Ouur is the latest beautiful endeavor by Nathan Williams, brand director and editor in chief of Kinfolk Magazine, and his team. Pronounced just like the word our, the brand is centered around a visual motif of underlines. These underlines represent an effort to collect like-minded elements into a single place. This translates into collections for men and women which are clearly in line with the Kinfolk aesthetic, primarily using textiles such as linen, cotton and wool. Created with a sharp attention to detail, classic silhouettes and a neutral color palette, each item has been made with an emphasis on comfort and utility. The goal Williams has set for the line is that pieces in the collection will be interchangeable, functional and wearable in all seasons, which clearly shows in the newly released lookbook for the Autumn/Winter 2014 collection. [ Continue reading ]
We aren't major game fans, but since the elegant Monument Valley was released for iPhone and iPad at the beginning of this month, we have really been appreciating it. The newest adventurous game from ustwo, who created Whale Trail and Blip Blup earlier, is a surreal exploration through fantastical architecture and impossible geometry. Guide the silent Princess Ida through mysterious monuments, uncovering hidden paths, taking advantage of optical illusions and outsmarting the enigmatic Crow People. Inspired by the art of M.C. Escher, Japanese prints and minimalist 3D design, each level is a unique, hand-crafted combination of puzzle, graphic design and architecture. Like listening to an album or walking through a museum for the first time, Monument Valley is about discovery, perception and meaningful beauty. [ Continue reading ]
Recently the fascinating 'The Ghoda Cycle Project' was brought to our attention. The project is a visual document of the myriad avatars of bicycles in the rural and urban landscape of India by Mumbai-based illustrator Sameer Kulavoor, who works under the name Bombay Duck Designs. The linchpin of 'The Ghoda Cycle Project' is to lay emphasis on the framework, structure, decoration and design of the cycles of India. Ergonomically these cycles may not be the best examples of bicycle design, but they have the strength to carry the hopes and aspirations of a big section of the Indian population. No wonder they are called ghoda, which translates to sturdy or durable, cycles. In India basic necessities like cooking gas, milk, bread, newspapers and tiffin are delivered to people's homes on a cycle. And next to this activity, there are the mobile cycle shops that sell, among other things, tea, vegetables, waist-belts, ice-creams, SIM-cards and so on. Bicycles in India are truly multifunctional beyond Western imagination, which is caught perfectly by Kulavoor. [ Continue reading ]
We love the amazing still life campaign featuring Linda Farrow's Spring/Summer 2014 icons, shot by the highly talented Belgian photographer Frederik Vercruysse in a collaboration with art direction studio Uber en Kosher. Vercruysse is most known for his minimalistic, but highly stylized photography and former collaborations with Filip Dujardin. For the seasonal pieces shot by Vercruysse, Linda Farrow draws inspiration from cosmetic pastels and a new-found love for the eclectic stylish Seventies, creating a diverse and adventurous exploration of fashion eyewear. The constant elements are the hyper-luxe materials including snakeskin and gold, superlative finish and fashion-forward shapes Linda Farrow has become renowned for. The campaign showcases the LFL306 model, crafted from yellow gold and ash snakeskin frame teamed with gold plated lens, and the LFL300, made out of rose gold and its amazing mocha snakeskin frame teamed with a rose gold lens. [ Continue reading ]
Luke Stephenson just started a Kickstarter campaign to publish his latest beautiful series in a collaboration with YES, who also designed 'An Incomplete Dictionary of Show Birds'. Named '99 x 99s', the series is a photographic project which documents the story of the 99 ice cream through a photographic road trip around the UK. In the summer of 2013, over 25 days and 3,500 miles, Stephenson travelled around the coastline of Great Britain. Going from place to place the photographer was fascinated by the human touches that make each 99 ice cream unique. In the series the seaside ice cream vans and parlours that sold the 99s are also portrayed and the myths which surround this very British icon are discussed, giving the project a significant anthropological dimension, next to Stephenson's excellent eye for finding beautiful aesthetics in unexpected places. [ Continue reading ]
We absolutely love the new collection by Sweden-based gardening house, and one of the most elegant companies worldwide; Coloni. For Spring/Summer 2014 the company has explored the field of species for growing on balconies and other small spaces. By focusing on these species with a wild character, such as meadow flowers and different kinds of grasses, and combining them with species that have a graphic and dramatic character the aim is to create seed mixtures with a natural and less structured feeling. Inspired by the rhythm of day and night and its different moods, the collection named From Dusk Till Dawn consists of the seed mixtures Early Shades, Harvest Noon and Into the Night. [ Continue reading ]
'The Outsiders: New Outdoor Creativity' is the latest inspirational publication by German publishing house Gestalten. Created out of the fact that more and more people are turning to the great outdoors when seeking peace and balance, whether hiking through the mountains or simply spending a night in a tent far away from civilization. The Outsiders showcases the outlook and passions of the new creative scene that has emerged and draws inspiration from this development along with its original products, brands, and ideas. The products and projects presented in this book are better, both in concept and design, making them more radical and complete than its predecessors. Combining handicraft with the latest technology, they incorporate illustrations, photography, and graphic art as well as trends in product design and fashion. Here, the fundamental challenges posed by the wilderness meet the aesthetic needs of the design-literate urbanite in ways that are atmospheric and likeable, with the occasional romantic or ironic wink. [ Continue reading ]
