The Rough Guide To Retail

Rough Trade's Stephen Godfroy talks about his new multi-story retail concept in Nottingham

by Ian Sanders Step inside Rough Trade‘s new store in the creative quarter of Nottingham, a city in the English midlands, and it feels unlike any other of the long-established retailer’s outlets. Last year the company opened a vast store in Brooklyn; this one couldn’t be more different. Rough Trade is typically known for stocking an extensive range of vinyl, CDs and books. However in …

Biochemist to Barista: The New Scoops

Jack Benchakul's journey from science to specialty coffee, which he now serves up in LA's Chinatown

by Chérmelle D. Edwards Nearly three years ago, biochemist Jack Benchakul switched professions and became a barista. Applying science to the craft of specialty coffee, he’s popped up in in at least 10 Los Angeles locations since then. Under the helm of Cognoscenti Coffee, a Culver City coffee shop whose newest outpost is at Scoops in Chinatown, he’s now moonlighting in its 500-square-foot space, on …

Interview: Wilbert Das on the UXUA Hotel

Sustainable building, creative collaborations and how his experience in fashion helped shape his boutique accommodation in Brazil

by Abby Morgan and Blake Whitman As far as designers go, Wilbert Das is something of a legend, creating some of the most provocative advertising in the ’90s that turned Italian fashion label Diesel into a household name. In order to fully grasp how a renowned creative director could make a successful pursuit into the foreign industry of hospitality (more so in a foreign country, …