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Tuesday 15 February 2011
Sunday 6 February 2011
Snow White
Before I get told off let me say it quickly...I am a snow lover! Yes there was chaos, yes journeys disrupted etc etc but nothing can transform the dark and dirty streets of south London into a picturesque scene which could proudly stand on the cover of a Christmas card. I love everything from the delicate flakes to the blanket covering the road, I'm talking first thing in the morning before anyone has had a chance to marched across it.
I seem to be missing the snow, no doubt we'll get our usual February dosage soon, but in the mean time I've picked up a fetish for white/cream everything from clothing to ceramics. I've been totally mesmerised by Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen's 3D printed garments in collaboration with architect Daniel Widrig using .MGX file's technology. The garments are the next generation of clothing construction who would have thought we could 'print' constructed garments.
Although visually stunning, I don't see this form of garment construction spreading to the mainstream any time soon. Very GaGa-esque.
As you all know I'm all for modern technology but nothing beats handmade pieces like the ones below by a variety of my favourite British Ceramicists, many of you will recognise Janet Edmondson from several of the Handmade in Britain shows, she is currently one of the British ceramicists being showcased in the Handmade Interiors flagship store be sure to see her full range (10 Cheshire Street, London, E2 6EH).
I am also loving Kate Schuricht's incredible Raku vases, her collection is delicate and full of life. For those of you that don't know Raku is a low temperature ceramic firing process. Glazed pieces are rapidly fired outdoors in a gas kiln to approximately 1000 degrees centigrade, this gives each piece a unique finish that cannot be replicated.
I seem to be missing the snow, no doubt we'll get our usual February dosage soon, but in the mean time I've picked up a fetish for white/cream everything from clothing to ceramics. I've been totally mesmerised by Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen's 3D printed garments in collaboration with architect Daniel Widrig using .MGX file's technology. The garments are the next generation of clothing construction who would have thought we could 'print' constructed garments.
Although visually stunning, I don't see this form of garment construction spreading to the mainstream any time soon. Very GaGa-esque.
As you all know I'm all for modern technology but nothing beats handmade pieces like the ones below by a variety of my favourite British Ceramicists, many of you will recognise Janet Edmondson from several of the Handmade in Britain shows, she is currently one of the British ceramicists being showcased in the Handmade Interiors flagship store be sure to see her full range (10 Cheshire Street, London, E2 6EH).
I am also loving Kate Schuricht's incredible Raku vases, her collection is delicate and full of life. For those of you that don't know Raku is a low temperature ceramic firing process. Glazed pieces are rapidly fired outdoors in a gas kiln to approximately 1000 degrees centigrade, this gives each piece a unique finish that cannot be replicated.
Wednesday 26 January 2011
New Prada Range: Highlighting Indian Craftsmanship or 'Easy Mark Up'?
Prada have launched their 'country of origin' range, highlighting the craftsmanship of countries such as India Japan and Peru, each hand crafted piece will have the little blue 'Prada' label alongside where it was made. For a label that prides itself in making almost all of its garments in Italy, is Prada really highlighting craftsmanship or is the Italian label seeing an easy mark up price?
The India range contains expertly hand woven ballerina pumps and bags, I have to say I am loving the below bags, but would you pay the £1000+ price tag if it wasn't for the label?
There are some great pieces in the collection, but instead of using this as an easy mark up, I think Prada have highlighted the fact that craftmanship in 'developing' countries is undervalued. If the same bag was handmade in Italy people would be cooing about the skill that was involved but say India and the first thing that comes into people's heads is 'cheap' or 'sweat shop'. Yes it might be cheaper to get items made in India but does that mean the person making them is any less talented? The below is hand embroided in the traditional chiquan method which takes years of experience to master so my question to all you readers and tweets is are we discriminating skill based on country of origin?
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