THE SPRING ISSUE
Mike Mills: Soul Coughing
Even amidst all the visual detritus of our cluttered contemporary media landscape, the indelible imprint of Mike Mills retains visibility, be it in his nakedly subversive graphic designs, T-shirts, album covers and music videos for Air, Sonic Youth and Moby, commercials for Nike and Levi’s, or emotionally charged documentary films of post-modern dislocation. Add to […]
Sk8 to Death
Skate or die meets fashion fly with la’s legendary record-spinning, hip hop rock jeweler Han Cholo and Diamond Supply Co.’s latest collabo, the Sk8 To Death Necklace. Staying true to urban skate subculture, designer Brandon Schoolhouse, aka Han Cholo, drops his crudely engraved skull design in silver, gold and black with silver available online through […]
House of Utilitarian Reverie
What happens when you mix conceptualism with measured pragmatism sprinkled with intellectual imagination? You may conjure something akin to Droog if you’re fortunate, the Dutch gallery/furnishings boutique that approaches design with a wry wit that challenges us to rethink the everyday. Founded in ’93 by art critic/historian Renny Ramakers and designer Gijs Bakker as an […]
Theoretic Conspiracy
Denim and apparel designer Brice Partouche plots a course to the dark side of the moon for April 77 Spring/Summer ’09 men’s and women’s collections, titled The Apollo Program was a Hoax. Since its inception in 2002, April 77 has been obsessed with a late ’70s silhouette, featuring tightly tapered jeans, brimming with influence from […]
This is Not a Shoe
Text by Helen McDermott When imagining plastic footwear, some must be forgiven for inadvertently conjuring nightmarish visions of old-school jelly shoes or—heaven forbid—Cayman Crocs, even in spite of the fact that Melissa, the notorious techno-organic design collective, has been successfully showcasing their fantastic plastic creations for over 26 years now. Crafted from their signature MelFlex, […]
As the Catwalks Clear
Hitting the haute post-show enclaves of fashion’s cognoscenti Every great runway show must come to a close. But where one glitzy fête ends, somewhere in the city, another inevitably begins. In fact, as any industry event-goer in the know would insist, it’s precisely after the last bulbs pop that the real festivities commence. And revel […]
Street Pulse: New York City
Text by Hillary Latos Photography by Matt McAlpin Twice a year New York City kicks off the Fashion Week circuit with the old and new guard unveiling their new collections. In the spirit of the Fashion Issue, SOMA catches up with attendees in and around the Bryant Park tents, the epicenter of the Fall 2009 […]
Jessica Au’s Eclectic Revision of the British Bespoke Suit
Text by Rosa Maria Bertoli London menswear and bespoke tailoring have long been widely perceived to be inextricably intertwined. From the hallowed tradition of Savile Row’s made-to-measure craft to the instantly recognizable precision of Paul Smith, nothing defines British menswear quite like a perfectly tailored suit. It’s no surprise then that London’s latest Graduate Fashion […]
Henrik Vibskov’s Introspective Approach to Outsider Fashion
Text by Michael Cohen One of the most exciting dialogues in fashion occurs between tradition and rebellion. For Henrik Vibskov, reactionary deviation from norms is not a design objective. “I never do market research,” he says. “I don’t have a clue what people want, I just give them what I think is good. Wearability can […]
The Whip: Manchester Rampant in the 21st, Persistence in Destination
Text by Markus von Pfeiffer Photography by Okeedokee There is no evading Amsterdam. No jitterbugging your way through that town. It beams a primal, irresistible homing beacon straight to the hypothalamus. I was connecting through the city on my way home from the forests of Gabon, where I’d collected specimens of the rare butterfly Charaxes […]
MSTRKRFT: Touched by the Fist of God
Photography by Geoff McLean Text by Jorge Hernandez MSTRKRFT’s Jesse F. Keeler’s voicemail goes something like this: “I can’t take this, because I’m doing something important, so text or email. And if you’re one of those people that hangs up before the tone, don’t bother calling back ‘cause I’ve already deleted you.” A piquant summation […]
Michael Bastian
Timeless Resonance — Michael Bastian clothes the contemporary man in American classics Examining the world of fashion around him on his way up the industry ladder from Lyons, New York to a menswear directorship at Bergdorf Goodman, Michael Bastian grew distraught with the scarcity of relevant American designers amidst scores of European and Asian innovators. So he […]
Far From Tinseltown
The Berlinale bares the unadorned cinematic spirit The usually tame Potsdamer Platz came alive when journalists, film executives, and international A-listers descended upon Berlin’s quadrangle of theaters for the 59th annual Berlinale in February, one of Europe’s longest running international film festivals. While Berlin’s grey skies and frigid temperatures don’t leave much room for glamour […]
Wilde Kingdom
Rising starlet Olivia Wilde embraces adventure and ambiguity as the next evolution in style Text by Jasmine Pahl Photography by Matthew Welch Fashion editors: Kemal & Karla Like any storybook princess worth her salt, Olivia Wilde is both benevolent and beautiful. Wearing dark skinny jeans, Converse, a plaid shirt and a wide, warm smile, her teal-eyed extra-terrestrial […]
Translating Life’s Asymmetries
Concept couturier Jan Taminiau plays by the rules of romantic reverie Text by Michael Cohen Photography by Petrovski & Ramone A highly conceptual creator, Jan Taminiau designs each couture and ready-to-wear garment along well developed themes that have attracted worldwide attention for their intellectualism, romanticism and genuine craftsmanship. His collections beg to be examined closer inside and […]
