Starkweather specializes in the advancement of fashion and technology, using low tech solutions where the high tech has not yet been developed. On this blog designer Lee Anderson tracks industry news across fashion and technology and the merging of these two disciplines.
You will also find news updates from Starkweather, our approach to design and the existing problems we develop solutions for. We hope this will provide a greater understanding of our process, and add value to your experience with Starkweather and our products.
In the recent presentation on fashion and aerospace from last week, I used these examples from Flight to Mars and Star Trek to show some of the imaginative (and slightly ridiculous) ways we've envisioned our future gear in space.
This video from Gucci is such a fun example of how fashion can play with these ideas – using real clothes – but through storytelling, styling, and some very low-tech special effects they transport us. Enjoy!
Introducing the Gucci Fall Winter 2017 film campaign. Motifs from sci-fi of the 50s and 60s appear in the video alongside a Star Trek inspiration and the men's and women's collections designed by Alessandro Michele. Director: Glen Luchford Art director: Christopher Simmonds Star Trek elements courtesy of CBS TM & © 2017 CBS Studios Inc.
Seen first on Engadget.
For any Chicagoans who missed our July 20 event, or anyone else curious about what we talked about: enjoy!
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Scott Carpenter Walking to Mercury Atlas 7 launch, 1962
Thanks to everyone who came out to hear the presentation and panel discussion and ask your great questions. It was a thrilling evening, with new ideas and wild examples coming from all directions. ( Read about it here.) Looking forward to the upcoming events, that promise to expand on this discussion through different lenses of professional and personal experience. Each city has a unique culture, and heritage, and our goal is to reflect that through the panel members and the conversation.
Up next: Boston!
Save the date: November 2, 2017 at the Boston Design Center.
Until then, keep exploring!
The recent capsule collection release from Coach, in addition to my ongoing research for FAAR, inspired me to do a bit of digging back through recent fashion collections that take inspiration from space and space travel. Here I share one of my favorites of all time, from the Valentino design team of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, (since 2016, solely headed by Piccoli).
"inspired by American dreamers"
Introducing a limited-edition space collection inspired by American dreamers. The Varsity jacket is an iconic Coach silhouette customized with NASA-inspired patches, amidst metallic accents and a Rexy charm at the pocket. It’s made of wool with leather sleeves and signature striped ribbed trim.
Valentino Pre-Fall 2015
The motifs, which are the real force behind the collection of simple, elegant silhouettes, were designed by British textile designer Celia Birtwell, as well as the Italian Pop Artist Giosetta Fioroni.
"We want to believe in a fantastic future." – Grazia Chiuri
50 years ago, the Outer Space Treaty was signed amidst intense international crisis, and intended as a foundation for all future activities in space. 50 years later, we are on the verge of the next great epoch in space exploration, and much of that depends on the interpretation of the Outer Space Treaty as it was written in 1967.
Accordingly, the US Senate has begun hearings on the future of the Outer Space Treaty, questioning its ability, as written, to govern the space industry of tomorrow. Similar conversations are happening within government bodies of other treaty members around the world. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness, Senator Ted Cruz seemed inspired by the realness of what was being discussed. The suppositions of the treaty, related to private industry, are no longer theoretical, but are now being tested in practice. Private businesses are actively operating in space, and how the government decides to regulate (or not) their activities, will have enormous implications on the future of space exploration and habitation.
“The United States is poised to lead an explosion in commercial space activity that will see American companies look to land on the surface of the moon, service satellites and mine asteroids that may contain platinum and other precious metals valued upwards of a trillion of dollars,” announced Senator Cruz during the hearings (Reopening the American Frontier: Exploring how the Outer Space Treaty will impact American commerce and settlement in Space) on May 23rd. Introducing the session on this proactive note did indicate that deference will lean towards the enabling of industry and protection of innovation.
Think of this moment like the early days of the internet. Without freedom to explore and develop business on the internet, so much of the groundbreaking innovation we take for granted every day would never have been possible. It is the same "light-touch" regulation that will enable us to maximize on the opportunity at this moment: desire and curiosity + technological and scientific capability + access to capital and investment.
Some of the areas covered by the treaty are outlined by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs:
"Space law addresses a variety of matters, such as, for example, the preservation of the space and Earth environment, liability for damages caused by space objects, the settlement of disputes, the rescue of astronauts, the sharing of information about potential dangers in outer space, the use of space-related technologies, and international cooperation. A number of fundamental principles guide the conduct of space activities, including the notion of space as the province of all humankind, the freedom of exploration and use of outer space by all states without discrimination, and the principle of non-appropriation of outer space."
So what should the interpretation be today? A few key words emphasized by the members of two witness panels heard by the subcommittee on May 23 were:
CERTAINTY, TRANSPARENCY, EFFICIENCY, STABILITY & PREDICTABILITY.
Without the above, it will be increasingly difficult to do business. As it stands, the lack of consistency has made the barrier for entry unnecessarily high for new businesses with the potential to breach the space-scalable market.
This issue is of concern to the future of FAAR, because the organization relies on the potential for space-scalability throughout its prospective member industries. It appears that the global inclination is to let the treaty be regulated in its most light-touch interpretation. We hope that this will continue, and look forward to the opportunity to contribute in the ensuing era of momentous change.
Learn more about FAAR: Fashioning Aerospace for Advanced Realities
The themes of space and futurism come up every so often in the editorial pages, sometimes full of imagination, sometimes more literal. Here we lay out a few notable examples from the glossies, part deux:
Raquel Zimmermann in "Out of this World" by Steven Klein for Vogue November 2013
Arthur Gosse and John todd in "Manhattan Psycho" by Matthew Brookes for Numéro Homme #24
Melissa Tammerijn & Josephine Skriver in "Futurama" by Chad Pitman for Interview Russia August 2012
Gemma Ward by Emma Summerton for Vogue Australia December 2014
Mikkel Jensen in “La Forma Dello Spazio” by Photographer Adriano Russo for GQ Italia February 2013
Julia Nobis in"Lost in Cyberspace" by Steven Meisel for W Magazine March 2014
Alexander Ferrario and Pascal de Wolff in "Mantle" by Joe Lai for Masses Magazine
Anna Ewers "Audacieuse" by Mert and Marcus for Vogue Paris august 2014
Ulrico Eguizabal and Jose Depalanques in "The Visitors" by Anita Nava for G7 Magazine April 2011
ASIA in "Hokkus Pokus" by Elizaveta Porodina for 74 Magazine October 2012
Yasmin Warsame in "Power Station" by Francisco Garcia for the Fashion Magazine Canada October 2012
