fashion – DesignApplause

lululemon and ralph lauren go head to toe at 2022 winter olympics.

Jan 20, 2022

above> ice dancers piper gilles and paul poirier wear the beijing 2022 opening ceremony uniform by lululemon

in the 80s i felt chicago and toronto had more differences than similarities: the size was comparable but toronto was cleaner and hipper – they have vidal sassoon you know. what i didn’t know then was that sassoon’s mix of style and performance made it the obvious choice as official hair consultant to the athletes participating in the los angeles olympic games in 1984. sassoon and his international team conducted months of research with 100 athletes to determine which haircuts performed best during different sporting activities. a huge campus salon was set up in the university of california to cut and care for the hair of 2,500 athletes. today, both cities seem equally clean and hip, so enough!, let’s talk about 2022 winter olympics fashion statements.

in october 2021 canada debuted it’s winter olympic uniforms and announced a six-year run with relative newcomer in athleisure lululemon. today, ralph lauren debuted its latest Olympic designs, the label an olympic mainstay in their uniforms since 2008, did the same. regarding style, lauren is known for and again presents a traditional statement. lululemon presents their familiar chic. but let’s not forget that we may only be looking at opening night(?) apparel and we’ll have to wait for the events uniforms which can be a little more aggressive – as they should be! opening ceremonies to be held on 4 february in beijing.

regarding style, lauren offers red white and blue buffalo plaid puffer jackets, parkas, american flag turtlenecks emblematic of ralph lauren, and fleece leggings or pants. lululemon offers an all-red or all-cream motif paying homage to the maple leaf that appears as a simple icon as well as an abstracted print which includes parkas, down jackets, joggers, trapper caps, bucket hats and zip-ups, with plenty of opportunities to modify: the parka can be zipped off into three different lengths, and the down jacket can be worn like a backpack if it gets too hot. lululemon also presents a transformer-like modular look including a vest that turns into a pillow or scarf.

we’re appreciative the brands made sustainable and technologic statements. lauren’s effort on sustainability is with recycled polyester made from plastic bottles, recycled down and responsible wool standard (rws) wool – the company press statement explains that the brand is committed to using 100% rws-certified or recycled wool by 2025. lauren also includes a tech-driven detail for their jackets which include a smart, honeycomb-like fabric layer built-in that expands or contracts in response to temperature changes — all without the use of a battery or wired technology. lululemon’s tech-driven effort is with smart textiles that are insulated, sweat-wicking, bacteria-inhibiting, breathable, resistant to water and wind, and light on seams.

above/below > photos courtesy of ralph lauren

above> athlete jason brown (figure skating) / below> athlete hilary knight (ice hockey)

below > photos courtesy of lululemon

above> liam hickey wearing the uniform for on the podium

all-in-all DesignApplause likes lululemon’s design focus on function, such as multiple layered parkas. during the opening ceremonies, athletes can be on that journey for four to six hours or waiting to perform and the temperature can go from minus-10 degrees celsius to plus-10. the uniform is based on a dynamic dressing system, athletes will be able to shed – or add – individual pieces.

also the human-led design utilization where over an 18-month period lululemon takes athlete insights from a number of sports and creates an innovative nurture campaign so team canada olympic and paralympic athletes can feel their best to perform their best. the vancouver-based lululemon scanned the bodies of a number of athletes, consulted them for subjective feedback on aesthetics and comfort and also simulated beijing winter conditions. the design team studied areas of bodily heat loss and engineered appropriate compensations into the garment, through innovative 3d engineered knitting. read: q&a with the designer of the beijing 2022 olympic collection.

visionary barrier-breaking chicago designer virgil abloh dies at age 41.

Nov 29, 2021

above> mca chicago’s virgil abloh 2019 retrospective “figures of speech”

social media best informs us of visibility and reach and virgil abloh‘s passing gave us a pretty clear picture of who he touched. he reached dizzying levels of cultural success in a dizzying short timespan. with engineering and architectural degrees, within a decade he created two fashion brands, pyrex vision and off-white, whose market was youth, hip-hop, “the street”, and grew to interning at luxury fashion pillars fendi to becoming the artistic director of louis vuitton.

in july 2021, lvmh, vuitton’s parent company, announced its acquisition of the off-white trademark in a landmark deal that gave abloh an unprecedented new role working across lvmh’s vast portfolio. though he started creating fashion he also dabbled with graphics with jay-z and kanye west and products via ikea, nike, mercedes-benz, and rimowa. but without question his biggest statement was the runway.

he also liked “words”, “isms”, a lot of quotation marks. he liked the word “readymade,” a term coined in 1915 by marcel duchamp, the french-american artist best known for taking found objects (most famously, a standard-issue urinal) and re-contextualizing them as art, which abloh interprets as a way to birth new ideas with recognizable parts.

his approach juxtaposes hip-hop and the omnesiac culture of the internet, where the past is impossible to forget; always just a few clicks away and open to constant referencing. “it’s called hip-hop, it’s called sampling. you take a record and you make this new format of music from these adjacencies,” he explains. “we don’t exist devoid of the artists and thinkers that came before us: mies van der rohe, rem koolhaas, kanye west, pharell, caravaggio. they give us soil,” he continues. “it’s dangerous when you start naming yourself as the oracle.”

this approach is illustrated by what he calls the “3 percent approach,” the notion that you only need to edit something three percent to make it seem at once familiar and completely new, a winning proposition for abloh. “you notice a lot in my work the referencing or taking a thought and adding a component,” he explains. “duchamp is my favorite. duchamp is my lawyer.”

he is described as a visionary, trailblazer, cross-generationist, rule breaker, and genre-bender. he gets compared to karl lagerfield.

abloh was often quoted saying that everything that he did was for the “17-year-old version of myself.” “i would sort of agree i’m not a designer; that term seems like it’s for traditionalists,” he says. “tbd the new title.”

on tuesday, 30 november 2021, he was expected to present a louis vuitton runway show in miami ahead of art basel to mark the opening of a dedicated men’s store. vuitton will present the show in his honor.

above> photography by delfino sisto

above/below> 2019 mca chicago – “figures of speech” offers an unprecedented survey of abloh’s creative work over nearly two decades and pulls back the curtain on his process. in the exhibition, prototypes are presented alongside finished artworks, product designs, and fashion to reveal his myriad inspirations – from centuries-old painting to commonplace signage at construction sites. running throughout the exhibition is an emphasis on dialogue, which abloh creates through his inventive use of language and quotation marks, turning the objects he designs and the people who wear his clothing into “figures of speech.” editor’s note: the takeaway from this installation – this guy is indeed special.

[ mca figures of speech ]

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above/below> louis vuitton chicago flagship showroom during george floyd 2020 summer protests // million dollar glasses

above/below> 2021 mercedes-benz project gelandewagen unveiled – artistic, track-spec g-wagen with full race car cabin. the project that bears the name ‘geländewagen’ was supported by gorden wagener, the brand’s design director, in which despite being a conceptual creation that simulates a racing version, all the details of the suv were carefully thought out. abloh, in a statement to mercedes-benz, sees his contribution as a sculpture that meets the profile and habits of those who consume the brand and that is ready to hit the art market.

above> 2018 / off – white little black dress

above> 2018 / abloh’s first louis vuitton mens’s spring-summer 2019 collection

above> his final louis vuitton collection // editor’s video note: hip-hop befits vuitton indeed

joe doucet envisions a life-saving fashion accessory: behold the face shield. covid-19.

May 3, 2020

from sun glasses to face shields.

some experts predict the next two years could look like the last two months. through the summer and possibly into 2021 face masks will be required to get on a plane, walk into a grocery store, or move about within urban spaces. it’s for the public good. it’s also now bad mask etiquette without one.

yes, a mask offers protection in that it stops the spread. but the mask sometimes feels suffocating, fogs opticals, and makes us mumblers or screamers. i find myself storing my mask in a ziploc bag and then taking it in and out of my back pocket 5-6 times on an afternoon errand. what could be more inconvenient. a reusable shield is a game changer. i can put it on and leave it on until i reach the safety of my home.

right now there are probably 30 face shields being created by car manufacturers, engineering companies, architects and designers. this is all good but the shields look very much like ones that already exist. there are just now more of them. why can’t we make something better while at the same time more fashionable so more people will want to wear it ?

may we remind you that raymond loewy said that between two products equal in price, function and quality, the one with the most attractive exterior will win.

the face shield presented here is almost perfect. however, here are some ideas for consideration: incorporate a transitional lens for low light activities; shave the top to accommodate a hat for all-season wearability while also shedding weight; include a fashionable carry-case.

look, fashion is really quiet during these stay-at-home days. fashion producers are making medical gowns while fragrance houses are making hand sanitizer. in two months our creative community has gone only practical. it’s time to think about fun and fashion as well.

fashion is trendy, because the very nature of trends is to come and go. fashion can be practical too. from dresses to pants for ease of movement. from briefcases to backpacks for carrying things. from business attire to leggings and sweatpants for comfort. sweatpants! from sun glasses to face shields for protection.

the timing is ripe for a life-saving fashion accessory. kickstarter calling…

[ joe doucet x partners ]

maggie marilyn launches somewhere a consciously designed garment collection with the ability to be recycled.

Nov 29, 2019

the complexities of pricing responsibly made clothing — increase product costs so you can pay workers more, or keep products cheap so that “sustainable” clothes will be more accessible? the designer behind maggie marilyn wrestles with it all.

founded by maggie hewitt, fashion brand maggie marilyn was launched in 2016 with a mantra ‘to make a difference in an industry that was ready for change’. that year mm was picked up by luxury e-commerce powerhouse, net-a-porter. in 2017, they were shortlisted for the prestigious lvmh prize. in 2018 they switched all their wholesale packaging to fully biodegradable cassava root bags and released a sustainability strategy in line with the united nations sustainable development goals. throughout this period wholesalers and buyers constantly urged them to deliver cheaper clothes that would drive more profitability.

for 2020, maggie marilyn, launches somewhere, a direct-to-consumer collection of seasonless wardrobe styles crafted from ethical materials at affordable prices. somewhere, is the name of maggie’s childhood home in the bay of islands, new zealand.

in new york recently, she mentions ellen macarthur’s circular economy and closed loop system as inspiration. somewhere will launch a collection system in 2021, to recycle well-loved items and bring them back to life. ‘buy less, buy consciously, buy forever,’ hewitt toasted.

above > maggie hewitt at homebrook farm, blenheim, new zealand, october 2019

somewhere by maggie marilyn is available online only. [ somewhere collection ] photos courtesy of maggie marilyn

mary quant at the v&a museum in tandem with london design festival 2019.

Oct 23, 2019

the whole point of fashion is to make fashionable clothes available to everyone ~ mary quant 1966

dame mary quant defined the young, playful look of the 1960s, becoming britain’s best-known designer, a fashion icon, and a powerful role model for working women. harnessing an explosion in shopping and the media – in photography, graphics, journalism and advertising – she helped shape a forward-looking, innovative identity for post-war britain.

above > 1944 sketchbook by mary quant
made when quant was just 14, this sketchbook shows her early interest in drawing figures, here in the nostalgic style of mabel lucie atwell. in her 1966 autobiography, she recalled admiring a childhood friend’s short black skirt and tap shoes worn for dance lessons – the sort of clothes which later inspired her designs for the miniskirt.

above> courtesy of victoria and albert museum collection

quant was a self-taught designer, attending evening classes on cutting and adjusting mass-market printed patterns to achieve the looks she was after. once technically proficient, she initiated a hand-to-mouth production cycle: the day’s sales at bazaar paid for the cloth that was then made up overnight into new stock for the following day. the look was fresh and competitively priced.

1960-64 victorian-modern
quant combines victorian nineteenth century fashion with a fruitful source of inspiration often resulting in surprising styles which helped to get publicity for the mary quant brand.

above – below > early 60s – death of the debutante
snobbery has gone out of fashion / fashion editors endorse bazaar with its distinctive designs, witty window displays and jazzy fashion shows. quant’s shop becomes a destination for professional women seeking streamlined, modern fashion. buying a new dress is a new rite of passage for london’s fashionable elite, as aristocratic customs such as ‘deb of the year’ and court presentations become outdated.

above > 1960-64 – english eccentrics
like a good dancer, she accommodates her steps to the changing rhythms of fashion / quant brings an entertaining slant to fashion. repurposing victorian frills and childrenswear, she play with color and silhouettes. inspired by serviceable cottons and dependable woolens and tweads, she works directly with weavers and manufacturers in wales, wittshire, and yorkshire. at the same time she revives the boyish look of the 1920s flapper. he bewigged, gawky mannequins strike unusual poses in bazaar’s window displays, alongside props such as live goldfish, stuffed birds or dead lobsters. passerby stop to stare.

above > 1963-65 the ginger group
quant clothes at budget prices to buy a piece at a time / quant strides into new territory with her ginger group collection. the name is a political term for a pressure group, derived from the use of ginger as a verb to pep things up. the first ginger group collection is based on the american sportswear principle of interchangeable separates. with a new graphic identiy and a lower price point, the range provides countless mix-and-match possibilities combined wit the cachet of quant.

above > 1963 – 65 the wet collection
bewitched…with this super shiny man-made stuff and its shrieking colors…its gleaming liquorice black, white and ginger / quant launches her wet collection in april 1963 at the hotel de crillon, paris. the collection features a relatively new material called polyvinyl chloride (pvc), a shiny plastic-coated cotton which reflects increasing fascination and modernity. because of mass-production delays of sealing pvc seams the collection takes two years to launch on the high street.

above > 1966-75 style evolution
switching to the sounds of the seventies / having created the minimal look which defined the 1960s, quant’s style becomes eclectic and retrospective amid the economic and political uncertainties of the 1970s. still combining victorian details with bright colors and a clean modern finish.

above > 1965-75 liberated fashion
i didn’t have time to wait for women’s lib / in this time of growing activism and struggle for equal rights, quant has a visionary take on the role of women. her assertive, liberating minidresses express the changes of post-war-briton, giving women an independent style of their own. she credit’s her king’s road customers as her inspiration and the ones leading the feminist rebellion. in 1967, she describes the young as, ‘prototypes’ of a whole new race of women…it’s their questioning attitude that make them important and different.

above > 1966-73 girls will be boys
i didn’t want to grow up, perhaps that’s something to do with it / from 1966, tomboyish models like the teenaged twiggy promote the minidress-look in typical quant style: knock kneed in gawkish poses, often sporting cropped hair and resisting the constraints of adult stereotypes. these often provocative styles reflect increasingly relaxed attitudes in society towards sexuality in all its forms, reinforced legally by the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1967.

above > quant and vidal sassoon 1964

above > 1965-67 underwear
foundation garments needn’t be surgical. get a birthday suit and be your own sweet self (minus six pounds) / the silhouette of quant’s dresses requires a new kind of underwear or ‘foundation garment’. magazines aimed at adventurous young women feature ‘q-form’ worn by models in dynamic poses. the images promote unrestricted movement and the new ideal for a lithe, childlike physique. later these are replaced by quant’s simple ‘booby traps’ and knickers.

above > 1965-67 alligator rainwear
since when did the raincoat go wild? since mary quant designed for alligator / quant’s fascination with shiny, waterproof pvc is realized with her collaboration with alligator rainwear. alligator’s manufacturing expertise resolves the wet collection issues, allowing a new bright range of colors, capes, zips and contrasting collars.

above >1965-67 the jersey dress
i want free-flowing, feminine lines that compliment a women’s shape…i want relaxed clothes, suited to the actions of normal life / quant discovers a new type of wool jersey that’s heat-bonded to an acetate backing and available in the brightest, deepest colors. previously used in underwear and for rugby or football kit, jersey’s smooth, fluid qualities are perfect for quant’s signature sportry minidresses. worn with matching berets, tights and shoes giving a total top-to-toe block of color.

1962-66 the miniskirt
the shock of the knee / quant’s knee-skimming outfits are first noticed by the media in 1960. an emerging street style, shorter skirts develop in tandem with teenage dance crazes. quant’s designs, often based on practical schoolgirl pinafores, adapt the look for grown-ups with hemlines gradually rising to well above the knee. although exclusive paris couturier andré courreges achieves international publicity for the higher hemlines in 1964, quant, the female celebrity designer, becomes recognized as inventor and ambassador for the style. the miniskirt becomes an accepted part of fashion as well as an international symbol of london’s youthful look and of women’s liberation.

above > crêpe dress with frilled collar and cuffs by mary quant for ginger group, modeled by patti boyd with the rolling stones. photograph by john french, 1960s, london. museum no. ct64253. © victoria and albert museum, london

the above feature created from the victoria and albert museum‘s installation mary quant, open thru 16 february 2020

ralph lauren launches a shirt made entirely with recycled plastic bottles.

Apr 26, 2019

polo ralph lauren has launched earth polo, a version of its iconic polo shirt. each shirt uses an average of 12 recycled plastic bottles and dyed through a process that uses zero water.

the shirts are produced in partnership with first mile, an organization that collects and turns the bottles into yarn and, ultimately, fabric. the new fibers will also be used for existing performance wear already made of polyfibers, which are popular for their ability to wick away moisture.

david lauren, the youngest son of the company’s founder and its chief innovation officer, told the associated press ahead of the announcement that the new shirt is part of a broader strategy of fresh environmental goals throughout the manufacturing process.

“every day we’re learning about what’s happened with global warming and what’s happening all around the world, and our employees and our customers are really feeling that it’s time to step up and make a difference,” lauren said.

among the company’s other goals: the use of 100% sustainably sourced cotton by 2025 and 100% recyclable or sustainably sourced packaging materials by the same year.

the earth polo isn’t the first of its kind. smaller brands around the world are using repurposed and recycled materials. it’s notable, other fashion leaders are also getting more aggressive on the environment.

late last year, burberry and h&m were among fashion stakeholders to sign on to the fashion industry charter for climate action, launched at the united nations climate change conference, cop24, in poland. the charter contains a vision to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. ralph lauren is not a signatory but is exploring the call to action.

the broader question of biodegradability of such fibers remains unresolved. for polo earth, the story is about recycling and reusing, lauren said.

“there’s so much out in the world that is not good for the environment. whatever materials we can turn into threads, we’ll start looking at other opportunities,” he said. “right now, we’re trying to make sure that what we produce is as good for the environment as possible, or at least helps clean up another problem. are we creating a new problem? i think we’re creating solutions, or at least trying to find solutions.”

the earth polo went on sale thursday, ahead of monday’s earth day, at ralphlauren.com and retail stores around the world. it comes in styles for men and women in green, white, navy and light blue. we’re unsure if the dyeing process is the reason for the limited color palette. the shirts are not more expensive than other polos.

elke walter connexxion – presents new work and a zaha hadid tribute at coam madrid.

Jul 1, 2018

above > connexxion exhibition images / exhibition open through 30 july 2018

zaha hadid defined a future architecture. a math background evolved into a geometry of planes, shapes, and spirals that wave with a spacial rhythm of time and space. hadid’s design vision extended to both buildings and objects.

zaha achieved a great deal in her lifetime. she was dame hadid. a winner of the stirling prize in architecture in 2010 and 2011. the first woman to win the pritzker architecture prize, in 2004. once described as a “paper” architect, hadid’s plans were once considered unbuildable. she was so ahead of the curve, she had to wait for technology to catch up. hadid’s vision was so strong and defined that her architectural practice continues.

there was one designer who the architect turned to design her clothes, elke walter.

a new exhibit at coam museum in madrid entitled, elke walter connexxion from dresses to sculptures & photography, a tribute to zaha hadid runs from 5-30 july 2018. the show will feature unique garments created during the time that zaha hadid was a client, as well as new directions in walter’s work. as with any visionary, elke walter expands her vision with jewelry, sculptures, and photography.

in a continuum, a young fan of zaha hadid reached out to walter to create the show. designapplause chats with elke walter about their unique relationship with zaha and her new direction.

[DesignApplause] you’re presenting new work at coam as well as a tribute to an old friend and colleague, zaha hadid. how did you meet zaha hadid?

[elke walter] i met zaha for the first time 2006 at luminaire in miami. nargis and nasir kassamali introduced me and my work to her and she immediately liked it. but despite our long relationship, we never became close friends. we respected each other and there was a strong connection between us based on a common taste and the strong will to work in a very singular and different way.

[DA] your style was already developed when you met zaha.
[EW] i’m not influenced by someone or something. it always felt like coming from an inner source, i started with some very rudimentary cuts and then little by little developed my own way of creating garments. i always wanted to do my very own ‘thing’, invent not copy. and when i met zaha, i already did these architectural shapes without having any idea of her’s or other architect’s work.

i am self-taught and created and made my first clothes 1998 when i lived with my husband and our 3 sons in montpellier, france. i’ve found my first clients there and when we moved back to hamburg in 2001, i opened my own store there one year later. in the beginning, i only made one-of-a-kind pieces, mainly in black and white. encouraged by a growing clientele, i started creating collections and showed them on fashion fairs and in showrooms in paris, new york, and milan.

i always preferred staying independent as well in my creativity as in business. i had my own style and felt very much attracted by structured fabrics. in my very personal way of cutting, folding and draping these materials, i created sculptural pieces with sometimes architectural shapes. it was a logical consequence for me to use the same skills for making sculptures and jewelry. almost all my photographs show my work or the material i’m using.

[DA] how did zaha choose pieces in your collection?

[EW] as long as i designed and made her unique pieces i always knew what she’d need and like. she designed extraordinary buildings and i designed extraordinary garments for her. her needs, her great style and her personality influenced my work. in everything i’m creating, in every new challenge i still feel this connection. she was very important to me.

[DA] you had an unusual road into fashion. you are now devoted to sculptures, jewelry, and photography. your fashion feels more like wearable sculpture.

[EW] the structure of the fashion business did not suit me. the repetition felt forced in line with the way l work.

when we moved to france again in 2012 i changed everything and did pop-ups in art and design galleries and architecture offices. several garments in this exhibit were on display at zhd gallery in london when zaha was present.

my sculptural objects are a continuation of my work on garments. i felt the need to create something non-wearable, to study the possibilities of manipulating fabrics, create volume and density. i always start with one small object and then, by making hundreds of them and attach them to each other, the sculpture grows and grows. it’s fascinating and has no limits. for these objects, i love working with pleated polyester fabrics that have a metal optic but feel soft.

[DA] your photos will also be on view. your photos feature strong and mysterious images. on instagram, you are very minimal and directional with your presentation.

[EW] when i first started taking pictures, it was all about nature and architecture and it was just for fun. i used my samsung note and some apps and posted the result on instagram. @elkewalter

about 2 years ago, i thought it would be useful to have all my work photographed and systematically took pics of all my sculptures. or just parts of it. i always preferred black and white images, and it became a real pleasure to use filters and try new techniques. i only use my smartphone, that’s my personal challenge. i don’t want to think too much about it, just do it, quickly, in my studio, while i’m working. the show will feature photos of the fabrics i am using in my work.

i like to alienate these materials by using filters. often you don’t know if what you see on the image is organic or artificial. photography became a part of my universe, my very personal way of seeing and showing my creations.

[DA] the show at coam is called ‘connexxion’. there are so many invisible threads between your work and zaha including the formation of this show.

[EW] last year, i was contacted by juan antonio fuentes, an architectural student in madrid. juan reached out to me on social media and i enjoyed his work and followed him as well. he ordered a coat and then asked me if i’d ever come to madrid. as i told him that i’ve no contacts there, he proposed to care for this. juan showed my work to one of his teachers, guadalupe cantarrero, and together they had a meeting at coam, the chamber of architects.
coam’s vice dean carlos lahoz valacio knew my work. he agreed immediately to give me the opportunity for a solo exhibition in the context of my years of creating one-of-a-kind garments for zaha hadid.

[ elke walter ] has been creating sculptures as fashion since 1998. her fabrics are produced in a small rural france mill, using old techniques mixed with modern knowhow. there she gets her fabric ideas realized: pleated, twisted and finally dyed delicately on the structured outside. elke has always employed fabric as a medium for her creative expression, one which has been evolving from one-of-a-kind fashion to an increasingly sculptural work.

elke walter’s sculptural work creatively references the late zaha hadid, a person that she not only admired for her creative impetus, but with whom she had a personal relationship. elke walter was zaha hadid’s favorite designer for many years – understandably, as both considered fashion to be architectural. or intergalactic.

[ coam ] the official college of architects of madrid is the public law corporation that represents and defends the interests of architects.

new epic react flyknit by nike. the light soft and springy running shoe.

Jan 23, 2018

the epic react debuts a new sole that replaces eva foam. it’s lighter and way springier. so soft and springy that the mid-sole is taller to absorb bumps and wider for support. the sole has been tested 17k miles by nike’s best runners and ready for prime time 22 february 2018.

nike labels the springiness “energy return” and seems self-explanatory.

the upper is the one-piece bootie from the flyknit racer with a refined modifications. very light, supportive and breathable.

designer hossein baghdadi, director of nike nxt footwear, is lead on react.

pantone 18-3838 ultra violet (ahem) color of the year 2018.

Dec 31, 2017

here’s what pantone marketing spins…

enigmatic purples have long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance. musical icons prince, david bowie, and jimi hendrix brought shades of ultra violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality. nuanced and full of emotion, the depth of pantone 18-3838 ultra violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.

prince, bowie, and hendrix.

we do like the color – enjoyed finding examples for this gallery – but ultra violet has very limited applications. not a quintessential first choice for durable goods such as furniture. in an interior, more likely to be an accent and not a dominant color. and maybe not a very long shelf life, typically a year from collection to collection.

but then again this year, a homage to prince. and bowie. and hendrix…

nina mûr goes memphis: the new eyewear collection powered by abet laminati.

Dec 4, 2017

an oft maligned genre gets a renewed respect.

on this year’s centenary of ettore sottsass’s birth, with exhibitions and books celebrating the gigantic work of this great artist, spanish brand nina mûr eyewear presents a new eyewear collection in collaboration with abet laminati, inspired by the colours and formal shapes of the memphis group, founded by sottsass himself and which has influenced many designers all over the world.

nina mûr goes memphis is a collection that comprises two lines: original memphis, featuring unique details realized with the bacterio pattern (in reduced scale) in digital print, and basic memphis, made up of monochromatic models with cleaner lines.