Happy Friday Folks! Here is a wrap-up of this week’s bitesize art x fashion x pop culture news for you to digest.
Valentino in a bid to make luxury fashion more attainable & sustainable
Valentino is making luxury fashion more accessible and eco-friendly by teaming up with seven swap shops worldwide for their Valentino Vintage program! Bring in your old Valentino garments or get them appraised online to get a voucher that you can exchange for new Valentino clothes at select stores. Sustainability has never looked so stylish!
Staff at a museum now blue in the face
At Croome Court, a National Trust Museum in England, staff were “blue in the face” after discovering that a historic statue was covered in blue crayon markings. It turns out that the crayons were included in activity packs given to visiting families over Easter. Oops!
Robots taking over yet another art world profession
Robots are taking over the art world once again! ChatGPT helped Gagosian announce their new Alex Israel show in Rome this week. The collection features giant, colorful surfboard Fin sculptures that are both playful and strikingly beautiful according to the press release, which included the disclaimer – *written by ChatGPT .
BOYY collaborates with Danish artist FOS
BOYY, the Milanese x Bangkok-based brand known best for its colorful and playful handbags and shoes, has teamed up with Danish artist FOS (aka Thomas Poulsen) to create a living, breathing space that evolves alongside the brand. This new flagship in Milan on Via Baguetta provides a dialogue between past and present, and is almost like a living organism that grows and metamorphoses in real-time.
The birth of a new virtual influencer
In a bizarre move, Italy’s tourism ministry and tourism board, Enit, have created a virtual influencer campaign featuring Botticelli’s Venus. Titled “Open to Meraviglia” (Open to Wonder), the campaign includes a computerized mascot of the Renaissance figure to promote Italian culture. However, the €9m campaign has faced widespread ridicule and has been described as “humiliating, unclear, and grotesque.” Yikes!