Lydia (Hsiao-Shan) Tung's Naturalistic Accessories

published in: Accessories, 07 Dec 2011

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Lydia (Hsiao-Shan) Tung is a Taiwanese born accessories designer with a minimalistic clean-cut approach, based in London, who recently graduate from the Cordwainers of  London College of Fashion with a BA in Accessories: Product Design & Development.

 Lydia for her final collection wanted to create a design with a purist aesthetic that is both modern and intelligent. As she explains, before the creation of machines, men already had the knowledge and ability to produce items using only the materials surrounding them. 

The shapes are formal, inspired by furniture constructions such as cabinets, drawers with joint details in order to create a range without stitching.  What makes Tung's accessories collection stand out is her idea of using slots and joints to lock the pieces together. Lydia replaced hardware with natural material-bamboo, a reliable and original material due to its lightness and durability making it suitable for accessory fittings.

Through her final collection, Lydia was selected to be among the Formosa Show 100, part of the London Design Festival. Her work has been includeded in WGSN's New Grads Feature -Accessories. She has been nominated for London College of Fashion's graduate awards in the category of Best Leather Craft Award and has won the 3rd prize for the MCM Project. Finally, she has achieved a Carmen Dell’ Orefice shoot in Paris.

For more details you can reach Lydia Tung Here. 

Other Links: Showtime

All images courtesy of LydiaTung©

Georgina Skalidi: De-constructing Clutches With A Twist

published in: Accessories, 21 Sep 2011

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If you are into different and unique accessories, and always on the look for something original that will give your outfit a bit of an Oomph! then checking out Georgina Skalidi's bags and purses is imperative.

Georgina Skalidi was born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece. As soon as she turned 18, Georgina went to Paris’ L.I.S.A.A. Institute to study fashion design as a stylist-modeliste. After completing her degree, she moved back to Greece, and started working in Athens in the fashion department of many renowned female magazines, such as Marie Claire and Gineka. She was also Fashion Editor of the alternative magazine Ozon.  

Her work was, also, noticed and included in foreign publications, such as the French website Iconique, the American UCE Magazine, and the German edition of For Him (FHM).

 
Her need to create her own brand resulted in her line of fine quality clutch bags that she designs and manufactures, known today as Georgina Skalidi. Using leather and suede, she draws on every ounce of knowledge that Mr. Haris, the best craftsman since the 1980s that all Greek designers go to for leather accessories, passed on to her.

Using her own technique, Skalidi, 'forges' her unique clutch bags made of the finest materials and a fresh, almost postmodernist vintage aesthetic. In fact, vintage style and geometry is a regular point of reference for her, an element she really loves and turns to when she cuts up and deconstructs the classic bag design, and turns it into something new.

"I draw for inspiration from my own experiences. I am inspired by the way a choose to live every phase of my life. Holding the leather in my hands I can express the feelings of my own reality constructing literally all my designs. I do not create bags in the traditional manner of design, since for me the bag is a kind of sculpture," explains Skalidi.

Today, you can find Georgina Skalidi's collections at the "Ma Chambre" boutique in Athens, and Chania. Clutches and ballet pumps are also available in selected stores in Greece and Cyprus.

All photos courtesy of Georgina Skalidi©

Ippolito Bags by Pavlina Papailiopoulou: So Beautiful, It Hurts!

published in: Accessories, 07 Sep 2011

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The Ippolito brand was "born" in October 2009 by Greek designer Pavlina Papailiopoulou. Papailiopoulou's high quality leather accessories and bags are known for their attention to detail and timeless design, making them "drool-worthy" for anyone that comes across them. "After all, it's the little things that make all the difference," she explains.

Papailiopoulou came into this world in 1982 in Plaka, and was raised at the house of creative architect, Ippolito,with a purpose of drawing-marking every surface in site; She was drawn to shapes and colours from a very early age. In 2000, at the age of 18, Pavlina left Greece to study Fine Arts and History of Art in Reading, England. 

It wasn't until she was back home in 2004 that she started experimenting through fashion, an outlet that helped Papailiopoulou take her creativity further by designing embroidered T-shirts. As a person who wants to learn the profession and all it has to offer, she enrolled at Instituto Marangoni in Milan to study Fashion Design. 

A year later she went to work for Tomas Maier's creative team at Bottega Veneta, as a junior designer, and in 2007 she traveled to New York and London, where she worked on a series of small freelance projects. A restless entrepreneur, as much as a designer, Papailiopoulou decided to move back to Greece in January 2009 and use all her knowledge, experience and inspiration to breath life into her own brand.

Her latest collection for Autumn/Winter 2011-2012 is called "Mellow Dewdrop Drops" and is based on nostalgia and traveling. A lot of silhouettes are based on envelopes, some bags have a name tag on. It is, also, the first time Ippolito launches a weekend bag, called "Andi". According to Papailiopoulou, "the golden round bulls and chains add a dreamy effect on the collection giving the feeling of memories popping, while you are away from beloved places."

With her soft leather, attention to detail and high quality materials, this brand is only beginning. As Papailiopoulou says be prepared to bear her mark! And may I add what a beautiful mark that is.

All photos courtesy of Pavlina Papailiopoulou©

Issey's Magic

Well I've been longing for this little neon bag for quite some time now, but finally I managed to convince myself that it is totally worth the money. Especially for my summer vacation in the Greek islands, with their signature white, this baby will look awesome. For the beach as a purse, as a cosmetics bag fr traveling, and as a clutch for magical dinners by the sea, this bag for me is a must have. Soft plastic, eccentric design, so-now bright color and amazing packaging, Issey Miyake's BAOBAO bag is this summer's best accessory!