September 2, 2026 |
The new issue of 10 Magazine has arrived – FUTURE, LEGACY, HERITAGE – hitting newsstands September 18. For our first cover, Matthieu Blazy muse Aditsa Berzenia wears Chanel’s AW26 collection, shot by Alex Huanfa Cheng and styled by Toby Grimditch.
Read Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou’s editor’s letter below:
This season, the overwhelming theme was of global brands doubling down on the codes that defined and shaped them, reinforcing their aesthetic and DNA. The best are able to home in on their heritage, evolving it rather than replicating the past and using key ingredients to reinforce the core brand values. They have found ways to distil and precisely identify these themes and ideas by looking back and referencing their archive but always with a view to moving the story forward.
As an avid archivist of fashion (aka a hoarder), I’ve accumulated so many inspirational pieces over the years that are treasured not just for all the beautiful memories they hold, but for their craft, excellence in design and how they make me feel when I wear them. I’ve never just collected for its own sake; I have been driven to buy pieces that I adore and wear until I can no longer fit into them. Then they become part of my treasures and collectable pieces.
I have beautiful John Galliano pieces from his Princess Lucretia SS94 collection – a bias-cut gown, in the perfect mink colour, with a matching bias-cut jacket that I wore as a maiden of honour to my sister-in-law’s wedding. I then proceeded to buy a wide leg, navy blue, bias-cut trouser suit from Galliano from the same collection. I treasure these pieces and even have the fabled carnation dress, in all black, rather than the black and white catwalk version, from AW95. I wore it to receive my Outstanding Achievement award at The Fashion Awards two years ago, almost 20 years after buying this amazing piece. I am a real believer in buying once and buying well. I gravitate towards good design pieces and archive that I will appreciate for years to come. I don’t want desirability to be fleeting but perpetual. The heritage of a piece is fundamental to me. Without it a brand can’t have longevity or desirability.
I have amassed and archived other huge collections. I absolutely love all my amazing Azzedine Alaïa pieces. I have worn and still love my Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga looks and even have clothes from his short-lived tenure at Callaghan. Then there are all my amazing Phoebe Philo for Céline pieces. I have eight coats, each in different iterations – with leather sleeves, in camel wool, grey, blue and cream – and so many of her tailored jackets. I have amazing Martin-era Margiela trouser suits, jackets and coats, and stunning McQueen pieces, along with Alber Elbaz for Lanvin pieces. I worked with Roland Mouret for 20 years and have countless pieces including several Galaxy dresses. My many Antonio Berardi items fill my wardrobe full of memories and love while my Helmut Lang and Body Map are relegated to a different section of my archive, but I could never, ever part with them.
As you can imagine, archivists have a very special place in my heart. We delve into Bryan Boy‘s expansive wardrobe, where he picks his favourite past and present buys. As you would expect, there are lots of amazing clothes by Prada, Dior and, of course, endless Chanel.
In this Heritage issue, we also take a deep dive into five luxury brands that have archived their own collections using their heritage as a constant source of inspiration. Claudia Croft visited these magical places, each structured totally differently. She began with the immaculately attended Dior collection, held in a temperature-controlled church of fashion history in central Paris, with everything stored in grey boxes swathed in crispy sheets of immaculate tissue. Gucci‘s archive is stored in a beautiful 14th-century building in Florence in giant glass vitrines that glow with golden light. Tom Ford‘s legendary collections live here alongside Demna‘s new Gucci chapter.
One of my all-time favourites (I know I shouldn’t have them, but I do) is the spectacular archive created by Carla Sozzani after the death of Azzedine Alaïa, which fills the catacombs under the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa building in Rue Du Moussy. It is truly spectacular! Every single piece is museum-worthy. It’s a temple of beauty and inspiration and experiencing it is truly breathtaking. Alongside his own archive sit other amazing clothes Azzedine collected over the years by Madame Grès, Christian Dior, Balenciaga and many more, which are used to create exhibitions in the foundation, sharing the love of this treasured archive.
There are so many things to discuss in the issue, and although we have gone into deep explorations of what came before, what I find fascinating is how brands have taken their heritage and DNA as a starting point to propel themselves forward. It is fuel to grow and modernise their collections – always moving forward, as fashion should.
Issue 77 of 10 Magazine – FUTURE, LEGACY, HERITAGE – is on newsstands September 18. Pre-order your copy here.
CHANEL: CHERISH THE DAY
Photographer ALEX HUANFA CHENG
Fashion Editor TOBY GRIMDITCH
Model ADITSA BERZENIIA at Ford Models Paris
Hair YUMIKO HIKAGE
Make-up ENY WHITEHEAD using Chanel Beauty
Ceramic artist KING HOUNDEKPINKOU
Photographer’s assistants THOMAS LAPORTE and JEROME BOINALI
Fashion assistant LENA LAUER
Casting CLARE RHODES at Casting By Us
Production AURELIE MANGIARACINA and SONYA MAZURYK
Producer JEANNE SCHMITT
Location Studio Brune, Paris
Clothing and accessories throughout Chanel AW26 Collection
