Spotlight: Anti Sweden

THE AGE OF DARKNESS

Fighting the established jeans brands like Acne, cheap Monday from our neighbors in Sweden we now introduce a label based on the Norwegian cultural history on black Metal. The line is a co-lab with the San Diego based artist Justin Bartlett, famous for his occult and obsessive art. Norwegians always like to challenge their slightly larger and moderately happier neighbors, Sweden, who are renowned for their many famous denim brands (Acne, Cheap Monday, among others). Anti Sweden stands as a declaration of war! With their own truly Norwegian denim brand Anti Sweden is  taking the fight to the Swedes in the true spirit of the friendly rivalry that has long existed between the two lands.

Norwegians and Swedes are Scandinavian minimalists but at the very heart of the Anti Sweden brand is the Norwegian culture of darkness, which has also given rise to the True Norwegian Black scene. Indeed, one of Anti Sweden designers is a member of such a band. Living near the top of the world, darkness is inescapable – its everywhere. It manifests in our natures, our culture, our art and our music – its essential to who Norwegians are. Anti Sweden is yet another pure manifestation. Norway – this land of eternal midnight and of the darkest of Black Metal is our inspiration for the first line of Black Denim Jeans. Anti Sweden is Norwegian Black metal going fashion. Anti Sweden´s signature is the True Black Jeans – as black as the northern nights. Printed in the pocket-lining of the first edition line you’ll find selected illustrations from the dark imagination of gore artist Justin Bartlett who through his experience of working with Norwegian bands such as Gorgoroth.

All photos are made by NY based photographer Alex Freund. The name of the line? It’s of-course 666. View the whole collection and get more infos at ANTI SWEDEN.

Anti Sweden is a side project of the Oslo based multi-disciplinary design studio Anti Design that works with brand identity, art direction, packaging, print, illustration and interactive design.~M.

Spotlight: Maria Francesca Pepe

Maria Francesca is a young London based Italian designer. Her first collection Spring/Summer 2008 was presented in Paris at Rendez-Vous Femme selling to Rei Kawakubo’s Dover Street Market (London) among other selected high-end boutiques. Following Collections introduce MariaFrancescaPepe Bags and a full range of Womenswear pieces all concieved around the Jewellery-Wear Concept. Featured in a photoshoots on the latest issues of, among the others, Plastique with her tubular extra-large necklaces part of her 2008 Paradoxa collection, D la Repubblica delle Donne, i-D, Elle Uk and Self Service, Maria Francesca’s creations merge the link between ornament and wearability. The Italian handcraft tradition is fused to a contemporary and avant-garde sense of Fashion.

Art-Brut is her latest collection and her first attempt of merging experimental jewellery into clothing, bags, accessories. The jewellery pieces are turned into buttons, handles, collars. The materials? Varnished brass, black hard plexiglass, sterling silver, stones such as black hematite and ruby zircon, smooth leather, cotton, silk, viscose, jersey.

Images: MariaFrancescaPepe

Metal Alice

Alice Dellal photographed by Quentin de Briey on the cover of April/May issue of spanish magazine Metal. Styling by Ana Murillas. Spreads via Refinery29 / RevistaMetal

Of crocs and metal

From Laura B‘s site: Laura Bortolami was born in Rome in 1962. Her father is Italian and her mother is Dutch – Indonesian. She studied university at the “École de Traduction et Interpretation”, Geneve, Switzerland,  a course specialising in economy and law. A chance encounter with Caterina Salvador, Armani’s primary assistant, led her to change direction completely and dedicate herself to fashion.
Laura began working as a freelance commercial for Giorgio Armani in Milan in the Eighties. Then Gianni Versace, Anna Molinari, and almost ten years for Dolce & Gabbana. The experience of working with some of the best designers in the world prepared Laura for her future enterprise.

In the early Nineties, while living in Avignon, South of France, after designing a small collection of bags, hats and scarfs created from original 1920’s pieces, Laura applied the same passion for the aesthetics from the beginning of the century to jewellery. A mix of ‘brocantes’ vintage pieces ran perfectly with the 1970’s revival taking place at this time. Since each piece was unique, so was born the ‘Laura B Collection Particulière’. Right from the beginning the collection attracted a very select market. In 1995, Laura moved to Barcelona where she continued to work for Dolce & Gabbana. Laura B grew with new international clients and the acknowledgement of press. In 1999 she left Dolce & Gabbana to dedicate herself to her own collection. Today Laura B includes not only jewellery, but also belts and bags.
For most of the collection, both for men and for women, the labels signature material is metallic chain mail. This is always used in conjunction with other materials such as silver, stones, leather, chains, crocodile skin, etc.
One can find Laura B in the best showcases in the world such as Dieci Corso Como in Milan, Barney’s in Tokyo and New York, L’Eclaireur in Paris, Brown’s and Liberty’s in London, and Maxfield in Los Angeles.