David Stark Sketchbook

A Huge Thank You to the People!

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We are very honored to be nominated for a Readers’ Choice Award from BizBash for our décor work, and touched to be included among such an esteemed group of nominees.  If you like what we do, we hope you’ll take a second and vote for us!  Click here to cast your say!  You can apparently do it once a day through Sunday, October 16th, 11:59 P.M.  Why not make your voting a morning ritual with your coffee? (wink!)

In honor of the occasion, I thought it would be fun to take a walk down this year’s memory lane of photos.  Of course, this is not EVERYTHING that we have been up to in 2011, but it paints a pretty good picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Gustavo Campos

 

Photo by Gustavo Campos

 

 

 

Photo by Arnold Brower

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of west elm

 

Photo courtesy of west elm

 

Photo courtesy of west elm

 

Photo courtesy of west elm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless otherwise noted, photography by Susie Montagna.

 

 

If you haven’t seen our book DAVID STARK DESIGN, it is filled with hundreds of fab photos of our events and inspirations, and we are proud to share a window into our design ideology and process there as well.

Thank you guys so much for nominating us for this fantastic honor and for championing the NEW!  Like any artist, we never want to make the same painting again and again, and you can depend, that we will keep on keepin’ on.

Ciao.

D.

Missoni for Target Fever!

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Once upon a time, there was a very chic brand from Italy called Missoni who created a huge line of limited edition products with our beloved Target spanning from Women’s and Men’s  attire, children’s clothing, and a whole array of house wares – all with the same graphic signature style that the brand is famous for at the softer prices that Target is coveted for.  What happens when you do a really, really great job with the product, do a fabulous job getting the word out, and then open a fantasy land of a pop-up shop during Fashion Week in New York City?  The people go absolutely BONKERS.

 

 

 

 

 

That is exactly what happened last week when we opened with a special private celebration for 600 and then the following night opened the doors to the general public for Fashions Night Out.

The lines were four lanes deep, running from 42nd Street and 6th Avenue down to Times Square, but everyone was pleasant, patient, and excited to make their way into this fashion vortex.  Once inside, the guests were treated to our vision of Missoni glam – two floors of vivid pattern and color, inspired by the pop of 1960’s Italian films and a 25-foot tall doll named Marina who presided like a giant fashion Buddha, tweeting and chatting with guests alike.  Marina, the brainchild of our buddies at Mother New York, was the biggest blogger in town – literally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We, in turn, were greeted with a tidal wave of mass excitement unlike anything we have ever seen before.  It became a major accomplishment to simply get IN to the store, and once inside, the product was flying into bags and huge piles within the blink of an eye.  You can imagine how difficult that was for us to witness since we worked to perfectly place every last product and display.  And yet, nothing is more satisfying then seeing the fruits of your labor embraced with such excitement!  As guests left the store, they could not but help to show off their bounty on the streets, a well earned trophy for their steadfastness.

If you would like to see what the store looked like BEFORE the tsunami of shoppers, click here to our post on casasugar.com.  It WAS pristine!  I promise (wink).

 

 

 

My sincere congratulations to the Missoni family and to all of our Target friends and team-mates on what will certainly go down as one of the most radical launches of all time.

BRAVO!

D.

P.S.  Due to overwhelming love and desire, we closed the store a day and a half early because we completely sold out of product.  Thank you, New York, for such a warm reception. Do check your local Target store or on Target.com for fresh Missoni supplies.

 

 

 

Love Letter: Jean Paul Gaultier

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As we are about to enter 2011 Fall Fashion Week, and I have all things fashion on the brain, I can’t help but think back to 1993 when Jean Paul Gaultier stunned the world with a collection inspired by traditional Hasidic dress.  I remember going up to the penthouse level of the old Barneys (before they moved to their current midtown location) where Gaultier was one of the designer’s that had his own little room, then bumping into this collection.  I didn’t seek it out, and I didn’t know about it in advance, but I was floored by his chutzpah.  He made me think.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a ton of controversy about the collection, much of it from the Hasidic community itself.  Funny enough, the community was less outraged by the actual inspiration.  Rather, the Hasidic men were outraged that Gaultier had women wear outfits that ONLY MEN traditionally are able to don.

Regardless, Gaultier has spent a lifetime blurring the boundaries between fashion and art and the fact that 18 years later I still remember this “ah-ha” moment on the Penthouse level of Barneys, inspires my own content-driven design work today.  May the fashion world cultivate many more Gaultiers, many more Alexander McQueens, many more Martin Margielas, and many more icons.   Fashion that has something to say is as powerful as any art hanging on a wall.

Have a great Fashion Week, gang.  Can’t wait to see what’s out there!

D.