For the Facial Hair-Challenged

I don’t really know what to say about this—except that it’s hiiiiiiiilarious. And, funny ranks high on my criteria for successful design. If you should need a crocheted beard, do call on Ms. Tara Duff of North Logan, Utah.

There’s hope for Prom yet.

. . .and believe it or not, teens can be pretty cool too, as proven by these duct tape creations motivated by a nationwide contest drummed up by some smarty-pants PR gurus for Duck brand duct tape.

Ooo la la!

I have been perusing the world of fashion illustration lately, researching for a graphic design project we’re currently working on in the studio. And I have to say, as in all fields there sure are a number of duds. What a breath of fresh air Barcelona-based Ms. Sandra Suys was for me. Yes, I am biased towards high contrast art—the marriage of muted monochromatic tones plus brilliant color; expressionistic strokes mixed with crazy photo-realistic details; etc—but I think anyone would attest: these illustration sure are sweet, no?

I’m not really into fairies, but. . .

I think these meticulous creations have enough appeal for feather-weight creatures and mortals alike.

This fashion and home collection are just plain charming—and so full of thoughtful imagination, I just wish they came in life-sized versions, so I can drape myself (feather-clad) over a fern bench and daydream about an acorn and berry banquet while awaiting my bumblebee ride. That's right. It just got a little girly up in here.

From the books: Fairie-ality and Fairie-ality Style

Tim Bret-Day

After graduating from London College of Printing, Tim has photographed numerous rock stars, high-end fashion shoots, and large-scale advertising campaigns. He has a talent for composing these symphonic scores of wall-to-wall flesh—entertaining with an underlying sense of humor. Who cares where Waldo is with all these beauties laying around?

Tip of my hat to ya, Tim.

ReMaking the Way We Shop

Need a new bag, but feel guilty about the over-consumption of our natural resources? San Francisco-based ReMade USA will gladly make you an original out of an old leather jacket. And, they don’t look like some of that artsy-fartsy stuff made from garbage—they are actually well-designed. Not cheap (>$200), but no leather bag is, and the cost of buying unsustainably is far more expensive, no?

Oh, the things you can make with a fold! . . .or two, or three. . .

Traditionally used in Japan to adorn the hair of women, the Tsumami Kanzashi paper (or silk) folding technique has inspired many to tedious folding marathons. Here’s some great examples from a few fine craftspeople at Etsy.

Ccaspia calls these Kanzashi Masks.

Each petal is created through a series of paper folding—diagonally and perfectly in half, then in half again and again—small enough to actually necessitate the use of tweezers. That’s commitment.

This one’s by FurMonster
By gochemoche
By marissajoannarojas

By nonsuch

Similarly, textile designer Jessica Preston credits her sophisticated wall hangings, brooches and cards to Origami:

Julian Roberts

Julian Roberts is a UK fashion designer with a long list of career achievements including 5 time winner of British Fashion Council’s New Generation Award. His work is whimsical, subversive, full of color, texture and volume. His silhouettes challenge the status quo by not always conforming to the form of the body but instead breaking away to create shapes, drapes and folds in unexpected places. What is especially interesting about his work is his experimental process for creating his garments. He has created a new and very innovative way of cutting garment patterns called “subtraction cutting”. The method uses huge pieces of fabric sewn into tubes. From these tubes, shapes are cut out, the tube is folded, and the outlines of the “subtracted” shapes are sewn together. This is done according to a few specific guidelines but with a great deal of room for experimentation. He teaches and performs this technique for the public at large. He’s incredibly open when it comes to sharing his techniques. As a designer I find this transparency and willingness to share refreshing. He doesn’t fear being outdone or copied. He trusts that each individual will have a unique way of interpreting his methods, and that creativity is not finite but rather something to be shared and celebrated for it’s boundless potential. 

Check out his website at www.julianand.com and click on “online cutting school” to have a look at his techniques in more detail.

 

 

 

Looking Good while Being Good

For LA's Fashion Week, soy bean enthusiast SoyJoy and Gen Arts gave four emerging fashion designers a platform in sustainable fashion show Fashionably Natural, presented yesterday. The Battalion, Brigid Catiis, Popomomo, Velvet Leaf offer eco-garment alternatives using sustainable materials, organic, raw textiles and recycled vintage fabrics. Pretty cool.

Another notable SoyJoy project is its Art of Optimism Tour, where they promote fine art across North America as a means of lending hope.

Creative Reuse: Good Design for Do-Gooders

These handmade products are the harvest of an earnest set of environmental ethics combined with aesthetic sensibilities and a nomadic lifestyle. Skinwalker (one-man production line, Bryan Kwee) takes his craft as seriously as his eco-friendly lifestyle, gathering scrap materials from the places he roams and meticulously transforming them into these fine creations. With a good deal of imagination and elbow grease, he turns one person's waste into another person's bounty—proving that less is definitely more.


Wallet made from salvaged sushi boxes, bicycle inner tubes, transparent packaging material, and keyboard circuit boards.

Wallet made from keyboard circuit boards, aluminum foil, frosted white binders, bicycle inner tubes, & a trade show exhibitor badge.




Check out Skinwalker's complete portfolio and etsy shop.

Natsuno Hiraiwa

I found this book a while ago at Kinokunia Book Store and was just so inspired by her creativity! She is a graphic designer who studied fashion in Paris. In her book, you will see very simple and interesting geometric-shaped pieces of clothes that are quite beautiful. I could not find many images from this book online, (sorry my scanner is not working at the moment) but I made a vest for my friend's birthday once, and it was so simple to make. (It is the one that is shown right above. It is basically a donut-shaped vest when it is spread flat. To wear it you put your both arms in the donut hole. Does this make sense?) Check out her website and enjoy her beautiful creations! (Scroll down all the way to see her image library.) I put some images from her past collections here.


She also takes beautiful polaroid photographs!