Our knitted banks in Isetan windows Tokyo

I've blogged about this already, but just wanted to share some of the photos I have just been sent from the piggybank exhibition at Isetan. The windows look great!

Piggy banks at Isetan

I was asked by Isetan, the Japanese department store to design design a piggy bank, and naturally thought of the ceramic variety, but they wanted me to knit them!

Here's a sneak preview of the different characters. If you squeeze their mouths together they open up so you can stash your cash in them!

The show will be on at Piggy banks collection at Shinjuku Isetan

from 10/27-11/9 2010

At stage 5 on 5th floor

Donna Wilson biscuits and sweets!

 I've been working with my Japanese distributor Trico recently, designing buscuits and chocolates  for Japanese department store Isetan.  Here are a few pictures,  They are fantastic!

 This is an image from their catalogue. They have made them so delicate and beautiful! 

 cloud biscuits with faces! made by http://www.angkorcookies.com

some images from Isetan http://www.isetan.co.jp/

so if you are in Tokyo please go and have a look and get some cookies- they are only on sale there for a limited time!  I am getting some sent over so I will let you know how they taste!!

London Design Week

Can't believe it's London Design week again, time is passing so quickly!

We have a few exciting things to tell you about this year.

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SCP

We are having a London Launch of all our new Rugs upstairs at SCP 135 Curtain Road, East London.

 The Sundara Rug collection is a range of 5 designs using different techniques such as hand tufting, weaving and braiding. They are wonderfully textural and of course a feast of pattern and colour!

 www.scp.co.uk for more information.

So come along and see them in the flesh(or wool!)

18th till the 26th of September

Also at SCP 'All lovely stuff' are launching their range of unique household products. can't wait to see that!

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British furniture company Ercol are exbiting at Tent London

http://www.tentlondon.co.uk/

I am delighted to collaborate with Ercol on a special peice for the show at Tent. No images to show yet as we're still working on it, but we have created a giant knitted cover for the studio couch. It's beautiful, hand made, soft and textural! The studio couch is one of my favourite peices from the Ercol collection originally designed in the 1950's. and proud to say they are still being produced in their fantastic Buckinghamshire factory.

www.ercol.com

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 I also have joined an exhibition called what's mine is yours, which has been kindly organized by Richard Shed.

What’s mine is yours is a collection of furniture, product and graphic works which explore the shared domestic space between children and adults.

Venue: 270 Hackney Road, London, E2 7SJ

Dates: 23_09_2010 to 26_09_2010

Open: 10:00 to 19:00

go to: http://whatsmineisyours.posterous.com/ to find out more about the projects.

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so enjoy design week, and for those of you that can't make it I will update my blog with images next week!

... over and out

Mog has been shortlisted for the British design awards!

We are excited to announce that our Mog plate has been shortlisted for the British design Awards 2010!

Featured in this months Elle decoration, this is what it says:

"Since Donna Wilson started out seven years ago making curious knitted creatures for her Royal College of Art graduation show, she's carved out a unique niche with her playful textiles and ceramics. This graphic bone china plate is mischevious yet minimal. £20 (donnawilson.com)"

.....Thanks Elle Deco!

to vote and see what else has been shortlisted go to www.thebritishdesignawards.com

(voting closes on the 13th of October)

Sundara Rug collection with SCP

I have just launched a brand new collection of rugs, with British design manufacturer SCP.  Rugs are something I've wanted to do for a while, as they are in between textiles and furniture, so they were a perfect collaboration for us.   I even visited the factory in India where these are made. it was so inspiring to see everything being done under one roof, from sorting out the raw fleece, to spinning , dying and weaving.  it was a great set up.

Above is Mountain spot, which is a flat weave kilim, so very practical and usable in any house, inspired by some of the geometric mountain peak like patterns that I like using. This one is in beautiful shades of blues and turquoises.

Above is Fairisle, which (as the name suggests) is inspired by fairisle sweaters, it's woven from thick textural yarn, 100% New Zealand wool and is available in 3 colourways. It's really thick and soft, and is made using a really interesting technique which looks like knitting!

These are the two other colourways- slate grey with almost neon pink, and a natural brown with a contrasting zig zag of mustard- delicious! 

Scope is a tufted rug inspired by fragments of shape and colour like a kaleidoscope, in beautiful turquoises and peaches.

Whirl, is made up of hundreds of autumn leaves, in may trademark naive style, will be available in two more colourways.

and finally - corners, a plain rug with bright contrasting corners, ideal with a coffee table or sofa on top!

for more information about the rugs, sizes/prices etc, please contact http://www.scp.co.uk/

but let me know what you think xx

Creatures come to life for Gideon Conn video

I'm very excited to announce that my creatures have come to life, and taken part in a music video for a very talented musician Gideon Conn! I have been a fan of Gideon's since I saw him play at Glastonbury a couple of years ago, and more or less stalked him since! This is one of my favourite songs too, so I was over the moon when he asked for my creatures to be the stars in the video.

Sharon Keighley (shazcakes@hotmail.com) made the animation in her spare room at home and in her spare time!! what a star! She's worked on videos before for Gideon, and I'm sure you'll start to recognize her trademark style.

I have so many fab stills to show you- please go and have a look at it on you tube for yourself!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoCe4MSGisg

The song is called 'The band will find a way into your heart' and the video has a bit of romance in it!

Thanks Sharon, and Gideon we all really enjoyed working with you!

Donna Wilson wall at Supermarket Sarah

Since Supermarket Sarah launched last year in August 09, it has become something of a phenomena. Supermarket Sarah is a web store which is based around the image of an interactive wall where users can simply click and buy. The walls were initially in Sarah's living room but have moved to public spaces: shop windows, bars, galleries and most recently Sarah created a 8 foot high wall in Selfridges, London. Sarah often asks designers she admires to guest curate her walls and the results so far have been a feast of colour and fun.

Have a look at the wall to see our colourful collaboration of Sarahs collection of vintage goodies and some of my one offs aswell as some old friends! http://www.supermarketsarah.com/

Sarah and I feeling peckish after the set up!

If you would like to see a clip of the making it's on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzTpvcVU0o0

Hope you find the wall as fun as we did!

Have you seen this creature?

An artists impression of Rill, holding a stop sign and one of his favourite foods- chips, last seen at the Coast Festival, Scotland in a bead mobile! Thank you Gregor, aged 8- you have got a fantastic likeness- looks exactly like him!

Get Lost (in the maze)

I have just come back from Banff, Scotland (my home town) where I made a maze from thousands of strands of yarn which was part of the Coast Festival in Banff castle grounds. It was quite a challenge, so I wanted to show you 'the making of' but in the end we created a 10 meter by 10 meter labyrinth!

I couldn't have done it without all the help from local volunteers- including 6 firemen who put all the posts in, Matt, Leanne, Lynne, Paloma, Omar, Alice, Maureen, Maddie, Kate, and the 3 ladies from Aberdeenshire Council, who worked through the torrential rain while we were making it. I love the Scottish weather!

a long way to go!

(image courtesy of Aberdeenshire Council)

We got there, after 11 hours of wrapping, cutting, twisting and raining!

 The best part was seeing people running around using it, and getting a bit lost in it... made it all worth while.