Varon Magazine 12

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Masthead

Roman Kemp

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New Blood

Mr. Men

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John Alexander Skelton

Push my Buttons

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The Best show on Earth

Expression

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The Past is a Foreign

Lost mi Love

Country

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Pillow Talk

Hachiyama

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Endless summer

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Beyond Stages

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Vol.12

Contributing

Editors in Chief

Fashion Editors

Contributing Writers

Contributing Photographers

Nacho Pinedo

Coline Bach

A.J. Kelly

Bernardino Cervigon

Hamish Wirgman

Becky Davies

Claire Brand

Bernardino Cervigon

Jon Gorrigan

Lucia Hernandez Peris

Kim Jacobsen

Creative direction AT LARGE

Way Perry

Juna Park Martin Person Natalia Bengoechea

Editor

Lucia Hernandez Peris

Olie Arnold

Lonny Spence

René Zamudio

Marc Hibbert

Shirley Amartey

Mark Rabadan

Way Perry

Design

Michäel Smits

Jorge Zarco

Nacho Pinedo Ryan Skelton Takashi Osata

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NEW BLOOD

C e ntral S a i nt M art i ns , R o y al A cad e m y o f F i n e A rts A ntw e rp

Emerging designers are changing the conversation in the fashion industry. Genderblurring collections, craftsmanship and technology found in one single piece of clothing, and social media setting the pace of the business are pivotal elements of this business.

In this turbulent scenario, in which everything seems to be in constant and deep transformation, there are two fashion schools that are nurturing the new generation of young designers that are bringing some fresh ideas to the fashion table.

Central Saint Matins has fostered the talent of designers such as Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, and more recently Craig Green. Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp has seen how the Antwerp Six made history, and how Demna Gvasalia is revolutionising the fashion industry.

These two schools are undoubtedly setting the beat in Europe’s fashion industry, with a repercussion in the rest of the world.

B y L u c í a H ern á n d e z P eris

Varón brings you Phoebe English and Chin f romCent r al Saint Mar t ins, and

P h o t o g r a pher : M i c h a ë l S mits

Devon Halfnight Leflufy and Emmanuel Ryngaert from Royal Academy of Fine Arts

S t y list : C o line B a c h a t T he Onl y A g en c y

Antwerp, who are all shaping the future of fashion design in an unconventional way.

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I n conversation with

E m m a n u el A .

LHP: In what way has Royal Academy of

to unearth the essence of the image. Is it

Fine Arts Antwerp changed the way you

about a construction idea? This analysis

see, understand and create fashion? Why

will form the base of my inspiration. For

did you choose to go there?

my Master collection, I found an image of an anonymous piece of modular furniture.

EAR: I chose the Royal Academy of Fine

I still haven’t figured out who made it. But

Arts in Antwerp for a number of reasons.

it made me think about the construction

First of all, because of practical ones.

of things, and a way of making it less per-

Being Belgian, it wasn’t that much of a

manent; imagining an alternative way to

Emmanuel A. Ryngaert has recently gra-

move to study in Antwerp. But most im-

sewing when constructing garments.

duated from Royal Academy of Fine Arts

portantly, I did always love the extrava-

Antwerp, with his collection Meccano

gance the Academy represented: nothing

LHP: What is the essence of your Master

positioning him as a promising designer.

is too big. The Academy produces these

collection, Meccano?

He takes us through his precise design

larger-than-life silhouettes, even though

process, the specific techniques he uses,

those things are not particularly my style

EAR: Meccano is about construction

such as laser cut, and the exciting future

now. It was great to be able to experience

and playfulness, offering a different way

that awaits him working as part of Raf Si-

them through other students. I learned a

of constructing. Rather than sewing the

mons’ team.

lot through them: seeing what they made

seams, I provided positive and negative

and trying to understand their thinking

shapes to connect the seams. The whole

Lucía H. Peris: How did your passion for

process. In that sense, the Academy has

collection was laser cut. This means that

fashion design begin? Was it something

freed me from the conventional meaning

all the patterns of the garments exist in

that you always wanted to do?

of beauty. Because liking or disliking

a digital version, so I could email the pa-

something is my subjective opinion, so

ttern to anyone anywhere in the world. A

Emmanuel A. Ryngaert: I can’t say where

that’s not particularly relevant. It’s about

person in Japan could buy a local mate-

it started. I didn’t grow up in a specifi-

what they are trying to say through their

rial and have his version of the garment

cally fashion-minded family. But there

collections, how they are saying it, and

laser cut. There wouldn’t be a huge pro-

must have been something in our home

if it comes across in the strongest way

duction or transport of a garment.

that made my three brothers and I turn

possible. The most important thing about

towards objects and art. Together we’re

a collection is that it is truthful to the

LHP: How do you manage to keep up

all into furniture, design, architecture,

maker and its newness.

with time pressure, while at the same

Ryngaert

and arts. As a kid, I was always quite

time creating such precise and detailed

creative, and I loved how a garment could

LHP: In fact, you use very specific tech-

influence a person and their attitude.

niques to construct the garment in a di-

Whether it’s a suit or a pyjama, wearing

fferent and new way, what is your design

a certain piece can change your mind,

process?

designs?

transforming the way people around you perceive you. In a sense, fashion was so-

EAR: I often start with one or two images

mething I always wanted to do, but before

(of either art, design, or architecture) that

going to the [Royal Academy of Fine Arts]

I find. Then I put them together, rather

in Antwerp, I studied Furniture and Inte-

than making moodboards of hundreds of

construction and

rior Design – which is something [that I

pictures. These two images go through a

playfulness, offering a

loved] and still do. I don’t see myself ex-

personal analysis process. What are they

clusively as a fashion designer, but more

about? Where were they taken? And then,

different way of

as a person who designs in the broad sense.

I try to verbalize them in an abstract way

“Meccano is about

constructing” Emmanuel A Ryngaert full look

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“The notion of the

EAR: I don’t know about time pressure.

is in part because the designers that are

tormented artist is

I’m always quite okay with time manage-

shaping menswear are designing less ex-

ment! It’s about starting in time and not

travagantly than before. Men’s fashion

something that doesn’t

overthinking certain things. Trusting your

has become more subtle, because most

suit me at all”

instincts is often a good idea. When you

men are drawn to less extreme designs.

enjoy what you do, everything becomes lighter. The notion of the tormented ar-

LHP: What does fashion mean to you in

tist is something that doesn’t suit me at

2016? Are clothes in some way more than

all. I’m a positive and critical person, and

“just fashion”?

if you apply both factors to your work, it goes quite smoothly.

EAR: Fashion is always a reflection of society. And fashion at the moment is as

“The Academy has freed me from the conventional meaning of beauty”

LHP: Do you think there is another way to

diverse as modern-day society. There is

approach fashion then?

not one leading style at the moment. There is Vetements, which can perfectly exist

EAR: You can approach fashion in so

next to something like Givenchy. And

many ways. It’s very free and personal. It

both of those are then again totally diffe-

can be considered and measured, or very

rent to Dries Van Noten. All these brands

free and wild. For me, it’s about balancing

say something very different. There is not

those different elements.

one which is ‘better’ than other. They all exist. They all have customers. There is no

LHP: What would you say are the main

sense of ‘togetherness’ in fashion at the

challenges you face when designing for

moment, as there is also a lack of toge-

men?

therness in society at the moment.

EAR: Designing for men is challenging,

LHP: You’ve recently graduated from Ro-

because menswear requires more re-

yal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, and

ference to classic garments than wo-

have a bright future ahead of you. What

menswear does. So it’s balancing crea-

is your next step as a designer? Working

tivity and innovation with reference. If

for a brand or setting up your own firm?

you don’t have enough reference in a garment, it will lose what you’re trying to say.

LHP: Menswear has been emerging the past few seasons and is getting more media attention than ever, do you think we are rediscovering menswear?

EAR: Over the years, men have earned the right to show that they care about how they look. We can also see this in the gym culture. It’s not only for gay men, but for a broader landscape of guys wanting to

EAR: I just got accepted to intern at Raf Simons, which is a great opportunity to learn how the fashion world really works.

I hope to see a lot of the design process.

Starting up my own firm is something that I consider doing in the future. But I would like to take one step at a time. Of course I have ambitions and dreams, but I don’t focus on them. There is not something that I need to achieve to feel that I have succeeded.

‘look a certain way’. The rise of menswear Emmanuel A Ryngaert full look

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Chin Me n s we a r

Chin men full look

Chin men full look

De v o n Halfnight Leflufy

Back in his native Vancouver, Devon

conversation with.

his work, creating beautiful and visually

He confesses to me that when he was

rich designs that have caught the eye of

growing up, he had no idea what he wan-

both the audience and the press from the

ted out of life. However, his inclination to

early stages of his career. In fact, he tries

everything creative and his inquisitive

to create something harmonious that links

mind led him to the place he is now. In

in some way to the contemporary culture

some way, he says, he was always drawn

of fashion seen as a social phenomenon.

to fashion. Although the journey wasn’t

Bold prints, oversized coats, and gra-

free of obstacles.

phics nod to that interest in skateboar-

Halfnight Leflufy was only a kid hanging

ding, subcultures and youth; designs that

around with his friends and obsessed

Halfnight Leflufy took his first steps in

soon resonated with women. So Halfnight

with skateboarding. He had no clue one

the fashion industry in Montreal, where

Leflufy and his team in Antwerp embar-

day he’d become the designer everyone

he went to school to learn about pattern

ked on a new adventure and launched a

was talking about.

making before moving to Belgium. That

womenswear line. “It was exciting and we

was where he applied to the Royal Aca-

wanted to go forward in that direction,”

He’s been awarded with the Louis Pri-

demy of Fine Arts Antwerp and to his

Halfnight says. And it was possible, he

ze for his graduate collection at Royal

surprise, got accepted. “I had a terrible

explains, thanks to having the entire pro-

Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, he was

portfolio back them,” he recalls. But this

cess in-house. It makes it easier and fas-

shortlisted for the 2015 LVMH Prize, has

prestigious school, where designers such

ter to adapt to market swings and other

collaborated with Opening Ceremony,

as Dries Van Noten and Martin Margiela

external circumstances that can appear

and has shown his collection at New York

learned the ropes of fashion design, saw

in this volatile but beautiful industry that

Fashion Week: Men’s, but the success of

the talent behind that apparent chaos.

fashion is.

talent hasn’t changed that charming boy,

At Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp,

and those early interests in skateboar-

they gave him the opportunity to get to

“You have to want

ding and underground culture would pro-

know himself in a way he never thought

it more than

ve essential in his future as a designer.

of before. By breaking him down, and

anything else”

this Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp

“dissecting” his mind, they unearthed the aesthetic hidden behind those invisible

With that contagious optimism and ener-

walls. It was during those years that he

is just about clothes,

gy that Devon Halfnight Leflufy gives off,

internalised a motto that still accompa-

the designer tells us that he and his team

but my world has

nies him today: “You have to want it more

are now “focusing on building our founda-

more to say”

than anything else.” He highlights the im-

tion; the brand aesthetic.” And although

portance of dreaming, but always being

they might not have any specific plans at

realistic about your goals and objectives.

the moment, our conversation leaves me

“The end result

with the impression that his fast-rising

He is friendly, charming and funny. The

And it is that initial chaos and confusion

tone of his voice denotes that passion for

that most could misinterpret what is sti-

designing that doesn’t make it look like a

ll present in his collections today. They

job. But it certainly is. And a very stress-

seem to be out of control, but in fact, they

ful, yet fascinating one. He talks passio-

respond to a very controlled and precise

nately about his designs, and although

way of working. Every detail that could

we are discussing serious business, he is

seem disparate at first sight, makes sen-

someone easy and funny to engage in a

se when it blends together with the rest of

career has only just started.

Hair: Ben Thalbot using Fudge professional Make Up: Nicky Weir at Sarah Laird using MAC cosmetics Models: Junior Choi (PRM) and Alek Stoodley (LEDA) Devon Halfnight full look

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Devon Halfnight LeFlufy full look

Devon Halfnight LeFlufy full look

Phoebe

Her internships also played an important

hausting,” she explains. So English made a change that would allow her to keep

E n gl i s h

role in the making of this great British designer. English cut her teeth at fashion

up the pace while enjoying her job as a

houses with the likes of John Galliano,

designer: she started offering less in the

Diane von Furstenberg and Mr Pearl, pa-

hope that that decision would mean more

ving the path to where she is now: the de-

and better quality and ideas. And it wor-

signer of her eponymous brand, founded

ked. She couldn’t be more pleased with

in 2011, straight after graduating from

that brave decision, although English re-

Central Saint Martins.

cognises that it wasn’t easy because “it

made in england

Phoebe English was raised in Warwic-

is sometimes difficult to decide to pro-

kshire, England, and was destined to become a creative talent since she was

English designs for both men and women,

tect yourself when so many people are

born. Art runs in her blood –her mother is

which allows her tap into two different

asking and expecting things from you.”

a painter and her father, a landscape ar-

but tangled worlds. Womenswear, she

tist– so the question whether she consi-

explains, is a beacon of fresh air and free-

And knowing herself as a designer and

ders herself an artist or not seems almost

dom, while “there is a very tight perimeter

being brave enough to trust her instincts

mandatory. “I am often asked this, but I

for menswear,” making designing for men

have proved very valuable to Phoebe

feel, to be honest, it’s difficult to answer

“equally hard as it is straightforward,”

English throughout her fast-rising career.

as the industry works across so many di-

and also very liberating and constricting

She has never planned the future and she

fferent levels, price points and prerogati-

at the same time. And although it seems

is definitely not going to start now. “In just

ves,” she explains.

to have more rules, she likes that, espe-

achieving what I have achieved so very

cially “after having complete freedom

much and am grateful for it,” she says.

with womenswear for so long.”

And she is absolutely entitled to feel that

Nevertheless, as she says, “clothes can be

way. She has been featured in Vogue, The

more than just fashion.” And her designs are definitely part of something bigger ha-

Uneven lines, neutral and dark colour

ppening in the fashion industry right now:

palettes, and superposed garments that

the emergence of menswear, and the resur-

form different layers create an intriguing

gence of old and forgotten techniques.

silhouette that defines the Phoebe English menswear line. Everything is Made in

Her creations have caught the eye of both

England, and she and her team of “bri-

the critic and the audience, and she has

lliant women,” as she describes them,

been awarded prestigious prizes such as

work with great attention to small details

the L’Oréal Professional Creative Award in

and finishing touches.

2011. That year, she graduated from Central Saint Martins, which gave her a “very broad viewpoint and visual language to draw upon,” she explains. Indeed, English wouldn’t be a fashion designer without CSM, since this prestigious school “built the way I work.”

“Clothes can be more than just fashion”

New York Times and Dazed & Confused, amongst others, and works with stockists like I.T. in Hong Kong, and Dover Street Market in London.

For now, the only thing that she has planned is continuing to enjoy each day, working with her “incredible team,” she says.

Because “having the privilege to work with them every day is satisfaction enough.”

“It is different for each garment,” she explains to me regarding her design process.

“Sometimes I dream them, sometimes I

“I enjoy each day working

draw them, sometimes I drape them and

with my incredible team,

sometimes it’s just a process of chopping

that for me is satisfaction

and snipping on the model during a fitting,” but it also has to do with a world of

enough to have the

emotions and sensations, “how I am fee-

privilege to work with

ling and what I am experiencing at the time.”

these brilliant women

However, time pressures and workload can be unbearable and “extremely ex-

Emmanuel A Ryngaert full look

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every day”

JOHN ALEXANDER SKELTON

PURE TALENT P h o t o g r a pher : R YA N S K E L T O N B y E li z a beth B r a u d ers

He takes it all very seriously. He doesn’t smile or laugh a lot when he’s in work mode, and that includes interviews. When you make John Alexander Skelton laugh it feels like an accomplishment. He mostly does this when he’s confused, when he hears something unexpected rather than amusing. Once I figured this out I started asking him the most irrelevant questions I could think of. He describes his new collection to me the way he answers all questions, head down, no eye contact ever, fidgeting with something from his desk, and jittering his knee as he thinks.

I nod, “mmhmm, that’s cool…So, tell me, are you afraid of death?” He looks suddenly right at me and bursts into laughter, then gives a Cheshire cat grin. “I’m going to go make some coffee…” It’s the first question he doesn’t immediately have an answer for, and also the first one he doesn’t seem to take seriously. He arrives back to the bright, cluttered studio space with two mugs and another smile and acknowledges “I did not expect that.” Then he’s straight back to his interview face, gravely considering his opinion of the abyss.

When I first started working with John Skelton I wasn’t sure if he liked me or not. I’m still only about 60% certain. He paused once, while cutting a pattern in the studios at Central Saint Martin’s, and asked me if I was going to move back to my hometown after my studies. His tone made it impossible to discern if it was polite inquiry or suggestion. He doesn’t seem to completely believe in the necessity of fashion journalists. I suspect the fact that I studied academic subjects at an academic university before turning to the dark side is why he humours me. His work is of utmost importance to him, and he doesn’t want it interpreted or mediated by a voice that doesn’t truly understand it. It’s not just his work to him, it seems more like a vocation, something he feels he absolutely must do. You wouldn’t ever imagine from this demeanour while sewing that he could dance with abandon in a basement bar through the night, curls and limbs flying in all directions. The night he accepted the L’Oréal prize at London Fashion Week, this is exactly, improbably, what he did.

He knows how to be remarkably charming, but he doesn’t bother unless it’s necessary. One moment I was literally banging my head on a table in frustration, at his inability to schedule an interview date for a documentary on his work. His replies were expressionless, unconcerned.

Not five minutes later he was bounding over with a mischievous grin to talk me into helping with some last minute task. It was impossible to say no. The beliefs he has are noble, the importance of sustainability, the environment, of designers who produce integrous meaningful work, who give customers an experience of real luxury that he feels has disappeared, “I have kind of an obsession of things that are really well made and I guess that part of why I look into the past for those kind of things is that they did used to be well made and also hand crafted.

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if you were to compare a handbag from now with a handbag made in early 1900s, I think you would find that the detail and the quality would be unmatched and the comparison would be… well, there wouldn’t be any comparison.” This is not nostalgia though, that much he’s sure of.

He’s not recreating an idealised past, just hopefully taking silvers of integrity from wherever he can find them. It could be as simple as a tiny woollen mill still working with British fleece in traditional techniques, or as abstract as a black and white photograph of an old gentleman in shirtsleeves, bowling during an impromptu cricket match in a Bolton summer on the brink of World War Two. There is a simplicity and a self-assurance in the way that Skelton sees things that I’m incredibly jealous of. It’s not nostalgia, purely for the reason that he says it’s not nostalgia. Perhaps I should go back to the South of France and just work in a cafe or something, he suggests, because why do I need a career when I loved my lifestyle there, if I was happy there?

I don’t like when he asks me questions. I don’t usually have answers for them. If your response is unsatisfactory, he won’t just let it go either.

The most admirable trait I consistently see in John is the integrity he strives for in every area of his work.The creation of something that is positive, that is fair, that is not some monstrous capitalistic venture intended to glean as much profit as possible, or feed some designer ego. “I don’t want to be some kind of… Omnigod,” he says, repulsed by the word he’s just created. “I think it’s important to show what people actually do, rather than hide it behind my name. It’s important for me, for everybody who is working with me. I really don’t like when people become very secretive about who was behind what. I really don’t see the point in it. It doesn’t give who ever is working for you any incentive, because their work and their skill is not being recognised, it’s just the designer. Gabby who did my knitwear before she is going to be a visible collaboration so she’s not just in the background because I think she makes up quite a key part of what I do…”

So often in the world of work, and particularly in the world of fashion, we’re told that we’ll have to work with people we dislike, that it’s just part of growing up and living in the real world.

Not for John. “I only really want to work with people that I’m close to and that I trust,” he says, explaining why he is working with his younger brothers, Ryan and Danny, on this venture, and hopes that his parents will be involved “at some stage”. It’s also this value that drove him to create his own label, rather than work for someone else, “I wanted to keep my momentum, my freedom, when I think about working for somebody else that just drops.”

From speaking with him for however brief a period, you can tell that his work will always be the best he can possibly do, that he simply wouldn’t allow himself to produce anything less than excellence, perfection, beauty. He doesn’t entertain criticism unless it’s extensively justified and explained, and he won’t pander to convention to promote himself: he doesn’t bother with hashtags on Instagram, he doesn’t relentlessly self-promote across social media or bother building hype. He doesn’t need to. Those hours are poured into his creations and it is instantly, unexpectedly, anachronistically visible. This is clothing that stands defiant in opposition to fast fashion. Intention is visible in every stitch, and each piece carries almost a personality of its own. They return to the world a pre-modern authenticity that carries traces of its human creator, hands on fabric.

Skelton’s respect for physical work comes from his upbringing within a Northern “very working class” context, with a host of relatives who worked with their hands and expected him to become a plumber. His respect and even admiration for them is clear when he speaks, though his pride in striking out to follow his own creative path takes justifiable precedence. He had a very happy childhood, his own preferred descriptor is “idyllic”. As a result he wants to raise his

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own hypothetical future children in the same environment, certainly not London. I ask him if he has a favourite memory from that time and he eyeballs me suspiciously, “well that’d be a bit weird, wouldn’t it?”

I press him on the issue and he relents “I guess it’s more a feeling, a feeling of freedom, of doing something that I shouldn’t be doing.”

The dynamics that inspire him most also stem from this period, and his adolescence in a school with a mix of children from the extremes of working and middle-class backgrounds. “I didn’t notice it at the time, but on reflection it’s so poignant…” he explains, projecting the image of himself as more or less in an observational role, particularly of sociological class interactions. His MA collection centred on the meeting of working class Northerners and a handful of surrealist artists during the Mass Observation social study. He clearly identified himself with both sides of this divide, and created a collection which blurred the line between two peoples in an unexpectedly harmonious visual resolution, the fundamental heart of each group preserved and treated with respect. His next collection is based on a similar conflict between a more raw, more loaded social conflict, yet once again it’s clear that he’s found a way to empathise with the fallibility and the richness of each culture, and particularly how they have injected each other with new potential.

Social conflict is a driving force within Skelton’s work and world view.

The process of creation allows him to play out the desire to synthesise a personal resolution in the way he has deconstructed its elements before rebuilding something more stable, more complete. For many designers, engaging with colonialism involves lip service to reference points and research, an accusation no one could level at Skelton without facing a robust and disdainful comeback. His reasons for focusing on the clothing at the heart of the conflict are reassuringly compelling and informed. His work engages frequently with clothing as a visual signpost of a desire to integrate or to rebel, to preserve a sense of individuality whilst also tackling membership of a certain social grouping. He talks about the history and the people at the heart of this conflict with such vested interest that I assume his ancestors were involved somehow, “no, not at all. I want to tackle it because it’s taboo, analyse it from a political, social point of view.” Even with this personal distance that was absent from his Mass Observation collection, Skelton’s work continues to reflect him as an individual with a rawness that doesn’t come across when he speaks, masked frequently by a confidence that so often seems like an unshakeable identity.

Key words that crop up as he delves further into his inspiration are adaption and rebellion, a combination of terms which apply just as pointedly to himself.

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Lonny spence

THE GREATEST SHOW ON HEART

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4.BEN Top: Kenzo Trousers: John Lawrence Sullivan Belt: Weekday

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VA R O N 4 1

T he past is a

can see, with the stars or a never-ending stretch of

would be described as maternal, feminine.

blue spread above you in an impossibly huge sky, it becomes possible to appreciate how alone we are –

A cowboy is at once vulnerable, impregnable and in-

isolated in our minds and within the universe.

vincible. In fact, the word for cowboy in Spanish is vaquero; so evocative of the word vanquish in Engli-

We experience this solitude in an utterly different

sh … and this is, literally, what a cowboy does. With

way, alone under an enormous sky than when we

a gentle violence, he subjugates nature; he corals it.

are by ourselves in a city. In an urban sprawl, we are

foreign country B y A . J . K E L LY

confronted with humanity in all its forms. All our

And occasionally, a cowboy is also corralled.

beauty and our destruction. In the constant chatter, the contrast of the stillness of concrete with

Imagine a place where cowboys compete. Where

the unceasing movement of light and sound, forms

they show off. Where they drink and dance and mix

a kind of nature of its own. Walking through a city,

with humanity. A space into which cowboys are en-

breathing, seeing, hearing, smelling the presence of

closed, corralled, rounded up. This place is a rodeo.

what humans create, can elicit a sense of bleak and profound grief – or inexpressible joy.

The word in English comes from the Spanish verb

In a city, we can still feel alone, apart, but to do so

rodear, which means to surround. To herd. To round

is a choice. At any moment, we can choose – or be

up. And just as in Spain, a rodeo takes place in a

forced – to become a part of humanity once again…

dusty, sun drenched ring where time stands still.

To be alone in nature holds a different sense. We are

Yet unlike a bull in a ring that faces a matador, the

at once overwhelmed and persuaded by its magni-

fight against nature at a rodeo is never intended to

ficence. To be alone in the dark, surrounded by sky

be to the death. The rules of the rodeo insist, like

It is a decidedly masculine world, quite apart from

he ashamed? It wasn’t cool to smoke, he was told,

contemporary reality. When you’re astride a bucking

and it certainly wasn’t cool to light up when he was

bull in the middle of a ring in a rodeo, no app can

a role model for millions of young men. Eastwood

save you. You can’t Google the answer. A Pokémon

didn’t say a word in his defence. His response? He

may be close by, but it can’t help you stay mounted.

rolled, using just one hand, a plug of tobacco into a

It is a world where brute strength meets raw cou-

cigarette. And gently placed it in his mouth.

and wind, comes with a profound understanding

the persistence of happy endings in American mo-

of the force of nature and, by contrast, how pitia-

vies, that cowboys ride bulls for a limited period of

The sexiness, the appeal of a cowboy doesn’t just

bly small we are… Alone in this way, we must face

time… so the animals’ spirits are kept high and the

ourselves without the frantic distraction of unpaid

bucking kept wild.

rage; a world where just a moment of time, eight seconds, no more, that can feel like an eternity.

lie in how he wears his chaps, but also in his nonCowboys exist in a place where men live in isola-

chalance, his awareness – and dismissal – of the

tion and defy death. Where horses gallop across the

whims of society. His cool remoteness, his coarse

windswept plains of our imagination. This quintes-

elegance, is contrasted with a subliminal unders-

sential image of a cowboy, as pictured in Marlbo-

tanding of the violence that lies beneath his casual

rough tobacco advertisements from the eighties,

demeanour. This is a man capable of killing. Of cau-

still exists today. In these ads, a laconic, lean man

sing pain. Of making life and death decisions. Of

stands, staring pensively into the distance, his fea-

bills, unanswered messages, unsatisfactory interactions or questions about our significance. We

The rodeo has become a ritual. A dramatic, sym-

must encounter the irrefutable reality of the fact

bolic portrayal of the conflict between man and

that we exist. Nothing else. That is all.

nature, between wild and tame, distilled into an archetypal image of a man mounted on a bull. Or

A lonesome man on a horse herding cattle across

gathered into a moment, as a boy on horseback, ar-

battling the forces of nature – and winning.

the plains is like a speck of dirt – a grain of wheat,

med only with a piece of rope, defeats a massive

a blade of grass, a microcosm of the universe, and

animal by lassoing it and dragging it to the ground.

the uniform of cowboys everywhere: leather chaps

The plains of North America are immense, still wild

yet, like stardust, his presence is vital – without

cover tight jeans crowned by a large belt buckle; a

and uncultivated, they stretch across the heartland

long-sleeved button-down cotton shirt is glimpsed

of the continent for hundreds of thousands of kilo-

beneath a rough leather vest, a white (always white)

metres. In Canada alone, they take up 1.78 million

wide-brimmed felt hat. He is pictured as he slowly

km² … their huge dimensions absolutely crucial for

takes a long drag from his cigarette. There are no

the bison, the cattle, the horses, the cowboys, to

words. Only detached indifference.

tures literally chiselled by the elements. He wears

him, the animals would die. Without his dedication,

The rodeo is a show of tradition, and perhaps, it

his daily care and devotion, there would be no herd.

may soon only offer a glimpse to a foreign country;

Any existential questioning of life is superfluous.

the past.

“Why do we exist?” is pointless. A cowboy is needed. His presence is fundamentally necessary for

Like many a country western song, a rodeo treads

range, to roam, to feed, to live.

the existence of other living beings.

lightly between reality and representation, truth

One of the most famous American cinematic cow-

Until you’ve visited the prairies, the size of the vast

In this way, a cowboy becomes a curious blend of

of America’s heartland face certain colonisation by

boys, Clint Eastwood, was once criticised for smo-

open skies and infinite grasslands is incomprehen-

unquestionable masculinity and a kind of devotion

agriculture, the iconic figure of a cowboy confronts

king while being interviewed on a talk show. Wasn’t

sible. With the world extending as far as the eye

and tenderness that in any other circumstance

his own extinction.

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and caricature. As the wild uninhabited grasslands

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styling juna park photographer takashi osato

H a c h i ya m a - c h o

Ya k u z a

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Previous page: Top, Christian Dada, japanese traditional fundoshi; trousers, Yohji Yamamoto; Leg tattoo by Shinji Horizakura TEBORI MASTER

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Trousers and shoes Christian Dada; opposite page, suit Yohji Yamamoto; japanese happi ambush.

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Suit, John’s

by Johny; shoes, Ikitabi

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Maison Mihara Yasuhiro; shoes Ikitabi.

Arm Tattoo by Shinji Horizakura TEBORI MASTER

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Jacket, John’s by Johny, japanese traditional fundoshi.

Opposite page, total look Christian Dada.

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Trousers, Maison Mihara Yasuhiro ; Opposite page, Junya watanabe Comme des Garรงons.

Models: Daisuke Ueda @Donna models Hair: Gonn Kinoshita Make-up: Akiko Owada a.d. Juna Park,Toni Torres

TI.O P h o t o g r a pher : B E R N A R D I N O C E R V I GO N

by solola verdad essexy

S t y lin g : R E N E ZA M UD I O M 0 D E L : I S AAC P E R E Z

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Today ... he did not sell his mouth NOT FOR ALL THE GOLD IN THE WORLD when there was almost no time.

We have waited to put our knowledge into practice, now that I am my dream, I can start.

The windows do not open more than an inch, as if there are days of lights prepared And the doors that open for those who enter.

I leave by the floor.

The mountains don’t grow in front of the house.

Today only the truth is sexy, spat out, rather than say your name with a mouth full of saliva from others and I renounce the power that I have to not see you.

The way that I used to reach you is now packed up.

Sent to the same locker as all the others, it is the largest.

I ate the smallest one, with nothing, just cardboard.

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All the anger that I feel for not understanding what you have

There will be no landings in no man’s land, expect for the damn

done,

tattoo artist who sold us the idea that the artistic career of women

I will sell it cheaply and dressed in something that we two have

is beyond reproach.

seen,

We dared to name almost without knowing, a long list of names,

so that once again the word that means the less will be more

of unforeseen events that took place while lying on the carpeted

present.

floor... yes, just as you like it.

and again .

All the gardens with their mowed lawns, headed beings.

The land that you wanted is bought.

The delivery men walk in their footsteps to spare them!

They will build a hotel that will break the landscape.

Until I have everything I need to start ....

I hope to decorate it

I love the clothes as if I had given birth to them.

and in the ballroom ... .famous people at parties will say stupid

SLVES‌..an event with strange dimensions.

things.

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No Tim e to Sl ee p Rom a n K e mp “I embarrass myself in front of important people” is how Roman Kemp would describe what he does – something that has caused him no harm, incidentally. Clearly, as the 23-year-old presenter has not stopped working since the age of 15 when he signed a development deal with Universal Music, which saw him writing music and lyrics. Then at 18 Kemp was scouted by Sherril Smith of Models1, who booked him for a string of campaigns including one for Topman. But it wasn’t until he finally setup a camera and started filming himself hosting content that he truly found his calling. Now Kemp has a number 1 radio slot on Capital FM, and has recently started hosting on The X Factor’s spinoff show The Xtra Factor.

P h o t o g r a pher : C L A I R E B R A N D F a shi o n e d it o r : W a y P err y T E X T : B e c k y D a vies

How was it when you secured your

Does having a musician as father help, as

first show on Capital FM?

you presumably grew up around music?

It was insane. Capital is a station I have

Don’t forget my mum. [Shirlie Holliman

listened to since I can remember, so to be

of Pepsi & Shirlie fame]. Having parents

a part of the station still makes me think:

in the creative industry that is music just

“Woah!” As a company they have helped

opened my eyes to seeing that dreams

me grow so much in my profession and as

are achievable, and that getting paid to do

a person.

what you love is a realistic goal. They are

And then the second show, does that

always so supportive of anything my sister

almost feel better as you have won it

and I pursue and I love them for it.

though success and ratings?

Have you always been a fan of The X

Always, it’s one thing someone giving you

Factor?

the job, but it’s another to be able to do it

Always, I’ve watched it since it began. It’s

well. With my radio show we’ve been luc-

hilarious, it’s emotional and it’s fun Satur-

ky enough to have some amazing ratings

day night viewing!

and make the show ‘number 1’ in the U.K.

Who is your all-time favourite contestant?

But ratings can go up and down so it’s just

Wagner - he was the first of the “comedy gold”.

about building a level of consistency. When

What is it you are doing on the show

it comes to TV presenting and hosting it’s

and how is it going?

taken a long time and a lot of effort to get to

So I have my own segment on The Xtra Fac-

where I am and I still feel that I’m only just

tor with Rylan and Matt Edmondson called

getting started.

The Xtra-Xtra Factor, whilst also hosting all

How does the process work on radio

online content for the main show like Face-

shows: how do you come up with play

book Lives during the ad breaks…

lists and content?

Who is your money on to win?

When it comes to selecting songs, it would

It’s a tough question, Matt Terry looks to be

be so easy to just pick the songs I want to

he punters favourite at the minute but I also

hear over and over again; but with a natio-

love the 5 After Midnight lads!

nal radio show you have to think “what does

Who did you admire growing up?

she want to listen to on her way to work”

My dad. He’s been through the biggest hi-

or “what song will he wanna go into school

ghs and the lowest lows life could ever pos-

singing” and that’s why the charts are the

sibly give you; yet he’s come out of it one of

best place to see what people are enjoying

the most professional, nicest and happiest

at that moment. In London there’s a huge

men in the industry.

pressure to find ‘the next cool band/singer’

Which of your piers do you admire most?

but for the UK, we want to listen to the stars

Working with Dermot O’Leary is special,

we know and the songs that are selling.

he’s someone I’ve watched nonstop and to

When it comes to the content my producer

be working alongside him on a project is in-

Joe and me literally just think of stuff whe-

credible. He is the best at what he does, I

never and wherever. We talk every day and

couldn’t ask for a better teacher.

see each other five times a week. We have

What do you think you would be if you

so many ideas we haven’t even used yet. It’s

hadn’t become a presenter? Do you think

great because we are both creative people

you would have stuck to the modelling?

and both on the same page when it comes

Definitely wouldn’t be doing modelling, it

to our goal, which is to make the show and

just wasn’t for me (plus I’ve got a face for

the station sound the best it possibly can

radio). Before I started to work in front of

whilst putting our own touches on it.

the camera I used to DOP on a lot of pro

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jects and Assistant Produce a lot of content

else in the telly?

for some big companies - I still want to have

I’ve had Jedward, Niall Horan and Conor

directed a feature film before the age of 40.

Maynard - all quite a few times.

You created fooball YouTube channel

What is planned next for you?

Pitch Invasion TV…so you are obviously

Just to keep doing what I’m doing and ha-

a big football fan…What team do you su-

ving fun. I don’t want to give myself big tar-

pport?

gets as I think if you work hard and are a nice

Yeah Pitch Invasion is where it all began for

person then good things will come to you.

me. I am an Arsenal fan - my family tree

- ends -

just reads “ISLINGTON”. So I didn’t have any choice growing up.

What other sports are you interested in?

I am a massive football fan so I find it hard watching other sports, but I do love a good boxing match.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone

Make-up: Adam De Cruz Hair: Maki Tanaka using Bumble&Bumble Fashion Assistant: Thomas Calally Digital operator: Andrew Swannell Photographic assistant: Phil Hewitt Loft Studios All Clothes By Topman Design

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MR. MEN THE POWER OF ONLINE SHOPPING IS UNDENIABLE AND MR PORTER IS A TESTAMENT TO THIS AND HOW AS MEN WE SHOP TODAY. BUT THE POWER OF THE PAGE IS STILL INCREDIBLE ,OLIE ARNOLD MR PORTERS STYLE DIRECTOR SHARES HIS EDIT FROM THEIR AW16 MORE DIRECTIONAL COLLECTIONS.

ph o t o g raph y J o n G o rri g a n

Shirt - Gucci Trousers - Lanvin Belt - Saint Laurent Shoes - Gucci Bracelet - Margiela All at Mr Porter

STY L ING o lie a rn o l d

Jumper - Paul smith Jeans - Saint Laurent Bracelet - Margiela Chain - Margiela All at Mr Porter

Coat - acne Tee - Gucci Knit - JW Anderson Jeans - Saint Laurent

Roll neck - Dries Cardi - Saint Laurent Trousers - JW Anderson Shoes - Gucci Bracelet - Margiela All at Mr Porter

Shirt - Saint Laurent Trench - Kingsman Scarf - Gucci Jeans - Vetements Bracelet - Margiela All at Mr Porter

Shirt - Raf Jumper - Gucci Jeans - Gucci All at Mr Porter

Coat - Casely Hayford Knit - Saint Laurent

Roll neck - Tom ford Shirt - Vetements Jeans - Saint Laurent Shoes - Prada Necklace - Margiela All at Mr Porter Previous page Jumper - Haider Ackerman

Hair Lee Machin Fashion assistant otter hatchett

Shirt and jacket ALEXANDER MC QUEEN Buttons KLEINS

Push my Buttons

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Suit from ANGELS & BERMANS Shirt VINTAGE JOHN GALLIANO stylist own socks PRADA Shoes (customised with buttons) MARGARET HOWELL

Coat by ANGELS&BERMANS

Waistcoat ANGELS&BERMANS Trousers and long sleeved top CRAIG GREEN

Jacket and trousers TOPMAN DESIGN Hat from ANGELS&GERMANS Vest (stylist own shoes) MARAGRET HOWELL

Hat ANGELS&BERMANS Top (customised with buttons) SIMOM&SIMON Jacket (part of suit) PAUL SMITH

Shirt, suits and shoes (customised with buttons) MARAGRET HOWELL Socks PRADA

Rollneck and trouser LOUIS VUITTON Socks PRADA Shoes ALEXANDER MC QUEEN Coat from ANGELS&BERMANS

Hat ANGELS&BERMANS Coat and rollneck LOUIS VUTTON  

As before in SHOT 2

Buttons KLEINS T-Shirt RORY PARNELL MOONEY Trousers VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

Hat, jumper, top and shoes PRADA Trousers ANGELS& BERMANS Make up: Adan de la Cruz Hair: Maki Tanaka Using Bumble&Bumble Models: Myles Dominique @ supamodelmanangement

Expression Beyond Stages

P h o t o g r a pher :

R YA N S K E L T O N STYLING:

HAMISH WIRGMAN

Jacket: Alexander Mcqueen Belt: Stylist Own Vest: Sunspel Trousers: Jw Anderson Shoes: Vivienne Westwood

Shirt: Prada Trousers and boots: Stylist own

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Shirt: Lemaire Leather String Vest: Lanvin

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Jacket: Kenzo Boots: Stylist own

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Jacket: ETautz Belt: Stylistown Trousers: Lemaire Shoes : Vivienne Westwood

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Jacket - Prada

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Shirt: Dries Van Noten Belt: Stylist own Jumper: Acne Studios Trousers: Dries Van Noten Shoes: Stylist Own

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Jacket and trousers: Yohji Yamamoto Shoes: Vivienne Westwood

Jumper: Ermenegildo Zegna

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Shirt - Craig Green Trouser - Lemaire Boots - Stylist Own

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Shirt, waistcoat and trousers: Christopher Lemaire Shoes and Cardigan: Vivienne Westwood

Hair & Make Up : Takuya Uchiyama

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Lost mi love

P h o t o g r a pher : M a r c H ibbert S t y list : S hirle y Am a rte yÂ

Shirt John Lawrence Sullivan Trousers Liam Hodges

Tracksuit and Jacket Astrid Anderson Socks Burlington Shoes Clarks Originals Rings StephenEinhorn

Craig Green Socks and Sandals models own Ring Stephen Einhorn Belt Belt Rokit

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Suit Alexander Mcqueen Vintage trainers Blitz, necklace models own, Scarf Budd, shower cap stylists own

Precedent page Shirt Alexander Mcqueen Jacket Sam Greenberg Vintage VA R O N 1 3 0

Jacket CMMN SWD Top Martine Rose Trousers Cos Rings Stephen Einhorn

Suit Paul Smith Top Sam Greenberg Vintage Hat Beyond Retro Socks Burlington Shoes Vivienne Westwood Necklace models own Ring Stephen Einhorn Glasses General Eyewear

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Sunglasses Cutler & Gross Gold necklace Gillian Horsup Vest Vintage @ Beyond Retro Leather Waistcoat Martine Rose Tracksuit Xander Zhou Bracelet Gillian Horsup Rings Stephen Einhorn Socks Burlington

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Opposite page Suit Givenchy String vest Stylists own Socks Burlington Shoes Vivienne Westwood Necklace Gillian Horsup Ring Stephen Einhorn

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Jacket James Long Top and trousers Issey Miyake Socks Burlington Shoes Clarks Originals Bowler Hart Beyond Retro

Jacket Saint Laurent Hat Child of Jago Du rag stylists own Track pants Adidas Beyond Retro Rings Stephen Einhorn

Stylist Assistant: Gabriel Love Hair: Takuya Uchiyama using Catwalk by Tigi Models: James and Cosmo at Select

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Bomber, jacket, trouser: Maison Margiela Cap: Kenzo Opposite page: Jacket, trousers, belt: Dries van Noten

P I LLOW TALK

Photography: Kim Jakobsen To Styling: Martin Persson @ LundLund

Jacket: Acne Studios Trousers: McQ Sandals: Dries van Noten

Top: Kenzo Trousers: John Lawrence Sullivan Belt: Weekday

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Jacket: Dries van Noten T-shirt and trousers: John Lawrence Sullivan Socks and shoes: Ben’s own

Jacket, trousers, belt: Dries van Noten

Necklace: Lanvin

Jacket, bomber: Maison Margiela Cap: Kenzo

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9. BRODIE Coat: Lou Dalton Top: Ellen Pedersen Trousers: Dries van Noten

10. BEN Jacket: James Long Shirt: McQ Shorts: Ellen Pedersen

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Coat, top, trousers, sandals: Prada

Top: Dries van Noten Trousers: Christopher Shannon

Jacket: Haal

Top, Shorts, Cap: Kenzo Shoes: Acne Studios Socks: Pantherella

Hair & grooming: Takuya Uchiyama using Catwalk by TIGI Photography assistant: Wojciech Szczerbetka Models: Brodie & Ben @ Models1 Gustav @ Wilhelmina

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Endless Summer

P h o t o g r a pher : N AC H O P I N E DO F A S H I O N E D I T O R : N A T A L I A B E N GO E C H E A

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Hair&Make-up: Fidel Fernandez Model: Lucas@rebelmanagement Postprodution: LucĂ­a Dakota All Clothes Acne Studios SS17

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