Groovy Cat

We recently got a new cat named Groovy Cat. As of late I have found myself wishing that our cat was somehow endowed with the voice and persona of Tim Gunn, a host on Project Runway. If this were so,  he would be able to approach me and my roommate in the morning and say 'Good Morning Designers.' Also, he would be able to offer words of encouragement in times of hardship, such as, 'Make it Work.' Unfortunately this is not the case, and I must persevere with no talking cat... which at times is quite difficult. More later.

Hello, let me tell you about a designer I like.

A designer I have really enjoyed as of late is a metalsmith named Monique Rancourt, (moniquerancourt.com.) I saw her work at a craft show in Boston, bought some earrings and have been watching her since. When I spoke to her at her booth she said that she was always experimenting with new techniques for her jewelry.. some of her chain bracelets are all dipped in molten plastic which give a really interesting affect.. All in all her work is just really unique unto itself and really well done. I can also honestly say I had never seen anything like some of her pieces, and I give her kudos for establishing a line of beautiful handmade jewelry that is distinctly her own. Even though all her pieces are really different, there is a cohesive undertone that makes them collectively identifiable as 'monique rancourt'... it is definitely an admirable thing to have such a strong, identifiable sense of design perspective.

brand!

'David and Scotti' is a handmade, eco-friendly Italian brand that is sold in Department stores internationally. Even though they are a big company, David and Scotti still value handwork over mass production because the appreciate the quality and aesthetic it imbues their products with. It is good to know that there are companies out there willing to invest in the labor that gives craft and diy such strong appeal. The bags are also made exclusively from materials made in nature, nothing plasticized.

I think the bags in general have a good visual diversity to them, and you can really sense that a human worked in the details of the bag, in this bag ^ it is the hand-knotting, braiding and rouching.

I like that the company is willing to invest in people vs. machines and is conscious about their material choices. Most companies don't care that there are externalized environmental costs for their material slections and just take shortcuts to get the best mass-produced aesthetic for the least amount of money. David and Scotti took a risk by going handmade and choosing natural materials (and not being completely exclusive in their price range.) I would like to work for a company that is willing to innovate, and take risks and not just do what is most cheap and convenient to be just a 'neck ahead' in the short term... and rather is forward looking in the impact of their designs. All in all I guess my future plans operate more around a set of values then around a particular product range or brand I would like to design for :/!