Tiny Feature Saturday’s – Visionaries: Nick Knight
As a part of their Visionaries series, Vice and Blackberry profile photographer and ShowStudio.com founder Nick Knight. Among other things Knight shares his views on fashion as an art form, fashion as communication, and the effect New Media has on the fashion cycle. We also get some insight from ShowStudio fashion director Nick Knight.
Enjoy
TrVZ
American Apparel Commercial by Tony Kelly
Haaa, who knew American Apparel had it in them…
“On a makeshift dance floor set amongst a vast cityscape stand Jalen Testerman and Lil Demon, the world-renowned break dancers featured in Tony Kelly’s latest American Apparel commercial. The photographer has been the brainchild behind much of the brand’s imagery, this time shooting the American Apparel-clad youths in a humorous exhibition of wit and prowess.”
Source: HypeBeast
Wayback Thursday’s – Love Brigade Episode 3
This week the Wayback Machine travels to September 2007 and one of the first brands we covered Love Brigade. During the summer of 2006 I walked into the Love Brigade store on Haveymeyer a total stranger pitching a plan for bringing quality video coverage to indie artist and entrepreneurs. At that point I had been providing video coverage under the name thenewpopsensation to artists with in studio monologues and music videos, now I was ready to step it up with a branded documentary style video series. I thought Love Brigade would be a perfect candidate to showcase what I was offering to potential clients. It took almost a year from the first meeting to series launch to obtaining my first paying client. This video (the third in the series) follows the Love Brigade crew to the NOLCHA fashion show. I find it fascinating to see how my storytelling technique has evolved from a slower paced narrative documentary style, to the fast paced brand friendly assortment of soundbytes and montages that it is today.
Enjoy
TrVZ
Wayback Triva: Unlike today where my new clients are all referred to me via other clients, during the summer of 2006 I would go from store to store with my brochure pitching the idea for thenewpopsensation without much luck. Thank god a new website was emerging on the scene called myspace.com. This site allowed me to meet exponentially more people in a fraction of the time. As far as thenewpop is concerned this is when the New Media business model was born.
Behind The Scenes – Holi Spirit Fashion Shoot
As Delhi locals celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi with the usual mix of ebullience and coloured powder, the folks at Wallpaper Magazine incorporated elements of that celebration into the pages of their Reborn in India issue. Looks like allot of fun.
Enjoy
TrVZ
BKc – Project Trade Show Teaser
It is amazing to see how just in the span of about 5 years urban popular taste has evolved from a scrappy Cut & Paste DIY sensibility to a more refined approach to ones art. This is as true in video as it is in urban fashion. The folks at Brooklyn Circus are the epitome of this new ethos. Check out the two videos by Joey Graziano focusing on Brooklyn Circus. Appropriately Joey’s video production also reflects this evolved approach to ones craft. I am looking forward to seeing more.
TrVZ
Wayback Thursday – Love Brigade IV
This week we travel wayback somewhere around late September 2007 to Love Brigade Episode IV. Love Brigade was the subject of many of the early New Pop webisodes. They will always have a special place in New Pop lore not only because their founder Alyssa Key is as smart as a whip and a babe, but also because it was while shooting them in the summer of 2006 that I had a Eureka moment that would define The New Pop brand. I had been producing short videos online in some form or another since 2002 always with the intent of publishing via traditional media. At some point while documenting Love Brigade I decided that I would make the net my target platform of distribution and expression. There were other sites like Atomic films who were supposed to be outlets for indie filmmakers, but they were run by the same guys who ran the traditional media platforms and frankly they just did not get it. The focus of sites like Atomic was to use the net as a platform to find traditional distribution channels for filmmakers. It was film producers networking with filmmakers. It was not art, it was not music, it was not fashion, it was not organic, it was not us. To me the net was a platform for expression. I will never forget the rush I felt when I realized that I could bypass the old media gatekeepers who ran the festival circuits and express myself to a new audience. There was no turning back after that and New Pop Media was born.
This particular episode is the fourth in the series of five that I shot about Love Brigade. I posted the others on youtube but this is the one that did not pass the youtube copyright restrictions. Please excuse the jittery player, and broken links. Our player was custom built and many of the original files have moved or are lost. So without further ado, Wayback from September, 2007 Love Brigade IV
Wayback Trivia: Back in 2005 when Thenewpop.com was thenewpopsensation.com we were the first site to use rotating video banners. I called them popshots. All the rage now. Innovative, yes!
Marcelo Does Milan – New York Times Style Magazine Film
Marcelo Burlon editor in Chief at Rodeo Magazine, consultant to Givenchy and the founder of Milan club, Pink is Punk is considered a modern day renaissance man. This video takes us through his journey from Patagonia, Argentina, to Milan. The edit and the soundtrack are pretty amazing. I love the way Marcelo and his circle of friends and artists embrace and own their inner Zoolander.
Enjoy
TrVZ
CK one SS11 – Pretentiously Good
As I move up in my years, my tolerance for pretentious pointless eye candy has grown thin. However every now and then I see something that despite its obvious attempt at appealing to my desire to stay hip, over-rides my too easy to trigger cynical meter, and finds its way onto this blog. This Calvin Klein teaser video by Steven Miesel, for what is described as their biggest-ever digital initiative to date, has put the New back into my Pop! Log onto their Facebook link for more info.
Enjoy
TreVZ
Fashion Designers Take on Film
Connecting to audiences via social media is a vital part of any relevant marketing strategy. Branded video on the web is arguably the most effective way to do this. Anecdotal evidence suggests that more and more brands are slowly but surely coming around to this realization. Some may argue that no one has embraced web video like the world of fashion. The following video from the folks at Wallpaper Magazine investigates the fictional often melodramatic films that tend to emerge from the world of high fashion.
Enjoy
TreVZ
Trailer – Bill Cunningham New York
This past year has brought us some incredible indie films like “Radiant Child” and “Exit Through the Gift Shop” Now comes a film from Richard Press about the iconic New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham appropriately titled “Bill Cunningham New York”
About the film:
“the “Schwinn-riding cultural anthropologist has been obsessively and inventively chronicling fashion trends and high society charity soirées for the TimesStyle section in his columns “On the Street” and “Evening Hours.””Cunningham’s enormous body of work is more reliable than any catwalk as an expression of time, place and individual flair. In turn, Bill Cunningham New York is a delicate, funny and often poignant portrait of a dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own humanity and unassuming grace.”
BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK OPENS AT NEW YORK’S FILM FORUM ON MARCH 16, 2011.
For more info you can log onto the website here.
Cool Portrait Video – “Enjoy 2011″
This video caught me completely off guard because it is the first video produced in the upright “portrait” position with any stylistic and technical merit that I have seen. Courtesy of Álvaro de la Herrán. It’s short and really cool.
Enjoy
TreVZ
Tiny Feature Saturday’s – The Sartorialist
This video courtesy of Intel profiles famed fashion blogger and photographer Scott Schumann aka The Sartorialist. This is one of the most insightful and beautifully produced pieces about a new media artist at work. Very inspiring work by Director Tyler Manson.
Enjoy
TreVZ
New Pop Vintage 2006 – Love Brigade
In 2006 I approached Alyssa Key the founder of a new boutique Love Brigade about doing a short documentary about her company as a DVD release. At that point I was shooting web videos for a little over a year and wasn’t quite convinced that the web was a medium that people would embrace for watching films. At the time I started producing web video content in late 2004 Youtube hadn’t even been created yet and most videos on the web were hosted on individual sites and servers all over the net. Other than Atom Films which was mostly a niche group of filmmakers seeking traditional distribution, there wasn’t really a platform for serious filmmakers to exhibit their work to non filmmakers. It took over a year for me to embrace the potential.
Fast forward to the summer of ’06 while shooting the folks at Love Brigade when after much thought I finally decided to forego traditional distribution for the web. It was a decision that immediately felt right, and for almost 4 years particularly in the downtown scene I enjoyed having this playground pretty much to myself. The Love Brigade series will always have a special place in the New Pop archives because it was where I came upon the proverbial fork in the road. Here are the first 3 episode in the Love Brigade series, episode 3 being my favorite. You can find the rest by following my youtube link.
Enjoy
TreVZ
Desigual – “Undie Party” Video
At two separate events over the past week the Barcelona based clothing line Desigual gave away free clothes to the first 100 people that showed up in their Skivvies at their SoHo and 34th street stores. Over 500 folks showed up to the two events some as early as 1:00 am. It got tons of press and I was there to capture all the fun for the Desigual blog. So check out the video and go to the Desigual website for more info on their brand. Also props to the production team that put together two great events.
Man-Lai – Event Planning & Production
Spin Control – Event PR
Icube-newyork – Digital & Social Media Strategy
Thenewpop – Video Production
Enjoy
Trevz
Styles of the Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit event
So I hit up that event for the Need For Speed - Hot Pursuit game premier with Trevz the other night for The New Pop. I was in hot pursuit of some great fashion, and of course, this being NYC, I found it. I couldn’t help but notice that style was out in droves. I felt inspired by what I saw at the Classic Car Club – the dope fashions ranged from a vintage couture look to empire-shouldered frocks in the vein of pop starlets like Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
Enjoy.
M
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- From left: Angela, Stephanie and Alina smile pretty at the Classic Car Club.
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- From left: Bryan Arenas and Luiza Solano looking ultra fly.
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- From left: Models Melanie Tillbrook and Vanessa James pose at the Need For Speed premier event.
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- From left: Terry Kosic and Amina rock ubercute frocks.
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- Hiraku Morilla dons a vintage couture style.
Light Asylum, Asa Ransom, These Are Powers (and more!) @ Cameo Gallery!
Yo kids,
So I had a great time last night and I’m here to fill you in. My girl Amber filled me in on another show happening in good ol’ BK, so I had to hit it up. This time, we, and a new friend, an indie artist named Lelia Broussard from LA, hopped the L to Cameo Gallery. (Check out her tunes, by the way!)
I’d never been, but was immediately impressed by the sort of cocktail lounge feel in the front, and the standing room only stage part in the back. We sipped a couple $4 Miller High Lifes and (FREE!) shots of bourbon, and headed to the dance floor.
In the back, the room was lit up with strobes and stage lights of every color imaginable. People were dancing and the energy was perfect.
The first group I caught was Light Asylum, which is fronted by Shannon, whom I met after the set. We caught the last song, but I want to hear more. There was something vaguely Crystal Castles meets Yeasayer about them. Shannon announced a (FREE!) show Wednesday on 12th and Bedford, I believe…. you guys should check them out. Whatever it was, it was hot!
I only caught one hot track, but I still got a decent pic! 
As the speakers boomed hood joints all night long (Soulja Boy and Ciara club mixes), I was meeting people. This hot couple below, Marie and Joe, head the band Hexa-Whorra. Their mashup of electronica and acoustic music would’ve suit them well for the venue.
YES.
Next up was Asa Ransom – Amber had heard them before and told me great things, so I went in with high expectations. They were exceeded. They had a very dark, Bowie-glam vs. She Wants Revenge stomp to it. The guitars crunched and buzzed and the bass driven beats evoked something delightfully evil.
I ran into The Loneliest Monk’s Michelle and Miles, from the last post, who were still in town, heading to Providence, Rhode Island for a show. Michelle and Miles played in Chicago with Asa Ransom a few times.
This is how I officially decided they were good.
Check the guitar! Hot, right?
Dark harmonies accentuate bitchin' rock dance tracks.
Finally, I saw These Are Powers. Before and during the show, lead singer Anna Barie was handing out popcorn and candy. When I interned at Secretly Canadian in Bloomington, I remember they were a band signed to SC’s sister label, Dead Oceans. My, has their sound (and look!) evolved.
They hit the stage with what I’d like to call “electro-hood.” Anna caught my attention with her Karen O-isms. She squealed and squawked and purred and harmonized (while breakin’ it down) over some of the hottest beats I’ve ever heard. I hadn’t heard much of their new material til now. Check out their MySpace for more. My fave is “Candyman,” naturally. I’d love to catch up with them for an interview.
THESE. ARE. POWERS!
It was also during this time that I met a “chocolate Marilyn Monroe,” in the form of a man in drag. His explanation?
“Marilyn’s been sleeping.” Marilyn did go onstage during These Are Powers to sing “Happy Birthday” Mr. President-style to a friend.
Tomorrow, I head to an EA Sports event with Trevz- should be loads of fun. In the meantime check out the hot pics after the jump.
The "Chocolate" Marilyn.
Can anyone else say FIERCE? Check out Becca's fly hair.
Amber in her cut up Misfits tee. <3 I. Love.
And yours truly.
XO,
M
NYC Pride Overview: The fierce, the fab, the fantasy
Hey kids,
So I checked out NYC Pride the other day. My first time experiencing it was nothing short of incredible.
The only thing I did mind was the heat. I must have walked approximately five miles. I showered three times yesterday.
Things got started with the Pride parade, which was the most interesting mix of crazy, hot, sickly fierce and original fashion, politics, art, expression, and love.
Check out some of these pics from the festivities. Me and my friends got front row at the barricades!
My voice went hoarse from yelling “WORK!” to those deserving of such a catcall.
Candy Land Couture
This was during the Puerto Rican portion of the parade
Bubbles came out the back 
Navy uniforms, rainbow flags
I like that she posed when she saw cameras flashing. FIERCE!!
Sidenote, speaking of “workin’ it,” I loved the way the New Yorkers booed the new mayor when he was announced on the float. They keep it real all day, everyday.
PrideFest (the annual street fair of sorts) was next – over on Hudson. There was a slew of local and up-coming national performers, including headliner Antigone Rising. I only saw two acts. One’s name is fuzzy but his song /dance moves was hot.
The other was Lex Z. Check out her website at lexzoutloud.com. I’ll just leave it at that.
Anyway, after a wonderful $10 dinner at Cafe Tasia (appetizer, Merlot AND entree), I slept, showered and recharged before hitting up Phoenix on 13th and Ave A. It was like a hipster version of gay pride, if you will. There, I met up with Carolina and Jason, whom you will remember from The Scene’s Episode 3.
We watched as the band Little Victory revved up their guitars and cruised through sociopolitical songs bashing bitchy gays and homophobes.
They had a fabulous, radiant energy. The bar was dark and packed body to body, and surprisingly, it was cooler inside than it was outside! I only had room to sip my ($5!) Long Island.
After that, we went back to Carolina’s to get dolled up for Greenhouse Sundays, which is notable for its guests in costume.
Time for more sweat. The club was packed.
Me and the crew got on top of a booth adjacent to the DJ booth and danced like it was 1999. We had a great time, but my camera died in the midst of grinding and droppin’ it like it was hot (because it was hot, in the club, I mean). 
So no pictures from that…
But check these out:
Little Victory score big win with crowd @ Phoenix
From left: Jessie (KITE!) and Jason (CAPE!) before the Greenhouse sweatshow.
Getcha stunna shades on
Overall, NYC Pride gets an A+ for being the most diverse, intense, saturated, and expressionist event I’ve seen since I’ve been here. Can’t wait for next year.
XO,
M
The Pretty Reckless @ PUMA Social Club!
Hey kids,
Mickey here. So I just got back from the PUMA Social Club, in the heart of the Seaport, Lower East Side Manhattan. Never been til tonight, and I gotta say it was swanky. My buddy Eunice tipped me off to this and let me be her plus one.
Since it is supported by the PUMA brand and World Cup has been crazily captivating, well, the world, there were flags and maps of Africa just about everywhere.
But tonight I wasn’t seeing soccer stars, but 16-year-old Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen with her band, The Pretty Reckless, at an exclusive event hosted by the always-chic Nylon magazine.
Guests gather for The Pretty Reckless at PUMA Social Club in Seaport
Pretty Reckless frontgirl Taylor Momsen points to a dancing fan
There were swirling strobes, what seemed like a fleet of photographers, and fashionistas inspired by Gaga and pop art in attendance.
I have to say, I was shocked, not only with the decent turnout, but with The Pretty Reckless themselves. They’ve gotten buzz from Taylor’s star power, but have made a name for themselves since forming last year. They have since signed with Interscope Records and are currently on the Vans Warped Tour.
Taylor, clad in tights, an oversized NYC T-shirt and eyes covered with dark mascara, got her Courtney Love on as the foursome rocked out to Hole-esque tunes from their new self-titled EP. The jams included “Zombie,” “Miss Nothing,” and “Make Me Wanna Die.” Something tells me this Gossip Girl will make for a great interview.
Tay-tay gets her C. Love on.
In addition to mingling with fierce guests (see below), I got free coconut water samples, and had my picture taken for The Studio Booth and Wire Image. Eunice and I even got to hang with DJ Josh Madden before the show started.
Yes!
Check out the hotness of the night below (I mean, hello, a fashion magazine did host this shindig!)
I had an amazing time.
Eunice, DJ Josh Madden and Mickey (thaaat's me!) chill before the PR set
(From left) Natalia and Amanda were at the Nylon party WERKIN like the rent was due!
Mr. Chris Reed rocked a hot vintage look.
One word Ni'ma uses to describe her fashion interests: everything. I say: fly and flashy.
Tomorrow, I head out to the L.E.S. again for a art/rock show put on by the fine fellas of Con Artist Gallery. Keep it locked at The New Pop.
Check The Pretty Reckless on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theprettyreckless
Also, pick up the latest issue of Nylon, featuring cover girl, M.I.A., on stands now!
XOXO,
M
Contessa Making Moves!
Looks like they finally coming around to the force that is Cuntmafia. Check out Contessa’s interview and cool photos in tangentmag.com. Thanks for the New Pop shout. She also had a feature in V Mag which I missed. Gotta get a copy.
Congrats!
TrevzNewPop
Theophilus London in Complex Mag
Theophilus London The Hip Hop Crooner who has hosted a couple of episodes on New Pop has a feature in the February/March issue of Complex magazine. It’s a fashion feature so there isn’t much substance in terms of the Q & A, but the photos are great. Also there is a cool little widget where you can mouse over the fashion pieces and see a pop up window that tells you everything you need to know about the gear. Check it out here.
TrevzNewPop
Sophomore
I recently came across a short film shot as a look-book for the Downtown label Sophomore. Beautifully shot by LA-based photographer Cass Bird. It’s a fascinating look at local NY kids hanging out in Coney Island. This short bypasses the nauseating trend of spotlighting hipster transplants that many contemporary artist (present company included) seem to be fascinated with. Instead Sophomore focuses on the genuinely cool locals that make this city the hipster draw that it is. There is a unpretentious unapologetic confidence that jumps off the screen and draws you in by giving us a refreshing look at a city many of us only know from movies like KIDS. These kids remind me of the mid 70′s multicultural East Flatbush I grew up in. A place where Blacks, Puerto Ricans and a diminishing Jewish population lived side by side always looking for mischief always looking for love. There is a restlessness that Cass captures in ten plus minutes with ease.
Sophomore will inevitably draw comparisons to KIDS. I find it even more compelling because the story-line does not get in its own way. In Sophomore we see the characters talking to the camera with all their quirks in plain sight and without inhibition. Unlike KIDS we don’t get the feeling that there is an agenda that needs to be pushed on you to justify the otherwise superficial story-line. Sophomore allows itself to be itself. Between the quirky sound-bytes and delightful b-roll it is compelling and engaging. The best scene captures a couple of girl-friends (who can easily be mistaken as twins) talking about sharing everything including boyfriends. The sound-byte and visual in this scene are priceless.
Now I mentioned that this is a Look Book video for the Downtown label Sophomore. The Viral Look-Book as video short is a trend that has been gaining momentum over the past couple of years. In this case I had no idea what items were from the fashion line Sophomore and what was not. I think this was intentional evidenced by the title where there is also no distinction. Some may say that this is bad marketing I say it is genius. The fact is I never heard of Sophomore until I saw this piece. Now that brand is imprinted in my memory. A brave product placement strategy that I find very difficult to sell to my clients. Next time I will show them this video as a shinning example.
Enjoy
TrevzNewPop
Sophomore Spring 2010 from SophomoreNYC on Vimeo.
Erica & David at it again
A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of meeting stylist Erica & David of LP Fashion Philosophy when I was crewing up for my short film. We never got to work together due to scheduling conflicts but we have kept in contact ever since. Erica and David were like two peas in a pod and had a keen eye for fashion and a unique point of view on trends. Check out this video post they did with Nando (@Nandoism) on What NOT to wear, and HOW TO Edit Your Closet. It’s their version of “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy”. It might not be an original concept and I would have loved to hear more from David but overall it’s still a pretty interesting video.
Enjoy
TrevzNewPop
Life @_lovebrigade
I spent fashion week with my old friends at Love Brigade as they put together the show for their SS10 line. Soundtrack courtesy of Tecla Esposito.
Life With Contessa at Beauty Bar First Fridays
The first in my “LIFE” portraits. This one features one of my favorite people to document Contessa, as she deals with the stress of putting on a fashion show at the Beauty Bar. I actually find the photos to be much more revealing than the video so I embedded it first.
