Editorial

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 agerns theres actually 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' Instagram 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 back in () 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 (fashion technical innovations – think acronym, VaporMax, react… arcteryx), 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.

The DNA of Helmut Lang

Fri, 23 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

One-Night Archive Show, Presentation & Discussion

Helmut Lang’s impact in the worlds of popular culture, art and fashion - along with his use of tactical subversion - is unparalleled. Ahead of our new SEVENSTORE opening in Liverpool next year, we will be exploring the ongoing resonance of his post-industrial, minimalist aesthetic in a one-night archive exhibition and Q&A at Constellations, Liverpool.

The event features an exploration and exhibition of ENDYMA’s Helmut Lang archive - the largest in the world - and discussion of the designer’s ongoing global significance.

The event commences with a conversation exploring Helmut Lang’s enduring relevance with: Andrew Ibi (LJMU School Of Art and Design), Michael Kardamakis (ENDYMA), Mark Macdonald (SEVENSTORE) and Dr. Lee Wright (LJMU School Of Art and Design). This will be followed by an opportunity to explore a selection of artefacts from ENDYMA’s expansive Helmut Lang archive. Constellations, Baltic Triangle 4/12/18.

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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.

Fashion, Fiction and the Rise of the Machines: Why is Science Fiction Having a Moment?

Thurs, 15 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Technology defines our human experience. Before vaccinations, it was the spear. Before it was the internet, it was the compass. To be in a position to create post-apocalyptic worlds and distant alien races we needed paper, ink, the printing press. We needed the atomic bomb.

Science fiction is a reaction to progress – extrapolating realised technologies into scenarios that dig into existentialism, metaphysical debate and social satire. It’s a reaction to our fetishisation of tech. But why is it having a moment in fashion?

Even before Metropolis debuted as the first feature-length cinematic example of the genre in 1927, popular culture had been captivated by alternate earths and galaxies far, far away. Born out of the searing pace of progress during the industrial revolution, even the earliest literary works of Science Fiction philosophised macabre applications of the technology propelling humanity into a brighter future. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein questions the ethics and morality of wielding new knowledge, reframing the myth of Prometheus for a society increasingly rooted in science.

Where Prometheus played with fire, Victor played with science. Where Shelley’s protagonist (cue literary debate) reanimated dead flesh, today’s Dr Frankensteins are trying to recreate the mind through ever more complex algorithms and an almost impossible vastness of data. The philosophical questions posed by these works - what it means to be human - make them universal; quandaries the developed world has been having for centuries. Much of Science Fiction cinema is visual representation of thought experiments, delivered to the masses disguised as a date night activity.

As a study of human identity, it’s no surprise that fashion borrows a lot from the genre.

While futurism in fashion has been around for a hundred years, corporate housings are now predicting the near future with scientific methods of trend forecasting, use of data and machine learning, bringing technology to the forefront of the industry in the biggest way since the internet. The futurism is no longer all conceptual projection.

The applications of these new technologies aren’t, however, as nightmarish as their literary or cinematic counterparts. Not yet, anyway. Artificial Intelligence is the next great frontier; its presence being felt commercially after decades of fictional speculation. From silent algorithms serving consumers hyper-personalised ads Minority Report style, to fully automated chat bots, the time to heed cautionary tales like Spike Jonze’s Her or Alex Garland’s Ex Machina is creeping ever closer. Naturally, the dystopian vision of a fully automated creative process culminating in artificial sentience enslaving humanity springs to mind, but that’s definitely something Raf Simons and Jun Takahashi would get a kick out of - so it won’t be all bad.

2001 a space odyssey kicked off the sci-fi-as-an-existential-crisis movement as we know it today. As a frame for philosophical questions about the way we use technology, creation and destruction, humanity and morality it’s inspired contemplation across popular culture. The Matrix, Interstellar, annihilation, Arrival all carry the spirit of 2001, as does the Gucci cyborg, Prada’s Nylon Farm and, more overtly, Undercover’s AW18 collection.

‘The Gucci cyborg is post-human. It has eyes on its hands, faun horns, dragon’s puppies and heads. It is a biologically indefinite and culturally aware creature’. Alessandro Michele has reinvigorated the Florentine house not only by looking into its century of history, but by creating an entirely new world for the brand to live in - bridging the gap between maximalism and fantasy. The now infamous FW18 Dragon pup was inspired by author Allistair Mitchell’s 2004 hoax in which he spun a yarn about unearthing a baby dragon pickled in formaldehyde in an Oxford garage. Mitchell garnered press coverage as far-flung as Australia, and ultimately used the stunt to leverage a book deal for his unpublished fantasy novel.

In Blade Runner, the rich and powerful own artificial animals – when Deckard meets Rachel she asks if he likes Tyrell corporation’s owl; if he likes the company’s ability to create something artificial yet indistinguishable from the biological original. It took Makinarium, the special effects studio tapped up by Gucci, 6 months to create the dragon, severed heads, horns and extra eyes Michele sent his cyborgs to the operating theatre holding and wearing - anatomically correct and hyper-realistic prosthetics worthy of their own feature film or international hoax. Alessandro’s Gucci had to settle for industry acclaim and 6.2 billion euros in global revenue. Tough gig.

The grotesque realism was an evolution of the previous year’s ad campaign, a homage to vintage sci-fi complete with Friesian cows, abduction, Lagoon creatures, stop-motion dinosaurs, and aliens. The fantasy got darker in a year, the subtext more real. As real-world technology reaches the borders of sci-fi fantasies we grew up with, the conversations around new technology and morality start making the news. And when Elon Musk is voicing his concerns about AI, and mainstream media is writing about ‘designer babies’, the potential for slightly disturbing campaigns skyrockets. They capture the consumer because the stems of these concepts have already been seeded into their minds.

Blade Runner’s Replicants (and the androids of Philip K. Dick’s source material) undergo a series of questions to assess their empathic responses, and ascertain if they’re human or cyborg - similar to, and probably influenced by, Alan Turning’s Turing test (the test of a machines ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human - thanks, Wikipedia). Both in art and life we’re morbidly fascinated by the idea of playing god; creating something in our own image with such accuracy we can’t hope to control it. As a species we’re in denial: we’re scared of freedom despite preaching the opposite.

The rise of CGI influencers like Lil Miquela, used by Prada and Highsnobiety, are as Black Mirror as it gets. The narrative that Miquela is a sentient robot is, of course, a fake one, but that’s the worst part. These accounts are real-time social satire, serving us image-addicted with something mysterious enough to stand out, but specifically tailored to be an Instagram success through data analytics. Can’t find the right human being as a vehicle for your streetwear brand? Create one instead. They’re personalised, medicated gruel for our self-constructed social media prisons - and they taste so good.

In a reality where we are already versions of the cyborgs depicted in fiction – where we remove ocular implants at night, modify the unborn with stem cells and live symbiotically with devices that recognise our faces, we dress up these advancements in plain clothes (contact lenses, smartphones) such that they seem essential at best, mundane at worst. As soon as things become possible, they’re boring. Conveniently, we forget how we wrestled with morality over the testing of these products or the potential applications of technologies by monstrous corporate entities. As long as there is immediate gain, we forget about the recent past. We look to the future.

By definition, fashion is a capricious field, but it’ll always react to the climate surrounding it, and, like science fiction, take grains of truth to striking extremes. And at the moment, that’s mild unease about welcoming Alexa into our homes. She’s always listening you know.

adidas YEEZY Calabasas Track Pant 16.11.18

Thurs, 15 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Launches 11pm 16.11.18

The sun-soaked hills of Calabasas have come to house celebrity culture’s elite, its gated communities and sprawling mansions affording enough space and relative privacy for pop culture's arbiters to enjoy the fruits of their labours (and/or film reality TV shows). To the streetwear community, the suburb means more than Newlyweds and KUWTK.

Kanye West’s YEEZY lines (in their various forms) can’t be underestimated for their part in bringing streetwear to the top of the industry, and with this in mind, the Calabasas Track Pant probably typifies the movement. First released to clamouring fans and immediately inflated resale prices, the sweatpant followed the script Kanye started drawing up in 2009 with Louis Vuitton.

Sneakers have been embedded in youth culture – street or not – for as long as kids have wanted to emulate athletes, for as long as feet have been forced into black oxfords for school, church and work. They carry a sense of escape from the rigidity of tradition, but have also carried relatively high price tags – leaving most of us pining for pairs out of our (or our parents’) reach at some point in our lives. Sweatpants though? Not so much.

In the post-YEEZY era, things have changed. With streetwear at its apex, the appeal of the track pant has raised considerably – it’s the spine of the everyday wardrobe. Throw in a co-sign from Mr West, and it becomes more than the anchor of any AW outfit – it’s social currency, too. And after all, why shouldn’t we be cozy?

Launching at SEVENSTORE on Saturday 16th November at 11pm, the Calabasas Track Pant returns in versatile, earthy palettes Core/Mink and Umber/Core with zipped side pockets and ‘Calabasas’ emblazoned on the double-knit polyester. But we didn’t have to tell you that – you’ve already seen them on Instagram.

Shop all sweatpants here.

YEEZY BOOST 700 LAUNCH

Fri, 07 Sept 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Rapper, producer, visionary. It’s said to be a thin line between genius and madness, and looking back over Kanye West’s career, it’s hard to argue he hasn’t walked that line – with generation-defining results.

The YEEZY BOOST line has been a runaway hit since its inception in 2015; debuting with bold new designs which capitalised on the best cushioning available on the market. Most importantly, in adidas Kanye found a partner willing to offer creative freedom.

West’s partnership with adidas doesn’t show signs of slowing down. Talking about their YEEZY BOOST line, Kanye promised everyone who wanted a pair would be able to get their hands on them, and increased quantities and restocks are seeing this become a reality.

The YEEZY Boost 700 launched back in November after debuting on the Yeezy Supply runway show earlier the same year. The first retro running silhouette from the brand features a mesh, suede and leather upper on a chunky, moulded midsole housing BOOST technology and flashes of orange to both lateral and medial sides; a look that divided fans at the time. Fast forward 10 months and the imitators are many – and appetite for the original strong as ever.

YEEZY BOOST 700 launches at SEVEN on the 15^th September at our Baltic Triangle location, with the raffle closing on the 13^th September. All winners will be contacted via email, and will be required to collect their pair in person at the specified location.

adidas Originals Yung 1: coming soon

Tues, 19 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

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Inspired by running, made for 2018. adidas Originals Yung 1 dips into the late 90’s to take what was a transient running model, the Falcon Dorf, and repurpose it for the new streetwear generation.

The chunky runner comes back dressed in Hi-Res Orange and Shock Yellow – startling hues that are given depth and richness through contrasting textures of mesh and nubuck. Equally striking, though slightly less orange, is the Orange/ Collegiate Navy colourway; contrasting red, orange, white and navy shows off the varied panelling to the Yung 1’s upper.

While only minor tweaks to the silhouette are obvious when viewed next to the original Falcon Dorf, the Yung 1 is an example of how to perfectly reanimate an archive model. Updated materials and colourways are layered over heady nostalgia right in line with today’s retro milieu - giving the runner more cultural relevance now than it had in 97.

Launching on Thursday 21^st June, the adidas Originals Yung 1 is essential whether you remember it the first time around or not.

Shop adidas Originals Yung 1 here.

London Fashion Week SS19

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

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The height of summer means one thing: looking ahead to the collections that will be emptying wallets in a year’s time. London Fashion Week SS19 featured some of the most exciting designers in the world right now taking a theatrical, modern look at utilitarianism, nostalgia and broken America.

Taking the brands essence -utilitarian sportswear - to new extremes, Samuel Ross admits the Spring ‘19 A-Cold-Wall* collection is more art than streetwear. Outerwear was dissected, with large portions cut away and pouches wrapped across exposed torsos. Clear PVC featured alongside technical fabrics, netting and silver leather in A-Cold-Wall*’s most varied palette to date.

Liam Hodges reportedly read Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer prize winning novel the Goldfinch twice and travelled to Las Vegas to capture the dress code of Sin City and inject it into his Spring ‘19 collection. Loss of innocence, crime and identity play out as heavy themes in Tartt’s novel, and were brought to life through gaudy colours, slogans and bowling shirts on Hodges’ runway.

Inspired by the men she knows, and the men she wishes she knew, Lou Dalton’s utilitarian-inspired looks are reminiscent of the boys she would see around her Grandmother’s farm. Consisting of a few core items – wide-legged pants, oversized shirts and shorts – the collection favours timelessness over fleeting trends; its uplifting colour palette a nod to the spring season.

New season footwear and accessories from OFF-WHITE

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT

A graphic heavy, industrial-inspired reflection of contemporary streetwear culture, Off-White’s footwear and accessory collection distils the essence of Virgil Abloh’s zeitgeist-hogging streetwear brand into caps, belts, bags, masks, and footwear not from Nike’s archive.

The industrial belt is as recognisable as quotation marks and Helvetica – the strip of webbing features repeating branding along its full length and a metal clasp to secure your load. Available in statement yellow or a muted black, the extra-long length is designed to be doubled up to create a point of interest from a traditionally practical outfit element.

For fans of Virgil’s reimagining of Nike classics (read: everyone) the Off-White AW18 footwear collection provides plenty to fanboy over. Deconstruction, external labelling and subversion of traditional silhouettes are again the key features of the AW18 footwear collection. The ‘low’ sneaker features what’s traditionally considered a high-top silhouette, with exposed stitching and external labels to the tongue and above the toe box. The High 3.0 sneaker puts the Low into context; the same court style features a mid-calf height stretch sock collar finished with signature quoted graphics.

Off-White footwear and accessories are available online and in store at Seven.

Introducing Maison Margiela

Tues, 22 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Uniform: unchanging in form or character.

The blousons blanche are the uniform of the Maison Margiela team, who adhere to the definition of the word more than most. The white lab coats instil a collective identity and are worn by all employees, from the head designer to the interns.

The Maison founded by Belgian designer Martin Margiela, although bearing his name, was never about him. The elusive designer’s fashion house is famed for its use of deconstructed details, unbranded collections and radical concepts on and off the runway. Throughout the 90’s, as celebrity culture grew into an all-encompassing behemoth, Martin Margiela’s invisibility was completely at odds to his environment – and all the more intriguing for it. Even during the height of his time at his eponymous house, Martin Margiela was very much the ghost of the fashion industry. With only a few images of the designer online it has always been much more than a publicity stunt; it’s an earned anonymity that has been largely maintained since his departure.

The creative director’s silence, while it turned into a large part of the brands DNA, wasn’t as much a rejection of the status quo as it was a simple decision. After giving an interview in the very early days of his business, Margiela reportedly turned to his press officer, Pierre Rougier, and said: ‘I don’t think I’m going to do interviews anymore’. That was it. He spoke only through his clothes – with commentators, journalists and peers inferring silent meaning from each collection, made more fascinating still by the creative and often unconventional staging of his collections. His first catwalk show saw models doused in red paint so their footprints were left on the runway – indelible split-toe tracks still prominent today.

The rumours were circulating prior to the Maison Martin Margiela 20th anniversary show in 2008, but the man behind the house didn’t make an appearance for his last hurrah. Just as the models wore white masks to obscure their features as they paraded the 40th collection, the final days of fashions silent designer went by unannounced. In typical Margiela fashion, the vacancy was not followed up by a high-profile appointment either. Instead, the resident design team took the reins and continued creating collections in the spirit of the house. It wasn’t until 2014 that John Galliano was appointed creative director and told by Margiela himself to ‘take what you will from the DNA of the house, protect yourself, and make it your own’.

Despite his departure from fashion, Margiela’s influence on the industry is as prominent now as ever. In his famed ‘00 Oversize collection, pieces were designed at an Italian size 78 (that’s XXXXL) – a direct contrast to the slim silhouettes of the moment. Raf Simons had revived slim suiting a few years previous – but Margiela was never concerned with jumping on trends, in fashion or otherwise. Creating a nameless calling card was a distillation of this subversive outlook; his blank, white label stitched onto garments with four exposed stitches reframed the idea of a’ designer’ piece. Rather than status and prestige emanating from the label, the collections could only be judged as they appeared - without the crutch of an in vogue name.

Signatures of the house are many and much imitated, inspiring trends and arguably a new design language. Demna Gvasalia spent several years at Margiela, the influence of which is clear in his work steering Balenciaga as it is in his own project, Vetements. Oversize proportions, calculated self-awareness and the upcycling of old garments are all calling cards of Margiela, but it was the Vetements split toe boot for the AW18 collection that got tongues wagging. Charting the line between homage and plagiarism is a question for another article, but Gvasalia’s comments on recreating an untouchable piece of his former employer’s archive provide somewhat of an empirical formula for the genius of Margiela:

“I wanted to show what Margiela means for me, and for Vetements. It’s an approach, it’s not a person. It’s a way of loving clothes, breaking the rules with those clothes. And that’s what we did.”

Iconic footwear like the Tabi boot and Replica Trainer are heavily influenced by the traditional Japanese tabi sock and the German army trainer respectively, and both are beloved parts of the label’s oeuvre. Both are love letters to the cultures they draw from, signed by an artisan and addressed to a new demographic.

Undoubtedly one of the most influential fashion houses of the modern era, Margiela brings a unique blend of creative minimalism and signature deconstruction to each collection, building on the same ideas that broke new ground and bled into the very DNA of the fashion industry. Despite keeping the blousons blanches exclusively in-house, you’ll struggle to find a corner of contemporary fashion that isn’t draped in some form of Margiela’s uniform.

AW18 Footwear and Accessories from Maison Margiela launch June 2018.

Y-3: the art of movement

Thurs, 29 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Yohji Yamamoto’s tenure at y-3 has been a genre-defining exercise in creative design. Blending the best of adidas’ technical knowledge and Yohji’s mastery of avant-garde tailoring, the sportswear line stands alone in its dynamic, draped - but ultimately pragmatic – aesthetic.

Taking fluid lines through the city, the art of parkour is the perfect discipline to approve a collection built for the streets. Visually, it’s an elevated form of movement as poetic as it is physical. Practically, it gets you from point A to point B in the most efficient (and less travelled) way.

Showcasing the practical elements of Yamamoto and adidas’ collaborative line, we linked up with free runners from Airborn Academy Liverpool to traverse the city’s rooftops wearing the SS18 Y-3 collection.

SS18 sees new graphic logos and sneakers join collection mainstays like the classic t-shirt and hooded top. Silhouettes like the Kusari blend progressive design with premium materials and Boost technology for a high fashion take on performance footwear.

Shop the full Y-3 collection here.

A Celebration of Air Max

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

In recent times, the effect of streetwear on mainstream fashion has been striking. With big business literally buying into the culture - and the social media native youth essentially steering the multi-billion-dollar ship - it’s a historic time to be a fan of anything sneaker-related.

While the idea of a day celebrating a line of athletic shoes may seem like an indulgent one for many, for anyone involved in the industry, Nike’s Air Max is fully deserving of a full days meditation.

Now in its 4th year, Air Max Day celebrates every pair of beaten Air Max 1’s, every yellowed Air bubble and every deadstock pair perfectly preserved and stored in a cool, loving place. While the ‘holiday’ was introduced by Nike themselves, even cynics can't deny the importance of the line in building sneaker culture, and in pushing the boundaries of athletic performance.

The shoe that started it all, the Tinker-designed Air Max 1, changed the game back in 1987. In a market dominated by muted shades and dull mixtures of suede and mesh, the striking red/white shoe with a partially see-through midsole was the savior people didn't even know they’d been waiting for. It’s not too much to attribute the Air Max 1 as the catalyst for sneaker culture as we know it today.

30 years on, the line is breaking new ground with the Air Max 270, incorporating a first-of-its-kind Air unit designed specifically for leisurewear, a nod to how far the line - and street culture - has come. Celebrating the release of the classic ‘Dusty Cactus’ colourway, we took over The Bombed Out Church to embody the spirit of innovation and community.

Outside of product, Air Max day is a celebration of everyone who makes the line possible. In our ever-connected world, with reddit threads, Nike+ and the SNKRS app, the modern sneakerhead is as diverse as they are fanatical. Through social media, they’re the ones influencing their peer groups, breaking sneaker news as it happens, and allowing innovation to permeate through to the streets quicker than ever before. Highlighting the role community plays in streetwear culture, we set up 7 plinths in key areas of Liverpool displaying holograms of the Nike Air Max 270, letting the people get closer to the technology on the eve of the launch.

Check out the full range of Air Max at Seven here.

Seven x Nike 270: Bombed Out Church Takeover

Fri, 23 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

‘Celebrating the future archive via community’

While streetwear will always champion design and storytelling over functional sporting elements, the culture is entwined with technology - as a muse and as a platform for communication.

The launch of the Air Max 270 marks the beginning of a new era for the franchise. As the first Air bag designed for day long comfort rather than for pounding the pavements, the 270 is a nod to the culture that has become as large a part of the sportswear giants’ DNA as pushing the boundaries of athletic performance.

Paying homage to the power of communities built through technology, we set up installations around seven of Liverpool’s’ cultural hotspots, displaying a hologram of the Air Max 270 ‘Dusty Cactus’.

The event culminated in a light installation at the Bombed Out Church, mixing new technology with a historic pillar of the community. Once an Anglican parish church, St Luke’s was badly damaged by the blitz in 1941. Since, it’s been used as a concert venue and event space; repurposing the ruins but keeping strong ties to the community.

Liverpool’s fashion community turned out in force for the evening, with each individual coming together as one to celebrate the launch of Nike’s newest icon. With innovation and design at the forefront of the event, it was only fitting that some of the city’s most influential came to witness a display of culture and community.

The Nike Air Max 270 is available now at Seven Liverpool.

Nike Air Max 270: Innovating a legacy

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Innovation and technology are the fabric of modern society. Technology keeps Liverpool moving whilst innovation is at the core of every Nike shoe.

Inspired by the Air Max 180 and Air Max 93, the Nike Air Max 270 pushes the limits of Air technology with the biggest air unit heel in Nike’s history. The
retro inspired ‘Dusty Cactus’ colourway is re-imaged and re-purposed for the 21st century.

To celebrate the 270’s status as the epitome of sneaker innovation, we are taking over the city of Liverpool for something very special where technology, design and innovation combine to become art.

Keep an eye out around the city centre over the next few days for Seven plinths in Seven iconic Liverpool locations.

Each plinth will give you a clue to the whereabouts of our exclusive Air Max 270 installation; in a re-purposed location whose history is as grand as the Air Max’s legacy. Make sure you follow our Instagram account where we will also be posting clues and previews in the lead up to the event.

Shop the current collection now.

The Y-3 Harigane: innovation before its time

Thurs, 08 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

The SEGA Channel let users play each other through cable TV. Truly ahead of the curve of what is the multi-billion pound online gaming industry, the service was launched in 1993 and officially closed in ’98, just 3 years before the company pulled the internet-ready Dreamcast and left the console market altogether. A year later, Microsoft launched Xbox Live. What could have been.

Innovation – no matter how big, small, culture-defining or novel - is inconsequential unless accepted by the community it serves. Often, it takes years before the public are ready to take new, creative solutions into their lives. Many great products have failed not because of poor design, not because of sub-standard execution, because the potential beneficiaries were not ready for them – the leap was too great.

Yohji Yamamoto’s Harigane silhouette is a new addition for SS18, but the design was conceived way back when the collaboration was yet to prove itself as a genre-defining, tradition-challenging concept. The Harigane was archived as a sketch too progressive to go into production.

For a brand that itself marked the beginning of something genuinely new, it’s surprising that the Harigane didn’t get a run out in Y-3’s earlier collections, especially when the line’s earlier signatures included the cult favourite Qasa High, a shoe that pulled a then lesser known adidas technology (Tubular) out of the archives and updated it with leather, neoprene forefoot straps and lacing placed high on the vamp – creating a shoe with sleek, techwear appeal that still stands as progressive piece of sneaker design.

So why wasn’t the world ready for the Harigane? It probably was, but the technology wasn’t quite there to support it - Primeknit didn’t debut in performance shoes until the 2012 Olympics. The aforementioned Qasa and the all-conquering NMD both took elements from Yamamoto’s original sketch for the Harigane – adapting elements into some of the most iconic sneakers of the modern era, and giving consumers a taste for what was to come.

A knitted, one piece upper features leather toe patch and heel counter on a corrugated, exposed sole. The external lacing system doubles as support – a series of cords wrap the forefoot, anchored around the heel. The construction has all the hallmarks of Yamamoto’s creative mind and embodies Y-3's synergy of innovation and artistry. .

At a time when the trend for sock sneakers is hitting boiling point, the use of Primeknit isn’t anything new – the technology has been used in adidas products since 2012 – but the deconstruction of the shoe’s functional elements is something of a love letter to the aspects of sneaker design often taken for granted by ever-demanding consumers and critics.

A perfect design, then, for adaptation into Y-3’s first taste of Futurecraft. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it release of the Y-3 Runner 4D on 23rd February debuted (probably) the most advanced tooling ever created on a luxury, fashion-first silhouette. Futurecraft draws from decades of R&D in 3D printing and countless hours of analysis of athletic performance to create a midsole that can be tuned to the unique pressure points of singular feet. The Y-3 Runner 4D is the pinnacle of Yamamoto and adidas’ collaboration: the product of years of painstaking scientific research expressed by an artist.

Maybe it was a lack of suitable, accessible technology that prevented the Harigane from hitting runways (and stores) in years past, or maybe it was too conceptual for 2003’s consumer. Either way, as part of Y-3’s current roster, it offers design innovation that, even 15 years on, is forward thinking, functional and beautiful.

Available in 3 colourways, shop the Y-3 Harigane here.

Designers Dream of Electric Sheep: Raf Simons SS18

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

In any industry, figures as universally revered as Raf Simons are few and far between.

In his early career, Simon’s followers were the punk-infused fashion intellectuals, relating to the youthful revolt inherent in subculture. Fast-forward to 2018, and Raf Simons is one of the most relevant designers on the planet, amongst his most avid fans the Instagram and music industry elite. While his subculture-laden creative spin has been around since 1995, it only gets more poignant as the modern zeitgeist becomes more and more concerned with the levelling of archaic hierarchies.

For the uninitiated, Raf’s work has been some of the most influential in fashions modern era, and has trickled down to have a marked impact on culture as a whole. From renovating tired maisons, to the resurgence of slim-cut suiting, to giving streetwear it’s shot at the big time.
Born to a night watchman and a cleaner, Raf Simons early life in Belgium wasn’t exactly fashion-centric. At the time, the country didn’t have much sway in the industry, if any – which is partly why the likes of Ann Demulemeester and Dries Van Noten who came before made such an impression, and along with 4 other compatriots became known as the Antwerp Six; marking a turning point for Belgian design.

Simon’s first taste of fashion was at a Martin Margiela show in 1990, prior to which he’d thought fashion to be too concerned with glitz and superficiality. The runway show changed his perception though, and served as the inspiration to master fashion design. The following year, He’d finish his studies at the University of Genk, and only 4 years on from that found his eponymous label.

Today, Raf’s runway shows are some of the most anticipated events in the menswear calendar, and are as creative as the outfits exhibited. It’s not unusual for guests to be standing, relinquishing any status tied to a seating plan. It’s not unusual to be transported to another place, either, which is testament to the strength of Rafs creative vision.

SS18 sees heavy Blade Runner inspired imagery; chaotic, layered silhouettes with pops of graphics and textures. Interested with the way Asian culture comes together with Western aesthetics, the SS18 runway show was very much a collision of East and West, and of old and new.

Long-running collaborator and muse Peter Saville came together again with Simons to repurpose iconic Factory Records graphics across props and garments – the hundreds of Chinese lanterns emblazoned with Joy Division and New Order artwork were supposedly hand-made by Saville himself. The soft glow of lanterns and neon reflected in the wet runway created an atmosphere that could’ve been pulled directly from Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi epic.

Raf’s Replicants strode the scene braced for the flood - their clear, printed umbrellas will go down as the coolest wet weather accessories the dystopian future has ever seen. Aside from the cyberpunk visuals, the idea of Replicants (bioengineered, emotionally programmed androids) being central to a fashion show is either a commentary on contrived beauty or a trap for over-thinking commentators to fall into. At the very least It’s an excuse to watch Blade Runner again.

The SS18 footwear collection continues Simon’s long-running collaboration with adidas, with new iterations of the Ozweego III, Stan smith and Detroit Runner.

With the Ozweego riding the chunky sneaker trend, the silhouette has never been as popular as it is now. Draped in block colours and accentuated by signature silicone windows, the shoe is may be acquired taste, but it’s a modern classic nonetheless.

SS18 collections blend of old and new continues in the Detroit runner - twisting convention to create an Avant Garde take on the canvas lace-up. Using minimal branding and a monochrome palette, Raf lets the statement stacked sole make maximum impact – elevating a ubiquitous silhouette into a distinctly futuristic one.

As his collaboration with adidas draws to a close, Raf’s first collections with Calvin Klein are making a mark on NYFW. While Simon’s continued successes come from a dedication to pushing his art forwards, In a rare interview with GQ, Simons talks about the importance of recognising his archive, too:

‘Always the future. And I was actually very much like that. I didn’t get rid of it, but I wasn’t paying too much attention to it. Always romanticizing the future. And now I start to understand that it has an importance and I should care about. I know it’s important. And for a long time I thought not. But it is important. Otherwise there wouldn’t be pyramids.’

Without going into the nuances of the ever-raging debate, fashion is an art form and so – by it’s very definition - is a subjective matter. History, however, is not. Neither is business. In this vein, ask fashion houses Christian Dior and Jil Sander (and in a few years, Calvin Klein) If Mr Simons is one of the best designers of his generation. They’ll nod in unison.

Shop the adidas x Raf Simons collection here.

Seven Things: Machine learning, subhumans and floating hotels

Fri, 02 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

A curated selection of the Seven things inspiring us right now. This week: machine learning, subhumans and floating hotels.

1. Floating Bath Hotel in Sweden

A floating oasis sitting atop the Lule River, the Arctic Bath Hotel is Sweden’s most anticipated wellness retreat. Opening in fall 2018, the hotel features six floating rooms that sit separately to the main hub, and houses an open-air plunge pool with expansive windows to view the Northern Lights.

(credit: Design Boom)

2. Rick Owens: Subhuman Inhuman Superhuman

His first full retrospective exhibition showcasing key pieces of past and present collections, Rick Owens’ Subhuman Inhuman Superhuman show is on display in Milan’s Triennale design museum.

Exploring his expansive 20-year career, the exhibition focuses on his creations across art, design and fashion. Describing it in his own words, Owens said: “Subhuman, inhuman, superhuman is the equilibrium that we are all trying to find between our failures, our successes, and who we want to be”.

(Credits: Owens Corp, Vogue)

3. Liverpool Tate Exhibition

This year Tate Liverpool celebrates its 30th birthday with an exhibition that’s three decades in the making. Curated by Ken Simons, an Art Handler who’s worked there since the opening back in 1988, ‘Exploring the Unseen’ features his favourite works from past collections housed at Tate Liverpool.

(Credit: Tate Liverpool)

4. Google Clips Camera

Announced back in October, the Google Clips camera became publicly available for the first time this week. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning software, the camera is designed to take the perfect picture – utilising light and positioning to take photos so that you don’t have to.

(Credit: Tech Radar, Tech Crunch)

5. Workshop Kitchen and Bar

Housed in an industrial-inspired building that dates back to 1926, Workshop Kitchen and Bar’s brutalist yet intimate interior was once the recipient of the James Beard award for Outstanding Restaurant Design. Serving locally sourced, classic American dishes by chef Michael Beckman, this Palm Springs-based restaurant is a must visit for those in the area.

(Credit: Vogue)

6. Y-3 Kusari

The Y-3 Kusari employs a unique lacing system tying together stretch mesh and premium leather, in a boost-cushioned runner that is typical Yamamoto.

7. IKEA founder dies aged 91

Pioneer of flat-pack furniture, Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA at the age of 17. Building a business that values simplicity, creativity and value, the Swedish furniture giant has, in recent years become the focus of cultural discussion following the release of Balenciaga’s now-infamous tote bag.

(Credit: the local)

Just innovate: reinventing 90's Air

Fri, 02 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

‘Innovation is not about creating for its own sake, it’s about creating something better, designing with a purpose’- Mark Parker, President and CEO of NIKE, Inc.

As the biggest brand in the world, today Nike are many things to many people. Through slogans they’re motivators; as sponsors they’re the lifeblood of athletes across the globe; and to 74,000 people they’re a vehicle for financial stability and career success. To high-profile collaborators like Acronym and Off-White, they’re the gatekeepers of major mainstream appeal. Whichever hat the brand is wearing, it sits on a refined mind finely tuned for innovation.

For 31 years the Air Max line has been at the forefront of Nike’s cushioning technology. Until Nike’s potentially game-changing ‘React’ cushioning unveiled in late January, Air units were still at the pinnacle of performance (and popularity) for the brand; the success of the VaporMax last year is testament to that. With Air Max day on the horizon, Nike are dropping two of the most important styles in the history of Air technology, the Air Max 180 and the Air Max 93.

First released in 1991, the Air Max 180 was the most advanced running shoe of the time – with its air unit worn by Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan the summer after its release at the 92 Olympic Games. The Air bubble was 50% larger than the Air Max 90, and was the first time the actual Air bag made contact with the ground rather than the shoe’s outsole. Designed by Air Force 1 alumni Bruce Kilgore and Tinker Hatfield, It’s just as well the 180 is one of the most beloved silhouettes of the Air Max franchise, because it was one of the most difficult sneakers to make (according to Nike’s director of cushioning innovation, Dave Forland).

The vibrant pops of colour highlighting the meaty air unit made the 180 a street favourite – and If rumours are to be believed was an early contender for Kanye West’s collaboration with Nike pre- 2009. There’s a shoe we’d love to see.

Thankfully, Paris fashion week gave fans of the silhouette a glimpse of the upcoming Comme des Garcons collaboration. Rei Kawakubo took the OG colourway’s pops of colour to the extreme: Laser Pink and Solar Red make up the majority of the sneaker this time around, making the 1991 classic as relevant in today’s climate of statement footwear as it was as a cutting-edge piece of design 27 years ago.

In '93, Tinker continued the bigger-is-better theme and, inspired by a milk jug (of course), designed the biggest air bubble the line had ever seen - again. The standout feature of the Air Max 93 was 270 degrees of blow-moulded exposed air in the heel, and the first ever coloured Air unit. In an email published to the world via twitter in 2014, Hatfield reflected on the model:

‘Air Max 93, one of my personal favourites. Probably the best actual ‘running’ shoes of the lot. … The first of the Air Max series to have ‘dynamic fit’ plus, we threw in ‘wrap around’ visible air. … I wish there had been a more breathable dynamic fit tongue material in 1991/92 when it was designed. All in all though, a good composition.’

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The inner bootie and generous air bubble meant the 93 was comfortable, bouncier and more protective for runners, and quickly became a long-distance favourite. The understated, modern colours of the OG ‘Dusty Cactus’ colourway still hold up well today.

Both silhouettes went on to inspire the Air Max 270 the newest addition to the Air Max line - including Nike’s first ever lifestyle Air unit. It utilises the 270 degree Air bag, but makes it even bigger (a towering 32mm tall) and gives it full contact with the ground like in the 180. Importantly, despite being designed for the demands of all-day wear rather than for running, the technology was developed with the same rigour as all previous models.

Pushing the envelope of cushioning technology in the Air Max line has consistently birthed market-leading running shoes, and subsequently rebirthed streetwear classics. Now, Air is by-passing the track and being designed expressly for all-day comfort. Less glamorous than leading innovation for athletes? To some, maybe. But Nike know - perhaps better than anyone- that innovation never goes out of style – whoever it’s for.

Stay tuned for updates on the Air Max 270, and Shop our range of Air Max sneakers here.

Coming of Age: Nike Air Max 98 Gundam

Weds, 24 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

In a culture of rarer is better, Nike has the pick of its extensive archive of cult classics and brilliantly designed, under-appreciated gems to have a second bite of the cherry with this generation’s streetwear-crazed youth.

With the stratospheric success of the Air Max 97 last year, 2018 sees another Air Max model come of age. At 20 years old, the 98 is growing into its bulkier frame.

Originally released to underwhelming overall sales (but generally positive reaction from Sneakerheads), the silhouette had sleek shoes to fill: the universally revered design of La Silver just a year prior meant fans weren’t looking for a change of pace – they were still in the throes of passion for sexy, yet understated, futurism.

Instead, Nike served them the same iconic midsole paired with a bold upper that was less flowing 3M, more textured panelling. Visually, it was jarring in comparison. The Red, Blue, White and Navy colourway, inspired by the legendary Gundam anime, had little of the tonal minimalism of the 97 but maintained the link to futuristic tech - albeit giant, imaginary robots this time around. It was Nike’s refusal to stand still – the general public may not have been ready to leave the 97, but, as innovators, Nike continued to push things forwards.

The Air Max 98’s 20th anniversary couldn’t have come at a better time for the sneaker, with the wider fashion word enamoured with all things bulky. There are few other periods of fashion in which Balenciaga’s Triple S would be a footwear grail, and despite new colourways, Instagram ubiquity and production of the model moving from Italy to China, appetite for the silhouette is still as large as its sole, especially in the streetwear community. For now, bigger is better – good news (commercially) for the 97’s larger little brother.

It may not have appeared on runways back in ‘98, but the pockets of fans who loved the shoe saw the silhouette get no less than it deserved when Supreme brought it back into focus in 2016. This time, there was no chance of the Air Max Plus overshadowing the release, and it brought the sneaker to the attention of younger fans who had previously never clapped eyes on it.

For some, the hype surrounding Supreme is enough to warrant a purchase. For others, the 98 means much more than that. From early memories of paternal style to a gateway into an online community, this more obscure entry in the Air Max franchise continues to make a lasting impact on the youth, the culture, and the pavements.

With the legacy of iconic design in mind, we explored the impact of the silhouette on the ever-changing social landscape with seven Liverpool natives. Watch the film and hear their stories here.

The Nike Air Max 98 Gundam and Tour Yellow are now SOLD OUT.

Flying colours: Y-3 FW18

Sun, 21 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

In the most colourful collection in the label’s history, Yohji Yamamoto’s Y-3 AW18 runway show showcased the Japanese master’s penchant for draped silhouettes with punchy fluorescent yellows amid elegant blacks and rich navies.

Logomania continued with stacked branding across select pieces, with the iconic 3 stripes of adidas adding dynamism to belted overcoats and more typical sportswear staples.

The show debuted all-new footwear - exaggerated runners and bright yellow slip-ons guaranteed to grab the attention of long-time fans of the brand. Despite the bright shades, Y-3’s AW18 sneaker offering follow the tried and tested formula: fashion-forward but equally wearable.

Yamamoto’s use of yellow will no doubt grab the headlines, highlighting the wider trend for colour and maximalism across Paris Fashion Week. Both Yohji and Ann Demeulemeester are some of the biggest advocates of monochrome in the industry - both opting for pops of colour in their AW18 collections.

Rick Owens FW18: SISYPHUS

Thurs, 18 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Tailored overcoats layered over slashed tunics, bare chests and bondage told the story of Rick Owens' FW18 show SISYPHUS.

The mix of tailoring, cut-out silhouettes and military details were Inspired by the arrogant king sentenced by Zeus to roll a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back to the bottom and the cycle to repeat for the rest of time.

The show was one part brutalism, one part fashion and one part philosophy. Frayed silhouettes and otherworldly models walked to a soundtrack of unrelenting Techno - a nod to the monotony of eternal boulder-rolling in typical Owens fashion.

After ending his long-running collaboration with adidas last year, SISYPHUS debuted a new footwear collection, a mix of retro-inspired runners and military boots with exaggerated translucent outsoles.

Embellished, flowing coats countered midriff baring knitwear, playing out both sides of the fallen king – the ruler who thought himself above the Gods, and the man resigned to torturous labour.

The mythology had Rick Owens musing over the nature of unhealthy cycles:

“Does this mean unhealthy cycles and base urges are an integral part of the human condition?”

Who's to say - but Rick Owens knows as well as anyone, fashion is a Sisyphean task.

First Look: Off White FW18

Weds, 17 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Since Off-White’s runway debut in 2013, the dream has been taking streetwear to the very top, lending an authentic feeling of rebellion to the world of high fashion. ‘Business Casual’ is Abloh’s most refined vision to date, and fresh off the back of the biggest collaboration of a collab-saturated year, it’s no surprise that the witty deconstruction of classics has continued in Off-White’s mainline.

Turning his attention to the dress code that drives corporate America, the Fall 2018 runway show turns classic tailoring inside out. Opening with double-breasted suits and pinstripes, the collection is anchored with graphic detailing and casual wear classics.

More refined than putting ‘American Psycho’ in quotation marks, Abloh’s wit shone through a translucent mac, biting at high fashion’s obsession with streetwear. Watch this space for Off-White business cards.

Beastie boys graphics are reminiscent of Raf Simons' fixation with Joy Division, New order and subculture as a whole. If Simons deemed Off-White unoriginal in the past, the irony will not be lost on him now.

With an abundance of unconfirmed photos circulating online, fans of ‘The Ten’ were treated to an all-white version of the coveted Jordan 1 – confirming speculation that wherever Abloh goes, hype follows.

‘Business Casual’, until now, has never described anything about Virgil Abloh. The mix of deconstructed tailoring and streetwear stapes is a nod to the industry being turned on its head. Not so long ago, graphic print sweatshirts and ripped jeans would have caused a stir on the runway. Now, the inclusion of the traditional symbol of menswear – tailoring – is bound to cause a stir with Abloh’s Instagram following.

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Rick Owens FW18: SISYPHUS

After ending his long-running collaboration with adidas last year, SISYPHUS debuted a new footwear collection, a mix of retro-inspired runners and military boots with exaggerated translucent outsoles.

First Look: Off White FW18

With the legacy of iconic design in mind, we explored the impact of the silhouette on the ever-changing social landscape with seven Liverpool natives. Watch the film and hear their stories here.

The Nike Air Max 98 Gundam and Tour Yellow are now SOLD OUT.