Influencers of Our Time

Designers and artists have always been recognized as the cultural shakers of society. Whether it is through a song, a garment, or a photograph, creative talents all over the world have made lasting impressions, providing a memorabilia of the past, or igniting change for a better future.

Today, we highlight several visionaries whom we believe are history makers of our generation. Although their skills, passions, and backgrounds may vary, each individual featured below have all worked extremely hard, fully committed to their beliefs. Whether you love them or hate them, it's more than likely that you know their name. And while we can think of a dozen more to highlight, this is just a small handful of people currently in the spotlight. So in no particular order, here is what made the list.

photo via: Yahoo.com

1. Steve Jobs
Apple Inc CEO, Steve Jobs plays a big role in revolutionizing the digital future of which we already live in today. And just when you think that Apple has done enough, they do it again. At this year's annual Worldwide Developer's Conference, Jobs unveiled the Apple's iCloud and an updated version of the Mac OS X Lion. Changing the way we experience the Internet, the iCloud is a unique tool that not only stores data, but also offers a music service, and syncs information from one source to the next. The Mac OS X Lion also has 250 new features, with innovative multi-touch gestures using powerful hardware.

photo via: NY Times

2. Lady Gaga
"Pop singer" is too small of a description to describe Miss Stefani Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga. More than just a world-wide music sensation, Lady Gaga is one of the leading cultural icons of today. With her multimillion-selling albums, 10 million twitter fans, innumerable accounts of front page fashion choices, and dozens of side projects, Lady Gaga is far from the type of woman who disappears into the crowd.

But what is most respectable about her is that she is defiantly self-driven with a killer work ethic. Unlike many other singers today, Lady Gaga is known for never lip-syncing, and always 100 percent in charge of everything that she does, whether it's writing songs, choosing outfits, or directing performances. At age 25, Lady Gaga seems to show an extremely unordinary sense of self confidence, achieving far beyond what many have only dreamed of.

photo via: Dazed Digital

3. Kwok Mang-ho

A performance artist based out of Hong Kong, Kwok Mang-ho is often named the most eccentric and unconvential of his country. In his 30 year career, he has produced a wide number of performances, sculptures, paintings and installations. Pioneering the experimental art movement, he was the only one of his kind creating new forms of self-expression in the '70s and '80s, while the rest of Asia was more focused on realist traditions. Through his work, which he calls "Frogtopia," he hopes to create a cross-cultural bridge to join the East and the West. 

The Hong Kong Pavillion at the Venice Biennale celebrates his work, featuring his high-density living environments made out of unconventional objects, reflecting the contradictions and consumer society of Hong Kong. 

photo via: NY Mag

4. Carine Roitfeld
One of the most powerful figures in the fashion industry, Carine Roitfeld is widely acknowledged as the definition of cool. A former stylist and late editor-in-chief of French Vogue, Ms. Roitfeld holds a "cult status as the queen of the 'French Vogue look.'" Unlike most editors, Roitfeld is more interested in art than business, known for racy, sometimes controversial campaigns, completely opposite of what commercial money-making glossies are looking for.

In a recent lunch interview with Financial Times, Roitfeld comments how fashion shows today are less fun than how it was 10 years ago. With so much money involved, she notes, "...the designer has to produce a great show that will sell clothes but also keep the name of the brand high to sell the perfumes. Sometimes you can really feel the business behind the fashion show." Although Roitfeld left her position at Vogue awhile ago, she is busy collaborating with Barneys on its autumn campaign, including its catalogue and window displays. As Barneys New York Creative Director Dennis Freedman quotes, "Carine is a one of a kind talent. She is both a muse and an inspiration. She has extraordinary individual style and infectious passion."

photo via: Telegraph

5. Kanye West

Love him or hate him, Kanye West is always making headlines. And while we aren't always proud of some of his choices, such as his remarks at the MTV Video Music Awards, we have to give him credit for never giving up. A self-proclaimed fashion enthusiast, besides music, Kanye West's other love lies in fashion. "King of the front row," Kanye West has been spotted in some of the most renowned Parisian design houses, possibly gathering inspiration for his upcoming men and women high-end collection.

With a studio already set in Paris, West is currently at work in revisiting his career in making clothes. In 2009, he took on an internship at Fendi, and designed a range of trainers for Louis Vuitton. And although his "Pastelle" fashion line in 2009 was announced but never released, Kanye West is taking a stab in fashion one more time, and hopefully it's something worth noticing.

photo via: Met Museum

6. Alexander McQueen

In his nineteen year career, Alexander McQueen dedicated every minute to his collections. A master of conceptualizing culture, politics, and identity through clothing, McQueen will forever be remembered as a fashion genius. A close friend of fashion icon Daphne Guiness, McQueen attracted more muses than any other designer. Perfecting the balance of beauty, life, and death, his clothing is often regarded as a work of art. An expert craftsman, artist, and a true master mind, McQueen has left a legacy that could never be replaced. Entitled "Savage Beauty," an extensive collection of his work is currently on display at the MET.

photo via: NY Times

7. Guy Laliberté
Co-founder and owner of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté is one of the most powerful and influential men in the entertainment industry. With humble beginnings as an accordian-playing street performer, today Laliberté currently manages 22 productions all over the globe, reaching all continents except Antarctica, with revenues expected to reach over $1 billion by next year.

And although his career is inspiring, Laliberté is also the founder One Drop, a foundation dedicated to raising awareness on water-related issues. With a mission to provide safe drinking water all around the world, the foundation organizes projects in dozens of countries in partnership with Cirque du Soleil. Laliberté is also one of the very few lucky people who was able to travel around the world, and his photographs from space will be displayed and sold to raise money for his foundation.

Assistir Filme »

All Eyes on China

Repositioning itself from manufacturer to brand builder, conformist to experimental, China is rapidly pioneering as one of today's most modern and innovative countries. Whether it's fashion, culture, sustainability, or economics, China is revamping full-force in all markets to win the favor of it's own local market, as well as those overseas.

We've discussed the evolution of China many times in our earlier posts, but knowing how quickly our world is progressing, we bring you an updated report to keep you up-to-speed with all the latest news in the Eastern hemisphere.

photo via: NY Times

With 500 million men and women under age 30, China does not lack in young, ambitious, creative-types who are eager to make their break into the art, design, or entertainment field. As more and more global retailers are aiming to attract the young adult Chinese age bracket, instead of pulling in their own resources, these established heavy hitters are looking to this same group of people to help brand and position themselves in the budding Chinese market.

photo via: NY Times

Although many Chinese artists and musicians in the past used their creative energies to focus on politics, today's generation is more interested in talking business rather than their nation's public affairs. Since the creative arts scene is still mainly underground, NeochaEdge is the first and only creative agency of its kind in China, showcasing the work of the country's best illustrators, graphic designers, animators, sound designers and musicians. As independent artists, its 200+ members are paid per project to work with major clients such as Nike, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Absolut Vodka and Sprite. Scouting local talent and authenticity, NeochaEdge is the first to really help push global brands into the market using an avant-garde approach, specifically targeting the younger generation. While NeochaEdge is China's current leader of the creative industry, it's only a matter of time before we will see a surge of other organizations partaking in similar ventures.

photo via: Style.com

The forefront of fashion also has a new slew of Chinese beauties strutting the runway. While Chinese American designers like Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim, and Derek Lam are all familiar names, models like Jing Ma, Ming Xi, Lily Zhi, and Sui He are just getting started in the fashion circle. As Ralph Lauren looked East for inspiration on his latest runway show, the designer casted six Chinese models to walk eleven of the looks, making it the show with the highest number of Asian models. New model, Sui He, was also chosen to open the show, making her their first Asian model in the brand's history. We have no doubt that this is just a small shadow of how influential China will be for Ralph Lauren, and presumably other heritage brands.

photo via: Audi Fashion

Liu Wen and Fei Fen Sun are also the new faces for major cosmetic campaigns, appearing in ads for Maybelline and Estee Lauder. Telegraph recently did a special feature on Wen, boldly naming her the "Face of the Future." Male model Godfrey Gao is also growing in popularity as he recently became the first Asian face of Louis Vuitton.

This recent growth of Chinese faces is one of many tactics fashion brands are implementing in order to break into the Chinese market. According to Shaun Rein, the Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group, "savvier companies are using Asian models to penetrate the China market and try to create an emotional bond with consumers, and to give an aspiration that Chinese can look up to." As Chinese models are increasingly being represented for a number of Western brands and designers, Chinese consumers hold a stronger relationship with these foreigners and start to develop a deeper interest in the brand. 

via: YouTube.com

Furthermore, brands may also create a completely new brand for China like Hermes' Shang Xia, or shift their current marketing strategies to appeal to the wealthy Chinese market. Last month's Burberry's Beijing flagship store opening started with a bang as Christopher Bailey orchestrated its largest-ever event. Implementing breathtaking technological tricks and creating illusions with holograms, the audience was floored by a spectacular performance including a live performance by Keane, special celebrity appearances including Maggy Cheung and actress Fan Bing Bing, and an A-list lineup of top Chinese and British models in Burberry's latest collection.

It's definitely eyes are on China as the booming number of middle and upper-class consumers are extremely interested in acquiring luxury goods. Management consultancy McKinsey predicts that within four years, China will become the world's largest luxury market, worth $27 billion, up from $10 billion in 2009. And to support this statement, brokerage and investment group CLSA Asia-Pacific also predicts that Chinese consumers will buy more than 44% of the world's luxury goods by 2020.

Although we have no doubt that China is rapidly growing into one of the top leading nations, we close today's post remembering that the nation also faces many important issues. Unless it resolves the region-wide weaknesses such as corruption, lack of accountability, poor access to justice, widespread income inequality and slow progress in improving innovation and productivity, China may fail to advance in achieving it's full potential. While it may seem that the country is unstoppable in achieving global economic dominance, China must make some critical, wise decisions within the next few years to truly be a long-standing and secure nation.

Assistir Filme »

Redefining Modern Art

We've discussed on multiple occasions of the powerful and growing influence technology has on fashion. From virtual fitting rooms, live-streamed runways, to new digital marketing platforms, technology, alongside the Internet, continues to be today's strongest driving force in reshaping many of our biggest industries.

So it is no surprise then to find that the art world has also tapped into the limitless capabilities of technology. Today, we highlight a few innovations of what is the latest in the digital art scene.

photo via: CreativePro

1. Art in Technological Times, San Francisco's MOMA
San Francisco's MOMA acknowledged this drastic shift in the contemporary art world as technology is recognized as a large component of every day life. In the last decade, artists have adopted to new technologies to make their work more relevant and reflective of today's technology-saturated society. As many museums still struggle to meet the demands of today's audiences, SFMOMA and Intel Corporation present Art in Technological Times. The exhibition is presented both on the Internet and at the SFMOMA itself, making use of both virtual and concrete spaces. The Internet ingeniously functions both as a virtual space to present the work, as well as a platform for discussion. Surveying a range of video practices, sculpture, design projects, computer-driven installations, drawings and paintings, this is one of the first exhibitions that carefully looks at the latest in contemporary art today.

video via: YouTube

2. Kunstmatrix
With Kunstmatrix, you don't need to live in a major city to see the latest art shows. As nearly everything is moving online, you can now also take a virtual "walk" and view dozens of galleries all in the convenience of your own home.

Kunstmatrix birthed from two architecture students at the TU Berlin who both recognized the potential of "virtual architecture." While virtual architecture has been around for some time, it is mainly applied to military applications, university research, or video games.

We all know from our own experiences that viewing art online is entirely different, and incomparable, from viewing art in real life. Whether it's a painting or a sculpture, all online art is typically compressed into a flat 2-dimensional photo. And if one is viewing multiple artworks, one must click through a series of thumbnails to view each picture one at a time. There is no unique experience of viewing online art.

However, the designers behind Kunstmatrix recognized this issue and created a fresh, new way of looking at art through the concept of virtual architecture.

photo via: Kunstmatrix

In essence, Kunstmatrix is a site of virtual exhibition rooms. Whether it's paintings, photos, videos, sculptures, or installations, the site can display original artwork in a full-scale and intuitive environment. The work is displayed in gallery-like setting, allowing the visitor to "walk" through the rooms as if one is really inside a gallery.

This new platform offers an innovative way for artists, gallery owners, and collectors to come together to present and sell art. Because it is presented through the web, artists have a wider audience and greater amount of publicity in comparison to a traditional gallery setting. Click here to check out the latest exhibitions.
(source: Kunstmatrix)

3. Trust Art
Social platforms are now also being applied to the art world as Trust Art aims to commission 10 public works of art over the next year with the help of crowd-funding. The site includes descriptions of each project and it's total cost, including material costs, travel, and logistical expenses. Consumers are then invited to become shareholders in any project, giving them access to the artist and network of shareholders as well as special events.

photo via: Trust Art

You are given one share for every dollar you give to a project. Shares may be given away as a gift to a larger community. Every three years, an artwork from a completed project is auctioned and profits are shared between the artists and the shareholders. 

Through this site, people are encouraged to build communities that are united through art. Based on the principles of transparency, community, and collaboration, Trust Art is "a philanthropic initiative to create a self-sustaining community for the production of public art." The concept was originally presented at a TED conference last year. Click here to watch their presentation.

(source: Trust Art)

photo via: Guardian

4. Tristan Eaton's 3D Art Book
Art books today just aren't like how it used to be in the good old days. It's better! A new book compiled by designer Tristan Eaton features over 100 works by up-and-coming artists, all in a 3D effect. Each page requires you to wear lo-fi red and blue 3D specs to bring you a completely new way of viewing art.
(source: Guardian)

Assistir Filme »