EVERYTHING IS MERCH

Culture, Features/Op-Ed

Is Millionaire Speedy a luxury bag or merch? What about the Balenciaga Maxi Pack? Some people’s idea of merch is Trump’s gold high-tops. Merch as a status symbol. Merch as a subgenre. Merch as a style statement. Merch as an identity marker. Merch as something of waning cultural relevance.

Introducing: Deceres Studio

Design

When Denise Martinez and Jorge Arturo Ibarra were introduced to each other by their families some years ago, they realized how much they have in common, from their Mexican heritage to their interest in a certain aesthetic and interior design. Martinez’s father was an engineer; “I grew up in a household full of blueprints,” she says. Ibarra comes from a culinary family, where he learned blueprinting of a different kind, recipes. He got the architecture bug from his grandfather, who designed his own house, down to the furniture, and each of his restaurants. He decided to study architecture, though he eventually settled on furniture design.

Sruli Recht: Abyssicide

Design

The designer Sruli Recht continues to stand as a pioneer in the art of world-building, seamlessly blending ancient techniques with his futuristic vision. His new project, Abyssicide, was created in collaboration with Roland Snook’s Tectonic Formation Lab and Mark Edgoose, in response to the climate crisis, in particular rising sea levels.