Jean-Marc Sinan: homeless perfumer, mine-worker, florist, intern at christian dior, youngest couturier in paris, furniture maker, arsonist

 

i have a bottle of v.o… 1/3 left maybe… i bought it at a small perfume shop in boston many years ago and i always loved the mysterious scent, but knew nothing about the brand. i bought it because it was reassuringly expensive (for the time) but also because it was truely different, like nothing else i had smelled. i had no idea who jean marc sinan was but i finally looked him up…

the story of this interesting character is a complicated and twisted one… but with thanks to sergey borisov we can now take a glimpse into sinan’s life. “born in 1951 in sham country (greater syria, or levante), he was a homeless london hippie from 1965 to 1967, then spent five years  practicing meditation in the southern algerian desert. he was then a mine-worker for 2 years…

 

mine-worker, florist, intern at christian dior, to youngest couturier in paris

 

and a florist for three years, then landed as an intern at christian dior for marc bohan for a year. leaving the house of dior in 1980, he opens his own couture maison in the 15th arrondissement of paris, where he was “rediscovered” by regular dior clients – and jean-marc becomes the youngest couturier in paris.

from 1981 to 1990 jean-marc sinan develops a holding company of his own name – among 70 companies that were created, including a perfume brand, which launched his first fragrances in 1984.

 

parfums jean-marc sinan paris

 

live and rejoice, you just made your way from desert dust to prosperous bourgeois! but… in 1990, he buys up all the stock of his inventory he could reach around the world – and mercilessly razed everything to the ground with a bulldozer in chartres.

now not a couturier or perfumer, he begins the early ’90s anew as an artist, sculptor and painter. travelling to new york, california, indian kerala, paris, italy, bahrain – he practices as an architect, sculptor, painter, furniture maker. he studied religion intensively and discovers his god, he then burns nearly a thousand of his paintings in india, started a family and starts painted a new.

 

limited edition rare perfumes in hand blown glass

 

he created his own contemporary art center in paris, with a holistic food restaurant. his paintings are devoted to the relationship between the human and the divine, and three fragrances in handmade bottles (lettre a une femme, par femme du coeur, paradise no people – the latter bottle in the form of a green cloud on wings carrying water to people).

 

from this story, it becomes clear why the old jean-marc sinan fragrances are so rare and iconic. they hadn’t been produced for long, only 6 years (1984-1990), and only the few bottles that weren’t destroyed in chartres have survived. his first women’s fragrance, sinan, is best known for its crescent-stemmed, green and spicy rose chypre with a thick animal base – but today i’d like to talk about his first men’s fragrance, v.o. jean-marc sinan.

 

v.o. version originale jean-marc sinan

fashion photograph for jean marc sinan paris 1987 and below v.o. jean-marc sinan: the brand’s first men’s fragrance

rare v.o bottle design : top notes: lavender, geranium, neroli, lemon and tangerine
middle notes: pepper, rose, jasmine, carnation, ylang-ylang and lily of the valley
base notes: musk, woody notes, cedar, sandalwood and tonka bean.

v.o. stands for version originale, as if the artist had been bored with numerous copies beforehand, even before the release of his original (?). and it is as rich and full-bodied a fragrance as a woman’s – it is created like a couple; its floral heart is similar to a woman’s fragrance (rose, geranium, jasmine, ylang ylang), but the whole composition is deployed in a dark, fougere direction. v.o. is one of those dark intense men’s fragrances that lived in black bottles in the 1980s.

a very roughly spicy scent (pepper, cumin, carnation), with a dab of dark greens (pine needles, wormwood) over powerful citrus and lavender in the beginning. with a sharp and sweet intoxicating accord in which geranium dominates over honeyed rose and sweet fir balsam supporting the coniferous pine needles – it smells like soap infused with crushed spices and pine needles. the dense, dark base of v.o. version originale, besides fir balsam, is a fusion of vetiver and patchouli, musk, coumarin and oak moss – a typical 1980s masculine fragrance uniform.

 

 

i find similarities with the old jules christian dior and macassar rochas, and in this comparison the original version looks heartier and warmer. one could say, more human and oriental. besides spicy-coniferous soap, the fragrance can be compared to some balsams of taiga origin, which have herbs, pine needles, spices and roots, and balsamic dense sweetness.
each person is reminded of something specific from the past – i recall the tart smell and taste of balsam made of rhodeola rosea roots, the popular siberian alcohol-based potion. it’s a dark brown liquid of folk medicine, which was splashed into the sweetened taiga tea to lift the spirits of hunters and tourists in the middle of the day.

 

 

the artist himself at his 70+ years still works as evidenced by his website : jeanmarc sinan.com , there’s a permanent exhibition in his art center, the restaurant eat god and art has a permanent menu (dishes are prepared by the artist with his wife) and there are three fragrances on sale – their half-kilogram glass bottles were blown by the designer himself and then signed with his own hand.

the fragrance v.o. version originale jean-marc sinan can still be found on online auctions, but the price goes up to $599, although it is possible to find some cheaper bottles,  the most inexpensive option is the mini-bottles… just be weary of the fake copies as there are many. by uh

did you ever wondered what paper the studious boys used to light up a spliff?

 

photo credit roger mayne post war street photography

here’s how to roll a joint : now we don’t smoke no more “cuz we wizzzed-up and shit”, but… if we were to light up a joint one one day, we’d be sure to grab our composition notebook to roll that spliff. noy suggesting smoking vus smoking kills – and yah a joint here, a joint there is cool, but just know that no matter how bad ass you are now, it’ll creep up on you. hear that from the mother-load of bad asses. by cc

HIFI review magazine: original opinions on the Bose 901 back in 1968

original bose 901s – not the greatest audiophile sound for the money, but surely interesting to look at with its horizontal approach and beautiful cabinetry.

in the light of the new hyped-up kith + bose collab reissues of this classic speaker we thought we’d share a bit of its history, as i myself once considered buying a pair, almost a decade ago, but instead opted for a pair of magnepans instead… but here it is non-the-less… “there may be no singular product in modern audio history that has generated more accolades, derision, or pure controversy than the bose 901 loudspeaker. introduced in 1968 by a then four-year-old concern named after its MIT-educated founder, the 901 neither looked, nor sounded, like any speaker that had come before it. with its pentagonal cabinet that faced eight of its nine identical 4-inch, full-range drivers at the reflecting wall behind the speaker, its designer amar bose sought to have it mimic the way we hear in concert halls and imbue its sound with a giant soundstage and spatial realism that was unsurpassed.

amar bose and his 901’s in a clear cabinet

copy of bose 901 series III owners manual

beyond any success of its spatial trickery, the 901 had its issues — the combination of its small cabinet and unusual dispersion pattern required equalization at both ends of the frequency spectrum, and it was (not surprisingly) room and placement sensitive. some sophisticated audiophiles bemoaned a perceived lack of detail and veiled quality to its sound. j. gordon holt, founding editor of our high-end sister publication stereophile, noted in a 1971 commentary that the 901 “produces a more realistic semblance of natural ambience than any other speaker system, but we would characterize it as unexceptional in all other respects.” my own mentor, harry pearson, jr., told me in the early 1980s that he bought a pair of first-generation 901s after reading the positive reviews in the mainstream audio press and was so disappointed that it prompted him to found the absolute sound as an alternative voice.

you are looking at he BACK of the speaker here

in the legend and mythology of the bose 901, the review we’ve reprinted here, written by julian hirsch for hifi stereo review’s september 1968 issue, looms large. it has been suggested by some observers that few factors beyond bose’s own advertising contributed more to the speaker’s huge commercial success. while the review retained hirsch’s usual dispassionate and professorial voice, it was certainly as close to a rave as he ever got. in 1998, when sr celebrated its 40th anniversary and hirsch was asked to reflect on the most noteworthy products he’d encountered, he cited the 901 right alongside such classics as the original shure v15 cartridge, the marantz 10b tuner, and the dynaco a-25 bookshelf speaker. back in ’68, the 901 review appeared without fanfare and was mixed among the several featured each issue in hirsch’s “technical talk” department, which always began with a brief essay (not reproduced here), followed up by a handful of product tests.”

above sound dispersion and positioning – positioning the 901s, which fire backwards, in a standard room can be challenging as the 12-inch gap necessary between the apex of the speaker and the wall places the front of the speaker about 30 inches from the wall. you need to be sure to have a room that can accommodate that. over all a great consumer level speaker system, with some proper positioning and staging however in my opinion “too much electronics” to make this a true pure sound audiophile unit

original  hifi stereo review magazine review from 1968

“depending on one’s viewpoint, the bose 901 speaker system might be considered a revolutionary approach to sound reproduction, or simply a workable combination of well-established (and sometimes deprecated) techniques. the bose 901 enclosures house nine small, specially designed drivers that have 4-inch cones and powerful magnetic structures. eight of the drivers are angled to the rear, while the ninth is mounted on the front of the enclosure facing the listening area. this arrangement is intended to achieve approximately the same ratio of direct to reflected sound that exists in the concert hall…” to see the rest of the review by julian hirsch, in the 1968 issue of hifi stereo review magazine, click on the link. by ss

monoblock or monolith: the massive pass labs aleph II monoblock amplifier

so iconic – the only thing it can be compared to is the monolith

circa 1997 – these are perhaps one of the top 10 best solid state mosfet amps money can buy – they are just under 12″x12″x11″ and weigh just under 60lbs each. each monoblock is rated for a power output of 100W into 8 ohms and 200W into 4 ohms, surely enough for any domestic use. amazing sounding as nelson pass said “one of my favorite sounds i’ve ever made”.

the steel heat sinks on all four sides of each amp disperse the incredible heat – as these babies run very hot!! you literally can fry an egg on top after a few hours of listening. that is not an exaggeration.

pass aleph IIs are absolutely neutral, no coloration can be perceived. the sound is full, round, stable, and deep. the bass is very good, maybe promoting articulation and detail… almost a to a raw violence, but for my tastes i cannot imagine anything better. it has neutrality, or should i say naturality, and precision… you are led to forget about the amplifier, to undervalue it, but as soon as you listen back to another one, you realize how superior this one really is…

beautiful from any angle

effectively, i feel it’s pretty strange to see such characteristics married to a sonority that, while being vaguely tube-like, has mostly a heritage of the positive aspects of solid state, plus that little something, so difficult to articulate, that always distinguish a solid state gear from a valved one – i’d be tempted to call it grain, but i’d be wrong, because we can’t hear any grain here, and the sound watermark is perfect… even female voices are rendered with excellent homogeneity and flow, that can be compared to those coming from a tube gear – yet, distinct from it, in some ways. maybe the definitive difference is in the control and the precision, both better than what can be found in the classic tube world.

 

pass laboratories aleph II monoblock amplifier owners manual

almost 60 pounds (27kg) each – the front view of the aleph II mono block

don’t even think of trying to lift these amps without some thick gloves and at least one burly friend. there’s no way to avoid gripping the heatsink fins, which feel like dull knives on bare flesh. at 130 lbs each, these are certainly not “one-person” amps.

balanced outputs + 5 way binding post – back of the aleph II mono block

i love these amps and i will probably keep them to the day i die and then pass it one to another care taker. thank you nelson for creating these beautiful monsters. by uh

the story of MSCHF with gabe whaley : from west point to buzz feed

meet mschfs original founder and chief geek officer, mister gabe whaley

mschf is an art collective / media company / viral for hire agency and very successful at it… of course you must know about the big red boots

we reckon the big red boots was genuine art project which them lead to the collab. with crocs that generated commercial income.

times new NEW roman

one of their earlier projects and our favorite one is the type design project to create “times new NEW roman” which is the same as times new roman but 10% wider. so when you write your college essay your 8 pages will result in 10 pages. nice cheat!!

turbo tax but more fun. tax heaven 3000 was a spoof tax software designed by mschf where the anime girl will walk you through questions, some quite personal, such as your social security number and in the end help you calculate your taxes. about 200 were created. genuine art project.

this “nike, drop of blood in the sole, lil nas satan shoe” project was the first time we ever heard about mschf… back then it smelled like marketing and we paid little heed… but was it marketing?

vans shoes sues mschf for its wavy baby sneakers. not really buying this lawsuit – but we guess you gotta keep the magic under lock and key for it to work.

mschf founder gabe whaley & the art of going viral | EP 33 by business untitled

and here’s an interview with mister gabe whaley himself, telling his sweet story to success from west point to buzz feed. well done gabe!! you are a commercial version of tobias wong whom we loved (RIP)… but you are a 100% better than daniel arsham (reddit)who occupies a similar space. by sv

Website of the Day | Donald Judd Library

 

 

some incredible work by the folks over at chips, friends to the south all the way in brooklyn (shudder). knocked it out of the park with this website. a quick tour through it, made available by the agency, can be viewed here, above.

 

digital floorplan

a bookcase for ‘japan’

 

detail view of that bookcase

 

every single book is listed, has its own data sheet, and is linked on WorldCat to find at your nearest library.

 

the donald judd foundation put this together, judd’s library is a space rebuilt all over in the desert and now available to us all online. i cannot overemphasize how priceless this work they’ve done is. truly a place to get lost.

here is the website – judd foundation – library – please, please, enjoy! by lsd

genius of fashion…

it takes wits, guts, arrogance, lack of management and a good dose of stupidity to pull this off. but don’t worry, we have the talent, and the means. few things come to mind here, i recall when hedi slimane took out the yves from saint laurent. ego? perhaps? after all balenciaga did not have its founders first name in the brand, so why should saint laurent? not like fashion has to follow any precedents now… but to change that beautiful and iconic logo to such a lame, ubiquitous, poorly spaced, infantile typography was surely hard to digest. not that the rest of the fashion crowd just followed hedi right? fashion never repeats, “we don’t look back darling, we don’t follow… we lead the world into the future”. well here they are, following hedi right off the edge of the cliff into the grand stupid canyon.    by cl

moncler rocks the samurai train and we love it!

love the new moncler designs by london-based menswear designer craig green

a nod to the frenchies… the michelin man would be proud of mister green

samurais looked cool in japan – people who try to look-like samurais in aspen, a whole ‘norther story!

skepta drinking his cool-aid : no… you don’t look cool dude, you look ridiculous

again not that these are intended to be worn, although no doubt kanye and his fans will, there’s also those who wear pineapples on their heads, or anything that is obnoxious, attention is on the decline, but this exercise in shape and proportion is simply a breath of fresh air for us. they make us love moncler for their bravery… and that alone is worth every penny they spent…

drooooool…

asymmetric anyone?

love these silhouettes – Hattori Hanzō

invincible in the tube

sculptural

and there’s always a variation of the label to insure your money is well spent…

maison martin margiela label

the label is very margiela-knock but that’s ok, you can copy legends. we did it too. well done moncler for the statement, love the trickle down variation also on ssense.com and congrats to you on having a silly market that will wear anything you dish out as long as its reassuringly expensive – its called desperation by uh

balenciaga vs. ikea

ikea/balenciaga homage. its a gas… but two thumbs up to those who “bite the hand that feeds them”. its pretty punk of demna gvasalia especially for a georgian who studied in antwerp! this is a TOTAL fuck you to all rich people. and we love it for that idea, but no clue if that is indeed even close to what demna had in mind? more like something from tobias wong R.I.P!!!  by xy

boom and your in london in 3.5 hrs

concord-supersonic-passenger-jet-boom

the new supersonic jet to replace the concord for the same price as today’s business class.

meet boom. boom is a prototype for a new supersonic passenger airplane that will be able to fly new york to london in just 3.5 hours, slightly quicker than concorde used to. but here’s the best part, boom states that it is using existing technologies to keep costs low, and the business model is based on flights being about the same price as a current business class is today, that is approx $2500 each way. apparently boom is already in development and test flights are planned for late 2017. fasten your seat belts, were coming to london for dinner. read more about boom supersonic jets here. by ac