The Design Dispatch offers expertly written and essential news from the design world crafted by our dedicated team. Think of it as your cheat sheet for the day in design delivered to your inbox before you’ve had your coffee. Subscribe now.
Have a news story our readers need to see? Submit it here.
Fashion Pop-Ups Are on the Rise
The fashion pop-ups are coming. From Fendi’s logo-swathed Miami cafe to Chanel’s global parfumeries to Bottega Veneta’s parakeet-green maze in Seoul, luxury retail’s biggest names have been eager to activate as the world emerges from lockdown.
The latest to join the fray is Dior with an ephemeral store on Dubai’s white-sand Jumeirah beach. Crafted from natural materials such as clay, sand, and low fibre and adorned in the fashion house’s signature cannage motif, two circular structures were created using Italian company WASP’s 3D printing technology. Inside, visitors will find creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri‘s Dioriviera beach collection, pieces adorned in the brand’s Toile De Jouy pattern, and the Lady Dior handbag from the just-launched Cruise 2022 collection.
Rendering of “Five Echoes” by Es Devlin and Chanel No. 5…
Es Devlin teams with Chanel No. 5 for a labyrinth installation during Miami Art Week.
The in-demand set designer’s latest project will soon arrive at the Miami Design District’s Jungle Plaza during Art Basel. Marking the 100th anniversary of Chanel No. 5, Five Echoes will transform the plaza into a multisensory labyrinth starting with a lush forest with more than 1,000 plants. At the center, a luminous circular sculpture will feature a soundscape developed in collaboration with Chanel’s in-house perfumer Olivier Polge. After the installation closes, on December 21, the greenery will be replanted in local public parks.
A recent study reveals the glaring gender gap within the booming NFT market.
Although the NFT sphere claims to be all-inclusive, a recent survey reports that only 16% percent of artists are women. The research tracked sales across 21 months on marketplace Nifty Gateway and recorded that 55 percent of all sales stemmed from six artists, summing the total male artist sales at $258.3 million—a staggering value when the only known woman artist to be ranked among the top ten NFT artists, which holds artists Beeple, Pak, and Mad Dog Jones in its highest three, was Grimes, whose sales total $8.9 million to date.
New York governor Kathy Hochul scales back plans to revitalize Penn Station.
Penn Station has been slated for a massive overhaul with the addition of nine sets of railways, five platforms, and other upgrades by former governor Andrew Cuomo, who planned to finance the project with excess funds from 13 new towers in Midtown. In order to increase the financial viability of the project, Hochul is shaving off 1.4 million square feet from Cuomo’s vision and adding a series of pedestrian and bike paths alongside 1,800 affordable residential units. The proposed redesign of Penn Station beats Hudson Yards with an 18.3 million square feet revamp and focuses on a cosmetic enhancement estimated at $7 billion.
M7 by John McAslan + Partners in Doha…
The M7 design and cultural hub celebrates creativity in Doha’s Msheireb district.
London-based John McAslan + Partners is behind the Qatari capital’s shiny new M7, a minimalist mixed-use development that leans on the region’s vernacular architecture to incorporate environmentally conscious elements. Inspired by a traditional Qatari courtyard house, the marketplace for the arts is the latest piece to join the Msheireb district, dubbed a “walkable city” with museums, a mosque, and shopping arcades.
The Ford Foundation launches a $6 million art program for underserved communities.
In an effort to remedy the economic inequality of arts in the American South, the Ford Foundation is teaming with Atlanta nonprofit South Arts to debut Southern Cultural Treasure, an initiative that offers 12-15 creative organizations grants up to $300,000. “Southern Cultural Treasures is a turning point for the arts in the South,” says South Arts President and CEO Susie Surkamer. “The initiative allows for a more equitable art community throughout the nine states, and furthers our mission of advancing Southern vitality through the arts.”
Michigan’s only historically Black college and university receives a rebrand.
Following its closure in 2013, Detroit’s Lewis College of Business—founded by Violet Temple Lewis in 1928—is slated to reopen in March thanks to former Nike design director Dr. D’Wayne Edwards. With a newfound focus for the arts and fashion, the institution is also embracing a new name as the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design (PLC) and will roll out programs dedicated to “design, sustainability, business, STEM, and more.”
To-be-looked-at-ness by Hsin Min Chan. Photography by Jian da Huang…
Today’s attractive distractions:
This portable washing machine takes care of small laundry loads on the go.
