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.

STONE ISLAND PROTOTYPE MULITAXIAL PROJECT

Events, Fashion

The Stone Island Prototype Research_Series 08 titled the “Multiaxial Project” features 100 unique capes crafted from newly developed fabrics using techniques from the automotive industry. The treatments and fabrics used were born from research and experimentation processes that have yet to be industrialized. The Multiaxial Project pays tribute to the brand’s inaugural collection while continuously pushing the boundary of innovation. 

Paolo Roversi Exhibition

Events

Paolo Roversi is one of the greatest and of the most elusive fashion photographers. His collaborations with designers like Romeo Gigli, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo are legendary. Yet, his persona is tinged with the same kind of mystery as his images. He rarely publishes books and he rarely exhibits his work.

Introducing K’ANG

Fashion

This last January during men’s fashion week in Paris I visited the showroom of a new brand called K’ANG, and it was one of the most exciting discoveries of that week for a couple of reasons. First, there hasn’t been much going on in the avant-garde space that StyleZeitgeist has championed since its inception in 2006 as a forum for men’s fashion enthusiasts. That niche has exploded and then imploded, with few survivors and few newcomers. Juyoung Kang, the designer of K’ANG, the brand he launched in 2023, has apprenticed with some of the best of the avant-garde – namely, Maurizio Amaded of m.a.+ and Deepti Barth, the former right hand of Carol Christian Poell. AtDEEPTI, he assisted with patternmaking and fabric sourcing, and at m.a.+ he also designed menswear and womenswear across all product categories.