By Morgan Shine

FEBRUARY MASHup

FASHION WEEK WALKTHROUGH

February saw a fashion frenzy, from Moschino's pins turned Polaroids, teaching us to find creative ways to have fun with fashion, to discarded handbag handles. Gucci, whose campaigns continue to garner significant public attention as silhouettes strut down the runway sans creative director, made waves at Milan Fashion Week for another reason. Models walked with their accessories held sideways, handbags grasped by the top corner rather than their handles. An avant-garde approach that has since taken over the media, Gucci has once again remained top of mind for the public, through redefining the debut of their lasting handbag collection.   

THE RUNWAY IS…TURF?

Kyle Smith, the NFL’s fashion editor, is bridging the gap between football and fashion in a way few could have predicted. Growing up, he gravitated more toward “The September Issue,” the documentary that unveils the inner workings of Vogue, than the Super Bowl. A career in sports wasn’t always on his radar, but the NFL recently brought him on board to leverage fashion and styling to expand the league’s presence across its media platforms.

Smith’s role revolves around working with individual athletes to spotlight their off-field style, whether a front-row appearance at Men’s Fashion Week or a statement-making tunnel walk. Beyond personal style, he aims to cultivate stronger ties between players, teams and significant fashion media brands like GQ and Vogue, ultimately enhancing visibility for the athletes, the league, and the sport within the fashion world.

A$AP WAS FRAMED

A strategically placed soft launch by an eyewear giant that no one saw coming. Throughout his recent trial, A$AP Rocky was repeatedly spotted in an array of Ray-Ban optical frames — a subtle yet calculated move. But as the trial concluded, the judge wasn’t the only one delivering a verdict. Ray-Ban’s president, Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, officially named the brand’s new creative director the multihyphenate Rocky.

Ray-Ban has long cemented its status as a cultural icon, a timeless accessory that defies convention and remains at the forefront of cultural revolutions. In Rocky, the brand sees a kindred spirit — a visionary who effortlessly blurs the lines between fashion, music and art while embodying the very essence of Ray-Ban’s DNA.