Fashion, Art and NFTs Collide in Miami
Nightlife

Fashion, Art and NFTs Collide in Miami

Fashion's Miami infiltration during Art Week is nothing new, but the city felt especially jam-packed with luxury brand activations this year, if the loaded party schedule and insufferable traffic were any indication. From the Design District to Miami Beach, fashion labels used every opportunity to stage big events this year while catering to the city's wealthy art patrons in the process. Here are the main takeaways from 2021 Miami Art Week, including Design Miami and Art Basel.

Evan Mock Links Up With Pandora Jewelry at Gitano Miami

Photo via BFA/ Madison McGaw

Gossip Girl star Evan Mock capped off Art Basel with a Pandora Jewelry event. At Miami hotspot Gitano, the skater-model-actor clad was joined by Shaun Ross, Paris Brosnan, Gray Sorrenti, and Larsen Thompson. Guests were treated to music by Mazurate and accessories on view and to try on in celebration of Pandora’s relaunched ME collection.

Tod's Celebrates Mosaic Collection & Artist Willie Cole

Photo: Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com

Just before the week's main festivities commenced, Tod's kicked off Art Basel Miami on Sunday with an intimate dinner at Italian hotspot Forte dei Marmi to celebrate its new Mosaic collection (a capsule cof handbags and accessories made with unused leather from production) and artist Willie Cole, who created unique sculptures made from recycled Tod’s leather and unused materials. Guests included Karolina Kurkova, Archie Drury, HRH Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, Casey Fremont and Stefano Tonchi.

Ruinart Champagne and Artist David Shrigley Present "Unconventional Bubbles"

Hari Nef (Photography: Madison McGaw/ BFA)

Champagne house Ruinart and British artist David Shrigley held a fête to celebrate his artwork series Unconventional Bubbles, which inspired the evening's life-size witty designs and Chef Flynn McGarry's culinary treats. Art and fashion patrons including Hari Nef, Justice Smith, Caroline de Maigret, Vanessa Traina and Jacob Bixenman all gathered in the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens with tunes by DJ Timo Weiland.

The Kompa Collection From Fendi and Mabeo

Courtesy of Fendi

At Design Miami, Fendi presented a furniture collection with Botswana-based label and design studio Mabeo. Called Kompa, the collection was developed after consulting with artisans across the African country to bring together the region's techniques and craft activities. Mabeo had creative meetings with Kim Jones, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Delfina Delettrez Fendi to dream up the 10-piece collection, which includes a basket woven cabinet and a metal Peekaboo handbag.

Prince x Sporty & Rich Celebratory Brunch

Photos via BFA

Sporty & Rich celebrated its collaboration with tennis lifestyle brand Prince (which is available now at SportyAndRich.com) with an outdoor brunch at David Grutman and Pharrell's dining hotspot Swan. Grutman and Sporty & Rich founder Emily Oberg hosted the affair in front of guests like Bella Hadid, Justine Skye, Anastasia Karanikolaou (Stassie Baby) and Jonathan Cheban.

Loewe Celebrates Florian Krewer’s New Book at Twist

Photos via BFA

Twist, the famous gay Miami nightclub, was the place to be late Wednesday night. Loewe chose the iconic venue to celebrate contemporary artist Florian Krewer's new book, copies of which were lined up against the walls (it's available now at Loewe.com and 50% of the retail price will be donated to The International Trans Fund). The event was done in collaboration with Gayletter, while DJ Kindness and DJ Pascal Moscheni spun tunes in front of guests like Jordan Barrett, Honey Dijon, Ricky Martin, Hari Nef and Josh O’Connor. Krewer's work inspired Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson's SS22 Men's collection, and both held court all night as guests danced and mingled for hours.

Miu Miu Select by Hailey Benton Gates

Courtesy of Miu Miu

Miu Miu Select was introduced in 2019 as a way to have the label’s friends curate a highly personalized wardrobe of their favorite pieces of the season. After launching in New York, London, Paris and Moscow, the series returned during Miami Art Week at Miu Miu's Design District store with model and director Hailey Benton Gates (past "selectors" include Chloë Sevigny, Lila Moss and Georgia May Jagger). Her favorite picks are located in a corner of the store dedicated to the project and feature custom-made tags reading “Miu Miu Select by Hailey Benton Gates" on each piece chosen.

Rimowa "As Seen By" Afterparty at SoHo Beach House

Courtesy of Rimowa

Rimowa's "As Seen By" exhibition series first debuted in Paris back in October. For its second edition, the luggage brand curated a collection of artworks from six new local North America artists and six global artists from the Paris exhibition, all of whom reimagined Rimowa's iconic aluminum materials, which was on view from December 1 to 5 at its Miami Design District store. They kept the party going the next day at Soho Beach House with an oceanfront afterparty featuring DJ sets from Siobhan Bell, Hank Orsan and Rich Medina.

Balmain Teams Up With (RED) Live Nation and Chivas

Courtesy of Balmain

Balmain, along with (RED) and LiveNation, hosted a party in honor of the contemporary art installation from Saype, the French-Swiss art pioneer known for his environmental and social activism. His work is located on the expansive Atlantic beach just outside the Balmain Pavilion. The event, which took place at SCOPE Miami Beach, highlighted offerings from Chivas and Perrier Jouet, and brought together artists, influencers and art lovers.

Tag Heuer Celebrates Basketball Star Jimmy Butler

Photography: Shane Drummond

Tag Heuer and basketball superstar Jimmy Butler co-designed a new special edition Carrera Heuer 02T Tourbillon. (Butler became Tag Heuer ambassador in May after leading the Miami team to the NBA championships the year prior.) To celebrate the launch, the Swiss watchmaker took over a private Miami Beach residence for a private dinner lined with Porsche cars and Butler’s favorite timepieces. Butler's injury prevented him from attending, instead sending a video message that was played in front of guests like Madelyn Cline, Luis Fonsi and Paulina Vega.

Prada & YoungArts 40th Anniversary Cocktail Event

Photos via BFA

Prada's ongoing support of YoungArts, the nonprofit that provides creative and professional development to artists in the performing, literary and visual arts, carried over into Miami last week. The brand's Design District store hosted several YoungArts board members, donors and artists to celebrate the organization's 40th anniversary. Guests at the cocktail included TikTok star Blake Gray, model Larsen Thompson and photographer/designer Alexander Roth.

Chanel No. 5 100th Anniversary Light Show

Photos via Getty

Chanel's ongoing festivities for the 100th anniversary of its No. 5 fragrance culminated in Miami last week with a starry light show using drones in front of Faena Beach. The show drew inspiration from Coco Chanel's universe of symbols as the stories behind Place Vendôme, the double C monogram and the camellia lit up the night sky.