Yoon on the evolution of the AMBUSH universe

 

From their beginnings as a jewellery brand for the hip hop set, right up to their announcement as a finalist for the LVMH prize in 2017, AMBUSH has served as a brand that "reps for the kids." Built up and based in Tokyo, by life and business partners Yoon Ahn and Young-Kee Yu, the label was born during Young-Kee's previous life as a rapper called Verbal. They began creating bold chains and rings that quickly became coveted by rap superstars after Pharrell fell for the brand.

We're sitting above the Ambush store right now and it's so beautiful, when did you decide you wanted a label home where you could contextualise the brand yourself?

“We took our time with the store because we really needed to build our identity first and create a whole world. We have the Ambush universe now, it's been 10 years and along with the jewellery we have ready-to-wear, glasses and exclusive items that are only available here.”

  I'm looking at your t-shirt that says 'YOUTH', if I had to sum up AMBUSH in a word, youth would be it. 

“The thing about getting old is that there truly is nothing new under the sun, it's a cyclical existence. Youth is a spirit and a state of mind, you need to be a little naive to things. Not over calculating things is youth to me and it's important to play a lot, do things as you grow older just for the hell of it. You don't stop playing because you become old, you become old because you stop playing. I'm not saying I literally act like I'm 21, although I still do a lot of clubbing!”

I have admiration for couples who work together, do you and Verbal have rules about not talking business at home?

”We talk about it constantly, it was originally a hobby and naturally evolved into this thing, we didn't get into fashion with the motivation of "let's start a brand and takeover." Verbal is very clever with the dry side of business, that isn't my strength, he's a pragmatist and so we balance each other out. If we ever get too caught up in the drama or disappointments of business we take a step back and realise that this is our dream and a part of that dream is the fact that business ain't easy.”

Read the full interview by Courtney DeWitt on i-D HERE

How designer Glenn Martens inherited a brand in mourning

Y/PROJECT IS THE MILLENNIAL ATELIER WE DESERVE

 

Jina Khayyer: Who is Y/Project?

 Glenn Martens: “We are a small team where everyone has a voice. An intern has as much influence proposing a solution as I do. Our idea of fashion is not to create an army of lookalike people. There are enough brands who create for people that buy a piece to become part of the brand-gang. We create to ask questions. Y/Project is driven by emotions.”

 Many designers of your generation who are now building their own fashion houses, like Demna Gvasalia of Vetements for example, show their men and women collections together. You stick to the pace of divided shows. But you actually show the same pieces twice, just in different materials and colours. Why? 

“I like the idea of showing the exact same cut that looks good and masculine on a guy and that looks good and feminine on a girl. I don’t make a distinction between genders. For me, it’s important that you put the garment on and you ask yourself, "How am I going to make this my own? How am I going to make this me?"

 

Last year Y/Project was nominated for the LVMH prize. 

“Yes. It changed a lot. Especially regarding the visibility of Y/Project. LVMH is an amazing platform. I’m very grateful to have participated because you meet so many people and legends, like Anna Wintour.”

 In which way is fashion relevant to you? 

“Clothes are relevant if people own them and are happy in them. For Christmas I gave my grandmother a Y/Project coat, which she loves and wears. A friend of mine has a similar coat. When clothes are not connected to gender and age and still work, then fashion is relevant.”

Read the full interview with Jina Khayyer HERE

Wonderland Magazine- SERGIO

 

Phebe Schmidt and Thalea MV explore SS17

Faustine Steinmetz Handwoven Mohair Top and Jeans from Slow Waves in Wonderland Magazine

Photography- Phebe Schmidt / Fashion- Thalea MV / Hair- Xeneb Allen

See the full feature HERE

COLLECTION- works by Clinton Hayden

 

Join us in-store Friday April 7th from 6-9pm for the launch of COLLECTION, a solo exhibition by Clinton Hayden

COLLECTION is a fundraising exhibition of photographs, objects and assemblages in preparation for residency at the Berlin Art Institute

clintonhayden.com

Meet 2017's 8 LVMH Prize Finalists

 

The experts’ votes are in. Following the showroom presentation at LVMH headquarters earlier this month, the 45-member panel behind the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers has narrowed the candidates down to eight finalists. 

What happens between now and the announcement of the prize on June 16?

Now we’re just focusing on preparing for the morning of June 16, when the finalists will meet the jury. That’s a major milestone for all the designers, but it’s a very enriching experience for everyone. We’ll be preparing a space at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, where each designer will have slightly more space than in the showroom. Each has 10 minutes to present his or her work to the jury, and then there’s a brief question-and-answer session.

Yoon Ahn (AMBUSH)

Molly Goddard

It’s also a good year for women . . .

It’s wonderful to see that five of the eight finalists are women. That shows how fashion is evolving, with more and more women designers coming to the fore.

Any words of advice?

I know it’s not easy but . . . relax! Focus on the pieces and styling you want for your models. We’re interested in your inspirations and creative process, but 10 minutes goes by fast, so be concise. And try not to be too impressed by the people sitting in front of you. Karl Lagerfeld got his start with a competition, too. Explaining one’s work is not always an easy exercise, but it’s part of the commercial reality of a designer’s job.

Read the full interview with Delphine Arnault HERE

Y/PROJECT AW17- Vogue

 

Who is the Real Slim Shady?

Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, according to Y/Project’s Glenn Martens. And if you didn’t know that “Henry VIII was obviously the Kanye West of his time,” now you do.

With this collection, the Paris-based designer from Bruges, Belgium, drew dynamic two-way parallels between European rulers of yesteryear and the American rappers of our time. Given his track record of colliding historical and street influences, this wasn’t as random a proposition as it may seem; and anyway, both groups have famously used fashion to broadcast their power, influence, and, who’s kidding whom, at times questionable taste."

*Y/PROJECT AW17 will be arriving in store mid year

Read the full article by Amy Verner HERE

LVMH Prize 2017

 

Congratulations to Molly Goddard and Yoon Ahn, two of our designers who have been shortlisted for the LVMH 2017 edition!

BA in Fashion Knitwear Central St Martins London 2009 – 2012
MA in Fashion Knitwear Central St Martins London 2012 – 2014
Lives and works in Ladbroke Grove, London.

Molly Goddard specialises in traditional hand-craft techniques such as hand pleating, smocking and crocheting. Her collections are held in some of the most prestigious stockists worldwide including Dover Street Market, Trading Museum Comme des Garcons, I.T, Browns, Boon the Shop and Club 21 and won the Emerging Talent award at the 2016 Fashion Awards.
Her work touches upon themes of special occasions, nostalgia and coming of age, often taking inspiration from party dressing and Sunday best.
The techniques that she utilises serve to create clothes that are both delicate and fragile, but the character she designs for conflicts with the beauty of her technique, and brings a clumsy and charming awkwardness to her silhouettes and fabric combinations.

Designer and visual director of AMBUSH®, an experimental line of jewellery and apparel which she launched with Verbal in 2008.

Raised in the US, she pursued studies in graphic design in Boston before moving to Tokyo where she developed the DNA for AMBUSH®. YOON has expanded the brand’s realm through collaborations with Louis Vuitton (Kim Jones), Sacai and UNDERCOVER. Her creative talent was recognized by Pharrell Williams who personally selected her to work on the Adidas SUPERSTAR campaign. AMBUSH®’s collaborative capsule collection with Shu Uemura launches this Spring. She draws her influences from people and the way they live.
Listed among Business of Fashion’s Top 500 People influencing the global fashion industry in 2015 and 2016, YOON opened the brand's first store, the AMBUSH WORKSHOP in Tokyo last year.

AMBUSH

 

STANCE

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A quiet revolution in a world beyond our control.

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