Karolina Brocks blogg gestaltar mode som är mer än mode. Det är en plats där kreativa individer och fenomen som ifrågasätter och inspirerar lyfts fram.
Musik är vardagskonst liksom mode. New York är fashion forward och antagligen ännu mer “music forward”. (Och många gånger går de hand i hand.)
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Musik finns överallt här, infiltrerat i stadsluften från baspumpande bilar till underground-hak och mäktiga konserter. Red Bull Music Academy intog stan häromveckan. Dagar fulla av musikevenemang. Ett av dessa var en “culture clash”, ett battle mellan fyra producentgrupper och musikstilar: Federation Sound, Trouble and Bass, Just Blaze and Young Guru och Que Bajo?! Det battlade i att mixa sin och de andras musikstil och publiken var domare. Clashen är känd aför att grupperna bjuder in hemliga gäster för att överglänsa varandra. I år fick vi bland annat se 2 Chains och Raekwon överraska en tacksam publik.
2 Chains.
Music is every day art just as fashion is. New York is a fashion forward city but maybe even more a music forward city. Music is everywhere here, in the air you breath coming from loud playing cars passing by, undeground joints or mega concerts. The other week it was time for the Red Bull Music Academy. Days full of music events. One example was the “culture clash”, a battle between different producer groups and music styles: Federation Sound, Trouble & Bass, Just Blaze & Young Guru och Que Bajo?!. They battled each other by mixing their own or the other’s music styles and the audience acted judge. This clash is known for the groups inviting secret super stars. This year we got to see 2 Chains and Raekwon for example who surprised a grateful crowd.
Där festade Alexander Skarsgård och en hel del andra med den rätta blandningen av mode-bohemiskt-avslappnat edgigt-downtown-stuk. Det var på ett takdäck på Kenmare street i Nolita den 5 maj för att fira Cinco de Mayo, en mexikansk högtid och så festvärdinnans födelsedag.
On a rooftop at Kenmare street in Nolita actor Alexander Skarsgård and other downtown people with the right mix of fashion bohemian edgy-casual hang out May 5th. The occasion was Cinco de Mayo and a birthday celebration.
Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård.
Michael Eckhaus, one of the designers behind the conceptual brand Eckhauslatta.
Det första man tänker när man kommer in är, “wow, tänk om det här var mitt loft”.
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Nu är inte Kids are not sleeping på 67 West street i Greenpoint, Brooklyn, inte lägenheter utan en plats för fotostudios. En av de nyaste i raden av mängden studios som finns över hela New York. Det här utrymmet “blows my mind” dock. Fem trappor upp i ett gammalt, men omgjort, warehouse. En enorm sal med trägolv, träbjälkar och takfönster som kastar in solljuset. Mitt emot, tvärs över korridoren finns studio nummer två, lite mindre, men ändå stor. Inte samma romantiska aura men fullt utrustad för underbara plåtningar.
The first thing that came into my mind when I saw the space was, “wow, what if this was my loft”. Now, Kids are not sleeping at 67 west street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is not a place for apartments but for photo studios. One of the newest sites in the djungle of photo studios all over New york. But this place really blows my mind. Big warehouse, on the 5th floor. Huge space all in wood with windows that throw in the sunlight. Just across the hall is another studio, a little bit smaller but with full equipment for wonderful photo shooting.
I en materialistisk stad som New York finns det, inte lika stora, men många, motsatser. Grupper och communitys som skapar motstånd mot normen.
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Downtown New York på galleriet Space on White, fick vi den 20 april se ett exempel på detta. Beau Monde Society med grundaren Jennifer Nnamani i spetsen gav oss Fashion Envie’s Midsummer Jungle, ett event som lyfte fram designers som arbetar med hållbarhet och de gärna från tråd till färdigt plagg. Det viktigaste under kvällen var kanske inte så mycket designen vi fick se, i en sammansatt modevisning, men att initiativet togs. Att initiativet om hållbart mode tas upp i olika grupper, former och communitys tills det blir ett vedertaget alternativ, eller mer standard än undantag. Ett bra exempel på detta är den ideella organisationen Scraptacular som fanns med under kvällen. Scraptacular jobbar med och för barn. De skapar konst med återvunnet material och skräp och jobbar för en medvetenhet om hållbarhet och smart konsumtion.
In a materialistic city like New York there are also many alternatives, not as prominent but nevertheless important. Communities and groups that create resistance to the norm. April 20th at gallery Space On White downtown New York we could experiance an example of this. Beau Monde Society and its founder Jennifer Nnamani gave us Fashion Envie’s Midsummer Jungle, an event which featured emerging designers working with sustainibility. The most important during the evening might not have been the design that we were introduced to as much as the initiative of the event. The fact that initiatives of sustainability are taken in different comunities, groupes and structures until it becomes a natural alternative, more standard than exception. Another good example of this is the non profit organisation Skraptacular also featured during the evenening. Scraptacular works with and for children transormimg trash into art and creating an awarness about sustainibility, waste reducal and smart comsumtion.
Vissa har inget val. Det är bara meningen. Vad de gör efter det blir därför självklart.
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Chris Aprel verkar vara en av dem. En ung designer, ursprungligen från Guyana, som antagligen var designer redan innan han skaffade sin symaskin. Självlärd. Hans märke heter The Aprel Room. Just nu ligger en mängd prototyper i en väska hemma i Brooklyn och han plockar upp dem för att visa mig. På Aprelnewyork.com kan man köpa hans omgjorda kepsar, men det som kommer ur väskan ska plåtas till en lookbook för att sedan visas upp för några utvalda butiker. “Det finns ingen som gör det jag gör i New York”, säger Chris. Förfrågan om kändisutlån har redan kommit från L.A. men de fick nej. För långt bort än så länge för att hålla koll på, menar han.
Some people don’t have a choice. It is just meant to be. What they do after that becomes evident somehow. Chris Aprel seems to be one of them. A young designer, originally from Guyana, and who probably was a designer even before he got his sewing machine. Self-taught. The Aprel Room is the name of his brand. There are several prototypes in a bag at his appartement in Brooklyn and he takes them all out to show me. At Aprelnewyork.com you can buy his remodeled snapbacks and everything that comes out of the bag is to be photographed for a lookbook that will be shown to a couple of well chosen boutiques. “There is noone who does what I do in New York”, Chris says. He tells me he has already got sample requests from L.A. celebrities but they got a “no” – too far away to keep track of right now.
Varje torsdag händer det. Det finns inga gränser för fantasi och kreativitet och estetisk rätt och fel kan man lämna hemma.
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Catwalk Thursdays håller till på Marquee på 289 10th avenue, Manhattan, New York. Värd är den legendariska klubbdrottningen Susanne Bartsch. Jag har stött på henne under både New Yorks och Paris modeveckor och nu alltså igen i New Yorks queera, drag-, klubb-, voguescen. I New Yorks dramatiska DIY-scen.
Susanne Bartsch on the dance floor.
This particular night had the theme “wearable art”. In the middle of the evening an artist dived into a big glittery piece of fabric and started to dance.
It happens every Thursday. There are no limits of fantasy and creativity and estheticly do and dont’s don’t exist. Catwalk Thursdays happens at Marquee, 289 10th avenue, Manhattan, New York. Legendary club queen Susanne Bartsch is hosting. I have meet her a couple of times at fashion week in New York and Paris and now in the queer, drag, club, voguing life of New York. In the dramatic DIY scene of New York.
“Jag är inte en bloggare. Jag är en fotograf som tar streetstylefoton, bland annat…” Julien Boudet är en ung fransman vi nog kommer få höra mer om så småningom.
Kanske har du redan varit på hans hemsida Bleu Mode. Hans streetstyle främst från New York och Paris har någonting nytt och vackert över sig. Någonting som skiljer sig från mängden. Jag fick en pratstund med honom downtown, New York. Intervjun nedan kommer vara på engelska.
“I am not a blogger I am a photographer who takes streetstyle photos, amongst other things…” Julien Boudet is a young Frenchman we probably will hear a lot more about i the future. Maybe you have already visited his website Bleu Mode. He studies photography at Parsons in New York and there is something in his photos that catches your eye. His streetsyle photographies mostly from New York and Paris has something new and beautiful about them. Something that sets them apart. We met for a chat downtown New York.
How did you start taking pictures?
I became familiar with photography at a very early stage since my father was an amateur photographer. When I was a little kid there was always photo equipment in the house and that has probably influenced me. I started taking photos quite late. I really liked it and thought: Why not make photography my profession? I don’t like routines and working 9-5 was not for me. Photography suited me and I wanted to try it.
What characterize your photography work?
I don’t think I have found my signature yet. I haven’t been working long enough. A signature style is something that comes naturally after 10-15 years of practice and I don’t have enough experiance yet. But if you ask people who look at my photos they might be able to tell you what signify my style.
How is the street fashion in New York compared to Paris?
Here (i New York) it is much more diversed. In Paris I get the impression that people take less risks. For example it is unusual to see people with hats in Paris. They don’t really dare to wear color, you see a lot of black, navy and beige. In New York there is more extravaganzy.
What differentiate your website from other streetstyle sites?
I try to make each and every photo unique and artistic, to think about composition and light. Often when it comes to streetstyle it is more about the style of the clothes. I try to care as much about the artistic aspect of the photo as a whole as about the style of the person at the photo.
Bleu Mode, how did you come up with the name of your site?
I am from the French Riviera, in South of France (Sète). I was literally born five minutes from the Mediterranean Sea and I grew up at the beach. Living there I spent time just looking at the infinite sea, it is an incredible sight. I look upon fashion kind of in the same way. Fashion is an infinity of styles in different combinations and creations. It is never-ending. At the same time I love the color blue. Blue represent “something new”. Bleu is also a French word and I am French… and my mothers initials are BM.
What is fashion to you?
Fashion is a way of expression. It is also living art. It is a way of communicating a message and to reflect ones personality. It is great. You could say we are blank canvases that we paint with clothes, making daily art pieces.
What projects are you working on right now?
A stop motion video I am making from photos I took in Paris when I was there during fashion week. I have already done one with pictures from New York. In this one I am chosing from 3-4000 pictures. I takes a little while to finish. Other than that I am working with a new brand called Stone New York that makes t-shirts. We shoot lookbooks and editorials. I also shoot display for luxury fashion boutiques such as Louis Vuitton for instance.
What impresses you?
I love the nature. I am in New York for work but I love to walk around in the nature. After a career in fashion photography I would like to travel and photograph the nature.
I am also impressed by historically important people. From the French history for example. Then I think that friendship relations can be really impressive. I still have daily contact with my childhood friends even though it was almost five years ago that I left France.
If you were to wear only one outfit, what would that be?
Leather pants from Alexander Wang. They are so comfortable and they look good. Probably Free Runners from Nike. An oversized t-shirt from Rick Owens. My hat and my golden cross ear ring.
All photos rights reserved to Julien Boudet or credited photographers.
Genom en unik serie tröjor samarbetar Riccardo Tisci/Givenchy och konstnären Benjamin Shine.
Tröjorna tillverkas på beställning från Givenchys Haute Couture avdelning och är handgjorda inspirerade av Givenchys prints från sommarens herrkollektion. Shine är inte bara konstnär utan designar äevn kläder, produkter, möbler, han har jobbat för Coca Cola och New Yorks Museum of Art & Design. Otroligt imponerande är de porträtt han gjort av tylltyg. Tyllen viker, skrynklar och stryker han och skapar på det sättet konturer och skuggor på samma sätt som en penna.
Riccardo Tisci/Givenchyand Benjamin Shine collaboration.
Riccardo Tisci/Givenchy and artist Benjamin Shine collaborates through an unique serie of sweater prints. The sweaters will be made to order and from Givenchys Haute Couture salons. Shine is more than an artist, he also designs clothes, products and furniture and he has worked for varies types of companies such as Coca Cola and New Yorks Museum of Art & Design. Very impressive are the portrait he has made with tulle. Through folding, wrinkling and steeming the tulle Shines creates lines and shapes just like a drawing pencil would do.
Det är en livsstil med rötter tillbaka till 50- och 60-talens Sydafrika. Under Apartheid förpassades människor till townships runt om Johannesburg och med startpunkt i smältdegeln Sophia town växte kulturen Pantsula fram.
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Härom veckan var en god vän till mig, dansaren och koreografen Vusi Mdoyi, på USA-turné och vi hade ett långt samtal om den Pantsula-kultur som han är en del av och sprider vidare i och utanför Sydafrika. Detta bland annat genom sitt danskompani Via Katlehong.
Liksom hip hop-kulturen växte Pantsula fram i utanförskap och överlevnad. Dans, sång och klädstil blev en del av en community som man levde. Man var Pantsula. Mellan eller inom olika townships så battlade man varandra i dans och hur man klädde sig var en del av uttrycket. Pantsula lever på gatan och i traditionen även om få håller fast vid och knyter an till ursprunget. Stil, dans och sång har blandat sig med andra stilar och ibland kommersialiserats.
Vusi Mdoyi(standing)warming up with the other dancers in Via Katlehong preparing for the performance Via Katlehong Cabaret in Montclair, New Jersey.
It is a lifestyle with roots back to the 50ies and 60ies. The Pantsula culture was born in Sophia town as a result of the fact that man people were to live in townships around Johannesburg durimg Apartheid.
The other week a good friend of mine, dancer and coreographer Vusi Mdoyi was in New Jersey for a USA tour. We had a long conversation about the Pantsula culture which he is spreading inside and outside of South Africa mainly through the dance company Via Katlehong. Like the Hip Hop culture Pantsula grew from alienage and survival. Dance, music, song and dresscode became a part of the community. You were a Pantsula. Dance battles took place within or between the townships and how you dressed was part of the expression. Pantsula is today part of the street culture and the tradition even though less people connect to the origins. Style, dance and music have fused with other styles and sometimes been commercialized.
Haute Couture är på sin väg tillbaka. Det oåtkomliga, glammiga, traditionella verkar nu andas ny luft.
Fortfarande ekonomiskt svåråtkomligt känns det ändå närmare, i tiden. Samtidigt som pret-à-porter i allmänhet får alltmer kommersiella tendens drömmer vi oss bort i couturens värld. Kanske har man även börjat tänka om på Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, som avgör vem som får bära titeln Haute Couture. En rad kriterier måste uppfyllas och så måste man som sagt bli utvald av Chambre Syndical. Vilket jag nämnt tidigare är Rad Hourani ett intressant val som man nyligen gjort. Hourani är ett ungt märke som tydligt markerar att det är unisexkläder som man står för. Här finns inga romantiserande bilder, “kvinnliga” och “manliga” former eller svepande klänningar. Kanske är Rad Hourani ett exempel på en ny haute couture-anda.
Video with Rad Hourani från Montreal Gazette.
Video of the Rad Hourani AW13 Haute Couture show in Paris.
Haute Couture is on its way back as it seems. The unavailable, the glamourous and traditional is breathing fresh air. As the pret-à-porter is becoming more commercial we dream away in the couture world. Still exepensivly unavailable though but Haute Couture feels now closer and more a part of or time. Maybe they starts to think differently at Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, who decides which brands that could be Haute Couture. The brand has to fulfil several criterias and has to be chosen by Chambre Syndical. As I have mention before Rad Houraniis a new and interesting choice they have made. Hourani is a young brand which very clearly pushes its unisex image. Gone is the romantic images of Haute Couture, the “feminin” and “masculine” shapes as well as the sweeping dresses. Maybe Rad Hourani is an example of the new Haute Couture air we are about to breath.
