Oliver Spencer

by SummerSeventySix

Like Paul Smith, London-based Oliver Spencer has a definite knack of combining the tailored with the relaxed, culminating in a look that is uniquely his. For me, his stand-out designs are his outerwear (see above for examples from the past couple of seasons). Across the board, the silhouette is clean and undeniably British, with just hint of Mod. Stockist information can be found at Oliver Spencer's website, while he also has a stand-alone store in NYC, as previously reported on Cool Hunting.

In Da Hooda

by Fiona Killackey

Few fashion items satisfy the way a good hoodie can and it's safe to say that they have joined the likes of jeans and tees as a wardrobe staple. Similarly, finding a decent hood is about as tedious a task as locating a quality-fit pair of denim threads or a tee that manages to say something original. However, Aussie label Hooda serves up refreshingly original pieces in the otherwise saturated market of surf and streetwear. Made with a love for quality design and a quest to present something new, Hooda creations are unique and fresh. CH checked in with designers Rachael Bannister and Michael Partridge to talk about mothers, fabric and Mark Gonzalez.

How did Hooda begin?
Sometime last year I asked Gail (my partner Michael's mum) to make me one of her famous handmade hoodies using some of my favorite fabric for the lining. It turned out to be my new favorite thing, worn everywhere. I knew my friends would die for a plain hoodie with a touch of flair because it's so hard to find decent ones without a brand name splashed all over it. After a few wines at the local Mexican restaurant Michael and I managed to convince Gail of their originality and potential…and we decided to make a go of it.

What differentiates Hooda from others out there?
They are handmade with care and not produced in some sweatshop. People also get a choice of what they want so they can buy something truly individual. We only get a small amount of each print so they're not mass produced and they remain unique.

If you could have one person in the world in Hooda, who would it be?
Chloë Sevigny would be cool 'cause she's always wearing quirky individual stuff. As true living art, I think Mark Gonzalez is exactly what Hoodas intend to be: unique.

So, how do we get one?
You can check out how to order on our MySpace page or just email us (myhooda [at] gmail [dot] com) for more info.

We will have a website up and running soon: www.hooda.com.au

Two Berlin Boutiques: Lil*Shop and Wood Wood

by Wendy Dembo

Comme des Garçons opened their first of their "Guerilla" stores in 2004 in Berlin. It was supposed to stay open for one year, but how can you put an end to such a good thing? So the women who ran the Guerilla store opened Lil*Shop, which carries vintage Comme des Garçons, as well as special Nike products like Nike Vintage Running shoes. It's a nice place to shop.

Wood Wood has two stores in Copenhagen where they're based and one in Berlin. The store carries 40% Wood Wood, their clothing with crisp graphic prints for the whole family: men, women and kids. They also carry Bernhard Willheim, Kim Jones, sparkly Uslu Airlines make-up and just for the summer they have some special paint-splattered pieces by Oliver Rodriguez (see below left). Also, you can pick up fun magazines like Arkitip and Purple, the AKA series of graffiti books, Span of Sunset toys and skateboards.

Comme des Garçons Lil*Shop
Brunnenstrasse 184
Berlin-Mitte
tel. +49 (30) 280 45 338

Wood Wood Berlin
Rochstrasse 4 GMBH
10178 Berlin
tel. +49 (0)302 804 7877

Eggo Washing Machine

by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

When Brazilian household appliances company Brastemp was drawing up plans for a washing machine specifically made to handle clothes that require more attentive washing (such as swimwear, lingerie and baby clothes) they again called on designer Jun Nakao (a fashion design professor whose last project we featured here) to help conceive a design. (He previously helped the company develop the aesthetics of a mini-fridge.) For this new task, Nakao associated things dear, intimate and fussy (like babies) with the idea of birth. Hence Eggo's form was born. The ovoid-shaped Eggo measures 18"x12.5"x13" and is capable of holding up to two pounds of delicates. Brilliant white in color, it resembles Humpty Dumpy but sturdy, built-in legs prevent a fall. The compact and portable machine boasts the use of oxygen for a more thorough cleaning while protecting the quality of clothes.

For the Eggo's launch, which took place in São Paulo's Galeria Boutique Branding, Nakao put together a mechanized stork made from 1000 pieces of vegetable paper. The stork held an Eggo in its mouth, looking like it was heading mid-flight to a lucky couple's destination to drop off the goods. In the window, a nest also made from folded pieces of paper held three Eggos.

You can watch the video of the bird in action here.

Sneakerplay Photo Box

by Josh Rubin

Our friends at the sneaker-specific social networking site Sneakerplay recently launched The Photo Box, a widget that allows members to export pictures from their galleries and embed them into personal websites, blogs, profiles and the like. With a clever interface that looks like a shoe box, it allows individuals to take their collections with them wherever they roam online. As usual, you need to be invited to Sneakerplay to take advantage of this new feature, but non-members can now view member profiles.

First Exposure

by Leonora Oppenheim

Earlier this week Cool Hunting was invited to the First Exposure show in London. An intimate exhibition, there was a vast array of design talent hand-picked with great care by the cutting-edge communications agency Exposure. The small independent flavor of the brands was noticeable along with the multidisciplinary nature of the work. Music projects were next to men’s fashion wear, which were next to chic luggage, punky jewelery, cute minature pocket books and so on. The diversity was a reflection of the nature of the Exposure agency, which has offices in London, New York and San Francisco and specializes in brand collaborations and multimedia marketing.

The show was a nice mix introducing some stateside favorites to the London scene and some London favorites launching new projects in the U.K., as well as some Europeans thrown in for good measure. The First exposure team say that, “Each brand has been selected on the strength of its product, its promise to bring something new to the U.K. market, and its ability to create and innovate when it comes to marketing. Each label is in London to fly the flag of its hometown where it was born. From Nottingham to New York, Tokyo to Tehran, Helsinki to Houston.”

Lucky Londoners can be first in line to snap up some of these new designs at the temporary First Exposure Store, which has a selection of the 20 chosen brands on sale for the next two weeks through 20 July. For those of you further afield we will be posting some of our favorite finds here on CH, but first we have to shine the spotlight on First Exposure’s chosen music artist for their launch party. After the looking at the beautiful design work we were invited to dance to the smooth sounds of London soul/reggae singer Bobby Kray (pictured left). Keep an ear out for his debut album Tales From a Skinny White Boy, produced by reggae legend Dennis Bovell on V2 records, due for release in the U.K. at the end of August and in the meantime listen on his MySpace page.

First Exposure Store
3–4a Little Portland Street
London, W1W 8BU
tel. +44 (0) 207 907 7248

Workplace Co-operative 115

by Lost At E Minor

Creatives are known for occupying inspiring workspaces, however what happens when it's time to adopt the coveted freelancing lifestyle? Working from home sometimes doesn't cut it, no matter how tricked out your work area is.

Since 2002 Workplace Co-operative 115 in London has housed 16 artists and designers, working both autonomously and cooperatively. The open and minimalist design is conducive to cooperating and sharing ideas. In fact, many scientific research labs have followed suit to promote more collaboration between scientists. An open, co-working space like 115 is the ideal solution for freelancers; a home away from home packed with other like-minded independents ready to collaborate and share the working love.