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

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)

Paper item (D-bros and m&m&m’s )

It comes to the time that greeting cards and the next year calendars are getting your attention.

Don’t you feel a kind of uplifted when you see a lot of pretty paper items anyway? Today, I’d like to share this info about my favorite paper products.

“D-bros” is a brand produced by two graphic artists. Not only Tokyo, but some shops in NY, Paris and Milan have their products, too. You can download some desktop calendars from their website, “enjoyment” section.
D-bros
D-bros shopping site

“m&m&m’s” is a brand that creates an original, single-piece paper products using laces, ribbons and western wrapping papers. If you find one of their stuff, you must get it right away ! ‘Cause their things will disappear from the shop as soon as they are displayed!

m&m&m’s
m&m&m’s shopping site

Hand made candles “vida=feliz”

A very sweet candle-making book has just been released!
It shows you how to make candles of a doughnut, a baguette or a rose and a Ranancuras, which all look so very real.

I was given a doughnut candle as a gift, but it is just too lovely to light &let it melted…
There are also the candle-making workshops, but they would be fully booked straight away every time. It would be a miracle if you can join the workshops !

vida=feliz

MoMA Design Store, Tokyo OPEN!

On the second of November, the MoMA Design Store was opened in Omotesando. This is their first store overseas.

There, they have a lot of products that you cannot get from their online shop.
I found that Anemone Pen, which is also very popular at 8tote’s real shop!! (@o@)

MoMA Design Store
5-10-1 GYRE 3F
Jingumae Shibuya Tokyo

MoMAstore - MoMA Design Store Open
GYRE

kamon generator

Kamon is a family symbol pattern, which has been passed down in each family for generations. Nowadays you don’t see it in everyday life. So many of you may even not know what your Kamon is.

This new online service, which generates your Kamon by entering your name & date of birth, has started recently. This is a part of promotional activities conducted by Coca-Cola Japan for their Japanese green-tea beverage product.

Unfortunately only Japanese text is accepted. So I have tried to enter a few celebrities’ names in Japanese and get their Kamon made. How are they like?
Any Kawaii designs?

3 pigs on her kamon!

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