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Fred Perry x Miles Kane AW19

Two British Icons Reunite


It’s no secret that music and fashion have long co-existed for one another’s benefit, with creatives from both industries regularly entering the opposing territory, doing so by lending their prolific identity and expertise to a fresh line of work. Perhaps the most rememberable representation of this in recent times, at least in the UK, falls on the fabled shoulders of heritage label Fred Perry and Last Shadow Puppets co-frontman Miles Kane.

Having been in partnership for some time now, the two have truly mastered a particular type of style synergy that resonates with a distinctly British audience. Fred Perry x Miles Kane garments pay tribute to the brand’s formative years in the ‘70s, while infusing Kane’s confident sense of style and alternative design language.

For the upcoming season, Kane and Fred Perry deliver a capsule that’s laced in dark, atmospheric tones – specifically designed to mimic ‘dim lighting’ and provoke that ‘martini in hand kinda vibe’ to all who bare the apparel. This time around, classic Fred Perry designs like the polo shirt opt to subvert the norm, with Kane changing the silhouette’s signature button placket and replacing it with a gold-toned ¼ zipper on some iterations within the lineup.

Elsewhere, leopard comes into play for the first time. Seem a surprising choice? Maybe. But, in the grand scheme of the season, it’s not as startling. Brands across the globe chose to take a walk on the wild side this season, with catwalks in London, NYC, Paris and Milan all embracing the element of animal instinct for AW ‘19. Find the pattern atop a luxe Fred Perry x Miles Kane track-jacket, embodied by dark, tonal fabrication and surrounded with gilded embellishments.

Finally, for those hoping for a more nonchalant sensibility, look no further than the collaboration’s turtleneck tees. Crafted from a breathable textured piqué, the design, which arrives in black and white renditions, is a must-have for any man’s weekend wardrobe. Fred Perry’s credentials reside at the chest with the iconic Laurel Wreath embroidery, while stretchy trims comfortably wrap the neckline, cuffs and hem, offering ease of motion and subtle structure.

Sure to transcend the status of Fred Perry x Miles Kane collections even further, this fresh offering promises to promote no-nonsense shades and contemporary cuts, while confirming Fred Perry and Miles Kane as a collaborative class act yet again. Shop the collection when it launches in-store and online at Aphrodite on 24/10/19.

Cruel Winter Is Coming?

We’re in the eye of a seemingly perpetual Kanye album release storm. With 3 projects still generating the typical disturbance seen from anything associated to Mr.West, a still fresh venture alongside the legendary MC Nas and a forthcoming foray with Teyanna Taylor to bookend this five album drop, it’s been the most divisive time in Kayne’s distant past.

Depending on your view, and that’s just like, your opinion, man, the recent offerings from GOOD music’s head honcho have either been his best work yet or a woefully misguided and rushed vanity dump from a man in the midst of serious mental health issues. What we can all agree on, is that it has reinvigorated a label that constantly kept pushing the boundaries as not just a record label, but leaders of a subculture. The pinnacle of GOOD music’s cultural stamp, Cruel Summer, brought us the mainstream crossover of trap rap, the creative direction from one Virgil Abloh, the joint performances across the globe and the rebirth of 2 Chainz amongst other groundbreaking things. It’s album credits are vaster than it’s budget, taking form as more of a novel than album liner notes. It was the biggest collective at the pinnacle of its power and after a tumultuous time of late for most involved, we can only hope that this sudden burst of creativity brings us what we all need. Cruel Winter.

The speculation started just a month after the release of Cruel Summer, with notable absentee from the project, Q-Tip, revealing to MTV news in late 2012 “…If there’s a Cruel Summer then there’s got to be a Cruel Winter, right?”. With that, the rumour mill flooded with ‘will they won’t they’ views from the paramount players. Even Kanye referenced it in his now legendary “YOU AIN’T GOT THE ANSWERS, SWAY!” Interview cycle (how those were simpler times) taking to famed radio station Philadelphia’s Power 99, to reveal that “I go back and forth on it. But we keep on missing the winter… We thinking about dropping a Cruel Winter, I like to put out more product. I’d like to have an album out by next summer, so…”For as much of everyone’s posturing on the subject and inability to answer the damn question, we’ve still been treat to an album trailer and lead single. So what gives?

On top of all this speculation, wouldn’t you love to see the GOOD music roster have another crack at a record, especially with their most recent signees offering new blood and unique ideas to the illustrious fold? 070 Shake, a particular stalwart who gained attention with her show-stealing features on the recent Good Music releases, has a TBA project surely primed to drop in the run-up to this winter. Francis and the Lights, fresh from their mega single ‘Friends’, are still yet to register a project under GOOD Music since their signing, same for hotly tipped MC Sheck Wes, who the jury is still out on (the guy is an oddball). Valee, the first GOOD Music artist to drop a project this year, is begging for a feature on a Kanye track. We haven’t forgotten about Desiigner either, we just need THAT sound effect and we’re good.

For those of you still asking why all of a sudden we should start caring, thanks for sticking it out so far, but a prospective release would also see a multitude of options presented to us. Here is our 5 pence.

1. Cruel Winter drops February 2019 – Featuring Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Nas, Chance The Rapper, Travis $cott, Big Sean, Bon Iver, GOOD Music Family, Very GOOD Beats, Ye and Jay-Z’s long-awaited reconciliation, Tupac’s hologram, Drake and Pusha T’s verbal back and forth and eventual reconciliation over a 40 beat and Kanye’s literal ascension to the sky.

2. Cruel Winter drops flops and stops any last bit of credibility that Kanye might have had before, everyone in the industry shuns him. He becomes a recluse, his Adidas line is designed and delivered via carrier eagle from the West-Kardashian household in the uttermost area of Wyoming, finally bowing out of the spotlight till one day once the hate has died down, when Drake’s ghostwriters are finally revealed and Kendrick gives up because it just isn’t fun anymore, when finally, one Yeezy duck boot step at a time, Kanye descends, ready to take back the throne with a little help from his friends.

3 – The Wildcard. Trump / Kanye 2020
God bless us all.

Virtual Abbey Road Studio Tour

Tour The Famous Abbey Road Studio

Google have teamed up with production agency Stinkdigital to create an online interactive  experience which allows the user to tour the famous Abbey Road Studios, learn about the recoding process and even play around and try out some of the equipment.

Taking interactive experiences to a new level, the tour allows the user to play with the J37 4-track recorder, which was used to record the Beatles iconic Sargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, along with taking a guided tour from producer Giles Martin or DJ Lauren Laverne and exploring different parts of the complex learning about the history of the Studio or even find out how vinyl is cut.

The tour has enabled music fans to get a closer look to the legendary studio from the comfort of their own home. Archived images and videos can be unlocked as the tour progresses, making this more then just a interactive guide, but a learning source.

Google Creative Lab project lead Tom Seymour says: “We’re always looking at how we can use technology to bring people closer to cultural icons and institutions around the world.”

Visit the interactive tour