Bring on the Noise 2010 Autumn/Winter Collection

In the past I have posted several articles on Japanese designer, Daisuke Konno, including an interview and an update on his label Bring on the Noise.

So, let me bring on some more noise with a press release about the most recent collection:

“Tokyo Rockers”
The rock scene boom lost its momentum in the late 1970’s. Bringing about a breakthrough, musicians gathered and played gigs continuously in many parts of Japan. This movement is called “Tokyo Rockers.”

Our season theme is the movement spawned in the late 1970’s and early ’80’s, the dawn of Punk. We pursue originality no other brands can create.

Every product is made in Japan, placing importance on the concept of a “Japanese-made product,” as the season theme is the Japanese culture.

Support Brand: Libertas (Shoes)
“Libertas” means ‘Freedom’ in Latin. Our theme is to share feelings of empathy with people wearing our shoes, pursuing craftsmanship for creating unique products.



Stylist: Satoshi Yoshimoto
Photographer: Takahiro Otsuji
Hair/Makeup: Satoshi Ito
Models: Kuruucrew, Fratten,Gasbag, Ken Takehisa.

Photos & slideshow Copyright Bring on the Noise.

Onia—Swimwear for Every Occasion

At the Capsule Show last week, I had the privilege of meeting a young designer by the name of Carl Cunow.

Carl launched his swimwear label, Onia, after having worked at Steven Alan for 4 years.

He conceived the name while soaking up the sun, one day, on a beach in Israel. (“Onia” actually means ‘boat’ in Hebrew.)

Although fit for a boat, Onia is beachwear for men—just redefined.

The cuts are perfect for the “everyday” kind of guy—not too long and not too short.

Each model is simple and—most of all—functional. Carl pointed out to me that he intended the swimwear to be worn anywhere, just as if they were a pair of shorts.

They are fit for a relaxing day at the poolside, while versatile enough to sport with a nice top for an enjoyable night at the club.

Whether at the beach, boat, bungalow, or bar—Onia stands for practical shorts for practical guys.



Photo s/s 2011 collection Copyright Onia.

Elia Maurizi Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Now in its fourth collection, “Elia Maurizi” not only proposes an original, fun and character-filled unisex footwear line, but he also looks way beyond the shoe itself, concentrating his attention also on the world of design, enhancing its value during the “Who’s on Next” competition organised last year by Alta Roma, Pitti Immagine Uomo and Uomo Vogue.

This year, he himself defined the path to follow as “I Wanna Be Frisbee”. For this collection, Elia gets his inspiration from the outskirts of towns, i.e. “suburbia”, which sprang up in America around the 1950s-’60s, focusing his attention on the lifestyle of the average American and on the care freeness which marked that period.

This year, Elia Maurizi will team his collection with a genuine line of beach “Frisbees”, and another line of fun scarves to match his footwear collection. There are three styles to choose from:

Dear Bill
Inspired by the man who worked the soil, when manual labour and contact with nature ruled. The lasts are soft and reassuring. The materials are natural and soft, with woven or micro-perforated processing. The colours tell of the past, winking at the present with a touch of irony.

Little Susanne
The journey proceeds along “Coney Island” beach, on those endless days of summer sun. The footwear is inspired by the faraway “espadrilles”, revamped with the processing of the hides and the new and authentic “vintage” finishing which distinguishes it. The colours of the hides recall those of the soil and beach (“the soft dream”).

I Meet Walter
Set in the garden of an usual house of “Monroe” (UTAH), where Walter Morrison, i.e. the inventor of the flying disc, played with his wife with a metal pie tin. This line is distinguished by uppers with through holes which recall the roundness of the mythical Frisbee, reinterpreting past taste with a modern feel. Suede leathers with two-tone cuts yet not with relaxing colours and white rubber soles with a vague “street” appeal.

Photos Copyright Antonio Maurizi.

Fromanteel: A Unique Style

When speaking about their watches, Alfredo and Martijn are very explicit: “Fromanteel has a style of its own and prefers to maintain this unique style.”

While designing their first collection, the limited edition ‘Day & Night’, Alfredo and Martijn discussed extensively every considerable and small detail in the design. This proved to be a very hard, though intense and successful cooperation. “Without friction, there is no shine.” Same as the fact that without ‘Day’ there is no ‘Night’—hence the name of the collection.

The two say rarely to be guided by the will of other people. They are inspired by the modern man, but deliberately choose not to base their decisions on what others think. They design watches according to their own taste. It has to be something they would like to wear and what they think will look good on them.

A Fromanteel watch is not some trendy, fashionable watch that is easily adopted by the masses. A Fromanteel watch has a story that only the wearer can tell: the story about the history of the name, its origin and the fact it is a limited edition.

It’s also not a conspicuous watch. Fromanteel watches are subtle, stylish and only the wearer himself knows it fits his personal taste and style.

In the end, it is the contrast and connection, found in the brand, its history and the characters of the designers that make the slogan ‘History is Now’ a perfect fit for the brand.

Before drawing our first packaging proposals we decided to first study how goods were packaged and shipped in the era of Fromanteel, some 400 years ago.

We discovered that the materials, which were used at that time, were made to withstand even rougher transport conditions than nowadays found with modern cargo transport.

The 2010 Collection
While designing the 2010 Collection we stood still at what motivates the modern man when it comes to watches and style in general. We discovered that men are very different in their style preferences. The motivation behind these different style preferences is what fascinated us and drove us to design the 2010 Collection.

To men, style is something personal and cannot be compared with a fashion statement or simply what is in trendy at the moment. Fashion has always been, and always will be dynamic. But style is timeless. Fashion is largely concerned with what is cool, or what trends are at what time, etc. While just a few men exhibit true style, timeless cool and display of good taste.

In our study we found three interesting style archetypes. One is the Dandy—or as we would like to call him ‘The Cultural Creative’ man. The Cultural Creative is our informal interpretation of the Dandy. Where the Dandy is cockney and expresses a foremost English style, the Cultural Creative is not. He dress and grooms himself every day by set of formal rules but knows how to play around, expressing a creative style of his own.

The ‘Johannes’ timepiece is inspired by the lifestyle of the Cultural Creative. The man that recognizes all the efforts and contributions that a single, well interpreted, detail, does for an outfit.

The ‘Rebel without a Cause’ is next archetype we studied in detail. An important era for the ‘Rebel’ – as we abbreviate him, was the 60’s of the last century. Raised in a very formal era (the 1950’s) the Rebel saw the world differently and defined freedom as one of his highest goals. Freedom to express and to live his life the way he wants. The Rebel lives by this credo and knows that the credo also implies freedom of movement. To be, to travel and to go wherever you want to, whenever you want to. The world as he sees it, is on the palm of his hands. The ‘Vintage1607’ is our interpretation of this style archetype.

Before designing the ‘Time MachinE’ we realized that the third style archetype we based our design on is actually not a style archetype pur sang. It might be the result of a transformation of any archetype.

This sub-archetype comes out at night. We call him the ‘Nightlife Smart Casual’ man. He is the self-confident cosmopolitan man. His playfield is the city at night. The night flirts and presents many temptations. The faith hearted obeys the night, however the strong seizes it and makes the night his own. The ‘TimemachinE’ is all about reliability and precision designed to fit this style ‘archetype’ .

The result of our study is the 2010 Collection. This collection is a stylish ode to the modern man.

The Generations Series ‘Johannes’ Named after the oldest son of Ahasuerus Fromanteel and limited at 1638 pieces in black & white, this first Fromanteel watch of the Generations Series represents in its design and detail everything the modern dandy, or as we like to say; the cultural creative man would like to see in a watch.

Johannes Fromanteel was born in 1638. As the oldest son he got to spend much time in the clockmaker’s workshop learning and observing the magnificent craftsmanship of his father. After years of practice and study, Johannes eventually followed in his father’s footsteps and became a master clockmaker.

The watch ‘Johannes’ is an ode to the passionate son and the first watch in the Generations Series.

The design of the watch is inspired by the lifestyle of the Cultural Creative man. The man that recognizes all the efforts and contributions that a single, well interpreted, detail, does for an outfit.

The Generations‘Johannes’ is a watch for the man who knows that life has to be lived by a set of informal rules. The ‘Johannes’, a proud son’s story about detail and craftsmanship.

Photos Copyright Fromanteel.

Fromanteel—the Designers

“We kept it close to ourselves…”

The two young designers live in Amsterdam and met each other in during their student period. What they have in common is their similar taste for the good things in life, although the two have very different characters and backgrounds.

Alfredo Silva (30) is born in São Paulo, Brazil, as the son of a painter and an actress. As artists, both his parents are familiar with the art-scene of the city at that time - as a result, Alfredo grows up in a house where fashion designers, writers, architects and actors walk in and out. Therefore, creativity and artistic expression were encouraged to him from an early age on.

Eventually, Alfredo’s father finds it difficult to combine his parental responsibilities with his art and extravagant lifestyle. That’s why his mother, after breaking with him, entitles him as an uncle and no longer expects him to fulfill his parental responsibilities.

Years later, she marries a Dutch engineer whom Alfredo regards as his true father from the beginning. Alfredo learns the aspects of the Dutch culture and later the language, before moving to the Netherlands. Alfredo studies in Nijmegen and in Barcelona and after graduation, he finds a job in advertising. However, after three years he decides to quit and undertakes something more close to his heart – the design of watches and Fromanteel.

Martijn van Hassel (30) is born in Brabant, a province in the south of The Netherlands. At the van Hassel home, a Burgundian lifestyle is respected. Martijn learns from childhood on to appreciate the fine things in life, such as delicate cooking, family, art and photography. Although his father spends a lot of time abroad on business, the family ties remain strong.

It is his father who encourages entrepreneurship from an early age. “It’s best to show some initiative and to have an open mind about things, then to sit around waiting for things to happen.”

A study in Delft results in a degree in engineering, but this degree doesn’t represent the real passion and ambition that lies inside Martijn’s heart. Creativity runs through his veins, accompanied with the idea to one day start his own business.

His broad scope of interests is not limited to the Netherlands only. That’s why Martijn decides to move to Milan, a city where fashion and design coexist. Eventually Milan, the Burgundian lifestyle and the entrepreneurship encouraged by his father form the basis for the foundation of Fromanteel.

The two founded Fromanteel with a strong conviction to design watches that tell something about the personality of the owner. Watches with a personal touch and signature. No mass product, but unique timepieces that would make its owner proud to be wearing it.

Photos Copyright Fromanteel.
Photo top right, Alfredo Silva.
Photo bottom left, Martijn van Hassel.

Fromanteel: History Is Now

Fromanteel was a man with an enormous drive to fulfill his dreams and ambitions. His unique vision and craftsmanship helped him revolutionize our perception of time.

Ahasuerus Fromanteel was a clockmaker in the 17th century who owned a modest clockmakers workshop at the Vijgendam in Amsterdam—now the Dam Square, where the famous Hotel Krasnapolsky is located.

Back in the 17th century, during the Dutch Golden Age, Fromanteel begun to manufacture a series of revolutionary clocks, which were equipped with a new Dutch invention: the pendulum. These clocks were sold to wealthy merchants and members of the Dutch and English royal houses.

Amsterdam was a wealthy center of commerce and home of many artists, merchants and craftsmen. The city enjoyed therefore much attention from foreign Trading Companies looking for exclusive and remarkable goods.

Fromanteel’s pendulum clock was one of those goods of interest. This clock became known as one of the most accurate clocks of that time. The pendulum allowed the clocks to measure ‘seconds’, a unicum in a world dominated by only minutes.

The good location and fast trade network that Amsterdam had established over the years with other great trade hubs of the time facilitated Fromanteel into deciding to expand his operations overseas.

Ahasuerus Fromanteel’s sons were given the responsibility to run the overseas workshops and Ahasuerus himself decided to manage the affairs in Amsterdam, the city where he eventually died at the age of 85.

The name Fromanteel now lives on as a new brand of exclusive limited edition watches for men. Our timepieces apply the mastery technique of the Fromanteels to today’s modern age.

A Fromanteel watch is a contemporary designed timepiece, with an eye for the smallest detail and the highest level of quality.

The making of the Fromanteel shoot from Fromanteel on Vimeo

Photo Copyright Fromanteel.

Gaspard Yurkievich for Eastpak

“In Love with Beauty,” the Fall/Winter 2010 Collection

Taking the next step in the series of high end collaborations Eastpak is proud to present the Fall/Winter 2010 collection designed by French top designer Gaspard Yurkievich.

This collection is a tribute to the “buffalo” movement that was launched in the second half of the 80’s by Ray Petri. Petri was the first stylist to bring a touch of elegance and luxury to the urban lifestyle. The designs by Gaspard Yurkievich are based on this search for beauty in all items we use in our day to day lives.

For this collection Gaspard Yurkievich used the classic bomber jacket with its bright orange lining and Eastak’s functional bags as sources of inspiration. By adding an unexpected mix of gold, silver and gunmetal to all metal accessories and zippers on the bags all items get a Gaspard Yurkievich unique and luxurious signature. Bags are restyled using the codes of luxury without ever losing sight of the bags’ functionality.

The elegant redefinition of the styles is underlined by the selection of materials used on the bags, such as shiny nylon, hound’s-tooth, metallic jacquard and embossed leather. On some models different fabrics are even united which emphasizes the unique cut of the bags.

This collection brings exclusive, high end versions of all classic Eastpak styles, the backpack,
shoulder bag, shopper and waist belt, but also a wallet, a multimedia pouch and a toilet case. Within the same collection there are also two jackets that adhere to the same code of top end luxury.

About Gaspard Yurkievich
A native of Paris, (born May 16, 1972), Gaspard Yurkievich studied at the Studio Bercot from 1991-93; wherein after graduation, he trained under Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler and Jean Colonna.

Known for his wild and outlandish catwalk presentations, Gaspard Yurkievich is fast becoming the designer of choice by fashion forward young men and women who like wearing street and urban clothes with a Parisian touch.

In 1998, during the Fall/Winter 1999 season, his solo collection, “Distressed” debuted on the Paris runways. During the Spring 2005 menswear season, Yurkievich shocked his audience. In a most unexpected presentation, the group of urban dancers hired by Yurkievich showed how the clothes would really be worn. They danced, body-popped, scratched, vogued in a sexually explicit manner. With Gaspard Yurkievich, you have to expect the unexpected.

Gaspard Yurkievich on his collaboration with Eastpak:
“For me Eastpak is an iconic brand of my generation. And today the brand is still present in streets everywhere. When Eastpak contacted me we immediately thought to create a collection dedicated to my generation: people in their thirties, concerned with their image but still with the casual spirit of Eastpak.”

Photo Copyright Eastpak.