Claire Basler

Dream away to beautiful enchanted forests and fields of flowers, you do not need to go far, it is possible just observing the work of french artist Claire Basler.

Viktor & Rolf with Studio Job stage decor

image courtesy of Style.com

Dear fashion addicted around the world,

the last Viktor & Rolf F/W show was again amazing. The Glamour Factory - this was the show title & collection theme - was the combination of the giant shoulders of the 90's and a theatrical performance. The designer were first stripping the models from the various layers and then re-dressing them.
The designers explained: "This time around, we want to show that something can be both wearable and extreme at the same time. It goes beyond a mere idea; it is literally ready for production."
Please notice the beautiful stage decor designed by my dear friends of Studio Job, Job Smeets en Nynke Tynagel, an incredible complicated print of industrial pieces.
This is a clear example of Dutch creativity at his best!!

Daniele Michetti

foto via Stylisti.com

.......since we are talking about fashion I would like to show you this amazing designer.

Daniele Michetti did win the "Whos is next" italian award for the accessories designer category, and you can see why, these are incredibly beautiful HANDMADE shoes, like (if I may say so) only italian craft can make!

Moi Multiple - Anna Ceccon

On the new and re-designed website of Vogue Italia I read about a young italian fashion designer, Anna Ceccon. She is busy since 2008 with her brand Moi Multiple and she has just presented the last F/W collection during Milan Fashion Week, getting lots of positive reactions. In her web you can read  more about her vision: " It is a though over the contemporary society transition. The individual is more and more prismatic and with a multiple identity. The woman roles evolved and develop asking several aptitudes, competences and personalities. The brand wants to reflect the woman’s different personality thanks to a transitory stylistic identity, always changeable."

I like her approach, so I hope to see her clothes around soon.

                                         

                                         

Francesca Grilli

a still form the video Gordon 

Video artist Francesca Grilli mixes video techniques, photography and performance all in one. The results are particularly poetic videos about family relations and the space around us. In Gordon you find a special portrait of her relation with the grandfather, she says: "The aim of this work is to consider heritage, secret identification and distance in the human relationships. I ask my grand-father, Giordano Bruno, a man of eighty-seven years, to play (bocce)bowls with me, an activity that he plays every day. we play with new rules, keeping the winner and the colour of the play unknown , using many bowls and possibilities." See the video and more Francesca works on her website.

Kiki van Eijk - new work in Rome

If you are in Rome you MUST visit the new exhibition of Kiki van Eijk works, opening on March 4th at the gallery SecondoMe. I know Kiki since a while now and everytime I am amazed with the quality and vision of her work. Kiki did reach a big spot in the Dutch Design scene, thanks to extremely hard work but also to a clear identity, a clear conceptual thinking and continuous experiments with materials and shapes.

She also managed to stay simple and to keep  "her beautiful soul" which in the Design World is not that easy - believe me!! I am working there everyday.

This exhibition will move to Milan in April, for the Settimana del Salone del Mobile.

Brava Kiki!

Charlotte Mann

If you are searching for an original way to spice up your office, entrance or just room walls, search no more!Charlotte Mann is the woman you need!!! Take a look at the incredible work of this english illustrator.
These are just a black marker illustrations, I just LOVE THEM! I want my home office to look like this!!!

Charlotte worked with fashion designer Peter Jansen at his S/S 2010 backdrop catalogue pages.

Copy Nature exhibition

Ninna Thorarinsdottir

A group of young international and very talented designers did work at a special project with metal casting called Copy nature . The results are really interesting; take a look for example at this, a Yellow and Purple combination of elements from a banana and an eggplant to form the heel of the shoe. It is cast in bronze and highly polished by designer Ninna Thorarinsdottir (Iceland - pity I could not find her web!).

See more experiments here.

Elina Minn

Elina Min is an ecletic artist, illustrator and web designer. For the Rotor2 Gallery in Gotheborg, Sweden, she has collaborated with Ida Lehtonen creating this really particular exhibition; the title is "Making something out of nothing".

Arabeschi di Latte

Arabeschi di Latte is a dinamic and creative platform based in Florence, founded by Francesca Sarti, Alessandra Foschi, Silvia Allori, Francesca Pazzagli, architects. The group’s purpose is to experiment with a new design concept focusing on food fascination and the power of food in creating situations and relationships. Arabeschi di Latte believes in the pursuit of a “daily sense of happiness” through various strategies of participation and alternative functional models that respond to the basic and pleasurable need of social life.

David Chipperfield for Alessi

The beautiful Alessi Tonale line is designed by Architect David Chipperfield.

I have just discovered these objects, and immediately love them! David Chipperfield explains: "This collection was inspired by vernacular ceramics from korea, japan, and china, and conceived as an exercise in refining functional household objects. the name “tonale” refers to Giorgio Morandi’s use of color tonality imbuing his daily objects with a sense of individuality."

                                     

                                                           Giorgio Morandi still life

dotdotdot

"La Cultura Eleva" is the name of this intriguing design from italian dotdotdot ceative platform studio.

The project actually meas "Culture should bring you to an high level". Here you can see how designers Lilia Laghi e Mariano Pichler did translate their concept into a product for the PlusDesign Gallery.