16.03.2017 | Blog , Fashion | BY: admin
Looking for a fiery fashion fix? We’ve fallen head over heels for Saint Laurent’s accessories. For SS17, the brand has taken disco-glam to the next level: from snakeskin slingbacks with ruched ‘leaf’ detail to versatile black leather Love Box bags, these are designs made for nights out. Get ready to behave bad and bougee. We’ll see you under the disco ball.
12.03.2017 | Fashion | BY: admin
Excuse the pun, we couldn’t help it – such is the excitement at Acne’s latest Resort 2017 drop of Emoji themed apparel. Featuring a classic combination of teddy bears, mushrooms and peace signs (we use classic a little lightly) the collection is printed across unisex sweatshirts and teeshirts in bright colours and tye dye hues.
Call us clichéd but as the summer months approach, something a little more frivolous is what we’re craving right now. This new line checks all the boxes for a relaxed, breezy look with the added bonus of promising to instantly refresh well-worn staples.
09.03.2017 | Blog , Fashion | BY: admin
For AW17, Nicholas Ghesquière investigated notions of borders and boundaries. Set in the majestic surroundings of the Louvre, Louis Vuitton’s Autumn-Winter collection aimed to negate frontiers and shift into an evocation of the nomadic – city blends with distant landscapes, masculine blurs with feminine, day fades into night and the heritage of the House, meets a thirst for the future.
The result was a truly global collection, which drew inspiration from American sportswear classics and Slavic accents, the über feminine and the romantic gothic. In short, the kind of world we’d love to live in. Watch the full Louis Vuitton AW17 collection here.
07.03.2017 | Art , Blog | BY: admin
Artist Seana Gavin has rummaged in the super/collider’s library of vintage science books and world encyclopaedias to create surreal collages of imagined landscapes.
Inspired by a mutual love of old educational materials, each collage draws on anthropology, space exploration, mineralogy, botany and astronomy – transforming hard science into a series of otherworldly scenes that are both playful and slightly unsettling, existing outside of any recognisable time or place.
The three new prints follows on from Gavin’s ‘Cosmic Worlds’ series in 2011, which similarly depicted otherworldly scenarios.
The triptych – Planetoid Life, Time Traveller and Liberty Sunset – are available to buy on super/collider now.
06.03.2017 | Beauty , Blog | BY: admin
As winter draws to an end, there’s no better way to welcome a new season than with a new scent. For those who want to take the romance of cosying up with a good novel with them wherever they go, BYREDO’s new perfume Bibliothèque will prove positively dreamy.
Peach, plum and vanilla notes fuse to evoke that unforgettable scent of fresh pages, strengthened by hints of patchouli and leather. Originally a candle and then a room spray, the Eau de Parfum will be released for a limited time only.
Bibliothèque Eau de Parfum (100ml / £150) is available from March.
05.03.2017 | Art , Blog , Culture | BY: admin
To celebrate International Women’s Day, the Royal Academy will be hosting a series of events, talks and screenings throughout the week.
During screenings this weekend, the themes of gender, identity and material were explored through films by alumni and current graduates. Over the next few days, a diverse range of talks and tours will investigate what it means to be a women in today’s society, and how women have previously been portrayed in art across the world. Highlights include the ‘Gendered Materials’ talk that will pose questions such as ‘what is the relationship between gender and materials in art practice?’ and ‘how do materials and scale used in art practice help to define gender?’
Discover the whole programme of events here.
01.03.2017 | Culture , Music | BY: Julia Gardener
The story behind Tennis is very charming. The Denver-based band, made up of husband and wife duo Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore, was born out of wanderlust. Sailing down the Atlantic coast, the pair embarked on their first attempt at making music together and created their premier album, “Cape Dory”.
Seven years later and now a “proper band”, they have come full circle: to create their fourth album, “Yours Conditionally” they sailed around the Pacific. Swooning love songs framed by dreamy melodies echo their romantic story but it’s evident that Tennis goes deeper this time around. Working out the complexities that define love, identity, and feminism, the latest album sees the band at their best yet, pairing their back-to-basics approach with a worldly confidence.
Twin catches up with Alaina to find out how it’s done.
Tell us more about the album title, “Yours Conditionally”.
It was about boundaries with regards to my relationship with the world. It included my marriage, my friendships. Over the years, I feel like I was unintentionally conforming to certain things and expectations and ideals of like how a woman should be, whether it’s a writer and a performer or a wife. I thought of how unromantic it would be if I signed a letter to Patrick, “Yours Conditionally”. And we were laughing about it but then he was kind of like, no, but that means so much.
So was it about a more mature and sensible love?
Exactly. I’m a little cynical towards romance and forever and all those things and yet here I am in this long term, straight, monogamous marriage. I try to challenge myself to do better. If I’m going to write a love song, I try to do something different. I want to write a love song that’s sincere and smart and not identity erasing or self-effacing, which love songs tend to be.
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How conditional do you think the record turned out to be?
I’ve actually made a conscious decision with this record to be a lot more open, taking more emotional risks, because I noticed that whenever I did do that with the song, I feel like people responded more, even if they didn’t exactly know what I was referring to within my own life. It’s like a symbiotic relationship. So I set that goal for myself, to do more work and be a little less guarded.
In terms of your process, were you looking to get back to the simplicity of the beginning?
That’s exactly what we were looking for. And I don’t think it had to be the sailing trip so much as it was eliminating the ways in which we were trying to prop up the expectations of the industry. We gave ourselves permission to undo everything we’d ever done for the sake of making whatever we wanted with the same sincerity and goal of just pleasing ourselves, as we had with the first record.
What was that like?
It just felt so good, I can’t explain it. It brought back the joy of writing, the freedom of the first record but with some measure of skill and ability of having made several albums.
Listening back to “Yours Conditionally”, how do you think your music has changed?
I definitely hear maturity. When I listen back to our previous records I hear all the ways in which we were experimenting and growing and trying new things. I hear that sort of transformation throughout all our records and this record is really a pleasure to sing because I was able to write myself in mind instead of pretending I was somebody else.
What are you and Patrick looking forward to as Tennis?
I am definitely looking forward to Coachella. That’s going to be a very surreal experience, especially having grown up going to the festival. I was nineteen when I went to see Radiohead, and now we are going to be playing on the same day as Radiohead!
That’s incredible, congratulations!
Isn’t it? It’s almost like a life achievement that I didn’t even know I would want. If someone asked me, make a list of life goals, I couldn’t have even thought of this one, so I am very pleased (laughs).
And in your personal lives?
I think we want to sail across an ocean….
Yours Conditionally is out 10th March, pre-order here.
25.02.2017 | Culture , Fashion | BY: Sarah Roberts
A three-part series ‘Chuck Forever’ explores the core cultural scenes that have made Chuck Taylors so iconic. In the latest instalment we are transported to LA, where Long Beach recording artist and style icon Vince Staples guides viewers through Chuck Taylor’s influence on street style and hip hop music in urban Los Angeles.
The video, directed by award-winning filmmaker Karim Huu Do, taps into Los Angeles’ youth culture; it shows how music and fashion combine to build enduring subcultures. During the film, viewers are also introduced to Los Angeles Lakers star Jordan Clarkson, and Born and Raised founder Spanto, who each explain their relationship with Chucks, and talk us through the way they choose to dress.
Julien Cahn, the Chief Marketing Officer at Converse, explains how, “Los Angeles has played an important role in revolutionising youth culture far beyond the west coast. Chuck Taylor has been part of all of that. He’s a symbol for underdogs, rebels and individualists all around the world.”
The newly launched series focuses on the daring, confident spirit of youth culture and celebrates the impact of Chucks on diverse cultural scenes all over the world. In the first instalment, Stranger Things star Mille Bobbie Brown introduced us to the use of Chucks in film, asking what kinds of characters wear them, and why?
23.02.2017 | Art , Blog , Culture , Fashion | BY: admin
Twin catches up with fashion designer and artist Claire Barrow to talk about her new exhibition, and how fashion can help to fight prejudice during these uncertain times.
How did the collaboration between yourself and Galeria Melissa come about?
I was approached from them a while ago but the installation idea started to take shape towards the end of last year. Melissa‘s shoes are completely recycled, waste free and 100% animal free so I’m really into that. It’s been on my wishlist for a long time to work with larger company with great ethics like theirs and I’m also really into what they do with collaborations. Ow, and the smell of the PVC is really good (all the shoes smell like rubber and strawberries.)
What was your starting point for the project, and what were you inspired by?
I wanted to combine performance and sculpture that also used digital in some way, so I think it started there then the idea grew and it become human size sculptures and digital projections of people performing next to them. I just wanted to do everything at once. So we have digital, music, film, performance, costume, movement.
So, the piece addresses the ‘judging’ of people, and the initial ideas you have of someone before they even speak. So, these ‘people’ (sculptures) will never get the chance to communicate but how can the performers work with them to make them feel animated. Then the fact that the ‘real’ people aren’t really there, but digital also signifies our online communication with friends, feeling less lonely but not seeing them IRL. We are all on our phones and computers too much now that I don’t want to miss that out in my work. I try to use the everyday and this is our new reality.
What were your design references for this piece? Was there particular reason that you were drawn to use pearls and a muted palette?
I’ve been trying to not use references in my work to much unless I have to explain my idea’s to someone else in the team as I would like the ideas to come from somewhere inside my head or from a drawing I have done. My subconscious will have maybe seen references in the past, or that day on Instagram, but then it will be a distorted version that sticks. I took a lot from my own life and childhood for this project.
I took a train ride over Christmas time past the old British Steel in Teeside, (a steel works that closed a few years ago leading to the loss of thousands of jobs, which is just stood rotting), and the light was so beautiful and metal so glittery I sort of took it from an imagined version of that then also the idea of ‘high glamour’ too, so jewellery and make-up and sparkle. So I chose the pearls and muted palette and crystals in like, ‘powdered’ down version of primary or secondary colours. Different types of camouflage feature heavily too.
What are your hopes for the exhibition, and what are you most excited about?
It was brilliant to work with the team on the video. I cast Sameena who was in the Daniel Wolfe film ‘Catch Me Daddy’ a few years ago and hasn’t acted since. So it was an honour she actually said yes to me!
It’s the first time I’d worked with Joseph Bird to who’s a reasonably new film director and also Taigen and Ken (Bo Ningen) on the music. I’ve been meaning to work with them for years we were just looking for the right project.
The five characters all take on different roles but very much improvise and added their own ideas to each part. I had designed the costumes and given anecdotes from my own experiences to show them which helped form the characters.
And finally, in such uncertain times, what role do you think fashion has in challenging assumptions and prejudices more widely?
Design wise I think the most interesting work is coming from people who don’t limit themselves to being creative within the fashion system. I don’t see anything particularly progressive happening with bigger brands currently but maybe this will change during times of extreme political unrest if they feel it necessary.
It’s like, they need to stand up for injustice but also to fix problems within their own companies such as material wastage and paying workers fairly. That’s why it’s brilliant to be associated with a large brand like Melissa whom are dedicated to keeping everything recycled and looking after their staff in Brazil.
18.02.2017 | Blog , Fashion | BY: admin
For AW17, Molly Goddard brought audiences into a sumptuous banquet, where models sauntered around the Tate Modern show space in signature tulle dresses. This collection offered a veritable feast – aesthetically and literally within the presentation – where creamy pinks and reds mingled with azure, a bold use of metallic silver flashes and delicate embroidery throughout.
This collection showed Goddard at her most diverse to date, walking trousers and cropped, peplum inspired jackets as well as the silhouettes she has become famous for. We can’t wait to see where she takes her brands over the course of 2017.
Photographs by Mafalda Silva for Twin.
18.02.2017 | Fashion | BY: admin
Contrasting rich, buttery song with a brutalist aesthetic, the teaser film released by Gareth Pugh ahead of his AW17 show tonight has us tingling with excitement.
Directed by Pugh’s long-time collaborators Ruth Hogben and Andrea Gelardin, the startling black and white aesthetic is infused with powerful sound courtesy of Rebekah Del Rio – star of David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive – who performs a haunting version of her signature song ‘Llorando.’
The film opens with a quote from Shakespeare’s King Lear, “‘Tis’ the time’s plague when madmen lead the blind”, setting a strong precedent for a political context in his AW17 show. As Pugh notes, the film is “a vision of a world on the precipice of anarchy.”
If Pugh’s previous shows are anything to go by, audiences can expect his AW17 collection to be a damning indictment on the state of current affairs.
In the meantime, watch Gareth Pugh’s AW17 film here.
16.02.2017 | Blog , Twin Video | BY: admin
Twin meets one half of New York-based brand 1.61, to discover how to make the perfect pair of trousers.
16.02.2017 | Blog , Twin Video | BY: admin
For Resort 2017, Chanel staged a sartorial carnival on the streets of Cuba, which was both heart and home to Ernest Hemingway for many years. So it seems only fitting that the writer’s great-granddaughter, Dree, takes the collection out for a spin on the open road.
16.02.2017 | Blog , Fashion | BY: admin
Topshop has announced a totally fresh model to front their SS17 campaign. Her name is Lily Jean Harvey and although she’s new on the scene, you should expect to see a lot more of her in seasons to come. Twin brings you the need-t0-know stats on this model to watch.
Brought up in Newark, just outside Nottingham, Lily Jean was scouted whilst on a swing outside King’s Cross station. She catwalk show was for UNIQUE in September, and while she’s already racked up an impressive wardrobe, she remembers that the piece that sparked her love of the brand was a petite jersey dress with red, white, and blue stripes.
When Lily isn’t in front of the lens, she’s likely to be partying to Drake or watching her favourite film, Shutter Island. Kind of like your average 17 year old. ish.
14.02.2017 | Culture | BY: admin
With America in the claws of Trump, Britain on the precipice of Brexit and the power of big corporations stronger than ever, a new campaign to launch a book of the social history around protest is perfectly timed.
Having spent years documenting the protests of the late 80s and 90s, Matthew Smith has built up an extensive catalogue of images which embody the rawness and freedom of an earlier age. It was a time of rave culture and parties, where dance music was a refuge for the disenfranchised and the ostracised, uniting disparate sub-cultures into one mass movement.
Matthew Smith’s archives chronicles events that happened across the UK, and offer a rare and honest insight into the spirit of the times; the photographs depict stories rarely told.
It is now 23 years since Government acted to constrain youth culture in the UK by law and, Smith says “it is time to tell that story from the inside.”
“My intention was to bear witness to this culture and to provide a positive personal truth in order to counter mass media and political representation of the lowest kind.” Help bring the incredible archives into print by supporting the campaign on kickstarter, and thereby ensuring the legacy of protest and community remains enshrined in the contemporary mind.
11.02.2017 | Fashion | BY: admin
Meet Rianne Van Rompaey, the new face of Chanel Le Rogue ‘Crayon de Couleur’. The Dutch beauty has become a regular fixture on the luxury sartorial circuit, fronting campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Prada and Coach, walking for McQueen and gracing the cover and insides of a slew of international fashion publications. She was also nominated for Model of the Year in 2016 – not a bad list of accolades for a 21 year old.
The flame haired model has enjoyed a close relationship with Chanel, featuring in their catwalk shows as well as other beauty commercials. However this most recent partnership seems especially well suited, not only for the harmonious colouring of rogue and red, but also for their playful character and characteristics respectively.
At a time when beauty has never been so mesmerically unconventional, this is without a doubt the kind of campaign to fall in love with, and the kind of make-up we want now.
09.02.2017 | Fashion , Film | BY: admin
On the eve of Dior’s 70th birthday, a new documentary goes behind the scenes at one of fashion’s most successful houses to unpack the rich history of the brand. The film follows in the footsteps of the acclaimed documentary Dior and I, which focussed on the run up to Raf Simon’s (then Creative Director at Dior) first collection.
Inside Dior widens the narrative, exploring the brand’s history more widely. It first looks back to the beginnings of the house, with Christian Dior’s iconic ‘New Look’ and follows the evolution the label’s signature feminine aesthetic through to present day, with Maria Grazia Chiuri now at the helm. Highlights include the introduction to Francois Demachy, Dior’s ‘nose’, set the rose and jasmine fields of the South of France, and to makeup director, Peter Philips, as he creates the right catwalk look.
Presented in two parts, this new Dior documentary is vital viewing for those looking for unique insight into one of the most game-changing brands operating today. An aesthetic delight, catch the first episode on More4 this evening.
06.02.2017 | Art , Blog , Culture | BY: Sarah Roberts
The Julia Stoschek Collection in Berlin is a private collection of contemporary international art. With the gallery’s focus on time-based media, the ‘Jaguars and Electric Eels’ exhibition is perfectly in keeping with its ethos. Made up of 39 artworks by 30 contributing artists, including installation artist Isaac Julien and sculptor Guan Xiao, ‘Jaguars and Electric Eels’ includes video installations and even fragrance-based art. The works are rooted in our understanding of evolution, investigating an alternative interpretation of anthropology and zoology.
Taking its inspiration from 18th Century explorer Alexander van Hombolt, who was the first researcher to point out how the forces of nature, both animate and inanimate, work together, the name of the exhibition is a reference to Hombolt’s chronicles of the New World. The chronicles were published in 1853, in a special edition entitled ‘Jaguars and Electric Eels’. The collection of works in the exhibition describe a reality that no longer distinguishes between the natural world and artificiality, but sees them as a whole and as equals.
‘Jaguars and Electric Eels’ explores some notable themes, including looking at the existence of indigenous people today, hybrids and synthetic forms of life, migration, and the different influences that impact our constantly changing perceptions of reality.
The exhibition will run until late November The Julia Stoschek Collection in Berlin.
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