Editorial

Dries Van Noten AW19

Thurs, 17 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Dries Van Noten brings his idea of ‘Nostalgia del futuro’ to AW19. With a career spanning three decades, the Belgian designer delivers a considered look on future tailoring.

A backdrop of people that inspire Van Noten covered the soundtrack to the show in Paris – including snippets of songs and mixed conversations from David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, David Hockney, Christopher Isherwood, Yves Saint Laurent and a collage of Jimi Hendrix’s tie-dye guitar riffs.

Executed through a modern take on tailoring, Noten ties waists, squares shoulders and adds volume – typically playing with proportions, marrying masculine pieces with some traditionally feminine shapes. Dark palettes are lit up with vivid explosions of tie-dye, bathing autumnal sunflower prints in rich yellows and purples.

A standout from the collection comes in the form of the Valder Parka, a four-pocket, tie-dye printed parka essential for the changing seasons. Finished with a double zip closure system and shell lining, it’s an ode to the classic parka expressed by a master of his craft.

Dries Van Noten has described this collection as “a very elegant wardrobe”, based on the importance of young people and the future. He rewinds to early-70’s psychedelic prints, surging patterns and a tie-dye injection of colour; this counterbalance of youthful colour and grown-up silhouettes is contemporary elegance defined.

The Dries Van Noten AW19 collection is available in-store and online now.

adidas City Series Words with: Mc Nelson

Tues, 15 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT

The adidas Originals City Series presents the opportunity to find the creative pulse of four cities within three separate collections of the distinctive three stripes. With another two releases set to come this year – following on from the London release in July – Liverpool’s SEVENSTORE is focusing on the abundant musical creativity that triangulates through each European hub that give its name to these classic, heritage conscious designs.

The project will culminate in a bespoke 10’’ vinyl that places music from four cities in one place, taking a passport stamp style trip across Europe and recounting the sights and sounds through prevailing musical scenes and cultures. Starting the musical odyssey in our home of Liverpool, a city that has cut large parts of its fashion identity through adidas Originals discovery and celebration, the 10’’ will feature the music of local Liverpool rapper MC NELSON – an artist whose stark lyricism paints a picture of contemporary Liverpool and the reverberating echoes of its past.

Nelson, the first of four artists on the record, gives us his take on Liverpool and how it has informed his musical practice.

I grew up in South Liverpool. In Aigburth, predominantly, in touching distance of the river. The places where it sweeps round, down by Otterspool on the promenade. The landscape there is a huge part of my childhood memories. I have quite a strong affinity for the entirety of South Liverpool. In the South, there's a lot more breathing space; you're never too far from greenery or the river. For me, it's a landscape that offers so many opportunities for reflection.

I first started writing lyrics when I was really young. Like, really young. Some of them were borderline gibberish; basically just words that rhyme. You know, the mechanics of writing, song structure and flow can be quite hard to pull together, regardless of the content. It takes work. When I started making a conscious effort on the content of my lyrics – that being the thing that was going to set me apart from other musicians in the city, the other rappers – then it was more about reflecting my surroundings and telling the story of Liverpool in a way that other people weren’t doing.

At the point in my career where I released By The River, I wasn't overly aware of the other local rappers that had gone before me. It was great to discover. You know, all the early 2000s Liverpool rap that had a serious conscious edge to it. My attitude and approach to rapping is, quite strangely, a continuation of that, without knowing anything about it when I was making music. It's only recently as I've met more people in the scene now, those like First In Command, that were doing a similarly consciously edged thing. There’s a strong continuity. I feel it's something that resides in the South Liverpool energy. It’s an outlook that I've subconsciously delivered without ever using the music as a reference point. It's quite weird, but something that speaks a lot about the shared feelings in the city and the music it can inspire. It wasn't so much a case of regurgitating the musicians I was listening to in a Scousified sort of way. It was a process of subconsciously taking on their traits and doing it in my own way. So there's definitely a sense of shared lives in different eras, and Liverpool music speaks a lot about that.

“My music is a time capsule for the moment – and if you're not honest about it then it's almost pointless recording it.”

Lots of the music is defined by the landscape, the lives that exist between it all. The city has changed massively since the early 2000s. Mostly for the better. The regeneration that's been pumped into the city has changed how the city is perceived from the exterior. It's probably one of the most defining factors. Liverpool is a changeable city. It went from the boom of 2008 [European capital of culture year] to austerity in two years. I remember being 15-16, quite formative years; the coalition government came in and the cuts were hard. I still remember going to a couple of youth clubs when I was younger. That's all gone now, completely. All that infrastructure is gone, and this feeling comes out in drill music in London. It's just a pure, desperate cry for help and attention from the austerity generation. Even now, my generation are still a little bit too young to be the defining voice of the city. We don't call the shots, yet. We haven't had our time yet.

There’s a sense of being uplifted by the struggles you’re in. Working towards something, a common goal. For me, the best music comes from conflict. I don't mean physical. But more a conflict of ideas, feeling, identity or understanding; music that's determined, willing to go through the upheaval to be where it wants to be, or change things for others. It's the only thing to think about for me when making music. It can be nice to writing a song about how everything is great and how happy everyone is. But, you know... channelling conflict in songwriting is where I get the best results. The best basis is when you're trying to figure something out. The process of writing informs your understanding of yourself and what's around you. When you’re writing a song, especially a rap song, it's so lyrically dense that if you're going to tackle a subject, you can't get away with just skirting over it. It can be a bit like a self-inquisition, where you can come to understand things better during the process. Obviously your opinions can change, but it's like planting a flag and putting your thoughts out there and you had to deal with them in a definitive way. To put thoughts and feelings out there you need to come to some sort of conclusion.

Ultimately, Liverpool is a united city. You know, we can divide it between red and blue, or north and south, or race or whatever, but compared to other cities, generally speaking, there's a unified mentality that prevails. But when it comes to settling on what that identity looks like, there are still elements of preconception it. When people think of the quintessential Scouser, you get the image of the white, Irish football fan. For me, identity is something that's a reflection of your home life. I've always felt like I had a good understanding of my own identity. Sure, I noticed I was different to a lot of other people growing up, but I never had insecurity about it. I always just found it quite easy to accept who I am. I guess that's quite lucky. There were these two aspects of my identity colliding, but it was never ambiguous. I always understood my story, my family's story – even from a very young age. So I never really had any question marks around it.

“For me, the best music comes from conflict; music that's determined, willing to go through the upheaval to be where it wants to be, or change things for others.”

I think when you're growing up, your identity is always in relation to people around you. It's not really until I left Liverpool that I got the opportunity to get the full picture of the city's identity, what it means to be from here. When you take the time to reflect, you start to see yourself as more of a part of it, and your place in the community. You know, when you're just here, day in day out, it's easy to just think everyone is Scouse, and by taking time away you come to appreciate it more.

There’s lot to uncover, even if you’ve been living here all of your life. Having an understanding of the city's past, its shadowed side and the country’s history is one of the main undertones of my music. The stones that are unturned in Liverpool, or at least not widely talked about. Its decline from being a major port, its influence on the slave trade, the charged atmosphere during the riots. Just knowing more about these things changes a lot about how you perceive the city. If you do your part to spread the message it will foster cohesion. The more that's known, the better.

Liverpool is that a city has been chastised in its own way, by the media and the ruling class. So it’s no wonder it’s got such a strong identity, something to protect itself with, something to help others see it in a positive light. My music isn’t necessarily about unearthing guilt for elements of the city or the country, but more about presenting a clear picture of what's gone before. Something that everyone can learn from. There's no retribution that's going to be served. By dealing with these themes you get a wider picture of the city and its past, how we've arrived at where we are today. If the entirety of the history is taught and understood by more people, it can only be a positive. In school you learn about Henry XIII, but you don't learn about what moments actually shaped Liverpool for what it is today. You don't even learn any local history, which is madness given the abundance of stories that are able to be studied or looked into. Everything informs where we've come to today. It's just important to shed some light on it. My music is a time capsule for the moment – and if you're not honest about it then it's almost pointless recording it.

MC Nelson

SEVENSTORE x adidas Originals 10’’ record will be gifted with purchases of the London City Series and the following two city series releases in 2019. The further three artists included on the record are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

About adidas Originals:

Inspired by the rich sporting heritage of adidas – one of the world’s leading sports brands and a global designer and developer of athletic footwear and apparel – adidas Originals is a lifestyle brand founded in 2001. With the adidas archive at its foundation, adidas Originals continues to evolve the brand’s legacy through its commitment to product innovation and its ability to filter the creativity and courage found on courts and sporting arenas through the lens of contemporary youth culture. Marked by the iconic Trefoil logo that was first used in 1972 and championed by those that continue to shape and define creative culture, adidas Originals continues to lead the way as the pioneering sportswear brand for the street.

Words by Bido Lito!
Imagery by Keith Ainsworth

Words With: Lou Stoppard + Adam Murray

Weds, 02 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Who has the right to draw inspiration from something?

Curated by Lou Stoppard and Adam Murray, North: Fashioning Identity covers work from the forties to the present day: photographs, artworks and fashion collections in which the style, ideas and tropes of England's northern region are distilled. We sat down with them to discuss how the exhibition was put together, national divisions, and Northern motifs.
The exhibition mines the work of contemporary, internationally acclaimed design from the likes of Raf Simons and Virgil Abloh and places it alongside works from native Brits like Alice Hawkins and Jamie Hawksworth, photographers whose featured work focuses their lenses on challenging the northern stereotype (and bus stations).

It’s this mix of artists who have touched the North, and those who’s work is influenced those artists and the themes they extract. It poses questions about notion of individuality and place, and the creative community’s ever-present dialogue with appropriation.

Watch the interview for exclusive insight into the exhibition from Lou and Adam, and catch North: Fashioning Identity at The Civic, Barnsley from 14 September – 21 December.

Adidas X Pharrell Williams/Human Made

Tues, 01 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Teaming up with NIGO’s Human Made, Pharrell and adidas Originals’ HU line collaborate once again on three new models. The Tennis Hu, Solar Hu and Hu NMD are presented in a concoction of premium fabrication and embroidered details, taking inspiration from Human Made’s cult heritage streetwear aesthetic.

The NMD model steps out in its classic form, a feature of Primeknit construction with a soft TPU heel cage and lace system, placed on the signature NMD Boost midsole. The shoe’s pure white colourway is accented with red laces and an embroidered Human Made Heart logo on the toebox.

Next up, the running-inspired Solar HU model assumes a more technical aesthetic, constructed from breathable mesh and textured Primeknit, placed on the signature NMD boost midsole. TPU heel stabilizers and EVA rubber in the forefoot provide support, finished with the shoe’s distinctive lace eyelet panel and finished with an embroidered Human Made Heart logo on the toebox.

Finally, the Tennis Hu model’s casual, simple design is assembled with an embroidered Human Made heart logo on the toebox. The low-top silhouette features a white Primeknit upper with a leather heel panel and red laces, finished with the shoe’s signature diamond-tooled sole competing the collection.

The Adidas X Pharrell/Human Made collection is available in-store and online from October 5^th

STEPNEY WORKERS CLUB X BRAIN DEAD

Thurs, 26 Sept 2019 00:00:00 GMT

East London-based footwear brand Stepney Workers Club join forces with LA collective Brain Dead for a debut collaboration - a meeting of two brands with a shared approach to free-thinking and creativity. Inspired by the inclusive culture of traditional Workers Sports Clubs, Stepney Workers Club adopts the approach of ‘Freedom of Sport, Freedom of Thought’ through timeless, repurposed footwear for the new generation.

The spirit of subculture is prominent within both brands. Brain Dead is defined by post punk, skateboarding, erratic graphic lead designs and underground comics. Spearheaded by designer Kyle Ng, it is a creative collective of artists and designers from all around the world, it is not one person, not is it one idea. It sits in the space between people. As well as this collaboration, the LA brand have had past ventures with A.P.C, Carhartt, Converse and Sasquatchfabrix.

The collaboration between the two has reworked the classic Dellow silhouette, consisting of a black textured bouclé upper and a contrasting oversized cream sole unit, an ever-present feature in Stepney Workers Club design.

Another standout feature showcases asymmetric tongue label of the Brain Dead logo as well as cobranding on the footbed and heel patches. Focusing on texture was another main idea from the collab, opting for materials over heavy graphics displayed by Brain Dead in the past. Stepney Workers Club and Brain Dead build on their outlook to deliver a timeless minimalistic package.

To celebrate the release, the two brands have also worked together on a video and a sculptural installation with artist, Clay Arlington titled ‘Mind at Large’. The installation is a concept from Aldous Huxley’s book, ‘The Doors of Perception’ which is referenced on the tongue label of the collaboration.

Stepney Workers Club X Brain Dead is available in-store and online here.

EXCLUSIVE POSTAL FALL 19 COLLECTION

Tues, 24 Sept 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Dundee-born streetwear brand POSTAL launch their imprint for Fall 19 at SEVENSTORE.

Fall 19 marks the fourth release of the brand’s exclusive collection for SEVENSTORE. It sees POSTAL continuing to strengthen their vision for a clothing line that playfully pokes fun at modern drop culture through satirical embroidered messages.

The cult brand provides a refined Fall 19 offering consisting of four t-shirts designs in a variation colourways. A small collection that comes in limited numbers gives indication that this collection will sell out fast, just as their previous collections have demonstrated.

This collection shows an evident continuation of their Summer 19 collection which saw inspiration drawn from DJ, Jasper James. Graphics on this season’s POSTAL T-shirts take a deeper look at underground culture with a nod to Scotland’s rave scene. Upon the t-shirts, type is warped and layered, mimicking the flashing lasers in underground clubs. Taking the moody autumnal shades of stone grey and deep purple, they are contrasted with a sharp turquoise, making the waves of the lettering prominent.

Creator of POSTAL, Nel Roy, stays true to the brand’s minimal look that it is loved for by their devoted following. Short sleeves, small logo placement and a carefully selected colour palette. The words “I Chose Something Else” is stamped on their Choose Lyf t-shirt in the collection gives recognition to POSTAL’s audience.

As a primary stockist for the fledging brand, POSTAL’s latest limited collection will land online and in-store exclusively at SEVENSTORE on Thursday 26^th September.

STUDIO ALCH

Sun, 15 Sept 2019 00:00:00 GMT

The exponential rise of Alexandra Hackett’s presence in the fashion-tech industry came from a viral sensation that many designers hope for. And, it was an uncomplicated black dungaree meets a utilitarian boiler suit branded with a bold swoosh which gained the attention of Hypebeasts and streetwear blogs in 2017. The unique garment consequently conjured one question: “When did Nike make dungarees?”.

Though some people assumed the rather innovative tech piece was something out of a Nike archive, it came to much surprise that it was one of a kind, impressively constructed out of Nike duffle bags by Hackett herself. It was at this point, that Hackett’s Studio ALCH label was eagerly sought after for one off garments.

As her well known alias, Mini Swoosh, would suggest, she has an obvious affinity for Nike. Channelling the brand’s iconic swoosh into reconstructed boiler suits and gilets, which made their way to the stages of rappers, Kendrick Lamar and Skepta. The regeneration of Nike clothes by Hackett found the sportswear brand inadvertently tapping into a new fashion realm. Following her rising popularity in the scene, she was dubbed a Revolutionair by the brand, where she, along with 12 other creatives were selected to take part in the Vote Forward campaign. Hackett created a hybrid sneaker which became highly indicative of her design vision for Studio ALCH- personal, technical and unafraid of boundaries.

While deconstructed Nike apparel has always played a large part in the Studio ALCH identity, it wasn’t her impetus for label. In fact, it came from Hackett’s fascination with fabrics and how innovative processes can reduce waste in the industry. During her Revolutionair documentary video she set out her aim, “I just want to be remembered for questioning: what is a textile? what is fabrication? questioning everything.”

Since then she has been questioning the ways of fashion with Studio ALCH through seasonal menswear collections. Her first full collection debuted at London Fashion Week: Men’s SS20, housed in Nike’s 1948 space. As far as a premiere collection goes, this one encapsulated everything Studio ALCH was about. A crossover of technical components upon fashion garments resulting in a futuristic utilitarian look. Modelled on a collective of young creatives, the show seemed to represent an authoritarian voice on what young individuals should be wearing in the upcoming season. Faceted with Nike and Patta, the show gained respect and understanding of how sports brands can be incorporated in fashion.

In the latest Studio ALCH collection, Hackett continues to play with elements of techwear. utility vests, thermal long sleeves and track pants styled with smarter blazers and shirts for multi-functional looks. As well as the staple Studio ALCH neon green, mellow shades of blue and green cut through the charcoal black base layers. The new introduction of print and pattern on items showed a progression to Hackett’s fabric exploration, and like collections before, the textile design is set to influence streetwear trends in the forthcoming season. In true Studio ALCH style, the looks were finished off with a pairing of the reintroduced Nike Shox showing updated ways to style the noughties sneaker.

Shop the latest Studio ALCH collection instore and online now.

UNDERCOVER: REBIRTHING KUBRICK'S CULT FILMS THROUGH STREETWEAR

Mon, 02 Sept 2019 00:00:00 GMT

There are many parallels that can be drawn between cult film classics and the existing hype landscape. For one, both attract a particularly subversive audience. An audience who strive to be different and live to stand out from mainstream society.

The terms “Hype Fashion” or “Hypebeast” can easily be defined as a modern day subculture, made up of people who are always after the next big, exclusive item in streetwear and sneakers. On the other hand, cult cinema falls into a sort of undefinable category. Cult films can stretch from being a high production blockbuster or a low cost and independently made film. Unlike Sci-fi or Chick Flicks, they can’t be classified to a single genre. They often break taboos and challenge tradition alist views. But what makes cult films, is the cult following. “Cult”- it says it in the name. In the 70s, when cult films where produced in abundance, it was the devoted cult cinema community that decided which would be a cult classic or not.

Last year the streetwear scene saw cult cinema sampled heavily across garments. Supreme debuted clothing inspired by the 1989 film, The Killer. And, Raf Simons referenced Christiane F’s German cult classic, Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, in his capsule collection. Across both, digitally printed images of iconic scenes were splattered across the usual suspects of streetwear- hoodies, t-shirts and utility trousers. The same imagery that was once shocking and thrilling to audiences, has become simply a fun and edgy graphic. Thanks to cinematic desensitization and a fair progression in societal taboos, the meaning behind films have become less relevant. So, it raises the question - why has cult cinema been adopted and loved by a scene made up of people who weren’t even alive during the height of cult film production?

In the hype community, what’s cool, are the things people don’t know about. The collaborations, the new designers, the secret drops. So, presenting the incredible world of cult film to a highly receptive audience of cool-chasers, seems like the most perfect reintroduction for the slightly buried cult culture.

Japanese streetwear brand, Undercover has set the standard for the ultimate display of cult film classics in fashion. While other influences of music make an appearance on Undercover’s Instagram and a particularly inspired SS17 Jazz collection, it’s cinematography which plays a big part for Undercover founder, Jun Takahashi. Since the inception of the brand, Takahashi has designed with a “fictional style” in mindsomething animated and conceptual. This fictional style that Undercover encapsulates lays a footing for great art to be rebirthed through clothing.

Last season saw SEVENSTORE stock Takahashi’s interpretation of Kubrick’s cult classic, The Warriors. Undercover presented a reinvisioned look of the 8 gangs presented in the film. From outfits to the renamed gangs, the collection offered an insight into how these gangs would exist in today’s world. A new punk group, renamed Vlads, and an incredibly up to date Bootleg Truth gang, influenced by a tribal mixture of modern culture, both featured in the collective.Kubrick plays a big importance at Undercover. As a proclaimed auteur of cinema, his chilling, dystopian films have made for iconic imagery that has stood the test of time. And, Takahashi has paid the greatest homage to Kubrick’s films- giving a new audience the chance to experience and learn about great cinematography. From the women’s sublime Susparia inspired collection to The Shining’s darkly feminine 50s style, the collections channel the same energy but in completely tantalising fashion form.
Kubrick’s film adaptation of ‘A Clockwork Orange’ haunted the Undercover runway earlier this year for F/W 20. Taking Alex DeLarge’s high society mocking ‘Droog’ style to the upmost, the show kicked off with models gliding across the runway in a striking selection of bowler hats and canes, and the new addition of masquerade masks. Heavy capes, thick knits and layers upon layers of clothing added to the intrigue of the sinisterly made up models.

Images from: HYPEBEAST

From theatrical costume, to more familiar street worthy clothing tailored to the hype fans- a mix of coach jackets and t-shirts. Upon them, snapshots from the sinister and surrealist DeLarge’s famous clasped eye and, his piercing portrait with one fake eyelash makes an appearance in the collection. Bringing the same discomfort and chilling emotion that came from the film, the cult classic will now grace the streets of world thanks to Undercover and a daring hype community.

Coming soon to SEVENSTORE. Shop other Undercover here.

FRED PERRY X RAF SIMONS SUBCULTURE LIVE REVIEW

Mon, 02 Sept 2019 00:00:00 GMT

The unusual return of the sun filled Norfolk Street with a warm ambience on the afternoon of Thursday the fifteenth in August. A few people swilled in and out of SEVENSTORE to do a spot of sunny day shopping. As we passed the shop, the small ringlets from the new Fred Perry x Raf Simons collection could be seen glistening in the window. There was a calmness surrounding the store but it stood ready to invite the buzzing atmosphere and loud noise of the evening’s festivities.

By 7pm, Fred Perry Subculture had kicked off. An event celebrating local talent through live music, and in this instance celebrating a new collection too. The store filled up swiftly with people flooding through the magenta and green structure. Making our way up the stairs, there was a shared feeling of attention being drawn to the installations dotted around the store. Archival Fred Perry pieces were exhibited on the top floor like a museum of fashion artefacts. Leading to the new collection of hoodies, polos and long sleeve sweatshirts, within the transformed activation box.

The crowd was evidently aligned with the indie rock scene in Liverpool. Young friends who lived locally and some older attendees who had seemingly been fans of Fred Perry for a long time. Sporting an array of Fred Perry, some boys wore mod and slicked back hairstyles, while the girls were in flared trousers. But one thing they all had in common was the mutual excitement of seeing Trudy and the Romance; a real Thursday night treat. Collecting their locally brewed drinks from Love Lane Brewery, everyone made their way downstairs as the band took to their designated stage for the night.

The trills coming from the 3 guitar players diffused through the store. Trudy and the Romance played a selection of hits from their new, debut album, Sandman. Light and cheerful live indie music- a new but refreshingly different style to electronic music usually heard at SEVENSTORE. Heads bopped to the drums. One young boy sat in front of the crowd, besotted by the band and their mesmerizing music. The 6-piece band, which was down to 5 on the night, still came through with a smashing performance despite the absence of their keyboard player.

The night was a success. Fred Perry Subculture had, yet again, brought together a community of likeminded people in Britain’s Merseyside. Encouraging today’s subcultures to interact and celebrate their interests. A similar spirit which resonates with the stories behind the images from the collection.

Shop the Fred Perry X Raf Simons collection online and in-store.

VIRGIL ABLOH'S OFF-WHITE™ AW19 COLLECTION

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Off-White is known as the “grey area between black and white,” while its fans know the brand as the leader of the streetwear world. Creative Director and Owner, Virgil Abloh has built his multi-million-dollar brand all while recently moving to Louis Vuitton Ready-to-Wear menswear, where the designs have already sold 30% more in the first 48 hours.

Off-White utilises key-aesthetics such as quotation marks, zip ties and yellow industrial buckle belts, which has become an iconic piece from the brand, in keep with Abloh’s previous study of Architecture.

What continues to be central to Off-White is the functionality of its streetwear, with crossbody bags maintaining a staple to each season. The industrial aesthetic of Off-White is seen through most of his AW19 collections – this can be seen through the sculpted sole and industrial pull-loop on the ODSY – 1000 Sneaker and the vulcanised sole of the Low Vulcanised Sneaker.

Off-White maintains its hype while collaborating with designers across the fashion and lifestyle world – with recent partnership with IKEA making sure that millennials are savvy with their fits and their home.

Shop Off-White AW19 collection in our Baltic Triangle store and online here.

KEITH HARING AT TATE LIVERPOOL

Thurs, 29 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Until 10th November, experience the animated lifetime works of artist, Keith Haring at Tate Liverpool.

At the forefront of contemporary art, Keith Haring’s vibrant and fun work is recognisable to anyone. Whether you have seen his doodle-like art on TV, on the back of skateboards, or on t-shirt prints, his work has shrouded modern-day culture.

This year all heads turn to Tate Liverpool as they host the first ever major UK showing of Keith Haring’s work. The eponymous exhibition is made up of 85 complete pieces of art, spanning large scale pieces to videos of his live art. With most art works unseen on UK soil, the retrospective gives art lovers and Haring fans a complete look at his lifetime work.

Left to right: Untitled - 1982. Untitled - 1984 © Keith Haring Foundation

The artist famously quoted, “See, when I paint, it is an experience that, at its best, is transcending reality.” And, this exhibition is just that. Journeying through the gallery, Haring’s work hangs like modern day parietal art. Instead of ancient etched markings, his immense hand drawn murals tell tales of the world and the serious issues we face. As a prominent AIDS activist with strong views supporting the LGBT community, his liberal social and political values moulded his career and guided the focus of his work, making him a real sign-of-the-times artist.

Left: Pieces of the Same Thing - 1980, Tribute to Gloria Vanderbilt - 1980 © Keith Haring Foundation. Right: all artworks © Keith Haring Foundation. Right Untitled.

While his artwork doesn’t necessarily strike you with serious matters at first glance, it’s the simple icons and fun figures that entice people to engage with his art. Haring always valued the power of art. In his youth he was inspired by Walt Disney and other cartoonists. It wasn’t until Haring moved to New York in the 1980’s that his iconic doodle style was truly developed. Surrounded by graffiti, tags and hip-hop culture, he noticed that it was this streetwise art that spoke to vast audiences more than outdated fine art. After an overwhelming wave of success from his first art show, Haring rose to the epicentre of art, along with other pop artists.

Chiming in on Haring’s 1980’s New York roots, a special immersive installation named Black Light features among the exhibition. As it bursts with bright colours and neon light, a selection of Haring’s most radiant art hangs within the beating noise of 80s hip hop- an intricately constructed scene of underground New York through the eyes of young Keith Haring.

Left: Untitled - 1983 © Keith Haring Foundation. Right: all artworks © Keith Haring Foundation

For young Liverpudlians, this exhibition brings together an inspiring story of Keith Haring’s ambition and grit to promote important causes through art. From his daring days graffitiing subway stations, to his globally recognised activist art. The show is more than just an exhibition but a homage to Haring’s legacy.

Supported by Liverpool John Moores University, The Keith Haring Exhibition Supporters Group and Tate Members
Public Programme and Artist Residency supported by The Keith Haring Foundation
Open daily 10.00 – 18.00
For public information call +44(0)151 702 7400, visit tate.org.uk/liverpool or follow @tateliverpool #KeithHaring

PARRA AW19

Thurs, 22 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Nowadays streetwear is dominated by the luxury brands. More often than not a wave of tracksuits combined with monochrome colouring will overshadow the sector. However, Dutch based brand Parra couldn’t be further from this assumption.

Founded by Pieter ‘Parra’ Janssen, Parra have once again stepped into their usual territory with curved pop imagery, vibrant hand drawn letters and highly saturated colours for AW19. They’ve given us a collection of transitional staples from striped rugby shirts to colourblocked hoodies for maximised warmth.

The essence of vibrancy is a key aspect to this collection and the backbone of Parra as a brand. Taking on their signature style of surrealism, pop art graphics and bold colours is an ever-present feature in the workings of founder, Pieter Janssen. Having grew up into artistry and design, Pieter has been celebrated and championed around the world but has gained an underground following from the outset.

The continuity of this collection brings together bright tones into standout pieces such as a Racing Goose Rugby Shirt and the Mountain Stripes Windbreaker Jacket. As well as standout pieces to the collection it is a relevant reminder of the workings of Pieter’s mind and his artistic inspiration through the Earl the Cat T-shirt, encapsulating the vivid worlds created by Parra.

This is a clever move for the brand, reaffirming their fundamentals and aesthetic into becoming a considered streetwear brand for all.

Shop the Parra AW19 Collection here.

RICK OWENS DRKSHDW

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

A world away from his sunny Californian upbringing, Rick Owens, known to fans as Fashion’s Lord of Darkness, built his multi-million dollar empire from his dark love for grunge and goth aesthetics. With a signature style consisting of a head of jet black hair, tall black boots and dark, ankle grazing jackets, it comes as no surprise that Owens’ additional range, launched in 2008, would be fittingly named: DRKSHDW- or dark shadow.

Created as an addition to Owens’ existing menswear clothing line, the DRKSHDW label shares the same grunge-glam aesthetic that is central to the classic Rick Owens brand, whilst introducing a range of new materials. Combining gothic influences with relaxed and wearable streetwear styles, the DRKSHDW collections are the answer to instant, effortless style.

In true brand style, oversized ‘jumbo’ t-shirts and hoodies feature widely in the AW19 range, as well as drop-crotch track pants and cargo cropped trousers, which are key components for an easy, laid-back look. Further adding to the line-up we see parka coats and oversized denim outershirts. As with Rick Owens’ mainline collections, the DRKSHDW pieces are more than just clothes, they are made to be worn and lived in. Owens famously stated, “Every jacket I make has interior pockets big enough to store a book and a sandwich and a passport.” – And really, what more could you want?

Considered a maverick in the fashion industry, Owens is one of few designers who has managed to independently create and maintain a brand that is owned and managed by himself. With over 80% of Owenscorp owned by Rick Owens, his design process is as atypical - every piece sold in the DRKSHDW and mainline collections are personally designed by the man himself. A far cry from the legions of designers at work in most other labels he would call his contemporaries.

With a career spanning over 25 years, Owen’s motivation “is to fulfil any potential I have to contribute beauty to the world before I die.” Us too, Rick. Us too.

Shop Rick Owens DRKSHDW in our Baltic Triangle store and online here.

FRED PERRY X RAF SIMONS ACTIVATION

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

As the third instalment of SEVENSTORE’s dedicated brand activation box, we preview the Fred Perry x Raf Simons installation, the story behind the collection, and the Fred Perry Subculture event in-store to celebrate both brands’ presence in creative culture.

Releasing this Thursday online and in-store at SEVENSTORE is the Fred Perry x Raf Simons collection. At a glance, the limited collection screams Fred Perry. Short and long-sleeved polo shirt in bold splashes of forest green and magenta pink. Looking closer, laurel wreath ringlets, harking at a punk influence, adorn the tops with some replacing the traditionally embroidered Fred Perry logo. Others are layered and sewn onto a selection of digitally printed images in the imperfect style of DIY bricolage.

The selected imagery comes from the work of photographers; Gavin Watson, a prominent documenter of skinhead culture, and George Plemper, whose work exhibited 3 decades of working-class life in South London. Dipping into their archival works, the raw and wholesome imagery creates a narrative in this collection: a rebellious but real snapshot at Britain’s history. This is a common design feature for art aficionado, Raf Simons. Like his collaboration with Sterling Ruby and, the Dior and Kaws collection, where he draws inspiration from the artworld in the process of creating garments.

Encapsulating pre-millennia subcultural Britain, the collection will go hand-in-hand with the headline act of Fred Perry Subculture act; Trudy and the Romance. A three-piece Liverpudlian band whose sound, all the way down to their video production, take inspiration from the 1950’s. Taking place in SEVENSTORE’s event space, the full Fred Perry x Raf Simons collection will be available to purchase at the event, and online from 15^th August.

Fred Perry Subculture

Weds, 07 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT

SEVENSTORE will partner with Fred Perry for a Subculture Live event in Liverpool on Thursday 15^th August, celebrating the launch of the brand-new Fred Perry x Raf Simons collection.

The event, displaying SEVENSTORE’s ongoing presence in Liverpool’s music scene, will take place at SEVENSTORE’s Baltic Triangle retail and creative space, with live music and a further Fred Perry archive exhibition.

Combining Fred Perry’s fashion heritage and Liverpool’s contemporary live music scene, the event will feature an exhibition display curated from the Fred Perry archive collection, complete with a display of the brand-new, shoppable collection designed in collaboration with Raf Simons. Live music on the night will be provided by mutant 50s-doo-wop six-piece Trudy and the Romance, with an additional DJ set from acerbic post-punks Eyesore & The Jinx.

The Subculture Live event marks the launch of the brand-new collaboration between Fred Perry and Raf Simons. Focusing on the energy of youth and prevailing subcultures of the 1980s, the new Fred Perry x Raf Simons collection features archive images by British photographers Gavin Watson and George Plemper emblazoned onto the clothing range. Watson’s work paints a picture of the friends and characters he captured when part of the two-tone scene, with Plemper, a south London school teacher, offering a set of images that form a stark portrait of the working class lives and communities that surrounded him. The faces digitally printed onto the iconic Fred Perry pique polo shirt will provide the main story of the collection, with the range fully shoppable on the night of the Subculture Live event.

Fred Perry Subculture has shared a close relationship with the British music scene, providing a fertile ground for British subcultures, its music, and the heritage that continues to inform the brand today. The event at SEVENSTORE will feature as part of the Subculture Live series, a platform that both shines a light on icons of the British music scene as well as emerging bands ready to turn heads on the global stage.

Displaying a commitment to showcasing new, British artistic talent, the event will feature a headline performance from a fresh incarnation of Trudy and the Romance. Now operating as a six-piece, the band released their debut album, ‘Sandman’, in May of 2019 which sees an ice cool continuation of their mutant slacker meets cosmic 50s doo-wop sound. Further music on the night will come from the record collection of Eyesore & The Jinx, one of Merseyside’s riotous new talents to have emerged “from the putrid banks of the River Mersey” toting rough edged post punk sensibilities with rare surf grooves.

Fred Perry Subculture Live at SEVENSTORE takes place from 7pm on Thursday 15^th August.

DR MARTENS X NANAMICA

Sat, 27 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Following the sleek FW19 collab, which used the Plymouth Officer shoe, this year sees Dr Martens and Nanamica take a brand-new model, named the Camberwell. The 4-eyelet Derby is comparatively more rugged and hardwearing than previous models, crafted with the best quality black or dark tan grain leather, contrast white stitching and laces, all sat atop a serrated version of Dr Martens’ trademark Airwear rubber outsole.

The Camberwell marks the 3^rd edition of the classic Northamptonshire brand’s creative partnership with the Japanese outdoor brand. Each pair is lovingly crafted in the village of Wollaston, which has housed the Dr Marten’s factory since the footwear brand’s inception in 1901. Nanamica’s ethos of ‘human-oriented design’ has proved to be the perfect partner for work-boot-turned-punk symbolism of Docs: designing for the human condition is the lifeblood of both –one caters for exploration, the other for rebellion. Maybe they’re the same thing.

Shop the Dr Martens X Nanamica Camberwell shoe at SEVENSTORE here

ACNE STUDIOS INSTALLATION

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

ACNE STUDIOS’ Liverpudlian home SEVENSTORE previews the brand’s new collection with a custom in-store installation available exclusivley at SEVENSTORE, 26 Norfolk Street, Baltic Triangle, Liverpool, L1 0BE.

ACNE STUDIOS’ AW19 collection presents a selection of uncomplicated, easy to layer garments within the brand’s signature clean, contemporary style. Crisp turquoises and cool lavenders add depth to traditionally muted Autumn/Winter palettes. The Elogho’s branded mock neck marks the introduction of a brand-new silhouette at SEVENSTORE, taking everything that works with the now-classic Flogho, packaged in a lighter-weight long sleeve t-shirt.

Celebrating SEVENSTORE’s status as the exclusive ACNE STUDIOS stockist across Merseyside, a custom installation will be showcasing the AW19 collection from the 25^th July. Covered in ACNE STUDIOS’ iconic nude and stone grey, the activation is designed to compliment the minimal-industrial textures of SEVENSTORE’s metal panelling and heavy concrete interiors, breathing fresh Scandinavian air into Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle.

If you cant make it to the North West of England, shop the ACNE STUDIOS AW19 collection online here

Human Made, with love

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Nigo is a name iconic to many, as the brain behind one of street wears biggest brands BAPE (A Bathing Ape) circa 1993 and his newest venture Human Made circa 2010, he is showing no signs of stopping. To view Human Made as Nigo’s number two is criminal - both brands provide something entirely different for Japanese streetwear. With the help of Sk8thing, the lead designer for BAPE they continue to make Japanese street wear the epitome of cool the world over.

Nigo is known for his revolutionary reinvention of street wear silhouettes, which includes but isn’t limited to tees, button-ups, chinos and smaller fashion accessories. The Japanese label takes inspiration from 1950’s Americana and American work wear, bringing typical Japanese poise and attention to detail to the pieces that made the Free World.

The fits, fabrics and logos echo the period-feel Nigo is obsessed with as a collector of vintage apparel. Every piece Nigo collects provides references for future designs for Human Made, completing the circle of life for each thread. The heritage is rich with logos and heavy graphic prints, including a recurring motif in homage to Nigo’s Tokyo boutique diner, Curry Up.

Human Made quirky appeal is not only the prints used, but the quality and fabrics. Their collections hail from the Warehouse Company Factory, known for their unique cotton blend that supplies a foundation for all of their work. Being ‘Made in Japan’ with incomparable skillsets, these are the antithesis of fast fashion products; they are timeless pieces that have come from Nigo’s heart, made for the good of the soul, not for the good of the balance sheet. They are not to be missed.

Having collaborated with the likes of Hender Scheme, N.E.R.D. and STUDIO SEVEN to name just a few, the brands designs are heavily favoured by Pharrell Williams – a heavy co-sign if you needed one.

Shop impeccably crafted love letters to Americana right here.

The GRAMM ‘Corner Shop’ Street Party Powered By SEVENSTORE.

Fri, 12 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

CONTAINER, a motif of SEVENSTORE’s ingenuity and urban brilliance, lands in Manchester city centre on the 27^th July for special edition street party. In a cumulative effort to unite northern creatives, SEVENSTORE have partnered with Manchester’s streetwear centric, GRAMM, to combine fashion and music in this cultural experience.

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Heralding back to when street parties brought together neighbours and close-knit communities, this two-part event will see creatives gather and bring their many talents to the table that is GRAMM’s wistfully named Corner Shop party. The CONTAINER will be placed at the heart of the party. Acting as a pop-up shop, it will showcase the collections of up-and-coming designers alongside an exclusive GRAMM x SEVENSTORE, all available to buy on the day. On the street, a roster of rising Manchester-native DJ’s will provide a day of electronic tracks and sublime mixing including Tee Brown, Tony Osiris and former NTS resident, Sham Steele. From 1-7pm, attendees will be able to enjoy the day party fuelled with food vendors and drinks from our sponsors- all available to access with our issued wristband.

The second part of the event will see attendees move from the streets of Manchester to a secret intimate venue for the official afterparty.

As the heat of the day cools down on the streets, the temperatures will only be rising at the afterparty. Chiming in on GRAMM’s For the Youths by The Yutes objective; Black Josh and Mason Collective are set to perform on the night. In true SEVENSTORE style, the venue will be illuminated with a GRAMM powered by SEVENSTORE in a subversive AV experience. Breathing the same spacey feel as our CONTAINER event last year, this event will draw inspiration from GRAMM’s vivid green and intersecting parallel lines. Rave the night away from 10pm-4am.

Encouraging young creatives to co-collaborate, communicate and create, the event will ignite a dormant relationship between the neighbouring industrial cities that are Liverpool and Manchester. If you want to be a part of this exciting event, apply to attend via the GRAMM sign up page here. The exact locations of the day party and after party will be undisclosed until the day before.

Shoot for the Moon: The North Face Lunar Voyage

Thurs, 11 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

The Lunar Voyage Capsule has landed.

In celebration of fifty years since man first set foot on the Moon, and pushed the limits of exploration like never before.
On 16 July 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins left the NASA Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on a journey to the Moon and in history.

Four days later, while Collins orbited the Moon in the command module, Armstrong and Aldrin landed the lunar module of Apollo 11, Eagle, on the Sea of Tranquillity, becoming the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface.

Inspired by space exploration throughout the decades, the American outdoor giants have curated this exclusive collection that takes range of The North Face icons in an all-new direction.

The North Face signature square woven patch adorns a collection of utilitarian functionality. Reflective branding and premium monochromatic design envelop classic silhouettes such as the 1990 Seasonal Mountain Jacket and the Mountain Q Jacket for a Stellar iteration of technical expertise.

Launching exclusively online 17.07.19

adidas Originals City Series: Borderless Creativity

Fri, 05 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

To coincide with the launch of the brand new adidas Originals London edition, and the two subsequent City Series releases in 2019, SEVENSTORE will produce a doubled sided, limited edition 10’’ coloured vinyl, tying together the musical heritage of Liverpool to the three cities featured in the forthcoming collection.

The first of the three drops in the collection falls on Saturday 6^th July featuring the red and black colourway of the new, reworked London edition. The following two releases are scheduled for October and November.

Celebrating the new collection, SEVENSTORE will draw together a musical collaboration from each featured city, drawing out the similarities, details and energy Liverpool shares with London and the cities highlighted in the following two releases.

Bringing the continent stretching collaboration together in physical format, the 10’’ record will be gifted with each purchase of the forthcoming City Series editions.

New additions to the series present the opportunity to locate the creative pulse of four individual cities within three separate collections of the distinctive three stripes. The abundant creativity that triangulates through each European hub which gives its name each model is shared, developed and contrasted in the continual flux of music emerging from the city of Liverpool – a world facing port, borderless in its ingenuity and creative ambition.

The 10’’ record will feature four tracks in total; two produced by artists from Liverpool and London, with the following two tracks produced by artists native to cities set to be announced as part of the trilogy.

The compilation of tracks on the completed 10’’ will display the back to back collaboration and borderless creativity attainable through music and fashion, shining a light on the shared steps taken by musicians in different corners of Europe.

The 10’’ record produced will come with a matching colourway in recognition of the three city series editions paired with Liverpool on the record.

To mark the release of the record in November, the series will culminate with an evening of live music at SEVENSTORE’s Baltic triangle retail and creative space featuring performances from the artists featured on the 10’’ vinyl.

C2H4 HAVE THE FORMULA

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:00 GMT

C2H4 is a brand that seems to have popped up out of nowhere, now the label is all over IG. The label has now gone global, with the LA-based streetwear brand working with the likes of A$AP Ferg, Kylie Jenner and 2 Chainz. Yixi Chen, designer and founder of C2H4 is aiming to make items for the future. Her team of designers or as she likes to refer, Chemists, recently debuted their collection at London Men’s Week for Spring 2020.

The collection maintained the concept of futurism and workwear, creating a collection that was tactical, intricate and versatile - proving that C2H4 can be used in the working environment and out to show off on Instagram.

Keeping the concept of clothes that could be worn by Scientists or on the job, key pieces included reconstructed lab-coats, tactical jackets and cargo trousers. But the key is in the detail with most of the pieces including concealed pockets and straps which could help tighten the pieces – which altogether creates a collection that can be long-lasting and sustainable.

A key piece from the collection was the Flash Drive Print Hoodie. The “FM-2030” Disposed Hoodie includes tonal stitching and Ribbed Knit Cuffs, including the side pockets at the waist which are an additional workwear detail.

C2H4 has since moved on to work with big names like Vans and Kappa, establishing to the streetwear industry that C2H4 is here to stay and ready to become a staple to any wardrobe. However, Chen has made sure that C2H4 doesn’t make fan wait for the next drop, with the label planning to release three to five new pieces each month. It’s a refreshing take on drop culture, and one that keeps the brand at the top of the industries mind as we hurtle towards their functional post-apocalyptical.

Explore the C2H4 collection online here.

Never Before Dawn: Noon Goons AW19

Thurs, 27 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

For many people streetwear can be whatever it wants, but nowadays the luxury brands have dominated the streetwear scene and presented us with a false idea of what streetwear really is. More often than not were met with overwhelming amounts of monochrome tracksuits with only a splash of colour on some overpriced trainers to spark some interest. Here this brand is throwing away those labels and approaching streetwear with that good ol’ Southern California attitude.

Founded by Kurt Narmore and designed by Rick Klotz, Noon Goons have brought out their best collection yet. They’ve given us everything from corduroy to snakeskin, showing us those transitional staples are more than just jumpers and shirts. This collection represents in essence the California surf scene, whilst throwing in some “f#$k you” anarchy of punk culture. It mixes ready to wear pieces with conventional surf wear to give us a more laid back, casual style showing people that streetwear can be whatever you want, literally. This represents with some of the key pieces in this collection, featuring a snakeskin tracksuit, plaid shirts and a corduroy jacket. Mixing in fabrics and prints that you wouldn’t normally find in streetwear, this experimental prowess has been a key figure in this statement collection.

One piece that stands out is the snakeskin tracksuit. Probably for the more adventures of us out there, this head to toe print ensemble is completely out of the ordinary for the brand and to even appear under the umbrella of streetwear, but this is where the brand have been clever. They’re basically saying ‘up yours’ to the definitions that segregate what can and can’t be considered when it comes to their brands aesthetic and streetwear as a whole.

“Never before dawn, that hour, it makes me yawn. Now and forever a dude, because I can’t be bothered before noon” wise words by Rick Klotz.

Undercover: the noise behind the clothes

Tues, 25 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Undercover has been labelled many different things In its 26 years. Some would say ‘punk’, some would say ‘classic’, but attempting to pinhole this brand would be to offend its very core. Breaking each and every mould they’re given is kind of the point that designer Jun Takahashi is making with each new collection.

Before we dissect the brand new AW19 collection, we need some background on the chaotic vernacular of Takahashi and Undercover.

Takahashi was born in 1969 in a small village in Japan where edgy pop-culture references were not trickling down into his home, so he had to find his own way to be inspired. Through cartoons, digging through his mum’s wardrobe, and western-influenced music magazines, he found himself wanting more. Going all the way back to his roots and understanding these inspirations are pertinent to Undercover’s success. Music continues to play huge role in Takahashi’s life, - but the mid-80’s punk movement rocked his world. The British and American punk scene was just as huge in Japan, and these western influences affected everything from music to fashion design. Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo led the Japanese fashion scene and slowly took over each fashion capital with their fresh designs.

Throughout his time at Bunka College of Fashion, Takahashi was a part time design student and part time frontman of the band ‘Tokyo Sex Pistols’. A colossal step in the right direction was when Takahashi went to a Comme des Garçons show with his university and saw the products in person. The draping, the shapes, the art! Takahashi couldn’t get these designs out of his head and with the help of fellow design student Hinori Ichinose, Undercover was founded.

Bringing us to present day, Takahashi has had numerous successful collections with Undercover. From their first show in Tokyo in 1994 to 2019’s Paris Fashion Week, Undercover went from strength to strength. Taking streetwear and moulding it into high fashion must-haves became the platform for Takahashi to launch Undercover into the stratosphere. Having collaborated with powerhouse brands like Nike, Supreme and most recently Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, Undercover is gaining more traction than ever.

Graphics are the ubiquitous statement that all Undercover collections feature. Heavy print and statements are what sets the brand apart in a unique way, Takahashi takes slogan tees and branded coats to the next level. The new collection brings forward questions of Utilitarianism Vs Avant-Garde through a range of long and short sleeve tees. Using quotes like ‘Stay Bad Ass’ and ‘Bootleg Truth’, Takahashi mixes the essence of casual streetwear with the iconic Japanese-Punk he brought to the forefront of society.

Issey Miyake Homme Plisse

Sat, 22 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Debuting at Sevenstore this month is Issey Miyake’s sporty diffusion label; Homme Plisse. The male equivalent of Miyake’s Pleats Please, originally a female line, came about as a result of an overwhelming reception of Pleats Please by the male consumer. After a successful launch in 2014, Homme Plisse has seen seasons of repurposing his trademark pleats into various forms of contemporary garments.

When Issey Miyake creatied his namesake label in 1971, it was his primary focus to harmoniously bring together eastern fabric manipulation to western forms and garments. Unlike his Japanese design contemporaries Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto, it was Miyake’s aim to put functionality at the forefront instead of the desire to evoke controversy. Needless to say, his designs still conjure a great deal of intrigue. Basing his collections on the Japanese art of Origami, Miyake designs by the meticulous process of choosing suitable fabrics, applying heat, sewing and sculpting onto the body.

Homme Plisse does not compromise on these processes. Instead, the label extracts the same techniques and applies it to more casual and sporty silhouettes. Created for the active man, quality and longevity are the most important considerations at Homme Plisse. Earlier this year, Homme Plisse debuted their first artistic presentation in Paris. Collections were modelled on dancers and gymnasts, who sprung and bounced across the floors of Centre Pompidou. The show proved that if the trousers can move with the fluidity of a gynmast, and stretched without a single tear on a dangling tightrope walker, they can easily withstand the demands of everyday life.

Alongside the other athleisure focussed brands on the market today, Homme Plisse takes a refined approach, less of an urban streetwear aesthetic championed by the hype community, more reinvented menswear classics - a contemporary look which will remain crisp and look just as beautiful years from now.

London Fashion Week Men's SS20

Weds, 19 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

London Fashion Week Men’s has enjoyed somewhat of a rise and fall since its inception: from a burgeoning menswear scene with a bright future to designers skipping shows (or moving to Paris), attendance falling and the event being called into question as an essential part of the menswear calendar. We're not here to give answers to the importance of LFW:Men’s as an overall event, but rather to be aware of the context as we review SS20 collections. Either way, it's undeniable that London still houses some of the most exiting designers globally, and some genuinely unmissable shows.

A-Cold-Wall*
Samuel Ross continued his rise to the top of the world calendar with ‘Material study for social architecture’
There was a a feeling of graduation for A-Cold-Wall*, at once showing the industry's gradual lean towards tailoring while cementing Ross’ vision of subverting perception of the working classes. If the looks weren’t enough, rising water and the barks of a Rottweiler contextualised the current state of Britain – amid crisis of climate and leadership, the real people leading the country live in much more textured dwellings than Downing Street’s Ivory towers.

Martine Rose SS20
Furthering her exploration of British subcultures, SS20 sees Martine turn her gaze to the early 80s – COEXIST dealing primarily with the duality within the population. A self-described ‘critique of contemporary British politics’; T shirts with double necks, and fitted-but-flared trousers, exaggerated-shouldered blazers over mandarin-collared oriental printed jackets –a nod to the ‘wild alter-ego’ of the 80s youth, a time when politicians didn’t feel the need to fess up to their recreational drug use in misguided attempts to humanise themselves.While Martine’s warped proportions and mismatched textiles will always keep us engaged, the collection felt like business as usual - the brand may not be moving on, but, for now, we’re ok with more of the same.

Studio ALCH
Reconstruction is a mantra banded around a lot in the current climate, but few brands can confess to doing this as purely as Studio ALCH – the label created as a progression from the home-made charm of Alexandra miniswoosh Hackett's stitching together of Nike caps into shorts, and full tracksuits made out of socks. This sounds cute, but the evolution to full creative outfit is anything but. Reference and nuance are still there, as are garments reconstructed from duffle bags and packaging otherwise thrown away.

Craig Green SS20
Craig Green's exploration was into strength, fragility, and masculinity, only where last season he had been thinking of ‘a man made of glass’ – which represented an individual who had reached the perfect balance of fragility and strength and assumed his final form – this time around, his man was looking inside himself, a study of self and flesh and bone. Notably, we saw a reworked, transulscent adidas Kamanda, the first steps into a collaboration to breathe much-needed new life into adidas' special projects - left, ironically, much darker after the departure of Rick Owens.

C2H4
Focussed on the ‘post-human era’ (one that may be coming sooner than we think), SS20 brought with it muted palettes highlighted with metallics and iridescents, and the modular, punk-chemist aesthetic we’ve come to expect from Yixi Chen’s Los Angeles based label.Perhaps more impressive than creating collections that are strong enough to stand next to Samuel Ross’s A-Cold-Wall (while distinct enough to stand on their own two feet), is the world-building that informs each one.

SEVENSTORE x LACESOUT!

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

SEVENSTORE x LACES OUT! Festival 2019

SEVENSTORE will partner with Laces Out! festival this June to celebrate the launch of the brand new adidas ZX 4000 4D.

A shoe that places both feet in the future of footwear design, the launch will be supported through a newly commissioned multisensory installation housed at Laces Out! festival on Saturday 22^nd June.

Laces Out! Festival is an annual exhibition and celebration of sneaker and trainer culture, now one of the largest events of its kind in the UK. The 2019 edition of the festival takes places in Liverpool’s industrial north docks at Invisible Wind Factory from 1pm-5pm, with the adidas ZX 4000 4D installation housed in the venue’s basement.

A powerful blend of modern tech and athletic design, the ZX 4000 4D model provides a stylistic update to the original ZX 4000. The reissue is placed atop a midsole made from Carbon4D, adidas’ groundbreaking footwear technology. The Carbon4D midsole creates an experience tuned to the individual, based on extensive learning and digital modelling.

Comprising a series of 4D laser panels within the Invisible Wind Factory Substation, the installation will exist as an immersive, walk through experience, a 4D visual environment which digitally responds to individuals as they make their way through the space. Physical, analogue movement through the installation will trigger visual shifts and contortions within the 4D lattice AV environment, creating a highly personalised, immersive AV experience driven uniquely by each user. Whilst the area will house a bespoke soundtrack curated by Liverpool production duo UZU at Bido Lito!’s AI AUDIO LAB, currently housed in SEVENSTORE.

Ultimately, the installation allows existing analogue forms to dictate the digital movements of the future.

The ZX 4000 4D installation will be available to experience for one day only. The brand new adidas ZX 4000 4D reissue will be available to purchase at a retail point situated next to the installation.

Laces Out! Festival is a ticketed event. Buy tickets here.

Launching online on the 21 JUN 19.

June is YEEZY Season

Weds, 05 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT

The brainchild of Kanye West, YEEZY is one of the most sought-after brands in modern streetwear. Selling out almost instantly and then being flipped for double on the aftermarket, the brand is a mainstay of online raffles and in-store activations -getting your feet in a pair has become a rite of passage across today’s youth culture.

In 2015, the now iconic – and Kanye’s first release with adidas - YEEZY BOOST 750 became an instant hit – with fans of the brand and Kanye alike queuing outside the adidas stores across the world. Ready to wear, hyped footwear and the most Instagram famous family on the planet, Kanye has graduated from music and taken over popular culture. With no formal training, Mr West has grown YEEZY into one of the most successful new brands in the last few years, and a catalyst for the streetwear renaissance.

June is set to be a big month for YEEZY BOOST fans; the anticipated all-black adidas YEEZY BOOST 350 V2, 700 V2 Vanta, 700 V1 Utility Black and 700 V2 Tephra are all releasing on SEVENSTORE Launches. Despite increasing the number of releases, the brand continue to drive the hype machine by offering region-exclusive colourways, with the YEEZY BOOST 350 V2 Antlia exclusive to Europe also set to drop in the coming months.

Sign up for all of this month’s YEEZY drops at SEVENSTORE launches, or grab one of the last remaining pairs of the YEEZY BOOST 700 analog here.

SEVENSTORE x Baltic Weekender

Thurs, 30 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

On Saturday 1^st June, SEVENSTORE will partner with Baltic Weekender as an official venue at the inner-city festival.

Taking place across the Baltic Triangle in Liverpool throughout the day and night, the event will see the store host an AI Audio Lab production workshop, Q&A with Detroit Swindle, and guest DJ set from Breakwave.

The instore activity instore will run from 12pm to 7pm, with the Q&A and DJ set beginning from 4pm.

SEVEN’s involvement in Baltic Weekender continues on from previous community and instore music experiences such as CONTAINER with Evian Christ and Emmanuel Baird, SEVENSTORE Presents Actress x Sam Wiehl, and a guest DJ set from Scottish selector Jasper James at the store opening party. The forthcoming schedule of activity with Baltic Weekender will bring a rich selection of local and world renowned talent to the store, with a wide-ranging programme of workshops, talks and music throughout the day.

AI Audio Lab is an audio installation that will be housed within the store for seven weeks as part of the store’s first full creative ‘edition’. The project is a feature of Bido Lito! magazine’s 100^th issue programme and has been designed by Dr Robert Strachan, senior lecturer in music at University of Liverpool, in partnership with SEVENSTORE.

The project is intended to encourage participants to critically engage with the idea of a music future based on AI rather than human creativity, questioning the boundaries and parameters of artificial intelligence. AI Audio Lab invites you to step into a virtual recording studio and shape the creation of an artificial intelligence-composed piece of music, in a genre of your choice. From 12pm to 3.30pm, local artists Giovanna, Lupini and Bens Leia will produce music using the software.

Detroit Swindle is an electronic music duo started in 2011 by Lars Dales and Maarten Smeets. The Dutch duo put out most of their music through their own label Heist Recordings. As avid record collectors of both old and new music, their DJ style is as varied as their taste in music, blending together everything from classic house, obscure disco and African funk. In addition, the Detroit Swindle will be in conversation with Bido Lito! in the afternoon from 4pm.

Breakwave is a DJ, producer and the founder of enigmatic club night/record label Meine Nacht, as well as co-founder of Deep Sea Frequency. Rising through the ranks of the Liverpool scene, Breakwave is now one of the most in demand DJs on the global circuit, holding down a residency on NTS radio.

Breakwave plays from 5pm-7pm in the SEVENSTORE basement.

AI Audio Lab launches at SEVENSTORE

Thurs, 30 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

SEVENSTORE will house an Artificial Intelligence audio installation for the next seven weeks as part of the store’s first full creative addition.

Titled AI AUDIO LAB, the installation follows on from ClubTogether and will be housed within the basement of the store.

The project is a feature of Bido Lito! magazine’s 100^th issue programme and has been designed by Dr Robert Strachan, senior lecturer in music at University of Liverpool, in partnership with SEVENSTORE.

The project is intended to encourage participants to critically engage with the idea of a music future based on AI rather than human creativity, questioning the boundaries and parameters of artificial intelligence. Working with Dr Robert Strachan, AI Audio Lab invites you to step into a virtual recording studio and shape the creation of an artificial intelligence-composed piece of music, in a genre of your choice.

Throughout the seven-week period a selection of artists will be invited to the store to create new work within the installation, challenging them to test their own ingenuity out on the software in a bid to test out its capabilities and limitations. The first artist session will be part of Baltic Weekender on Saturday 1^st June, featuring a selection of homegrown artists working in the studio.

Once opened, AI Audio Lab will act as a steady state installation that is soundtracked by a 40-minute piece created by Dr Robert Strachan using Orb Composer, an artificial intelligence music making platform. This will be contained in a laboratory-like environment within SEVENSTORE, existing as a temple of reverence to the art of augmented creativity.

Over the course of the full programme, artists, musicians and members of the public will be invited in to AI Audio Lab. Weekly workshop sessions will create unique soundtracks, which can be analysed against the supposedly pure creations that spring from solely human ingenuity. No prior musical ability or theoretical knowledge is needed to work in AI Audio Lab – the installation exists as a democratic musical space open to all.

SEVENSTORE is a host venue at Baltic Weekender 2019, which takes place on Saturday 1^st June, 12pm-7pm featuring Detroit Swindle, Breakwave, Giovanna, Lupini and Bens Leia.

SEVENSTORE: Launching a new chapter

Thurs, 16 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Working tirelessly until the final moments running up to the launch, the minds behind Sevenstore could be seen through the pristine window panes preparing the store to a perfection. 18 months in the works; planning, building and organising countless garments and sneakers, had bubbled down to this. An emotional end to a great project, but just the beginning of a new, exciting journey for Seven.

Embedded in the heart of the rugged and culturally rich Baltic Triangle, Sevenstore stood ready to invite guests to celebrate its launch on Thursday. As the doors opened, an overwhelming scent of fresh paint and all things new overcame guests. Crisp and new, like opening a new box of sneakers from its tissue paper.

A multi-level shopping emporium where every minute detail of the store’s aesthetic honed in on Seven’s identity; luxury, forward thinking and community driven. The industrial backdrop from the nearby warehouses was encapsulated within the interior, as exposed brick and metal pipes flowed fluidly through the doors and into the store. Long digital panels stretched around the room, sparking with motion graphics and brand names which were stocked in the store. Under the panels, colour co-ordinated clothes hung, from both smaller independent brands alongside the ‘avant-garde’ heralded streetwear labels. Shoppers can find the likes of Dries Van Noten, Liam Hodges and Alyx- all of which are exclusively sold at Sevenstore in Liverpool. Down the mirrored staircase, we were led to an underground cave of plush sneakers and an extended collection of clothing.

For the launch party, the open space in the basement was filled with the thumping electronic sounds spun by the Jasper James and supporting DJ, James Organ. Drinks were flowing throughout the night, as eagle-eyed guests browsed collections and schmoozed amongst themselves. A corner gave guests a teaser of the Club Together: Light Night visual exhibition ahead of the event on following day. Weaving in the local artistic and cultural community, it’s apparent that Sevenstore acts as more than a premium shopping destination but a cultural hub too. While Liverpool is home to artistic talent of many kinds, it yearns for a place to bring together this community, where they can be inspired by the clothing as well as the cultural happenings.

BALTIC TRIANGLE STORE LAUNCH PARTY

Thurs, 09 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Join SEVENSTORE in the opening of our new flagship store in the Baltic Triangle, Liverpool.

This is the first of many community-led initiatives to run through our new retail and exhibition space, binding facets of modern culture together in conjunction with Liverpool’s buoyant creative community. Digital workshops, evolving open-source artworks, international/local artistic collaborations, residencies and live events, SEVENSTORE is all about creating unique internationally significant opportunities for local creative minds

The official SEVENSTORE Launch party is open to the public at our Norfolk Street store on the 16th May 2019 from 7:30pm until late. New season collections will be available to purchase on the night - expect free beer, guest DJ Jasper James and support from homegrown talent, the Chibuku resident James Organ.

Register below to attend. Winners will be selected at random. All winners are allowed a +1 guest. Successful entrants will be contacted before the event to confirm launch party entry.

Sign up below

Thank you for your entry!

Martine Rose: Remixing British Subculture

Thurs, 09 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Only Martine Rose could get you considering square-toed snakeskin loafers, gelled-up centre partings and transparent trousers. This SS19 collection has got everyone second guessing what is bad taste or what is actually great – but pushing boundaries is something Rose is expert in.

A self-proclaimed tomboy, Rose has deep interest in how people wear her clothes and their cultural meaning, the underground fashion scene she witness growing up in London is reflected in her 80’s and 90’s inspired designs. Surrounded by the iconic styles of the ‘crusties’ and ‘rude boys’ of the rave and reggae scenes, they return in Rose’s designs mirroring her childhood. The mixing of maximalist prints including leopard, checks, raw edge patchworks and bold vertical stripes meant there was not much room for understated pieces. Gold chains hang over checked shirts with embedded leather-jacket panels and tank tops are tucked into suit trousers. We didn’t think we would see heavy leather coats for a SS19 collection but if you can pull off the trousers to match then anything goes.

Demna Gvasalia, creative director at Balenciaga, loved Rose’s work before he went onto launch Vetements. When he took over Balenciaga in 2015, Rose was hired as a design consultant until late last year. Designing since 2002, Rose quickly made her mark at Balenciaga and is now recognised for becoming one of the most influential menswear designers since 2007. The parallels between Gvasalia and Rose’s style have served a great platform of progression, with both of them continually playing with proportions, forming intriguing graphic language and fusing subcultures, they’ve created their own fresh, underestimated scene.

Martine has a radical approach to presenting having shown outside fashion week schedules in unconventional locations: rock climbing centres, markets, and a cul-de-sac in Chalk Farm, North London on a sunny Sunday for her SS19 show. Sat amongst Luka Sabbat, model, influencer and Gen Z’s ‘it’ boy and Virgil Abloh, designer and founder of cult brand OFF-White, Rose impacts not only the people in her field but the residents of the square, including their children. We see how a relatable mashed up vision is born from growing up with a sea of different styles: her clothing beautifully new to the young minds waiting in anticipation for the show to start.

The SS19 collection is available online at SEVENSTORE.com, shop the collection here.

ClubTogether: Light Night

Tues, 07 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Join SEVENSTORE for the first viewing of a newly commissioned visual installation mapping rave culture

SEVENSTORE invites you to the launch a brand new commissioned visual installation created by design studio Dorothy. The ClubTogether installation provides a visual display of unique, user generated data input to the ClubTogeher web app – created to map clubbing and rave culture experiences across the world, both nostalgic and contemporary.

The launch of the installation will be a part of the Light Night 2019 celebrations, a city wide event of visual art in Liverpool on Friday 17^th May, and will be displayed within the basement of the newly opened SEVENSTORE retail and creative space in the Baltic Triangle – 6pm-10pm.

Soundtrack to the evening will be provided by former Haçienda resident DJ Graeme Park and SEVENSTORE radio host Andrew PM Hunt. A further additional visual exhibition will be provided by photographer Mark McNulty, focussing on his documentation of Liverpool’s early rave scene.

Dorothy’s work has already had its finger on the infectious pulse of rave culture. Last August, during the 30th anniversary of the Second Summer of Love, their ‘Acid House Love’ Blueprint linked the sticky web of rave perspiration with its main movers and shakers. The product is a distinctive visual map of the history of dance music and rave culture based on the circuit board of a 303 synthesiser.

Building on the idea for the blueprint, ClubTogether allows users to input their own memories into the web app to create a real time, interconnected world of shared experiences, emerging from dancefloors on opposite sides of the globe.

The ClubTogether Light Night launch is a free event with limited capacity within the store.

Friday 17^th May, 6pm-10pm,
SEVENSTORE
26 Norfolk Street
Baltic Triangle
Liverpool
L1 0BE

To contribute memories to the web app head to clubtogether.me

New beginnings: SEVENSTORE Norfolk Street

Tues, 07 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

New retail and creative space to open in the Baltic Triangle, Liverpool, 16^th May

SEVENSTORE is a new community-led, future-fashion and creative retail space set to open within Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle this month.

The innovative new space has been conceived as a thought provoking, barrier breaking and future shaping retailer. Set within a minimalist, future-tech warehouse in Liverpool’s post-industrial heartland, SEVENSTORE’s new home promotes creative collaboration, placing globally recognised fashion houses next to emerging talents. The new store will utilise the technologies of the future to share stories from across the world - Paris, Tokyo and London - with the streets of Liverpool.

SEVENSTORE’s roster of brands looks past the traditional view of Menswear - hitting varied cultural touch points to give a full view of modern fashion consumption, disparate influences joined by technology and a new sense of community and progression.

Newgen labels like Martine Rose hang alongside Acne Studios, Samuel Ross’ A-Cold-Wall* sits next to Off-White, with 1017 ALYX 9SM’s unconventional luxury mixing with Arc’teryx’s outdoor pedigree and Needles offbeat Americana.

Speaking about the store’s launch, SEVENSTORE Buying Director Mark Macdonald said: “SEVENSTORE will display that retail is far from dead. A carefully curated mix of fashion, music and art will intertwine throughout our seven week editions instore, with all of our activity looking to bring the store as close to the community as possible.”

Beyond the retail space, the SEVENSTORE ethos is carried into every aspect of its web presence – an e-commerce landscape that has attracted 2.4m visitors since its launch. The site is centred around industrial, minimalist design with future proof e-commerce functionality, translating the store experience directly to web. Additionally, the site is designed to allow for constant evolution, adaptability, and change to coincide with the revolving seven week ‘Editions’ creative projects. Fundamentally the site is a reflection of the ever-changing community it is part of.

The brand-new retail space is situated in the heart of the Baltic Triangle, a hospitable proving ground for the city’s leading creative minds and innovators. Here, SEVENSTORE will work to match the levels of innovation displayed by the businesses and studios who’s output in the last decade has firmly established the district as a creative hotbed in the North. Following in the footsteps of Baltic Creative CIC, SEVENSTORE arrives with an emphasis on community, operating with a model that feeds in a diverse range of fashion, art and music to the people of Liverpool on a level that is accessible to all.

Working alongside design agency Start, SEVENSTORE has been created to cater to the needs of a future-proof retail and creative space. The store will attempt to blur the lines between the two, bringing together a range of curated content that inspires and informs the other in tandem. Spread across two floors in a repurposed industrial warehouse, the space pairs both a retail focussed ground floor with an expansive basement equipped to house a range of music events, panel discussions and brand activations, complete with bespoke AV screens and PA system.

“Created from the ground up – and designed to celebrate culture and styles through curated experiences – SEVENSTORE is the up-start staging and intervention in this non-traditional location. The store is designed with humility and minimalist fixturing in respect of the Baltic Triangle buildings heritage. Powerful A/V installations deliver disruptive and distinctive storytelling amplifying ranges and styles and differentiating the entire experience for customers.” – START

SEVENSTORE believe fashion is more than clothes, shoes and accessories. And retail is more than windows, rails and tills. Fashion is shaped by community, technology and expression. SEVENSTORE connects people to these ideas. Inspired by Liverpool’s history of commerce – the seven streets that were the backbone of one of the world’s most industrious cities – SEVENSTORE challenge perspectives, curating culture for the new era.

ADER ERROR SS19

Fri, 03 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

South Korean design collective Ader Error return with SS19, a collection with an 80’s-inspired burst of playful, primary colours and oversized silhouettes in soft flexible fabrics. Entitled Arrow, the looks have embedded retro ideas with simplistic edge that will shape our future styling and ripple through the streetwear community.

Collaborations with Puma’s RS-series and Maison Kitsuné already under their belt, the staple pieces cross over with every season, creating the perfect capsule wardrobe. Its nostalgic mark on fashion has captured the attention of many and this is why it’s not just another Korean brand. Ader’s culture communicates through each collection, moving away from gender-specific divisions – first understanding their limitations to then go on to break free of them. Seasonal embroidered elements remind us that Ader’s Arrow points only to the future, towards growing globally. With only one shop in Korea, in the next year they plan to open 2 more before setting up shop in USA and Europe.

Ader has mothered collections that mix casual and formal so effortlessly, familiar is shown through a new lens. Oversized tees are worn underneath deconstructed blazers; amid the clean designs you seek unfinished edges and cheeky, offbeat elements. A narrative clearly runs through the SS19 collection and what Ader are so good at is giving the wearer options. The detachable components that feature on pieces like the back panel on the Manteau Trousers, the abstract placement of pockets on the Thunder Hoodie and the asymmetrical colour blocking on the Arrow Jumpers are the details that set this Korean outfit apart from the homogenised graphic sweatshirt crowd.

Creativity goes beyond the collections with Ader Error’s online presence, running 3 different instagram accounts. They’ve created platforms for the customer to engage in the many layers that form this brand such as brand content, collabs and events to styling tips featuring their own editorial shoots to street style.

Ader Error’s Arrow collection is available online at SEVENSTORE.com.

A mash up of the past, the Nike P-6000 CNPT

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

The new sneaker arriving this spring is the Nike P-6000 CNPT, with some serious colourways of the reimagined retro style. We may not have expected the “dad-trainer” trend to stick around but the style of the 90’s and 00’s has come back around as Nike moves forward with this new runner. With recent releases including the React Element 87, M2K Tekno and Air VaporMax Plus, never underestimate how they can simultainiously give us popular futuristic styles and transport us back to the year 2000 in one breath.

Nike has looked back through it’s archive, the P-6000 CNPT being the emanating hybrid of both the Pegasus 25 and 2006 silhouettes of our past. With no Air Max cushioning in sight, the P-6000 CNPT features a cushioned midsole and waffle outsole tread instead to add traction. It’s horizontal and vertical overlays on a mesh upper provides a heavily textured look with breathability which mirrors the former Terra Humara sneaker which has a softer shaping. This flexible combination however isn’t for the marathon runner but the casual jogger and outside the track, wear them to the office with your Aries Gabardine Tailored Trouser or A-Cold-Wall Rouche Trouser. Like the Pegasus’, the lacing system extends to the midsole for a cushy fit and even the placement of the embroidered swoosh and edition stamps are echoed. The Silver/Blue and White/Black colour ways will be laucnhing on the 16th May, register to purchase through SEVENSTORE LAUNCHES. The shape of the P-6000 is truly emphasised in the White/Blackcolourway, with a strict just-above-half and half line, the white stretching over the toe all the way around the back. For the not so faint hearted and retro enthusiast, the Silver/Blue is your trainer.

The Nike P-6000 CNPT is now available to purchase here.

Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh AW19 Preview

Thurs, 25 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Abloh’s first menswear collection for streetwear brand Off-White for AW19 since joining Louis Vuitton was a curated mixed bag of designs and political emotions to his hypebeast fans. Entitled Public Television, California bred and Italian based Virgil Abloh’s pieces adorn the brand’s mixed heritage on the catwalk, with models wearing American football helmets, sharp tailoring in navy and an appearance by Offset in an elaborate lilac puffer jacket scaling to the floor.

You couldn’t stand close to each other with the broad shoulders of the oversized suit jackets, some even slightly padded and completed split up the side, a reminder of the years you borrowed your father’s suit for a party. Hoodies over a shirt and tie are the garments of the work hard, play harder man. Huge baggy trousers with low crotches and a dip dyed shoelace belt holding them up pay homage to the skateboarders of our youth. As if we didn’t already know Off-White brought us the luxury streetwear revolution, printed instructional warning signs are grouped together and small signature embellishments are embroidered onto sleeves and necks: Abloh’s visual voice remains tenacious.

The Yellow Off-White industrial belt continues to be a key piece amongst the rest of AW19’s accessories: black oversized fanny packs calibrating the size of a man’s chest; ‘plastic bag’ shaped drawstring bags and small boxes made with teddy-like fleece in bright greens and orange. The strongest pieces from this collection are the oversized jumpers, transitional spring staples intarsia knitted with the Off-White logo in contrasting colours.

The latest Off-White footwear and accessory collection is available online at SEVENSTORE.com, shop the Industrial Belt, Waist Bag, and the Arrow Running Sneaker here.

1017 ALYX 9SM AW19 Preview

Thurs, 25 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Cult label 1017 ALYX 9SM brought us its AW19 collection with the continuation of high-profile collaborations, a focus on the “extreme present”, and the mimicked construction of urban districts that shadow our everyday directions. Not only does this season follow the monochrome colour palette we know and love ALYX for, Creative Director Matthew Williams focuses on the use of recycled materials and up-cycled techniques: “sustainability is a new pillar of luxury”.

Growing up playing soccer in California, you can see how sportswear has heavily influenced Williams’ ALYX. This season sees the creative director’s second training collecting with Nike producing training tops, chest pouches, jackets and even 2 in 1 shorts and skirts. 1017 ALYX 9SM also continued their collaboration with Makintosh, the coat maker so influential it’s synonymous for its signature outwear products. Oversized puffer jackets were paired with sleek overcoats on the catwalk - juxtaposing textures tied together with industrial belts and chest rigs.

Splashes of red, pinstripes and checks give the oversized-top-thin-leg silhouette a pop. Thick to thin cable knits look soft and mimic the frayed denim in matching waistcoats and jeans. High-neck coats, removable hoods and the rollercoaster buckle belts are must-have features to complete the modern, hardy aesthetic.

Matthew Williams has called this collection Ex Nihilo,“out of nothing”, mirroring the title of his newest collaborative photography book, one of many that is expanding and translating Williams’ fashion talents into art. Photographed by Daniel Shea and art directed by OK-RM, Williams has a great renaissance mind towards his work showing us the elements that go into the brand including photographs of the ore that they use to make their famous buckles, down to the places they are inspired by and people they work with.

Any designer can claim great attention to detail, but Matthew Williams’s graphics have not only been translated through the collection. The models at 1017 ALYX 9SM AW19’s Paris Fashion Week Men’s show were styled with handfuls of papers bound by the brown strips that we see in the book. Ex Nihilo also included over 15 womenswear looks in Paris, introducing the brands first women’s handbags, and cementing Williams’ ability to create effortless, genderless looks season after season.

The current 1017 ALYX 9SM collection is available online at SEVENSTORE.com, shop the iconic Rollercoaster Belt, Makintosh Formal Coat and Classic Chest Rig here.

Coming soon, POSTAL SS19

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Dundee based, Virgil Abloh approved POSTAL release their SS19 t-shirt collection including a capsule exclusive to SEVENSTORE.com

Founder Nelroy’s brand draws from his life experiences in and around Dundee, his retail surroundings at Manifesto, and fellow scots in the creative scene: conversations with house DJ Jasper James inspires the tight collection of embroidered slogans and graphics.

Returning lines like ‘Last night I dreamt somebody loved me’ sit alongside minimal, abstract plays on the POSTAL name and skull motifs – tonal embroidery in the new collection bring a sense of irony to the slogan tee, with profound sentiment blending into the background, giving the basic tee a visually subtle but philosophical upgrade.

POSTAL have built a strong relationship with SEVENSTORE through last season’s sell-out collection of t-shirts, and through a shared ethos of community-driven creative collaboration.

SEVENSTORE - headed up by Buying Director Mark Macdonald - has a bricks and mortar store opening in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle in the spring and is founded on the concept of fashion, technology and community; with a tech-led modular retail space and exhibition floor to showcase talent from emerging talent to global brands across music, fashion and tech.

‘One of SEVENSTORE’s pillars is to support emerging talent that bring through new communities and POSTAL are embedded in this culture. Nelroy cross-references multiple genres when drawing inspiration for each release and he produces product that we sell out in minutes. Each run is made in limited quantities and the DNA of the brand is to always move forward - it’s refreshing to see such a young brand be so focussed on their end goal. POSTAL is a big part of SEVENSTORE’S plans going forward’ – Mark Macdonald, Buying Director, SEVENSTORE.

New season Postal launches, including exclusive styles are now available on SEVENSTORE.COM

LIVE: Actress (DJ Set) Ft. Sam Wiehl

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

SEVENSTORE and 24 Kitchen Street present a brand-new, one night experience this April. ACTRESS (Ninja Tune) will perform an exclusive DJ set alongside a bespoke, live audio visual test bed produced on the night by visual artist SAM WIEHL (whose previous work includes visual commissions for Forest Swords and Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia). Support will be provided by Liverpool producer and DJ ASOK.

The event is the second in the ongoing SEVENSTORE PRESENTS series, following on from the hugely successful run of CONTAINER, with Evian Christ and French visual artist Emmanuel Biard. The trio of events saw a repurposed shipping container dropped into an undisclosed location, with the event promoted via a fly poster media campaign. Hopeful attendees were instructed to text a designated number, with successful applicants being added to a WhatsApp group which revealed the container’s location through a pin drop 24 hours before, giving way for 50 attendees to experience ‘trance sybaritism’ – a music journey into the unknown, led by Evian Christ. The forthcoming event with Actress reflects SEVENSTORE’s ambition to bring forward-thinking artists to the heart of Liverpool, with the addition of Sam Wiehl displaying a commitment to providing unique collaborations across its events series.

Speaking on the event, SEVENSTORE Buying Director Mark Macdonald said: “It’s fantastic to be able to celebrate the imminent opening of SEVENSTORE by inviting one of the most innovative producers in the world to Liverpool, and pairing him with a one of the city’s best visual artist. It’s billing like this that best displays the core of our philosophy, embedding world renown talent into the community here in Liverpool.”

SEVENSTORE is scheduled to open its Baltic Triangle retail space in May 2019.

One of the preeminent and most singular voices in UK electronic music, since 2012 Actress has run his label, Werkdiscs, in conjunction with Ninja Tune, releasing ‘Ghettoville’ in 2014, a record described as “inscrutable, unsettling and utterly unique” (Uncut). An epilogue poem written for the press release to Ghettoville led people to believe that Cunningham had retired. This in turn led him to conceptualise his new work as ‘Giving power back to identity.’ This fourth album was not just a poetic take on British youth in an electronic age.

As a DJ and producer, he’s an artist capable of music and mind duality, sharing his cerebral existence between an arresting electronic output that congeals influences from IDM, techno, hip-hop and industrial. The Wolverhampton born producer meticulously entrenches himself into the world of his productions to generate a product both haunted and breathing, subtly melancholic and spectrally mechanic.

In 2017, Actress returned with a new album and a new music system – “AZD” (pronounced “Azid”). An artist who has always preferred to make music than to talk about it, in “AZD” he has achieved another remarkable landmark, one which is as resistant to interpretation as it is demanding of it.

Actress has also worked with renown photographer Wolfgang Tillmans and collaborated on projects with the White Cube, with his appearance in Liverpool set to be another example of his willingness to place a multifaceted artistry at the forefront of his craft.

Sam Wiehl is an artist, live event designer and film-maker focusing on the visualisation of sound and immersive audience experiences. As Visual Director of the annual Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia he has crafted it’s unique visual aesthetic over the past seven years, with the event being widely regarded as one of the finest of its kind in the world.

As an artist, his collaborations include work with Matthew Herbert, The Bug, Chris Watson and Plaid, working with labels including Domino, Warp, Ninja Tune and Triangle Records. He tours internationally as a live audio visual artist and production designer for Ladytron, Forest Swords, and Szun Waves having previously worked with The Coral, Hookworms, Not3s and Jane Weaver. He also is a production designer and visual artist for a number of festivals based in the UK and the Netherlands. Recent commissions include work for Loop Berlin / Ableton, Unsound Festival, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Mira Festival Berlin.

Liverpool based DJ and producer ASOK released his latest EP, ‘How It Is', on Lobster Theremin earlier this year, with his A Mind Forever Voyaging show a regular feature on Melodic Distraction radio.

The event will take place at 24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool, on Thursday 11^thApril in celebration of SEVENSTORE’s forthcoming opening in May. Tickets to the show will be free and available via a text message sign up.

Text ‘ACTRESS’ to 0777 677 0707 for limited free entry.

SEVENSTORE

SEVENSTORE is a thought provoking, barrier breaking and future shaping retailer. We seek to challenge and expand perspective whilst at the same time remaining accessible and grounded by the world that surrounds us. SEVENSTORE is open source and rooted in collaboration between our global brands and local Baltic Triangle community, utilising the ideas of tactical media techniques, guerrilla marketing and media manipulation.

Trimm-Trab Event

Thurs, 28 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Purple Sole: City Of Liverpool FC and the social fabric of Merseyside football
One-night panel discussion and archive exhibition.

Join SEVENSTORE and adidas Originals for a one-off evening celebrating the launch of the brand new adidas Trimm-Trab Rivalries pack – the iconic terrace and away day shoe. Ahead of the opening of our new store in the Baltic Triangle in May, the event will take place at Smithdown Social, featuring an archive exhibition and Q&A exploring the social impact of grassroots football in the city.

The Trimm-Trab Rivalries pack launch presents an opportunity to explore and dissect the unique role that football culture plays in Liverpool. Throughout the city’s history football has been a constant presence; a lens through which we can examine challenges, successes and the day-to-day realities of Merseyside’s social climate. The launch of the Rivalries pack will be supported through a panel Q&A featuring influential members of Liverpool’s grass roots football institutions, journalists and adidas collectors.

Panellists will include Paul Manning (chairman of City Of Liverpool FC), Simon Hughes (The Independent, written extensively about football’s unique role in the social fabric of the city), Gary Aspden (adidas brand expert and consultant) and Stephanie Power (BBC Radio 4).

The latest Trimm-Trab pack will mark adidas’ acknowledgement of its influence on the city’s football politics and fashion, with the panel Q&A aiming to underline the extensive social impact football has had on Liverpool, and how adidas collections have evolved in toe with social developments throughout the city.

The archive collection will be curated by Laces Out! and Transalpino.

The event takes place at Smithdown Road Social Club, Liverpool, 7-11pm, 12/04/19.

IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND, SIGN UP HERE

1017 ALYX 9SM

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

There’s an argument to be made about the inevitability of success being one of Kanye West’s creative collaborators. Mathew Williams, creative director of 1017 ALYX 9SM, was an early member of multidisciplinary creative outfit DONDA, working in collaboration with Ye, Virgil and Heron Preston. That’s some foundation for a career in fashion.

Using his West Coast upbringing and wife Jennifer as inspiration, Williams’ collections present an upscale Californian adolescence – timeless hedonism in leathers and denim that sit alongside contemporary tailoring and streetwear’s calling cards, all punctuated with luxe hardware.

William’s references to a fast life have done more than take his lighter caps to Paris fashion week – it’s provided a shot straight into high-fashion’s bloodstream. Collaborating with Dior Homme, ALYX’s signature rollercoaster buckles hold significant weight in aligning the French Fashion house with the streetwear-oriented landscape under creative director Kim Jones.

The 1017 ALYX 9SM SS19 collection is available online at SEVENSTORE.com, shop the iconic Chest Rig Buckle Baseball Cap and Classic Coat here.

and Wander: us against the outdoors

Thurs, 31 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

There’s a conflict between Man and Nature that, while complex, becomes ever simpler as we speed towards complete environmental disaster. Both a provider for and an enemy of Progress – the deity Humankind has knelt to since primitive tools and fire, through the cyclical inception and denouncement of lesser religions – Nature’s unflinching power has been nurtured and harnessed by our societies before being destroyed by it. What are we to nature: beneficiaries, stewards, enemies? Or short-sighted parasites, giddy with greed over self-preservation. As politicians are forced to take stock of coral graveyards, raising temperatures and the possibility of being in the midst of Earth’s sixth mass extinction event, maybe it’s time to take advantage of the world around us while we’re still around to destroy it.

These issues are too big for a retailer to answer, but brands like Kieta Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori’s and Wander address the Man vs Nature conflict with garments designed simultaneously to get you outside and protect you from the outside. and Wander exist to make you soak up something greater than office gossip, exhaust fumes and serial-killer docuseries.

Both ex-Issey Miyake designers, the transition from a label whose philosophy is rooted in functionality and technology isn’t actually as big a jump as it may seem. Sure, the pair have ventured away from prints and pleats towards Primaloft and technical polyesters, but the chasm between haute couture and outdoor wear – in this instance – isn’t so hard to traverse.

The SS19 collection boasts hardy garments with a casual but polished ease that belie their technical credentials. Trousers are cut ergonomically from water-repellent fabrics with integrated drawstring belts and elasticated cuffs; high-density nylon jackets cut with clean lines and hits of 3M work as efficiently on the commute as they do in the field.

For all of this, and Wander doesn’t break tradition - the brand is everything we’ve come to expect from product designed and made in Japan: flawless craftsmanship and impeccable quality. It’s no wonder it’s got us yearning for frosted mountaintops and winds singing in valley bottoms – until tech-withdrawal hits and we cluck back to social feeds, over consumption and impending environmental disaster.

Shop SS19 and Wander at SEVENSTORE.com

SEVEN Radio - Discussion + Disruption

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

SEVEN Radio — Discussion + Disruption

Host Andrew PM Hunt (Outfit, Dialect) guides listeners through shifting spheres of music and discussion that links culture with an electronic, international post-rave world.

The monthly show features cutting-edge music from across the global worlds of electronica, downbeat techno and soulful neo-jazz, with regular guests joining in the conversation, focusing on the places where subcultures and music intersect.

SEVEN Radio is the audio arm of SEVENSTORE, challenging perspectives and curating culture for the new era.

December

November

POSTAL - Dundee c/o Nel Roy

Fri, 14 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Dundee isn’t top of anyone’s list for birthing sell-out collections, but that’s exactly what Nel Roy’s POSTAL is doing, growing from a passion project to a tight collection of embroidered slogans and graphics in collaboration with fellow Scot Jasper James – tees inspired by a conversation with the house DJ that sold out in hours when launched exclusively at SEVENSTORE last month.

There’s something uniquely personal about the graphic t-shirt. Whatever the designer is trying to get across, be it a take on branding, a social message or an emotional connection, it gets buy-in to a much wider audience than avant-garde runway pieces, conceptual video or selling prints in a gallery gift shop. For consumers - for fans – it’s a badge of insider knowledge and a show of support, a chance to nail your colours to your chest/back/sleeves. Or, you just like the print.

In the ruthless proving grounds for young brands, it’s the graphic tee that acts as the scout, the foot soldier and the standard-bearer: the literal representation of collection-wide concepts; the affordable membership for lower incomes; the volume pieces that keep you afloat when your £2k coats aren’t selling.

For POSTAL, their collection of Abloh-approved graphics have placed both feet firmly on the stairway to greatness. In a climate where the new luxury is dictated by the early adopters and purchased at a 100% increase by the aftermarket casuals, the best time to invest in POSTAL was yesterday.

New season Postal launches, including exclusive styles, are now available on SEVENSTORE.COM.

CONTAINER: Trance sybaritism in a shipping container

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Attempting to decode the failures of Britain’s post-imperial trade policy, those that continue to echo through the port city of Liverpool, sounds more like a dissertation thesis than the idea behind a conceptual rave. To help navigate such a debate, you might expect to find the likes of David Olusoga, camera in tow, wandering the dock road, staring longingly at freight cranes glistening in the distance over Seaforth. It would be an apt starting point for explanation, at least.

SEVENSTORE’s approach to the subject matter – in conjunction with Warp Records’ techno whizzkid Evian Christ and lighting engineer extraordinaire Emmanuel Biard – reroutes this debate through the abstract. It’s a fascinating concept, one that leans on visceral emotion as opposed to dry-eyed academic research. Billed simply as CONTAINER, a series of three parties held in a secret location within the once industrial Baltic Triangle, there appears to be an emphasis on an exploration of the question rather than a quest for comprehensive understanding.

At this phase the idea seems as elaborate as the Ellesmere Port native’s future-perfect music. In Evian Christ’s own words, Container will attempt to channel the “history of containerised global sea-freight” over the course of three secretive, invite only, raves. Better still, they’ll take place in a shipping container lined with high spec strobe lighting, an LED wall, smoke machines and 50 dancers – there to help absorb the 150 decibels cannoned out by the command of Christ (producer, not the son of God – though, at times within the container, this is questioned).

For all of the escapist sentiment, though, it seems like Container is attempting to take a sincere, leftfield route to realist understanding. An acknowledgement, at very least, of certain features of our post-industrial lineage, and the prescribed feelings that can be shared between an abrasive post-industrial history and an equally abrasive 170bpm soundtrack. To round off the pre-flight information for this mission, Evian adds: “[Container will follow] the story of a country with an unsustainable and ever-widening trade deficit; of a city whose industrial sites were replaced with monuments honouring the speculations of international financiers; and of a culture which services this ongoing state of affairs by holding itself accountable to an unsolvable set of moral values.” All there’s left to do is step inside.

It’s the night of the first event. While the back story offers more pre-attendance intrigue that your average four-to-the-floor warehouse rave, there’s no knowing how this storyboard will be processed: firstly, by Evian and Biard; second, by the sensory receptors charged with withstanding an intensive, strobe-lit history lesson focussing on freight trade in neoliberal Britain, and its socio-economic impacts.

With a prized guestlist spot secured, messages are passed through the waves by SMS to provide the lucky few with coordinates to the container, resting in the Baltic. Time of departure is clearly outlined. Total flight time is only two hours, so prompt arrival is required. There’s to be no easing towards euphoria. A driving, foot to the floor style seems like the instruction.

Bodies are fluttering in the space surrounding the container. There seems to be a conjecture of excitement and nerves. What lurks within remains top secret. The container does little to draw attention to itself from the outside. Its monolithic presence is interrupted only by a set of butcher’s curtains, which offer a small glimpse of the toxic green hues glowing within. Aside from that, all is left to the imagination – for now.

Tension isn’t relieved with the parting of the curtains. In we go, shuffling, as though searching for an unfamiliar light switch kept in complete darkness. For those hoping for minimal challenges to the senses, spirits are crushed; the switch is under the controls of Biard. The French visual artist isn’t renowned for designing lights for the local switch-on at Christmas. Tonight, he’s here to make the music as 3-D as humanly possible; music that will be spanning a spectrum of trap, happy hardcore, trance and gabba. This isn’t going to be a breezy, Close Encounters-esque optical conversation with the 50 Earth-dwelling guests. Eyes and minds are going to be borrowed and contorted.

To start the music is spacey, the lighting warm. Smoke perforates gradually, suffocating all clear vision. As the music rises, all that can be seen is puppeteered by Biard. It can only be described as watching a rainbow-soaked solar eclipse through a pair of opaque sunglasses. A rush of colour flies past the eye but detail of the picture is left entirely to the imagination.

The container is completely packed but it feels like there are fields of space surrounding every attendee. The lighting has the ability to transcend the body beyond those dancing inches away. It becomes introspective; a questioning of not just the psyche, but humanity (so the note says on my phone… perhaps I’m dazed). There’s a sort of celestial camaraderie shared among the chosen 50. Not one body aggressively bumps into another, somehow. All that is telling of another’s presence is the occasion “whoop” or cheer as Evian grinds the gears of this airborne shipping container.

The soundtrack is warped for the most part: paired with the light show, it works the mind into an obedient liquid, happily shifted into whatever shape the colours suggest. It feels as though the eyes are watching the scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey where Dr David Bowman is hurtling tough the space and time continuum wormhole, except it’s playing at 10 times the speed and your nose is pressed against a cinema screen.

I’m left unsure on whether I understand the UK’s trade deficit any better. But there’s certainly been hopeful thought provocation. In many ways we have no idea what’s in these boxes when they arrive at ports. We have no engagement with these economic building blocks: we simply look at the words Hamburg Sud, China Shipping and think nothing more. There is no inkling that the world’s account balance is tipping from side to side before our eyes.

The idea of Container breaks beyond the four rectangular walls which we step inside. It tells the story not of how these containers are shipped and traded on a daily basis, but how we, ourselves, reflect the same process. In the post-industrial city, we are the highly valuable commodity, the commerce. We box ourselves into self-constructed containers of aspiration, expectation and anxiety, just because the nature of the capitalist western economy says so. Dancefloors, nailed to economy, are no longer an escape. Through placing ourselves in a blinding box with 50 others, you come to see this.

Who knew a two-hour strobe examination could prove so metaphorical, so scathingly political?

Written by Elliot Ryder (@elliot_ryder). This article appears in full in Issue 95 of Bido Lito! magazine.

Dries Van Noten

Mon, 26 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

There’s an honesty in the designs of Dries Van Noten that is rarer than you might think. The Belgian designer, part of the generation defining Antwerp Six collective of (university) alumni, bikes to his Antwerp studio if the weather is fine; and takes the car if his dog is coming along for the ride.

Outside of the studio, he tends his garden as respite from a career that has spanned three decades on the runway. It keeps his feet on the ground, literally and fgiguratively. As he said in an interview: in fashion, you control every element, from the sourcing of fabric to the staging of the shows to the stockists selling the garments. Cultivating a beautiful garden requires surrender – an acceptance of outside forces with their own agendas. There's nothing more freeing than surrender, nothing more relaxing. Surrender is acceptance.

Where Instagram and twitter fuel sensationalism, focussing the lens on ‘it’ items and the influencers wearing them (or the other way around), focussing in on the copycats, the appropriators and the downright racists (see dietprada), on Dries' account he posts images of his designs, the aforementioned dog and occasionally, flowers. And that’s not to say that Dries hasn’t done his fair share of dressing ‘celebrities', - from the queen of Belgium to Academy Award nominees, but he refuses to become the victim.

Refusal is the wrong word. It suggests absolutes, drama that isn’t part of Dries’ - makeup. Instead, carefully considered cuts, colours and fabrication add depth to what is, in essence, a collection of menswear classics simultaneously timeless and modern. It’s an art project. A passion. Simply, it’s nirvana for people who love clothes.

Amazingly, the breakdown of the company’s financials is something as stunning as the colour palette. Over 90% of the business comes from ready-to-wear. And with $100 million revienue estimate for 2018, that’s no mean feat. To put this in perspective, clothing is traditionally a loss leader in the industry. (why? Because there’s nothing bandwagon about the collections, because Dries appeals to everyone, from original fans from 30 years ago to the rappers wearing the SS17 and AW18 collections.).

His decision to sell a majority stake to Puig isn’t something to be afraid of. While the fragrance titan certainly takes away an element of romance, like giving up your long-held dreams of reconnecting with your first love and settling for a the safe pair of hands with a a house, family car, and job in the city, it’s a smart move for the label. Known for affording it’s brands creative freedom, and with Dries staying on as chief creative officer and chairman of the board, it’ll provide the infrastructure and financial backing to force further growth. If you’ve always wanted to smell like Dries’ garden, things are looking up.

But until then, it’s back to the present. As part of the AW18 collection, the Raincoats project uses the marbling technique seen in the wider collection, but across limited edition shell raincoats. Each one was created painstakingly by hand, using a technique that creates unique marbled patterns from the diffusion of inks on the surface of water. It’s something traditionally reserved for printing paper, and is (probably) the first time it’s been applied to textiles. Sometimes, in our world filled with pushing the envelope of performance, it’s refreshing when innovation is as simple as bringing together separate traditions.

For Dries, it’s not about creating fashion for fashions sake – he’s always wanted to create clothes that people actually want to wear:

Fashion has always been a way of communication. You make garments that people can really wear, that can underline their personality and that can tell something about how they feel, who they are. That, for me, is my main thing. I donlt make fashion just for fashion, I really make clothes for people to enjoy, to buy and to wear. You can make incredible things, but when at the end nobody actually buys and wears them, its like a baker who makes beautiful cakes but nobody eats them.

After all, the only tragedy greater than rationally rejecting romance is a wasted cake.

A-Cold-Wall*: Levelling the Runway

Thurs, 15 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Samuel Ross tears down the traditional class system one fashion show at a time.

A Cold Wall takes inspiration from the British class system –recontextualising the working classes and updating public perception from hooliganism to rich subculture.
The brand, by Ross's own admission, has strong ties to geographical landscapes, with early compositions and ideas based entirely off wall palettes – these structural references intrinsically tied to the idea of social structure:

‘A Cold Wall is the feeling I had rubbing my hand against a pebbledash wall at a council estate, yet it’s just as important and relative to someone who is brushing their hand against a slab of marble in the upper sections of society.‘

In streetwear’s current climate, concepts and backstories like Ross’s are important. It’s easy to screen-print a logo onto t-shirts, hoodies (and ponchos), seed it out to ‘influencers’ and watch the cash roll in. It’s much harder to create an emotional connection between designer, product and consumer. That makes it all the more important for the Northamptonshire born designer: ‘why are these kids going to Zara and buying rip off designs when I can make a product at a price point and those kids understand who I am, what the fuck I’ve been through, and know I understand them too?’

A-Cold-Wall offers something authentic, collections of garments as an expression rather than a cash-in. It’s about presenting conceptual ideas at a digestible level. After all, as a multi-discipline designer, Ross is an artist before anything else. As a young 20 something, he was putting out video, paintings, even doing kitchen installations– fashion is simply another medium for his creativity. Indeed, his website reads ‘multidisciplinary creative director, designer and installation artist. Even at this early stage of his career, you can’t argue with that.

His breakthrough came as the assistant of none other than Virgil Abloh, working alongside the now Louis Vuitton artistic director of menswear while juggling a graphic design job. Both designers have found untraditional ways into the fashion industry (Abloh’s rise from DJ to figurehead of one of the oldest fashion houses is well documented), and proves that in this post-Saville era, graphic design and hard work is as viable a way into the fashion industry as a degree from Central Saint Martins.

More than that, Ross has come from court appearances to celebrated designer on the strength of his unwavering creative vision and unshakeable work ethic. Now, after collaborations with Nike, Oakley and sister brand POLYTHENE* OPTICS – a graphic-heavy collection at a much more accessible price point - he can get the word out to a broader spectrum of the public. His Academia Correction Workshop was ‘a contextualisation of the A-COLD-WALL* narrative through the British school system’: an examination of classist tiering and systemic nullification of individuality, something none of his collaborations or side projects can be accused of.

It's high-concept stuff with a salient social message, and the clothes aren’t bad either. AW18 again looks at juxtaposition, this time between the building site and the art gallery. Featuring a collaboration with The National Gallery - its sensible, serif lettering alongside A-Cold-Wall’s hieroglyphic accents across t-shirts, shirts and accessories – which tells a story of British architecture: ‘It was about interpreting how you can take something from a more working-class context [council estates] and place it in a gallery environment’ Ross explains.

As long as Ross has stories to tell, he’ll keep the industry hanging on his unique perspective.

Shop the collection of Samuel Ross’s A-COLD-WALL* at SEVENSTORE

Liverpool, Culture City

Thurs, 15 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

“Welcome to the third Golden Age of Merseyside music.”

These aren’t my words but those of Queen Zee – the Liverpool punks beloved of Iggy Pop – who tweeted this statement on 13th October 2018. You may think it’s hyperbole, but I’d say it’s merely a fair reflection of the state Merseyside music in 2018. It has, once again, been a remarkable year for our region’s musicians. Stand-out albums from Bill Ryder-Jones, She Drew The Gun, The Vryll Society and Mark Peters will make many critics’ end-of-year lists, with plenty more artists waiting in the wings to continue a Scouse music domination (check out Xam Volo, Zuzu, MC Nelson and Sub Blue if you haven’t already). But it’s on the ground, in the city’s great mix of venues and clubs, that you’ll witness exactly the kind of camaraderie and energy that Zee’s original tweet alludes to. The city is alive with DIY creativity. It’s infectious, dynamic and hard to ignore. The Beatles? Nah, mate. Old news.
There can’t be many other cities in the world that can support and nurture the number of musicians and events that Liverpool does. Scores of musicians are out their plying their trade every week, and they do so in a supportive community where collaboration and cross-pollination are not merely buzz words, they’re a way of life. It’s a state of the rude health of a music community when you can point to a genuine buzz in the air and scenes-within-scenes; nights where the bands are promoters, performers and fans, where everyone mucks in; where you see support acts singing the words of the headline act’s obscure songs and losing their shit. It’s a self-supporting network –and it’s fucking exciting. You should take note of Queen Zee’s words, because they may well turn out to be prophetic.

There’s no doubt that the region’s cultural renaissance has been on an upwards trajectory since the 2008 Capital Of Culture year, taking the positivity in our collective spirit skyrocketing upwards. Liverpool has been a city in constant flux since the turn of the millennium, and is visually and emotionally a very different place to the one that signed off the 20th Century. This upwards turn has perhaps come a decade or so too late after years of stagnation (both forced and self-inflicted), but you can’t doubt that it’s a city on the up. Consider a visitor to the city, seeing a place that seethes with civic pride, one which celebrates the achievements of its own, makes museums dedicated to telling their stories and welcomes in others who want to come and embrace that energy and use it to create new stories; they’re going to want to come and sample that atmosphere – a blend of pride and acceptance, mixed with a ‘can-do’ attitude – and be enriched by the personalities and stories that it’s all built on.
Re-purposing former industries and turning our history into new forms of culture has been a defining narrative of the city’s 2008 boom. Both the Baltic Triangle and Ropewalks areas have become desirable locations for visitors in recent years, as living embodiments of Liverpool as a city on the rise. Where once the clank and grind of industry dominated, driving prosperity, culture now leads. The warehouses and factories left behind as the city’s docking operations have moved gradually northwards have been taken over by new industries; digital, disruptive and with the same kind of daring that made the city a global leader.

Certain chapters in this region’s history loom large over us, especially when it comes to music and culture. Being respectful of this past, yet not weighed down by it is a tricky course to navigate – especially when some elements of that past are uncomfortable. But, the Merseyside region has always been at its best when it’s looking forwards and embracing change, which is exactly what culture-led regeneration does when it is executed properly. There’s always room for a respectful repackaging of heritage within such plans, but we must also make sure that we don’t overlook the strength of communities who are living with and reinterpreting these stories on a daily basis. Accessible forms of culture like music, art, theatre, poetry and comedy are universal forms of mass communication, and they can help us to understand these deep-seated motivations. As well as being a salve and a spark, music is also a powerful vehicle with which to have difficult conversations, and question our preconceived notions.
It never ceases to amaze me how perfect a backdrop Liverpool is, not just visually, but in the context of it being a great place for creativity to flourish. There’s a mass of energy to be drawn from walking the city and noticing its (seemingly) random points of convergence, where buildings cluster and the layers of myth and legend run deep. There are also a plethora of stories and connections tied up in the city’s dense historical web, most of which we’re not even aware of. These gaps in our knowledge are cavities where conjecture, folklore and character flood in. These are the things a city is built on.

A whole history is out there on the walls of this cultural melting pot, and between those walls the future is being written by artists working fervently in bedrooms, box rooms and makeshift rehearsal spaces. The city is a canvas, the most richly detailed backdrop against which people document their lives in the most vivid ways. Its features, craggy surfaces and buildings are full of so much colour and character. Whether it’s artists coming to the Biennial from across the globe to interpret what they find here, or our own homegrown musicians documenting their relationship with home, the city and its people are an endless source of inspiration.

Our walls are witnesses: there is so much information around us just waiting to be discovered, and so much energy to tap into. We’re all constantly adding to the already dense narrative, layering on top of the memories that are already there. Every one of our actions seeps in to our surroundings, becomes folklore, ready for the generations coming after us to discover, learn from, twist and fashion into inspiration for their own new memories. And the cycle never stops, it keeps getting denser – and that’s why it’s important for us to keep adding to the strata of stories in the bedrock, so that the work of today’s artists isn’t forgotten.

The power of great art is that it has the capacity to make us connect deeply with the emotions of others, and it improves our ability to see things from another person’s perspective. The same can be said for nurturing a strong sense community spirit and togetherness; art, and its attendant culture, is a vitally constructive aspect in the development of strong communities. And if you’re connected with the society in which you live, through art or broader cultural community activities, you’re more likely to care about it and do something to protect it.

So, you see, we need music, and art, and the ability to create – as much as we need the venues and institutions to showcase and consume these creations. Art is not an indulgence, it’s part of our makeup – as a form of expression and as a way for us to understand the deepest motivations and feelings of others. And you don’t need to have a university degree or a love of DIY garage music to see that; you just need the ability to feel.

In Liverpool, feelings run deeper and emotions are stronger. Because a proud sense of culture is buried deep in the bedrock of our collective identity. And when the memories of giants, Stevie G and four lads who shook the world are long since faded, that is what will still be powering this city’s incessant forward motion.

Christopher Torpey is Editor-in-Chief of Bido Lito!, a monthly print magazine documenting Merseyside’s new music and creative culture.