Inspired by an ancient city turned empire, Carthage is the brand’s aspiration translated into a compact, consistent collection. While last year’s global news reports narrated the story of a revolutionized, chaotic Tunesia, Carthage (on the outskirts of the capital Tunis) and its legends evaporated in the midst of the actual events. Fortunately, we had our clothes to retell the Mediterreanen tale.

When one thinks of an ancient empire, the images that pop in the mind are usually of Spartanic proportions. Scenes from movies like Gladiator and 300 have shaped a strong and vivid reference in our minds. Because we wanted to create an accessible, contemporary line, our premise was to get rid of the abovementioned assumptions. The challenge was to adequately narrate the story of Carthage without the imperial heavniess that in 2012 simply would not have worked.

The interesting thing about the African coast of the Mediterreanen is that it has an authentic personality: the white sands and vivid blue skies are mixed with African elements. This elegant and colorful summer atmosphere was our departure point. You can see this in the color palet where hues of olive green and sand yellow are mixed with sparkling mint tones and denim blue.

When you close up on Carthage however, you’ll find that there is little known about it. After the city has been conquered by the Romans, the new occupiers destroyed most of its cultural heritage, leaving many blank spots in its history. True, there are some stories and legends that survived, but the old city will always reside in a fog of mystery. This is why the context of the collection focuses on maritime and military references with little explicit graphic portrayals.

Because Carthage is a spring/summer collection we chose to work with lightweight cotton for the tops and heavier fabric for the blazers and shorts. The Armistice blazer has a tailored, slim fitting but the use of twill-woven cotton makes it perfectly suitable as a summer vest, to wear on numerous occasions. We created two different versions: the Envoy and the Ambergris. The Envoy has a military inspired color use, with greyish green and brown, while the Ambergris is a blue denim/cotton combination. Our blazers are fully handmade in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

For the shorts we went for a minimalist design: slit back pockets, concealed fly, brand creed reference and parallel side pockets. The colorful surprise is hidden in the lining where we used a blue golf-set pattern. The buttons are made of dark wood and the fly closes with a hook for an elegant finish.

As I wrote earlier, the city of Carthage was famous for two major pillars on which it stood as a city and empire: its maritime and military expertise. Throughout the collection we referred to these characteristics; sometimes directly and other times in a more cryptic manner. An example of the latter is our Marin Authentique shopper, which is another collaboration with our good friends at Flybird. The Marin Authentique shopper is a harmonious combination of tanned cowhide and canvas. The funny and apt coincidence is that a company of army tents supplied the canvas cotton. We focused the design on the big envelope front pocket, which is not only a handy addition, but it gives the bag an authentic character and a playful touch. The bag is fully handmade at the Flybird atelier in the Hague, the Netherlands.

Another implicit military reference is our Bridle bracelet: a leather/cotton combination in the collection’s color palet. The material combination is a manly, contemporary mix, but it is also a thematical reference to the bridles used for military horsemanship.

Fortunately, there are also actual stories inherited through Carthage and there is no doubt that the most famous one is the story of the legendary general Hannibal, who defeated the Romans on their territory. The story tells of the general crossing the Alps on war elephants, making a fearful and intimidating entrance into Rome. This image inspired the creation of the Hannibal sketch. By focusing on the elephant, the story could be retold without the load of warfare, resulting in a captivating and very digestible print.

Carthage was a harbor city, famed for its maritime expertise. It had an infamous fleet which made it a feared rival on the sea and its mastery of naval navigation helped the city grow to an empire by way of trade. Simply put, it is impossible to speak of Carthage and neglect the sea. Some of our references are implicit, like the choice for an ocean blue v-neck (Mediterranean) or the cross-shaped raglan long sleeve (Croisiere), other items however carry direct referrals to the maritime character of the city.

For our pocket t-shirt, we designed a special cotton print using a boosted color palet. Each pocket is a playful and colorful depiction of the planet’s seven seas.

Hanno was a famous king of Carthage and a renoun navigator of the seas. As an explorer, he was guided by meridians and navigation lines and it was this simple geometry that we wanted to translate to our design. Hanno’s navigation tools are drawn side by side, following vertical, geometrical lines, like the meridians.

There is much to say and write about this collection and how it came to be. This is a short, behind-the-product overview to share with you the artistic value of our work. There is always an idea, a thought, a story behind Guy Vernes; it is what makes our work interesting to produce and hopefully more so to experience. After this textual meal, I suggest you check out the collection’s look book for a visual dessert or head straight to the shop.

Carthage is the result of the talent and dedication of the following people.

Design: Bilal Al Mashta
Photography: Andrew Chin
Styling: Jorine Koster (Urban Attire)
Website & Lookbook: Niek Dekker
iPad Lookbook: Jordi van der Oord
PR: David Koster
Video: Sander van Wijk
Models: Virgil, Matan
Assistance Photography: Mathieu Cremers
3D-product modeling: Andries van Overbeeke
Special thanks: Flybird, Hypebeast

STARTING APRIL 27TH | BRABANTSE TURFMARKT 32, DELFT (NETHERLANDS)

Download the Carthage desktop wallpaper

What’s different about the Tumblr photos is that they intrigue you and fascinate you, but unlike the superfluous playboy-esque nude pics that have become the standard male treat (read: whatever), Tumblr chicks hit the mind. They take you with them into something real, giving you a peak into a small world that you can relate to. These are shots of a natural woman, a celebration of feminine beauty through the subtle details of a captured moment. Maybe it’s a highbrow thing or maybe we just like to see women in a new way. Intimacy is luring in every picture, making Tumblr girls trigger man’s true desire.

We asked three men, all three interactive designers, to select a Tumblr girl and describe in a few lines what they liked about the photograph. The results are truly poetic testimonials. Let the praise begin…

Jordi van der Oord | teamsigma.tumblr.com | Interactive Designer, Rotterdam:
Visually, this might be the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. For a start, I like her posture: nonchalant, yet challenging. Her glare tells me that she’s not interested and that’s the feeling that makes it more so interesting. The colors of the picture only boost her beauty.

Her face is perfect. To me, every part of her face is shaped perfectly. The form of her lips, the roundings of her nose, the dark brows and the bland look in her eyes. The jawline round up the face in aesthetical minimalism.

What I might like the most, is the seemingly misplaced earlow coming from under her gorgeous hair. Following the line of her face and the perfection of the other shapes, it might even look weird or failed. But it is exactly this subtlety that makes the picture natural and accessible, triggering the realization that this is just a girl that I might bump into tomorrow on the street.

Matiás Jansen | tumblr.matiasjansen.com | Interactive Designer, New York City:
What I like about her? The contrast caused by her white-blonde hair and the deep blue palet of the background. The austere calm she seems to have. The impression of a modern modesty generated by her figure, face and clothing. The fragile lines of her face.

Niek Dekker | freshderpy.tumblr.com | Interactive Designer, Amsterdam:
What I like about her? The joy she radiates. Especially her bright, joyful eyes, perfected by the lifted cheeks caused by her smile. Her subtle style,: simple cardigan, simple bag, basics. The lack of gimmicks allow her face and hair to fully come to life. Her teeth as well, although imperfect maybe, but the more so real. Her long dark hair, a little messy, rugged; a contrast with her young, soft face. Beautiful. Perfection in imperfection. A grown-up girl, intelligent, cheerful, tender.

What I like about her? Her uniqueness. The imperceptible beauty. The proportions in her face. Big mysterious eyes and full lips. Her characteristics, like the mole on her chin, the expression of her face.

On a side note, David Koster | youngdazey.tumblr.com | Artist & PR Manager, on Emma Stone:

Emma Stone is the awesomest chick in the world. First it was Mila Kunis, but the goofyness and charm of Emma have taken over. She is a natural ginger/brunette, but this color suits her great. The reddish hair combined with the clear blue eyes instantly turn her face into an eyecatcher.

What I like about her the most is her smile. The beauty of it is that’s it not a Hollywood grin. It’s a beautiful, genuine smile that reveals a hidden geek.

“Guys, I think I might be oldschool”

Last Friday, when we were having our weekly dinner with the Guy Vernes crew at the Bistro, Bilal told me he was worried that he might be losing his connection with the current times and that he more and more only likes old stuff. “My taste was always a bit classic, but now I just don’t seem to care about all the crap people produce these days.” My first thought was ‘this is a serious problem, because you own a contemporary fashion brand’. But after he pointed out some examples of the things he likes, which include some famous design classics and must-see movies, I began to understand that maybe it isn’t a love for the old, but a love for the classics.

I like to think of a classic as something that people just don’t want to forget. Sometimes a classic functions as a milestone in a development timeline; other classics are simply masterpieces of aesthetics. Although they were created in a certain period, we will love them forever and therefore these creations become timeless. What we must realize is that these old things we call classics, were created alongside thousands, no millions of other things we no longer talk about or see in magazines. We simply forgot about them, just as we are going to forget about the enormous amount of distracting nonsense we have to navigate through today. But let’s not forget that somewhere in the big pile of fleeting modern junk, there are pearls to discover. Precious little creations by today’s brilliant minds and creative geniuses. Creations, which we will one day call classics, because they are just too good to ever forget.

Tom Ford was the one who made me realize that you can create your own high quality environment. You just have to use good filters. There is a lot of good stuff being created these days but with everyone being a publisher on the internet, it would take forever to go through it all and choose what is worth your time. Right now there are fantastic Tumblr blogs that just blog visual crack. They are like collages of a personality. Fantastic. The best part is that anyone can start creating such a collage within seconds, using pictures you like with the click of a reblog button. And what did I discover? The best-viewed Tumblr blogs are the ones that curate the…yes, the classics. Awesome street style fashion of men wearing tweed, bow ties, suits and the return of the tiepin. It’s so now, and yet so classic.

So by loving the classics, fashionwise, you are actually liking the current trend.

Photography by Faber/Cremers.
Make-up: Wendy Vermeulen
Models: Tim, Matan and Zelda.
Featured items: Comme des Hommes deep v-neck t-shirt, Icarus sweater in navy, The Kuma Tribe sweater in green and The Machinist longsleeve t-shirt in black.

Guy Vernes is temporarily available at Hypo Art Supermarket, Hypolytusbuurt 14 2611 HN Delft, The Netherlands. A showcase of Guy Vernes work, ranging from sweaters to greeting cards and art work (of course), will be available until March 31st.