THE FALL FASHION ISSUE
I-POSE: TOKYO
Keeping with SOMA’s unique tradition of innovation and having cutting-edge content, we’d like to introduce a new section to our magazine: I – Pose. This section portrays the winners of the online SOMA competition between readers of our magazine posed as their favorite celebrities. In this particular issue, we featured young creative minds from Tokyo [...]
WHEN YOU GOTTA GO…
Remember when people used to visit a bar or restaurant for the drinks and food? Now a whole crop of venues features design-forward lavatories that have patrons lining up for the loos Sketch London When Sketch opened in London in 2002 in an 18th-century townhouse in Mayfair, its formula of delicious food by master chef [...]
FROM ART TO ANTHRO
Clothing and home retailer Anthropologie scouts artistic talent to design not only its products but also each of its surreal, dream-like locations in an effort to revamp a traditional strategy Most retailers operate with specific methods, chasing profit via products with the widest appeal. It’s a formula that ensures fun colors and funky styles are [...]
CUSTOM COUTURE
Experts pertaining to varying confines of the fashion industry have gone back to school to study under clothing guru Simmin Sethna The day Simmin Sethna left her family’s home in Calcutta for Paris, with dreams of mastering the ‘art of couture’, it seems unlikely that she foresaw the way in which she would inspire generations [...]
CONTEMPORARY SIMPLICITY
Creative director Kenya Hara and product designer Naoto Fukusawa come together to design well thought out contemporary homeware. Quality meets simplicity in this brand new concept Since setting up shop in SoHo back in 2007, MUJI is a brand that many will be familiar with—modern furniture, simple lifestyle goods and everyday essentials. But with a [...]
STREET PULSE: TOKYO
1. What is “big” in Japan? 2. Who is the most creative person in Japan right now? 3. Key fashion piece this winter? 4. What do you want for Christmas? 5. Describe Tokyo in one sentence. TEXT BY Mike Burns PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jacob Hodgkinson Satoko 1. Drums and bass 2. My friends 3. Faux fur [...]
PEERING INTO THE EAMERY
As I walked into filmmakers Jason Cohn and Camille Servan-Schreiber’s home in Berkeley, California, a wave of déjà vu swept over me. An abundance of color and warmth, a pronounced playful sentiment… then the connection struck me: the décor bore many of the elements found in the work of two of the most influential mid-century [...]
NICOLAS WINDING REFN & DRIVE
The circulating story of Drive revolves around an awkward silence between two men broken by REO Speedwagon’s “I Can’t Fight this Feeling Anymore,” sung obnoxiously by a Dane hopped up on flu medication. The voice in question belonged to Nicolas Winding Refn, a self-professed “fetish filmmaker” from Copenhagen whose Pusher trilogy and recent English-language films [...]
PETER LOC TAN NGUYEN
Representing androgyny, Peter Loc Tan Nguyen’s collection defines the portrayal of masculinity and femininity brought into several pieces. Effortless, sophisticated, and understated are just a few words to describe the collection. As a recent graduate from Academy of Art University with a degree in both Fashion Design and Knitwear, Nguyen combines the two styles together [...]
BREATHE IN, BLOW OUT
Not bothering with haircuts and coloring, blow out salons are an emerging beauty trend. An affordable taste of luxury, women can walk in and pick out hairstyles from a menu while enjoying a coffee or afternoon spirit. The looks are simple, yet unattainable at home. Stylists employ a high-pressured hair dryer, a bit of handiwork, [...]
HAND SIGNALS: ANTHONY ASAEL
The United Nations comprises 193 member countries: photographer Anthony Asael has been to all of them. And, in addition to the countless miles clocked thus far, this altruistic artist and social activist is rapidly gaining ground. As founder and executive director of Art in All of Us, Asael has spearheaded collaborative youth projects in 700 [...]
BAG RAIDERS
Sunny Sounds from the Heart of Winter Three years ago Sydney residents Chris Stracey and Jack Glass, the duo known as Bag Raiders, were hard at work making mix tapes for their friends. They enjoyed the process so much, they started a production company and were soon doing remixes for bands like Cut Copy, Midnight [...]