Ashland

Shwood launches its extra-durable wooden aviators with a month-long giveaway

From watches to sunglasses, fashion accessories crafted from wood are at an all-time high. Pioneers in the movement, Portland-based Shwood just introduced their latest edition, the Ashland, which improves on the durability of other models. Paying tribute to the classic utilitarian design of aviator glasses, the Ashland sets mirrored (below, left) or polarized (below, right) lenses within chunky East Indian Rosewood frames. The new design …

Upstate Spring 2011

Multifunctional Shibori-dyed garments from a nascent Brooklyn label

Inspired by “Lindsey Thornburg’s capes, complex geometries, Aboubakar Fofana, Suno, and the old rolling hills of upstate New York,” the indie brand Upstate’s latest collection continues to explore the controlled chaos of tie-dye. Where the Brooklyn label’s debut collection was limited to items like scarves and sarongs, their upcoming season sees multifunctional garments, like an asymmetrical poncho and a racerback vest, all hand-dyed using the …

Zilla Spring/Summer 2011

Sponge and cork in a former architect's surprising handbag collection

Sylvia Pichler, a young Italian architect, prefers designing handbags over skyscrapers. Drawing on industrial materials typically reserved for insulation, interior decoration or even air filtering, Pichler creates curiously elegant bags under the moniker Zilla. The Zilla Spring/Summer 2011 collection consists of simple yet extremely feminine bags in a variety of styles. Special filters, natural cork, aluminum foils, bast fiber, rubber and synthetic sponge combine with …