SURFACE - ROSITA MISSONI - MARCH 2015 by Surfacemag

R O S I TA M I S S O N I

ISSUE 116 MARCH 2015 SPRING FASHION

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D E S I G N P O R T R A I T.

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SU by NENDO Su is a Japanese word meaning simple or unadorned. Made in America from repurposed, reclaimed and upcycled waste. Read more at emeco.net

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MELROSE

SANTA MONICA

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LAS VEGAS

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2015

sPRING 2015

LET’S MEET UP.

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CONTENTS

NO. 116

18 Masthead Editor’s Letter 20 22 Contributors 34 Select 42 Travel 44 Bar 48 Restaurant 50 Hotel 52 Retail 54 Transport

56 On Time 58 Gear 60 Auction 62 Art 64 Books 66 Material 68 Survey 86 Endorsement 192 Object

PHOTOS: COVER, ADRIEN TOUBIANA. IDEAS IN DESIGN, DELFINO SISTO LEGNANI. PRODUCT, PETE DEEVAKUL. FASHION, DAVID BRANDON GEETING. GALLERY, TETSUYA ITO. CULTURE CLUB, DAVID X PRUTTING/BFANYC.COM.

departments

product

Commentary: Ashley Simpson Photos: Pete Deevakul

88 fashion Men’s, Women’s, and Couture Commentary: Valerie Steele Photos: David Brandon Geeting

who’s on the cover?

Rosita Missoni founded the now- famous Missoni label with her late husband, Ottavio, more than six decades ago. For the past 11 years, she has run Missoni Home, the furnishings arm of the Missoni empire. At 83, she continues to be among the most influential figures in fashion and design.

166 gallery

ottega Veneta creative director Tomas B Maier launches an initiative to save Japanese Modernist buildings from potential destruction.

ideas in design Virgil Abloh discusses fashion trends, architecture, and Instagram. Prada outfits its windows with an installation concept by Martino Gamper. Jewelry designer Alexis Bittar com- missions artists to produce a special collection of Lucite pieces.

179 culture club A photo portfolio of recent events in the Surface universe, including the launch of Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 1 collection for Adidas Originals during New York Fashion Week.

SURFACE

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fold by konstantin grcic

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CONTENTS

Our showcase of what to pay attention to in fashion this season, and the creative figures who continue to defy our expectations.

146 m idtown maison I n collaboration with British architect

David Chipperfield, Valentino’s cocreative directors conceive a massive modern-day palazzo on Fifth Avenue.

124 m ission missoni Now a great-grandmother and at the

154 art of the boot Celebrating the 65th anniversary of

helm of Missoni Home for more than a decade, Rosita Missoni has no plans to stop anytime soon.

136 f uture states With a bold, fantastical exhibition at

a museum in L.A., fashion designer Bernhard Willhelm predicts how we’ll dress in the year 3000.

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT): FRANCK JUERY, BEN MOSTYN, JEAN-BAPTISTE COURTIER, ANDREW MUSSON, WILL ADLER, AND (LAST TWO) ADRIEN TOUBIANA.

122 spring fashion

NO. 116

its legendary Desert Boot, Clarks asks 14 British creatives to add their own touches to the footwear staple.

158 cross currents For Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki of Paris- and Tokyo-based label Maison Kitsuné, music infiltrates fashion—and vice versa.

cover: Rosita Missoni at her apartment in the 7th arrondissement of Paris photographer: Adrien Toubiana corrections: On page 56 of issue 116, the publisher of Humanitarian Architecture was improperly credited as Phaidon. It is, in fact, Aspen Art Museum/D.A.P.

140 t rade secrets Sisters Louisa and Alexandra Burch

join the family business and open their burgeoning brand’s first flagship in Manhattan. SURFACE

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MASTHEAD

S U R FAC E brand development

editorial and design

director Marc Lotenberg marc@surfacemag.com

editor-in-chief Spencer Bailey Instagram: @spencercbailey

advertising director (design & interiors) Adriana Gelves agelves@surfacemag.com

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advertising director (luxury & fashion) Laurel Nuzzo lnuzzo@surfacemag.com

senior editor Aileen Kwun akwun@surfacemag.com Instagram: @aileenkwun

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chairman Eric Crown chief executive officer Marc Lotenberg controller Miles Bingham mbingham@surfacemag.com executive coordinator Laurie Sadove lsadove@surfacemag.com

contributing editors David Basulto (ArchDaily), Marina Cashdan, Julia Cooke, Tomas Delos Reyes, Natasha Edwards, Ted Gushue (Supercompressor), Tiffany Jow, Seamus Mullen, Nonie Niesewand, Evan Orensten (Cool Hunting), Ben Pundole (A Hotel Life), David Rockwell, Josh Rubin (Cool Hunting), Jonathan Schultz, Valerie Steele, Keith W. Strandberg, Ian Volner contributing photographers Grant Cornett, Adrian Gaut, Dean Kaufman, Mark Mahaney, Ogata, David Schulze, Yoshiaki Sekine interns ZoĂŤ Bodzas, Julia Lu, Christopher Malone, Emily Manchester, Max Rovo

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SURFACE

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REBEL

dune-ny.com

design Richard Shemtov

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During Paris Fashion Week in January, at the Tennis Club de Paris in the 10th arrondissement, Dior Homme presented its fall/winter 2015 collection by raising a black curtain that ran down the middle of the runway. Behind it were not models, but a full orchestra—the members of Paris Scoring company—decked out in the brand’s wares. The entrancing, refreshingly original production was reflective of the line’s shrewd creative director, Kris Van Assche (our August 2014 cover subject). The ensemble played an interpretive composition of electronic musician Koudlam’s song “The Landsc Apes” as the Dior models circled around the catwalk. (The original Koudlam song was also the soundtrack of Chanel’s fall/winter 2014 haute-couture show at Paris’s Grand Palais last summer.) Van Assche’s approach was surprising but not showy, rooted in the past but not stuffy. Powerful in its subtlety, it was an entirely fresh take on an incredibly overdone form. About an hour after the presentation, I met Rosita Missoni for an interview at her sixth-floor apartment in the city’s 7th arrondissement (page 124). Rosita, too, knows how to surprise, and has built her career by consistently doing so, first in fashion and now in furniture. The two images on this page—an ad for the Missoni label’s fall/winter 1971 collection that appeared in Vogue (left) and a look from its spring/summer 1971 line—may seem familiar now, but were groundbreaking for their time. (I hadn’t even been born yet.) These awe-inspiring collections put Missoni on the global fashion map. The brand has since been imitated many times over, but thanks to continued quality control, craftsmanship, and a distinctive vision, it remains untouchable. Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll discover the stories of other fashion personalities and labels adept at raising the proverbial curtain. Among them are German-born fashion designer Bernhard Willhelm, who currently has an establishment-challenging exhibition on view at an L.A. museum (page 136); sisters Louisa and Alexandra Burch, whose blossoming brand Trademark just opened its first flagship in Manhattan (page 140); and Valentino co-creative directors Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri, who recently minted a impressively colossal Fifth Avenue flagship designed by David Chipperfield (page 146). My aim for this and every issue of Surface is similar to that of Van Assche, Rosita, and these other creative masters: to show that an old medium—in this case, a magazine—can shake up conventions, do things differently than the rest, and celebrate the past while remaining firmly grounded in the present. — Spencer Bailey

PHOTO: TOP LEFT, BARRY LATEGAN. TOP RIGHT, COURTESY MISSONI.

Editor’s Letter

EDITOR’S LETTER

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Contributors

FRANCK JUERY Franck Juery photographed Valentino creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli in Paris for a feature story in this month’s issue (page 146). “There’s always an element of excitement and stress to achieving and finding a good image,” Juery says. He adds that being on the set was a bit like taking a trip outside of France: “Everyone at Valentino spoke in Italian, so it was a bit like having traveled to Italy. It was a pleasant sensation.” Juery is currently at work on a book with the French chef Jean Sulpice, the youngest in France to ever receive a Michelin star, and the proprietor of his well-known namesake restaurant. Juery has shot editorials and portraits for publications including Le Monde, Vogue Japan, and Elle Korea. CARREN JAO “It was a fascinating look into the mind of an avant-garde designer,” Carren Jao says, of interviewing fashion designer Bernhard Willhelm for a story in our Spring Fashion feature section (page 136). Jao spoke to Willhelm about his new show at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, from his atelier on Beachwood Canyon. “There was a breathtaking view of the city that almost didn’t feel like Los Angeles,” she says. “The air was cool and crisp. It felt like we were at a mountain retreat.” The highlight of the visit, though, was “Willhelm’s unexpected sense of humor. He peppered his answers with witty comments that one could easily miss.” Jao is a Los Angeles–based freelance art, architecture, and design writer who contributes to The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Metropolis, among other publications. DELFINO SISTO LEGNANI Italian photographer Delfino Sisto Legnani shot Virgil Abloh at his studio in Milan for this issue’s Studio Visit (page 24). “It was very interesting to see the studio where a fashion designer creates his clothes,” the photographer says. Sisto Legnani’s photographs have been exhibited at the Venice Biennale and at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. He has shot many portraits of designers, architects, and artists, including Jean Nouvel, John Pawson, Ross Lovegrove, Bjarke Ingels, Paul Cocksedge, Takashi Murakami, and Tom Dixon, as well as Nathalie Du Pasquier, featured in our February 2015 Legends at Work issue. He is currently working on a collection of outtakes from various shoots. SHIRINE SAAD “It was a really fun and interesting interview,” Shirine Saad says, of the conversation she shared with creative director and fashion designer Virgil Abloh for Studio Visit. “We talked about everything from conceptual fashion to music, Tumblr, and travel.” Saad adds that Abloh stopped the chat short at one point to grab a pen and paper and jot down an idea. “I’d love to know what it is he sketched,” she says. A freelance writer covering fashion, arts, and lifestyle, Saad has contributed to Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, V, and W. She is currently working on a Wallpaper city guide to Marseille, as well as on a book about Brooklyn. Speaking with interesting artists and creators about their ideas, she says, is her favorite part of the job. “It forces me as a journalist to keep learning and pushing my own boundaries.” HALLY WOLHANDLER Surface assistant editor Hally Wolhandler wrote the Restaurant and Retail columns for this issue (pages 48 and 52, respectively), as well as the Up and Coming and Limited Edition pieces of Ideas in Design (page 24). “This was the first fashion-themed issue I’ve worked on, and it was fun to see the magazine through a fashion lens,” she says. Among those she interviewed were the legendary Giorgio Armani, jewelry designer Alexis Bittar, and up-and-comer Tuyen Tran. “I love that I got to talk to both an emerging 22-year-old designer and a veteran like Giorgio Armani all in the same issue,” she says. “It was fascinating to hear Armani, who’s such a well-known name in fashion, talk about designing interiors.”

SURFACE

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Ideas in Design

IDEAS IN DESIGN

Virgil Abloh

STUDIO VISIT

The multidisciplinary talent and Kanye West creative director speaks with us about hip-hop, Modernism, Martha Stewart, and the Internet from his Milan design studio. INTERVIEW BY SHIRINE SAAD PHOTOS BY DELFINO SISTO LEGNANI You’re wearing a Sterling Ruby for Raf Simons shirt. What happens when art and fashion come together?

There’s a synergy that happens when you cross-pollinate. When you use an artist’s work in a deeper conceptual context, something greater than fashion or art comes out. I look to do the same in my own work. I work with a lot of young artists and thinkers. You studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where the New Bauhaus was founded and where Mies van der Rohe taught and designed the campus. What inspired your transition to fashion, and how does architecture inform your designs?

My parents are from Ghana in West Africa. Getting to the States was an achievement, so my dad wanted me to be an engineer. But I was much more into hip-hop and street culture. At the end of that engineering degree, I took an art-history class. I learned about the Italian Renaissance and started thinking about creativity as a profession. I got a master’s in architecture and was particularly influenced by Modernism and the International Style, but I applied my skill set to other projects. I was more drawn to cultural projects and graphic design because I found that the architectural process took too long and involved too many people. Rather than the design of buildings, I found myself interested in what happens inside of them—in culture. Then you started working with Kanye West as his creative director.

We’re both from Chicago, so we naturally started working together. It takes doers to push the culture forward, so I resonate with anyone who’s doing that. It’s a whole lifestyle. To me, he’s the most influential artist today on a popular scale. And that’s because he actively participates and studies and stays well-informed. That’s why he has this mass influence. In terms of pushing culture forward, where would you like to see things headed? SURFACE

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IDEAS IN DESIGN

This is a new thing that I think about a lot: What if our generation isn’t living up to the past? We have one foot in the Internet, one foot in the world; who’s the next Alexander McQueen or Rem Koolhaas? Are we just on the Internet and consuming things? Unless we are pushing things and making great art, I feel like it’s giving a sense of false awesomeness. On a general scale, what makes art great is a resonating, lasting impact. I base a lot of my interests on youth culture and juxtaposition. Your influences range from Mies van der Rohe to Martha Stewart, surf culture to Caravaggio.

I think the only way to push forward is to break barriers. I love the barriers that exist to make a culture what it is. I want to represent the young kids that I relate to. They want to play as well. No longer do you have to go to a design school or be privileged to be a designer. This is the postTumblr generation—people naturally have taste. They’re more exposed to it. When you break the barriers, you get something new and innovative. Social media makes that all happen. So how do we distinguish good from bad culture?

It’s a collective group that decides what matters and what doesn’t: How many Instagram likes do you get? Is it in magazines? Do you see it on the streets? A lot of my career burst out of the Internet. It’s influenced how I design clothes. I often joke than when I’m not on Instagram I make something for Instagram: I make something square that I want to post. How has this post-Tumblr era changed the way we experience the world?

You can purely live through the Internet now. You don’t need to own something to get instant gratification. If your friend meets Madonna and you follow that person, you sort of meet Madonna, too. It gives an emotion and the ability to relate. When you spend time on Tumblr or see other images it opens your mind. You start to relate to other people, cultures, get a sense of being somewhere. You can get the feel of Paris Fashion Week or Art Basel; you don’t even need to fly around as much, whereas before, these experiences were only for the subcultures that had access to them.

You’ve always been particularly influenced by hip-hop.

I was born in 1980—it was the death of rock music and the birth of hiphop culture. The root of it is style. Hip-hop is about brands. It’s about how you present yourself. It’s purely about lifestyle, with possessions, a way of speaking, and music. It’s a very beautiful socioeconomic thing as well. By nature, hip-hop isn’t chic, but if you juxtapose chic with a hiphop shape, you get something that’s awesome. That’s what I do when I design clothes. You’re friends with street-style photographer Tommy Ton. How has fashion changed in the age of social media?

He’s part of that post-Tumblr generation, and he broke the genius idea of capturing people, not just models. Styling is more interesting than brand names: That’s the new cool. Looking at street-style images is part of my design process. I love these people dressing up and showing up at fashion shows just to be photographed. You’re working on a children’s book, a book about your work, a store, and a furniture collection. What are you thinking about right now?

Right now, I’m focusing on the furniture. I’m working with marble and metal-mesh grids. Everything is made in Italy by an Italian supplier and obviously I’m not just gonna leave it as a super-tasteful marble slab. I’ve hand-carved graphics and words onto the marble. In this series, it simply says the word “White.” It’s a mix of all the things that make up the ideology of my brand. You can’t do that with T-shirts, so I feel that I have to do both. I’m also working on a book on my design process and the Internet. It’s important to document these things in book format. I’m working on a trail of books—and I don’t even read. Books add a sort of permanence; culture needs to be captured in print format to be around later. I don’t trust the Internet. It’s so fragmented. Throughout these projects, you’ve been searching for your voice. How would you describe it?

My Instagram defines me.

(LEFT TO RIGHT) A mix of street style and opulence at Abloh’s studio in Milan. Shirts from Abloh’s brand, Off-White.

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IDEAS IN DESIGN

G aleries Lafayette in Metz, France

ARCHITECTURE

Throughout the past two centuries, department stores have played a strong role in metropolitan centers and continue to carry significant social presence today—even in the era of online shopping. In Paris, the historic city-anchoring retail giant is Galeries Lafayette, whose 100-yearold flagship store in Paris has spawned more than 50 additional locations operated nationally and abroad. Featuring a monumental glass-andsteel dome that embodies French engineering and construction, the Boulevard Haussmann location is a legacy of the city’s 19th-century architecture. When the brand hired architect Manuelle Gautrand to renovate its store in Metz, a city near the northwestern border of France, she decided to draw upon the flagship’s signature palette of glass and steel. An elegant yet monolithic building clad in stone, the updated structure in Metz opens up and adapts to the scale of passersby with a bold gesture: a pleated, red glass canopy that juts out and wraps around the building facade at varying heights. Adding dynamism to the street-side vitrine, the corner canopy cantilevers 23 feet over the ground. At night, a neon lighting installation designed by agency ON adds a rhythmic breathing feeling to the structure. These particular operations turn the store into something more than a mere landmark; it’s a dynamic experience. Gautrand explains this was one of the main objectives of the project: “Our work, as architects, is really to provide experiences and emotions, and the objective of the architecture itself is not only to envelop commercial functionalities, but really to be able to create a powerful and iconic architecture.” —David Basulto, founder and editor-in-chief of the website ArchDaily

Denon Envaya Mini

As recently as five years ago, speakers were regarded less as gadgets and more as furniture pieces, often standing as high as side-tables and warranting similar consideration as interior-design centerpieces. Nowadays, nearly everyone can get away with having a speaker as small and portable as Denon’s new Envaya Mini, which proves that big sounds can really come in small packages. According to Paul Belanger, the product manager for D+M Group, which owns Denon, this zucchinisized Bluetooth speaker’s dual oversized drivers “allow it to perform way beyond what you’d expect from a speaker this size.” Though the Envaya Mini is orders of magnitude smaller than the oil drum–sized speakers of the past, its design, developed with Amsterdam-based Feiz Design Studio, is still very much a priority. “The sturdy, premium materials used to craft the unit were chosen to stand the test of time while still making it stylish,” adds Belanger of the speaker’s water-resistant materials. It’s hard rationale to argue with: A speaker’s good looks only matter if it works. —Ethan Wolff-Mann, deputy editor at the website Supercompressor

SURFACE

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PHOTOS: ARCHITECTURE, VINCENT FILLON. TECH, COURTESY DENON.

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Surface | March 2015 issue |

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IDEAS IN DESIGN

M artino Gamper’s “Corners” for Prada

RETAIL

Though often preceded by descriptors such as “dusty” or “tight,” corners present overlooked design opportunities. London-based Italian designer Martino Gamper, who for several years has sought to reinvent the corner as a valuable entity, knows this well. Gamper first produced a corner-friendly collection of furniture while studying at the Royal College of Art, and his interest in the subject has never waned. For a new collaboration with Prada, he experimented with adding dimensionality to the brand’s store windows. “My idea was to somehow create a kind of depth in a window, so when you look in it, it doesn’t feel so flat,” says Gamper, who sought to craft a distinct architectural narrative that would still allow the display items to tell their own stories. After sketching several ideas, and integrating them with older ones, “Corners” came to fruition. Paying homage to the humble corner, the display vitrines are currently outfitting Prada’s stores worldwide. Different materials and textures will be incorporated into the designs, starting with wood. “It suddenly made sense to me,” Gamper says, “to create something that was this focal point where everything meets.” —Roxy Kirshenbaum

A lexis Bittar and Lucite

To mark his 25th year of working with Lucite, jewelry designer Alexis Bittar—who’s known for bright, sculptural pieces made of the plastic— commissioned artists Natasha Law, Juliette Losq, Cordy Ryman, and Mickalene Thomas to create works out of his signature material for a special collection. Beyond presenting them with the translucent acrylic material, Bittar gave the artists little instruction. “I was just curious to see how they would express themselves with it,” he says. “It’s not a material they’ve used, and so I didn’t want to box them in. Each one of them has created something completely different.” The artists painted, cut up, drew on, and varnished the material, among other experimental techniques. The resulting pieces, which vary vastly in style, were presented during a special exhibition at the Cedar Lake dance center in Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighborhood during Fashion Week in February, then auctioned off through Artspace to benefit the city’s LGBT Community Center. “I love the idea of really treating the plastic as an art form,” the designer says. —Hally Wolhandler

SURFACE

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PHOTOS: RETAIL, AGNUS MILL. LIMITED EDITION, COURTESY CORDY RYMAN.

LIMITED EDITION

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Image: The Armory Show 2015 Commissioned Artist, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Tape Echo (detail), 2013-2014.

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IDEAS IN DESIGN

“Björk” at MoMA

EXHIBIT

According to her 1997 hyper-ballad, “Bachelorette,” Björk Guðmundsdóttir is a fountain of blood in the shape of a girl. On the same album, Homogenic, she also describes herself as a hunter on the prowl, and as someone who wants to be in a “state of emergency.” She’s a smith of powerfully evocative verse and turns of phrase that are abstruse yet easily relatable, delivered in a range of otherworldly octaves and intonations. This month, the beloved Icelandic pop star, whose voice swings like a pendulum between whimsy and weapon of mass destruction—and whose experimentation with sound and video has shaped a musical genre or two—is ready to look back. On March 8, a sonic retrospective of her work opens at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (through June 7), highlighting her accomplishments over the past two decades. (Technically, Björk’s career began at age 11, when she recorded her first album.) Klaus Biesenbach, MoMA’s charismatic chief curator-at-large and director of PS1, organized the exhibit. He has known Björk for 15 years, and reveals, while remaining ambiguous, that this will be the first time this kind of aural experience has ever been done. “Trying to create an authentic experience of sound is a very big goal,” he says. “I hope to broaden the spectrum of what a contemporary museum can deliver.” —Charles Curkin

Tuyen Tran

“While I was studying fashion, I started to question whether or not it was necessary,” says 22-year-old Tuyen Tran, one of three winners of this year’s Vilcek Foundation Prize for Creative Promise in Fashion, to be presented in April. She adds of her time as a student at Parsons, “I think that’s when my design philosophy came through: when I started questioning the whole institution.” Her approach is one that seems more likely to belong to a product designer than a fashion one: Tran’s concept collections include pieces like scarves with multiple configurations, coats with 10 pockets, dresses with adjustable sleeves, and footwear with heels designed to resist wear and tear. In design school, “they stressed knowing about clothes, and mood boards, and colors a lot— and that didn’t really stick with me,” she says. Instead, she found herself inspired by her own life. “I was reading about Modern architecture, so one of my collections ended up being about Modern architecture.” She adds that she’s also influenced by her daily interactions and experiences: “A lot of my inspiration also just comes from myself and my body and the people I know or see on the street, by the idea of user-friendliness. I think I approach my work very practically.” —H.W.

SURFACE

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PHOTOS: EXHIBIT, COURTESY WELLHART LTD & ONE LITTLE INDIAN. UP AND COMING, COURTESY WENJUN LIANG.

UP AND COMING

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WHEN LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT HOME, WHO HAS A FLAIR FOR ALL THE DETAILS?

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IDEAS IN DESIGN

“The Look”

BOOK

PHOTOS: PROJECT BY DILLER SCOFIDIO + RENFRO, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW MONTEITH.

“Architecture is to building as fashion is to clothing: both may be seen as excesses of their functional roots,” reads the introduction to The Look, a new book from New York–based firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro. “Whereas in fashion ‘architectural’ is an asset, a positive term that applies to a design with distinctively strong structure and form, the term ‘fashionable’ in architecture is pejorative, suggesting a fleeting trend with lasting worth.” Using the astutely reductive observation as grounds for their 2013 commission from the Deste Foundation—for which an artist is selected annually to curate and interpret a capsule collection of five to 10 international fashion designs produced that year—the firm conceived and art directed a narrative of 18 images, photographed by artist Matthew Monteith. Originally exhibited at the Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece last year, they’re collected and reproduced here for the first time. Among the conceptual mix of high and low accessories spotlighted in the project: cork lace-up shoes by Maison Martin Margiela, a pearl earring necklace by Slow and Steady Wins the Race, jumbo fishnets from costume company Leg Avenue, and a Blu disposable e-cigarette. For the location of their shoot, DS+R—who cite the images of midcentury photographer Julius Shulman as an apt cross-reference for exposing unexpected alignments between architecture, fashion, and lifestyle—decided upon Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, a space that’s both an icon of Modernism, yet ambiguous in time and style. The crew took a gloves-off, hands-on approach to the landmarked property as they staged a series of subversive, irreverent scenes exploring youth, aging, identity, and the notion of “classic.” —Aileen Kwun

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Grids are in for Christian Dior creative direc- Diorama bag. Its classic shape got a contemtor Raf Simons. At the brand’s first-ever pre- porary update featuring a stitched pattern fall show in Tokyo last December, Simons across the front. For one version (pictured), presented the looks underneath a giant iron the bright stitching and metal grommets lend gridded structure hanging 10 feet above the an industrial edge to the somewhat conserrunway. For the spring/summer 2015 presen- vative color of the purse. $6,000, dior.com tation, grids appeared in the form of the leather —Justin Min SURFACE

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PHOTO: PETE DEEVAKUL.

Grid Plan

SELECT

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INTRODUCING WATCH JOURNAL’S EXPLORER ISSUE Now available on newsstands, the Explorer Issue of our sister publication, Watch Journal, covers the most robust watches in the industry and the people who wear them. The issue takes a look at Louis Moinet’s 20-Second Tempograph, Chanel’s ceramic J12, and the best new diving watches on the market. Also included: behind-the-scenes looks into TAG Heuer’s most durable watches, and special-edition timepieces made by top brands for major motion pictures.

Volume 18, N 2

All That’s Good in Time

March 2015

Watch Journal Featuring: The Louis Moinet 20 Second Tempograph Also: Around the World Yacht Racing. Making Watches for the Movies. Understanding the Benefits of Ceramic. Advancements in Diver Watches. Seeking the Ends of the Earth with Mike Horn.

The Explorer Issue

You can find Watch Journal in private jet terminals, on newsstands, in watch boutiques, and at Barnes & Noble. Subscribe: watchjournal.com/subscribe

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PRODUCT

MAX APPEAL Fashion writer Ashley Simpson remarks on some of the boldest, most unapologetic accessories for spring. STYLING BY JUSTIN MIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETE DEEVAKUL

Clockwise from top: Bag, Marni. Top handle bag, Carven. Boots, Miu Miu. Simpson: “These boots masquerading as pumps are so girlish they’re almost vulgar. The schoolgirl sweetness of the oversized bow loops and faux-heel detailing combine a very ‘grown-up’ look. It’s like something an uptown girl would wear for a frothy, slightly naughty, feminine-in-the-way-of-Divine night out.”

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PRODUCT

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PRODUCT

Bag, Céline. Opposite, clockwise from top: Cuffs and clutch, Stella McCartney. Bag, Balenciaga. Shoes, Fendi. Simpson: “The ubiquitous Céline trapeze bag gets a graphic update with primary colors so punching you almost forget it’s a straightforward Phoebe Philo creation.”

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PRODUCT

Olympus OMD-EM1, Olympus. Trout: “We just bought a bunch of these for our team to use in the field. It has the imaging capabilities of a pro kit but comes in a compact and handsome package.Seriously, this thing is so powerful. Even my dog could take a good shot with it.”

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PRODUCT

From left to right: Cuffs, Chanel. Shoes, Rochas. Purse, Fendi. Simpson: “The shine-bright tinsel toes are like something out of a midsummer dream. They’re so feminine and romantic it’s no wonder they’re becoming a new Rochas staple.”

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PRODUCT

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Pleasure Island

TRAVEL

BY SPENCER BAILEY PORTRAIT BY HANA KNIZOVA Bali may seem an unlikely location for the An antique sign outside of the Notting Hill everywhere now, and it has become quite operations of a global fashion enterprise. But location reads: “Universal Providers.” It’s an polluted,” Pejoski says—the natural beauty for Marjan Pejoski and Sasko Bezovski, who apt metaphor for the duo’s lifestyle, as well as of the place still shines through. When there, co-founded the label KTZ (Kokon to Zai) the store itself, which is situated in a former he says, “we have more time for being close in 2003, it’s exactly that. The duo spends six butcher shop dating back to a century ago. to nature and seeing greenery and the sea on months each year on the Indonesian island, At the location, Pejoski and Bezovski have a daily basis than in London. It gives you where it runs an atelier. The rest of the time, put a focus on primitive works and unusual a space for being within yourself. There’s they’re based in London, where they operate objects—“it’s almost like a curiosity cabinet more time to do yoga. Bali has helped in our another KTZ studio and the hybrid music- from the 19th century,” Pejoski says—as well development.” And now, it has led to collaboration: This and-fashion shop Kokon to Zai, the latter as contemporary art and fashion accessories. of which they opened in the city’s Soho “It gives us a playground to do other things spring, KTZ will launch a custom T-shirt for neighborhood in the mid-’90s. For the last apart from just fashion,” he says. “Because we the W Retreat & Spa Bali-Seminyak, where decade or so, Pejoski and Bezovski have travel a lot, it’s basically my living room filled it will also present a surfboard-as-art instalmade an average of four trips to Bali annu- with the objects I collect and buy abroad.” lation in the hotel’s foyer. To conceive of the He continues, “If you think of the Kokon shirt and surfboard designs, Pejoski turned to ally. “We never planned to work or move there,” Pejoski says. “It just kind of happened to Zai name itself, it means old and new, East- Balinese mythology, specifically the barong, spontaneously.” meets-West. With us, we travel around the a lionlike character that represents goodness. The story of KTZ begins in 1989, when world and never know what we’re going to “In everybody’s mind, whenever you mention Pejoski and Bezovski met in Macedonia, and find. We always hope for new surprises, new Bali, it’s the ‘Island of the Gods,’” he says. “I quickly became friends and then life-and- challenges, always something new.” just took the barong on as a positive symbol.” work partners. A year later, they moved to The KTZ label, too, takes its multicultural For many of KTZ’s consumers, wearing London, where Bezovski worked as a D.J. inspiration from its founders’ travels, largely the brand’s clothes is its own sort of trip and Pejoski studied fashion at Central Saint in the form of indigenous designs and ethno- to a faraway land. For the fashion label’s Martins. Eventually, they opened a boutique graphic references. Bali, though a home base, founders, their escape is the island of Bali— called Kokon to Zai. “The shop gave us the is just one of many places that influence them. the source of much of the line’s creation. “I opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people As Pejoski puts it, “It doesn’t really matter love Bali’s cliffs and the views,” Pejoski says. from the fashion industry,” Pejoski says. Today, if it’s Bali or Japan or London or wherever— “It gives you another dimension of freedom there are three Kokon to Zai locations—the every season we’re looking for another story, and space.” second in Notting Hill in London, the third in another place, another something.” Paris’s 2nd arrondissement—and the KTZ label Bali has indeed become a part of KTZ’s is carried internationally at stores including brand ethos. And though development Marjan Pejoski, left, and Sasko Bezovski at Dover Street Market and Opening Ceremony. has increased on the island—“cranes are their label’s London studio. SURFACE

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PHOTOS: 01, COURTESY BAMBU INDAH. 02, COURTESY COMO HOTELS. 03, COURTESY DESA SENI. 04, COURTESY W RETREAT & SPA BALI-SEMINYAK.

Bali serves as the second, more relaxed home base of ecclectic international fashion label KTZ.

TRAVEL

INSIDER’S GUIDE TO BALI BY MARJAN PEJOSKI & SASKO BEZOVSKI

01 One of Pejoski and Bezovski’s island favorites is the 10-year-old Bambu Indah resort, created by Canadian jewelry designer John Hardy and his wife, Cynthia. The property comprises 15 relocated Javanese teak houses built by natives more than 100 years ago, all of them tastefully maintained. Nearby is the Green School, also started by the Hardys, a private international prekindergarten to high school located adjacent to the Ayung River. Hydro-electricity and solar energy power its yurt classrooms, which are made entirely of renewable materials. “If I was a kid, I would love to study there,” Pejoski says. Jl. Banjar Baung, Desa Sayan, Ubud; 62-361-886-8807; bambuindah.com 02 When Pejoski and Bezovski really want to treat themselves, they go to the Como Shambhala Estate. Its spa facilities, designed by architect Cheong Yew Kuan and interior designer Koichiro Ikebuchi, took around 10 years to build. The space includes nine massage and beauty treatment rooms (three for couples), heated outdoor hydrotherapy pools, a yoga studio and pavilion, a Pilates studio, and an outdoor jungle gym. “There are infinite views of jungles!” Peojoski says. Banjar Begawan, Desa Melinggih Kelod Payangan, Ubud; 62-361-978-888; comohotels.com/ comoshambhalaestate

PHOTOS: 01, COURTESY BAMBU INDAH. 02, COURTESY COMO HOTELS. 03, COURTESY DESA SENI. 04, COURTESY W RETREAT & SPA BALI-SEMINYAK.

03 For his kundalini yoga routines, Pejoski’s go-to is the “eco-village resort” Desa Seni. “What I love about this place,” he says, “is that it’s quite centrally located, but still in the middle of a rice field. It almost resembles a little Japanese village with these old houses. It’s quite charming and very humble.” Jl. Subak Sari No. 13, Pantai Berawa, Canggu; 62-361844-6392; desaseni.com 04 Pejoski notes that while he and Bezovski don’t stay at the W Retreat & Spa Bali-Seminyak, they do enjoy having a drink there during the sunset. “It’s a place where it’s nice to have a relaxed moment,” he says. “Bali’s got many, many beautiful places, and the W is one of them.” The hotel includes 237 “retreats,” suites, and villas with sprawling ocean views. Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak; 62-361-300-0106; wretreatbali.com

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BAR

Cocktail by Tomas Delos Reyes INSPIRED BY LE BARON I’ve been to three other Le Baron locations (Paris, Tokyo, and New York), and I’m a big fan of Andre Saraiva’s art, so this cocktail was a lot of fun to create. This Cocktail Kingdom coupe was a necessary choice for a concoction that had to be sexy: The cuts in the glass look like seams that run along the back of women’s stockings, evoking the style and revelry that can only happen at Le Baron. The Hennessy base represents the sensuality of the atmosphere, while the black cherry and grapefruit juices give the cocktail its deep, seductive red color and luscious, fruity bite. Bitters add a touch of spice, and the champagne bubbles top it off with an animated mouthfeel. 1 1⁄4 oz. 1 ⁄2 oz. 1 ⁄2 oz. 2 dashes

Hennessy Privilège ruby red grapefruit juice black cherry Juice Angostura bitters Moët & Chandon Champagne

Add all ingredients except Champagne into shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a chilled coupe. Top with Champagne. Tomas Delos Reyes is a mixologist and partner of the gastropub Jeepney in New York’s East Village.

At the entrance off the elevator, leather doors with rounded corners open up to a long pink corridor. The hall leads to a series of three diamond-shaped infinity mirrors that take cues from old-time peep shows and stripper booths. “This space has become the most popular selfie spot BY ROXY KIRSHENBAUM that exists in the club,” Tange says. “Everybody is in front of there taking shots of themselves.” Once inside, dim red bordello-style lighting If getting around Shanghai’s Le Baron feels a bit snug, that’s because it is—and purposely so. The washes over the space and establishes an intimate new China outpost of the well-known nightclub vibe. The designer felt it was essential to implewas designed with the tightly squeezed qualities of ment a singular color scheme, and to leave out a classic Parisian apartment in mind. (The club’s any special effects (such as smoke machines) to founders, French graffiti artist Andre Saraiva and prevent distractions. Referencing not only the Lionel Bensemoun, opened the first Le Baron in artist’s sketches but also the playful aesthetic of the Paris in 2004; others are now in London, New 1980s Memphis Group, the carpet and wallpaper York, and Tokyo.) Leendert Tange, a managing are the space’s most defining features. The carpet director and co-founder at the agency Storeage, is fixed in deep purple, red, and black, and the which designed the Shanghai project, wanted velvet-flocked wallpaper is predominantly red to create such an environment by making the and black, under white graffiti by Saraiva. The tables extra small and the corridors extra tight. bar’s backdrop combines pink glass and pink mirThe reason: to force guests to touch each other rors with clear glass and clear mirrors, forming an as they passed by, with the hope that they might homage to the work of key Memphis designer then take to the dance floor. Ettore Sottsass. In partnership with Saraiva, Tange turned the Rounding out the scheme—and offering a seventh-floor club—situated in an office building place of privacy—Storeage created an oversized in the city’s former French concession—into a den bathroom featuring the club’s only window of sensuality. When visiting the space for the first with a view of Shanghai. “XO” markings on the time, Saraiva took to a cocktail napkin to express unisex bathroom doors reference Saraiva’s alter his vision. On it, he drew explicit sexual objects, ego. “When you’re out there [on the dance floor] female genitalia, dollar signs, and eyes. “We trans- and maybe can’t hold yourself anymore, there lated [Saraiva’s] pattern into an excessively all-over is this [restroom] specifically designed for lovepattern on the carpets and wallpaper,” Tange says. making,” Tange says. SURFACE

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PHOTOS: COCKTAIL, LESLEY UNRUH. BAR, COLIN JONES, SHENZHEN.

Red Room

The cozy Shanghai outpost of Le Baron oozes sensuality on an intimate scale.

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GUARDIAN

AVANT

ANNOUNCING OUR 15TH ANNUAL AVANT GUARDIAN PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

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Surface is pleased to announce the 15th edition of the magazine’s famed Avant Guardian contest, a showcase of the top up-and-coming photographers. The contest has helped launch the career of many celebrated talents. Past Avant Guardian winners frequently appear in the pages of Surface, and have gone on to shoot campaigns and promotions for brands including Giorgio Armani, Hermés, Banana Republic, Nike, IBM, and Levi’s. Winners have included Nicholas Duers, KT Auleta, Sarah Silver, Josh Jordan, Mark Veltman, and Vanina Sorrenti.

Surface editors and a star jury featuring international photography and fashion stars—to be announced this month—will select 10 submissions from this year’s pool that show the most promise. The finalists and their work will be showcased in our October 2015 issue and exhibited at a special issue launch event. Surface invites photographers to enter new and unpublished work into the contest, which includes entries spanning art, architecture, fashion, portraitrature, and still life. Visit surfacemag.com for more details about the contest, to launch this spring.

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Giorgio Armani lends his warm, elegant touch to the revamped Nobu Milan. BY HALLY WOLHANDLER Fifteen years ago, Nobu Milan opened in the Armani building (which houses various Armani stores, plus other brand ventures, like an Armani Hotel) in the city’s Centro Storico neighborhood. Though the restaurant’s two founders— chef Nobu Matsuhisa, 65, and fashion designer Giorgio Armani, 80—remain internationally influential and relevant, its interior was ready for a redesign after more than a decade of use. This time, Armani himself stepped up to the task, further developing the collaborative nature of the restaurant-within-a-store structure. “I wanted to, first of all, give the venue a new feeling of harmony, and to emphasize the sense of space in this large structure, playing with an almost abstract idea of Japonisme,” Armani says. “I wanted to lighten up and deconstruct the environment—not just physically, but also visually.” To open the space, Armani redesigned the entrance hall and bar with a new layout to make it more welcoming. The sushi bar on the first floor was moved and completely redone. He also widened the area available for drinking and lounging by renovating the pre-existing veranda that looks out onto the fashionable Via Pisoni. The restaurant’s new dining room is moody and bright, with grays and beiges punctuated

by bright orange upholstery. Armani hoped the simple nature of the design would put the focus on textures and materials—and, of course, the food. “It is a very subtle game of counterpoints,” he says. The restaurant isn’t small—it seats 130 on the ground floor and 100 more upstairs—but certain balancing touches, like traditional Japanese ceiling beams and wood and woven-mat wall finishings, lend a rather unexpected coziness to the dining areas. Solid curved-wood chairs and booths reflect the designer’s modern influences. The herringbone-patterned floor is stained in a classic Armani beige-gray tone, and the dining room gets its moody glow from Murano glass lamps from the Armani Casa line—details that further the connection between the restaurant and the fashion label whose stores surround it. Armani’s favorite detail of the space: the precious liquid-metal panels that cover the sushi bar. “These are visible from the stairwell,” he says. “They’re the stars of the whole composition.” When asked whether his career as a fashion designer informs his work in interiors, Armani asserts that his process for both fields is the same. “I see no substantial difference between the two activities,” he says. “In both cases, the process involves realizing an idea, then working on shapes, volumes, textures, and finishes. Care must be taken to address requirements such as comfort, function, and beauty—and beauty and usefulness must coincide in an elegant and natural manner.”

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PHOTO: DAVIDE LOVATTI.

Fresh Direction

RESTAURANT

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RESTAURANT

Dish by Seamus Mullen INSPIRED BY NOBU MILAN PHOTO BY LESLEY UNRUH

PHOTO: DAVIDE LOVATTI.

Hamachi crudo with charred blood orange and toasted hazelnuts I suppose “fusion” is a bit of a four-letter word these days, at least in the culinary world—it’s not to be mentioned in the front or back of the house of any self-respecting restaurant. We’re quick to mock it as a terribly dated food fad, and just as quick to forget that fusion cuisine is often the result of innovation and creativity. It’s about exploring different and exciting ways to combine ingredients, flavors, and techniques to create something entirely new—and really, what could be wrong with that, if it’s done well? The godfather of fusion is arguably Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, more famously known as just Nobu. As a young Japanese chef he was transplanted to Peru, where he was tasked with opening a Japanese restaurant in Lima without access to traditional Japanese ingredients—so he had to get creative. He experimented with incorporating Peruvian ingredients into his food, the result of which has had a lasting influence on contemporary cuisine. Nobu was a true trailblazer, responsible for introducing the U.S. to numerous dishes we take for granted today. That yellowtail jalapeño roll on every sushi menu? The ubiquitous black cod with miso? You can thank Nobu for both of those. The newly renovated Armani Nobu itself is an excellent example of well-executed fusion, integrating sensual Italian sophistication with a clean, bold Japa-

nese aesthetic. Two cultures known for their exquisite sense of luxury are represented here in a space that is rich yet understated, a quiet decadence that comes through not in ornamentation but through rich textures and materials. For this dish, I knew immediately that I wanted to do a crudo, since I can’t think of a better way to pay homage to Nobu. Nowadays, it’s hard to find a restaurant that doesn’t serve crudo of some sort (yet another thing we can thank Nobu for). A good crudo is not unlike this space—it looks deceptively simple, but is built upon layers of flavor and texture and is actually quite complex. For this dish, I chose hamachi, or yellowtail, a fish that Nobu helped popularize in the States. The silky texture of the cured fish pairs beautifully with the toasty crunch of hazelnuts and the smoky brightness of blood orange. To add my own twist, I’ve given it a slight Spanish accent with the use of pimentón in the curing mixture and sherry vinegar for the vinaigrette. There you have it: fusion! I guess it’s not such a bad word after all. Serves one as an appetizer 2 1 ⁄2 1 ⁄2 1 ⁄2 4 1 ⁄2 1

ounces yellowtail filet cup sugar cup kosher salt teaspoon pimentón ounces butter tablespoon hazelnuts tablespoon fino sherry vinegar salt to taste

For the garnish 1 blood orange, skin removed, cut into ¼ 1-inch wheels 1 ounce crème fraîche 2 chopped dill sprigs, with 3 leaves set aside for garnish 1 clove garlic, grated with microplane salt and pepper to taste Process To prepare the yellowtail for curing, mix the salt, sugar, and pimentón in a small mixing bowl. On a small tray or plate, sprinkle the filet liberally with the curing mixture. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and cure in the refrigerator for one hour. Remove and rinse the fish carefully, then pat dry with a clean towel. Slice sashimi-style into 1/8 inch slices. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, toast hazelnuts in butter until golden brown. Remove from butter, crush with the flat end of a knife, and set aside. Make a brown butter vinaigrette by continuing to cook the butter until brown, then remove from heat and add the sherry vinegar and salt to taste; set aside. Heat a dry cast-iron skillet on high; once the skillet is hot, place the blood orange slices face down and char on one side. Cut into halves and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, mix the crème fraîche, dill, and garlic; season with salt and pepper to taste. To plate the dish, smear the crème fraîche on a clean plate. Arrange alternating slices of the charred blood orange and cured fish. Dress with brown butter vinaigrette and finish with crushed hazelnuts and dill leaves. Enjoy.

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A historic beachfront hotel makes a big splash in Miami with a design upgrade and relaunch by Ian Schrager. In this column, we ask Ben Pundole, founder of the website A Hotel Life, to pick a new hotel that offers the best of hospitality design today. BY ROXY KIRSHENBAUM

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PHOTO: NIKOLAS KOENIG.

For renowned designers Glenn Pushelberg As the structure is a historical property, the a nd George Yabu of t he f i r m Yabu lobby includes many restored elements, like Pushelberg—who recently collaborated the gilt mosaic tiled columns, the white and with hotelier Ian Schrager to launch the black marble floor, and a curvilinear back wall. Miami Beach Edition Hotel—a good inte- A nod to the 1960s era is most evident in the rior evokes emotion. “It’s about the sum of lobby and its surrounding areas. Preserved its parts that makes the whole great,” says in its natural oval-form state, the hotel’s Pushelberg—and it’s this very notion that restaurant, the Matador Room, has a large makes the Miami Edition such an impres- chandelier that’s a remnant of the building’s sive project. The beachfront property is sited former décor; it was transformed with a white in the building of the former Seville Hotel, jessoed-effect in an effort to update the space which first opened in 1955, and was purchased while still maintaining its heritage. The chanby Marriott International in July 2010 during delier, Pushelberg says, “was a bit ugly, so we a period best described as the “new Miami.” adjusted the whole thing to be a ghost of its Striking a balance between new construc- former self.” Cloaked in soft, silvery silk, the tion and preservation of the original structure, paneled walls provide a backdrop for a formal the hotel creates a remarkable contrast. space that boasts high ceilings, a sculptural One example is the newer rectangular pool bar, and selective framed photographs of versus the pre-existing crescent-shaped one matadors hung on the walls. nearby: Although keeping the original pool The hotel’s second restaurant—referred to was a building requirement, Yabu says having as “The Market”—has diverse stations servboth is advantageous for year-round poolside ing different food items. (Both the Matador lounging, as the sun changes position from and Market menus are by Jean-George season to season. “You just move to the other Vongerichten.) For instance, there is a bakery, pool,” he says. a coffee shop, and even a seafood station—all of which are cafeteria-style, though orders are brought to seated patrons. Unlike in the Entry, Lobby, and Restaurant Matador Room, communal seating is orgaCreating a sense of calm and lightness from nized throughout the restaurant (rather than the outdoor area to the inside of the hotel in one central space). It is intended to look like was achieved through the use of soft, natural a food market that might exist in Singapore. materials in a neutral palette. Schrager worked “Everywhere we found an empty space, we with the designers to construct a stripped- put seats there,” Pushelberg says. “It’s the down design. “It’s confident, self-assured, way people eat and we wanted the Edition to and without artifice or pretense,” he says. respond to modern ways of living.” “I like that we worked hard to pare it down, edit it, and reduce it to its essence. It’s simple. Guestrooms Emphasizing that simplicity doesn’t equate to minimalism, but rather refinement,” he adds. In contrast to the darker hues used in the “[Simplicity] cannot be put in a box.” Matador Room, the guestrooms take on a

PHOTO: NIKOLAS KOENIG.

South Beach Splendor

HOTEL

PHOTO: NIKOLAS KOENIG.

lighter, brighter color scheme with creamy- LED lights with a rotating motor that under- BEN PUNDOLE’S TAKE ON THE MIAMI white porcelain tile floors and soft furnish- scores a long bar and two L-shaped sofas. BEACH EDITION: ings in white linen. One of the guestroom’s “That was it.” Pushelberg says. “You’re just central fixtures is a plush armchair. “[Sitting meant to dance your ass off.” The designers The Huffington Post just named Miami “the in the chair] is like being at zero gravity,” Yabu wanted the nightclub to be reminiscent of the best city in America.” In my humble opinion, says. “It’s probably even more comfortable iconic Studio 54—of which Schrager was the this is largely due to the groundswell of excitethan the bed.” Continuing to instill a sense co-proprietor—in the 1970s and early ’80s. ment generated by the Miami Beach Edition. of calm is the placement of the bed and an “Back in those days of Studio 54, people were The hotel is Ian Schrager at his finest and the open-plan concept, which includes floating, more integrated,” Yabu says. “You had people future of everything you need in your life: centrally placed bathroom vanities; instead of from uptown, the Upper East Side, mingling Jean-Georges deliciousness, the best beachfront being attached to the walls, the vanities free with Andy Warhol. You’d have Halston and locale in Miami, cloudlike spa action, and a Bianca Jagger all mixed together.” up the space visually. world-class bar with copper pineapples you can Not to be overlooked, says Pushelberg, is When asked to host the hotel’s unveiling drink out of. Oh, and disco, bowling lanes, an the hotel’s spa, which features nine private party in the nightclub during Art Basel Miami ice-skating rink, and service like whoa! I’m treatment rooms; a far-infrared sauna; nail, Beach this past December, the designers ini- totally biased, of course, having worked closely hair, and makeup services; a steam room; and tially imagined the event to be called “What with Schrager for the past 15 years (and having a retail shop. An ethereal, oversized relax- New York Used to Be.” Yabu Pushelberg been intimately involved with the launch of this ation room has custom-made daybeds and hired D.J.s from London, Horse Meat Disco, hotel). But seriously: The Miami Beach Edition vintage Moroccan rugs, as well as lighting who played music paying tribute to Schrager’s defines today’s Miami. Come get some! designed by Arnold Chan, a personal friend previous era, when “people had happiness of the designers. “He lit it in a very romantic and it wasn’t about bottle service or pretenway,” Pushelberg says. tion,” Pushelberg says. The event was a success. In thinking about how the hotel might Recreation be remembered decades from now, Yabu says, “I think this hotel is a memory, it’s not one speUnlike any ordinary hotel, the Miami Beach cific thing, there is a feeling of it being a special Edition houses an “adult playground” called space, intrinsically beautiful and emotionally the Basement, though “it doesn’t really feel relaxing. You don’t find that in Miami.” like a basement,” Yabu says. The lower level comprises a bowling alley with mirror-lined (OPPOSITE) Market, a dining concept from lanes that create an infinity effect, an ice rink, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. (BELOW) and a nightclub. The duo avoided overdesignA standard guest room, which features ing the space in the manner of a typical Miami cerused oak walls, white porcelain floors, nightclub. Simple lighting includes rows of natural woven mats, and soft billowy drapes.

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Turkish architect Han Tümertekin designs VSP’s first-ever flagship with historical sensitivity. BY HALLY WOLHANDLER

A display at the new VSP Paris flagship showing the metal ceiling panel. (OPPOSITE) More views of the store.

Paris-based clothing label VSP is known for its detailed craftsmanship and the fine leather accents it adds to its wares. The brand was founded in 2007 and has been sold in stores like Harvey Nichols in London and Scoop and Atrium in New York City, but it didn’t have its own boutique until now. For its recently opened flagship, located in the Marais district of Paris, VSP’s Turkish CEO and creative director, Kadri Soygül, teamed up with Istanbul-based architect Han Tümertekin. “VSP has been based in the Marais district in Paris for more than seven years now,” Soygül says. “We wanted to open our first flagship store in the city where it was born.” Tümertekin, an accomplished architect who won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for his B2 House in Canakkale, Turkey, has completed projects in countries including the Netherlands, Japan, and France. He and Soygül have known each other for years, and had been hoping for some time to work on a project together, “but we couldn’t find the occasion before,” Tümertekin says. He adds that the brand’s aesthetic and craft appeals to him because it reflects the way he works as an architect. “When I first saw their collection,” he says, “I saw an obsession for details. What impressed me was the extremely refined handcraft they use for designing their leather.” Soygül adds, “I admire Han a lot. I chose to collaborate with him because of the way he interprets the brand.” The store’s design process was all about creating something that would highlight the fashion and respect the previously existing ground-floor and lower-level spaces of the building. “I’m really obsessed with doing site-specific architecture,” Tümertekin says. “And here, I tried to do hyper-specific architecture. The challenge

was very interesting to me, to build according to conventions in a historical building.” Ultimately, he chose to establish a rough, raw-feeling interior that wouldn’t distract from the fashion. “[VSP]’s designs are so refined—I didn’t want the space to be all that finished,” Tümertekin says. “I wanted to leave the product alone in the space. I played on that contrast.” Soygül adds that the clothes also played against the neighborhood itself, noting that “it was important to display the collection in a minimal, futuristic setting with the historic background of the Marais.” Tümertekin started the project by carefully reviewing the essential qualities of the building. “We took everything off, including layers of painting,” he says. “We edited the space, and I started thinking about how to intervene without losing its value.” Original materials, including concrete, exposed layers of paint, brick, and wood beams, all now characterize the store. Central to the space is the existing concrete staircase, which he made more robust, thus putting the store’s multilevel quality front and center. “It’s very Brutalist,” the architect says of the environment. “The only completely finished element is the shelf,” he says, referring to a onepiece sculptural perforated-metal ceiling panel that also covers one wall of the first level. Steel is, more or less, the only material Tümertekin added, which acts as “the main element creating a link between the two floors,” he says. In addition to its function, the “shelf” also provides a draw for those walking by the store: “It gets the daylight in, and reflects passerby from the large window, as well as people circulating inside the shop. From the street, one is able to see the lights inside the shop, in a big, distorted way.”

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PHOTOS: COURTESY VSP.

A Marais Memory

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PHOTOS: COURTESY VSP.

RETAIL

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19/02/2015 17:32

Ford Locus

TRANSPORT

The star of this year’s Detroit Auto Show came in the form of the gutsy, clean-lined GT. BY JONATHAN SCHULTZ

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PHOTOS: COURTESY FORD MOTOR COMPANY.

The new Ford GT. (OPPOSITE) The vehicle includes aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fiber construction.

At the Detroit International Auto Show in ers right out of school and more seasoned January, special editions of Ford’s long-run- designers,” Callum says. “The small team was ning Mustang muscle car and F-150 pickup very beneficial because we could work and truck were the wan, perfunctory attractions of make decisions quickly.” He adds with a laugh, a pro-forma press conference. That was, until a “And stick by them.” Layering carbon fiber by hand allowed Calstage door swung upward, prompting jaws to hinge downward. With a throaty rasp from its lum’s team uncommon styling freedom, but the twin matte-black exhaust pipes, the Ford GT process was not without its challenges. “There rolled through the breach. Painted a mesmeriz- were some difficult parts to resolve,” Callum ing pearlescent blue, the more than 600-horse- says. “The fuselage cabin, the pontoon fenders power wedge of carbon fiber suggested that separated by buttresses … it was quite difficult Ford, best known for building sensible Fiesta to make all those harmonize.” The GT’s most hatchbacks and stout Explorer SUVs, had been arresting vantage may be the rear three-quarter, where those aerofoil-like buttresses can be communing with its more mischievous spirits. “Audacious” seemed the consensus adjec- appreciated fusing the fenders to the tapered tive in Detroit, a descriptor seldom applied to passenger cell. The effect is more Le Mans prothe GT’s 2004 forbear: a limited-production totype than American supercar, and that’s by supercar also called the GT that honored its design: Ford has indicated its intention to race predecessor, the 1964 GT40 racing prototype, the GT, possibly at Le Mans itself. As with any halo vehicle, people want by tracing its every curve and flare. The 2004 GT is now held up as Exhibit A of the so- to know who owns the winning vision. In called retro-futurist styling trend that coursed Detroit, Acura made an uncommonly splashy through automotive design departments in the show of attributing its reborn NSX supercar late 1990s and early 2000s—an experiment that to American designer Michelle Christensen, yielded both grand and biblically poor results. and ex-Ford stylist Camilo Pardo has long “This next one had to be a significant step claimed authorship of the 2004 GT (“Camilo removed from that,” says Moray Callum, Ford did a phenomenal job letting people know of Motor’s vice president of design, of the new GT. his involvement with that car without sharing due credit with the rest of the team,” Callum “Retro was the farthest thing from our minds.” About those minds, which toiled in near- says). Perhaps owing to the crucible of collabosequester for 14 months beneath Ford’s design ration that gave it shape, the 2017 GT wears a headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan: The GT one-name byline. Says Callum: “Ford owns it, project was entrusted to a tight nucleus of styl- full stop.” ists and engineers who reported to a makeshift basement studio. Contrast this to the Focus, the world’s best-selling nameplate, which had input from Ford design offices in London, Cologne, Dearborn, and Southern California. Rule by committee this was not. “Everyone was based in Dearborn—a nice mix of design-

TRANSPORT

PHOTOS: COURTESY FORD MOTOR COMPANY.

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19/02/2015 17:39

The new Clé de Cartier collection remains deeply rooted in the French house’s history. BY KEITH W. STRANDBERG

The 1847 MC automatic movement, featured in the new Clé de Cartier watch. (OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM) The 40 mm version of the watch. A side view that shows the timepiece’s keylike crown, developed to be user-friendly.

Rarely does a venerable watchmaker like the case almost conforming to the wrist. Once Cartier—with a long heritage and a number on, the timepiece is a visual treat, inviting the of highly recognizable collections (think: Tank, wearer to touch its graceful shape. The crown Santos, and Ballon Bleu, among others)— pops out to set the hours and minutes, or to introduce a brand-new concept line. But at wind the watch, then pushes back in with a this year’s Salon International de la Haute satisfyingly audible click, its integrated blue Horlogerie (SIHH) fair in Geneva in January, sapphire flush to the locked piece. Interacting Cartier did just that with the introduction of with the Clé’s crown is reminiscent of winding the elegant Clé de Cartier collection, which old-time clocks. It’s a mechanical system that is will officially launch in April. right in line with Cartier’s longtime emphasis The collection’s name is literal. In French, on mechanical timepieces. While the new crown seems simple enough clé means “key,” and the name references the way the crown interacts with the watch and the on the surface, it was an engineering challenge user. “The initial idea was to play with curves, to make it so smooth and easy to manipulate. and every time we go with a new shape, we “We wanted to keep the idea of the stone in have a precise idea,” says Pierre Rainero, direc- whatever the shape of the crown was, because tor of image, style, and heritage for Cartier it’s kind of a signature for Cartier now,” International. “We wanted to play with a very Rainero says. “We came up with a different contemporary curve, one that’s very strong. shape and figured a way to mount the sapphire That’s how the watch was born.” flush with the shape of the crown.” For any designer, making a new product fit He continues, “If you look at the new watch from the side, you have two curves, one that in with a brand’s DNA and heritage is a chalfollows the shape of the wrist, and the other lenge, and this is something Rainero knows on top of the watch. The fact that the dial was well. “Whatever the object that the house conround came afterward. The circle came natu- ceives,” he says, “it’s all about proportion. It rally because the curves dictated the circle.” was the volume and the proportions that were This experimentation with curves led to the difficult, and how to combine the flat dial into development of a new crown, because it had to a shape that’s totally curved. To find the right be in line with the tense curve. “We conceived balance between the flat dial and the curves a different system for the crown, the way you was the challenge and what we discussed most.” rewind the time and set the date and the hours The crown is not a typical one for Cartier. is like a key of a clock,” Rainero says. “It’s a new shape. It doesn’t say ‘Cartier’ immeThe Clé—which comes in a 40 mm size for diately. But everything together says ‘Cartier.’ men and in 31 mm and 35 mm versions for There is a specific Cartier eye on the volume women—has accomplished the rare feat of and the proportion. We don’t define the golden being a new, attention-grabbing watch while number, it’s more about the overall proporappearing to have been part of Cartier’s rich tions. That’s the idea of the Cartier style: It past all along. Perhaps not surprisingly, wear- should be new but obviously belong to the ing the piece is a rather sensual experience. Its family.” curves make it extremely comfortable to wear, SURFACE

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PHOTOS: ERIC MAILLET, COURTESY CARTIER.

All in the Family

ON TIME

2/20/15 12:05 AM

PHOTOS: ERIC MAILLET, COURTESY CARTIER.

ON TIME

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Based out of Woodstock, New York, backpack brand PMW MFG makes wares befitting the country and the city. In this column, Josh Rubin, founder and editor-in-chief of the website Cool Hunting, highlights top-quality outdoor clothing, products, and equipment. BY GRAHAM HIEMSTRA

The multicolor yellow calfskin Ohoyo version of the M2 bag.

Last year marked the first time in human his- a semi-permanent home on the back burner tory that more than half of the world’s popula- due to the sudden and enduring success of tion resided in urban areas. While the ongoing Peters’s other side project, a certain messengerimpact of this shift will surely be felt on a global bag brand identified by a now-iconic red and scale for generations to come, perhaps a single white New York City skyline logo. (Due to early indicator can be seen in the fashion indus- legal and trademark reasons, the brand cannot try’s increasing interest in outdoor apparel and be associated with Peters or mentioned here.) design. Correlation versus causation aside, the Fast-forward to 2011, thanks to a new creative trend exists. From streetwear collaborations team, PMW has been given new life. like The North Face for Supreme to the unexWith a background in development and pected appearance of Teva-style sandals at the design and still fresh from nearly a decade Prada and Marc Jacobs spring/summer 2015 working in Tokyo, Asa Nishijima—a shows last fall, many materials, patterns, and Woodstock native and childhood friend of designs once developed for rural environments Peters’ daughter—acts as brand director while are being embraced by urbanites the world over. New York City–based creative director Mai One could call this city-dwelling, Patagonia- Warshafsky draws on a deep interest in, and wearing class “Urban Explorers.” knowledge of, art and patternmaking. Together, PMW MFG is one brand happy to partake in the two have molded Peters’s original bag conbluring these ever-broadening lines. Designing cept into PMW. Though the brand builds on its for a market that seamlessly travels between official founder’s legacy, it couldn’t be farther the country and the city, the Woodstock, from a hollow heritage revival. “None of the New York–based backpack maker has earned pieces are archival,” Nishijima says. “When a modest but dedicated following in recent we started, we really started from scratch. years, pairing bright and playful colors with Our main idea was to make sure these designs rugged, wilderness-tested materials. could be transformed seasonally, taking on new Founded as Peters Mountain Works by colors and materials while building our stable renowned bag designer John Peters in 1978, of designs, and of course making them seem PMW barely saw the light of day before finding relevant, fun, and forward thinking.” SURFACE

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PHOTOS: COURTESY STORM PHOTO.

City Slickers

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GEAR

to the confident, living-in-the-moment mentality that defines PMW. “John is someone I talk with every single day,” Nishijama says. “He’s a very particular human being—a real cowboy. He kinda just showed up in Manhattan and had an idea and went big with it. That’s inspiring.” With such a deep reservoir of reported inspiration, it’s a wonder Nishijima and Warshafsky are able to narrow in on a specific theme for each season. Perhaps it’s because of this that the brand’s identity is in and of itself about movement, and ephemeral ideas. “We just try to be quick, flexible, and precise in the way we feel,” Nishijima says. “To be global at this point, [designs] should translate from environment to environment without making too big of a shock or too big of a fuss. Rather than being inspired by the outdoors or the city, it’s really trying to focus on being inspired by life and the immediacy of what’s in front of you.”

The black mesh Tinker bag and camo calfskin Overlook bag.

JOSH RUBIN’S TAKE ON PMW MFG: The best outdoor gear is predicated on a high degree of function and durability. I’ve always loved the classic outdoor aesthetic, but its recent rise in the fashion world has resulted in many great looking products that don’t stand up to the rigor of regular use. PMW gets props for pushing outdoor style forward while maintaining a commitment to American-made quality.

PHOTOS: COURTESY STORM PHOTO.

This core concept—of remaining flexible, open to experimentation, and in tune with seasonal shifts in style and taste—is immediately recognizable in most every PMW design. From the slender Tinker silhouette to the toploading Ohayo, each looks as comfortable in bright hues, reflective ripstop, and mesh as it does blacked out in bombproof Cordura. And because the majority of the line is manufactured in Woodstock, customization is rather easy: Colorways can be altered, added, or dropped with a moment’s notice. Such versatility is key to the early success of PMW, which in February launched its spring/summer 2015 collection with Opening Ceremony. The two-person team has developed their own voice and design platform that somehow remains informed and relevant in the face of what many might see as a barrier: being based outside of a city. “It’s a kind of odd narrative, because we’re in this small little town. It’s very reclusive, especially in the wintertime,” Nishijima says, though he admits Woodstock is by no means unknown. “We’re kind of snowed in, yet there’s always this sort of atmosphere of New York City and the surrounding areas that are very culturally relative. We’re very inspired and influenced by it. There are always a lot of interesting people and ideas floating around.” One such prominent personality in the region is Peters himself, who has never been one to sit by and watch the world go by without wanting to reach out and touch it—even as he recently turned 70. His presence no doubt adds

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A sale of fashionable items from the personal collection of Mouna Ayoub pools more than one million euros. BY ROXY KIRSHENBAUM

Chanel tweed patchwork, ecru hessian, and vinyl fabric bag, which was lot No. 1,113 at the recent Cornette de Saint Cyr auction.

Giving new meaning to the term spring cleaning, Lebanese businesswoman and international figure Mouna Ayoub hosted an auction—titled “The Best of Thirty Years of Fashion”—presenting more than 3,000 items from her personal wardrobe. Sold at Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris during Fashion Week in January, the 2,000 lots of items included ready-to-wear and haute couture clothing, plus shoes, furs, and luxury leather accessories— including six Hermès Birkin crocodile handbags—as well as sunglasses, beach towels, and designer jewelry collected by Ayoub between 1985 and 2011. With individual prices ranging from an estimated 50 to 30,000 euros, Ayoub wanted the auction to fit all tastes, sizes, budgets, and occasions, from formal eveningwear to more casual ensembles and objects. The collection was at once autobiographical and historic: Ayoub’s aughts were filled with Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli designs featuring floral and feline prints, as well as leather and fur items; era-defining pieces from her closet included John Galliano’s work for Dior in the late ’90s. The eclectic collection also contained roughly 500 Chanel items issued under Karl Lagerfeld’s creative direction, including a dress that Ayoub wore to her daughter’s wedding—a garment, Ayoub admits, she had trouble parting with. A patron of the arts with a lifelong passion for fashion and cinema, Ayoub has chosen to donate 100,000 euros raised from the sale to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, to put toward its upcoming exhibition “Déboutonner

la mode (Unbuttoning Fashion).”Another 100,000 euros has gone to Cinéfondation, which was created in 1998 by then-president of the Cannes Film Festival Gilles Jacob, to assist in discovering new talent. Ayoub, a benefactor of Cinéfondation since 1999, has always felt a close connection to film—a career path she believes she might have missed. “My love for movies started at the age of 4, but being an actress in my family was a big taboo, although at school I did all the acting and mimicking,” she says. The auction will also benefit A chacun son Everest, an organization that helps children and women with cancer. Ayoub describes the experience of preparing for the impressively sizeable event as challenging: “Packing 300 boxes, labeling each item with a description, and taking pictures of everything was purely hell!” Her attention to detail, though, won’t disappoint the successful bidders, who will find the purchases in great condition. “I have taken good care of [these pieces],” she says, “sometimes depriving myself from wearing certain dresses or furs or accessories or using some very valuable collectable bags for fear of damaging them.”

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PHOTO: COURTESY ANTOINE MERCIER / CORNETTE DE SAINT CYR.

Advanced Style

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2015

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19/02/2015 20:40

Baku and Beyond

ART

Hailing from Azerbaijan, artist Aida Mahmudova opens a new contemporary art center in her hometown. BY MARINA CASHDAN PORTRAIT BY HANA KNIZOVA

Mahmudova with her work “On the Way Home, by the Sea” (2015) at the Louise Blouin Foundation in London.

When artist Aida Mahmudova returned to her hometown of Baku—the capital city of Azerbaijan, the Caucasus country that borders Georgia, Armenia, Iran, and Russia, and sits on the Caspian Sea—after studying at Central Saint Martins in London, she found there was a disconnect between her fellow artists and art lovers in the city. This is where Yarat, which the 32-year-old Mahmudova characterizes as a “gallery without walls,” was born. “I had known for a while that both artists and audiences in Baku would benefit from a more established contemporary art infrastructure,” says Mahmudova, who founded the organization in 2011 with a group of artists. “There were many artists making good work and the public was interested, but there were few platforms for the connection between the two.” Yarat started by mounting events across Baku, from solo exhibitions by emerging artists to largescale projects, such as the inaugural Participate Public Arts Festival. The organization then expanded to shows across the region and mounted a traveling exhibition, “Love Me, Love Me Not,” showcasing the work of 17 Caucasus artists; it debuted to critical acclaim at the 2013 Venice Biennale. Over the years, Yarat has also initiated an education program, which hosts master classes for artists, and opened the Yay Gallery. Named after the Azerbaijani word for “share,” Yay is a commercial gallery, with its proceeds going to artists and the organization. This month, Yarat settles into a new permanent home. Located in a Soviet-era naval building

that has been converted into a 21,500-square-foot gallery with sweeping views of the Caspian Sea, the space will open on March 24 with “The Home of My Eyes,” an exhibition premiering a commissioned work by New York–based Iranian artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat (on view through June 23). Neshat accepted the inaugural commission in part because of her interest in the country, which shares a history with her native Iran: “During my first visit to Baku last year, I felt like I had stepped back in time and was in Iran, in my childhood, where certain rituals were still celebrated,” she says. “I went back [to Baku] in the fall and spent a week photographing various types of people from different generations and ethnic backgrounds.” The resulting installation of photos is a tribute to Azerbaijan’s culture and diversity. Farsi texts on the notion of home— drawn from interviews she conducted with each subject—will be inscribed over the portraits. Mahmudova says the show will “no doubt be a milestone exhibition, not just for us as an organization, but also Baku as a whole.” Later this spring, at this year’s Venice Biennale, Yarat will show “The Union of Fire and Water,” which, as Mahmudova puts it, “will present a historical and cultural superimposition of Baku and Venice as seen through the eyes of the artists Almagul Menlibayeva and Rashad Alakbarov.” And from May 28 to July 5, works by Mahmudova will travel to New York’s Leila Heller Gallery for a show. All of which continues her mission to put Baku on the international art map. SURFACE

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2/20/15 12:12 AM

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20/02/2015 11:46

Books BY AILEEN KWUN PHOTO BY LESLEY UNRUH Presented in a modest pocket-sized hardcover, Yves Saint Laurent’s Studio: Mirrors and Secrets (Actes Sud) collects intimate snapshots of Saint Laurent the man at work in his storied Paris studio on Avenue Marceau. Archival photos depict a creative environment in artful and productive states of disarray, filled with sketches, assistants, fabric rolls, and plenty of cigarettes. “I couldn’t live without my gypsy atmosphere … I hate a room that looks deserted and sanctified,” reads one of the book’s many quotes from the designer. “I like a room to be completely anonymous, like a hotel room, or a reflection of a person’s most intimate life.” Remembrances from passersby, friends, and colleagues over the years, including an essay by fashion historian and author Jéromine Savignon, further paint a colorful oral history of the time and space.

Menswear Illustration (Thames & Hudson) features a portfolio of 290 drawings by various talents, including Guglielmo Castelli, Stephen Doherty, Sohei, and Julie Verhoeven. The works of each vary greatly in aesthetic: Some depict realist, black-and-white pencil drawings, while others employ more abstracted, interpretive takes through watercolor, paint, and collage. In today’s media landscape, where runway looks are shared at the speed of Instagram, writes Dan Thawley in the book’s foreword, “drawing distills a fashion moment as a fleeting artist’s impression—where details fall aside to allow sweeping gestures of silhouette and bold color to capture the bare bones of a designer’s creation.” Published on the occasion of a recent retrospective at Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Hubert de Givenchy (Artbook/D.A.P.) surveys the French fashion designer’s nearly half-century career, beginning with the opening

of Maison Givenchy in 1952, through to his retirement in 1995. Richly illustrated with photo reproductions, it features a wealth of archival imagery, including a few sources of inspiration— from geometric paintings by László MoholyNagy, to portraits of 19th-century aristocrats, to more modern-day muses like Audrey Hepburn. Electric Fashion (Skira) documents the wide-ranging sartorial collection of Christine Suppes, a California-based fashion enthusiast and former editor of fashionlines.com. First launched in 1998, in the days before Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr, the site was one of the earliest online outlets devoted to fashion writing. Now, nearly 20 years after its creation (and subsequent close), Suppes—who first founded the site with the encouragement of her husband, a Stanford professor and early Silicon Valley pioneer—presents her most beloved pieces, as photographed by Frederic Aranda.

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elnaturalista.com

FASHION FROM SPAIN

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Material In this column, we ask Material Connexion vice president Andrew Dent, Ph.D., to select one innovation that’s set to influence what designers will be using tomorrow.

BY CAROLYN STANLEY PHOTO BY LESLEY UNRUH

Milkweed might be best known for being the wind on rainy autumn days.” sole food source of caterpillars that eventuCommon milkweed is native to much of ally become monarch butterflies. Yet the unas- eastern North America, including Canada, but suming flowering plant also carries unusual Monark isn’t sourced from a wild-growing structural properties that harbor a myriad of supply; it relies on a cooperative of local farms. practical uses. Protec-Style, based in Quebec, Once seedpods have been harvested, fibers are taps into the potential of milkweed with the extracted and turned into a nonwoven textile called cavolié via a proprietary process called new insulation material Monark. François Simard, owner and president of caviolage. The fibers are “carded” (disentanProtec-Style, had worked extensively with gled and mixed) to produce a relatively uniform natural fibers such as hemp and flax, and first “web” without clumps. From there, further began working with milkweed after noting its processing depends on the application. As an similarities to another plant. “While in Spain on insulating filler for winter clothing, the material a business trip, I saw a kapok tree with bundles is left untreated to retain its natural hydroof fibers hanging from its branches,” Simard phobic properties. For building insulation, the says. “I noticed that the fibers resembled the ones webs are bonded and compressed with heat, produced by milkweed back home. On my way then backed with aluminum foil on one side. back, I read a scientific article that highlighted The fiber itself boasts incredible softness, the hydrophobic and oleophilic characteristics which may be why Simard named the producof kapok fibers. I was anxious to verify if milk- tion segment of his company “Silk of America.” weed had similar properties—it did.” Milkweed’s thermal insulation properties are The fibers used to create Monark come from virtually identical to those of goose down or milkweed’s seedpods, comprising fine white synthetic alternatives, and thanks to its extreme filaments that disperse the plant’s seeds in the lightness, it actually outperforms both on a wind (a mechanism also seen in dandelions). Its by-weight basis—all this from a material that’s intended purpose lends the fiber a few distinc- both natural and cruelty-free. Another detail tive properties. “Its most amazing particularity of environmental significance: The fiber’s oleois its hollow structure. The fiber is shaped like a philic properties have already led Protec-Style tube, 25 micrometers in diameter with only 15 to begin development on oil spill cleanup kits. percent of its cross section occupied by mate“Replacing synthetic fibers or even goose rial,” Simard says. “The other is its ability to down with milkweed fibers leads to a more naturally repel water due to its waxy coating. respectful utilization of the planet’s resources,” Nature made sure that these fibers remained Simard says. “We owe it to mother nature to dry when time came to carry the seed by the make good use of milkweed.”

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COLLABORATION: JÄGERMEISTER

On Point Cocktail by Tomas Delos Reyes INSPIRED BY OLIVIA KNAPP I immediately felt a connection to Olivia Knapp’s work first as an artist, then as a mixologist. Using Jägermeister as a base, I added fresh produce and juice to reference plant life and organic surrealism, which is common in her illustrations; the garnish expresses the dynamic movement present throughout her work. 11⁄2 oz. ⁄2 oz. 1 ⁄3 oz. 1 ⁄2 oz. 2 dashes 2 discs 1

Jägermeister lemon juice orange juice ginger syrup Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters cucumber, cut ¼ 1⁄4 - inch thick

PHOTO: COCKTAIL, LESLEY UNRUH.

In an age of digital media, artist Olivia Knapp opts for old-world techniques.

revealing the intricate markings that imbued the images with lifelike quality. “It was the only form of art,” Knapp says, “that I questioned whether I could do myself.” Determined, she set about teaching herself various etching techniques over the course of the next several years. In many ways, BY JOSEPH AKEL she says, “My process became a commitment to patience, understood as a rebellion against the PORTRAIT BY CHARLIE SCHUCK speed and immediacy that surrounds us.” Though For Seattle-based artist Olivia Knapp, details are she works six days a week, often pulling six or everything. Using a technique of cross-hatching seven-hour days, it’s not uncommon for one of favored by 16th-century engravers, her pen and Knapp’s illustrations to take up to five weeks to ink illustrations are highly detailed, wholly realis- be completed. “You can do the math on that one,” tic still-lifes, spun with a surrealist twist in which she says with a laugh. budding flowers open to reveal exacting, anatomic It made sense, then, that Jägermeister would renderings of human brains and hearts. approach Knapp to collaborate on a project Knapp’s interest in the labor-intensive “dot and celebrating the storied digestifs’ commitment lozenge” engraving technique began with a trip to craftsmanship. For Knapp, whose intricate to New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 2008, drawings recall botanical prints from a bygone where she saw “The Printed Picture,” a show sur- age, illustrating Jägermeister’s signature blend of veying techniques of image reproduction over the 56 herbs and spices came naturally. And, like the last 500 years. Knapp was captivated by exhibi- spirit, Knapp’s art shows that good things come tion displays magnifying Renaissance etchings, with time.

Tomas Delos Reyes is a mixologist and partner of the gastropub Jeepney in New York’s East Village.

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Loom Large

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Illustrative patterns, colors, and textures give depth to these new space-defining rugs and textile designs. BY AILEEN KWUN

Maria Cornejoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Fringe draperies take direct inspiration from pieces in her feathery, silk-woven 2012 pre-fall collection, and are part of a line of five additional textile and drape designs specially designed for Knoll Luxe. knolltextiles.com SURFACE

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nowcarpets.com

aelfie.com

Made of natural wool and silk, Stephanie Gotoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Language collection for Now Carpets is hand-knotted in Nepal. With a simple visual vocabulary, its design takes cues from ideals of universal communication.

Designed by Aelfie Oudghiri, founder and proprietor of Brooklyn-based brand Aelfie, the pattern of the Olivia Grey rug takes formal inspiration from the silhouette of a traditional candlestick holder.

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ligne-roset-usa.com

Lenticular patterns and alluring color combinations lend Golran’s Lake collection a distinctive look. Designed by Raw Edges and available in gray, red, and green, the rugs are woven from wool and bamboo silk.

Ligne Roset’s Robin is French studio Numero 111’s first-ever rug design. Inspired by travel, natural landscapes, and imagery drawn from Google Earth, its varying textures and reliefs evoke an aerial view of lush vegetation.

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Newly introduced to the U.S., Marimekko’s Meriheina linen fabric is part of graphic designer Kustaa Saksi’s first collection for the brand. Shown here in “neutral,” the abstracted sea-grass pattern is also available in orange. us.marimekko.com 71

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Colour Carpet, Dutch studio Scholten & Baijingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first rug collection for Hay, is made entirely of New Zealand wool. The line includes six different designs, each with a pleasing color palette of pastel gradients. hay.dk SURFACE

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maharam.com

bludot.com

Danskina’s Bold rugs are among the first collections produced by Hella Jongerius since she signed on as the brand’s design director last year. Contrasting colors and handwoven fibers give it a warm, organic texture.

The Dollop rug by Blu Dot is made of a woolcotton blend, with a thick, nubby weave that creates a textured landscape. Available in lavender, natural, and red colors, it’s part of a collection that includes three different sizes.

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Recently made available to the U.S. market, Cogolinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s optical Anamorphoses rug is handwoven from raffia and cotton on 19th-century Jacquard looms. Shown here in rouge, it can be made to order in custom colors. houseoftaiping.com SURFACE

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Part of a collection titled “It’s a Perfect Sky Tonight Future Baby Mama,” Henzel Studio’s “You Used to Hold Me So Tight” rug draws its irregular, freeform shape and visual inspiration from diamond dust and the northern lights. byhenzel.com SURFACE

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Hand-woven in Nepal, ABC Carpet & Homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s silk and wool Natura rug depicts an abstracted pattern of plunging ocean waves with accents of ivory and cream that make for a dramatic statement. abchome.com 77

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Designed by Tobias Batrla for Designtex, the finely pleated Origami collection takes inspiration from the art of traditional Japanese paper folding. The polyester fabrics come in two different patterns, each in 18 colors. designtex.com SURFACE

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Designed by Bertjan Pot for Febrik, the Sprinkles collection of three-layered fabrics is wool-based with polyester backing and a festive, geometric pattern detail. It gives a bit of stretch and comes in a range of colors. febrik.com 79

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Made for The Rug Company, Rodarteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection of hand-knotted Tibetan wool and silk rugs is inspired by the designersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; childhood memories of 1970s California interiors and blue and white porcelain pieces. therugcompany.com SURFACE

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T H E C E L E B R A T I O N B Y PA U L G E R B E N 48

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Studio Bijouxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s circular Dorothy rug features colorful, abstracted patterns of super-sized gems. Part of the Floor Diamonds collection, the rugs come in a variety of colors and are handmade in Germany.

Doshi Levienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rabari rug collection for Nanimarquina includes four designs: two in beige, one in black, and another in olive green. Its playful motif of dots and lines gives a warm graphic sensibility to any space.

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The six-sided Hexa, part of the Kilim collection of rugs, was designed by Enblanc for Gan. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made of 100-percent wool, with a colorful geometric pattern that can be reversed for dual usage. gan-rugs.com 83

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Studio Jobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Industry textile for Maharam depicts an intricate pattern marked by mechanical iconography of the machine age. The densely woven Jacquard is made of a polyester-cotton blend. maharam.com SURFACE

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ASKELLIMAN.COM 575 MADISON AVENUE, NY, NY 10022. 212.891.7000 | © 2015 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. ALL MATERIAL PRESENTED HEREIN IS INTENDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. WHILE, THIS INFORMATION IS BELIEVED TO BE CORRECT, IT IS REPRESENTED SUBJECT TO ERRORS, OMISSIONS, CHANGES OR WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL PROPERTY INFORMATION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO SQUARE FOOTAGE, ROOM COUNT, NUMBER OF BEDROOMS AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN PROPERTY LISTINGS ARE DEEMED RELIABLE, BUT SHOULD BE VERIFIED BY YOUR OWN ATTORNEY, ARCHITECT OR ZONING EXPERT. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY.

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ENDORSEMENT

Fashion brands like Études Studio and Isabel Marant find an architectural match in Paris collective Ciguë. BY NATASHA EDWARDS PORTRAIT BY FIONA TORRE

An Aesop store interior in London’s Covent Garden neighborhood designed by Ciguë. (OPPOSITE) Hugo Haas (left), one of Ciguë’s six founding members, alongside Études Studio co-founder Jérémie Egry in Montreuil, France; the two are collaborating on a project opening this spring.

“At the beginning, we were really like architect-laborers,” says Hugo Haas, one of the six founding members of the French architecture collective Ciguë. “We did the drawings, then put on our overalls,” he continues, referencing the hands-on approach that had the firm’s now 15 members not just designing but also pouring concrete, making furniture, and building prototypes. One of the latter, a concrete bench, sits downstairs in the firm’s office/workshop in the Paris suburb of Montreuil, alongside an iron table and a reworked school chair. Although Ciguë now has projects all over the world and has taken on a much more formal structure—“at first, we used to make everything, but now it’s more often we just make the prototypes,” Haas says—it has given them the requisite (and pragmatic) knowledge clients require. Combined with this is an almost artisanal approach to building, one that remains far from paper architecture. Ciguë was created in 2003, when its partners were in their second year of architecture school at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-La Villette; it began almost as a parttime theoretical exercise. (The partners graduated in 2008.) As for the firm’s name—French for “hemlock”—the cooperative deliberately chose a label that didn’t scream, “We’re architects!” After initially working almost entirely on apartments or furniture for young couples making homes in Paris, the group had its first major breakthrough: selling its pieces in the Paris concept shop Merci. In 2009, when Merci opened, Ciguë showed the Merci buyers its furniture. “They said yes straightaway,” Haas says, also noting that the shop’s team then “introduced us to the cosmetics company Aesop to do a corner in the store, and then a boutique in the Marais. With the 2011 Aesop boutique on Rue Vieille-du-Temple, we got a lot of attention.” Since then, Isabel Marant, YSL, and Kris Van Assche, among others, have also contracted the firm for projects. The partnership with Marant has become a fruitful one: Ciguë has designed eight stores in Paris and Asia for the French designer’s label. The shops include a Haussmannian stone corner building on Avenue Victor Hugo in Paris, a yellow house in Tokyo, a minimalist rectangular block in Seoul, and a bamboo-clad boutique in Bangkok. “With Isabel Marant, they really don’t want a concept you can cut and paste all over the place,” Haas says. “They are very open to suggestions. We are architects, so of course there is a contextual dimension: which city we’re in, which country, which road, which type of building or structure, what sort of buildings are nearby, the light.” He continues, “Each time we go to a different city, to do a space for the same brand, we like to find an element that will enrich the story. We try to keep some of the materials and ambience that give the structure of the brand’s universe, but also try to bring in another element that will perturb that a little and ensure that there is [something original] as well. Afterward, it can be quite difficult, because the locals in Asia want some of the French exoticism, something Parisian. A mixture comes out of that.” As the Marant projects make clear, Ciguë doesn’t have a “look.” Each project is

custom-made and shows a predilection for “materials that are quite raw but solid,” Haas says. “Sometimes we use materials that have already lived, like packing crates or burnt wood or rusted steel that’s been outside—things with a strong texture—but sometimes it’s just a beautiful piece of wood that’s very simple, thick, and has a presence.” The firm also likes to show traces of a building’s past. For the Melinda Gloss menswear boutique in Paris’s St-Germain-des-Prés area, for example, Ciguë kept elements of a former bank building, including iron columns and exposed stone, even preserving the deposit boxes in the basement showroom. The group’s collaborations with fashion designers perhaps express a natural affinity or, as Haas puts it, “They’re designing surroundings for the body; we’re designing surroundings for the clothes.” The collective is extending beyond its fashion forays, too: A hotel project in Chicago for Latin America hotelier Carlos Couturier Grupo Habita is underway, and they’re designing sets for a ballet about Virginia Woolf for the British Royal Ballet (the choreographer Wayne McGregor reached out after visiting the firm’s Aesop shop in London’s Covent Garden neighborhood). Ciguë’s latest retail venture is a flagship store and workshop for the burgeoning Paris-based Études Studio. Set to open this spring, the space—located in a narrow former art gallery in the Marais—will have a long concrete bench, molded in Ciguë’s workshop, running down the middle of it. A palette of materials in range of grays and black—concrete, plaster and paper partitions, stainless steel, rubber, and tinted glass—will help maintain consistency in the space, no matter its setup. Each Ciguë project starts small—really small. The firm first creates a mass of miniature maquettes, then grows them to full-scale prototypes. “The more we advance,” Haas says, “the more we approach reality—the real materials, real size, real construction details—so we can test if it’s solid enough. We take quite a lot of risks in our design. Sometimes we’ve had problems in boutiques, where we have tried out new plasters or fillers or special mixtures that didn’t always age well. But most of the people who want us to work with them are aware of that. That’s part of the game. If you’re looking for something that’s a little out of the ordinary, you must take some risks.” Fashion mavens like Marant, Van Assche, and others understand—and often celebrate—risks. In Ciguë, they’ve found an architectural ally.

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ENDORSEMENT

Complementary Angles

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Tactile Forces Spring menswear respins denim with elevated interpretations. Womenswear examines the structural concept of pockets and cargo. Ulyana Sergeenkoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest couture offering celebrates Russian artisanship.

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OUT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID BRANDON GEETING STYLING BY JUSTIN MIN

THE

BLUE

FASHION

For our men’s, women’s, and couture fashion stories on the pages that follow, Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at FIT, shares her thoughts on new pieces from leading designers. SURFACE

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FASHION

JACKET AND PANTS, KENZO.

Steele: “Denim is totally back in high fashion, and Kenzo is always very much on trend. This is a good example of how the brand’s fashioning up classics. Kenzo used to be very, very luxurious, and very feminine and Asian, and under Antonio Marras, also multicultural. Now Kenzo’s got a much more pop and youth feel to it.”

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FASHION

SHIRT, RAF SIMONS.

Steele: “Raf Simons has been playing with patches for quite a while; it seems to be part of a whole street-culture thing. The Polaroid-like patch here is interesting in that it references retro art going all the way back to those Polaroids Andy Warhol and Lucas Samaras did. It brings an art quotient to the work shirt, which looks really proletarian! It’s quite impressive.” SURFACE

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FASHION

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FASHION

BLAZER, JACKET, AND PANTS, BURBERRY PRORSUM. SHOES, RAF SIMONS FOR ADIDAS.

Steele: “With Burberry’s classic, high-quality tailoring, the denim work jacket reads as totally American. The velvet trousers seem to be a nod to this season’s very ’70s, glam-hippie look. The color fits right in with the blue palettes everybody is loving right now for both menswear and womenswear.”

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FASHION

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JACKET, SWEATER, SHIRT, AND PANTS, PRADA. SNEAKERS, ADIDAS.

Steele: “The most sophisticated, expensive houses are doing a lot to make things look sort of cheap and retro in an almost perverse way, which is very much a part of postmodern fashion. It’s a very interesting phenomenon; you frequently hear fashion people talking to each other about this. How much does the customer know about this kind of thing? Maybe denim heads do. It’s kind of a Prada ‘in-group’ reference.” SURFACE

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FASHION

Grooming: Colleen Runne using Aveda and Marc Jacobs Beauty. Grooming: Model:Sierra Brayden MinPritchard using Oribe at Ford andModels. Nars. Model: Fashion Danassistant: Murphy, Soul Daniella Artist LeCointe. Management. 97

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SHIRT, JACKET, AND PANTS, JUNYA WATANABE. SNEAKERS, RAF SIMONS FOR ADIDAS.

Steele: “Junya has always done a lot of great things with denim, which has long been one of the hallmarks of his work. He’s made it part of his style DNA. Just as all of those punk things are part of it, so is denim. If you’re part of the Commes des Garçons world, you understand Junya’s work and these twists he’ll do on everything. It’s so perfect and really collectible.” SURFACE

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FASHION

Grooming: Colleen Runne using Aveda grooming and Marc Jacobs Beauty. Fashion assistant: Daniella LeCointe. Model: Brayden Pritchard at Ford Models.

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CONCEAL

AND

CARRY

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DRESS AND SHOES, SACAI.

Steele: “This is a good example of why Sacai is probably the hottest designer to come out of Japan in years. All this kind of slice-and-dice stuff is really, really clever—and wearable. At the same time, you can tell it’s got these avant-garde antecedents that go into it: The way she’s got all of this chiffon cut into the skirt creates a girly-yettough aesthetic with a touch of sportswear.”

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JACKET AND PANTS, ROSIE ASSOULIN.

Steele: “I only recently became aware of Rosie Assoulin, and was very struck by her number of creative takes on classic pieces, which she deforms ever so slightly. You should not buy this online; it’s the kind of thing you need to try on. If it works on you, though, there are some very, very cool looks to it.”

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DRESS AND JACKET, ACNE STUDIOS. SHOES, RUPERT SANDERSON.

Steele: “The leather and the giant mass of pockets are cool, and, well, this wouldn’t be the first time that a rain jacket has not been suited for rainy weather (for that, you can go get a Burberry trench). It’s a very cool look. If you love pockets, those are wonderful, wonderful pockets. And Acne does have this whole young look: In a way, it’s very Scandinavian-looking, because it looks so healthy, outdoorsy, and hip.”

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FASHION

COAT, CÉLINE. EAR CUFF, REPOSSI.

Steele: “There’s no point in arguing with Céline. Some people say, ‘It has no sex appeal, it’s incredibly unflattering,’ and it’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.’ We all still worship Céline. Whatever Phoebe does is right. You get this objectively clunky-looking, slightly homely coat, and yet—for whatever bizarre reason—we all want it and can see ourselves wearing it.” SURFACE

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DRESS, MARC JACOBS.

Steele: “This is the ultimate pocket dress. You’d want to put something in that pocket, just so you could open it up and reach into it. In a way, it’s more like a muff than a pocket. It has all the perverse, erotic allure of a muff, as well as the idea of making pockets sexy. It’s not just a joke. It’s quite fabulous, in a way. The detailing is really beautiful. The whole thing is a great look.” SURFACE

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Hair: Kiyo Igarishi using Oribe. Makeup: Sierra Min using Shiseido. Fashion assistant: Daniella LeCointe. Model: Xu Liu at Trump Model Management.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID BRANDON GEETING STYLING BY JUSTIN MIN

ALL LOOKS BY ULYANA SERGEENKO HAUTE COUTURE. SATIN MINI-DRESS WITH BALLET NET UNDERSKIRT. TURQUOISE VELVET HIGH-HEELED SHOES WITH CORAL-STONE DROP.

Steele: “You see little irregularities that make it not perfect, the way machine-made stuff is—but that’s what makes it really special. That’s what connoisseurs are going to be looking for because each tiny fold, hem, and stitch is done by a really skilled person. It’s so unbelievably special and fabulous to see the real thing being done.”

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TEN YEARS PULSE NEW YORK CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR MARCH 5–8 , 2015 THE METROPOLITAN PAVILION 125 WEST 18TH STREET ( BETWEEN 6TH & 7TH AVENUES ) NEW YORK CITY PULSE-ART.COM

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HAND-EMBROIDERED COAT WITH VELVET TRIM. HIGH-WAISTED BLACK CREPE TROUSERS.

Steele: “Holy moly, this is amazing! It’s almost completed covered in hand embroidery. That’s luxury; that’s really couture. The ladies who can create this stuff are living national treasures, and it’s absolutely amazing and fabulous that Ulyana Sergeenko’s got them doing this kind of fashion, because if this dies out, it will be almost imposNeoprene shoe, Christian Louboutin for Alexandre Vauthier. sible to Neoprene retain; jacket it willandbe a lost art. I’m really delighted she’s doing this.”for Alexandre Vauthier. Opposite: culotte with Lesage embroidered Swarovski crystals. Necklace, Goossens SURFACE

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HAND-EMBROIDERED BLUE SILK CORSET DRESS WITH DECORATIVE TASSELS AND EMBROIDERED BLUE SILK UNDERSKIRT.

Steele: “Here you have folk elements taken to the very highest degree of quality and polish. Usually when ethnic elements are brought into fashion, it’s in a debased form that doesn’t give a good sense of what their real beauty is. This look does the exact opposite: These are collectible—the clothes are totally museum-level quality.” SURFACE

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DOUBLE SATIN CORSET DRESS WITH HAND EMBROIDERY.

Steele: “This is a technical tour de force. It has its own form, almost like a Charles James piece, in the way that it has such a sculpted figure. Except, unlike Charles, with the cutouts, the wearer has to have this amazing figure. What an amazing dress! When you look at the close-up of what Ulyana’s doing differently with the blue, red, brown, and green, it’s absolutely astonishing.” SURFACE

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HAND-EMBROIDERED JACQUARD MAXI DRESS WITH THREE-QUARTER SLEEVES AND BASQUE-EDGED WITH VELVET. FEATHER ‘CHICKEN’ BAG WITH METAL TRIM, DECORATED WITH RED CABOCHONS.

Steele: “The detailing of this looks handdrawn, but it’s actually handstitched in this delicate tracery. The bag is amazing—totally collectible." Neoprene shoe, Christian Louboutin for Alexandre Vauthier. Opposite: Neoprene jacket and culotte with Lesage embroidered Swarovski crystals. Necklace, Goossens for Alexandre Vauthier.

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Hair: Ricardo Dinis for Aveda. Makeup: Janell Geason for Aveda Makeup. Model: Natasza Wasilewski at Trump. Photo assistant: Daniella LeCointe. Special thanks: Ian Michael Black. 119

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STOCKISTS

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Mission Missoni

(OPPOSITE) Rosita Missoni in the living room of her Paris apartment.

Now a great-grandmother and at the helm of Missoni Home for more than a decade, Rosita Missoni has no plans to stop anytime soon. INTERVIEW BY SPENCER BAILEY PORTRAIT BY ADRIEN TOUBIANA

Around sixty years ago, Rosita Missoni was by chance asked to deliver a camera to the French stylist Emmanuelle Khanh at a suite in New York’s Plaza Hotel. For Rosita—who had begun her then-nascent-butgrowing namesake brand with her husband, Ottavio (known as “Tai”), in the village of Gallarate, Italy, in 1953—the meeting with Khanh marked a major transformation. Rosita and Khanh instantly connected. The two went on to produce several collections together and remained friends for the rest of Khanh’s life. Over the next two decades, the Missoni label turned into a juggernaut and helped establish the now-respected “Made in Italy” catchphrase. By the 1970s, Missoni was known globally for its signature colors, forms, materials, and patterns. The fashion brand now has estimated annual sales of between $75 million and $100 million, according to CNN, and is one of the most recognizable in the world. These days, the 83-yearold Rosita remains heavily involved in the business and runs the Missoni Home line, which she relaunched in 2004.

Her daughter Angela leads the Missoni label as creative director—Angela’s debut line came out in 1994—and since 2010, Angela’s daughter Margherita has been its accessories director and designer of the Missoni Mare collection. Started as a tightly knit family business, Missoni remains so, even in the face of massive fashion-market pressures and transformations. Though this year doesn’t mark a major brand anniversary, it could be considered one. The company’s 60th year, in 2013, turned out to be difficult: That January, Rosita and Tai’s son Vittorio, then Missoni’s CEO, died in a plane crash, and that summer, Tai passed away of natural causes at age 92. Business remained as usual, but it was a heart-wrenching time for the family. This year, two major Missoni projects look back at what the family has built and suggest a celebration of sorts: The exhibition “Missoni, Art, Color” at the Museo Maga in Gallarate, on view from April 19 to Nov. 8, and a yetto-be-titled book published by Rizzoli, coming out this fall. Both give context to how and why Missoni is a powerhouse.

The exhibition and book showcase the company’s roots in different ways. “Missoni, Art, Color” will delve deep into Rosita and Tai’s early early inspirations and influences in creating Missoni’s vibrant mosaics of zigzags and stripes. Curated by Luciano Caramel, Emma Zanella, and Luca Missoni, the show will present works by artists including Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Lucio Fontana, Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, and Bruno Munari. Also featured will be an installation of fashion looks, as well as various original patchworks and drawings by Tai. The Rizzoli book looks at many figures who helped inform and shape the brand, including former Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland and fashion writer Anna Piaggi. During the Maison & Objet design fair in Paris in January, Surface visited Rosita’s apartment in the city’s 7th arrondissement to discuss her family’s path to renown, why she left fashion to focus on the Missoni Home line, and how seemingly random encounters throughout her life have often yielded the biggest breaks. >

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Let’s start with your family. How do you view the relationship between the Missoni family and the Missoni business?

I grew up in a village with my whole family there. We used to live three to five minutes from each other. We were around the house of my grandparents. My grandfather taught us to appreciate everything in nature. Views, for instance. Our house had a beautiful view of the second-highest mountain in the Alps. We’d look at dawns and sunsets. We had houses on a lake, houses on a mountain. For us, the view was part of our education. So were the garden, the flowers, the orchards. In the early ’60s, my husband and I knew what kind of job we were growing and continuing from my family, which was knitwear but fashion knitwear. We were so daring then. We had no money. But we had passion. I realize, looking back, we had a certain power. We were in a small town, Gallarate, a few kilometers from my family’s houses and factory. We had a very nice apartment, but we were renting our factory. We were told that the factory’s owner wanted to sell the building, because it was in the center of the town and there was development going on all around it. We decided, well, if we have to go out from here, then we will build our own factory. It was ’64, ’65, and we heard from the bank that we had some opportunities. They asked us, what were we looking for? My husband would have chosen a factory by the sea, because he was born on the sea, in Dalmatia, where we still go every summer, and after the war, he lived in Trieste. But, as he used to say, “By the sea, it’s easier to build a ship than make a sweater.” We realized we had to make our factory near Gallarate. So what were you looking for?

A photo from a 1968 Missoni advertising campaign.

Tell me more about the impact of Sumirago on your family. Had you been based in Milan, say, it would have been a totally different dynamic for your family—and the brand.

So what, in your mind, marked the launch of Missoni as we know it today?

Our first success was these two shirt dresses made for La Rinascente in 1959. These were the first 500 dresses ordered with the label Missoni. Before that, we had a small label called Maglificio Jolly. We didn’t think to involve our name at the very beginning. But at this point, we knew what we were going to do. We changed the label to Missoni, and it became such a success. How central has the Missoni name been to the brand’s staying power? Perhaps if you had kept it Maglificio Jolly, things would have turned out very differently.

The fact that Missoni is a short, simple name—maybe. I’ve never thought about the fact that Missoni is easy to pronounce. [Laughs] Of course, my husband was a champion athlete, so he was popular in sports magazines back then. That was also important early on. [Editor’s note: Tai was a professional hurdler who competed in the 1948 London Olympics.] You were mentioning Emmanuelle Khanh. Diana Vreeland was also important to the ascent of Missoni. And early on the brand had a look featured on the cover of French Elle. There were these moments in history in which the media—

We came to Paris after the success of the dress. Pierre Cardin started opening his boutiques. We had met his right hand at La Rinascente, because we had common friends from Paris, and they asked us if we could do something together. My husband and I were staying at the Hôtel Lutetia, and we went to see the CEO of Pierre Cardin. He said, “We like what you do. Know what you should do? Make your collection, and when you’re ready, we’ll send a person to choose 10 pieces. We’ll give you the rights to put the Cardin SURFACE

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PHOTO: COURTESY MISSONI.

A nice view. One day, my husband comes home and says, “Rosita, I have to take you to a place I think you will like.” He took me to a property in Sumirago overlooking the Alps. Monte Rosa was in the middle of it all. It was the same view I had from my bedroom in my parents’ home. When I saw it, I said, “Yes, this is the place we have to buy.” And we bought it. First, we built the factory. Living and working there was the wisest decision of our lives. We never regretted it. Our children loved it, grew up there, and once married remained around the area. Our grandchildren live there and love it. This location is what has kept the family together. My husband had a cut-and-sew personality. He was an artist. We built a new kind of activity around our two personalities. It was something unique. Three or four years after building the factory, we built the house in which I still live.

Absolutely. We realized we had a way of life in which nature and the place where we were living was important. We also had the luck to live in a very special moment: the 1960s, when prêt-à-porter was born. It was rather easy for us to enter the business. I was already married; we already had the three children. I was invited by my parents to go on the first trip of the Michelangelo, the big transatlantic ocean liner. I went with a friend—the owner of the house where we lived in Gallarate— and a cousin, along with my three brothers, their wives and kids, and my mother. We arrived in New York after one week on this big ship. In New York, I had the opportunity to meet Emmanuelle Khanh, who was invited there by Mademoiselle magazine to show her collection. By chance, because someone I had met in Paris wanted to send her a camera, Emmanuelle had invited me one evening to have a drink with her at the Plaza, where we were both staying.

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PHOTO: COURTESY MISSONI.

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PHOTOS: ADRIEN TOUBIANA.

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label on it, and you give us 10 percent.” I was so disappointed. I thought we were going to have the possibility of working with the people at Cardin to get some ideas. As we went back to the Lutetia, I was nearly crying. At the Lutetia, I called Emmanuelle Khanh, who had given me her card at that meeting at the Plaza. I told her we had met the previous spring in New York, and she invited me over for tea. She used to live nearby the Lutetia. We walked to her place, had tea with her and her husband, and two hours later, we decided we would do a collection together. This all happened in three hours in the afternoon. It was unbelievable. We showed the first collection at the Gerolamo, a small theater in Milan that used to present marionettes. It was like a jewel box, only 500 seats. Showing in this little theater was funny: The sister of Giorgio Armani, Rosanna, was one of the models. Giorgio Armani was not yet Giorgio Armani—I’m talking about ’66. Back then he was working at La Rinascente for the men’s department on the window displays. It was such a small world. It seems like some of the biggest names in fashion were so accessible for Tai and you.

PHOTOS: ADRIEN TOUBIANA.

There were high-fashion shows in Rome then, and Diana Vreeland used to come every year. Consuelo Crespi, who was the editor of Italian Vogue, called me one day and said, “Diana is in Rome, and I want to show her your clothes. Put a few of them in your bag.” I went to Rome with my house model—she was from the school of La Scala and moved very nicely. I wanted to have my house model to show the clothes for Diana. Instead, Consuelo wore them herself. The first dress we showed was a striped-cotton one from our summer collection. Consuelo was a beauty. Diana took this belt, which was a kind of scarf, and said, “Who said that there are only seven colors in the rainbow? There are tones!” She was pointing with her finger. [Laughs] When Diana went back to New York, she started sending me letters saying, “You must come!” We were working with department stores in the U.S., but it wasn’t very exciting for us. On our next trip there, in a small sitting room at the Plaza, Diana came with 17 editors. She called the important ladies in New York. She even called up Neiman Marcus, and Stanley Marcus came over. It was all so easy. Our little suite was filled with flowers, all of them sent by Vogue. We were very naïve. It seems that the media was in your favor from the start. In some sense, it’s really what put your then-burgeoning brand from Sumirago on the world stage.

We were never greedy. We loved what we were doing. We loved the life we had planned for ourselves. My children have learned the same philosophy.

In the ’90s, after running Missoni’s creative direction for four decades, you started to turn your attention toward furniture. Why?

While in New York one time, we were asked by Bloomingdale’s to design a home collection with Fieldcrest, which at the time was a big, important company for sheets and towels and those kinds of things. We made four collections with them. At that point, my brother said, “But why do you have to work with an American company? Why don’t you work with us?” Back then, my brother and my husband were designing our colors and patterns for home; I had enough to do with my clothes and collections. In 1996, when my daughter Angela decided she wanted to take over and I was getting tired, my life didn’t correspond to the “fashion life” anymore. In fashion, you need to go out to meet young people, go to clubs. For me, it had become a duty. I was used to working with passion. At that time, I realized that the home was becoming fashion, too, and I could use the same passion I had once had for fashion for the home. I could again work on something and get up in the morning with the joy of going to my studio and having people working with me, transferring this passion for patterns and colors. In 2004, you truly got into the furniture business with the launch of Missoni Home.

Exactly. And at our second year at Maison & Objet, we saw copies of what we had done. People copy you because of your success. It becomes a trend. A copy is an homage. [Laughs] You have a lot of design interests. I’ve read in various interviews that you’re interested in, or have used designs by, everyone from Eero Saarinen, to Arne Jacobsen, to Le Corbusier, to Hans Wegner, to Paola Navone, to Antonio Citterio—

To Sonia Delaunay, who has been my idol, whom at the beginning of the ’60s I could have met, but I didn’t dare to. A friend of mine was living by her studio in Paris, but I was too shy to introduce myself. You don’t strike me as shy.

I was. You learn. Life makes you stronger. But I really was shy. Diana Vreeland used to make me tremble. [Laughs] How did you develop your taste?

Through art. And, as the French say, “coup de cœur”: passions. In my grandparents and parents’ factory, we had a great pattern cutter come to work for the family. My grandmother tried to cut jackets. One of her customers had said, “Please, we like your fabrics, but don’t set in the sleeves; we’ll do them ourselves. Just send the fabrics.” So my grandmother started

Objects found in Rosita’s Paris apartment, paired with carpets and textiles in the space. (OPPOSITE) The dining table in the apartment.

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SPRING FASHION (THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE) Objects in Rosita’s Paris apartment, paired with patterned flooring in the space.

looking for a pattern cutter, and hired one who came from Milan the year I was born: 1931. The woman was married and also needed a job for her husband, who was an accountant. My grandfather said, “No problem, we’ll give a job for your husband and you.” She asked for a few days to look over the proposal. Then she said, “Yes, I’ll come on one condition: that I also receive all the fashion magazines of the world.” That was my school. I grew up with Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue—the Italian and American editions—and L’Officiel. Magazines have played such an interesting role in your life: At first, they were educating you, and then they were educating the public on you.

Exactly. We had become great friends with Anna Piaggi, who in those years was the editor of Arianna. She saw the label at La Rinascente, asked around, found out where we were living, and came to us. It was love at first sight. We were friends our entire lives. [Editor’s note: Piaggi passed away in 2012.] Anna and I were both born the same year. She was a great, funny person. We shared holidays and trips to London together. My husband and her husband used to go shopping at army and navy stores, and Anna and I would go to flea markets. [Laughs]

How did you educate yourself on furniture and design?

I don’t know. But Italy in the 1960s was a country with fantastic designers and very nice magazines about design. And, as I said, I went to flea markets. You start realizing that there are attractions. You ask yourself, “Why do I like that?” You don’t know why necessarily, but you start selecting things you like. You look for objects with soul. If objects have a soul, you can keep them forever. Also, with my husband, I saw a lot of art shows. When we were not yet married, he took me to the Venice Biennale. Of course, my husband was an artist himself. I remember, in the beginning, he was trying to make me look at Picasso, and I was not prepared to look at that kind of art. Then, little by little, I understood how something like that could happen—how revolutionary what Picasso did was. Paris was always a place of inspiration. Then we started to go to New York. Early on, when we didn’t have much money, we would come back with records and books from the States, which we couldn’t have afforded to buy in Europe. Six months before we did the winter collection in 1970, which showed in March, we had been in New York, where I had found a book on Afghanistan. I had always loved the idea of mixing old things—zigzags and stripes and patterns and prints. I came home with that book. At that time, I had met Kaffe Fassett—I had seen a knitted cardigan dress of his in British Vogue. Through Anna Piaggi, I talked to the editor of British Vogue, and she introduced me to Kaffe, who then came to collaborate with us for one year. Among Kaffe’s influences, he has cited Afghanistan—I gave him that book! [Laughs] We worked on that collection together. It helped make Missoni known around the world with a recognizable style. So Missoni possibly took off all because you found a book on Afghanistan?

You’ve had such a rich life, full of so many characters and opportunities. What were some of the biggest challenges along the way? >

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PHOTOS: ADRIEN TOUBIANA.

It involved many other things, too, going back to that first meeting with Emmanuelle Khanh. In those years, there was a huge label called Villager that made town-and-country clothes, mostly flower-print dresses for little girls and cable-knit sweaters. With a friend of mine, who was a fabric designer and artist, I had met in Paris a lady who was working for Villager. We had dinner with her, and the lady told me she had left a camera in Paris that she had given to Emmanuelle Khanh. She knew I was going to be at the Plaza and so was Emmanuelle, so she asked me to bring the camera to her. It was an opportunity out of nothing. When you look back, it’s very often the smallest moments that make the biggest impact.

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PHOTOS: ADRIEN TOUBIANA.

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PHOTOS: COURTESY MISSONI.

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The ’80s were difficult. Minimalism was popular. But we had very loyal customers. We kept doing what we loved. That was around the time Tai started making patchworks and drawings. 2013 was also difficult. That was the year my husband died, and the year our son died in an airplane crash. That was a terrible moment. But we still all remain together with many memories of them, and my grandchildren are growing up proud of what we have done. How did it feel to pass on the creative director reins to Angela in the mid-’90s?

I was relieved. It wasn’t improvised. She had been working with me, then she made four collections in her own name, to prove to herself that she was capable. Of course, they were all solid collections. I started this job at Missoni Home more than 10 years ago, and I don’t know when they will throw me out! [Laughs] I love it. For me, this move to Missoni Home was fantastic. You don’t feel the pressure of fashion. Because we built our factory in a beautiful place, we tell the people who work for us to look out the window. We want them to take part in the garden, to take part in the mountains— To see life beyond the factory.

Nearly every day I take pictures of my view from bed. I’ll show you on my phone. When there’s still the moon at around 7 o’clock in the morning, Monte Rosa gets pink. The mountain is called “Monte Rosa” because of exactly that: at dawn, it’s pink. [Rosita takes out her iPhone and swipes through dozens of images of Monte Rosa at dawn.] It’s surreal. Looking at these photos, I can literally see Missoni-esque gradients—the pinks, the oranges, the blues—and patterns in nature.

Exactly! The shades! I’m sure seeing that view every day has had a profound impact on your life.

PHOTOS: COURTESY MISSONI.

It has always been a joy. It helps me. Even though now I live alone, I feel comfortable at my house by myself. Well, my dogs are there, too. My friends ask, “You actually feel comfortable there all by yourself?” Yes! Because everything around me there is part of my life, part of my pleasures. Sumirago has changed my life. Certainly I’ve been privileged. Still, your life hasn’t always been easy, especially following the passing of your husband and son. You’ve often used the word “passionate” to describe what you do, but I also think the word “resilient” could describe your spirit.

For me, it is the bone of everything. If you work with passion, it makes everything

lighter. Not always, because there are ups and downs, but usually. I tell my children and grandchildren the work we do is a privilege. When they grew up, they were playing with pieces of fabric like they were jewels or precious stones. They were also gathering shells on the beach. When my granddaughter Margherita was a child, we were once having oysters in a restaurant in Venice, and because she had been gathering shells with me on the beach—and I used to show her how precious they are— she asked the waiter for a bag to put all the oyster shells in, because she thought they were also precious. [Laughs] I’ve been especially privileged in meeting people. Encounters have also been so important in my life.

(OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM) Pieces from Missoni Home’s Lilium collection (2015). Pieces from Missoni Home’s Poppies outdoor collection (2015).

Do you define much of your success by the many encounters you’ve had?

It’s been about being in the right place at the right moment. I’m sure the loss of your husband and son has changed certain dynamics of the family and the company. How has the family responded over the past two years?

Their deaths were not easy moments. But I think we’ve built something special with all of my children and grandchildren— And now, great-grandchildren.

Great-grandchildren! He’s such a joy, Otto, this little child. Margherita is expecting a second one in May, so there will soon be two great-grandchildren—another boy. Anyway, I think we’ve built something special—but spontaneously. The place where we have chosen to live and build the factory has made a great difference in our lives. Do you have any unrealized dreams?

Well, no. I was a brilliant student, so I guess I could have learned German—I speak Italian, English, and French. I would have loved to read Goethe in his language. But the fact that I learned English—and was sent to London, where I met my husband, who was there for the Olympic games—changed my life. If I had studied German, I would have read Goethe in his language, but maybe I never would have met Tai! Your life seems to have been all about these connections and encounters: Missoni started because you met Tai, you met Tai because you studied English, and you had a breakout collection because you bought a book on Afghanistan.

Exactly! [Laughs] I’ve left out another one of my passions: mushrooms. I’m having a mushroom dinner tonight. I promised to Jasper Conran that I was cooking an Italian

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PHOTO: COURTESY MISSONI.

PHOTO: PATRICK ROUCHON.

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dinner for him tonight. We brought the mushrooms from home in Italy. Frozen, of course. We will have a Milanese risotto with mushrooms and scaloppini.

PHOTO: COURTESY MISSONI.

PHOTO: PATRICK ROUCHON.

Dinner with Jasper Conran: yet another encounter in the life of Rosita Missoni.

Pieces from Missoni Home’s Lilium collection (2015); the wall divider is a first for the brand. (OPPOSITE) A photo of models in Missoni that was a1968 cover of Grazia magazine.

I have very, very few dear friends left. Always fewer. Some now don’t have the same health I have. I’ve been blessed with good health, just as my husband was until 2013. We had a good life. The people working around our family really love us. We’ve had women who had been with the company for 40 years— and there still are some. Many have written us letters, thanking us. These women came in as knitters and retired as knitters. They didn’t make a fortune, but they had the pleasure of being a part of something that they thought was worth living for. This respect is something that really makes me comfortable. It has given sense to a life, to a job. I have felt proud to have a factory of people, to make patchworks with my husband, to put pieces of fabric together side by side with him—and now my children and grandchildren.

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Future States

With a bold, fantastical exhibition at a museum in L.A., fashion designer Bernhard Willhelm predicts how we’ll dress in 3000.

(OPPOSITE) Bernhard Willhelm at home in the Beachwood Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles. (FOLLOWING SPREAD) Installation views of the “Bernhard Willhelm 3000: When Fashion Shows the Danger Then Fashion is the Danger” exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Pacific Design Center.

BY CARREN JAO PORTRAIT BY WILL ADLER

As a creator of cutting-edge fashion that dares to poke fun at itself and the industry, Bernhard Willhelm doesn’t seem the type to surround himself in nature, but he is and does. “I’m just back from New York, and I have to say I don’t necessarily want to ever live in a city like that,” Willhelm says, wrapped in a cashmere goat pullover while lounging in a log cabin atop L.A.’s tony Beachwood Canyon. He adds, “I much prefer California, because there are still a few trees once in a while. It’s a very special light in California. I think the life here is much more healthy.” The relative tranquility of Willhelm’s current surroundings complements the designer’s soft tone, which often bears an air of puckish humor. “I came to Paris when Karl Lagerfeld was still fat and liked Baroque, so you see people change in Paris,” he says. “I left Paris because I was fed up.” To the fashion designer, Los Angeles offered a welcome change after immersing himself and his team in the frenetic heart of global fashion for about a decade. At 42, Willhelm (together with his longtime collaborator, Jutta Kraus) is the envy of many young avant-garde fashion designers. He has served as artistic director for

Capucci, collaborated with Nick Knight, opened a flagship store in Tokyo, published a monograph, and staged exhibitions in European museums. Now, a new chapter of Willhelm’s storied career is dawning— this time in California, beginning with the designer’s first exhibition at an American museum. “Bernhard Willhelm 3000: When Fashion Shows the Danger Then Fashion is the Danger,” on view through May 17 at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Pacific Design Center, seeks to project a vision of fashion in the future. “The question is, ‘Will our planet survive humanity? Will we still be able to live on this planet in the year 3000?’ I think, probably we won’t,” Willhelm says matter-of-factly. In line with the philosophy of the “freedom of the fool,” Willhelm plays the irreverent jester to the kings of the industry, challenging the establishment to think differently, daring to burst bubbles with truths that are only admitted in private. His exhibition is no less forthright. Rather than present designs that have already been shown, Willhelm is using the museum as a platform. “Our previous exhibitions showed older stuff, but this time, it’s the latest of the

latest and the newest of the newest,” he says. When the exhibition opened, the collection hadn’t even been presented in Paris. Instead of a monotonous procession of discrete artifacts, the show creates an immersive, absurdist view of the future. Twelve extra-flexible mannequins specially ordered from Spain arranged in a tableau present the fashion house’s fall/winter 2015 line that utilizes prints from artist Rade Petrasevic. On either end, inflatable dolls with television sets affixed to their bellies broadcast video art by Geoffrey Lillemon. Every element is meant to evoke action for a dying world, Willhelm says. “Hope is weak, so hopefully these things are encouraging people to do something about it.” Just as the visionary has changed the whole fashion industry, so Willhelm seeks to move beyond ephemeral trends—and to provoke. “That’s the thing with fashion,” he says. “It works on your subconscious. What you thought was ugly might just be the opposite. You need a certain openness to like fashion. You have to try and try, and when it works, you can see there’s an interaction with that person. It’s what brings fashion alive.”

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PHOTOS: BRIAN FORREST.

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PHOTOS: BRIAN FORREST.

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Trade Secrets

(OPPOSITE) Louisa (left) and Alexandra Burch at the new Trademark flagship store in New York’s Soho neighborhood.

Sisters Louisa and Alexandra Burch join the family business and open their burgeoning brand’s first flagship. BY AILEEN KWUN PORTRAIT BY ANDREW MUSSON

The past few years have been rather rocky for the Burch clan. J. Christopher Burch— founder and CEO of Burch Creative Capital, the investment firm behind a gaggle of fashion and retail brands—shuttered his namesake venture, C. Wonder, this January, and in late 2013, sold the majority of his holdings in the brand of his ex-wife, Tory Burch. (Both events followed a heavily reported, drawn-out split that began in 2007.) Amidst the family upheaval has been the quietly celebrated rise of Trademark, the recently launched line of classic sportswear helmed by the two newest—and youngest—entrepreneurs to enter the Burch biz: daughters Louisa “Weezie,” 26, and Alexandra “Pookie,” 30. Founded in the fall of 2013, Trademark has quickly earned respect in just a matter of seasons for cutting its own path. Its studied yet refreshingly relaxed approach to sophisticated men’s and women’s casualwear and accessories recalls neither the clunky

monograms and Upper East Side-meetsClub Med feel of Tory Burch’s line, nor the preppy whimsy of C. Wonder’s colorful gift items—though both parents have undoubtedly influenced the sisters’ foray into the fashion world. “Louisa and I always say that we learned mostly everything from our stepmom and dad while driving in the car from Philadelphia to New York, and just listening,” says Alexandra, who recalls frequent commutes to the city, conference calls, and meetings that her parents would encourage the two of them to sit in on. “It’s an area we grew up around, so there was a lot of knowledge there,” Louisa adds. Raised outside of Philadelphia, the sisters relocated to New York in 2007, shortly after Alexandra finished her photography major at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and just as Louisa began studies at New York University’s Gallatin School. In 2012, the two began refining a retail concept of their own—and an elevator pitch that their father

would approve, to match. “We’d get really nervous,” Louisa says. “He’s very serious,” Alexandra adds. “It took us a long time to say, ‘This is really want the brand’s about.’” This fall, the sisters Burch debuted their very own retail space with the opening of Trademark’s first flagship in New York’s Soho neighborhood. At just 2,500 square feet, it’s a modest gem befitting the brand’s focus on classic, understated style. “We’d been looking for a space for a very, very, very long time and were just standing here, on this street, when we noticed this window with a tiny note that had a phone number written on it,” Louisa says. “We called, and the guy who answered the phone said he was just around the corner, and offered to show it to us. Instantly, we both felt that it was the right space,” says Louisa, of the serendipitous real-estate win that could seemingly happen only in New York. “It was just a tiny white note!” Alexandra adds. “It was a sign. It wasn’t even available for leasing yet. >

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PHOTOS: ANDREW MUSSON.

PHOTO: COURTESY TRADEMARK.

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PHOTOS: ANDREW MUSSON.

PHOTO: COURTESY TRADEMARK.

A sculptural, bone-white staircase divides the corridor space into mezzanine and lower-floor levels. Accessories from the brand’s fall/winter 2014 collection. (OPPOSITE) A shirt and skirt from the fall/ winter 2015 women’s collection.

We discovered the space at the same time as the landlord, so all the issues of renovating and bringing the code up to space were very much a collaborative process.” Formerly a photo studio, it was a small wonder that the space at 95 Grand—located on a boutique-lined block of prime Soho real estate, between Greene and Mercer Streets— had never before housed a retail space. Once the lease was made official, the sisters hit the ground running to design the space with Bozarthfornell Architects, whom they had enlisted to renovate the interior weeks before the find. The Stockholm-based firm is best known for the sleek interiors it creates for the many outlets of Acne Studios, and for the new Trademark space, the sisters envisioned something equally pared-down yet distinctive in style. “We always wanted to have a lot of wood in the store,” Alexandra says. “I love the Seagram Building and the United Nations building, so there was a little bit of that era’s influences. Louisa and I have very similar tastes—” “... but also very different tastes!” Louisa interjects, as her sister continues: “There was a bit of push and pull between us. I wanted it to look a bit like a 1950s department store, and Louisa would say, ‘Let’s not

go too ’50s!’ We’re lucky to be able to have these discussions in an open way, since we’re sisters.” The resulting compromise is an intimate yet open space that combines navy, wood, and bone-white tones with brass accents, elongated structures, and plenty of natural light. Keeping the long corridor space intact and tall, floor-to-ceiling loft windows in place, the team worked to outfit the back half of the space with a sculptural staircase that opens up to a mezzanine and lower-level floor. Small decorative objects from their personal collections imbue the space with a warm nostalgia that, neither wholly borrowed nor set in time, is difficult to place. Vintage photographs, wood cuts, ceramic objets, a Moroccan hat, baskets from childhood summers spent in Nantucket, artworks by friends, and the waft of sandalwood incense fill the space with personality. Accented with wood wall panels and simple, geometric furniture pieces recalling the conceptual work of Donald Judd, it all evokes a warm midcentury atmosphere elevated to the contemporary—an aesthetic balance that struck a note with the brand’s ethos. “Initially, when we thought of the brand concept and were looking for names, the first

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Elongated structures give the brand’s new flagship store a cozy yet open feel. (OPPOSITE) A look from Trademark’s fall/winter 2015 women’s collection.

one that we actually wanted was Uniform, but we couldn’t get the trademark on it,” Alexandra says. The sisters, unironically, opted for Trademark, which aptly reflected their idea of building a collection of diverse, simple, and resolutely American wardrobe staples. “What we always talked about was sort of … not somebody who changes their look everyday—somebody who knows what they like, who they are, and who has a signature thing,” Louisa says. In forming the basis of Trademark’s debut spring/summer 2014 collection, Alexandra, who helms the brand’s creative direction, found vintage inspiration in images from the past. Her primary creative cue: Black Mountain College, the short-lived but legendary Modernist art school that existed from 1933 to 1957 in North Carolina. “It just felt like the purest, coolest place,” she says. “I was inspired by the idea of it—what it’d been like, rather than its actuality. All those people that were there: Merce Cunningham, Josef Albers, Anni Albers, and Buckminster Fuller. Just the energy of it.” For the spring/summer 2015 collection, the Burch sisters looked beyond, to India— specifically as portrayed in Jean Renoir’s 1951 film The River—creating a lookbook

of long linen tunics, leather sandals, sleek low ponytails, and warm palettes of orange, rust, and powder blue. “It was one of the first color films ever filmed in India, and the pieces take the idea of Indian menswear,” Pookie says. “This was probably the least American collection we have ever done, but I think it’s supposed to feel somewhat American.” For fall/winter 2015, the duo presented a collection of brown, olive, and tan hues; animal prints and safari jackets with largecargo pockets; and boxy khaki and corduroy trousers with fringe-cuffed detailing. The line was inspired by Americana looks of the 1970s, as captured by street photographers such as Gary Winogrand, Tina Barney, and Lee Friedlander, suggesting the sisters seem to be steadily picking up style notes from successive decades. At just two years into the business, the duo has quickly adapted to the demanding calendar of the fashion industry, gleaning wisdom by experience along the way. “It’s been a pretty long process,” Alexandra says. “The three of us—me, Louisa, and my father— would sit down and ask, ‘What’s it gonna be about?’ Since then, it’s been all about the next step, and the next step, and the next step.” SURFACE

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Midtown Maison

(OPPOSITE) Valentino co-creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli in Paris.

In collaboration with British architect David Chipperfield, Valentino’s cocreative directors conceive a massive modern-day palazzo on Fifth Avenue. BY SPENCER BAILEY PORTRAIT BY FRANCK JUERY

Ask Valentino co-creative directors Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri about British architect David Chipperfield and both will perk up instantly with grins. Since the unveiling of its first Chipperfielddesigned Milan flagship in 2012—the debut of an ongoing concept by the architect—the three have become close friends. More than simply collaborators, they’re creative comrades, a masterful trio bringing about a bold, boundary-pushing architectural agenda far beyond what most high-end fashion houses have ever done. This is especially evident in their latest, and most audacious, endeavor yet: Valentino’s new 20,000-square-foot flagship on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The space’s rent is reported to be $16 million a year, a New York record. From the outside, the building’s

facade—framed in black steel, aluminum, and brass—resembles the clean lines of the Seagram Building; its large glass panels beckon passersby to enter into its 27-foot-tall atrium. (Perhaps not surprisingly, John Burgee and Philip Johnson, the latter one of the Seagram’s architects, designed the original building, which previously housed the Takashimaya department store.) Inside, a Palladiana-marble staircase and terrazzo-covered floors and walls lend a permanent and heavy feeling that when bathed in yellow light turns refreshingly warm. Unlike so many of its seemingly intimidating neighboring Fifth Avenue stores, most of them with dressed-up window displays, the Valentino interior puts a no-frills focus on the clothes. Chipperfield, whose firm turns 30 this year, has become

known for his contextually sensitive interventions, such at the Neues Museum in Berlin and the Hepworth Wakefield Gallery in England. Thoughtfully integrated into previously existing structures or historic sites, Chipperfield’s projects also revitalize and bring fresh energy to them. Piccioli and Chiuri, who took over from Valentino Garavani following his departure from the brand in 2008, have similar skills. Attuned to the art of revamping a house while also maintaining its integrity, they have brought new shine to Valentino. Last December, the morning after the label’s Sala Bianca 945 haute-couture show in New York, Surface met with Piccioli and Chiuri at The Pierre hotel on the Upper East Side to discuss their ongoing work with Chipperfield. >

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Pierpaolo Piccioli: It was love at first sight. When we met David, we spent an hour or so discussing the values of the Valentino brand with him. You want to believe in the store. We talked about what we felt would be good for the brand, what we wanted to deliver to the customer as a sensation or emotion. Maria Grazia Chiuri: Within five seconds, we decided he was our guy.

Chiuri: David believes in consistent ideas. For the Fifth Avenue store, when he started to

Piccioli: Another important thing we share with David is the sense of memory. We don’t deny memory. We think that memory is important to build your future. You have to know where you come from to understand where you’re going. For example, in couture, we think that you can use traditional workmanship to do something very new, modern, and experimental. In the store, even though he’s using terrazzo and antique materials, the technique looks very modern. I think his work can be compared to an Italian memory of SURFACE

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PHOTO: COURTESY VALENTINO.

The exterior of the new Valentino flagship on Fifth Avenue in New York City. (OPPOSITE) A view of Valentino-clad mannequins in the store.

Piccioli: We love his architectural approach to space. He’s not an interior decorator; he’s a real architect. He doesn’t decorate the space; he doesn’t overlap with our job. He expresses the same values we have through architecture. That’s what we want to deliver into the world: the idea of an Italian palazzo, the idea of Rome, the idea of couture. He does this in an architectural way with monumental spaces. You just feel it.

work on the concept, he decided to use material that over time would maintain value and style and not lose quality. Valentino is a timeless brand, and in our mind we would like to have a space that reflects that. Not something very “fashion” that you use for one season and that’s it. Normally, throughout the retail world, brands use the approach I just described. But we detest it. We try to build style, not just a simple fashion collection. We believe that style is something that’s maintained over time. This is important for our stores, and also for our jobs. With David, we completely agree on this vision.

PHOTO: COURTESY VALENTINO.

How did your relationship with David Chipperfield begin?

PHOTO: COURTESY VALENTINO.

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PHOTO: COURTESY VALENTINO.

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architecture. If you think back to Leon Battista Alberti, he did this kind of operation to get back from the past to something very modern. He’s not denying the past, but rather creating a future based on its roots. This is something we were very fascinated by. In my mind, the Fifth Avenue store seems to be about being very solid—a single mass that’s wide open.

Piccioli: It’s massive, it’s monumental. We wanted to get a Roman feeling. It’s almost imperial-meets-’50s architecture, like Giò Ponti. It’s like layers of memories flowing together into something that’s modern and timeless. Does architecture inform your work in fashion?

Piccioli: Sometimes. It depends. Of course it’s part of the inspiration compass. But we’re not obsessive about it. We don’t feel we have to overlap everything. The couture collection we presented last night, for example, was inspired by the sculptures of Constantin Brancusi, who was not an architect, but in a way he could have been. For the stores, David was inspired by Italian architecture of the ’50s. Chiuri: We are crazy for Giò Ponti. Piccioli: Giò Ponti had a lightness that we want to have in our collection, but in a different way. His language is an architectural language, and we use a fashion language. David and our values— Chiuri: Are the same. About quality, about craftsmanship. Piccioli: About lightness, massiveness. Chiuri: We like to work with David. We’re now like a big family. [Laughs] Piccioli: You could call our relationship “common ground.” We’re now working on our next big store with him, in Rome. We caught up with him on the dance floor last night, and we were talking about it. We’ve created a strong relationship with this amazing guy.

PHOTO: COURTESY VALENTINO.

Chiuri: We love to understand the architecture of the world. We think it’s another beautiful part of the heart and soul. Piccioli: Architecture is a language, and David uses it in the best way. Today, architecture so often becomes interior decoration. What David does is different. It’s more than decoration. Chiuri: With David, it has been possible for us to build a house. When you arrive in our store, you feel at home. Piccioli: There’s the tension between the monumentality of the space and the intimacy

of the small rooms, and the tension between the massive steps and the very thin racks. And the tension of the glass facade—it’s so thin. We were here in New York when the facade arrived. They blocked off Fifth Avenue at 6 o’clock in the morning! Because the glass was so big and thin, closing down Fifth was the only way to install it.

Handbag displays near the entrance of the Fifth Avenue store.

When did you discover Chipperfield’s work? Are there particular projects of his that caught your attention?

Chiuri: The Neues Museum in Berlin [completed in 2009]. Piccioli: Which is a work about memory and the future. Chiuri: Our brand is the same in some way: The founder [Valentino Garavani] isn’t dead. He’s still alive. It’s not easy to change the nature of the brand when the founder is still alive. We want to find the balance between our past and our iconic elements. But at the same time we want to speak about our style, and we want to mix all of this together to create something new. We think that David is perfect for this because he normally believes in the importance of memory, but for him, it’s also very important to think about the future. How do you view brick-and-mortar retail today? And how do you think the Chipperfield concept for Valentino falls into this?

Piccioli: We think that it’s important to get the same values and the same recognizable language into all of our stores. We want to also apply the concept in a monolithic way for every single city. This concept is about the space: You have to project it in every single store. It’s not only about gypsum or terrazzo; it’s about how you use it. Still, in every single city you see something different. In Milan, you feel you’re in a 19th-century building; here on Fifth Avenue, it’s so massive and “New York”; then, when you go to Madison Avenue, the concept is the same, but it’s more domestic, more intimate, because it’s in a townhouse. Chiuri: We love the VIP room on Madison Avenue. Piccioli: Have you seen it? Go to see it. The Fifth Avenue store and the Madison store are completely different. You feel the difference between them. They share the same values, but in different ways. When you go to Fifth, you feel a big brand. When you go to Madison Avenue, you feel elegance. What sort of conversation do you want to occur between the interiors and the clothes in the Valentino stores? In other words, how do you want the clothes to appear in contrast to the spaces Chipperfield has created?

Chiuri: Each season the collection changes,

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(THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE) More views from inside the Fifth Avenue store.

so it’s important that the two languages are completely different. If you have a store that’s speaking an architectural language, we have no problem, because we can change our language around it. In any case, it’s very important that the concept of the store maintains its language. Piccioli: On Fifth Avenue, we even decided not to show special windows, but to make the store one huge window itself. We took away all the ideas of props for windows. We just want to show the store as it is. So that the clothing speaks for itself?

Chiuri: We don’t like the idea of a closed window with props, which is different than the architectural language. Three languages are too much.

from the top, the shapes are amazing. Piccioli: David, too, was very excited to design in that space, because it’s so huge, it’s so beautiful, it’s so American, it’s so New York. Chiuri: I think David finds it fun to work with us because we push him a lot. [Laughs] Probably no one speaks with him in our way— Piccioli: So honestly. Chiuri: We are really straight. We don’t use a lot of words to say what we want. He reflects about things in another way than us.

Piccioli: He’s English, we’re Roman, so we have different reflections. Last night he shared with us an idea he had for the Rome store. We said, “Hmm. No, David. That doesn’t work.” I don’t It seems that in fashion one thing people think everybody would say so directly to him, really want right now is transparency. So per- “Think again!” [Laughs] For us, it’s easier to haps consumers don’t want window dress- be so open.

Piccioli: If there’s consistency in the product, you don’t need to have tricks. What does the Fifth Avenue store represent in the context of the concept you’ve been growing with Chipperfield?

Has working and talking with Chipperfield changed your perspectives?

Chiuri: Absolutely. Sometimes we never reflect about something, and then when he mentions it, we’re like, “That’s good! We’ve never thought about that!” Piccioli: We’ve really got a good guy as our architect. I mean, last night he was with us on the dance floor!

Piccioli: We were running from Fifth Avenue to Central Park the first time they told us that maybe it was a possible location. We immediately knew it was the space we wanted.

Chiuri: I have videos to prove it! [Laughs]

Chiuri: We’re crazy about the stairs, because they’re like a piece of art. When you see them

Piccioli: Yes. It takes two to tango—sometimes three!

That’s a nice metaphor for your relationship with him: It’s a dance.

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PHOTOS: COURTESY VALENTINO.

Chiuri: We were so excited when we found the store. It’s very difficult to find a location like that. Immediately, we pushed everybody [to close on it]. We were like, “We need this store!” [Laughs]

Chiuri: We tell him, “Sorry, David, but but we think in another way.” [Laughs]

PHOTO: COURTESY VALENTINO.

ing so much anymore. They want to see the pieces for exactly what they are.

PHOTOS: COURTESY VALENTINO.

PHOTO: COURTESY VALENTINO.

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Art of the Boot

Celebrating the 65th anniversary of its legendary Desert Boot, Clarks asks 14 British artists and designers to add their own touches to the footwear staple.

(OPPOSITE) Clarks CEO Melissa Potter with curator Filippo Tattoni-Marcozzi at the shoe brand’s headquarters in Somerset, England. (FOLLOWING SPREAD) Limitededition takes on the Clarks Desert Boot by (clockwise from upper left) Adam Ball, Bob and Roberta Smith, Gordon Cheung, Richard Caldicott, René Gonzalez, and Kacper Hamilton.

INTERVIEW BY NONIE NIESEWAND PORTRAIT BY BEN MOSTYN

The prevalence of the high-sided, laced, sand suede desert boot, with its crepe sole, can be traced back to one British brand: Clarks. And to one man at that brand: shoemaker Nathan Clark, who introduced the versatile footwear in 1950. And to the Middle East, specifically a Cairo bazaar, where British soldiers stationed in Egypt picked up locally made shoes, which then inspired Clark to bring a similar model to market. These days, the Clarks Desert Boot is a fashion staple. Knockoffs abound. Pharrell Williams has been seen wearing its not-sodistant cousin, the Wallabee. Pop stars Liam Gallagher, Johnny Marr, and Florence Welch have been spotted sporting them, too. Perhaps most notably, Steve McQueen wore them in the 1963 film The Great Escape. To celebrate its 65th anniversary this year, Clarks deconstructed the boot: its sole, suede sides, and tongue that laces up with a dangling tag. The company, based in Somerset, England, then sent the pieces in an “inspiration box”— along with the 2013 book Made to Last: The Story of Britain’s Best-Known Shoe Firm—to 14 British-based artists and designers. They then made limited-edition boots inspired by the provided materials. Clarks has produced the resulting pieces in runs of 250 each, to be sold for $300 a pair. The interpretations of the shoe will be shown in a traveling exhibition, “Clarks Rebooted,” which opens this month at the Shanghai Design Fair in China; moves to Milan during Salone del Mobile in April; continues to New York during the Frieze art fair in May; and then goes to London in September and October, to coincide with London Fashion Week, the London Design Festival, and Frieze London. They will auction the original artworks in October, with

the proceeds going to the Halo Trust, a British land-mine removal organization. “Make Art Not War” is the message artist Bob and Roberta Smith wrapped around his shiny yellow and blue patent version. (Bob and Roberta Smith is actually the moniker of one man, Patrick Brill, whose original “Make Art Not War” (1997), a square painting on two plywood panels, is in the Tate’s permanent collection.) “Punchy words,” says Filippo Tattoni-Marcozzi, an independent curator who organized the exhibition, of the Smith slogan. He adds that the shoes are reflective of the artist, “who engages in politics as a form of art infused by slogans, always in bright colors.” Previously, Tattoni-Marcozzi helped George Michael and Kenny Goss create the nonprofit Goss Michael Foundation in Dallas, where he was its director for five years. While there, he curated exhibitions with works by many from the Young British Artist movement, including Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, and Michael Craig-Martin. With Clarks, his scope of work is somewhat similar: to celebrate the creativity of a British brand, and the culture of its home country. The range of the Desert Boot designs is surprising, especially for a shoe and brand that have become so ubiquitous around the world. (Clarks is a behemoth, with 14,000 employees worldwide and operations in more than 100 countries.) Among the anniversary editions are an orange-soled, pale blue pair by artist Tom Price with an X-ray image of feet digitally printed on the top layer; pastel boots by Marc Quinn that feature his thumbprint set into the sole; and a laser-cut version by Adam Ball that references nature by sandwiching together two pieces of leather—a hard leather inside, and a soft suede outside—so that as

the wearer walks, patterns and colors on the boots change. Other contributions from artists include a take by Gordon Cheung that uses images of crunched up Financial Times stock market pages; a pair by René Gonzalez—the youngest of the group—who pasted on his right boot an image of 1980s hip-hop legends the Wu-Tang Clan, and on the left boot, their fans waving, thumbs linked to form a W; and an edition by abstract painter Frank Bowling—the oldest to work on the project—who lent the boots a pale, almost translucent palette. Accustomed to shaping products rather than sculptures or paintings on canvas, the contributing designers made perhaps the most dramatic changes to the form of the shoe. Lee Broom turned his pair into a black high-ankle Chelseaesque boot with buckles; backgammon board designer Alexandra Llewellyn used lilac bolts to encircle the ankle on a blue boot; and designer Faye Toogood interpreted the desert boot as a Roman sandal with a sock in it. Of all of the creations, Toogood’s—which Tattoni-Marcozi says is “reminiscent of a simple past projected toward a sophisticated future”—caught the eye of Clarks CEO Melissa Potter. “I’d wear her design with chiffon skirts and a jumper,” she says, adding, “There’s such variety and creativity in each of the designs. Your choice depends on your personal style.” Tattoni-Marcozi continues, “The artists and designers I chose are from many different disciplines, which makes the collection fun—as well as functional. I avoided picking any one school of art. The thing they all have in common is that they’re all British. Not British-born in every case, but they all work in Britain and their work reflects that quintessential Britishness, just like Clarks. ”

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Cross Currents

For Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki of Paris- and Tokyo-based label Maison Kitsuné, music infiltrates fashion—and vice versa.

(OPPOSITE) Masaya Kuroki (left) and Gildas Loaëc at the recently opened Maison Kitsuné boutique on Rue Condorcet in Paris.

BY AILEEN KWUN PORTRAIT BY JEAN-BAPTISTE COURTIER

Music and fashion have long been cultural bedfellows, but for Kitsuné, the two elements have been integral to the concept brand’s DNA since the very beginning. Founded in 2002, the Parisian record and clothing label hybrid began, as the story goes, when Gildas Loaëc— then 19 years old and running a record shop called Street Sound in the 1st arrondissement— met Masaya Kuroki, a stylish young Japanese architect who was earning his chops at Ateliers Jean Nouvel. “All the cool kids were hanging out there,” recalls Kuroki, who frequented the shop alongside regulars such as Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk (which Loaëc joined for a 12-year stint). “We decided to start Kitsuné while we were in Japan with the band, producing the movie Interstella 5555,” he says. “Gildas had invited me to come to help with the translation, and the brand began to evolve from there.” With mutual fascination and interest in each other’s cultures, the two quickly became

friends, and together with the experimental London-based design studio Åbäke, forged a partnership for their new venture, adopting the kanji word for “fox” as its moniker. An animal the Japanese believe holds mythical powers of continual transformation in appearance, the creature was a fitting emblem for their cross-genre, multidisciplinary ambitions. Now a dozen years into the business, Loaëc and Kuroki (who amicably parted ways with Åbäke about four years ago) head into the next chapter of growth for Kitsuné, with plans to expand its presence throughout its hometowns and beyond. Infusing aesthetic elements from the best of both cities—Paris, the epicenter of high fashion, and Tokyo, home to some of the world’s most innovative retail and design concepts—the duo have steadily made good on their goal to create a 360-lifestyle brand spanning music, contemporary street style, entertainment, and fashion. Beginning first as a record label, issuing albums by independent

electronic outfits such as Digitalism, The Klaxons, and Phoenix, the brand moved beyond Loaëc’s roots in the music industry and debuted the first collection of its sophisticated yet understated apparel line, Maison Kitsuné, in 2007. International deejaying gigs for the record label took the duo abroad to cities like Bangkok, Taipei, Stockholm, and Malmö—and doubled as business trips booked with an increasing number of meetings with buyers and boutiques. “There was a kind of organic loop between the energy of the music and the development of the Maison Kitsuné line, the music being a strong, emotional factor for us. But the idea was to be both a record label and a clothing line from day one,” Loaëc says. “Since we don’t have any family or background in the clothing business, we were having to learn everything from scratch, finding the concept, deciding whether and when we wanted to be in the market. Nobody was just handing us

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PHOTOS: COURTESY MAISON KITSUNE.

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tips or contacts for factory outlets, for example—it was a process, for a few years, of just searching and sourcing.” To date, Maison Kitsuné now boasts five boutiques and three Café Kitsuné locations worldwide in Paris, Tokyo, and New York. They opened a Paris location on Rue Condorcet in January, and another, on Rivington Street on New York’s Lower East Side, opens this month. By the end of this year, Loaëc and Kuroki will have three more locations, one each in Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. “I realize Paris, New York, and Tokyo have always been the destinations in my life,” says Kuroki, who was born in Tokyo, has lived in New York, and frequently travels and works between the label’s two headquarters in France and Japan. “Now that we have Maison Kitsuné stores in each of these cities, I feel even more connected to them.” Designed with context to a given surrounding neighborhood, each new outpost reflects a different face of the Kitsuné brand. Though Kuroki himself has designed many of them, as the brand continues to grow, it’s begun to source outside talent. For the new Condorcet store in Paris, the

brand approached Milan-based design firm Dimore Studio with a carte-blanche brief. To create the space, located in a 19thcentury building on the city’s Inventory of Historical Monuments list, the firm drew upon Francophile iconography at once reminiscent of vintage broadcloth shirts and the signature stripes of conceptual artist Daniel Buren’s site-specific installations, outfitting the space in wall trims of lapis blue, carmine red ivory, and satiny aluminum. As if playfully building on the classic trope of band merch, the label has also made a tradition of celebrating its openings with a capsule collection of logo tees, sweatshirts, and tote bags touting the latest street address to join its roster. Referencing the Kitsuné team’s involvements in music, it’s also a clever strategy for widening the brand’s customer base, offering accessible entry points. While their record label continues to attract a young following, customers of its apparel line tend to vary more widely in age. “Maison Kitsuné’s man and woman evolve with their time,” says Kuroki, whose involvements sway more to the fashion side of the business. “The same Parisian essence with a little touch of our current inspirations.” >

(THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE) Looks from Maison Kitsuné’s fall/winter 2015 women’s and men’s collections, inspired by elements of South Korean pop culture.

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A cup of coffee served at one of the brand’s Café Kitsuné locations. (OPPOSITE) A concept sketch by Dimore Studio, which designed the new Maison Kitsuné shop on Rue Condorcet.

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PHOTO: COURTESY DIMORE STUDIO.

For its fall/winter 2015 men’s and wom- very well-connected with the local scene, from massive K-pop bands like Big Bang, en’s collections, the brand looked toward yet another international destination—South GDxTaeyang, 2AM, to more underground Korea—for aesthetic inspiration. “It’s a little acts like Verbal Jint and M-Flo. I like the clin d’oeil, what we call a wink, to our Korean solo project of CL; she is from 2NE1.” Their friends, but also a bit of wordplay,” Loaëc says. interests in the genre extend to fashion, too: Among the line of 1960s- and rock-inspired “I think they are super creative in the costumes, sportswear separates are graphic tees reading accessories, style, and attitude,” Kuroki adds. “K.I.M.: Korean Institute of Music”—a referFor the foreseeable future, the horizon looks bright for Loaëc and Kuroki, who ence to the last-name equivalent of Smith in the Anglophone world. “I know it’s not the already have plans to set the bar higher for best joke around,” he says, “but it’s a very 2016: Next January, they’ll open a sprawlcommon surname in Korea, so we played ing Maison Kitsuné building in Tokyo’s around with that, and also a pattern inspired Daikanyama district. by elements of the South Korean flag.” Paired with palettes of cool powder blue, gray, and navy, clusters of small black lines—abstracted from the flag’s four black trigrams representing the four elements, seasons, directions, and virtues—pepper the tops and pullovers. The collection is also a playful take on the global phenomenon of K-pop music, which has seen exponential popularity in recent years. “You can see there are so many kids that are following K-pop music!” Loaëc says. “On YouTube, you see videos with millions of views—not only in South Korea, but all throughout Asia, in Japan and America, and in the U.K. Since we’re in the music business, we also follow some K-pop artists. We had a visit in our showroom, just the other week, from G-Dragon.” Adds Kuroki: “We’re

PHOTO: COURTESY MAISON KITSUNE.

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PHOTO: COURTESY DIMORE STUDIO.

PHOTO: COURTESY MAISON KITSUNE.

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Gallery & Culture Club ottega Veneta creative B director Tomas Maier launches an initiative to save Japanese Modernist buildings. A photo portfolio of recent events in the Surface universe, including the launch of Kanye Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yeezy Season 1 collection for Adidas Originals.

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Photos by Tetsuya Ito

Gallery

Bottega Veneta creative director Tomas Maier recently launched the #mymomentatokura initiative to save Japanese Modernist buildings from potential destruction. One of them, shown on these pages, is the Hotel Okura, a 1962 structure designed by Yoshiro Taniguchi. Here, Maier discusses his moments at and memories of the Okura, the main building of which will be torn down in late August and replaced with a new hotel—unless, somehow, it can be saved. The first time I visited Japan was in the mid-’80s—and that was also the first time I stayed at the Hotel Okura. After arriving in Tokyo, following a long flight, I entered the Okura and was immediately taken by the beauty of its lobby, the people working there in their kimonos, and the top-class hospitality. There are incredible details within the lobby— such as the shades, the facade, and the pendant lamps— that are made from the finest Japanese craftsmanship. Unfortunately, many of them can’t be made any more due to the loss of the artisans who had specialized skills required to produce them. Walking into the Okura lobby is an experience like no other. That first trip was the beginning of my interest in Japanese Modernist architecture. It’s crucial to make sure these great buildings are preserved in a way that respects how they were initially composed, thus maintaining their integrity. Only then will their value be solidified and heritage passed down for future generations to enjoy, ultimately gaining recognition not only nationally in Japan but worldwide. Many of these Japanese architectural icons are at risk of being demolished or renovated due to economics, politics, earthquake-resistance issues, and the fact that Japan will host the 2020 Olympics, for which many buildings will be modernized in anticipation of the occasion. Historic architectural landmarks that are recognized as national treasures, such as temples and castles in places like Kyoto, are given great care for their preservation, but some of those built after the war are being taken for granted, seemingly left unconsidered as far as their safeguarding is concerned. Because of this, it’s of great importance that measures are taken for their preservation. Architecture makes the city skyline, and it’s what gives cities a distinctive appeal. When you look at cities like Chicago or New York, you can see the beauty of the skyline. Tokyo is unique in that sense, as well, since there are so many valuable structures within its cityscape. People maybe don’t realize that now, but when they do, after many of these buildings have been torn down, it will be too late … For me, my goal with #mymomentatokura isn’t simply about saving the Okura or any other Japanese Modernist architecture from a design standpoint—even though these buildings are, of course, modern masterpieces. Rather, it’s about the possibilities that exist in taking them forward. I often think about how the Okura should be renovated. It should be considered from a long-term business perspective. The opinions of relevant parties— such as the owners, developers, and architects—should be weighed to create an even more masterful marvel. The kind of shops that should be placed on the ground floor shopping arcade and also functions like air conditioning should be renewed accordingly. The Hotel Okura lobby is an icon. If it no longer exists, neither does the Okura. —As told to Spencer Bailey

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not all design is created equal culturecommerce.com

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1271 Avenue of the Americas, 17th Floor New York, NY 10020 +1 212 842 1040 15/01/2015 17:51

Culture Club Edited by Roxy Kirshenbaum GQ and Giorgio Armani Grammy’s After-Party The theme of GQ’s February issue was music, so it was natural for the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Jim Nelson, to host a Grammys after party on Feb. 8. Thrown in partnership with Giorgio Armani at the Hollywood Athletic Club, the guest list included some of the biggest names in music, such as Calvin Harris, Janelle Monae, Hozier, and “Weird Al” Yankovic (pictured). D.J. A-Trak performed a set. (Photo: Getty) 179

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W’s “Best Performances” Portfolio Celebration At the Chateau Marmont hotel in L.A. on Jan. 9, W magazine editor-in-chief Stefano Tonchi, editor-atlarge Lynn Hirschberg, and hotelier André Balazs celebrated the “Best Performances” portfolio featured in the February issue of W and toasted the Golden Globes. Shot by Tim Walker, the portfolio showcases actors such as Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, and Reese Witherspoon, all of whom attended the event. Other guests included Minnie Driver and Miles Teller (pictured, with Robert Duvall). Guests enjoyed Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004; the champagne brand and Cadillac supported the event. (Photo: Billy Farrell/ bfanyc.com)

Charles Finch’s Cocktail and Dinner Party in Honor of Mulberry On Jan. 9, Charles Finch, CEO of Finch & Partners, threw his first “Out of Towners”–themed dinner at L.A.’s Chateau Marmont in honor of the English brand Mulberry. Finch is well-known for his lavish parties, and this one did not disappoint: Guests lounged by the pool on Mulberry Home cushions and enjoyed Mulberry’s latest campaign film starring Cressida Bonas and Freddie Fox, set to release to the public this month. Guests included Christoph Waltz (pictured), Bonas, Fox, Rosamund Pike, James Corden, and Dana Brunetti. (Photo: Billy Farrell/bfanyc.com) 181

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CULTURE CLUB Stella McCartney’s Fall/Winter 2015 Collection Stella McCartney hosted the presentation of her brand’s fall/winter 2015 collection on Jan. 12 on New York’s Upper East Side. Models (pictured here) were clad in versatile ensembles: playful wildcat prints, embroidered tunics, and androgynous eveningwear among them. Guests in attendance included Kristen Stewart, Chloë Sevigny, Rachel Feinstein, Michael Avedon, Taryn Simon, and Miranda July. (Photo: Joe Schildhorn/bfanyc.com)

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CULTURE CLUB Soho Grand New Year’s Eve Black and White Masquerade Ball The Soho Grand Hotel once again rang in the new year with style at its annual New Year’s Eve Black and White Masquerade Ball. Dressed in black-tie attire, guests enjoyed performances from Mike Nouveau and Harley Viera-Newton while sipping Billecart champagne. Among those in attendance were Leigh Lezark of the New York collective Misshapes, fashion designer Mandy Coon, and stylist Margaret Zhang. (Photo: Aria Isadora/bfanyc.com)

Louis Vuitton Presentations On Feb. 5, Louis Vuitton presented “Series 2: Past, Present, and Future” at a cocktail party in Los Angeles. The exhibition, shown from Feb. 6–22, delved into the inspirations of Louis Vuitton’s women’s artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière for his second ready-to-wear show. Guests in attendance at the opening included Jennifer Connelly, Michelle Williams, Rosamund Pike, and Dianna Agron. Shortly before this reveal—on Jan. 22 in Paris—the brand’s men’s style director Kim Jones presented his fall/winter 2015 collection at the Parc André Citroën. Among those in attendance were Michael Stipe (pictured), Kate Moss, Bryan Ferry, and Lewis Hamilton. (Photo: Louis Vuitton/Bertrand Rindoff)

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CULTURE CLUB Vacheron Constantin’s Design District Boutique Opening At the Pérez Art Museum Miami on Feb. 5, Vacheron Constantin North America president Vincent Brun and DACRA president and CEO Craig Robins celebrated the opening of the watch brand’s new boutique in the city’s burgeoning Design District. The event included an array of Vacheron Constantin timepieces, as well as a showing of historical watches from the brand’s private collection. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeurves, live music, and “Constantinis” (martinis with vodka, basil, lime, and mint). The event’s attendees included Alexia and Herman Echevarria (pictured, with Robins), Adriana de Moura, Criselda Breene, Christian Vieri, and Stephane Dupoux. (Photo: World Red Eye)

One Paraiso Groundbreaking The Related Group and Alta Developers hosted a groundbreaking on Feb. 5 for One Paraiso, a new development in the East Edgewater neighborhood of Miami. Guests enjoyed catered treats by Michael Shwartz, the chef of the project’s upcoming beach club. Seen with shovels in hand are president of the condominium division of Related Group Carlos Rosso, left, and Italian architect Piero Lissoni. Other notable attendees included Related Group founder and chairman Jorge Perez, Miami commissioner Marc Sarnoff, soccer star Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama, and artist Pablo Atchugarry. (Photo: Alberto Camargo)

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CULTURE CLUB Adidas Yeezy Season 1 Presentation On Feb. 12, in partnership with Adidas Originals, Kanye West unveiled a fall/winter 2015 collection of men’s and women’s apparel and footwear. Made in collaboration with Italian-born, L.A.-based contemporary artist Vanessa Beecroft, West’s collection was presented via nine rows of models. “Wolves,” an unreleased track from West’s upcoming album, filled the space during the presentation. The high-profile list of guests included Kim Kardashian (pictured, with daughter North, and Beyoncé), Rihanna, Drake, George Condo, Spike Jonze, Russell Simmons, Steven Klein, Alexander Wang, Kehinde Wiley, Virgil Abloh (see page 24), Gia Coppola, Jeffrey Deitch, and Marc Lee. (Photo: Getty)

Prada’s Iconoclasts Project On Feb. 12, designers Michael Wilkinson and Tim Martin presented a party for Prada’s newest edition of the brand’s Iconoclasts project at the brand’s OMA-designed Soho “Epicenter.” The store exhibition featured textiles from the Prada spring/summer 2015 collection alongside archival designs. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade (pictured) were in attendance, along with Hailee Steinfeld, Meghan Markle, Zosia Mamet, Bonnie Wright, Carla Gugino, and Hanneli Mustaparta—all wearing Prada. Other guests included Kesha, Tracee Ellis Ross, Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis, Craig McDean, Leigh Lezark, Michelle Harper, and Michael Avedon. (Photo: Getty) 189

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CULTURE CLUB #CellForGratitude Launch On Feb. 10, the opening night of New York Fashion Week, British model Jourdan Dunn (pictured) showcased her second sunglasses collaboration with Illesteva and Rochambeau in conjunction with the launch of her #cellforgratitude charity. All of the proceeds earned at the event went to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. (Dunn’s 4-year-old son, Riley, was born with sickle cell disease.) At the end of the night, Mick Jagger danced with Dunn and friends to disco classics. Notable attendees included Toni Garm, Daria Strokous, Heather Marks, and Alexandra Richards. (Photo: David X Prutting/bfanyc.com)

Kartell at the Italian Embassy in Paris On Jan. 21, during the Maison & Objet fair, the grandiose Italian Embassy in Paris served as the backdrop for the launch of Kartell Fragrances. The concept combines the brand’s home-décor and industrialdesign know-how with perfume. Chef Davide Oldani (center, with Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola, left, and Kartell president Claudio Luti) designed the new Kartell tableware line’s “I.D.Ish by D’O Davide Oldani” collection, which was also presented. The brand took the opportunity to announce that Luti had been appointed an Ambassador of Expo Milano 2015. (Photo: Stefano Candito)

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OBJECT

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13 Months of development and engineering to create the first Homme Plissé Issey Miyake collection 3 Concepts represented in the Homme Plissé Issey Miyake line: “Pleats” (Engineering), “Product” (Design), and “Present” (Modernity) 1 Time the finished garment is pleated after sewing 3 Series in the collection: the Main, Basics, and Monthly Color lines 12 Basics repeated each season: nine tops and three bottoms Available colors in the Basics line: gray, charcoal, 4 black, and navy 2.5 Hours to cut, sew, and pleat a single shirt 242 Approximate pleats per shirt 220 Price in U.S. dollars of the Basic Homme Plissé Issey Miyake crew neck shirt 235 Weight of the shirt in grams

PHOTO: HIROSHI IWASAKI

Issey Miyake’s new Homme Plissé line continues the brand’s signature touch for finely textured pleats, as seen in this shirt from its debut collection.

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