For Hire

Monday, February 25, 2008

punk is not dead

I thought blogging was easy. Well, it's not! It takes a ton of time which I do NOT have. I realized that, since I started blogging, I did think more and therefore I cleared my mind (Taking time I do not have but clearing and focusing my mind? Sounds like a long-term benefit!) Therefore I keep doing it.


Have you seen Amy Winehouse on the Grammy's? Now I have hope again.


Yes, she is definitely something. Me, a designer gets inspired... there is also another person who has demanded my attention: It's MIA! She, before I knew who she was and before I heard a note of her music, "spellbounded" me with her look: cool, colorful beauty, with just the right amount of punk! Yeah!


And I don't respect her because she is now the main focus of the marc jacobs ads, (no wonder this copy cat steals her from her original fans and instantly markets her to the masses, (which kills punk, marc!), no because she truly is a style icon (and no marc you can't transfer her style sense to your business, at least not with me!) anyway, good for her, she got paid!

Just a quick note: it's an old story that big designers steal ideas from us the real creatives, as happened to me many times with my original prints which were copied by Galliano for Dior and also by Nicolas for Balenciaga... hey I have moved on...we need to just accept it: It's what they do.

Recent example:











Marc Jacobs steals scarf design from my dad!

O.K. but as I said: Let's move on from this depressive subject!

Here, which leads me back to the title of this post: Punk is not dead!



Designed by Scandic Wool Arts, a shop on dawanda.com a site similar to etsy.com basically the European (German) version of it. This woman (name?) shop owner/knitter is inspired by her travels to Scandinavia, where she became especially smitten by Norwegian and Icelandic patterns. Needless to say her passion is knitting (30 years)! Check her out!

This hat would be swell with my new The Addicts Dress:




As I said: Punk is not dead.

Friday, February 8, 2008

february day in ny (fashion week)

Yes, just so you know Obama is still in the race and has more money that Hillary - watch out!

It's a gray day here in New York and it's New York Fashion Week, Mercedes mind you. As you all know, I do not have a show this year, at least not during Fashion Week. I am preparing for my planned show "Fashion Rocks" in Zurich this Spring/Summer. Here a preview of it:




Now, I don't want to bring NY Fashion Week down, because it is after all one great vehicle to produce sales and promote our honorable businesses. But I don't think, as of right now, that I can benefit enough in order to justify spending that kind money. I need to buy supplies to make new pieces, bid on display mannequins for my new shop, place orders on amazon for reading material about new web technics, send a check to my web designer, etc. etc.

Because - let me tell you how I have been playing the game lately - by opening up my own online shop shortly: www.idilvicefashionrocks.com decorating my new retail location in Hoboken, NJ and extending my presence in some of the most important "web shopping malls" ebay, dawanda, etsy I am doing a very good living!

The best part of it is I do not have to deal with the overly hard to please and reach fashion buyers (for someone in the business for 12 years that is just demoralizing and soon they be coming to knock on my door anyway) and I figure with this amazing new technology of the wold wide web at our finger tips, might as well take advantage of it! That is also why I have started to take this blog thing more seriously and plan to make it a habit of contributing to it.

My customers love the fact that they get something special that is not readily available and may even be a One Of A Kind (read the article of the JC Report about Luxury Briefing: A Brand New Era. As major brands struggle with reinvention, upstarts are nipping at their heels)!

Friday, February 1, 2008

senator barack obama for president!

Last week I went to see & hear Barack Obama at a rally in Jersey City. More than 6000 people attended and the line outside the University was way long. I signed up to volunteer and once I was back home I designed a T-shirt. I will also have a skirt of the same design in the near future (you know me!), which will be sold in my online shops.

Undoubtedly I can make money with Barack, but the fact that Barack Obama, a politician, has become some sort of an icon, or pop culture object (yesterdays democratic debate looked like the MTV Music awards!) is more thrilling to me than the momentary sellability of the subject Obama. He indeed stands for much more than that and therefore I love to - and must - include him in my collection of icons, along side Ghandi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Ramones, AC/DC, Grateful Dead, etc. because he deserves respect and props for a long time to come! Obama definitely rocks!

So, just so you know, he will have a permanent spot in my collection of Tribute pieces, no matter what.

Most importantly: A America worth living in is up to you! So please go vote on February 5th, 2008

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about IDILVICE

My photo
New York, NY, United States
Just like the rare Swiss mountain flower Edelweiss - a symbol of prestige and distinction - the clothing brand IDILVICE (pronouced "Edel-vice") was born in the mountains of Switzerland and since then it's flourishing on the concrete of Manhattan and recently even in the rolling hills of the San Francisco Bay Area. However as the spelling indicates, the label is not meant to be associated with too much folkloric alpine tradition, but rather and probably in the contrary, with unconventionality. The IDILVICE label was founded in 1995 by Swiss Native fashion designer Idil from the city of Saint Gallen, Switzerland, who's foundation dates back to the 7th Century and which became famous for their quality textile products, especially embroidery textiles, which are still popular with Parisian Haute Couture designers today. In search for something less traditional, Master Graphic Designer Idil ventured out to New York City where she fell in love with American Pop Culture.