New Era Introducing

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FOREWORD

VORWORT

n a world of uncertainties, it’s reassuring to know that creativity is an unstoppable force. If there’s one thing that connects every great artist, it’s the fact that passion is at the heart of what they do.

No matter how many barriers are put in their way, creative minds will always find a way to express themselves. All they need is an opportunity to share it with others.

But for every moment of brilliance that brings colour to our lives – for every Rembrandt, Hendrix or Alexander McQueen – millions of young, talented people are busy dreaming up, painting, building and creating all kinds of new universes behind closed doors. Now imagine what would happen if each of those ideas stepped out into the world.

Here at New Era, we believe that great things happen when everyone is given the opportunity to make their own statement.

To that end, we created New Era Introducing, an ever-evolving global creative project showcasing some of the most unique talent from around the world.

In 2010, we kicked off the project in Europe by inviting students from five prestigious art and design schools to customise a blank 59FIFTY in their own unique style. These perfect embodiments of pure self-expression were then showcased around the world as part of New Era XC, a global exhibition celebrating New Era’s 90th Anniversary.

This year, we expanded the project in both geography and scope. We broadened our search for emerging talent by opening the brief up to young artists, designers, thinkers and doers – both traditionally educated

and self-taught – from eight countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

We will also be rolling New Era Introducing out around the world in 2012. But that’s not all. Instead of simply sending off a blank 59FIFTY and waiting for it to be reborn, we invited each artist to capture their creative process as well. And the results have been immense. Now, as part of a dynamic exhibition featuring video footage and journals, art enthusiasts from around the world can get an insight into what makes the creative minds of tomorrow tick.

The online creative community, touring gallery exhibition, and even this book, are simply platforms – an opportunity for young people to fling open the doors and share their talent with the world. But the way in which the artists choose to express themselves is entirely up to them. There are no rules, no briefs – just a simple, blank canvas and their own instinctive skills.

In this small way, New Era Introducing is tapping back into the independent spirit rooted in our genes. When Ehrhardt Koch stitched together his first hat in 1920 in Buffalo, New York, chances are he did that behind closed doors. It’s only when those doors flew open, and the rest of the world caught on, that something special started to unfold. Today, with Erhardt’s great-grandson Christopher H. Koch at the helm, New Era is committed to making sure that more people get the chance to fly their own flag, and share their creations with the world.

So, without further ado, allow us to introduce you to the creative minds of tomorrow

n dieser unsicheren Welt ist es beruhigend zu wissen, dass Kreativität nicht aufzuhalten ist. Wenn es eines gibt, das alle großen Künstler vereint, dann die Tatsache, dass Leidenschaft im Zentrum ihres Schaffens liegt. Welche Grenzen oder Hindernisse ihnen auch gesetzt werden, kreative Geister finden immer eine Möglichkeit des Selbstausdrucks. Sie brauchen lediglich die Chance, diese mit anderen zu teilen.

Aber für jeden Moment der Inspiration, der Farbe in unser Leben bringt – für jeden Rembrandt, Hendrix oder Alexander McQueen – gibt es Millionen talentierter junger Leute, die hinter verschlossenen Türen neue Welten erträumen, zeichnen, aufbauen und kreieren. Was, wenn alle diese Ideen der Öffentlichkeit vorgestellt würden?

Hier bei New Era glauben wir, dass große Dinge geschehen, wenn jeder die Möglichkeit zum Selbstausdruck hat. Hierzu haben wir New Era Introducing geschaffen – ein sich laufend entwickelndes, globales, kreatives Projekt, das einzigartige Talente auf der ganzen Welt präsentiert.

Das Projekt startete 2010 in Europa.

Wir luden Studenten von fünf renommierten Kunst- und Designschulen ein, eine unbedruckte New Era 59FIFTY Kappe in ihrem eigenen Stil individuell zu gestalten.

Diese perfekten Beispiele von kreativem Selbstausdruck wurden dann weltweit als Teil der „New Era XC“ gezeigt, einer globalen Ausstellung zur Feier von New Eras 90-jährigem Jubiläum.

Dieses Jahr haben wir den geografischen und Aufgabenumfang des Projekts erweitert und die Suche nach neuem Nachwuchstalent ausgedehnt.

Junge Künstler, Designer, Denker und Macher – sowohl herkömmlich ausgebildete als auch Autodidakten – aus

acht Ländern in Europa, dem Mittleren Osten und Afrika nehmen teil. Außerdem werden wir New Era Introducing 2012 weltweit einführen. Aber das ist noch nicht alles. Wir haben mehr getan, als nur unbedruckte 59FIFTYs zu verschicken, um sie dann neu erschaffen zurückzuerhalten.

Wir haben zusätzlich die Künstler eingeladen, ihre kreativen Prozesse aufzuzeichnen.

Das Resultat ist beeindruckend.

Jetzt bietet eine dynamische Ausstellung mit Videoaufnahmen und Tagebüchern Kunstbegeisterten in aller Welt einen Einblick in das, was die kreativen Geister vom morgen bewegt.

Die Online-Community für Kunstschaffende, die Wanderausstellung und dieses Buch sind lediglich Plattformen – eine Möglichkeit für junge Leute, die Türen zu öffnen und ihr Talent mit der Welt zu teilen. Aber alle diese Künstler haben selbst entschieden, auf welche Art sie sich dabei ausdrücken. Es gab keine Regeln, keine Vorgaben – nur quasi eine leere Leinwand und ihre eigene, instinktive Begabung.

New Era Introducing erschließt damit den unabhängigen Geist, der in unseren Genen verankert ist. Als Ehrhardt Koch 1920 in Buffalo, New York, seinen ersten Hut zusammenstichelte, tat er das vermutlich hinter verschlossenen Türen. Erst als sich diese Türen für den Rest der Welt öffneten, begann etwas ganz Besonderes zu passieren.

Heute verfolgt New Era unter Leitung von Ehrhardts Urenkel Christopher H. Koch das Ziel, mehr Leuten die Möglichkeit zu geben, Flagge zu zeigen und ihre Kreationen mit der Welt zu teilen.

Und jetzt möchten wir ohne weitere Umstände die kreativen Talente von morgen vorstellen

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Prefazione

PRÓLOGO

n un mondo d’incertezze, è rassicurante sapere che la creatività è una forza inarrestabile. Se c’è una cosa capace di unire ogni grande artista, è il fatto che è la passione a guidarli. Non importa quanti ostacoli trovino sul loro cammino: le menti creative troveranno sempre un modo per esprimersi. Hanno solo bisogno di un’opportunità per comunicare con gli altri.

Ma per ogni momento di genialità che dona colore alle nostre vite, per ogni Rembrandt, Hendrix o Alexander McQueen, ci sono milioni di giovani di talento impegnati a sognare, dipingere, costruire e creare ogni tipo di nuovi universi dietro porte chiuse.

Ora, immaginate che cosa succederebbe se ciascuna di queste idee fosse portata alla luce.

Qui a New Era, crediamo che possano accadere grandi cose quando tutti ricevono la possibilità di dire la propria. È per questo che abbiamo creato New Era Introducing, un progetto creativo globale in continua evoluzione, che si prefigge di presentare alcuni dei talenti più originali al mondo.

Nel 2010 abbiamo lanciato il progetto in Europa invitando studenti di cinque scuole prestigiose nel campo dell’arte e del design a personalizzare un semplice cappello 59FIFTY nel proprio stile unico.

Queste perfette rappresentazioni di pura espressione personale sono state poi esibite in tutto il mondo nell’ambito di New Era XC, una mostra globale per festeggiare il 90° compleanno di New Era. Quest’anno abbiamo esteso i confini geografici e la portata del progetto. Abbiamo allargato la ricerca di talenti emergenti aprendo la sfida ad artisti, designer,

pensatori e giovani intraprendenti, istruiti in modo tradizionale o autodidatti, provenienti da otto nazioni di Europa, Medio Oriente e Africa. Nel 2012 lanceremo inoltre New Era Introducing in giro per il mondo.

Ma non è tutto. Invece di limitarci a spedire un cappello 59FIFTY e aspettarne la rinascita, abbiamo invitato ogni artista a catturare anche il proprio processo creativo. I risultati sono stati straordinari. Adesso, nell’ambito di una mostra dinamica che presenta video e diari, gli appassionati d’arte di tutto il mondo possono farsi un’idea di come funzionano le menti creative di domani.

La comunità creativa on-line, la mostra itinerante e questo libro sono semplici piattaforme: un’opportunità data ai giovani per aprire le porte e condividere il proprio talento con il mondo. Il modo in cui gli artisti hanno scelto di esprimersi è stato lasciato interamente a loro. Non c’erano regole, non c’erano istruzioni: solo un semplice punto di partenza e le loro capacità istintive.

Nel suo piccolo, New Era Introducing attinge allo spirito indipendente radicato nei nostri geni. Quando Ehrhardt Koch mise insieme il suo primo cappello nel 1920 a Buffalo, New York, è probabile che lo fece a porte chiuse. Solo quando le porte si spalancarono, e il resto del mondo si mise al passo, iniziò a evolversi qualcosa di speciale. Oggi, sotto la guida di Christopher H. Koch, il pronipote di Erhardt, New Era si impegna a garantire che più gente abbia la possibilità di esprimersi e condividere le proprie creazioni con il mondo.

E allora, senza altri indugi, ecco a voi le menti creative di domani

n un mundo repleto de incertidumbres, resulta alentador saber que la creatividad es una fuerza imparable. Si hay algo que une a todos los grandes artistas es el hecho de que la pasión es el motor de todo lo que hacen. No importa el número de obstáculos que se interpongan en su camino, las mentes creativas siempre hallarán un modo de expresarse. Lo único que necesitan es una oportunidad para compartirlo con los demás.

Pero por cada momento de esplendor que aporta color a nuestras vidas, por cada Rembrandt, Hendrix o Alexander McQueen, hay millones de jóvenes talentos que se dedican a soñar, pintar, construir y crear todo tipo de nuevos universos a puerta cerrada.

Ahora imagínate lo que ocurriría si todas esas ideas saliesen a la luz.

Aquí en New Era creemos que, cuando todo el mundo tiene la oportunidad de expresarse, pueden surgir cosas muy especiales.

Por eso hemos creado New Era Introducing, un proyecto creativo global en continua evolución, donde muestran sus obras algunos de los artistas más singulares de todo el mundo.

El proyecto se inició en 2010 en Europa, donde se invitó a estudiantes de cinco prestigiosas academias de arte y diseño a que presentaran su propia versión de una gorra 59FIFTY en blanco, con su estilo único e individual. Estas perfectas manifestaciones de expresión personal se exhibieron después por todo el mundo como parte de New Era XC, una exposición global en conmemoración del 90.º aniversario de New Era. Este año hemos ampliado tanto el ámbito como el alcance geográfico de este proyecto.

Hemos ampliado nuestra búsqueda de talentos incipientes para incluir a artistas, diseñadores, pensadores y emprendedores jóvenes,

tanto los que han seguido una formación tradicional como aquellos que han aprendido por sí mismos, procedentes de ocho países de Europa, Oriente Medio y África. En 2012 también llevaremos New Era Introducing por todo el mundo. Pero eso no es todo. En lugar de limitarnos a enviar una gorra 59FIFTY y esperar su reinvención, invitamos a todos los artistas a que mostrasen también su proceso creativo.

Y los resultados han sido espectaculares.

Ahora, como parte de una dinámica exposición donde se muestran vídeos y diarios, los aficionados al arte de todo el mundo podrán comprobar qué es lo que enciende la chispa de las mentes creativas del futuro.

La comunidad creativa en línea, la exposición itinerante en galerías y este mismo libro son simples plataformas, una oportunidad para que los jóvenes abran sus puertas de par en par y muestren al mundo su talento. Pero la manera en la que estos artistas eligen expresarse depende completamente de ellos. No hay reglamentos ni instrucciones, solamente un lienzo en blanco y sus propias aptitudes innatas.

De esta modesta manera, New Era Introducing retoma el espíritu independiente en el que se arraigan nuestros genes.

Cuando Ehrhardt Koch daba las puntadas de su primera gorra en Buffalo, Nueva York, en 1920, es muy probable que lo hiciese a puerta cerrada. El resto del mundo no se dio cuenta de que había surgido algo especial hasta que esas puertas se abrieron de par en par. Ahora, bajo la dirección del bisnieto de Erhardt, Christopher H. Kock, New Era tiene el compromiso de garantizar que un mayor número de personas tenga la oportunidad de ondear su propia bandera y compartir sus creaciones con todo el mundo.

Por lo tanto, sin más preámbulos, permítenos presentarte a las mentes creativas del futuro

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AVANT-PROPOS

FÖRORD

ans un monde incertain, il est rassurant de constater que la créativité est une force irrésistible. Si les grands artistes ont une chose en commun, c’est bien la passion qui est au cœur de tout ce qu’ils font. Quels que soient les obstacles qui se dressent devant eux, les esprits créatifs trouvent toujours le moyen de s’exprimer. Tout ce dont ils ont besoin, c’est d’une opportunité de partager leurs talents avec les autres.

Mais pour chaque moment de génie qui illumine nos vies, pour chaque Rembrandt, pour chaque Hendrix, pour chaque Alexander McQueen, des millions de jeunes talentueux sont occupés à rêver, à peindre, à construire et à créer de nouveaux univers dans l’intimité de leurs ateliers. Imaginez ce qui se passerait si chacune de ces idées était propulsée dans le monde.

Ici, à New Era, nous pensons que de grandes choses se produisent quand tout le monde a l’opportunité de s’exprimer. C’est pour cela que nous avons créé New Era Introducing, un projet créatif en évolution constante à l’échelle planétaire, présentant certains des talents les plus originaux venus du monde entier.

En 2010, nous avons donné le coup d’envoi au projet en Europe en invitant les étudiants de cinq écoles d’art et de design prestigieuses à personnaliser une 59FIFTY et à y apposer leur propre style.

Ces parfaits exemples de pure expression créative ont été présentés partout dans le monde dans le cadre de New Era XC, une exposition internationale célébrant le 90ème anniversaire de New Era. Cette année, nous avons étendu le cadre géographique et conceptuel du projet. Nous avons élargi notre recherche de nouveaux talents en briefant de jeunes artistes, des designers, des penseurs et des gens d’action

ayant reçu une éducation classique ou formés sur le tas, dans huit pays en Europe, au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique.

En 2012, nous mettrons en place New Era Introducing partout dans le monde. Mais ce n’est pas tout. Au lieu de nous contenter d’envoyer des 59FIFTY et d’attendre qu’elles nous reviennent avec un nouveau look, nous avons invité chaque artiste à enregistrer son processus créatif. Et les résultats ont été incroyables. Maintenant, grâce à une exposition dynamique qui regroupe des clips et des journaux vidéo, les amateurs d’art du monde entier peuvent se faire une idée de ce qui anime les esprits créatifs de demain.

La communauté créative en ligne, l’exposition itinérante ainsi que ce livre sont tout simplement des plates-formes : une opportunité pour les jeunes d’ouvrir les portes en grand et de partager leur talent avec le monde. Mais les artistes étaient entièrement libres de choisir leur manière de s’exprimer. Il n’y avait pas de règles, pas de briefing : juste une toile vierge et leur propre instinct de créateur.

New Era Introducing est notre façon de revenir à l’esprit d’indépendance ancré dans nos gènes. Quand Ehrhardt Koch a assemblé sa première casquette en 1920 à Buffalo dans l’État de New York, il l’a probablement fait derrière les portes closes de son atelier. C’est seulement lorsque ces portes se sont ouvertes en grand et que le reste du monde l’a suivi que quelque chose d’unique a commencé à se développer. Aujourd’hui, avec l’arrière-petitfils d’Erhardt, Christopher H. Koch, à la barre, New Era est déterminée à donner à toujours plus de jeunes une chance de défendre leurs propres créations et de les partager avec le monde entier.

Sans plus attendre, laissez-nous donc vous présenter les esprits créatifs de demain

en osäker värld är det lugnande att veta att kreativitet är en ostoppbar kraft.

Om det finns en sak som förenar alla stora konstnärer är det att passionen utgör kärnan i deras skapande. Oavsett hur många hinder som kommer i deras väg hittar kreativa hjärnor alltid ett sätt att uttrycka sig. Allt de behöver är en möjlighet att dela med andra.

Men för varje ögonblick av genialitet som sätter färg på våra liv – för varje Rembrandt, Hendrix eller Alexander McQueen – finns miljontals begåvade unga människor sysselsatta med att fantisera ihop, måla, bygga och skapa nya universum bakom stängda dörrar. Föreställ dig vad som skulle hända om alla dessa idéer kom ut i världen.

Här på New Era tror vi att fantastiska saker händer om alla får möjligheten att uttrycka sig. Därför har vi skapat New Era Introducing: ett globalt projekt under ständig utveckling som visar upp unika talanger från hela världen.

Vi sparkade igång projektet i Europa 2010 genom att låta studenter från fem ansedda konstskolor skapa sina egna unika designer på tomma 59FIFTY:s. Dessa perfekta formgivningar av rent självuttryck visades sedan i hela världen på New Era XC, en global utställning för att fira New Eras 90-årsjubileum.

I år utökar vi projektet både geografiskt och i omfattning. Vi breddar vårt sökande efter nya talanger genom att öppna tävlingen för unga konstnärer, formgivare, tänkare och fixare – både traditionellt

utbildade och självlärda - från åtta länder i Europa, Mellanöstern och Afrika.

Vi kommer även att lansera New Era Introducing i hela världen 2012. Men det är inte allt. Istället för att bara skicka ut tomma 59FIFTY och vänta på att på en återfödelse låter vi konstnärerna fånga upp även den kreativa processen. Och resultatet har varit överväldigande. Som en del av den dynamiska utställningen visar vi nu videor och dagböcker.

Konstintresserade från hela världen kan få en inblick i vad som driver morgondagens kreativa hjärnor.

Det kreativa webbforumet, vandringsutställningen och denna bok är enkla plattformer – som ger ungdomar en möjlighet att öppna dörrar och visa sin begåvning för världen.

Men metoderna konstnärerna valde att uttrycka sig på var helt deras egna val.

Det fanns inga regler, inga instruktioner bara en enkel, tom kanvas och deras egna instinktiva skicklighet.

På detta enkla sätt öppnar New Era Introducing den oberoende själen i våra gener. När Ehrhardt Koch sydde sin första hatt 1920 i Buffalo i New York var det troligen bakom stängda dörrar. Det var först när dörrarna öppnades och resten av världen fångades upp som något speciellt började hända. Med Erhardts barnbarnsbarn Christopher H. Koch vid rodret är New Era idag engagerat i att ge fler människor chansen att visa vad de går för och dela sina alster med världen

Afrikaans

‫العربية‬

VOORWOORD

‫مقدمة‬

ie lewe is taamlik onseker, maar gelukkig is daar mense wat skeppend is en hulle nie deur probleme laat afskrik nie.

Beroemde kunstenaars het een ding in gemeen, naamlik opwinding vir wat hulle doen. Kreatiewe mense kry altyd ’n manier om struikelblokke te oorwin en aan hul skeppende gees uiting te gee. ’n Mens hoef hulle maar net ’n kansie te gee, en hulle sal blom.

Vir elke Rembrandt, Hendrix en McQueen en trouens elke ander bekende kunstenaar wat ons lewens verryk, is daar duisende ander skeppende jongmense wat oorloop van talent en dit tot uiting bring in hul kreatiewe kunswerke, maar nooit beroemd sal word nie omdat dit deur niemand gesien word nie. Kan jy jou indink watter wonderlike dinge sou gebeur as ’n mens al daardie talent in die wêreld laat vrykom?

Die span by New Era glo dat groot dinge gebeur wanneer almal die ruimte kry om die wêreld te laat sien wat in hulle sit. Daarom het ons by New Era ’n wêreldwye projek aan die gang gesit wat mense se verbeelding gaan aangryp met die besondere skeppende werk van jong talent.

Die projek het in 2010 in Europa begin, toe ons prentlose 59FIFTY-pette vir studente van vyf van die beste kuns-enontwerp-skole gegee het om te omskep tot kunswerke wat hul eie styl weerspieël.

Die resultaat was pette met ontwerpe wat hul unieke identiteit tot uiting laat kom het.

Die pette was oor die hele wêreld te sien as deel van New Era XC, om New Era se 90ste bestaansjaar te herdenk.

Vanjaar het ons besluit om die projek selfs groter te maak en dit in meer lande te doen.

Daar is immers nuwe talent oral in die wêreld.

Jong kunstenaars, ontwerpers, denkers en doeners uit agt lande in Europa, die MiddeOoste en Afrika het vanjaar deelgeneem, en ook nie net uit spoggerige ontwerpskole nie. Die New Era Introducing-reeks word in 2012 wêreldwyd bekendgestel. En dié keer het ons nie net ’n prentlose 59FIFTY-pet gegee en gewag vir die resultaat nie – nee, ons wou hê jong ontwerpers moes ook hul kreatiewe proses vir ons wys. Die resultate was ongelooflik, want hierdie dinamiese uitstalling bevat dus video’s en dagboeke waarmee die ontwerpers aanhangers van oor die hele wêreld kan inspireer en wys hoe kreatief hulle kan wees.

Die aanlyn gespreksgroep, die reisende uitstalling, en hierdie boek is alles bloot maniere om uiting te help gee aan jongmense wat brand om hul weggesteekte talent met die wêreld te deel. Ons het nie voorgeskryf hoe kunstenaars hul idees en gevoelens moet oordra nie – hulle kon sélf kies. In plaas van strakke reëls of riglyne het hulle vrye teuels gehad om die spore te laat wat hulle wou laat.

Met New Era Introducing kry ’n mens opnuut ’n kykie in die skeppende gees wat eintlik deel van ons almal is.

Die uitvoerende hoof van New Era, Christopher Koch, se oupagrootjie het in 1920 sy eerste hoedens begin stik sonder dat enige iemand geweet het wat in hom steek. Dit was eers toe die wêreld kon sien wat hy vermag, dat daar iets spesiaals met sy maatskappy begin gebeur het. Dit is met daardie houding wat New Era steeds seker maak dat mense wat skeppend wil wees, hul ontwerpe nie vir hulself hoef te hou nie, maar dit met die hele wêreld kan deel.

Hier volg dus die werk van skeppende denkers en doeners van die toekoms

‫ من مثانية بلدان من‬- ‫الذين علموا أنفسهم بأنفسهم‬ ‫ سوف‬.‫مختلف أنحاء أوروبا والرشق األوسط وإفريقيا‬ gnicudortnI arE weN ‫نقوم أيضا بإطالق‬ ‫ ولكن هذا‬. 2012 ‫يف مختلف أنحاء العامل يف عام‬ YTFIF95‫إرسال‬ ‫ فبدالً من مجرد‬.‫ليس كل يشء‬ 59FIFTY ‫ قمنا بدعوة كل‬،‫فارغة وانتظار أن تولد من جديد‬ ‫ وكانت النتائج‬.‫فنان اللتقاط أعامله اإلبداعية كذلك‬ ‫ وضمن معرض دينامي يضم لقطات من‬،‫ واآلن‬.‫ممتازة‬ ‫ ميكن لعشاق الفن من مختلف‬،‫أفالم فيديو ومجالت‬ ‫أنحاء العامل إلقاء نظرة ثاقبة عىل ما يجعل عقول الغد‬ New Era Introducing .‫املبدعة تنطلق بإبداعاتها‬ ‫ ومعارض صاالت العرض‬،‫إن مجتمع اإلنرتنت الخالق‬ ‫ كلها ببساطة منصات‬،‫ فضال عن هذا الكتاب‬،‫الجوالة‬ ‫ فرصة للشباب لفتح األبواب ومشاركة مواهبهم‬-‫ ولكن الطريقة التي اختارها الفنانني للتعبري‬.‫مع العامل‬ ‫ مل توجد‬.‫عن أنفسهم كانت وفق اختيارهم بالكامل‬ ‫ مجرد قطعة‬- ‫ ومل توجد أي تعليامت‬،‫أي قواعد‬ ‫قامش خالية من الرسوم أو األلوان ومهاراتهم الفطرية‬ .‫الخاصة‬ weN ‫ تُطلق‬،‫بهذه الطريقة الصغرية‬ New EraarE Introducing ‫ عندما قام إيرهارت‬.‫الروح الحرة املتجذرة يف جيناتنا‬ ،‫ يف بوفالو‬1920 091 ‫كوخ بخياطة قبعته األوىل يف عام‬ ‫ فقط‬.‫ رمبا فعل ذلك وراء أبواب مغلقة‬،‫نيويورك‬ ‫عندما فُتحت تلك األبواب اكتشف باقي العامل أن‬ ‫ مع وجود آخر أحفاد‬،‫ واليوم‬.‫شيئا مميزا بدأ يتكشف‬ ‫ تلتزم‬،‫إيرهارت وهو كريستوفر كوخ يف موقع القيادة‬ ‫لتحقق من حصول مزيد من األشخاص‬ENew weN Era ‫ ومشاركة إبداعاتهم‬،‫عىل فرصة إلبراز أعاملهم الفنية‬ .‫مع العامل‬ ‫ ودون مزيد من الضجة اسمحوا لنا أن نقدم‬،‫وهكذا‬ ‫لكم عقول الغد الخالقة‬

‫ يكون من املطمنئ أن نعلم‬،‫يف عامل يسوده عدم اليقني‬ ً ‫ إن كان هناك شيئاً واحدا‬.‫أن اإلبداع قوة ال ت ُقهر‬ ‫ فهو حقيقة أن‬،‫يربط ما بني كل فنان عظيم وآخر‬ ‫ مهام كان عدد‬.‫الشغف يأيت يف صميم ما يفعلونه‬ ‫ فإن العقول املبدعة‬،‫الحواجز التي تعرتض طريقهم‬ ‫ كل ما‬.‫سوف تجد دامئا وسيلة للتعبري عن نفسها‬ .‫تحتاج إليه هو فرصة ملشاركتها مع الغري‬ ‫ولكن لكل لحظة من التألق واإللهام الذي يجلب األلوان‬ ‫ أو أليكسندر‬،‫ أو هندريكس‬،‫إىل حياتنا – لكل رامربانت‬ ‫ فإن املاليني من الشباب املوهوبني مشغولون‬-‫ماكوين‬ ‫باالبتكار والرسم والبناء وخلق جميع أنواع األكوان‬ ‫ واآلن تخيل ما‬.‫الجديدة من خلف أبواب مغلقة‬ .‫سيحدث لو أن كل تلك األفكار خرجت إىل العامل‬ ‫ نعتقد أن أشياء عظيمة تحدث‬New Era ‫نحن يف‬ ‫عندما يتم إعطاء الجميع الفرصة لتقديم بصمته‬ New Era ‫ أنشأنا‬،‫ تحقيقا لهذه الغاية‬.‫الخاصة‬ ‫ وهو مرشوع إبداعي عاملي دائم‬، Introducing ‫التطور يعرض بعضا من أهم املواهب الفريدة من‬ .‫جميع أنحاء العامل‬ ‫ أطلقنا املرشوع يف أوروبا من خالل‬، 2012 ‫يف عام‬ ‫دعوة طالب من خمس مدارس فن وتصميم ذات‬ ‫ خالية من التعبري كل‬59FIFTY ‫اعتبار خاص لتعديل‬ ‫ هذه النامذج املثالية للتعبري‬.‫حسب أسلوبه الفريد‬ ‫عن الذات الخالص تم عرضها بعد ذلك يف جميع أنحاء‬ New Era XC ‫العامل ضمن فعاليات معرض بعنوان‬ ‫ لـ‬90 ‫وهو معرض عاملي لالحتفال بالذكرى الـ‬ New Era Introducing.

‫ قمنا بتوسيع املرشوع من ناحية الجغرافيا‬،‫هذا العام‬ ‫ قمنا بتوسيع بحثنا عن املواهب الصاعدة من‬.‫والنطاق‬ ‫خالل مشاركة الفنانني واملصممني واملفكرين واملنفذين‬ ‫ سواء الذين تعلموا تعليام تقليديا أو‬-‫من الشباب‬

004 005

Alis Pelleschi Dave Andersson Laura Apsit Livens Linda Aslaksen Louis Masai Michel Marta Fjellheim Mateusz Sypien Matt Saunders Oscar Medley-Whitfield Thom Lambert Anna Haenko Daniela Macé Rossiter David Kaltenbach Mathias Euwer Milena Noack Miriam Braunstein Natalie Osowski Rein Vollenga Sebastian Omatsch Verena Bachl Annalia Rizzo Davide zingarelli Eleonora Bertolutti Flavio Maria Baini Francesco Nappa GIulia Ada Amico Manuel Franchini Massimo Tomasino Sarah Ysabel Narici Stefano CilibeRti Carmen seijas Dave Glass David Méndez Alonso Ana Maria Leon Emo Díaz Isabelle Bride Javier RODRIGUEZ GARCIA Maria gil ulldemolins POL Marban Paltor Raquel Quevedo Lamaza

Arnaud Charoy BenoÎt Labarthe Carolina Moggia Courtieux Guiome Damien Nicolau Guillaumet Davy Magal Francois Terrien Marilou Chevalier Maxence Cheval Remy Boulay Johan Gawell Josefin Arnell Lina Alshammar Louise Stephanie Lindgren Madelene Ericsson Mats Wallsten Patrik Zachrisson Ronny Andersson Willy Chong Wilson Kalanzi Chicco Come Fatimah Patel Jonathan Ferreira Khanyisa Dada Mandulo myaka Mvelo ‘mx’ gwambe Pastel heART Thabiso Molefe Thithi Nteta Ylanda Kruger Flordeliza Pesigan Karine Jaber Kholoud Sharafi Kristy Anne Ligones Lina Al Amoudi Mark Ganzon Romela Elenzano Orencillo Sara Al Haddad Sasikala kaladharan Victoria Viray

UNITED KINGDOM

Introducing

ALIS PELLESCHI y hat is an Alis Pelleschi, Disney princess, Bradford, pink mania, Bradford Bulls, Taurus, fake gold, tacky pink gem phone cases, cyber warrior explosion! I am a proud northern gal and so decided to take reference from where I grew up, Bradford, taking influences from the city that is Bradford, and both the rugby team Bradford Bulls (that my dad used to take me to watch) and the fact I am a Taurus.

My favourite colour is pink, and I wanted to create something that was sickly cute, with added tackiness in reference to my fake gold jewellery style choices.

Also, to bring in my obsession with Disney, I created my own version of a princess’ veil. I wanted the hat to become futuristic and online warrior-like: to resemble my online social and work presence. I like the idea of visually expressing who you are and where you come from. My hat is PINK MANIA!�

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Introducing

DAVE ANDERSSON ood design adds value and solves problems but should also be fun.

The ‘Cap-met’ (Cap + helmet) is an object of utility, designed to fulfill a purpose and be useful. The Cap-met combines the appeal of urban streetwear aesthetics with a high-strength composite shell, magnetic tool and torch holders, as well as high-visibility reflective markings. It features two covered magnets embedded in either side, allowing the user to easily store and retrieve tools or screws and also make use of the included head torch (both forward and backwards facing, if desired). The tough fibreglass body will protect the user from blunt trauma, while the reflective markings ensure high visibility for nighttime travels.

The Cap-met gives you the option for both safety and style, something that is somewhat lacking in modern hazardous working environments.�

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Introducing

LAURA APSIT LIVENS he subject of my inspiration was related to the core of the New Era brand and why it exists. I am influenced by using unusual materials and I started with the following question: ‘How could I incorporate an unusual object into a hat?’ I partnered the historic journey with a conceptual perspective. I want my viewer to interact with my design, physically and emotionally, so I also developed a simple paper pattern that could be interacted with during the exhibition.

My design unintentionally advertises baseball – I was surprised of how hard it was to find baseball ambassadors in the UK. This competition has been an amazing experience; it was great to combine play with work.”

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Introducing

LINDA ASLAKSEN y initial idea came from my painting The Rising Son, which is based on the youths of Harlem, New York.

Merging old with new is something I find very intriguing. Introducing the New Era 59FIFTY cap with an old Victorian pre-industrial crown gave it a fresh feel of the urban, street and contemporary culture. I see the crown as an item of hope; that you can be more than a king for a day.

A fascination for these mechanical elements, which is being revealed to show the cogs in a system, brings forth a curiosity to figure out how things actually work.

The sculpture represents mechanical slogs of everyday life: ‘If you know how to orchestrate the mechanics in your life, you can achieve anything’.”

016 017

Introducing

LOUIS MASAI MICHEL ello, my name is Preservation. I have been created by Louis Masai Michel in an East London studio. I’m made completely out of recycled newspapers found on trains. Well, actually, I have a few other bits and pieces in there too, like dustpan brush bristles, kitchen roll paper, fabric and a fresh-looking New Era cap. So I wanted to let you know a little about African sounds and how the best music is coming straight out of Africa at the moment, my favourites being 340ml, 7ft Soundsystem and Daara J. We need to preserve our cultural music origins. We need to preserve nature and wildlife.

We need to preserve our creative talents. I am here to remind us that a living voice, a living beast, a living, breathing movement is more valid than taxidermy, a hidden talent, or unspoken truths. I live in preservation.

Join the movement…”

018 019

Introducing

MARTA FJELLHEIM hen I was younger my grandmother would tell me stories about trolls, princes and princesses. Like in so many other stories, the princess never stood up for herself. Instead, she quietly took abuse and let the trolls abduct her in the hopes of a Prince Charming coming along to pick up the sword and kill the trolls for her. So my inspiration for this piece is to present an opposition to the generalisation then and now, telling the princess to ‘man up’, pick up the sword herself and take control of her destiny, instead of waiting for a prince that might not even show up. Message encoded: you’re only as weak and fragile as you let yourself be.”

020 021

Introducing

MATEUSZ SYPIEN inosaurs have never become extinct.

Their lethal nature allowed them to remain hidden deep underground, close to the planet’s core. They have survived and evolved in darkness over billions of years.

2011 is Introducing New Era, where dinosaurs come out on the surface to begin a new era and generation of ultraviolet creatures. They are striving to own every human head on this planet.

This is a very important mark on the Timeline of Evolution. NEonsaurs are born.

This creation is inspired by predators from the Mesozoic Era such as Triceratops and Euoplocephalus.

It presents a hybrid of dinosaur and rhino head with a bit of UV madness. Elements on the hat are painted with fluorescent paints which let them glow in ultraviolet light.

Many people say that old school is the essence of realness and quality. To take one step further ‘back 2 basics’, a golden era of our times was not enough.

That’s why I’ve moved back in time to the Dinosaurs Era – because the sky is no longer the limit.

Even cavemen deserve to wear New Era hats.”

022 023

Introducing

MATT SAUNDERS ack London said: “You can’t wait for inspiration.

You have to go after it with a club.” This is the strategy I intended to take with the New Era Introducing opportunity.

By using wood, I wanted the piece to embrace nature and be psychically shaped and grafted by the hand, reflecting my passion for nature and the wild. I was also heavily influenced and inspired by the masks worn by Native Americans. Their culture co-existed with and respected their animal counterparts but at the same time shared many similarities.

The burning of the wood reflects just how fragile and time consuming it is to build a sustainable relationship between man and nature.”

024 025

Introducing

OSCAR MEDLEYWHITFIELD wanted to alter the material state of the hat but felt it was important to encapsulate and retain the body and soul of the original 59FIFTY. In other words, I didn’t want to cast a replica of the hat in an alternative material but wanted to change the material of the hat itself; to build on, around and through the canvas, creating a finished piece that appears to be a part of the cap, fused around it as if it were consuming it.

The cap is built up from a combination of different hardwood off-cuts fused together using a pewter alloy.

The off-cuts were used as building blocks and were salvaged from a workshop floor, and the pewter was purchased from the local scrap dealer. My intention was to put both materials back into ‘service’ to embark on a new era of their life.”

026 027

Introducing

THOM LAMBERT y custom New Era cap was initially inspired by the first comments I received from family and friends after telling them I was through to the second phase of the competition – that it would be a great opportunity, a great vehicle for expressing my creativity. So I slept on it, thinking about that word “vehicle”, and I had the idea to actually flip the cap upside down and use the iconic New Era shape as a mode of transport. I have always been inspired by wooden toys and the craft that goes into making them, so I decided to use wood as the main material, alongside different fabrics to provide contrast.

I was interested to see how far I could take the silhouette of the cap without it becoming unrecognisable. Characters play a big part in my work, so I saw the exploration of vehicles and transport as a great opportunity to create a character inspired by sportswear and the techniques used in making caps and other items, such as stitching and logo embroidery.”

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WORDS CYRUS SHAHRAD | PHOTOGRAPHY ASHES57

United Kingdom Creative Scene Spotlight

living room live From a disused warehouse in South London, Boiler Room’s online DJ sets are changing what it means to play live.

f you’re one of the privileged few connected enough to have guest list places at London’s Corsica Studios on a Tuesday evening, you’ll find something pretty far from the conventional notion of a club night. For one thing, there are only 150 or so people in attendance, none of them paying to get in; for another, the DJ is facing away from the crowd. There’s no crush, no trouble, and the whole thing is wrapped up by 11pm. All told, it’s more like a private party than a rave. And for Thristian bPm – who started Boiler Room with Blaise Bellville in April 2010 – that’s exactly how it began.

“It was really just a way of getting close friends together for a midweek mix, for us and our DJ friends to let off steam and play some new records in a no-pressure environment,” explains Thristian. “But we wanted it to be a private party that the whole world was invited to via their computers, so we put a small camera in front of the DJ and started streaming shows on the Internet. Pretty soon we realised we were onto something, and it started building from there.”

It was the broadcast element that turned Boiler Room from an intimate musical gathering to a global phenomenon.

At the time of writing, its Facebook page has more than 25,000 followers, many of them tuning in weekly to live stream video feeds, others listening later to the mixes, on SoundCloud, and almost all contributing comments at some point to ID tracks or bigging up particular mixes and generally starting the kinds of

conversations that would happen in clubs if the sound systems weren’t so damn loud.

The other thing that helped generate the buzz surrounding Boiler Room was its unusual musical remit. DJs weren’t expected to turn up and start dropping their heaviest tunes from the getgo – the early finish, absence of paying customers and lack of eye contact with the crowd meant that getting punters jumping simply wasn’t a priority. Instead, the emphasis was on performing eclectic sets comprised of the records DJs would play if they weren’t always under pressure to keep the party dancing.

Thristian explains: “A lot of chat room users comment that people at Boiler Room don’t seem to be dancing. But that’s not the point. It’s a bunch of music geeks watching other music geeks play records. We’re not booking people to get numbers through the door or set the dancefloor on fire; we’re booking people that we know have interesting record collections, people that we know will play stuff you won’t usually hear in a club. Most DJs have another side, and this is their chance to show it. Not everyone gets it – every now and again someone turns up and tries to play their banging set, and inevitably they’re the ones that have difficulty. Because you’re not facing the crowd, it’s not built on crowd reaction.

The whole point is that you’re supposed to look down and play the tunes you want to hear.”

That same turntable liberalism is the source of what Thristian calls “Boiler Room moments” – from Glaswegian

hip hop prodigy Rustie dropping Aphex Twin’s Logan Rock Witch, to cerebral electronica producer Four Tet spinning Mike Dunn’s house classic God Made Me Phunky. It’s also what has allowed Boiler Room to enjoy such a symbiotic relationship with the emerging UK bass scene, a sound as intimate and experimental as the nights themselves, and one that continues to develop thanks to appearances by artists from Scuba to SBTRKT, James Blake to Jamie XX, Kutmah to Kode9 to Mount Kimbie.

It’s an attitude that has allowed Boiler Room to blur the boundaries between club nights and pirate radio broadcasts.

It has given DJs previously unthinkable freedom to play the records they want to play, and created an online community actively disseminating the most progressive electronic music out there. But Thristian is convinced that ‘online clubbing’ will never completely replace the real thing, and that there will always be real queues, real crowds and real chaos to contend with come the weekend.

“There’s a magic about being in a club, exalting those moments that can never be recorded, never be broadcast,” he says. “Those moments are for you and a few people in the room to experience. Boiler Room will never be able to properly transmit that sense of magic, but it does serve a unique purpose in giving DJs the freedom to get their more experimental records out there and push the scene forward.”

030 031

GeRmanY

Introducing

anna haenko (just me)

wanted to distance myself as far as possible from the original shape of the cap. Mainly, I wanted to create a monumental object that is futuristic but also seems familiar.

The design deliberately shows an association with a cosmic body, a meteorite. Meteorites travel millions of miles through the universe only to crash to earth somewhere. When entering the Earth’s atmosphere, meteorites slow down, their surface heats up and melts while the interior stays cool and does not change.

Inside my work you find the original cap, surrounded by the new shape of the cover. New and Old meet at a very interesting interface and form a new symbiosis.�

034 035

Introducing

DANIELA MACÉ ROSSITER he idea was to involve the cerebral convolutions in the tradition of draping.

The reference to the cerebral cortex is a starting point.

I didn’t want the cap to become an illustration of a brain, to keep its symmetrical and organised structure. That’s why I decided to leave the folds of grey matter in order to develop an intuitive creative process. It is the formal meeting point between these two elements: the biological brain with its convolutions, that we can see as a representation of the ‘meandering of our thoughts’, and the drape, the fold, with its chic, sensual and refined tradition.

I wanted this cap to be a precious object, that’s why I chose a silver satin fabric to highlight this dimension.

Born of brain and draping, the cap becomes a flower of jewellery.”

036 037

Introducing

DAVID KALTENBACH his creation is a wonder of mechanical engineering. David constructed a wooden cog system inside the hat that flips the front of the cap open and the sides of the cap apart when the handle is rotated.

The whole piece evokes the feeling of a Victorian toy, from the days before computer games and fancy technology took over the minds of children.

The precision and detail caught the judge’s attention because it is completely different from any other submission. The design is simple yet captivating, and observers cannot seem to help but pause to interact with the piece.

038 039

Introducing

MATHIAS EUWER he sources of inspiration are multiple.

It is somewhere between a bride, a widow/ mourning person, but with some Aubade reminiscence... there is even a little bit of a samurai armour style/clothes and so on.

It’s a sort of wearable and movable sculpture, a detournement of the object cap, its integration with another object (the veil), its mutation, its fusion. How does an object appear?

Which sensorial dimensions are at work?

I like to make fascinating objects attractive.

I wanted to play with its appearance: light, texture, shape, movement. The start was the idea of a wedding cap, but I didn’t like the clean and soft white.

I wanted more of a dark beauty, solemn, extravagant.

I also liked the contrast between macro/micro, and what does quantity change? Weight? It’s sculptural when you look at the elements that build the fabric, but fluctuant when you see the whole thing.

The object as a result is where all these contradictions meet.”

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Introducing

MILENA NOACK he idea was to transform the cap into a whole new object. I wanted to work with an organic form or structure and also to keep it abstract, with a touch of humour.

My inspiration for the form is actually a mix between a Viking and a rhino.

The back part is covered with rice, which gives the sensation that it is alive. It kind of gives the feeling of a coral or another sea creature. The long blond hair makes the link with the headpiece, as well as connecting the rhino (teeth) and the Viking (horns).

To make the object I used: cement, modeling clay, rice and hair (polyester).�

042 043

Introducing

MIRIAM BRAUNSTEIN he first sight of the box. Black and shiny.

Absorbing, reflecting. Material challenge.

Invention. Progress. ERA. New Era. Where does devilish wealth, mounted on our royal heads, and centuries of buttoned-up militarism lead us? Can one zip the masses of media to the essence? What will reign over our children born into this world? Like a prism with many facets, the unknown future lies in the eyes of the next generation.

All-round sculpture inspired by Metropolis, Marie Antoinette’s fashion, Napoleon’s military buttons, zippers, working cap made from leather, VHS tape – challenging material symbolising media – and a doll’s blank face with empty prismatic eyes.”

044 045

Introducing

NATALIE OSOWSKI he idea was to combine traditional handcrafts with new materials and put them in a new context. Porcelain is a fragile, thin and elegant material which is usually used for dishes, and I wanted to combine it with the sporty New Era cap. The controversy of using things and materials is discussed in this work.

To sew porcelain and put it in a form which seems possible to wear is ridiculous, but it is possible.

Much attention, as well as respect to the materials, is necessary to do this. To play with function and materials is an interesting and interdisciplinary way that allows you to discover new things.

Red lines can be interpreted as a symbol for the whole creative process.�

046 047

Introducing

REIN VOLLENGA ein Vollenga is a Dutch fine artist who’s currently based in Berlin. His work consists of creating fine-art sculptures that are exhibited in galleries and museums.

The highly imaginative sculptures show a fascination for the human body and have a highly artificial aesthetic – though all the pieces he creates are meticulously hand-crafted. His art is often assembled out of mass-produced found objects that get coated in hand-moulded resin. Using this process, he modifies the literal function of the object into a piece that speaks to the imagination, mixing the natural with the highly artificial. For his New Era entry he created a piece inspired by spaceship architecture and the galaxy for a New Era.

048 049

Introducing

SEBASTIAN OMATSCH he simple form of the 59FIFTY was the starting point, and an integral part of my basic considerations for the design. I did not want to work against it, but rather with it, following the classic design of the cap to discover its form for myself, and using the original model to draft a new creation – a combination of the given piece, and new material.

Both things accompany me almost daily: wood as a material which I work with, as well as my caps which I wear to emphasise my individuality.

I chose to realise my idea in cherry ​​ tree wood.

Given its slightly reddish tone, it fits well with the blank cap. In the carved acanthus leaf I see in my creation another dimension. As a classic ornament that goes far back in the history of art, and that is based on traditional craftsmanship, it is now placed in a new context. A collage of contemporary and old teachings.”

050 051

Introducing

VERENA BACHL ach and every idea that grows in our mind runs through three phases of creative creation: inspiration, documentation, realisation.

So, what‘s the idea behind the design of my cap? It‘s the idea itself!

The design of the New Era cap is dedicated to the process every creative mind goes through, sometimes so automatically that we do not even realise it.

My cap is dedicated to creation – from birth all the way through to materialisation.”

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WORDS CINNAMON NIPPARD | PHOTOGRAPHY DANIEL ROSENTHAL

Germany Creative Scene Spotlight

new ink The denizens of Berlin are looking more unique than ever now that local tattoo culture is going fully avant-garde.

attoo art, like any other art form, is often bound by its own conventions. But now a new crop of tattooists are breathing fresh creativity into the medium.

This new wave is particularly visible in Berlin, where progressive tattoo art studios like creative den AKA – which doubles as a gallery space – boast a roster of technicians with diverse artistic backgrounds. You’re no longer simply walking in for a generic tattoo straight out of a book; you’re signing up for your own unique work of art.

AKA co-founder Jon John has dubbed his artists “the new avant-garde”. “They don’t come from tattoo [backgrounds] in the first place. They’re artists,” says Valentin Plessy, 28, another co-founder of AKA. “Like silkscreen printer Madame Chän, Jessica Mach is from graphic design, Sarah B Bolen is from architecture, and all the others did art studies in different mediums. And through their evolution as artists, they came to tattoos, and skin, as a new medium.”

Inside AKA, the waiting room doubles as a gallery space that currently houses the work of British tattoo artist Liam Sparkes. Off to the side are two smaller rooms where resident artists Sarah and Jessica are hard at work.

The buzz of tattoo machines is in the air and their paintings and sketches adorn the walls.

Jessica, 28, started tattooing three and a half years ago after becoming disillusioned with the world of advertising.

“It was not long-lasting enough for me,” says Jessica.

“I wanted to leave something in the world.”

Jessica draws inspiration from nature, fairytales, wallpaper, street art and the urban environment of Berlin. Her illustrations combine photorealism with graphic design elements and patterns. “The interesting thing about it is to mix all the techniques that you don’t use on skin, with the techniques you need to use on skin, so that it lasts forever,” she says.

But other, more traditional tattooists have criticised the innovations of newer artists like Jessica. She explains: “We have a lot of people that argue with us because they say, ‘This is not how it should be! And it won’t last!’”

Canadian tattoo artist Sarah, 32, who has been inking for 10 years, arrived in Berlin a year ago to work at AKA. The daughter of an oil painter, she also studied interior architecture and worked for a major firm in Vancouver and Toronto, doing tattoos on the side. “Real tattooers push and push and push the limits, just like any other art form – whether its architecture or painting or whatever, it doesn’t matter.

It’s continual progression and evolution,” explains Sarah.

Three years ago, Peter Aurisch, 29, bought a machine and started tattooing friends in his kitchen, despite having no formal training. He’s now working over at the Signs and Wonders tattoo studio in Friedrichshain, across the river from Kreuzberg.

He doesn’t think his artistic style is so out there, but what is unique is that he’s transferring these images to skin.

“I’m just using my drawing skills for tattooing, and then it looks really different,” says Peter, whose tattoos look like they’ve been sketched directly onto the skin using pencils, pens, and splashes of watercolour brushwork.

“The people have something from me, something personal that they have for their whole life,” says Peter, passionately.

“That’s really special. That’s better than just an artwork on a wall.”

Valentin believes that the city of Berlin, which has grown to become an international creative hub, has made it possible for these artists to push the boundaries of the genre. Thanks to low rent and an endless pool of artistic talent, more creative tattoo studios are opening up and helping to shift tattoos from being “rebellious statements” to ornamental, wearable works of art.

Jessica agrees: “Yes, I think it has something to do with the city. People come here to make art, or music; they are new to Berlin; they come from different countries. And that includes our customers. So in many ways, creative people meet other creative people here at AKA.”

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itAlY

Introducing

Annalia Rizzo ature and man are two forces, sometimes meeting, sometimes clashing.

In my project, the hand represents man’s artifices, which very often are pressures that put nature under stress.

The wave is an expression of nature’s strength, way more powerful and devastating, but which operates in a mindless manner.

It is our ability to act with rationality that makes our destructive actions more ‘evil’ than nature’s.

I want this creation to suggest that men should live as best as possible in harmony with nature, which has forever been the only asset available to us all.”

058 059

Introducing

Davide Zingarelli (dshock)

his New Era cap is inspired by my inner world. The face represents ‘Dshock’, a character I created and work with a lot.

I wanted to include it because it is a big part of who I am.

The drawing is divided in two parts: on the right there is ‘The Night’, where everything is magic, timeless and free; the most extreme side of my personality. And on the left there is ‘The Day’, full of peace, calm and nature; my hippie and childish side.

In the middle I put love, which flows like a waterfall, because it is with love that I move in this reality; it is my strength. In all my creations, there is always love.

The bulb with the winged key represents my ideas, which come from the mind; the triangle with the allseeing eye is a symbol of enlightenment; and the heart gives them meaning, letting them fly away. The various characters I added represent several influences, such as Salvator Dalí, my favourite artist.”

060 061

Introducing

Eleonora Bertolutti ith this project I wanted to represent two different realities: one of our times, ugly and violent; and the other of a seemingly better life.

I developed the project from the saying, ‘Looks can be deceiving,’ because every day the media depicts realities that are born from fiction.

The contents of the advertisements and photographs always represent a fictitious reality tailored to the consumer – it is an idyllic world where everything looks good: men, women, children and animals. The reality is another: Ground Zero, Al Qaeda, violence, war, pollution.

From here the idea was to develop a topic with two different realities: one current and crude but still recoverable; the other idyllic but false, dangerous and misleading.”

062 063

Introducing

Flavio Maria Baini his hat is for The Urban God; the sacred street spirit. It’s an apotropaic shield for social actors – such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Oscar Wilde – melting with the streets of New York.

These two souls, with their delicacy of feeling, were misfits in their societies, and their art tells the same story; negativity concentrated into an object whose apotropaic value would keep its possessor safe.

From the jungle to the concrete jungle, NYC is the key. It’s all about getting lost in the city; that’s when you realise that you belong. I took reference from the colour of the red sandstone, the iconic shape of the Chrysler building, and the Statue of Liberty’s crown and flame.

Just like Brancusi, I chased the essence of things into primitive geometric shapes and rough handcrafted materials, like leather, metal and wood. It’s an extremely fragile balance – Totemic design, human duality, the difference between what you are and what you show – just as human beings are.”

064 065

Introducing

Francesco Nappa or this project I wanted to recognise the dignity inherent to all members of the human family, and their equal rights to freedom, justice and peace in the world.

Disregard and contempt for human rights has resulted in barbarous acts that outrage the conscience of humanity. A world where humans can enjoy freedom of speech, belief and freedom from fear has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of man.

In light of all this, my creation represents the fight against the violation of human rights.

All this is represented by a cage/fortress in which, sitting disconsolately on his nest, is a lonely and distraught man.

The mask worn by the man, apparently to hide his discomfort, represents the anonymity of all the people whose right to ‘fly’ is trampled.�

066 067

Introducing

Giulia Ada Amico y cap is a trophy. I was afraid that a hunting trophy could be misunderstood, so I thought of an alternative trophy that would give a positive message.

I chose fantastic animals that establish a strong conceptual impact, but at the same time give the impression of a kid’s toy. It’s funny, but it’s also an art installation.

The cluster of shapeless creatures reference an increasingly recurring phenomenon: the oppression of freedom of speech. Like the unique ideas that come from every individual, this hat is intended to be a totem, a talisman; a concrete example of individuality.”

068 069

Introducing

Manuel Franchini started by thinking about the name New Era. An era is a long period of time and history is composed of eras. I wanted to create something that represented the passing of time; the past and the future.

The first images that occurred to me were of stones and rocks – millennial but still with many thousands of years to live, often bringing with them, in fossils, traces of other living beings.

I also wanted to create something really new, with a strong visual impact; something that requires people to stop a moment and study it. So I embedded the hat in rocks, to represent a thing moving in history.

It’s a thing from the past that’s headed for the future.”

070 071

Introducing

Massimo Tomasino or this creative competition I was inspired by the strength and dignity of the Japanese population in the reaction to the recent earthquake, which affected the entire nation.

To reference this, I created a model of the helmet worn by the ancient Japanese Samurai, which in its original form reminds me of the silhouette of a New Era 59FIFTY cap.

The idea was to create a cover with metal materials, giving the entire object a precious look, and complete this with the traditional, strong front mask.�

072 073

Introducing

Sarah Ysabel Narici y work explores the concept of the apocalypse. I began by referencing doomsday-like scenarios, such as Chernobyl. I was touched by the extent of the damage caused, often unseen and in the form of genetic mutations.

My aim was to question the success of this civilisation’s modern technology, in light of its profound failure.

Referencing biomedical visualisations, transhumanism and genetic anomalies, my work is an exploration of nature’s infinite and expansive hold on us.

The materials I chose juxtapose the synthetic and natural; plastic cable ties and wires are used to create molecular-like structures. The linear arrangement of crystals draws inspiration from flashing electronic impulses in neurons, and the increasing velocity of technological development.

Through my cap I aim to celebrate nature’s might, and its possessive love affair with our everyday lives.”

074 075

Introducing

Stefano Ciliberti n order to create my 59FIFTY I took inspiration from a very popular topic: peace and war.

I chose this topic because there are many wars in the world, some lasting many years, others more shortlived, and many more await us.

But peace lives in simple people who (despite owning nothing) never take life for granted, would give anything to help, fight for peace, preach it and hope that one day it will reign unopposed. And these are my beliefs, too.

I was inspired by the ‘division of the world’: on one side war and on the other side peace. On the first side of my cap I tried to represent a dreary landscape, with destroyed houses, without plants or greenery and with dry ground and rubble. On the other side I wanted to depict nature. Nature is a synonym for tranquility, purity, air and life. Nature slowly takes over war so we can finally have a peaceful and free world full of life, joy and serenity.

The materials I used are simple ones like paper, stones, synthetic grass and vinyl glue.�

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WORDS + PHOTOGRAPHY JESSICA STEWART

Italy Creative Scene Spotlight

ROME CONQUERS ALL Across the walls of this ancient city, street art is paying tribute to the past.

here’s a good reason why Rome-based publishers Drago used the Latin proverb Roma Omnia Vincit for the title of a recent book.

Translated literally as “Rome Conquers All”, it explores the art of Roman street artists JB Rock and Diamond, both of whom segued from graffiti into street art around 2000.

But this phrase is more than just a state of mind exemplified by two pioneers; it’s a sentiment shared by a thread of artists who are incorporating the history and culture of the Eternal City into the work they create for the street.

“In the beginning there were fewer people and the mentality was more about bombing, since a lot of people came from writing,” recounts JB Rock, who was inspired to move from graffiti to street art after a visit to New York. “People weren’t putting up large posters, but more stickers and small stencils. This was all 10 or 11 years ago; the scene hasn’t been around for that long.”

As Rome’s artists began to evolve their style and technique, a larger canvas was suddenly needed – hence the move to poster art. Diamond explains: “With a poster I can spend two hours or two thousand hours in my studio painting and then I just have to paste it up. In this way I don’t have to ask permission from anyone, like, ‘Can I? Can’t I?’ I don’t care, I’m putting it up and the day after someone can rip it down if they want or they can think, ‘Wow, that’s cool’.”

Rome’s street artists have always been tethered by a lack of commissioned walls. This fact, combined with the proliferation of political and event posters across the city, made a leap to posters a natural one. In a city where people make a living from gluing manifestos on walls, both in legal and illegal locations, a street artist with a brush and a bucket of glue blends right into the background.

But posters, as opposed to stencils, have been popular for some time, from Swoon to Shepard Fairey. However, if there’s one thing that makes Rome stand apart from other street art hubs, it’s the respect many artists here pay to their home city’s cultural heritage. The artistic patrimony of the city can’t help but seep into the work that artists are putting out, especially for those who were born and raised in Rome. Latin inscriptions, etched on ruins, have found their way onto some of Diamond’s most infamous posters: “Maybe in other countries a phrase in Latin doesn’t matter, but in Rome writing something in Latin gives it an importance and impact that’s stronger.”

But Roman influences don’t end with the written word.

JB Rock often incorporates the pattern of Piazza Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo, into a tattoo for one of his seductive female figures, or places a poster depicting Romulus and Remus with a wolf on the Via della Lupa (a road name that translates as “Wolf Street”).

“I’m always using things that inspire me, people I would

have liked to meet,” he explains. “There are a lot of people, but someone like Michelangelo is a genius. How could you not use that logo? I’m doing it out of respect for them and respect for being Roman, which often reflects in my work.

I’m proud to be Roman.”

Other artists have found their own ways to show their pride. Street art collective Artcock pays respect by staging elaborate recreations of famous paintings, photographing the results, and then pasting large-scale images out on the streets. Equally, the religious legacy of Rome has not been overlooked. For over two years Roman artist Omino71 has collaborated on a project that mixes classic Byzantine icons and depictions of saints with Pop Art influenced by Keith Haring. As Omino71 explains: “Rome is the only city in the world where every square, except one, has a sacred image.

Rome is the city of religious archaeology. If you know the history of your city – and I’m passionate about my city – this project is obvious.”

Each of these artists has developed their own style, while incorporating traces of Roman heritage into their work.

In a country where the city you are from is highly tied to your identity, it’s no coincidence these homegrown artists are paying homage to Rome’s past. If anything, the street art in Rome is as complex as the city itself – a mix of ancient and modern, both tied to the past and pushing toward the contemporary

078 079

Spain

Introducing

Carmen Seijas

(hanako mimiko) y main source of inspiration for this cap is an unsuccessful attempt to understand human relations.

It emerges from an intense search for innocence and self-understanding, which is met along the way by natural elements that speak of a world plagued by instincts and intuition.

It’s about feelings that are hidden or symbolically adapted to a modern way of life, brimming with artificiality and frivolousness; a reality which shows itself indirectly camouflaged in daily images.

A head of a bear, symbolising instincts, is fused with an element of street and urban culture, and boosted by the conceptual contrast of a floralprint lining.�

082 083

Introducing

Dave Glass ou know that feeling when you’re scratching your head looking for a lost thought or memory? This project – I’ve called it ‘Mind Travel’ – is a portal into the depths of creative thought, a window into the back of the mind in search of the missing idea.

Rather than limiting my creativity to the upper and lower panels, I chose to penetrate and create something free of boundaries. I decided that the outer surface of the cap could come from within; the focus would be a tunnel into the back of my mind.

The silky electric blues and reflective surfaces reference a sci-fi world promised by prominent eighties movies such as Blade Runner, Brazil and The Abyss.

These futuristic materials are juxtaposed with an older, more traditional aesthetic composed of classic leathers and metallic surfaces. It´s a combination of old and new, brought together under one hat.”

084 085

Introducing

David Méndez Alonso uman beings tend to organise themselves in layers.

My work is an approach to this organisation, along the idea that each layer narrates part of the way we are.

We all share the anxiety to look up (to those above us) to find answers. But what if the solution is the other way? Or could it be buried far, far away from us?

My influences are also part of those layers.

Low-brow culture, American pop, post-graffiti, Surrealism, colour and science fiction have been my most important influences.

According to formal aspects, each layer on this cap has been created with a specific material.

My creative process has defined this line; a path between the mundane and the spiritual, among the mundane and mathematical. Through creating these layers, I’m trying to understand at what point or in which position I am situated.”

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Introducing

Ana Maria Leon (el hombre sapo) e live in a big global circus packed with economic jugglers, ruling clowns and submissive animals who obey the social tamers.

For this project, I mixed the concepts of society with those of the circus and compared the different spheres, with circus characters running through my illustrations.

The cap is a reflection of today’s society.

The chimpanzees are us: the masses that are fooled by the ‘skill of the peanut’. The clever clown represents the political figures, who make us think that we are living in a world of continual laughter and happiness, while hiding the true reality. The acrobat represents religion: concepts that are suspended in the air, but that the entire world admires and respects.

And the lion represents the bankers: leaders of the jungle, feared by all, and the most powerful.”

088 089

Introducing

Emo DÍaz y main goal for this project was to turn my 59FIFTY cap into a kind of amulet; a talisman that provides strength and power.

My inspiration for this ‘Power Helmet’ came from Aztec culture and the symbolism of the ornaments they use in rituals.

For this cap, the animal world blends and evolves with the unknown, as in Aztec beliefs. But in this case, it’s a new mythology where bright colours, rounded shapes and soft materials are the main pillars.

The colours and design chosen are meant to make this cap an instrument which grants wellness and vitality to anyone who wears it.”

090 091

Introducing

Isabelle Bride t first, I wanted to feed my entire universe into the cap: drawings, sculptures and objects. The cap was like a visitor and I wanted to show it my surroundings.

But I had to find a structure that would take in my universe, and while I was looking at the architecture of churches and Arabian arches in Granada and Seville, I imagined that the cap had the same structure. It’s a combination of arches! As faces, mouths, eyes and teeth, arches surround us!

I wanted different textures all surrounded by red lace, so the outside and inside are linked by the same colour. I wanted to add hair to my work; it’s a material I’m passionate about because it still grows when life ends.

For me, hair is a symbol of independence and survival, and I’ve used it a lot in other works. As you can see I have a kind of Baroque style.”

092 093

Introducing

Javier rodriguez GARCIA (Lobulo)

y inspiration for this cap came from the urban, skate culture of the eighties, a period in which baseball caps changed from a sporting accessory into an everyday fashion item.

The cap is made solely in the papercraft style, as is the image of the broken skateboard (a heartbreaking event for any half-decent skater!).

The splintered wood and explosion of colour symbolises the intensity and passion of this particular philosophy of life.�

094 095

Introducing

Maria Gil Ulldemolins (MGU)

he concept behind my piece is ‘ingenuity’. People wear caps to create for themselves an identity which may root deeply into many different cultures.

The idea of, ‘What is genuine?’ sprouted from the fantastic golden sticker on the cap and the inner label that explains where it has been made.

We tend to regard tradition and heritage as something static and permanent, monolithic.

But when one looks closer to that which we regard as genuine, we realise that there is a lot of history, travelling and mixing.

We are not the inventors of globalisation.

In a way, it has always been there.”

096 097

Introducing

Pol Marban Paltor n idea is an image that exists or is found in the mind.

The human capacity to contemplate ideas is associated with the capacities of reasoning, self-reflection, creativity and the skill of acquiring and applying intellect.

Ideas give rise to concepts, which are the basis of any form of knowledge, both scientific and philosophical. However, in a popular sense an idea can arise even without thinking; for example, when talking about the idea of a person or a place.

For this project, I decided to reflect on the process of forming an idea. I tried to create a visual metaphor for this process, using an almost universal language.

The techniques used fuse the worlds of conceptual art with more urban disciplines.�

098 099

Introducing

Raquel Quevedo lamaza pin the cap one way, then the other.

View it from the front and from the side.

The positions are numerous in 360 degrees. A circular movement allows a panoramic view.

To spin and spin on one axis; like when you were a child and you made yourself dizzy by spinning round and round; like an idea that goes round and round in your head; like an abstract image that changes depending on how you woke up that day. See how things change from day to day.

Movement, repetition and change. The circular spin of the cap becomes visible, almost hypnotically thanks to an optical illusion which emulates the technology of the zoetrope.

SPIN THE CAP AND SEE HOW IT CHANGES!

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WORDS SHELLEY JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY Arturo Laso

Spain Creative Scene Spotlight

VIVA LA ’ZINE! The creative young people of Spain are connecting with each other through DIY publications that reflect the vibrant zeitgeist.

hen Spain was liberated from Franco’s oppressive rule in the mid-late seventies, La Movida Madrileña (a hedonistic countercultural movement translated as ‘The Madrilenian Groove Scene’) swept through the youth of all major Spanish cities.

In Madrid, the free-spirited Malasaña was the birthplace of the emerging Spanish identity. Now, in those same subversive streets, an indie publishing scene is taking root and flourishing. For one night a year on the eve of World Book Day, the Libros Mutantes collective invade galleries, shops and studios with their pop-up archive of independent publications from Spain and beyond, celebrating creativity and culture in print form.

“The first edition was a big success, but we didn’t expect it at all,” says Silvia Bianchi, who founded the event with four other artists and curators including members of New Papers – a free publication in which every spread is an illustrated poster. “Madrid’s underground scene is small and disconnected, so we wanted to reach out and say, ‘Hey, we are here!’ And it was so interesting because we started to discover so many people who were inspired by the same things we were inspired by.”

On a mission to celebrate DIY publications and share them with the wider world, the crew of Libros Mutantes (or ‘Mutant Books’ in English – a reference to their offbeat agenda) hosted all kinds of activities across barrios in the city. They held workshops on everything from Japanese printing to crafty book-binding, hung ’zines from stairwells

in the arts centre La Casa Encendida – “We didn’t want it to be institutional!” – and set up temporary stalls selling over 200 titles, including the work of 30 Spanish publishers.

“Print is not dead,” Silvia insists. “Everything is changing but it’s not dying. People can now afford to buy their own printers and scanners. We are finding different ways to express ourselves. Everyone can have their own blog and website, but at the same time, we will always be interested in paper.

There are lots of designers who make ’zines, a lot of illustrators and even writers who simply take text and put it on paper.

It used to be a subculture, but I think this is a global phenomenon. In the last two years there have been exhibitions of publications all around the world – from Japan to California.

People need to share their work.”

But what about the Spanish ’zines that arrive through the Libros Mutantes letterbox, do they have their own specific style? “I think that people in Spain have a lot of imagination,” says Silvia, whose favourite local ’zines include Fuego, Fiesta and Columpio. “Democracy in Spain is so young. It’s lived its own boom and now it’s living through an economic crisis.

People are living in a period of open-mindedness, with new connections to other countries. It’s getting more international every day and low-cost publications are a form of demonstrating this. A lot of things are really institutional in Spain, so with Libros Mutantes we wanted to do something really different.

We wanted it to be something that nobody could control.

Like, there are no laws here. And I think that people liked that.”

In fact, over 800 people turned up to experience the vibrant Madrilenian ’zine scene, and as a result they plan to

expand its reach next year. “For the first edition of the festival, all the shops and galleries were in Malasaña,” says Silvia.

“But this year we tried to open it to the other barrios of Madrid.

We would like the public to walk through the city discovering interesting places. We like this idea of a ’zine tour through the art galleries, cultural associations, shops and cafés of Madrid.

We will turn them into ephemeral bookshops. We’re looking for a way to make a Libros Mutantes in Barcelona, too.”

So what is it about ’zines that are uniting young creative people all over Spain? “I think that the important thing is that you are choosing everything,” says Silvia, who edits her own ’zine called Barriobajero. “There are no laws, and it is something completely different. I like playing with different kinds of papers and packaging, and doing it at a low cost forces you to be more creative. It’s something completely free and I think it’s something that really represents who you are.

I love meeting other ’zine makers on the Internet and swapping ’zines. It’s such a nice way of knowing people and connecting behind the net. We are the net generation and it seems that we are only able to use a computer, but we are not! We can make things with our hands, too! These are not just publications; they are objects of art. And in 10 or 20 years they will be a description of the epoch in which they were realised. If you look at fanzines from 10 years ago, you can say, ‘Ah, okay, this is how it was.’

“I remember five or six years ago, magazines began to close and we thought, ‘Print is dead, it’s impossible’. But it’s not impossible; we are finding different ways. It’s not dead; it’s changing. To play with the change is what’s exciting.”

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FRANCe

Introducing

ARNAUD CHAROY y inspiration is closely related to my everyday life: I’m a surfer, and I love the ocean and the Earth. Another thing that fascinates me is everything built by humans, and how it integrates with nature. Not long ago I was considering studying architecture, and while I finally decided against it, architecture still interests me.

These are the reasons that brought me to design the cap as a huge wave, which is on the verge of crushing some of the world’s most well-known buildings.

As great as the things we create might be, they are still subject to the pure and sometimes violent forces of nature.

I like to try out many different techniques, and this time I have chosen an air-drying modeling clay.

I’d never used it before, but I must say I really enjoyed modeling my own perception of the Earth. I also used two different media: fibre, to build the continents’ shapes; and gel, to give the wave a water effect.”

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Introducing

BenOÎT Labarthe y work is about personal universes; little worlds everyone has in their head. The cap as a medium made me wonder about the symbolism of the hat: each individual wears their own hat and, in doing so, expresses their own personality.

Here, I have recreated my universe and have reinterpreted the dimension of the cap itself by creating a world which is inspired by New Era. Elements are popping out of the cap, just like ideas could be popping out of the head.

The challenge was interesting because I’ve tried to make a 3D version of what I’m used to painting on canvas. It was a lot of fun to see my universe come to life in this way.”

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Introducing

Carolina Moggia he most obvious feature of my design, called ‘The Game’, is its difference from reality. Playing is a substitute for the rules and confusing order of reality.

The Game is for me the only thing that survives the transition between the two most important periods in a human being’s evolution: childhood and adulthood; the period when you go from carefree to the sudden awareness of responsibilities and consequences of our actions.

As an adult, the only way you can go back to that earlier phase of life is through the game.

I’ve always been fascinated by this transition that changes us forever and that we will always regret.

Man is merely a child forced to grow up.

I emphasised this relation with childhood by the childish treatment of the cap, despite the fact than the evoked games are adult games. This is to create a real and inseparable link between those two ‘worlds’.”

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Introducing

Courtieux GuiOme y caps experience all my adventures: they get dirty, they get torn, they get lost, they get bent, they get stained.

That’s how it is: they are at one with me.

So, when my grey matter starts to bubble, when my neurons trigger the excitement in synapses, when ideas fall over one another, clash, take a new twist… everything bubbles up and bursts like a geyser of ideas.

As always, my New Era is there.”

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Introducing

Damien Nicolau Guillaumet y desire was to use the hat to represent human evolution. In my personal work, toys symbolise the evolution of the world. Since we were children, we have played with things that changed the world.

Clothes often reveal the character of people.

The human is a machine inventing other machines.

Build a future, life, death, live the cycle of life...

A kind of organisation that remains a big mess.

Western consumption, cars and agricultural machinery build the world.

Toys touch everyone. Many of us have a huge common educational ground – especially through toys.

Let’s keep in touch, then.”

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Introducing

DAVY MAGAL based my work on the relationship between the simple human being and the superhero.

Many athletes and artists wear New Era, and they are all willing to face isolation and make huge sacrifices to evolve and train in their disciplines.

So I wanted to pay a tribute to their self-sacrifice in the same way that the people of Gotham City pay tribute to the courage of Batman.

Because their will and imagination are the weapons of the mind, I wanted a hat that reflects on the outside what the true heroes hide within: power.�

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Introducing

Francois TerriEn (DIZZINESS DESIGN) y idea was to create a composition inspired by the art of origami.

The concept was to cover the cap with these geometric parts, but also with shapes that can form a crown, an ear, a nose, an eye. To enlarge the shape I chose to put speakers inside, based on a futuristic design and on the idea of improving the cap.

The final part, painting, is a mix of street art and the idea of randomisation of the forms – the paint coming out of the spray cover only in certain parts, and the structure creating the graphism; 2D coming out of 3D to create a 4th dimension, dizziness design.�

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Introducing

Marilou Chevalier y goal in this work is to question human beings and the space they occupy. What do they make of the world around them, and how much room is left given what they’ve already built? What’s the impact on the environment? The hat illustrates the opposition between nature and human creations against a scrappy sky’s background. It shows the image of the world in which we live, with human footprints, which are made of impressions from everyone’s own reflection. I hope I left enough room for your own judgement and interpretation.”

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Introducing

Maxence Cheval he 59FIFTY is the official on-field cap for every major and minor league baseball team – that is why I decided to work mainly with the theme of baseball.

The name of the brand, New Era (nouvelle ĂŠre in French), was a source of inspiration for the graphism of this cap. It represents a still-unknown world and absurd hair; a different world where everything revolves around the baseball, and around its universe with a king (Base Ball King), and players wearing hoods with an unusual look.

I used the wooden pencil (for the contrast and the shadows) and black felt-tips (for the precision).

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Introducing

remy boulay (stek)

hat does a bee’s life look like?

It’s very simple: it relentlessly works for the ‘queen’. It does just that.

It has to produce some honey, some wax, harvest pollen to transform into some honey, some wax.

So I wanted to customise this cap as a kind of fable. My real wish was to show the parallel between human beings and bees. The animal drawn here is suffocating under its own work, its own production.

Human beings have begun to realise the misdeeds of their overproduction, and are finally wondering if depleting resources and pollution won’t be the cause of their fall.

This parallel is more interesting in the context that bees have been finding it harder and harder to survive.

Some think that it’s because of global warming, but in fact we don’t really know the cause.

“If the bee disappeared from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” A. Einstein

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WORDS SHELLEY JONES | Photography the Etnies PAS house at the Public Domaine exhibition, La GaitĂŠ Lyrique, Paris

France Creative Scene Spotlight

rolling renaissance Fine art is undergoing a renaissance in the streets of Paris thanks to an innovative new breed of artists WHO are taking inspiration from their skateboards.

aris has long been the world’s capital of cuttingedge art. Bright-minded aesthetes from every corner of the globe make pilgrimages to its cobbled streets to experience the continental and devastatingly chic climate. But it’s also a hub of urban activity. Street artists like Invader, Zevs and André have been prowling the city’s creative districts for decades, while the underground electro scene exploded in the mid-noughties to the sound of Ed Banger Records’ trendy repertoire.

And now, thanks to cultural shape shifters like Raphaël Zarka and Adrian Rubi-Dentzel, there is another element to Paris’ diverse demographic. These fine artists, who just happen to be skateboarders, represent a new wave of high-brow conceptualists who take inspiration from low-brow culture.

“It sounds grim, but I think we’re kind of post street art,” laughs Adrian. “Especially after the Beautiful Losers art show [featuring luminaries like Ed Templeton and Barry McGee], which really established a precedent for street art in the fine art world, or even the contemporary art world. I think it’s a good time to be in Paris if you’re an artist with an outside point of view. A lot of what the Paris art scene is founded on – emphasis on exigency, technical skill and intellectual integrity in a conservative way – is still alive, but right now a lot of the

public want new art and new things.”

Raphaël and Adrian both create art that’s inspired, in part, by skateboarding. Raphaël is a curator, filmmaker and collector who bases his work around the sculptural forms he discovers in archive footage, old photos, or found objects. And Adrian is an American-born craftsman and sculptor who collaborated with California-based skate company Solitary Arts in 2010 to create a clear polycarbonate skateboard called The Glass Slipper.

“The interesting thing for me,” says Raphaël, who would rather discover art in pre-existing forms than invent it afresh, “is the way in which skateboarders see the world and appreciate it or assess it. Normally the kind of relationship you have with a piece of artwork is aesthetical or intellectual, so if a sculpture is not beautiful then it’s interesting, and vice versa. But skateboarders add a third type of relationship, which is mechanical. I was fascinated by the fact that even if a sculpture is artistically a failure, both aesthetically and intellectually, then it can still be interesting on a mechanical level.”

Paris is central to this type of artistic thought. With its mixed heritage – poets, philosophers, writers and painters on the one hand, and an industrial urban terrain on the other – comes new ways of seeing the world. “The concrete landscape of the city is so skate-friendly, apart from the cobblestones!” says Adrian.

“There’s a little quarter pipe here and there and great skateparks all around the perimeter. In general, the public don’t seem to

view skateboarding and street art as delinquent or as much of a crime as they do in other cities. It’s growing a lot, too.”

This summer, the trendy Gaîté Lyrique gallery in the heart of Paris hosted a landmark exhibition, Public Domaine, celebrating this paradigm shift. The mission statement explains: “Public Domaine pays homage to an art form which has chosen a plank and four wheels as its medium of self-expression. Because ‘skateboarding’ is much more than just a sport, an activity, a hobby or a means of transport. Over the years, it has forged itself a rich, evolving aesthetic, and transformed itself in the course of its encounters with artists – from designers to musicians – who have taken it as their travelling companion.”

The work of these artists may sit in white-walled cubes all over the world, but their style is undeniably a product of the streets where they live. “I think this city holds you to a very high standard,” says Adrian of his romantic hometown.

“Paris has been the seat of the art world for so long, and although I don’t think it is any more, it still occupies a very important space. Even if you’re showing a pile of junk, it has to be a very well-thought-out and meaningful pile of junk…

Also, the whole concept of ‘pop-up’ has really taken off in major cities in recent years. If you can find a space somewhere, put a bunch of pieces up, tell a few people about it and buy a few cases of beer, then everyone will show up. The people of Paris really respond to and respect this kind of art.”

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SWEDEN

Introducing

JOHAN GAWELL he designing of this unique cap was, for me, a challenge beyond my own area of expertise. But I always try to convey messages and be creative with my profession, which is mechanical engineering.

To signify a crude and raw impression, some materials – brass, aluminium and shattered glass – were kept without any mechanical processing. I wanted to preserve these elements to maintain the original feeling of the cap. The black, slightly greying haircut is another important part of the cap’s expression.

With this project – which I called ‘Cut The Cap’ – I wanted to say, ‘Don’t miss your chances, they will not last forever. Do not let your dreams shatter.’”

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Introducing

JOSEFIN ARNELL his is the new era!

Let me introduce a cap that will take you higher than the Moon, where only stars and horses fly around!

The hole on the top has wings and it’s also a magic hole that allows the head’s energy to connect easier with unified fields, which can take you to higher dimensions.

I used many materials including silicon, organic cotton, thread and styrofoam.”

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Introducing

LINA ALSHAMMAR acteria is all around us. Some visible, some impossible for the eye to see – from thin gases in space, like bacilli, to the smallest biological entities that can infect our body, viruses.

It fascinated me that something which is not visible can affect and damage my body so much. Viruses need another organism to survive and in the case of humans, it’s our cells.

Not all viruses are lethal, but the idea of them spreading like parasites unseen in the world, and in our bodies, makes you feel powerless.

For this project, I wanted to playfully depict my version of what a virus looks like and how it makes its way through another organism, the cap.”

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Introducing

LOUISE STEPHANIE LINDGREN wanted to create a piece that would be easily recognised as mine and show who I am as an artist.

I had an idea to create a melting cap, but there was no real concept behind it – I just thought it would be visually pleasing.

One night, however, I got a huge craving for mint ice-cream with meringues, chocolate sauce, sprinkles and wafers, and decided to make (literally) the sweetest cap ever.

I used crystal resin, sculpey, spray paint, acrylics, PVC glue, superglue, sandpaper and a whole lot of time, frustration and anxiety to make this cap.�

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Introducing

MADELENE ERICSSON y inspiration comes from a photo taken by my longtime favourite photographer, Paolo Roversi.

I am attracted to the photo because of the story it tells me. ‘A picture says more than a thousand words,’ they say, and for me this picture tells me words like feminine, confident, power, black, beauty, elegance, fragile, costume, corsets, leather, hair, volume, layers, jewellery, lace.

So I wanted to capture those words with my cap and translate them into my story. For me, design is all about telling a story, and to tell it with your own words, you have to make the story yours.

So this is my story, about a photo by Paolo Roversi.”

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Introducing

MATS WALLSTEN he northern part of Sweden is my heritage; my relatives used to hunt bears and moose there, as is tradition.

The moose horns that I used on this cap are from the first moose that I took down at the age of 15.

The moose in Sweden is often called ‘Skogens Konung’, which translates to ‘King of the Forest’.

New Era is king of the cap industry, so what could be more fitting than placing the crown from the ‘King of the Forest’ onto the cap? To give the cap a more aggressive and modern look I turned the horns upside-down in a more forward-pointing angle, and painted them in strong contrasting colours.

Modern society uses plastic for almost everything today, from automotive and medical technology to packaging. But I haven’t seen it used as much in fashion or art, which is why I decided to use it on the cap.

Crazy and eye-catching, I believe this cap speaks for itself!”

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Introducing

PATRIK ZACHRISSON t is said that the pen is mightier than the sword.

This could be true, if the pen is used not only for the written word but also for a picture that says more than a thousand words.

If you have life you can paint. If you can paint, you can express yourself. Through your expressions you can make people happy, you can make them sad, you may provoke some people or you might make them mad. Regardless of what emotion is born from your work, the most important thing is to make people think.

A thinking mind is a creative mind that can create something to be a part of.

It’s a hard world for a soft soul and we could all use a bit of extra love from the world – and a protective helmet to be as creative as we wish. Be all you can be!”

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Introducing

RONNY ANDERSSON was brainstorming about the project, and had a lot of different ideas, but then it came to me like a lightning bolt: ancient people in a new era!

The ideas behind the cap came from shamans, grave tombs, archeological findings and treasure.

I imagined an ancient shaman visiting our times and making a collection of impressions. They may disapprove of a lot of things, but they may find things they like, too.

The first group starts with a revolver and screwdriver and refers to the wars and haters in this world.

Then there’s a coke razor, heroin spoon and alcohol bottle for the drug abuse, and a pair of handcuffs for the crimes people exercise and the leaders that love to put people behind bars.

The second group includes a king’s crown, an owl and a predator for the leaders of our world, and the third group is a big shiny heart to show the love of course – which is more important than the first two groups!

I wanted it to be something Lady Gaga would wear!”

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Introducing

WILLY CHONG wanted my final design to speak for itself and I wanted to use no more than the parts of the cap. The stuffing is the only extra thing and it’s wood-plane wastage from a school project I’m working on. It proves you don’t need much to do great things!

I decided to make a killer whale as it has a personal reference to a nickname I had when I was younger.

As a designer I feel that anything I make represents me.

Also, I wanted to lay bare the creative process that I went through; the story of my creation. I want the spectator to be able to read it just by observing the flaws, the mistakes, the solutions, the parts, the shapes, the colours and the seams. I want to show the truth of designing; that great things don’t just appear; you have to work hard and make it come to life.”

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Introducing

WILSON KALANZI found my inspiration in chess. When I was younger, about eight years old, I loved chess.

I used to play on my dad’s old chess board that he brought from Moscow to Sweden.

For this project, I wanted to create something that resembled my thoughts and strategies when playing – considering whether a move was right or not and anticipating what my opponent was going to do.

It was in chess that I found an interest in calculation and how to use it for a specific purpose. I enjoyed the art of reading your opponent and fooling them into the wrong move or the right move. It’s a question of who is going to win, but can winning sometimes be losing?

It’s a game, and in that way, it’s a lot like life.”

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WORDS KATARINA MATSSON | PHOTOGRAPHY KRISTIAN LÖVEBORG

Sweden Creative Scene Spotlight

REINVENTING CHIC SWEDEN HAS LONG BEEN SYNONYMOUS WITH STYLE, BUT NOW A NEW CROP OF DESIGNERS ARE BREAKING OUT OF THEIR SCANDINAVIAN MOULD.

atching the models walk down the runway earlier this fall, dressed in Nhu Duong’s Spring collection, the Swedish fashion elite let out a simultaneous gasp. Nhu had been a rising star ever since she graduated in 2008 from Beckmans College of Design, Stockholm, and this refined collection made it clear that she had arrived. Along with newcomers like Malmö’s Altewai.Saome and Stockholm-based Hernández-Cornet, the 27-year-old is now taking Swedish fashion to the next level.

“I don’t think of my work as typically Swedish,” says Nhu. “There might be minimal elements that fit into the clichés of Swedish fashion, but I think people feel there is something strange in my work that goes beyond national categories.”

The daughter of a kung-fu master and a tailoress, Nhu came to Sweden from Ho Chi Min City at the age of seven and now splits her time between Stockholm and Berlin.

In many ways she’s a perfect representative of the modern creative Swede; an international nomad calling the world her home. This is also increasingly true of the Swedish fashion scene. Seeing Nhu’s Spring collection, full of contradictions, collisions and a self-described “weirdness”, it’s hard to believe that no more than 20 years ago, Swedish fashion was shrugged off as unsophisticated.

In the last century, Sweden has gone from a primarily farm-based society to a post-industrial one. So, it’s not surprising that the style revolution was kicked off by a

humble clothing item: jeans. Back in the sixties, Filippa Knutsson’s parents started the denim brand Gul & Blå, a heritage she fostered with her own minimalist aesthetic. In the mid-nineties, teenagers would work overtime just to get their hands on a pair of Filippa K stretch jeans. In 1997 the denim buzz quickly moved on to a red seam, signalling the arrival of Acne Jeans.

Since then, followers include Nudie Jeans, Cheap Monday, BLK Denim and The Local Firm, an innovative brand with a distinct, industrial, high-fashion edge, founded by Axel Nyhage and Richard Hutchinson in 2008. “For us jeans were an obvious choice,” explains Axel. “In part because our wardrobe concept combines jeans, dressy, vintage and street, and in part because we simply love jeans. Compared to just 15 years ago, Swedish and jeans fashion are both really well spread, which of course has to do with internationalisation.”

Available in Europe as well as Russia, the US and Australia, The Local Firm is testament to the global audience Swedish brands are starting to command. “We’re seeing a large international interest in The Local Firm and Swedish fashion in general. I think people have a big ‘fashion faith’ in Swedes,” says Axel.

Like pop music before it, Swedish fashion has made a worldwide name for itself with its practical, unadorned and sharp design, reflecting Lutheranism and long, dark winters.

Fashion bloggers, along with websites like The Swede Beat – an English site covering Swedish contemporary culture –

help spread ‘the Swedish fashion wonder’. Nhu, having already collaborated with Weekday and designers FAUX/real, is now teaming up with Swedish fashion blogger Elin Kling to create the online brand Nowhere.

“The Internet has changed the rules for fashion and Nowhere is a reflection of these changes,” explains Nhu. “Rather than creating a full collection to be presented on a catwalk, we’ve created strong individual garments to be presented on the Internet. It is a very democratic concept and very different from my own collections.”

Like street brand WeSC, Acne has grown into a creative collective, covering advertising, art and production. Together with forerunner Ann-Sofie Back Atelje, they’ve moved their shows from Stockholm to London Fashion Week. Luckily, their absence from the Swedish scene is quickly attracting young talent, hungry to challenge the country’s roots with experimental, colourful and ‘un-Swedish’ design.

“Ann-Sofie Back is one of the first designers to break with the clichés of Scandinavian design,” adds Nhu. “She represents the minimalist aesthetics, but contrasts that with something very personal. Sweden is a strong design country and there is great support for young designers. The next step will be to create an alternative scene for the young designers to showcase original and more experimental fashion.”

And what arena would be better than the web? Instead of putting our ears against the catwalk, we should keep them against the power lines – no matter where in the world we are

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south aFriCa

Introducing

Chicco Come aking the decision of which theme or idea to focus on was difficult, but I then decided to go with fashion and photography. I used a vintage lens from an old camera, which I thought would be the centre of attraction because it basically symbolises what I see, while the leopard print symbolises the so-called jungle we live in. Thus I created bars around it as a warning of how fragile but dangerous the hustle is in this growing country we call South Africa. To me this cap represents the everyday hustle and the hardship we go through in the concrete jungle; the swag, of course, but most importantly our humanity.�

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Introducing

Fatimah Patel y design is a mixture of traditional and contemporary African art.

A basket containing food or water used to be carried on the heads of African women. This must have been very hard and taxing for them, thus my use of pins, which are hard and heavy. In a male-dominating society, making baskets was a way to become independent, hence the contrasting use of beads, which is a common element used to create objects that can be sold.

Influenced by Zulu culture (the Ndebele tribe, specifically), and the vibrant geometric patterns associated with their art, my cap speaks to the importance of conserving our heritage and culture.

It is about uniting modernity and culture to become a new generation who is aware of both worlds.�

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Introducing

Jonathan Ferreira he beasts from the famous children’s tale Where the Wild Things Are have inspired this work. Jonathan deconstructed real animal horns and pierced them through the material of the hat, giving the illusion that the wearer is morphing into a creature from the storybook. He then sprayed the 59FIFTY cap black and added a ‘tail’ made from plated hair.

The resulting piece is a subtle evolution from inanimate object to fairytale animal.

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Introducing

Khanyisa Dada decided to turn the 59FIFTY fitted cap into an old buggy. I have always wanted to make a car model out of papier mache, but I just wasn’t inspired enough. When the cap arrived with the rest of the things that were in the package, I knew right away that I wanted to make a buggy.

Designing it was easy, but making it was a challenge because I had to spend a lot of time getting the wireframe strong enough to form a structure for other material that was added later.�

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Introducing

Mandulo MYAKA ith this particular task, I wanted to design something that represented me – firstly as a human, a young man, an African, and as part of a growing youth culture. Everyday urban-wear sneakers inspired my ‘shoecap’. Across the world, youth identities are discovered through fashion and media. In South Africa, my home country, there is a lot of European and Western influence in terms of fashion and entertainment.

For example, I used a pair of shoes from a sneakers company to construct my shoecap, as I named it.

The shoe is celebrated among youths (male and female) throughout South Africa. The entire shoecap was constructed from a pair of sneakers. The original shoe was white.”

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Introducing

Mvelo ‘MX’ Gwambe y concept was based on Zulu culture, not because I live in KwaZulu-Natal, but rather because I grew up with the rich cultural background of the art Zulu people create.

I live in a city (Durban), which is a metropolitan region of KwaZulu-Natal. Most people in KZN still live in poverty, or still live in the rural outskirts.

This is evident as I have relatives that still live outside of DBN, where my parents grew up, so I see the realities and struggles that others encounter as I’m myself part of the people. The heritage, morals and tradition are held high in KZN, so my final piece of inspiration comes from my city, my province, my culture, my experiences, my people, my life.”

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Introducing

Pastel heART oming from the Rainbow Nation, I decided to go with the theme of ’freak life’, which, to me, is a positive term.

The cap doesn’t need an interpretation or meaning – it describes itself. I created the cap using perspex, epoxy, recycled CDs, a silicone monkey mould, a synthetic hair piece, a plastic cap-shaped bowl, and a circular metal base.

The thought process and meaning behind the cap is that it represents a labyrinth to conjure creativity, and that art lies in the heart of the beholder. My personal interpretation behind this is that, by having an open and infinite mind, you would have a creative vision, hence the mask’s open eyes.”

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Introducing

Thabiso Molefe he Hut (Iqhugwane) was inspired by my surroundings, culture and tradition.

In this creation the hut represents my body and everything I am physically.

In my culture, my ancestors created huts using dry straws; a big hut represented a bigger family and wealth. This is what my forefathers called their homes and where they grew up.

The hut represents my body in terms of being traditional and cultural at the same time. It’s who I am; it’s my exterior. In biblical terms your body is a temple, but mine is the hut. The cactus plant represents survival. It is known to survive in harsh weather conditions, and it stores the smallest amount of water and survives off it. I like to think I could survive as an independent, humble and strong plant with strong absorbent roots.�

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Introducing

Thithi Nteta hen I was thinking about what I wanted to do for my New Era cap, everything I kept thinking about lead me back to South Africa, African history and the motifs of this continent.

I thought about applying Ndebele-inspired beading to the entire hat, but that seemed really obvious.

I didn’t just want to create something that could be visually interesting or pretty, simply because I have never been that way as a designer and as a person, because I have always believed that ‘form follows function’.

Not necessarily a crafty person, I decided to focus on the story of the cap. Having always been fascinated by the history of this country and how it has been reflected in the post-colonial era, I wanted to tell the story of the wars for this land, referencing specifically the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, an Anglo-Zulu war.

Using juxtaposition to tell this story, the cap marries the Anglo world and the Zulu world, specifically using the Umqhele – a springbok hide handcrafted headband and the silhouette of a hunting cap.”

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Introducing

Ylanda Kruger y artistic interpretation of the cap was to combine the streetwear aspect with beauty. Streetwear is mostly worn by young people in urban areas. Beauty is a thing seldom seen. It is held by all within the soul, but is sadly often suppressed by the evils of the world.

I came across an exhibition of photographic images that were taken by former street children in the streets of Hillbrow, Johannesburg, for a project by the ‘I was shot in Joburg :)’ team. A thread of urban stories belonged to each of the photographs and it created an opportunity for these children to have a sense of belonging.

Inspired by these images, I developed the concept ‘Beauty in the Streets’. It will challenge and enable you, the viewer or the wearer, to find and create your own beauty where you thought there was none.”

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WORDS TIM CONIBEAR | PHOTOGRAPHY RODGER BOSCH

South Africa Creative Scene Spotlight

THIS IS SPAZA South Africa’s townships are rumbling to the beat of a new breed of hip hop that’s proudly homegrown.

ip hop came from Africa,” says local producer and MC Andile ‘Da O’ Thetha, leaning over the table in his tiny kitchen-cum-living room.

Torn pages from crumpled magazines adorn the walls. In the corner sits a computer surrounded by thick cables and a battered old mic.

His crew, all in their late teens and early twenties, nod intently.

“South African hip hop will take over the world,” proffers one from behind dark glasses.

It’s a powerful statement of intent. The line between arrogance and self-belief is easily blurred and hip hop is no stranger to such transgressions. But there’s something unique about the crew from the predominantly Xhosa township of Masiphumelele; their confidence seems informed by a different energy.

In a couple of hours the street outside will be clogged with bodies moving to heavy, lilting, afro-infused hip hop beats, blasting from speakers operating at the very edge of their frequency. MCs, both male and female, black and white, from townships and suburbs alike, will compete for the mic, spitting lyrics in every one of South Africa’s eleven languages.

Every now and then the shrill voice of a child will fight through the feedback, growing in confidence as the crowd cheers him on.

This is ‘Spaza’, a burgeoning grassroots movement named after the ubiquitous bric-a-brac stores that litter the streets of South Africa’s townships, stocking everything from staple foods to knock-off Kaizer Chiefs football shirts. Slashed

and burnt by the Apartheid police in the eighties and early nineties, Spaza shops remain a sign not just of resistance but of renaissance and unfailing determination. Spaza, then, is more than just music.

“Spaza is a sound that allows us to communicate,” affirms nineteen-year-old Master Q, who says music kept him on track when his friends succumbed to drugs. “But it’s our sound; you won’t find Spaza in America.”

It’s a sound that can only come from the townships, where overcrowded living conditions have created a mashing of culture and style. Township streets reverberate to a mix of house, gospel, kwaito, reggae, jazz, soul and traditional African music. But Spaza is no hybrid of cobbled beats. Proudly South African, this emerging sound accommodates the diverse artistic styles of a country that, after decades of white minority rule, is still embracing a multicultural future.

“I’ve noticed in South African music, the guys that have conflict are generally the ones imitating American styles,” says Luke D, the only white rapper in the room, who got into rapping as an alternative to rugby. “The guys who are trying to do something original, I’ve never heard them having beef.”

Like all grassroots movements, community is important to Spaza’s success – even more so when you consider the lack of production tools and Internet access at the artists’ disposal.

Finding Spaza music online is no mean feat. “People have got to see Spaza, to feel Spaza,” confirms Master Q. “We plug papers

for Saturday shows and we send our tracks through our phones.”

Recalling hip hop’s roots in New York City, when mix-tapes were passed from hand-to-hand and block parties brought the movement out onto the streets, Spaza shows are pretty ad-hoc, held in the middle of a street with a PA, a mic and little else.

Da O’s weekly ‘Masi Massive’, which brings together the Xhosa community of Masiphumelele and predominantly Afrikaans residents of Ocean View, is one such gathering.

Together, its members have pooled their funds to buy a secondhand computer. Despite being programmed in Afrikaans, a language the Xhosa members of the crew don’t speak, it has allowed for a few tracks to get cut and then passed between phones. Recently there has been mention of recording time with some of the larger home-studios in Khayalitsha, Cape Town’s biggest township and home to the audience and resources Spaza will need if it is to crack the American hip hop that still dominates South African radio.

This will be Spaza’s greatest challenge. But Da O remains bullish about its potential: “People don’t relate to the American stuff. I’m rapping about things that affect my community: drugs, alcohol, HIV and AIDS. People can relate to that.”

Two hours later, swept along the street in a tide of gyrating bodies, it’s hard to disagree with Da O. If Spaza can find its audience, it could be the next great movement to come out of South Africa. And this time it really will have come straight from the streets

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uNited arab emirates

Introducing

Flordeliza PesigaN used real branches of trees, corals from the shore, cotton wool and clay to stay as close as possible to nature. Inspired by the creativity presented to us by New Era, I played around with everything that was supplied to us, including the competition name… hence my title for the piece!

The core concept for it is the manifestation of my immense passion for nature and the environment.

We are all inter-connected. The Earth is one wonderful organism that could sustain and restore itself... if given the chance. I wanted to travel to a recreated possibility in recognition of its complex simplicity, and transport the viewer to the realm of a beautiful twist that is in my head: Introducing… ‘New Earth’ – in its infinite mystery, that has always and will always enfold it.”

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Introducing

Karine Jaber hen I started thinking about this project, I had many ideas, but found myself always ending up with the same concept: how the environment I live in transformed me from a person who loves nature and the colour green, into an urban artist who finds beauty in the complex composition of a high-voltage electric pole and all the concrete darkness that surrounds it.

Hence I decided to talk about my neighbourhood, a place called ‘The Discovery Gardens’.

This neighbourhood is supposed to be a lavish green oasis in the middle of the city but, unfortunately and with time, the dark side took the best of it and transformed it into a place for kids to play around metal poles instead of green trees. Yet I always watch the kids trying to reach out to whatever greenery is left, fighting for the word ‘gardens’ – only to discover that it is only a matter of time before we all fade into the other side of it, into the concrete jungle.”

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Introducing

Kholoud Sharafi houghts, ideas, imagery, dreams and illusions are five keywords defining the transformed 59FIFTY cap. Inspired by the hat and the concept of covering the head, which also covers and protects the main switch to our creativity (the brain), I decided to explore the concept of birth and development of dreams, ideas and illusions at their initial stage. Merging delicate materials and overlaying different patterns and forms to express these thoughts has resulted in the emergence of a blur or a kaleidoscopic behaviour of the visuals.

The effect relates back to the thinking process, of how sometimes ideas start to pop and overlay causing an indefinite result of confused patterns.�

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Introducing

Kristy Anne Ligones umans and animals are one, united.

We have something in common with them. We act like them, and they act like us. If we keep on doing harm to these creatures, it will be the end of both them and us. I thought I might as well recreate a hybrid where we’re literally united to feel what it’s like to be them. This concept came up while I was reading the graphic novel Sweet Tooth. It’s about hybrid humans having animal features. While looking at the cap itself, I definitely thought about a turtle.

The materials I used for this were an unused canvas, which I used as my extensions for the cap, an old torn-out shirt used as my stuffings, then acrylic paintings to cover it all up.”

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Introducing

Lina Al Amoudi y design revolved around the tale of Balqis a.k.a Makeda or Queen of Sheba, a mysterious, exotic woman of power who is seen as the embodiment of divine wisdom, an adoring mother and a great leader of the Sabaean Kingdom.

Her story is immortalised in religious books, and I chose to take influence from Islamic floral patterns and calligraphy and apply it to my design. Characters revolving around the cap such as the hoopoe bird allude to her story: that the bird was a messenger that told King Solomon about the Queen.

The outer structure of wood serves the purpose of illustrating the Queen’s story, but also acts as a crown that holds the royal red velvet inner lining of the cap. The coins around the sides and silver on the top have connotations of wealth and power as she was known to possess precious materials. My attempt was to create a cap that celebrated an inspiring ancestor from my heritage.�

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Introducing

Mark Ganzon y design is based on the concept of ideas in their rawest form. I call my composition ‘Mental Minorities and Majorities’, meaning that every creative mind has a vast population of ideas, all big and small, and that by putting in the right ingredients – which to me is music – ideas materialise. Here the wood texture represents organic ideas that evolve into something bigger.

The small elements with eyes represent the embryo of an idea which your ingredients can fertilise.

The ingredient that I included in my design is meant to be used by everyone. So go ahead and plug in your musical contraption, and cook that idea into tangible matter!”

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Introducing

Romela Elenzano Orencillo hat would a high-fashion-meetsculture New Era cap look like?

That was what I had in mind.

I am always in awe when seeing a Mexican in a Dia de los Muertos [Day of the Dead] costume.

The dress, headdress and make-up – it is all very festive. And I admire Lady Gaga for her uniqueness and courage to be what she wanted to be. With these inspirations, I came up with this design. I can see Lady Gaga wearing this during the Halloween Season; maybe she wouldn’t even wait and wear this without any special occasion. This is what a high-fashion New Era cap would look like in an avant-garde editorial photo shoot of a glossy magazine.”

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Introducing

Sara Al Haddad his is a reflection of my distracted state of mind. To me, distractions are a collection of my emotions, thoughts and memories.

The embodiment of my emotions allows me to understand them better; emotions that arise with every new thought.

Giving emotions a set of characteristics, they become easier to identify and deal with. There is a thought in every stitch, in every piece. In every yarn strand, there is a memory. Distractions come in the forms of crocheted free-form pieces. Some distractions last longer than others; sometimes they come back, sometimes they remain unresolved. They cover me, suffocate me. It is a constant self-battle. This is a disturbance of continuous thoughts.�

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Introducing

Sasikala Kaladharan y concept is inspired by the fashion of the 1700s, when there was emphasis on the torso and use of a pannier to bring volume to the skirt. For this design I used the cap as a pannier, which created a beautiful, full-shaped skirt. Back then, women were also known for their extreme built-up wigs and hairstyles.�

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Introducing

Victoria Viray y New Era artwork is a nod to all girl skateboarders and longboarders.

Maybe few and far between, but I’m sure just as determined as their male counterparts. I imagine that nothing is more blissful for a rider to be constantly on a deck, cruising empty urban streets.

I have respect for the iconic shape of the New Era cap, and worked around it as opposed to transforming it into something unrecognisable. I tried to keep it funky yet feminine by integrating portraits of pretty girls against an urban street panorama. Using my skills as a painter, I aimed to design a cap that is fun and colourful, and something I would actually want to wear myself.�

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WORDS ANDREA KURLAND | PHOTOGRAPHY FOO DOG

United Arab Emirates Creative Scene Spotlight

VINYL REVOLUTION Designer vinyl toys have landed in Dubai, bringing young urban artists together in the spirit of collaboration.

he Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC), on any normal day, is not exactly a hive of creativity.

Instead, this sprawling mass of skyscrapers and suits acts as a billboard for the city’s economic prowess. But in May 2010, the spirit of independence began to thrive in its lair. And it was all thanks to a radical army of eight-inch vinyl toys.

“The whole idea behind this project was to create a big bang,” says Mo Abedin, who orchestrated this invasion under the moniker Project: MEGA. “I wanted to build a platform for these artists to launch themselves off.”

In keeping with its ambitious remit, Project: MEGA saw a hundred local artists coming together for the first designer toy customisation event ever curated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Channelling every ounce of their creative wit, artists from across the region painted and glued the living daylights out of their MEGA toy until it looked nothing like its ‘enchanted white’ self, and every inch the embodiment of their unique style. These colourful creations were then displayed for a month on purposebuilt plinths, slap bang in the middle of the DIFC. “We wanted the big brands to recognise the talent that we have here,” explains Mo, enthusiastically. “The galleries here used to import a lot of their work from artists living abroad, so we’ve never really had a local art scene. Dubai can be quite a harsh city. I want the artists to enjoy exposure without someone exploiting them by saying, ‘Give me some commission’. These guys are not working for profit – they’re working for passion.”

When Mo talks it sounds like there’s a fire in his belly, but that’s just because he’s on a mission that’s only just begun.

Designer vinyl toys are as much a part of urban culture as sneakers and high-end streetwear, and they’re just as soughtafter, too. In 1995, Hong Kong-based designer Raymond Choy had the foresight to devote an entire shop to his beloved Qee, the little vinyl humanoid credited as the catalyst that sparked the collection movement. Soon, designers around the world were putting out their own vinyl creations: in 2001, MediCom in Japan launched their moveable Be@rBrick; 2004 saw the arrival of Kidrobot’s devilish Dunny in the US; and, though not customisable, Britain’s AMOS Toys have been occupying shelves since 2002. Within a decade, the humble toy went from throwaway plaything to collectible work of art.

But until recently, the United Arab Emirates was still ostensibly toy-free. Then Mo came along. “I started Foo Dog because I wanted to cultivate urban arts in the UAE,” says Mo of the creative agency he founded in 2008, through which he now produces and distributes his customisable MEGA toy.

“UAE is a young country and there aren’t a lot of artists getting the recognition they deserve. ” Mo had to change his life in order to pursue his dream.

A former banker who “never had the opportunity to pursue a career in design”, he quit his job because he was sick of watching local artists being denied a canvas for their work.

“The laws are very strict here against graffiti,” explains Mo. “Severe actions are taken against offenders. With Project:

MEGA, we don’t just put their work in a gallery. We get a space that is very public. Last time at the DIFC we had, like, 6,000 people passing by. Now with Project: MEGA 2.0 launching in the Dubai Mall in February 2012, we’re expecting a footfall five times greater than that.”

Project: MEGA is just one manifestation of an underground art scene percolating across the region. “A lot of people are coming out of the woodwork,” explains Mo. “Most are self-taught and used to working alone, but since coming together for Project: MEGA they’ve realised there’s a community they can tap into. So, instead of people hogging the limelight, they’re collaborating and encouraging growth. We have a lot of Arab artists starting to get noticed, usually from Lebanon and Palestine, but typically here in the UAE, things are still underground. A couple of artists have that Emirati flair, that Arab style, like Maisoon – she incorporates traditional art into her work.”

At just 23, Maisoon Al-Saleh is at the vanguard of the region’s contemporary art scene, and already boasts a roster of successful solo shows. But thanks to initiatives like Project: MEGA, she’s starting to see more self-taught artists gain exposure without having to play the gallery game. “Having new ideas in the region, such as MEGA, is creating a new wave in the art scene,” she explains. “Designer toys have really shifted the artist’s perception of how you make art. It’s a fresh perspective.”

“The artwork speaks for itself,” adds Mo. “Project: MEGA is just a direction. Having everyone walk in the same direction and think in the same way, we can create something beautiful.”

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epilogue reativity exists everywhere. From townships in South Africa to galleries in Paris, railway arches in London to catwalks in Stockholm, independent thought and talent always flourishes in unexpected corners.

New Era Introducing pays tribute to that vibrant spirit. There are eighty creative, wonderful and off-the-wall artworks in this book, and each one is testament to the skill, creativity and passion of the emerging artist behind it.

But this is just the beginning. As an ongoing project that will expand in reach and scope every year, New Era Introducing – in book, online, exhibition and workshop format – is a platform for the creative minds of tomorrow to share their work with the world.

Creativity is a unifying thing: it can move a man to make a hat, and it can empower people to get behind his vision. That’s our heritage, and now New Era Introducing wants to support others to create a heritage of their own.

Some artists will change the world and some will simply make their own streets a little bit brighter.

We hope that this collection has the power to inspire and delight everyone who sees it

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