FALL 2020
JARED LETO The Power of Freedom
JACK SON Wang IS TAKING OVER the WORLD
How the multi-hyphenate went from fencing in Hong Kong to becoming a K-Pop rapper, Cartier ambassador, and now global sensation. By LISA MOIVUS Photography HUANG JIAQI
Away from their intended environments, even the most civil garments run toward adventure. Photography CHATCHANAN CHANTAJINDA Styled by CHANOND MINGMIT
L’TREND
We are
fragile souls ALL
In his new album, S16, the eclectic French artist known as Woodkid reflects on the strength of admitting one’s weaknesses and asking for help. Singer, musician, writer, visual artist, and director. This is how Yoann Lemoine defines himself. Considering the extraordinary breadth of his creative output, it is easy to understand the 37-year-old’s reluctance to narrow down his self-image. Lemoine began his career as a filmmaker, collaborating with Sofia Coppola and Luc Besson and later directing music videos for megastars like Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and Harry Styles. In 2011 Lemoine added another twist to his career: He entered the recording studio under the moniker Woodkid. His soft, reserved voice unfolds over almost tribal rhythms, transporting the listener into a melancholic state while still maintaining a glimmer of hope. The fashion world also fell in love with him: Nicolas Ghesquière, the creative director of Louis Vuitton, asked him to create a video campaign and supply the soundtracks to the brand’s shows. In turn, Ghesquière designed the stage costumes for the tour supporting S16, Woodkid’s new album, out this fall. How do you define S16’s message? I talk about the power that comes from knowing how to ask for help. I believe that people need to learn how to L’OFFICIEL:
WOODKID:
admit their weaknesses, especially when they are victims of depression or addiction. We often value the idea of someone who has everything under control, but the truth is, there are situations in which you can control little or nothing. Sometimes we get lost, and you have to ask for a hand and be ready to take it. What impressed you the most about Nicolas Ghesquière? The respect he and the entire Louis Vuitton team showed for my work. We met when he commissioned me for the music of the video campaign for Fall/Winter 2017, and from there, he asked me to curate the soundtracks for the shows. He always trusted my vision.
L’O: W:
What are your values as an artist? First, I believe in a predisposition to emotions and talent. Some people have it, and some don’t. But an artist must also show curiosity and commitment. You have to work hard, learn new tools, and try different ways of doing things. You have to be very critical about the quality of the results. It’s normal for an artist to appreciate his work much less than the public does. It means that you are moving forward. — Cristina Manfredi L’O: W:
Photography COLLIER SCHORR
L’AUTEUR
IRAMA
NOW
The TV talent show-victor is the new voice of made-in-Italy music.
Born in Carrara, Italy, raised in Monza, and now based in Milan, Filippo Maria Fanti—better known as Irama—loves Aerosmith. The classic rock band blasts from the stereo upon his request, and just as Steven Tyler wails “I don’t want to miss a thing,” Irama slips out a heartfelt lip sync. The young musician, whose moniker means “rhythm” in Malay, is riding a high, and it’s not just from this performance. Earlier this summer he was declared the victor on Amici Speciali, a TV special that raised funds for Italy’s COVID-19 pandemic. The show was a spinoff of the original talent series Amici di Maria De Filippi, which first catapulted the artist to success in 2018. Since then he has topped the Italian Albums chart with several multi-platinum singles. Through it all, Irama’s lifelong love of rock has been in his heart: By the age of seven he had already written his first song, and at night he dreamed of becoming a professional drummer. “We are all born with a rhythm inside,” he tells L’OFFICIEL. “A heartbeat.” There’s clearly a point of view in your work. What are you trying to tell us or show us about yourself or others? IRAMA: The greatness of song is that it’s able to convey the things that bind us to each other and make us all human. A friend of mine recently said to me, “We often point to L’OFFICIEL:
the moon but people look at the finger.” I am interested in people’s opinions, otherwise I wouldn’t make art for other people. We’re all influenced by others’ judgments, and it’s formative to learn from them, but it’s also right to value your own ideas. On the final episode of Amici Speciali, you made a heartfelt speech against racism and homophobia. Do you consider yourself an activist? I: These are important issues that, unfortunately, we still have to address. They might seem surreal to our generation, but they are realities that still exist and that we must fight. The Amici Speciali speech was tough. It was the first time I wrote a monologue, and the experience of writing it felt like a punch in the stomach. It was the same emotion I tried to evoke when I recited it on TV. L’O:
How did the COVID-19 lockdown affect your work? I continued making music, but I didn’t do much of anything during the day. I concentrate better in the silence of nighttime. I wrote in cramped places throughout the evenings and well into the mornings. At night, I realize how sentimental I am. —Simone Vertura L’O: I:
Photography VALENTIN HENNEQUIN STYLING: Simone
Shirt and belt DRIES VAN NOTEN Pants and boots BOTTEGA VENETA Neckace ACNE STUDIOS Rutigliano GROOMING: Erisson Muesella CLOSE UP MILANO PRODUCTION: Ali Kiblawi WASL AGENCY STYLIST ASSISTANT: Giammarco Cingolani LOCATION AND PROPS: Etel Showroom Milano
L’CHIC
theARTof
STANDING
Out
Decorative, graphic, and even avant-garde, this season designers left less for the imagination with a commanding array of embellishments. Photography CARLOS TEIXEIRA Styled by PABLO PATANÈ
L’PORTFOLIO
Jared Leto’s Worst Kept Secrets After three decades of crowd surfing off rock concert stages and profoundly transforming for the silver screen, the enigmatic actor, musician, and all-around provocateur reflects on life during a new era with pop music innovator Finneas. Photography CAMERON McCOOL Styled by KARLA WELCH Twenty years ago, Jared Leto was high off his mind on heroin, launching himself off an illusionary Coney Island boardwalk into the great abyss. As Harry, the core fallen hero of Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drug epic Requiem for a Dream, Leto justified critical acclaim, catapulting the actor and musician (he formed cult-favorite rock outfit Thirty Seconds to Mars with his brother, Shannon, in 1998) to leadingman level after previous but buzzy supporting appearances in Girl, Interrupted and David Fincher’s Fight Club, thanks to his biting performance and agonizing methodology. For Aronofsky’s saga, Leto infamously spent several months homeless in New York City, refraining from sex and regular meals to shift physically into the emaciated look of his drugaddled character. In the two decades since, he has continued to chase the extremes—from playing a millennial supervillain in Suicide Squad to a transgender pill pusher in Dallas Buyers
Club—with subversive, somtimes bizarre performances that beg the question: are there no lengths he won’t go? Similarly, in music and fashion, Leto has dissolved the boundaries of Hollywood convention, evolving from late-aughts emo alternative to the non-confirming maximalism populated by Alessandro Michele at Gucci (for whom Jared long played muse) and a new generation of experimental TikTokers. Indeed Leto today, with his long mane of hair and wellbuilt physique, is no longer the same skinny-jean-clad young rocker stomping the Vans Warped Tour. On the advent of Requiem’s anniversary, he speaks with long-time friend (and sometimes collaborator) Finneas O’Connell—known mononymously as Finneas and the silent power behind sister Billie Eilish–about his newfound love of rock climbing, the high of live performance, and even unreleased music. —Joshua Glass
DeCOdiNg DRESS
With the office environment reimagined, new standards of attire allow for a little wiggle room. Photography RICHIE TALBOY Styled by DANIEL GAINES
Manor BORN To the
A languid afternoon showcases the most opulent textures and patterns.Â
Photography GUILLAUME MALHEIRO Styled by CELINE BOURREAU & RAPHAEL DE CASTRO