The theme for MET GALA is Black Dandy. Superfine: Tapping into Black Style will be front and center on the Mega Red Carpet May 5th 2025 in New York City.
These Black Dandies came from our Pitti Uomo collection.
Author: Editor
Categories
A Travel Lottery
Once, the German Train system was world known for reliability, pensility and good service. Those were the days. Now, taking a train the Europe’s biggest rail network is as sure as winning a million-dollar lottery. At times Deutsche Bahn (DB) feels as if it is held together by five cent bubble gum.
Recently, a major newspaper published a story on DB and all the troubles. Schedules are more estimates. The train comes, the train may not come. If you arrive, you arrive. If you don’t arrive, you don’t arrive. Perhaps, this is why the Swiss Rail System suspended the always late German Trains from its tracks.
Every German has a horror story. Just mention the company, then wait for the tale. One friend on her way to Hamburg suddenly got stuck in a small town with a derelict station building. The staff said, “End of the line.” The riders had to find their own way. This happens in Modern Germany, not in a called a “developing country”.
Look For A Sign
The past summer, I bought a train ticket to the north coast, while at the station, an announcement, “The train has been cancelled due to a faulty signal”. For many this was normal, standard procedure, however the rest of us not prepared for DB Chaos, we were lost. In the woods, no one to ask on the platform, just a blue screen with white letters. A fellow passenger, not a DBahn worker cause they are never around during moments of chaos, told me to go upstairs to the customer service.
The line, typical, go to a person, tell them the problem, then get a number. To my surprise, the wait was short. The DB customer service person did not need an explanation. Certainly, she knew the story. After explaining I could take another overcrowded train an hour later, then transfer to another train or fill out a form or wait until the next day. The last option seemed better. Cause of construction, I ploddingly made it to my destination one day and fifteen minutes late.
A competitor could help DB clean-up its act. For the moment FLixTrain has a few normal speed routes.
How long can Deutsche Bahn continue operating the way it does is a guess. I realise when I take a German train, pray, snacks and luck are needed.
Categories
Gaming Arts Goes AI
At the Acer Computer presentation, the Taiwan company showed an intriguing new AI based technology for gaming. Winking Studios, an art source gaming development company that enables users to create 2D and 3D works for platforms. The big question is: Can this technology go beyond gaming?
An exclusive interview with the head Winking Studios’ AI head Rita Liu.
Winking, what is the background of the company?
Winking Studios was established in 2003. With over 20 years of game development and art outsourcing experience, Winking Studios has over 800 employees through Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Suzhou. Our expertise includes art outsourcing and full project development, across PC, Mobile, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5.
Our partnership with the top companies in the business allows us to perfect our craft to the finest. We continue to deliver the most exceptional work for our partners around the globe, such as Activision Blizzard, EA, Bungie, Ubisoft, Riot Games, SQUARE ENIX, NCSoft, NEXON. Over the years, Winking Studios has been part of many great projects, including Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Destiny 2, Skull & Bones, Lineage 2M, Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy XIV, Blade & Soul 2, and Onmyoji.
In 2023, Winking Studios launched its AI Research Lab. We introduced GenMotion.AI, its first AI tool created to support and empower animation professionals in producing high-quality content.
Do you see Winking as a disruptive technology?
Our approach to this AI tool is different, with the focus not solely on AI itself. We designed GenMotion.AI to boost animators’ productivity, with AI technology simply helping us reach that goal. We know that no innovation changes things overnight; only tools that integrate seamlessly into existing workflows are truly practical. This tool is set to revolutionize the art production process—not by disrupting it, but by enhancing it.
Beyond Gaming
How could this tech go beyond gaming?
Currently, our tool is designed for animation professionals, providing advanced editing options to fine-tune their work. We plan to expand its accessibility to anyone wanting to express their creativity. We will offer intuitive options to help bring their ideas to life.
Is there a certain skill needed to use Winking?
You’ll need to enter a prompt, and currently, since the tool is designed for animation professionals, some skill is needed to apply the animation to a 3D model within 3D software or game engines. However, we plan to make GenMotion.AI accessible to users without specialized skills in the near future, offering them the same quality we provide to professionals.
How would the average person use Winking Art Modeling?
Our future updates will expand the tool’s accessibility to both seasoned professionals and amateur creators. Users will be able to choose from a variety of 3D models, using an intuitive interface that simplifies animation generation, making it easier than ever to bring their creative visions to life.
Acer presented Wining Studios technology at the IFA 2024 in Berlin
Fashion Week month just ended, but the news from the style capitals keeps coming. First, the shock announcement of Hedi Silmane leaving French House Celine after seven years took the industry by surprise. The Paris born designer revitalised the womenswear label with youthful designs. Parent company LVMH released a statement reading Michael Rider will replace Hedi.
Milan’s Missoni issued a statement that Filippo Grazioli exited. Known for knightwear, Missoni returned to the runway schedule two years where Filippo debut a colorful, well received collection for the family owned label. Alberto Caliri has been named as the replacement.
It is hard to believe there was a time when designer had longevity sitting at the top of the pyramid. Those days have passed the same as shopping at a Sears Department Store in a local mall. There is better job security as an UBER driver than being a fashion creative head.
Categories
Yoshiki in Paris
Masion Yoshiki showed at Paris Fashion Week for Spring 2025, going with geometric shapes and many mini hemlines the designer buttressed looks with black, white and pastel colors. According the press release, the Japanese Superstar paid homage to 60’s American Pop Culture with print dresses.
Categories
The First Impressions, Paris
For some reason Paris Fashion Week felt a bit desperate for attention this season. Pandering is never good. In the crowded landscape designers are under pressure to get that viral moment to stand above the rest. For this reason, some collections looked disjointed, a circle in a square peg. Creatively, the City of Lights fashion scene has become overly vulnerable to smartphone scrolling.
The big news, Alessandro Michele’s debut at Valentino. The stage setting fitting for the Rome born designer: dreams and romance. That was the problem. Valentino was a brand of refined elitism. Jackie O to Joan Collins, the Jet Set Crowd wore the label as an emblem of being in a certain club. Alessandro’s collection, while lush, comes across as garish compared to the house’s past styles. While in doubt of the 51-year-old talent, his Gucci era heavily influenced looks on the runway. It is no secret Kering Group invested in the house, perhaps a way to challenge Louis Vuitton in the uber luxury brand category, however, as soft luxury is trending with shoppers, why did they allow Alessandro to drive the opposite direction?
Demna at Balenciaga continues to challenge what makes fashion, fashion. The French label is popular with young buyers. The oversized sneakers were a must have for anyone under twenty-five. The giant logo on shirts worked in the Selfie Age. In 2024 the Georgian born returned to what he did best. Oversized jackets that belong on a lifeboat and baggy jeans were runway staples. Inner wear for the night, perfect for going to the 1920’s KitKat club. Do these looks work with young people looking for the lowest price on an app? Only the book keepers at Balenciaga know the answer.
Stay tuned for more fashion weeks coverage and more episodes of the Before Tacky Podcast.
Categories
A Fashion Crisis At Hand
The fashion crisis is at hand. When journalist from major publications start sounding the bell over the lack of creativity on the recent runways, there are big problems. What took them so long to see the trees? For years the head in the sand was the modus operandi in the glamorous circles of Milan, Paris, New York and London. Corporations could squeeze designers dry with as many as eight to ten collections a year. When the creative is dry, on the next one. Corporate heads needed shows to sell everything from over priced hand bags to perfumes. Social media’s inexhaustible need for flashy images contributed to fashion’s current tango on the cliffside. Influencers came cheap, while cheapened the value of once aspirational brands.
The fashion world will have fewer cheek to cheek kisses in the coming months.
Global headlines have spooked consumers. Shoppers are holding back on purchases, electing to save money instead of splurging on fun buys. Fashion brands and retailers struggle to lure buyers. Stores could are overstocked with unsold pieces. Now, as the holiday season approaches, companies are in early markdown stages trying to move merchandise.
Relax and wait to get that special item you always wanted and a good price. After all, “He/she that can have patience can have what he/she will.”
Categories
The Home Cinema Feeling
From IFA 2024 Marshall Mao talks about his strides his company Yaber Entertainment Projectors has made with image as a well as audio quality for home cinema and why a portable projector is a fun device for a picnic.
Categories
Connected at Digital X
Digital X in Cologne, the digitalization event started by German Telekom hits the mark for technology gatherings. On September 18th and 19th, brands, experts and press discuss topics concerning: cybersecurity, sustainability, connected business and future of work.
The fifty thousand attendees moved from one staging area to another talking to individuals and teams concerning the future of digital interaction.
I found it a bit contradictory, the topic of Connected Business as many technology companies are requiring return to offices. Since the Covid Lockdowns, Virtual, Augmented and Immersive Reality devices and gadgets have advance rapidly. Apple’s Vision Pro, Meta’s Quest and Microsoft’s HoloLens are being promoted as the next generation of tech headsets.
The Huawei IdeaHub ES2 introduced me to the Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) term. The hardware is compatible with Zoom and Microsoft Teams platforms for distanced collaborations. The smart whiteboard, camera and speaker/voice incorporate Z-Tech technology. The applications for this technology go beyond corporate office usage. The educational potential is boundless. Higher learning is about to get disrupted. Schools and universities could use the entire hardware system and platforms digital classes, eliminated the need for physical classes. Students log in to a session with an instructor and can download the lecture via a QR code.
Curiously, giant IBM offered a fashion and tech melody. The US company works with clothing brands an AI profile matrix for brands to better understand customer needs and purchasing habits. Given the poor financial health of online sales platforms, maybe this could help, but I have a few doubts.
I would like to write better about start-ups area in Cologne; however, Germany is still a country trying to embrace the business trend while trying to stay in the risk adverse box. Originality requires going out on a limb. Many of the ideas at the different booths seemed more safe copies of tried concepts.
Schedule Digital X on your tech calendar for 2025, this get together is well worth the time.