Link – Winter 2013.

Yay, Link’s winter furoshiki are out! Please take a look …

My latest design ‘Dots‘ is available in blue, black and rust. The design continues along the theme of folding and wrapping. Hours of paper folding and experimenting went on behind the scenes, which was a lot of fun … perhaps I’ll share some sketches at a later date.

Also launched this winter season is ‘The Hida Express‘, another beautifully intricate design by Hannah Waldron (designer of the Maze furoshiki, Winter 2012) based on a train journey she took through the Japanese Alps.

At last … LINK is officially announced!

After lots of work, we are very excited to officially announce the launch of our limited edition furoshiki!

Two original designs, hand-printed in Japan on 100% cotton. Please take a look at our site: http://thelinkcollective.com/.

Furoshiki design

space-to-think was commissioned by Samsonite Japan to design a limited edition novelty ‘furoshiki’* (90 x 90 cm traditional wrapping cloth) to be presented alongside the launch of their new line of limited edition Cabin Size suitcases launched in May.

Using three colours on chirimen (traditional Japanese crepe cloth), we wanted the design to compliment and add a little burst of colour to the Cabin Size suitcase range (beige, apricot, brown) – something a little retro and fun, that would appeal to customers of a 30-60 year old age group.

As Samsonite is all about travel, it seemed obvious to me that the idea behind this furoshiki design would be ‘movement’. Keeping in mind the multi-purpose function of furoshiki, an important aspect of the design was to create something that worked as a beautiful pattern when folded, but when the furoshiki was spread out in full, the image worked in it’s entirety. By using repeated shapes and patterns rushing across the fabric, I wanted to create a sense of movement and direction in the imagery. In addition to that, the swallow being a true traveler – fast, agile and migratory – leant itself perfectly to the overall concept. See some sketches for the project here.

I was very excited to be invited to work on this project, especially as I have a passion for traditional Japanese textiles … and it was very enjoyable to have the opportunity to work with Kyoko, at Samsonite in Tokyo. I look forward to future creative collaborations!

* Furoshiki
The Japanese Ministry of the Environment promotes the use of furoshiki as an eco friendly, alternative way to wrap gifts and to carry things around. The name ‘furoshiki’ translates as ‘bath spread’ as it was once most used for wrapping people’s clothes at the Public Bath houses. They are also used for bundling up or gift-wrapping all sorts of things from lunch boxes or books, to watermelons and bottles of wine!

The Good Envelope Party

Photo from The Good Envelope Party.

The Good Envelope Party is a group of woman from the Silver Lake area, who get together once a month to make recycled envelopes over a nice glass of wine and a chat. It’s a flurry of folding, gluing and fun! The envelopes, sold in sets of 10, are made from reused magazine and book pages. The imagery on each envelope is completely unique, ranging from the beautiful, to quite surreal, to very humorous!

The brilliant thing is that the proceeds are directly donated to non-profit organizations, underfunded schools, and local families struggling to fulfill their basic needs. And The Good Envelope Party are very proud and excited to have just made their first donation!

Roadkill jewellery

Nugent, with a ball of 30,000 porcupine needles. Photo via Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press

I just came across this article on treehugger.com about Amy Nugent, a jeweler and artist based in Vancouver, who uses roadkill to create her jewelery. Amazing!

Go Green Expo

01.19.09
Go Green Expo to debut in L.A., LA Times Blog, January 19, 2009

Reuse this. Recycle that. We’ve all heard the message that going green is good. This weekend, consumers who want to put their money where that message is can do a little learning — and a lot of buying — at the Go Green Expo, a trade show and “green-living” showcase that will make its L.A. debut this weekend. Everything from reusable dry cleaning bags to repurposed billboard vinyl to electric transportation will be on display, as will numerous products that aren’t so much green as merely riding the green bandwagon. So, buyers: beware.

More than 200 exhibitors will be strutting their stuff at the three-day event co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times and Perf Go Green, a marketer and distributor of biodegradable plastics. Divided into two parts — a business-to-business expo for business owners on Friday and a for-the-public expo Saturday and Sunday — the event will also feature various “green” speakers. Most notable is Ed Begley Jr., who will give a free-to-the-public talk Friday afternoon. His speech will be followed by a screening of the oil-industry documentary, “Fuel,” and a panel discussion about clean energy with the documentary’s director, Josh Tickell, along with Hollywood stars Peter Fonda and Mariel Hemingway.

The Go Green Expo was itself inspired by a movie: Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” The eco-doc had its intended effect on Bradford Rand, the trade show and job-fair creator who founded and runs the Go Green Expo. “There wasn’t a trade show that helps people learn about all the different eco-friendly products and services out there,” said Rand, who’s putting the eco message into practice at this weekend’s expo. The tickets are paperless, the garbage bags are made from biodegradable plastic and the show’s signs are all printed on recycled paper.

What: Go Green Expo

When: Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday ,10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles

Cost: Adults, $10; seniors age 65+ and children under the age of 12, free

Info: www.GoGreenExpo.com