Nothing ever stands still in fashion for long. Each season new ideas proliferate on the runway, only to be submerged by the next round of shows in a matter of months. Still, I can’t recall a time in recent fashion history that has seen as much seismic change as this current moment. In the last year alone, there has been a staggering number of new creative director appointments at major fashion brands – some seasoned vets, others young designers stepping into the spotlight for the first time. As a relative newbie to this role (16 months and counting!), it has made my job more exhilarating than I could have ever imagined. The upcoming fashion calendar is jam-packed with debuts: Sarah Burton’s much-anticipated return at Givenchy, Haider Ackermann’s reimagined Tom Ford, Matthieu Blazy’s first collection for Chanel, to name a few.
Consider this issue as something of a primer for this rapidly evolving landscape. In its pages, you’ll find Ackermann and Burton as they prepare to embark on a new path, buoyed by the possibilities of where they can take fashion next. As Ackermann tells Vogue’s Mark Holgate, “The fashion industry is returning to a moment where people are searching for clothes and for beauty, and less ‘Here is my product.’” It’s a sentiment that’s sure to resonate with fashion obsessives, not least Alessandro Michele. After his seven-year tenure as creative director at Gucci ended in 2022, the Italian designer made a triumphant comeback at Valentino last September. He talks to writer Rebecca Mead about what it means to give the storied Roman house new verve.
From fashion to culture, spring’s new and returning headliners abound, from Emma Corrin and Cate Blanchett taking on The Seagull at the Barbican to the supremely talented artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan making her debut in British Vogue. She has an eye for colour that many designers would covet, so it’s no surprise that her spell-binding, large abstract works have earnt her a devoted following. Her close friend, photographer Jack Davison, shot Yearwood-Dan in her east London studio, a space that was previously a Burberry factory. His gorgeous images capture the beginnings of what is primed to be a landmark show for the painter at Hauser & Wirth this May.
Then there is our transcendent cover star. Photographed by Rafael Pavarotti, in an eye-popping neon-pink Balenciaga bustier, South African megastar Tyla represents a refreshing new direction in music. Her genre-defying sound – a combo of pop, R&B, Afrobeats and amapiano, a style of South African house music – has reverberated around the world to the tune of 1.5 billion streams (for her first album alone). And her fashion influence is manifold too.
Last May, I was fortunate to witness Tyla’s internet-breaking entrance to the Met Gala in person. (Full disclosure: when her publicist, Melissa Victor-Burkhardt, showed me an initial sketch of the look – a sand-encrusted Balmain gown, hourglass in the most literal sense – I wasn’t convinced Tyla could pull it off. Oh, how she proved me wrong!) I was reminded of her instincts for well-timed fashion risks on the set of this month’s cover story. Around 10pm, after a long day of shooting, Pavarotti suggested one final idea: what if she modelled the last looks under a shower of water, as a nod to her breakout single of the same name? Tyla immediately took up the challenge, gamely dancing in the rain. A hip-swivelling style icon in the making.
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For her profile, Vogue’s style editor, Funmi Fetto, travelled between London and Tyla’s home town, Johannesburg, to discover a singer very much in her element. “Tyla represents South Africa’s cultural renaissance,” Joburg designer Thebe Magugu tells Fetto. “She unapologetically showcases – even boasts – about our culture. It’s a beautiful reminder to use where you are from as fuel to push you further, not something to hide so you can assimilate.” In short, the very definition of a headliner for this exciting new era.
Cover look: Tyla wears 3D-printed bustier top and spandex legging boots, Balenciaga. Make-up by Mac Cosmetics. Eyes: Pro Brow Definer in Deep Rich Blackened Brown, £24. Skin: Studio Radiance Serum-Powered Foundation, £39. Lips: Lip Pencil Lip Liner in Cool Deep Neutral, £20. Lipglass Clear, £22. Hair: Zhou Xue Ming. Make-up: Chiao Li Hsu. Nails: Simone Cummings. Set design: Ibby Njoya. Photograph: Rafael Pavarotti. Styling: George Krakowiak
