comme des garçons, the avantgard of fashion, created a collection for hm, the mass market of fashion. today was the official launch of the work of rei kawakabu, the japanese designer of iconic status. also here in london. hm is selling its clothes in 32 countries. a huge chain of 1600 stores. commes des garcons have no stores. some guerilla stores ( see my previous story about the los angeles guerilla store which I’ve visited in may 2008 – greetings to brett westfall, co-owner of the store) their collection is hard to get and over the edge. so opposites attracht.

click here to read my fashion story →

another ‘I need to mention it’ design from the london design festival… the design weeks and festivals just have so much content to show… the first piet hein eek pop-up store was launched at the rabih hage gallery in south kensington, london. it was the biggest solo showcase the dutch designer ever had. piet became famous through his furniture built from recycled wood.

the new trend – the pop-up shop: not so long ago people called it guerilla store. a temporary showroom

→

there is an exhibition with the title ‘cold war modern’ at the v&a museum, london right now. yesterday I was there and took some illegal pictures, forgot to switch off my flash and was almost kicked out. it was thrilling.

installation view oasis 7 by hans-rucker-co at documenta 5, kassel, 1972

→

I saw esther stocker‘s work at the liftoff, (location was the office of buro philip van den hurk financial consultants) at the dutch design week in eindhoven, which ended last month. the title of the exhibition was ‘the truth of basics, resetting the history of living between four walls’ and different artists and designers were presenting artwork or designs in a room.

one of my teachers at my academy, academy maastricht, use to say to me: matylda, I really wanna know where your black and white obsession is coming from. I didn’t find an answer yet but I do know that it’s true. what I like about esther stocker’s installations: they are black and white and geometrically well thought out (like a system she wants you to be in).

lift 2008

→

another post from the saatchi gallery (the current exhibition ‘the revolution continues’ about chinese art is worth to visit!) here is the ‘old persons home’ installation by sun yuan and peng yu. they are renown for working with extreme materials such as human fat tissue, live animals, and baby cadavers to deal with issues of perception, death, and the human condition.

→