KING & PARTNERS

Tomo Delaney shoots Thakoon for one of our latest ecommerce projects - Art Direction by our own Inii Kim

Thakoon’s first ecommerce site is live and it’s already getting some love. With Sellect powering the site, we aimed to produce a shopping experience that went beyond its functions, one that provided shoppers with a feeling of continuity from the brand’s main site. We’re proud to take credit for the design and build of the site, while also directing its photography, which showcases Thakoon’s three elegant collections; Thakoon, Thakoon Addition, and Thakoon Carbon Copy. For us, building brands’ ecommerce sites is not only about providing for a new business outlet, it’s about expanding the mediums on which a brand can be experienced and represented. Hope you enjoy shopping as much as we enjoy working. 

How did you come to work at King & Partners?

ALEXANDRA DURBIN: After six years designing editorial websites, I wanted to get more into the digital design world and was referred to Tony King by a friend of mine at Interview Magazine. At the time there weren’t many people who really understood how to translate luxury brands online, and he was one of the few. I wrote him a letter, and a few months later I started as a Senior Designer at Tony’s first agency, Createthe Group. I eventually left Createthe Group to pursue a freelance career, but when the opportunity came up to work with him again at King and Partners, I couldn’t turn it down.

INII KIM: When I saw Gucci’s website back in college, I was really surprised that a website design could be so sleek, clean and beautiful. It was just something I had never seen. Soon after, I found out Tony King was the person behind the Gucci website and that he had started a new agency - Createthe Group. In my Junior year, I was lucky to start my career as a design intern at Createthe Group and build it to be an Art Director. In 2010, without a second of doubt, I joined Tony in his new agency, King & Partners.

What is your visual inspiration?

AD: I go through phases, but currently it’s that tan-lined California-in-the-‘70s aesthetic. Think Endless Summer. Over the Edge. Insatiable.

IK: I’m inspired by anything that’s elegant, mostly ordinary things I see in every day life.  My tumblr is a personal archive of daily inspirations.

What’s your dream project?

AD: I’ve long admired Givenchy, from the house’s ’60s designs to Ricardo Tisci’s most recent collections. Working with Givenchy would be a dream.

IK: If Chanel was making a limited edition Lamborghini and launching a site for it, that would be my dream project.

What’s been the project you’ve enjoyed the most?

AD: It’s been an honor to work with Bottega Veneta. The brand’s attention to detail, and the way Tomas Maier strikes such a delicate balance between masculine and feminine concepts is beautiful and a challenge to evoke.

IK: Nothing’s more inspiring than discussing site design with designers of the brands, and that’s surprisingly rare. I was lucky to work very closely with Thakoon Panichgul of Thakoon and Albert Kriemler of Akris (launching fall 2011) on every stage and it really helped designing sites that reflect true vision of the brands.

As a designer, what do stage do you look forward to the most?

AD: The concept stage. For me, it’s definitely the most creative—it’s when we really test our limits.

IK: The first concept presentation is always the most thrilling stage of the whole process. That’s the moment when our inspirations and passion for the client is fully unleashed before it starts to face different constraints.

Favorite Tumblr?

AD: King & Partners (of course), The Atlantic, Dethjunkie, AnneyHall, Wireframes, Awesome People Hanging Out Together, Fuck Yeah Menswear.

IK: Convoy, beautiful and useful, and tulletulle. 

Blogs you stalk?

AD: WWD’s Memopad, The Daily Beast’s Cheat Sheet, XO Jane, JJJound, Fashion Gone Rogue, Contributing Editor.

IK: Serious Eats New york, Fashion’s Collective, Remodelista, ArchDaily, Into the Gloss, The Moment, Milk & Mode, Fashion Gone Rogue, September Industry, The Next Web, Hanneli

Favorite album from the ’90s? 

AD: Warren G, G Funk Era. 

IK: Everything Janet Jackson or TLC

Whose personal style do you admire?

AD: Anjelica Huston and Jack Nicholson at Cannes, 1974.

IK: Jane Birkin when she’s not naked.

If you were a car, what kind of car would you be?

AD: 1981 Ferrari 400i. 

IK: Aston Martin ONE-77. Creating the ONE-77 was an attempt to seamlessly blend the highest caliber of modern engineering with the ultimate beauty. I love the motivation behind it and as well as the final result.

2pac or Biggie?

AD: 2 Pac

IK: 2 Pac

Favorite quote?

AD: “Buy the ticket, take the ride.” — Hunter S. Thompson

IK: “I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.” — Patrick Bateman

Favorite sound/smell?

AD: The ocean.

IK: My every day perfume Byredo Parfums’ La Tulipe, Smell of Aveda hair wax, Smell of Bacon, Smell of gasoline on a cold winter night.

If you could have written any book, which one would it be?

AD: Raymond Carver’s story “Why Don’t You Dance?” or Dave Eggers’ You Shall Know Our Velocity.

IK: Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference

Who would play you in a movie?

AD: Anjelica Huston

IK: Gong Li

We are proud to announce the launch of J Brand’s new, fully integrated, and interactive social commerce website. With it’s sleek and functional design, the site will incorporate two new features, Style Notes and J World. Style Notes is a collaborative outlet, where well-known stylists like Dani Stahl showcase J Brand’s versatility, creating looks that augment any occasion. In addition, J World - a new social-commerce platform - allows J Brand fans from around the world to showcase, share, rate and shop their J Brand looks by navigating a montage of user-uploaded, street-style photos. With just a click shoppers can filter images by popularity, style, gender, and location. The more Facebook “Likes” an image gets, the larger the photo appears in J World. The result is a game-like and engaging shopping experience for fans and fashion insiders alike.

Our Creative Director and Founder Tony King, along with Seth Rose, will be grabbing the bull by its horns all 4000 or so miles from Vegas to Miami. From July 9th to the 15th Tony will be carefully driving [read: fiercely racing] a Nissan GT-R and its 650 horses through the South. 

The rally begins July 9th at 6pm on Fremont Street.

We’d share the route, if we knew it. 

Visit the Bullrun’s site or follow Tony on Twitter (@tonykingnyc) to keep yousrself informed,