founded in 2010, tuscany-based men's brand president's was created out of a passion for the authenticity and sturdiness of workwear. their mantra is 'less, but better' yet conceptually the brand is not concerned with trends but more focused on a paired down, curated approach to men's essentials. presidents effortlessly marries streetwear and practicality with fabrics and old world tailoring. the president's wardrobe is a tight edit of pieces that live and evolve with the wearer, maturing over time and allowing each collection to overlap well into the next. each piece is produced in small quantities in tuscany with traditional techniques and materials like italian wools, scottish shetlands and salvedged japanese denim. we caught up with guido biondi, the creative director and brains behind president's for a closer look into the brand's philosophy. 

what inspired you to start designing menswear and what was the initial vision behind president's? i get inspiration a lot from quality materials in addition to archived models we have gathered and put alot of research into fabrics and accessories. president's was born from the idea of creating a stylized mens wardrobe that combines sophisticated streetwear with classic contemporary, away from the trends that come and go.

growing up in italy, you must have been exposed to traditional mens crafting and tailoring, does this play a role in the brand? the sartorial aspect does, the tailoring and an eye for detail are the fundamental elements of president's. you can find this not only in the classic fit pieces, but also in the spirit of streetwear from which we also draw much inspiration.

who is president's customer and what is his general perspective? the president's client is a man who loves and knows quality fabrics, regardless of his age. he loves timeless clothing that's made with great workmanship and with material combinations that go beyond the obvious.

do seasonal trends influence the creation of each collection? president's is not a brand for "fashion victims", but more of a research of the classic with a hint of contemporary. by selecting high quality materials and top accessories, one goes much further than the concept of trends: it becomes a lifestyle.

in your opinion, what are the foundations of a good men's wardrobe? in the wardrobe of every man, in my opinion, one should find pieces that reflect the history of menswear: a blazer, a trench coat, jeans - made to perfection and with a flawless fit.

tell us about your creative process and what inspires your fabric and construction choices? my creative process starts always from historical clothing, recreating them by interacting with item-specific alternative materials or construction methods, giving birth to brand new classics, like the blazer made of harris tweed, made seamless by using thermo-welding. 

collaborations seem to be an integral part of the president's dna, what draws you to work with particular people and/or companies? the collaborations, for me, are very important, because they help the audience to understand the brand positioning and the direction it is moving in. i always choose unique products and brands with whom to create a more or less famous collaboration; whats important to me is the care and the workmanship that shines through.

can you tell us a bit about the current collection? in the new collection I have put together two different worlds that didn't previously have much to do with each other: the caribbean world characterized by colorful patterns and fine, light materials together with the world of workwear, that shines through from the seams and technical solutions of the pieces.

what's on the horizon for president's and how do you see the brand evolving? the primary goal of president's is to offer better done and authentic products. the brand's future holds the opening of a flagship store in which one can find president's clothing next to other, completely different but complimentary tuscany-made products. starting coming fall our collections will be available at sevenbell. it's a brand new online store that we'll be launching in september but you can already subscribe to our newsletter to be kept in the loop. it's in fact the only place where to snap up our pieces. well, next to the soto store in berlin. 

© supplies & co. -  we want it all...

an interesting little store has popped up at singapore's raffles hotel arcade that totally caters to the home décor requirements of the superfuture demographic. appropriately called supplies & co. it carries a tightly edited and specialised range of furniture pieces, homeware and accessories, all presented in a unique colonial architecture setting. with a focus on equal heritage and quality, the range of goods have been handcrafted by highly skilled individuals and meet all the needs of almost any space of your contemporary home. supplies & co. currently stocks timeless furniture pieces by stephen kenn and lostine, modern and functional accessories by maison martin margiela, turner & harper, stelton, steele canvas and architectmade. the range of goods is complemented by whimsical toys by miller goodman, scented candles by retaw, and sleek audio technologies by bang & olufsen. location: raffles hotel arcade, 328 north bridge road, shop 03-07 [city hall].

© supplies & co. - ...and you want it all too, right?

© wondereight - sleek new premises in south beirut

wondereight is a design and communication agency based in beirut. founded in 1999 by brothers boudy and walid nasrala, the company has since then expanded considerably, and has recently relocated to new premises in the city. now based on the southern edge of the lebanese capital, the modern digs not only better reflect wondereight's identity but also provides ample room to grow and to further boost creativity. next to new facilities such as a workshop area and a versatile training room - or e-room in wondereight lingo - there's also a small exhibition space inside the workshop area that's consequenty called workshop gallery. its inaugural show recently opened and is dubbed crisis practice. it presents a new generation of lebanese artists who were born during the civil war and who have completed their art studies abroad.

this condition obviously caused a rather crucial remoteness that has contributed to their artistic practice. the exhibition aims to show new trends, practices and attitudes within the lebanese contemporary art scene that don't represent images of war, but that are rather haunted by a buried malaise, reflection of an unstable history. simultaneously, the artworks on display possess a conceptually autonomous presence that harbours a critical and political approach: a diary of absence, an impossible itinerary and an accumulation of preoccupations pervaded by a poetic disorder [on through sep 6]. the participating artists are caline aoun, charbel-joseph h. boutros, pascal hachem, paul hage boutros, stéphanie saadé and walid nasrala himself. location: w8 building, mansourieh industrial road [jisr el bacha].

© wondereight / walid nasrala - spotless - cardboard, metal clips, nylon wire, spotlight + stéphanie saadé - nostalgic geography - laser-cut stainless steel, print on paper

© galeries lafayette jakarta - beckoning shoppers from afar at pacific place mall

jakarta's retail landscape has been void of a diversity in quality brands for a long time, lagging far behind many of asia's leaading cities. those who could afford it would hop on a plane to singapore, hong kong or even further away to stock up on the very latest trophy items. but the tide is slowly turning. after a previous upswing in luxury retail, expansion was hampered by global recession in 2008. but indonesia's economy is once again steaming ahead and has seen unprecedented growth rates these past few years. now hailed by experts as southeast asia's biggest luxury goods market to be, foreign brands are eager to open up shop, allowing the indonesian capital to make up for lost time, and in a big, big way. indicative of this trend is the recent galeries lafayette opening, a joint-venture between the famed parisian department store and leading local retailer mitra adiperkasa.

located at pacific place, arguably the city's swankiest mall, the store occupies a multi-storey space of over 12,000 sqm. [134,549 sq.ft.]. the store design is conceptualized around the theme one day in paris, and has obviously taken cues from the iconic dome of the galeries lafayette store in paris and various elements inherent of the french capital. the ground floor presents the store's beauty section with various branded cosmetics and frangrance counters. the selection also includes exclusive niche brands, and there's also a multibrand boutique for men. the first and second floors present a myriad of women's apparel collections, lingerie and once again shoes. on the third floor the men's domain is situated, featuring a great variety of leisure menswear and shoes.

the new galeries lafayette store aims to be a one-stop shop for the city's fashion-savvy community, offering no less than 330 top brands of which quite a few are exclusive to the store. the fashion brand list includes coveted names such as vanessa bruno, stella mccartney, sonia by sonia rykiel, mcq by alexander mcqueen and marc by marc jacobs for women, and façonnable, ben sherman, zadig & voltaire, new balance and brooks brothers for men. complementing the the range of goods are the handy services of an in-house fashion advisor and a tailor. and while you're out there power-shopping, the department store boasts no less than four restaurants, each with a distinct gourmet menu, and where you can recharge on a wide variety of tasty bites and drinks for your next session. location: pacific place, jalan sudirman 52-53, ground floor [senayan].

© galeries lafayette jakarta - packed to the guild with top brands, the store's liberté restaurant [top to bottom]

© james turrell - rendering for aten reign [2013] - site-specific installation at the guggenheim museum, new york city

while a retrospective of his work is currently held in los angeles, american artist james turrell now also gains the limelight with a show on the u.s. east coast. opening fri - jun 21 at the guggenheim museum in new york is a show which focuses on the turrell’s groundbreaking explorations of perception, light, colour, and space, and with a special focus on the role of site-specificity in his practice. this is the artist's first show in the city since 1980, and one that makes wonderful use of the museum's iconic structure.

at the very core of the show is aten reign [2013], a major new project that recasts the museum's rotunda as an enormous volume filled with shifting artificial and natural light. the installation reimagines frank lloyd wright’s architecture as one of turrell’s skyspaces, referencing in particular his ongoing project and magnum opus, roden crater. additionally, other works from throughout the artist’s career will be displayed in the museum’s annex level galleries, offering a complement and counterpoint to the new work in the rotunda. location: 1071 fifth avenue [upper east north].

© james turrell - rendering for aten reign [2013] and afrum i (white) [1967] - photo: david heald

© above second - asia's biggest street art exhibition

when it comes to urban art in hong kong, savvy little above second gallery is the place to be. it shouldn't come as a surprise that they were asked to organize a show that's presented by swire properties, and held smack in the middle of their massive taikoo place office block. called work in progress and with the aid of a group of artists rallyed by the hong kong youth arts foundation, the exhibition spans the loading bay and 13th floor of a defunct office space and is one of the biggest street art showcases ever to be held in asia. playful and inspiring, it presents a cool mix of old and new school techniques and expresses a wide range of international perspectives and styles, and additionally hopes to change the perspective of individuals about the artistic credibility of street art. participating artists include rone, meggs, beastman and cyrcle [on through jul 7]. location: somerset house, 979 king's road, 13th floor [quarry bay].

© above second - show pieces, artists and organizers, opening party [top to bottom]

© burberry - the burberry prorsum s/s 2014 men's collection show in london

burberry presented its highly anticipated burberry prorsum s/s 2014 men's collection in london's kensington gardens. the new collection is a celebration of artistic and intellectual spirit, with a nod and a wink to ian bennett and david hockney. the styles are full-on yet effortlessly classic, featuring pretty much a complete men's wardrobe, captured in the finest of fabrics. the colour palette features lots of khaki paired with a dusty range of solid colours. there's a certain emphasis on accessories but not too much, it is a men's collection after all. the summer shades stand out though. the show marks the expansion of runway made to order, the new burberry service which allows online shoppers to snap up and customize specific pieces right after the show. the show was packed and pulled lots of a-listers, including tinie tempah, serena williams, dermot o'leary, hugh dancy and chen kun.

© opposite mess hall / photography: chris wise

a longtime fav of locals and visitors alike, the wtf bar and gallery is a cosmopolitan hangout where to indulge in cocktails, bites and culture, all in a laid-back manner. they've already expanded across the road to open up drinking den opposite, but have now added opposite mess hall one floor up. the restaurant occupies a concise space that features an open kitchen on one side and sets of communal tables. the décor is contemporary, simple, and is just as cozy as your living room. for nicotine addicts there's even a separate smoking room. opposite mess hall's kitchen is headed by australian chef jess barnes - of previous quince fame - who serves both tasty european dishes and fusion fare. the menu currently lists delicacies such as croquettes, sicilian style mackerel confit and a crab salad with cucumber, grape and mint. down it all with a compatible range of cocktails by in-house expert chris wise, or a cold beer instead. location: 27/2 sukhumvit soi 51 [sukhumvit].

© opposite mess hall / photography: chris wise

© stighlorgan - a limited edition trophy backpack

based in dublin, stighlorgan is a men's bag and accessories brand with a rugged edge just as the irish themselves. rooted in tradition and proudly blending elements of home in its products, stighlorgan crafts a range of beautiful and timeless products. one of the brand's latest trophy items is the roban backpack, a limited edition classic style made from the best cotton canvases and finest leather trim. it was relaunched in a spectacular way by washing 100 of its peat green style in the irish sea just off the coast of dublin. this unique procedure gives the bag a unique weathered aesthetic which actually strengthens the fabrics. the canvas becomes worn but tougher and the rope detailing becomes stronger too. fancy one? then click [here] to order yours.

© stighlorgan - deep sea washing

© monocle

yes, the monocle country fayre is back! today monocle magazine kicks off the two-day event [sat + sun: 11am-5pm] on the premises of its headquarters in london. both a celebration of summer and a global take on an english tradition, there'll be market stalls hosted by the magazine's fav countries - this time it's colombia and once again sweden - and a range of preferred retailers and brands, including drake's london, lagom design, kitsuné, daunt books, hentsch man and the knowledgeable allpress coffee roasters will be present with their coffee cart. it's an event for old and young, and as such the event features a jolly mix of additional fun activities.there's a petting zoo, plenty of summery apéritifs, the monocle tombola, games and some cool gigs as well. ah, and there's good food of course, provided by the magazine's very own monocle café. come on down! location: midori house, 1 dorset  street, courtyard [marylebone].

© monocle