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Marvielab: ReCikli FW12

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ReCikli is a new stand-alone project by Marvielab and designer Mariavittoria Sargentini, presented in January during men’s fashion week. The concept revolves around archived fabrics which undergo a series of treatments and dyeing techniques, giving them a unique, weathered texture.

The collection comes together from 7 different patterns, all done in 3 unisex sizes and a total of 4 different fabrics. The result is a selection of garments that look first and foremost inviting and comfortable. In addition to being adjustable with a variety of closure systems such as buttons, hooks and drawstrings, the garments are further customizable by the wearer by cutting them to a chosen length along pre-stitched edges.

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A Few Words With: Uma Wang

Fashion, Features/Op-EdLeave a comment

Last Friday night I met Uma Wang, one of the most promising contemporary Chinese fashion designers, whose work I’ve been following for over a year. Currently in New York for forty days, courtesy of the CFDA, Wang is learning the ropes of the American way of doing business at companies like Theory and Google. We caught up over coffee and cola at Café Gitane inside the Jane Hotel in the West Village. It was her last day at the Theory’s headquarters in the meatpacking district, and Wang was glad to unwind after a week of sitting in on meetings and watching Theory’s design team in action.

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IS by Individual Sentiments

Fashion

Yoko Ito, the designer behind the Japanese brand Individual Sentiments who cut her teeth at the now defunct Carpe Diem, has launched a capsule footwear collection called IS. Made in Italy, the line will be available in select stores this fall. All we got from the reticent designer was the rather cryptic, “IS has the same concept as Individual Sentiments and follows the need of a geographical specialization and technique.” Guess we’ll let the products speak for themselves.

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A.F.Vandevorst – TSTSITW

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Yesterday evening we visited the opening of The Smallest Traveling Store in The World, a mini-guerilla shop by the Belgian design duo A.F.Vandevorst. The store-within-a-store took up residence at Patron of the New, a multi-brand boutique in Tribeca, New York. This is its first stop in the U.S. after being featured at places like The Dover Street Market and Selfridges in London.

Filip Arickx, who designs for the label with his wife An Vandevorst, was at the store and took a minute to walk me through the concept. “The store grew out of our initial guerrilla shop called AKTION, which we launched in Antwerp in 2009, and then moved around Belgium. We used Facebook and Twitter to tell our fans about the locations,” he said. Initially the couple did not think that much would come out of the project, but they quickly began getting inquiries about recreating the guerrilla store outside of Belgium. However, the logistics proved cumbersome and instead A.F.Vandevorst came up with the idea of creating a space that reflects their design ethos but is also easy to transport and install.

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Review: Geoffrey B. Small Fall/Winter 2012

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Last week Geoffrey B. Small, an American designer who lives and works in Italy, presented his new collection in Paris. Small works outside of the confines of the fashion system and he is a civic activist, so when he puts on a show it’s usually because he is engaged with a political issue that is too important to keep inside. In other words, his shows are cri de coeur.

You might doubt the sincerity of political motives of a fashion designer, but consider that a fashion show is a means of expression. As Ann Demeulemeester once told me, designers and artists are not politicians or lawyers – but their work can also address the world.

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Faliero Sarti F/W 2012

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During my recent visit to Italy, I caught up with my favorite scarf makers, Faliero Sarti. Here is a look at the highlights from their F/W 2012 collection. The scarves and shawls looked impeccable as usual and Federico Sarti explained to me some interesting fabric treatments and weaving techniques. It turns out that one of their best sellers, the double sided fabric of cashmere, wool, alpaca and linen is made not by bonding the two fabrics but rather by weaving the two simultaneously. In other words, it comes out two-sided out of the loom. This season their famous 70% cashmere/30% silk scarves have undergone boiling and felting treatments, resulting in sumptuous textures. I also loved the hand-dyed scarf (no two are alike) whose fabric was subjected to enzymes that artfully disintegrated it in some spots.

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StyleZeitgeist Preview: InAisce F/W 2012-13

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It’s an open secret in the fashion world that New York offers little in terms of creative design and much in terms of hype. But there are exceptions, the label InAisce being one of them. Its designer, Jona (last name undisclosed), was happy to offer us a preview of his new collection for men and women, called Pilgrim, that he will debut next week in Paris. Indulge in your nomadic dreams.

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Deborah Turbeville at Staley-Wise

Culture, FashionLeave a comment

We reviewed the newest Deborah Turbeville’s book, The Fashion Pictures, in the first issue of SZ magazine. This week I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a selection of Turbeville’s photography is on view at Staley-Wise gallery, hidden above the hubbub of Broadway in SoHo.

The exhibit consists of twenty-one prints that transport you to another time and place. Beautifully haunted spaces are occupied by beautifully haunting models and it’s hard to believe that most of these photos were commercial work for US and Italian Vogue in 70s and 80s.