Archive for the ‘design’ Category
splurging, dom p, rosé March 1st, 2010
This special edition carry case created by Australian designer Mark Newson for the iconic champagne house Dom Pérignon has successfully maintained the iconic equities of the brand (bottle shape and label) and combined them with modern colours, packaging formats, and substrates to create an eye catching and fully functional addition to their portfolio. The outcome finely balances the exclusive, heritage-heavy perceptions of a category king, with a more accessible and practical format.
This is Newson’s fourth collaboration with Dom Pérignon, in a time when - as the house of Dom Pérignon themselves put it - designer collaborations with luxury houses tend to be one-shot events. It is however every bit as creative, striking, and practical as any collaboration I’ve seen for a long, long time…
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board shorts, socks, trousers, shirts… January 14th, 2010
Pop up stores are selling out faster than letterman jackets these days - but surely this pop up closet from Levi’s is taking the trend a step to far? Yes as a Brit I should really be describing this as a pop up wardrobe, but to save all you people across the pond from confusion I’m sticking to it’s given name of closet - that is what the Belgian agency Moriterbrigade who created it call it after all. Anyway despite the fact it’d be a deathtrap if your apartment caught fire - and rendered useless if you had to carry it home in the kind of weather we’ve been blessed with lately on our fine shores - it’s a nice idea and represents forward and creative thinking - and willing - from the worlds most famous denim brand…
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home is where the art is December 30th, 2009
This creative housing project was the brainchild of Stockholm architects Wilhelmson Arkitekter. As you can see, the idea is that the windows are designed and dressed to look like gilded picture frames, which are - as you have probably noticed from the walls of your local gastro-pub/coffee shop/ independent art gallery - very much the flavour of the month these day when it comes to interior decoration. To use them on the exterior of a buliding, as Proffessor Wilhelmson has done here, is however a striking and impactful first. With views across the water to Denmark, this project forms part of an exclusive apartment complex just north of Helsingborg, Sweden. The frames are made of cast aluminium and painted with gold leaf, to provide a stark contrast with the glossy white enamel facade of the buildings.
For more information -visit his website (Swedish)
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there’s no such thing as a new idea December 30th, 2009
…is a phrase heard almost daily in creative industries. Personally I’m not sure how I feel about that belief, but in the interest of keeping my job - and the Creative Director happy - I tend to keep my mouth shut. That being said, for Nixon to take 2 of my favourite watches of the last decade: the U-Boat Classico and the Chanel J12, and combine them at a relatively affordable price does bring a smile to my face. And it’s not as if some guy from Walthamstow Market has bought a bunch of knock offs from the back of a dim sum lorry and is trying to shift them, Nixon are reputable and credible watchmakers. The Ceramic 51-30 is made with a 300m custom ceramic case, which houses a 3 hand, Swiss made mechanism with date, automatic winding, and sweeping seconds - behind a hardedned mineral caseback window. In fact, retailing at $2,400 if you do find one on a local market stall let me know…
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i’m G double-O D good November 26th, 2009
The say absence makes the heart grow stronger - and I for one hope that to be true in this instance. I’m not going to flounder around clasping at straws trying to come up with a valid excuse for my recent absent mindedness. Instead I’m a launch straight into a fresh post, which like many other soon to grace these pages, I’ve been meaning to post for a while. Fittingly I chose packaging - the entry point to most brands - for this return to the floor, in the form of Naoto Fukasawa’s innovative fruit juice packaging. Fukasawa is an idustrial designer hailing from Japan, and his ambition for this project was simple: to create packaging that not only looks, but also feels like the actual fruit that produced the juices contained in the cartons. Juding by the visuals alone, it’s fair to say he has achieved at least half his goal…
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yes sir i’m cut from a different cloth October 6th, 2009
When it comes to the question of sports car versus four by four I tend to sway towards the convertible more often than not. As a rule it’s hard to beat a classic convertible [although the Land Rover Defender does come close], and the Range Rover - as much as I love it - has been played out. Even the Project Kahn versions are relatively commonplace these days, and with the last days of summer seemingly fairly close behind us, like I said more often than not I’d favour the sports car right now. Until I saw the Limited Edition collaboration between gunsmiths Holland & Holland and Range Rover customisers Overfinch. Limited to only 100 cars per year, the sublimely designed Holland & Holland Range Rover is available in 4 different colourways [including Holland & Holland's Tintern Green] and the 31 piece wood veneer interior comes in a choice of Olive Ash Gloss, European Burr Walnut, Matt Gunstock Wallnut, or Piano Black lacquer with silver inlays. The car seats four people - with a custom built centre console [below] between the two back seats, which houses an integrated fridge. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better comes the coup de grace: the boot. The veneered ‘cupboard’ [to match the rest of the interior] features three drawers fitted to carry eight matching Holland & Holland crystal tumblers and flutes, as well as your shotguns, cartridges, and cartridge bag. Oh and the drinks cabinet [featuring 6 premium spirits including Hendrick's Single Batch gin] is re-stocked free of charge for the first year. This really is the ultimate British sporting accessory [or showpiece depending on how you look at it], or as they put it the most luxurious off-roader ever: the embodiment of unique sporting heritage and bespoke craftmanship. And to cap it all off, for the base model you can choose from a TDV8 Diesel or 5.0L 503HP Super Charged petrol engine - the Range’s metrosexual cousin, the Range Rover Sport, is nowhere to be seen. How much? Only £140k…
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all that glistens is not gold September 29th, 2009
Opinions tend to be split about bamboo hoop earrings, but I’ve always been an appreciator. Love them or hate them, the gold and silver plated versions can be seen illuminating youth centres, high streets, and night busses across the capital - but these unique wood versions by New York based Good Wood NYC are yet to cross the pond. Good Wood NYC was founded in 2007 by illustrator turned jewellery designer Kerri O’Connell with the sole ambition to earn a little extra cash. Two years later and her portfolio includes rings, necklaces, and pendants - and she’s secured a string of distribution contracts with local and online retailers, as well as several guest collaborations - including artist and illustrator kaNO [not the British one].
For more information, and stockists, check their website
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echale picante September 28th, 2009
So often we see classic brands bastardised in the name of innovation, but these gallon bottles of Tabasco - like the latest squeezy Heinz Tomato Ketchup - buck that trend. Granted it isn’t innovation per se, and unless you own a taqueria Lord knows what you’d ever do with that much Tabasco sauce, but nevertheless I can’t stop the burning desire to own them…
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coca loca September 28th, 2009
Continuing their ongoing tradition of collaborating with fashion desiners in recent years [including Patricia Field and Roberto Cavalli], Coca Cola Light is launching a range of limited edition bottles designed by famous Italian fashion houses. The bottle shape will - as ever - remain untouched, but the designers, including Moschino [above], Fendi [below], Versace, Etro, and Feretti, have come up with eye catching outers to hug the signature bottle’s world famous curves. The project is in aid of the Abruzzo charity, which funds scholarship’s for young women effected by the devastating earthquakes in Italy last summer. The bottles were unveiled at a fashion show in the the courtyard of Milan’s Palazzo Reale on September 24th, and a limited number are now on sale, until 4th October…
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wood you? September 27th, 2009
As part of the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong illustrator and toy maker Michael Lau’s Gardener Series, Nike are releasing a collaboration between Lau and Stefan Janoski. The design echoes the shoes worn by his latest characters [below], and along with other products designed especially for the 10th anniversary, the Zoom Janoski will become available on the last day of his CSBOOTH17 exhibition [details above] at the Michael Gallery in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong.
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