SAVANT ISSUE 1 by sssavant

Savant Savant

SLOW FASHION

Savant

PHOTOS: RAUL K

SLOW FASHION

Savant

SLOW FASHION

Savant Savant is a quarterly slow lifestyle publication based in Hampstead, London. The articles published reflect the opinions of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the publishers and editorial team. Distribution: on request in London, Paris, Tallinn and other European capitals.

COVER IMAGE BY ALINA KOLOT MODEL: KARINA MARC EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & BRAND DIRECTOR Hanna-Amanda Pant

PHOTOGRAPHY Alina Kolot Katrin Viil Krislin Kreis Deniz Zeka Lisa Bouanna Raul K. & THANK YOU TO Karina Marc • Katrin Kaurov • Marleen Poolgas Anu Hint • Reet Aus • Robert de Niet • Paul Tierney Birgit Skolimowski • Maret Ubaleht • Iuliana Vinte Justus K. • Ida Thompson Coon • Kadi Arula • Mael Campi • Kiwa • Kristino Rav • Kristi Sula • Gea Karja • SPÉOS PARIS PHOTOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE University for the Creative Arts • All the coffee shops in Hampstead & Alonzo

ASSISTANT-IN-CHIEF Daniel Dlamini

FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THIS STORY OF A DREAM.

GRAPHIC DESIGN Henri Kutsar

ILLUSTRATOR Else Lagerspetz CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS Daniel Dlamini Sophie Breitsameter Hayley Appleford Johanna Raudsepp Alexandra Mozgovaya

Savant reserves the right to accept or reject any article or material and to edit this material prior to publishing. Printed in the United Kingdom on uncoated paper. @savant_magazine info.savantmagazine@gmail.com

Contents 10 Meet Miss Martin

88 Diarte: A Childhood Comfort Zone

12 Slow Art

94 Life´s Not Fair, But My Jewels Are

14 Fusion Cooking: The Perfect Intercultural Love Affair 16 Navigating the Future of Architecture 18 Urban Zen Zone

104 Bearable Whiskers 106 Im Gegenteil: The First Online Dating Blog on a Go-Slow Mission 112 Torsten Valeur´s Sound Sense of Audiovisual Luxury

36 Slouching Towards Slowness: Digital Detoxing Nails the Way to Unplug

118 Love Will Tear Us Apart, Again

44 Sustainable Whites

130 Lumiére Mon Amour

60 Interview: Justus K

136 Realisation Of a Dream: Louis Vuitton Foundation

69 Going Bare: What´s Transparency for Fashion? 142 Flamenco 70 Final Touches 147 Abandoned Florida 83 A Milky Way To Success: The Pressery

Savant Welcome

Fast food. Fast fashion. Fast pleasure. Mass production. Speed dating. Brief bedtime stories. Tapping. Liking. Scrolling. Swiping. The usual. The omnipresence of digital media has inserted us into a culture, where more and fast are considered universally positive cultural currencies. The alarm goes off at 6am and another day will be passed chasing a mediocre 4 digit pay cheque. If you want to hang on, you better speed up. All of us are challenged to consider, “How can I possibly slow down if I want my career, company, product, or idea to triumph in the marketplace?”. And as it follows, the next 364 days we will loathe life in its ever-present mundane mediocracy. But slowing down does not always mean moving at a snail’s pace; rather it is doing everything at the right speed. It’s about savouring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. About doing everything as well as possible. It’s about the importance of valuing quality over quantity. We are striving in the light of a Digital Age and global capitalism induced backlash that keeps reminding us we have been doing things wrong for far too long. As a result, slowosophy is having a moment, indicating a shift towards more meaningful living. As people are becoming more conscious about where their clothes, food and products come from, a new wave of brave brands are accordingly moving towards operating on a 100% transparency policy. In the first issue, we engage with significant creative practitioners who embrace sustainability, durability and diligence in their craft, including Danish audio luxury master Torsten Valeur, Spanish eco couture label Diarte, and emerging Finnish fashion talent Justus K. Tallinn, Paris and London - the first issue brings together the three cities that have become very important in my life and upbringing. These places

have also played a crucial part in the production of Savant Issue 1. It is the rose-tinted air of Paris that taught me to appreciate the beauty of life - to take time to cherish how textures, shapes, flavours, fragrances, touches, shadows and lights come together in the blink of an eye, and these moments are meant to last through careful appreciation and attention. Yet it is in the fairy-tale like, medieval Old City of Tallinn where some of the most amazing craftsmanship is born in the present time, teaching us about the importance of history, traditions and longevity in fashion. And then there’s London that has made me understand that the cult of speed has exhausted us as human beings, and it’s time to shift things around a little. As a perfectionist, mastering the art of joie de vivre hasn’t always come without strings attached, but I have slowly learned that taking time for things that make me happy is what makes dreams work in the end. At Savant, we aim to challenge and change the world so hastily geared forward by the unending information tsunami, leaving us numb from the things that truly matter to us. At Savant, we also know that life doesn’t get better through engaging in constant self-improvement, but through investing more time in ourselves and our surroundings. Savant Issue 1 will curate you through an assemblage of visually appetising slow stories in order to inspire you to take time to appreciate the beauty of what surrounds us. Let’s not forget that we share a collective responsibility to shift things around. To learn to press the snooze button, and cancel our tomorrows. To stop contributing to valueless zigzagging around the clock. To quit our place as a low-paid prop serving someone else’s grand illusion; but rather to speak up, and travel, and love, and lose, risk, revolutionise and gamble with life’s fragile, burning dices. Here and now. There and then.

Hanna-Amanda Pant, Brand Director

Savant

Meet Miss Martin

Savant

Agnes Martin’s subtle pencil lines and light colour washes will be welcomed this summer to London’s Tate Modern. The exhibition will display three decades of Martin’s work, from her early beginnings in New York to her escape from fame in Taos, New Mexico. Agnes Martin was born in Canada and considered herself an abstract expressionist, like her male peers Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Martin once remarked that “Without awareness of beauty, innocence and happiness, one cannot make works of art”, which suggests her reasoning for moving away from the competitive New York art scene and to seek creative comfort in New Mexico’s foreign lands. Martin believed in the power of the emotional over the physical and also believed that her most recent work of art was always her best. Somewhat controversially, Martin wished for all of her early works to be destroyed, a collection of which will be on show to the public this summer. We must feel privileged to have the opportunity to witness the growth of a successful female artist in an arena that was monopolised by men. Women artists are gaining more and more attention in the current climate, with Georgia O’Keefe recently setting a new record for the highest female auction price for her White Flower Number One. Expect to be soothed and meditative in front of Martin’s paintings, their striped linen canvases will hold your attention with their ever so slight details. •

AGNES MARTIN / PHOTO: PHAIDON.COM

WORDS SOPHIE BREITSAMETER

PHOTO: GIVEUSART.COM

Agnes Martin at The Tate Modern 3rd June – 11th October 2015.

“I often paint tranquility. If you stop thinking and rest, then a little happiness comes into your mind. At perfect rest you are comfortable.” – Agnes Martin

SLOW ART

Savant

Slow Art

Now rewind; if the blink is made to slow, deliberately closing and opening of the eye, so that as it shutters, it moves so thriftily that even the minutest frame cannot be lost for the briefest time possible, so you appreciate the whole and that beauty is preserved now in your memory. Like a photograph taken at the perfect instance of a moment. For how can you appreciate that which you do not know, how can you know that which you have not seen? However patience and calmness reaps many rewards in the volume of appreciation one may gain when the light bulb comes on and you finally see more than you saw and are rewarded by the great work that beckons. This should give an idea of that aspect of the beauty of slow art. Slow art cannot be without many blinks.

WORDS: DANIEL DLAMINI ILLUSTRATION: ELSE LAGERPETZ

In the blink of an eye, in the blink of an eye, that moment which is a blink of an eye, there remains elements that should be seen but remain unseen, a moment can envelope and hide the most beautiful thing, an eye continues to see but in a blink it is closed for a moment and then time lapses and so does the frame that can never be recaptured. And that thing in the frame that remains unseen becomes a lost mystery, it becomes a thing, becomes heresy, even fantasy. And will never ever be seen again, ever. All at the cost of a misplaced blink, a rushed moment.

SLOW ART

Otherwise one cannot say I have seen just because they have looked. There is also an art to watching. Before you say you have seen, you must take time to see. And that means many blinks, and many blinks before you say you have understood, and yet many more blinks before you say you have captured the image to memory. Before you move on to the next section, to the next frame, onto making the next sketch, to shade, to colour, record, register. Many blinks in creating art and many blinks in viewing and appreciating. Slow art is about taking time to appreciate. So the work is complete, within those slow deliberate moments, the etching and sketching, carving and shaping, painting, and printing, sewing and spraying, writing and scraping. What remains is the eye that beholds, someone looks and sees, that which has taken time vast as oceans and seas, shall we then capture it in a single blink and walk away? Shall a couple of seconds, a glance or a quick look feed all the appreciating vessels of the mind and be

Savant

fulfilled? Or shall one then sit as one who sprawls in the sun, and lets the minutes pass and the hours gather and end of the day call it a successful task of ‘reading’ the artwork like a book, careful to turn and read every page, and follow the story to its conclusion not missing a single part. To let the figures and the colour and the position and the image and its magnitude, its beauty, its presence, its lure, its power, familiarise with you as it possibly can. To slow down time, to almost make still a leaping wave, now the excitement becomes real. Slow art is the process that makes the art. To view the art piece as the whole finished piece is to view it incompletely. The unabridged beauty of the artwork has its genesis at its creation. Even before the sketches comes the thought, preceding thought will be inspiration and that could come in any form. Eventually the completed piece is presented, may be placed on a plinth for the viewer to indulge. What follows is the completion of the work, it is when the work is seen, felt and appreciated by the viewer. The art is reached completion, even onto inspiring another thought, another sketch and more artwork. The scenery is going nowhere, still, it is the wind that rustles leaves and branches slightly shake. The painter begins to stroke and to brush and to dart and to circle and make these figures. He strikes the board with varied force, yet gently and so purposefully, and so slowly. He sketches, also rubbing and padding, taking his time, section after section, causing an image to imitate what is real. He takes his time to capture feelings like a butterfly which will make a flashing glow in a bottle. To appreciate the art is to open the lid and release the butterfly, you never put the butterfly in the bottle, the artist did. Like Joan Miro deciding to make

his first self-portrait, he goes on to make several self-portraits throughout his life - can you count the moments before, during and and between each portrait. They are precious moments of pondering, thinking, planning, dreaming, critiquing, hoping, sweating, swearing, and seething. Slow art, it lets the appreciator appreciate, lets the impressionist make an impression, the expressionist makes an expression, but the point is made, the message is delivered, a goal is achieved, beauty is uncovered. Consider Allen Jones, a pleasure of hours, hardly can you appreciate his works in minutes. You take your time until the marvel is unveiled for your eyes. Busk in the glow of the reflected magnificence of the special gift bestowed these men’s souls, fed through their eyes, carried by their hearts and offered through their fingers and toes. Look at nature, how slowly a flower buds and then blossoms, look at the sun, from beyond the horizon it rises so slowly and morning comes. Look at the moon, 28 days before it fills the sky with its white luminescent glow again and again. Every blink counts, every moment is a frame that will never be the same, take your time to appreciate and you will be rewarded with beauty, and some hidden secrets. A leisurely craft. Slow. Art. Slow Art. • Slow Movement by Roman Singer on March 4th – May 31st 2015 at the Barbican (barbican.org.uk).

SLOW ART

Savant

Fusion Cooking: The Perfect Intercultural Love Affair

PHOTOS: MOMO LONDON / COYA / MOMO LONDON

A new wave of fusion restaurants present the culinary art of combining two or more cultures in a creative cuisine. London is slowly developing its personal love affair with the emerging culinary trend.

WILD TIGER PRAWNS CHOTTO MATTE / PHOTO: CONEMESIS.CO.UK

WORDS HAYLEY APPLEFORD

Fusion cooking combines ingredients, techniques and seasonings from different cuisines. It has emanated from the desire to make food more diverse and interesting, and to ignite excitement in new ingredients and fresh combinations. Traditionally, these appeared where communities lived close to one another. In the Straits of Malacca, Chinese sailors who married Malaysian wives developed spicy Nonya cuisine, whereas returning British colonists adapted the Indian lentil and rice dish kicheri to make kedgeree, and introduced this as a breakfast dish in Victori-

SLOW FOOD

an times as a part of the then fashionable Anglo-Indian cuisine. More recently, the Koreans of Los Angeles gave birth to the Korean-Mexican fusion that led to kimchi - Korean pickled cabbage which is seemingly available everywhere. In history, fusion food may have taken generations to develop, but today, with the ease of global travel and the Internet, the exchange of ideas and creativity in the kitchen makes the process of fusing together cuisines more fast and experimental. From traditional dishes with contemporary twists to exciting flavours from around

the world, familiarise yourself with the fascinating world of fusion cuisine with my handpicked restaurant venues across the capital.

Mediterranean and North African

Nikkei

Korean-Mexican

This type of cuisine is a combination of food from the cultures adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. Although this region spans a wide variety of cultures, the historical connections of the region, climate and economy, have led to there being many common elements in the foods. Think mezze and Mediterranean tagine.

Another trend to hit London is PeruvianJapanese cooking known as Nikkei, however, this is not a new concept. It was born out of necessity in the early 20th century as most Japanese immigrants lacked the necessary ingredients to cook their home fare, which led to using the wealth of produce of Peru - from Pacific fish and seafood to vegetables of the Andes and the fruit of the Amazon. Today Peruvian-Nikkei food is very much part of the mainstream diet in Peru, with dishes such as tiradito and ceviche.

The popularity of Korean and Mexican fusion has steadily been gaining traction since at least 1996. Mexican wrappings, such as tortillas and taco shells, filled with traditional Korean ingredients, like kimchi and fried chicken, combined with more typical dishes, including Korean tacos and bulgogi burritos, started making waves thanks to the likes of American-Korean celebrity chef Roy Choi.

Momo on Heddon Street is a glamorous Moroccan restaurant where the cuisine offers a North African inspired menu with a Mediterranean accent - a fusion of fresh local ingredients and spices to fashion more contemporary dishes. I would recommend trying the couscous Momo and chicken tagine.

London is now home to some of the best Peruvian Nikkei fusion restaurants, including Chotto Matte, Coya, Andina, Nobu and Lima Floral.

One of the first on the scene in London was Kimchinary, which serves its signature burritos with fried rice, laced with own-made spicy Korean kimchi, bulgogi-style, slow-braised ox cheek, and a decent glug of Korean chilli paste at Kerb Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cross each Friday. â&#x20AC;˘

SLOW FOOD

Savant

Navigating The Future Of Architecture WORDS JOHANNA RAUDSEPP

Beware of the Cactus WORDS: SOPHIE BREITSAMETER ILLUSTRATIONS: ELSE LAGERSPETZ

PHOTO: URMO LUTS

The harbour district in Tallinn, Estonia, welcomed a brand new office and commercial building earlier this year – Navigator. Its remarkable exterior displays mirror-glass incisions of various depths, showcasing the 28 corners and 6000 square metres of glass façade. Such an architectural solution enables natural light to enter every room. Thanks to the Navigator’s seaside location, it offers distinguishing views of the Old Town, the sea and commercial areas of the city centre. This architectural masterpiece is one of a kind, being the only building in the Baltic states to have received the coveted LEED Gold certificate. Earning this recognition verifies that the goal for the building to lead the way into the next generation architecture has been achieved. LEED (Leadership in Energy &

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

Environmental Design) is an internationally recognised certification program developed by the USA Green Building Council (USGBC). It shows the clients and public that the building at hand has fulfilled requirements of environmental responsibility in the work environment. The building is a ‘smart house’, whose systems are controlled by a central computer. For example, it is able to regulate ventilation according to the number of people currently in the Navigator and to their carbon dioxide production. The ‘smart approach’ and materials minimise extra costs on office space rental, saving energy and reducing resource consumption to have the smallest ecological footprint possible. The developers have even thought of how to make the site more accessible with environ-

Pretend you are living a Frida Kahlo Mexican dream with a desert cactus. These spiky friends will need 2-3 hours of sunlight a day, so try placing them by a window. Cacti plants also need to be kept rehydrated from spring to autumn, but don’t need as much attention in the winter months. A great tip we’ve tried is to add a few pebbles in the bottom of the soil to ensure that the water drains well, remember these plants aren’t used to too much water! Experiment with a Pincushion Cactus (Mamillaria) and enjoy its beautiful pink flowers this summer, rest assured that the Pincushion won’t grow too quickly, so you won’t have to worry about a prickly repot. •

mentally friendly transport, providing bicycle parking and shower facilities for cyclists. Aiming for self-sufficiency and the reduction of resource consumption in an office workspace with smart solutions is the key for Navigator’s success - and it does all of this while keeping costs minimal. Its modern architecture has thought of everything to create a healthier work environment for its users. The developers of OÜ Capital Mill don’t plan to stop here - the construction of Explorer, a building with similar properties and purpose, is under way. By setting an example, these buildings pave the way for the next generation of environmentally friendly architecture. •

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

Urban Zen Zone PHOTOGRAPHY HANNA-AMANDA PANT LOCATION THE CONSERVATORY, BARBICAN CENTRE

INSTEAD OF ZIGZAGGING AROUND YOUR CULTURAL CALENDAR, ESCAPE THE BUSTLING CITYSCAPE BY EXPLORING THE TROPICAL FLORA AND FAUNA IN THE HEART OF LONDON’S BUSINESS DISTRICT. THIS HOLISTIC URBAN JUNGLE WILL REVEAL THIS SUMMER’S FAVOURITE BOTANICAL HIDEAWAY. 19

SLOW FASHION

MEET AND GREET CLEISTOCACTUS WINTERY AND OTHER TROPICAL FRIENDS IN THE BARBICAN’S CONSERVATORY (SUNDAYS AND BANK HOLIDAYS ONLY).

Savant

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The Organic Way. WORDS JOHANNA RAUDSEPP

You are on the run every day. Taking a quick shower before work is all you have time for. Your body is intense from exhaustion. Recognise yourself? We believe it’s time for a long hot bath.

In the end they receive a massage and finally retire into a cooling room. Steam baths are considered therapeutic. They have been in use from Mesoamerican rituals to modern-day wellness centres.

From the first records of public baths built in Ancient Greece to modern-day spas and wellness centres, bathing has developed into a culture of its own. Although primarily serving the purpose of personal hygiene, bathing also provides relaxation to the body and soul. The Romans had developed waterways to bring water to houses in more populated areas. Ancient Greeks used small bathtubs, water basins and foot baths for personal cleanliness. They later took it to a new level, establishing the first public baths meant for relaxation in addition to standard hygienic purposes.

Nowadays, when looking for a way to relax and get away from the tension of day-to-day life, we often visit spas. However taken care of the facility may be, modern spas are still visited by thousands of people. To keep water hygienic, it is cleaned with chlorine and other chemicals, which, for some people, may even irritate the skin. The experience is surely relaxing thanks to the variety of extra procedures and friendly staff. You may wonder whether there are alternatives for the same purpose. How about going organic?

After adopting Buddhism, the Japanese built indoor bathing houses as well. At first they were meant for Buddhist monks and slowly became available to the public. Private baths were the luxury of the wealthier class. However, this didn’t take place until the 7th century A.D. Before that, people in Japan liked bathing au naturel in fresh spring water. Spring water is said to make your hair softer and smoother – no wonder the Japanese enjoyed it so much. If you’re a fan of the bath culture, you have definitely heard of a Turkish bath, or hammam. They are a variant of the more commonly known sauna, where the body goes on a journey of relaxation. From warm to hot, bathers are engulfed in steam in different rooms for the different stages of the process.

Approaching bathing organically can be more beneficial to your skin and decrease your stress levels. Geothermal pools are a great way to de-stress with a small ecological footprint, but how many of us actually have hot springs in our backyard? You don’t have to go through the trouble of finding a suitable spa, travelling there and trying to relax within a crowd. You can spend less and be more eco-friendly. By using organic bath salts, oils and soaps you can turn your own bathroom into a spa retreat. Savant´s current favourites are Willow’s organic oils and luscious lotions, Neal’s Yard Remedies’ exfoliating foams and salts, and Organic Surge’s beauty balms and body scrubs, but feel free to experiment to create the most soothing experience for you. •

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

Savant MODEL: HANNA-AMANDA PANT PHOTOGRAPHY: RAUL K.

SLOW FASHION

Savant

Slouching Towards Slowness: Digital Detoxing Nails the Way to Unplug

Savant

Blinded by the urge to constantly check in, check out, check the clock, to text, to Tweet, to Tumblr? Staring into the electronic void is not going to save any lives. A gadget-free retreat in the wild woods of Mendocino, California, does, on the other hand, give digital purification a promising raison d’être.

WORDS HANNA-AMANDA PANT

There’s a hoax circulating within the social media offering to gift 1,000,000$ to the person who can go gadget-free for 30 days. Provided that nobody can survive such a long term of digital dieting, the proposal sounds fairly absurd. Yet the circulation of similar myths in today’s staggeringly tech-addicted social climate is nothing but a clear indicator reminding us that it’s prime time to reëvaluate our relationship with the addictive digital technologies, and switch to engaging with a more authentic presence to life. Today, different forms of digital detoxing are celebrating bona fide success, and there’s even hope curing the digital fever wouldn’t exactly require going back to the Stone Age.

PHOTOS: CAMPGROUNDED.ORG & DANIEL N. JOHNSTON

“Technologies are introduced by powerful forces, and introduced to make those forces more powerful, and those forces override and overwhelm opposition.” – Kirckpatrick Sale

SLOW LIFESTYLE

movement du jour. Technology is becoming more and more advanced, but it’s also becoming more threatening. As the neo-Luddite icon Kirckpatrick Sale tells to The New Yorker, “Technologies are introduced by powerful forces, and introduced to make those forces more powerful, and those forces override and overwhelm opposition.”

In an era where the omnipresence of digital media has given birth to odd terms, such as iPhone-a-phobia, offline-ism has long been having a moment as a backlash against the hectic pace of urban life. What started in 1986 with Carlo Petrini’s protest against the fast-food chains, such as McDonald’s, taking over the Italian food scene, the Slow Movement advocates a shift towards valuing being present in the ‘now’. The growing necessity to call for a change against the Digital Age is no surprise when, on the one hand, the Silicon Valley - the birthplace of all tech everything - is speedily plummeting and, on the other hand, tech-free dinners are a social

Leaving your smartphone at home might not be an option for plugging out - with the Apple Watch, a smartwatch that has all built-in functions of a smartphone, and beyond, coming out this month (April 24, 2015), wearable technology - clothing and wristbands - is blurring the boundaries between the human body and technology. Martin Talks, founder of

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

“We can all be in the same room, but at the same time we can all be ‘alone together’. We can all be experiencing our personal experiences in our little individual bubble, even in a family environment.”

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

the UK equivalent of digital detoxing, believes that such inventions are especially harmful due to their wear-on, portable quality. “You’re never going to have to recall a fact anymore, you’ll be able to pull up Google in your head and answer the questions. You are outsourcing your knowledge.” Martin enlists that tech-obsession has also given birth to ignorance.“We can all be in the same room, but at the same time we can all be ‘alone together’. We can all be experiencing our personal experiences in our little individual bubble, even in a family environment,” he says. Checking our mobile phones over a hundred times a day is equivalent to four years during our lifetime. In addition, hyperstimulation that comes along with staring at digital screens has also messed up our sleeping habits. Strongly back-lit devices are particularly harmful because the bright artificial lightning affects the functioning of suprachiasmatic nucleus, the control system of our circadian rhythms. “[This control centre] inhibits the release of melatonin which is the naturally occurring hormone that encourages sleep, so if you’re using screens just before bedtime, it’s really hard to go to sleep because the body is just not producing that melatonin that encourages sleep,” explains Martin. Whether it is the smartphone-cult induced narcissism or the emergence of wearable tech to blame, Martin believes developing a healthier relationship with technology could be a starting point. “We need to start to ask ourselves serious questions about what relationship do we think is healthy with technology.”

Savant

provide a place where we could, at least temporarily, escape the vibrating, ringing, living, breathing, ever-growing, horrendous digi-beast fed by the continuum of global capitalism. There is even a minor, burgeoning industry that promotes Internetfree vacations, not to mention that instead of the excessive texting cult, we now consider it a socially awkward habit. Some anti-tech movements are following suit - a UK-based digital detoxing organisation offers weekend camping in remote parts of Britain to reconnect people with the world around them. “A lot of people are already having this one day a week when they’re not going to access technology just to take that as their way to sabotage against technology. It’s amazing how rewarding that day could be. We get a lot of feedback from people - [they mention] this feeling of freedom, a giant 2-day deep breath,” says Martin.

“There’s a phenomenon of a phantom vibration of a phone in one’s pocket even without a phone - people are imagining they’re receiving calls. This sort of thing is becoming so ingrained in us.”

As a result, the Slow Movement has taken the contemporary form of advocating the anti-digital, more authentic presence to life - apps that block the Internet are popular, ‘slow cooking’ is trending and some bustling, residential streets of London have set up ‘no mobile phones past this point’ signs to

Camp Grounded, part of the Oakland-based wellbeing organisation Digital Detox®, aims to challenge the present-day always-on culture with an adult camp in the wilderness of Mendocino, California. ‘You’ll dream deeply under the stars in your new home away from home, as the smell of campfires and sounds of sing-a-longs put you to sleep’ reads the camp brochure, promising to recreate memories of your childhood summer camps at its

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

best. The activities, including archery, yoga, origami, and even survival skills, pave the way for a powerful digital purification. In Camp Grounded, “What do you do for a living?” is never even a question. Being who you are matters more than your professional background - from Silicon Valley execs to journalists, students and bankers, the camp attracts participants all over the globe. For three days, campers are asked to let go of job titles, names, digital devices, networking and other real-life adult stuff that connects us to the ‘default world’, and adapt to using nicknames and reconnect to their spiritual stigma. For 305$ (£200, the fee includes healthy food, accommodation in Adirondack-style cabins, and activities and playshops on the recently renovated 1930s camp site), participants are invited to enter the true tech-free zone: signs, such as ‘like in person’ and ‘if you have the urge to take a picture or Instagram, please draw it’ are a what you’d find on the site listed as tech-free advice. Surprisingly, women surpass men in fighting against the digi and smartphone addiction - last year, 62% of the participants were female, 38% male, with the average age of 34. Camp Grounded, launched in 2013, began with the founder Levi Felix’s own burnout when working as a vice president at a thriving, competitive startup Felix’s 70-hour work weeks triggered an internal bleeding which made him lose 67% of his blood. Felix joined his partner Brooke Dean for two-and-ahalf-year backpacking trip, during which they learned to let go of the digital screens and discovered the joy of global wanderlust. It took 15 countries to realise that being connected does not mean being reconnected. They now help others to practice mindfulness, meditation and soul-searching. Whilst developing depression or anxiety over being

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

off grid, off comms, and FoMO (fear of missing out) are common concerns, to some, tech-addiction has exceeded all acceptable limits. A San Franciscan confessed to The New Yorker that retyping the URLs of websites he was already reading was what made him turn to the camp. Martin admits that running a gadget-free life doesn’t come equally smoothly to everyone. “Some people do find [the practice] very hard. There’s a phenomenon of a phantom vibration of a phone in one’s pocket even without a phone - people are imagining they’re receiving calls. This sort of thing is becoming so ingrained in us,” he says. Yet is herding people into the wild woods the only option for an anti-digital revamp? “Obviously going for a weekend away is a good kick-start, but what we need to do is to find balance in our everyday lives,” says Martin, adding: “I would definitely advocate not taking the phone to bed with one. I would advocate leaving the phone behind when you go for a walk. Why not enjoy the world around us?” For a whole generation of gadget-addicted urbanites, technology has become an inseparable best friend, but also a threatening enemy. If grilling S’mores and encircling around the blazing camp fire is not your cup of tea, practicing living in the presence without any toxic devices does not sound a bad idea at all. Slow what? Offline-ism is here to stay. It’s time to connect to something other than Twitter. • In 2015, two three-day sessions take place from May 22-25 and May 29-June 1. Location: Mendocino, CA Register at digitaldetox.org

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

Sustainable Whites PHOTOGRAPHY KATRIN VIIL STYLING HANNA-AMANDA PANT MUA MARET UBALEHT MODELS KATRIN KAUROV MARLEEN POOLGAS

SLOW FASHION

100% UPCYCLED OFFICE SHIRTS AND SEAMLESS WOOL-COATED JACKETS SURELY ARE THIS SEASON’S FAIREST TRADE. 46

SLOW FASHION

USED 91% LESS WATER, 84% LESS CO2 OFFICE SHIRTS: REET AUS JEWELLERY: BIRGIT SKOLIMOWSKI

Savant

SLOW FASHION

Savant

SLOW FASHION

SEAMLESS WOOL JACKETS: ANU HINT JEWELLERY: BIRGIT SKOLIMOWSKI

UNISEX JEANS, PENCIL SKIRT: REET AUS

Savant DRESS: ANU HINT JEWELLERY: BIRGIT SKOLIMOWSKI

Savant

Interview: Justus K

Savant

From packaging design to conscious couture: Finnish fashion creative Justus K. merges sustainable luxury with elegant sculpts of paper in his one-of-a-kind ‘KASKI Paper Couture’ collection. Savant explores the young visionaire’s ethical state of mind.

INTERVIEW HANNA-AMANDA PANT

Do you reckon the fashion industry has changed in recent years in terms of rethinking its ethics?

What is characteristic to you as a designer?

Today’s social media has brought more possibilities for introducing ethical problems in the fashion industry. For example, the angora wool scandal that widely flourished in the media a few years ago triggered fashion brands and retailers to react immediately. Unfortunately, it could be considered just a mere surface of some bigger ethical problems within the industry. In my opinion, transparency in fashion should be a norm instead of occasionally cropping up as a trend - perhaps some day the big fashion conglomerates that are earning millions for their stockowners could partially invest their income in the well-being of the employees in the developing countries. Is it too much to ask for?

PHOTO: ALEKSI TIKKALA

SLOW FASHION

I am quite diverse in a sense that I combine commercial design with more personal artistic expression, and these two opposites complement each other. For example, my latest collection ‘KASKI Paper Couture’ is a free-flowing, artistic couture collection, but there is also a more meaningful reasoning behind it. The research was all about how to use wood-based materials in fashion and how paper as a material works in fashion design. The Finnish Forest Foundation took my idea seriously and supported my project financially. I see myself progressing towards artistic high fashion and would position my work to be targeted at the luxury market.

On the plus side, sustainability is now considered a part of the game in the design education, and in many other industries too. There is also a commercial need and, similarly, as people are encouraged to buy a fridge that uses less energy, encouraging ‘slow fashion’ is economically wise. These are the biggest factors that should be taken into account to call for a change towards ecological thinking.

What inspires you the most in your designing process? Who are the designers you look up to?

SLOW FASHION

Like many other artists, I get my inspiration randomly anywhere in this planet or outside of it. For example, for my next project I am doing research about the universe. Personally, I have always looked up to Christian Lacroix and his dramatic and

KASKI PAPER COUTURE: JUSTUS K PHOTOGRAPHY: VERNA KOVANEN, ALEKSI TIKKALA HAIR: KATARINA ESKELINEN / QTIME MAKE-UP: JENNI SALONOJA MODELS: NINA P AND ANNA TALVI. COLLECTION SPONSORED BY THE FINNISH FOREST FOUNDATION, FILONA AND PAPYRUS FINLAND OY

SLOW FASHION

Savant

decorative style in haute couture. I also admire Riccardo Tisci and his work at Givenchy - how brave design and precise embroidery work by the Givenchy team. I have followed Tisci’s work ever since he took the lead. Where did you get the idea to use paper for creating the collection? The biggest influence was that, instead of fashion design, I was studying packaging design in the Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Arts in Finland. ‘KASKI Paper Couture’ was my graduate collection, but I had already done several experimental paper fashion projects while studying in France. There I participated in the local design competition and designed a sculptural garment made of recycled paper. My work was chosen to be exhibited at the Cité de la Mode et du Design in the 1.618 Sustainable Luxury fair. After the exhibition, it really hit me that I could develop the idea of introducing paper as a wearable material. When I started off with the collection, I remember myself panicking when I had to convince the management of the fashion department to allow my insane idea to use packaging materials in fashion. There was actually no reason to worry because they suggested a subject straightaway after I had informed them about the prize in Paris and the possible graduate collection. It might sound like a cliché, but do remember to always trust the passion you have - then the work is more efficient and others will believe in your vision, too. What are the main benefits and challenges you have encountered when working with paper? Paper is an ecological material - it is easily recyclable and wood is renewable. It is also possible to manufacture paper in the countries where child labour is prohibited. Moreover, trees and forests do not need extra irrigation which might spoil the delicate soil. Perhaps the main challenge is that paper cannot replace the common textile materials, even if many of my gar-

SLOW FASHION

Savant

ments are washable. For example, viscose is a familiar wood-based material, but there is a textile material developed in Finland that is more ecological. This wooden material can also compete with cotton, which is produced in the areas where it might steal growing space from food production. The paper fabrics used in ‘KASKI Paper Couture’ have been weaved together applying a traditional technique. The FILONA paper yarn is made in Finland. I had a chance to visit the factory a couple of times and see how they coloured the yarns, and also how they turned the original paper material into a yarn form.

“It might sound like a cliché, but do remember to always trust your passion - then the work is more efficient and others will believe in your vision, too.” What are your ultimate future goals as a designer? Would you consider continuing working with paper? I envision myself doing art and design for the rest of my life. I am also pursuing to work for a big luxury fashion brand soon. These are my biggest future goals at the moment. Paper itself would be a very natural way to continue with - I am interested in collaborating with a paper company and see my designs manufactured. Your collection is functional, yet aesthetically beautiful. How do these two elements - functionality vs aesthetics - come into play in your work? Functionality and aesthetics do not exclude each other - a very functional garment can also be visually captivating. I would love to wear super artistic garments every day but, unfortunately, the weather in Helsinki

“It is the spirit or story behind a collection that matters, whatever other art it might include. I love drama and sometimes my ideas in fashion art resemble a theatre play.”

SLOW FASHION

Savant

makes wearing haute couture impossible, and that is why more functional and simple daywear is more welcomed. On the other hand, I believe that artistic fashion has other values besides the aesthetics - what designers want to say with their collections is crucial. It is the spirit or story behind a collection that matters, whatever other art it might include. I love drama and sometimes my ideas in fashion art resemble a theatre play.

“Fear is a great power - we all have faced it in one way or another. Even in the educated and wealthy Northern Europe, fear makes people commit cruel actions instead of encouraging everyone’s right to be their true, individual selves.”

You’ve also gained experience in Paris. How would you compare the essence of fashion industry in Paris vs. Helsinki? France has a big luxury industry, so it is very common to educate designers in luxury business and design at an early stage. On the other hand, the education is perhaps more technology-based and industrial in Finland. It might sound very stereotypical but this is how I perceive it.

Savant

The manufacturing was initially a part of the goal, but I did not know how to achieve it. With a few changes, it could be mass-produced because the basic technique is simple and the materials are so wonderful. As I said, I would love to continue to design with these materials and make the garments available for manufacturing. You are also a performance artist. How did you develop an interest in theatre? What are the main themes you are engaged with? I started theatre as a hobby at the Riihimäki Youth Theatre when I was six years old. Performing blew my mind straightaway - I have had a chance to try all kinds of skills there, which is now the biggest youth theatre in Finland. When I was progressing, I found the physical and nonverbal performing interesting. Thus, I started dancing and taking up more contemporary performance art projects. Nowadays it is the characteristic style that I use as a tool to express myself within performance art. Sometimes I still do acting, and recently I have worked with the talented Finnish indie director Heidi Lindén, who also happens to be my dear friend.

Would it also be possible to mass-produce your collection in the future as the technology evolves?

In performance art, I mainly get inspiration from everyday life and the surrounding culture. At the moment I am doing a performance about the topic of fear of difference. It is a very personal and important subject. Fear is a great power - we all have faced it in one way or another. Even in the educated and wealthy Northern Europe, fear makes people commit cruel actions instead of encouraging everyone’s rights to be their true, individual selves. •

SLOW FASHION

Savant

Going Bare: What’s Transparency for Fashion? WORDS HANNA-AMANDA PANT

ASSISTANT RESEARCHER: ALEXANDRA MOZGOVAYA

A few years back, transparency wasn’t the most orthodox definition you’d find circulating within the fashion industry. For decades, luxury brands have been hiding their clandestine overseas production from the consumers and their predatory rivals. Today, transparency has become one of the main ways of communication for the same ‘McFashion’ brands, now re-orienting their business models like the Domino effect. Taking into account the deathtrap catastrophes in Bangladeshi and Cambodian factories a few years back (2013), a shift towards a more honest approach could be seen as a consequential backlash. Who wants to risk losing clientele for questionable ethics? Transparency, by definition, guarantees the disclosure of all information relating to material sources, manufacturers and other suppliers in order for all - from stakeholders to end customers to have an accurate picture of the product they’re about to purchase. The definition has surfaced because people are becoming more conscious of the harmful impacts of consumerism, and thus more demanding as consumers. In other words, buying ten £5 T-shirts instead of one worth £50 is as passé as it can be. This is an era of caring capitalism, and brands have no other choice but to boldly ‘strip bare’. According to Scott Montey, Director of Global Digital Communications for Ford Motor Company, opting for transparency is no surprise in the Information Age, when brands are just

deciding to reveal their behind-thescenes before someone else’s candid eye does on their behalf. “When we live in an era when personal and corporate secrets can be unraveled with a few lines of code or clicks of the mouse, it is only a matter of time before the public discovers the facts,” he says.To add, ‘going nude’ also gives away certainty and confidence, “showing that a company is confident enough in its process or operations to bring viewers in to see exactly how things are done. It is the ultimate in show and tell,” says Scott. So transparency is as much about building up trust as about incorporating a more personal approach to the products and marketing process. The Antwerp-based fashion maverick Bruno Pieters created his brand Honest By Bruno Pierters in 2010, being the first company in the world to share the full, itemised cost breakdown of the garments to the very last penny, and the brand has been operating on a 100% transparency policy ever since. According to the brand, honesty is important as a brand policy because it shows that ‘‘fashion is a celebration of beauty and that the story behind that celebration can be equally beautiful”. Another leading example is the Stockholm-based organic jeans label Nudie Jeans. The funky Swedish brand advocates near-naked truth by an interactive production guide that digitally maps out the company’s key route from suppliers to buying customers. Nudie Jeans source their cotton

from India, as well as Italy and Turkey, but produce in Italy and claim that they pay living wages for their workers. Although Nudie’s jeans look as good as any other designer brand’s - even so that you wouldn’t ever reckon someone would wear them for their ethics - what makes them unique is their promise to repair the customers’ worn jeans instore. “Buy a pair of organic jeans, never wash them and you wear them and wear them and wear them and they become like a second skin. You save water because you're not washing them too," says Nudie Jeans’ CEO Palle Stenberg. When the jeans break, after all, just bring them back to the store and they’ll repair them for free. In fact, they repair them until they become unrepairable. Then you can exchange them for a new pair of pants from Nudie Jeans. And never wash them and wear them and wear them. “It’s about how long you can make a single pair of jeans last,” asserts the Nudie Jeans team. A new wave of brands have set a remarkable example proving that today, sustainability is not only about timber bracelets and white eco-labeled cotton dresses, but a whole new technology advocating high quality standards, recycling, environmental protection and respect for human rights. It’s the pairing of latest technologies to make more good for our planet. It’s a 100% commitment in a new way, where there’s an equal place for all - innovation, honesty and responsibility. Now, only mainstream attitudes need to be reversed. •

SLOW FASHION

Final Touches PHOTOGRAPHY ALINA KOLOT STYLING & ART DIRECTION HANNA-AMANDA PANT MODEL KARINA MARC SPECIAL THANKS TO SPÉOS PARIS PHOTOGRAPHIC INSTITUTE

BEFORE WE HURRIEDLY PREPARE FOR THE DAILY COMINGS AND GOINGS, WE SHOULDN'T FORGET TO LOOK AFTER OUR CLOTHES. THE JOY OF IRONING, OF FOLDING AND BUTTONING, OF POLISHING THE SANDY SHOES, OF FIXING THE PRIM STRETCHES OF A COLLAR. DURABLE FABRICS - IN BLACK, IN NAVY, IN WHITE - HELP TO PRESERVE THE LONGEVITY OF AN ITEM. THE SLOWNESS OF DRESSING.

Savant

A Milky Way To Success: The Pressery The audience is a fan of the beautiful Instagrammable bottles with The Pressery logo engraved on them. Their purpose though, apart from being visually appetising, is to offer super-natural goodness, too. London’s kindest almond milk makers Chi-San Wan and Natali Stajcic open up on their personal success story. WORDS HANNA-AMANDA PANT

Hackney, London — Meeting Chi in a coffee shop in Haggerston feels like diving into a conversation with an old successful friend. Chi, lively and bubbly at first glance, exposes another level of matureness when it comes to talking business. Not only does it make me feel uneasy about my own accomplishments thus far, but I also never considered that an hour-long chat about milk-making could be that inspiring. Right, this isn’t your ordinary milk to pour over icy White Russians on a casual Friday, but a nutritious, chemical-free almond milk that boasts heavenly health benefits, hands down. Back to those White Russians - you could actually have one with almond milk for a milder, nutty taste, Chi approves knowingly. It all started back in 2013, when Chi was still working as a fashion stylist and Natali did event planning as a day job. The duo had been friends for ages and a mutual a yearning to ditch the routinely 9-to-5 kept them alert for opportunities. Although forever passionate about food and fashion, Chi admits experiencing recurring fatigue with fashion work, “Fashion was just like an overwhelming circus, and at some point it fails to excite you”. She remarks

their friendship has always been very foodie-based, whereas launching a food startup together seemed sort of a natural progress to their long-term friendship.

PHOTO: TOMAS JIVAN

“It may sound surprising, but when we we’re starting out, there weren’t any similar companies around,” asserts Chi, sipping chamomile tea. “What you would find were only L.A. and New York style detox cleanses, but not good, artisanal

SLOW BUSINESS

Savant

juice pop ups that back then only slowly started to gain popularity.”

selling at local markets marks a starting point for competing for a place in the fuss-free food industry.

The first glimpse into artisanal milk making took the duo on a research trip to Paris, where a local juice connoisseur kindly accepted to consult and develop The Pressery’s potential business pursuit. “With the budget we had at the time, he suggested us concentrating on only one specific item, and do it really well,” Chi recalls. They were surprised how little was the nutrient content in the almond milks available on the market that claimed themselves to be fuss-free. “The maximum almond percentage we could find was 7%, but most of them were only about 1% almond, heavily processed and lacking in nutrients,” says Chi.

When asked about the secret of their immediate success, Chi opens up that it still occurs to her as a months-long psychosis. In the first week, they were approached by different local delis, such as Daylesford Organic in Notting Hill, but also Selfridges, asking them to start producing in larger quantities. It was certainly not easy for a young foodie-concept. “We were bedazzled by the range of opportunities cropping up,” tells Chi. “All of a sudden, people got in touch with us and gave positive feedback. Our brand evolved by word of mouth, but being in the right place at the right time does matter a lot.”

“Chinese people never talk about love; rather they show love by sharing food with others and through family gatherings.”

“Fashion was just like an overwhelming circus, and at some point it fails to excite you.”

Tired of dishonest products in authentic packaging, The Pressery took collective responsibility to revolutionise London’s almond milk scene. Sounds like a niche enough idea for a startup, but why almond milk after all? “People used to drink raw almond milk before cow’s milk because it preserved for longer. Also, we wouldn’t get access to raw dates, for example,” Chi explains wisely.

PHOTO: MARTE MARIE FORSBERG

But the road to success has not been all milky smooth. Although Chi and Natali were ready to jump into the brave new world of milk-making, they admit their supporters remained rather hesitant. “Our friends and family were asking, why are you doing this? We were like, we are not going to launch a food company, so why not?” Chi enthuses. Nonetheless, the duo started with trial-and-error style kitchen testing with different flavours at home. Soon after getting the first desired results,

Could a degree of allure also lie in the dreamy, pastel-coloured packaging? Chi asserts that clean lines and bold minimalism run through The Pressery’s spot-on visual language because that complements the brand’s message - an honest product without any extra additives. In addition to pairing the right visuals with the product’s essence, developing a strong brand identity could often be the key parameter of success. “We had to persuade people to believe in our concept and support us without

SLOW BUSINESS

PHOTO: MICHAEL THOMAS JONES

Savant

actually being an approved brand yet. For that we did loads of mockups, such as the website, and focused a lot on the branding first,” Chi confirms, adding: “You must know your audience because that helps to get your basics right.” Chi also highlights the importance of networking. “Do ask advice from brands that you admire, you will actually be surpirsed how helpful people are. They want you to succeed in the end because they have,” asserts Chi. “If you are too secretive about your idea, nobody will know what is already out there in the market, and it is harder to give advice.

“Our friends and family were asking, why are you doing this? We were like, we are not going to launch a food company, so why not?”

When discussing the prominent health food bonanza, Chi perceives it as a backlash against the longpresent junk food mania that only now shows signs of reversing. “Once you have gotten into eating in a way that is the trendy way now, there is no turning back because you quickly realise that eating raw and whole foods is so much better for your health,” says Chi. “People have become more conscious about where their food comes from, and they ask questions about the products they consume - what is really in there?”. When asked about her Chinese upbringing in relation to food, Chi enlists some valuable family traditions, saying: “I’ve always been surrounded by food and making food from scratch. Chinese people never talk about love; rather they show love by sharing food with others and through family gatherings.”

SLOW BUSINESS

hard. You go to sleep you think about almonds, you wake up you think about almonds, you go to sleep you think about those bloody almonds! I was thinking... will it ever end?” Chi laughs, adding: “We are proud to give our baby to someone else to look after. At least we don’t have to think about labels in the middle of the night.” Although the duo have been working hard, they both understand the importance of a good time-out. “Sometimes you just have to take some time to unwind and think that no one has died, breathe and be realistic. Since there are two of us, it is mutually beneficial, as we keep reminding that to each other quite often.”

As a distant onlooker, I might note, rather resolutely, that The Pressery’s peak success is not a mere transcendental coincidence. It’s a story of a dream and hard, hard work that has paid off in the end. Evidence? It’s 6pm and in a small dim-lit coffee shop in Haggerston, Friday mood has taken over. For the past fifty-nine minutes and on, we’ve touched upon the importance of offline-ism, but determined Chi is back in the social media bubble. Monday’s orders need to be confirmed and some stockists are a heavy headache. Perhaps an almond-flavoured White Russian helps to sort that out... •

“You go to sleep you think about almonds, you wake up you think about almonds, you go to sleep you think about those bloody almonds! I was thinking... will it ever end?”

There have been people who reach out for help, but do not want to disclose anything, but this is not how it works,” she adds warningly. When it comes to the actual making process, up until now Chi and Natali were responsible for bottling the “super-natural goodness” from the first step to the last. Firstly, they soak the organic Spanish almonds for 12 hours overnight to activate them and release the nutrients. Then the almonds are cold pressed in a machine using purified water, whereas the pulp and juice comes through muslin bags. The white milk is squeezed out by hand and put into chillers, which, the duo confesses, are actually old slush puppy machines. The flavoured syrups - cacao, turmeric, matcha and berry - are added at the very end. The finished product has only a four-day shelf life, so the orders are delivered on the making day to guarantee required freshness.

Savant

PHOTO: MARTE MARIE FORSBERG

There’s a saying that people who quit the 9-to-5 are entering the vicious cycle of 24/7. Running a two-men almond milk startup is no exception. In addition to producing 250-300 liters per session compared to the former target of 40, expanding the brand has become a task on its own, so they have found an outsourced production company to do the juicing and bottling. Chi confirms she feels more relaxed after they are free from the 24-hour surveilling process. “The whole journey has been a learning curve. People say it is hard and it has been

SLOW BUSINESS

Savant

For S/S15, Spanish eco couture label Diarte assembled architectural lines with touches of masculine flamboyance. The devil is in the details, and Diarte’s powdery palettes surely elevate the wearer’s sense of self. Founder Ana Diarte’s aching memories of childhood trips to Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, curate us through Diarte’s creative expedition this Spring. INTERVIEW HANNA-AMANDA PANT

Why should we embrace moving towards sustainability and transparency in fashion? I think ethical and conscious fashion should be more visible - not only because this would help customers have a better overview of the choices on offer, but they would also have a better picture of how the fashion industry works. In my opinion, we’ve been doing things too wrong in the past few decades, and now it’s time to call for change. Profits wihout ethics do not make any sense.

Diarte: A Childhood Comfort Zone

SLOW FASHION

Do you reckon there are enough designers who work with environmentally friendly materials? What influenced you to create a conscious brand?

I never actually thought of having my own label, but living in London influenced me to think more globally and consider the possibilities of selling worldwide. It was a very eye-opening experience, and definitely the starting point of Diarte.

“Profits without ethics do not make any sense.”

Where do you draw inspiration from? What are the key themes you’re exploring?

Our team has just returned from Paris, where we were showing our collection to buyers, and we collectively realised that there are not many designers that work with eco-friendly materials. I think this is tricky - firstly, because it is not easy to find the required materials, and secondly, because textile design is more focused on synthetic fibers. I guess it is also a matter of having the knowledge on textiles, especially on how they are made, and then making the choice that works better with your label’s philosophy. So, having considered our options, we chose to go for natural fibers because it made more sense to us.

For me this is the most exciting moment in every collection - the moment when you just know what your next inspiration is going to be. Every time starts with an experience I have got, or a memory I could recall, and it tends to move towards architecture or society. For the S/S15, I saw somewhere a picture of a tile from the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, which I had visited with my family when I was a child, so I started doing investigation on it. The tiles, the textures of the woodwork and the importance of the irrigation system formed the basis of the research. The beautiful prints were designed

SLOW FASHION

Savant

by artist Ana Montiel, who alleged the mood and inspiration perfectly, and then fabrics were added accordingly - all these whites, navy, shades of blue.

and effort behind the clothes - where they are made and where the materials come from. We can provide that information, and we are very confident with it.

“I want people to wear my garments, and to say “how comfy this is”, that is my main goal.”

consider the manufacturing - I often speak to the technician to make the garment as polished and functional as it can be.

“For me this is the most exciting moment in every collection - the moment when you just know what your next inspiration is going to be. Every time starts with an experience I’ve got or a memory I could recall, and it tends to move towards architecture or society.”

What materials are you using in your craft? Where are the materials reworked and garments manufactured? For the knits we use 100% Merino wool with an Oeko-Tex certificate in winter, and 100% Egyptian cotton for summer. For the fabrics we use wool, recycled silk, cotton, a blend of silk-cotton and mohair. All our suppliers are European - from Italy, Spain and UK. All the garments are locally made in factories near our studio in Spain. So we keep an eye on the production process quite often, and make sure that everything has been taken care of properly. What are the main benefits and challenges you have encountered when pushing forward conscious design?

Savant

What are the future goals for Diarte? Have you thought of developing a menswear range?

DIARTE S/S15

The main benefit is to know that we are doing things right, or at least how we want them to be. Also, every season we search for new suppliers in order to find the best choice available. The challenge is always to find the materials, as they are not common and suppliers do not always understand the importance we give to natual fibers. On the other hand, buyers and customers really appreciate the story

What comes first, functionality or the aesthetics?

SLOW FASHION

Depending on the piece, but normally functionality comes first. I want people to wear my garments, and to say “how comfy this is”, that is my main goal. So I guess the challenge is having the perfect balance - choosing the right fabric for every garment and the use it is going to have. I also

As a designer I want to push my limits and make it right with every collection. The future goals for the brand are to consolidate it and grow to further markets, but gradually. We like to take things step by step, so we will not lose control over things. We are increasing our sales in the U.S. market season after season, and now we have some exciting projects for other markets as well. About the menswear range - it is funny because in Paris, a buyer just asked the same question. We’ve been thinking about it, because some male friends are really demanding it, but they’ll have to wait. We want to focus on womenswear for now, but it can definitely happen one day.

DIARTE S/S15

How would you describe Diarte’s ideal woman? We have stockists in 16 different countries - from U.S. to Finland and Italy, from Korea to New Zealand. So it has less to do with the origin, and more about how these women feel about themselves and how they feel inside our clothes. Diarte’s ideal woman is confident and independent. She believes in clothes more than in trends and likes to mix and match to make our garments her own. It is incredibly rewarding when we get to see customers in our clothes and the different ways they wear them. Oh, the creativity! •

SLOW FASHION

Savant

TILES FROM THE ALHAMBRA PALACE / PHOTO: CREATIVEBLOQ.COM

“For the S/S15, I saw somewhere a picture of a tile from the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, which I had visited with my family when I was a child, so I started doing investigation on it. The tiles, the textures of the woodwork and the importance of the irrigation system formed the basis of the research.”

ALHAMBRA PALACE IN GRANADA, SPAIN / PHOTO: FLOWTOXCLEANSE.COM

SLOW FASHION

Savant

Life’s Not Fair, But My Jewels Are

Ever wondered where your clothes come from? But jewels? The use of child labour, lack of traceability and hazardous health and safety measures are one of the most common risks concerning the jewellery industry today, but no one ever talks about it. There’s nothing better than shining in the light of gold and diamonds, but tracking up the inheritance of precious metals could not be less glamorous.

PHOTO: FAIRTRADE CERTIFIED GOLD / FAIRGOLD.ORG

“With the large jewellery brands dominating the press with the glamour of big budget campaigns, the issues are easily drowned out by the aspirational images. It often takes a big news story such as Rana Plaza, or Hollywood films like Blood Diamonds, to bring the issues to the fore.”

SLOW DESIGN

Savant

WORDS

ILLUSTRATIONS

HANNA-AMANDA PANT

ELSE LAGERSPETZ

“Good Morning! This ain’t Vietnam. Still, people lose hands, legs, arms for real. Little was known of Sierra Leone, and how it connect to the diamonds we own” goes the infamous line from Kanye West’s Grammy-winning song ‘Diamonds from Sierra Leone’, bringing light to the grim underbelly of diamond mining in the country once threaded for its illegal diamond trade.

A recent survey conducted by Cred Jewellery concluded that only 16% of people are aware of fairtrade metals as opposed to 64% who are familiar with fairtrade tea and coffee, yet 56% considers buying fairtrade products a responsible act. “Jewellery is far behind other sectors in embracing ethics and sourcing. Consumers have been demanding transparency in fresh produce, beauty and fashion for years,” adds Niki Clarke.

Public awareness around the origins of jewellery began in the late 1990s when a few NGOs started to rumor about the conflict linked to some diamonds. Ever since, active legislative bodies, such as The Kimberley Process (KP), have taken action to stop the flow of conflict diamonds that are used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments. In reality, it often takes the intervention of popular culture to bring these issues, largely overshadowed by the glitz and glamour of the mainstream jewellery industry, into public discussion.“With the large jewellery brands dominating the press with the glamour of big budget campaigns, the issues are easily drowned out by the aspirational images. It often takes a big news story such as Rana Plaza, or Hollywood film like Blood Diamonds to bring the issues to the fore,” says Niki Clarke, Web and Media Manager at the fairforward Cred Jewellery based in London.

The lack of traceability of the stones and hard metals is another major pain point - according to Alan Frampton, Marketing Director at Cred Jewellery,

SLOW DESIGN

Savant

no one knows where they come from, there is no serious accreditation or knowledge about supply chain management. “In 2015, there is more traceability on a £10 bunch of roses from Sainsbury’s than a £5,000 diamond ring from virtually any jewellers. Artisanal miners are working for $1 a day using child labour in dangerous conditions…any other situation like this would be an outrage,” he explains.

“We all share responsibility to the planet and to each other, so our hope for the future is that, as well as asking what carat their ring is, people start to ask where it came from and who mined it.”

In the ASM’s, mainly found in South America (SOTRAMI and AURELSA in Peru), but also in parts of East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda), one of the most severe risks is brought about due to the workers’ daily contact with toxic chemicals, such as mercury, cyanide and nitric acid, causing food contamination, nervous system damage and muscular tremors. “Ignoring the issues faced by ASM’s daily, or even contributing to these issues, is at best ignorance, and at it’s worst, greed,” says Niki Clarke. Amy Ross, Fairtrade International Project Manager for Gold and Precious Metals Programme, confirms that its superlative aim is to stop the various risks imposed on workers. “Fairtrade gold supports miners to eliminate child labour, work their way out of the vicious circle of exploitation and poverty and reduce the harmful impacts of mercury. Fairtrade hopes to now engage with gold in the same way it has with tea, coffee and bananas.”

There are currently 16 million small scale gold miners and further 100 million people who indirectly rely on artisanal and small-scale mining for a living, producing between 200-300 tons of gold per year, but they’re not protected due to the monopolisation of large-scale miners. Fairtrade Gold, a part of the Fairtrade Foundation encouraging the proliferation of fair gold and silver, has taken action to halt the hazardous health and safety measures, and grow the awareness of the lucrative issues facing the jewellery industry today. According to Fairtrade Gold’s initiative, they aim to seek ‘transparency, traceability, truth and justice’ as to what concerns the livelihoods of the millions of artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM’s) across the world. The Fairtrade mark ensures the prohibition of child labour, guarantees fair rights to the miners and constant supervision of working conditions, to name a few.

In January 2015, Fairtrade Gold also launched a campaign called ‘I Do’, encouraging couples tying the knot this year to choose wedding rings made

SLOW DESIGN

Savant

of fairtrade gold. Contrary to popular belief, responsible metals are not a rarity, and not as costly as one might think. “Both fairtrade silver and gold are available from many UK bullion dealers. The metal choice doesn’t affect the design of the piece, just it’s story,” says Niki Clarke. At Cred Jewellery, known for labelling the product with the source and content of the metal, as much effort is put into appealing design as the ethics. “Our customers are a mix of those who are specifically seeking an ethical option, and those who find out about the story after they have already fallen in love with the design.”

“In 2015, there is more traceability on a £10 bunch of roses from Sainsbury’s than a £5,000 diamond ring from virtually any jewellers. Artisanal miners are working for $1 a day using child labour in dangerous conditions…any other situation like this would be an outrage.”

there are always the leftover materials, and with precious metals you can always melt them down and recycle them.” Harriet Kelsall, an ethical jewellery designer, who has been working with Fairtrade Gold since the beginning, says that her jewellery costs on average about £5 more per ring/item of jewellery to make it in a fairtrade metal.

PHOTO: FAIRGOLD.ORG

Yet could Fairtrade jewellery go more mainstream in the near future? “Fairtrade metal now needs to be adopted throughout the industry to be available at all price points. Creating findings and chain in Fairtrade metals is such small scale, we need higher quantities to make it available on the high street,” says Niki Clarke.

Finnish jewellery designer Ida Thompson Coon uses recycled gold and silver, and even sprouts to spread the word about the importance of inheritance and traceability. Her often geometrical shapes are aesthetically refined, but their aim is to be as honest as possible. “For me the important part in designing jewellery is to tell the true stories - to try to trace up the sources and know where the materials come from,” says the young designer. Recycling or ‘scrapping’ is another method to reduce environmental harm in the crafting process. “Say, you have a piece, a square, and you’re going to shape a round piece out of it afterwards, but

The importance of gold, after all, lies in its trusted, timeless symbolism. “Gold is such a beautiful product associated with romance, shine and history. By creating traceability and provenance through Fairtrade, that gold becomes extra special,” says Amy Ross, adding: “We all share responsibility to the planet and to each other, so our hope for the future is that, as well as asking what carat their ring is, people start to ask where it came from and who mined it.” The myth of lucrative diamond fields in Sierra Leone is long gone, yet Kanye’s lyrics “diamonds are forever” will remain with us as long as we do not kill them with our irresponsible attitude towards the handling of these shiny, precious stones. •

SLOW DESIGN

Savant

“How does a necklace make you feel if you take care of it, grow it for 7 days, and then you can only wear it for 12 hours?”

‘ITUJA’ by Ida Thompson Coon MATERIALS: 100% ALFA ALFA SEEDS

WORDS, PHOTOS IDA THOMPSON COON

“I wanted to explore how things can be momentary, how things can be there for only a little while, and how do we feel about things like that. The necklace is made of 100% Alfa Alfa seeds and it is grown only with sunlight and water. It takes 7 days to grow and then you can wear it for approximately 12 to 24 hours, you can even eat it if you want. So it was more of a conceptual way of expressing that something fragile and momentary can be as beautiful as diamonds and gold, or whatever you want to wear.”

CURATED BY HANNA-AMANDA PANT

SLOW DESIGN

100

SLOW DESIGN

Savant

‘Forget Me Not’ by Ida Thompson Coon MATERIALS: RECYCLED SILVER, RECYCLED YELLOW GOLD PHOTOS: AKSELI VALMUNEN

“The jewellery collection is designed to tell a real story without frills, just the truth. It is designed to highlight the materials, the techniques and the idea behind the collection.”

SLOW DESIGN

101

“We forget too often where our roots come from. We embrace ourselves in lies and hide behind them. Jewellery should not be based on lies. It is something very beautiful and should carry pleasant memories from the beginning till the end. The jewellery collection is designed to tell a real story without frills, just the truth. It is designed to highlight the materials, the techniques and the idea behind the collection. Eternity was something that I wanted to involve in designing this jewellery collection. Precious metal

102

jewellery is one of the oldest ways of telling about our culture. For thousands of years gold and silver have been accepted as a way of telling a story. This story is extremely important and should not be depreciated. But with our ways of consumption, telling a story has become meaningless. We don’t care who was involved in the process of making a piece or where the materials came from. With this jewellery, I decided to tell the whole story. To use recycled materials and let the consumer in on the little secrets of the trade.”

SLOW DESIGN

Savant

“I wanted ‘Forget Me Not’ to be aesthetically minimalistic. In designing minimalistic jewellery there is always a risk of making something boring. For the line of rings I wanted to incorporate rhythm and find elements from music to bring the collection to life. Firstly, you must find the right rhythm to create a beautiful melody. Using this way of thinking, I was able to create a coherent combination of shapes and surfaces that together created a beautiful rhythm.” •

SLOW DESIGN

103

104

Savant

Bearable Whiskers WORDS: DANIEL DLAMINI PHOTOS: HANNA-AMANDA PANT

Pogonophilia (noun) - the love of, or attraction to, beards. In this contemporary living we take many things for granted, we really do. Who stops to think why men button their shirts on the right and women on the left? The difference between a men’s pair of trousers or jeans to a woman’s? Why some men keep their beards and grow them thinking it´s chic, whilst some women absolutely detest them as breeding grounds of evil organisms and a sign of male masochism? Are men and women really that different, or is a bearded man that much different to women than a man without one? I suppose it’s the classic comparison of the old with the contemporary. Women then become judges of what’s best and men incline, what does that tell me? Maybe men shave or don’t shave to please women. Many research articles have alluded to this observation. An article by UkAskmen.com refers to a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of South Wales and published in Evolution and Human Behaviour, which found that women find men with beards - specifically 5 to 10 day old beards - more attractive. Interesting find, however, there are women who will not touch a man with a beard, especially what they describe as overgrown and unkept, or too heavy. And the significance of the beard? Facial hair was generally a common feature of national leaders until early 20th century. The last British Prime Minister with any facial hair was Harold MacMillian about five decades ago. Before him there had been a

SLOW LIFESTYLE

chain of prime ministers with no facial hair at all. In U.S., the last President to sport any kind of facial hair was William Taft almost a hundred years ago. According to ask.metafilter.com, in Australia, the last Prime Minister to sport facial hair was Billy Hughes who was in office to 1923. Every President has been clean shaven from then on. So the beard, once the feature of kings, leaders and dignitaries for centuries now needs a justification for its existence. What about the beard wearer’s existentialism? Their right to be all things they aspire. A man’s right to his self-image in a world of so much variety and style. What makes men grow beards? It’s genetics I suppose, evolutionary remnants of an adapted human species with no significance in our contemporary society and habitat. I am no expert at the subject, but beards appear to be as pointless as wearing a pair of dark sunglasses in pitch blackness. Or is it so? One can tell most times the beard receives particular attention, a bearded friend once explained to me, ‘It really doesn’t make a difference, people stare and that is when you realise ‘oh it’s the fluff under my chin they are staring at’.’ Otherwise, it is just there and nobody really thinks, ‘I am bearded therefore I am’, or ‘I will be happier today because I am bearded’, so why grow it? Every bearded person has their own unique response to this. Whatever one might think or say about the bearded man or exceptional bearded woman, it is what it is. What would society be like without the beard? It is something for some men to say here I am, I am a man, and my beard will be my insignia, my mark, my beacon of masculinity.

FIND DELL AND OTHER MAGNIFICENT BEARDS IN THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY.

I have been assured, most beards are shampooed, maintained and combed to a good acceptable standard. All for the beard! •

105

106

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

Im Gegenteil: The First Online Dating Blog on a Go-Slow Mission

Smartphone dating apps are a thing of the past as the Berlin-based Im Gegenteil unites love seekers with a more personal approach.

WORDS HANNA-AMANDA PANT

Meet Berliners Jule Müller and Anni Kralisch-Pehlke - founders of an online dating platform that has replaced the repetitive swipes to the left and swipes to the right with thought-through, polished profiles of Germany’s hippest singles. And there’s a good reason to stay alert - following a successful expansion to Switzerland, they’re soon spreading the love to other European capitals, too.

FOUNDERS ANNI KRALISCH-PEHLKE AND JULE MÜLLER

“There is so much choice out there that some people find it challenging not to look for something better all the time better job, better apartment, better clothes, better partners. The feeling of missing out seems to be quite present.”

SLOW LIFESTYLE

107

What Jule and Anni describe as ‘an online magazine with a techy novelty’ was born of mutual dissatisfaction with the old-fashioned dating platforms, and also of an honest mission to help friends and fellow singles to find love...in their own desired pace. Combining an instant medium with in-depth user profiles, Im Gegenteil (‘On the Contrary’) allows love seekers to get together without the fuss of awkward profile photos and often mismatching self-descriptions. Although the story of the innovative dating platform dates back to the pre-Tinder era in 2013, the duo could foresee that casual dating sites, offering nothing but a quick hookup, were getting out of hand, and thus demanded an unforced, slower go for dating. “Even though Tinder wasn’t a thing yet, we still felt the urge to slow things down somehow and come up with something that gives the single more space, and overall looks less embarrassing than the average dating website,” says Jule.

108

According to Jule and Anni, Berlin’s real-life dating scene, heavily influenced by the rather raucous party culture, is following the only acceptable formula if singles are after something at all, then it is a no strings attached one-off. “People go out, pick someone up, have sex - nothing to write home about,” says Jule. That’s when Jule and Anni decided to slam the breaks on the cycle of meaningless pleasure hunting. “On the other hand, we’ve met a lot of singles complaining that they are missing proper relationships,” the duo admits.

“Perhaps the only mishap was a guy who started with “Hi Lena, I didn’t read your profile but liked the pictures...”. He obviously couldn’t even bother to read the headline as my name is not Lena.” When it comes to regular dating platforms, their dependence on the shallow, appearance-based profiles without depth seems to come across as the main pain point, setting a barrier for those seeking real

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

KARL NOWAK, 29, COUNTY MANAGER AT THE MUSIC STARTUP SPINNUP, ONE OF THE FIRST USERS OF IM GEGENTEIL.

LANA, 30, AN ARTIST MANAGER FROM BERLIN.

relationships. Chris, 25, a former avid user of the gay dating website Grindr, admits he turned to Im Gegenteil because all similar sites were slowly evolving into sex date platforms. “Without given any additional information about the person, you decide on the basis of one picture whether you would like to meet him or not,” tells Chris.

incredibly personal letters per week received from girls all around Germany. “Speed-dating platforms suit the life of young people in big cities. The key factor is getting to know as many people as possible, and the chance of cherry picking - who suits you the most when it comes to appearance,” says Karl.

actually have to write an e-mail not just swipe right. It’s kind of natural selection,” says Lana, 30, an artist manager from Berlin.

with “Hi Lena, I didn’t read your profile but liked the pictures...” He obviously couldn’t even bother to read the headline as my name is not Lena.”

Karl Nowak, 29, county manager at the music startup Spinnup, one of the first users of Im Gegenteil, is still in search of the perfect partner. Tired of accounts that fail to deliver an honest picture of a person, he was intrigued by the 50

On the plus side, Im Gegenteil brings back a more personal touch - seducing someone via the platform takes more time and effort than a few swipes. “With Im Gegenteil there’s a higher barrier for people to get in touch with you. They

Lana admits she was surprised by the people’s input that goes into composing lengthy love letters. “The best surprise was a young guy who wrote to me saying his boss and I would make a good couple. He described him to the minutest detail, and it turned out that we really have a lot in common. I met him once and I think I’ll see him again,” she says. Yet sometimes things do go a bit awry. “Perhaps the only mishap has been a guy who started

The duo states that the site’s popularity grew almost overnight - a hype that manifested itself in the form of 1,500 Facebook likes and some investors getting in touch in the first day, that is. Both are now working on Im Gegenteil full time. But does team work make the dream work? Anni’s business sense is a measured yin to Jule’s creative yang Jule is also responsible for all the über-polished images of the users and their creative nests up on

SLOW LIFESTYLE

109

110

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

the site. Yet the process of running a slow-paced dating platform is unexpectedly hectic. “Many underestimate the time and effort that goes into the website - answering e-mails, meeting people, marketing, press, coding, accounting, strategic planning, earning money,” admits Jule. “We’ve been very lucky since from the beginning everything has worked out for us.” It takes only a few seconds on the site to realise that first impressions do matter a great deal - for Jule and Anni, pedantic presentation is as vital as the depth and honesty of the featured portraits. On average, the age range of the audience the platform attracts is between 20-40. When it comes to selecting the potential love-seekers to be featured, Jule and Anni confirm that they are open-minded “in regards to their profession, beliefs, looks and sexual orientation”, although with a few exceptions. For example, the duo considers “half naked men with cats on their shoulders or women in front of right-wing deco” a no-go. Luckily, of the 2,000 current open applications, these still form a minority. Although Anni and Jule deny the overflow of stereotypes, “regular hipsterish types” do not pass unnoticed. Coincidence? Karl confirms that most of the users appear to be from the “‘cool’ industries with great and interesting jobs.” “Most of them get to know a lot of people every day, which makes them feel like taking it slower when it comes to the private life. If small talk is part of the daily business, relationships should be exactly the opposite,” he says of the potential popularity of the site. Although Jule confirms that bearded guys in their thirties are still trending, it takes more than good looks to be featured on the site. “The model type of girl does not necessarily get more attention than the others, although we would have expected it, to be fair.”

SLOW LIFESTYLE

In addition to the unique, thought-through profiles, a bold assemblage of glossy images of its users in their own natural habitat appears to be the science of success. For the most truthful and personal approach, the duo travels to the city where the single is based and interviews them in their own home element, hence the enviable home decor inspiration. Yet despite meeting the applicants in their own comfort zones, the duo confesses that the hardest part is to get the singles open up. After all, the whole process should be executed as a casual meet-up between friends. “When we visit someone at home we spend around three hours at their place. It’s nothing like an awkward job interview, but more like meeting up with friends for tea and cake,” says Jule, adding: “Most of the singles are rather nervous - to make them feel comfy is one of our biggest goals.” The profiles - along with shooting, interviewing and editing - take a day each to compose. “It is often better to let someone else tell something about you, because some people have a distorted self-reflection. There’s simply no space for any fake accounts,” confirms Sinje, a long-term user.

“To get to know each other better, it takes more than a few pictures. That’s the reason why dating should go slower.”

Savant

Cherie. She led a long distance relationship with her new partner for quite some time. He now finally moved to Berlin and in with her. The two of them now have a partner tattoo. We also met them for a success portrait,” confirms Jule. In this era of supermarket-plenty, ever-accessible choice, Jule notes that it is often difficult to remain persistent in the search of that one specific partner. “There is so much choice out there that some people find it challenging not to look for something better all the time - better job, better apartment, better clothes, better partners. The feeling of missing out seems to be quite present,” she admits, bringing out a common modern-day paradox - “When it comes to dating, people are giving up rather quickly, but are longing for being close to someone at the same time.” “To get to know each other better, it takes more than a few pictures. That’s the reason why dating should go slower,” adds Sinje. Nonetheless, running a slow-go online dating blog has not ruled out Jule and Anni’s belief in true human values, such as togetherness and real love. “It has been an amazing experience to make people happy,” Jule enthuses over their altruistic triumph. “Love is the best you can give to people nowadays. Next stop will be world peace, I guess.” •

PHOTOGRAPHY: JULE MÜLLER

Contrary to other online dating platforms, where new-found love often goes missing, Jule and Anni avidly keep track of the successful matches, boasting a 30% success rate since its inception. The success stories are put up with the aim to inspire the present and future love seekers. “One of the most heart-warming one was the about a girl called

111

112

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

Torsten Valeur’s Sound Sense of Audiovisual Luxury

This year, Torsten Valeur celebrates the completion of two decades in the renowned group of David Lewis Designers. For the hard-working Danish designer, being fluent in the diligent craft of audiovisuals, above all, means taking steps with that very Scandi approach of mutual respect and understanding. WORDS HANNA-AMANDA PANT

When did David Lewis Designers begin as a household name?

making you wish to keep the product forever.

The office was founded by David Whitfield Lewis who moved from London to Copenhagen in the early 1960. He began to design Bang & Olufsen products as an employee at Jacob Jensen and Moldenhawer, then he went solo in late 1975 and founded the studio. I joined in 1995 and years later, we made a generation shift that happened sooner than planned due to David’s sudden death. How does timelessness come into play in Bang & Olufsen’s design approach? What helps to capture the timelessness element without losing the emotional appeal of a product?

TORSTEN VALEUR / PHOTO: REKLAME-FOTO.COM

“If a design does not have a strong emotional appeal, it will never become timeless. Timeless is when something is so attractive that it breaks the time it is born in by keeping its attractiveness.”

SLOW DESIGN

113

The whole aim is to make audio and video products that bring enduring magical experiences. When you first see a Bang & Olufsen product, you are attracted by its radically different, yet logical audiovisual shape. It’s beautiful and desirable. It stands out from the crowd with its own strong personality. In everyday use, it should bring you joy and a feeling of getting more than just fulfilling the basic need - the feel that everything has been taken care of, and there is this little extra. This should stay the same for years,

114

However, it is also about the pride and persistence put into creation and production of a Bang & Olufsen product. Every single one of us wants to do all we can to achieve the best - this means not compromising due to indifferences and laziness. When you hold the product in your hand, like the BeoRemote One, you automatically sense that it is made with diligence, not sloppiness. Timelessness and emotional appeal are indistinctly related. If a design does not have a strong emotional appeal, it will never become timeless. Timeless is when something is so attractive that it breaks the time it is born in by keeping its attractiveness. What’s your opinion on the recent design movement that has turned towards operating on a 100% transparency policy? How could we possibly make conscious and honest design more attractive to the consumer? If we have to make every step visible, we might spend too much time telling people what we do, instead of using the time by doing what we really should do. The designing process is not straight and completely rational, going step by step.

SLOW DESIGN

Savant

You have to allow the process to go in circles sometimes because that brings better results. However, I am a big fan of an open dialogue from A to Z between designers, engineers, specialists and others that can participate with knowledge and ways of problem-solving. Especially during the later part of the process in which the design is developed to mass production, then is it important to have an open and honest dialogue among the participants.

“Every design should be able to melt into any interior like a chameleon, when you don't look at it directly. However, when you look at it directly, it should have a strong identity, full of stance and opposition to indifferent products.”

Who are the key practitioners that you admire? I tend not to observe what other designers are doing, because designing should never resemble to a closed community activity. Instead, I appreciate creativity that merges across people in parallel work fields. I look up to practitioners that come up with new ideas and break consensus by doing it upside down, yet in a completely logical way.

is the inhabitant’s own unique space where they should feel at home. So my aim is that every design should be able to melt into any interior like a chameleon when you don’t look at it directly. However, when you look at it directly, it should have a strong identity, full of stance and opposition to indifferent products. To be more precise, a speaker must look like a music instrument playing wonderful sound, yet it should melt into the interior and become almost invisible, when it is not in focus. The [product’s] identity is related to being autovisual, which means you should be able to understand it instantly by looking at it. Parameters, such as function, idea, culture and emotions, are the ones to be considered. What’s perhaps the most unexpected place you’ve drawn inspiration from and referenced in audio design? The linguistic space. I am not verbal, however, it happened to me that a sentence, which had been taken out of a completely different context, was the inspiration of a speaker we have been designing for a while. How to make a visually appealing product functional?

I am not interested in filling up living rooms with stuff that draw attention by being visually noisy. Rather, I try to respect the idea that every room

Nothing is more frustrating than a product that is difficult to use. I am not patient and do not like to read manuals. I am also frustrated by ergonomic products that can be used in only one way. In reality, it often happens that flexible products are more ergonomic. Sometimes products are designed with a great functional approach, but they end up looking so complicated that you feel that they are complicated to use as well. I believe that the eye and the hand have equal importance to functionality -

SLOW DESIGN

115

What personally allures you in the design of soundsystems? What defines the quality of a product?

Savant

BEOVISION 10-46 / BANG & OLUFSEN / PHOTO: FEELGRAFIX.COM

‘Form follows function’ is good but not enough. One function can have different forms that all solve the function equally well. It is also important to take history and culture into consideration when shaping a function. Culture determines the perceived expectation of how a given function looks like.”

116

SLOW DESIGN

Savant

I try to make things look simple and straightforward, so that they would still be able to work seamlessly. ‘Form follows function’ is good but not enough. One function can have different forms that all solve the function equally well. It is also important to take history and culture into consideration when shaping a function. Culture determines the perceived expectation of how a given function looks like.

Savant

well as individually hardworking. As a person, I like to look for a consensus, professionally, I must fight for the right solution all the way. I love to cowork with the right engineers - I fully understand the issues they are facing, yet I challenge them continually with the aim that we together can make the seemingly impossible become possible. You can only do that with mutual respect and understanding.

What are your personal tips for slowing down? How important is the role of technology outside the boundaries of your professional life? I am a strong believer in creativity and inspiration which derive from hard work, but I do find that the breakthrough ideas often come to me when I have a little break during the process. However, you cannot start a project by sitting down and waiting for inspiration, you can only start by starting to work hard. The moments of inspiration arrive when I watch a movie, listen to music, drink green tea or talk to friends. I think it is when you mentally relax and feel comfortable that you liberate the brain in order to deliver what you are searching for. Stress is the killer of creativity and innovation. What’s the secret of making things work in a creative team? Do you personally consider it hard to compromise?

BEOREMOTE ONE / BANG & OLUFSEN

How important is sustainability for you, both in the design and manufacturing process? Overall, do you reckon sustainability is an important value in Scandinavian design?

It’s basically the same as if you are playing in a band. You have to be very good at you job, but also listen to what the others are doing and be cooperative as

Absolutely. Sustainability is important and a part of Scandinavian design’s DNA, though not unique for us. A product should have a long lifespan without breaking down prematurely and by having an enduring attractive appeal. A product should also be honest in what it does, how it looks like and the way the materials are used. •

SLOW DESIGN

117

BEOPLAY A9 SPEAKER / BANG & OLUFSEN / PHOTO: DESIGNBOOM.COM

“I think it is when you mentally relax and feel comfortable that you liberate the brain in order to deliver what you are searching for. Stress is the killer of creativity and innovation.”

118

SLOW DESIGN

Love Will Tear Us Apart, Again PHOTOGRAPHY HANNA-AMANDA PANT MODEL IULIANA-ELENA VINTE

WHEN TIRED OF THE ORDINARY WAY TO GET THROUGH THE DAY, REROUTING YOUR REGULAR COMMUTE WILL BRING JOY AND PARADE YOU THROUGH DELIGHTFUL NEW DISCOVERIES. GRAB YOUR JACKET, NOTEBOOK, AND GET LOVESTRUCK ALONG THE ALTERNATIVE WAY. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY.

Savant

SLOW FASHION

127

Savant

128

SLOW FASHION

Savant

130

Savant

Lumière Mon Amour WORDS: ALEXANDRA MOZGOVAYA

PHOTOS: HANNA-AMANDA PANT

MODELS: MAEL CAMPI, KADI ARULA

2015 is announced as the International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies. Global UN initiative claims to raise awareness of the importance of light and present new photonic technologies. Their mission includes introducing a variety of light solutions that have a great stake in sustainability and decision-making in a wide array of fields - from energy and agriculture to education and healthcare.

rior decoration. The movement of the sun causes changes in natural light every hour, so it is a valuable source of energy as opposed to artificial light. To make the best out of daylight, it is important to trace the trajectory of natural light, and combine it with artificial light solutions that can be divided into three groups: main, additional and decoration light.

Daylight is an important resource for the functioning of all living organisms - it affects our physical well-being, emotions and mindset, it maintains our ability to work, our energy levels and mood. Natural light has also a direct impact on human biorhythms. It is proved that people who work in spaces with large windows are less susceptible to stress, whereas patients, who undergo treatments in rooms with plenty of daylight, recover faster. Thus, daylight as a natural energy resource could not be replaced with any other light without seriously affecting human biorhythms. Yet, in the contemporary city environment, all our activities depend largely on the usage of electrical energy. There is little chance that this could be completely deducted, but there are some simple tips which everyone could incorporate into their daily routine to benefit from natural light solutions, and learn to use energy more wisely.

When decorating the room, prefer white and clear colours as they reflect sunbeams and produce more natural light and warmth. Try to avoid a lot of glossy-coated furniture surfaces. Experts criticise them for creating vivid light patches that are harmful for our eyes - they distract glare, strain sight and dissipate focus. It is also a good idea to change heavy print decoration in a room for white and light furnishings. Try to open the windows in your apartment: plants and vases absorb daylight.

In office buildings, artificial light, along with air conditioning, comes across as one of the two main factors taking up energy consumption. Wise use of natural light can help manage to save from 50 up to 80% of the cost of electricity and the corresponding effect on the service life of lighting fixtures, as well as reduce the cost of their maintenance.

Daylight is an important resource regulating our inner clockwork. To better maintain the challenges the active summer brings, set your life up according to the changes of sunlight - without it, there simply wouldn’t be life.

SLOW LIFESTYLE

131

Modern-day architects and designers develop new approaches engaging conscious building, including light design, shape of windows, materials and inte-

132

Your work desk should be near the window and ideally oriented south-east - this direction does not put extra tension on the eyes. If the office desk is positioned in the north direction, it is very important to incorporate more additional light or redesign it with white surfaces. Every morning should start with letting in the natural light and airing the room as much as possible - open the windows and the balcony. Daylight is an important resource making us feel better and helping us stay healthy and vigorous throughout the year, so the best advice is to spend more time outdoors and less in dark, candle-lit spaces and rooms decorated with artificial light. Wake up, it’s time to give our circadian rhythms an invigorating revamp. •

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

SLOW LIFESTYLE

133

Savant

134

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

SLOW LIFESTYLE

135

Savant

136

SLOW LIFESTYLE

Savant

Realisation of a Dream: Louis Vuitton Foundation At the quiet edge of the wood-coated western Paris’ 16th arrondissement, an avalanche of mirage-like visual ruptures and nautical glass-paneled structures has created a silent story of a dream. Frank Gehry’s conceptual futu-building surprises with the creative use of light spaces and boldly toys with gravity. WORDS

PHOTOGRAPHY

HANNA-AMANDA PANT

LISA BOUANNA

When walking up to the sculptural building within the preen green alleys of Bois the Boulogne - resembling to a fluid structural sail from far distance you cannot quite make up your mind as to what it is. An abstract sculpture? Floating spaceship? A boat?

Tearing apart the heavy, cemented façades is not new to Gehry’s approach to architecture - the building, made up of 13, 500m2 of reflective glass surface, comes across as an X-ray mechanism revealing the hidden underskin of glass tubes, bones and veins, and gives a light, rhythmic breathing to the art space. “It is a vessel, a fish, a sailing boat, a cloud,” says Frédéric Migayrou, architecture curator at the Pompidou Centre, who organised a retrospective of Gehry’s work concurrently with the building’s opening last year. Future-forward Gehry proves that too much good melted into a seemingly accidental fusion pot of ad hoc elements can still result in a creative genesis of lasting, durable craft.

Opened for the public in late October 2014, Bernard Arnault, head of the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton, partnered with the L.A.-based architect Frank Gehry, author of the renown Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, to create the translucent, spider-like 126,000-square-foot colossal masterpiece that serves the purpose of a contemporary art museum and cultural center. In closer inspection, transparency and creative natural light solutions, interacting with the surrounding fields of green, appear to be the DNA of the Foundation - its 11 exhibition spaces boast a multi-dimensional feel, adding a brave touch of dynamism and toying with its purposefully infinite grandeur.

138

And Gehry’s story of a dream? Perhaps it’s a perspective aching to obstruct the monopolisation of the tiny Haussmannian-era Gothic-style emblems still characteristic to modern-day Parisian living. Starting from the affluent western edge of the City of Light sounds like a brave enough start to challenge the historically stagnant milieu. •

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

Savant

139

Savant

SLOW FASHION

140

SLOW FASHION

Savant

“To reflect our constantly changing world, we wanted to create a building that would evolve according to the time and the light in order to give the impression of something ephemeral and continually changing.” – Frank Gehry

SLOW FASHION

141

Savant

Flamenco PHOTOS: DENIZ ZEKA MODEL: DIR RAFFIN MUA: SILVIANA KHURNIAWAN HAIRSTYLIST: SOYOUNG YOON

SLOW FASHION

143

Savant

Abandoned Florida

For true urban explorers, Florida is more than silly amusement parks and bustling beaches. Photographer Krislin Kreis takes us on a distant road trip discovering the unexpected, eerie side of the Sunshine State.

148

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

Savant

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

149

Savant

150

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

Savant

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

151

Savant

152

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

Savant

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

153

Savant

154

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

Savant

SLOW FASHION

155

Savant

156

SLOW FASHION

Price: ÂŁ8