We continue our stay in the beautiful city of Antwerp - after the latest A Magazine - where about a month ago the second 'Dries van Noten Inspirations' exhibition opened for the public in the MoMu Fashion Museum Antwerp. Last summer we wrote about the first Dries van Noten Inspirations exhibition in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and in February a new extraordinary peek in the mind of the Antwerp Six designer was completed in his hometown. In similar fashion as in Paris, Dries Van Noten takes the spectator on a new intimate journey into his artistic universe, revealing the singularity of his creative process which he illustrates with his various and numerous sources of inspiration captured in themes. One receives an eye opening experience into the creative space within van Noten’s mind - through photographs, videos, film clips, musical references, as well as artworks by renowned artists that have triggered the designer’s imagination throughout his life and career. The new exhibition shows some of the old themes from Paris, but feels like an all new exhibition, with a little more focus as the exhibition space is a little smaller - making it possibly an even more impressive fashion exhibition than our favorite of last year. [ Continue reading ]
The ever-inspirational A Magazine curated by has just launched it’s 14th edition for Spring/Summer 2015 with the Roman jewellery designer Delfina Delettrez as the curator. It forms the first A Magazine curated by an Italian woman and the very first issue to explore the decorative realm of a jewellery designer, after the magazine’s longstanding relationship with prét-à-porter designers was first diverted in 2013 by the curation of British milliner Stephen Jones. Delettrez has chosen the abstract theme of ‘gold’, tipping an international array of artists, designers, photographers, stylists, architects, philosophers and other creative minds to interpret a myriad of aesthetic, alchemical and metaphysical representations of this precious metal and its intrinsic energy. [ Continue reading ]
The British artist Nigel Howlett - whose work we recently discovered - is interested in illusion and the cartoon. He likes simple ideas illustrated through colorful, bold and fresh image making. Having left Art school in 2003 with a BA in fine art, Nigel has since worked in the film and television industry as a set designer, for clients including Channel 4, BBC, ITV, and Sky, brands include Issey Miyake and Nike. Recently he has been concentrating on different personal art projects - among which is this fascinating series named 'Behind the Scenes'. The 'Behind the Scenes' series was born on set, inspired by Americana and its cliche characters. The canvas is used playfully - hung facing the wall - and the images are painted on the back, leaving a lot of space for interpretation with the spectator. Howlett deliberately makes the wooden frame and the canvas part of the piece - creating as he states it; a strange dialogue between this 'real' element and the cartoon nature of the painting. We love this beautiful series. [ Continue reading ]
The extremely talented young British photographer Jack Davison was just added to the roster of the incredible mini title agency. Being only 24 years old, his work inhabits everything for him to become a household name in portrait and possibly fashion photography in the coming years. We first noticed the work of Jack Davison when his '26 States' project was released, showing portraits from all over the United States giving a modern, honest and concise window into the Land of the Free. It first showed us his seemingly effortless talent for framing interesting images, underlining his tremendous talent with a camera. Davison creates both raw (portrait) images full of details and also more stylized observations, reminding us of photographers like Louis Faurer and Garry Winogrand on the one hand, with Philip-Lorca diCorcia shining through on the other side. Personally he has stated both Vivian Maier as Vivianne Sassen to be his biggest inspirations at the moment, which explains the broad aesthetic field he moves in. Keep an eye on this super promising talent. [ Continue reading ]
Sitting at the peak of a hill in the Moroccan mountain ranges, the incredible premises named Villa E rises up from the landscape, like a form extruded from the earth. The locally sourced Oika stone walling looks like an extension of the landscape. From the road in the valley, only tiny window openings reveal the inside of the structure, making one wonder what happens inside. Hidden within is a private mountain retreat designed by the highly inspirational France and Morocco-based Studio KO. With studio bases in both Paris and Morocco, Villa E represents the convergence of ideas from both design cultures. Studio KO weave together the contemporary minimalism of Paris with the earthy textures of the Moroccan aesthetic. Slender steel doors pivot lightly within monolithic desert red walls. Crisp white marble exists alongside textured rendered walls and crazy paving, forming a perfect hybrid. [ Continue reading ]
Recently we became familiar with the Barcelona-based Gabriela Coll Garments. The interesting new project by the Spanish Gabriella Coll focuses on the way of dressing and the value of garments, while working through Series. Each Series is the result of concrete imagery, they do not follow any season or have a fixed number of pieces, and are always permanent. Serie No. 1 is composed of 15 pieces: consisting of garments for men and women, bags, accessories and footwear, marked by the transcendence of time, the way they sit on the body and the nobility of the materials – with everything, from the accessories to the clothes being hand-made. In many ways the project reminds us strongly - aesthetically, in the communication as in the motivations - of the now defunct Maison Martin Margiela or Ines Kaag's Bless, but a wise man once said that originality died with the eruption of the internet, making Gabriela Coll Garments in our eyes a perfect example of a great new interpretation of existing ideas, very much in line with the current zeitgeist. [ Continue reading ]
A tribute to style, sophistication and service, The Norman in Tel Aviv brings unprecedented prestige to the heart of the historic Mediterranean city since it opened last December. For business or leisure, The Norman aims to be a luxury hotel that has refined the art of hospitality, capturing the timeless elegance of the 1920s, matched with the superb comforts of a world-class luxury hotel. It incorporates antique elements from the original interiors of the historic buildings, blended with hand-picked textures and materials to create a rich design tapestry inspired by the prestige of the past. With the newest addition to its services they really caught our attention; this month the hotel introduces a personalized art tours curated by the hotel’s expert art curator. Reflecting the hotel’s devoted support of Israeli artists; The Norman’s décor incorporates original Israeli art works throughout all rooms and public areas. Now the hotel is offering guest’s exclusive access to visit the galleries and studios of the artists showcased throughout the hotel and meet with the artists themselves. Each tour is tailor-made depending on the particular interest’s guest. [ Continue reading ]