7 posts tagged "Creatures of Comfort"
Dig In: Welcome Companions’ Spring Snack
The concept behind Laurel Broughton’s L.A.-based accessories range, Welcome Companions, is a simple one. “The line comes out of the idea that the objects around you can be your friends,” says the 34-year-old designer. Sure, you might get a funny look or two if you carry on talking to one of Broughton’s clever totes, clutches, or scarves, but at the very least, they’ll put a smile on your face. Having launched her line in 2011 with the surrealist-inspired Mr. Fork, Miss Knife collection—which included a bowler-hat handbag, a change purse that looked like a white glove, and an airmail-envelope-turned-wallet—Broughton is interested in presenting iconic shapes in unexpected, tongue-in-cheek ways. For Spring ’13, the whimsical line (which is produced locally in L.A.) offers Part-Time Picnic, a collection that reimagines picnic wares and eats as covetable kidskin and calf accouterments. Take, for instance, Broughton’s toast handbag. “The shape of toast is recognizable, but it also functions really well as a shoulder bag,” says the designer. For a complete dining experience, there’s also a butter-pad clutch, napkin- and plate-print scarves, zip-lip pouches and totes, and woven leather bags that resemble flattened picnic baskets. “Picnicking is an activity that we do to get outside of our normal, everyday lives,” says the designer. “And these accessories allow you to be on a part-time picnic all the time.”
Welcome Companions is available at the Webster, Creatures of Comfort, and online at welcomecompanions.com.
Now Playing: Video Fashion Week
More and more, designers are using videos to showcase their collections. In response to that, Style.com launched its own Video Fashion Week a few seasons ago. Today, VFW returns, starting off with short films from Opening Ceremony, Wendy Nichol, and Creatures of Comfort. Click here to read the review, see the complete collection, and watch the videos. Check back daily for new videos.
Print Story
Some of the greatest inventions began with mistakes, and such is the case with Postalco’s literal reinvention of the wheel—a kaleidoscopic “Wheel Printer” for its Japanese-made notebooks. “A piece of paper got accidentally stuck under the door at our house,” explains Mike Abelson, who founded the stationery and leather goods label (a favorite within the fashion set) with his partner, Yuri Abelson, after he moved to Tokyo from New York. “The wheel in the sliding door made a really interesting track on the paper, and that was when I realized I could get something beautiful but rough from wheels.”
After a year of experimenting with tire tracks and ink, Abelson arrived at his creation, which debuted at the Wallpaper Handmade Exhibition for Milano Salone. Last night, the Wheel Printer rolled into New York’s cult-y style hub Creatures of Comfort for an eight-day exhibition. During the course of the week, Mike will be on hand to create custom, one-of-a-kind “wheel” prints on the Postalco notebooks currently for sale at the Mulberry Street store. “That kind of irregularity is really inspiring,” he says, adding that he’s especially intrigued by the way things were crafted pre-Industrial Revolution. “Now that we don’t need paper for each and every written communication, people are starting to be more aware of paper as an object, not just a surface.”
That’s not to say a Postalco notebook is too precious to use. Abelson last used his to jot notes for an essay on messiness. “I always write any first drafts on paper,” he says. “Something about a pen and paper gets the ideas flowing.”
The Postalco Wheel Printer temporary print shop and exhibition is open though July 10 at Creatures of Comfort (205 Mulberry St., NYC) through July 10.
Now Playing: Video Fashion Week
Designers have increasingly taken to using videos to share their latest collections, so in response, Style.com launched its first-ever Video Fashion Week last season. Today marks the start of the second VFW, beginning with Markus Lupfer. Click here to read the review, see the complete collection, and watch his new video. Coming up, expect to see films from Creatures of Comfort, Sophomore, Rogan, A.P.C., Madewell, and more. Check back daily throughout the week.
From PR To Design, An Industry Insider Crosses The Aisle
New York-based designer Gabby Sabharwal sings the same tune as most women when it comes to shopping for swimwear: “I find it stressful—the fitting rooms have those weird lights, there’s always those annoying stickers in the suits, and I could never find anything that fit me correctly,” she tells Style.com. “The ones that did fit would be too skimpy. I thought, ‘I can’t be in front of my dad or my boyfriend’s family in this.’ “
Her solution was to found her own collection of printed swimsuit separates, Giejo, to address these concerns. All her tops and bottoms are sold individually, for mix-and-match effect. “Girls today mix high and low, and with my swimwear you can do the same,” the designer says. “The biggest thing is you don’t want to see yourself on the beach and have other girls in the exact same thing—this way that won’t happen.”
Giejo is Sabharwal’s first foray into the world of design, after years of working as a fashion publicist. Despite her lack of formal design training, she found her work experience was on her side. “Working in PR, I was always nervous that I wouldn’t be taken seriously because I didn’t have a full design background, but everyone and all of the designers were so encouraging and wanted to help make it happen,” she says. Tucker’s Gaby Basora was particularly encouraging. So were retailers. The debut Giejo collection hits stores, including New York’s Creatures of Comfort and L.A.’s Madison boutiques, in late February, and an exclusive collection for Barneys New York, made up of Aztec and floral prints, arrives on the retailer’s shelves in late spring—just in time for beach weather.