Fits & Bits: June 2025 Newsletter - Weekly Recap
Men’s fashion week sS26
Everything leads back to Streetwear At This Men’s Fashion Week.
It’s been a hot minute, as Joyce Wrice would say — but we’re so back to dish on all the fashionably fun things that have been going down. What started as a monthly drop is now coming at you weekly, with a curated roundup of our favourite fashion moments. From standout styling to street style highlights, expect everything from fashion podcast episode recaps, seasonal shopping wishlists, and playlist recommendations to our most-used, most-loved products — and, of course, all the hottest fashion tea. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with mixing colour and print in my outfits — merging two vibes that feel like they shouldn’t work together, but totally do. That’s basically the theme of this weeks newsletter: unexpected combinations that just click. Starting off strong with Telfar, Wales Bonner, and Martine Rose’s menswear shows from Men’s Fashion Week — all of which had a shared thread: celebrating the interconnectedness of genders, styles, and communities that the news might tell you don’t belong together… but in fashion, they absolutely do.
Wales Bonner marked 10 years of Black elegance with her SS26 show, expressing her signature superfine tailoring as an everyday wardrobe. This collection quietly modified formal dandyism to something more wearable, but not without meaning. We never noticed until this year’s Met Gala theme, that paid tribute to the cultural practice of Black dandyism (practiced by Black communities across the world for over a century), with every look Bonner reminded us that style is language of legacy, identity, and resistance.
Martine Rose transformed a job centre into a fashion showroom, collapsed the breaking down the wall between the reality of the working-class and runway spectacle with Ponchos (a nod to barbershop capes). Blazers nipped in. Electrician trousers tailored down. Leather Harringtons shrunken. Logo trackies streamlined to their skinniest form, just border lining of meggings territory and a new MR4 Nike Shox collaboration colourway. Childhood memories fuelled these references, this collection unfolded just above the weekend-long MRKT pop up, honouring Kensington Market and championed the kind of independent London designers she once was. Martine Rose SS26 kicks off men’s fashion week with a masterclass in brand consistency. Boring? Never that. It’s called identity—not chasing trends every time the tank runs dry and you lose your day-ones. From rumours of her taking the reins at Balenciaga (where her imprint still lingers) to being name dropped by Kendrick and worn by Chalamet - Martine’s staying power is undeniable.
All this while Telfar reminds us "Not for you — For Everyone”, A truly independent operation, Telfar has maintained influence by holding down their community — not just serving them but building with them. From our overseas perspective, their SS26 show felt block party-coded. Almost 200 people walked Cortlandt Alley in NYC — moms, models, muses, and mandem — cast directly via Telfar TV. The public picked the faces through TELFAR New Models | Season 1: Ep. 1, flipping the casting system on its head and giving us a slice of ANTM-meets-Street-Style. The latest collections expanded on their “infinity capsule” of reworked classics, and while Telfar hits were out in full force, what stood out most were the ‘I ♥ NY’ graphic prints — giving tourist merch but make it fashion. The references run deep. It echoed back to when Telfar handed out real bags to street vendors selling knockoffs, just before opening their flagship store in Soho (Nov 2024) — the literal epicenter of counterfeit bag sales in the US. For the past 20 years, Telfar Clemens has been hammering this motto into our heads, reminding spectators — and the fashion system — that his brand is for the people. And the people made sure everyone knew it.
Everything leads back to athleisure. While the industry tried gaslighting buyers into thinking quiet luxury was the moment, menswear brands have quietly been reintroducing streetwear back into their DNA through sporty references and athletic codes.
Fave IT GIRL this month
When Addison Rae said “taste is a luxury” it hit me as a real ass statement - I’d heard this sentiment before from the likes of Amanda Murray and Muccia Prada. it’s not often that people really sit with it and form thoughtful opinions on what it actually means. But you know who does? This month’s IT girl, Paloma Elsesser. There was a time when everyone was obsessed with what Bella Hadid was doing, wearing, and who she was dating. But now? I’m ready to pass that mantle on to Paloma, the 2023 Model of the Year. Honestly, I fear we just can’t get enough of her. In a recent Cutting Room Floor interview, she humbly dismissed her win, saying she deserved respect back in 2021 — a year when she was absolutely everywhere. But this year, we’re seeing more of her personality shine through: her street style, vintage shopping hauls on TikTok — and it’s sticking. Because this girl has taste. What makes this so progressive is that Paloma started out as a plus-size, full-figured model — and yet she’s remained relevant, booked, and busy, breaking down barriers and redefining what mainstream fashion fandom looks like.
OG IT GIRL
Speaking of fashion girls with taste in entertainment media lost the illest OG IT girl Ananda Lewis, Former MTV VJ and Talk Show Host, who passed at 52 years of age.
Most of us grew up watching her host on MTV & BET. She was a huge inspiration who showed it was possible to succeed in media, not just through fame or connections, but by going to college, studying Mass Communication, and carving out your own path. I intended on following the same path studying Journalism and it was a powerful to see someone who looked like me thriving in a space I wanted to be in. Growing up, I had a handful of Black media personalities I deeply admired — Reggie Yates, Angelica Bell, June Sarpong, and Cita’s World too. They all brought something different, but what they had in common was a sense of authority, personality, and cultural relevance. They made media feel exciting, but also accessible. They made it feel like we belonged. Ananda emerged as that hip-hop generation’s reigning It Girl, meaning she was not just an MTV personality but a woman whose looks and attitude made her perpetually in demand at clubs and parties. She was neither singer nor actress, yet from SoHo to South Beach she consorted with stars of that time.
rappers shout out black brands
Rappers name-dropped luxury fashion houses since forever and rightfully so. These brands run up billions off bars they never paid for. That is called free promo, the real brand influencers but let’s be real, The same hand is not extended in reverse to support or collaborate with the very artists who keep them relevant, let alone put them in campaigns or shows clearly jacked from our culture. And yet, consumers still scrambling for a piece of a label that barely sees them. So this piece about highlighting the moments rappers gave props to Black-owned brands. Shining a light on the brands that move with the culture by representing, creating, repping with them in mind way before the co-signs.
