A nice brief quote about the working methods of lifestyle designer & style guru Todd Oldham's studio. (No relation to Will Oldham that I know of.)
"In a way, Oldham is creating an artistic commune, surrounding himself with like-minded enthusiasts, whether they be staffers or the artists whose work he promotes. 'Anything or anyone or any effort that's joyous is beautiful,' he says. 'Everyone here is a really good artist totally on their own, and together we come up with stuff that's better than any of us working alone. People coming together doing it better, that's the way we work here.'"
Here's a photo which compliments that quote quite well, via New York Mag:
The piece it appeared in is called The Pied Piper of Craft: Todd Oldham is creating art nerds, one kid at a time. What I liked about the piece is how Oldham -- best known for his appearances in the 1990s as a segment host on MTV's House of Style -- has developed career in increasingly eclectic, less high profile ways, to the benefit of his vision albeit the detriment of his celebrity profile. This is the trend that that other Oldham was talking about in that quote I excerpted before the holiday break.
These days Todd Oldham is more likely to author & edit a monograph about Modernist children's book illustrator Charley Harper than he is to hang out with Cindy Crawford. He even has a long, culty beard. Awesome.
A few more snapshots of Oldham in the 1990s:
Both cool. But I think the latter is cooler. A community is not about fresh, young, hip, now; it is about sustainable, multi-generational, timeless, always.