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

For his new menswear collection, Iceland-based designer Sruli Recht created his own atypical design process, producing one of a kind patterns combined with particular materials. The result is a collection that has an extremely organic feel and strikes a balance between freedom and form.

Sruli Recht is eyeing the racks of clothing at his corner of a multilabel showroom in Paris. The garments, most of them made out of a single draped piece of exotic skins and Icelandic wool, form a muted but bold colour palette of earth tones with a splash of blood red and bright green. Its noon and Recht is just back from running errands – picking up a boot sample delivered to Paris late and unfinished, along with supplies from a hardware store. He spent the morning at his apartment shaping the heels of the boots and treating the leather to his liking. In midst our conversation, the showroom’s owner has come over to examine the new addition, now placed on a shelf next to belts, jewelry and wallets made of dyed fish skin. “Don’t touch my shit”, Recht mumbles, followed by a burst of laughter – one of many examples of his witty and satirical character.

Its Recht’s second day in showing what is, despite making clothing for nearly 15 years, actually his first complete menswear collection to date. Recht’s journey into creating garments began in Melbourne, where he studied in the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, graduating with a Bachelor Degree in Fashion Design in 2002. He began his career by hand sewing one or two made to measure garments in a week. “Designing actually always seemed very difficult, complicated and confusing… I think in the beginning I, being the new-kid-foreigner, did it as more of a way to try and fit in”, he says.

 Recently, however, he has been rather recognized for a wide array of work unrelated to clothing, “non-products”, as he calls them. For the past 5 years or so, he had relatively little studio time to himself, spending a majority of time working with or running other labels. “It is a commitment to work with or for other people – you have to get into their heads, think like them, create like them”, he says. Due to the time constraints, he found himself working with smaller projects that weren’t as time consuming to produce.

This, combined with the actual need for whatever things he would have use for at a given time, brought about the concept of non-products. Constant travelling and utilizing various spaces for a studio created the need for a portable table, so he designed one out of cardboard that could be packed into the size of a small suitcase and pieced together for a large cutting table. He wanted a belt that he didn’t need to take off at the airport, so he made one without a buckle. Whether or not his umbrella with a brassknuckle handle served other purposes than fighting the rain is uncertain, but Recth did end up battling in court over its legality, and won.

Another reason for designing non-clothing products was that Recht’s working knowledge had become somewhat of a burden for him. “It meant I couldn’t just improvise and make something; I would pre-design and map the entire garment out in my head, the order of every stitch and snip, and this was claustrophobic and unenjoyable”, he explains. Without realizing it, he had distanced himself from his own clothing, working on that of others and various products. However, as enough time had passed, he’d come a full circle and had, in a way, forgotten about clothing in order to approach it in a different way. That, and he also needed new clothes for himself.

Aesthetically, Recht’s garments certainly stick out from the mass given the raw materials and dramatic silhouettes. Take for example a leather coat in which the back is cut fairly straight, but the large lapels of the jacket stick strongly forward, especially if the wearer’s hands are in the pockets. Perhaps the most extravagant piece is “Icarus, post crash” – a jacket made out of 21 taxidermed blackbird skins, feathers still intact, on a reindeer skin base, and a piece of headwear matching to it.
 

 

Recht says the new collection is different from anything he has ever done before, but he still recognizes himself in it. This time around, his design approach and working methods were entirely new. “I wanted to let the collection happen in my hands instead of on paper… To listen to my hands, and let the fabric tell me what to do”. He chose not to involve any sketching in the design process, and came up with a special technique to develop the collection; making a half-scale mannequin and draping fabrics directly onto the form. “Making it in half scale really reduced the amount of detail that you would otherwise put in because you have only so much space.”

“I wanted to let the collection happen in my hands instead of on paper… To listen to my hands, and let the fabric tell me what to do”

Additionally, he came up with what he calls a macroscope – a camera shooting the mannequin and garment, projecting a full scale image of it onto a wall. Once he had come up with a pattern for a garment, it was transferred onto paper, scanned, scaled to full size, and then cut directly onto the material with a laser cutter. The garment was then re-draped in full size, edited and re-scanned. This unique process proved to be very efficient and precise. “What you have as an end result is very little use and wastage of paper, much less time tracing and cutting, and much more time to work and think with your hands on the actual material”, Recht adds.

Another unique element in the collection is brought on by the materials, of which nearly all are of Icelandic origin, and in some way developed by Recht. The only material imported, due to not being available locally, is wool-angora jersey, used for only a couple of pieces. Recht spends a great amount of time working with local producers, developing unique ingredients for his work. “I work very closely with a tannery in the north of Iceland, creating new materials out of raw skins.” All the leathers – horse, reindeer, shark, bird and even fish – make up a large part of the garments and accessories in the collection.

On some occasions, he has even found ideas in failed experiments, picking up scraps from the tannery and saying “I want this effect!” Similarly, he works with a knit producer who handles Icelandic wool utilized for the knitwear. “In the beginning, 10 years ago, I would have an idea, and force some fabric into achieving it. But I learned over time that the fabric would never do what it wasn’t supposed to do, so there was little use in trying to beat it into submission. So I started to develop the ideas incorporating the garment and material together.”

The result is a collection that is completely intuitive and free, but at the same time very dimensional and constructed. While drapery is a key part of his design process, Recht is careful to differentiate his garments from certain trends. “In my view there is a current ubiquitous and lazy approach to men’s wear masquerading as drapery, which seems to be a vague formula of hanging a length of raw fabric around the neck, adding sleeves that are too long and too tight, and sticking a hook on it – bam, avant garde men’s wear. Where is the thought, wit or humour in that?”

Written by Arto M.

Mariavittoria Sargentini prepares her presentation, appending the new in’es’terno (translated: in’ex’terior) articles to the foundation of her collections with calculated precision. The offerings solemnly suspended in a series of flowing wave paths along the spine of an abstracted iron sculpture, which Sargentini had designed herself. It is an austere presentation that embodies the spirit of the designer and her work.

The exhibition unveiled her latest evolvement of the advancing research systems produced under the MarvieLab umbrella. Wherein the individual projects are a conscious departure from the systemic order of the fashion industry with a focus on manifesting her study of interaction between one’s own body shape and the articles themselves. Her goal is to create a personal habitat within the negative space proffered by the garments. The result of this process is a streamlined silhouette with a minimalist aesthetic.

With the introduction of in’es’terno, we see fully reversible jackets, offered in closed seam construction of distinct fabric and color combinations that grant the end user a vast array of unique representations. The fabrics range from substantial to airy. My personal favorite of the fabrics being a beautifully textured weighty wool/linen shell that molds to the body like clay. Here we see Mariavittoria’s very different philosophy expressed. Case in point: the new slim version of the S pants and jacket, which imprint the shape of the wearer’s body and capture wrinkles in the joint areas upon disrobing. The garment’s design is approached with careful consideration of the human form, which allows it to acquiesce to the individual’s anatomical realities and bend to the will of the wearer. The pieces effectively conform to the many facets of the wearer, such that it is no longer exclusive in identity, but subordinated to the nature of self that is the individual.

The concept of a contained environment is clearly seen in its practical application, when approaching the patterns of the J2 project from a 2 dimensional perspective. Here we see rectangular shapes of varying dimensions, conceived as containers for the human body. This idea of a garment perceived as a natural habitat for the body has been explored with great efficacy in the S+M+L system. Where volume is varied within the various components, allowing for ample options of indexed silhouettes within a rigidly regimented set of parameters that are dictated by the concept. Where again, the clothing is to be approached with the perspective of a flat form, which she refers to as “shapematerial”. This is in opposition to the common perception of clothing as a covering that merely frames the body. Her work is an exhaustive study of the interaction between the 2 and 3 dimensional perspectives: between “shape material” and anatomy. The body finds its mode of dressing and ultimately allows the articles to find its own personality, thus raising the garments relationship with the wearer to a new level.

Sargentini is one who is bringing design to a level that is truly ahead of her time. She challenges the status quo to analyze what fashion is and what it can be. Playfully expounding upon interplay between cohesive modular systems. Pioneering the notion of transseasonal collections and unrelenting in her pursuit to realize a concept many would deem over-thought, in a world that may find her refined work over-simplified. She is a designer of intellect who seeks to elevate clothing conceptually and in her pursuit to that end, has effectively managed to devise and develop her own canon of proportion. It is a rigorous undertaking with one simple goal in mind for the end user. Comfort.

See more pictures of the collection on the scoute.blog.

Written by David Choi
Photos courtesy of Karios and Marvielab

We’ve been busy browsing new arrivals for the spring-summer season, and have gathered a selection of interesting items from our favourite stores. Check our picks for some of the seasons highlights from Lumen et Umbra, Carol Christian Poell and several other designers.

Lumen et Umbra This cardigan/wrap from Lumen et Umbra creates a full circle when laid flat, and a unique silhouette when worn. Reversible with an airbrushed effect on one side. 490€, Darklands Berlin		Layer-0 In his latest collection, Alessio Zero has used a canvas placed on top of leather, creating a stunning texture on these classic shaped lace up boots. $1115, Sartorialoft

Label Under Construction Tussah silk, previously used on the infamous LUC cardigan, is now available in the form of a knit sweater with the same beautiful texture as its predecessor. $749, H. Lorenzo		Lost & Found These cropped trousers are a combination of casual and formal as the pleating and jersey fabric create an interesting constrast. £317, Layers

MA_Julius These trousers from Julius’ MA line feature a double layered front with zip fastening and pleated knees. Made of 8oz cotton denim. €495, Seven		Goti Tuscan jeweler Riccardo Goti combines old world elements with a modern touch in his pieces. This simple silver ring features overlapping rings with a rugged finish. €202, Antonioli

Ann Demeulemeester One of the highlights of her SS11 collection, this lightweight cotton jacket has a full row of buttons running down the front, ruched sleeves and contrast lapels. £1252, LN-CC		Carol Christian Poell At a quick glance this shirt might seem basic, but upon further inspection it becomes evident that there is more to it. The “dead end” buttoning twists a classic shirt pattern to something highly unconventional, which one could only expect from Poell. 697€, Darklands Berlin

Boris Bidjan Saberi Made of extra fine cotton, this double layer knit has a unique uneven colour due the cold dyeing process it has gone through. $660, Atelier New York		Forme D’expression Made of cotton and linen, this raglan coat has an interesting slanted cut and two large pockets in front. It looks good both closed with the collard up as well as draped open. £735, Pollyanna

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

Luca Laurini, the designer behind Label Under Construction, has spent a number of years making intricately constructed clothes. But at some point this was not enough. What he wanted to do was make the clothes speak. The idea behind his new project, Signals, was to share messages with his audience.

For any man of culture, be it an artist or an intellectual, sharing cultural wealth is an instinct. We all have a desire if not to be validated in our worldview, then at least to be understood. This is why writers write and artists paint. Often, it is simply an overwhelming yearning to say something and, preferably, to be heard. But while the writer has words and the painter has images, a fashion designer is put at a disadvantage by his medium. To reflect one’s world via fabric and scissors is no easy task, but one that a mind as obsessed with design as Laurini’s was more than happy to undertake.

“The deepest concept in making this project was my desire to send out subliminal signals,” said Laurini. “These signals are linked to the intrinsic significance of each word, whether it’s an acronym, aphorism or a poem. Concepts like corrosion, laceration, the opposites, have an important significance, linked to us, to our society, and to our daily lives.”

Laurini is not one to take shortcuts in design, so merely writing slogans on clothes was out of the question, and even though English is becoming the Esperanto of the modern world, it is not common enough. Besides semiotics, the other problem that Laurini had to solve was the use of limited space, that of the garment. The solution was to use the Morse code – universal and short. “Morse code interested me a lot, firstly for the historical reason. It was the first universally accepted way of shortening communication,” said Laurini. The duality of the code, the external, visual component, and the internal, one that creates meaning, also attracted him, “It is fascinating that this code, graphically, just based on dot and line, can translate meaning in a minimalist way. For rendering language into a piece of fabric or a garment, not only its meaning is important, but also the graphic element that provides the meaning.”

But the real task for Laurini was to combine the language and the clothes into a whole, to inextricably intertwine them. In essence, the language becomes the language of clothes. Therefore, for example, he took Nietzsche’s aphorism from Thus Spake Zarathustra, about the eternal cycle of creation and destruction and cut it with the laser into the lining of the jacket made from old recycled fabric. Another aphorism, by Jonathan Swift, “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible” is incorporated into the jacquard pattern of the identical color town that only becomes visible under ultraviolet light.

Other methods Laurini used give words their physicality. They incorporate the language as a system of signs for naming the things with the things themselves. Accordingly, the words “Continuous Wave” are manifested by knitting the acronym “CW” using a wave knit pattern on a stole and a scarf. The combination of the words “Laser Embroidery” and their acronym are cut by a laser into a dress shirt, and the letters of the word “Corrosion” are recreated on a sweater by disintegrating the natural part of the yarn with acid, while leaving the synthetic part intact. Lastly, the concept of decay is reflected in the technique of laser laceration. It is used to emphasize the way fabric wears off at certain points if a garment is worn too long. The words “laser laceration” are incised by laser along the collar and cuffs of a dress shirt to give it a worn-in look.

The messages are broken down into four categories – acronym, poetry, aphorism, and words. “Acronyms, used today to shorten anything, are, in themselves, carriers of messages. The aphorisms, which are more explicit, like those of Nietzsche, Peale and Swift are very important from a philosophical point of view, and finally the poem by Merini lends a touch of poetry so often lacking in real life,” said Laurini. There are also four ways the code is incorporated into the garments – by knitting, cutting with a laser, using UV-sensitive yarn and corroding the fabric with acid. Each garment will come with a folder that recreates all the messages in a grid. This is Laurini’s most painstakingly thought out and crafted project to date and it gives a fresh meaning to the used up phrase “the medium is the message.”

By Eugene Rabkin

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.

South of the river Thames, London-based design duo JAMESPLUMB doctor ostensibly-derelict flotsam back to life in an honest fashion unique unto themselves. Despite being said to straddle the space between design and art, they profess to simply go about making the work they want to make.

JAMESPLUMB’s profile is currently aggrandizing exponentially due to a host of magazine features (How to Spend It and The World of Interiors among others), exhibitions (Mint, Selfridges and Rossana Orlandi), design festivals (Tent London and Frieze Art Fair), and high-profile commissions and collaborations such as Bruce Webber, Aimo Richly and Hostem.

The duo’s current residency has them in Milan, under commission by Rossana Orlandi to rework her personal archive of vintage furniture. To know JAMESPLUMB, is to know why such a venture is a veritable dream come true for these venerable Wimbledon aluminsts. To become properly acquainted, Scoute corresponded with these artists-abroad to pick apart their apparent penchant for patina.

Nomenclature

JAMESPLUMB is a title assembled from pieces of its members’ own names; James Russell, and Hannah Plumb. This piece-pasting process of assemblage is somewhat of a synecdoche for their entire approach to interior design, which involves sourcing out and piecing apart the discarded and discounted, and imbuing it with new life. In their Concrete Stitches series, JAMESPLUMB bestowed broken and abandoned pieces of furniture with a new soul by casting them together in concrete.

Despite the potential allusions associated with such methods, their work is less Dr. Frankenstein than it is Mother Goose. Their ambient interiors and personified paraphernalia, although reincarnations of forgotten relics, manage to avoid the realm of the macabre, and instead exist in a world imagined by a child and realized by an adult – simultaneously evoking feelings of nostalgia and wonderment, sensibility and sophistication. In a JAMESPLUMB space, their unfettered exploration of shape, meaning, and story are trumped only by their excruciating attention to detail.

The Story of JAMESPLUMB

The two originally met and connected at Wimbledon School of Art in 1999, where they both studied fine art sculpture. “Working together happened gradually over several years as we began to take on commissions for lighting and interiors”, they explain. Their process of resurrecting the neglected and reinventing the out-of-use is an approach instinctive to them both. However, it is in their specific interests where the assemblage that is JAMESPLUMB shows itself especially brilliant. The duo share a preoccupation with the dispossessed – “we love the look of old things, the patina” – but differ slightly in their passion’s precise focus: “Hannah has always been interested in things with a history and stories to tell, and James has always been interested in the beauty of the discarded and overlooked”. As such, one’s abilities extend naturally from the other’s, and when combined, result in honest, exquisite designs with a visually palatable amount of depth.

Just as their individual interests would dictate, each JAMESPLUMB design or installation is a carefully constructed, aesthetically engaging story. Every JAMESPLUMB creation gives breath to the inanimate, narrative to the mute, action to the inert; whether it be their signature Sampson character, whose head is supplied by an old pub-light and rocking-horse body is borrowed from recycled wooden toys, or their Charles Munn – an unwanted, angle-poised light mounted on an antique rollerskate.

Designs on Fashion

JAMESPLUMB’s aptitude for creating spaces is akin to a child’s for assembling forts; acting on the imagination’s innocuous desire to see its fascinations realized. And, when one’s fascinations are as detailed as the assemblages and luminaries that litter their interiors, the resulting world is one you wish to occupy permanently.

James Brown, owner of the men’s boutique Hostem, commissioned James and Hannah to design his new store in Shoreditch after bearing witness to their wonderland home and studio in Stockwell Green. This was a fitting opportunity for JAMESPLUMB: “we wanted to take our installations a step further and allow others to inhabit them rather than just pass-through, to have the experience for themselves”. Hostem is a signature JAMESPLUMB space – constructed entirely out of reworked materials, and decorated with rearranged ornamentals. The design is truly poetic, showing reverence to the beautiful clothing it houses.

Just as the designers’ work which lines Hostem’s reconstructed rails, JAMESPLUMB’s work is obsessed with the marks of the maker and of usage, the quality of the materials, the story behind them and that which they ultimately create. “There certainly seems to be a happy link between our interior habitats and high fashion – perhaps the parallels lie in attention to detail, one offs, and limited editions”, the duo reflects.

Hostem was also host to what was, perhaps, JAMESPLUMB’s most unique installation yet – their One Room Hotel. This interactive, inhabitable hotel room was part of London Design Week, and permitted one fortunate person per night to occupy a proper JAMESPLUMB-constructed reality. Guests were treated to opulent linens by Matteo, luxury skin products from Aesop and could browse carefully selected excerpts from James and Hannah’s personal archive of books (Deborah Turbeville, Francesca Woodman, Quilts of Gee’s Bend) and films (The Piano, To Kill a Mockingbird, Seraphine, The Tit and the Moon).

Cause and Effect

Quantifying one’s specific influences is a nebulous craft, but James and Hannah are inspired by everything around them, “from the reflections in puddles, to walks around cemeteries”. Their favourite objects are old books: “we simply love the well-thumbed pages, beautiful old fabrics – especially if they have lots of repairs or patches”. Original artists unto themselves, they find interest in the work of Christian Boltanski, Louise Bourgoise, and James Turrell. Considering their works of wonder such as Concrete Stitches, Hostem, One Room Hotel, and numerous exhibitions eschewed from mention, JAMESPLUMB – humble, honest, poetic, and rich – are certain to eventually serve as well-thumbed sources of inspiration themselves.

By Graham Newmarch

Designer Daisuke Nishida’s background isn’t the most conventional sort. As a former athlete and medical instructor, Nishida grew interested in anatomy and kinetics, sparking the desire to create garments using the human body’s form and movement as the basis for design. His label, Devoa, has been shown in Paris since 2009.

Background

“I was born in a place called Sasebo-shi in Nagasaki, which is in the south of Japan. It’s famous for having had a long historical contact with the West when the rest of Japan was cut off from international relations. There is not much there now except for shipyards and a large army presence. My professional background is largely related to sports and physical fitness, I was both an amateur wrestler and a medical instructor. I wrestled free-style in the 58kg class and won 3rd place in the Japan Junior Olympics and was placed 5th inthe “National Constitution” competition. When wrestling on a regular basis, I soon got very interested in health, fitness and anatomy. My studies in Kinetics and Anatomy – the way the human body is constructed and moves – eventually led me to become a medical instructor and advisor in the fitness field. It is the knowledge gained during this time that I use to construct clothes, which follow closely the form and function of body joints and muscle movement.”

Learning

“My grandfather was a tailor so I grew up in that environment and was surrounded by the tools and skills of his trade. I never studied fashion design as that world never interested me, but I could learn from my grandfather directly. I have never been into typical mainstream “fashion” and to be honest, I never got inspired by any famous designers. I am more interested in architecture and particularly engineering, and how this relates to human body construction and the fitment of clothes. Fashion is primarily about making people look “attractive” and is a means of self-expression. My interest is more in researching the relationship between the body and fabric. Nowadays it’s mostly certain films and my immediate environment that influence the way the clothes look.”

“My professional background is centered on research of the human body and its movement, so this is paramount in my design process. Working as a medical instructor for 5 years is the foundation from which I can take my design and self expression to the next level. I believe any improvement and advancement should be based on thorough research into tools, techniques, materials, cloth and crucially the form which I work with; the human body.”

Devotion

“The name is a derivation of the Spanish word “devota”, which is similar in meaning to “devotion”. I chose this because our collections come from the heart. Everyone involved in the creative process – pattern makers, sewers and the fabric makers – believe strongly in creating something with meaning and integrity, and are devoted to what they do. We all wear the clothing we create, every day. I started the label because I wanted to find out if it was possible to make clothes in this way and to gather these diverse craftsmen together in the process. I feel that this was my destiny.”

“Everything I create is born out of the fabric I use, which is why i place so much importance on the research and creation of new and unique materials. I am very specific about the particular type of cotton or linen I use. Where it’s from, how it’s grown, is it organic or not, the feel and even the scent a material has. These details are very important to me. I spend a lot of time working with some of the very best factories and mills in Japan. You would be surprised at how many of the most revered international designers actually source their materials here, so I need to be sure that what I use is unique and my own which is also why I rarely carry on using a particular fabric for more than one season. Once I have the fabric, an idea for a design will come to mind inspired by the way the fabric works with the body. This suggests a construction and will eventually result in a pattern. I believe my trademarks are the high quality and originality of my fabrics and a particular construction using double-weight cloth.”

“I enjoy creating and using a diverse range of materials, everything from original and hi-tech to vintage. I suppose cashmere and cotton are my favorites and the most important ones, but I am becoming more interested in working with resins and polyesters to develop brand new materials for the future. These are exciting because there are so many possibilities for their development. I really want to make something that has never been seen.”

“For this latest S/S season I was lucky enough to discover a vintage army material which was developed as an alternative to wool when it was seen as too expensive to use. This is a very rare combination of rayon and linen, which you can actually find in museums over here. I was able to purchase a whole lot and turn it into some limited edition tailored pieces; pants, a jacket and a coat. I also made a new edition of our signature blouson in a one-off natural hemp material. It was un-dyed and as near to the raw, natural state of the material as I could use it. I felt that this gave the piece a natural power and integrity.”

Integrity

“I love Paris for the atmosphere and for the architecture. I find the churches, in particular, very inspirational. The scale of the traditional buildings is very different to Japan. I like St. Eustache, for example, especially when some-one is playing the pipe organ there – an event very different to anything I have experienced in the East. The other thing I have enjoyed about Paris is the direct and honest communication I can have with the buyers. Paris attracts the best buyers from every part of the world and to meet and get their feedback has been a really great experience for me and for the development of the label.”

“I never want to use typical mass production-line techniques and lose the originality and quality. In the past I have ditched a whole batch or project rather than deliver something substandard.”

“I like to keep a tight rein over all aspects of what we create. I have a very hands on approach to what I do and like to work very closely with everyone involved in the label. For this reason it is a small-scale, and a very personal, endeavor and I do not see it increasing to any major extent. Everything is made in Japan and created as much as possible by hand. I am committed to making everything I produce of the very highest quality and using artisans with their own particular skills and specialties. I never want to use typical mass production-line techniques and lose the originality and quality. In the past I have ditched a whole batch or project rather than deliver something substandard.”

Interview by Marc R. / Stealthprojekt
Edited by Arto M.

Photos 5-6 Courtesy of Zekka

In their newly opened Lift Gallery space, the Tokyo based retailer presents an exhibition focusing on designers’ most important tools and symbols of identity – their hands. Consisting of a variety of mediums such as photographs and a large hand carved from wood, Hand Portrait brings together over 30 creators from around the world.

CAROL CHRISTIAN POELL / UNITED NUDE / REINHARD PLANK / DRIES VAN NOTEN / ANN DEMEULEMEESTER / INES KAAG & DESIREE HEISS – BLESS / KIMINORI MORISHITA / SYBILLE WALTER & SAMUEL DRIRA – ENCENS / JAS MB / MAURIZIO AMADEI – M.A+ / STEPHAN SCHNEIDER / INCARNATION / RUGGERO GUIDI – GUIDI / DAMIR DOMA / GIORGIO BRATO / ISSEI FUJITA AND SUSANNA – LUMEN ET UMBRA / LUTZ / CORNELIAN TAURUS TEAM /TOMOAKI OKANIWA – THE VIRIDI-ANNE / YOKO ITO – INDIVISUAL SENTIMENTS / MIHARA YASUHIRO / OLIVER THEYSKENS / ALESSANDRO TINELLI / GUSTAVO LINS / ALEXANDER FIELDEN / RICK OWENS / RYUSAKU HIRUMA – SAK / LUCA LAURINI – LABEL UNDER CONSTRUCTION / MUNOZ VRANDECIC / LOST & FOUND¨

http://www.lift-net.co.jp