Transcript Issue 3.0 – Trench coat

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In series 3 of Transcript we look at the garments that have shaped the way men dress, becoming part of the daily ritual that informs who we are. For the first issue of this series Transcript looks at the trench coat, a garment that is continually re-configured yet is still evidently contemporary and of our time.

The first version of the trench coat can be traced back to the 1850’s with Aquascatum producing a version for the British army. Made out of heavy weight wool this version soon became a replacement of the serge greatcoats that were previously worn by officers and warrant class officers. Thomas Burberry designed the most famous version in 1901. This classic style was double-breasted, 10 buttoned, had shoulder straps and made out of gabardine – a fabric that Burberry himself developed. Traditionally trench coats were produce in khaki, beige or black with the hem of the coat finishing slightly below the knee however, as time progressed the hem started to shorten, it soon became 8 or 6 buttoned whilst other details like the D-ring on the belt were added. It was said that the D-ring would act as the attachment for hand grenades or as a slot to carry a sword in the battlefield.

The trench coat endures to this day bearing an unbridled similarity to the garment that Burberry designed. Worn as a light overcoat or more traditionally as a raincoat, it is a heavily emblematic signifier of the old masculinity that we all seek to espouse as modern men.

Wishing you all a great week ahead.

Transcript Issue 2.4 – KDDI Infobar I & II

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From large companies that drive innovation through heavy investment to the decidedly small who spark whole new product categories through creative thinking, Transcript salutes any company that takes risks in order to improve our everyday experiences. In a financial climate that is increasingly risk adverse, companies such as KDDI – a relatively niche Japanese telco – have continued to drive innovation through novel idea generation.

In 2004, during the first boom of smart-phones due to the rollout of 3G network in Japan, KDDI bucked the trend by designing the Infobar, a phone that was large in scale yet functional and aesthetically distinctive. At the core of this concept is the understanding of the main function of a phone - the ability to communicate to another person. KDDI effectively distilled this concept right down, doing away with all the peripheral functions included by other manufacturers that are effectively used to wow potential customers. Not only is the Infobar beautifully designed and detailed but it also reminds us of a time when the act of verbal communication was the norm. Interestingly, Sony Ericsson has appropriated this regressive strategy with its ‘Talk, Text, Time’ cell phone due to be released later this year in Australia.

As I stare into the sleek face of my iPhone, I sometimes wonder if I really need Google maps on a phone. Do I need that ability to check my emails and surf the web finding out the most current updates on BBC News? Surely, this inhibits our ingrained natural ability to learn about the world around us, with intimate moments and minutia of daily life lost in the whirlwind email exchanges. We need to engage with the world to learn more about its complexities and beauty.

Transcript Issue 2.3 – MOMA New York

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Standing in front of a Mark Rothko work with its expansive fields of colour that exhibit an incredible depth, I suddenly came to the realisation of the importance of great cultural institutions to our daily life. MOMA in New York is one such institution – founded in 1924, its raison d’etre is about the recognition of modern and contemporary art that originated in the exploration of the ideals and interests generated in the new artistic traditions that began in the late nineteenth century and continue today.

The current building which is located just off 5th avenue on West 53rd st, underwent renovation between 2002-2004. Designed by Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi, this elegant new building has an abundance of natural light and wraps around a beautiful sculpture garden. The renovation nearly doubled the exhibiting space for the museum with its key materials being the use of granite and full-length glass.

Inside it’s galleries works by Matthew Barney, Rachel Whiteread, Nam June Paik and the strongest collection of American modernist paintings intermingle with countless tourists and school groups. The hope is that the work provides them with one small glimpse, or an intimate moment where they might stop and pause and be enveloped by a sense of amazement, introspection or perhaps even awkwardness.

MOMA also has an amazing gift store on the ground floor with an amazing curated selection of products. Being such a great select shop, the Japanese of course have embraced this store allowing MOMA to open up a store on Omotesando-dori in Tokyo.

Have a happy Easter.

Transcript Issue 2.2 – Uniqlo

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Now, if you’ve been keeping an eye on Malmö’s website you’ll notice that we’ve mentioned Uniqlo a number of times. Founded by Tadashi Yanai in 1988 and now sitting under the umbrella group Fast Retailing Pty Ltd, Uniqlo is a commercial success story. Uniqlo opened its first retail store in 1984 in Hiroshima and now has over 775 stores in Japan, with signature stores opening in New York, Hong Kong and London in early 2009.

Hiring Jil Sander in early 2009 to be the creative director of the company was a coup of sorts by Yanai–san. Not only did she design a wildly successful capsule collection called +J – which recently launched its S/S10 collection – exhibiting the minimalist but incredibly detailed aesthetic that we’ve come to know from Sander, but she will also oversee the design of their basics range as well. Transcript feels that this is a perfect choice for the company to improve its brand positioning further.

The only mass clothing company to post year-on-year growth in FY09 (compared against H&M & Topshop), Uniqlo has just expanded into Paris with its first signature store opening there in January. As you know by now Transcript commends companies who are innovative and take risks, and Uniqlo has certainly done that with its streamlined and efficient approach to service, its signature store design and quality products at very affordable price points. No wonder Yanai–san is currently the wealthiest man in Japan…

Read more from Transcript’s editor here

SPRING/SUMMER 2010 SHOOT

Transcript Issue 2.1 – Charles & Ray Eames

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Transcript contends that great design can change the way we view the world around us. A design couple that have done just this are Charles and Ray Eames, creating incredibly functional furniture design with beautiful form – the perfect balance. Their designs continue to influence the design landscape to this day and inform the everyday lives of the people that are lucky enough to own a collection of their pieces.

Charles & Ray Eames also pioneered new techniques in producing furniture, utilising malleable plywood to create their distinctive LCW dining chairs and the classic lounge chair and ottoman. This approach to modern design was also extended to their side chair, which used then new materials such as moulded plastic, and fibreglass to created the seat. Attaching onto a variety of bases from their Eiffel tower base to a rocking chair base this approach heralded a thoroughly modern approach to furniture design and construction. Their aesthetic was incredibly new and visibly American eschewing the more linear and rigid approach of the Bauhaus that was adopted throughout Germany and Western Europe in the 1930’s.

A renaissance couple, they also designed several houses – the most memorable of which was their own – curated exhibitions, made short films, and even worked with the military to design a pilot seat. Transcript pays homage to these great designers who have forever left an indelible mark on the design landscape.

Wishing you all a wonderful week.

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The Essential Home Bar

The Liquor

Think of it as a rite of passage. Most guys will simply pour whatever they have gathering frost in the freezer*, but a gentleman mixes legitimate cocktails from his bar. But this doesn't require a fancy piece of furniture—a simple tray will suffice—or even an immense amount of bottles. Build your bar with five base spirits and a few simple mixers. You'll churn out a surprising number of classics and discover a few new concoctions of your own. Herewith, a few brands that balance quality and cost. (Read More On Valet.)

Transcript Issue 2.0 – Airbus A380

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In Issue 2.0 of Transcript, we take a look at companies, designers and people that inspire, assist and complement what we do. In a world where air travel is becoming increasingly mundane with more low cost airlines than innovative design companies, it is very hard to become enthused about the industry. Boeing the company that has long been the world leader aircraft design has been significantly challenged by Airbus from the EU over the last 20 years for dominance in the commercial aircraft industry. While Boeing has experienced 3 years of delays on its composite bodied 787 Dreamliner (initially scheduled for rollout in 2007), Airbus has stolen the spotlight with its A380 – the largest commercial passenger aircraft ever made.

Competition in any commercial sector always provides the end consumer with a better product offering and effectively better value. After recently travelling on the Airbus A380 from Tokyo to Singapore, I was amazed at the abundance of space and quietness of its cabin. This could partly be due to the discerning service provided by the beautifully dressed and manicured Singaporean air stewardesses but I digress. Transcript encourages other companies to follow Airbus’ lead. The A380 is 20% more fuel efficient than a 747 and has a 10% higher V-max speed whilst also producing 75g of CO2 per passenger – well below current international limits. By actively investing in innovation and new technologies the resulting product will not only force other companies to follow suit but also form new industries to support it. It is an aircraft that will reshape the way we travel.

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www.shop.malmo.net.au

Transcript Issue 1.4 – Japanese Select Shops

Transcript would not want to speculate how the sheer number of retail stores in Japan survive financially – however having a critical mass of consumers and an ingrained shopping culture presumably plays a significant part.

Riding a single speed city bike from the quiet back streets near Kyoto Station to the Kawaramachi district near the commercial centre – whilst dodging old grandmothers and tin sized delivery trucks – I stumbled upon a store that quite possibly could be described as Transcript’s favourite retail store in Japan. Angers is a select shop with a beautiful art deco façade that has an amazing selection of stationary, books, clothing & home wares. At Anger’s you can purchase a Wegner plank armchair while perusing a book on Kyoto’s best bike rides. The Japanese have honed this strategy of product curation, purchasing products that sit amazing well together on the shelf, whilst also forming part of a cohesive and thoroughly stylish lifestyle.

Not only did the service exhibit restraint, infinite product knowledge and attention to detail, but the staff also exemplified the sophisticated people of this most cultured city.

Here are Transcript’s favourite select shops:

www.angers.jp

www.spiral.co.jp

www.arts-science.com

This is the final issue from Transcript’s short series on Japan. Please join us again in a fortnight for a new series that explores the design & commercial companies that inspire us.

BYO in style.

(oooms)

Transcript Issue 1.3 – Japanese Menswear

It’s hard not to be enveloped by Tokyo’s inherent stylishness when you wander around the city’s concrete paved streets. Here young salary men in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district have made an art of wearing perfectly cut 2 button grey suits with an attention to detail that makes an aerospace engineer’s thesis into new carbon fibre materials look decidedly pedestrian.

We’ve all heard of labels such as United Arrows, Beams, Ships & Tomorrowland – very much the establishment of Japanese menswear and greats such as Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto. However Transcript also commends labels such as Visvim, Soph, Hare and Lad Musician for producing garments that not only are embedded with a uniquely Japanese aesthetic, but also are inherently creative in how they treat fabric, silhouette and detailing.

As I left hotel Claska, on my way to Shibuya before taking a local train to Daikanyama, I suddenly became attuned to how Japanese men view fashion – clothing is not something that you wear just on a daily basis, but rather it is an integral part of life. Transcript argues that young men across the west could learn a lot from how Japanese men pair colour with texture, pattern with cut creating a thoroughly curated form of personal expression. If you have seen the staff and customers at A.P.C’s flagship homme store in Daikanyama you’ll know exactly what I mean.

LEARN YOUR LACES

It sounds easy enough, but there are countless ways of lacing your shoes, some better than others. We're here to show the only two you really need to know. Which one you choose is a matter of personal taste. Read More (Valet.)

Transcript Issue 1.2 - Vending Machines

It’s the New Year and in issue 1.2 Transcript continues its series on Japan.

We’ve all heard about the vending machine culture in the Japan and stories about how you are able to get worn girls underwear from a vending machine on the back streets of Ikebukuro. Porn and underwear notwithstanding, vending machines are an integral part of life in Japan and form not only a valuable but accessible source of food and beverage.

Standing on a street corner in Shinjuku on a Friday night as I waited for a taxi to hotel Claska, a row of 5 vending machines that flanked the wall – with their bright lights & j-pop anthems playing – caught my undivided attention. I was amazed at the sheer choice of drinks, cigarettes and food that was available. This is the concept of consumer choice taken right to its limits, where a machine would contain twenty different choices of canned coffee; where large cans of beer share the same machine as your favourite pack of Marlboros. No wonder Tokyo salary men congregate around these machines at the entrances of Shinjuku station, gulping down huge daijoki sized cans of Kirin before taking the express train to Yokohama.

Uniqlo, the world leader is fast, affordable & basic fashion has taken this concept to the next level with its UT store in Harajuku Tokyo. Designed by Kashiwa Sato of Samurai Design, this concept store has developed an innovative way of doing retail. Machines that dispense your cotton basics organised by cut, size and pantone colour line the walls on all four levels of the store. It’s basically a fully integrated shopping experience that eases the consumer’s decision making process, freeing up something that we all would like more of: time.

Wishing you a happy new year.

Read more from Transcript’s editor here

THE UNTITLED SHOP IN BROADSHEET

This is a very simple, very understated menswear store on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, with a name of equal understatement.

The cool thing here is that it’s actually a store split between two local labels, Who Am Eye and Malmo. The former are responsible for a Melbourne take on Euro underground style with darkly draped, loose-cut silhouettes; think long t-shirts and skinny as they come jeans. Great if you can pull it off. The latter – named in honour of designer Fredrik Jonsson’s (ex Hem and Haw) Swedish hometown of Malmo – predominantly works in a monochromatic palette and gives us well-priced suits, shirts and denim fit for any wardrobe.

There are bigger plans for the premises in the future but even now Jonsson’ Swedish aesthetic shines through in touches like polished concrete floors, white walls and carefully selected vintage furniture. It suits both labels and makes for an easy and very pleasant shopping experience. (Broadsheet)

www.broadsheet.com.au

BEST COFFEE IN FITZROY - MIN LOKAL

The aptly named Min Lokal (Swedish for My Local) is one of a growing number of cafés cropping up off Melbourne's main drags. Min Lokal is housed in the former Wild Flour bakery on George Street, in the heart of Fitzroy's residential area.

Min Lokal is the café version of your local corner pub, with its large communal tables, laidback service and ever-growing host of regulars. The bulk of its customers come from the surrounding apartment blocks, terrace houses and warehouse conversions, as well as nearby businesses. (Breakfast Out)