Maurizio Donadi is my role model because, he has achieved so many things in life. Maurizio Donadi is Senior Vice President of Levi’s XX, the independent creative entity of Levi Strauss & Company. Based in Amsterdam, Mr. Donadi leads the global division that manages design, marketing and sales for Levi’s Vintage Clothing and Levi’s Made & Crafted. Throughout his 30-year fashion industry career, Mr. Donadi has worked with some of the most successful and influential international companies and their founders, including Benetton, Diesel, Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren. Watch this video where Mr. Donadi talks about the importance of denim in a man’s wardrobe.

I love denim & always have. Part of the reason I love denim, however, is not just the fact that it’s denim. It’s the fact that it becomes a part of you.

New denim fabrics just arrived, high quality and innovative denim fabrics produced by Kuroki Mill in Okayama, Japan.

My first jeans patch sample arrived today!! Logo design made by Kim Demane, big shout out to this guy for all his effort and time!! Also a big shout out to my lawyer Dominique Seedorf who helped me out with some legal work for the logo, thanks!! The next step is the jeans sample. I already ordered the denim roll for the jeans, hyped!! There’s always that moment before you open a package when you think ‘Will it be as I ordered’.

Life has been treating me well lately also, I’ve been doing my own thing, its a nice change. Sometimes, I’m creating a new project, or improving myself somehow … but sometimes I just find interesting stuff to read online or buy a cool magazine to read. I also workout almost everyday and like to keep myself busy, whether it’s productive or not. To be honest, there was a time when I thought that people who work out every day must either be really vain or just plain crazy. Who has the time or the energy for all that sweat and pain? Well, apparently I do. As I am finishing my bachelor degree, there are times when I am writing non-stop. But there are also long stretches of time when I am just waiting for feedback from my tutor. I’ve got to fill up my days somehow. Working out is one way and to be quite frank….I love it. Yes, I said it. I LOVE working out. I consider it a treat to allow myself 1-2 hours of kickboxing or running time each other day. And I enjoy every moment of it! Well…maybe not every moment (I hit my wall every week when I jog and my kickboxing instructor is something serious…), but I always have fun and feel great afterward! The results aren’t half bad either: amazing endurance, tons of energy, a better night’s sleep, and a bangin body (not perfect, but one that I am very proud of).

So the short answer: just find things to entertain yourself. Keep your mind busy. Challenge yourself. Talk to somebody. Break out of your mold!!!

“Lessons From a Tailor” is a portrait of a Holocaust survivor who learned the art of tailoring while imprisoned in a concentration camp. After being liberated and emigrating to America, Martin Greenfield rose from floor boy, to manager, to owner of a factory producing custom suits in Brooklyn, NY. Along the way he made suits for celebrities, power brokers, and heads of state, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton. He now provides jobs for hundreds of working class people, most of them immigrants, and produces top-quality clothing the old-fashioned way. This film tells his story, and offers a glimpse inside one of the few remaining hand-made suit factories in the world.

When musicians aren’t making music, what are they doing? I’ve noticed that rappers have been getting more and more well dressed but some rappers even decided to move into fashion. Should these rappers stick to their day jobs? Yasiin Bey aka the Mighty Mos Def has always been fashion forward. Although concrete details are sketchy, the Brooklyn rapper and actor has started a design collaborative called Fellowship Mission with friends that include Chris Gibbs of LA streetwear shop UNION. Will he succeed where Kanye West failed?

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. Happy 2012 to all my readers!!! I wish that this New Year 2012 will bring smiles in your faces and forget all your bad memories of 2011. I wish that this 2012 will bring you more happiness, 365 days of success, good Health, good Luck and joyness in your life.

People to watch out for in 2012? You better watch out for Dutch designer, Jurgen Bey, who began his studies at the Design Academy Eindhoven between 1984-1989 and subsequently taught there for six years next to running his own designstudio. Bey soon attracted media attention through his early collaborative projects within the Droog collective such as Treetrunk Bench (1999) and Gardening Bench (1999) – works that catapulted the designer onto the world stage. In 2002 Bey set up ‘Studio Makkink & Bey together with Architect Rianne Makkink. Bey’s work is often mistakenly aligned with a rigorous environmental agenda due to his interest in using recycled or ‘found’ objects. However, the designer explains that he doesn’t set out to investigate environmentally sensitive solutions through his work. Instead, his interest lies in pursuing a ‘layered’ and conceptual approach to design and discovering delight in the hidden qualities of the world we live within. Truly Inspirational stuff.

Jason Last was one of the first filmmakers who dedicated his directorial craft solely to the genre of fashion and in doing so helped initiate the genre we now call “Fashion Film”. Educated in fine art, Last has always preferred capturing a moving image behind a camera to capturing a still image on canvas. In an industry dominated by the stealth power of the photographic medium, Last chooses to focus on movement and creates beautiful and captivating films that have featured collections of the likes of Comme des Garçons, Rodarte, Maison Martin Margiela, Emanuel Ungaro, Complex Geometries and Diane Pernet.

I’m tired of that crusty brown-stained white plastic Mr. Coffee Deluxe sitting on my kitchen counter. If I win the lottery this year I will buy myself an exorbitantly expensive coffee maker, that’s whats up!! Holla at me If you have great tips.

So I need some inspiration for winter outfits. A bit of inspiration is sometimes needed in these cold, gray winter days. Winter just puts me in a fashion rut. Not this year! Thanks to these street style pictures, I’m already inspired. There are a handful of items I wouldn’t mind wearing, from the layers to the textures and accessories, so chic.

Photos: Streetfsn

Hey guys and gals, just a little update about my Mens Line! I was hoping to have my mens line launched at the end of this month but.. it’s hard to find companies producing small quantities. At this point the denim is ready for finishing, this week I hopefully send a package to Tunisia for the labels of the jeans and clothes. Depending on the samples I will have the final labels delivered approximately two weeks after the final sample, HYPED!!  And of course I have to save a lot of money for these upcoming weeks. I love my clothing line enough to sacrifice my quality of life. I guess I have to give up things I love like buying books, art supplies, going to the movies, etc. HELL YEAH!! I’m not going to quit any time soon because I have devoted much time and most importantly, love, to this project.

Until next time!

The LunarGlide shoe was first launched in 2009 and has fast become Nike’s most popular running shoe. The Lunarglide+ 3 is the latest version of the most supportive shoe in the Lunar collection. Normally in running shoes, the heel counter includes a lot of hard plastic to aid support. However, in these, Nike have cut down the weight in this particular area by opting for a mesh material instead – hence an increase in ventilation. This is a strange move from Nike, as most of their other running shoes have a plastic heel cup – but I’m a big fan of the new approach. You get the sense that you are still well supported in this area. They generally feel light and airy and the sole offers a strange sense of rigidity and spongy at the same time – I was really keen to see how this reacted with each stride strike. I love my new running shoes!!!

Under head designer Riccardo Tisci, Givenchy made a big splash with their rottweiler print. The bold designs which can feature anywhere from one to a pack of snarling dogs have now been used, not just on t-shirts, but on sweaters, sweatshirts, button-up shirts and jackets. The high-meets-low fashion aesthetic is not something I’m used to seeing on such an expensive brand and I’m not sure if I love it or hate it. Maybe I love the pattern but hate the price? Expect to pay roughly €300 for a t-shirt, €800 for a sweatshirt and €2500 for a jacket.

Tricker’s are a central figure in another impressive collaboration, this time working together with Norse Store. Norse designed a range of beautiful footwear sold exclusive at the Norse Shop. All of them crafted with pride in the UK, using Goodyear welt construction and the best leathers. This classic all black brogue made for Norse by Tricker’s, with the Dainite sole is definitely my favourite pair of shoes right now. Awesome product!!

I’ve been paying attention to Francis Kurkdjian for a long time. The 42 year- old French-Armenian graduate of ISIPCA created his first scent, Le Mâle, for Jean Paul Gaultier, at age 25. Since then he has created scents for such brands as Dior, Aqua di Parma, Giorgio Armani, Caudalie, Demeter Fragrance, Guerlain, Jesus Del Pozo, MDCI Parfums, Elizabeth Arden, Van Cleef & Arpels – among others. But it isn’t all about quantity, Kurkdjian is one of the most creative noses out there. In September 2009 he opened Maison Francis Kurkdjian at 5 Rue d’Alger in Paris. Francis purposefully chose to add the word “Maison” (House) before his name. It’s not a stylistic conceit but rather a way to express what he believes: A house has a soul and a history, inhabitants and friends and sometimes children. I was in Paris this week and couldn’t leave Paris without visiting the Kurkdjian boutique in Paris, and I must say that I have been blown away by the level of service, professionalism and friendliness of his sales ladies. Amazing store, and whether you visit Paris on a day trip, Paris in the Spring, Paris for a week or for far longer, this is definitely a must see location. APOM Pour Homme Eau de Parfum was the one I ended up purchasing

Every time you think Miuccia Prada has already done it all, she comes back with a “shocking” new collection to tear down any stereotypical image you had in mind for Prada’s fashion or men’s wear in general! For Spring/Summer 2012, Miuccia Prada dresses men in colourful, cartoony golf-inspired designs. Miuccia Prada says she’s inspired by what she hates – in this case golf, which she clearly doesn’t play. On the evidence of her new men’s collection, she clearly has never played golf before and has no taste what-so-ever on what to wear for a golf game. Seeing humor in something is a hard task to accomplish yet this video will show you how to do it ‘exactly the right way’.

Simon Gardiner is a Lancashire based photographer who primarily focuses on reportage/documentary and sports photography. However his individual work is mostly some incredible architecture and inner city scenes like the above ones. He describes his passion for street photography “I like shooting streets, the streets are full of life with a story behind every street photo. The photographer captures the scene and the viewer discovers and interprets the story behind the shot.” Strong photography and his works are one of my all time favourites.

The future of home architecture from a skater’s perspective. This 70m² space is based on the vision of Etnies’ founder Pierre-André Senizergues and explores the potential influence of skateboarding on the home over the next 25 years. It was designed by artist Gil Le Bon Delapointe and supervised by architect Francois Perrin, and mixes a simple family home with skateable transitions and ledges. Want to live here? You can’t, but it’s pretty awesome anyway, check out the video and you will see what all the fuss was about.

Created by: Pierre-André Senizergues
Design: Gil Le Bon Delapointe
Architecture: Francois Perrin

Erwin Olaf is one of the greatest Dutch photographers known for his mastery of light and overflowing imagination. This is photography as Art, or very close indeed. It is really not surprising that this year Olaf was awarded the Vermeer prize, the highest award of distinction to artists in the Netherlands. This upcoming Saturday, 19th of November, Erwin Olaf will be signing his new book ‘OWN’ at bookstore MENDO between 3:30pm and 4:30pm. Hope you can all make it this Saturday, it’s gonna be a good day!!

The book signing of Erwin Olaf’s book ‘Own’ that was scheduled for this Saturday has been postponed till further notice. Erwin Olaf and his book publisher were not happy with the print quality of his new book.

Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz is releasing a book about the creative and production process that goes into his creations. It’s set for publication early next year, and at 700 pages of text and photos it’ll hardly be light reading —  but then some of the pages will be blank, because “that is how I start every day,” Elbaz explained to the Los Angeles Times newspaper. This is a dream come true. I love reading Alber Elbaz’s quotes about his design process. I think we can all look forward to his upcoming book. In the meantime we’ll just keeeeep dancing. Lanvin is getting on the dancing train with Karen Elson, Raquel Zimmermann and two male models busting a move to Pitbull’s “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” for the Fall 2011 campaign. Plus, see designer Alber Elbaz dance awkwardly to Latin rap, LOL.