In the 1998 American fantasy drama film of this title, directed by Vincent Ward, we are presented with spectacular visuals of wondrous landscapes in the afterlife, created by a recently deceased man from his own imagination. The sources of this imagination, are of course found in the memories of his life, as he experienced it. [ Continue reading ]

What is the residual value of an image shared on the internet in today’s volatile visual culture? This fundamental question served as the starting point for our collaboration with contemporary artist and architect Sergei Sviatchenko, known for his pioneering work in collage—a partnership more than ten years in the making. After producing numerous images while working in-house for Atelier Munro over the past three years, we found ourselves questioning: What truly remains of this work once the images are no longer actively used? And what have people actually seen and will even be remembered? To explore this, we invited Sergei to use our publicly available earlier work as the foundation for a new series of art. For which photography and art expert Roderick van der Lee wrote the introductory essay. [ Continue reading ]

Some shots from the launch of our collaboration with Sergei Sviatchenko; ANOTHER CANVAS, which took place at the Cristel Ballroom Gallery in Amsterdam. A massive thank you for everyone that came out. And an even bigger thank you to Sergei and Roderick for the collaboration on this project that marks the beginning of many new chapters. In the words of Sergei; it is rare to feel a sense of belonging when working with people who are of like minds — this project did just that on different levels. [ Continue reading ]

We’ve known our friend Sergei Sviatchenko for many years, ever since he first reached out to us when we posted about his Close Up And Private in 2009. Over the years, we’ve stayed in touch via the internet. And despite being close to meeting a few times, we had never actually met in person. However, at the end of last summer, we finally found a great reason to collaborate—and as a result, meet in person for the first time. Over the past few months, we worked together remotely on a project that repurposes three years' worth of publicly available imagery we created, allowing Sergei to give it a second life, by creating new imagery with more lasting power—or at least make it part of his incredible oeuvre—while also marking the beginning of a new chapter for us, once again. We’ll share more about that project here very soon.

But first, to learn more about the artist (and architect) behind the collage imagery and to provide some context on how he became the person he is today, last Thursday we sat down with Sergei in the Cristel Ballroom Gallery, where we would later that day launch our project in Amsterdam. We discussed the different aspects of his career, which spans many decades and took him from Ukraine to Denmark in 1990. Fast forward to later years, when his career received another enormous boost with the emergence of the blogosphere. All the way to now, at the respectable age of 72, with our friend showing no signs of slowing down. [ Continue reading ]

Last week, we found ourselves in awe of more than just the clothes (again) when visiting the Parisian showroom of Satisfy. It even brought back some memories from the last ten years. It must have been early in 2016 when we first discovered a new—and, in our eyes, unmissable—running brand, one with a totally unique approach and aesthetic. As with everything at that time, it happened by chance, on the internet. In the landscape of running brands back then, Satisfy was unprecedented. In that first period, they weren’t even being sold at running retailers, despite the technicality of their products, because what they offered didn’t aesthetically fit the familiar (and, frankly, boring) profile. But as they quickly grew in prominence, thanks to contemporary fashion boutiques like colette and Opening Ceremony that decided to carry them, they single-handedly shook up the rules of the specialized market from the outside. [ Continue reading ]

At the end of last year, we sat down with our friend Clayton Chambers to talk about the rise of his inspirational menswear platform, Sprezza, and to hear his perspectives on the state of online content and media. We first connected with Clayton in early 2023, right after he had landed in Amsterdam, where he was planning to stay for a few months. We had discovered his inspiring newsletter sometime the year before. Sprezza had launched as a side project during the pandemic, delivering weekly dispatches of Clayton's (micro-)trend-focused observations, outspoken opinions on style, and his personal tastes in contemporary menswear. In many ways, it reminded us of the blogosphere, translated into today’s digital landscape. A few months after our initial meeting, we collaborated on a dinner activation for Atelier Munro during Pitti 104. Soon after, Clayton’s time in Amsterdam ended, but in the second half of that year, Sprezza really started to take off. [ Continue reading ]

Another year in the books. An interesting and beautiful one, with lots of expected and some unexpected changes. With familiar and unfamiliar challenges and destinations. And most happiness to be found in being with the right people. Old and new friends and collaborators. At the right time and place. In all aspects of our lives. (Thank you all!!!) It marked the end of our time in-house creative directing Atelier Munro and the beginning of our independent consultancy practice. It also turned out to be a year in which a lot has been written about what we’ve felt for some years now: how sameness is killing the distinctive quality of our (creative) culture. And how we have to keep on pushing newness even if people don’t think they need it (they are very wrong!). [ Continue reading ]