• HWYL by Aesop - Something in the Air

    Written by Meghan Scott

    After 10 years Aesop reveals a Japanese inspired fragrance named HWYL. I had the opportunity to visit the Aesop headquarters in London last week for the release. We entered a beautiful raw industrial space with clean lines with all of their ranges uniformly merchandised along a wall of minimal steel shelving and two large wood tables positioned at the far wall, juxtaposed with an island in the middle of the room decorated with fresh moss and rocks, adorned with the essential HWYL bottles. The typical fluorescent lighting fixtures were eclipsed by sheets of earthy muslin; which took down the anxiety that kind of lighting can induce, and covered too where the heating elements, keeping one connected to the natural vibe that was conferred. The team were casually dressed in clothes that give an Ann Demeulemeester circa 97 feel, while the stars of the show stood out with their unique style. The expert duo behind this new scent is french perfumer Barnabé Fillion and Kate Forbes, Aesops R&D Manager and an expert in ingredients and formulations, concocted this special scent with the idea of an ancient temple covered in moss. The temple was discovered by a group of monks, in which they took over leaving the moss as a sort of shrine. The key noses for this fragrance are cypress, frankincense and vetiver, a perennial bunchgrass native to india, but in this case, grown in Madagascar.  Over a period of time involving a new technology, of course confidential, and an extensive formulation process involving distillation and mixing, and with precise timing gives us this authentic and exceptional scent.

    We were met with a warm welcome of hugs, followed by an expert hand wash, yes our hands were washed by an Aesop specialist. Coffee was served immediately, which was perfect and we were encouraged to explore to Aesop HQs and absorb the setting and try the fragrance. Shortly after we all gathered around to hear Barnaby and Forbes speak about their adventures of the inception of HWYL. Capturing the base note from the silence and personal impact of ancient forests of Kyoto with trees that have been on earth for 700 years, getting inspired by the space between the trees and how they embrace. The interaction between elements, was the perfect setting for the perfectionist. Not a simple process, Fillion’s unique nose, tied in compassion and creative freedom, never stopping to look at the trends, compromising on quality was surely out of the question. After 150 trials and special time taken on alcohol tests paired with Forbe’s aforementioned expertise, HWLY was finally born.

    The fantastic social elements of this fragrance are that there were no focus groups, no no social media  updates, no spectacular campaign, just an insular group working on a final goal. Just a small creative team, inspired by the space between the trees, how they embrace, the interaction between elements. A short film was made to compliment the feeling, to give us a sense of the journey, by cinematographer Olivier Sévère, who works a lot with stones and rocks, he filmed in KUSHO, Japan.

    We had a nice chat with Thomas Buisson, the general manager for Europe, and he SCHOOLED us with the brands philiosophy, which reiderated the ideas behind the making of HWYL. Respect for the retail process, the personal interaction with each client is taken seriously, no products are pushed, the client is able to discover products for themselves. There is a personal involvement that involves love, passion and exposure. They resist against the one stop shop and mass consumption, which seems to be the norm these days, a retail revolution must take place in order keep a sense of self and know who you are. Take time and make time.

    As perfume is individual, each person’s skin captures and emits a unique scent, and with the ingredients, this scent is presented as unisex. When I tried it, It smelled quite ‘masculine’ on me, I’m blaming my plunge in progesterone and estrogen (aka pms) that day, so basically my hormone levels deemed me a man that day. It was very interesting to smell the scent on others at the event and discuss the different theories on how the scent reacts to each individual; diet, mood, sweet blood vs sour blood and even the female cycle.

    Hwyl is available now at Aesop stores now and is launching in Sweden on September 25th.

    Shop here.

  • Hysteria by Happy Socks - I Want Your Socks

    Written by Meghan Scott

    Exciting news for sock enthusiasts, there is a new fun and colourful -not surprisingly- brand by Happy Socks that drops on September first. The creative geniuses at Happy Socks have conceived a lifestyle sock brand for those who can’t get enough of adorning their feet in something unique. Made of lustrous mercerized cotton, slinky viscose and 360° seamlessly printed nylon with designs inspired by mid-century architecture and op art, we are presented with a nice selection of bold graphics and geometric prints. A feeling of femininity and masculinity are blurred, the modern woman can acquiesce to pumping up her sock routine without compromising her everyday style. The colours are perfect for this autumn; a cheeky mix of burgundies, navies and olives juxtaposed with impressions of colour pops that include blush pink, petrol blue and fuel yellow. The Hysteria collection gives us the accent we need in the sea of muted colours we tend to fall into this time of year. In the lookbook a reflection of the brands essence, quirky femininity paired with a dreamy retro vibe remains contemporary and on point. The minimal styling and set design keep us engaged with hints of kitsch and a story to keep our eyes enchanted.

    The idea behind the name of the new line is a reference to a time, not long ago, when if women acted out of the ordinary, were labeled hysterical. To take back this powerful word, represents freedom and how far the female has come.

    I had the opportunity with a small selection of local and international press from London, Berlin, Köpenhamn, New York to join the Happy Socks crew for an intimate breakfast at their headquarters followed by a champagne filled lunch at Adam & Albin. The ever so enthusiastic and personality filled characters behind Happy Socks; Viktor Tell (Creative Director), Mikael Söderlindh (CEO) and Paula Maso (Head od Design for Hysteria) were there throughout the day, giving us a feeling that we're all part of the Happy Socks crew.

    The food was absolutely beautiful, each dish mimicked designs of the AW17 collection, I almost didn’t dare to take a bite, however every morsel was just as good as it looked.

    Hold on too your socks, Hysteria is the biznass! If you’re like me and like getting dressed socks first, you should definitely get a pair or four here on September first!

    Link: 
    Hysteria by Happy Socks

  • WORLD ́S FIRST CORDUROY BRAND TO LAUNCH ON AUGUST 24, 2017

    Written by Fashion Tales

    The Cords & Co – the world ́s first premium corduroy brand for men and women, will mark its debut within the fashion world on August 24, 2017. The brand will open 6 Mono flagship stores in fashion capitals around the globe including New York, Paris, London, Los Angeles and Stockholm, while opening a global online shop and collaborating with wholesale partners on 20 markets.

    Founded in Stockholm in 2016, The Cords & Co is the world ́s first and only brand to focus it’s collections solely on corduroy. The Cords & Co will provide fashion loving men and women with premium corduroy products with an aim to be the corduroy alternative to denim.

    “The Cords & Co is created by a passionate group of people united by a shared love of corduroy. By exploring new ways to work with corduroy in our Stockholm design studio, highlighting it’s long but little known history, and working closely with a carefully curated group of collaborative partners and cultural tastemakers in each of our flagship city locations around the world, we’re excited to share our unique story of a fabric everyone has a connection to, yet no other brand has dedicated themselves entirely to it” says Omar Varts, CEO.

    The launch on August 24 will be accompanied by the openings of the two Stockholm stores. The two stores, 302 and 334 square feet each, will be located on Åsögatan 132, Södermalm and Stureplan 19. The rest of the stores will open on August 31 in Soho New York, Abbot Kinney L.A. Soho London and Le Marais Paris.

    The Stockholm stores’ concept is developed in collaboration with Swedish architects In Praise of Shadows and is a mix of skate culture and more high end fashion. The design is built on a palette of materials with a clear natural material expression. The materials are arranged to enhance the spatial characteristics of the store spaces and with reference to the vales of the corduroy the materials are worked and arranged to create a composition of lines in different scales.

    Even though not yet launched, the Cords & Co has already teamed up with various high profile and diverse collaborative partners such as Alpha Industries, Eastpak, and DJ Harvey to name just a few.

    “Opening 6 flagship stores in global fashion capitals, as well as launching shop online and teaming up with several established and influential brands and people, pretty much explains what we are aiming for – to have people all over the world rediscover their love for corduroy!”, says Mikael Söderlindh, Founder.

  • M.i.h Golborne Road by Bay Garnett

    Written by Fashion Tales

    For Autumn/Winter 2017 M.i.h Jeans and Bay Garnett have explored their shared love of London style in the Golborne Road Project.“Golborne Road by Bay Garnett” is a capsule collection of eight pieces inspired by the West London style scene in the 90s. It was a decade which introduced a new way of dressing; mixing high and low, vintage and designer, something old and something new. London girls raided their Mum’s wardrobes and went thrifting at market stalls styling denim with vintage to create a unique street style, which is still highly influential today.

    “It’s definitely about style over fashion. No one was into fashion, it was about how an outfit was put together and who was wearing it. It was second-hand from Portobello and things we could find in people’s wardrobes.” Bay Garnett“As a Central Saint Martins student in the 90s, we all wanted to live just off the Portobello Road and were inspired by the burgeoning style scene coming out of West London. It was a heady mix of irreverence and nostalgia; mixing vintage, denim and streetwear in a way that was accessible and in complete contrast to the hyper-glossy luxury of the 80s and early 90s. This sense of fashion counter culture as well as the rebelliousness of denim continues to be the driving force behind my creative approach today.”

    The eight pieces in the Golborne Road collection are designed to be styled together and worn back with denim. They are original archive pieces from Bay’s wardrobe, including her favourite jean (used in Vogue shoots and to style Chloe Sevigny), a rare vintage studded denim jacket, and Anita Pallenberg’s 70s velour henley. Added to this are original 90s thrifted pieces: a deadstock camouflage shirt, a fashion fleece top, a 70s style logo tee, an embroidered peasant top and an embroidered satin dress. Together the pieces tell the story of London style then and now.The Golborne Road collection will be available exclusively at matchesfashion.com, mih-jeans.com and select prestige accounts around the world.

  • photo by @ambeessa on instagram

    Frank Ocean at Way Out West

    Written by Blenda Setterwall Klingert by Fashion Tales

    I will never forget Way out west 2012, standing on one of the infinite rooftop parties, when the crowd suddenly went silent. One of the hosts had gotten hold of a microphone and, as if announcing someone’s death said, “We have just received news that Frank Ocean has cancelled his performance tonight.” The announcement was followed by a loud, collective cry of disappointment and actual sadness. For the rest of the party, small talk and speculation about Frank’s health and happiness was the given ice-breaker. And those who had missed the viral success of Channel Orange had become curious about who this Frank Ocean character was where wondering for the last time. Over the following years, Channel Orange became a modern classic - and t-shirts reading, “FRANK OCEAN IF YOU’RE READING THIS, WHERE’S THE ALBUM” were printed in anticipation.

    Since then, we’ve watched him grow and conquer so much, developing into a truly original presence in the industry. The minutes before he enters the stage we turn into the same crowd we were five years ago, “the Way Out West audience” is who we are and we were let down once before. Frank Ocean at WOW in 2017 has a parable of the prodigal son vibe from start. As if as long as he appears and stays with us for a while everything and anything will be forgiven, and we’ll be ready to shower him in all the love we’ve stored up. And he does show up. And he shows us he’s vulnerable, thanking us for supporting him while he gets the hang of it, playing to an audience again. He stops the music for do-overs a few times and comments on his own voice breaking. Wearing headphones, and a white T-shirt with a quote by the English comedian/actor Marcus Brigstocke on the back that read “Computer games don’t affect kids, I mean, if Pac-Man had affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive electronic music”. Frank Ocean has more than once before sported statement T-shirts (hence the T-shirt jokes from his fans), like the famous one that read “WHY BE RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC, OR TRANSPHOBIC WHEN YOU COULD JUST BE QUIET”, and the time he stepped out next to Kendall Jenner in a plain-looking striped one that just had “maintain the mystery” printed on his chest.
    And the mystery remains intact as he keeps gazing down at his Nikes, but we really are all there to support him, grateful and humble that the introvert genius managed to defy whatever demons he’s been up against. Like typical soccer moms, we already know what he’s capable of and will oversee any mishap. But we hardly need to, the music and his voice that everyone has a private relationship with, puts us under his spell.

    Ocean sticks mostly to songs from the 2016 BLONDE album, consisting of mainly soft atmospheric keyboard tunes, and then breaks it off with a few older hits. Singing along to “Thinkin’ bout you”, an experience we were deprived of in 2012, really was the perfect team building experience for the audience on the festival’s first night. When whirling clouds in shifting colours are projected in the air above us, the universe that Frank’s body of work has created encircles us completely and I only wish he’d sang Pilot Jones at some point to ensure us that, “if I got a condo on a cloud, then I guess you can stay at my place”.

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