Single Digit Sale EVERYTHING UNDER £10!!!!!

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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. 

                                

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?

Long live the book...and the book shelf!!

 

 

There is nothing like the smell of a new book (that can't be just me) or  flipping through the creased pages of a well read novel from a second hand book store. Barbara Chandler (@sunnyholts) recently tweeted a picture of people reading novels in a Brick Lane coffee shop and it got me thinking, will that image be replace with a room full of Kindle's or the next new e-book?

The advances in technology are amazing, the phone that used to just make calls is now a mobile office with everything from the internet to Microsoft programmes installed but will there come a time when its just too much? The old 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' comes to mind, yes perhaps for those reading in the tube the ease of using the Kindle one handed whilst holding onto a pole for balance with your free hand is luring, particularly when it comes to the 'one touch' change of page which is usually a tricky procedure. But surely our already 'screen filled' days cannot take another addition to the family, I spend hours staring into my laptop screen everyday and when I'm not doing that I spend hours staring into my mobile phone screen and when I'm not doing that I spend hours staring into my TV screen and when I'm not doing that...you get the picture!

Shelves With a Bench by Stanislav Katz

We've recently decided to renovate our 'reading wall' which is a mish mash wall of our book collection, from decorating books to romantic novels, old university reading lists to unexpected finds and (admittedly) those unwanted 'when will I read that' gift. It really is a catalogue of my life, every book has some meaning, whether it's finding a personal message in the covers or re-reading an old favorite you forgot how much you loved.

The bookshelf is a time line as well as a design statement, no slick touch screen can compete, no matter how many extra features it might come with! So whilst I try to make my 'time line' into a spectacular wall feature I have collected some of the great bookshelf designs that I love and really show how far we've come from the after thought that was the single plank of wood. 

Creative Bookshelves by Largo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

                             

Death Of The Independent Retailer

The opening of One New Change at St Paul's last week marked the beginning of a flood of new shopping centers to be opened in London. The success of Westfield (below) in Sheppard's Bush has prompted the owners to open one near the new Olympic site in Stratford, there are also plans to open another shopping center in Kings Cross and don't forget there is already Brent Cross shopping center in Barnet. With all these large sites housing some of the best known chain stores, what does this mean for the independent retail industry?

Almost every high street up and down the country has seen a large number of shops shut down, leaving some once buzzing high streets looking like a ghost town in a Tarantino film. How can the independent shop compete with the high number of shopping centers diverting people off the high street? Not to mention the giant that is online shopping, now worth an estimated £100 billion to the UK economy, however with the extra overheads independent stops just can not compete with internet prices.

But is shopping really just about whose cheapest? Doesn't the 'experience' of shopping mean something or can you get the same with a click of a button? I should think not, there have been may a time I've bought something in a shop or off a stall because of the person who was selling it, whether it was their knowledge of the product or their honesty, something about the personal touch made me buy it and then recommend or go back for more. 

I was watching the new BBC show 'Turn back time' (below), which sees families re-open closed down stores but do it like 'the old days'. 'The Hands on History' project sees the high street reverted back to the 1870's when high street shopping began right up to the 70s. 

This show really highlights the changes to shopping, from days when everyone knew their butcher by name to getting your lamb chops at a self checkout without uttering a single word to another person. The independent cant compete with the footfall of the shopping centres nor can they compete with the prices of the internet, but what they can and do do is  give great personal customer service.

So with that being said I want to know your favourite haunts for independent retail, whether its a one off store or  a high street full of great independents. I'll kick off with Cheshire Street just off Brick Lane, it has a great mix of vintage and modern design for those that want more than your average high street, make sure you check out Handmade Interiors. 

The shop is full of products from around the world, hamam towels from Turkey; handmade cushions from India and even a Kaftan from the Ottoman empire! But it also showcases talent closer to home with some great British ceramicist work on display from Janet Stahelin Edmondson to new designers like Natasha Madeiski as well as handmade soft furnishings designed by co-owner Piyush Suri. One of my favourite items are London Kills Me's slate placemats, they are made from recycled slate and hand screen printed.

Don't forget to let me know YOUR favourite independents below, what makes it great? If you found the same products online for less would you still shop there? What makes it different to a chain store, besides the obvious?


For more information on Handmade Interiors see: www.handmade-interiors.co.uk and London Kills Me can be found at: http://www.londonkillsme.com  

Handmade in Britain @ Chelsea

I'll start off my first blog back with a quick recap of this years Handmade in Britain which saw an exciting amount of British talent on display, some great new designers too! Here is a small selection of my favs for those that missed it.

The one I get asked about the most are the pots by Namiko Murakoshi, she creates ceramics that put a smile on your face, these pot plants come in 'funny cute hairy babes' and 'ugly cute shisaa wards' see her full range at: http://www.namnamceramics.com/

For those that thought paintings were just for walls check out Diane Goode and Carol Lakes work; both designer makers hand paint, yes you read that right, hand paint their cushion designs.  Carol creates seasonal botanical imagery on cushions, scarves , fashion and interiors. Below is  her beautiful hand painted 'autumn' cushion, for the full range see http://www.carollake.co.uk/

Diane  creates almost print like hand painted and crafted cushions with imagery from famous London landmarks and scenery. All her cushions are made from silk and she uses pearlescent paints and glitter embellishments to create her imagery. I want one...but which one? Check out her collection at http://www.dianegoode.co.uk/

For all you bag lovers Rosie Stallard’s pieces will have you wishing you had been at the show! Rosie creates bespoke leather accessories from bags to belts, each handmade from environmentally friendly Italian leather with fabric lining made from vintage scarves, which means no two will ever be the same.  But fear not, if you  missed her at Handmade visit  www.rosiestallard.co.uk to get your own handmade designer leather goods.

Talking of leather, you cant help but love Amma Gyan's Me range and her stunning handcrafted leather jewelery and accesories, my particular favorite is the autumn leaves molded leather necklace hand cut and dyed from vegetable tanned skins. The craftsmanship is amazing and this necklace would definitely be a showstopper! For more info email: ammagyan@wear-me.co.uk

And not to forget the great furniture work of Richard Fairbrother and those coasters by Laura Felicity which were two of the most talked about pieces below:

*For some reason the pictures wont upload at the moment, I will try and fix this but in the mean time have a look at Richard's work on http://www.richardfairbrother.com/ and Laura's at http://www.laurafelicity.co.uk/

Hello

Hi all,

After shutting down my last blog, I have decided to start again...from scratch! To all those that followed before, thank you and sorry for the delay! I will update as much as I can and am now on twitter! follow me @moanskii