Liberty - British Design Open Call!

Saturday 25th April was an early morning for SquidLondon...anyone who know us, knows that mornings are not our thing..! Libertys had its creative call and held an open day for new British Design Talent. We just couldn't miss this chance to show off our London Silhouette umbrella!

We were not as determined as others, as by the time we arrived, we had to queue up behind another 200 to 300 designers – and on top of that; it was a sunny day (damn it!)
A talented friend of ours, CleoB http://www.cleob.com/ did well, as by the time we were number 255, she was done and dusted – her paradise shoes collection impressed the judges. CleoB introduced us to the press lady – so before we knew it, we were pitching our colour change umbrella whilst queueing on the street!

The next thing we were in the elevator (have skipped the queue) being lead up to the Liberty's dragon’s den (their showroom), which included top judges such as the buying director of Liberty, Ed Burstell (ex-Bergdorf Goodman Senior VP) along side David Nicholls (Design editor of Daily Telegraph) and Sarah Mower (international Fashion authority).
It was a nervous and anxious wait but friendly staff made us feel comfortable and welcome – asking us lots of questions out of curiosity…its magic we say!

We were led towards the judges... Ed Burstell shook our hand. We were ready to pitch, prepared speech running through our heads, adrenaline pumping......alas, holding the umbrella whilst Ed Burstell sprayed was all that was needed!
…the rest of the story will be told soon, don’t you worry!

3D

Lately more and more CG animated films are being released not only in standard 2D but also in 3D. Yes you still have to wear the clunky glasses! We can’t wait to see Disney with Pixar’s release of Toy Story 3, their first film to be specifically made for 3D. This is all being done to lure the public back to the cinemas in the face of declining ticket sales. A positive by product of all this is that finally decent quality 3D for the home is in the works. SquidLondon attended the Ideal Home Show to which they discovered that in fact a few televisions (mainly certain Samsung panels) are already compatible with 3D formats. With the likes of Ray Ban designing their own lines, in the future buying a pair of your own 3D shades may not seem as bizarre as it sounds. SquidLondon will definitely be embracing this!

The Making of Squid...Behind the Scene's

These are just a few images to show how we initially developed our ideas through experimentation starting in 2006 to April 2008.
We were sponsored by an ink company which allowed us to experiment and implement ideas into reality.

Water blasting the screens clean whilst trying to keep your feet firmly on the ground is not that easy!

All the different colours we printed with.

Being advised by an expert in the field.

This was a very long day, we were slowly but surely being asked to leave and still had copious amounts to do..!

The wonderful printing factory. We wondered why everyone was so happy all the time....we soon found out.... The fume level was intense!

The all important 'matching up'. Very stressful. You have to ensure the screen and fabric are exactly matched prior to applying the ink. Otherwise you have printed in the wrong place and it is all over!

Meetings, meetings and more meetings...!

BOXED, SEALED AND ON IT'S WAY!!!

SquidLondon's Skyline 2009 Collection is on its way. It is planned to arrive safely in London docks on the 15th May.

It will be sold instore and online at http://www.beyondthevalley.com and through SquidLondon.

One of many SquidLondon Umbrella boxes :)

Design Museum

This Easter week end the Squidders made their way down to the Design Museum featuring Hussein Chalayan, a designer who impresses by approaching fashion from a more constructive, architectural point of view – combining functionality, aesthetic and new technology.

Designs of the year 2009 by Brit Insurance

Check out this umbrella, due to its aerodynamic design, the SENZ XL always finds the best position in the wind. The construction makes the umbrella windproof up to 70 miles per hour and will not invert. Watch this umbrella on the golf market!www.senzumbrellas.com
As part of a large art installation programme for the new Terminal 5 building at Heathrow, the design trio Troika was commissioned by the curators at Artwise to create a 22 metre long electroluminescent wall extending the conventional idea of a world clock delivering good design by function and fantasy. It is a lights display using high tech and low-tech applications, many of which had never been attempted on this scale before.
www.troika.uk.com

If you are a geek like us this technology will definitely appeal to you. Barcodes in black and white squares called the QR codes have secret messages hidden, which can be read by camera phones or when downloaded. Brilliant marketing tool SquidLondon believes!
Download the software on your phone
http://reader.kaywa.com/getit
www.therumpusroom..tv/pet-shop.html

Inspiration - Jackson Pollock

“When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It's only after a sort of "get acquainted" period that I see what I have been about. I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own”.
- quoted in Possibilities I, Winter 1947-48

This is exactly what inspired us about Jackson Pollock’s paintings. They were created upon a huge blank canvas, and in a trance like state Pollock would almost dance whilst scattering and dripping colour everywhere. Not quite knowing nor planning what he was creating, yet through his energy of movement and passion, he would result in the most spectacular array of textures and imagery.

This was our founding inspiration for our umbrellas. The idea of a blank canvas waltzing the streets and interacting with the rain creating an array of colours in it’s very own individual splashes as the rain slowly but surely turns the blank canvas into colour.

Striding Out - Boot Camp!

SquidLondon was 1 of 10 businesses in the semi-finals of 'Striding out's Big Leap Competition'
All ten companies attended Boot Camp at the British Library on Thursday 2nd - Sunday 5th April.

http://www.stridingout.co.uk/competition.html

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