Cold Original Vol1
A little more of an upcoming @coldarchive_agency editorial that’s focused on really cool products from the past that has no content around them
Fresh From The Archives
Our apologies for the inactivity of late. We’ve been figuring the best course of action to Instagrams latest update minimising curated pages and understanding what is original content.
For now we will continue under the impression of rare content with title on the image (unfortunately) should be classed as original content but let’s see as we still figuring it out
“How to Stay Original?” - A visual editorial for @adidasoriginals China by @coldarchive_agency
The algorithm's all-seeing eye and your explore page are inescapable. In London, it’s to the point that there is a litany of articles, commentary, and meme pages documenting the homogeneity of its neighborhoods.
Cold Archive recently caught up with Gabi, JJ and Bruce, three Chinese creatives based in London, to see how they're bringing a distinctly Chinese sensibility to a global stage while resisting the flattening sameness they landed in.
We found in Gabriel’s and JJ’s work a novel approach that reframes originality as tracing the nodes of culture, thought, and creativity. It’s not about rejecting algorithms but moving in ways that spark originality, rather than reducing life to a language of signs. In Gabriel’s work, we see his grandmother in Chengdu, slow atmospheric footage where time, space, and subject melt into universality. JJ’s radio show, Asian Pepper, a Chinese perspective on global music, is similar in its approach. There is no fixed entry point, no instructions; instead, a distinct meaning emerges through the very act of listening.
The principles of their work also appear in their personal style. In a self-aware nod, they prefer adidas Originals. The SL 72 Pro, adizero Goukana, and F50 Megaride are all personal favorites.
Each shoe comes with an ever-evolving open-ended history. All of them have undergone years of reapplication and development to arrive where they are today. The SL 72 Pro is 50 years of design, worn without footnotes. The Goukana migrated from sprint track to LA bike culture before landing in London. The F50 was a football cleat that Yohji Yamamoto saw a second life in before most people did.
The whole point of originality these days isn’t a clean break from the current order, but re-evaluating, referencing, and seeing something totally new.
That’s how you stay original.
Director: @lewisjamesuntitled
Photographer: @hugo.dejonge
Production & Casting: @purpleqin
Stylist: @inside.tag
Gaffer: @j_gloser
Hair: @seminpvrk
Talent: @jeremiah_jim@gabrielchen_@pinkremington870
Post production : @ruhvl@hikon.wav@frvrzz
Enter Yuki’s World w/ @byuki_ttt
Yuki is a freehand tattoo artist, creating organic, ornamental, and gothic designs that flow with the body. Each piece is drawn directly onto the skin—an intuitive collaboration, shaped together with every client.
With Japanese and Indonesian roots and now based in London, her work reflects a meeting of cultures. Inspired by Asian art and Catholic imagery, her designs exist where East meets West—where contrast becomes harmony. Raised between Buddhism on her mother’s side and Catholicism on her father’s, she grew up surrounded by temples and churches, their symbolism quietly shaping her artistic language.
Yuki has been drawing since she was five, but tattooing was something she had to choose for herself. Though her family once opposed it, she followed the pull anyway at seventeen. What began as rebellion became purpose—and, over time, acceptance.
Scans From Tibor Kalman’s Book: “(un) Fashion” 2000
This witty and eye-popping book—a delightfully unconventional view of contemporary fashion as seen in the creative ways that people around the globe adorn their bodies—is the brainchild of graphic designer Tibor Kalman, who had finished the picture selection and design when he died in May 1999. Completed by his wife and partner in M&Co, noted children’s book author Maira Kalman, (un)Fashion will startle, amuse, engross, and enchant as it adds posthumously to Tibor Kalman’s reputation as one of the graphic design geniuses of the 20th century.
From cardboard shoes in Africa to body paint in New Guinea, from chimney sweeps in France to an Indian Elvis, (un)Fashion scans the globe to show how real people dress: at work, on the street, or for ceremonial occasions. With virtually no text, (un)Fashion pokes gentle fun at the elitism of the fashion world, presenting its provocative observations through dynamic images by some of the world’s foremost photojournalists.
The Fussa Bu @hotfudgeishere
These photos are from Hot Fudge’s first photo book, **「キルミーソフトリー」 (Kill Me Softly)**, published by @superlabo . Hot Fudge captured these moments in Fussa City, located on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Fussa is truly unique; it hosts a U.S. Air Force base, creating a vibrant blend of cultures. This mix has significantly influenced the youth culture in this suburban area since the 1960s.
