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American design duo Diane MOSS MARTIN and Eric MARTIN have come together to create martinMARTIN, a collection of women’s and men’s clothing, leather accessories and footwear.

Eric’s vision has been shaped by his background as a musician and his involvement with the LA surf / skate / punk and rock scenes whilst Diane has designed for avatars of the Movie and Music worlds such as Bowie, Madonna and Michael Jackson. Together they have created a unique hybrid of old and new worlds, minimalism and punk rock chic.

This season’s S/S collection will be the first time the duo will show their creations in Paris. The new collection explores the tangibility of space between cloth and skin, and the value of the asymmetry abundant in natural landscapes.

The clothing is influenced by traditional Japanese forms and the functionality of industrial uniforms, Eastern / Western military wear and deconstructivist architecture. Furthermore, it explores the idea of design coming from chaos: the liberating act of shaking things up from a conceptual standpoint to then reassemble them in a new order, and finding beauty in this approach.

The main fabrics are: linen, tropical wool, waxed houndstooth, classic banker’s pinstripes, waxed and distressed Japanese denim and cotton poplin. Newness reveals itself in the hand-painted, stained, airbrushed and waxed French terry. All tailoring features a unique fabric treatment called “distorted / draping,” a process that means no two martinMARTIN garments that undergo the treatment are ever alike.

Below are a selection of pieces from both this A/W and the upcoming S/S Collections:

Photography + Art Direction:: Just Loomis / www.justloomis.com
Key Hair Stylist:: David Evans For Toni & Guy / www.toniguy.com
Key Make-Up:: Emily Evans For Toni & Guy / www.toniguy.com

Damaris Vrandecic has a distaste for words such as “handmade”, “avant-garde”, “nostalgic”, and “artisanal” in describing her work, as she finds they have become overused and redundant, losing their true meaning. Instead she prefers to focus on her unique process and materials. Her shoes, bags and jewelry are produced after a fastidious search for the finest elements. The leathers, semi-precious stones and organic material such as bone, natural pearls and sea shells are then treated in a most unorthodox fashion, even before the manufacturing process begins. Leather is washed, boiled, wrinkled and hung to dry, then manipulated to create unique textures. Organic matter is combined with precious materials such as gold, oxidised brass and silver. And finally, the process of production is ready to begin.

A handful of talented craftsmen then assemble the pieces by hand, each one a unique item or part of a limited edition. Damaris believes that this balance of production and creation is what makes her pieces so unique.

Once the pieces are assembled, the construction is very polished. Footwear may be completely patched and wrinkled on the top, suggesting it´s been through tragedy, but the construction is immaculate – with a shiny smooth black leather sole, impeccable toe and heel reinforcements, and perfect function.

The synthesis of materials and composition, “weaving time and texture, the precious and the coarse made to sing.”

Her new collection will be available to view in Paris this September.

Damaris Vrandecic was born in Chile. She later moved to Spain and Paris to study and work.

She completed her university degree with Laude honours in history and literature, and went on to graduate school in Madrid to study literature theory through NYU and Middlebury College. Incorporating her knowledge in the creation of the label MUNOZ VRANDECIC, the collections were sold to some of the most prestigious stores across the globe. She has collaborated with different artists , photographers and filmmakers in order to expand the settings in which her work can be seen, her collaborations with Some/Things magazine being particularly successful. Commission work by Damaris has been exhibited at ArtBasel and Art Brussels.

After deciding to leave the joint label and become truly independent she is now based in Menorca, a Mediterranean island with a strong tradition of shoemaking. Her new collection of extraordinary accessories (Bags, Footwear and Jewelry), INSCRIRE, is produced entirely on the island, using very special materials in collaboration with local craftsmen.

The concept of the latest collection from Tuscan Designers TVSCIA is DUALITY.

The duality in the relationship between the processes of Deconstruction and Reconstruction existing in their work; the relationship between Beauty and Imperfection; how even a flaw can add to something’s character.

Inspired by Figurative Art, Cubism, the evolution of the female body and how it ages, the shapes and volumes are both oversized and fitted as always; softness and geometry coexist in the collection, as well as with more unisex pieces like pants, printed t-shirts and tops. This Collection has a strong yet delicate soul necessary in a decadent age that would benefit from reconstruction: finding true strength by starting from sensitivity.

TVSCIA is an Italian label, born in 2009, whose roots lie deep within the historic and fertile soil of Tuscany. The name TVSCIA is the ancient name for the area that includes Tuscany and Etruria, where both of the label’s two designers–Elisa Soldini and Lucia Padrini–were born and raised. The label is inspired by and completely created in the area, using local techniques and materials. The aim of the label is reinterpret the “classic” and redefine it as something modern and contemporary. To allow women to show their unique femininity with personality but without ostentation; mixing a punk and rock edge with sensuality and sophistication in an understated and unique way.

“When I took the decision to show in Paris, I realized that I was starting a whole new career as a designer, which meant that I had to restudy the skills of cloth making, rethink what design is, and rediscover the relationship between the garment and the wearer. But after each collection, I tend to lose interest in it very quickly, discovering many problems along the way. Then I start to rethink and restudy… it’s become a cycle… perhaps for me this is a method to mature step by step.”

Read Ziggy Chen’s full interview at Le Paradox, and see below for some exclusive out-takes from the session.

Photos kindly provided by Cecilia Musmeci
Model: Peter

We are pleased to introduce the official look-Book for Zam Barrett S/S 2014. All photos were shot and styled by the Designer himself in our Paris Gallery space.

We really believe this collection and it’s images mark a new plateau for the label. This and the fact that the collection has been picked up some very influential stores world-wide surely means that Zam is rapidly becoming an increasingly strong creative voice in the future of American avant-garde menswear.