Nicole Banning designs swimwear with ready-to-wear in mind. Combining the savoir-faire of the French swim and lingerie industry with Australian manufacturing, Ephemera launched in time for the Cruise 2014 collection and was developed to have the most refined and luxurious finish possible. The High Summer collection, now available online at Net-A-Porter, features a mix of bikinis and one-pieces with cut-out and twist back designs, creating something truly elegant and chic in hues of bright citrus and pasteque, as well as noir. The high-waisted bottoms are a Twin favourite, as are the specially developed jacquard designs that lend themselves to the various one-pieces and bikini styles.

ephemeralive.com

Tags: EPHEMERA, Nicole Banning, Swimwear

In the last of our Autumn/Winter 2014 Haute Couture coverage, Twin sent photographer Masao Yufu backstage at the Ralph & Russo show in Paris. This is what he saw.

Tags: haute couture, Masao Yufu, Ralph & Russo

Our Autumn 2014 couture show coverage continues with a look at all the goings on behind the scenes of the Adeline Andre show in Paris.

Photography: Masao Yufu

Tags: Andeline Andre, haute couture, Masao Yufu

Next in our haute couture series, Twin takes a look at photographer Masao Yufu‘s backstage coverage at Lebanese fashion designer Zuhair Murad’s show in Paris.

Tags: haute couture, Masao Yufu, Zuhair Murad

Our couture week coverage continues with a behind the scenes look at the Alexis Mabille show.

Photography: Masao Yufu

Tags: Alexia Mabille, haute couture

With Haute Couture Fashion Week well underway, Twin called upon photographer Masao Yufu to document what happened backstage at the On Aura Tout Vu show in Paris.

Tags: haute couture, On Aura Tout Vu

Last night Twin headed to the Paul Smith Beak Street store to celebrate the launch of the 531 Cycling Collection, hosted by Toby Bateman and Sir Paul Smith himself. As well as the collection itself, we were introduced to a bespoke, limited edition Mercian steel-framed bike created in collaboration with Mr. Porter.

Watch the video below to see Sir Paul Smith talking about his love of cycling and the making of the limited edition Mercian bike.

paulsmith.co.uk

Tags: Mercian Bikes, Mr Porter, paul smith

Thierry Boutemy, the renowned French florist, is the latest person to collaborate with the Opening Ceremony brand. Creating a summer collection of ready to wear, accessories and fragrance, OC and Boutemy created photographs of smashed, broken and decayed floral designs which would become the focal point of the range. These vivid images were then printed onto the ready-to-wear items as well as shoes in collaboration with Manolo Blahnik, Classic Slip-On Vans, hats with New Era, and socks with Tabio.

Geranium 30 is the end result of Opening Ceremony and Thierry Boutemy’s collaboration with Le Labo. The limited edition frangrance was hand-formulated by perfumer Barnebé Fillion and is a balance of flowers and spices, leaving you feeling as though you’ve woken up in a wild, over-grown garden.

“We’ve been following Thierry’s work for some time now and have been in awe of his incredible talent, especially the lavishly designed arrangements in Marie Antoinette.  There’s no one who captures the essence and spirit of flowers as Thierry does, and we are excited to be partnering with him for his first fashion collection.” – Humberto Leon

The Opening Ceremony and Thierry Boutemy collection is available exclusively at Opening Ceremony stores and online at openingceremony.us

Tags: opening ceremony, Thierry Boutemy

Tags: Christopher Shannon, Clym Evernden, Craig Green, JW Anderson, Louis Vuitton, Menswear, prada, Public School NYC, SS15, Y-3

Work-Shop is a designer superstore curated in collaboration with creative magazine Oh Comely. The pop-up’s purpose is to encourage people to learn more about hand made processes; to introduce to the public a variety of exciting and sometimes undiscovered independent brands, giving us a more soulful lifestyle alternative to the many mass produced items currently available on the high street. Founder Michelle Oh, a jewellery designer with her own eponymous brand, temporarily moved her studio into the shop and not only can you find her creations displayed in the store, but you can take part in jewellery DIY classes to make your own. You’ll also find designer talks hosted by the people behind the brands involved, such as Draw In Light, London Tea Club, Elizabeth Dunn, Espergaerde, Project 104 Swimwear, Wickhams Concern plus more. Full brand list available here.

Twin‘s Fashion Director Celestine Cooney visited the boutique for one of the Work-Shop classes and designed her own ring (below). To find out more and to take part, head to facebook.com/work.shop.

Work-Shop is located at 6 Newburgh Street, London W1F 7RT until 1st August. 

Tags: celestine cooney, Draw In Light, london, Michelle Oh, Pop-Up, Work-Shop

To capture their AW14 collection and to celebrate their 60 years, La Perla called upon Mert & Marcus to shoot behind the scenes. With creative direction from Fabien Baron, the video features top models Maria Carla Boscono, Liu Wen and Daria Strokous, who offer us an intimate insight into their feelings on being protagonists in a global international campaign, as well as their thoughts on the importance of feeling empowered in lingerie.

laperla.com

Tags: La Perla, Mert & Marcus

In celebration of LGBT Pride Month, Opening Ceremony has got together with with manga-inspired brand MASSIVE as well as the iconic manga artist Jiraiya, to launch a capsule collection, MASSIVE for Opening Ceremony. The line features Jiraiya’s original male pin-up art sublimation printed on tees, muscle shirts, rugby shorts and a beach towel.

The capsule collection is available now from OC stores and online at openingceremony.us.

To find out about Pride in London or to get involved, head to prideinlondon.org

Tags: LGBT, opening ceremony, Pride

Having grown up in southern California, Humberto and Carol’s LA heritage is intregal to the new direction of KENZO. Fusing street chic Parisian style with laid back west coast cool, they created the house’s new timeless handbag, Kalifornia, that blends KENZO’s French atelier craftsmanship with Humberto and Carol’s pacific coast nonchalance. Taking inspiration from the California tribes of beachcombers, bikers, and skaters, the lux bag has a deconstructed design and two “K“ zips on either side that double as pockets, in a nod to the biker style.

Kalifornia comes in four different styles; Gommato, Broken Floor, Mountain Print and Fluorescent, all with their own quirks and colourways.

The Kalifornia will be available from September 2014 from KENZO stores and online at kenzo.com. 

Tags: AW14, Kenzo

When the SS14 collections walked their way down the catwalks in September, there was one key item that was much more present than in seasons past – the summer coat. Many styles were noted, but those that came out on top were lightweight, long and slightly oversized. When usually a mac is all you need, it’s time to invest in some more outerwear that should take you all the way until autumn. Here, Twin picks out our favourite coats of the season, and with the sales having already begun, you might find a bargin or two.

Marni Duster Coat in Grey, $ 1,280.00 $ 768.00, marni.com & Silver Long Weave Coat by Boutique, £190, topshop.com

Charlie May Sleeveless Duster Coat, £350, farfetch.com & Lela Coat, £50, monki.com 

Tags: Coat, Duster Coat, SS14, Summer

In 1982, Levi Strauss & Co became one of the first brands to support the battle against the AIDS crisis and they were the first Fortune 500 company to grant domestic partnership health benefits — a practice now followed by many corporations and public agencies. In 2013, they also joined the broad coalition of marriage equality supporters urging the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize the fundamental right of all Americans to marry.

Having been a supporter of equality for people of all sexual orientations for many decades, this year they are taking that support in store, creating a line of Pride-themed T-shirts, tanks and baseball caps. “Equality is not something we just wear; it’s woven into the fabrics of our principles,” the company says. Rolling out into select stores in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C., the profits will be going to Pride organizations in those areas.

To find out about Pride in London or to get involved, head to prideinlondon.org 

levistrauss.com

Tags: Levi's, LGBT, Pride

This summer seems to be the summer of footwear collaborations. The trainer variety of course. Pharrell for Adidas was big news and then we heard that Vans had produced a line inspired by Star Wars, but the latest is somehow even cooler. Superga have collaborated with Versus Versace to bring us the perfect mixture of luxury and comfort. Using the Versus Versace AW14 motif, the Italian brands have come together to create a special edition Superga 2750 model.

The kicks will be available online in Europe from June 20th and worldwide in Versus Versace and Superga stores from June 29th.

versusversace.com

superga.co.uk

Tags: Superga, Trainers, Versus Versace

This season, cult favourite’s Larsson & Jennings have decided to create a line of watches especially for us girls. The Liten Series looks back at previous collections, picking out the true hero styles and has recreated them in a 33mm casing, as apposed to the signature 40mm style the Anglo-Swedish brand is known for. Each timepiece from the capsule collection has its own character. The Liten | Black is made from black brass and Italian calf leather; the Liten | Bernadotte is a vibrant number, with pink and blue striped straps that were inspired by The House of Bernadotte, the Royal House of Sweden and the gold plated Liten | Gold is taken from the highly sucessful Chain Metal collection. So for those of you with dainty wrists, or if your style lends itself to the more subtle things in life, this one’s for you.

Released from the 20th June, the collection is available to pre-order now from larssonandjennings.com

Tags: Larsson & Jennings, Watch

Tags: Bags, Nathalie Trad

This week, the eyewear specialist Linda Farrow will be having a sunglasses sample sale from the 5th-7th June. With styles avaiable from collaborations such as The Row, Matthew Williamson, 3.1 Philip Lim, Dries Van Noten and more, it’s not one to miss. And if you happen to be a student, you can get an extra 20% off, so don’t forget your NUS or student card.

The sale will be open from 11am-7pm on Thursday and Friday, and 11am-5pm on Saturday.

Linda Farrow Sample Sale at 51 Calthorpe Street, London, WC1X 0HH 

Tags: Linda Farrow, Sample Sale

East London’s Truman Brewery is currently showcasing the UK’s largest graduate art, design & fashion show, Free Range. 2014 is the initatives fourteenth edition, spanning seven weeks, a hundred courses and 3000 students, all exhibiting their hard work. It is the perfect place to see what the young creatives and future trend-makers are up to, a place to feel inspired and also marvel at their craftsmanship. With work being shown across five disciplines, design, fashion, photography, Art, interiors and architecture, the sheer scale puts Free Range on the map as one international art fair not to be missed.

The exhibitions are free and open to the public until 14th July.

free-range.org.uk

Tags: GFW, Graduate Fashion Week