blending 1950s dandyism with contemporary touches in a style all its own has earned menswear brand campaign accolades in australia. its s/s 2010 collection is all about effortless, understated style. silhouettes are classic with a laid-back twist, and captured in natural fabrics with either classic stripes or earthy-toned florals. shown below are three looks that we particularly like.
campaign is available at select stores in australia, including david jones [melbourne + sydney + brisbane] and becker minty [sydney], and is expected to drop in stores stateside next spring [stores t.b.a.].
launching on sat - aug 28 at le printemps is new york loves printemps, a collab pop-up store with new york-based cfda and entirely dedicated to the big apple. fifteen of the organization’s members have designed tees inspired by the new york-paris theme, and these are available in a limited-edition of only 80 each. additionally there’ll be a range of related paraphernalia on sale.
cheap monday has got some of the sexiest women’s jeans we’ve seen so far for next spring. they’re part of the brand’s new, hollywood celeb-inspired s/s 2011 jeans collection that’s being showed today at stockholm fashion week. mind you, 40 pairs of each style will be immediately sold right after the presentation at the cheap monday, copenhagen [1] and weekday, stockholm [2] stores, and also online. location [1]: kronprinsensgade 7 [indre by]. location [2]: drottninggatan 63 [norrmalm].
it looks like hong kong is becoming a second tokyo in terms of the availability of japanese brands. more and more hot labels from the land of the rising sun arrive in the city, even getting their branded retail space. the latest addition to the vast array of shops here is understated menswear brand soph.. with 446 sq.ft. the store is compact in size but that is fully compensated with a maximum of sleek aesthetics. white walls and ceiling, and a teak floor provide a minimalist visual frame.
two lines of subtle cove lighting enhance the retail environment. an L-shaped mirror pairs with wooden wall tiles in different shapes to match the tatamis customized from okinawa, to evoke an authentic japanese ambience. this is soph.’s first overseas store and design guru hiroshi fujiwara flew into town for the opening party where he took to the stage for a gig. location: 26 wyndham street [central].
it’s time to dress up, guys! a.p.c.’s slick new suit line has finally arrived stateside in its flagship stores in new york [1] and los angeles [2]. two different, early 1970s-inspired jackets are available, made in black and navy blue woollen cloth, and in a classic cloudy flannel. additionally, there’s a stylish selection of shirts, ties and bowties. location [1]: 131 mercer street [soho]. location [2]: 619 north croft avenue [west hollywood].
it may look rather inconspicuous on the outside, but behind the concrete façade there’s a cutting-edge boutique hotel that is the waterhouse at south bund. the newly opened property features only 19 rooms, impeccably designed by shanghai-based agency neri & hu. the non-descript utilitarian vibe of the original building has been transformed into a style statement that combines edgy with luxury. the hotel‟s playful design philosophy is based on the blurring of internal and external spaces. as a result public places allow glimpses into private rooms while the private spaces invite guests to peek into public areas.
the waterhouse at south bund features a restaurant, named table no. 1 and manned by an acclaimed chef. there’s a rooftop bar with absolutely stunning cross-river views of the booming pudong district, and as a special service guests can rent vintage scooters for easy urban explorations. a second building located adjacent to the hotel accommodates an events warehouse. measuring 743 sqm., the multi-functional space has a double-storey ceiling and is adaptable to almost any event. location: 1-3 maojiayuan lu [huangpu].
são paulo-based fernando akasaka is a multi-tasking designer extraordinaire. after having launched an innovative line of furniture, light fittings and decor objects, he expanded to exclusive organically-shaped jewellery designs. dubbed le blob, the collection is fully hand-crafted and the pieces are made of .950 sterling silver or .750 gold [18k]. silver jewellery comes in two finishes, polished silver or oxidized [black silver]. shown below is le blob cuff, a piece we particularly like.
le blob is available at select stores across the planet, including blackbird [seattle], eva [new york] and the shop at bluebird [london]. mind you, the first store accepts online orders and ships internationally.
if you thought of going green, now is the time to make that stance! we’re talking these amazing martin margiela hi-top trophies. they’re made from green nylon and suede, mixed up with a reflective strip of ‘techno’ carbon and stylishly finished with putty coloured laces and the signature gum sole. available exclusively to superfuture viewers online at oki-ni [worldwide delivery].
closed is going places, and not only creatively. the brand ventures north to copenhagen for fashion week, opening a showroom and pop-up store inside storm, one of the city’s leading fashion haunts. snap up some goodies from closed’s a/w 2010 collection until sep 4. location: store regnegade 1 [indre by].
as much as we love to travel, very few airports provide an environment that makes us actually enjoy them. many air terminals are either outdated, overcrowded or just plain hideous. behold denver international’s daring plan for a spectacular new south terminal, created by starchitect santiago calatrava. phase 1 of the usd 650 million project not only features a passenger terminal but also incorporates a commuter-rail station, a public plaza that links with the airport’s existing terminal, and a 500-room westin hotel. although no decision has yet been made to start construction, denver international is already our hot new fav.
bike manufacturer neilpryde introduces advanced cycling with the new alize road bike. designed by a team of designers at the designworks usa agency, it’s all about successfully integrating aerodynamics into a performance-driven product. a meticulous design process resulted in the alize frame weighing a remarkable 1040 gram. the bike can be pre-ordered online as of mid-september [size: m, l, xl] and as of mid-october [size: s, xxl].
hong kong’s ice house street has increasingly become the nucleus of directional fashion brands. the latest addition to arrive on the block is the ann demeulemeester store which relocated to a space twice the size of its previous shop. location: 10 ice house street [central].
prior to his not-to-be-missed retrospective that launches at the asia society [1] on thu - sep 9, the public will be able to see japanese cult artist yoshitomo nara in action on aug 23-27 [4pm-7pm] at park avenue armory’s drill hall where he’ll stage his version of an artist’s studio [2]. his nobody’s fool exhibition at the asia society occupies the entire museum, featuring over 100 works, from drawings, paintings and sculptures to record album covers and large installations.
the presentation draws connections between the artist’s work and the sensibilities of youth subcultures worldwide, particularly in relation to rock and punk music, the inspiration and subject of many of the artist’s works. location [1]: 725 park avenue [upper east]. location [2]: 643 park avenue [upper east].
the fashionmeister may have long departed but his name still has a magic twang in fashionland. but we’re now talking helmut lang, the fashion label [version 2.0, so to speak]. if you’re in town for copenhagen fashion week, the event may inspire you to burn some cash on a fab outfit for tonight’s party. if so, drop by luxury label emporium birger christensen to check out the helmut lang pop-up store. what to find there? a nice selection of the brand’s a/w 2010 women’s collection. location: østergade 38 [indre by].
macau’s streetwear, lomography and bmx depository headz celebrates its second anniversary with a party and an exhibition of various works by kooky hong kong-based creative duo graphicairlines. the landing macau show opens on sun - aug 22 [6pm-9pm]. mind you, the two have even designed a special tee for the occasion. location: beco da arruda, flat c [são lazaro].
the upper east gains more retail lustre with the much-anticipated opening of the reed krakoff flagship on thu - aug 19. yes, it’s the store of reed krakoff, creative director of the coach leather goods empire. in fact, his luxe womenswear label is a new division of the latter and only launched earlier this year, much to the liking of both the press and the fashion crowd. the reed krakoff store carries the full collection of apparel, bags, shoes and jewellery. it’s no surprise that the next roll-out is planned for japan where two shop-in-shops and a flagship store are to open. location: 831 madison avenue [upper east].
the boys of :phunkstudio team up with japanese master keiichi tanaami for a large-scale collab installation. dubbed eccentric city - rise and fall, it explores the visualization of the artists’ vision of their respective home cities of tokyo and singapore, communicated through the use of mixed media and the site-specific installation of tatebanko. the unique showcase launches on wed - aug 18 [7pm] at lasalle college’s ica gallery while the very next day [6.30pm-8pm] the artists will engage in a public chat at the venue’s block f, room #302. location: 1 mcnally street [doby ghaut].
cities on speed is a documentary series initiated by the danish film institute and focusing on the urban development of megacities in the non-western world. the series consists of four films, each directed by a different filmmaker and dedicated to a different city. screening at the strelka institute tonight [9.30pm] is mumbai disconnected [2009], a film by camilla nielsson and frederik jacobi, and focusing on mumbai [english with russian subtitles]. the indian megacity is predicted to have 28.5 million inhabitants by 2020, making it one of the planet’s biggest urban conglomerates. location: bersenyevskaya naberezhnaya 14 [yakimanka].
in anticipation of copenhagen fashion week danish avant-garde fashion designer barbara à gongini releases a preview of an artsy video presentation dubbed my ame is. the footage reveals the designer’s dark and edgy designs of her s/s 2011 collection. during fashion week barbara à gongini maintains a showroom where these new designs are on display.
artist christian noah møller’s exhibition made in france opens at galerie goutte de terre on tue - aug 17 [5pm]. the artist has an interest in the environmental and waste problem issues and uses waste material for his artwork. while doing so, he attempts to free himself from any obvious limitations and create art just for art’s sake. location: 46 rue cavaignac [bastille].
if you were asked to drop everything and just go…could you? would you?
in september 2010, iconic jeans brand wrangler will challenge four members of the u.k. public to stop thinking and do something extraordinary. for one adrenaline-fuelled day, hearts will pump faster and synapses will fizz with energy. every moment will crackle with raw emotion. challenging our innate human fears of height, depth, speed and fear of the unknown, wrangler will push participants to their limits through a series of top secret events. the truth about humans will be revealed: we are animals. think you have what it takes?
to proceed, you must meet a few basic requirements:
1. you’ll need your own valid passport
2. you’ll need to be healthy enough to pass a basic medical [touch toes, cough three times]
3. you’ll need to drop everything at a moment’s notice [no consulting the diary]
4. you’ll simply need to stop thinking!
are you ready to come with wrangler? start the adventure from mon - aug 16 at stop thinking.
the gansevoort hotel helped to accelerate the meatpacking district’s transformation from fringe to happening hood when it opened six years ago. the arrival of the gansevoort park avenue may do the very same for the nomad area. the new 249-room property will soft open on mon - aug 16 with the official opening scheduled for next october. the hotel is a totally new structure and designed as an urban resort. rooms and suites are spacious, and many feature floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies that give guests unobstructed views of new york’s iconic empire state building.
the gansevoort park avenue’s striking features include a three-storey lobby and an amazing indoor-outdoor pool. additionally, there’s a spa, fitness room, ballroom and four events spaces plus italian restaurant asellina. the design of the hotel is contemporary with a 1940s glam twist, concocted by architect stephen b. jacobs and interior designer andi pepper. location: 420 park avenue south [nomad].
artist marco brambilla reached a whole new audience when his overwhelming civilization video was put in permanent display in the elevators of the standard hotel in new york city. we only assume kanye west came across his work there, as he hired the visual artist to create the sistine chapel-inspired video for his latest release power, the rapper’s first single in two years. preview the uncensored director’s cut below.
artist eric joyner seizes the corey helford gallery with robots, donuts and cupcakes. on sat - aug 14 [7pm-10pm] his donut logic solo exhibition opens, featuring 20 new oil-on-panel paintings, including a rare portrait of a female robot from the classic science-fiction film metropolis [1927]. with his new works the artist explores new territories as it reveals the secret life of robots: they sport tattoos, balance careers and families, and expose their hidden desires. location: 8522 washington boulevard [culver junction].
if you’re powershopping at comme des garçons‘ magnificent store in osaka today, pop in its upstairs art space six. why? because american film director david lynch’s exhibition darkened room opens there! on display are a series of his peculiarly dark art works and some 12 of his equally dark short and feature films will be screened [on until oct 9]. location: shinsaibashi fuji building, 2nd floor, 3-12-22 minami senba [shinsaibashi].
disorder disorder is a brilliant not-to-be-missed show, opening at penrith regional gallery on sat - aug 14 [5pm-7pm]. curated by joe allen of sydney’s quirky monster children gallery, it features a slew of works by 20 renegade artists from across the planet, including misha hollenbach, tomoo gokita, jonathan zawada, steve powers and stefan marx. the latter two fly into town to create site-specific work and attend the opening bash! rsvp mon - aug 9 on (02) 4735-1100 for access. location: 86 river road [emu plains].
cold method’s this charming man - s/s 2011 collection is one of crisp basics. inspiration is drawn from a 1980s song by the smiths, adding a little dark edge to the designs. the collection includes tailored jackets, shirts and coats, alternated with a series of more laid-back items, all readily matchable. shown below are three looks that we particularly like.
opening today at parco factory is the uk? ok!! group exhibition [1]. curated by the peeps behind the rocket creative collective, the show focuses on developments in graphic design in the u.k. between 1980-2010 [on until aug 30]. on display are works by a slew of leading designers and design studios such as neville brody, eat sleap work / play and wood mcgrath. a few related events are organized, one of them being the icao spelling alphabet show at rocket gallery [2]. in this show, graphic design studios eat sleap work / play, julia and inventory studio have each reinterpreted the letters of the icao spelling alphabet. location [1]: parco part 1, 6th floor, 15-1 udagawa-cho [shibuya]. location [2]: 6-9-6 jingumae [harajuku].
launching today [6pm-9pm] at pure evil gallery is the very first u.k. solo show by new york-based urban artist extraordinaire specter. he has made a name for himself creating installations and street artwork in abandoned buildings and obscure urban spaces to draw attention to urban problems and issues. on display will be a series of new paintings and drawings. location: 108 leonard street [shoreditch].
if straight or slim is your thing when it comes to jeans, read on. self edge has teamed up with 3sixteen for a collab jeans collection that is second to none. dubbed 3sixteen+, the first release features two models made from rope-dyed japanese double red-line selvedge denim in a classic, deep indigo shade. this one’s for the boys only but designs for women are in the making for next season. the 3sixteen+ collection is available at the self edge stores in both new york [1] and san francisco [2], and also online. location [1]: 157 orchard street [lower east]. location [2]: 714 valencia street [mission north].
we love our easy-breezy lifestyles filled with fashion, cool sneakers, gadgets and all the other must-have trophies but when it comes to the world we live in, we don’t care as much. did you know that the pacific ocean is polluted with the largest floating garbage islands in the world? some are several times the size of the state of texas. yet on land, we struggle to get hold of enough recycled plastics to meet the demand for sustainable vacuum cleaners. with its vac from the sea program, home appliances manufacturer electrolux intends to gather plastic garbage from the world’s oceans and turn it into a number of vacuum cleaners. the company aims to increase the production of sustainable vacs to 100% from the current 70%.
the main barrier to taking the next step and increase the share of recycled plastic in home appliances is the uncertain supply of recycled raw material. much research and progress is currently being done by the recycling industry. however, to fix the imbalance in supply and demand and get the cycle working, overall consumer perception must change and barriers to recycling become lower. visit vac from the sea to find out more.
