Aitor Throup - The Archetypes

London men's designer Aitor Throup doesn't take kindly to the seasonal cycles of fashion and its wrenching, stymying effect on the creative process. And so he's started his own system, one where he releases "archetypes" when, and only when, they're ready. The concept is that ideas evolve over time, without the rush to reinvent the wheel each spring and fall, or pre-spring and pre-fall.

In this way, Throup is a destroyer of rules, much like the hindu god Shiva is a destroyer of life—not in a malicious way, but in order to recreate it. And that's how the Shiva Skull Bag, a fully functional bag in the shape of a human cranium, was born. Six years in the making, it's the first of 22 archetypes to be revealed between now and January at Dover Street Market, with whom Throup is also planning an event at Frieze Art Fair in October.

Something Different

As long as pigeons are going to deface the priceless structures and statues of Venice, they might as well be beautified as they do it during the Venice Architecture Biennale. That seems to be the thinking behind Julius von Bismarck and Julian Charriere's latest art project. Around 60 birds were lured into a contraption that spray-painted their drab-gray feathers various tropical colors, in effect making them over into much less objectionable parakeets and parrots. They were then photographed for an exhibition of photos, Pigeon Safari, and released back into the urban jungle. The harmless food dye lasts around six weeks, the biennale until November 25.