Youth tee inspired by Kenneth Anger’s seminal underground film Scorpio Rising, original design by Oliver Maxwell Kupper. Now available in the Pas Un Autre store.

In the summer of 2010, a particularly dapper Yale sophomore, wearing a pair of distinctive, gold-crested Stubbs and Wootton slippers, encountered Kanye West while shopping at Barney’s in New York. As the story goes, West complimented Cassius Clay (no relation to Muhammad Ali—but Clay is, in fact, a descendent of the renowned abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay) on said slippers, introductions were made, a conversation ensued and email addresses were exchanged. One thing lead to another, and by the end of the summer Clay had taken a leave of absence from Yale at West’s request and moved to New York to become the rapper’s personal full-time confidant and right-hand man (he eschews the term “stylist” for its unsavory connotations; a more detailed explanation can be found in the interview below). Once the news got out, some were dumbfounded by what they perceived as an abrupt trajectory from diehard academic to celebrity stylist— envy, resentment and incredulity arose with fervor (one has only to peruse the anonymous commentary under any online article published in late 2010 about the Cassius/Kanye partnership to surmise this), yet the always-resourceful young aesthete seized the opportunity to help shape the rapper’s professional and sartorial choices, bringing his unique, quirky perspective to the table and turning the coveted job into an artistic and intellectual experience that furthered his education just as much as his missed year at Yale would have (though in a very different way!). If that’s not enough to convince the aforementioned internet haters of his academic seriousness, Cassius is now back at Yale and currently in the process of completing a simultaneous bachelor’s and master’s degree, both in Art History—a hefty task for any college student, especially one with the unspoken responsibility of remaining impeccably dressed! I hadn’t seen Cassius since we attended Phillips Academy Andover together (I remember quite clearly the feather bowties, pocket watches and other striking accoutrements he sported—I don’t think I spotted him wearing sweatpants once during those three years, not even during finals week—as well as the memorization skills and admirable command of the English language he showcased during the art history class we shared). I spent a beautiful October afternoon walking around New York’s Nolita and Lower East Side with the poised, and drily witty Cassius as he shed some light on “the whole Kanye thing,” his plans for the future, his sources of aesthetic inspiration and his illustrious taste. Read interview after the jump. [CONTINUE...]

A video by POST, an Ipad only arts and culture publication, for BLK DNM Perfume 11 which premiered at The Webster Miami for Art Basel; with sound design by Twin Shadow. “BLK DNM Perfume 11 molecules mixed with water – and in one scene, paint….The inspiration was a re-imagining of a birth of a nebula in an alternate universe, and then how planets, rocks, land, water and clouds – an atmosphere – may form in an alternative gravitational field…..It was important for us to use the actual perfume within the liquid mix so as to imbue the video with a special energy and integrity as an artwork.”

Prabal Gurung Sunglasses Spring 2012

Warby Parker’s amazing colonel monocle in whiskey-tortoise, “Crafted in a perfect circle with just the right amount of grip and give, our Colonel monocle is the perfect accessory for budding robber barons, post-colonial tyrants and super villains.”

Founded on much the same spirit as Toms Shoes, sunglassier Warby Parker donates a pair of optical glasses for every pair of sunglasses sold.  Warby Parker has available 27 limited styles and one monocle. www.warbyparker.com

Yazbukey’s Fabulous African Saga collection Via the Olympia Press.  www.yazbukey.com