Generation Love Organic Tees

by Karen Day, 8 February 2010

Generation Love, a collaboration between two friends determined to create a range of fashion-forward tees while doing "the right thing," joins the new wave of design with a conscience. The resulting collection of eco-friendly clothing also taps the current casually glam look for an effortlessly hip aesthetic.

Designers Roni Hirshberg and Audrey Bressa-Valcourt share in the design process, each adding their distinctive personalities while creating a cohesive collection. Using organic cotton and recycled polyester alongside other sustainable fabrics such as Tencel and micro modal, the duo aims to always choose materials that don't leave such a heavy environmental footprint and hope that one day this will be the norm for every label.

Their brand philosophy also includes supporting NYC's rapidly disappearing garment district, where each Generation Love tee is produced and embellished by hand.

With an interest in mixing fabrics and textures, the spring collection includes organic denim and plaids sourced from Japan and France, while fall explores faux fur and leather detailing.

Stocked in specialty stores like Barneys and Scoop and Intermix, Generation Love will sell direct on their website by the end of February 2010. In the meantime, email Audrey (audrey [at] generationlovelothing [dot] com) to order.

Link About It: This Week's Picks

by CH Contributor, 5 February 2010

1. Interview with Stefan Sagmeister
Legendary graphic designer and 99% conference 2010 speaker Stefan Sagmeister recently gave a brief but insightful interview on topics such as inspiration and client handling to design blog Abduzeedo.

2. LG Retro Classic TV
LG's small but incredibly stylish retro TV even lets you change the display colors to sepia and black-and-white. Priced around $216, the kitschy TV is currently being sold only in Korea.
via Needs/Wants

3. The Urban Woodsman Primer
New York Magazine provides a comprehensive guide to the enduring Brooklyn-bred phenomenon of lumberjack chic. The anti-metrosexual feature covers the essential flannel, denim, facial hair, axes, riflery and more that any man needs to get back in touch with his rustic masculinity.

4. Method's 10x10
In the game of technological advancements, there are winners and there are losers. In honor of their 10th anniversary, San Francisco, CA-based design firm Method maps “>Cable's Lost Generation” in an ongoing series about the changing landscape of the design industry called 10x10.
via Core 77

5. The Highfliers
Commissioning NYC downtown photographer Ryan McGinley, the New York Times Magazine highlights Winter Olympians dressed in stunning custom Rodarte looks with a slideshow.

6. Thirty-One Awesome Benches
The bench, originally a simple and utilitarian way to sit, now has hundreds of creative and surprising variations. See 31 Awesome Benches for a round-up of clever takes on the concept.

7. Die Antwoord
Life hilariously imitates art from performance art band Die Antwoord, as they sweep the Internet this week with a rap about ninjas and a look as distinctive as their sound.
via Street Carnage

8. The Ice House
After the Detroit economy collapsed, a group of locals decided to freeze the entire outer shell of an abandoned house to illustrate the economic woes of this beleaguered community. Check out the gorgeous results of the project on the Ice House blog.
via Neatorama

Stockholm Design Week 2010 Preview

by CH Contributor, 5 February 2010

by Richard Prime

This year's forthcoming Stockholm Design Week 2010 marks a turning point in its history, clearly cementing itself as a celebration of design in the true sense of the word. Guest of honor Paul Smith sets the tone, recognized for his unique attitude to store design and his obvious talent for blurring the boundaries between fashion and design.

With many of the world's key design brands slated to show up with their latest collections, Stockholm Furniture Fair is fast becoming one of the fixtures on any design aficionado's yearly planner.

The enticing group show "Check In" held at the Birger Jarl Hotel will exhibit some of Scandinavia's hottest new design talents. Last year the exhibit was a surprise hit, with a well-curated installation in the hotel's lobby and a basement space with some wonderful pieces of work. This year, the installation will undoubtedly deliver again with talent chosen by a jury of some of Scandinavia's keenest design eyes, including trend expert Stefan Nilsson, editor Lisa Kruse and Sara Lönmoth from design school, Konstfack.

At Galleri Moln på Marken will host the ROSBERG/SZATEK exhibition—the upshot of a collaboration between a designer and an artist including interior with wallpapers along with furniture and ceramic items.

One of the highlights of this year's packed schedule looks to be "Form Us With Friends," a concept installation devised by one of Stockholm's best young collectives, Form Us With Love. Taking over a historically protected site, the company itself will feature work, as will others including Voice and Bolon (recently highlighted on CH for their latest eco-friendly floor coverings).

With various parties and events occurring after hours, this could be Stockholm's answer to the vibrant London design mavericks Designers Block. Be sure to hop onto the website for a printable map of showroom openings from local designers in the center of the city. A blend of over twenty design houses, ranging from small cutting-edge operations to larger creative groups, there's enough scope for discovery to fill a day.

See more images after the jump.

Stockholm Design Week 2010
8-14 February 2010
Stockholmsmässan
Mässvägen 1
Stockholm, Sweden, 12580 map
tel. +(46) 87 49 41 00

Design in Vasastan
9-13 February 2010
See site for locations
Design district of Vasastan
Stockholm, Sweden map

Miller Goodman PlayShapes

by Ami Kealoha, 5 February 2010

For our winning pick for the 2010 Accent on Design Blogger's Choice Awards as part of the New York International Gift Fair, we chose this irresistible set of modular building blocks called PlayShapes by British design-duo Miller Goodman. The set of 74 rubberwood pieces debuted last fall to much buzz and includes shapes like mustaches and eyeballs for inspiration, as well as arcs, circles, drops and the like, that all fit together to create endless possibilities for 3D creations. Sure to inspire the most jaded of tots (and parents too), pick up a set for £75 from Shhhop. For info on availability in the U.S., contact the distributors Neo-Utility.

Check out the rest of the winners on the Gift Fair site and see more images after the jump

Sina Pearson Colores de México Outdoor Fabrics

by CH Contributor, 5 February 2010

by Tisha Leung

Handwoven serapes and ponchos in the stalls of Mexican markets inspire Sina Pearson's latest collection of outdoor upholstery fabrics, set to premiere early this Spring. Based off of the archetypal rib weaves and bold colors of Mexican folk textiles, Pearson infuses a modern spin for this new series named Colores de México.

Colores de México sells by the yard only, and is woven from 100% Sunbrella® solution-dyed acrylic fibers, which provides colorfastness and protection from the elements, chlorine, stains and mildew, as well as sunscreen for residential, hospitality and public spaces.

Comprised of five complementary styles (three stripes, a floral and a solid) in 23 complementary colorways spanning south-of-the-border brights (blue, turquoise, red, yellow) mixed with neutrals (Mexican chocolate, and the black and ivory from raw fleece), the collection offers options to suit any design scheme.

Pearson rounds it out with a Luis Barragán pink, a habanero orange, and a lime green. The styles consist of “Poncho,” ($136/yd) a basic, "solid" background with narrow stripes and dashes, “Serape” ($136/yd) features complex alternations of broad and narrow bands. “Rebozo” ($136/yd) is the most animated with six different sequences of skinny stripes and dashes, while the two-color “Flora” ($112/yd) is an abstract floral motif in a jacquard weave inspired by Mexican tissue paper cutouts, and handcrafted floor tiles, and “Tela Solar” ($54/yd), a coordinating solid offered in five hues.

Prices are available to the consumer through select showrooms.

Stockholm Fashion Week: Beckmans XV, Odeur and Whyred

by CH Contributor, 5 February 2010

by Richard Prime

Day two of Stockholm's Fashion Week brought an enticing mix of old and new together. Drawing an inquisitive crowd, the Beckmans XV show represented fifteen students from the second-year fashion program at Beckmans College of Design.

Similar to how their third-year counterparts collaborated with colleagues in advertising and graphic design courses, Beckmans XV did likewise but chose to showcase their debut collections in the more traditional catwalk format. A wise choice too, as the audience was treated to an energetic show full of color, concepts and diverting form.

Odeur, a young Swedish brand founded in 2006 as more of an experiment, showed how much they have grown since last season with their latest collection drawing on a rich melting pot of influences and seeking to challenge conventions of basic garment construction. A dark greyscale base of color offset metallic silvers, with detailing like zippers acting as accents.

Like the Bondage years of Helmut Lang, Odeur's collection also looked at controlling and adjusting shape of the garments. Adding dimensionality to already nice-looking tailored blazers, jackets and feature pieces, the tactic speaks to what seems an inherently Scandinavian approach to shape and layering.

One of the solid performers of the Swedish top-end brands, Whyred hit a typically understated note synonymous with a brand which built a name for itself around quality, style and incredibly wearable clothing.

For its menswear, tight, cropped and lean suits and blazers defined the collection. Single breasted, one-button and with a nod to the brand's mod influences, Whyred emphasized cut over flashiness. Womenswear similarly trended towards letting the wearer instill their own personal style values rather than the clothes making a statement.

With many of Whyred's pieces ending up as part of a "base collection of trans-seasonal (and even trans-annual) garments and items," several elements of the brand's AW 2010 collection will likely follow suit.