A work colleague invited me to an interesting art/design exhibition of the highly-regarded young industrial designer, Marc Newson in New York’s west side. It was one of those moments when I thought, Doh!, I wish I had my camera/cameraphone with me so I could capture not only the artwork but also the truly fabulous crowd that had assembled to pay hommage to this young talent. I am still getting used to always being ready to capture the cool moments  that sometimes happen unexpectedly. In any case, I really like this cool shelf that kind of looks like a giant piece of industrial honey-comb.

To be honest, I am not sure I understand exactly how the business of that whole exhibition worked, as it was an absolutely enormous space with less than 10 pieces being shown, in addition to a West-Coast pop art Surfing Video meets sleek industrial design Installation. There must have been at least 500 people there, but really not that much to see in terms of art. I think most people were enjoying the people-watching as much as I was.

I have started receiving invitations to fashion shows, showrooms  and exhibitions for upcoming fashion weeks in Paris, London and New York. I’ll keep posting them up here as I receive them.

Invitations are a bi-annual way of reinforcing designer’s brand identity. It is amazing what some designers are able to do with a small piece of paper to make their creative vision for the season sing out from the page. In this digital era, invitations have taken a new dimension as people play around with digital elements to make the invitations come alive.

Rajesh Pratap Singh, New Delhi and Paris
I met Pratap and his sister-in-law Sapna at Delhi Fashion Week in April last year. His is one of the most talked-about collections on the Indian Fashion Scene. Beautiful minimalist lines and a muted colour palette make Pratap a stand-out in the colourful frenzy that is Indian fashion. What’s more, on the business side, Sapna is the driving force behind managing this rapidly growing business. With an MBA from INSEAD and a good understanding of how to get things done in India, the business is much stronger as a result.

This is a label to watch. Check out www.pratap.ws.

VPL, New York
Victoria Bartlett designs for VPL New York and the business is managed by my friend Kikka Hanazawa that I met at business school. Kikka has years of experience in the fashion industry including a stint at Theory where she headed up strategy.

Check out www.vplnyc.com

Wendy and Jim, Vienna and Paris

The wonderful Anina introduced me to Wendy and Jim in the Autumn. I have not seen their collections in person yet, but hope to check it out this season. Not sure if I will be in Paris that night or not, but the invitation looks cool.

More images are on the fun website at www.wujsympathisant.com