THE SPRING ISSUE
Posts Tagged ‘white noise’
Diesel Planet
In a city where nothing seems to faze its residents, Diesel’s newest and largest store opening created quite the stir amidst the bustling NYC streets. Imagine walking down 5th Ave, only to come across a store window in which mannequins have been replaced by humans and still-life scenes have transformed into animated dinner parties, the […]
Freedom Not Fear
In the wake of 9/11 and the wave of civil liberties violations that followed, ordinary citizens around the world have become accustomed to being viewed as guilty until innocent. Airports, bridges and monuments quickly become proving grounds of innocence when a slip of the tongue, snap shot, or being in the wrong place at the […]
Latin Streets Unleashed
Bold, brash and only for the brave, the ss 09 menswear collection from Givenchy’s main man, Riccardo Tisci, is tearing up the streets with a color palette that screams, “Wake up hombre! Spring has sprung.” With more than a little nod to the gothic sub-cultures down south, this first menswear collection from Tisci features a […]
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, […]
White Noise
London Fashion: Louise Simmonds All eyes are on London this season, as established and emerging designers present their creative vision for AW09|10 during London Fashion Week. Despite being forced to shorten its schedule to four days, the city is committed to nurturing emerging design talent. From renowned fashion historian, and Distill magazine editor-in-chief, Colin McDowell’s […]
A Minimal Carbon Pump Footprint
Text by Nicole de Ayora It used to be that if you didn’t want shoes made with leather, you would have to walk the aisles of discount department stores for a knock-off vinyl style whose poor construction and cheap materials promised nothing but pain with little gain. Not to fear, fashionistas; your guilt-free solution is […]
American Life
Text by Franklin Melendez Without Woolrich Woolen Mills, Norman Rockwell’s idyllic tableaux might have been a bit more scantily clad. Since 1830, the venerable label has been churning out classic sportswear and has served as the unofficial, but ubiquitous outfitter of the American mythos. It may seem like an unlikely partnership, then, to see this […]
SF’s West End Experience
Text by Natalie Shirinian San Francisco’s West End offers a fresh perspective in its extensive collection of women’s designer clothes, shoes and accessories. Sitting in the trendy Marina neighborhood of Chestnut Street, this upscale boutique features contemporary designs that have been edited to offer a unique shopping experience. West End’s buyers have traveled the world […]
Viva Vivanco
Mariano Vivanco is probably the most prolific fashion photographer you’ve never heard of. A clue or two: he photographs regularly for Dolce & Gabbana: group shots, a lot of spread legs. He was behind the camera for all those high-style fuchsia spreads for Dazed & Confused magazine. Still nothing? How about those shots of oiled-up […]
Chlösterli Nightclub & Dalsass Restaurant
Gstaad, Switzerland is a luxury ski resort better known for its shopping and après-ski scene than for skiing. The most popular dining options are invariably rustic and cheese-centric, so when chef Alain Ducasse brusquely abandoned his over-sophisticated and underperforming Spoon des Neiges, no one was surprised. But owner Michel Pastor, the Monegasque businessman and bon […]
Original Bedlam
Text by Malin-Louise Martensson In the building that used to be an asylum, I now drink champagne. I eat oysters in the loony bin. I sleep in rooms where English men once paid to abuse the patients of the First Bethlehem Hospital. This is the original Bedlam, now presented as the creation of English design […]
Massive Change
Traces of flight patterns of three European airlines Text by Patrick Knowles Massive Change is a project about possibilities. In the eyes of the Toronto-based collective, design takes on an unprecedented scope of contexts to answer a seemingly simple thesis put forth by Arnold J. Toynbee. The famed English historian and author of A Study […]
Packed with Style
Text by Dena Smolek When it comes to luggage, black roller bags are the norm with an occasional red or floral print (à la your grandma’s curtains) to break up the monotony. Award-winning designer Hideo Wakamatsu offers cool alternatives to boring bags with his Hideo-brand bags. Merging style, functionality and quality, Hideo suitcases are the […]
HELIO
Text by Robin Liss A startup funded in part by SK Telecom, Helio is targeting the young and upwardly mobile urbanite with fashion phones. The core concept in Helio’s pitch is that cell phones should be fashionable, an idea inspired by popular Korean cell phones. Helio has also attempted to bring over many of the […]
Hiruta’s Hot Wheels
Text by Matthew Nestel “I do not dream about cars. I do not have nice dreams,” confesses Shiro Yo Hiruta, idea man and president of Calty (a collapsed combo of “California” and “Toyota”). Calty Design Research, Inc., established in 1973, is a progressive in-house outfit for Toyota Motor, hubbed in sunny Newport Beach, CA, with […]
White Noise
This Heat The fear of mutually assured destruction can be a wonderful source of inspiration. For This Heat, it helped spawn Deceit and Health & Efficiency EP, records that forged progressive and post-punk by dismembering the Genesis-soiled corpse of the ’70s. Twenty-five years after the band’s conception, record company ReR is reissuing the band’s notoriously […]
Hanami
Text by Douglas Hargrave Japan is known for its distinct seasons: lush, humid summers, drastically beautiful autumn, and cold, snowy winters. And when springtime arrives, the defining seasonal aspect in Japan is the cherry blossoms. Hanami, or blossom viewing, is a tradition in Japan that dates back over 1,200 years to the Nara period when […]
Brad Kahlhamer and the Self in Flux
Text by Franklin Melendez Brad Kahlhamer’s art explores the ways in which travel impacts and shapes identity, altering our sense of self, culture and nationhood. These are intimate preoccupations for the Arizona-born Kahlhamer, who after being adopted by German parents moved from his native Tucson to Wisconsin before ultimately settling in New York City. Although […]
Traveling to the Beat
The Other Side’s New York guide Fischerspooner Text by Lily Moayeri Lonely Planet. Let’s Go. Fodor’s. Frommer’s. Rough Guide. These are the familiar names in the world of travel. While one might be dubious to take travel advice from a company called Deaf Dumb + Blind, said company has teamed up with weekly handbook Time […]
Oh, St. Ouen!
Text by Ann Tornkvist “May I sit down?” I ask. “As long as you get up again,” Monsieur Volfinger responds. His stubbly cheeks pull back as he smiles. I sink into the welcoming chair, letting my fingertips caress the small cracks in the brown leather. Volfinger bought the chair in Copenhagen and drove it down […]
