Sprinkled among the guests were celebrities such as Pharrell, Hailey and Justin Bieber, Charli XCX, Naomi Campbell, Winnie Harlow, Jourdan Dunn, FKA Twigs, Alexa Chung, Lewis Hamilton, and Marcus Rashord, who all gathered to witness the immense occasion.

London’s Olympia venue was transformed into a blue-lit dystopian madness with mini-exhibitions highlighting their collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Adidas, Palm Angels, and Rick Owens. Jay-Z’s entertainment company Roc Nation also got its own platform allowing guests to record sounds that were then mixed live to create an “emotion-centred experience – because Genius lives within us all”.

Two and a half hours after the event commenced the legendary singer Alicia Keys took the stage performing hits ‘Girl On Fire’ and ‘Empire is a State of Mind’. She was joined by the nation’s favourite rapper Little Simz and R&B singer and Simz’s collaborator Cleo Sol to perform ‘Woman’. Keys wore her upcoming collaboration with Moncler performing in a stunning metallic silver trench coat with matching flares. The singer called the collection, which will be released in late March, “cool, easy, 100 percent New York – inspired by late ’90s streetwear, but with a twist”.

As always Rick Owens made a statement. After presenting his famous black maxi gowns and bulky coats in a dark smoke-filled room, he threw an outdoor afterparty complete with dancefloors and DJs.

Last September, Moncler celebrated its 70th anniversary in an equally over-the-top style when 18,000 people gathered at the Duomo di Milano in Milan to witness the performance delivered by 1952 models, musicians, and dancers (an ode to when the brand was established) dressed wearing limited-edition white Moncler Maya jackets. Oh-so fabulous.

^{Words by: Molly Sutherland}

_{Header Image: Moncler Genius, Alicia Keys}

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Little Simz is back with another track. The British rapper teases her hotly anticipated album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’, set to release on September 3rd, with “Woman” – a song that makes the wait worth the while.  

As the title suggests, the new original song is an ode to women. It is an empowering homage to the female form in its integrity, with a particular focus on black women. It’s fun, catchy, and most importantly, socially relevant, a characteristic that seems to be constant in all of Little Simz work. The rapper celebrates the beauty of women from every possible angle. She raps about their beauty, intelligence and indisputable uniqueness accompanied by another female boss – Cleo Sol.  It’s needless to say that the collaboration between the two artists just made the song even better than we’d expected… Cleo Sol’s airy voice and Little Simz natural flow match in a magic-like manner that makes a seemingly classic song an instant hit. But it doesn’t end there, alongside the hit come intricate and alluring visuals.  

The music video for “Woman” is an aesthetical dream that perfectly, almost too perfectly, reflects the essence of the song. This is because Little Simz herself directed the production of the music video, a first even for her. Have you ever imagined a modern, and clearly feminist, Utopia? Well, this video creates exactly that. An army of women in a castle-like estate wearing glamorous looks while making money, but dancing and having fun in the meantime… can we join?

The video with its iridescent colours, meaningful storyline and unconventional representation showcases Little Simz’s talent as not only a singer and rapper but a director too. And as much as we love the lush visuals, it’s the details that leave us in awe of her direction. The incredible casting, for example, was not incidental. Every woman in that cast, from Jourdan Dunn to Joy Crookes and Sienna King, is there because of the importance they have in Simz’s life.  Which in a sense amplifies the message of this video by showing a united front, a strong and glamorous sisterhood. 

Enough talking, while we wait to see what else Little Simz has in store for us this year do yourself a favour and have a look at “Woman”.

Words By Chiara Ferrari

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Cleo Sol is the London-based singer who effortlessly delivers captivating and dreamlike music straight from her soul. Her mature and jazzy vocals only shine brighter when accompanied with the raw percussion and flute melodies typically featured in her tracks. The 26-year-old is rare in the way her sound is simple and uncut. Rather than heavily using synthesisers and hi-hats in her tracks, she halos classical instruments: piano, cellos, flutes, percussions and gospel-style voice harmonisations to create music that is pensive and thought-provoking.

As the clocks go back and autumn inevitably approaches, Cleo’s 2018 EP ‘Winter Songs’ will definitely keep you warm. The four-track project which garnered 7 million streams on Spotify featuring ‘Still Cold’, ‘Miles Song’ and single ‘Why Don’t You’ are iconic for the way every instrument – including Cleo’s voice – are individually heralded but collectively work together to form a vibe and sound reminiscent of 90s Erykah Badu and Sade.

Her performance of ‘Why Don’t You’ on COLORSXSTUDIO has been particularly noticed online, garnering 9 million views and counting. Her live rendition of the track mesmerised listeners globally and projected her into the limelight for the way she carried herself and projected an earthy freshness with her suave vibrato voice.

Since COLORS, Cleo has released singles ‘One’ and ‘Sweet Blue’ earlier this year. Her lyrics manage to voice her opinions on current and decade-appropriate issues. In ‘One’, she sings “All the forests are dying, the people are crying / How have we, let this be, we watch freely on our TVs / They feed us fake food, it’s so easy” and seamlessly weaves her perspective on the global climate crisis into her lyrics. What makes Cleo so special is how she manages to extend the boundaries of R&B, a genre that characteristically focuses on love and relationships, to discuss contemporary concerns like climate change and civil complacency.

Her most recent track ‘Sweet Blue’ which dropped this May manages to create an airy and intimate atmosphere within the first seconds of the video. The elegant aesthetics of ‘Sweet Blue’ coupled with her quaint lyrics demonstrates the unique flair Cleo possesses – living true to her lyrics: “Just because I’m young, doesn’t mean I’m dumb”. Fans and listeners have compared the feeling her music brings to “drinking a warm cup of tea”.

Give her tracks a spin and you too would agree, Cleo’s music unquestionably succeeds in generating inspiration and introspection, to calm and uplift, and to simultaneously act as a pick-me-up and a relaxant.

Graphics by Aamir Potrick

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