A.AVAATI: Water As Portal

September 12, 2021

Founded by Alex de Ronde and Alex Caivano, Brooklyn-based label A.AVAATI is more than just a brand. The creative studio specializes in a wide variety of innovative processes, including 3D modeling, digital print, hand-dye techniques, and animation. The all-encompassing brand aims to bring together the vast array of techniques, creating a brand that transcends the typical ideas of a clothing line. Combining fashion with mythology and science, bringing these concepts to light within pieces such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, accessories, and denim.

de Ronde and Caivano have combined their talents, bringing a multidimensional approach to fashion in the 21st century. Both coming from vastly different educational backgrounds. Ronde studied Communication Design and Decision Science and finding work within various industries such as design, 3D development, and art licensing. Caivano received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in fibers and using her expertise in dye development to further her career, assisting various name brands in their journey to expand their use of dye within their chosen textiles.

Text by: Oona Oglesby
Photos courtesty of: A.AVAATI

The two came together and, using their extensive backgrounds, created a brand that allows each designer's talents to show through. Their new collection, Water as Portal, incorporates the color pallet of the sea while using digitally printed images of water. Caviano takes the lead with the dye development of the fabrics, while de Ronde develops the 3D aspects of the pieces. The two work hand in hand to create the prints and graphics on the pieces.

Shop the new collection HERE.

Check out highlights from the new collection below.

Fashion

s.k. manor hill A/W 24 collection

Fashion

TEMET: If Skims Met Skins

November 04, 2024

I often wonder where the first “afters” happened — whether it was right here in New York or somewhere else. The afters: that hazy, half-lit party that stretches into the morning, more intimate than dancing skin-to-skin with someone you just met, where the crowd thins to only those willing to let the night bleed into morning. Here, you get to watch the sunrise together too.

But today, no matter where you go in the world, if you're at a rave or DIY party, there's probably an afters. If you've never been to one, or don’t care to be, you’ve probably scrolled through your feed and seen that one story: morning sun flooding a cluttered living room, hot people still dancing, bodies tangled on a worn couch — lost in the aftermath of a night that refuses to end.

Creative Director Kiernan Francis
Designer TEMET
Photographer (Still) Alejandro Yullo
Director of Photography & Editor (Moving) Ava Papunen
Stylist Abby Bencie
Makeup Rory Alvarez
Casting Director Kiernan Francis
Lighting Director & Retoucher Lida Ramsay
Executive Producer Kiernan Francis
Associate Producer Ava Perman
Brand Producer Juanita
Soundtrack: "Revolution," Billy Doll (EXCLUSIVE RELEASE)
Makeup Assistant Kandi Milk
Fashion Assistant Jackson Prus
Production Assistant Peyton Nguyen
Production Assistant Emmanuel Delator
Production Assistant Axl Checho

This editorial for Chilean-based TEMET, a brand deeply woven into the underground music and nightlife scene, captures that noctural alchemy. Creative directed by New York’s own Kiernan Francis, the shoot draws inspiration from the afters’ electric liminality. Francis sought to celebrate the paradox of private and public life — where our truest selves might emerge within nightlife and fade into the versions of ourselves we show the world by daylight.

The cast was a mix of DJs, artists, and street-scouted creatives — some known to Francis from the scene, others discovered through social media. The styling leaned into shapewear as an experience, framed by a backdrop that evokes the afters: crowded couches, messy rooms, and the chaos of a night extending into morning. The result? A series that feels like SKIMS meeting Skins UK.

Watch the video below.

Fashion

Nikolaj Hansson Joins Diadora Legacy as Creative Director

October 31, 2024

Diadora's appointment of Danish designer Nikolaj Hansson as Creative Director for its Legacy line signals a fresh chapter for the brand. Known for his Copenhagen-based label Palmes, Hansson’s connection to Diadora began in childhood, admiring the brand’s iconic boots on Premier League defenders. Now, his deep respect for Diadora’s heritage and his vision for merging craftsmanship with progressive design will shape the brand’s premium Legacy line.

His first collection launching in Fall/Winter 2025, will blend his design ethos with Diadora’s storied history, tapping into both the brand’s past and a modern sensibility. Diadora’s CEO, Claudio Bora, shares Nikolaj Hansson's vision of sport as an emotional, daily experience, aiming to create apparel that resonates with the spirit of sport itself. As Hansson says, "the falling in love was mutual," and together, they aim to reignite that spark in a new generation of fans.