Happy Monday! The new week is here and with it comes the chance to delve deep into some fresh culture and fashion. Here’s your latest look at the i-D Guide.
Wear… everything from the Selfridges’ sale
A Jacquemus beach towel; a Prada cap for your dog; some ERL mittens. If you’ve ever thought of owning something nice ever in your life, no matter how mad hatter, the Selfridges sale likely has it. Luxury fashion galore, homewares, even some tech. Check it all out here.
Buy… 111SKIN’s Rose Gold Brightening Facial Masks
If there is one thing you do not want to be known for this summer, it’s turning up to a social event looking like your skin is still living in November. 111SKIN solve that issue: their rose gold brightening facial masks tighten, plump and smoothen your skin by using colloidal gold, peptides and rose damask. Buy yours from Space.NK here.
Buy… Spyros Rennt’s new photography book
Boys frolicking in the Aegean’s teal waters; couples making out at hazy afters, or wistfully gazing over the streets of Berlin — these are a couple of transportative images lifted from Corporeal, the latest publication from Berlin-based photographer Spyros Rennt. Captured over a three year period from 2020 until the start of 2023 — in locations spanning the infamous dancefloors at Berlin’s heart and the sylvan lakes at its fringes; volcanoes and sparse beaches on Greek islands and plush hotels —the pictures of friends, hookup partners and fleeting acquaintances that fill its pages amount to a nuanced portrait of the queer and underground communities that he’s part of, charged with joy, intimacy and desire. With the book now launched in tandem with Pride Month, Spyros kindly fills us in on the processes, intentions and perspectives that culminated in Corporeal, available to purchase here.
Hi Spyros! How would you introduce Corporeal?
Corporeal is my third photography book, mostly covering the period from 2020 to early 2023. I live in Berlin but come from Greece, so you get a sense of both distinct places, as well as a few others, in the book. It’s about queerness, nightlife and people who have made a lasting impression on me. And there’s an erotic element; it’s not a shy book.
What were your main intentions in putting it together?
It starts from a personal perspective and the intention of personal documentation, but it develops into the documentation of a scene and an era. Intimacy, community, erotica, underground spaces are themes and some of the concepts explored, and they all intertwine with each other.
Tell us about the people in the images: who are they, what do they mean to you, and what made you want to photograph them in the given contexts?
When I make a publication I select the photos from a larger pool of images; the images that make the final cut are the ones that help me tell the story (or stories) I want to bring to light. The people I feature in my book are all people I feel connected to, be it people who have been my friends for years, or someone I met at an afters; if they make it in my book it means I appreciate them for their energy and what they represent.
What are some images that hold particular significance for you?
They would have to be: Thanos and Aimilios swimming in water that had an unreal shade of blue in the summer of 2020, a wonderful memory of a vacation with friends after the first wave of Covid misery; Bekuu in his room in Athens, an honest portrait of Athenian youth; Vinu and Lisa making out, as documenting desire is one of my favorite things; the divine femininity of Katerina; Enad & Sam, looking out into the streets of Berlin.
What are you most excited for people to discover in Corporeal?
I’m happy for people to see how these different elements simultaneously arise from the images; how a sexual image can also hold intimacy and warmth, or how the people aren’t just portrayed solely for the sake of looking handsome, but rather as parts of a community. It’s about different aspects melting into each other to create something unique.
Read… Air Afrique
Bottega Veneta are continuing on their quest to lift up print media from marginalised communities with the announcement of Air Afrique: a new magazine founded by a Parisian collective that champions African culture. Named after the old airline that shuttered in 2002, the new title leans into the illuminating writing that appeared in their in-flight reading materials. Check it out here.
Read… The Pop Manifesto
In other big publishing news, we finally have a new culture publication to pore over. Living digitally, but with a limited edition print run, The Pop Manifesto focuses on profiling interesting figures in music, fashion, art and tech. Ran by Ilirjana Alushaj, its first iteration features Miya Folick among others. Check it out here.
Go to… Prada Extends Bangkok
Following all-out events in London, Tokyo and Miami, Prada is now bringing Extends – it’s legendary rave series curated by techno titan Richie Hawtin – to Bangkok. On Thursday June 29th, the fourth iteration of the house’s roving party series will land at the Warehouse Stadium in the Thai capital’s Khlong Toei district, and will be prefaced by a conversation with the esteemed DJ and producer at Prada’s Bangkok flagship at the city’s ICONSIAM shopping complex. To all our rave-loving, Thailand-based readers out there, clear your calendars for Thursday night, or else!
Go to… Jean Paul Gaultier’s Pride Brunch at the London EDITION
Calloo callay, the best time of the year to be gay is upon – yes, that’s right, Pride! This year, to commemorate the season, Jean Paul Gaultier – a house long known for its legacy of queer advocacy and celebration – is launching a limited-edition scent for everyone, with the woody, floral and citrussy fragrance delivered in purpose-designed editions of its legendary Classique and Le Male bottles. With their instantly recognisable body shapes dipped in chrome, each bottle sports a white t-shirt tagged with a street art print from a 1994 JPG collection, featuring a loud, clear message: “Get used to it!”
While the scent itself is something you’ll be able to use to declare your pride all year round, if you find yourself in London for the big day itself on Saturday 1st July, a must to add to your Pride schedule is a stop at the brunch that the house is hosting at The London EDITION, alongside Henry Holland and legendary drag queen Violet Chachki. With two sittings hosted at Berners Tavern, the hotel’s ritzy restaurant, the £60-a-head event promises a sumptuous three-course banquet, an exquisite charity raffle and a special performance from Violet herself! And if that weren’t enough to sway you, then perhaps the fact that it’s all for a wonderful cause will, with 50% of the ticket price going to support both The Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity supporting LGBTQ+ young people who are homeless or living in a hostile environment, and Not a Phase, an organisation that aims to give the trans+ and gender non-confirming communities space to thrive.