Issue 1 PDF - TWELV Magazine

MISCHA
LOVE
BARTON
S/S 2012
1
JOE MCKENNA YAYOI KUSAMA NICK VEASEY
LAUREN BUSH LAUREN REAL ESTATE FIRST AID KIT ALAIA
Editor In Chief, Creative Director
HISSA IGARASHI
Managing Editor CHIKA FISSEL
Fashion Editor ASUKA YAMASHITA
Paris Fashion Editor SOHEI YOSHIDA
Fashion Assistant SAYURI MURAKAMI
Features Director TRISTAN D.E. BULTMAN
Art Director, Graphic Design JACQUES NAUDE
Creative Consultant XANDER FERREIRA
Photo Director CHEK WU
Entertainment Editor YUAN YUAN WANG
Writing Director SARAH MATALONE
Senior Copy Editor DAVID G. IMBER
Public Relations Director NOELLE BONNER
Public Relations JESSICA HARMSTON,JESSICA APPELSTEIN,JACLYN GRAVER,LAURAN BUSTOS, MIKAEL LARSSON
Public Relations Assistant AYANO SHIRAISHI, YOSHINO NAGAYA
Social Media Editor MINNA SHIM
Producer SHERRY WANG
Production Assistant MOMOKA KOYAMA
Casting CLARISSA MOLARES, DREW LINEHAN/TREW PRODUCTIONS, Marbles & Marbles Production
Production CLARISSA MOLARES, Marbles & Marbles Production
Marketing Director EMI SUGINO
Marketing Assistant SAORI UENO,TOKIE TAHARA
Director of Digital Operations DANUT J. SPATARU
Design Consultant RYOTATSU TANAKA
Web Designer MONOCOMPLEX
Cinematographer, Editor MARIA CABRA
Contributing Photographers BJARNE JONASSON, CAMERON KRONE, CHAMA,CHEK WU, DANNY CHRISTENSEN, ERIK SWAIN, JOSH
MADSON, JUNICHI ITO, IRA CHERNOVA, MICHAEL BEAUPLET, MARIA KARAS, RONY SHRAM, RUVAN WIJESOORIYA, SILJA
MAGG, TAKA MAYUMI, TAKU, VIKI FORSHEE ,
Contributing Writers ANDREA SHANG, ANN BINLOT, ANNE SZUSTEK, CARRIE LONENETHAL MASSEY, CRIATINA ALGER,
DAVID G. IMBER, ERIC WAROLL, FRANK EXPÓSITO, FUBUKI NAKAGAWA, GARY CANINO, HUNT ETHRIDGE, KRISTIN KNOX,
LAUREL LEICHT, NAYLA AL NAIMI, NOOR AL NAIMI, RAWDAH AL NAIMI, SARAH MATALONE, TRACY STUBER,
TRISTAN D.E. BULTMAN, YUAN YUAN WANG
Features Assistant MAI NOGUCHI, YO SAITO
Street Snap Photographer NAOKO TAKAGI,WATARU SHIMOSATO
Fashion Interns ANNA TSUBOI, AYAMI MAEDA, LOUISE GRAHAM, KENTARO OKUMA, KOSUKE AOKI,
MAYUKO FURUUCHI, NORIKO FUKUSHIMA, SACHIKO YOSHIDA, SEIKO WATANABE, YOSHIHIRO HIDAKA
Photography CHEK WU
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Hair ELOISE CHEUNG @ Walter Schupfer
Management. Makeup WILLIAM MURPHY
Model NATALIA O @ VNY. Bodysuit KIKI
DE MONTPARNASSE. Location ROOT
Drive In Studios.
Publisher Marbles & Marbles International Inc.
Distribution Speed Impex
Special thanks AYANO ISHIHARA, DAVID BYUN,INDUSTRIAL COLOR, INGRID MCAULIFFE, JETTY VIRGINATIONS, MARIKO
NAKAYAMA, MIWA SUSUDA, RYOSUKE SUZUKI, ROOT STUDIO, SARAH FONES, SMASHBOX STUDIOS, SMOOCH RETOUCH NYC,
SPLASH LIGHT STUDIO, SOPHIE JOE, STEVEN @URBAN FLORAL, TAKA ARAKAWA, YOKO NAITO, SAMANA NAQVI
WWW.TWELVMAG.COM
[email protected]
247 W 38th Street,#612, New York,NY, 10018. (646) 6929872
A
LETTER
FROM
THE EDITOR
TWELV aims to start a new movement, one of beauty
and eloquence, but also encompassing a certain edginess that represents the current generation’s tastes. We
look to get away from the norm and search out the soul
of moments for our audience. The real value is in the
art that inspires trends. Eighties fashion had that energy. A glamour that was creative and expressive, it was
the height of ready-to-wear as an expressive medium.
Over thirty years later, it’s like everyone’s forgotten
that energy. We seek it out and bring it to you.
We promise to break away from the rigidity of the
conventional mainstream with our emphasis on giving
back, ultimately believing that talented people should
get the attention they deserve, regardless of what
stage they’re at in their career. If they have the talent to produce something beautiful we want to know
about them. Be it designer, musician, artist or industry
trailblazer, in every issue we strive to bring you their
inspirational stories and art blended with sensational
fashion editorials to invigorate you.
A cornerstone of our foundation, TWELV continually
gives twelve percent of our proceeds back to charities
and communities in need. We promote these causes
throughout our editorials, featuring organizations and
people with the like-minded practice of giving back.
Our philanthropic focus is humanitarian aid, hoping to
build a school in Malawi in the near future, in addition
to the numerous organizations we support. Through
this giving we intend to create an artistic movement
that is attached to everyday environments, not only
aesthetically, but intertwined with its surroundings,
continuously replenishing its base. We hope our action
and emphasis will in turn inspire you to give back.
Dress Jil Sander
COVER STORY.
Photography CHAMA & CHEK WU
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Hair ROB TALTY @ The Magnet Agency
using Oribe. Makeup KATHY JEUNG @
The Magnet Agency using Dior. Manicurist
STEPHANIE STONE. Jacket,collar
LOUIS VUITTON. Earrings
HOORSENBUHS. Casting,Production
Marbles & Marbles Production. Location
Smashbox Studios
“LIMITED EDITION COVER”
Mischa Barton wears Jil Sander dress
All this allows us to bring to you a unique selection of
artists, musicians, influential industry leaders, up-andcomers, celebrities, entertainers, the veterans and the
new, all together in themes of charity, fashion, culture
and relevance. In our debut issue, we are driven by
love, the most powerful unifier. We feature an inspiring
group: The famous fashion stylist Joe McKenna graces
us with an interview and collaborations that have influenced a generation. He is always pushing forward with
an integrity we hope to emulate. Newcomers to the
music scene First Aid Kit and Real Estate are breathing new, refreshing life into music. Their sounds are
fast becoming standards of the indie scene. And the
stunning Mischa Barton, venerable actress, designer,
philanthropist and our premiere cover girl, talks to us
about new beginnings and what it means to focus on
quality over quantity. We couldn’t agree more.
ISSUE 1
CONTENTS
6
Joe McKenna
Best Stylist:“Call me Joe”
64
Giorgio Deluca
A Man about Soho
20
Yayoi Kusama
An Outsider to Infinity
66
ANTHONY VACCARELLO
26
Anna Gaskell
Close Up and Personal
32
Nick Vaesey
From the Inside Out
40
Erwin Wurm
Adorno was Wrong. Well, Sort Of
48
James Rasin
The First Transsexual Movie Star
52
Cover Girl Come Back: Mischa
Barton
Fashion, film, charity, and the future
59
Jed Root
Down to the Root of Beauty
60
Lauren Bush Lauren
A Shining Example
61
Tom Pecheux
The Maverick of Makeup
62
Ariana Rockefeller
Culture, Charity, Now Fashion; A Family
Legacy Continued
63
Scott Lipps
Behind Every Beautiful Woman,
There’s a Strong Man
76
Hoorsenbuhs
Hardcore American Luxury
80
WHOLE LOTTA LOVE
98
Real Estate
Not Your Average Development
100
First Aid Kit
Sorry Stockholm,
You Can’t Have These Two Back
144
MARTHA
154
SHADOW PLAY
160
THE ENDLESS SUMMER
174
Sean O’pry
“Good Ol’ Georgia Boy”
178
HELLO BRUNA
184
TRAINING CAMP
192
Kevin Mchale
Triple Threat
102
Blonde Redhead
The Melody of Certain Indie Rock Royals
193
Laura Vandervoort
Beautiful Fighter
104
New Look
On-set with Sarah Ruba
194
Holand Roden
10 Minutes with a Teen Wolf
106
Korallreven
Into the Light
196
A WOMAN
108
The Wombats
Pop Psychotherapy
112
ALAIA
122
BAND OF OUTSIDERS
140
Hunger Games Starlet,
Isabelle Fuhrman
-Hissa Igarashi
5
202
THE STREETERS
204
Brian Ermanski
I.C.E. I.C.E. Baby
205
TWELV BOOKS
w
TWELV
The love issue
JOE MCKENNA
“There are still things attached to your imagination,” answers McKenna to a question about his inspirations. Photographs, the past, something on the street or in a film, are all game as starting points. As soon
as we begin to piece together a clear picture of his angle—maybe as a
referential minimalism?—he evades the definition, “but, I’ve seen this
probably less, less referencing for me at least than in the past.” We end
up with less of a conclusion and more questions. His skirting around
our contrivances is indicative of his job, that revolves around moments of newness, never getting stuck in a permanent notion of beauty.
“But for me it’s also quite instinctive; I don’t like to plan things too
much in detail.” His styling isn’t intentional; it’s a reflex, a lightness of
touch in lesser layers and accessories. “Everybody knows Minimalism
has sort of reached its peak,” he once said in 1998. “We’ve got to go
a little bit further with it,” most likely in reaction to the opulent shift
favored by the ‘90s consumers of Gucci “it” bags and the appointment
of Marc Jacobs to Louis Vuitton in 1997. The New York Times fashion
critic, Cathy Horyn, recalls, “Marc has said the clothes are just window dressing for the accessories,” a subject that’s currently on display
in the exhibit Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs at Les Arts Decoratifs in
Paris. McKenna’s styling, on the other hand, carves through the haze
of accessories with a keen editorial eye and ambidexterity, the essence
of style in just a few items. But, we’ll get to more of that in a minute.
©Inez and Vinoodh/trunkarchive.com
Best Stylist:“Call me Joe”
Our First, Our Last, Our Everything, Joe McKenna, the finest stylist in a generation,
grants us the rare privilege of an interview
by Frank Expósito
The elusiveness of stylist Joe McKenna, both personally and in his work, would seem
like a daunting feature to any writer. “I don’t really care about making a big fashion statement,” he explains. “I’d rather it was a really great photograph that people
really remember.” As a famous fashion stylist, we’d expect him to be loaded with
brandishing statements, the type that spawn reality TV shows. But instead, we’re not
left with any, requiring us to dig a little deeper. We can speak to his history and the
career-making phone call from photo-legend Bruce Weber; we can write about McKenna’s contributions to fashion styling and how he influences the way we usually dress.
But can we ever find the man behind the image of Calvin Klein in the 90s, the man
responsible for those ads of Kate Moss bare in blue jeans in an anonymous signature
of simplicity? In an extremely rare interview with Joe himself, TWELV attempts to
discover the man behind the clothes.
Born in Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow, Scotland, Joe McKenna came
into fashion indirectly, starting off as a child actor in a popular soap
in the ’70s, to later headline the music group, A Cha-Cha At The
Opera, in London at the age of sixteen. You won’t catch him speaking
much about the subject, but thankfully, a video of him performing on
a German television show is now viral (one for technology). What’s
most telling about this brief foray is its appearance: a young, dapper, eighties-esque front man with Working Girl shoulders singing
in front of two beautifully uninterested women, sitting cross-legged,
sipping champagne between puffs of smoke and boredom. McKenna
mentions in another interview, “the band was me plus three models
pretending to be backup singers.” While their musical imitations are
not convincing, the models’ styling seems to be: monochromatic pink
and orange structured jackets, high necklines and crystal earrings,
with hair-sprayed bows adorning, a la Lady Gaga. When not even by
intent (as again intention not being his thing), these ‘80s looks are so
dead-on as if in exaggeration, a self-deprecating acknowledgement
of image and taste that would later become the ethos for ‘90s models
and those who styled them.
The moment that sparked his career, however, came after doing test
shots at The Face, a British magazine that would later commission
major photographers, Juergen Teller and David Sims. Photographer
Bruce Weber was passed Joe’s work and personally rang up the thenfashion novice. Since he was a teenager, though, McKenna had been
intrigued by Weber’s work, by his pictures of athleticism and idealized youth that seemed a world away from his own. The pair, of
course, got along together very well; after years of working together
and following a move to New York in 1986, McKenna began his relationship with Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, working alongside the
famous Herb Ritts in images that presupposed his iconic classicism,
like Madonna as a Grecian bust with white hair and a powdered blue
silk-satin dress. This exposure ultimately allowed McKenna to rest
comfortably in a confident freelancing career, continually working
with major photographers throughout the rest of the 90s and well into
the new millennium, including David Sims, Mert & Marcus, Inez &
Vinoodh, Steven Klein, Sorrenti, Testino, Terry Richardson and Steven Meisel—the latter of whom he’d frequently work with at Vogue
Italia, a fresh faced Maggie Rizer in nothing but Clinique in ’97 or a
Kate Moss in leopard and primaries in the “Power of Mixing” of 1996.
his iconic
classicism,
like
Madonna
as a
Grecian
bust
In retrospect, though, McKenna doesn’t like to take the credit he deserves. He’d rather refer to the photographer as owner of the picture.
“I think that really great pictures are done by teams,” he says in our
interview. “And the photographer is the most important person on
the shoot for me.” In this way, McKenna is post-modern, making the
result not only on his own, but giving it up to the participation of fashion objects within the collaborative narrative—the dance between
hairdressers, makeup, assistants, and flashing lights—what Wagner
was to bel canto opera, to get the fashion set within the tune of the
character and context. He makes the photographer his audience, as
a contemporary artist would make the subject of the work a viewer’s
experience. “Generally, it’s finding a character whom you like,” he
clarifies, “and dressing that character—whether or not it’s the model’s
real character or you invent a little character for him or her.” That
may be one of the reasons why he likes Linda Evangelista so much,
pictured as Katherine Hepburn, for example, in Vogue Italia in 1994,
or, today’s chameleon, Raquel Zimmerman, on a virginal cover of V,
the theme of purity a running thread in McKenna’s styling. The photographer captures the character’s performance—a model as actress or
saint—dressed up by impulse and a type of naturalism unique only
to Joe McKenna.
And “performance” is probably the right word for it.
Many of these stylistic characters could be put right up on
stage at the West End, in an avant-garde group like Bruce
Weber’s, “A Life in the Theatre” of 1996. Kate Moss and
co. are dressed in knee length black skirts and hose, long
sleeves and turtlenecks, rehearsing, strolling in public,
and bouncing around on a white set, with the separating
frames of each image blurring together into a light monitored, grey sequence. In another of Weber’s, this time
from a 2008 issue of V, a “summer blockbuster” screens
sun-kissed, barely clad models as if cast for rompy beach
movies starring sand and sin. McKenna shines through in
wet vintage t-shirts, pinks, and Stella McCartney bathing
suits. Of the same year, ingénue Lara Stone (current face
of Calvin Klein) plays muse to an artist and his assistant
underneath the seductive shadows of the artist’s towering
sculptures in Vogue Italia.
With Y2K on the horizon, McKenna began to experiment
with new interests, especially the injection of the neon
colors, in his work with Pop magazine, his involvement
with photographer pair, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott,
and in the early issues of V with Inez van Lamsweerde
& Vinoodh Matadin. Was the glare of a new century the
cause for all the optimistic brightness? Joe doesn’t think
so. In one of his first full-length interviews, he says, “I
think the millennium has taken on a much deeper mean
ing than it probably needs to for a lot of people.” And it
sure did; there were people who thought the world was
going to end. But, for McKenna, a departure from what is
known, like a Futurist piece of art, isn’t marked by a hundred years, loitering with the weight of presumptions of
the past. Rather, it’s marked by individual seconds, each
moment a new shift, making McKenna the master of
standing on that precipice before the unknown. Spreads
of the aughts like “The New Simplicity,” “The New Vision,” and the “Next Shape” pushed fashion forward in a
curious new decade. In the former editorial in Pop #7 by
Mert & Marcus, a woman with leather gloves and a simple white vest flexes next to this appropriate manifesto:
“What I’ve always liked
about working with
Bruce is the risks that
he takes and the sense
of the unexpected
in what he does”
“A breath of fresh taste is blowing through
fashion, bringing new life to its furthest extremes, pumping oxygen to its burnt-out follies of excess. It is driven by an aesthetic that
is so stripped down that it verges on the banal. So stark that it shames the puritan…are
you ready for the purge?”
The images adjacent to the text suggest that the aesthetic should be found in the simple texture of combed
black hair, glassy eyes, and Armani white cotton ribbing.
If it weren’t for its laser-like intensity, you’d probably
yawn. But the skin and shine linger in the photo, daring
you to miss another detail if you turn away. In another
colorful vision, the brooding Iris Strubegger goes copper
red, gazing at the promise of balloons overhead while
lying on the fiery Earth below, that glows like Mars in
minimal moods by Marc Jacobs and a Japanese-armored
jacket in printed latex and silk by Balenciaga. In “Next
Shape,” Iris, again pictured by Mert & Marcus, stands
before a factory with dunes and exhaust chimneys in
the distance. She’s dressed in harnesses and architectural designs by Martin Margiela, Proenza Schouler, and
Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci as she steps into industrial
scraps of silver foil that make it look like she’s walking
into the photograph itself, altering it in another dimension and triangular shape.
© Bruce Weber
© Bruce Weber
9
© Bruce Weber
“I started seeing the work of Guy Bourdin especially,”
McKenna elaborates in ‘98, citing the surrealist fashion photographer as an early influence that would gain
prominence during the turn of the century. “I couldn’t
really figure out why there was a girl sitting in a huge silver ball against a pink background made up the way she
was and wearing these clothes.” One could say the same
about the 2002 story, “Flex with Jessica,” where Weberian athleticism in gymnastic rings meets the sinuous
limbs favored by Bourdin in leotards and leopard or colorful warmers—and those pinks and silvers, too—by Joe
McKenna, Inez & Vinoodh. Similarly, in a Vogue Paris
cover by Mert & Marcus years later, Vanessa Paradis, with
red lips and lacquer and swimming hat to match, stares
into the camera, wearing her hands as a well-placed head
piece in a direct allusion to Bourdin’s early “Hands On”
photograph. “I just like those photographers because
they have a voice,” McKenna points out. “They’re individuals who have something to say,” and those he works
with have a variety—sexual naturalism, jaded simplicity,
and surrealist languor—which might be why he himself
keeps so quiet. Perhaps the most silent a fashion stylist
can get is by working on portraiture, which McKenna has
done much of. Clothing in a portrait or cosmetic ad can
be suppressed for the sake of the hair and make-up and
the overall beauty expression. In “Eight Portraits” for V
Magazine, David Sims shoots head styles by hairstylist
Guido Palau and styling by McKenna of just a semblance
of safety pins and black grease. Joe has also styled famous
faces for the New York Times Magazine in 2009, including Uma Thurman, Björk, and Jim Jarmusch, amongst a
variety of others. In a “Beautiful” spread in V of ‘08, models are pictured plainly with an earring or roped necklace
in straight-on beauty shots, frizzy hair meeting a cabochon flower ring, and Agness Deyn in nothing but a clamlike hair-do, scalloped iridescent, with a single strand of
pearls. Or when hair itself leads the concept, McKenna
styles around the wispy long locks of Kristen McMenamy, emulating with grey chains and shredded jersey
in an ’09 Vogue Paris. To another stylist, this may seem
limiting, but McKenna is comfortable here, working in a
style suited to his own, hair and beauty teams assembling
a multi-media display that match in waves of hair, lashes,
and diamonds. It’s a balance, after all, and McKenna is a
part of its scale.
© Bruce Weber
10
A good example of a larger-scale collaboration done by McKenna came together in a specially edited issue of Self Service
magazine from 2010, with a doppelganger Stella Tenant gracing the cover in Joe’s usual white shirt, jeans, and New Balance
sneakers. Inside, Bruce Weber shoots “An Accidental Collaboration of Photographs and Words,” where a muscular male
boxer wears sunbursts, butterfly wings, primp, orchid, and op
Phillip Treacy hats, laid over maps of Africa. With a long list of
quotes by industry professionals, like Anna Wintour, Phoebe
Philo, Alaïa, and the real Jil Sander, the issue condenses into a
fashion statement of the moment, addressing questions about
the industry’s future as a business-over-creative enterprise in
an all out survey. The younger Christopher Kane (a protégé
of Donatella Versace at Versus along with his own namesake)
is cautious about the imbalance between money and his process. “Everyone keeps telling me that for my label to survive
I need investment,” he says in the issue. “I get it; it’s just
that there are so many horror stories about designers losing
their rights to use their own name.” The veteran Valentino
and partner Giancarlo Giammetti offer similar reproach. “Unfortunately designers are not free as artists are. They have to
produce what sells. The bottom line is what counts…Independent designers today are fewer and fewer,” the very reason
why Mr. McKenna appreciates the outsider, Azzedine Alaïa,
“because,” McKenna mentions in our interview, “[Alaïa] invented his own fashion language, never looked at a reference,
picture, or had a vintage garment lying around,” his designs
being independent of attachment and compromise.
If McKenna has taken any advice from M. Alaïa, it’s to work
essentially, without all the baggage. For Alaïa, the freedom of
exactness gives him enough to continually revisit; for McKenna, a sense of dissatisfaction with the end product pushes him
to never be quite finished, “always searching for that thing
where everything clicks and it’s just right,” an incompleteness
that he’s made stylish. Ezra Petronio, editor-in-chief of Self
Service, in thanking McKenna for his guest spot wrote, “for
that very special instinct you have that enables you to ‘stop’
just in time, to express no less and no more than is necessary
so as to recognize the essential.” He’s described almost like a
photographer, in his ability to capture, not a picture, but a moment when the commercial is put in line with the tension that
exists in editing, making a look work with just enough utensils. In the 90s, this played to a new round of shoppers who
saw themselves in the objects they walked past in store aisles.
Today, there’s an easiness with basic essentials, an assurance
that’s recognizable over the Internet between quick clicks and
home deliveries. For Phoebe Philo, the designer at Céline
who ushered in the minimalist designs of recent runways, this
means “jeans and t-shirts and access-price knits can still have
a point of view and integrity and don’t need to be treated like
commodities.” It’s turning what was common, a basic tee, into
something individual. “The idea has to be simple,” mentions
Miuccia Prada, “and it has to be quick. Over-thinking fashion
is old.” McKenna, without a word, would nod and agree.
©David Sims /art partner
©David Sims /art partner
Through 2010, McKenna continued to use his essentials—
color, restraint, and instinct—in advertisements that became exacting studies of the house and season they meant
to represent. In 2012, Mert and Marcus would picture Gisele
Bündchen rising up from a pool of turquoise, her slicked arms
metallic like the stair’s handles, in a Versace ad of a hot, bluetinted day. McKenna also blends a male model’s psychedelic
palm frond print ensemble with the atmospheric tone, a pop
of yellow becomes reminiscent of the brand’s gilt appliqués
and an apropos sunny disposition. Even subtler colors like rust
and stone appear prominently in recent Miu Miu ads starring
Hailee Steinfeld of True Grit fame, on peplums and railway
tracks or winding wire stairs. With Versace for H&M, Joe’s
newest client, the hot pink monochrome suit on River Viiperi
is at home with vibrant teals and aqua lighting.
13
“Jil Sander is one,” Grace Coddington reflects in McKenna’s Self Service issue. “She puts love in it and I really admire someone who can
put love into something for the mass market.” Jiline Sander, the designer and “queen of less,” with her ongoing partnership with Uniqlo in
a line simply named +J, introduced the aesthetic she became famous for in the 80’s to a new market of today’s followers. She, it would seem,
is a perfect contemporary partner for Joe, especially in the advent of her return to her namesake label. +J has become the new CK1, and Joe
McKenna the link with a few letters in between. In 2011’s photo-realistic campaign by David Sims, models stand before a cream background
wearing only three pieces of +J’s crisp tailored clothing—McKenna’s pairing of shirting with jacket and pant—in Sander’s solid palette of
planetary dunes and Mad Men greys, the somber mood of a clear setting sky. Like a modern architect’s glass dream, nothing is more, and yet
everything is less, a match made in a cloudless, uncomplicated heaven.
Two years into the start of a new decade, fashion feels more symbolic, an instant sign of the times, like a surrealist expression of automatic
writing, unfettered identity in a trans-temporal marriage between Dalí and Prada. Showing up in the collections of Phoebe Philo at Céline, Jil
Sander under Raf Simons, Ghesquière for Balenciaga, and Stella McCartney, post-Millennium fashion is finally picking up on the economic
mood of the last decade in minimalist designs of linear silhouettes and color-blocked geometries, the curves of the body simplified in an anatomical “less is more.” Joe McKenna could have gotten what he’d been asking for, finally, after a disorienting decade that made the consumer
choosier out of necessity: a way of dressing that’s more immediate because of its reflection, not in an escapist’s trick, but as an image of current
cultural context—fashion as a mirror held up to a shifting world, to paraphrase fashion governess, Suzy Menkes. “And,” McKenna responds,
“Team work is
really, really
important.
The more you
work with a
photographer
and his team,
often I think
the better the
results are”
©David Sims /art partner
“in today’s digital world especially, I like that process—allowing for spontaneous moments to happen.” In his newest for Vogue Paris, “The
Finest Line” with David Sims, spring’s main looks of zipped up suits, knife pleats, trapeze cuts, capes, and floor-sweeping length in a Calvin
Klein number, expand and contract the body, “from linear and lean to big, pumped-up volume,” illustrating a wide range of possibilities that
don’t have to be interconnected to be compelling.
And, lately, that’s been McKenna’s modus operandi, accomplished in his more regular work with David Sims, a photographic talent whose
centralized compositions organize the picture. Either framed in a corner, as the only foreground, or with a central spotlight shining, the model
and fashion are given precedence in the middle of the photo, like in British Vogue’s “Quiet Storm” of 2011. The focusing framework acts as
an anchor, unburdening the stylist from having to create a unifying commonality for a coherent story. Coupled with his ongoing relationship
with Bruce Weber, whose collaged editorials remember ad hoc old school yearbooks, Joe’s work continues this flow of free form, mixed narrative through to this day. As this article reaches completion, McKenna’s latest shoot, published in April’s British Vogue with Weber, says it
plainly: “When You Think Young,” the headline reads, “the World Belongs to You.” The slight impression of youth, unattached to a single
referent with spring’s lightweight designs, appear in 50’s cars, lazy lawns, with baby goats, cakes and cops, basketballs for bowling and neoprene. Each scene grabs onto the individuality of a unique moment, as does the fashion, reflecting the naïveté of nascent age that braces the
world in an always changing, yet exciting vivid color.
In praising his body of work that’s spanned almost three decades, one would be tempted to say that these images are worth thousands of
words. But, Joe would be dissatisfied with that. His images aren’t worth words, especially a quantifying amount. They’re worth more than
enough on their own.w
14
©David Sims /art partner
THE INTERVIEW
Over the past twenty-five years, stylist, fashion
editor, and consultant, Joe McKenna has shot
some of the most daring, visually resonant campaigns and editorials, with a range of acclaimed
photographers, from Richard Avedon to David
Sims, to his friend and mentor, Bruce Weber.
McKenna began his career in the mid-80’s, first
in London at The Face, and then in New York at
Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, before ultimately
going freelance—the mark of accomplishment
for a stylist who’s become so coveted. Hesitant
to embrace such a lofty title, the eminently modest Joe McKenna is nonetheless an iconoclast.
Always devoted to the project and its resulting
image, he’s a true team player, the consummate
artist without any of the pretense.
TWELV caught up with Joe over the phone from Paris.
How do you describe your process?
I either work with a designer or with a designer’s products for
an advertising job. My role is to help a photographer figure
out the best way to convey the designer’s message, in a way
that’s very true to the designer’s aesthetic. If I’m working on
an editorial with a photographer, there’s a bit more freedom.
How much of your work is a collaborative effort?
It’s always collaborative because you work with a team, and
teamwork’s really, really important. But it should be quite
instinctive; I don’t like to plan things too much in detail. I
prefer to see what happens on the day.
Over the years, you’ve worked with thousands of models. Is
there one that stands out?
Linda Evangelista is an exceptional model.
What about Linda Evangelista makes her exceptional?
She understands the clothes, and she understands the light.
And she is completely fearless in front of the camera. And
she trusts her photographers.
How would you compare her to models today?
I think there are great models today. The business expanded
enormously. It’s very different, and you can’t really compare
models now and then, but Linda is the standout.
How has your job changed in the last decade?
The meaning of “fashion’’ maybe changed, but my job
hasn’t. A bit more political maybe. There are more considerations now, but there are still a lot of opportunities to do
great, creative things. It’s a lucky place to be.
When you’re conceptualizing a shoot, what’s your starting
point? An item of clothing? A character, an idea?
It can be something you see on the street; it can be something you see in a film; it can be a photograph in a newspaper.
But it’s usually character-driven. I like to see what the hair
and make-up team can bring to the pictures and the clothes.
©Inez and Vinoodh/trunkarchive.com
Do you seek out flaws in your work? Do you ever feel content?
A bit of both.I don’t ever look at something and think,
“That’s really perfect.” Why keep doing it otherwise?I probably tend to find more flaws in my work than contentment.
©Inez and Vinoodh/trunkarchive.com
17
What about fashion attracted you?
“Maybe subconsciously
a photographer’s input
in a picture does have
a relevance to what’s
going on culturally
with young people. But,
that certainly wasn’t
the intention when
the pictures were done”
I was always really interested in clothes. I’m not sure where
it came from because I grew up in Glasgow in a hard-core,
working class district. Fashion wasn’t really that available
in the ’70s. I discovered fashion magazines through a girl
at school. And I was fascinated by them. I couldn’t work
out how the photographs were done. To me it was a real
world that existed, and I wanted to know where and how
it existed!
But you weren’t always behind the scenes, right? You were
an actor once?
I was a child actor. I did some TV work. Being a film star
was my goal!
And you were a musician, too?
I released a single, but I wouldn’t call myself a musician. It
was fun doing it, but I wasn’t very good.
How did you then transition into fashion?
I’d written to British Vogue and Harper’s and Queen. I was
trying to get a job as a fashion assistant. I thought that was
the only way ‘in’. I didn’t have any experience, and none
of the magazines hired me. I met a lady called Meredith
Etherington-Smith…She was the London editor of French
Vogue. And she gave me little errands to run for her when
she was doing shoots. So I saw a little bit of what was going
on through that, and I learned…then I started testing and
styling on
my own.
What was your first experience as a stylist?
The Face didn’t really commission stories at the time; you
just shot something, and if they liked it, they would run
it. One of the models we ‘tested’ then went to work with
Bruce Weber. And through her, I got called by Bruce, and
he asked me to work with him. This was the ‘life changing’
phone call!
Growing up, did Weber’s work influence you?
Completely. His casting, his layouts, his photographs. I
loved all of it because it was something I hadn’t seen before
in pictures.
Are there any qualities that define your visual aesthetic?
I like certain things in clothing. But for me, it’s the picture
that really matters most, not the clothes.
Are there any designers who you relate to more than others?
I’ve worked with a lot of really great designers…the designer I admire the most is Azzedine (Alaïa).
What about Azzedine do you admire?
His great talent. His integrity. His vision and his originality!
As an artist, you have avoided branding yourself. How do
you feel about stylists having their own television shows
and clothing lines?
It’s not my thing.
So we won’t be seeing you judging a reality show competition
any time soon?
A reality show, no. Anything else…who knows?!
Do you feel that your work has a place on television?
©Inez and Vinoodh/trunkarchive.com
I think a stylist’s work is better looked at in the context of a
magazine or computer screen.
How do you think the self-branding obsession has affected the
fashion industry?
Maybe if I didn’t work in fashion, I’d be more inclined to
look at these things. As it is, I think fashion was great when
there was a little more mystery to it.w
18
©Inez and Vinoodh/trunkarchive.com
Yayoi Kusama:
An Outsider to Infinity
by Ann Binlot
In Yayoi
Kusama’s world, everything
is a polka dot — the cosmos, the earth, the
world, stars, the moon, and people. Her obsession
with them defines her art: dots mark pumpkin sculptures,
have covered her body, filled rooms, and even decorate the wheelchair she uses to get around. They have come to make up a significant
part of her massive oeuvre.The 83-year-old Japanese avant-garde artist’s
deep piercing stare, serious expression, and brightly hued wigs make her image unforgettable to those who have seen her in photographs.Despite being holed up at Seiwa
Hospital, a Tokyo psychiatric facility, by choice for the last 34 years, the avant-garde Japanese artist has remained prolific. 2012 can be considered the year of Yayoi Kusama. A retrospective of her
60-year career ended its stint at Paris’s Centre Pompidou January 9 and is currently on view
at London’s Tate Modern (Kusama left the institution where she lives for the first time in 12
years to attend the opening) before it heads to New York’s Whitney Museum in July. A spring show
of Kusama’s new work is at London’s Victoria Miro gallery. Two large new paintings will headline
Arsenale 2012, the Kiev Biennale, this year. Louis Vuitton will debut a line of accessories Kusama
helped design this summer. “I think it is very important that my works are viewed by as many
people as possible,” wrote Kusama by email. “I am really grateful for those opportunities.”Born into
a wealthy, conservative Japanese family, Kusama’s traumatic childhood consisted of a philandering
father and abusive mother. At age five, the young Kusama picked up a paint brush. “It was when
I was at about the age of 10 that I harbored a strong desire to be a painter,” she wrote.Wartime
Japan drafted Kusama, along with all school-age children to work to support the war. She endured
long hours in a textile factory that helped produce parachutes and military uniforms. Still, she
painted and drew in her free time, eventually earning exhibitions as a teenager. She took an
unusual step for a Japanese female and enrolled in art school against her family’s wishes
to learn Japanese Nihonga painting, which uses water-based pigments to create delicate
brush strokes. Her family sent her to a psychiatrist who diagnosed her as having schizoid tendencies.Her father’s wandering eye caused her to have an intense disdain for
sex. She coped through the phalli she constantly incorporates in her artwork, using the process as a form of therapy. Her hallucinatory visions have regularly
provided the Japanese avant-garde artist with inspiration over her 60-year
career, assisting her in creating her whimsical pieces. Kusama’s work
spans over several mediums, from staged happenings to film
to sculpture to painting to interactive installations. She
left behind Japan and her dysfunctional family
life, adamant about making it in the
art world.
Copyright of Yayoi Kusama, Yayoi Kusama Studio Inc.
Courtesy of Victoria Miro Gallery, London / Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo
Kusama arrived in New York at the age of 27 in 1958, after a series
of correspondence between herself and Georgia O’Keeffe, whose work
she admired, stopping along the way in Seattle, where she would have
her first U.S. exhibition. The artist had only a few possessions: a large
amount of money sewn into her dress; pastel, ink, and gouache drawings
in her suitcase; and a letter from O’Keeffe. Kusama’s first few months in
New York were unpleasant; lack of food and heat introduced her to the
harsh realities of a new country — she became the embodiment of the
term “starving artist.”
During her time in New York, Kusama made her most seminal works:
the “Infinity Net” series—large-scale paintings defined by endless
minute circular shapes, splotches, and curves; the “Infinity/Mirror
Rooms”—mirrored environments that were intended to replicate her
hallucinations; her surrealist sculptures covered with stuffed penises;
and the film “Kusama’s Self-Obliteration.” The themes in her work
represented a compulsion for repetition and a sense of obsession.
By 1962, she was showing alongside Claes Oldenberg and Andy Warhol.
But being one of the only females did not daunt her, nor did she feel
she had to persevere to be at the same level as her male counterparts.
“I have not encountered any obstacles as yet,” she said in the email,
when recently asked about the challenges she faced being a female in
a predominantly male industry. Since the ‘60s, Kusama’s art has also
served as political and social statements. One nude 1968 happening on
the Brooklyn Bridge consisted of an orgy and flag burning. Its purpose:
to protest the Vietnam War. Another one that year on Walker Street
was called “Homosexual Wedding.” “I have been struggling with art
over the past six decades or so, praying every day for ‘peace and love’
on earth,” said Kusama in the email. “With the power of art, I want to
solve various problems existing in the world, working together with the
peoples of other nations in order that we can ‘humanity.’”
The happenings still have an impact today, having come long before
the fight for gay marriage became mainstream. “In the ‘60s, there were
times I was taken into police custody for staging nude happenings,”
wrote Kusama in the email. “I am pleased to see that such pioneering activities have come to gain the recognition of society now (such as
gay marriages) after so many years.”Kusama had an odd decade-long
love affair with assemblage sculptor Joseph Cornell. The relationship
was that between a notorious recluse and a woman afraid of sex—but it
thrived. The photos of the two of them together in 1970 are among the
few where Kusama is smiling, looking genuinely happy.
After Cornell’s death in 1973 Kusama had enough of New York. Whether it was overexposure, disenchantment, mental illness, a need to retreat, a broken heart, or if she simply had had enough is unclear. By this
time, she was, by many accounts, as famous as Warhol. Four years later,
she checked herself into the mental hospital. Under the advice of a psychiatrist, Kusama took up permanent residence there, still practicing
art, until she resurfaced in 1993 with a solo show at the Japanese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Fifteen years later, in 2008, a white-on-white
Infinity Net painting was sold at Christie’s for $5.8 million, one of the
highest prices paid for a living female painter.
Kusama continues to work from her studio, which is walking distance
from the hospital. “I do all the paintings myself at Kusama Studio,” said
the artist, who made a wisecrack in the British broadsheet the Daily
Telegraph earlier this year about artists who use assistants. “As for large
pieces such as open-air sculptures, I need the help from my assistants,”
she wrote. “Based on small models that I made for the work, they produce the work under my supervision.”
For Kusama, who has spent her life as an outsider, her art is not only a
refuge, but also a form of communication, a plight for good: “I believe
that my art would contribute to the peace of humankind, overcoming conflicts among people and those around the world,” she said. In some ways
Kusama Fashion, New York, 1970
© Yayoi Kusama Studios Inc.
Photo: Thomas Haar
she has, her magical artwork providing a sense of mesmerizing delight. w
Courtesy of Victoria Miro Gallery, London and Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo
© Yayoi Kusama, courtesy Yayoi Kusama Studio Inc. Photo: Eikoh Hosoe
22
Yayoi Kusama Yellow Trees 1994 Forever Museum of Contemporary Art, Akita © Yayoi Kusama
For Kusama, who has spent her
life as an outsider, her art is not
only a refuge, but also a form of
communication, a plight for gooD
Through photography and film, Anna Gaskell explores
and exposes the interior lives of young girls. Her subjects
have often been fictional, as in her notable collections
wonder and override where she delves into the psyche of
Alice from Lewis Carroll’s novel, Alice in Wonderland.
Anna
Gaskell:
Close Up and Personal
Ethereal, at times shocking, and always poignant, her work evokes the
powerful emotions that occupy the inner worlds of her subjects.
by Carrie Loewenthal Massey
Photography CHAMA Hair TAICHI SAITO Makeup KUNIO KATAOKA
Through photography and film, Anna Gaskell
explores and exposes the interior lives of young
girls. Her subjects have often been fictional, as
in her notable collections wonder and override
where she delves into the psyche of Alice from
Lewis Carroll’s novel, Alice in Wonderland.
These days, Gaskell’s focus has turned, in part,
from the fantastical to the historical, as she
works on a new collection of photographs, The
Escape of The Tiller Girls, based on a group
of dancers from the early 1900s. She’s also returning to her Iowa roots to locate and shoot a
new film, The Sibyl’s Company, which follows
a woman as she leads a group of young girls on
a hellish journey.We spoke with Gaskell from
her home in New York City where she shared
with us her thoughts on work, life, love, passion, and what it means to her to give back.
filmed dance, and the choreography for it disappeared. It was the first modern dance piece
performed, and people were outraged. Because of the reaction, they never let Nijinsky
do it again. I’m working with Millicent Hodson and Kenneth Archer, who spent years researching the work and are putting the piece
back together again. It’s fascinating—a good
example of memory as well, and how we can
build back up what we’ve lost. I’m working
with a group of students in Hamburg, making
a film of them remaking this piece.The ballet
is about a girl who dances herself to death.
She sacrifices herself for her tribe. Dance is
such a beautiful metaphor for sacrifice as a
woman. Girls start at seven, and by their late
30s they’re done. They’ve given it their entire lives. It’s interesting, that kind of dedication and sacrifice. And what happens when
you can’t dance anymore? It’s your passion.
It’s everything. And then it’s gone.
What inspires your work?
Everything. Life. I read a lot. I watch a lot
of movies. And I suppose I have a fascination
with memory and how it works. I’m interested in time travel, too. I like the feeling of
being someplace before. I think with memory
there are lots of ways we remember. I’m interested in dance—how your body remembers, and you move. Or fear, and how it’s a
chemical reaction that your body remembers
from the very first time you were afraid.
Do you go into filming with an idea of what you
wanted to convey?
Well, the last film I made was of this group
of children from a special education school in
Poland that made a ballet. They had never
danced before. They worked with a choreographer and they told a story about their place
in the world. They live in a tiny town, and
the town had tried to shut down their school.
Over the years the children, administrators,
and teachers charmed the town and got the
support of the community. I thought it was
such a beautiful story. All of a sudden, the
town supported this group of children. Then
surrounding areas became supportive and
were bleeding out this idea of acceptance.
But even knowing this story, when I went I
let the kids make the film about what they
wanted it to be about. I really make the films
with the students, letting things fall into
place. I want their input and their ideas. I
want their stories to come through. I’m not
going with a huge plan—just some things I
want to touch on.
When you’re moved by something, a memory or
other art, where does your artistic process take you?
I often start with a drawing and think about how I
would literally present the idea. Then, from there,
I try to go a little bit away from what it literally
looks like. I’m trying to communicate a feeling, a
sense of something. The best way is to find something that I feel represents a familiar sense—a
familiar color or a familiar place that would reach
people outside of the one story I’m interested in
telling.
What’s one of the stories you’re focused on now?
One project [slated to begin shooting in April
2013] is with dancers who are remaking a
piece that [Vaslav] Nijinsky did, The Rite
of Spring, in 1913 in Paris. Back then no one
Speaking of dancers who are passionate about
their craft, what does love or passion mean to you?
Communicating or being understood. I think
there’s nothing that’s more about the
27
love response, whether it’s my child, or my lover,
or someone who sees my work and responds in this
way where they feel they understand it—it’s really what I live for. That feeling fills me with love.
Even if someone has such a visceral response where
they hate my work, it’s not like I’m filled with love
then, but I’m fascinated. Because then I’m touching something. I feel like that about what I see.
Whether I’m looking at art, or a movie, or a book, if
something makes me really angry, I’m interested in
my reaction and why it did that. It’s when they have
no reaction … the blinking and looking, that’s the
response I’m not so excited about. (Laughs)
“Being
an artist,
it’s like
I have
three chidren
instead of
two.”
What are some other ways in which love shapes your life?
I have two kids. I always tell my son he saved my
life because I had to make these changes in my own
life for him. I think the most incredible experience
is having a kid. Being an artist, it’s like I have three
children instead of two. It’s hard to be a mom and
make your work. It competes, and everyone wants
the same amount of love.
Beyond your art and family, do other passions drive you?
I’m really curious about the idea of faith—why it exists, why I need it, why other people need it and
ways people use it and find it. I would describe it
as a passion because I wake up every morning and
I think about it and it takes me through the day. I
grew up in an evangelical family. My mother spoke
in tongues and would heal people. I don’t go to
church or participate in any organized religion now,
but there’s something so mesmerizing about being
in a room full of these people—it’s orgasmic, their
reaction to the Holy Spirit. They open themselves
up to be filled. I don’t know that I believe in it, but
I really love that someone does. Actually, what’s
the difference between a passion and an obsession?
(Laughs)
Does charity work play a role in how you express your love
and passion?
I do Children International. I have two kids that I
write letters to, and I send money for them. You really write letters back and forth and my kids send
drawings.Four years ago, someone on the street was
trying to get me to sign up for it. I said ‘no, but I’ll
check it out online’. That’s how I found out—from a
very strapping, handsome young man!
Have your efforts to give back influenced your work?
Obviously I work with kids a lot, and I love to be
around someone who is doing what they love to
do. It’s contagious. I love making art. The guy who
shoots my films loves shooting films. The person
who does the costumes loves fashion. So the kids
are around all these people who love what they do,
and the kids get so involved. If you can find something that you feel that way about, it’s such a gift,
and letting children experience that is so important.
I know that’s how I got excited about art, through a
teacher of mine.
© 2001 Anna Gaskell
© 2001 Anna Gaskell
Do you believe that expressing and spreading your passion
is a means of giving back?
I mean, that’s why people look at art, right? When
you stand in front of something, and you’re like, “I
get it.” I’ve been trying to articulate this forever,
and this person touched something in me I’ve never
been able to locate. That’s exciting.w
29
© 2001 Anna Gaskell
NICK
Veasey
From the inside out
by Anne Szustek
He gave us the iconic perfume bottle wrapped neatly in a bow.
Now Mr. X-Ray reveals a bit about himself and leaves TWELV
with a unique, always pleasuring toy.
© NICK VEASEY, 2008
© NICK VEASEY, 2008
Those familiar with Nick Veasey’s art know that the British photographer doesn’t shoot his subjects with the conventional camera. Not one to take life at face value, Nick specializes in x-ray photography, allowing us to see past
the outer shells of life’s flotsam and jetsam. His radiation-laden tack on photography started some two decades
ago. In a story all-too-familiar to much of today’s global workforce, Nick decided to try a new career after getting
laid off from his day gig as a graphic designer. “So there I was trawling around London showing potential clients
an extremely bizarre and experimental portfolio and getting nowhere fast,” Nick says. “Not surprising, really, as
my work during this period was really out there.”He had already had some indie-cred-earning snaps in his portfolio, having had work published in artsy magazines and for album covers. But his early 1990s unemployment opportunity was the impetus for his full-time devotion to the craft and was when he would fully break in. His girlfriend at the time—now wife—was working at an “irreverent” morning show called “The Big Breakfast.” One of
the major cola manufacturers was running a promotion in the UK, involving finding one can of cola with a secret
letter on its pop top. The TV station gets word from the cola manufacturer that the winning can was hidden
amongst a truckload of soda just dumped off at the station. Sensing an investigative report her boss wanted an xray of the cola cans in an on-the-air bid to cheat the contest. Given that soda cans usually aren’t high on a radiologist’s list of priorities, Nick signed on for it, not that he had any idea how to do it. But after some dabbling with
x-rays and “getting experience and exposure”—his own pun—he “became more focused on the ideas and messages” of X-ray photography. That he rose to fame stateside during the now-classic era of British music and fashion
known in Old Blighty as acid house, thanks to young urban cult worship of Factory Records, certainly helped
matters. A precursor to grunge in some aspects, the baggy trousers were emblematic of the comfy, feel-good ethos
that radiated out from within—and the lasers flashing across the club ceilings above. The era’s happy vibes also
seeped into his work, showing up some twenty years later. The acid house movement “was a revolution for me, as
it allowed me to have freedom rather than feeling I had to conform,” Nick reflected on the Happy Mondays-inflected time. “They were great days. That scene changed my approach to life, relaxed me, and made me more
open-minded.” And trends? Nick quips, “What like the x-ray trend? “Superman and I, we are
trendsetters. We spend all day perving out looking at girls, being
able to see their underwear. Every straight guy wants a piece of that.”
Yet, like Nick’s work, there’s been more than what immediately meets the eye. To be able to relate trends to his
work, it’s perhaps best to consider any nexus of fashion and art. In Nick’s eyes, one possible intersection is when
a given symbol becomes the latest high street shop thing, such as the skull motif often found in painter Damien
Hirst’s work. “Skulls have become fashionable because Hirst is so famous. He’s a superstar and those works with
skulls are strong and impactful,” he notes.“What I can’t work out is why equally strong images like his shark or
sawn-in-half cow didn’t cross over into fashion. In any event, fashion is art that is worn. “A striking fashion show
can be as powerful as any conceptual art installation,” he says. In fact, fashion objects are among his favorite subjects to shoot. Although as other photographers are hesitant to admit, he readily accepts that his models show
nothing but bones. His fashion models necessarily don’t, however. “I have no glamorous location or beautiful
model as I’d expose her to radiation,” he says. “I just concentrate on the garment in isolation.” A pair of vintage
panties reveals fine tuckings of elastic and threads amongst its lacy ruffles. An x-rayed high-heel shows a steel
shank and a hard-yet-wobbly landing pad for the back of one’s foot. “When we investigate the structure of a garment, we start to think of how clothing transforms the personality.” Quality—or the lack thereof—also reveals itself. “Alexander McQueen’s garments were a highlight as they are so well made. X-ray reveals that integrity.”This
being said, fashion also influences other forms of visual art, Nick argues, albeit the process “is more subtle.” In
terms of photography, the masters of fashion photography have set precedent in the field. “What’s better: a Helmut
Newton sexy vamp nude shot or Spencer Tunick getting the masses naked? One was a commercial fashion assign-
ment and the other a conscious artistic statement. Yet both are now considered art.”To Nick, inspiration also flows
in the other direction: from fashion to the captured image. Granted, an x-ray only captures the shadow of fashion,
yet an outline nonetheless. In the fashion section of his website, there is an x-ray image of a fedora. Of course, the
x-rays nuke straight through the hat’s pressed wool. All that glows on screen is the circular inner wire giving shape
to the brim. That particular style of hat is a curious choice to x-ray, as it embodies several facets of de rigueur urban
culture. Or as Nick says about his work and fashion, “I just approach it from a different perspective. In some way,
my work is anti-fashion but that in itself is a fashion statement.” Stylistic elements from the fashion world also slink
into his work. For example, texture. “A smooth shiny minimalist picture has a different quality to the more lo-fi
organic messy prints I have recently been making,” he explains. “All these factors can be traced back to fashion
influencing me.”In general, though, Nick stays away from the image manipulation tools of his previous graphic
design career, letting the x-rays reveal the bare story. Integrity of design gets revealed; shoddy construction exposed. As with the traditional use of the Röntgen machine, cracks and breaks appear on the film, showing what
needs to be rectified—or celebrated in light of any perceived imperfections. “Everything is designed, whether that
be by man or God. My work is about revealing how well, or not, that thing has been designed,” he says.“X-ray
is an honest process. If something is beautiful and well made, then I
show that. If it is a piece of crap, then that is revealed too.” On his website,
toy robots, mp3 players and flowers all get the Veasey treatment. Take that for what you will. Beyond any sort of
exposé that would make Geraldo Rivera blush, however, is also enjoying the artistic journey into the heart of his
subject matter. Certainly, looking through into the physical core of say, a teddy bear, isn’t going to reveal much on
an x-ray beyond fiber-filled fuzz, bright white eye sockets rendered by buttons and a smile of thick thread. And
physically speaking, that is enough.“On a more cerebral level, my work is about finding time for inner contentment
in our busy lives,” he notes, discounting what he sees as modern-day “rampant commercialism.” He continues, “A
hug from my kids means more to me than buying a new car.”An x-ray of a hug would indeed render something
more human than an image of a collection of engines and leaking pistons. Humanity manifests itself in other facets
of Nick’s work—and not necessarily with photographs of skeletons. “Love is at the heart of my work,” says the
artist, going on to say that “synthetic and superficial obsession with appearance permeates today’s culture.” The
fiber of which is spoken is both of clothing material as well as the inner fiber of the soul. “I think being in a state
of contentment with those that are important makes us happy. This is how I define love.”“Overconsumption and
vacuous consumerism,” as the x-ray photographer dubs them, are “problematic issues” that form a subtext across
his works.“That could be considered a charitable act,” he says. His work has taken an actively charitable tack, as
well. A few years ago, he did a pro bono exhibition in London for a charity focusing on osteoporosis research and
prevention. X-rays are among the tools used in the first-line defense against the degenerative disease, so his work
seemed “apt,” noted Veasey. But rather than taking a stark negative approach, he sought to show a more human
side in his exhibition, making it “positive, rather than nasty bones.” Human forms are but a fraction of his work.
Of the people who do make the cut, it’s often a case of form fits function, such as a tennis player extending into a
serve. More often, it’s of the interplay of man and the trappings of society. One shot features a man with the outline
of a gun slung over his shoulder. Another, a rear view of a man whose trousers are filled with telecommunications
devices such as a cell phone and a personal digital assistant, that allow one to scream, unfortunately often quite
literally, about one’s self-importance. And 20 years later, through technological advances and swings in fashion
which currently parallel those of some two decades ago, Nick Veasey’s artistic tone remains the same. Acid house,
Factory Records and trapeze dresses are back in vogue, but the virtue of exposing society’s commercialism remains
a classic that has never stood more naked. “I like my work to have a bit of attitude and resonance but also to be
simple and straightforward. I’ve found that my passions change over time but it is the constants in life that count.”w
© NICK VEASEY, 2008
Love. Made exclusively for TWELV Magazine © NICK VEASEY, 2012
© NICK VEASEY, 2008
Erwin Wurm
Adorno was wrong. Well, sort of
by Frank Expósito
surely have hated commodity and those popular soup cans. But
could he have resisted a manual that turns body into art, comprehension into product? I think he would agree that in making
sculpture impermanent, Wurm has destabilized art into thin air,
down to its very molecule and fraction of its cents.
They were the new technology. Soon all the kids had
them, stand-ins for a single intent: “call me.” Beepers, over most things, became 3-D calling cards,
each beep and code a modern update or tweet. Those
little plastic boxes held so much, until they fell before the Motorolas, texting Sidekicks, and iGadgets.
Communication has its price as new innovation.
Blogging does too; personal choices are evocative of
brands willing to pay for those clicks and likes—
Facebook and its advertisers. It seems that nothing,
not even identity through choice, has escaped the market. Theodor Adorno was the mid-century philosopher to address commercialism in this way, writing
about monetary value as the sole identity consumers
subscribe to over other features. He warned that if
art fell into this wash, it would not come out clean,
unable to tell the truth about the discounted (secretly
dented) machine. The Austrian artist Erwin Wurm
continues this conversation in the modern day, even
though it might read as Adorno was wrong with his
ideas about art (2005).
Erwin Wurm was born in 1954 in Bruck an der Mur, Austria. Growing up in the handoff between Abstract Expressionism and Pop
art, his generation saw Rothko give up, and post-modern art react,
retreating into naked concept without its painterly book covers to
speak loud and attract. Art still hides behind the question, “Well,
what am I if I’m not self-expression or mass cultural concept?”
For Wurm, he answers with absurdity, that “you” aren’t one but
any, which can be funny, like pickles betwixt one’s toes or the
improper use of brooms. Wurm pokes fun at the human condition
for having to endure countless designations of what is right and
what isn’t. Pickles are meant to be eaten, we know, and brooms
to sweep, but with Wurm they have limitless possibilities. Cars,
sweaters, and other luxury goods are also re-examined as objects
that house the body in ridiculous ruse.
In readdressing the identity of things—not what they are but what
has been determined they cannot be—Wurm challenges Adorno’s
autonomy that would keep art in solitary confinement. Art seems
to be where art usually isn’t. In 2003, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers acted out a Wurm sculpture in their video for “Can’t stop.”
In recent years, fashion designers have also followed suit. Thom
Browne did it in bulbous grey cable knit sweaters, the disproportionate man turned rugby hulk, as well as in a dress of Tronian pyramids that sprout like Wurm’s envious bumps breaking
free from the common model form. Even the conceptual house
of Martin Margiela packaged bodies in allusions to the grey leggy
box men of constructed coats and reshaped contexts.
Taking the precedent he set for himself with his One Minute
Sculptures of oranges, chairs, and office supplies that made him
famous in the nineties, Wurm’s Adorno was wrong similarly uses
odd objects that invite performance: haphazardly strewn square
boards of pink drywall have hand drawn figures and messages
that say “follow the instruction and hold this position.” On one,
a wall fallen on top, asking to lie down like wicked, eastern coast
witches. On another, simply to “lay down—and don’t think.”
The audience participates, experiencing the sculpture from within its meaning on the inside, making it whole as part object, part
person. This is where Wurm’s chosen title comes into play, and
where Erwin wins one over Theodor.
By constructing these new meanings for art and objects, however,
Wurm seems to have taken a page right out of Adorno’s Negative
Dialectics (1966). There, Adorno confronts the promises we’ve
thrust onto materialism—the aspirations of beauty and symbols
of wealth. In doing so, he says, we miss the actual object to buy
into the dream. In order to access its true “non-identity,” we must
seek the objects’ false identification. For Wurm this is misuse, a
marker as earplug, a philosophical sparring partner. In a talk with
the artist, TWELV asks Erwin Wurm to speak more about his art
as different media and the reasons he feels he’s acting just like
everyone else.
If art is no longer complete on its own, if it physically asks for the
inclusion of another, how can art remain separate from society
as Adorno wished it would? Wurm has found a way in which art
becomes directly reliant on the other to create it. Adorno would
Studio Wurm, Untitled, 2007,
Courtesy Gallery Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, Belgium
41
You’ve made sculptures that aren’t permanent structures, but are fleeting, becoming more like props in a performance. Does impermanence
result in vitality?
Yes. I began this long ago. I realized that during my work the existence of each piece became shorter and shorter. The “doing” became
more and more important and the “result” became less important.
There was a change going on and I found this fascinating. I called
them One Minute Sculptures, but I was afraid of the ephemeral. The
work is invisible and I needed something to keep them present. So,
I began to take photos and videos of them. I’ve always worked in
variety, including drawing and more traditional sculpture. At certain
times over the years, the public or the curators have focused more
on one thing over another. In the mid-90’s, they focused on my One
Minute Sculptures. Now, they focus much more on much my 3-D
sculptures, my real sculptures.
Studio Wurm, Red Palmers,1997,
Gallery Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Would you say people inform your work as much as you attempt to
inform them?
At the very beginning, I was looking for issues that could be interesting for me to work on. In the first few years, I realized I had to
study sculpture because they didn’t accept me in the painting track. I
was always interested in colorful painting. I had to think totally differ
ently because I had never done 3-D before, which made me rethink
two dimensional skin, layers, and even time. All of a sudden, you’ve
posed questions and created issues, and this started my artistic work.
After being an artist for seventeen years or so, I had discovered that
one good idea wasn’t enough. You had to be able to switch the method and the material to keep it fresh and exciting again. When you’re
honest with your intention, the work goes the best. I had a problem
for a time in the nineties because I was fixed on sweaters. I could
not get rid of those fucking sweaters. I wasn’t ready to take the next
step. But, I was very surprised when the catalogs for my One Minute
Sculptures sold out. The second edition sold out as quickly. People
told me it was because they got ideas out of it. And then I saw advertisers and photographers use them.
Did you ever expect your art to be influential in fashion, showing up in
the collections of storied brands like Maison Martin Margiela, Comme
des Garçons, and Thom Browne?
No, no.You can’t go around creating things thinking you’re going to
be influential. When you reflect the world, the work can be very self
-concentrated. The philosopher Montaigne was the first to write
about the whole world just by writing about himself. I think that is
what an artist is. I was always amazed by movie directors—how they
are able to work with so many people—theater directors, producers, conductors. As an artist, you’re in your studio alone. I was never
able to share ideas. Maybe it’s that I’m too selfish because I want to
have my idea realized.Others can work on the social aspect, but that’s
where I am unable.
“We are
totally
made of
what we
see and
what we
hear.”
Do any designers influence your work?
I like Martin Margiela a lot. And, that English designer that died last
year—what’s his name—Alexander McQueen. Also, the Belgian designer Walter van Bierendonck. He’s crazy. His pieces seem to be between art and fashion, which is why I asked him to be a part of a show
I did. I’ve known about his work for about ten years. He once used
fifty models that looked exactly like him. They all looked like bears:
bald heads, big beards, heavy, chests full of hair. And, imagine, they
were just showing underwear. It was like an art piece. Walter had told
me he liked my work and had made some pieces based on it. Most of
his pieces are more art than what you can wear. I couldn’t wear it. But,
he’s created pieces that are walking sculptures. Some fashion designers are also artists. Clothes are something we culturally wear, day-today, to change our personalities or the look of our personalities.
42
Gallery Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, Belgium, Fat Convertible,2005, Gallery Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, Belgium
What are some of the things that you identify with, personal We are a hundred percent conditioned. I’m pretty sure
objects outside your art practice? My car, for one. Maybe the people who lived in the past are not at all related
not in New York, but in the rest of the world people can to us in this because it has been perfected now. They
show off with the car, how cool they are. The house and were biological creatures, but they lived in a comthe car are objects that can be used to present yourself to pletely different reality. Did people feel pain differothers. The Fat House (2003) and Fat Car (2001) came out ently than we do today? Before, people would easily
of this idea. It’s a reflection of an idea of what you’ve heard get hurt and death was a daily thing, people dying all
about being rich and of what it means to be rich. Then, you over the place. Now, it’s blocked out.
become part of the group; you’ve bought the membership
to a group who can afford it. But, what actually happens is
that you become unsatisfied and want the next thing, and
nothing’s changed. I’ve also stepped into this trap. I bought
my first car when I got money. It’s ridiculous. But, I did it.
I’m the same kind of guy.
You’ve once said that we live in “an existence made of gesture and design [that] has become a reality of its own—the
authentically false!” Why is humor the best way to expose the
truth?
You can tell the truth more easily through humor. It’s related to meanness on the one side, and on the other it’s healing
through laughter. It’s mean because you address a certain
problem, and people laugh though we are hurt.There’s a
very thin layer between who we are and how we want to be
seen. And, for many, there can be a big difference between
the two. Some live how they want to be perceived, and others don’t. I hope many don’t because that would be really
boring. I think there must be more behind it because the
truth is not easily reached.I know there is more behind it. w
You’ve mentioned before that your interest is not on the
“body” but that your experiments with sweaters and adipose
tissue recall skin and barriers. If one does not know when
he begins or ends, because he has placed his identity onto objects, is the individual being oppressed for the sake of mass
consumption?
We are totally made of what we see and what we hear.
We are made of genetic conditions and forced conditions, and forced social conditions, and where we grew
up, and which people we met, and who our parents
were, the social code of the society, of the continent of
the country, the people with black skin or white skin.
43
Studio Wurm, Two ways of carrying a bomb, 2003, Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York, USA
g
Photography CHEK WU
THE GUMMY BEAR DRESS
Created by HISSA IGARASHI & Sayuri Murakami
Hair YOICHI TOMIZAWA using Shu Uemura @ See Management. Makeup Akiko Sakamoto @ See Management. Model
Jessica Pitti@Major Models. Production, Casting Marbles & Marbles Production. Location Splashlight Studios
Beautiful
Darling
Director James Rasin
by Frank Expósito
In 1948, a boy walked into the office of German endocrinologist, Dr. Harry Benjamin asking, if not pleading, to become a girl. Dr. Benjamin, urged on by sexologist
Alfred Kinsey, would agree to treat this young patient, becoming the first pioneer of
transgender hormone replacement therapy. It would take another twenty years for
a transsexual to pass as a Hollywood leading actress, gracing international screens
in the indie film by Paul Morrissey aptly named Flesh (1968).
The 2010 documentary, Beautiful Darling delves into the life and loss of James “Candy Darling” Slattery,
the first transsexual movie star. Born in 1944, in the uniform days of generic, factory-installed neighborhoods in Massapequa, Long Island, Candy would have to travel far from regularity’s gripping complacency to become the woman she envisioned herself to be. James Rasin, the film’s director, frames Candy’s
story around a “dinner conversation” between Warhol survivors and friends, including Bob Colacello,
Fran Lebowitz, Candy’s closest, Jeremiah Newton, and with Chloë Sevigny narrating Candy’s inner
voice. They discuss the inhospitable landscape of her day—the challenges transsexuals faced out on the
streets, on the hunt for acceptance and emasculating pills—and the feminine portrayal that left even
the straightest of men dumbfounded. James Rasin is best known for his Beat films on writers Herbert
Huncke and Corso; for his next project, he will look into the life of Jack Walls, the long time boyfriend
of famous seventies photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe. Back from two years of numerous film festival
awards, including Berlin’s Official Selection and Chicago’s Best Documentary, Rasin sits with TWELV to
discuss Ms. Darling over drinks at the dim Black & White, a bar not far from the old Max’s Kansas City,
where Candy used to sit at her place as a superstar in Warhol’s exclusive backroom, now a deli next to a
convenience store.
Nowadays, there are fashion models that are highly regarded for a unisex look, like Iris Strubegger or
Andrej Pejic, a boy who looks like a girl, naturally, like Candy. What was the culture like in the ‘60s for
someone posing as a woman?
It was illegal on the street to be wearing a dress. The only time you could be dressed up as a woman
was on Halloween. The cops would sit in front of the club on Halloween night, waiting. After midnight,
they’d arrest you. They were always harassing gay people. But, in some ways, because it was so underground, it’s like they had their own world—a subculture that was technically illegal, but that once you
got in there, you could thrive. Of course [afterwards], you would be stuck in that world. To break out of it
was a huge accomplishment, which was the stepping stone that Andy [Warhol] gave Candy. There wasn’t
anyone else around who was going to do that. I always say about Andy that,while he did use people, he
offered them an opportunity.
© 2001 Beautiful Darling, LLC
48
“The only time you could be dressed
up as a woman was on Halloween.”
A film like this can get very messy with a legend like Andy Warhol,
becoming more about a member of the great Factory than “Candy
Darling” as the subject on her own. Were you cautious of that?
In earlier versions of the film, there was a lot more of Andy
(“There’s Andy, let’s put Andy in there”). It’s hard not to have
Andy. But slowly, cut after cut, we had gotten him out of our
system. I wanted the movie to be Candy’s story, with Andy Warhol
just one chapter in her life. Usually, it’s Andy who dominates
everything. He takes advantage of people, uses them, and
throws them away. They’ll end up in some tragic circumstance,
and then Andy ends up on top. I had heard enough of that.
What was Candy’s story then, and how was it different from the
other Warhol stars?
There were a lot of people who were in The Factory that ended
up dead—drug overdose or suicide. But Candy wasn’t a big drug
addict, not a big drinker. She wasn’t a self-destructive person.
In that way, she was different than your typical Warhol victim,
like Edie [Sedgwick].Candy’s life was very hard from the very
beginning. She was a beautiful baby boy. In fact, her mother
put a baby picture of her in Gertz department store for the
most beautiful baby photograph contest when she was three
or four. But she won the best girl photo. The mother kind of
encouraged it a little bit, or understood it. But, after Candy had
died, [Jeremiah, her best friend] was the one to rescue all of her
diaries and clothes from the mother. Her mother was going to
throw them all away because she had gotten remarried and her
new husband was very uptight and conservative. She didn’t want
him to know that she had this child that was transgendered. She
wanted to erase Candy.
But when she was alive, Candy had become very comfortable
with who she was. Her attitude was really punk rock, the punk
rock ethos being, ‘I don’t have to be a musician to be a rock star;
all I have to do is get on stage and start playing.’ This whole
thing on identity is what I found most interesting about her, the
questions that she raised: “Who am I?” and “How do I become
who I really believe I am?” Candy didn’t have to be a woman to
be a woman, or a movie star to be a movie star. If she said she was
a movie star, she was.
For her, it wasn’t even only to become a woman, or to become
a movie star—a Kim Novak. She knew very well, like any actor
or artist, where her power lay; not only in her beauty, but in the
mystery behind the magic. That was one of the reasons she
didn’t want to have the operation. The big thing about “Candy
Darling” was that she had a dick. If she didn’t have a dick
anymore, she’d be a post-op like everybody else. She would lose
something that was valuable to her persona. She was calculating
like that. And, in a way, what she had become was something
very genuine. By becoming something so completely artificial,
one arrives at some kind of complete genuineness, which is art
in a way, to arrive at some truth. Jimmy’s truth was Candy. To get
there, he had to become a total construction.
Should we consider her to be the prototype for today’s reality
‘stars,’ the truth being that we’re all acting?
It’s a very American thing, being able to create oneself. Candy
just took it to an extreme. It’s really a classic American story, like
On the Road: someone goes on a journey, it takes them to many
places, and they discover something about themselves. I think
it’s something everyone goes through. Candy went through it
in a very exaggerated way, and maybe traveled a much further
distance. I used to ask what the difference was between Candy
and Paris Hilton, pretty blondes running around being famous
for being famous. But, obviously, Candy is not Paris Hilton,
someone who’s come from great privilege and who didn’t have
to go through any of the things Candy had to do—to suffer—to
figure out who she was. Those [reality stars] aren’t artists. Candy
was an artist; it was a kind of performance art that she did on a
day-to-day basis.
In those days, it was not necessarily easy to get people’s attention.
There were a lot of people out there trying to get famous. Today,
because of reality TV, because of Twitter, everyone has a camera;
that person can be good looking or funny so they deserve to be
on YouTube. In order to get Andy Warhol to point a camera at
you, you had to have something really special. 16 mm film was
expensive; they weren’t going to waste it. Candy was out there
being photographed by Peter Beard, Robert Mapplethorpe
(before he became famous), Cecil Beaton, Scavullo, and Avedon.
Tennessee Williams put her in his plays while Andy Warhol in
movies, and Lou Reed was writing songs about her. This is not
some small, undeserved, flash-in-the-pan fame. While Candy
was sitting in Max’s, Women in Revolt was playing in France,
Japan and Spain. She was being projected out into the world, in
a way like that transgendered model today [Lea T]. Candy was
being accepted for who she was as a female, as a person. That
alone was revolutionary. She was so beautiful, and in that way it
was maybe easier for her than the rest.
Before she died, Candy wrote a goodbye note in a rather
melodramatic way, wishing goodbye to certain people important
in her life, while mentioning things like “an unreal existence,” and
being “bored to death.” Isn’t that a predictable ending, something
we’ve heard before?
Her end was a role—yet another role—and she decided to play
it as a tragic heroine in a classic Hollywood movie, like a tragic
Camille that dies young. When Candy poses for that last photo in
the movie and that note, it’s part and parcel of that whole thing.
She wrote that note a week or two before she died, carefully
crafted. I mean, she was dying so it was very painful and very
difficult for her. But, she continued the act. But I don’t think
“Candy Darling” was an act; it was a persona that she created
and that she became. She created this persona because this is
what she needed to become in order to feel comfortable in her
own skin. You hear Fran Lebowitz in the film representing the
voices of, ‘it was an act.’ And, that’s one take on it, but it isn’t
necessarily mine (or the truth). Even the end, she played up. She
was a drama queen. But an act? John Waters says in the film, ‘If
you’re really going to act your own death out, well that’s taking
method acting to a real extreme.’ w
Andy Warhol Museum, Jeremiah Jay Newton Collection
51
Mischa Barton
Cover Girl Come Back
by Tristan Bultman
Photography CHEK WU Styling HISSA IGARASHI
At first glance, most don’t know what to
think about Mischa Barton anymore. Many
thought 2007’s “It Girl” from the ultrapopular television hit, The O.C. was all but
done. But after seeing her pose for the camera at TWELV’s cover shoot, then sitting
down with her for an extensive interview
one thing is clear: Mischa is nowhere near
finished. She got her start at the age of eight
as a classically trained stage actress, starring in three critically acclaimed Broadway
plays before becoming a household name for
her role as Marissa Copper on The O.C.,
at the age of seventeen. Her meteoric rise
seemed almost unstoppable, but after a series of unflattering paparazzi pictures and
negative news cycles the star seemed to all
but disappear, a break she told me she was
ready for after all the attention she received
for her role as Marissa.
I take
pride
in
fashion
When should we expect to see it released?
Who knows? The last rumor I heard from someone—people
always come up and tell you rumors about things like that in
this industry—was that it upset a lot of people. Martin Sheen
plays a real life man who was held responsible for [the disaster]. A lot of Indians were very upset by it. I think maybe they
thought it was too soon. I don’t know, but I heard that that
was what held it up too. I really have no idea what to say on
that one.
If you could play any role in any production ever made, what
would it be?
Now, a few years later, and a “lot of lessons learned,” the
actress and budding designer seems to take comfort in
her new low profile and is back to work in a major way.
With four films set to release in the next year or so, an
already successful clothing line in its first season, a flagship “lifestyle” store set to open in London any day now,
a long list of globetrotting appearances for her brand,
photo shoots, and a short music video cameo (in nothing but underwear), the actress doesn’t see an end to her
success anytime soon—just a quieter, more settled vsion
of herself. After a full day of shooting for her much antici-
That’s always so complicated for me. You know whom I’ve
always loved—it just pops into my head—there’s that character Astrid, that protagonist Astrid in White Oleander. Alison
Lohman played her back in the day. That’s an incredible book.
I’m all about strong, interesting female leads. I mean, I like
classic pieces. There are of course, the Ophelias. That’s the
piece that I chose to read in the end of RADA [Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]; I was Ophelia. But it’s hard. There are
so many different eras and types of characters you could play.
From a Great Gatsby-esque-type vibe to 70s rock chic, you
know, like, an ingénue. I’m pretty open really. I don’t lock
myself in…because you can’t anymore, honestly. I used to do
that, when I was younger. I used to be, like, I’m waiting for a
role that’s more like this. There’s just so much out there.
pated cover shoot with TWELV, the intelligent and sedulous
star sat down with me for another hour to discuss her passion
for life, fashion, acting, charity, and the future. Who knows,
we may even see a return to the stage for the talented actress.
Tell our readers about your upcoming role in the re-make of the
Japanese horror film, Apartment 1303 in 3D.
You have an upcoming historical film, which will pique our
readers’ interest – Bhopal: Prayer for Rain. How did this role
come about? Tell us about your character.
Dress PACO RABANNE. On lip M.A.C cosmetics lipstick.
Fragrance PACO RABANNE 1 Million & Lady Million
There was a lot of creative difference on that. I’m really proud
of the way I did my character, like strong, tough. But I’ll be
interested to see, to be honest, the way they do the 3D and
everything else. They fired the director very early on, Daniel
Fridell, who was the whole reason that I partook in the whole
thing. They fired him, and some other guy who’s never directed before directed [the film]. So it’ll be really interesting to see
how it turns out. Honestly, I think it could have been amazing;
it could have been really next-level. We’ll see how it turns out,
but I like the character I play, Lara Slate. She’s a really, really
cool girl. She’s very tough and boyish, and now that I’m
I play an 80s photographer girl—it’s set in the 80s—and she’s
out there taking pictures of other things, and then this insane
disaster happens. They just approached me. It was Martin
Sheen, and it was in India and it sounded fascinating. It was
a very heartwrenching movie. Just the experience of going to
India and everything—which was life-changing for me—I’m
so glad I did it. That’s why I was just, like, I think I have to do
that. It wasn’t a huge role, but it was just a really lucky role to
get to do for a lot of reasons.
53
older, I have a lot of that dude thing in me, where I was a lot
more delicate when I was young. It’s one of the first roles I’ve
gotten to play where I was straight tough female, like, don’t
mess with me. That, I was really into. She’s pretty ghetto, that
character. I based her very loosely on the girl from Fish Tank,
which I think is an incredible film. I’ll be interested to see
what they do with it.
What was it like to win the Style icon of the year award from
Karl Lagerfeld?
That was awesome. It’s a real accolade for me, in a weird way,
because I do love my fashion; I do really look up to stylish
women. A lot of actresses are, like, ‘oh well, I only wear…’; ‘I
won’t put that on’; ‘what is that? That’s Vuitton? What is Vuitton?’ A lot of actresses are like that. I actually grew up in New
York around fashion. I take pride in fashion. I really like it. I
understand that it’s an art form. It’s a design. It’s a mood that
you feel when you put it on. It’s also just so beautiful, couture.
How could you not love it, in a way? You look at that jacket
today, and it’s like, that jacket’s fucking amazing. It’s not practical, but it’s art. That’s what I really love about it.
So, you’re opening up a store in London this spring?
End of May. It’s just for the handbags. And I’m doing makeup as well, which I’m really proud of. The makeup is really
great—that’s to round out the store— because the idea behind
the store was sort of a 70s Biba-esque thing. I wanted it to
be almost a vibe, a hangout. People seem to get a very specific vibe from me, just because I know what I like and what I
don’t like. That’s the way my taste goes: it’s either yes or no.
There’s very rarely a middle ground with me, where I’m like,
‘oh, it’s okay’. My dream for it was to be a hangout, an idea,
a feeling. Back in London, in the day, you used to walk into
Biba and buy anything, incense, because you loved the company and that’s what you could afford; to, you know, work your
way up to this coat that you adored. Eventually, they even
sold baked beans in a can. That’s obviously not where we’re
headed but— (laughs) designer baked beans, maybe I should,
my favorite food is Ambrosia Creamed Rice—I just wanted it
to be something that was indicative of my style and taste and
made kids feel good about themselves. It makes you feel good
about yourself if you can be a part of the company and part of
the vibe.
It’s more of a lifestyle?
And it’s affordable.
What inspirations did you draw from when designing your
new line?
Well, a lot of my mother’s generation, mixed with practical
basics. But right now, this is the beginning of the collection:
first first first collection. So it’s hard when you start out in the
very beginning; you kinda just have to do the dresses and then
some leggings and t-shirts and, like, little skirts. Now I’m designing spring and summer ’13. It’s different; it’s more interesting. We’ll get into a groove, it’s so complicated when you
first start. There’s a lot of luck involved in what you get
back when you’re working all the way in China, and so it’s
hard to make those changes. And I’m really hands-on; it’s not
like I’m filtering this out to some other kids who are doing it
for me. And eventually, I’d like to have pieces made here in
Los Angeles; I’d like to have pieces locally made, as well. But
I love our factories, which we’ve visited. We’ve all been out
to the factories, seen them. It’s just so far and so complicated;
it’s so much work. I couldn’t do it without the team of people
who help me, but also I’m not willing to just totally delegate
it. I have to have a say in it.
Hair ROB TALTY @ The Magnet Agency using Oribe. Makeup KATHY JEUNG
@ The Magnet Agency. Manicurist STEPHANIE STONE Production,Casting
Marbles & Marbles Production. Location Smashbox Studio
Here in LA,
I volunteer
a lot.
A lot a lot
Your philanthropic résumé is very impressive. To name a few
causes you support: global warming, women’s cancer research,
skin cancer prevention, Lupus cure research, advocacy for children of impoverished nations, the list goes on. What drives you
to give so much of yourself to so many different causes?
I get so much out of it that it doesn’t even feel like that. It feels
almost selfish doing it. When I was in Africa, I got to do all this
work with Save the Children, and then when I was in India,
I did some work with them there, with Muslim girls living in
India. Honestly, it’s just so rewarding. Here in LA, I volunteer
a lot. A lot a lot. South Central. Dream Center. Everything
from, like, cleaning up peoples’ homes to helping kids in inner
city programs and going down and talking to them, and playing basketball with them, and making arts and crafts. It’s really
better for me because it’s real people. It seems voyeuristic and
weird, but it’s the real world.
What organizations are you currently involved with?
Save the Children. Climate Star. The Dream Center, a little
bit, here in Los Angeles.
So what’s next for Mischa Barton? What’s the short-term future
hold for you?
Well, I’m off to England soon, so I’m kind of just enjoying
these few weeks. I was just at Coachella; I did a photo shoot
today, one the day before yesterday, I’ve got one on Saturday,
and then on Monday, I get to do Noel Gallagher’s video, which
I’m really excited about. I’m such a Noel fan that I’m really so
happy they asked me to do it. So that should be fun. It’s quite
a fun few weeks until I go back. We do some scripts and stuff,
but then I’m just getting ready to go to London to get this
store together. It’s not even empty yet. We’re gonna watch it
get put together. Going to Dubai, Stockholm, and Kazakhstan.
And where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully, chillin’ (laughs). I see myself getting-ready-for-kids
time, almost. It’s a confusing thought. I wouldn’t say it’s something that’s really on my mind too much because it’s not. I still
feel very young and very career-driven. I’m just like my big
sister who’s still, at 33, not even thought about having a child;
she’s so career-driven. But I can see myself with another home,
probably in England.
Will you ever return to New York to light up the Broadway
stage again?
Yes, maybe, I’d like that.w
You can read the entire interview at www.twelvmag.com.
Coat DOLCE & GABBANA. On lips
DOLCE&GABBANA makeup lipstick.
Fragrance DOLCE&GABBANA Rose
The One
ALICIA
BABY LIGHT MY FIRE
Photography SILJA MAGG
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Where are you from?
The Island of Mauritius.
How long have you lived in New York?
Four years.
What does “Love” mean to you?
Love is a feeling of being 100% comfortable. At ease. You feel complete.
Love is trust and unity, wether it’s love
you have for a family member or for
your partner.
What is your favorite food?
It is called Dholl Puri,it is made from
crushed yellow split peas rolled into a
sort of savory pancake and served with
various assorted sauces and curries and
it is a speciality from my Island.
Do you have any specific quote you like?
If so, which one?
I have a lot of respect for Marilyn
Monroe. One of my favorite quotes: “I
believe that everything happens for
a reason. People change so that you
can learn to let go, things go wrong so
that you appreciate them when they’re
right, you believe lies so you eventually
learn to trust no one but yourself, and
sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”
Marilyn Monroe
What is your favorite art work?
The Barcelona series (1944), of Miro.w
Hair, Makeup AYAE YAMAMOTO. Model
ALICIA @ Ford Models. Production, Casting
CLARISSA MORALES. Dress LAUREN by
RALPH LAUREN.
Fashion, as you know, changes quickly, but the industry itself
seems institutional. How did you make your break in the
beauty industry, and has it changed since then?
Good
PEOPLE
TO
know
In 1981, I moved to New York with my boyfriend, Kevyn
Aucoin. I got a job at Name Models, and worked there
for three years but really didn’t like representing models.
I was the low person in the agency, so it was about having a sixteen-year-old- girl talk to you like if you were a
dog. Kevyn was unhappy with his agent at that time, and I
thought I should move into this. I had met Michael Thompson through Kevyn. Michael was Irving Penn’s assistant. So,
I opened my company in 1989. Today, there are so many
more beauty brands. The market is so much more saturated. It used to be that, for fashion shows, the designer would
hire the makeup artist that they wanted. But now, even a
lot of celebrity red carpet work is sponsored by cosmetic
companies. I try to have synergy with all my different companies and my worldwide group of connections. If we have
a young hot actress, we can put her right in front of LVMH
right away for endorsements. It offers a lot for personal
brand building.
How do you discern whom you want to represent?
Besides their talent, personality is a big part of it. For makeup artists, for instance, they’ve got to have the right personality besides what they do that can make the client feel
good in their own skin. With Kevyn, his talent was really
varied. He could look at someone and realize if they needed
just a bit of an enhancement or a full-face retread. He could
go either way with people.
Do you think the personality is where the beauty lies as opposed to something that maybe is just on the surface?
JED ROOT
Down to the Root of Beauty
by Frank EXPÓSITO Photography CHEK WU
With four cups of coffee, half a pack of cigarettes, and the
New York Times on his iPad, Jed Root starts his day.
With offices in London,Paris, Tokyo,L.A., and New York,
along with a new modeling agency and a Hollywood talent
agency,it seems that he’s left no rock unturned in the beauty
business.That’s because, as almost anything else these days,
Root’s business is about connections and brands, and his
specialty is pairing actress with makeup artist,leading
starlet with potential LVMH fashion sponsor.
He began his career in the early eighties, representing his boyfriend
Kevyn Aucoin, who would famously go on to do makeup for Tina Turner
and Cher. Root’s client roster today includes a host of makeup artists,
notable photographers like Michael Thompson and David Armstrong,
stylists, and even important illustrators. He’s cast a wide net and now
has everything he needs to stage beauty. But don’t bring along a bratty
teenage girl. Models be warned; Jed Root isn’t playing around.
59
I think so. We try to develop people who have personality.
I’ve never been attracted to those models that if you change
their hair and makeup you don’t even recognize them anymore. I like those girls with their own personality that still
comes through in the pictures. On the photography side,
I’ve taken on Scott Schuman, Bill Gentle (known as Backyard Bill), and Olivier Zahm. They take very good pictures,
but it’s not necessarily only about the pictures. The idea of
blogging or having your own magazine is something that’s
really allowed people to create that even more defined
sense of their own actual world that brands want to buy into.
Olivier has really created that very-intellectual-but-kind-oftrashy-bad-boy. He writes really intelligently about art and
fashion, but is also able to maintain his bad party boy. It really makes sense. It blends the line between photographer
and editor. With makeup, hair, photographers and stylists,
they all have to bring their own point of view, but they also
have to have a certain collaborative sense as well. They’re
working as part of a team. For me, it’s a matter of guiding
them in the direction they should go, what their strengths
and weaknesses are. It’s really about identifying other people’s talent and nurturing it.
What’s the latest on beauty today?
It’s a bit more out there. People are just ‘okay’ to be a bit
more out there, whether it’s this sort of neo-goth, people
finding a way to wear more makeup, or the blending of gender lines. You have André Pejic, who is not a transsexual
at all, but just happens to look like the most beautiful girl
you’ve ever seen, without any effort. The young kids know
what the direction is already. They often teach me more
about it than I teach them. They’re online; they see pictures online. If I teach them anything, it’s more about the
history of what came before. This is Helmut Newton; you
should probably take a look at this.
Lauren
Bush
Lauren
What do you love about fashion?
Fashion is very personal. It is what we choose to wear every day
and how we choose to present ourselves to the world. It can be
functional, creative, and it can stand for something you believe in.
That is why in trying to think of ways to engage people in the fight
against world hunger, I decided that creating a fashionable item
that also has a donation attached to the cost was the best way to go.
How did you conceive of the FEED project?
After traveling as a student with the United Nations (UN) World
Food Programme to various countries throughout the world, I felt
compelled to do more and activate others around giving school
meals to kids globally. That is when the idea for FEED came about.
On the Noble Mission of Curing
Hunger Through Fashion
by Carrie Loewenthal Massey
Where does FEED stand today?
To date, FEED has been able to raise enough funds to give nearly
60 million school meals to kids around the world. We have worked
with partners like Whole Foods Market, Disney, HSN, Pottery
Barn, Clarins, Godiva and many more. We will continue to raise
money through product sales and through our FEED Foundation in order to support food and nutrition programs abroad and in
America that are effectively fighting hunger and malnutrition.
When it comes to using fashion as a force for profound humanitarian good, Lauren Bush Lauren has
cornered the market. A trailblazing social entrepreneur, the former model devotes her full-time efforts
to her non-profit, FEED, which sells iconic bags,
shirts, shoes, and other items to raise funds to end
world hunger. Founded in 2006, FEED most recently partnered with Toms to sell a “FEED” imprinted shoe. Each pair sold of the new Toms design
translates to not only a pair of shoes for someone in
need, but also twelve school lunches. Beyond FEED,
in 2008 Lauren launched her own women’s fashion
label, Lauren Pierce, with the mission of creating a
sustainable production line that empowers women in
Africa to engage in trade and start businesses. She
discussed with us the love, dedication, and experience
that drive her to dedicate her work to fusing fashion
with charity.
Can you share a bit about the concept behind your Lauren Pierce
clothing line?
For Lauren Pierce, I have sourced hand-dyed fabric from a group
of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Each fabric is
one-of-a-kind, making each garment one-of-a-kind as well. The inspiration for the line was to make clothes that are elegant and feminine, while also supporting these women artisans and celebrating
their traditional craft.
Do you sense any movement in the fashion industry as a whole when
it comes to bridging the gap between luxury and poverty?
From my experience, the fashion industry has been extremely
supportive and compassionate. I think that consumers are also demanding that companies give back more and create products that
are more ethically sourced. So I see things moving more and more
in this direction.
How did you get started in humanitarian work?
As a child, my mom would take us to volunteer at soup kitchens
and homeless shelters. Then when I was in college, I got the opportunity to travel around the world with the UN World Food Programme as their Honorary Student Spokesperson. This only further opened my eyes to the issues of hunger and poverty that so
many face around the world. Approximately one in seven people
go to bed hungry every night. And hunger kills more than AIDS,
Malaria, and TB combined. Hunger is a silent killer and something
that deserves a lot more attention and aid than it gets.
What drives your continued passion for charity work?
For me, it is the people, especially kids, who go hungry every day
that drive me to do what I do. There is such a disparity in this world
between people who have access to food and clean water and those
who don’t. It’s simply unfair that so many do not have access to
something as basic and essential as food!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years in terms of your work in both
fashion and international aid?
I hope that in 10 years FEED has continued to thrive and help
feed more and more people. I love what I do as a social entrepreneur, so I hope to be doing this!w
60
Tom Pecheux
The Maverick of Makeup
by Hunt Ethridge
Tom Pecheux, Estée Lauder’s new creative director,
is taking the EL brand, and makeup in general, to
a level never before seen. He has just brought EL
for the first time to Paris Fashion Week, painted the
face of Princess Diana, and has inadvertently started
color trends from his work on the runway. Having
grown up on a farm in rural France with aspirations
to become a pastry chef, Pecheux’s path to becoming
the maverick of makeup is atypical for the industry!
TWELV had to opportunity to catch up with Pecheux
to talk to him about his progression, his style, and
where the makeup industry is going from here.
So what, specifically, happened in Paris to change you from an
aspiring pastry chef to a makeup artist? I still enjoy cooking, but
something changes when you turn it into a job. I met a young woman that was learning how to do makeup, and something rang a bell.
I then just decided I needed to learn all about this field.
What do you find is the biggest difference in the color palettes between countries? Are some countries more prone to using more vivid
shades? In general, Italians like orange, Germans like pink and in
Asia, they like pastels. I don’t really follow that though. I think it
has to fit the individual. On the runway, you get all nationalities,
everyone is different. I try to find what will fit each individual best.
Do you draw inspiration from anything in particular? Music? Art?
Nature? Or do you just create looks that you’d like to see? I like and
Photo by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
draw on 17th and 18th century art, contemporary art. Traveling a
lot and meeting different people, you learn so much also. Getting
to meet and work with such great people every day is inspirational.
Why can’t they? If nothing else, some concealer to cover a pimple
for example. Makeup is meant to make yourself feel good, and
then you can add a color to add character or personality. If women
have that option, then men should as well. That was what Johnny
Depp was doing in that movie, creating a character.
I know that your decision to use the glossy black lipstick in the YSL
Fall 2008 show helped bring a slew of dark lip products to the
market. When that happens, is it a vindication of your concept for
a show? For each show, I try to bring my own flavor to it. I did not
expect it to become anything, and I never think about what would
become of it. For me, it is about the moment, and I play day-byday. I never forget that, as a makeup artist, I have to be flexible, like
a chameleon. It is not my show. I am working with them.
What new barriers are you looking to overcome and branch out into?
I feel that the company needs to push it even more. The makeup
at EL is very respectful to women. We want to make makeup more
playful, to make products that are more fun and playful. That is
what I think is missing a little.
Meeting Princess Diana had to have been amazing for you. What
was your biggest take-away from that shoot? The kindness and
What would you like your legacy to be for the next generation?
sweetness of Princess Diana and how pleasant the experience was.
When meeting with the royals at the palace, they had all these rules
for what we could or could not do, and we had to call princess Diana ‘Ma’am’ or ‘Madame,’ and to me that sounds like mother in
French. Princess Diana said to forget about all those rules. ‘Don’t
worry, feel free.’ She made everyone feel comfortable and at ease.
The joy of making a woman feel beautiful. Having a woman in a
department store become transformed by our products. I can work
with every woman to make her feel beautiful. It is a nice feeling
when you can give. I am not thinking about what I can leave behind, but what I can give. And that depends on what people want
to keep.
Most of us saw Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow look in the
Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Do you think makeup for men
would ever work, or is it even a good idea?
Many people have a personal quote or mantra to live by. Do you?
Live day-by-day.w
It should. Why not? After the revolution [of the 1960s], men started wearing makeup. If men want to wear makeup, they should.
61
Ariana
Rockefeller
Culture, Charity, Now Fashion; A Family Legacy Continued
by Laurel Leicht Photography CHEK WU Styling HISSA IGARASHI
sort of culminated in the realization that fashion is what I want to
do with my life.
What is your vision for the line?
To build a brand that represents my heritage and my family but
also brings my own personal touch. I want to create beautiful quality pieces, pieces that feel effortlessly chic. My mantra is to create
clothing I want to wear. The line is what I want in my closet.
Speaking of your family, your great-grandmother Abby Aldrich
Rockefeller was a cofounder of the Museum of Modern Art in New
York City. Will you tell our readers a little about her and how she
inspired your line?
My great-grandmother shaped my family’s sensibility as it is today. She loved the arts and culture and style, and she pushed the
boundaries and cut loose from convention—with confidence and
grace. My line is very classic and elegant but has her sense of freespiritedness.
What are your goals for the line?
Where would you like to see it in five or ten years?In five years,
I would love to see myself still learning but having a strong foothold in the industry. Right now my team is wonderful but small,
so building an incredible team and network would be my goal for
ten years. I never want it to be too big, though; I’d like it to be an
atelier style, and well known and respected.
Who are some artists or designers whose work you admire or emulate?
Stella McCartney. I admire her…she wanted to
make a name for herself on her own merit…That’s
my goal: to create a name for myself while respecting
and honoring my family’s name.In my own small
way, I want to carry on that family tradition of
keeping midtown Manhattan thriving.
Her last name is synonymous with philanthropy, and Ariana Rockefeller hopes it will soon be associated with fashion as well. While
continuing the family tradition of charity (she’s personally dedicated to the Wounded Warrior Project and Women for Women International), Ariana has spent the past two years establishing her
company, Aldrich Rockefeller Designs LLC; its second preview
collection will debut this summer. From her home in Los Angeles,
Ariana spoke with us about how she’s transforming a lifelong love
of fashion into a business and why giving back to her beloved New
York City will never go out of style.
One of the artists I studied at Columbia whose work really spoke
to me is the filmmaker, Maya Deren. She made mostly avantgarde films, full of grace and beauty. She pushed the boundaries and wasn’t afraid to express herself but maintained elegance.
And my favorite designer is Stella McCartney. I admire her for her
style and beautiful designs but also for her sense of integrity—she
wanted to make a name for herself on her own merit. She didn’t
ask her father for money and wanted to create her company on her
own. That’s my goal: to create a name for myself while respecting
and honoring my family’s name.
You’ve been involved with Save the Garment Center. Can you tell
our readers about what that is and why it’s important?
It’s an amazing resource for designers. A co-op for people to really center around midtown Manhattan, and keeping that strong.
Over the past decade, fashion has become much more mass-marketed—and while it’s wonderful to be able to bring style to people
who might not be able to afford a $1,000 Armani dress, it’s a fine
line when you have to turn to cheaper labor overseas. Producing
their pieces in New York City is a priority for a lot of American
designers. It’s important to be proud of that. Save the Garment
Center is about supporting U.S. manufacturers and suppliers, and
keeping the American fashion industry in Manhattan.
When did you first start developing a love of fashion?
Your line is currently being produced in midtown Manhattan?
My mother remembers that, as a young girl, I would put random Yes it is. Because I feel strongly about keeping the American fashfabrics together and make clothing with safety pins—just mixing ion industry based in New York—and I also believe in serving the
textures and patterns that I liked together. I was always drawn to country and the city that has given my family so much. My grandtextiles. It bloomed into a love of style because I had the privilege father built Rockefeller Center during the Depression; it created
of being around my parents and grandparents, who were very el- 75,000 jobs. In my own small way, I want to carry on that family
egant and sophisticated. They, and the community they were in, tradition of keeping midtown Manhattan thriving. It’s important
really influenced me from a young age. So I guess my love of style for me to keep it in mind that giving back is the most important.w
was learned through osmosis. It’s been brewing for a while, and it
Hair LEE RITTNER. Makeup TROY JENSEN. Dress Ariana Rockefeller Collection. Shoes Azzedine Alaia. Ring on right hand HOORSENBUHS
Scott Lipps
Behind Every Beautiful Woman, There’s A Strong Man
by Sarah Matalone and Jay Singleton Photography SILJA MAGG
As CEO and founder of one of the world’s most prestigious modeling agencies, the orchestrator behind a
premier fashion blog, the star of an E reality TV show, and the drummer in a rock ‘n’ roll band, one would
assume that model mogul Scott Lipps would be a difficult ego to work with. But contrary to expectations,
and as many have observed about the man, Lipps is different: down-to-earth, laid-back; Lipps possesses
the sangfroid of a man who is far too busy to think about what a successful, well-rounded individual he is.
Why are you so successful?
ing right now is with a big actor. It’s all about that: viral videos,
thinking outside of the box, promoting your talents in a different way than you’re used to. Ten years ago I used to pick up the
phone. Now people almost think it’s weird when you call them.
People almost get thrown off when you call them. And I actually
like a personal touch. Clearly, I Twitter, I Facebook, I text, I BBM,
but there’s nothing like getting together with clients for lunch or
dinner and seeing people in person. It’s something I think that’s
slowly dying in our business, and I think we need to have a little
bit more of that too.
I mean, a lot of hard work. It’s no secret that a lot of hard work,
networking and being out all the time, being a good person and
having good karma, hopefully, have had a lot to do with it. But I
work my ass off too. I’m sure there are always these other factors.
There’s luck. There’s timing. There’s who you know. But a lot of
it has to do with how hard I’ve worked. There are a lot of talented
people, but there are a lot of lazy people in this world too. I never
took anything for granted. I was definitely a broke musician for a
lot of years and ate Top Ramen with my other bandmates, living
in a one-bedroom. I think you never take things for granted once
you do that. It humbles you, and I think that’s a good thing.
What was the transition like from music to fashion?
My heart’s still very much in music. I never gave it up. But I think
that they’re both very complementary. If you look at our businesses, if you look at every top model, they want to go into acting, into
film. You have a lot of actors doing endorsements, and you have a
lot of musicians doing endorsements, and you have a lot of musicians who know a lot of models. There’s not even a one-degree
separation. It’s like a 0.0005 degree of separation. Our businesses,
they’re so connected. It’s very rare I meet someone in these related businesses and we either don’t know each other or we don’t
know someone that knows us or have a common ground.
Where do you see One Management going?
I think that the possibilities are endless. We’ve always thought
a little bit outside of the box. We are really into branding and
taking models to really nurture them to become brands. So girls
that were maybe not necessarily brands when they came here are
developing brands around them, are developing clothing lines
and fragrances. Obviously the media side of things is something
I really believe in. Content is a huge part of this business, and it’s
about cultivating that content and what you do with it, whether
it’s creating TV shows for clients, creating viral things, Twitter
and Facebook. That’s why I created this blog, Pop Lipps, because
ultimately, it’s promoting the girls, it’s getting the name of the
company out there, and it’s a new way to market people.
We know you do a lot to give back. What are your greatest causes?
It’s a lot about the clients here and whom they’re associated with.
Solite Ebanks is associated with Sierra Leone. Jessica White has
her Angel Wings charity foundation. Eva has done viral videos
for kids who needed medical health. A lot of them have different charities that they’re associated with, and I always get behind
them because ultimately there’s not a particular one that I’m associated with. But I always try to have events with them, and I
do whatever I can to help promote them. Ultimately, if there are
ten charities that we can lend a hand to with our talents, then I’m
super happy to do it.w
How has digital media affected your business?
I think you just have to think outside of the box – if someone
comes in and wants to do a viral video for Nowness or for Style.
com, or a music video that has amazing directors attached to it. I
do a video series now for the Huffington Post that I just started,
based on my blog. The first one was Courtney Love. The second
was Charlotte Ronson and Dani Stahl. The third one I’m arrang63
My customers from those days now come to my
restaurant. They tell me I frightened them
when I was behind the cheese counter, wielding a knife and flying around like a lunatic!
Did he help you get your start?
when I was behind the cheese counter, wielding a knife and
flying around like a lunatic!
He knew all the guys in the Washington Market, on Washington Street, now Tribeca, of course. It was still loaded
with warehouses getting food imports, particularly French
cheese. When I first started, they all gave me credit based
on his word; otherwise I would have had to pay cash.
You’ve talked about opening another restaurant. What kind
of place would it be?
A dessert restaurant, with great ice cream and things like
that, that all the other restaurant people would come to late
at night to enjoy great coffee and drinks.
But food was a redirection from your original goal, which
was to teach.
You opened Giorgione after leaving retail, but when you first
became successful, were you always seeking a new venue to
express yourself?
I graduated from City College with a BA in history, and attempted to teach in city high schools. I would like to have
taught, but it didn’t work out too well.
[Laughs] Don’t equate my success with making a lot of
money, because I didn’t. It was always seat of the pants. Part
of that was by design. I was uncompromising on the type of
things I wanted to sell. We had a reputation for being more
expensive, and we were, but because of the quality of the
goods we sold. We weren’t making zillions of dollars.
Was your father someone who, like you, pursued interests beyond the boundaries of business?
He had a sense of things. His Italian background gave him
a sense of music, Italian opera for instance. And it came out
when he cooked for us. But I think he looked down upon
it. He was always preaching “the practical”, the business
side. And I think that I quickly realized that was not for me.
It wasn’t going to be rewarding. I needed something more.
What would your father have thought of that? He was practical, and you were pushing it to the limit.
Well, he would have scoffed to some degree, but he also
would have understood that I was building a brand. I was
making Dean and Deluca mean something. We identified
with what we sold. That would be a true merchant and not
a huckster or a commodities dealer.
Youthful passion must have burst forth somehow...
Giorgio Deluca
A Man About Soho
by David G. Imber Photography IRA CHERNOVA
Was there a time when the word “artisanal” wasn’t on everyone’s lips? Unlikely as it seems, it
wasn’t so long ago that dropping terms like “house made” and “locally sourced” would merely
serve to perplex. It was into this atmosphere that Giorgio Deluca, delivered FOOD the real
stuff, full bodied and vital, flavors to be celebrated – to a city that already thought itself perfectly
cosmopolitan. He literally brought the first balsamic vinegar most Americans had ever seen
to market. He purveyed cheeses of which the USDA might not have approved, had he not sold
them so swiftly that it never had time to notice.
With four decades in food behind him, the Brooklyn native shared what drove him then, and now. We wanted to learn
what part friends and family played in his motivation. I mentioned that the underlying theme of the issue was “love and
passion”. “I’m familiar with one of those things,“ he told me.
Your father’s career was in food, but you didn’t exactly take up the family business. How did you get started?
My father was a banker, and after nineteen years managing the overseas department for letters of credit, and therefore
dealing with overseas food companies, he left and joined one of the food brokers.
I discovered rock ‘n’ roll! Elvis! He let sex rear its head.
And I started to become interested in clothes. I started to
feel that I missed the food that I had at home. I started to
gravitate toward bright people who had an interest in the
arts – writing, music – slowly I got to realize that was an important, maybe the most important element for a rich life.
[Then knowingly or not, Giorgio Deluca echoed John Keats.] “I believed in it,” he said, “and if I liked it, you had to
like it. You aren’t compelled to acknowledge it, or even expected to like it. That’s when I learned that aesthetic quality was not subjective. Beauty was not subjective. Beauty
was truth, and the truth is not subjective.”
Love was a harder thing. My family life was so splintered,
in that my mother died when I was very young. My stepmother had a son my age, by a week’s difference, and they
decided to say that we were twins. But my stepmother was
a bit of a cold turnip, and I could see that she had a fondness
for him that she didn’t have for me. You can imagine the
pit that went to! I got pretty alienated from love as far as I
can tell, left home and never looked back. I certainly wasn’t
trusting many human contacts. Ultimately I looked to my
own refinement as a way of medicating against the pain of
that alienation, because what I could only have taken as rejection from my mother was pretty devastating. That’s what
pushed me to the arts. I started to feel that it could be a way
to ameliorate my isolation and alienation. It was a rather
high degree of anxiety I was going through.
Is that the definition of “acquired taste”?
No, “acquired taste” – I was thinking about this the other
night – sounds like it isn’t naturally good, but you’ve come
to like it because you were forced to. It’s more like, with
enough exposure, the truth will out. The things that are
preventing you from perceiving it accurately will fall away.
And the truth of it will be revealed.
Q: What do you see as the direction of New York dining?
D: Well, it’s all over the place, but I don’t actually check a
lot of these guys out. I see what’s happening in Brooklyn.
They’re trying to do it on a shoestring, and their aesthetic is
still very, sort of, naive. They’re almost afraid of being gentrified. It’s almost a dirty word to them. They don’t want to
be accused of being slick or being part of the establishment.
They want to be countercultural, and so you get that rustic
thing. Unfortunately I think that some of the food, too, is
in that undeveloped area. It’s not like they’re delivering a
high-end thing on the plate. It’s all of a piece with the rest
of that aesthetic. I think they have to move forward on a
broad front. It’s a challenge.w
In the mid-‘70s, Dean and Deluca began the transformation
of Soho from grungy, dark, and inconvenient to what it is
now. Are you pleased with the part you played in that?
Well, it wasn’t just grungy, dark, and inconvenient, it was
full of creative spirit. It was very exciting to be part of something that was so new. The whole idea of seeing the artfulness of utilitarian design as an aesthetic was very appealing.
Maybe it didn’t have to become so like a shopping mall,
but I guess it was inevitable. My customers from those days
now come to my restaurant. They tell me I frightened them
65
v
ANTHONY
VACCARELLO
Photography Taka Mayumi
Styling Sohei Yoshida
by Eric Waroll
Last year, Anthony Vaccarello was considered as one of the brightest new talent in fashion: he was
part of this new generation of talents the whole industry has kept an eye on to see them grow, to
see them start from assistants until they finally establish themselves as their own entities. During
the Paris Fashion Week for the Fall/Winter 2012 ready-to-wear collections, the Belgian-born and
Italian-descended fashion designer was catapulted to fame, a fashion show who saw the return of
Karlie Kloss – who opened the show – on the catwalk after being away of the fwwashionsphere a few
months. To much the audience’s surprise, the collection included more than just his signature black
creations: it presented a subdued color palette of black, navy (or bleu marine, should I say), gold,
and forest green. This highly acclaimed collection proves that we’ll have to count on him in the years
to come yet in fashion to surprise us. A few days before the show, I interviewed him, where he unveiled
a little behind his charming shyness.
Dress ANTHONY VACCARELLO. Shoes GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI
This page:Top ANTHONY VACCARELLO. Right page: Bra, skirt ANTHONY VACCARELLO. On hair TRESEMME hairspray
ANTHONY VACCARELLO
by Eric Waroll
What was your relationship with fashion when we
were growing up?
What have you learned from your experience at
Fendi? The most suprising thing you learned for
your designing skills?
Always been interested in fashion without knowing it will be a real work.
I learned to keep in mind the commercial aspect
of the business, after school, to be in such a great
fashion house it’s a very good experience, you
learn a lot. You learn that you are not the only one
but that you work with a team. It’s a team that
build a brand. I applicate that to my own business.
Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I studied 5 years at La Cambre in Brussels then
I won the Festival of Hyères with my graduating
collection which gave me the opportunity to work
for Fendi for 2 years. Then I came back in Paris in
2009 to launch a capsule collection. Step by step
and having support from the major stockists of the
industry I started with a proper show in 2011.
What made you move away from Fendi and
launch your own brand?
I moved for love. My boyfriend lived in Paris. I
was tired of flying from Rome to Paris every weekend. I also wanted to do something else...
I’ve heard you began to study law first, before getting into fashion. Why law?
How have you responded to the positive reviews of
your first real collection?
I don’t know. I think it was very interesting to
study law, I like and I’m interested in more things
than just fashion, music and art.
I don’t know. I was working on the next one
straight away. Of course it’s very encouraging
...Black is certainly the most recurrent “color” of
your collections.
What made you decide to drop your studies in law
for fashion?
I was bored, I couldn’t imagine myself doing that
all my life. La Cambre was just in front of the Law
university... so I just crossed the street and took
information on how to apply at La Cambre.
How can you explain that?
It’s not actually. It’s an idea people remind of my
collection. If you look closer to the clothes you
will notice that’s it’s not only black.
It’s more about line and construction and dark
colors are the best for that but I don’t want to be
catalogued as the black dress designer.
What inspire you to design your collections?
Everything but mostly girls that I know and who
surround me. I have to know these women before
creating.
You’re getting more and more popular in fashion.
How do you manage it? Does it change you?
In 2006, you won Le Grand Prix du Festival de
Hyères, which must have been an incredible experience for you. How did you live it? How did you get
prepare for it?
I don’t realise this because my life hasn’t change.
I always work a lot and don’t go to party so...To
me all I can say is that it sells more and more my
collections.
Actually I wasn’t prepared at all. I showed my last
year collection from La Cambre. So after 5 years
at La Cambre I was ready to apply for the festival.
If you had the chance to go back in the past, what
would you change in yours?
Then, Fendi. How was it working with Karl Lagerfeld?
Nothing
What would be the best advice you can give to a
young student in a fashion school to succeed as you
did?
It was cool. Karl is the Grand Pope of fashion.
Starting working with him when you’ve just finished school is just unreal.
I never listen to advice so I won’t give any. Everyone has to know what to do. I think there is a time
and place for everyone. You just have to work as
hard as you can and be aware of everything around
you (it’s an advice isn’t it ?)
Did you have a great contact with him? What was
the best fashion advice he gave you?
I was young and very shy (maybe more than now).
We weren’t friends, I was very impressed by the
character.
A last word?
Ciao.
Skirt ANTHONY VACCARELLO. On lips REVLON lip color. On skin REVLON face powder.
70
Hair TEIJI UTSUMI@Terrie Tanaka.
Makeup FUSAKO OKUNO@Artlist. Model
PAOLLA RAHMEIER @ IMG. Photo Assistant
RUMI MATSUZAWA.
Stylist Assistant MOÉ MEIER, SAORI SENDA.
Top, pants ANTHONY VACCARELLO.
Shoes GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI.
LOVE ME TWO TIMES
Photography JUNICHI ITO Direction HISSA IGARASHI
Skeleton necklace on the top NOIR JEWELRY. Skull ring on the top, silver chain bracelet on the bottom of huge skull THE GREAT FROG
NYC. Cross earrings on skull ring on the top, skull with stone earrings on forehead, skull earrings in the eyes BING BANG. Cross bracelet
on the forehead JENNIFER FISHER JEWELRY. Rose gold skelly earring JEN KAO. Two skulls with stone ring MICHAEL SPIRITO
Bracelet, ring on the top, pendant top on forehead, cross pendant top THE GREAT FROG NYC. Cross earrings on forehead,
cross earrings on the bottom BING BANG. Earrings in the eyes NOIR JEWELRY. Cross necklace on the bottom VERSANI.
Your approach to customizing and selling luxury jewelry has gotten Besides being able to trace it from the mine to where it was cut, the
attention for its atypically playful manner. Why did you want to run date it was taken, you can follow the entire history of that stone.
your business this way, as opposed to the more conventional approach?
HOORSENBUHS
HARD CORE AMERICAN LUXURY
by SARAH MATALONE
Photography Cameron Krone Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Makeup Munemi Imai@ The Magnet Agency
Far from the straitlaced suits of Rodeo Drive, you can find Robert Keith and Kether Parker,
the duo behind luxury jewelry couturier, Hoorsenbuhs. Set apart in a World War II, corrugated
Quonset hut alongside Keith’s musical instruments and a ‘55 Triumph motorcycle, Keith and
Parker prefer to design and sell their popular brand apropos of their style. Adorned in t-shirts
and select pieces of their trademark designs, the designer and brand liaison have forged a business
that allows them stay true to who they are, all while toting a celebrity clientage that includes the
likes of Giselle Bündchen, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Kanye West.Inside of Cameron Crone’s studio
on 5th Avenue, I spoke with the men behind Hoorsenbuhs about their L.A. design space, the ethics
of diamonds, and their preference for t-shirts and tennis shoes.
Robert: It wasn’t just us. That was the way that it organically unfolded. For me, initially, I didn’t want anything other than a design
space that I felt inspired in, and that was a place I could have my motorcycles, I could have all my music equipment, where I could have
all my paints and canvasses, all my tools, all my workbenches, all my
stuff, where I could just go in there and be crazy and chaotic and just
create. Just a creative space. That was what the Quonset Hut was. It
was just a raw space. Cement floors. Corrugated metal. 1942. It used
to be a hardware store from when the guy brought it here from the
end of World War II. It’s now a historical landmark. They built this
giant multi-use complex around it in Santa Monica, but the city made
them keep that one piece of the Quonset Hut there on the corner.
But now you know, it’s not big enough for where we’re at now. We
had to go find another place. My new place is a raw, suitable environment as well.
Robert: From ethics to insurance.
Kether: That came by way of a stylist named Amanda Ross, who suggested us to Sally Morris who is the head of Forevermark PR Marketing here in New York. She was on her way to Los Angeles to visit
prospective jewelers, to see whom she’d be interested in. She asked
Amanda, and she hands-down suggested us as the people she needed
to go see. She came to L.A. and met with a few other designers but
ended up falling in love with us and the designs. Cut to a month later,
and they flew us to South Africa, Botswana. We went to the mines in
Botswana to actually see where the diamonds were bored from the
earth. Saw the whole operation. Flew to Gaboron, which is the capital
of Botswana. That’s where everything gets aggregated. On the trip,
they also showed us all of the philanthropic things they do there. The
schools, the hospitals they built. The country of Botswana is a 50/50
split with De Beers. But they really took us around and educated us
on diamonds. The Forevermark that is inscribed on the table of the
diamond is the first time it’s ever been done. De Beers created the
technology that enables them to inscribe 1/500 the width of a human
hair on the face of a diamond. It adds security in a couple of ways.
Robert: The number one question that people ask me is, ‘you designed that?’ ‘Cause they see this beautiful, really refined, elegant
piece, and they look at me, and I’m sitting there with a five-day
growth beard, oily t-shirt, my fingers all disgusting from working on
my motorcycle, a wrench in my back pocket.
Kether: And on the flip side, on the insurance side, once you purchase
your Forevermark stone, it is forever marked as your stone. There’s
a level of security there. But it’s the ethics. It’s the fact that it was
not taken from a country of conflict. In our bubble of the industry,
in Los Angeles, it’s probably the most important area in the world
where people get scrutinized for their diamonds because they’re in
the public eye. This really negates all of that. They can wear it confidently, proudly, knowing that this diamond was responsibly sourced
from beginning until end.
I see Hoorsenbuhs as a unique luxury brand, in that it possesses various paradoxical elements. It is a very modern, contemporary style, but
at the same time it evokes nostalgia in harking back to the ships of your
Dutch ancestors. It possesses an industrial quality but at the same time
How did your collaboration with De Beer’s Forevermark brand, still feels elegant. How do you feel about these paradoxes? Was this a
conscious decision to construct such a multifaceted brand?
which produces responsibly-sourced diamonds, come about?
Kether: Our clients are 17-75, buying the same piece of jewelry from
us, which is a really broad demographic of people, broad appeal. We
offer them a really comfortable environment. We’re not stuffy. We’re
not wearing suits. We’re usually in t-shirts and tennis shoes around
our space. I think people feel really comfortable when they come
to our studio. We offer them one-on-one service. We size all of their
fingers. Everything they order is really custom. We encourage our clients’ involvement in the creation of their pieces. Everything is available in their choice of 18-karat yellow, rose or white gold, platinum,
sterling, and any kind of stone combination. We prefer diamonds, but
we have played with other precious stones. One design is really limitless in what you can do.w
77
LOST BOYS
Photography TAKU
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Hair ELOISE CHEUNG @Walter
Schupfer Management.
Makeup WILLIAM MURPHY
Models. VIKTORIA@ Supreme
OKSANA@IMG.
WILLIAM@ReQuest
GREG@ReQuest. Production, Casting
Marbles & Marbles Production.
Location THE SHOP Brooklyn
From left to right: Dress A|X ARMANI EXCHANGE. Gloves LACRASIA GLOVES. Shoes
THE FRYE COMPANY. Jacket,
T-shirts,belt,pants A|X ARMANI EXCHANGE.
Gloves LACRASIA GLOVES. Jumpsuit A|X
ARMANI EXCHANGE. Gloves LACRASIA
GLOVES. Shoes THE FRYE COMPANY.
Jacket,T-shirts,pants A|X ARMANI EXCHANGE.
Shoes FIORENTINI+BAKER.
WHOLE
LOTTA
JONATHAN
KROPPMANN
LOVE
Photography CHEK WU
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
@ Red Citizen
Short cross necklace CHRISHABANA.
Small silver cross necklace Barneys
New York. Large silver necklace, large
cross necklace PATRICIA VON
MUSULIN. Vintage leather belt WHAT
GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.
Buckle SPACE COWBOY BOOTS
NYC. Leather pants LOST ART.
ANNABELLE TSABOUKAS
@ Women Management.
Jacket WHAT GOES AROUND COMES
AROUND. Vest LOST ART. Pants ROBERTO
CAVALLI. Necklace, cat ring on the right hand,
large ring on the left hand PATRICIA VON
MUSULIN. Three rings on the right hand,
three rings on the left hand HOORSENBUHS.
Shoes GUCCI. Amplifier GUITAR CENTER.
MAGDALENA FIOLKA
@ New York Models.
Top A.F.VANDEVORST. Hat on the top WHAT
GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. Broach
on the top hat, leather pilot hat SCREAMING
MIMI’S. On eyebrow Lancome powder
pencil. On eyes Lancome mascara.
SARAH WHALE
@ Trump Model Management
Jacket, pants GUCCI. Leather vest BESS NYC.
Earrings PATRICIA VON MUSULIN. Gloves
LACRASIA GLOVES. Shoes AZZEDINE
ALAÏA. Fragrance Flora by GUCCI
LAUREN BIGELOW
@ Next Model Management
Jacket JEAN PAUL GAULTIER. Vest
A.F.VANDEVORST. Leather pants, python belt
LOST ART. Gloves LACRASIA GLOVES.
ALLAIRE
@ Ford Models
Coat BURBERRY PRORSUM. Vest
SCREAMING MIMI’S. Shirt, belt
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES
AROUND. Jeans TRASH and
VAUDEVILLE. Buckle SPACE COWBOY BOOTS NYC. Bracelet HOORSENBUHS. Skull ring on the right hand,
two small rings on the left hand JENNIFER FISHER JEWELRY. Large
ring on the left hand PATRICIA VON
MUSULIN. Scarf BARNEYS New
York. Shoes AZZEDINE ALAÏA.
LAUREN BIGELOW
@ Next Model Management.
Leather jacket BLUMARINE. White leotard
GUCCI. Rings HOORSENBUHS. On eyes
Yves Saint Laurent mascara. On lips
Yves Saint Laurent lipstick
HELENA SOPAR
@ One Management
Bangles, ring VAN CLEEF & ARPELS.
Kimono jacket WHAT GOES AROUND
COMES AROUND. Vest, leather pants LOST
ART. Scarf BARNEYS New York
MIA WOOLRICH
@ IMG Models
Leather jacket LOST ART. Dress as a top ROBERTO CAVALLI. Pants TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE.
Belt LOST ART. Bracelet with studs FREDDIE
MATARA. Silver bracelet HOORSENBUHS. Gloves
LACRASIA GLOVES. Guitar GUITAR CENTER.
ISABELLA
@ Ford Models
Top ALEXANDER WANG. Harness A.F.
VANDEVORST. Earrings PAMELA
LOVE. On eyes Lancome eye liner. On
cheeks LANCOME shimmer
MAGDALENA FIOLKA
@ New York Models
Jacket, pants ROBERTO CAVALLI. Shirt SEARCH
& DESTROY. Shoes CHRISSIE MORRIS second
from right Pants LOST ART. far left Pants, belt
LOST ART. second from left Belt LOST ART. Band
Kelle Calco and the Colored Boys
ISABELLA
Leather jacket, long skirt CUSTOM MADE BY CARLA DAWN BEHRLE.
Gloves LACRASIA GROVES. Left: Leather jacket LOST ART. Jeans
ACNE. Cowboy hat, boots WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.
Sunglasses TRUSSARDI. Ring BARNEYS New York
OLIVIA GORDON
@ Ford Models
T-shirt SEARCH & DESTROY. Cowboy hat WHAT GOES AROUND COMES
AROUND. Necklace PATRICIA VON MUSULIN. On skin LANCOME
moisturizer. On lips LANCOME Lipstick. Hair MARKI SHKRELI @ Artlist
using Leonor Greyl. Makeup ASAMI TAGUCHI @ L’Atelier. Production, Casting
CLARISSA MORALES Location Root Studios(Brooklyn)
DAZED &
CONFUSED
Photography VIKI FORSHEE
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Hair CHARLIE TAYLOR @ Walter
Schupfer Management. Makeup CHICHI
SAITO@B Agency NY. Model Quinta
@ IMG. Production, Casting Marbles &
Marbles Production.T-shirt ADIDAS
ORIGINALS. Jeans MARC BY MARC
JACOBS. Shoes SEARCH &DESTROY.
On skin CLINIQUE moisturizer. On hair
MOROCCANOIL hair spray.
I didn’t learn guitar as playing it
distorted or loud – that’s just
not my style…maybe that’s why
Real Estate sounds the way it does.
What has it been like for Real Estate since Days was released able to put a lot into the band, and we thought it might work
better if we whittled it down to the core group. Matt, Alex,
last fall?
Since the release of Real Estate’s sophomore album, Days, in October
of last year, the band has met attention and success even lead songwriter Martin Courtney IV couldn’t have predicted. They’ve made
fans of everyone, from controversial leader of Odd Future, Tyler,
the Creator, to comedian Tim Heidecker, of Tim and Eric, Awesome
Show, Great Job!, and with several sold out tour dates extending far
into 2012, their audiences only continue to grow.
and I have been friends for 10 years, and we’ve known each
other much longer than we knew Etienne. So in that way
he couldn’t help but be a little bit of the outsider, because
we had been friends much longer and were closer. It sucked
having to tell him, and he was bummed, and I was pretty
bummed too, and we didn’t know who would play drums
for a while. Things seemed to be in this weird flux, but I
think it worked out well, and I’m glad we were able to do
About the reviews for Days, while they’re all positive, many the record as the three of us, because it helped to just not
of them are almost identical, focusing on the “sunny” aspects have too many ideas bouncing around. And we work pretty
of your music. Reviewers seem to get stuck on the same adjec- well together, especially in a recording situation. That’s also
tives over and over when writing about Real Estate. Does why it’s the three of us in the press pictures, because the
three of us made the album.
this ever bother you?
I know what you mean, but it’s nice that people dig it. Basically, it falls on the writer to do a good job, and there are a I’ve always heard Real Estate as having a markedly differlot of shitty music journalists out there, so not every review ent sound compared to the bands your former bandmates are
is going to be good. Obviously, I read the Pitchfork review, currently in, such as Titus Andronicus, Andrew Cedermark,
which was fine, I don’t even remember what they said. The or Liquor Store (Seizing Elian, a New Jersey proto-superonly review that sticks out to me as being really good was group, featured members of each band in the early 2000s).
written by Chris Richards [formerly of DC post-punk outfit But you played bass in that group. Does your guitar playing
Q And Not U], who writes for the Washington Post. We met account for some of the differences in Real Estate’s music?
him a couple of years ago when he wrote an article about It’s weird, I don’t think of my music as being that much
Underwater Peoples, our first label. He interviewed me and different than Patrick [Stickles, of Titus Andronicus]’s or
a few other friends, and he came to see [Real Estate] in Andrew [Cedermark, of Titus Andronicus]’s, especially
DC. [His review of Days] was just super thought-out and Andrew’s [solo work]. We all come from similar places in
not clichéd at all. Most reviews are just the same, though, terms of our songwriting. We all write melodic pop songs,
it’s just amateurish writing. Anyone can start a blog, so how but [Patrick and Andrew] are a little bit noisier. In Real Escan you know anything about the person writing it? It’s cool tate, we use distortion pretty rarely; we’re more “dreamy”
though, sometimes we’ll do an interview, and it’ll actually I guess. I think Andrew is a good middle ground though,
be a high school kid, and it’s pretty awesome that people because he uses a lot of reverb and is super melodic, but at
can start this young. Actually, my friends and I did do that the same time, his recording technique is pretty noisy and
in high school, we started this website that basically was he uses a lot of distorted guitars. He can also shred (laughs),
trying to be Pitchfork. It was called the-wood.com, because Andrew’s a really good guitar player! I’m sure Real Estate’s
we were from Ridgewood, New Jersey, and we got in touch songwriting is affected by my guitar playing. I didn’t learn
with some great bands. One of my friends interviewed Phil guitar as playing it distorted or loud – that’s just not my style
– and I never really learned how to do that. I don’t know
Elverum [from the Microphones].
how to get a good tone with a distorted guitar either; I don’t
What is the meaning of the line “You play along to songs feel comfortable with it I guess. Maybe that’s why Real Estate sounds the way it does. The first few songs I ever wrote
written for you” in “Out of Tune”?
That song is actually about myself, it’s reflective. It’s about were for Seizing Elian. I learned a lot from them. When I
being on tour, or being out of it, or playing your songs so first started playing guitar, I basically learned from watchmany times that they don’t feel like they’re yours anymore. ing Andrew and Patrick play, or at least watching the chords
People thought that was about our old drummer, but that’s they made with their hands.
definitely not true.
After a run of sold out North American dates opening for Girls (with a NYC stop including Terminal 5, a venue with a
capacity of 3,000, and an unusual stop at a Chinese buffet in Queens), Real Estate was most recently featured in the debut
episode of Pitchfork.tv’s +1 series. I spoke with Martin Courtney IV, the guitarist and lead singer of the group, on Valentine’s Day about this rising popularity, the lineup change following their debut, and his New Jersey roots.
Speaking of Etienne [Pierre Duguay, Real Estate’s former
drummer], I wanted to ask about him leaving the band.
Real Estate’s press photos for Days were emphatically just
the three of you. What was the nature of his departure from
the group?
The record has been kinda crazy, people seem to like it and
it’s been pretty exciting. I didn’t know what to expect. People knew it was coming out [this time], as opposed to our
first record, when nobody knew who we were, so there was
no expectation placed on that one. I couldn’t have asked for
[Days] to do any better, though, and it’s cool seeing these
reviews, which are very gratifying.
REAL ESTATE
Not Your Average Development
by Gary Canino Photo by SHAWN BRACKBILL
98
Since we’re speaking on Valentine’s Day, I have to ask, do
you think Days would make for an appropriate gift? I only
ask because I can’t tell if it’s a break-up record or…
It’s definitely not a break up album: I’ve been with the
same girl for eight years! There are some love songs on [the
album], and actually a couple of people on Twitter today
It was definitely a tough decision. We really like our old said they got Days as a Valentine’s Day present for somedrummer, and I really like him as a person, but we made the one, so there’s your answer there! I think records are a good
decision based on wanting to take the band more seriously. gift always, I’m always happy to get records. Especially new
He was at a different point in his life for being able to take vinyl, because you don’t always want to spend money on it,
it seriously, so it felt cold, but we were thinking about being but it’s nice to get it.w
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FIRST AID KIT
always enjoy doing our U.S. tours, though. It’s a good adventure
traveling around. [Playing in different countries] isn’t something
we really think too much about. Obviously we’re extremely happy that we get to travel around and do these amazing tours, but
we don’t really look at the shows differently if they’re in Sweden
or anywhere else.
Swedish mania continues - be prepare to be awestruck by the folksy sounds of this angelic duo
I wanted to ask about the recording sessions for The Lion’s Roar
with Bright Eyes member, Mike Mogis. It must have been very different than creating your first record?
Sorry Stockholm, You Can’t Have These Two BACK
by Gary Canino Photography CHEK WU
A little after 11 p.m. last week, Johanna and Klara Söderberg, the two sisters known collectively as First Aid Kit,
come out for their encore at their sold out Webster Hall show. They begin to play “King of the World,” harmonizing perfectly, and the room, a packed house of 1500 fans, erupts. It’s been quite a ride for the Swedish duo, and a
surprising one too. Their second studio album, The Lion’s Roar, went to #1 in Sweden in January, a far cry from
the sisters’ humble debut on YouTube (their cover of Fleet Foxes’, “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” is what first
brought them attention back in 2008). And when I spoke to Klara, the younger of the two sisters, last week, even
she remarked that their music isn’t the sort that tops the charts anywhere.
Their last show in NYC wasn’t too far from Webster Hall, but the difference in size was certainly more dramatic. In 2011,
the band sold out Mercury Lounge, a club on the Lower East Side with a capacity of only 250. Only a few months later,
they’ve increased their audience more than ten-fold, not to mention their recent collaborations with Jack White, James
Felice, and Conor Oberst. Klara and I discussed their increasing popularity, the merits of recording in a studio versus a
bedroom, and First Aid Kit’s experience recording with one of their idols.
I was lucky enough to be at your Webster Hall show last week. It was unbelievable. What has your experience been playing
in NYC?
Thank you! We’ve played New York a couple of times, at the Mercury Lounge twice, and also CMJ in 2010. We’ve had
great shows at Mercury Lounge too, but [Webster Hall] was special because it was obviously a lot bigger! But it still felt
intimate. I like that.
What is it like touring in a country that’s not your home? Do you have a favorite place to play?
Well, since I’m talking to you, I have to say America (laughs)! No, it’s so hard to say, because so much depends on the day
that you’re playing: the day of the week it is, what the weather is like. We’ve had good and bad shows in every country. We
Yes, we produced our first album with our dad in our home, in
Johanna’s bedroom, basically. So it was different coming to a big
studio, as amazing as [Presto! Recording Studios] is in Omaha.
Working with Mike was a big step for us, but because we recorded at home, we knew how everything worked. We’ve had the
time to really figure out everything for ourselves, so even though
we were in a big studio, it didn’t feel intimidating. But it was
great because we had a lot more freedom to bring in musicians
and do what we wanted, whereas when we were recording in a
bedroom, we sort of had our limitations.
I was very interested by the role of Conor Oberst’s verse on “King
of the World.” His line “Screaming ‘fire!’ in a theater, people taking their seats,” seems to nicely parallel what you and Johanna
sing in the first two verses of the song. How did you both go about
writing the song?
“King of the World” had three verses originally, and the last verse
is about not looking inwards, but outwards. When we decided
Conor was going to sing on the song, we decided to take out the
third verse and have Conor write his own. It turned out to be a
great idea, because although he brought something new [to the
song], he also very much shared his own personal view about
what we were singing about. He wrote his verse while we were
away for one weekend, and I remember coming back and reading
his lyrics for the first time, and just being blown away.Bright Eyes
were the band that got us into folk and country music. I heard
Bright Eyes when I was twelve, and it was just a revelation for
me. They have meant so much to us, so working with them was
such a dream, and having Conor sing on a song and Mike work on
this album…I don’t really know if I have the words to describe it.
I read that you were born in ‘93, and your sister was born in ’90.
Do you feel like that decade influenced your music?
I don’t really know. Was there any good music in the ‘90s? (laughs)
Well, Elliott Smith is one of our favorites, and we grew up listening to his music. But I was still very young: I was seven in 2000, so
it’s still kind of a blur for me. Maybe Johanna would have a better
answer; I know I was just watching Jennifer Lopez on MTV then.
(laughs)
The theme of this issue is “Love,” and I wanted to ask if any songs
on The Lion’s Roar could be viewed as purely love songs?
They often seem to be a bit more complicated than that.I don’t
think there are any songs that are pure love songs. The record is,
in a lot of ways, about emptiness and loneliness, but there’s definitely a lot of longing and love. I think people would say “Emmylou” is a song that could work towards that, and people could
interpret it as a sad song as well. “To A Poet” is the closest thing
to a love song, though there’s definitely a lot of sorrow in that one.
I was reading the lyrics to “The Lion’s Roar” on Songmeanings.
net and found people arguing over the specific meaning of the song
in the comments section. Are you a fan of ambiguous lyrics? I’ve
read that Thom Yorke prefers to leave the meanings of songs ambiguous so they can mean different things to different people.
Definitely! I love that people are arguing about it, because we
want our lyrics to be personal and for people to see themselves in
our lyrics. I like the fact that it’s not all written out, and you can
make your own interpretations. I’m not going to say who is right
or wrong. That would just ruin everything! w
Blonde
Redhead
The Melody of Certain Indie Rock Royals
by Anne Szustek Photography CHAMA Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Formed in 1993 by a group of musicians who fell straight into New York’s
underground music scene, Blonde Redhead has remained a pillar of dream
pop. The trio, once adorning issues of angst-ridden mid-90s Sassy magazine
under its “Cute Band Alert”—complete with era-apprpriate flannel—have
since matured into elder indie rock statespeople.
“When we started,
it was grunge, whatever.”
Japanese coloratura crooner, Kazu Makino and Milano-born, Montréal-raised and Boston-educated twins,
Simone and Amedeo Pace, through eight studio albums,
have remained a quintessentially New York band. The
group derives its name from a song by Big Apple, nowave band, DNA. Their first recordings were on Hoboken, NJ label, Smells Like Records, founded by Steve
Shelley, drummer of Blonde Redhead’s New York contemporaries, Sonic Youth. They moved onto influential
Chicago label, Touch and Go. For their most recent label, UK’s 4AD, they shot five songs for a film session at
Integrated Studios in Tribeca. And as if by indie rock
nature, they now live in Brooklyn, where they played
Celebrate Brooklyn! in 2009 at Prospect Park, and did
this interview in a Bushwick loft.
Bicycle Film Festival. It’s going to be good, I think. There
are going to be a lot of really talented people. Jurgen Leth is
the actor, for one. We’re also possibly doing a South American tour. That’s a place we really want to go because we
have never been.
To date, what’s been your favorite concert?
Kazu: There are so many that have been really, really good!
Amedeo: The one that I thought was the most amazing was
Paradiso in Holland.
Kazu: I knew you were going to say that!
Amedeo: That’s only because it felt effortless, which
doesn’t really happen. We had a huge fight before it and it
just felt like we came together. This must have been during
the early 2000s.
Simone: It’s much easier to remember the worst—Iceland.
And another we played a long, long time ago in Yuma, New
Mexico on Halloween. It was interesting, but it was really
What’s your secret to musical longevity?
Kazu: I think we just did everything really slowly. When we rough. They were wearing really scary outfits and were bestarted, it was grunge, whatever. But we were just sort of ad- ing aggressive with us—really fucking with us.
miring all of the bands. We weren’t really producing or play- Tell me about what you’re wearing now. Those tie-dye
ing too much. In my opinion, I think we became really busy. jeans are amazing.
Simone: But we were never a part of anything, really. So I Kazu: Thanks! Yes, Simone’s friend drew them.
think that’s what has kept us going—the desire to write and Simone: Yes, his name is Laurent, and the jeans are by
make music and not be part of anything, and just being in Lipps. But I like when I see a farmer wearing his outfit or a
our own world; always striving to write new songs. When we mechanic or a lumberjack—things that fit the clothes they
started the band, we started at zero. We weren’t songwriters. are wearing because—
We played instruments and then we learned; so it’s been Kazu: Clothes that fit their job description. I really like utilitarian clothes.
like more of an ongoing project for us.
Kazu: By the time we learned to play music together, we Simone: I also think that most fashion comes from poverwere already a band. We were already releasing things. ty—people put things together, different colors—the way
Some people really develop it before they go into the public that they can. Whatever they have. The construction guys
in Japan have really cool pants and these shoes with two
eye. We kind of wound up doing everything.
toes. Amazing.
Your most recent album was released in 2010. When do you Kazu: Lots of good things happen when things are utilitarian, in a sense.
see your next album coming out?
Simone: Right now, it’s a bit too early to tell. We’ve just
started writing songs. There’s a bunch of ideas that we’re Have you ever done any charity concerts or projects?
building on, and we’re trying to make some sense out of Simone: The last one we did was with Interpol at Terminal
them. But we don’t have a label right now, and we don’t 5 to raise money for this doctor’s charity called Sickday.
Kazu: People who don’t have insurance call this number
have a date—we’re just working.
and doctors come over to your place.
You have a mini-East Asian tour on deck this May. Are there Simone: But also, we just put out and started a label, and
created this record to raise money for the Japan disaster folany other concerts, perhaps in the U.S., in the pipeline?
Simone: Not in the U.S. right now. I think we really want lowing the earthquake called “We Are the Works in Progto have some new material before we start playing. We are ress.” It’s a double vinyl and all proceeds go to Japan Socigoing to be writing music for a film by Brendt Barbur of the ety and Architecture for Humanity. You can find it on our
Tumblr, wearetheworksinprogress.tumblr.com.w
Simone: Shirt INSIGHT. Pants LIPS JEANS. Shoes FIREMAN. Kazu: Sweater, shirt, bracelet ISABEL MARANT. Pants LIPS JEANS. Shoes A DÉTACHER.
Necklace, ring ASANO HARUKA. Amedeo: Shirt HELMUT LANG. Pants CLOAK. Shoes MARC JACOBS. Hair SHINGO SHIBATA.
Makeup CLARISSA LUNA PURE MANAGEMENT NYC. Production Marbles & Marbles Production
New Look
On-set with Sarah Ruba
by Hunt Ethridge Photography VIKI FORSHEE Styling MEGAN ROSS
That was when you were in the group Birdseyeing It, right? What
happened then?
Yes, I was! Wow! That was when I was scouted at Starbucks for
Next Models Canada. It was also when I met my husband, Adam.
Did he have to woo you, or was it love at first sight?
He had to woo me. Or rather, he had to stick around long enough for
me to settle down and stop talking for a minute! I was an energetic
nineteen year-old! But he was patient, and we really connected. I
thought that I had been in love before, but I had never had this feeling of being so attracted to this person and able to share music with
them in such an intimate way before.
So this whole modeling thing just kind of happened while you were
trying to pursue music?
For most people, gracing the pages of Vogue,
being the face of John Varvatos’ ad campaign, or becoming the poster child for French
clothing line, Morgan, would be the pinnacle
of a great career. For 26 year-old, Sarah
Ruba, these are just a few of the experiences
that have helped her achieve her true dream:
Gorgeous Synth-Rock Star! As the better
half of the music group, New Look (apologies to her husband Adam Pavao, the other
half), Sarah is working on her second album
while concurrently lighting up the modeling
world with her smoldering rockabilly vibe
and razor-sharp bangs.Strolling into the
shoot in trendy Brooklyn, New York, Sarah
is wearing one of her favorite looks: black
high-rise skinny jeans with a cinched waist,
along with a cream sweater top. She looks
straight out of a modern retrospective of how
50’s pin-up style and the present hipster vibe
meld into a glam New Look. Among the susurrations of her beauty team preparing her
for the steamy shoot, I was able to catch up
with the sweet, down-to-earth stylings of one
Sarah Ruba.
Pretty much. I mean, I love doing it. I love the fun shoots and the
clothes, but it’s really a way to further our music. I’m a performer at
heart, so modeling is just one more way I get to do that.
What was your favorite thing you’ve ever worn for a shoot?
There was this gorgeous LBD from Lanvin that I wore for a French
Elle shoot. It was asymmetrical, off of one shoulder with one long
sleeve. It had a cinched waist and was really short, so it showed lots
of leg! It was just gorgeous!
What was your most memorable shoot?
Well, there have been some great locations, like shooting on a rooftop
garden in LA, watching the sunset, or being on a bike in the south
of France, but I’d have to say that the best experience was when I
was doing a shoot with Mario [Sorrenti for Barney’s]. Sometimes
something just happens between the model and the photographer
where there is a fantastic connection. Everyone on the set knows it
and can feel it, and they’re all holding their collective breath, trying
to keep the energy flowing. It was really something!
Your music has an electro-funk groove that has been compared to The
Knife and even Björk. Are you influenced by the European scene?
(Laughs) No. I think that we are just synth-nerds, and it has such a
specific sound.
What is it like being in a group with your husband?
It’s great! He’ll be in the studio mixing some tracks or just messing
around, and I’ll come in and start messing around also, and all of a
sudden something comes out of it. Like I said before, it’s amazing to
be able to share this music so deeply with someone.
You use a lot of geometric light shows in your set. Can you tell me how
that all developed?
Well, with only two people up there making music, sometimes it
doesn’t look that exciting. And we are always doing lots musically
up there. We don’t use any tracks; we’re doing it all up there. Being
a musician means playing off of each other, improvising, etc. That
being said, when he’s doing his thing, and I’m singing and playing
the synth, we just wanted to give more to the viewer. Our friend, Sam
[Williams] sent us these old analog videos from the 50s, and we fell
in love with them. We use them in our live shows and on our video
[“The Ballad.”]
What has been the most difficult part of staying true to your own artistic vision?
Probably having to turn down requests from people who want us to
do some sort of remix of a cover and expect us to shit it out in two
days. Also, sometimes I’ve had to turn down good-paying modeling
gigs because they wouldn’t fit in with the brand of New Look.
You can catch New Look at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton,
England this May.w
Thanks for meeting with us today Sarah! Tell us
about growing up in Canada and what started
you on this musical/modeling journey.
Well, I grew up in a small suburb of Hamilton,
Ontario, about forty miles from Toronto. While
I think my dad and one of my (three) brothers
are closet performers, I was always the one singing and playing the piano growing up. Music
was always a big part of my life. I sang West
Side Story non-stop, imagining I was Maria
in New York City! I even played Schroder in
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at sixteen.
I was always in one music group or another but
it wasn’t until I was nineteen that things started
moving more quickly.
Top VINTAGE JAY SAVAGE. Skirt DOLCE & GABBANA. Shoes SURFACE TO AIR. Jewelry Sarah’s own.
Dress BLUMARINE. Suspenders KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE. Stay-ups WOLFORD.
Hair CASH LAWLESS. Makeup MUNEMI IMAI @ The magnet Agency
In a recent interview with Prefix, you describe how you are
still very new to performing live and that your March 4th
show at Bowery Ballroom (New York, NY) was only your
ninth show. What has it been like, showcasing your music on
stage as opposed to producing and sending your music out on
to the airwaves in isolation?
People used to think that we are arrogant, nonchalant, but
we are just kind of shy. That’s the hard thing I think, because if you’re shy and you don’t talk that much, then people think you are too good for them or something. So I think
that is maybe the hard thing, because we try with our music
to reach really high feelings. No one knows how you look
when you sing in the studio and then suddenly you’re in
front of—like Bowery—like three, four hundred people. It’s
something totally different. I don’t really dance. I really like
to dance when I’m totally lost, like in music or feelings or
whatever, but when it comes to doing it on stage, when you
know that you have to sing your own songs as well as possible, it’s really hard to make it work. We never had in mind
before that we would do it live; it was never in the plans, it
was a very big step. I had never ever been on stage before.
Never ever. I had never even sung in a shower. I had never
done anything like that. My family, my mom was really, really surprised when I said that I was doing music. She’s like
‘you’re not playing anything.’
How do you feel that the new album you are working on is
different than the last one?
It’s more up-tempo and more dance, trance. You’ll see. I
think it’s too early. We played one of the new tracks live,
but it’s very much different. It feels like the most up-tempo
song on “As Young As Yesterday” would be the least uptempo song on this one.
Do you think that this difference is a reflection of where you
are in your life right now?
KORALLREVEN
Into The Light
by Sarah Matalone Photography Bjarne Jonasson
The story of Korallreven has been one of careful aesthetic development. In producing their first
album, 2011’s “An Album by Korallreven,” the Swedish duo, made up of Marcus Joons and
Daniel Tjäder, opted against the highly manufactured pop single. Instead, they envisioned their
album in more biological terms, “like a life cycle,” whose special synthesis allows the listener to
“play the album from the beginning to the end,” coming full circle with “the same song in the end
as in the beginning.”
Korallreven’s music recalls familiar narrative tropes, whether in evoking the carefree zeitgeist of teenagedom in “As Young
as Yesterday” or the dreamy isolation of the South Pacific in “Sa Sa Samoa.” In “An Album by Korallreven,” the narrative plays out over the course of ten ethereal soundscapes, depicting a full, tragic arc: “The beginning was sort of like a
breakup, like an ending relationship. First you meet someone and you’re really, really happy, you’re up in the clouds, and
then it’s crumbling in the middle, it’s cracking the paint, and then slowly you’re turning up. That was the initial idea, and
I haven’t talked about that too much.”
106
I think the first one was about — we were both in really
troublesome relationships — and I think that the first album was a lot about dreaming about paradise, and this time
we’re in the paradise. Now we’re there. Now it’s, ‘how do
we take care of it when you sort of have it all and how to stay
in the now, the present’. I think more about life than about
death. It’s almost like self-help.
“An Album by Korallreven” features songs like “Sa Sa
Samoa” and “Pago Pago,” which both reference the South
Pacific, Samoan islands. How has this area of the world
influenced you personally and musically?
I think it had a lot to do with where I was, the stage, in my
life. Not too long ago — it was about four years ago — I
lived in Australia. I was there when I was twenty-five. [Before going to Australia] I was so bored, just sleeping around,
didn’t know what to do, like many people are doing at that
stage in life. I just felt that I was totally in the wrong place,
in the Swedish countryside where I’d been brought up. So
I took a bag and moved to Australia for six months. I had
always been dreaming about going to the South Pacific. You
can’t get much farther from Sweden than that. And there
was a TV show when I was brought up that was set there. At
the same time, I think it was very, very interesting because
I had never seen any pictures from that part of the world.
So when I went there, it was very, very interesting. If you
say, we come from Sweden there [the Samoan islands], no
one there knows where Sweden is. Australia for them is like
what America is to us. It’s their center of the world. Maybe
Australia and China. It’s just interesting to see a very, very
different view on the world. Really friendly people, they really believe in something, God. It’s the full spectrum. But musically it was not that much. Samoan music is not that interesting; it’s like Hawaiian Music.
The music video for your song, “As Young as Yesterday” fea
tures a teenage boy skateboarding in a palm tree-laden, black
and white landscape. What was the inspiration for the video?
I wanted to catch that feeling that I had when I was a skater,
when I was younger, those days when you just went out and
you didn’t care what time it was, what anyone else was doing,
you’re just skating, that kind of careless feeling. It turned out
to be a skate video in some Spanish-speaking place.
Over the past few years, it seems like Americans have taken to
Swedish acts like Lykke Li, The Knife, Miike Snow, The Tallest Man on Earth, and First Aid Kit. How do you feel about
Americans’ recent embrace of Swedish music, and where do you
feel your place is in this wave?
I think that we don’t have that much in common with any of
those groups. I have some friends that are in some of these
bands. There is some good music coming from here. When
something has been coming from Sweden, and then something else comes from here, then you see a trend, and people
are seeing it in the limelight. It’s kind of interesting in one
way, because all of the artists that had a breakthrough in the
U.S. have been either on their own labels or very tiny labels,
which is kind of interesting. Otherwise, the biggest artists in
Sweden, Swedish artists singing in Swedish, are on big labels.
That’s kind of interesting, I think. I don’t really know what to
do with that information. I don’t really know where we fit in.
We have the weirdest name. It’s in Swedish.
Your song “Sa Sa Samoa” was featured on Vivienne Westwood’s runway. Do you consider fashion as an influence in
your work, or do you feel there’s a relationship between your
music and fashion?
Not really. I feel like it’s easier to do good stuff in the studio
when you feel good, and sometimes you can feel good just to
have a new sweater that you like—it doesn’t have to be brand
new—but it’s new for yourself, or something. But otherwise,
the fashion world is a stranger to me.
Were you surprised that she used your song?
Not really. I mean, how many fashion weeks are there today?
Fifty-three? There’s always fashion week somewhere in the
world. It’s like the saying, ‘it’s always summer somewhere in
the world.’ It’s fun with clothes, but I’m not really interested
in it. I don’t really know what fashion is.
The theme of our first issue is LOVE. How does love or passion
influence your music?
I’m not really sure. I can start somewhere else. I think that one
of the funnest things about music is that it seems like it’s really reaching out to very different people. It’s not only like one
clique of people or one sort, even though I don’t really like to
put people in genres. If you can generalize a little, you can see
that it’s not only the nerdy music people. You see young girls,
you can see gays, you can see really old men that come to the
shows. Of course we do this with love and passion. It’s not like
I feel like we are some senseless people that walk around in
life and don’t love things and have music as an excuse for it.
I really, really hope that [our new album] is gonna reflect that
we love life much more, right now, than we did three years ago
when we started. Life is just getting better and better. w
ing. We couldn’t be happier really with how
it’s gone. In places like Australia, things have
just gone insane. America’s starting to pick
up and get better for us. It’s made us think
that we can have a career in this.
Where does the title of This Modern Glitch
come from?
THE WOMBATS
Pop Psychotherapy by Tracy Stuber Photo by Tom Oxley
works, however, because it’s coupled with
synth-laden music that is confident and invigorating. Although a shift from the band’s
earlier reliance on guitar and bass, this combination of upbeat music with less than upbeat lyrics harkens back to the band’s breakout single, “Let’s Dance to Joy Division.”
As such, it’s the closest the band comes to a
hallmark. Descriptive rather than prescriptive, the Wombats’ songs may not offer a pop
psychology, but they can be seen as a kind
of pop psychotherapy. Upbeat and highly
danceable, the Wombats provide a kind of
catharsis for our modern world by offering a
chance to escape its endless stream of information for a few minutes. “It’s therapy, isn’t
it?” says Dan. “After like a year of writing,
we really wanted to get back on the road and
see people dancing and having a good time.”
For all their dark lyrics, the band is grateful
for the opportunity they have to help others
by doing something they love. “We’re three
friends, and we love making music together.
After two years of touring for their debut al- Hopefully that’s never going to change.”
bum, the Wombats found themselves stilted
by the abrupt transition back into the studio. How do you feel about the reaction to This
“We’d become used to this living on a bus, Modern Glitch?
living on planes, playing shows,” explains It took us a long time to make. We put quite
drummer, Dan Haggis. “It was an adrena- a lot of effort and time into it, and we just
line rush every night. And all of the sudden, wanted to get it as perfect as we could, which
we had nothing like that.” The band faced obviously is impossible because you’re never
the daunting process of putting together a fully satisfied. But we got to a point where
new album, along with all the expectations we were all really happy with it, and it was
and hopes such a process brings along with time for it to come out. The reaction was reit.This frustration gets at the heart of This ally amazing. It seemed like most of our old
Modern Glitch. While the new album doesn’t fans—fans of the first album—seemed to releave the early themes of love, loss, and des- ally like it, and we seemed to get a lot of new
peration behind, this second outing finds the people discovering us. Obviously our sound
band unsure about the future and often nos- has changed slightly, but the reactions at the
talgic for the past. This emotional insecurity shows we’ve played all year have been amaz-
“Right now, we need some pop psychology to
keep us upbeat,” Wombats frontman, Matthew “Murph” Murphy opines on “Walking Disasters,” the eighth track on the band’s
sophomore album, This Modern Glitch. Released in April 2011, the album is understandably distanced both temporally and
musically from their 2007 debut, A Guide to
Love, Loss, and Desperation. No longer preoccupied with the tribulations of adolescence,
This Modern Glitch ¬is steeped more in the
typical twenty-something experience: the highand-low, all-or-nothing experience of trying
simultaneously to figure everything out and
still have fun in the process. Murph’s lyrics
are a plea for guidance and direction, a plea
that pervades the ten songs on the record—
especially the best ones. “1996” pines for the
simpler days of childhood; “The Perfect Disease” bemoans the end of a toxic yet irresistible
relationship; and “Techno Fan” addresses the
unsettling realization that you’ve grown up
without even knowing it.
We went through lots and lots of possibilities, and as always, it came down to like the
day before they needed it for printing at the
label. They were like, guys, you have to decide. This Modern Glitch was one that was in
the list. It comes from the song “1996”—it’s
one of the lyrics in that. It seemed to sum up
the album in a way. It’s the one that encompasses all the feelings. It’s vague enough that
it can just stand alone and doesn’t need too
much explaining. But it just felt right. You
know when you just hear something, and you
know it’s the right one? There’s a lot of songs
in there about growing up. “1996” is about
growing up and looking back at a care free
time when you’re like twelve or thirteen.
You don’t have any responsibilities. It’s about
coming to terms with getting older, which
unfortunately we are, as everyone does, obviously. It just seemed like the album in general. It’s the eternal glitch in your mind, like
when a computer system suddenly crashes.
Do you have any shows or projects coming up
that you’re particularly excited about?
We’re working on some new music, potentially for the third album. Then we’re going to America for three-and-a-half weeks at
the end of April. Then we’ve got a bunch of
festivals over the summer, and there’s a tour
with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in England.
There’s a few things to look forward to, but
we really want to start working on the third
album, whenever we get a moment. We’re
also doing a show in July in Delamere Forest,
which is the place that, when you visit Liverpool, that’s where you go to have a walk in
nature. We used to go cycling with our bikes
there. We were looking for an interesting
venue to play in the summer, and it’s amazing that we can actually now do a gig there. It
should be good, if the weather’s nice. We’ve
got a song about it too called “Party in a Forest.” It should be a pretty good party in the
forest. They’ve done a series of shows in forests to try and promote open spaces and keep
forests and green fields in the public. Obviously, when you live in the city, you end up
spending all your time there.
Any thoughts on the third Wombats album?
It’s too early to say really. People asked us
the same question when we were making
the second album, and the first two or three
songs we made were nothing like the songs
that ended up on the album. We just like to
make a song at a time and see where we get
to. It takes over and it becomes a little beast
of its own. We’ll wait and see. We literally just
took a bass guitar, so it’s quite rock. We like to
do that at first: get a lot of energy out and not
think too hard about what we’re doing. It’s
good fun, as always.w
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Photography CHAMA. Styling HISSA IGARASHI. Hair SHINGO SHIBATA. Makeup WALTER OBAL @ Atelier. Model DARIA
ZHEMKOVA @ IMG. Top ALTUZARRA. On eyes DOLCE&GABBANA makeup mascara. On lips DOLCE&GABBANA makeup
lipstick. On hair PANTENE hairspray. Production, Casting Marbles & Marbles Production
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ALAÏA
Photography SILJA Magg
Styling Hissa Igarashi
Dress AZZEDINE ALAÏA. Belt, boots WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.
Left page: Dress, belt AZZEDINE ALAÏA. Boots WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. This page: Dress AZZEDINE ALAÏA. Suede jacket SCREAMING MIMI’S.
Left page: Shirt AZZEDINE
ALAÏA. On lips M.A.C lipstick.
On skin M.A.C foundation.
On hair L’OREAL PARIS
hair spray.
Hair OWEN GOULD@ The Wall Group
Makeup WALTER OBAL@ Atelier
Model ALICIA@ Ford Models
Production, Casting Marbles & Marbles Production
Flower coordinates Urban floral design
Location Steven’s secret house
Previous page: Coat AZZEDINE ALAÏA. Right page: Shirt AZZEDINE ALAÏA. Cowboy hat WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.
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ders
Photography RUVAN WIJESOORIYA
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Coat TERRA NEW YORK. Bodysuit JEAN PAUL GAULTIER. Shoes NORITAKA TATEHANA for SOMARTA
Gloves LACRASIA GLOVES. Necklace, earrings PATRICIA VON MUSULIN Bag ENEVARE
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RAD HOURANI. Shoes DR.MARTENS. Gloves
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Vest RAD BY RAD HOURANI. Pants DIOR
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GAULTIER. Earrings, bracelet
PATRICIA VON MUSULIN. On skin M.A.C cosmetics
moisturizer. On hair L’OREAL
PARIS hair cream.
130
Left page: From left to right. Bruce Vest, skirt RAD BY RAD HOURANI. Goggles ELECTRIC. Sharlotte Dress STELLA MCCARTNEY. Earrings, necklace
PATRICIA VON MUSULIN. Gloves NIKE. Lewis Vest RAD BY RAD HOURANI. Pants DIOR HOMME. Goggles ELECTRIC.
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MIMI’S. Helmet RENEGADE EFFECTS GROUP. Bruce Vest RAD BY RAD HOURANI.
Sharlotte Dress DRIES VAN NOTEN.
Necklace PATRICIA VON MUSULIN.
Earrings, bracelet GILES & BROTHER.
Shin guards NIKE. Shoes NORITAKA
TATEHANA for SOMARTA. Bruce
Pants TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE.
Boots WHAT GOES AROUND COMES
AROUND. Gloves LACRASIA GLOVES.
Sharlotte Jacket DRIES VAN NOTEN. Corset RENEGADE EFFECTS GROUP. Skirt SCREAMING MIMI’S. Earrings PATRICIA VON MUSULIN.
Robot Jacket TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE. Helmet RENEGADE EFFECTS GROUP. Shorts, tights WOLFORD. Male Hand wears CARTIER WATCH.
On eyes M.A.C cosmetics shadow. On lips M.A.C cosmetics lipstick
Jacket SEARCH & DESTROY. Shorts ARENA. Gloves LACRASIA Gloves. Shoes NIKE. Socks AMERICAN APPAREL.
Coat, top HAIDER ACKERMANN.
Shorts D&G (Albright, Fashion Library).
Shoes NORITAKA TATEHANA for SOMARTA. Gloves LACRASIA GLOVES.
Necklace PATRICIA VON MUSULIN.
Helmet RENEGADE EFFECTS GROUP
Models CHARLOTTE DI CALYPSO@
DNA. BRUCE MACHADO@ Request.
LEWIS VALLEAN@ Red Citizen Hair
TETSUYA YAMAKATA
Makeup ASAMI TAGUCHI@ L’Atelier.
Photo Assistant & Retouch FELIX
SWENSSON Production MARBLES &
MARBLES Production.
Producer CHIKA FISSEL
Casting CLARISSA MORALES
Thanks to Root Studio
h
Hunger Games’
Isabelle Fuhrman
by Laurel Leicht
Photography CHEK WU
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
She plays Clove, one of the more lethal
competitors in The Hunger Games, this
spring’s blockbuster about how the authoritarian government of a post-apocalyptic America forces teenagers to fight
to the death. But 15-year-old Isabelle
Fuhrman says love—for her family
and for the craft of acting—is what’s
been driving her since her breakthrough,
starring role in the 2009 thriller, Orphan. While on the road promoting The
Hunger Games, the Atlanta native took
some time to talk with TWELV about her
Hollywood role model, Vera Farmiga,
working with Will Smith, and what’s so
great about having a crush.
140
Top BOTTEGA VENETA.
Ring, bracelet HOORSENBUHS. On lips YVES SAINT
LAURENT eye blow pencil. On
skin YVES SAINT LAURENT
powder. On hair BUMBLE
AND BUMBLE hoding spray.
How old were you when you first fell in love with acting? Can you
tell our readers about your first few roles?
I started when I was about seven, and got a part on the Cartoon
Network; I really liked it. Then I got an agent and did a commercial, a TV show, and then my first film. It was really when I did
Orphan that I knew that I wanted to do it [acting] for the rest of
my life.
When you began pursuing your passion for acting, were your family and friends supportive?
My family has always been really supportive of me. My mom
taught my sister and me that if we really want something, we have
to convince her. And if we’re successful in presenting our case, my
parents will make it happen. I’m lucky that they took my passion
for acting seriously and that my mom and I were able to move to
LA so I could pursue it.
Is it true that you loved The Hunger Games books so much, you
wrote to the director of the film, Gary Ross, asking to be in the
movie?
I did write Gary a letter! I am a big fan of the series.
What did you love about the series that made you want to be a part
of the movie?
Katniss is such a powerful girl and goes to such great lengths to
protect her family; she’s basically ready to give up her life for
them. I also really felt the story had significant relevance to our
lives today, with reality TV and how it’s become a huge part of
our lives.
In the story, teens have to fight one another to the death in the wilderness; how does it still convey love, despite all of that brutality?
There’s love between Katniss and her family, which is the reason
she goes into the Games—love for her sister is Katniss’ driving
force throughout the story. And the love between Peeta and Katniss helps both of them survive. Brutality is just an element in the
story; it’s really about rebellion between the haves and the havenots, which is a pretty powerful message.
What was it like to play Clove? Did you find that you could relate
to her?
Clove is nuts, so that’s that! But seriously, I did want to understand what made Clove want to win the games so badly—so I
wrote a back story for her so I could refer back to her childhood,
which is pivotal in anyone’s life.
What other projects are you currently working on?
Right now I’m working on M. Night Shyamalan’s new film, After
Earth, alongside Will and Jaden Smith. They are all so great—I’m
loving it!
Are there any actors whom you particularly admire?
I really look up to Vera Farmiga, who played my adoptive mother
in Orphan. Vera is so talented and smart, and she has her feet
on the ground. I learned so much from her—she always gave me
advice and was an amazing role model for me on my very first big
film. We spent a lot of time together in Montreal; we would go to
each other’s hotel rooms and cook and have a great time.
What comes to mind when you hear the words love and passion,
and how do they influence your work?
My work is my love and passion—I wish I could do it every day!
I think when you love something and are passionate about it, you
work harder because you want to learn and always improve.
Can you share with our readers a personal experience with love?
I just turned 15, so for me love is about my family and my craft.
I’m very close with my mom and my sister; I don’t know what I
would ever do without them. The closest I get to love with a boy
is having a crush on someone. I figure there is plenty of time for
romantic love later! w
This page:Shirt CHRISTIAN SIRIANO. Right page: Dress CHRISTIAN
SIRIANO. Hair MARCUS FRANCIS. Makeup KAYLEEN MCADAMS
Production. MARBLES & MARBLES Production
M
Martha
Photography MICHAEL BEAUPLET
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Dress PACO RABANNE. Rings HOORSENBUHS. Bracelets PATRICIA VON MUSULIN.
Left page: Dress GUCCI. Tights WOLFORD. Ring HOORSENBUHS. Shoes NORITAKA TATEHANA.
Skull EVOLUTION. This page: Shirt YOHJI YAMAMOTO. Ring HOORSENBUHS.
147
“Inspired by love.”
MARTHA STRECK
Right page: Top WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. Rings HOORSENBUHS. Bracelet GILES & BROTHER. Tights WOLFORD. Next spread page: Fur
Bolero BLUMARINE. Bodysuit SOMARTA. Shoes NORITAKA TATEHANA. Hair SHINGO SHIBATA. Makeup ASAMI TAGUCHI @ L’Atelier
Model MARTHA STRECK @ IMG. Production, Casting CLARISSA MORALES. Location SPLASHLIGHT STUDIOS
PUNCH DRUNK LOVE Photography CHEK WU Styling HISSA IGARASHI Hair TETSUYA YAMAKATA
Makeup ASAMI TAGUCHI @L’Atelier. Model ANNABELLE TSABOUKAS @ Women. Production, Casting Marbles & Marbles Production.
Left page: Vest, skirt ANN DEMEULEMEESTER. Shoes JIMMY CHOO. Necklace VICKI TURBEVILLE.
Right page: Coat BURBERRY PRORSUM. Belt PATRICIA VON MUSULIN. Bracelet LOCAL CLOTHING NYC. Shoes ROBERTO CAVALLI.
Glasses STAERK.
Shadow
Play
By Hair Stylist
KEVIN RYAN
for Rsession Tool
Photography TAKU
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Makeup MUNEMI IMAI @ The Magnet.
Model SHELBY KEETON @ DNA.
Production, Casting Marbles &
Marbles Production
Dress GUCCI.
157
Jacket A.F. VANDEVORST. On eyes L’OREAL
PARIS eyeliner. On lips L’OREAL PARIS lip colour.
Jacket,Shirt STELLA MCCARTNEY.
On hair L’OREAL PARIS hair spray.
Dress BILL BLASS.
THE
ENDLESS
SUMMER
Photography ERIK SWAIN
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Dress PAUL & JOE. Big cross necklace PATRICIA VON
MUSULIN. Beads necklace BEN AMUN. Wood beads
necklace, wood cross necklace LOCAL CLOTHING NYC.
Upper left: Jeans LEVI’S.
This page: Vest,hat WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. Shorts STELLA MCCARTNEY. Big cross necklace PATRICIA VON MUSULIN.
Earrings VICKI TURBEVILLE. Bracelet BEN AMUN. Right page: Dress ROBERTO CAVALLI. Beads necklace BEN AMUN. Earrings VICKI TURBEVILLE.
163
Swimwear ROBERTO
CAVALLI. Tank top TEXTILE
ELIZABETH AND JAMES.
Earrings, bracelet VICKI
TURBEVILLE. Guy’s Shirt
SCREAMING MIMI’S. Jeans
LEVI’S.
Dress WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. Big beads necklace,big cross necklace PATRICIA VON MUSULIN. Bracelet VICKI TURBEVILLE.
Top STELLA MCCARTNEY. On skin MAYBELLINE Foundation Fit Me. Shorts J CREW
Swimwear ROBERTO CAVALLI. Shawl
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.
On the left: Jacket SCREAMING MIMI’S. Jeans ACNE. On the right: Vest WHAT GOES AROUND COMES
AROUND. Jumpsuit PAUL & JOE. Big cross necklace PATRICIA VON MUSULIN. Beads necklace BEN AMUN.
Scarf SEARCH & DESTROY. Earrings VICKI TURBEVILLE. On lips MAYBELLINE lip Color, on skin MAYBELLINE powder. On hair TRESEMME hairspray.
Left: Jeans ACNE. Right: Swimwear BOTTEGA VENETA. Jeans ACNE.
LOVE FOREVER
Hair OWEN GOULD @ The Wall Group.
Model CAITLIN RICKETTS @ Wilhelmina.
ANDRES CARRERAS.
Production CLARISSA MORALES.
Casting DREW LINEHAN/TREW PRODUCTIONS.
On the left: Jeans LEVI’S. On the right: Swimwear JO DE MER. Jeans G-STAR.
Sean
O’Pry
“Good Ol’ Georgia Boy”
Fashion’s hottest male model get’s a dirty makeover and muses about the simple life
by TracyStuber
Photography MARIA KARAS Styling HISSA IGARASHI
When clad in a leather jacket and jeans, his hair slicked down on the sides and
his skin marked with grease, Sean O’Pry bears a striking resemblance to James
Dean, the archetypal mixture of emotive depth and masculine grit. The association
is neither unexpected nor particularly innovative: Dean is a worthy barometer for
any good-looking man in leather. Yet to watch O’Pry in front of the camera is to
recognize that a comparison of the young model to the iconic actor goes beyond a
simple physical likeness. The 22-year-old native of Kennesaw, Georgia has a healthy
amount of Dean’s natural swagger and ease on film, moving as comfortably in his
jacket and stretched-out tank as he does in a button-down oxford or with no shirt
at all.
O’Pry’s apparent effortlessness, in accompaniment to his undeniably photogenic face, was doubtless a major factor in
his almost meteoric rise to fame. In 2009, only three years after he was discovered through prom photos on his MySpace
page, Forbes named him “Most Successful Male Model.” While such achievement is enough to inflate anyone’s ego
to dangerous proportions, O’Pry is quick to attribute his success to his manager, Lana Winters Tomczak, and is openly
grateful for her support, as well as that of his close-knit group of family and friends. Despite his relatively young age,
he is remarkably and even admirably levelheaded. On this level, he shares little with the temperamental Jim Stark of
Rebel Without a Cause or the moody and cynical Cal Trask of East of Eden.
Nor does O’Pry share James Dean’s own penchant for danger, insisting that he would much rather play golf or fish than
race cars. Considering himself at times as “a cat with a ball of string,” he has learned during his six years as a model to
take as much out of the experience as possible, and to be easily satisfied rather than easily annoyed. Thus, despite being
jetlagged during our interview from a flight from Berlin, he remains positive and passionate about his choice of careers.
Recognizing that “this job has given me so much,” he is eager for the opportunities modeling allows him to give back.
“It’s a gift to be able to do that,” he says earnestly. “This will be the first interview where I admit it’s not a bad gig.”
All clothes by DIOR HOMME
175
Are there particular projects you’ve especially enjoyed or people you’ve really liked working with?
I really haven’t worked on a really un-enjoyable shoot in
my career. I just worked with Madonna, and that was pretty
cool. But everyone has different things, different personalities, that are all so appealing to me. You can’t really name-out
one because people are individuals. There’s something nice
about everyone, and there’s something great about working
with him or her. So I’m going to narrow it down to Madonna.
Has it been hard dealing with your success?
I didn’t know how to handle it at first. Truthfully, I didn’t. I
could have been a little bit of a prick at that time. I was seventeen! But I’ve been so lucky to encounter people who just
keep teaching me lessons about life and how to deal with
things. It’s still a growing process; the career developed fast,
and maybe me not so much. But I’m definitely working on
it. It’s getting to be enjoyable now instead of a chore. Certain
aspects, like getting on a flight—now I can enjoy getting on
a flight, talking to people, and not just having to worry about
the job. I’m taking this job for everything it is and everything
it has to give. Before, I was really underappreciating what I
had, but now I’m definitely ten times more appreciative.
Clearly, your manager has been really important to you. Are
there people in your life who have been particularly helpful or
supportive?
I have the best friends and family a guy could ask for. I have
a gorgeous 16-year-old sister, Shannon and an older brother,
Chris, who’s 24 turning 25. I have a great mom, Caran, and a
great dad, John. I’ve been friends with the same guys since
I was four or five years old, Randy, Antoine, Matt, Adam and
Chris. I just have a really close-knit, small group. It’s like,
when the music video with Madonna came out, my uncle
Rick called me right away and told me how happy he was.
I didn’t even see it yet! I had just gotten off a flight, and I
had thirteen or fourteen voicemails. I talk to my mom and
dad every day. I come from a very close-knit life, and I have
the best grandparents ever. Every time I’m back, I spend
the night at my Pa-pa’s, or I go see my grandma in Florida. I
just have a great surrounding around me, and I think that’s
what kept me grounded the most. I’m only an hour-and-ahalf away from home in New York, but you feel so far away.
Just talking to my little sister after school, I’m right back
there. It’s really nice.
What are your other passions outside of modeling?
I golf—I golf quite a bit. I wakeboard during the summer
with my buddies back in Georgia. Randy, Antoine, Adam,
and Chris, we all just wakeboard all summer, which is really
beautiful. It’s on this great Lake Allatoona, and we go around
to different lakes now and do it. And I fish. I have a huge passion for fishing. I’m probably a shitty fisherman, but I really
love to fish. I could sit on a boat for twenty-four hours and be
completely content with my life. I really love fishing, and I
work on my cars.
What else comes to mind when you hear the words love and
passion? How does it influence your work?
Hair ANNA BERNABE@Eamgmt
for Oribe Hair CareMakeup CHICHI
SAITO@B Agency NY for M.A.C
cosmeticsProduction MARBLES &
MARBLES Production
I have a huge passion for this job. There are certain jobs
where I’ll find out what the theme of the job is, and I’ll just
try to create it. I definitely get into it. As for love, I have a
love and a hate for this job. I told you that this job has given
me so much. I can’t be an ass and say I hate it, I hate being
a male model. This will be the first interview where I admit
it’s not a bad gig. But I hate the job too, because I’d love to
see my family more. But so would everybody. Some people
would love to travel more. I’d replace some of that travel
to see my family. Everyone’s going to have a problem with
something. Mine just happens to be being away from home.
I’m a good ol’ Georgia boy.w
Hello
BRUNA
Photography MARIA KARAS
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Jacket JAC LANGHEIM. Shirt D&G. Tank top BESS NYC. Ring NOIR JEWELRY. Clutch LULU GUINNESS. On eyes DIORSHOW
mascara. On lips DIORSHOW lipstick. On skin DIORSKIN poudre libre. On hair L’OREAL PARIS hair spray.
Jacket ROBERTO CAVALLI. Shirt JILL STUART. Skirt, Shoes TRASH
AND VAUDEVILLE. Rings VAN CLEEF & ARPLES. Tights WOLFORD.
Jacket BESS NYC. Shirt D&G. Tank top STUSSY. Skirt, shoes TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE. Rings, Hello
Kitty doll, Hello Kitty key chain SANRIO BOUTIQUES. Headband CHUBBY BUNNY for Hello Kitty.
Dress ACNE. Shirt LINA ÖSTERMAN. Necklace VAN CLEEF &
ARPELS. Shoes TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE. Tights WOLFORD.
Dress JILL STUART. Shirt, bracelet, shoes TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE. Tights WOLFORD
Shirt KAREN WALKER. Sweater BESS NYC. Shorts CHENG.
Shoes TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE. Hair CECILIA ROMERO @Amy Kirkman.Makeup MUNEMI IMAI@ The
Magnet Agency. Model BRUNA TENORIO @ Women. Production, Casting Marbles & Marbles Production
T
Training Camp
Photography CHAMA
Styling ASUKA YAMASHITA
Bodysuit DOMINIC LOUIS On eyes COVER GIRL eyeliner.
On lips COVER GIRL lip color. On skin COVER GIRL powder.
Left page: Swimwear DSQUARED2. T-shirt Emporio Armani. Shoes VALENTINO. This page: Swimwear JEAN PAUL GAULTIER for LA PERLA
This page: Swimwear JEAN PAUL GAULTIER for LA PERLA. Ring by/ NATALIE FRIGO. Cap GAP. Right page: Shirt, Shorts GAP. Shoes VALENTINO
Hair SHINGO SHIBATA
Makeup ASAMI TAGUCHI
@ L’Atelier. Models
RACHEL ALEXANDER @ Supreme
VERNON BROWN@Silver Model
Production MARBLES & MARBLES Production. Casting DREW
LINEHAN/ TREW Productions
Location Neo Studios
NEVERLAND
Photography RONY SHRAM
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
Hair SHINGO SHIBATA.
Makeup ASAMI TAGUCHI @
L’Atelier. Production, Casting
DREW LINEHAN/TREW
Productions. Dress
BLUMARINE. Bracelet GUCCI.
On lips LAURA MERCIER
lipstick. On skin LAURA
MERCIER foundation. On hair
TRESEMME hair spray.
If you were fifteen years old, how would you feel about Glee?
I would be pissed I wasn’t on it! Simply because growing up,
people always said I had to pick between acting and singing, and
that was never an option for me. I like both equally for different
reasons, and here Glee comes along. It’s such a unique situation,
where we really can do everything we love and sing songs we never
thought we could or would.
What was your most interesting fan encounter on Glee?
I’ll never forget when we went around the U.S. on our first promotional tour to different malls all around the country. At that point,
only the pilot had aired. [At] one of the first signings, a group of
high school friends came up—who were probably only a year or
two younger than me at the time—and said, “Thank you for playing the losers. Thank you for playing us. You have no idea how
much it means to us that we will get to watch you guys every week
representing us.” From then on, I think we all felt the gravity of
how the show really could touch people, in addition to making
them laugh.
Laura
Vandervoort
Beautiful Fighter by Tristan Bultman
Photography RONY SHRAM Styling ASUKA YAMASHITA
Do you have any current pop culture or celebrity obsessions?
Kanye West. I have the utmost respect for the guy. I think he’s
infinitely talented and he connects through rap in a way that no
else has before. Your grandma probably knows his music. Music,
fashion, tours. He’s an entertainer. There aren’t many all-around
entertainers like that anymore.
I can’t talk too much about it, because we’re still working on
it, but growing up I was a tomboy, and was quirky and odd
and missing front teeth until I was like eight, and thought
I was a boy with a bowl haircut. My teeth fell out when I
was a baby learning to walk; the babysitter wasn’t taking
care of me, and I hit a table and they came out by the roots,
and they didn’t grow back until I was eight, so I was the
toothless wonder. I was odd, and I didn’t love the princessy books and pink and purple, and there weren’t any books
that I connected with. So now I’m working on a book for
girls like me who were a little different, and dressed kind of
oddly, and wanted to be tough and take care of themselves.
It’s called Super Duper Delia. She’s got all of her friends
at school, and she’s got some superpowers. She takes care
of herself but there are a lot of lessons learned in the book
about being a good person.
McFly! They’re a British pop band I stumbled across when I was
fourteen, and their first single had just come out in the U.K. I became obsessed. I’d order all their singles and CDs. I got all my
friends into them. I even made my family watch their tour DVDs.
They’re super-talented dudes and are still cranking out great tunes.
Love those guys.
Glee’s made a difference in a number of people’s lives. Has this
changed your awareness of certain issues?
Glee’s opened up my awareness for everything! The obvious one
is people with disabilities, for me. I realized how naive I was and
how unobservant I was in terms of people with disabilities. When I
got cast as Artie, it was night and day. I suddenly noticed the challenges in everyday life for certain people and how resilient people
are. The best part about being Artie is that being in a wheelchair
doesn’t define who he is.
Tell us about your upcoming movie, Ted. You and Seth MacFarlane have a history working together on Family Guy.
What was it like working with him on his first feature film?
From the show, I’ve gotten to meet so many great kids and adults
in wheelchairs, and everyone has been incredibly inspiring and
makes me so proud I can be a part of something like this.
Triple Threat:Look out Hollywood, He may play
an affable teenager on TV, but Kevin McHale’s talents don’t stop at acting.
by Andrea Shang Photography JOSH MADSON Styling ZOE
COSTELLO Hair, Makeup BARBARA GUILLAME using La Mer
Artie isn’t a fashionista. How do you differ from him in that regard?
This is our biggest difference. Since the show started I’ve become
more and more into fashion. I’ve really grown to love it and that’s
all thanks to our amazing costume designer, Lou Eyrich. Lou
would bring a huge grandpa sweater for me to try on, and she’d ask,
“Is this OK with you?” and I’d always say, “Whatever you want!”
She’s a genius and created such distinct characters with the clothes,
along with Ryan Murphy.
Unless you just recently returned from a mission to Mars,
you’ve heard of Glee, the seemingly omnipresent, proudly
campy TV show about a high school glee club. TWELV
caught up with Kevin McHale, the 23-year-old actor who
stars as Artie on the megahit series. Before joining the cast
of Glee, McHale grew up in Texas and belonged to the boy
band, NLT, which toured with and opened for the Pussycat
Dolls. We spoke with him about his most memorable experiences with fans, his admiration for Kanye West, and his adoration for the British band, McFly.
Make up your own ending for Artie. What do you see happening to
him in the future after the show ends?
I think he becomes the next George Lucas/Steven Spielberg.
The theme of this issue is LOVE. What comes to mind when you
think of the word love?
It’s like five shots of espresso back to back and never lets up. It’s
what makes you happiest. It can be a person, a song, a place.w
Suit HUGO BOSS. Shirt CALVIN
KLEIN. Shoes CALIBRATE.
My dad grew up on a farm, so I grew up with animals, and
we always had pets. We had three cats, two dogs, and seven
koi fish at one point. Animals have always just been in my
life, and I’ve been around them, so it’s important to me.
They make me very comfortable. When I was in V and
Smallville, I thought that this was a good chance for me to
do something; I had a little platform I could use. I was talking to my publicist at the time, and PETA came along, and
it sort of worked hand in hand with V, because I was playing
a lizard. They thought, let’s do the Exotic Skins campaign;
protect the lizards, the snakes, the non-fuzzy animals. So I
started doing that, and I recently started with an organization called Gentle Barn in California, that takes in animals
that have been abused and neglected, that are on their last
legs, you know, horses that can’t be ridden, that are going
to go to the glue factory. They obviously bring animals back
to health and take care of them, but it’s also a last place for
animals to have a peaceful life. They have kids who come
in who have had tough lives, are handicapped, or have been
abused and neglected themselves, and then the two sort of
heal each other. It’s a beautiful place. It’s just learning to
love and be gentle with these little animals, and it teaches
them compassion as well.
Is it true you’re working on a children’s book series? What
is it about?
I read that you’re a fan of the British band, McFly. Tell us about
them.
Kevin
McHale
Tell our readers about your love for animals and the animal
rights foundations you’re involved with.
Laura Vandervoort is a sci-fi starlet whose stunning looks draw crowds
at any geek convention. She’s a black belt who has played an alien princess bent on saving earth in ABC’s remake of V, Supergirl in the hit
television show, Smallville and, oh yeah, fought off meningitis at only
six weeks old. This tomboy turned steamy actress is now bringing her
talents to the big screen, starring alongside Mark Walhberg, Mila Kunis
and a talking teddy bear in Seth Macfarlane’s first feature film, Ted, a
guaranteed blockbuster. But her talents don’t stop there -- the starlet
actively supports animal rights charities, dabbles in photography, and is
currently authoring a children’s book series for girls.
It was great. I did a few episodes of Family Guy, and then
had the pleasure of working with him on his directorial debut. He does everything. He just recorded an album, and
was nominated for a Grammy. He’s like a prodigy. Plays the
piano, sounds like Frank Sinatra. He can do just anything,
so we all know he’d be great at directing. He wrote this
script, and I auditioned and got the job, and we all went
to Boston. A lot of my scenes were in Boston. I had never
been. I love the cobblestone there, love the vibe. I had a
lot of fun. Patrick Warburton was in the movie as well, and
John Viener who’s from Family Guy—both of them are
from Family Guy—there were a lot of one-liners being shot
back and forth and improvising and dirty guy humor. I play
Tanya, who works with Mark Wahlberg at a car rental store.
She’s the only girl working there, so she kind of shoots the
shit with the guys, and is one of the guys, but she’s also very
much the heart of the office. So when Mark gets in trouble
with Mila and the Ted–teddy bear–who’s his best friend,
and is choosing between the two, Tanya’s always there to
give him advice. It was crazy working with Mark, too.w
Hair ANTHONY NADER @ Atelier Management. Makeup TRIPPORAH. Dress Bill Blass. Earrings John Hardy. Ring ALBERTO
JUAN. On eyes LANCOME mascara. On hair MOROCCANOIL hair spray.
192
HOLLAND RODEN
Do you like supernatural and horror movies?
I am definitely your classic, boring actor who loves like,
Revolutionary Road-style movies. I’m not a huge horror
person, actually, but I loved An American Werewolf in Paris.
I like old Hitchcock movies.
10 Minutes with a Teen Wolf
by Andrea Shang
Why do you think our culture’s fascinated with werewolves?
Do you ever feel the need to counter presumptions about your
show from people who don’t watch it?
I think we’re fascinated with werewolves because of the
message these stories give out. They really tap into this
vein of classic romance. I don’t feel the need to counter
negative perceptions of the show from people who have
never watched it – people have been finding the show on
their own, and it’s great when they come up to us and say in
surprise, “It’s really good!” It’s a great kind of backhanded
compliment. I know that people are thinking it’s going to
be Twilight-y—and I’ve never seen twilight so I’m not going to judge it—but I think it is definitely a bit Twilight-y
in the sense that it harks back to that classic romance. We
have great people working on the show; incredible writers
and stylists.
Tell us about your favorite causes?
I’m an animal person; I don’t see how you can’t be. (Laughs)
I have a biophilia problem. I care deeply about animals and
think that most of them do have emotions—anger and happiness and sadness, and I think animals do feel. Animal care
is a huge priority on my list.
Nutrition and diet-care is something I also care hugely
about. I studied nutrition in college, and I’m crazy about
food documentaries, Jamie Oliver’s food revolution and all
of that. I’m not a vegan, but I would love to be one; I’m
trying to work towards becoming one. People are coming to
realize the ramifications of their diets—we have eight year
olds with Type II diabetes. And further down the road we’re
going to look back and think, ‘wow, what were we thinking?’ I’d love to promote veganism in the future, but I understand that there’s a resistance to it. It can be expensive
to eat healthy. But you know, even a non-vegan, healthy
diet is not as expensive as people think it is. A bag of beans
would cost the same as a filet of chicken, and they’re much
healthier for you. And fruits like apples are cheap. Besides,
you have to think about it in long-term benefits. Healthy
food that’s slightly more expensive is going to benefit your
mind and body in the long run, and that’ll show on your
health and medication bills down the line in ten, twenty,
thirty years. In a way, it’s less expensive than not eating
healthily. I think it’s completely worth it.
There’s this supernatural world she was completely unaware of and kind of stumbled into…
last season ends on a cliffhanger – she gets bitten, so we don’t know if she’s going to die or
turn into a werewolf.
After a string of short TV roles on shows including Lost,
Weeds, and Community, Holland Roden became best
known as a lead actress on the MTV show, Teen Wolf based
on the wildly popular 80s fantasy-comedy movie franchise
starring Michael J. Fox. The Dallas-born beauty and UCLA
grad talked to TWELV about her Teen Wolf character, Lydia Martin, her abiding love of food documentaries, and her
surprising scientific background.
What surprises people about you?
Well, obviously that I’m a food documentary fanatic
(laughs). And I used to be on the pre-med track in college
while working on a part-time job. I eventually switched
majors, but I was always worried that acting wasn’t going
to work out; I wanted to make sure that I had a backup. I
was applying to nursing school at the same time I was auditioning for “Teen Wolf”. It was difficult, juggling school
and acting. I mean, hopefully I won’t have to go to nursing
school if things go well, but you never know.
Tell us about your character Lydia on Teen Wolf?
She was modeled after Reese Witherspoon’s character in
Election, so she’s a bit of a Tracy Flick. There’s this supernatural world she was completely unaware of and kind
of stumbled into, and her subplot for the last season ends
on a cliffhanger – she gets bitten, so we don’t know if she’s
going to die or turn into a werewolf. I don’t know if she’s
changed that much; she’s still definitely her know-it-all self,
and she’s still simply a brat. But her colors have never been
truly evil, and she’s self-centered and type-A in an intelligent kind of way. People may disagree, but I think she’s a
good person. There are shades of gray in her.
What does the word love mean to you?
Love is caring for one another and being kind. I think of
family and friends, mothers, fathers, siblings, etc. It makes
the world better. w
194
Canyon & Michael Sharits
Unconditional
With our premiere issue about LOVE, we thought we’d
give our readers an inside look into how the industry
power couple Canyon and Michael Sharits keep the
magic alive in spite of their busy careers. Michael, a
model and budding actor, is continually globetrotting
for work, while Canyon spends much of her time in the
recording studio meticulously crafting her debut album’s folksy sound. During one of their few “together
days”, over a delicious meal of oysters, lobster bisque,
and a farm-to-table, grass-fed burger at their favorite
Westport, CT. restaurant and hangout, The Dressing
Room, the two were nice enough to share their secrets to
keeping their love locked down.
by Tristan D. Bultman
M: Be open and honest. That’s the biggest thing. It’s really being
willing to offer up as much information as possible, because you want
to make the other person feel comfortable in any situation. What I’m
doing is modeling, and in these different situations, it can be very
uncomfortable. Just be overly informative, and then it keeps you so
connected. Then it’s just making it a priority. Like anything in life,
you have time. There’s always time for whatever you want to do. It’s
how much of a priority it is to you. Now, does your career become
your number one priority? For a lot of people it is. So after a point
you’re, like, ‘do I just give up all my pursuits and stop and focus on
this, or do I find a way to chase my dreams and still be engaged with
the other’? There’s no X, Y, and Z. In any relationship, there isn’t. But
there has to be that will. There has to be that want. If you’re doing it
for obligation, I’d say stop. Do it because you want to do it.
When you hear the word LOVE what do you think of?
C: I think of comfort. I think of having the kind of safety where you
Mike, you have a very hectic schedule, traveling all over the world to can be so raw and open with yourself, and you don’t have to worry
do assignments, gone up to a month at a time, and Canyon, you’re in about all the petty things we worry about day to day: you know, like,
the recording studio working on your first album. How do you find does my hair look okay? Is there something in my teeth? Does my
butt look fat? You don’t have all those thoughts, and you can just be
time for each other?
with someone and let every guard down, and have that comfort in
M: Skype has definitely been a genius addition to any traveler. But knowing that this person just accepts you and loves you how you are.
It’s such a luxury to have that authentically.
what we’ve committed to this year is making the time.
M: I want to touch on the unconditional love. Everyone seeks that.
That’s the beauty of finding someone that really loves you for every
part of you. Because everybody puts on a face. You meet someone for
C: You have to want to work at it. You don’t want to be a drag. And at the first time, you try to be the best person you are. Even if you’re
the same time, I try to be respectful of when he’s gone. I want him not, you’re on top and your energy’s up. But if you come in the door
to go and have fun. I want him to be able to hang out and meet new and you’re, like, ‘my foot’s tired,’ and they still love you, and they still
friends, but at the same time, I want him to always be respectful of want to encourage you, and they are still there… And a lot of people
don’t show that to people. They only give certain parts, and they still
wanting to check in, let me know what’s going on.
hide and hold it. It’s something that’s freeing, and it’s real.w
C: You can’t rest on your laurels.
M: You have to work at it.
A
WOMAN
Photography RONY SHRAM
Styling HISSA IGARASHI
On eyes L’OREAL PARIS illuminator eyeliner. On hair L’OREAL PARIS
elnett satin hairspray. Model RONJA FURRER@New York Models.
Hair SHLOMI MOR@Atelier. Makeup WALTER OBAL@Atelier.
Production, Casting MARBLES & MARBLES Production.
Jacket HOGAN MCLAUGHLIN. Earrings, ring GUCCI
Dress HOGAN MCLAUGHLIN. Earrings GUCCI.
On the Left: Suits DIOR HOMME. On skin L’OREAL PARIS sublime glow moisturizer. On eyes L’OREAL PARIS voluminous
mascara. On lips L’OREAL PARIS color riche. On cheeks L’OREAL PARIS sculpting blush duo. On hair L’OREAL PARIS everstyle.
On the Right: Jacket HOGAN MCLAUGHLIN. Earrings GUCCI. Gloves LACRASIA GLOVES
Woman: Dress HOGAN MCLAUGHLIN. Shoes CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN. Man: Suit, shirt, shoes DIOR HOMME. Watch CARTIER.
THE STREETERS
“Fashion straight off the streets of New York these trendsetters give you a glimpse of their daily attire”
The Street Snap “Spotted in NYC” www.twelvmag.com
Photography NAOKO TAKAGI, WATARU SHIMOSATO Editor SAYURI MURAKAMI
Mina C
Model
[email protected]
Mikael
This and That
[email protected]
Arielle Nachmani
Fashion Blogger
[email protected]
Polina Blinova
Model
[email protected]
Anna Scott
Marc Jacobs shoes Designer
[email protected]
Cesar Casier
Model
[email protected]
Knight
Stylist
[email protected]
KATYA KULYZHKA
Model
[email protected]
KATE ERICKSON
Model
[email protected]
Nadia Sarwar
Blogger/Photographer
[email protected]
Therese Lindh-Bjellder
Musical Theater artist
[email protected]
Rolly Robinson
Photo&Design Editor for stylecaster
[email protected]
Ginta
Model
[email protected]
mia mountain
Actress
[email protected]
PATRICK ORCUTT
Brand relations@Le Book
[email protected]
Marisa Drucks
Hair & Make-up Agent
[email protected]
Adam Aleksander
Set designer
[email protected]
Josie McCoy
TopShop seles associate
[email protected]
202
203
TWELV BOOKS
A SELECTION FROM DASHWOOD BOOKSTORE
Editors YO SAITO & MAI NOGUCHI
I.C.E.I.C.E.BABY
BrIan ERMANSKI
He’d make Banksy’s Mr. Brainwash blush
EEN LIEFDESGESCHIEDENIS IN SAINT GERMAIN
DES PRES Photographer: ED
VAN DER ELSKEN
Publisher: Dewi Lewis, 1999
NEUE MENSCHEN
Photographer: RICO
SCAGLIOLA & MICHAEL
MEIER Publisher: Edition
Patrick Frey, 2011
YOU AND I
Photographer: RYAN
MCGINLEY Publisher: Twin
Palms, 2011
BILLY MONK
Publisher: Dewi Lewis Publishing
JEANS
Photographer: KARLHEINZ
WEINBERGER Publisher:
Museum fur Gegenwartskunst
Basel/ Swiss Institute, 2011
ELAD LASSRY
COLOR’D from
DASHWOOD BOOKS
SERIES( LTD EDITION )
Photographer: JIM MANGAN
Publisher: Dashwood Books,
2011
LET’S SIT DOWN BEFORE
WE GOPhotographer:
BERTIEN VAN MANEN
Publisher: MACK, 2012
LE BOUCHER
Photographer:MIKAEL
JANSSON Publisher:Gun
TOM SANDBERG: PHOTOGRAPHS 1989 – 2006
Publisher: Galleri Riis/P.S.1,
2007
UNIVERSEN
Photographer: Huber. Huber.
Publisher: Edition Patrick
Frey, 2011
CYANOTYPES
Photographer: CHRISTIAN
MARCLAY Publisher: JRP
Ringier, 2012
Publisher: Luhring Augustine,
2011
Photography DANNY CHRISTENSEN
“WHO THE F@*$ IS BRIAN ERMANSKI? I’m fearless. I take so many risks and chances. I’ve seen death, I’ve experienced it. I’m not shy like when I was younger. You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you anyway. Maybe my friends
will put my life story in a book one day. Or maybe a short film oh wait Paul Stone already did it’s called The Prince of
Elizabeth Street”
“ICE is beautiful, bright and helps preserve life. ICE is an acronym for In case of emergency. I was assaulted five years
ago. I was in so much pain and there was no one there to help me. I was almost calling out for help. Picking up girls on
the street every day in search of a girl who has a heart of Gold. ICE also represents numbness: when I was injured I lost
the feeling of my right hand. I rehabilitated myself to be able to paint again, to be able to touch and feel. BLACK ICE Yeah
watch out for it...”
“When I think of love, I think of passion. I think of dedication; nights spent painting all night long. I think of all of the
women who have ever inspired me and how much I’ve strived to be better because of them. I think of the greater feeling of
being in love; how much it torments and racks your heart and how much it soothes your soul and calms your nerves.” “My
next project is top secret. All I can say is that I’m going to make the most expensive painting in the world.” w
MARBLES & MARBLES Production
Gallery,2012
DASHWOOD BOOKS
33 BOND Street, NEW YORK, NY 10012, 2123878520, www.dashwoodbooks.com
STOCKISTS
3.1 PHILLIP LIM 31philliplim.com
ACNE acnestudios.com
ADIDAS ORIGINALS adidas.com/originals/com
A.F.VANDEVORST afvandevorst.be
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ALBRIGHT FASHION LIBRARY albrightnyc.com
ALEXANDER WANG alexanderwang.com
ANN DEMEULEMEESTER anndemeulemeester.be
ANTHONY VACCARELLO anthonyvaccarello.com
A PEACE TREATY apeacetreaty.com
A|X ARMANI EXCHANGE armaniexchange.com
AZZEDINE ALAÏA +33.1.40.27.85.58
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EVOLUTION theevolutionstore.com
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JILL STUART jillstuart.com
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JO DE MER jodemer.com.br
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LACRASIA GLOVES lacrasiagloves.com
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ROBERTO CAVALLI robertocavalli.com
SANRIO BOUTIQUES sanrio.com
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SEARCH&DESTROY 212.358.1120
SOMARTA somarta.jp
SPACE COWBOY BOOTS NYC spacecowboyboots.com
STAERK staerk.com
STELLA MCCARTNEY stellamccartney.com
STUSSY stussy.com
SURFACE TO AIR surfacetoair.com
TERRA NEW YORK terranewyork.com
TEXTILE ELIZABETH AND JAMES elizabethandjames.us
THE FRYE COMPANY thefryecompany.com
THE GREAT FROG NYC thegreatfroglondon.com
TRASH AND VAUDEVILLE trashandvaudeville.com
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VAN CLEEF & ARPELS vancleef-arpels.com
VERSANI versani.com
VICKI TURBEVILLE southwesternjewelry.net
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND whatgoesaroundnyc.com
WOLFORD wolford.com
YOHJI YAMAMOTO yohjiyamamoto.co.jp
Musicians
Blonde redhead www.4ad.com/artists/blondereddhead
First Aid Kit http://thisisfirstaidkit.com
Korallreven www.korallreven.se/main
Neon trees www.fameisdead.com/pictureshow
New Look www.newlookmusic.com
Real Estate http://realestatetheband.com
THE WOMBATS www.thewombats.co.uk
Artists
Brian Ermanski www.ermanski.com
Erwin Wurm www.erwinwurm.at
James Rasin www.beautifuldarling.com/aboutthebeau.html
Joe Mckenna www.artpartner.com/artists/style/joe-mckenna
Nick Veasey www.nickveasey.com
YAYOI KUSAMA www.yayoi-kusama.jp
Special Thanks
BAND OF OUTSIDERS Delorean (day time) owned by Harry Dounis Delorean ( night time) owned by William Fielitz
THE ENDLESS SUMMER Puerto Rico Surfing Organization HELLO BRUNA Cat’s owner Victoria and Katya
LOVE ROCK & ROLL Motor cycle owned by Daniel Glicksman, Doberman’s owner Meghan Schwartz www. nydobermans.com