MOLIMU

Brioni parts ways with Justin O'Shea after only 7 months

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 12:31:00 +0000

Well this is a shocker! After only 7 months, traditional Italian menswear tailors Brioni are already parting ways with Creative Director Justin O'Shea. Back in March, when O'Shea was announced as Creative Director for the very old-fashioned label, it was generally perceived as a bold move to rejuvenate the brand and appeal to younger audiences.

Many believed that O'Shea, who had no formal training in fashion but rose to fame as global fashion director at luxury e-tailer MyTheresa and through his high-profile relationship with Fashion blogger Veronika Heilbrunner, was an unconventional choice for Brioni's synonymous image as one of the finest menswear tailors. Moreover, the Australian Influencer is known for his loud rockstar style which somewhat contradicts Brioni's classic menswear aesthetic. This got particularly visible when Brioni announced it would change its logo to a Motörhead inspired font and modeled members of rockgroup Metallica as testimonials for O'Shea's first collection. While the Marketing stunt created a lot of buzz and got people talking, it received mostly negative feedback and felt like a desperate attempt at reclaiming relevance in the fashion market. Moreover, the brand put its public image on the line and risked alienating its traditional customer base.

This became even more ovious with O'Shea's first collection "Paris One", which was loud, eccentric and not particularly focused. He seemed to focus particularly on Eastern European and Middle Wastern markets where Brioni has continuously struggled over the last years. However, the market for long Chinchilla coats is extremely small and most of his designs lacked commercial appeal. It felt a little bit as if O'Shea designed a Capsule collection for his personal wardrobe without paying any attention to market demand.

Naturally, this resulted in weak sales and an overall bad performance for the Brioni brand in 2016, causing management to pull the trigger so quickly. Gianluca Flore, chief executive officer of Brioni, thanked O'Shea for his work and stated that the brand seeks to continue its rujevnation process with a long-term strategy to became a driving force in the luxury menswear category again. Let's hope that this example serves as a case for other traditional fashion houses to make better choices in the future. Instead of handing over the entire creative control to a completely untrained Social Media Influencer or Industry darling, it might be smarter to appoint a duo or team that provides formal training as well as a deep understanding of today's market landscape and Digital opportunities.

MOLIMU City Check New York: John's of Bleecker Street

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 10:53:00 +0000

When it comes down to Pizza in New York, everyone seems to have their own favourite spot that they swear by and are not afraid to argue about.

For me, that little haven of doughy-cheesy goodness is John’s of Bleecker Street. They have been around forever, thus owning a particular New York feel of gritty ambience mixed with good music and fantastic no-frills food. You can get your Pizza by the slice or a whole pie and just indulge in one of the best Pizza experiences in the city.

You can find it here:
John's of Bleecker Street
278 Bleecker St. New York
GREENWHICH

MOLIMU Music Check: October 2016 Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 10:49:00 +0000

Here’s a little overview of some of my favorite tunes that I am listening to at the moment.
There’s a good mix of upbeat warm tunes that make me reminiscent of the last summer days as well as some slower songs for the cold and rainy fall days ahead. You can find this playlist on Spotify and should make sure to follow me (search niklas.gilroy) to keep up with my music suggestions.

October 2016 Playlist:

Starboy – The Weeknd, Daft Punk

sweet sweet – Travis Scott

Youth – Glass Animals

Small Talk – Jarreau Vandal

Haven't You Heard – Patrice Rushen

Black Beatles – Rae Sremmurd, Gucci Mane

GOT IT GOOD – Craig David, KAYTRANADA

Blood On Me – Sampha

Ivy – Frank Ocean

Beautiful Escape (feat. Zak Abel) – Tom Misch, Zak Abel

So Real – Anthony Flammia

Kanye West (feat. Wyclef Jean) – Young Thug, Wyclef Jean

way back – Travis Scott

OOOUUU – Young M.a.

Love$ick – Mura Masa, A$AP Rocky

Porz Goret – Yann Tiersen

Cranes in the Sky – Solange

10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄ – Bon Iver

Even The Darkness Has Arms – The Barr Brothers

Damn Sure – Laura Gibson

Radio – Sylvan Esso

Talking to Myself – Gallant

Mediator – AlunaGeorge

MOLIMU City Check New York: Russ and Daughters Café

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 09:32:00 +0000

As a true New York institution "Russ and Daughters" has served foodies from around the world with excellent seafood and Jewish delicatessen since 1914. Next to their original destination on 179 East Houston Stree, the family has opened a Café in 2014 to finally provide customers with an actual place to sit down and enjoy their fantastic food. The place has a classic throwback vibe around it that really makes you feel like you are in the old New York of the early 1900's.

I urge you to indulge in their extensive selection of Salmon and Hering as well as the excellent Blintzes for dessert!

You can find it here:
127 Orchard Street New York, New York 10002

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 AM - 10 PM
Sat-Sun 8 AM - 10 PM

Supreme Fall/Winter 2016 Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 09:25:00 +0000

With the new Supreme drop for Fall/Winter 2016 releasing online this week, I thought it would be great to give everyone a quick overlook on some of my personal favorites from the collection. I can say right ahead that I am not really as excited with the overall aesthetic of this drop but nonetheless there are certainly a few stand out items.

Shadow Plaid Wool Overcoat

This is definately one of the standout pieces as it serves as a classic staple overcoat that can be worn in a more formal look with boots or can be dressed-down with sneakers for a more casual outfit. It's made from Woolrich wool and just shows that some of the most exciting pieces from Supreme are often less flashy but really well-made, especially in the outerwear category.

Patchwork Anorak

Probably the most hyped piece of the collection is this patched up anorak which features a messy arrangement of classic patterns. While the overall look is quite loud, I really like the colour scheme and the subtle Supreme branding on the chest.

Salmon coloured pieces

Thanks to Ronnie Fieg, salmon colored garments have flooded the market over the last two years. While I think it's a bit weird that Supreme still pushes this color so vehemently, there are quite a few really nice pieces that will provide a bit of color during the grey seasons.

Again, Supreme has collaborated with sportswear brand Champion on a couple pieces and the long stadium parka looks like a cozy overcoat for the colder days. Other than that, I really like the salmon colored Box Logo sweatshirt and the color block Arc Logo sweater.

Honorable mentions

There are a few other highlicht pieces that I really like but just see as nice additions to the collection, such as a few T-Shirts and Shirts.

So, there you go those are my favorites from the upcoming collection which you can shop at www.supremenewyork.com over the next weeks. Overall, I am not really impressed with the headwear and a lot of the T-Shirt designs. However, I am sure they will all sell out in a quick minute anyways and of course there is still hope that Supreme comes through with some strong collaborations.

MOLIMU City Check Berlin: Burgermeister

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 19:21:00 +0000

Whenever you find yourself in Berlin and are craving a delicious and classic burger, the Burgermeister is a must-visit. Located in an old public bathroom right on the street in Kreuzberg, this place serves simple street food at its finest. There really is an undeniable charme in the no-frills aesthetic of the location and the classic Berlin attitude of the staff, but most importantly: the food is absolutely delicious!

Find it here:
Oberbaumstraße 8, 10997 Berlin Kreuzberg
www.burger-meister.de

Opening hours:
Su-Thu: until 3:00 am
Fr-Sat: until 4:00 am

MOLIMU closet: adidas x Kanye West "Yeezy Boost 350"

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 11:00:00 +0000

The footwear market went crazy in 2015 with fantastic releases dropping left and right. For me personally, it was a special year where I noticed that my taste shifted away from standard basketball silhouettes towards more innovative concepts and premium materials. Instead of investing into every hyped Jordan release, I got into smaller brands like Hender Scheme or Filling Pieces and developed a new-found love for low-top sneakers.

Ein von NikGilroy *MOLIMU* (@nikgilroy) gepostetes Foto am 30. Dez 2015 um 4:08 Uhr

Ein von NikGilroy *MOLIMU* (@nikgilroy) gepostetes Foto am 25. Jan 2016 um 8:49 Uhr

Thus, I think that the adidas Yeezy Boost 350 was one of the most exciting product drops in a while because it is the perfect marriage between state-of-the-art footwear technology, premium materials and an aesthetically pleasing silhouette. The shoe really sets a new benchmark in terms of wearability and comfort by combining the new Adidas Boost sole with extremely light upper materials. Unfortunately, the limited availability and excessive hype surounding the shoe makes it really tough to get your hands on this beauty. It really seems like everyone tries to get their hands on a pair of Yeezy boosts these days, leaving most customers extremely frustrated because of crashed websites, dodgy raffles and a lot of wasted energy. I missed out on the first two releases of the Yeezy 350 Boost but got lucky at Mr. Porter for the tonal “Moonrock” colorway, which was my personal favorite.

Ein von NikGilroy *MOLIMU* (@nikgilroy) gepostetes Foto am 24. Nov 2015 um 13:33 Uhr

I already got a lot of wear out of my pair and am already looking forward to summer season when the Yeezy Boost will definitely be a staple in my everyday wardrobe.

Ozzy meets Kanye

Ein von NikGilroy *MOLIMU* (@nikgilroy) gepostetes Foto am 9. Apr 2016 um 8:33 Uhr

Train hard, look good – a new wave of sportswear clothing for men and women

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 11:16:00 +0000

The running and fitness sector has seen a strong comeback over the last few years fueled by great campaigns, innovative new products and new forms of social media. Next to actually doing sports because of your own health, it has seemingly become quite important to let the world know about your performance as well as how you look. With new technologies like Nike+ or the popular Runtastic Smartphone app people are able to share their achievements with others wether it is for competition or motivational support.

When you go on Instagram you can get the opininion that for some people it has become more important how you look while doing sports instead of how good your performance is. While I do not think that anyone should go to the gym caring more about their styling and clothes than the actual sports performance that does not mean that you cannot buy stylish sportswear pieces to look good while doing sports.

Therefore, I have put together a short list of sportswear pieces for men and women that look great and are made out of materials that ease or enhance your athletic performance at the same time.

UNDFTD Technical Collection

I think that most sportswear collections for men still focus on very subtle color schemes and designs. With their new Technical Collection UNDFTD has taken a step into a more fashionable direction by offering on-trend camo-print pieces. Since more and more men wear their compression shirt as the actual sports shirt instead of an undergarment, this collection gives you the choice of wearing louder designs that exhibit a strong fashion-mentality.

NIKE x UNDERCOVER Gyakusou Collection

The collaborative Gyakusou collection by Nike and Jun Takashi's Japanese cult label Undercover, has released incredible sportswear for a few seasons now. The pieces always combine smart cuts and technical elements with simple yet stylish designs. Especially the current spring/summer 2014 collection features impressive colour transitions as well as top-notch technical addition like the NIKE Sweat Map ventilation system that maps changes in body temperature to give you perfect ventilation.

Adidas by Stella McCartney

The Adidas by Stella McCartney line has been a pretty big success over the last few years as it combines fashionable pieces with sportswear functionality. The womens pieces feature great cuts and colours that make you look stylish while working out. I also really like the combination of oversized ponchos with tights from the new lookbook.

Nike Women's Sportswear Collection

Next to the aforementioned Gyakusou collection, I have always loved NIKE's sportswear collection for women. Offering a wide range of tights with stylish prints and nice tank top shirts, the collection gives girls an easy way to look cool while working out. In addition to the sportswear pieces, NIKE has also focused a lot of their marketing efforts on their female clientele by initiating great events like the "We own the Night run" in Berlin that lets girls explore running in an easy going and fun way.

The perfect symbiosis of comfort, technology and style – the Nike Flyknit Experience

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 14:02:00 +0000

Last year Nike released one of the most exciting new lines of sneakers that I have seen over the last few years – the Nike Flyknit.

Right from the start the Running community was intrigued by the concept of a lightweight shoe that easily adjusts to the shape of your foot and therefore has the fit of socks while still maintaining stability and durability.

On the other hand, the shoe became highly popular amongst sneaker-collectors for its futuristic and colorful appearance. The groundbreaking computer-controlled manufacturing process includes state-of-the-art weaving technologies that knit the entire upper part of the shoe in one piece. The knitted piece is then attached to the sole. This process creates amazing color-patterns and seemingly endless opportunities for personalization. One of the most popular releases has been the “Multi-Color” Flyknit racer due to its spectacular appearance.

At the same time Nike has been able to cut production costs because the new knitting technology replaces the most labour-intensive step in shoe manufacturing: assembling all of the individual pieces of the upper shoe by hand. On top of this, the entire process is more eco-friendly and therefore in line with Nike’s push to become more sustainable.

When I bought my first pair of Flyknits, I was blown away by the extremely light weight and comfortable fit. Being used to wearing mostly high-top Basektball sneakers, these shoes felt as if I was actually walking around in socks. Furthermore, the basic Flyknit silhouette in a simple color-scheme like black and white is perfect for any circumstance since they appear quite fashionable instead of going for an overly athletic look. The shoe has also become an essential for city trips with long walking distances because it does not really add any weight to your luggage and is perfec t for walking all day long while still looking stylish.

Overall I can only urge everyone to get their hands on a pair of these wether its for sports or just everyday life. I am sure that the Flyknit technology will become a staple in Nike’s product portfolio in the coming years as they have already released quite a few variations of the original shoe such as the Chukka, Lunar 2, Flyknit Air Max or even the Kobe 9 Elite.

influencers: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 13:46:00 +0000

I think it's time for another influencers post and this time I have chosen to write about Mr. Joseph Gorden-Levitt who started his career as a child actor and managed to ttransform himself into one of Hollywood's most stylish actors who is well respected by the indie-film community while making high-profile appearences in big budget blockbuster movies such as "Batman: the Dark Night Rises" or "Inception".

He started out as the long haired nerdy kid on the US TV show "3rd Rock from the Sun" and has always kept the charme of being somewhat of an underdog. Nevertheless he has never shied away from taking on challenging parts in movies like "Manic", "Mysterious Skin" or the soon to be released "Don Jon".

I always liked JGL for his charismatic persona and how he manages to always look extremely well dressed in sharp suits with a witty smile on his face. Amongst the bulk of young Hollywood actors he certainly belongs to a small group of men that know how to be a gentlemen. His personality seems to be very kind, well mannered and funny a great combination that everyone should strive for. He did not get caught up in any teenage actor life crisis but rather went to Columbia College where he studied history, literature, and French poetry.

The multi-faceted Gordon-Levitt also exceeds in other creative fields and has released multiple songs and even included some musical work in the cult indie movie "500 Days of Summer" where he stars among his dear friend Zooey Deschanel. Right now it seems like he is also branching out into directing and producing movies.

I think that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a great example of how you can be well respected and great at what you do while staying humble and always down to earth. This expresses real confidence and is much more impressive than showing off in front of tothers because you are getting carried away with your own successes.

all pictures via tumblr

VIDEO: ARTE documentary on street artist JR

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 20:50:00 +0000

While studying abroad in Paris I took part in JR's "Inside Out" Project with a friend at the Emannuel Perrotin gallery and loved the idea of going into a photobooth, taking exactly one shot of yourself and receiving the finished large scale print right away. By now the entire world has been plastered with JR's work and over the last 5 years the French street artist and photographer has become somewhat of a poster-boy for modern streetart that is both accepted by the masses and serves as a medium for strong political and social messages.

JR manages to portray real emotions and human feelings through his large mural pieces like none other which has earned him the renowned TED prize in 2011 and has paved the way for permissions to put his art in public places like New York's Time Square.

Now ARTE has produced a short documentary on his work and the artist himself that gives great insights into the process of creating and the ideas behind his bold and highly aesthethical art pieces.
It's available in German and French, the German Version you can find below, for the French one head over to ARTE.

Stephen Cheetham Sneaker Box Illustrations

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 10:52:00 +0000

At one point of their obsession every sneakerhead faces the problem of having too many boxes and not enough space. Therefore, most sneaker collectors have at least one wall of different shoe boxes set up in their apartement or house which presents a nice facet of collecting sneakers: the different styles and designs of sneaker boxes. Particularly limited releases often get boxes that enhance the product experience and have thoughtful design elements that go along with the shoe.

To give you a little overview of how these "sneaker walls" can look, artist Stephen Cheetham has put together a nice little series of prints that illustrates the differences in shoe box designs between different brands as well as different eras. The series features boxes from Nike, Adidas, Vans and Converse.

He has also created a nice series on different eras of Nike sneakers that you can check out here.

Video: Coco - Inside Chanel

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 20:22:00 +0000

The story behind Coco Chanel's rise to fashion stardom has been told many times by directors, writers and fashion critics, but I have always felt like Karl Lagerfeld, her true successor in the fashion world, was the only one who managed to actually capture her character and style.

He has produced numerous short-films to pay hommage to Chanel's oeuvre, but this one takes a different approach. Instead of having actors play the story, Coco's lifestory gets told with very strong black and white visuals and typography. I love the artistry and how different staples of the Chanel brand get linked to experiences from her past.

The video is part of an ongoing series on Chanel's history which you can check out on their Youtube channel. I have selected a few more videos down below.

MOLIMU Music Check: End of Summer Edition

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 18:56:00 +0000

While summer is coming to an end, we are facing fall season which has always been one of my favorites! We can all start layering clothes again, enjoy the beautiful nature and enjoy hot drinks while strolling through the city. In addition to that, our music habits tend to shift more and more to laidback tunes instead of big party songs that have ruled summer. In light of this change, I have put together a little playlist that alludes to both musical seasons and can therefore help everyone to get into fall mood.

Instead of explaining each song by itself, I have structured the playlist into three parts that each stand for different facets of fall. We start off with some of my favorite electronic tunes from the summer which keep you moving while still being extremely relaxing. The second part switches it up to some funk-orientated songs that will definately help you stay warm when the temperature starts to get a little colder. Then, I have chosen a few Hip Hop and RnB tunes that eventually transition into some heartfelt and emotional slow songs which seemed like a perfect fit for the fall-theme.

I hope you enjoy the list, I would love to hear some feedback! By the way some songs have a download button next to them so you can get them right away.

Saint Laurent Music Project: Architects of Rock and Blues

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:08:00 +0000

While Hedi Slimane's start at Saint Laurent was somewhat rocky, he seems to have focused back on what has always been a characteristic part of his work: the synergy of fashion an music. After his photographs of rock icons like Marilyn Manson and Courtney Love, he has now shot 3 more iconic musicians. The series is dubbed "Architechts of Rock and Blues" and features Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis as well as B.B. King. Each one of them wears a custom-made Saint Laurent outfit, that Slimane made for their stage performances.

I love the pictures, let's hope a short-documentary is in the making as well.

Video: Louis Vuitton Lockit Taurillon Voyage

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 10:49:00 +0000

LOUIS VUITTON - Lockit Taurillon Voyage from FASHIONIDE.COM on Vimeo.

In light of Fashion Week Louis Vuitton has put out a new short video to promote the new black grained Lockit Tuarillon Voyage bag. The video follows a mysterious agent who is on his way to the Louis Vuitton fall/winter menswear show and provides some backstage shots of the show. Therefore you can see other colorways of the bag and a short appearance by LV menswear designer Kim Jones. The clean-cut short-film was directed by Raphael Gianelli-Meriano while the music stems from Brooklyn-based producer Mux Mool.

MOLIMU Music Check: Jay-Z Magna Carta Holy Grail - The Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 08:37:00 +0000

Yesterday marked the release of Jay-Z's 12th studio album "Magna Carta Holy Grail" and I have listened to it a couple times already but not enough to give you a quality musical review yet. However, I decided to start off with focusing on the album's marketing efforts that have shown a remarkable focus on social media and the Internet in general.

While modern independent artists have been aware of the Internet's power regarding promotion and word-of-mouth Marketing, many of the major labels are still behind when it comes to creating serious buzz with social-media campaigns. Jay-Z certainly has the name and standing to move large numbers without any real Marketing efforts these days, he is widely known as the most successful rapper who turned himself into a brand that ventures in all kinds of entrepreneurial directions. Just recently he started his own sports management division "Roc Nation Sports" that is quickly starting to manage big names like Kevin Durant or Victor Cruz.

While his companion Kanye West decided to go a lowkey, no marketing route for his new release "Yeezus", Jay-Z has decided to change the way that records get released these days with this album. Instead of going on long promotion trips and giving lots of interviews on the release, Mr. Carter decided to hold back any news on the album until less than a month before its actual release date. With every album being leaked more than two weeks before the actual store release, this makes total sense. Since Jay-Z has an ensured hype-guarantee, it is much more valuable for him to keep things together. Without sending out pre-listening records to journalists and keeping a tight lock on the music, he managed to keep the songs off the Internet before they were supposed to come out.

I can't remember the last time when a rap artist was able to avoid an album leak, which is actually pretty sad! Nevertheless, Jay-Z made some remarkable Marketing efforts in the short time leading up the release of "Magna Carta Holy Grail".

Viral Videos:
Clearly inspired by Daft Punk's fantastic "The Creator's Project: Random Access Memories", he kicked off the campaign for his new album with a series of videos that featured himself amongst some of the best producers that are out there, namely Rick Rubin, Pharrell Williams, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. While it has turned out that Rubin sadly wasn't involved with any real production, he served as a source of advice.
In these videos, Jay-Z explained his vision to the other studio members and already gave insights into the meaning of some of his lyrics. This gave viewers all over the world an impression of being integrated into the production process and involved them into the discussion. Instantly, the clips went viral and were the talk of the Internet. Everybody had an opinion on the lyrics, the collaborators and what the album will sound like.

In contrast to Daft Punk's approach, you mostly heard Jay talk about the new project which actually made him more accessible to fans and gave everyone a nice insight into the creative process that goes into an album like this.

Samsung partnership:

In the initial video that started the promotion activities, Jay-Z adressed the fact that the album will be given away for free to the first 1.000.000 downloaders of the accompanying "MCHG"-Samsung Galaxy App which was released in their App Store. This presented a great opportunity for Samsung to gain new users over its strong competitor Apple. However, it didn't mean that Jay would give his album away for free! Moreover, he was ensured 1 million album sales before he even released his album!

The partnership itself would be a great business venture, but the fact that he is actually collecting the money from all these album sales is pure genius!

#newrules for the RIAA
After the Samsung partnership went public, the Recording Industry Association of America (short RIAA) stated that the album cannot be certified Platin status upon it's release due to an existing law which stated that album's can onyl attain a gold or platin status after 30 days. This law stemmed from way back when physical copies could actually been returned by brick-and-mortar stores if they weren't able to sell them. However, in our modern times where pre-sales and digital music have become increasingly powerful, these rules seem highly outdated. Jay-Z thought the same and challenged the ruling which eventually overturned the law and has now changed by the RIAA. This move clearly shows what kind of influence Shawn Carter has in the music industry these days!

If 1 Million records gets SOLD and billboard doesnt report it, did it happen? Ha. #newrules #magnacartaholygrail Platinum!!! VII IV XIII
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) June 17, 2013

He commented on the situation with the tweet above.

Covering Billboard Magazine

In addition to his tweet, Jay-Z was featured on the cover of Billboard Magazine in a fitting Blueprint-style theme. In the interview, he went more into detail on how his new business venture with Samsung can affect and change the music industry. This comes at an interesting time as the traditional Billboard charts have undergone some changes themselves in order to adjust to the Internet's ever-growing influence. After his interview with Jay-Z, Billboard's Editor Bill Werde wrote an online letter adressing some of the possible changes that Jay-Z mentioned. Once again, this might lead up to some interesting changes for the Billboard Charts as well such as including Streaming services.

Overall, the album has already made a big impact on the music scene and was the talk of the town for weeks now. In my second part of the review which I will post in a couple days, I will get to the most important part of the project: the music.

Karl Lagerfeld x tokidoki Collection

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 21:41:00 +0000

Once again, Karl Lagerfeld has teamed up with another brand to combine their creative forces and this time it's "tokidoki" the Japanese-inspired, Italian-made lifestyle brand from Los Angeles. The fact that the entire collection features KL counterfeit shouldn't be a shock, as this is what usually comes around when Monsieur Lagerfeld collaborates with a brand from the mid-price range.

However, I think that the vinyl toy figures are excellent pieces that I would definately buy right away! Other than that, the collection features T-Shirts, an iPhone Case and other accessories in typical tokidoki Comic look.

If you want to get your hands on one of the pieces, head over to Net-a-Porter!

MOLIMU Fashion Week Check: Pigalle Menswear Spring/Summer 2014

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 21:25:00 +0000

Pigalle - PAUSE - S/S 2014 from PIGALLE PARIS on Vimeo.

The international Fashion circuit has been in heavy rotation for the past weeks as it's Fashion Week time again. This special chapter of the year brings us the newest trends, collections and stories to talk about. While everyone lusts after a direct invitation to the shows, most of us have to look through the collections on their laptop screens. Since the sheer amount of shows that take place in only a couple of weeks can be quite exhausting, I decided to pick out some of my favorites for you.

To start this off, I have chosen a label that I have been a fan of for over 2 years now: Pigalle Paris. The fusion of street and basketball influences with forward thinking menswear makes for a mesmerizing combination that caters exactly to my aesthetics.

I stumbled upon Pigalle during my Erasmus semester in Paris while walking around the Pigalle quartier. After a nice chat with founder Stephane Ashpool and his mom, I got myself 2 basic boxlogo tees and have since tried to get my hand on more pieces from this upcoming label that has much more to offer than basics.

For a couple seasons, Pigalle has put together innovative and highly entertaining presentations of their collections and I love their street- /modern gipsy-look. Therefore, I looked up their collection right away and the label delivered a really strong body of work!

First of all, I love the fact that every piece of the collections is wearable! Nevertheless, a creative and artistic vision is clearly visible. A red threat throughout the collection is a white splatter design on different background colors which was applied to numerous pieces and makes each garment pop out of the more toned down colour schemes. I am a huge fan of College Jackets and the two examples shown here are sureshots. I particularly like the all white Jacket with black accents!

The allusion to Basketball shorts in some of the looks, especially the nude colorway, is a great stretch from street to more sophisticated fashion. Ashpool is deeply rooted in Paris' Streetball scene and has always kept Sportswear elements in his collections.

As always with Pigalle the headwear pieces are on point, featuring different silhouettes from traditional Borsalino-style hats to Basecaps.

I could do without the trench coats, but I guess you cannot love every single piece of a collection, but I am already looking forward to my next Paris trip to stock up on more Pigalle pieces! You should definately keep an eye on the brand as I am sure that its popularity will increase rapidly over the next two years!

Check out the entire collection over at NowFashion and take a look at some presentations of older collections here!

MOLIMU Music Check: Kanye West - Yeezus

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 17:04:00 +0000

Two days ago, Kanye West’s newest album “Yeezus” was officially released and will certainly turn heads! I’ve been giving it a few spins and am blown away by the vast energy and power that some of his new songs express. Like Ye mentioned in some of his interviews leading up to the release, the album has a pretty minimalistic yet extremely aggressive sound in comparison to his former releases.

I actually think that his new sound exemplifies pretty well why Kanye West is looked at as one of the leading cultural personas in modern Pop culture: He is able to reinvent himself without loosing his core sound and style.

Instead of going the easy way by giving the people an EDM inspired Dance album, he created a complicated and bulky album that caters to those who actually take the time to decipher lyrics, samples and his ideas. There is no real single on the album that has the potential to please a mass audience, but tracks like “Black Skinhead”, “New Slaves” or “Bound 2“ are amazing examples of creativity and art.

Since he told the press that he visited Rick Rubin only 2 weeks before his deadline and many of the songs were still only pieces and ideas, I think that in some parts you can definitely hear that it was put together in somewhat of a rush. Some ideas just don’t really help the structure or vibe of some songs, like in “” when the sudden Autotune chanting somewhat destroys the song’s intensity without providing any real antithetic emotions.

Nevertheless, I think that the album marks another milestone in West’s 10-year long career that has certainly had its ups and downs, but never disappointed in terms of creativity. His music has always been the center of his many facets as a designer, artist and public persona and I think that the collaborators on this album such as demi-gods Daft Punk and Rick Rubin prove that he is a well respected musician. Therefore this album does not need any labels such as industrial rock rap or electronic dance rap, it's simply good music!

Even though, I think that mass audiences will have their struggles with most of the new music, I think that this release will definately leave its mark on other Rap Releases in the near future like 808's and MBDTF did.

Favorite songs: Black Skinhead, On Sight, Blood on the Leaves, Bound 2, New Slaves and I Am A God

Trailer: Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" featuring DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and McConaughey

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:45:00 +0000

After a brief hiatus with college applications and 3 weeks of no Internet connection due to a broken WiFi rooter, MOLIMU should be back on track now! While I wasn’t able to post, a lot has happened and there is a lot of catching up to do, so I will just dive right in!

Yesterday, the trailer was released for Martin Scorsese’s new movie “The wolf of Wall Street” which features an incredible cast and a great story about corruption, money and abundance. I have always been a fan of this theme and just recently watched a lot of good movies like Margin Call, Arbitrage or the Great Gatsby.

Like the latter, this one features Leonardo DiCaprio as the main character who is indulging in a fast paced and reckless lifestyle that will eventually get him into both legal and personal troubles. Since DiCaprio will certainly deliver an outstanding performance as always, I am even more excited about the co-stars namely Matthew McConaughey and Jonah Hill. Both of them have recently picked more ambitious roles that show a departure from their beginnings as comedic/action actors.

The trailer’s atmosphere is underlined by a great choice of title song: Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead” which perfectly underlines the high energy cuts and story.

Be sure to watch this one when it hits theatres!

Mom's Demand Action launches stunning anti gun campaign

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:24:00 +0000

From a European standpoint, the ongoing gun debate in America seems absurd and extremely narrow-minded. Instead of becoming more and more averse towards guns and other weapons, a large part of the American society grasps to their rights of gun posession in light of amok runs and fear of terrorist or criminal attacks.

This remains one of the most characteristic contradictions of US households: instead of advocating a society that is based on solving problems in a peaceful manner, many Americans think along phrases like "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". As a result, there have been way too many innocent victims of uncontrolled gun violence over the last years that could have been easily impeded if there were stricter laws.

Gladly, there have been some organizations that are working against the extremely strong gun lobby which has been able to prevent Barack Obama from attaining any real change concerning this issue. One of these organizations is "Mom's Demand Action" which was founded after the devastating mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut.

I think that the emotional side of the project could be a key factor in succeeding as many members are parents to killed children and therefore can touch one of the key foundations of American society - family life. What is also great about this organization is the fact that they have phrased 5 exact demands for their campaign instead of simply using slogans like "Stop gun violence!":
1) Ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
2) Require background checks for all gun and ammunition purchases. 
3) Report the sale of large quantities of ammunition to the ATF, and ban online sales of ammunition.
4) Make gun trafficking a federal crime with serious criminal penalties.
5) Counter gun industry lobbyists’ efforts to weaken gun laws at the state level.

In addition to this, they have come up with an incredible witty and shocking campaign, that should give many Americans a reality check on how contradictary their society is. The campaign shots present two children, one holding a weapon while the other one holds a piece of candy, book or toy that is forbidden by law. This shows how nonsensical some of the US laws can be.

For example, the famous children book "Little Red Robin" is forbidden in American schools because the main character is carrying around a bottle of wine in her basket. The famous candy "Kinder suprise egg" is also forbidden because kids could swallow parts of the toy that is inside the egg. All these restrictions seem unimpressive to the danger that real weapons exert!

Let's hope that the campaign motivates more people to join the parole against weapons in the US!

Great Fashion documentaries to watch

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:34:00 +0000

In my last "influencers" post, I wrote about Loïc Prigent who is easily the best director of fashion documentaries. Since I focused more on his art of directing and persona in the last piece, I promised to give you an overview of his work in another post. However, I have decided to present to you a broader look on fashion documentaries that showcase different facets of the fashion world. Nevertheless, you can be sure that a great amount of these movies will be directed by Monsieur Prigent.

Signe Chanel

Signe Chanel_ Episode 1 Anticipation Part 1 of 4 from Peter Phan on Vimeo.

This masterpiece of a fashion movie was one of Prigents first documentaries and covered the entire creative and artisanal process of the Chanel Haute Couture line back in 2005. It was aired as a mini-series for French/German TV channel ARTE who has been a great supporter for many of these fashion documentaries. The series consists of 5 themed parts that cover different aspects of the work and thought that goes into a collection. Of course the highly entertaining mixture of Prigents filming and Karl Lagerfeld's persona makes this one a classic, but what isbest about the movie is the focus on the petits-mains in the background as well as some of the suppliers that produce features and garments. Mme Pouzieux who is featured in the fourth episode is all about the artisanal work that goes into making fashion and lives on a farm outside of Paris. Her lifestyle has nothing to do with the glitzy fashion world and yet she is one of the essential suppliers of Chanel. This is a perfect example of how contradicting fashion can be: on one hand you have a larger-than-life designer and celebrities from all around the world, on the other hand you have the workers who work extremely hard to get every little detail right!
I think that everyone who has an interest in fashion should watch this movie because it presents the essence of what it's all about, passion and dedication!

Watch the other episodes online here!

The September Issue

This R.J. Cutler-directed movie came out in 2007 and chronicles Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue which always marks a high-point in the fashion world as it is by far the most important publication of the year.
In contrast to Prigent's movies this documentary has a different look and feel to it as it's very "Americanized". However, it is certainly one of the standout releases as it gives a great insight into a completely different side of the fashion world, the publishing sector with all its magazines that market looks and collections which makes them largely responsible for the extreme trend-affinity in our modern society!
The in-depth look at Anna Wintour's worklife and some of her peers such as the incredible Grace Coddington or André Leon Talley provides great insights into the power that some of these people excert as well as how involved they are with designers and celebrities. The movie is great entertainment and interesting not only to those who are obsessed with fashion, but for everyone as it is basically the real life version of "The Devil wears Prada".

Get the movie here!

Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton

This one is another great example of Prigent's work and showcases his great people skills. He is able to build an ever-growing relationship to the somewhat shy designer Marc Jacobs throughout the filming process and therefore gets insights into the studio as well as the designer's lifestyle that are quite intimate. Nevertheless he is also able to portray the sometimes funny and uncommon behaviour of Jacobs without sacrifizing the designer's aura of being a creative mastermind.

Get the movie here!

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013 announced

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:13:00 +0000

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants have recently been announced and there were some remarkable changes to last year's list! The biggest one is cetrainly the dethroning of Danish restaurant Noma which was last year's winner and has been the most talked about restaurant of 2012.

In contrast to Nomas experimental approach the new leader is now Spanish El Celler de Can Roca which marks a return of the Catalonia as the world's leading culinary region! From 2006 until 2009, the restaurant El Bulli was holding the torch for Catalonia and is now replaced as the top notch restaurant in Spain by El El Celler de Can Roca.

Germany also made the Top 10 with Joachim Wissler's gourmet temple "Vendome" in Bergisch Gladbach!

You can find the Top 10 after the jump!

1. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
2. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
4. Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain
5. Eleven Madison Park, New York, United States
6. D.O.M., Sao Paulo, Brazil
7. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, Britain
8. Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain
9. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
10. Vendome, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany

influencers: Hamish Bowles

noreply@blogger.com (N.G.) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 09:30:00 +0000

This man is one of the most respected guys in the fashion world and yet he is relatively unknown to the masses. In contrast to Anna Wintour who represents the Fahion World and Vogue magazine to an extensive audience, Hamish Bowles caters mostly to those in the know. Through his position as International Editor at Large for Vogue magazine, he has become one of the most respected authorities in the world of fashion and interior design.

Hamish Bowles attended Britain's most famous College for everything fashion, the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. He has always had a knack for the history of fashion and the relation between fashion and art. Therefore he is an expert and collector of Haute Couture pieces from different centuries and knows about their history and production like none other. After a brief stint at London’s Harpers & Queen magazine, he started his path at Vogue over 20 years ago in 1992. Since then he has worked his way up from Style Editor to European Editor at Large and eventually became International Editor at Large.

His extensive knowledge on fashion and art has even landed him the job as creative consultant at New York's No. 1 museum, the MOMA! There he was responsible for some incredible exhibitions like the critically acclaimed “Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years—Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library Museum” or “Balenciaga: Spanish Master”, both displaying completely different angles on fashion.

In addition to these shows, he was responsible for writing accompanying books on Jackie Kennedy and Balenciaga as well as great pieces on Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior.

More recently, he was able to land some small rolesin movies and TV-shows such as Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette or Gossip Girl which shows how mulit-talented this man really is!

I love the fact, that even though Bowle's look on fashion seems a little old-fashioned at first glance, he is not only a teacher of fashion but moreover he is able to connect younger generations to the origins of styles and trends that would be forgotten otherwise. As a matter of fact, Bowles does not shy away from modern fashion and is also very present on the Internet, for example with his column “The Hamishsphere” on Vogue.com.

Hamish Bowles, is a modern Dandy that knows how to dress extremely well and has a strong affection for the beauty of fashion and art. Without people like him the fashion scene would much more boring!

all pictures via The Satorialist