redmaloo

Berlin; Katja Hettler, industrial designer and Jula Tullman, architect founded redmaloo.
Redmaloo developed after Hettler and Tullman won an award for a foldable laptop sleeve inspired in the japanese kimonos.

At first they used kimono fabrics printed in japanese motifs, but when red maloo came to life the fabric was changed to colorful 3 mm felt. With this change of material the concept became stronger without the need of the printed japanese patterns as reference or even the kimono, the design works and felt allowed much more simplicity which was probably also embeded in the original idea.

The images look like graphics or plans but with extreme simplicity. There is nothing to add or nothing to remove. They strive for being "minimal, traditional and modern at the same time".

The modern German meets traditional Japan in an object made out with the minimum processes; minimal cutting and sewing. Lets say with reserve that this meeting is not very deep and more or less quite formal, like a marketing slogan or and aesthetic catchy phrase.

The unfolding of your computer might become a whole ritual in itself, the unwrapping of a present. But more than the Japan reference the design works; making one forget if there is somehow something deeper in the reference of the kimono, as wearing one, or getting dress in one as this might mean something completely different from wrapping your computer for practical and aesthetical reasons. However it would be interesting to deepen the differences between the ritual in wrapping your body, with that of wrapping your tools or even the extension of yourself which is your Apple computer. As for the modern and the handmade, some will complain the handmade cannot be modern (read previous entries on modernism) or is it just an aesthetic statement without substance?

The laptop sleeves are beautiful and well solved as the design makes the most of the qualities of the material.


There are other accesories; all for the different Apple gadgets and they match perfectly well the Apple aesthetic. Colors, simplicity, functionality, clean. I would say they got inspiration from Apple more than from kimonos. The iphone cases are not that interesting but they still are colorful.
Also would like to know what maloo means if something?

www.redmaloo.com

Hard Graft

Austrian based, previously called Class Working Heroes who started the business selling at Etsy.

The former site is all about the image that probably evolved from their previous name, hard working, hard graft which according to their website means hard manual labour; not far from Working Class Heroes and all products are designed to protect and carry all your technological gadgets. Hard labour protecting your working tools? Working class not elite but for the common mortals, not classy design, or trendy just working class and paying in euros.

Printing presses it seems, appear all over the web site, as felt is originally used in etching and printing. But the process in which the brand name is emmbedded into leather is somehow similar. The brand name is never lost and always present embeded in leather details always somewhere in each piece.

The details and quality looks superb in the images and as advertised the felt they use is imported from Germany, one of the places that holds one of the best qualities of felt, leather comes from Italy and also Germany. It seems though its market maybe in America, but this affirmation is uncertain as all prices are in euros which makes them a bit expensive.

The designs are very clean, simple and repetitive. Their use of materials is very sober and the designs are only slight variations of themselves making available any a size to fit any mac´s gadgets from laptops to ipods including i phone.

In their message they sell high quality and their message is strong, there is no big secret or big idea. Their motto is "you lose what you don´t hold" whether it means hard work or not am not sure.

Their answer to this relies in the simplicity of a fold as the answer to all and how to repeat that with grace over and over again while making you believe in the labour of repetition. The question is who's labour are we looking at? And where and who are the hands that craft? Handmade, suddenly the word itself is arouses unknown suspicion. German hand labour it says.


www.hard-graft.com

Carga Bags

Mauro Biancci founder and designer launched Carga Bags two years ago. His new designs are out and already being blogged all over.

Biancci designs are aimed at men he states; by underlying a method of assembly instead of stitching or sewing which is usually the case with handbags, bags, briefcases or workbags. Implying that his designs are gendered, these sexists bags are fabricated and assembled with aluminium pop rivets, details in leather and hardware fixtures all available at a leather workshop. Where maybe the process of design might have started.

The designs are clean and the details very well taken care, they look strong and sturdy; all bags are serial numbered making awareness of their craft mode of production: in small quantities and in a local argentinian leather workshop.

Industrial wool felt and leather are treated equally in the design, of course each material responds to its own inherent qualities but leather fails to form structure as is the case with the industrial wool felt. It is all about the thickness.

The price range seems high as probably what one is being charged with is the design or the sexism?

Smart and carefully crafted not only in the result but all the way from the argentinian proud stating that for Biancci "a good design needs no explanation". Which leaves us wondering as to why state a design as male gendered if this needs no explanation at all.

The new bags look improved and yes, to me they look somehow a bit more femenine. Of course this might just be a mere coincidence.

www.cargabags.com