Magazine | Nice Collective

December 08th, 2009 / War of Independence

There was an escape from the off-world colonies two weeks ago. Six replicants, three male, three female. They slaughtered twenty-three and then jumped a shuttle. An aerial patrol spotted them off the coast. No colony, no sight of them. Three nights ago they tried to break into the Corporation. One of them got fried flying through an electrical field. We lost the others. On the possibility they might try to infiltrate new territory, we had Holden go over and run Voight-Kampff tests on the new captures...R E P L I C A N T S

Photos by Heather Michaels and James Chiang

The Battle of Lexington Green, 1775

The battle at Lexington green, 1775

James Chiang's website

File posting under: Art

September 02nd, 2009 / Nice Collective Time Machine Movie

File posting under: Art, Music, Style

August 17th, 2009 / Nice Collective Fall 2009

For their Fall 2009 runway debut entitled Time Machine, Nice Collective plunged into the murky dreamscapes of H. G. Wells, Chris Marker and Terry Gillian-offering a distopic, but euphoric vision of blurred timelines and epochs. Time Machine presents the full realization of the brand's ethos, which is less about clothes than the creation of a full immersive experience. The specially designed runway/installation was the joint collaboration of Nice Collective and friends, who labored with a full team for over three months on the complex schematics. Assembled from hand picked materials (including a salvaged turn of the century carriage, aged steel, antique leather and burnt wood), the resulting environment provided a timely homage to the fashion spectacles of the early nineties.

The esoteric juxtapositions extended to other collaborators, which included former Nine Inch Nail's member, Alessandro Cortini, who created a live pre-show soundscape. Runway music was produced by Nice Collective and long time friend and producer Jason Jinx, and featured the world premier of the unreleased track "Under Control" by Freeland. ("Under Control" is now available on the album, Cope, released earlier this spring). These exclusive photographs and video by James Chaing document the unfolding of this collaborative universe, and offer a sneak peek behind the divine madness.

File posting under: Art, Culture, Music, Style

July 02nd, 2009 / SAVE THE ROBOTS

For some reason, since Nice Collective's inception, the more experimental, sinister or impossible to re-create a garment has been, the less likely we are to archive it. Historically, it was likely due to lack of space or resources. Nowadays, however, our desire for the pieces to be out in the world seems to trump the notion of tucking them away in a dreary storage room.

Luckily for us, Gavin Rossdale has been far more prolific with his preservation of our work. Having first discovered our brand in the late 90's, he now holds the most complete archive of Nice Collective, spanning from S98 to present day. His desire to keep long-lost classics in his wardrobe rotation often re-introduces us to our own design history.

Last week, our archivist, friend and co-conspirator rolled through San Francisco while touring in support of his album Wanderlust. Having arrived with supporting act, Nico Vega, a full day prior to their show, allowed us sufficient time to playfully indulge in some experimental design and deconstruction. Leather scraps were soaked and wrapped around metal chain, remnants of an old canvas tent were pieced into jackets. Power tools were used to accelerate the wear and tear of the leather straps, coins, and skeleton keys which adorned their belts.

The stage lighting at The Fillmore afforded us an alternative perspective on some of our recent design work, whilst heavier, electric versions of his solo work (and the occasional Bush classics) beautifully filled the venue.

Not ones to stop after a successful design day, our night continued at The Brain for the after-party. With the tour wrapping inside a few days, a large crew of the travelers joined our SF-based extended family for a little midweek revelry. As morning approached, we remained tightly gathered around the party's natural epicenter: An installation of propane-burning flowers made by San Francisco sculpture/fire artist Charles A. Gadeken. In addition to his solo work, Charles is a founding member of The Flaming Lotus Girls. Their work is a perfect example of art building community. It certainly served the purpose on this night.