Apolis: Common Gallery

A new gallery-shop-event space hybrid in downtown LA
Apolis_Common5.jpeg

Brothers Shea and Raan Parton founded Apolis with the simple idea that people can live better lives if they are given equal opportunity. Now, seven years later, they’ve opened Apolis: Common Gallery, a new shop that opened in a spare, industrial-inspired space in downtown LA on 10 November 2011.

Apolis_Common1.jpg

The space serves as the first regionally branded Apolis space to host gallery exhibitions, collection releases, film screenings and talks by advocates of Apolis’ global mission. The layout of the gallery boutique communicates the philosophy behind its products—clothing and accessories created in conjunction with international manufacturers to provide disenfranchised people with jobs as a means of empowerment through opportunity instead of charity. For instance, Nepal Project and Citta International Co-Op partnered up to create limited-edition Transit Elite Sweaters and Watch Caps, which employed 50 knitters for two months of work. Apolis has initiated similar projects in other parts of the world, from Bangladesh to Uganda.

Apolis_Common2.jpg Apolis_Common3.jpg


 

Sartorially, the selection is solid, with a somewhat preppy shirting collection in a comprehensive color palette that includes the made-in-California Standard Issue Utility shirt, inspired by the classic work shirt style. They offer a couple of variations on the traditional canvas chino pant—also made locally from 100% cotton canvas—and a range of shorts so popular they’re already sold out.

Apolis_Common4.jpg

We also liked Apolis’ high-quality travel accessories by Transit Issue. The dopp kit, passport carrier and zip wallet are made from 100% full-grain aniline Italian leather, and the luggage tags come with a brass snap enclosure and a sturdy black-coated steel buckle so they won’t fall off en route.

Shop Apolis online or at the new location in LA’s arts district.


Sight Unseen E-Shop

Jewelry from unexpected designers marks the next step for the online magazine

SU_press_ChenKai_Lowres.jpg SU_press_FredericksMae_Lowres.jpg

Having toyed with the idea of adding an e-shop since the early days of their online magazine, Sight Unseen, former I.D. editors Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer weren’t going to make the jump until they were truly inspired. “The blogs that we admire all have shops and it’s a way to…give your readers something extra and basically make them feel like there’s a universe around what you’re doing,” says Khemsurov, “but we never felt that it was something we definitely wanted to do until we had our pop-up shop.”

Sight Unseen hosted a temporary storefront at the Noho Design District in May 2011 with a simple idea that evolved into something truly unique, and formed the basis for their jewelry-focused e-shop launching today. “I don’t even remember how we thought of it, but we did this ‘wearables’ section in which we asked a bunch of designers to make something specifically for the shop that was wearable, like a custom piece that we commissioned from each of them,” explains Khemsurov. Soon, she and Singer found that the smaller-scale endeavor, besides being relatively more cost efficient and easy to ship, allowed for tremendous creative experimentation for designers who didn’t normally make jewelry.

SU_press_TanyaAguiniga_Lowres.jpg SU_press_SimoneBrewster_Lowres.jpg

What started as a fun experiment garnered enthusiastic response from customers and the golden idea for a quintessentially Sight Unseen e-shop—something more than just “a bunch of books and stuff”—was born. “We noticed there were a lot of designers and artists that were actually making jewelry or experimenting with it and there wasn’t a great place for them to sell it,” says Khemsurov. ” The Future Perfect and Matter both have amazing jewelry collections and they do a good job with that, but for product designers and furniture designers and people not necessarily in the fashion world it’s nice to give them their own space.”

Jim Drain, Rafael de Cardenas, Confetti System, Chen Chen & Kai Williams, Bec Brittain and Silva/Bradshaw, among others debut an array of statement pieces in that space, bringing their varied backgrounds in design to the world of jewelry. According to Khemsurov, Sight Unseen’s editorial foundation brought together the somewhat expected group. “A lot of them are people we knew or had interviewed for the site,” she says. “It’s also a mix of people who mainly design furniture, and who may have a jewelry line going on the side…it’s people for whom [jewelry] is another discipline for them, but not their main platform.”

sight-unseen-jim-drain.jpg

For instance, ConfettiSystem‘s woven mylar and silk necklaces mark a departure from the brand’s signature pinatas and party garlands; while Jim Drain‘s pieces Khemsurov rescued from a cardboard box in his studio, where they were sitting essentially as scraps from a sculpture he had created. Chen Chen and Kai Williams turned the resin-encased ham hock coasters they made for the pop-up shop into necklace pendants. The shop launches with two men’s pieces as well, including loafer kilties by Study O Portable.

SU_press_RenataAbbade_1.jpg SU_press_RenataAbbade2_1.jpg

What may the future hold for the e-commerce arm of Sight Unseen? Specializing in custom, experimental pieces firmly rooted in an editorial spirit, Khemsurov jokingly pointed out that “someone with a retail background would probably be like, ‘OK, here are five reasons this isn’t an ideal business proposition,” when faced with the prospect of longer wait times and limited inventory.

So, for now, Sight Unseen remains sharply focused. Says Khemsurov, “We don’t want to do what everyone else is doing and encroach on other shops that we love, that are already doing a great job. I’m interested in carving out our own space and this is a good way to keep it focused. But we’ll see.”


Libero Ferrero

Italian elegance meets modern convenience in luggage handmade in Chicago
libero-ferrero-lead.jpg

For all the recent proliferation of American-made men’s leather goods, few brands have been able to unite old-world elegance with domestic craftsmanship. More formal than the ubiquitous rugged duffel but no less relaxed, Libero Ferrero‘s luggage moves in a new direction with a smarter aesthetic for high quality classics made stateside.

libero-ferrero-detail-1.jpg libero-ferrero-detail-2.jpg

The brand’s Oak & Eddon bag caught our eye with its clean and modern take on a classic carry-on suitcase. The bag’s double-zip closure lends nice symmetry to the silhouette, along with a surprising amount of space—designed with FAA requirements in mind, it can accommodate laptops up to 20 inches. While weekenders remain a great standby for casual trips, this bag is for the kind of gentleman that springs for extra legroom.

libero-ferrero-outside.jpg

Brothers Matthew, Adam and Peter Lafferty, founded Libero Ferrero as an homage to their craftsman grandfather, the first in his family of Italian immigrants to be born in America. The bags are handmade in Chicago from heirloom-quality materials like plush suit-wool linings from England’s Holland & Sherry and domestic leather sourced from the much-coveted Horween Leather. These details, combined with the all-brass hardware finishings, make for luxurious yet understated luggage.

libero-ferrero-inside-3.jpg libero-ferrero-inside-2.jpg

To ensure function and durability on par with the aesthetics, the brothers spent a year and a half in research and development in collaboration with head designer Julia Salamon. The Laffertys bring their respective backgrounds in architecture, art direction and design to the line, which also includes the Thompson medicine bag, Portage shoulder brief and the gym-ready Duffle.

libero-ferrero-detail-3.jpg

All told, the strength of the debut collection seems promising for the longevity of the brand. The bags are available online through Libero Ferrero, with prices ranging from $850 to $2,650.


Tourneau TNY

City-inspired limited editions from America’s largest retailer of fine luxury watches

Advertorial content:

Tourneau-rush-hour-1.jpg

Since its inception as a small family business more than 100 years ago, Tourneau has since established itself as the top purveyor of “the world’s finest selection of watches,” boasting a comprehensive range of luxury brands and styles from contemporary to classic, as well as the world’s largest selection of certified pre-owned watches. The venerable brand continues to forge into the future with the newest limited-edition timepieces of the Tourneau New York Collection.

At once modernistic and timeless, the TNY Collection embodies Tourneau’s expertise and knowledge in a clean contemporary design inspired by the company’s native NYC. The 24-piece collection includes three special editions, the Rush Hour, Bravest and Gotham. Each watch in the trio embodies the extraordinary characteristics of the beloved hub, from its endless hustle to the heroic firefighters who once saved it, to the dark energy of the city that never sleeps.

Tourneau-bravest.jpg Tourneau-Gotham.jpg

The all-black special editions each feature a large face with Superluminova luminescent hands and numerals in different colors—Rush Hour’s yellow hands nod to the constant stream of taxis, Bravest goes with fire-engine red and Gotham puts black on black to capture the city’s dynamic nights. They make a bold statement without seeming over the top, with an oversized dial and ultra-slim bezel to enhance the light aesthetic. Beneath their sleek surfaces, the watches rely on 100-percent Swiss-made mechanics with hand-wound movement and a 42-hour power reserve.

The dial on each piece is composed of two separate plates and finishes for the illusion of depth and volume and topped off with sapphire crystals and 24mm black rubber straps with DLC ardillion buckles. Despite the level of luxury, they’re built to withstand the rigor of everyday wear.

The TNY Collection is available exclusively through Tourneau with prices ranging from $1,250 up to $9,800. The special-edition Rush Hour, Bravest and Gotham retail for $2,950. For more information head to one of Tourneau’s 38 stores located across the U.S. or visit Tourneau online.


Ridley and Dowse

Design duo brings elegance and responsibility to etched jewelry
Ridley_Dowse5.jpg

Jewelry and accessories designer Vivienne Ridley and print designer Susannah Dowse teamed up on Ridley and Dowse and in just three years have collaborated with the likes of Topman, Boxfresh, Harrods, Ted Baker and the enigmatic Wayne Hemingway. The design duo has made a deliberate effort to keep operations in the U.K. under an unwavering commitment to low-impact production and social consciousness. Dowse explains, “We’re very concerned with creating beautiful things with as little cost to human rights and the environment as possible.”

Ridley_Dowse2.jpg Ridley_Dowse4.jpg

Recently, the designers have taken an industrial approach to their jewelry with a new line of etched pieces in steel and brass—hard metals that allow for sharper detail than something more malleable. Besides jewelry, the young brand’s repertoire encompasses paper goods, home and holiday decorations and more. The duo also recently styled a new room at the Pelirocco Hotel in Brighton, England, a self-professed “saucy stopover” for which Ridley and Douse applied varied skills to a grander canvas.

Ridley_Dowse10.jpg

As the designers continues to flex their creative muscle into new design categories—their website indicates handbags are in the works—we can only anticipate more thrilling collaborations and crossover projects to come. Their current stock of etched accessories is available through the Ridley and Dowse e-shop.


Fail+Canoe

Simple, rustic jewelry from two Austin artists captures the spirit of the Texas landscape

by Miranda Ward

Fail_Canoe5.jpg Fail_Canoe2.jpg

Launched last month, Fail+Canoe jewelry brings together two Austin-based designers, Christine Fail of Fail Jewelry and Natalie Davis of Canoe. Fail earned a BFA in studio art and starting creating her own handmade jewelry after spending more than five years with two major designers, while Davis—who works with butcher Ben Runkle to produce goods “crafted with a sartorial eye and workhorse materials to last a lifetime” for her Canoe line—is also a print designer and typography teacher.

Fail_Canoe3.jpg Fail_Canoe6.jpg

The collection of hammered brass and leather cuffs, necklaces and earrings combines what the designers call their “shared love of the dramatic Texas landscape” with a simultaneously rough and sophisticated aesthetic. Organic shapes and thick leather contrast with delicate details to capture, as Fail describes in a blog post, “the marriage of refined and elegant with rustic and natural.”

Fail+Canoe pieces can be purchased online through Fail or Canoe, as well as their Etsy shop, with prices starting at $56.


New York Now

New work by some of the city’s best and brightest

While we keep Cool Hunting’s scope international, our location in the center of the universe often means only going so far as Brooklyn to find the latest nascent talent. Occasionally, we find work so exemplary that it reaffirms what makes us casually toss off such superlatives. The following—a painter, jeweler and writer—represent not just some of the city’s finest, but those who we’ve watched refine and evolve their work over time. But to say they’ve arrived would discredit the already significant successes to their names; let’s just say they’re here.

New_York_Now_Cerletty.jpg New_York_Now_Cerletty_2.jpg
Mathew Cerletty: Susan

His first solo show in New York since 2007 and his first at up-and-coming gallery Algus Greenspon, Mathew Cerletty’s new body of work consists of seven paintings with interior spaces and home decor as subjects. We previewed some of the work in his studio and can report strong images ranging from still-lifes that play on the strangely appealing photography of furniture catalogs to playful geometric patterns in washed-out pastels—all with the self-aware remove that defines his aesthetic. The focus on physical surroundings nods to the psychological signifiers of his earlier figurative work, while also continuing his “inverse of Pop” practice. Opening this Saturday, 5 November 2011, the exhibition runs through 17 December 2011.

New_York_Now_Nikolai_Rose.jpg

Nikolai Rose

When we recently complimented these jangles around the neck of Justin Miller (the NYC-based DFA DJ), we didn’t even recognize it as the work of creative partnership Nikolai Rose. The brand originally launched with a line of ties, which look better than ever this season, and a single pendant necklace, but it now includes rings, tie bars, pins and even handmade silver buttons that manage to be both incredibly precious and incredibly cute. Our favorite has to be the 32-inch-long chains with lengths of bone or metal. Check Opening Ceremony, Assembly and the Nikolai Rose site to purchase.

New_York_Now_Armand.jpg

Brazilian Style by Armand Limnander

Colombian native and W Magazine editor Armand Limnander (who also earned an M.A. in Latin American Studies) might be uniquely qualified to write a book on Brazil, but after ringing in the new year with him all the way until sunrise, it would seem his singular dedication to fun might be the most winning. The well-edited content consists of full-bleed photos and pithy captions, giving equal time to chic subjects that range from the monster waterfalls in the north to Living legend Oscar Niemeyer’s Copan building, and making an extremely stylish case for a country due to be the focus of so much economic and sporting attention in the near future. Get a copy from Assouline.


Feltraiger

New American classics from the Brooklyn-based menswear brand’s “Pompous Circumstance” collection

Feltraiger-pullover1.jpg Feltraiger-pullover-2.jpg

Going strong in its third year of production, Brooklyn-based fashion label Feltraiger makes what they call “New American Classic” menswear with a healthy sense of irreverence. With each collection the label takes on a different subculture—for Spring/Summer 2012 founder and creative director Daniel Feldman was inspired by the way high society spends their leisure time. The “Pompous Circumstance” collection offers a clean, well-trimmed look reminiscent of days spent quail hunting at the country home.

Feltraiger-camo-1.jpg Feltraiger-hunting-vest-1.jpg

After a quick look at the line we were most intrigued by the label’s outerwear, which includes key pieces—a trim-fit, anorak-style pullover; a slim camouflage bomber and a lightweight classic hunting vest—blending classic and contemporary design. The vest in particular goes easily from the country to the city, with an urban-appropriate aesthetic and all the essential technical features a hunter may need, down to a detachable rear game pouch.

Feltraiger-camo-2.jpg Feltraiger-hunting-vest-2.jpg

Run by Feldman, along with his brother Jon, Feltraiger—named for the family’s original Russian surname prior to emigration—is made entirely in America to ensure control of the highest standard of material and craftsmanship. For the time being Feltraiger is sold exclusively through their online shop; come Spring 2012 the duo will expand by opening a brick-and-mortar flagship in New York City.

Photography by Gregory Stefano


Monkstone

Impeccably detailed knits made from sustainably raised Welsh sheep

Monkstone-rainbow-5.jpg Monkstone-ocean-6.jpg

Just in time for the colder winter months comes the new label, Monkstone Knitwear. Designer Anna Felton spins wool from a flock of sheep on Trevayne Farm in West Wales. Richard Reed, Felton’s boyfriend, has been running his family’s farm for several years now. Since taking over he has been developing sustainable methods of permaculture to enhance biodiversity on the land. The design process behind the knitwear line reflects the low-impact way the farm is run.

Monkstone-1.jpg Monkstone-yarn-2.jpg

Felton’s designs, which include both men’s and women’s pieces, as well as home furnishings, are distinctive in their interesting shapes, contrast-knit textures and impeccable detailing. Each season, Felton says, her work is based on the yarns available from the sheep, which includes a combination of Welsh Black Mountain, Coloured Dorset and Natural Dorset breeds. She goes on to explain the importance of carefully choosing wool to support the local industry. “Farmers also donate the fleeces from local flocks, but we do state when we have used these and also we credit the kind farmers who help the Monkstone project. We use the best local shearers, experienced spinners and a great local factory and hand knitters to make the finished garments.”

Monkstone-sweater-3.jpg Monkstone-leg-warmers-4.jpg

The locally focused operation follows the cycle of producing wool from the beginning—from animal farming through shearing, washing and spinning to knitting, giving the high-quality pieces a true sense of where the come from no matter where they’re sold. All Monkstone collections are available through their online shop.

Photography by Jackson Lynch


Ramdane

The quirky creative’s first store opens in NYC bringing a clever take on classic garments

ramdane1.jpg ramdane2.jpg

A year after French designer Ramdane Touhami moved his family and introduced Cire Trudon to New York with a whimsical boutique, he has since sold the company and moved on to his next venture—the eponymous store and house label Ramdane, characterized by classic garments for men and women updated with the designer’s signature sartorial twists. Using the finest fabrics sourced from well-known names in the industry, Touhami brings together high-quality and fashion at an accessible price point.

ramdane4.jpg ramdane5.jpg

As a nod to his collection‘s playful aesthetic and attention to textures and colors, the exterior facade of the Nolita boutique has been draped in woven wool surrounding the neon orange doors; the interior space is furnished with large, custom-made stone slab counters carved from single pieces of rock in upstate New York. Inside there’s an anything-goes atmosphere—after all, the creative maestro Touhani is not only a designer, but also a DJ, director, artist and journalist—with garments hanging freely from the ceiling or folded on counters, each accented with their own unique patterns and colors—a style central to the Ramdane aesthetic.

ramdane6.jpg ramdane8.jpg

The store will eventually carry a range of products—furniture, accessories, clothing and more. Current offerings include coats made with Mackintosh fabrics, accented with a dozen or more buttons wrapped in patterned fabric sourced from Scotland, and a motorcycle jacket constructed of the same waxed cotton used by Barbour. The women’s green bouclé jacket and contrasting-neon trenches are at once youthful and sophisticated in slim contemporary fits.

ramdane3.jpg

For a more subtle creative touch, Ramdane’s light-pastel sweaters feature multiple collars, while the thick angora cable knit cardigans remain true to classic form. The colorful corduroys are also well proportioned and have a fine hand. We found a favorite in the “Crisis Suit,” an ingenious design that has to be seen—or, ideally, tried on—for the full effect (Touhani put it on for us, but we couldn’t contain his exuberance long enough to get a proper shot of the suit). The three-in-one combination of jacket and vest has a base layer with suit-jacket sleeves and three different vest styles—tuxedo, double-breasted and countryside—to change-up the lapels.

ramdane10.jpg ramdane11.jpg

In an effort to bring superior fashion to a more inclusive audience, Ramdane sells his limited-run pieces in a relatively moderate range—sweaters go for around $200, coats for between $350 and $500 and pants for $200. Also of note, Ramdane is offering an extremely unique staggered payment system for customers under the age of 25, allowing for payment to be made in three installments over time. For now Ramdane is exclusively sold through the New York flagship.

To see the collection in motion watch “The Forrest,” a horror movie directed by Ramdane and produced for $500.

Ramdane
64 Kenmare Street
New York, NY 10012
Map