“It’s not a political statement, it’s a dream” said Walter Rodrigues about sending all black models down the runway in the opening collection yesterday at FashionRio.

Inspired by a recent trip to the Pernambuco, a northern region of Brazil with a large community of African descents and by Hans Sylvester photos of the Omo River Valley tribes in Ethiopia; Rodrigues was equally struck by the poverty and the beauty of blacks in his country and set out to address both issues in his presentation.

To produce his loosely structured military suits, body-conscious jersey separates in browns and navy blue, and chic shift dresses with topstitched chiffon paillettes; Rodrigues employed women from the Quipapa region of Pernambuco. These ladies had never sewed before but were empowered with the skill set through Rodrigues personal and professional journey.

And why all black models to illustrate his point? “Well, the model agents in Brazil always go to the South to scout, and mostly white people are in the South,” he explained backstage yesterday. “They never go to the north,” he continued. Up and coming model, Lorraine Cruz chimed in, “ the market doesn’t really support us,” she said. “ For Walter, this was a form of protest, he considered the color of the model’s skin in designing each of these pieces.” And it amounted to one of Rodrigues’ best collections in recent past.

With the World Cup in South Africa fast approaching, Nike is once again exploring the intersection of sports and culture. Following the success of its environmental design project in 2006, the sportswear giant has invited six artists to offer up a new spin on their country’s National team Kits. Creative collaborators from England, Brazil, the Netherlands, France, South Africa, and the USA in turn developed alternative packs of apparel and accessories that would normally be found in team players’ bags.

“They [are] the same colors of on-field uniforms, but with the artists’ twists,” Jarrett Reynolds, Nike Sportswear Apparel Design Director, explains of the outcome. Each kit includes a N98 Track Jacket, AW 77 hoodie, kit t-shirt, polo shirt and shorts for both men and women as well as for men and tank for women, all of which have been inspired by each artists’ designated mascot, badge, print and signature handwriting. Additional goodies include a range of coordinated Nike footwear and apparel, to fully emphasize the company’s support of the international culture that has grown up around soccer sportsmanship.

Check out the images of the other teams’ reinvented designs:

England by James Jarvis

Brazil by Nunca

Netherlands by Delta (aka Boris Tellegen)

France by So Me So Me (aka Bertrand De Langeron)

USA by Mister Cartoon

South Africa by Kronk Kronk

“British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead after taking his own life. The 40-year-old committed suicide just days after the death of his mother, Joyce. His death also comes just three years after his close friend, Isabella Blow – who plucked him from obscurity and helped him become a star – killed herself.” (Daily Mail)

Marc Jacobs will stream his fall 2010 show live. (New York Magazine)

CNN sheds light on the luxury landscape in 2010? (CNN)

“London Fashion Week is to stream catwalk shows live online for the first time this season.” (Drapers)

Stuart Vevers, the creative director of Loewe, talks to Wallpaper. (Wallpaper)

We went to the Models As Muse: Embodying Fashion press preview today at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and we couldn’t help but pine for the days when lithe, doe-eyed supermodels ruled fashion magazines before celebrities took over the fashion pages over. We spotted Marc Jacobs (whose eponymous company is sponsoring the event) giving interviews to innumerable eager reporters. Though Jacobs is certainly worthy of the high-wattage attention, the real star of the exhibition are the genetically lucky, impossibly leggy, and astoundingly gorgeous women that we have come to intimately know just by their first names. Whether its Dovima, Janice, Iman, Claudia, Naomi, Christy, Kate, Cindy, Linda, Natalia, Daria, and Gisele, you can pay tribute to their invaluable contributions to fashion. The exhibit runs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 6, 2009 to August 9, 2009.

—Staff

At Tokyo fashion trade show Rooms I ran into Singaporean designer Jo Soh, whose brand Hansel has been called the next (err, first?) big thing to come out of the diminutive country. She had nothing but good things to say about her second visit to Japan, remarking on the scale of the fashion industry and “just huge interest in style.”

What’s hot in Singapore, then, I wanted to know… “The weather!” She replied, explaining that designing for her native market and a global one (not to mention one that runs across seasons from Japan to Australia) means always creating trans-seasonal collections.

Coming from a fine arts background, she also explained how she starts every season by creating a little character. For A/W the mascot is Robot Girl, whose image inspired the boxy silhouettes, metal buttons like bolts, and lightening motifs that define her most recent, and rather cute, collection. Though she wasn’t quite as forthcoming on the subject of buyers, which turned out to be a generally taboo subject at a number of exhibitor booths during this quieter than usual edition of Rooms.

-Rebecca Milner

Terence Koh, the artist du moment, is United Bamboo’s new ad campaign star. Check out the photos before it debuts on Fantastic Man March 1st.

—Staff

Raf Simons and Fred Perry was one of our favorite fashion collaborations last year, and this upcoming s/s ’09 season, the pieces have switched chromatic gears. According to the project’s rep: "the SS09 collection has taken a new direction from their previous ‘all black’ AW08 range. The inspiration is drawn form West African culture which can be seen in the natural fabrics and vibrant colour palette of copper brown, earth orange, regal blue and honey hues worked in multi coloured striping. Sleeves are longer sitting lightly on the fingers, open knits create an interesting combination of both punk and African influences."The 25 piece collection even includes shoes in the form of tassel loafers. We don’t know about you, but we cant wait for these pieces to punch up our wardrobe. 

 —Staff

Stella Mccartney was in Tokyo to celebrate the opening of her new Aoyama boutique (to complement her recent Ginza stand-alone shop) last Monday, and topped it off with a bash at the infamous Trump Room with a select group of revelers. They waited patiently while sipping on champagne, and being treated to a pole dance performance (all the rage at parties in Tokyo nowadays) until the Queen of the night finally made her appearance. It was then that the crowd swarmed around Stella, phone cameras and official snaps flashing in unison. She seemed rather perplexed and overwhelmed, and only managed to stay for a short stint from the band before hightailing it out of there, nixing her scheduled speech. The few fans that got their picture with her should count themselves lucky. Maybe rockstar ‘tude isn`t in the blood?

— Misha Janette