Material Catwalk Defined by Design Material Bits Eileen Gray and E. 1027

Volume 9.1 | A publication of Material ConneXion® | The leading global platform for material innovation and solutions | www.materialconnexion.com the design Material Catwalk Defined by Design Material Bits issue Eileen Gray and E. 1027 Matter (New York, N.Y. 1999) | ISSN 2163-7598 | $5.00 Welcome Vol 9, Issue 1 CEO AdaM I. Sandow what is Design? PuBlishEr When we hear the word design we often first think of it in terms of MichElE CanIatO style and aesthetics. But the essence of good design is in actually making something useful, in creating something that meets a executIvE directOr human need. george M. BEylErIan eileen Gray was mindful of those needs when she drew up plans EDItOr for the villa she designed back in the 1920’s. Her brilliant planning SuSan tOwErS and use of materials created a house that is considered one of the top twenty buildings in the world that architects should be familiar contributInG EDItOr with. After years of neglect, that house will soon reopen to the ANDrEw h. DENT, Ph.D public after an extensive renovation and we look forward to seeing the restored design by one of the pioneering leaders of the Modern ManaginG editOr movement. GaBrIElla vIvaldi When it comes to something as mundane as food packaging, we GraPhic Design often don’t give the design a second thought, at least not until CarlO GrIOlI the package comes apart as we rip it open in a fit of what Kate Connolly calls wrap rage! In this issue, she takes a look at some DIrectOr Of PuBlICatIOnS of the newer packaging designs from some of the leading food MIChaEl LAGrECa companies and sees how they impact the consumer. DIrectOr Of fInance From food to fashion – Gabriella Vivaldi takes a look at the material MATTHEw KalIShMan trends that emerged from the latest Fall/Winter 2012 shows. In many cases more natural materials such as leather and fur were juxtaposed with high tech trends from designers such as Alexander Wang. Speaking of fashion, Dr. Andrew Dent writes about how knitting is once again emerging as a material process – with mATTeR, a material ConneXion publication, companies like Nike leveraging the strength and stretchiness of the reaches over 30,000 professionals method in the creation of their new Flyknit shoes. in diverse design fields and areas of material development. When people think of Material ConneXion, they often think about the thousands of materials we have in the library. Of course For more information about the publication, many of these have been used in innovative ways to create more or for advertising details, please contact: sustainable packaging, in the case of Puma, or to create better [email protected] environments or develop completely new products. But ultimately T +1 212 842 2050 by putting the consumer at the forefront of our thinking, we are reminded that their needs, combined with sustainable materials April, 2012 Volume 9, Issue 1 and the power of design, is what drives successful innovation. 60 madison Avenue, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10010 T +1 212 842 2050 F +1 212 842 1090 Susan Towers [email protected] editor Copyright ©material ConneXion® Inc., a Sandow media Company. | MattEr is a registered trademark of Material ConneXion Inc. Material Catwalk Defined by Design Balancing Form, Material Bits by Gabriella Vivaldi byyNadine Rubin Nathan Function, and the by Andrew H. Dent Balance Sheet The Fall fashion shows that marva Griffin Wilshire, by Kate Bertrand Connolly The old fashioned stitch recently took place in New curator of the Salone Satellite has never looked so good. York, Paris, milan and london, is renowned as a design Well designed food packaging Knitting is revolutionizing featured exceptional luxury, guru. Interviewed by Nadine takes an enormous amount product design at companies detailing and craftsmanship Rubin Nathan, she reveals of thought. From issues like Nike and Stoll with it's often incorporating a a life defined by design. of wrap rage to the uses of stretchiness and strength. variety of innovative and nanotechnology, we take a advanced materials. look packaging innovations that are changing the way consumers see food-literally. 07 12 28 23 34 A Singular Woman: Eileen Grey and E. 1027 TABLE oF CoNTeNTS by Susan Towers With the restoration of her important masterpiece, the Villa e. 1027 in the South of France, largely complete, we take a look at the life and original work of the 18 modern Irish designer. reclaiming Materials Best In Show 23 MC International news 44 4 9.1 Matter 38 9.1 Matter 5 by Andrew H. Dent, Ph.D. The Row MAtEriAl catwalkby Gabriella vivaldi Marc Jacobs Badgley Mischka Alexander Wang Iris van Herpen The tents and runways of the 2012 fall fashion shows have been neatly folded and stored, waiting for their next glamorous show in September. After last year’s attempt of the most prestigious designers to play it safe, this year’s runways have seen an explosion of innovative materials that draw inspiration from new technologies and science. Badgley Mischka used metallic tweed, Amy Smilovic of Tibi used polyurethane coated rubber and plastic made in Italy, Iris van Herpen employed metallic and rhodoid strips, Prabal Gurung used neoprene combined with patent leather. These are just a few examples of how fashion’s creativity has broadened its horizons implementing materials that go beyond the usual and expected. Testing the craftsmanship of his seamstresses, Alexander Wang incorporated custom made laminated tweed, lacquered merino wool, waxed suede and shrink-wrapped jacquard knits in his fall collection, which garnered much enthusiasm from critics and fashionistas. These advanced material choices allow designers to play with texture, architectural lines and performance, conveying a sophisticated and edgy look to their designs. Selected for their sculptural applications and intricate looks, these innovative materials also offer an additional advantage in discouraging knockoffs. Not all of the fashion houses relied on science, however. From New York to Milan, London to Paris, both renowned and more obscure labels shrewdly combined diverse, and at times, seemingly incompatible materials that demonstrate the importance of a dress's ingredients as intrinsic to its design. Marc Jacobs Yigal Azrouël Chiffon, tweed, wool and leather made a dramatic impression on the women’s and men’s runway of Oscar de la renta, Narciso rodriguez, The row by the Olsen sisters, BCBG Max Azria and Michael Kors, who like others, also made great use of fur. everything from coats and collars to shoulder bags and accessories was embellished with mink, raccoon, goat, coyote, chinchilla, platinum and shadow fox. Traditional materials employed in the Fall collections have also been revamped by new tailoring techniques. examples of this included Dior’s use of ostrich skin cut into tiny squares and re-embroidered on organza. Some designers paired these materials with abstract prints like Bluelab’s cotton, elasterell and spandex crocodile reversible jeans or Diane Von Furstenberg’s black and white abstract hand print dress. This year’s runways featured exceptional luxury, detailing, craftsmanship and savvy materials choices, setting new standards for designers and the craftsmen and women who tailor their designs. The increased use of innovative materials in fashion demonstrates their value, incredible performance and the interest of fashion professionals in exploring new ways to create and communicate their vision. We can't wait to see what the next season brings! Gabriella vivaldi Marketing and Communications Manager Contact: [email protected] 10 9.1 Matter Patrik Ervell defined By desibyG nadine rubinn nathan In 1999 designer Carlo Contin had the idea to arrange a group of uniform spokes into a simple geometric form. The result was an ingenious fruit bowl that caught the eye of Marva Griffin Wilshire, curator of the Salone Satellite, the showcase of young talent at Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan’s International Furniture Fair. Contin was invited to exhibit his dramatic centerpiece and, while walking the Fair, Paola Antonelli, senior curator of Architecture and Design at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, knew it would be a hit when she spied its unique shape. A year later the Satellite bowl was for sale at MoMA’s Design Store (where it remains one of MoMA’s staples) and Contin’s career had taken off. With the launch of the Salone Satellite in 1998, designers like Contin were finally granted access to the Salone Internazionale del Mobile. The new platform for young designers was the result of an enviable challenge that Manlio Armellini, then Cosmit International’s managing director in charge of the Fair, issued to Griffin Wilshire. The design maven immediately rose to the task. “I drew up Images Courtesy of COSMIT 9.1 Matter 13 result of this platform. “One of the most difficult Adami, Benedetta Mori Ubaldini, and James things [for a young designer] is to approach the Irvine, architect and critic Beppe Finessi, and professional world,” says Alessandra Baldereschi journalist Pierre Leonforte alongside Meritalia’s who first participated in the Salone Satellite in marketing director Vanna Meroni, Aldo Provini, 2002. “Marva invented the most effective way to the President of rapsel, Tommaso Toncelli, the art concretely support young designers in the early director of Toncelli Cucine, and Flavio Maestrini, stage of their career. The originality of her idea is the director of Giornale dell’Arredamento. And the creation of a system that didn’t exist before, Griffin Wilshire says that, as usual, talent has which can reduce that gap.” been selected from all over the world: “New a list of young designers that I knew were anxious architects and creatives as well as universities and Zealand to South America, U.S.A., Scandinavia, to be in the Fair, selecting some names in Munich, design schools all eager to be a part of the first This year the Salone Satellite celebrates its Italy etc.” London, New York and Milan,” she recalls.

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