END OF WINTER
2011-12 Vol. 13
Wicked The
Issue
Editorial Staff
The Wicked Issue
REESE HERRICK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR FASHION EDITOR
END OF WINTER
2011-12 Vol. 13
reese@chaos-mag.com
FALLON KERR
Wicked The
ASSISTANT TO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MAX ODEN
Issue
PHOTO EDITOR
COVER
Adriaan Noordzij
photographer Rebecca Litchfield stylist Alexis Knox hair + make-up Ami Streets model Shaun Ross @ AMCK
ART EDITOR/ VIDEO EDITOR
Michael Kohr MUSIC EDITOR
PUBLISHED BY:
CHAOS Magazine, LLC www.chaos-mag.com
KATIE EDER CHEIF COPY EDITOR
CHAOS ON FACEBOOK
search “chaos magazine”
gavin thomas STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
www.twitter.com/chaosmag
KRISTIN JAWOROWSKI DESIGNER
ANNE RHODES DESIGNER
PRESS
press@chaos-mag.com GENERAL QUERIES
hello@chaos-mag.com
COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER: Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission by Chaos is strictly prohibited. All information and credits are accurate at the time of publicatoin, but are subject to change. HTTP://chaos-mag.com © 2009/2012 Chaos MAGAZINE
chaos 2
End of Winter 2011-12 4 6 30 56 106 124 146 190 198 230 246 276 304 318
Vol. 13
Letter From The Editor Nature Made Silent Conversations Dainius Bedikas Rachael Kolby Skull in My Backyard Girls Meets World Active Child Brethren of The Coast Little Dragon Her Forest Rite The Glitch Mob Out of Circulation (cover story) Contributors Page
3 chaos
Welcome to
T h e Wicked Issue End of Winter 2011-12
Welcome to The Wicked Issue, our end of winter edition and 13th installment. This issue is full of wicked editorials that will take you for a ride, delivering content that ranges from mysterious, to flat-out gruesome. The cover of this issue features male model Shaun Ross shot by Rebecca Litchfield and styled by Alexis Knox. The full editorial, titled “Out of Circulation”, is pretty impressive, and demonstrates brilliant use of Mac products by Makeup Artist Ami Streets. The entire editorial features black and white garments uniquely styled; Shaun is shot alongside male model Papis Loveday of AMCK. In this issue, you may notice that we have omitted the Model Watch section, but don’t worry! It will make a triumphant return next issue. We will, however, be featuring the Model Watch section in The Daily Dose of CHAOS once our new website drops. Yes, that’s right, we have a massive revamp of our website currently in the works. Get ready for a super interactive experience that will be updated daily via our fashion blog, and three times a week with the Daily Dose. We’re also bringing you a few new treats, including our new music and art blogs that will be updated daily alongside the other great content we’ve got planned. A lot of new stuff is on the way, and we hope you’ll enjoy this issue and come back to visit us once we release the new site. Thanks for your continued support, it truly means a lot, and we hope you enjoy The Wicked Issue! Love,
Reese Herrick Editor-in-Chief
NA TU RE MADE AYAKA NISHI WILL MAKE YOU LONG FOR SPIDERWEB EARRINGS AND SPINAL COLUMN BRACELETS. SCARY MEETS SOPHISTICATED. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE CHIC. TEXT: NICOLE GORDON
chaos 6
7 chaos
ONE LOOK AT AYAKA NISHI’S JEWELRY COLLECTION AND YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF, WHAT WICKEDLY CREATIVE MIND IS BEHIND THIS? A collection based on nature— featuring pieces inspired by human cells, spiderwebs, and bones— one might envision a designer that’s a bit on the dark side. Ayaka Nishi, the name behind the namesake brand, is actually anything but. Instead, what you will find is a graphic arts student turned jewelry designer. As an NYC resident who, like most NYC residents, comes from a place unlike the big city, Nishi is a powerhouse of ideas. You will find a creator who loves all music, except for heavy metal, and often listens to it while she designs, drawing inspiration from the sounds. With high hopes for the future of her company and a willingness to design true wearable art for anyone who will proudly wear it, she embodies the best of both worlds. The dark with the light, fossils with flowers, Eastern-inspired ideas blended with Westernized images, all culminating in a hauntingly beautiful jewelry collection. In many ways, the jewelry that Nishi creates is an extension of herself. Born in Kagoshima, the southernmost part of Japan, she is a fan of warm days and sunlight. Growing up in a town referred to as the “Naples of the Eastern world,” where active volcanoes, waterfalls, and forests coexist with city life, one cannot help but become intrigued by surroundings. It is these images and her upbringing that play a huge role in what she creates. She sees the beauty in the unbeautiful and the sophistication in simplicity. Coral and starfish, remnants from childhood days spent discovering and playing on the beach, find themselves sharing space in her collection with fossils, bones, and insect wings that intrigued the designer’s fascinating mind. These days, Nishi lives in New York’s East Village. No longer in close proximity to the Japenese archipelago, the designer finds herself admiring the tree-lined streets of her neighborhood, trying different foods, and strolling through the Museum of Natural History for inspiration. The one thing she doesn’t admire about this city she “has fallen in love with” is the cold weather. “Winter in New York is a pain to me,” she says. But her passive tone leads me to believe that she is willing to brave
chaos 8
cold winter months to reside in the city that helped her launch her brand. While she says this, I cannot help but envision women all over the city dressing in winter garb, accessorizing with certain pieces from Nishi’s Bone collection, which they have been waiting all year to wear. Nishi may very well be one of those women who longs for a season, but I’ve quickly learned that it’s not winter. Instead, it is summer in New York that she likes the most. The weather reminds her of home, and it also allows her to show off her jewelry. These days, the one piece she won’t take off is her open sea urchin ring with a green diamond. She says she will not take it off for now, but that typically her favorite piece of jewelry changes. Like a mother with her children, she certainly cannot pick just one favorite, and it is easy to see why. Nishi first fell in love with jewelry at the age of eighteen, when a jeweler-friend of her mother’s allowed her to design an exclusive piece: a silver drop-shaped necklace. She instantly fell in love. Though she knew she had a passion for jewelry, she was after a career. She left the jewelry idea on the backburner for some time as she pursued a degree, and later a career, in graphic design. Working as a graphic and web designer for five years in Tokyo, Nishi still dreamed of designing wearable art. In one quick and giant plan of action, she decided to take a big leap and move— this time, to a city a bit further from home than Tokyo, but just as fashion forward and inspiring. When I ask what brought her to New York, she tells me a friend told her she that might like it. Moving across the world because you may like it seems like a scary, even brave thing to do for a young girl, but in her effortless way, she explains why the idea appealed to her. “When I leave to a new place, I always miss the last place, even just moving to a new apartment,” she says.”But I believe it is [the] beginning of a new experience, so I accepted [it] positively.” She says she took the simple suggestion because she hoped to get to know many different cultures, adding that, aside from that, she had no real expectations for New York. One has to imagine that her expectations are
She sees t beaut y in u n bea u t if t he so p his in si m plic
he t he f ul and s t ica t io n c i t y. 9 chaos
It is of t e n said t h a t, i n a l l o f u s, t h e r e l i e s a bi t o f c r e a t i v e g e n i u s.
chaos 10
d f a e .
far exceeded whenever she walks into her Manhattanbased jewelry studio to start her work day. When she moved to New York a few years ago, she just planned on enrolling in a six-month jewelry class and then heading back to Japan. What happened instead was an act of nature. (Pun intended.) The young graphic designer from across the world became enamored with a city and an art form. She basked in the different cultures and eclectic foods. She took the simple beauty of nature she knew from Japan and blended it perfectly with the city she now calls home. She began to create pieces that stood out and intrigued people, and got them talking. What evolved from a move across the globe, a class at FIT, and a positive outlook was a jewelry collection like no other. Featured in galleries in her hometown, as well as in the U.S., Ayaka Nishi has created a line that is as beautifully paradoxical as the designer herself. She is a woman who listens to bossa nova or her favorite musician, Ryuichi Sakamoto, who inspires her visually through his music, while designing pieces inspired by the human cell. She is the perfect blend of contradictions. A woman who is so positive and friendly that she includes smiley faces in emails. A woman who has birthed a line of jewelry so distinct, so one-of-akind, so darkly beautiful at times, that fashion labels and magazines across the globe have started clamoring for it. What is so gripping about Nishi’s jewelry is the haunting beauty behind it. You see her collection and you do not quickly forget it, wondering how someone could create something so beautiful out of things that are typically seen as common or visually unappealing. She doesn’t create these pieces to shock or offend. Instead, she sees these things in nature—bones, fossils, and remains as pieces of life and things that once were. Why is something as common as a spiderweb enough to inspire a collection? To Nishi, it is about the devotion that a spider has to creating the web. The work put in, and the push and pull of it all. She sees the beauty in everyday things that the world and we humans leave behind. The way she transforms simple metals and stones into images of the human skeletal frame, insect wings, and spiderwebs catches the eye of even the most conservative consumer. While her line consists of images considered empirically attractive in nature (like bubbles, feathers, and blooms), it is what she does with images that are typically considered dark or morbid (like bones, cells, and fossils) that truly impress the eyes of consumers and fashion brands alike. In many ways, she brings to jewelry the very same mysterious splendor that Alexander McQueen brought
to fashion. The irony of this comparison is that McQueen is the one designer Nishi tells me she wishes she had a chance to work with. As a perfectionist at her trade, she redesigns and reworks a piece until it is exactly how she envisioned it. Or until it resembles something she would wear herself. In fact, her client base is just as much of juxtaposition as Nishi herself. When asked who she envisions when designing, she says she typically creates pieces that she wants to wear. Clearly her style is universally appealing, considering what a hit her line is with not only women but men, as well. When speaking of her clientele, she does not pinpoint one exact type of person, saying instead that her line is often purchased by both sexes, especially her bone collection, which has appealed to the masses regardless of gender. The designer tells me that her customer base is actually quite varied, with everyone from “elegant, wealthy, middle-aged women to punk rock tattoo guys.” She seems to have no illusions about her. Instead, she designs for the pure joy of seeing her creations worn by those who choose to stand out, who can relate to her vision. She has no expectations for her clientele and no one person she keeps in mind when creating; there are also no rules about where or how to wear her pieces. Well, there is one rule that she wishes women would follow: When wearing expensive diamond earrings, always secure them with “ear nuts” or stoppers, because she doesn’t want her customers losing their earrings. It is often said that, in all of us, there lies a bit of creative genius. If one truly believes this to be true, it is safe to say that Ayaka Nishi has a little more than her fair share of the standard amount of creative genius. Crediting her background in graphic design, Nishi is frequently playing with color, balance, and space. Constantly creating and designing, she wishes to add to the coral, honeycomb, and starfish-inspired pieces that have all found their way into her ever-growing collection. If it were up to Nishi, she would add new collections as often as fashion houses. Being on the fashion week cycle of releasing two collections a year is a dream of hers that’s hard to accomplish, since it is an in-house production company. For now, the brand releases one new collection a year, while updating its lookbook twice a year, and it’s often adding new pieces to certain collections. While this has been enough to put her name out there, Nishi dreams big. She admits that the road is “tough but fun,” and with a smile she adds that anyone who wishes to follow in her footsteps should “come on and join us!”
11 chaos
chaos 12
a na t ure lo v w ho ma y fav dar k imager y an t h e wic ke d wa ys t he wor
er or nd of ld
She dreams of opening her own store and seeing her collection sold all over the world. This isn’t such a far-fetched dream though, considering she is already selling in four countries (U.S., Canada, U.K., and Japan) and receiving press releases from foreign- and American-based magazines. She was recently asked to design a pin collection for the anniversary of 9/11, and she was contacted by a Greek magazine that wants to use her pieces in an upcoming feature. Not bad for a girl who planned on simply studying in America for six short months. She wants to tour the world doing jewelry and trade shows, no doubt meeting new people and exploring new cultures as she goes. Her degree in graphic design also comes in handy for posters, a website, and promos, which increase the popularity of this growing business built upon one woman’s stunning imagination and unstoppable determination.
Behind those weaved designs and the skulls in her showroom— which she has adorned with necklaces made of fish scales and cell masks— is an inquisitive spirit who happens to love the simplicity of the world. It is a wicked genius, an innate connection to nature that allows Nishi to do what she does. And she does it so well. We end our conversation with a question about her personal mantra or any words she lives by. The one saying that keeps her going? “Don’t forget appreciation in any situation.” After the interview, I can’t stop thinking about the quote. And just like that, Ayaka Nishi has inspired all over again.
After speaking with Nihsi and looking at her collections, you have to wonder if she sees herself as her customers do. If we were to judge the proverbial book by its cover, we would envision Ayaka Nishi as a bit gothic and a nature lover who may favor dark imagery and the wicked ways of the world; But, a few pages into the book, we see the truth. The designer is anything but shadowy. Yes, she is a bit of an enigma. After all, anyone who can bring wearable beauty to the human cell as easily as they can create a sweet collection called “Bloom” is a bit of a mystery, but it is also what sets her apart from so many in her field. It is what mesmerizes customers and magazine editors everywhere. It is what speaks to the women in Greece and in a trade show in Massachusetts. She is a brave force in a small body— someone who fell in love with a craft, took a chance in a new land, and created a brand out of sheer imagination.
13 chaos
THE
T R E A C H E R Y photographer Jun Kim stylist TaTa ChrisTiane models ViCTor @ satory, alina @ pearl
chaos 16
PreVious anD This PaGe HE: jacket SPAGHETTI GANG BANG troursers TATA CHRISTIANE SHE: dress TATA CHRISTIANE head piece TATA CHRISTIANE collar KILL DE PRINCESS bracelet ISABEL KIBLER shoes fImBuL CoLLAR By KILL DE PRINCES
17 chaos
chaos 18
HE:jacket SPAGHETTI GANG BANG shirt TATA CHRISTIANE she: dress TATA CHRISTIANE head piece TATA CHRISTIANE collar KILL DE PRINCESS t-shirt RAKI BCN shoes fImBuL earrings H&m
HE: jacket SP AGHETTI GAN G BANG trous head piece TA ers TATA CHRI TA CHRISTIA STIANE SHE: NE collar KILL dr DE PRINCES S bracelet ISAB ess TATA CHRISTIANE EL KIBLER
chaos 20
jacket TATA CHRISTIANE shirt TATA CHRISTIANE
21 chaos
chaos 22
HE: jacket patchwork TATA CHRISTIANE dentelle trousers TATA CHRISTIANE shoes fImBuL SHE: blouse RAKI BCN shorts RAKI BCN cape embroided TATA CHRISTIANE head piece BARETH BIjoux shoes STyLIST owN
23 chaos
HE: jacket TATA CHRISTIANE SHE: blouse RAKI BCN head piece BARETH BIjoux
chaos 24
25 chaos
HE: jacket TATA CHRISTIANE SHE: blouse RAKI BCN shorts RAKI BCN head piece BARETH BIjoux
chaos 26
27 chaos
HE: jacket patchwork TATA CHRISTIANE SHE: blouse RAKI BCN short RAKI BCN cape embroided TATA CHRISTIANE earrings H&m head piece BARETH BIjoux
earrings H&m dress TATA CHRISTIANE
29 chaos