Sterling Ruby’s Calvin Klein

August 1, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Collages by Edward Kanarecki (the above featuring elements from Sterling Ruby’s art).

Raf Simons‘ take on Calvin Klein is the biggest momentum going on in New York’s fashion, whether we’re speaking of his brilliant autumn-winter 2017 show or the visionary advertising strategy. As if that wasn’t enough to make a dusty brand take-off right away, there’s also the Madison Avenue flagship re-designed by Ruby Sterling, which reopened last Saturday.

Raf and Ruby are long-time friends and have collaborated on many projects – from a capsule collection of parkas and sweatshirts at Simons’ eponymous menswear line to fabrics for Dior’s haute couture show in 2012 (the Belgian designer designed womenswear at the French house for three years). Simons and Sterling’s paths cross again, but this time in form of a three-floor store covered in glowing yellow paint and the artist’s custom-made installations. As Ruby described his work in the past issue of 032c, his art is something cartoonish and illustrative, yet contains dark gothic humor of it. Knowing Simons’ signature style, that’s quite a match. Also, the artist often uses motifs connected to Americana – a theme Raf frequently relates to while working at Calvin Klein, the all-American fashion powerhouse. It’s worth adding that aong the clothes and accessories with CK tag, you are able to buy vibrant Italian glassware, Homer Laughlin coffee mugs and Rose Cabat’s ceramics in Raf and Ruby’s brand new empire.

Calvin Klein; Location: New York NY;

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But if you’re not planning New York in near future and have no chance to get hold of Simons’ Calvin Klein garments, better get hold of those yellow sleeves, this jacquard blouse or that very in-demand turtleneck. Just saying.

Calvin Klein

July in Berlin

July 13, 2017August 20, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

What’s better than spending a rainy July day on visiting your favourite Berlin spots? Going for the sale-season triathlon? Discovering new designers? Induldging yo’self in tuna tataki? I think nothing can beat those…

Few days ago, The Store and Berlin-based label Ottolinger launched an exclusive collection of tie-dyed t-shirts and sweatshirts in all tones of rusty-brown, illustrated by the brand’s friend and collaborator @ruffiodoom (Instagram nickname). Also, the paint-covered accessories caught my eye – choose between the customized Nike AF1 sneakers and the tiny-miney hand-bags with souvenir charms (you know, the tourist ones, like the ‘I love Italy’ trash) attached. One-off DIY feeling of Ottolinger is Christa Bösch’s and Cosima Gadient’s signature style, perfectly fitting Berlin’s current creative energy.

Torstraße 1 (enter through Soho House Hotel). More about The Store here.

Fiona Bennett‘s store is both a beautifully lit display of the brand’s headwear and an atelier filled with local petites mains of millinery. We were all considering one of those summer-y straw Panama hats, the house’s new addition…

Potsdamer Straße 81-83

Sticks ‘n’ Sushi is a brand new spot which explores Japanese cuisine in a modern, but quite relaxed way. From delightful sushi with wagyu and a wide selection of sashimi to bowls of edaname and signature ‘Emotion’ set, the place is the right choice for a quick-lunch. The industrial interior à la former warehouse with spacious interior makes it super appealing.

Potsdamer Straße 85

Andreas Murkudis is a must-go whenever I visit the city. This time, my favourite concept store invites you to experience the Birkenstock Box. The travelling ‘retail experiment’ in Murkudis’ courtyard will stay there till 22nd of July. It offers slightly revamped Birkenstock sandals, created exclusively for Andreas Murkudis If you’re not really into cult orthopedic sandals, and a massive Céline sale doesn’t excite you (ok, that’s creepy), then you will surely fall in love with the massive installation by Kostas Murkudis – a line of satin dresses hanging down the ceiling, forming a rainbow colour palette. Looks very, very impressive.

Potsdamer Straße 81e

See you in Berlin!

Colette Closes its Doors

July 12, 2017July 12, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Sometimes, innocent morning scrolling on Instagram hurts. My heart ached, while I was reading Colette’s latest post. Hoped it’s a late prima-aprilis kind-of-pun. But when all Parisians started posting the signature, blue dots, this became a fact – Colette closes its doors. The boutique on rue St. Honore was founded in 1997 by Colette Roussaux (who decided for retirement), and has been led by her daughter Sarah Andelman in recent years. “It’s the only shop where I go because they have things no one else has,”Karl Lagerfeld told BoF last year. “I buy watches, telephones, jewellery there — everything really! They have invented a formula that you can’t copy easily, because there is only one Colette and her and Sarah are 200 percent involved.”

An era ends on the 20th of December. By that time, the most famous spot in Paris will reach its 20 years of ‘hype’ existence. When I visited Colette for the first time in 2007, it felt like a fashion mecca, where everything, BUT everything was (and still is) the ultimate holy grail. Colette became the example for all concept stores around the world to follow. The idea of having high-end brands like Dior together with streetwear favourites and niche books felt like out of this world, like total non-chalance. And it was the Colette’s founder who did that first. If you think of the number of collaborations Colette has done with all their brands – from sequin totes by Ashish to the current Balenciaga installation – its a chapter of fashion history on its own rights. As for now, the official statement of the store says: Until our last day, nothing will change. Colette will continue to renew itself each week with exclusive collaborations and offerings.

In other words, it’s another sad, sad day for the fashion industry.

All photos come from Design & Culture by Ed archives.

Acne Studios in Berlin

April 14, 2017April 14, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s impossible not to love Acne Studios for at least two reasons: it’s edgy, yet wearable clothing, and remarkable store designs across the world. Although the one on Potsdammer Straße in Berlin isn’t the newest addition to Acne family, it’s a place where you want to stay for longer. Like in an art gallery, the wide, metallic tables display Acne’s sculptural wedges and arty sandals. One-of-a-kind chairs, piles of signature, pink shoe-boxes, industrial ceiling lamps: the store reflects the multi-faceted chcarecter of Jonny Johnasson‘s aesthetic. As the current menswear collection features a lot of lovely pastel pink (like the rubber sole of the shoes I’m trying below), one of the sellers wore a pair of pants in a matching colour. “Boys should wear more pink!” he said. Indeed!

Potsdamer Straße 87 / Berlin

Not Just Chocolate Boxes

March 28, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

While walking around Paris, I was surprised to spot so many new chocolatiers on the market. Forget Godiva. Even Pierre Marcolini is quite a yawn. The gourmet world of Patrick Roger amazes with rhapsody of unconventional flavours, unusual combinations of textures and extraordinary choco-aesthetic (I mean, just look at the image above – his current window display on Place Madeleine). Roger’s search for perfection leads to intense, extravagant chocolates with extraordinary ‘fragrances’, as he tends to say. This chocolatier makes no compromises when it comes to the origin of the ingredients he uses in his cooking, looking back at his childhood and exotic voyages for inspiration. Discovering the new and thriving to surprise the taste buds – his green boxes guarantee all that.

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And the interior is a delightful addition. Designed by X-TU Architects it has an abstract, honeycomb structure resembling a beehive. It is a modern shop-gallery of sculptures that is not limited to just chocolate packages. Aluminum and bronze perfectly fit Roger’s slightly raw style of chocolate creation.