Exploring Recycling in accessories as part of London's Design Festival

Recycling is definitely a big part of Art today ... so I loved the surprises I found at Walterworks' Dun Roamin's preview last night (hosted by London Design's Festival which coincides with London Fashion Week).

It featured Walter Raes' Recycled Sitting Room with armchairs made of toothpaste and more, as well as his Wearable Art collection including jackets made of turquoise bras - just the ticket for Lady Gaga, and Prince would have fitted right in!

Three fabulous bag installations/creations also caught my eye:

• ART/bag by Debra Franses-Bean (installations set in acrylic in the shape of a bag)
• Nahui Ollin (the original recycled bags)
• Trashilicious (which uses unusual recycled materials to create fabulous bags)

Here are some of my favourites:

1) Leather boots as a leather jacket (Walter Raes)

2) Cocktail dress out of cable ties (Walter Raes) ... this one particularly made me laugh as I have spent the past couple of weeks grappling with cable ties to hold up the lighting at my stand at the various trade shows I have been exhibiting at recently!

3) Boris Bike as an emsemble (Walter Raes)

4) "Because I'm worth it" - having worked for L'Oreal, this line still appeals! (Debra Franses-Bean)

5) Golden Bang (Debra Franses-Bean)

6) The original recycled handbags (Nahui Ollin) - I've been an early supporter, using one of her fabulous bags as my daily laptop bag

7) Fireman hoses' bag and Tyre inner tubes (Trashilicious)

8) Seatbelt carried (Trashilicious)

Don't miss it - catch it today as its the last day: Brompton Oratory St Joseph's Hall, London SW7 5RP.

New York Fashion Week inspires...

Last week saw another eventful New York Fashion Week show with Ralph Lauren,Calvin Klein, Gwen Stefani, Son Jung Wan and Ivana Helskinki all showing on the last night.  Neutral colors with a hint of purple or ice-cream pastels were definitely a trend.  

Oscar de la Renta's collection which had classic, elegant and feminine lines and lots of volume including through tassles or ruffles.

Anna Sui  really brought out the fun side of the NY fashion week with her fun and begone era 40s style.  

Betsey Johnson knows how to make her show the life of the party, with her "T&A" theme (Tits and Ass), she brought plenty of each to her collection this Spring as well as sexy textures.  Nicki Minaj looks right at home!

In total contrast, Nicholas K's Ready To Wear Spring 2012 collection was minimalist and pared down, started off in bright whites but introduced some gorgeous sheer colours later in the show.

Phillip Lim was back at the NY Fashion Show again with some simple elegant lines and ice-cream pastel colours.

It wouldn't be fashion without the celebrities, so it was good to see the in-crowd grabbing headlines: Kate Bosworth, Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, Emma Roberts, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vanessa Hudgens, Kanye West, Julia Stiles, Fergie and Sophia Bush.  

Overall it was music sensation Nicki Minaj who stole the show with her extravagant outfits, looking much more at home at Betsey Johnson above, than here with Anna Wintour at the Carolina Herrera show!

Photos kindly from Elle.com, the Hood Times, own designer websites, Fabtimes, Stylebistro, tumblr

Tactile Textures for Autumn 2011

At CarrieMe, we have a beautiful array of colours to choose from, but we are always careful not to overlook different materials. This season in particular, with the launch of our super soft snowball bag charm, we have been focusing on texture.

Texture is a key part of the emerging A/W trends. Elle magazine picked up on designers apparent obsession with clashing fabrics this coming season:” The autumn/winter collections mean one thing: deliciously tactile collections.”

Elle magazine's coverage of Giles
Deacon's AW 11 collection

Elle magazine's coverage of Giles
Decon's AW 11 collection

Giles Deacon’s most recent collection stands out as one of the most texturally adventurous on the catwalk; with leather, feathers, velvet and fur all put together on a palette of mostly black and white. Giorgio Armani’s spy themed autumn/winter collection is all black but to make up for the lack of colour he went wild with the materials. His trousers came in every material from silk, leather, velvet and fine wool.

Issey Miyake Pleats Please
coats taken from http://www.isseymiyake.com/

Japanese designers Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto are recognised for their relationship with textiles, working closely with textile designers to develop new fabrics. For example Miyake’s innovative collection Pleats Please, which saw the emergence of a new light weight, easy to wear fabric.




Miyake demonstrates his textile
expertise: coverage of his AW 11 collection
by Glamour magazine (above&below)



Experimenting with textiles can create a really interesting look by layering luxe fabrics such as fur, velvet or satin. There is a whole host of fabrics available so why just stick to one. A furry bag charm would like great against smooth fabric such as leather or patent to create a glam contrast. Or if you’re a fur lover why not go all out, teaming the charm with a furry bag for an adorable, cosy winter look... our deliciously tactile Snowball comes in 3 colours: creamy white, chocolate brown or ebony black and will soon be available to buy off the website www.carrieme.co.uk

Excitements at Top Drawer, London

CarrieMe are on the road again, this time not too far from the office: the Top Drawer trade fair in Kensington Olympia which has brought together over 600 carefully selected British and international suppliers, keen to showcase their newest product launches, cutting edge designs and must have products for Christmas.

Our stand showcased the new CarrieMore Snowball range, as well as our mobile finders and the full range of bag hooks we do including the new Vintage range which are embellished with a delicate ring of pearls.

Its always exciting to see what other new launches are coming to the market, so below we’ve picked some of our favourite brands:

http://alisonvanderlande.com/

Hampshire based Alison Van Der Lande produces luxurious handbags with style and elegance and we definitely feel that any CarrieMe product would look fab on all of these handbags.

http://www.saffronwinds.com/home.aspx

Saffronwinds creates recycled and fair trade fashion products, we especially like their fashionable handbags and purses; they also have really good prices for such great style.

http://www.skk.net/

We really like this Soho based lightning company, they are fun, colourful and have plenty of energy, they also have fantastic enthusiastic owners.

www.beckybroome.com

We love Becky Broome's homely collection - all handprinted in the UK.

http://www.rexinter.com/

Rex International has gone very patriotic with their British flag designed cushions, door mats and biscuit tins and with the Royal Wedding having just passed and London hosting the 2012 Olympics, patriotism is a theme set to run well into next year.

www.shopscratchtracks.com

This American based company is really fun and quirky, they have injected plenty of colour with their retro bags which also have a old school radio built into them, it’s fun, practical and quirky - just like CarrieMe!

www.lollipops.fr

Paris based Lollipops stand was probably our favourite stand.  Lollipops has lovely handbags, stylish umbrellas and quirky accessories and will be opening up a new shop in Spitalfields soon which is very exciting. So look out for it on your next visit!

Excitement at Autumn Fair 2011

CarrieMe exhibited for the first time at Autumn Fair at the NEC in Birmingham… exhausting but a fun packed four days!

So how does it work? 

Step 1:  In the office, we sketched the stand and styled the mannequin for winter chic to coincide with the launch of newest range – the CarrieMore Snowball Charm.

Step 2: Then it was time to put it all together when we arrived at the NEC… predictably it took longer than we expected!

Step 3: The time spent shifting and tweaking was well worth it, as our ideas came to life before our eyes. Here’s the finished product (with Carrie showcasing the new Snowball).

And here's a team photo (Carrie, Sian, Maggie) but missing Veni who came to help for a few days.

The show was full of hustle and bustle, there was always something going on. In between talking to potential buyers there were plenty of interesting business seminars on offer and even a glamorous fashion accessories catwalk show.  Plus we were lucky enough to be invited to a party, celebrating 21 years of the autumn trade show, for networking and nibbles. There was a live band, with complimentary drinks and canapés. Very VIP!

The trade show hosted a wide range of stands showcasing everything from fashion accessories, chocolates and candles to cards and clocks.  With such a variety of creativity, we couldn’t help but appreciate some of our neighbouring stands. Here are a few of our favourites.

1) Kim Bramley - handmade glassware - www.kimbramley.co.uk



2) MyWallet - lovely colourful bags and wallets - www.mywallet.com



3) Huna Blossom/Thang Tho Ltd -  gorgeous bath and candles - www.thangtho.com



4) And Mary - creative girly jewellery - www.andmary.com

As a special thank you for those visiting the stand, we entered them into a prize draw each day to win a bottle of bubbly and here is Dave one of our lucky winners!

After all this excitement, its time to do it all again Top Drawer in London!  So watch out for the next installment!