Fondation Valmont supports Publicolor with a new artistic initiative

Faithful to their core of giving back, Fondation Valmont is proud to continue their partnership with Publicolor, a New York-based nonprofit youth development organisation that engages at-risk students through design-based programs to help empower them to plan and prepare for success in school, college, work and life. To support this organisation, Didier Guillon, Owner and Creative Director of Valmont, created 14 pieces of original artwork during the quarantine lock down that will be offered for sale with 100% of the proceeds directly benefiting Publicolor.

Didier's inspiration for these new creations stemmed from his 'The Elegant Symmetry of the Gorilla' exhibition that travelled around the world to Munich and Berlin in 2019 after debuting in New York City in 2018. During a visit to the Berlin Zoo, Didier fell under the charm of Ivo, the famous gorilla and zoo mascot, and designed a series of artistic tributes to portray the quest of a gorilla in pursuit of happiness.

To embark on a new chapter of Ivo, Didier explored new materials and elevated daily objects to create a series of new compositions. As a result, new gorillas were created on dollar bills, newspaper articles and other sustainable materials.

To purchase artwork or donate directly to Publicolor, please email info@fondationvalmont.com.

Fondation Valmont extends its charitable operation until the end of the year.

About Valmont Art / Fondation Valmont:

Art is a fundamental pillar of the Valmont Group and plays a role in every initiative of the luxury Swiss beauty brand, promoting their motto ‘When Art Meets Beauty.’ An artist and collector himself, Valmont’s Owner and Creative Director, Didier Guillon founded Fondation Valmont to support artists globally by presenting international art exhibitions. The Valmont Group recently purchased Palazzo Bonvicini, a historic palace in Venice, Italy that is the new home to Fondation Valmont and hosts art exhibitions on a rolling basis. Through Fondation Valmont, Didier has curated art exhibitions all over the world, including multiple shows in Venice for the Biennale, Switzerland, Greece and New York City.

About Publicolor: 

Founded in 1996, Publicolor's mission is to improve educational equity by promoting an imaginative use of color and design in schools. Creating 'stay-in-school' youth development programs, Publicolor helps to mentor and guide students on how to achieve success in school, college, career and personal life. To date, Publicolor has helped to transform 270 under performing public schools in New York City, impacting over 900,000 students and teachers, and 241 community facilities.

Wolfskin London Mens Grooming Kit for Makeup Artists

As the makeup industry landscape changes to meet new standards and we see the need for new techniques and methods, especially for TV presenters, Wolfskin London offers a simple solution that allows men to look smart, well-groomed, and professional in any setting.

Increasingly people are required to work from home using software setups for digital meetings and the full HD screens are opening up our faces to closer scrutiny and the need for a clean, fresh, groomed look as we work from home is becoming a must and in a media format, this can also mean that for male presenters who are often used to having a makeup artist on set, they will now need to do their own makeup which is where Wolfskin London becomes integral to the media business.

For the Lost team, the reason we are looking to Wolfskin London is fairly straight forward, it is designed to suit men and is simple enough that it is suitable for most situations and we can (if required) teach our male talent to do their own makeup with minimal fuss and will be something we reach for when we cover events such as fashion shows.

Pushing forward in the make-up realm having a range that is designed for men both professionally and personally will be something we work with more in line with not only the projects we have in development but for the future of the company overall.

To learn more about the Wolfskin London range or to purchase see:

Wolfskin London Shop.

Wolfskin London Instagram.

Wolfskin London Facebook.

Wolfskin London Twitter.

Lost In The Horror

We are in the midst of what would (and most likely will be) the source of many new thriller and horror film and TV plots, the lockdown is the start of a refresh of the industry which we will be taking full advantage of and have been in all honesty planning around for a long time as Horror is the genre of choice for us both artistically and commercially, more than ever with the support of the HOD TV team (submit your films here).

For us and our partners, Horror has all the potential we need to feel fulfilled as an artist: our actors can play the character and develop the narrative, the writers are loving the scope of the human mind for fear, for our creative director JamesC, it’s about the makeup and of course our remote teams it’s all about the locations (our Nepal production contacts are delighted with this idea). There is something in this for each of us to get our teeth into and we have room to work together as a collective to push an agenda that suits us and it does also open up other potential aspects that could be realistically deemed vanity projects with a slight commercial twist.

With many magazines and film festivals dedicated to the Horror and Thriller genres, we can easily utilize different suppliers and resources to keep the costs down while maintaining the gore and chills.

Talking of Keeping the costs down, it is fairly straightforward and can be augmented by companies like Monster Fx or the supply house Red Carpet FX (who stock our favorite IPA palettes from Ripper FX).

The future is in our hands and we are taking our own direction on this with plans in motion to do both editorial/print work in this darker style and of course TV projects that will be at the heart of the work, a commercially driven but still artistically driven venture.

Mykitco In Times of Reflection

Image courtesy of Mykitco Instagram

With an international reputation for their brushes, Mykitco has taken the savvy and generous step of supporting artists through social media and working with their clients both professional and consumer, to increase the use of the classic face chart. Spending time on Instagram TV designing and sketching with a showcase of the work of their viewers which has become a hit for the artistic scene.

Co-founder James Molloy is considered one of the elites of the makeup world with good reason and this step not only helps the business but shows how important it is to support and nurture talent with mentoring them through what is a difficult time for freelancers.

While primarily known for their brushes they are artist-led and look for solutions to the most common issues that are faced: storing your kit, packing your brushes being on-set with essential items and carrying a working kit that is both practical and stylish, which is at its heart what people look for as makeup staff. The logo also adds to the sense of artistic continuity and community, the badges are covetable with the added bonus of being a nod to your professional knowledge showing that you have your craft in mind and want the best in your working kit and life.

As a staple of many professional kits, it’s not uncommon to see Mykitco brushes and accessories popping up in pro kits backstage at the shows through to TV shows, a marker of how far they have come and the regard they are given as a brand and how they have become synonymous with a certain standard. Watching their channels and updates also has become integral to the rise of the company.

To learn more about the range or to purchase see:

Mykitco Website.

Mykitco Instagram.

Mykitco Facebook.

Mykitco Twitter.