“The details are not details. They make the product.”
——Charles Eames

If any single sentence could sum up the essence of a Nankeen piece, this is it. The detailing on each bag, pillow and accessory item is carefully planned, down to the placement of each bead, the contrast of each lining color against the fabric, and the quality of the frog closures on each pillow. For example, if you look closely at the ” bo” clutch you will notice the flower is carefully hand-made from tiny braided cording, inspired by a vintage Czechoslovakian design. The decorative beads on the jade clutch are hand-strung, bead by bead. Each zipper on the bags, totes & biig bags has a tiny “monkey fist” pull so you can more easily grasp the zipper in a hurry. And Nankeen goes the extra mile. The color of the “monkey fist” inside your bag corresponds to the unique lining color . Now that’s what I call detail work.

Blue and white pillows are gracefully positioned upon bold, elegant furniture pieces in a luxurious setting. This is English Country Antiques of Bridgehampton, NY. Their magical store beautifully displays unique furniture pieces which are now accented with Nankeen pillows. Stop by and check out their store.

Memorial Day weekend 2008 in Rhode Island was stunning. Perfect 75 degree non-humid weather, with bright sunshine set in a deep blue

sky providing a taste of the wonderful summer months to come. What a perfect setting for Nankeen’s latest photo shoot.

We decided to venture out to the beach this time, and we had so much fun we forgot we were working. Giggles set in more than once as floppy straw hats flew off with the afternoon sea breeze, and we played barefoot in the sand with curious glances from other beachcombers.

Overall we had a fun afternoon, and can’t wait for many more beach time summer days to come so we can use our new bags. Big bags are truly perfect beach bags. I love that they hold everything I need like towels, snacks, water bottles, radio, etc. The zippered pockets are great because they keep me organized meaning no digging for the little items I don’t want to loose (like sunglasses). And they are low maintenance, just like me. They are easy to take care of, and I can smash them in my trunk with the cooler and chairs, and not think twice about it. Try one out this summer, you won’t be sorry, I promise.

Goodbye boring diaper bag, we’re never looking back. You know the one I’m talking about. The one with the bright Disney characters plastered all over it, made with generic plastic canvas material, dull in color. That one with the zippers that always break, and all sorts of gross matter spilled on the inside which you can never seem to get quite sanitary enough.

Today’s Moms are going Nankeen. Our big bags and totes make perfect baby bags. Diapers, accessories, toys and personal items easily fit into the ample sized bags and the multi-zippered pockets make hard to find items one less headache.

Plus, their durability has endured the test of multiple Moms. They have been proven to withstand a good daily beating. When they get dirty, they are just as easy to care for, you can toss them right in the washing machine. And with Nankeen, Moms love that they don’t have to sacrifice their fashionable style when kids become a part of their life. Plus, the bright colored linings are a fun, jubilant relief to any stressful day and kid friendly.

Happy Mother’s Day Nankeen Moms, we celebrate you.

I was over visiting one of our favorite design/fashion sites, Cool Hunting, the other day, and I came across our indigo brethren. The site was discussing an upcoming show who’s products were made using Japan’s version of the Nankeen indigo dyeing process. Many cultures have their own methods and tradition for this indigo art form and it is great to see Japan’s version making its way back into modern fashion. Great find Cool Hunting! Check out the post here.

When I think of the color blue, the first thing that comes to mind is blue jeans. Jeans are a classic blue, made from dye of the indigo plant–thus the new catch phrase of blue as “the new green.” Lately, indigo isn’t used as often as it once was, but it appears to be securing its place in history. Indigo, which also produces the natural dye from which all Nankeen fabrics are made, is a sustainable, durable dye that has been used for centuries. But more recently textile producers have been shying away from utilizing it as it is more expensive to produce than the synthetic version.

Indigo and its rich past is beautifully reflected through the works of artists contributing to the new exhibition “Blue” at Washington D.C.’s Textile Museum. “Blue” which opened April 4, 2008 features artists like Hiroyuki Shindo, and American Rowland Ricketts. Ricketts raises his own indigo plants, and Shindo explores the historical aspect of the indigo traditions in the East and the West.

Though blue comes in many shades including “baby blue” which is produced from only one or two dippings as demonstrated on our former “peony” bag, the exhibition mainly focuses on the “true blue” which is the multiple dipped navy blue seen on the majority of our new Spring bags. However no matter the shade, there is no question “Blue” is the color of 2008. Pantone which sponsors the show named Blue Iris as its color of the year. Miranda wears the color for Carrie’s wedding in the new “Sex & the City” movie, and has been dubbed “..easier to find this season than a pot of gold..” by InStyle Magazine.

So it is now official, what we at Nankeen have believed all along, blue IS the new black. Watch out!

Juliska’s tagline on their web site states “possibly the most beautiful tableware in the world” and we could not agree more. Their store in Stamford, CT is beautifully put together and we are proud to now have Nankeen pillows and totes in their store. If you are in the area, please check out the store or you can find Juliska’ products in stores throughout the country.

This photo was taken at our last visit to one of the Nankeen fabric workshops. At this stage of the process, the cotton fabric is being dipped in and out of the dye tanks in order to get the right color blue. Once this stage is completed, the paste over the actual design is removed, creating the white portions of the fabric designs.

Lisa and I were recently featured on a local Shanghai channel on the show Shanghai Quest.

This is a great glimpse into our lives out here in Shanghai. You can see how our Nankeen cotton fabric is made and watch me struggle to learn Chinese. There are some beautiful shots in here, have a look…

Click here to view.

One common question I receive from readers and customers is, what other Chinese traditional elements are being used in fashion and design today? As you all know, we are working with one common art form in China–Blue Nankeen–but there are many others with equally fascinating histories. There are some famous examples, such as Shanghai Tang but other efforts are less well known or slowly emerging. Being on the ground here in Shanghai, I am constantly speaking with local designers about which items are being reincorporated into their design. While traditionally these designers have looked to the west for inspiration, this appears to be changing…slowly.

My friend here in Shanghai, Sean, recently wrote about some major brands adding traditional Chinese elements into the designs they sell in China and abroad. Brands such as Nike and Adidas are starting to recognize the renewed interest in more traditional Chinese elements. This is a delicate balance as China design elements are often valued as unique and fashionable in the west, while in China they are seen as old and antiquated. Many western designers have found their China inspired designs popular around the world, and then negated in China. I think this is slowly changing as noted in the IHT article above.

More to come on this, I am having dinner with two Shanghainese designers (one actually works for Nike) on Saturday and will bring up this very issue.