its language.

watch / The Savoir-Faire of the Lady Woven Bag by Jonathan Anderson

The outer weave continues to dictate how the bag reads at a distance, while the inner pouch holds a different kind of presence, one that remains partially concealed yet always perceptible through the lattice. This interplay creates a layered experience of the object, where surface and interior remain in constant dialogue and where visibility becomes a controlled condition.
The familiar charms remain in place, accompanied by a bow that introduces a slight inflection within the composition, holding onto a lineage that runs through the house without interrupting the logic of the new construction. Their presence feels calibrated, integrated into a surface that is defined as much by what it reveals as by what it withholds.

Every crossing of leather records a moment of contact, every variation in tension carries a memory of the hand, and the Lady Woven bag retains that immediacy with a quiet intensity, allowing the process of making to remain fully present within the form it produces.

The Lady Woven bag is Jonathan Anderson’s new interpretation of the iconic Lady Dior, first created in 1995.
all visuals / DIOR Press, 2026

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Nick Woltemade and the New Shape of Football Culture

Klaas HammerA lot of fans see you as approachable and authentic. Do you notice that a community is starting to form around you? And when you hear chants like “Woltemade Ole Ole Ole” in Newcastle, what does that feel like?

Footballers used to be seen mainly as athletes. Today, many of them also move through culture, fashion and entertainment. Do you feel that shift yourself?

Has there been a moment with a fan that stayed with you — something that reminded you how emotional football can be for people?

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How Steinway and Studio Paelis Bring Straw Marquetry Into Sound

LOVE HIBISCUS Amouage Returns to the Secret Garden

OUTSIDE THE SHOWS
That’s Paris Fashion Week Menswear SS27

Something Old, Something New 
PITTI UOMO 110 Defies Conventions

Klaas Hammer
A lot of fans see you as approachable and authentic. Do you notice that a community is starting to form around you? And when you hear chants like “Woltemade Ole Ole Ole” in Newcastle, what does that feel like?

How Steinway and Studio Paelis Bring Straw Marquetry Into Sound 

LOVE HIBISCUS
Amouage Returns to the Secret Garden