28/02/2013

Guest Interview n°45: TT

Guest Interview n°45: TT

With his bold graphic work recently shown on the runway shows of Tim Coppens and Y3 during the AW13/14 fashion shows, Tom Tosseyn is not just a graphic designer. He is more of an artist, but one who can visualize and create graphics for his client; a TT piece of art but also a creation which reflects and compliments the client.

TT has a very clear handwriting and identity which is very contemporary and unique to him. The bold simplistic graphics are very distinct and simple at first glance but go behind his thoughts, and the sophisticated and intellectual way he works starts to shine through giving his work another angle.


You mainly design graphics and art for fashion right now, but how did you get into design?
I studied for 2 years product design at the Henry Van de Velde Institute in Antwerp, but wanted something more creative, so I switched to graphic design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Three years later I graduated from the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Antwerp. I then moved to Italy and started my career in fashion, and worked for 4 years in the creative team at Diesel, followed by 55DSL. I was then recruited to create the graphics for the Hugo Boss Orange line in Germany. Two years later I returned to Belgium where I set up as a freelancer working for companies such as Eastpak, Fred Perry, Jil Sander, Acne studio, Y-3, Tim Coppens and Raf Simons.

Besides fashion, do you create graphics and artworks for any other industries?
I make a lot of work for the music scene, I’ve designed album covers and logos for R&S Records, the original techno label in Belgium, and also for some bands from America like Crossover. I recently started exhibiting and collaborating with other Belgian and international artists at Z33 in Hasselt, Annette De Keyser gallery and MX7 gallery in Antwerp.

Last year I made my own series of T-shirts and silk foulards under my TT label which I produced and sold. The foulard was initially part of a project and exhibition.

You also teach fashion and textile design at the Gent Academy of Art. What do you enjoy about tutoring students?
The best thing about teaching is to be able to guide young people in their creative processes as well as in their personal development and life path. Freedom for me is very important and I like first to show them how to deal with this liberty, especially for the young kids of 18 years old, as most of them are lost when you give them complete freedom. They should exploit this to the max; get the best out of it creatively as well as personally. It’s their journey but it gives me a great feeling when I see them evolve, struggle and yet find their way by absorbing and interpreting the information which I’ve given them. Like this I hope my work with them adds some positive & constructive value to their life.

You’ve recently been part of the project of 60 years celebration of Fred Perry, can tell us about this?
To personalize a reproduction of 1952 Fred Perry shirt I chose to design a flag, a medium often used to represent one’s devotion to a ‘group’ or subculture – whether it’s to a boy’s club, a football team or country. The design is inspired on hooligan flags, that explains the use of a gothic font that shouts out the word HONOR and the ‘O’ I changed into the Laurel Wreath symbol. The background base of the flag is a gradient of colours, this breaks the hardness of the graphic and gives it a more contemporary feel.

What influences you in your work?
Anything and everything. It can be a sign, a broken window which has been taped up. Other artists inspire me, art streaming, 1920s, the Bauhaus, 80s music, new wave. I’m in the city a lot so my urban surroundings inspire me a great deal. It can also be a person or even just how I’m feeling at that moment.

Tell us about your thing with numbers.
I don’t wear a watch but if I ever do see the time, digitally somewhere, it always has a sequence. For me it’s a graphical representation of time and it catches my eye, it’s a reminder for me to live in the moment without rushing after tomorrow or dwelling on the past. It’s about the here & now.

Which 3 words sum up Tom Tosseyn?
Unique, perfectionist, stubborn and bold. That’s 4!

Tamsin Cook – Photos: 1-2. Tim Coppens, 3. Capara – AnotherMagazine and Raf by Raf, 4. Fred Perry, 5. Tom’s logo. Courtesy of: Kris de Smedt, Yannis Vlamos, Betty Sze, Thomas Lohr

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27/02/2013

Central Saint Martins Goes Ascetic: Fall 2013

Central Saint Martins Goes Ascetic: Fall 2013

You cannot talk about Central Saint Martins without thinking of the big names that came out from there, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen just to mention a few. It may be for this reason that, once a year, the eye of the fashion system turns around to have a look at promised famous-to-be fashion designers’ final presentations. On the 15th of February there had their last show and it seemed that this time an ascetic, almost religious inspiration struck most of the MA students’ minds.

Eilish Macintosh, with her first group, is definitely part of it, choosing long black tunics decorated only by long ropes; she is also the winner of L’Oréal Professionel Creative Award 2013. Similar path has been followed by Nicomede Talavera, who has shown a minimal approach covering his man with togas, characterized by simple cutting and alternating black and white. Marie Rydland took analogous choices, but she made her vests more feminine adding different print-colored fabrics to the main white one.


While Hwan Sung Park’s man is undoubtedly closer to heaven than to earth, all dressed up in white and covered with a full-body light lace, Hampus Berggren presents, instead, a kind of a dark warrior. They could appear as antagonists of each other.

Last but not least, Sadie Williams can be included in this ascetic field, considering the long, quite large shapes she worked with, presenting themselves in an imposing-severe way, downplayed thanks to shiny glittery robes. We are all curious to see what the future of these young fashion talents will bring, and certainly keeping an eye on their careers.

Francesca Crippa

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26/02/2013

Le Corbusier’s Secret Laboratory at Moderna Museet

Le Corbusier’s Secret Laboratory at Moderna Museet

Whenever a major exhibition appears about an important artist, architect or designer, it is legitimate to ask oneself what it might tell us that we didn’t already know. Even though every retrospective is surely a perfect occasion to see in person the works we greatly admire, it is that unknown angle about someone’s oeuvre that we might unconsciously seek. Well, Moderna Museet in Stockholm has delighted us recently with just such show about Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, the great architect that is widely known under his famous pseudonym, Le Corbusier.


In more than fifty years of his professional career, Le Corbusier has changed the way both the public as well as the professionals think about architecture, promoting the ideas of modernism as the only possible solution for the future. The show at Moderna Museet shows us though, that even though Le Corbusier was passionately devoted to his rigid modernist aesthetics, he also had a more poetic formalist side. And it is precisely that oscillation between his celebration of mechanical objects and his search for poetic forms that the exhibition tries to highlight.

Curated by one of the most prolific theoreticians of Le Corbusier’s work, Jean-Louis Cohen, this show is organized in five thematic sections dealing with the major stages of his work: his purist paintings and the villas of the 1920s; his rediscovery of vernacular values in the 1930s; his preoccupation with the synthesis of the arts after 1945; and the complex reminiscences of his late work.


Each chapter of this three-dimensional story tries to unveil the complex relationship between the two different chapters of his work, his artistic experimentation and architectural design, using different materials and forms. The 200 works selected include paintings, landscape drawings, still-lifes, portraits, sculpture, tapestries, furniture, architectural drawings, models of buildings and of entire city plans, books, and photographs. Even though we may think we already know everything about this grand master of architecture, a curious peak into his “secret laboratory” shown in Stockholm may unveil a subtle hidden side of him.


Le Corbusier’s Secret Laboratory is on show at Moderna Museet in Stockholm until the 18th of April 2013.

Rujana Rebernjak

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26/02/2013

Fashion Film

Fashion Film

Matthew Frost’s epic “Fashion Film” is a piss-take of the highest order: a timely, well-executed takedown of the unadulterated self-indulgence of “fashion films” in general. The film parodies the form, Portlandia-style, focusing on a dreamy-eyed model lost in self-involved oblivion. And like any smart, stinging satire, it is charged with a hurtful truthfulness that reveals quite a bit more than it might upon first glance.

Consider Anna dello Russo’s “Fashion Shower,” the pinnacle of the fashion film genre’s bad side. It’s a grating garbage heap, to be sure, and what essentially amounts to two-and-a-half minutes of droning, frightening emptiness. Not funny, not clever, not sexy, not social commentary. Just so sickly self-serving that anyone who doesn’t count Bryan Boy among his/her idols (likely everyone reading this) must wonder whether there is any chance she isn’t flagrantly, publicly mocking herself. (She isn’t.) Ol’ Anna is serious as a heart attack, and not even a well-deserved Fluorosulphric Acid Shower could wash away the sort of deranged smugness it must take to pull off such ego-driven acrobatics

(I’ll bet you sometimes think to yourself in French, too, don’t you, Anna? Profound.)

We all watched it because, like a fiery car crash, we just couldn’t look away. It was hilarious in its blithe ostentation. But is this really what fashion is? Smug stupidity? Thanks to our girl Anna and her fellow brain dead ilk, most people not actually involved with the long, painstaking, rigorous work of fashion’s production can only be led to think just that. After all, we can’t lament the legions of preteens (and grown-ups) whose favourite pastime is traipsing about making fabulous duck faces into their smartphones when we continue to feed them this shit.

So, Matt Frost’s spot-on blague is one hell of a well-deserved slap to a sick system rife with shallow insipidness. It holds up a zoomed-in mirror to all of fashion’s propensity for pimply pompousness. And though the fashion blogger masses seem to get the joke, not a one yet seems wise to the fact that they’re ultimately the butt of it all: he’s calling you out, fashionisti. It’s probably time to start showing the world you’re not just empty narcissists.

FASHION FILM from Matthew Frost on Vimeo.

Tag Christof 

 

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25/02/2013

PATTERN: A Book to Inspire

PATTERN: A Book to Inspire

Whether they are sharing space on a shelf or catch your eye on the coffee table every day, there are certain books that we seem to always come back to. No matter if they are filled with words or filled with images: it’s those books that inspires, those books that you can browse through time after time.

Some books present a history, some books dive into the present and some are like the ‘ultimate catwalk’. “PATTERN: 100 fashion designers, 10 curators” is the follow-up to SAMPLE, a book that upon its release in 2006 became an essential addition to the fashion bookshelf. Behind the book, as for SAMPLE, stands Phaidon and names such as Tavi Gevinson and the founding editors and publishers of Fantastic Man are included on the curator list.

In the book, on four pages each, you meet 100 contemporary designers that together capture the global trends of a somewhat ‘new era’. Christopher Shannon, Thomas Tait, Guillaume Henry and Yiqing Yin are a few of the names already known by The Blogazine and are together with names like Mary Katrantzou, Sarah Burton and Nicola Formichetti featured in the book. The 100 designers work across the fields of womenswear, menswear and accessories just like they work across the world: added to the expected four metropolis (London, Paris, Milan and New York) are cities like Shanghai and Sydney.

The content highlights the fashion of today: illustrations and never-before-seen photographs are accompanied by apprehensive and thoughtful texts written by the ten – not only influential, but respected – fashion figures curating the book. With references to the 1990’s, fashion affected by a restrained economy, delicate craftsmanship and haute couture, PATTERN might just be the next book to grace your coffee table, and definitely the next book to inspire.

Lisa Olsson Hjerpe – Image courtesy: in order of appearance Rachel Antonoff, SHOWstudio, Josh Shinner, Patrick Grant

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24/02/2013

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Sunday Breakfast by Love For Breakfast

Sweet awakening to the eyes, warms the heart and melts on the palate. It’s so soft and languid that I need this moment to last all the morning long.

Alessia Bossi from Love For Breakfast

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22/02/2013

Public Forum Duet: David Byrne and ?uestlove

Public Forum Duet: David Byrne and ?uestlove

What is music, exactly, and why does it exist? How do our individual experiences shape how we hear it, create it, interact with it? If you’re the kind of pseudo-intellectual who spends their free afternoons deconstructing krautrock and questioning the nature of the universe, then I advise you to tune in to David Byrne and Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson’s discussion on the nature of music on Tuesday, February 26th at the New York University Skirball Center. It’s part of the center’s on-going Public Forum series, and the two legends are sure to tackle some of those nagging existential questions – and leave you with plenty more to think about.

Both Byrne and ?uestlove have spent ample time pondering music’s place within today’s media landscape, and both have dedicated a good bulk of their careers to imploding the stale walls of the music industry and rebuilding it as they see fit. Their curiosity is endless. Byrne’s accomplishments could fill a couple encyclopedias. To name a few: He founded Talking Heads, wrote “Naïve Melody” and “Once In a Lifetime”, created Luaka Bop Records, got himself inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and recently turned a decrepit old factory building into a musical instrument. Last September he released How Music Works, a book that takes a look at how music is made, preformed and distributed on an individual, social, and cultural level.

?uestlove is no less accomplished: drummer and leader of The Roots, owner of the universe’s largest record collection, culinary expert, DJ. He’s currently teaching a course on music history at NYU. The discussion is guaranteed to both enlighten and provide endless cocktail party fodder. Show up early and be prepared to take some notes.

Lane Koivu

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22/02/2013

My Kingdom for a Beach

My Kingdom for a Beach

Winter in Europe has its layered-up, snow-covered charms, but there comes a time when enough is enough. February and its cold snaps seem endless, snow is just an inconvenience and you can’t get the summer sun off your mind. Once you reach this point only one course of action is open to you. And that’s jumping on the nearest plane and making for the great Southern Land.

With that in mind, we’ve gathered six flawless reasons to head to Sydney by the next month.


One – Breakfast
While no one does pastries like the French or roasts like the British, Sydney truly excels on the breakfast front – thanks to the café culture that sees locals take to the streets in search of the most vibrant, fruit-packed, muesli-adorned meal imaginable.

Two – Water
Seriously, it’s everywhere. From iconic haunts like the tourist-filled Bondi, to local treasures like the harbor facing Camp Cove, Sydney is where you go to get salt in your hair and sand between your toes.


Three – The Magic of Ferries
Zipping you across the postcard-perfect harbour, ferries, possibly the most reliable part of this city’s transport system, let you experience Sydney from the water up, and as a result fall utterly and unconditionally in love. A boat network with a view.

Four – Dancing
It’s the little places that make Sydney big. Good God Small Club, where old-school, all-out dancing is inevitable, The Common, adorable and fun, and Pocket Bar, where crepes and cocktails are all the rage. Filled with Sydney-siders, music that’s beyond flawless and bar staff who know how to mix a good drink, it’s all too easy to have an epic night out in central Sydney.

Five – Designer Independence
Sydney’s saving fashion grace is its penchant for fostering independent designers, who are quietly yet confidently causing an international stir. Inspired by the country they call home, look out for Trelise Cooper, Lisa Ho and Kirrily Johnston. Your wardrobes will thank you.

Six – Confused identity
Few places in the world mix city living with beachside bliss. Convict hauled sandstone walls with cutting-edge architecture. Theatre and art with an internationally renowned, laid-back disposition. This is a city that’s constantly trying to figure itself out and, because of this, is constantly changing, constantly buzzing and, in summer, constantly amazing.


Liz Schaffer

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21/02/2013

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec – Drawing Book

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec – Drawing Book

Even though we encounter a myriad of objects each day, we rarely ask ourselves where they come from, who has made them, designed them, produced them and how they intended us to use them. It is to say, we take the things that surround us for granted or, in some cases, simply admire them as a precious piece of art that we can sit on or turn off. Rarely the above mentioned questions intrude in our thoughts as we engage with our daily tasks. Nevertheless, the major part of objects that surround us were crafted through a long process of decision making that involved not only form and function, but also our affection and reaction towards them.


It is this almost invisible process of thinking through design that the new book by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec unveils. Titled concisely “Drawing”, this book collects more than 800 images produced by the French wunderkind brothers from 2005 until 2012. In that period of time, the Bouroullecs have established themselves as one of the most curious and particular contemporary designers, whose particular personal poetic is poured into three-dimensional objects. Working with companies like Vitra, Magis, Alessi, Kvadrat or Ligne Rosset, the Bouroullecs have become storytellers interested in crafting a new way of approaching everyday objects and daily actions.

And it is that process of designing that this book delicately tells through a long series of drawings assembled from sketches drawn of Post-Its or A1 sheets, using whatever tool available, showing that design can be as delicate as art, but also as real as everyday life.


Rujana Rebernjak

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21/02/2013

A Ball for All: The Rhythm of Vienna

A Ball for All: The Rhythm of Vienna

An active series of more than 450 events, and an insitution of Viennese culture, the ball season has been labelled by UNESCO as a part of the intangible cultural heritage of Vienna. White tie, floor length gowns and the enjoyment of classical music create an atmosphere of luxury, elegance and tradition at balls promoting different professions, industries and cultural prestige, such as The Doctor’s Ball, The Lawyer’s Ball and The Viennese Coffee House Owner’s Ball.

The events are ceremonialized with precise timing for the introduction and closing as well as different dances, such as quadrilles at midnight and at 3AM. Some traditions are less formal, guests of the Opernball often take away the decorative flowers as souvenirs, even if it’s not officially permitted. But as the events are targeted for the elite they are also highly politicized, gathering together people in society with power and wealth. In this sense they are an interesting window into the assets, interests and intrigue of Viennese society.

The beginning of the Opernball was also political as it began in 1814/1815 at the time of the Viennese Congress. The artists of the court opera subsequently staged additional events. The first ball at the current site was held at the Hofopern-Soirée on December 11th 1877 to raise money for pension funds; the reason that motivated the organizers of most of the balls at that era. After the end of the Donau monarchy the ball tradition began to flourish, as early as in the 1920s.

Theoretically the Opernball is accessible to anyone, with only the tea room reserved completely for artists of the Vienna State Opera and the official guests of the ball. This does not stop some people from rallying against its presumed elitism and profligate luxury. Between 1998 and 2004 on the day of the Opernball a simultaneous event called Opferball (a play on words meaning ‘victim’s ball’) was staged by the street newspaper Augustin. They gave free admission to homeless people, musicians were not paid, and any revenue collected was donated to charity. The Opernballdemo also takes place annually, a protest event mostly staged by students who use the visibility of the ball to obtain publicity for various causes.

The ball season is not simply a matter of the elite against everyone else. There are many types of ball events held by the different industries, associations and even nightclubs of the city, who are encouraged to uphold the cultural tradition and to contribute to the social life. The more colourful balls include the Zuckerbaeckerball (Sweet backers ball), the Blumenball (flower ball) – which turns the City Hall into a sea of flowers – and the Rudolfina masked ball. If this sounds exciting you may even try one, the Fête Impériale will be held on June 28th at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, the Vienna International Spring Ball is on the 16th March at the Hofburg Palace, and at the Journalists’ Summer Ball held by the Presseclub Concordia on the June 7th you can hear unique press-themed waltzes like the Morgenblätter Walzer (Morning Paper’s Waltz) or the Feuilleton Waltz.

Philippa Nicole Barr

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