Our friends Obakki have always believed that fashion should have a heart, and they’ve demonstrated this commitment to caring with their charitable foundation as well as special projects that connect fans and customers of the Canadian brand with worthy causes both in the country and around the world.
This spring, Obakki has partnered with bkr (pronounced ‘beaker’) – a company that shares the belief that beauty can affect change – to develop a custom, 500ml reusable glass water bottle, with a sleek silicone sleeve. Launched during their fall/winter 2012 presentation at New York Fashion Week last month, the bottle is streamlined with a minimalist design, while being lightweight and FDA approved to meet standards for safe water drinking.
The best part? 100% of the proceeds of each water bottle purchase will be used by the Obakki Foundation to provide education and clean water for communities in Africa. For every 500 water bottles sold, 1 water well can be drilled. Fashion with a purpose, the collaboration water bottle is the perfect addition to a gym tote, office desk or any outdoor adventure.
The Obakki x bkr water bottle is available for only $40 and can be purchased on the Obakki Foundation online store, where you’ll also be able to read up on the work the foundation does.
Speaking of Obakki, check out this beautiful video, which chronicles the inspiration behind the label’s fall/winter 2012 collection:
We were invited to be a part of Doc Martens’ #FirstLove event this past week, celebrating the launch of their spring/summer 2012 collection as well as the debut of a new fashion film series featuring Agyness Deyn and Ash Symest. Themed around first loves and experiences, the films are moody and pretty, capturing quiet moments between Deyn and Symest as they walk (and run and leap) around in their Docs. The imagery feels intimate and real and does a good job of conveying the new “tough but chic” vibe of Doc’s latest collection, which features brighter pops of color, more trend-specific styles (think chunky heels and funky brogues for girls and tasseled loafers for guys) and even prints. It’s the perfect next pair of Docs (or next few pairs) for those of us who have grown up loving the boots, but are looking for something now a little bit more unique.
The launch party this week provided media with a chance to preview the new shoes, while also getting involved: a few of us were invited to submit our own personal photos of what #FirstLove meant to us. We chose a photo we snapped a few years back while at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The caption we submitted: “Like the dreamers gathered by the Centre Pompidou, you cast wishes into the afternoon breeze and hope they return by nightfall having come true.”
[Truth be told, I misread the instructions that first time around and submitted 144 words instead of 144 characters (I forgot they were trying to keep with the #FirstLove Twitter theme). In case you want to read my original submission, I've included it below].
They say first love means nothing without reciprocation but I say unrequited love can taste just as sweet. Because at the end of the day, it’s not always about who you’re feeling but how you feel.
A first love can make you feel limitless, like everything you’re longing for can suddenly be had. You’re lighter, more refreshed, even giddy at times, and the storms that once clouded your view slowly fade into this handsome shade of gray.
And like the dreamers gathered around the Centre Pompidou in Paris in this photo, first love is about waiting expectantly for the possibilities that lie ahead – and knowing with confidence, at least on this day, that the wishes you cast into the afternoon breeze will return to you by nightfall and eventually come true.
Check out Doc Martens’ new short film, starring Agyness Deyn below and see more photos of the event, some of our favorite selects from Doc’s spring/summer 2012 collection and another film from Deyn after the jump…
We featured artist Alex Prager’s work in Issue 8 of Corduroy and we’ve been excited to see what she’s been up to ever since. So imagine our (delightful) surprise when we saw this new short film that she shot for Mercedes-Benz.
Prager is no stranger to collaborations, having shot Bottega Veneta’s spring 2011 campaign. But this time, she takes the filmic and narrative qualities of her photographs and applies them to an actual film. Though reports have quoted Prager as saying that the film was inspired by childhood favorites, like “James Bond,” “Mary Poppins,” and “The Wizard of Oz,” the artist says it was more about capturing a moment and feeling, both with Mercedes’ brand new SL Roadster car and supermodel Lara Stone.
Prager and Stone (dressed in Calvin Klein Collection of course) shot the clip in the California Big Sky desert over the summer. At less than two minutes long, it’s more like an extended fashion photoshoot than a Hollywood movie, but the final 30 seconds deliver like a blockbuster all the same. At once poetic, slightly eerie and irrepressibly alive, the short film is at once a statement on the sophistication of the Mercedes brand as it is a representation of its power. Prager says she was struck by the styling of the SL Roadster and knew she had to produce a piece that reflected its beauty and romanticism, while also staying true to her own aesthetic tastes, which often have dark undertones.
As for Lara Stone the heroine? Besides complimenting Stone for her “classic women’s body” and femininity, Prager says she was struck by Stone’s acting skills and ability to emote. Her delicate features were the perfect contrast to the strong and bold vehicle being showcased in the project…though dare we say, Stone almost steals the show herself!
Check out the commercial (and a special behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the commercial) below and let us know what you think…
Agyness Deyn is set to make her (official) big screen debut later this year as a street-wise stripper in the film “Pusher” (she’s had bit parts previously but this will be her first starring role) but until then, you can enjoy her in a new short film produced for the Luxury Collection Hotels chain.
Conceived by Luca Guadagnino with Waris Ahluwalia, Tilda Swinton and her artist companion, Sandro Kopp, “Here” is a beautifully shot film that follows Deyn as she embarks on a romantic treasure hunt of sorts through the chain’s many properties. The creative team says they wanted a “Hitchcock” feel to the film, evidenced not only by the moody lighting and voyeuristic camera angles, but also by the cryptic, handwritten, notes Deyn uncovers at each location.
Jason Schwartzman’s score adds a wonderfully poetic touch to the proceedings, but the star of the show is undoubtedly Deyn (wearing Dior, YSL and Versace no less), as she waltzes through our screens and steals every shot she’s in. For more of the alluring Agyness Deyn, visit the “Here” website at www.thefilmhere.com. And then take a few minutes to check out “Here” below:
Just released this month is the official trailer for Wes Anderson’s latest directorial endeavor Moonrise Kingdom. The film follows two adolescent lovers as they flee their coastal New England town in the summer of 1965. The consequent search for the star-crossed twelve year-olds turns the entire town upside down, in more ways than one. The film stars an amazing ensemble cast which includes Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman and Anderson favorite (and Corduroy fave as well) Bill Murray.
The script was penned by Anderson along with his Darjeeling Limited writing partner Roman Coppola (be sure to check out our interview with his sister, Gia Coppola in Corduroy issue IX) and the trailer has certainly piqued our interest as the film is classic Anderson – complete with all the quirkiness and adorably awkward dialogue we have come to love from the director. Moonrise Kingdom is set for limited release this coming spring. Check out the trailer below:
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