Noah

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—01. A welcome return.

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Brendon Babenzien has been receiving quite a bit of press with the recent relaunch of his brand, Noah. There's good reason too: with years of success at Supreme as well as Noah in the past, nobody is doubting Brendon's design sensibility. To start, or restart, a brand today you have to be passionate about it, because it's not an easy undertaking. Fortunately Brendon seems to have the drive and passion to create something that he believes in. On first look, he's used a variety of unique fabrics on relatively classic shapes to give them new life, more functionality and most importantly, his own personal perspective.

—Interview via Highsnobiety

Buco Prisoner Shirt

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—01. Selvage chambray.

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I’m sure there aren’t all that many people who court the appearance of an escaped convict and rightly so, but after watching Jim Jarmusch’s Down By Law this look seems like a great casual option to me. Having made a vast array of chambray shirting over the years, this might be my favourite one yet from The Real McCoy’s, which is branded under their Buco license. The overall cut looks exceptional, as do the fabric and utilitarian prison graphics, though one should probably take care not to be mistaken for an inmate gone AWOL.

—Available from Blue in Green

Weekend Viewing: Heaven Knows What

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—01. Theatrical poster.
—02. Arielle Holmes.

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Directed by brothers Benny and Josh Safdie, Heaven Knows What is a brutally honest look at the lives of young and homeless heroin addicts living among the affluent residents of Manhattan's Upper West Side. Having originally met the film's lead, Arielle Holmes, while researching another project, the pair encouraged her to write a memoir based on her life on the streets. Josh and Ronald Bronstein (who starred in the brothers' previous picture Daddy Longlegs) wrote a script based on her writings, while Benny edited the film alongside the latter. It was shot by Sean Price Williams, whose sparse and distant cinematography, employing long lenses and views across streets and down from rooftops, lends the film a lifelike, documentary quality. Having already had significant success on the festival circuit, Heaven Knows What has been met with high critical praise, including a piece in the New York Times, that's linked below. It opens this weekend in both New York and LA for a limited engagement, before a nationwide release shortly thereafter. If you happen to be in either city, and find the sun too bright, and the vibes too positive, I'd highly recommend taking in a wintery view of one of the darker sides of street and city life.

—Heaven Knows What
—The New York Times
—Landmark Sunshine Cinema, New York
—ArcLight Cinema, Hollywood

Wtaps Slip On / Shoes

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—01. Cotton velveteen upper.

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While Wtaps probably aren't best known for their footwear, it would be hard to say they don't do a great job with it. Each season they offer a variety of simple, very wearable designs, frequently alongside Vans Syndicate collaborations which are also noteworthy. This spring, they've produced these all black, leather-lined slip-ons with a cotton velveteen upper.

—Available from Haven

Allan Kaprow Posters

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Softcover
90 pages, 43 x 28.5cm
Published by Walther König, 2015

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Late last year my colleague, Nico, highlighted Allan Kaprow’s posters, which are still for sale at Hauser & Wirth. Since then a book of these works has been released by the publisher Walther König and would be a must for anyone interested in Fluxus artists, graphic design, '60s counterculture or any and all of the above. I may have missed the Happenings, but now I can experience this catalogue exhibiting their graphic vernacular in the comfort of my own home.

—Available from Cornerhouse Publications

Alga Marghen Record Label

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—01. Eliane Radigue’s Jouet Electronique.

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If I had to single out one record label that could do with a little praise for being as deeply underground as it is important to documenting overlooked 20th century music, it would have to be Alga Marghen. Renowned for releasing a wide range of historical obscurities, outsider artists and new music compositions, the Italian label has issued important works by David Behrman, Max Neuhaus, Hermann Nitsch, Charlemagne Palestine and Eliane Radigue, among others. Though hard to find in most local record shops, there are a number of online stores that stock a variety of Alga Marghen LPs – of which one of my personal favourites is shown above.

—Forced Exposure

The Spring Cleaning

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The Laundromt
168 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012
May 29, June 26 & July 24, 2015

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Friends and photographers Benedict Brink and Todd Jordan are set to launch a new endeavor this Friday – The Spring Cleaning. This will be the first of three group shows on display over the summer months, each held for one week at a time. Featuring an exceptional lineup of photographers, there will be no opening receptions or parties; just a beautiful selection of images on display for a limited period. Did I mention the whole thing takes place in an active, working laundromat? It's located on Elizabeth Street, on the border of Soho and Chinatown in Manhattan, so you could either grab a frozen margarita nearby, and wander among the machines looking at art, or a stack of quarters and dirty linens, and turn something fun into an errand you hate. Either/or, it's up to you.

—The Spring Cleaning

Envoy of Belfast – Dries Van Noten SS15 Looks

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Narrator Long Cardigan
Calybe Ecru Shirt
Parnell Jacquard Trousers

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Envoy of Belfast have been producing an excellent series of seasonal looks online, highlighting recent deliveries from Margaret Howell, Engineered Garments FWK, Casey Casey, Acne Studios and Dries Van Noten. Calm portraits, tasteful styling and rich textures fill the slideshows, offering inspiration, or simply an enjoyable browse.

—Envoy of Belfast