Surprise Salad
Doll Matches
Kokeshi Dolls by Hiromi Hirasaka
If you’re not familiar with the terminology, kokeshi referes to a genre of Japanese traditional dolls. The dolls are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and a painted face. These dolls have no arms or legs (similar to the Russian dolls), the cilindrical body is adorned with various decorative motifs and the bottom is marked with the signature of the artist. This way, the main focus turns to the head and the expression of the face.
The Osaka-based artist Hiromi Hirasaka borrows the kokeshi concept to design something mundane and unexpected – matches. From matchsticks to matchbox design, we can notice a great attention for detail and of course, a note of humour.
That’s one of those emotional objects that is impossible to ignore and, to be sincere, you don’t really want to light them up.
images source: thedieline.com
Iris Arad
Although, textile design does not enjoy the same popularity as fashion design, I think we should take it into account with the same interest and consideration. Especially since, nowadays, this segment reveals many pleasant surprises.
So, I want to present the work of a young Israelian textile designer – Iris Arad.
Iris Arad, graduated from Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, in 2012. Talking about her work, Iris shares her passion for knitting and her experience on mechanical flatbed knitting machine:
I was fascinated by the techniques and the process, and emphasized on creating three-dimensional shapes by using knitted surfaces.Today what occupies me is how to apply these surfaces to a three-dimensional shape – the human body. Another point of notice is my approach to the usage of colors. I try to create a combination that is not banal, and yet harmonizes, as to avoid dissonance.
To take a glimpse of Iris’ particular work, I’ve made a mixed selection: some of my favorite knitted details, designer’s sketches, accessories.
Fashion – Art Connections
Vanessa Beecroft – White Madonna with Twins
Claire Barrow’s alternative bride – Fashion East, Fall 2013 collection
The Art of Claudio Parentela
Claudio Parentela is an Italian illustrator, painter, photographer, mail artist, cartoonist and freelance journalist, active for many years in the international underground scene. His fashion or anti-fashion collages (I can’t find a proper term to define them), published in different papers, magazines and all around the web, surely deserve a closer look.
Claudio Parentela’s works were featured in NY Arts Magazine, Komix, 180 Mag, Balkan Spirit, etc., presented in museums and art galleries as Tabula rasa (Barcelona), La Cueva-No Art Gallery (Milan), Diesel Gallery (NY), Museum of Porn In Art (Zurich) etc. He also collaborates with music bands for experimental projects.
Anyway, I’ve made for you a short selection of Claudio Parentela’s works; I hope you’ll like it.
The Merry Cemetery
Merry Cemetery from the village of Sapanta, Romania
The “Merry Cemetery” capsule collection, designed by Lana Dumitru for Moja fashion online store
νέον
Clothes are the soul of worldwide fashion & luxury industry, but after all they’re just togs. That’s why we should seriously consider new ways of recycling, redefining or redesign.
Jessica Au is a fashion designer based in East London. She studied at Middlesex University, graduated in 2010 and launched her label last year. Post graduation from Middlesex University, Jessica Au’s brand has been immediately picked up from fashion magazines’ most coveted stylists for celebrities, and independent boutiques from around the world have been waitlisted to stock her current collection. She has redefined what it means to be ‘ One To Watch’, as she begins to restructure the path of a traditional fashion designer’s career during fashion’s most sought after month. This year alone Au’s collection has been housed in Japan’s TEKNOPOLICE alongside massive underground labels such as Kokontozai, the iconic Philip Treacy, William Richard Green, and many of today’s most sought after designers. Her London based stockists include: 123 Bethnal
Green Road alongside Dr.Noki and William R Green and Shop 172 on Brick Lane.
JAU LABEL has launched her SS13 upcycled collaboration with VVVintage, which sold out at Somerset House London Fashion Week, September 2012. The garments were created using recycled fabric to promote sustainability and ethics, and the look is fresher than we would expect. Jessica took this opportunity to experiment with fabrics and new techniques. As she says, It’s been lots of fun creating the collection!
The title picked for Jessica’s SPRING SUMMER 2013, Neon, comes from the Greek νέον (neon) meaning “new one”. Au’s recent infatuation with Die Antwoord’s “Zef Style” and the wave of neo-trash movement set her mind to work on her first womenswear and menswear collection that would focus on merging Japanese street style with stripper influences such as Brooke Candy. Combining her obsession with illustration and her curiosity surrounding intricate artistic concepts allows Jessica Au to design with fabrics and aesthetics that have never been seen or used before.
Collection’s lookbook is accompanied by the “Schizolog” Fashion Film, directed by Rob Heppell. Worth to take a look!
Err / Erratum
I love interactive projects. Jeremy Hutchison‘s ‘Err’ project reflects the collaboration between this London based artist and the mass production industry of our everyday objects.
Emails were sent to factories all over the world. These requested that one of the production line workers produce an incorrect version of the product they make every day. 17 dysfunctional objects are shown alongside reams of confused correspondence, FedEx receipts, customs certificates and cardboard packaging.
‘Erratum’ displays the impossible objects resulting from Jeremy Hutchison’s experiment, celebrating fault and irony. This art project could be also regarded as a good design lesson. Inserting error in the standardized production process gave birth to absurd, yet creative stuff.
images via sandsof.com
