The FLOAT sofa by Sarah Ellison, brought to life in Piccolo - a colour developed in collaboration with The Pantone Institute. Photography courtesy Sarah Ellison. From Australian beauty retailer Adore Beauty’s new private label to Gucci’s Valigeria campaign, starring actor, screenwriter, director, and musician Ryan Gosling, here is your weekly curation of what T Australia editors and tastemakers are noticing and coveting right now.
Covet This: Sarah Ellison’s Pantone Collaboration is a Coffee Lover’s Dream
Following the Pantone Colour Institute’s partnership with Valentino – resulting in the brand’s high-octane Valentino Pink PP collection by Pierpaolo Picciolo – the global colour authority has collaborated with Byron Bay furniture and homewares designer, Sarah Ellison, on her latest exclusive sofa offering, the FLOAT. A low-slung, textural centrepiece, the modular sofa is rendered in a wholesome brown shade dubbed Piccolo – a new signature hue conceived through creative dialogue between the two brands. “As a design business, Pantone is part of our daily conversation. It’s in our vernacular,” says Ellison of the collaboration’s genesis. Reminiscent of 1970s conversation pits, FLOAT’s signature Piccolo shade nods to the era’s fascination with brown interiors. “This particular shade of brown came through much discussion and collaboration with the team at Pantone to find a tone that signified in colour, the essence of human connection. From over 50 different shades of brown at the start of the project, we were able to find the right balance within this shade of warm and cool tones that suited my new product release, the FLOAT sofa.” sarahellison.com.au/collections/float
Listen To This: “The Year of February” is a Captivating Debut from Singer-Songwriter Forest Claudette
Twenty-three-year-old singer songwriter Kobe Hamilton-Reeves, who performs under the moniker Forest Claudette, has drawn many comparisons to a “Channel Orange”-era Frank Ocean. There’s the Melbourne-based artist’s voice: smooth and woozy. There’s also the content of his songs: a sonic exploration of romance and heartbreak; terrain Ocean has crossed many times in his professional catalogue. But in his debut EP “The Year of February”, Forest Claudette carves a space all his own, delivering a tightly developed six-track release of diaristic lyrics and pop-meets-R’n’B sound. “Honesty in lyricism is really important to me,” says the artist. “Whether I’m telling my own story or someone else’s, I find it hard to stray from truths. Now that I’m thinking about it, that’s probably why I’m so drawn to lyrics that express truth in obscure ways and songs shrouded in metaphors – just a small layer between listeners and the artist.” Listen to “The Year of February”
Wear This: Adore Beauty Launches Its Private Label AB Lab
For more than 20 years, Adore Beauty’s co-founder and chief of innovation, Kate Morris, has been collecting data; asking her customers what products they love, loathe, and can’t-function-without. The result of her investigation is the recently launched AB LAB, a community-driven private label by Adore Beauty. “Much like Adore Beauty itself, the AB LAB brand is grounded in an ongoing conversation with our community to truly understand how they make choices about which products they use,” says Morris. “Every line released under the AB LAB brand will be formulated to cater to different concerns – because there’s no one-size-fits-all in beauty.” The first release from the range centres on suncare, and includes three skincare-forward sunscreens, formulated in Australia from vegan and cruelty-free ingredients. AB LAB’s debut products, available to purchase now, are Dewy-C SPF50+ Facial Sun Milk for normal to dry skin, and Barrier Boost SPF50+ Facial Sun Cream for oily, combination and sensitive skin. “Clearly, many of our customers are still searching for their ‘holy grail’ sunscreen, the one that fits their skin so well that they are happy to use it every day,” says Morris. “We’ve designed AB LAB’s SPF line to comprehensively cater to the needs of our community.” www.adorebeauty.com.au/ab-lab.html
Visit This: A Sydney-based Artist Capturing Beauty in Tablescapes
If Allie Webb’s monochromatic artworks look vaguely familiar to you, it’s likely because you’ve seen one hung on the walls, or imprinted upon a coaster, at one of hospitality group Swillhouse’s collection of bars and restaurants. It makes sense that Webb, who is the company’s art director, sets many of her artwork’s lively scenes around the dinner table. From October 19 through November 5, Webb’s new collection “Tablescapes” will be exhibiting at Olsen Annexe, Woollahra; a graphic linocut ode to the ritual and culture of dining out, characterised by shellfish, wine, cooking utensils and everyday kitchen condiments. www.olsengallery.com
Covet This: At Gucci, Ryan Gosling Explores Imagined Worlds Through the Brand’s Valigeria Collection
Ryan Gosling carries a lot of baggage in Gucci’s latest campaign for the brand’s Valigeria collection. Conceived by Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, and photographed by longtime brand collaborator, Glen Luchford, the campaign is set in a dreamlike “non-place”, where Gosling traverses different scenes accompanied by his artful collection of Savoy pieces – part of the house’s wider Gucci Valigeria travel selection. Celebrating the brand’s origins in artisanal luggage, the Savoy’s series of trunks, suitcases, and hat boxes, as well as beauty, watches, and jewellery cases are distinguished by the house’s GG monogram or equestrian-inspired Web stripe. www.gucci.com/au/en_au
