Karim Rashid @ Milk!

Karim Rashid is a leading figure in the fields of product and interior design, fashion, furniture, lighting and art. Born in Cairo, half Egyptian and half English, and raised in Canada, Karim now practices in New York.



He is best known for bringing his democratic design sensibility to the masses. Karim has collaborated with clients to create democratic design for Method and Dirt Devil, furniture for Artemide and Magis, brand identity for Citibank and Hyundai, high tech products for LaCie and Samsung, and luxury goods for Veuve Clicquot, Swarovski and Bitossi to name a few.

Korrelation Vase - Limited Edition of 79

Karim's work is featured in 20 permanent collections and he exhibits art in galleries world wide. Karim is a perennial winner of the Red Dot award, Chicago Athenaeum Good Design award, I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review, IDSA Industrial Design Excellence award.

Spiralik Vase - Limited Edition of 79

To date he has had some 3,000 objects put into production and he has successfully entered the realm of architecture and interiors. Karim has published various monographs and the last one, “KarimSpace”, published by Rizzoli in 2009, it features architecture and interior design projects.

Cyclik Vase - Limited Edition of 79

We currently have a beautiful selection of Karim Rashid for Bitossi available in store and online.



For more information on any of Karim Rashid's products please call us on +44 207 7299 880, email us at info@milkconceptboutique.eu or visit our website - milkconceptboutique.com

Piero Fornasetti 1913-1988

Piero Fornasetti (10 November 1913 - 1988) was an Italian painter, sculptor, interior decorator and engraver.

He lived most of his life in Milan, attending the Brera Art Academy from 1930-1932 when he was expelled for insubordination. During World War II, he went into exile in Switzerland from 1943-46. He created more than 11,000 beautiful items, many featuring the face of a woman, operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri as a motif. Her full name was Natalia Cavalieri.

Fornasetti found her face in a 19th century magazine. “What inspired me to create more than 500 variations on the face of a woman?” asks Italian designer, Piero Fornasetti of himself. “I don’t know,” he admits, “I began to make them and I never stopped.” The “Tema e Variazioni” (theme and variation) plate series based on Cavalieri's face numbered more than 350.

T&V 334

Other common features in his work include heavy use of black and white, the sun and time. His style is reminiscent of Greek and Roman architecture, from which he was heavily influenced.

Fornasetti is celebrated as being among the most original creative talents of the twentieth century. During his career he created a visual vocabulary that is instantly recognisable and unceasingly engaging. Fornasetti designed a magical world, saturated in image and colour and filled with whimsy and wit.

Today it is most common to see Fornasetti's style in fashion and room accessories such as scarfs, ties, lamps, furniture, china plates and tables.

Fornasetti's son Barnaba, is perpetuating the Fornasetti tradition by continuing to produce, and revive, Fornasetti designs. At the helm of the company and its creative heart, Barnaba is the custodian of his father's legacy.

For more information Fornasetti please call us on +44 207 7299 880, email us at info@milkconceptboutique.eu or visit our website - milkconceptboutique.com

Olivia Steele @ Milk!

The most exciting things in this world are temporary. Hurricanes, explosions, loves, lives, bigger explosions and other lives – all of these things and more and art – but particularly art. The reason street art has captured so many imaginations is the brevity of its display – blink and it will become replaced or removed or faded by the abrasive city environment. In light of the Frieze Art Fair, conceptual neon artist, Olivia Steele’s latest exhibition, will be off the beaten path as she has chosen to display her affection to the public, in public.


Vowing to return neon to its roots, the only gallery walls suitable to contain her work are those of the city itself. Selections from her latest collection (‘Public Display of Affection’) will be put up in connected public spaces around London, so forming a trail of art to be sought out and followed by anyone and everyone who wishes.

From East London lingerie shops to the Mile End footbridge to historic landmarks on Shoreditch High Street her artworks will become beacons spanning the city – a yellow brick road of vibrant illuminating sculpture. All locations, no matter how unlikely, will briefly host beauty; all people, no matter how divergent their concerns, no matter how disconnected their lives will be able to experience it.

You can follow her trail, and connect the dots around London, for a short time only in October and November. Please see below for participating stores:

Milk Concept Boutique 118 1/2 Shoreditch High Street London E1 6JN

123 Bethnal Green Road Concept Store, 123 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 7DG

Bordello 55 Great Eastern Street London EC2A 3HP

For more information on any of these products please call us on +44 207 7299 880, email us at info@milkconceptboutique.eu or visit our website - milkconceptboutique.com

Bitossi Ceramiche @ Milk!


Introducing Bitossi Ceramiche @ Milk Concept Boutique.

The identity of Bitossi Ceramiche starts from the beginning of 1900’s and develops upon a productive ceramic tradition that existed in Montelupo Fiorentino starting from 1500. The activity of the Bitossi family started in 1921 for the will of Guido Bitossi with the establishment of “Manifattura Ceramica Cav. Guido Bitossi & Figli” that combined typical local craft works into a structured productive organisation.

More than 7000 original pieces starting from the 50’s, were collected and filed in the “Bitossi Industrial Archive”; 200 selected pieces among those can be seen at MAIB - Artistic Industrial Bitossi Museum, that was built by the company to showcase this historical path. Bitossi Ceramiche is still run by the same family and thanks to the historical and cultural heritage that was recovered in these last years, it keeps alive its original craft roots, combined with a constant innovation. A never ending formal research and the skilled hands of ceramicist masters led to the development of the creations of Aldo Londi from 1950’s and then of Ettore Sottsass and Piero Fornasetti along with the following production of the company with the support of several designers, always focusing on style evolution.

Birdie
Dimensions: H 21 cm

Nowadays the tradition of hand-made products is continuing with the collaboration with Arik Levy, Karim Rashid, Ginevra Bocini, Fabio Novembre and more recently Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Luisa Bocchietto and Mario Ferrarini. Bitossi Ceramiche: great artistic ceramic tradition and contemporary design.

Cyclik Vase - Konvolution collection
Dimensions: H 27 cm - L 20 cm
Limited ed. 79 pc

Karim Rashid is a leading figure in the fields of product and interior design, fashion, furniture, lighting and art. Born in Cairo, half Egyptian and half English, and raised in Canada, Karim now practices in New York.

Spiralik Vase - Konvolution collection
Dimensions: H 21 cm - L 33 cm - L 21 cm
Limited ed. 79 pcs

Korrelation Vase - Konvolution collection
Dimensions: H 37 cm - L 34 cm
Limited ed. 79 pcs

A sense of play is the starting point of all of her projects, that turn into surprising shapes always striving for uncommon solutions. Ginevra Bocini took his Master degree at Central Saint-Martins College of Art and desogn in London. She collaborates with Bitossi Ceramiche and brings ahead this research aiming to bring back craft skill through design, to bring back value to the “culture of making”. She utilises fashion in her projects for her love for the aesthetical vision of fashion. She learnt the art of mixing elements from different origins and values and to give priority to the value of fantasy.


"I suppose that everything that surrounds me and everything that I like inspires me inevitably.
I love art that looks like it’s for kids but it’s really for adults. I’m a collector of objects, magazines and shoes. Fashion is of course a huge influence, I have always enjoyed spending my free time to be creative in this area, this included designing as well as creating my own clothes.

I always liked to draw female figures since I as far back as I can remember. My simplistic style is made of thin basic line drawings. Looking through the Dolls I realized that probably my drawing might have been a huge influence on them. Half decorative half toy, were originally taught as a personal experiment."

Maria - Bambole collection
Dimensions: H 33 cm
Limited ed. 199 pcs

Carmela - Bambole collection
Dimensions:H 33 cm
Limited ed. 199 pcs

Ronan (1971) and Erwan Bouroullec (1976) have been working together for about ten years now. Their collaboration is a permanent dialogue nourished by their distinct personalities. In 1997, they presented their “Disintegrated Kitchen” in Paris and were spotted by Cappellini, who gave them their first design project, notably the Lit clos and in 2002 they started working with Vitra. Since 2004, the Bouroullecs have also been working with Magis, for whom they designed two complete furniture collections. Today, they design for numerous manufacturers, as Vitra, Kvadrat, Kartell, Established and Sons, Ligne Roset, Axor, Alessi.

Lamp - Lampalumina collection
Dimensions: H 66 cm - Led 2,8 With Led replacement kit supplied
Limited ed. 49 pcs

For more information on any of these products please call us on +44 207 7299 880, email us at info@milkconceptboutique.eu or visit our website - milkconceptboutique.eu

PATRIZIA PEPE AW11/12 COLLECTION AT MILK

WINTER NOMAD WOMEN!

A collection with a truly nomadic spirit, where movement is the symbol of exploration and the quest for the original continues, but this time deep-rooted in the sensation of luxury.

A combination of fabrics instigates elaborately constructed dual-purpose garments: chiffon shirts and long knitted pullovers become perfect day to night wear. Tricot combines with smoothed washed satin and georgette creating draped and sophisticated looks!

Highlights of the Buyers’ outerwear selection for Milk Concept Boutique are waistcoats made from long Tibetan (Kidassia) lambs wool, Cocoon shaped coats in virgin wool or alpaca. And the nomad glamour continues with jackets in boucle yarns, complemented by cashmere and chunky knits ….. wild mohair scarves and gloves add further dash!

As always the Patrizia Pepe range at Milk Concept Boutique is a melody of the season’s highlights along side favourite classics including tailored jackets, classic jerseys and denims.

For Press please contact dorin@milkconceptboutique.eu

Lambert Kamps’ Fat Furniture at Milk Concept Boutique

Lambert Kamps (1974) is an artist and designer based in Groningen (The Netherlands). Lambert studied fashion and design before attending the school of fine arts in Groningen. His work is widely exhibited and is known in the design world for blurring boundaries between art, architecture and design.

Milk is proud to present his “Fat Furniture”, a collection of “swollen” furniture, inspired by the rising rates of obesity in Western consumer societies.

Lambert says that “ when I look around the streets these days, I see a lot of overweight people and it is these body shapes that inspired me to make furniture with a swollen look!” And these fab, fun pieces of furniture are certainly a friendly feast for the eyes and so soft and comfy to sit in!!

The covers are felted wool so there are no seams at all ,which are filled with inflated foam giving the furniture a good sturdy structure. The shape of the designs are where the attentions of the admirers remain, then comes the curiosity how these amazing pieces are made.

Come into Milk and try them out!

For press please contact dorin@milkconceptboutique.eu

An Evening with Barnaba Fornasetti: Through the Keyhole at Milk

The Escama Studio Story ....

The Escama Studio Story …. Fashion forward, fair trade accessories stitched together with vision, dedication and hard work.

A collaborative design studio based San Francisco and Brazil, Escama makes beautiful recycled fashion accessories using crochet and recycled aluminum pull-tabs, blending traditional handicrafts with modern design.

At Milk Concept Boutique we are completely memorised by these bags. At first gland its not clear what they are made of …. But upon closer inspection it becomes clear that they are works of real ingenuity and wearable works of art.

Escama Studio is an experiment in sustainability.

Escama Studio team adapted traditional crochet techniques used in Brazil and infused this tradition with a modern design sense and new materials. With designs originating from both San Francisco and Brazil, the bags are hand crocheted in Brazil by women’s collectives who are not just contract manufacturers, but an integral part of Escama Studio.

The video below, shows the various steps to producing the bags: from sourcing recycled aluminium, sorting usable tabs, washing, polishing, trimming and crocheting the tabs into the finished products. It follows the journey of the bags from Brazil to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

“Creating innovative and stylish products from post-consumer and other sustainable materials, through partnerships with producers in economically disadvantaged communities”

About the Artist Who Made Your Bag

The artists work in co-operatives located outside of Brasília, Brazil. The co-operative groups offer women and men in the community a means to earn a living wage through handicrafts and provide a setting where friends are made and self-esteem is regained.

Escama Studio donates a percentage of annual sales towards computer-based educational programs, along with computers, furniture, training, and assistance opening bank accounts.

For press please contact

dorin@milkconceptboutique.com

LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL: THROUGH THE KEYHOLE AT MILK FROM 15 -25 SEPTEMBER

MILK invites you to join us on a journey through the unique and timeless work of Fornasetti. Launching the new collection of limited edition vases curated by Barnaba Fornasetti (son of Piero) combining the distinctive imagery of Fornasetti and the creative skills of Bitossi Ceramiche. Expect an unexpected twist on popular Fornasetti designs in an array of styles and textures, uniting traditional techniques with contemporary innovations. The 2011 vase collection continues to enjoy the interplay between illusion and reality, employing the undeniably witty Fornasetti charm.

We will have a soiree with Barnaba Fornasetti at Milk Concept Boutique on Tuesday, 20 September 2011 from 6-9pm. All our customers are welcome to join us for this evening, please RSVP to info@milkconceptboutique.eu.

Milk Concept Boutique is part of the Shoreditch Design Triangle.

For all press enquiries please contact dorin@milkconceptboutique.eu

Fashion according to GarpArt at Milk

When design meets fashion that meets contemporary art …. Meet GarpArt at Milk Concept Boutique

GarpArt is a creative label constantly in progress, fusing international contempory art projects through fashion and design.

It's creator, Nicolas de Contades, is a Swiss/Italian young patron of the arts who believes that creative collaboration in design is the new way to feel fashion, and at the same time to support up and coming international artists.

The original concept of GarpArt to work with contemporary international artists, to promote their projects through fashion and design is going from strength to strength making fashion a real means of expression!

The 2011 Collection for Milk includes:

Limited edition printed t-shirts by Ofri Cnaani (Israel/Usa) & Fausto Gilberti (Italy)

Special Edition wall stickers merging graffiti and street style with home design

Japanese Collective N+N see their art turned into the cutest canvas bags

Utility chic designer summer dresses

For more information and press information please contact

dorin@milkconceptboutique.eu

New at Milk – The Bonnet Collection by Casalis

Luxury Belgian carpet company Casalis present Bonnet their new soft furnishing collection designed by Dutch designer, Liset Van der Scheer.

The Bonnet is a knitted cap that can be stretched over various forms creating shaped pouffes, perfect for casual seating or footstools.

The Bonnet pouffes come in different mix and match shapes and sizes, their removable and interchangeable covers are knitted in 100% merino wool and available in dozens of colourways.

Please browse Milk’s online catalogue or pop in and see us to help you find the right colour palette to suit your mood and lifestyle!

Press contact: dorin@milkconceptboutique.eu

The Baobab Candle Collection

A colourful scented dream, bringing the majestic feel of the African Continent to life for those whom refinement is the art of living

The Baobab candle collection was born in 2002 from Belgian designer Valerie Bietlot's experiences living in South Africa. Inspired by the majestic landscapes of Tanzania with its intense colours and enchanting perfumes, Baobab underlines its African heritage with selective fragrances such as White Rhino, Serengeti Plains, Masaai Spirit, and Miombo Woodlands bringing to life the majestic scent of the African heartland.

Handmade: Every material used in creating the Baobab collection is hand crafted and every gesture of the finishing is hand made. The vases are precisely blown pieces by craftsmen glass blowers and manual polishing gives straight edge glass finishes, aand a black statin ribbon gives an exclusive finish to the candle. Presented in an identifiable black box covered with buckram paper to complete the sobriety and elegance of this product,

White Rhino, Serengeti Plains, Masaai Spirit, and Miombo Woodlands in Max 10. 1ocm high, 50og, 60 burning hours.

Eco Friendly Coffee in your BYO CUP from Milk

BYO (Bring Your Own) Cup for Life

Finally, a cool looking eco friendly coffee cup with a secure lid you can use again and again and again ... and what’s even better is that you can enjoy a 10% discount from Starbucks each time you fill your 'BYO cup' there!
The BYO Cup keeps your coffee warm yet it’s cool to the touch. Use it. Wash it. Re-use it.

Made from food grade silicone, it’s firm but flexible, lightweight but tough, and will withstand 200ºC heat (making it totally dishwasher safe too). It’s pretty much indestructible. Which means it won’t contribute to the mountain of discarded disposable coffee cups shoved into landfills that will never decompose because of their polymer lining.

At the end of its life as your BYO Cup, please return it to us and we will forward it to a silicone recycler in India who will turn it into charity bracelets or key rings.
It’s a way of enjoying the coffee of your choice – without adding more rubbish to the world. Did you know the average Briton throws away on average 250 paper coffee cups a year?!! Don’t be one of them ….

Make the change and help save the planet, one coffee at a time!

Small: 8oz (230ml) cup - £8.95
Large: 12oz (355ml) cup - £11.95

Both sizes available in Red and Black with Red or Black lids.

For more information contact: dorin@milkconceptboutique.com

Valentine's Gift Ideas for Him

Romance the man in your life with our luxurious gift selection for every budget.

1. For the hyper-minimalist who prefers to go cash-free, how about this subtle and understated card wallet (£28) by Japanese label CORGA

2. Help keep his desk seamlessly smart with this next-generation pencil case (£42) by Japanese label CORGA

3. Smarten him up with a humorous silk tie (£105) by iconic Milanese artist Piero FORNASETTI

4. Need him to be fashionably on time? Then the TOYWATCH Chrono Gun (£118.00) is the ideal timekeeper!

5. Keep him on trend in a pair of HUDSON’s stylish Swathmore tan boots (£125)

6. or a Milk Gift Voucher so he can pick the perfect present for him ….

Valentine's Gift Ideas for Her

Treat your sweetheart to a luxury gift from Milk’s exclusive collection

1. Keep her smelling sweet with these dreamy MATHLIDE M Bath Sugars (6 boxes tablets £13.00)

2. Is she forever forgetting where she left mobile phone? Help her keep it safe in a stylish place with this CHARGE ‘N’ FRUIT Red Apple Docking Station (£50.00)

3. Give her a lip-smacking big smooch COWPARADE sytlee that she can keep forever! Smootches Medium Cow (£75)

4. Take her to senses somewhere sensual with a Bacio (kiss) Scented Candle (£95) in a FORNASETTI decorated porcelain pot

5. Keep her in her place!!! In this fabulous FABIO NOVEMBRE Her Chair (£360) perfectly sculpted and crafted around the female form

6. or a Milk Gift Voucher so she can pick the perfect present for her ….

COR SINE LABE DOLI's Papillon

Milk is proud to present one its most exciting fashion accessory concepts: the Papillon (bow tie) from the thrilling new Italian brand Cor Sine Labe Doli.

Cor Sine Labe Doli have taken the traditional bow tie and created a new concept, giving this elegant men’s fashion accessory a new life, a new direction and a new purpose. The Ceramic Papillon has a glamorous and stylish feel to it, losing none of the eccentricity of the bow tie just adding to a fashionable edge to it!

Bow ties are traditionally associated with formal dress but the Papillon inspires a stylish touch in the fashion conscious wearer adding a touch of razzle-dazzle to a tux, a collared shirt, a classic T-shirt ….. or even a little black dress! Making it not just an innovative accessory for men, but also a glamorous addition to any woman’s dressing up box!!

Expertly manufactured in Marostica, the Italian land of the ceramic, the Papillon are hand moulded by local artisans then expertly fired to achieve the fabulous gloss or matt finish. The ribbons are then expertly sown on by tailors to complete this charming directional fashion accessory.

Available in two shapes and fashion colours: white, black, navy blue, gold, cherry, gold, platinum, shiny rust and the sensational model in shiny black with a gold spot.