Surface - Issue 81 (2010)

Surface is dedicated to covering all that is compelling in the worlds of design, fashion and architecture. Readers turn to Surface for creative inspiration, coverage of the burgeoning design world, and profiles of the emerging talents and provocative projects reshaping the visual landscape.
Content:
MELTING POINT The recession can go to hell. This issue proves there’s no dearth of creativity and style in design today. Drip, drip, drip... hear it? Designers, brands, artists and institutions are awakening from their deep, recessionary slumber. Plans long on hold are thawing, designers are birthing new creations and brands are—slowly—opening the floodgates of investment. While tough times are far from forgotten, there’s an undeniable buzz in the air. In this Spring Fashion Issue, we survey the budding flowers of design and luxury: Marcel Wanders’ luminous fauna for Baccarat, the choicest sneakers and timepieces for gents, Zaha Hadid’s gloriously curvilinear MAXXI museum in Rome, bold new designs from Lexus and Toyota and fiercely frilly couture from Dutch impresarios Viktor & Rolf, photographed by Grégoire Alexandre. And for those looking to freshen up before venturing forth, we’ve selected the latest fragrances for men, as well as our favorite bath and beauty products for both persuasions. While belt-tightening and circumspect thinking have seemingly become de rigeur, you wouldn’t know it from this issue’s crop of talent. British womenswear designer Julian J. Smith mixes neon colors with ease, Phillip Lim’s latest boutique by New York-based architects Leong Leong in Seoul looks like a pristine porcelain objet and American entrepreneurs James Coombes and Dominique Gonfard of Lerival are bringing architects’ underutilized and highly considered furniture designs into production. Finally, longtime readers of Surface may experience déjà vu while flipping through these pages. We’ve dusted off our old departments—Surveillance for noteworthy products, Focus for profiles and projects and Exposure for fashion photography—and returned them to service for 2010. Let’s make the most of the season to come. -Dan Rubinstein