After we wrote about the inspirational presentation of the summer version of his A Suit To Travel In, Paul Smith once more shows his remarkable vision in the campaign of his Autumn/Winter 2015 collection. Capturing the confident use of color in the designs, the campaign for the inspirational designer's collection is the first Paul Smith collection to be shot by the photographic artist Viviane Sassen, who we have been admiring ourselves for years. And what a wonderful hybrid of worlds the campaign has become - both creatives having an eye for exquisite stand out colors and the beauty of aesthetic contrast. As part of the campaign one can spot that the signature ‘Paul Smith’ logo is re-imagined with a playful sense of scale and positioning. A sense of modernity and wit is present throughout the campaign, echoing the essential qualities of Paul Smith, making the campaign a clear season favorite of ours. [ Continue reading ]
With the official team presentations, which will take place this evening, the Tour de France fever in our hometown Utrecht is slowly reaching a highpoint (with the tropical temperatures of recent days also playing a significant role in this development). Although the little brother of Amsterdam has gained significantly growing international attention in recent years, because of its beautiful canals and historical city center with a more laidback and less touristic atmosphere - for many people the host of the Grand Départ is still unknown territory. As we have been happily living in Utrecht for quite some years now, we teamed up with Rapha to introduce our city properly and created a little map with all of our favorite destinations when it comes to Food & Drinks, Art & Culture, Antiques & Obsessions, Fashion & Design, Markets & Flowers and Hideouts & Escapes, which we named Utrecht's Finest. For those first getting to know Utrecht, or those who are curious what it is what makes the city special for us. [ Continue reading ]
We recently became familiar with the Amsterdam-based REE PROJECTS, a young fashion brand developing collections for a women's wardrobe with a main focus on pure, refined timeless pieces with an edge. Having just stepped out in the world with a sharp and clean breakout collection which we really like. The brand has been inspired by a 'lost & found' suitcase found at the Dutch railway station many years ago. The suitcase and its contents - a stranger's wardrobe - are the conceptual starting point for both the REE PROJECTS brand and each individual design, be it now or in the future. The suitcase symbolizes the brand's journey and the new collection of bags is the first step. We really like REE PROJECTS highly potential debut collection and accompanying imagery and look forward what the future will bring us from this new name. [ Continue reading ]
Before we travelled to Porto at the beginning of last May it had been 8 years since we visited the beautiful city on the North-West coast of Portugal. Over the last few years we have visited its big brother - and one of our favorite cities period - Lisbon and the beautiful South of the country several times, but a little over two months ago we decided it was time to revisit the city located along the Douro river estuary and name giver to the most famous Portugese export product: port wine. And what a difference it was from earlier experiences. First of all the city appeared to be much cleaner and felt more fresh, we were able to find better places to eat its incredible cuisine, and compared to last time we were able to find more appealing places to stay. The wonderful Rosa Et Al is one of them, in which we truly enjoyed our stay in beautiful Porto. [ Continue reading ]
We have been following and appreciating Klas Enfro's inspirational graphic output since we acquired one of his incredible textile footballs, when he released a series of them back in 2008. In the years that followed the Swedish illustrator and graphic artist who's based in Barcelona has produced a diverse field of graphic projects - both independently as for clients. All of the artist's projects show his incredible sense for colors and patterns, which he for instance exemplified with his free project 'Color Study'; a library of hues packaged in casual drips. And also his most recent project is highly impressive. Consisting of 18 separate boards, Ernflo created a large work showing his signature organic forms, a wonderful sense of humor and tremendous colors. [ Continue reading ]
In 1983, looking for the locations that would bring the desolate landscape of the American West to life in his iconic film 'Paris, Texas', German master filmmaker Wim Wenders took his Makina Planbel camera on the road. Driving through Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California, Wenders was captivated by the unique, saturated, colorful light of the wild landscape of the American West - even now, a land associated with cowboys and outlaws, and suffused with the mythology of the frontier. The series he produced, 'Written in the West', was first exhibited in 1986 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and first published in 2000. At the end of July, Wenders will add 15 new images of the sleepy town that gave the movie its name - though no footage was ever actually shot there. Made with a Fuji 6 x 4.5 camera, the new photographs are poetic documents of an abiding fascination and a search for personal memories. Together, they add an new chapter to Wenders' classic 'Written in the West', now Revisited. [ Continue reading ]
Last week, as part of London Collections: Men, Paul Smith presented a summer take on his incredible 'A Suit To Travel In', which he impactfully introduced during the Autumn/Winter 2015 LC:M week in an utmost stylish manner, using English Olympic medallist Max Whitlock. For the lighter summer take on the suit Paul Smith chose another highly unorthodox presentation, using Ben Savage, a World Champion trials cyclist, who presented the garments to the world while hopping around an installation that was purpose-built in Hauser + Wirth. The cloth of the new suit is 100% New Zealand wool, for which Paul Smith worked with Loro Piana - one of the best cloth mills in the world - to develop. The yarn is woven very tight, as it was in the Autumn/Winter 2015 'Suit To Travel In' giving the crease resistance making it very sturdy, but it's woven loosely to make it more breathable for the hotter months of the year. We love both the suits as this incredible presentation! [ Continue reading ]