What’s Happening: The Austrian label’s newly appointed creative director is the latest example of unexpected “up-and-comers” being tapped to reinvigorate storied fashion houses.

The Download: In 2019, Surface profiled a 27-year-old Peter Do, highlighting the up-and-coming fashion designer’s commercial success alongside his ability to “quietly challenge the established fashion system.” The following year, Vogue hailed him as one of New York City’s “most exciting new talents.” He then went on to become an LVMH Prize finalist and in 2022 hosted his eponymous label’s first New York runway show. In three days, the 32-year-old will start his new gig as creative director of Helmut Lang.

Do, who has named Lang as an influence, is the latest in a slew of young, accomplished designers with ample cool cachet and a distinctly modern perspective appointed to helm—and reinvigorate—a storied fashion house. In 2011, at the age of 25, Olivier Rousteing ascended to the role of creative director at Balmain. He made the French fashion house an early adopter of social media; entertainment and events followed as he cultivated mainstream appeal by costuming Beyoncé for her Coachella performance and A-list talent in a Jay-Z-produced Western. In March, he and Beyoncé collaborated again, this time on an haute couture collection of one Balmain look for each of the 16 tracks on her new album Renaissance.

Rousteing has now sowed his many successes at Balmain for more than a decade. He remains one of the few unaffected by a recent changing of the guard that has seen half of the creative directors at roughly 40 houses hold their positions for five years or less. Another example lies in Matthew Williams (pictured above), who became creative director at Givenchy in June 2020. A former LVMH Prize finalist, the 34-year-old racked up industry accolades and accomplishments in quick succession. He landed collabs with the likes of Nike and Kim Jones for Dior men’s before landing the top job at Givenchy.

Williams has confronted the difficulties of taking over a fashion house with a prestigious name but nebulous visual identity—a problem he attributed to high turnover—by mining inspiration from the archive of Hubert de Givenchy. “Isn’t that exciting to have somebody reinterpret something in a modern way?” he said. “We don’t need more old clothes. Right? We want new clothes.”

Last year, Salvatore Ferragamo reintroduced itself with a new logo, creative director, and truncated name days before its Milan Fashion Week runway show. Twenty-seven-year-old Maximilian Davis recused himself from the 2022 LVMH prize to take the helm of Ferragamo, as it is now known. For his debut Spring/Summer 2023 collection, he revisited the Italian house’s lore in the form of a red runway and a number of red garments, taking inspiration from a pair of pumps founding designer Salvatore made for Marilyn Monroe. It was with his sophomore Fall/Winter show that Davis began to hit his stride, honing in on the clothes instead of the brand’s own mythos.

In Their Own Words: While his debut collection is still under wraps, previous interviews suggest Do will stay out of the spotlight as best he can and let the clothes speak for themselves. “There’s so much noise in the industry,” he told Vogue Runway. “It feels like everyone’s trying to scream the loudest with nothing really important or of substance to say.”

Surface Says: With no end to ‘90s nostalgia in sight, we’re willing to bet that Do has more than a few trips to the archive planned for his debut collection—but we’ll have to wait until September to find out.

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Nestled within a 16th-century building in Porto’s picturesque Largo de São Domingos, Cozinha das Flores mesmerizes with its rustic charm. Designed by the renowned Space Copenhagen, the restaurant features a striking centerpiece—a ceramic mural envisioned by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Álvaro Siza, who hails from the Portuguese city. His work portrays his conception of Porto through joyful moments, cultural unity, and a melange of emotions. Crafted meticulously by ceramic tile company Viúva Lamego, the mural’s sketched black figures stand out against the earthly green and burnt orange tiles adorning the walls.

Space Copenhagen wove those hues throughout, with material choices—stone, marble, brass, and oak—that harmonize effortlessly and exude natural warmth. The palette pays homage to the building’s rich history and nods to the culinary delights served within. Under the guidance of master chef Nuno Mendes, who garnered acclaim helming celebrity watering hole Chiltern Firehouse in London, Cozinha das Flores toasts the gastronomic wonders, wines, and culture of northern Portugal. Under his hand, turnip natas are transformed into a savory wonder of creamy turnip custard topped with caviar; giant squid noodles are garnished with white beans and code tripe stew. Pair them with wine by the glass from sommelier Gabriel Monteiro, who sources from Portuguese producers, or wash it down at Flôr, the adjoining 12-seat bar helmed by mixologist Tatiana Cardoso.

Ken Sims, the director of Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts, was scouring 1stdibs to gather inspiration for the gallery’s TEFAF booth when he stumbled upon two vibrant oval canvases of long-tressed damsels swaddled in blossoms and foliage. Believed to be a pair of long-lost murals that late German artist Winold Reiss painted in 1938 for the Empire State Building’s former Longchamps restaurant, Sims and Goldberg scooped up the eight-foot-tall works sight unseen. Their suspicions were confirmed when Renate, Winold’s widowed daughter-in-law who preserves the family’s archives, deemed them authentic.

The murals were long believed lost to history after Longchamps was renovated in the 1960s to make way for a Mississippi riverboat-themed restaurant, which is now a Starbucks. Six other lost works complete the full series, but even discovering two heralds a major win for New York preservationists. They’re the undisputed highlight of Bernard Goldberg’s booth at TEFAF New York, which opens at the Park Avenue Armory today through May 16. “I just can’t understand how everything got thrown out,” Goldberg says, hoping the six missing ovals are still out there. At the very least, perhaps the unlikely story of the two surviving murals may enable someone to look closely and identify another lost masterwork somewhere else.

This week, Faena Art held Sonnet 18: Fundraising Spring Dinner at the Faena Hotel Miami Beach. The fête commenced with opening remarks by Alan Faena and a reading of William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? by chef Francis Mallmann. Guests enjoyed a dinner prepared in his signature open-fire technique supported by chefs Paul Qui and Frederic Monnet. California land artist Jim Denevan created Common Circle, a large-scale sculpture forming a wooden table that seated the 290 guests. Following dinner, attendees enjoyed a performance by John Legend at the Faena Theater.

When was it? May 9

Where was it? Faena Hotel, Miami Beach

Who was there? Peter Mikic, Ximena Caminos, Juan Gatti, Anabella Bergero, Kelly Breez, Magnus Resch, Cornell Belcher, and more.

When: May 12—Sept. 17

Where: Fotografiska, Stockholm

What: The multitalented artist’s most ambitious outing yet sees him create a Brutalist environment of marble sculptures, light pillars, photographs, and projections to investigate the paradoxes of idolatry in the modern world. It’s not a new phenomenon for Wessely, who has delved into human worship with musicians like The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia. Here, he strips away layers of societal constructs to expose humanity’s raw, inner core—what originated as photographs have evolved into “photo-based” sculptures that reveal humanity’s fragile, ephemeral nature.

Our weekly roundup of the internet’s most preposterous headlines, from the outrageous to the outright bizarre.

A Swarm of Bees Delayed a Flight for Three Hours [Smithsonian]

Giant Penis Moved Into Lawn at King Charles’ Coronation Bash Site [New York Post]

American Couples Caught Smuggling in 720 POUNDS of Fruit Roll-Ups to Israel “For Relatives” Amidst Price Jumps Thanks to Treats’ Resurgence on TikTok [Daily Mail]

An Artist Asked ChatGPT How to Make a Popular MemeCoin. The Result Is “TurboToad,” and People Are Betting Millions of Dollars on It [Artnet News]

Apparent Meteorite Crashes Through Roof of New Jersey Home and Damages Floor: “It Was Warm” [CBS]

This 23-Year-Old Snapchat Star Can Be Your AI Girlfriend—for a Price [Decrypt]

Freaky-Looking Fanged Fishes Found on Oregon Beaches [AP]

Man Rescued From Woods After Sex Game Goes Awry [ABC]

Italian Government to Hold “Crisis Meeting” Over Surging Pasta Prices [Food & Wine]

Frequent fliers are privy to a shared set of pain points: sad hotel gyms, a dearth of healthy dining options, gate-checked luggage full of damp clothing from sitting too long on a rainy tarmac; the list goes on. At American Airlines’ new 600-room hotel in Dallas, this and other feedback from pilots and flight attendants has shaped the airline’s flashy new employees-only lodgings, Skyview 6. The company tapped a slate of A-list firms to oversee the architecture of the hotel, which is part of the airline’s Fort Worth headquarters and training hub.

While the words “corporate” and “training” are a bit of a snoozefest, the amenities are anything but: a 73,000-square-foot workout center puts most high-end gyms to shame, while a coffee bar, food market, cafeteria, and tavern provide a refreshing change of pace from stale airport food. Each floor is decked out with a communal lounge allowing colleagues to gather, study, and unwind without ceding their personal space. And, for truly frequent fliers, having laundry on each floor might feel miraculous.

At Workshop/APD, an award-winning architecture and design firm, each project is defined by a sense of place and purpose and a desire to enhance user experience through exceptional design at all scales. From layered, textured penthouses and seaside retreats to luxury residential developments and groundbreaking hotels and restaurants, the Workshop/APD aesthetic is timelessly modern but site-specific, unbound by project type or a singular style.

Surface Says: With a full-service branding, development, architecture, and design practice, Workshop/APD is a truly multidisciplinary firm—with the dazzling projects to show for it.

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