Maboneng Precinct

The arts gentrification of a Johannesburg neighborhood

Named World Design Capital 2014, and host to the influential annual Design Indaba conference, Cape Town has left Johannesburg out of the spotlight. Most recently Adidas and Michel Gondry have both made their mark in “Jo’burg” with projects that may just change common notions of what some believe to be South Africa’s most promising city. Johannesburg’s Maboneng neighborhood, sometimes called “The place of lights,” has …

M.Nii Winter 2012

Vintage Polynesian print blazers and era-inspired chinos in the revived surf brand's first cold-weather collection

Shortly after the conclusion of WWII a movement was beginning on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. While Honolulu drew in first-time vacationers, around the corner in the town of Makaha, surfing, both as a sport and a culture, was coming into its own. Leading the way with what many consider to be the first iteration of what we now call “boardshorts,” M.Nii tailor shop supplied …

Thanks for the View, Mr. Mies

A humanist look at living in Mies van der Rohe and Detroit's Lafayette Park

Amongst the expanses of desperate homes and floundering businesses the media has repeatedly brought to light, a lone two towers and low lying complex of townhouses stands in downtown Detroit. Lafayette Park, as it’s called, comprises the largest collection of buildings designed by legendary minimalist Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in the world. Not unknown by any means, the unique modernist environment has been the …