Today Was A Great Day!

Today I found out some great news!

In relation to my writing that is... hehe

Jeff Staple (iconic streetwear designer whom I, and a few of the itches clan, met in Melbourne) liked MY review of the Buffet event!

The fact that he read the thirteen itches blog first of all is big news - major exposure for the label. But even bigger is him saying that he liked my review is soo awesome! Couldn't wipe the smile off my face hehe

Check out what he said:

"Check out the Thirteen Itches blog and Frank/Qubic’s blog for a great write-up from a local’s perspective."

This is a major compliment!!!

Even further, it tells me that I didn't make a mistake choosing to write for the rest of my life hehe

Anyways, you can check out Mr Staple's review here.

And above, well I had to add it in but it's a pic of he and I (and his fries!) in Melbourne after the Buffet forums :0)

McFancy

Imagine Mcdonalds for the upscale high-end elite individuals of today’s society - those of whom you would gasp and stare at in shock if you saw them (or if they saw themselves) step into a fast food chain like Maccas.

Imagine walking up to the counter and ordering a Burberry (packaged) burger with a side of Hermes or Gucci fries and to top it all off, a Paul Smith sundae.

Enter McFancy - created by the Cool Hunter and Access Agency – a collaborative pop-up design project set to launch at fashion weeks around the world in 2010!

"Today’s demanding consumers expect even their beloved, favorite brands to step up their game. Many run-away online successes of offline brand “stunts” attest that consumers expect, and get really excited about, experiences that are unusual, fun, thought-provoking and emotionally engaging. With the power and immediacy of social media, surprising offline events and stunts have now turned into truly powerful promotional tools.

In 2010, TCH will launch Access Agency. It is a dedicated entity that will continue our work of creating highly original, transformational, yet eminently practical and results-oriented strategies for companies to stage the kinds of offline brand experiences that will increase the economic value of their offering.

For McDonald’s, we envision a cool, surprising and fun mix of concepts. First is McFancy, an upmarket temporary McDonald’s store that launches at Fashion Weeks around the globe — London, New York, Paris, Milan, Sydney, Hong Kong.

McFancy is part art installation, gathering spot and, of course, a restaurant that offers a traditional McDonald’s menu but packaged in a way that makes a playful yet stylish nod to the lifestyle of the highly desirable, influential consumers that attend Fashion Weeks." (The Cool Hunter, 2009)

This concept is not yet realized but is hoped to be unveiled in 2010. Question is, would you rather tuck into a good ol' Big Mac at McFancy or would you prefer to just sit and look at the pretty packaging? I'd love to do both! :)

Photos courtesy of The Cool Hunter

x
chauie

Exploded Photography by Adam Voorhes

The latest works of Adam Voorhes is positively mind-blowing. Literally.

The abovementioned description of Voorhes' work sounds nearly impossibly on paper but when looking at his latest series, Exploding Photography, it is very easy to change your mind.

Ever wondered what you would see if you pulled apart a pistol, an etch-a-sketch, a telephone, or even a frog?

Voorhes has done just that by capturing the dissection of each subject to its most basic elements, and through a great eye and a lot of spare time, has photographed what many are calling a "celebration of deconstruction".

Adam Voorhes is a photographer and an artist but more importantly, he is a creator. Voorhes has the skill to look at an ordinary object and project it to appear incredibly beautiful.

Imagine just the thought process behind coming up with an idea like this.

Amazing and mind-numbing!

*Pictures courtesy of Walyou

DJ AM x NIKE

DJ AM aka Adam Goldstein had a crazy sneaker collection, boasting more than 800 pairs - that's more pairs of shoes/heels/flats/sneakers than I've owned in my lifetime!

Before his tragic death in August, the celebrity DJ announced, via his Twitter profile (@DJ_AM), that he was working on a collaboration with Nike for his own version of the Dunk Hightops.

"This is one of the most amazing moments," AM tweeted earlier this year. "I just HELD the sample of MY OWN NIKE DUNK. I never dreamed this would happen. Wow, THANK YOU G0D."

As you should all know by now DJ AM was found dead earlier this year, on August 28th, in his NYC apartment from what many have claimed a drug overdose.

As you may or may not know, DJ AM was working closely with Nike on a new pair of Dunks for the East/West Rivalry Pack.

Well, photos of the limited kicks hit the internet recently, building anticipation for their release.

The DJ AM and Nike collaboration has produced this black and red Dunk, but it's unfortunate that the late DJ isn’t around to see the product that bears his name make it to production.

No word yet if - or when - these kicks will be hitting our Australian shores.

*Photos courtesy of FreshnessMag

Peace,

chauie

Eibatova Karina ( Eika )

I've fallen in love.

No, not with a boy but with the work of an artist whose eye for intricate lines and attention to detail shines through her dope and whimsical drawings.


The artist in question is Russia-based Eibatova Karina (also known as Eika) and her pencil illustrations are utterly fresh. Check out her latest showcase, Life in the Alphabet, in which she explains,

"The idea of the project is to represent a letter in a natural form and appearance.
Like something alive has turned into a letter and stood still.
In some letters it's possible to find symbolism, others are just an abstract form.
In the alphabet you can find only one human - a woman in space. And one unreal creature - a dragon, also a very symbolical sign. "

Three words: Beautiful, creative and inspiring.



Peace yo,
chauie

Where The Wild Things Are x Girl Skateboards

Hands up who can't wait for 'Where The Wild Things Are' to hit our screens?? :)

For those who don't know, Where The Wild Things Are is a 1963 children's picture book by American writer Maurice Sendak and was originally published by Harper & Row. The book has recently been adapted into a live-action feature film directed by Spike Jonze.

The film has already been released in the U.S [in mid-October] and won the weekend box office, taking in US$32.5 million. Many critics have noted that the adaptation of the popular's children book is rather dark and may be too scary for children, but older fans of the story will still love the story and concept of the movie.

Unfortunately the movie won't be hitting our Aussie screens until December 3rd and with the release of the movie, you can no doubt expect plenty of merchandise from shirts, hats, posters, the movie soundtrack (fronted by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and her friends), toys, games and plenty of accessories we probably won't need but will still want.

Until we are able to physically watch 'Where The Wild Things Are' at the movies, Girl Skateboards has gained inspiration from the movie and have designed these dope skateboard decks. So for anyone who likes to jump on a skateboard and land some tricks or travel their way into the distance, why not grab yourself one of these?

Damn, it makes me want to learn how to skate!

Photos courtesy of Lifelounge

Peace yo,

chauie

Little People Project

I just did a post for my 13itches familia and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, so I thought I'd post it here too - check it!

~

Imagine randomly walking through the streets of London and (if you’ve got great vision) stumbling upon ‘little hand-painted people, left in London to fend for themselves’.

UK artist Slinkachu started his Little People Project a few years ago, back in 2006, by taking miniature train set characters, remodelling and painting them, and then leaving them around the city with the ordinary problems and situations we’re faced with to fend for themselves.

"The scenes I set up, more evident through the photography, and the titles I give these scenes aim to reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost and overwhelmed. But underneath this, there is always some humour. I want people to be able to empathise with the tiny people in my works."

Slinkachu really captures the feel of life, like for example with the three images above, through contemplation, romance and disaster. The urban art installations are so small they tend to blend in with the surrounding street and sidewalk debris, so next time you’re walking through the streets of London, be sure to watch your step!

Check out my favourite below, aptly titled ‘Life As We Know It’:

This is an artist whose blog I regularly check back on to see what other ordinary situations he’s placed these “little people” into and you can do the same at http://little-people.blogspot.com/ .

Photos courtesy of Little People.

Enjoy yo!

chauie

Drewfunk!

So like I mentioned earlier this week, randomly went out Thursday night and checked out an exhibition at Oh Really Gallery in Newtown.

Artist in the Spotlight: Drewfunk!

Born in Malaysia and now residing in Melbourne, Drewfunk showcased his first solo show in Sydney to the young and eclectic crowd with amazing success. With his showcase of work titled 'Elevation not Levitation', the 26-year-old showed off a series of drawings/paintings that were quite stunning.

Walking around the tiny gallery personally stamped with Drewfunk's logo and personality, I found myself walking round and round but ultimately always coming back to one particular artwork, Ugly Butterfly.

At first I didn't quite understand how the painting could have such a title but as the night went on, I couldn't stop looking at it with its intricate detail and the message in which I gained just from looking at it, was something quite beautiful.

In the midst of the crowded gallery (a nice turnout for Drewfunk's first Sydney show!), the artist approached me himself and said thanks for dropping by. :)

My mate and I chatted to him for a bit and we got to find out who exactly Drewfunk was and some of the inner workings of his creative mind.

Drewfunk described his work as "orientally fresh", or rather what he'd like to call "orientally-funk" and recalled the influences of his work to be mainly influenced from the streets of Melbourne.

Throughout the conversation and having met him very briefly through 'introductions-only' the last time we were in Melbourne, found we had a mutual friend in common and with our future plans to take a trip down to his [Australian] hometown next month, Drewfunk offered to have us visit him at his personal art studio when we landed. We also received a [personal] invite to a future night out in Melbourne which he described involving only "party and bullshit".

With a very down-to-earth and funny persona, the conversation flowed between us and I was glad to see he did not fit into the stereotype most artists seem to be placed in as a snobbish creative type. We even got a photo with him! My only regret was not asking him the story behind him creating my favourite piece of the night.

For those of you who missed out on attending that night, the work of Drewfunk as well as other talented Australian artists and photographers will be featured at In Full Bloom - "a pop-up art & photography installation exhibition featuring a selection of Australia's best emerging artists and photographers" - at 580 George Street, Sydney from 1-25 September, 2009.

Check out http://www.ambushgallery.com/ for more details.

Anyhow, I leave you now with a taste of some of the work that was showcased that night:

Feel free to check out the artist at his official website: http://drewfunk.com/blog/
And if you're on Twitter, start following the creative guy with dreads at: http://twitter.com/drewitter

By the way, apologies for my bad photography skills. I'm a writer, not a photographer hehe :P

//Edit: Just adding the pic of me, Drewfunk and my mate KC. It was on my friend's camera and he finally uploaded it onto Facebook hehe. Well here we go :)

Peace out yo.
chauie

Broken Promise

I was going to write a post about my Aunt and how I feel about the state she's in but my mind has been occupied by something else that happened tonight.

I was supposed to meet up with (some of) the 13itches crew tonight... if you look back in the archives, you'll find a post I did earlier about them/us... anyways I was really looking forward to the post-official meeting because I couldnt make the one that would be "officially" held tomorrow night as I'd be attending class.

The meeting got cancelled at the last minute. I told my friend who relayed the message that

"I wasn't mad - just disappointed."

But my first initial reaction was 'wtf? that's bullshit'.

And I think my disappointment has turned into sadness. I'm chatting to that same friend online trying to explain how I felt when he msged me but instead I'm typing nothing and sitting here crying instead.

I mean I love our crew. The whole 13itches project is a fantastic idea in my opinion but we've definitely lost momentum for it. Especially when 80% of the group went travelling to different destinations last month... It's like when they left, time stood still and everyone in the group just decided to put the whole project on hiatus for the period of time they were away.

I feel like we've been in the wrong mindset for the way we've gone about things. Getting our website (insert shameless plug: www.thirteenitches.com.au ) up and running was a big achievement for us. We even had a Launch Night for it! :P
But I feel like after that night, the focus went in a different direction. Instead of thinking 'Yay, our website is done, what's next?'... it felt more like we went into the zone of 'Yay, our website's done. Now we can relax'.

Our crew has a lot of focus but we also have a lot of people and everyone has a lot of ideas and I think that's where our focus diminishes.

When we all got together for this project (initially), we all kinda made an agreement that whoever wanted to be apart of this, would need to make the commitment to work hard and whatnot.

But now it just feels like it was all talk, no action.

It feels like we've all broken a promise to each other.

This feeling is definitely not a great feeling coz we're such a tight-knit group. I wouldn't want all this to tear us apart...

I'm out.
The piece on my Auntie will be up by the end of the week...
Warning: the mood of that one is a bit of a downer too :(
...Excuse my mood...

chauie
"Why must I feel so wrong when I try and do right?" - Mr Solo Dolo, Kid Cudi

The Uniform Project

Could you wear 1 dress and create different looks for 365 days?

Sheena Matheiken thinks she can and has been doing so since May 1st, 2009!

(picture credit: http://www.theuniformproject.com/ )

The idea for The Uniform Project sparked Matheiken to also have the fashion blog create exposure and donations for the Akanksha Foundation, a 'grassroots movement that it revolutionising education in India'.

7 duplicates of the dress, designed by Eliza Starbuck, were made to represent each day of the week for Matheiken to wear and style it to her own unique and individual look. The dress, which was designed to be able to be worn both ways - back and front - and also as an open tunic, is the blank canvas for Matheiken to layer and accessorise to her heart's content.

Matheiken asks that you 'think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir'.

Check out her daily ensembles here:

http://www.theuniformproject.com/

To any budding accessories / jewellery designers, Matheiken is happy to add a little touch to her outfits with your designs - feel free to contact her at the above site. Those who weren't blessed with the creative touch can help out Matheiken by donating to the Akanksha Foundation.

Enjoy.
chauie

Side Project...

Thirteen Itches.

My friends and I have been working on a lil' side project for more than a few months now and I've never really talked about it. I've told workmates but only to a certain extent. Only because I don't think we've completely prepared ourselves yet. To be honest, I don't think we are ready to launch our brand just yet.

The only thing we have right now is a website and a blog (in which I regularly contribute to)! :)

Feel free to check us out:

http://www.thirteenitches.com.au/

Yes, we are a design company catering mainly to those of the streetwear scene but nowadays fashionistas everywhere are incorporating streetwear into their look, so i'm kinda confused as to where we actually stand in the market.

But that's something to decide later i suppose.

This is the project that I'm doing and the people that I'm with when I'm not working, attending classes or writing for this blog. :)

However, I do want to say, because there is a certain limit (in my opinion) as to what exactly I can post (yes, there is a process), for that particular blog, if I write something thats meant for 13itches, i'm going to post it here aswell regardless if it makes it on that website or not.

I don't want to work on a piece and have it thrown away. It should be published somewhere - why not my own blog?

And if for any reason, haters out there come across a post on the 13itches website first and then see it here and say I'm emulating someone else, please check the By Line before you open your mouth.

That's all.
chauie