FIGHT FOR PEACE / LUTA

Last week, the HOME.corp team paid a visit to the Fight for Peace academy in North Woolwich, East London. Our Managing Director Emily Bliss first met FFP founder Luke Dowdney over the summer this year and was hugely inspired by the achievements and limitless ambition of his entire team. The more we found out about LUTA as a social enterprise that not only manufactures high quality fight and training wear, but also shares its profits with Fight for Peace, the clearer it became that we simply had to be involved.

Our expertise and contacts within the marketing and advertising world are currently being put to very good use, and we couldn't be more exited to see just how far the LUTA brand will go within the next few months. In the meantime, we were keen to get a deeper understanding of just how Fight for Peace functions, and so we headed to the academy for a closer look.

We met with some incredible young people who talked us through their journey with FFP, the project's ethos and how it's affected their lives. The impact is clear, and seeing their work in action genuinely helped put into focus just how positive and widespread FFP's reach is within communities that suffer from crime and violence. Through boxing, martial arts, education and a strong system of mentoring from the young people themselves, there's an undeniable sense that Fight for Peace has a first-hand understanding of its community's needs, both in London and Rio de Janeiro.

We got to witness a Muay Thai training session led by the much respected Daniel Sams, first hand, which is an experience we're not likely to forget. The focus and energy at work is impressive, and the discipline required to channel all of that energy into a constructive and empowering outlet is truly inspiring. In turn, we left the academy with an even more focussed and determined mindset with which to serve the LUTA brand. Watch this space.

HOME-GROWN: HOWARD GREENHALGH FOR PANASONIC

Whoop whoop. Check out our very own Howard Greenhalgh's brand new ad for Panasonic's award winning Smart Viera range of high-definition televisions. 

The brand is an official worldwide partner of the London 2012 Olympic games, hence the athlete doing some rather impressive gymnastics on top of a giant telly. Or is it her that's very small? We're not sure. Either way - we love it.

HOME-GROWN: STACY PERALTA WINS ISF AWARD

Congrats are in order for our very own Stacy Peralta, who took home the Classic Award at last week's International Skateboard Film Festival in Los Angeles, honouring him for his legendary contribution and influence on the industry. Head here for more details and for a full list of winners.

Let's have another look at his iconic Bones Brigade show, which is where it all began for Mr Peralta, back in 1984:

NADAL 4 ARMANI

Armani are rolling out the sexy fashion films like nobody's business at the moment. Last week we told you about Steven Klein's noir affair with Rihanna, and it seems we now have the male counterpart, in the fine form of Rafael Nadal shot by Johan Renck.

MARCHING 110

Just about everything sounds better coming from a marching band, as demonstrated below by Ohio University's Marching 110 & their rendition of LMFAO's The Party Rock Anthem. Stick with it.

TOM DALEY AT HEATHROW

A life-size wire sculpture of World-champion English diver Tom Daley, in full diving flow, is currently greeting tourists at London's Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.

It is part of an exhibition which runs until 30th September and celebrates the London 2012 Olympic games. Several British sculptors will go on to create 30 full-scale pieces for the collection, which will be displayed in galleries and public spaces across the country.

So next time you're flying from T5, look out for a wiry 17 year-old diver greeting you as you depart.

ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT

Take That's new video is a bit fancy, isn't it readers? We jest of course, it's only photographer & director Sharif Hamza's new fashion short. (And if you haven't seen Take That's video for The Flood chances are you didn't find that 'joke' remotely funny).

The film stars a mixed cast of models and college rowers, and here's what Sharif has to say about it: “Rowing has always seemed to be somewhat elitist to me; something that everybody recognizes, but a privileged few actually get to experience. I also associate that with the world of fashion. So the context was ideal." (quote source: Nowness).

PING PONG STAR

Time for another excellent short courtesy of Nowness. Table tennis champion, model & actress Soo Yeon Lee features in this slow-motion film, directed by photographer & director Matthew Donaldson and styled by Katie Shillingford, who commissioned fringed tights, gloves & a hat for the shoot.

YOHJI

Enigmatic & internationally renowned Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto is having a busy year. His mainline label, launched in 1977, continues to challenge notions of proportion, androgyny and asymmetry every season. Earlier this month, The V&A launched a major retrospective of all things Yohji, which will be on show until 10 July (definitely one not to miss).

And now the 68 year-old designer's incredibly successful collaboration with Adidas, Y-3, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. To commemorate the event, director Theo Stanley was invited to shadow Yamamoto for several months, as he prepared for Y-3's performance-based Spring/Summer 2010 show. Click here to see the trailer for the resulting documentary, Yohji Yamamoto: This Is My Dream. 

And just because we don't like to do things by halves, make sure you also see Y-3's brand new fashion film for Spring/Summer 2011, inspired by Yamamoto's love for rock & roll, and the striking, dark energy it often conveys.

CARL BURGESS FOR NIKE

Nike asked film director, designer and dedicated jogger Carl Burgess to artistically interpret the exhilaration of running. The shape-shifting globe that appears below is his answer. Burgess traversed London for the project, recording the sounds of his journey and documenting its underfoot visuals with a Canon 5D.

BLACK MAMBA

Nike have partnered with NBA giant Kobe Bryant for a collection of sportswear & basketball essentials, including a new trainer, the Nike Zoom Kobe VI. The collaboration is getting a 6-minute ad/film entitled Black Mamba, and they haven't gone for subtle. Robert Rodriguez directs, Bruce Willis features, as does Kanye West. What more could you want? Here's the trailer:

And here's Kobe elaborating on the project with the LA Times: