Duvelleroy x Tigersushifurs x Hand Fan

This collaboration’s a fun one- it merges old world artistry and a hint of stuffiness with a fresh vision of French music and design. Duvelle Roy, a couture fan design institution has teamed up with the young guns at Tigersushifurs to create this playful line of psychedelic hand fans. Tigersushifurs is the fashion brand behind the electro label founded by Joakim Bouaziz. It’s run by Lauren and Audrey, two sisters who have built the line into a preppy-geek unisex collection. You can purchase on either website, or at Colette.com

May 21, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Patternity x Clarks

I’m a big fan of Patternity. Back in November, they published these pictures on instagram. I obviously got excited. Then, though, I had a bit of a conundrum- can I post this collaboration that they’re publicizing through one form of social media? I felt funny about it- like it was an invasion of privacy in some weird way, even though they were documenting spring production on their feed…so I waited. A week ago, both Clark and Patternity released photos of their spring partnership – and I have to say it’s one of the most playful and sophisticated pattern collaborations I’ve seen in a while. Bravo guys! To buy the dessert boot pattern, click here.

February 3, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Patterns & Posters from Project Projects

I’ve always been a wheat paste poster fanatic. I love the freshness in the graphic design, the fleeting nowness of pop culture and the way it merges into urban environments- usually a construction site or run-down corner. I love that it’s illegal, but not really, and that it keeps the general population in the know about current events beyond the internet. This collection, by Project Projects, caught my eye.

The graphic campaign centers around an invented symbol derived from the significant Chinese character, “Ei” — the first letter in the Chinese word for “Eiffel Tower,” and an ideogram often used in the phonetic transliteration of foreign (non-Chinese) names. Although it may appear Chinese to a Western viewer, the new symbol functions as a two-fold abstraction: a simulacrum and a fiction of the functioning of language.

Project Projects’ creative campaign is an extension of Intercourses, the Danish Pavilion’s five-channel video installation by artist Jesper Just for the 55th Venice Biennale. The pieces parallel ideas of doubling, dislocation, and the illusion of communication.

August 28, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Liberty of London for J.Crew

liberty_jcrew

Over the past few years, J.Crew’s evolved into both a curator and a collaborator, partnering with international brands to create unique product. This strategy’s proven successful as they’ve given exposure to companies looking to break into new markets. The latest partnership’s a fun one, as they’ve teamed up with the folks at Liberty of London to create a floral story for spring. The patterns transcend generations, covering both children’s and womenswear. Compared to last year’s Nike collaboration, it’s great to see another step into the American market- it proves how malleable and timeless Liberty’s prints are. I love the zip pouch and bikini. Are you a fan?

March 8, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Marketing: Vitamin Water's Life of a Man

This animation entitled, Life of a Man, recently landed in my inbox and I must say it’s oddly mesmerizing. Perhaps it’s the piano, the voice or the overdone patterns, but all of the components merge beautifully for an eerily calm storyline. The creative endevour’s a marketing initiative for Vitamin Water and it’s not until the final frame that this becomes apparent. Bravo to Pedro Henrique and his team for an enjoyable (and might I say visually arresting) watch.

August 3, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: The Exquisite Book

It’s sometimes assumed that once you’re an adult, you should stop playing games. However, when 100 contemporary artists join together in a modern version of the Surrealist game, The Exquisite Corpse, that notion is shot down with a single glance. Conceived by the ever-talented members of the design company, ALSO, aka, Julia Rothman, Jenny Volvovski and Matt Lamothe, the book consists of ten chapters of whimsy from ten amazing artists.

The Exquisite Book was conceived as an experiment in collaboration and book-making. Each piece of art was created specifically for the project. Two years and 100 artists later, each of the ten chapters unfold like an accordion for a truly vivid, inspiring viewing experience and serves, on the whole, as a wonderful, unique collection of work from so many of today’s most talented artists and designers. To purchase, click here.

September 22, 2010 | By: Shayna Kulik