The ‘big four’ international fashion weeks are set to debut their spring/summer 2024 womenswear catwalk shows starting on September 8. Designers will be showing off their latest collections beginning in New York, followed by London, Milan and Paris. Heritage brands and up-and-coming names alike will be hoping to make headlines, generate online buzz and secure the hottest celebrities on the front row. Here’s what we’ve got to look forward to from the four fashion capitals for SS24… New York When: September 8 to 13. What’s the vibe? “New York’s a bit more established, it’s a bit calmer for me,” says celebrity fashion stylist Miranda Holder, who usually attends shows on both sides of the Atlantic. “It feels more corporate at times. You can spot the industry professionals like Anna Wintour on the front row and you’ve got the Hollywood polish.” Who will be showing? Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren (returning after a four-year hiatus) are among the New York Fashion Week stalwarts, while celeb favourites Brandon Maxwell and Christian Siriano are always big draws. While not technically part of the official schedule, supermodel Naomi Campbell will be jumping on the Big Apple bandwagon, presenting her collaboration with fast fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing on September 5. The catwalk show is billed by the brand as an “electrifying fashion experience, echoing the British fashion icon’s ethos of innovation, glamour and empowerment”. London When: September 15 to 19. What’s the vibe? “I always see London as the launch platform for a lot of people,” says John Bruce, director of PRM model agency. “It’s pretty exciting because sometimes we need to support the new ones in order to see them grow.” Holder adds: “The East End has become very trendy and now a lot of designers, particularly emerging ones, are over in the East End, plus the venues are trendier there.” Who will be showing? Highlighting the city’s commitment to supporting fledgling designers, this season marks 30 years of the British Fashion Council’s NewGen scheme, with 20 catwalk shows slated including hotly-tipped names S.S.Daley, Yuhan Wang and Labrum London. Several major exhibitions are timed to coincide with fashion week. Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion at the Design Museum is curated by the BFC’s Sarah Mower; Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto opens at the V&A; and The Missing Thread: Untold Stories of Black British Fashion will be held at Somerset House. Major labels on the London schedule include Burberry (it’s Daniel Lee’s second season at the helm of the heritage brand), plus royal favourites Erdem and Emilia Wickstead. Milan When: September 20 to 26. What’s the vibe? “Milan has super cool brands,” says Bruce. “It’s an absolutely amazing city, but their market is a little bit more conservative. The show du jour is the Prada show – that normally sets a lot of tone for the season.” Who will be showing? Following two noteworthy departures, all eyes are on Gucci, where Sabato De Sarno presents his debut collection after Alessandro Michele’s exit, and Tom Ford, where Peter Hawkings has taken over from the eponymous founder as creative director. London Fashion Week transplant Karoline Vitto will debut on the Milan schedule, and it’s business as usual for a slew of Italian fashion houses, including Giorgio Armani, Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi, Moschino, Prada and Versace. The Camera della Moda Sustainable Fashion Awards will take place at La Scala Theatre on September 24, honouring designers who combine creativity and eco-friendly production. Paris When: September 25 to October 3. What’s the vibe? “The shows are just spectacular,” says Holder. “They often take place in wonderful historic ballrooms or palaces or something like that, so you’ve just got a whole new element of romance about Paris.” Bruce agrees: “I would say Paris is probably the most glamorous. You feel the elegance, you feel the richness.” Who will be showing? The longest of the big four weeks, spanning eight days, Paris is home to French fashion behemoths Chanel, Saint Laurent, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy and Balmain. British brands Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Victoria Beckham take their usual slots on the City of Light schedule, while Mugler, Maison Margiela and Carven are the most highly anticipated returns. Former Celine creative director Phoebe Philo (worshipped among fashion obsessives) is also set to unveil the first collection from her eponymous label in September, but it’s unclear whether this will be during Paris Fashion Week. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How can parents and children battle back-to-school anxiety? Can you grow a lemon tree from a pip? The beginner gardening questions we all want to ask Fraser Franks undergoing heart surgery – four years after ‘hidden’ condition cut short football career

A crocodile has made herself pregnant in what is believed by scientists to be a world first. The crocodile at the Costa Rica zoo created a foetus that was 99.9 per cent genetically identical to itself, often known as a "virgin birth." This process typically does not occur with crocodiles but with other species such as birds, lizards, snakes, fish and sharks. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Scientists believe this kind of solo reproduction could be traced back to the dinosaurs, as they suggest the species may have also been capable of this rare method. The latest study was published on Wednesday (June 7) in the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters. Back in January 2018, an egg was laid by an 18-year-old female American crocodile in Parque Reptilania, the BBC reported. The fully formed foetus did not hatch however and was stillborn. Researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, say this is the "first documentation" of this kind of reproduction in this species. Dr Warren Booth who has studied virgin births (parthenogenesis) for 11 years theorised that this reproduction method has not been seen in crocodiles because weren't looking out for this happening. ''There was a big increase in reports of parthenogenesis when people started keeping pet snakes. But your average reptile keeper doesn't keep a crocodile," he noted to the BBC. "This new evidence offers tantalizing insights into the possible reproductive capabilities of extinct archosaurian relatives of crocodilians, notably the Pterosauria and Dinosauria," experts said in the study. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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A 3-D-printed toilet has been invented and the surface is so slippery that nothing can leave a mark on it. Cleaning the toilet has to be one of the grimmest household chores, but thanks to new material, you may never have to scrub a loo again. The toilet is the invention of Yike Li at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, who, alongside colleagues, invented a toilet whose surface is so slippery that nothing stains it and uses less water for each flush. The team created a prototype of the toilet around 10 times smaller than a real one. It was made using 3D printing technology, where particles of plastic and hydrophobic sand grains were fused together with lasers. The surface of the toilet was lubricated with a type of silicon oil that also penetrated the surface due to the complex structure of the material. The team tested the toilet with a variety of substances, including honey, yoghurt, muddy water as well as synthetic faeces. They found that none of the substances stuck to the toilet bowl. Amazingly, the toilet was just as slippery after having been rubbed with sandpaper over 1,000 times, which Li believes is due to the oil being able to penetrate the material of the toilet. Li believes the technology would be suited for settings in which a toilet gets a lot of use, such as on modes of transport and in public toilets. He explained: “The reduced flushing volume would result in less wasted water during transportation to the processing facilities, thereby saving transportation costs.” But, before that can happen, Li says the technology needs to be adapted for use on a full-sized toilet and also needs to be cheaper to make. You can see the toilet in action below courtesy of New Scientist. Nothing can stick to this 3D-printed slippery toilet youtu.be Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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