July 22, 2010

I took the M train to Bushwick, Brooklyn, last week to sit for artist Richard Haines. We chatted about boys in Brooklyn, fashion, and his recent show at John Bartlett's shop. I left with a portrait and several questions, which I posed to Haines after our meeting. See his answers, and illustrations, below.

What made you start blogging?
I was looking for more freelance work as a menswear designer and thought if I had a blog of cool-looking guys, I could use it as a talking point and a marketing tool. The irony is that I had no intention of using it to promote my illustrations or that it would turn into an illustration "vehicle." So much for planning ...

You've worked with Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, Perry Ellis, and Sean Combs. What did you learn from them?
I learned so much from each of them that it's hard to know where to start. They all informed my eye and how I see things. I feel very fortunate to work with such amazing visionaries. From Blass I learned about the purity of American design, and from Perry I learned how to incorporate a sense of humor and lightness into design. From Calvin I learned the importance of sticking to one's beliefs and the power of advertising and image. From Diddy I learned about fearlessness. He just doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks about why he does what he does. I love that.

Where do you find most of your models?
I'm really inspired by what I see on the streets, so that's where I find my models. Part of the premise of the blog is that New York is a constant stream of attractive, well-put-together people. The city never lets me down! I had a show of erotic drawings at John Bartlett's store recently. All the guys who posed were guys I met in Bushwick; there are so many sexy, well-put-together guys here!

Who is easier to draw, men or women? 

Both are, for the most part, easy to draw. It really depends on the person rather than the gender. Before my show of nudes at Bartlett, my biggest challenge was learning to draw people naked. In a way it's much easier to sketch people wearing clothes. It's easier to hide mistakes with a pocket or a stripe!

How does living in Bushwick influence your work?
Bushwick has been a huge influence, much more that I ever anticipated. Because of the (relatively) cheap rents, the area attracts a lot of artists. There is a really interesting community of artists living here, people doing some amazing things. That energy excites and inspires me. A friend said I like it here because it reminds me of Manhattan in the '80s. They have a point!

Tell me about your J.Crew collaboration.
I love what they do, and Mickey Drexler is one of my heroes, so it starts there. I went down to check out their Liquor Store the day before it opened and struck up a conversation with the guys prepping it. One thing led to another, and they asked me to do a group of sketches for the window of their Broadway store when it opened. It was an amazing opportunity and really helped give me and my blog visibility. I also did "personal appearances" there -- sketching people, which was a first for me. That opened a whole new range of opportunities.

What other illustrators inspire you?
When I was around 11, I was staying at my grandparents' for the summer. My grandfather religiously read The New York Times, and I remember leafing through it and seeing a series of sketches recording the Paris couture shows. It was love at first sight. I was transported and transfixed. I started copying them and there was no turning back. A few years later, Antonio Lopez was illustrating for Fashion of the Times and it was another turning point. His work is amazing. It still looks as incredible today as it did then. Anyone who illustrates needs to know his work. Other big influences are Joe Eula, Kenneth Paul Block, René Bouché ... all amazing artists with strong, confident hands.

Do you have a muse?
I have many! Guys I see on the street, who I may never see again, to friends I've made here in Bushwick -- all the guys I sketched for the Bartlett show are amazing muses. Aside from cute guys and fellow artists, I'd say my biggest muse is my daughter. She's 13, an amazing artist herself, and developing her own style and way of interacting in the world. Watching her is a constant source of inspiration.

In school I felt many instructors pushed technical design over illustration. They told me it was what the industry required. Do you agree?
Everyone needs to know basics in drawing. I teach that, much to the frustration of some students who want to put style before substance. Style without a basic understanding of drawing ends up being doodles! And depending on what kind of drawing one is studying, technical design is important too. But I do think that one reason people respond to my work is that it's nontechnical. I think people are hungry for the human "hand," errors, smudges, and all.

How many illustrations do you think you've done in your lifetime?
Ha! That's a great question! No one has ever asked me that. I've been drawing since I was able to hold a pencil, so it's pretty difficult to say. And between when I finish this Q&A and when I go to bed, I'll have done more, so it's very much a changing work in motion!

Donny Miller's book Beautiful People with Beautiful Feelings is Bradford Shellhammer's favorite art book ever. Shellhammer tracked down the artist to discuss the cult following for that book and his new line of shoes for Vans.

How did you initially start working with Vans?
Steve Mills [head of Vault] called me up and asked if I'd like to do a collaboration in the Vault category. I used to be an art director there a long time ago. R. Crumb, Rick Griffin, and Robert Williams had just done a Vault collaboration, and I thought that would be great to follow as well as a tough act to follow. I'm a very big fan of theirs. They influenced me a lot.

Where did you get the idea to print laces on their slip-ons?
I had the idea for a while. One of those "That would be cool if ... " thoughts I had. It all came together at the right time.

Originally, your shoe was not a mass release, but now Vans is mass-producing it. What prompted that?
It was the highest prebook that Beams in Japan had ever ordered for a Vans shoe, or so I've been told. Right off the bat that was good news and a market indicator. Then it really took off on all the blogs, along with the commercial I directed for it, and people just wanted a pair. As far as I know, most of them are gone from the first release. I made slipupshoe.com to show the colors and where to buy them. It's just a site with information and links.

There is an obvious humor to these shoes, and to your other work. What makes you laugh?
After I get really depressed, I think about how upset I was and it almost always makes me laugh. Oh, watching people at a bar act really sexy. That is comic gold. You know, making sexy eyes and looking all serious-sexy. Sometimes tossing their heads back in an overexaggerated laugh, only to bring their heads back down and cock their eyebrows. Recently, watching people sleep really cracks me up, their subtle facial movements. Also, people with a lot of McDonald's in their pants are very funny.

Your Beautiful People with Beautiful Feelings is my favorite book. I swear I have given it as a gift 30-plus times. Are others as obsessed with it as I am?
I have been blessed with an intelligent fan base who aren't very pushy. I get people e-mailing me saying they like my stuff, but they've been very respectful. Since I'm married now, I don't get any more marriage requests. I have a friend who knows Ed Ruscha (I had sent Ed a book; I'm a big fan of his), and she told me one year Ed gave my book to everyone he knew and told them this is the funniest book you'll ever read. That was one of the best compliments I've ever received in my life.

Will there be a follow-up?
Yes, I am working on one right now. I don't have a name for it yet. I was thinking of calling it The Hardest Thing to Do in Art Is Something Original.

You're a fine artist, a commercial artist, an author, and a designer. What's more fun?
To be honest, it's all the same to me. I really love immersing myself in a project. I usually work really fast and sometimes I don't come up for air. Maybe for a coffee. I usually know what I want to do before I start. I like directing things a lot. I just like making stuff, being creative. People who I've worked with in the past will attest to how hard I work. I'm grateful. I'm not a prima donna.

You've put your art on skateboards and snowboards. When is the surfboard coming?
Hmm, I haven't really pursued anything like that, but you know what? The next time I see Kelly Slater, I'm going to say I want to do the art on his next board. I will make that happen.

Any other fashion collaborations in the works?
I'm doing stuff with RVCA, and with TOTT [Tools of the Trade] for a toy that should be out in December. More about that later. I have some other things in the works, but they're a little too early in development to really talk about. I have a show at the University of Tennessee later this year. Directing a commercial (can't mention the name right now). Lots of stuff. I'm just keeping busy.

I recently collaborated with Kii Arens, artist and mischief-maker, on a series of posters honoring gay icons. I fell in love with Arens's energy and artwork immediately upon setting foot in his retro live/work space in Hollywood. Below is our conversation about icons, fashion references, and good old rock and roll.

You make music, music videos, and posters. What discipline is most satisfying to work in?
Art first. Music is like my dessert. If I finish the task or tasks of the day, I reward myself by making music. It's a perfect left turn for my brain. Music videos are quite a process with very little reward. I mean, after all that work you really only want to watch a video once for three minutes. A great poster lasts a lifetime.

Your posters are pure pop. How did you get your gig designing the concert posters for the Hollywood Bowl?
A good friend of mine, Shannon Cornett, who works for the Bowl, needed a Beck/MGMT/ Spoon poster in a pinch. There was so little time to get this done that Beck actually approved the artwork from the dentist's chair. "That looks great!" "Now spit!" Funny.

When I visited your studio to work on our Madonna poster, you showed me old Erté books you were using for inspiration. What other designers inspire you?
Sid and Marty Krofft are No. 1. Their color schemes and sky's-the-limit imagination really set me off in the '70s. I'm stuck in the '70s and lovin' every minute of it.

You make bags and lunch boxes too. What haven't you designed yet that you're just dying to?
Big chunky rubber watches. Color combos for days! And there's a pie-in-the-sky dream I have to design water towers.

You've created images of some major fashion icons: Liza, Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, and Lady Gaga. Who are your favorite fashion icons?
In that list I'll pick Dolly for sure. Trashy and classy at the same time is pure genius. For my own personal pick I'll choose Charles Nelson Reilly. I would love a pair of his glasses. As for Gaga, I love how she is really changing the game. Even the rappers are writing copy songs about robots and shit. She's gotta go away for a while right now, though, right? Once you start making videos with Beyoncé, you know you're caught up in the bling generation. Videos made with all the talent that money can buy is a bad call, I think. She should disappear for a second, not too long, and come back with a great new album with real songs.

I mean, I love Rice Krispie bars, but I eat the whole pan every time and I can't even look at them for a while. Same thing applies to Gaga. It's a bit of an overload for the moment. Too much hype with not enough content, but nonetheless I'm so glad she wiped the slate clean.

Bowie never had that problem, as he realized that music came first. As for fashion, I love it, but I never keep up with the names.

When you're designing the Hollywood Bowl posters, how much input does the individual artist have in the ultimate design?
If you mean the actual band or performer, thus far, none. It's always best to hand something to someone before they are expecting anything.

Have you met most of your subjects?
I'd say about 50 percent of them. I have a tendency to pick artists who are a bit older. Usually at the end of the show they rush away from the venue and go home. I really can't blame them, as I'm sure backstage antics are pretty old-hat to them.

What is your favorite poster in your back catalog?
Liza, hands down. I did that one for my mother. I'm so lucky to have her. She's amazing and I love her so much. My dad is equally amazing! Hi, Dad!

Your live/work studio is as bright and colorful as your art. Have you always been so colorful?
Always. My mom really had and has a great eye for color. In the early '80s, I would dye my own jeans with fluorescent colors. By the time Wham! hit, I was already over it. DayGlo colors, that is. George Michael really needs to put out a good album again, right? It worked for Al Green. He needs a producer who can tame him and keep him away from house beats. Listen Without Prejudice is a masterpiece. Oh, wait a minute ... what was the question? Sorry.

Are there other graphic artists you admire?
Bob Peak is a big fave. Posters like IN LIKE FLINT, MAME, CAMELOT, MY FAIR LADY, APOCALYPSE NOW, and all of those great shoe and airline ads. I'm dying to get one of his originals. Phil Gips is amazing as well ... ROSEMARY'S BABY, EMMANUELLE, and many others.

And I just have to know: What's your favorite album of all time?
Tough to pick, but here's my top five:

1. Queen, Sheer Heart Attack
2. Dusty Springfield, Dusty in Memphis
3. Radiohead, The Bends
4. Cheap Trick, In Color
5. David Bowie, Hunky Dory

Danielle Ribner's line, Loup, combines tennis activewear with wearable items, blurring the line between performance and fashion. Bradford Shellhammer caught up with the New York-based designer recently to talk about her line.

Why did you start Loup?
I started Loup because I felt there was a lack of comfortable, easy clothing out there for women who still wanted to look feminine, stylish, and put together, and I thought it would be a great place to build my first collection.

Your line incorporates fashion and tennis. What's missing from most tennis gear on the market?
I feel that a lot of tennis gear is built for a certain very athletic woman, and I wanted to bring some femininity and softness into the genre. There aren't a lot of options for women who want something a little looser, less clingy, and more wearable before and after you play.

Why do you find yourself now moving away from strict athleticwear and into more everyday items?
I love athleticwear, but the philosophy behind Loup has always been to make athleticwear more wearable on an everyday basis, so it seems natural for the brand to move toward more ready-to-wear items. What's still important is making the garment easy to wear, easy to care for, and wearable for lots of different activities.

Did you grow up playing tennis?
I did grow up playing tennis, and my parents still play every week. I was never that great at it, but it was always a fun game to play, especially because you could wear cute outfits while doing it! What has been your biggest challenge in launching your own line?
The biggest challenge has definitely been wearing all the different hats from designing to running the business to selling the collection. There's an endless amount to accomplish, so it's a constant struggle to make sure it doesn't get too overwhelming.

What athletic brands and designers do you admire?
Well, I love what Stella McCartney does at Adidas and I love what she does in her main line. I also think Cynthia Rowley has made a really cool collaboration with Roxy surfwear this summer. I also admire designers like Alber Elbaz at Lanvin and Phoebe Philo at Celine, who really think about women and what they actually want to wear.

Which tennis player do you think has the best personal style?
I think Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova always look great on the court and they take some chances, which is cool. Two up-and-comers -- Sydni Katz and Alexandra Mueller -- both sport some Loup on the courts as well, so of course I think they have great style!

Where can your line be found?
The line is carried at tennis and contemporary boutiques all around the country, including Westport Workout Wear in Connecticut and Envy Sportswear in San Diego. And of course there is the official Loup online store at store.louponline.com, which carries special exclusives as well.

Your blog is a mix of imagery and musings. Why did you start your blog?
I actually started the Loup blog, LoveLoup, last season when my production schedule was delayed a month and I realized that Loup still goes on even when the clothes aren't in the stores! There are so many things that constantly inspire the collections and continue to shape the brand, and I wanted to share that with the customers and fans.

Who is your core customer?
Right now the customers range from teenagers to women in their 60s who buy the line equally for tennis and everyday wear, and who all seem to be thankful for a brand that thinks about comfort as much as style.

Not all fashion is pretty and feminine. There is a dark side to fashion too. David Mason Chlopecki's Slick It Up label is not for everyone and is not always safe for work. Bradford Shellhammer caught up with the designer/unicorn to talk about his brand, his models, and the appropriate time to wear a hood.

When and where was Slick It Up born?
Slick It Up came to life after 30 years of keen appreciation of body-conscious clothing. Being a child of the '80s made it impossible for me not to deeply appreciate the ideal.

A mutual friend told me you were an incredible milliner, though I could barely find anything online to support this. How did you go from working with hats to neoflex?
After graduating from CalArts, I actually considered going to school for toy design. When I completed the application, they asked me to design four toys. I realized all I was interested in was action figures and the accessories that those action figures had. So I decided to go to FIT for accessory design, which incorporated a lot of leatherwork. I just made a couple hood samples and it grew from there. Originally I sold on eBay, and a client who had a credit-card-processing agency actually asked me if I wanted to start taking credit cards myself and it grew from there.

There is a definite sense of style in everything you create, from the garments themselves to the models, the art direction in photos, etc. Did you intentionally decide to incorporate more "fashion" elements into the world of fetishwear?
Absolutely. I try to deliver a fantasy. I used to do couture millinery and one-off accessories for various runway shows and designers like Moschino, Cavalli, Zanotti, and all those celebrities whose names you always see thrown around when it comes to this kind of thing.

Likewise, a sense of humor exists in your work. How do you balance that point of view with your subject matter, which by nature is darker and sexier?
Well, there is something inherently funny about spandex -- I mean, it's not "serious" clothing. It's far from tweed. I mean, it's serious business if you're wearing it, but to me it's certainly an aggressive gesture for the show ponies of the world and not something you wear without knowing how jarring it is. So I appreciate a wink and a nod while someone serves me amazing ass in spandex. It just makes me happy -- it's fun.

I try to go as far as I can before it becomes a "boner kill." So what I do is I contrast something like a slingshot thong with a hard-looking guy with tattoos or something, so there's a yin to the yang.

Where do you find your models?
I've found models everywhere. I just finally had cards made, because I see so many guys on the street who would be incredible! I've found guys at the gym; I also search the websites that feature profiles for guys with muscles, and a lot of guys come to me as well.

Does Slick It Up have seasonal collections? Do you show your work in a traditional format?
No, I work in a monthly format: I come out with one or two things a month. I don't work in a traditional "collection" format. It just wouldn't be smart for me; it's better to dole them out monthly and keep the people's interest and the orders coming in.

When is the most appropriate time to wear a hood?
Hmmmm. Anonymous sex is always a good time -- or when you're stealing the baseball diamond.

And your favorite piece in your collection is ...
Personally I have the most respect for the customers who buy the candy sling or the cobra. Both take so much nerve.

Your blog, House of Vader, is a combination of personal reflections, stylized videos, some porn, and fashion. Why do you keep a blog?
In the beginning I just wanted to reach out to people who I thought would have a similar sensibility, but now that it's grown so big it's become therapeutic for me. It's sorta like a diary. I divulge a lot, but not everything.

What is the biggest hurdle you encounter designing and running your own line?
Hmmm, material supply can be frustrating -- when you have to wait two months for your neoflex to get here from Korea, you're biting your nails in the last legs of it.

Tell me about the photos of you dressed as a unicorn.
That was just another Slick It Up marketing idea that I didn't realize would be so huge. To have 100 posters of me printed dressed like a unicorn seemed like a hard sell, but I didn't even think of the female market, and they are into it. There are so many people with that picture as their photo for Facebook. There's even a guy who has a Facebook page dedicated to putting your face on top of mine for your own unicorn photo. I've considered sending him my photo just to see if he notices.

June 17, 2010

Jon Gasca and his father Jesus Gasca are the creative minds behind STUA, a 20-year-old design house based in Spain. I tracked Jon down in San Sebastian, Spain, and asked him about his new chair, STUA's lack of fuss, and what it's like working with dad.


Jesús Gasca, left, and his son, Jon, pose with their 1998 Nube chair.

STUA is a family business. How did it all start?
Jesus Gasca, my father, started the company 26 years ago. He wanted to create a line of pieces that would be long-lasting designs. So he started the company by creating just one item. He invested time to make it work. Now this product is still in production, it is called the Deneb table, and it is one of our timeless designs.

What is it like working with your father?
We have quite a fluent relationship: we both work together on the concept of the piece we want to create. He works harder in the engineering side of the product, and I take more care about the styling. Sometimes we take brainstorming afternoons to see how we can do things, and all this time [invested] is evident in the design of the products.

I feel Spanish designers have a playfulness that's not always visible in our designers' work. Would you agree?
I believe there is a Mediterranean touch to Spanish design, and that makes things more natural, more fluent. We prefer not to over-design things.

What designers do you admire most?
Dieter Rams, with all the electronics. The Eames, they were from another world. The Danish, Finn Juhl and Arne Jacobsen.

You also collect art. What artists do you love? What are you drawn to?
Most of the art that you see very often are not my style. But there is about 10% that touches me. Usually it's works that talk about people and life. My favorite artists are: Michael Brogans, Wolfgang Tillmans, Christian Boltanski, Kati Heck, Munition & Rosemblum. You can see what I like at jongasca.com.

Your new chair LACLASICA is understated, as is much of STUA. Do you intentionally design understated pieces?
We are a calm company, we are not pushy, and our furniture stays long in the market. Maybe it is the way we do things--we want our STUA and our products to be unpretentious. We are very pleased with LACLASICA, because it's a design that is easy to understand, and it hides all the production complexity. I could say that we prefer to hide how things are made, rather than to make with them fireworks. Fireworks extinguish. Timeless design stays. We want to stay, that is our goal.

What is your favorite piece from the STUA collection?
I love the Nube armchair.

You live in Madrid and San Sebastian, but travel all over the world. What are your favorite cities, buildings, and museums?
I work in San Sebastian, and spend many of my weekends in Madrid. I usually travel to cities where there is a big design world, places where I have to work. I can tell you my favorite places in those cities. Paris: the art galleries in the Marais and around the Picasso museum are nice. London: Tate Gallery is my favorite, both Tate Modern & Tate Britain (take the boat between them through river Thames). New York: The Chelsea Galleries, MoMA maybe too typical, but they are good. The Noguchi Museum in Queens. Madrid: Prado for Goya and Velazquez. Reina Sofia for contemporary art. Milano: the shopping.

What are you working on now?
We are trying to communicate furniture in a different way. Usually furniture is shown though photos. But we are trying to communicate now through videos. There is a story behind every decision, and we want to show this. So we are launching some videos that tell the STUA story. We are also working to launch LACLASICA chair to the market in September.

Brian Cousins and Hicham Benmira are the proprietors of Darr, a found-objects and furniture shop, and Hollander & Lexer, a clothing boutique, in Brooklyn. The two businesses are situated side-by-side within a circa 1903 building in Williamsburg, and on a recent Saturday I stumbled in and felt as if I'd entered another world. The pair answered some of my questions too.

You're the proprietors of the clothing shops Hollander & Lexer and the furniture and accessories shop Darr. Which is the harder of the two businesses to operate?
Both of the shops are challenging in their own way. Hollander & Lexer requires a lot of scheduling and organization. Darr calls for a lot of personal attention to every piece, from finding objects that fit our aesthetic to arranging how it fits in the store.

The things in Darr are mostly found objects. Where do you scout for your finds?
We have a van and we drive all over the country. We have so much fun doing it.

What is your favorite item right now?
Katie, our assistant in the Williamsburg shop.

Your new shops, side by side, recently opened in Williamsburg. They're stunning. How did you find the location and what did you do to the space to make it your own?
Our friend John Patrick from Organic called us up really early one morning going on and on about this space that would be great for us, and the rest is history. The spaces have had lots of different tenants over the years, and we wanted to get it back to what it looked like decades ago.

How old is the building?
I believe it dates from 1903.

The metal walls in Hollander & Lexer are stunning. What did you do to achieve that effect?
The walls and ceiling are covered in pressed tin, with several different patterns on the walls. We had never seen a room with tin covering all of the walls and the ceiling. They were original to the building. All the tin was covered in layers and layers of white paint; sheetrock walls had been added too. After removing the sheetrock (we weren't sure what we would find behind them) we had to Soda-Blast the tin to remove the paint. Sandblasting would have been too abrasive. We hand-finished the walls by adding different pigments and textures, and worked our magic.

And what did you do to the walls in Darr?
The walls in Darr are tin plate and wood paneling. All the wood, in both stores, was stripped to remove most of the paint. Again we added pigmentation and texture to build the patina.

How did you light the space?
Lighting the space was indeed a challenge. We designed our own ceiling lamp fixtures from scratch. We wanted fluorescent lighting, but then we had to find a way to soften the light to make it more attractive. We also wanted to reinforce the industrial/ historical connections with the area, and that influenced the overall shape and proportion of the lamps.

Why Brooklyn?
We live here and we don't like to take the subway, so we just walk.
You design your own eponymous clothing line in addition to stocking others. 

How do you choose what labels to carry in your shop?
They happen to be our friends and they're talented, so why not.

Do the same people who wear your clothes shop Darr too?
Yes, they do. They are of the same species.

How did you come up with the names for both shops?
Darr means "home" in Arabic, and Hollander and Lexer are two plastic surgeons from the early 1900s.

Where do you find your inspiration?
In our heads. Eventually we have to let it out, et voilà--the shops.

Last month artist and designer Phuc Van Dang sent me a note about our mutual love of color. That email exchange led to more, and allowed me to discover more about his varied works. I asked him a few questions about his love of color, his work with porcelain, and how Denmark, and other places, influence his work.

You wrote to me because I, like you, have a love of color. And I never tire of asking this one question. What is your favorite color?
Yes, it is very true that I have a love for colors. For me it is important to use colors in a good way, and that the colors become a part of the story. I do not know if I have an all-time favorite color. It shifts from project to project depending on inspiration. Right now I adore the color yellow (more specifically Pantone 102 C). It gives me joy and energy to look at it. But actually I love black when I draw--it's a strong indicator and black lines tend to provide contrasting expressions and a graphic edge.

You work in various design disciplines (porcelain, drawing, graphic arts). Which do you prefer?
Lately I've worked with ceramics, black buffalo horn and black ebony wood. I believe that each discipline has its own way of communicating to people. It is always an experience, when one proves or creates something new in materials. There is a new universe and new possibilities in every single kind of material, and this creates a story.

Your art and designs have childlike elements. Did you create art as a child?
I like naiveté, which tends to have a strong expression. When I was little, I was very shy and quiet and I loved to draw. I saw the world as an adventure, but still I was afraid to enter the lawn, simply because I saw the plants as small living creatures, and I did not want to kill them. Perhaps such a story from my childhood has accompanied me ever since and gives my work this adventurously naive expression. My most recognized work are my naïve human-like shapes. They are in different places, and they are small portraits of people, feelings, and experiences. The human-like characters are individuals who may bear a primitive mask that one may never know what is behind it.

You live in Denmark. How does that country shape your creations?
I live in a small town in Denmark called Horsens. The art scene is not very big here, so I often go elsewhere to make exhibitions. But I do love the calmness and air. Here I can focus on my projects without being distracted by the noise and busy lifestyle of the bigger cities. Most of my exhibitions are in Copenhagen and Barcelona. Copenhagen is a beautiful city, with a lot of development in architecture, art and design. You can feel and choose where you can get inspiration. In Copenhagen there are some small underground galleries that I like to visit and just hang out with friends. Barcelona is a city which has so many sources of inspiration for me--from the street art in both the galleries and the small corners of the city, to the warmth, beaches, electronic music scene, and the relaxed atmosphere. I always get so much energy from a trip to Barcelona.

Everything around me gives me inspiration, but to be a bit more specific I mainly get my inspiration from music, architecture, nature and fashion. Dialog and experiences with my friends and people gives me a poetic picture often that I later use as the inspiration in my drawings and graphic art.

Can you explain the process of creating the porcelain pieces in your collection?
I feel that porcelain is as pure as a fresh piece of paper or a new canvas. All my porcelain products with graphics are hand painted. I use traditional methods of painting and combine it with decal, which is a very modern technique. The process is not easy, because you must have control over your drawing with a really steady hand. But I enjoy it, because I can paint or draw directly on a functional thing, that people will use in their every day life. It becomes a piece of art you can actually use.

What are you currently working on?
Well, I just took the big leap, and started my own brand PHUCISME, so currently I am working hard to finish my first collection, which will be launched at the Formland fair in the middle of August. Formland is Scandinavia's leading, and most international, trade fair for design and interiors. My first collection is made in ceramics, black wood, black buffalo horn and fine bone china. I have tried to create simplicity in order to celebrate the materials. My collection is all handmade, so I hope that it will reach out to people, who value and respect great quality materials and design with a story.

Marlon Gobel spent years learning about the fashion industry under the tutelage of Thom Browne and Michael Bastian. Now the young designer is striking out on his own, and he chatted with Bradford Shellhammer about the process.

What were the hardest things about starting your own label?
I have not found starting my own label hard at all, because I know what I want to make, how I want to make it, and what I want it to mean. I spent a lot of time doing difficult stuff and working hard getting to this point, but that's what it took to make this feel so good now. I took my time learning what I needed to know before I felt I could have my own line. That's what has saved me from the hardships that can face new designers, such as production, getting stores to take a chance on you, and press.

How would you describe what you're doing?
I am designing great men's clothing that is made with all the details and quality of a Savile Row tailor, things you don't even know you are missing in the trousers and shirts you already own, but once you notice will never want to be without again. Also, my clothing will always have depth and meaning and will also be stylish. I feel there is no point in making another trouser or jacket if it does not feel special. We have too many ubiquitous things in the world, and I believe we need to make better, not more.

Where is the collection stocked?
My debut collection will be available at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. It is an incredible store, and I am very proud to be there!

You worked for two power players in fashion. What did you learn from Thom Browne?
I started with Thom Browne very close to the inception of his brand, so the opportunity to learn was tremendous. It was just three of us in the office, so everyone was involved in everything, which helped me learn something new every day. The most powerful things I learned at Thom Browne were the art of uncompromising clothing construction, the reinvention of true men's couture, and that art and fashion are linked in an unbreakable way. Finally, I found that changing a few details on something that people take for granted -- for example, a classic gray suit's proportions -- can change the idea of it forever.

And from Michael Bastian?
Michael Bastian proved to me that my ideas about fashion were important - I had never had another point of reference while at Thom Browne. For example, Michael never had a show during Fashion Week, and while I was working with him we decided to begin having a "show," and it made a huge positive difference. Also, it was confirmed to me that retail and saleability are most important (you can make beautiful things, but if they don't get to the consumer's hands, it is almost the same as having never made them).

Your look book, your website, and even your buttons have a recurring motif of the hexagon. What's that all about?
My first collection was influenced by the fact that it was the beginning of my brand. I thought about what its structure should be, what the brand's "DNA" would consist of, and I also looked at a lot of scientific shapes and symbols. The hexagon was perfect and masculine, but at the same time was familiar and new.

Your models look like hot scientists and you call your looks experiments. Do you consider yourself a scientist?
Well, for this first season, science was a side effect and undertone of the collection. The Heart sweater, the sweaters with the cable knit that I tweaked to reference DNA helixes, and even the color palette was a reference to the colors that best refract light. The definition of a scientist is "one who may be involved in original research, or make use of the results of the research of others." Looks like I may fit the definition of scientist this season, but in the end I am always a fashion designer.

What's the one piece of your collection no man can live without?
There are truly three things every man should have: a great pair of pants that fit well, a cashmere sweater (with a heart), and one formal look, because you never know what you will get invited to tomorrow.

May 27, 2010

While in San Francisco a few weeks back for work, I happened upon Union Made Goods, one of the most adorable men's clothing stores I've ever encountered. Full of interesting and wearable menswear, the shop was 100 percent San Franciscan. Like the city, it too charmed me. I chatted up Union Made Goods' proprietor, Todd Barket, who answered my questions below.

Your store sits on a nondescript block in San Francisco's Castro district. What made you open the store there?
I have always liked the location, and I remember when it was a corner liquor store. The storefront has a great presence, and the trees in front give it great character. The location is at a crossroads and gets a great mix of people. It's very San Francisco.

The brands you carry are casual yet not boring. How did you curate the collection?
The brands I chose I was familiar with, and I personally own many of them. Many of the items are building blocks of every guy's wardrobe. The one thing that holds it all together is quality.

What are your favorite items in the shop right now?
The custom Alden saddle shoe we did, the J.Crew Urban Slim Khaki, the Farm Tactics Slub tee.

How does a small boutique compete against major brands? What's been your strategy?
Luckily San Francisco is very supportive of small businesses as well as neighborhood businesses. Customer service and quality are what differentiates us from large stores. It's old-fashioned, but people have walked away from the basics.

I love the store's look, from the pair of Saarinen Womb chairs to the doll collection. Who designed the shop?
I designed the shop. I love interior design, and I was close to store design in my past positions.

What is your background?
I worked for Gap Inc. for 19 years. I started when I was 17 in Los Angeles as a salesperson. I stuck with it and last held the senior-creative-director position for Old Navy marketing. Prior to that I was the visual director at Gap for many, many years.

I had no clue that sock monkeys came from a particular sock brand until I happened upon Union Made Goods. Have you made a sock puppet?
I never have. But a customer of ours made the one that is on display in the store. We tend to get a lot of great creative customers, which we love.

What are five must-haves for any urban-dwelling man?
A good pair of shoes (don't scrimp on shoes).
A white T-shirt.
Levi's 501s.
A white oxford.
A nice watch.

May 21, 2010

Orlando Carreras is a New York-based designer who was an executive at Gap for 12 years. His collections of shirts, classic though unique, consist of quality pieces made for the man who wants things that last and are not on the back of every other guy. Like other designers I've recently spoken to, Carreras talked to me about why he struck out on his own and the challenges he faces running his own label.

Your name may not be instantly recognizable, but your history in fashion is storied. How did you get to where you are right now?
Hmm, that question is a little complex. The quick answer as to how I got into fashion in the first place is that it surrounded me as a child in New York on many different levels. I have always been a dreamer and still am. As a child I would daydream of doing great things. As a teen I started to narrow some of those thoughts down. I eliminated other possible professions -- no to being a doctor because the sight of blood mortifies me, no to being a stage performer because I get stage fright. I guess maybe in some way I thought I could be most self-expressive through fashion. I was around 14 years old when my mind was in this place. My aspiration from that moment was to have my own business, do something that would be influential and far-reaching, and get credit for having done something great. After Parsons and FIT, I cut my teeth working for a number of large brands. Most who know me professionally know of the 12 years I was an executive at Gap Inc. I left Gap and New York for Southern California to be creative director at Pacific Sunwear. Three years later my father passed away from a long, painful illness and my sister was diagnosed with cancer. Both things happened in the span of a month. Both my father and my sister were very young. When I regained my wits, I changed my priorities. For me I knew if there was something very important to me to do, I needed to be doing it now. And so there was a voice in my head, me as a teen, that reminded me of one of those things. That is basically when I made a leap of faith and started my business.

Who is the typical guy who wears your clothing?
He has a hard time finding things he really likes, but when he does, he holds on to them for a long time. He has a young spirit, but he doesn't have to be young. He makes his choices carefully and knows what he wants when he sees it. He appreciates history but isn't overly nostalgic. He appreciates quality. He doesn't like ubiquity.

What are the biggest challenges of being small and designing your own collection?
The challenges evolve over time, but I would say the hands-down most challenging thing is remaining flexible in your mind and solving problems quickly as they come up. Initially finding a great factory and suppliers that are willing to work with smaller brands that are particular about their product is a great challenge. Working around situations where suppliers and retailers don't uphold their commitments is another great challenge.

You say your collection has a youthful spirit. How do you tap into youthful energy?
Subconsciously I am drawn to people and things that have a young spirit. A young mind is somewhat fearless, playful, optimistic, doesn't take life too seriously, and above all believes that anything is possible. Many things inspire me. Basically anything that puts a smile on my face repeatedly does, but it usually has a young spirit. Just yesterday I tried to see a great film called BABIES. I guess that would be one tangible example of me tapping into youthful energy.

What other designers inspire you?
Azzedine Alaïa, Rei Kawakubo, Dries van Noten. I would love to have dinner with them or even just a cup of tea. I am sure they are all incredibly interesting people. I have met none of them but once sat next to Dries van Noten on a train in Paris. It was sort of like seeing [New York City Mayor Michael] Bloomberg in the subway.

Do you wear your own designs?
Of course.

Your collection is classic and comfortable. What basics should every man have in his closet?
Great-fitting jeans that are free of embellishments -- a pair that is dark and a pair that is weathered but not overly processed. Great-fitting chinos that are appropriate for your body type, never pleated. A well-tailored, well-made suit in a dark color -- single-breasted, two-button. Shoes in a dark color with a narrow, rounded toe. Footwear will make or break any man's look. I hate shoes that look athletic. If you choose to go that route, wear sneakers. Since we are talking basics, keep them simple. You can't go wrong with Rod Lavers or Chuck Taylors. For tops, I like seeing men in age-appropriate color. Button-down shirts, knit polos, and sweaters in great colors are simple things that are both basic and good things to have in your wardrobe.

What are the must-haves of your next collection?
All of it! Kidding slightly. There are woven shirts with special weaving techniques to give the fabric a three-dimensional appearance that I love. There are sweaters with special stitches that are great also. Those are probably my personal fall favorites.

May 15, 2010

I love a crazy colored sock. And it is not unusual for me to drop a lot of money on fun socks by designers such as Paul Smith. A few months ago I discovered Happy Socks. They're $10 a pair, adorable, and Swedish. I immediately tracked down Happy Socks' creative director, Viktor Tell, who answered some of my questions.

Are people in Sweden happier than in the rest of the world?
Well, I think there are happy people everywhere. If you smile, it's not very often you don't get a smile back.

How did Happy Socks get started?
My associate Mikael [Söderlindh] and I were both tired of our then current work situations and we wanted to do something that made us ... happy! On a cold, rainy day in Stockholm, we decided to start spreading happiness through beautiful and colorful socks.

Happy Socks are $10 a pair. How do you keep the price so low? Was it always your intention to keep your product affordable?
We wanted a fair price for a good design and good quality. Yes, we are glad if we can make as many people happy as possible.

Your site mentions collaborations. Care to share a story or two of others you're working with?
The next one coming out is with design collective Wong Wong, based in NYC. The collection of eight pairs of socks pays tribute to the most successful soccer nations in the world: Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, and South Africa. And there are more coming soon.

Doesn't the world need Happy Pants and Happy Shirts?
It probably does, but we leave it to other people to do it. We want to stick to our own level of expertise, and there are still plenty of possibilities we want to explore with socks.

What is the key to happiness?
Burgers, beer, and you're pretty much there!

I met Alexa Galler at Parsons in sewing class. Since those years, I have given up fashion designing and Alexa's launched her own line, Eighteenth, a collection of unique shirts all cut from rayon. She and I caught up to discuss breaking out on your own and how she stays inspired working with one material.

I am always amazed and impressed with designers who develop their own lines as it is such a hard thing to do. What has been the biggest challenge of starting your own brand?
Having to juggle different rolls. One minute I am designing, the next I'm shipping orders. Tough to switch gears. It drives me crazy sometimes. 

What has been the most satisfying part?
I get most excited when the line gets picked up by a store that I'm obsessed with or when a customer emails me and says she loves the shirts. That's quite satisfying. 

Describe your most recent collection?
Spring 2010 focuses on cutouts and unique necklines. For Fall 2010, I played with different hemline shapes and lengths.

Where do you find inspiration for your collections?
I always start with the question, how can I made the t-shirt different? I like angles and lines, so I take those simple elements and try to rework them in interesting ways.  

You told me you're pounding the pavement and busting your butt. What's the best piece of advice you can give to other designers looking to go out on their own?
Oh, I've got A LOT. But some main ones are to have a strong point of view, K.I.S.S., and be nice to everyone.

Who's stocking your line?
Eighteenth is currently in 10 stores across the country- Oak, Des Kohan in LA, Anica in SF, Kick Pleat in Austin, Bonadrag.

Do you design for yourself, or is their another woman you're designing for?
I really don't design with someone specific in mind. But I do wear them all, so perhaps, subconsciously, I do design for myself.  

Who are your heroes?
Fashion wise, Maison Martin Margiela, Junya Watanabe, Rei Kawakubo, Nicolas Ghesquiére. Otherwise...hmmm. Guess I have a one track mind.

Your collection is all rayon shirts. Do you ever tire that material?
I like working with one fabric because it allows me to focus more on the design and cut. Jersey is my blank canvas. And until I get tired of wearing it, I'll keep designing with it. 

May 11, 2010

I had the opportunity to interview set and costume designer Andy Byers about GREEN PORNO last year. I recently caught up with him to talk about SEDUCE ME, Isabella Rossellini's new series.

SEDUCE ME is the next chapter in the GREEN PORNO series. How were the animals chosen this time around?
They were chosen almost entirely on how strange their sexual patterns were. If Isabella came across an animal and she laughed at its behavior, it became a contender. This new series is dealing with the seduction of the partner rather than the actual mating itself. A natural instinct might have been to choose one of the birds of paradise. These animals have unbelievable dances they perform to entice their partner, their plumage that is displayed, etc. As beautiful and interesting as those animals are, it may not necessarily be funny. Isabella also came up with a new formula on how to start each episode, with the human hand coming in to represent one of the more interesting aspects of each animal's seductive rituals. If she could find an animal that fit within that construct, it got the green light. That's how she landed on the five we've made so far.

Of the new costumes, which was the most difficult to construct? Which one is your favorite?
I guess the duck on both counts. At least one costume in every season has to be built again, and this time around it happened to be the duck. Our initial design was drastically different from what ended up on the camera. We were having to figure out a way to use her face as much as possible in the composition of the costume. At the same time, to keep proportions correct, the ducks would have been huge, which I didn't want. [Rossellini] had this great collage of a painting of ducks with women's faces cut out and placed over the ducks'. It looked just funny enough to not look stupid. So that's what I did. For me, it's the most successful of all my costumes in terms of resolving a marriage between our main materials, paper and spandex. The colors match so well to the set, offset by these little pink flowers. It's incredibly magical to me. It was like looking at colors in THE SWORD IN THE STONE or something. Just perfect. And she looks incredible in it.

This is the first, and assuredly last, time I'll ask this question: How did you construct the duck vagina?
With about 100 yards of some of the cheapest fabric New York could offer. In a way, the lighting team made that thing. I was completely dependent upon them to make it look great. Without that lighting design, it would have been just a bunch of crappy fabric. But they did a fantastic job. Ever since I'd watched Almodóvar's TALK TO HER and seen that huge vagina the male character walks into, I had wanted to make one. I could just as easily have made it out of paper, but what fun is that? And I really just wanted to make a nice-looking duck penis. Sam Levy, the director of photography, strapped it to the front of the camera and climbed inside the glowing pink labyrinth. The camera couldn't be connected to the monitor, so we were never in there, inside with him, looking. So every take was a surprise when he came back out. It was very intimate for him, I'm sure. I think I may have seen him go out for a smoke after we got the shot.

The new series seems to include more acting on Isabella's part. Was that intentional?
Hard to say. My guess is that the new episodes just opened that up in her naturally. That's really a question for her, I think. At least to my knowledge there was never a discussion of "Hey, let's step it up a notch!" She definitely hit her stride on these, though.

Did your process of costume and set design change this time around?
These episodes were written to be much simpler on my end, because she realized how labor-intensive it can be for such a quick shot. So because of that, Rick Gilbert, the art director and I were allowed to take a lot more time on certain things. And because some of the episodes take place in a small theater, we knew we could become a lot more intimate with certain objects such as the bat or squirrel. Costume designing was about the same. They're always the last thing to make. Half of them we finished on set. I think we were even gluing on some of the feathers to the duck costume minutes before it shot. I never ask for that kind of pressure, but it's part of the fun. You get to make something, and then almost immediate gratification follows, which is incredibly rare in the world of art-making, unless you're performing. I would imagine by the time half the art that the general audience gets to see or hear it is already old news to the maker. By then that artist is onto something else and has had time to look at all the flaws that emerge from time with it. They're usually not nearly as excited about it as they were for the three seconds after they stepped away, crossed their arms, and nodded in agreement with themselves that the piece was done.

My favorite episode, I must say, is "Bedbug." How long did it take to build the miniature house?
A week and a half. I tried putting everything on a calendar that needed to be made. I slotted it in for four days, which was ridiculous. I knew we couldn't build it that fast. In college, for a year, I watched THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS every day during my lunch break. I have no idea how many times I watched it, but I know I burnt out the first VHS and had to go get another one. I became obsessed with that house. So the miniature in "Bedbug" is a small nod to that. And it was a reason to show off some of my friend Ryan's paintings, even if they were only an inch ½ big.

Last time we chatted, you mentioned how much fun the set was and how your crew often laughed during filming. Were there any laugh-out-loud moments filming SEDUCE ME?
Well, Sam walking around with a strap-on duck penis certainly had its giggles. The one thing I keep remembering was at the end of the day we were all being really quiet because Isabella was doing a full read-through of the script for overdubbing. Earlier, during lunch, I overheard her talking to the director about WAYNE'S WORLD, and then I think I heard the word erection. I didn't think anything of it, though, because that's common talk around the table there. So I'm sitting at the craft table with the rest of my crew and we're all just sort of stupidly looking off into nothing, being quiet, you know. She gets to reading the end of the episode and usually does her orgasmic sighing, gasp, or whatever other weird noise is needed for the sex scene, and then we hear, "Shwing ... shwing! Shwing!! Shwing?" It was the one phrased like a question that did it. Every single head was turned away from her so she wouldn't see us all laughing, our hands clasped over our mouths. I'm still laughing now thinking about it. I can't remember what episode it was for, but I don't think it made it in.

a-ha, Norway's techno-pop icons, played three nights in a row last week in NYC and are currently touring the US, for the second and last time. They're calling it quits after this year-long tour. The band's songwriter, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, answered some of my questions prior to the show. A review of the show can be found here tomorrow.

You're touring the world one last time, including three nights in NYC. What has been the crowd response to your farewell tour?
We just did a month down in South America which was really quite special.   We went in thinking our last show would be in December but of course, every show is the last show.  A lot of people go out of there way to show what we have meant to them over they years.

During the first decade of the 2000s you recorded some brilliant albums (Lifelines, my fave) and were treated to success all over the world, but your music was hard to find for US fans. Will the American shows feature the albums that may not be as familiar to US fans?
Yes, the show will feature songs from all our 9 albums.  We've recorded well over a hundred songs by now and it's getting tricky to pick what to play.  For some reason or another, we only toured the U.S. once.  This is our second tour.  I'm glad we got  the chance to come back.

What surprises are in store for the US leg of the tour?
We will be wearing matching sweater vests.

Morten's voice is a pretty remarkable instrument, one only needs to listen to "Summer Moved On" for proof. What rituals are involved in keeping it in shape?
The show is extremely taxing on his voice and he is doing everything humanely possible to keep it in shape. It comes with a whole lifestyle.

"Take On Me" has been played on American radio more than three Million times. Wow. Do you ever tire of playing it?
"Take On Me" is like the guy dressed in billboards walking outside the store trying to lure people inside so they can check out the whole collection. Or the gateway drug that leads to our heavier substances.  I can go on all night.

How have the emotions of playing farewell shows surfaced in your live performances?
It's bittersweet. It's so nice to play in front of audiences that have stood by us for so long and I will miss them a lot.

What were your dreams and hopes back in 1985, the year "Take On Me" dominated MTV?
Growing up the dream was to be able to live and breath just writing and playing music and have an audience big and small.  Big would be better.

What are they today?
In that sense, nothing has really changed.  Success is a funny thing.  No matter how many hit singles you have, you always want another one.  The real pay off is to  write and record something that you think "Hey, that's really not that bad."

Lastly, what's next in store for you guys?
There are so many things we have never gotten around to all these years because a-ha has taken up all our time.  I'm just trying to figure it out.  Writing for other artists, starting a new band.  Maybe this, that and the other.