Foretaste Nº 18
An occasional newsletter as a deep dive into the minds, habits, obsessions, affairs, and influences of our friends and fam.
Together & Len
This year started in breakneck mode. Travelling, planning ahead for what’s coming at Atelier Munro, and further organizing and exploring our ideas with Togehter& and this subscription model for the (Slack) community. Exiting things to come! But all this resulted in a delay in this lovely newsletter (amongst others) which Len shared already months ago. So here we are, Foretaste Nº 18 with Amsterdam based digital creative Len Koster. Len worked over the past 1,5 year at Atelier Munro as head of digital, pushing the brand further into something more stylish, more aesthetically pleasing and more aspirational. Unfortunately our professional paths separated again but it’s a pleasure to share his foretaste here while Len just started in his new role as the Creative Director at Not Selling Liquid.
Currently
Always learning new things. The last two months have been quite easy going after quitting my adventure at Atelier Munro and taking the time to find something new. Spent a lot of time meeting interesting people and discussing new potential opportunities which gave a lot of new insights and positive energy. The time off has been great to slightly slower the pace of life. I just started a new job as the Creative Director at Not Selling Liquid and I am very excited about unlocking all potential there. The brand itself, the team, and the clients are all great and it’s been nice diving into something new again. Next to that I am trying to work out a bit more regularly and spend more time outside with my girlfriend and dog Kiko, even though the weather hasn’t been helpful lately.
Currently reading
Less than I should and would like to be doing. Reading is that one thing that’s constantly on my prio list but I just can’t put myself to it. I guess starting is the hardest?
Currently watching
This YouTube channel. This guy is a woodworker and furniture designer from Korea and makes the ultimate background videos to have on while doing other work. The videos are visually pleasing, the results are just my aesthetic, and I am secretly just jealous of his skills and wish I was him.
Currently listening
Vinyl! A bit of a chicken and egg story here, but for years I’ve been thinking about getting a record player but didn’t because I did not have (enough) records. So over the last year or so I started buying records and last week I finally caved and bought the player. The forever classic Illmatic by Nas was the first to spin and it feels great to listen to albums in full. Loving the ritual thus far.
Currently eating
Good bread? Ever since Mater opened its doors I’ve been going there for sourdough bread and just eat it with a bit of butter and salt. A good (homemade) pho is also always welcome though.
Currently drinking
Too much coffee always - trying to cut back but just enjoy it too much. Just got a new batch in by Friedhats; Ethiopian and Kenyan — fruity, chocolate-y, and just a tad acid. Simply great.
Currently obsessed about
Vintage watches. Forever my guilty pleasure and a never-ending rabbit hole with new information. An ever growing passion since the project I did for Amsterdam Vintage Watches and currently fuelled by a freelance project for a new shop in Dubai - more on this soon.
Currently distracted by
Everything happening in tech, with all the lay-offs and take-overs it’s just a Wild West. Love and hate Twitter but can’t deny it’s been interesting to follow everything happening with Elon. Add the whole crypto debacle in the mix and it’s hard to find time to actually do some work.
Currently trying to avoid
Bad vibes. I value my time and state of mind more and more and with it comes a stricter mindset of who and what I spent time on. There is enough of everything already, let’s focus on the good stuff that makes the world a better place and skip the rest.
Currently frightened by
Not to be too negative but mankind? So many stupid and illogical shit going on that should not have to. Money and power are bad motivators.
Currently transcended by
This quote “Be the best part of someone else’s day”. Has a bit of a “Live, love, laugh” vibe but somehow can’t get it out of my head.
Currently fulfilled with
Excitement. Starting the year off with a new job in a new environment with new people has given me a lot of energy which reflects back to my mental state. Looking forward to what’s to come!
—
Thank you Len 🙇🏻
Quick highlights from the Slacks (in no particular order):
Off course Pharrell’s move to Louis Vuitton, via Len
Menswear is growing up, via Joachim
Four Thousand Weeks, via Hugo
Tokyo based Shashasha bookshop, via Kimberly
This is what’s wrong with architecture today, via Joachim
Ana Andjelic on The other vibe shift, via Joakim
Do You Know How to Behave?, via Joachim
Kehinde Wiley in the New Yorker, via Merijn
The Soundtrack For A Pinball Machine, via Laszlito
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, via Joachim
As Bestas / The Beasts, via Jelle
Hans Eijkelboom and Imruh Asha, Fantastic Man, via Joachim
Personal invites for the Together& subscription will follow soon. If you haven’t applied yet, you can still do here: togetherand.supply
Hope you enjoyed this one - And as always, let’s get Together soon on Slack & IRL!
PS. There are enough bots and ghosts in our lives. We’ve always seen Together&, human and alive, so please enjoy, participate, share and forward this. And we'd love to see you in Slack to discuss things often. If you know people who should join, let us know!
“Be the best part of someone else’s day”
...saved to hard drive : )