Modern vintage

Posted on by Zack Chia

Working as a digital illustrator and designer during my early days gave me opportunities to work with very talented creatives who were very craft driven, especially in the area of art and digital graphics. It helps especially for someone with the keen eye for details and the everlasting thirst for beautiful things. I had the pleasure to work with cool kids from all over the world and those who gave me the best memories were the few designers from Japan. Their sensitive touch and appreciation in graphic arts is unrivalled. Take a look at Japanese artist, Segawa thirty-seven. With the use of just Photoshop and After Effects, the artist is able to create these really alluring images. We see how sci-fi is infused with modern culture and ancient art. This mix extrudes an altered universe, yet so compelling to look and admire. The animated gifs depict realism and fun in all its entirety. View more of Segawa thirty-seven’s print works on his Twitter.

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Mita x Reebok Instapump Fury

Posted on by Zack Chia

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While I might not be a big fan of Reebok, I must say their range of collaborations are simply fantastic. Check out their 20th anniversary Reebok Instapump Fury. With fisherman knitted textures, Mita’s designs tapped on a grey knit fabric. An innovative approach which the Instapump Fury has yet to do. I actually love the bright combination of orange mixed with grey. And best of all, we witnessed Japanese authenticity on the insoles with Japanese characters: “Tokyo Custom Made.”

East meets West

Posted on by Zack Chia

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Fashionistas who adore premium Italian fashion labels now have more to splurge on. You can now add this new offering that Gucci is planning to release, into your wanted list. The Italian luxury brand is planing on collaborating with Yoshio Koda to release a rather interesting line of bags. Using traditional Japanese silk, Sendai-Hira, the 84-year old Koda shall produce bags of premium quality together with feel of the 400-year old Sendai-hira tradition. It is also believed that Koda is well respected for one of the few to have carried on this old Japanese tradition. The works of this Japanese artisan shall go on sale in September with a price tag of 420,000yen, estimated at $4200 with sales donated to the Sendai reconstruction efforts. This is definitely one of the highly valuable products that Gucci will be producing and we havent seen a really good one for quite a while. Collectors should take this into serious consideration, not forgetting the fact that it is also one of the few that isn’t monogram based. What we are seeing here is tradition fusing with modern luxury. Such great combination extrudes a timeless design aesthetic beyond the value of any price tag. Would you invest in one?