Here’s a selection of the samples I received from Tokyo in the last few weeks. I am especially pleased with the wooden products. The silkscreening and the color finish are impeccable. I also enjoyed how the designers combined my animals to create new patterns like the fish and the octopus. Shown: blackboards and mini photo albums by You Power, Japan.
Ulrike Kittel fell in love with my raccoons and asked me to illustrate her banner that was hung up during the Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt bicycle race in Frankfurt, Germany. Ulrike is an artist that makes quilted baby blankets and her work can be seen on her website.
Congratulations to Erica of Raplapla (I talked about her line of baby animals) for winning the «Grand Prix» in the packaging category at the Grafika Awards 2008 for this gorgeous box, designed by Atelier Chinotto and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, all from Montreal. Raplapla also picked up an award of excellence for their catalogue. Monsieur Tsé Tsé’s name was indeed inspired by the tsetse fly because he puts you to sleep however, unlike the fly, he doesn’t bite! «Monsieur Tsé Tsé is made of organic cotton with embroidered eyes. He is produced in Montreal by members of a social integration organization and 10% of the profits from the sale of this product are donated to UNICEF. Oh, and he’s very soft!» You can buy Monsieur Tsé Tsé here.
Velvet Moustache, I love your sense of humour! The big Boyfriend, pictured above, is climbing into the hearts of many plush enthusiasts. Is it a bear or, what? Many of their inventions are inspired by animals and nature. Among others, there is Panda Mourant (right, center – save the panda!), Arctic Warrior (top right, kind of an owl), Esturgee (bottom right, a huge sturgeon), all made by hand with organic cottons and recycled materials in their studio in Montreal.
Velvet Moustache, I love the name! «Velvet, for the softness of the material and Moustache, because it’s cute and has personality.» says Majorie Labrecque-Lepage, who hails from a fashion background. With her partner Benoit Massé, a graphic designer, they founded Velvet Moustache two years ago based on their common interests in ecology, ethics and crafts.
Velvet Moustache – where can I buy your creations? Directly from their studio online, or if you are in Old Montreal you can stop by Galerie Zone Orange, a cafe-art gallery which offers a variety of handmade items by local artisans. Do you have a creature that you would like to see in 3D? Majorie does special orders.
Velvet Moustache – what is your most popular toy? «Popeye (below) – people are really surprised when they realise they can take the eye out and play with it like a ball!»
You can see Velvet Moustache in person this weekend where they will be participating at Couture X-Press in Montreal, creating fashion, live, in front of an audience, starting at 21h.
Photos by Velvet Moustache, 2009
