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Iris Van Herpen

Best of, Fashion

The new fashion exhibit Manus x Machina at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York explores the relationship between fashion made by hand and by machine. One of its sub themes is the marriage of the most traditional handwork couture methods and the most advanced technological methods of clothes-making. Amongst its selection are seven dresses by the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, who stands peerless in doing just that.

There is a depth to her work that results in garments that are often called “otherworldly” or “futuristic,” though van Herpen will be the first to tell you that she sees them firmly rooted in reality. Another misconception, perpetuated by the fashion media that runs after trendy stories and by the general media that runs after sensationalist ones, is that van Herpen’s work centers on 3D printing. In reality, her work traverses a wide variety of techniques and materials in service only to two things; to give free reign to van Herpen’s imagination, and to transcend fashion itself.

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Diaboli Kill Jewelry

Fashion

We would like to introduce to you Diaboli Kill, a luxury jewelry brand designed by Angie Marei in New York City. Marei draws inspiration from old Hollywood, ancient Egypt, and occult movies as well as incorporating art deco to create her pieces.

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Manus X Machina at The Met

Culture, Fashion

This week the new fashion exhibition “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” opens at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It aims to challenge the notion, usually found in the popular imagination, that handwork and machine work somehow exist in the state of opposition.

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Flowen Jewelry

Fashion

This week the Metropolitan Museum of Art unveils its new fashion exhibition, MANUS X MACHINA. We would like to introduce to you Flowen, a “Digitally Grown” jewelry brand based in Los Angeles, whose work will be presented at the exhibition. Flowen is inspired by the complexity of nature and grow their products from a precious metal powder transformed into separate pieces without byproducts, a technique akin to 3D printing, which are then assembled by artisans in Italy.

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Tacet Jewelry

Fashion

We would like to introduce to you TACET, a niche silver jewelry brand designed by Alexey Artemov in New York City. Alexey is also a musician and a producer, and he aims to translate his love of music into his jewelry. The label is now stocked in New York exclusively at Hotoveli.

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Robbie Snelders on Life at Raf Simons

Fashion, Features/Op-Ed

Capturing the nineties moment as a young, skinny, intimidatingly cool, raw, isolated, and underground night rider, Robbie Snelders was in the right place at the right time. Some 20 years ago his life took a dramatic turn and landed him in the then-emerging menswear brand, Raf Simons. He represented then, and still does now, the essence of that era and everything that the brand stood for in its early days. Fashion being the mirror of the zeitgeist and of tendencies within society, Snelders’ style became a trademark for youth culture around the world.

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Raf Simons to Join Pitti Uomo in June

Fashion

This morning we have learned that Raf Simons will join the next edition of Pitti Uomo, the premier menswear trade fair in Florence this June. This is certainly exciting news and we are intrigued to see what Simons cooks up, as Pitti Uomo has unrivaled access to Florentine public spaces.

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BORIS BIDJAN SABERI BARCELONA SHOP

Fashion, Retail

Boris Bidjan Saberi, whose meticulously and complexly constructed menswear graces the racks of carefully picked boutiques around the world, has quietly opened his own boutique in Barcelona, his adapted hometown, some time ago. It is nestled in the industrial district of Poblenou, Barcelona’s once run-down textile industry hub that is now enjoying a renaissance and that still has large industrial spaces suited to Saberi’s vision. It is his only boutique besides his New York City outpost.

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Op-Ed: HOW GRAILED IS KILLING THE MENSWEAR AVANT-GARDE

Fashion, Features/Op-Ed

Buying and selling designer clothing by collectors and fashion enthusiasts on the Internet is a longstanding practice. Fashion forums like Supefuture, Styleforum, and StyleZeitgeist, where these enthusiasts tend to congregate are invaluable assets for hunting down that long-coveted piece, called “the holy grail” in the forum parlance. The forums, however, are, first and foremost, places…