BRIGHT Magazine Issue 05

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1 – Bright Issue 05 / Magazine Summer 11


1ST FLOOR, BOOTH 167-168

Pro Classics. The best. Only better.

The Pro Classics series includes the classic Vans shoes you know and love but updated and upgraded to meet the demanding requirements of the Vans pro team. Available exclusively where boards are sold, Vans Pro Classics last longer and provide the extra support and cushion today’s skateboarders need. See the full list of features at skate.vans.com

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Gilbert Crockett Kickflip Backside Tail

©2011 VANS, INC. PHOTO: ACOSTA


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07/07/2011


Editorial

13 is a magic Number

13 is a magic number. On a Friday 13th in the year 1307 the Knights Templar were wiped out and the world was spared the Ark of the Covenant together with eternal life, wisdom and illumination. Lucky or unlucky? Last summer, also on the thirteenth, a 13-year-old boy in England was struck by lightening. He survived virtually uninjured. Lucky or unlucky? In 1970 an oxygen tank on the Apollo 13 exploded, which resulted in the cancellation of its planned landing on the moon, but it was possible to bring all crew members back down to earth safe and sound. Lucky or unlucky? All things considered, it all seems to be in the balance of things and there is no

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reason not to mention the 13th BRIGHT or properly celebrate it. It just wouldn’t be right to move on to the twelfth and a half, or to jump to the fourteenth for that matter. So, just to be on the safe side, you’d better bring your little talismans and secretly cross your fingers that everything goes to plan. Thanks to even more brands, new structures and segments, a big open-air area, a market, skate plaza, concert and parties the 13th BRIGHT is all about the magic number thirteen! So let’s get started with this season’s 13-0 page BRIGHT Magazine! Thomas Martini & Marco Aslim


5 – Bright Magazine www.iriedaily.de • info@iriedaily.de • IRIEDAILY is a trademark of W.A.R.D. GmbH. Styled in Berlin

BRIGHT TRADESHOW BERLIN 07.07. -09.07.11 • ROOM 253/1 2ND FLOOR


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Content

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Editorial

Portrait - KNOW?SHOW Nick Brown was so peeved by the fact that until five years ago Canada didn’t even have its own decent lifestyle tradeshow that he decided to bring KNOW?SHOW to Vancouver, with great success.

50–57

Feature - Daniel Herrmann

Could you take photos of Kiedis, Frusciante and co. on tour sweating in their boxers? It’s not just the Red Hot Chili Peppers who value the unique aesthetic of Daniel Herrmann’s photos.He shot the latest campaign for BRIGHT.

38–43

My BRIGHT Uniform

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Contributors

10–25 News & Brands

26–33 Berlin Days

It’s not only the Kreuzberg nights that are notorious and much lauded. In summer Berlin days are action-packed and, above all, long. Saskia Nadi caught up with some unique Berliner daydreaming specimens.

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...That’s what it’s called when the sales reps of the BRIGHT family slip into their hottest outfits. Love, laughter, wannabes – it’s all here this time.

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Reportage – Life after Cool: Porto Jan Joswig not only knows Berlin’s scene like the back of his hand, he has also seen the rise and fall of numerous southern European cities like Barcelona and Lisbon. From his current adoptive home of Porto he gives us the lowdown on Porto’s lifestyle, as well as providing a snapshot in time.

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Interview BRIGHT Ambassadors As a streetwear addict, half-Italian and all-round nice guy, Franz J. Höller is exactly the right ambassador for BRIGHT in Italy! Our interview with him proves why.

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Feature – The Pixel Pushers

Vector mania and print slogans – they belong to the trend machines of the streetwear scene: we present six international graphic designers and their influential work for the industry.


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Shooting vs. BRIGHT Brigade

Opinion makers and style pioneers at BRIGHT? Upon closer inspection that’s exactly what our BRIGHT Brigade are, which is why they also did some modelling for us. Photographed by Thomas Wolfzettel.

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BRIGHT Flavour

Anything Chanel can do, BRIGHT can do too! Together with Les Ettes BRIGHT is presenting the first tradeshow fragrance for boys and girls: smells like BRIGHT No. 13.

Decks

Interview – Foot Patrol

It’s all about the boards: rolled, shredded and lovingly designed. We tell four different skateboard stories about special collaborations between artists and brands.

A glimpse at the long-suffering British sneaker scene reveals that the independent stores haven’t had it easy over the past few years. Pascal Prehn, Sneaker Freaker’s head honcho, interviewed John Brotherhood about the demise and comeback of Foot Patrol.

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BRIGHT Festival

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That’s the way we like it: colourful pictures, very few words and textile overkill at its best. The exclusive BRIGHT sneaker shoot and wearable dress codes sorted into Berlin districts.

At the Winter BRIGHT he marched directly on to the winning podium at the Vectorlounge BRIGHT Special. Reason enough to introduce the versatile urban Artist Think from Berlin in more detail.

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Products

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Artist Feature – Think

The BRIGHT outdoor area has undergone a complete makeover! On the 4000m² skate and entertainment area you can indulge in all of your favourite pastimes: chilling, cruising, feasting or drinking Finlandia Vodka.

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Interview - Pontus Alv

Shooting films, building ramps, designing boards – Pontus Alv is a man of many talents. Now the Swede has founded his own label Polar Skate Co. so it was high time for a catch-up.

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Art BRIGHT

Art is art and art is BRIGHT. Once again the Art BRIGHT area at the Stasi headquarters will be full of creative curators presenting exciting artwork. In his intro Louis Müller Philipp-Sohn talks to us about the status quo of street art.

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Imprint

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Contacts

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Andreas Grüter

When Andreas Grüter, born in Essen, was eight years old he tried to smash the living room window of his neighbour’s house with a rubber ball over a period of 80 minutes. It didn’t work but, looking back, this laid the groundwork for his later life plan, which, since then, has consistently skirted the edges of antisocial strata through uninhibited idealism, hardcore punk, 60s garage beat, skateboarding, fanzine and record label work. In addition to diverse band projects, DJing and surf trips his strong suit turned out to be writing. So it’s no wonder that after an ill-advised yet completed BWL degree he ultimately ended up in Cologne where his uncertain career took the path of an unrecognised free spirit. This is where he was discovered after all and has earned his crust ever since as an editor for J’N’C Magazine and as a freelance author and writer for Intro, Asics, Spoonfork and Forvert, amongst others. Oh, and by the way: Andreas Grüter is also the uncrowned champion of highly complex, clause-studded, interminable sentences!

www.leben-und-arbeiten.com

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Lorena Maza

When she was 12 Lorena Maza moved 18,000 km away with her mother to freshly unified Berlin. There she went to school in Kreuzberg before going on to live in squats and learning her style on the street. On a shopping trip to New York she was infected with fashion fever in the second-hand shops of the Salvation Army. She has meanwhile changed professions, from being a teacher to being a stylist, but she has retained the ability to charmingly keep even the most egocentric personalities under control. She dedicates her time to autodidactic works for publications like Sleek, this year for Bright Magazine she chose the best autumn-winter styles.

Paul Kampfmann

Paul grew up in the German Bronx (or Frankfurt-Rödelheim to those in the know). So it’s only logical that at the end of the nineties the passionate skateboarder was one of the founders of one of the first German urban art crews: with Undenk Paul has already exhibited in Paris, Barcelona and on your street corner. These days the all-round creative writes and designs concepts for magazines like Bright and proud, or Sneaker Freaker in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, where he also runs his own T-shirt boutique called “Duck & Cover”. And the Cologne night owl also has his own fashion label “Ehrenfeld Apparel” with fresh silk-screen printed designs. When Paul isn’t working away on his fame and wealth, you’ll find him with his deck at popular Köllefornia skater spots.

www.paul-deluxe.com


Luis Müller Philipp-Sohn

Luis Müller Philipp-Sohn completed his degree in art history with flying colours and has specialised in street art, urban art and contemporary fine art for a long time. He gives lectures and writes essays on the subject and has also participated in a graffiti workshop in cooperation with the Bauhaus LAB. He seems to have backed the right horse and, in view of the astronomical prices currently being fetched for urban art, he can shrug off the annoying pearl of wisdom “Isn’t it time you got a proper job?” with a smug smile. The 30-year-old works at the Berliner Circle Culture gallery and for Bright Magazine he wrote – of course – about urban art.

Saskia Nadi

Born in deepest darkest Southern Germany, Saskia started on her mission to see everything that she had always dreamed of seeing as soon as she reached her teenage years. During longer stays in Vienna and Ibiza she gained her first experiences as an assistant and producer, until making the move to Berlin two years ago. She demonstrated her production talent for Daniel Josefsohn, proving she could do a whole lot more than just make coffee; as well as photo jobs for IlikeMyStyle, Taschen and Exploided she meanwhile works as a permanent production manager and fashion editor for Quality Magazine. For us she embarked on the search for fabulous people and eccentrics on the streets of Berlin.

Daniel Giebel

Daniel Giebel has lived as a freelance author and DJ in Cologne for almost 15 years. If you ask him who he writes for or about the music that he DJs then he won’t know where to start – it’s just too much to list. For example he has interviewed Aphex Twin, tested

www.saskianadi.com video games and gourmet restaurants, ghost-written for German footballer Lukas Podolski and even got a hip-hop crowd sweating in the Alps at minus 17 degrees. His long-term objectives are: “To own books. To sell my vinaigrette recipe. And I wouldn’t mind owning a little herd of sheep either.”

Contributor

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News Billabong Hippies on the stock exchange

Element More than business as usual for 20 years

Text: Nada Carls What began in 1992 as a typical DIY streetwear label, has long since developed into a global player. At Element the focus is still on its own maxims: life with the elements fire, water, earth and air in general, and skateboarding in particular are what drive its founder Johnny Schillereff. From a stylistic point of view they’re continuing to stay true to themselves for their anniversary year. At the age of 20 the Element girls and boys are classic and in touch with nature for their SS 2012 anniversary collection “Live, Learn and Grow” from Element Eden. For girls in their twenties; beautiful, inquisitive and a little ethnosavvy, spring 2012 will bring soft materials, subtle colours and patterns with folklore-style influences from West Africa and Indian art. The workwear look of the Element family is also covered with casual chinos and denims and those who prefer the romanticism of a flowery meadow can adorn themselves in pastel tones, floral designs and transparent fabrics. The boys’ collection “20 Years of Skateboarding - and we still see the future” also represents the eternal twenty-year-old: classic rough looks with fleece tops and non-denim bottoms in natural-looking khaki and corduroy. Whether Element Family, Skateboard Boys or Eden Girls, even after 20 years the following principle still applies: “We are more than a business; we are a family, all on the same journey for growth within ourselves, Element and all that surrounds us.”

Text: Nada Carls It all started out quite harmless and with a touch of the hippie lifestyle: a few friends in a surfers’ paradise on the Australian Gold Coast, one of whom made shorts and decided to name the results after the Aboriginal word for “oasis”. What then began with the design of a pair of boardshorts in 1973 became, after three decades and thanks to Gordon Merchant, Billabong: one of the most successful snow, skate and surf labels of our time. From the contemplative suburb of Burleigh Heads, which has just 8000 inhabitants and is incidentally still the company’s main headquarters today, the entrepreneur and his wife Rena set out on their path to success: meanwhile there are further Billabong headquarters in Hossegor in France, Osaka in Japan, Irvine in California and Sao Paulo in Brazil. Since 2000 the label has been represented on the stock exchange and was able to report a turnover of one billion Australian dollars just six years later. A lot of success is, of course, associated with a lot of hard work: two main and two between-season collections a year are offered in 100 countries worldwide at core shops, sport and trend retailers and chain stores, online shops and in the label’s own retail areas. They are also involved in different events and support large international events like the Billabong Air & Style Innsbruck, the Billabong World Junior Surfing Championships in Australia and events during the World Surfing Championships in Tahiti, South Africa, Brazil and Hawaii. And the hippies?! They’re not entirely forgotten: after all, the naïve chilling and beaching around associated with them are reflected in the girls range for SS 2012. Eighties slim-fit shorts and seventies slimfit flares – a mix between bootcut and flare. Not to mention the brightly coloured, hand-painted tees and tie-dye shirts from collaborations with the ex-surf pro and campfire strummer Donavan Frankenreiter and the Bob Marley Association.

www.elementeurope.com www.billabong.com 10 – Bright Magazine


Boundless NY

Colab

Beats, skateboards, clothing and feng-shui vibes

Collaboration principle

Text: Nada Carls

Text: Hans-Christian Bussert

If you ask anyone about the most important skate and streetwear shops in New York, alongside KCDC and aNYthing you’ll definitely hear Boundless NY mentioned. Based in Brooklyn since 2002, the Boundless story began its first chapter in the apartment of its founder, Nick Langella, from where he used to sell records. His love for and the sale of vinyl and DJ equipment may have proved reputable, but wasn’t very profitable so Langella started to direct his attentions to the clothing world. In 2004 the Boundless designer James Farsetta produced the first designs, which they sold on tees and caps under the label name “King Stampede”. As a new exhibitor at “Magic” in 2004 they made friends with the guys from Mishka and The Hundreds, lovingly renovated a derelict building in Williamsburg with their circle of friends and opened their own shop in 2005. In warm colours and designed following the principles of feng shui, the shop conveys a laid-back vibe, which the Boundless customers still confirm today in their frequent online comments. The Boundless brand list reads fluently and should impress the street and skatewear gourmet palate with labels like 10 Deep, FUCT, HUF, Skatemental, Nike SB, UNDFTD and the house brand Boundless NY, which was launched in AW 2010. Their first self-produced clothing range was extremely solid: workwear in a tribute to the US seventies with chinos, button-ups, outerwear and graphic T-shirts. Timeless tailoring with designs inspired by nature, subculture and music. For autumn/ winter 2011/12 they have announced the “Garden of Pure” collection, for which designer Farsetta is working with Guatemalan producers. What will stay the same are the classic silhouettes and a simple colour palette beyond the dictates of fashion trends. Farsetta’s new motif mascots “Mr. Saturday Night” & “The Dire Wolf” feature on two favourite pieces of the AW 2011/12 collection: “The Dire Wolf” vest made from broken cotton canvas and the “Mr. Saturday Night” college jacket. For 2012 the expansion of the trousers and button-up range is in the pipeline and they’re also continuing to stay true to the music: store parties, releases of nineties reggae mixed with hip-hop beats and features by Kenny Dope, Kon, Large Professor and Clark Kent.

It’s not the fear of the bogeyman that keeps many an artist awake at night, but the freedom of a blank, white page. Sunglasses manufacturer Colab from Australia is confronting a few of the most exciting creatives of our time with the dilemma of total artistic freedom. The result is a whole bunch of really cool sunglasses, which are artworks in themselves. The idea could not be simpler: every season a handful of artists are invited to contribute their creative eyewear ideas. There are no restrictions whatsoever and no target groups that need to be taken into consideration either. Based on these sketches the sunglasses are then manufactured by Colab. A process that they call the magical science of production and which requires a lot of handwork. After all, for the Australians the production of their shades is just as important as the creative potential that leads to it. It’s therefore not surprising that only 1000 of each model are produced. Since 2007 they have been holding on to this simple, yet ingenious idea. And, accordingly, four years later the list of collaborators reads like a who’s who of cool art, including Geoff McFetridge, Perks & Mini, Stefan Marx, Deanne Cheuk, Brett Chan, Kill Pixie, Eboy, Marok, Tonite and Will Sweeney. And for next season – just in time for spring in Australia, which is autumn for us – they have already confirmed a few artists: Anthony Lister, Jonathon Calugi and Ears are set to become sunglasses designers for Colab too. Or as they say Down Under: “Bringing the world‘s best in art to people’s faces.”

www.colab.com.au

www.boundlessny.com

G A w h 4 w ,(

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Zimtstern

Rogue Status

Eco, what else?

Don't trust anyone!

Text: Nada Carls

Text: Nada Carls

When the Swiss invent something it’s either incredibly tasty or extremely practical. In the case of Zimtstern the invention goes one step further: the brand with the delicioussounding name (which means ‘cinnamon star’, a traditional Christmas star-shaped cookie) was founded in 1995 by Thomas Meyer and Reto Kuster and offers practical and functional snowboarding apparel, whilst also leading the way when it comes to sustainability. What started as a do-it-yourself garage label is today an international, independent snowboard, skateboard, surf and bikewear label and, since its market launch in Germany and Austria in 1998, is also sold in Italy, the USA, Canada, South Korea, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. During the past few years the Swiss team have been awarded with a variety of distinctions for their eco commitment. What for many is a leap onto the sustainability bandwagon is a continuous social and ecological commitment for Zimtstern, earning them the utmost respect. Inspired by bluedesign, which is the world’s most important environmental standard for the textile industry, within five years the label man-

Although Rogue Status and the DTA Posse have absolutely committed themselves to the “trust nothing and nobody” philosophy, there is one thing they firmly believe in despite the negation: change is good. And their creation process is already an impressive manifestation of that. The Don‘t Trust Anyone posse began establishing themselves as a cool collective and opinion makers on the Californian streetwear and skateboarding scene back in 1991. When the T-shirt designer Yo Esbensen founded Rogue Status in Venice in 2005, in addition to testimonials like Travis Barker and Rob Dyrdek he also received support from the DTA guys. And if their demeanour and appearance are anything to go by, these are guys who you’d definitely rather have on your side than against you. This support was accompanied by the necessary additional hype in terms of publicity and media presence. The all-over firearm print “GunShow” became one of their most renowned motifs and the label quickly grew from a small exclusive skate brand into an unstoppable underdog newcomer. In 2008 DTA then launched themselves as the independent brand “DTA Clothing”, until three years later when they all realised that teamwork is best for everyone concerned. They now go by the name of “DTA secured by Rogue Status” and have joined forces to be involved in sub-scenes like the London grime scene, supporting their own skate team or the half legal street rally Gumball3000. Further collabs with other brands and artists are also in the pipeline, as well as the launch of a complete cut & sew line for 2012. See a sneak preview on their freshly launched homepage!

www.dtaposse.com

aged to adapt its production methods and, since 2010, they have been able to declare ninety percent of their outerwear as bluedesign-certified. By doing this the label is ensuring that no chemicals that are harmful to the environment or our health are used, right from the production to the finishing of the synthetic fabrics, they also deal with raw materials, water and energy in a strictly responsible and sustainable way. As well as their internal eco-activities, SS 2012 Zimtstern will be announcing a campaign that is set to inspire and act as a wake-up call for everyone out there. With “BIODIEVERSITY” and T-shirt prints like “Bio or Die” they are offensively embarking on an eco-mission and thereby showing the positive consistency that is required to really make a change.

www.zimtstern.com 12 – Bright Magazine


Carhartt

Alexandra Cassaniti

Format Perspective

Fashion follows function Text: Nada Carls Text: Hans-Christian Bussert There are designers who experiment with neoprene for one or maybe two seasons at the most. And there is Alexandra Cassaniti, whose collections revolve almost entirely around the foamed rubber. “I‘m somewhere between fashion and surf,” says the designer, who has been surfing herself for 15 years now and running her label of the same name in Santa Monica for three and a half years. And her neoprene bikinis, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts reflect exactly that: they function as clothing for surfers; but aesthetically they are as far removed as possible from anything else we consider to be “functional clothing”. The fashion world, somewhere between the street style blogs and Vogue, cottoned on to this a long time ago and has regularly featured Alexandra’s creations. Of course – the fact that her printed canvas bags, T-shirts and tank tops made from recycled cotton (of German origin!) are also non-chloroprene-rubber-bestsellers is an added bonus. Following a T-shirt collection in collaboration with Billabong and a pair of “Myopia”– christened goggle-style sunglasses, which were created in cooperation with Raen, for autumn/winter 2011 Alexandra Cassaniti is following the trail of America’s most renowned ornithologist organisation, the Audobon Society. The “Birdwatching” collection borrows many elements from birdwatchers’ functional clothing – mainly bags. “Ornithologists seem to have a bag for everything. So I designed a collection featuring concealed bags, bags in bags, large bags, small bags, Velcro fasteners and elastic fasteners. Perfect for carrying your bottle of water/clipboard/ whistle/sandwich, which will always be close to hand when required.” Oh, and by the way: the Audubon Society is constantly on the lookout for new members.

www.alexandracassaniti.com 13 – Bright Magazine

Format? Super 8. Perspective? Behind the camera is just like in front of the camera. An exciting and promising concept is behind the collaboration between Carhartt and the filmmaker Phil Evans, who in his documentary “Format Perspective” lures six European skateboard photographers from behind their lenses and introduces them together with their photographic work, their personal opinions and various backgrounds. With Nils Svensson (Malmö), Stuart Robinson (Belfast), Alex Irvine (London), Richard Gilligan (Dublin), Bertrand Trichet (Barcelona-Tokyo) and Sergej Vutuc (Heilbronn), Evans accompanied six different characters, followed their work and incorporated the results into the documentary. In addition to very personal opinions on the significance of skateboarding and creativity, exciting format effects are created in the editing of the film: Super 8 shredder-quality meets ultra sensitive high-res skateboard photography and snapshots taken during filming. All multiplied by six and paired with very different attitudes to life: Evans reflects individual perspectives on these interesting personalities in many formats, which more than justifies the title. The 31-year-old Evans, who is originally from Ireland, already made a skateboard documentary in 2009 filmed in Super 8 entitled “The Scrum Tilly Lush”, amongst others with Lennie Burmeister. BRIGHT is thrilled to be able to present one of the three Europe-wide premieres on 8 July at the cinema in the Stasi Headquarters.

www.formatperspective.com www.carhartt-wip.com


Mishka

Horsefeathers

Mishka x Death In June

Belt up and buckle down

Text: Nada Carls

Text: Nada Carls

Mishka isn’t nice and Mishka doesn’t want to be liked by everyone: but since 2003 the New York label has been so successful with this non-conformity that alongside numerous projects and collaborations, they even launched their own inhouse record label “Mishka Records” last year. “There’s almost always some hidden musical reference in everything we do; sometimes it’s overt, sometimes it’s really buried, but it’s there and it’s always awesome to get emails from people who catch it,” reveal the Mishka founders Mikhail Bortnik and Greg Rivera. For autumn/ winter 2011 the two self-confessed Death In June fans should ideally already be preparing for their server to break down: we can assume that everyone can guess the musical connection of their upcoming collaboration, even if Death In June became popular beyond the mainstream. The band is considered a pioneer of neofolk, known for breaking taboos with fascist symbolism, based on pure provocation, which can be heard all wrapped in pretty acoustic guitar sounds. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band, Mishka, together with the Death In June founder Douglas Pearce, have developed a capsule collection comprising dark polo shirts, motif shirts and Harrington-style jackets, camouflage appliqués and skull patches included. “We’re living in dark times, and so our collaboration with Death in June couldn’t have come at a more serendipitous moment,” is what the Mishka guys had to say about the joint collection. Well, it would be boring if the word “June” conjured up images of flowers and butterflies in everyone’s minds, wouldn’t it?!

It’s over 20 years ago since Horsefeathers first made an appearance in British Columbia, Canada, at a time when skateboarding was more of a fringe preoccupation out of view of the public eye. Back then, Horsefeathers was primarily a bunch of kids experimenting with an idea for a label, a brand name with neither rhyme nor reason and just a few designs. It was the Czechs, Hanus Salz and Pavel Kubicek, who breathed new life into the brand in 1993, resulting in a groundbreaking release of 50 T-shirts and 200 stickers, which quickly evolved into a whole collection of sweaters jeans and diverse motif T-shirts. As fans of creative music, film making and sporty individuality the boys from Horsefeathers, who still hold the

www.mishkanyc.com

reins of their label firmly and proudly in their own hands, have just started another ball rolling with their sub-label Deckbelts. Sustainability with a twist: the Horsefeathers crew turn shredded skateboard decks, donated by various cooperation partners, into so-called “deck belts”, one-off belt buckles. They were recently part of a charity initiative for the Kabul skateboard school project Skateistan, which involved making deck belts out of their worn-out boards. The entire profits were given to the project. Next cooperation partner is the team from Osiris and buckle collabs with various snowboarding brands under the name Deck2 are also in the pipeline.

www.horsefeathers.eu www.deckbelt.eu

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Makia Finland’s finest

The 2012 spring/summer collection is very much suitable for everyday wear. From a stylistic point of view all of the items are reserved and underline the individual style of the wearer rather than covering it up: understated, muted and clean – and anything but boring. The shorts feature graphic patterns and the jackets are tailored in lightly waxed materials, which makes sense not only when taking into account the Nordic weather conditions. The motto of the collection is “old but still gold” and take it from us: MAKIA’s oldies are certainly an asset to the scene.

www.makiaclothing.com

Text: Paul Kampfmann Not too long ago, clothes for snowboarders looked like they were designed for 14-year-old kids. That’s why around ten years ago the friendly Fins Joni Malmi, Jussi Orkansen and Ivar Foughstedt from MAKIA started trying to offer decent alternatives – with clean cuts and muted tones for 30-somethings who are into snowboarding, music and fashion. This was easier said than done, however: after the first ideas were hatched and a pile of T-shirts had been printed, the project soon had to be put on Nordic ice. The reason: coming up with a clothing brand is one thing, but running a company is quite another. In the end though, fate did turn out to be on the side of the three friends. Joni bumped into his old mate Jesse Hyväri, who he knew back in the day when they were snowboard pros. By that point Jesse was more preoccupied with tailoring than with partying and with his help MAKIA came back even faster and stronger than before. After countless productive hours in a cold cellar in Helsinki’s former working-class district Punavuori, the team presented their first products, which definitely passed the test. Still today, the simple styles, finest workmanship and an eye for detail are what make their clothing stand out from the crowd and even seemingly run-of-the-mill ideas are reinterpreted. So it’s not surprising that they won the Finnish Fashion Award in 2010 and are also gaining in popularity in metropolises beyond Finland’s borders.

15 – Bright Magazine


Ucon

Cool, calm and collected

Text: Paul Kampfmann Who doesn’t dream of having a wardrobe full of favourite items?! This fashionable wishful thinking was what inspired Martin Fussenegger, and siblings Jochen and Steffen Smuda. They started out the traditional way by selling hand-printed tees from their car boot. As the boys were still studying in those

16 – Bright Magazine

early days with neither financial support nor fashion expertise, the label developed slowly. But steadily. When they finished their degrees, the trio was finally able to fully concentrate on the clothes. It was worth the wait. Both their circle of friends and the first shops showed enthusiasm for products by UCON. And then the ball really started rolling. The highlight of the development so far is the recently completed renovation of a former horse stable in Berlin into a combined office, showroom and photo studio. If you watch the making-of clip on the UCON homepage you’ll see how much blood, sweat and tears have gone into both the location and the entire project itself. Despite the expansion, the friends have remained loyal and still try to make every garment a favourite piece. “A healthy development is about more than just dull number crunching. We want to impress our customers with quality and uniqueness and not just grow at any price,” says Jochen. The key to UCON and firm pillars of the label’s philosophy are

creative interaction and work beyond the most diverse design disciplines. Every collection is dedicated to an artist who the label’s founders find interesting. Pablo Abad from Madrid will be the next artist to have the honour. Exclusively for UCON he created a series of mystical creatures. From the concept to the tailoring down to the design the Berliners do everything themselves and this is plain to see in the detailed garments. As the fashion makers don’t like to set limits to their creativity, there are three ranges: the fashionable UCON Acrobatics, the somewhat more conservative UCON Silhouette and UCON Elle for the girls. The sustainable growth plan seems to be paying dividends after all.

www.ucon-acrobatics.com


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RVCA A warm welcome to RVCA Europe

Puma Puma Clyde x UNDFTD | Mink coat meets sneakers

Text: Nada Carls Teaming up with the best! That seems to have been the underlying slogan at the Puma headquarters when they developed the Puma Clyde with Walt „Clyde“ Frazier in 1973. Frazier’s style off the court is akin to that of an American gangster from the seventies: mink coat, hat, preferably paired with a bright orange shirt with extra-long, pointy collar and his custom-made Pumas. He was, and still is today, the stylistic pimp and figurehead of the NBA team, the New York Knicks. From the 1960s to the 80s he was regarded as one of the best point guard players in NBA history – just as the Puma Clyde is regarded as one of the most important shoes in sneaker circles. In 2011 PUMA is celebrating the comeback of the Clyde with an equally heavyweight and renowned cooperation partner: UNDFTD. They were already part of a successful collaboration in 2009 and now Puma have chosen the guarantors of style and street credibility once again. Co-founder of UNDFTD Eddie Cruz’s words on the collaboration: “The end result of the UNDFTD collection with PUMA is exactly what we wanted – something great. Forward-thinking and cool. And now we’re already looking forward to the rest of the designs that will build upon this collection in forthcoming seasons.” The surprise release in June 2011 is currently stirring up the kicks community who are sure to be ecstatic at the news that this classicclean collab will be continuing in 2012!

www.puma.com www.undftd.com

Text: Paul Kampfmann For years the Californians from RVCA have been creating quite a sensation with their elegant clothing, their unique skate and surf team and their Artist Network Program – ANP. ANP supports renowned and lesser-known artists from various disciplines – the common denominator is that special certain something. Take Deanna Templeton for example, who caused a stir in Düsseldorf last year with the exhibition of her photographic works entitled “Scratch My Name On Your Arm”, or big names on the scene like Barry McGee and Craig Stecyk who are currently shaking things up at the MOCA in Los Angeles with “Art In The Streets”: the main criterion is that the creative works have soul. And resulting from these works is great clothing produced in small quantities; art for the skin so to speak. With the ANP program RVCA is doing things differently than many of its competitors, merely due to the fact that they have so many projects on the go: the artists receive much more in terms of support and attention than they have to give. “Giving” is also the keyword for the in-house ANPQuartely – a free art magazine published by RVCA and put together by none other than Aaron Rose Brendan Fowler and Ed Templeton. The 20,000 mags, which are published quarterly, are distributed to selected stores and venues. Understandably, the stylish reading material is always immediately snapped up as copies of these mags are proving to be real collector’s items. For spring 2012 RVCA is launching the first European collection exclusively for the local market and once again the brains behind the brand have done everything right. The designs flirt with opposites: Grunge meets elegance, retro is mixed with avant-garde, and off-the-wall ideas meet classical style. The materials are refreshingly different and the tones of the elegant items are more suited to European metropolises than the beaches of southern California. RVCA designers are already working nightshift to develop the next collection, as the long and cold European winters are keeping their customers crying out for more!

www.rvca.com 18 – Bright Magazine


Moonchild

Isa Ora

Hippie, hippie, yeah!

Fashion forward

Text: Hans-Christian Bussert

Text: Hans-Christian Bussert

What do old hippies and a pair of Peruvian ladies have in common? Quite a lot – according to Parisian designer Pascale Koehl. “Moonchild” – surely that’s a hippie name! Yes, that’s right: with Moonchild, her babe-in-arms, the Parisian designer references the looks and ideas of the flower children. The earthy-coloured ponchos, cardigans and scarves from the AW 2011 collection are made from 100% Peruvian alpaca wool and decorated with North American native Indian motifs: a little bit androgynous and with a whole lot of fringing going on. The name of Pascale’s first collection for Moonchild – she previously spent seven years designing for April77 – evokes a psychedelic flair: E.C.H.O.E.S. stands for Epic Crusade Healing Our Egotic Soul. She puts these travel tips into practice in quite

Snowboarders over the age of 25 are only too familiar with the problem: in their alpine attire they often end up looking like a teenager still stuck in the aesthetic experimental phase. And they look even worse if they attempt to wear the gear off the slopes. This is the story of Ricky Hendry and Marc Daniels: two snowboarders with “middle-class” professions – one a fashion designer, the other a software manager – who grew older with snowboarding, but had the feeling that the clothing had failed to move with the times. Based on the conviction that functionality and grown-up fashionable design are not mutually exclusive, they started up Isa Ora. The result is a range of jackets, hoodies, shirts and trousers, which work on the mountain as well as on a gallery visit in the city. And thanks to the garments’ high-tech materials they are supremely suited for the challenges of an active, modern lifestyle: Toray from Japan, Nanosphere from Schoeller, Aquaguard and RiRi AQUAzip, and zips from YKK Excella. PrimaLoft ONEfill, a fabric that was developed for the US army and is regarded by many as the warmest, lightest and most breathable synthetic material, is used for insulating. For AW 2011 Ricky and Marc are concentrating on a men’s collection, in which a lot of black is occasionally broken up by a graphic camouflage, lumberjack checks and green tones and which in its fashionable moments is reminiscent of ACNE and Co. One season later the pair is dealing with alchemy. Behind this is the idea that “things aren’t always as they seem”. And non-snowboard shops like Opening Ceremony and Oki-ni have meanwhile realised that snowboarding clothing isn’t necessarily all about baggy pants and bright colours.

www.isaora.com a profane way: fair pay for the Peruvian craftswomen and ethical treatment of the sheep, instead of profit maximisation with higher margins regardless of the price. The video of her travels to Peru expresses her respect for an ancient culture. This meeting between the ancient and our post-modern lifestyle results in a highly interesting mix, a retro-futurism that, during these times of unsafe nuclear power plants, seems more topical than ever. So it stands to reason that the moonchild will be taking its time to grow. For SS 2012 a larger collection including tops and trousers/skirts, accessories and jewellery are planned but as everything will continue to be handmade, there won’t be a worldwide expansion any time soon. Until then the items are available from selected shops like Opening Ceremony, LN-CC in London and Merci in Paris.

www.moonchild-paris.com

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BoomBotix

Rocksmith

Vinyl toy meets boombox sound

Stunts, Blunts and HipHop

Text: Nada Carls

Text: Paul Kampfmann

As big as a fist, these little noisemaking characters can also really pack a punch when it comes to design: the BoomBotix loudspeakers are the perfect symbiosis of vinyl toy and boombox sound. Hidden behind the cute little faces are built-in amplifiers, which, without a doubt, belong in the “ass-kicking loud” category. In 2010 the US label from Los Angeles did indeed launch the loudest portable speakers on the market at the time. And as the saying goes: little dogs always bark the loudest. Whether on a lead or running free – with

Apart from their love of music, what do the Wu-Tang Clan, Lil‘LWayne and Jay-Z have in common? They all wear Rocksmith Tokyo, the über-label from Japan. It’s all about finding the right mix, bringing modern cuts, the latest patterns and a good dash of attitude to the boil and then seasoning it all with clear-cut quotes from the good old hip-hop world. The garments have been making their mark on Tokyo’s legendary club scene since 2002 and a meeting between the Japanese label owners and the New York guys from Kilo International led to a collaboration that would make Rocksmith famous beyond the borders of the Asian island state. They meanwhile have fans in all corners of the globe, as well as an official flagship store in the Lower East Side of New York, which the label’s owners share with the Wu-Tang brand. The opening was, as to be expected, celebrated in style with Billy Rohan, General Steele from Smif N Wessun and several members of the legendary WuTang family. But expressive clothing and preserving the hip-hop legacy label are not all the label takes care of: they also successfully organised a fundraising event for the victims of Japan’s recent earthquake starring Q-Tip aka The Abstract, Sadat X and reggae sensation Judah Tribe. Whatever the boys do, they do it right. In the fitting words of hip-hop head Wale: “It‘s not a fake!”

the two models BB1 and BB2 the discerning digital audio fanatic will have nothing to complain about, because as well as the wired BB1, the BB2 comes up trumps with its Bluetooth connectivity, and can therefore be linked wirelessly to any iPod, iPad, laptop, smartphone or mp3 player. Splash-proof, chromed loudspeaker mesh, battery life of up to six hours plus different designs and colours leave only one question unanswered – why weren’t they invented earlier? The booming vinyl oracle with the three-coloured flickering LED star on its forehead reveals: now available in Germany. Lucky vinyl nerds.

airbag

Art to make you die laughing

Text: Hans-Christian Bussert Airbag Craftworks, the smart label from the southern part of the German county of Hessen, is releasing a book by their long-standing collaborator Dennis Busch. “Back To Normal” is a 72-page, linen-bound, iconoclastic firework. His destruction of sacred images, however, should only be taken literally in one case. Joker Dennis Busch simply loves taking more or less well-known motifs and using them out of context through his collage technique or TippEx. Regardless of whether they are pop-cultural subjects or actual pictures of saints. This is sometimes provocative and often extremely refreshing. Photos, including the apple with the rotten rubber teeth and the frog carcass covered in vibrantly coloured paints, are evidence of Dennis Busch’s bitter-sweet humour and definitely satisfy his credo: “Art should laugh about itself; I mean laugh to death”.

www.rocksmithtokyo.com

www.boombotix.com

www.airbagcraftworks.com

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Huf-o-logistics

Text & Interview: Andreas Grüther

Keith Hufnagel is a real Jack-of-all-trades. As a pro-skater the New Yorker, who has lived in California since the beginning of the nineties, has given street style back its almost forgotten aggressive-elegant roughness. As manager of the shop/label institution Huf, he has given good old streetwear a facelift that is just as exclusive as it is multi-faceted and with his latest Baby Huf footwear the meanwhile 37-year-old is currently turning the sneaker market on its head, seemingly without any effort at all. Reason enough to cast a glimpse behind the scenes of the Huf system, so we asked Keith to join us for a quick Q&A session.

Huf

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Hey Keith. Who is the man behind Huf? A guy who started skating in 1978 at the tender age of four, and since 1987 has been completely obsessed and has actually had a board under his feet every day since. Even if I have somewhat wound down my career as a pro in favour of my shop and label, I am still far from being a skateboard pensioner! So Huf isn’t your own personal retirement home? Hahaha. No, it certainly isn’t. The Huf history began in 2002 with the opening of my first store in San Francisco. Back then I simply needed something to keep me busy when I wasn’t out on my board, and my own skate and streetwear store seemed to be the perfect option. At the start it was more of a side project alongside my pro career, with a vague prospect of a reasonably lucrative income after my active skating, and then it ended up developing into a second mainstay really quickly after all. But your own label came later, didn’t it? Yes, at the beginning we mainly sold selected sneakers and items from small labels that we liked and that you couldn’t find everywhere, and at some point along the line we just printed our logo on a few shirts and whacked them onto the rails. And that was also when the whole thing soon went through the roof with complete collections, diverse collaboration styles with Barry McGee, Mighty Healthy 686 and Asics


and since 2010 also with our own trainer line. We had four of our own stores, but have since limited the retail business to one store in Los Angeles. For me, the great thing about Huf is that every single item lives and breathes skating. Everything that we do with the label is based on skateboarding. Speaking of collaborations: how relevant do you think they still are today? We already have quite a few collaborations behind us and I still think the whole concept is really exciting. Especially those with people who come from different disciplines. The basis, however, should always be mutual appreciation and not earning a fast buck. That is a prerequisite, and when that works out, it can release a whole lot of energy and you can learn a lot from each another. Are you responsible for the designs? I would say that I am just a part of the process. The entire team is quite closely connected. We work together, skate together, party together and also have a lot of discussions about music, art and design, and every Huf collection is the result of this interaction.

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What can we expect from Huf this winter and what do you have up your sleeves for your 10-year anniversary next year? The collection will be fantastic! That’s all I’m saying, so you’ll just have to wait and see. At the moment we are really working hard on making the shoes even more perfect for skating. We’re also currently putting together our own skate team and videos are also in the pipeline. And as far as the anniversary is concerned we already have a lot of plans up our sleeves. But it’s all top secret! Keith, thank you very much for your time.

www.hufsf.com


Frank's Chop Shop

Durkl

Qwstion

Getting down to the nitty-gritty

Any more questions?

Razor sharp Text: Andreas Grüter Text: Nada Carls Even the name “Frank‘s Chop Shop” has a sense of irony about it: although in the broadest sense ‘to chop’ might mean cut, the term ‘chop shop’ is actually associated with a dodgy dealer of spare car parts rather than a hairdresser’s. And the owner of the shop is not even called Frank, but Mike Malbon. In 1999 he co-founded the Frank151 Media Group, which, from its base in New York, hosts an opinionmaking network and publishes the free, pocket-format magazine of the same name. Mike aka Frank has been running the barbershop in the Lower Eastside, NY since 2006. The interior, furnished with four 1930s vintage barber chairs on a checkerboard floor, makes no bones about the fact that you won’t find any hair curlers or prosecco here. Instead, this is where the qualified, exclusively male team give classic straight-razor shaves and old-school haircuts to “Modern Gentleman of Leisure”. This fits in very well with the shop’s acoustic accompaniment, ranging from hip-hop to hardcore, and their merchandising items, including snapback caps, tees with in-house designs and miniature razorblades as bling-bling pendants. Malbon has big expansion plans for the next two years with another five shops worldwide in the pipeline, as well as his own complete range of cosmetic products. And his maxim? “We like to make the cool guy feel wealthy and the wealthy guy feel cool.”

www.frankschopshop.com

“Durkl means nothing,” the head of the label Will Sharp recently explained to us. A daring statement, which – as insiders and those in the know have long since been aware of – of course only refers to the name, which by US-American street and sportswear standards is extremely cryptic. After all, ‘nothing’ is not exactly a term that could sum up the creative work and the basic self-image of the indie brand that was established in 2005 in Washington D.C. On the contrary: deeply rooted in the confident counter-culture scene of the US capital, under the motto ‘High Quality, Low Standards’ Durkl not only delivers a range of shirts, denims, hoodies and jackets twice a year that, although at first glance may seem to be more basic than anything else, in terms of detail is always extremely streetwise and often surprising, and with regular concerts, block parties and BBQs also focuses on extensive community work. Once again, from a fashion perspective this forthcoming autumn/winter season is all about the fusion of classic sportswear and rough label heritage. While in the outerwear department light twill meets heavy wool and functional micro-ripstop meets warm down-filling, the high-quality 14 oz. selvedge denims, graphic tees and shirts are scoring points for their extremely clean look. Making an appearance for the first time is the bag range, which covers everything from spacious multi-functional bags down to practical rucksacks. An all-round affair!

www.durkl.com 24 – Bright Magazine

Text: Hans-Christian Bussert If you’re looking for any old answer, you’ll end up either at directory enquiries, talking to a sect or stuck in a TV quiz show. If you ask the right question, you’ll end up at QWSTION. At least when the question is all about the right bag. And the team from Zurich do indeed have a few answers up their sleeves. What their bags all have in common is the robust workmanship with water-resistant canvas, solid metal buckles and (safety) belts that are also capable of holding one book more when required. Depending on the type of solution you’re looking for there are trolley cases, weekend bags, shoulder bags, tote bags and rucksacks that can also be carried like a bag – well-designed

compartments included. At the moment answer-seekers have the choice between lots of different washes like black, grey-blue, red or raw – a completely untreated version for real minimalists in search of all things pure. For autumn/winter the Swiss gang are planning a new office tote that will fit a 17-inch notebook and which can also be carried over the shoulder. Plus the shiny black will be replaced by a washed-look alternative. “Evolution instead of revolution,” is the answer at Qwstion. Certain in the knowledge that with their products they are providing the right answer to the right question, filling the gap between functional sports’ bag and elegant small case.

www.qwstion.com


THE MINER IS A SLIM BOOT STYLED MID TOP WITH PIG SUEDE & TUMBLED FULL GRAIN LEATHER UPPERS, CUSTOM MOLDED PU SOCKLINER, PREMIUM PIG SKIN LINING, AND LIGHTWEIGHT CUPSOLE. 25 – Bright Magazine DIAMOND FOOTWEAR WILL BE SHINING AT ALL TOMORROW, BRIGHT 13, BERLIN.


Joyce Muniz, producer, singer, dj / at Kiki Blofeld

Berlin Days I will be king And you You will be queen Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day We can be Heroes Just for one day

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And you You can be mean And I I'll drink all the time 'Cause we're lovers And that is a fact Yes we're lovers And that is that.


Sasha, singer / Jacuzzi inside Norma at Kottbuser Tor

Enrico Nagel, illustrator / on Kastanienalle

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Agnes LindstrĂśm, model and dj / at Mauerpark

Matthias Modica, producer, founder of Gomma Records / Munk auf der Spree

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Dorian Liebmann, real estate / on NeukĂślln Arcaden

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Mama, singer / at Cassiopeia

Ulf, barkeeper, Rade Petrasevic, artist and Helmut Steindl, art director / at Borchardt

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Olga Douhaya, doing nothing / at Borchardt

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Silja Katharina Dammann, journalist / at Schlachtensee

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Visit us at Bright: Booth 219

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r: Cilka sadar P: Jeff Curtes Burton EuroPE: 00800 372 878 66 (toll frEE)


KNOW?SHOW Others call them rivals; we call them our like-minded colleagues. In every issue, BRIGHT Magazine presents international tradeshows. Under the spotlight this time is KNOW?SHOW.

Text: Daniel Giebel

Nick Brown is without question very proud of where he comes from: “Vancouver is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its big city vibe, bordered by water, beaches and mountains that are always in view.” And all of this can be experienced in one go at the Vancouver Convention Centre, which, with its spacious architecture – built over land and water, with fully-glazed perimeter 34 – Bright Magazine

walls that guarantee visitors amazing views of the harbour and the surrounding mountains – is really one of the world’s very special trade fair locations. No wonder he’s proud. Especially since this is where, within just five years, Brown and two others have developed Canada’s most important lifestyle trade show, where 300 leading brands and 2000 retailers meet up twice a year for three days: the KNOW?SHOW.


Everything began, as often is the case, with frustration. Even today Brown’s regular job is as General Manager for Lifetime Collective; his partners Ben Couves and Perry Pugh work as sales reps for Ben’s agency OB1, which sells the brands WeSC, Brixton, Penfield and Holden in western Canada: “We travelled to the USA and Europe to these huge trade shows – and at home in Vancouver we were forced to meet in a hotel where brands and sales and marketing departments had to present their stuff in individual rooms – an experience that nobody wants!” It got to the point when all three asked themselves: why on earth don’t we have a decent trade show in Vancouver where the vibrant Canadian industry can present itself? And even more importantly, something to give the retailers a reason to come to Vancouver every season to see the latest products? He laughs: “No sooner said than done – and now here we are, already preparing ourselves for our twelfth show in August 2011.” Nick emphasizes once again, as if he can hardly believe it himself: “There was and is really nothing comparable in Canada. There are other trade shows in the country, but none of them manage to offer such a selection of renowned brands: a forum that appeals to both the action-sports and the fashion industries.” As well as the fantastic location, self-made stands and the central lounge with bar, the live installations with artists, DJs and entertainment generate a slightly more exciting flavour than at traditional trade

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fairs. And of course the city of Vancouver frequently plays a role: “We try to use the city’s benefits to our advantage,” delights Nick, “for example with our own golf tournament, football match or an exclusive snowboard night on Grouse Mountain, which is just twenty minutes away from the city centre.” Since April 2011 the KNOW?SHOW business has been going so well that they have been able to take on their first full-time employee – co-founder and partner Perry Pugh, who will be responsible for exhibitor sales. But that won’t really change a lot. Or will it? Nick: “We have a great team which can now fully focus on the show – unlike the last five years when everything had to be done in our spare time. It took us a few shows, but it soon became clear that I would take on the general management of the show, Perry will take care of exhibitor sales and Ben is in charge of KNOW?MAG, which is our own tradeshow magazine.”


And the magazine definitely involves quite a lot of work: a new issue of KNOW?MAG is created for every trade fair and it has quickly developed into a significant trade fair publication. The magazine presents the players of the Canadian scene, features portraits of Canadian artists and conveys insider knowledge about the West Coast metropolis of Vancouver. As a print issue the KNOW?MAG is only available twice a year at the tradeshow, which means that it has become a real collector’s item. But for those who aren’t lucky enough to get their hands on one: the magazine is also uploaded in virtual form online, where the KNOW?SHOW team exchanges ideas and information with retailers and brands the whole year round. Their own blog reports on news, marketing initiatives, cooperations and even job offers. Further communication channels are being developed through the partnership with DOSE.CA and other important media partners like Vice and Snowboarder.

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But Nick Brown would prefer not to sum up the first five years. He’s more interested in where KNOW?SHOW will be in another five years: “By then we’ll be seeing the show with all of the great brands that are already involved now, with even more premium streetwear and fashion brands in the mix. This is a segment in which we have already started to witness growth during previous years. And we believe that we can contribute quite a lot to that in order to stay true to our vision of ‘Canada’s premiere lifestyle tradeshow’.” www.knowshow.ca


Teamrider Yannick Schall, Kickflip

Highperformance meets exceptional style The new DW6900NB revamps the classic G-SHOCK DW6900 with rich metallic finishes and reflective mirrored dials. Built on the brand’s foundations of toughness and technology, dating back to 1983, the DW-6900NB takes hardest slams and is water resistant to an incredible 200 meters. So, each G-SHOCK-fan enjoys the fusion of fashion and functionality. Yannick Schall once said: “I wear it all the time, no matter if I am skateboarding, partying out or study at university. It is the perfect match – not too big and with loads of style.” Nothing else to add. 37 more – Bright Magazine For information visit www.g-shock.eu or your local dealer.

DW-6900NB


My Bright Uniform

Just like the Arctic Monkeys who once dedicated their song “I bet you look good on the dancefloor” to all the disco queens and dancefloor rockers out there, we think that the sales reps and heads of BRIGHT also deserve a song of praise. From trade fair stands to dancefloors, from the spotlight to disco balls, always dressed to impress – here is the My BRIGHT Uniform posse for 2011.

“Nothing is impossible - just do it.“ Kati Grotemeyer seasons – Berlin, Germany Brands: Hoodlamb, Lifetime Collective, Merc, Premium Shoes, Ruby Rocks, Skunkfunk, Stow & Son, Wemoto, 667, FRISURclothing, JNXD Uniform: Scarf: sessùn, Top: Stüssy, Trousers: Skunkfunk, Shoes: Premium Shoes, Bracelet: sessùn

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“Good for you, good for me." Sascha Hübel, Martin Dockenfuß, Martin Propfe Pivot Distribution OHG – Cologne, Germany Brands: Jart Skateboards, Robotron Skateboards, Clan Skateboards, Antiz Skateboards, Long Island Longboards, Tricks Completes, Venture Trucks, Iron Trucks, Kontrol Wheels, Jessup Griptape Uniform Sascha (left): Cap: Model’s own, Suit: Robotron Apparel, Pullover: Robotron Apparel, Shirt: Model’s own, Shoes: Clark’s, Bag: Model’s own, Schnaps: Ehrenfelder Hausbräu Uniform Martin D. (middle): Hat: Robotron Apparel, Jacket: Robotron Apparel, Shirt: Model’s own, T-Shirt: Matix, Hipbag: Model’s own, Leggings: Robotron Apparel, Boots: Robotron Apparel, Glasses: Gucci Uniform Martin P. (right): Cap: D&G, Jacket: Robotron Apparel, Shirt: Robotron Apparel, Leggings: Robotron Apparel, Shoes: Nike SB

www.pivot-distribution.de

“We ain't nudists!” Florian Steindle NewDist. – Berlin, Germany Brands: Acrylick, Akomplice, Boundless NY, FUCT, Mishka, X-Large Uniform: Cap: Acrylick, Shirt: Mishka, T-Shirt: Acrylick, Jeans: Orisue, Shoes: Nike, Hoodie: FUCT, Rucksack: Incase, Bike: Felt

www.newdist.com

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„You win some, you lose some.” Scott Mackey HUF – Los Angeles, USA Brands: HUF Uniform: Cap: Haze, T-Shirt: HUF X Cliché, Trousers: HUF, Socks: Plantlife, Shoes: HUF X Cliché Hufnagel Pro Shoe All Holiday 2011 www.hufsf.com

“Be yourself, stay true and enjoy!” Jennifer Stracke Zimtstern – Zürich, Schweiz / München, Deutschland Brands: Zimtstern Uniform: T-Shirt: Zimtstern, Trousers: Zimtstern, Jacket: Just Female, Shoes: Mimic Copenhagen, Chain: Tom Shot

www.zimtstern.com

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“Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.” Kathi Knörle RVCA EUROPE – Hossegor, Frankreich Brands: RVCA Uniform: Shirt: RVCA, Trousers: RVCA, Watch: Nixon

www.rvca.com/europe

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“Simply cool to deal with.” Fabio Raffaeli Flower Distribution – Turin, Italy Brands: Supremebeing, Wemoto, Ucon, Federation, We Make Super Denim, Blood Is The New Black, Army Of Me, Mishka, Panuu, Ctrl, Qhuit , 10 Deep, Rocksmith, Lazy Oaf, Chunk, Pepa Loves, Lasonic Uniform: Sweatshirt: Federation, T-Shirt: Ctrl, Jeans: We Make Super Denim, Shoes: Vans Authentic

www.flowerdistribution.it Photo: Fabio Cornero

“Work hard and be nice to people!" Andreas Joost Puma AG – Herzogenaurach, Germany Brands: Puma Lifestyle Uniform: Hat: Puma, Shoes (in the air): Puma Suede, Shirt: Puma, Trousers: Norse Project, Shoes (on feet): Puma x UNDFTD, Watch: Red Monkey

www.puma.com

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Nick g arcia frontside ollie – Colorado Photo By element advoCate: Brian GaBerman elementskateBoards.Com

the future is now

GSM EUROPE: +33 5 58 700 700

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Porto – Life after Cool Text: Jan Joswig

Jan Joswig is one of the most eccentric personalities the Berlin party scene has to offer. In April he packed up his belongings, climbed onto his motorcycle and travelled to Porto where he sampled what life is like beyond the age of 60.

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Stranger, if you can’t roll a cigarette then don’t go to Porto! Roll-ups, especially the ones from “Crossroad” in the brown eco-style pack, are a big hit in the hilly city with cobbled pavements located on the silky smooth Douro River. Smoking indoors is banned. Smoking joints in front of the door is part of the culture. Dogs urinate in the middle of the street without being run over. And that’s not all that hits the paradise nerve of stressed-out metropolis inhabitants in Porto. On the outer edge of Europe, which is more oriented towards Brazil on the other side of the ocean than to its direct neighbours, they’re not in much of a rush to catch up to Europe’s pedestrian zone standards. On the till of the Minipreço supermarket you can redeem an arm’s length of discount vouchers and jeer at the gentlemen from the IMF who dismiss Portugal as a country of good-for-nothing layabouts. The centre of Portugal’s second largest city, which has around 230,000 inhabitants (and, if you include the suburbs, a population swelling up to more than 1,000,000), is divided into two camps. Just like in Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Lisbon and even Amsterdam, the southern half is snapping shut like a mousetrap for the mainstream herd. Those who feel most at ease in the world’s shopping mall monoculture have come to the right place here. In the spider’s web of little alleyways in the northern part, the subculture crowd will discover the insider tips that they researched meticulously on the internet prior to their trip, for which they repeatedly picked their Facebook friends’ brains. The locals don’t really care about this demarcation line. Those who are poor but sexy are currently escaping to the suburbs beyond the south of the inner city, where you won’t spot anybody strolling through the streets wearing sunglasses. Lisbon is all bled dry just like Barcelona, a hostage to the Easyjet tourists, losing it’s own easy rhythm and stampeded to death, but Porto is still showing passive resistance. For years every third house has been vende-se (for sale), every fourth alluga-se (for rent) and every fifth goes to rack and ruin without such signs in the windows. Spitting on the ground is just as socially acceptable here as in China, but unlike China, Porto is only inconvenienced by one single H&M. And there are no prefabricated skate parks whatsoever, adds Nuno Gaia, owner of “Kate”, a tiny skateboard store in the north of the Old Town, which acts as a nerve centre of the skater scene and carries out public relations work with exhibitions focusing on skateboarding. The whole city is a single skate park; it is just waiting to be used. Politics don’t support the skaters, but they don’t hinder them either. They are ideally left to their own devices. More and more international professional teams are staying in Porto for a few weeks at a time. With their own 45 – Bright Magazine

professional team the Porto skaters are maintaining a low profile – for the time being. They skate on the gently undulating forecourt of Rem Koolhaas’ angular “Casa da Musica” and in front of the Santo Ildefonso Church on the Praça da Batalha. The skaters in Porto don’t regret the lack of a fixed nocturnal Mecca like Barcelona’s “Bar Manolo”. The only thing that connects the scene beyond skating is their ignorance towards the sneaker brand “Sanjo”, the Portuguese Chucks, developed by the rubber company blabla, founded in 1920 (you can fill in the blanks in the rest of the legend yourselves, along the lines of Converse or Superga) … Maybe they’re something for footballers, says the sales assistant at “Kate” and shrugs his

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Candelabro Rua da Conceição 3

shoulders apologetically, drawing attention to the tattoo of a broken skateboard. Sometimes they also skate on the square in front of the old university building, which is besieged by masses of teenagers at night surrounding the café “Piolho d’Ouro”, all busy growing up in all of their noisy indifference as they tentatively fumble their way through life. Flat-rate chavs, eternal students

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in uniform black and sensitive witch-house souls dovetail peacefully. If you order a cola here then you’re seen as exotic. From midnight onward everyone under 25 can make friends in the neighbourhood above this square, even without any local contacts. In front of “Espaço 77” the one-euro beer drinkers huddle together with alternative dreadlocked types. A Brazilian ex-intern from Berlin fashion label “Bless” explained to me how he, together with an employee, is going to establish Portugal as a fashion production location for special wishes. Fino is the name of the beer, no one is aware of any complaints about the noise being made. More mature types with artistic judgement and creative professions jostle their way into the unostentatiously chic bar “Candelabro”, which, with its functional dark wood and artdeco relics suits the taste of people who can read between the lines. A penchant for washed-out T-shirts with college radio prints confirms the unshaved understatement. Diagonally opposite beats the heart of the international hipster culture. “Materia Prima” fully covers the record catalogue of German

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labels like “City Centre Offices” or “Monika Enterprise”, organises laptop concerts and exhibitions and looks like the White Cube of a gallery. Its spiritual brother, the “Centro Comercial Bombarda”, is located just a ten-minute walk away. In the shopping arcade with wipe-clean faceless architecture the sleek agency employees queue up at the “Pimenta Rosa” design canteen, just so they can place their trays down next to their laptops in the inner courtyard, which resembles an outdoor swimming pool. In the Carhartt store we ask about the Adam Kimmel cooperation. They’ve never seen it – no more than they have a skater. At the traffic-free bottom end of Rua Bombarda, on which the Centro Comercial is situated, an art mile with a dozen galleries has established itself over the last three years. In an ironic lapse of taste the street lamps are disguised as seventies floor lamps, “Bugo” fries “Art Burgers”, the exhibition at “Galeria Nuno Centeno” is called “Blöde Ziege” (meaning “Silly Cow”) and shows a gold-plated Playmobil figure with a mighty erection. Welcome to the forecourt of the intellectual elite, who, wherever they are in the world, derive their sense of supremacy from self-mockery. On the concerted vernissage weekend, however, you have to do without free drinks. Surely the IMF is to blame. Despite this, however, the gentrification sceptics are in their starting blocks. Around the corner is “Muzak”, the best-stocked secondhand record shop. When the owner – an extremely endearing mix of Woody Allen and Roberto Benigni – incorrectly assumes that I am from Belgium instead of Berlin, he immediately has five records at the ready by the Belgian connoisseur musician Wim Mertens on the Belgian connoisseur label “Les Disques du Crépuscule”. “Muzak” shares the shop premises with “Artes em Partes”, which offers handicrafts and vintage designer pieces. “Arne Jacobsen lamps,” rejoices the sales assistant, “were not available in Portugal in the seventies. We were too poor. Now we’re making up for the deficit. Under the EU safety net an Arne Jacobsen lamp is shining for every Portuguese person.” At least in the new designer bars this is increasingly becoming the case.


“Passos Manuel” in the art-deco arcade “Coliseu” is regarded as the mother of bars with “Wallpaper” ambitions. The back rooms of the film and music bar are done out to look like a white padded cell and the retro science fiction look is generally appreciated by the audience, familiar with Barbarella and Pierre Cardin. One parallel street down at “Absolutribut” you can stock up on second-hand clothing somewhere between curious and couture that you unfortunately won’t find at the Saturday flea market. Men on the lookout for rusty tools will be in their element here. But if you embark on a journey to Porto on the search for a purely youth and hipster culture, you’ll end up missing out on the best the city has to offer. Although, as the hornrimmed spectacle wearing owner of “Materia Prima” assures us, Porto, unlike Coimbra, has never been a fado city, but if you want to be part of a living tradition that isn’t driven insane by musicological subtleties, on a Tuesday afternoon you should drive along the river in the direction of the Atlantic to “Adega Rio Douro”. This is where old men sing, robustly bossed around by the energetic bar manageress and her handful of tiny female helpers, who deep fry fish sandwiches in time to the vagabond fados, singing their favourite mournful songs. For many singers the technique falls apart with the sheer emotion of it all. The guests join in at the top of their voices, all the more determined. It goes without saying that the generation gap has been skipped. Young ladies with asymmetric hairstyles offer their cheeks to elderly gentlemen with stubbly beards for a welcoming kiss. Art students in skinny black jeans adjust the fabric flowers in the excessively hairsprayed hairstyles of wrinkled ladies. When it all becomes too much for the owner, she hisses dictatorially – and the world in “Adega Rio Douro” waits with baited breath until the next verse leaves the singer’s lips. When it comes to the point when we’ve finally outgrown the hectic nature of eternal youth, we’ll do it like the oldies in Porto: automobile chilling. On Sunday you park your small car on the waterside promenade of Avenida Don Carlos I, wind the window down and – whatever you do, don’t get out. Many people even keep their seatbelts on. They probably see it as a muscle-toning exercise. Others place a cushion on their legs so they can play cards. Most just stare out of the window. They seem to be waiting for Charon, the ferryman of Hades, to finally appear at the water’s edge and load them in their vehicles onto his ferry, off on their last ever crossing. But before we reach that stage, dear slacker friends, we still have quite a few Bright tradeshows ahead of us. 47 – Bright Magazine

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adresses: Muzak/Artes em Partes

Espaço 77

Rua do Rosario 274

Travessa de Cedofeita 22 Materia Prima Rua da Picaria 84 Centro Comercial Bombarda Rua de Miguel Bombarda 285 Passos Manuel Rua de Passos Manuel 137 Absolutribut Rua Formosa 89

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S – MMXI

Alias One, Amulherdopadre, Diamond, Dont Believe The Hype, Elhaus, Filling Pieces, Flaek, The Gallery, Melodica, Mishka, Mleko, Monsieur Steve, Monstore, Olow, Pop meets Pop, Puro, Totheblack

ALL TOMORROWS IS ThE pLATfORM fOR EMERgIng DESIgnERS AnD LAbELS Of TOMORROW. SpAnnIng OvER 600M2 WIThIn ThE bRIghT WALLS, WE WILL pRESEnT A SELEcTIOn Of hAnD pIckED nEW cOMERS MAkIng A STATEMEnT ThROugh OuTSTAnDIng gRAphIc, DESIgn OR InDIvIDuALITy. vISIT uS AT bRIghT TRADE ShOW, MEDIA LOungE 3RD fLOOR

W W W.A LLTO M O RRO W S.D E


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Daniel Herrmann Text: Sebastian Mühle

The perfect moment

“If the photo is cool then it doesn’t matter if it’s been taken with a disposable camera,” claims photographer Daniel Herrmann. Daniel, who is from Offenbach in Germany, is responsible for the current BRIGHT campaign and it’s not hard to see where the emphasis lies when it comes to his pictures. “I am inspired by people, actual situations. Getting the best out of a moment and capturing it on camera is the goal. The love of the moment, the perfect moment,” says Daniel, who has an eight-year-old daughter. At 20 he started studying art at the University of Art & Design in Offenbach, primarily to give music, his second passion, some time and space. The electro club “Robert Johnson” in Offenbach near Frankfurt played a considerable role in this. “Every weekend I took photos there that would later be hung on a huge wall in the club. Robert Johnson became known beyond the city’s borders relatively quickly, which really helped boost my reputation.” And as is so often the case in life, if you do a lot then a lot is going to happen. During his studies Herrmann designed countless record covers, including ones for the musician and producer Ekkehard Ehlers who made a remix of the single “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2000. The boys were impressed by Daniel Herrmann’s artwork and spontaneously 51 – Bright Magazine

invited him to meet them. The chemistry was right and Herrmann became the photographer of choice for the US rockers. In 2004 he designed the first live album “Live in Hyde Park“. “Since then I am pretty much always around whenever they are on tour to take photos.” One could ask what makes his work so special. Perhaps it’s really the love of detail and the way he holds onto his own style. The photographer describes his work as follows: “I see myself as more of an artist. Of course I also take on commissioned work, but I make very few compromises. Either the people like what I do or we can’t work together.” This is where Herrmann does actually differ from classic commissioned photographers. “I have spoken to a lot of colleagues who work on big jobs for noteworthy companies. Most of them don’t really enjoy the photography itself, but instead just see it as a means to an end. That’s not the case at all for me. I love going away for several weeks at a time, just to take photos. Generally I always have a camera on me and photograph everything that I want to.” For him the photos are only good when he also feels good in the moment in which he is taking them. “There has to be a kind of harmony between me and the motif: that’s crucial.” The BRIGHT campaign is for him the best example: “I worked together with people who I have known for a

few years now. At some point along the line you get to the stage when you no longer have to say anything or give instructions. The model stands in front of the wall, I press down on the shutter and the photo is good, because it feels good.” Herrmann only ever works with analogue cameras. This underlines the creative aspect of his work and shows how technology can in fact take on a less important role when it comes down a good motif and a clear idea of the image. And considering the intensity of his work, it’s remarkable that he still finds time for the music. After originally coming from the punk and rock scene, he has been making electronic music under the pseudonym “Flug 8” for quite a few years now. An album has already been released on the small label called “Smaul Music” and from a musical point of view we can expect to hear a lot more from Daniel Herrmann in the future. “I make music as often as I can and try to play live a lot. I’m going to keep on doing that, even if my main focus is on photography.” Thank you for the music and of course the amazing photos!

www.danielherrmann.com


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I S L I G H T, F L E X I B L E A N D G I V E S Y O U A L L - D AY C O M F O R T R I G H T O U T O F T H E B O X – T R U E P E R F O R M A N C E A N D U LT I M AT E C U S H I O N I N G I N A S K AT E S H O E . - ERIC KOSTON


“You have to stay authentic.” The Italian-German Franz J. Höller might only be 29 years old, but in the big brands business he is already an old hand. He calls himself a “streetwear addict”, runs his own sales and distribution agency from offices in Meran and Milan, writes the Italy bulletin for BoardsportSource and is the official BRIGHT ambassador in the country that is shaped like a boot. So we were really pleased that in between all these jobs he managed to spare some time in his busy schedule for us – Buongiorno, Mr. Höller! 58 – Bright Magazine


An interview with Franz J. Höller.

You have spent the whole of your professional life so far in Italy, haven’t you? Yes, I have actually. But of course I have to travel a lot for my job with the sales agency. The tradeshows and meetings are all over the word, but that’s fine because I love travelling.

Franz, you are our BRIGHT ambassador in Italy, the land of good taste. What took you there? It’s very simple: I was born in Italy! I used to be an active skater and snowboarder and worked in a skate/streetwear shop, which meant that I came into contact with a lot of brands early on. I ended up becoming a sales rep; nowadays I am the proud owner of my own sales agency with offices in Meran and Milan. You speak German and Italian fluently … … and English of course. I had a multilingual upbringing, which of course helped me enormously and opened a lot of doors for me. For example I help brands from all over the world who want to gain a foothold on the Italian market.

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You are in a position to compare: does the stereotypical difference between German and Italian business partners exist? Yes, it does actually exist. In Italy the clocks just tick a little differently than in central and northern Europe. From a business perspective there are indeed certain local differences… But they aren’t things that would stand in the way of doing successful business – at the end of the day it’s not that extreme. It much rather depends on the right choice of Italian partner. You need someone who is knowledgeable about the area, as the market has its own special rules that you need to be aware of. Which brands are you representing at the minute? I’m working for PODIUM Brands (DVS Shoes, Lakai Footwear, Matix Clothing, Diamond Footwear), Alprausch, Makia, The Hundreds, Fourstar and different skateboard brands like Flip, Deluxe and Girl/Chocolate. Are most of your clients larger stores or small, independent shops? The majority of my clients, around 70 percent, are independent stores. With many product segments we also supply chain stores, but that’s something we try to avoid. After all, our goal is to keep the brand image at the highest possible level, so in that respect a large-scale distribution would be more counterproductive than anything else: the brands could burn out. We prefer to work with smaller, independent stores, as we’re not interested in earning a fast buck. It’s better to let something grow more slowly and build up a longer term business relationship with our partners …


In your opinion, which brands were most successful last year? Are there any must-have brands for the shops? In the shoe sector DVS was very successful. The slightly thicker sneakers were a great alternative to the very flat canvas shoes. But Vans and DC are still the undisputed forerunners when it comes to skate shoes. In the entire board sector Nike 6.0 worked well and adidas Originals was well received. In terms of clothing WeSC seems to be riding on the wave of success, but Billabong is also still generating very good revenues. No retailer seems to want to do without Volcom and Carhartt at the moment: they are maintaining their positions very well. Unfortunately there are still too many small labels that nobody takes any notice of – here in Italy there is simply a lack of good streetwear stores. However, there does seem to be some progress at the moment, the first few stylish shops are starting to open. What do you think it all comes down to for the brands? What have the brands you just mentioned done right? Quite simply: they have chosen the most effective form of marketing! As the German phrase goes: you can even turn shit into gold! But the big labels are meanwhile also very customer-friendly; they are offering good conditions in terms of payment or return policies. That’s what the customer wants. In your experience, what should independent shops pay attention to in order to achieve success? It’s important that they don’t lose their originality. You have to do your own thing and stay authentic. For smaller shops in particular credibility is the key to success. Close contact to the customers and great attention to detail are things that big stores can’t compete with. Give us a prediction: what will people in Italy be wearing this summer? I would say V-necks, chinos and boat shoes. Supergas, D.A.T.E. and NATIVE are currently also very trendy. 60 – Bright Magazine

What were the repercussions of the financial crisis on the Italian market? The south was certainly affected more severely than the north, but the repercussions were of course felt throughout the whole of Italy. Several small shops had to close, to a certain extent the wheat had to be sorted from the chaff. But the situation has meanwhile normalised; the streetwear scene is growing steadily. What the country is still lacking is a stable online market and smaller, more specialised shops for unknown labels or exclusive streetwear. Are there currently any exciting Italian brands that we perhaps haven’t heard of yet? I would say Iuter, Lobster and Volta: three very different labels, but all very interesting in their own ways. Search for them on the internet, you won’t be disappointed!


Bright Room 222|5 www.Ucon-Elle.com


The Pixel Pushers

Cody Hudson

What’s your name? Cody Hudson, but i do commercial work under the name Struggle Inc. Where are you based? Chicago. How is your country of residency reflected in your work? I think I have a Midwestern work ethic feel to my work. Please name some of your clients! Sixpack France, Cast of Vices, Stussy, Norse Projects, the City of Chicago, Krookes Skateboards, Burton Snowboards, the Museum of Contemporary Art – Chicago What has been your strangest briefing/demand from a client? Too many to list! What’s your favourite font? Helvetica. Which logo would you rate as a masterpiece? Paul Rand’s UPS logo is pretty classic. How do politics influence your work? If I feel a certain way about something it might creep into my work, but I don’t always push my personal politics into what I do. If you didn’t work as a graphic designer, what would you be doing instead? Bartender.

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When vectors, levels and filters are transformed into colourful clothing images – BRIGHT Mag presents six graphic designers whose designs are riding high amongst our labels!


Antti Uotila.

Where are you based? Helsinki, Finland. How is your country of residency reflected in your work? My work is suicidal, dark and cold. Please name some of your clients! Burton Snowboards, Levi’s, Nixon, Ctrl Clothing What has been your strangest briefing/demand from a client? To design a Manga champagne bottle for the Japanese market. What’s your favourite font? There are a few. Let’s say Futura Extra Bold. Which logo would you rate as a masterpiece? Batman’s logo. How do politics influence your work? Not much. But that may change in the near future. We just had elections here in Finland and this stupid right wing party did too well. So I might have to start adding some political messages to my work in order to educate the 20% of Finnish people who voted these morons. From a graphic point of view: what is the most interesting daily newspaper, magazine and website? I like Idea, Fantastic Man and Apartamento magazines. In the website category my vote goes for www.haw-lin.com. La gazzetta dello sport for newspapers. If you didn’t work as a graphic designer, what would you be doing instead? I used to also make music. I didn’t have time to make it full time, so I quit. Maybe I’d try to step my music game up again.

www.anttiuotila.com www.tsto.org

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Dashing Bash LLC

Where are you based? 8045 Zurich / Switzerland. How is your country of residency reflected in your work? We are all affected by our surroundings and Switzerland has a rich history in graphic design. We grew up here where competition is high, so our motivation is higher to deliver top-notch design that sets us apart from the herd. Please name some of your clients! In fashion and sports: VANS, Rome SDS, LibTech, GNU, The North Face, Makia, CUUN, but also Paddock Grand Prix Team Management, Fablas, Nike. What’s your favourite font? The corporate ones we’ve created for our company: “DB Sans and DB Serif.” Speaking of our fonts, David Carson just recently used them in some of his works. Other favourites are industrial grotesque fonts and Bauhaus / constructivism fonts from the early 19th century and also American wood types from 1800 to1900. How do politics influence your work? You can’t hide from it but we maintain an open mind at Dashing Bash. From a graphic point of view: what is the most interesting daily newspaper, magazine and website? At the moment, our vintage RayGun magazine collection is making us feel nostalgic. But it changes daily. We also would like to mention Nieves (independent publishing house in Zurich) for their inspiring publications: www.nieves.ch If you didn’t work as a designer, what would you be doing instead? Dashing Bash would be a self-sustaining commune in a forest or something similar in that regard…

www.dashing-bash.com

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Stefan Marx

What’s your name? The Lousy Livincompany. Where are you based? Hamburg. How is your country of residency reflected in your work? Sometimes yes. Please name some of your clients! Cleptomanicx, Smallville, Mule Musiq. What has been your strangest briefing/demand from a client? Keeping company secrets. What’s your favourite font? My handwriting. Which logo would you rate as a masterpiece? We don’t do masterpieces, but overall I like the Pan Am logo the best. How do politics influence your work? Some local political issues influence us sometimes. From a graphic point of view: what is the most interesting daily newspaper, magazine and website? The Sun, Titanic, Google. If you didn’t work as a graphic designer, what would you be doing instead? Pilot.

www.livincompany.com

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Kareena Zerefos

Where are you based? I’m based in London, but am originally from Sydney. How is your country of residency reflected in your work? Folk stories and children’s books from Britain and Europe influence many of the characters and imagery depicted in my work. I have also been inspired by the curious taxidermies at The Natural History Museum in London. Please name some of your clients! Element Skateboards, Mambo, Hurley, Sparkadia… What has been your strangest briefing/demand from a client? Being asked to do a drawing of a T-shirt coming out of a cracked egg. What’s your favourite font? I love creating my own type by hand, but if I were to pick a typeface, it would either be Neutraface or Clarendon. Which logo would you rate as a masterpiece? You can’t really go past something simple and iconic like Apple, no matter how much you try to deny it. How do politics influence your work? I think my work is indirectly influenced by politics, being conceptually based around themes of isolation, escapism and freedom. From a graphic point of view: what is the most interesting daily newspaper, magazine and website? Anything simple and accessible, with beautiful imagery. I find inspiration in magazines such as Dumbo Feather, and art/design blogs like Yatzer or Design Sponge. If you didn’t work as a graphic designer, what would you be doing instead? Travelling, or something with animals, perhaps opening a dog day care centre!

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Ill-Studio

What’s your name? Ill-Studio is the name of our collective. Where are you based? In Paris, France. How is your country of residency reflected in your work? We might not be the best people to appreciate that. Please name some of your clients! Since we started the studio in 2007, we’ve been working for The New York Times Magazine, Cire Trudon, Nike, Lacoste, Domus, Modular Records and Supreme NYC. What has been your strangest briefing/demand from a client? Working on a vodka bottle design for two months and having the legal department cancel the project because the initial brief was in fact illegal. Or the day when a shoe company gave us the colourways of the project when we had already worked on it for a month and finished the whole thing. But everyday brings its bag of happiness anyway! What’s your favourite font? Comic Sans MS. Which logo would you rate as a masterpiece? The Centre Pompidou logo by Jean Widmer from 1977. By far the one that always amazes us whenever we see it. How do politics influence your work? They don’t at all. From a graphic point of view: what is the most interesting daily newspaper, magazine and website? Everything from Jop Van Bennekom. If you didn’t work as a graphic designer, what would you be doing instead? We’re not only working as graphic designers: we share our time with photography, illustration, music videos or art direction, so we already have plenty of jobs.

www.ill-studio.com

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David Conrads Jacket: Cleptomanicx, Shirt: Lousy Livincompany, Pants: Cleptomanicx, Shoes: Alife

Bright Brigade Photos: Thomas Wolfzettel

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Rafaela Kacunic Hat: H&M, Jacket: H&M, Shirt: Mazine, Pants: European Image, Shoes: Second Hand, Overknees: Pieces

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Mia Bühler Top: COS, Pants: COS

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Jonas Wiehagen Jacket: WeSC, Shirt: Oxford Stripe by J. Wiehagen for WeSC, Pants: WeSC, Shoes: Pointer

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Nicholas Booth Jumper knitted by grandma, Shirt: COS, Watch: dads old watch, Pants: Rugby Ralph Lauren, Shoes: Dior

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Julia Fengler Top: Lifetime Collective, Pants: Lifetime Collective

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Kwamw Manu-Bio Sweatshirt: Ucon Nelson Sweater, Watch: G-Shock, Pants: Levi´s Modern Chino, Shoes: Vans x Knoll

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Susie Kim Hat: Vintage, Top: Levi´s, Pants: H&M, Shoes: Nike

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Charlotte Thompson Pants: H&M, Shoes: Pointer

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Sarah Jacket: Nose, Shirt: Zadig & Voltaire, Pants: Bel Air, Shoes: Nike Jordan

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Foot Patrol London's Sneakerhotspot – then and now

With the closure of Bond International, dmphi, Ryouki and Glorias the British independent retail scene has been taking some hard knocks during the past few years. The end of Foot Patrol in particular astonished and dismayed sneaker communities. But now the cult is back!

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Text: Pascal Prehn


The success of Foot Patrol can be attributed to none other than Michael Kopelman, the man who brought streetwear to Europe. He was significantly involved in the conception and realisation of the store, which was established in 2002, and in a very short time turned it into a Mecca for sneaker connoisseurs. Foot Patrol became a place where you could find shoes that were hard to get and which sold out very quickly. Thanks to exclusive collabs the shop turned into a brand and international sneaker fans weren’t just flying to London for the heck of it, but because they wanted to stop by Foot Patrol.

And suddenly, in 2008 it was all over. Why? Nobody really had any answers. Only in 2010 did the rumour mill start churning out news about a reopening, but under different conditions and not on the same premises. In July 2010 the new shop opened on Berwick Street, not far from the old Foot Patrol store and it is now stronger than ever, with backing from big chain JD Sports. BRIGHT Magazine talked to the current store manager John Brotherhood about their big comeback.

BRIGHT: Hi John! We’re thrilled that Foot Patrol is back. How did it all come about? John Brotherhood: Despite all of the difficulties, after the closure a gap there was still a gap in London’s sneaker scene that wasn’t filled, which is why we’re having another go.

That means JD doesn’t stick its oar in when it comes to ordering? No, in that respect we are independent and are just enjoying the improved purchasing conditions and connections abroad.

What is the difference between then and now? The magic and mystery that was built up over time are still the same. We are being backed by JD Sports, but not managed by them.

Compared to before, the store is clearly a lot different and is looking much better. Who was responsible for the store and its interior design? Thank you, we’re also very happy with the design. The Wilson Brothers, a design collective from London and friends of Michael, did the interior design. And they brought Brinkworth on board so that we could be absolutely sure everything would run smoothly. The design is minimalist, for example there is no big lettering, just the logo. We did that on purpose and didn’t just forget it!

What do you mean by “backed”? Well, it just means that JD is assuming responsibility for the back-end so that we can really concentrate on the frontend business. Doesn’t such a big store influence your daily business and somewhat diminish the independent store vibe? After all, that’s what makes it so charming. Look at it this way: we now have much better contacts and are developing an even better and closer relationship to the brands, which the customers will notice in the product selection. Sure, the range has to be a priority and that’s clearly still pushing all the right buttons. Yes, Michael is still pulling the strings so that’s how, alongside the Nike TZ, Converse First String, adidas “Consortium”, Puma “List” and Asics “Family and Friends” products, we are also getting deadstock and exclusives, and that’s what matters to most collectors.

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So what is the idea behind the store design? There must be a philosophy? The guys were inspired by Japanese stores that are really tiny. In this case it is a store-in-store and at the same time a one-off concept, just like the products in the shop. You currently have the Fred Perry x Stüssy installation displayed in the shop window, how did that happen? Well, through Michael Kopelmann and his past with Stüssy it was clear that the shoes would end up in our store. We are one of the few stores that stock them.


Speaking of products in the store: how did the core scene react to the joint venture with JD Sports? After all, they are one of the biggest fashion and sneaker chains in England and commerce is frowned upon in the scene, along the lines of “support your local sneaker shop”. At the beginning they were somewhat reluctant and reserved, but that quickly changed once they noticed that everything is still the same as before. We have good products, a great service and offer, most importantly, rare models and selected textiles. And they’re what make a shop stand out, that much is certain. Do you have any specials on the cards for the future? Well, if you look at our history you’ll know that we have been involved in some great collaborations and we’ll never get tired of working on new ones.

www.footpatrol.co.uk What, where, when? I can’t reveal anything yet but make sure you keep an eye out! And watch out for our online store which will be launched soon.

80 – Bright Magazine


81 – Bright Magazine


Adidas Skateboarding Campus Vulc

KangaROOS Coil R1

Osiris Caswell Berry

Etnies Men‘s Waysayer, Skyline Collection

Asics Gel Lyte III

Diamond Supply Co. VVS

Djinns Sub Delight

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Adidas Skateboarding Campus Vulc

Vans Pritchard

DVS/ClichĂŠ Andrew Brophy

DC Super Suede

Supra Cuttler

WeSC -Thorpe

Sneakers Selektion: Pascal Prehn

www.sneakerness.com Fotos: Robert Eikelpoth

www.roberteikelpoth.com

Asics Aaron Mt


Djinns Chunk Needlecheck III

Etnies/Thrasher Luca

New Balance 576

Etnies Jameson 2 Eco

Globe Motley Mid

Globe The Bender

New Balance 577

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Puma Suede Mid

Espandrille Th Lx

Puma Basket

Vans Chauffeur


Onitsuka Tiger Fabre Mid

Onitsuka Tiger Kohaku


Wesc Hagelin Boot

Onitsuka Tiger Fabre Mid

Supra Skytop II

Etnies Men‘s Waysayer

Asics Aaron Mt

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Onitsuka Tiger Sunotore Etnies Plus Guild Plus

Supra Stacks

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Fashion City Charlottenburg

Qhuit Alberty

Element Elia

WeSC Gilbert

Iriedaily Anna Kruse Shirt

Iriedaily Miss Granger Duffle

Makia Raglan Parka

REELL Shirt Chequer

Photos: Jakob Reinhardt Selection: Lorena Maza 90 – Bright Magazine


Cleptomanicx Poodle

REELL Pearl Tapered

Dickies Longview

Friedrichshain Cleptomanicx Über Collabo

Wemoto TFTB

Puma Suede Classic Eco

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Puma Edition Hoody Sweat


Jart Mik

Asics GT-II

REELL Tailor 1377

Carhartt Discovery Jacket

Lifetime Collective Sea Wall & Beyond

adidas Originals Tech TT

Lichtenberg

Asics Gel-Lyte III

92 – Bright Magazine


WeSC Lawrence

Nikita Selekzion Shapsu Jacket

Mitte

Etnies+ Califas

Cleptomanicx Port Chino Slim Element Fort Leather Belt

Cleptomanicx Budon

Nikita Selekzion Susanoh Top

Lifetime Collective Totally

Obey Juvee Modern Jacket

Element Evans Driver

WeSC Arthur

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Nike 6.0 Woven

Rocksmith Skyline Vans Spectator Lo Pro

RVCA Midnight Moon

Etnies+ Califas

Makia Wax Jacket

REELL Grip Tapered

RVCA Beat of the Hurt Obey Panorama

Neukölln

94 – Bright Magazine


ICC DISTRIBUTION : T 0032(0)93244616 : WWW.ICCDISTRIBUTION.EU : WWW.SUPREMEBEING.COM : WWW.GETSTOCK.EU

A

PARTY

WEEKEND CLUB, BERLIN. 07/07/2011

15TH FLOOR

THE SUBS Decontrol - BE

SHARAM JEY King Kong - GER

DOWN+OUT No Way Back - BE TERRAS

ERIC DUNCAN Rub N Tug - NY

MO DISKO The Glimmers - BE

DIZZY WIZZY Sucking Lemons - BE

Pick up your entrance bracelet at the Bread & Butter Supremebeing booth: Hangar 1, Sport & Street Area, Booth S29.2. Bracelets are limited so come quick! Presented by iccdistribution and www.getstock.eu


Text: Hans-Christian Bussert

BRIGHT Flavour

What does the BRIGHT tradeshow smell of? A whole bunch of contacts, textiles, fun and skateboarding? And probably of the odd beer or two? Most likely. Despite this, the girls from Les Ettes have taken on the task of developing a proper perfume for BRIGHT, one that smells good... After all, they are experienced when it comes to olfactory production: their fragrances Flor-ette, Want-ette, Sol-ette and Lov-ette are popular among surf and skate girls all over the world. The idea for creating a perfume for a trade fair, which, in the best case scenario is just about as fleeting as a scent itself – after three days or at the latest after the next shower, it’s all over – was nevertheless something special for all concerned. “The idea that someone smells of BRIGHT is an interesting one. Anyway, I love the idea that a scent, something incredibly subtle, can

No.13

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be used to convey a message,” says tradeshow boss Thomas Martini. But before the perfume was allowed to unfold its olfactory scents a whole bunch of trial samples had to be passed between Les Ettes, the chemist in France and the BRIGHT headquarters in Frankfurt. After twelve samples the final flavour was found, which corresponded to everyone’s idea of a modern unisex perfume. Perfume is given its mystical touch with its name and packaging, but we can already reveal the secret: it’s called “No.13”, because, of course the perfume is being released for the thirteenth edition of BRIGHT. According to the cultural meaning behind this number the flacon and the packaging of the perfume are rather different from the standard goods available at regular perfumeries. The only question that remains to be answered is what the BRIGHT really does smell of according to the vision of Les Ettes and the tradeshow boss? “It’s quite a light scent, not overpowering, with organic notes of pine and other aromatic woods.”

www.lesettes.com


Come out and play BRIGHT Summer Festival

Things in last summer’s BRIGHT outdoor area really heated up with Eric Koston, Lance Mountain, P-Rod, Omar Salzar, Daryl Angel and Cory Kennedy getting the sweat dripping in the Relentless street zone. And this year another log is being thrown onto the fire: welcome to the BRIGHT Summer Festival! With the BRIGHT Plaza, a 3000m² skate park with wood and marble obstacles at the Hans Zoschke Stadium opposite the BRIGHT venue, and the Market Area on Normannenstraße, the former Stasi headquarters is finally being given the playground it deserves with skateboarding, food and drinks, music and art. The line-up promises a wonderful BRIGHT summer, starting with the GLOBE Team, who at 6pm on 8 July will be kicking off the Germany leg of their European demo tour, “JOURNEY TO VALHALLA” at the BRIGHT Plaza with a demo session feat. Rodney Mullen, Mark Appleyard, David Gonzales, Chris Haslam, Luan Oliveira, Louie Lopez, Ryan Decenzo, Eero Antilla and Philipp Schuster. The international pro team from Emerica will also be attending. On 8 and 9 July the international 1-to-1 Relentless “Above the Line” Battle will be taking place – and the prize money of 10,000 Euros and 2500 Euros for the Best Trick Contest is also sure to attract some high-carat participants. Contributing to the real festival flair is the BRIGHT Market Place, which, during the entire tradeshow from 7 - 9 July, will be offering everything that the worn-out rider and

Text: Nada Carls

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hardworking tradeshow stand crew could possibly need: from BBQ, catering and vodka station to shopping and oxygen tent – definitely something for everyone. Portuguese graffiti artist and art director at Music Monsters Pariz One will be painting a huge mural live and designing some of the new toy speakers from Music Monsters. In cooperation with SkateDeluxe GLOBE is offering first aid at its best: the cruiser and longboard clinic offers visitors the opportunity to test out the entire deck range, interesting facts about boards in workshops with the GLOBE pros, plus a super-duper tombola. The boys from Skullcandy are providing sounds and beats with a headphone listening station, as well as being responsible for the soundtrack to the whole festival. If you want to chillax, then you should head to the legendary Finlandia bus from Makia. Plus, the brains behind Heimplanet are presenting their innovative, inflatable tent concept and if shopping is your ideal way to relax then you’ll be in your element at the exclusive brand stands. What are you waiting for kiddiewinks?! IT’S TIME TO PLAY!



ART BRIGHT

Summer 2011


URBAN

In 1981 Xavier Prou from France, alias Blek le Rat, sprayed images of little black rats for free on pavements, window sills and kerbsides on the streets of Paris for the attention of passers-by. But they were mostly ignored or frowned upon as mere graffiti. In January 2007 street art icon Banksy sprayed a rat on a wall in central London. Shortly afterwards it was professionally cut out of the brickwork and a few days later the stencil, including the 1x1 m block of wall, was offered for sale on eBay with a starting offer to the value of 30,000 Euros. This highlights the fact that a lot has happened during the past three decades in the field of street and urban art, especially in terms of public perception.

ART

2.0

This summer the “Art in the Streets” exhibition is being shown at the Museum Of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in L.A. So now, at the latest, it should be clear to everyone that street/urban art has become accepted in the art world. International artists are drawing their creative output from the most diverse fields and putting this energy into an artistic context in the halls of The Geffen. Whether from skateboard culture, graffiti writing, fashion or music – what they all have in common is the sub-cultural background, which is frequently described as a driving force. The D.I.Y. principle originating from the punk rock and hardcore movement sums up this process most aptly. Over 20 years ago Shepard Fairey began sticking home-made stickers of the wrestler André the Giant on the streets with his friends – today, with his OBEY campaign, he is running, in his own words, a globally operating visual campaign. In 1992, Aaron Rose (alongside Jeffrey Deitch and Roger Gastman, co-curator of the MOCA exhibition) set up the Alleged Gallery in the Lower East Side of New York. The “Beautiful Losers” artist collective that resulted from this encompasses a new generation of artists who stand out for their unconventionality and are constantly treading new paths beyond the White Cubes of this world.

T e x t : L u i s M ü l l e r P h i l i p p - S o h n


So if you want to know where urban art is today, it is necessary to see it in the context of its origins and development. According to many street art artists urban space should not just simply function, but also be experienced. New York artist Swoon, known for her virtuoso silhouette paper cuttings, postulates: “I want to be part of the city that I live in.” This wish to be involved in the design of public spaces, their use as a platform for communication, is pursued by the artists, by appealing to the passers-by with their work. Criticism of the increasing use of the city as a projection area for commercial signifiers becomes tangible though street art. This raises the question as to what extent so-called public space is still even a public space, i.e. a space shaped by the public. Banksy hit the nail on the head by saying: “The people who truly deface our neighbourhoods are the companies that scrawl giant slogans across buildings and buses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff. They expect to be able to shout their message in your face from every available surface but you’re never allowed to answer back. Well, they started the fight and the wall is the weapon of choice to hit them back with.” This form of protest is, of course, nothing new and can be seen within the context of similar developments like flash mobs, parkour and the like. But what happens when this art leaves the streets and is exhibited in galleries and museums? One thing’s for sure: street art only works on the street; in a protected space it loses its most important quality: transience. But that is precisely what the curators are interested in, documenting the development of an art form. What seems coded and partly only understood by insiders on the street should become visible in the protected space of an exhibition. At the same time the aim is to allow a wider audience to participate in the artistic imagery of their urban environment. Galleries like LAZARIDES in London, White Walls in San Francisco or the Circleculture Gallery in Berlin see themselves as translators and conveyors of art, who thrive on urban subcultures. During the past few years urban art has been attracting a huge public interest and is consequently infiltrating many areas of everyday life. As numerous publications on the subject, or its marketing in the advertising world show, urban art already has its own industry forming around it. But this also represents the crux of the matter, as art that opposes commerce, becomes commercialised itself.

Yet, through its popularity, urban art has earned its first serious debate on the whole subject, such as what is happening at trade fairs like the Moniker Art Fair in London or the Stroke Art Fair in Munich/ Berlin; in addition such meetings have a networking character. And the fact that they are even being examined on an academic level is being shown by workshops and seminars like the annual “Urban Art Class” workshops by the Spaniard Javier Abarca. In June 2011 an interdisciplinary symposium entitled “The Art of Intervention” is taking place in Hamburg. And there has already also been a creative symbiosis of exhibition and public discourse in Berlin. As part of the “The Urban Artist” symposium at Soho House in March 2011 the curator Johann Haehling von Lanzenauer invited guests to a podium discussion in order to create awareness of the current positions and developments of an internationally active scene.

As far as the status quo is concerned we can summarise that the discussion regarding high and lowbrow art should indeed be a thing of the past. Work by FAILE, David Choe and Os Gemeos are hanging next to Basquiats, Harings and Warhols. At Sotheby’s pieces by Banksy and co. are generating staggeringly high prices. At the end of the day, however, it is left up to each of us to judge this trend: but what we can be sure of is that new pieces are being created every day and it’s always a pleasure to discover them. You just have to make sure you keep your eyes peeled when you’re strolling through the streets.


anzeigeberlin

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What would Art BRIGHT be without the skateboard veteran, photographer and filmmaker Adam Sello from Berlin? Since it first took place in 2006 the multi-talent has become a firm fixture and is meanwhile a friend of the family. Originally from the region around Hamburg, the qualified psychologist lives with his family in the idyllic Berlin suburb of Friedenau, not far from his new company headquarters in the old Tempelhof Airport building. And this is also the location of his next big project: the construction of a multifunctional granite sculpture at the Tempelhofer Freiheit event location, which will, of course, be used for boarding. If the Berlin authorities give the go-ahead, we’ll be able to admire the results sometime this year. The founders of the “Anzeigeberlin” skate mag have not yet revealed exactly what they’ll be presenting at this summer’s Art BRIGHT. But what visitors can be sure of seeing are photos that are far removed from the mainstream of skateboard photography. Sello has always proven that he is capable of impressing so we’ll just have to patiently wait and see. This also applies to the documentary film “Pushed - Four Guys Inspired By A Wooden Toy” by Florian Schneider, which will be released just in time for Art BRIGHT. The film accompanies Adam Sello as well as Pontus Alv, Bobby Puleo and Stefan Marx in their daily skateboarding routine and shows their creative approach to the subject.


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Custom Cannics Exhibition

According to their creator, the weird-looking, yellow characters known as “Cannics” can’t do anything. They have no arms or ears, are chubby with a wide grin and a valve for a belly button. You’ll come across the extremely likeable creature in short videos on different video portals or as animated entertainers on the agency’s own website. The guys from Fiftyeight3D have been in the 3D character animation and design business for 13 years now and after releasing several 3D video clips have now fulfilled a dream by casting the Cannics in vinyl. With a small batch of 300 and 150 DIY blank toys that you can design yourself, the character, who otherwise rarely sits still, has now also been frozen into a statue. And that’s it? Almost boring when you know how often he explodes, topples over, prances around and everything else he is capable of! This is why the Fiftyeight crew have sent a few Cannici (which is the correct plural) on a journey into their creative network so the pale blank versions can be given a creative design. The international artist and designer list is varied and ranges from Russian tattoo artists, DJs, full-time artists, furniture designers, architects, illustrators, labels, installation offices, carpenters, street artists, design agencies, typographers and writers to pro skaters. The result is a superb collection with several dozen unique specimens and proof that the fat yellow dudes made of vinyl are actually capable of doing some things after all. You will be able to admire the customised Cannics in the Art BRIGHT area, including examples by Tobias Rehberger, Frank Kozik, Herakut, Kazuhiko Ito, Martin Ontiveros, Auxpeer, Mutsumi Kajimura, Matt Walker, Carlos Enriques Gonzales, Emilio Garcia, Moto Waganari, art & com, Killer J, Wemoto, Jeff Lamm, Ayako Tagaki, Fiftyeight3D, DesRes, Jack Muramatsu, Schultz&Schultz, Bemo Lundgren, Kai Linke and Andreas Pistner.


Torales is a passionate photographer: He sees everything and has a great eye for detail. Whether the native Peruvian is snapping topless catwalk models, surfers on waves of death, kids doing half-pipes or family and friends up close without any make-up on – his portfolio of motifs is as diverse as the places he calls home. Torales studied graphic design and photography in Brazil, now officially lives in both Berlin and Lisbon and has also travelled a lot for work: as a photographer for the fashion designer Delphine Murat in Paris, for Surf Portugal, for Lisbon Fashion Week and clients like be, Billabong and Red Bull. But despite all of this jet-setting you’re still most likely to bump into him in Berlin. At this summer’s BRIGHT he is presenting a cross-section of his impressive and expressive photography. His long-term project “MIRAME” (which is Spanish for “LOOK AT ME!”) is his most personal and least commercial work, only revealing the eyes and facial expressions of skateboarders, surfers and musicians, some of whom are famous – out and about in emotional backstage areas, so to speak.

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Through the eyes C e s ar T o ra l e s

of


F au x A m i p r e s e n t s : L i s t e n To S k a t e b o a r d i n g !

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Can anyone remember Willie and the Wheels? Or what about Corky Carroll? No? As well as several others, these entertaining musicians contributed the soundtrack to the skateboard lifestyle during the first skateboard hype, but then disappeared rather quickly from the hit lists and collective memory of the scene. Gaps of knowledge like this are being filled with the latest exhibition by the brains behind FauxAmi, Daniel Schmid and Jürgen Blümlein, at this summer’s edition of Art BRIGHT. The tireless skateboard culture researchers and Art BRIGHT regulars have dug deep into the archives and uncovered a variety of original material on the subject of “music and skating”. In their show they examine the beginnings in the 1960s as well as the style searching in the 1970s, which then, as we all know, resulted in skate rock and the scene defined by the straight edge philosophy. And aspects of the rock scene are meanwhile now also influencing the style of the decks and the clothing of the skaters – another aspect documented in the exhibition. And not forgetting the combination of music and skate video, which became more and more important to style shaping in the beginning of the eighties. And what happened in the overlap of skating and music from then until the present day will of course also be shown by Schmid/Blümlein.


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EIGHT Magazine Print’s not dead

a young contemporary art magazine

This issue is brought to you by: YOUR:OWN Eight final #1.indd 1

#1 11-04-11 16:33

Buy, read and admire, then throw away: the lifecycle of a magazine is usually very short and follows usage patterns that even our great-grandparents mastered in their sleep. These days, however, classic magazine content, exciting stories and attractive photo spreads can also be found online under every second link – and you usually don’t even have to pay for them. So what advantages do print products have over their digital competition? EIGHT Magazine from Holland is taking an interesting approach: “For every issue we ask eight artists to make a contribution on a predefined subject. This briefing has guidelines but they are so vague that the artists enjoy total creative freedom,” explains publisher Jeroen Smeets. At the moment the Dutchman is primarily inviting illustrators, graphic designers and visual artists, but doesn’t want to rule out photographers for future issues. All submissions are printed on high-quality 150 gram paper so that every individual page comes across like an artwork. At 30 by 40 centimetres the format has been selected so that the prints fit into standard picture frames. So you get a little art collection instead of another dust collector for your magazine shelf: “We are developing a different form of using print media and therefore offering both consumers and publishers the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with the medium. The concept is based on the usability of print, and not only on communication. But for the new generation, who doesn’t even know what print is, I’m looking into developing a mobile version that carries the same functionality and offers the artworks as wallpaper or screensavers.” Every issue is presented by a different brand. Smeets – who with his own agency YOUR:OWN has also worked for clients like Red Bull and Nike in the wide field between art and advertising – selects the artists from his network. And for the debut issue it was the turn of Mike Perry, Iconblast, Simon Væth, Hedof, Pieter Frank de Jong, Pinkyvision, Yeji Yun and Justyna Szczepankiewicz.


Sometimes having a passion involves pain, and nobody knows this better than skaters: it only takes one imprecise move on your board and next thing you know, you’re on course for a spectacular collision. And more often than not it’s your extremely sensitive shins that suffer. The pain brings tears to your eyes and, as well as learning the hard way to do better next time, you’re usually left with a scar for eternity. This is exactly the subject that is the focus of the extraordinary “Shins & Cheeks” exhibition by the two photographers Jo Hempel and Gunnar Nicolaus, which they are presenting at BRIGHT. Each piece comprises two photos of skaters, one hanging above another: the bottom photos shows their unique shins covered in scratches and the top ones are portraits of the corresponding faces showing expressions that are each shaped by life, pain and pleasure. The photos were purposely harshly lit so that every little detail, every contour, line, graze, bump and scar is uncompromisingly and mercilessly exposed to the eye of the beholder. The models were a total of 99 male and female amateur and professional skateboarders between the ages of 7 and 44 from all over Europe, who were portrayed by Jo Hempel and Gunnar Nicolaus during the 2010 European Skateboard Championship in Basel. The result is extremely entertaining, a diversified sequence of pictures of the most different characters who all have one thing in common: a passionately painful love affair with their skateboards.

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Jo Hempel & Gunnar Nicolaus P icture s o f P ain


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There are a lot of things we can do to improve the world: some people adopt children, others rescue animals and the “Reskate!” project takes care of forgotten skateboards. The Spanish artist group Nube of Javier de Riba, Edu Pi in collaboration with María López has already freed around 50 boards from dark basements and crammed store rooms, to give them a second chance in life. The findings are reshaped and passed on to an artist as a mini longboard who then turns the salvaged board into a valuable, one of a kind design. Traditional forms of expression such as illustrations or graphic dalliances feature on the majority of the boards, but several of them have also been given horns or – barely reborn – even been put into a coffin. The “Reskate!” posse are travelling to BRIGHT together with the magazine makers and gallery curators lamono. Anthya Tirado Solano, Marketing and Advertising Director at lamono, explains: “We’re going to drive a van on a road trip from Barcelona via Annecy, Zurich and Munich to Berlin. This adventure forms the basis of lamono & reskate ¨picking Europe’s wood¨. Our readers and followers will be able to follow the trip live, via a special blog created for this action, www.pickingeuropeswood.com and socialmedia channels like Twitter and Facebook.” On the way we will visit selected skate shops to pick up more old boards, which will then represent important pieces of the puzzle in the creation of our exhibition at Art BRIGHT. We will also be taking along the works of ten Spanish artists like Ocho Cuervos, Pepo Moreno, Rubén Sanchez, Marcos Cabrera and Guim Tió on our European tour.

lamono reskates Europe On The Road Again


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The artwork by Japanese artist Shinpei Naito is futuristically imaginative, colourful and sometimes in-your-face. The now 34-year-old discovered his love of painting at the age of 15 and takes his inspiration from traditional Japanese art as well as sci-fi elements. Like the anthropomorphic animals, which he turns into “God Creatures� and places in new spheres and futuristic landscapes. After studying at a private art college in Japan, Naito moved to Berlin and began designing bags under the label SN-Future. Whether sci-fi or hi-fi, as in high fashion, his list of customers is varied and shows that his style is valued in the most diverse circles. He has created scarves for Versace in Milan, designed for Asics and produced futuristic motifs for fashion label Michalsky that stand out on high fashion evening gowns made of silk and denim or in the form of all-over prints for shoes and bags. The motifs he uses are intended to convey a feeling of courage and hope, the wish for a harmonious future and a positive attitude to life. At Art BRIGHT Naito is showing a selection of his paintings as well as collaborations from the world of fashion.

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Shinpei Naito Drawing a BRIGHT Future



Sergej

Vutuc

Regular Art BRIGHT visitors will definitely have heard of Sergej Vutuc, the skating, travelling and collecting photographer based in Heilbronn. After all, as owner of the Basementizid gallery he has often been a guest to the tradeshow’s art area with diverse group exhibitions. But it’s all change this year: Basementizid no longer exists. Instead Sergej is devoting himself to his new store “PlemPlem” and its integrated project “Tragfläche”. At first glance this is merely a wall. But conceptually it is part of a creative process, an action and interaction medium that can be used in a variety of different ways. One of the artists lucky enough to demonstrate their creativity on it, the crazy Tadej Vaukman who said about his work: “…I wanna see people being what they f***g are,” will be in Berlin, as well as the Croatian illustrator and comic artist Dunja Janković. And after four years the long anticipated cooperation with Benjamin Deberdt has also borne fruit. For over two decades the journalist and photographer has considerably contributed to shaping the skater scene. Last year he worked together with legend Mark “The Gonz” Gonzales who, in 2009 reactivated his Circle Board, a round construction of nine skateboards. Deberdt immortalised Gonzales’ creation in front of the Eiffel Tower in grainy black and white photos with a fascinating, dreamlike aesthetic, which are now being published in a limited edition art book, but can also be admired at Art BRIGHT.

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When different partners from the fields of art, media or sport collaborate with one another over and over again it’s usually a sign that the chemistry’s right, and that the result of their joint work is proving popular. That’s definitely the case for the creative fusion of AustralianBritish magazine Ala Champfest and the fixed-gear bike specialists from Fixedgearlondon, as shown at last winter’s BRIGHT. This time the two Australian twin sisters Monique and Joanna Kawecki, who produce half of their Champfest magazine in London and half in Melbourne, are presenting us with a show entitled ‚Sketches, Snaps and Screen Prints‘. That’s pretty much all they’re revealing for now, except that their art area will feature a variety of different media, with works by selected artists from all over the globe. And the guys from Fixedgearlondon are keeping their cards just as close to their chests. Alongside their great large-format fixie images, all we know is that they’ll be showing work by photographer Crista Leonard, customised by illustrator Tinhead. So we’ll just have to contain our excitement until the opening ceremony on 7 July at 6pm in the Art BRIGHT area!

Ala Champfest Magazine x Fixedgearlond o n
 I f it ain ’ t br o k e , d o n ’ t fi x it


For quite some time now Coskun Gueven and his team have been an integral part of the Cologne art scene with their exhibitions of urban and contemporary art. In the heart of the city, in the Belgian Quarter, visitors to the Artyfarty Gallery are welcomed into an old cellar vault and sent on a journey. Sometimes provoking, sometimes absurd, but always inspiring. Currently on show is the exhibition “Our Kids Are Going To Hell” by Robin Maddock who spent three weeks accompanying local police in London. The photos resulting from this project provide a study of the life of youths on the margins of society. Often whole artist collectives redesign the gallery space, wildly and without convention, such as at previous exhibitions like the “Carne Tour” by DOMA and FASE from Argentina. The Arty Farties make it their priority not to be a gallery in the classic sense of the word, and this is exactly why they are so invested in the art they present. A lot happens here spontaneously and surprisingly, as they will be proving at BRIGHT: “We are turning up with two or three artists and painting live. But it hasn’t yet been confirmed which artists they will be,” Coskun told us smiling. We can’t wait to find out …

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Arty

Farty


West Berlin Gallery Mein Lieber Prost & Brenna

Located quite a long stone’s throw away from the former path of the Berlin Wall is the West Berlin Gallery, which was set up in 2009 by Elodie Bellanger and Guillaume Trotin and is meanwhile one of the top addresses in Europe when it comes to urban and digital art, street art, graphic design and illustration. At Art BRIGHT they are presenting the works of two artists, who are both majorly dedicated to street art, but with different approaches: Mein Lieber Prost, or Prost for short, is a Berlin street-art artist and adbuster, whose round-faced figures, known as ‘Prosties’, are sure to have already conjured a smile on the faces of thousands upon thousands of passers-by. With subtle irony and brilliant visual humour he suggests we “laugh at a tourist” or “fart on yuppies”. No less entertaining, nevertheless more powerful and darker in tone, are his adbusts, his redesigns of advertising billboards. Although he does reassure us that he’s not out to entertain: “Street art doesn’t have to be political; it doesn’t even have to be attractive. It doesn’t have to be funny, big or

colourful. It should be a personal expression of oneself.” The second artist to be presented by the West Berlin Gallery at BRIGHT is Jan Brennenstuhl aka Brenna. As a photographer he is primarily devoted to the documentation of street art. The special thing about his work is that he doesn’t simply take photos of the artworks, but also captures their creation process. “I wanted to get to know the people behind the art, see how they work and sense the adrenalin kick,” he explains.

w w w . w e s t b e r l i n g a l l e r y . c o m w w w . u r b a n a r t - p h o t o g r a p h y . e u w w w . u r b a n a r t c o r e . e u T e x t :

F l o r i a n

B i e d e r m a n n



In January 2011 he coolly strolled onto the stage at the special BRIGHT Vectorlounge. He had managed to win the digital Photoshop illustration battle without ever even owning a computer or having used Photoshop. Perhaps it is his uninhibitedness that makes urban artist Think so exciting. Or perhaps it’s also the fact that he just oozes inspiration, passion and drive. And then he comes out with things like: “I am sure that in 100 years Banksy and Picasso will be mentioned in the same breath. Street art is the biggest art movement ever; the Renaissance has nothing on this!” Simple as that. Before Think came to Berlin in 2001, he had already attended the school of hard knocks: after growing up in a small, Bavarian village, the qualified locksmith and part-time anarchist ran an alternative autonomous café for a while with friends. Until then he had never painted: “I had always been creative in some form, but I still hadn’t found an outlet for it. When I came to Berlin, I was totally inspired by stickers, stencils and wallpapers by artists like Stromausfall, the CBS Crew, Nomad and Banksy. Street art immediately appealed to me.” In addition to his art, Think, who is now 30, also writes poems and mixes electronic music. “Moving to Berlin was the best decision I ever made,” he says smiling. “It’s a very inspiring place.”

He started with simple, one to three-coloured stencils – his robots, faces, monsters and diverse characters quickly became a part of Berlin’s cityscape. Nowadays his style is as multi-faceted as the selection of materials at a DIY store: whether with oil, acrylic, spray paint, brush or permanent marker, on paste-ups, stickers, wood or metal – for Think the freedom of the styles is the biggest challenge, as he is always trying out new techniques and motifs. His latest works are material mix collages on treated metal. “The focus of my art is based on revolts. Not only the revolution within society, but rather the radical change in oneself, in one’s own thinking. I like to play with opposites and symbols.” He lists his biggest sources of inspiration as people, consciousness, time, change, spirituality and psychedelia. “I want to get people thinking, as I am absolutely convinced that art in public spaces can lead to a change in society’s mindset.” After several exhibitions in Berlin galleries like the Westberlin Gallery, Neurotitan and Skalitzers, Think is now planning a large mural for the art area at BRIGHT. And maybe one day he’ll get around to producing his very own theatre play, one of his long-cherished dreams. And he has also finally made up his mind to buy a computer.

www.myspace.com/thinksflowjob

Text: Nada Carls

Think About Street Art 116 – Bright Magazine


WWW.BENCH.CO.UK


Decks From skateboard to storyboard – a deck is very versatile, but at the end of the day, it usually ends up getting scratched on a rail, curb or picnic table. Not many shredders, however, would guess that behind the deck graphics are often little works of art, sometimes even a film poster or that they are used as a medium to express hurt feelings. Based on selected collaborations we are presenting a range of decks and their artists, who all had something to tell us about their artworks and the story behind them. Texts: Nada Carls

Brian Lotti x Telegraph

Skateboard pro, illustrator, painter, Buddhism student, Impressionism fan, inventor of the backside tailslide flip out, filmmaker, founder of Telegraph Skateboards, visionary – Brian Lotti consistently does things differently and is an all-round talented guy who pursues his inspiration and diversely and creatively turns it into a reality. His deck graphics are unique, far removed from typo, comic & co. and provide a refreshing contrast in artistic skateboard design. And we were able to witness the creation process of the deck graphic presented here, as, in individual steps, Brian talked us through his idea: a deck that could be released along with a film that he is currently planning with Tristan Saether. From the vision to the idea his scribbles became more specific with every e-mail, until he sent the motif showing the planned opening scene of the film “Ghosttown”. The expressionist, black-and-white film noir is about two ghostlike characters who work and skateboard in the modern world in Los Angeles. This is being produced over a nine month period in L.A. and both the film and deck are due to be released in 2012. Here are Brian Lotti’s words about the deck graphic for Telegraph: “It is early morning and the sun is just rising above a desert hill. A land surveyor is peering through a sighting lens and taking notes on the valley below. He hears the sound of a coyote howling, and turns to see an Indian standing behind him. The Indian smiles and asks the land surveyor what he is doing. The land surveyor says that he is making plans to build ditches to bring water to the city so there can be gardens and parks for the children. The Indian laughs and says, “Is that what you think?” The land surveyor replies, “Yes, it is.” The Indian laughs again and says, “Let me show you something, can you see that rock over there?” The land surveyor turns to see the rock and our story begins …”

www.telegraphskateboards.com www.brianlotti.com 118 – Bright Magazine


Don Pendleton x Designarium

Since spending his childhood years in a sleepy town somewhere in West Virginia Don Pendleton’s life has been devoted to skateboarding. Through his father he also got into painting at an early age. Nowadays he sees it as a real luxury to be able to earn his crust working as a freelance artist and designer for the skateboard industry, combining his biggest passions in life. His linear work, influenced by Cubism, has an unmistakeable style. Whether collaborations with Element, Alien Workshop, Oakley, with P-Rod for Mountain Dew or numerous solo shows and features for untitled, Arkitip and Beautiful Losers – Pendleton doesn’t make a difference between art and commerce, as long as he can maintain his artistic freedom. And it was the ultimate accolade for him to be asked by Natas Kaup, whom he really admires, to reinterpret the famous Santa Monica Airlines (SMA) panther graphic. Natas was an SMA skate legend in the 1980s, gaining fame for his trick “Natas Spin” (360° turn on a fire hydrant) and is the head of Designarium, the exclusive artist platform for skateboard art. Here’s what Don Pendleton had to say about the collaboration with Designarium: “I‘ve been a big fan of Natas Kaupas since I was a kid so the inspiration was already there. As an artist and a skater, I think Natas really represents the best of skateboarding. Not just in that era but in any era. So I wanted to stick with the very first Santa Monica Airlines panther graphic as my inspiration. I ended up just recreating it in my own style and in a more minimalist approach. Natas even let me shape the board, so the project was fun from beginning to end. I shaped a board that was in the style of some of his later boards, almost a cruiser but still very functional and fun in the street. All in all, it was an honour and a blast. I have a photo of me holding a Natas board back in 1985 – one of the original Santa Monica Airlines Natas boards so to eventually get to a point where I was able to work with Natas in a really creative way for skateboarding was a dream come true.”

www.elephont.com www.skatesonhaight.com

119 – Bright Magazine


Haze x Huf

When New Yorker Eric Haze started doing graffiti he was just 11 years old, when the use of aids like computers or the internet weren’t taken for granted like they are today. So he had to do without them on his path to fame. Back then there was only one way to gain worldwide recognition for his art and that was hard graft. As a graffiti workaholic he soon became one of the best and most renowned graffiti artists in the world and his tagging and bombing, to begin with of the name “SE3”, and then later Haze, also achieved fame beyond the New York underground. He has been responsible for artwork for the Beastie Boys, Enemy, EPMD and LL Cool J. His own brand Haze, established in 1993, is regarded as one of the pioneering streetwear labels, and the old pro has also practiced his trade for countless product designs and collaborations with basically every label that identifies with hip-hop and graffiti. For HUF he designed a pop art deck, which will be released in summer 2011. And he revealed to BRIGHT Magazine how important the artist collab is for him. Here’s what HAZE had to say about the collaboration with HUF: “Beside the fact that Keith is a friend and Huf is a cool brand that I respect, we both have similar backgrounds in terms of our experience and motivations. Skateboarding and graffiti share similar roots in underground and street level culture, and we have both created brands that are born out of the style and history that we developed over time. The opportunity to collaborate together on design and product is just another way to reinforce the passion we both share about these cultures, while also keeping an eye on what we feel is still current. At the end of the day, one of the main reasons I have always worked hard to maintain my independence as both an artist and a brand, is having the creative freedom to work with like-minded people like Huf who share essentially the same vision and values.”

www.interhaze.com www.hufsf.com

120 – Bright Magazine


Andrew Pommier x Heroin

A little cute, a little brutal, a little “it‘s funny because it‘s sad” – this seems to be the basic recipe for Andrew Pommier’s art. The 37-year-old Canadian describes his working technique as if it were as simple as learning how to write: for him, the fascination is starting with a few lines and seeing what develops – whether with oil, pencil or acrylic. His style is shaped by graphics and comics, but also by Manet’s genre paintings of beggars and street urchins and Yoshimoto Nara’s anime style. A variety of inspirations, diverse techniques, but a recurring motif in his pictures is the mask: people wearing animal masks or costumed figures who convey a feeling of isolation, role playing or fear. And his current exhibition “At the Time of Fear”, which will be on show at Art BRIGHT, focuses on exactly these themes. Following different brand collaborations with adidas, RCVA and Monumentum Wheels, Pommier has now designed a deck for the UK label Heroin Skateboards, due to be released in SS 2011. Andrew Pommier on the collaboration with Heroin Skateboards: “The inspiration for the deck is rooted in heartbreak. I was staying with my good friend Fos, the owner of Heroin Skateboard, who, had just come out of a break-up, just like me, as well as his team rider Chris Ault who was permanently in and out of the house during my ten-day stay there. So the mood was a little sour. That’s the reason why the zombie is munching on the brains of a girl. I think we’re all feeling a little more hopeful and cheery these days.” Let’s hope so …

www.andrewpommier.com www.heroinskateboarding.com 121 – Bright Magazine


Pontus Alv Text: Michael Sohn

Pontus Alv skates, films, builds ramps, takes photos, designs boards … So boredom is not a word in his vocabulary. Despite this, the Swede has now also set up his own company. We asked him why …

122 – Bright Magazine


Opposites attract

When will the first collection be out?

BRIGHT: You are active in a lot of different fields, which makes it quite difficult to describe you in a few words. How would you introduce yourself to someone who had never heard of you before? Pontus Alv: Okay, I’ll try to fit my whole life into a few sentences: I live in Malmö, have been skating for 24 years, and turned 31 a few weeks ago. My career as a pro began in the USA at Mad Circle. After living this skater dream for a few years, I returned to Europe and skated in France for Cliché. But somewhere along the line it lost its appeal and I turned to other projects. This resulted in two films: “The Strongest Of The Strange” and “In Search Of The Miraculous” – both were very successful. That’s how a lot of people first became aware of me. And because I build my own spots in my films, I’ve now also become known for that. Recently I also finally founded my own company Polar Skate Co.

The boards have just been finished. There will also be five or six T-shirtdesigns that I can hopefully show at BRIGHT. Plus of course the hoodies and caps. But, I am new in the business and really underestimated one factor: the time that is added on for the production phase. If you want to make a jacket or something similar the production alone takes six months.

Was there a theme for the collection? Just for the label itself. Polar... which promises opposites. North and South Pole, plus and minus – between two poles there is always a lot of tension. This energy between the dark and BRIGHT sides of life is what interests me in my work.

Is Polar Skate Co. a one-man show? I am the sole owner, but of course I also work with a team. All of my friends support me: Richie Löffler from MDCN in Hamburg is doing the distribution in Germany and has the best connections for the production of the hard goods. The guys from Cleptomanicx are helping me with the textiles, because they like what I do. Thanks to cooperations with people like that I can establish a good contact to the right manufacturers.

123 – Bright Magazine

Who is responsible for the designs? Five of the seven boards were designed by me. My old friend Stefan Narancic is responsible for The Hostage Situation and The Unhealthy Veggie. And he also developed the company logo. I’ll also be working with Stefan Marx. And Mark Gonzales is, of course, right at the top of my wish list.

What does that mean for you in very concrete terms? Where is there light in your life, and where is there shadow? The dark moments... everyone has a past and sometimes has to survive tough times. I lost my father at a young age. And also a lot of good friends. Experiences like that influence your whole life. Or the existential questions that everyone probably asks themselves: What can I achieve with my life? How can I turn my dreams into reality? And how can I earn enough money to make ends meet? But on the other hand we also have so many positive experiences: friends, love, skateboarding, making art, travelling around the world and lots more.


In your films you’re always processing your past. Are you going to start a new film venture any time soon? At the moment I’m not planning to throw myself into another five-year project. But we are working on a film about Polar. That will only be 20 to 30 minutes long though and will present the company’s philosophy. And the team, as at Polar we take a slightly different approach. Of course there are proper team riders but everyone else who is down with us and shares our philosophy is welcome. I don’t want these strict boundaries; it should be more like a big community. I’m not running Polar to make a fast buck. Instead I want to inspire people with good products.

What awaits us at BRIGHT? A cross-section of my work. But as I’m currently so busy building up my label, I can’t yet say what I’ll be showing in detail. But Flo Schneider’s film “Pushed” will definitely be interesting, which will be celebrating its premiere at BRIGHT. A fantastic documentary about Bobby Puleo, Adam Sello, Stefan Marx and me.

insearchofthemiraculous.se/blog/ 124 – Bright Magazine


AUTHENTIC

DOODLE PAD s k a t e b o a r d i n g

e u r o p a


Imprint

Publisher

Bright GmbH & Co KG Hohenstaufenstraße 13 – 27 60327 Frankfurt +49 (0)69 66962158 hello@brighttradeshow.com

www.brighttradeshow.com

www.brightmagazine.de

creative direction Marco Aslim, Thomas Martini

editor in chief / production Romy Uebel

editor

text Nadia Beeb, Florian Biedermann, HansChristian Bussert, Nada Carls, Daniel Giebel, Andreas Grüter, Jan Joswig, Paul Kampfmann, Sebastian Mühle, Luis Müller Philipp-Sohn, Michael Sohn, Romy Uebel

Nada Carls

photography editorial assistance Nadja Mara Brvar

art direction

Michael Breyer, Robert Eikelpoth, Rufus Exton, Daniel Hermann, Paale Lüdcke, Saskia Nadi, Jakob Reinhardt, Pedro Sequeira,Thomas Wolfzettel

Tobias Friedberg, Paale Lüdcke

www.madebysolid.com

further contributors Fernando Annivarro Canqui, Lorena Maza, Pascal Prehn, Thomas Schottenloher

126 – Bright Magazine

editing Florian Biedermann, Justin Beard

translation Galina Green, Paula Hedley

print F&W Mediencenter GmbH Holzhauser Feld 2 83361 Kienberg

www.fw-medien.de


127 – Bright Magazine


Exhibitor Contacts # 667 www.team667.com 101 Apparel www.101apparel.com A Abec 11 www.abec11.com Ace www.247dist.com Adam Sello www.anzeigeberlin.de Adidas Originals www.adidas.com Adio www.247dist.com Aeme www.aemeclothing.com Alias One www.alias-one.com Alien Workshop www.alienworkshop.com Almost www.almostawebsite.com Altamont www.altamontapparel.com Amok www.havoc-distribution.com Amphetamine www.amphetaminebearings.com amulherdopadre www.amulherdopadre.com Analog Clothing www.analogclothing.com Angelboy www.247dist.com Angst www.angst-skateboards.com Anti Hero www.urbansupplies.com ANTIZ Skateboards www.antizskateboards.com Arbor www.arborcollective.eu Armourdillo www.247dist.com Arty Farty www.artyfarty-gallery.com atticus www.atticusclothing.com Auxpeer Cannics Customs www.auxpeer.com B Baker www.bakerskateboards.com Baretta www.baretta.de Basementizid www.basementizid.com Bench www.bench.co.uk Bigfoot www.havoc-distribution.com Black Diamond www.havoc-distribution.com Black-Magic www.247dist.com Black-Panthers www.247dist.com Blast www.247dist.com Blind www.blindskateboards.com Blueprint www.247dist.com Bones-Bearings www.247dist.com

128 – Bright Magazine

Diamond footwear www.diamondsupplyco.com

Gravis Footwear www.gravisfootwear.com

Dickies www.dickies.eu

Grind-King www.247dist.com

Bones-Wheels www.247dist.com

Digital www.247dist.com

G-Shock www.gshock.com

Boom Botix www.boombotix.com

Dirty Velvet www.dirtyvelvet.co.uk

Gunnar Nicolaus & Jo Hempel www.johempel.com

B-REAL www.b-real.eu

DISSIZIT www.dissizit.com

Brewer www.247dist.com

Divine www.247dist.com

habitat www.habitatskateboards.com

Brixton www.brixton.com

Djinns www.djinns.eu

Hi-Fi www.247dist.com

Bullet www.urbansupplies.com

Dogtown www.247dist.com

Hollywood www.247dist.com

Burton www.burton.com

Doh-Doh www.247dist.com

HOODLAMB www.hoodlamb.com

Dooks www.247dist.com

hooligan www.hooligan.de

Cargo www.247dist.com

Duffs www.urbansupplies.com

Hoopla www.247dist.com

Carhartt www.carhartt-wip.com

dunlop www.dunlopfootwear.com.au

Horsefeathers www.horsefeathers.eu

Cesar Torales www.lindadesign.de/torales

Durkl www.durkl.com

H-Street www.247dist.com

Champfest www.alachampfest.blogspot.com

DVS Shoes www.dvsshoes.com

Hubba www.247dist.com

C

Chocolate www.chocolateskateboards.com

E

H

Hurley www.hurley.com

Chunk www.chunkclothing.com

Element www.elementskateboards.com

City-Stars www.247dist.com

Elhaus www.elha.us

Clan 010 www.clan010.com

Emerica www.emericaskate.com

Imaginary foundation www.imaginaryfoundation.com

CLEPTOMANICX www.cleptomanicx.de

Enjoi www.enjoico.com

Imagine skateboards www.imagineskateboards.com

Cliché www.clicheskate.com

ERGO www.ergoclothing.com

Independent www.independenttrucks.com

COASTAL www.coastal-caps.de

ès www.esfootwear.com

I-Path www.web.ipath.com

Cold Press www.havoc-distribution.com

etnies www.etnies.com

Iriedaily www.iriedaily.de

Confusion www.247dist.com

exact science www.exact-science.com

IRON Trucks www.pivot-distribution.de

Cons www.converseskateboarding.com

Ezekiel www.ezekielusa.com

Iuter www.iuter.com

Consolidated www.247dist.com

F

Hype! www.247dist.com I

J

Control www.havoc-distribution.com

Fallen www.fallenfootwear.com

JART Skateboards www.jartskateboards.com

Converse www.converse.de

Famous Stars & Straps www.famoussas.com

Jessup www.247dist.com

Core Trucks www.core-trucks.com

Faux ami www.fauxami.de

Jet www.havoc-distribution.com

Crail Trucks www.crail.com.br

FC St. Pauli www.fcstpauli-shop.de

JIMMY‘Z www.ezinezout.com

Creation www.247dist.com

femipleasure www.femipleasure.com

JNXD www.jnxd.dk

Creature www.creatureskateboards.com

Flip www.flipskateboards.com

Custom Skateboards Manufactory www.customsb.com

Forvert www.forvert.com

Kingpin www.247dist.com

Foundation www.247dist.com

KONTROL Wheels www.kontrolwheels.com

Darkstar www.darkstarguaranteed.com

Four Star www.fourstarclothing.com

Krown www.havoc-distribution.com

DC Shoes www.dcshoes.com

FOX HEAD www.foxhead.com/us

Krux www.urbansupplies.com

Death www.247dist.com

Frank‘s chop shop www.frankschopshop.com

Deathwish www.rough.de

frisur clothing www.frisur.sg-services.eu

D

Dekline www.247dist.com

G

K

L Lakai www.lakai.com Lambretta www.lambrettaclothing.com

Delight www.delightskateboards.de

Girl www.girlskateboards.com

Lamono Magazine www.lamonodigital.net/blog

Dephect www.dephect.com

Given www.247dist.com

Layback www.247dist.com

DGK www.dgk-skateboards.com

GLOBE www.globe.tv

Les Ettes www.lesettes.com


M a r t i n & H a ns u te are parts of the leave a message collection, worn by A n n ik a & photographed by S i m o n C o r n i l s .

Visit us at Bright Tradeshow Room 150/1

http://frisurclothing.com


Leyla Rodriguez www.blog.leylarodriguez.de

Paris www.247dist.com

Lifetime Collective www.lifetimecollective.com

Part www.mdcn.de

Limited www.limitedmag.de

Phantom www.247dist.com

Loaded www.mdcn.de

Pig www.247dist.com

LONG ISLAND Longboards www.pivot-distribution.de

Place www.placeskateboarding.de

Loser-Machine www.247dist.com

Plan B www.planbskateboards.com

Lowcard www.247dist.com

PLANET EARTH www.planet-earth-clothing.com

Lucky www.247dist.com

Pontus Alv www.emerica.com/team/pontus-alv

M

Positiv www.247dist.com

Mabasi Tools www.mabasi.com

Pot meets pop www.potmeetspopdemin.com

Magenta www.247dist.com

Powell-Golden-Dragon www.247dist.com

MAKIA Clothing www.makiaclothing.com

Powell-Peralta www.247dist.com

March www.havoc-distribution.com

Preloved www.247dist.com

MATIX www.matixclothing.com

Primary www.247dist.com

MERC www.merc.com

Process www.247dist.com

Metal Mulisha www.metalmulisha.de

Project www.247dist.com

Mini-Logo www.247dist.com

Puma www.puma.com

Mishka www.mishkanyc.com

PURO www.zapatillaspuro.com.ar

MLEKO www.projektmleko.com

Pyromaniac Clothing www.pyromaniac-clothing.com

Monster Skateboard Magazine www.skateboardmsm.mpora.de

Q

Monstore www.heymonstore.com

Quiksilver www.global.quiksilver.com

Moose www.havoc-distribution.com

Quiksilver women www.quiksilver-women.com

Muckefuck www.247dist.com Music Monster www.musicmonsters.com.pt N

R radioskateboards www.radioskateboards.com ragwear www.ragwear.com

Newsoul skateboard www.newsoulskateboards.se

Rasa-Libre www.247dist.com

Nike 6.0 www.nike6.com

Real www.urbansupplies.com

Nike SB www.nikeskateboarding.com

Record www.recordclothing.net

Nikita www.nikitaclothing.com

Red-Dragon www.247dist.com

Nomis www.nomisdesign.com

REELL www.reelljeans.com

O

RHYTHM rhythmlivin.com

O‘Neill www.oneill.com

Ricta www.urbansupplies.com

Ogio www.ogio.com

Riviera www.247dist.com

Okazi Gallery/ Andrew Pommiers www.okazigallery.com

ROBOTRON Skateboards www.robotronskate.com

OLOW www.olowshop.com

Rocksmith www.rocksmithtokyo.com

Orangatang www.mdcn.de

Roger www.247dist.com

Orion www.247dist.com

ROXY www.roxy-europe.com

Osiris www.osirisshoes.com

Royal www.royalskateboardtruck.com

P Palisades www.247dist.com Paradise Longboards www.havoc-distribution.com

130 – Bright Magazine

Ruckus www.247dist.com RVCA www.rvca.com

S Santa Cruz www.santacruzskateboards.com Satori www.satorimovement.com Schmitt-Stix www.247dist.com Sector 9 www.sector9.com Selfish www.mdcn.de Shake Junt www.shakejunt.com Shinpei Naito www.sn-future.com SHISHA www.shishabrand.com Shoe-Goo www.247dist.com Shortys www.247dist.com Shortys-Lil‘ www.247dist.com Shortys-Silverado www.247dist.com Sight skateboards www.sightskateboards.com Silver www.urbansupplies.com Sitka www.sitka.com Sk8Dice www.247dist.com Sk8Mafia www.sk8mafia4life.com Sk8ology www.247dist.com Skate Mental www.skatemental.com SKF www.247dist.com Skullcandy www.eu.skullcandy.com Sneaker Freaker www.sneakerfreaker.com Sneakers www.sneakers-magazine.com Speed Demon www.urbansupplies.com Speedfreak www.havoc-distribution.com Spitfire www.spitfireskate.com Sportswear International www.sportswearnet.com Stance www.stance.com Stereo www.247dist.com SUPERbrand www.247dist.com Supreme www.urbansupplies.com Surf-One www.247dist.com Svensson www.svenssonmagazin.com Sweet skateboards www.sweetskateboards.com T Tech-Deck www.247dist.com Teenage-Runaway www.247dist.com Tensor www.urbansupplies.com Termite www.247dist.com TH GALLERY www.thgallery.fr

The Hundreds www.thehundreds.com Theeve-Trucks www.247dist.com The-High-Five www.247dist.com The-Skateboard-Mag www.247dist.com Think www.247dist.com Thrasher www.247dist.com Thunder www.thundertrucks.com Toonstar www. toonstarclothing.de Toy-Machine www.247dist.com Tracker www.247dist.com Traffic www.247dist.com Trainerspotter www.trainerspotter.com Transworld www.247dist.com TRAP www.mdcn.de Triad www.247dist.com TRICKS Completes www.pivot-distribution.de TSG www.247dist.com Turbokolor www.turbokolor.com U Ucon www.Ucon-Acrobatics.com Upful www.247dist.com V Vacant www.vacantclothing.co.uk Vans www.vans.com VENTURE Trucks www.venturetrucks.net Volcom www.volcom.com Vox Footwear www.voxfootwear.com Vulk www.vulkeyewear.com W wemoto www.wemoto.de WeSC www.wesc.com West Berlin Gallery www.westberlingallery.com X X Mini www.store.xm-i.com Xtreme Video www.247dist.com Y YOUR:OWN Gallery www.your-own.nl Z Zero www.zeroskateboards.com Z-Flex www.247dist.com Zimtstern www.zimtstern.com


As the Gonz put it: “The Original Coolist”. Trasher Magazine’s Skater Of The Year in 1992, John Cardiel defines what skateboarding is in it’s rawest form. After suffering a serious back injury in 2003, he was told he would never walk again. John proved everyone wrong and emerged on two wheels for the fixed gear film “Macaframa”. Nowadays he run’s his own bike company / brakefreecustoms.com and still charges hard. Respect. Meet more legends of our time in the MAKIA Spring / Summer 2012 catalogue. Get your own copy at Bright, booth 165. 3 – Bright Magazine

www.makiaclothing.com


4 – Bright Magazine

Fall / Winter / 2011 www.lifetimecollective.com


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