Interestingly, there are as many foot pathways as there are canals in Venice, and boats or gondolas are not the only primary means of transport, cycles are also quite abundant. Similar is his observation over his visits to Prague and Amsterdam - a lot of reserved cycle lanes and cobbled, medieval looking roads. In the limited edition design "Pathways of Venice", we bring the spirit that Daneil has spent hours sketching, sitting in front of his subject - the city of Venice itself.
]]>We are going to leave the "10 Fashion Trends..." tagline with the cat and get into some sneaker styles that can excite the street strutting dude or dudette, both from practical and aesthetic angles.
The Heavy Duty Laceup Sneaker
No, we aren't talking about Bella Hadid's foam soled, soft feel trainers. We are talking about the dude behind her, running with a camera-looking thing. Those are some practical sneakers, made for the streets. Takes stress, holds up shape. Let's tell you from our experience - the classic sneaker of this type can range from dyed Italian leather upper and the respected Margom sole to the more hip canvas and vulcanized rubber combination, and can cost from $300 down to $50. Unruffled and classy, offers choices in plain or multi-color. The picture is summery, the shoes are for all seasons.
The Slipon
This classic silhouette is making a comeback in the west, and is a good choice for mild to medium winters. Some padding in the heel is preferable for warmth and snugness. Another thing about slipons - you can take them off easily at regular intervals of time. Have you noticed how feet smell worse in winters than in summers (whereas we sweat more in summers, so it should have been the other way around!). It's because we keep our feet inside shoes much longer during the winter. Again, available in plain colors and artistic prints, these sneakers can leave boring out in the cold.
The Printed Sneaker
The printed sneaker is a vibrant entrant in the street wear list. Skinny jeans or thermals, your winter legs need an artistic companion to go with your pants. Also, winters can be bleak, both in the trees and in the sky; you can't afford to wear dull sneakers. And contrary to popular belief, its not just canvas that can be printed. A variety of faux and real leather and polymer based fabrics also come in beautiful prints.
The High Top
The high top is the most obvious among the practical options this winter. But, it gets lower down in the preference order primarily because it is the most common choice. Nothing shocking, mostly understated and uniformly adopted during the winter. But hey, "understated and common" can be cool if you know how to pull it off. Get some frayed jeans, tuck in the bottom of the jeans inside the lining of the high ankle of the shoe, and you are good to show the world that you have run out of fucks to give. In a polite way, of course.
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On LOKAIT Sneakers, this work has its own story to tell. Aditya's thought goes as - "There is something of the regular and the irregular, glimpses of a plan, yet presence of chaos. In the end, when you understand the design, you read the artist's mind and all the pieces fall together as a visual story!"
The ChessMess Sneakers are part of our new Spring Collection. With high quality materials and design precision used all along the way, this release is a truly limited edition collection of art.
]]>"I have grown up dark-skinned in a color-conscious land, I know what color discrimination feels like. I made this drawing on the occasion of United Nations Zero Discrimination Day to support diversity, tolerance and inclusion. This illustration, with faces on a butterfly, depicts that all complexions are equal and hence should be given the same opportunities, respect and love. Lokait has provided a powerful and fun platform for artists to communicate through their works. If you can draw out a thought, why not wear it also!"
What Kaanchi feels resonates directly with Lokait's core principles of human value. We love art, and we love all colors. These proud sneakers are coming soon as part of a collection that promises to be as philosophical as it is beautiful. Come forth with your art, it is a powerful medium!
]]>A Rembrandt Work, Circa 1633
The same was true for a legion of classical practitioners of the visual arts. A Cezzane, or a Monet, carried the stamp of pure artistic genius, in imagination and articulation. The key element of these artists was - you didn't need to know the creator to spot the sheer intensity of the art and the talent involved.
From The Card Players series, Cezanne, Circa 1894
If you looked at a Monet creation, with absolutely no knowledge that it is by Monet, you would still notice that it was an exceptional piece of art. The original "Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lillies" is at the Metropolitan Musuem of Art, NYC. When looked at up close, it is an assembly of undecipherable brush strokes. Step about 3 feet away and you will see the vegetation reflecting on the water the way it would on an evening of the dying sun. There is a certain physics to it, it almost is a work of optical science.
From The Famous Bridge Series by Monet
But, art has this notorious history of upheaval, of new genres coming in, and almost always getting mocked at first , and then rising to prominence. Van Gogh was ridiculed in his lifetime as childish, as one who uses brush strokes with no restraint or skill. He died alone and poor, in 1890, rejected by love and recognition. More than a century later, in 2015 one of his works sold for $66 million. His brushstrokes seemed to emulate extremely complex turbulence patterns that the modern science of fluid dynamics is not yet able to mathematically define comprehensively. Van Gogh did live an emotionally turbulent life and died a turbulent death, struggling for more than 24 hours after he shot himself.
In such distinctive company, when you see the likes of Andy Warhol jumping in with their soup cans, you ask yourself - is this what art has come to, from Rembrandt's painstaking wrinkles around the eyes in his portraits to a collage of soup cans? What skill and imagination do you really need to create this?
Campbell Soup Cans, Andy Warhol, 1962
There are no perfect answers to such questions, except for the quantum of impact that an artwork or an art genre creates. Warhol met with the same kind rejection that Van Gogh did, but he didn't have to die and wait in his grave 125 years to see his work selling for millions. Soon after his first release of the Soup Cans, popular culture caught on with it like fire in a forest. Fashion statements were made with his art on designer dresses while art galleries welcomed him. Warhol created an entire new genre of Pop Art.
The criteria for judging art has changed, and will keep on changing in the future. But the impact will be there for all to see, regardless of an individual's judgment.
To answer the question - Is this Art? In some contexts, it is easy to answer. Looking at a Caravaggio work, even a layman would come close to saying yes, it is art, without knowing who Caravaggio ever was.
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio, Circa 1601
But looking at the below, you would have to think harder, research harder, and then realize that it sold for $84 million, for you to conclude that it is a monumental piece of art.
Black Fire I, Bartnett Newman, 1961
Art may not be just about the physical work created, but also the cultural or ideological impact created (Bartnett was one of the pillars of abstract expressionism). In many ways, Andy Warhol, Bartnett Newman, Francis Souza and many others have had no less impact than Rembrandt or Picasso.
So, next time you see a pair of glasses lying on the floor of an art gallery, it may not be a teenager prank, but some hyperbolic representation that only the art connoisseur can decipher. Pun intended here, because something like this did happen very very recently.
]]>This work had the look of a naked fantasy clock, only much more quirky and complex. Shantanu's work was entirely hand-crafted. The LOKAIT Team put a lot of thought while digitizing it, retaining its entire madness and beauty. These Gorgeous Sneakers are coming this May.
]]>That's where he came with a design that takes you to the beach, to a long drive, to the open skies - blue; sand-sun brown, and classic white. With an unlikely combination of an industrial design background, and an artist at heart, Vivek likes to communicate in minimalist imagery. Hence, came in a concept of communicating the simplicity of life. "A Bright Day" are a limited edition set of sneakers. Check them out by clicking at the picture.
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Banjara's articulation techniques are unconventional in the way they are imagined and rendered, kind of a mashup of 3D hallucinations, MRI scans, spiritual projections, Kundalini Yoga spots of the human anatomy, peeled paint on diesel (partially) burnt wood, patterns of adhesion of micron order plastic layers to certain types of paper etc. In his art studio in Anjuna; Goa, India; can be seen old practitioners of different kinds of art from pagan musical instrument players to true love-all tribes with distinctive stories of their lives. Surprisingly, his studio is extremely disciplined, unlike artists of unconventional talent. "Indiscipline is one of the greatest assets of life, be sure you use it in the right places." It is the glorious lack of structure inside his own mind that lets him bridge genres of imagination to create his art.
Banjara and a few unconventional artists are currently collaborating with LOKAIT to create an extremely limited edition "True Art" sneakers collection, coming this March in LOKAIT's online store. We promised we will redefine "Beauty" this year. Promises are made to be kept !
]]>Did you ever wonder why designers create outrageous outfits in fashion shows? You look at the model - perfect features, perfect gait, but wait! She is wearing a nest - one of real twigs and dried grass on her head. What is that supposed to mean? What lunatic boutique would sell that, and what dude/dudette would buy that? Even if you manage to get an outfit of such articulation, you might just attract a lazy crow landing in to lay her egg while you wait for your coffee. Yes, that is a hyperbolic way of saying that such designs are not practical. Why do designers make and display them on the priciest models and runways around the world? Let's decode.
Fashion Shows are Temporary Art Galleries
The runway is gone when the fashion week is over. However temporary, it is a form of an art gallery. Ever wondered what Picasso was thinking when he made the "Three Musicians" ?
It is necessary for art not to be practical. It should be rebellious, out of accepted laws and notions. If you can create "notnormal" and "normal", choose notnormal. A popular estimate is that a runway show costs, on an average, about $50,000. It is a gateway to show eye opening stuff, to draw attention to a designer's creative madness with her outrageous creations, and then make her name recognizable when she(or he) does sell more wearable creations.
It May Indicate the Future
Fashion is going high-tech big time. 3D printing technology in clothing was crazy when it first appeared in ramps, but there are real chances of practical clothing emerging out of advanced materials and 3D printing. As they say, what starts as crazy today, would be normal tomorrow (remember the flying thing called the aeroplane :)
It is About Peer Recognition
Behind the glitz and the after parties, this is an academic industry. Forms, fabrics, drawing techniques, cut and stitch techniques and many other skills are learnt, experimented upon and discussed. It is the sum-total of such experience that comes out in a fashion show. And the old Gods recognize and mentor the new aspirants. By the way, what kind of aircraft-grade-titanium-stitching-thread is required for a dudette to wear another dude (or dudette) like a backpack on the ramp?
It isn't as Outrageous as it Seems
Many designers derive more practical apparel from their over-the-board designs when they are ready to sell their collections. The effects can be stunning - a mixture of innovation, quirkiness yet not batshit weird. Sometimes, simple hacks and sobering up is enough. I mean, how many pyramids in the below costume would you have to flatten out to make a beautiful, wearable frock? No, I cannot be accused of causing brain damage by asking such questions :) . But seriously, some beautiful cuts and shapes in mainstream clothing have come from insane origins.
And again, not all ramp creations are totally unwearable in our normal, dull existence. Many creations are technically fit to be bought straight out of the ramp. Crazy need not be the norm, and it isn't.
Have a glorious day, and keep doing #notnormal stuff!
Bye for now from the LOKAIT team!
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