Biofashion Habitat - eco-fashion

Biofashion Habitat, which took place in Cali, Colombia on the 26th of November, showcased designs made with natural materials and live plants. Sustainable fashion included organic materials, clean production methods, natural fibres, recycling of materials, fair trade, energy conservation and any other methods to reduce the impact on  earth.
Once worn, the clothes presented can be returned to nature to decompose, per the cycle of life.
What a great source of inspiration!

Hindividu - breathtaking pics by Philippe Calia

I fell in love with these beautiful images as soon as I saw them. Both because they portray India, a country I deeply love, and because they are simply poetic.
The photographer who took them is Philippe Calia, a French photographer. His work has been exhibited in art galleries in India, France and UK.
His educational background in Political Science led him to study extensively the dynamics between religion and public space, specifically in India.

http://www.philippecalia.com/about/

Saara Lepokorpi - one more reason to love Finland

Saara Lepokorpi is a talented fashion designer from Helsinki.
A daughter of a self-taught craftsman/art gallerist father and a business consultant mother, she founded her womenswear label, Lepokorpi, in 2011.

Her sources of her inspiration range from technology, and the way it clashes with organic reality, balancing in between freedom and restriction. Her collections include unique, hand made, special pieces, locally produced at her studio in Helsinki.

 

For more info: http://www.saaralepokorpi.com/portfolio/index.php?/about/

Un1co - a very unique atelier and shop in Bologna

Today a new creative open space/shop/atelier has opened. Its name is Un1co and it is located in via Baruzzi, a bit far away from the busy central streets but in a nice and residential area.
The interesting things about this shop is that it mixes in just one space many different brands, all of them invented by talented designers. Esercizi di stile, Chizu Kobayashi, il Mondo di Ozu, Marakita, District 6  are just some of them ..you can find almost everything there...from furniture to bags, from accessories to furs...all displayed in a nice "mix and match" way...
Giorgia Schvili, the owner of the space, has had a brilliant idea and has demonstrated a modern, creative approach to fashion...

Un1co is definitely worth a visit (and possibly more than one)...

Esercizi di stile: home accessories and much more


Marakita: bags

Il mondo di Ozuk

Old style and super modern furniture

Chizu's pieces

Jojo - eco-shoes???

Jojo is the project developed by Nagel and Matthieu Vaxelaire who created a "sustainable and ethical" pair of shoes (it reminds me soooooo much of Toms One for One initiative who did the the same and to whom I have dedicated a post in this blog!)In South America they saw a man who was wearing a strange type of shoes. It was something he made out of an old tyre, I believe” says Nagel, “The shoes were wrapped around his feet like bandages and we decided to keep the idea of the bandage in the shoes we produce, which is related to our mission that is to take care of the planet”.


I find it a bit strange to read that all their shoes are produced in China, but sold in Europe..but according to  Nagel “It would make much more sense to produce our shoes here in Europe and that was our intention at first, unfortunately if we kept the production here we’d have to sell them at least at two hundred Euros and that wouldn’t be possible, because we want our shoes to be affordable. I can say that the Chinese factory we’re working with does not exploit its workers and that is the most important thing for us.”
Still a pair of shoes costs 79 euro (compared to Toms shoes that cost 50$).



The project work like that: you buy a pair of shoes and part of the money you pay will go to either a social or an environmental project. Jojo allies with Tree-Nation and with The Water project. The company is now supporting one of the Three-Nation’s projects, for the creation of the first JoJo forest in Niger and thanks to the partnership with The Water Project, it’s giving its contribution to building water pumps in Sierra Leone.
Now the decision to buy Jojo's shoes is all up to you..you can visit www.jojoproject.com

Joana Sorino - self portraits

http://joanasorino.wordpress.com/

I love these self portraits of a young Italian photographer. She is only 17, and already so talented..

Maison Dubosk

http://www.maisondubosk.it/about.html
Maison Dubosk is a young Italian Fashion Brand.
100% Made in Italy. Pure creativty. I love the design of their t-shirts ...

Geneviève Bjargardóttir - beautiful images from Iceland

I adore the pics of a young photographer from Iceland. Her name is Geneviève Bjargardóttir. HEr beautiful images can be seen here: genevieve-bjargardottir.tumblr.com and here genevievebjargardottir.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Italy, Love It or Leave It

I have recently read about about seems to be a very interesting movie. Its title is Italy, Love it or Leave it and it is directed by Luca Ragazzi and Gustav Hofer.
It is not out yet, but it has been screened with success in many film festivals all around the world.

Luca and Gustav are a couple of Italians in their thirties who have witnessed a recent exodus of their friends to Berlin, Barcelona, New Zealand. Creative young people have been leaving in droves, frustrated by the politics, the lack of good jobs, the high cost of living and what seems like reactionary thinking. Gustav thinks of doing the same but Luca wants him to stay. But why should they stay after all?

To find out, they start a trip through their country, in an old FIAT 500. Luca is keen on convincing Gustav about the beauty of Italy, its history and - last but not least – Italy’s world famous pop-icons which he would miss badly if they left their homeland. Icons, which are an expression of the unique Italian way of life and which foreigners in particular still associate with the idea of Italy: Pizza, espresso, the Fiat 500, the Vespa, fashion, Cinecittà, Sophia Loren, the Latin Lover.

From his side Gustav wants to wake Luca up to some of the many difficulties their country is facing.

Little by little, the two Italians will explore the realities beyond the icons and deconstruct them. They will make a journey of discovery through a country that may well be very different from their respective expectations.

pls visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnyFhSi5tPc&feature=player_embedded

and

http://www.italyloveitorleave.it/

Tina Crespo - Photos

I like Tina Crespo's photos and website www.tinacrespo.com

Tina’s photos are presented in an unconventional way: a gallery featuring thirteen carefully selected photos. This is a minimal and brave choice for a photography website...
furthermore, there are almost no info about her...

The power of making at V&A in London

Next Friday I ll be in London. I can t wait to go and see the exhibition "the power of making" at V&A.

It showcases 100 exquisitely crafted objects and explores how materials can be used in imaginative  and spectacular ways,

The exhibition is structured in groups of objects that share certain attributes. Some have been created using related techniques or materials. Others are connected by their appearance, or by their makers’ motivations.

There is no set path to follow. Power of Making is intended to encourage exploration and imagination, in the open-ended spirit of the works on display.

I am so much looking forward to seeing it!

www.wam.ac.uk

Feaverish Photographer

Aaron Feaver is a photographer based in Los Angeles. I love his pictures and blogs and I love when he writes "Photographers are frequently inspired by things your boss might prefer you not be inspired by at work. Breasts, butts, etc. I’m not going to censor the site, so be warned."

so now that you are warned you can enjoy http://feaverishphotography.com/blog

What would you save if your house was to burn down?

What would you save if your house was to burn down?
It's the question that Foster Huntington  asked himself and other people from all over the world. 
The result is an absolutely fantastic collection of images on www.theburninghouse.com.  Lots of nice pics of very diverse things...

AND YOU? what would you save??? See below some nice ideas...
I think I ll post soon some pics fo what I would save...




Name: Anne bezborodko
Age: 33
Location: San Francisco
Occupation: Graphic designer/illustrator
List:

• my grand father “Fibroc” suitcase
• my polaroïd autofocus 600
• “Oscar” my beetle from Congo
• my vintage “berlingots” metallic boxes
• my favorite scarf from Guatemala
• my passeport
• my favorite book
• my drawing/painting material
• my “british” hat
• my shiny shoes

Name: Michelle Sproule
Age: 40
Location: Vancouver
Occupation: Community Relations & Managing Editor Scout Magazine
Website: www.scoutmagazine.ca
List:

• my sons (pip and jack) and my husband
• keys to the vw van (sleeps 4 and will be handy, given that the house is gone)
• favourite photo (night laundromat)
• camera (and external hard drive - not shown)
• journal
• a quick handful of books
• debit card
• iphone
• rain boots (it is vancouver after all)
• bottle of wine. alcohol will be key in digesting the loss.
• favourite pair of jeans (levi’s 501’s)
• stones. i like stones. i keep them in specimen jars. they’d mostly be fine, but i’d scoop a few favourites on the way out the door (the really smooth black ones that make you feel clam).
• gram’s engagement ring and photo of gram.
• family photos. so important.
• photograph of a room at different times of the day torn from unknown source. i like to think that one day i will discover who the artist is. 

Name: Willem Wilhelm
Age: 23
Location: Germany
Occupation: Biology & Arts
Website: http://willemwillem.tumblr.com/

List:

• the Contax RTS of my father
• a bag
• a twisting balloon
• a watch
• organic candy bars
• copic markers
• accordion sheets of my mother
• a moleskine notebook
• my lucky shirt from Hong Kong brought by a friend
• a scalpel and scissors
• a laptop
• the key for my (old&awesome) bicycle
• a key ring from a fleah market in paris showing astronaut Andrian Nikolaiev
• a Canon 500d
• glasses

Korean Pavilion at Venice Art Biennale

On Sunday visited the Venice art Biennale for the second time.
What impressed me the most was for sure the Korean Pavillion at Giardini.
The korean pavilion is presenting 14 multimedia works by artist lee yongbaek in an exhibition titled,  'the love is gone but the scar will heal.' with works in video, photography, sculpture and painting, the show explores identity and  existentialism amid the artifice of contemporary society.

Guns hidden among flowers

Optical effect: breaking mirrors

The piety:
Lee’s 'pieta' series combines political commentary with faith.
made in three versions -- love, hatred and death -- 'pieta’' shows two cast-molded figures posed in stances reminiscent of religious imagery,  but following in the three themes: they are seen kissing, taking a martial arts stance and embracing in a final act before departure with death.

Everything was so inspiring at the Korean Pavillion..it was definitely the one I loved the most...