ISSUE 08 - SUMMER 2014

MANUSCRIPT State of the Arts : Hats off to our best and brightest in art, design, music and culture.

Budgie Smugglers : 100 years of Australia's iconic bathing suit. The Future Is Now : A retail model for the 21st century.

City Limits : A critical questioning of the NGV 's enormous art exhibition Melbourne Now.

Renaissance Man Actor, musician and artist Noah Taylor claims the spotlight.

Again.

Photographed by Paul Scala.

Also : Ben Briand, Paul Smith, George Livissianis,

Dion Horstmans & Craig & Karl

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MANUSCRIPT

Issue VIII Summer 14

44 Hello, My Name is Paul Smith British design legend Paul Smith is honoured with a retrospective exhibition for the second time, offering insight into his process.

04 Editor’s Letter 06 Contributors 08 News

11 Introducing Ben Briand, Dion Horstmans & George Livissianis

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith

48 Face Off A look into the successful collaboration between graphic artists Craig Redman and Karl Meier.

Photography Jordan Graham, Sam Hendel & Christopher Morris

18 The Long And Short Of It Four experimental ways with your short back and sides.

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith

52 Cool Rider Paris’ most unassuming designer, Veronique Nichanian, has outfitted the world’s most luxurious men for a quarter-century.

Photography Kylie Coutts

22 State of the Arts The country's best and brightest take to the spotlight in Dior Homme.

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith

56 Winter Is Coming Cover star Noah Taylor invites Manuscript to his hometown, Brighton, and discusses his recent film, music and art renaissance.

Photography Guy Coombes

34 What Even Is Melbourne Now? An attempt to unpackage the all-encompassing exhibition/ biennale/festival taking over our southern capital.

Photography Paul Scala | Story Jemima Sissons

64 Mr Sandman Soft, voluminous shapes make for perfect summertime wear.

Story Sam Twyford-Moore

38 Wouldn’t Be Caught Dead In ‘Em, Mate Dick stickers, budgie smugglers, nut huggers… whether you loathe them or not, Speedos have become an iconic part of Australian culture.

Photography Troyt Coburn

76 Avenue Marceau Travis Smith takes to the streets of Paris in modern updates on the timeless Le Smoking tuxedo.

Story Jonathan Seidler

Photography Paul Scala

40 Who Said You Can’t Walk Into An Online Store?

Sneaker aficionado Chris Kyvetos sets a new benchmark for retail innovation with his latest multiplatform venture.

88 Black Hole Sun A sleepy holiday village is interrupted by fetishistic leathers.

Photography Liz Ham

110 Stockists

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith

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MANUSCRIPT

From the Editor

design and writing. Included are some familiar faces – ex-Van She member Tomek Archer and previous Manuscript cover star, Australian Ballet’s Rohan Furnell among them – but also some names that we’re certain are to be the next big things.

Thomas Cocquerel, a 24-year-old NIDA graduate, left the day after our shoot for Amsterdam, where he’s currently filming a part in The Kidnapping of Freddy Heineken, a film based on a true story told in

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its literal title, opposite Anthony Hopkins and fellow Australian licking through the proofs of this issue prior to

Sam Worthington. Movement, meanwhile, is an electronic

it hitting the printing press, I’m thoroughly

band to have emerged from Sydney’s west and recently

impressed. Not so much by the issue itself – I

signed with hit-after-hit record label Modular People.

think it’s wonderful, of course, but I’m not so narcissistic

I’m personally honoured that these very talented men

as to think the work I produce is definitive in its approach –

grace our pages, made possible with the support of Dior

but by the people in it. We often give Australia’s cultural

Homme, whose spring collection is worn throughout.

There’s also some incredible people on the other

landscape a bad rap, deeming it a cottage industry, lacking in depth, and with a serious case of Tall Poppy Syndrome.

end of these pages: the creative teams that work on our

It might be small, and certainly we don’t like to prop

shoots and stories, and I think we’ve hit some new highs

ourselves up too high, but I challenge you to flick through

this issue, welcoming to our family talented writers

this issue and tell me there’s not brilliant talent emerging

Jemima Sissons and Sam Twyford-Moore. Two years

from our country. You need only look at Hollywood,

in – yes, this marks something of a celebration for us at

dominated as it is by the Kidmans and Crowes.

Manuscript, which we’ll be toasting to as soon as the issue hits newsstands – I again thank the people that

What’s interesting about our artistic exports is that the world is beginning to see a different side to our culture

make this magazine possible, from the artistic vision of

as new talent emerges and existing icons stake a return.

our fashion director Jolyon Mason to the photography

Case in point: Noah Taylor, a Melbourne rocker who

assistants and agents that work behind-the-scenes.

Until next time-

disappeared to Brighton two decades ago only to emerge with a slew of forthcoming film releases and a scary-as-fuck role in hit show Game of Thrones. When I first saw Mr Taylor in that role of Locke, and soon after caught his brilliant sell-out show at Olsen Irwin, I knew we needed him on our cover. I admire the art of reinvention, of examining and rediscovering what it is that drives you to create, and with his many projects on the go, Mr Taylor is an inspiring talent. adding some diversity and interest to our screens, but simultaneously it’s thrilling to see fresh blood, too. In State of the Arts [page 22] we profile some of Australia’s brightest

Mitchell Oakley Smith

emerging talent across the fields of acting, music, dance,

twitter.com/MrOakleySmith

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Photo: Bowen Arico

It’s excellent that Mr Taylor returns to the spotlight,

LIF G N RT I O P A S

E!

Sydney Surfers Paradise Melbourne Marina Mirage Brisbane Tel. 1300 728 807 Hermes.com

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Issue VIII Summer 14

Editor & Publisher Mitchell Oakley Smith Creative Director Jolyon Mason

Art Director Elliott Bryce Foulkes

Contributing Features Editor Jonathan Seidler Fashion Assistant Alex Rost

Contributors Jonathan Ailwood, Troyt Coburn, Guy Coombes, Kylie Coutts,

Kimberley Forbes, Jordan Graham, Liz Ham, Sam Hendel, Jenny Kim, Michele McQuillan, Vincent de Moro, Christopher Morris, Sasha Nilsson, Joel Phillips, Paul Scala, Jemima Sissons, Sam Twyford-Moore Special Thanks London Management, MAP, Priscillas Model Management,

Shooting Birds Studio, Supa Model Management, Viviens Creative Manuscript is owned published by Mitchell Oakley Smith (ABN 67 212 902 027), 8/2 Wellington Street, Woollahra NSW 2025, manuscript@mitchelloakleysmith.com.

Printed by MPD, Unit E1 46-62 Maddox Street, Alexandria NSW 2015. © 2013 All Rights Reserved. ISSN 2201-0815.

Contributors Sam Twyford-Moore

Jonathan Ailwood

Michele McQuillan

A writer of both fiction and non-fiction and the director of the Emerging Writers’ Festival, Melbournebased Sam Twyford-Moore pens a precursory account of the National Gallery of Victoria’s hugely ambitious Melbourne Now exhibition/biennale/ festival [page 34]. Having also contributed to The Australian and the Los Angeles Review of Books, Twyford-Moore’s writing is a welcome addition to Manuscript.

A Paris resident for the last seven years, Sydney-born designer and stylist Jonathan Ailwood was primed to hit the streets of the French capital for this issue of Manuscript. Fashion is what lead Mr Ailwood — who has worked for Christian Dior and John Galliano — to Paris in the first place.

“The elegance of Le Smoking for eveningwear is a staple of Parisian style and a constant inspiration, but mixing it with the attitude of Los Angeles gave it the freshness that keeps it relevant,” he says of the shoot [page 76]. “Paris the city plays the opposing lead in our narrative”

Hair stylist Michele McQuillan has built an international reputation for innovative, directional concepts, which we’re thrilled to have in the pages of Manuscript. A member of Guido Palau’s styling team, Ms McQuillan has worked on the shows of Versace, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen, to name but a few. Locally, her work is regularly published by Vogue Australia and Harper’s Bazaar.

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News Neiman Marcus ships, Topshop opens,

Jac+Jack expands, Manuscript broadens

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t’s exciting time for Australian shoppers with a slew of new store openings – both digital and physical – in recent months. Ken Downing, the fashion director of Neiman Marcus, was recently in town to spruik the upmarket department store’s new shipping

functionality that opens its doors to customers down under for the first time. With the likes of Mr Porter and Matches – the latter also recently in town to promote two of its star performers, Jonathan Saunders and Roksanda Illincic – already offering a host of otherwise unavailable brands, what’s Neiman Marcus’ point of difference? Its brand make-up, for one, is a little more mature than other stores, offering online access to Brunello Cucinelli, Kiton, Loro Piana

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and Tom Ford. n the ground, Topshop opens its third Australian store this December in Brisbane, its largest in the market to date at 2200square-metres over three levels, with one dedicated exclusively to Topman. Located at the former site of Borders

on the corner of Elizabeth and Albert Streets, the opening follows the announcement of a fourth store opening, in Perth, slated for late 2014, signaling the success of the brand in the local market. The Brisbane outpost will stock Topman’s main collection, as well as footwear, accessories, suiting and denim, along with its free-of-charge personal shopping service, which

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allows shoppers to be treated to the full VIP service by appointment.

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t’s not just retailers with exciting growth on the horizon. In August, we’re launching a new annual magazine, Manuscript Art, dedicated

eanwhile, luxury knitwear label Jac+Jack opened its third Sydney store, this time in the CBD’s Strand Arcade, in November, which is certainly no minor feat considering the small size of the market.

exclusively to contemporary art with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.

Regular readers will know that visual art already plays an important

part in each issue’s content, with regular profiles, features and one-off commissions,

The store is designed by interior architect George Livissianis

but we’ve noticed a growing interest in contemporary art recently, evidenced by

[see page 14 for more], who also created the label’s award-winning store on

the incredible success of Sydney Contemporary art fair, that’s not being catered

Oxford Street, Paddington, using Carrara marble, concrete, steel and Belgian

to by the existing range of academic art journals. Our aim with Manuscript Art is

cotton linen – a pared-back design statement in line with Jac+Jack’s clothing

to present, package and promote the best of contemporary art that speaks to our

aesthetic. With Dion Lee opening his first flagship store in the Strand Arcade

readers in a way that’s engaging, informative and inspiring, and with art curator

this December, it seems the historic precinct is experiencing a retail revival.

and writer Alison Kubler joining the team as associate editor, it’s set to be an

↗ Topman suiting. ↓ Jac+Jack's new Sydney fitout.

exciting launch indeed.

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long with editor Mitchell Oakley Smith, Ms Kubler authored the hardback tome Art / Fashion in the 21st Century, which

was recently published by Thames & Hudson. The book comprises a collection of profiles, essays and interviews that examines and

celebrates the crossover between art and fashion that has occurred so prolifically since the turn of the millennium, and features a foreword by inimitable fashion icon and philanthropist Daphne Guinness. The book’s local release was feted with a series of events around the country in partnership with Louis Vuitton,

Coach, the Queensland Art Gallery, Harrolds and the Art Gallery of South Australia.

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nterestingly, the latter gallery recently announced its major spring exhibition for 2014, Fashion Icons: From the Collection of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, which further demonstrates the increasing presence of fashion within traditional fine arts museums. Fashion

Icons, curated by Pamela Golbin, will paint a unique picture of Parisian style within the context of contemporary fashion design since 1947, the year couturier Christian Dior reinvented fashion with the New Look. Over 100 haute couture garments from the likes of Cristobal Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent

will be presented in this chronological review, which cements the Art Gallery of South Australia as a destination for visual arts and design.

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INTRODUCING

Ben Briand, George LivissIanis, & Dion Horstmans

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INTRODUCING

Ben Briand Film Director “

I love shifting between narrative, commercial, photography and art projects,” says Ben Briand.

“As a director I need to focus the thematics of the

intended work and develop a language to bring that to the screen.” The 33-year-old Sydney-based director is one of the most promising talents to have emerged in the local filmmaking industry in recent years, known for his delicate crafting of moving image that elicits honest, human performances. Mr Briand joined multidisciplinary creative collective Collider earlier this year, allowing him to shift seamlessly between creative and commercial projects.

This, he says, is a delicate dance. “But I get to use a certain level level of creativity on a regular basis.

Mr Briand credits this opportunity – “to show

The commercial I am working on right now is visually

people something they might not know is there” – as

some of the most experimental work I have ever done.

his reason for becoming interested in moving image,

Sometimes you get lucky.” Indeed, Mr Briand’s work for

which he studied at the University of New South Wales,

clients such as Telstra, Westfield and Benah, the high-

graduating with first class honors. Apricot was followed

end accessories label of his wife, Brenda, maintain the

by Some Static Started and Castor & Pollux, each

cinematic quality of his independent productions, for

completed in fast succession, to soon be accompanied

which he has been awarded several awards, including

by Blood Pulls A Gun, a coming-of-age thriller about

the Silver Shots Young Director Award at the Cannes

a 14-year-old girl who becomes obsessed with the

Lions International Advertising Festival in 2009.

dangerous guests who have checked into her roadside

What ties Mr Briand’s work together is his

motel. “Working on a project that is homegrown is

preoccupation with the notion of memory and identity,

very fulfilling but also very exposing,” says the director.

themes which inevitably emerge in his work, whether

“There is no client or agency account manager for

subtly or as a central figure. “It is my favourite thing to

you to say that it was out of your hands. You need to

explore,” he explains, “and so because of that I play a

be really confident in the millions of little choices that

lot with timelines and abstracted imagery based within

were made along the way and that what you want to

a realistic premise.” It’s evident in the 2009 short film,

say is interesting.”

Apricot, which he wrote and directed. In the film, a

Was this film his dream project? Mr Briand holds

mysterious man with a fragmented memory, played

a theory that a director should never be allowed to make

brilliantly by Ewen Leslie, asks a beautiful woman very

the one film that they have always wanted to, as it never

personal questions, eliciting a melancholic sense of

turns out to be masterpiece they imagined. “I think it’s

belonging, or adversely disconnection, in the viewer.

important to be married to a script or idea that isn't

The film was rightfully voted Best Narrative Film at the

entirely a perfect fit, because it keeps some of the

Vimeo Awards in 2010 by the website’s three million

tension in the work between the creator and the idea,

users. “It seems to have had quite an affect on many

and that is always a recipe for something interesting,”

Mr Briand photographed by

people across the globe. It’s always nice to know that

he says, making it clear from where the tension in his

Sam Hendel on 10 October 2013 outside

so many people have responded to a work so deeply.”

own films stems.

his office, Rushcutters Bay, Australia.

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G

eorge Livissianis is a man of few words.

Mr Livissianis graduated with honours from

Softly spoken and very reserved, he

the University of New South Wales with a degree in

offers little insight into his design

interior architecture in 1998, and was subsequently

practice, and prefers to listen to others’

awarded the Herman Miller Design Prize. A stint in

interpretation of his projects rather than explain

the United Kingdom was followed by roles at design

what it is he sees in them. But then his design

firms Geyer and BKH before he finally launched his

aesthetic hardly screams for attention, either. To

namesake practice in 2007. As well as the high

flick through his portfolio – which, by the way, you

profile and award-winning projects for Jac+Jack

can’t do, as he doesn’t display a back catalogue of

and The Apollo, Mr Livissianis has created interiors

work on his website – is the best way to get a sense

for Café Paci, a pop-up restaurant by Pasi Petanen

of Mr Livissianis’ character.

in Darlinghurst shortly due to close, and Longrain

Largely grey in tone, his projects, such as

restaurant, Surry Hills, and residential projects for

interiors for The Apollo restaurant and knitwear

clients predominantly in Sydney. While he admits that

label Jac+Jack, are dappled with fresh, natural light,

there is an underlying approach that ties the various

multilayered with natural materials, such as

projects together, “I feel that each one responds to

concrete, marble and timber, and seem,

their respective brands and briefs,” he says.

interestingly, quite un-Australian in their design.

His dream project is to design a boutique

These are sparse, but not cold, interiors that share

hotel for hotelier Ian Schrager, a co-founder of

more in common with the likes of John Pawson and

Studio 54 that has designed several highly

Carlo Scarpa than they do with typical Australian

acclaimed hotels, such as the Gramercy Park Hotel

design, evidence of Mr Livissianis' unique approach

in New York City, which he did in collaboration

and a mind interested in an “emotional response”

with artist Julian Schnabel. Considering the dire

rather than tapping into trends.

state of hotels in Sydney – extremely limited

“I favour texture of colour, pattern and

beyond the likes of the Park Hyatt and the QT –

decoration,” explains the interior architect of his

Mr Schrager would be clever to invest in the local

approach to design. “It’s why there is a lean

market, and certainly the calming, quiet interiors

towards the neutrals. I like calming spaces that are

of Mr Livissanis would translate perfectly to a

not fabricated, that enhance rather than detract

hotel interior.

from what’s being offered, whether it’s food or fashion.” It’s an approach evident in the recentlyopened Strand Arcade store of Jac+Jack, with its quiet sense of luxury. In connecting the various

Mr Livissianis photographed by

store sites, Mr Livissianis used a paving motif that

Christopher Morris on 24 September 2013

helps to create a sense of flow, with counters

at his office, Surry Hills, Australia.

appearing as though they are extruded from the floor pattern. “The intention was to create the same ambience of softness and calmness as at the Paddington store, but with a different form and composition of the material palette specific to the Strand Arcade,” he says.

George Livissianis Interior Architect 14

INTRODUCING

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INTRODUCING

Dion Horstmans Sculptor

Ranging in size from approximately 30cm to one-metre, Mr Horstmans’ three-dimensional, illusory pieces – most recently simply small metal rods welded together into shapes somewhere between shooting stars and Rem Koolhaas architectural forms – have fast become popular additions for stylish residential interiors. Flinders Lane Gallery, Gallery 2010, and The Cat Street Gallery in Hong Kong, as part of the city’s art fair in 2010, have hosted his recent commercial exhibitions.

But considering the artist’s background in large-scale productions, it stands to reason that his sculptures stem far beyond those that can be mounted on a wall, and in recent years he has created architecturally significant installations for Sculpture by the Sea, both in Sydney and Perth.

Here, his powdered metal sculptures seem to take on a new form in their alien surrounds, the vivid red, yellow and white angular shapes appearing jarring against the rugged coastline.

In March, he’ll unveil one of his largest works to date: a site-specific canopy, if it can so be called that, linking two buildings at the new Collins Square

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complex between Docklands and the CBD in

metal welder and tools in his studio, he’s a man’s

two buildings, but like his other sculptures, and its

man. And yet then he creates the most spectacular

bright yellow colour, appears as though a high velocity

sculptures from powder-coated steel and sheet

space ship or plane landing. Situated between two large,

metal – very intricate, geometric forms that seem

solid buildings, it gives the impression of movement.

ion Horstmans is not at all what you would

Melbourne, which was commissioned by Lang Walker

expect. With his piercing eyes, scruffy beard

and Hassell Architects. Mr Horstman’s permanent

and strong, physical build, and wielding a

installation is essentially a rain shelter between the

to represent celestial constellations – that set your

Despite the meteoric rise of his solo practice,

mind wandering. The New Zealand-born, Bondi-based

Mr Horstmans’ work hasn’t yet been offered much

sculptor has long worked with tools, having forged

in the way of curatorial approbation by museums

a successful career in the art department of major

and large galleries, which is curious given the public

film productions in Sydney for over a decade, where

interest in and growing commercial value of his

he worked on everything from The Matrix to

sculptures. That said, his namesake art is still

Superman. But the control offered by working for

relatively new, his film background developing

himself proved too alluring, and in recent years he

the technical and design skills required for a

Mr Horstmans photographed by

has phased out film work and developed his solo,

sophisticated end-product, sparing him the naivety

Jordan Graham on 10 October 2013

namesake artistic practice, regularly exhibiting his

that so often riddles – and later haunts – the work

at Bondi Beach, Australia.

various sculpture series for commercial sale.

of emerging artists.

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MANUSCRIPT

THE LONG & SHORT OF IT

Our hair hardly has a purpose beyond aesthetics, so we’re all for having a little fun with it.

Here, we present four ways to style your short back and sides.

Photography Kylie Coutts | Styling Jolyon Mason Grooming Joel Phillips | Hair Michele McQuillan

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GROOMING

Gucci backpack.

Ms McQuillan used Tigi ‘Queen for a Day’.

Opposite: Ellery bib.

Ms McMcQuillan used Moroccon Oil Hydrating Crème & Oil.

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MANUSCRIPT

Pageant scarf.

Ms McQuillan used Fudge gel.

Opposite: Dion Lee swim top.

Ms McQuillan used L’Oreal mousse & Infinium hairspray.

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GROOMING

Robbie Beeser/Priscillas Models Mr Philips used MAC Cosmetics throughout.

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MANUSCRIPT

Joel Tozer, 23, Journalist As associate producer of SBS’s Insight program, Joel Tozer is responsible for pitching, researching, interviewing and selecting guests for the program every month, exploring topics as broad – and often intense – as female circumcision and electroshock therapy. Additionally, the Walkley Award-nominated journalist has produced a series of online video profiles of everyday people who rarely get a voice in the media, such as an 80-year-old woman who spends her days preserving human body parts collected from the Sydney Hospital morgue. “Working on your own, smaller projects means you can be a bit more experimental with how you tell a person’s story,” says Mr Tozer.

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FEATURE

State of the Arts We are a small country, yes, but one brimming with brilliant new talent.

With the help of Dior Homme, we celebrate the young men shaping our cultural landscape.

Photography Guy Coombes | Styling Jolyon Mason | Grooming Jenny Kim

Dior Homme clothing & shoes worn throughout.

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MANUSCRIPT

Thomas Cocquerel, 24, Actor National Institute of Dramatic Art alumnus Thomas Cocquerel has, much to the envy of other emerging actors, managed to sign two major film roles in his first year since graduating at the end of 2012. Having left Australia merely days after this shoot, Mr Cocquerel is currently in Europe filming The Kidnapping of Freddy Heineken, a real-life drama in which he plays opposite Sam Worthington and Anthony Hopkins. The 24-year-old from Sydney’s North Shore says it was “a lot of hard work” to get where he is now. “I sent off a lot of audition tapes, which led to casting agents and it all happened from there. You always hope for it but it’s really surreal when it actually happens.”

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FEATURE

Eamon Farren, 27, Actor Featured in our 2012 portfolio of emerging talent, Gold Coast-born actor Eamon Farren has been kept busy in the past year, performing in two productions with Sydney Theatre Company, where he has forged a name as one to watch. At the time of writing, Mr Farren was on stage in the company’s production of Romeo & Juliet. He’ll kick off 2014 in Girl Asleep at the Adelaide Festival, followed by Sydney Theatre Company’s much anticipated Mojo, from May through July.

Written by Jez Butterworth, the play journeys through the seedy, amphetaminefuelled London rock scene of the 1950s, exposing the underside of rock’n’roll with dark humour.

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MANUSCRIPT

Sean Walker, 22, and Jesse James Ward, 21, Musicians Contemporary R&B, the kind of which you heard across dancefloors in the late eighties and early nineties, was never really an Australian concern.

Somebody obviously forgot to tell Sydney trio Movement, which has sprung fully formed out of the shadowy corners usually favoured by the likes of D'Angelo or Maxwell.

With only a handful of tracks to their name, Movement has already had international tastemakers’ tongues wagging with their sensual, synthetic textures and breathy falsetto affectations. It's enough to get them signed to Modular Records, who haven't put a foot wrong in almost a decade.

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FEATURE

Rhys Benson, 20, Model A model with any amount of experience will tell you know it’s not an easy job – there are the long hours, endless casting calls and ongoing body discipline to begin with – but when you’ve got a face like that of Rhys Benson, things are just that much easier. At the time of this shoot, the Brisbane-born model and boxer, who turns 21 in January, was beginning to prepare for his debut on the international circuit for the fall runway shows in Europe. “As this modeling experience continues I hope to travel overseas even more and give the best I can to the industry,” says the doe-eyed young man. “I love the challenging and unexpected nature of the job.”

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MANUSCRIPT

Henry Wilson, 30, Industrial Designer Since setting up his namesake studio in 2010, Sydney-based industrial designer Henry Wilson has gained a strong reputation for his innovative use of material, such as disused shipping containers, for locally produced furniture and lighting. His continued focus is on experimenting with the process of design and its subsequent production. “The collection grows organically,” explains Mr Wilson of his practice. “I’m committed to honestly resolving concepts with a focus on longevity.”

A significant new design is the ‘Strt’ table, comprised of a solid brass structure that acts as a single frame to support the geometry of a chosen material, such as stone or glass, as a square or circular top, each of which is made to order.

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FEATURE

Tomek Archer, 31, Architect & Furniture Designer Many know Tomek Archer for his music, but after seven years with the band, he recently departed Australian music outfit Van She to concentrate on furniture and architecture, launching his own practice with Toby Breakspear earlier this year.

“I’m really happy to be back in Sydney and getting on with the projects at hand,” he says of the sea-change, referring to current projects including a renovation for Belvoir Street Theatre, a new reading room for Rare Books and Special Collections at Fisher Library at the University of Sydney and, rather significantly, a commission to install a pavilion in the main gallery at Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation as part of invitation-only competition Fugitive Structure next year. “That,” says Mr Archer, “is a huge honour.”

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MANUSCRIPT

Rohan Furnell, 26, Ballet Dancer Corps de Ballet member within the Australian Ballet, Rohan Furnell graced the cover of our sixth issue in a shoot lensed by Paris-based photographer Justin Cooper that showcased the athlete’s grace and virility.

Through December, Mr Furnell will take to the stage of the Sydney Opera House in the company’s newly imagined version of Cindarella, choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky, following his performance of Alice Topp’s new work for Bodytoque.Technique, the company’s annual program to encourage original choreography. “To be witness to choreographic practice and so closely involved in the development of unique movement vocabulary is incredibly rewarding,” says Mr Furnell. “The program has offered me a rare opportunity to investigate and discover my potential beyond more traditional movement genres.”

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FEATURE

Lewis Wade, 21, Vocalist Originally founded by school friends Sean Walker and Jesse James Ward, the pair behind Movement [page 26] was joined by Lewis Wade in 2012, the 21-year-old Bachelor of Music candidate’s haunting vocals completing their outfit. Although Mr Wade seems on a sure career path with Movement, he says that completing his studies is a personal goal he wishes to achieve.

Having supported World’s End Press and performed a series of solo shows throughout the second-half of 2013, Movement will perform at Sydney Town Hall as part of Sydney Festival in January.

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MANUSCRIPT

Elliott Bryce Foulkes, 30, Graphic Designer As the art director of this magazine, Elliott Bryce Foulkes helps to shape its style and design, and if we do say so, does a damn fine job, too. As an associate at Leuver Design, Mr Foulkes works on campaigns, branding and publishing projects for the likes of Performance Space, Sydney Film Festival and the upcoming Biennale of Sydney in addition to art directing bi-monthly arts dossier Das Superpaper. In December he’ll present his first solo show of typographic works, Parergon, at Sydney’s Alaska Projects and, in 2014, again at Galerie Pompom.

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FEATURE

Mason Mulholland, 24, Artist & Model The work of emerging Sydney-based artist Mason Mulholland is layered with meaning given that as a model – a profession he’s been in for several years – he’s really familiar with the fashion magazine images he collages together.

“I’m attracted to the immediacy, destruction and defacement of the images,” he says, noting Max Ernst as an inspiration. “There’s so much sitting around on shoots and plentiful magazines around, and that’s really how it began.” Mr Mulholland's currently preparing for his own solo show in 2014, following the publication of first book, Mute, and a collaboration with Dion Lee last year, which is set to continue with the designer’s diffusion Line II.

Photography Assistance Ben Pexton | Styling Assistance Alex Rost Ms Kim used Kevin Murphy products throughout.

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MANUSCRIPT

WHAT EVEN IS MELBOURNE NOW ?

Hugely ambitious in scope, Sam Twyford-Moore questions the purpose of the National Gallery of Victoria’s multidisciplinary exhibition/biennale/festival ahead of its official opening.

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FEATURE

I

moved to Melbourne last year, having packed

Festivals here go for eleven days, not three or four,

up my share house bedroom into a single car

and there isn’t a day in the city’s calendar year

load – furniture across the backseat, books

without one seemingly scheduled. Exhibitions and

stacked in the boot – and followed the repetitive

events engulf the entire city rather than a single

expanse of the Hume Highway southward, arriving

precinct. White Night drew 300,000 people into the

in the destination city on Tuesday November 6,

city earlier in the year, and they didn’t even bother to

which also happened to be Melbourne Cup Day,

close off all the streets. Perhaps the exhibition then

which is essentially the day when the entire city

speaks to the ambitions of the city to be wholly

stops, or rather moves at a pace to a pub or a TAB

defined, but are we sure it needs it?

or a TV set. I moved into a house about a ten-

Tony Ellwood and his ambitious vision and perhaps

Racecourse, where helicopters drowned the sky

to understand the exhibition you will need some

and limousines drove past with women adjusting

psychology of the man. When I was out in

their hats in the window reflections. I chose not to

Footscray, I saw his name signed in the logbook

go to watch the horses, mainly because it was on

of the Footscray Community Arts Centre, an

the TV in the living room, and also because I was

organisation that does community engagement

exhausted from unpacking Sydney boxes. But not

well, which was kind of heartening that he had come

going to the Melbourne Cup, even to watch from

out west and had written ‘Thank you’ and left his

a pointless blurred distance, seems somewhat

email. I don’t know if a logbook is worth noting, but

emblematic of a certain slackness to get out and

Ellwood is not the problem with Melbourne Now.

explore Melbourne in any significant way since.

2012, (still), three channel synchronised HD digital video transferred to hard drive.

In a daring and highly critical article in un

Still, I moved to Melbourne for a job and a life

Magazine – daring, if only because the magazine has

partner not for the city life.

been commissioned to curate its own section of

But Melbourne, more than any other city in

Melbourne Now ‘involving an extensive network of

this country, seems to demand some level of civic

artists, designers and writers’ according to the press

engagement beyond simply walking the streets. It

release (talk about biting the hand!) – cheeky-as-

wants your love and wants you to gladly approve of

fuck emerging artists and writers Aodan Madden

its various behaviours, and to deem those behaviours

and Beth Rose Caird diagnose exactly what is wrong

as both significant and significantly playful. It would

with Melbourne Now, at least within its nascent

never dare consider that it’s not everyone’s cup of

stage before opening (the article is pitched as a

world-class coffee.

‘speculative review’) and the diagnosis lands heavily

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV from

Ash Keating, West Park Proposition 2,

Up until now, the story has mostly been about

minute walk from a park overlooking Flemington

on the marketing and publicity of the show, if only

here-on-in, okay with you?) is set to open what it

because Melbourne Now has had so much build up,

recurringly calls its biggest exhibition ever this

there’s so much to take apart. Ellwood’s corporate

November. The exhibition will be titled Melbourne

speech and his enthusiasm for ‘participation’ are

Now and is the brainchild of the NGV’s Director

also brought into question. The survey show,

Tony Ellwood, who took up the top role in 2012

possibly more than the blockbuster, is popular

after five successful years as the head of Brisbane’s

fodder for the publicists – it’s a simple enough story

Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), and most

to sell. The title alone the media will get their head

acclaimed for the key year in that five year stint –

around in a few seconds and be able to spin their

2010 – in which GoMA recorded higher audience

own stories off it. I’ve done that at the start of this

attendance numbers than the NGV. Melbourne

piece – Melbourne Now? Well, I moved to

Now is intended to be the showcase that reconfirms

Melbourne! I live here and feel complicated within

the NGV as the leading arts institute in Australia,

this space! Easy. There’s no doubt that there will be

but even with such a vision in mind, Ellwood is not

a publicist out there who will count this article and

doing so by making a survey of the nation, or even

these words as part of the successful media coverage

a statewide look at Victoria from some neat rural

of the event – another mention, another form of

angles. This is city-specific stuff. Interstate

participation accounted for. The question is whether

attendance mustn’t be top on the list. Would anyone

these publicity and marketing campaigns should

from outside of Melbourne really care for an

even be considered as part of the art – couldn’t they

exhibition with Melbourne in its title? Still, this is

be more artful and considered? It’s more than

taking the idea of the blockbuster to the level of the

simple packaging, but talking about it here might be

street block, but what comes from busting open a

like eating the cereal box instead of the cereal.

Melbourne block is yet to be seen. Is the show

Ellwood seemingly saw such criticisms coming,

seriously meant to be a survey of an entire city? It

delivering a speech at the Melbourne Press Club

certainly carries the serious air of a civic project –

soon after his appointment, in which he strongly

the catalogue and accompanying promotional videos

disagreed ‘that conspicuous marketing and the hype

have the same tone as a council approved press

that is generated through a successful marketing

release. The deadweight tagline for the exhibition

campaign is somehow at odds with the curatorial

reads ‘More than 300 artists. 8000m2 of exhibition

integrity of an exhibition, that it diminishes or

space.’ It’s the 8000m2 being quoted that kills

demeans the aesthetic, contemplative dimension of

whatever personality the publicity is meant to have.

the visitor experience. This is to miss the point.

Who cares about the measurement of your floors?

Marketing campaigns have at their heart outreach

Size doesn’t matter.

and audience development.’

Or, size definitely does matter. This all seems

In February, the NGV ran in conjunction with

like a very Melbourne way of going about things, to

Radio National a series of participatory forums

institutionalise art on such an ambitious scale.

around themes that would be explored in the

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exhibitions – collaboration and nextness and some such. This

International, but you will be greeted by architect Rory

is no exhibition – it’s public program, talk show, fashion

Hyde’s information hub, which in conceptual drawings

runway, cruise ship, strip mall, burger joint, whatever school,

looks like a giant Chia pet-like dome sculpture. Making

city made small and digestible, art made big and narrative-

the front of your gallery look like a garden is one way to

driven and geographically specific, location sensitive. For the

promote accessibility of your art for the general public;

moment, you can imagine there will be a terrific essay on

it’s just like taking the nice walk up the path to Grandma’s

kitsch to be written in relation to all this. It’s contemporary

house. Literal gardens will be created by design agency

art exhibition as Brisbane’s World Expo 88. This definitive

Urban Commons, in which visitors will be encouraged

democratisation of art – a democratic do or die ethos, really

to plant seeds which can be harvested at the end of the run.

– is not all bad. Why not bust it open and let as many people

The artist collective The Hotham Street Ladies will be

in as possible? The populist appeal or the participation angle

turning the foyer of NGV Australia into a simulation of

are little more than a couple of Metro counter lines stretched

a share house and then covering it all with icing sugar. If

across the road, to take a tally when you drive over. But in

the holier than cool West Space and MONA’s Red Queen

trying to get everyone in, perhaps they will let people in they

exhibition can both feature a fully functioning Ping-Pong

wouldn’t normally. That seems to be the case with some of

table replete with images Leith McGregor printed across

the artforms they are including. The most interesting parts

the surface, then why shouldn’t Melbourne Now throw icing

of the show may well be the incorporation of design,

sugar over everything? Leith McGregor, his biro friendly

jewellery and architecture into curatorial perspective, all

art and his table tennis artworks will also play a part of

still mediated, of course, but no longer ushered through the

Melbourne Now. In these end times, why shouldn’t art be

doors like poor cousins. How are bespoke shoes going to fit

capital F Fun? The reason that MONA has captured the

in for instance? Maybe they’ll give a pair to everyone at the

nation’s collective imagination isn’t necessarily its much-

door and ask people to tap their way around the room.

mooted sex and death angle, but the very irreverence of that

The point here might be that the show is so inclusive

angle, the larger than life nature of David Walsh, and the

as to be entirely incomprehensible. The attempts at

insanity of the entire project to begin with. It’d be great to

accessibility – including a daily countdown on the NGV

see Tony Ellwood down at Crown Casino laying a million

blog – might simply be there to reconcile this, to reign in the

dollar bet to pay for a new wing.

mass of information being delivered to NGV fanatics and

Melbourne Now continues to play it safe with its initial

the general public alike. There will, hopefully, be no real

marketing materials, which is infuriating because when you

→ Ash Keating, West Park Proposition 2,

entry point into the Melbourne Now exhibition, no single

go into the details of the press releases there’s much, much

2012, (still), three channel synchronised

door waiting to be opened. The writing about it

more here. Ash Keating has undeniably become the poster

HD digital video transferred to hard drive.

prospectively is not easy for this reason. There will, of

boy for the show. A still taken from his Painting the West

↓ Zoom.

course, be a few ways in, through the doors of the NGV

Park Proposition video work has been used throughout

36

FEATURE

promotional material. The photograph

if you tried. What all of this says about

immediately recalls street art – Keating is

Melbourne, of course, is still not particularly

wearing white tracksuits pants and a white

clear. In Ellwood’s speech to the Melbourne

hoodie, with the hood hooded. He isn’t using a

Press Club announcing the show, Melbourne

spray can, though. He’s throwing a bucket.

Now was referred to as the working title of the

Again, size matters. His canvas, in this case,

exhibition. That they have kept the simple title

is a large industrial building in Truganina, a

shows that the central idea for the show may

fringe suburb of Melbourne (it qualifies as

not have expanded even as the projects

Melbourne, now) and on one wall paints an

gathered together have. There does not seem

idyllic picturesque landscape via hurls of the

to be a cohesive statement being made. And

bucket. The Keating image, with its safe

maybe that’s okay. For now, let the show just

evocation of Melbourne laneway street art, is

happen, and the curators and publicists stand

rendered flat by the intellectual slightness of

down and out of the way and stop making so

Melbourne Now’s use of the image. Keating

many claims on its behalf. Whatever it ends up

mumbled his way through one of the February

being, it won’t be watching horses on TV.

forums and it feels unfair that Elwood, or the marketing team, or whoever, put him so front

Melbourne Now is open at NGV Australia

and centre of the exhibition. It’s this overt

and NGV International, Melbourne

institutionalisation of art that Melbourne Now

until 23 March 2014.

currently represents more than any real problem the exhibition may have. The legendary American art critic Dave Hickey turned his back on the contemporary art world after he was asked to sign a ten page contract before he could speak on a panel at New York’s Guggenheim Museum.

Still, there is a genuine hope here that when the show finally does open, it will be as chaotic and loopy as putting all the press materials together makes it sound. Tony Ellwood has done a terrific job of playing sane. Part of the show will include data visualisations by something called OOM Creative. You couldn’t make this stuff up

“It’s contemporary art exhibition as Brisbane’s World Expo 88.”

37

MANUSCRIPT

Photography Jordan Graham.

‘Wouldn’t be caught dead in’ em, mate’: one hundred years of Speedos Story Jonathan Seidler.

38

FEATURE

Banana hammocks and dick-togs and budgie smugglers and nut huggers and ding-a-ling slings and junk trunks and ouch pouches and lolly catchers and cock socks and marble sacks and dick stickers and dong sarongs and nad buckets and balbushkas and truffle duffles and pickle pinchers and weenie bikinis and meat compactors…

L

ike all great Australian

gold, smashing personal best times

– Speedos are the brainchild

and breaking world records in Speedos

as they have our athletes. Without their red

an endless source of fascination for those

and yellow-clad bums on the beach, Bondi

trying to prove something – or prove

Rescue would probably not be fun reality

something about contemporary male fashion.

TV viewing.

For a male model, Speedos are your

In reality, Speedo is not well-versed in

lingerie; if you can’t cut a good figure in one,

the art of discrimination. They provide

you may as well pack up and go home.

equipment to the Chinese swimming team.

The theory that there is nothing to hide in

They kitted out Olympian Matthew

a cosy banana hammock is one that has

Mitcham, who famously came out of the

been debated and capitalised on for years,

closet ahead of winning the gold medal for

most recently by the globally successful

diving. They’re on sale in over one hundred

AussieBum brand, with their hater-baiting

countries, some of which probably hate

tagline: ‘If you doubt yourself, wear

each other. Their basic offering has gone

something else.’

through a few tweaks, but remains pretty

Most recently, Speedos have re-entered the vernacular via the most bizarre vehicle imaginable: politics.

Rising out of the crashing waves of interparty infighting, Liberal leader Tony

Olympians have been winning

inventions – Gotye, Vegemite

on Down Under, Speedos have been

similar to how it looked when your dad and your grandfather wore it.

They are the Geneva of swimwear.

Ding-a-ling slings for every man.

Despite their innovations in the pool

Abbott has thrashed his way into Australia’s

and sponsorships out of the box, it’s still

top office despite a well-documented

Speedo's most basic offering that has

penchant for nut-huggers.

people talking. It’s fascinating that an item

Abbott, an Ironman competitor and

of clothing worn by most cultures for only a

of someone not entirely from here. As

since the 1930s. That’s a long time at

devout athlete, has undoubtedly been

few months of the year at most nonetheless

it turns out, it was a Scottish man who

the top; from Claire Dennis being criticised

pictured in his bathing suit more frequently

retains the power to shock, provoke, flatter

invented the undergarment that proclaims

for showing ‘too much shoulder’ in her

than an actual one. Whether this will do

and divide.

Australia’s laissez-faire swimming

one-piece at the 1932 L.A. Games to

wonders for international diplomacy

approach to the world. We’ll claim

Speedos being personally responsible for

remains to be seen, but Australia’s

necessarily focus on reinventing this

him, though. We’re good like that.

over 80% of all gold medals scooped by

perception as an active country bursting

particular wheel, there are plenty of

swimmers during Sydney’s 2000 Olympics.

with confident men has never been quite

others out there doing it for them. They

so assured.

are immortal simply for being the best

Presumably scared pants-less by the prospect of trying to navigate Bondi Beach

Frankly, it’s unlikely anybody at

Even as Speedo the brand doesn’t

in his longjohns, Alexander Macrae, who

Speedo gives a shit about your vanity

migrated Down Under near the turn of the

concerns. They’ve been dealing with prudes

transplant’s brainchild, but they’re now

smugglers and marble sacks that will

twentieth century, originally set up shop as

and naysayers for over 100 years. Post

carving up culture the world over. Chances

probably ever exist.

an underwear manufacturer. His arrival

WWII, women were being hauled off the

are you can tell a European man on the

happened to coincide with a boom in public

beach in Australia for trying to get away

beach from an American one these days

Google and Geneva of swimwear.

bathing on the East Coast (God knows

with a Speedo bikini. Public attitudes

simply by what they’re wearing below

They’re Australia in a Y-front.

what they were all doing in summer before

towards fashion have never been as

their hips. The line between liberal and

then) and like Tom Ford with the classic

important as their number one design

conservative body politics is being

suit, he instantly recognised a niche area

consideration: function.

renegotiated during summers across

on which he could capitalise. This one, however, required a lot less tailoring.

Speedos are now at the inviolable

Speedos may be an Australian

Just as there is a set of rules for

both hemispheres, and usually that line

aerodynamics, there’s another one for

is drawn with string and tied into a bow

water. If you want to travel fast, you want

around the waist.

point where the brand name is

to be streamlined and to avoid drag at

synonymous with the product. They

any cost. Rather than worrying about the

into Speedos and Speedo-wearing

are quite unashamedly the Hoovers

precise arrangement of male genitalia,

continually collapse onto each other like

of fashion; whether it’s Nike or Dolce

Macrae and his team were primarily

shore breakers. They’re in and then they’re

& Gabbana, thousands of brands make

concerned with speed. They were trying

out, they’re hideous and then they’re

them, but around the world they’re only

to get lifeguards through choppy waves

wonderful, they’re outdated and then

ever known by one genericised title.

quickly enough to save drowning tourists,

they’re practical, they’re strictly for gay

and world-class athletes down the pool at

men and then they’re for all men.

This ubiquity is interesting, primarily as Speedo has been constantly reinventing itself and it’s offering for the

The varied levels of meaning that go

times that defied imagination.

Navigating the sexual debate around

Those futuristic body suits that made

Speedos as a concept has become especially

entire century it has been in existence.

Australia’s relay team look like X-men?

significant in the last two decades, as the

These days, swim briefs account for less

Speedos. The swimmers that are chlorine

swimwear icon has been embraced by the

than 2% of the company’s global sales.

resistant and don’t lose their shape or

gay community and therefore positioned as

Sometimes it’s difficult to shake off your

colour after repeated use? Speedos. The

‘other’ in many hetero-normative societies.

crowning achievement. Nobody cares

sleek LZR Racer, which actually repels

But skimpy swimwear is a pendulum that

that Hoover also made washing machines.

water as you glide through it? Don’t even

swings both ways.

But honestly, what are Speedos good

bother. Speedos aren’t just the Hoover of

for aside from embarrassing your kids,

On any Australian beach, you’re as

swimming, they’re also the Google.

likely to see a fabulously buff man lounging

partners and friends in public? Well,

Do no evil. Innovate or die.

about in brightly coloured marble sacks

swimming faster, for one. Macrae’s junk

The other life of Speedos, the one you

with his partner as you are a straight

pouches may have become popular for

know of, is bound up in the general history

lifesaver running into the surf to rescue

their use on the beach, but it was their

of the product and at times has seemed

a kid that’s been dragged out into a rip.

appearances in competitive swimming

destined to overtake it. Like anything that

Speedos have been partnered with

lanes that made them world-famous.

deals with what goes

Australian lifesavers for almost as long

39

possible archetype of dick stickers, budgie

Speedos aren’t just the Hoover,

MANUSCRIPT

WHO SAID YOU CAN’T WALK INTO AN ONLINE STORE?

40

Photography Peter Bennetts

Australia’s most progressively minded retailer launches a concept fusing traditional and digital commerce.

Mitchell Oakley Smith logs on.

FEATURE

S

ince the internet came of age, there have been very

Mr Kyvetos is something of a retail legend in the luxury

few companies to find a successful mode of trading

men’s fashion business. Having served as a buyer for Assin

both digitally and in a traditional bricks-and-

until 2008, he then helped to revolutionise men’s suiting

mortar set-up. Granted, e-commerce is still a somewhat new

outfitter Harrolds with its bold new store ventures in Sydney

medium, so it stands to reason that local retail dinosaurs such

and Melbourne, introducing a youth-focused portfolio of

as David Jones haven’t yet moved past clunky online stores

brands including Thom Browne, Rick Owens, Saint Laurent

while the likes of Matches, ASOS and Neiman Marcus – all

and its Tom Ford shop-in-shops. “What I started to see was

international retailers recently in Australia to stir up further

this growth of a younger luxury market,” he says of the

growth in local sales – carve out more of their territory. On

experience working with Harrolds, for which wealthy Asian

the flipside, the aforementioned brands, amongst others, have

youths became a target customer, expanding the stores’

been clever in hosting offline events, such as trunk shows and

customer base exponentially. “I saw an opportunity for a

pop-up events, in a bid to connect with customers, but in the

brand that didn’t remodel itself to fit a new market but rather

end, nothing beats the experience of walking into a store and

was built from the beginning for that younger luxury market,

physically trying on a garment.

and if that was going to be the case, then it needed to be

Australian retail prodigy Chris Kyvetos might not have solved the problem, but he certainly offers a viable solution.

developed from the ground-up for how that customer shops.”

That is, on the go. With the digital age driven by

Sneakerboy, his new retail concept, is by all accounts one of

mobile-native customers, young people that have spent

the first businesses in the world to fully capitalise on the

their entire life shopping online are used to controlling

benefits of trading both digitally and physically, earning him a

their retail experience, a detail not lost on Mr Kyvetos in

place in the Business of Fashion’s inaugural Top 500 report

his development of Sneakerboy that allows customers,

earlier this year, one of the few Australians, alongside

both in store and at home, to manage their transaction.

designer Dion Lee, to be featured. “We’re an online store

Essentially, the physical Sneakerboy stores – rather

with a physical display space,” explains Mr Kyevtos of

beautiful but compact retail spaces in the central shopping

Sneakerboy, a multi-site, multi-platform retailer selling, for

hubs of Melbourne and Sydney – are designed merely

the most part, luxury sneakers from the likes of Saint

for customers to browse products in the flesh, with pods

Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy and Raf Simons,

set up for them to purchase products via the Sneakerboy

alongside a curated selection of t-shirts and sweaters and

app, available for download on smartphones, and website.

special, limited edition collections, collaborations and pre-

“Obviously real estate is super-expensive and when you’re

releases. “Who said you can’t walk into an online store?”

dealing with shoes half the store is lost to storage, so these

41

MANUSCRIPT

“Young people that have spent their entire life shopping online are used to controlling their retail experience.�

42

FEATURE

key locations are unachievable because of the

The architect describes the process with Mr

amount of space you need,” observes Mr Kyvetos

Kyvetos as collaborative, noting that the idea for the

of the situation he faced. “Our web platform is our

design concept comes from the birth of the sneaker.

backroom, so to speak.” So while the business’ entire

With the New York subway strike of 1966, “everyone

inventory is on display in store to view and try on, the

was forced to walk to work, and so we’ve picked up

purchased product is delivered to customers within

on this subway culture and New York City to make

three to five days of purchase via a shipping facility

the store a commentary on where its products really

in Hong Kong.

originate.” The store’s perforated metal ceiling nods

Traditional retail aficionados might be skeptical

to the design of subway stations with up-lighting giving

of Mr Kyevtos’ approach given that it essentially

a sense of space, while entry is via a tunnel-like door.

eliminates the thrill of walking out of a store with a

But more than this, in many ways the store feels like

fresh new purchase in one’s arms, but when the

the inside of an old-school computer with LED screens

concept is viewed through the vein of being an online

displaying product descriptions, curved glass shelves

store, it makes sense. “These customers are used to

and square glass bricks, visually connecting it with the

buying online, to waiting for delivery… I thought it

idea of an online store. For usability, customers are

might be a challenge for people to accept this model,

able to shop the in-store collections by scanning a

but the acceptance has been mind-bogglingly fast.

product’s barcode with the Sneakerboy app on their

Our customers don’t bat an eyelid at the process.”

smartphone, registering the number left in stock and

In the first week of trading in Melbourne, a group

in which sizes. “It really takes each situation and

of tourists from New York visited the store, having

customises it for the customer,” says Mr Eggleston.

their purchases delivered directly to their home in

Why sneakers? Like lipstick and high heels in

the United States while still on vacation. For the

the women’s category, sneakers offer democratic entry

global-roaming 21st century customer, the

into the rarefied world of luxurygoods. “It’s the easiest

Sneakerboy model makes perfect sense.

way for young people to buy into luxury labels,” says

Nonetheless, the physical outposts are

Mr Kyvetos. “Our market doesn’t dress formally, but

architecturally significant examples of Sneakerboy’s

we wear sneakers everywhere. I found that the kids

artistic integrity, designed by award-winning March

coming into Harrolds and Assin were worried they

Studios, the firm responsible for particularly special

couldn’t wear Dior Homme because they’re not

retail spaces for Aesop. Although the Sydney store,

skinny rock stars, but they’re right into the [brand’s]

located in Temperance Lane alongside the Apple

sneakers.” It also ties in with the aspiration of celebrity

store on George Street, was still under construction

culture, in which the likes of Jay-Z and Kanye West

at the time of writing, Melbourne has been trading

will regularly wear unidentifiable jeans and t-shirts,

successfully since September. “We were really

but the sneakers, whatever they may be, are instantly

interested in the idea of a retail store being an online

recognisable. “They’re the equivalent of a woman’s

store because that’s new territory for us – for

handbag, a status symbol,” says Mr Kyvetos. And he

Giuseppe Zanotti sneakers,

everyone, particularly in this country,” says Rodney

should know. As he says: “I’ve never personally owned

available at Sneakerboy.

Eggleston, one of the architects of the project.

a pair of dress shoes.”

43

MANUSCRIPT

Images courtesy of Paul Smith

Paul Smith photographed in his first store.

Opposite: The Paul Smith store on Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles.

44

FE CA OT VU ERE

HELLO, MY NAME IS PAUL SMITH With the opening of his second exhibition in London, Paul Smith demonstrates that the cultural worth of his namesake brand stems further than colourful prints, writes Mitchell Oakley Smith.

To enter the Paul Smith retrospective at

office in London. “It’s really encouraging.

provides access to areas that people do not

celebrating a quarter-century of his

the Design Museum in London, you must

It says that however humble your

normally experience and offers insights

company in 1995, but at close to 45 years

first pass through a 3-metre-square box,

beginnings it is always possible to

into [his] creative process.” Ms Loveday

in business, Ms Loveday thought it an

a rather restrictive size. Inside, scrawled

progress. I want people to leave with

worked closely with Mr Smith and his

opportune time to revisit the designer’s

in big writing on the wall, is a sign that says

goosebumps saying ‘ooh, I could do that’”.

team to develop the exhibition, coinciding

work, following a slew of exhibitions of

‘This is the size of Paul Smith’s first shop’.

The exhibition, Hello, My Name Is Paul

with the release of a book of the same title.

non-British subjects, such as French

“There’s a saying that goes ‘from small

Smith, opened in November and is,

acorns big oak can grow,’” says the

according to its curator Donna Loveday, “a

has presented an exhibition of Mr Smith’s

1989, the Design Museum has presented

designer Paul Smith via phone from his

journey through Paul Smith’s world. It

work, with Paul Smith: True Brit

exhibitions of architecture, fashion and

It’s not the first time the museum

shoemaker Christian Louboutin. Since

industrial design, including the work of Zaha Hadid and Jonathan Ive, with the aim of placing design at the centre of contemporary culture and demonstrating the richness of its creativity. Design, it’s no secret, has traditionally been considered the lowest rung of the hierarchy of the fine arts ladder, a tide that’s changing as fashion continues to draw large attendance numbers, forcing curators and museum boards to take it more seriously across the world.

But unlike designers such as Azzedine Alaia, whose body of work is currently on show at the Palais Galliera in Paris, Mr Smith isn’t the type of designer to warrant an exhibition focused solely on his clothing or technical mastery.

That’s not to say his clothes don’t have a cultural worth beyond their immediate and obvious use but rather that there’s a greater story to tell here: about his background, his business beginnings and his global growth. Much like the Gucci Museo in Florence, this exhibition comprises a broad variety of media and ephemera to help tell “the remarkable story behind the Paul Smith brand”, as Ms Loveday says.

Since that first three-metre store, which only operated two days per week, opened in Nottingham in 1970, Paul Smith has grown his business into a global operation comprising 1998 outlets, a rather considerable achievement for a young Brit that left school at 14 to become a racing cyclist. His foray into fashion, 45

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inspired by the pulsing art scene of 1960s

There is, of course, clothing in the

reveals Mr Smith’s long-running

London, began in tailoring, with a stint at

exhibition, though rather than presenting

connection with the music world. Having

Savile Row establishment Lincroft

Mr Smith’s archive chronologically, Ms

dressed everyone from David Bowie and

Kilgour. Today, Mr Smith still maintains

Loveday has highlighted themes such as

Led Zeppelin to Franz Ferdinand and Patti

both commercial and creative control of

travel, flowers and military that appear

Smith, the designer’s offering is unique in

his business, overseeing all aspects

consistently over four decades of design.

that it appeals to very public figures with a

including store design and campaign

“It’s amazing to see something from an

penchant for the outrageous for

photography, an interest he explores

early collection alongside a recent piece

performances and appearances, as well as

outside of fashion with commissions for

and see how the shape has changed, from

businessmen that shop in his stores around

the likes of Casa Vogue and Elle Decor.

really big then to slender today, and yet

the world. “A lot of designers have either

And though he designs twelve lines for the

many of the ideas are the same,” observes

very classical designs or very fashion

brand, including his main collections

Mr Smith of the presentation. “I always

[forward] designs, but I seem to embrace

shown at Paris fashion week, he is well

look forward but it has been interesting to

both,” says Mr Smith. “I think both

known for his collaborative projects which

look back, which reminds me to not

categories are beautiful so I couldn’t

have included collections for cycle clothing

dismiss what I did in the past as what goes

imagine focusing on just one,”

retailer Rapha, suits for the Manchester

around comes around and you can re-use

United soccer team, a redesign of a Lasonic

ideas you had before. It’s actually really

establish a formal archive for many years

boombox, a furniture collection for

interesting to see young people, like

– “I tried to remember to save clothes at

Cappellini and a textile collection in

students, picking up on those things today.”

the end of the season but in the beginning I

partnership with Maharam. It stands to

The designer is most known for his

Like many designers, Mr Smith didn’t

couldn’t afford not to sell them,” he

reason then that his current retrospective

digital prints and men’s tailoring, but an

explains – but today maintains a

wouldn’t be a singular study of a suit.

interesting aspect of the exhibition is that it

permanent storage space for his seasonal

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“I always look forward but it has been interesting to look back.”

collections as well as his promotional

It’s these very personal details that

Various rooms of the Hello, My Name

material. That multiplicity is on proud

give the exhibition, and the Paul Smith

Is Paul Smith exhibition displaying

display at the Design Museum, with other

business, its very individual and accessible

archival clothing, promotional material

recreations in addition to the first store,

quality. “I am confident that this exhibition

and various creative ephemera.

such as his famed office, a sort-of cabinet

will have a very broad appeal,” says Ms

of curiosities of gifts and objects collected

Loveday. “It will, of course, attract those

from around the world. “It’s full of mad,

who wear Paul Smith clothes, but also a

kitsch things, high-cost, low-cost things,

younger audience who will be inspired by

just stuff,” says Mr Smith of his workspace.

Paul’s story: how he set up the company

“That stuff has always been an inspiration

and continues to run it so successfully.”

to me and encouraged me to have ideas laterally rather than looking at what other brands are doing. It encourages people to use their eyes and is nicknamed the paracetamol room, because you’ll need one when you get out. There’s a lot that goes on each day there.” Another section pays tribute to Mr Smith’s wife, Pauline, “because I couldn’t have done it without

Hello, My Name Is Paul Smith

her. She taught me about the importance

is on show at the Design Museum,

of quality, of knowing your trade, how to

London until 9 March 2014.

make things beautifully.”

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FACE OFF The design duo of Craig Redman and Karl Meier may be separated by geography, but together they present a singularly unique style.

Mitchell Oakley Smith joins them during their daily Skype meeting.

You’d be forgiven for not having heard of

nothing immediate on the visual side

Craig & Karl, the Australian-born, New

that is typically Australian, but if you

York- and London-based artist duo, but

get deep enough into our work I think

if you’ve looked at a magazine, visited

there are certain personality traits that

an art gallery or been shopping in the

other Australians might pick up on or

past five years, it would be rather

find familiar.

impossible to have missed their work.

With a graphic style that fuses digital

It’s really so recognisable now

technology and traditional form, the

I think. You instantly know a

artists have become widely known for

piece is a Craig & Karl work.

their colourful, pattern-heavy portraits

And yet the market is so lacking

of personalities such as Barack Obama,

in original ideas – do you

Valentino Garavani and Kanye West. In

think it’s possible to create

February, Le Specs will release a

something new and original?

collection of Craig & Karl sunglasses,

KM I think there's always an opportunity

and they’re keeping busy with seasonal

for new ideas. For us, we don't intentionally

print commissions from Nike, a new

set out to create something new, per se, but

collection of accessories for MCM, a

we do strive to develop a visual language

public art piece in Shoreditch, United

that is unique to us so that there's a

Kingdom and monthly illustrations for

consistency and coherence to everything

British Vogue. Here, they speak about

we do. We then try and construct our work

their process of collaboration.

from within those parameters.

MITCHELL OAKLEY SMITH

There’s certainly influences of

How did you first meet and realise you wanted to work together?

various art styles in your work though. Are there other designers

CRAIG REDMAN

you look up to or are inspired by?

Karl and I met when we were 17, in the first

CR Our influences are pretty eclectic, from

semester of the first year at university, and

Urs Fischer to The Real Housewives of

we've been working together in some way or

Atlanta, Tauba Auerbach and Jonas Wood to

another ever since. We understand each

Renaissance painting, Memphis design to

other’s visual aesthetic implicitly and are

crappy Chinese takeout flyers. We kind of

drawn to much of the same things, so it's

frankenstein all these weird influences

always made sense to make it a joint effort.

together to create our own strange world.

And you’re both Australian but

Jolyon, our fashion director,

neither of you live here anymore.

adores The Real Housewives

KARL MAIER

series, though he’s always been

I moved to London last year and Craig

more into the Beverly Hills

hightailed it to New York in 2007 when he

franchise. I think creatives

won the Green Card Lottery. It helps

today tend not to look in one

having one of us in two of the biggest – in a

place for inspiration.

creative sense – cities in the world in terms

KM It's more about being influenced by

of making us more accessible to the kind of

the world around, rather than intentionally

people we want to work with. I think it just

searching for inspiration. For us, it might

got the point were we needed to spread our

be something we come across on

wings a little, and thankfully it worked out.

Instagram or while we're digging around

Do you think your work still

Google Images that sparks an idea. It's also

retains an Aussie twist?

real world stuff like gallery hopping or just

CR I guess our sense of humour? There's

talking to friends that draws out the ideas.

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“Our influences are pretty eclectic, from Urs Fischer to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Tauba Auerbach and Jonas Wood to Renaissance painting, Memphis design to crappy Chinese takeout flyers.”

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either of us do is completely up for grabs. We do aim to create a consistency to everything we do, whatever the medium, regardless of which of us may actually do the work.

Is everything in your process digital, or some things you create by hand?

KM There is a part of every project that is digital.

Usually we'll do a sketch, then digitise it where we play with composition and colour. More recently though there's an additional stage at the end, after digital comes another round whether it be painting the artwork, whether mural or canvas for example, or reworking it for products.

With that in mind it seems to me you’d be classed as artists in the traditional sense, rather than a graphic designer.

Do you see yourselves as artists?

CR More and more of what we do is art-based rather than design work. Even when we do design work, say a magazine cover, we end up doing a mini installation or something, rather than a straight-up illustration, so I guess it's evolving over time. I suppose we do see ourselves as artists but people do have trouble reconciling the image of designers as artists, which is understandable, I suppose, though not an opinion we Going back to your work, I think you’re most known for the faces; how does the process work?

CR The portraits start with a photograph of the subject, so depending on the location we'll either take the photograph ourselves or photos will be sent in. Then we create a drawing that is eventually digitised where we start adding the colour and patterns. We definitely aim to infuse the subject's personality or a recognisable character trait into each face. The Valentino portrait is predominately red, a nod to his red dresses, and the portrait of Carmelo Anthony has orange as the primary colour in reference to his New York Knicks team colour.

It’s interesting that they’re so abstract and yet there can be so much of someone within the portrait. How many projects do you typically have on the go?

KM We currently have about twenty or so projects that we're either starting, in the midst of, or finishing.

I think because there are two of us and we've been doing this for a long time we're well practiced at handling many things on the go, and we've become pretty good at making quick, concise decisions, which helps.

CR There are some projects that we’ll manage

share. We do such a wide variety of projects, from murals to products, editorial illustrations to installations, animation to cultural identities to fashion collections…

I think we'd get bored if we limited ourselves to just design.

Speaking of fashion, do you think the form is elevated by working outside of its bounds and with artists, like in the projects you’ve worked on?

KM It benefits both parties, for sure. Fashion brands use it to regenerate interest in their brand, and it gives artists like us an opportunity to reach people that might not have seen our work before. It’s win-win.

And working with print magazines, too, is interesting, in that people talk about the demise of print. Is print something special to you and your work, or can it be received equally via a screen?

CR People have been talking about the demise of print for twenty years, and while it might have dropped off from what it was, I can't imagine it disappearing completely. There will always be something about the tactility of print that an iPad can't match. That said we love the immediacy of the screen; we can have a project up and released in a minute.

individually but we’re always in conversation about the concept or idea. There are points of diversion and stylistic elements particular to each of us but we certainly influence each other's work a lot; anything

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↖ A selection of frames from Craig & Karl's capsule collection for Le Specs.

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Paul Smith photographed in his first store.

Opposite: The Paul Smith store on Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles.

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COOL RIDER Celebrating a quarter-century as the artistic director of the Hermès “men’s universe”, Veronique Nichanian continues to make the house relevant to men around the world. Mitchell Oakley Smith sits down with the best designer you’ve never heard of.

That a brand ranked so highly on the scale of luxury offers such beautifully casual, accessible clothing is the very contradiction of Hermès. Under the direction of Veronique Nichanian for the past 25 years, the menswear offering of the French house has carved its niche with an aesthetic of binaries, appealing to the globally growing designer men’s market that craves authenticity as much as individuality. It’s not every house that sends crocodile leather button-down shirting down the runway, after all. As The

New York Times’ fashion critic Cathy Horyn noted: “She knows that pulling off that lighter, relaxed attitude, without things tipping toward slobville, is harder than it appears.” For the house’s spring/summer 2014 collection, the designer’s silver anniversary, Ms Nichanian presented one of her most effortless collections to date, with lightweight cotton and linen boat neck t-shirts, sweatshirts and boilersuits in a vast palette of blue and grey.

MITCHELL OAKLEY SMITH I thought the spring/summer 2014 collection was just beautiful. I would wear all of it. What were you thinking about when designing it?

VERONIQUE NICHANIAN I wanted the collection to have a bohemian soul with a supple allure, mixing grey overtones and bright hues and trompe-l’oeil effects.

What stands out to me about your designs is that they’re ageless.

Do you have a specific man in mind when designing the collections?

Hermès men are so many and diverse, why focus on one? Our clients are all kinds of men, young and older, but no matter their age they all share the same taste for quality, excellence and modernity. I like to think they know how to speak their mind with the clothes [they wear] and how to appropriate the garments to make their own silhouette.

I think about what I call selfish details, things that you cannot see from the outside but that the person that wears the garment can feel.

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→ Looks from the Hermes spring/summer 2014 runway collection, shown in Paris.

“To me the creative process is purely emotional; I don’t think about different markets because I think every customer is different” Hermès is a house that prides itself on quality and authenticity, but there are nonetheless commercial imperatives for every designer. How do you juggle creative and commercial demands?

When I create a collection, I think about men that would wear my clothes in the street, to see clothes in their lives rather than focusing on the runway. I am interested in the intimacy between a man and its garment. I don’t think about one Hermès man but many Hermès men… I want to create clothes to make them more charming and seducing. I don’t know if this is juggling the commercial with the creative, but my role is to propose what is right and what I have in mind.

How do you ensure the brand message stays clear while making those evolutions?

My role is to propose what I believe in. Of course, I live with my time, I travel a lot to big cities, and I see a lot of exhibitions. I am influenced by the world that surrounds me, not by trends. I am interested in timeless garments that become part of one’s life for a long time and I like to consider myself a “slow-downer” so the

Markets have been challenged in recent years with globalisation and e-commerce, and perhaps none more so than fashion. What do you think is key in navigating a successful business despite market changes and whims?

At Hermès we like to say the house is built on two firm legs, one is know-how and tradition, the other is creativity and innovation.

I am interested in building a radical continuity, in creating vêtements-objets. It is about a path, not changing every season

Hermès men evolves but the vision stays the same.

And is that the same globally as emerging markets become incredibly important?

We create one collection for the whole world and all the stores are free to buy what they want, so you can essentially find different pieces all over the world. In the collection, every garment is conceived as an object by itself, [allowing] the customer to compose his silhouette with a lot of freedom. To me the creative process

but writing a style season after season.

is purely emotional; I don’t think about different markets because

So aesthetic consistency is more important than creative experimentation?

We don’t try to fit in a market expectation but tend to propose

I think every customer is different from one another at Hermès.

Both [are as important], of course. My process of work is based on both innovation and tradition with the fabrics. It is the starting point of my creative process, giving new skills and performances to beautiful fabrics. I am passionate about the feeling of the fabrics but also the technical side. In the spring/summer collection, for instance, I have used very light cottons, washed and supple in feeling, and shaded nubuck and perforated lambskin. I constantly evolve while keeping the same direction and style; the changes are done through the choice of fabrics and construction of the garments is always the result of constant research and will of change.

the unexpected.

With that in mind, what is your seasonal process of designing the collection?

I work very closely with my team. As I said, fabrics are the spine and the starting point, and from there I define the colours and I work on the shapes and lines. I pay lots of attention to every detail and never hesitate starting all over again until I have the exact cut. It’s often a question of a millimetre. I am very demanding and at Hermès we never compromise when it comes to quality.

Is that what luxury is today?

To me, luxury does not mean anything by itself. The word luxury has been so used for anything it is now an empty word.

To me we can only speak about quality and savoir-faire.

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Winter might be coming, but not for Noah Taylor Following a brief hiatus from the spotlight, Australian actor-musician-artist Noah Taylor’s career is, yet again, on the rise, writes Jemima Sissons.

Photography Paul Scala 56

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I

nterviewing Noah Taylor is an interesting gig. Having been stung a few years ago, he is reluctant to meet you in person, so what ensues is a meeting with a shadow – exchanges late at night on email, and on phones in hotel rooms 2000 miles apart. One’s visual references are varied. One minute when he is describing his dislike of modern art (“I have a complete phobia of it”), we

are in Milan and Brighton (where he lives), and it is Mr Taylor in Shine that seems to be on the other end of the phone: a wild-eyed, restless ball of energy. Further down the line and we are conversing while he is on a train back home. He is describing his detachment from social media (“I am too old for it”), and it is the comical Mr Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that springs to mind, that expressive face and furrowed brow, his brain whirring too quickly, as you get the impression it often is.

His multifaceted roles are perhaps an apt reflection of his own life.

Although most well known as an actor – in particular for his role in Shine as the troubled young David Helfgott, and more recently in cult US TV series Game of Thrones – Mr Taylor is also a talented musician and artist; a man with many strings to his bow. The elder of two sons, Mr Taylor, 44, was born to Australian parents in London, but moved to Melbourne when he was five, where he lived in St Kilda. Bizarrely, for someone who comes across as such a sensitive soul, he wanted to join the army before becoming an actor. “Boys naturally gear towards that kind of thing, crawling around

It is impossible now to pigeonhole Mr Taylor, and he seems to relish

on the floor on all fours, but I’m a coward at heart,” he explains wryly.

in taking on these multiple and very different personalities. Which, then,

It was after he left school at 16 that he fell into acting, without any

does he enjoy the most? “It's good to try and stretch your limits doing the

formal training, and was cast in his first major role a year later, in The Year

more demanding, difficult roles, but they can be taxing on you and those

My Voice Broke, directed by John Duigan. This was followed by Flirting,

around you,” he says. “These days I like to try and do comedies and slightly

alongside Nicole Kidman and Thandie Newton, where he played the

over the top villains, which is kind of a form of comedy. As far as favourite

sweetly awkward young Danny Embling discovering love. Yet it was his

roles, I enjoyed playing a Texan serial killer in a fairly obscure film called

raw vulnerability in Shine as the young piano playing troubled genius that

Red, White & Blue, which is a great film but a bit too heavy for the art film

cemented his name as one of Australia’s leading actors of his generation.

crowd and a bit too arty for the gore brigade so it didn't get much of a look in.”

With roles as diverse as Hitler in Max, the harrowed band manager in

But certainly since Game of Thrones, famous for its obsessive fan base,

Almost Famous, and a father undergoing a mid-life crisis in Submarine,

he is recognised more and more. “I wasn't really aware of the whole

he is equally able to show raw vulnerability and master the comedy turn

phenomenon until I actually started working on the show. I don't watch

with a simple sideways glance or raise of his eyebrow.

much TV and I'd never come across the books, so it wasn't till a while into

A few years ago, however, he seemed to quite simply disappear, go to

filming the series that I realised it was kind of a big deal to a lot of folks. If

ground, only to bounce back three years ago in more roles than ever. What

I have a beard in civilian life then occasionally someone will yell out ‘fuck

happened? “I took a few years off from acting to pursue music and assumed

the Lannisters!’ [the evil family in the series, for those living under a rock],

I could just slip back into it,” explains Mr Taylor. “But actually it was like

I'll give them a thumbs up and that seems to be enough. I've never really

having to start from scratch, which was a bit humbling, but probably quite

had trouble with fans; most people are pleasant enough and I know what

healthy. I think I'm more comfortable doing it now and enjoy the sort of

it is to be a fan so I try and be polite and friendly if approached, but really

roles that come with a bit of age. I actually find it more difficult now these

it doesn't happen much.”

days but that's maybe to do with taking it a little more seriously.” He is now

Having come to the UK in 1998 for work, he ended up living in

the busiest he has ever been. With six forthcoming film releases, his

London before settling in Brighton, a seaside town of faded Georgian

next, out in January, is Mindscape, a psychological thriller about a detective

splendour, freedom, windy piers, day-trippers and night owls. For him,

who can enter people’s memories. Others include Predestination, a sci-fi

it is oddly reminiscent of where he grew up. “It actually reminds me of

psychological thriller; The Double, by Richard Ayoade, about a man driven

St Kilda. There are still lots of big bums in Brighton, it’s rough around

mad by his doppelgänger; and Epic, a comedy shot in Georgia, made by an

the edges, with a mix of dreamers and junkies. There's some beautiful

old friend of Mr Taylor’s, Ben Hopkins, about a director trying to make a

architecture and I enjoy the slightly tatty seaside holiday resort feel of

film about a former Soviet Bloc country's national history. Taylor plays

the place,” he explains. “It could do with a bit more glamour and some

“an obnoxious B-grade action move star past his prime.” Then there is

more decent restaurants, but that's true of most cities in the UK outside

The Menkoff Method, a “good old-fashioned Aussie comedy” directed by

of London.”

David Parker, who wrote the classic Melbourne comedy Malcolm, in

He is clearly attracted to the more genteel side of Britishness, citing

which he plays the villainous Russian Max Menkoff. As for Game of

The Savoy hotel, Jermyn Street and the country’s ‘ancient’ establishments

Thrones, he remains, as you might assume, very tightlipped. “I can't say

as things he warms to. However there is a part of Mr Taylor that will be

anything or they'll kill me.” And he certainly wouldn’t be the first.

forever Australian. “I miss the beaches, the bush and the openness of the Australian psyche and landscape,” he says. Although he doesn’t consider himself an expat as he “hates that expression”, Taylor confesses that he now considers Brighton very much home. “I have grown to love it, I have lived here half my life. I don't attach much importance to nationality, but I am quite patriotic, and am still thoroughly Australian.”

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Although Mr Taylor, who goes back to Australia once a year to visit friends and family in Melbourne, confesses that he feels like his home country is increasingly less and less like the place he left.

“Everywhere changes, it is one of those weird things about living in another country for a length of time, you go back and after 20 years it is radically different.

You can see it in the attitude… it is a lot more materialistic now, it used to be egalitarian, but there is a lot more money obsession. I think this is because the recession didn't really touch Australia and people have got it pretty good there.

During the previous government, under John Howard, it became a lot more antiimmigration and hard line, like under Thatcher, with selfish attitudes.” He also feels that Australians can err on the side of complacency. “Australian and British life is markedly different for a variety of reasons, the weather and personal space being a part of it. Life is pretty hard for the average Brit, and Australian life is

Music is also a big part of his life. While he was taking time out he

a dream for many; Australians don't know how good they've got it really.”

focused his energies on this, but even that has undergone a metamorphosis,

Downtime is spent focusing on his other loves, music and art, perhaps

mellowing a little, like Taylor himself: “I've played in and had numerous

where he feels he can be most himself. “Film is my work, it is not just for the

bands since I was a teen. Probably my favourite is my current band The

fun of it, it is very much working for other people, with other people. As I am

Rhinestoned Immaculates, a kind of a freaked out, droney, country western

a control freak I like music and painting as it is entirely my thing.” His art is

band, but I think we've run our course now; they were quite chaotic and

on the dark side: ghoulish images punctuated with death and murder. He

violent shows, always resulting in damage both to my guitars and eardrums.

seems, if his pictures of blood-spattered bodies and multi-breasted she-

I'm going to do something a little bit more refined and romantic next.”

devils are anything to go by, like a very tortured soul. “People often say my

It seems, like his music, Taylor has grown into himself. Having spent

art is dark, although I never see that myself, even the ones that involve

many of his years a little tortured, finding his way, he is now riding a wave.

hangings. A lot of those ones are based loosely on historical events, like bush

He shot to fame early, then disappeared, went to ground, laid low, to get

rangers, but for the main they are, I guess, what you'd call unconscious or

whatever it was that was needed out of his system. Now, back and stronger

subconscious images that float around my head. I tend to repeat myself a lot

than ever, he has come full circle. Married to Dionne Loehr, an Australian

which I fought against for a long time and then came to the conclusion there

fashion designer, he is also father to a six-year old girl, Martha, by a previous

was a reason for the images being so insistent, so eventually I just went with

relationship. Does he think his star is rising, that he is eclipsing the Chris

them.” He had a sell-out show at the Olsen Irwin Gallery, in Woollahra, last

Hemsworths of this world? “Not that I am aware of. I am not really a

January and is currently working on an exhibition at London’s Lawrence

competitive person, I was just very lazy about my career in my twenties and

Alkin Gallery, due to open in March.

thirties. Now that I am a parent and middle-aged, I am a bit more driven.”

Photography Assistance Simon McGuigan | Post Production Postmen

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Photography Assistance Ben Pexton | Styling Assistance Alex Rost Ms Kim used Kevin Murphy products throughout.

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Photo by Paul Scala

FASHION

LEATHER, LACE & LE SMOKING

MR SANDMAN Sometimes simple is best.

Cool off in relaxed, voluminous pieces that are as easy to wear as they are to care for.

Photography Troyt Coburn | Styling Jolyon Mason Grooming Kimberley Forbes

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Mr Goodwins wears Speedos briefs,

created exclusively for Manuscript.

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Zambesi shirt, sweater & pants,

Limedrop sunglasses,

Salvatore Ferragamo sandals, American Apparel socks.

Opposite: Salvatore Ferragamo

shirt & shorts.

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Photography Assistance Ben Pexton | Styling Assistance Alex Rost Ms Kim used Kevin Murphy products throughout.

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Uniqlo sweater, Discount jacket, Prada pants (part of suit).

Opposite: Verner vest,

Limedrop sunglasses.

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Orlebar Brown windbreaker, Paul Smith pants.

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Raf Simons shirt,

Maison Martin Margiela singlet, Lacoste raincoat,

Emporio Armani shorts.

Opposite: Orlebar Brown shirt.

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Burberry shirt & jacket, Zambesi pants.

Opposite: Bally cycling shirt & shorts,

Limedrop sunglasses.

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Harry Goodwins/Priscillas Models Ms Forbes used Giorgio Armani Cosmetics throughout.

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AVENUE MARCEAU The seduction of Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking remains forever in fashion, reimagined here through the cool disregard of a Silver Lake skater.

Photography Paul Scala | Styling Jonathan Ailwood Grooming Vincent de Moro

Louis Vuitton pants, Christian Louboutin slippers.

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Haider Ackermann waistcoat & dressing gown, Charvet evening scarf, Louis Vuitton jeans, Christian Louboutin slippers.

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Charvet waistcoat & dressing gown, Kenzo shirt.

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Stylist’s own shirt,

Louis Vuitton smoking jacket & pants.

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FASHION

Kenzo shirt, jacket, pants & scarf, Christian Louboutin slippers.

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Haider Ackermann shirt, jacket, pants & shoes.

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FASHION

Charvet shirt, waistcoat & bowtie,

Yohji Yamamoto jacket & pants, Christian Louboutin slippers.

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MANUSCRIPT

Saint Laurent shirt, Chanel jacket, Hermes pants.

84

Yohji Yamamoto overalls & jacket,

Hermes coat, Haider Ackermann shoes.

85

Prada shirt, Saint Laurent jacket & jeans.

86

FASHION

Stylist’s own shirt, Saint Laurent waistcoat,

Louis Vuitton trousers.

Saint Laurent shirt, Chanel jacket, Hermes pants.

Travis Smith/Supa Model Management | Photography Assistance Simon McGuigan Fashion Assistance Benoit Martin Kersenbaum | Post Production Postmen

87

Black Hole SUN As the sun sets over a sleepy seaside village, all-leather looks come in to play.

Photography Liz Ham | Styling Jolyon Mason Grooming Sasha Nilsson Mr Phillips wears Claude Maus sweater, Dion Lee skirt, Winston Wolfe pants & jacket (hanging on bench), Rick Owens sneakers, available at Sneakerboy.

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90

Ae’lkemi coat, Uniqlo shirt,

Farage tie, Boss gloves,

Saint Laurent shirt, Chanel jacket, Hermes pants.

Winston Wolfe shorts.

Opposite: Bassike pants.

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Zsadar jacket & pants,

Paul Smith gloves, R.M.Williams boots.

Opposite: Comme des Garcons headpiece, available at Harrolds, Saxony harness.

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MANUSCRIPT

Kahlo shorts.

Opposite: Ksubi pants, ASOS backpack, Chanel surfboard, Adidas slides.

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Dion Lee jacket, Boss gloves,

Winston Wolfe three-quarter pants.

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Ksubi jacket,

Neil Barrett shirt,

available at MyWardrobe.com,

Kahlo leggings, Bassike shorts, Unif.m hat, Boss gloves, Birkenstock sandals,

Winston Wolfe bandana (tied around neck).

Opposite: Rick Owens jacket,

available at Harrolds.

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99

Boss jacket,

Strateas Carlucci t-shirt.

100

FASHION

101

Maticevski beaded leggings, R.M.Williams boots.

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Topman t-shirt, MSGM skirt,

available at MyWardrobe.com,

Winston Wolfe leggings, R.M.Williams boots.

Opposite: Saxony viser,

Maticevski mask, made for Manuscript, Henson backpack.

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MANUSCRIPT

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Louis Vuitton jacket, Sax briefs.

107

Strateas Carlucci bomber jacket,

Zambesi vest & pants, Paul Smith bomber jacket (tied around

waist), R.M. Williams boots.

108

James Phillips/London Management Ms Nilsson used Bumble & Bumble for Mecca Cosmetica throughout.

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MANUSCRIPT

Stockists

Adidas / adidas.com.au

Ae’lkemi / aelkemi.com

American Apparel / americanapparel.net ASOS / asos.com

Bally / bally.com

Bassike / bassike.com

Birkenstock / birkenstock.com.au

Bumble & Bumble / bumbleandbumble.com Burberry / burberry.com

Chanel / chanel.com

Charvet / mrporter.com

Christian Louboutin / christianlouboutin.com

Claude Maus / claudemaus.com

CRANE BROTHERS / crane-brothers.com

Dion Lee / dionlee.com

Dior Homme / dior.com

Discount / discountuniverse.com.au Ellery / elleryland.com

Paul Smith / paulsmith.co.uk Prada / prada.com

Raf Simons / rafsimons.com

R.M.Williams / rmwilliams.com.au SABA / saba.com.au

Kahlo / kahlo.com.au

Lacoste / lacoste.com

Mecca Cosmetica / meccacosmetica.com.au

Pageant / wearepageant.com

Hermes / hermes.com

Ksubi / ksubi.com

Maticevski / tonimaticevski.com

Orlebar Brown / orlebarbrown.com

Gucci / gucci.com

Kenzo / kenzo.com

MAC Cosmetics / maccosmetics.com.au

O&M / originalmineral.com

Fudge / fudge.com

Louis Vuitton / louisvuitton.com

My Wardrobe / my-wardrobe.com

Farage / farage.com.au

Hugo Boss / hugoboss.com

L’Oreal / loreal.com

Moroccan Oil / moroccanoil.com

Emporio Armani / armani.com

Limedrop / limedrop.com.au

Maison Martin Margiela / maisonmartinmargiela.com

Haider Ackermann / haiderackermann.be

Harrolds / harrolds.com.au

Henson / thisishenson.com

Le Specs / lespecs.com

Saint Laurent / ysl.com

Salvatore Ferragamo / ferragamo.com Sax / saxfetish.com

Saxony / saxony.com.au

Sneakerboy / sneakerboy.com

Strateas Carlucci / strateascarlucci.com

Tigi / tigiprofessional.com

Topman / topman.com

Uniqlo / uniqlo.com

Unif.m / uniform-studios.com

Verner / ingridverner.com

Winston Wolfe / winstonwolfe.com.au

Yohji Yamamoto / yohjiyamamoto.co.jp

Zsadar / zsadar.com

Zambesi / zambesi.co.nz

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