The Daily Beast: Will.i.am, Fashion Designer?

For Newsweek/The Daily Beast, I wrote about Will.i.am's collaboration with Japanese designer, Rynshu. From my article, "The singer met Masatomo Yamaji, the designer of the Japanese brand Rynshu, after filming the music video for “Can’t Get Enough” in Tokyo in March 2011, when he stumbled into the shop with a few of his band members. Captivated by the clothes, Will.i.am requested an on-the-spot meeting with the designer. Instantly, the pair hit it off—so much so that four months later Will.i.am walked in Rynshu’s June 2011 runway show in Paris. “I attended a number of shows, and this is the one show where I was inspired to walk the runway because of the outfit Rynshu created for me to wear,” Will.i.am told The Daily Beast by phone. “Rynshu is the coolest Japanese guy I’ve ever met. He’s an amazingly talented designer.” That first encounter has flourished into a fruitful (and barely publicized) fashion collaboration between the two men, which is now in its third season."

Life Lessons in Leopard

With perfectly parted hair, Lanvin shades and a leopard-print shirt, Peter Davis and I sat down to have lunch at The John Dory Oyster Bar in the ACE Hotel some years ago for our first meeting. Over shellfish, Peter taught me the importance of dayglo accessories, the significance of Supreme (The brand) and the severity of being the "nice guy" always. At this moment, if he liked it or not, he became my mentor. Mr. Davis is the Editor-in-Chief of SCENE Magazine, a graffiti-guru, stylish storyteller and maharajah of the outcasts. He's undoubtedly the most interesting person I've ever met-- I'm lucky to call him a friend. Follow Peter on Twitter for his colorful, kind and sporadic thoughts of genius. 

New Adventures at Newsweek

For my first post on Newsweek/The Daily Beast, I reported on Cathy Horyn's assumption that Alexander Wang was to fulfill a position at Balenciaga. How will the design-dialogue of Wang’s opulent-oppidan aesthetic conflict with the luxury conversation of the 98 year old brand Balenciaga? For now, I don't care. The result of filing that story at 2:15 am has given me serious zombie-eyes. I'm thrilled to be working with the ultra-talented Robin Givhan and the staff at Newsweek/The Daily Beast.

(Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week)