Stratos Kalafatis took less than 48 hours to confirm he would take part, when Camper offered him the opportunity to illustrate the Lifelovers alphabet with photographs from various projects he has worked on over the last 10 years. The majority of the images were taken on the island of Skopelos, where he worked for 5 years with no specific objective other than to immortalise the people, places and events that gave shape to what he considers to be a diary of his life and family there.

From the first look at the pages of the ABC, it becomes clear that the light and the colour that Kalafatis works with give his photos a dream-like quality that perfectly encompasses the essence of Lifelover. Stratos knows how to enjoy life, and he uses his camera to understand and challenge his fears, and ultimately get closer to himself. “This is fundamental, because life is much more important than photography.”

To preserve the honesty and intimacy of his images, we decided that the meeting with Kalafatis should take place on a normal day of his life in Thessaloniki, taking the form of an interview conducted and filmed by his friend, the Greek cinema director, Apostolos Karakasis. Stratos took us on a bike ride to the market to do some shopping and cooked for us, and in this video he tells us how the surprising and accidental elements of life lead him to tell stories that are ultimately a reflection of his personality.

The renowned street party in trendy Soho gathered fashion lovers at both our Camper stores on Prince Street celebrating an unforgettable night of shopping, fun and entertainment on the beats of DJ Timo+Alan. Our red NYC bag made especially for the evening was an instant hit and our America’s Cup photo booth was the trending topic of the evening.

Thanks Soho! Thanks NYC! We´ll see you again at the next Spanish Soho Mile in 2014

Photos by Fernando Alonso (except Photo booth images)

Knots and your personality

You are what you eat, what you read, what you wear and above all the way you use everyday objects. This means that the way you tie your shoelaces can reveal as much about you as your reflection in the mirror or an X-Ray, not so much about the way you look but about your philosophy of life and personal style.

They don’t need any vehicle apart from their own two feet, taking delight in everything

A tight, balanced knot with the same proportion of shoelace on each side shows that you are a perfectionist, that you ponder every step you take as if you were mixing a magic potion or regulating an antique timepiece. You act in the same cautious way as a computer technician making sure she presses the right key before the whole system crashes or maybe a scientist about to discover the complete DNA sequence of Equus africanus asinus*. These knots help us to identify a specimen who will calculate the exact formula of the ellipse of each loop of the shoelace for it to be exactly the same on both sides (and in both shoes).

Creative, sprawling knots where each shoe is a unique artistic installation, correspond to people whose philosophy of life is carpe diem. They live and let live, never making judgements or losing their cool … their existence is pure meditation. These free spirits walk everywhere, they don’t need any vehicle apart from their own two feet, taking delight in everything, even the life of their shoelaces as they stride along…

Or do you enjoy your life, thinking about how to make the most of it, with a lifelovers spirit in whatever way you choose? Then maybe you tie your shoelaces quickly without even looking at them … or with any old knot. That’s one of the reasons why we invented the Peu, for people who already have too many loose ends to tie up every day without having to worry about their shoelaces.

Tell me how you tie your shoelaces and I’ll tell you who you are

Equus africanus asinus*. is the scientific name of the Mallorcan donkey. According to Wikipedia, this donkey or ass is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family, highly appreciated in peasant cultures. The wild African ancestors of the donkey were first domesticated 7000 years ago, practically at the same time as the Eurasian horse and ever since then have been used as draught or pack animals.

What about the inspiration for the all-important name?

The America´s Cup introduces spectacularly high-speed racing on these new flying machines. The Defender of the Cup (the previous winner) sets the rules and has, this time, chosen to introduce multi hull sailing into the competition. Fast and furious, these cats are designed to fly. Literally. Huge 72ft monsters, with wing sails using aviation technology that reach speeds of up to 44 knots/90 mph. Hydrofoiling is the name of the game and the shoes must perform in sailing’s most coveted competition and, as of today, its most extreme.

The design teams of both Camper and Emirates Team New Zealand joined forces to create a shoe new to sailing which could meet the rigorous demands of this fast flying cat. Cleated soles, high tech bullet-proof materials allow the crew to jump, run and grip a variety of surfaces. Materials that handle harsh ocean water, contact with abrasive surfaces and constant wear and tear, are all ingredients that have created the high performance CHALLENGER.

Fast and furious, these cats are designed to fly

And finally, what about the inspiration for the all-important name? The name Challenger comes from the event itself where teams dare the Defender to compete for the America´s Cup. As there is more than one team, these competitors must first battle it out in the Louis Vuitton Cup where only one winner will go on to the final duel against the Defender and become the Challenger to the America´s Cup. At Camper we hope that end September we can change the name of the shoe to Defender!

He defines Berlin as a museum of subcultures, the kind of city in which people are concerned with shaping the society they want to live in.

The turn-out includes ageing fans as well as much younger people

Momus is visiting Europe and stopping off in one of his favourite cities.

The first meeting takes place at his gig one cold Friday night in the district of Wedding. The place oozes the charm that characterises East German venues that survived the wall. It’s dark, narrow, clandestine. While the jukebox plays popular songs from between the wars, we greet the establishment’s owner.

“I’d have breakfast in Osaka, lunch in Berlin and dinner in Stockholm”

An eclectic crowd take their places. The turn-out includes ageing fans as well as much younger people. The lights dim and on a tiny stage Momus kicks off the show with a song that was recently released by one of his idols, David Bowie’s Where are we now? The title of the song is revealing. Within the space of an hour, time stands still. Momus sucks us in with breathtaking force, transporting us to a strange, unclassifiable, unique world.

He defines Berlin as a museum of subcultures

The concert left us wanting more. The next day we invited him to visit us at Casa Camper. He turned up on his bike in a snowstorm. The extravagant performer of the night before had been left behind, giving us a glimpse of the artist’s mind in the enriching interview you can enjoy in this video, the latest in our ABC Lifelovers series.

PHOTOS © GSUS FERNÁNDEZ

Enjoy the small and large pleasures in life, take risks and be fearless.

Our meeting with her takes place on the stage during a rehearsal. Sophie captures our attention straight away while she seductively performs Wicked Word, a song that, unbeknown to us at the time, will become the official soundtrack to Lifelovers ABC4.

We meet with her to set up the interview that is due to take place the next day. When we finish, we leave the club with her band and are met with the first large snow storm on the East Coast. “It is a kind of something”, she says out loud while she walks through the snow-covered street in high heels. The comment radiates warmth on the coldest weekend of the year. A good omen.

Sophie Auster has invited us to the Mercury Lounge where she is performing her latest work, Red Weather, live.

We meet her the next day at the Excello Studios in Brooklyn, on Power Street. Sophie wanted to show us the place where she recorded her second album, which she produced herself.

Sophie wanted to show us the place where she recorded her second album, which she produced herself.

Bands like Rufus Wainwright, Vampire Weekend, Antony and the Johnsons, David Byrne and The National have all recorded within these four walls. A studio with character which sets the tone for an interview in which we explore her way of understanding the world which can be summarised by the idea “To Dare”, the title given to the text she has written for this edition of Lifelovers ABC4.

Dare to do whatever you want, have the nerve to make the most of every opportunity, enjoy the small and large pleasures in life, take risks and be fearless. We’re not even afraid of heights when we say goodbye to her, exchanging hugs and kisses and wrapped up in scarves and gloves, at sunset on a Brooklyn rooftop.

The Manhattan Skyline.

Photos by © GSUS FERNÁNDEZ

We love the America´s Cup and especially Emirates Team New Zealand for its adventurous spirit and performance. Here are some reasons why:

Love San Francisco

The Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, Union Square, the famous cable cars…even the weather! We love San Francisco, the cosmopolitan host city of the 34th edition of The America´s Cup.

Love the Team

Emirates Team New Zealand is one of the world´s greatest professional sailing teams. Run by sailing legend Grant Dalton, CEO, the team is made up of some of the best sportsmen in sailing. In fact, the entire team on and off shore are a bunch of very cool lifelovers. They work hard, play hard and live life with passion.

Love the shoes

The Sailing Collection. This is a collection of sailing inspired footwear created by Camper, especially for Emirates Team New Zealand. Designed with the team in mind, there are a number of different options including MATCH, a limited edition dockside casual shoe combining the look of a retro sneaker with some of the features of a sailing shoe.

Offshore Emirates Team New Zealand will themselves be wearing some special shoes designed by us. CHALLENGER is a highly-technical shoe developed especially for them and was tested under extreme sailing conditions for performance on the AC72. But we´ll tell you more about this very soon…

Love Design

The America´s Cup today stands for state of the art technology and ultimate performance. These boats were designed to fly, which means they Hydrofoil and can reach speeds of up to 44 knots, which is flying on the water around 81km per hour.

We will be featuring more about Camper´s sponsorship of Emirates Team New Zealand and the America´s Cup. However, to keep up to date with all the race news, follow us on Facebook.

Image credits to Chris Cameron (cover and team picture) and Sento de Cecilio (San Francisco main and gallery)

Fujiwara’s work is always conceptually strong and creates a solid contrast between tradition and technology.

For Dai the most important aspect, when beginning a concept, is to be able to feel and experience nature. It is from here that, the designer explains, he is able to express himself in a fun and playful way.

The new bags collection has been named “Mori”, which means Forest in Japanese, and symbolises the materials used to produce these beautiful accessories. The range has been created using a specially constructed knitted fabric made from paper – a process which took years to develop. Using paper, Dai´s idea was to connect the new collection back to its original environment and to highlight to society that we can always consider recycling as a concept.

Made in Japan, the bags are defined by their texture and are extremely tactile. Highly durable, yet soft, the special knitted texture is commonly used for clothing but seldom used to make accessories. Each product in the collection has its own unique personality due to its composition using finely woven threads of paper.

For Dai the most important aspect, when beginning a concept, is to be able to feel and experience nature.

Fujiwara’s work is always conceptually strong and creates a solid contrast between tradition and technology. This style is clearly evident in this first collaboration with Camper.

The Mori collection includes the following models: a small messenger bag, large messenger bag, backpack, tote, wallet and large wallet.

I am fascinated by how a pair of shoes can define the wearer.

Jasper’s search for everyday beauty drew him to Camper where, three seasons ago, he was introduced to the history of Camper and was instantly inspired by the story of our first shoe, the Camaleon with its practical earthy roots. This then became the inspiration for his shoe creations with us.

We love the way in which Jasper has always succeeded in maintaining a simple and functional approach to design, seeking out the essential in everything. So, in turn, we asked a few essential questions revealing more about the designer and his approach to life

Who is your design inspiration and why?

There are many! First, it was an exhibition of Eileen Gary which made me decide to be a designer, then Jean Prouvé, Sori Yanagi, Achile Castiglione, Magistretti, Enzo Mari, Dieter Rams…..

What does good design mean to you?

It means good for everyday use.

Every design project is different, there are no two alike, even if it’s the same type of thing.

When thinking about footwear designs, what aspects are most important to you?

I am fascinated by how a pair of shoes can define the wearer. They seem to have the ability to express the character of the wearer.

 Do you find Mallorca an inspirational place for design and why?

 I find it an inspirational place to not design! I love the mountains, the sea, the food and the people.

You work in very different projects from furniture to shoes. Does the kind of product change your working method?

Not so much, but every design project is different, there are no two alike, even if it’s the same type of thing.

If Camper was a piece of furniture what would it be?

A chair and a table of course. The most essential pieces.

We love the way in which Jasper has always succeeded in maintaining a simple and functional approach to design

Jasper Morrison currently lives between Paris and Tokyo, where he works as a consultant for Muji together with Konstantin Grcic and Naoto Fukasawa, two fellow designers with much in common.

Featured photo by © Momoko

The best way to start the day is with a good breakfast. That’s why we recommend Daniel’s Bagel in midtown Manhattan, where you can try some of the best bagels in the city.

Now that you’re full of energy, we’re ready to hit the Big Apple. And since it’s important to wear the right footwear while walking, we suggest you visit the Camper Store on Fifth Avenue designed by Nendo so that you can choose a pair that suits you.

We’ll head towards to the financial district and have dinner on the banks of the river Hudson

Wandering the length of Fifth Avenue can be tiring so we’ll relax with a good coffee and a muffin while we browse the shelves of McNally Jackson, one of Manhattan’s best book shops. While we’re in Soho we’ll do some shopping in the neighbourhood boutiques and stop at House of Shoes, the Camper store designed by Shigeru Ban, to get our hands on a pair of shoes more suitable for New York nightlife.

Then we’ll head towards to the financial district and have dinner on the banks of the river Hudson, somewhere with incredible views of the downtown skyscrapers, like the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club. And maybe we can end the night on the terrace of 230 Fifth Avenue, where we’ll take in the view of the Manhattan skyline while we sip Cosmopolitans.

We recommend Daniel’s Bagel in midtown Manhattan, where you can try some of the best bagels in the city.

Now the weekend will be drawing to a close and if you want to feel like a real New Yorker then all you have have to do is spend Sunday in Williamsburg, New York’s famous hipster neighbourhood. Here you can grab a tasty brunch at Egg and have a look around the Artists & Fleas Market, one of New York’s best vintage flea markets.

Thanks for the images to Pep Fuster (cover and final gallery) and Miguel Trias (School Bus picture).