HARLEM CHRONICLES: Gucci is launching its latest limited-edition publication, this time dedicated to Dapper Dan.
Shot by filmmaker and photographer Ari Marcopoulos, the “Dapper Dan’s Harlem” tome will be launched today during a cocktail party at the Gucci Garden venue in Florence, on the inaugural day of Pitti Uomo. Dan, born Daniel Day, will be in attendance to sign copies.
Available in 500 copies, the book documents Marcopoulos’ journey through Harlem, Dapper Dan’s home and his eponymous atelier, which shut down in 1992 and Gucci helped to reopen in 2017, also providing him all the fabrics. In addition, the book features portraits of Dan’s friends, including artist Trevor Andrew, poet and author Cleo Wade, chef Marcus Samuelsson and businessman Steve Stoute.

Cleo Wade’s portrait in “Dapper Dan’s Harlem.” 
Courtesy Photo

Distributed by London-based independent publisher Idea, “Dapper Dan’s Harlem” will retail at $200 at Gucci Garden in Florence and Gucci Wooster Bookstore in New York.
This is not the first time Gucci has tapped Marcopoulos for one of its limited-edition tomes. As reported, in 2016 the photographer worked for the brand on the “Epiphany” title featuring images of Gucci pre-fall 2016 women’s and men’s collections.
Founded in 2009 by Angela Hill and David Owen, Idea also distributed

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MILAN — Reda Group, the Biella, Italy-based woolen mill, will take over the spaces of Fortezza da Basso in Florence during Pitti Uomo, staging a photo exhibition focusing on sustainability.
Starting from today through Friday, 10 billboards portraying natural landscapes are featured at the venue, inviting the audience to reconsider the relationship among men and nature, as well as highlighting the urge to preserve the ecosystem.
Dubbed “#Redaway: Sostenibilità, Trasparenza, Sopravvivenza,” or “#Redaway: Sustainability, Transparency, Survival” in English, the initiative will be flanked by a cocktail party hosted in partnership with Pitti Immagine on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
“For us, the word sustainability has become a synonym of survival. The textile industry’s increasing demands make raw materials scarcer and scarcer and the need to optimize production processes and cycles can’t be ignored anymore,” said Reda Group chief executive officer Ercole Botto Poala, adding that “a company can’t be competitive and therefore survive if it won’t be sustainable in the future.”
The initiative is in sync with the commitment to sustainability the group has been endorsing for 20 years.
The company is the world’s only full-cycle woolen mill to have received the EMAS certification, back in 2004. This stands for Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, a management

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It’s official: Tommy Hilfiger is headed to Paris Fashion Week to stage his next megashow, confirming a report last month.
The designer will show his spring 2019 Tommy x Zendaya collection, designed in collaboration with global brand ambassador Zendaya, on March 2. The company declined to reveal the location.
The Paris show follows the company’s high-profile events in Shanghai for fall 2018, Milan for spring 2018, London for fall 2017, Los Angeles for spring 2017, and New York, for fall 2016. Hilfiger previously collaborated with Gigi Hadid for the shows in Milan, London, Los Angeles and New York, garnering billions of social media impressions, increased traffic to the brand’s web site and double-digit sales growth.
“TommyNow has become an integral part of our brand story, celebrating our optimistic and inclusive energy will audiences globally,” Hilfiger said. “For spring 2019, we can think of no better place to premiere the first TommyXZendaya collaborative collection than Paris. Our innovative ‘see-now-buy-now’ experiential show will blend our Americana heritage, Zendaya’s confidence and optimism, and the city’s iconic elements for a truly unforgettable runway event.”
All runway looks will be available via immediately shoppable channels in more than 70 countries, including Tommy Hilfiger stores and tommy.com, select wholesale partners, and

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Barbour marked 125 years by looking back at its history and the icons that have kept the brand going throughout the years.
To celebrate the anniversary, the British label launched an Icons Re-Engineered capsule during the last day of London Fashion Week Men’s, giving its familiar shapes a new lease on life.
The collection included five archival jackets including the Haydon wax cotton jacket that harks back to the early 20th century when John Barbour first started experimenting with the material, and a leather motorcycle jacket, paying homage to Duncan Barbour, who first introduced motorcycle gear to the brand in the Thirties.
Among others, the Durham jacket is a light parka that forms the core of the brand’s country wear collection, while a fitted sports jacket, created in collaboration with designer Tokihito Yoshida, showcased a new, more modern side to the label.

Barbour “Iccons Re-Engineered” 
Courtesy Photo

“The collection offers an authentic, contemporary take on design classics from the archives,” said Paul Wilkinson, the brand’s global marketing and commercial director.
Barbour also released a film that narrates the history of the brand and the five generations that have kept it going. It was directed by the English film producer Sir Ridley Scott, who like the Barbour family,

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Including a Rolex rare golf Ref. 6263 worn by Ryan Seacrest.

The fish cost Kiyoshi Kimura $5,000 per pound.

David Smith had enough of the grind, so he quit his job to pursue his life-long passion.

PITTI’S STAMP: Pitti Immagine, the organizer behind the Pitti Uomo men’s wear trade show, is marking its 30th anniversary this year and to celebrate the milestone, Italy’s minister of economic development will issue a dedicated commemorative stamp.
Created by designer Italo Lupi, the stamp bears the black writing “Pitti Immagine 30 Anni [30 Years]” against a gray background and is crossed by colorful lines reminiscent of stitching and seams.
The stamp will be presented at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday during the inauguration event of the 95th edition of Pitti Uomo — the first day the stamp will be authorized for use. Pitti Uomo will run Jan. 8 to 11.
“Thirty years ago, the Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana started using the Pitti Immagine name … We wanted to remember this anniversary with an official event and nothing is more official than a stamp, a paper rectangle treasuring a discreet fascination and aura as something linked to history, even in the era of non-material communication and liquid society,” said Raffaello Napoleone, chief executive officer of Pitti Immagine.
Flanking the issue of the commemorative stamp, Pitti will also mount “The Fashion Mailbox” exhibition, exploring the relationship between fashion and stamps from the 19th century

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MISTAKEN IDENTITY: A man accused of using fashion photographer David Bellemere’s social media identity to solicit models is due for a March 28 court appearance, according to Bellemere’s attorney Eric Morain.
Bellemere’s attorney, who has worked on similar cases with journalist Nadia Daam and porn actress Nikita Bellucci, said a plea bargain is the objective of the upcoming preliminary hearing. If the accused does not “recognize the crime” that he allegedly committed, then a second hearing will be scheduled that will be open to the public, the lawyer said. Twelve plaintiffs are involved — Bellemere and 11 models, whom Bellemere worked with in the past and Yann Labrosse allegedly propositioned trying to pass himself off as Bellemere, Morain said.
Bellemere claims that he learned Labrosse, a European model, was impersonating him online about 18 months ago and phoned him to ask him to stop. When that did not happen, Bellemere said he contacted the police in Lyons, France.
Labrosse did not respond to interview requests.
“He approached these girls pretending to be me. He was asking some models for videos and photography content, because he was pretending to do some casting. He said he needed some nude content very fast from them because he

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