Cool…K11 Design Mart

A few weeks ago, I visited the K11 Design Mart, held at the K11 Art Mall in TST.   If you have never been there, it is well worth a visit because it is full of great stores (this is HK!) and of course the yearly Design event, K11 Design Mart.

This Design Mart invites some of HK’s best young designers to show and sell their wares to a mainly HK local clientele.

Here are my picks of the bunch.

Adilee Leather:  This young man is a graphic designer by day, but his passion is leather.   He has some great gear made in high quality leather at very reasonable prices.   He also takes on bespoke commissions too.   I loved his great suede tote that you see pictured here.

Skate Amazing: Love these great chairs made of recycled skateboards and with the leather giving that extra luxe twist by AdiLee.  I will do a more detailed post on this great local brand later.

BeCandle:  These detailed wax candles are hand poured and finished.   The models are made from real objects and are great talking points & you can light them too.  When lit they create lovely surrealist puddles of wax.

322c: named after the designer’s son’s birthday, 322c is a design company that prides itself on its simple but beautiful and well made lighting and home products.    The Soho lamp is particularly stylish, made with a translucent porcelain shade, detailed oak support and a lovely polished concrete base (we love concrete @ eclecticcool). This company also deserves a post to themselves.

Cool…mr potatohead

Oh Mr Potato Head, you were one of my first creative endeavours! So if you are in Melbourne, don’t forget to check out the cute Mr Potatohead exhibition at Ganim’s Store.   Here is a  bit of a sneak peak, but there are many more interpretations by artists regularly featured on this blog…Doug Johnston, Glenn Proebstel, even my favorite sock designers, Antipast socks (pick them up in Tokyo or in the US in Barneys).

Q-Ubes

I have been trawling around London Design Week looking for things to show you that you may not have seen yet.   London used to be a hub of creativity but I have to confess that I haven’t seen anything that has been seen and done before.

Case in point, the Q-ube by artist Rolf Sachs in collaboration with English furniture maker, Linley.   Umm, MUUTO anyone?   I have been holding off doing my own boxes,after loads of customer demands, a la MUUTO but considering everyone from Ikea to Linley is doing them, why not?   I admit I am a bit of a fan of the old dovetail joint, and I do like a bit of solid wood, but come on- surely an artist and a fine furniture maker can do something more interesting than this.

The stacked desk is marginally more interesting, and the leather lining is nice, but there is something about it that looks a bit ungainly. At least there is lots of storage, but how would you find anything. You’d better hope your folders are the thickness of a paperback novel.   What do you think?

Cool…New art show in HK

If you’re like me and can’t get enough of contemporary art, make sure you head down to the Grand Hyatt on the 4th to the 7th of October for the Asia Contemporary Art Show.  This is the event for young and emerging artists from all over Asia.    If you are looking for the next big thing or if you are an art show virgin, start here.   The Show brings emerging artists from all across Asia including; Philippines, Myanmar, Tai Wan, Thailand and more, to debut their artwork here and showcase something different and modern. The artwork is priced at a more accessible range than often found in Hong Kong  allowing the Show to be open to more art-lovers.    Entrance for the three days is a very reasonable HKD 100.

In conjunction with the exhibition there is an Art Prize.  With 81 artists submitting works for a cash prize of HKD 50000, they are now in the last rounds of voting.   The winner will be announced at  the Gala, the night of the 4th October.

Opening Hours

VIP Preview: Thursday, October 4th: 5pm to 8pm

Open to the Public:

Friday, October 5th: 12 noon to 8pm

Saturday, October 6th: 12 noon to 8pm

Sunday, October 7th: 12 noon to 8pm

Admission Tickets (for three-day entry)

Online pre-show purchase: HKD100 for two

On the door: HKD100 per person

Cool… Designer, Suzie Stanford

Australian designer, Suzie Stanford, has been fascinated by the stuff that other people throw away as long as she can remember.   Last week, she visited Hong Kong as a guest of Lane Crawford for Fashion’s Night Out event.   While we stitched away on a tapestry design that Suzie drew for me, we had a great chat about her designs and design process.

Suzie is most known for her tapestry and tea towel chairs.   All the components of her designs are made up of found objects, rescued and revived and then made new and fresh.   Suzie does all the work herself by hand- from the stitching of the tapestries to the upholstery of the chairs.  She gets up early each morning to scour the markets and auction houses to pull together the components of her designs.   Luck seems to play a great part in her designs- if she wants a particular piece, eventually she will find it!

Her new collection of upholstery pieces. entitled ‘Hide and Seek’ is a combination of traditional tapestry imagery mixed with a more sedate fabrics- so that you can change the look and feel of the piece at will and according to your mood: serious times call for the grey to be exposed, or if you are feeling more playful- you can show off the wild combinations of hunting scenes and flowers.

I love the brass lamps which are completely constructed with found pieces.  Suzie was once a jeweler so welding and metal construction are second nature to her.  Even the lampshade is lined with gold foil, creating a glittering effect even when the lamp is switched off.

More photos coming up soon…and, of course, a pic of my finished tapestry piece!!!

Calling all new design talent

Are you an up-and- coming Asian designer?  A huge opportunity awaits you…….

Now in its third year, 2012’s DFA Student Award coincides with Hong Kong Design Year 2012, a year-long celebration of Hong Kong as a creative city.

The Design For Asia (“DFA”) Student Award recognises the most innovative and creative design students across the Asia region.

If you’re aged between 18 to 30 and study or recently graduated at a tertiary institution in Asia, be sure to enter before 8 October 2012 for a chance join the list of prestigious past winners.

How to Enter

●             Entries are invited from individual students or teams of design students aged between 18-30 who are currently studying at a tertiary institution in Asia, as well as recent graduates (year of completion: 2012) of such institutions.

●             There are no restrictions on the numbers of students who make up a team.

●             There is no entry fee.

●             Entries must be submitted via the online entry form at www.dfaaward.com/student, on or before 8 October 2012.

●             Entrants can submit more than one project

●             A 2–5 minute video clip showing the design’s concepts must be submitted to www.youtube.com / www.youku.com (China) on or before 8 October 2012.

Judging Criteria

The DFA Student Award has no set theme. Instead, the judges will be looking for a project that successfully:

●             Creates links between design and industry.

●             Extends the horizons of students of design and design management.

●             Makes informed reference to the world beyond design, including end-users, the market place, new technologies, economics, local culture, politics, law and the global environment.

The winning entry will also:

●             Communicate the power of design.

●             Demonstrate expertise in its chosen subject.

●             Evaluate the relationship between design, innovation and enabling technologies.

●             Show initiative in addressing issues that face design professionals and other people.

For further enquiries, please contact: student@dfaaward.com

Cool…Fashion Night Out

Don’t miss FNO tomorrow night at four Lane Crawford stores…my pick would be the Pacific Place store:  while you are there head over to Lab Concept in Queensway- it’s a shoe and beauty paradise.

And, if you can get a table, the new simply life looks amazing too!

Cool… HK Design Students visit Milan

I have a soft spot for design students and love their enthusiasm and energy.  This year a lucky group of the most enthusiastic and energetic students took off for Milan to visit this great city and the Salone del Mobile.   This experience provided a valuable opportunity for students to sharpen their creativity, design thinking and self-learning skills, and go beyond theories and analyses to understand how concepts were put into practice.

Dr. Edmund Lee, Executive Director of HKDC said: “We are delighted to witness the growth and maturity of the participating students. We believe that this tour has enhanced their knowledge in design, and put them in a better light of design as their career pursuit and as a way of life hereafter.”

Later this year, as part of Hong Kong Design Year,  HK will play host to World Design Summer Camp this July.  200 students from all over the world will take part in a week-long programme of cultural exchange to meet world renowned creative and design masters and get inspired.

I can’t wait!

Cool… Hedkandi

My days of dancing on tables in Ibiza are long gone, but I do love a bit of dance music still and HedKandi are some of the coolest mixes around.   DJ, Krystal Roxx is one of the biggest names in dance music, is playing tonight.

She is a Hed Kandi resident, playing some of the biggest clubs worldwide including Cape Town, India, Bangkok,Phuket, Brazil, Italy, Zante, Belgium to name a few. Performing across London at a list of venues including Merah, Cafe de Paris, Bungalow 8, The Hoxton Pony and Ministry Of Sound. In addition she puts together mixes for some of the   most lavish events and fashion shows across the world for London Fashion Week including events for  Swarovski, Ducatti, Finland Vodka, Lipsy, ASOS, OK Magazine and BPM at The NEC.

HedKandi will be held at PLAY,a private members club in LKF which boasts the biggest dance floor  in HK (a massive 8000 sq ft).  With interiors designed in conjunction with HK artist Simon Birch ( more about him later) it truly is a place to let your hair down and let the music take you away.

PLAY Presents HED KANDI Classics
Date: 3rd May 2012 (Thursday) 2012
Hed Kandi DJ: Krystal Roxx

Support DJ: Anil Ahuja

Venue:  PLAY, 1st Floor, On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central, Hong Kong
Dress Code:  Glitter and Gold
Time: 10pm till late