COUNT DOWN TO EARTH HOUR...

Above is a picture of Sydney before and after Earth Hour.

On Saturday (March 28, 8:30-9:30pm) we are turning off our lights because it's Earth Hour. Earth Hour began locally in Sydney in 2007, it is now a global event. This year is extra special...if you participate and switch off your lights you will be voting for earth and against global warming. Lights will be out from the Eiffel Tower to Sydney Opera House, as many cities within 83 countries are committed to saving the planet. If you'd like to find out more visit Earth Hours official site.

STUDIO VISIT

We were lucky enough to have some kiwis visit our studio from the South Island of New Zealand. It was a great opportunity to illustrate our design process, showing them how we start with a concept and vision board then begin sketching and painting before moving to CAD and woven samples. We also gained feedback on collections and colour directions, which was invaluable – so thanks again to Amanda, Annie, Anne-Marie, Cindy, Grant, Julie and Noelene, safe travels home.

I COLLECT... TICKETS

I don't think I consciously started to collect tickets, but one day I realised that I had a whole stash of them. This is not something that I do normally, but when I travel. I save them and try to stick them into a book. My memory is pretty terrible so it helps me to remember where I've been and when I went there. If you click on the image above you can see this small selection in greater detail. My two favourites are the receipt from the Parisian supermarket (everything I bought was so typically French!) and the Mexico City Subway ticket. The graphic designer in me loves this because the design of the station logos was pretty revolutionary - every single station has a unique icon that relates to the neighbourhood, and it really changed the way that we find our way around.

MOKUM DRESSES

Last year one of our textile designers, Cathy Brown, had to leave to move back home to the USA. One of the very first designs that she worked on at Mokum was Matarita, a print from the Meridian Pacifica collection. You can see some of her preliminary sketches and developments above. It was quite funny looking at these sketches today, because I remembered that when Cathy started at Mokum, we didn't have our CAD software, so she created this pattern using a photocopier and tracing paper!
As a farewell present I made her a little sundress out of Matarita, and she sent us some photos of her modeling the dress for us. Cute!

AMAZING PERFORMANCE

Since I am an absolute fan of Juliette Binoche and the Sydney Opera House , there was no way I was going to miss her performance in 'IN-I' at this extraordinary venue. She and Akram Khan collaborated in an outstanding piece of dance theater, to deliver 75 minutes of heartfelt love story telling. I was especially impressed by Juliette Binoche's professional dance performance, since she has no formal dance training.
I am sorry to say that the last show of 'IN-I' was staged last Saturday, but I definitely recommend seeing the show if possible somewhere else in the world.

KIKA TAPAS BAR

This past weekend I went with some friends to Kika Tapas Bar in Darlinghurst. The food is AMAZING. I love tapas, I love the concept of tapas. You get to try so many different things all at once! One of the most interesting things about Kika is the interior, which is a little bit nuts. All fake flowers and bright orange and statues of the Virgin Mary. Makes for a very memorable dining experience!

I COLLECT...SEA SHELLS

Some of my earliest, most fond childhood memories are of summer time spent at Mimiwhangata beach, at the top of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a long vastly untouched shoreline with incredible white sand and the clearest, bluest water I’ve ever seen. As a child I was fascinated by the tiny colourful shells which stood out like jewels in the white sand. I stumbled across my treasures when I was packing away my things in preparation to move to Australia. I love the kina (sea egg), paua and mussel shells and when I was laying out the uniquely coloured fan shells I began to think of textile designs for our 2010 Meridian collection…watch this space!

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

For my birthday, everyone chipped in and got me The Baking Bible - knowing full well that they would get their money back in the form of baked goods. This is the first recipe I have tried from the book, a Greek Yogurt and Hazlenut cake. I baked this one especially so that our resident celiac (Bethany) could have some too...

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE NATURAL FIBRE

Yes, that's right! 2009 is the United Nations International Year of the Natural Fibre. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know this until I read it in View Magazine (a very cool textile/fashion magazine). So I have put together a little Mokum tribute to natural fibres.

Bruges Lace - 100% Cotton

Maddha Plain - 100% Silk

Saba - 100% Linen

Aalto - 69% Jute, 27% Cotton, 4% Polyamide. Okay this one is not 100% natural,but I thought It was pretty cool that it has Jute in it.

Sateen - 90% Enviro Wool, 10% Enviro Nylon. Again, not 100% natural,
but its so nice and soft...

I have to admit that I thought it was a little bit strange to have an International Year of Natural Fibres, but it is aiming to stimulate demand for natural fibres and create more sustainable production practices. It is also hoping that by stimulating demand for natural fibres, the incomes of the farmers will be sustained, many of whom live in developing nations.

I COLLECT... THINGS THAT SMELL GOOD

Perfumes!!!
To me a scent is not just a nice fragrance, it’s memories. Each one of my perfumes has it’s own little story, whenever I apply the chosen fragrance of the day that story comes flooding back to me. My favorite perfume is my Penhaligons Ellenisia, it’s classic yet fresh, sweet and young, if I had a signature fragrance it would be my Ellenisia. I bought this one while I was in Paris, so as you can imagine the memories that go with it are lovely, full of fantastic restaurants, amazing fashion boutiques and quality time with my family.