Menu
Instagram X-twitter

Author name: Saskia Clarke

Opiates

MAIN ROSE launches Swim campaign with Zara Larsson

/

MAIN ROSE launches Swim campaign with Zara Larsson For MAIN ROSE, summer isn’t defined by the calendar, it’s an attitude. That ethos takes center stage in the brand’s new Swim collection, an extension of co founder and creative director Zara Larsson’s vibrant, sun drenched world. Rooted in the idea of “first layer” dressing, pieces worn closest to the body yet designed to be seen, the collection blends expressive design with confident silhouettes. Think scoop and triangle bikini tops with metal accents, high cut swimsuits reminiscent of Baywatch, and a mix of Brazilian and tie side bottoms that emphasize movement and form. Visually, the line draws from Larsson’s signature aesthetic, leopard and python prints softened through a dreamy lens, paired with bold hues of red, pink, and citrus. The result is both playful and self assured, capturing the essence of long, luminous summer days. Function meets personality throughout the collection. Each piece is created to move effortlessly from water to stage to everyday life, while optional charms add a customizable, lighthearted detail. The campaign, shot by Charlotte Rutherford just outside Miami, leans into a cinematic underwater narrative. It begins with stillness, Larsson floating alone at sea, before descending into a surreal, hyperreal dreamscape that mirrors the collection’s immersive mood. Launching April 22 on mainrose.com, the Swim collection offers sizes XS to XXL, with prices ranging from €30 to €70.

Opiates

New Balance Grey Days 5k Run with Sound Curation by Empetre

/

New Balance Grey Days 5k Run This May, New Balance brings its global Grey Days initiative to Stockholm through Grey Days 5k Run with sound curation by empetre – a community moment where running, music and coffee culture come together in one shared space. Grey Days is New Balance’s annual celebration of the color grey, originally introduced in the 1980 as a functional choice for urban running and now one of our most recognizable design expressions. The color continues to embody New Balance’s dedication to craft, quality, and fearless independence, in every field.  On May 1, New Balance will launch The Grey Shop in our stores and on newbalance.com, highlighting the classic shade across footwear and apparel released thourghout the month. The assortment ranges from timeless classics to new silhouettes across both running and lifestyle (see details below). This year’s campaign offers an invitation into the world of grey, brought to life by a cast of New Balance athletes and ambassadors including Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Darius Garland, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Andrew Reynolds. From Aminé raising the Grey Days flag in celebration to Quincy Wilson narrating “The Origins of Grey,” each individual lends their own authentic personality to the campaign, united by the unwavering foundation of grey.  The Stockholm event takes place on May 2, starting with a 5k social run at an easy pace through central Stockholm, led by run leaders from our local New Balance community. After the run, the energy moves in-store for a post-run moment featuring DJ sets by DJ Carli, Alexi and Femme Fatale Selection, along coffee and snacks in collaboration with Balue Stockhom. Sign up here Image courtesy of New Balance 

Art

BALENCIAGA ARTEAN – EDUARDO CHILLIDA

/

BALENCIAGA ARTEAN – EDUARDO CHILLIDA From April 21 to 26, 2026, in parallel with Milan’s Salone del Mobile, Balenciaga presents a special installation within its Via Montenapoleone flagship, inaugurating a new artistic chapter for the house. Conceived by Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli, the project marks the first time Balenciaga engages a major artist through a dedicated, ongoing platform.  Titled Artean, the series takes its name from the ancient Basque language, where the word signifies “between.” The term suggests a space of connection, an interval where disciplines, ideas, and histories intersect. In this context, Artean becomes both concept and framework, establishing a dialogue between art and fashion while subtly echoing linguistic associations with the word “art” itself. For its inaugural edition, the house turns to the work of Eduardo Chillida, presenting seven pieces by the celebrated artist within the store environment. Some of these works directly reference Cristóbal Balenciaga, founder of the house, extending a conversation that began decades earlier and remains resonant today. Installed among the current collections, the works invite an encounter where sculpture and garment coexist, each informing the perception of the other.   Piccioli frames the project as an exploration of art’s emotional and intellectual capacity. For him, art operates not only as a cultural expression but as a generator of energy, curiosity, and thought. His decision to foreground Chillida’s work in Milan is rooted in a personal connection to the artist’s philosophy, as well as in a desire to reconnect with the Basque heritage that underpins the house. Through this installation, that lineage is made visible, offering visitors a space where memory and modernity converge . The relationship between Chillida and Balenciaga dates back to their shared origins in the Basque region. The sculptor was first introduced to the couturier through his grandmother, Juana Eguren Jáuregui, a hotelier in San Sebastián, the city where Balenciaga opened his first store. It was later in Paris, where both men had relocated, that they met in person. By that time, each had established himself as a leading figure in his respective discipline. Their exchange revealed a mutual sensitivity to form, particularly in their approach to volume and space. For Balenciaga, volume shaped the body, while for Chillida, volume articulated space itself.   BALENCIAGA MILAN FLAGSHIP 23 Via Montenapoleone 20121 Milan Italy Image courtesy of BALENCIAGA 

Design

BOSS in Design Collaboration with Ligne Roset – Togo by Ro

/

BOSS in Design Collaboration with Ligne Roset – Togo by Ro In a refined dialogue between fashion and design, BOSS and Ligne Roset revisit one of the most recognizable seating designs of the 20th century: the Togo. Originally conceived in 1973 by Michel Ducaroy, the piece is reinterpreted through a contemporary lens where tailoring meets architecture and comfort is shaped by precision. For the first time, the Togo is presented in a hybrid material composition, pairing smooth, high quality leather with a soft textile seating surface. Contrast stitching, drawn from the codes of BOSS suiting, introduces a graphic sharpness that reframes the chair’s famously relaxed silhouette. The result is a subtle tension between structure and softness, an object that feels as considered as it is inviting. Despite this evolution, the essence of the Togo remains intact. Its all foam construction, free from rigid framing, continues to define its low, sculptural form. Each piece is handcrafted by skilled upholsterers, with the signature pleating applied manually, ensuring that every chair carries both the legacy of the original and the uniqueness of an artisanal object. More than a design update, the BOSS | Ligne Roset Togo reflects a broader shift in how interiors are conceived. Here, furniture adopts the language of fashion, precise, tactile, and expressive, while living spaces become extensions of personal style. The piece moves seamlessly between disciplines, embodying a new kind of luxury that is understated yet deliberate. Presented during key design moments in Paris and Milan, the collaboration positions the Togo not only as a seat, but as an experience, one that invites pause, conversation, and connection. In this reimagined form, the icon endures, recut for a contemporary way of living. Image courtesy of BOSS

Design

Muuto Milan Apartment – The Art of Belonging

/

Muuto Milan Apartment – The Art of Belonging Presented during Milan Design Week 2026, Muuto unveils The Art of Belonging—a conceptual Milan Apartment that reframes the idea of home as an emotional and lived experience rather than a purely aesthetic construct. Rooted in the belief that our surroundings influence how we feel, relate, and move through daily life, the space is shaped through a careful interplay of materiality, color, light, and form. The result is an environment that feels warm, intuitive, and deliberately unpolished, where design supports everyday living while fostering comfort, connection, and a sense of belonging.   Rather than presenting a static exhibition, the apartment unfolds as a sequence of functional rooms, each defined by familiar domestic rituals. Framed as “The Art of…”—arriving, gathering, hosting, preparing, listening, and winding down—these spaces emphasize use over perfection. They are conceived as places to inhabit, where traces of life remain visible and where culture, personal interests, and daily habits are allowed to shape the atmosphere over time. In this way, the home becomes both a physical and emotional landscape, reflecting the rhythms and nuances of contemporary living. Within this setting, Muuto introduces the Coltre Modular Sofa, designed by the Milan-based duo Studiopepe. Taking its name from the Italian word for “blanket,” Coltre embodies a tactile and enveloping approach to seating. A quilted textile layer drapes softly over a structured frame, while parallel stitched lines create a visual rhythm that enhances both softness and sculptural volume. The design balances comfort with clarity of form, offering a system that adapts effortlessly to different spatial needs. Conceived as a modular series, Coltre can be configured into expansive sofa landscapes or stand alone as individual lounge elements, each piece maintaining its own sculptural presence. This flexibility mirrors the apartment’s overarching narrative—one that prioritizes adaptability, informality, and the evolving nature of the home. The tactile qualities of the sofa further reinforce the sensory dimension of the space, inviting interaction and prolonged use. Set to launch in September 2026, the Coltre Modular Sofa becomes a central expression of Muuto’s vision for contemporary living. Together with the Milan Apartment concept, it underscores a broader perspective on design—one that moves beyond visual appeal to support the realities of everyday life. Here, the home is not idealized, but human: a place where design quietly enhances the art of belonging. Image Courtesy Muuto Milan   

Design

Inside Milan Design Week: ARKET and Laila Gohar’s Reimagined Carousel

/

Inside Milan Design Week: ARKET and Laila Gohar’s Reimagined Carousel       To mark the launch of their new collaboration, premiering on 21 April, Nordic lifestyle brand ARKET and New York-based artist Laila Gohar present a co-created public installation at Giardino delle Arti in Milan during this year’s design week. Part sculpture, part interactive stage set, the work centres on a reimagined fairground ride, with its figures replaced by oversized fruit and vegetables – bringing together a shared interest in food, playfulness and everyday beauty, shaped through Gohar’s theatrical language.   ‘We wanted to create something open and inclusive – something that invites people in, rather than asks them to observe from a distance. A carousel felt like a natural way to do that. It’s familiar, physical, and meant to be shared. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of beauty as something accessible in the everyday, often shaped by surprise and excitement, which made this collaboration feel very natural’, says Laila Gohar.   The original ride is an antique carousel, originating from Wiesbaden in Germany – a historic centre of woodworking craftsmanship – and is believed to date back to the late 1700s. Passed down through generations of the Degli Innocenti family, it represents a disappearing tradition of fairground engineering and artisanal design, with only a few examples surviving today.   Starting from the existing carousel, the installation replaces the original figures with oversized fruit and vegetables, shaped through minimal intervention. Defined by scale, placement and a single clean cut that enables seating, the forms remain otherwise intact – presented as solid, recognisable and culturally familiar objects.   The carousel opens to public on Monday 20 April and will run 20–24 April, 12–8PM, during Milan Design Week. Treats from ARKET CAFÉ will be served throughout the day, and all visitors to the park will receive a ticket redeemable at the ARKET Milan store for an exclusive giveaway. The ARKET and Laila Gohar collaboration launches on 21 April and marks the artist’s debut in ready-to-wear. The collection spans 27 pieces, blending Gohar’s idiosyncratic interpretation of beauty with ARKET’s focus on practical design, designed for moments that move between the everyday and the exceptional.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Image Courtesy of ARKET 

Art

Martin Sköld

/

Odalisque interviews Martin Sköld Martin Sköld, long known as a defining presence in the influential Swedish band Kent, has quietly but powerfully stepped into a new creative chapter, this time behind the camera. Once shaping emotion through music, Sköld now captures it in images, and his transition from stage to studio feels less like a departure and more like an evolution of the same artistic instinct. Reflecting on that journey and how years of making music have shaped his eye for composition, mood and silence in visual form. We meet him on the occasion of his latest exhibition at the Lydmar Hotel, where his stark black and white photographs invite viewers into a world defined by restraint, emotion and atmosphere. Sköld speaks not only about photography, but about the way we see at all, how perception changes over time, how creativity deepens in unexpected ways, and how an artistic practice can quietly reinvent itself without ever losing its core. Jahwanna Berglund: You’ve had an incredible career with Kent. What initially drew you to photography after music, and was there a specific moment that solidified this creative shift? Martin Sköld: I was always interested in taking photographs and bought a few digital cameras (one Nikon D-80 that I still have) during my years with Kent. My intention was always to document what was happening during the tour, but that didn’t happen. We were constantly working in the studio, touring, or I would just be home trying to cope with the disadvantages of having too much fun. Ha Ha! After our last shows in 2016, I bought my first Leica camera, which I experimented with for a while. However, it wasn’t until I went to London by myself in 2018 and spent some time on the streets there that I got really hooked.   JB : Music is about rhythm and progression; photography captures a single moment. How has your experience as a musician influenced your approach to the patient, observational nature of photography? MS : I’m not sure there’s such a big difference. I think both making music and taking photographs are about rhythm, progression, and require a lot of patience and observation. They use different tools to achieve the desired outcome, of course, but the mind has to be open in similar ways. I currently engage in three main activities: photography, music, and tennis. In all of these practices, I have to be completely present to truly see what is happening and to let go of all the other distractions in my life. It’s a never-ending practice.   JB : As a prominent figure in Kent, you were part of a collective. Do you find a sense of liberation or a different kind of creative space in the more solitary act of photography? MS : I think I need a balance of that in my life. I absolutely love working and being alone, doing my own thing. However, I don’t want to be doing that all the time. I get easily bored, and then I need to do something completely different for a while, like a music project with someone, for example. . JB : Your photography often features stark black and white, emphasizing contrast and shadow. What draws you to this aesthetic, and what does the absence of color allow you to convey?  MS : First of all, I don’t plan anything when I go out shooting. I just grab my camera, and then I’ll see what happens along the way. Monochrome has just always worked best for me. I still shoot in color from time to time, but 80 percent of my work is still black and white. I think, for me, it’s about simplifying and removing distractions. There’s also a timelessness to monochrome that I appreciate.     JB : Your exhibition at Lydmar Hotel is your first public presentation. How did the intimate setting of the hotel influence the curation and presentation of these 19 pieces?  MS : I tried to curate the selection of photographs to complement the atmosphere in the lobby of Hotel Lydmar. While you want people to notice the photographs, I also wanted them to feel as if they’ve always been a part of the interior. If this had been an exhibition in a traditional gallery space, I would have approached it differently, I guess.   JB : Your images evoke a strong mood rather than a linear story. If this exhibition had a soundtrack, what kind of emotional or atmospheric qualities would it possess?  MS : We also created a book featuring many more of my photographs. On the last pages of that book, there are QR codes that link to a curated playlist of music I’ve listened to while shooting and editing these photographs. So, have a listen.   JB : You’re known to work with a Leica camera. How does this specific tool, with its tactile nature, influence your creative process and the way you ‘see’ a photograph before you take it? MS : I currently shoot with the Leica M11 Monochrome, which has only three buttons. One displays the pictures you take, another accesses the menu, and the third is customizable. I love that simplicity because it allows you to focus on what’s truly important: controlling the light and capturing your image. JB : Your background includes stage lighting and cinematic music videos. How has this visual history informed your sensitivity to natural light and composition in your photography today? MS : It has probably had a huge impact on me, though I couldn’t even begin to articulate how. I was involved in that for over 346 years, so it must have influenced me significantly. I only photograph using natural light as a source. I do have a cool flash, though, that I haven’t really used yet.      JB : Do you have a personal favorite photo in the exhibition, and if so, what makes it special to you? MS : My favorite photo is the

Scroll to Top