In London with Love...

With Cupid primed to shoot his arrow next week, we look ahead to the launch of the Valentine's pop-up, Love.Make Designs at Craft Central's Corner Shop in Farringdon, London.

Running from 11th-17th February Love.Make Designs is showcasing four fine independent designer/makers based in the U.K who are working together to turn the Corner Shop into a Valentine's inspired treasure trove, guaranteed to melt the coldest of hearts!

Dual Nation Jewellery, one of our very own featured new designers Zoe Richardson, will have a mix of handcrafted jewellery inspired by her British and Australian heritage, which has a vintage quality and bold narrative that translates effortlessly from day to night...

Designer Rebecca Desnos launched her eco-conscious business just under 12 months ago after failing to seek out eco-friendly accessories with a luxury appeal. Each of her pieces is hand-made in London using Fair Trade organic cotton, and with a touch of love and respect, each accessory is a beautiful one-off investment piece...

Boodi Blu was set-up a few years ago by Sarah Marafie after spotting pieces of broken ceramic whilst taking her dog for a walk. After gathering quite a collection, she decided to turn these unique shards into beautiful one-off pieces of jewellery. Sarah combines the china with metals, gemstones and freshwater pearls to create jewellery that could definitely tell a story...

London's first ethical underwear brand Iris 'encapsulates beauty, elegance and femininity...' They feel strongly about keeping things local, with every piece designed and made in their London studio. Iris also take sustainability very seriously, with there repeat fabrics all from factory waste supplies. They merge classic craftsmanship, and an understanding of the female form to create luxurious lingerie for fashion-forward women...

We are very excited to see these amazing, unique offerings from four truly talented creative, independent designer/makers next week, it's time to celebrate the best of new British design for 2013...

For more details visit:
LoveMakeDesigns

Follow:
@LoveMakeDesigns

'I never liked the term pop-up...'

Not an opinion you expect to be expressed at a Pop-up networking event, but this was the gut feeling of Dezeen founder Marcus Fairs at the 'We Are Pop-up' meet-up on a cold and frosty Monday evening in East London...

The setting was Modern Jago just off Arnos Circus, with a crowd formed of a mix of seasoned pop-up-ists, fresh faces first-timers, and an army of supporters of the cause. 'We Are Pop-up' our hosts, have grown quite a following in a relatively short space of time, bringing a close knit community and creative hub to not only London, but also across the pond.

Monday evening was a great opportunity for pop-up or pilot store lovers to get inspired for 2013 with the evenings speakers.

Marcus Fairs spoke about his online presence and how Dezeen was able to translate into a successful offline, physical offer as well. 

The origins of Dezeen, the classic design blog, relied heavily on advertisers to fund their work with the majority of content free to all. With the idea of branching out into retail always being on the to-do list, the Watch Store was born.

The idea to start with small, manageable products was key and to set themselves apart, by approaching individual designers and graduates, from London to Hong Kong.

'...The key was to find a product that you couldn't find in Selfridges or at an airport...'

On-line was the natural starting point, with exhibition stands to test out the market. The surprise for them was how quickly the pieces sold.

'... Trade fairs historically are for prototypes, for retailers to place orders for newly launched products, no one actually sells anything...the thing is, we sold a lot!'

With its solid foundations as one of the leading on-line design resources, and with its first publication hot off the press, Dezeen opened its first pop-up. Never a fan of the term pop-up, they branded the store as 'The Temporium.' Although a creative endeavour,  it was still very much business focused. Combining their own pieces with smaller spaces that were able to sub-let to individual brands and designers.

Having tested out several areas in London, it was clear that location, and a strong customer base was key.

'..Shoreditch  is a great place, full of creativity, but no one really spends money there...'

Striking up a solid relationship with Seven Dials in the heart of London has been key in maintaining their retail offer. The Dezeen Superstore allowed them to experiment with different product, and it was the first time they brought in a retail consultant to over-see the process.

What was evident as Marcus spoke, was the fact that even though he had the strength of his brand behind him, there was still the need and desire to experiment, make mistakes, to evolve the retail offer, be playful, but most of all be passionate, and certainly for us, this was inspiration in abundance for 2013...

Show & Tell...

For one day only at the end of October, South London came to East London courtesy of Visual Artist and Graphic Designer Son Emirali, with his personal and nostalgic installation entitled 'Foster's Newsagents.'

For Son, Foster's, a 90-year old newsagent's in the heart of Brockley Rise, formed part of his childhood, an after-school treat, a meeting place, and a constant on a return home from university.

So in an homage to this special place, Son decided to create a fully documented inventory of every item in pictorial and illustrative form. Over several days he painstakingly listed and recorded every item from M&M's to McCoy's, Rizla to the Racing Post.

The common, and touching thread in the making of this piece was the pride and meticulous attention to detail, that not only Son took, but the obvious pride the owner has in presenting these everyday items.

We had the chance to speak to Son at the 'WeHeart' exhibition in Shoreditch, which showcased a selection of new designers. He talked of the pride of the family-run business, the owners hand-on-heart in the main image, and about the sadness that he may have to close the newsagent's due to the ever-increasing expansion of larger brands and supermarkets on the high street.

This made the process all the more poignant for Son, and important to showcase this special place, somewhere that can easily be overlooked and under-appreciated.

For the exhibition, he put together a limited-edition book of the inventory, as well as a life-size photograph of the newsagent's interior, a challenge, he said, not only to print, but to transport across London without damaging it!

The installation, wrapping around three walls skewed the perspective, and added a slightly abstracted view of the interior when stood within it, almost enveloped by the colourful array of sweets and treats, tempting to the eye, but untouchable like a museum piece.

For us, the most interesting and creative work has a strong personal connection, and Son perfectly showcases these elements in a heart-felt way, and it's understated, quiet approach is symbolic of the very subject matter he has celebrated...

Son's homage to Foster's Newsagent's is available as a limited-edition book, and large-scale photographic prints here...

Full of Charm...

During our annual scout of degree shows we came across jewellery designer Natasha Thorogood, showcasing her collection as part of New Designer's 2012.

Her collection although set back from the main thoroughfare, drew us over and intrigued us visually as something that we hadn't seen before. There was an organic aesthetic, mini versions of a Monet painting with swirls of aquamarine and yellow ochre on simple, cylindrical forms.

Regular readers may recognise Natasha's pieces from our mini round-up from this Summer's blog posts, and we contacted Natasha soon after her show at New Designer's. After a couple of months of managing diaries and trips to the capital, we ended up in the same room where she talked us through both of her current collections.

We are excited to be featuring Natasha's second collection, and although it has a slightly different feel, still stays true to her metal-smith roots, and her interest in the natural elements. We love the use of polished copper, brass and silver, with the rawness of oxidised metal, in these soft, feminine forms.

Her 'Floral Charms' are a combination of precious metals, freshwater pearls and coloured crystals, and feel as if they have been discovered at the bottom of the ocean with their fluid, languid features and colours. The collection, she says, is a slightly more commercial exploration with 

inter-changeable pieces, but still maintain a hand-crafted, limited edition aesthetic...

Natasha's 'Floral Charm' collection is available on-line now... 

Evolutionary Endeavours...

Every so often, we stubble across a new designer that gets us very excited, and we want to work with them immediately! So today's graduate showcase is of Duncan of Jordanstone Textile graduate 

Claire Corstorphine.

Claire specialises in digitally printed textiles, which enables her to manipulate her photographs, and vintage finds to create an explosion of colour, and quirky imagery in her range of silk scarves.

For her graduate collection entitled 'Molluscs, Microbes and Mutants', she took inspiration from Darwin symbolism to create her own hybrid of the natural world. 

Although she presents a palette of bright zingy colours, on peeling back the layers of silk, a darker undertone of progressive natural selection is revealed, and her patterns show an abstraction of the core of life itself, fragility and strength seem then, to work in harmony...

Walk the Line...

We were contacted by the illustrator Estelle Morris last week, and from the many portfolios we receive, her fluid, off-beat and slightly abstract work caught our eye in particular.

There's a spontaneity to her pieces which grabs hold of real-life moments, and her blog showcases some of her as-they-happen drawings from walking around Cambridge, where she's based, to a Sunday afternoon at the pub.

Estelle uses a combination of hand-drawing and digital colour-blocking to create her collage-inspired pieces, which have a freshness mixed with modern-day motifs.

Estelle currently works as a freelance illustrator, and her work has been submitted as part of Amelia's Magazine, (a great supporter of emerging illustrators), as well as illustrations for events and promotions in London to Brighton.

We'll be launching our first newsletter in a couple of weeks time, and amongst all our up-coming news, we will have an extended feature on Estelle with an interview to find out a bit more about her, her inspirations, motivations, and plans for the future. This won't feature anywhere else, so if you want to find out more, simply hit subscribe...

On the Up...

 

We're excited to bring you an interview with talented designer and up-cycler Yinka Ilori, a recent graduate from London Metropolitan University who caught our eye a few months ago, and have been keeping an eye on ever since.

We were interested in his aesthetic approach to design, and how he has pretty much turned the idea of up-cycling on its head to create these rich, but simply crafted creations.

In the lead up to the African and African-Caribbean Design Diaspora in London, we managed to catch-up with Yinka to find out a bit more about him and his work...

Did you always know you would do something creative? 

Yes, I always knew that I would do something creative because when I was at secondary I was always good at drawing and really enjoyed Art GCSE and Design & Technology GCSE. I remember my teachers always telling me my work was good and always using my work, and homework book as an example to show the other pupils what their work should look like which was flattering, but at the sometimes embarrassing!

Did you have any early inspirations/ inspirational characters that informed your creative path? 

Yes, I remembered studying BTEC in Art and design studies at London Metropolitan University and we had an end of year exhibition. I had been setting up all day and had to go home and change my clothes. When I had arrived back I had noticed that I had been nominated for a Sir John Cass Art & Design Award, although I didn't win, for me, knowing that I had been nominated inspired and made me believe that I am doing something right.

What inspires you/ any particular places you draw inspiration from? 

What inspires me is everyday things in life, that have a story to tell and I try to incorporate that into my up-cycled furniture, because my ethos for up-cycling furniture is all about re-loving and telling the story of how the furniture was re-loved:) 

I am also really inspired by the African culture, as you may have noticed African prints from Ankara to Aso-oke are mainly used in most of my furniture. I also love old vintage Scandinavian furniture I think they are beautiful, and sometimes draw inspirations from there too. 

Currently, I am really inspired by MBE artist Yinka Shonibare, I think he is an amazing artist who curates moving, yet at the same time interesting installations. His installations are very powerful, with a strong meanings behind it, hence why he has inspired me to do an installation at this year's AACDD (The African and African-Caribbean Design Diaspora) Festival at the Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1

19 – 30 September 2012 my installation is titled 'Head of the House'. Hope to see some of you there:)

What first led you to working with old furniture as opposed to creating pieces from scratch? 

When I did a project at university called 'our chair' where we had to do a partnered project, and find two old chairs making it into one chair, using all the pieces from both chairs!

I absolutely loved that project, and it was from then onwards I knew that I wanted to make up-cycling my career because I loved the way each piece of furniture tells its own story, for me furniture with a story is beautiful.

What's been your biggest achievement to date?

Wow my biggest achievement to date would be exhibiting in New York in May 2012 at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, and also selling one of my pieces of furniture to a High-end contract furniture company called 'D'Apostrophe'. 

It still feels nice to know that my piece of furniture is now somewhere in New York and will now become a story for someone else, now to tell! So yes, selling a piece of my furniture in New York has been my biggest achievement to date:)

What are your plans/ goals over the next 12 months? 

My plans and goals in the next few months would be hopefully to have a pop-up shop dedicated to my brand, not sure on location but that's something I would like to do over the next 12 months, who knows it may even be longer than 12 months.

What advise would you give to any new designer starting out on their own, or someone considering studying (furniture) design?

What I would advise any designer starting out on their own is to keep pushing because no one said that it's going to be easy, but the main thing is that if you enjoy what you do and your truly passionate about it, never keep up, because it's really important to do something that truly makes you happy, that's what got me here today:)

What's the ultimate dream?

My ultimate dream would be to have my own shop, with all my furniture inside it, and a few other designers works that I also like as well...

You can see Yinka's work at The African and African-Caribbean Design Diaspora Festival at the Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1 from 19 – 30 September 2012