Amelia’s Magazine | Top Drawer at Olympia, January 2015: Review

Clara_Francis_fox_beaded_necklace
Top Drawer grows ever bigger each year, and this time around there was a new dedicated fashion section, as well as the Spotted zone curated by Charlotte Abrahams, designed to promote up and coming designers.

Clara_Francis_necklace
It was really great to catch up with jewellery designer Clara Francis, interviewed on this website last year. Clara specialises in the old fashioned art of beading, using the technique to create wonderful and unusual statement necklaces, tiaras and earrings.

Tagua_nut_Just_trade
Just Trade specialise in jewellery made using ethical materials by artisans. These animal pendants are made out of Tagua nut from Ecuador.

Sew_Lomax_makeup_bags
I loved the new neon embroidered wash bags by Sew Lomax.

Nancy_Nicholson_embroidery
At spotted I found Kent based designer Nancy Nicholson, who makes wonderful retro inspired DIY embroidery kits, some pieces inspired by he work of her mother Joan Nicholson. Love them.

Alfred_Wilde_Wolf_and_Moon
Alfred & Wilde designer Simon Mitchell makes amazing graphic printed homewares, and has recently collaborated with Wolf & Moon to make these new perspex jewellery designs inspired by his love of the Platonic Solids.

Colour_cutie_octopus
Colour_Cutie_cats
These great interactive cards are from Colourcutie, which was launched by designer Anna Rumsby in 2014.

Ola_studio
In the greetings card and stationery section of Top Drawer I was drawn to the subtle graphic designs of Ola Studio by Katy Goutefangea, who I first discovered in 2013 during London Design Week. Her lay flat notebooks are a genius idea.

Jay_bamboo_plate
Finally, this eco friendly bamboo fibre plate is from the Anatomical Range by new label Jay, a gift brand designed to appeal to men but just as good for us ladies, from Cubic.

Sadly I did not locate the Wrap Magazine stand which so impressed me last year. Oh yes, and I never even made it to Craft. Hopefully next time!

Categories ,Alfred & Wilde, ,Anatomical Range, ,Anna Rumsby, ,Charlotte Abrahams, ,Clara Francis, ,Colourcutie, ,craft, ,Cubic, ,Joan Nicholson, ,Just Trade, ,Katy Goutefangea, ,London Design Week, ,Nancy Nicholson, ,Platonic Solids, ,Sew Lomax, ,Spotted, ,Tagua nut, ,Top Drawer, ,Wolf & Moon, ,Wrap Magazine

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Amelia’s Magazine | Valentines Open Brief: Get Published and Exhibit Your Work

Helen_Lang_All_You_Need_Is_Love_print
All You Need is Love by Helen Lang

Valentines’ Day is on it’s way, and to celebrate I’m running an open brief for love themed artwork. Please create art that would look great on the wall year round, and be inspired by all things amorous… including well known romantic movies. ***We are especially looking for remimagined movie posters for romantic films*** I’ll be sharing all of the submissions I receive on my website with links to yours, and the best ones will also get the opportunity to be published (with royalties) as high quality Giclee prints in collaboration with East End Prints. These prints will appear for sale online and in a special exhibition at 70 Paul Street just off Old Street in East London, running from 8-19th February with a launch party on Thursday 12th February.

Love_YMC_Patrick_Thomas_print
Love YMC by Patrick Thomas

Home_Is_Where_The_Heart_Is_AlfredWilde_print
Home is Where the Heart Is by Alfred & Wilde

Specifications:
Please create your artwork at 300dpi to fit an A3 page, and have it ready to supply at this size as a psd file. Please label your file with your name.

Deadline:
Please submit your artwork by midnight Friday 30th January, but the sooner you get your piece in the better as the exhibition is very soon, and we will be making decisions as we find art that we like. Please send a lo res version of your file labelled with your name and sized 480 pixels wide 72 dpi to info[@]ameliasmagazine.com with the title VALENTINES ART. Please write 150-200 words about your work to appear on the website (inspiration, process, etc) and include your website, twitter and instagram links so we can connect with you.

Categories ,70 Paul Street, ,Alfred & Wilde, ,East End Prints, ,Giclee, ,Helen Lang, ,Open brief, ,Patrick Thomas, ,Valentine’s Day, ,Valentines, ,wetpaint

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Amelia’s Magazine | Alfred & Wilde: an interview with designer Simon Mitchell

Heart London lifestyle -Alfred&Wilde
I have had my eye on the Alfred & Wilde brand since I first discovered the bold graphic designs of founder Simon Mitchell at the 2014 Tent London exhibition in September last year, and I then convinced him to contribute a special piece about the Platonic Solids for That Which We Do Not Understand, my 10th anniversary book. I caught up with Simon again at the recent Top Drawer at Olympia, and marvelled at the latest additions to his collection: bespoke jewellery created in collaboration with the Wolf & Moon jewellery brand. Here’s the low down on his wonderful style.

Simon Mitchell - Alfred & Wilde
What inspired you to turn from fine art to graphic design?
My fine art practice at university tended to use a lot of graphic design – I created advertising-style posters and lightboxes for my degree show – but the art world never appealed long-term. However, after a few years with an office job I realised I needed a creative outlet, and figured that designing cards and prints might provide this, while also potentially providing a more steady income than being an artist.

Yeshen Venema Photography
How long have you lived in Hackney and how does the area affect your work ethos and design?
I have lived in the area for nearly 7 years now, having lived in North London for four years before that. Both areas – like most of London – have a brilliant mix of people from all over the world, with all the variation in food, music and culture that goes with that. But you really can’t beat Hackney for arts and culture. Hackney Wick is home to the largest community of artists in Europe and Clapton and London Fields are full of the world’s fashion crowd. The city provides constant mental and creative stimulation and is always pushing you to up your game and be better than your peers. I’m not sure how I’d manage if I moved somewhere quieter!

Plywood (black and white) print-Alfred&Wilde
Yeshen Venema Photography  Icosahedron-tea-towel-AlfredWilde
Why are you so enamoured of the Platonic Solids?
I’ve always been a bit of a science geek – I studied natural sciences before fine art – so was keen to reference this in my designs. I was drawn to the Platonic Solids because they have a historical and mathematical significance that is intricately linked to what they look like. The geometric shapes were studied by the ancient Greeks but still manage to look like contemporary graphic designs when printed today.

Platonic-Solid-mugs-AlfredWildePlatonic-Solid-mugs-AlfredWilde
What is the process of creating your designs?
I’ve got a box full of cuttings and postcards and bit and pieces, plus Pinterest boards, that I use for ideas. But most of my designs are sketched out on my Mac using an open source version of Illustrator called Inkscape. The software can be a bit limiting which has probably helped shape the style Alfred & Wilde style – less is more!

Cube Brooch-Alfred Wilde
How did the collaboration with Wolf and Moon come about?
I thought the Platonic Solids designs would be perfect for jewellery so was on the look out for someone to collaborate with. Luckily a friend of a friend put me in touch with Hannah from Wolf & Moon who loved the idea. It has been great to team up with a fellow Hackney brand with such a strong focus on geometric shapes. They’ve been amazing to work with.

London notebook-Alfred&Wilde
What was the highlight of your recent Top Drawer outing? Any exciting new retail outlets you can share?
Top Drawer was a great platform for Alfred & Wilde and I had interest from some really well respected retailers. I’m particularly pleased about getting new stockists outside of London in places like Brighton. And I’ll soon be stocked in the Southbank Centre shop in London – that’s pretty exciting!

Gold-Power-Station-lifestyle-AlfredWilde
How hard is it to run a business alongside another job, and do you have any tips for other designers in a similar situation?
I never seem to have enough time for Alfred & Wilde which is difficult, and my to-do list seems endless. But keeping my job on a part-time basis has given me an invaluable financial safety net and I couldn’t have started Alfred & Wilde without it. I think its important to have a job that can be really flexible. I’ve been really lucky that if I have an important event or need to wait in for a delivery I can change my days I’m in the office.

Home-Is-Where-The-Heart-Is-lifestyle-AlfredWilde
What do you hope for the future of Alfred & Wilde?
Whenever I am asked this question I always give the same answer: my dream is to have an Alfred & Wilde HQ in a canalside warehouse in Hackney Wick, with studio space, print facilities, and a cafe, bar and gallery. From there I can run the global design empire!

I wish Simon the best of luck with his plans for the future: let’s hope they happen!

Categories ,2014, ,Alfred & Wilde, ,hackney, ,Hackney Wick, ,Inkscape, ,Pinterest, ,Platonic Solids, ,Simon Mitchell, ,Southbank centre, ,Tent London, ,That Which We Do Not Understand, ,Top Drawer, ,Wolf & Moon

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