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A long time ago, Raven was pure white, like fresh snow in winter. This was so long ago that the only light came from campfires, because a greedy chief kept the stars, moon, and sun locked up in elaborately carved boxes. Determined to free them, the shape-shifting Raven resourcefully transformed himself into the chief’s baby grandson and cleverly tricked him into opening the boxes and releasing the starlight and moonlight. Though tired of being stuck in human form, Raven maintained his disguise until he got the chief to open the box with the sun and flood the world with daylight, at which point he gleefully transformed himself back into a raven. When the furious chief locked him in the house, Raven was forced to escape through the small smokehole at the top – and that’s why ravens are now black as smoke instead of white as snow.
This engaging Tlingit story is brought to life in painterly illustrations that convey a sense of the traditional life of the Northwest Coast peoples. Created with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Tales of the People is a series of children’s books celebrating Native American culture with illustrations and stories by Indian artists and writers. In addition to the tales themselves, each book also offers four pages filled with information and photographs exploring various aspects of Native culture, including a glossary of words in different Indian languages.

Professional design has never been as important and par for the course as today. Pioneering and exceptional design achievements are at the centre of Focus Open 2020, one of the most renowned German design competitions with an international orientation. For many years, the competition has been an exclusive platform for companies and professional designers from all around the world – from industrial heavyweights to small companies.

The yearbook presents all the prize-winning products of 2020. The award winners come from, for example, the sectors of investment goods, healthcare, bathrooms, kitchens, interiors, lifestyle, lighting, consumer electronics, leisure, building technology, public design, mobility, service design and materials and surfaces. Focus Open, the state prize of the Baden-Württemberg state, shows what is state-of-the-art in terms of design, innovation and sustainability.

Text in English and German.

Höweler + Yoon Architecture, founded in 2001 and based in Boston, gained early praise for ephemeral and interactive public projects and is recognised today for striking works that combine conceptual speculation and technological sophistication. The firm’s impressive body of work has expanded the scope of design beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries and has won them numerous national and international awards. Verify in Field is Höweler + Yoon Architecture’s second book. Its title derives from a notational convention on architectural drawings to indicate that the information is subject to unknown conditions in the field. The book highlights verification as an intergral part of the design process and demonstrates it as a productive tool to test ideas and act on the world. For both disciplinary and contractual reasons, the instruments of design – drawings, models, and prototypes – operate on the world at a distance. Techniques of prototyping, measurement, feedback, negotiation, and intervention inform the diverse output of the studio. Verify in Field features recent designs by Höweler + Yoon architecture, including such projects as the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia; a floating outdoor classroom in Philadelphia; the MIT Museum; and a pedestrian bridge in Shanghai’s Expo Park. The book also examines the discipline’s pressing questions, as they relate to verification, uncertainty, and design agency, in a series of essays by Eric Höweler and J. Meejin Yoon on topics that include means and methods, the public realm, energy and environments, the construction detail, and social media. These themes are echoed in conversations with collaborators, historians, and theorists: Adam Greenfield, Nader Tehrani, Kate Orff, Daniel Barber, and Ana Miljacki.

Created with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Tales of the People is a series of children’s books celebrating Native American culture with illustrations and stories by Indian artists and writers. In addition to the tales themselves, each book also offers four pages filled with information and photographs exploring various aspects of Native culture, including a glossary of words in different Indian languages.

With its bright, stylised illustrations and distinctive Native voice, this appealing book gives a vivid sense of stepping into another culture. It chronicles one important day seen through the eyes of a young Hopi girl named Sihumana, or “Flower Maiden,” who is a member of the Rabbit Clan and winningly portrayed as a rabbit. After going with her grandfather to greet the sun and bless the day, Sihumana travels with family to another village to take part in the traditional Butterfly Dance, performed late each summer in order to bring rain to the dry lands of the Southwest. The tale ends happily with the sound of rain on the roof and the promise of butterflies in the days to come. Created with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Tales of the People is a series of children’s books celebrating Native American culture with illustrations and stories by Indian artists and writers. In addition to the tales themselves, each book also offers four pages filled with information and photographs exploring various aspects of Native culture, including a glossary of words in different Indian languages.

Many of Krasner’s male colleagues – including her husband, Jackson Pollock – developed a unique “signature” style that identified them throughout their careers. Krasner, however, experimented with one style after another, from her early geometric abstractions (created while she was one of Hans Hofmann’s most talented students), through her large-scale organic images of mid-career, to the hard-edge compositions of her late years. Certain elements recur throughout – most notably, her distinctive sense of colour, her affinity for swelling forms inspired by nature, and her fearlessness in experimenting with new techniques.

Krasner’s unwillingness to stick to one style, her readiness to put her career aside to focus on Pollock’s, and her feuds with some of the period’s most powerful critics all reduced her visibility in the art world. She has been the subject of exhibition catalogs, but this is the first monograph devoted to her work, and it brings to light all the intriguing complexities of her approach to making art. Dr. Robert Hobbs skillfully explores the twists and turns of her career, offering new information and insight about one of the most intriguing painters of the postwar era.

About the Modern Masters series:
With informative, enjoyable texts and over 100 illustrations – approximately 48 in full colour – this innovative series offers a fresh look at the most creative and influential artists of the postwar era. The authors are highly respected art historians and critics chosen for their ability to think clearly and write well. Each handsomely designed volume presents a thorough survey of the artist’s life and work, as well as statements by the artist, an illustrated chapter on technique, a chronology, lists of exhibitions and public collections, an annotated bibliography, and an index. Every art lover, from the casual museumgoer to the serious student, teacher, critic, or curator, will be eager to collect these Modern Masters. And with such a low price, they can afford to collect them all.

Complements is a gem, an intimate book to be savoured on first readings and held near as a resource on what is meaningful. It contains 110 luscious photos of small objects juxtaposed in ways that evoke emotions, thoughts, questions, and remembrance of beauty. The photographs tell stories, make wry jokes, and allude to the larger realities of the esoteric. As complements, the objects are more than the sum of their parts.  

A sentence or two of text accompanies each photograph, creating storylines that draw the viewer into the world of the objects as strongly as if the objects were human, except their not being human allows the viewer a purer sense of the message of their story. David Hume Kennerly, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, says in the foreword, “The narrative and pictures reunite twins separated at birth.” The photographs pull the viewer in with their emotional content, then ask the viewer to step back for another look — to both feel and think, to understand truths beyond words.

Complements is a gem, an intimate book to be savoured on first readings and held near as a resource on what is meaningful. It contains 110 luscious photos of small objects juxtaposed in ways that evoke emotions, thoughts, questions, and remembrance of beauty. The photographs tell stories, make wry jokes, and allude to the larger realities of the esoteric. As complements, the objects are more than the sum of their parts. A sentence or two of text accompanies each photograph, creating storylines that draw the viewer into the world of the objects as strongly as if the objects were human, except their not being human allows the viewer a purer sense of the message of their story. David Hume Kennerly, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, says in the foreword, “The narrative and pictures reunite twins separated at birth.” The photographs pull the viewer in with their emotional content, then ask the viewer to step back for another look—to both feel and think, to understand truths beyond words.

More book information can be found at: www.complementsthebook.com

“Understanding Jewellery is a love letter to glorious pieces from the last hundred years.” —M. J. Rose, The Adventurine

“An enjoyably scholarly romp through the past and a feast for the eyes for the novice and the consummate jewelry fan and collector.”Beth Bernstein, Forbes

“A must-have coffee table book for jewellery aficionados…”Elisa Vallata, Departures International

“As with stocks, education is the way to begin. There are many excellent books on the jewelry market, but start with Understanding Jewellery, the industry bible by two former Sotheby’s jewelry executives, David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti.”Bloomberg

“Speaking of classic books, one that I recommend to friends who want a readable, educational and beautifully illustrated book about antique and vintage jewelry is Understanding Jewellery, by David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti…” — Instore
Understanding Jewellery
, by authors David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti, is often described as the must-have jewellery book of our time – a ‘Bible’ in the jewellery trade. First published in 1989, it has remained in print ever since, amassing a loyal following of devotees who admire its detailed information and stunning imagery.
In this new work, Bennett and Mascetti have taken the original concept of Understanding Jewellery a stage further. Now, with the benefit of 20 years of hindsight, they have concentrated on the 20th century alone by conducting a detailed survey of each decade, identifying the key players, trends and movements. The book is an encyclopedic history of the various forms, techniques and materials employed by the companies and individuals who defined jewellery in the 20th century.
Most significantly, this book includes a new set of photographs, which make Understanding Jewellery: The Twentieth Century one of the most dazzling, absorbing and varied collections of jewellery images ever assembled in a book. This large format hardback volume is a perfect gift for all lovers of jewellery and the definitive guide for those who desire a deeper understanding of the subject. 

Berlin has proved to be an active stage for all the most important social transformations since the 20th century, marking a blurred boundary between Baroque and contemporary, within which fervent cultural and intellectual seasons, plans for massive industrialisation, World Wars, the establishment of schools of architecture and modern thought destined to make history have taken hold. A veritable laboratory of urban planning and architecture in continuous evolution, which still today constitutes a composite landscape of experiments in social urban planning, of mending the urban fabric between east and west, of places of representation of ministries, embassies and parliament between the Tiergarten and the Spree, of redesigning public space according to the model of critical reconstruction as can be seen at Bundeshauptsadt, Postdamer Platz and Friedrichstadt to which the major exponents of international modern architecture have contributed, and of building a cultural planning whose highest expression is the Museum Island, the most famous museum complex in the world.

Fallingwater is the most famous modern house in America. Indeed, readers of the Journal of the American Institute of Architects voted it the best American building of the last 125 years! Annually, more than 128,000 visitors seek out Fallingwater in its remote mountain site in southwestern Pennsylvania. Considered Frank Lloyd Wright’s domestic masterpiece, the house is recognised worldwide as the paradigm of organic architecture, where a building becomes an integral part of its natural setting.

This charming and provocative book is the work of the man best qualified to undertake it, who was both apprentice to Wright and son of the man who commissioned the house. Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., closely followed the planning and construction of Fallingwater, and lived in the house on weekends and vacations for 27 years-until, following the deaths of his parents, he gave the house in 1963 to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to hold for public enjoyment and appreciation.

This is a personal, almost intimate record of one man’s 50-year relationship to a work of genius that only gradually revealed its complexities and originality. With full appreciation of the intentions of both architect and client, Mr. Kaufmann described this remarkable building in detail, telling of its extraordinary virtues but not failing to reveal its faults. One section of the book focuses on the realities of Fallingwater as architecture. A famous building right from its beginnings (only partly because it was Wright’s first significant commission in more than a decade), Fallingwater has accumulated considerable publicity and analysis-much of it off the mark. Mr. Kaufmann outlined and dealt with the common misunderstandings that have obscured the building’s true values and supplied accurate information and interpretations. In another section Mr. Kaufmann provided an in-depth essay on the subtleties of Fallingwater, the ideology underlying its esthetics. A key element of this is the close interweaving of the house and its rugged, challenging setting, which he explicated in fascinating detail.

The author maintained throughout the direct approach of one who knew and loved Fallingwater. As an apprentice and loyal admirer of the architect, Mr. Kaufmann was well attuned to the architecture. And as a retired professor of architectural history and frequent lecturer and panelist, he had considerable experience in presenting and interpreting Wright’s ideas. Thoroughly versed in the books, articles, drawings, and buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright, Mr. Kaufmann was eminently situated to place Fallingwater in that context. This unique record was presented in celebration of Fallingwater’s 50th anniversary.

Special features of this volume include: numerous never-before published photographs of the house under construction, during its entire history, and of the family in residence; a room-by-room pictorial survey in full colour taken especially for this volume; isometric architectural perspectives that explain visually how the house was constructed; and the first accurate, measured plans of the house as built.

Pacific Legacy offers an unprecedented record of the relics of World War II that have survived on the islands of the Pacific: American landing craft rusting on the reefs where they were stopped by enemy fire; shell-pocked Japanese fortifications; fallen aircraft overgrown by jungle; packed-coral landing strips still as good as new. These evocative colour images are paired with archival photographs that show the same tropical battlegrounds as they appeared in wartime.The text covers the entire war in the Pacific, from the attack on Pearl Harbour to Japan’s surrender in Tokyo Bay. The principal battles are recounted hour-by-hour, drawing heavily on firsthand accounts. This vivid narrative helps the reader visualise what it was really like to be at war in the Pacific, doggedly island-hopping to victory.

John Ruskin assembled 1470 diverse works of art for use in the Drawing School he founded at Oxford in 1871.  They included drawings by himself and other artists, prints and photographs. This book focuses on highlights of works produced by Ruskin himself. Drawings by John Ruskin are uniquely interesting.  Unlike those of a professional artist they were not made in preparation for finished paintings or as works in their own right.  Every one – and they number several thousand, depending on what can be considered a separate drawing – is a record of something seen, initially as a memorandum of that observation but with the potential to illustrate his writings or for educational purposes, notably to form part of the teaching collection of the Drawing School he established after election as Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University. In addition, because of the range of interests of arguably the only true polymath of his time, every drawing touches on some interesting aspect of art and architecture, landscape and travel, botany and natural history, often connected with his writings and lectures.  Ruskin’s life is one of the best documented of any in the 19th century, through letters, diaries and the many autobiographical revelations in his published writings: this allows the opportunity to give almost any drawing a level of context impossible for any other artist.  When there is so much background information, a single drawing reveals much about its creator, and becomes a window into the great sprawling edifice of his life and work.

The perfect guide for those who want to explore a different, trendy side of Berlin. Photographer Silvie Bonne presents 100 scenic, impressive and ‘Instagrammable’ spots in Berlin. Some are classics but most are hidden gems only locals know about. Every hotspot is accompanied by a fascinating background story, some fun facts, and practical information. The true eyecatchers are of course the original Instagram images, along with some expert tips and trips on how to shoot them.

Also available:
NYC Guide for Instagrammers ISBN 9789460582264

The book explains the development history of experimenta in the context of the educational institutions Science Center, Planetarium and Schülerlabore (Educational Laboratories). In addition, the contentual and methodological-didactic concept is conveyed clearly. The volume is rounded off with further information about the architectural design concepts of the two experimenta buildings: the repurposed historical Hagenbucher warehouse and the spectacular glass and steel new building by Sauerbruch Hutton.

Plants change working environments, adding a touch of nature and style and improving the indoor climate. Through their form, colour and type of growth, they represent a living design material. Whether it is in an open-plan office, co-working space or employee lounge, their positive effect on people is visible and tangible. This book is targeted towards those who want to integrate plants into their spatial concepts. With current examples of greenterior design, artistic plant constellations and insights into the design of plant pots, along with background knowledge from exemplary projects and interior architecture with botany.

In a world in which information is disseminated in no time across the globe via digital highways, the built and tarred roads appear as historical relics of a bygone era. What do roads tell us of the civilisation of those who constructed them? A road is a symbol of movement and progress, but also of flight and escape. It evokes dreams and projects an alternative, better life. Movement on a road signifies prosperity, development, and liberty in a democratised world.
This book explores the basic principles of human thinking and acting that underlie the concept of the road, both from the vantage point of the history of ideas and in terms of its gradual transformation on a virtual level. The artists represented in the exhibition use photography and video to investigate the motif of the road and its relevance to the pressing challenges of our society, such as the issue of migrants and refugees, the global ecological impact of a mobile society, or the fact that all of us are becoming the object of omnipresent video surveillance, especially on roads and highways.
Artists: Sue Barr, Thomas Bayrle, Julius Brauckmann, James Bridle, Ingrid Burrington, Emma Charles, Frauke Dannert, Hans Gremmen, Uschi Huber, Taiyo Onorato & Nico Krebs, Catherine Opie, Kathy Prendergast, Hans-Christian Schink, Henrik Spohler, Katja Stuke & Oliver Sieber, Clement Valla, Mels Van Zutphen.
Text in English and German.

This book was published as part of the Glass in MAS project, a multidisciplinary research project on the glass collection of the MAS collection Vleeshuis (Antwerp, Belgium).

Never before has the collection of archaeological glass of the MAS Vleeshuis Collection in Antwerp been described and disclosed in its entirety. This hidden treasure is part of a valuable study collection on 20 centuries of glass production, a wealth of information that has remained underexposed. The archaeological part is presented for the first time in this extensive catalogue.

Prodigies, revolutionaries, defiers of the patriarchy; drunks, rebels and impassioned immigrants; queer pioneers, paint-spattered punks and proto-feminists: there have always been artists in London. Some were celebrated in their lifetime, others were out-of-step with the spirit of their age: too radical, too subversive, too modest, too female, too foreign.
Art London is more than a guidebook. It will accompany you on a journey through this great city, telling stories, uncovering histories, sharing insights into those who have made, collected and influenced art past and present. Moving neighbourhood by neighbourhood, Art London travels the streets with you, revealing art in museums, galleries and beyond, from palace to pub to studio.
Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry, Mona Hatoum, John Akomfra, Rasheed Araeen, Sunil Gupta, Tracey Emin and Yinka Shonibare were among the artists who agreed to have their portraits taken for this book, while at work in their studios. Alex Schneiderman’s exclusive photographs reveal the human element behind contemporary art, while pictures of streetside galleries place London’s art scene within an ever-expanding cosmopolitan world.
Fascinating, entertaining, full of anecdote and insights, Art London reflects the city itself: energetic, diverse, resilient, occasionally outrageous, and never short of fresh ideas.
Also in the series:
Vinyl London ISBN 9781788840156
Rock ‘n’ Roll London ISBN 9781788840163
London Peculiars ISBN 9781851499182

“Any man that loves Bond will love to get this amazing book in their life.” Men’s Journal

“A great coffee table book filled with amazing photos of everyone’s favourite spy.” – Tom Lorenzo, Men’s Journal

“No fan of 007 will want to miss this coffee-table album…” – Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

“Shy, lascivious, self-confident or sometimes completely private – O’Neill always knows. The photographs are all very aesthetic, somehow magical and an absolute must for all Bond fans.”Lovely Books Germany
Terry O’Neill was given his first chance to photograph Sean Connery as James Bond in the film Goldfinger. From that moment, O’Neill’s association with Bond was made: an enduring legacy that has carried through to the era of Daniel Craig. It was O’Neill who captured gritty and roguish pictures of Connery on set, and it was O’Neill who framed the super-suave Roger Moore in Live and Let Die. His images of Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore are also important, celebrating the vital role of women in the James Bond world. But it is Terry O’Neill’s casual, on-set photographs of a mischievous Connery walking around the casinos of Las Vegas or Roger Moore dancing on a bed with co-star Madeline Smith that show the other side of the world’s most recognisable spy.

Terry O’Neill opens his archive to give readers – and viewers – the chance to enter the dazzling world of James Bond. Lavish colour and black and white images are complemented by insights from O’Neill, alongside a series of original essays on the world of James Bond by BAFTA-longlisted film writer, James Clarke; and newly conducted interviews with a number of actors featured in O’Neill’s photographs.

This book presents the designs for bookplates and badges by the English Arts and Crafts designer and architect, C.F.A. Voysey, (1857-1941). Perhaps the most recognised and influential designer of his age, Voysey designed over one hundred bookplates, badges and greetings cards. The focus of the book is the collection of these designs from Voysey’s own personal archive. Only a very few of these designs have been published to date, and never as a completed collection.
Beautiful to look at and full of interesting symbolism, each design encapsulates the spirit and underlying principles which informed every aspect of Voysey’s architecture and decorative design. They also form the centrepiece of a beautifully illustrated tale about the life and work of Voysey, touching on his personality, interests, relationship with family and clients, and his central role as designer of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Designer British Silver explores the designer-silversmiths who have shaped British silver from the 1950s through to the present day. Covering a complete generation of craftsmen and women, and featuring one-to-one interviews with key figures, the book reveals the people and forces behind the post-war renaissance that made Britain a centre of excellence for designer makers in silver.

The fifty leading figures are covered in depth, from Malcolm Appleby to John Willmin. Detailed insight is provided on the lives and works of each maker, alongside lavish illustrations and extended captions telling the story of every remarkable piece of silver. Designer British Silver also includes a fascinating overview of the post-war revival of British silver, a section on where to view designer British silver and additional listings of designers, craftsmen, silver manufacturers and engravers.

Contents: Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Foreword; Introduction; The Work and Lives of the Leading Designer-Silversmiths; Listing of Designers, Craftsmen, Silver Manufacturers and Engravers; Where to see Designer British Silver; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

Milton H. Greene (1922-1985), famous for his fashion photography and celebrity portraits from the golden age of Hollywood, met Marilyn Monroe on a photo shoot for Look magazine in 1953. The pair developed an instant rapport, quickly becoming close friends and ultimately business partners. In 1954, after helping her get out of her studio contract with 20th Century Fox, they created Marilyn Monroe Productions, Inc. Milton and Marilyn were much more then business partners, Marilyn became a part of the Greene family. By the time their relationship had ended in 1957, the pair had produced two feature films, in addition to more than 5,000 photographs of the iconic beauty. There was magic in Milton and Marilyn’s working relationship. The trust and confidence they had in each other’s capabilities was on full display in each photo. Greene passed in 1985, thinking his life’s work was succumbing to the ravages of time. His eldest son, Joshua, began a journey to meticulously restore his father’s legacy. A photographer himself, Joshua spent years researching ways to restore his father’s photographs as well as cataloging and promoting Milton’s vast body of work all over the world. As a result, Joshua established “The Archives,” a company committed to the restoration and preservation of photography. After spending nearly two decades restoring his father’s archive, Joshua Greene and his company are widely regarded as one of the leaders in photographic restoration and have been at the forefront of the digital imaging and large-format printing revolution.
Now Joshua Greene, in conjunction with Iconic Images, presents The Essential Marilyn Monroe: Milton H. Greene, 50 Sessions. With 280 photographs, including newly scanned and restored classics, as well as images that have appeared only once in publication, Greene’s Marilyn Monroe archive can finally be viewed as it was originally intended when these pictures were first produced more than 60 years ago. These classic sessions – 50 in all – cover Monroe at the height of her astonishing beauty and meteoric fame. From film-sets to the bedroom, at home and at play, Joshua has curated a lasting tribute to the work of a great photographer and his greatest muse. Poignant and powerful, joyful and stunning – these breathtaking images of an icon stand above all the rest. The Essential Marilyn Monroe: Milton H. Greene, 50 Sessions is sure to be a book that will become the platinum standard in photography monographs.
“Ed’s photos take us behind the scenes and in the middle of the action. I always felt like I was being transported to the location of the shot, and was experiencing it all first hand. The Stooges Funhouse sessions are my favorite rock photos of all time. I wanted to be those guys. Those images have stayed with me my entire life and continue to inspire me to this day !!!!!” – John Varvatos
In May 1970, The Stooges were in the middle of recording their celebrated album, Fun House at Elektra Records Recording Studio in Los Angeles. That same month, they appeared at the Whisky a Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard for two incredible nights. Ed Caraeff, a new rock photographer who had burst onto the scene three years prior with his now-iconic image of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar onstage at Monterey, happened to be in that crowd, and took a plethora of wonderful pictures. Only a few stills from that phenomenal gig were ever reproduced. Most famously, one was used on the cover of Fun House. The rest were filed away. Until now. Ed Caraeff’s coverage of this monumental moment is reprinted here for the first time in book form. He not only captures the energy, madness and raw power of Iggy Pop’s performance, but also the preceding minutes before the band stepped onto stage and made history.
Along with images and contact sheets, original interviews shed new light on that unforgettable night. Interviewed by pop-culture historian Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, names include Jac Holzman, Head of Elektra Records during the recording of Fun House; Mikael Maglieri, son of Mario Maglieri, owner of the Whisky a Go-Go when The Stooges played in 1970; Danny Fields, a DJ/publicist credited for signing MC5 and The Stooges; and Jeff Gold, music historian and noted Iggy Pop biographer. A tribute to the band that rocked the world, Iggy & The Stooges: One Night at the Whisky, 1970 will revolutionise your view of music.
In 1970, the young Japanese designer Kenzo Takada opened his first boutique, Jungle Jap, in Paris and revolutionised the fashion world. His colourful, ethnic, and nomadic- influenced collections, made with luxurious and vibrantly patterned textiles, tweaked the conventions of haute couture while maintaining the quality of traditional European clothing houses. He was influenced by Parisian fashion and Japanese kimonos, boldly mixing colours and prints, cuts and materials. His vibrant palette and pattern combinations were joyful and whimsical, and very different from the subtle tailoring of the traditional Paris couturier. In his inspired blend of the opulent and the exotic, he developed a signature style and found early success.
With stunning photography, and over 300 sketches from Kenzo’s private collection, this book traces more than forty years of his creative output. It includes photographs from his high-energy runway shows, in addition to personal photographs, and a behind-the-scene look at the creation of a spectacular wedding dress, opening a window on the creative process and capturing Kenzo’s energy, vision, and presence. Superbly illustrated throughout with pencilled and hand coloured sketches, swatched drawings, and previously unpublished archival photographs, the authors explore Kenzo’s career, tracing the evolution of his cult label in a look-book of visual exuberance.