BTL Luggage

by Doug Black

BTL (pronounced "beetle") is a new luggage line designed by China Young. Named after the Jewel Beetle, the collection aims to adopt the bug's intricate beauty and remarkable fortitude in the form of striking, resilient suitcases. Young hopes to appeal to a chic brand traveler "whose identity cannot be captured by a colored ribbon on a black suitcase."

An expert in accessory design, Young spent more than 15 years between Old Navy, the Gap and Loop Design, where he made handbags, jewelry, shoes, hats, hosiery and anything not considered apparel. We had the pleasure of speaking to Young about his upcoming line, which he expects to launch in exclusive distribution by September.

Is this your first foray into luggage design?
Yes. It's my first date with luggage, and I think I like it.

What made you decide to branch out?
I was frustrated with ugly luggage, and so I decided to become a luggage activist.

What do you see as the main problem with contemporary luggage design?
The current designs don't reflect what the modern consumers expect from their accessories.

How does the creative process differ from designing other accessories?
My process is essentially the same. Designing luggage by looking through a handbag lens makes the luggage every bit as refined as the handbag industry.

So what's on the horizon for BTL?
BTL is planning to launch its own travel boutique in Las Vegas by March 2009 . followed up by BTL Luxury handbag line in Fall '09.

See some selections from the collection after the jump.

Farm

by Brian Fichtner

Staged in an immaculate, white gabled space in the Navigli neighborhood in Milan, Studio Job recently previewed their latest monumental work in conjunction with the Eindhoven-based designhuis. The installation, called Farm, draws inspiration from traditional farming economies of the Dutch lowlands, and is composed of twenty-four cast bronze objects and six pieces of Palissander wood furniture.

Continuing the leitmotif developed in last year's Homework series, Studio Job have reduced the detail of elemental objects (a pail, a frying pan, milk bottles) to such a degree, at the same time blowing them up in scale, that they become strangely foreign. Though the press release hailed Farm as an ode to country roots, I found the installation, and the elevated severance of these objects from their customary functions, a rather pastoral gesture that might have been pushed a little further. (See more images of the exhibit after the jump.)

In any case, viewing the work of Studio Job should provoke more than mere approval or disapproval. They're not simply designing chairs, after all. The Farm will move to its permanent home at the Zuiderzeenmuseum in Enkhuizen this June. Meanwhile, you can soon view their Robber Barron collection, which debuted at Design Miami last December, at Moss during ICFF.

Shaun White for Target

by Tim Yu

A couple weeks after watching him tear up the half pipe at the U.S. Open, I got the chance to meet with Shaun White for the first unveiling of his new line for Target due out this Fall.

Shaun and his brother, Jesse, both super nice California natives, collaborate on all design projects including the White Collection for Burton. The same goes for the 25+ styles designed for Target, which consist of printed tees, button-downs, hoodies and some slim cut jeans. All the original prints were designed by Jesse with some input from Shaun. "I'll see something I like while I'm on the road somewhere, take a snap shot and send it to Jesse. A lot of my inspiration for the designs comes from my travels, but I also just wanted to make some clothes my friends and family would wear," he said. Jesse adds, "Target has been incredibly helpful and trusting, giving us the freedom to do pretty much whatever we wanted, while also taking the time to perfect every aspect of the designs."

Consisting of a full range of threads for both boys and young men, it's affordable skate style that won't cost you an arm and leg when you rip up your jeans trying to master that 360 kick flip. Keep a look out for the collection to drop sometime around late July or early August at Target. Images from the showroom after the jump.

Joost & Kiki: reCollections

by Brian Fichtner

While the Italians were rightfully celebrating their design legacy at the Triennale with an exhibition called "What is Italian Design?," I find it worth noting that once again, Dutch design was proving to be the most radical, poetic, soul-searching work at the Salone del Mobile. On the last day of the fair, I doubled back to the Zona Tortona to see “reCollections,” an exhibition of recent work by Dutch duo Joost van Bleiswijk and Kiki van Eijk. The partners, who design autonomously but find their products intrinsically linked through craftsmanship, go by the name Joost & Kiki. Like Studio Job, this pair functions as a highly scripted design team. Well versed in the art of self-promotion, they even published a small hardbound book on their work for the exhibition.

Despite the very different stylistic qualities of their work, the exhibition resonated with harmony. (Click images for detail.) In fact, I think the pairing might be described much like the old adage about personal relationships, that opposites attract. Joost's designs were resolutely solid; characterized by a rigid, Art Deco-esque geometry that clearly revealed his architectural approach to objects.

Kiki's pieces, on the other hand, obviously take detail as a point of departure—a decorative pattern or an emblem—and the product takes shape around this. Obvious comparisons will be made between Kiki and Hella Jongerius, each has a similar approach to layering decorative elements, so we'll be interested to see how her work evolves over the years.

As for the products, Joost showed two collections that reflect a profound approach to the way things are constructed. His "No Screw, No Glue" pieces are fabricated from dozens, sometimes hundreds, of individually hand-polished steel sections that snap in place, layer by layer, to form the final object.

The "Compose" series of "trophies" is assembled using molten pewter as the only joining element for the stacked sections of wenge wood. Kiki's "Patchwork Cabinets" and "Domestic Jewels" seating elements both attempt to show how historical ornamentation and personal artifacts serve as cultural nodes in the shaping of our interiors.

The Pyramids of Makkum

by Brian Fichtner

For years, Royal Tichelaar Makkum, the Netherlands' longest extant company, has quietly mounted the most impressive displays of ceramic ware during the Milan Furniture Fair and this year is no exception. Two years ago, they released a hugely successful collection of biscuit ware with Studio Job; last year they launched a unique office collection with Dick van Hoff, which turned the ornamental into the functional. This past week, Makkum exhibited an ambitious project called the Pyramids of Makkum.

After a demanding restoration project for the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum, which had recently acquired 17th century flower pyramids (highly fashionable aristocratic objects now considered the finest example of Delftware for this period), Makkum engaged a handful of leading Dutch designers to embark on a challenging project of its own. Using a replica of the restored flower pyramid as its starting point (pictured below right), Makkum asked Hella Jongerius, Studio Job, Jurgen Bey, and fashion designer Alexander van Slobbe to create their own modern reinterpretation of the grandiose tower.

While the approach each designer took was somewhat predictable—Studio Job stacking common household objects (above right); Hella using straps to bind the separate sections together (above center); van Slobbe incorporating elements from a woman's dressing room (above left)—the collection still proved to be a highlight of the fair for me.

Without a doubt, Jurgen Bey's interpretation (above) was the most thoughtful. Looking at the flower pyramid as “an ode to the collector,” both a vessel for storage and a collection of stories, he artfully assembled various vessels (a cleaning bucket, a milk pail, a feed bucket), covering each in finely sketched stories of culture and knowledge. The stroke of grace with Bey's pyramid is the shipping containers which, when stacked themselves, can function as a cupboard for the showcasing the disassembled pyramid itself. Its layers of meaning are innumerable, offering infinite depth for reflection. (Click images for detail.)

Saskia Olde Wolbers

by Ami Kealoha

by Laurice Parkin

The video art of Saskia Olde Wolbers is transfixing to watch not only for the dreamlike fluidity accompanied by surreal narrative, but also to see the intensely complex handmade models that the artists films. These miniature sets combine both the architectural space and uniquely constructed parts to bring the artist's imaginative landscape to life. Unpopulated and desolate, the worlds are beautiful, strange and tragic all at once.

A Dutch artist based in London, Olde Wolbers often refers to real events using news footage infusing reality into the overall vision. Coupled with the narrative, you are drawn into the scene as a participant rather than simply an observer. Because of the extreme complexity of the work, she has created only nine videos to date because each takes an average of one to two years to complete.

One of her most acclaimed works, the six minute "Kilowatt Dynasty" (2000) will be presented at Mori Art Museum in Tokyo opening this Friday. The artist will also be speaking at the Museum on Saturday; it's a rare opportunity to hear the visionary behind the vision. See below for details.

Kilowatt Dynasty 25 April-13 July 2008
Artist's talk: 26 April 2008, 5-6:30pm
Mori Art Museum
Roppongi Hills Mori Tower (53F)
6-10-1 Roppongi, MinatoI-Ku
Tokyo, Japan map
tel. +81-3-5777-8600