Hasta La Ideas

If you ever looked at a nettle (those plants that give you a nasty sting) and thought – hey, this could make a great fabric for clothing people, chances are you’re either Egyptian, or you’re someone at Vollebak. The London-based alternative clothing brand is known for working with kinds of materials that you’d never find at your local GAP or Forever 21. After having somehow integrated materials like ceramics, carbon fiber, kevlar, and even Dyneema into their clothes, the company’s now managed to find a way to turn the hostile nettle into a soothing, comfortable fabric that you can wear for decades… centuries even. Although they weren’t the first.

Five thousand years ago, the Egyptians developed a method to turn the nettle into fibers that could be woven into a durable, comfortable fabric that resists heat and humidity well. They used the same fabric to wrap their mummies, and those threads lasted 5 millennia so there’s no reason Vollebak’s shirt won’t. The fabric, now commonly known as ‘ramie’ is now mostly seen being used to build parachutes… and it’s the primary fabric used in Vollebak’s Off Grid shirt.

Designer: Vollebak

The Off Grid shirt, as its name suggests, was built to live off the grid. It uses materials that existed long before the grid was even a fleeting thought, which works because these shirts were built to withstand ‘unconventional living’…

The Off Grid shirt works rather well in heat and humidity, and just by virtue of its fabric, has these unique wrinkles on the shirt that contribute to its character. The shirt uses a proprietary blend of ramie (nettle fabric) and Pima cotton. As a fiber, ramie is incredibly resistant to bacteria and mildew, and unlike other fibers, grows stronger with time (it’s no wonder the mummies look so good, eh?) Pima cotton, on the other hand, gives the shirt its softness and keeps it light. The blend of cotton also wicks moisture rather well and dries off pretty fast, making it perfect for humidity.

Vollebak doesn’t stop there, though. The shirts, once stitched, are dyed with either leftover Japanese turnips, or with blueberries. “The Turnip edition is dyed using red turnips from the Japanese mountain town of Kiso. Despite their red outer skin, the turnips have white flesh which produces a light-colored dye,” say Nick and Steve Tidball, the twin founders of Vollebak. “The turnips we use are excess ones left over from the production of sunki pickles. Rather than let them go to waste we use them to make 90% of the dye for the shirt”, they add.

While the off-white variant of the Off Grid shirt uses turnips, its slightly darker, almost mauve-colored sibling uses unwanted blueberries from a Japanese fruit farm in the Nara prefecture. “Some blueberries don’t make the cut during harvesting because they’re damaged or oddly shaped. So rather than let them go to waste we use them to make 90% of the dye for the shirt”, Steve and Nick mention.

Once woven and dyed, the shirts are finished using Ōmi sarashi, an ancient Japanese kneading technique that helps make the fabric soft yet rugged, and gives them their signature wrinkled pattern. Steve and Nick don’t quite mention how long the Off Grid shirt is supposed to last, but given their track record of making garments that can last well over a hundred years, it’s fair to assume these shirts should easily be in your wardrobe for the rest of your life!

Each Off Grid shirt comes with two large chest pockets for carrying your belongings in.

The post This shirt was made from the same fabric used by Egyptians to wrap mummies… and it’ll last decades first appeared on Yanko Design.

CEO and Director of PR Amore Philip shares her career journey and advice.

1. Tell us a bit about your career path up to now. What was your first job and how did it and/or your other jobs get you to a CEO position today?

I had a paper route. I used to deliver papers at 6am in the morning in the snowy suburbs outside of Buffalo NY where I grew up. I got chased by a dog one morning I dropped all the papers on the street and ran. I got fired for it. According to my supervisor, I should have ran with the papers. 

How did it get me to my CEO position today?

I have worked since I was 12 years old. I took pride in the independence of working for my paycheck. I always said that one day, I wanted to be the one writing the checks. In all the jobs I had, I was always telling my boss how to do things. I always took on a very independent role. My grandfather had a strong work ethic and which he passed to most of his children and grandchildren.

2. What does your typical day-to-day look like?

• I wake up at 5am in the morning, I read, write in my journal, I spend a few minutes giving gratitude and planning my day
• 6:30am – I work out with my training 3 days a week
• 7am, I have breakfast and get ready for the day
• 8am – I start by checking my emails, and reviewing my planner
• 9am – I start by researching 
• 10am – team and project meeting
• The rest of the day, I am pitching clients, conducting discovery calls, meetings, writing content, writing strategy for events and PR activities.
• Sometimes my days end at 12am

3. What interests you about the world of public relations? 

I have always loved the whole idea about using PR to influence audiences and people to take a specific action. I find it fascinating how the iconic brands have mastered the PR game and now they own their industries. I love the fast-paced environment and working under the pressure of deadlines that could make or break a campaign.

4. How did your company face any challenges caused by the pandemic? How do you see the PR industry evolving in the next several years? 

During the pandemic, I had to make a lot of changes including downsizing. I lost clients, revenue and even had to leave the office that I was in for six years. However, I will say, that it is one of the best things that happened to my business. It made me look at how I was doing business. I changed the way I did a lot of things. Now, I am changing the direction of the company as well as myself as a CEO and Subject Matter expert. I am now choosing the clients that are a best fit for me based on my company goals and core values.

5. What is your advice for anyone wanting to break into the industry?

My advice is to do as many internships in PR as possible. Get creative, become a source wherever you go. Read about the industry, study the top 100 PR agents, press agents and agencies in the world. Become obsessed with psychographics when planning and writing PR strategy. Study the top PR campaigns that produced great results, as well as the ones that were a bust. Approach all assignments with passion. Be the first one to arrive and the last one to leave. When you take a job, set monthly and yearly goals to climb up the ladder.

6. Anything else you’d like to add:

I plan to leave a legacy in the industry. I am working on that right now.

Interested in a creative gig? We have some open jobs for you!

Curved screen displays have been in trend for the last couple of years, and now we are looking up the horizon for the next big move. LG has just announced a cool OLED TV that is capable of bending on demand to morph into a curved display. This announcement comes on the back of Corsair showing off its 45-inch bendable gaming monitor at Gamescom just a few days ago.

Dubbed the LG OLED Flex – a.k.a LX3 model – it is touted to be the first bendable OLED TV on the market. The 42-inch display is targeted at gamers and professionals who demand the next level of immersion, and also want the flexibility to have a normal flat screen TV. The transition between the two modes happens seamlessly with remote control.

Designer: LG

Even better the display can be set anywhere between the twenty levels of curvature. That means, the bendable feature is fully customizable to a maximum of 900R curve. I can think of scenarios where the screen bend can be toggled for strategy, FPS or racing games for maximum gaming prowess.

The 4K display comes with a 0.1 millisecond response time, 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, HDMI 2.1, ALLM (auto low latency mode) and support for VRR (variable refresh rate). This display is also G-SYNC compatible and AMD FreeSync Premium certified for a smooth viewing experience. Thus, making it ideal for pairing with the latest gaming consoles like Xbox Series X or PS5.

Another feature that’s very useful is the anti-reflective coating for minimum distraction in a bright environment. The stand on the display is height adjustable – 10 degrees towards or 5 degrees away from the gamer, and tilt adjustable – up and down by 140 millimeters. It also gets dual front-firing speakers for ultra-premium immersive sound output. Therefore, it can be used for other purposes like video editing or binge watching too.

There’s no word on the pricing or availability of this amazing display yet, but it should be positioned competitively to capture the chunk of geeky buyers. As per LG, the Flex bendable display is going to be on display at the IFA 2022 in Germany this week, so better keep an eye!

The post LG unveils world first bendable OLED TV with 20 curved level settings for personalize viewing experience first appeared on Yanko Design.

Designed for fitness coaches and personal trainers, the Tricuro Go is a spine-measuring device that attaches to an Android or iOS smartphone.

Two integrated wheels are rolled along the patient’s spine as they adopt different positions. The companion app then provides a visual and numerical representation of their spine, illustrating postural deficiencies that the trainer is then meant to target.

The device, which is sold in Switzerland and Germany, costs 665 Swiss Francs (USD $684), and at press time the app was only available in German.

Architectural firm KKAA YTAA recently completed the ‘House in Front of a School’ or ‘House in Gakuenmae’ in Nara, Japan. The beautiful dwelling features a central courtyard, which is the star attraction of the home! What makes the interesting courtyard even more interesting, though, is the timber bridge that runs through it, connecting the two split portions of the home.

Designer: KKAA YTAA

The client was a young couple who worked from home and was looking for a home that reflects and accommodates their unique lifestyle. They wanted a home that was compact and space-efficient while providing adequate space for two remote workers. An inherent connection to nature was also important for them. However, the most unique factor of the home is the fact that it is split into two portions, with the majority of the rooms overlooking the courtyard.

“It is a quiet place with few pedestrians and cars, but it is an environment that feels a little lacking in a sense of life,” said the studio. “We decided to divide the building into two to create a blank space. No matter where you are in the house, you can feel the light, wind, and greenery close to you by opening up to this margin.” the studio concluded.

One portion of the home is elevated on timber stilts and features an open-plan concept with a living area and a kitchen. The stilts were added in an attempt to protect the home from floods. The area beneath the raised section functions as a handy garage. The timber bridge connects the elevated wing to the other half of the home. The bridge has been amped with adjustable walls, which can transform the bridge into an enclosed walkway or a deck when required.

“We aimed for a presence that can be said to be both the outside and the inside,” said the studio. “By opening and closing the walls, the bridge can adopt different forms, such as an external space where the sky and wind can escape, an internal space as a connecting corridor, and a semi-outdoor space like a porch that is connected to nature.”

“By inserting a blank space between these two buildings, we hope that nature and the city will be indirectly connected and that it will lead to an increase in the open scenery in this quiet residential area,” said the studio.

The House in Gakuenmae is a stunning open space with exposed interiors and can be considered the epitome of indoor-outdoor living. Minimal wooden furniture and Japanese aesthetics further create a peaceful and zen living space.

The post This beautiful Japanese timber home is split in two with a peaceful central courtyard first appeared on Yanko Design.