Troll Beads- Your Unique Jewelry

I prefer to write about smaller design companies rather than high street brands but once in a while a larger brand can have a unique product. I have had some involvement with the Danish company Troll Beads. I do have to say I was surprised at both the quality and design content of their products, which does feature one-off unique beads.

Their story started in Denmark in 1976. The first bead, which later gave name to the Troll Beads collection, was a small bead decorated with six faces of trolls. It was designed by Søren Silversmith and sold from his father Svend's jewelry shop in central Copenhagen. The beads were created at a time where it was fashionable to have a silver bead hanging on a leather thong around the neck. But instead of letting the bead hang in an eyelet, Søren wanted to let the leather cord go through the bead. Later on, Søren's sister, Lise, began to put the beads on silver bracelets, one on each bracelet, customers then started to request extra beads. Until the year 2000 the family designed the full range. However, to increase the diversity of the collection, ten famous Danish jewelry designers were invited to make a signature Troll Bead and today many of these designers still continue to work with the company. In 2001 the first glass beads, made of Italian glass where featured and have since built up a huge following worldwide.

From this original starting point the collection has grown to include; bracelets, charms and beads, bangles, necklaces, rings and earrings. The concept of personalised jewelry where you can add your favorite beads to your jewelry pieces has continued and been copied by many other well-known retailers. Today Troll Beads are sold in more than thirty countries. The full collection features over 600 different beads designed by ninety internationally renowned designers in collaboration with the Nielsen/Aagaard family, who are still actively involved in production and the design process.

Many customers have become quite serious about their Troll Bead collections and have formed clubs and hold online forums. An annual design competition enabled customers to design a bead which is then put into production and sold in the collection.

Despite the growth of the business, they have stayed true to both the original conception and the needs and wishes of their customer base. Creativity and the chance to experiment and change your jewelry easily, is as true today as it was in 1976. I think this is something quite rare and to able to continue to produce a well-designed product with love is unique in today’s climate.

 Have fun creating….Sara x

Mark Herald-Art and Illustration

I have just visited the wonderfully refurbished York Art Gallery which now featured the very talented and more than a little eccentric Mark Herald as the artist in residence. Mark has also curated The Lumber Room: Unimagined Treasures, a room full of miscellaneous stored objects and artifacts from the stores of the Yorkshire Museum and York Castle Museum as well as the York Art Gallery. His choices include textiles, costume, oil paintings, and works on paper, furniture, and taxidermy, many items of which have not been on public display before, this quirky collection is well worth a visit.

Mark Herald studied illustration at Glasgow College of Art and then completed an MA in Natural History Illustration at the Royal College of Art. Taking his inspiration from the flora and fauna of the British countryside, Mark works across a number of mediums, producing limited edition lithographic and linocut prints, unique paintings, collages and hand-painted ceramics. Just wonderful as an unusual gift.

Mark has recently completed commissions for Faber & Faber and Tate Museums. A children's book illustrated by a series of Mark's unique collages was published by Walker Books in 2012.

There is something very contemporary about Mark’s work but also at the same time I feel that it reflects a different time, nostalgic and very British. I love the distinctive images, wonderful colour’s and the fact it always puts a smile on my face.  Great fun!

Mark’s work is available through many Museum shops nationwide or via the website below:

 www.stjudesprints.co.uk

Art Meets Fashion

Hermes Limited-Edition Scarves by Hiroshi Sugimoto. 

I love the mixing of art, fashion and craftsmanship, the recent design collaboration of Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto with iconic fashion house Hermes, does just that. Famous for its beautiful, colourful scarves and exciting marketing campaigns Hermes is one of the leading luxury scarf brands in the world.

 
The ‘Couleurs de l’ombre’ range of limited-edition silk scarves is inspired by Polaroid’s of the artist’s ‘Colour of Shadow’ collection. In his ‘Colour of Shadow’ artworks, Sugimoto used a Polaroid camera to take long-exposure shots of cinema screens, light passing through prism, and extreme close-ups of colours to create vibrant and colourful photos.

Hermes selected some of Sugimoto’s Polaroid’s and printed them on silk scarves using ink jet printing. These stunning scarves are truly works of art.

http://editeur-en.hermes.com for more details

 

 

 

Wonderful Shops To See....

Carine Gilson Lingerie Couture

I love beautiful shops and interiors. Many of my favourite shops are in Paris, which is a really good excuse to take a trip to Paris….

Carine Gilson sells stunning couture lingerie; the art of perfection is second nature, using the best materials of Lyon silk and Chantilly lace. Every item is unique and hand-crafted in silk, both fluid and elegant in design.

To exhibit her couture lingerie, Carine Gilson imagined a contemporary boudoir, where the minimalist space meets the decorative spirit. The space is vibrated by continuous mirrors, offering a sensual atmosphere. Carine is a graduate in fine art from the Antwerp academy in Brussels, setting up her workshop when only 23 years old, she produced her first collection in 1994. Her collections are now available worldwide from London, Brussels, Paris, LA, New York and Tokyo and there are branches of Carine Gilson in Paris, Brussels and London.

www.carinegilson.com for more information

Sara x

Bespoke Scents And Perfumes

Ormonde Jayne- Wonderful Perfumes…

I love scents and perfumes; I think that these evoke such strong memories and passions. Although I have always worn Chanel, I do love the beautiful fragrances of Ormonde Jayne, who are based in England. Each product is passionately created by owner, Linda Pilkington and bottled and packaged by hand in her London workshop.

Ormonde Jayne, started almost by chance and at the time was little more than the passionate hobby of an uncompromising perfectionist. Linda’s interest in perfumery started as a teenager, intrigued by the passion and romance of perfume and perfume bottles. This passion led Linda to her first career, growing and selling flowers by the roadside outside her Cheshire family home. She also learnt to make scented candles and bathing oils from craft sets and courses, and created scented cushions. Linda then spent fourteen years travelling and working around the world; gaining experience working in South America, Africa and the Far East.

On returning home, Linda continued with her love of scent and began creating a collection of perfumes which were shown at a London trade show. For two consecutive years, she was awarded the first prize for style and innovation and worked with Chanel to create ‘the perfect scented candle’

 

The Ormonde Jayne perfumery opened on 30th November 2002 in London’s Old Bond Street. The philosophy is one of quality and true luxury, the pursuit of beauty and elegance.  Their perfume library reposes on one simple principle, beautiful scents using speciality oils not widely used in today’s perfume industry. Rare oils are hunted down for the men’s and women’s perfumes and these are blended with specially selected botanical extracts including orchid oil, water lily, green ginger and sea fennel to create the bath and body collection.  One of the unique services they offer is a Perfume Portrait by allowing the client to smell single notes and documenting the individual's likes and dislikes, their consultants are able to direct the customer to a perfume that exceeds their expectations.

In Linda’s own words;



“In creating Ormonde Jayne, my goal was to combine elements which I consider define true elegance: The quality of English craftsmanship, the art of French perfumery and the sensuality and natural harmony of the Orient.”

http://www.ormondejayne.com for details online and to view their London Perfumery

Ormonde Jayne, 192 Pavilion Road,  Sloane Square. London, SW3 2BF

Bye for now

Sara x

Bespoke Tailoring

Alexander McQueen- A Great Artisan

One of the best known British designers of all times, Alexander McQueen sums up all that is British, uniqueness, quirky, but beautifully made.

He was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his collection could be very feminine almost fragile but still had great strength and the power to shock at times. His fashion shows could be very provocative and did force people to think.

McQueen's early runway collections developed his reputation for controversy and shock tactics and he was called the L’Enfant terrible as well as "the hooligan of English fashion. His collections were also named to shock titles such as Highland Rape. But I think it was just theatre, if at times a little dark.  Alexander McQueen was known for over the top, unconventional runway shows: a recreation of a shipwreck for his spring 2003 collection; spring 2005's human chess game; and his fall 2006 show "Widows of Culloden", which featured a life-sized hologram of supermodel Kate Moss dressed in yards of rippling fabric. He used new technology and innovation to add a different twist to his shows and often shocked audiences and I am sure the fashion world is a much duller place without his unique showmanship.

Behind the drama, Alexander McQueen did have a formal, traditional apprenticeship at Anderson and Shepherds, Savile Row Tailors, and then at Gieves and Hawkes. I think this does show in the construction and sharp fit of his clothing. He then moved on to Angels and Bermans, theatrical costumiers, where he mastered 6 methods of pattern cutting.  He went on to work for inventive designer Koji Tatsuno in London and then Romeo Gigli in Italy.

When he returned to London he completed a Master’s degree in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martin’s. In 1992 he was spotted by Isabella Blow who was going to have a huge impact on his future, personally and professionally, becoming his muse.

He had a profound respect and was influenced by the arts and crafts tradition. Alexander’s collections combine an in-depth working knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, the fine workmanship of the French Haute Couture atelier and the impeccable finish of Italian manufacturing. In less than 10 years McQueen became one of the most respected fashion designers in the world. In October 1996 he was appointed Chief Designer at the French Haute Couture House Givenchy where he worked until March of 2001. In December 2000, 51% of Alexander McQueen was acquired by the Gucci Group, where he remained Creative Director.

 

In Style magazine listed an Alexander McQueen dress in the "100 Best Dresses of the Decade. McQueen also became known for using skulls in his designs. A scarf bearing the motif became a celebrity must-have and was copied around the world.

Alexander McQueen’s major achievement in fashion have been recognized by the following awards: British Designer of the year 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2003, International Designer of the Year by The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2003, A Most Excellent Commander of The British Empire (CBE)

Today his legacy is continued by the talented Sarah Burton.

www.alexandermcqueen.com

For more images please view

http://pinterest.com/sarabrowndesign/alexander-mcqueen-and-friends/

Bye for now

Sara x