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A juicy fact
The concept is originally from Denmark -where the main office is also located- but I’ve discovered Joe & the Juice in London, and there are two more opening in Germany soon.
They actually sell more than juice. Coffee and sandwiches are on the menu as well, and some of the new stores are now divided with coffee on the top floor and the juices on the lower level, but the smoothies and vitamin boosted juice-mixes are still the main attraction it all started with.
Founder Kaspar Basse used to be an elite athlete who was inspired by the succesful concept of Starbucks, and took on the mission to create a place where the surrounding was equally important to the freshness and quality of the products. Employees of Joe & the Juice can even go to the juicer academy to follow courses and become a professional juicer! Like barrista’s are trained to make coffee.
What attracted me to set foot at Joe & the Juice was the cozy athmosphere. After running around all morning in London, I felt like sitting on a sofa in a living room with my newspaper and healthy juice, and that’s exactly what I got. Another added value is that the juicers –mostly guys I’ve noticed- seem to have been selected for their good looks. Handsome hipsters with funky hairdos and ripped jeans.
Joe & the juice has a wide range of juices one can choose from; fruit and vegetables can also be mixed together, always containing at least three flavours. The names are quite relevant to different moods or physical states. What about a freshly squeezed Pick me Up (raspberries, banana, apple), Hangover Heaven (elderflower, apple & mint), Hell of a Nerve (a smoothie with strawberry, elderflower and banana) Iron Man (strawberry, kiwi & apple) or Energizer (red grapefruit, apple and ginger)? The vegatarians amongst will be delighted with The Veggie Focus; mixing celery, carrot and apple.
It is a bit pricey though, but this unexpected oasis of calm in the middle of Oxford Street, made it my favourite hangout after a shopping spree at Topshop.
A list of Joe’s juicebars can be found here: http://joejuice.com/site/#/stores
The Villa of art & fashion
Located on top of a hill in the small town of Hyères an avantgardistic villa arises: Villa Noailles. It was built in the 1920’s by Robert Mallet-Stevens for Charles and Marie Laure de Noailles, – a couple that became patrons of modern art and counted Man Ray, Salvador Dalí and filmmaker Jean Cocteau amongst their friends. Ever since the owners passed away and the villa became property of the city of Hyères, it was used as an arts and special exhibits center. But foremost, these are the headquarters of the ‘27th International Festival of Fashion and Photography’ during three days; from April 27-30.
This festival has propulsed many talents in the fashion galaxy, even Viktor & Rolf have participated (and won) many years ago. It has showcased, more than 300 first-time collections by new fashion designers from all over the world and exhibited the works of over 130 young and innovative photographers.
The main goal of this festival is to introduce new talents and influencers to the fashion business in the shape of a parallel design and photography competition, but also as an inspirational platform with exhibitions and conferences. Although a lot of Dutch talents have been part of this, it seems it’s still a bit of a fashion incrowd event.
Nevertheless, it is a relevant fashion incrowd that attends the festival –and even presides the jury. All the big names in the fashion industry show up in the small town of Hyères, which is normally not a very exciting or booming place like other cities on the Côte d’Azur. This year no less than Yohji Yamamoto has been named as the jury president, and he will be assisted by Terry Jones from I-D and Paolo Roversi, just to name a few.
For those who can’t attend the festival, the exhibition –which also beholds work of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin- will be prolomgated a month after the festival. More information can be found on: www.villanoailles-hyeres.com
Photography of the designer’s work is by Ina Jang –winner of the 2011 photography prize
THE LAST CRUMB
While looking for “places you should go to”, I’m always trying to not think of the cool places set by the cool people, because often I feel ignorant when I start complimenting them, particularly when it’s about food. So this “hot spot” might not trigger you if you want entertainment translated in hip hats and shoes, indie music and in-your-face photography on the wall. If you’re thinking “why I am I looking at cute pictures of self-made bar stools, handwritten menu’s and half-empty shelves?”, let me try to tell you why.
.. ahum! .. Because in a world of copy-paste, we shouldn’t forget to appreciate the authentic and the genuine, I believe. The ones who not only don’t have to shout, because they’re just unpretentiously good, but as well don’t want to be shouting, because they are modest people. (And because of the shelves are just filled with fresh, home made products, there is no good reason for putting more on there.)
The only thing is, you have to know where they are, since they are often quiet and working too hard to be out and about.
Well, my idea was telling you now: In a small street, which you normally bike trough screaming and ringing at tourists wondering why you didn’t pick another way, you can find opposite the coffee shop Kadinsky this cute little breakfast slash lunchroom called “De laatste kruimel”. It’s in the center of Amsterdam, in a area where you often have a hard time finding any proper places to eat during the day. Run by a passionated couple Ivelina and Pavel, this place guaranties you a fresh break and contentment. I met them during a photo shoot for ELLE, when they brought our team the best lunch I’ve ever had on location, including fresh and refreshing juices. From sweet cakes to pot pies, brownies, soups and sandwiches, they make it all. With love for ingredients and your desire. So, for a quick healthy bite, you can visit them and fight for one of the few seats, or give them a call to order for bigger groups. You can Google-earth the address to see where they are exactly located. And to see if I’m right about the tourists. Njoy.
De Laatste Kruimel, Langebrugsteeg 4, Amsterdam. tel. 020-4230499
Open everyday from 08.00 – 20.00.
EYE
Amsterdam can now boast another wonderful attraction: the film museum, designed by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects in Vienna, has opened its doors in Amsterdam Noord. The building resembles a shining white oyster, standing proudly on the north bank of the River IJ.
Last week I had the chance to wander through the museum, an experience that I enjoyed immensely. Never before have I had such a strong sense of the beauty of a building and its surroundings.
Each of the spaces within the museum offers a different dimension, volume and experience. The “found footage, cinema exposed” exhibition, in which various artists have used archive material to give new meaning to old images, is stunning and inspiring.
This museum is the perfect place to experience the power of images in all their glory. The dark exhibition space, divided into different segments, is filled with carefully positioned screens. The arena – the space where everything comes together, on a series of steps leading to the riverbank – will serve as the restaurant.
Milene Hoving, co-owner of two other successful restaurants (Restaurant Amsterdam and Dauphine) will be running the show, so we can expect this to become a hot new destination for diners in Amsterdam Noord.
At the museum, you can have lots of fun making your own flip book. Simply do a twirl with your sweetheart, then you can buy a beautiful little book that records the moment in the museum shop.
Even the short crossing on the ferry to the north bank of the river is an experience in itself, allowing your anticipation to build ahead of your visit. Thanks to this splendid museum, Amsterdam has put itself back on the cultural map.
Designers Plus Ten Exhibition
Holon in Israel is the setting for an impressive overview exhibition which opened this week, featuring work by some 42 Israeli designers.
Inside the spectacular structure that is the Holon Design Museum – designed by Ron Arad – we find a crisp and clear exhibition with work by just some of the young talents Israel has to offer.
Among them a mix of every kind of design from comics to fashion, industrial products to textiles and typography. The exhibition shows at least two works by each designer, one from their graduation in 2000-2003, the other a recent project from the past year.
Although situated in the Middle-East, design-wise Israel would prefer to see itself as an extension of our North-Western aesthetic, focussing more on innovative use of materials and production methods than standalone craft. This is evident in the many product and industrial designers featured in the exhibition.
Among some of the stand-out designs are Yaron “Jewboy” Shin who as a graphic designer believes in beauty his materials. Designing, amongst others, posters for Pecha Kucha nights, he is a master of repetition, changing only a small detail in each of his editions to create a big effect.
Fashion design in Israel goes hand-in-hand with the designs of the outspoken duo Frau Blau (Helena Blaunstein & Philip Blau). Helena deals with the fashion side of things, the cuts, the shapes and the garments themselves while her partner Philip goes in search of ancient fabrics, buttons and interesting prints which he turns into digital prints for the fabrics. Although it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the enthusiasm and creativity behind the brand is absolutely irresistible.
Exhibited in the same room yet of a rather different aesthetic Jonathan Hopp’s recent work features a series of understated ceramics. The small, cream porcelain objects with black-and-white print are a beautiful ode to the city of Tel Aviv with its Bauhaus architecture and resemble buildings found around town.
To see just a glimpse of what Israeli design has to offer, the Design Museum Holon presents the Designers Plus Ten exhibition until 19 May 2012.
Creative hotspots Amsterdam – free lectures tips
The first lecture – in a series of six – of Spatial Experiences from BNI, about “redesignation” inspired me for writing this post. Evert Verhagen of Creative Cities spoke and showed a lot of examples about how important creativity is for the transformation of cities. Since 1994 he was project manager for the redevelopment of the Westergasfabriek. Through all kind of creative ideas he found investors for the Westergas area which was extremely polluted, and now has grown into an indispensable social place and incubator for cultural and creative Amsterdam. It has become a place for everyone.
The major changes these days are mostly effecting the cities. In the new economy, cities are the most important factors in growth and development. Creative economy calls for talent, development and connecting networks, meeting places, and giving aware wide space for creativity. This contributes to the charm of the city and therefore to the economic vitality and an active creative environment. www.creativecities.nl
The lecture was held at Pakhuis de Zwijger, also a creative hotspot in Amsterdam. Housed in a former refrigerated warehouse on the Piet Hein kade, Pakhuis de Zwijger is best known for the roads that runs through the building which connects the city with the Java-island.
That gathering of roads underneath the warehouse is a symbol of what Pakhuis de Zwijger is today; a crossroad of tradition and modernity, a meeting place of cultures and generations, melting point of disciplines and ideas, a venue of plans and practice. There are lots of lectures organized and most of the time the entrance is totally free!
The next Spatial Experiences lectures will take place on 24 May, 28 June, 13 September, 1 November and 13 December. There is a free entrance, register at secretariaat@bni.nl. The lectures last until 21h15, and after there is the opportunity to chat in the cafe while enjoying a drink offered by Delta Light®. Editors of Items and De Architect also use this platform to bring their magazines to life.
Besides that, there are regularly lectures organized about social media and gaming topics.
Check the agenda at www.dezwijger.nl.
Have your COTTONCAKE & eat it too.
Forget Parisian conceptstore juggernauts like Colette and Merci: The likes of the Frozen Fountain, Sprmrkt, Friday Next and OPTIONS! make sure Amsterdam is well stocked. Recently a new shop was added to this stellar line up of unconventional shops and an addition it certainly is: COTTONCAKE.
One with a knack for fashion and interior design, the other going mad over a perfect cappuccino: Both founders abandoned their academic backgrounds to persue their dream, a dream put in their own words:
“COTTONCAKE is our dream coming true. A dream that arose from a passion for traveling and discovering. For cappuccinos with perfect froth. For edgy, renewing brands. For fine, organic food. For the softest fabrics. For detail. For art. For Berlin, Melbourne, London and New York.”
Not only are the food products used sustainably produced and organic where possible, most of the food comes from local suppliers: Bread from BROOD, Olive oils from Foodelicious, Evermore Tea, meat from the local butcher and Two for Joy coffee beans roasted in Amsterdam. Not local per se, but wonderful nonetheless are the botanically brewed beverages by Fentimans from the UK. Just across the pond innit?
With fashion brands like MinkPink, One Teaspoon, by Zoe, Le Regard Mechant, mbyM, Beck Söndergaard, books by Taschen and accessories by P.A.P Sweden, Third Drawer Down, Made by Lennebelle and Mimi et Toi, there is no shortage of things to feast your eyes on, while your nose tries to convince you to stop waisting time and go straight for that slice of freshly baked walnut banana bread.
Damn him, Henrik Vibskov!
Yes, it has been said a lot about Henrik Vibskov. Most often described as multi-talented and multidisciplinary, he is multi-prominent and -present as well. Just recently, fellow blogger Nisse Benhaddaoui wrote about his collection. Without a question, Henrik Vibskov is a fashion designer, whereas he describes himself as “a tour guide in a kindergarten.” 18th-century English painter Thomas Gainsborough once famously said of his competitor Joshua Reynolds, “Damn him, how various he is!” 21st-century designer Henrik Vibskov could provoke similar bursts of envy among his own peers. While the multi-talented Dane is indeed best known for his eponymous fashion label, he is also a fine artist and a musician: he is the drummer of electronic band Trentemøller and exhibits worldwide in museums and galleries.
2012 is an important year for Henrik Vibskov: he celebrates the first decade of his career . Honoring his legacy, Gestalten will release a book documenting his work and playful mind. The according video by Gestalten TV is already on view. Both mainly focussing on his fashion, it is Cologne-based Ruttkowski;68 gallery that investigates his artwork. Namely Ruttkowski;68 Vibskovski;72, the current exhibition (April 13th – May 20th, 2012) is a retrospective. Next to early works, there are also new sculptures on view that Vibskov made exclusively for Ruttkowski;68.
A 2001 graduate of London’s renowned Central Saint Martins, Vibskov takes an individual approach when it comes to art. What initially appears childlike, spontaneous and carefree is in fact thoroughly elaborated. Vibskov expects his viewers to be jaded, self-aware and savvy, and his artworks question their prevailing assumptions. ‘Panda People,’ his 2009 work, shows the endangered animal as a cuddly creature, but it could also serve as a warning against their extinction, and possibly – as the title intimates – the end of mankind itself. Vibskov’s drawings and installations reveal mesmerizing universes and sets of logic. Going beyond postmodernism, they could even be classified as metamodernism.
Ruttkowski;68 Vibskovski;72
April 13th – May 20th, 2012
Gallery Ruttkowski,68
Bismarckstrasse 68
59672 Cologne
Germany
Iris van Herpen
Whilst the exhibition Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century in the Groninger Museum is counting its last days, the new show has just been put on display. Iris van Herpen is the first solo exhibition of the same-named Dutch fashion designer, who started her own fashion label in 2007.
As if the development of the career of 28-year-old Van Herpen was not remarkable enough, it is striking that there is already a retrospective of her work. Next to designs of her early days, the Groninger Musuem shows her recent works as well. The juxtaposition of the first collections such as Radiation Invasion and the very latest such as Capriole and Micro, consequently reveal her outstanding way of working.
Iris van Herpen, who graduated from ArtEZ Institute of the Arts and did an internship with Alexander McQueen, combines traditional craftsmanship with latest technical innovations. As heritage and in this vein craftsmanship play a major role in fashion today, her concept doesn’t sound that unique. What is distinctive though is her approach. She thinks out of the box and doesn’t shy away from renewals that have nothing to do with fashion design in the first place. This is why she makes use of laser cutting which has actually been invented for the autobmobile industry. Her designs are innovative, exceptional, still beautiful but unwearable in everyday life.
Is it this why there are more museums than shops carrying Iris van Herpen?
March 24th – September 29th, 2012
Groninger Museum
Museumeiland 1
9711 ME Groningen
www.groningermuseum.nl
www.irisvanherpen.com
The W-effect
Curtains opening with a push on the bedside button to reveal a blue, sunny sky would put a big, happy smile on my face every morning. Luckily I had the chance to experience that exact scene at the W hotel in Barcelona.
Being part of a chain of hotels, does not take away the fact that each W in the world offers a totally different ambiance. Even on the outside they are not alike. In the case of Barça’s W, it’s a like a big sail arising from the ground up. That was what the architect aimed to do, since the hotel was built at the time of the Olympics, and located on the Barceloneta boardwalk near the city port.
Overlooking the Mediterranean sea with a 26 storey building, the W also houses a design bar on the top floor, the Eclipse bar. From accidental hotel guests to local fashionistas barely standing on their Louboutins, a drink up on the 26th is an entertaining distraction. Not to mention the delicious cocktails created by a team of renowned mixologists, and the magnificent view of Barcelona by night.
Struck by the W-effect, I could have stayed in the hotel all day, lounging at the pool, getting pampered at the Bliss® Spa (the first in Spain), or enjoying a culinary delight at one of the restaurants, but then I would have missed out on all the other good things Barcelona has to offer (of which I will reveal more soon…).
W Barcelona
Placa de la Rosa dels Vents,
1 Final Passeig de Joan de Borbo
Barcelona, 08039 Spain
http://www.w-barcelona.com/
