TT Vol. 53

Pyer Moss Couture, BYBORRE & Macy's Herald Square Revitalization

May 16, 2021

Clockwise from Top.

Pyer Moss Paris Couture Debut

Kerby Jean-Raymond, the designer behind the label Pyer Moss, will be the first Black American designer to show during Paris Couture Fashion Week this July.

To show during the couture week in Paris, designers need to be invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. It’s a huge badge of honor for Jean-Raymond and his Pyer Moss label to take part.

Pyer Moss, known for imbuing his collections with political activism (check out this oral history of his 2015 show on police brutality), started the year outfitting Kamala Harris for her inauguration in January:

us politics inauguration health virus memorial — The VP in Pyer Moss

With being named Global Creative Director of Reebok in September 2020, it’s been a good year for Kerby Jean-Raymond.

The Good & Bad Collabs From This Week

Raquel received an unfortunate email from rag & bone this week highlighting their strange collaboration with the Disney movie Cruella, the goth origin story behind the 101 Dalmatians villainess. (The weird trailer is here.)

The collection looks pretty terrible; we’re wondering who needs a Cruella graphic tank or tweed bomber jacket. Did rag & bone pay Disney to license this? If so, they wasted their money.

rag & bone x cruella — A collaboration gone wrong

More intriguing is the new Nike NOCTA Hot Step Air Terra that Drake was seen wearing this week. It’s a snake skin version of the triple white color he was seen wearing earlier this year. Unlike the Cruella collection, the Hot Step Air Terra is going to sell out immediately.

BYBORRE’s Futuristic Textiles

We enjoyed this profile of Borre Akkersdijk, the mind behind BYBORRE. Akkersdijk studied industrial design and become interested in manipulating traditional weaving machines as well as the computer programs behind modern textiles. The label is a bit hard to describe: its a fusion of outdoor and cozy work-from-home pieces with crazy textile designs. He’s also assembled an impressive group of collaborators, including Rapha, Kapital and Natuzzi.

BYBORRE is mostly sold out on its website, but it still has some really great outerwear pieces:

Check out the full collection here.

SS21 Window Shopping Continues

Raquel was busy this week saving screenshots to her Things I Want photo album. The key pieces? This flow-y dress from Frankie Shop:

And this color blocked half zip sweater from Staud:

Staud Colorblock Sweater — We love a good color block

Also good? Rothy’s new sneaker and this t-shirt from imogene + willie. We’ve always been obsessed with that font.

Macy’s Revitalization of Herald Square

Macy’s announced plans this week to build an enormous, gleaming skyscraper atop its iconic 34th street store.

Macy's to build office tower on Herald Square building — The new miracle on 34th street

It will borrow against the existing store to finance the office tower and make upgrades to the Herald Square area neighborhood and subway entrances.

This is a smart move by Macy’s. It’s doubling down on one of its best assets - it’s iconic Herald Square store, beloved for its wooden escalator and the terminus of the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. The office tower will provide a way for Macy’s to diversify more into real estate and away from the fickle retail industry.

It’s also a win for the surrounding neighborhood: the Herald Square subway station sorely needs a facelift, and Macy’s is going to contribute to making the area more pedestrian and transit friendly.