Supermodel <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/television/2022/02/02/gigi-hadid-to-co-host-netflixs-next-in-fashion-alongside-tan-france/" target="_blank">Gigi Hadid</a> has released the latest collection from her luxury knitwear brand Guest in Residence, titled Varsity Funk, which takes inspiration from the aesthetics of schoolwear. Accordingly, the model, 27, has transformed conventional items such as varsity jackets and basketball shorts into chic knitwear. Promising comfort in 100 per cent cashmere, the pieces in the capsule collection come in light and luscious colours; think sunflower, mandarin, almond and basil (or yellow, orange, brown and green). Hadid, who is part Palestinian, says she has “always been interested in taking on the shapes and tailoring from one style and giving it a different one, like in cashmere”. “I’m excited to see how people style the Varsity pieces and make them their own,” she said in an interview with <i>Hypebeast</i>. The funky pieces range from $125 for a cap to $795 for a letterman jacket. Some items are already either running low or out of stock. Hadid founded Guest in Residence in September, after pushing back on other opportunities to start her own label. “The earliest days of Guest in Residence came about when I started to question the cashmere market, and those answers gave me a path,” she wrote to her 76.2 million followers on Instagram. “100 per cent cashmere is 100 per cent cashmere; but in the past, it is a material that, at its most integral state, has been made exclusive. I believe that because of its sustainable qualities — natural and made to cherish and pass down — cashmere is a luxury that should be more accessible,” Hadid said. "I hope with Guest in Residence we encourage investment in quality pieces at a more reasonable price, and a wardrobe that can grow and change with your style [and] can endure life with you, and become heirlooms." The Varsity Funk collection is now available on the <a href="https://guestinresidence.com/en-ae" target="_blank">brand’s website</a>.
