lifeiscarbon®

Mondrian Inspired Fashion

Never happy to rest on their laurels, in addition to their fabulous range of sneakers and knitwear, our friends at the Stockholm based design agency Gram have recently designed and produced their first dress. Despite the fact that we wrote about Gram’s new limited edition sneaker range last week, we were so taken with the dramatic yet simple looks of their Invadress, that we just had to mention it.

The combination of soft cotton in conjunction with sharp contrasts of color, make for a visually striking yet versatile piece of clothing. Production has been limited to 150 pieces that are available in Scandinavia from selected Gram stockists and globally through one of our favorite online stores, 111VOX.

According to Gram, they wanted to create a piece that could be universally useful; relaxed enough to wear around the house and yet dramatic enough to look right at home in a club. We love the way the base color highlighted by bright tones of red, yellow, blue and green tips it’s hat at both the symmetrical 60’s as well as the stark coloration of late 80’s sportswear. Take a look below at more images of the Invadress:

Scandinavian Design Winners

Just over a week ago, the European Design Awards were handed out in Stockholm. Our friends at BVD, the Swedish design and branding agency, happened to win two golds in a competition with well over 900 entries from all over Europe.

One of BVD’s gold awards was won for their redesign of Blossa Annual Edition Glögg (mulled wine), in the category for Packaging: Alcoholic Drinks. BVD’s design proved popular with both the jury and the general public, as evidenced by the fact that Blossa Annual Edition Glögg sold out just a few weeks after its release in December.

BVD received its second gold in the category for Packaging: Miscellaneous for their Electrolux Ultra Silencer Special Edition project with Pia Wallén, a design we’ve previously written about on lifeiscarbon®. Take a look below to read more about the awards and to see some our favorite design projects by BVD:

Experimental Art Laboratory

Our favorite art publishers, Taschen, have just launched a beautiful volume on Studio Olafur Eliasson, the experimental laboratory located in Berlin led by renowned Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. The new sourcebook delves into the corners and crevices of the Studio's diverse projects and presents the key concepts behind the works through a series of short conversations with the artist. The majority of Eliasson's thought-provoking installations, photographs, sculptures, and architectural projects to date are included, with additional material focusing on the research processes at Studio Olafur Eliasson.

Olafur Eliasson was born (1967) in Copenhagen of Icelandic parents. He attended the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen from 1989 to 1995 and has since participated in numerous exhibitions worldwide with his work being represented in many public and private collections including the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Deste Foundation in Athens and Tate Modern in London. Take a look below to read more about the artist and see a selection of his work:

Young Norwegian Design Collective

Apparently lifeiscarbon® are not the only people to have discovered the design collective Wyller, Froystad & Klock from Norway since despite having not yet concluded their studies at the National Academy for Arts, WFK’s work has been receiving considerable media attention and was even exhibited at this year’s Salone Satellite in Milan. We’ve totally fallen for their designs, from their use of traditional Spelsau wool to their various innovative yet retro-inspired furniture designs. Maybe it’s just us, but somehow their designs put us in mind of the luxurious lair of SPECTRE’s evil leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. A look that we’ve been trying to recreate for many years.

WFK consists of a group of design students based in Oslo, Norway who just happened to meet in 2004 at the start of their studies at the National Academy for Arts. Øyvind Wyller, Marte Frøystad and Runa Klock genuinely seem to share a passion for creativity and a desire to create sustainable yet beautiful products. Take a look below to read more about the individual designers and to see a selection of WFK’s work:

Treasures Of Wasteland

Few would disagree that bold thinking and a fair amount of courage are needed to change the way that products are designed and produced today if we are to save our planet. SECCO, a Finnish design company with a conscience, seem determined to lead by example. At SECCO´s workshop and headquarters in Jyväskylä, tyre inner tubes are turned into handbags, washing machine drums into stylish bowls, computer keys into jewellery and seatbelts into bags. By combining funky materials with clever design to create functional products that are built to last, Secco are proving that the ever-growing stream of waste material can increasingly serve as the basis for new products without further exploiting our planets resources.

The raw materials that Secco use are acquired from various waste collection and recycling companies. Many of which are social enterprises that strive to employ long-term unemployed, people with disabilities or the latest immigrants to Finland. All of these companies also participate in Secco’s product development and material processing experiments. Every stage of production is carried out in the most ecologically sustainable way and all of Secco’s products are predominantly handmade. Take a look below to read more and to see some of our favorites from Secco’s current range:

Swedish Limited Edition

Gram, a Stockholm based design company whose work we've long admired, have just launched a new premium sneaker range to go with their existing range of shoes and knitwear. Limiting themselves to a strict monochrome palette, Gram have created two distinctive looking shoes; one appears to have been dipped in a bucket of white paint (sole, upper and lacing all blend seamlessly into a blindingly white shoe) whilst the other represents it’s polar opposite; black, black and more black. Nothing unusual in that, you might say. But don’t be fooled by first appearances. It may look at first as though Gram have simply created a classic hi-top shoe but look closer and you’ll discover a multitude of technological wonders. Here’s just a taste of the design specifications for the Gram SE range:

“In an effort to recreate the comfort of professional trainers, a mixture of EVA and abrasion resistant rubber has been used for the shoe’s outsole, thereby achieving excellent dampening, multi-directional support and all the grip and durability you’ll ever need. If for any reason you actually manage to wear out the sole, fear not. Every pair of Gram SE trainers comes with replacement parts. The thick-coated cow leather shells come with triple stitching on all seams, reinforced lacing and are fully lined with moisture absorbing, quick drying mesh to keep your feet warm and dry. The ergonomically shaped insoles are covered in quick drying microfiber cloth and include neoprene heel dampening, silicone arch support and all-over EVA cushioning.”

Gram was formed in April 2005 by Alexis Holm and Anna Stenvi. Having started by designing and producing shoes, then adding a range of knitwear, Gram are slowly but surely expanding their range to a full collection for next year. You’ll already find Gram products in the US, UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, France, Spain, Canada, Italy and Belgium, as well as their native Scandinavia. Gram’s new premium line will be appearing in stores from August onwards, in places such as Nitty Gritty, Aplace and Solo (Sweden), Opening Ceremony (US), Firmament (Berlin), CODE (Amsterdam), Nano Universe (Tokyo) and Shine (HongKong). Take a look below to read about the limited edition Autogram and so a see a selection our favorites from their regular range:

Well-Behaved Danes

The Danish fashion brand Best Behavior was established in 2003 by the talented design duo of Marie Ørberg and Malene Brøchner, who graduated together from the Hellerup Textile Academy. The creation of the label was the culmination of an 18 year-long friendship between the two designers and the fulfillment of a shared dream to create their own fashion brand. The concept behind the brand is to create casual fashion and clearly Marie and Malene are more than succeeding. The style is always simple, raw and clear-cut, but always ultra feminine. The focus is on simple colors, unusual cuts, intriguing details and above all - a good fit.

"We have created our own world within the world of fashion. A world that is unpretentious, energetic and personal, and makes people around us feel relaxed and comfortable. Values which we wish to reflect in our design” explained the two designers.

Best Behavior's designs are full of touches that you’ll constantly see in the street wear of Copenhagen but are less likely to see in a designer’s catwalk show. Baggy-style drop-crotch pants, black-leather leggings, jersey jumpsuits, oversized shirt-dresses and voluminous chunky knits seem to be consistent elements in Best Behavior’s collections. Elements very often combined with silk tops, oversized bags and stilettos to create the brand’s characteristic look. Scandinavian hardy-perennials, such as black, white and grey have this year been complimented with highlights of hot mustard and salmon pink. Take a look below to see a selection of our favorites from Best Behavior’s AW08 Collection:

Happy Designs For Playful Kids

Despite our proclivity for the monochromatic and a predisposition for wearing black, we do tend to exercise our secret predilection for funky patterns and crazy colors vicariously by dressing our kids in riotous outfits. We’ve already written about some of the more interesting children’s clothing brands from Scandinavia (e.g. Molo from Denmark, Polarn O. Pyret from Sweden and Ugly from Norway) but our new favorites are Småfolk from Denmark.

With the sun finally shining and summer approaching fast, Scandinavians have started taking the opportunity to stay out of doors as much as possible. Soon, the smallest excuse will see people leaving offices early to have barbeques in the park, picnics in the forest or beers on the beach. Given the extremely long hours of daylight, Scandinavian parents have long given up trying to get children to bed on time during the summer and kids everywhere will be competing to see if they can beat their personal records for staying up late. And with all of that to look forward to it’s the perfect timing for the arrival in stores of Smafolk’s latest collection of happy clothes for playful kids.

Children and grown ups who happen to like bunny rabbits, cute puppies, tough tractors, big machines, large ferries, sweet cats, jumping frogs, whistling birds, happy monkeys, tall giraffes, chubby elephants, summer flowers or simply the ringing bell of an approaching ice cream van will not be disappointed by the plethora of designs in Smafolk’s new range. Take a look below at a few of our favorites from the new summer collection:

Unestablished Norwegian Fashion

“Scandinavian Decay: A collection by Norsemen reflecting troubled memories and late 20th century nostalgia from postmodern Scandinavia, and confusion in general.” So reads the introduction to the latest collection from the Norwegian street fashion brand Whiteout, a lifeiscarbon® favorite introduced to us by our friends at Hunting Lodge. The company describes itself as a manufacturer of clothing for the unestablished. Indeed, remaining unestablished is very much at the heart of the company’s philosophy of continual development and experimentation. Whiteout was actually conceived as an experimental business and founded on the belief that retaining an unestablished frame of mind would allow the company to continue to be inventive how ever successful it became

“We believe that paving our own path is the best way to contribute to develop ourselves and people around us. We try to engage people around us, and not tell them what to do or what to think, or how to be, but to use their own imagination to form something new together.”

Founded in 2002 by Jorgen Jorgensen and Frode Gronvold, Whitwout’s products started hitting the market during 2004 and are today available in over 11 European countries (and worldwide through their online store). That said, you’re more likely to find Whiteout in a range of independent specialist stores, including snow, skate, surf and record stores, rather than conventional fashion stores.

We love the way the look of Whiteout’s range reflects the elements that surround the designers; namely, the long cold winters and short intense summers of Norway. The raw and simple nature of their Nordic heritage has somehow given them a contemporary take on traditional Scandinavian designs. Take a look below at a selection of our favorites from the Whiteout 07/08 Collection:

Traditional Toys With A Twist

Wooden Storage Box, designed by Elisabeth Årbrandt

Given the popularity of our previous posts on Playsam and Olav Øen, we’re clearly not the only grown-ups who love the stylish simplicity of traditional Scandinavian toys and like to keep them as design objects long after kids have outgrown them. Our latest discovery is Micki Leksaker, a Swedish family-owned company that has been creating educational toys for children since 1944. With a stated mission to design toys that offer pure joy and a high level of playfulness thereby making it fun and exciting for children to learn new things, Micki have maintained a tradition of craftsmanship that focuses on materials, shapes and design. Natural raw materials are still used to create toys that are not only nice to hold in small curious hands but also attractive design objects for adults.

As is befitting a toy company, the story of the foundation of the business has something of a fairy tale feel to it. Apparently, Georg Aronsson was sitting in a restaurant in Jönköping in 1944 and began a conversation with a person sitting close by who happened to work as an artist. Before the evening was over, the artist had drawn a number of drawings of a little wooden figure and thus the first Micki character began life on the back of a restaurant bill. Take a look below to read more about Micki and a selection of lifeiscarbon® favorites:

Intriguing Swedish Inspiration

Whilst we admit that we occasionally go in for a little Ikea hacking, we much prefer quick and easy repurposing ideas. lifeiscarbon® recently stumbled across an interesting range of products for children and instantly fell in love with their amazing plethora of oversized labels – a love perhaps explained by our passion for the details often found on Japanese designer t-shirts. Desperate to have them (and with our kids to old to need them) we quickly had to think of an excuse to buy them. Which all goes to explain why our bicycles now have multipurpose holders hanging from their crossbars and we own a collection of the best looking pincushions in town.

Thilde of Sweden make simple but inspirational products for children based around the idea of using interesting colors and textures to pique children’s curiosity and engage their minds.

Founded in 2004 by a former textiles teacher called Pia Eriksson, the company was started almost by accident when Pia bought her daughter Thilde a cuddly toy and realized that the thing that captivated her attention most was the laundry label. This simple observation led to the ingenious idea of creating The Thilde Pillow, which features a variety of interesting labels and tags for a child to suck, bite and otherwise play with.

Initially launched in its native Sweden but now available in over twenty countries worldwide, The Thilde Pillow quickly received critical acclaim amongst parents and press alike, after which the range expanded to include a number of other inspired products. Take a look below to read more and to see a selection of our favorites:

Revised Design Classic

Normann Copenhagen, our Danish design favorites, have just announced that they are introducing a steel version of their highly popular and award winning Norm 03 lamp. Originally designed by Britt Kornum in 2003, Norm 03 is a wonderfully sculptural, self-assembly lampshade designed with simple and organic principles in mind. It comes with as many as 39 pieces but no tools or glue are needed for assembly and luckily it’s easy to put together. Attractive, functional and affordable, Norm 03 in its standard form has quickly become a Danish design classic and the steel version is bound to become equally desirable.

Britt Kornum initially designed Norm 03 whilst studying Furniture and Space Art at The School of Architecture in Aarhus, Denmark as she explains: “Originally, Norm 03 was an assignment at the School of Architecture. However, it had to ripen before becoming a reality. After a while I had to evaluate the design and came up with the idea of using strips to create a sphere. By using paper strips it was possible to create the interesting pattern of waves. Within a short time I had developed the first prototype, but to reach the perfect shape I had to do several experiments. Norm 03 is now shown around the world, and it’s amazing to experience one’s idea becoming an actual product”. Look below to take a first look at Norm 03 in steel and find out about some other lifeiscarbon® favorites from Normann Copenhagen:

Contemporary Icelandic Art

Hrafnkell Sigurðsson

Given the harsh volcanic and glacial landscape of their sparsely populated country, it’s no surprise that the work of many Icelandic artists is greatly influenced by landscape. “Modern Icelandic art is rooted in landscape, but it has little to do with the classical European tradition with its idyllic atmosphere and picturesque order” says Halldór Björn Runólfsson, Director of the National Gallery of Iceland and curator of a new exhibition at Scandinavia House in New York.

Entitled From Another Shore: Recent Icelandic Art, the new show represents a survey of contemporary Icelandic art and includes sculpture, installation, painting, photography, and videos by 21 of Iceland’s most acclaimed artists: Þórdís Aðalsteinsdóttir, Olga Bergmann, Hildur Bjarnadóttir, Margrét H. Blöndal, Ólafur Elíasson, Steingrímur Eyfjörð, Gabríela Friðriksdóttir, Hulda Hákon, Guðný Rósa Ingimarsdóttir, Hekla Dögg Jónsdóttir, Ragnar Kjartansson, Ólöf Nordal, Jón Óskar, Eggert Pétursson, Magnús Sigurðarson, Hulda Stefánsdóttir and our favorites Katrín Sigurðardóttir, Hrafnkell Sigurðsson, and The Icelandic Love Corporation (Sigrún Hrólfsdóttir, Jóní Jónsdóttir, and Eirún Sigurðardóttir).

Many of the artists in From Another Shore: Recent Icelandic Art seem to draw vitality and creativity from the contrast between the sublime emptiness of the Icelandic landscape and the bustling energy of cosmopolitan cities around the world in which they now live and work. Look below to read more about the artists represented in the show and to see a small selection of their work:

Finnish Control Freaks

Photos by Knotan

lifeiscarbon® have long been fans of the Finnish street fashion brand CTRL and recently caught up with their designer, Freeman, to hear about the origins of the company and their plans for the future.

“CTRL was born a little over ten years ago, first it was all about skateboarding, deep roots, camel toes, tee-shirts, loose attitudes and the art of chasing tail in the streets of Helsinki. Then, about 4 or 5 years ago, we jumped over into the fashion world, or at least into the street fashion world, because we realized that the best way to get attention from the hottest girls was by running a fashion label. And they really do fall for that, and Oh boy we love it!”

CTRL have come a long way since those early days, having produced several clothing lines, a lot of skateboarding equipment and been behind numerous parties, social gatherings and secret events. Having successfully become heroes in Finland, their next moves are to make it big in New York and take over Stockholm. As Freeman explained; “We don’t intend to remain an exclusive small cool brand - instead CTRL is going to be a HUGE COOL BRAND.”

With a strong belief in universal love as part of the company’s core philosophy, CTRL are keen to get involved in creative collaborations and especially with organizations like Greenpeace or Amnesty International. As Freeman so aptly put it; “Saving the world is no joke”. CTRL has already created two collaborative skateboards, the first with VICE magazine and a second (old-school style board) together with ROCKERS NYC and are about to release a limited edition board together with Adidas.

Take a look below at some of our favorites from CTRL’s AW08 collection:

Fashionable Swedish Dandyism

Despite the strictly enforced dress code of either all black or all white clothing at lifeiscarbon® (yeah we know…hardly original since it’s the ubiquitous dress code for most Scandinavian designers), we do occasionally have a tendency towards the flamboyant. Call us strange, but some of us take a perverse pleasure in wearing highly colorful underwear beneath our monochromatic and puritanical exteriors. When, we wonder, will Superman’s habit of wearing underpants on the outside catch on?

Not that we want our readers to think that we’re in the habit of showing each other our underwear around the office but something of a competitive nature abounds and when our reliable old Björn Borg undies don’t cut the mustard we turn to the latest funky designs from Frank Dandy.

The Swedish fashion brand Frank Dandy was born in early 2002, supposedly as a reaction to underdeveloped underwear market of the time. Clearly on a mission to break the rules of traditional underwear, these days the brand is represented in over 13 countries spread across Scandinavia, Europe, North America and Asia. Not content with creating underwear, Frank Dandy have invented the term Superwear to cover a range of clothing including jeans, jackets, shirts and accessories for men, women and children. We’re particularly partial to their crazy colored Long Johns. Take a look below at a few of our favorites: