New York-based artist and designer Sebastian Errazuriz has created a riff on the iconic and ubiquitous “I Heart NY” design by Milton Glaser in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Submerging the logo in blue dip-dye on a T-shirt for Grey Area, Errazuriz, whose studio was paralyzed by city power…
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Nineteenth-century lithographic curiosities reborn for home and fashion
The 19th-century biologist Ernst Haeckel is credited with categorizing thousands of species, creating a genealogical tree that unites all life and coining the world “ecology.” But his prominence in the scientific community is matched by his cultural legacy: Haeckel’s lithographs of rare creatures have become emblematic of the Victorian…
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Fifties-era Case Study Homes and the SoCal spirit inform Airi Isoda’s latest collection
Continuing to mine the world of architecture for inspiration, Wrk-shp designer Airi Isoda reveals a Spring/Summer 2013 apparel collection based on the Case Study homes built in Southern California in the 1950s. With the fourth collection, crisp lines and structured silhouettes begin to establish a distinct vibe for the…
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Charity merchandise gets a design boost
Fed up with their positions in finance and real estate, friends Omri Bojko and Jason Sochol embarked on a quest to find something more meaningful to do, and thus created the The Vanity Project (TVP) in 2011. The two Northwestern grads had begun volunteering for non-profit organizations around Chicago after being inspired by Sochol’s mother’s fight against breast cancer, and in the process discovered a pattern among the merchandise created for various fundraising events. “We noticed that the charities’ funds were always being drained into creating the merchandise for their events, especially those T-shirts that are always too boxy and that no one ever wants to wear afterward,” says Bojko. “We thought, wouldn’t it be great if someone could create T-shirts that measured up to these awesome causes?”
“We saw the place for something mutually beneficial where charities could raise money and simultaneously people could support their favorite causes with T-shirts they’d want anyway,” says Bojko. “The Vanity Project is a platform that non-profits can use to do that. We are a non-profit merchandise solution.” Working on a case-by-case basis, TVP has grown by collaborating with charities such as Twist Out Cancer and The Story Pirates.
Each collaboration is tailored to the charities’ individual needs. However, the basic model is that TVP helps charities tweak or redesign their logos and then takes on the cost of buying and printing the shirts, which most non-profits struggle to afford. After the tees have been printed, TVP crew also works with the organization to spread the word, including selling the merchandise through TVP’s store and other retail locations. At the end of every quarter, TVP gives the charity 51% of the profits from their merchandise.
Jenna Benn, founder of Twist Out Cancer, a non-profit that uses social media to bring cancer survivors together, was one of TVP’s first clients. “I had just started Twist Out Cancer and we partnered with The Vanity Project as a way to get our name out at some of the big events we had been planning,” says Benn. “Now that we are more established, we are thinking of designing yoga mats and yoga pants.”
To purchase a T-shirt or to learn more about The Vanity Project, you can go to their website.
Bold patterns based on natural adventures
Aptly named “Nature’s Edge,” the inaugural collection from UK-based label Sara C comprises a range of woven bamboo tops and dresses printed with unique patterns hand-drawn by designer Sara Cohen and produced locally.
Cohen was inspired to leave her demanding job in the advertising world to embrace her passion for print design after attending the Do Lectures. The small-but-mighty annual ideas conference held in West Wales gave her the motivating jolt she needed to embark on a seven-week adventure around England in her family campervan, known fondly as Able Mable. Inspired by the surrounding landscape, Cohen turned the period of reflection into the genesis for her new business and creative venture.
Cohen describes her designs as “graphic natural shapes infused with bright washes of color. The intricate designs harken back to what she saw on her journey, and the world to which she was longing to connect. “Nature tells millions of tiny, perfect stories,” she says, translating those narratives into a vibrant everyday wardrobe that travels as well through the city as the rich flora of Cohen’s far-flung and often remote travels.
The collection’s designs are adapted from photographs and drawings Cohen has amassed along her way, not only in the UK, but also in the more exotic climes of Australia and Mexico. In the creation section on the Sara C site you can find the story and visual evolution behind each design and the natural beauty that inspired it. The line is also available through the designer’s online shop.
Move beyond the toaster with these smart selections
For those whose summertime season has been taken over by beach BBQs and wedding obligations with equal frequency, the endless parade of serving plates and dust ruffles can be as draining as the heat. Trump the traditional wedding registry’s usual suspects with something that injects design into a couple’s new life together, while still fulfilling their newlywed needs. We’ve gathered a selection of items for the home that will surely stand out among the piles of presents. Here, eight highlights from our latest installment in the Cool Hunting Gift Guide—wedding wares.
These sleek stone trivets ($75-$100) protect your table while making a design statement at the same time. Water jet-cut from different types of granite and marble, these hexagons and pentagons have leather bottoms inscribed with Fort Standard’s insignia.
NYC-based artist Michele Quan transforms the iconic symbol for opulence and romance into a humbled version of itself with her jewels
collection ($165 and up). These ceramic polygons come in a variety of sizes in either white or multi-colored pattern.
Streamline your home sound system and bring tunes to every room with this all-in-one wireless set-up
($399). When you get the set, you’ve got everything you need to play music from your own library, plus a host of music services from Pandora to Spotify.
Coffee presses have long been known as the best way to make a perfect cup, but this staple-turned-piece-of-art
($50) named after Eileen Gray takes eco-friendly coffee-making to a new high. A three-part stainless steel mesh filter means less waste and more flavor, guaranteed to make your mornings even better.
Holly Berry’s luxurious, cashmere and merino wool blankets
($580) are handwoven at a 250-year-old mill in Scotland, with each forming a tasteful arrangement of rainbow and gray squares that spell out “love” in Morse code. A colorful fringe surrounds these 55” x 75” throws.
Porky Hefer creates a groovy and sexy haven to hang out with his made-to-order weavers nests ($5,000). Taking lawn furniture to the next level, the nests can hang from a favorite tree or perch on stilts.
The American dream receives a 21st-century update with Hatch My House, an interactive website that allows users to involve friends and family in their quest to purchase or decorate a home. Whatever the occasion, the size of the contribution is wholly up to you.
There’s something so satisfyingly functional about a tray, and the design options are endless. Here, crisp but serene colors cut a geometric pattern on birch wood for a piece ($80) that will look great sitting anywhere in the house.
Harnessing the power of sweat as a renewable resource for Spring 2013
Sweat shouldn’t be a problem, according to Columbia Sportswear. While the activewear market currently offers a limited array of moisture-wicking fabrics, what hasn’t been tapped into is the idea of perspiration as a renewable resource. In that vein, Columbia aims to transcend what they see as dated polyester blends for an entirely new technology that takes advantage of sweat to aid in temperature control. Launched this week, the technology behind Omni-Freeze Zero is a project four years in the making. The material boasts a special polymer that doesn’t get rid of sweat, but absorbs it into visible—and graphically pleasant—little blue rings for an actual cooling effect.
When exposed to moisture the polymer rings swell like goose bumps for an instant and enduring cool-down. Available for spring 2013, Omni-Freeze Zero will be incorporated into tops, jackets and other activewear layers as well as neck and arm sleeves. The idea, says Woody Blackford, the head of Columbia’s “Performance Innovation Team”, is to change how people move in the heat. “In general, people remove clothing layers to stay cool,” he points out, “but sponsored athletes using Omni-Freeze Zero have noted that in hot, humid conditions, this is the first technology that feels cooler and more comfortable than wearing nothing at all.”
I recently put a range of Omni-Freeze Zero gear to the test in Sedona, Arizona. On a fully sun-exposed hike and hour-long yoga session on a red rock plateau in 101-degree weather, though the atmosphere skews dry to begin with, I was well aware of my sweat-free state. Not only did I stay dry, but the fabric felt silky and comfortable against my skin. Fearing the hi-tech “cooling” sensation would feel strange against my skin or that I’d be soaked in a cold sweat proved unfounded—I simply felt naturally comfortable and still nicely warm from my workout.
Also part of the current offerings, and available in updated styles for Spring 2013, are Columbia’s unrivaled high-back ladies’ bottoms—shorts with a substantial rise in the back that offer ample coverage and seem slimming at the same time—and the Drainmaker and Powerdrain will be updated to version two with 30% more drain ports and greater traction for trekking through wet conditions. Our fellow campers who hiked through a creek reported back amazing drainage capabilities (AKA dry feet).
Columbia’s Omni-Freeze Zero technology will be available in Spring 2013 online and in stores wherever the brand is sold.
Tenue de Nîmes ha collaborato con Armor Lux per la produzione di questa maglia Dutch Breton in soli 50pz. Ve la potete fare qui.
Peter Witt è il nuovo brand tutto made in Italy con grafiche ispirate all’ icona metropolitana dei tram di Milano. Lo trovate qui.
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