DESIGN DISPATCH

Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted Is Stepping Down, and Other News

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Kasper Rorsted, the CEO of Adidas since 2016. Photography by Matthias Schrader/AP Photo

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Adidas is looking to replace CEO Kasper Rorsted, who will depart his role next year. 

“Adidas said Kasper Rorsted will step down as chief executive officer in 2023 and a search for his replacement is underway. The German sneaker company said the board and Rorsted had ‘mutually agreed’ he would hand over the top job during the course of next year, according to a statement Monday. The company said Rorsted will remain chief executive until a successor has been appointed to ensure a smooth transition.” [H/T Business of Fashion]

An Italian artist is accusing Maurizio Cattelan of stealing his duct-taped banana idea.

“The latest US lawsuit over a work of art is absolute bananas in every sense. An Italian artist who attached a banana to a wall with duct tape and titled it Comedian—reportedly selling several versions for more than $100,000—is facing legal action over whether he copied another artist’s work. Maurizio Cattelan is accused of copyright infringement by Joe Morford, from Glendale, California, who says Comedian is just like his own duct-taped fruit, Banana & Orange, which he made two decades earlier.” [H/T The Guardian]

An authenticated Apple-1 Computer prototype sold at auction this week for $677,196. Image courtesy of RR Auction/AP Photo

An authenticated Apple-1 Computer prototype from the 1970s sells for nearly $700,000.

“An authenticated Apple-1 Computer prototype from the mid-1970s has sold at auction for nearly $700,000. The prototype was used by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 1976 to demonstrate the Apple-1 to Paul Terrell, owner of The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, one of the first personal computer stores in the world, Boston-based RR Auction said in a statement. A Bay Area collector who wishes to remain anonymous made the winning $677,196 bid on Thursday, the auctioneer said.” [H/T NPR]

An L.A. neighborhood is coating roads with solar-reflective paint to absorb less heat.

“It’s no secret by now that cities run hotter than the countryside: Fewer trees mean less shade, and concentrated human activity generates heat, which hard surfaces like pavement and parking lots absorb. To combat the urban heat island effect, some cities have been retrofitting public buildings into climate shelters, while others have been planting thousands of trees. One L.A. neighborhood is turning to solar-reflective paint. The team behind the GAF Cool Community Project has just finished painting a whopping 1 million square feet of roads, playgrounds, and parking lots in Pacoima. The paint comes with special additives that reflect infrared light, meaning painted pavement ends up absorbing less heat.” [H/T Fast Company]

Soho House’s new Holloway House in Los Angeles. Photography by The Ingalls

Soho House has opened Holloway House, its third members club in Los Angeles.

“Soho House has opened Holloway House, its third members’ club in Los Angeles, where colors and patterns are based on the work of artists such as David Hockney. Holloway House is located a few blocks east of Soho House West Hollywood but offers hotel rooms on top of lounge and dining spaces, while its sister property only has the latter. Spread over four floors and a rooftop, the club was envisioned by the company’s in-house design team, with nods to the bright colors and strong geometric shapes of LA’s mid-century art scene.” [H/T Dezeen]

Boston is considering a citywide plan to ban the use of fossil fuels in new buildings. 

“Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has announced an ambitious new city-wide plan that would eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new developments and major renovations in an effort to take ‘every possible step to climate action.’ If passed, the Home Rule Petition to the state’s new Bill H.5060 would make Boston the next large city to adopt such measures, following New York, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, and Berkeley which have all codified similar mandates into local construction laws in recent years.” [H/T Archinect]

Latisha Chong, the ascendant hairstylist who helped transform fashion, dies at 32.

“When Telfar Clemens, the mischievous Liberian American designer, attended the Met Gala in 2019, it was Latisha Chong who created his marcelled wig, which gave him the look of a siren from a silent film. In March, when Rosalía, the experimental Spanish pop megastar, appeared on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,’ Ms. Chong prepared her sleek, modern flamenco hairdo. For her photo on the cover of the September issue of Vogue, in which she announced her retirement, Ms. Chong gave Serena Williams honey-colored locks, like Botticelli’s Venus. Ms. Chong, an innovative, effervescent hair stylist who created looks for fashion stars like Mr. Clemens, athletes like Ms. Williams, and actors like Tracee Ellis Ross, died on July 19 in Manhattan. She was 32.” [H/T The New York Times]

Trader Joe’s custom signage. Image via u/juicypeaches on Reddit r/traderjoes

Today’s attractive distractions:

Trader Joe’s has a team of on-staff artists behind their playful signage

Lifeless gray flooring is omnipresent both on HGTV and in new buildings. 

This L.A.-based nonprofit reroutes food from landfills to people in need.

Scientists discover a massive underwater crater from 66 million years ago.

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