Journal

A chronicle of people, places, happenings, and creations we admire.

The Month of March

A Recap of our discoveries in March.

Eton of Sweden

The Swedish shirtmaker, begun in 1928 by David and Annie Pettersson, to this day, remains one of the world's leading  producers of fine shirts, suiting and accessories.  At the "Syfabriken' in Gånghester, near Borås in southern Sweden, a happy accident of sorts occurred at the beginning of the Great Depression, after the Pettersson's were forced to close their sawmill.  They retooled their factory to create shirts, and sublet surplus space to local shoemakers and manufacturers to keep the lights on, the company was renamed "Skjortfabriken Special", or 'Special Shirt factory'. 

With steady production until the end of WWII, the premium fabrics ban was eventually lifted, compelling the Pettersson's to venture out to find still finer and more varied fabrics for their products.  They eventually made it to London, eventually opened a shop there and the Eton name was established.  This was a result of finding a name that would be easy for English-speakers to pronounce, while at the same time adding prestige, naming the company after the exclusive men's college.

Audi at the Geneva Motor Show 2015

The 2015 Geneva Motor Show opens this week, where Audi AG debuts the new R8 and R8 V10 Plus, along with other concepts like the Prologue Avant, a (possible) glimpse into the future of the vaunted A9 platform currently under development.

R8 / R8 V10 Plus / R8 E-Tron

Quite possibly the most thoroughly resolved of its development, the new R8 pulls the new body panels even tighter around its now famously aluminum chassis, it appears to be leaping forward even at rest.  Front and rear aero is cleaned up considerably, rear exhaust exits are now further integrated into the rear diffusor along with the rear heat vents.  The side 'blades' are now visually 'woven' into the body panels giving it a more lengthened appearance; the belt-line, greenhouse, rear haunches and nose now look like they were carved from a single solid ingot.

The R8 offers a 601 bhp 5.2 liter V-10 only for now, with a new V8 coming online later in the production cycle; this is counter to traditional rollouts that had initially offered a V8 with the higher output V10 following.  The E-Tron version is a fully electric version with an achieved 280 mile range, giving production a green light.

Prologue Avant Concept

The Prologue Avant is the next concept variant to bow giving a possible preview to the much discussed A9 program. The coupe received positive reviews at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year, and this latest offering expands the range of ideas brought forth from Ingolstadt as the new flagship platform continues to be developed.  Prologue Avant increases the scale of Europe's most popular upmarket form factor (estate / shooting brake)  for transcontinental travel in comfort with the preserved drivability, usability and fuel efficiency of traditional platforms vs. SUV's and crossovers that are more popular in the US.

RS3 / RS4 / RS6

Audi RS returns with facelift programs for its RS estate cars, new front and rear facias, interior finishes and wheel options for 2016.

TT / TTS

The long-popular TT coupe is all new with re-proportioned grille, an innovative instrument cluster with integrated navigation and information, and a harder edge throughout while keeping the classic 'teardrop' shape that was inspired by the streamlined Auto Union speed record cars of the 1930's.

R8 LMS

The LMS program for 2016 focuses on safety, to meet the latest GT3 competition regulations for enhance integrity of the driver cabin on impact.  A new insulated floor and rear diffusor allow the use of a smaller (yet still quite large) rear wing with no increase in drag. Audi plans to enter the works LMS at Nürburgring and Spa endurance races later this year.

R18 E-Tron Quattro

Audi's legendary prototypes, piloted by Tom Kristensen (recently retired), André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer and Allan McNish have dominated FIA WEC (World Endurance Championship) for over a decade; this latest version of the prolifically successful LMP1 car looks to beat back the challenge of Porsche, Toyota and Nissan for the 2015-2016 season.  Audi and its R18 have led the industry in diesel / hybrid / electric technology development on the racetrack with the adaptation of such systems for road car use.

Images ©Fourtitude.com / G. Achorn / Audi AG

Monocle Quality of Life Conference, Lisbon 2015

Monocle has created an event that is not to be missed.  The MONOCLE Quality of Life Conference gathers in Lisbon, Portugal from 17-19 April, 2015.  The MQLC covers everything from architecture, retail and entrepreneurship to city planning and national branding.  Attendees will be able to mix and mingle with the many great leaders, thinkers, influencers and entrepreneurs scheduled to participate. Various discussions include innovative home building, typography in urban planning, urban transport, workplace making, retail design, a special panel moderated by MONOCLE founder Tyler Brûlé, live music, art and film, and other exciting activities.

Corner Pack: Bent Corner Shipping Boxes

Noticing that a lot of retail shipping box designs require layers of tape and serious tools to get into them, Pratt student Chenchen Hu developed the Corner Pack. Designed as a packaging system that has labels that are easy to read and flaps that are equally as easy to open, what gives this design its edge is a unique folding shape. 

Although the boxes look fairly conventional and rectangular, the design is varied slightly to include flaps and folds that mean the box can be assembled without the need for extraneous fasteners. When it comes time to open up one of the Corner Pack cardboard boxes, it's as simple as lifting the topmost triangular flap to reveal the contents inside. In addition to being easy to open, this design also makes it apparent which end should be facing up. -- Laura McQuarrie

The New Yorker: 90 for 90

Venerable magazine and institution (whose subscription department once sent Marge Simpson a rejection letter, lol) celebrates its 90th birthday this year.  Various versions of the ever-present Eustace Tilley, that monocled aristocrat that has solidified the brand since 1925, is expressed by a host of new and returning cover artists for this issue.

http://www.newyorker.com

Follow @newyorker

Credits: Top to bottom from left: Kadir Nelson, Barry Blitt, Peter Mendelsund, Carter Goodrich, Roz Chast, Anita Kunz, Lorenzo Mattotti, Istvan Banyai, Christoph Niemann