Capital Eyewear Follow Up

A while ago, I conducted an interview with the eyewear brand Capital. Capital aims to go against the grain of the current mass manufacturing practices of today by locally sourcing their materials and handmaking their glasses in the United States. The fascination with this type of business practice has led me to connect with others that use similar honest methods of manufacturing their products. Examples include The Academy and Killspencer here in Los Angeles.

Recently, I checked back in with Capital to discover their evolution as a brand. They have grown to occupying their current manufacturing space and pop up shop in San Francisco. They have also expanded into working with bioplastic acetate frames to compliment the wood frames. These plant based plastic spectacles are 100% renewable, biodegradable, and hypoallergenic.

Capital also released a video outlining a good bit of their production process:

Handmade in the USA from Capital on Vimeo.

In addition to their growth on the manufacturing and retail front, they released a few new frame designs:

Urshuz Launch Party

Last Saturday I attended the event debuting Grant Delgatty's Urshuz brand. In an era where the norm of fashion is to immitate, Urshuz utilizes its unique modular design to innovate and push the boudaries of what is possible with footwear. The shoe's design allows the consumer to mix and match a variety of shoe uppers with an equally diverse selection of soles. 

The Urshuz launch party consisted of a demo area (where individuals could mix and match different styles and test out the Urshuz attachment system), a DJ playing tunes on the upper desk, tasty food, and excellent people. The hosting venue for the event was The Academy clothing boutique in Long Beach. In addition to their awesome apparal assortment; The Academy is decorated with mid-century antique furniture, electronics, and soft goods that are available for purchase.

Urshuz will be available for purchase on their website at the beginning of September. They will also be featured in several Urban Outfitters stores (for web purchase as well) and other assorted clothing boutiques in the United States and Canada. Take a look at the images from the event and pick up a pair of Urshuz.

Urshuz display inside The Academy

Shoe wall with Urshuz LEGO artwork

Aerial view of the event

Assortment of Urshuz uppers and soles

Demo table for assembling Urshuz

Examples of Urshuz packaging

More Urshuz

U-Rings used to attach uppers to soles are replaceable

U-Ring tool to attach uppers to soles is integrated into the sole

Quote by Grant

Me and Grant

Grant and his creation

Vintage California flag sold at The Academy

I would like to end with a quick message from Grant about the event and Urshuz:

"thanks to all those who came out and supported us at the launch!  I was very pleased with the turnout, and was encouraged with how much enthusiasm the brand received!  It's been a long road to get here, but I am excited to see what the future holds for Urshuz!  Cheers everyone!  G."

Design Research Methods Workshop in Los Angeles

Rob Curedale; founder of the highly successful product design LinkedIn groups, design mixer coordinator, and previous Denzinger Design interviewee; is gearing up to teach a series of design driven continuing education workshops. The first in this suit of classes is titled Design Research Methods 1. The course will be hosted by Yeh Studios in Los Angeles.

Yeh Studios is a design, architecture, and interior design business that was behind the inception of Obey frontman Shepard Fairey's gallery and design space, Studio Number One, in Echo Park.

Studio Number One

Design research is an imperative aspect of the product development process that generally doesn't get the regard that it deserves. In order to make informed and deliberate decisions, designers need to take the time to focus on research throughout the process. As Rob states, it is important to inform colleagues and clients why a designer is pursuing a particular design direction within projects.

The workshop will cover several paramount design research topics and implementation techniques. It will take place on Saturday, June 11th between the hours of 1-5PM. The registration fee is $139 for professionals and $79 for full time students. Visit the website for more details and registration information.

Greg Christian Bronze Antler Opener

I did an earlier post about the local Southern California artist and designer Greg Christian. He mentioned that he was working on an antler project. Greg recently finished up the project and emailed me pictures of the resulting antler bottle openers. He hand constructed molds and casted the pieces out of bronze. They are 9 3/4" x 3 1/2" x 1" and weigh in at 8 ounces. As a product designer, I think these antlers make a very nice and unique piece.

Making the molds

Casting process

Finalized product

Opener detail

Unique texture

More information about the antler openers and purchasing details can be viewed here.