Our friends from Prague-based Denim Heads store showed us this very nice catalogue of the pioneering outdoor brand called Holubar.

Founded by Alice and Roy Holubar in 1947, the brand is one of the most classic American outdoor wear companies. After the developing their business with series of stores all around the USA, they decided to sell the company in 1968. After that, the brand disappeared virtually from the market. Today, the company is relaunched with business in Italy.

New catalogue is more book than classic product presentation. Biggest part of that is devoted to history, old advertisements, memories and other vintage stuff. Contemporary line is quite small and is influenced by the original mastery of Holubars. In their times they developed many revolution techniques such as the use of nylon, the invention of a special “sandwich” padding made of down feathers and “Holufill” (polyester), conceived to accelerate the drying process or the innovative "wavy" quilting. After that it was big source of inspirations for another big outdoor wear brands.

If you want to know something more about the company, visit Denim Heads store at Rámová 3 in Prague where you can see and read this beautiful catalogue or another nice work wear and style magazines.

Last month we have stepped into the Saint Germain in Paris, the city district where is the highest concentration of the private design galleries in the world. We have visited some of our favorites and found out what is new and what are the main interests of these galleries today. Here you can discover catalogues and leaflets from their last exhibitions, where unique French modernist design and art meets great contemporary creations. Each gallery is original.

1.
RCM Gallery

There were many exhibitions about lesser known sculptors of the last century in the RCM gallery. The latest show is no exception. In the center of the gallery`s interests abide French kinetic artists. This time it is Joël Stein (born 1926) from legendary 1960s GRAV collective with his playful objects and paintings.

2.
Thomas Fritsch gallery

One of the best experts for the 1950s French modernists, Thomas Fritsch has presented Michel Anasse and his unique sculptures and ceramics from 1960s and 1970s in the year 2011.

3.
Chastel-Maréchal gallery

New take on the French decorative art of the 1940s and his famous representer Serge Roche we can see in the work of Marianna Kennedy and her floral pieces commissioned exclusively for Chastel-Maréchal gallery.

4.
Anne-Sophie Duval gallery

Focused mainly on the unique art-deco pieces and French 1950s ceramic art, Anne-Sophie Duval gallery latest show last autumn was a presentation of the monumental work by Elisabeth Joulia. The exhibition of this great ceramic artist was created in the collaboration with Mouvements Modernes gallery.

5.
Down Town Francois Laffanour gallery

Noce de bronze was the name of the last exhibition in Down Town Francois Laffanour gallery. It presented work of the postmodern sculptor and designer Pucci de Rossi. Gallery showcased together some fifteen recent pieces by the author.

6.
Kreo gallery

The star of the all Paris-based galleries works with ultimate contemporary designers/artists only. The last exhibition called Tandem presented several pairs of the earlier commissioned pieces by the gallery`s prominent artists next each other and created new contexts between them.

Some another news from Paris Maison et Objet. We were surprised by the new collection of The Danish furniture brand Hay. It presented whole new series of the paper accessories during the fair.

Nicely designed paper stationary, boxes, diaries and much more was designed by internal Hay design studio and it represents pure work graphic work with graphic and minimalist play with shapes. Do not miss brand new catalogue from Hay which contain whole collection in the very beautiful photos and graphics. Some more information about the catalogue later!

Really nice graphic leaflet and photos for Silent Revolution exhibition presenting contemporary Slovenian design last year at London Design Festival.

We have here some design news from Maison et Objet fair held last week in Paris. We start with the French legend in the new coat.

We love French design company Tolix which specializes in the production of the steel furniture. The company was founded in 1927 by Xavier Pauchard and became famous worldwide for its 1934 Model A chair. Their new re-branding production with the contemporary designs as well as graphics continues this year with the new collaborations from the intimate Sebastian Bergne or expressive, new Brazilian design star Zanini de Zanine.

Carlo Mollino represents one of the most authentic creative figures of the last century. Mollino became a modern Renaissance man whose production embraced the entire cultural and technological world of his time thanks to his undisguised love of life and everything that our world offers. For us in OKOLO, the artist personifies a phenomenal medium of creativity and entertainment, which presents a broad spectrum of most our interests through the life of a single person.

This book and original products serve as our tribute to the master. We pay tribute to a hedonist who managed to enjoy life to the fullest, surrounded by everything he was fascinated and amused by.

The book, which presents the work of Carlo Mollino in a different way than usual, is divided into six basic chapters, i.e. six life stages and six of Mollino’s passions. Apart from a text on a specific theme, each part brings a materialized symbol of Mollino’s creativity. Thus, the reader can assemble miniature models of Mollino’s fascinating projects, implementations, and symbols related to Mollino’s life. Paper models serve to update the versatile activities of the charming Italian and place his work into a new context. Mollino will be gradually presented as a visionary designer, excellent architect, courageous race driver, fearless acrobatic pilot, style-setting skier, photographer and womanizer. Mollino is a phenomenon.

The book was created in the collaboration with Studio Činčera, Signpek print and 3DH furniture showroom. Thanks!

This week is "Mollino week" for us. We will present you one and only Carlo Mollino and all our projects related to him. We start with the present from Fulvio and Napoleone Ferrari.

Our friends from Casa Mollino in Turin sent us their greetings for the new year with the exceptional discovery.

Their work in the Mollino`s archive is the never-ending process. This time they found Carlo`s original shopping list with the very interesting items to buy. One of them is Channel Number 5 perfume which Mollino probably used for his beautiful models to shoot. Small reproduction of the Mollino`s nude is also included in the our greetings.

Thanks very much!

We have approached young artist and illustrator Jana Trávníčková to help us with the project for The Prague-based fashion store Bella Brutta and one of its representative brands, Brazilian shoes icon Melissa.

The result is the series of graphic collages where Melissa shoes are used as beautiful shapes and colors elements and together set up the rich world of passion and dynamism inspired not only by the Brazilian living and nature.


In collaboration with Bella Brutta fashion boutique, we would like to pay homage to the iconic Brazilian Melissa shoes. You will certainly take their unmistakable material, shapes, and specific fragrance to heart. Melissa has elicited a revolution in the design of ladies’ shoes over the last decade and shifted them into new designer contexts by means of such an ordinary, yet unique material in their version as plastic. The Brazilian brand started to cooperate with local designers in the beginning. After launching products designed by the great Campana brothers in 2005 on the occasion of 25 years of its existence, the brand appealed to many other designers who were able to interpret a plastic shoe in a specific way. Since then, the brand has collaborated with such prominent figures as Zaha Hadid, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, and legendary Italian designer Gaetano Pesce. Thus, all of them, plus the in-house designer team, have contributed to creating a contemporary fashion icon, which links the ordinary with ingenious ideas from the world of top design and fashion. The plastic icon can be purchased in Bella Brutta boutique. 



Bella Brutta is an original fashion boutique that offers original and less known world brands in the Czech Republic. Apart from Melissa, one can find products from such brands as Custo Barcelona, Scotch&Soda, EMU, Sanita, Sita Murt and others.

More about Bella Brutta and Melissa in our OKOLO Vienna Only magazine.

Stay tuned and see new Melissa shoes for the upcoming season in the next post!

We love jazz and graphic designer Milton Glaser (born 1929). These two things meet in the set of album covers he created for Columbia Records Jazz Odyssey series.

It was around 1964 when young graphic designer was approached by Columbia Records to visualize history of jazz in the series of three compilation records. He used colorful style illustration in which energy of black music is so evident. Music and dancing is melted into the festival of colors and organic forms.

Five years later he used the similar creative principe for Blue Roots compilation created for Poppy Records.

Our complete graphic work for OKOLO and Pedal Project is now in the permanent collection of The Prague-based Museum of Decorative Arts (UPM).

Thanks!