I Control Fashion

The doodlings of Mr Jon Burgerman

2008-09-19T16:46:00.010+01:00

Jon Burgerman is a nice young man who lives in Nottingham. He draws funky pictures of intriguing little characters with wonky eyes and multicoloured body parts. Sometimes his characters are made into vinyl toys by toy kings Kid Robot and Toy2R.

He does his drawings with biros, marker pens and a bit of computer magic, he likes to collect face shaped food and would characterise his work as “wibbly” and “wobbly”. He comes from the Midlands, would like to collaborate with a baker to design a tray of character buns and is a shoe size 10.

Some of his latest creations include doodled MacBook sleeves and iPod Touch cases, colour-me-in wallpaper and a live doodle on a wall in the Young Creatives Network office. Jon even has such dedicated fans that they want his work immortalised on their limbs in the form of a tattoo. Now that really is true love…

If you were forced to become a computer icon, what would you choose and why?

You mean like that annoying paperclip?
I guess I’d be a little burger, with arms and feet and a face.

Please describe the area where you are sitting right now…

I’m at my desk, with a baked potato in front of me. In front of that is my keyboard, which I’m typing on.
It’s not glamorous but it’s pretty good here.

Are you a trend setter or follower?

I’m too slow to follow trends and too nerdy to start any.

Are you collecting anything?

I’m collecting photos of meals I’ve eaten with faces or things made out of the food. I’m not sure why I’m collecting these, or making them, but it’s keeping me amused, which is the main thing I guess.

What makes you feel proud?

Not having a proper job.

Any confrontations or rebellious moments in your working past that you could share with us?

I try and avoid confrontations of almost any kind. I do get a bit angry when I see companies trying to get free work out of students and young artists, peddling the old classic ‘you’ll get free exposure and it’s good for your portfolio’. I try and tell these people off, they’re naughty.

I first stumbled across your work in the form of my first blind boxed kid robot toy – where do toys feature in your top 5 of favourite projects to work on, and why?

They’d be quite high up there - it’s amazing to see your normally flat, 2D characters turned into 3D models. Working with Kid Robot and Toy2R has been really good fun. I’d like to do more 3D work in the future.

Are you offended if people don’t know about your work?

Of course not, I probably don’t know about their work! I’m always flattered and surprised when people do know about my work actually.

Are you positive about life and the future of your work?

Yeah, I’m fairly upbeat and still excited about lots of different projects etc. However I can also be a little grumpy, like when I spill potato on my keyboard (I’ve just done this).
I’m a bit of a cynic sometimes too, I’m not one of those annoyingly always up beat people. Overall though, I draw for a living, this makes me happy, and I rarely ever go to bed dreading going to work the next day.

Do you have a nice little phrase to describe the way you see your life and work?

I’m not sure, how about:
If you can’t amuse yourself how can you amuse others?

What’s the worst work related accident you’ve had?

I once accidentally knocked over an expensive camera, which was on a tripod, in a studio I was visiting. The worst thing was only one person was around and they took the blame for it when the rest of the office returned.
I learned not to knock things over that aren’t mine and break easily. Oh, and are expensive.

Would you rather be rich with money or wisdom?

Wisdom without a doubt. Knowledge is everything. Knowing about things is one of the most rewarding things there can be.

What were your intentions when you chose to live in Nottingham over the design-hub of London?

I couldn’t afford to live anywhere else and didn’t want to move home when I had finished University in Nottingham. Over the years I have just got used to living here, it’s well placed in the UK to be able to travel North and South so it’s been quite ideal really.

Did you get a 9-5 job upon graduation, or did you embark upon your own “thing” immediately? Were you scared? Excited?

I was a bit scared I suppose, but I’d already had been doing little jobs for people. I had a part time job when a student and I kept that on for a short while once I graduated. It was good as it was only a couple of days a week. For the rest of the time I just worked on my own stuff. If I’d moved to London, for example, I’d of had to work a lot more hours just to survive and therefore my own work would of suffered a lot.

Do you think a university education is important for a designer?

I think education is generally a good thing, as is just having time to pursue your own lines of enquiries in a subject.

How would you actively encourage people to follow their dreams of running their own gaff/label/brand/company etc?

As Parappa The Rapper would say: You gotta believe!
And as he didn’t say: You’ve gotta work really hard and be lucky and smart and persistent.

And lastly, if you were a sea creature, what would you be and why?

I think I’d be a big, old manatee because they’re funny and friendly looking.

I dig this city.

2008-09-15T11:22:00.009+01:00

Our first photo documentary. Guerrilla Gardening. Read on to unearth (sorry - couldn't resist) the fun and facts about the groundbreaking (again, sorry...) work of this fast growing group of green fingered urban regenerators. We caught up with them amidst a flourishing rogue Sunflower patch on London's South Bank.

Words//Sophie L Bailey
Photography//Michael de Min

It’s dusk opposite Parliament and I’m the accomplice to a crime. We’re weeding. This is Guerrilla Gardening, an age-old practice that involves illegally growing plants on someone else’s property. All around London there are examples of the renegades’ work, unexpected colourful flowerbeds in traffic islands and barren roadsides. Richard Reynolds, the advertising executive who masterminds the whole operation in his spare time, can count 30 London sites he’s worked on during his 4 years of guerrilla gardening.

To Richard it makes perfect sense. “To afford something just to rent with a garden you’re paying quite a premium and I don’t see the point, when there’s huge swathes of land like this that are not looked after”. As for what’s actually done with the land, guerrilla gardeners are divided down the middle. “Some people are in it more for the vegetables” Richard explains, “and some people, like me, I’m more focused on just beautifying the area”. It’s just one of those ideas that’s so bloody obvious you wonder why it never occurred to you. Clearly you’ve been far too obedient. Richard explains, “When most people complain to the council about something it’s because they’re not doing it and you want them to. But I saw their neglect as an opportunity, for me to take over. Seize the land”.

Richard’s book, On Guerrilla Gardening, describes how the practice has been around for centuries hidden away, but it was Richard who set an important precedent. “No one had been deliberately spreading the word and trying to join up people from different parts of the world”, he recalls. Currently Richard’s online blog and forum has connected about 5000 gardeners across every continent, who use it meet up with each other for guerrilla missions - including a man he met on holiday in Libya after a bit of guerrilla gardening there. “When we said, oh we’re from England, this is just a little gesture of friendliness to Tripoli, he was really touched. And he gave me his email address and signed up to my website.” During the time I watched Richard work, he got one round of applause and two ‘well done’s’ from passing pedestrians.

Missions are mainly done at night to avoid confrontation. Generally the police don’t bother them, although a couple of times Richard was inexplicably suspected of being a terrorist. “My car was assumed to be a bomb... on Amazon you’ll see a video next to my book which is incredible, it’s about the police threatening me with arrest which fortunately was being filmed”.

The fact that guerrilla gardening is seen as a radical underground movement has made Richard and his crew tantalising prey for the big money corporations. Three vodka brands have so far tried to snare him, and Adidas approached him with a seven-page storyboarded script asking for his help advertising their new eco shoe with guerrilla gardening. He declined, and I wonder if he’s against selling out. “My day job is in advertising, I’m not an anti-capitalist by any means”, he explains, “what I don’t like is people taking the idea and misrepresenting it. It’s in a paid for advertising space! There’s nothing guerrilla about it so don’t try and pretend”. Adidas went ahead with a number of allegedly dubious ads. “They employed an artist to make a giant shoe on a billboard out of plants”, Richard recalls, “It was plastic, for an ecological shoe that was meant to be low on plastic. And they press-released it, and got it in Dazed magazine, as if it was real plants. It’s absolutely ridiculous, I mean how hypocritical is that.” Dazed and Confused, you should be ashamed.

I’m completely sucked in by the whole thing and promise to come back and do some gardening myself. Yet in the eyes of the law, guerrilla gardening is still seen as vandalism. “Like graffiti artists…we are imposing our vision of what we think looks attractive or thought provoking in the landscape”, Richard remarks. But it’s better; “It’s living… it’s doing it’s own thing. Less our personal statement and more something that is for everyone to enjoy, and to influence, and tweak”.

Find out more and join the revolution at www.guerrillagardening.org.

Do thy daily deed...

2008-09-04T17:16:00.008+01:00

The theme of our first online issue is “intent”: take that how you will – good intentions, bad intentions, misplaced intentions… everything is loosely related.

Two smashingly fine brands are currently involved in some very worthy activities – jean-ius’ Lee Cooper have a mighty fine collaborative project to be auctioned for charity in September, and sexy watchmakers Nixon are running their 5th LTD Collection of one-off celebrity designed watches sold to raise dollar for very good causes. Check it out…

To celebrate their 100th year, Brit denim brand Lee Cooper have collaborated with a selection of respected international designers and iconic brands to create a collection of one off anniversary pieces that will be auctioned for charity on the 29 September 2008 at the Drouot Montaigne in Paris. Proceeds will be donated to both the Red Cross, the organization which offers aid to war victims, and Designers Against Aids, the project of non-profit organisation Beauty without Irony founded in 2004 to raise AIDS Awareness amongst young people.

The collaborators include Kid Vanilla, the Belgian streetwear designer from Antwerp; Alain Mikli, French designer of handmade glasses who devised a spectacle lens that includes a Lee Cooper zip complete with zipper teeth carved out of the lens; top Belgian furniture designer Jeff Rutten used a pair of Lee Cooper LC24 loose fit jeans and infusing them with composite fiberglass and silver powder to develop a chair made out of old jeans; French interior & technical designer Ora Ito worked with origami master Akifumi Nohara and Parisian pattern cutting expert Thibault Dollet to reinvent the 5 pocket jean; Irina Volkonskii - nicknamed the ‘Red Russian’, Irina designed a 26cm “only size matters” engraved silver dildo. Artist, writer, filmmaker and photographer Dino Dinco curated ten pairs of customised jeans for Lee Cooper, each pair donated by an artist currently living with HIV.

If you would like to donate to either charity, please email marketing@leecooper.com.

This August, designers of slick industrially styled accessories for the surf, skate and snow sports market: Nixon released their 5th LTD collection of one-of-a-kind watches. Made from original artwork penned by iconic musicians and sports personalities, contributors’ doodlings have been carefully cut and hand laid into watchcases and straps, resulting in highly desirable, wearable art. Custom engraved casebacks bear the designer’s name along with a stamped serial number – topped off with custom packaging they all add up to mighty fine collectable pieces!

Designers of the 2008 LTD Collection include Fall Out Boy, Milo Ventimiglia, Ozomatli, Ringo Starr, Jack Black, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ryu Nakamura, Tristan Prettyman and Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx.

Proceeds benefit the Grammy Association’s MusiCares MAP Fund and The Tony Hawk Foundation. The MusiCares MAP Fund exists to provide members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment. The Tony Hawk Foundation fosters lasting, positive improvements in society by supporting recreational programmes to create public skateboard parks in low income communities.

The 2008 LTD Collection is available from only 12 retailers worldwide, including Barneys in New York, Beams in Japan, Colette in Paris and Como in Milan.

Futuroscope: MyMuesli.com

2008-09-04T13:44:00.006+01:00

Breakfast, so they say, is the most important meal of the day, and 3 nice young men from Germany have taken the phrase to a whole new level. MyMuesli.com allows customers to mix and match 75 different organic ingredients to make an inconceivable 566 quadrillion (I don’t even know how many zeros that is) personalised muesli combinations. Even if you don’t like muesli, this concept is rather smashing and is most definitely something to be admired. The site is easy to use and caters for chocoholics, health nuts and fussy buggers alike. You can even have gummy bears in your muesli. Genius. It’s all very slick and it arrives through the post in a rather fancy looking cardboard tube. Smooth.

What were your intentions when developing the My Muesli brand?

Well, in 2005 we came up with the idea because we didn't find the muesli we liked. None of the mueslis in the supermarket were perfect - so we decided to change that - and let the customers decide.

Are you obsessed with muesli? Is it a personal love? Was My Muesli born out of a passion for oaty goodness?

I wouldn’t call it an obsession. But of course we really love muesli and have loved it for many, many years now. And since none of the mueslis on the market really pleased us we thought that it should be possible to custom mix your own cereal blend.

Which other “create your own” web based brands do you think have got it right?

Spreadshirt - easy to use, nice products. Also moo.com from London is quite cool – again, easy to use and a great example of mass customization.

Where do you think there might be obstacles to brand growth?

Hard to tell, we are still lacking experience in other markets. But since the products are tailored to customer needs our users will adapt the product according to their cultural background. Most people like muesli and a healthy breakfast has a large potential for markets around the world.

Do you have plans to expand the brand in other directions? Porridge and Flapjacks, maybe...?!

Porridge of course might be an option especially for the UK, but it is not very popular in Germany, for example. But hot cereals are really tasty of course… maybe we can afford a few surprises in the future.

Tell me what you think the western world will regret in 20 years time.

The sad thing is that the western world should regret many things. And not in 20 years - now would be the perfect moment for change and for feeling remorseful. I think though, that instead it will be unrepentant - no matter what.

If you consider that today is the future of the past, what are the most exciting and most disappointing things about living in the “future” i.e. today?

So many things are exciting… for geeks like us the World Wide Web is developing into a marvellous playground and database for information of all kinds, for working together wherever you are, online collaboration etc. But, as stated before, irrespective of technological developments it’s very sad to see how we are not able to preserve our natural resources, even though science makes it easier every day.

Assuming you live to a ripe old age, what will be the biggest difference between the world you were born into, and the world you will leave?

I can't tell. Really, I can't. And that, I think, is the most amazing thing about life. It is so unpredictable.

Imagine that you are able to influence the future... what development would you help to bring about?

Saving the planet - that'd be really great.

Medieval Style Watch...

2008-09-03T14:43:00.006+01:00

Hark to the olden days! Here we offer you a new kind of street style – this is super vintage. We have searched out the ultimate in retro cool from days gone by and we are showcasing REAL style here on the World Wide Web. We are setting the trends, we are down widd’it, we are…erm… slightly deluded?

Gertrude, 83 years old
Hairdresser, Putney

Gertie wears a rather fetching hat, co-ordinating gloves/purse combo and a dead dog.

Doris, 129 years old
Actress, Brooklyn

Doris wears a silk velvet and lace trimmed bed jacket. She seems to have misplaced her breasts.

Elena, 122 years old
Common tart, Paris

Modelling her Sunday best, Elena is just plain HOT.

Edward, 144 years old
Naturist, Brighton

Edward is the founding member of the Brighton & Hove Weirdy Beardy society. They meet on Thursdays at 4 o’clock at the back of the barber shop.

Albert, 139 years old
Bright spark, Munich

Young Albert models the latest trend for oversize bows and collars with infuriating nonchalance.

Futuroscope: MeatWater

2008-09-03T13:26:00.006+01:00

A drink of Cheeseburger, anyone?
The brainchild of Till Krautkramer; Meatwater is an artificial drink in a bottle flavoured with (to name but a few) essence of Chicken Teriyaki, Fish & Chips and Full English Breakfast. Marketing campaign, genuine product or April Fools? Who knows? Who cares?! You can’t find it in the shops but is anyone really bothered? Hats off to the man - it’s a stroke of branding concept genius. Check out the MeatWater website for more mind boggling beverages…

What is Meatwater?

It’s the High Efficiency Survival Beverage: professionals need ruthless efficiency to thrive in today's busy marketplace. People don't have time to stop their workflow simply to take in a meal. MeatWater provides the essence of nutrition and the memory of dining without the hassle of eating. Successful people are demanding the next generation of efficiency and luxury, and our innovative lifetool provides that for such an elite consumer.

What were your intentions when creating Meatwater?

MeatWater is a campaign to raise awareness to pay attention and promote responsible global citizenship. Our mission is to create an artificial beverage like no other and inspire creativity and connection.

Our user generated flavor line allows people to give back to the entire active lifestyle community. This user focused approach to product development lets us involve our customers directly in the process, It's what they want, how they want it, when they need it.

Can man live off Meatwater alone?

We believe in choice. As food scientists, we have learned that at a quantum level it becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate between liquid and solid. Therefore, we believe that each individual should be able to make that choice for themselves, based on their own identity, and without interference.

MeatWater is primarily a lifestyle product. No two people are the same, and no two lifestyles are the same. Always consult a physician before changing diet plans.

How about a nice Hungarian Goulash Meatwater and vodka?

Many people choose to mix MeatWater with vodka, again a lifestyle choice. This allows people to combine dinner and drinks, providing an even higher level of efficiency for today's busy athlecutive.

I have moralistic objections to the consumption of animal products – are there any plans for a Tofu sausage flavour, perhaps? Maybe a Veggiewater sub-brand?

We fully understand and embrace your moral position. While our current product line does require the input of animal products, we are working on a new product line that will satisfy the needs of the most demanding vegetarian or vegan.

While we are not at the liberty to divulge trade secrets at the moment, we can tell you that we are working with life-sciences engineers to develop a revolutionary new bioflavinoid ingredient that will finally provide vegetarians a real choice in the market. A byproduct of stem cell research and advanced flavour science, our new ingredient will be grown in the food lab and will be identical to meat in every way, but with more consistent flavor and tenderness. Imagine a juicy steak grown in the lab, ready for grilling without any need for tenderizer or marinade and without the need to harm any animal in the process. We believe this is a delicious and cruelty free solution to feeding the world. It is truly vegetarian meat, ready to serve.

Tell me what you think the western world will regret in 20 years time.

Not paying enough attention to water. Water is essential to life, and we should all pay attention. This is why we are trying to raise awareness around the world today. You are two-thirds water. The planet is two-thirds water. Shouldn't you focus two thirds of you attention on water, too? We believe so. We are proud supporters of World Water Day, and will continue to be into the future.

If you consider that today is the future of the past, what are the most exciting and most disappointing things about living in the “future” (i.e. today)?

The future already happened, and we were there. That is why we can bring a unique perspective to the luxury beverage market. We consider ourselves the Nikola Tesla of the food industry.

There have been many missed opportunities of the past. Perhaps the largest lost opportunities were the Atmospheric Railway, as well as wireless power transmission.

Assuming you live to a ripe old age, what will be the biggest difference between the world you were born into and the world you will leave?

I was born in a working class industrial town, and now I am fortunate to live in extreme luxury, and so we feel committed to giving something back. The future is all about usability and user-centred design, and we are committed to making the future fast, fun, and easy for everyone, not just the hyper-affluent. We believe that all people have a right to ease of use.

What will that look like?

Within our lifetimes we will see all farm labour being done by advanced agricultural robots, the end of animal husbandry via life sciences, the end of the oil economy via over-unity technology, and a vast network of underground pneumatic tunnels which will connect people from all over the world in minutes, not hours or days. Space will start to be rapidly colonized and peace will be made with the other intelligences in our "neighborhood", so to speak.

We are optimistic about the future, despite some of the bumps in the road we may be experiencing at the moment. It is all very exciting.

What’s next for you?

We are engaged in a round of financing discussions to develop a next generation food which leverages the micro-gravity environment. This matter is confidential at the moment, but we will be announcing the concept when the talks are complete. If any of your readers would like to stay in the loop on this, they can sign up for email alerts on our website.

Gotta go shopping. I have friends coming over for dinner tonight.

Futuroscope

2008-09-03T13:15:00.003+01:00

Every issue (in print and online) we’ll be featuring a “Futuroscope” feature. This will showcase interesting folk and their creativity – designers, businessmen and women, authors, photographers, explorers… it’s all about forward thinking, ambitious people with curious ideas. We’ll talk to them about their ideas, what they do with them and what they think about the future.

First up is Mr MeatWater, Till Krautkramer. Read on...

Bonjour

2008-09-02T11:57:00.008+01:00

Aloha.

Whilst we await the creation of the masterpiece in digital technology which will be our website, we here in Control HQ (a dusty floored ex sewing factory in the centre of Newcastle) have decided to create a nice little blogspot to keep you informed with all our latest goings on, ponderings and wanderings. This is the Fashion, Design and Culture section of the magazine - you can also have a look at our Music section.

I have a few articles and photo shoots to paste up soon so watch this space.

Here's a little corporate babble about the magazine for you to get your noggin around...
Control is a network of break-through creatives; contributors work with us to lever their careers in the creative industries and improve their portfolios. The magazine launches online in September (fingers crossed) and in print from Autumn. It’s a national culture magazine for interesting, intelligent young people. Editorial covers Fashion, Music, Travel & Politics. CONTROL magazine is free to readers, and sponsored by targeted advertisers.

We're a national magazine that hopes to offer the UK student dynamic a fresh rag to get lost in. It's free, and will be available from student frequented shops, bars and caffs in University towns. Our website will include a giant network that allows creative types to upload work and show off their skills in order to showcase their work and collaborate with others on creative adventures. The members of this network will provide the vast majority of the content for the magazines - both print and online.

So, if you're a budding writer, photographer, illustrator, designer, musician, model, stylist or all round pie fingering enthusiast and you'd like to get involved, write to me here.