Design For Mankind

The Facade of Fashion

erin — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:46:01 +0000

I am in a constant state of thought surrounding why it is that we choose to wear what we choose to wear. (I'm still reeling from this post in particular.) I'll be honest - there are lazy mornings where I pad around in my pajamas, my mood matching my attire: thoughtless, wrinkled and sleepy. And then I shower and throw on an outfit I love and the cloud lifts. I feel... better. And I sometimes wonder why it is that dressing in particular clothes brightens my day. Am I polishing up my outsides to hide the insides? Am I decorating to hide an unsteady foundation? Are we draping ourselves in clothing to hide the flaws beneath?

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Adventure and Rainstorms

erin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:09:00 +0000

Leslie David is a graphic designer and illustrator living the dream - a bustling career in Paris toting a portfolio packed with high profile clients from Colette to Chloe and Pucci to Miu Miu. Her range is extraordinary, designing patterns for fashion collections, covers for CD labels and art directing magazine issues. But perhaps her boldest career move to date? Dropping out of college.

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Uncategorized

erin — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:53:38 +0000

I'm continually inspired by those who color outside the lines, play without rules and run without boundaries. Perhaps it stems from my own insecurities, this lust for an adventuresome spirit. As anyone who knows me will attest, I'm a fairly predictable (rigid?) gal. I eat the same breakfast daily, follow the same deadlines weekly, arrange my desk in precisely the same fashion each afternoon. I'm a lover of structure, and often have to continually remind myself that the unknown is good. Great, even. And if this is my lesson of the moment, Isabel Berglund is my willing teacher.

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The Rucksack Journey

erin — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:23:40 +0000

I love a website with such a true-to-the-core mission that it's woven throughout every click, hover and scroll of the mouse. It's almost as if the seed's living fiber - the tiniest evidence of its belief - is forming the very HTML code we're reading, ready to burst forth and take root in our own minds and souls and hearts. For me, the authenticity behind a site called This is Paper grows daily, planting a new-found purpose with its most recent addition: a shop.

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Beliefs & Imagination

erin — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:57:24 +0000

Of the many creative disciplines that exist, the conceptual fashion designer is perhaps one that intrigues me most. After all, many are gifted, skilled creatives who could easily climb the ranks from intern to assistant to in-house designer and beyond. Yet instead, the conceptual fashion designer believes that a fashion collection is an art form [...]

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On Body Image And Self Worth

erin — Wed, 29 May 2013 19:20:14 +0000

When Caitlin Mociun, cult-hit fashion designer, left the world of dress forms and measuring tape to focus on an accessories line, she said something that made me pause: “I never really liked doing my clothing line, and when I switched to jewelry it was such a different response. It seemed to make people feel good [...]

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The Inspired Generation

erin — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:05 +0000

I’m a family-first kind of girl. Friends are great, yes, but families are unique forces in their own right – kneaded with memories and experience and perspective. And I often think of the legacy my own family will leave – is leaving. The knowledge shared from great-grandmother to grandmother to mother to daughter and beyond. [...]

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The Tangible Creatives

erin — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:44:48 +0000

It seems fitting today that I’d planned to share Artifact Uprising, a Colorado-based photo book company inspired by “the disappearing beauty of the tangible” – especially poignant given the recent destruction of all things tangible in Oklahoma’s tornado tragedy yesterday. Their story is one that reverberates the exploring and shifting and re-building of dreams; one [...]

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The King Of Masking Tape

erin — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:04:46 +0000

I’m a creature of habit, meaning I’ve been wrapping gifts in the same mega roll of brown kraft paper for years now. I’m also non-crafty, so any mistakes I make are promptly covered up with the vibrant patterns and hues of Japanese masking tape. And it’s inevitable – I break open my stash to wrap [...]

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The Layers of Creativity

erin — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:10:56 +0000

Making room for creativity often seems like a daunting task, right? Between “real life” responsibilities and dinner prep and ink-scrawled calendar pages, finding time to create for the sake of creating seems like a long-lost luxury. And it is, for most. Unless you’re Austin-based artist and powerhouse career woman Xochi Solis. Xochi always knew she’d [...]

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