When it comes to style, few stars have successfully achieved the level of modern sophistication and effortless glamour like Irina Shayk. Since her days appearing as the first Russian model on cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue in 2011 and walking runways for the like of Miu Miu, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier and Victoria Beckham, to regularly being photographed walking her daughter Lea de Seine Shayk Cooper to school in NYC, Shayk is never one to miss an opportunity to persuade her sartorial admirers to experiment with style, from pairing a Matrix-style leather coat with jeans or a lime green slip dress with black sandals.
Fortunately, for us, Shayk joined a bevvy of celebrities including actor Awkwafina, former ELLE UK cover star Letitia Wright, House of the Dragons Olivia Cooke and Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey on Tuesday night to celebrate H&M and Rokh‘s new collaboration at London’s Dover Street Market. The night included performances from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and DJ Arca. The stars wore designs from the forthcoming collection, which will be online from April 18.
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Ahead of the event, Shayk – who wore a black blazer dress, a silver studded belt, white socks and Maison Margiela Tabi split-toe block-heel leather Mary-Janes for the party – opened up to ELLE UK about her style, how she tries to be sustainable with her fashion choices, and what she’s saving from her wardrobe for her daughter, who she co-parents with her ex Bradley Cooper.
‘My style didn’t change dramatically,’ the Russian model told us of what becoming a mother in 2017 taught her about her style. ‘I like to wear comfortable clothes and I think that being a mother opens a new dimension of fashion for any woman.’
Shayk is regularly seen on the school run in New York sporting everything from oversized Burberry men’s shirts to baby pink Hugo Boss suits. A self-described ‘minimalist’ (‘less is always more’), she admitted that while she often chooses black as a failsafe colour, she’s not one to usually follow trends. ‘If I do, mob wife is my vibe.’
With a go-to outfit of ‘black trousers, heels and a coat’, her go-to piece of clothing if a ‘simple black dress that you can take from day to night with the changing of a shoe’.
‘Buying less and really acquiring the things you love,’ is how vintage-loving Shayk would describe sustainable fashion, which is why she’s already making an effort to curate a collection of vintage items to pass along to her daughter. ‘We live in a time that we can re-sell pieces no longer used,’ she added.
Ahead of the 2024 Met Gala, which is celebrating the exhibition ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’, Shayk recalled her most memorable looks from the star-studded occasion. ‘My favourite outfit was Riccardo Tisci’s Burberry dark blue velvet gown,’ she admitted of the outfit, which featured built-in gloves and a cluster of jewels embellishing both the front and back. ‘It was so classy and iconic!’
Speaking of the new Rokh H&M collection, Shayk said: ‘I love that H&M is supporting emerging label. It’s a great idea to spotlight new designers and introduce them to more mass audiences. I particularly love a black jacket/dress that you can wear with the trousers from the collection or as a dress. It’s reversible, really versatile and cool tailoring.
‘Rokh stands for individuality, so it was great to have so many unique talents from the worlds of music, art and design contributing to this fantastic launch event for Rokh H&M. It made me so happy to see people wearing the looks from the collection in their own way,’ Rok Hwang, creative director at Rokh, says of the collection.
You can view the new H&M and Rokha collection, available to purchase from April 18, here.
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