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Jul 13 2020
Surface
Design Dispatch
Muji USA files for bankruptcy, Storm King to reopen, and Loewe’s “show in a box.”
FIRST THIS
“My studio exists wherever I find my bag of colored pens, markers, and sketchbooks.”
HERE’S THE LATEST

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Muji Files for Bankruptcy

The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the retail industry—a string of beloved brands, including J.Crew, Totokaelo, and Brooks Brothers, have filed for bankruptcy or closed their doors recently. The latest is the Japanese home goods chain Muji, known as a purveyor of minimalist decor, stationery, and clothing in earthy tones, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday. “Muji has felt the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on in-store retail, says Santoshi Okazaki, CEO of Muji USA, “and will take this opportunity to refocus our efforts in the United States on key regional markets and e-commerce.”

These measures include shuttering a small number of its 20 stateside stores, which are mostly based in New York and California and will continue to operate for the time being with safe shopping experiences. Though the bankruptcy filing may not bode well for the brand, Muji’s Japanese business remains unaffected by the proceedings. In fact, the retailer recently launched a furniture subscription service that caters to apartment dwellers who are faced with the commitment of buying home office furniture for the first time.

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What Else Is Happening?

Check-Circle_2x James Murdoch’s firm may invest in Art Basel owner MCH Group amid financial tumult.
Check-Circle_2x Storm King Art Center will reopen this week with new sculptures and safety measures.
Check-Circle_2x The Dutch firm West 8 withdraws from a major Baltimore project over blackface photos.
Check-Circle_2x Restaurant “streateries” are surprisingly innovative additions to the built environment.
Check-Circle_2x New York activists are stocking street refrigerators with healthy food for needy families.
Check-Circle_2x President Trump wants to create a national garden of monuments to “American Heroes.”


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SURFACE APPROVED

“There’s a level of professionalism that comes with having a website that I can refer people to,” says Reut Ringel, who built the website for her new jewelry brand, Reut, on Squarespace. “People think about fine jewelry as such a traditional art form, and I think a lot of those brands have an old-school mentality about e-commerce. So when you’re a small brand that’s just starting out, like me, it’s a big deal to have a digital presence that provides people with an experience that transcends the shopping aspect and offers visual engagement that only a well-designed website can provide.”

We caught up with the New York designer to learn how her digital storefront enabled her to showcase her artful work.

QUARANTINE CULTURE

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Loewe: Show-in-a-Box

It seems as though fashion has taken somewhat of a backseat during the recent news cycle and government-mandated shutdowns, which have rendered runway shows all but impossible to stage. Leave it to Loewe, the Spanish label helmed by Jonathan Anderson, to deliver the tactile pleasures of craftsmanship during an unprecedented paradigm shift that has seen other labels pivot to glitzy digital runway shows (with mixed results).

To promote its Spring/Summer 2021 mens and womens pre-collection, the label shared “Show in a Box”—a ten-pound care package, arranged as a file index, that thoughtfully outlines the collection’s inspirations, silhouettes, and material references (fashion watchdog Diet Prada shared a succinct rundown). It even includes a pop-up set that lets users customize their own Loewe tableaux.

Though “Show in a Box” drew some criticism for its wastefulness, it’s hard to fault Loewe for its desire to deliver a dose of tactility as the industry veers virtual. Not that the brand doesn’t excel in that department—over the weekend, Loewe live-streamed a continuous 24 hours worth of content, including a virtual dinner between Anderson and Tyler Mitchell, a meeting with the artist Idoia Cuesta, and a tour of the brand’s factory in Madrid.

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THE LIST

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Member Spotlight: Bodron/Fruit

The interior designer Mil Bodron joined architect Svend Fruit to form Bodron/Fruit in 1998. Since then, Fruit’s understated, minimalist structures—fixed in natural contexts—have combined with Bodron’s elegantly placed, perfectly scaled interior compositions in new and reconstructed homes nationwide.

Surface Says: Bodron/Fruit takes a holistic approach to designing spaces, from structure to interiors to the furniture housed within. Their work embraces the understated ethos of Modernism with a few tactical points of drama.

AND FINALLY

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Today’s Attractive Distractions

Run the Jewels unpacks the meaning of the famous logo on their album artwork.

Marine Serre’s sustainable moon prints have taken the fashion world by storm.

A Milan stadium gets reimagined as a tree-filled memorial to Covid-19 victims.

Take a virtual tour of the elaborately decorated tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses VI.

               


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