Urban Goggles From L'Wren Scott's Debut Eyewear Collection.

Fashion designer L'Wren Scott, whose name you may know from dressing many Celebrities for the red carpet, has launched her first eyewear collection, created through a partnership with Munich-based firm Menrad.

Of the new collection, which launched this month, the most unusual are her "Urban Goggles" Sunglasses that have grosgrain ribbons in lieu of temple arms that tie around your head. The versatile style can be worn as a head band or neckpiece.




RED RIBBON/BROWN LENS
L'Wren Scott marbled brown acetate sunglasses. Brown lenses and red grosgrain ribbon tie fastening:


GREEN RIBBON/SMOKE LENS
L'Wren Scott marbled dark brown acetate sunglasses. Graduated smoke lenses and green grosgrain ribbon tie fastening:


PLUM RIBBON/GREY LENS
L'Wren Scott marbled black acetate sunglasses. Graduated grey lenses and plum grosgrain ribbon tie fastening:



Each pair of L'Wren Scott Urban Goggles is 100% UV protection and comes with case and cleaning cloth

£295 ($463.50 USD) 
 buy them here

Sushi With Style. Laser Cut Designer Nori Created For Umino Seaweed Shop.

This story made the internet rounds last April and despite having been featured on such popular sites as Dvice, Designboom and Incredible Things, I had to share it in case you are one of the few who missed it. Even if you've seen these beautifully laser cut nori (seaweed) sushi rolls before, they're worth looking at again. Plus, I have some additional information, like the design credits and where they can be purchased.





Initially designed to help Japan's Umino Seaweed Shop increase sales after the 2011 Tsunami, the designer nori, which uses a thicker type of seaweed from from the Sanriku area of Miyagi, is now featured in 'Katagami Style’ an exhibit of 19th century Japanese stencil artwork, at the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum in Tokyo.



The series of intricately laser-cut seaweed for rolling sushi comes in sheets of various designs:

'sakura' ('cherry blossoms') and 'mizutama' ('water drops'):

'asanoha' ('hemp'), 'kikkou' ('turtle shell'):

and 'kumikkou' ('tortoise shell'):

and is based on an element of japanese history or symbology, meant to bring beauty, good fortune, growth, happiness, and longevity.


However, the packaged designs available at the museum for the Katagami exhibit are five different ones, as shown below:














The laser-cut nori has been credited to agency I&S BBDO Tokyo (who designed the promotional materials shown below), but the actual laser-cutting is now being outsourced elsewhere. The project won the 2012 best of show Design Lotus for promotional materials at Adfest in Thailand.



Credits:
Company: I&S BBDO Inc., Tokyo
Title : DESIGN NORI (SEAWEED)
Brand: SEAWEED
Advertiser: UMINO SEAWEED STORE
Advertising Agency: I&S BBDO Inc., Tokyo
Executive Creative Director: Yoshihisa Ogata
Creative Director: Kenichiro Shigetomi
Copywriter: Kiyoyuki Enomoto/Ririko Murata
Art Director: Kenichiro Shigetomi
Designer: Kenichiro Shigetomi/Takuto Kawata


above: Hiroyuki Umino, director of Umino Seaweed

The pieces themselves are available for sale only through the retail location (#5261 Isohama-cho, Oarai, IBARAKI, JAPAN) and at the exhibition, currently for the price of 840 yen (approximately 10 $USD) each. In the future, Umino hopes to produce the nori on a larger scale and at lower cost.

Umino seaweed store:

address: #5261 Isohama-cho, Oarai, IBARAKI, JAPAN

images courtesy of Rocket News and The Inspiration Room and Monkeyzen

First Class First Aid. Gucci, Chanel, Burberry & Louis Vuitton Inspired Bandaids.

I've already written about Leather bandages, Swarovski crystal studded bandages and as you may or may not know even good ol' Johnson & Johnson came out with designer Band-aids by Cynthia Rowley last year and in 2008, by Brazilian fashion designer Alexandre Herchovitch.

But these will have your friends drooling over your superficial wounds with envy. With the tagline "Heal in Style" these FDA approved adhesive bandages, cleverly named Brandages, play off famous and recognizable status symbols from such fashion brands as Burberry, Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. The patterns and logos are modified ever so slightly - undoubtedly to avoid a lawsuit.

They are so fashionable, I may just have to give myself a papercut.

Gucci inspired Brandages:


Chanel inspired Brandages:

Burberry inspired Brandages:


Louis Vuitton inspired Brandages:







In addition to the status brand inspired versions, they will be coming out with solid colored bandages and these dog-inspired bandages as well:






all images courtesy of Brandages

Right now there's only one place you can purchase Brandages and that's at the hip online Japanese lifestyle store Sugoi Life.