Cool Hunting

It may be warm and bright outside but Beautiful/Decay magazine seems to have been languishing in darkness. Their newest, Issue S, presents a mix of ill–omened themes such as death metal, ritual suicide and the Dark Ages. Hanna Liden's eerie photo series of masked figures (cover image, above left) set in dark swamps only adds to the foreboding effect. Wu-Tang Clan's the RZA wanders out of what he describes as "triple darkness" to talk about philosophy, history and his latest project. The design and layout, inspired by a 1604 manuscript from the Rosicrucian mystic order, and the typeface, Old English Five, a style of calligraphy popular around the 13th to 15th centuries, also follow the theme.

Coupled with the release of Issue S, four new artist–designed t–shirts make their debut as well. The latest in the line of Beautiful/Decay tees that we've come to know and love, they're custom cut, dyed and printed on super soft cotton. This edition of t–shirts frame original works by the likes of Jesse LeDoux, Aaron Noble, Dust La Rock and Jan Kallwejt. Originally an art director/designer for Sub Pop Records and better known for his album cover art, LeDoux's cosmically inspired "Giant Hand" (above right) is my favorite. Take a peek at the all the t-shirts available for $30 here.

Beautiful/Decay will be throwing their Issue S release party this Sunday, 27 May 2007, at Studio B in Brooklyn. Details and flyer after the jump.

Studio B
259 Banker Street
Brooklyn, Ny 11222 map
tel. +1 718 389 1880