Wallpaper

DEYAN SUDJIC Contributing Editor This month, we sent Sudjic, the director emeritus of London’s Design Museum, to the south of France, where a new building by Oscar Niemeyer was under construction (page 042). ‘Easter Saturday this year was special: a two-hour walk around the Château La Coste’s vineyards, and a circuit around the very nearly finished Niemeyer pavilion, followed by an outdoor lunch,’ explains the London-based writer, whose biography of Stalin’s architect, Boris Iofan, is out now. PEI-RU KEH US Editor Born in Singapore, Keh moved from London to New York in 2013 and is now Wallpaper’s US Editor. This month, she travelled to Nike’s campus in Portland to visit the new Serena Williams Building (page 064). ‘After three years of not travelling for work, flying to Portland was slightly surreal,’ she says. ‘Being able…

Few brands have shaped our understanding and appreciation of sport as much as Nike. The apparel behemoth marks its 50th anniversary this year, and reaffirms its innovative spirit with the unveiling of the Serena Williams Building in Portland, encompassing one million sq ft and bringing all its design, consumer insights and merchandising teams under one roof for the first time. As its chief design officer John Hoke describes, it’s a ‘once-in-a-generation project, to build an environment that leverages design to spark creativity and craftsmanship at the next level’. This issue includes a ten-page exclusive reveal, courtesy of photographer Mahmoud Mfinanga and our US editor Pei-Ru Keh, which also shines a light on the brand’s pioneering approach to inclusive design. We are equally proud to present a tour of Balenciaga’s freshly unveiled…

Utility and elegance meet in this season’s optical offerings, primed for open-road adventure and dress up alike. Wide-angle frames, high-shine lenses and contemporary riffs on the classic aviator provide a tough shield of protection against the glare of summer sun, while sleek profiles and subtle decorative flourishes ensure they remain compatible with glamorous apparel. A plethora of designers captured this fusion of defence and dazzle – from Fendi’s and Akoni’s sleek, white-rimmed frames (cat’s eye and a gently-curved wraparound respectively) to squared-off styles from Cutler and Gross and Serengeti, which conjure up a feeling of nostalgic, understated glamour. Elsewhere, Lindberg, Celine, Gucci and Louis Vuitton each played on the aviator, which they elevated and modernised for the season with glossy metal hardware, mirrored lenses and blown-up, face-covering silhouettes.…

‘Architecture is a little like music,’ says architect Frank Maali. ‘You compose. You try things and twist things to get a feel for what’s right.’ Maali is talking about the design for Vipp Garage, the latest addition to the Danish brand’s HQ in the Copenhagen neighbourhood of Islands Brygge. This campus of low, converted former industrial structures were all created by Maali and Gemma Lalanda (who set up their joint studio in 1998 and started collaborating with Vipp in 2004) at different points in time. ‘The garage was the last structure on the site left to develop,’ says Vipp CEO Kasper Egelund. ‘Six years ago, the architects made a proposal for it and we got the approval from the planning authorities.’ However, construction plans stalled as Egelund didn’t want to disturb…

Swimwear label Vilebrequin has an illustrious history of creative collaboration. Its latest partnership sees it team up with art publisher JRP Editions on an artists’ collection, with contributions from the likes of Kenny Scharf, Mickalene Thomas and John M Armleder. One of Armleder’s signature ‘pour’ paintings appears on swim shorts, shirt and a bag – created by splashing paint onto the canvas at random, they capture a sense of carefree abandon, offering an apt visual metaphor for Vilebrequin’s own approach, rooted in feelings of joy and letting go. vilebrequin.com, jrp-editions.com…

After 13 years of spotlighting the best in emerging design, editorial platform Sight Unseen launched its inaugural line of furniture during New York Design Week in May. Produced in collaboration with Bestcase, a furniture company that specialises in sheet metal production, the five-piece collection showcases the talents of a global mix of designers, commissioned by Sight Unseen founders Jill Singer and Monica Khemsurov. The striking collection includes a Roman curule-esque chair in rolled aluminium and a mirror-polished screen, both by Bestcase founder Charles Constantine, a statuesque mirror by the New York-based Home Studios, a bar cart with a milky, candy-like resin handle by the Nova Scotia-based Studio Anansi, and a pair of glass-topped tables by the Swiss duo Thévoz-Choquet. ‘The pieces are chic, formally and conceptually uncomplicated, and have a…