Winter Clothing Show

There goes another wonderful clothing show, thanks to everyone that took part. Thanks also to the random stranger that helped push my car along on that snowy sunday morning. He didn't quite know what to say to me as I was rocking my car back and forth with the driver's door open, reaching in to tap the gas pedal intermittently. A great trick if youre slightly stuck by yourself. Just be sure to hop back in once it starts going.

Me and my boothmate, Adrienne Butikoffer, had a great time and did quite well, considering the blizzard's affect on attendance. Her awesome and unique products can be seen and purchased at www.butikofer.com

In general, im very pleased with the improvements I was able to make this time around. Heavy guage antique brass zippers were added and a traditional hoodstring to block out the cold. The thicker wools keep out the cold as does the raised neckline.

Also, in efforts to put material scraps to use, I made scarves and mittens out of the leftovers. Wearing a scarf with the jacket really seals the neck area quite well.



Jackets can be purchased through my online store:

www.chrisparkerdesign.com

The Future of Print Media

The future of media, with respect to emerging technologies, was one of my semester projects. As this slide depicts, my envisioned future for print media is something of a hybrid between electronic and printed material. Multi-media, Audio readings and Print-on-Demand are a few of the possibilities explored. Also, Quick Reference tags will allow magazines to connect to online material. This is an exciting development that does not significantly change the existing experience while enabling a broad base of enhancements. I was happy travel down this hypothetical road lo these past few months. Along the way, I have developed other ideas of my own within the realm of speech-recognition and discreet self-surveillance which will eventually come in the form of an automatic transcription device which passively monitors your life, writing down the important things. Stay tuned.

Mrs. Helmet Hat

Mrs. Helmet Hat is in town for the holidays and she's looking saucy. While working on prototypes for this winter cycling product, I was glad to have Sheila around to model for me. Make no mistake, it's a unisex product and designed to fit most helmet sizes. Right now, developing the earflap is my main focus.

In general I find winter cycling a challenge. It is tough to coax one's self out there to begin with...it's cold, it's less safe than usual and if youre into helemets to safen things up, you have to somehow negotiate the headwarmth situation. I see people jamming their helmet over a toque which im sure works fine but it strikes me as less than ideal.

The helmet hat is intended to be a more unified approach to cold weather cycling as well as an opportunity for enhanced style. Natural, breathable wool hats are popular throughout various cultures and with youth. That being the case, we might have a shot at this. Materials for these hats often come from leftovers from my line of jackets. How about that.

Any interested parties, contact cparker80@gmail.com

Feedback appreciated.

Packo De Backo

This bag is designed for the busy city dweller. Encompasseng the best elements of a backpack with the accessiblity of a courier bag, it is perfect for errand running and the general urban scramble. Backpacks are the best for bearing a load comfortably, but cause problems when you want to get anything out. Taking a bag off, putting it down on the dirty ground (with the dog doo and hork), and then put it back on again? Sounds like a pain and it is. The courier bag is better for this as it can shift to the stomache area, but! placing the load over one shoulder at a time leads to malalignment and pain with prolonged use (referecnce needed).

If youre really into the courier style, the extra strap stows leaving you pleased as punch. Development continues with potential for spring "release".

Prototypes were made of reclaimed Dacron (sail) and salvaged Nylon webbing (Auto).

For Sales, contact cparker80@gmail.com. In the spring.

Crazies trap you've ever seen?

Here it is, November and as it gets chilly outside, we humans take to our heated domiciles to avoid death and discomfort. So too does the local rodent.

Tiny cracks, gaps, open doors and vents of various purposes are perfect for those little squishy mice to squeeze through. On the other side they'll enjoy all the heat they've dreamed of along with a healthy supply of crumbs. I admit, I have some crumbs around. I also have a conscience. I thought about the old traditional trap that crushes little Mickey's head or squashes his hind quarters as he makes a quick turn to flee. No, not that way. I tried poison but it just made the little guy wierd and brave so I set out for the catch and release.

the following is an exerpt from an email:

right now i'm battling a mouse. my current non-murderous trap attempt cosists of a trash can (which the mouse has been known to venture into frequently) sitting inside a large garbage bag. The garbage bag is pushed down to the floor, thus exposing the can. The mouse is to crawl over the bag (across a bridge(book) and into the can to get his little crumbs. When i hear the crinkling from my bed, i yank my nearby string which pulls up via a pair of pulleys (smooth wire loops stuck in the wall) ) the rim of the bag. the mouse is trapped! I then have the mouse in my control.

I released the mouse into a local schoolyard trashcan, then walked home vicrorious.

the end

Um...Brella!

Here comes the revolutionary new umbrella:



"mini umbrellas are great! but although they do keep your perm dry when it's drizzly out, what happens when you need to put it away? It's wet city, that's what.



Dampness from a bag-stowed brullie often gets to papers, books, an otherwise dry sandwich or even my apple ibook! But no more, thanks to this innovative approach courtesy of Chris Parker Designs.


The handle acts as an integrated, leak-proof case that stylishly keeps water from reaching your valuable drygoods. An elliptical cross section brings us from circular yesterday into a more eccentric today.


You might think to yourself, "chris, those little umbrellas always come with a perfect, matching case. Don't reinvent the wheel." Where do those little perfect cases vanish to, anyway?

Here's the display concept:


Thanks for reading. Stay dry!

Flatwares M ou F?

Cutlery Considerations:

With these cutleries, the process is just as important as the product. The fabrication technique i developed for this project was happy accident for several reasons.

• All utensils can be made at the same time
  
• All angles will be identical from piece to piece
  
• The design can be easily manufactured using CNC Lazerjet process
  
• Angles create a useful and comfortable ergonomics
  
• Utensil tips rest above, not on, the table
  
• Can be scaled easily to adjust sizing

• 
  
• 
  
• 

The following is the feminine answer to the question: "what does flatware look like when it's gendered as masculine or feminine? The above rigid, simple, heavy implements are obviously the masculine.

• 

Generally, I was pleased with the opportunity to design cutlery. As an everyday object often taken for granted, I find it a connection with a fundamental element of human life.

Prototypical Chaise

This chaise model was made from a block of Blue Foam. A heated wire was used to cut the two profiles - top and side - quickly, quietly and cleanly. After a little finish sanding, the object was upholstered with fabrics to give that nice wicker look. Wham bam.

Toronto Clothing Show

This past week was pretty insane and awesome. After my final exam at OCAD for the year, i got right down to work with the goal of producing thirty of my woolen hooded jackets for the following weekend. I had accepted the opportunity to share a booth with a friend and talented designer, Adrienne Butikofer - www.butikofer.com. I recognised that i needed a push, some motivation, to take my clothing design to a higher level. This was a perfect opportunity and i must say that things went excellently. I managed to meet my goal of thirty finished jackets by the night before the show - a great relief. Much more relieving was when people began expressing their great affection for them...through positive commentary as well as by buying them. A very validating feeling indeed.
Having not slept very much that week, i was on a combination high created by adrenaline, pride, fatigue and general excitement about the whole process and potential.

The people, customers and passers-by were really great. No jerks! Awesome! So thanks customers for your patronage...see you in the fall...

 

This drawing, done on 18 X 24, was an assigned project from my OCAD drawing course. the brief was as follows:

Construct a free hand perspective drawing of a complex object – imaginary and/or containing concrete elements (inspired from every day objects, architectural structures and details, mechanical parts).
A sense of historical or geographical characterization may be part of the imaginative exercise.

The object must be a combination of prismatic, cylindrical, polyhedral or amorphous objects with openings, connections, transitions and protrusions including circular or based on arcs/curves. Light/shade study is included.

The result i was able to create was a rendering of some kind of mechanical press used for all sorts of crushing activities as well as impressing guests of a retreat for enthousiasts of antiquated articles of blacksmithery.

More on Clothing

Some garments from last season. These were the first in my series of woolen hooded jackets. I did some experimenting with high-neck geometries in efforts to keep the cold at bay when the winter winds whistle. This was prompted largely by my exposure to such a cut when unveilling a large balloon installation in New York (see blog post - "Modern Day Mongolfier"). Eliminating the need for a scarf had all to do with reducing the number of extraneous garments and less to do with animosity for scarves in general. I like scarves. Really.

These days i'm thinking clothing should: fit well, make you feel good, make you feel special, make you feel powerful, be made naturally, simply and locally and be strong enough to have more than one owner. Clothing should not contribute to suffering of humans nor the earth. Ideally, it is the result of inspiration, passion and creativity. Perhaps this is all obvious.

Jackets

 

Spring is in the air! Artificially rolling forward the hands of time, we drag nearward the favourable months of the year. What better in spring than a spring jacket. This is the latest of my hooded woolen jackets. They are made by hand in Canada from natural wool accompanied by unique lining materials, high-quality nickel zippers and generally unique styling. Design elements I'm focusing on are pocket and hood geometry, cuff/waistband features, textures and patterns (herringbone/houndstooth etc) and the logistics of custom fitting. Im taking these garments to the upcoming Toronto Clothing Show in May. See you there.

Toy Prototype

 

For the purposes of fun, i designed a toy. A small cup bearing the likeness of a hot-air balloon baseket is affixed to a helium-filled party balloon. Enjoyment is borne out of the process of establishing equilibrium, a hovering balloon. Drops of water or granuals of salt/sand work well as do bits of confetti. Available in a set of four, the multi-coloured baskets allow races and other forms of group play. Included with the set is a leaflet illustrating the scientific principles behind equilibrium and buoyancy with an old-time aesthetic. Ages three and up, probably.

Coffee...Cup?

 

If you drink coffee and have ever wondered...hey, maybe we've got this whole cup thing all wrong. Some regions of the world have taken to a more sack-like approach to beverage toting. My first and only bagged beverage was at a ferry terminal off the coast of singapore. Compact, effective, amusing. But very wierd.

Balloonacy

 

This inflatable installation was part of a group show at the Edward Day Gallery in Toronto (aug.10 - sep.3 2006). A laminate of nylon and burlap, the object diameter was roughly 25 feet tall and based on simple, elegant platonic geometry. With this approach, material waste was found to be minimal and large panels would be mostly reclaimable. Patrons would smile at the opportunity to go inside and experience the unsupported dome-like roof of sky blue and white. A pleasant breeze from the inflation fans was an additional reward on a balmy afternoon. The balloon made appearances at AIDS week awareness showing "In Tents City" and was well enjoyed when lit at night. Special thanks to supporters of this endeavour - Ontario Arts Council and Paul Potvin of Location Equipment Supply.