Selectism

The MOMA stores in NYC have always been special and an adventure to lurk through. On every trip to the big Apple its a must see, because most likely you will come across the most interesting new design objects from around the globe. The mix is what really makes it special in the end. Because they carry both the big shot designers, and somebody totally unknown that just had a good idea.

After operating 3 stores in New York, they have now finally expanded outside the US and opened their first overseas store. Where else but Tokyo could it have been (via The Japan Times). Apparently its a collaboration with electronics brand Sanyo.

We are happy to see this happening, it gives us hope, that Europe will maybe also get one any time soon!

LOCATION:

GYRE Shopping Complex
Tokyo/Japan

We have always been big fans of designer Hedi Slimane. He made Dior Homme what it became famous for, and we also always enjoyed his photo art and recent adventures into furniture.

In case you did not know, he has a personal blog, no words, just pictures! Check it out here.

After Levi's and Japanese brand Hysteric Glamour, Pepe Jeans now also announced a collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation (via NY Observer). It seems like Levi's has got the franchise on the US market, Pepe Jeans in Europe and Hyteric Glamour in Japan. On a side note, we have also seen Burton this year bring out an extensive collection of both clothing and gear, covered in artwork by the artist.

We cannot say that we are overly excited about the Pepe Jeans news. How many jeans can one make with Andy Warhol artwork? Already the Levi's collections were a disaster and practically unwearable, it will be interesting to see what Pepe Jeans makes out of it and anyways, since when is Andy Warhol an important reference in the denim market? Leave his artwork alone and don't slap it onto denim all over the place! That's at least our opinion!

Some Bling for men is in our age nothing really new, but in most cases we still come across it in the rap and celebrity world. Harry Winston wants to change that from now on. The luxury jeweler started working with designer Thom Browne (in our opinion one of the most outstanding designers at the moment) to create their first mens jewelry collection.

"The Harry Winston Men range sees Browne and Winston employ the jeweller’s trademark innovative designs, whilst producing diamond and platinum pieces that redefine the parameters of men’s fashion... Describing the overall theme for the range as ‘Ivy-league inspired’, Browne’s unique collection incorporates cuff links, rings, tie bars and limited edition watches, all of which are luxuriously understated." Via Wallpaper.

Let's see if their idea will work out. We can still not see ourselves walking down the road with a diamond encrusted ring. The only and most important jewelry for a men should be a watch and that's it. But that's just our opinion!

Graffiti veteran MakeOne has always been a big fan of all things Japanese and that includes geta, the very unique Japanese wooden sandals. The artist put together a line-up of 60 street artists, which all painted geta sandals with their styles, tags and motifs. The exhibition, Karan Koron - A Geta Art Exhibition, has taken place at Melt Gallery in Los Angeles and is over by now, but Ping Mag caught up with MakeOne to talk about the concept of the exhibition and also shows many works.

Check out the article here.

Japanese retailer Beams got together with Ortega's Weaving Shop from Mexico and Porter Japan to create some wallets. The outcome is a really authentic mexican look and design. The wallets come in three colorways with the uppers made of wool and accents in leather. The wallets feature both a Beams and an Ortega's Weaving Ship tag in side.

As usual the Japanese go the extra mile and want to get it right, thus teamed up with the locals from Mexico to get the patterns and materials right. Check out more detailed pictures  and the other colorways after the jump.

In other news, Jay-Z announced on Monday that he will be stepping down as President of Def-Jam.

"Universal Music Group said on Monday that rap artist and hip-hop mogul Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter is stepping down as president of its Def Jam Records unit, effective by the end of the year. Carter, 38, has been president of the rap label since 2005, and has signed acts including R&B singers Rihanna and Ne-Yo. Universal said Carter, a top-selling rapper who performs as Jay-Z, will continue recording for its Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam label. But the company did not give a reason for his decision to quit the executive suite. "Now it's time for me to take on new challenges," he said in a statement. "I am pleased to have had the opportunity to build upon the Def Jam legacy," he added. Carter will focus on his expanding franchise of 40/40 Nightclubs over the next year and other businesses, according to a source familiar with his plans." Via Str8hiphop.

Let's see what he has got up his sleeves and planned for us next year!

Here a recent cartoon by Louis Vuitton with a lot of imagery done by Takashi Murakami, the Japanese artist, that has already designed lots of pieces for the French luxury brand.

A little while ago we pointed out an article on how Comme des Garcons has build an underground luxury perfume empire. What is meant by that? Well, basically the Japanese brand started recently producing scents for other brands as well, but just like with their own brand, they only work with brands that are not too commercial, but that do an excellent job with their brands. One such brand is fellow Japanese brand Undercover by Jun Takashi. Comme des Garcons has for such a long time been successful with their own scents and perfumes, that this move only made sense.

Now Comme des Garcons also joined forces with one of our favorite "new" magazines, Monocle. Monocle has impressed from day one with its all-around knowledge on pretty much everything out there. After previously collaborating on bags with Porter Japan, a bike with Skepshult, they continue to only work with the very best and now did their own scent with Comme des Garcons - Hinoki.

"Produced for us by Comme des Garçons' perfumer, Antoine Maisondieu, Hinoki is a cedary, woody scent inspired by Japanese hot-spring baths and Scandinavian forests."

Hinoki is available at selected Comme des Garçons stores and monocle.com for deliveries in 2008.

After the jump some more pictures.

Bang & Olufsen has after years finally released their next generation MP3 player. The first one of course also looked great, but had no screen, was really heavy and also not a lot of capacity.

The Beosound 6 now comes with 4GB of disk space and a color screen. Something that always impressed us with the Scandinavian brand was the ability to create something that is both technically and from a design standpoint timeless. You could buy a B & O stereo and literally have it for 10 years standing at home and it would still look cutting edge. The times have changed a little, everything is moving faster, but nevertheless they still do a great job in terms of design. In terms of technology we are not sure they can compete with the iPod or even the Microsoft Zune.

It's a different decision that you have to make. If you are willing to take cuts in the technology department, you can have a player that you will see on nobody else, and as we all know, that is worth a lot!

At HH/Limited, a Japanese interior design store, we just came across this antique chair. It has been entirely reworked with lots of colors both on the wood and the rest of the chair. The outcome is impressive.

Make sure to check out the entire HH/Limited catalogue, the furniture line-up is hard to beat!

Since years we are fans of Coolhunting. Now they have compiled a list of their Top 5 Photographers of 2007. We could not agree more. They have listed Pieter Hugo, Taryn Simon, Lori Nix, Lisa Kereszi and Thomas Allen.

Pieter Hugos pictures of Nigeria and especially the series of the men with the hyenas was very impressive and made it last month into newspapers all around the globe! Anyways, make sure to check out the complete list here.

Most of you will probably head out for a nice ski/snowoard trip in the next couple of days. But some of you might prefer the warmer climates and catch some sun to relax over the holidays. In that case we have the perfect accessory for you, a Kidrobot beach towel. As exhausting as the all-over prints and crazy colors sometimes get on t-shirts, hoodies and sneakers, on a beach towel one is allowed to have more colors, not only it is not disturbing, it's a must!

Kidrobot has released a couple of beach towels featuring their iconic Dunny characters! You can purchase them here.

Refinery29 has released their "Best Albums Of 2007" list. You should definitely check it out, they put together a nice mix of chill out, road trip, subway ride, all-night benders. You find the likes of Radiohead, Of Montreal, Feist, Panda Bear and many others in there.

You can check out the complete review here.

Nexus VII, even though around for many years, has really only attracted our attention in the last couple of years. Their subtle and smart design and talent of giving a classic piece something special, is very impressive and something we learned to appreciate. A perfect example for that is their latest release, the B.D.W. shirt, which comes in a black/white check pattern. The work they did on the collar is brilliant. Simple, yet something you do not come across every day and a sharp look. Pic via Figure.

We are hoping that with the increased international attention, the brand will soon be available at some stores outside of Japan!

French sneaker brand Spring Court has finally also released a US website. The brand has for many years made some of the most classic white sneakers and continues to do so. Traditionally a tennis brand, Spring Court specializes in canvas sneakers and offers several models, both low, mid and high in their collection. Especially for the summer, a nice Spring Court sneaker is always a good choice.

Make sure to check out their new website here.

We can never get enough of Coffee Table books. Nothing beats an interesting oversized, well designed book. Unfortunately since Taschen is around, one could buy several a week, it's hard to keep up.

The latest interesting release is "Sex Obsessions" by artist Robert Crumb. The artist is probably the worlds most famous underground cartoonist and has released impressive works over the years.

Now Crumb has selected his most intimately revealing comic strips and single page drawings to create a 258 page encyclopedic trip through his sexual psyche. All images were created between 1980 and 2006, and all strips are hand-colored for a lush vibrancy never seen in his comic books. In total the book features 14 complete stories, including My Troubles With Women, If I Were a King, A Bitchin’ Bod, and How To Have Fun With a Strong Girl, as well as 60 single page drawings.

This signed limited edition of 1,000 copies is a work of art in itself, with every part of the book—front and back covers, spine, and introductory pages—created for this project by Robert Crumb. Each book also comes with an art print selected by Mr. Crumb.

Taschen is increasing their prices on some of their limited edition releases, so if you got some spare money, you better get yourself a copy this week!

After the jump some more page spreads.

Bottega Veneta is the fasted growing brand in the Gucci Group and right so. The way they brought this Italian classic back to life is impressive. The products are of outstanding quality, have their very own unique style, unfortunately also the according prices. Thomas Maier, head designer of the brand, has done a great job this past year.

Browns now has the collection on sale, and we came across this beautiful double breasted high neck short jacket. Very much inspired by the classic trench coat, it feature the belt in the back, as well as other attributes by this classic. At the same time it has a modern cut and a unique color. Just perfect!

So, if you want to snap it up at half price, you better hurry! Browns also has other pieces on sale, including some great home slippers and shirts

The Denim Design Lab™ Kit is a collection of tools used for hand finishing denim garments and includes a copy of the book Denim Design Lab™, as well as the first ever consumer version of a denim finishing bladder used by professional denim laundries, the "Denim Design Lab™ Denim Finishing Form™. "Each limited edition Kit is hand made from 100% red selvage denim from Cone Denim and destined to become a collectors item for every true connoisseur of denim jeans.

Denim Design Lab™ Kits are produced in limited edition runs of 200 units each. The initial release features three unique vintage inspired washes, each based on a theme from the DDL™ Book; the "Gold Miner," the "Mechanic," and the "Painter."

Each DDL™ Kit includes a full color hardbound copy of the book Denim Design Lab™, which is also being sold separately. The DDL™ Book has been written and designed as a beautiful art type coffee table book.

A great present and in general piece, a good one to own. We are big denim fans and cannot repeat enough how important it is to own a good pair. What many people out there still don't understand is, that if you have one or two really good pairs, you do not need to buy them all the time. So, this kit seems perfect to get some old ones repaired. But we have never tried out working on denim, with this kit it is certainly something we are looking forward to.

For 200 USD its your. Villains has it in its online store.

The latest pair of Levi's Fenom denim has dropped in Japan, the 505 Crystal Disco Decoration. The Swarovski crystals have been applied in a floral pattern on the back of the denim. Otherwise you find the usual Levi's Fenom characteristics. We were never huge fans of Swarovski stones on clothing or denim, therefore we will not judge this latest Fenom release. But Levi's Fenom fans should be a bit used, since there is usually some crystals on the denim.

They also released some subtle flannel western shirts along with the denim. Both the denim and the shirts are now available at Tab Device and other Levi's Fenom dealers in Japan. Check out the shirts after the jump.