Lauren Moffatt

Feist your eyes on Lauren Moffatt's Spring 2012 collection. After seeing these playfully printed frocks on 2 of my fave blogs, I knew I definitely had to check this designer out and am so glad I did!

Ilana Kohn

These scarves are from Ilana Kohn, a designer that is based and produces all her product out of Brooklyn, NY. These prints, from her A/W 2011 collection were done by using a marbling technique that Ilana actually teaches classes on how to do it. Something fun to do next time we are in NY? Oh, and check out her blog. She has some great behind the scenes posts. I love the collections she listed for her Spring inspiration.

Serial Cultura

This is my friend's line I was telling you about! Refinery29 featured her collection today. She designs everything herself including creating the prints from scratch. Check it out...Jen Jennings of Serial Cultura.

Le Cuir A Paris

Le Cuir A Paris textile earlier this month had some fantastic exhibitions showing off ideas that can enhance fabric, especially leather. Here are some of my faves.

I love the shapes within a shape of this briefcase. The shadows the triangles create add to the design!

How the leather of this chair was manipulated creates an amazing effect that almost looks like something you would find in a coral reef.

I love the contrast of the gold metallic paint on the cognac leather. Adds another dimension.

Nube Green

Check out these and more eco-friendly delights at Nube Green, our newest obsession.

Vote for the finalists at Spoonflower!!!

http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/78

The Top 10: Project Selvage Finalists

From a pool of 75 terrific semi-finalist designs selected by judges, the peeps have spoken and we're now down to the top ten in the  competition to choose the next great designer for Michael Miller Fabrics. All of the top ten will be asked to do some serious work over the next two and a half weeks. Each designer has to create five additional designs for a collection built around the winning design. Only one designer will end up the winner, but all ten will receive $100 in Spoondollars as well as 10 yards of the Michael Miller fabric of her choice.

Inspired by vintage

Vintage Pucci

vintage dress found on RustyZipper.com

From the closet of our favorite stylist: Beth Jones

Vintage found on Etsy

Since our first post today was all about reusing materials to create a bold statement piece, while making it functional, we thought it would be appropriate to round out the day with a post on the eco-est of  eco-friendly fashion. (Is that even a word?) Anyway, what we are showcasing here is vintage clothing. What's more earth friendly than something that didn't take any new materials to make? Not only is vintage green, but is it ever inspiring. These amazing pieces from the 60's and 70's are beautiful works of art, meant to inspire for future generations of printed frocks destined to fabulous vintage finds as well.

Ma Okyo website is officially up!

The moment you have all been waiting for, our website, maokyo.com is up and running. With our fabulous new site, you can now view Ma Okyo original prints, as well as discover the other companies and projects we are involved in. Speaking of which, our site mentions Jybe Studio as our sister company, a reputable print and graphic design studio that works in freelance as well as creates one of our favorite things out there, the one and only Alakazzo trend book. You can find their newly minted blog here. If interested in finding out/seeing more, (which you know you are), go forth and visit our site. You will see more from where this came from, including additional images from our beautiful and dreamy, but quite chilly, photoshoot in Montana, and also find out what new adventures you can expect from us... your slightly quirky, always inspired, voices behind Okyo Love, yours truly, the designers of Ma Okyo.

Antoiller print from concept to final

We are very excited to release our first designs and fabrics for the autumn/fall season of 2012! It was requested I expand a little more on our steps and process involved in creating our textile designs. So here is a break down on how the print: Antoiller was developed.


STEP 1 - finding images that inspire:

I admit it, I am an image horder. I search and surf the web daily for interesting and inspiring images. As you have seen from my earlier posts this also includes photographing objects and patterns in nature. As I brainstormed and worked through ideas for this falls fabrics, I found myself drawn to beautiful images of white bucks and deer.

 

Beyond the beautiful deer I found the organic shape of the antlers inspiring and continued to dig further for images that celebrated them. (You will remember an earlier post on this)

 

STEP 2 sketching the elements into a representation of simple shape and form which captures your inspiration:

After a lot of photo gathering the sketching begins. A few pages in antler sketches later I finally found a look and felt I had a grasp of the shapes I wanted to represent. 

 

STEP 3 I decide to go for black and white as the layout studies for the pattern began:

As the collection of antlers grew I began to explore the idea of weaving the shapes. As if the antlers were the threads of tapestry.

 

I decided early on not to repeat any two antlers within the repeat and to not allow any one antler to sit on top of the rest of the designs. So every antler is both below and above another, create a true woven patter. I also wanted to play with patterns within patterns, so I went for an organic ink style with the art. Allowing for variations in line work as shading or broken lines and dots. This helped further balance the weight of each antler and gave them motion.

Voila!

And finally the Fabric on Product:

 

This design and a few more from the collection will be up in our site next week!

We Love Calla Haynes

I should have named this post "We love, are inspired by, and can't get enough of Calla Haynes", because that's how we truly feel about this innovative designer. With her chic, simple, silhouettes, her amazing prints can shine, and do they ever. Here artful mix of geometric and organic prints in soothing color palettes have got us awe-struck. Haynes doesn't stop there, however. To create her collection, she used Icelandic fish leathers, handwoven Uzbek ikats, as well as her printed silks seen above, rounding out her line with the perfect trifecta of print design: color, print, and texture. When interviewed in Elle, Hayne's refers to her design philosophy as "relaxed luxury." We would have to say she has succeeded in that, and much more.

Beautiful Spaces: Bohemian for the Home

We don't just love prints on our clothes, we also love them in our homes! No, this is not in Doctor Seuss rhyme, it's an Okyo Love home trend post! We have been seeing a lot of Bohemian coming back for this Spring in the fashion reports, and what is worn is mirrored in home decor. Here are some bohemian chic interiors that are perfectly filled with mixed yummy textures, shapes, and beautiful PRINTS! Enjoy!

Printastic

Found on B. Jones Style

Found on B. Jones Style

Found on B. Jones Style

Found on Style.com

Found on Style.com

Found on Style.com

Found on Style.com

Found on Style.com

March issue of Elle Magazine

March issue of Elle Magazine

Found on B. Jones Style

Found on B. Jones Style

One of our daily stops is B. Jones Style, and last week she had a fantastic, or should I say, PRINTASTIC post. We are so thrilled to see fashionable people we admire have a soft spot for amazing printed clothing. We just had to repost some of her amazing finds. Check out some of her choices she showcased on her blog, mixed in with a few of our own lovely printed items found on Style.com and in March's issue of Elle Magazine. According to these places, it's the era of prints. Style even went as far as calling the trends for this Spring a "Print Revolution." Textile designers...rejoice!