inaugural c o mpendium of creativity
spring’07 3deep jeff r utten chicks on speed christian wijnants robb young dino dinco jim lee
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www.ch r i s t o p h e c o p p e n s . c o m
NEWS 20 Skin Over 22 R.M. Fischer 24 Ping Pong Bitches 26 Joe Colombo 29 Kaviar Gauche 30 Charles Trevelyan INTERVIEW 32 Jeff Rutten by Ninette Murk 36 Trico by Anton N 42 Dino Dinco by Ninette Murk 46 Chicks on Speed by Javier Barcala 48 Christian Wijnants by Javier Barcala 52 Robb Young by Hongyi Huang FASHION REPORT 58 The Fashion Underground 60 Richard Macabre 62 Wendy & Jim 64 Romain Kremer 66 Gregory Littley MUSIC 56 Louie Austen by Paul Davies DESIGN 68 3 Deep by Sulin C FEATURE STORY 78 Jim Lee by Beth Vincent FASHION 100 Witchcraft by John Paul Pietrus 116 Analysis of Brazilian Style by Jacques Dequeker 136 Grrr.... by Jason Ell 148 Starman by Jorge Camarotti 168 Friends by Asi of Iceland BEAUTY 156 Adam de Cruz PHOTOGRAPHY / ART 161 Incognito by Philip Provily GRAPHIC 175 Ode to Nature TRAVEL 196 Tokyo Metropolis by Jun Kit
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www.ch r i s t o p h e c o p p e n s . c o m
w w w. d e s i g n ersagainstaids.com
incognito by Philip Provoly
through the lens of Jim Lee
The Fashion Underground
bending the rules with 3 deep design
through the lens of Jim Lee
Witchcraft by John Paul Pietrus
friends by Asi of Iceland
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photo: Arthur Meehan (www.arthurmeehan.com) / model: Alek Alexeyeva (Next London)
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beauty by Simon Songhurst
Chicks on Speed rules
Ode to Nature
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dominic Sio EDITOR Adam de Cruz FASHION EDITOR Niki Brodie (London) Loic Massie (Paris) SPECIAL PROJECT Ninette Murk CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Vinnie Pizzingrilli (Brazil) Jared Johnson (USA) Hongyi Huang (London) Javier Barcala (Spain / Belgium) CONTRIBUTORS Annie Horth, Anton N, Asi of Iceland, Bart Peeters, Christopher Sweeny, Claire Park, Diane Pernet, Drogo Molinas, Hind Matar, Hongyi Huang, Jason Ell, Jorge Camarotti, John Paul Pietrus, Jun Kit, Paul Davies, Philip Provily, Shane Brazier, Simon Songhurst EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR Hamid Jamil ART DIRECTION Dominic Sio / Ben Thain DESIGN CONSULTANT catpowder@gmail.com DESIGNERS Feon T. / Moses Chee EDITORIAL OFFICE Suite63-2 Manor 2 Jalan Perkasa 9 Taman Maluri 55100 Cheras Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia T/ F : + 6 (03) 928 763 82 UK OFFICE 21, Girdlers Road London W14 0PS United Kingdom T/ F : + 44 (0) 207 603 7549 WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATION www.mintred.be ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE 35 Selegie Road #04-06 Parklane Shopping Mall Singapore, 168073 ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES info@stimulimag.com SUBSCRIPTIONS www.magazinecafe.co.uk PRINTING MunSang Printers Sdn. Bhd. WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTOR Comag Ltd (UK) www.comag.co.uk tel +44 (0) 1895 433 600 fax +44 (0) 1895 433 603 ON THE COVER - THIA photographed by John-Paul Pietrus Black dress by Gaspard Yurkievich Styling by Loic Masi Make-up by Adam de Cruz COPYRIGHT
Stimuli Š 2007, by the artists, the authors & photographers. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. All prices and credits are accurate at press time but are subject to changes. This magazine accepts no liability for loss or damage of manuscripts, artworks, photographic prints and transparencies.
photo: Annick Geenen w w w. v e ro n i q u e b r a n q u i n h o . c o m
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Show your flaws Rotterdam based artist Silvia B. has launched a line of gloves – ‘sculptures to wear’, as she calls them. Known for her depictions of teenagers with their skin sutured together or completely covered with a furry pelt (also see www.silviab.com), Silvia B. has a fascination for a kind of beauty that is just outside normality. That’s why each edition of her elegant elbow-length gloves – in a pale skin color – shows a specific peculiarity. The beauty of the long evening gloves is challenged by a feature that can be considered either a special or dissonant skin quality, like freckles or a plaster. Now you can get dressed up in a second skin and feel the sensation of wearing somebody else’s tattoos or moles! New models are presented bi-monthly on the website www.skinover.biz. So far there have been six models: ALMOST PERFECT that is sutured together, LOVE/HATE with tattoos on the knuckles, BEAUTY SPOTS that shows some dark hairy moles, MUTANT with its second thumbs, WOUNDED that wears plasters – and the latest, FRECKLES. Six more are being developed in 2007. All pairs are made of the finest lamb skin, branded, signed and numbered. They come in handmade showcases and are available in sizes 7/ 7.5 /8 /8.5; the ALMOST PERFECT model is available in sizes 6 /6.5 /7 /7.5. All models come in small, limited editions of only 7 pairs (courtesy RONMANDOS gallery). Talking to the hand has never been more interesting! – Ninette Murk
Fusion Fashion and Product Design The task of developing a floor lamp is usually put into the hands of an industrial designer. Interior designers Joerg Boner and Christian Deuber (Zürich) and fashion designer Lela Scherrer (Antwerp) however integrated a “couture” aspect in an abstract way into the creation of the Alma floor lamp. “Couture” here stands for high quality and uniqueness, for the lamp to become an outstanding object of limited edition. Alma was developed mainly with a view to construction and function. Due to its high grade materials it achieves a new and totally different value compared to conventional, mass-produced articles. The particularly dyed, finished and treated fabric, the hand embroidered unique application motifs – which are part of a bigger picture and therefore make every shade a unique piece – and the massive walnut stand put the lamp into an artistic context. The Alma floor lamp is as much an experiment of product – the combination of precious wood with first quality textiles – as it is in the sharing of the development process. The designers lay their competence and skills on one scale, with a result that will light up many nights for design lovers worldwide. – Ninette Murk www.lelascherrer.com
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Slowly Does It Deryck Walker’s foray into fashion was rather different. Built on a solid foundation of support from Arena magazine’s Fashion Director, Andrew Davies, Japanese designer, Rei Kawakubo and her husband, Adrian Joffé, Walker has slowly nurtured his talent without the hype that can sometimes overwhelm and destroy young talent. His first contact with the Comme des Garçons founders was through Davies who invited Joffé to view Walker’s debut collection with the intention of seeking constructive criticism. Instead, Joffé expressed an interest to buy the collection, compelling Walker to expand his business overnight. The label takes pride in its artisanal qualities, using nationally sourced factories and fabrics. In Autumn Winter 06 Walker made his debut catwalk show under the umbrella of London Fashion Week’s MAN show. Using a palette of silvery-greys, black and white, Walker juxtaposed gloss and matte textures, sending down icepale models in gingham paneled shirts with straight-leg trousers riding on their hips. Elongated duvet coats with snug elephant sleeves and paper leather bombers also featured with outfits accessorized with Kryptonite coloured bands and belts. His style has often been described as “ASBO” chic though this comparison comes close only because of the recurrence of sweatshirting fabrics, hoods, full pockets and gingham shirts. Following up to his debut catwalk show, Walker showed again at MAN in Sep 06 with the ‘Oracle’ collection. Colours were kept to a minimum – white, black, royal blue and metallics with a clear play on natural and highly synthetic fabrics. Walker maintains a street element in his clothes but he is in fact a romantic visionary, with his designs flourishing through imaginary knights and warriors of the future. – Hongyi Wong Deryck Walker studied fashion and textiles at the Glasgow School of Art and showed at Rendezvous Paris in Jan 07. His clothes are sold in Dover Street Market (London) and Side-by-Side (Tokyo). www.deryckwalker.co.uk
Shiny Happy People After graduating from the Fashion School Esmod in Berlin, Alexandra Fischer-Roehler and Johanna Kuhl got together and launched their fashion label, Kaviar Gauche, starting it off with a guerrilla fashion show in front of the Parisian store of style, Colette in 2003. Since then, the label has grown from strength to strength, with a recent nomination for the Swiss Textiles Award, one of the world’s most prestigious awards whose past winners include Christian Wijnants and Raf Simons, alongside Bruno Pieters, Jonathan Saunders and Ann-Valerie Hash. In Sep 2006, they also won the ON OFF Visionary Award where they had the opportunity to present their SS07 “Ladies in Shining Armour” collection on catwalk at the Royal Academy of Art during London Fashion Week. Matching extremes to perfection, the softest and stiffest fabrics, darkest and lightest colours, glossiest and dullest textures were put together to form outfits that were fluid but incredibly controlled. The collection was light and flowing but silhouettes remained shapely. Stylised with shining metallic details, jewellery elements were incorporated into garments to create the image of a Grecian maiden. Kaviar Gauche have also earned renown for their lamella structures, using plate-like panels to add shape to the bodice, not to mention a sci-fi element to their clothes. – Hongyi Wong Kaviar Gauche got their name from the term “gauche caviar” which was coined in the 60s to describe glamorous socialists – lefties who didn’t the need to espouse a low-end lifestyle. The designers showed again at the On|Off exhibitions during London Fashion Week. They are currently stocked in more than 10 countries, in stores which include Liberty’s (London), Galeries Lafayette (Paris) and Midwest ( Japan). www.kaviargauche.com
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“ TROFEE” the ultimate solution for those who can’t say goodbye to their favourite pair of jean s
Jeff Rutten by Ninette Murk
The man who put the fun back into functional When you think of Belgian design, your first thoughts probably go to fashion greats such as Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten and Raf Simons. But did you know that this small country is also a hotbed of contemporary interior and furniture design? We are very proud to present you Jeff Rutten, Belgiumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up and coming furniture designer who combines a great sense of humour with a discerning eye for whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible with various materials.
>> Jeff Rutten <<
Who are you? Jeff Rutten: “My name is Jeff Rutten, aka JR. I’m a 25 year-old farmer’s son and I live in a little Belgian town called Tessenderlo. At school I studied Interior Design and an extra year of Furniture Design.” What do you do? Jeff: “First of all I develop prototypes and manufacture some of my own designs. Furthermore I take design orders on a freelance basis and I furnish interiors. I also do designs for a company in plastics.”
“What really inspires me is coincidences in everyday life and the materials I work with.” What are your dreams? Jeff: “I hope that I’ll get lots of chances to work on interesting projects and orders. And – most importantly – that I’ll never lose the ability to dream.” Which of your designs so far are you most proud of? Jeff: “The ‘Eureka’. It’s a seat for one or two persons, that can be placed in or next to a swimming pool. There is no top or bottom and the form allows the piece to be used in the most ergonomic sitting and lying down positions.”
Which existing design would you like to have thought up yourself? Jeff: “The Dutchtub from Floris Schoonderbeek (Holland). It’s an outdoor polyester hot tub which looks like a cannibal cauldron. It requires no electricity, plumbing or hot water. All you need to do is fill the tub with cold water and light some firewood in a special steel basket. It’s an ingenious system to give yourself and your friends a hot bath – anytime, anyplace!” Which designers inspire you? Other sources of inspiration? Jeff: “There are several designers I admire, but what really inspires me is coincidences in everyday life and the materials I work with. I like to explore all the possibilities of a material and take those as a starting point. I like no-nonsense designs, objects that speak for themselves.” What is your motto? Jeff: “Belgian rocker Admiral Freebee once sang: ‘You can’t milk a cow with your hands in your pants’. I couldn’t have said it better.” Can you tell us a bit more about your recent exposition that was held last spring in Tessenderlo/Belgium? Jeff: “The exposition gave an overview of my work up till now. Visitors also got the chance to see some of my new work, like the ‘Madelove’, a new indoor/outdoor seat.” Where is your work sold? Jeff: “Mostly I sell it myself – personally or via my website. I use my own designs when I furnish interiors and regularly it’s also sold in galleries.” www.jeffrutten.be
“ J R – O S AU RU S ” J r – O s a u r u s i s a s eries of reincar nated skulls . By ador ning them with a new flocked skin and the wings of an angel they are given new li f e .
“ASSCANDY” bench in PU foam, packed up in PVC cover – photography b y B A R T P E E T E R S
w e i v r Inte
Chicks On Speed by Javier Barcala
Brush it up! The Chicks on Speed (COS) musicians / artists family grows, teaming up with long time producer, Christopher Just, and fine multimedia artist Douglas Gordon, to rule an art scene near you. COS is a concept, a free space, to be filled, yes even by you. A COS art-book / diary a friend found me in Tokyo includes fabric and patterns to design your own pants. American designer Jeremy Scott, close friend of COS, appears wearing a suit made of the same fabric. Play with it. There are even instructions to make your own shoes with gaffa tape and some pieces of leather. If you look at COS, you’ll never be close enough. They are always evolving and one step further than you think. Just barely, I caught up with Melissa (Logan) in Hamburg… JB: I have this idea of you beyond music, you’d become sort of a Factory on the move, you show how to DoItYourself so your contributions have no limit. Neither do they the other way around, for the people who work with you... ML: Yes this is pretty much the way we’re made. From the start we’ve always worked with a lot of people and then we got involved in a pop trinity, Alex, Kiki and me. Now in the last 2 years, we have been actively working with a larger group again, also on stage. JB: COS were 3 and now you have doubled, no? ML: Yeah! Indeed the stage is merging into a workshop / theater / fashion show more and more. This includes 3 new girls with us on tour: Anat Ben-David, with whom we have worked on about half the songs on our new album. Kathi Glas, we have made clothes with her for the last 5 years and now she is on stage with her sewing machine. A.L. Steiner, a photographer from NYC is with us for all the art projects. JB: What does it mean for you to make a living from art? ML: I think it is about being in love with art and cultural progression and at the same time, we have fun sticking out our tongue with a shallow market that has the thrill of a no risk casino… What is important for us in art is discovering amazing thought-triggering mechanisms that function in a way that’s different to pop, to work more intensely with the subject matter. In pop you can say anything and it works because it is stylized. In art, it’s on a different level removed from the function of entertainment to that of cultural phenomena.
JB: Your first shows are in Pompidou (Paris) and MoMa (NYC). ML: Yes, the premiere of ART RULES! is at Pompidou on 24th February, but there will be further ART RULES! events throughout 2007 in museums and institutions the world over. JB: It looks like a pretty intense and lovely year for you. You’ve become so well known and respected in very important art venues. Although not everybody has always acted so coolly in all your gigs, I think you have a gift to scream out lout while still being polite. There was a certain situation at a festival in the south of Spain, in Andalucía, that could have ended in a fight, but none of the three of you lost your manners. The same cannot be said for the others… ML: We really couldn’t believe that someone could be so idiotic and force us off the stage. It is our stage after all. At one point I was hitting a security guard with part of my saxophone and then I thought, “What am I doing? This is my instrument, not a weapon. This is sick!” JB: That was smart of you. The video is still somewhere on the Internet. It’s cool to have the chance to see everything in detail. ML: But still it is really upsetting that these guys are running around in Córdoba. They should really be stopped and Gonzalo from Oritz Salado promoters in Barcelona is not working with them again I’m sure. Those guys were really on the mean so-called organizers’ side for most of the whole ordeal. (They did finally pay us our fee so I shouldn’t be too mean to the Barcelona promoters) but they were really listening to these authoritative Córdoba monsters (so called organizers) acting like their dogs... Grrrr... it will all come back to you, monsters!
JB: Is art making and acting necessarily positive?
JB: How did you meet and end up working with Douglas Gordon?
JB: Talking about monsters, the GIRL MONSTER compilation you released at the end of September this year, unburied many female groups who weren’t understood during their times. There is this text by Lucy O’Brien that you include in the album, it says: “The most iconic women have always been imagined and invented by men and for men, from Nico to Marilyn.” Do you think female singers are still conditioned today by male decisions when they reach an outstanding level in their scene?
ML: Douglas had a big show in Barcelona and met Alex and Adi Nachman (our manager) there. He asked us to come to MoMa to perform. We wrote ART RULES! & he sang backing vocals, also adding a conversation with his gallerist, where they are dealing over the phone, reducing art to like a kind of drug dealing.
ML: A lot of female artists are ignored, past and present, that’s the point of GIRL MONSTER. That’s why we release other bands on our label at a time when it is no more good business to release records. It’s an act of passion and belief in the importance of music, music that is unusual.
JB: What can we expect from your performances in 2007?
JB: There will be another GIRL MONSTER compilation soon?
ML: NO. Positive sounds peaceful & passive. To make good work we need to push limits, examine, make a mess & in the end we don’t know what is the art. It is an overwhelming experience & sometimes we don’t know what happened, we have to look at the documentation. Our minds hurt & we feel good & exhausted.
ML: The show has gotten more theatrical and at the same time more musical. We still perform a lot of our classic songs and have added a lot of new visuals that we set aside more room for.
ML: Yes, this is just the beginning. www.chicksonspeed.com
n o i t a s onver
C
all photos courtesy of DIANE PERNET
Robb Young by Hongyi Huang
Style sans frontiers Robb Young and I met at the queue outside an electroclash club called The Cock about 5 years ago. He looked so childlike and young, I thought he was just the average old club kid out on a night. I knew he had a wild streak by the end of night when I spotted him again at an afterhours completely immersed in his music. Somehow, these spontaneous meetings kept occurring after – Friday nights at The Cock or some afterparty either at a person’s flat or in a sordid club. He soon became the acquaintance you had a friendly chat with and a regular at the now-defunct monthly fashion club night, Drama where I worked as a door person but it wasn’t till when I started working as a fashion PR that I realised Robb actually works and was not some art school student. Not only did he have a job, he also holds a huge amount of respect in the industry and soon became the person I could turn to for work advice and the secret friend at network do’s who’d have the sneaky extra drink with you. I caught up with this colourful yet serious character over the New Year break, struggling over online chat while attempting to talk about the world of fashion…
LA
Louie Austen by Paul Davies
Changing skins Completing a postgraduate degree in Opera Singing at the revered Vienna Conservatorium of Music to become a slinky lounge crooner in Las Vegas would seem to most like an unadvisable career move. But for singing sensation Louie Austin, it was the most normal thing in the world. Today, Austin is just as comfortable singing his timeless compositions to a crowd of 20-somethings in a sweaty underground club of any big city. He currently performs 150 shows a year, taking him on the road for the majority of the year. Anywhere from the Royal Polo Club in Bangkok to the elegant grandeur of London’s Great Eastern Hotel. The man likes to get around. All the world loves a good crooner, and back in the mid-70’s, Austin was sufficiently enamoured with the Rat Pack trio of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Sinatra to seek his fortunes on the vaudeville stage. After brief spells in South Africa and Australia, he found himself in New York, “where I learnt how to starve,” he chuckles. He hung out with the Harlem Blues and Jazz Band – “the youngest member was 65 years old,” he remembers. “They were as fascinated by this young Austrian who came to see them three consecutive nights as I was by them.” By the early 80’s, Austin had returned to his hometown to accept an appointment as in-house lounge singer for the Hilton hotel. His popularity was such that the bar extended its closing hours from a genial 10.00pm to an unprecedented 4.00am whilst tripling in size during his tenure. Headhunted as Entertainments Director by the nearby Marriot, he recalls his earlier years; “I was no longer living in cheap two dollar hotel rooms, sharing a burger with three other musicians.” It was here that upcoming music producer, Patrick Pulsinger came across Louie’s inimitable style, and decided he was perfect for a different crowd. A younger audience that was style hungry and would openly accept a class act like Austin. The debut album, “Consequences” (Cheap records, 1999) was a somewhat introspective affair, but attracted enough attention for its bizarre blend of 4.00am ballads and oddball electronica. His follow up, “Only Tonight” (2001) was altogether more upbeat and spawned a hit in the sell-out single, Hoping. He cemented this further in 2003 with the feelgood vibes of “Easy Love”, then gained further recognition collaborating with artists as varied as Peaches, Gonzalez and Christopher Just. With four albums already under his belt – culminating in a superb compilation – and a new one due this Spring, it is ample proof that Austin keeps delivering with impeccable consistency. To witness Louie Austin perform is to see a man in his element. And working with cutting edge music producers is certainly no gimmick – he knows how to woo his audience – and can dance with as much consummate ease as he sings his way into your heart. He is the ultimate raconteur with a dapper sense of the sartorial. Dressed in a lime green blazer, white slacks, retro leather sneakers and a baseball cap, he modestly explains how young women approach him after each show. “They keep insisting, ‘I want my boyfriend to be like you when he’s your age’.” http://www.myspace.com/louieaustenmusic “Hear My Song – the Best of Louie Austin” is out now on Tirk recordings, UK. “Iguana” is due for release in Spring ’07 on Klein records, Austria.
The Fashion Underground
Different locations beget different creations By Jared Johnson
There come times in the fashion industry when there are yearnings for underground and unknown designers. Fashion in its pure form doesn’t have to occur in a set geographical area either; it’s alive worldwide. The more eccentric designers prefer to show in open‑minded Parisian niches. At the same time, other designers locate their work, from conception to presentation, in their basements. The following labels are experimenting with design, pushing innovation, forging new technical skills, and daunting the crowd. Through few words and more images, this editorial is an attempt to reveal the work of a few avant-garde designers around the world, known and unknown. MACABRE, a Swedish label, felt that Swedish people dressed too mediocrely and that there was a need for change. Across the Pacific, graphic designer-turned-clothing designer Gregory Littley is making your body his sketchpad with t-shirts channeling images from pop culture and American street style. Then there is Wendy and Jim, the label fabricated by Helga Schania and Hermann Fankhauser. This Austrian duo awed the industry during Spring and Summer 07 with New Shit – the non-conformist name of their runway collection in Paris. Their collection is certainly new, but there was no shit on this runway. Parisian player Romain Kremer has changed the whole meaning of the midas touch. His expedition of models with copper cut-outs, golden padding, and enigmatic celestial prints was enough gear for any space-aged exploration. So now, I introduce a glimpse into a mindset which is criticized and shunned on one side, and completely accepted and understood on the other.
>> London Fashion Underground <<
Romain Kremer “Being bored by the outside and the aesthetic of reality, believing in my own world, are the things that keeps me alive and excited to design.” – Romain The juxtaposition of metallics, leggings, and safety cushioning illustrated the summoning of futurism and space-aged elements for A Celestial Awakening, this season of Romain Kremer. Cutouts and metal eyelets revealed the skin by “exposing the void.” Black was worked in a strong sense: shaped, ruffled, sewn, and polished with a Lycra sheen. All 22 looks this S/S 07 season were executed without loss of the overall concept. location: 129 Avenue Parmentier – 75011 Paris, France email: contact@romainkremer.com www.romainkremer.com
3 d ee p d esi g n M AT E R IAL BY PRODUCT / SPRING / SU MMER 2007 CAMPAIGN POSTERS
Bending the rules By Sulin C.
What do you get when you cross a stylist with the most sensitive appreciation for beauty, and a clinically methodical forensic scientist? Design firm 3 Deep of Melbourne, perhaps. 3 Deep, made up of Brett Phillips, David Roennfeldt and their team, comprehensively researches their cases â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from posters for the Australian Ballet to in-store visuals for Tiffany & Co â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as assiduously as your favourite on-screen investigator may sift through the human genome pool. The results are as immediately visceral as their means may have been systematically deduced. Makes you almost think the two come together. www.3deep.com.au
>> 3 Deep <<
3 dee p design POSTER MAGAZINE / POSTER MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 1 T Y P E FA C E
>> 3 Deep <<
3 dee p design MATERIAL BY PRODUCT / SPRING / SUMMER 2007 CAMPA I G N P O S T E R S
a l l p ho t o s b y C l a i r e Pa r k
Jim Lee by Beth Vincent
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Veteran photographer Jim Lee, famous for producing iconic imagery in the 60’s and 70’s, is England’s answer to Guy Bourdin As fashion weeks draw to a close, the designers, the shows and the after parties are relegated to the archives of fashion history. Only the pivotal trends and key looks survive, their essence concentrated into copycat pieces on the shelves of high street chains. These essential trends remain strong in our wardrobes and our collective aesthetic consciousness, much in the way the iconic photography of Jim Lee, shot between the mid sixties and late seventies, is seeing a current revival. The resurgence in popularity for retro fashion, the reinvention of British stalwarts Burberry and Mulberry, the resurrection of cult label Biba and last season’s collaboration between Topshop and Celia Birtwell – wife of the late legendary designer Ossie Clark, fashion maverick and friend of Lee’s – first established a receptive platform for his exhibition, Eye For Images, sponsored by Nikon. It was this connection with Clark that provided Lee with the impetus to accumulate these works. As a friend of the V & A, Lee was reading an article in the members’ magazine previewing the Ossie Clark retrospective when he noticed a familiar but unaccredited photograph amongst the text. “When I saw it I thought, God, I recognise that picture. I went to bed that night wondering where I’d seen it before and woke up early the next morning realising I’d shot it.” After contacting the Victoria & Albert Museum and affirming he was indeed the photographer responsible, Lee was given space to show six more of his pieces amongst the exhibition. Although never bosom buddies, Lee and Clark were both groundbreaking figures in the 60’s London party scene. Both men were synonymous with creative innovation. It was inevitable that their paths would at some point cross artistically, as they had done socially. “He let me take photos as I wanted to; he didn’t have any part in what the content of my pictures was to be. Ossie wasn’t a client who gave a
brief; I never contemplated what his style was exactly. I just thought I was excited by those powerful looking dresses and I could see them in a certain context – he allowed me to create these crazy ideas which are now looked upon as pieces of art. He was quite mad himself, and I wasn’t that sane either.” Lee’s photography is notable for many characteristics, in particular its narrative, its drama and its cinematic subject matter – in which, with the trite inevitability of art mirroring life, women consistently take centre stage. As a child, Lee’s closest relationships were with women. A sheltered childhood meant that during the holidays from boarding school, any free time was spent almost exclusively in the company of his siblings – three sisters and a brother. In a way too, he was close to his mother, a loving and artistic woman, but describes both his parents as remote, distant, guarded. The son of highly academic parents, both members of the MI5, Lee’s entry into the inner circle of British intelligentsia seemed assured from his birth. However, dyslexia and a strong sense of independence combined with a desperate need to escape from overbearing patriarchal expectations led to him leaving Britain for Australia on the Ten Pound Pom immigration scheme aged just 16. Upon arriving down under, a chance meeting with Dutch photographer John Van Galen and an offer of a floor to sleep on in exchange for helping with the printing of Van Galen’s work led to Lee’s first foray into the world of fashion photography, capturing his then girlfriend Bronwyn Stephens Jones for Australian Vogue.
“I just thought I was excited by those powerful looking dresses and I could see them in a certain context”
>> Jim Lee <<
dress
M A RT I N G R A N T
pendant and veil
ST Y L I S T â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S OW N
b l a c k d r e s s
GASPARD YURKIEVICH
b r o o c h o n t h e l i p s S T YLIST ’S OWN
d r e s s
L ANVIN
f l o r a l c r o w n c o u r t e s y
PHILLO FLOWERS
s k u l l a n d c o r a l b r o o c h
V I V I E N N E W E S T WO O D
v i n t a g e s i l v e r b o t t l e p e n d a n t
E L S A PE R E T T I f o r T I F FA N Y & C O .
photographer
JACQUES DEQUEKER
styling
VINNIE PIZZINGRILLI
hair/make-up
DIOGO MOLINOS
styling assistant
ANA SALCEDO
photographer assistant
MARIANA MOLINOS / ALEXANDRE DEQUEKER
necklace TAR A N T U L A dress KAR L L A G I ROT TO
d r e s s P R I S C I L A DAROLT n e c k l a c e S T Y L I S T ’S OWN s h o e s K A R L L A GIROT TO
rrrr...... photography by Jason Ell styling by Hind Matar
s i l v e r a n t i q u e c h i n e s e b r acelet
ST YLIST ’S OWN
o l i v e v i n t a g e w o o d e n b r a celet
BARCELONA MARKET
a n t i q u e r i n g s
PARIS ANTIQUES MARKET
vintage top
R E T RO
skirt
BOUDICCA
neon pink stilletos
LE SILLA
black belt
TJ and CLEO
photographer
JORGE CAMAROTTI www.jorgecamarotti.com
styling
ANNIE HORTH / JUDY INC.
model
MAXIME B / GIOVANNI
hair/make-up
LEROY WILLIAMS / ARTIST BY TIMOTHY PRIANO / FOR L’ORÉAL PROFESSIONAL
fashion assistent
MAI T
Prussian blue was the first synthetic pigment, discovered by accident in 1704 Photography by Simon Songhurst make-up
Adam de Cruz using MAC cosmetics
“The gesture on the canvas was a gesture of liberation from value — political, aesthetic, moral.” – Harold Rosenberg on Jackson Pollock
photography by
PHILIP PROVILY (www.philipprovily.com)
represented by CLAUDINE STEFFEN (www.claudinesteffen.com)
>> Philip Provily <<
MARIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HOME commissioned by Maria Austria Institute, Amsterdam
WORKAHOLIC commissioned by Randstad, Amsterdam
illustrations by
ASI OF ICELAND
RAVEN- stylist / bu y e r f o r L I B O R I U S RAVEN is we a r i n g h e r o w n s k i n
T h i s Pa g e , A N N A C L AU S EN – stylist T - s h i r t b y K AT H R I N E D E PL ACE BJOERN O p p o s i t e Pa g e ,S VA L A B J O RGVINS – singer in a band called Steed L ord r a i n b o w j a c k e t i s a c o a t b y VIVIENE WEST WOOD
Ode to Nature curated by
haniff jamil featuring
nktobss romain cheval ricardo portilho david picchiottino nikola. s levantis olka osadzinska veline stoykova nik dudukovic yetzer hara julie joliat herbie na誰ma
NIK DUDUKOVIC / w w w. p i l o t 5 . c o m
DAVID PICCHIOT TINO / www.da v i d e t c l a i re . c o m
Tokyo Metropolis
fluorescent nirvana...
Photography by JUN KIT
screws like scared eyes...
Red Godzilla...
the artist and his sculpture...
sit-on-it....
going public...
ginko sunlight...
vintage geisha...
subway sticker poetry...
naka-meguro afternoon...
sepia memories....
Mickey loves Coco...