Ribbon Project

“Ribbon Project” is a product development project creating various products using ribbons. A ribbon company based in a local city of Japan, Fukui Prefecture assigns product designers of various businesses and produces tableware or furniture.

lowws　　　　　　　　　designer:hiroyuki kato

An ever-lasting wall calender. made from steel ribbon of 0.1mm thickness. Simply slide the ribbon from one end to mutch the Sundays to dates!

2.8cm　　　　　　designer:makoto yamaguchi

A cutely range inspired by the form ribbon takes when held between the fingers. Unlikely shapes and an astonishing familiarity in handling wikk surprise any user!

tirolean chair　　　　　　designer:naoko matsumoto

A Simple chair, constructed of 16mm piping, is covered entirely in a Tirolean rose-embroidered ribbon.

The products are available at some interior shops in Tokyo as well as from their web shop.

Ribbon Project

mobile toothbrush “brillo”

A potable toothbrush, which should be handy when you wash your mouth after lunch at the office or when you are out. And well, well, you can replace the brush when it gets old.

A cool design and a smart idea, I’d love to give it to someone for the Valentine’s Day.

brillo

MUJI AWARD 02

The MUJI AWARD is a design competition organized by MUJI. This is its 2nd year. Some of the leading designers like Naoto Fukazawa or Jasper Morrison joins as one of the judges, and it should be one of the best stepping-stone design competitions for young product designers and alike. Those award-winning works will be produced as new MUJI products, too.

The theme of the 2nd year comp that has just been announced the other day is “RE”- （Re-think,Re-design,Re-use etc.）.

My favorites are the Gold award winning “Towel with further options”, which you can cut into the sizes you like before use, and a schedule notebook with clock-shaped scheduling sections, “Chronotebook”. Both will be available for sales in this coming spring.

Towel with further options

Chronotebook

There are also some product concepts won the awards. For example, a cubical shaped salt ( just like a block sugar). It sounds like making your cocking time more fun!

Kakujio (in japanese “block salt”)

Photo:Copyright©Ryohin Keikaku Co.

MUJI AWARD 02

Tsumori Chisato shoes

I got a new gold shoes form Tsumori Chisato. There are many cat’s face on the toes.

Tsumori Chisato - Fashion Show - Spring 2007 - Ready to Wear Collections - ELLE

Sunao Kuwahara’s tonkichi bag

The piggy’s name is tonkichi. These tonkichi bags are designed by Sunao Kuwahara. Sunao Kuwahara is one of Japan’s most successful designers.

Sunao Kuwahara A-net

A shoe made of wrapping paper

Look! You can make such a pretty shoe with wrapping papers!
Well, unfortunately you cannot actually wear them of course, but it is so lovely just looking and admiring them, isn’t it? You can get your favorite shoe with your choice of beautiful wrapping papers.

It comes with patterns, so photocopy & enlarge them to your shoe size, and make a real-size paper shoe of your own!

Get a glue and a pair of scissors ready! Oh, I wish this paper shoe was a real one.

包み紙でつくる靴 (Amazon japan)

Sumio Kawakami’s Cards

This is a reprinted edition of Sumio Kawakami’s playing cards originally produced in1939.

Sumio Kawakami, born in1895, was an artist-printmaker. She had visited to Victoria in Canada, Seattle in the US and Alasaka for one year after graduating her high school, and then became an English teacher at her local high school when she returned in 1921 (Taisho 10).

While teaching, she played a key role in original woodblock printing, which was in its flourishing period in Japan at that time. She has created her own style with works of exotic themes.

I did not know she produced such a cute set of cards. You can get them from Amazon Japan.

Art Museum of Sumio Kawakami (in Japanese)
Sumio Kawakami’s Cards (Amazon japan)

Merry Green Christmas in Isetan (again)

I went to Isetan today and found there’s a green forest in the shop…
People are queueing to buy “Green Santa Christmas charity” BE@RBRICK.
I also queued and get them!!

I think it is very good kawaii become charity, but slightly disappointed they cut the woods for this event :(

Isetan:Merry Green Christmas
OPENERS | Merry Green Christmas
Green Santa

“DECODEN”: bling bling styled cellphones

We call a cell phone decorated with Swarovski or pretty plastic parts “DECODEN”. Just like the nail arts, we decorate our mobile phone, NINTENDO DS or even digital camera.

There are a lot of decoration tools and parts available, or you can get a pre-decorated sheet, which you’d only need to seal on. So if you’d come to Tokyo, why don’t you try “DECODEN”?

Decoden report(Nikkei TRENDY net)
Dekoden(Decoden webshop)

Matsuya Department transformes Louis Vuitton suitcase

The“Matsuya”Department Store in Ginza has been transformed to a Louis Vuitton Monogram suitcase!

They have applied the “monogram multi-colors” of the artist Takashi Murakami’s. The illuminations are changed every 30 min. and light up the monograms in blue, purple or other various colors.

There was the new Bvlgari building next to it, too.

Matsuya
Louis Vuitton
Bulgari