Cousin Joe

Joseph Churchward is a new book from the accomplished Clouds Publishing company that profiles one of Aotearoa's best-kept design secrets and the one WE are most proud of. The fact that Joseph Churchward is a cousin to our Editor/Fashion Director Rachael Churchward ensures this book will be high on our want/need list. Long have the Churchward Maori fonts hung in our home and been an inspiration to Rachael - who fell in love with handsome typography at an early stage in her life - and long have we seen them as art.

If you want a copy of Joseph Churchward Clouds Publishing suggests a pre-order is in order. They also sent a succinct press release about the book that we felt summed it all up - so we'll publish it in full with a few pics from the book:

Clouds publishing, the Jan van Eyck Academie and Colophon (The Netherlands) present a new publication:

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Joseph Churchward
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April 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9582981-1-7
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Edition: 550 bound, 25 unbound
Softcover, 297 x 210 mm
278 pages plus dustjacket and photograph insert
Colour and black/white images
English
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RRP: NZ $140 / €70

Hand-lettering is superior. Samoan-born New Zealand-based alphabet and advertising designer Joseph Churchward (b.1932) is simply and absolutely the best-kept secret in New Zealand graphic design. The alphabets of this inveterate hand-lettering hold-out, over 600 of them, are only just being rediscovered and redeployed by a new generation of graphic designers who are fascinated by the intense aliveness of his designs, forming, as they do, the spine of a 60s-80s New Zealand vernacular. David Bennewith, the composer of this volume, while studying at the prestigious post-academic Jan van Eyck Academie in The Netherlands, undertook sustained research into Churchward’s work, and assembled this spirited analyses of his cult oeuvre. Bennewith’s emphasis was on making as a form of research, so the book tracks the usage of Churchward’s work and is structured as an on-going, open conversation between users. This gorgeously designed, limited-edition publication presents an overview of the work of Churchward, compiling archive material, correspondence, realised and un-realised designwork, and alphabet designs. Visual material is interspersed with essays on aspects of Churchward’s practice by New Zealand and overseas writers and designers. Joseph Churchward attempts to tell the story-in-process of New Zealand’s most prolific designer of letters to date, and is presented on a range of paper stocks (printed variously in Wellington, Heerlen, Groningen, Maastricht, and bound in Nijmegen). It comprehensively details Churchward’s myriad, type designs – a total resource for type geeks of all ages. It includes a dustjacket that is also a typeface ready-reckoner poster. Edited and designed by David Bennewith. Texts by Rebecca Roke, Daniel van der Velden and Paul Elliman. Photographs by Ann Shelton and David Bennewith.


Joseph Churchward is available from Clouds and selected bookshops in New Zealand; Australia (via Idea Books); Germany, Austria, Switzerland (via Vice Versa); The Netherlands and elsewhere (via Colophon), for NZD$140 (incl. GST).

For further information visit:
http://www.clouds.co.nz/joseph-churchward/

More Ali Stephens Please!

Photographer Michael Schwartz sent us this image of the amazing Ali Stephens which we were going to run as a profile inside the latest issue of Black. We weren't able to get an interview in time and in the final wash up we needed to trim a few pages, so we made the decision to give that page to the memory of Jesse Valentine, Black Magazine's New York Producer who passed away last year. This is surely then a perfect opportunity for Blacklog! Thanks to Michael, Valery, Yi, Erin and of course, Ali.

The credits for this shot are:

Photography by Michael Schwartz
Fashion Editor: Yi Guo
Make-up: Valery Gherman@defactoinc.com using Mac
Hair: Erin Anderson for Woodley & Bunny Salon
Model Ali Stephens@Elite

We Believe In Miracles Too!

We met Joshua Jang as a performer on the People In Your Neighbourhood project, "Hey" he said "you're Black Magazine, and I have a label." The label is called ISBIM and it's an acronym for I Still Believe In Miracles. In a time of recession it's great to see some of the emerging local labels are exuding so much hope. We asked him to send us some of his stuff and we were impressed - and not just by the excellent modelling. So who is ISBIM? Joshua Jang, a self-described "hardcore hip-hop kid" founded the label in 2006 as a t-shirt brand. More recently he joined forces with Yuka O'Shanessey and then with Katarina Tua and ISBIM has emerged as fashion label in its own right. The SS10 range featured above is entitled "Great Expectations" after the film of that name - a theme which is expressed in the line, pattern and colour of the range and these introductory words:

Great Expectations
The ultimate in style is effortlessness.
Of course, effortlessness takes a lot of effort.
But don’t worry, that’s our job. ISBIM gives you mint materials,
a super clean finish and limited print runs so looking sharp is 100% inevitable.
These threads are so smooth you’ll wish they came in king size so you could sleep between them.
100% made and designed in New Zealand.

Best intro to a lookbook ever! The range is mint, super-clean and sharp. Great expectations indeed...

Black Frame: Twiggy, the Mannequin

In 1964 Adel Rootstein created a series of mannequins that looked good with a Mary Quant mini-skirt and he based them upon the emerging style icons of the time; Patty Boyd, Sandy Shaw and (above) the immortal Twiggy.

Cover Issue 10 - Michael Schwartz shoots Ali Stephens

Black 10 is on sale at Mag Nation NZ now and nationwide (NZ) end of this week. This is the girl cover for Black 10 by Michael Schwartz and featuring Ali Stephens, the number 15 model in the world according to the model-o-meter @ Models.com.

Ali Stephen's Models.com page

Tee From Two

Dermit & Horn. Tailors of Men's Clothing and Fine Hats. Upstairs, 309 Karangahape Road, Newton. Est. 1942. Please telephone for fittings.

With a name like Dermit & Horn they sound like a classic tailor of yesteryear but far from it.When we first saw these Dermit & Horn tees a few weeks back we were impressed by; the tees themselves, the styling, H&M, photography (Ian McRae) and also by the names (Manbox, Kitty, Ratty) of each shirt. The designs feature pretty things like birds, kittens, mice "Awww" says the PR "but there is a darkness lurking beneath these art-inspired illustrations. 'There’s an air of the absurd,' the designers say. 'As though the narrative might unnerve you if you look too long.'” It's possible the panty hose might unnerve some people, or the knee braces - but the overall package is, we think, a fashionable and well-considered one.

"Dermit" aka Will Handley is a successful NZ artist with three "mostly-sold-out solo exhibitions to his name. His half of the business is named after his former piano teacher. He no longer plays piano but he still likes the name. Handley decided it would be a good idea to start a label with Wilson after he saw her wearing a cat mask at a party (and it wasn’t a costume party either)."

"Horn" aka Elizabeth Wilson is a past finalist of the reputable Deutz Fashion Design Ambassador Awards also interned at the even more reputable Karen Walker workroom for a year and "decided it would be worth starting a label with Handley after he walked into a café wearing a top he’d made, featuring the face of a young David Bowie."

Dermit & Horn's debut collection is in store now

Fabric – Auckland, Wunderkammer - Auckland, Plume – Christchurch, Plume – Dunedin

Words quoted by Cathrin Schaer

Top 5 Indie Tunes At Black HQ This Week

1. Are Friends Electric by The Dead Weather

OK, they are a super group consisting of Alison “VV” Mosshart (vocals, guitar) of The Kills, Dean Fertita (guitar) of Queens Of The Stone Age, Jack Lawrence (bass) of The Raconteurs and Jack White (drums, vocals) of The White Stripes and Raconteurs - and they are covering one of the greatest songs of the last half Century. Must be shite then. Nup, it's awesome - cover of the year to date.

2. Black Hearted Love by PJ Harvey & John Parrish

Has P.J Harvey ever sounded better than on this tune? It's debatable but John Parrish's contribution cannot be ignored either; beautiful instrumentation and production. The end result? Epic.

3. Ambulance by The Albertans

This lovely tune by The Albertans is completely fabulous and not just because it sounds like the Jean Paul Sartre experience have reunited and reignited. Interestingly, they don't really look like the song sounds...

4. Tunnelvision by Here We Go Magic

Everything this trio from New York have done sounds brilliant to us - at the forefront of a wave of bands that have that er...utterly contemporary sound. Tunnelvision has a driving rhythm, more so than say Fangela but is every bit as interesting.

5. Everything Goes To Shit by Silent Land Time Machine

Clocking in at just under 8 minutes is becoming de riguer in indie circles and sometimes you wish they'd listen again and do some editing. Not so Everything Goes To Shit, jagging cello aka John Cale and cool little samples supplement the chugging-est song around. Also epic.

Cover Issue 10 - Robert Erdmann shoots Vinnie Woolston

Here's one of our Issue 10 covers, our boy Vinnie...

Hair Today, Hall Of Fame Tomorrow!

A Greg Murrell creation - Black, Issue 7

Talk about wig out! We're very, very proud of our Hair Editor, the inimitable Greg Murrell who has just been nominated by the Australian Fellowship of Hairdressers with a Master’s Award. Greg will be honoured at the Sydney Opera House this coming Tuesday night. The biggest concern he has now, is which wig to wear! Here's his submission video...

Zaney? No, brilliant!

Every now and then we receive something out of the blue here at Black HQ which makes us sit up and take notice. So it was when we opened our email box this morning to find a series of t-shirt designs from a guy called Zane Wright who said " Hi my name is Zane Wright and i am 29 years old, I am looking for coverage as an illustrator and was wondering if i could possibly feature in Black Magazine?" We were intrigued by the designs (below) and asked Zane for a little more information - it seems he lives in the Bay Of Islands, loves big game fishing for Marlin (perfect with a name like Zane) and is inspired by the ocean, land and people of the far North. He also sent us some of his paintings (above) which we plain fell in love with. Zane has limited edition T-shirt prints and paintings available.

If you are interested in either you can contact him at: zwright00@googlemail.com

If Zane Grey were alive today we're sure he would have bought one!


Genius!

Gold's Worthy Too!

It seems that Punga & Smith aren't the only New Zealand designers going to Salone in Milan. Fellow Wellingtonian Nathan Goldsworthy a.k.a Conscious Design is also showing his wares to the design cognoscenti - which has a rather nice ring to it...

Fashion Central

We were tickled black last week to receive an email from Julian Gregory one of the founders of Ftape, a new fashion resource site in London. Julian wondered if we would like to be included in their selection of top fashion magazines from around the globe. Upon sighting Ftape's selection of fashion titles we were rather humbled - a collection of magazines that we adore/aspire to/fawn over/wish we shared an office with. After having a good look at the site, we're even more impressed - a fashion resource it truly is. Excellent sections include "Roar Talent" - work from emerging photographers, designers, stylists and make-up artists that are currently learning their trade at the likes of London College of Fashion - the work is uniformly fresh, vibrant and exciting. "Spotlight" takes that concept but applies it to the working fashion industry in general and, although the site is new, there is already a body of work here which exudes "quality" including photographer Seiji Fujimori - whose first image appeared in Black two issues ago. "The A-Z Listing" is a killer reference for agencies and individuals across the gamut of fashion industry business and the "News & Media" section is as sharp and contemporaneous as anywhere online. The design is excellent, the navigation smooth and the images are BIG.

Ok, so you get the drift. We love it. Here's the magazine covers page...

Sneaky Squizz - Black 10 - 5

Levi Fits.

What A Beast!

Wellington artist and designer Matt Smith calls himself a "glorified shed tinkerer" and his company Punga & Smith as "Jacks Of All Trades - Masters Of None" A humble supposition for what is clearly robust design, as there is nothing modest about the "Beast Rug" featured above. Exciting news too that Punga & Smith will be attending Salone Satellite, one of the world's leading international get-togethers of all things design and home furnishings, in Milan, Italy later this month. We wonder if they will have one of their classy mobile "Vodka Trolleys" on-site - stacked with 42 Below of course - to cultivate customer response...

Sneaky Squizz - Black 10 - 4

Issue Ten of Black Magazine is dedicated to Jesse Valentine.

In this shoot, the fashion featured is by Tim Hamilton
and the shoot in Paris was produced for Black Magazine by Jesse.

Photography: Asha Fuller

Smoke & Mirrors Fidgetry

The kids at Turn Me On Design in Sydney refer to their jewellery, their art, their obsession as a "jewellery fiddling addiction." T.M.O.D's latest collection entitled Smoke & Mirrors provides "purpose to the ‘fiddled’ action, in the form of horseshoes, keys and cubed pieces." There's no doubt that T.M.O.D make compelling jewellery but they also, it seems, understand it very well "Smoke & Mirrors draws on geometric form and resolution, while merging the boundaries of object and fashion design. Jewellery is no longer a static form, but a multifunctional enigma, one that tests and celebrates the mind’s logic; communicating rationality and reason." No disillusionment or smoke & mirrors about that statement whatsoever! T.M.O.D is stocked throughout Australia, and also in New Zealand - including Good As Gold, The Auckland Art Gallery and Belle Birdcan or they can be found online here.

Vinka's Booty

Webbs have made a real effort in the past couple of years to expand the content and delivery of their auctionable offerings. There have been rare, highly covetable motorcycles; collections of Playboy paraphenalia and rare NZ music. In keeping with this trend we note the latest foray is of a fashionable kind. Vinka Lucas is a NZ fashion institution and let's face it, how many of those are there really.

Vinka arrived here B.I.T.D after training at the Academy of Dress & Design in Zagreb, Yugoslavia and promptly set up one of Auckland's earliest designer boutiques the fabulously-named Marée de Maru. Not long after she proved what a genius of nomenclature she really is by starting her label Vinka Lucas After Five and even had a French branch of the Vinka empire Vinka Lucas Paris. Vinka still operates as a couture bridal designer but it is her archived collection of gowns and luxury evening wear that will have fashionistas popping into Webbs for a viewing - with a view to owning - as most of these special garments are on the block for under $1,000. Auction date is Sunday April 1 at 10am - follow the link above to check the archive on sale.esign as Zagreb

The New Wests?

This was the best picture we received inside an invite all week. Jaimie Boutique sent us this as part of an invitation to celebrate the boutique's burgeoning relationship as the NZ partner to Vivienne Westwood. The Churchword described this shot as "The Cougar and Scooby Doo come across The Queen of Punk and Hairy Young Man Thing...on a traffic island...in Te Atatu."

We love it.

Kate! Kate! Kate!

When I saw this picture today on Nylon.com I was once again completely thrilled to see how gorgeous this woman still is...

Louise Pedersen - Au Courant and Timeless

One of the things we love about Models.com is the occasional insight into the on-set goings-on of a fashion shoot. We remember seeing this campaign a few years back and thinking how cool it was of Gucci to take a risk as it were. The model, Louise Pedersen, a chameleon if ever there was one, is back on the catwalk after walking for Givenchy at Paris AW09 amidst a sea of recent supermodels. MDC's Of The Minute interviewer Janelle quizzes her about the Mario Testino Gucci shot above and Louise explains the mood of the day "The Gucci campaign was my first big job. One of my favorite photographers, Mario Testino shot it. It was Mario that got me started, I remember the first time I went to see him he asked me to walk. Obviously I wasn’t very good at it and he smirked. Tom Ford had the great idea to shave a G in my pubic hair, I knew both Tom Pecheux and Orlando Pita from the shows, and they definitely knew me a little better at the end of the day…The ad was banned in a few countries, and some people argued that it was degrading to women. I think, if anything, it was quite the opposite." Here's Louise in one of our favourite I-D covers...

Great, Great Songs Number 8

Talking With Myself by Electribe 101

Billy Ray Martin is perhaps one of the greatest singers you may never have heard of. Her gorgeous laconic tonality is like kryptonite - a rare essence indeed - and the band's signature sound. More than anything this tune captures the e-fuelled optimism of late eighties European clubland, and was the ultimate back-to-mine number for DJs of the time. Timeless...

Living Inside An American Suburb

Helmut Lies Down On The Job

Several issues back we featured a 6 page spread by LA-based photographer Doug Rickards or DR as he prefers to be known after we were blown away by his incredible portraits. Doug's unique style can be found here at AmericanSuburb.com but it seems he is also something of a photographic historian/academic too. He has created a second site called AmericanSuburb X which is a substantial collection of essays, interviews and musing on all things photographic and interesting. The gamut of great and obscure photographers is here from Newton (above) to Avedon (below) and everyone in between - DR does a great job of curating some incisive and encompassing discussions as well as publishing the work. Highly recommended.

Sneaky Squizz - Black 10 - 3

Kim Noorda shot - exclusively for Black of course - by Paul Empson in Paris, styled by June Nakamoto

Float, Float On

One of our favourite Australian designers, the very talented Gary Bigeni, has just released a range for AW 09 called "Floating On Water." Not only does the new range possess Gary's visionary take on shape, form and draping we have (already) come to expect - but it is also avaible in New Zealand for the first time at Children Of Vision in K.Rd. Terrific! You can see more of Gary here...

Nice Lunchbox!

In true Westwoodian style, Ben Westwood, the British photographer - and eldest son of fashion doyenne Vivienne Westwood - has released a range of 'fetish lunchboxes' not necessarily to pack a banana, or sammys for the kids, but to protest. New laws in the UK aim to outlaw 'extreme pornography' which it seems may include bondage or a little bit of restriction. Funny really, when it's highly likely that the halls of Westminster (or at least the back rooms) are no stranger to a little rubber, latex or restraints anyway. Good to see another Westwood who refuses to be bound and gagged by the powers that be....

Kate Moss's Mista In Meadowlark

It seems that when The Kills were in town last week they fell for Meadowlark's local range of jewellery. Clever Mint Condition, Meadowlark's PR company, took the opportunity to take some snaps of mega-musos Jamie Hince - Mr Moss, if you will - and Alison Mosshart. Nice work...

Blazing Angel

Late Friday just after leaving Tattys in Ponsonby Road we noticed the billboard on the corner of Ponsonby Road and Richmond road was, for once, empty. There it sat, a large rectangle of pitted silver tin sans sponsored communication. Instead it was home to an avenging angel stencil, replete with twin shootin' spray cans. Art for art's sake...or at least we hope so. In the days of ambient marketing it could just as easily be an ad for Angelfire Energy drink and we'll be let in on the gaff next week! Either way, outside of last year's Prime TV call-girl campaign probably the best thing we have seen there...

Point That Thing - an historical photo archive of Auckland music and places

The Clash's Joe Strummer, on stage in Auckland BITD

Some people are good at capturing a time and a place with their camera and Jonathan Ganley is one of these. Throughout the eighties and nineties Ganley got around Auckland shooting gigs, largely of the Flying Nun or indie kind - and buildings before they were knocked down in the greedy property development destruction of the time. He has started a blog to showcase some of these images called Point That Thing and whilst the blog is new there is the promise of much more to come. The man takes a nice photo too...

Sneaky Squizz - Black 10 - 2

Blog Love: Starkwhite; Fuck Art Let's Blog

Martin Basher, Free Spirit No Interest, 2009, installation views - runs until April 4

Starkwhite, the home of great art in K. Rd, Auckland, is putting their vision online via the Starkwhite Blog. The forward-thinking directors John McCormack and Dominic Feuchs also happen to curate the Black Art Gallery pages, for which we are very grateful, especially as Issue 10 will feature a double pagework from perhaps our biggest art name to date - Thomas Hirschhorn - but you will need to buy Black in a few weeks to see that.

The pair - whose credentials are impeccable - have a finger on the pulse of the cutting edge of art both here and internationally. If you need a regular, and they are regular, art fix - then RSS the Starkwhite Blog now..

It's Good To Be American Again...

Perhaps the most telling media soundbite to circulate amidst the funky euphoria of Obama's historic US election win was the common refrain of the ex-pat American living in Amsterdam, Afghanistan or Auckland who had become ashamed of their homeland: "At last, I can say I am an American again!" Well, the good news is that you don't have to be an American to love these tributary, and timely, flag jeans from Ksubi - and it is good that the US flag has once again taken it's place amongst popular culture. And, it doesn't matter whether you are boy or girl - the Ksubi Flag Jean is unisex. On sale in NZ though Superette and Black Box.

The Grand Designer

Many of us have grand designs on life but Ian Ferguson, aka Friends Of Design is just a Grand Designer! Ian has been responsible for the look and feel of Black Magazine since day one and we love his creative, instinctive approach. Ian is also art director for Remix Magazine and whips up a mean corporate or brand ID - witness the Black Box Boutique branding above.

You can see more of Ian's work on the new Friends Of Design website...