makedo is a nifty new modular micro construction system designed to enable the creation of objects and spaces from found materials. its aim is to inspire social change by encouraging people to see new value in the things around them. on its recent launch at melbourne’s state of design festival, prominent australian designers across the spectrum of creative fields were asked to create something using found materials and makedo, resulting in everything from wonka donka tower of id by marc pascal to a reclaimed cardboard king kong by perro loco and fragile freak.





geo - buckminster fuller and leonard hamersfeld in collaboration with team rmit, ivan garcia and tali davies
reclaimed aluminium printing plates
© makedo

a marketing strategy that is as brilliant as it is stylish. we’re talking the quicksilver x standard hotels collab on a series of boardshorts. made of hi-tech diamond dobby fabric, they’re a re-issue of the brand’s 70s and 80s design but now boast new patterns inspired by the four standard hotels in new york, miami, downtown los angeles and hollywood. the new boardshorts are available at poolside vending machines [!] at these properties and also online. oh, and ladies: a standard issue bikini is available too!




© quicksilver

a staggering 6 million people commute daily on tokyo’s vast subway system…and many doze off while doing so. swedish shnapper carl hjelte’s show tsukareta - i am tired displays a series of witty mug shots of tokyo commuters [until sep 1]. location: berns asiatiska, berzelii park [östermalm].



© carl hjelte

party: topgun
date: fri - aug 7 [10pm-late]
location: heavy sick zero, 5-41-8-b1 nakano [nakano-ku]
dj lineup includes: tomonori midorikawa, timtin, tetsuya a.k.a. 学帽政, tomboy, foliday

the recently opened acropolis museum may enjoy the spotlight at the moment, but it’s bernard tschumi’s hyperambitious elliptic city project in santo domingo that we have our eyes on. this massive eco-friendly mixed-use project just outside the dominican capital has entered its first phase.

it will include a newly established caribbean financial center and office blocks, a hotel convention center, a shopping mall, residential units and recreational areas. it is projected that approximately 30,000 people will live in elliptic city after completion. location: los llanos, santo domingo.



© bernard tschumi architects

note: click image to enlarge

ism and hibbleton gallery pay tribute to instant film and the discontinued polaroid 600 series with the instant gratification photo exhibition and limited-edition book, featuring over 100 photographers from across the planet. opening party is fri - aug 7 [7pm-10pm] with dj bobby soul. rsvp [here] for access. location: 112 west wilshire avenue [fullerton].

these days guys just can’t have enough bags! we recently told you of the not-to-be-missed bauhaus exhibition in berlin. now german fashion brand firma releases the stylish bauhaus-inspired gropius bag to celebrate the architectural movement’s 90th anniversary. made of herbal-tanned horse leather, it’s also a multifunctional stunner that can triple in size through a zipper system. the gropius bag is available at selected stores across the planet, including behaviour [new york], firma [berlin] and international gallery beams [tokyo].



© firma / click image to enlarge

opening thu - aug 6 at [7pm-9pm] kkoutlet is a show dedicated to this year’s graniph t-shirt design award. ever since its inception in 2001, graniph has worked with leading designers and artists to pioneer a new culture of fusing art and fashion on the timeless, blank canvas of the t-shirt. in 2006 the graniph t-shirt design award was launched. it’s a global design competition open to everyone and anyone regardless of age, location or experience. on display at the exhibition are the designs by the winning finalists. location: 42 hoxton square [shoreditch].

newly established danish label pop cph likes it clean and simple and its a/w 09 collection shows just that. well-rooted in copenhagen’s party scene, the brand comes up with styles that are contemporary and as suitable for daytime as they are for a night on the town. shown below are two looks from the collection that we particularly like. pop cph is available at selected stores across europe, including norrman [copenhagen], clinic [antwerp] and tjallamalla [stockholm].



© pop cph

these days the jane is the preferred address for young hipsters, and it’s easy to see why! located in a landmark building in the west village and previously home to sailors and the local rock scene, it’s full of history and character. the choice of hospitality at the jane is very much inspired by the building’s past. all 200 rooms feature a superstylish ship’s cabin décor and guests share communal bathrooms at the end of the hall on each floor.

modern technology is close at hand with free wireless internet, telephone with voicemail, flat panel television, dvd player and ipod dock. the lobby bar is almost a venue in itself, consisting of three rooms: an intimate bar, the larger ballroom lounge and an upstairs mezzanine, all intended for chilled interactions between guests. location: 113 jane street [west village].




© the jane / hotel lobby + bar [top] and standard cabin [bottom]

online fashion haunt not just a label has a new protagonist. for the month of august, new york-based pop icon and socialite amanda lepore will be curator of the store, picking a series of exclusive items that are undoubtedly befitting her hyperglamorous self. the new not just a label collection will be available as of thu - aug 6.

always wanted to customize an american classic? introducing stewart & strauss‘ diversity concept. having tailored high quality jackets for over three decades, the brand now allows you to customize your own varsity jacket using their exclusive colorme© technology. choose from three cool retro styles and literally millions of color combinations! all jackets feature rich wools and genuine cowhide leathers and are shipped worldwide [the good news is that they have a warehouse in germany, so shipping is a breeze if in europe].

party: disappear here
date: thu - aug 6 [9pm-2am]
location: angels & kings, 710 north clark street [near north side].
dj lineup includes: danny masterson, mikul, heaven malone, la dolce vita, kha

the planet’s appetite for a.p.c.’s cool styles keeps increasing, especially in hong kong where the brand just opened its third store. the small yet superstylish new outlet has been designed by a.p.c.’s house architect laurent deroo and features its men’s and women’s collections. location: seabrid house, 24 wyndham street [central].




© a.p.c.

the levi’s japan x original fake capsule collection finally lands in europe! this fifth edition consists of three cool styles: two are based on the iconic 501 and are made of selvage 12 oz. indigo denim, while one is a cargo style in pure rigid denim. all feature the signature ‘tooth mark’ of either fluorescent green, navy blue or red, and a customized zip fly. the extremely limited-edition levi’s japan x original fake capsule collection is availabe from sep 1 at only seven stores across europe, including cinch [london], colette [paris] and slam jam [milan].

a new online platform that curates and showcases artist-designed and limited-edition products just launched! dubbed culturelabel, it features striking products of over 60 leading art institutions and companies from across the u.k. in one easy-to-shop boutique.

interestingly, the initiative transcends the commercial aspect: by helping partner institutions with an online platform, culturelabel enables these partner institutions to extend their brands and increase retail revenue while freeing them to independently concentrate on their programming and initiatives. participating institutions include v & a, beyond the valley and the photographers’ gallery. click and discover…



note: click on image to enlarge

capsule hotels are a typical japanese phenomenon. consisting of stacked modular units [roughly measuring 2 x 1 meter], they feature basic amenities such as tv and radio, and are mostly used by ‘stranded’ commuters. this cheap hospitality concept was first introduced in the late 70s in osaka by starchitect kisho kurokawa and remains popular to this day.

opening next december in kyoto is 9h [nine hours], a next-generation capsule hotel created by designer masaaki hiromura and interior designer takaaki nakamura. the result is a capsule hotel concept that fuses modern design, comfort and new technology. this technology, dubbed sleeping environment system, has been developed in collaboration with panasonic denko and aims to increase the guest’s well-being.

and you know what? you don’t have to wait until the end of the year to take a closer look as a special exhibition dedicated to the 9h capsule hotel, opens at tokyo’s axis gallery on wed - aug 19. location: 5-17-1 roppongi, 4th floor [roppongi].




© design studio s

haling all you the viridi-anne fans! on thu - aug 6 [5pm-9pm] the savvy darklands store presents the brand’s new a/w 09 collection and has invited a special guest from the viridi-anne’s tokyo team! location: steinstrasse 5 [mitte].



note: click image to enlarge

note: click image to enlarge

when it comes to earpieces, we usually like the functionality but hardly ever the design. cleverly matching both is thefirstone, a sleek bluetooth earpiece that effortlessly connects you to your cell phone in style, wherever you are. its sophisticated technology not only deliver crystal clear phone calls but also handy extras such as voice dialling, background noise reduction and three-way calling.

the thefirstone comes with accessories that keep it conveniently within reach: a cradle that sits close to the steering wheel and that keeps it charged at all times, and a necklace or wearable clip that allows the device to easily stay with you. the thefirstone earpiece is only available online.

© novero

brace yourself jakarta! milan’s kooky pink is punk lands at barcode on sun - aug 2 [10pm]. support lineup includes the club’s resident deejays and the teenage illionaires. location: la codefin building, jalan kemang raya 8, 3rd floor [kemang].

event: appelsap hiphop festival
date: sun - aug 2 [noon-10pm / free access]
location: oosterpark, linnaeusstraat [oost]
dj + live gig lineup includes: theophilus london, zwart licht, benji b, lefto, urita

popular brit soccer team manchester united cancelled its highly-anticipated first ever visit to indonesia due to the recent hotel bombings in jakarta. the visit had inspired low-income street vendors to massively produce manchester united tees and they lost a considerable amount of money when it was cancelled.

the local bolbal initiative [bolbal is slang for bolak balik or reversible] was launched to come to the vendors’ aid by buying the tees, printing the logo of #indonesiaunite, a civil movement against terrorism, on the reverse side and resell for charity. the tee is exclusively available at the wadezig store. location: jalan lamandau IV no. 18 [kebayoran baru].



© bolbal

we, self-proclaimed man bag protagonists, are smitten with the yellow splendour of this master-piece tote bag! made of sturdy canvas and with leather trim, it features a zip-fastened external pocket on either side, even more pockets on the inside, and has a bright orange canvas lining. it’s a guy’s trophy bag of the summer! available exclusively to sufu viewers online at oki-ni [worldwide delivery].



© oki-ni

party: london calling
date: sat - aug 1 [11pm-late]
location: warehouse, 1-4-5-b1 azabu juban [azabu juban].
dj lineup includes: strip steve, mike munoz, abc-disksystem, james carstensen

the bauhaus - a conceptual model just launched at martin-gropius-bau [on until oct 4]. three german bauhaus institutions collaborate to present a comprehensive exhibition about the most influential school for art, design and architecture of the 20th century. the main focus of the exhibition is the history of the development of bauhaus and highlights the movement’s early works. location: niederkirchnerstrasse 7 [kreuzberg].



© jirka jansch

superfuture lurrrves contemporary architecture, especially when it’s as innovative as the 77-storey maha nakhon tower which is to be built shortly in downtown bangkok. designed by oma’s ole scheeren, the extraordinary structure is an architectural statement that transcends the traditional formula of a seamless, inert, glossy totem, and instead actively engages the city with its intricate pixilated and carved façade of stacked surfaces, terraces and protrusions.



the 150,000 sqm. complex will feature luxury retail space, apartments and hotel accomodation: 200 single-level and duplex homes for ritz-carlton residences plus 150 rooms for the bangkok edition, a boutique hotel collab of new york-based hospitality guru ian schrager and marriott. the maha nakhon will be the city’s tallest building when completed in 2012. location: thanon narathiwat [bangrak].



© oma

adidas originals‘ five-two-3 brand pack project is a collab with five distinct global lifestyle brands on five of its iconic sneaker models: superstar, stan smith, samba, nizza and forum. behold the samba stone island, a classic shoe that has been given a modern stone island makeover.

the brand applied ‘reverse colour process’, corroding specific areas of colour, applied to rubberised satin. by means of applying this process to the fabric, the three unmistakable adidas stripes appear. an asymmetrical zip has replaced the traditional laces, which opens to reveal a dual branded tongue beneath.

the samba stone island is available in light grey from august at selected stores across the planet whereas the blue version will also be available at the stone island flagship stores [milan + london].

the dream empire exhibition opens at paul smith space gallery on sat - aug 1. this is a collab show of japanese artist keiichi tanaami and cardiff-based artist pete fowler who met earlier during a collab cd design project for welsh band super furry animals. on display are a series of works inspired by the music and artwork from that cd. location: 5-46-14 jingumae [harajuku].





© keiichi tanaami

gap has just launched a (product)red new artist edition t-shirt collection. the tees feature cool styles from 12 established and emerging artists, including deanne cheuk, geoff mcfettridge and stina persson. additionally, gap has launched a pop-up art gallery [on until aug 10], featuring original works of art by 10 of the artists plus the exclusive tee designs in its rotating concept venue adjacent to its fifth avenue flagship.

the tees are available at gap stores nationwide and a selection of styles also online. mind you, 50% of profits from the sale of this special collection benefit the global fund, to help eliminate aids in africa. pop-up gallery location: 680 fifth avenue [midtown].







© gap / james jean’s women’s tee [top] and david hollier’s men’s tee [bottom]

note: click image to enlarge

shoe vegas! get the lowdown on hot s/s 10 footwear at compass‘ next edition on jul 31 - aug 1. more than 80 directional brands from across the planet showcase their finest, including united bamboo, vael and rachel comey. location: alexis park resort hotel, 375 east harmon avenue [the strip].

party: stardust neon disco
date: fri - jul 31 [11.30pm-late]
location: la fabrique, 16-9-b1 udagawa-cho [shibuya]
dj lineup includes: black neon party, mayu, paul james, midori, fancy boys
bonus: galaxxxy’s a/w 09 collection show afterparty

we told you of the liquidated logos exhibition. recently artist zevs was the target of local media frenzy after being arrested for affixing a giant dripping chanel logo on the façade of the giorgio armani building, resulting in the italian brand’s claim of eur 650,000 worth of damages. zevs‘ sentencing has now been postponed to aug 14, the artist having to remain in town until then, and he may face jail time. liquidated logo location: chater house, 11 chater road [central].



photo: zevs in action