Capri Helps Ukraine, Thom’s Big Dog, Kim’s ’90s Nostalgia

HELPING UKRAINE: Capri Holdings Ltd., parent of Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo and Versace, said Monday it will be donating more than 1 million euros in essential clothing such as coats, sweaters and shoes from its brands through the company’s distribution center in Venlo, the Netherlands, to aid those displaced by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

To execute this initiative, Capri will use the collection points created by Venlo Helps Ukraine, a local initiative created to organize the collection of clothing, medical goods, nonperishable food and other essential items for distribution within Poland and the Ukraine border.

After being transported to Warsaw at no cost by Rutilli, a transportation and logistics company that has joined the cause, the donated products will be distributed through a Shop Without Cash Registers, an organization based in Brwinow, Poland. The organization has set up a location in donated space at the Galeria Brwinow Shopping Center, where the products and clothing are displayed on hangers in a store-like environment, making it more convenient for refugees to find the items they need. — LISA LOCKWOOD

CALVIN KLEIN, PALACE COLLAB: Calvin Klein and Palace, the buzzy London-based skateboarding and clothing brand, have cooked up a collaboration called CK 1 Palace.

The two companies started teasing about their collaboration on social media this past weekend. An image of the CK 1 Palace billboard was also posted on Palace Skateboard’s Instagram showing the new logo from their joint effort, which combines Palace’s Tri-Ferg logo with the CK one. Calvin Klein has even updated its Instagram profile with the collaborative branding.

Palace, which was founded in 2009 by Lev Tanju, does seasonal collections as well as collaborations. Over the years, it has partnered with such brands as Ralph Lauren, Reebok, Umbro, Adidas, Dover Street Market, Vans and Moschino, as well as Juergen Teller. Palace also has stores in such cities as London, New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

According to Calvin Klein’s Instagram, CK 1 Palace will launch on Friday in the U.K., E.U., and U.S., and will launch Saturday in Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong online and Australia online.

The companies began running videos of the tie-in on their Instagram sites, showing key landmarks in New York and London, skateboarders, and assorted people wearing the CK Palace 1 underwear, T-shirts, sweatshirts, denim, basketball jerseys and women’s underwear. The video also shows a new CK Palace fragrance and features cultural icons, including Joan Collins, saying, “Calvin Klein and Palace. Who saw that coming?” — L.L.

BIG DOG: Dachshunds aren’t usually scary but Hector, Thom Browne’s pint-size ball of fur, has been supersized to star in the designer’s latest childrenswear campaign, which is launching Tuesday.

In dream sequence images created by Cass Bird, Hector towers over “Belfast” actor Jude Hill and his costar in a variety of images where they playfully try to hold the dog off while sporting outfits that are embellished with a more reasonably sized dachshund from Browne’s spring collection.

In other images, Hector is chasing the kids who are trying to escape him or sitting quietly as the dog stands guard. The final shot shows Hector in his real-life size, nose-to-nose with an oversize head of Hill, indicating that all’s well that ends well.

The designer himself is also in the campaign photos, but only his legs are featured, identifiable by his signature striped socks and wing-tipped dress shoes.

The campaign features a series of video clips of Hill in vignettes from the spring collection shoot that will be used on social media — but with no Hector, big or small, to be found.

The partnership between Browne and Hill is getting to be a habit — in addition to the campaign, the designer dressed the actor for his walk on the red carpet for the Academy Awards last month for the Oscar-nominated film, where he wore a made-to-measure classic black wool pique tuxedo with grosgrain tipping.

Browne had dabbled in childrenswear for several years but introduced a full collection in January 2021 during the brand’s slot on the Paris Men’s Fashion Week calendar. The miniaturized versions of his signature pieces — tailored suits, knitwear and accessories — is childrenswear approached from a fashion point of view, he said.

Thom Browne Childrenswear is sold at the designer’s stores, online and select wholesale accounts around the world. But Hector isn’t for sale. — JEAN E. PALMIERI

REMEMBER THE ’90s?: Skims is engaging in a little ’90s nostalgia for its latest campaign.

The innerwear, loungewear and swimwear brand cofounded by Kim Kardashian has enlisted models — and former Victoria’s Secret Angels — Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel, Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks for its latest campaign.

“Through the years, I’ve witnessed Tyra, Heidi, Alessandra and Candice lay the groundwork for what’s possible as fashion icons and entrepreneurs and bringing them together for the very first time with this campaign is a dream. These women are all trailblazers in their own right and I’m thrilled to be able to celebrate them in this way,” Kardashian told WWD exclusively.

The company added that it chose the iconic quartet because of their “strength, energy and everlasting allure.”

“With this campaign, Skims salutes strong, powerful women, highlighting the high-fashion collective’s prestige in underwear pieces that make all women feel like icons,” Skims said in a statement.

Skims, which was founded by Kardashian and Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Jens Grede in 2019, has a history of working with a mix of high-profile models, as well as regular people, including Kate Moss; Megan Fox; sister Kourtney Kardashian; Bruce Willis’ and Demi Moore’s daughter and actress Rumer Willis, and ​​former inmate Alice Marie Johnson.

Last summer, Skims designed the official undergarments, sleepwear and loungewear worn by Team USA athletes during the Olympics in Tokyo. The brand continued the partnership during the winter games in February, adding high-profile names such as Olympic gold medalist and snowboard champion Chloe Kim to its list of ambassadors. — KELLIE ELL

MOTHER EARTH: Recognizing J. Crew’s sustainable swim collection and Earth Month, the retailer is spearheading a partnership with Lonely Whale by donating $100,000 to the cause, with the goal of spreading awareness and building community around caring for the ocean.

Lonely Whale is leading the movement to ensure plastic is no longer considered waste but a valuable raw material for the circular economy, not the ocean.

J. Crew has reimagined all of its bikinis, one-pieces and rash guards, using more than 60 percent recycled materials to keep waste out of oceans and landfills. Its swim collection is crafted from recycled materials including recycled nylon. Linings have recycled polyester that is made from recycled plastic bottles, yarns and fabric scraps. The offering includes the ruched collection, bikini, one-pieces and long torso swimwear.

According to the site, where a limited-time sale is going on, the swim collection features one-pieces retailing mostly for $69.50, with some up to $118; bikini bottoms for $29.50; bikini tops for $39.50, and active longline swim tops for $39.50. — L.L.

SPEEDY CASE: Rimowa and Porsche have collaborated on a limited-edition handheld case, “Pepita,” launching April 21.

“The collaboration between Rimowa and Porsche felt like a natural fit on so many levels,” Emelie De Vitis, chief marketing officer of Rimowa, told WWD in an exclusive statement. “As two heritage German companies, we share a rich history that has been defined by our iconic designs and technical innovation. We are also firm believers in the value of functionality and always seek to place it at the forefront of every creation.”

The “Hand-Carry Case Pepita,” priced at 2,250 euros, is made in Cologne, Germany, using grooved aluminum, designed with the original Porsche 911 in mind. Adorned with a Porsche crest from the ‘60s, details pay homage to the car manufacturer. It’s travel-ready, shaped to fit inside a Porsche trunk and includes TSA-approved locks.

There are “black leather straps attached by polished crest-shaped holders that echo the hood straps used to close the front trunk on historic Porsche cars…Inside, it continues with houndstooth Pepita fabric, an X-strap resembling a seatbelt, and a yellow instructional label similar to that found in a Porsche trunk,” De Vitis continued.

“When we embarked upon this collaboration, we wanted to ensure that both of our most emblematic designs were integrated,” she added. “Over the course of two years, we worked hard to super-charge the piece with as many visual cues as possible so that Porsche aficionados and Rimowa lovers alike would delight in discovering them. This process even took us to a secret location in Germany that was packed with the most amazing collection of vintage and modern Porsche cars I have ever seen.”

Only 911 cases have been produced, available online, at Rimowa stores and Porsche dealerships worldwide. The companies are hosting a private event in Los Angeles this week to celebrate the partnership. — RYMA CHIKHOUNE

NEW TEAM: Fila and Barneys New York have had a long history of collaborating on apparel and footwear collections, and on Tuesday, the latest fruits of their relationship will drop.

The sports brand and the retailer are partnering on a limited-edition footwear collection featuring six styles for men and women. The Barneys New York x Fila collection features classic silhouettes in muted tones as well as chunky silhouettes in bright colors.

“Barneys is a brand with rich history, known for its unique collaborations,” said Ber-tia Barron, vice president of brand, luxe for Authentic Brands Group, owner of Barneys New York. “We are excited to bring these two distinguished brands together again.”

The men’s offering includes the Original Tennis shoe, upgraded with a leather upper and one-inch sole with dual brand logos on the tongue and sockliner, along with the R1Runner that sports a Vibram outsole, full grain leather, ripstop nylon and perforated suede in black, gold, red and blue with a Fila logo on the heel pull tab. The third men’s model is the Ray Tracer TR4, another new style for Fila targeted to the streetwear audience with a suede upper and a quilted collar and a deboss designed sidewall, reflective upper stripe pull tabs and dual brand logos.

The women’s shoes include the Disrupter II Exp, a chunky sole with a sawtooth rubber outsole and molded EVA sockliner, dual brand logos on the tongue, sockliner and heel and rose gold aglets on the end of the shoelaces. There are also women’s versions of the Orignal Tennis Lux and the R1 Runner.

Prices range from $150 for the Disruptor and $225 for the Original Tennis Lux to $250 for the R1 Runner and $275 for the Ray Tracer TR4.

The collection will be sold on the Saks Fifth Avenue and Fila e-commerce sites as well as in stores at Barneys Japan. Barneys operates 11 freestanding stores in Japan as well as freestanding Barneys shops at Saks stores in Greenwich, Conn., New York City, Bal Harbour, Fla., Beverly Hills, Boston and Toronto. — J.E.P.