Darling Magazine

by Mohsina Alam Sustainability has become a buzzword within the fashion industry in the last several years, with major fashion brands from H&M to Stella McCartney all making a public effort to become more climate-conscious.  It might be easy to write this off as greenwashing ,  but there has been real progress made in making fashion more sustainable. We’ve seen an increase in eco-friendly sportswear brands, a growth in the high-end rental industry to discourage buying one-use garments, and a rising trend in buying second-hand and vintage apparel.  One area of the fashion industry that has been slow to make sustainable changes is the lingerie sector. Despite the fact that the lingerie sector operates as part of the fast fashion industry, and consequently is responsible for huge amounts of resource and textile waste.  Brands that create underwear rely on unsustainable materials to create their garments; such as synthetic fabrics which are not biodegradable, or cott...

by Gina Brennan The plus-size movement still has a shockingly long way to go, considering it started its journey in the 1960s. Vogue Business reported that across the fashion calendars in New York, London, Paris, and Milan, only 17 brands featured at least one plus-size look. London Fashion Week had the most mid and plus-size models (mid-size characterised as UK sizes 10-16, plus-size as 18+) but these groups made up only 7.3% of the models on the runway. Despite the growth of the ‘body positivity’ movement in the past few years, there is a disheartening lack of representation on the runway. Coupled with the media promising that the ultra-skinny, ‘heroin chic’ of the ‘90s is back, it foreshadows a gloomy future for inclusivity in fashion.  The consequences of pushing certain body types as more desirable than others are dire. The Royal College of Psychiatrists reported that over the last five years hospital admissions for eating disorders have risen 84%, and the NHS is experiencing ...

by Josie Sharp Is Margot Robbie stuck in a Love Triangle with Chanel and Bottega Venetta? Margot Robbie, star of hit movies from Suicide Squad to I, Tonya and even the upcoming Barbie, has been an ambassador for the classic fashion house ‘Chanel’ since 2018.  This partnership started out strong, with her wearing a gorgeous couture cream gown, with silver embellishments, and even her diamond earrings are said to have been catered to Margot Robbie’s ‘personal taste.’ Since then, however, it seems that Robbie has become less well-styled with the looks Chanel put her in for red carpets and premieres. Her fans have commented that in the past year, her Chanel looks have been disappointing - and that the star herself even appears to be disappointed in the looks as well. In November of last year, she wore an emerald green Bottega Veneta gown to the Governor Awards, making the public believe that her relationship with the French fashion house was over and that she was finally ‘freed’ from w...

by Alisha Bissessur At the young age of 26, Zendaya is already the face of a whole generation.  With her accomplished history in the acting industry, she has also found herself to be of fashion icon status.  Image: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images Honestly, who could ever forget the iconic Cinderella dress at the 2019 Met Gala, or her Balmain wet-look leather dress at the premiere of Dune, or even her unforgettable fuchsia breastplate at the 2021 Critics Choice Awards?  After keeping a low profile for months, she was impossible to miss dressed in head-to-toe tiger print for Louis Vuitton’s ‘Musée D’Orsay’ FW23/24 Paris Fashion Week show. Marking her first fashion outing of the season, Zendaya hadn’t been spotted on a front row since Valentino in October 2022. Image: Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images Long-standing Louis Vuitton ambassadors, such as Emma Stone, Ana de Armas, and Sophie Turner all received first-class seats at Musée D’Orsay, with Zendaya also allotted a seat.  Her a...

Taipei Fashion Week opened its Autumn/Winter 2023 season on March 22nd with “CrossLab: Dialogue between Traditional Performance, Craftsmanship and Fashion,” a themed group show highlighting the collaboration between 7 fashion designers and 7 traditional craftsmen and performing artists. BOB JIAN with Zhen Shou Temple Wu Jing Tang Folk Parade Club @bobjian The opening show represents the DNA of what Taipei Fashion Week stands for—where fashion is more than being part of an economic system, and allows us to connect with our culture and history.  TANGTSUNGCHIEN with Tung-Hua shadow puppet theatre @tangtsungchien_studio The show was held in front of Nankunshen Daitian Temple in Tainan, with 360 years of history, Nankunshen Daitian Temple represents local Taiwanese life, but also the most essential fashion elements in each crucial historical moment. The core of contemporary Taiwan fashion is derived from traditional craft culture, making Nankunshen Daitian Temple the perfect backdrop to...

by Josie Sharp Famed stylist Law Roach announced last week that he was retiring via a since-deleted Instagram post that blamed “The politics, the lies and false narratives” of the fashion industry for his decision. The 44-year-old is known for being the ‘image architect’ of stars including Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy.   Image: Luke Leitch Under the Instagram post that featured simply a red sign with 'RETIRED' written in large white letters, both fans and celebrities commented their adoration and sadness at his retirement. Roach was even called “an inspiration” by international supermodel Naomi Campbell who said that she wouldn’t allow him to retire.   At Paris Fashion Week, Zendaya and her stylist were rushed to the FROW of the Louis Vuitton show because they were running late, only for them to see there was no seat for him - at least not next to Zendaya. Roach explained to Lindsay Peoples on a podcast with ‘The Cut’ that he was used to his seat always being “next to her” so i...

by Adria Mirabelli Simply titled “Burberry”, the brand is set to release a 252-page book chronicling the company’s history that spans from 1856 to 2022. Burberry The house of Burberry has been at the front of our minds since it was announced in 2022 that Daniel Lee (formerly of Bottega Veneta) would be taking over as Creative Director as of October 2023.  Following Lee’s first collection presentation at London Fashion Week in February 2023, Burberry will be releasing a book chronicling the history of the 165-year-old brand. The volume is set to be released on March 28th and is currently available for pre-order online.  Written by Alexander Fury and published by Assouline, it will span five chapters of history, images and illustrations. Burberry Thematically, the release feels in line with the brand's new approach since appointing Daniel Lee. As we have seen both in Lee’s first marketing campaign and the debut FW23 collection with Burberry, there is a clear acknowledgement of t...