OFF-TOPIC — VOL.2
Art, craft, culture, and everything in between.
OFF-TOPIC is a monthly (occasionally more frequent) newsletter for art, craft, culture, and everything in between.
For this month’s newsletter, I’ve stuck to the original recipe. I’ve been reading a lot online, some thoughtful pieces from sharp minds around the web. And of course, there’s plenty on art, design, film, and music, with a few detours into rarities.
What does Travis Scott know about tiki-taka? Not knowing who Cruyff is would almost be an insult. So when I saw his “Cactus Jack” collab with Barcelona, I was confused. Same thing when luxury brands team up with mass-market sports brands, like LOEWE x On, or Adidas x Prada. Some of the price tags are just wild.
As someone who loves sport, athleticism, and human movement, I’ve always found these kinds of collabs a bit odd. They’re not accessible. And that’s fine, I get the hype model (exclusivity, hype cycles, resale, etc). But personally, it just feels off.That said, I really like the Yohji Yamamoto collab with Adidas as “Y-3”. It’s set up differently in a way that just works better. Feels more honest. I especially liked their latest running shoes, actually made for performance and worn by real athletes. Noah Lyles🏃🏾♂️even won gold in his Adidas Y-3 spikes.
Anyhow… it made me realise brands today are obsessed with chasing new audiences. It’s not just about football fans or athletes anymore. They want to be everywhere… fashion, music, lifestyle, wherever attention is.
Still, everything these new brands are trying now, Nike’s been doing for decades (celebrity endorsements, pop culture tie-ins, streetwear and luxury collabs, limited drops). The difference is, Nike picked a side. They’ve always backed athletes… pro or amateur, and pushed the idea that anyone can be one. That’s their foundation.
Of course, Nike taps into other areas too with Drake, Skepta, Sacai, Stüssy, etc... But that’s always been a smaller part of the bigger picture. It never felt like pretension. Most other brands live in that “pretender” space, more about the look than the work. And that mirrors what we see on social: less about performance, more about aesthetics. And we all know what that eventually means… and what it does to the numbers $£€📈.Just listened to ◻️Jony Ive’s talk that’s been going around. He shares a lot of views I didn’t expect, and it’s refreshing how humble and open-minded he is. He seems very balanced and always ready to explore new ideas.
A couple of my favourite parts:
“Opinions aren’t ideas.”
“Creativity can't be measured by numbers.”
“Make things for each other.”There's something about Justin Gignac's boxed NYC garbage and David Hammons' street-sold snowballs. They turn the mundane into meaning,
forcing you to question what value means.This piece on Underground Resistance reminded me why I fell in love with their sound in the first place. Raw ⚙️Detroit energy, politics, purpose. Talking about Detroit. Let’s go back to 1992.
Love web experiments with a purpose. 🎛️Midlife Engineering is a sound therapy tool for all kinds. Design inspired by Teenage Engineering's latest device, OP-XY.
The New Yorker 🗞️ Turns 100. A century of covers, satire, and cultural commentary wrapped up in beautiful motion. It made me nostalgic for a magazine I never stopped following.
Motion design runs the show now. Motion designers like 👨🏻💻Riccardo Agostinelli are defining the new era. You’ve probably seen his work for Sandisk or OpenAI. Another thing that caught my attention was this campaign for ✏️D&AD2025 by JKRGlobal.
Wellness Burnout🧘♂️ is real. Everyone's meditating, clean eating or obsessed with another fitness challenge, and yet we’re still managing to burn out. “The Pressure To Be Well” damn… maybe what we need is just less of everything. Chill.
Just when we thought The Am Dash wars were over, The Am Dash enters the chat. Nerdy, niche, but fun work. Also… it’s interesting how AI can kickstart something, then kill it just as fast through overuse and over-saturation. All that without people directly controlling it. I’m sure we’ll see this happen more often, not just with language but in visual culture too😬.
AI is here, and it’s not replacing us… at least not yet. Right now, it feels more like acceleration than replacement. What’s wild is how fast it’s moving, especially with 🖥️NVIDIA pushing this idea of co-creation at scale. The way I see it, if you're already great at something, adapting isn't optional, it's your only shot at survival. Because the people who aren’t a threat right now… they will be catching up. Fast.
Colour isn’t just aesthetics. Satisfying to see how Google’s Ruxandra Duru breaks down the role of colour🎨.
I love how free and organic André 3000's new album 🎹'7 Piano Sketches', sounds. Still one of the most unpredictable artists alive. He’s doing what everyone else is scared to do!
When my girlfriend and I moved to our new place in Rotterdam, the first thing we wanted was a Vitsoe bookshelf📚 system. We'd seen it all over our feeds for ages, but beyond that, it just made sense… modular, clean, sustainable design. Perfect for our books. I knew the company had Danish roots and that the system was designed by the iconic German designer Dieter Rams. But what surprised me was that it’s manufactured in the UK. The architecture of the HQ is incredible, designed by Martin Francis. If I worked there, I honestly don’t think I’d ever work from home again.
I like this trend where music producers and engineers share their VSTs🎶 the way chefs share their ingredients. There's so much craftsmanship that goes unnoticed when you casually stream a song on Spotify. The true magic often lies in the subtle choices that no one sees, but everyone feels.
Last time, I mentioned Ryan Coogler talking about aspect ratios in film and how Sinners🎬 was made to work across all kinds of screenings. That was before I even saw the film. Now that I have, I think it’s great, not just visually, but also the many layers, which tie into cultural and historical moments.
The time-travel scene in Sinners was my favourite. Especially the way the blues track, including the incredible sound mix, ties it all together. Would’ve loved to see Baz Luhrmann’s reaction to this scene.Anyway, what I wanted to say is, and realised how limited the options are when it comes to seeing films in IMAX or 70mm. There are only a few select places, and cinemas often don’t share clear info about the aspect ratio in each screening room, or what Dolby format they’re using, which is fundamental for the viewing experience for certain types of movies. Maybe that’s an idea for something.💡
When I think of iconic trophies, the FIFA World Cup usually comes to mind first. But recently, I saw the ⚾️KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) MVP trophy, which is a giant sword! Way cooler than the usual plaques or cups. As someone said in the comments: “Only giant swords from now on, please.” 🗡️Hard agree.
I heard something on a podcast that appeared on my feed (can’t remember which one) that stuck with me…“Music that makes me want to be a better person.” I thought that was such a beautiful way to put it. With that in mind, seeing a classroom full of kids playing music by The Isley Brothers gives me hope for the future✨. Big S/O to the music teacher.
Fade out, fade in next time!
That’s a wrap from me. Hit me with your faves and recs if you’ve got any!
If this felt good to read, it might feel better to share it with others. 🙏
Underground Resistance 🫡
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