Hasta La Ideas

Mongolian sartorialists and military simplicity in an avant-garde collection

Decoster Concept is a new design project created by Ziggy Chen (Chinese: Chen Xiang), a well-known fashion designer from Shanghai and founder of Decoster. Decoster Concept is a high level, conceptual label launched in the second half of 2011. The creative research behind the project, the attentive selection of fabrics and the limited number of pieces for each garment make Decoster Concept one of the most exclusive brands in China.

In a new, dark, warehouse-like space in Beijing’s North Village, contemporary minimalism is mixed with different sources of inspiration: Inner-Mongolia’s desolate, windy grasslands and sartorial culture meet the austerity of military uniforms. Monks, herders, soldiers—all icons of a strict simplicity that breaks the often baroque standards of commonplace Chinese style. Colors disappear and give way to a game of light and darkness that recalls the concept of taoist duality and interdependency.

At the same time, in the lines and carefree look of the garments lies the concept of traveling, wandering to remote lands and the inspiring power of vast empty places. This trend to simplicity and a specific inclination to fine craftsmanship seems to be the key elements of what could be the future of Chinese style, a style with ancient roots that has been covered by a century of turmoil and by decades of frenzied development.

See more of Decoster Concept in their SS12 Collection runway show.

Decoster Concept

224/2F No.6 Building

123 Nong, Xingye Rd

Luwan District (xintiandi), Shanghai

and

NLG-01, 02, North Village

No.11 Sanlitun Road

Chaoyang District, Beijing

Per i 30 anni di attività di MJ, Converse (brand acquisito da Nike) ha rilasciato questo ultra esclusivo cofanetto in soli 30 esemplari. 7 di questi sono andati in mano a Jordan e i suoi familiari, i restanti 23 sono in vendita su Ebay. Il pack include una Jersey del North Carolina (squadra collegiale di MJ) e un paio di scarpe autografate misura 13.

An Icelandic duo’s first accessories collection references the nation’s most prolific saga with Viking Age materials

Staka marks the first collection in an ongoing series between Icelandic product designers María Kristín Jónsdóttir and Bylgja Svansdóttir, comprising a curious mix of finely crafted unisex leather neck accessories. The aristocratic vibe of each piece stems from the design duo’s concept for the range, which draws inspiration from one of Iceland’s most notorious narratives, the Brennu-Njáls saga. Like all Icelandic sagas, the author remains anonymous, but the extensive storyline is centered around a familial feud which brings the idea of masculinity into question. The designers were also particularly taken by the tale’s leading lady, Hallgerður Langbrók, a femme fatale “who was notorious for her majestic appearance and temperament”, explains Svansdóttir.

Cut and molded from “Viking Age materials”, each piece is designed to tell a story about the wearer’s social status, but the beauty lies in their ambiguity. “We want each person to have the freedom to decide their own story and social status,” explains Svansdóttir. “The responses we’ve gotten so far have been very interesting, people guessing which pieces famous characters from The Icelandic Sagas would have worn, etc.”

Each equipped with their own portfolio of distinct works, the pair met while both exhibiting at Reykjavik’s Spark Design Space. Having bonded over a shared passion for unconventional jewelry and accessories design, they will continue to evolve the Staka line together, adding to the exciting range of unusual statement pieces.

Staka 2012 is available in limited supply at 38 þrep in Reykjavik, which stocks an equally exciting inventory of fashion and design goods.

Le blazerone in two-tone sono in uscita per questa estate.

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