In the centre of England’s most celebrated city, just off the heart of its historical sartorial districts, lies a retail establishment certain to supply the city with a refreshingly oxidized aesthetic perspective. The magnum opus of retail veteran Keven McDermott, Layers hopes to broaden London’s aesthetical lens by providing it with an as-of-yet unseen level of brand-related focus.

  
A native of Birmingham with a vast level of experience in London’s retail scene, McDermott’s own fascination with the avant-garde began after working for Jones 2 Directional in Covent Garden – a boutique credited with the introduction of Comme Des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto to the London market. McDermott has always fallen in love with those sorts of brands, and has fittingly situated his own labour of love at the tail end of Savile Row – sandwiched between Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake’s namesake stores in the opulent Mayfair district of central London.

Michael R. Takkou, who worked with McDermott earlier (“at a company… mentioning no names”), was brought on board to handle press, marketing, and art direction for the store. Takkou, a native Londoner, studied menswear design and marketing at the University College for the Creative Arts in Kent – and has since worked for the likes of Gareth Pugh as well as mentoring young designers.

Layers’ conception was the result of a relatively simple realization on the part of McDermott: “I basically thought that we needed a directional store in London.” A quick look at a website of some of their labels will show stockists all over the world, so it is no wonder McDermott’s inspiration for Layer’s creation was so straightforward: “Other cities have directional stores, such as Tokyo, New York, Paris … it’s not a new concept, it’s not a new idea.”

Despite its apparent panache, and conspicuous interest for all things fashion – London’s retail scene has remained inexplicably wrapt in an unapologetically high-street state of mind. As Takkou points out, “It’s still a very new market, and although some people might have dabbled in it slightly … there hasn’t been a proper directional store with this sort of aesthetic.”

The city’s best efforts at exploring the avant-garde have remained mired in economically sound eclecticism; relying on those stocking luxury and streetwear to buoy the presumably palliative sales of the properly artisanal lines of clothing with which Layers lines its rails. McDermott believed it was time for a change in London, where instead of forcing the fashion adept to purchase their favourite labels from stores catered to the fashion inept, “we needed something that’s very directional, cool, and niche – that caters to people who are properly fashion conscious”.

Decorating its continuous system of oxidized rails with highly revered alternative labels such as Julius, Damir Doma, Forme D’Expression, Lost & Found, M.A+ , A1923, Guidi, and Gareth Pugh – Layers has successfully created precisely the sort of environment that is attractive to the uber-conscious client. A clientele whose reaction, says McDermott, has proven “very, very positive – not only on the client side, but on the supplier side as well”.

A satisfaction certainly supplied by presenting the designers’ work in an artistically favourable light. The store’s credo reads, “art becomes fashion, fashion becomes art” – a potentially vacuous statement with a refreshingly uncomplicated explanation: “All the brands we have in-store are artisans in and of themselves. They have no expiry date, no age, they’re timeless… they’re artists within their own right.” The store’s interior design manages to echo this statement by harmoniously interjecting time-worn artifacts and ornaments amongst its modern wearables – emphasizing the timelessness of the very brands it houses.

Although Layers is ostensibly founded on ideas and ideals borrowed from boutiques in other cities’ well-documented successes – they provide an elegantly simple spin on this all-too-elite industry by imbuing it with a never-before seen level of accessibility. McDermott & Takkou convey a distinctly casual vibe – refraining from the usual furled brows and accompanying poetical waxings one has come to expect from some establishments. Instead, they focus their energy on quality of customer service and experience. McDermott wants “people to come in and feel that they can talk to us, not necessarily buy, but hang out and have a coffee with us.” An attitude which has happily influenced every member of staff; eschewing the usual cold-shouldered and high-nosed hard-selling techniques of the luxury world to function, instead, like ushers in a gallery – informative, friendly, willing & helpful. “And that’s just everything we wanted Layers to be,” affirms Takkou, “a hub for people to learn about these designers and their work”.

Where the future is concerned, “there’s a lot of ideas floating around,” says Takkou. Considering the enviable amount of square-footage they have at their disposal, it is not surprising to hear that there are some really interesting installations planned for the very near future. Layers is designed with versatility in mind. “None of our furnishings are fixed, so we can completely change the layout to give the store a new feel”. Which, in the fall of 2011 – when they introduce Alexandre Plokhov, Steffie Christianes, Rad Hourani, Werkstatt Munchen, and newcomer Zam Barrett to their roster – will allow them to present their newly acquired collections in a light custom-tailored to each-brand’s particular aesthetic.

Layers is a much-welcome and long-overdue addition to the London retail market. Having taken its founding cues from celebrated directional boutiques in New York and Tokyo, Layers builds upon the rudimentary values it has borrowed from such operations. With a fervent focus on supporting new talent and constantly on the lookout for young artists and designers, the store hopes to inject the somewhat-stringent directional aesthetic with some fresh blood by “giving new talent a platform to showcase their work.”

By pulling the dissembling curtain of cool from in front of the eyes of the uninitiated, and eschewing the customary cold shoulder for an unexpectedly open door – Layers is certain to lend focus to London’s sartorial lens, whilst broadening that and those of boutiques the world at large.

Written by Graham Newmarch
Photos by Scoute & Andrew Beasely

Situated in the heart of Moscow, Project 3,14 is the latest cathedral of style to be heralded as one of the most interesting and particular retail spaces in the world. Opened in late 2010, it is the bricks and mortar, glass and steel realization of the thoughts, dreams and vision of Sasha Moiseenkov.

At first approach, the boutique has a minimal façade with a tall, one-way mirrored exterior, and an entrance pointed by a chrome and neon sign – a stark contrast to the warm, old-world charm of the interior. Through the door, the steps going down take visitors to a whole other world. The vast space takes a total of three stories. A mezzanine located a full floor above the main floor gives scale and is cropped with an ancient wooden banister which is between three to four hundred years old. A seat by the mantle provides the perfect place to contemplate the surroundings under an antique statue of the legendary Greek “Titan“ Kronus. This wooden statue, one of many, is from a church in France dating back to the 16th century. Many of the pieces are connected with ancient symbolism in one way or another and create a very unique and timeless feel to the space.

A familiar face in the men’s fashion scene, Moiseenkov can often be seen in the showrooms of avant garde labels in Paris and Milan, typically dressed in Carol Christian Poell or other labels carried by his store. Born and raised in Moscow, he fell in to retailing without knowing that fashion would play a central part in his life.
  

Tell about the path leading to opening Project 3,14.

At my first job interview, they actually told me I was not right for this business. However, as soon as I began to work with all these unique and special designers and labels, I quickly felt a connection with the creators, and this became what I truly wanted to do. I actually started by working in a store for a casual and mainstream American label, and as it was my first experience, I actually really enjoyed it. 

I soon ended up working for perhaps the biggest and most famous fashion superstore in Moscow, and later on I became the international buyer for them. I began working with designers like Carol Christain Poell and Maurizio Amadei, as well as darker Japanese brands such as The Viridi-Anne and Julius. I had a great time there, but fact is that it’s a huge store, and sold a lot of labels which I couldn’t really connect with personally. So, when I got the chance to create my own specialized, highly directional project, I decided to go for it. This was certainly not an easy decision to make.

“When I got the chance to create my own specialized, highly directional project, I decided to go for it.”

What about the concept behind the store and its name?

To me, the name of the store represents a place outside time and space. The idea is that it is its own self-contained environment situated in Moscow, but with roots and connections to all parts of the world, with its own unique atmosphere and experience. This illusion is further promoted through the use of opaque windows on the outside, and inside by a mixture of ultra-modern and antique details. It contains its own secret universe. When I first began to work with the labels we carry, I realized that there was a need to showcase them in a unique dedicated atmosphere and space. This is what I wanted project 3.14 to be.
 

What are some of the labels you are stocking?

My selection process is to find new talents and mix it with more classic avant-garde designers who reflect my life-style and share my philosophy. I would call this “noncomformist” meets “luxury” in the underground. “Underground luxury” for short. My favorite Designer personally is Carol Christian Poell. Additionally we stock Lost & Found, M.A+, In Aisce, Devoa, Volga Volga, Damir Doma, Guidi and several others.

What was your goal with the location and space?

We are actually located right in the heart of the city, close to Red Square, alongside nearly every other fashion boutique. The competition for the labels was a nightmare, but I am happy to say that in the end, I was able to secure all my favorite designers, most exclusively too.

The feel of the store is ergonomic and relaxing, underground but very warm, rather like entering my own private apartment. I wanted it to have a strong, hidden atmosphere like the brands we represent here. The space is actually 110 years old. Before, it was a store selling classic suits and shirts, but we deconstructed it down to its original condition with the old doors and fittings still visible, with fantastic details hidden under gypsum plasterboard. My own favorite feature is a secret room which is another totally separate environment with its own music and feel. We reserve it for special events, installations and projects. Right now it is totally dedicated to M.A+.

We are very serious about introducing artists, musicians and other creative projects here. We want to host Art Installations, live music and so on. For the opening party we featured an installation / collaboration between The Viridi-Anne and an avant-garde Japanese art collective called SHIMURA BROS.

  
What is it like to run a store in Moscow?

Moscow is still quite a mysterious place to most people in the west and not really yet a part of the established fashion map. It’s obviously very much the fashion capital of Russia and is really without rival. There is a huge concentration of Russian creative types in the city, which makes this project possible.

The Fashion scene here is still in its infancy but it’s growing stronger, even the recent economic crises have not been able to slow that down. Our clients are people with specific needs who have a desire for these special labels and it’s our aim to provide this for them. This is why it is important to keep the vision pure and unique and not too commercial or obvious.
 

visit the scoute.blog to view a video presentation of Project 3,14
 

Written by Marc R. / Arto M.
special thanks for Chase at Stealthprojekt

In a somewhat off-the-path location – a couple of miles outside what is typically considered the heart of London – lies a store merging labels and designer typically not seen under the same roof. A brainchild of native Londoner James Brown, Hostem strives to lift the spirit of the city’s independent retail scene.

From an early age, Brown was fascinated with clothing, saving money to purchase pieces from the likes of Carol Christian Poell and Carpe Diem. After residing in places such as Perugia, Los Angeles and Tokyo, Brown felt inspired to get involved in the world of fashion and retail. Having returned to London, he began the two year process of building Hostem.

Located in the Shoreditch are of downtown London, the space housing the store was transformed by London based design duo James Russell and Hannah Plumb, collectively known as Jamesplumb. The result is a unique and inviting space influenced by history – take for example the original reclaimed Victorian floorboards and antique furniture all hand treated. Darren Rudland, formerly of Jones, was recruited as the store manager along with former assistant manager of Dover Street Market, Alex Wysman, both bringing invaluable experience to the table.
 

Tell a bit about the location you chose for the store.

For some time we felt that London’s independent retail offerings had felt stale, notably in the west end. We scouted locations from Mayfair to Dalston, but when the opportunity arose on Redchurch Street, we didn’t think twice. There is something very special about the area at the moment. The resurgence and regeneration that is currently happening is phenomenal and it’s great to see independent operators at the forefront of this process.

What about the space itself?

The store has had a very organic birth, I knew the brands I wanted to represent but had no set ideas on the interior or aesthetic. This was until Mark Quinn, who has also been behind the remarkable press the store has received, suggested I should meet with Hannah and James of JAMESPLUMB whom he had chanced upon. From the moment I met with them at their home in Stockwell, I knew instinctively that the interior of the store would lay in their hands. We had an instant connection.

The main floor houses the more avant-garde and artisanal labels such as Ann Demeulemeester, Rick Owens, Damir Doma, M.A+ and Boris Bidjan Saberi. The basement room, which has opened recently, has a completely different feel and vibe. This space holds the more streetwear and workwear oriented labels, such as Visvim, Adam Kimmel and S.N.S Herning. Later this year we will have several Japanese brands that have not been available outside of the country before, which will be exclusive to Hostem.

The third room of Hostem’s ground floor is an ever evolving space where visiting designers will take up residence on a short term basis. The first instalment is the infamous Dr. Romanelli and his Prescription Shoppe which will open in November.

 
The lineup of designers is quite unorthodox; tell a bit about the ideas behind this.

So many different cultures and experiences have influenced me, and I wanted Hostem to reflect that. It was important to create a positive tension between labels that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find in one place. The simple concept behind the lineup is purely based around supporting the designers we believe in. Whether it’s an FBT shoe by Visvim, a hand knitted scarf by Curiouser + Curiouser or a hand dyed leather piece from M.A+, I wanted Hostem to be platform where by all of these labels could interact together and enable the consumer to experience this.

What has the response been like?

The response has been fantastic. We truly believe in – as well as wear and love – the brands that sit in the store and they inspire us to do what we do. Undoubtedly there are customers who have a very defined aesthetic that suits their individual style, but at the same time it has been amazing to open the minds of those customers that have not been aware of some of the brands that they find at Hostem.

“We truly believe in – as well as wear and love – the brands that sit in the store and they inspire us to do what we do.”

We’ve had people who would be considered more of the street wear or workwear clientele, and have been for years, getting into labels like M.A+ or Augusta, and vice versa. This for me, is why Hostem is so special – we wanted to create a place that is not pigeonholed into one set identity. When you merge these aesthetics and brands together, which most would consider “worlds apart”, you find out that they are intrinsically linked through the passion and dedication that the designers and creators constantly show in their trade.

Whether it’s Hiroki Nakamura of Visvim finding a new way to fuse Gore-Tex and denim together, seeing Geoffrey B. Small’s dedication to sustainability of his garments or the handmade and individually finished buttons on his blazers, or Maurizio Amadei’s process to creating a pair of trousers from one sole piece of material – these parallels/stories are ever prevalent to the labels that hang from the rails at Hostem.

By Arto M.

With over 25 years of fashion retailing under his belt, Lorenzo Hadar is hardly a newcomer in the scene. The H. Lorenzo boutiques on West Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard have been staples in the area’s retail market for a lengthy time, but the story behind them remains relatively unknown.

While many stores have come and gone in the past three decades, Hadar has continuously focused on seeking out unique and progressive designers to introduce to the North American market. Starting his career from scratch, he has created a highly influential group of boutiques, now compromising of men’s and women’s stores and a shoe store on Sunset and H.L.N.R, a new location opened in 2008. The original boutiques combine designers both established and new, ranging from Comme des Garcons and Ann Demeulemeester to Boris Bidjan Saberi and Individual Sentiments. The solar panel clad H.L.N.R, named for its location on North Robertson close to Beverly Hills, shifts focus slightly more towards emerging labels from Europe and Japan.

Hadar spoke to Scoute about the history, influences and vision of his own retail world.  
  
     

 Getting into retailing

“I’m from a small town in northern Israel. I worked several jobs before I really got into fashion as a career. I served in the Air Force, and when I came to America, I worked as a handyman in construction just to get by. I slowly started saving money with my wife. I always loved fashion, and so as soon as I saved enough, I started a small fashion store in Los Angeles. It wasn’t luxury items per se, rather small and inexpensive, but it was about importing things that people hadn’t seen before. Back then, nearly 30 years ago, it seemed that people responded well to being shown a departure from the norm. It was a big success for us but it was on a small scale.

A few years later I had saved enough to start my own boutique, H. Lorenzo, where I was able to carry designers I found to be creative, influential, and doing something progressive. I find creativity most prevalent in designers who value quality, craftsmanship, and innovation instead of commercial expansion. So that’s how I got into fashion as a career. For my personal interest in fashion…

I opened H. Lorenzo in 1984, catering to both men and women. We met success and learned how to balance what our clients could relate to and pushing new things forward. In 2001, I dedicated the original H.Lorenzo location to womenswear and opened a separate menswear and shoe store on the same block. By then, we had gained our clients’ trust to which was needed to buy lines that were more forward thinking and more avant-garde. I remember some customers laughing at drop-crotch pants years back, for example. But we had the opportunity to do daring things. I opened H.L.N.R. (H.Lorenzo North Robertson), a somewhat more youthful boutique, in 2008. I have plans for redoing the shoe store into something entirely different. I’ve been doing this for over 25 years, but I must say it’s still just as exciting.

Design and creativity

I like design and the arts in general; I draw, I love music. I like seeing the imprint of creativity in a finished product. I like design when you can see the soul. I was always interested in fashion; it was something that was instinctual for me. I buy on impulse; I buy what I think is beautiful, and maybe that reflects how I relate to clothing. Fashion is a unique mode of expression because clothing is essential, the proposition of style is an intrinsic question to everyday life; how do I make my mark? We have an impulse, a gravitas towards beautiful things. Fashion to me is not something that is really learned, it’s more from the stomach, but the mind is there too. It’s a sense that’s acquired, then evolves and matures to something more complex. It’s personal, it’s social, it’s global, it’s practical, and it’s a fantasy. It’s impressive and it’s subtle.

The retail scene

Of course, some things are different now, but you see cycles, and you see how a lot of things haven’t really changed all that much. Back in the day, there was a predominant uniform of blue jeans and t-shirts. People wanted something different, so they went after big names, big fashion houses, ones that were instantly recognizable by insignia and label. You see waves, trend and counter culture. We’re here to serve the counter culture. It’s not about shunning the mass trend, but about finding something that is truly special and distinct. With the advent of the internet, consumers are more specific and more informed. And that is a good thing! But at the same time, people can be occupied by hype, and things are valued more for the buzz than the design itself – without seeing how something works on the body or with their personality. So fashion always risks becoming trendy, but we’re not about serving trends. We partner with labels we like, and things we like to buy. It’s always about finding special things, things that appeal to the gut or stimulates the mind.

I have a lot of good friends in the business, boutique owners who have been doing this for a very long time, and I see in them that the people who can survive in this business are those who have their own vision and are passionate about it. They’re the people who still do the buying themselves and still do the same thing they’ve been doing for so long. Because part of it, more than the business side of things, is about relationships. We are happy to work with and cater to our friends. Now, with technology advancing and the market changing, we desire to let the world know about our brand and what we are all about. Sure, things do change, especially with the internet, and we are adapting, but at the same time our principles are the same.

Direction

We try to accommodate movements in fashion, but our direction or approach to design hasn’t notably changed. If anything, since 2001 we felt we had more liberty to be as forward as we want to be, when we opened separate stores for men and women. But overall, we’re still doing what we’ve always done; scouting young talent and buying whatever appeals instinctually. We develop naturally over time, just as style does – there’s growth, but overall it’s still the same persona.

A decade ago, we worked with Helmut Lang and Raf Simons. Back at the turn of 2000 this sharp tailoring and severe reconstructions of the silhouette were challenging people. Around the same time we covered Belgian designers extensively, which we of course still love. They created beautiful things, but catered to a very niche audience. In the past 5-7 years or so we’ve bought a lot of Japanese labels. We’ve done Yohji Yamamoto and Comme Des Garcons for a while, but we saw an emergence of new talents. Julius with its drapery for men was challenging to some when we first brought it. My focus on Japan makes a lot of sense at the moment because I love the culture, the people, the food. I stay in Tokyo several times during the year. But talent can always be found from all corners of the world. Our direction progresses as voices in fashion come and go, but it all comes from the same impulse.

The Buying Process

I don’t do a lot of research beforehand, because I like to see things up close and tend to make decisions by instinct and on the spot. I tour all showrooms personally which keeps me really busy. I’m always traveling. I do live partly in Paris and also in a small seaside town in Italy during part of the year. I’m very busy when travelling, but this is my favorite part as I like to be hands on. I worked with Japanese leather designer Isamu Katayama last season, working on some custom designs. I was glad to see he implemented these ideas into his next collection. To me, partnering with designers is an essential part of my job, I don’t see how i could just sit back and watch.

We buy big and we buy diverse, to create an unusual mix that complements each other. Comme des Garcons and Julius may not look the same, but often times there’s customers who can appreciate aspects of both. For women, Golem and Ohne Titel aren’t the same, but a customer with perspective can work elements of each into a wardrobe quite nicely. Our store’s don’t all have the same one look, and while we have to be very specific and discerning about how we choose to diversify, we think it’s great to have a broad palette in what we offer. I work with the customer to create a beautiful mix that works with their persona. I like to hear the designer’s voice in the collection, and I try to make sure the story comes through in our buys. The challenge when you have so many lines is to balance all these stories with the readiness of the market.

My wife is also involved in buying for some of the women’s lines. We have a beautiful lineup for the fall-winter season, especially in women’s wear, and we have some great partnerships in the works. We like to give young designers a chance and the opportunity to grow. People do come into their own over time, but also people who are hungry have a lot of inspiration. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s a chance I like to take.

visit the newly opened H. Lorenzo website at www.hlorenzo.com
   

Interviewed by Kevin Yee
Written by Arto M.

Located in the Salesas district of downtown Madrid – a mostly residential area with a handful of small shops scattered here and there – Suus is a small boutique selling exclusively men’s footwear and accessories in a niche market.

Accessories-only stores, particularly for men, are a rare find nowadays as such boutiques often cater either to a very traditional style of footwear, or are an outlet for a specific brand. So it’s no wonder that the owners of Suus, one previously involved in fashion and the other in furniture design, acknowledged the idea as somewhat risky. But as they’ve found out, the concept has proven successful. “We’ve been very happy with the response”, says co-owner Raul. “Now we actually have ladies complaining of not having a similar location catering to them in the city.”

Suus was simply born out of the desire of having a retail space specifically for men, with the focus being on shoes and accessories. “This is our first experience in retail, it was a risky idea, especially for a men’s store. But we think that a great pair of shoes is the most important piece in a wardrobe” Raul explains. “We believe a unique concept like this works. Besides, nowadays it’s a real luxury to be involved with something you love doing.”

Inside Suus, the space is divided into two zones; the entrance space where pieces are on display, and an elevated space in the back providing more privacy. The well lit interior, featuring clean geometric lines and a dark wooden floor, was redesigned upon opening the store, but certain elements like the old marble stairs were preserved.

The footwear carried by Suus varies from more classic styles from NDC Made by Hand and Giorgio Brato to more edgy design from Japanese labels The Viridi-Anne and Julius, alongside artisanal European labels such as Maurizio m.a+ and Augusta. Bags and accessories from the same labels complement the footwear selection. “We are always searching for new and inspiring products, the market is so narrow that we are obliged to refresh our offer to our customers each season” Raul says. When starting off, the store carried some more known labels, which would be recognized for not just quality but also a name. “Now we try to focus simply on quality. We enjoy working directly with the designers, to exchange opinions and improve together, you can’t do this with big names. Some of our customers don’t necessarily know the labels we carry, but they appreciate the design and quality involved.”

This coming season, Suus will continue to evolve as it brings a handful of new labels to it’s customers in Madrid, including Japanese labels Individual Sentiments and Devoa alongside Damir Doma. Additionally, the owners hint about the lack of a clothing store in the city to complement Suus. “We just might go for it”, Raul ponders.

When speaking of conceptual retail in Tokyo, one name is bound to come up. Having been in operation for more than 15 years, Lift, nowadays compromising of 3 stores and a showroom, is considered an institution on the global fashion market while owner Masahiro Tsunoda has been responsible for introducing some of the most exclusive labels to Japan.

We met Masahiro Tsunoda in his showroom/gallery Lift Atelier over a glass of fine Italian wine, as he prepared for his latest trip to Milan and Paris to see the latest men’s collections. He is an extremely busy man, presiding over 3 different boutiques as well as collaborating closely with the most well-respected international designers working today, not to mention handling distribution and public relations for several of them. Additionally, Tsunoda keeps busy by designing unique objects and displays to complement the themes and exhibitions of each season’s collections. He is also an extremely handsome man, usually dressed head to toe in Carol Christian Poell or one of Lift’s other labels. It is easy to imagine him and his partner Manami acting as muses for these designers. When we met Tsunoda, he had just launched the new LIFT blog, in which he has documented many of his numerous collaborations and achievements. The theme behind the Blog is “roots” , hence the first inspiring image of the ancient tree roots used to introduce it. We asked him to go over some of this history with us.

In the early 90’s, Tsunoda was working independently as a freelance buyer and window dresser, travelling frequently between Tokyo and New York. Meeting a variety of designers and creative people sparked the inspiration to open a retail of his own, which he chose to do with his partner Manami in November 1993. The location was pinpointed in Daikanyama, a rather quiet area compared to other neighbourhoods in Tokyo. “Daikanyama was the perfect place for us to open in the city, at the time the area was less commercial and had very few fashion boutiques”, Tsunoda explains. “It was more of a residential area and we wanted to create our own personal project more in the way of a workshop or gallery-type space.”

The name Lift was chosen spontaneously by Manami. “We checked in the Dictionary for the precise meaning and found the definition: ‘A way to help someone or something’. We liked this a lot and thought it would be the perfect name for what we wanted to do. The theme of LIFT began as ‘protection of the weak’.” The second Lift location, dubbed The Circle, was opened in 1995 with the desire to promote and develop new, younger talent. One of the main labels at the time was Vexed Generation, whose infamous ninja hooded parkas became an instant hit. From there on, Lift began working with more European designers, among them Carol Christian Poell, who Tsunoda became acquainted with a few years later and began carrying the cult designer in 1998. “Meeting Carol Christian Poell in New York for what was really his first collection was a real sensation to me, it changed my point of view on fashion and buying.”

In August of 2000, a new location, Lift Ecru was opened. The new space featured labels such as Carpe Diem and Martin Margiela. As the space was larger, it gave the opportunity of organizing special presentations and installations for various designers. This in turn allowed a deeper interaction with designers, particularly Poell, whose work has been showcased through various exhibitions over the years. “We could organize the space to reflect the concept of his work from season to season, beginning in 2001”. Another unique installation was done with Maurizio Amadei; a wood panel with the silhouette of a body cut out of it by Amadei was placed at the entrance of the store, creating a shadow inside during daytime and similarly a shadow outside the store during night time. “These kind of things create the meaning for our close acquaintance”.

Collaboration also creates the framework for Tsunoda’s buying process. “Our mission when we established Lift was to challenge and break down fixed ideas in order to create new things, this is true for the buying as well.” Since beginning to work with Carol Christian Poell, the focus towards collaborative efforts has strengthened immensely; Lift now handles distribution in Japan for various labels and designers, ranging from Damir Doma to Guidi. Lift Atelier, a showroom space, was opened in order to help promote and collaborate with a new generation of designers. “We were introduced to visual artist Alessandro Tinelli by Issei Fujita, the designer of Lumen et Umbra, and since then we have worked together on various projects.” Among these are various presentations for Guidi and Damir Doma’s Veil project – a visual exhibition which was later shown in NYC and Paris. “We usually launch these project with the designers themselves in attendance. In 2008 we collaborated with Luca Laurini again on the “O-Project”, this was especially close to our hearts as we could invest a great deal of value and sensibility into the work.”

In 2004, Lift Etage was opened. “At this time Maurizio Altieri followed Carpe Diem and Sartoria with his new label Linea, and we introduced it exclusively for Tokyo. The mission of the store became the pursuit of authentic creativity.” Lift also collaborated with various other designers such as Gustavo Lins, whose work was presented at Lift Etage for the first time abroad. The Paris based Brazilian created an installation in which a human torsos made of paper, clad in his garments, were hung from the ceiling in a straight path from the store entrance to the fitting room door. In 2006, The Circle was re-born as Lift Position, complete with a totally new concept and direction; to break down all borders and categories within and around “fashion” such as gender in order to more strongly combine fashion and art. The opening Exhibition was done together with Bless, and served as good example of the new approach.

Coexistence has undoubtedly been the key to everything that is Lift as the boutique’s strength has derived from a close relationship with some of the most creative minds in this niche corner of fashion. Whether it’s a showroom presentation for Label Under Construction, developing unique furniture with Munoz Vrandecic or working with Maurizio Amadei to create Project 7 which would later form into his acclaimed label m.a+, Masahiro Tsunoda has proven that everything at Lift is done with sincerity and utmost passion. Tsunoda sums up his desire as simply wanting to work with people they like and trust. “We need this close relationship to work effectively. This creates the real meaning of our close acquaintance.”

view a gallery of Lift installations here

visit lift-net.co.jp and LIFT blog

interviewed by Marc R.
written by Arto M.

Tucked away on a small alley in an industrial area of downtown Los Angeles, Sartorialoft has been quietly making its entrance onto the city’s retail market. With a strong aesthetic focused on artisanal garments, the boutique has gained the attention of avant garde fashion enthusiasts both in LA and abroad.

Proprietor David Choi is the driving force behind Sartorialoft, which began as an online retail project, but took its physical form in early 2009. With a long time interest in a sartorial approach to garment making, Choi has been able to perfect the concept for the store which is close to his heart and to those of like minded. Prompted by his enthusiasm, Choi has developed very close relationships with the designers he works with. In Sartorialoft, homage is paid to visionaries like Geoffrey B. Small and Maurizio Altieri, whose now defunct label Carpe Diem is shown through archived pieces along Altieri’s latest project, Avantindietro. The store has also been a forerunner of it’s own sort, introducing the likes of Alessio Zero’s label Layer-0 to the North American market, and being the first retailer abroad to carry Japanese label Individual Sentiments. 

How did your interaction with garments and style start out?
It really started out in junior high school. Music was an integral part of my life and style became a direct extension of that. I listened to a lot of punk and post punk music. I guess you could say a lot of it was pretty depressing. I found myself looking for things that matched my moods. Pieces that fit but with odd proportions. I remember frequenting “big and tall” shops and getting stared at while hunting down button shirts that were fitted yet really long. 

That actually sounds quite familiar. So how did this interest develop?
By high school, it reached a point where I was really unhappy with clothing that was easily accessible for me. I was just a kid and though places like the Gap are great for some, it really wasn’t an option for me. This prompted a natural progression, where I started deconstructing my clothes. Jackets were typically cut very full through the body around that time and I really liked a more tailored look so I would have the body taken in, altering hem openings, a lot of recuts. Then I started looking at my father’s suits. He had his suits made by a bespoke tailor and I wondered why he wouldn’t just buy off the rack and have it altered. This really gave me a whole new appreciation for garment construction.

Did you find that some designers, maybe ones that you are working with now, sort of filled this void so to say?
In terms of designer’s I work with now? I never really thought about it, but I guess in some ways they do fill a void. Bearing that in mind, I guess Label Under Construction comes to mind first. Luca is a designer today that really blows my mind – I guess because I’ve always been fascinated with the kind of aesthetic representation that he gives us today. He really takes his concept in clothing to the next level. Rarely have I encountered such refined knits so aggressively deconstructed and still the artistry of his work is palatable for such a wide range of people.

Laurini’s approach to deconstruction is one that truly requires a thorough understanding of his medium (the workings of which he was exposed to very early on in life through his father). The work is very intelligent. There is an inherent and asymmetric harmony established in the dichotomy of opposition found in his body of work. He creates flawlessly knit “fabrics” with constituted deterioration, that when found in its natural state, would unravel in senescence. Yet he manages to suspend that deterioration to be preserved in time. His patterns in 2 dimensions are inductive and architectural. It is very logic driven. You can see that the formulaic logic of fabricating knits really fuels his passion for creating and seeking to discover new equations. The thing is, from its inception, his approach to design is a science. But its the creative aspect, the artful disjointing and dismantling in all three dimensions, which breathes life into his pieces, that really gets me excited. The way he encrypts history into the pieces and gives it a soul by “fabricating” a life lived is really special. Its an art.

I’m glad you bring up Label Under Construction as it’s a label that I’m very fond of as well. The aspect of giving a life to garments shows not only through the refined deconstruction of garments but also in some of the material choices, such as vintage military fabrics.
Exactly.

The reason I wanted to ask about your background was to also show what level of appreciation and in-depth relationship you have towards clothing, which is very evident. But how did this take you to the world of retail?
Well, my father is an entrepreneur who dabbled in the retail sector of the apparel business, so its something I’m no stranger too. I can honestly say that the opening of Sartorialoft would have been unlikely had I not gained the experience of opening and running stores under his guidance.

Ultimately though, I think everyone wants to be a part of something they love and believe in. The work of the designers with whom Sartorialoft have an accord are designers who have something to say. Through their work, they introduce individuals to a new dynamic where layered emotions become a factor in considering a piece. Yes, they produce exceptional clothing, but at the same time, with their garments, they challenge people to see things in a different light. Once you scratch the surface, there is a story being told and it provokes a deep seated visceral response. That moment of “impact” is something that I like to experience, whether it be personally or vicariously. When this happens, there is an almost tangible energy and I like to be around for it. I guess that was the most appealing aspect of it all for me.

You operated Sartorialoft as an online store, the decision to open a physical outlet was a very difficult one for you though.
Yes.  I can honestly say that it had to be one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make. The realization of ambitions such as this, is one that is never taken lightly. It makes it that much harder when people you respect are telling you how foolish it is to even consider such an endeavor with the economy sitting where it is. But when the heart weighs heavy, you listen to what it has to say. I did listen and I’m happy I did. Its funny, when I was initially considering the opening of the physical location, the prospect of introducing people to these lines made me really happy. But I’ve come to find the most rewarding aspect of this undertaking is being here for those who already have an understanding and appreciation for such works and having the opportunity to work with them. I guess I’m a simpleton, because I never thought that a venture such as this could be so rewarding in so many ways. 

 
I remember discussing the store location with you late last year when you were still in the planning phase. Those familiar with LA know that it’s very scattered and the downtown area, though emerging, isn’t the most popular retail area.
Very true. Initially, Downtown Los Angeles was last on my list in terms of a location for the store. But the more I looked at potential locations throughout the city, the more it made sense for what I wanted to do. Its not easy to escape the heavy hand of developers who seek to update and remodel buildings by tearing down structures and facades which already possess great intrinsic beauty. Los Angeles is full of “modern chic” locations, but I find them to be sterile and lacking in character. For better or for worse, I wanted to be somewhere real and the space I was fortunate enough to find was completely unassuming. There is something very genuine about it that really appeals to me.

The space itself is very unique as well.
The space is housed in a turn of the century, industrial warehouse. Its very old and as soon as you walk in, you know it. It possesses a quiet charm that I didn’t want to dilute by tampering with it too heavily. So the work that went into it was minimal. Its constantly evolving, but the evolution is rooted in the principle of preservation.

Moving on to some of the designers you carry, the selection is obviously very refined. What are some of the things you value in a label/designer?
When I look at a label, choice of fabrics and quality of construction are very important. It really conveys a sense of pride and passion for what they do and is the first indicator of what the label is all about. There are a myriad of criteria when looking at things from a design perspective.

One thing I really enjoy is an innovative spirit. For instance, Amadei’s reinvention of the 5 pocket pant. Everyone follows the basic pattern of the traditional pair of jeans with its cut and sew patch pockets. The curved seam design that Amadei employs with the pockets worked into the seams is brilliant. It’s such a fresh take on a tired concept, which sat stagnant because there aren’t enough designers out there thinking to rework a classic. His aversion to patchwork is evident throughout all of his pieces, from the inside out. Even the pockets themselves are constructed in unconventional ways by today’s standards, signifying that he has taken into consideration the functional longevity of his creations for the end user. These are the kind of details that aren’t seen when worn, but it is there. His work seems simple, but it takes much more thought and experimentation to manifest than a glance would imply. I really admire a willingness to completely redesign standards, down to the refining of internal components, even if others may not appreciate it or even take notice.

The subtleness of the detailing is very true especially with labels like m.a+, do you think this affects how people view or react to the garments?
I like to think the subtleties have a dramatic effect. But our emotional state is a variable that frames much of our perception of things in any given moment. It’s a pendulum swinging in all directions from one day to the next, so it’s really a matter of timing. Sometimes you seek more effusive design, sometimes a sleek and simple silhouette is the ticket. Whatever the mood, the response is always overwhelmingly positive as people browse through the store. There is much consideration that goes into the curatic process. Not just to present a kind of anthology of the designer’s overall vision while aiming for cohesion with the store’s aesthetic representation, but to cater to the diverse nature of an individual. We are multifarious beings and it is definitely something to be celebrated, not restricted.

Having spent time with you at some showrooms, I’ve certainly learned to respect the thought that goes into the buying process. What has the response towards the store been like then?
You know, this is something I think about quite often, as there are reactions to the space itself and reactions to what the space embodies. Lauren Larsen of Loft Life magazine wrote: “the space begs for the sparse, rough-and-ready décor given to it”, to which the people over at m.a+ say, “It’s raw, just the way we like it.” It’s great when people find an appreciation for what the space has organically grown into.

In terms of the spirit of the space, Natsuyo of Julius once said, “”It’s very warm. I can see your heart in it”. This is something we also hear from designers and clients alike and it is a very gratifying sentiment. It really warms the heart.

And clients?
I guess the most common reaction from our clients is “I’ve never been in a place like this before! This place has got to stay around! Oh look at this!” as they run around grinning form ear to ear. Though it has been written that the store “is far more clothing art gallery than a mere boutique”, it really brings me immeasurable joy to see people having such a positive experience in what is essentially a place to buy clothes.
   

visit Sartorialoft at 1820 Industrial St. #103, Los Angeles

www.sartorialoftla.com
 
 
interviewed by Arto M.

Mention the words ‘cutting-edge clothing’ and Australia is not the first place that comes to mind. Australian men are long perceived to be a bunch of easygoing beachgoers with a certain disdain for fashion. Roam its streets and one might see office workers in tired grey suits, or blue collar workers in singlets and Stubbies shorts, or even young men in tight jeans with a perturbing resemblance to wild-haired Ksubi clones. Yet there is a clothing store in Melbourne that goes above and beyond these stereotypes, slicing through the platitudinous fashion retail wasteland with a blade of passion, cutting straight to the core of what’s valuable; connecting with people and using clothing as a medium to change their lives. Scoute spoke with Eastern Market’s co-owner Stephen McGlashan.

So how did it all begin?
Well, the shop opened in September 2006, so Eastern Market is just over two and a half years old. My life partner and business partner, Lucinia Pinto, and I are the proprietors and we do the buying as well as work in the shop alongside our staff. Lucinia is very much the figurehead for the store, her reputation and career in Melbourne fashion retail were well established before she and I ever met. So, Eastern Market was a fresh idea after a break from the other stores, a more personal retail statement for Lucinia, and a collaboration between us.

The store has a real strength in womenswear and a strong growth in menswear. There is no clearly defined demographic for us, it seems that the people we attract feel about clothing design the same way they feel about architecture, music, literature, film or art. They are not necessarily pretentious people or self-indulgent, they are often self-styling people who want to project a unique aspect of themselves via clothing. Or perhaps they are people who sometimes require our assistance to create a new look. One thing is for sure, they come to the store to find something different. They are usually quieter people, whether they be a film star or a student who’s just sold a kidney. People seem to like the store’s location and discretion, the fact that they cannot be seen – it feels very private. As there is limited space, we have to make very focused decisions about which collections we represent, and we have a preference for those that wish to be exclusive to the store within Australia. Australia is very big on a map, but it is a very, very small market. Our clients come from all over the country. We have some clients who fly in specifically to buy from the new collections – sometimes we discover they have had a taxi waiting outside all the time. We shall never get used to it, we were both raised as poor Catholics.

Tell more about yourself and how you got involved in clothing.
I was born in England, grew up in New Zealand, and moved to Melbourne nearly fifteen years ago. I have an arts and film background, and have several times in a previous life collided with the fashion retail industry. My first introduction to clothing was the hand-me-down clothing from my brothers and sisters, I knew nothing about purchasing new clothes until I was in my late teens, early twenties. When I was a boy our family used to visit the Birthright clothing dispensary in Auckland, New Zealand – it was a charity that dispensed second hand clothes to single-parent families. I remember what seemed to be a vast room filled with shelves and racks stuffed with wrinkled clothing – like some Christian Boltanski installation. My mother used to select the clothing which was made freely available to us by this organization. I was raised on Op Shops and Salvation Army stores, and I still enjoy that smell of second-hand clothing – of lives lived, of histories wondered at, treasures to be found. Now when I look around at Eastern Market, I see something like that again, but it is Paul Harnden and it’s new, and the prices have gone up a bit.

During my last years at school I discovered the clothing I wanted to wear. My favourite bands were Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Magazine, Wire, and anything remotely German or by Bowie or Eno. In 1980 I discovered Joy Division, and suddenly I was wearing slim black shirts with the collar done up, and grey suit trousers from an op-shop – I used to pin them into stove pipes and take them to a tailor who sewed up the legs for me and cut off the excess on the inside. So when this look keeps coming ’round I feel a grumpy deja vu. In my last year of school I wore this as a uniform, with a dark fitted blazer and a shaved head; my mother used to see me, give a mock salute and cry, “Fasciste!” I look in the mirror now, wearing head-to-toe Carol Christian Poell, and the silhouette is more sophisticated but the essence hasn’t changed.

Although I work in the shop several days a week and can be seen there, my main role is becoming the behind the scenes person which I enjoy – the area I most enjoy is developing the brand of the store. This, like everything else, is a work in progress and will develop over the lifetime of the shop. I also handle a lot of the admin and the international sales – we are getting a lot of enquiries and have developed some good customers worldwide, mainly in menswear, as men tend to hunt things down via email or the internet. Our women customers are much more interested in the idea of an establishment, a place to come to away from the rat race.

The location of the shop is quite interesting and has some history to it, I believe.
Yes, it’s very discrete, housed in a former Catholic chapel which was once attached to an adjacent convent run by Josephite nuns. The nuns used to care for unmarried pregnant women in former times when pregnancy outside wedlock was taboo; the chapel was a private place for their prayers and there was no public access to the space whatsoever. The floor area is quite small, barely 100 square meters if you count the mezzanine upstairs, but it has an eight meter ceiling so it has very vertical dimensions. There is something about the dimensions that give the space an aura of calm and uplift, and the fact that there is no frontage or view to the street gives a sense of sanctuary. When we walk into the store in the morning we always have a sense of gladness when entering this space – it is hard to describe. It was already a commercial showroom but we removed almost everything that had been built, preferring to work from a blank slate.

All the fittings we designed are made of steel – we wanted these to feel like installations in the space. I drew them up and Gordon Byrne, our steel guy, with a lot of huffing and puffing, built them. The rotating copper changing rooms were a challenge but they work beautifully and we call them ‘the confessionals”. They look like something from an old French brewery. I have to say I was slightly disappointed when we first hung the clothes, as it seemed to soften the hard-core brutality of the fittings. But a balance was established.

Wow, it almost sounds like a labour of love.
Lucinia and I share a love of creating environments together. In a sense, Eastern Market is an environment rather than strictly a retail space. It doesn’t present like a shop, it doesn’t present like a gallery – it seems kind of unique. Some people walk in and fall in love with it – one of our first customers stood there and inexplicably burst into tears. Some walk in and are totally mystified. Perhaps because as a potential customer it is impossible to enter the space and remain anonymous – in a sense you have to engage with us – so we tend to attract brave individuals, which is good, because we have the clothes for brave individuals. There is nothing about the shop that attracts a herd mentality – so it is niche market, low traffic, very high value.

When we first opened we would find our customers walking up and down trying to find a shopfront, even though there is a sign on the chapel building – but I am happy to say it doesn’t stand out. As the word spread there was no problem finding the place and the store is really attracting its true audience now. After two and half years we have a much better idea of our developing identity, and the collections we represent and want to represent tend to have one thing in common – the clothing has a transformational power. So in fact we are not necessarily interested in collections that are similar in ethos or appearance, but in entire looks that are defined by their polarities. For instance, Paul Harnden, and Carol Christian Poell.

When you speak of the transformational power of clothing I am reminded of a quote from Wim Wenders on first wearing clothes by Yohji Yamamoto, a revelation that I have personally experienced and cannot forget. How do you see it?
By transformation I mean, yes, the ability to put an outfit on and to see a new or different essence of oneself accessed through the medium of clothing design. Of course, superficially, this is something that occurs in three dimensions upon the structure of a body, in front of a mirror. But a real transformation can occur when a reaction occurs within the wearer – and there is a modification, a new proposal outlined, perhaps a new way of seeing oneself – an external and internal revelation might be set in motion, which ultimately might occur with some emotional force and/or an altered psychology. Perhaps this could be described as a metamorphosis, even a transfiguration. So it can actually lead to a change in behavior on the part of the wearer, and perception on the part of the wearer’s audience. When this moment occurs with a customer in the store we tend to get quietly excited, because suddenly we, the designer and the wearer seem to have arrived at a point of unison in which everything that was intended is being expressed.

Now, human beings come in all shapes and sizes, all volumes – we feel we are very ‘imperfect’ creatures which is possibly why we are constantly drawn to this idea of the opportunity for transformation. So, although we are a very niche store, we wish to be able to offer this sense of transformation to as wide a variety of people as possible, simply because people come to us from all walks of life.

Tell me about your own personal experience with transformation in regards to Carol Christian Poell.
Yes, I have had one of those experiences myself when trying on a Poell black suit and shoes. It’s hard to describe where the effect comes from; the austere, sexless silhouette, the footwear which look and feel more like rumpled hooves. As a result you’ve taken on a sort of controlled menace, so that when you walk down the street in your finery you notice people may glance sideways at you, they start to keep their distance. Of course, you are just strolling to the shops to buy a little piece of quiche lorraine for lunch, but you have taken on a cloak of psychological violence that is inherent in the designer’s work. This is amplified by the limited movements that the construction of the silhouette allows; it is tight and controlling, with a stiff, upright verticality – this produces the kind of gait and movement in you that one would associate with Nosferatu.

Actually, there is a lot of fascist tension in Poell’s garments – they almost challenge you to wear them, and you can choose to wear and keep them in the pristine condition in which they are produced and delivered. Personally, I tend to like the fight that occurs between me and the garment that ultimately leads to the slow destruction of the garment on my body. This is when I think the garments really come into their own; when they are well-worn, when the tape is cracking, or the seams splitting, and it all starts to get that sense of vagabond decay – and you have singlehandedly conquered Fascism. Of course if you want the full transformation, you would wear CCP gloves, shoes and a bag with your suit. It’s the leather accessories which manifest a sense of organic horror developing at your extremities. It is interesting to me how Poell seems to view the human trunk as a zone of clinical asexuality, and the extremities as zones that are abject, sinful, sexualised, diseased. This all sounds repulsive, but it is actually fascinating, and I have to confess to having woken up at night thinking about these things, in the same way that a work of art, or a film, or a piece of literature might jangle my senses.

The thing about Poell is that he delivers it all with such a macabre wit. The sense of cheek and playfulness in his work is really appealing, though you’re never quite certain whether his things are deadly serious or deadly funny, because at times he seems to have summoned up all the horror of humanity with a mere rack of clothing. You know, I come from a heritage where my mother’s first ball gown was stitched up by my grandmother from the floral curtains in their house, so on any day that I glance down now and realise I look like a tramp but I’m wearing thousands worth of Poell garments, I think either I have got rocks in my goddam head, or my mind is being invaded by an Austrian vampire.

What other designers do you carry?
At the moment, we also represent Paul Harnden, Label Under Construction, If Six Was Nine, Issey Miyake, Sara Lanzi, Volga Volga – and Guidi, Marsell, Sak, Christian Peau – and Werkstatt Munchen, Ugo Cacciatori, plus some very interesting Melbourne jewelry and accessory designers, Polly Vanderglas and Roxanne Watts. We are adding some Julius soon because we saw in it a potential for women as much as men. I say ‘at the moment’ because stores, like human beings, take on lives of their own and the opportunity for metamorphosis of a store over its lifetime should always be kept in consideration. Eastern Market is only two and a half years old, so as a conduit for other people’s ‘metamorphosis’, we feel we have not yet arrived at a golden ratio between whom we serve and whom we represent. I feel we are a few years away from that, because it takes time to develop relationships with suppliers, it takes time to develop relationships with customers… and actually it takes time to understand the clothing, the ideas, the volumes, and whom it best suits. And indeed, having begun it, it takes time to understand one’s own store as an entity, as an identity – all of those things are becoming a lot clearer now but in essence they will always remain a work in progress.

All of these things are constantly in a state of flux, so in fact a golden ratio is possibly never achieved, but that is what one is always striving toward. Of course, we are never happy – much like the designers we represent: we always feel they are irked by some aspect of their own work, and season by season they redevelop things in increments to try to perfect what pleases/displeases them. Well, Lucinia and I are the same; it is this constant desire to have everything working in perfect concert that drives us towards the possibly unattainable.

Many of the designers you represent are focused on creating hand-made artisanal garments with a very specific aesthetic. Clothes, rather than fashion. How important is this to you?
Fashion is a word that does not easily come out of our mouths. Although on our website we describe ourselves as a ‘fashion shop’, it has merely been a shorthand for internet visitors so immediately they understand we stock clothing and accessories, but in the near future you will see me adjust it to ‘clothing design shop’ or similar. Fashion to us seems to be something that happens somewhere else in another market, it is this thing that turns over constantly and is afflicted with too many instantaneous (and instantaneously passé) attitudes. We have this real trouble with seasons and this constant requirement to order anew every six months – why the fuck should we? We are trying to train our suppliers to slow it down and concentrate on timelessness, but still too many of them are caught up in this cyclical regurgitation by necessity – not that of the consumer but the factory; we understand their cyclical need but it’s actually fucking bullshit when it doesn’t produce top shelf ideas.

Designers and their production houses need to understand that the six month cycle no longer fits the retail cycle – the whole pattern has disintegrated. All we know is that we need to represent pieces/ideas/collections that excite people’s imagination within a space that becomes a second home to them. Timelessness: I mean, if pieces from Carol Christian Poell’s SS07 collection are still sold to all corners of the world, why should anyone else’s work fall short of this mark? Why shouldn’t clothing last this long on the shelf, why can’t it? It can, and any designer who doesn’t aspire to the same kind of longevity and sell-through as Poell is lazy. To be honest when I saw the 09 CCP collection I realized this guy and his studio must be suicidal workaholics because the ideas, the detail in every piece, the presentation, the concept and the argument were just absolutely stunning – intellectual fashion delivered with a visceral punch, so much so that it simply wiped the floor with most things I had just seen in Paris.

The other designer I can see out there who is hitting the mark in menswear is Maurizio Altieri, and the fact that he isn’t producing Avantindietro seems to be the perfect statement; why would you throw pearls before swine when you know the machinery of fashion can’t digest your work? I’ve had the privilege of seeing the development of this collection, from breathtaking computer drawings to physical samples developed over time. It’s a 21st Century nomadic wardrobe rendered in blacks, much to Maurizio’s own personal tastes and physical requirements. It is possibly his own preferred wardrobe for wandering the globe. The fact that it hasn’t been produced or distributed in its entirety only heightens its power for me, it is perhaps one of the greatest arguments for wearing clothes, or perhaps for not wearing or selling them, that I have ever experienced. I guess the simple answer is we are really into clothes and this power they can have. Fashion is fucked, that whole cycle eats itself before it can even be produced now, so why produce it? That is the question every designer needs to be asking themselves. Why?

That’s a great question you raise. Speaking of Maurizio Altieri, some of the designers you represent were involved in the now defunct Carpe Diem. In recent years there has been a proliferation of offshoots, with some arguing that these new labels are over-saturating this niche market. What do you make of this?
Well, you know, my understanding of Carpe Diem is pretty simplistic: it was Maurizio Altieri, working first with Luca Laurini, then with Sara Lanzi and Maurizio Amadei. That was the core group, no? And when I think of Carpe Diem and its design language, I think only of those designers, and the Altieri imprimatura, the rigid dogma that defined it. And of course, yes, there were others, now apparently many, swirling in and around this collective over the course of its existence. The thing is, the people who were important at Carpe Diem never want to speak about it, they have moved on. In a way, they seem haunted, if not somewhat traumatised by the CDiem experience and its associations – it’s like a bruise. And in each one’s personality there appears to reside a bruised artist, poet, painter, architect, mathematician – all trying to come to a purity or a silence that calms the civil war within themselves. No doubt some of this internal war was ignited by Altieri; maybe he was the enfant terrible of clothing design that suddenly made Margiela look soft by the late 90s?

It is possibly true that if you spent enough time rubbing shoulders with Maurizio Altieri, if you got caught up in the CDiem swirl, that you are going to come away feeling renewed, jangled and intellectually inebriated. So for this second and third wave of people appearing who had an association with Carpe Diem, I can fully understand the impulse. And why not put it on your CV? I mean, I would probably tattoo it on my forehead. And as a buyer, yes, to read Carpe Diem on someone’s CV, it is enough to make you want to trawl the back alleys and showrooms of the Marais in zero degrees, coughing your lungs out.

But there are several things happening here. Firstly, Carpe Diem garments were made to a standard associated with the finest bespoke clothing, they’re kind of tailored/constructed to an indestructible degree. So any new collection that wishes to invoke the resonance of Carpe Diem is holding themselves up to these withering standards of construction. Secondly, new designers that are now spruiking an association with Carpe Diem have themselves entered into the design language of Carpe Diem (amongst others), and personally from what I have seen I find it hard to accept that the language and architecture is their own. But, you know, everyone starts somewhere; Dior came out of Piguet, Cardin out of Dior, blah blah blah and designers develop an individual voice over time. So, time is required to see where these designers get to in order to create a language that can be called their own. So we watch them, but we don’t necessarily rush to stock them. Which brings us to whether, as a store, you are interested in stocking designers who have an association or a language that is currently redolent of another past collection, or designers who have actually gone on to develop a singular voice of their own.

But we are talking about menswear here in general, and menswear in this strand of the market is a strange beast at the moment. There is a lot of ferment, a lot of names coming up, a lot of fuzzing of ideas and sameness and androgyny, and I have to say I am looking at it all with an increasingly cold eye. It’s really obvious that Carpe Diem has had a profound effect on this particular area of menswear; it’s like a note struck in music – there’s an attack, a sustain and a decay. And for CDiem the decay we are experiencing is really long and still going. In fact, the resonance and reverberation of the note is growing in volume well after the demise, and it’s becoming quite shrill, with everyone trying to harmonise and sing along like the note is theirs to sing, but to my ears it’s starting to sound like distortion.

But there is demand for this other stuff: you know, Altieri has created a kind of vacuum by having Avantindietro in a kind of stasis. But Maurizio doesn’t produce, either because he is not satisfied with elements of the production, or perhaps his own design. He’s not the sort to produce things just because the trough is looking empty for consumers. So Avantindietro is this thing that I have seen as a collection, a system of clothing made up of samples, but it has not surfaced as a complete, produced statement in anyone’s store, and probably never will. Actually, because there has been a rush of hot air into this vacuum, it’s not unlikely he would wander away and do something else.

But back to your question, in terms of there being an “over-saturation” of a particular market, yeah, all I can say is that the people I have mentioned so far seem to have set the benchmark, and there are many others now wishing to aspire to it – in a very limited market.

Where do you see yourself and Eastern Market in a few years time?
Ha, ha, that’s a good question at the moment, because most retailers we know are thinking about committing suicide or running away to Jamaica. Look, in a few years we’d like to feel that in our chapel store we have achieved a kind of golden ratio of collections that suggests exactly what that store can be about. I’d like to think that by then, we’d be opening another store that suggested something different again, something that extends the Eastern Market vocabulary we have already developed.

Interviewed by Brian Chung.

On an evening during men’s fashion week in February, we received a mysterious invitation to a store party in Le Marais. The designer was no other than Damir Doma, who had showed his f/w collection earlier that day. News of an upcoming flagship boutique caught many by surprise, though the virtually non-existent stockists of Doma in Paris might’ve given a hint of this. Located on Rue des Arquebusiers, a small and quiet street in Le Marais, the space is neatly hidden behind a courtyard gate and a heavy pair of metal doors, with only two high windows providing a view from the street. Inside, the pale concrete floor, black and white walls, industrial metal cabinets and tables add a strong contrast to the sheer, drapy and often delicate garments Doma is known for. The store space is ajoined with the label’s office and atelier, giving visitors a chance to get a glimpse of work in progress and even the man himself wandering around.

When speaking of avant garde menswear boutiques, there’s one name that certainly won’t go unmentioned. Atelier New York has a loyal clientele like many others, but the store can also take credit for being among the most influential retailers in the global menswear market. When Karlo Steel and Constantin von Haeften opened the store in 2003, the small space on Crosby Street was simply known as “A” – a name that can still often be heard used by regulars.

Originally catering to both men and women, Atelier decided to focus solely on menswear during the first year. Within a few years, the owners had already realized the need for more space. In late November last year, Atelier made the long awaited move to 304 Hudson Street. Even thought it was fairly centrally located, the new setting was quite different than the former spot on Crosby Street, which had a more secluded atmosphere. “I think our new location is more of a destination because it is in an area that isn’t really defined”, owner Karlo Steel explains, “at least not yet”. The area is in fact going through a redefining phase along with other boutiques, such as the Rick Owens New York flagship, which have recently opened in the area.

The opening of the new store was celebrated in December with a large number of friends showing up to show their support. “To tell you the truth, I was very nervous…” Steel says. “I was wondering if anyone would actually show because it was cold and raining heavily, but we had a tremendous turnout. There was such an out pouring of support! I was really touched by the response.”

The new space, which is several times larger than the previous one, is certainly interesting. Co-owner Constantin von Haefen designed the interior, which was executed in collaboration with MR Architecture. “The idea was to strip the space down to its 19th century shell and then start from there”, Steel explains. With art work
by Richard Serra and Joseph Beuys, and fitting rooms equipped with chairs by Comme Des Garcons, the tall new space is certainly eye catching, yet still stays true to Atelier’s original aesthetic.

The same can also be said of the clothes; Atelier has consistently stuck with many of the brands it started out with. “I think our style has changed very little, the essence remains the same”, Steel ponders. The studious selection of garments from designers such as Ann Demeulemeester and Carol Christian Poell sit alongside on the racks with Japanese labels Miharayasuhiro and Viridi-Anne, while footwear and accessories from Guidi, Augusta and m.a+ have taken over the window sills and tables. The style might be somewhat challenging to describe overall, but some prominent themes seem to reoccur in the clothing they carry. “I like the idea of non gender specific clothing; capes, wraps, etc.” Steel explains. “I like clothing that is either strict in tailoring or loose, destroyed, or decayed. I am very drawn to experimental fabrics or techniques as well as new shapes, which is hard to come by in menswear.” A majority of the garments share a palette of black, grey and beige – or non-colours, as Steel prefers to call them.

For many of the designers who are stocked there, Atelier is one of very few, if not the only retailer in the US. Perhaps this also explains the close relationship with the likes of Maurizio Amadei, with whom Atelier collaborated to make a small selection of exclusive products. Japanese label Julius is set to do an installation in the store in February. While the store’s selection is strong and prominent, a few new additions will be seen this season, including Boris Bidjan Saberi and Comme Des Garcons Homme Plus. Otherwise, Steel doesn’t see a need to change the lineup. “Quite honestly, I don’t really see any labels out there that we really need other than the ones which are already with us. I’m very happy with our selection.” Needless to say, Atelier will certainly hold its position as the forerunner in the menswear market with the help of a new location, a provident vision and of course, an almost cult-like following.

Atelier New York
340 Hudson Street
www.ateliernewyork.com

 
Written by Arto M.
Photos by Jo Jo Asuncion