DESIGN DISPATCH

Metrograph Honors Karl Lagerfeld’s Legacy as a Costume Designer, and Other News

Our daily look at the world through the lens of design.

Still from Pedro Almodóvar’s “High Heels”

The Design Dispatch offers expertly written and essential news from the design world crafted by our dedicated team. Think of it as your cheat sheet for the day in design delivered to your inbox before you’ve had your coffee. Subscribe now

Have a news story our readers need to see? Submit it here

Metrograph Honors Karl Lagerfeld’s Legacy as a Costume Designer

Thanks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibition, Karl Lagerfeld’s impact on fashion is more well-understood than ever. Starting on June 9, Metrograph will pull into focus the late couturier’s affinity for film and little-known work as a costume designer. The Manhattan fixture of art house cinema will screen Barbet Schroeder’s erotic comedy Mistress (1976) and Pedro Almodóvar’s High Heels (1991, pictured above). The films feature Lagerfeld-designed costumes created during his tenure at Chloé and Chanel, respectively. Metrograph will also screen Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) and Alain Resnais’ Last Year at Marienbad (1961), two of the designer’s favorite films. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz

Rendering of Jacksonville’s “Stadium of the Future” by HOK. Image courtesy of HOK

HOK unveils plans for a mirrored “stadium of the future” in Jacksonville, Florida.

HOK has revealed plans to renovate the National Football League stadium in Jacksonville. Plans involve covering the existing stadium with a fritted dome and expanding the concourse to four times its current width, encircling the entire stadium. The renovated stadium, referred to as the “Stadium of the Future,” will feature a mirrored cladding, a domed roof, increased seating capacity, sustainable elements, and a park. The design aims to create a community hub that integrates with the neighborhood and celebrates Jacksonville’s landscape.

Five firms are shortlisted to design a memorial for victims of the Las Vegas shooting.

To create a lasting memorial for victims of the Las Vegas Shooting, the 1 October Memorial Committee (1OMC) was formed in 2019. The committee initiated a design competition, seeking input from the public to shape the memorial’s guiding principles: Remembrance, Respect, Honor, Healing, Unity, Peace, Community, and Love. The 1OMC has now selected five finalists, including Aaron Neubert Architects and studioSTIGSGAARD, JCJ Architecture, OLIN, Paul Murdoch Architects, and SWA, whose proposals will undergo public feedback through an online survey before the final decision is made in September.

Telfar bag. Photography by Daniel Zuchnik

Telfar will retire its Bag Security Program to focus on ventures beyond social media.

Telfar announced that its upcoming drop for the Bag Security Program will be its final one. The brand introduced the selling system in 2020 to combat bots and resellers, allowing customers to pre-order desired styles without the fear of items quickly selling out. Telfar plans to focus on ventures beyond social media, such as its streaming platform TelfarTV and the opening of brick-and-mortar stores in 2024. The announcement follows the brand’s recent guerilla marketing initiative, involving a secret sale where customers received exclusive access to purchase Telfar products via SMS.

After 15 years on Governors Island, the artist-run Portal fair is seeking a new home.

After 15 years, the Governors Island Art Fair, now called Portal: Governors Island, has been forced to leave its namesake location off the southern tip of Manhattan. The Trust for Governors Island (TGI) rejected proposals from the fair organizers, 4heads, for the 2023 season due to high demand for space on the island. Despite the setback, 4heads remains hopeful in finding a new host for future events and continues to explore potential locations. The fair, known for its unique and refreshing approach to art exhibitions, has played a significant role in promoting the island as a cultural space over the years.

Sumayya Vally wins the design competition for a lush pedestrian bridge in Belgium.

Sumayya Vally, Principal of Counterspace, has won the competition to design the Asiat-Darse pedestrian bridge in Vilvoorde, Belgium. Inspired by Paul Panda Farnana, an overlooked figure in the city, the bridge’s design pays homage to the water structures on the Congo River. The bridge’s boat-shaped structures will serve as seed beds for various plants, symbolizing Farnana’s horticultural efforts and enabling the migration and spread of plant species. The bridge will also feature smaller boat-like structures along the river bank, named after laborers from the Congo register, providing a pollinator-rich ecosystem and a garden for visitors.

“Current” by Janet Echelman

A wispy, ethereal Janet Echelman sculpture is floating above downtown Columbus. 

A wispy Janet Echelman sculpture is taking center stage in downtown Columbus. The colorful fiber tapestry, composed of 78 miles of twine and over 500,000 knots, becomes the city’s longest public artwork, suspended above Gay and High Streets. Inspired by the city’s history and development, the sculpture, named Current, captures the essence of interconnectedness and serves as a guide from the historic buildings to the vibrant riverfront park. The installation aims to revitalize and create an artistic hub in the downtown corridor.

Google plans to crack down on remote work with stricter office attendance policies. 

Google is taking steps to address inconsistent office attendance by implementing stricter policies, including tracking badge attendance and incorporating it into performance reviews. The company’s chief people officer emphasized the value of in-person collaboration and urged remote workers to consider switching to a hybrid work schedule. The new approach aims to strike a balance between in-person and remote work, with a focus on maintaining connectivity and community within Google’s offices. These measures mark a shift from the company’s previous relaxed approach to remote work and reflect its ongoing efforts to streamline operations and reduce costs.

Image courtesy of Acne Paper

Today’s attractive distractions:

Louis Vuitton is (finally) getting into NFTs with five-figure digital trunks.

Intelligence officials say the U.S. retrieved a craft of non-human origin.

With new autocorrect features, Apple knows you didn’t mean “ducking.”

Acne Studios creates a fantasy house in the latest issue of Acne Paper.

All Stories