Fashion that Filters the Air We Breathe

High fashion meets Sustainability with a dress from Catalytic Clothing that improves air quality by breaking down airborne pollutants coming in close proximity to the surface of the fabric.  Erin O'Connor as HERSELF, still from Catalytic Clothing Film courtesy of Adam Mufti

The term “sustainable luxury” appears to be an oxymoron. However, the coexistence of fashion and sustainability has become a haute topic of discussion lately. In the world of fast fashion, trends change more than ever and eventually textiles flood the earth’s landfills.

Companies like H&M and Puma have taken a position on the matter.  Puma’s “Bring Me Back” program encourages customers to return footwear, apparel and accessories to be repurposed and recycled at I-Collect. Last month, H&M held a discussion at Vogue Headquarters to discuss the future of sustainable fashion with a “Conscious Talk.” The Swedish retailer also created a new ‘Conscious Exclusive’ collection featuring Hollywood-inspired dresses made with sustainable material. The area of luxury fashion however, falls behind as most high-end retailers continue to push desirable yet un-sustainable textiles.

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The Problem with e-Commerce Packaging

E-Commerce packaging from high-end retailers does not live up to the client’s high level of expectation.

When shoppers open the doors to a luxury fashion house, they enter a unique world where the brand experience is best felt through the tangible embrace of a product and the elegance of the interior. Stepping through the online door, shoppers of the digital generation enter a similar world of exclusivity. The final client touch point, product packaging and delivery currently trades this exclusivity for pedestrian presentation.

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A Modern Renaissance of Style

Laser-cut at J. Mendel captured right on the runway. Photo courtesy of Bryanboy (Taken with Instagram)

The rebirth of extravagant textures and intricate layers are breathing new light to the fashion industry. A Modern Renaissance, mainstream couture is experiencing a life of color in opulent textiles. The forward-thinking atmosphere of the early Renaissance revolutionized fashion while setting the caliber for the years to come. With a strong attention to detail, new technologies continue to break the boundaries of fashion today.

Progress in science and mathematics prompted trends of the 15^th century. Around this period of enlightenment, the province of fashion evolved with the inception of lace. Replacing embroidery, lace transformed dresses, evoking a plethora of different styles. Laser cut, a modern cross between cutwork lace and a screen-printing aesthetic delivers highly intricate patterns with incredible levels of precision.

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Conversation on the Weather, New York Fashion Week Recap

A snowstorm at New York Fashion Week did not deter fashionistas from racing show to show through the snow, clad in designer stilettos. If one thing is for certain, the fashion community was not restricted by the blizzard. Rather, designers embraced the weather as an opportunity to showcase their best winter pieces.

Inspiration for fall looks extended beyond the arts. This season, several designers pulled inspiration from their own international voyages. Using their miles prior to hitting the design boards, designers were influenced by places including Turkey, Spain and France.

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Design Packaging Awards Gala

The first annual Design Packaging Inc. Awards Gala AKA "the DPI" (pronounced the Dipee) was held this past weekend in Scottsdale's Tatum Ranch. The Oscar themed event saw winners in several categories including "Best Meltdown In Our Creative Department By A Sales Person" and "Best Quote of the Year".  The evening culminated with the Lifetime Achievement Award being presented to John Auten for 10 years of exceptional customer service. 

 We would like to thank everyone that helped make 2012 an incredible year and those that will help continue to propel Design Packaging into 2013. 

Clockwise from top left: Joan, Denis, Kathy, Diana, Evelio, Rob, John, Chris, Alison, Whitney, Kyree, Stacy, and Evelio

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Design Packaging Inc featured in HOW Magazine

HOW magazine's May issue features a curated collection of custom packaging designs in their "Package Deal - 10 to Remember" article written by Bryn Mooth and Andrew Gibbs (editor of TheDieline.com). This month HOW wanted to "spotlight 10 projects featuring eye-catching paper choices and distinctive production techniques.

Lady Gaga's Workshop invitation for Barney's New York was featured as one of the top ten. Some of the key production techniques used were debossing, foil-stamping, spot gloss varnish and 5-color offset printing.

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A/W 2012 Fashion Week Trend Recap

Fashion week season is over, and the paparazzi-studded streets, glamorous parties, and champagne have all but subsided. Designers are back at their ateliers sketching and preparing for the next wave of fashion insanity. This year, the retail fashion industry focused on what's haute for autumn/winter 2012. If you weren't able to make it, or watch the streaming shows, here's a few shots from New York Fashion Week behind the scenes, celebrities and athletes like Snookie (yes we know she's not an athlete), and even some retail packaging design!

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Alexis Bittar's Ab Fab Shopping Bags

Screenshot of the new Alexis Bittar site with AbFab girls

The girls of Ab Fab are back and on the small/mobile/pad/phone screens across the web. Featured in Alexis Bittar's latest campaign, these lovely ladies are cracking up fans with their sorely missed comedy.

 See their beautiful kraft retail shopping bags up close and personal here. And watch the behind the scenes A Fab video here.

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Yves Saint Laurent Designs Line of Luxury Cigarettes

…Again. The first time luxury fashion house Yves Saint Laurent came out with their own brand of cigarettes was back in 1985 amidst a flurry of controversy. Now, with even stronger evidence of health risks and numerous anti-smoking groups, it's sure to stir up even more controversy.

It's actually nothing new. Other luxury brands such as Versace, Pierre Cardin, and Cartier have also added nicotine to their line. Though they themselves may not actually produce them, they more than likely licensed out their names to tobacco companies. These "luxury" cigarettes marketed and sold mainly in areas like Asia and Russia, are also easily purchased online.

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2011 Fashion Week Invitations

Every year fashion's finest show off the latest trends on illuminated runways, but to get in to their shows, you have to be invited. We thought we'd use Mercedes-Benz fashion week as an excuse to show you some of our favorite picks for 2011 runway shows. Images via Refinery29.

This one isn't from 2011, but still a neat invite as far as packaging design goes. The Air Plant enclosed in the pyramid doesn't need soil since it doesn't grow roots. The runway show took place at the Horticultural Society of New York.

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Design Packaging Inc. Gets Shelved

 

The Phoenix Design Week 2010 Shelved Exhibit, whose focus was Phoenix package design, is a conference hosting 30 national and local speakers, ADOBE training, exhibits, and receptions.

Being featured at the Shelved Exhibit was a unique way for Design Packaging to connect with the area’s design community including advertising agencies, design studios, and packaging aficionados. Our featured items included Juicy Couture's Bible box (also showcased in Lurzer's Archive's 200 Best Packaging), Scottsdale Chocolatier Julia Baker's truffle boxes, Chateau Ste Michelle Artist Series Wine display box, Bulgari's collapsible rigid box with ribbon closure, and Crate & Barrel’s cut & sew linen cases.

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Reuse & Recycle Your Shopping Bags

Packaging mockumentary makes a point to reuse/recycle shopping bags in a message to heal the bay. You can do your part in reducing the use plastics bags with reusable shopping bags, or upcycling your plastic bags.

 

Sephora, Suri, and Design Packaging

Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise featured holding a Sephora shopping basket in InStyle, shopping for goodies at Sephora in NYC.

To see the rest of Sephora's packaging, check out Design Packaging Inc.

Holiday Packaging as Product

Twelve Days is a small family startup in San Francsico, CA, inspired by one of their longstanding Christmas traditions – celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas by giving a small gift on each day. For nearly 30 years, they hung their 12 Days gifts in small boxes on their Christmas tree, with the recipient searching the tree for a box to open each day.

In Fall 2007 they decided to share their way of celebrating the Twelve Days with the world, and began the design process for their gift box sets. After months of researching materials and processes Design Packaging and Twelve Days found the right combination of foil paper and hotstamp treatment to give this product the subtle luxurious feel of an heirloom box. read more>>

American Eagle in the Big Apple

American Eagle Times Square

Our friends American Eagle Outfitters have opened a flagship store in Times Square, a 4 level shopping behemoth, 25,000 square feet, stars YOU as the billboard model! The American Eagle photo studio inside allows you to broadcast your photos on outdoor screens near 42nd & Broadway. 

Who's not buying American Eagle this holiday season? Pick up a Gift Card or two and let us know what you think of the gift card packaging, developed by who else... Design Packaging.

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Paper Bag Princesses

September's issue of W magazine, captures the 'designer' look using retail shopping bags in the editorial 'Paper Bag Princess'.

Design Packaging's own take on this concept was executed earlier this year in the 09 Design Packaging Fashion Show, complete with a walk off.

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Lane Crawford Future Fashion

After getting my haircut yesterday at the IFC in HK I stopped by Lane Crawford to see what's new in retail packaging, cosmetics, displays, etc. Lucky for me they were having an amazing fashion showcase featuring the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Institute of Textile & Clothing.

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Celebrities Go Green

I recently spotted a photo of Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus carrying the Harmony Lane Beverly Hills reusable shopping bag in Us Magazine.  Celebs in Hollywood seem to love displaying their purchases, especially when those items reflect their eco-consciousness.

It’s clear that today’s urban lifestyle calls for a tote that shoppers not only love to be seen carrying but is also environmentally green.  In an effort to become more eco-friendly, the trendy Harmony Lane Beverly Hills came to us looking for an upscale tote to replace their paper shopping bags.  The result of our partnership was a chic, reusable shopping bag - black silk screened logo on cream colored non-woven material with black trim.  The sturdy handles allow for ease in carrying the tote on or off the shoulder.

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Confessions of a Recessionista

Critics pummeled “Confessions of a Shopaholic” with scathing reviews, booing the movie for flaunting consumerism during the recession. While in the end heroine Rebecca Bloomwood learns her lesson and cuts up the credit cards, the lust for labels she exudes during most of the film left a bad taste in critics’ mouths.  Conspicuous consumption is gauche these days.

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UPDATE: Little fashions hit big

Surprisingly, the big “fashion” winner on Inauguration  Day turned out to be J. Crew. The website crashed on inauguration day, after Malia and Sasha Obama were televised sporting J. Crew “crewcuts” children’s coats and velvet ribbon belts. The company’s home page figures a sketch of the design and a headline touting “First Fashions.”

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Sweet Design

Indulgence comes with the holiday territory.  And, in the spirit of the season, the frothy and the sticky sweet seem to be allowed if just this once. Eggnog and bread pudding. Holiday-themed movies of dubious merit.  The more, the merrier. 

Take The Nutcracker ballet, for instance. Same story year after year. But for those of us in Phoenix, we have reason to indulge and go back each December.  Ib Andersen’s recent re-production of the quintessential holiday ballet tossed out the old instead importing fashion-forward designer Fabio Toblini.  Though trained in Milan and at Parson’s The New School for Design in New York City, Toblini wasn’t constrained by the shackles of ballet tradition in this, his first, ballet project.  Applying his unique perspective, he heightened the level of whimsy and risk of each design to create an entirely new experience for the audience.

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Lux for Less

Lately, I’ve received a steady stream of “invitation only” online sales events which promise short-term sales on select high-end items. Usually discounted from 40-60% for a limited time (1-3 days), these events are reminiscent of showroom sample sales offered by design houses for industry insiders in cities like New York, Paris, and Milan. However, thanks to the Internet and the economy, these sales are now available to the rest of us.

Popular invitation-only sites include Gilt Groupe, RouLaLa (by Loehmann's), HauteLook, The Top Secret, and my personal favorite, JackThreads. With these sites, everybody wins. I can find designer labels at steep discounts plus earn credits by referring friends; retailers can clear their shelves of excess inventory without the stigma of having to sit in a bargain bin at a department store or worse—an outlet mall. Plus, like most guys, I know what I do and don't like.  It takes me mere seconds to decide on a purchase so the accessibility of the Internet is perfect. I can shop for everything from Converse and sweats, to Guccis and suits without being seen at the sales rack which suits me just fine.

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License to Shop

How long would you stand in line for a new jacket? That’s how long some Tokyo fashion diehards stood in line to get their hands on the hottest new collection from H&M by famed designer Rei Kawakubo, maker of the Comme des Garçons label. It was a budget fashionista’s (recessionista's) dream come true. Within minutes, the most sought-after items were gone. In London, the Telegraph reported that the most expensive item, a £199.99 Comme des Garçons coat, sold out within the first twenty minutes.

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Color Me Purple

 

Purple is the hot new color for celebs this fashion season.  Pantone, Inc., the leading authority on professional color standards for the design industries, selected blue-purple as the color of the year for 2008.  Left to right are Hilary Duff, Charlize Theron, and Sophia Bush.

It’s fall – the leaves are changing color and falling (somewhere other than Arizona). The nights come earlier. The mornings later. Women everywhere are getting excited, translating the change of seasons into the need for a new fall wardrobe. This can only mean one thing to me – SHOPPING.

It’s an overused word, thrown around casually, but a word I do not take lightly – “Shopaholic”. I am confessing now, I’m a Shopaholic in the true sense of the word and I’m proud of it. Proud of it because I never, never, pay full price. Never. If it’s not on sale, I don’t buy it.

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Yours as a Gift With Purchase

Clever and sexy, prints featured on Benefit makeup bags lure even the most focused shoppers.

September shopping. It’s the perfect storm of end-of-summer clearances, back-to-school sales and fall shopping incentives. A chance to stop in to check in on my favorite indulgence—shoes.

Over the weekend, I dropped into Macy’ with one particular item in mind (black peep toe pumps). Determined to stay on budget, I was on a mission to find the perfect pair and nothing else. No meandering through clothing racks or browsing through the handbag section today. I headed straight towards the shoes when out of the corner of my eye I caught the “Free Gift with Purchase” promotion sign at the Benefit counter. Before I knew it, the perfect pair of heels was no longer on my radar and I had a rainbow of tested eye shadows on the back of my hand.

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