The Basques, living in the south of France and the north of Spain, believe that in the olden days, during transhumance, the sheperds’ wives used to give their husbands an undergarment that was endowed with the power to protect them from the harshness of nature’s elements. The new fashion brand Hemen Biarritz, 'hemen' means 'here' in Basque language, managed to revive the genuine savoir-faire and the high-quality textiles that built the reputation of this legendary present. The idea for Hemen was sparked by this century-old tradition, but financing, as happens with so many great initiatives now a days, was found in a very modern fashion through Kickstarter. The brand designs underwear with personnality for the men of today. Inspired by the Basque country, its traditions, its history, its craft and culture, the strength and colors of the elements, all the products are designed in the famous surf city Biarritz, one of the more prominent cities of the Basque country, under the name Hemen Biarritz. [ Continue reading ]
The Bonsai Project was a beautiful collaboration between Dutch documentary photographers Sjoerd Knibbeler and Rob Wetzer. They started the project in 2009 out of fascination for the experience of nature and the cultivation of our natural environment and wrapped it up in 2013. Bonsai, man-made trees cultivated in pots, has been a Chinese tradition for more than two thousand years. Since then, it developed into an art form and has spread over the world. Many enthusiasts all over the world make and keep bonsai. Really understanding bonsai involves closely observing one’s natural environment and using it as inspiration. As photographers Knibbeler and Wetzer were fascinated by the condensed experience of nature these magical trees offer. Bonsai can be seen as the most unnatural nature that exists, cultivated for mere beauty, Knibbeler and Wetzer searched for a deeper understanding of what cultivating nature can offer us: a sense of time, respect, reflection and care for things around us. On a very small scale, this happens within the bonsai culture. But it happens in many different ways, everywhere in the world. [ Continue reading ]
From March 26th to May 6th 2014 the first retrospective on the art and design collective led by Piergiorgio Robino, Nucleo, named 'Manifesto' took place in Parisian Hôtel de Galliffet. The exhibition was conceived and realised by the Nilufar Gallery of Milan, and curated by Elena Giulia Abbiatici and Melania Rossi. It was set up under the 'Promises of Art' program, which aims to promote young talents from the ultra-contemporary Italian art scene. Manifesto tells the story of the highly creative collective and its assertions. A thought which translates into action, a meeting at the peak of artisanal and artistic research. Nucleo's work is simultaneously material and conceptual: molded by many hands, it has the ambition to combine three forms of knowledge: theory, practice and production (theoria, pràxis e poiesis). [ Continue reading ]
For the second installment in their Off Map series in which they partner with brands and craftsmen, accessory label Octovo has collaborated with Southern Oregon-based Tilley Surfboards of Jason Tilley. This resulted in an extraordinary series of five custom board designs. Constructed out of hand-shaped foam combined with custom-milled wooden skins, each board has its own beauty, showing both color and the natural beauty of the wood. The boards feature a leash cup made of titanium or bronze and come in a tailored bag made out of UV and water-resistant material. The bags are padded and reinforced at the nose and tail with leather covers for added protection resulting in a utmost elegant collection bringing together craftsmanship and aesthetics. [ Continue reading ]
The Great Discontent was launched as a digital publication focussing on the darker side of creativity; the risks, the failures and the disappointments everybody has to deal with, but one rarely reads about in publications. After almost three years Ryan and Tina Essmaker, the married duo behind TGD, quit their jobs and made the decision to materialize The Great Discontent as a printed publication. For the inaugural printed issue which was released last month, Ryan and Tina teamed up with designer Frank Chimero to assist with editorial design and art direction, and as with many impressive new publications, financing was found directly through their existing community via Kickstarter. After 30 days in February and March the funds were raised to create The Great Discontent, Issue One and now the beautiful magazine is here. In it one finds 17 interviews with interesting creatives like Aaron Draplin, Alastair Humphreys, James Victore, Anna Wolf, Lotta Nieminen, Debbie Millman, Matt Porterfield, Ryan Bingham, Tavi Gevinson and Roman Mars. [ Continue reading ]
Since the 6th of June the beautiful exhibition 'Amsterdam! Ed van der Elsken, oude foto’s 1947-1970' is running in Het Stadsarchief Amsterdam, the museum attached to the Municipal Archive of Amsterdam. The exhibition coincides with the reprint of the book of the beautiful series which originally was published in 1979. At that time it was a powerful collaboration between the great and famous photographer and the just as great graphic designer Anthon Beeke, making it rather a classic made out of Dutch excellence, which over the last decades had been out of print and sought after. At the time of the original release, the two greats created a new kind of visual communication, which gained them a lot of praise, showing the city of Amsterdam in the course of those decades in all its diversity to a worldwide audience. [ Continue reading ]
Officially launched last May, the Singapore-based fashion brand MATTER is a socially motivated business focusing on affordable luxury, thoughtful design, and provenance to create travel wear with stories to tell. The first edition, Freedom, focussed only on pants, versatile pieces that are silk sumptuous yet cotton easy. Future editions will see this inaugural set of signature styles updated in different fabrics and print for the changing seasons. The mission of the brand is to inspire consumers to value provenance, to ask of the where and why something is made, and champion alternative production models for textile artisans to expand their economic freedom. [ Continue reading ]