Vidur: The finer attributes of Contemporary Menswear

Menswear can be courageous. A lot of details that didn’t previously exist are making their way into “contemporary menswear”. There are a lot of layers, fluidity, structural minimalism, and bright natural colours. My assessment would be that these clothes are ‘constructed’ piece by piece.  Vidur is a contemporary menswear brand headed by RCA graduate Raj Mistry. Founded in 2012, the brand’s other co-founder has a background in music, and I think that aesthetically, Vidur has succeeded in carving-out a distinctive awareness around who they are and what they stand for. I would like to discuss two of Vidur’s distinguishing characteristics which I feel bring light to their design philosophy; the integration of athleticism and functionality, and the use of natural materials. 

We are currently witnessing a period of experimentation in the menswear design scene. My reading of the situation is that dressing down is central to this experimentation. Athletic silhouettes are not new to contemporary menswear. In my very short life, I recall an era in the late 90s and early 2000s when dressing down blue denims with Nike Airmaxes was very popular. This grew to be normalized through brands such as Common Projects who designed and made sneakers that didn’t feel ‘sporty’ at all. In 2015, I still like to wear my Adidas sneakers to the office either with raw denims or chinos. This is because of how functional it feels. Vidur have made this element of “functionality” to be at the core of their design philosophy, and this is refreshing and relevant.

Vidur also use natural materials in their garment making. This is important, particularly the use of natural colour. Indigo dyeing is one of the oldest traditions in the world. It’s nearly impossible for large-scale clothing manufacturers to use natural indigo partly because of its scarcity, but mainly because it’s a lengthy process. So these manufacturers use artificial indigo dyes. Major problem with that is once the artificial indigo dye is used, the water can’t be reused (because it’s contaminated). This may seem like a minor issue if you’re dying small amounts, but if we’re talking about millions of tons of clothes dyed in artificial indigo each year, how much of that water goes to waste? Vidur are clear about how they are constantly engaging with their manufacturers and mills to keep the natural composition of their clothes at an optimum. The use of natural materials is becoming just as critical as a brands other unique selling points.

I believe that this brand will continue to cause global headwinds. In 2013, they were selected by Vogue Italia as “one of the menswear talents to watch”, and after discovering them at last month’s Copenhagen Fashion Week, I agree fully with Vogue Italia’s endorsement. Keep going Vidur.

SS14 Lookbook credits: 
Photographer: Harry Sleightholme
Model: Suren @ AMCK 

SS15 Lookbook credits:
Photographer: Jamie Stoker
Model: Eliot @ SUPA
Grooming: Dan Delgado
Styling: Charlotte James

A Universal Language: RxDIO's Story

RxDIO was brought into the AUL project at the very last minute. After months of planning and running back-and-forth, AUL was surrounded by great uncertainty as the disappointments persisted. After it had emerged that we had to change our whole narrative to better accommodate the new subjects of our story, RxDIO came in and contributed to what is probably one of the most intricate stories I’ve ever worked on. He welcomed us into his home and introduced us to his world. RxDIO released his Live A Little EP in August 2013. In my view, Live A Little will be those ‘always-on-repeat’ type albums. Songs like Toberman St, Slave To The Truth, Merrier, and a song which had me reflecting a lot, Liars, are one of the many musical gems in a body of work that is both personal and graceful. What blew me away about him was his ‘unfilter-able’ and ‘unedit-able’ personality. In my opinion, his Live A Little EP embodies great substance. 

His responses to my questions bring a new dimension to the AUL story, revealing moments of reflection and wisdom. It’s important for artists to understand the source of their inspiration, not to only know it, but to understand it. Artistry occupies an intricate place in those who shape it. The AUL story is about those intricacies. What I’ve observed from RxDIO in the few months I’ve worked with him is that the source of our strength is in our inspiration. The degree to which we remain anchored to who we’re truly are depends on the significance we place in that which we draw our strength from. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve through AUL. 

phsicsmag (p): Based on your understanding, what would you say constitutes to the idea of “a universal language”?

RxDIO (R): The same way some would say there is beauty in everything, or that God is in everything, I believe all of those statements and others similar to those are true. I think when looking for the beauty in something, or God, there is certain understanding to be attained and a way of perceiving things around us to be utilized. I think the revelation of an idea and ideas such as this and applied to our daily lives is when “a universal language” is spoken.

p: Do you feel music is still the “universal language” it once was, or are artists better off creating musical niches for themselves?

R: Music will always be the “universal language” it once was...to me, artists “creating musical niches for themselves” is what helps music to be the “universal language” it is. We are all unique individuals who have unique reactions to the unique moments of our unique lives so of course sometimes things in our lives aren’t representative of how we may feel, like music, but that would be a bias opinion of my own if I felt that way. I’m not the only one this planet. So what I do is create music that speaks for how I feel. The same as the person miles away from me with a totally different life, lifestyle, way of thinking, and musical preference. How I see it, it’s not what type of music we do, or what we say, or if we agree or have totally different views or how we do it. It’s simply us doing it that allows someone to “speak the language”. To feel attracted to something as much as it is attracted to you.

  article originally published in phsicsmag's A Universal Language issue available for download here

Warby Parker Fall 2014: More than just ‘makers’ of eyewear

Design is a lot like life; if you keep doing what you’ve always done, chances are you’ll remain where you’ve always been. Great design moments throughout history were those that shifted the scope of broad collective thinking into a new era. In recent memory for example, the iPod became one of those major shifts because of the way it changed how we carried and purchased our music, while also laying the foundation for the products that followed it. Effective design is able to transform the way we live, plan, and shape our lives. Since its inception, eyewear brand Warby Parker has managed to bring to life those great design moments through their “rebellious spirit” and “lofty objective”. The brand takes a “socially-conscious” approach to eyewear design and construction. Warby Parker’s Fall 2014 collection will be available starting from 3 September 2014, and we at Phsics Media are excited to contribute towards this great collection’s exposure.  

When viewing Warby Parker’s Fall 2014 collection, thoughtfulness and personality are the first things that come to mind. This new collection proves that Warby Parker are more than just makers of eyewear. Each piece reflects a push towards a broad-minded kind of thoughtfulness: one that is aware and forward-looking. The nine piece collection is comprised of updated acetate frames with titanium temples, brand new styles in crystal, and angular silhouettes. They’ve also added two new hues, namely the Stripped Pacific and the Petal Tortoise. We love how each style is able to speak the personality of its wearer. This shows that great product making takes place when nobody is excluded, and that’s powerful. Go do great things!  

The Warby Parker Fall 2014 collection can be viewed here 

Images courtesy of Warby Parker