As previously mentioned, Yves Saint-Laurent’s new global campaign, Manifesto, is well underway, to coincide with the ongoing Paris Fashion Week for Ready-To Wear. Under the creative direction of Stefano Pilati, the massive campaign, which features Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin’s photographs of supermodel Kate Moss in YSL Spring/Summer 08 collection, consist of 1 million printed matters and a traveling pop-up gallery with the same photos in life-size.

One of the first stop for the temporary gallery was New York City, which saw it set up shop on the busy street corner of Houston and Lafayette in the neighborhood of SoHo. An odd twist of irony since it was directly under a large billboard of actress Kate Bosworth for Calvin Klein Jeans. It was in another Calvin Klein campaign, from a different era, which propelled Moss’ modeling career into supermodel status.

The gallery consisted of 4 X-shaped, large pane glass, held up by what seemed to be commercial door frames. Photos of Moss were then enlarged and adhered to both side of the glass. In total, 32 photos were on display. In the meantime, campaign staff hurriedly handed out the YSL Manifesto printed matters. At the nightfall, the temperature became a frigid 18°F. The campaign staff braved on with the flyer distribution while the support team set up LED lamps to brighten the display units. Since the gallery was meant to be on display for a day, the gallery was dismantled as fast as it was assembled. All signs of the gallery were gone by midnight as the troupe headed out to their next destination. Look for its arrival in London, Milan, Tokyo, and Hong Kong on a later date.

» Yves Saint-Laurent

A sister company of New York-based VFX house Psyop, Blacklist boasts a roster of talented directors, including friends of En Avant, Nanospore’s Paul Hwang & Benjamin Lee. Each directors add their unique interests and approaches in the art form of motion graphics, with notable works in television commercials, online advertisements, music videos, toy designs, even feature films.

In January, American Teen, the documentary feature worked by a number of Blacklist directors, won a series of accolades during Sundance Film Festival. The film also brought the prestigious Documentary Directing Award to director Nanette Burstein, who also directed Kid Stays in the Picture in 2002.

The collective at Blacklist continues to push the boundaries of VFX, with the humorous clips for new soft-drink from Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, and the new Microsoft Zune Arts project.

» Blacklist
» Psyop
» MassMarket

Yves Saint-Laurent, under the creative direction of Stefano Pilati, will be launching a new global marketing campaign. To be release this week in Paris, coincide with the ongoing Paris Fashion Week for Ready-To Wear, the new campaign can also be seen in other major fashion hubs of the world: London, Milan, and New York. It will then extend its distribution to Tokyo and Hong Kong later in April.

The massive campaign, second part of Pilati’s Manifesto series, featured the current “it” model, Kate Moss, adorned in YSL’s Spring/Summer 2008 collection, in decidedly subversive poses as she glanced into the YSL store front. Photographed by the team of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, the Dutch-based fashion photographers whose works have graced fashion magazines, galleries, and museums world wide.

The Manifesto campaign will include a distribution of 1 million copies of the printed matter, a traveling exhibition of life-size photos from it, as well as a behind-the-scene video of the photoshoot, currently available for viewing at Yves Saint-Laurent’s website.

» Yves Saint-Laurent

After its Barbie-inspired cosmetic product line last year, M.A.C. (short for Make-up Art Cosmetics) collaborated with renowned French graffiti artist Fafi, in launching a new product line for Spring/Summer 2008. Taken inspirations from her friends, Fafi created 3 characters, each with distinctive personalty and backstories - Living in Tokyo, Monoka is sophisticated and thoughtful. Ermine is a Parisian transplant in New York City who loves graffiti. Originally from Tokyo, Ericko loves the excitement of Paris. Aside from the original packagings and comectic tools, such as brushes and and make-ip bags. There are also a collection of tote bag, t-shirts, scarfs, and vinyl figures. All are currently available, for a limited time only, in Colette, M.A.C. flagship and counters, as well as its online store.

» M.A.C.
» Fafi
» Colette

Do-It-Yourself Wooden Bicycle 1.0 (or in the short form DIYWBC 1.0) is the latest from Erik Björk. The Swedish designer is a member of the design collective Ny Svensk Slöjd, or translated as New Swedish Handicraft. The group made its debut in the recent Stockholm Furniture Fair and won accolades for its simple, well propositioned designs.

Created partly out of frustration from the paradox involved in industrial design, partly from his love of mountain biking and wood as a medium. The DIYWBC 1.0 is the prototype version of an ongoing open source project by Björk. With normal hand tools and lumber from any hardware store, in addition, a few recycled bike components, anyone can construct this wooden bike. “The Do It Yourself Wooden Bicycle is just about everything industrial design isn’t.” said Björk, “It is very easy to copy and reproduce”. Despite its unfinished appearance and the unorthodox mix of parts. Björk stated that the design is very sturdy and safe. More to come soon from this unique project…

» Erik Björk

» Ny Svensk Slöjd (New Swedish Handicraft)

More recently, the designer released Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far, a book/exhibition that stemmed from Sagmeister’s habitual list making and slogan display at public spaces during the last 7 years.. The exhibition, which took place at Deitch Projects’ Grand Street Gallery, saw a 3-story high inflatable gorilla, with a sign “Everybody always thinks. . .”, on the rooftop of the gallery. Inside, on display, a continuation of the sign outside, along with his other new designs . But unlike other art exhibits, Sagmeister welcomed a lively interaction between his works and the audience. Everything from interactive computer projection to a “steam” chamber, where other prominent designers, such as Milton Glasner (creator of I Heart NY) and Massimo Vignelli (designer of the NYC subway sign system), put on a impromptu live-doodling show on the fogged up gallery windows. Another ingenious display is a wall of interweave bananas, composed from 7,200 bananas at different stage of ripeness. The statement “Self-confidence Produces Fine Results” is spelled in green bananas against a wall of yellow one. As the exhibit progress on, the bananas will ripen and the statement will disappear with it.

If you missed the exhibition, the companion book, also with the same title, is currently available at bookstores near you or online.

Deitch Projects Gallery
76 Grand Street | Map
New York, NY 10013

Exhibition Date: 01.31.2008 ~ 02.23.2008

» Deitch Projects Gallery
» Stefan Sagmeister
» Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far

As the technologies behind motion graphics and multimedia advance, more and more fashion houses, like Prada, are utilizing these mediums to convey their seasonal themes to their customers. Worked in conjunction with Taiwanese-American illustrator James Jean, whose works have featured on comics, publications and ad campigns. The animated short, titled Trembled Blossoms, made its debut on February 5th at Prada’s SoHo flagship in New York, to coincide with New York Fashion Week.

As the technologies behind motion graphics and multimedia advance, more and more fashion houses, like Prada, are utilizing these mediums to convey their seasonal themes to their customers. Worked in conjunction with Taiwanese-American illustrator James Jean, whose works have featured on comics, publications and ad campigns. The animated short, titled Trembled Blossoms, made its debut on February 5th at Prada’s SoHo flagship in New York, to coincide with New York Fashion Week.

The film tells the day of a forest nymph, starting from her wakening from her orchid bed. Next, she is dressed, at various junctures by various creatures, in products from Prada’s 2008 Spring/Summer Collection. Her day ends as she gathered one last item - her Prada bag, from a magical pond. The plot line is in sync with Prada’s Spring/Summer theme as well, where Miuccia Prada captured influences of the psychedelic-induced dreamscapes from 60s and 70s. Giant prints and sketches from Trembled Blossoms currently adorned the Prada flagship in SoHo, New York.

Prada - SoHo Flagship
575 Broadway | Map
New York, NY 10012

» Prada

» James Jean