We just became familiar with the extraordinary work of the recent Royal College of Art London graduate Eden Barrena. With her work, the Spanish-born artist explores the relationship between the self and the other, and in the estrangement and conflicts that this encounter generates. Using print, drawing and bookmaking in order to collect these confrontations and transmit the amazement to the viewer. Sometimes, these are small stories very well localized in a determined context, but in other occasions her work remits to phenomena that expand through history: migration, cultural identity, racism, colonialism and the discovery of the alien. We love the raw and dynamic aesthetic in her images, mostly consisting of minimal depiction on blank backdrops achieving maximum effect. Keep an eye on this incredible talent! [ Continue reading ]

In recent years a growing number of brands, institutions and (digital) platforms have seen the potential of engaging its community beyond their core activities - with fashion being the ultimate tool to turn following into ambassadors. Magazines, museums and galleries, to name a few - whether with help or alone - have successfully moved into the world of global (street)fashion, which has become a greedy monster searching for new brands to lend its temporarily hype to. Next to these somewhat foreign players on the market, there is no limit on new ‚traditional’ fashion brands coming to life either, making it rather hard to (continue to) stand out - with an overal lack of creativity/lending of ideas being the other evident reason.. A new name which in our eyes has succeeded in creating a brand with a durable potential - based on Parisian cool translated into on-point graphic design-based collections for males and females - is Club Pétanque, which was founded last year, inspired by the elegant all-French sport of Pétanque. [ Continue reading ]

Last week we became familiar with a soon to be released art project which continues to haunt us ever since - and very likely will continue to do so - because of its seldom seem hybrid of sheer beauty and mind-boggling concept. In this collection of sculptures named 'Papaver Rhoeas', the British artist Paddy Hartley has created a series of highly emotive and thought provoking handmade poppy sculptures using pathologically preserved lamb’s heart tissue (!). Drawing on the poppy’s synonymity with the commemoration of World War One, 'Papaver Rhoeas' consists of finely crafted artworks produced by a unique team of art and science practitioners that address contemporary notions of remembrance and the cultural phenomena of memorialisation. Every poppy varies in colour and composition, and each will be installed in a thematically diverse range of institutions covering topics such as the military, science, social history, theology and contemporary art. What a truly remarkable project! [ Continue reading ]

Last year we discovered the beautiful work of Esme Winter, who works under her namesake label together with husband Richard Sanderson since 2008. The British designers/pattern makers create some of the most elegant decorative paper - for instance their 'Paper Collection' - being produced in this part of the world. The latest Esme Winter collection is a collaboration with Jemma Lewis, a marbled paper artist, who creates through traditional techniques, with everything she produces made in her garden shed in rural Wiltshire. Using the same techniques as the earlier Esme Winter hand-drawn geometric designs, the trio created a series of bold printed marbled papers which combine the extraordinary Esme Winter color palette and technique with Lewis' beautiful free hand marbling, forming a tremendous hybrid of their individual strengths into the great 'Marbled Paper' collection. [ Continue reading ]

It is no secret that Ramon Haindl is one of our favorite photographers out there and he keeps on creating beautiful work to continue being just that. We discovered the German - who also creates with mixed media and collage in his free projects - through his captures of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Academy some years ago, after which he has been creating a body of work of both autonomous projects as for clients showing his relentless approach (sleeping very little) and extraordinary multiple talents. His latest series brought Haindl to the famous tracks of the Nürburgring where he shot another gem for the Lufthansa Exclusive Magazine. With a somewhat similar approach and aesthetic as that very first series we discovered, the new work shows how Ramon has grown in the couple of years that have passed: every image being nothing short of iconic. Whether he portrays the oldtimers (both cars and drivers) in shiny monochrome images or the toned down classic color palette: we love every single image of the series. [ Continue reading ]

After releasing a preview in May, our friend Olaf Hussein returns today with the official release of his Autumn/Winter 2015 collection. Through his latest designs, one of the most promising names in Dutch menswear clearly shows his global ambition by moving beyond the foundational inspirations of denim and the Amsterdam heritage, embracing influences from the North and on the other hand the realm of elegant sportswear. Titled 'Ø L Å F' - the moniker which has given the label a growing visibility in the fashion world through the popular caps, socks and recently released graphic tees - the collection embodies an oxymoronic idea of nuanced boldness. Athletic details, combined with a strong black and white color palette and forward-facing materials, exemplify the outdoor world colliding with the inward-bound hectics of a city. With 'Ø L Å F', the brand continues its pursuit of an expressive yet sophisticated aesthetic and doing so in a highly promising way. [ Continue reading ]

Amsterdam-based luxury travel bag brand Travelteq is one of those brands we have had a very close relationship with for the last half decade, both online in our writings as in the real world. Following a string of shared projects - like visiting the Travelteq factory in 2011 - we are very proud to present the latest and largest collaboration in which we worked together to redefine the strategy, rebuild the brand and restyle the complete identity. In the new vision for Travelteq a direct-to-consumer model is introduced. Key in this new ecosystem is the cutting out of the middlemen, through which Travelteq is able to eliminate high markups - passing the savings to the customers, offering highest quality handcrafted Italian bags and accessories at a revolutionary price point. In line with this new direction an updated aesthetic for the communication of the brand Travelteq was created and introduced in all its different elements on the newly launched website. [ Continue reading ]