More than two years ago we wrote about a new Jungles in Paris story which took the reader on an insightful trip to the West African country of Senegal. As in most Sub-Saharan African countries football is the clear favorite sport there, but an indigenous sport that has existed for centuries is traditional wrestling named Laamb in Wolof. It is one of the sports in which the young men engage on the famous 'Plage de Fann' beach in Dakar, which was singled out in the beautiful story. Since ancient times Senegalese wrestlers competed before the king and queen in village squares. Singers, dancers, and storytellers embellished the match. Wrestlers wore amulets to ward off evil spirits and black magic from their opponents. Nowadays, the tradition remains strong. As in former times, griots praise the victors in song and dance.

The contemporary champions of the traditional wrestling sports are celebrities in Senegal, with fighters such as Yékini (Yakhya Diop), Tyson (Mohamed Ndao), and Bombardier (Serigne Ousmane Dia) the best known. Today we want to take another look at the beautiful sport, this time through the lens of French photographer Laurent Laporte who shot a series on one of his many travels named after the famous wrestler: 'Bombardier'. Young Senegalese boys, who meet each other on beaches like Plage de Fann, dreaming to become as big as 'the bomber' — caught remarkably by Laporte who made the series half duotone and half color. Finding remarkable frames which represent both the sport and the country in a unique and exciting way.  [ Continue reading ]

British artist Joe Cruz has been a favorite of us for the last few years, from the very moment we first encountered his incredible collages somewhere in 2012. In 2013 we found ourselves very lucky to have collaborated with him for Journal de Nîmes Nº 9 and we followed his development with every new step. Over the course of these years in which we had Cruz on our radar, he continued to challenge himself. Finding new territories for his imagery in which he applies his distinct signature style, which can be typified by his incredible use of color, iconic fashion imagery and ethnic influences, combining the different elements into his signature visual language — whether in collages, textile designs, illustrations, the remarkable ongoing collaboration with photographer Jack Davison. Last week he presented his first project placed directly in the public sphere. For the new series Cruz has teamed up with London-based Jack Agency, resulting in the latest addition to their ongoing 'Your Space Or Mine' project. The collaboration sees the agency support Joe Cruz, as he showcases his work at the largest scale till date, directly on the streets across his hometown London, in the Shoreditch area, for the first time. Bringing his familiar signature aesthetic, with its fashion photography influences, to a billboard size proves to be a perfect fit.

We can only hope for more after this whole new scale for Joe's unique vision... [ Continue reading ]

Although in recent years they have become a household name in fashion photography through their ongoing work relationship with it-brand Mansur Gavriel (and strong visability throughout downtown New York City) and work for numerous fashion magazines, we haven't shared the work of Ukrainian twin sisters Tanya and Zhenya Posternak here before. Known for the so called 'Posternak crop' —staying as close to the essence of their subject which often-times results in a rather unusual yet elegant focus— their style can be described best as minimalist, colorful, never failing to be striking and full of charisma, regardless if an actual human being or just an object is in front of the camera. Flicking through the catalogue they have shared over the course of the last few years: ranging from assignments, the captures from their travels on their blog and all the images they have shared on their instagrams — one can only conclude that the Posternaks make it look so effortless to capture the available essence of what characterizes someone or -thing in front of their lens. We know that isn't true and it's simply their unique perspective on the world around us. Almost like an elegant form of camouflage (reminding strongly of Robby Müller's camerawork) the twins create imagery which is unique without losing a sense of universally appealing emotions to be observed in all of their work, both on commissions and free work. We can't get enough of it...
We are deeply moved by human imperfections, whether it be a birthmark or facial hair. With our photography we aim to get closer both to the subject and the viewer. Frankly, we don’t follow any brand’s guidelines other than curiosity for all things beautiful and woolly. [ Continue reading ]

Launched on the 30th of June, but presented to the public today at the Rapha Cycle Club in London, writer Max Leonard and photographer Camille McMillan present an incredible new publication by the name of 'Bunker Research'. Leonard, who is an avid cyclist, found inspiration for the new project while riding around the Alpes-Maritimes region of France, where he noticed the strange structures hidden in the landscape — discrete buildings that seemed to appear out of nowhere in remote locations far away from civilization. The question what and why these military bunkers were doing there, drove the writer —who joined forces with Camille McMillan to document them properly— to find and research these hidden concrete shelters for eight months, which eventually resulted in this elegant printed study.

Strategically placed throughout the French Alps by the French, these bunkers were built in some of the most remote places in Europe. Constructed from reinforced concrete, the constructions blend into their rugged, pristine environment. Although they are slowly succumbing to the elements as they aren't used anymore, the bunkers are enduring features in the landscape and relics from a different time in world politics. The structures with fortifications’ concrete walls were built to withstand bomb blasts, so it will take many more decades for them to totally have disappeared. Until that moment they just lay there, constructed from a form follows function ideology, resulting in a brutalist organic aesthetic, being a unique subgenre in architecture, of which a super interesting chapter is now beautifully captured and presented by Leonard and McMillan. [ Continue reading ]

At the beginning of this year, the seasoned —yet low profile— Dutch fashion designer Paul Helbers reintroduced (after having designed under his own label Inch for a couple of years in the Nineties) himself to the world with the presentation of his ambitious eponymous new label in Paris. Having cut his teeth in different positions throughout the fashion industry after his graduation from the Royal College of Art, a former studio director of Maison Martin Margiela and 2006 until 2011 menswear designer at Louis Vuitton under Marc Jacobs, Helbers seems more than ready for his second coming. Last month, the designer presented his second collection for Spring/Summer 2017, but we still want to take another look at his inaugural set of creations, which granted the designer serious critical acclaim and forms a very inspirational start for any menswear label. The breakout collection will find its way to different retailers, among which are Mr. Porter and Barney's New York, in the coming month.

Inspired by the poetic images of Robert Rauschenberg, iconic horrorfilm actor Bela Lugosi and early Irving Penn portraits of Bernstein and TS Elliot, each celebrating an immaculate sense of dressing and off-duty style, with his label Helbers aims to fuel the strength of artisan skills with more abstract and contemporary ideas like the popular athleisure movement of recent years. In that sense the work of Helbers reminds us of another Dutch designer combining traditional tailoring with sportswear elements: Sebastiaan Pieter. To ensure the high quality standards set by Helbers, everything under the label is developed and produced at established ateliers around Venice in Italy. For Autumn/Winter 2016 this resulted in an sublime collection, consisting of wool cashmere joggers with matte nylon knee patches, lightweight semi-canvassed blazers in wool, silk and linen tweed, cashmere flannel cardigan jackets and some stand out waterproof unconstructed coats, which seamlessly seem to marry the aesthetic of former employers Margiela and Vuitton into the new entity of Helbers.
Each piece of the collection contains a hybrid quality and a feeling of unpolished elegance underlined by the subtle clash of contrasting fabrics, celebrating the rough and the refined. Ideas are carried out with a carefully chosen fusion of low-end and high-end materials always applying a rigorous manufacturing standard. The absence of ostentatious elements is a deliberate choice in order to formulate an un-precious sense of appearance. [ Continue reading ]

It was a very long time coming when three weeks ago we finally met one of Belgium’s most exciting contemporary designers; Michaël Verheyden, in his beautiful home on the edge of industrial city Genk, in a green area towards neighboring Hasselt. Last year, Verheyden debuted as one of the names on Wallpaper* Magazine's Power List —underlining the widespread international recognition for his work— but even before that moment we were very curious to learn more out about his creative vision, basically from the moment we discovered his work in the beginning of 2015. The first appointment we made to get together dated back to March of this year, but time after time we were forced to reschedule due to different emerging obstructing circumstances on both sides. Eventually, we got in the car and finally traveled to the Belgian province of Limburg on a Friday afternoon in the beginning of June. Right after a period of extreme rainfall, which caused a lot of problems in the North of France and different parts of Belgium.

When we arrive Michaël is still in his jackboots, having just taken care of some minor water damage in his garden shed workplace –the one for heavier work– because of that rain. It is very clear that he isn’t too impressed by the damage though. In his mellow voice, speaking in the local soft toned accent and with lively eyes behind his spectacles, he tells us: “it will be fine.” A sentiment he continues to embody throughout our conversation during and after his guided tour of the wonderful house he calls home together with his wife and business partner Saartje Vereecke. [ Continue reading ]

At the beginning of this month the Brussels-based Stems Gallery has opened yet another great show in 2016. After it presented 'apocatastasis' by Greek artist Panos Tsagaris in January, now, for the first time in a solo exhibition, they created a show named 'Gemini' featuring new work by the very talented American painter Sarah Faux.

According to astrology the Boston-born is a Gemini (who are characterized for a violent temperament) which forms a starting point for this show. Without being a devout believer in astrology, Faux does strongly believe in the idea that a single person contains multiple selves — resulting in a exhibition full of pairs. 'Torn at the shoulder' and 'Into her inner' are mirrored reflections of each other. In one a woman looks back at her own naked body through scraps of fabric. In the other, her image is overwhelmed by a deep green field of desire. Calm versus anxiety and openness versus impediments. In a looser pairing, 'Dig me in' and 'Dig me out' derive their compositions from twisted aloe stalks winding through the surface of each canvas. Both are meditations on painting itself: a tongue lapping up a twisted gray to reveal intense ultramarine behind it; hairy legs shooting through pink gaps, leaving smears of umber in their wake.

In all, the dynamic created by pairing pieces as the described example, ensures a captivating exhibiting, in which even different pairs seem to communicate with each other filling up the space of the Stems gallery, catching every visitor that enters..
Like doppelgangers, the twins in this show harken back to each other in ways both familiar and strange, providing one another with company while eerily unsettling any static notions of sensory life. [ Continue reading ]