DESIGN + CREATIVITY
Here are my picks from Obakki’s Spring 09 collection, on sale now. I am loving the ethereal quality of the pieces, yet they are done in such an urban, wearable way, just the way I like it. Obakki is one of the fashion companies in Vancouver that I admire, for both their aesthetic and business sense.
From the runway to the real world, if you can call it that: here’s Nickelback at the 2009 Junos held in Vancouver, wearing Obakki. Yup, they do menswear as well.
Fashion: Meet Technology is my weekly discovery of technology’s impact and influence in the fashion industry.
Last week I discovered ShopFlick, a video-based indie marketplace. The concept creates an innovative shopping experience, allowing for the intersection between discovery, entertainment, and community.
Online shopping used to take a major backseat to the brick-and-mortar shopping experience, but with the rise of social media, that is no longer the case. Shopping online has so many advantages, among them 24/7 opening hours, the ability to shop without a pushy salesperson, complete product information, etc.
ShopFlick brings another dimension to online shopping, and I am excited to see what further innovations will be made.
Now that the Spring 2009 collections are coming out, I’ve picked a few of my favorites from the Vancouver fashion scene.
Evan and Dean: “Future Folk [represents the] study of marrying the ancient handcrafts – specifically appliqué and toll painting – with a modern minimalist landscape. So often the future is presented in a way that is cold and untouched by humans [but] we wanted to give the feeling of a future that embraces the warmth
of human contact.” – from thestylespy.com. I really connect with this concept, one that seems to be catching on, that the future need not translate into shiny space-age suits.
Dace: They seem to have a really good grasp on product development. The clothes are simple, nice, but together the collection is really well put together. The spring09 offering is crisp and fresh, as Dace is now known for.
Lily and Jae: Their collection has definitely expanded, as they are experiencing growth as a company. They seem to have a better handle on their target market and aesthetic after a few seasons. The Spring 09 collection is super cute.
The clothes are definitely very crisp looking, more lifestyle/casualwear-driven. Obakki has a nice Spring collection, a little more high fashion than these other independent labels. Overall though, most of the clothes are wearable and cute, but not necessarily on my “must have” list.
To be continued..
I don’t know if its because I’m getting older, if I’m transitioning between teenage-hood to my adult years, or if its the economy, but my buying habits have really changed in the last year.
I have a lot of clothes. Most of it is junk. I think as soon as I got my first job, and for the first time in my life, had disposable income, I spent it. Then I had no more of it, and I realized that I didn’t even like most of my clothes, which shouldn’t be the case, because I’d like to think that I have good taste (but don’t we all?). The quality isn’t there, I have too many ill fitting pieces (damn my aversion to change rooms), and I don’t have any good, quality clothes.
The only treasures in my wardrobe are:
Everything else is just…there. After a couple years, I noticed a pattern: classic clothes just work. As a student saving up for numerous things (moving out money, possible further education, travel), I just don’t really buy clothes anymore. And I shouldn’t. Sometimes I cheat (I do love fashion after all). But one of these days, I am going to do a total closet rehaul.
Oh wait, I think it also has a little to do with me being in fashion, and understanding how fashion is made to sell, so that everything looks good in all the ads and in the pictures, and on the mannequins, but in real life, not always the case. Now, when I look at clothes, I look more closely at the clothes, analyzing more in detail, whereas before I just bought because on a whim, “it looked nice.” Yup, that’s it.
