14/12/2010

Guest Interview n°20: George Esquivel

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Guest Interview n° 20: George Esquivel

Among conoisseurs of fine shoes – and among southern Californians – George Esquivel requires no fanfare or introduction. From simple beginnings and through honest, meticulous work he built a passion for shoes into a sterling reputation for quality and creativity. We’ve even called him a sort of present-day, living Salvatore Ferragamo. A truly inspiring artisan in a thoroughly impersonal industry, his tiny atelier churns out masterpieces that regularly make their rounds in the glossies, and he was just featured in this month’s issue of Monocle as an example of an exceptionally inspired small business success story. We had a chat with him following the launch of his fresh collaboration with Italian shoe giant Fratelli Rosetti.

How and when did this collaboration with Fratelli Rossetti begin?
Diego (their managing director and son of one of the founding Rosetti brothers) wanted to relaunch the brand. He came to the states six moths ago to meet me, we met, we clicked. We understood each other immediately and in short time began our collaboration.

Does this capsule collection have an Italian attitude?
It’s a mix of both Italian and Californian influences. I design for a free spirit so I don’t want to define my style as a nationality. And this wasn’t just a capsule collaboration! It’s a long-term, true collaboration that has just begun… next season will be even better!

Are you happy to be linked up with a big, historical Italian brand like FR?
Of course, has always been a dream for me to work with an Italian brand and it’s really an honor to have collaborated with them.

How do you think Italians will react to your work?
I am not worried about it. The collection is not only for Italian market, it’s for Americans and everyone else, for that matter. In any case, I design what I love…

So, three words to describe Italy?
Really. Amazing. Food.

What do you think is the strong point of this work?
Like all of my work, the collection maintains a classic edge and superfluous craftsmanship. Its point of strength is a mix of elements: twists, turns, colors, and shapes inspired by Diego’s father’s style. Colors and treatments and leathers mixed to 60’s shapes…

Which materials do you prefer to use?
Leather only. It’s the best material, no comparisons. You can do anything with it.

Your feelings about vintage?
I love vintage leather!

Has your idea of beauty evolved or changed since your first collection?
I definitely understand shoes and shoemaking better… Lots of changes in my taste since my first collection. At the beginning, in the mid-90s, I was inspired by rock’ n roll and punk and my style was more aggressive. Now times have changed, as has my idea of beauty with it.

What have shoes meant for your life?
Quite a bit, obviously. I wear shoes that I design, shoes are my passion and deeply connected to me, my family and the people I love.

If you hadn’t become a shoe designer what would you probably be doing now?
Only God knows…

What kind of music do you like to listen to?
What inspires you when you create? I like different kinds of music. Right now I especially love Janelle Monae. I made shoes for her in the video for “Tightrope.” I also listen to Ben Harper… and he wears my shoes as well.

Have you evern worn women’s shoes?
NO WAY! Definitely not my style…

Intro by Tag Christof, Interview by Giudetta Vigilani, Images by Sara Romani, Film by David Hubert for Esquivel.

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13/12/2010

Prada Private Customizable Sunglasses

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Prada Private Customizable Sunglasses

As a society with common interests and fashions, we struggle to set ourselves apart. There is the timeless search to acquire distinctive possessions, whether tangible or metaphorical; and with this desire swings back a cornucopia of options, the most recent being the way one wears their sunglasses as an exclusive and private affair. Customized design to showcase your own visual representation.

Prada likes to woo and dazzle us; and they never falter in presenting the things we have not seen in ways that are refigured with trinkets of unexpected imagination. With indicative subtle expressions, you let your fingers do the creating with their latest seduction, Prada Private Customizable Glasses. The mechanisms are removable arms where you can scrabble your declarations by plugging in two symbol inserts on each side of the frame. Made in two distinctive styles for both men and women, classic frames and your choice of black, white or tortoise-shell and sold exclusively through Sunglass Hut. With a multitude of symbols, letters, numbers, hearts, stars and skulls to choose from, your framed statement provides distinctive luxury for an ever-changing expression. So the question is, what will you say in just four frames? B for badass Blogazine!

Coco Brown, images courtesy Prada and Sunglass Hut.

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09/12/2010

Imagine a Tree House

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Imagine a Tree House

And with winter and rain comes along that nostalgic feeling, that reminiscence of our childhood looking for a special place. A place to hide or be safe.

A wooden house is the perfect shelter, but in reality it was always more… a blanket hung from a special corner of the house. Or a garden, where our most precious valuables were kept. Director Marco Mucig, a brilliant multi talent, brings us back, ¨à la Michel Gondry” to that magical feeling. The key is vintage, though, not childish. It’s very personal, that special place, our own world of discovery and sharing. The Tree House is a place not only to discover, but also to make your own, where, as the story goes, we can keep our fantasies growing…

Twice a year in Milan Chérie’s Tree House creates a perfect platform to support the growth of emerging artists. This Saturday, they open the doors on their 6th edition and will be featuring a pirate’s ransom of treasures including new and vintage fashion by Toxic Toy, Neroli Cashmere, Até Jà, Alessandra Modarelli as well as toys and design products from Drawflowers, Sunettes and many more.

This Saturday and Sunday, December 11th and 12th, at 247 Showroom, Via Pestalozzi 4, Milan.

Juan Alvarado & Tag Christof, short and photos courtesy Chérie’s Tree House

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07/12/2010

A Euro-NY couple

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A Euro-NY Couple

Creative gurus running side by side in a New York City stride. They are the influencers, carving stylistic decadence that we eagerly eat up with flittering voracity. Delfina Pinardi and James Timmins are the admired and sought after, the desirable doublet.

Pinardi fostered a riveting working timetable from the blooming age of 19 where she skipped between Paris and Milan and began her styling yellow-brick road under the eyes of Giambattista Valli at the Maison Emanuele Ungaro. It was a beauteous precursor to the years that would follow at Elle Italia. Pinardi then turned her sails after this European surge and blew west to New York City where she currently resides with her striking partner James Timmins of Atelier1880. A former model with edible good looks, Timmins’ portfolio feathers extensively over the designing of print, web, and branding for fashion editorials, with served up specialties such as art directing Dossier Journal and acting as senior designer at CoolGraySeven, the boutique advertising agency.

Celebrations of their own romance, Pinardi and Timmins’ ingenuity is contagious. Pinardi’s influence spreads broadly over the Vogue Italia family, but where the heart and business of creativity so efficaciously collide is at Ponytail, where she calls the shots as fashion editor at large, and Timmins as art and design director. Turn the pages and each simmers with energy. This twosome is on an upward escalade inviting the young and sophisticated along for the escapade.

Coco Brown, Images courtesy Atelier1880 and Ponytail.

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30/11/2010

Guest interview n°3: SARA ZIFF / TAG


Guest interview n°3: SARA ZIFF

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22/11/2010

Guest Interview nº19: Kostas Murkudis


Guest Interview n° 19: Kostas Murkudis

Kostas Murkudis is multitalented Berliner in search of the perfect shape. He has years of experience working with Helmut Lang and as far as he’s concerned, fashion is a serious business. Belonging to the rarified group of true designer-artists in fashion, Mr. Kostas’ conceptual work surprises with sharp, unique and smart pieces. We caught up with him on one of our recent trips to Berlin.

It seems that you have always been close to the design world – you almost embarked on the path of a graphic artist but veered off into fashion – why the change of heart?
It was never the idea to change paths!

Your fashion work has a strong graphic influence; it seems in a way like you never abandoned them. So do you think you have managed to mix both of your interests?
I don’t think that… In fact, it’s more of an architectural moment in my work rather than one full of graphic influences. My interests are always very complex and I love to combine and fuse conflicting sides.

You are considered by the industry as one of the few legitimate fashion-artists. What do you think about it? And why do you think they might categorize you in that way?
That sounds like being an outsider. Actually that’s not my aim. I do love the industry and the power it wields as much as I love working in other fields, like collaborations with other artists or experimenting in other disciplines.

Your use of shapes and fabrics is impeccable. How do you manage the challenge to make conceptual and wearable clothes?
Those are indeed the parameters of my working process and the way I look at things. I don’t like to think about useless one-minute garments.

Are you an obsessive planner or you are more improvisational in the conception of your clothes?
I love to keep the process open until the last moment and follow my intuition.

Source of inspiration?
It can be so many different things – from virtual imaginations, motion architecture art and movies. I love to look also into historical moments. Most of the time its very romantic in its approach.

Your work seems so… correct, for lack of a better word. Deep, harmonious, serious and the product of a lot of work. Your apparent dedication begs the question: are you a serious worker or do you sometimes have some fun on the job?
Indeed – I am a serious worker – most of the time – but we as a team do have also very funny moments while we are preparing and searching for the shapes and styles. We laugh very much about the first steps during our work in progress. The funniest moments are when our stylist from London is with us for the fittings.

It seems you have done quite a few collaborations with very diverse brands. What is that process of mixing ideas like?
That’s a great experience I don’t like to miss anymore. When to brands start to work together – to respect and listen to the other side as much as possible. I am so thankful for this opportunity to learn and get the back up of a specialist of a certain kind of design and craftsmanship.

Are your collaborations something that you actively seek out or are they more often opportunities that had “popped” at the right time?
It is both – but always full of respect and curiosity on both sides and the wish to discover new fields together.

What should we expect from Kostas Murkudis in the future?
New collaborations and getting closer again with the industry of fashion and more artistic projects.

Interview by Juan Alvarado, Images courtesy Kostas Murkudis

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12/11/2010

Guest Interview nº18: Andrew Richardson


Guest Interview n° 18: Andrew Richardson

Andrew Richardson practically bears no introduction. The stylist extraordinaire has worked with some of the best photographers on earth, including Steven Meisel, and his work is well known for its lavishness and sensuality. From his roots in the production of Madonna’s Sex book on through to the most recent installment of the magazine that bears his name, Richardson, he has become one of the world’s foremost straddlers of the aberrant lines between fashion, fine art and sex. For this very special Guest Interview, we talk change, collaborators and end with a voyage to the land of id.

The eponymous, infamous magazine you started has its fourth issue out and your work in fashion is as rich and well-done as ever. How do you feel?
Good, Thank You.

You must be blindingly aware that the name “Richardson” itself evokes dirtiness. Yourself and Terry Richardson have mastered the glamorisation of salaciousness, and it’s been a beautiful and liberating thing. What do you have to say about working with him? 
It’s been emotional.

So, why Sasha Grey for the cover of Richardson A4? I mean, she’s been on the cover of Playboy! 
She was on our cover first. She is the Modern Porn Star Movie Star Rock Star the Poster Child for the emancipation of Porn, how could we not put her on the cover?

You’re no stranger to speculation about your own sexuality. It’s common currency that you’re bisexual, but some sources say you’re all about the girls. We don’t make inferences, so we’re dying to know once and for all where you’d fall on the Kinsey scale.
Dark Grey…

Now, onto the slightly less lewd. Issue A3 came out in 2002. Why such a long hiatus? Why restart now?
Sasha Grey is the first a real stand out porn star since Tera Patrick so it was time to get to the magazine together again.

Your inclusion of the American artist Carollee Schneemann in this issue is interesting, since she’s one of the few feminists who sees feminism through the scope of sexual expression as opposed to social oppression. Still, she’s dealt with erotic imagery in a very serious, sometimes somber way throughout her lengthy career. Do you feel that her work’s impetus is at all contrary to the sexually irreverent nature of the magazine?
“How many feminists does it take to screw in a light bulb?  …One , and it’s not a joke” As you say Carolee was very different for other feminists, she is a lover not a fighter. I was doing a pro sex feminist issue so no I don’t see her work in the issue as contrary to the ‘irreverent’ nature of the magazine.

So, exactly how do you go about curating the talent you choose to include?
It’s different now than it was when I did the first three magazines. The internet has made so much more available which is confusing for a generation analog editor like myself. Themes for each issue come up consequentially and I chose contributors instinctually, something to do with how they do or do not fit within the theme of the issue.

At the very least the ubiquity of virtual porn in the intervening years will at least take the edge off its shock factor. I can probably leave this issue on my coffee table when my parents come over. So, what are you going to do to continue to push the envelope?
I’m not really interested in pushing the envelope for the sake of shocking your parents or anyone. Shocking is not the point.

Are the thrust and vision of the magazine and your work the same as they were before? What’s changed in the meantime?
I am very happy to get back to publishing Richardson online and in print, it has made the fashion work more enjoyable too, everything is good now.  The Fashion work is less intense, more appropriate, the Magazine a little more grown up.

On that note, the magazine’s website has quite a bit of interactive content. Even QR barcodes! Is this an attempt to tap into the app-mad zeitgeist or an effort to re-imagine Richardson’s possibilities and scope? 
The latter mainly, the QR codes are an attempt to expand the experience of reading the magazine. The website is more about Fun and immediacy where as the magazine is a personal project made by my Office and Studio 191, more rigorous and permanent. And for sure the website is a great interactive portal that we will be expanding socially and economically in the future.

Insight into your future?
The future will be a subtle, slow burning frightening inward journey to the sexually utopian virtual world online where everything is permitted and the id rules supreme.

Richardson Magazine

Text and interview Tag Christof, all images courtesy Richardson Magazine

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09/11/2010

Fratelli Rossetti – S/S 2011 by George Esquivel


Fratelli Rossetti – S/S 2011 by George Esquivel

Esquivel is a legend in his time: a sort of present-day, living Salvatore Ferragamo. His métier is shoes, shoes which he obsesses over and crafts painstakingly working from his Southern California atelier. He is the embodiment of the artisan, the cerebral creator awash in a thoroughly impersonal industry. His product is special precisely because of the individualised focus and attention to detail evident in every shoe that bears his name.

Fratelli Rossetti is one of the world’s most important shoemakers, and one those quintessentially Italian brands, like Zegna or Brioni, which somehow manage to brandish patriotic pins on its pinstriped lapels regardless of how relentless its global outlook. The company is known for high-quality and polished sensible shoes, and its rather staid Italianate style. In a thoroughly modern gesture, however, the buttoned-up giant and the decidedly non-Italian artisan have teamed up for a very fruitful collaboration. We’ve caught up with George Esquivel to learn about co-creativity alongside an Italian stalwart, the resulting collection and his take on creativity. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the interview.

By Tag Christof– Photo courtesy of Sara Romani & Fratelli Rossetti

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04/11/2010

Hero / Bruna Kazinoti


Hero / Bruna Kazinoti

Way forward and out on the fringe, yet front, centre and on beat in a way only a Brit-zine can seem to pull off, Hero Magazine is a gem. It at once bombastic, sexual, cooler-than-you and so pungently British that a hunk of stilton’s origins might be less clear at first glance. Beyond its very compelling art direction (with a notably excellent structural use of type), non-sequitur treasures abound in each issue, such as behind-the-scenes photos by Harry Lambert of shoots styled by Stevie Westgarth, a cheeky tribute to vintage Versace, and one helluva lineup of well-curated talent.

The biannual zine, which reads a lot like a really, really long mood board, portends to be a barometer on progressive men’s fashion. Its sinewy combination of high fashion, dirty English ostentation, hot models and seemingly effortless ability to exude cool mostly makes it just that.

Their forthcoming issue features an editorial shot by a relatively new and welcome addition to 2DM, the brilliant Bruna Kazinoti. Tease! Check out Hero’s latest issue for the full experience.

By Tag Christof, Photos courtesy Hero

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14/10/2010

STRAWBERRY EARTH: WONDERLAND


STRAWBERRY EARTH: WONDERLAND

This October 17th, Dutch crusaders for all things sustainable Strawberry Earth will join the pantheon of advocates fighting for conscientiousness and conscience in fashion. The affair, whimsically billed Wonderland, is to be “an event showcasing ‘eco wonders’ from the worlds of fashion & beauty.” The Netherlands-based organization, who had a hand earlier this year in the organisation of the Dutch Environmental Film Festival, is modelling the occasion after Key.to in Berlin and Estethica in London, but charging it with a dose of Dutch. Lest we forget the fashion, the event surely wouldn’t be complete without a little runway action, and in good form there will be a group of sustainable catwalks by Studio JUX, Charlie + Mary and three independent designers from Awearness Fair Fashion. Style and meticulous, natural grooming will be served up by AVEDA and Swedish quartet The Amplifetes will be on hand for an icing-on-the-cake live performance.

Aimed towards young designers, a “Meet the Experts” panel will convene to dish out insight into the design, construction and production of sustainable clothes. Additionally, for those of you swept up in new media fever or who are interested in evolving into mind-blowing fashion bloggers yourselves, Strawberry Earth will also be hosting a capsule Fashion Blogger Camp as a compliment within the context of the larger event. The platform is designed to serve as a forum for discourse on the role, impact and future of bloggers within the fashion system. Highlights include the minds and fingers of the luminaries behind Stylescrapbook, Hiphonest, Volkskrant, and others.

October 17, 16:00-20:00 at TrouwAmsterdam, pwered by STRAWBERRYEARTH

by Tag Christof

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