fashion – DesignApplause

joe doucet envisions a life-saving fashion accessory: behold the face shield. covid-19.

May 3, 2020

from sun glasses to face shields.

some experts predict the next two years could look like the last two months. through the summer and possibly into 2021 face masks will be required to get on a plane, walk into a grocery store, or move about within urban spaces. it’s for the public good. it’s also now bad mask etiquette without one.

yes, a mask offers protection in that it stops the spread. but the mask sometimes feels suffocating, fogs opticals, and makes us mumblers or screamers. i find myself storing my mask in a ziploc bag and then taking it in and out of my back pocket 5-6 times on an afternoon errand. what could be more inconvenient. a reusable shield is a game changer. i can put it on and leave it on until i reach the safety of my home.

right now there are probably 30 face shields being created by car manufacturers, engineering companies, architects and designers. this is all good but the shields look very much like ones that already exist. there are just now more of them. why can’t we make something better while at the same time more fashionable so more people will want to wear it ?

may we remind you that raymond loewy said that between two products equal in price, function and quality, the one with the most attractive exterior will win.

the face shield presented here is almost perfect. however, here are some ideas for consideration: incorporate a transitional lens for low light activities; shave the top to accommodate a hat for all-season wearability while also shedding weight; include a fashionable carry-case.

look, fashion is really quiet during these stay-at-home days. fashion producers are making medical gowns while fragrance houses are making hand sanitizer. in two months our creative community has gone only practical. it’s time to think about fun and fashion as well.

fashion is trendy, because the very nature of trends is to come and go. fashion can be practical too. from dresses to pants for ease of movement. from briefcases to backpacks for carrying things. from business attire to leggings and sweatpants for comfort. sweatpants! from sun glasses to face shields for protection.

the timing is ripe for a life-saving fashion accessory. kickstarter calling…

[ joe doucet x partners ]

employer branding. our company needs you.

Nov 25, 2015

with limited growth prospects on the horizon, the fashion industry’s battle for talent is intensifying. listen up everyone. via business of fashion

rick owens ss 2016 collection features piggy-back models.

Oct 25, 2015

[ rick owens ] Spring/Summer 2016 Paris Fashion Week show…

While it was initially distracting to see models carrying their colleagues upside down in body harnesses at the Rick Owens show this afternoon, there was – as we all knew there would be – a symbolic reason for it. Ever the contemporary showman, Owens challenges convention with his shows to highlight the fundamental message that he wishes to convey, and today it was “nourishment, sisterhood and motherhood, and regeneration”.

Sartorially these idea of birth, of women being fertile givers of life, found its way past the cradling harnesses into rich silk gazars and organzas draped around the body into creations that were “as close to floral as I’ll probably ever get,” said Owens, as well as asymmetric and sculpted proportions that, like human nature, were imperfect and raw.

It was a departure for Owens, by his own admission, and one that proved to his critics that he is no one-trick pony. Calmly sat front row in a shadowed corner of the Palais de Tokyo show space watching his crowd file in, it appeared that Rick Owens was experiencing a regeneration of his own today. ~ scarlett conlon – vogue

click on image to activate lightbox – 15 images | images: francois g. durand / getty

let’s not lose sight of the footwear presentation | attendees seen wearing delightfully distinctive new owens shoes

the london design festival pack 15 via camron.

Sep 19, 2015

from our friends at camron [ view the london design festival pack 15 ] @CamronPR @L_D_F #ldf15

barcelona design museum opens integrating art objects and design.

Jan 6, 2015

above foreground bruumruum! interactive installation designed by david torrents
a new iconic building designed by barcelona’s mbm arquitectes, completed in 2013 and recently filled with collections from four different museums in 2014. the museu del disseny (design museum of barcelona) is now the main institution in barcelona dedicated to the world of design. admission will be free of charge thru january 2015.

the museum includes collections featuring decorative arts, fashion, graphic and product design, from: the museu de ceràmica (museum of ceramics), the museu tèxtil i indumentària (museum of tissues and dresses), the museu de les arts decoratives (decorative arts museum) and the gabinet de les arts gràfiquesv (gallery of graphic arts).

above> la pedrera chair: the first piece of the collection of furniture designed by juan francisco barba corsini in 1955 for apartments built between 1953 and 1955 for architect antoni gaudí / below> an exhibition dedicated to fashion design reviews trends from 1550 to 2015. photo by jose luis fettolini.

above> poster for industria y arquitectura 2ª exposición g.r, 1954 by ricard giralt miracle, on show as part of the graphic design: from trade to profession (1940-1980) exhibition. photograph by xavier padrós / below> graphic identity system by atlas – from 2008 to 2013 the building was called design hub barcelona.

<a href="about phil patton

pixel panties. world’s first 8-bit underwear.

Jun 12, 2014

HOT off the wire – Two designers based in Lisbon, Portugal. After a night of intense video gaming we had a dream about sexy women in pixelated lingerie. We’ve always been told to follow our dreams. So that’s what we did. The next day we started designing what would become the world’s first 8-bit underwear.

Made with squares, fit for round bottoms! [ pixel panties ]

Cos x nendo + pop-up good fit for retailers. Milan 2014.

Apr 19, 2014

We get asked a lot about what’s trending though lately the big topic is who’s putting more emphasis on their online capabilities and what’s driving traffic to the website. For example in March [shades of blue] in conversation with Matteo Alessi, international sales and development director for Alessi, the pop-up concept was mentioned as a way to build face-to-face relationships that transfer to online purchases.

Again, a few weeks later, an enticing pop-up presented itself in Milan where clothing label COS and Japanese design studio Nendo created an installation in the Brera district in a very cool space. It was really more Nendo installation than COS. The ground floor space was empty except for the Nendo’s installation (above) and the basement a huge display of Nendo’s work. COS made it’s presence known with just a smattering of simply minimal accessory collections near the ground floor entrance. It was enough.

cos assessories near ground floor entrance

nendo display in basement

su | emeco | 2014

We really went to see Nendo but discovered COS. COS (Collection of Style), owned by H&M, a best-kept secret that everyone in fashion seems to know launched with a catwalk show at the Royal Academy in 2007. An up-market brand positioned at a slightly higher price point to that typically associated with H&M’s fast fashion offerings.

H&M started their guest-designer collaborations in 2004 with Karl Lagerfeld. Then Stella McCartney and avant-garde Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf in 2005. COS partnering with Nendo works well if you’re familiar with Nendo’s simple and almost timeless solutions. Current without being trendy, very Nendo-like.

Until recently, if you lived in the US you had to go to London or Paris to purchase COS because they were in Europe only and sold nothing online. That’s all changed. COS is currently operating across Europe and Asia with a total of 82 stores worldwide and will open its first store in the USA, New York, in spring 2014. Miami might be the next store.

The COS press kit consisted of a well-designed and expensive limited-edition looking spring & summer 2014 magazine (above) and a small creative little brochure with the story behind the pop-up collaboration. The magazine was in English, the brochure in English and Italian, with Italian store locations in back: Bologna, Firenze, Milano, Verona and coming soon, Torino. The details draw you in.[ nendo ] [ cos ]

<a href="about ron kovach

Interview with fashion designer elke walter. Preview.

Sep 24, 2013

DesignApplause is interviewing German fashion designer Elke Walter while she is still in Chicago at a pop-up shop event where Elke will show her works from her ‘Essentials’ and ‘One-of-a-kinds, collections and maybe more:

venue: pavilion antiques | 2055 north damen
dates: 20 > 27 september | noon > 6 | 773 645 0924

>one-of-a-kinds collection

essentials collection

on-site at pop-up

[ elke walter ] [ pavilion antiques ]

Burberry boasts using new iphone 5c & 5s on fashion show.

Sep 18, 2013

burberry boasts using new iphone 5c & 5s on fashion show. 5s slomo video & 5c camera via instantgram. [RK]

Celebrating fashion and design. LuminaireX.

May 11, 2013

[ Luminaire ] a pioneering force in the design world, celebrates the highly anticipated culmination of its innovative community pop-up space LuminaireX. On Thursday, May 16th, 2013, Luminaire’s contemporary 21,000-square foot showroom will be the stunning backdrop for a spectacular runway show featuring breathtaking designs of Gallery Aesthete, Katrin Schnabl and Robin Richman. Guests will also enjoy the extraordinary elegance of Voveti Sparkling Wine.

For only two more weeks, LuminaireX adds new excitement to River North with its temporary, experimental concept shop. LuminaireX brings together like-minded individuals and organizations that represent the best of their respective fields with a rotating roaster of partners that creates a truly dynamic community.

A meticulously curated collection of rare and unique pieces consisting of accessories, chairs, sofas and wall systems from internationally celebrated designers who are mainstays in Luminaire’s showrooms including Patricia Urquiola, Konstantin Grcic, the Bouroullec Brothers and Philippe Starck will be offered at special pricing.

Everyone is invited to join Luminaire and their partners in celebration of the extraordinary three-month run of LuminaireX – exploring, experimenting and experiencing good design affects our lives and our community.

[ reception & runway show ]
Thursday 16 May | 6 > 8p [ RSVP ] Chicago Showroom | 301 West Superior