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storiesoftryingtimes-blog · 8 years

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& Dialogue: G . F Smith

& Dialogue is a series featuring designers and makers from all around the world.

It seeks to inspire a lifestyle of sustainable consumption and a finer appreciation for crafted goods.

As part of our investigation between people and objects, we spoke to Charlotte from British paper mill and merchant G.F Smith. Discussing specifically about The Collection, a modern day testament of a design apparatus we can’t live without in this digital age.

The Catalog from G . F Smith was made so differently from the past, making the catalog indispensable in the studio and even collectible. How was this design process like and why did the team make such a decision to reinterpret the traditional form?

Taking our previous paper-selector tools as a starting point, Made Thought and the G . F Smith team conducted extensive research into which editions and features were most useful to designers, using those findings to develop a ‘one-book solution’ for the selection of paper.

“The primary concern was to create an ‘everyday’ working tool for the creative,” says Ben Parker of Made Thought. “Appreciating that there are a multitude of routes to select and specify a single paper, we looked to the most trusted and long-standing tools for guidance — dictionaries and encyclopaedias. The key for us was understanding how to get the user to the right piece of information (or paper) as efficiently as possible. Each reference tool expertly delivers a different quality or function for the user, from thumb-tab indexing of dictionaries to page-number indexing of encyclopaedias.”

I noticed that The Collection was designed alongside the online collection available on G.FSmith.com, why was this decision made - has there been a shift towards marketing these tangible objects digitally?

When we designed The Collection book, we also redesigned our website at the same time so that the re-brand would be synchronised across all of our platforms, whether they be digital or tangible. Our website is used by many of our clients who need to quickly reference information on-the-go about every paper we sell and we recognise the importance of this. A digital experience is not more important to us, but it has enormous relevance in today’s digital culture. We are still a paper company who believe that the tactile experience of touching and appreciating paper is at the centre of everything we do.

What does G . F Smith responds to the limitations of the online store?

Our core message since launching The Collection has been to promote this along with other exciting promotions such as Colour Directions and The Fine Collection, many of these assets are created for over 60 countries around the world so our global brand communication has been really central to us. The Paper Smith is a great addition to the communication tools we have. It stocks all 50 colours of Colorplan, as well as papers from five other collections, including: Treasury; Marlmarque; Parchmarque; Tapestry; and Peregrina Majestic, all available with no minimum order volume! In addition to paper, we sell folded cards and matching envelopes as well as a range of branded products, including notepads, colour sample books and tote bags. Our online offering will continue to grow and be even better in the future!

How did people respond to The Collection?

Everyone loves The Collection! When we first launched The Collection back in 2015 we held parties all over the UK to celebrate and it has now become a coveted product in creative studios up and down the country.

G . F Smith often collaborates with designers. How does G . F Smith encourage their partners and clients to interact with tactility?

We are very lucky that we are often approached by amazing creatives with great ideas who love to involve G . F Smith in their projects. Therefore we don’t often need to encourage people to interact with our paper - people are drawn to it and want to touch and experience it for themselves! We are always really happy to hear the ideas that our clients and partners have and support them as much as we can.

How is this process like and why is this important to G . F Smith?

It’s important to support and collaborate with the creatives we know so we can be a part of the amazing work they produce and go on that journey with them. We’ve done everything imaginable from supplying paper for live printing in store windows during London Design Festival, to giant letterpress printing on Colorplan with a 12.5 tonne steamroller!

This interview was first published in Kit, a small run of newspaper made by re/collective, a collaboration between Pixie + Louisiane.

Words by: Pixie and Charlotte Haslam

Photos by: re/collective

Look out for State of Feeling, a collection of writings by artists and writers inspired by G . F Smith The Collection that will be posted over the next few days.

#paper #craft #handmade #design #gfsmith #thecollection #british

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storiesoftryingtimes-blog · 8 years

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& Dialogue: Matter Prints

& Dialogue is a new series on the blog featuring independent designers and makers from all around the world. It seeks to inspire a lifestyle of sustainable consumption and a finer appreciation for crafted goods.

Singapore-based textile label, Matter runs on an ethical business model that creates travel wear with stories to tell. Their website is a beautiful showcase of the traditional textile printing methods employed in creating the motifs so synonymous with the label. Pixie spoke to their founder Renyung Ho to find out more about the label and the relationship between the brand and its makers.

Pixie: My favorite part about the label is its collaboration with craftsmen and artisans for ethical production and support of a craft neglected after the inception of machines in the textile printing industry. Has it been difficult?

Ren: Difficulty is a relative measure. It was actually easier than we had expected, the response we received was really good but it was definitely difficult in terms of production.

Have you met anyone interesting during your visits with Matter? Could you share some of these stories and how you started?

I first came across a fundraiser event run by a charity working with artisans during one of my travels. Through this charity organisation, we met an ethical supply chain supplier who paired us up with partners, artisans and craftsman. Through them, we visited and sampled with the artisans. I'm personally very interested in stories and culture; fabric in itself has a lot of symbolism and meaning and this came together when I met two girls in Vietnam selling bookmarks. The bookmarks were handcrafted by themselves after learning it from their mom. The girls told me that if they sold enough, they would be able to fund their education. This encounter got me thinking about how I could combine craft and my passion to make an impact from a business based on stories.

The brand has evolved since its beginnings with block prints to include other traditional techniques. What is the process like in deciding the type of techniques to utilise for the different motifs?

For our collaboration last year, we worked with four different designers from Indonesia, India, Singapore and Philippines to create a motif from their country. With this design, we work with our artisans to make adjustments and this is then finalised by the designer before we sample the motif and eventually send them for production.

We have to plan our process around the printing method. The choice of technique also depends very much on its prevalence. Block printing and Ikat forms the foundation of our technique and are in use in many parts of the world including India, Japan and China. Although the technique is similar, the craft can be quite different in the different country. The technique determines the outcome of the motif so it’s important to work closely with the artisans as they know best.

Lastly, despite the rising concerns over the working conditions of the garment workers, there are still stories of fashion labels who turn a blind eye to their predicament. What do you think an individual could do to help change this?

One of the questions we receive the most is how expensive our garments are in comparison to H&M and other fast fashion labels. We take this chance to explain our process to the consumers and start conversations about why other garments might be so cheap. Sometimes these customers come back after a few weeks, sometimes they don’t but it’s a chance for us to educate people about the situation.

The consumer holds a vote for change and where they decide to spend their money has a huge impact. After all, more sustainable and ethical labels are forming only because there are more people interested and concern about ethical fashion.

http://matterprints.com/

Words by: Pixie

All images belongs to Matter Prints

Special thanks to Renyung Ho.

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storiesoftryingtimes-blog · 9 years

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& Dialogue: Alfie Douglas

Davida was affable to a point of familiarity, melting away the nerves that had built up in the days leading up to the interview. It was the same sense of nervousness one might feel when they meet their idol of sorts. Alfie Douglas is known not only for it’s beautiful handcrafted leather goods but also for the clean, minimal imageries that many follow on Instagram, myself included. The brand prides itself to be a British brand; based in Britain with their items made locally.

Founded by husband and wife Simon and Davida Hadden, a year before the launch in April 2014, the team has since expanded to include their 4 daughters, Georgina, Charlotte, Emily and Jessica across different roles.

Stepping into the Alfie Studio, one could easily identify it to be the envy of many creatives. It was big with natural light filling through the large windows that surrounded the space, even on a dark gloomy day. Divided into a workshop, a photo studio, product showroom and a pantry, the space mirrored the brand’s iconic Instagram page, with bags on wooden shelvings and make- shift installation, making the studio just as well suited for a retail space. Chatting over the low thuds of rivet works in the background, Davida reveals the design process and the story of the bag with its user.

Pixie: Leather craft takes years of practice, how did the team pick it up in such a short amount of time?

Davida: Hard work, it is all about hard work! We also make our bags in a different manner from other makers. We’re not from the leather world so we try to keep things as simple as possible. Each of our bags share the same buckle, same fittings, the same rivets.

How long does it take to make each bag?

Well, it depends. We’re always making the bags so we try to keep some pieces available all the time, especially the more popular pieces like our backpacks. They are always there and we are usually able to send them out. If they are not, it takes 2 – 5 days to turnaround a bag. It is a continuous process but as we simplify the way we make the bag, we are able to work quite quickly. Sewing doesn’t take long but the finishing can take a long time because they are all done by hand. Sometimes even cutting a few straps can be a day of work. It goes from cutting to bevelling and then we coat it and wax it, so that it becomes really soft. All of that takes a lot of time and practice.

How is the process like?

It starts from inspecting the leather.With natural skins, we have to inspect them before we use as there might be insect bites or stretch marks from the spine or necks. Our bags are vegetable tanned and vary from smooth leather and tumbled grain. Smooth leathers are tumbled in a machine with stones and rock to create the grain marks. Many high-end bag makers choose to imprint these marks with a heat press to resemble natural leather but that creates a uniform marking on the pieces. Every piece of our leather is different because of the tumbling process.

Then we use these tools—they are a little like cookie cutters.We cut some by hand but a lot of bags need the same pieces so we use these cutters. Our smaller wallets which use smaller pieces are cut by hands with blades. It really depends on which tool you’re comfortable with. We try very much to keep things handmade but sometimes we need to use tools to make things a little faster. Otherwise they could sit there for ages and ages. It’s really about productivity and making sure the pieces are made in the best quality possible. Some of tools are a bit more complex like the sewing machine or the skiver but sometimes, it’s the simple tools that are really useful too.

Like this one here that we use to cut the straps. It’s not easy but it’s important to us that we make our bags by hand. The little bit of waste from cutting the material are then used as insides of the bag as pockets or other accessories in the line. Our bags are also unlined and we are proud of that, there’s nothing to hide!

The brand prides itself in being “Made in England”, is there a struggle to keep things local?

We try to keep everything in the UK and sort everything in the UK. Some parts of it are imported. Our leather, for one, is from Italy but when we say that the bags are made in London, it is.

Are you still able to find manufacturers for buckles and accessories in the UK?

It is very, very difficult so they do come from abroad, but we get it from someone who sells them here. It is hard, it is really hard and we are we are trying our best to source them locally.

It must have taken a lot of time to be so comfortable with the material?

No, actually not too long! As mentioned, working on the finishings takes practice. Operations wise, we can change things really quickly because we do everything here. We can design a bag, make the prototype and have it live on instagram as well as the website within the week.

With that do you struggle with bags that you really like that might not fit in with the rest of the collections?

Yea, we did in the beginning but now we have a more focused approach. We do struggle sometimes when we are experimenting, and we want to experiment. Otherwise it’s the same old bag. Our upcoming concept range is a result of our experimentations with shapes and colour. Hence we limit ourselves and fit these experiments in our brand palette. I think that’s quite important, otherwise you might just go way off.

We have done a lot of bags but we always go back so that it doesn’t look confusing on the website as well. We can’t have over a hundred bags on the website! I think as we move on, we will go on to do some bespoke items as well. We are also looking at building more brand awareness with male customers through photography and such.

I think with men, they tend to be more careful with their purchases and put in a lot of thought. Women on the other hand tend to buy things in a spur of a moment. We have a customer with six of our bags and he frequents our events as well. A bag is important to them, they want to look good but at the same time, it also to be functional.

Do you think that without the online presence, the reach of the brand might not have been the same?

Yes, and that has to be continued. There’s still so much we have to do, we’re still a new business and we’re constantly developing.We are always trying improve and change our bag. The relationship with our customer is also really important to get feedback on the use of our bags.

First of all, we want everything here to be set up and running smoothly. Later we will be making working on our website to create a stronger presence. We also have a magazine coming up, the A.D. One and that’s quite precious with Emily. That will be dealing with people’s story and how they use our bags.To engage people, really. Everyday people, because that’s what it’s all about.

You really don’t often see an entire family starting a business these days!

It’s definitely unusual but I think it’s coming back, people are liking it again.

Are your daughters in the business full time?

Well, Jessica is with us full time and she manages the operation, Emily almost. She takes care of the brand direction. Charlotte and Georgina have their own careers so they come in whenever we need them. With them, it’s easier as their roles do not require them to be around full time. As we grow, we hope to build a team. But still, we do try to do everything ourselves. The difficulty is with the social side of things (e.g. Instagram, Facebook), because you need to be working on that the whole time. You need to continue with the same direction, that sort of thing.

Which can be quite a struggle trying not to be repetitive as well?

Yes, I think that’s the difficult thing.That’s why we want to start presenting some of our customers. Perhaps they have something interesting to share. A lot of our customers are creative; there are architects, people in the music industry and artists.

And this is the reason for the AD.ON Magazine?

We want to feature their story to tell, it’s interesting. They are real people and we are real, we don’t go to a factory somewhere! Image is so strong now—it’s a story of a thousand words. You don’t need all the writing. We are going in that direction too. Our image is quite strong and we believe that people want see the bag on somebody. Just today, we are working on a bag for a customer who called 6 times, panicking about his girlfriend’s birthday (today). He first saw this bag on our Instagram and we’re making the bag for him now. Jessica will be meeting him in London later to pass him the bag. We have a sort of connection with our customers.

I realised that Alfie Douglas uses ‘real people’ for the brand images instead of models. Do your customers become your models as well?

Yes, if they want to! We want to do more of such things as well. This is where the AD.ON magazine will come in place, because it’s going to be connected with the Alfie Douglas story. We will also be doing prints of it. We’re just trying to work on a software to connect this to the website.

How did the name Alfie Douglas come about?

It’s a family name from Simon’s side of the family - It’s his mother’s maiden name. We thought couldn’t think of anything for the first year and then he came up with this old family name and we thought it fit perfectly.

Lastly, since family is the core of the label, do you intent for the business to stay within the family?

Yes, definitely, that’s what we want and if that’s what they want, then yes of course. The world is their oyster!

http://alfiedouglas.com

Words by: Pixie

Photos by: Jonathan Liu

http://jonathanliu.net

#alfiedouglas #handcrafted #leather #leatherware #british #locallymade #locallysourced #oftryingtimes #interview #maker

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storiesoftryingtimes-blog · 9 years

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Going Away: Pixie

A little more than a hour ago, someone robbed me.

I never thought I’d ever used those three words. It always seemed like something to someone else, not me.

And so, 'I was robbed’ has now become some sort of remembrance for my 3rd week of moving into this big, bad city called London.

I’ve been meaning to write a post about moving here for a while now, but explaining something like that feels a little strange, almost a little narcissistic. But as with all the collections here in Of Trying Times, inspiration hits at our lowest moments in life. Cutting a post-robbery-wallow-in-self-pity moment short to blog suddenly doesn’t feel so weird anymore.

“You’d love London”

Three words I’ve heard one too many times before my move here.

Three words that I’ve yet to embrace.

Three words that I hope I’ll repeat proudly someday (or sometime soon).

I came to London for school. Slightly more than 5 months ago, I went for an university admissions interview on a whim and after a long painful process of self doubting and contemplation, I found myself accepted into a course that was only recently made available. University has never really been a priority for me especially after I started Of Trying Times because I knew I didn’t want to pursue a degree just for the sake of it. Like everything else, I wanted to know that I am and will be fully invested in the course and everything that came along with it. So when a degree called Design for Arts Direction opened up at London College of Communications, I decided to pursue it because it finally answered many of the doubts I had about school and the purpose of it.

Travelling so far from home for school has been an incredibly terrifying experience. Leaving loved ones and familiar grounds aside, I was terribly afraid of losing grasp of ‘Of Trying Times’. It is after all my baby of sorts and having built it from nothing, I constantly worry that it will wither to nothing it if I was no longer physically around to built its presence. I absolutely love working on Of Trying Times. For the very first time, I had full control of creating not just an product but an experience through branding, social media and build a community of people that I could go on talking to for days. Moving to a new city meant that I risk losing all of that.

But moving to a new city also meant losing my reliance on connections and familiar grounds. While I made it a point to expand my horizons in Singapore, I felt like I was constantly circling around the same spots and ideas; while I met more people and learnt more things, I felt like the world closing in smaller and that I was no longer as intrigued and curious. That might as well be the most dangerous thing that could happen to a 20 something. As Youth Lagoon aptly describes “Don't stop imagining. The day that you do is the day that you die.” If anything else, I felt the need to put myself in the most uncomfortable situation so that I can once again feel comfortable.

Which just reminded me that

1. I am terribly homesick

2. I was just robbed

3. I am extremely uncomfortable

and yet

4. I am itching to start making things again

But in spite of all this discomfort and sobbing, I did experience some highs in London. Like making friends with people from literally all over the world, making use of the geographic location as well as feeling challenged and inspired by my tutors just within the first week of school.

After all, it has only been 2 weeks and it could have been a lot worse, I’m just really glad I’m ending this post feeling a lot less upset then before. Best lessons are learnt during #oftryingtimes indeed.

pixie

P.S Don’t worry I won’t let this baby wither, we’re just on a little hiatus trying to adjust to life here in London but I’m definitely going to keep things going with Of Trying Times.

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storiesoftryingtimes-blog · 9 years

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We've always pride ourselves on being a small independent start-up. There's loads to celebrate about being an independent start-up like the endless freedom to wreck havoc and design/make as we please with our hand. Unfortunately, being a small start-up also comes with its restraints - loads of them. Like how we're are usually quite broke or go without salary, how we cannot hit the minimum order quantity for many things and how moon phases don't get made if we fall sick. Many many moons ago, I approached @thefingersmithletterpress on a collaboration but having just started out (back in nov!!) and on a whim, we didn't think we could sustain this label long enough to make full use of the collaboration. 10 months later, here we are preparing for our big move to London next Saturday and feeling extremely happy (and throughly exhausted) that our 3 months worth of work -making an enormous batch of jewellery - had paid off; seeing them in these @thefingersmithletterpress boxes that are heading to @naiise! We're also feeling super grateful for the 5 pair of extra hands that helped packed everything into these boxes when we were feeling so extremely overwhelmed by the workload. And so while we may be really small but these moments are reminders that we not on our own.

#handmade #craft #marble #letterpress #matchstick #jewelry

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storiesoftryingtimes-blog · 9 years

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Going Away: The Anxieties of Turning Twenty

I first stumbled upon a video of Iceland and its amazing natural beauty at the age of 17, early 2010 and an intense desire to travel to Iceland on my own grew.

Back then, Iceland wasn't as well known as a travel destination as it is right now. I remember confiding with my boyfriend and three close friends about this dream of mine with them being genuinely surprised, as many of them - including myself - used to perceive Iceland as an icy land in the Arctic, which is no surprise considering its name.

Somehow, that dream kept me going while dealing with all the anxieties and pressures of school. I would unwind and spend time on my laptop searching up about Iceland, soaking in the wonders of its beauty through photos, while a playlist of my favourite Icelandic artists' songs were on loop in the background.

I never thought I'll be able to cross out that dream of mine anytime soon, as my parents would be and were vehemently against solo travel of a girl at such a young age. I truly believed that the earliest realistic time I could do so was in my late-twenties.

Regardless, I still wistfully wrote it down as an incredulous resolution in the wee hours of the new year in 2013 —to fulfil my dream of traveling solo to Iceland. I felt strongly that I needed to lose myself in the majestic outdoors of Iceland's natural beauty to find myself before I transited to the next chapter of my life, and to do it alone just to show myself that I can.

At the edge of turning twenty in February, I'd been extremely busy with my final year project (FYP). I cooped myself at home, working in the day and all through the night, illustrating and painting, formatting and editing, but yet every little detail seemed to fall short of my own expectations. In the meantime, my compulsion to drop everything and fly grew stronger by the day.

My first ever bout of anxiety attacks happened then but thankfully, my family and boyfriend supported me through prayers and food. It was also around that time that I had some chance encounters with new friends who have solo traveled, and an accommodation opportunity in Glasgow with a friend and Iceland presented itself. Everything just suddenly fell into place with such divine intervention from above.

With the new information, I managed to persuade my parents that I really needed this for myself, and gave them the assurance that I'll constantly update them, let them know my address, pay for all my expenses with my own savings, bunk with a friend in Glasgow first before moving on to the Iceland leg, etc.

And so, I did it.

I made the booking in mid-January, submitted my FYP final report on the morning of Feb 15th, 2013, a week after I turned 20, rushed to make myself a debit card, packed my luggage, and flew off that same night. People often ask if it was scary, but honestly the scariest was just the hours before I arrived at the airport.

The moment I passed through the departure hall and lost sight of loved ones, I instantly felt myself shift into a different mode, one of adventure and pensive excitement. It was the best birthday gift to myself and, hands down, the most liberating experience of my life.

I have since returned to Iceland again earlier this year in April, this time with my boyfriend, and got to introduce him to the beautiful country and to all the Icelandic friends I’d made from my previous solo trip in 2013.

In retrospect, I suppose the intensity of this dream I had mostly stemmed from this overwhelming fear that I'll become one of those people who often talk about their dreams of "someday doing this and someday doing that", and never actually getting down to doing anything worthwhile at all, giving excuses about money or time.

Turning 20 felt like a bigger leap into the murkiness of adulthood than 21 did, and I’m glad I had the best induction into that whole new world.

Bless bless. (how Icelanders bid farewell)

Debra is constantly inspired by nature, colours, people, nostalgia, music, and the arts. An old soul with a penchant for stories, she enjoys making things with her hands while her feet is prone to wander; always in search for beauty and meaning in the mundane.

Find her on instagram (@cloudmeadows) for a glimpse of her life or to connect about solo travel / LDR.

For those in seek of the unknown, use GOINGAWAY at check out for 20% off our premium collection.

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storiesoftryingtimes-blog · 9 years

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Going away: Georgina

Visual space was occupied by the mass marketing of pop culture, each billboard, bus stand advertisement and shop front boasted the charming smiles of a cardboard idol.

On the flip side of the coin, Seoul is home to a homely community of artists, designers and makers, completely contradictory to its capitalist bi-persona. In cohesion, there are pockets of the city that have seen to escape capitalism's grasp, existing as sanctuaries for those who seek refuge from city dwelling. Perhaps the co-existence of these two polarities is interdependent- the latter being unable to thrive in the absence of the former, restoring a balance to the city.

Moving to a new city is never easy. The thought of uprooting yourself from routines that were comfortable, familiar and good is intimidating, but when opportunity presented itself for me to spend half a year as a stranger in a foreign city, my heart stirred at the possibility of the idea, albeit cautiously.

The modern city, with her sights and sounds, alien culture and practices is dizzyingly intoxicating at best, but mostly, strange and terrifying to the bewildered stranger, taking all of these in for the very first time.

Seoul, a peculiar city.

Perhaps the co-existence of these two polarities is interdependent- the latter being unable to thrive in the absence of the former, restoring a balance to the city.

The daily grind of the modern city, with its maniacal street traffic, subway labyrinths and pop-culture (over) saturation can be an overwhelming assault on the senses. It's in these times that the stranger in the city finds refuge in these sanctuaries of the city, seeking asylum in her healing spaces.

My transition to living in Seoul was not a bed of roses.

Surrealism creeps in at the most unsuspecting of times- at the back of the bus as unfamiliar buildings flash past, or when you give up scrutinizing the bus route because you have idea where you're headed, to begin with. Often, my life felt like it was at a standstill- I felt I was living in a dream while my real life was paused somewhere else.

The irony that I would come to realize then was that although life seemed to be at a standstill for me, life back home continued to progress for those whom I left behind.

In retrospect, every decision made is a choice of something over another.

Distance truly reveals the purest intentions of the heart, as well as how deafening silence could actually be.

Gina (@seaofknit)

seaofknit.blogspot.com

Georgina is an architecture student and art-phile. Obsessed with the alchemy of spaces and all things design. Apart, she enjoys curative creative content and the occasional cup of coffee with a stranger turned friend.

#korea #fashion #blogger #exchange #solotravel #fashionblogger #art #cafe

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