ISSUE 11 - AUTUMN 2015

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AUS/NZ $7.00

This is Troye Sivan

65 CASTLEREAGH STREET, SYDNEY – (02) 9229 4600 – WWW.DIOR.COM

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Issue XI 2015 12 Editor’s Letter | 14 Contributors | 16 News 23 Introducing Thierry-Maxime Loriot, Nick Wooster and Lucas Grogan Photography Sam Hendel, Daniel Gurton and Kylie Coutts 30 Big Business In a fast-moving industry, Japanese high street retailer Uniqlo remains a step ahead with thanks to a commitment to ongoing innovation and creative vision.

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith 34 This Is How We Do Dinner In celebration of a year well spent, a dinner beneath the sails of Australia’s most iconic house.

Photography Richard Sawyer 36 The Deeper the Voice, the Loftier the Goals With an arresting, resonant baritone and poetic observations of the underside of love, Jack Ladder has swiftly assumed a position in the Australian music canon.

Story Jonathan Seidler Photography Kylie Coutts 40 It’s a Marvel-ous Life As innovative and experimental films become too financially risky, the diversity of Hollywood continues to shrink, resulting in a raft of CGI-heavy, comic book-inspired blockbusters.

Story Huw Walmsley-Evans 44 Wild at Heart Come autumn, the Queensland Art Gallery/ Gallery of Modern Art will present a solo retrospective exhibition of David Lynch, evidence of the filmmaker and artist’s ongoing cultural importance.

Story Huw Walmsley-Evans 46 Brothers in Arms As individuals and a family unit, brothers Daniel, Jordan and Lorin Askill are creatively unstoppable, and with a move from Sydney to New York, they’re poised to take the world.

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith | Photography Adrian Mesko

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Issue XI 2015 50 Bright Star Meet Troye Sivan, Australia’s greatest new celebrity that you probably haven’t heard of.

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith | Photography Liz Ham 62 It’s a Shoe Thing The new season brings with it a delightful raft of brilliant items. Preview the best of the spring 2015 collections.

Photography Rudolf Zverina 74 The Next Big Thing After months of scouring the country, we present the four finalists of the 2015 Manuscript Model Search, presented here in their very first shoot.

Photography Jordan Graham 82 Into the Woods A melting pot of influences, we take Danish label Sand into the Australian landscape.

Photography James Nelson 88 Modern Day Dandy Forget flip flops and wife-beaters – Australia’s sartorial standards have risen sharply in the past decade. We meet some of the country’s best-dressed men.

Photography Daniel Gurton 98 The Two Faces of Givenchy As one of the most innovative houses in luxury, Riccardo Tisci has reshaped Givenchy for the 21st Century, evidenced in a photographic series backstage at the spring 2015 show.

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith 104 Form & Function Menswear no longer follows the restrictive, traditional form, with designers exploring new territory and presenting great ideas of masculinity today.

Photography Paul Scala 118 Stockists

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From the Editor

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few years ago when I was living in New York I

collection, a standout piece, but when we saw it on the runway

happened upon a website (now defunct,

in Paris last June it was obvious that we needed to shoot it. It’s

sadly), Fortnight Journal, which profiled, on a

those unbridled, original ideas that we so appreciate at

fortnightly basis, innovative members of the

Manuscript.

This issue is, I hope you’ll agree, literally brimming with

millennial generation. I remember thinking

how exciting it was; then in my young twenties, I’d always tried

those kinds of things. I’m delighted to welcome film critic and

to hide my age, thinking that being young(ish) was something

scholar Huw Walmsley-Evans to our stable of writers as a

that would hinder my career prospects, what with all the

contributing editor. Mr Walmsley-Evans is one of the sharpest,

connotations of my generation being privileged and not

most knowledgeable voices in film literature today, and as a

knowing an honest day’s work. On the contrary, Fortnight

resident of upwardly mobile Brisbane, he’ll be first in line to

showed that we were just like every other generation in terms

see the terrific David Lynch retrospective exhibition when it

of our ambition and abilities, but having grown up with the

opens at the Gallery of Modern Art this autumn. Be sure, too,

internet we were armed with a different way of doing things.

to read Mr Walmsley-Evans’ essay about the current proliferation of comic book film adaptations.

I bring up this memory because our cover subject, Troye

Elsewhere, we profile, as always, some of the most

Sivan, might be one of those bright young things you’d write off for being young, using the internet to his utmost advantage

talented men in contemporary culture, this issue including

and, most importantly, being damn successful as a result of

curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot, artist Lucas Grogan and

both of those factors. But in my interview with Mr Sivan (page

menswear consultant Nick Wooster; the four handsome

50), he shows himself to be a thoughtful, intelligent, ambitious

finalists of our inaugural model search are revealed, expertly

(scarily so), curious and creative human being. It stands to

photography by Jordan Graham; and contributing editor

reason that his is the second most popular YouTube in

Jonathan Seidler profiles another brilliant Australian

Australia and that he has in excess of two million Instagram

musician, Jack Ladder, whose commanding voice and poetic

followers – quite simply, people really like him.

lyrics are fast making him one of our country’s greatest stars.

Until next time–

Mr Sivan is a busy man to pin down, what with recording part of his album in Los Angeles, shooting a film in South Africa and living with his family in Perth, but he very kindly made time for our cover shoot, and as evidence of his artistic spirit, basically let us do whatever the hell we wanted with him.

Mr Sivan and, on his back, Thom Browne, the New York-based menswear designer that has, during his decade in the business, completely thwarted, subverted and radically altered the way

Mitchell Oakley Smith

that we dress today. The sharply structured, ice creamcoloured suit worn by Mr Sivan, from Mr Browne’s spring

Editor-in-Chief & Publisher twitter.com/MrOakleySmith

2015 collection, is a most overt example of the designer’s

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Photography Georges Antoni

It’s with thanks to that trust that two icons appear on the cover:

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Issue XI 2015 Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Mitchell Oakley Smith Creative Director Jolyon Mason

Art Director Elliott Bryce Foulkes Associate Editor Alison Kubler

European Fashion Editor Jonathan Ailwood Market Editor Brad Homes

Contributing Features Editors

Benjamin Law, Huw Walmsley-Evans, Jonathan Seidler Editorial Assistant Lucy Rennick Contributing Artists & Writers Peter Beard, Kylie Coutts,

Kimberley Forbes, Jordan Graham, Daniel Gurton, Liz Ham, Sam Hendel, Jenny Kim, Adrian Mesko, Aya Murai, James Nelson, Sasha Nilsson, Joel Phillips, Richard Sawyer, Andre Cueto Saavedra, Paul Scala, Rudolf Zverina

Manuscript is owned and published by Mitchell Oakley Smith (ABN 67 212 902 027), Ground Floor, 5 Comber Street, Paddington NSW 2025, editorial@manuscriptdaily.com.

Printed by Spotpress, 24-26 Lilian Fowler Place, Marrickville NSW 2204. © 2015 All Rights Reserved. ISSN 2201-0815.

Contributors Huw Walmsley-Evans

Brisbane-based critic and scholar, Huw Walmsley-Evans is the essays editor for the innovative online film criticism magazine Screen Machine. His research examines film criticism as a cultural institution, and he is currently examining the history of Australian film criticism.

In his first issue writing for Manuscript, Mr Walmsley-Evans offers commentary on the raft of comic-inspired blockbusters on the Silver Screen, and explores the ongoing cultural importance of David Lynch ahead of the filmmaker's exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art.

James Nelson

Perth-born, Sydney-based photographer James Nelson shoots his first menswear editorial – and first story for this magazine, for that matter – in this issue, titled Into the Woods. Employing both film and digital technology, Mr Nelson’s images have an alluring, tactile quality, and are regularly published by independent Australian women’s fashion magazine Russh.

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Rudolf Zverina

Sydney-based photographer Rudolf Zverina shoots, as he says, “everything I can: landscapes, people exercising, models, concrete corners. I just look around and if it’s visually simple, I’ll take a picture.” In his first editorial for the magazine, Mr Zverina teamed with newly-appointed market editor Brad Homes to capture the best of the spring 2015 season’s accessories with model-of-the-moment Hector Wedin.

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News Edited by Lucy Rennick here’s much to suggest 2014 has been a stellar year for Ralph Lauren. Not only did the US fashion and accessory conglomerate boast second quarter earnings of $201 billion and open its first Polo flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York, but the year also marked the launch of a premier womenswear collection under the Polo line with a 4D, holographic fashion event that ↓ ↙ Looks from the fall/winter 2015 Polo Ralph Lauren collection.

deftly displayed the brand’s technological panache. The revolutionary runway show,

which featured a water-screen projection above Central Park in Manhattan, is indicative of Ralph Lauren successfully utilising its position as a highly influential American label planted firmly in a dynamic fashion landscape. It’s this ability to preempt the unrelenting shifts in the environment that cements the label’s relevance, undoubtedly for a multitude of seasons to come.

Strides made in womenswear have provided ample opportunity to re-evaluate the importance of menswear to the Polo line. Since the introduction of Polo in 1993 as solely a menswear division, it has risen to incredible prominence and remains the most popular line within the global multi-billion dollar enterprise that is Ralph Lauren. The Polo man is forever characterful, with an undeniably American sensibility; the latest offering stays true to Ralph Lauren form.

While still celebrating Ralph Lauren’s preppy roots, the fall/winter 2015 collection sees the men’s line refreshed, revamped and pioneering towards new directions in contemporary styling. The Polo line is renowned for its classic aesthetic, a slight playfulness and, above all, its accessibility. Polo’s more luxurious counterpart Purple Label showed us lightweight safari jackets and Navajo print sweaters as part of spring/summer 2015, and the latest Polo fall/winter 2015 offering has certainly taken cues from that collection but applied them to a more casual setting. Here, we see spirited layering of textures and fabrics, creating visual smorgasbords with Navajo pullovers, plaid woolen scarves and luscious duffel coats. The collection encompasses a rugged, athletic feel on one hand with padded down outerwear and camo jackets. On the other, we see the tailored Americana that Ralph Lauren has become synonymous with. Here, three quarter length camel coats, pinstripe blazers and printed t-shirts come to dominate the looks.

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News The name of the project, Cocurata, signifies collaboration, cooperation and curating.

How have these concepts come to define the work so far?

Cocurata is about curation and co-creation. The artists from ‘Extraction’ all came up in the same movement together, so each of them share an understanding of and respect for one another’s process and artwork. They all share a deep history of creating work on the streets, so while their subject matter and visual language is varied, there is a deep affinity with one another that binds them and their work together. That’s also where the equal symbol in our logo comes from; the equality of art and fashion, of the curator and creative.

Is Cocurata a response to the changing fashion-art landscape?

Contemporary art and fashion have always been interlinked and have a tendency to feed off one another. Over the years there have been some great collaborations between brands and artists – Yves Saint Laurent and Piet Mondrian, Cindy Sherman and Comme des Garcons, Yayoi Kusama and Louis Vuitton – but we feel like there could be a much more dynamic

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partnership between the two disciplines that exists in a more permanent way.

How did you come to meet and select the artists for the current collection?

Bast, Paul Insect and Rostarr all came up in the same movement together ormer Ksubi founder George Gorrow has

and are also great mates, so each of them shares an understanding of and

partnered with New York-based gallerist and

respect for one another’s process and artwork. Because they knew each other

curator George Benias to work on a new,

so well, this cemented continuity between ideas and process, so it was a no-

multidisciplinary project that serves as both

brainer to curate the three together as our inaugural collection artists.

fashion label and arts platform. Cocurata delivers the fruits of collaboration between

Can you shed some light on any future collaboration?

artists and fashion designers, and its inau-

‘Extraction’ will be followed by the exhibition of a new body of work from

gural collection, ‘Extraction’, is currently

Dearraindrop Collective and an international group show, ‘Abstraction’,

available in David Jones. We spoke with Mr

featuring new and recent works from Trudy Benson, Steve More and

Gorrow about the concept behind the label’s launch and the changing

Matt Jones.

fashion-art landscape.

What was the genesis of Cocurata?

The conversation about art and fashion is an old one. So it's been over many long nights that we fleshed out the idea that we wanted to curate a collection with the artist, with the artist's expression front of mind, and with their work at the centre of the brand model.

Can you discuss the concepts behind the inaugural collection?

What we did was directly extract elements and textures from the artworks and engineered them into prints, embroideries and jacquards. We also directly applied their artworks onto the clothing. ↖ ↑ Pieces from the inaugural Cocurata collection.

Cocurata seems to emphasise multidisciplinary elements in art. How important do you think it is for artists to be able to express themselves in many capacities?

It’s not necessarily about artists being able to express themselves in as many ways as possible, but rather the artists and artworks being expressed in the fullest way possible. Artists can arguably refer to a specialist in their craft, whether it’s a jeweler, a perfumer, a rug maker or a painter; we aim to build a permanent platform for those artists to be able to express themselves in new mediums in an authentic way.

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A

s a modern-day, bi-annual trade fair, Pitti Uomo is arguably the most important fashion event for menswear and accessories, providing a platform upon which big players in the industry can connect, develop and renew.

Z Zegna certainly fell into the ‘renew’ category at Pitti Uomo 86 in Florence,

unveiling an inaugural collection that signified an entire re-launch of the brand. The new iteration of its elder brother, Ermenegildo Zegna, sees Zegna Sport being incorporated into the Z Zegna range to create a hybrid line of youth-focused, high performing yet meticulously tailored sportswear.

↓ Richard Hall wears a look from the Z Zegna collection, photographed by Jordan Graham.

As if to demonstrate the refreshed, sportier direction of the brand, the Z Zegna Pitti Uomo runway event held in the historic Leopolda Station stunned guests with a display of athleticism in a performance by the Parkour troop from Italian dance company Formainarte.

Dressed in signature Z Zegna tech-merino, dancers elaborately catapulted themselves up and over construction scaffolding and wire fencing, running, flipping and weaving their way around stony-faced models shrouded by mellow blue lighting and digital screen projections.

The spring 2015 collection, designed by long-serving Zegna creatives Paul Surridge (former creative director of Z Zegna) and Murray Scallon (formerly head designer of Zegna Sport), is formulated around the concept of ‘tailoring meets sportswear’, and places due emphasis on the synthesis between each of these two components of the brand. From Mr Surridge we see the effortless tailoring that the Z Zegna name has become synonymous with.

Elegant and softly tailored silhouettes play out in trademark Z Zegna slim-line suits and flawless shirt-and-tie combos. Mr Scallon offers expertise in fabric technology and designs with high-performance wools, technical cottons and advanced “Techflex” for active outerwear.

Contrasts of textures and colours abound, and the overall impression is one of practicality, as well as perfect harmony between the two designers. The proverbial icing comes in the form of an extensive collection of sneakers in

nappas and suedes, featuring technical meshes,

in favour of a more relaxed aesthetic, designers

printed leather, and Techmerino lining.

have prioritised working with fabrics that are

Z Zegna’s rebranding harks to the per-

durable and luxurious in equal parts, to create

sistent sportswear trend in men’s apparel and,

lines that are, on the whole, more versatile and

indeed, in fashion more broadly. For all its

‘wearable’ for the modern consumer. The move

varied interpretations by the likes of contem-

to merge Zegna Sport with Z Zegna, then, is an

porary designers Jeremy Scott and Alexander

ostensibly logical step, and one that signifies a

Wang, sportswear has never completely petered

clear understanding of the current fashion

since its recent resurgence. In accordance with

climate.

the growing tendency to eschew formal dressing

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INTRODUCING Thierry-Maxime Loriot Nickelson Wooster & Lucas Grogan

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Mr Loriot was photographed by Sam Hendel on 01 September 2014 in London.

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INTRODUCING

Thierry-Maxime Loriot In 2011, Thierry-Maxime Loriot curated the

the conglomerates that own the brands only look

movies, ballets, operas, dance shows, pop stars,

groundbreaking exhibition The Fashion World

at the numbers, not what a designer brings to the

Hermès, furniture, an album, television shows…

of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the

fashion industry and to creativity. It is like asking

He initiated the trends rather than following them

Catwalk, the first museum retrospective of the

a movie director or a writer to do ten blockbusters

and gave a lot to society and it is important that

French fashion designer, who had initially been

or bestsellers a year.

visitors understand that even if you come from a

reluctant to see an exhibition of his work for fear

suburb and have a dream you strongly believe in,

that “it would be like a funeral”. Mr Loriot, who

What is the place of fashion within the

had himself worked for over a decade as a runway

broader art community?

model, drew on his own experience of the fashion

Fashion, for me, is a form of art, just like other

How challenging was it to edit the

industry to bring a sense of theatricality to

mediums like video, installation, sculpture, painting

vast archive of work to present?

the presentation, such as the mannequins

or even cinema. Not everything and every designer

I wish we could have exhibited all of his archives,

projected with animated faces that burst into

deserves to be presented in museums, but fashion,

as there are so many important pieces. Gaultier

song, referencing Mr Gaultier’s reputation for

beyond the exquisite tailoring and craftsmanship,

did not want to have an exhibition that would look

performance as well as his penchant for defying

has a cultural and educational value that deserves

like a funeral. He is a very happy and positive person

conventions and breaking taboos. Since opening

to be shown to a broader audience.

and he is still creating, so it would have been odd to

at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, the exhibition

everything is possible if you work hard.

show his work in chronological order. He has very

has since been seen in Dallas, San Francisco,

What is this cultural aspect that makes

strong themes in his work, so we worked with them

Madrid, Rotterdam, Stockholm, New York, London

it worthy of discussion and appreciation

– the corsetry, sailors, the skin, the mixed cultures

and, most recently, Melbourne’s National Gallery

within a museum framework?

– as it shows his passions and obsessions through

of Victoria, by more than 1.5 million people. This

It always depends how you see fashion. I think if

the years. The exhibition also evolves with every

year, it will have its final stop – and perhaps most

you place it within a social or political context, it

venue. We present new creations. So in London, for

important yet – in Paris, opening in April at the

can become very interesting to look at it beyond

example, because he has been influenced so much

Grand Palais before Mr Loriot, who has travelled

its aesthetic value. For example Gaultier brought

by punks and dandies, we added more of that, and

with and continually worked on the exhibition, will

a lot to society: he offered an open vision of the

for Melbourne, since he worked with so many different

move onto his next project, to be announced shortly.

world, without frontiers or taboos. Whatever your

Australians, from actresses like Cate Blanchett

age, body shape, skin colour, religion, gender,

to Nicole Kidman to models like Andreja Pejic and

How has the perception of fashion within

everybody is welcome in his universe. He wants to

Gemma Ward, we developed a gallery dedicated to

an art museum changed in recent years?

show that you can find beauty everywhere, it just

these collaborations, from the catwalk to Australia.

It is important for fine arts museum to open their

depends how you look at it, and he is right. He did

doors to other forms of art. One of the missions

not follow the fixed codes of the fashion industry

Did you expect the exhibition to be

of museums is to exhibit to the public things we

or of society; he showed different beauties, always

so hugely successful?

do not necessarily have access to. Of course,

with tolerance and humour. There is a very strong

Yes and no. Everybody loves Gaultier, so for me it

everyone can now google the couture fashion

social message in his work and behind the couturier

is not a surprise that crowds come to visit it. But if

shows and watch them live online, but you never

there is a great humanist.

you would have told me six years ago that I would

see the craftsmanship and the beauty of the work of the couture ateliers and of the designers up

still be working on it and that more than 1.5 million Do you think the growing presence of fashion

visitors would see it, I would not have believed it.

close. Even if you are one of the lucky few invited

in the gallery space changes what a gallery

Gaultier deserves this success, but also lots of

to a show, the dresses stay on the catwalk for

stands for?

credit goes to Nathalie Bondil, the director of the

maybe two minutes, so even then you do not see

I think it is great because to collect and exhibit

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, who initiated it and

all the work in them. In the Gaultier exhibition you

fashion also brings new audiences that would

believed firmly in the value of Gaultier’s work and

have pieces that took more than 1,000 hours to

not traditionally visit a museum because they

social messages.

create, so it is a unique opportunity to experience

think it is a dusty old place.

the beauty of this art.

Why did you identify Jean Paul Gaultier as I understand Gaultier’s decision to stop ready-to-

a designer that warranted a solo exhibition?

wear, as the industry is now looking only at making

He is the only living fashion designer who has a

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the

hit-bags, hit-shoes... There is less freedom and

body of work this important; almost 40 years of

Sidewalk to the Catwalk opens at the Grand Palais,

creativity in most of the shows we see now, because

ready-to-wear, haute couture, costume design for

Paris on 03 April 2015.

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Nickelson Wooster Few people incite as much sartorial envy and

Welcome to Australia! You’ve been visiting so

their market, and now that they’ve learned about

provide as much inspiration as Nick Wooster.

many different designers while in town. Is it

the business, they’re ready to expand, and I think

The self described free agent of New York City is,

what you expected?

that they could do really well because that Bondi

as many will know, a street style king, regularly

It’s not that I had any preconceived notion of what

lifestyle is also Los Angeles, or the south of France,

photographed, blogged about and re-posted for

Australian fashion was going to be – I mean, I’d

or Ibiza. People want something that’s authentic,

his effortless swagger that combines traditional

heard of a few brands – but each one of them

and so if there’s an authentic Australian brand that

tailoring (he is fond of Thom Browne) with a

was so special. Just look at the Song for the

can export that ethos then they’ll be really

penchant for the masculine, like heavy timepieces

Mute studio, it’s amazing, so beautiful from the

successful.

and tattooed sleeves. Mr Wooster – whose full

moment you walk in. [Melvin and Lyna] are really

name is Nickelson – regularly collaborates with

super talented and I think that they do beautiful

What has the experience of visiting the wool

brands on special projects, most recently a capsule

things. It’s the same with Strateas.Carlucci. The

farms been like?

collection for Italian tailoring brand Lardini.

fact too that they built a studio that doubles as a

I have seen fabric being produced in the past, so

And he’s particularly well qualified in the field,

retail space is very clever, and you don’t even see

I sort of understand about yarns and how you make

having spent many years as fashion director

that in New York so much. What’s particularly

the garment, but to meet the growers, to actually

for department stores Neiman Marcus and

special about [Australian] designers is that I really

see what the raw material is, to feel and it to smell

Bergdorf Goodman.

think that when you’re from a fashion capital you’re

it is such an amazing sensation. It was really

that much further ahead in terms of opportunity,

interesting because I think that what growers

Mr Wooster recently visited Australia as a guest

whereas here you have to work so much harder to

do and what I do in my job are really the opposite

of Woolmark, where he spent a fortnight visiting

gain that sort of international traction.

ends of the spectrum, and during this trip there

sheep farms in rural Victoria, where much of the

has been the hashtag #farmtofashion, and I’ve

wool for high-end designer and luxury brands is

What’s your impression of Australia?

sourced, and the studios of various menswear

At the end of the day I think every place is the

designers, like From Britten, Song for the Mute

same, I really do. I mean, of course there are

I think there’s been a reaction to factory made

and Strateas.Carlucci. The trip formed part of a

differences, especially in Asia, where it’s way

garments, not knowing the genesis of something.

longer-term relationship with the wool body,

more foreign than Europe, but for better or

We see it with the paddock to plate movement.

which also included serving as a judge for the

worse, because of things like the internet and

I agree, and I think that the whole sustainability

menswear category of the International Woolmark

the connectivity we have, I feel just as home

notion is gaining traction. As fast fashion has

Prize, which New York label Public School

here as I do in New York or Los Angeles. I do

become a reality and a common thing then there’s

inevitably took home.

feel physically removed because of the flight,

got to be an equal and opposite reaction, so that

but the surroundings aren’t all that different.

people are really interested in things that are long

And that makes it easy to do what we get to do.

lasting and not so fast, and certainly wool is

I describe Sydney as the child of Los Angeles

inherently one of those things.

and London.

Do the brands here seem international in that sense?

Yes, definitely. The only thing that stops Australian brands is the distance. In New York we can jump on a plane overnight and for a few hundred dollars be in Milan or Paris, whereas that’s not possible here. It’s hard, but I think that’s part of what’s great.

And if you’re a brand like Jac+Jack, those clothes actually very much fit the Bondi lifestyle, so that’s a great example of someone doing something for

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really seen that.

INTRODUCING

Mr Wooster was photographed by Daniel Gurton on 27 October 2014 in Sydney.

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MANUSCRIPT

Mr Grogan was photographed by Kylie Coutts on 25 September 2014 in Sydney.

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INTRODUCING

At the largely lacklustre Melbourne Art Fair in 2014, Lucas Grogan stood out as one of the most

Lucas Grogan

exciting artists. Of course, those who follow the Australian art world will know of the Melbournebased artist’s name – perhaps in large part due to controversy surrounding his work and alleged referencing of indigenous Australian techniques, like dot painting – but it was for the first time that Mr Grogan’s work reached its commercial and creative height, evidence of his artistic maturation.

Mr Grogan’s work is rooted in humour – natty phrases like ‘Fuck Yeah’ and ‘Good To See You Too Babe’ adorn his work, whether large-scale murals, embroidered quilts or street corners – but, as he says, speaks of confronting or challenging situations. In March, Mr Grogan will present a solo exhibition of new work as part of Art Basel

a couple of times about my lack of technical

You work sometimes in a commercial gallery

Hong Kong, his first time at the major event.

ability as I was making up stitches and sort of

context, other times on public art commissions,

disregarding the specifics of the craft. I’m not so

creative collaborations, and rogue projects;

2014 has been a big year for you. What is the

focused on mastering any one technique per say

do you favour one over the other, and how is

most challenging aspect of having your work

but rather using the materials to communicate

each different?

critically recognised?

the idea I want to share.

Public commissions are generally a lot of hoop-

Last year was definitely my busiest year to date.

jumping, pre-planning, compromises and delays.

A lot of projects and exhibitions I had been working

There is a sense of humour in some of the

Creative collaborations are great because you’re

on over a long period of time were all released; in

phrases - what feeling do you hope to evoke

combining two different skill sets to create

particular my public artwork in Haymarket [Sydney],

from your viewer?

something neither of us could independently do,

made from over 250,000 suspended glass beads,

Humour is my coping mechanism for dealing with

like the one I recently did with Skarfe where we

which had taken two and a half years to complete.

complex and confronting situations. We’ve all got

produced three different scarves. But I have total

I guess the most challenging aspect though is

our hang-ups and problems, our prejudices and

autonomy with my exhibitions whereby I can create

standing beside your work and waiting for the

privileges and we fixate on them. It’s from these

work about whatever I feel like, so that would have

public’s reaction. Since my work is so labour- and

sources that humour arises. Humour doesn’t come

to be my favourite.

time-intensive I’ve had to make hard decisions

from a joyful place, rather it leaps forward to cure

to find the time and space to create the works

a sorrowful one. So I hope my works offer viewers

You'll be showing at Art Basel in Hong Kong for

I felt I needed to make. With so much personally

the chance to step outside of their particular

the first time this year, how do you imagine, or

invested you do constantly worry and hope for a

problems even for a moment and see that they’re

hope, that the work will be received internationally?

positive reception.

not alone. Life is kind of ridiculous and hilarious

I hope they’re received well. The works are big –

when you think about it.

by my standards – and I’ve poured huge amounts

You work on many projects at any one time; how

of time into them. It’s a brilliant opportunity to show

do they inform one another, and how do you

Is there a political or social intent in the work?

at the fair with [gallery] Martin Browne Contemporary

separate them?

And indeed, should art take that stance?

and I’m really excited about it. I’ve shown my work

Generally when I’m working on multiple pieces at

Art should be whatever the artist wants it to be.

internationally before, in New York, London and

the same time I try to focus each on a particular

And I want my work to be about the pursuit for

Paris, so I hope that audiences connect with my

technique, say embroidery or painting. The

personal and artistic freedom. That’s where the

work as they have done so elsewhere.

concepts may be initially fixed however each work

old ‘the personal is political’ chestnut comes into

will inform the other over the span of the project.

play. Whilst I do not intend my work to be political,

Do you have a long term goal for your practice,

I also find it really useful to be constantly working

at times it is. I think of my work as a distillation of

or prefer to take each project as it comes?

on multiple projects as at times you can become

all these competing life experiences, references

My goal for this year is to take a break and travel.

physically and mentally exhausted doing the same

and emotions refined in individual works. Though

But my main aim for my career… I’d love to

work day-in, day-out. Switching between projects

I’m conscious of not being overtly political as

[artistic direct] the Sydney Harbour Bridge for

helps to keep me focused and interested.

I often wonder whether it cuts through, if I’m

New Years Eve. I think that would be just so great.

just preaching to the converted…

2016, perhaps?

The works are technically ambitious. How do you make them, and how long do they take?

Is the work autobiographical at all?

It really differs. One of my drawings may take me

My exhibition works are extremely autobiographical,

a few days, a mural may take me a week, however

actually. Collectively they act as some sort of grand,

one of my quilts may take over a year. Embroidery

unfolding, uncertain narrative detailing important

is an extremely long and time-consuming process,

moments in my life, both positive and negative.

but it is my favourite.

Earlier in my career I was perhaps too direct in

specifically spelling out exactly what was going How significant is technique to the work?

on in each of the works, however nowadays I’ve

A few years ago I joined the Victorian Embroiders

formed my own specific symbolic lexicon whereby

Guild and went to a few classes to learn more about

I’m able to codify the specifics of what is going on

Art Basel Hong Kong runs

crewel embroidery and had my hand smacked

in the work.

15 to 17 March 2015.

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BIG BUSINESS

Ostensibly a retailer of basics, Uniqlo’s unique formula is one that will see it dominate the world’s clothing market by the close of the decade, writes Mitchell Oakley Smith.

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FEATURE

It’s a rather rare feat for a brand to sustain long-term hype and interest in the fast-moving fashion world. Sure, the announcement of a new designer, or a special, one-off collaboration imbues a label with newfound relevance, but they’re ventures that wear off after a season or so. Japanese retailer Uniqlo is a different story entirely. Where other large-scale, accessibly-priced retailers reinvent themselves incredibly regularly, sometimes on a weekly basis, to maintain keep their customers’ interest, Uniqlo stays ahead through product innovation, and in a transformed fashion landscape that is, in more recent times, tending to favour high quality over trends, of basics and wearable pieces than of-themoment ‘It’ items, it has seen its fortunes soar.

And yet the notion that a collection of basics, albeit an extremely large one (some of its stores take up multiple floors of an entire street corner, for example) is dull is quashed by the sheer diversity of Uniqlo’s offering. At a media preview in New York City before Christmas, the Japanese brand brought together its various lines in one space, demonstrating its breadth: there were the classic sort of items, like cotton polo and linen button-down shirts in an array of colours that we’ve come to expect from Uniqlo, but then also an extensive denim collection, a feminine womenswear collection designed

by French style icon Inès de La Fressange, and, perhaps most interestingly for the brand, given that it’s what truly sets it apart from competitors, lines driven by technological development, like its new Airism range designed to absorb moisture, and Ultra Down Light, a collection of comfortable, portable and water-repellant outerwear.

“At its heart Uniqlo is a functional brand,” explained Naoki Takizawa, the brand’s design director. “What is the mood of fashion today? It’s not about trends. Many customers don’t care about fashion, that’s for a few people.

I care about fashion, but my uncle doesn’t, my father doesn’t, but they still need clothes that make them comfortable and look good.” Indeed, as the fashion industry heads in a casual, lifestyle-orientated direction, driven by a relaxing of the workplace environment and an increased focus on fitness, Uniqlo is poised for continued expansion, capitalising on its already strong foundation as a manufacturer and retailer of such clothing and accessories.

“ THE NOTION THAT A COLLECTION OF BASICS IS DULL IS QUASHED BY THE SHEER DIVERSITY OF UNIQLO’S OFFERING. ”

Already the brand operates more than 1400 stores globally, a prolific ascent since its establishment in 1984 in Japan.

Its founder and the president of its parent company Fast

↓ Designer Nigo surrounded

Retailing, Tadashi Yanai, is aiming for Uniqlo to be the

by his new collection of

world’s largest clothing retailer by the close of the decade.

t-shirts for Uniqlo.

And although its core product range is comprised of functional, fuss-free basics, Uniqlo doesn’t shy away from collaboration, bringing on the best in the business to amplify its offering. For several seasons between 2009 and 2011, the Jil Sander-designed J+ collection caused a near-frenzy, an alternative to the logo-heavy ostentation of the noughties, and an accessible entry-point to the designer’s signature minimalist design. So popular was the line that Uniqlo re-released some of its greatest hits late last year, such as the pale blue cotton button-down shirts.

More recently, Helmut Lang was engaged to design a collection of fitness-inspired casualwear, like sweatshirts and bomber jackets. Last year, too, Uniqlo began a partnership with the Museum of Modern Art, creating a range of t-shirts, bags and accessories, SPRZ NY (short for Surprise New York), that reproduces some of the gallery’s most iconic artworks from the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. In return, Uniqlo has committed to a multi-year sponsorship of MoMA’s ‘Museum Friday’s, which offer free after-hours admission every week of the year.

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“ THE SIMPLICITY OF THE GARMENTS IS THEIR APPEAL, OFFERING A BLANK CANVAS

FOR A STATEMENT OR TO EXPRESS PERSONALITY. ” 32

FEATURE

↑ Uniqlo storefronts from around the world.

But the brand’s most exciting collaborative venture is one that eschews the typical one-off approach, and beyond that, engages a name that few would be familiar

bicycle maker Brooklyn Machine Works, Nigo having purchased a piece from them some twenty years ago.

“There has to be some sort of widely recognisable

with, Japanese music producer, DJ and designer Nigo.

thing, like the cartoon characters, so that people

Or, put it this way: the founder of A Bathing Ape. He’s

understand what’s going on, but then also something

hardly a big name in the fashion industry, but speak with

new, something people haven’t seen before, so that

anyone with even a vague interest in hip-hop culture or

there’s a balance.” An extension of this is an in-store

streetwear and it’s as though you’re discussing a cultural

computer system that allows you to design your own

God. Prior to selling his company in 2013 (according to

t-shirt, choosing from a range of graphics and effects.

The Guardian, it boasted profits of just over $8 million at

For Nigo, the simplicity of the garments in his line is

current exchange rates in that year), Nigo (one word,

their appeal, offering a blank canvas for a statement or

like Madonna) cultivated the success of A Bathing Ape

to express personality. “I pick who we work with but

by limiting stockist numbers in lieu of exclusivity,

then allow them to have some freedom, to go away

collaborating on ventures with music stars like Pharrell

and put something together, and then we build on it

Williams (he was behind Mr Williams’ Billionaire Boys

together. In putting it all together it’s important for

Club line) and dressing hip hop figures like Kanye West.

me to remember that it’s not my collection but that

“When I sold my brand and was trying to work out

I’m looking after it for Uniqlo, and the focus is for it

what to do next, I happened to meet some of the team from Uniqlo and we got on, so it just seemed logical,” explains Nigo through a translator. “It seemed like the right step in my career to work for a bigger brand. Having been sortof underground it was interesting and a challenge for me to design for a much bigger audience rather than just designing for myself, which is pretty much what I was doing [at A Bathing Ape].” But at Uniqlo, where he’s charged with the brand’s UT line, Nigo acts less as a designer than a curator, embellishing a range essentially made up of t-shirts and sweatshirts with prints. Some, like the Mr. Men and Snoopy figures, employ licensed imagery and iconography, while others are drawn from longtime friendships and creative partnerships, lending them a personal quality, such as in a design created by

33

to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.”

MANUSCRIPT

THIS IS HOW WE DO DINNER We really like a nice night out, so when our friends that make up the Ciroc Collective – Paul Wilson, Mikey Nolan, George Gorrow, Dan Single and Maurice Terzini – came to us with a mad-cap idea of hosting an intimate dinner, we were instantly on board.

Editor Mitchell Oakley Smith and creative director Jolyon Mason welcomed some of Australia’s best and brightest – models Jordan and Zac Stenmark, image-maker Margaret Zhang, Sydney Dance Company artistic director Rafael Bonachela and artist Doctor Cooper – to the East Room at our country’s biggest house for a right old knees-up.

Photography Richard Sawyer

With special thanks to the night’s supporters: Citizens of the World, Murchison & Hume, Coty Australia, Maserati and Ciroc.

34

FEATURE

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FEATURE

THE DEEPER THE VOICE, THE LOFTIER THE GOALS Exceptionally talented musician Jack Ladder’s star continues to rise with a unique poeticism and sound.

Story Jonathan Seidler | Photography Kylie Coutts | Grooming Kimberley Forbes

Jack Ladder will not be your gothic bard saviour.

She’s building it with willow sticks

Jack Ladder will not make the same record twice.

She’s building it with gold

Jack Ladder will not be checking his answering machine.

She’s building it with bones

I’m sorry, what was the question again?

A gift from my soul

There aren’t many singer-songwriters left standing who exude the seemingly effortless swagger of the man formerly

Four albums deep, including the excellent Playmates,

known as Tim Rogers. There are even less who would

released through his own label last year, the 31 year-old

cringe reading such sentences about themselves in print,

Mr Ladder has fashioned a career out of not dwelling on

but that’s why this Tim Rogers is not called Tim Rogers

the past. This helps explain the sonic progression of his

anymore. To be fair, it probably has to do with another

records. “I’m generally conscious of moving on from what

intriguing rock and roller of the same name, but in any

I did last time, which a lot of people are,” he confirms. “It’s

case, here we are down the crackling line to Jack Ladder,

like, ‘OK, I did that, how can I not do that again?’” Produced

who has escaped Sydney for the Blue Mountains and

by Kim Moyes of The Presets, Playmates is a definitive

will soon be escaping the Blue Mountains for the Hunter

step away from the electronica-inspired Hurtsville, Mr

Region. “It’s supposed to be raining. I guess it will be

Ladder’s previous record, and the Tom Waits-weightiness

dark and romantic…my girlfriend and I sitting on the

of his 2008 breakout, Love Is Gone.

beach, storms rolling in,” he muses, before cracking up.

“There are certain elements in Hurtsville that

(Even when Jack Ladder laughs, he sounds

were touching on things like Roxy Music and even things

charming. This is a skill.)

Mr Ladder is not the sort of man you expect to take

like Bill Callahan or Suicide; minimal, industrial sort of music. But on this record I just wanted to focus on

the piss. He is in possession of a particular gift; an arresting,

composing everything prior to going into the studio,”

resonant baritone that tends to gravitate toward minor

says Mr Ladder. “The vocal has its own space so it worked

keys and blue notes. There is a delightful song on his new

around that. Last record it was glazed over a little bit.”

record called “Reputation Amputation”. Luddites used to

Mr Ladder is understandably proud of his vocals

compare him to Nick Cave, because a lot of his repertoire

on Playmates, which are some of the strongest he’s

examines the underside of love, often discovering death.

recorded to date. “I’m not a particularly melodic singer,

So affecting is his presence that he was tapped to score the

but on this record I’m doing it more than ever,” he

final scenes of true crime series Underbelly. But then, he

says. “It’s about the phrasing and way the words draw

also recorded a version of “12 Days of Christmas” for an

themselves out in the phrasing. The last record was all

underwear brand, so he’s definitely able to bring his focus

line length. You look at it and it’s all blocked up; eight

away from his navel.

lines and a tag, all very similar.”

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Though frequently described as such, Mr Ladder

“With all the guys, they have their own sound,” says

doesn’t like to think of himself as a poet. “Sometimes

Mr Ladder “Someone like Kirin, he’ll take my guitar part

songs are kind of crummy ideas and you have to be a lunatic

and make it sound like he wrote it. He plays with such

to do it,” he laughs. “I like some poetry, but the thing with a

authority and goes for things that I’m not able to achieve

good song is that it’s more about the meter. You’re forgiven

in the way I play.” Mr Ladder says that although he wrote

a lot of poor grammar, things that don’t necessarily read

the music in advance (as opposed to ‘the Highway 61

that well. I would write terrible poetry if I wasn’t saved by

arrangement’ of Hurtsville) much of what makes his songs

a cool bass line I have going along with it.”

great is what happens when they’re fleshed out in the studio.

Talk of accompaniment segues nicely into a

“It’s an amazing experience. It’s like writing a script

discussion about Mr Ladder’s band, The Dreamlanders.

and then watching a great actor perform it in front of a

Comprised of PVT’s Laurence Pike on drums, Donny

camera for you. It’s not like a rock band. [We’re] operating

Benet on bass and human whirlwind Kirin J Callinan

on this other world where we’re thinking more about

on guitars, The Dreamlanders are not only Mr Ladder’s

characters and visual references.” Mr Ladder, who grew

dream team, but increasingly, alternative Australia’s as

up on the Northern Peninsula of Sydney playing drums and

well. Mr Callinan, who at one point seemed destined to

bass before training himself in guitar, is the type who could

spend his life teetering on the noisy fringe of guitar music,

quite easily control every facet of the recording process, yet

has made serious inroads both locally and internationally.

he says with The Dreamlanders he doesn’t feel the need.

Mr Benet, formerly of Triosk, attracts fanatical attention

“The best thing about the guys is that I wouldn’t say any of

for his club shows, where he plays the part of an ‘80s

them are hung up on their instrument in any way. There’s no

synth-wizard lothario. Weird? Sure, but it works.

ego. Everyone is concerned about the music and the songs.”

I am not who you think I am And I will not answer to that name I am not who you think I am And I will not answer to that name With two near-misses at the prestigious Australian Music Prize, industry veterans are betting 2015 will be Mr Ladder’s year. He’s already lined up a notable indie label to distribute Playmates Stateside this year and despite missing Australia’s summer festival season, he’s feeling good about the record. “I know [now] when certain songs have been labored too much and they cease to have magic in them,” he says. “It’s about knowing when to stop, I think. Knowing what feels special and what doesn’t.”

He’s not Nick Cave, and he’s only occasionally Tim Rogers. But it seems unlikely that the world will mistake Jack Ladder for anyone but Jack Ladder ever again.

Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders’ Playmates is out now on Self Portrait via Inertia.

38

FEATURE

“ IT’S WHEN WE LEAVE THE BAR, WE’RE FEELING THE EFFECTS, UNDER THE MAGNESIUM MOON, THE STREETS ARE FULL OF PISS. ” 39

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IT’S A MARVEL-OUS LIFE As Hollywood becomes ever more focused on the bottom line, the films we are fed are becoming increasingly limited. Huw Walmsley-Evans, for one, pines for greater choice.

40

FEATURE

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a

Hollywood is betting the house on superhero blockbusters.

Last year Marvel Studios (owned by Disney) and its rival DC Comics (owned by Warner Brothers) released their slate of upcoming titles and release dates all the way out to 2020. We can expect around 30 films from these studios between now and the end of the decade, and this doesn’t even take in to account the franchises—like X-Men and Spiderman—licenced to other studios. Let’s conservatively estimate a further 10 of these for a total of 40 comic book movies over the next five years. That makes for eight a year.

Regardless of whether you view these films as an oppressive or liberating force in cultural life, the word “relentless” comes to mind when contemplating this release schedule. If you’ve been feeling like Hollywood is increasingly synonymous with lycra-clad vigilantes, that’s because it is.

There has been a decided shift in the centre of gravity in Hollywood in the past few years towards this kind of product. Of course Hollywood has long depended on big budget, mass appeal blockbusters. These were thought of as “tent poles”: a sure bet that would create a sort of financial canopy under which the rest of the studio product—more risky, potentially alienating pictures— could shelter. But this formulation now seems quaint in an age when practically every Hollywood film is engineered according to blockbuster logics. Last year New York Times film critic A.O. Scott succinctly summarised the Hollywood zeitgeist: “comic-book movies, family-friendly animated adventures, tales of adolescent heroism and comedies of arrested development”. We might say that the Hollywood majors have become more pole than tent.

42

FEATURE

This is not a line of argument that wins friends.

Recent cultural trends have further fragmented the

its slow, mournful score, which pass away leaving a plain

As Mr Scott recognised in his op-ed, winningly titled

audience and entrenched Hollywood’s lowest common

black screen. After a beat’s silence an Italian-American

“The Death of Adulthood in American Culture”, this

denominator approach. What attempts it makes at mature

accented middle-aged man’s voice declaims: “I believe

species of cultural critique marks one as a “scold, snob,

work tend to be contained to the “awards season” films,

in America”. His sombre face fades in from black as he

or curmudgeon”. Mr Scott’s piece riffed on Ruth Graham’s

and this ponderous middlebrow nonsense can be even

continues his story, a cautionary tale of an immigrant

for Slate about the adult readers of “young adult”

more deadening than the popcorn movies. Apart from

losing out by putting too much store in the liberalism of

[YA] fiction, a genre that has offered lots of fodder for

these anointed “prestige” products, grown-up films are

the New World. As the man tells his story at a deliberate

adaptation by the Hollywood studios (think Twilight

the preserve of off-Hollywood independents and foreign

pace, the camera creeps gradually back, revealing his

and The Hunger Games). Ms Graham claimed the

language pictures, which run exclusively on the film

surroundings, most importantly his audience: the

grown-ups that herald YA’s “sophistication” should feel

festival and art-house circuit. These pictures play at their

eponymous Godfather. The man tells his story in full in

embarrassed by their stunted, regressive taste. I’ll admit

own cinemas in well-heeled neighbourhoods in large urban

a single three-minute shot.

to having more than a little sympathy for this position

centres; you have to live there or read the right kinds of

when it comes to films. It’s my not-so-secret personal

magazines to know that these pictures even exist.

attitude. However, I don’t mean to argue here that these

Meanwhile the online world, held up by digital

This is an eternity to go without cutting in the scheme of contemporary Hollywood cinema, let alone the hyper-continuity of the comic book movie. Like the

films can’t be good on their own terms, or that anyone

utopians as a harbinger of increased choice and access,

Godfather we, the audience for the film, are being asked

of any age is wrong to watch or take pleasure in them.

can instead work to limit our horizons. Social media tells

to focus, to attend closely to what is being related. We have

It’s just that, like everything really, they’re limited. And

us only what our friends are seeing, which is only useful if

to trust that this is going somewhere, that our patience will

when these are the only kind of films on the mainstream

our friends have expansive tastes. The algorithms of search

be rewarded. To our contemporary eye The Godfather’s

cultural horizon, they become oppressive.

engines, IMDb, Amazon and Netflix decide what we’re in

style resembles art-house “slow cinema” more so than the

to based on what we’ve previously searched for, limiting

Hollywood blockbuster, but a Hollywood blockbuster it

me for a moment. Like Ms Graham, I’m going to have

our diet to more of the same (here’s a project for some

was. It even had an “epic” sequel.

to call bullshit on those of you who have been trying to

industrious hacker: monkey with these algorithms so that

convince me that comic book movies represent Expansive

a Marvel fan boy gets recommended Maya Deren’s 1949

of The Godfather in mind as we look forward to this year’s

Universes full of Endless Story Permutations and Great

film Meshes of the Afternoon). The now quaintly analogue

Hollywood offerings. Within the movie business 2015 is

Characters with Complex Motivations. Instead, these

video store actually held out more hope of finding your

predicted to be the highest grossing year at the box-office

films offer a gloss of The Big Issues and the odd gesture

way to something new. Even as you scanned the gross-

of all time, thanks in large part to the latest instalments

toward The Human Condition. That’s fine, not every film

out comedies, the adult—quite possibly illicit and taboo—

of the Marvel franchises. Hollywood seems to have

needs to be Citizen Kane. If we went to these films for

dramas interpellated you from the next aisle over. Now

perfected the formula for mitigating risk and maximising

spectacle and sought artistic, intellectual, and emotional

individual taste communities are increasingly siloed

profits, but what have we lost culturally as a result? Film

nourishment from different movies more apt to provide

off from one another. You are less and less likely to see

as art has become the preserve of an educated, affluent

them, there would be no problem. But blockbuster films

something smart, sophisticated, and grown-up by accident.

coterie; a niche product for a niche market.

Allow me to indulge the barely disguised scold in

are designed to be all things to all people, and for a

When we think about how things have changed for

Let’s keep the phenomenal cultural and fiscal success

Call me a scold and curmudgeon if you like (as Mr

generation of young people the cinema starts and ends

Hollywood filmmaking, it’s instructive to think about

Scott said: “the shoe fits”), but I’m no snob. I just want

with the popcorn picture.

The Godfather. One of the original blockbusters, arriving

for everyone what I have: access to the full range of the

It was not always so. The Hollywood cinema used

two years before Jaws, it enjoyed huge publicity and a

cinema experience. Perhaps there will be a time, in the

to be a far broader church made up of all kinds of

mass release at Christmas of 1972. Everyone went to see

not too distant future, when Hollywood cinema will

filmmaking aimed at all kinds of audiences. It had its

The Godfather in the same way that everyone goes to see

represent that full range once again. If the superhero

spectacular entertainments and its brooding think-pieces.

The Avengers today. The Godfather remains the 23rd

bubble bursts perhaps the studios will back something like

What’s more, there was often no distinction to be made

highest grossing film of all time in adjusted terms.

The Godfather the way they’re backing Ant Man this year.

between art and entertainment. Think of Vertigo, that

Have you seen The Godfather lately? Its opening

pulpy melodrama that Sight and Sound recently voted

titles are accompanied by the iconic, plaintive notes of

the greatest film of all time. Hollywood has, at various times in its history, been the cinema of Ernst Lubitsch, W.C. Fields, and Billy Wilder, of Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock, of Stanley Kubrick and Brian DePalma, and even of David Lynch. Hollywood production, distribution, and exhibition were historically commodious enough to support all of this diverse artistry.

The forces that lead the Hollywood business model, and therefore the Hollywood product, to increasingly rely on blockbuster logics date back at least as far as the post-war era and the arrival of television. TV ended decades of cinema-going as an unrivalled audio-visual entertainment, eating deeply in to movie box-office.

Adults with jobs and kids stayed home in droves now that the entertainment was coming to them, and the studios more and more wrote off the grown-ups in favour of the ever-reliable teenagers, for whom a darkened space, at once public and private, would always be a social necessity.

Alongside appealing to a core demographic that was both the most and least savvy of consumers, Hollywood tried to distinguish itself by doing what television couldn’t: decadent spectacles on ever larger screens with ever more sophisticated FX. We’re talking cinema as technical wizardry aimed at people whose brains hadn’t fully developed yet.

Is this sounding familiar?

And perhaps, when given the choice, we would decide we preferred the mature option.

“ FOR A GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE THE CINEMA STARTS AND ENDS WITH THE POPCORN PICTURE ” 43

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WILD AT HEART

He’s arguably the most important man in contemporary cinema, but David Lynch’s oeuvre stems far beyond his cult classics into art, music and literature.

Huw Walmsley-Evans reflects on the artist’s ongoing cultural influence.

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FEATURE

David Lynch is the seminal influence on my professional

psychoanalysis, the gothic, and fashion, to name but a few.

and intellectual life. It is no overstatement to say that, if

For many people Mr Lynch’s art puts us in touch with

not for him, you wouldn’t be reading me in these pages.

latent interests: it is a catalyst that leads us to see different

Please direct all complaints to Mr Lynch.

things, and to see things differently.

Growing up in the outer suburbs of Brisbane was

For the longest time the appeal of Mr Lynch was

like growing up in the outer suburbs of any major city,

that he showed me a world beyond my suburban Brisbane

only perhaps more so. It’s the “built in the 70s” suburbia

milieu. But as I’ve grown older I’ve come to realise how

that Arcade Fire sang about, the sort of late-century

“of Lynch” my own world was: as sublime and toxic as his

sprawl that rings the periphery of any Australian or North

small towns and urban wastelands. Meanwhile, Brisbane

American city. It can be a stultifying place for anyone of a

has grown with me, meeting me more than half way. The

creative or artistic bent, for anyone fond of challenging

Gallery of Modern Art, with its on-site Australian

ideas or beautiful and exceptional things.

Cinematheque, seems purpose built to house this

Brisbane’s suburbia felt particularly oppressive

retrospective of Lynch’s diverse creative practice. And as

because travelling from the periphery to the centre

Brisbane has grown to accommodate and even embrace

offered little reprieve. The denizens of Eastern

the difficult and obscure, Mr Lynch is entering the mass

Melbourne or Western Sydney had the delights of those

consciousness again for the first time in 25 years with the

metropoles on their doorstep, if they felt the need to avail

new season of his pop-culture phenomenon television

themselves of them. Brisbane, meanwhile, was a

series, Twin Peaks.

mercantile hub for Queensland’s agricultural and mining

Mr Lynch and Brisbane are each having a moment,

regions rather than a destination in itself; a major city

coming together on equal terms. In narcissistic moments

little troubled by cosmopolitanism.

I feel like I dreamed all of this in to being; that it’s all for

It’s a measure of how much Brisbane has changed that, rather than having to leave it to find Mr Lynch—in

me. As Kyle MacLachlan’s boy wonder-pervert-detective in Blue Velvet says: “it’s a strange world”.

Los Angeles, or Paris, say, as I always imagined—Mr Lynch is coming to me. Through autumn this year,

David Lynch: Between Two Worlds will be on

Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) will host a

display at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane

major career retrospective of Mr Lynch’s work, covering

from 14 March to 07 June 2015.

all the facets of his art practice, which spans film and television, painting, photography, music, works on paper, and more besides.

The title of this retrospective, David Lynch: Between Two Worlds, is particularly apt in describing the place Mr Lynch has occupied in my life. For me this exhibition is a collision of worlds that long seemed separate and irreconcilable. Indeed much of the initial appeal of Mr Lynch for me was that his work offered a window on a world that felt so distant from the one I actually inhabited.

I well remember my first experience of Mr Lynch, watching Mulholland Drive (2002) on DVD when I was 15. Expecting a conventional thriller, I was instead confronted by a perversely enthralling, surreal, nightmare vision of female desire and the Hollywood iteration of the American Dream. Its plot, which seemed to present two realities that were mirrored versions of each other, felt like both a puzzle to be solved and a profoundly unknowable modernist abstraction.

I had no language to explain this experience in the moment, but I could intuit that this was Cinema As Art, that this was an encounter with the singular vision of an artist, and that I wanted to exist in this world. Bruce Springsteen once described the opening of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” as sounding like somebody “kicked open the door to your mind”. Mulholland Drive made mine feel simultaneously expanded and shattered. As the credits rolled I had to bury my head in the couch cushions to keep the swollen shards together.

Many people’s reaction to seeing a David Lynch film is an emphatic “never again”, but for many others it is the mouth of a deep, dark rabbit hole. Diving in head first entails engagement not only with the rest of his filmmaking oeuvre [I saw Blue Velvet (1986), Lost Highway (1997), Wild at Heart (1990), Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980) and Twin Peaks (1990– 1991) in quick succession] but with the forms, traditions, and concepts that constitute, and allow us to interpret, his work: film history, sound design, modernism, surrealism,

45

← David Lynch in Los Angeles, August 2014.

Photograph: Just Loomis

↓ David Lynch Head #3 (from the series ‘Small Stories’) 2013 Gelatin silver print on Baryta paper, 81.5 x 90cm

Arm of Sores 2007 Lithograph on Japanese Bunko-Shi paper, 66 x 89cm Courtesy: David Lynch and Item éditions © The artist

MANUSCRIPT

BROTHERS IN ARMS Individually they are incredibly talented, but as a creative unit the Askill brothers are poised to accomplish their greatest goals.

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith | Portrait Adrian Mesko

46

FEATURE

← Stills from the film clips of Sia's "Chandelier" and "Elastic Heart", both directed by Daniel Askill and Sia.

Perhaps it’s genetics, or that old adage that great

MOS You all recently relocated to New York – what

MOS No doubt you need a place to escape considering

minds think alike, but throughout history there are

has that been like?

how busy 2014 was, particularly with the hype around

families – couples, siblings, entire generations –

LA It’s a cliché but moving here is inspiring and humbling

Sia’s “Chandelier” film clip. Did you expect such a reaction

that are distinguished by excellence in a particular

all at once. There are so many ambitious, talented people,

to that project, Daniel?

field, like the arts. Think of the Coppolas, or the Boyds.

which is exciting and a little sobering at the same time. It

DA Not at first, but when we saw Maddie [Ziegler] perform

Add to that the Askills. Over the past decade, brothers

does push you to think bigger and focus on exactly what it is

the full choreography in rehearsal Sia and I knew something

Daniel (37), Jordan (34) and Lorin (31) have assumed a

you’re trying to do.

special was happening. I certainly never expected the video

position of artistic supremacy, working as they do in

JA Moving here has been quite a process, but it feels great

would be nominated for VMAs and Grammys. It is amazing

the fields of film production (Lorin and Daniel), visual

to be here with both Dan and Lorin. I think it has been good

when all the moons align on a project like that, the result of

art (Lorin, Jordan and Daniel), jewellery design and

for my work, too, as it is slowly building up the commercial

a very special collaboration that really lead to something

sculpture (Jordan), although such descriptors don’t

aspect and making me understand more and more how to

that is more than the sum of its parts.

represent the sheer breadth of their creative spectrum.

build a brand.

DA I think the thing about living in New York is that it

How has that project shaped your work since?

But what’s particularly interesting about the Askill

allows you to have a much more immediate dialogue with an

DA I have always been interested in performance, but

brothers is that despite the differences in their work,

international creative community, and for simple reasons

directing that video with Sia has definitely given me a

it regularly – and, more importantly, consciously –

like the time zone and being able to see this film or that

deeper insight into just how powerful a great performance

crosses over, allowing for collaboration and support

exhibition in the flesh when it’s first released. Beyond that

can be. Maddie really channels something extraordinary

on a creative level. Daniel regularly provides feedback

though I still feel like the deep, mythical spirit of Australia

in the video, and when you are lucky enough to work with

on Jordan’s jewellery designs, for example, while Lorin

is a big influence on my work.

a performer like that all the technical aspects of filmmaking really need to work effortlessly and elegantly in support

has edited several of Daniel’s recent video clips for Sia, including the singer’s Emmy-nominated “Chandelier”,

I’ve seen some pictures on Instagram of the place you

of their performance. It has certainly opened a lot of

and Paul McCartney’s ”Hope for the Future”. How much

purchased up on the Hudson (river), it’s amazing.

interesting doors and Sia and I are talking about directing a feature together.

do they influence one another? “A lot,” Daniel says simply.

DA To be in nature but also be only an hour away from

“When you have known someone all of your life it makes

Manhattan is pretty special. It is also an amazing place to

the communication very easy. There is an inbuilt under-

gather with friends and my real dream is to make it a small

standing about aesthetic and conceptual interests

creative retreat where people can come to share ideas and

and the stories we grew up on.”

make work in a peaceful environment… a little Arcadia.

JA It’s amazing to have it there and such a beautiful area with its American scenery.

LA Yes, luckily for us [Dan] wants it to a place where we are always welcome to go and hang and create. The place is high, overlooking the Hudson and has such good energy, it instantly puts you in a different headspace. Not to mention it’s just great to escape the city and also great that in a short train ride you can be back in the craziness of New York City.

47

MANUSCRIPT

And Lorin you edited that video, along with Sia’s new

I think it’s really interesting how much you all

release “Elastic Heart” and the film clip for Paul

collaborate with one another.

McCartney’s “Hope for the Future”. What’s it like to

DA The three of us are always working together one

work so closely with one another?

way or another… sometimes in a traditional way, like

LA Daniel and I have been working together in one way

on “Chandelier”, but often it is just about an ongoing

or another since he finished university and I was still in

dialogue, over lunch, out at night or walking to the studio.

high school so we definitely have a shorthand by now.

It is a very fluid, ongoing creative conversation that the

While I’m focusing on my own work here, I still take

three of us have about everything we are working on

opportunities to edit his stuff whenever I can. [In 2014]

which I feel very luck to have.

that meant cutting the videos he collaborated on with Sia

LA Yeah, we are lucky that we all manage to work together

and the project we just finished with Paul McCartney. It

quite often, even if only to share our ideas and input.

works because I understand what he’s trying to achieve

We all ended up in New York with the hope that we could

and we both share an appreciation for the same subtleties

work together more and more and we’re slowly getting

and details so he usually doesn’t have to tell me what he’s

there. This year Jord and I took a studio space together

thinking. In turn I’ve always learnt a lot from working with

and then Dan took a space downstairs. We obviously

him and his work influences mine but hopefully it goes both

appreciate and respect each other’s work, share similar

ways. I made my own solo music video, “Drop the Game”,

curiosities and influences but very much have different

for Flume and Chet Faker at the end of last year and I like

things to offer one another. While I’m not a jeweller or

to think it put me in a good position to give Dan my input

a business person at all I’ve also been trying to work

when he was prepping for “Chandelier” and then to edit it.

with Jord every way I can on his label because developing a brand is hard. When he decided to move to New York and re-establish his label here it made sense to get a space together where I could be in ears reach and help

↘ Stills from the video clip of

get his website and online store going which was way

→ Silver swallow brooch with

Daniel Johns' forthcoming

ethical amethyst, and yellow

single "Aeriel Love", directed

gold and agate-coloured

by Lorin Askill.

enamel heart ring, both by

over due.

Jordan Askill.

48

FEATURE

It’s great to have such a global presence with the store.

How has the label progressed recently?

JA Yes, we feel it puts the brand on a platform which allows a wide accessibility to the product. I now have a retail outlet that I can focus on and design product for. I really love this aspect.

The brand has always incorporated three tiers: sculpture, experimental jewellery with a fine jewellery influence, and the Jordy heart pieces, which have a more accessible quality. I see the brand developing with an awareness of ethical practices and endangered species. I see the Jordy heart pieces as being able to strengthen in this direction, as it makes sense that more humans on this planet should be wearing a heart on their finger.

The pieces are so delicate – what goes into the making of them?

JA When I design jewellery I start with a concept, normally a motif or an endangered species that I want to explore. I like the form I create to have dual function and not be purely ornamental. Along this process it’s important for me to incorporate traditional jewellery techniques as I develop the engineered aspect of the collection.

You guys spent some time recharging in Sydney over the summer. What does 2015 hold?

LA I’m hoping 2015 will be a continuation and progression of what I’ve been doing, but we’ll see what presents itself. Dan and

“ IT IS A VERY FLUID, ONGOING CREATIVE CONVERSATION THAT THE THREE OF US HAVE ABOUT EVERYTHING WE ARE WORKING ON ”

I have been working on writing a long form project for quite a while and I think 2015 has to be the year to get it to the next stage.

DA I’ve just finished a video with Paul McCartney and we are about to release a new video for Sia “Elastic Heart”, this time featuring Shia LaBeouf, that we are really excited about it. It is the same team as “Chandelier” and the energy on set was pretty special. Shia is an amazing performer. I also have an interesting collaboration with Alexander McQueen that I will shoot in Paris just after the Grammys, and then I’m really excited to get back to New York and into development on my own feature projects.

JA I will be doing a 3D display in Munich again in Febuary and showing at [trade fair] Inhorgenta, while continuing to expanded my own line. I’m also working with some companies at the forefront of art and design, which is very exciting.

49

Mr Sivan wears singlet and pants by Gucci,

stylist’s own skivvy and headband throughout,

sneakers by Bernhard Willhelm for Camper.

COVER

Remember the name, for if talent, wisdom and popularity are fair markers, then Troye Sivan might just be the most famous person to emerge from our country, writes Mitchell Oakley Smith.

Photography Liz Ham | Styling Jolyon Mason Grooming Jenny Kim 51

MANUSCRIPT

52

COVER

Jacket and shirt by Calvin Klein Collection.

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MANUSCRIPT

A

t the time of writing, our cover

“I was home-schooled because of acting, so I had this spare

subject, Troye Sivan, boasted a

time between acting jobs. Then I saw people start to respond

combined social media audience

to [the videos] , and I became really obsessed with that line of

(that’s Instagram, Facebook and

communication, that connection that I was forming with people

Twitter) in excess of six million,

that I’d never met before. It’s insane to see the comments and

an extension of his YouTube

the reactions.”

channel, the second most

The popularity – and with three million subscribers, and some

subscribed in Australia after

videos, like his coming out video, receiving more than four million

HowToBasic, which shares, as

views, they’re certainly popular – is something that can only be

its name suggests, how-to videos.

attributed to his authenticity, something marketers or more

But when Manuscript began

calculated celebrities lack. “I’ve shared a lot,” he says. And indeed,

calling in looks for the shoot

in that aforementioned video he explains that “I share everything

featured on these pages, the

with the internet, I share every aspect of my life with the internet,

inevitable question we received

whether or not that’s a good thing, I don’t know.” But as he says,

was: ‘who?’. Despite his enormous

“there’s something about having a real relationship like [my viewers

reach, Mr Sivan is one of a new

and I] do. It doesn’t matter that I haven’t met everyone, but it feels

vanguard of celebrities that the

very close, very real, and they’re engaged, and so like in a friendship

internet has spawned. In a post-

you want to keep it going.” And while he admits that perhaps his

Kardashian context that rates

video persona is a slightly more exaggerated version of himself

hotel room selfies and intimate,

in person, “if people know me in my videos then they know me

oftentimes very personal videos,

in real life.” And for some, they’ve been on a nearly eight-year

Mr Sivan, along with his contemporaries such as Tyler Oakley and

journey with Mr Sivan since those early musical covers.

Alfie Deyes, have become incredibly influential beyond the pages

For the most part though, Mr Sivan can live his life relatively

of gossip magazines and E! News. But as is the celebrity machine,

unnoticed. When not travelling for work, he lives at home with

when your popularity rivals that of Hollywood legends, mainstream

his family – an older brother and younger sister and brother, all

crossover is inevitable, and in our highly commodified contemporary

close in age to him, along with his mother and father – in the

culture, it stands to reason that business

suburbs just north of Perth, in Western Australia, and as he

opportunities abound.

explains, the fame “seems really normal. I’ve always [performed],

There’s a lot to be skeptical about in this transformed cultural

and while the scale has obviously changed, I’m still just Troye

landscape, and it’s traditional media that, while wanting to embrace

that likes to sing and do creative things. The biggest difference,

the fortunes of these new celebrity niches, seems slowest to catch

I guess, is that I’m not home as much.” Mr Sivan was homeschooled

on to these rising stars, assuming them, perhaps, to be fly-by-the-

by his mother due to his acting commitments, which goes some way

night names that will, like a fleeting star, inevitably fade. But don’t

in explaining the tightknit nature of his family, despite their

be mistaken about Troye Sivan, for while he has largely built his

differences in study and careers. “I just don’t think I’m ready to get

fan base upon low-fi video uploads – during the likes of which he

away from my family entirely. We’re super close.” While his family

lightheartedly muses on everything from “how to be cool” and sleep

has lived in Perth for close to two decades, Mr Sivan was born in

deprivation to safe sex and “things I’ve learnt about Tumblr”– this

Johannesburg, South Africa, moving with his family to Australia

is a young man that’s been on the stage since he was in primary

when he was two. “The thing I love about Perth is that nothing

school, has starred in numerous films, his breakout playing a young

really changes no matter what changes elsewhere, and because

Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and who will this

there’s no real entertainment industry here it’s a really amazing,

season release his debut solo album, an extension of his EP,

chilled place to come back to.”

TRXYE, that dropped back in August.

Unlike the typical cycle of internet sensations and overnight

“UNLIKE THE TYPICAL CYCLE OF INTERNET SENSATIONS AND OVE∏NIGHT CELEBRITIES, MR SIVAN IS INCREDIBLY TALENTED AND FOCUSED ON HIS CA∏EE∏, IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT HE’S MANAGED TO P∏OPEL IT TH∏OUGH AN INNATE SENSE OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA LANDSCAPE.”

celebrities, Mr Sivan is incredibly talented and focused on his career, it just so happens that he’s managed to propel it through an innate sense of the social media landscape, a knowledge almost exclusive to his generation. “I’ve grown up with the internet,” says Mr Sivan. “For as long as I can remember I’ve had Facebook and Twitter and YouTube, and there wasn’t really a singular moment when a video went viral or anything like that. It’s happened slowly, as I’ve grown up it’s just gotten bigger and bigger.”

Despite posting singing videos to YouTube for some years, Mr Sivan didn’t officially introduce himself on the platform until mid-2012, explaining to his then-modest viewership the basics, like where he’s from and what he likes. From there, things escalated pretty quickly, with the third video from there hitting one million views. But it wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision to begin creating regular video blogs – or vlogs, as they’re referred to in this digital age – and nor a marketing ploy, but boredom, says Mr Sivan.

54

Sweater and shorts by From Britten.

MANUSCRIPT

Coat and shoes by Prada,

socks by Uniqlo.

56

FASHION

57

Jacket by Dior Homme,

stylist's own t-shirt.

Tunic and pants by Ellery,

sneakers by Raf Simons for Adidas,

available at Sneakerboy.

COVER

T

o many people, Mr Sivan’s 2014

and perfect the album rather than rushing into a subsequent release.

single, “Happy Little Pill”, seemed

“It’s such a massive, massive project… I mean, the EP is only four

to pop up out of the blue – another

songs and I felt overwhelmed, and this is 12 – or 14 or 15 if you

case of a celebrity releasing a song

include the remixed tracks – and you want to have more than that

because, well, why not? – but he

so that you’ve got some choice.”

has been performing for more than

You wouldn’t expect such control – or acute understanding

half of his life. “It sounds clichéd,

of the production process, for that matter – for someone so young,

but I was always singing around the

but Mr Sivan admits that it has been a learning curve. “There’s no

house,” he says. While he doesn’t

one explaining it to me, I’m just trying to learn as quickly as I can.

come from a particularly musical

I've gone from doing everything from my bedroom to boardrooms

family, they’re creatively minded,

of people.” And that’s another interesting thing about this project:

according to Mr Sivan, and his

the amount of creative license afforded to Mr Sivan given the size

parents put him into singing lessons

of the music company, known as it is for representing the likes of

when he was eight, which led to

Sam Smith, The Arctic Monkeys and Robbie Williams. But at the

talent quests, corporate events

same time, it makes sense that EMI Music should give this amount

and, in 2006, the performing

of freedom to the musician; his enormous audience is evidence of

of a duet with then-Australian

his ability to connect. “I’m grateful for that, because a lot of people

Idol winner Guy Sebastian at the

would have tried to put me in a box. That’s also why it’s stressful in

Channel Seven Perth Telethon,

a way, because I feel like I’m steering the ship and there are so

which he continued to perform at

many people on it.”

for several years. The year after

It’s testament to his artistic spirit that Mr Sivan should take

the performance with Mr Sebastian, Mr Sivan reached the grand

so much care, and yet given that “Happy Little Pill” debuted at

finals of StarSearch, a talent competition, for which he recorded

number one on iTunes in nearly 60 countries, and was certified gold

a five-song album of covers, like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

by the Australian Recording Industry Association, he could certainly

and “Angels Brought Me Here”, and also starred as the title

have relaxed. The music itself, perhaps given his age and younger

character in a production of the musical Oliver.

performances, is not what you’d expect from Mr Sivan; moody and

His transition to screen, however, was not such a typical

synth-heavy, with lyrics that comment on excess materialism.

trajectory, with a talent manager happening upon some of his

“Oh, glazed eyes, empty hearts / Buying happy from shopping

early YouTube videos and suggesting he attend some auditions.

carts”, runs one line. And as he tells it, there’s more evolution to be

“I wasn’t sure if I’d be very good but I gave it a go,” says Mr Sivan,

heard in the album. “It’s so much better and so much more refined

rather nonchalantly given that his first film project was as young

[than the EP],” says Mr Sivan. “It’s got darker moments, lighter

James Howlett – better known as Wolverine, played by fellow

moments.” He lists Lorde (“I think she’s the coolest thing in pop

Australian Hugh Jackman – in blockbuster production X-Men

music,” says Mr Sivan), Frank Ocean and Amy Winehouse as

Origins. Although it was essentially a small role, the project was

inspiration, and while you can pick out those talents in some of the

quickly followed by the filming of Spud, based on the book of the

tracks, there's something particularly unique about Mr Sivan's

same name, in South Africa, with Mr Sivan in the lead role opposite

sound that, while still essentially pop, seeps out of that description,

John Cleese. At the time of writing, Mr Sivan was about to head

too. “I think pop music is in a cool place right now. I feel like the

to South Africa for the premiere of the second sequel, Spud 3:

public is taking a lot more risks – you’re hearing songs on the radio

Learning to Fly.

that you wouldn’t have before, people are excited for new things.”

But music, says Mr Sivan, is what he’s most focused on right

What, then, is the eternally talented Mr Sivan’s next goal?

now. “It has always been a dream of mine,” he says of the release

“I’m terrified, but I’d love to tour soon,” he says. “That’s just the

of his forthcoming album. “There’s something about releasing

scariest thing to me, but I’d love to tackle that one.” Hearing him

a big body of work that is so satisfying. I like the idea of starting

talk about what will likely become a reality shortly after the album’s

an extremely ambitious project and seeing it through, [and] it’s

release, tipped as it is to be as successful as the EP, I’m reminded

something I want to keep doing for the rest of my life.” Tentatively

of one of Mr Sivan’s earlier comments about the enormous growth

set for a May release, and as yet to be officially announced by his

of his public profile. “Sometimes I have this moment where I count

record label, EMI Music, the album has, for the most part, been

the people in a room, maybe one hundred, and it’s so hard to then

recorded and produced in Los Angeles, where Mr Sivan has spent

actually think of the number of people that watch my video. Crowds

a lot of time over the past two years, actively involved in its

and crowds of people, it’s crazy to think.” He needn’t do that, for

development and production.

he’ll no doubt see it soon enough.

“I like to be part of the entire process,” he says, but that process is different for each track. “Sometimes I’ll come in with a melody idea, or a lyric idea, or it’s about the vibe of the room. Sometimes if it’s perfect and you’re inspired you get a song out of it, most times you don’t, but it’s always such a good feeling when it comes together.”

It’s why, he says, that he’s addicted to song writing. “Even sitting in on the production of the track I love,” he adds. And while the EP was released in a seemingly swift manner, he’s keen to take time

Photography Assistance Nic Bezzina | Post Production Grace Testa Styling Assistance Brad Homes 61

It’s a Shoe Thing They’re the last thing that you put on and, they say, the first thing to be noticed.

We’re going walkabout in the season’s best.

Photography Rudolf Zverina | Styling Brad Homes Grooming Joel Phillips

Mr Wedin wears pants and shoes by Paul Smith.

Stockings, worn throughout, stylist’s own.

FASHION

Coat by Maticevski,

shoes by Christian Louboutin, stylist’s own sweater.

Opposite: Jacket by Burberry, underwear by Calvin Klein,

shoes by Christian Louboutin.

65

MANUSCRIPT

Pants and shoes by Ermenegildo Zegna.

Opposite: Backpack by Louis Vuitton, boots by R.M.Williams.

66

FASHION

Pants and shoes by Burberry.

Opposite: Jacket by Harrolds, stylist’s own top.

69

MANUSCRIPT

Jacket and shoes by Emporio Armani, underwear by Calvin Klein.

Opposite: Jacket and shoes by Dior Homme.

70

FASHION

Hektor Wedin/Chic Management Mr Phillips used MAC Cosmetics and O&M hair products throughout Shoes by Maison Martin Margiela, available at Harrolds.

Opposite: Shirt by Prada.

73

The Next Big Thing Between the television shows and pageants and competitions, there’s no shortage of female models in the local industry. But when we come to put together each issue of this magazine, we’re always on the hunt for new talent.

And so we did the callout, received hundreds of entries, and now we present the finalists of the 2015 Manuscript Male Model Search, created in collaboration with Priscillas.

Photography Jordan Graham | Styling Jolyon Mason | Grooming Kimberley Forbes Ms Forbes used Dermalogica and Giorgio Armani grooming products throughout.

FASHION

XARVE FRITZ BUCHOLZ 18, ARTIST AND PERFORMER, BORN IN SURRY HILLS, AUSTRALIA. “I’m fascinated by the way an entire epoch and mood can be captured through the positioning of the body, the countenance of the face and the fabric of fashion.”

Mr Fritz wears t-shirt

by Witchery Man, jeans by Levi’s,

underwear by Calvin Klein, boots by Timberland.

75

MANUSCRIPT

MATTHEW STEPHEN BURROWS 17, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, BORN IN KELLYVILLE, AUSTRALIA. “I would like to explore a range of opportunities in this field of work and learn about the benefits that it could bring to my future.”

Mr Burrows wears denim jacket by Neuw.

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MANUSCRIPT

GEORGE OWEN FELL 17, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. “My interest in modeling is something that I have found growing in parallel with my increasing maturity and my progressing interest in fashion, giving modeling a possible place in my life for the long term."

Mr Fell wears leather

jacket by Acne Studios.

78

FASHION

79

MANUSCRIPT

80

LUC JAN BIRMES 27, STUDENT, BORN IN KREFELD, GERMANY, AND LIVING IN SYDNEY. “I’m interested in modeling because it fits into my active lifestyle.”

Mr Birmes wears jeans

by A Brand,

underwear by Calvin Klein.

PATRICK JOHNSON, TAILOR, P. JOHNSON TAILORS “I like a tailored look but without restriction or stuffiness. I try not to take it all too seriously. And I like a softness and lightness; I use cloths that are interesting and serve their purpose well without being over the top.”

FASHION

Modern Day Dandy It’s the most classic piece in the contemporary male wardrobe, but the suit is having a renaissance.

Here, some of Australia’s most stylish men wear it with unique aplomb.

Photography Daniel Gurton | Grooming Peter Beard 89

MANUSCRIPT

NICK SCHAERF, CO-FOUNDER AND -OWNER, DOUBLE MONK “Bespoke is the ultimate expression of individuality and confidence. I’m a big believer in stealth wealth and the importance of small, discoverable details.”

90

DREW LAIDLAW HOARE, BRAND MANAGER, M.J. BALE “My preference is for tailored separates, and mixing patterns and fabrications. It takes a large degree of skill to execute well so I enjoy the daily challenge even if I sometimes get it wrong.”

LACHIE WATSON, MARKETING MANAGER, OSCAR HUNT “My style is laid-back, varying, and flexible. I tend to deviate between modern classic and distinctive casual.

I definitely prefer the cooler months as I like to layer clothing and accessories, and I’m a big believer in style not needing to cost big dollars.”

FA ES AH TI UO RN E

CHRISTOPHER SCHAERF,

“I try to be conscious of viewing things over

My eyes are always peeled and I find it pays

CO-FOUNDER AND -OWNER,

time, rather than at the time. As in life, some

to be open minded. But I'll always be me,

DOUBLE MONK

things change, some things stay the same. I see

and that fact is both the boundary and the

a lot I like in friends and strangers, as well as

inspiration for how I dress. A sense of self is

customers and my colleagues in the industry.

really the foundation of all genuine style.”

93

MANUSCRIPT

REMY MICHEL GHOUGASSIAN, TAILOR, THE SUIT SHOP “I like a clean, natural and somewhat effortless style with an element of sportiness. Something reasonably classic without being too strict – a silhouette that is tailored but not too tight.”

94

NICK PLOWS, TAILOR, P. JOHNSON TAILORS “I see dressing well as an exercise in understatement; a simple and elegant outfit is visually more appealing than something that is too complicated or fussy. I try to combine cloth and details with construction that will create a suit I will be comfortable wearing - the end result should always be a suit that makes the wearer look unaffected.”

JARED ACQUARO, PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGER, OSCAR HUNT “Practical but effortless… I’ve learnt what colours and patterns work for me so now it’s just second nature.”

FA ES AH TI UO RN E

CHRIS VOVAN, TAILOR, CRANE BROTHERS “Gary Cooper is a trusted source of inspiration.”

97

ehT owT secaF fo yhcneviG

htimS yelkaO llehctiM y rotS renietS oknaD & anA yhpargotohP

The Two Faces of Givenchy

Story Mitchell Oakley Smith Photography Ana & Danko Steiner

F

or near a decade, the male modeling industry – particularly for runway shows –has been dominated a

particular type of guy: tall, super-slim, and somewhat androgynous. They’re characteristics popularised by Hedi Slimane at Dior Homme, and continued under his artistic leadership at Saint Laurent, and it’s come to define the shows of every major, and subsequently minor, show on the seasonal schedule. But at Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci has been known to cast a “bigger, healthier, sportier” guy, as he describes it, which perhaps goes some way in explaining why the French house’s wares seem to race off the shop floor: they seem accessible to the everyday customer because of the way in which they’re portrayed.

“When I started to do casting one year before my first show, agencies were full of skinny boys… beautiful, but it was not my type,” explains Mr Tisci. “I wanted to make a real casting. I don’t like to exclude people.” As such, he began street casting in the United States and, when on vacation in Brazil, Morocco, Puerto Rico, he “found very strong boys with very strong personalities. With street casting you fall in love with a personality, a character. I like people having [that].” Of course, there are regular models – those that make it their day job – in his shows, but as he explains, “I never ask for the books of the models. I don’t need to know what a person does in life. I prefer to talk to people and understand their character.”

For the house’s spring 2015 collection, Mr Tisci presented a significantly diverse cast of models, including African American, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, British, American and Australian – Joel Meacock and Nathaniel Visser included – boys in the show. And like their contrasting looks, the collection was one of binaries: flowers (“I wanted this collection to be romantic and very chic, because Givenchy is first a couture house and I don’t want to forget that,” says Mr Tisci) and military references. “If you look at each boy, they are very strong but also very sweet at the same time. Very romantic. When somebody is very confident with his sexuality, he can play with lace, pearls and with femininity. This is my luck at Givenchy: I can do couture and I can do streetwear.”

FASHION

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Where once the menswear form held firmly to established conventions, designers are increasingly experimenting with cut, form and fit, defining anew what menswear is and can be.

Photography Paul Scala | Styling Jonathan Ailwood Hair Andre Cueto Saavedra | Grooming Aya Murai

FASHION

Sweater by Kenzo,

skirt by Maison Martin Margiela, boots and earrings by Givenchy.

Opposite: Jacket by Hermes,

bodysuit by Maison Martin Margiela.

105

Top and scarf by Issey Miyake, trousers by Hermes.

Vintage jacket by Jean Paul Gaultier, underwear by Calvin Klein.

Tuxedo shirt dress by Azzedine Alaia, trousers by Dries Van Noten, shoes by Gucci, socks by Falke.

Opposite: Coat and kilt by Givenchy.

Tank, waistcoat and shoes by Gucci, shorts by Joseph, socks by Falke.

Waistcoat by Azzedine Alaia, underwear by Acne Studios.

Jacket by Jean Paul Gaultier, shorts by Givenchy.

Top by Azzedine Alaia,

pants by Junya Watanabe, scarf by Saint Laurent, socks by Falke.

Top by Azzedine Alaia,

underwear by Calvin Klein, socks by Falke.

Jacket by Yohji Yamamoto,

sweater by Dries Van Noten, underwear by Acne Studios.

Roberto Sipos/Bananas Models | Photography Assistance Camilo Germain Styling Assistance BenoĂŽt Martin-Kersenbaum | Post Production Postmen Special thanks Ikuko Niwa

T-shirt and shorts

by Anthony Vaccarello, boots by Givenchy.

Opposite: Waistcoat

by Azzedine Alaia,

scarf by Saint Laurent, earring by Givenchy.

MANUSCRIPT

Stockists A-BRAND / abrandjeans.com ACNE / acnestudios.com

ANTHONY VACCARELLO / anthonyvaccarello.com AZZEDINE ALAIA / alaia.fr

BURBERRY / burberry.com

CALVIN KLEIN / calvinklein.com CAMPER / camper.com

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN / christianlouboutin.com COCURATA / cocurata.com DIOR HOMME / dior.com DRIES VAN NOTEN / driesvannoten.be ELLERY / elleryland.com EMPORIO ARMANI / armani.com ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA / zegna.com FEIT / feitdirect.com FROM BRITTEN / frombritten.com.au GIVENCHY / givenchy.com G-STAR / g-star.com GUCCI / gucci.com HARROLDS / harrolds.com.au HERMES / hermes.com ISSEY MIYAKE / isseymiyake.com JEAN PAUL GAULTIER / jeanpaulgaultier.com JOSEPH / joseph-fashion.com KENZO / kenzo.com LEVI’S / global.levi.com LOUIS VUITTON / louisvuitton.com MAC COSMETICS / maccosmetics.com MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA / maisonmartinmargiela.com MATICEVSKI / tonimaticevski.com NEUW / neuwdenim.com ORIGINAL & MINERAL / originalmineral.com PAUL SMITH / paulsmith.co.uk PRADA / prada.com R.M.WILLIAMS / rmwilliams.com.au RALPH LAUREN / ralphlauren.com SAINT LAURENT / ysl.com SAND / sand.dk SNEAKERBOY / sneakerboy.com SUNSPEL / sunspel.com TIMBERLAND / shop.timberland.com UNIQLO / uniqlo.com WITCHERY / witchery.com.au Z ZEGNA / zegna.com

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