It’s that time of the year again. Below is our 2022 holiday gift guide – these are the (unsponsored) things we genuinely love and we are happy to share them with you.
DEPECHE MODE 101 BLU-RAY / CD BOX SET
What is Blu-Ray and CD some of you born in the age of streaming may ask? It’s a disc you will need a dedicated playing device to play, like vinyl, which you, weirdly, do seem to know about. It’s also a cool thing for those who don’t want to be at the mercy of their streaming services and rent culture. And guess what, this iconic Depeche Mode documentary is not available for streaming anyway. Last but not least, if you care about audio quality and have a good sound system, a streaming service will never match that of an uncompressed and mastered home theater sound. And you should care, because this iconic documentary features a lot of music.
ARPA STUDIOS PERFUMES
In the age of niche perfumery we are spoiled for choice and it’s becoming increasingly hard to separate the wheat from the chafe. Barnabe Fillon, the nose for Aesop and a Rick Owens collaborator, is the cream of wheat. His own line, ARPA, is an exercise in taking perfume to new conceptual heights. If you like Aesop perfumes, you will spot the same organic, earthy signature. It’s hard for us to pick a favorite, but you twist our hand, we’d say Manta.
A MAGAZINE CURATED BY MAISON MARGIELA
This issue of A magazine originally came out in 2004 when Margiela was widely seen as the preeminent conceptual designer. It sold out quickly and began to fetch crazy prices on the secondary market. It was reissued in 2021, and it’s on the verge of being sold out again, but you can still hunt down a copy at a cover price (last time we’ve spotted them in New York at Mast Books and McNally Jackson). We wouldn’t wait too long if we were you.
DAVID ADJAYE: WORKS 1995-2007 AND WORKS 2007-2015
Adjaye has become one of our favorite architects over the past several years. This year Thames & Hudson released his latest book, Works 2007-2015. An excellent tome in its own right, it will go even better in tandem with his previous book, which has also been republished by T&H. The pair make for an excellent dive into the Adjaye universe.
WERKSTATT:MUNCHEN KEY CHAIN
It’s hard to pick a favorite from the many beautiful things this German jeweler makes, but these days we are partial to this silver keychain made by hand from links of different size and style.
WILLIAM GUILLON CANDELABRA
French artist and artisan William Guillon works out of his studio in Bordeaux, where he makes stunning interior design objects, which are quietly stocked in some of our favorite stores in the world, and have garnered fans such as Jun Takahashi of Undercover. The Omnia Vanitas series of accessories is created using white bronze. It’s really hard to pick a favorite, but we’d go for the symmetric two stick candelabra.
PERFUMER H SMOKE CANDLE
No winter at home would be complete without a scented candle. While there is a ton of subpar stuff out there since niche perfumer has become a genre, Perfumer H is the real deal. We are loving their Smoke candle, not only because its scent is beautiful, but also because it’s meta. It’s the kind of clever we appreciate.
SRULI RECHT WHALET
Sruli Recht is our favorite made scientist. The first Whalet he made was from whale skin, hence the cheeky name. This re-edition is made from one piece laser-cut horse skin, held together by metal rivets. It’s one of the best wallets we’ve had the pleasure to behold.
i-D: WINK AND SMILE: THE FIRST FORTY YEARS
If you are nostalgic for the golden years of the independent fashion press, when youth culture that actually had something to say and that was not yet in the service of pure commerce, and when diversity came from the ground up and not institutionally forced, this book about the seminal London magazine, i-D, is the thing for you (to gift). Published earlier this year by Rizzoli, it’s full of iconic imagery that have launched the careers of some of the best photographers and stylists in the world.
SUICIDE – SURRENDER
One of the best and best-packaged releases this year, this remastered double-LP from the ultimate IYKYK of New York’s pre-punk glory years is just the thing that you can gift, first to yourself and then to others. Printed on 140gm red vinyl (there is also a CD version if you prefer), the remaster sounds brilliant (and let’s face it, quality of recording is not Something Suicide prioritized back in the day). The packaging also contains a foldout poster and and a booklet with an essay by Henri Rollins, one of the many, many musicians that Suicide has influenced.
FOLIO SOCIETY BOOKS
Want to get something for someone who has everything, including a still intact ability to read books? Upgrade their tired, dog-eared paperbacks of classics with gorgeously illustrated hardcover volumes from the Folio Society. These meticulously crafted tomes – from Moby Dick to The Lord of the Rings – are true treasures of bookmaking, artifacts of an analogue world and an antidote to our throwaway, ephemeral culture.
