Midsummer +1

Artisanal leather goods inspired by the Futurist camouflage patterns of WWI ships

Midsummer +1

Applying a Futurist pattern to an ultra attentive cold-embossing technique, the designers behind the new leather accessories line Midsummer +1 give an old-world Bengali craft new shape. The brilliant leather clutches—produced by a fair trade co-operative in Kolkata, India—follows the lengthy Shantiniketan process where the leather is soaked, stretched,…

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Mismo

Insight on the design process behind the enduring Danish bag brand
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Danish bag-maker Mismo was founded 10 years ago by husband-and-wife duo Alexander Bach and Rikke Overgaard, before the notion of the minimal everyday bag became so popular. “I think the reason you might say we develop great bags consistently is because we have this very steady platform from where the design and idiom originates,” explains Bach, pointing out that the inspiration for each new line builds on what they’ve done in the past.

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As many an experienced designer knows, there’s no such thing as a completely new shape or idea uninfluenced by what already exists. In this vein, Mismo’s design approach remains robust and contemporary and, at the heart of the pair’s creative process is the quest for detail and functionality. “Seriously, you could put us in a dark room for a few months, completely sheltered from what’s going on in fashion and we’d still crank out bags in line with what you see here,” says Bach with the straightforward and unapologetic frankness so typical of the Scandinavian sentiment toward design.

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The spirit of its designers infuses Mismo bags with a real depth of pure function and stripped-down essentials, bags which shrug off frills in favor of continually evolving material selection and intelligent use of color. For Spring 2013, Mismo brings its own unique mustard yellow back into the fray, first seen in 2009 in a collaboration with Storm.

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“It’s funny because brighter colors don’t sell well generally,” says Bach, revealing what’s perhaps a counterintuitive strategy for a modern designer. “The mustard color, for instance, we already know won’t sell well but it draws a lot of attention to what we’re doing and is authentic to who we are. Finding the right balance of colors is like creating your own painting. It’s a delicate process.”

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The new line features interesting new materials for Mismo, which have been developed over a prolonged period of time. There’s a floral nubuck leather, which has been embossed with a botanical print before being hand-dyed and brushed for a more broken-in feel. There’s also denim sourced from Limonta that shares a similar perfectly worn feel to the touch.

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Visit the Mismo website to find online and worldwide retailers.


Best Made Co. Gear Bag

An all purpose utility bag for the city dwelling outdoor enthusiast

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Making expertly crafted products for city dwelling outdoor enthusiasts, NYC’s own Best Made Co. stands at the forefront of the return to our roots movement. “We operate in NYC,” says lead designer Hunter Craighill, “but we focus on the outdoors and the products that get people outside.” To further encourage this call to nature, Best Made is launching a new product each week for the forseable future. First up is the all purpose Gear Bag, made entirely in NYC of mostly American-made materials. Like all Best Made products, the sturdy carry all is attractive enough for the city but built for the great outdoors.

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“[The bag] represents a direction we’re moving in, towards being a more full outfitter with apparel, gear and bags. It’s our first bag which we’ve made from scratch, which is exciting for us,” said Craighill. The stiff, three layer construction—heavy waxed cotton canvas outer, impermeable waterproof center and canvas lined interior—gives the bag its rigid form, while a ballistic nylon bottom, brass feet and kevlar handles work together to further its indestructible nature. With one full length exterior pocket and two interior pouch pockets, the all purpose bag features little more than one would need for a weekend away or day on the jobsite.

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By using domestically made materials and constructing each piece by hand, Best Made appeals to the conscience consumer looking for something more than just another tote bag. “Part of what we’re doing is trying to produce products that are not disposable, not only because they work well but because you care about them,” said Craighill.

The Gear Bag is available directly from Best Made online for $240. For more information check their site or if you’re in NYC swing by the Best Made workshop friday afternoon’s from noon to six for open house.


Vive Ninette

La nuova linea di borse in pelle Vive Nivette vive di ispirazioni esotiche abbinate ad un design pulito e rigorosamente handcrafted. La Summer Collection 2012 è composta da due modelli: Clutch e Ninette proposte in varie versioni di colori. Le trovate tutte qui.

Vive Ninette

Leather Head for Jeep and USA Basketball

Watch craftsman Paul Cunningham create a custom piece

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With a deep-seated love of sports and an intuitive attraction to leather, Paul Cunningham implements his old-world craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail into every Leather Head piece he creates. In our video, Paul walks us through the unique process of taking what he calls “the infinite palette that leather presents” to produce a the one-of-a-kind piece for the Jeep brand and USA Basketball and “Believe” Capsule Collection.


Bellroy Travel Wallet

Seamlessly trek the globe with all your essentials intact
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Any seasoned traveler knows that a system for securely stashing credit cards, cash, tickets and a passport in one easy-to-access place greatly reduces stress while on the road. Unfortunately, this typically means wearing a bulky travel wallet around your neck or shoving all of the loose items into a large pocket in your bag, where they’re often free to fall out when you’re running for the plane.

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A small company intent on tackling this problem is Bellroy, with a new travel wallet so slim, at first glance it seems unlikely to fit everything within its beautiful leather folds and slots. The superbly crafted wallet is fashioned out of vegetable tanned leather, which promises to age gracefully and beautifully reflect your time spent traipsing around the globe.

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Features like four “quick access” card slots, a passport sleeve, internal slots for cards used less frequently, a back fold that fits boarding passes and currency notes of any size, and an ingeniously hidden micro pen make traveling a breeze. Everything folds without creasing and slips as easily into your back pocket as a regular wallet would.

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We used the Bellroy Travel Wallet on a recent trip and became increasingly fond of its sleek design with each airport encounter. Thanks to the micro travel pen hidden in the center of the wallet, filling out customs forms on the plane is a snap. The days of rooting around in the bottom of your bag for an extra pen or five euro note are gone.

Bellroy offers its clever little creation on their website for $120, available in both Midnight and Cocoa hues.


The Originals Collection

Beautifully minimal wool felt and leather iPad and iPhone sleeves from Dutch design company Mujjo

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Made in Amsterdam, The Originals Collection from Mujjo celebrates the understated but energetic nature of signature Dutch design, which Mujjo founder Remy Nagelmaeker describes as “contemporary and simple, but elegant and often innovative in shape or material.” Making beautifully refined sleeves for your smartphone, laptop and iPad in wool and leather, Mujjo charmed us with an overall aesthetic supported by impeccable hand-craftsmanship and attention to detail.

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Nagelmaeker’s favorite piece, the iPad Sleeve‘s wool felt body is both treated to repel water and resist peeling with a sustainable material that’s both strong and still soft to the touch. Additionally the vegetable-tanned leather is naturally water- and wear-resistant. Made with just the two materials, the simple sleeve benefits from basic form for a functional design. The sleeve is opened like an envelope to reveal the main compartment that holds your iPad securely while the additional, smaller pocket is free to store anything from a book to cords.

Taking the minimalist mantra to its rawest form is the iPhone Sleeve. The lightweight sleeve, which also comes in white, is constructed entirely of top-grain leather that’s hand-stitched and hand-dyed with environmentally friendly pigments.

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The Original Collection from Mujjo is available now directly from Mujjo online with the iPhone Sleeve and iPad Sleeve selling for €35 and €50, respectively. Also keep an eye out for the limited run 15″ Macbook Pro Retina Sleeve set to drop 28 August 2012. For more information on the collection visit Mujjo online and for additional looks at the iPad and iPhone sleeves see the slideshow.

Images by Graham Hiemstra


Tracey Tanner

Timeless leather accessories from an eco-conscious vegetarian

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Brooklyn-based accessories designer Tracey Tanner aims for the highest level of craftsmanship by meticulously handcrafting all of her leather goods in her home studio. A vegetarian, Tanner studied fashion at Pratt’s School of Art & Design and ironically found herself often creating leather wristbands. Now selling in stores like Fred Segal and ABC Carpet & Home, from the start her mission has been to construct striking but durable accessories that will last for years to come.

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In an attempt to cut down on her carbon footprint and contribute to the local art community, Tanner purchases most of her supplies from NYC-based vendors, and donates any leftover scraps. “At times I feel a little conflicted about creating more ‘stuff.’ I try to make a durable, timeless item that won’t be used and thrown away,” she explains. “The pieces that are too small for me to use, I give to a friend that uses them in her jewelry, thus creating less waste and helping another designer.”

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Tanner’s collection now includes made-to-order handbags as well as eyeglass cases, coin purses and supple pouches in a variety of sizes, perfect for holding everything from makeup to school supplies. All pieces, made with premium Italian hides, are available in subdued natural leather colors, as well as bright motifs that are cut so that no two pouches have exactly the same pattern.

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Recently featured at Rachel Shechtman’s Story shop in Manhattan, Tanner plans to continue expanding her line while remaining “handmade in New York City” throughout all her endeavors. The full line of Tracey Tanner accessories is available for purchase on her website.


Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Icelandic fashion designer Sruli Recht has used translucent lambskin, stripy skunk fur, an ancient meteorite and fabric that can withstand mortar attacks in his latest menswear collection (+ slideshow).

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

The spring/summer 2013 collection, called Circumsolar, was unveiled in Paris on the last day of June.

Translucent leather has been used to make a vest, shoes and passport holder.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Leather made from horses and ostriches has been used to make two large penis forms, called Shaft and Sheath.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Some of the linings and undergarments are made from a high-tech paraffin cooling knit, which rapidly cools the skin on contact.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Ballistic aramid, a material used in body armour to protect against bomb and knife attacks, has been used to make a brimless hat.

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The Epoch ring is made from the Muonionalusta meteorite, which fell into the Arctic Circle about one million years ago. The striped marks on the ring are a result of the shock impact with earth.

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A silk and cashmere scarf has been digitally printed with an image of the sun’s solar wind by artist B. Börkur Éiriksson and produced by couture fabric house Ratti.

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Skunk fur has been used to make a bomber jacket with a white stripe running down the arms.

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Another bomber jacket is made from dark green lamb’s leather, which has been fused with aluminium in the top layers of the epidermis.

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The majority of the clothes are constructed from a single pattern piece and one piece of material.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

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Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Photographs are by Marinó Thorlacius.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Here’s some more information from the designer:


“This collection is drawn by the dust of a meteor’s tail in orbital decay, illuminated by our sun.” – Sruli Recht, June, 2012.

The collection in three words – Solar, Polarising, Circular.

The Circumsolar collection for Spring and 2013 consists of 24 total looks – from light coats, tailored jackets and cardigans, to trousers, shorts and leggings, complemented by hats, boots, shoes, bags, gloves, sunglasses and jewellery – 55 styles, approximately 105 items with material variations.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

The majority of the garments/ items are constructed from a single pattern piece and one piece of material, where the width of the material allows. In the case of the shirts, the cuff and placket come from the same piece of fabric as the sleeve, which is also part of the body and collar. Our shoes are hand-lasted in-house and completely hand-sewn.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

This season employs a global selection of waxed cottons, leathers and silks, and timber, complemented by Icelandic reindeer and horse skin. Our buttons this season, an Obol, are made from oxidized metal alloy rods, designed, moulded and drop-cast in the studio.

Everything in the collection is made in Iceland.

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MATERIALS

Featured sourced materials: meteorite, translucent leather, black gold, ballistic aramid, high-tech paraffin cooling linings, skunk fur, aluminium-infused lamb skin and bamboo suiting.

Transparent Leather. Made from the purest lambs – for if you remove the sole of an animal before its passing, the skin becomes transparent.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Muonionalusta Meteorite. Considered the oldest meteorite to have impacted the earth, the Muonionalusta Meteorite has passed through four Ice-ages, having fallen into the Arctic Circle about 1 million years ago.

Solar Burned Black Gold. For if you take the gold from the teeth of the passed during the daylight hours, it will become black when reworked.

High-Tech Paraffin Cooling Knit. Used in military and medical applications, this material rapidly cools the skin on contact. This season we have used it for both linings and undergarments.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Ballistic Aramid. Known for its employment in military ballistic protection, aramid fibres are used in layers to stop mortar and knife attacks.

Skunk. Historically referred to as Alaskan Sable, the skunk’s fur is a shimmering black with a white V running from head to tail. This fur consists of two layers, a soft inner fur (25-40mm long), and longer guard hairs (35-80mm long) which are of a coarser texture than the under fur.

Lamb-coated Aluminium. Before departing, the lamb is placed partly submerged in a tank, where through scientific application the aluminium, like adamantium, is fused between the first few layers of the epidermis.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Bamboo Suiting. Traditionally Bamboo was used to make hats and shoes in Japan and China. Moso bamboo has many advantages as a raw material for textiles over materials such as cotton. The plants can reach up to 35 metres tall and are the fastest growing woody plants on earth. The high growth rate of bamboo and the fact that it can grow in such diverse climates makes the bamboo plant a sustainable and versatile resource.

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GARMENTS

Feature Garments: Limited items from the new collection of Sruli Recht for Spring and Summer 2013, Circumsolar.
*Some items made to order only

Show Piece One – Carapace*

SR549 – Translucent Leather Vest – Made from the purest lambs – for if you remove the sole of an animal before its passing, the skin becomes transparent.

SR550 – Translucent Five-Dimensional Lamb Leather Parchment Shoes
To be placed on at birth and again at death, for in dimension 5, they are the parenthesis of this twisted mass, I.

Show Piece Three – Epoch*

SR540b – Large Acid-Etched Ring from the Muonionalusta Meteorite.
By the hands of one blacksmith, acid, and the coincidence of gravity’s pull on a passing octahedrite, comes the ring EPOCH, sheared and formed from the Muonionalusta Meteorite. Considered the oldest meteorite to have impacted the earth, the Muonionalusta Meteorite has passed through four Ice-ages, having fallen into the Arctic Circle about one million years ago. The linear striations are naturally occurring as a result of the heavy shock impact with the planet.

Show Piece Four* – Supermassive

SR527a – Skunk Fur High Collar Bomber

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Feature Piece One – In Solar Wind

SR534 – Digital-Print Silk and Cashmere Scarf.
2.5m long Skarf [70% WS 30% SE], with digital print of our Sun’s solar wind, by artist B. Börkur Éiriksson, produced by couture fabric house Ratti.

Feature Piece Two – From Kinetic Energy

SR523 – Hand Knitted Cowl Sweater [100% Organic CO].

Feature Piece Three – Supermassive

SR527c – Dark Green High Collar Bomber from Aluminium-infused Lambskin.

Feature Piece Four – May Your Duty Dance With Death

SR520c – Ballistic-Proof Brimless Hat [100% WV 100% Kevlar].

Feature Non-Product: Limited items from the new collection of Sruli Recht for Spring and Summer 2013, Circumsolar.
*some items made to order only

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

Feature Product One – Shaft*

SR528a – Blood-Red Layered Penis Form, Icelandic Horse Leather

Feature Product Two – Sheath*

SR503a – Black Leather Ribbed Prophylactic, Ostrich Leather

Feature Product Three – White Albedo*

SR507 – Drift-White Rimless Cherry Wood Frames – with clear or tinted lenses.

Feature Product Four – The Great Transition*

SR531a – Single piece translucent leather passport holder, with sections for travel documents, 4 sim cards, pen and paper currency.

Feature Product Four – From Decaying Orbit

SR542b – Twisted bracelet of blackened gold, shaped to the path the earth takes around our sun, with one polished edge.

Circumsolar by Sruli Recht

June 30, 2012, 5 30 pm. This season brought our first officially scheduled Paris runway presentation and performance. Featuring the choreography and performance of artist Tony Orrico. Original score from acclaimed composer Nico Muhly. Presented as runway and performance within the epic spaces of Palais Brongniart, Paris.

The Sruli Recht studio is a cross-discipline practice caught somewhere between product design, tailoring and shoe making. Based in Reykjavík, the studio rose to notoriety as it began in 2008 to produce one “non-product” every month from umbrellas to bulletproof scarves, tables, to belts and boots, and incorporating such materials as concrete, diamonds, skin and wool. The studio produces two seasonal menswear lines per year.

Movie credits:

SRULI RECHT S/S 2013

Circumsolar
and fragments of dying light
June 30, 2012
Featuring the choreography and performance of artist Tony Orrico.
Original score from acclaimed composer Nico Muhly.
Presented as runway and performance within the epic spaces of Palais Brongniart, Paris.

The post Circumsolar
by Sruli Recht
appeared first on Dezeen.

L’F

Italian-made unisex brogues with a modern twist
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L’F is a line of unisex shoes from Licia Florio and Francio Ferrari, a fashion designer (Florio) and artist/photographer (Ferrari) who also live together. Wanting to create something together the couple came up with L’F, which is comprised of one style for men and women. The shoe comes in combinations of up to three colors, with various details available like studs and hooks. The fresh take on a classic, says Ferrari, was something that could “fully represent our identity.” We caught up with him to preview the Spring 2013 collection and talk more about the brand. Check out the interview below and the first line of L’F unisex shoes online where they sell from €215.

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How was your collection born?

We started by hacking some bowling shoes, but eventually they all looked bad. So we decided to focus on something more elegant like a classic brogue—we removed tongue, laces and we started to wear them. We saw that we liked it and our friends started asking were they could buy them. So we entered the world of Italian footwear production, previously unknown to us but very fascinating. We got to work with talented craftsmen—genuine people with dirty hands, but who are able to create the masterpieces that everyone knows.

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You are not a heritage brand—how did you want to approach an iconic object like the brogue?

We chose irony. Ours is a very serious shoe in terms of quality and production, 100% handmade in Italy by shoe manufacturers that make shoes for large international brands. They’re very comfortable shoes you can wear all day. However, the colors and materials and their combinations allow us to be fun and give our customers the opportunity to have fun every day. Then we took out the laces and in some models we filled the holes with removable studs, which can be swapped in and out.

We think that people should be brave with accessories, not only with our shoes. We noticed that L’F wearers pay much attention to socks (without the tongue they’re more visible) and tend to shorten their pants hem, to show their styling. We’re happy when our customers have the chance to have fun!

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Who wears L’F?

We discovered we have a very wide target, without age limits. It often happens that mothers buy our shoes, and then their daughters steal them. Licia’s grandmother is a big fan of ours, but she just wants the studded ones.

What’s new for the next season?

Spring 2013 is our second official collection—we continue to work on the same model and reinvent it more and more, working on materials and soles. We have four soles: one white and one black “tank” sole, one sports Vibram sole and a sole with a band of microfiber between two layers of leather. In some models we included a hook taken from mountain boots, where you can put rubber bands instead of strings. Then there are different variations of pastel colors and metallic leather monochromes, purposely for fashionistas. We are aiming at extreme yet elegant shoes to give the wearer more fun and joy.