Bombay Company Re-launch

Just eleven months after their liquidation The Bombay Company announces it will re-emerge in the US.

This should be good news, however when companies re-launch so quickly one can not help but think first about the collateral damage from the bankruptcy and closure. With 400 some odd locations, the warehouses, employees, vendors, and landlords someone must have been shortchanged in these deals - to say the least.

The company’s website BombayCompany.com announces: “The Future Home of Bombay Brands”. An Adobe flash presentation reveals slick modern photography and youthful models in lifestyle shots overlaid with old nostalgic British Colonial imagery. The text promises us the following: “Bringing tradition, warmth, romance, great taste (etc.) to Home Décor…et al.

This may be a no easy task as this is the same Bombay Company whose stores I recall were full of fussy dark veneered rubber-wood nesting tables and brass monkeys. The announcement of re-hiring their head merchant who left the company in 2007 is also a surprise.

The re-launch plans include a three tier distribution strategy; high-end department stores & specialty gift stores, mid-tier home retailers, and mass discount chains.

I remain optimistic but I’m not sure the merchants at Bloomingdale’s or Neiman Marcus are ready to stand behind a brand with Bombay’s product history until the new product ranges are revealed. One way into these better retailers would be to buy the floor space with a shop-in-shop build-outs and offer well designed high quality furnishings. Today many luxury brands cross over and offer mass merchant collections, but this one certainly will be a tougher sell as they need to trade up, not down.

Shopping at New York’s Conran Shop During their relocation

-New York, NY

The ConranUSA.com website will be fully functional during the store’s clearance sale, temporary closing and relocation. The current shop on E. 59th Street is scheduled to close in March.

While awaiting the new location opening in April customers can also place orders by telephone. The customer service line is open during standard business hours during the week.

ConranUSA.com ships in-stock products from their New Jersey warehouse. Some furniture items are made to order and those larger oversized items that can not travel by Fed EX or UPS will ship via freight truck.

The user-friendly website is organized into the categories listed below and offers every detail necessary to make a well informed decision. Intelligent copy with the designer credit, materials, dimensions, inventory availability and/or lead time for future orders and delivery information is spelled out clearly. One of my favorite features is being able to shop by designer name, however note the alphabetic list features some designers by his or her first name. During this sale period some designers may be listed but no product currently available for sale.

• Furniture
• Lighting
• Outdoor
• Entertaining
• Bath
• Kitchen
• Gifts
• SALE

Meanwhile we will look for news on opening festivities and event annoucements from ABC Carpet.

Diptyque Opens New York Flagship

- New York, NY

Diptyque the Parisian fragrance maker that has been in business since the 1960s just recently entered the US retail market with three free standing shops. One is in San Francisco, one in Greenwich Village New York, and now their largest flagship location opened this winter on Madison Avenue near 76th Street.

Up until 2007 a limited range of the perfume, personal care, and candle products could be found at better specialty & department stores. Otherwise one would need to travel to Paris. Walking into the boutique on Boulevard Saint Germaine is like stepping back in time. Like many shops in Paris there is an air of formality here but once invited to sit down and test the scents the experience is quite enjoyable and relaxing. The simple and elegant black and white design of the space does not in any way take away from the focus on the products. The offering consists of about 50 different ranges. On my last visit there I chose a bottle of Eau d’Elide with the pan god figure illustration on the front – it’s a limited edition man’s fragrance no longer available combining bitter orange, lavender, and musk.

A brief history of modern home fragrance

Home fragrance is an important category for many retailers and has evolved very quickly in the past few years. For a long time potpourri when made correctly, was a very popular and an effective way to deliver a localized scent. Then at the end of the season you could just replace it. However when the market shifted toward heavy synthetic scents and garish dyes it feel out of fashion.

Natural or naturally inspired aromatherapy candle pillars and votives were all the rage for a while. Then the candle’s container became the new focal point, glass and ceramic jars, little tins for traveling. There was a quick flash of gel candles that offered a modern new look but some of those created a literal flash with safety issues and then vanished.

Smokeless soy-based candles signaled a revolutionary shift in the candle industry. This was a welcome trend and still offers the best choice for clean and even burning; the softer compound will not hollow out as quickly as wax does.

Once the fashion designers got involved in the candle business we saw some crazy pricing appear in the $100 and above range. These are gifts for the person you do not know very well-wrapped up in outrageous silk packaging and ribbons. I suspect that these are one of the most popular re-gifted or returned items that just get passed on and on perhaps never to be opened.

Most recently the arrival of the reed infuser category has exploded. It’s flameless and when you compare the hours of scent delivered quite economical. These are very popular and have a place in public washrooms and airport lounges, but the smell is much too powerful for me. Perhaps there is a brand out there that can offer a more subtle perfume but I have not found it yet. The benefit of burning a candle is that you light it for a few hours and then blow it out – it can release a feint scent afterwards unless it’s covered. However the idea of an open bottle of perfume that continuously evaporates into the air in an enclosed space is far from appealing. Frequently corking the bottle and saving or discarding the reeds seems impractical. My goal is to find an mild pleasant essential-oil based diffuser product and report on promptly. Suggestions are welcome.

Lastly I mention a new technology of battery operated flicker type candles that offer the illusion of real flames but only from a distance. The addition of a vanilla or other scent was a very bad move. I find these a bit depressing like anything pretending to be something it is not and are more suitable for commecial spaces where open flames are prohibited.

More about Diptyque
Somewhere in the range of mid to better quality soy blended candles is Diptyque. The scents are sophisticated and can trigger an emotional response to memories or naturally occurring fragrances. Diptyque uses only natural ingredients when composing fragrances and is proud to never have used synthetics. The packaging is a clean black and white its signature style; a playful broken line text spelling out the names in an old-world font. The standard 6.5 oz hand poured candle with a cotton wick and 50 hours of burning time sells for € 40 or about $60 US- special, but not too high for self purchase.

The popular Philosykos and Ofresia scents were created by world famous nose Olivia Giacobetti. She is know for creating fragrances for Guerlain, Hermès, the Costes brothers, and Penhaligon’s. She recently opened a little shop inside the Hotel Costes, Paris.


www.DiptyqueParis.com

Best of 2009 List Fatigue…Not Yet !

One week into the new year and the best of lists keeping pouring in.

There is something that compels us to at least glance through these often daunting lists. Perhaps it is the deep psychological need to be associated with something that is the deemed to be the best. For the reason behind this we might look to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid. Right before self actualization is the “Esteem” level, a measure of our success and status.

Wallpaper Magazine’s best of 2009 lists are broken down into various categories with five nominees each. Next month’s issue will announce the winners. That’s one way to keep circulation up. The two groups that are of particular interest to me include; best domestic design and the other is furniture designer of the year.

I’ve narrowed the best domestic design to my two semi-finalists and we can see how my predictions fare.

Kitchen Tools for Men- by Mitsunobo Hagino for Prince Kogyo.

The tool set is comprised of 5 basic utensils. The manufacturer has avoided the use of rivets but rather welded each stainless steel part together to increase durability coated in a matt black heat resistant fluorocarbon polymer. Currently available from UK and Japanese retailers only.

More info. http://
www.nico.or.jp/hyaku/english/

Slowcooker- by Margriet Foolen for Royal VKB.

This product was launched in Paris at the 2009 Maison & Objet trade show. It is a simple reversible terracotta cooking pot with silicone pads that allow it to be placed directly onto a tabletop. Various web retailers show the item as sold out ‘til February.

A 30 second clip shows the simplicity of cooking:
aplusrstore.com/product.php?id=492


Furniture Designer of the Year
With only photographs of the designers faces and a description I immediately knew which two I would focus on for this post. James Irvine and Konstantin Grcic both worked on collaborations with MUJI and THONET. The reason why this is a brilliant idea is that in many ways Muji epitomizes what Thonet set out to do; streamline the production of reasonably priced products. Both channel a vision of simplicity and durability into an end result of timeless design.

Irvine created a series of chairs supported by one single bowed back panel and Grcic designed a collection of office chairs and desks for the Japanese company. The office collection is not for sale yet and both are currently on display in the Muji shops in New York.

www.muji.us/

ABC Carpet's new Conran Shop in Shop

New York, NEW YORK

My recent post about Milan’s la Rinascente department store including a Conran Shop may now read as a precursor to the latest news out from the British restaurateur, designer, author, and specialty retailer Terrence Conran.

The New York Times reports that after 10 years of operating on the far east side Manhattan the Conran Shop will close its doors and open a shop-in-shop at ABC Carpet in Union Square. The 8,500 square foot shop will open in April 2010.

Operating at about 50% of its original size the shop will focus on what the company is calling its more “masculine” categories of merchandise including furniture, lighting, kitchen, and under-glass products. The most noticeable categories that will be eliminated are textiles, bath, children's, stationery, and travel items.

For those who cannot do without a specific Conran item ‘til April they do deliver from the UK with complete instructions on the company website- www.conranshop.co.uk. In the most polite British manner would-be shoppers are instructed to call for details regarding freight, import duties, and taxes that may be incurred from packages headed for America.

The London and Paris Conran Shops were and still are very important travel designations for merchants seeking trends and sources while attending the winter and fall trade shows. I consistently found at least one key item in the gardening or kitchen departments. So, when Sir Terrance opened this business in New York I must admit I was a bit disappointed. This was another sign of globalization that affected me personally. As a California based merchant the unique treasures discovered here would now be much more accessible to other buyers who never even visited Europe.

I expect this may become the busiest area inside ABC Carpet and come this spring the downtown crowd will not have to trek all the way up to barren neighborhood of the Queensborough bridge to shop the latest Conran collection.

Sign of the times- Department stores entering the discount outlet business.

At the close of each month we all see the comparable store sales numbers. Looking back at the last year it’s clearly the off-price business that consistently outshines any of the regular priced retailers. I suspect December will be no exception. Both The TJX Co.s and Ross Stores are bucking the trend, reporting positive numbers and sometimes reaching double digit increases over last year.

Competition is now surfacing for that value driven customer in the near future from a very unlikely source. WWD reports that Lord & Taylor, the oldest upscale department store in the United States is entering the outlet business. The first will be a 15,000 ft. sq location in Elizabeth, N.J. It may come as no surprise after the retailer has struggled with a series of ownership shuffles, store closures, and it's new identity. This is the same Lord & Taylor that for decades advertised through fashion illustrations when everyone else was using modern photography. At one time couture fashion designers such as Balenciaga, Dior, Chanel, and Givenchy were on display in the Lord & Taylor 5th Avenue flagship. Now just a few of these names remain in the Bridal assortment and the dress department is made up of very modestly priced ready-to-wear pieces from American names like Calvin Klein and Ellen Tracy. As for those new price points ads targeting a younger shopper- seems like they took their cues from Old Navy.

This news comes as Macy’s acknowledged that they are also looking into the possibility of opening outlet locations but have yet to announce any specific sites.

In an interesting move Simon Property Group announced in a December 8th press release that it would buy out 22 new mall locations from Prime Outlets for a price of $2.3 billion. This acquisition will result in a total of 63 off price centers for Simon comprising approximately 25 million square feet.

Burt Tansky, the Chairman & CEO of Neiman Marcus recently acknowledges that the “Last Call” outlet stores were out performing the regular price locations. He said the number of outlets would be expanding beyond the current portfolio of 28 and they are working on finding "more central locations" as well.

Some free advice for these retailers entering into this new territory; Do not open more locations that you can adequately stock and do not supplement the merchandise assortments with lower quality goods that would never be sold in the full prices stores. I was a bit shocked to see this trickery from one luxury outlet when it was quite clear that this retailer would have never sold a rough poly-blend dress shirt but yet here it was piled high posing as an over-stock with a very inflated comp. price. This could really turn off the more affluent educated shoppers who will not return unless the bargains are real and honest.

Much of this shift is really about the consumer re-evaluating what prices should be. With so many prestige brands being offered up at mass retailers it leads us all to question the rational of why name brands are at such inflated prices. Many retailers have been hitting the discount panic button so quickly. First through a sale of 20-40 off, then 50% and higher discounts sometimes just weeks after arriving in shops.

I foresee that all of these changes could result in better shopping experiences in off price location and outlet malls. They may start resembling some of the better shopping mall formats. They could be built in more convenient areas where people actually live and work. They will include welcoming landscaping & convenient parking facilities (valet maybe?). The architecture will be more appealing and might incorporate children’s recreation spots and spacious seating areas, and maybe nice, healthy restaurant choices. If all of that happens, the whole business model and price structure of retail could change dramatically.

As we go into this new decade change is in the wind and it’s certainly not going to be business as usual anymore.



www.WWD.com

A New Year's Resolution for the Design Community

I met with an investor from one of the so-called “eco- friendly” retailers who was considering hiring me as a consultant. In the meeting he asked me to basically look at Pottery Barn's catalog covers for the past five years and copy the styles with a spin toward his new brand. I ended up offering some friendly advice and did not take on the project, suggesting instead that the company could do much better with original ideas and products.

Now as economic woes continue the collateral damaged may include such sameness that seems to pervade the home industry. So, as we approach a new decade what will home furnishings look like in 2010 as both consumer and corporate budgets get slashed?

To answer this question I have two approaches.

Let’s start with Dieter Rams the industrial engineer most closely associated with Braun. Many of his designs have a home in the permanent collections of museums around the world. Thankfully Rams offers us his ten principles of good design.

Note to designers;
Please print this list and post this where you can read it every day.

• Good design is innovative
• Good design makes a product useful
• Good design is aesthetic
• Good design helps us to understand a product
• Good design is unobtrusive
• Good design is honest
• Good design is long-lasting
• Good design is consequent to the last detail
• Good design is concerned with the environment
• Good design is as little design as possible


What really makes Braun and other Rams designs stand out for me the most is number 7; the long-lasting qualities. I have a number of Braun products that are twenty years old that work and still look great.

The second place we go for inspiration is Japan- by way of the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.

The Japan External Trade Organization or JETRO set up a section of the ICFF trade show in New York this year. The International Contemporary Furniture Fair features furniture and accessories and also displays a number of student design projects that have not yet made it to production. JETRO curated an exciting and innovative presentation of items and offered a catalog that explained how they were chosen.

According to the literature all these items on display had high Kansei value, or emotional and physical appeal to the user.

Kansei is manifested in three ways:
1. Hyōjō - The expression of an object or its appearance. This includes material, color, texture; all the qualities visible to the eye.
2. Dōsa- The creator’s gesture or intent or how the body physical response to the object; for example how it feels to the touch.
3. Kokoro- The emotion an object evokes. This psychological dimension is the most abstract but most prized by Japanese designers.


All photographs copyright Vitsœ.



www.JETRO.org/

www.ICFF.com/

The Rebirth of the Department Store- Italian Style

- MILAN, ITALY

A visit to Milan is certain to include a walk around the Piazza del Duomo. One of the key anchors in this enormous walking and shopping area is La Rinascente, the upscale department store founded in 1865. (This is the place where Giorgio Armani got his start- dressing the windows- but that’s another story.)

Shopping there in the past was similar to visiting a Macy’s suburban C-store – the absence of better name brands and lacking the luster or modernity of say what you find at Harvey Nichols or Neiman Marcus. I even recall the lighting and visuals used to be quite compromised and outdated.

This past July La Rinacente unveiled what is being called a "design supermarket”. I visited in September, walked the lower level shops and saw an exciting combination of home and design objects that rivaled The Conran Shop. A modern bustling café circles the escalator's open architecture; a wall ‘sculpture’ in itself. Many of the goods are featured in a modern art museum-shop fashion. These include sophisticated dustpans and vases as well as notebooks and mugs by fashion designer Paul Smith. There is even a Conran shop-in-shop down there as well, the first I have seen. It makes sense since Sir Terrance does not have any of his own retail shops in Italy. Kartell and Wallpaper* magazine also set up shop there which definitely adds to the cool factor.

There was no sign of a recession here on a busy Saturday afternoon. The store was full of people and gave off a party atmosphere- interesting music that changed in each area. Large scale theatrics in cosmetics; it was teeming with dozens of fragrance models and cosmetic artists in action. Many of the major international designer and top luxury brand names were visible right from the sight-lines of the up escalator.

In 2005 the company recruited the CEO who was credited with turning the ailing Selfridges department store around. Vittorio Radice who was also the Managing Director for Habitat UK is responsible for this resurrection. When I worked with Vittorio on furniture product development at Conran’s Habitat he was constantly pushing the merchandisers to go after a similar visual approach- a ‘fresh from the market’ look in the shops. He wanted to see towering stacks of new dinnerware filling large baskets that may have just been cracked open from a crate, as well as goods on dining tables that looked like they were just stocked up.

How appropriate that La Rinascente is derived from rinascita - means "rebirth" in Italian. Perhaps this is the inspiration the management team used to make such a bold new business introduction and major remodel in such a troubled economy.

We will have to watch the sales and earnings of La Rinascente in the future but the launch of such fresh and new idea seems to have paid off from the glimpse I saw in the high foot traffic and number of shopping bags heading out the door.


www.DesignSuperMarket.it/

The most beautiful garden book

- New York, NY

A quick call out today for Dominique Browning's list of the top ten new garden books of the year for the New York Times - Book Review (12/06/09).

In praise of Anna Pavord's book, BULB, Browning said, "This is the most beautiful garden book of the season", offering us as readers happiness and hope. She also notes a warning, "...[it] is enough to induce lust in the most abstracted Zen gardener."

In her other picks it is worth noting that she mentions but does not recommend any of the how-to titles which will no doubt be piled up on a feature table in your local book seller. Four of Browning's books fall under the category of Japanese Gardening suggesting that we should probably make our vacation plans now.

Full link to the section of the NY TIMES below as well as my earlier post about BULB from November 2, 2009.

www.nytimes.com/pages/books/review/index.html/


GARDEN- Bulb Season



With all the buzz about growing your own rooftop produce there are still more flower gardeners out there for one simple reason; sunlight. Even those with out an outdoor space can turn a small windowsill into a miniature flower garden, but most vegetables do require about six hours of sun or more.

BULB, a new book written by Anna Pavord has just been released from Octopus Publishing Group. It's been ten years since she wrote her related title, The Tulip- a history and illustrated archive of the flower from its botanical origins to Tulipmania, and to the big business it has now become.

In BULB, this time Pavord shares 540 of her favorite bulbs with a more practical approach. This alphabetical collection provides photographs, inspiration, and helpful advice.

Another book written ten years ago is still very fresh in its presentation of all forced blooms indoors; Forcing, etc written by Katherine Whiteside for Smith & Hawken. She explored all sorts of cultivated and wild flora that can be transformed with the right conditions; from branches, bulbs, even forcing acorns into tiny bonsai gardens. A Google preview of her book can be viewed at the Workman publishing website.

Paste address into browser:
http://www.workman.com/products/9780761115120/excerpt_from_book.html

Coming Up Roses – Clubhouse furniture for KENZO

- Los Angeles & Miami

Kenzo Takada’s fashion career which has spanned thirty years started appropriately in Paris. His first designs were created only from the fabrics he could afford to buy at the flea market. As a result, Kenzo had to mix many bold fabrics together to make one garment. In 1970 he opened up his first shop near the Palais Royale inside Galerie Vivienne.

His ready-to-wear is both practical in function and often outrageous in detail. Formal suit coats with large patch pockets on the back or oversized buttons, for example. Like the other top Japanese designers his clothes are loose and unstructured. However one consistent quality is that the garments are very durable and can last a life time with proper care.

In the mid nineties Kenzo joined the luxury group LVMH which would support a global expansion plan. A few years later he would step down as CEO and pass the work off to his assistants. In 2005 he would return to design "Gokan Kobo" a collection of tableware and home objects; Baccarat made the crystal pieces, Niderwiller and Manufacture Nationale de Sevres manufactured the porcelain table-top.

Now Kenzo has just entered the US market with support of the Italian company Clubhouse who also is behind the FENDI home collection. Together they have produced a wide range of furniture for sale in Miami and Los Angeles. L.A.'s Melrose location opened its doors in October and displays a wide assortment of case goods, dining room furniture, and accessories.

All the pieces are special order. The ‘Grace’ chair featured here starts at about $1,000 with a number of fabric and finish options. Contact information and photos of the FENDI collection at the Clubhouse Italia site below. Kenzo photos coming soon.



www.clubhouseitalia.com/


www.Kenzo.com/


Gokan Kobo photo courtesy of AFP © 2005

Robb Report follows up on Ralph Lauren Vault post

-New York, NY

The Home & Garden Business News post from November 18th announced Ralph Lauren's new venture into one of a kind collectible antiques for sale throuh a new division's website called The Vault.

Today's Robb Report newsletter arrived and was promoting the site just in time for holiday shopping.

Although if the sky's really the limit for that someone special, the new Hermès mega yacht by Wally is tough competition. A floating paradise for €100 million.

When I was in Monaco this summer the yacht show was just getting set up in the port at Monte Carlo but the highly anticipated unveiling had not occurred yet. The link below includes a video clip of the vessel in motion in the 'Making of' section. Daydreaming encouraged.


www.robbreport.com/enews/2009/RL.html/


www.why-yachts.com/

Update on the White House Christmas Tree

- Washington, DC

To follow up from an earlier post...

Today First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the Blue Room Christmas tree that will be accessible to the public visiting the White House.

The theme of the holiday decorating is "Reflect, Rejoice and Renew".

In an unusual turn they decided to re-use about 800 ornaments left over from previous administrations. These were re-designed by about 60 local community groups throughout the country. The groups decorated them to pay tribute to a favorite local landmark and then sent them back for display at the White House.

Bravo to the First Lady for not only recycling but for the community inclusion to the festivities this year.

Check out this year's impressive gingerbread house complete with the organic vegetable garden detail.



Photo credits; SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

GARDEN- California Flower Growers Reach Out to Locavores

-California’s Central Valley

Thanks to writers like Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver we are in the middle of a global shift of choosing local produce instead of imported goods or those produced by large factory farms which are trucked across the country.

There is another group of farmers that want to participate in the local movement and protect their part of a shrinking business. It's the 250 cut flower growers in California that employ about 20,000 people. This may be an uphill battle unless the growers can compete with the international marketplace. Twenty years ago California supplied more than 60% of the nation’s cut flowers. Today that amount has been reduced to 25% as commercial airplanes zip back and forth from S. America to huge distribution centers in Miami daily undercutting the domestic growers. On-line shopping has also shifted business away from from the local florist or wire service to the lowest priced pre-packed imports- the ones that often arrive in a cardboard shipping box.

The California Cut Flower Commission is a state government agency created by the legislature to promote California-grown cut flowers and foliages. The commission kicked off a buy-local campaign last month starting in Vons and Safeway stores. The flowers will be displayed with “hint cards” noting various tips like; the Golden state’s flowers are America’s freshest. Whole Foods Markets have been tagging many of their produce and flowers with the locally grown signs as well.

Although I support this initiative and hope for the best, it may not be enough to effect the primary decision making of this impulse buy. First comes the perceived value and retail price so this may be effective as a secondary “feel good” emotion that comes after the purchase. One also imagines the reduced shipping and handling costs will help keep control prices.

Lastly I predict the awareness campaign will be more important for the self-purchase unless the pricing of CA grown flowers is less or equal to that of the imports. As for the flowers I buy for my own home; I want those to last as long as possible and here in Los Angeles they would most likely be those that are locally grown but the value must be there too. However as a gift I might be more frugal so if the less expensive flowers (of what ever origin) did not last as long – I would never really know.


www.ccfc.org/

www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/

www.michaelpollan.com/

WOOLRICH Double Play; Home Collection & High Fashion

Woolrich, PA

The nation’s oldest continuously operating apparel and woolen fabric manufacturer is reinventing itself in more ways than one.

Woolrich the maker of Civil War blankets and the famous logger jackets & woolen shirts has expanded their home collection to include furniture in the upcoming Atlanta market. The new groupings of bedroom, dining, and occasional pieces launched in Las Vegas earlier this year. The goods are being made under license by Shadow Mountain, a company based in North Carolina.

On the fashion side of the business I was in Italy recently and noticed variations of the Woolrich signature bold checks in the shop windows of some very trendy blocks in both Milan and Florence.

Later would I read that Daiki Suzuki designed a fully functional outdoor fashion collection for men in collaboration with Woolrich Woolen Mills. The focus includes themes of hunting and fishing. Of course they may be more popular on Madison Avenue but could transition flawlessly to a fishing or hunting trip.

What a brilliant combination of quality fabrics, performance, heritage, and high style. What's meaningful about these garments is that they have all the performance qualities of work wear, they look great, and will last a life time.

I wish I could be more enthusiastic about the home collections. For the right rural or suburban market they could be successful when offered to customers who are furnishing a spacious country house. The scale is large, the finishes very dark, and the surfaces are rough hewn & textured.


www.woolrichwoolenmillsproduction.com/

www.shadowmountaininc.com/

Re-thinking the Flower Vase

-BERLIN, GERMANY









What happens when you ask 15 contemporary artists to redefine the flower vase ? The results are currently on display in Berlin at HELMRINDERKNECHT, a contemporary design gallery.

All of the objects are either unique copies or part of a small limited and signed edition. The exhibition VASE vs. VASE opened this week and is on display through January 9, 2010.

Two interesting examples are shown here. ‘Couer’ by Julia Maendler – a synthetic resin heart that functions much like the traditional tulip vessels. It works very well with ranunculus but one could also see Icelandic poppies creating a wild floral sculpture as well.

Tina Roeder contributed this amusing and ironic sculpture called ‘Bucket Vase”. Looking closely one can see that it is made of fine porcelain and sterling silver (from a series of 5). What comes to mind here reminds me of the humor of Chef Tom Aiken, based in London- the youngest chef ever to receive two Michelin stars. Tom is known for taking extraordinary ingredients and preparing them in a dish that at first sight looks basic and ordinary- that is until you taste it and savor the surprising flavors of say caramelized endive or lemon confit.

Anyway like the old idiom, one should not judge the book by its binding.


www.helmrinderknecht.com/


www.tomaikens.co.uk/

HOME- Mixing the Old with the New

Department stores and specialty shops have long understood the appeal of offering one of a kind objects that can nicely round out a merchandising display. These rare finds are often picked up from the enormous flea market in Paris at the Porte de Clignancourt or Le Marché aux Puces St-Ouen. Camden Town in London is also another popular destination for Buyers to visit as a break from the intensity of the trade shows.

This year it’s interesting to see a bit of on-line competition for EBay with retailers selling vintage and antique collectibles through their ecommerce sites.

With the launch of the Ralph Lauren Gift Vault, the designer has carefully chosen one-of-a-kind pieces according to three themes: Americana, Hollywood Glamour and Estate. There are some beautiful pieces of silver, turquoise, and jewelry for sale at luxury price points. Ralph will only sell items that are 100 years or older and does require that you register as a member in order to see the prices. Certificates of authenticity are available since we know the army behind at Ralph Lauren thinks of everything.

Sur la Table acquired a large collection of silver serving pieces and flatware from that grand old hotel in Paris; Hotel du Louvre. Many of the items sold-out quickly on their website. Today just a handful of items remain selling at the $200 - $300 range.

Buying and reselling antiques is not for everyone. Maybe this is why we see Pottery Barn offering up a strange mismatched “like vintage” flatware set. That is every five-piece place setting is exactly the same.

There is a risk that the buying one of kind items will sit and clog inventory dollars. For the web there are the same administrative details as if you purchased 1,000 pieces. There are the considerations of photography (perhaps on location) and copywriting for that one single item with a unique location in the warehouse.

For smaller businesses I would not recommend venturing into the foreign vintage market without the assistance of a trusted Buying Agent to handle the transaction, shipping, and export details. That is unless the goods are hand carried in your luggage and claimed with U.S. customs upon arrival (that is except the few treasured pieces you plan to keep for yourself).


www.RalphLaurenGiftVault.com/


www.SurlaTable.com/

GARDEN- Chistmas Trees; Options and Opportunities

- WASHINGTON, D.C.

A beautiful Douglas-fir from Shepherdstown, West Virginia will be decorating the Blue Room in the White House this year. It will be officially presented to First Lady Michelle Obama by growers Eric and Gloria Sundback. The Sundbacks earned this honor by winning the National Christmas Tree Association's (NCTA) Grand Championship.

The Obama’s tree was handpicked by the White House Chief Usher – the same fellow who is the first to keep bees on the grounds. The tree, which was planted by the Sundbacks in 1996, will be cut in late November. The presentation to the White House is scheduled to take place on Nov. 27, 2009. The tree will be set up in the Blue Room later that day, where the White House Floral Department staff and volunteers will decorate it.

The options for ordinary Americans:

Christmas trees are big business. Sales are well over $1 billion (FY 2007). 21% of United States households purchased a real tree, 48% had an artificial tree and 32% had no tree at all. (1) This adds up to about 30-35 million trees sold each year.

Is a cut tree the best choice?

Fifty years ago, Christmas trees were often cut down in forests and not replaced with seedlings. But today nearly all, 98 percent, are grown on farms according to the California Christmas Tree Association (CCTA). For every Christmas tree harvested, two or three more are planted. So that's more than 70 million new seedlings planted each year.

There are numerous debates over the environmental impact of cut trees. The leading argument to buy a cut tree is that seedlings are planted in the spring like food crops and harvested within six to ten years. The benefits that tree farmers claim include; the positive contributions to wildlife habitat, soil stabilization, oxygen production and carbon dioxide absorption. Some environmentalists take issue with the fuel burned to truck many of these trees across the country and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. We pay more for organically grown vegetables but would be pay more for an organic tree? The disposal of cut trees can create a bottle neck in municipal dumps and composting facilities, although some communities use them to protect flooded or erosion damaged areas.

Living Christmas Trees

For those who would prefer not to purchase a cut tree, there have not been many alternatives. There are synthetics or some interesting wire sculptural trees to hold ornaments. Choosing a potted tree for many is a very considered purchase or impossible for most urban dwellers. The obvious issues of, "How large will it get? Do I have the space for what will turn out to be a lifetime commitment?" If left in the nursery pot for a long time, the tree may not survive.

There is a solution and a new business model on the west coast- Rent a potted tree.

Two businesses are offering healthy living Christmas trees that are delivered and then picked up after the holiday.

Adopt a Christmas Tree is nursery based in San Diego, California. I spoke to their Director Christine McDannell who is also known as the Head Elf. She explained that their business has increased considerably the past few years and that about 30% of people end up keeping their trees after the holiday. Retails start at $139 for a 4 ft. tree planted in a 5 gallon pot. Once picked up the trees are repotted and nurtured for the following year.

http://adoptachristmastree.com/

The Original Living Christmas Tree Company is based in Portland Oregon. Their trees sell for $80 including local delivery for all sizes- 5 ft. up to 7- 9ft. If you decide to keep your tree an additional $20 deposit is retained. After pick up the trees are planted by volunteers in watershed areas all over the Northwest.

http://livingchristmastrees.org/




1.Data from the University of Illinois Agriculture Dept. 2002


UPDATED NOV. 13th

THE LIVING CHRISTMAS COMPANY

This new Redondo Beach, CA based business offers similar trees and services.

http://www.livingchristmas.com/

Delivery in the Los Angeles area.

Small trees priced from $50.00 up to $185.00 for 7 to 8 ft.

NPR follow up story re; Thursday post

-Washington, DC

Al Gore was interviewed today on NPR's All Things Considered about his new book:
Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis.

He made special note of the deforestation in tropical climates.

The audio clip is about 7 minutes.

Please paste link into browser for audio access and an excerpt from the book:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120120902

Fashion companies make eco-smart move with shopping bag sources

- PARIS,FRANCE

As a Furniture Buyer I worked closely with The Rainforest Alliance in selecting manufacturers as well as in auditing and verifying sources of materials used in production of outdoor furniture. This group helps timber companies, manufacturers, and retailers make the right choices in eco-smart materials, packaging, and paper from sustainable forest resources. By having committed 3rd parties perform inspections businesses can earn the status of being ‘certified’. Similar to certified organic farming this is a long term commitment and requires a thorough review on-site over a period of time.

So I read with pleasure today in the retail trade publication Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) that GUCCI backs the Rainforest Alliance. * *
( This was a WWD misprint- Please see correction below in comments )

This policy is a positive continuation of the Gucci Group’s interest in curbing climate change and has pledged to reduce the amount of paper it uses, eliminate fiber from high conservation value forests, and only purchase recycled products or those certified by the Forest Stewardship Council by December 2010.

Other fashion brands making similar moves include: Tiffany & Co., H&M Group, Hugo Boss, and Ferragamo.

Much of this is due to a shift away from throwaway paper shopping bags supplied from one supplier Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). APP has a reputation of clear-cutting wide expanses of trees in sensitive areas thus contributing the destruction of Indonesia’s rainforests.

It should be noted that many catalogs like Williams Sonoma have been using only certified sustainable sources for the millions of catalogs they send every month. Since 2006 it reported that 95% of the paper content was recycled and now it’s up to 100%. However Williams Sonoma’s policy on shopping bags notes that they only use 10% recycled content. *

Of course I do not expect to see shoppers headed to the mall with reusable shopping bags in hand as they do now when grocery shopping. However for retailers, knowing about the resources to help with purchasing decisions will certainly provide numerous benefits all around in the long run.

* Source: Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Environmental Catalog Paper Procurement Policy 2008



www.rainforestalliance.org/

www.wwd.com/

www.ran.org/

GARDEN- Bulb Season

With all the buzz about growing your own rooftop produce there are still more flower gardeners out there for one simple reason; sunlight. Even those with out an outdoor space can turn a small windowsill into a miniature flower garden, but most vegetables do require about six hours of sun or more.

BULB, a new book written by Anna Pavord has just been released from Octopus Publishing Group. It's been ten years since she wrote her related title, The Tulip- a history and illustrated archive of the flower from its botanical origins to Tulipmania, and to the big business it has now become.

In BULB, this time Pavord shares 540 of her favorite bulbs with a more practical approach. This alphabetical collection provides photographs, inspiration, and helpful advice.

Another book written ten years ago is still very fresh in its presentation of all forced blooms indoors; Forcing, etc written by Katherine Whiteside for Smith & Hawken. She explored all sorts of cultivated and wild flora that can be transformed with the right conditions; from branches, bulbs, even forcing acorns into tiny bonsai gardens. A Google preview of her book can be viewed at the Workman publishing website.

Paste address into browser:
http://www.workman.com/products/9780761115120/excerpt_from_book.html