Portland Fashion Week Ready to Roll, benefitting Oregon Manifest

On October 10th a different kind of fashion show happened celebrating the bike friendly spirit of PDX. Ready to Roll showcased new designs via a runway show highlighting both bikes and fashion together from Apres Velo, Cestelli, Hell Yes, Icebreaker, Keen, Nau, Patagonia, Simple Shoes, and Showers Pass to name a few. Thought I'd share a few photos that found inspiring from this event.

Fun Design Project for Filson

One of the best things about having a freelance design studio is the variety of work and projects that you get to work on. Last Spring I worked together with the Filson team up in Seattle to create some new outerwear pieces for their collection. Filson is one of the few classic American heritage brands that has been in business for a very long time, since 1897.

1897 Klondike gold seekers come to C.C. Filson for rugged outfits to survive -50 cold.
1902 Loggers line up for Filson's new clothing line for loggers.
1914 Patent is granted for Filson Cruiser coat, still made and sold today.
1927 Filson Cruiser becomes copied extensively when patent expires.
1941 Filson expands its line of boots.
1945 U.S. Forest Service commissions new water repellent garments, dyed Forestry Green.
1985 Factory moves to Seattle's historic Pioneer Square, 5 blocks from original 1897 store.
1991 Luggage line is re-introduced, made of Rugged Twill and Bridle Leather.
1996 Fly fishing vests are introduced after 10 years of research and development.
1998 New lodge-like store opens in historic building 10 blocks from original location.
2003 Original Wool Shirt made of 100% virgin Merino wool is introduced.
2005 New Recoil Pad Technology introduced in our Super Shooting Shirts and in several of Shooting and Hunting Outerwear products. New, easier to use website introduced.

The office location is near to the flagship store in Seattle, and they are one of the few brands that still has a factory right there making oilcloth and leather clothing, bags, and goods right there. It is a beautiful thing to see the craftsmanship that goes into the pieces that they make. Here are a few of the pieces that were created for Filson by SY Design that you can now find on their website. It doesn't take long to realize that they take their slogan "Might As Well Have The Best," very seriously.

Classic Down never goes out of style, these pieces utilize a unique polyester/wool blend fabric with a special down proof construction. The fabric really gives these style a unique outdoor twist for Filson.



The Wingshooting Jacket is Filson's first lighter weight WPB hunting jacket. This was a fun style to create because it uses many of the latest technologies, and has integrated inside pocketing to accommodate a recoil pad for either left or right handed shooters.




The North Fork Wading Jacket for $325.00 is a beautiful classic fly fishing WPB jacket, that has been lightened up a little from what the traditional Filson look would normally be.

I'm back! Outside magazine, Gear of the Year Award 2010!!

I know... I've fallen off the face of the earth with my blogging since mid-summer. What's a girl to do? Twitter has been growing like mad and I've been spending more time doing updates more often there. You can always check them out here for almost daily tweets about the outdoors, adventure, fashion, green living, music, etc.

But, I'm promising to get back at it again and start getting some blog posts going on a more regular basis too. Besides it's time to post some thoughts on all the new Fall/Winter product out there right now.

I was really excited to hear that the FirsTurn softshell jacket that I designed for Cloudveil recently won Outside magazine's Gear of the Year award for winter 2010! Yipee, it's not every day that it happens so when it does it's time to celebrate. Thought I would share some photos of the creation and final product here for you.

Here it was way back in March of 2008 when I created it...




Tons of details to call out for the factory to make sure it ends up being just right



and finally the finished product, voila`!

At What Price, a sustainable movie in the making.

Change is all around us, and I was excited to read about this short film, "At What Price", that is currently filming and attempting to be as environmentally responsible as possible. Are we finally coming to the end of our oh so wasteful and multi-million dollar movie set days? Probably not yet, but this is at least a start.

Giving Back to the Community
The local community - in this case East Hollywood - was important to Enci's internal green dialogue. Catering for the film production will be serviced by local restaurants and produce vendors. The crew will be asked to bring in their own coffee mugs while washable utensils and plates will be provided with meals. The location of the shoot in East Hollywood is readily accessible by public transit and the crew is encouraged to avail themselves of L.A.'s public transit system to help minimize parking issues with local citizens and thereby shrink the production's environmental footprint further. Enci is also partnering with a local organization to plant trees in the neighborhood as a testament to her willingness to ensure a green film with a lasting benefit to the community.
First time director Enci intent to make film green.
Enci's pre-production checklist includes facilitating most decisions online where possible. Casting calls were via electronic submissions and all paperwork relating to the film is done online as At What Price? is a SAG production. This simple procedure mitigates paper waste. Production meetings are held in locations that are convenient to and accessible by all modes of public transport. "Up to this point," says Enci "the 'green' journey has been somewhat conceptual with a bit of drama thrown in as we grapple with shade-grown versus free-trade coffee choices for our production meetings."

With shooting of At What Price? set to commence in July, Enci has looked into sustainable lighting, set design and film options. If necessary, her outfit, Rebel Without a Car Productions, has even looked into the availability of a solar-powered generator.

The Green Machine
"My husband and I are getting a team together that is quite a mix," she says with regards to the crew that will see her film dream come to life. "Some are already 'green', carfree, vegetarian, and some are not even close to being green. We don't just want to preach to the choir, we want to inspire those who are not thinking about their carbon footprint or the future of the planet.

"All these people are very excited about helping and being part of this production. I also hope to inspire the 'non-green' people in our production to be more sustainable, to drive less, to bring their own mugs and to order their drinks in glass or china when they sit down in a coffee shop. I would also like to encourage them to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables or grow some produce themselves."

"Living sustainably has been always close to my heart," states Enci as she explains that her environmental concerns predate this film project. "I came to the U.S. almost 13 years ago and I love it here in America but I always found it shocking how much is wasted. Food, disposables, idling cars, a/c running with doors and windows open, etcetera. Through all my years of living here I have tried to recycle - even when it was difficult because recycling bins were not always readily available. I've always used canvas bags when I shop and I started riding a bike when my husband, not only encouraged me, but also rode along with me everywhere, until I felt comfortable enough to ride on my own," she says before adding proudly, "Now we're both car-free!"

Are Bolo Ties the Next Big Trend?

I'm not sure I can bite off on this, but thought it was interesting that Refinery 29 said today:

"We Predict Bolo Ties Will be the Next Crazy Thing the Cool Kids Wear."

"In theory it's just a simple piece of neck wear, but there's something kind of rebellious about a bolo tie, like a little metallic trimmed f-you to the man and his pricey silk cravats. Pre-Madoff, we might have scorned the Rock-a-billy throwback, but after seeing a few rough-and-tumble trend setters tying one one, we've started to develop a definite string thing. Could it be that like Swine Flu (more on that later!), we've allowed this southwestern staple (and official tie of New Mexico) to invade our borders? After all, it's probably just the natural progression from this bow tie trend that's snuck away from its Upper East Side predecessors to the downtown kids, don't you think?"

And just in case you were wondering what is a Bolo? The bolo, or bola,was created in the late 1940s, when a silversmith named Victor Cedarstaff went riding with friends in the Bradshaw Mountains outside Wickenburg, Arizona. When the wind blew his hat off, Cedarstaff removed the hatband, which had a silver buckle he did not want to lose, and put it around his neck. When his friends complemented him on the new apparel, Cedarstaff returned home, and wove a leather string. He added silver balls to the ends and ran it through a turquoise buckle. Cedarstaff later patented the new neckwear, which was called the bolo because it resembled the lengths of rope used by Argentine gauchos to catch game or cattle. Now you know more than you'll ever need to know about a trend that may never happen! Giddy-up!

Globe-Trotter, hand made luggage

I'm working on a new hat and bag project, and in my research I came across Globe-Trotter, and even though I can't fathom how much these babies must cost, they surely are a work of art, offering visual stimulation for sure. Keep your hands on your desk and take a look.




The one above is my fave, I'm not the girl to pick an outfit to go with my luggage, but these pieces conjure up images in my head of a girl in a crisp cotton dress, with a white linen dude hat, vintage shoes, and some sweet shades, waiting patiently at a tiny train station in Italia, all the while catching the eye of every guy near her. You know those stations right, tiny boardwalk surrounding the old station, cute flowers outside, and an old sign hanging from above denoting the station name. Usually there is a cigarette machine somewhere in the vicinity and a couple of sturdy wooden benches that could tell a million stories if they could talk. Who knew luggage could conjure up such thoughts?!?!



Ciao Bella!

The Cobrasnake

You know you aren't just the average human when you are defined in Wikipedia:

Mark Hunter (photographer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Hunter (born 1986, Los Angeles, California), best known by his pseudonym The Cobrasnake, is an American photographer based out of the Los Angeles area. He maintains a photoblog, The Cobrasnake (formerly known as Polaroid Scene), which predominantly chronicles Los Angeles hipster and underground party culture as well as documenting the high fashion world. The blog has risen to popularity as an internet phenomenon, and has since been featured in The Los Angeles Times , The New York Times, Nylon Magazine, the LA Weekly and a number of other arts, culture, and fashion publications.

So next time you need a little divine inspiration, here's another great place to get it, a gratis!

Inspired by Polaroid

Read today about Elizabeth Soule Photography here in PDX, and then while looking around her site, I stumbled on this photo of hers of a Polaroid camera. There is something about the Polaroid that everyone has a fondness for. So I thought I would share these vintage Polaroid camera images, the colors are great and the images could inspire some great design.







I remember my parents having a flash like this on our camera as a kid, each time they took a picture a bulb would burn out until you had to change the whole thing. We've come a long way since then, but you just can't replace the Polaroid.

F'09 Trends at Retail - Outdoor Chic?

Just read this on California Apparel News today

Fall '09: Hooked On Classics
Buyers were shopping for unique items and the best values during the recent trade shows in Las Vegas and San Diego. And the news from the trade show floor is that classics have returned. The look varied from outdoors-inspired chic to tailored-menswear silhouettes, and there was a rebirth of vintage à la "Mad Men."
Key looks such as the leather moto jacket were updated, the boyfriend jean continued and the plaid shirt made a huge statement on its own...

Start Tweeting!

In the spirit of writing about everything and anything that's relevant to SY Design, here's something to consider if you haven't already, Twitter. Are you "tweeting" yet? Just RT(read this, in Tweet terms) at Fast Company about how fast, the free social messaging utility for staying connected in real time, is growing. I too am tweeting now, once you get on board you can follow my tweets too! But, keep it brief, no more than 140 characters per post!

And.....once you have an understanding for how the "game is played", you might appreciate the below parody.

"Twitter is down again, Mein Fuhrer", I apologize in advance if this offends anyone, please keep in mind it is a parody...



Tweet, tweet!

Send a Kid to Camp!

This is something I am truly passionate about, anything and everything that contributes to getting kids outside. So here's a cool promotion from our friends at Mountain Hardwear. Go to this link everyday between now and April 15th, and each click you make will donate $1 towards Send a Kid to Camp. You can return to the site everyday to donate, and by all means help spread the word, they will donate up to $35,000 towards 10 different camps that have been selected for this promotion.

WHY OUTDOOR ORIENTED CAMPS FOR KIDS?

- Outdoor activities make kids healthier both mentally and physically
- Most adults who enjoy outdoor activities started as kids
- We loved our own camp experiences and want to share similar experiences with kids today

MTV's newest reality TV series

Nitro Circus Big Wheel Back Flip - More bloopers are a click away

If you are on your last buck stuck at home watching TV dreaming about the adrenaline adventures you used to have money for... don't get rid of cable just yet, and check out MTV's newest reality TV show Nitro Circus. It revolves around the world's greatest freestyle motocross rider Travis Pastrana and his crew of top action sport athlete buddies and enablers. It's a little bit Jackass, Evel Knievel, Duke's of Hazard, and every stunt related thing you've ever dreamed up since you were a kid all insanely mixed together for a great escape from the reality of life right now.

Chino's and Khaki's Oh My!

I guess it is inevitable, in fashion everything repeats itself, but we seem to be on a fast track to the early nineties, yesterday I was shopping at Lizard Lounge and was talking with the girl there who buys for them about my crazy cute suspender jeans from Stitch's, and we ended up on the subject of khaki's. She mentioned that she is dying to get some into the store, and that the ones she has seen so far...are different from those of the 90's...with the washes that they can apply to them now, etc. This all makes so much sense too, after all the bold brights from the late 80's hitting us as we crashed into a huge recession now things are starting to get a little more somber and realistic, less bling for sure and less flash. She mentioned that she really wants to get in some Pendleton shirts for Fall as well, I think this goes hand in hand with a return to things that are more local too as we all work to climb out of this recession we have to think about supporting things closer to home.