Category: Pawnstar

Release inner rainbow with this Paul Smith swirl molded case made just for that brand new iPhone 5 available here. The grained leather coating with the designer’s iconic stripes will show the owner to be as playful and quirky as his phone is functional. This is the perfect Valentine’s Day Gift for the man who has everything including a naughty little child trapped inside of him.

Stylish people are a bit tired of iphones. Their seeming inescapability has started to grate. T2, a polished Danish smartphone in stainless steel and glass, might be a good alternative for those hungering for something that combines functionality with aesthetics.

The universal remote control lets users operate electronic equipment at home at a range of up to 20 meters and T2 can even recognize user’s gestures, meaning menus can be navigated by just a wave of the hand holding the device. Audio by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® is also top of the line. By electronics design firm Lumigon and operating with Android, T2 will be available in selected markets in Europe and Asia by the end of 2012.

Founded by designer Jackie Villevoye, Jupe by Jackie is a new Amsterdam-based brand that specializes in ties and bow ties.

Relying on India’s expert hand-embroidery needlework, Jackie focuses on individuality, quality, and subtlety rather than loud prints and patterns; classic silhouettes in impeccable color combinations are simply embellished with minimalist designs like flowers, lines, and borders.

You can get Jupe and Jackie at this website and now at Colette in Paris.

In collaboration with mainland street style boutique New Project Center (NPC), French apparel company Lacoste has released their take on the iconic Broadwick trainers to commemorate the year of the dragon. Aside from celebrating the mythical zodiac, it’s also noteworthy that this is the first Mainland Chinese brand to partner with Lacoste. Shiny leather scales coat the shoe, while other dragon motifs decorate the in and outsole. The 500 limited edition pairs come in red, gold, and silver – traditionally auspicious colors in Chinese culture.

With China’s design school churning out graduates and droves returning from the top schools abroad, the number of designers plying their trade has been increasing rapidly. Designer, curator, and entrepreneur Song Tao – a true mover and shaper – champions a fresh, but distinctly Chinese, aesthetic. Known for his product and interior design, Song is perhaps even more famous for the work he has done on promoting his peers.

Armed with a master’s degree in plastic arts from the Sorbonne, Song returned home to found Tao Gallery, a design space, in 1994. In 2002, he started ZI ZAO SHE, a brand that promotes his designs alongside those of other rising stars. This brand is known for its re-interpretations of classic Chinese shapes in contemporary materials like lucite. Subsequently in 2009, he spearheaded the China Furnishing Designer Brand Alliance and founded O Gallery in Beijing’s 798, a one-stop destination for viewing the work of China’s top designers as well as that of top international stars.

Song has curated shows from the Ullens Center to Art Beijing with a participant list that reads like a who’s who of contemporary Chinese design: Shao Fan, Sun Wentao, Liu Feng, Jia Li, Chen Darui, Ma Xiaowei, Wang Zhenfei, Fei Ruo, Xie Dong, Wen Miao, Xiao Tianyu, Gu Qigao, Wang Ke, Shi Jianmin, Gao Yiqiang, Huang Ying, and others. Many of these same designers have work that is available at O Gallery.

The future is bright for design, says Song. “The success of luxury brands like LV here in China taught us that people buy the real thing once they have the money” he comments. “Now plenty of people have the money. If they appreciate design, they will definitely pay for the original.”

Many Chinese designs reference classic furniture of the Ming and Qing while introducing elements from modern design. The Harmony Sofa by Xiao Tianyu, at curated shop Wuhao, always attracts admiring gazes and cheerful loungers.

This comfy piece adds a wooden back right out of the Ming to the what looks very much like kind of “pouf” chair one might find in a college room or casual parlor in the West. A event graduate of Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Xiao not only fused East and West, but also rigid with relaxed.

Beijing-based Gao Yiqiang has created some of the most inspiring shapes in Chinese design. He finds inspiration everywhere from toys to calligraphy and ordinary household objects. He who studied industrial design at the Academy of Arts and Design of Tsinghua University, has contributed to several books including Chinese Furniture and its Culture.

Among his missions is reconciling elements of traditional Chinese furniture like belief in spirits and preeminence of social status with Western influences such as dot, line, surface. His Ming Chair (above) is a good example of this type of blend.

The 8mm chair, with a shape inspired by randomly folded paper is probably his most iconic piece. He transferred this shape to stainless steel board, challenging the limits of the stainless steel board’s elasticity and toughness. Like most of his work, this one has not gone into production. Of course this won’t be for long. In Gao’s opinion “Individuality is becoming a way of life that guides consumption, and the younger generation is taking the lead.”

An interview that was included in my article “Designing China” in the September 2011 issue of Surface Asia:

1. What is the scale of production for your designs?

My items are all produced on a small-scale aside from the slippers. We make about a few thousand a year.

2. What are the main challenges for you?

Often, our volumes of materials and manufactured items are too low, so producers are reluctant to work with us. Copyright might become another issue.

3. What are the influences on your porcelain-wear?

The translucent spots called “Ling Long” originate in Jingdezhen, China’s traditional porcelain production capital. I altered the rice shape of the “Ling Long” to a square and applied it to a modern bowl. My vases are based on the concept of multi-function and re-combination. They can be separated into different parts.

4. Why did you seek to put landscapes on coffee tables (top photo) and what type of landscapes are they?

In traditional China, the ideal life was living in nature by mountains and water. Houses centered around a garden with stones and plants built on a limited scale to symbolize Nature. Nowadays, we live faraway even from these small gardens. Space is limited especially in such dense cities as Shanghai. My landscape tables have an organic shape and with the help of a gardener Lu Yuxin, who studied miniascape making in Japan, I tried to built quiet environments with the small lichen ball and plant as the symbol of the mountain and forest.

Graduating from the College of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University in 1990, Huang Ying has worked in fashion, interior design and marketing for multinationals. She co-founded home accessory company, Isting, in 2000.

By Jeffrey Ying

Red and gold may very well be the official colors of China. The East is Red but it also likes its Gold and this is reflected in Leica’s special Limited Edition camera made to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

The typically sedate Leica MP has been given a makeover with every conceivable metal part plated in 24kt gold, and the body encased in red calfskin. Certain parts of the camera and lens are engraved with select quotes of Chairman Mao and also features an image of Tianamen Square.

Supplied with a classic Summilux 50mm 1.4 lens, this camera is priced at 199,900 RMB and is limited to a run of 60 pieces.

文： 应捷

红色和金色应该称得上是中国的官方色彩。东方的象征是红色，但金色也是东方青睐的颜色之一。在本页这款徕卡品牌为庆祝中华人民共和国建国60周年的特别限量版相机中，可见一斑。

这款徕卡MP，通体将每片可能出现的金属片都镀上24K金，其它部分也由红色皮革包裹。相机和镜头的部分空间，雕刻有毛主席语录，以及天安门广场的图片。配备经典的Summilux 50mm 1.4镜头，限量60台，这款相机的价格为199,900元人民币。