The Future Perfect, one of Brooklyn's favorite furniture stores since 2003, has finally launched a site for web commerce. The physical store, near the epicenter of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, ranks with any of Manhattan's better known locations for modernism like Moss, MoMA Store or Conran Shop.

Iconic pieces like the Bourgie lamp from Kartell, Jamie Hayon's Multileg tables, and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec's Self Shelf sit alongside local and lesser known designers. From wallpaper to lamps, tables, accessories, or design objects, The Future Perfect is filled with beautiful and unique objects.

This new and exciting field of web commerce had another notable launch this week from New York as Odin soft launched its men's wear website, offering brands like Band of Outsiders, Robert Geller and Engineered Garments.

Paper Magazine will open a 24 hour pop up store from Friday, November 7, 6 pm, through Saturday, November 8, 6 pm. The 2nd 24-Hour Department Store takes place at 8873 Sunset Boulevard, cross street is San Vicente. Visit the official website for details. We just confirmed Slow & Steady Wins the Race will have several of Mary Ping's affordable designs for sale. And Converse will be sponsoring 24 bands over the 24 hours. Other highlights include Band of Outsiders, Confederacy, and Rodarte.

Usually we don't list local sample sales but none of the main sample sale sites seem to have this gem listed. Nexus Showroom is unloading FW '08 samples, many are one of a kind, at 75% off. Nov 4. through Nov. 30, 10A-6P, 39 West 56th St, 3rd floor. There's a good handful of designers to check out including Obakki men's wear, Stephane Kelian shoes for women, and at least 8 women's rtw desingers. Visit the Nexus site to view the lineup and lookbooks.

Among the reasons to go: Jean Paul Knott. What happened to Jean Paul Knott, the YSL understudy who was tapped to revive Louis Feraud's legendary house, but left after only two seasons in 2003? Well, he's got the most beautiful collection that no one seems to talk about. (He also oversees Cerruti's planned relaunch of women's rtw for FW '09.) Of all the collections and garments we get to see, Knott's pieces are among the most precious and beautiful. Anyone who fits samples is recommended to check this out early. Alternatively, get your Jean Paul Knott fix in New York, at Le Sous Sol alongside other Belgium designers like Eric Beaudouin and A.F. Vandervorst.

Among the five billion jean companies out there, we like Siwy Denim for its classic take on fashion denim. Since 2005, designer Michelle Siwy (say: "seewee") has focused on natural washes and feminine cuts, earning a celeb following a la Kate, Sienna, Mischa, Kate, and Nicole. Usually, famous clientele is enough to make us run the other direction (celeb is the new hemorrhoid). But in the case of Siwy Denim, there's plenty of substance to the the style.

Earlier this week, we caught up with Michelle on the phone to preview what she's got lined up for SS '09.

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Furniture and industrial designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have a new book called Objets, Dessins, Maquettes. Like some fashion designers, the Bouroullecs operate on a field of shape that seemingly takes abstraction into tactile products.

This edition shows off the inspiration behind sleek, finished products the duo has made for Vitra, Magis, Kartell, Issey Miyake and Cappellini. In fact, the book doesn't track those projects like a retrospective. Instead, this is a visual look at the seemingly raw process of creation from visual ideas. The book formally launched on October, 25, 2008 at Paris' librairie de la Maison rouge with a limited edition of 20 copies containing a fine art print. Visit this link for more info.

Muji has a new "to GO" location, it's second in the world (the other is in Hong Kong), planned for Jet Blue's new Terminal 5 at JFK International Airport. It's the third US store, joining MUJI Soho and MUJI Times Square in the New York times Building.

Both the terminal and the store open on Wendsday, October 22, 2008. As one might expect, the focus is on travel goods and mobile accessories. For the launch, it's slated to offer 300 houshold items plus 80 apparel items in less than 600 square feet of space.

Fashion maestro Karl Lagerfeld has designed a 11' 3" x 8' 3.5" mural (shown above) for the redesigned Kiss & Fly nightclub. The site--inspired by Roman art history and design--also features an artist's rendering of the Sistine Chapel. If that's not enough to pique your interest, Kiss & Fly is the new flagship club in New York for Dom Pérignon. There's even $18,000 bottles of bubbly on display (yeah, they're for sale). Click through for an image gallery and more deets.

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Since 2000, Seven New York has carved a unique niche by offering some of the hardest to find designer fashions for men and women. The current rooster includes Bernard Willhelm (shown above), Gareth Pugh, Jeremy Scott, Haider Ackermann and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

Until now, the shopping options were either go to the Soho boutique (it's a dope location, you should totally go there), or phone in with a cc#. Well, buyer extraordinaire Joseph Quartana has remedied the situation with a updated web interface. Each designer has their own lookbook and each garment is viewable from multiple angles. Plus it's easy to zoom in on the important details. There's helpful notes on fit and sizing. And they'll ship to anywhere in the world.

As part of the relaunch, save on shipping with code "f8web-launch" for 5% off. Note, there's no sales tax for domestic orders shipped outside New York, Overall, it's the easy to navigate site that Seven's in-the-know shoppers deserve.

Zirh, one of our favorite men's grooming lines, has a few notable additions. First off, a new eau de toilette, Ikon, with a woody sensation and notes of cedar wood and vetiver. There's also a matching deodorant plus a hair and body wash.

The face of Ikon is model David Gandy (shown at right). He'll be on hand for the launch at Bloomingdale's 59th Street (Saturday, October, 4, 1-3pm). Purchase the scent in either a 2.5 oz or 4.2 oz bottle and Gandy will sign the box.

Next up, the Warrior Collection (shown below), a series of shower gels inspired by the likes of Alexander, Ulysses, Charlemagne and Julius Caesar. Each gel is formulated from ingredients, local to regions where each warrior reigned. And the packaging was designed by Chad Lavigne, known for collaborations with Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs and Vinita Skincare.

Humberto and Fernando Campana (r to l) will be returning to Brazil with the prestigious Design of the Year Award from Design Miami (Dec 3–6). Past winners include Zaha Hadid, Marc Newson and Tokujin Yoshioka.

The Campanas are known for employing natural materials and found objects into seemingly chaotic furniture creations.They represent a uniquely Brazilian perspective and don't shy away from injecting a world view into their work. Quite the contrary, their politics and culture are always at the forefront.

For Design Miami, the Campanas have planned an installation, Diamantina, with the Apuí plant and amethyst crystals. The Apuí plant, natuve to Brazil, grows around and even kills rainforrest treets. Diamantiana takes plastic objects and envelopes them with Apuí. It's a continuation of their TransPlastic series.

Continue reading “Campana Brothers take home Designer of the Year”