They think Brighter than you Shine

October 09, 2017

The first story in a series about Detroit, photographer Bolade Banjo's They think Brighter than you Shine explores one high school baseball team and the pertinent theme of perseverance—an introspective look at the lifeblood of America through the lens of one major city with an oft-negative reputation.

"[The book] came about from my pursuit of the truth, especially in this day and age of 'Fake News,'" Banjo says. "I didn't want to fall victim to 'He said, she said' talk about a city that many people hold dear, so I decided to go and find out for myself."

They think Brighter than you Shine also includes a 25-minute soundtrack CD by Detroit-based house musician John FM, a collaboration that further exemplifies how perseverance in The Motor City translates across all fields, creative or not.

Check out some scans from the photobook below, and purchase They think Brighter than you Shine here.

Culture

Martin Parr's Autoportrait

November 03, 2026

SAINT LAURENT Montaigne presents Autoportrait, a selection of works by British photographer Martin Parr, curated by Anthony Vaccarello in Paris.

Encouraged from early childhood by his grandfather, George Parr, Martin Parr went on to study photography at Manchester Polytechnic. Across his career, he has explored the absurdity and beauty of everyday life through universal themes like tourism, holidays, mementos, and gag pictures, while developing his own style and approach to questioning social habits and contemporary life.

From 1966 to 2015, Parr turned the taboo subject of tourism on himself, creating self-portraits on his travels that were captured by professional studio photographers, local amateurs, and photo booths. Remixed together, they form Autoportrait, a body of work steeped in creative, timeless irony.

Words by Bernice Nguyen

Culture

Converse Puts the Chuck Taylor to Work

November 02, 2026

A good pair of shoes should be able to keep up with you. For their latest release, Converse is looking at what that means in a working environment, reworking its iconic Chuck Taylor All Star through At Your Service, a collection designed for the pace of everyday work.

To introduce the collection, Converse brought a group of press to Paris for an evening that traded the usual media dinner for something a little more hands-on. Guests stepped into the kitchen to prepare their own multi-course dinner, mixing up cocktails and mocktails along the way, before taking on hosting duties and serving hors d'oeuvres and drinks to their fellow guests. All of this took place while wearing the new Chucks, putting the collection to the ultimate test.

The idea behind At Your Service is simple: take a silhouette that has long existed across different scenes and wardrobes and adapt it for the demands of a working day. With slip-resistant soles, extra cushioning, and water and oil repellent canvas or easy-to-clean leather uppers, the collection introduces a more functional side to the familiar design without losing what makes the Chuck Taylor so recognizable.

Designed for front of house, back of house, and everywhere in between, At Your Service brings a new perspective to a shoe that has never really belonged to just one setting.

Text by Dylan Andrews
Photos courtesy of Converse

The At Your Service collection launches November 3 at Converse.com and at select retail partners.

Culture

Lily Allen: Sex Toys, Butt Plugs, Lube Inside

October 31, 2026

"Duane Reade bag with the handles tied / Sex toys, butt plugs, lube inside / Hundreds of Trojans, you're so fucking broken / How'd I get caught up in your double life?"

Lily Allen sang those very words last year on "Pussy Palace", a damning track widely believed to be about her marriage to David Harbour. A year later, she has teamed up with Lovehoney to reclaim the butt plug, reimagined in the style of Lily's iconic blue polka-dot puffer jacket from the West End Girl album cover. Their new collection, "Love, Lily", isn't limited to this butt plug alone; it's a full range—personally tested by lily—created not only to give women pleasure but to empower them to find it guilt-free.

According to Lovehoney, men spend twice as long as women do on self-pleasure each month, while more than a third of women report feeling guilty about making time for their own pleasure. Lily wants to play her part in changing this—pleasure should not need to be earned.