Probably not making the transition from catwalk to football ground terrace anytime soon, burgeoning London based designers Rasharn Agyemang and Jaiden James, under the name of Jaiden rVa James, shock with their exciting fusion of retro sportswear and distinctly more ‘edgy’ bondage gear. Flamboyant prints, kilts and reworked Schott leathers are thrown together to create some sort of post-apocalyptic rockstar ‘look’ and with celebrity fans like the irrepressible Miss Gaga, features in Dazed and Confused and I-D and collaborations with G-Shock and Kickers already in the bag, it might not be as long as you think ’till you see that Stone Island and gimp-mask combo on ‘Match of the Day’!
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One of the defining illustrators of the last forty years, Alan Aldridge brought to life the psychedelic sounds of the 60s ad 70s with his vivid, colourful cartoon art works. Working with The Beatles, the Stones and The Who whilst being Penguin Books’ art director, Aldridge also designed iconic identities for brands such as the Hard Rock Café. His first UK retrospective at the Design Museum last year, accompanied by the rather wonderful 24o page art book, Man with the Kaleidoscope Eyes, seems to have stirred somewhat of a revival for his classic psychedelic works and, ever the art & design magpie, Sir Paul Smith has roped in Aldridge for a series of collaborative pieces on his AW09 collections. Our pick of the bunch are these classic Converse style trainers with printed fabric uppers featuring a typically detailed psychedelic piece from the legendary artist.
Following a 6 month residence at ‘Nowhere’, Dover Street Market, A BATHING APE® have relaunched their first flagship European store in Soho, London. Again designed by long term collaborator, Masamichi Katayama, founder of interior design firm Wonderwall (see the Harajuku, Tokyo store we featured back in July last year) and re-built within its former 4 Upper James Street premises, BAPE® London uses aluminum, stainless steel, & neon materials to create a spacious retail environment within 750sq ft. Stocking limited edition label staples along with a number of exclusive items available solely in the UK that include T-shirts, BAPE® STA and other BAPE® footwear along with tailored pieces, shirting, watches, ties, socks & underwear.
Oi Polloi’s ‘Rig Out’ Zine
"Not something for fashion numpters, but for chaps that appreciate good quality schmutter"
June 12th, 2009
Started in 2002 as ‘a reaction to the mass of bland, uninspiring men’s fashion stores lining the UK’s high streets’, Steve Sanderson’s Oi Polloi in Manchester is a pioneer in the revival of traditional British gentleman-type garb with names like Barbour, Belstaff and Nigel Cabourn sitting alongside equally blokey international labels such as Atelier LaDurance, A.P.C. and Lee. Currently being given away in a limited edition with all orders, ‘Rig Out’, a naval term, is a small and well written fanzine produced by the boys at Oi Polloi, with some brilliant design and photography, that gives their customers an insight into their interests, sensibilities and buying policy.
Back at the very beginning of November last year we we’re talking about the ‘Goth Revival‘ as part of our Halloween special, well that’s something very real that we see continuing through 2009 and in no small part, thanks to cutting edge designers such as Rick Owens, who claims that his “look is about an appreciation of teenage angst without actually having the angst”, which basically means he’s a bit of a goth and these ‘Washed Destroyed Trainer Boot’s‘ which are part of his Dark Shadow collection are a perfect example of that. Not cheap at £750 a pair, that could probably have bought the late ’80s goth a decades worth of kicks from the local Army & Navy store, but they’re pretty rare and last years collection has been going for stupid money on eBay, so if you’ve got the cash, and the attitude to match then these brutal sneakers should be an essential component of your 2009 wardrobe.
Once a much sought after status symbol in China, Warrior sneakers are now associated with deprivation as the elderly and poor working classes sport this previously highly regarded footwear whilst labouring at construction sites and pulling rickshaws. On a trip two years ago to China, Helsinki based graphic designer Shumeng Ye saw a cleaning lady at an airport wearing the sneakers, unknown at the time to her, and set about finding out as much information as she could regarding this enchanting brand. The result of Shumeng Ye’s discovery and her subsequent quest to learn more is this stunning book of photograpy she has produced which features the unique story of a forgotten brand.
Already being talked about as ‘the new Manolo Blahnik’ thanks to celebrity endorsements such as Madonna, Alejandro Ingelmo is currently a really hot name on the ladies shoe market, raised with Cuban influences while incorporating a strong New York hipster vibe, he has also been hard at work establishing himself as a name for mens footwear. Always with a brilliant eye for cutting edge design, oki-ni are one of a small number of worldwide stockists and are now introducing these obscenely futuristic metallic Hi-Tops from the New York based designer. Get them while you can, these look set to be ridiculously popular.
You may remember that we recently featured the rather audacious ‘80s Collection‘ sunglasses from eyewear guru Mikli, well we’ve got the retro-80s bit between our teeth now and we’re running with it, so if you like the sound of the Summer of ‘08 being a flamboyant mix of pink socks, nightclub decedance and old skool hip-hop then these rather outlandish sneakers may be for you.
With bizzarre pixelated blocks (which remind us of this stunning piece of street art we came accross recently) that can be added and removed to suit your every fashion whim, these are a customisable piece of retrotastica that are an essential for this Summer! Get them here.
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from The Import
We caught up with New York based artist Devin McGrath who, in his beautifully crafted, unique style, bashes out darkly inspirational artworks with an enviable ease……
Clean and crisp, thoughtful illustration is a strong presence in the delightful portfolio of Welsh, Manchester based graduate Gareth Hughes.....
They love fellow Bristolian Banksy – in no small part due to making them a lot of money – but rate Tracy Emin as “nonsensical shit”. Here's our studio spotlight on Taxi Studio.....
The Dead Photos is an inspiring collection of macabre, touching, humorous and enlightening images that offer a delicate insight into the fragility of human life.
Half English half Japanese, London-based Jiro Bevis knocks out record covers, club flyers and editorial pieces with a ridiculously cool, 1980s retro vibe to them....
It’s great to see a company have a strong visual identity running throughout their brand – and that’s just what Stockholm based Bedow Creative have achieved for Sweden’s largest organic grocery store, Eat! Ekoaffären.
Founded by the rather talented duo of Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton, Tappin Gofton is a London-based studio that knock out some wonderfully distinctive work
We asked the Portland studio some questions, which they blindly ignored – instead providing us with a delightful insight into their wonderfully twisted minds. Enjoy…..
Decidedly Brazilian, thanks to it’s colour and vibrancy, Rubens LP’s style is the perfect accompaniment to summer – and anyone who uses bulldogs in their work is sure to receive high precedence with us…..
Rolling out across Europe in coming weeks is this, rather difficult to watch, advert for Sony’s new range of 3D TVs – courtesy of Sexy Beast director Jonathan Glazer....
Devin McGrath
Gareth Hughes
Taxi Studio
The Dead Photos
Jiro Bevis
Eat! Brand Identity
Tappin Gofton
The Official Manufacturing Company
Rubens LP
Sony 3D TV Advert
