HYPEBEAST Magazine Issue 21: The Renaissance Issue

PRESLEY’S CHOICE

RAILMASTER MASTER CHRONOMETER

Exclusively at OMEGA Flagship Boutiques and selected retailers worldwide

English • Issue: 21/02/2018 • Doc size: 386 x 275 mm • Calitho #: 02-18-127744 • AOS #: OME_01184 • TS 21/02/2018

w w w. s a c a i . j p

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 2

15/3/2018 上午3:06

WWW.STONEISLAND.COM

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 3

15/3/2018 上午3:06

RENAISSANCE

PUBLISHER Kevin Ma EDITOR IN CHIEF Kevin Wong EDITOR Vanessa Lee DESIGN Ed O’Brien Design Hybrid Design CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mallory Chin Eddie Eng Akiharu Ichikawa Petar Kujundzic Hasse Lemola Arby Li Ben Roazen COPY EDITOR Peter Suh GUEST EDITORS Josh Davis Calum Gordon ADVERTISING Wadnes Castelly Jamie Chan Crystal Choi Anthony Esponda Charles Gorra Kendall Hall Paul Le Fevre Victoria Morris Huan Nguyen Josh Parker Lily Richardson Jacqueline Ruggiero Alysia Sargent Tiff Shum Chad Steiner SPECIAL THANKS Nicolas Aksil George Bamford Ania Binevskaya Simone Bossi Tommy Boudreau Sebastien Chapelle Andrea Chin Chanasit Cholasuek Yana Davydova Jonathan Demortier Sabine Dobre Charlotte Eytan Tanya Flippova Dan Glasser Moreno Gottardo

ISSUE 21

Jordan Hall Nancy Henze Heison Ho Ilya Ivanov Jon Jenkins Pavel Kryukov Jing Kuai Marie Laurance Arianna Lazos Anthony Lewis Nick Dierl Nicola Parsons Jackson Ray Kyle Reyes Ben Robinson Maya Salem Emeline Sartorio Amanda Schechter Apichart Srirojanapinyo Madrell Stinney Henock "HK" Sileshi Sarah Stewart Takuya Takahashi Erin Thompson Reo Tomioka Julien Verry Andrew White Maximillian William Mason Wu Tammy Xie CONTACT magazine@hypebeast.com 12th Floor 10-16 Kwai Ting Road Kwai Chung Hong Kong +852 3563 9035 PRINTING Asia One Printing Limited In Hong Kong All Rights Reserved ISSN 977-230412500-0 13th Floor, Asia One Tower 8 Fung Yip Street Chai Wan, Hong Kong +852 2889 2320 enquiry@asiaone.com.hk HYPEBEAST.COM PUBLISHER 101 Media Lab Limited

2018 March © 2018 Hypebeast HYPEBEAST® is a registered trademark of 101 Media Lab, Ltd.

006

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 6

15/3/2018 上午3:06

INTERVIEW

007

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 7

15/3/2018 上午3:06

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

HIGHLIGHTS

012

NEW YORK SUNSHINE

018

JJJJOUND

036

REGINALD SYLVESTER II

046

BROCKHAMPTON

066

PLACES+FACES

080

ISSUE 21

008

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 8

15/3/2018 上午3:06

TABLE OF CONTENTS

100

SSS WORLD CORP TORO Y MOI

112

ELDRIDGE AFTER DARK

128

MAD ARCHITECTS

146

POP-UPS

162

GUIDE

174

Renaissance

009

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 9

15/3/2018 上午3:06

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

HYPEBEAST 21

This generation is consistently accused

of being disconnected from the real world— heads always lowered to our phones,

thumbs constantly scrolling or swiping—

cursed by the 21st century. Yet this

compulsion for digital connectedness is also what drives us forward in the

new world, with the accumulated insight and collective sense of humor that

invariably comes with billions of engaged, connected voices.

Despite the turmoil surrounding us in

current events and world politics, we are ultimately in a place of empowerment.

We exist in a time where we’re hyper-aware of each other’s stories, giving us a new

lease on topics like sexuality, gender, race, subculture. Our voices only grow clearer

010

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 10

15/3/2018 上午3:06

EDITOR'S LET TER

and stronger. We have a new understanding

creative, and the photographers of

profession, creativity, beauty—where

to documenting the glorious phenomena

Places+Faces have dedicated their careers

of things like music, the arts, consumption,

of the times we call our own.

youth is leading our culture and established entities now look to the creatives of this generation for direction.

We are currently witnessing a cultural

In music, we not only enjoy new genres

paths, new platforms, new ideas. Though

agency that’s constantly forming new

sometimes it’s an endless chase of the

and avenues to fame, but we also

newest—the newest content, products,

have novel ideas of what a musician or

stories—this is also the beauty of it.

band entails, like BROCKHAMPTON,

For the first time in a long time, we’re

a 14-member-strong “boy band” whose

breaking new ground, entering new

skillsets span every area of the creative

territories without limit, and this rings just

sphere. Our cover story, Reginald Sylvester

as true for the audience, as it does for

II, is a painter whose roots in streetwear

those we see as the creators.

and graphic design has led him to become one of the youngest faces in the old

world industry of fine art. JJJJound has

KEVIN WONG

long pioneered the concept of the modern

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

011

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 11

15/3/2018 上午3:06

RAF SIMONS x EASTPAK VOLUME TOPLOAD BACKPACK

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

The Blade Runner-inspired Volume Topload backpack marks the next chapter of Raf Simons’ ongoing collaborative efforts with Eastpak. The piece is crafted from PVC and translucent colors reminiscent of the Ridley Scott film, bringing a sense of nostalgia to a creation that seemingly hails from the future. For those who seek unconventional staples, elements such as Simons’ custom print design, top-handle, removable inside bag and metal hardware embellishments further aid in the bag’s high-tech design. The Eastpak x Raf Simons Volume Topload backpack is available in brown or grey and retails for approximately $270 USD.

012

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 12

15/3/2018 上午3:06

distilled cooler for a smoother, cleaner taste

DIFFERENT

BY DESIGN

EFFEN® Vodka, 100% neutral spirits distilled from wheat grain, 40% alc./vol. (80 proof) © 2018 EFFEN Import Company, Chicago, IL. Please Enjoy Responsibly.

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 13

15/3/2018 上午3:06

ISSUE 21

Junya Watanabe recently teamed up with British outdoor specialist Karrimor on a beautifully-crafted jacket which combines the famed Japanese designer’s contemporary take on fashion and the latter’s utilitarian designs.

Harnessing the ultimate authority for making durable, functional garments and bringing outdoor technology and construction into everyday life, the jacket is brilliantly patch-worked together from a deconstructed backpack with the utmost attention placed on technical excellence and detailing.

Constructed with built-in carry handles and with durability and warmth in mind, the Karrimor x Junya Watanabe MAN parka can be found at select retailers come July.

KARRIOMOR x JUNYA WATANABE MAN DOWN PARKA JACKET

RENAISSANCE

014

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 14

15/3/2018 上午3:07

INTERVIEW

AD

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 15

15/3/2018 上午3:07

ISSUE 21

BAMFORD x FRAGMENT ZENITH EL PRIMERO

RENAISSANCE

After being announced as the official watch customizers for the LVMH conglomerate, Bamford Watch Department has partnered up with Dover Street Market to create a special timepiece alongside Japanese design legend Hiroshi Fujiwara and fragment design. Their first major joint effort of 2018 takes the shape of a classic chronograph model for timepiece aficionados, the Zenith El Primero. The bespoke model in turn boasts simple yet stylish design touches by Fujiwara, mixing vintage-inspired techniques with a modern graphic on its face, while retaining its original stainless steel case and bracelet. The fragment design x Bamford Watch Department Zenith El Primero is available exclusively at Dover Street Market locations worldwide and retails for $14,290 USD. 016

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 16

15/3/2018 上ĺ?ˆ3:07

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 17

15/3/2018 上午3:07

Eternal Sunshine

018

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 18

15/3/2018 上午3:07

WORDS

PHOTOGRAPHY

BENJAMIN ROAZEN

R AY S P E A R S

019

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 19

15/3/2018 上午3:07

ISSUE 21

John Margaritis and New York Sunshine are building something out in the Hamptons.

The Hamptons are weird. No one knows this better than John “Sunshine“ Margaritis. Just the name alone is synonymous with the American nouveau riche. It conjures images of debutantes slurping oysters and mimosas on daddy's yacht, mansions with topiaries, and immaculately-manicured hedges that might as well read, KEEP AWAY. A recent subway ad proclaims that New Yorkers with “The Hamptons” written on their profiles fare 21% better on dating apps. Ride-sharing apps flew people out to the Hamptons in choppers during the US Open.

I had my own assumptions about Hamptons street style: boat shoes, pastels, layers of Brooks Brothers and Vineyard Vines. Croakies and Patagonia Baggies during the summer. An Abercrombie hoodie, even?

After all, these are people who might call you “old sport” and mean it. Forget the bats, this was Gatsby country.

“The Hamptons is so corny,” says John. “It’s a whole thing. Like the word ‘Hamptons’ is ugh, because it’s not all rich white people.” John’s accent is thick— somewhere between a Peter Griffin yawp and a classic New York fuhgeddaboudit. “I mean, sure, they’re here during the summertime. But the people that live out here during the off-season? The people who run the community are fishermen and landscapers. Blue-collar workers. That’s why sometimes we get written up as Hampton boys and we cringe.”

For what it’s worth, New York Sunshine’s name had started popping up overnight, first in press releases and then in conversation. Sure, many of the credits came in fine print. But the team was responsible for some of the most Instagrammable moments at Art Basel’s and NYFW’s past. They dunked a then-priceless pair of Air Force 1's in a chlorine tank. They had collaborated with Virgil Abloh, among others. The team dyed cement bright orange and cracked it all over the floor of Patron of the New. Then, they compressed sneakers, tees, and memorabilia with said cement for Heron Preston.

The team had been doing all this work out of a shop tucked behind the One Source Tool store in Southampton, New York. The shop belongs to John’s

020

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 20

15/3/2018 上午3:07

FEATURE

“THE MANTRA HAS ALWAYS BEEN: LET’S GET ENOUGH WORK IN THE WINTER, SO WE CAN DO SURF SCHOOL IN THE SUMMER.” father and master cabinet-maker, Bert Margaritis.

The father-son team have help around the shop, too: John’s brother, Hank, graphic designer Ryan Kumicz, Josh Fermin, Fardad Sabzevari and Cory McNamara.

There was not a boat shoe in sight. No Abercrombie hoodies either. None of these guys would ever call you “old sport”—not with a straight face, at least.

The mood was very much like that of a high school shop class or a group-chat: lots of power tools and banter. NYS aren’t from old money, nor are they part of the nouveau riche. Everyone has their side-hustle: Hank is a chef; Fardad is a self-professed “all-around hustler.“ Cory is a painter and local landscaper—in addition to painting the watercolors for the brand’s upcoming Pigalle collab, he trims the KEEP AWAY hedges around many of the local estates.

Then, the brand started setting up their own installations at Basel. The NYS team pretended to be caterers, backing their van up onto the sand. Hidden under nightfall, they set up a basketball hoop off the coast of the beach.

The skeletons of these projects stand around the hardware store parking lot like Easter Island heads.

Along the way, the team's merch developed a cult following of its own. John and Luke insist that people can come in and sweep the floors, paint a wall, and earn themselves an Install Team shirt. “It might not fit though,” John says with a laugh.

Margaritis' vision for the company is always changing and evolving. In fact, he's not even all that focused on the company's upcoming summer line.

021

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 21

15/3/2018 上午3:07

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

022

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 22

15/3/2018 上午3:07

INTERVIEW

BOOTH C16, 4 ALUMINUM PHOTO LIGHTBOX 72" X 48" X 3" 2017

023

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 23

15/3/2018 上午3:07

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

024

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 24

15/3/2018 上午3:08

FEATURE

025

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 25

15/3/2018 上午3:08

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

026

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 26

15/3/2018 上午3:08

FEATURE

027

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 27

15/3/2018 上午3:08

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

028

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 28

15/3/2018 上午3:08

FEATURE

John shows me some of the brand's experiments as we walk around the shop. There are crates full of concrete, dyed hues and gradients. Bent wood, snapped under pressure. I point at a metal backboard behind John’s head, its surface pockmarked and blistered. “Are those bullet holes?”

He’s still excited about the gear, don’t get him wrong.

But he’s just as concerned with how the T-shirts get displayed and shown in stores. “We've never been on a fashion schedule.”

According to Margaritis, he's currently on an “antiretail retail experience kick.” John had kicked about concepts for a retail space in Miami, “but there's only so much you can do in a mall.” Then the team happened upon a 6,000 square-foot factory space in Wynwood, Miami's ultra-hip arts neighborhood.

And it had outdoor space for a basketball court.

The company had been shooting beautiful waterscapes and mirrored surfaces on basketball hoops for a while.

They were “so peaceful” that Margaritis says there was only one thing left to do. “We’ll just shoot one, because Southampton is pretty and nice, sure, but there’s also a lot of people with guns, rednecks.” The team whipped up metal backboards of various widths and thicknesses. A friend who’s a local police officer came around and shot them with a bunch of different firearms. There’s a good sampling tucked in the corner of the loft behind Bert's sconces. “This one here,” John says, thumbing one, “is a shotgun.” “We took out the Glock and it didn’t even do a dent,” Luke chimes in.

“So we went bigger and bigger and bigger ‘til we were blowing holes through it.”

For Margaritis, the answer was simple: “We're in.”

John picks up one of the backboards, its surface flecked and cratered. This one was a thicker metal with a handgun, he says. “These were the most interesting to me,“ says John. “Because they looked like a movie.

Like, when they shoot at the police car.”

There are drawbacks to retail, though. Margaritis knows better than anyone that there are limits to the avant-garde. When he opened the brand's flagship in Southampton, they swept the floor with sand. “That way,” says John, “you can come in with sandy feet. Like a club-house, almost.” It was a hit with some—pure joy, an Instagrammable moment. Some shoppers didn't get it—some others took offense.

There's a scene in the 1991 surf classic Point Break, where a gang of local goons—including a young Anthony Kiedis—confront Keanu Reeves. “Okay, I know,” says Reeves' Johnny Utah. “This is where you tell me about how locals rule and how yuppie insects like me shouldn't surf your break and all that, right?”

Nope. “That'd be a waste of time,” says Kiedis. “We're just gonna fuck you up,” says a third.

029

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 29

15/3/2018 上午3:08

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

ONE TON TANK STRUCTURAL REINFORCED CONCRETE, TEMPERED GL ASS, WATER 42" X 42" X 84" 2016

030

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 30

15/3/2018 上午3:08

INTERVIEW

031

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 31

15/3/2018 上午3:08

ISSUE 21

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 32

15/3/2018 上午3:08

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 33

15/3/2018 上午3:08

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

“IF I COULD SHOW EVERYONE THIS VIEW, THIS IS WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY THE COMPANY IS INSPIRED BY SURFING.”

Surfers are extremely territorial. Margaritis wants to make it very clear that he is not local to Southampton.

According to John, “People from out here—like Cory, Luke and Ryan—get really offended about the word local. I grew up up-island a little bit more, I’m not a Southampton local. People will bug out like, ‘You didn’t go to high school here, you’re not from here, you just have a shop.’”

But Margaritis doesn't care—come by the shop, take your shoes off, put your feet in the sand for a little bit.

Like when Virgil Abloh dropped by the shop during the season and the team took him out to surf. “Virgil doesn't surf,” says Margaritis, but the Install Team have been teaching at a local surf school for a decade.

That’s where most of the team met. “The mantra has always been: let’s get enough work in the winter, so we can do surf school in the summer.” John says Virgil was too busy inspecting the taped seams of his wetsuit to focus on the lesson at hand.

As he drives us out to the beach, John points out local properties through the van’s window. The largest one, John says, was bought by a wealthy landowner after he was rejected by the neighboring country club. “He was so pissed, he bought the entire plot just out of spite.” Cory told John, because he trims the hedges around the place. The streets really are dead during the off-season. We pull up to the edge of the sand.

There's an old man snoring behind the wheel of his parked SUV. “He’s always here.”

It’s a freezing moonscape out on the sand. John points to a dune. “Might not look like much right now, but that’s where we teach surf school lessons every summer.”

This is also the beach where the team tests the surfreadiness of most projects. He takes a moment and stares out at the horizon. “If I could show everyone this view,” he says, “This is what I mean when I say the company is inspired by surfing.”

034

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 34

15/3/2018 上午3:09

FEATURE

035

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 35

15/3/2018 上午3:09

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

PHOTO WWW.HAARKON.CO.UK

036

D1403_HB_Signature_1.indd 36

15/3/2018 上午3:09

INTERVIEW

117

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 117

15/3/2018 上午3:34

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

Q&A Creatively, how do you approach your music and art? Do they share the same inspiration and ethos?

I found it to be coming from the same source of inspiration, which is this world of '70s psychedeliameets-post-Internet child. I was right on the cusp of the world as it began to experience the Internet, and also after. I found where I like my tones. I like drums in most songs from the ‘70s, I like furniture from the ‘70s, I like designers from the ‘70s or ‘60s it looks like. That time when psychedelia went mainstream was kind of when a bubble burst and made the world more colorful, literally. I kind of want to push that.

Keeping those elements in my art and music, it’s kind of the connecting element of everyone who is a fan of what I’m doing. The goal is to keep amplifying that.

It just seems like everyone can resonate with the positive message of what psychedelic experiences can offer. And that psychedelic experience doesn’t have to be hallucinogenic drugs, it can just be a painting or a song. To me, anything that’s mind-expanding or spectrum-widening is a plus. More is good when it comes to nature.

Can you explain the rationale behind changing your sound drastically from album to album?

If I really had to say why, it’s because The Beatles did it. Every record was so different and it blew my mind.

Honestly, I like every record to be different because I enjoy the challenge of trying to do something I haven’t done before. Like singing a certain way or singing certain words or notes. That feeling you experience when you first say something for the first time, when you hear it played back for the first time. That whole experience is something I feel everyone needs to experience. It’s so fun to get inside your head and

118

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 118

15/3/2018 上午3:34

INTERVIEW

119

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 119

15/3/2018 上午3:34

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

capture the sounds. So, I don’t feel like one type of genre or album or sound, I feel like so many things and I just want to keep conveying that message about being cohesive. I don’t want it to be without any tact.

What are all the different instruments and programs you use? How did you pick them up, and why?

I started with FruityLoops, and I mainly use Reason.

I can play keys, drums, guitar and bass—just basics.

Nothing too crazy like horns or woodwinds, I can play a basic band by myself. When I first started recording music I was playing with my parents’ karaoke machine.

It had a double tape deck karaoke machine so it allows you to record your singing to your music. So I figured out a way to record here and dub it back and just keep adding tracks to it. I started realizing, “Oh I need drums or I need this, I need that.” For the longest time I was using all these sounds I had on a

keyboard. So, I got my rhythm from playing a keyboard.

That’s how the drums came, the guitar, the keyboard, basses. That all happened around age 12-15 when I started learning how to play all that stuff. I was so fortunate to have one of those Yamahas with all the sounds. It’s funny that’s still what I do now.

As you progress with your music, have your own inspirations changed?

My inspirations have become too broad and vast now, and inverted to where I can find inspiration from the least expected thing. Like this Weber grill, why does that stand out? Because it really does. It’s the same, the way fashion works, and music: it runs off idiosyncrasies, it runs against the grain. Whatever is against the grain is always becoming the next big thing.

I’m really liking where culture is going right now, this post-Internet, post-ironic era. Now I can’t even tell what’s bad, and that’s a good thing. It’s just coming

120

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 120

15/3/2018 上午3:34

INTERVIEW

“THAT TIME WHEN PSYCHEDELIA WENT MAINSTREAM WAS KIND OF WHEN A BUBBLE BURST AND MADE THE WORLD MORE COLORFUL, LITERALLY. I KIND OF WANT TO PUSH THAT.”

I honestly feel in the future, there’s a possibility that ambient music is going to be mainstream. I feel like, I don’t know why there isn’t more ambient music on the radio. Everyone seems to love a vibe that makes you feel good, and for me that’s what I’ve been getting into.

Any specific projects you couldn’t have fathomed would happen, but they did?

Tyler’s experience overall. I play guitar on “Hey You.” I went to his house and I played at his house. I met him at the Odd Future store on Fairfax, he let me in the backdoor. I helped him grab his synthesizers and his speaker out of his closet and put them in the back of his McLaren, just jumbled in there. I was just like, “This is so crazy.” And he’s like, “Yeah let’s just go to my house and do some stuff.” And so we go to his place and just set up in his living room, it was awesome. We went and got burgers afterwards. But

down to taste and how it’s becoming so infused in itself. It’s interesting to see and I can’t imagine where it’s going to go. Maybe people will strive towards quality instead of design. Maybe something can look ugly, but is designed really well.

The way labels like Balenciaga and Off-White are thinking—it’s so cool to see that’s where high fashion is now. It makes me wonder where high art is going to go, where music’s going to go, as far as to what people will be respecting in the future.

Do you think the Internet will have an impact on the progression of music?

I think that’s what’s happened already. Seeing Internet musicians become real-life, worldwide superstars.

Seeing that progression is amazing. Like wow, that’s so powerful, whatever just happened. So, now that all the world’s vibes are connected, what’s next?

121

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 121

15/3/2018 上午3:34

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

122

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 122

15/3/2018 上午3:35

FEATURE

123

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 123

15/3/2018 上午3:35

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

that was one of the coolest experiences, just being in someone’s home and playing his piano. I just like when people can share their personal side. That’s the only reason I ever want to meet someone, is to get to know them as a person, not just the artist version.

It’s cool to be allowed to see people’s personal sides.

It was just me, him and Mikey from Illegal Civ. We were just being silly the whole time and it was chill.

What does your idea of an artist look like?

I think one thing that’s always important in art is humor.

All an artist is, is someone who can find humor in everyday life. Find whatever it is that makes them feel good or bad, and make fun of it and put it into a physical experience.

You began in graphic design and do your own album artwork—how does it translate to your music?

My hardest graphic design teachers were so on it with trying to get the craft right. It doesn't matter what you're drawing or what it looks like, if the corners are all bent up or there's a finger smudge on it, it totally ruins it. That's really the only connection I found myself having with everything. Just trying to keep an eye on the craft and make sure nothing is done lazily.

What prompted you to dive further into your own studio art this past year?

I've always used visual art as my backup. That's where I really go if I need to unplug from the world for a second. I draw, paint. I mean, just hearing this music studio across the street right now, hearing this drum, my brain immediately starts thinking, what are they playing, who's playing, what genre is it. I'm always thinking about music. My brain has just been programmed to do that, so forcing it to do something visual is really enjoyable.

124

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 124

15/3/2018 上午3:35

INTERVIEW

125

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 125

15/3/2018 上午3:35

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

126

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 126

15/3/2018 上午3:35

INTERVIEW

“I'VE ALWAYS USED VISUAL ART AS MY BACKUP. THAT'S WHERE I REALLY GO IF I NEED TO UNPLUG FROM THE WORLD FOR A SECOND.”

Does the change in name from Chaz Bundick to Chaz Bear signify something for you? Were there other name changes in the past that inspired you?

Yeah. I mean, who changed their name? Prince. And that guy who is Metta World Peace. So those are all great name changes. Really, people know Chaz

B. is Chaz B., doesn't matter what the B stands for.

They know I'm striving for quality and lifetime pieces.

It's definitely a new me. In the year that all that happened where I did change my name, I also got in a life-threatening car crash that resulted in me wanting to get Lasik surgery. So instantaneously, I felt like a different person, the name change plus the identity—losing the glasses really felt great.

With such a loyal fan base, do you ever feel the pressure to be something specific for your fans?

Oh, no. That's what used to drive me crazy. Convincing myself that I needed to be good. That pressure kills you. Even smoking a joint in front of you right now, I would never have done that even five years ago, even though it helps me with my anxiety. I think it's just crazy how that happens.

Skate fashion becoming high fashion is like, wow.

The gap has been closed already, we're in it. We're in the feedback loop. It's cool to ride this out and see, just keep chasing the subculture. That's what I enjoy, that's what I always try to do with music and art.

Where did you pick up your sense of style?

I grew up as one of the few black families in a white neighborhood in South Carolina. My cultural experience of my home life was preppy. I was never into streetwear growing up until I got to maybe even post-college, until streetwear with skateboarding became the next big thing. I feel like growing up, I was always this skater kid with a polo shirt, khakis—basic stuff. So when skateboard fashion got big like 10 years ago, I was just like cool, skate stuff looks really cool now.

At that time, I was getting so sick of Osiris D3s, but now I could see them being the next big thing. I'm surprised Balenciaga hasn't picked that up.

Where do you see yourself and your music going?

What new areas would you like to explore?

There's definitely more worlds of music I haven't explored. It's going to be interesting to see. The same way I feel like the economy can go so global and burst to become too local, I feel like that's how music will eventually start to be appreciated. You go to a certain city to see a band, not the bands that are always on tour. I could see myself doing something like that, building a community.

127

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 127

15/3/2018 上午3:35

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

ELDRIDGE AF TER DARK

128

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 128

15/3/2018 上午3:35

In Conversation

JJJJound

Interview Kevin Wong

D1403_HB_Insert_JJJound_M1.indd 37

15/3/2018 上午1:50

In Conversation

How did JJJJound begin?

Around the blogspot.com era, I started a blog called MAYBE SOMEDAY that I used as a creative diary. The JJJJound we know today happened when I removed all text/copy from the blog and turned it into an endless scroll of color coordinated references/mood. Some might remember, the original URL for JJJJound was jrsrules.blogspot.com.

Did you ever have an “a-ha” moment going from a personal blog to a company and brand?

There was no “a-ha” moment for the site turning into a brand. Just a slow, patient build into the honest and credible entity that it is now.

The true “a-ha” moment came when the website went viral itself and became a hit.

How, if at all, has your view of the Internet changed from when it was still unchartered and unclear to now?

My personal view of the internet hasn’t changed. I’ve always taken it seriously. Twenty-four-hour access to information on all topics. The best communication tool humanity has ever seen. Once it became a moneymaking tool, I feel popular culture started taking it more seriously, but it always was. If they take it away, we will find a new way to communicate.

When you have limited resources, you hope to create something similar to a spark, in the hopes that it attracts like-minded individuals that will help you light a bonfire.

What did you see JJJJound as when you first began the blog?

I used it to contextualize my ideas.

What are your thoughts on this new age of inability to describe exactly what you do?

It seems as though everyone is a jackof-all trades these days. No clear titles. Maybe that’s how it should be? Only reason a creative needs a title is to negotiate salary, in which case anything goes. To be honest, I like to rely on what drives people when trying to define what they do.

When you ask someone what they are

038

D1403_HB_Insert_JJJound_M1.indd 38

15/3/2018 上午1:50

JJJJound

039

D1403_HB_Insert_JJJound_M1.indd 39

15/3/2018 上午1:50

In Conversation

obsessed with, you can see where they put their energy. Where humans put their energy is really what’s most informative.

Thoughts on modern day entrepreneurship?

I think the same old principles still apply to modern day ambitious types: you come up with a great idea that hasn’t been done before, or you take something that has been done and you make it better. I like the old world rules, there’s really no substitute for putting the hours in and doing the work.

Tell us about Justin Saunders, not JJJJound, or are they the same?

I have mixed feelings about popularity. I’d rather not tell you about Justin Saunders :) What’s your favorite thing right now? It can be anything at all.

Not gonna lie, nothing has been more exciting than buying back my childhood on eBay lately. Teenage years too—buying those back as well. From LEGOs to Blockbuster memorabilia, and anything I can get

my hands on that get old neutrons to connect.

Bikes, totes, shoes, etc., what do you think draws brands to the JJJJound brand or aesthetic?

The studio’s day-to-day revolves around client-based consulting work. When you work for clients you always make compromises. JJJJound the product brand is about us not making any compromises. Our mantra is to design and produce items we need and want to be judged for. We’ve been driving our Head of Special Projects, Mehdi, crazy this year spending an absurd amount of time on R&D. I invested all my loose change developing all types of samples the world will never see.

It’s justified though, our angle is that the world has enough rushed fast food garbage products. I don’t advocate putting products in the world that haven’t spent a year in the incubator. Less is more. We feel comfortable with the infrequency of releases and our audience knows and respects this.

040

D1403_HB_Insert_JJJound_M1.indd 40

15/3/2018 上午1:50

JJJJound

“I'M INSPIRED BY PROBLEMS THAT DON'T YET HAVE SOLUTIONS. MY BRAIN BASICALLY ONLY TURNS ON TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.”

What inspires you?

At this point in my life, I’m only inspired by problems that don’t yet have solutions. My brain basically only turns on to solve problems. It shuts off pretty fast once confronted with old concepts.

What are your thoughts on people building their “personal brand”?

I remember reading up on Bill Watterson early in my life and realizing it was okay to work hard, love what you do, put out great work, and not have it rely on whether or not you are a celebrity. A lot of young creatives these days are obsessed with stardom, and perhaps that’s the new cheat code. Different strokes for different folks.

Having built a brand/platform first before going into products, is brand identity more important than actual product?

It depends. In some cases, brands are running strictly off identity, not the actual product, and it totally works for them. In other cases, some brands create products that have such high purpose that they technically don’t, or shouldn't need the identity to support it.

With JJJJound I like the idea of sitting in the middle.

What are your thoughts on the new generation of artists creating in real-time and using the Internet as a reference point?

I guess we call them the new generation

041

D1403_HB_Insert_JJJound_M1.indd 41

15/3/2018 上午1:50

In Conversation

042

D1403_HB_Insert_JJJound_M1.indd 42

15/3/2018 上午1:50

JJJJound

because they bring something new to the table. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it.

Is the Internet beneficial or detrimental to the creative process?

Both, probably. Each creative has his/ her own process, so it’s hard to make a statement about the effects of the internet on creativity as a whole.

What sets Montreal apart from other cities, in your opinion?

I wanted to open the studio in Montreal because I like the work ethic there.

It’s a small, European-like city jammed inside North America with a joie de vivre I truly enjoy. People who work hard in Montreal do so because they love their job, which is why I think the food and coffee taste better?

I grew up in Europe spending my childhood in a van camping with my family in the most random areas without electricity. I wasn’t plugged for the first half of my life. As soon as I was exposed to the internet I got plugged. I haven’t unplugged in a while—I love communicating and when you unplug the conversations stop. Perhaps I will retire someday, completely unplug again, and solely focus on drawing cartoons with clever quotes from a cabin in the woods?

How do you see JJJJound continuing on in the future? Do you think it will shift with the times and developments?

It wouldn’t be wise for me to pretend I know what the future holds.

Who are some Canadian creatives that you’d like to see get some shine?

Justin Bieber and Drake.

For someone who's known for being “online,” how do you unplug and get away from it?

043

D1403_HB_Insert_JJJound_M1.indd 43

15/3/2018 上午1:50

D1403_HB_Insert_JJJound_M1.indd 44

15/3/2018 上午1:50

045

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 45

15/3/2018 上午3:14

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

THE SECOND COMING

R EG INALD S Y LV E S T E R II

WORDS

PHOTOGRAPHY

KEITH ESTILER

DANIEL KRUSEN-CHEN J E S S E D AV I D H A R R I S

046

D1603_HB_P046.indd 46

16/3/2018 下午4:47

INTERVIEW

047

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 47

15/3/2018 上午3:14

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

048

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 48

15/3/2018 上午3:14

INTERVIEW

Februaries in New York can be especially unforgiving—the din of NYFW clamped onto the tail end of a long winter season can take its toll on the average industry dweller trying to keep up with it all.

A welcome break came in the form of a trudge through wind and sleet to pay a visit to Reginald Sylvester II, currently making his rounds on the fine art circuit as one of the youngest hands in the industry. And quite a few rounds he has made, despite only having started three years ago, with solo shows in London, New York and Tokyo, showing at the Fondazione Stelline in Milan, and being the youngest artist on record to show at the legendary Lever House in New York City.

We doggedly made our way up the dark, maze-like stairs of a three-floor walk-up, lax breathing and lagging steps, fingers stiff with cold. The dimness lifted as a loping figure—dressed entirely in black except for a bright red cap Sharpied to read “NO GIRLFRIEND WIFE ONLY”—opened the door to a light-filled studio where several unstretched canvases were tacked side-by-side onto a wall. The works-in-progress were large enough that it took a good few seconds to take in every detail: restless brushstrokes which comprised the grinning, grimacing figures rendered in every color, totemic in size, life-giving and fierce in gaze.

We take off our shoes and step onto the paint-flecked floor as Reginald greets us with a wide smile. The familiar bars of a Johnny Coltrane track pulses in the background and as we bask in the warmth of the studio—inhabited by jars of paint, books, programs from a past exhibition In Search of a Wonderful Place, a neatly-made bed on a wooden pallet and stacks on stacks of shoeboxes—we’re not only thankful to be out of the elements, but suddenly really happy that we are here, in the middle of Bedford-Stuyvesant speaking to the painter about his struggles as a freelance designer, his brief foray into fashion and what it’s like to be so young in a traditionally “old” industry, light years away from the fashion mob’s battlecries and into the steady-footed—but no less fickle—world of fine art.

049

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 49

15/3/2018 上午3:14

RENAISSANCE

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 50

ISSUE 21

15/3/2018 上午3:14

INTERVIEW

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 51

15/3/2018 上午3:14

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

“PAINTING OFFERS ME FREEDOM. IT OFFERS ME A WAY TO CONFRONT THE THINGS I BATTLE WITH WHILE GROWING AS A HUMAN BEING ON THIS EARTH.”

You’re something like a modern-day renaissance man—and a young one at that, from designing garments for Rare Panther, to creating large-scale paintings. Why are you so drawn to creativity?

Design and typography was my starting point. After studying design, you tend to look at things differently.

Then the hunger to change the way we view and experience things starts to grow. I think that’s always been my obsession. Moving into painting, it’s the same passion except the process changes. It’s more of a journey of self, confronting things that you may be battling internally. Using those emotions to project energy through imagery that may resonate with others.

If I’m not making or creating something, then life just feels unfulfilled.

Q&A Describe the moment when you first wanted to be an artist.

I feel like I was born an artist. I was always peculiar about things and would always be drawing, coloring. I guess I had the actual thought of being an artist in my last year of high school. I got obsessed with typography, graphic design and things like that. However, I decided to be a painter later on. I started to get frustrated working with clients in freelance work. I just wanted to be respected for my hand. My artistic voice. This was around 2013 when I really took painting seriously.

What does painting offer you that you can't get in any other creative field?

Painting offers me freedom. It offers me a way to confront the things I battle with while growing as a human being on this Earth. I can’t say that I get to do that in any other creative field that I’ve worked in.

There’s a sense of time and opportunity to connect with self when painting alone in the studio. While making a painting you can freely go through so many emotions whereas in other creative fields, I don’t believe that I could do this. I’m able to embrace those emotions and confront them head on.

How did you balance your freelance projects with painting personal artworks?

When I worked as a designer, that was definitely prior to me becoming an exhibiting artist. After my first show in New York “In Search of a Wonderful Place” there was really no going back. I had finally made that step in the direction to achieve the things I’d wanted as an artist.

I also feel through painting it allowed me to connect with a deeper side of myself spiritually. These pictures that arise on canvas aren’t planned nor plotted. I become nothing more than a tool during the process of creating a painting. I’m no more important than the brush, paint or canvas. I start to realize that I’m not ultimately in control of what’s going on. My subconscious is at work.

052

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 52

15/3/2018 上午3:14

INTERVIEW

053

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 53

15/3/2018 上午3:14

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

054

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 54

15/3/2018 上午3:14

INTERVIEW

055

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 55

15/3/2018 上午3:14

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

056

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 56

15/3/2018 上午3:14

INTERVIEW

057

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 57

15/3/2018 上午3:14

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

058

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 58

15/3/2018 上午3:15

INTERVIEW

"IT’S INSPIRING WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE PUSH THEIR PERSONAL BOUNDARIES, NO MATTER THE COMMENTARY. THE ARTISTS WHO WEREN’T AFRAID TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE AND RISK IT ALL TO ACHIEVE MASTERY."

In time I may find through working with other mediums that I can too have that type of freedom.

Every painting is different. I usually start making paintings through faces, that's how they usually start. I've always tried to push my understanding of figuration and abstraction. It's me starting with something recognizable and making it abstract as I possibly can. There's a lot of building and taking away as well as getting caught in the moment. Painting is the only place where you can fix your mistakes, or make a mistake look beautiful.

I'm literally confronting myself through the process, dealing with insecurities and thinking about shit that I'm going through until a picture starts to arise that I really resonate with.

Who are your art heroes and why are they inspirational to you?

The art heroes are those who found new ways to do things. The ones who aren’t afraid to try everything just to arrive at something new. It’s inspiring when you see someone push their personal boundaries, no matter the commentary. The artists who weren’t afraid to be uncomfortable and risk it all to achieve mastery.

Religion has a major influence on your artwork.

Why are you devoted to injecting Biblical references in your paintings?

God is an important part of my life. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for His grace. I look at the Bible as a history book; it’s more than just a book on prophecy and faith. The reasons why we go through the things we do as humans—whether it’s in the past, present or future—is biblical. James Baldwin said, “The role of the artist is exactly the same role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.”

Would you say that your paintings fall under abstract and figurative? What would you call them?

My journey thus far has been finding a balance between the two that I solely resonate with. More importantly, I want to discover and create new styles and movements.

It’s too early to categorize what I’m doing at the moment, I feel. I don’t spend too much time trying to figure that out. I feel like critics do enough of that for me.

From Warhol to Picasso to Matisse, the world of fine art has been a space dominated by white artists. As a young black male, have you experienced any adversities in being a part of this world? How are you challenging the old guard?

It was hard to get into that space. I went through hella

059

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 59

15/3/2018 上午3:15

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

EXHIBIT TITLE MEDIUM, DIMS X DIMS 2015

060

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 60

15/3/2018 上午3:15

INTERVIEW

061

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 61

15/3/2018 上午3:15

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

062

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 62

15/3/2018 上午3:15

INTERVIEW

063

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 63

15/3/2018 上午3:15

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

shit. I'm really happy where I am at with my work, but being respected for your hand and how you go about making your work is a really tough thing. They compare you directly to the black artists that were before you, mainly Jean-Michel Basquiat. I'm not going to sit here and say that he doesn't influence my journey as an artist, but we are artists that are painting figuratively through abstraction. It's a great reference point, so I'm not mad. My position as a man of color in the art world is no different than my struggles as a man of color in the world itself. The foundation of the new guard still mirrors the old. It’s just an upgraded version, with a few software updates.

Do you feel like success is catching up to you so fast at such a young age?

For an artist who’s only been painting for three years at the age of 31, I’ve done a lot. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. I don’t believe that success is catching up to me as fast as it may seem. In the world of art I may be young but in the actual world I am not.

In art it’s not about what you do in the first five years. It’s about whether you can and will be around creating at the highest level over the next 35 to 40 years. Speaking with my good friend and gallerist Max, we always ask ourselves these questions. Success now means nothing if I can’t go the distance. What matters is longevity.

Do you have any fears or anxieties as an artist?

Do you ever feel like you have to uphold a certain reputation?

As an artist, no. My fears and anxieties are more spiritually-based than anything. I do feel I have a reputation to uphold, which is to create at the highest level with purpose. I confront my personal battles and struggles through making art. I just hope that others can confront things within themselves when they interact with my work. If anything, I’d want people to open themselves up and be aware of the times on all levels.

064

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 64

15/3/2018 上午3:15

INTERVIEW

065

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 65

15/3/2018 上午3:15

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

WORDS

J O S H D AV I S

PHOTOGRAPHY

ASHLAN GREY

066

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 66

15/3/2018 上午3:15

FEATURE

BROCKHAMPTON The Real Thing

067

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 67

15/3/2018 上午3:16

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

068

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 68

15/3/2018 上午3:17

FEATURE

You won’t know true fear until you interview 14 people at once. I’m sitting in the green room at Irving Plaza before BROCKHAMPTON, the Los Angeles-based boy band, performs their second out of three sold-out shows in New York City. A loud crowd chant echoes up to our room—muted from the outside through walls of brick and steel. The floor vibrates, the hanging lights seem to sway above.

Yet BROCKHAMPTON is a boy band like, let’s say, an iPhone is a phone. Yes, it performs functions like playing shows and recording—in the way that an iPhone makes phone calls. But then, the group also produces its own music videos. And their own skit series. And their own merchandise.

BROCKHAMPTON is deceptively, profoundly more

than its own designation. Really, the term “boy band” feels like an inside joke, or a tagline. It gives people an easy way to digest this group of songwriters, producers, creative directors, photographers, videographers and thinkers. They do it all, they do it themselves and their entire process is expertly streamlined. That’s what made the experience so unnerving; I was staring at the future.

In December of 2014, Ian Simpson, better known as Kevin Abstract, founded BROCKHAMPTON from the ashes of an earlier project, Alive Since Forever. “I felt like I was in a group where I didn’t have room to lead— which I wanted to do in that moment,” says Abstract.

Many of the group members met on KanyeToThe—the online fan forum—which in part explains the group’s geographic makeup. Matt Champion, Ashlan Grey, Russell “JOBA” Boring, Ameer Vann and Abstract are all from Texas—specifically, Houston and nearby Corpus Christi. The group is even named after Brockhampton Street in Corpus Christi, where Abstract grew up.

When Romil Hemnani tells me he’s from Connecticut, like members Dom McLennon and Jon Nunes, he makes a fart noise. Kiko Merley and Henock “HK” Sileshi are from Jacksonville, and Robert Ontinient is from Miami.

Ciaran McDonald, or Bearface, casually mentions that he’s from Belfast, Northern Ireland, like it’s somewhere around the corner. Merlyn Wood says that he’s from Zamunda—which is a fictional country from the 1988 cult classic Coming to America. But he’s from Texas, too. Although they come from different backgrounds, it’s easy to tell that the members of BROCKHAMPTON

069

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 69

15/3/2018 上午3:17

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

070

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 70

15/3/2018 上午3:17

FEATURE

071

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 71

15/3/2018 上午3:17

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

BROCKHAMPTON

072

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 72

15/3/2018 上午3:18

FEATURE

are cut from the same cloth. It’s almost an Internet fairytale: they were once wanderers, unsatisfied with the status quo, who found a home amongst each other.

They may as well be from Zamunda.

EARLIER this week, BROCKHAMPTON performed on

MTV’s Total Request Live. It was gloriously disruptive: the group jerked, thrashed, screamed and kicked around Times Square, decked out in orange jumpsuits and white hoodies, covered in blue body paint. On the side, host DC Young Fly obligingly bobbed, but also looked like someone who’s struggling to process the spectacle. This was the first televised performance of “BOOGIE,” the opener from their wildly successful album Saturation III. It was a milestone, but somehow the spot felt bigger for MTV than it did for its guests.

The group masterfully controlled the debut: MTV’s YouTube video of the performance is displayed in BROCKHAMPTON’s custom aspect ratio. Vann artfully returned a question about their blue paint—which is actually a nod to Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” music video — by instead referencing an old Frankie Muniz movie, Big Fat Liar.

The irony of BROCKHAMPTON, a boy band formed on the Internet, performing on a cable giant’s onetime flagship program, was too rich to ignore. At its height, the show dictated pop culture with the sort of flashy smiles, Britney-Justin pageantry and sly politesse that helped shape this generation’s worldview. “It’s extremely ironic, that’s one of the reasons we did it,” says Abstract. “We’re a boy band, and we know how we want to be perceived. We already know how people saw us, so we wanted to flip the platform on its head and do the coolest thing we could possibly do.”

If that’s not genius, it’s crazy foresight. Although its members do have bars, BROCKHAMPTON calling itself a boy band spares it from the scrutiny of hip-hop’s old guards and puts the group in a space where it can truly shine. As our culture strives to promote diverse identities across race, gender and sexuality, there’s simply less room for white guy four-pieces. The antiquated pop culture paradigm was begging to be changed. And these days, what’s the difference between a hip-hop group and a boy band anyway?

“Before us, a boy band was something that was manufactured and plastic,” says Vann. “Rap groups are about crying out and expressing yourselves. We’re a hybrid.” Got it. But sonically, the work is a grab bag of genres and subgenres spanning shoegaze to G-funk.

SATURATION III shifts influences, sometimes midsong. Because there are so many people involved in the creative process, Hemnani tells me, it’s virtually impossible to pinpoint BROCKHAMPTON’s sound— and that’s the point.

073

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 73

15/3/2018 上午3:18

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

074

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 74

15/3/2018 上午3:18

FEATURE

When it comes to actually making the music— BROCKHAMPTON ’s creative process itself is a combination of Kanye-like commitment, Disney-like efficiency and Warholian collaborative ideals. Their house, which serves as a recording studio, production set and design hub, is even called the Factory. The original BROCKHAMPTON Factory was formed in 2014, when the group all started living together in San Marcos, Texas. Stories from the salad days of the Factory are fitting for a group of college-age guys trying to build their dream. “We couldn’t afford it,” says Vann bluntly. They worked odd jobs to keep the Internet on: Vann worked at a car shop. Wood got a job with a pedicab company and got jumped on his first—and last—day. Champion operated field day rides at local elementary schools.

These days, however, the Factory is more self-sustaining.

It’s currently located in North Hollywood, across town from the old house in South LA, where the group first moved from Texas in 2016. The sheer volume of talent—five producers-slash-sound engineers, six rappers-songwriters—makes it easy for the group to produce en masse. Vann describes their process fluently, like he’s reading from a cookbook. A song begins on the walls of a writer’s room. Then, it goes to be recorded in Hemnani’s room. Afterward, it’s passed to Boring for engineering. Hemnani, Abstract and Boring handle the executive production.

And voila. In this case, the recipe yielded three albums and 14 corresponding music videos (amongst other things) in 2017—all conceptualized and executed at the Factory. “There’s a hum in the house,” says Vann, who likened the process to that of a car assembly line.

“There’s always art being made. I don’t think anyone here feels like they can stop.”

075

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 75

15/3/2018 上午3:19

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

076

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 76

15/3/2018 上午3:19

FEATURE

077

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 77

15/3/2018 上午3:19

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

But songs aren’t the only thing being made in this Factory. Merchandise has become a large, tangible part of BROCKHAMPTON’s success. Designed by Sileshi—also known as “HK”—and Abstract, the sizable collection is yet another canvas for the creative team. Offerings feature an array of lyrics, mantras and custom graphics across sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats and accessories.

Some pieces are more philosophical than others. Take the “Boys Make Me Sad” sweatshirt. Or the “I Never Liked Sports” ringer T-shirt—the silhouette is a middle school gym staple. In 1995, when Wu-Tang launched Wu-Wear, it was more lifestyle wear than tour merch; it was simply a way to identify with the group’s M.O. Sileshi and Abstract are giving their fans a chance to wear the music that they relate to so closely.

HK credits Odd Future as having “definitely laid the blueprint,” a statement underlined by the group’s recent campaign for Converse, who currently has an ongoing partnership with Tyler, the Creator. “We really

hone in on creating things within our universe.” That universe is constantly evolving. Boring borrows the mic to reflect: “I’m with my favorite people in the world, performing for people who care,” he says. “I’m part of something bigger than myself.” No one mocks him nor does anybody play down his genuine affection.

They embrace it. If you couldn’t tell already, the true appeal of BROCKHAMPTON lies in its members’ authenticity. And as far as boy bands go, even Simon Cowell couldn’t manufacture anything more affecting.

Their plans after the 41-show ‘Love Your Parents’ tour are the same as they ever were: “Keep making things,” Hemnani shrugs. Abstract admits that they will probably release two albums in 2018, and yet it feels like there are bigger things than music in the works.

According to him, two albums are probable. But then there’s Question Everything, described as the umbrella company to their film projects, creative direction and yes, even sovereign to the boy band.

Like “Alphabet for Google?” I ask. “Yeah,” Abstract readily agreed. “The umbrella’s always up.”

078

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 78

15/3/2018 上午3:19

FEATURE

079

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 79

15/3/2018 上午3:20

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

080

D1403_HB_Signature_2.indd 80

15/3/2018 上午3:20

Q&A

Interview Vanessa Lee

D1403_HB_Insert_Places_Faces_M1.indd 81

15/3/2018 上午1:55

Q&A

How would you explain Places+Faces to someone from an older generation?

Places+Faces explained to the older generation, is telling them that we are documenting the culture that we are a part of. As the next generation, we are giving people an insight to what our generation was like and what inspired us, from music to fashion to memes to whatever.

What made you decide to start photographing artists?

Well we started off as photographers, that’s the foundation of P+F. If we stopped everything we’re doing, from the merch, to parties and music, we would still be photographers.

It gives us a reason to travel and see more of the world.

run, so he’s probably the last artist we’ve shot.

What’s gone well for you so far this year?

Our year is pretty much starting out. We’ve already been doing a lot, released the second Issue of our magazine, thrown a couple parties in like Toronto, Montreal, Bratislava, Berlin, etc. Been opening up as DJs on the Playboi Carti tour, and it’s only been three months.

What was the last party you shot?

The last party we shot was probably our party in Montreal, which was pretty wild.

Who was the first artist you ever shot?

A$AP Ferg was one of the first—if not the first—artists we shot.

What kind of projects do you have planned for this year?

We have a lot of projects we’re working on, like the third issue of our magazine, a photo book, more parties and pop-ups too.

Last artist you shot?

Well, we are currently on tour with Playboi Carti for his Europe show

Which projects were the most challenging to get off the ground?

I mean, thinking of a new idea then

082

D1403_HB_Insert_Places_Faces_M1.indd 82

15/3/2018 上午1:55

Places+Faces

“IF WE STOPPED EVERY THING WE WE'RE DOING, FROM THE MERCH, TO PARTIES AND MUSIC, WE WOULD STILL BE PHOTOGRAPHERS. IT GIVES US A REASON TO TRAVEL AND SEE MORE OF THE WORLD.”

working on it to bring it off the ground is a challenge of its own.

When we started making the magazines, putting them together, and making sure it’s good content that everyone will like, that was a challenge in itself.

Do you plan to continue the print avenue for Places+Faces?

Yes, we’re making another magazine.

We started off making mini-zines and then we wanted to expand and grow bigger, so we started working on proper magazines. Now we’re working on the third issue.

Best party you’ve thrown so far?

Best party we’ve thrown probably has to be the one in Tokyo last year.

It was around 1,500 people and we had Giggs and Kohh perform, which made the party even crazier.

What are your thoughts on the modern entrepreneur?

I think modern entrepreneurship is cool, like you don’t have to go to school and get a degree to do what you want especially if it’s in the creative field. If you’re passionate about what you do and have a clear vision, anyone can make something happen, which puts everyone pretty much on an equal playing field.

083

D1403_HB_Insert_Places_Faces_M1.indd 83

15/3/2018 上午1:55

Q&A

Did anyone ever realize you aren’t supposed to be backstage (in the early days)?

Yeah, people have realized we weren’t supposed to be back there but we’re pretty quick at thinking on our feet. However now it’s different, we don’t have to worry about that anymore.

What’s a project that you wished turned out differently?

Everything we do is a learning experience and new to us—nothing at the moment I wish turned out differently, because there’s always lessons to be learned.

You guys have been known to say you want to make a shift in the culture and leave an impact. What would this involve, in the next 5-10 years?

Ideally in the next 5-10 years, we’d like to see our work in galleries and museums, being studied on what culture was like.

Too many to name but to name a few: Gunnerstahl, Samuel Ross and Ace Harper with A-COLD-WALL*, Tremaine and Acyde with No Vacancy Inn, Elie who’s a sick photographer from Toronto, Anwar Carrots, and Yoni from Marchenoir.

Where do you see Places+Faces in the future?

There’s no limit for us right now, we feel like we’re in a position where we can go into different routes and it would fit within the brand. Like one day we could have an airline, and that would be fire and work for the brand. I guess what we’re saying is that there’s nothing offlimits for us. We’re just working on new and exciting ideas every day that would potentially help expand Places+Faces.

Who are the people making the biggest impacts on the culture now?

084

D1403_HB_Insert_Places_Faces_M1.indd 84

15/3/2018 上午1:55

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 85

15/3/2018 上午3:32

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

086

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 86

15/3/2018 上午3:32

PHOTO SET

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 87

15/3/2018 上午3:32

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

088

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 88

15/3/2018 上午3:32

PHOTO SET

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 89

15/3/2018 上午3:32

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

090

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 90

15/3/2018 上午3:32

PHOTO SET

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 91

15/3/2018 上午3:32

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

092

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 92

15/3/2018 上午3:33

PHOTO SET

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 93

15/3/2018 上午3:33

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

094

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 94

15/3/2018 上午3:33

PHOTO SET

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 95

15/3/2018 上午3:33

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

096

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 96

15/3/2018 上午3:33

PHOTO SET

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 97

15/3/2018 上午3:33

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

098

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 98

15/3/2018 上午3:33

PHOTO SET

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 99

15/3/2018 上午3:33

RENAISSANCE

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 100

ISSUE 21

15/3/2018 上午3:33

FEATURE

WORDS

CALUM GORDON

SSS WORLD CORP

PHOTOGRAPHY

WILLOW WILLIAMS

Worldbuilding 101

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 101

15/3/2018 上午3:33

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

“GROWING UP IN REALLY TOUGH OUTBACK TOWNS, YOU CAN’T LOOK DIFFERENT, YOU CAN’T WEAR ANY THING ELSE EXCEPT FOR BL ACK JEANS AND A BL ACK T-SHIRT.”

Paris Fashion Week is a peoplewatchers’ paradise: peacocking in every corner of Le Marais and bars teeming with minor celebrities; parties, pre-party dinners, afterparties—and of course, the shows. It is four days with no shortage of pure spectacle.

And for any Paris Fashion Week veteran, it all quickly becomes rather repetitive and mundane. The venues, party hosts and brands all change, but the premise is ostensibly the same.

It takes something very special—or downright unusual— to shake a weary buyer or editor from their Fashion Week autopilot mode (after all, this Fashion Week is just one squeezed between three or four others that month). However, what can only be described as a fashion show-cum-flash mob, as Justin O’Shea’s newly-launched SSS World Corp label enacted during the recent SS18 Men’s Paris Fashion Week, is probably enough to make even the most jaded industry figure look up from their soup and take notice. Mostly because O’Shea gave them little choice.

“I was like, ‘Fuck it, we might as well just do something completely rogue and try and incorporate everything we would normally do during a day,” says O’Shea of his Paris Fashion Week bow. It consisted of three shows: the sweeping Place Vendôme in the morning, the designer’s favorite bar (the Hemingway at the Ritz) in the evening, and the swanky L’Avenue over lunch, which saw a line of three Mercedes-Benz pull up outside to block the traffic, while an assortment of models strutted amongst diners in outré tailoring and post-apocalyptic Hawaiian shirts. “L’Avenue is a lunch spot we go to all the time. It’s really where people go to watch people. And so I was like, ‘Why not just put the show in front of them? Everyone’s there to look at stuff.’”

O’Shea has a track record for drawing attention. In March 2016 he was appointed creative director of the vaunted Italian luxury label Brioni, despite having no formal design experience. Musclebound and tattooed, he was not what one would typically associate with one

102

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 102

15/3/2018 上午3:33

FEATURE

103

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 103

15/3/2018 上午3:33

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

104

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 104

15/3/2018 上午3:33

FEATURE

105

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 105

15/3/2018 上午3:33

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

106

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 106

15/3/2018 上午3:34

FEATURE

Instagram following (currently at 109,000), thanks to his penchant for sharp tailoring with a rock ‘n’ roll edge. It’s likely one of the reasons that convinced Brioni that he was the man to bring them to a new, more contemporary consumer. It’s also likely why Joerg Koch, founder of German magazine-turnedfashion label 032c, initially thought O’Shea was “kind of a douchebag,” as he told GQ Style last September.

However, ‘it turns out that he's an incredibly nice guy.” And he is—when we speak, O’Shea is affable and devoid of any sense of ego. of fashion’s most conservative brands. His first campaign saw him feature Metallica, along with a “new” gothic logo for the Rome-based fashion house—which was actually a revival of Brioni’s first-ever logo. However, any chance for a radical overhaul was quickly curtailed, with O’Shea exiting the label after just five months at the helm. He got over the loss by joining up with Metallica, who had invited him to hang out on their central American tour.

It’s easy to see that O’Shea isn’t your typical industry insider. Fashion was something he came to relatively late in life. “Growing up in really tough outback towns, you can’t look different, you can’t wear anything else except for black jeans and a black T-shirt,” he says of his formative years in Australia's northern territories.

However, after moving to London at the age of 25, he has been making up for lost time. “I thought fashion would be a cool job because I didn’t go to college. I didn’t really have any education I could fall back on, so I needed to find something I could blag to get in the door and then just wing it after that,” he says candidly on a phone call from Milan.

Prior to Brioni, he held the role of Fashion Director at Mytheresa, where he helped transform the small Munich-based store into an e-commerce giant, turning over $130 million in annual revenue. And somewhere along the way, he also amassed a similarly impressive

Koch first met O’Shea while working on a feature about his work at Brioni, which the brand ultimately blocked before publishing. In Joerg and his wife Maria—who oversees the clothing side of 032c, as well as production for SSS World Corp—O’Shea has found two of his greatest supporters: “They were the two people who got me to start SSS World Corp. They were really adamant: don’t change the style to fit in with anyone else, do exactly what you want, have the gangster thing going on with the tailoring. Don’t succumb to the streetwear thing, you don’t have to only make hoodies or T-shirts. Which is why we haven’t.” Instead, O’Shea has continued create items that range from reserved to joyfully gaudy, like a recently released notched lapel overcoat in an outlandish tiger print.

With shirts priced at around $185, SSS World Corp is relatively inexpensive compared to most buzzed-about labels which show at Paris Fashion Week. This was, in part, a reaction to the current hype-cycle which has impacted the luxury market so greatly in recent seasons. “[We’re] in a world where luxury is dictated by price tag. Anyone can buy an of-the-moment hoodie, or bag, or sweatshirt and be like ‘I’m luxurious.’ And it’s like, ‘Actually bro, you’re not. You’re just a knob-end that got suckered into buying something to try and fit in,’” he laughs. “We want to create a brand that is accessible to anyone that wants to buy into it.”

107

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 107

15/3/2018 上午3:34

108

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 108

15/3/2018 上午3:34

109

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 109

15/3/2018 上午3:34

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

SSS World Corp hasn’t been O’Shea’s only venture in the past year. He also recently moved back to London to launch his own brand of gin, named “Goldy.” “It’s been about half a year of drinking, so I’ve probably forgotten half of it,” he jokes, describing the experience of launching two businesses in a year as “a fucking nightmare half the time,” and pure elation the other half.

“When something happens, like you have the show in Paris, or my favourite restaurant or bar says ‘We wanna carry your gin...’ I would take those few moments of sheer happiness over the weeks of staring at a screen going, ‘This is fucked.’”

“DON’T SUCCUMB TO THE STREETWEAR THING, YOU DON’T HAVE TO ONLY MAKE HOODIES OR T-SHIRTS. WHICH IS WHY WE HAVEN’T.”

O’Shea seems to relish being a disruptive presence in any industry, be it fashion or alcohol. He describes the latter as “a lot of old dudes doing the same shit.” Similarly, in fashion, he ostensibly has the makings of a brand capable of presenting a relevant and new perspective on streetwear-meets-luxury. While SSS World Corp is still streetwear-adjacent enough to command the attention of a young audience, it’s unlikely to be dragged into a Gildan-fuelled race to the bottom any time soon. For a self-professed outsider, O’Shea evidently has a knack for brand building—and even what will make a editor sit up and take note during lunch.

“The formula matters, obviously. But if you can do something interesting with the marketing, it can grow very quickly. It’s just a matter of how you want the brand to be perceived,” he says. He was talking about his gin brand at the time, but it could just as easily apply to SSS World Corp.

110

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 110

15/3/2018 上午3:34

FEATURE

111

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 111

15/3/2018 上午3:34

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

112

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 112

15/3/2018 上午3:34

INTERVIEW

Modern Psychedelia

Toro y Moi WORDS

KEVIN WONG

PHOTOGRAPHY

LIAM MACRAE

113

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 113

15/3/2018 上午3:34

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

Chaz, who has a background in graphic design and hops back and forth with his art and music, admits that music is something he’s always been hooked on, something that’s constantly on his mind. At one point, he admitted that he had trouble focusing on our conversation because we could hear the drums of his neighbor’s rehearsing band, ever so faintly in the background. Having held his first solo art exhibit this year in Los Angeles, art is a way for Chaz to escape and get his mind off of music, even if it’s only for a second.

Chazwick Bundick is of mixed-race African American and Filipino descent, and his stage name derives from a mix of French and Spanish origins, Toro Y Moi, or translated, the “bull and me.” Right down to his name(s) and its changes, his work is an eclectic mix-mash of genius. The unmistakable aura around him and his work all trace back to ‘70s-era psychedelia. His style of mashed up, mixed influences—slightly confused indie yet reflecting the subculture back on itself in laughing irony—he says is a mixture of trying to bring humor and lightness to people through art and music, much in the same vein as a good psychedelic experience. The chameleonic qualities of his music have taken him out of the typical sub-cultural independent realm and into the mainstream spotlight with collaborations alongside Travis Scott and Tyler, the Creator, amongst others.

Feeling the music is just the release of dopamine in our brains. During what we can only vaguely describe as the “peak emotional moments” in songs, our bodies are anticipating and responding to the reward centers of our brains—the same area affected by drugs like cocaine and amphetamines—the hairs on your arms stand up, a cold shiver rushes down your spine, a buzzy warmth washes over your body, and the day goes on rose-tinted for the next little while.

Maybe this is why we put songs on repeat; the act of listening to a three-minute snippet for hours on end only makes sense if it feels (and sounds) similar to that level of amazing.

My trip to his studio in Oakland echoed the same sentiment. Driving past the high-rises, across the Bay Bridge and entering the village of the independents, I pulled up to a well-kept front yard that hid both his music and art studios. I stepped into the yard and sank into a weather-worn lawn chair beside a shiny, well-used Weber grill.

This is especially true when it comes to the music of Chaz Bear, better known as Toro Y Moi, a leader of the chillwave sub-genre. It’s easy to get lost listening to Boo Boo, Chaz’s latest studio album. His tunes transport you somewhere else entirely in a happy hum that’s almost impossible to place—you lose yourself in what could be the ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘60s or just right now. Your mind is blanketed in a spaced-out bliss, expertly woven from indie-pop rhythms, synth melodies and mellow lyrics.

Between puffs of a partially-smoked joint pulled from his front pocket, our conversation meandered from his musical journey to the irony of current fashion, to the cultural shifts in the world that may see the relatively niche genre of ambient music become mainstream.

114

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 114

15/3/2018 上午3:34

INTERVIEW

115

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 115

15/3/2018 上午3:34

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

116

D1403_HB_Signature_3.indd 116

15/3/2018 上午3:34

SHIRT: BODE TROUSERS: MARNI

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 129

HAT: RAF SIMONS SNEAKERS: ADIDAS BY RAF SIMONS

129

15/3/2018 上午1:59

130

JACKET, JEANS: LINDER TURTLENECK: WILLY CHAVARRIA

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 130

SNEAKERS: BRANDBLACK

15/3/2018 上午2:00

ALL CLOTHING, ACCESSORIES & BOOTS CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 131

131

15/3/2018 上午2:00

132

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 132

15/3/2018 上午2:00

SHIRT: VISVIM TROUSERS: MARNI

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 133

SNEAKERS: BRANDBLACK SOCKS: 032c

133

15/3/2018 上午2:00

134

JACKET, HAT, SHORTS, SOCKS & BOOTS: RAF SIMONS

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 134

15/3/2018 上午2:00

135

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 135

15/3/2018 上午2:00

136

COAT, BAG: RAF SIMONS JEANS, SHIRT: LINDER

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 136

SNEAKERS: ADIDAS

15/3/2018 上午2:00

COAT, SHORTS: RAF SIMONS SHIRT: ACNE STUDIOS

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 137

SNEAKERS: ADIDAS BY RAF SIMONS SOCKS: MARNI

137

15/3/2018 上午2:00

138

SWEATER: MARNI JEANS: LINDER

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 138

SLIPPERS: BROTHER VELLIES

15/3/2018 上午2:00

139

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 139

15/3/2018 上午2:01

140

COAT, SHIRT: WILLY CHAVARRIA APRON, SANDALS: 3.1 PHILLIP LIM

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 140

TROUSERS: BODE SOCKS: RAF SIMONS

15/3/2018 上午2:01

JACKET, HAT, SHORTS, SOCKS & BOOTS: RAF SIMONS

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 141

141

15/3/2018 上午2:01

142

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 142

15/3/2018 上午2:01

SHIRT: BODE TROUSERS: MARNI

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 143

SOCKS: RAF SIMONS

143

15/3/2018 上午2:01

144

SHIRT: WILLY CHAVARRIA TANK, BELT: LINDER

D1403_HB_Insert_HannahSider_M2.indd 144

TROUSERS: JIL SANDER SNEAKERS: ADIDAS BY RAF SIMONS

15/3/2018 上午2:01

LO OKS

Hannah Sider PHOTOGRAPHY

Taylor Okata ST YLING

EROL KARADAG

GROOMING

LIAM LITTLE

MODEL

145

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 145

15/3/2018 上午3:40

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

WORDS

IMAGES

VA N E S S A L E E

ADAM MØRK HUFTON + CROW TOM ARBAN

Supernatural

MAD Architects D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 146

15/3/2018 上午3:40

FEATURE

147

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 147

15/3/2018 上午3:40

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

148

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 148

15/3/2018 上午3:40

FEATURE

The newest addition to Beijing’s skyline rises darkly above the bright haze of its city streets, fitting the profile of the villainous dwelling to a tee—conjuring thoughts of films from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Lord of the Rings—abandoned to stand vigil in the middle of Beijing’s central business district. “It looks futuristic at first,” its creator, Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, conceded with a low chuckle. “But it can also remind you of a shanshui ink painting, or a rock, or falling water—something like that,” he added, listing the actual inspirations behind the recently-completed Chaoyang Park Plaza, a mega-complex situated next to a large natural park in one of the busiest parts of the city.

The 43-year-old has carved out an internationallyrenowned career for himself throughout the past decade. His firm, MAD Architects, founded in 2004 and headquartered in Ma’s hometown of Beijing, has expanded to Rome, Los Angeles and New York City, with no shortage of side projects to keep them busy alongside their international clientele. He had designed a line of furniture inspired by the idea of life on Mars—fittingly dubbed MAD Martian Collection— exhibited at Design Miami/Basel in 2017. He was recognized at the International Summit of the WSIE to be one of the leading innovators in his industry, standing alongside peers such as Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking and Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

MAD has published various literature—most of them we correctly presumed as being centered on architecture

along with one titled MAD Dinner, which discusses a wide range of non-architecture-related topics such as ecology, celebrity and sociopolitical issues. To the man at the helm of such a wide-reaching project portfolio, it must all be connected—somehow.

Chaoyang Park Plaza is immediately distinguishable from its urban surroundings—a divisive trait to have when it also stands at a hard-to-ignore 142 meters tall. “Some people think that the buildings look so different from the rest of the city. They think that maybe there’s too much difference. But that’s something we want. We want to criticize the idea of normal cities,” Ma Yansong said. Perhaps it is about time we begin to criticize traditional architecture, in today’s world of micro-homes and housing crises. The new world, saddled with a growing populace, rising housing prices and less available space for private properties or traditional homes, necessitates new patterns of living.

We are entering a time where the construct of space is no longer what it was, even as little as seven years ago. “It’s the role of an architect to be brave, to be avant-garde, to show what could be the future,” Ma said. “That’s how you generate discussion, that’s how the public gets involved in the conversation.” Through his finished works and proposals, the buildings Ma dreams up always seem geared towards providing us with a fresh mode of seeing, whatever it may be. For example, MAD’s proposal for the Montparnasse Tower, the tallest building in Paris since construction finished in 1973—nicknamed “the scar of Paris” by locals in a display of appreciation—involved constructing an

(PREVIOUS) CHAOYANG PARK PL AZA

HARBIN OPERA HOUSE

BEIJING, CHINA

HARBIN, CHINA

149

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 149

15/3/2018 上午3:40

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

“YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHIES FROM WHEN PEOPLE BEFORE US BUILT THE CIT Y. KNOWING THE REL ATIONSHIP PEOPLE USED TO HAVE WITH THE ENVIRONMENT CAN PROVIDE A USEFUL FRAME FOR CONTEMPORARY ISSUES.”

HARBIN OPERA HOUSE HARBIN, CHINA

150

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 150

15/3/2018 上午3:40

FEATURE

151

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 151

15/3/2018 上午3:41

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

152

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 152

15/3/2018 上午3:41

FEATURE

153

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 153

15/3/2018 上午3:41

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

outer layer of glass panels on the building. The panels would then create a Montparnasse-scale concave mirror, transforming the monolith into an ethereal mirage from which the Eiffel Tower, the pride of Paris, appears to dip from the sky instead.

“More designers are starting to look into making architecture more natural and friendly. There are more trees, more open, shared spaces—but at the same time, I think these designers have lost a bit of their identities.”

Why, we ask? Environmentalism has become a basic requirement of architecture. “The society, developers, the government—they are already asking architects to take action on environmental issues. It’s not really coming from them.” Considering that architecture is meant to last through generations of technology development, Ma believes that architects today have become too complacent in a role that he believes should routinely involve imagining—and reimagining— the future. “Architects have a role to shape people’s perceptions about a city. I think it’s important that people look at [MAD’s work] and have a feeling that they don’t normally have towards a modern city,” he said. He believes that incorporating architecture with nature through form is as important as function.

Though Chaoyang Park Plaza did earn a LEED gold certification award—not an easy feat—for incorporating sustainable technology, the structure was also meant to honor the mountains of the surrounding region and the presence of Chinese tradition within the city.

The world is facing a time where we need to start

reconsidering property ownership—we now live in a time where the most successful transportation business owns no vehicles and the most successful hotelier doesn’t in fact own any places for weary travelers to lay their heads. We are clearly entering an age where traditional notions of space are transitioning into a more fluid concept. “Architecture has become less about the measure of space,” Ma said, in an attempt to sum up the state of architecture today in all its shapeshifting glory. There is less divvying-up of space, less walls, less “what’s yours, what’s mine.” He believes this should extend to our relationship with nature—less division, more unification. With the influx of community spaces spearheaded by a growing sharing economy, we’re heading towards a major shift in culture—a Renaissance age, if we may—reconfiguring the way we think space should function, whether they be for work, play, or home, and how our living space works with the surrounding environment.

Just because architecture can raise existential questions such as the above doesn’t mean that Ma can’t be equally happy pointing out the more romantic side of things: “Architecture is about human creation, right?

Not reproducing nature, but to show how we feel about it and how we interpret it. It’s art,” he finished plainly. Contrary to the topic at hand, his tone had a matter-of-factness to it that suggested he’s explained the thought many times before. He was, after all, a university professor before his schedule got too out of hand to continue teaching. Those who have laid eyes on a MAD-designed building would agree that it

MIRAGE PARIS, FRANCE

154

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 154

15/3/2018 上午3:41

FEATURE

155

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 155

15/3/2018 上午3:41

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

CHAOYANG PARK PL AZA BEIJING, CHINA

156

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 156

15/3/2018 上午3:41

FEATURE

157

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 157

15/3/2018 上午3:41

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

“BEING PART OF THIS GENERATION AND TIME, WHAT WE ARE DOING SHOULDN’T MAKE SENSE. IT SHOULD MAKE A MARK.”

MAD MARTIAN COLLECTION 2017

158

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 158

15/3/2018 上午3:41

FEATURE

159

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 159

15/3/2018 上午3:41

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

160

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 160

15/3/2018 上午3:41

FEATURE

looks much more like an objet d’art than a functional space designed for mere human comings and goings.

“There’s a difference between art and normal, daily reality. So anything we create as art should be inspiring. I want each creation to be different, but at the same time also represent nature. Not always in a specific way like a mountain or an ocean, but more so the sense of drama and awe we feel from natural scenery.”

The Harbin Opera House, located in the snowy Harbin region of Northern China, was designed to reflect the snow dunes of the area during the winter season. It may still be poorly camouflaged, but the lines of the building honor its surroundings, instead of pitting itself against the elements in the style of traditional buildings. “When people say they love nature, they’re not going backwards. They don’t want to go back to living in caves,” he said. The idea of nature within architecture has transcended simply incorporating physical elements such as more green space or planting a couple of trees. Ma believes the cities of the future will be landscapes that foster a sense of togetherness with nature in lieu of Man vs. Wild.

Ma’s childhood in Beijing, being exposed to the city’s traditional buildings from a young age, and witnessing the combination of East and Western approaches to urban planning have all influenced his views on how people can think about urban space. He explains, “The new city, the old city, the whole Beijing—you can see the different philosophies from when people before us built the city.” He continues, “Knowing the relationship

people used to have with the environment can provide a useful frame for contemporary issues. The ways people interacted with nature in traditional Chinese or Japanese art are really advanced compared to now. Maybe we can find something there.” Turning out avant-garde work inspired by traditional Chinese philosophy has drawn the eye of many new-generation clients looking to make a mark. “The younger generation [of clients] is looking for a sense of cultural identity—who they are, where they come from, and they’re very conscious of what they’re creating for the future,” Ma says.

“Being part of this generation and time, what we are doing shouldn’t make sense. It should make a mark.

Creating culture is more important than commercial goals—I think that’s why we still manage to have so many clients,” he said, not without a hint of mirth.

His creations not only reflect a changing culture within architecture and represent Chinese traditional culture within the sphere of modern design, but he’s part of the new guard of architects who are helping to shape what our future will look like. Take a look at his buildings. Now picture them all together in a metropolitan, Jetsons-esque huddle. “It’s like Avatar, right? It’s science fiction. And nature.”

ABSOLUTE TOWERS MISSISSAUGA, CANADA

161

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 161

15/3/2018 上午3:41

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

WORDS

FELSON SAJONAS INTERVIEWS

A K I H A R U I C H I K AWA

Pop The New Enterprise

162

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 162

15/3/2018 上午3:41

INTERVIEW

163

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 163

15/3/2018 上午3:41

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

164

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 164

15/3/2018 上午3:41

INTERVIEW

A running thread between the massive success of these collaborations was the pop-up event: unique physical retail experiences to supplement the product—after all, millennials apparently prefer to spend money on experiences above all else. Pop-ups are a way to bring these unique, once-off branding experiences to life, giving the brands’ personas—conveyed through online presence for the most part—a temporary place to live and breathe. These events are nothing new in the industry, but it’s worth noting that the culture itself grew from independent retailers and budding labels finding a more special way to offer their collaborative products. It’s only recently that household names like Ralph Lauren, Nordstrom, H&M, and other conglomerates are mimicking the phenomena that grew out of streetwear’s independent retail scene and necessity for relatively low-cost, effective marketing.

The brand and stockist-retailer experience has always been an interesting one. It’s like a marketing version of who came first, the chicken or the egg; who needs who, who wants what? In the past, independent streetwear brands have always been at the mercy of retailers to carry their brand or products. If we’re talking pre-Internet and web store days, retailer relationships meant everything for a brand’s well-being.

Whether a brand meets success or an imminent demise hangs upon having a place to sell, a space to promote their products and vision.

When done right, pop-ups have a way of making already-relevant brands more relevant, in addition to pushing fledgling labels into the limelight. Some of today’s best independent retailers have found this winning formula to being innovators in the pop-up scene. Maxfield in LA has caused some major buzz through its activations alongside Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God and music group Daft Punk. Olga Karput’s KM20 in Moscow saw success with in-store partnerships featuring Off-White and 032c while Kubo, founder of Tokyo’s GR8 flourished from its Kappa link-up.

Jonathan Pak, owner of Patron of the New, has started 2018 with a Dior pop-up as well as a Palm Angels x Playboi Carti event during NYFW.

In today’s fashion landscape however, everything we once knew has been flipped upside-down. Due to the Internet, the visibility of independent brands is at its highest point—and accompanied by the downfall of many retailers, online and otherwise. The most successful boutiques and retailers, however, have become even stronger powerhouses by adopting new methods, with partnerships and collaborations being the new golden tickets.

We speak to the stores’ founders on their consistent success, continued dedication to evolving the shopping experience and their future endeavors inside—as well as outside—of the pop-up scene.

165

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 165

15/3/2018 上午3:41

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

I always end up repeating one thing: we are not an event agency, we will only do what makes sense for KM20 with those who we closely work with.

How important are these projects to KM20's identity

as a retail presence?

I think that special projects have become a huge part

of KM20’s identity. And this is the only way I see now, how a store can stand out.

K M 20 MOSCOW

Working on the special projects with the best selected designers and delivering exclusive product to our clients

OLGA KARPUT OWNER

worldwide, this is what made it possible for KM20 to become more than a local concept store.

How does the whole collab process happen—do you choose who to work with?

It usually starts with a brief “let’s do something together” either from my side or from the designer’s side. After we What made you decide to open at a new location?

make the decision to work together it comes down to

At some point in the old KM20, we simply could not

product choice, quantities, production times, deliveries,

fit in everything we wanted to. I had no choice but to

events, promotion, among lots of other things.

find another “home” for the pieces and to provide the brands with proper merchandising.

One of the first designers we started to do mutual projects was with Gosha Rubchinskiy—we kinda

In 2016 I found a separate building next to the church—

started together back in 2008, I was selling his first

three floors plus underground parking. It was the perfect

ever collection. And our first mutual projects looked

location and I made the decision to move.

more like art installations.

What kinds of things do you consider when organizing

There are lots of store-owners who have become

There are two main questions. One, is it a project that

become so common now for store owners to

collaborations, events and pop-up events?

a part of their own store branding. Why has it

moves the industry forward? Two, will we have fun

become these influential figures on their own?

and enjoy doing it?

Thanks to social media, everyone gets to be their own media. As for the concept store owners, becoming

Our launch parties are always some of the loudest

an influential person in the industry is more than

parties in the city and I always receive requests from

understandable. A concept store is the owner’s

different brands and people about doing events.

personal vision.

166

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 166

15/3/2018 上午3:42

15/3/2018 上午3:42

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 167

PHOTOGRAPHY YANA DAVYDOVA, GERMAN L ARKIN, ILYA IVANOV, PAVEL KRYUKOV

167

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

GR8 TOKYO

New trends are now shifting to workshops and direct experience. I am confident that workshops are the ultimate form of retail. Designers, artists, and visitors

KUBO OWNER

talk it out in real life and strive to a clear objective.

What are the challenges to building a store like this from the ground up to now?

The fashion industry is a really tough place. Independent stores like ours can possibly get acquired by larger How do you choose who or what brands to work

companies and there are many people who retire and

with for collabs and events?

go to big companies. It can be tough sometimes for

We currently have 150 to 200 brands. For pop-up

the people who work here so I really thank my staff.

shops, we can present our merchandise to a new

GR8 is independently-owned so there’s always freedom,

category of customers and that requires money, labor

yet there are always risks too.

and time. There’s always a risk and there would be no success if there’s no respect, gratitude and love

Why do you think storeowners now have become

for these labels.

influential figures on their own?

This is just my opinion, but people are interested in Last year for our 12th anniversary, we opened pop-ups

what we buy. People are really interested to see us take

featuring Fear of God, Heron Preston and more. The

risks in the amount we buy and see how we are putting

brands that collaborate with GR8 will move forward to

all we’ve got into this business. This interest is what

the next step using GR8’s brand image. In a nutshell,

we could call the influence we are talking about now.

we coexist and mutually prosper with pop-up shops.

What do you think about the future of streetwear?

What do you think pop-up shops and installations

This is forever. Even sleeping and rolling over in a park,

do for retail shops nowadays?

even wearing Jil Sander or Louis Vuitton, they are all

Pop-up shops provide an experience you can’t find

“street.” That’s what we call fashion right? That is why

online. At the same time for us, it would mean that

I would like to continue being in Harajuku my whole

GR8 would be in the limelight.

life, doing what I can to push the culture.

168

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 168

15/3/2018 上午3:42

PHOTOGRAPHY

C/O GR8

169

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 169

15/3/2018 上午3:42

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

You have held the highest standards in terms of

executing pop-up events. Why is pop-up culture such an important part in Maxfield's DNA?

It creates a direct and dynamic relationship with our

MAXFIELD LOS ANGELES

clients and allows them to experience a brand in its

S A R A H S T E WA R T BUYING DIRECTOR

What challenges have you currently faced when

entirety and allows us to express a specific point of view.

delivering these ultra-creative pop-ups to your

customers? What is the end-reward for Maxfield, once it’s completed?

In the end, we have offered a creative cultural event

for our clients, and perhaps had the opportunity to Maxfield has had a long history with LA's high-

introduce Maxfield to a new audience.

the brand had to make in order to get with the

With such big productions, is the return-on-

Creative ideas hit the market faster now, so responding

kind of boost in sales does Maxfield experience

end shopping culture. What major changes has present times?

investment for pop-ups worth it for the shop? What

faster to shifting consumer desires is the biggest

during and after the pop ups?

challenge.

Yes, it is worth it. It is more about developing the relationship with the brand, and offering a limited

By carrying brands like Off-White, Enfants Riches

product to our client outside the traditional experience.

has become a signature style for Maxfield. What

Will pop-up activations get bigger and more

Déprimés and Fear of God, high-end streetwear makes your establishment such a draw for these

dramatic at Maxfield? What are some future ideas

labels to work with you? What does Maxfield

the brand would like to execute?

Not necessarily. You will have to stay tuned for future

offer differently in comparison to other shops in the LA area?

events!

the designers and brands we choose to work with.

Where do you see Maxfield's own shopping culture

We have always believed in making a statement for That, and the level of customer service and the rich

evolving in the next few years?

diversity in the products we carry create a very unique

That is the question on everyone’s mind in retail! We

experience for both the client and the collection.

need to continue pushing boundaries.

170

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 170

15/3/2018 上午3:42

PHOTOGRAPHY

C/O MAXFIELD

171

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 171

15/3/2018 上午3:42

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

We have the opportunity to have personal relationships with all the brands we carry. This gives us the freedom to let brands express their vision within our space.

PAT R O N O F T H E N E W NEW YORK

What steps do you take in order to execute popups that would draw in people?

J O N AT H A N PA K FOUNDER

Through social media we have a larger reach and can keep all of our patrons in-the-know.

Collaboration is big in the fashion industry. You've

linked up with the likes of Dior, Heron Preston and

Palm Angels—what is it about Patron that makes

What were some of your motivations to open

brands want to collaborate with you?

Patron of the New? How did you initially plan for

We’ve created a place where brands feel comfortable

I grew up in New York, loving fashion, and was never

bring the hype.

knowing we will be able to execute their vision and

the space's success?

able to find a store that carried all my favorite brands in one place. All the stores were lacking an experience

Names like Cardi B, J Balvin, Playboi Carti and

and I knew I could curate the one I was looking for.

more frequent your store. What makes Patron

such an ideal place for celebrities, artists and

What differentiates Patron of the New from other

athletes to shop there?

City? What kind of a shopping experience can

about the business.

Our store stands out because we are family-owned

In terms of pop-ups, what things do you feel you

Because we bond on a personal level and it’s not just

boutiques and department stores in New York

customers expect at your establishment?

and operated. We showcase brands we love and wear.

could do more to improve on these special events

We lead with what we think is cool and avoid anything

you host? Are there a few brands out there you'd

that doesn’t feel right for us.

want to work with?

Hedi has been my greatest inspiration since day one.

His direction motivated me to get where I am today.

You're one of the few, if not the only boutique in

With his new position at Céline I would be honored

New York that has mastered the art of pop-ups.

to collaborate with him in the future.

How crucial is it for you to do these events?

172

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 172

15/3/2018 上午3:42

PHOTOGRAPHY

JACKSON RAY

173

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 173

15/3/2018 上午3:43

GUIDE

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

F E AT U R E D :

NOUS NOWHERE MUSÉE YVES SAINT L AURENT LEISURE CENTER BODEGA U R B A N N AT I O N M U S E U M VA N C O U V E R , B .C .

LOS ANGELES, USA

The word “renaissance” is forever fated to summon images of impossible grandeur, tied to a particularly golden moment in human history. However, the Renaissance period’s spirit of adventurousness, the fever of cultural movement, can be found in all corners of the world.

174

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 174

15/3/2018 上午3:43

GUIDE

BERLIN, GERMANY PA R I S , F R A N C E

MARRAKESH, MOROCCO

B A N G KO K , T H A I L A N D

Our picks for this issue are an ode to renewed perspectives, whether it be celebrating a city’s budding design culture, the rebirth of an old friend or simply gaining more ways to appreciate the things we already love.

175

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 175

15/3/2018 上午3:43

ISSUE 21

48 R U E C A M B O N PA R I S 75001 FRANCE

Nous

RENAISSANCE

When one door closes, another opens; this is certainly the case with Nous, founded by former colette buying head of tech and timepieces Sebastien Chappelle. The store’s namesake, denoting “us” in French, stands as both a reminder of and departure from the nowdefunct retail giant for Chappelle and his team, who have taken their knowledge amassed from fourteen years at their former place of work to create a new retail concept store geared towards tech and menswear.

Nous substitutes the kitschiness of colette for a sleek curation of men’s accessories, sneakers, luxury watches and tech gadgets. There is also a selection of books—

with yours truly named among the ranks—stockpiled with titles dedicated to street culture. “I wanted to retain our community relationships with the people we’ve worked with for years,” Sebastien says, of the decision to situate Nous on rue Cambon, a stone’s throw from his old place of work. With the Madeleine, Olympia Music Hall and major hotels mere steps away, the new retail venture occupies a slice of prime real estate—yet, given its history, one expects nothing less.

176

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 176

15/3/2018 上午3:43

GUIDE

177

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 177

15/3/2018 上午3:43

ISSUE 21

SOI EKKAMAI 6 THA CIT Y LOFT HOTEL BANGKOK, THAIL AND

NOWHERE

RENAISSANCE

Bangkok seems to hail from a planet all its own. The raw, hedonistic impulses of the city and its nighttime revellers shimmer in tandem with the quiet hum of Buddhist temples, heavy with the perfume of incense and floral offerings from locals and tourists. The unapologetic wrestle between the feral and the sublime is one of the longstanding trademarks of the city - now increasingly punctuated by new establishments which stand testament to Bangkok’s burgeoning design chops. NOWHERE, a rooftop bar and restaurant in

the hipster Ekkemai neighbourhood near the middle of the city, stands as one of many shining examples of Bangkok’s journey to match its grit with polish.

Conceived by architecture group stu/D/O, the space was inspired by surrealist artist M.C. Escher’s work “Relativity”—certainly the picture which springs to mind of most patrons as soon as they enter the restaurant doors. A flight of stairs makes two continuous loops of the space, serving different functions at various heights

178

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 178

15/3/2018 上午3:43

GUIDE

such as seating, bar top, tables and communal area dividers. True to form, the staircase comes to an abrupt end in the middle of the establishment, vanishing in the midst of a journey upwards, going—you guessed it—nowhere.

179

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 179

15/3/2018 上午3:43

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 180

15/3/2018 上午3:43

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 181

15/3/2018 上午3:43

ISSUE 21

RUE YVES SAINT L AURENT 40000 M A R R A K E C H MOROCCO

Musée Yves Saint Laurent

RENAISSANCE

Musée Yves Saint Laurent, recently opened in the sunny city of Marrakech, stands as one of two museums built in honor of the legendary designer. The city has stood as inspiration for much of the late artist’s work since he first visited Morrocco in 1966—having liked the country so much he bought an apartment in Marrakech and continued to make frequent visits ever since. The museum houses a display of works by the late designer, along with a research library, café and restaurant.

Design touches inspired by the designer’s work, such as bookshelves lacquered the same color as the label’s

Opium perfume bottle and a building exterior designed to echo lines of fabric, live alongside a collection of never-before seen masterpieces. The museum is the first fashion museum in Africa and resides adjacent to Jardin Majorelle, a botanical garden saved from re-development by Yves Saint Laurent in the 1980s.

Though the house of Saint Laurent has undergone countless changes through the years, Musée Yves Saint Laurent stands as one out of many examples of the designer’s influence beyond the realm of fashion.

182

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 182

15/3/2018 上午3:43

GUIDE

183

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 183

15/3/2018 上午3:43

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 184

15/3/2018 上午3:43

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 185

15/3/2018 上午3:43

ISSUE 21

950 H O M E R S T VA N C O U V E R , B C CANADA

Leisure Center

RENAISSANCE

A city that’s quickly gaining repute for being home to an influx of well-heeled inhabitants, Vancouver’s retail scene is evolving to accommodate the lush habits of her new patrons. Amongst the polished upcrop of new buildings and stores lies Leisure Center, a retail concept space housed in a 1930s-era warehouse building. Its somewhat self-explanatory name hones in on its founders’ intentions: “I named it ‘Leisure Center’ because I want to redefine leisure time. I wanted a place

where people can enjoy their free time and bring them the slow joy of appreciating things in their life.” Indeed, it becomes easy to appreciate the finer things in life when one has 22,000 square footage of intensely-curated heritage space to do so.

Labels the likes of Vetements, Balenciaga, Loewe and Comme des Garçons reside in a setting of burnished gold handrails, moulded doorways and foot-worn flooring from the building’s glory days, juxtaposed against the modern simplicity of west

186

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 186

15/3/2018 上午3:44

GUIDE

coast design. Because no retailer today is complete without a multi-purpose space, the ample venue at Leisure Center is also accompanied by a “wellbeing bar” from New York imprint The Alchemist Kitchen, alongside a selection of rare books and curated artworks to feed the mind and eye.

187

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 187

15/3/2018 上午3:44

ISSUE 21

1320 E . 7 T H S T R E E T, S U I T E 150 LOS ANGELES, CA USA

Bodega

RENAISSANCE

The Boston-based Bodega has set up shop in a spot on East Seventh Street in LA, adding their communitydriven M.O. to the city’s streetwear culture. Now, thanks to the buzz surrounding the store opening, it’s unlikely that the notoriously secret location of the new 8,000 square foot space will stay hidden for long. They bring their unique brand curation, product collaborations and house-branded items to an alreadythriving streetwear community in Los Angeles, taking Bodega’s local-minded, community-driven ideals to eyes and arms wide open to receive them. There’s no doubt that Bodega’s new West Coast location will become an inextricable part of LA’s retail scene and a must-visit stop for those in town visiting—though we’re sure it has already happened, even before they opened their doors on the West Coast for the first time.

188

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 188

15/3/2018 上午3:44

GUIDE

189

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 189

15/3/2018 上午3:44

BÜLOWSTRASSE 7 1078 3 B E R L I N GERMANY

Urban Nation Musem of Urban Contemporary Art

RENAISSANCE

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 190 ISSUE 21

190

15/3/2018 上午3:44

GUIDE

street. Situated in the heart of Berlin, the museum is not difficult to spot, as the building’s exterior works as a modular, changeable canvas to give artists all over the world an opportunity to leave their mark on its walls.

Pieces of the building exterior are removable in the reinventive spirit of street art and later taken inside to live on as part of Urban Nation Museum’s extensive—and we daresay quickly growing—collection.

The Urban Nation Museum of Urban Contemporary Art in Berlin is the first gallery of its kind, dedicated to graffiti and street art. Its recent grand opening in September of 2017 saw a show with works by over 100 of the most relevant contemporary artists today helmed by the likes of Banksy, Blek le Rat, Shepard Fairey and Ron English.

The former apartment building has been revamped with an open floor plan and an asphalt floor to give visitors the impression that they are viewing the pieces on the

191

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 191

15/3/2018 上午3:44

RENAISSANCE

ISSUE 21

Directory

ACNE STUDIOS ACNESTUDIOS.COM

GR8 GR8.JP

NOUS NOUS.PARIS

ADIDAS ADIDAS.COM

HERON PRESTON HERONPRESTON.COM

PATRON OF THE NEW PATRONOFTHENEW.US

BAMFORD WATCH DEPARTMENT BAMFORDWATCHDEPARTMENT.COM

JIL SANDER JILSANDER.COM

PLACES+FACES PLACESPLUSFACES.COM

BAPE BAPE.COM

JJJJOUND JJJJOUND.COM

RAF SIMONS RAFSIMONS.COM

BODE NEW YORK BODENEWYORK.COM

JUNYA WATANABE MAN JUNWATANABE.JP

SSS WORLD CORP SSSWORLDCORP.COM

BRANDBLACK BRANDBLACK.COM

KARRIMOR KARRIMOR.COM

VETEMENTS VETEMENTSWEBSITE.COM

BROTHER VELLIES BROTHERVELLIES.COM

KM20 KM20.RU

VISVIM VISVIM.TV

CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC CALVINKLEIN.COM

MARCELO BURLON MARCELOBURLON.EU

YVES SAINT LAURENT YSL.COM

COMME DES GARÇONS COMME-DES-GARCONS.COM

MARNI MARNI.COM

ZENITH ZENITH-WATCHES.COM

EASTPAK EASTPAK.COM

MAXFIELD MAXFIELDLA.COM

032C 032C.COM

FRAGMENT DESIGN FRAGMENT.JP

NEW YORK SUNSHINE NEWYORKSUNSHINE.COM

3.1 PHILLIP LIM 31PHILLIPLIM.COM

192

D1403_HB_Signature_4.indd 192

15/3/2018 上午3:44