| Shoemaker | Inbar Yosifon | High Heeled Fish |
| Fish is not my favorite accessory when it comes to a day on the beach, but for some reason, Inbar Yosifon’s fish scaled print gets me excited! I can even consider wearing a high heel shoe for a minute or two. It’s too cool to miss out. What is your fish situation? Love it or hate it? FYI, Inbar Yosifon named this shoe Greta Garbo. Thought I should mention that little detail. www.shoemaker.co.il |
| Oded Arama | My Favorite Ice Cream Flavor Is… |
| In case you were wondering, we are back to our monthly Oded Arama post. I know, I know, this guy should be the first contestant in the up coming TV show, “Project ShoeShoe” coming your way this fall (a girl can dream :). He can come up with the most ah-ma-zing design in a second or two! For His 2011 Collection Oded had ice cream in mind and who can blame him? If there is one thing I love more than ice cream is cupcakes. Maybe I should pitch him this idea. So… “Sweets”, the collection is full with super exciting colors. I dare you to buy your man the “Candy Oxford”. All the previous posts I wrote about this ridiculous designer are right here. www.so-arama.com |
| Oded Arama | Cloudy Sunrise |
| The god of shoes answered my prayers and my dream shoe is available for women as we speak. Only this March I wrote about Oded Arama’s dreamy collection and the man of the hour delivered! It feels like Oded is in a good place these days. Other than his unisex collection, Oded’s sunrise shoes caught Sigalit Landau‘s attention as well and she added some stylish vibe to her “Laces”, a video Installation which was part of the “One man’s floor is another man’s feelings” Israeli pavilion at the 54th Biennale in Venice. I wonder what’s next. At this point, it feels like the sky is the limit. www.so-arama.com |
| UnaUna | God Is In The Details |
| I’m sure you didn’t think Summer 2011 can go by without an honorable mention of team UnaUna. This collection is all about the little details. Well, Almog and Mira can never get it wrong so… I’ll let the images do the talking this time. Till Winter 2012 (cause we know I’ll write about them again), xoxo www.una-una.com |
| One On One Break | Liebling Shoes | Rock Star Duo |
| Oh my… I can’t stress enough how long I’ve been waiting for this post to air… Karni and Lior, the duo behind Liebling, are like an extended family here at DesignBreak ;) For their 2011 Summer Collection, I was lucky enough to get a closer look into their creative processes and more… So, here comes one of my personal favorite One On One Breaks! - Oh… I forgot to mention I really don’t take their stunning catalog for granted. {Photos by Kfir Bolotin} www.liebling-shoes.com |
| I’d love to hear about you, your journey, how it all began. | |
| Actually, we both came from different backgrounds. Lior studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and Karni studied art and building preservation. We both were drawn to the fashion industry but were unsure which path to follow. We both ended up in shoe design studies, where we met. At first, we shared a studio and worked separately on our individual collections. Working side by side led us to understand that we work even better together. After joining forces, we created “Liebling” which means “my darling” in German. | Liebling |
| Can you describe your work process for me? | |
| Designing shoes is a very long and complicated process. Sometimes the first prototype we create looks nothing like the one that we decide to manufacture. There are a lot of decisions to be made: which mold to use, the heel height, the soles, the color of the zipper. If we’re not 100% satisfied with one of the models, it never gets manufactured. The best moment is when you get a finished prototype and you just know… It’s a winner :) | Liebling |
| I’d love to here about your collaboration, how does it work and who does what? | |
| The design process is very dynamic. Sometimes Karni takes charge and sometimes Lior takes the handles. The bottom line is that we both agree on the final design before it is complete. | Liebling |
| Which materials do you work with? | |
| We only work with high quality leather. We import most of it ourselves so we can keep our unique color palate. | Liebling |
| What is the most unusual piece you have ever designed? | |
| We participated in an original project by “The Marker” magazine. As part of the project we created our own version to the havaianas flip-flops, incorporating the infinity sign into it. It was a great adventure. “I (Lior) designed the National Chinese weather broadcast. Really, in my last metamorphosis as a graphic designer and I also did a TV ad for adult diapers, that never aired for some reason.” | Liebling |
| What’s next? What is your dream? | |
| We just launched our summer collection and we’re already working on the fall-winter line. We have a lot of international customers, buying on-line, through our website. We would really love to start selling properly in Europe and in the US. | Liebling |
| I’m curious to know where does your inspiration come from? | |
| This summer collection was inspired by the French Vacance. We found Karni’s Aunt old photos from her summer vacations in the french Riviera. The photos fading colors found their way into the collection, a mix of warm shades of red orange and yellow. In general, our work is inspired by contemporary design and architecture. We would rather look for inspiration in good graphic design work or in some beautiful detail in a building than in the latest fashion runway. | Liebling |
| Can you tell me which designers inspire you? | |
| The Japanese architect Toyo Ito, Charles and Ray Eames and Narciso Rodriguez but it changes all the time. | Liebling |
| What about some web sites and blogs that you visit regularly? | |
| DesignBreak, naturally :) We love blogs that are thought provoking. We look in Dezeen which always gives inspiration, and we also like The Cherry Blossom Girl but we also love Bakerella, a sweet cake blog. | Liebling |
| If you had an extra hour each day what would you do? | |
| It has been quite hectic these past few years so we cherish every extra hour we can get. We would probably spend it with our partners and loved ones which we hardly get to see. Sleep. Exercise. Hopefully nothing work related… | Liebling |
| And finally, What is the best advice you’ve ever received? | |
| “Yoga is not a competition” ;) | Liebling |
| World Break | Tracey Neuls | Delicious Footwear |
| While I was on my way to one of my favorite perfume shops, Fresh, I got lost in the streets around Marylebone. Luckily I did! I ran into this ah-mazing shoe store. Well not just your ordinary shoe store. It has a big dinning table filled with sculptural and colorful shoes for your main course! I didn’t see this one coming ;) Such a breath of fresh air! Oh… and another treat was the eeny, meeny animals in the window… If I were you, I’d check Tracey Neuls’s blog, read an interview with the creative mind (and see some pics of the store). {This is a British World Break} www.tn29.com |
| Anat Zamir | One Bag A Day |
| Anat Zamir is one of those gifted designers who can do two things at the same time. On one hand she designs jewelry and on the other bags. Can you imagine enjoying both worlds?! I’d die for that kind of talent. At this moment I’m loving her minimal yet practical take on the school bag. It’s time to add a small bag to my XL sized collection ;) www.anatzamir-design.co.il |
| One On One Break | Olive Thomas | Stitching and Dreaming |
| Olive Thomas. Any idea who she is? Well… Maya Levi, the gal behind the brand gave me the short version but here you can read the long one. Maya is one of the nicest and the sweetest designers out there. She has an amazing ability to sweep a girl off her feet and get you immersed in the story behind her shoes. I didn’t want you to miss it so I decided to share with you bits of her journey. Before you jump into this inspirational story, visit Olive Thomas’s Summer 2011 catalog. {Photos by Dror Ben Naftaly} www.olive-thomas.com |
| I’d love to hear about you, your journey, how it all began. | |
| I decided to study Industrial design while I was living in London. I was looking for a course in photography and stumbled upon a course in Industrial design, which sounded interesting. I ended up doing an Industrial Design degree back in Israel at Hadassah College in Jerusalem. Funnily enough it was the wish to design shoes that got me hooked, though somewhere along the three-year degree I forgot that. It was only when I completed my degree and looking for a direction that I returned to footwear-design. | MayaLevi |
| Can you describe your work process for me? | |
| I start with a point of inspiration. It’s usually something abstract that becomes concrete in my prototypes. I research my inspiration, find an element the interests me and then translate the element into a pair of shoes. The different materials also have an important part in the end result. A model can be inspired by a particular last (a block or form shaped like a human foot and used in making or repairing shoes), or some unusual leather. Once I have my initial sketches I’ll build up a collection according to different “needs”- open or closed shoes, heels or flats, casual or elegant, with the hope that every customer can build her own “shoe-closet”. Development includes a number of prototypes until I reach the final model, at which point the production will start. | MayaLevi |
| Which materials do you work with? | |
| The shoes are made of leather, however a shoe is made up from soles and heels and of course the last- all of which give the shoe its character. The materials offered in Israel don’t always satisfy my needs, in which case I’ll travel to Turkey or to Italy to find alternatives. | MayaLevi |
| What is the most unusual piece you have ever designed? | |
| During my studies at Akiles, I designed two pair of shoes made from wire – one showing the course of the ball in a basketball game, and the other in a tennis game. | MayaLevi |
| What was the inspiration behind your 2011 Spring/Summer collection? | |
| A book I found at my parents house. It’s a souvenir from the days when girls studied “housekeeping” called “The Complete Guide to Sewing”. The graphics of the book are amazing. From there I continued to Burda magazines and world of stiches’ dressmaking and patterns. For example, “Mor” my take on the classic ballerina, is decorated with stiches resembling the markings for different sizes found in dressmaking patterns. | MayaLevi |
| What’s next? What is your dream? | |
| I started Olive Thomas three years ago because I wanted to provide an alternative in the local shoe market. My dream is to be able to give this alternative to as many people as possible. And to do a second degree at the Royal Collage of Arts, London (Central St Martins will do too :) | MayaLevi |
| I’m curious to know where does your inspiration come from? | |
| I’m inspired by all the different areas of design: graphic design, architecture, fashion, industrial design and art. I’m especially inspired by points of interaction- between people, materials, even buildings. | MayaLevi |
| Can you tell me which designers inspire you? | |
| Proenza Schouler- Every collection I’m amazed by their ability to be so completely accurate, despite the inspiring amount of details in each garment, shoe or bag (one day I will own a PS1). I also admire Julia Lundsten and her label Finsk. She has a very unique voice and yet manages to make trendy, fashionable shoes. | MayaLevi |
| What about some web sites and blogs that you visit regularly? | |
| Nowness.com, Trendland.net- an inspiring source of art and design from around the world and Refinery29 for my fashion up-dates. I also really enjoyed Nekudot, Yaara Keydar’s blog, but unfortunaly she hasn’t written for a while. | MayaLevi |
| If you had an extra hour each day what would you do? | |
| I’d like to say do something productive, but I’d probably end up catching up on some much needed sleep! | MayaLevi |
| Keren Taggar | Tel Aviv. A Jungle of Shoes |
| Keren Taggar is no stranger here at DesignBreak. It seems like I have a thing for Keren an her shoe drawings… There is no other way to explain this fascination. Lately Keren was asked to draw the shoes for Couple Of’s 2011 Summer Collection. I have to hand it to Shelly and Elon Satat-Kombor, the husband and wife team behind it all, who came up with this brilliant concept! The inspiration behind the collection was Urban Jungle and Keren’s take was more domesticated. She had the porches of Tel-Aviv in mind while playing with her pencils. www.kerentaggar.com |
| Shani Bar | Dancing Alice |
| When I come across a shoe it only takes a second or so for me to fall in love with it or not. If I’m falling hard, the image of the shoe will follow me wherever I go till I’ll have it in my arms. You know what I mean, right? When it comes to Shani Bar’s shoes, I might as well sleep in her store ;) Shani’s 2011 Summer Collection is inspired by the youngster Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts and her Card Soldiers. You can see just the right amount of hearts and crown-like shapes here and there… As you all know, everything Shani touches turns into happy feet creation. www.shanibar.com |
| One On One Break | Mal Bags | Bags. No Need To Add A Single Word |
| When you have the chance to get inside one of your favorite designers’ mind and find out more about her, it’s priceless! There are no words to describe my feelings when I get to spend time with my Mal Bags. I’m like a kid in a candy store. Mali’s “Close to the body” 2011 spring collection is the perfect time for a One On One Break with this special lady. Mali Rokach Danai, take it away ;) www.malbags.com |
| I’d love to hear about you, your journey, how it all began. | |
| After finishing my design studies at the Accademia Italiana in Rome, I cam back to Israel and studied architecture for five years. My thesis work focused on the “inner garden”, which characterizes the overall vision of the “middle space”. | MaliRokach |
| Why did you decide to design bags? | |
| I find my design processes as a continuation to my thesis. I define a bag as a transition space where the woman carries her personal belongings: transition between the woman’s private space and the outside world. It’s not only bridges over places, but also over styles and states of mind. It becomes a personal posession which will accompany its owner for the years to come. | MaliRokach |
| What led you to start your own label? | |
| Like all good things in life, even my love affair with leather began accidentally in 2002. I went into a furniture store in order to collect leather leftovers from the upholsterer and started binding various products such as diaries, phone books which I made as gifts for friends. Then, without any expectations, I went with these product a well known store in Tel Aviv and introduced the products to them and the rest is an history. All these unique products, which were created by me one by one in my home, sold in surprising quantities and from there the way into expanding the product line and spreading into other shops was a short ride. | MaliRokach |
| I’m curious to know where does your inspiration come from? | |
| I’m inspired by the world of architecture. You can say that I’m a magazine junkie cause I have subscriptions to many architectural magazines from around the world and it definitely has a massive influence on my designs. I enjoy the unpretentious architecture. For me, the beauty is hidden in the simplicity of everyday life. I don’t appreciate busy or over decorated designs and it translates directly to the process of my design and the bags themselves. | MaliRokach |
| What was the concept behind your spring collection? | |
| I decided to name my collection “Close to the body”. The concept for this collection was anti – design, almost an unsensed sophistication, invisible even. There is a raw beauty in the items, not pretending and based on the paucity of the material itself. | MaliRokach |
| And what about the inspiration for this collection? | |
| I drew inspiration for this collection out of industrial aesthetics and the basic packing methods. This along with the motifs of the Japanese art of folding paper, origami. I sculpted the leather into a bag or purse and added only the necessary details, nothing more. Other than that, the natural colors palette is a reference to the nude human body. | MaliRokach |
| What’s next? What is your dream? | |
| I don’t have big dreams when it comes to professional aspect because I believe that things happen when the right time comes, I believe in slow and steady growth and I have lots of patience. Where I got and all I have is above and beyond what I have ever expected. Really, I didn’t think I would get to this point where I run a successful business which has two stores (the third is on the way) and sale all over the US, not to mention in the store of the SFMOMA Store and in the well known ABC Home in New York City. | MaliRokach |
| Can you tell me which designers inspire you? | |
| I have a close friend, who is also a designer and from time to time we brainstorm together. Whenever we sit together and start talking about design and fashion, I get a burst of inspiration and all I want to do is start sketching. BTW, Her name is Luci David and she is amazing and talented all at once. | MaliRokach |
| Can you tell me which websites and blogs do you visit regularly? | |
| One of my favorite blogs is The Sartorialist. Other then than, I visit from time to time some Israeli blogs such as Nekudot by Yaara Keydar, Schiller’s Blog by Yael Schiller and DesignBreak by Einat Kayless Argaman ;) I think you all do a wonderful job. | MaliRokach |
| Oded Arama | Dreams Do Come True |
| Not so long ago, I had an One On One Break with Oded Arama. Since then a lot has changed! Oded released pictures from his men’s 2011 summer collection and… wait, there is more! In May these to die for shoes will be available for all you women out there to own. I might add that as I’m writing this I’m jumping up and down in my chair ;) Oded’s association game began with a car with dried mud on it, an old shoe he saw on a public bench and coffee stains. At the end we got some breathtaking mixtures of vibrant colors and brush strokes. I chose to show you the ones that I love but there is a lot more right here. www.so-arama.com |
| Jenny Pokryvailo | Traveling Teddy |
| “Teddy Bear in a suitcase deals with the familiar feeling before a long journey of stuffing your suitcase until there is no space left. How much space will you sacrifice for your plushie?” I would definitely sacrifice all the space my teddy needs ;) sirton-art.com/jenny |
| Kobi Perez | X-rayed Animals |
| If you ever wondered how a dog or a cow skeleton looks like, now you even can wear it as a brooch. This is what happens when you leave an X-ray sheet around Kobi Perez. The guy knows how to take an ordinary idea and transform it into an extraordinary accessory. You can get in touch with Kobi here: kobiperez {at} gmail {dot} com |
| Liebling Shoes | Brown, Yellow and A Dash of Blue |
| I know I’m a bit behind with this one but I couldn’t let it slip away. Karni Reshef and Lior Livne aka Liebling are my idols when it comes to shoes. Their fall winter collection is inspired by the classic male work boots. The ability to refine the masculine aspects into a feminine creation is what it’s all about. Oh, and don’t let me start gushing on the breathtaking pictures… The duo knows their way to woman feet let alone heart ;) FYI, “Sasha” has my name written all over it. {Photos by Oded Marom} www.liebling-shoes.com |
