SS24-001
Unknown destination. New inspiration.
by Stephen Cox
I’m writing this on my sixteenth day of dry January and although I feel like I say this every single year or sporadic month whereby I’ve decided to exile the pub; right now, I’m really feeling the benefits. I have no current plans to give up Espresso Martinis indefinitely but it is very tempting. Waking up before the masses on a Sunday morning filled with absolute clarity, purpose and motivation on my drive to get a flat white is one of life’s cheat codes. I’m clearly getting older, but it does leave you with food for thought, or drink for debate – are the Saturday night piss-ups really worth it?
‘23 was a milestone year for me and I’m proud of how things developed both mentally, and personally. In a year far from short of challenges, I’ve been reminded of how experiencing lows are what make the highs feel so good, highs that I will be forever grateful for. Getting married showed me the importance of celebrating yourself, trips to Copenhagen, Florence and Berlin left me inspired and finally, rebranding, then launching the SC&CO Community site has me eagerly anticipating the possibilities of where things could go next.
I’m entering ‘24 with less of an agenda than last year but with some plans in the works combined with a renewed drive to grow this platform. I’m craving the opportunity to speak with more creatives, hear their stories and share their work, my opinion has not changed, creatives need connection and a place to feel seen and heard.
Whilst I won’t drink to that prospect right now, I will share a few more details about those plans and some of the current inspiration littered throughout this post which I’ll be drawing on in the new year. Feel free to have a little scroll and find out more.
Inspiration -
I’ll caveat this section by saying this is fashion heavy. In my defence though, the fashion industry is going through a period of transition right now and there is a lot to consume.
From Top to Bottom -
01. Madeline Argy | Saint Laurent | Vanity Fair
Saint Laurent is a constant source of inspiration for me and therefore I imagine this isn’t too much of a surprise, creative director Anthony Vaccarello consistently smashes it in my view and this shoot with Madeline Argy is a highlight. Great outfit. Great personality. Great shots.
I have noticed the older style ‘YSL’ typeface creeping back into recent campaigns, whilst I’m not opposed to this move I’ve always been a massive fan of Hedi Slimane’s rebrand back in 2012. I guess we’ll see what happens next.
Image by Stepan Filenko.
02. KINFOLK
I’m currently obsessed with collecting Kinfolk issues. The magazine received a re-skin in 2021 by Alex Hunting and the layouts have been inspiring my posts since. Frustratingly the font used throughout the books is very much a custom typeface and I can’t find a ‘dupe’ anywhere.
Gucci Ancora and the arrival of Sabato De Sarno
03.
My wife and I visited Gucci Cosmos in London at the start of December, an exhibition which sees you immersed in the House’s 102 year history. Exhibits which are elegantly labelled in Futura stretch from the founding right through to the Tom Ford and Frida Giannini era before ending with the latest Ancora Campaign.
Gucci’s newest Creative Director behind Ancora, Sabato De Sarno, has created a line-up of quiet luxury pieces that feel miles away from his predecessor Alessandro Michele’s eccentric, maximalist style. I’m certain this will upset a proportion of the cliental but personally I advocate the change in direction.
Before I move on, the Ancora site deserves a mention and is well worth looking at, the continuous loop of videos sat behind the Gucci logo is genius. Check it out here.
04. ROMY | MID AIR
Coincidentally the Ancora runway show sparked my favourite LP of the last 3 months, Romy’s Mid Air has been on constant repeat in my office. I’m not a huge fan of the album artwork, but I’ll overlook that.
05.
05. Anne Hathaway | Net a Porter
The images from this shoot combined with the article’s editorial layout despite being on the web is très chic. There’s not much more for me to say about this one except I rate it highly...
Image by Cass Bird.
06. The Creatvies CURSE | Todd brison
In our recent interview, Lauren Wilcox recommended this book, now I’m doing the same. The Creative Curse is a really easy read or in my case listen. I won’t spoil it but the book explores key challenges, internal conflicts and themes that creatives regularly face. There’s so much to resonate with and it’s well worth a read if you need a little bit of confidence or are seeking a renewed faith in your art.
07. Supernova | London
Supernova became a bit of a ‘ craze’ due to the wonderful world of TikTok influencing. Don’t get me wrong the burger’s great but the minimalist space which makes you feel like you’ve visited a make-up counter as oppose to a burger joint is why i’ve included it. The elegant branding, simple menu and curated instagram feed, combined with a product which is far from complex is a reminder that sometimes doing less but better is the way forward.
Plans -
More, more and more.
I’m not sure if this is a good or a bad thing but I have far less plans going into ‘24 than other years, I do however have a desire to simply do more. More interviews, more content and more articles.
Moreover (see what I did there) I’m looking at ways to diversify that content and am acutely aware that people want to consume different media types. I’m therefore actively looking at introducing the likes of video or audio but in a way that maintains the right editorial SC&CO style.
Finally, we launched the collaborate section of the community platform in late December. I’m hoping this brings a transparent way in which to present new opportunities to the collective. I’m keen to see this grow throughout the year and would encourage any one who might need help with a project to get in touch.
To finish things, I want to thank anyone who took the time to speak to me last year about the launch of this platform in any capacity, it goes without saying I’m so appreciative of all the positve feedback which I’ve received so far. A few honourable mentions have to go out to Lauren Wilcox and Anita Barry who took the time to take interviews, oh and on that point… If you have a specific topic, you are passionate about, want to bring focus to the project you are working on or know someone who might want to be part of this community, then I would love to hear from you. Please do get in touch if you want to catch up or curate an article together.
In the meantime, Happy New Year.
Stephen..
Connect -
More Content
NAVIGATE
Discover other members portfolios and engage like minded professionals to collaborate or discuss new opportunities.
Refer or find like minded professionals or discover members who you want to collaborate with on present or future projects.
We share curated posts around inspiration, opportunities, announcements and resources as well as content from members.