Designer
Profile
Urban Tribes at War: William Richard Green’s Autumn/Winter 2011 Collection
William Richard Green’s autumn/winter 2011 collection stands out for its eclectic influences and its intention to deconstruct the idea of luxury. This is done by resorting to strong influences from outdoors menswear and relaxed grunge tailoring. Green claims that the inspiration for the collection is the ‘Viking’ and its uncouthness as the antithesis of lavishness. However, it seems more accurate to describe his garments and accessories as paying homage to British sartorial tradition and to the rebellious urban tribes and subcultures of the second half of the twentieth century.
In his promotional material, Green has indicated that his work is partly inspired by the free-spirited approach to life that he gained during his formative years in the English countryside. He was born in 1985 in Worcestershire, and spent his childhood and teenage years in that West Midlands English county before moving to London to study fashion. In 2009, he earned a degree from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design with a collection that he dubbed as ‘wearable manly menswear’. He also trained at London’s Savile Row, a world centre for menswear tailoring. There, he went through important training in pattern cutting and gained useful insights into sartorial craftsmanship.
The academic training at Central Saint Martins and the skills that Green gained during his period of practical experience allowed him to embark on an ongoing process of questioning the more traditional mores of menswear and luxury. At the same time, there is little doubt that this young designer has been firmly embracing his British identity. This dedication is strongly evidenced in the decision to produce only in the UK and source fabrics predominantly manufactured in Britain.
João Paulo Nunes
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Architecture
N e w Yo rk by G e h r y Frank Gehry’s latest skyscraper, the residential tower simply branded as ‘New York by Gehry’, is now reaching completion. As its first residents get ready to move in, the building, located at 8 Spruce Street in Lower Manhattan, has already made a significant impact on the architectural landscape of New York City. At 265 metre (870 feet) tall, New York by Gehry is the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth tallest building in New York. The stainless steel exterior, with its seductive rippling effect, covers three faces of the tower and creates bay windows for the apartments. At the same time, it reflects the changing light, transforming the appearance of the building throughout the day. The tower contains 903 apartments laid out in over 200 floor plans for studios, and one, two and three-bedroom residences. Gehry’s aesthetic is also carried across the 22,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenity spaces with personalized furnishings and installations. Frank Gehry is widely regarded as one of the most celebrated practicing architects in the world. He has been the recipient of numerous awards recognizing excellence in architecture, including, in 1989, the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, which honours “significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.” Over the past five decades, Gehry Partners LLP has designed numerous public and private buildings in North America, Europe, and Asia.
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João Paulo Nunes
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