031: Acquisition Season & Dressing Hollywood

WELCOME BACK FRIENDS ✨

Thank you for coming back for another week! Amidst the throes of London Fashion Week, we’re already in Milan and soon headed to Paris.

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DISPATCH 031 —

This week, we’re jaunting across Europe for Fall / Winter 2024 runway shows, celebrating haute cuisine in Brooklyn Heights, and soaking in art from Sam Gilliam in Los Angeles. Plus: early feedback on Beyonce’s new haircare line and how Harbison made a name on the red carpet. But first, acquisition season is upon us via A-COLD-WALL*…

PHASE II: A-COLD-WALL* GETS ACQUIRED

After a busy 2023 that saw significant tie-up activity (Tapestry & Capri, Style Capital & Zimmermann, and Kering & Valentino), the first two months of 2024 have been on the quieter side across the board. Add to that, exits for small- and medium-sized brands are generally far and few between, so we were intrigued to hear that nine-year-old brand A-COLD-WALL* announced its sale to London-based showroom-turned-incubator Tomorrow Ltd earlier this week.

Tomorrow Ltd, also behind Martine Rose and Coperni amongst others, contributed an initial minority investment in 2018 and since then, the menswear label founded by Samuel Ross has grown to over 16 million pounds in top-line sales as of last year. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

In an official statement, the executive team lauded their founder by sharing, “since founding A-COLD-WALL* in 2015, Ross has steered ACW* from a raw concept to a globally established brand, consisting of flagship stores, design studios in London and Milan, experimental collections, and iconic collaborations.”

In our view, it is a major accomplishment to take a brand from concept to reality, and then successfully execute a sale — but on the other side, it begs the question of what happens when these niche culturally-relevant brands change ownership. Despite reiteration that Ross is fully aligned and the core team will remain, the future of A-COLD-WALL* strictly lay with the Tomorrow Ltd shareholders moving forward.

Despite abounding inquiry regarding the impact to design and product quality, the announcement post counts 10K likes and growing, including well wishes from industry peers like Daniel Arsham, Toni Blaze, and Nifemi Marcus-Bello —here’s hoping Phase 2 is its best yet.

HOW HARBISON IS QUIETLY DRESSING HOLLYWOOD

With back-to-back red carpet moments kicking off this year, including the Golden Globes, Grammy Awards, 15 Percent Pledge Gala, and the BAFTAs, it has already been an exceptional season for formal dress designers.

The epic Dune: Part 2 global press tour has Zendaya casually killing it in looks from Torisheju, archival Alexander McQueen for Givenchy, and vintage Mugler. Save Rihanna leaving her home to drop (and subsequently sell out her new Fenty x Puma Avanti Pony sneakers), we haven’t seen this much enthusiasm generated for a celebrity’s wardrobe in some time. And lest you forget, we still have the Oscars to come on March 10.

One dress designer you may or may not be familiar with is Charles Harbison. Since re-launching his namesake label in 2022, he has been quietly dressing a lot of Hollywood faces. Especially notable in a time when the major houses tend to dominate the carpet and more often than not, are in fact paying celebrities to wear their clothes. When smaller brands get VIP credits, it can be a real boon to their underlying business.

A peek at Harbison’s retailers confirms as much — he’s slowly expanded from Moda Operandi into Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, both retailers known for special occasion-wear and high-net-worth clientele. His growing assortment ranges from baubled gowns with cinched waists, graphic gold-plated jewelry, and miniature accessories.

From Sandra Oh and Tracee Ellis Ross to Cynthia Erivo and Tessa Thompson, Harbison has taken a twirl at nearly every event — take a look at the best ensembles below — and should you be inclined, his ready-to-wear is available to order.

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ON OUR RADAR

Beyonce launched her first haircare line on Tuesday. A lot of online chatter! The 8 SKUs include: a clarifying shampoo and scalp scrub, hydrating shampoo, moisturizing deep conditioner, treatment mask, hair oil, protein ritual, and moisture sealing lotion. Beauty consumers can be notoriously opinionated, so here’s hoping the products meet the efficacy test. (Link)

Last look in Los Angeles? David Kordansky is showing Sam Gilliam: The Last Five Years, never-before-exhibited works by Sam Gilliam created between 2018 and 2022. The catalogue features an original critical essay by curator and art historian Lowery Stokes Sims. Closing next week on March 3. (Link)

Frieze Los Angeles opens next week February 29 through March 3. (Link)

Two-year-old Clover Hill, a contemporary American restaurant in Brooklyn, also Michelin-starred, played host to Black Beauty Club for a private dinner for twenty-five creators sponsored by Nars. On the menu — Shima Aji Crudo (chilled dashi, radish, basil), Grilled Sawara (rutabaga bouillon, caviar, spinach, charred scallion), and Dry Aged Duck (foie gras, black trumpet mushrooms, bordelaise). Yum! (Link)

London Fashion Week is always one of our favorites and we’ll likely circle back with more thoughts in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, a few standouts:

• Tolu Coker | It is high collars and short skirts all over Tolu Coker’s sophomore collection. Her silhouettes are truly a study in contrasts, which certainly helps to take a second glance.

• Ahluwalia | Her use of denim (courtesy of a partnership with Levis) was on full display in head-to-toe suiting and trench coats, always with her signature squiggle pattern.

With Milan Fashion Week upon us, one brand we’re anticipating is Feben, whose runway show will be funded by Dolce & Gabbana this season. We’re keen to see what founder Feben will create with the much-needed investment in her work. (Link)