LuxuryActivist

LuxuryActivist is an international lifestyle webzine based in Switzerland. Get fresh news about luxury, arts, fashion, beauty, travel, high-tech and more. subscribe to our Happy friday luxury newsletter or follow us in social media.
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Shooting gallery

Just a few blocks over from the violence-heavy Overtown district in Miami, Asif’s Guns greeted visitors in Wynwood with a giant striped balloon on the roof that held the name – something you’d find at a fireworks tent somewhere in the deep, deep south. Neon signage, American flags, and shooting targets belied the true contents of Asif Farooq’s Art Basel exhibit: 300+ meticulously handcrafted cardboard guns. Walking in, you’d have seen happy moms and exuberant children handling .44 Magnums and M16 Assault Rifles made from cereal boxes and packaging matter.

Asif Farooq, a Miami-born visual artist and musician, started making the guns as Christmas presents, which he sent to friends that were spread across the United States. Though the guns are models, they contain every single working mechanical piece of the actual pistol or automatic. They cock back, lock into place, and still even intimidate – they do everything but shoot. When Farooq first started making them I’d see him at bars where the bartender’s eyes would go anxiously wide until they recognized their artifice and then hold the ersatz gat like a giddy little kid.

Primary Projects, a gallery based in the Design District, represents Farooq and helped put together the pop-up shop. The guns are composed with fine-art precision and impressive replication due to Farooq’s tireless work ethic and enthusiasm. He – along with a veritable assembly line composed of friends and family – created the hundreds of guns over a period of nine months and 7,000 hours of labor all in his mom’s garage. Asif’s Guns was, as he said, a “real gun store,” with each fake gun selling for around the same price as a real one (i.e. around $300 for a revolver and $2,000 for a rifle).

It wasn’t easy getting the store approved; pushback from authorities was intense. The store and all the guns therein serve as an “open letter” to Farooq’s father as well as his close friend William Stuart Watkins, both of whom are deceased. About Watkins, Farooq said that "He really loved guns and we loved guns together." The works, though representative of literal killing-machines, actually castrate the objects they epitomize. By making guns you can play with and “art that people can touch,” Farooq is taking the allure of violence and transforming it into a display of respect for creation.

The guns still are not monuments to peace. Farooq, a natural entertainer rife with melancholia and dark humor, places the practice of making and selling fake guns in a larger political context. Specifically, he calls out the idea of the social contract – the implicit agreement by the members of a society to give up some freedom for greater social protection – as something that “no one ever really sat down to write.” He applauds the right of people to own guns but criticizes the senseless violence that comes with them. Whether one finds this contradictory or not, there must still be a certain reverence for the sheer toil that went into the making of so many perfect facsimiles.

Some of the proceeds from Asif’s Guns are going to Stop Handgun Violence, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the maiming and slaughtering of people through education and sensible gun laws. Farooq sees the necessity of laws that regulate the sale and use of guns, but also the obligation of governments to respect the public’s right to protect themselves. With Asif’s Guns, there exists a form of art that decries the savagery of firearms, while also heralding their beauty and deadly virtuosity.

Victorinox Black Ceramic knife, black is beautiful.

When it comes to blades, Victorinox is a cutting edge brand. Of course the Swiss company is known for the legendary Swiss Army Knife, but they also developed an extreme talented Professional...

Manny Pacquiao Gets Knocked Out By One Punch In A Stunning Upset

Manny Pacquiao got knocked out cold by Juan Manuel Marquez in a stunning upset in Las Vegas.

After getting knocked down earlier in the fight, Pacquiao came back and seemed to have Marquez bleeding and on the ropes. But in the sixth round, Marquez caught Pacquiao with a brutal, brutal right hand.

One punch and that was it. Manny was out before he hit the mat.

It was a huge upset, and has massive repercussions for the sport, as a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight now loses a good bit of its luster.

Here's the video:

This Soon-To-Be Iconic Photo Is The Definitive Image From The Manny Pacquiao Knock Out

Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao tonight with one right hand in the sixth.

This photo captures everything from that moment — the sadness of a seemingly unconscious Pacquiao, the anticipation of Marquez ready to erupt in joy, the spectacle of the match buzzing in the background.

Just amazing:

manny pacquiao juan manuel marquez knock out 2012

Al Bello/Getty Images

Fashion Roundup: New ‘power couple’ Katy Perry & John Mayer?

Kim Kardashian is on the cover of New York Magazine’s Fall Fashion Issue! The Fall Issue is a special and important issue for fashion lovers, reporting on all the top upcoming trends. Some might be surprised to see this Kardashian, chosen as the face for fall fashion, but nothing is surprising anymore due to the star’s ever growing popularity. (E! Online)

Forbes releases their full list of the 25 Most Influential Chinese In Global Fashion. Among those who made the list is Peter Chan who chairs YGM, Jacky Xu who leads Trendy International, Eddie Chen and more. (Forbes)

One of the fashion highlights of London 2012’s Closing Ceremony was the unveiling of top British models including Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Georgia May Jagger, Karen Elson, Stella Tennant, Lily Cole, Lily Donaldson, Jourdan Dunn and David Gandy to the sound of David Bowie’s song ‘Fashion’. Who’s your favorite?

Still the reigning champion of all water sports, Michael Phelps will not stay behind Ryan Lochte, even if it means dipping in the fashion industry. The Olympic winner is the star for Louis Vuitton’s latest campaign, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, who is the same photographer that previously shot Lochte and Serena Williams. (Styliete)

Legendary Cosmopolitan editor, Helen Gurley Brown, dies at 90. A pioneer in the fashion industry, Brown was the Editor-In-Chief for Cosmo from 1965 to 1997 and remained at Hearst as the International Editor until her death. Famous for her courageous and unique style, take a look at some of her memorable appearances in front of the camera. (Fashionista)

Closing our list of fashion highlights for this week, Katy Perry and John Mayer have been named “Hollywood’s hot new couple” after being spotted several times together in the last couple of weeks. Perry has previously been rumored to have a crush on the womanizing singer for a long time now. We wish them lots of luck!

Castro Fall / Winter 2012-13 Fashion Show Featuring Gal Gadot

Israeli clothing giant, Castro, recently presented their new Fall/Winter collection for 2012-2013. FashionTV was front and center at the show in Tel Aviv, which calls for a colorful, stylish, and dramatic Fall/Winter season.

This year's collection is inspired by nostalgic fantasy across time and continents, from old fashioned European ski trips, Agatha Christie novels, and the style from 90’s television show ‘Twin Peaks’ to historical gothic era of medieval times.

Castro’s headlining model and spokesperson is popular Israeli model/actress Gal Gadot, who has appeared alongside Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in the Fast & Furious movies. Gadot, opened the show in a double-breasted brown trench coat along with sexy knee high boots. She was joined by Castro’s male headliner Yonatan Wegman.

Castro’s new winter collection is a brilliant combination of mystery and travel. Inspiration came from Eastern European heritage and folklore along with some gothic history. The result is a winter collection full of presence, rich textures, wool coats and dip effect. The collection is accompanied by touches of gold elements, specifically on military uniform coats and wool pants.

Additional fabrics such as nylon was in presence, designed with colorful quilt. Four separate lines were featured on the runway, BLUE Women, BLUE Men, RED Men and BLACK. Originally, the BLACK line was launched in the previous season and has already been known to give customers sophistication and trendiness to one’s personal style.

This year, models walked down the runway in leather trench coats, high-waisted leather flowy skirts and black velvet slim dresses with a low neckline. Thin and light transparent chiffon was delivered along with cropped camel-colored suits, burgundy shades and silk scarves. The runway also included hues of plum, teal, beige, brown and of course a whole lot of black. From pencil skirts to trench coats, the audience was completely surrounded in dramatic leather.

For men, Castro created trendy and elegant formalwear full of tailored silhouettes and strict suiting. Accessories included biker boots, umbrellas, wool scarves, leather gloves and oxford shoes.

Gadot and Wegman closed the show, strutting down the catwalk in full on black. Gadot sported a sweetheart draped gown and Wegman stunned in a black-collared trench coat over black suiting.

View the full show here:

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Egofacto, Black tea & Raku Candle limited edition

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LuxuryActivist

LuxuryActivist is an international lifestyle webzine based in Switzerland. Get fresh news about luxury, arts, fashion, beauty, travel, high-tech and more. subscribe to our Happy friday luxury newsletter or follow us in social media.
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