Maaike Mekking: Witch-Craft-Wo-Man-Ship

Dutch designer Maaike Mekking's spectacular neo-tribal A/W 2010 collection at London Fashion Week

While much of the recent London Fashion Week lacked the edge of past seasons with designers taking the safer route by showing subdued ready-to-wear collections, Dutch-born designer Maaike Mekking seized on high drama (what some might say fashion does best) with her collection dubbed “Witch-Craft-Wo-Man-Ship.” Channeling the spirit of cult films such as Christiane F and Bandlands, Mekking showed a collection of wearable separates reflecting …

Nike Innovation Summit: The World Cup 2010

Nike Soccer launches an eco-friendly jersey, a new training app, and a high-tech cleat

As the 2010 World Cup nears, Nike gathered hundreds of journalists in London (CH included) last week to learn about their new soccer products and technology, helping to fan the flames leading up to one of the world’s most popular sporting events taking place this summer in South Africa. Held in the Battersea Power Station, a crumbling Art Deco building widely featured in album covers, …

Studio Visit: Bellerby Globes

A tour of a London workshop where Peter Bellerby hand makes heirloom-quality globes

We recently had the opportunity to stop into Bellerby Globes for a behind-the-scenes look at how the enterprising craftsmen create the handmade globes  we highlighted last month. At their modest shopfront in North London, Peter Bellerby and his crew received me warmly and took me on a quick tour of the premises. First I watched plaster of Paris cast into 20-pound orbs, that (after almost …