Today in The Thought Kitchen, we sit down with our Director of Design Peter Kallen to talk about the new Shroud of Purrin jackets and blazers. For the complete Design Eye series, click here. [http://blog.nau.com/?s=design+eye+peter]
The Thought Kitchen: Nau has a lot of unique fabrics, but the Shroud Of Purrin is particularly special. What were the design goals you had in making it?
Peter Kallen: We created this fabric to up the ante of the softshell world by merging the softshell concept with a beautiful, ‘luxxy’ interior—The Shroud of Purrin has this soft, kitten-like fur feel on the inside. So it’s ideal to take that fabric and apply it to these two new styles, which definitely blur the boundaries between urban and outdoor.
TTK: What makes this fabric appropriate for an urban, fashion forward style?
PK: The intent behind softshell is just that: a soft shell. What was rigid and hard and crunchy about a hardshell wasn’t very approachable; it was always treated as something for protection first. What this does is to soften that; it just becomes this much more refined jacket with a softer hand and a much more refined drape to it, as opposed to the crunch bend that a hardshell would have. The combination of softshell technology and distinct tailoring make these styles the perfect application of beauty and performance.
Our friend Josh Dorfman—aka The Lazy Environmentalist—voiced off on the Huffington Post recently on the distinction between the scientific and political in the debate over how (and even whether) to address global warming. His take? It’s not about convincing people the numbers are real, but about engaging their self-interest:
When it comes right down to it, I’ve learned that you don’t have to convince global warming skeptics that global warming is real in order to generate their support for the solutions that solve it. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Is this about winning the debate and being ‘right’ or is this about getting people enthusiastically on board with the solutions?”
Do you think less science and more talk is the right approach? Read the entire piece here, and share your thoughts in the comments.
A week ago, Brett and Edie got married. Three days later, they set out from our home of Portland, Oregon back to their home of Brooklyn, NY, aside a matching pair of neon pink and yellow Independent Fabrications bikes. Today, they’re somewhere east of Pomeroy, WA.
Pedaling across the country might not be everyone’s idea of a perfect honeymoon, but these two seem up to the challenges that 60-100 mile days with loaded panniers present. After all, covering that distance is one thing; having the wherewithall to upload erudite posts every evening afterward? That’s tough.
I haven’t seen the movie, but the end credits for The Other Guys—that Will Ferrel, Marky Mark Mark Whalberg cop film—feature some great looking info graphics that, if you haven’t already brushed the popcorn off your lap and headed to the door, might make you stop and think.
The standouts for me:
Average ratio of Executive Pay to Employee Pay, 1914: 7:1. Today: 319:1.
Average Execute Salary 1998: 2.3 Million. In 2005: 11.8 Million.
I’m not trying to foment a revolution of the working class here. But have executives become that much more valuable? Or the rest of us that much less so? Did your salary quintuple in 7 years? Most of all: does this make sense?
Can’t find an embeddable version, but check out the credit sequence here.
Posted by Alex | August 19th, 2010 | Filed under Design Eye
Forget cooking shows with their charismatic chefs, studio audiences and book-deal tie ins. I wouldn’t want to eat with those people. Studio lighting is just way too bright.
William Hereford shows us that, if you’re going to make a cooking video, you might as well make the bocca as buttery as the duck breast. Delicious.
As we begin gearing up for September’s Bike To Work month, The Sartorialist reminds us that, no, you do not need to change your clothes to ride to work. Seriously.
Great post over on the landscape architecture blog Inspiration Wall from a tour of several of Seattle’s Green Roofs. If, like me, you don’t have access to a well-planted roof in your urban dwelling, it’s enough to make you, well, green with envy.
More, though, it’s good to see this concept taking off. Personally, every time I’m on top of a high building, I can’t help looking around and marveling at all the wasted space—who wouldn’t want a beautiful rooftop garden? Hell, just take the roof of any urban office building, plant a few square yards of green and perch an MCH (Micro Compact Home) on it, and you’re probably sitting on a few hundred grand worth of real estate…
Did you know that Ashoka “started with an idea that the world’s problems would not be solved by the institutions that created them”?
Our friend Wil Kristin from Ashoka stopped by our office last week to say hello. Ashoka, one of our Partners for Change, is an NGO that supports over 2000 social entrepreneurs in 60 countries around the world. They are based in Washington D.C., so it’s rare that we get to connect with them face-to-face.
During his visit, we talked about digital media and our plan to start producing and featuring more video content. This summer, 35 interns at Ashoka put together a video telling the story of Ashoka in their own words. It’s called “The Story of Ashoka”, and it exemplifies exactly how to use simple video content to tell a complex story.
How on earth has no one told me about The Scout before now? The Brooklyn-based web mag recently launched the third in a series of films about craftsmanship—something that those who know me will recognize as close to my heart, and work. This profile of the Mast Brothers, Rick and Michael, offers a beautiful, and occasionally humorous look inside their Brooklyn chocolate shop.
In their quest to imbue their bars with as much of the adventure and curiosity of their craft as possible, they’re planning on sailing their beans back from Dominican Republic personally. “Any idea that makes us nervous, or scared that it won’t happen—we know that we’re definitely on to something. And sailing the beans is definitely the biggest thing…we know we’re onto something.” For making the connection between food and farm—or, in this case, cocoa plantation—you can’t do much better than that.
The Thought Kitchen is our effort at collective inquiry and its power to effect change. Have you ever noticed how the party is always in the kitchen? There are more walls to lean on and people are energized by the proximity to food and drink. Well, welcome to our kitchen, where we hope to tap into everything we love about that feeling—community, vivacious exchange, food for thought.
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[An occasional update on what some of us are listening to now. - Ed.]
