Andy Spade Interview by David Coggins for A Continuous Lean
March 11, 2010 // Accessories + Clothing + Design

Andy Spade: At the Bar by David Coggins

I posted this about this Andy Spade interview on my Twitter but there are a couple of gems that I wanted to point out:

DC: It seems like it’s not enough to design something—it has to have a place in the world, and be used in the world and responded to. It’s not enough to be self-referential or clever for its own sake.

AS: Exactly.

DC: It seems that there’s a lot of that these days.

AS: There is a lot that. It’s one thing if it’s a conceptual art piece, but another if it’s an object to be used. My friend Rich Silverstein, who’s in advertising, said this great thing: ‘Everyone borrows from the past. Just don’t steal from other advertising agencies. Look to the history of art or bridge design there are so many great places and put them together in a new way.’ Putting a piano in a bar at the Carlyle is a lot different than putting one in our store on Great Jones Street. It’s how you do it.

I’ve felt this way for a long time. Being clever for clevers sake just doesn’t work for me and it never will. This is especially true when it comes to the popular tren of “Star Wars posters that look like cereal boxes” or “TV shows in the style of German propaganda” or whatever. Sure, you smirk at them, but no one is going to remember what you did two weeks from now.

I also liked this gem:

DC: There’s something depressing about seeing the same store with the same window design uptown and downtown. It’s only a step away from seeing it in the duty free store in the airport. I would go into Jack Spade just to see what’s on the wall.

AS: Right, that’s why I go in to a store, too. I was totally influenced by Agnes B and Paul Smith. I wanted to make everything personal to be sure it felt honest. Don’t make it look like it’s been styled. I would say to Mordechai and Matt Singer, do what you like. It doesn’t have to be duplicated. It’s like organic farming. This is our little community store, it reflects the neighborhood. How big can you get before you get bad? I need that detail to be exactly right or exactly wrong. It’s like a living breathing creature—don’t you like your friend more when he makes a mistake or falls down? That’s what brands need to be.

Making mistakes as a brand, the right mistakes that is, is essential to anyone. But thinking about making mistakes as a brand and learning from them is such a great concept. Andy Spade is kind of my new design/life hero. I’d suggest taking the time to read the rest of this article.

Bobby

Vanessa Bruno Spring/Summer 2010 Video
February 25, 2010 // Clothing

Continuing the fashion trend started by the previous video I give you the cinematic version of Vanessa Bruno’s spring/summer 2010 collection. Ms. Bruno is a French fashion designer and this video is amazing, and most of all, very French feeling. You’ve got the oddly beautiful girl dancing around in an old apartment, then you’ve got the sad, middle part with the Serge Gainsbourg/Jane Birkin sort of vibe and then ending with a really fun Ryan McGinley feeling piece. I can’t say I’m a very good judge of whether or not the clothes are cute, but the video definitely works as a great promotional piece.

Bobby

Johansson/Heidi Nilausen Promo Video
February 24, 2010 // Clothing + Music + Music Video + Video

It’s Thursday so I’m gonna be throwing a ton of video content your way for the majority of the day, but we’re gonna start off with a music video/fashion showcase. The music is by a Swedish artist named Johansson while the clothing was created by Heidi Nilausen and combined they’ve got something really great going on.

The video was directed by Philippe Tempelman and Kian Zubicky and it’s beautifully shot
by photographer Axel Lindahl, who definitely gives it it’s overall mood. To me the video looks like something Karin Andersson of The Knife would do if she made a clothing line. IT’s mysterious and moody and to be honest totally fun. I think not only is the video beautiful but the song is pretty rad as well, I hope I get to hear more from this Johansson fella’.

Bobby

‘The Spades’ New Bag’ by Amy Larocca
February 23, 2010 // Clothing + Design

There was a great article published last week about Andy and Kate Spade called The Spades’ New Bag which was about their rise and… well, continuing rise to success. I never really knew about the history of this talented couple, so it was great to hear their story. As some of you know, Kate Spade started her name brand, hi-end women’s bag line back in 1993 and was an instant hit. In 1998 Andy Spade started Jack Spade, the men’s bag line that is still a huge hit with men wanting cool bags. But over the years they sold a percentage of the companies to Neiman Marcus, who then bought the companies from them and then sold them both to Liz Claiborne. Phew.

Nowadays though Kate is just a mom, raising their daughter Bea, while Andy runs Partners & Spade, the brains behind J.Crew’s beautiful Liquor Store. I’m just amazed by their sheer talent and the fact that more than anything they’re just doing things that make them happy. This is my favorite part of the piece:

A decade later, of course, it’s hard to see any of this as unique; Spade’s aesthetic has been knocked off all over the map, but Soho, circa 1999, was in the throes of the clunky heels, the color black, and the addition of spandex in places it really had no right to be.

And in the end there is something especially accessible—and enduring—about the Spade brand: It is friendly, and it is almost goofy, and, most important, it offers a way of being fashionable without looking absurd. Twenty years from now, you’re not going to look at pictures of yourself in a button-down and cords and wonder what you were thinking. And it manages to be preppy without the whiff of the restricted country club: It takes much more delight in the world than that. “It’s the world of Dobie Gillis,” says Andy’s friend Glenn O’Brien. “It’s just a more casual and user-friendly experience.” It’s preppy, yes, but it is definitely not Republican.

To read the entire article click here.

Bobby

J Dilla Documentary by Stussy
February 19, 2010 // Clothing + Music + Video

Four years ago hip hop suffered a major blow when one of the most talented and imaginative guys, J Dilla, passed away at the age of 32. I’m far from an expert on Dilla and his career, but I bought Donuts when it came out in 2006 and loved it from the first time I heard it. It’s basically a giant mixtape of random loops and beats taken from all over and who knows where.

Unfortunately there are still a lot of people out there who don’t know J Dilla or his music, so Stussy has teamed up with his record label Stones Throw and the Dilla Estate to release a three part documentary outlining his short but incredibly influential life. So far only part one and two have been released but I’ve already learned a lot of things that I never knew. It’s so great to hear guys like Peanut Butter Wolf and DJ Rhettmatic from Beat Junkies retelling Dilla’s rise from his days in Detroit to his blossoming as a producer in Los Angeles.

I’m really looking forward to part three, and I’ll be sure to update this post (and put a reminder on the blog) when it’s released. Until then, enjoy these two 8 minute parts and learn about a talented man who left an amazing impact.

Bobby