31
The Creative Emporium Meet the creators collaborating with the Sid Lee Collective store and gallery in Amsterdam.

SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

  • Upload
    sid-lee

  • View
    1.841

  • Download
    1

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

A true celebration of creativity, Sid Lee Collective is the embodiment of our Montreal roots and culture. It is a living organism that beats to our values. Our shop creates the perfect stage for young Montrealers and Canadian design talent who may not otherwise be seen beyond Canadian borders. Collaborators are selected primarily for the stories they bring with them, as you will see in this magazine.

Citation preview

Page 1: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

The

Cr

eati

ve

Em

po

riu

mM

eet

the

crea

tors

col

labo

rati

ng w

ith

the

Sid

Lee

Col

lect

ive

stor

e an

d ga

ller

y in

Am

ster

dam

.

Page 2: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

NOM DE LA SECTION- 3 -

The Creative EmporiumMeet the creators collaborating with the Sid Lee Collective store and gallery in Amsterdam.

SID LEE COLLECTIVE - 4

ADIEU - 10

AQUAOVO - 14

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE - 18

FURNI - 22

KRANE - 24

TEAM MACHO - 26

RENATA MORALES - 34

CASTOR - 40

COMPLEXGEOMETRIES - 44

PHILIPPE MALOUIN - 48

Page 3: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 4 - - 5 -Sid Lee COLLECTIVESid Lee COLLECTIVE

CREATI-VITY EMPO-RIUM

A true celebration of creativity, Sid Lee Collective is the embodi-ment of our Montreal roots and culture. It is a living organism that beats to our values.Our shop creates the perfect stage for young Montrealers and Canadian design talent who may not otherwise be seen beyond Canadian borders. Collaborators are selected primarily for the stories they bring with them, as you will see in this magazine.

Page 4: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 6 - - 7 -Sid Lee COLLECTIVE Sid Lee COLLECTIVE

OnetopCLOTHING

Sid Lee Collective created a series of posters to honour the fact that Montreal was named a UNESCO City of Design 2007.

Onetop and Sid Lee planned a collection of t-shirts featuring designs inspired from these posters. A total of 40 different models were created.

Sid loves Turbo vols. 1 & 2MUSIC

Turbo Recordings is a label dedicated to releasing only the highest quality electronic music. Based in Montreal, Canada, Turbo has quickly become

an internationally recognized brand with their trademark mix of uncompromising music and cutting-edge artwork.

Page 5: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 8 - - 9 -Sid Lee COLLECTIVESid Lee COLLECTIVE

Sit! by SidFURNITURE

Sid Lee Collective and Perez hook up to create a furniture collection that is both naughty and nice.

Sid’s kitchenKITCHENWARE

An experiment in kitchenware creativity, this collection emphasizes the artistic and authentic sides of our culinary culture.

Page 6: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 10 - - 11 -ADIEUADIEU

ADIEUNever Can Say

Goodbye

Page 7: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 12 - - 13 -ADIEUADIEU

Melinda Santillan-Moreno is all over the map. Never in the same place twice, the young Mexi-can-Canadian artist scours the planet, both physically and virtually. Voyages, like so many of the encounters that shine through in Adieu, her playfully and rebelliously printed collection of translucent t-shirts. Melinda pushes boundaries, both terrestrial and artistic, combining genres with a rare naivety. It was while pursuing her studies at Vancouver’s Emily Carr College of Arts that Melinda discovered screen printing, a process that enabled her to play around with her creations, depending on her given inspiration. Her black ink drawings (the 28-year-old artist favours working in black and white and admits: “Colours intimidate me”) are therefore superimposed on pictures or wording to create compositions that are surprisingly colourful! The beauty of screen printing? The combinations are endless—and so are the t-shirts! Much like their globetrotter creator, Melinda’s first t-shirts were originally distributed in Japan! The Adieu collection grew and was presented in

Montreal at the boutique Reborn, then at the 2007 edition of the event Souk @ SAT. Adieu’s cotton t-shirts have quite a vintage look. The recipe? Top secret!” she lets out with a laugh. “Each t-shirt is unique. The degree of vintage and the print composition are different every time, eaning that no two people will ever have the same shirt. It’s kind of what I’m after in fashion, its uniqueness.” Melinda doesn’t wait for things to come to her; she makes them happen herself. And Melinda Santillan-Moreno’s art isn’t just limited to fashion, either. “The Internet allows me to meet people that really influence my work. My projects become international without me even having to leave the country.” Art is really is everywhere for Melinda, but mostly in the most unexpected of places. She comes across it around corners, in Mexico’s gold-coloured signage, in old class pictures or even just by people-watching. “Clothing is made unique by those who wear it, too!” she underlines. And you, what colour will you give your Adieu?

Page 8: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 14 - - 15 -AQUAOVOAQUAOVO

AQUA- OVO’S WHITE WATER

Noémie &

Manuel Desrochers

HAVE THEIR SIGHTS SET ON WATER!

With their company AQUAOVO, which offers an original and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional water dispensers, these two young Quebecois entrepreneurs are attempting to make water

number one again in people’s everyday lives.

Page 9: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 16 - - 17 -AQUAOVOAQUAOVO

“ AQUAOVO MAKES IT THEIR DUTY TO USE AS LITTLE PLASTIC POSSIBLE— OVOPUR FILTERS ARE RECYCLABLE AND ITS PARTS HANDMADE.”

Manuel spent three years conduc-ting research before he finally laid the OVOPUR, a new-age water distribution and filtration system that consumes no electricity. With curves in all the right places, the egg-shaped dispenser reproduces water’s natural cycle as closely as possible, using gravity to filter tap water. It’s a nature-inspired, eco-design approach for the young artist, whose creative process is greatly influenced by Mother Nature. “Ob-serve, understand and imitate nature,” says Manuel quoting Austrian natura-list and inventor Victor Schauberger (1885-1958), who spoke of water as the “Earth’s blood.” Cutting-edge, the OVOPUR draws inspiration from age-old knowledge, and adapts it to the 21st century to of-fer citizens water of a better quality. “Back 2,000 years ago, the Romans and Greeks already used egg-shaped amphora to conserve water and wine,” states Manuel. As humble as they come, the creators were able to come up with a product that is as environmentally

friendly as it is esthetically pleasing—the OVOPUR is even featured in several Montreal-based art galleries. Beyond style, AQUAOVO products are all stamped with an environmen-tal conscience. AQUAOVO makes it their duty to use as little plastic pos-sible—OVOPUR filters are recyclable and its parts hand made. The company also develops a line of environmentally friendly accessories and always uses noble and durable materials such as porcelain, glass and metal. A keen independent learner, Manuel speaks of water with a purely poetic passion: “People need more than to just live, they need to nourish themselves, and water happens to be a very essential nutrient.” The OVOPUR is therefore much more than just a water filter: “It’s a global, sensual and playful experience, a way to live water to its every drop.” An experience that could fore-ver change the way we taste the subs-tance…

Page 10: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 18 - - 19 -PEARLS BEFORE SWINEPEARLS BEFORE SWINE

“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

Mathieu 7 : 6

ONCE UPON A TIME…

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Page 11: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 20 - - 21 -PEARLS BEFORE SWINEPEARLS BEFORE SWINE

In the beginning, there were pearls… Pearls Before Swine is the fascinating story of Himo Martin, a nomadic spirit (he spent the first few years of his life cruising the highways of the United States with his family, after their home was ravaged by fire in 1980) whose story is laden with coincidences that shaped his fiercely environmentalist crea-tive genius. “The environment, or environments, inspire me; I try to recreate them, to inject them into my work,” confides the jeweller.

Behind each of his Pearls Before Swine jewels you can find a trace of this captivating story. Having inherited an environmental conscience from his hippie family, Himo made his debut in the world of jewellery-making when he tried to

salvage a damaged vinyl record. The imperfec-tion proved to be esthetically pleasing, inspiring even. His next step: a jewellery collection made from recycled records, most of them found off the beaten path. It was also unexpectedly that pearls came into Himo’s life, after his studies at Vancouver’s Liberal Arts Langara College. To do a friend a favour, he began distributing Japanese-cultured Akoya pearls in Canada. Himo then let himself be inspired by these grains, breaking the taboo of the perfect pearl. “People have a very classic image of pearls; they see them as symbols of purity, of class,” he states. Wanting to do away with this symbol of perfection, he chose to work with

imperfect pearls, which most jewellers tended to discard. “Things don’t have to be perfect to be magnificent; sometimes it’s precisely those imperfections that make a pearl rare.”

The name Pearls Before Swine is also filled with symbolism: do not give things of beauty to those who will not be able to appreciate them. “When the art form we’re working on is anti-con-formist in nature, not everyone is going to jump out of their seats. It speaks to people who truly want to experience it.”

By way of jewels that are both raw and refined, Himo questions the value of objects. He’s known for recreating metallic pieces he comes upon randomly, and transforming them into art: a nail

forged by hand at the start of the century is given new life under the traits of a ring set with pearls. Himo was even able to salvage scraps of metal from the site of his family home, stricken by fire almost 30 years ago. “It was like discovering a treasure chest. It didn’t contain pearls or gold, but the symbolic value of these objects was priceless.” For his collaboration with Sid Lee Collective, Himo has the history of Montreal in mind. And so each jewel will not only tell its own story, but also that of Montreal and, inevitably, its creator. As we can clearly see, Pearls Before Swine is a story: the story of Himo Martin, pearls, Montreal… By wearing these jewels, the story becomes ours as well.

“It was like discovering a treasure chest. It didn’t contain pearls or gold, but the symbolic value of these objects was priceless.”

Page 12: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 22 - - 23 -FURNIFURNI

FURNIBack

tobasics

At a time when multifunction cell phone/PDA/mp3 players have inunda-ted department store shelves, the guys at FURNI have chosen to go against the tide and return to the basics. “At FURNI, we believe less is more. Our objects definitely have a function, but it’s just one basic function. A FURNI watch, for example, will tell you the time,” declares Mike Giles with a sly grin. As a result, FURNI offers a collection of objects in a minimalist style, designed from start to finish by Montrealers Devin Barrette and Mike Giles. Watches, alarm clocks, magazine racks, bathroom accessories: FURNI products all share a simple functional aesthetic with a resolutely retro touch. Ironically, FURNI got its start when Mike and Devin found themsel-ves without jobs…but not without the will to work! They therefore began to produce custom-built furnishings for individual clients. But they both drea-med of someday creating their own line of products. After some decisive trials (notably in 2006 at the Canadian Design Exhibition in New York), the guys at FURNI experimented with their first collection. Two years and 2,000 deliveries later, you could say the experiment proved to be a success. This success is tied to the comple-mentary skills of both partners: Devin,

who studied carpentry, is in charge of the technical aspects of the creative process, where as Mike is primarily responsible for the artistic aspects of the design. “FURNI is inspired by retro art. We’re lucky because the city of Montreal came of age during the 70’s: the metro, the curves, the primary colours… We just have to open our eyes and inspiration is there!” As skateboard enthusiasts, the guys at FURNI give their products a personal touch by naming them after professional skateboarders from the 80’s (GATOR SE, KNOX, ALBA MA). “We’re trying to show that FUR-NI is personal and tangible. Big chains like IKEA have democratized design, making it affordable. But because they produce in industrial quantities, they have to sacrifice quality. Not FURNI!” When you make a purchase, you’re then given a code that allows you to see photos on the FURNI website (furni-creations.com) of the pair hard at work. It is not simply the style that captivates quite a few customers, but also the idea of going back to basics. “With today’s technology, certain products have functions that the customer will never use, to the extent that instruction booklets sometimes resemble telephone books.” Rest assured, with FURNI pro-ducts, there will only be one…

Page 13: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 24 - - 25 -KRANEKRANE

KRANEA RARE BIRD

Crane: Both a bird

and an industrial machine.

In Asia, the crane is a

symbol of life and longevity.

Krane is much more than a definition: since 2004, it’s also a clothing label that offers men’s clothes and unites the styles of yesterday and today, with details borrowed from industrial design. Sturdy, tailored elegance and finished by hand. “The goal is to make Krane a (life)style that speaks to men who appreciate cultural diversity and richness in their daily lives.” The man behind Krane is designer Ken Chow, born in China but raised near Toronto. When Chow was eight, a teacher noticed his artistic talent and suggested to his parents that he take painting classes. At first inte-rested in visual art, Ken Chow branched off into (high) fashion to study men’s design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, before interning with Marc Jacobs and Alexandre Plokhov (Cloak), no less! A love of art, design and culture in general comes through in every one of the designer’s creations. “I love art, music, film, architecture … Krane is a mix of many artistic disciplines that interact in a fashion context.” The art of “wa” also influences Ken’s work, as wit nessed by the military aesthetic of his vintage bags (the Siebel messenger bag, the Krivak duffle bag). “I developed this attraction [for the military aesthetic] as a child, when I entered an art contest for Remem-brance Day.” In the hands of Ken Chow, unarmed soldiers become fashion icons, with their uniforms revamped for a practical chic. With waxed cotton, leather and magnetic closures, the contemporary styling of Krane bags and coats (often finished by hand) appeals to young urban professionals. Ken Chow also draws inspiration from architec-ture, particularly that of I. M. Pei (whose accomplish-ments include the Louvre pyramid in Paris). “Pei is a free spirit who thinks outside the box.” In this vein, Krane’s calfskin leather zipper tie plays with bounda-ries, pushing the accessory outside of its traditional context and moving the tie out of the boardroom. As it does in Asian symbolism, Krane definitely seems to promise long life.

Page 14: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 26 - - 27 -TEAM MACHOTEAM MACHO

TEAM MACHO

A FIVE-DIMENSIONAL UNIVERSE

“You unlock the door with the key of imagination.”

THE TWILIGHT ZONE

Page 15: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 28 - - 29 -TEAM MACHOTEAM MACHO

Put your preconceived notions of art and its rules aside and immerse yourself in the drawings of Team Macho; it promises to be a highly colourful adventure. Team Macho was born of a frustration, particularly that of four Illustration students at Toronto’s Sheridan College. Discouraged by the lack of artistic sensibility in education and in their profession in general (“Illustration is often seen as a second-rate art form”), they decided in 2004 to break free from rules. And ever since then, Lauchie Reid, Christopher Buchan, Stephen Appleby-Barr and Nicholas Aoki ( Jacob Whibley would join the team later) have been combining their efforts and talents to create artwork in which styles, imagina-tions and visions are in constant communication. “Each member creates what he wants. Our styles often come together in a chaotic way, but cohesion always seems to prevail in the end product.” A touch of each Macho can therefore be seen in every one of their drawings. Improvisa-tion plays a vital role in the joint creative process, the result being eye-opening: juxtaposed styles producing colourful works with a resolutely sar-castic tone (think Mao Guys, Hello Spyderman, etc.). Visual manifestos that leave no spectator indifferent and even push them to self-reflection, urging them to decode the visual story hidden behind each scenario. “The end result is reliant upon each spectator’s personal and unique inter-pretation and so the image is never decoded in the same way twice.” Trained in illustration for commercial purposes, the Machos often inject their works with messages (images) that satirize the monetary and commercial aspect of the advertising medium. Published in 2007, Fancy Action Now regroups visual gems like Baby Dyke, Angel Haters or even Lighting Factory, which was created on a lined sheet of paper. After their Friends 4 Life (2005) and Team Macho is a Though Man (2006) exhibitions in Toronto, these macho icons are hitting in Amsterdam in grand style, for their joint project with Sid Lee Collective. Lauchie, Christopher, Stephen, Nicholas and Jacob hope to push the boundaries of their universe even further, this time by way of thematic and original installations. Team Macho’s artistic universe is sure to take spectators on a journey way past the fourth dimension.

Page 16: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 30 - - 31 -TEAM MACHOTEAM MACHO

Page 17: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 32 - - 33 -TEAM MACHOTEAM MACHO

“ Impro- visation plays a vital role in the joint creative process.”

Page 18: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 34 - - 35 -RENATA MORALES RENATA MORALES

MORALESArt Deco

CLOTHING, PAINTING, MUSIC, THEATRE, RENATA MORALES HAS COLLABO-RATED ON A THOUSAND AND ONE PROJECTS, INCLUDING SOME FOR THE LIKES OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AND CANNES.

Page 19: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 36 - - 37 -RENATA MORALES RENATA MORALES

It’s tough to categorize Renata Morales under one profession. Clo-thing, painting, music, theatre… Renata Morales has collaborated on a thousand and one projects, inclu-ding some for the likes of Cirque du Soleil and Cannes (the latter for Denis Villeneuve’s latest short, Next Door, which won the Grand Prize at the International Critics’ Week in Cannes 2008). “I love working with different people and different mediums,” says the multitalented creator. A born artist, the 34-year-old native of Mexico (but a Montrealer at heart!), travels a lot. Her eyes light up when she speaks of Tokyo, which she visited for the first time last year. “Tokyo is a carnival for all your senses. So much fun.” Travelling is a source of inspiration for her, like art in its every form. When Renata Morales arrived in Montreal 20 years ago, she studied plastic arts at Lionel-Groulx College. “I always had that in me: art, pain-ting, a love for music; and I’d always wanted to make clothing.” It was in Montreal in 1999 that she opened her first clothing boutique; the fol-lowing year, her first fashion shows

hit Montreal runways. Many more would follow… But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Renata Morales. “My first designs were horrible!” Kind of hard to believe when you look at her ultra-feminine, simply flawless dresses. Different art forms coexist in Renata Morales’ universe, and the artist exhibits her canvasses at several art galleries. She, who signs her clothing pieces as one would sign a painting, reveals: “Painting is my ally. When I create clothing, an expression becomes more accessible thanks to painting.” Renata Morales can’t get enough of working with her hands. It’s all in the details: shapes, fabrics, com-binations. A meticulousness which results in textured dresses, stamped with purity. “I’m much more of a decorator, a sculptor of clothing, than certain designers who tend to work more as architects.” The dresses pre-pared for Sid Lee Collective are fai-thful to this very appealing image. Designer, painter, decorator, sculptor… Renata Morales is a bit of every one of these. And with her, art and fashion have never been so tight.

“PAINTING IS MY ALLY. WHEN I CREATE CLOTHING, AN EXPRESSION BECOMES MORE ACCESSIBLE THANKS TO PAINTING.”

Page 20: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 38 - - 39 -RENATA MORALES RENATA MORALES

Page 21: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 40 - - 41 -CASTORCASTOR

CASTORROCKING DESIGN!

“At first, we wanted to be rock stars. Unfortunately,

I don’t have any musical talent.”

Page 22: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 42 - - 43 -CASTORCASTOR

A true rocker at heart, Brian Richer instead chose to shake up the world of design with his Castor Design project. The end product is worthy of the greatest of rock icons: lamps made of recycled neon tubes, a shipping container converted into a sauna, and Oddfellows, a restaurant and bar-come-event venue that’s opening soon in Toronto.

The “design beaver” (castor means “beaver” in French) is barely two years old, but already its uncompromising work is bearing fruit. It has to be said: Brian Richer’s ingenuity takes design beyond its traditional scope. “I don’t theorize too much about my creative process. I don’t have a plan, I just go where the work takes me.” Talk about a jam session!

After working for eight years as a stone carver, Brian felt like trying something different and decided to make a go of the Castor Design experience in 2006. “I’d been designing objects for myself for a long time, but I’d never marketed them.” With his confederate, Kei Ng, an architect by training and owner of Toronto’s Kei restaurant, Brian dove headfirst into the wonderful world of the do-it-yourselfer, just like the firm’s namesake.

The Castor slogan: Make **it Look Good. “We try to combine humour and skill when desi-gning.” This philosophy guides their work and often leads them to design with recycled or rough materials. “Our style is very low-fi. The object’s function must never be forgotten in favour of aesthetics. When you think about it, recycling neon tubes to make a lamp is almost absurd … but check out the end result!” The result appeals to connoisseurs of singu-lar design who definitely don’t take themselves seriously. Castor’s unique products are already distributed in Toronto, New York, Miami, and now Amsterdam. Brian is the first to be surprised by Castor Design’s success. “I made the first lamp for my house ten years ago, and today people are buying them.” Clearly, the beavers should try to come to terms with success, because it doesn’t seem anywhere close to letting up: Castor Design has been approached to participate in the next Venice Biennale. Here’s to drinking to the beavers’ success at Oddfellows!

Page 23: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 44 - - 45 -COMPLEXGEOMETRIES COMPLEXGEOMETRIES

COMPLEXGEOMETRIESTHE COMPLEX LANGUAGE OF CLOTHING

THINK TWICE ABOUT WHAT YOU PUT ON!That’s what Clayton Evans proposes with his complexgeometries collection, which invites

consumers to look at clothing differently, maybe even interact with it.

“BEFORE WEARING A SWEATER FROM THE COLLECTION, YOU SHOULD KNOW HOW TO WEAR IT.”

Page 24: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 46 - - 47 -COMPLEXGEOMETRIES COMPLEXGEOMETRIES

CLAYTON EVANS’ STUDIO IS A LAB WHERE HIS IDEAS ARE EXPERI-MENTED ON CLOTHING. AT THE ROOT OF HIS CREATIONS IS HIS DESIRE TO BALANCE BACKGROUND AND FORM, STYLE AND MEANING.

Bearing asymmetric and uneven cuts, and details that go beyond the ordinary, clothing from the complexgeometries collection encourages consu-

treal’s biosphere is an example). Since then, Clayton Evans has had a more global vision of clothing, which incorporates not only style but also

mers to reflect on what they’re wearing. “The pieces are modifiable, so each person can adapt them to their personality.” For the Alberta-born designer, clothing serves a much greater purpose than just style. “It’s probably the most important form of nonverbal communication. What you wear and how you wear it speaks volumes of you.”

In 2002, Clayton Evans moved to Montreal, following his studies at the Alberta College of Art and Design. Shortly after, he discovered the man who would transform the way he looked at clothing, American architect and visionary Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983, Buckminster Ful-ler invented the geodesic dome, of which Mon-

meaning. And that’s how complexgeometries came to be. The collection, which first raised eybrows in Asia and Europe, will hit the Uni-ted States this fall. Complexgeometries offers men’s and women’s lines, as well as a unisex one. The organic-textured cotton and silk clothing is often created from a single piece of fabric. Complexgeometries’ dresses, shirts and tunics all have something unique, as they mirror those who don them. “Fashion isn’t static; it changes and renews itself constantly. My pieces do, too.” With complexgeometries, taking the time to properly dress yourself can take on a whole new meaning.

Page 25: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 48 - - 49 -PHILIPPE MALOUIN PHILIPPE MALOUIN

“I came to London to enjoy the fantastic quality of life this city has to offer!” jokes Québécois desi-gner Philippe Malouin. A recent graduate of De-sign Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, the 25-year-old designer has just opened the doors of his first London studio. “It seems everything gra-vitates to London, whether it be music, fashion, art or design: it’s where trends in the artistic world appear.” Before London, Philippe Malouin spent his time between Canada, France and the Netherlands. He’s a globe-trotting designer, always seeking to push the boundaries of design “by design”. His hybrid creations, like the Grace Table (an inflatable table), the Hanger Chair or the Monarc Bag, perfectly blend different design schools. Thus, the highly industrial approach of the Uni-versity of Montreal meets the more classic style of Paris’ École Nationale de Création Industrielle (where he also studied) and the more conceptual, experimental philosophy of Design Academy Eindhoven. A textbook case of design fusion, between industrial and limited edition! Philippe Malouin’s artistic development is closely linked to his personal evolution, with a mix of influences in which François Azambourg (Hermès), Frank Tjepkema (Tjep) and Tom Dixon have equal importance. “At the very beginning, I tried to imitate what the great designers were doing. But I soon learned that, in this profession, the only way to survive is by having a personal touch.” There’s no doubt that today Philippe Malouin truly has a style of his own. The center-piece of his work is the Hanger Chair, a piece that restores the glory of collapsible furniture, the kind you pull out of the closet on nights when special guests drop by. A mix of folding chair and hanger, the Hanger Chair plays a double game: both prac-tical and aesthetically pleasing, it makes you want to invite a crowd over. Time to break out the Hanger Chair!

“The only way to survive

is by having a personal

touch.”

Philippe

MALOUINA CREATIVE MIX

Page 26: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

NOM DE LA SECTION- 51 -- 50 -

NAKED AND FAMOUS

processing methods used by Naked and Famous combine old-school techniques with cutting-edge technology to produce unique top-quality denim.

And Brandon knows the rag trade! His family has been in the Montreal clothing business for three generations, and Naked and Famous is head quartered in the city’s garment district. So it was a longstanding passion that led him to develop unusual fabrics for his premium jeans, like blends of denim and silk, or even denim and cashmere, a nearly rigid 21-ounce denim, and many others. For jeans lovers who care about the environment, Naked and Famous has even designed a “green jean” that features organic cotton, natural indigo dye, and green stitching.

Naked and Famous, launched in early 2008, is still young. But the fashion industry from New York to Montreal took note of its arrival, and it must be said they find its product fascinating: premium jeans made in Canada at extremely attractive prices. “At Naked and Famous, we don’t spend money on eye candy!” There’s no distressing of fabric, no trendy embroideries or embellishments, nothing superf luous. “Doing away with these costly steps means that the cus-tomer pays only the actual cost of a quality jean, not for an image that basically has nothing to do with the product.” A simple, modern cut that covers up the naked bits with the best quality denim anywhere: isn’t that what dressing for success is all about? Naked and Famous gets it. And we’re betting that it won’t take long before you do, too!

Naked and

Famous DRESSED FOR SUCCESS

The Naked and Famous logo speaks for itself: a pop art topless woman purrs at the customer to buy… clothing! But not just any clothing: jeans made from the highest quality denim, imported from Japan. And Naked and Famous needs no celebrity endorsers to convince us to buy: just try on a pair and you’ll be sold!

The genius behind Naked and Famous is that of Brandon Svarc. This young man’s eyes light up behind his dark glasses when he talks about denim. “I’m sort of a jeans nerd”, he con-fesses jokingly. That’s no surprise, since all his jeans use selvedge denim, woven in Japan (for the uninitiated, the words “selvedge” or “salvage” come from “self-edge” and refer to the denim fabric’s finished edge. This old-style weaving technique, which ensures stability and quality, has nearly disappeared today, replaced by more cost-efficient processes). Svarc, a 26-year-old Montrealer, has always been obsessed with excellence. The

Page 27: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

HARAKIRI- 52 - - 53 -

the surreal imagery of Hans Ruedi Giger, the Swiss artist and designer whose work appears in the film Alien. The influence is clearly there.

A good bit of imagination is needed to guess what lurks within the detail of a Harakiri piece, such as Gothic-influenced necklaces fea-turing a finely worked mouse skull or delicately intertwined bird legs.

While Harakiri pieces may have a hard, skeletal side, they are infused with delicacy and softness, a contrast in the image of their creator.

Mireille’s references to harakiri aren’t morbid, but musical (from the Nina Hagen song Atomic Flash Deluxe), although she also sees a cer-tain poetry in the obviously bloody practice. “In feudal times, it was believed that the entrails revealed a person’s true nature. So ritual dis-embowelment may have been seen as way to profess one’s real feelings.”

There is no doubt whatsoever as to Mireille’s sincerity. Her genu-ineness is appreciated and recog-nized by her peers. She worked on designer Denis Gagnon’s recent shows, and has a thousand and one other ideas in mind: “I’m working now with moulded resin to create high-end pieces, because that’s the niche I belong in.”

And now with Amsterdam, the world is opening up to Mireille and Harakiri. A world of dark and light, and a world of the contrasts that coexist so beautifully in her Harakiri jewellery.

Mireille Boucher’s world teems with life! While her organic and captivating Harakiri jewellery may contain allusions of mortality, it’s far from death. Instead, each design hints at a mysteriously fan-tastic back story. There are pieces with an austere feel or fascinating depth, and others brimming with questions—rhetorical, of course!

From all appearances, Mireille Boucher wasn’t predestined to become a jewellery designer. Not even a little? Well, it’s more that the art of jewellery design came to her when she was hardly expecting it. “A co-worker was wearing a magnif-icent ring”, Mireille recalls. “I was stunned to learn that she had made it herself!” This bit of happen stance would lead her far, well beyond her jewellery-making studies in Montreal. In 2003, Harakiri was born, with an innate predilection for out of the ordinary design. “One of my first pieces was a little cast bone, embedded with diamonds.”

Often inspired by nature, Harakiri jewellery has a somewhat spiritual side. “There was a rumour at one point that my designs were en dowed with certain powers”, the 35-year-old designer says. “I love the idea of jewellery with magical power.”

Each Harakiri piece is unique, and all are fashioned from the finest materials—like gold or silver—with brushed, oxidized, or unpolished fin-ishes. Mireille’s designs are flowing and mechanical, sometimes evoking

OFTEN INSPIRED BY NATURE, HARAKIRI JEWELLERY HAS A SOMEWHAT SPIRITUAL SIDE.

HARAKIRI

HarakiriA PAEAN TO LIFE

Page 28: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 55 -- 54 -COE&WAITOCOE&WAITO

TWO NATURAL WOMEN

Coe &

Waito

Page 29: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

- 57 -- 56 -COE&WAITOCOE&WAITO

Coe&Waito is a serenade to nature sung by Alissa Coe and Carly Waito, two young de signers who have united their voices and their passion for ceramics and industrial design. With a pure, modern aesthetic and immac-ulate white colour, their whimsical creations inspire a sense of peace and tranquillity.

Deciding to collaborate was a “natural” decision for Alissa and Carly, who met while studying industrial design at the Ontario College of Art & Design. “Before we knew each other, we would find ourselves arriving to class, having made eerily similar projects,” recalls the pair. After falling in love with ceramics, these young women dedicated their hearts and souls to working with this “versatile material that offers infinite possibilities.” Their partnership did not end with their study program. On the contrary, newly graduated Alissa and Carly launched their own collection in 2004.

Coe&Waito was born, featuring aesthetic and functional pieces inspired by the natural environment. “Sometimes our point of reference is a specific detail from the natural world, sometimes it is a vague impression or feeling we want to create,” the artists explain. The work is, in essence, a harmonious marriage of industrial design and decorative art, of Alissa’s ingenuity and Carly’s imagination.

Japanese and Scandinavian techniques inspire their sleek and elegant pieces, which offer a glimpse of the sublime. Porcelain vases with coral-like details mingle with delicate ceramic pinecones, muted lamps, and a stunning installation of ethereal jellyfish, which has been displayed at numerous Canadian galleries. “We try to create things that have an element of preciousness about them, in hopes that they will be cherished and saved for a long time.”

One thing is for sure: the Coe&Waito collection will touch you… naturally!

Page 30: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

CONTACT INFORMATION

Ateliers: Montreal 75 Queen Street, Suite 1400 Montreal, Quebec H3C 2N6 Canada Phone: +1 514-282-2200

Amsterdam Gerard Doustraat 72 1072 VV Amsterdam The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0) 206 623030 Paris 12 rue du Sentier 75 002 Paris France Phone: +33 (1) 44 88 83 90 Toronto 55 Mill Street Building 5, Suite 500 Toronto, Ontario M5A 3C4 Canada Phone: +1 416-421-4200 Austin Suite D-102 3601 South Congress Austin, Texas 78704 United States Phone: +1 512-444-3533

Websites: sidlee.com sidleearchitecture.com jimmylee.tv

Sid Lee would like to thank:writer Fabienne Vinet

And all participating creators:complexgeometries.comteammacho.comcastordesign.cafurnicreations.comaquaovo.comkranedesign.comrenatamorales.compearlsbeforeswine.caphilippemalouin.com

SPECIAL THANKS

Page 31: SID LEE COLLECTIVE | Creative Emporium

Ano

ther

fan

zine