UP & COMERS VOLUME. I
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UP & COMERS VOLUME. I
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what’s it about?
“Up & Comers” is a quar terly magazine aimed at students, featuring only high quality, tested material, to keep you up to date with regards to Fashion, Music, Films & more. I personally understand that trawling through music sites and waiting for one of your mates to wear something you haven’t seen or heard of before can be very tiring, so rather than making you play the waiting game, this magazine is here to make your life much much easier. This magazine contains all of my interests, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
TRISTAN O’CONNOR
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volume one.
CLOTHING
Norse Projects Raised by Wolves Our Legacy B.W.G.H. Wood Wood House of Billiam The Weeknd Miguel MUSIC
Kendrick Lamar Macklemore A$AP Rocky Ryan Leslie Beasts of the Southern Wild
FILM
Rust and Bone Room 237 42 Compliance Ar t
TA L K
Books Spor t Television Architecture
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NORSE PROJECTS founded in 2006
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There’s something ver y charming about Scandinavian clothing at the moment, whether it’s the little twists they put on the things we normally take for granted, or if it’s the complete reinvention and introduction of clothing we in the UK haven’t really seen before. At the moment, no one is doing things better than Copenhagen based company Norse Projects. Basic and functional clothing with a workwear aesthetic; these are clothes for people who appreciate high quality and appreciate the finer details.
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CLOTHING
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RAISED by W O LV E S As far as caps and hats go, no one knows their uses quite like Canadians; what with the extremes in weather season after season. This is why it only seems fitting that one of the most exciting Up & Comers in this categor y hails from Ottawa, Canada. Blending tradition with current trends, and risqué patterns with classic hard wearing materials such as suede and cord, could only mean one thing: some of the prettiest hats I’ve ever seen; and they’re competitively priced too.
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OUR LEGACY founded in 2005 14
Another Scandinavian company to keep your eye on. Founded in Sweden by Messrs Christopher Nying and Jockum Hallin, Our Legacy offer the sor t of timeless, high quality and classic clothing the ever y day man should be investing in whenever he has the chance. The good thing about it is it’s incredibly versatile, and diverse (just look at their printed shir ts); this not only means you’re fashionable whatever the catwalks are doing, but it also means you won’t be chucking money at new clothes year after year.
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B . W. G . H
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It’s been quite a while since a really exciting mens clothing brand came out of France, the last being A.P.C, all the way back in the last millennium; so it’s nice to see one finally step up to the plate and deliver where apparently others have failed. Brooklyn We Go Hard (derived from the 2008 Jay-Z song) produces beautiful sweatshir ts, shir ts and t-shir ts which mould the street life of Brooklyn, with crisp Parisian design. These will last you years, and give you wear all year round. A good investment in my eyes.
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Not strictly an Up & Comer, but more a company that’s finally getting the recognition and praise it deser ves. Founded by a trio of designers in Copenhagen, Denmark, it star ted off as a series of graphic t-shir ts, along with a few collectable products, such as books and toys. The success of this in the Berlin and Copenhagen stores turned into a biannual collection, and not only resulted in some ver y nice clothes, but also the creation of a bicycle racing team, music collaborations and ar t exhibitions. Since then the brand has gone on to much bigger things, collaborating with clothing giants such as Adidas, Nike & Fred Perr y. Only recently with their recent collaboration with Barbour however (see right) have they been famed as anything more than yet another Scandinavian fashion house. Their collection of playful graphics, classic street wear and high-end fashion means they’re not only diverse, but also a force to be reckoned with.
WOOD WOOD founded in 2002
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HOUSE of BILLIAM
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While most brands are concentrating on bringing more sar torially elegant pieces into the ever y day man’s wardrobe, one brand in par ticular is going the other way, and so far it’s seemed like a ver y wise decision. House of Biliam was founded in 2009 in Nor thampton, England, by Tom Bird, and it’s philosophy is simple: creating a huge range of bespoke and off the rail jackets using only the highest quality British materials available. Worn by Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, A$AP Rocky & more, you’ll be rolling with fashion royalty in one of these jackets.
THE WEEKND Born in Toronto, Canada, and of Muslim-Amish faith, Abel Tesfaye is still as relatively unknown by the masses as he was when he star ted posting YouTube videos under the alias of ‘the Weeknd ’. However, his album ‘Trilogy’ is sure to lift his reputation to new levels, and lift him from being just a feature on ‘Take Care’ by Drake, to a recognised solo act; remastering his previous three mixtapes into one smooth and relaxing masterpiece is a clever ploy, and if ‘Rolling Stone’ is anything to go by, we can’t wait.
Trilogy (out November 13th)
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MUSIC
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MIGUEL Not so much of an Up & Comer (considering this album isn’t his first release) but more of a completely underrated, ver y talented ar tist. Although the Los Angeles born 25 year old hasn’t received much char t success, his new album ‘Kaleidoscope Dream’ is a sure game changer in that respect. The first single ‘Adorn’ has received more than 10 million views on YouTube and peaked at number one in the Billboard R&B Hip-Hop char t, although categorising him in a genre is ver y difficult. Definitely one to look out for.
Kaleidoscope Dream (on iTunes now)
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MACKLEMORE Floating quietly under the radar for over ten years, Macklemore has gradually learnt the do’s and dont’s of the rap business, with his first self distributed release not quite taking off. However, he’s back with avengance with the help of producer Ryan Lewis, creating a perfect blend of lyrically transpor ting and maturely composed tracks, to create a rare thing, a complete album. Shooting to number one on the iTunes char t is a tell tale sign that this is a rap album that not only appeals to the masses, but impresses them too. The Heist (on iTunes now)
KENDRICK LAMAR
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Being highly rated by someone as impor tant to hip hop as Dr. Dre is, is a sure sign that something you’re doing is right. In Kendrick Lamar’s case it’s his throw back to the golden days of hip hop, and his smooth flowing, hard hitting lyrics that are winning him fans; something that Dre knows only too well is being appreciated once more. Good Kid M.a.a.d City is an intelligent mix of possible Hip-Hop char t toppers such as ‘The Recipe’ & ‘Compton’; mixed with classics such as ‘Swimming Pools’ & ‘Poetic Justice’. This is an album that’s ver y hard to fault, and highly recommended.
good kid, m.A.A.d city (on iTunes now)
A$AP ROCKY
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Gradually becoming as well known for his incredibly sharp eye for fashion as he is as a serious game changer in the rap game, the power of A$AP Rocky lies in his relaxed deliver y, intelligent word play and his sheer individuality. When this is accompanied by the dark and minimalist background beats we’ve become accustomed to from Hit-Boy and Noah ‘40’ Shebib, it transpor ts you to a realm of rap I personally have never experienced before. Not only is A$AP an Up & Comer, I think he might just keep on rising.
LongLiveA$AP (out early 2013)
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RYAN LESLIE
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Producer, singer, rapper, director, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur and Har vard graduate; Ryan Leslie really is a man to be envious of. Although he’s not strictly an Up & Comer, he’s someone that still manages to slip under the nose of those not in the know. His eclectic and usually inexplicit stor y telling, accompanied by the sheer strength and depth of his production are an incredibly underrated combination, something that I don’t think will be kept under wraps for much longer after the release of Les Is More.
Les Is More (on iTunes now)
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BEASTS of the SOUTHERN WILD Films with a six year old protagonist are often met with anxiety, and Beasts of the Southern Wild was no exception. However, they were wrong,
as QuvenzhanÊ Wallis not only holds her own, but delivers one of the most joyous, inspiring performances by any actress this year. The strength of Benh Zeitlin’s writing and directing paired with her performance results in one of the films of the year.
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FILM
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RUST and BONE Featuring in films such as The Dark Knight Rises and Inception, Marion Cotillard is well known in the mainstream film world, but it’s her presence in the underground French film scene which
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highlights her talent as an exceptional actress. De Rouille et D’os or Rust and Bone, only highlights her reputation. Playing a woman who loses both her legs and her reason to live, Cotillard delivers a performance to wrench the hear tstrings and inspire a new appreciation of life.
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ROOM 237 If you didn’t think that The Shining was disturbing enough, Room 237 has now been released. This documentar y film explores the hidden meanings and symbolism that a lot of us missed in Stanley
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Kubrick’s 1980 thriller. However, there were a small few who watched the film meticulously for years, studying it in depth and realising that it’s not what it first appears. The film explains these theories in depth, and let me tell you, it is terrifyingly eye opening.
42 Coming out next year, 42 is a biographical film that documents the life and career of the famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson. Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player,
and not only was he instrumental in bringing down the racial divide in baseball, he was also an incredibly talented player. Playing him in this film is Chadwick Boseman (seen above), and the film also stars Harrison Ford, so you know it has some quality already.
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the CENTRAL PARK FIVE Documentar y films are one of my personal favourite film genres, as not only do you witness good cinematography, you learn a lot about something impor tant, The Central Park Five is
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no exception. This excellently produced film documents the conviction of five black and latino teenagers, who raped a white woman in Central Park. It was only after they had spent between six and thir teen years in prison before a serial rapist confessed, and their conviction was over turned.
URBAN AIR Stephen Glassman (art)
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Urban Air is a concept by Stephen Glassman which plans to combat the greenhouse effect in areas with high traffic volumes, which I feel is highly commendable. The basic idea of this is to plant bamboo in unused billboards on American highways, creating a burst of colour in a normally monochrome and dull environment. The bamboo plant also absorbs CO2 incredibly effectively, and produces oxygen, making the highways technically a little bit cleaner.
CLOSER Scott Schuman (books)
Closer is a book from the creator of the Sar torialist; Scott Schuman, Made up of a beautiful array of images of the men and women of the world who have caught his keen fashion eye, the book differs highly from his much loved blog, exploring fashion in depth as far afield as Seoul and Rio de Janeiro. Schuman has a rare gift, his images always seem to be captured at the perfect moment, telling both the stories of the moment, and of the person within the picture.
COMMENT
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FOOTBALL Countries to Look Out For (sport)
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There becomes a time, about once ever y two years, where ever y man suddenly knows all there is to know about international football. It doesn’t matter if said man has ever watched football before in his life, he will still know as much if not more than you. However, in preparation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, I thought it a good idea to give you a head star t on who the dark horses of this competition may be, before the exper t pundits come out in their masses.
The teams doing well at the moment appear to be the teams turning to youth. These include the usual culprits, such as Spain, Brazil and Germany, but there a few dark horses in the mix already. Teams such as Colombia, Uruguay and Belgium are ones to look out for, and because I’m English, I think we may stand a better chance come 2014. Belgium are my pick of the four, as their team has strength all over, with Hazard, Kompany, Fellaini, Dembélé, Witzel: the list goes on. Colombia have a good keeper, and the hottest proper ty in world football at the moment, Radamel Falcao; Uruguay are packing firepower up front in the form of Suarez and Cavani, but the shakiness of both of their defences is always a concern, and I think this is what wil hold them back come 2014.
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B O A R D WA L K E M P I R E Sky Atlantic
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The third series is always incredibly difficult, especially when you’re not only having to contend with making the stor yline as good as the last series; you’ve also got to make the clothes as exquisite and fashionable as well. This is the problem Boardwalk Empire faces season after season, as their first series set a sar torial trend ablaze that no one saw coming. However, it must be nice knowing they don’t have to worr y about the acting, Buscemi has that covered.
JENGA BUILDING Herzog & De Meuron (architecture)
Work is apparently set to commence on this next year, and I for one can’t wait. This 250 metre high building is called the Jenga Building, and will for once be a beautiful sky scraper not reser ved for office space; instead it will be completely residential, and offer unbelievable views of New York. Work on this structure is set to repor tedly cost a cool $600 million, so I can only hazard a guess that the studios within it won’t be cheap.
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