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Gaetano Pesce Creates Bottega Veneta’s New It-Bags
At Milan Design Week, Gaetano Pesce cut through the noise of fashion houses clamoring for their handbags’ cultural relevance. In fact, we might say the Italian multihyphenate ended the conversation by debuting two handbags designed in collaboration with Bottega Veneta and creative director Matthieu Blazy. True to their names, the bags’ textures and colors recall picturesque landscapes: My Dear Mountains draws from Pesce’s 2022 titular exhibition at the Aspen Art Museum and utilizes the house’s intrecciato leather weaving technique. Prairies, meanwhile, uses crocheted fringe and leather to nod to the grassy hills of its namesake. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz
Asif Khan and Theaster Gates’s proposal to transform Liverpool Docks. Image courtesy of Asif Khan Studio…
Asif Khan and Theaster Gates unveil plans to reinvigorate a section of Liverpool Docks.
Architect Asif Khan and artist Theaster Gates have been commissioned to lead a transformation project on the Liverpool waterfront as part of a ten-year plan by National Museums Liverpool. The project aims to establish the oldest visible part of the Liverpool Docks as an effective public space and to acknowledge its complex history, which is linked to the transatlantic slave trade. The duo’s proposal focuses on two dry docks at Canning Dock, with plans for a pedestrian footbridge and a pyramidal pavilion with a perforated exterior, designed to offer a light-filled space for contemplation and education.
An Australian protester who defaced a painting is fighting counter-terrorism charges.
Joana Veronika Partyka, an Australian artist who defaced a famous painting during a gas company protest, is fighting a counter-terrorism charge over access to her electronic devices, which were seized during a raid on her home. Partyka, who pleaded not guilty, argues that the police order demanding access to her devices is “state-sanctioned overreach.” She says the raid and subsequent order are anti-democratic and a gross infringement on her human rights, and that she will continue to defend both the climate and her democratic rights.
Banksy reportedly buys a historic 17th-century pub near the Glastonbury festival site.
Banksy has reportedly bought The Crown pub, located near the Glastonbury festival site in Pilton, Somerset, for £1 million ($1.248 million). While reports of the sale aren’t confirmed, locals are hopeful the anonymous artist will add murals to the historic 17th-century pub. The Crown underwent extensive renovation prior to opening this past November, with decor including work by Banksy and Dorcas Casey, who featured in his Dismaland Exhibition.
Image courtesy of Sweetgreen…
Sweetgreen debuts a new loyalty program to appeal further to white-collar workers.
Sweetgreen suffered during the pandemic as white-collar workers stayed home, but the popular salad and bowl chain is looking to recover by revamping its Sweetpass loyalty program. The free-to-join program now includes a paid subscription tier, Sweetgreen+, that costs $10 a month, and rewards customers for loyalty behavior rather than discount behavior. Sweetgreen is also adding gamified aspects to both the free and paid tiers of Sweetpass and offering daily discounts and incentives to customers to try new things or eat at off-peak times. The company hopes to increase demand for its dinner offerings and plans to launch collaborations with brands and influencers to reach new customers.
LVMH becomes the first European company to surpass a market value of $500 billion.
LVMH has become the first European company to surpass a market value of $500 billion, due to a surge in Chinese luxury goods sales and a strengthening Euro. The company has benefitted from its exposure to Chinese consumption and the luxury sector, which has proved more resistant to economic tides than other industries. LVMH’s success has swelled the fortune of Bernard Arnault, the world’s richest person with a net worth of $212 billion.
The once-mighty Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy and will close its 360 stores.
A recent Sunday found only ten shoppers wandering through the once-mighty Bed Bath & Beyond store in Northern Virginia. Despite once being a “category killer,” the home goods chain now plans to close its remaining 360 stores and 120 BuyBuy Baby locations. After years of failed turnaround attempts, numerous leadership changes, closures, job cuts, and financing deals, the company has filed for bankruptcy. In a world where online shopping reigns supreme and competitors like Amazon and Target dominate, Bed Bath & Beyond’s future looks bleak.
An afro pick by Simon Skinner. Photography by Hedvig Jenning…
