Kaws 4ft Companion Black

After the release of his 4ft Grey Companion last year with toy maker Medicom, KAWS is back again with news of the release of the Black variation. No official word on release date yet, but these won't be around long when they do touch down.
KAWS is fast becoming the new boy in town and has already built up an almost cult following through his large portfolio of toys and now his clothing label OriginalFake, again with Medicom, has brought him a new fashion orientated audience securing his name as a seriously cool brand.
And when you've got a cool new retail business which sells only the finest items from clothing to housewares and accessories, who do you get to design the store? Well Masamichi Katayama has to be the obvious choice...

Kofmehl

Kcuf me, this is one hell of a way to make a bold statement of youth empowerment as a music venue. Goes back to the punk era of youth against the system, holding gigs in old warehouse and squats. Ssm Architekten ag have pulled out all the stops to make this monolithic building something that I find rather attractive in an industrial, almost imperial manner. If only this had been around in my youth, there would be much rebelling against curves...

F.I.L. yer boots

As you should be well aware by now, I absolutely adore Visvim due to the construction, design, material selection, branding, marketing and ethics of the brand. One thing that I haven't mentioned so far is the F.I.L. stores which carry the Visvim brand across the 5 stores. The Free International Laboratory (F.I.L) stores are now synonymous with the clean styling of the brand and help create a calming atmosphere in which the brand can be viewed, but perhaps more importantly, touched.

As with the rest of the Visvim/F.I.L/Cubism branding I can't help but love the design (or lack thereof) of the shops. I could waffle on about clean lines, simple shapes, neutral backgrounds and how this helps to accentuate the chaff from the other stuff, but I'll just let the photos do the talking.

Again a long post but I'm sure you'll understand when you see these places...

First F.I.L. in Tokyo


Tokyo Relaunch at new location


Store front sign, Tokyo


F.I.L Sendai


Sendai exterior


Massive glaring in-your-face sign, Sendai


F.I.L Hiroshima


F.I.L Hiroshima


F.I.L Kanazawa



F.I.L./Cubism Offices Meguro Rice Factory

Wonderwall / A.P.C. Kita -Aoyama

Wow, I've really been getting into Wonderwall, a Japanese interior design practise run by Masamichi Katayama. For years this guy has been working with Nigo to create BAPE's massive array of ultra cool shops to serve the brand and create an atmosphere that has become a signature of the brand.

Wonderwall has been involved with many of the leading brands in the top end streetwear scene including OrignaFake, Loopwheeler and now for A.P.C.

Don't usually like to put up so many photos but if anything is worthy, its the work of Wonderwall...

Nike Dunk Edge

Graff legend and King affiliate has just been asked to design a Nike Dunk as part of their iD programme.

Not much can be said apart from;
I want some, and
spoooop

Southbank Safe

Good news for the skateboard community down in London at the recent response to a petition organised for the retention of the Southbank Undercroft for skateboarding.

The Southbank Centre have said they won't be kicking out the skaters and in fact are in talks with the community to find out ways to improve the Undercroft!

Official word is:

"...the Southbank Centre recognises the importance of the Undercroft in bringing together skateboarders from across the UK and the value that the skateboarding community has brought to many young people and the South Bank area itself...The Southbank Centre has said that it has no plans to redevelop the Undercroft used by skateboarders. In fact, they are in close discussions with the skateboarding community about how to improve the current skateboard area and about how the community might become more involved in the Southbank Centre's artistic programme."


Via KingApparel Blog

Honeyee Mag Vol. 5

If you've read my earlier posts I'm sure you'll be aware of Visvim, and how much I've begun to really appreciate the quality of design and the beautiful materials that they utilise. What you may also know is that once I get a sniff of something I like, I'm usually all over it it like a bad rash.

So when I spotted the release of Honeyee Mag Vol.5 I had to get excited. On the front cover we see my man of the moment Hiroki Nakamura pissing around with some elk hides.

Unfortunately the mag is only produced in Japanese so I'm not too sure what's inside, but you can be sure it'll be a good read if mr.blog (Jeff Ng of Staple & Honeyee) has had any input.

Best get back to the Japanese lessons...
And saving up some more dollar for the next Visvim release.

I love this. It has to be one of the most chewed up bits of plastic you see in every office, and mine is no exception. In fact Alan has a huge pile of the things above his desk, and I'm not sure if its out of a want to collect them or he simply dislikes them and discards the tops.

Either way they are pretty benal.

That is until now. Tithi Kutchamuch has just released this fly pen top for all who appreciate a nice bit of silver with their otherwise dull hand driven communication device.

I like it. Don't know if Alan will.

Visvim Red

Argh. I can see money disappearing through my hands whenever I look at this photo. But needs must eh?

These Spring 08 Visvim offerings are simple and gorgeous featuring the usual rubberised hardware, super tough Cordura Nylon and the softest Elk leather, its what your stuff has always wanted to be carried in.

'all this hum and all this awful noise...'

Daniel Danger has an upcoming show over at Rotofugi starting the 17th July and running through til the 2nd August.

If you can't make the show, worry not, Rotofugi are very good at getting stuff online as and when, so keep your eyes peeled for the opening where I'm sure there will be some amazing new work from Mr Danger.

Zap!

Once again Ian See has come up trumps in his daily art searches.

This time Alexandros Vasmoulakis is the artist in question and his work is stunning, from his hand drawn and painted canvases to the massive murals on the side of various buildings to his graphic design work, its definitely worth a looksee.

Chile Reception

“We have copper, wine, salmon and wood,” says architect Alberto Mozó, in what resembles a crash course on Chile’s natural resources – and it is wood that he has decided to make use of in his office building for BIP Computers in the Providencia neighbourhood of Santiago.

The three-storey structure is clad with interwoven laminated beams of Radiata pine, encasing a glass facade. The ends of the building are angled in parallel, giving the impression that it is leaning. Despite the sturdy cross-bracing, it has been designed to be taken apart easily. “The owner wants to be able to sell the land or even build a much taller building there in the future, so I came up with the concept for a structure that can be entirely dismantled,” explains Mozó, who has been experimenting with transitory elements of urban architecture for some time.

via: Iconeye

Mr Toledano

If you have half an hour to entertain yourself, I can highly recommend having a look at Mr Toledano's online photographic portfolio.

The bankrupt series is ever so good, and the Arctic Circle series has some striking images too...

Reasoned Relationships vs. Illogical Love

Ryan Mcginness is a name thats been knocking about a wee while, from his earlier roots of skateboarding and designs for Supreme through to his magical installations at the Deitch Projects and his not-so-recent exhibition at Pace Prints in New York, he has produced some of the most wonderful iconography and simply stunning art.

I for one have been after something for my wall for a while now, but his work never seems to be available, possibly due to the fact his work is so admired, an dpossibly as he rarely gets over to the UK.

Anyway, just thought I'd share with you what I've been drooling over for the past few months, and is available at Pace Prints.

Show Time

London based VFX artist and motion graphic designer Enrico Lambiase has released a show reel giving a taster for his direction in 2008. Silky smooth animations and strong visual effects are a major part of his work and this small video is testament to his hard work.

Check it out now on his website...

Derek Hess & Obey

Derek Hess has just released a couple of new prints which can be found on his website now.

Absolutely beautiful prints that you just gotta get hold of. Cumulonimbus is in my shopping cart...




Shep has also got a new print in the pipelines. No release date as of yet but be sure once it does drop it'll be gone in a flash. Out of alot of the Obey prints I've seen of late this one stands out with its stunning simplicity. Definitely another to get if only I can hit F5 enough times...

Love Anna James

With graffiti making it into the mainstream media via the likes of Banksy, D*Face, Nick Walker et al we see designers picking up on the theme and applying it to all manner of items.

From Love Anna James comes a series of furniture under the name of Verona. Featuring not only graff inspired colourways but also some interesting pinstripes and modern art references these pieces really stand out as something totally different for the home. Careful attention to detail is rife and executed nicely to add a contrasting refined nature to the pieces...





Hot on the heels of the graff cross over Lovegrove & Repucci have introduced their New York & London Graff Delft series of tableware.

Featuring oldskool tags and throwups these pieces are sure to excite whilst tucking into some fine dining, but they also give you the oppurtunity to show your roots as the train tagging wee scrote you may have once been.

Chester Draws

Takeshi Miyakawa has come good with his latest furniture design 'fractal' which is essentiaslly a cube split into lots of different sized drawers that open round each side. Each drawer is a different length and size so that they can all fit into the one clean looking storage cube, making it hugely versatile for virtually anything, however big or small.



via: mocoloco

Concrete Design

It's not often you get a chance to get excited about concrete. Quite often it can be an eyesore of biblical proportions and reminds us of how pish some design of the sixties were and still are. Subsequently concrete gets some pretty bad press, but Transparent House have been working on bringing some life and style to this simple building material with their 'Concrete Art'

Bonaldo Squaring

I love sleeping. Its a great fun hobby one can do almost anywhere, though there are the odd situations where being awake might help.

Some beds are a cut above the rest and this little beauty by Bonaldo really makes me want to kick back and get myself off to the land of nod. Instead I'm stuck at work having to stay awake. Boo.

Alta Ego

Alta Bikes out of Norway have been on my radar for a wee while now with their stunning single speed bikes.

Alta is a development by various companies such as Bleed Graphic Designers, Norway Says Furniture Designers, Frost Produkt & Shnel Melnychuck, to create one of the finest looking bikes around. At 9.4kg the original is no heavy thing and its been designed for ease fo bringing into the flat, obviously directed firmly at the city rider. Wall mounted racks are also available so you can show off your new wheels with pride.

On top of that 20ltd has just released their special collab with Alta, the Alta 'One'. Available only from 20ltd this special edition will only see 10 bikes ever made. Available now at 20ltd

Byroglyphics

Artist Russ Mills of Byroglyphics has just released some new prints avaiable now at Byroglyphics.

Some real nice pieces for sale and at very resonable prices to boot.

Baas Sack

Maarten Baas has been producing interesting furniture for a wee while now. In previous projects he has been scorching existing furniture made by other designers.

This Rietveld Zig Zag chair has been given the scorching and impregnation treatment and the result is a stunning decomposed classic...

But now the Dutch designer has taken a new angle to his work and presents this as-yet-unamed piece as a realisation of an existing design but in a material so distant from the original.

This chair, however gimmicky it may seem, really makes you think about materials and how the simple selection of one over another can have such a huge impact on the aesthetic.





The problem is though, if they were all like this, as opposed to the plastic beasts, then we wouldn't see quite so many grannies falling into swimming pools on 'You've Been Framed', which has to be a bad thing.


via: ICONEYE

Spaghetti Benches

Down at The Carpenters Workshops in West London, designer & Craftsman Pablo Reinoso has a few of his new benches on display. He calls them his 'spaghetti benches' for obvious reasons, and I for one find then particularly tasty (sorry, just had to get at least one bad pun in there)

Unlike many wooden sculptures or forms the wood is not bent as the forms are too random to use that process and the lengths involved means single carved pieces are out of the question, the grain simply wouldn't hold the weight, instead each form is made from various different bits that are joined and smoothed perfectly to produce this stunning bench.

The show runs from April 30 - May 17

Goatboy

Over in Australia, t-shirt company Goatboy have been causing a wee bit of controversy over their new T-shirt, which depicts the face of the late Princess Diana. And we're not talking patriotic nostalgia here. More what everyone has been thinking for a number of years now...



Found a wee video from Goatboy on the 'tube, run go see...

While you were sleeping

I've been after something by Dan McCarthy for a while now, but whenever I get over to his site the new prints have gone.

Thanks to my good pal Iansee who gave me the heads up I popped over to the site, and low and behold there are a couple left! And of all the prints I 've seen this has got to be a favourite.

Anyway snap em up before they all go at http://danmccarthy.org/