David Louis Product Design

Update – here is the image of the flask as take at the event.

I have completed a bespoke corporate hip flask commission for fashion designer Todd Lynn to produce his bespoke, limited edition hip flask on behalf of and to promote  Chivas Regal and the Chivas Studio, this fine whiskey has been relaunched world wide over the last few months and the three day event in London was what I consider to be totally fabulous, I will upload some images of the event and the hip flask itself over the next week or so. Alexander McQueen also designed an exclusive bottle top for the Chivas Regal bottle which were a limited edition and handmade. I was delighted to see the Hip Flask being exhibited along side the bottle in very contemporary style and being viewed as works of art as opposed to total consumer products. Of course I need to thank Todd and all his team for entertaining me at the do and hope we can do it again. I also would say the cocktails we had using the Chivas Regal were delicious.. more please

Wahoo – I did say I wouldn’t mention it again if I didn’t get anywhere so you can probably imagine my delight at being able to say the Magnetic Beer Cube Bottle Opener by David-Louis has been short-listed for the releaseonedotzero competition. You can see a video of it in action here.

On Tuesday 4th November 2008 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, (ICA), London the short listed items will be projected on the gallery walls along with the ultimate winners to a broad range of national and international museums – culture organisations plus journalists from prominent titles and journals. So fingers crossed and I await to hear the jury’s final decision.

On another note work has begun on our new extension to the retail outlet here in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, The David-Louis Project at Artfull Expression, a crew of 6 volunteers from Design Space (Thanks to Fiona Mawlam, Sarah Kelly of Saloukee, See Sun Yung and Claire Pardoe for all there help) came to help me on Saturday last and we managed to empty the new space of years of accumulated nonsense – we filled many a skip – the goal is to open an exhibition space so we can attract touring exhibitions and local designer makers etc.

The proposed opening our first exhibition is approx. 12th December 08 – entitled FROST. I hope this project works out and it does seem we have the support of the local designer maker community along with support from within our building here so we are on course….

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Design Space West midlands – does this sound familiar?  Well probably not but this is something you should know about and it is based here in the Jewellery Quarter (JQ Web site up and coming so watch out for the link) in Birmingham,

·     19 designers,

·     1 full year,

·     Business mentoring,

·     Free workshop,

·     Free business training to NVQ level.

An excellent opportunity for emerging creatives from anywhere in the world to come to, as far as I am concerned, the creative capital. (I won’t say the creative capital of where, as it is just THE creative capital).

This week I have been mostly interviewing applicants for this excellent programme along side my other panel members, Jewellery Designer Maker Katherine Campbell Legg and Kerry O’Connor Designer and Maker of Silver and Ceramics. We met nearly 40 applicants, over 4 days and have had the hard task of understanding their goals and vision and allocating appropriate help to the most deserving – the results are not out yet but watch this space as these people are IT.

Imagine that, 19 new business people, creatives, in one hub, starting on the same day, the race is on and I wish them the best of luck. I hope to blog about them all at one time or another over the coming year.

On another note I am pleased to say I am half way through my MA in Media Enterprise and have just received notification that I have now achieved my Post Graduate Certificate – 1 year to go…..

So here is my interesting link for the day, I have seen one or two of these around Birmingham and really like it, I don’t really think this is actually carbon neutral but it is ECO Chic not ECO Geek - It does what it says on the tin – Green Graffiti.