The construct of purity is sullied with every step

Heading off to Copenhagen and Stockholm, plus inspirational items to put on your radar

Hi, hello, how have you been? I’ve been doing well. Took a little pause from writing here and now I’m looking forward to sharing more. I visited London about a month back and had an amazing trip. London might currently beat out Paris for my favorite city? Granted, I experienced perfect weather while I was there (a “heatwave” according to the Brits). My northern Californian upbringing fortified me against a little 32 C/90 F weather. There were so many highlights: the Leigh Bowery exhibit at the Tate Modern, getting lost in the brand new V&A Storehouse, fresh-baked goods at Jolene, strolling through the Columbia Road Flower Market, rooftop drinks with friends at Llama Inn.

Now I’m off on a couple more adventures for a holiday in August. First, I head to Copenhagen this Friday, from 1 to 15 August, then I head to Stockholm from 15 to 29 August. I have never visited either city before but I’ve long wanted to. Fun fact, I’m 20% Swedish, so I’m excited to visit the motherland. If you live in either Copenhagen or Stockholm, or have friends you think I would vibe with, send me a note, I would love to make some friends and get a local’s perspective of the most interesting places and fun activities that the city has to offer. Also, if you happen to involved with any Copenhagen Fashion Week events, hit me up, Kyle

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Fitzpatrick and I will be attending and interviewing folks, would love to meet more people in that world.

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So, what’s been interesting me lately? Honestly, graphic design is in a sad state of affairs, so very little of that. It feels like so much of the craft of design has been co-opted by capitalism. “Redesigns” with literally no real change, only a marketing talking point. Amateurish brand marks adorning the hoods of cars that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. I honestly can’t understand how designers on these teams can take their work seriously.

I’ve been more focused on, for lack of clearer term, real things. Cocktails, editorial layouts, shoes, restaurant interiors… things with charm, nuance, and character. I dunno, it’s time to move on and figure out what the next design renaissance looks like. Stop living in some past millennial fantasy and start dreaming up beautiful futures together. Let’s take a look at the selection —

Giacomo Bagnara is an Italian illustrator who makes these “blurred” illustrations, as he calls them, depicting all sorts of random objects in life in this quite charming, somewhat airbrushed style. I really enjoy the way he depicts produce in plastic bags.

I think this Banana Cold Brew at Uncommon in Amsterdam sounds so interesting. You need to watch the video on the second slide, but really, the description totally sold me:

Our banana cold brew is our current no-waste drink. Erwan makes a syrup, an “oleo saccharum”, for which we use the banana peels from our banana bread and add the same amount in brown sugar, mix and leave it to rest. After 24h you have a delicious banana caramel like syrup, which we add to the cold brew and the oat cream. The banana crumble on top is dehydrated banana bread which brings a satisfying crunch when drinking.

If you combined Aeon Flux and Adventure Time’s animation styles, you’d get this piece by Scott Jonsson. Totally mesmerizing.

This NYT Magazine cover illustration by designer Aimee Sy is such a sharp and clever way of illustrating the collapse of the Food and Drug Administration. The faded orange tone used is a nice touch as well, like it’s aged and weathered and falling apart.

Filed under “things I want (and do not need) and can’t afford anyway” are these Neo Tarp Trek shoes by Hender Scheme with the khaki interior lining. It’s hard to describe. Like it’s sort of a clog/loafer with a technical wear interior that combines hiking with the high street.

I’ve been told that Stockholm is a great place for cocktails (please send reccs, if you have any!) and I’m hoping they have some interesting concoctions like the Patio Pounding Pear, a creation by schmuck. in New York. It’s made of pecan, Four Walls whiskey, kome shochu, and a “healthy amount of pears.” Which reminds me, I heard a great bit of dad advice last week, “martinis are like breasts… one isn’t enough, two is perfect, and three is too many.”

When I think about my future coffee shop I know that I want it to feel out of time, like you don’t know when it was built, and filled with odd and charming attributes. Polonsky & Friends recently completed Santo Taco, an odd little taco stand on a tiny corner that blends “Mexico City's taquerias and the easy charm of New York's diner culture.” The mint and red is such a charming color combination and the polished mirror ceiling tiles really help the space feel much larger than it really is. I love it.

One place I’m very excited to check out in Copenhagen is Petra, the new hotel, bar, and restaurant from furniture brand &Tradition. The rooms look so comfortable and well crafted, and I will definitely be stopping by the Lille Petra café to sit on that gorgeous little terrace for a bit of coffee and breakfast.

Very excited to pick up the new biography on Virgil Abloh by Robin Givhan titled Make It Ours. Gihvan spoke with SSENSE not too long about the book and I found this quite insightful:

He had been this outsider who had finally gotten to the center of it all. All of that optimism and warm fuzziness was injected into that first collection. Over time, I do think he became more focused on the idea of his own culture and Black culture and bringing that into the Vuitton vocabulary. And I wish that he had had more time because I am really curious to think how he would respond to this moment. I was always continually amazed at how compressed his professional career was in fashion. And how much change happened during that incredibly short time period. I would love to have seen how he would speak to the issues like diversity and speak to the tension between being an insider now and how much of a rebel can you be or should you be.

Just a friendly, Abloh’s Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall-Winter 2021 show is still one of the most breathtaking things ever created. A highly recommend viewing.