“What is the essence of a pair of pants (if it has such a thing)? Certainly not that crisp and well-pressed object to be found on department-store racks; rather, that clump of fabric on the floor, negligently dropped there when the boy stepped out of them, careless, lazy, indifferent. The essence of an object has some relation with its destruction: not necessarily what remains after it has been used up, but what is thrown away as being of no use.”
London-based jewelry designer Hollie Paxton explores these themes in her collection Rubbish Jewelry, which seeks to discover the relationship between our identity and our objects. “The collection inverts the idea of what can be precious, as the objects I have chosen to recreate, once used, are disposable and almost worthless,” she writes. “Through recreating them in precious materials, using labour intensive processes such as enamelling, it interests me as to how our relationship with the object changes, possibly for some, to the point where one would consider wearing ‘rubbish.'”
What an industrial designer can teach us about moving mountains…at a snail’s pace.
Sure, an important role of many designers is to keep their finger on the pulse of their respective industry. To research and trend-spot and forecast, noting which fabrics, colors and silhouettes are rising to the foreground – and alternatively – which might be fading quickly before next season’s threads hit the mass market. But what
There’s no shortage of designers inspired by nature (take a peek at these Ted talks for a few goodies). And I totally get it. There’s just something beautiful about organic processes – the growth and decay and change that surrounds our daily lives. The scent of hot, wet pavement after a summer storm. The first hint of a spring breeze as the winter thaws the ground below. And, for Jungeun Lee of Studio Koya’s latest collection titled Nuue, the silkworm’s diligence in creating a unique, one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
As a mother of three, leading Australian stylist Megan Morton couldn’t find inspired options to occupy her own children’s small, curious and creative minds. Sure, she was used to coordinating photo shoots and sourcing props and trouble-shooting endless last minute snafus. But when it came time to wrangle her littles in an engaging, art-inspired fashion,
The concept of heirloom toys has always seemed kind of impossible, you know? Could a single toy actually survive the chewing of babies, throwing of toddlers, forgetting of children? And with the quick sifting of trends and color schemes and “of-the-moment” patterns, how could you ensure a timeless, classic design?
Fredericks & Mae can. And has.