Alex Zabotto-Bentley is a creative in the true sense of the word. After starting as Men's Fashion Director at Vogue he has also worked in fashion forecasting, design and TV and he now runs his own agency, AZB Creative, covering everything from amazing events (including taking 250 Scandinavians to the Gold Coast) to visual merchandising and interior design. His passion for hunting and collecting unique objects makes him the perfect candidate for showing us his week in pictures. We like his priorities, too: good food, shoes and 'cluster bombing'. Read on, and if a week isn't enough you can follow also him and his team via Instagram @azbcreative.



I first met graffiti artist, Keith Haring back in the 80's (when I was very young!) at a gallery opening in Melbourne. He was the king of New York, at the epicentre of pop culture. It was such an amazing time: an explosion of energy, creativity, colour and hip-hop. Art was everywhere and it felt like we could do anything. Haring worked across subway walls, album covers, canvasses, nightclub flyers and his iconic POP shop. He became an inspiration and a creative mentor for me and I've been collecting his work ever since. Of course, it's become very valuable since he passed, but to me, he embodies the true spirit of creativity that I live by.  These little suckers were sent to me by a collector friend in New York, who knew I would cherish them forever.



My wrists are a travel diary! They're always adorned with great finds from my travels and mementos from friends. I love the craftsmanship and stories of old watches, and the fact that very few people will be wearing a similar one. This 1972 gold Anicar automatic is a ripper and the ribbon band is timeless. I have an ever-evolving collection of friendship bands and ephemera to remind me of great times. I'm pretty classic in my personal style, so the wrist is one of the only places I can get away with lots of adornment.



Interior decorating and styling is not just my business; it's part of my psyche. I've been hunting, gathering and trawling the markets since I was 14, when I scoured Melbourne's Camberwell market for interesting finds. Now I travel the world finding stuff, from the flea markets of Slovenia to San Telmo Market in Buenos Aires.  Over time, I've become an expert at finding just the right object that can be combined with other like-minded elements and elevated to an interior "cluster". I love pulling things together and seeing how they resonate; until that sweet moment when all it feels "just right". It's all about composition, height, texture, tonality and chiaroscuro.



My agency AZBcreative has a philosophy and cultural program to always include live, hand-created art with every project we work on. Graffiti has long been a source of inspiration, so I love collaborating with graff artists when I can, to bring their talents to a wider audience. This pic is of Takie Takie, a fantastic, unique Sydney graffiti artist whose work is featured in an interior project of ours: Truckstop at Beach Road, Bondi. Never be afraid of colour!



The entire team loves hunting and collecting treasures and we cast a discerning eye everywhere, from markets and antique stalls to ebay, estate auctions and even film sets. When we get back from our adventures with these unique finds, we use them as elements in our clusters…and the act of clustering we call "cluster bombing"! We put together these compositions of unique, disparate objects and make new stories: like 1940's giant spanners next to an original studio print of 'Stand By Me' cast to vintage ships ... btw, I love pirate ships. I sometimes feel like a bit of pirate plundering treasures ... can you tell I love my work?



In my line of work, I'm on my feet all the time, so I love well made men's shoes… from tooled leather, hand crafted pairs to rocking Air Max BW's. I started photographing my shoes in situ … looking down at them and composing the shot to include whatever I was standing on. Actually, it's more about the environment I'm in: like a travel diary, from my shoes' point of view. #shoeoftheday and #azbstyle on Instagram now has so many shoe pics I've taken all over the world, I must seem like some shoe obsessed freak! Now I even have strangers taking random pics of their shoes and sending them to me...I swear I'm not a foot fetishist!



What can I say? I'm Italian! The kitchen is the centre of the home and my kitchen table - a huge, rustic slab of oak - plays host to many a still life moment (when it's not hosting dinner parties). I always have vintage champagne buckets to hand … when they're not filled with Bollinger, they double as vases and fruit bowls. In my previous life as a photographic stylist I spent a lot of time styling shots for magazines and campaigns so when the sun streams from my kitchen window, the effect is magical and I can't help but get creative and compose a still life vignette.



Since I was a little kid, I've always stared up at the sky to dream, and see shapes in the clouds. Just watching the clouds form and create wonderful shapes, is like an ever-changing, mobile art show. It's always fascinated me. I'm a member of the international Cloud Appreciation Society; I know it sounds kind of nerdy and kooky, but I love how cloud gazing takes me somewhere otherworldly for that moment.



My mama Anita is a really gifted cook. She creates beautiful traditional Italian food, but she's also experimental and passionate about cooking. She even had one of her recipes featured in Pete Evans' 'My Party' cookbook. I feel proud of my Italian heritage, with such a cultural commitment to fresh produce … I follow that philosophy of simplicity and freshness in my still life shots and then in the dishes I cook at home. One thing I learned from my mama: food = love.



We created a series of windows installations for the Kings Cross Festival; 21 different windows in fact - now that was intense! AZBcreative has developed a program called CREATE.WINDOW.ART. Creating ephemeral galleries within retail store environments is a fantastic way to promote retail sales, get more art into daily life and also having our "cluster bombs" reach a wider audience.



When it comes to sartorial matters, it's all in the detail. In a world of hipsters and fleeting trends, I just love beautiful, classic styling and details. I have a few style rules: first, keep it simple. I love a perfectly fitted jacket, classic jeans, timeless T-shirts and when you can, get a suit tailored just for you. My fave is Zimma Tailors at the Ivy, with their attention to the minute details and fantastic craftsmanship. Every man should get at least one real, tailored suit in his life.