I just read an interview with film maker and photographer Jack Coleman in the latest issue of Slide magazine. Such a dude! And it was one of those interviews that came in front of my eyes at just the right time too. Here is a look at the trailer, Happy Beach, a surf film by Jack Coleman, who also made the psychedelic surf film Polyester a year or so back. They later turned this Happy Beach film into webisodes on Korduroy TV.

The Company is showing Aaron Young’s Los Angeles exhibition, No Fucking Way, on view from May 11 – June 23, 2012.

Times are changing and the essence of something being made by hand is returning as a preferred means of consumerism. It’s back to basics; hands on the fabrics, the muscle behind the pull and the fingers to control the patternmaking. The idea that an item has been handled and cared for individually has an air of romance surrounding it.

Having studied and practiced shoemaking in Melbourne, Julia Thompson has since been treading her own successful grounds. Her most recent venture sees her designing both men’s and women’s footwear for one of New Zealand’s biggest fashion brands, Zambesi. Her aesthetic is simple; clean lines, mostly black with longevity at the forefront of her designs. Each pair is handmade on traditional ‘old school’ shoemaking machinery, carefully crafted by the country’s finest shoemakers.

Read on as Thompson tells us in her own words about the creation of her very own, self made ‘OLD BOYS CLUB’:
I’ve been told that I have an old soul, so I guess it’s kind of fitting that I’ve created an ‘old boys club’ of shoemakers. First I met Ray, then Bruce who introduced me to Tony, who put me in touch with Paul, and then there is Steve, Les, Dave and finally Eugene.

Ray: I met Ray in Melbourne; he was my tutor at RMIT where I studied shoemaking by hand. He’s not really part of the club these days, but I’d call him an honorary member. He was a great tutor, total hard case and pretty willing to let me experiment and do things a little differently from the curriculum. My time in Melbourne gave me a really solid foundation, I learnt the whole process of making a shoe completely by hand from scratch and it has proven to be invaluable. I experienced first hand just how complex shoemaking really is.

Bruce: He’s another classic Aussie—we had some good yarns old Bruce and I, mainly taking the mickey out of each other’s respective homeland. He is a last maker, one of the oldest in Australia, still full of passion for the craft. We met when I ventured out to his factory to look at some second-hand lasts he had for sale. He could see my passion for shoes and when I described my desire to make shoes back in New Zealand he was very encouraging and pointed me in the right direction. Since then we’ve collaborated on a few projects. I consider Bruce a founding member.

Tony: When I got back to New Zealand I cold-called Tony, Bruce had given me his number and assured me he could help. Full of ideas, and with blind ambition, Tony helped me get the integral club together, joining the dots so to speak. We work together every season now; he’s my bottom stock guy.
Tony is good fun, always trying to accommodate my ideas and wants. His typical reaction is to roll his eyes and say “designers”, we always crack up, but he always strives to find a solution to my designs. I love rolling down to his warehouse and scouring the aisles of materials in search of the perfect component or the right combination of materials. When the job is done, and his delivery arrives; the best thing is opening the boxes to see the ‘MADE IN NZ’ stamp on the bottom of every sole. It makes me proud that Zambesi’s shoes are made here.

Paul: (aka Clark Kent) Really help me set the wheels in motion (thanks to Tony’s introduction). Paul is my Executive Director, the founding member that I’d be lost without. At times when people said it couldn’t be done, it’s too difficult, or too costly, Paul was backing my vision—ready to go and keen to
build something up again. Some of my favorite times when producing shoes, are the afternoons spent in Paul’s garage. Solid Gold cranking on the Radio the sound of compressed air and the smell of glue the shoes come together. I’ve spent hours in that garage, watching, learning, clicking and boxing the shoes up. I get this amazing sense of accomplishment when I drive home with a car full of beautiful shoes, straight from the craftsmen’s hands.

Les: Another fun chap, he is always good value and we always have some sort of running joke. He has been ranking my “frequent flyer” miles ever since we started doing business together… I think I’m up around silver these days. Les could almost be considered the secretary, purely because of his record
keeping, on our frequent flyer competition. Les embosses all the insoles with our Zambesi stamp, and he too has been with us from the onset.

Eugene: He is a recent addition to the club, but I feel he really completes the gang. And he’s probably the most hard case of them all. Super talented and super knowledgeable he has such passion for the craft. I feel like I get ‘schooled’ every time I work with him. He can be a hard task master, tough, but fun and not afraid to say ‘how it is’. He will pick up my patterns…”no, it’s wrong, do it again” then go to rip them up, but he never does, he just laughs; “I almost had ya!” with a wink in his eye. Rolling into Eugene’s operation is like being sucked into a vortex, greeted by Iron Maiden (one of Eugene’s workers rocks an Iron Maiden t-shirt under his apron) and Sally, Eugene’s closer. (Her name isn’t actually Sally, and he calls me Jenny… all part of the role you play when you walk through the door) it’s where ANY idea is possible and his knowledge can make it happen. In the short time we have worked together I have learnt and improved so much. Mainly with my patternmaking, but I have also practiced my craft, hand-making prototypes under his masterful eye. Eugene says he is going to write a book one day, and for my sake, I hope he does!

With the decline of the shoe manufacturing industry in New Zealand over the years, I feel lucky to have met and established this ‘old boys club’; every member is as passionate and excited about making shoes as I am. And the best part of it is that we always find a way – Yes! we can make that, it can be done. All of our beautiful Zambesi clothes are made here in New Zealand, our shoes are too, and these days that is a pretty mean feat, I reckon.

Written by Julia Thompson and Yasmine Ganley for Black Magazine. Photos by Yasmine Ganley. Thanks to Noah Butcher.

While celebrating their 100th birthday, the milanese brand Trussardi 1911 presented its Spring-Summer 2012 collection for women. Umit Bena, who started his mission with Trussardi through designing menswear (which was presented in June), made womenswear this time with silhouettes clearly inspired by masculine tailoring, giving a special homage to the legendary style of Diane Keaton; in her Annie Hall era.

text and images DJM

Yasuaki Onishis, Reverse of Volume RG is now on show at Houston’s Rice Gallery until June 24th, 2012.

In 1976 leading designer Dieter Rams sketched out some of his core beliefs in front of an audience in New York City. Concerning his work with Vitsoe, it’s an invaluable insight into the principles on which the work of one of the 20th Century’s leading design figures were based and is a must-read for creatives across any design discipline. Massively ahead of its time and bursting with sound advice, the full transcript has just been released to mark Dieter’s 80th birthday later this month.

Dieter Rams; The ideas behind my work as a designer have to match with a company’s objectives. This principle applies to my work not only at Braun but also at Vitsoe. I have been working for these two companies for about 20 years and – I like to point out – only for these two companies.

I am convinced that design – at least in the terms I understand it – cannot be performed by someone outside the company. I am absolutely convinced that this is true if products are designed as part of a larger system, like we do at Vitsoe.

In 1957 I began to develop a storage system that formed the basis of the company Vitsoe, which was founded in 1959. Thus the ideology behind my design is engrained within the company.

Ladies and gentlemen, design is a popular subject today. No wonder because, in the face of increasing competition, design is often the only product differentiation that is truly discernible to the buyer.

I am convinced that a well-thought-out design is decisive to the quality of a product. A poorly-designed product is not only uglier than a well-designed one but it is of less value and use. Worst of all it might be intrusive.

The development and changes that we have initiated with our work at Vitsoe are, I believe, positive for the development of good design as a whole. The introduction of good design is needed for a company to be successful.

However, our definition of success may be different to yours. Striving for good design is of social importance as it means, amongst other things, absolutely avoiding waste.

What is good design? Product design is the total configuration of a product: its form, colour, material and construction. The product must serve its intended purpose efficiently.

A designer who wants to achieve good design must not regard himself as an artist who, according to taste and aesthetics, is merely dressing-up products with a lastminute garment.

The designer must be the gestaltingenieur or creative engineer. They synthesise the completed product from the various elements that make up its design. Their work is largely rational, meaning that aesthetic decisions are justified by an understanding of the product’s purpose.

I am convinced that people have an interest in what we are doing at Vitsoe since our products are useful; I expect they also appreciate the aesthetic that follows. These qualities are the result of progressive and intelligent problem solving.

Functionality must be at the centre of good design. A product must be functional in itself but it also must function as part of a wider system: the home. Vitsoe’s 606 Universal Shelving System is successful due to its high functionality and its ability to adapt to any environment.

Read all here at NYTimes

Stine Goya Spring Summer 2012 Collection look books. Always a treat!

Photography by Samantha Casolari for Dossier. Styling by Doria Santofler. Hair by Benjamin Thigpen. Makeup by Katie Mellinger. Model: Ivory at Ford Models. Stylist’s Assistant: Ilyssa Satter.

After recently posting about Camille Vivier’s personal works here, I decided I wanted to know more about the French Photographer. Shooting campaigns for fashion brands including Isabelle Marant and Stella McCartney, editorial for magazines such as Self Service and Purple Fashion, her client list is extensive. Camille’s personal work is stunning and if that all wasn’t enough, she makes beautiful videos for the likes of Maison Martin Margiela. I managed to get in touch with Camille and get an exclusive interview with AnyOneGirl!  So here it is, enjoy!

i love the way your images feel as if they could be a still from a moving picture, with a possibility of before and after moments surrounding the still image. do you think by being able to do both moving and still images successfully that they lend to each other?

I like the narrative potential of a photograph but it’s not directly connected to film making, they are two different mediums and contexts, but yes, photography has a strong relationship with time, the ambiguity of photography regarding the truth of the event gives a real litterary/narrative potential to photography.

when did you start working with moving picture?

5 years ago,I had the opportunity to direct a music video for a Berlin based electro band called Sex in Dallas.

do you feel it is necessary for a photographer to be able to do both moving and still image works in today’s industry?

No

is there a different process you take when using moving image footage as apposed to still image?

It is totally different, film deals with time and sounds, it hasn’t the same goal than still image, personally I use film as a sensual medium; a chain of affects, photography is more quiet, more abstract and intellectual in a way.

how important do you feel the use of internet is in todays world as an artist? how often would you use it each working day?

I first didn’t realize how important internet would be to have a certain visibility, it’s a worldwide tool of communication, a way to be connected to other creative people, it’s exciting because the effect of it is immediate, but it’s just a side of the work, photography can’t exist without prints, paper, books, exhibitions where you can really experiment and make your work live vividly, a concrete frame is important to give a direction to the understanding of your work, it is also more unique.

you studied at three different schools. did they each offer you something different? do you feel this was a purposeful action in your training?

I didn’t stay long in any of these school, but it was definitely three different experiences, three different places and moment in my life but it wasn’t on purpose, I was just searching myself and didn’t feel very well at school.

do you have any words or images or ideals that you like to stick by when working towards always achieving a signature style through various client briefs?

A good light, if possible and a specific universe.

how do you balance client works and personal works?

Let’s say fifty-fifity but I’m now focusing more and more on my personal work.

who do you most like to sit down with and bounce ideas off for your work? any mentors or teachers or other artists that have really influenced you and your work?

I really trust my husband and two really good friends I have who also work in art and photography. Working as an editorial assistant at Purple magazine when I was 18 built my early taste but my parents gave me the love of photography and image in general. Many artists, writers, directors have influenced me some are obvious and some are not, I am not focused on one type of imagery and I’m still very porous to things I like, quoting is also a part of my work.

what cameras do you most like to work with?

A Nikon FM2

what do you think about the current art world?

Nothing in particular but more exciting than many other fields.

where do you live and what do you love to do in your city?

I live in Paris. I love bookshops, old coffee shops and restaurants. I love to walk in Paris by night, I love the litterary, confidential and romantic aspect of the city. Now I rediscover Paris through my children’s eyes, we go to gardens like the Jardin des Plantes, Parc Montsouris, and we hang around in Chinatown.

Interviewed by Yasmine Ganley. Thanks to Bird Production.

See more of Camille Vivier’s works here. 

Team Gallery present an exhibition of new work by New York-based artist Ryan McGinley. Entitled Animals, the show will run from 02 May through 02 June, 2012.

“Animals consists of McGinley’s color portraits of live animals with nude models. The exhibition is his first made up exclusively of selections from this growing, and ambitious, body of work. The artist visited various sanctuaries, zoos, and rescue establishments across the United States, erecting a mobile studio wherever possible and working with a number of pre-eminent animal trainers. The animals are not mere props in photographs of people; on the contrary, McGinley considers them the subjects of these images. There exists both tension and tenderness between the models and wild animals, as they claw, clutch, nibble, and hug one another.”

via Team Gallery