On Our Radar

White Out
By Andrea Praet, Trend Director - New York

Following the paired down aesthetic of Futurist report, The New Humility, the absence of color feels fresh as of late. Chalky, white textures and plaster finishes have touched everything from retail to art. Although it's not a new store Dear:55, on the Lower East Side, has completely white fixtures and decor that are haphazardly finished and offer the perfect backdrop to display their merchandise. Ceramic artist Kate MacDowell blurs the line between man and nature with her ghastly creations and Switzerland's DAS MAGAZIN has collaborated with Freitag to produce the R099 WYSS Messenger Tote in all white that was inspired by the late 1800's horse messenger bags.

Noble Scars (as a Universal Merci)
By Sandrine Maggiani, Trend Director - Paris

Human Design Exhibition, held at Merci store until February 12th, is inspired by the raw beauty of people’s faces along with crafted ritual objects, which carry the imprints of their owners and are transformed by the passing of the time. Photographer Serge Anton traveled the world to photograph hundreds of talkative, wrinkled and chiseled faces, juxtaposed against everyday domestic and agricultural utensils. This earthenware, including platters, tools, furniture, baskets and so much more, pays tribute to Mother Nature in respect to culture and tradition. Moved by the noble scars on these unconventional artworks, many designers have been equally inspired. Tina Frey simply injected the modernity of today by using hand shaped luminescent resin molds. Il Laboratorio del Imperfecto also used resin to create huge polished cement jars. Woodnotes from Finland used strings to knit cushions in a range of earthy colors, reviving ancestral symbols extending the frontiers of creativity. Alongside this mise-en-scène, an ephemeral tea room recreates tea ceremonials.

Gourmet on the Go
By Amber Prettyman, Trend Director – Los Angeles

Food trucks, once disregarded for fear of limp hot dogs and artificial-pumped snacks, are being revamped with gourmet foods, tech-savvy marketing and eco-friendly practices. Just when Michelin Stars, gastropubs and organic foods were becoming daily topics around the water cooler, a slumping economy forced foodies in Los Angeles to go from food snobs to food lovers. The result: the gourmet food truck craze offering a variety of epicurean treats at affordable prices.

10 months ago there were only 5 gourmet trucks in Los Angeles, but now the number is quickly approaching 60. Members include Green Truck, offering sustainable harvested fish tacos; Coolhaus, serving organic hand-made ice cream sandwiches and the Kogi Korean BBQ taco truck.  Through followings on Twitter, the trucks utilize a free and technologically clever way of revealing their daily location to eager customers.

In January, food trucks got a bit more ‘street cred,’ when 1,200 hungry customers showed up to Los Angeles’ first food truck ‘food court’ established in a former used-car lot in Santa Monica. The lot was ultimately shut down by city officials due to lack of permits (and a jealous non-mobile restaurant community). While Los Angeles locals try to find a way to legalize the Food Truck Corner, the trucks are back on the road, changing the way we eat gourmet.



Marketing Cultural Superstition
By Camila Toledo, Trend Director – São Paulo

A superstitious culture in Latin America results in an end-of-the-year influx of products characterized by symbols of good luck and positive energy. During New Year’s Eve, Brazilians can be seen sporting new, white outfits that are supposed to bring them peace in the coming year. More and more apparel brands have recently started to take this tradition seriously. Keeping in line with superstitious tendencies, lingerie brands this year launched different colors of underwear to provide various energies, including pink to bring love, yellow to increase wealth and white for peace. Lucky charms, such as figs, rabbit’s feet and four-leaf clovers, are included as hang tags for these intimate pieces, mimicking jewelry brands that also utilize these symbols for pendants.

Havaianas also developed printed slippers with tapes from Senhor do Bonfim (Our Lord of Bonfim) tagged on them. The tapes serve to ward off negative energy and can be tied onto your arm to make a request. This concept was also found on other products ranging from beach towels to bags.



Kitsch as Commodity
By Suna Hasan, Trend Director – Bangalore

Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra, the multi-disciplinary duo who work with a wide scope of media including installations, sculptures, paintings and videos, are making themselves the most sought-after artists in Indian pop art. Irony is the main ingredient in their work as they incorporate the things they see in the world around them, including the cult of consumption, the shallow seduction of advertising and the diaspora of the Punjabi male dreaming of a better life over seas.

The duo’s sophisticated kitsch and slick sarcasm are now so popular that they themselves have become sellable commodities. Sotheby’s and Christie's have auctioned their pieces off for thousands of dollars, Wallpaper magazine listed them among the 101 top emerging designers in the world and GQ hailed them as style icons for their natty ‘new-age retro’ suits designed for themselves by themselves. The pair has also been designing exclusive lines of bags and clothing for Puma and United Colors of Benetton.


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