This collection of Alexander McQueen's pre-fall was shown to London editors on February 4, before Everything happened. Now that All has happened — and everything else seems set to — how does the latest Sarah Burton's stand up as it begins to be available on sale (a month or so late)? 

Pretty good, actually. Such clothes may be pre-dating the double whammy of 2020 — a torrent of calamity followed by a sea of holy indignation — but far from being antediluvian relics, they are undeniably more on the spot now than then. That's because many of the concerns that Burton and her team have rooted in the content of their work — traceability, cultural identity, feminism, sustainability, the use of patriarchal tropes to express feminine power — have become less theoretical and more concrete in the unsparing light of Everything. 

Working closely with British mills, McQueen developed lighter versions of conventionally heavier fitting fabrics — Donegal tweed, Prince of Wales, etc. — then cut and pasted them for contrast in garments whose contours echoed the fossil shapes of suiting reveres and darting. The effect was gender-transcendent power attire worn north of swooping asymmetric hemlines punctuated by large, intentionally languid ruffles. Such collar contrasts continued into leather suits, playing burnt orange against caramel, a category which also included all-caramel Boadicea wear — an implicit reminder of when Britain was colonized and (hopelessly) rose up against Rome's 'civilizing' sandal. 

Similarly, lace dresses and tuxedo pantsuits featured thoughtfully spliced samples of traditional techniques for suiting. These added up to a rich seam of reference alongside the layered-pattern knits or the contrast of bright mineral colors against matte, iron-ore grays. Both the needle-punched parts shivering with thousands of different colored hand-applied ribbons, and the very contoured rib-knit dresses inspired by schlumpy menswear cardigans highlighted Burton's source material's kaleidoscopic creative diversity. Burton creates clothes of rare authenticity and resilience — warrior-wear of impeccable provenance by excavating ancient themes and using traditional techniques while refashioning the contrast as the complementary.

What is Victoria Beckham, amongst other British designers, going to surprise us with this season? Stay tuned!

This collection, completed well before London went into lockdown, drew on the British landscape, rocks and minerals, and historic flora, including the thistle and the Glasgow Rose.

The U.S. military seems to have a problem with a brewing boogaloo. Online networks frequented by the anti-government movement, known for its meme culture and Hawaiian shirt-clad followers, who are often called Boogaloo Bois, are flocking to active-duty military. 

"Boogaloo" is the civil war code, which is the movement's ultimate goal, and some of its followers are trading in memes glorifying violence against federal agents and cracking jokes about the imminent "Boog." Recently, they have become regular features of anti-lockdown and Black Lives Matter protests in states that allow firearms to be carried openly in the military style. 

 study of some of the largest private Facebook groups that contribute to the boogaloo campaign showed thousands of participants self-identified on their personal profiles as the active-duty military. Members spanned a number of branches, including the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, and Air Force, and a range of roles, ranging from infantrymen, engineers, military bus drivers, medics, to "amphibious assault crewmembers." 

Some of the online boogaloo groups that are most involved are on Discord, a popular platform amongst gamers. There, leaders discuss ways to co-opt demonstrations against racism and police brutality to move their own agenda forward. And current or former military personnel, according to screenshots given in the news, have chimed in with their expertise, from the best gas masks to military-grade weapons. 

"I wasn't particularly surprised to see current and former members of the military participating in online boogaloo parties," said Megan Squire, a computer science professor at Elon University who studies how extremist groups function online. "The problem for me right now is whether military men are attracted to online groups, or they themselves form groups. What direction does that power take? One Discord member, who claimed to be a National Guard leader, also addressed his upcoming deployment to Philadelphia in response to the protests.

Discord's "Confidence & Protection" department looked into the server and concluded it breached their group rules for "threatening and promoting abuse." Later on Wednesday night, Discord took action and removed the server — and deleted the accounts of all 2,258 users. 

"We take these issues incredibly seriously and carry on tracking our 

service proactively for any bad actors," a Discord spokesperson explained.

Are you using Discord for your business? We think it is great! They say even designer Rick Owens is often on Discord to communicate with his team.

Discord, a platform popular with gamers, has shut down one of the largest servers used by followers of the anti-government “boogaloo” movement after it was exposed in a VICE News article.

DISCORD SHUT DOWN BOOGALOO SERVER FOR INCITING VIOLENCE

As we arise from a three-month period of self-isolation, Rick Owens looks back at the lockdown and reflects on the strength of grace and humility, having the time to immerse himself in studying and following the progress of the beehives on his roof and the newly hatched ducklings in next door gardens. 

We've been spending time at home. How did it work out for you? 

We were fortunate enough to have the luxury of plenty of rooms, a slice of outdoors and we spent our days reading and studying under the trees and thinking about stuff we'd put off later. I read Edmund White, I pored over the sketches of Joseph Beuys, I researched the art of Pierre Legrain for Jacques Doucet and Doucet's patronage of Rosseau, Picasso and Eileen Gray and Georges Hoentschel. I've been researching anthroposophic furniture, we've been gardening, we've been playing with the cats, we've been following the progress of our beehives on our roof and the newly hatched ducklings in the gardens next door of our terrace. I listened attentively to the final acts of Richard Strauss' Elektra and Salome which, under the circumstances, took on special significance – stories of misguided urgencies culminating in a transcendent peak of glory before extinction. 

What do you feel we're going to take away from that experience? 

When you think of all the contention and disharmony and things in the world that could go ecologically wrong, it is a miracle that we have been spared such a crisis for so long. Life is all about cycles and death and rebirth, so the meaning and glory of life is to do our best in the face of this fragility – to do our best while we can. We're going to come out of this with a humility and responsibility lesson and that's the silver lining. 

How would you say the lockdown time changed your view of life? 

My reminiscence would be that we've had a minute to feel deep gratitude in the face of danger. It made me think of those paintings by Bouguereau sitting alone in the Louvre - of nymphs brushing their hair under trees in a glade while composing poetry in their heads. I felt we were recreating our version of that – suspended time absorbed in beauty appreciation. 

Under this situation, what is the value of fashion? 

The enjoyment of elegance and beauty is one of the greatest rewards in life and some people are able to feel that better than others. I was allowed to be an aesthetic voice so I feel a duty to bring that to the table. I always choke at calling fashion art. But to stand out, as the fashion world becomes more saturated and competitive, you must go to another level, a level that pushes a lot of the same buttons that art does. When asked to cut arts funding in favor of the war effort, a reply attributed to Winston Churchill was: "What are we fighting for then?". Except that it wasn't – the quote was revealed as a fabrication, but isn't it persuasive and convincing? Sounds right, doesn't it? For years, Hun used that sentence as her leitmotif: "What are we fighting for?" And I always joke to her:" Why should we fight?" But I see her point of knowing what the goals are and take a stand. 

Fashion can be escapism - an ambition, a fantasy. Does reality feel this harsh? Or are we just keeping it real? 

Fashion may be about escapism but I've always been interested in it's aspirational side – trying to show the self you want to ultimately become. The way you have chosen to introduce yourself to others will telegraph your character, it can show a sense of dignity, respect for others. Before you open your mouth fashion will subtly express a collection of value systems. That's the direction I've always been interested in fashion and I suspect there's always going to be a niche for it.

Rick Owen talks about his time in isolation, and what he hopes is next for fashion.

While the interplay between social media and technology continues to redefine the forms of contact between individuals and organisations, there has never been a more pressing need to access real-time information. The finance sector is no exception to this paradigm change as cutting edge technology convergence has reshaped well-established trading and investment strategies. A vital vehicle for this change is the widespread use by the industry of Bloomberg Terminals, the computers enabling access to Bloomberg Professional Services (BPS). More than 325,000 terminals are currently used by finance professionals worldwide, according to the Bloomberg L.P. 

Also recently, the use of Bloomberg Terminals has grown in popularity in the teaching of finance and economics, where its prevalence as a pedagogical tool has fuelled significant growth of financial laboratories or trade rooms in business schools. There are 803 finance laboratories currently fitted with Bloomberg Terminals, most of which are at U.S. universities. 

Bloomberg's incorporation into classroomы has both short-term and long-term implications: it increases learning opportunities for students in the short run. Around 30 percent of the learning results respondents met the criteria of the course, and all students reported knowing of how to use at least two Bloomberg functions. 

The introduction of experiential learning in teaching finance courses is credited with a major rise in financial program attendance as well as a boost in professional preparation for graduates. 

The use of computer games in business education goes to nearly seven decades ago when Chamberlin was introducing the first classroom market game in economics history. Recent technological developments and the increase in software-based instruction popularity have largely contributed to the adoption of simulation games as an experiential learning tool in finance teaching. An example would be a semester-long project in which students at the beginning of the semester evaluate an investment portfolio, then review its results and generate a final report at the end of the semester. The use of the stock market as a classroom simulation game has been validated in finance teaching, with a positive impact on student comprehension and learning as well as increased interest in the field. 

The overwhelming majority of earlier studies only identified Bloomberg's class adoption without any evaluation being made. Recent papers propose some assessment methods, such as a survey to determine the attitudes of undergraduates to various class practices, and the performance of the investment fund and overall class grades as a measure of the expertise of the students. 

In autumn 2013, Manhattan College purchased and built 12 Bloomberg Terminals at the School of Business' first floor in the new computer lab. In the summer of 2017, by growing the number of dual monitors to 34 from 24 previously, the school modernized and expanded its finance room. In addition, the school added three flat screens, a dual teacher display, and a projector. The laboratory was fitted with 10 Bloomberg Terminals for student use, and one license for instructor use. This major investment reflected the goal of Excellence in Teaching at Manhattan College, and a strong emphasis on better preparing students for the job market. 

To support colleges and academic institutions Bloomberg L.P. has implemented Bloomberg Terminals. More than 40 years ago, a website dedicated to educational institutions has been launched. The Bloomberg for Education website monitors how universities use the Terminal by offering a forum where they can post their syllabus integrations. Although the degree to which Bloomberg Terminals play an experiential learning function in such courses differs from the academic institution to academic institution, a consensus has emerged on the value of familiarizing students with Bloomberg. As part of the curriculum creation campaign, Bloomberg was part of the spring 2014 syllabus of the course "Options and Futures Markets." The introduction of this modern method of teaching was gradual, lasting four years. This incremental approach primarily addressed the challenges students face when studying how stocks, government bonds, options, and futures are exchanged and priced through Bloomberg Terminals on financial markets.

The Bloomberg Terminal is a software system that enables professionals in the financial service sector to access Bloomberg Professional Services through which users can analyze real-time financial market data.

TEACHING DERIVATIVES USING BLOOMBERG: AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING APPROACH

Celebrate the coming summer with the Versace Summer 2020 capsule collection that boasts a bright, colorful print. 

Blue skies and bold patterns, the Versace collection includes printed designs that evoke sun-drenched holidays. The Mediterranean spirit features vibrant prints and enlivening combinations of colors defined by the capsule collection.

Home or away, the unisex Versace Home bathrobes trimmed with the iconic Barocco motif complement the new Summer collection.

Versace was often known as the "Rock'n'Roll designer," since they were producing attires for music icons, including George Michael, Elton John and Michael Jackson, amongst other the most famous musicians. In 1992, Versace designed the Elton John's stage outfits as well as his album cover costumes. Versace has designed dresses for the Princess of Wales and Monaco's Princess Caroline. In their advertising campaigns, Versace corporation is famous for using the same models as on their runways. 

In 1997, after the murder of the founder Gianni Versace, his sister Donatella Versace, executive vice-president, took over as artistic director, and his older brother Santo Versace became a CEO. Donatella's daughter, Allegra Versace, was left with a 50 percent interest in the business that she took ownership of on her 18th birthday. 

In 2000, Jennifer Lopez's "green Versace dress" at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards gained a lot of media attention, being voted "fifth most iconic dress of all time" in 2008, with Hurley's 1994 dress being first voted in a Daily Telegraph poll.

Michael Kors announced on 24th September 2018 that they were offering a deal to purchase Versace for 2 billion euros. The same month, Versace announced that one hundred percent of all family shares in Blackstone and Versace had been sold to the Michael Kors Limited Group.

Insiders say Victoria Beckham, Mugler, and Alexander Wang this season's collections are going to be striking. Stay tuned, we will be keeping you updated!

The latest fashion looks from Italian design house Versace for their Summer 2020 ready-to-wear collection.

The findings support the best possible interim analysis can provide. MAPS and the joint Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative have founded the Capstone Fund to collect the $30 million required to complete the research and make MDMA a medicine.

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) released the findings of an interim review of the data from the first of its numerous Phase 3 clinical trials of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - psychotherapy supported by MDMA. It is the best-case scenario for an interim review and it indicates that the U.S. Food and Drug Authority's (FDA) approval of the research program of MAPS is on track. 

An independent Data Monitoring Committee performed the study which checked the results of the first 60 out of 100 participants. The analysis revealed a 90 percent or higher probability that the trial would produce statistically significant results when all participants are administered, and that the trial will not require additional participants beyond the first 100. The FDA approved the interim analysis as part of MAPS' FDA Statistical Analysis Plan. 

The findings strongly indicate that the FDA has made the right decision to grant MAPS both (1) Breakthrough Therapy Designation for MDMA-assisted PTSD psychotherapy, which accelerates the clinical trial phase and acknowledges MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a potentially important improvement over PTSD therapies currently available, and (2) Expanded Access, which will give certain patients early access to MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD prior to approval. 

Almost all the interim analyzes do succeed. For example, the only other medication granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA for PTSD, Tonix Pharmaceuticals' Tonmya®, failed its interim review in February 2020. 

"This is what you dream about within the pharmaceutical drug development community," says Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of MAPS. "The findings of the interim review of MAPS' crucial first Phase 3 trial are the most compelling proof yet that psychotherapy supported by MDMA could help change the lives of people with PTSD. We also trained about 70 new therapists to work on Phase 3, and these findings also show that the procedure is universal, potentially to tens of thousands of therapists around the world. 

MAPS, in partnership with the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC), has initiated a $30 million Capstone Fund to complete this work and make MDMA a legal medication. The Capstone Fund has now raised the first $12 million, putting together a number of supporters who are dedicated to global treatment of PTSD. 

"Psychedelic drugs have an incredible potential to treat a variety of mental health problems, but psychedelic work has been underfunded for decades," says Joe Green, co-founder and PSFC President. "This first look at the evidence from a first-ever Phase 3 psychedelic-assisted therapy trial only makes us more optimistic that we are at the cusp of a breakthrough. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy approval will be a catalytic occurrence that would bring prescription medicine into the mainstream. That's why we're excited to work with MAPS in developing the Capstone Fund to get this project to the finish line. 

MAPS launches its Phase 3 clinical trials on MDMA-assisted PTSD psychotherapy at 15 sites in the United States, Canada and Israel. Phase 3 trials are scheduled to be completed by 2021, which means the FDA may approve the treatment by 2022. MAPS is currently in the process of securing regulatory approvals in the UЫ, Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands for Phase 2 trials. 

Regardless of the worldwide devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, PTSD affects millions – and maybe millions more, including victims of the disease and their families, professionals in the health care and emergency services, as well as front-line workers who risk their lives to provide essential services. 

Being a non-profit agency focusing on mental health care, MAPS is committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of its research staff and participants in clinical trials. MAPS is introducing procedures to minimize the risk of COVID-19 virus exposure and to adhere to physical distance. As a result of this initiative, new enrolment of participants in MAPS-sponsored trials is temporarily postponed, with treatments continuing on a case-by-case basis for some participants as assessed. 

"I assume this medication-assisted therapy would be a breakthrough in the therapy of trauma," says Amy Emerson, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) executive director. "I want to thank the researchers who led the experiments, the study volunteers for their time and involvement, the independent Data Review Committee for their careful review and the incredible research team who helped us achieve this milestone in pharmaceutical non-profit growth." 

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy allows use of MDMA to improve the effectiveness of PTSD psychotherapy. The treatment includes as part of a psychotherapy course up to three MDMA administrations in combination with psychotherapy in a managed clinical environment. When licensed, patients will not be allowed to take home the MDMA — patients at their local pharmacy will not be filling out their prescriptions. Instead, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy care should only be available through a specialist and only from licensed practitioners in supervised rehabilitation settings. 

MAPS was founded in 1986 and is a non-profit research and educational organization that establishes medical, legal and cultural perspectives for individuals to benefit from the careful use of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS has raised over $80 million since its founding for study and awareness on psychedelic therapy and medical marijuana.

MAPS-sponsored clinical trials are performed by MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of MAPS founded in 2014 for the sole aim of combining social benefits for MDMA, other psychedelics, and marijuana legal sales revenues. 

Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC) is a group of philanthropists committed to promoting psychedelic medicine. A non-profit, PSFC supports study and clinical trials of psychedelic drugs administered by a physician, and patient access to these medications. PSFC was established in 2017 as a result of the observation that psychedelic medicine has the potential to have a significant impact and has a viable path to regulatory approval, but has been underfunded in a systemic way.

An independent data monitoring commission has reviewed the data from the ongoing clinical Phase 3 trial of MAPS.

SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN PTSD SYMPTOMS AFTER MDMA-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, David Koma was unable to host a show or presentation this season.

"I think it's important to remain true to yourself and to remain true to what you believe, no matter what," David Koma says from his London studio. The meaning of that in the Koma universe is glamor — but how to marry a Koma piece's sexy, slinky appeal with the slouchy, ready-for-Zoom style of COVID-19 self-isolation "work from home fits?" Koma's approach is a clever combination of coziness and camp. 

Here the stretch corsets from his Fall 2020 show reappear. They are more like loungewear than babe-wear without boning, capable of being tucked into stretch patent leather bike shorts or a knit miniskirt in bright bubblegum pink. Long crystal mesh dresses are paired with knitwear or slouchy blazers, and even a neon-green metallic off-the-shoulder dress has a four-way stretch, making it the kind of Zoom party-to-couch-potato item a Koma vamp may be looking for during her homestay. Destined to arrive this fall and winter in stories, these clothes also have plenty of potential for going-out. Koma's women will cheerfully walk back into it in crystals, neons, and body-con dresses as the world open up. Also don't think of it as a return to normal — by fusing a more streamlined silhouette with new elements of comfort and stressing it, Koma shows he can adapt to a changing environment.

Immediately after graduation David Koma launched his eponymous ready-to-wear brand, and has been a London Fashion Week participant ever since. The brand has received numerous awards throughout the years including Fashion Forward in 2013, NEWGEN sponsorship in 2010, and Vauxhall Fashion Scout in 2009. David Koma has been shortlisted to the British Fashion Council/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2018 and 2019. Koma held the position of creative director at Mugler from December 2013 till December 2017.

In these extenuating circumstances, writing about this collection via photos and remote interviews.

"Stranger Than Kindness: The Nick Cave Show" is an unprecedented look into the artistic world of the artist, storyteller and cultural icon Nick Cave. With more than 300 items gathered or created by Nick Cave, put together in large-scale installations over six decades of his artistic and private life, the exhibition is a work of art in itself. Created in Copenhagen for The Black Diamond of The Royal Danish Library, and with Cave as co-curator and co-designer, the show is an unorthodox combination of history, memoir, and literature, asking what forms our lives and makes us who we are.

The work of Nick Cave encompasses a wide variety of media and modes of expression, with narrative forms at the heart. The exhibition invites visitors to follow the development of Cave as an artist – and gain insight into the overarching themes of his work, his working methods and the many inspirational sources that underpin it all. There is an equally interesting artistic process behind each piece, not initially intended for public viewing; the show opens up the innermost sections of Cave's imaginative world and provides a tale of its own. It shows how the life, music, archives and fictions of Nick Cave continue to interweave, educate and inspire one another.

Once I was approached by the Royal Danish Library with the idea of a "Nick Cave Show" I was hesitant to participate. Obviously I'm not sentimental and I didn't have time for a ride down Memory Lane. But the library team is obviously serious people with great infectious enthusiasm and they pulled me in! We created an exhibition that in its audacious scope feels unparalleled, its feet rooted in the past while stretching into the unknown future. We were able to put together an extraordinarily detailed exhibition which commented on the fragile and vulnerable nature of identity. I am incredibly proud to be part of the special unorthodox show -a  fractured past we've called Stranger Than Kindness. 

Considering their tendency to creative collaboration and stylistic fascination with the antique and the mysterious, Gucci's sponsorship makes perfect sense. It seems that Nick Cave is exactly the sort of artist in whom creative director Alessandro Michele seems to find a kindred spirit. An analysis of the connection between designed object and constructed narrative informs the show, an idea that strongly parallels Gucci's approach to their own brand. For Gucci, it is a generous way to help the creative scene they love, while smartly giving their name an even wider scope.

We were thinking of organizing several exhibitions based on the lives of either Hedi Slimane, Thierry Mugler, Andre Courreges or Rick Owens. We will keep you updated, stay tuned!

In celebration of the life and work of the musician.

STRANGER THAN KINDNESS: GUCCI SPONSORS NICK CAVE EXHIBITION

In their upcoming Contemporary Evening Sale Phillips will soon be putting up a monumental painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat for auction. Measuring six by eleven feet, the sprawling work entitled Victor 25448 was exhibited at the Vrej Baghoomian gallery in New York in Basquiat's last solo exhibition before his death in 1988. The large-scale paper on canvas work features several character graphics found in the 1972 Symbol Sourcebook by Henry Dreyfuss, as per ARTnews. 

One of the most influential visuals in the neo-expressionist composition is the word "IDEAL" painted in the painting's middle. According to Robert Manley, Phillips' deputy chairman, the text relates to Basquiat's relationship with the art industry and dealing his works of art. "All of Basquiat's work, directly or indirectly, reflects his experience as a Black man in a world of primarily white art," Manley said. "Victor 25448 refers to the violence endured by Black people in different forms, and is also a representation of Basquiat himself." 

Currently, Victor 25448 has a pre-sale estimate of between US$ 8 million and US$ 12 million. The Art for Justice Fund will benefit a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the artwork — an initiative that seeks to reduce mass incarceration in the U.S. and is supported by collector Agnes Gund. The auction will take place on July 2. 

*On February 10, 1985, in a feature titled "New Art, New Money: The Marketing of an American Artist," Basquiat appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. Despite his creative success in this period, his emotional depression kept troubling him and would often cause him to start using heroin. Many of his peers speculated that his use of heroin was a way to cope with the demands of his new fame, the exploitative nature of the art industry and the pressures of being a black man in the world of white-dominated art. 

Following his return from a trip to Hawaii, Keith Haring reports meeting Basquiat who was happy to tell Haring that he had finally kicked off his drug dependence. Despite attempts at sobriety, he died of a speedball overdose at his Great Jones Street art studio in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan on August 12, 1988. Basquiat was 27 years old.

British fashion designer Victoria Beckham, according to repute, is a big admire of Jean-Michel Basquiat work.

All of Basquiat’s work, directly or indirectly, expresses his identity as an Black man in a predominantly white art world.

BASQUIAT'S VICTOR PAINTING EXPECTED TO FETCH OVER $10,000,000 IN PHILLIPS AUCTION

If there's one good thing that's coming out of quarantine, it's David Lynch's YouTube channel reboot. Besides his daily weather reports, we saw the launch of a new series, entitled "What is David Working on Today?" Where, among other things, the filmmaker teaches viewers how to build a microphone stand. 

Lynch has now posted a 40-minute Q&A with long-time producer Sabrina S. Sutherland, where he responds to a series of social media fan questions. Yet when asked the film he's most proud of in his career, he said: "I 'm proud of all but Dune." 

"I've loved working on different movies. It's not so much about pride, but the pleasure of doing it, the enjoyment of the work," he said. "I enjoyed working in all those various mediums. I'm feeling extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to enjoy those things and live." 

Lynch, who spoke out in a weather report earlier this month in support of Black Lives Matter, also shared words of encouragement for the future: "I believe we are going through a transition as a whole. These so-called bleak times are needed to pass to get to a better place," he said. 

"The old way gives way to a new way. More and more things have come to light, horror stories, and people have been living with that stuff for decades. More stuff's coming out. Those mistakes will begin to get righted. I think that we'll find really great times on the other side of this transition. An end to woe and negativity. I believe this, and hope for it."

Lynch had previously spoken out about Dune's upcoming Denis Villeneuve remake, saying he has "zero interest" in it. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lynch said he wasn't going to watch the story of Villeneuve because for him he was "a heartache." "It has been a disappointment, and I have not had a final cut," he explained. "I have been telling this story a billion times. It is not the movie I wanted to make. I like some pieces of it very much - but for me, it was a complete failure.

Rumors say next year a potential collaboration between designer Rick Owens and David Lynch may take place. Stay tuned! We will keep you informed.

‘These so-called bleak times are necessary to go through in order to get to a much, much better place’.

DAVID LYNCH: DUNE, BLM, AND POST-LOCKDOWN LIFE

Olympus today announced it sells its camera business to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP). Olympus — once one of the biggest camera brands in the world — will now focus on supplying industrial and medical imaging equipment. Although the company said it had improved cost structure, worked on high-profit cameras and took steps to "cope with the extremely complicated digital camera market," it reported three consecutive fiscal years of operating losses. 

In 1936, Olympus made its first camera, the Semi-Olympus I. The costly accordion-line camera started off Olympus' camera business. In 1996, it launched the first digital camera, and established the interchangeable lens system Micro Four Thirds trademark. Smartphones have therefore eroded the need for mirrorless cameras. In 2011, Olympus, while being one of the largest companies by market share at the time, has also been involved in a $1.7 billion accounting scandal. 

"We're asking for your patience: we believe this is the right step to preserve the legacy of our brand, the products and the value of our technology," explained the company on Facebook. "Olympus sees this potential transfer as an opportunity to enable our imagery business to grow and delight both long-term and new photography enthusiasts." Meanwhile, JIP has revealed plans to streamline the business, as it has done with Sony's VAIO PC. This will make cameras "more lightweight, more powerful and more agile." 

The Olympus scandal has precipitated on 14 October 2011 when British-born Michael Woodford was suddenly ousted as Chief Executive Officer of Olympus Corporation. He had been president of the company for six months, and two weeks before he had been promoted to chief executive when, according to The Wall Street Journal, he exposed "one of the largest and longest-running loss-hiding arrangements in Japanese corporate history". The chairman of the board, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, who appointed Woodford to these positions, again assumed the title of CEO and president. The incident raised questions about the tobashi schemes' resilience, and the quality of Japanese corporate governance. 

Apparently irregular acquisition payments had resulted in very significant asset impairment charges in the company's accounts, and this was exposed in an article in the Japanese financial magazine FACTA and came to the attention of Woodford. Japanese press speculated on Yakuza (Japanese organized crime syndicates) connection. Olympus defended themselves against charges of corruption.

*Fashion designers Thierry Mugler and Hedi Slimane, both also talented photographers, have been using Olympus equipment throughout their careers.

In 2011, Olympus attracted worldwide media scrutiny when it fired its CEO and the matter snowballed into a corporate corruption investigation with multiple arrests. It paid $646 million in kickback fines in 2016.

OLYMPUS SELLS ITS CAMERA BUSINESS AFTER 84 YEARS

MDMA was first synthesized by the chemist Anton Köllisch in Merck in 1912. Merck was at the time interested in developing substances that would stop abnormal bleeding. The chemist wanted to avoid an existing patent for one such compound owned by Bayer: hydrastinine. At the suggestion of fellow lab members Walther Beckh and Otto Wolfes, Köllisch produced a preparation of a hydrastinine derivative, methylhydrastinine. MDMA (in Merck laboratory papers, called methylsafrylamin, safrylmethylamin, or N-methyl-a-methylhomopiperonylamin) was an intermediate compound in methylhydrastinin synthesis. Around the time Merck did not have an interest in MDMA itself. He filed two patent applications on 24 December 1912 outlining the synthesis and certain chemical properties of MDMA and its conversion to methylhydrastinine. 

Merck records indicate that its researchers have sporadically returned to the compound. Merck's patent of 1920 defines a chemical modification to MDMA. In 1927, Max Oberlin researched MDMA pharmacology when looking for substances with adrenaline or ephedrine-like effects, the latter being structurally similar to MDMA. Oberlin found that it had comparable effects on vascular smooth muscle tissue, greater effects on the uterus and no local effect relative to ephedrine. MDMA was also found to have an effect comparable to high doses of ephedrine on the blood sugar levels. Oberlin concluded that MDMA's effects are not limited to the sympathetic nervous system. Research was stopped particularly because of a sharp increase in the price of safrylmethylamine, still being used as an intermediate in methylhydrastinine synthesis. In 1952 Albert van Schoor carried out basic toxicological experiments with the drug, most likely when studying new stimulants or circulatory drugs. Work on MDMA wasn't pursued following pharmacological trials. In 1959, while studying stimulants, Wolfgang Fruhstorfer synthesized MDMA for pharmacology experiments. It's uncertain if Fruhstorfer was studying the psychological effects of MDMA in humans. 

Outside of Merck, other researchers have begun studying MDMA. In 1953 and 1954, a study of toxicity and behavioral effects in animals injected with mescaline and several analogues, including MDMA, was commissioned by the United States military. Those investigations were declassified in October 1969 and published in 1973, conducted at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The first published scientific study on the substance was a 1960 Polish paper by Biniecki and Krajewski describing the MDMA synthesis as an intermediate. 

In the western United States in 1968 MDMA may have been in non-medical use. A study from an August 1970 meeting of crime laboratory chemists suggests that by 1970 MDMA was used for recreational purposes in the Chicago area. MDMA originated as a substitute for its precursor methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), a drug that was declared a Schedule 1 product in the United States in 1970 at the time common among psychedelic users. 

American chemist and psychopharmacologist Alexander Shulgin reported that he synthesized MDMA in 1965 while researching Dow Chemical Company's methyleneedioxy compounds, but did not test the compound's psychoactivity at this time. Around 1970, Shulgin sent instructions for the synthesis of N-methylated MDA (MDMA) to the founder of a chemical company in Los Angeles, who had asked for them. This person subsequently provided those instructions to a Midwest company. Shulgin may have suspected that he played a part in MDMA emerging in Chicago. 

Although not finding especially effective his own interactions with MDMA, Shulgin was impressed with the disinhibiting effects of the medication, and thought it could be useful in therapy. Believing MDMA enabled users to remove habits and clearly perceive the world, Shulgin called the drug 'window'. Occasionally Shulgin used MDMA for relaxation, referring to it as "my low calorie martini," and gave the drug to his friends and researchers who he thought might benefit from it. One such individuals was Leo Zeff, a psychotherapist known to have used psychedelic substances in his practice. Zeff was fascinated with the effects of MDMA when he tried the drug in 1977, and started promoting its use in therapy. Over the years that followed, Zeff traveled across the US and often to Europe, training an estimated 4,000 psychotherapists in the use of MDMA. Zeff called the drug "Adam," believing that it would place users in a state of primordial innocence. 

In the late 70s as well as early 80s "Adam" spread through personal networks of psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psychedelic users, and yuppies. Hoping MDMA could avoid criminalization such as LSD and mescaline, while conducting informal research, psychotherapists and experimenters tried to limit the spread of MDMA and information about it. Early distributors of MDMA were deterred by the threat of possible legislation from large-scale operations. This network of "Adam" users consumed an estimated 500,000 doses between the 1970s and the mid-1980s. 

A small commercial market developed in the late 1970s for MDMA, consuming around 10,000 doses in 1976. By the early 1980s MDMA has been used in nightclubs like Studio 54 and Paradise Garage in Boston and New York City. By the early 1980s, as the recreational market slowly expanded, a small group of therapeutically minded Boston chemists dominated the production of MDMA. This "Boston Group" could not keep up with growing demand and frequently occurred shortages having begun production in 1976. 

Perceiving an opportunity for business, Michael Clegg, the Boston Group's Southwest distributor, began his own "Texas Group," financially backed by Texas friends. Clegg coined "Ecstasy" as a slang term for MDMA in 1981, in order to increase its marketability. Beginning in 1983, the Texas Group mass-produced or smuggled MDMA from California into a Texas laboratory and commercialized tablets using pyramid distribution systems and toll-free numbers. MDMA could be bought via credit card, and sales taxes were paid. MDMA tablets were marketed in brown bottles, under the brand name "Sassyfras." The Texas Group declared "Ecstasy celebrations" in bars and discotheques, describing MDMA as "a nice drug" and "perfect to dance" MDMA was distributed openly in bars and nightclubs in Austin and Dallas – Fort Worth area, becoming popular with yuppies, college students, and gay people. 

Recreational use also grew after many cocaine dealers moved from encounters with the drug to selling MDMA. A laboratory in California that analyzed the drug samples sent confidentially first identified MDMA in 1975. The number of MDMA samples rose during the following years, ultimately reaching the number of MDA samples in the early 1980s. By the mid-1980s, the use of MDMA had spread to colleges across the USA.

Since moving to Paris in 2003, designer Rick Owens hasn't visited Los Angeles once. Though his creative life began there, California is overshadowed by memories of his younger self in a tiny studio with one seamstress. "I am just reminded, of not fully developed, the weak me there," he says. There have been drugs and booze and a disorderliness he is keen to leave behind.

Bruce Gilden is renowned for being close-and-personal with an eclectic array of subjects, capturing people's candid shots as they go about their lives. Therefore it makes sense that the American Magnum photographer immediately hit it off with Alessandro Michele, given the runways and editorials of the Gucci designer are about as eclectic as they come in. 

The two are now joining forces on a new project with Michele first enlisting Gilden to shoot the front row of Gucci's AW20 menswear show back in January, with the likes of Tyler, The Creator, Anderson. Paak, Richard Hell and Earl Cave among those caught. This time around, it takes the form of a limited edition coffee table tome full of bold black-and-white images and larger-than-life characters (all dressed up in Gucci's Pre-Fall 2020, obvs). 

"Bruce is a lovely person with a poetic gaze on humanity," says his collaborator Michele. "We share the same love for faces and a fascination with voices, gestures and appearances. Operating with a photographer means looking through the eyes of another and seeing through Bruce's was great. I felt like I was in a research laboratory looking at stuff under a microscope. 

Beaten & Blown By The Wind, shot in Rome's pre-pandemic streets, sees shoppers running errands star alongside Italian model Bernadetta Barzini and fashion editor and activist Bethann Hardison as well. A woman carrying a tiny dog under her arm stares into Gilden's lens in a particularly striking, flash-lit photo, slightly dazzled and seemingly not quite sure what to do with what's going on. 

"It was the end of two long days I spent shooting for Gucci on the street and I was tired, going back to the hotel," explains the photographer. "The light of December faded, the street was full of shoppers and I saw this beautiful young woman carrying her dog. I took a shot very quickly and her husband was very curious about why I photographed her. Before I left, we had a fun chat and felt very festive – it was just a few weeks before Christmas."

*Designer Rick Owens has published several photography books in collaboration with various artists. Check them out!

Gilden gets up-close and personal with Rome’s residents for Beaten & Blown By The Wind.

GUCCI X AMERICAN MAGNUM PHOTOGRAPHER BRUCE GILDEN COLLABORATION

Written and directed by Maurus Vom Scheidt, the short follows several characters as they experience moments of change or discovery, featuring pieces from the Fall 2020 collections. There is no dialogue, and all actions are internal: the storytelling is handled by bodies, eyes, faces, and colors. A young couple discovers their dream apartment together in one storyline; in another, an old couple, as they dance they fall in love all over again. Although it doesn't specifically invoke Pride, the sense of embracing love and freedom implicitly endorses the message of Pride. 

The film is produced elegantly. Its color scheme is beautifully cohesive: the grey of glass and concrete gives off rare red and ice blue flashes. Sensitive camerawork focuses on the movement and lighting emotional effects. A score fusing orchestral and electronic elements swells to suit the emotional beats. 

While the film feels successful, it suffers from its own ambition to a little bit. Mostly it feels just too long: it sees itself as offering an intimate glimpse of inner action, but it gives us too many different characters and storylines to form a meaningful connection with any one of them, especially when we don't really know what's going on. When the soundtrack swells, and each scene reaches a certain emotional resolution, we are left with only a vague sense of happiness and rest, though without knowing why. It's still a nice way to highlight the collection, however, as well as sending an uplifting message never to stop discovering love. 

The campaign was filmed earlier this year by Maurus vom Scheidt in Berlin in January – a director who is known primarily for his commercial work with foreign non-fashion brands. Balenciaga's Autumn Winter 2020 collection is a celebration of urban life. From conversations, activities, and objects that, wherever we are, can offer us feelings of comfort and trust. 

The film itself is a collection of heart-warming vignettes and an intense music buildup that conjures up the almost teary-like inner-stomach feelings of the Love Actually airport montages. If you know you know.

Rumors say that Mugler are going to release a short movie this year within their new season's campaign. Looking forward to watching it!

A new short film from Balenciaga, entitled ‘Live to Love,’ celebrates the energy and uncertainty of growing up.

BALENCIAGA'S LIVE TO LOVE FALL 2020 AD CAMPAIGN FILM

Vitra has reissued the 1941 "Chaise Tout Bois" chair designed by Jean Prouvé; the only chair ever made entirely of wood by the French architect and designer.

The Chaise Tout Bois has been created during World War II as a result of the shortage of metal. However, it has a similar design to the Standard chair from Prouvé, that piece features a metal base. It is constructed without any screws, and originally made of oak and plywood, which Prouvé rarely explored. This spurred him on to experiment in the future with more materials. 

Prouvé won an award in the Meubles de France competition in 1947 for the Chaise Tout Bois, notably for the high quality and attractiveness of the chair, but also because it was affordable for the new homeowner of the post-war period. Today, Vitra reissues the chair in a design as original as possible, making their Chaise Tout Bois out of oak and offering it in two stains: light or dark. 

Jean Prouvé finished his training as a metal artisan before opening his own workshop in Nancy in 1924. He created numerous furniture designs in the years that followed and established his own factory in 1947. Prouvé left the company in 1953, because of disagreements with the majority of the shareholders. The designer served as a consultant engineer on a number of important architectural projects in Paris over the ensuing decades. 

In 1971, when Prouvé played an important role in selecting the design of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers for the Center Pompidou as chairman of the competition jury, he left his mark on architectural history once again. Jean Prouvé's work encompasses a wide range of objects, from letter openers to window fittings, from interior objects and furniture to façade elements and ready-made houses, from modular systems to huge exhibition structures – essentially, almost anything suited to industrial production methods. 

Designer Rick Owens lives and works in Paris but the sleek, minimalist style of his creations has been developed in the United States when he started creating custom-made furniture for his Los Angeles bunker-style loft. Working with the highest-caliber craftsmen, he has developed a collection of pieces expressing his signature style in cut, volume and plan.

In 2002, Vitra began issuing re-editions of designs by the great French constructor in close cooperation with the Prouvé family.

VITRA'S NEW RELEASE: 1941 CHAISE TOUT BOIS BY JEAN PROUVÉ

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