wear it loud, wear it proud

Clashist, and especially this awesome blanket, may be my favorite things in the store right now.
People are complex, no? One day we need sophisticated and luxurious textiles, and the next we need socks with James Franco's face on them.
From their own description, Clashist is a cult brand that allows individuals to express their bold and humorous perspective on culture. The brand immediately found success with its progressive prints and nostalgic motifs. It is designed and made in Los Angeles.

I've been getting complements and comments (and deep pleasure) wearing their tees (Ryan Gosling!!) and leggings for months now, and finally got them into the store. Some come get your fun on too.

Here's a sampling:

Roseanne Blanket, a delicious printed fleece granny square afghan, named for Roseanne Barr

Illustrated Lena Dunham in her birthday suit

James Franco socks (squee!)

Spotlight: Marquet Fair-Trade

Looking for a simple accessory or gift idea for fall? Marquet's Binh Minh shawl/scarf might be just what you need. Handmade in Vietnam of cotton & silk, these lightweight beauties are perfect for adding an accent to any outfit. Marquet is a certified Fair Trade company - there's nothing better than mindful & sustainable fashion you can feel good about supporting! And at just $30, your wallet will feel good, too!

                               Available in Ice, Smoke, Black, Teal, Cream, & Moonstone.

See you soon!

XOXO

Welcome Eliza Gran

Eliza Gran's beautiful baskets are fun, colorful, and embody the New Bohemian spirit. Natural Morrocan baskets festooned with her handmade pompons brighten every space. I use them for housing soft toys, and linens, but you can use them for anything you want.

Eliza is a former Brooklynite now based in Venice California, and we're happy to represent her on her former home turf. 

Baskets come in assorted color combinations. Come see for yourself.

x Diana

Auntie Oti

Along with Spring, Diana Kane is happy to welcome the arrival of Auntie Oti! These handmade, multi-purpose textiles are what every kitchen/bathroom/closet needs. 

Auntie Oti searches India for domestic articles essential to the everyday life of this rich and multi-cultural society. Ordinary consumer items are often produced on a local level. This results in commodities that differ not only region to region, but also village to village. Many goods are made at home on a lone loom and each piece is personified by the individual hand of a skilled artisan. While no two lots are alike, each is beautiful in its unique way.
Each piece can delight in its own singular way. Humble and practical items are often multi-purposed in their functions.  A gent’s woolen shawl becomes an impromptu blanket. The utilitarian gamcha is a towel, a neck scarf, or a head wrap to keep the sun out.  Unadorned simplicity and versatility is why they continue to endure in the pragmatic culture of India today.  A seemingly infinite variety exists within a single category. Plain weave towels with their ever-changing borders, patterns, sizes and color combinations still serve the simple purpose of drying oneself after a bath or doing the dishes after dinner. Even mill woven and machine made goods differ according to the nuances of time, the availability of materials and the area where they are made. All are beautiful.

Jess Brown, handmade rag dolls

Jess Brown's handmade rag dolls are a long time favorite of Diana's. For the last 13 years, Brown has been making heirloom dolls out of flea market finds, scraps from current designers, and sustainable materials in her small studio in Petaluma, California. The quality of her materials is exceptional: linens, cottons, Liberty prints, hand knit lace, cashmere.  

We are excited to have Brown's gorgeous creations in the store for the first time.

"Jess has always been inspired by beautiful textiles. She began making dolls for her children 13 years ago using old cashmere sweaters and antique remnants. As committed flea market goers, they would search together for amazing antique pieces, trims, buttons and findings.This has now all come together as a small line of one of a kind and hand made rag dolls. Each doll is hand dyed in persian black teas to create variations in skin tones and is stuffed with a sustainable corn fiber stuffing. They are all made of cotton muslin and linen, and of primarily recycled and antique fabrics and findings... Jess also collaborates with several designers, using scrap remnants left over from a current season cutting. These dolls are created as limited edtion collections."

-www.jessbrowndesign.com

There is something truly beautiful about a threadbare, worn, and well loved doll that has been created with the finest materials.

The Power of the Screen

Our latest in-store project: screen printing.  We spent our Friday afternoon creating Diana Kane tote bags.  Don't be intimidated by the screen;  join the fun.  The initial process may take some time, but once your screen is exposed and the image is on it, the possibilities are endless. No clue how to expose a screen? No worries.  Places like Brooklyn's Gowanus Print Lab are totally happy to help you out (i.e. do it for you). We had fun experimenting with mixing the inks.  Working with black, silver and gold ink, we watched them work their magic and overlap to create beautiful textures unachievable with any other medium.


Don't forget to cure your ink.  Heat setting with an iron is essential to guarantee the ink will not wash off.

Happy printing,

DKxx

gravel & gold goods.. and their boob bag!

There's nothing better than boobs right?  So, we bring you boobs that are hand printed on a heavy canvas tote with luscious leather straps. 

Our latest find is guaranteed to brighten anyone's day. The 18 oz. canvas 19" x 19" tote with ruby leather straps was hand made in San Francisco by the ladies of Gravel & Gold Goods.

Gravel & Gold is a shop in the Mission District of San Francisco offering items made with "wit, utility, and beauty." They make a point to know where their materials come from and directly support the makers who create the items in their store. 

Focused on maintaining a relationship with their community, they often hold workshops and events. For more information go to http://gravelandgold.com/

The boob bag just makes us happy, as do the photos of its creation, see below: